Review: William H. Macy's 'Rudderless', Starring Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, and Laurence Fishburne

School shootings are a pretty taboo subject to tackle in fiction and especially in film. To be honest, the only one that sticks out in my mind is Gus Van Zant’s Elephant. Now for some this might be spoiler-y but one of the major factors in the arc of the film is a school shooting. In Rudderless, Billy Crudup plays Sam, a father who loses his son after he commits a school shooting and dies. This sends Sam into an unhinged spiral in his life. He was a successful and straight-laced upper middle class father and two years later he’s an aimless man living on a boat who paints houses and rides a bike. His life changes again after he obtains his son’s songbook and guitar that allows him to deal, on some level, with what happened.

That’s all in the beginning, but it’s a confusing pace at first that I feel it is a hindrance to the overall film. Although it must be purposeful from director William H. Macy (who has a small role) to give you some of the feelings Sam is experiencing. Anton Yelchin as Quentin plays a young musician who ends up befriending Sam and is the other main character in this. Billy and Anton have good onscreen presence together and give off a realistic feeling friendship and mentor/mentee relationship. With so much of the film focused on these characters, a lot of the other actors are a tad bit forgettable, besides Laurence Fishburne, who plays the music store owner Del. He's clearly the trope of a wise Black male to be a voice of reason for both of the main characters. He’s great but I got to call it as I see it.

This film has a lot of musical performances, which I feel is where most of the interesting direction happens. The rest of the film, cinematography-wise, is a bit standard in shot selection. Close-up here, then medium shot there, long shot establishing new scene and place. It’s not a feast for the eyes, but it’s not really needed for this film. With the focus so much on Crudup, it’s on him a lot to hold your focus on the screen. Luckily he gives a great performance that doesn’t leave you bored.

Now it does in a way wrap it all up a little too fast in my opinion. I also bet people think Selena Gomez is a selling point with her being in the film, but she’s really not in it much, so if you’re a fan of her you might feel some type of way about it if you’re expecting to see her perform in a quieter film than say Spring Breakers. Rudderless is a pretty good character study about grief and guilt and how it can flip those left behind upside down. The cast and the crew do a good job and now there is something else to look out for now with the name William H. Macy, actor and director.

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Review: 'The Railway Man', Starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman

There are some stories, in the right hands, that flourish on film. But probably one of the hardest things is translating a story based on true events onto the screen. The story behind the work may be fascinating, but how it translates onscreen is what separates it from being an interesting one in verbal form to a well-realized visual masterpiece. The Railway Man is such a film that sounds unique on paper, but doesn't translate well on film, mostly due to director Jonathan Teplitzky's dull storytelling tactics. 

Eric Lomax (Colin Firth/Jeremy Irvine) is fascinated by trains. He knows everything about them, their engineering specifications, where they travel, their history. It's on this train that he meets his wife Patricia (Nicole Kidman). But soon after they marry (and that's an

understatement because their troubles begin on their honeymoon), Eric begins having flashbacks and is overwhelmed by his memories of his past as a Japanese prisoner of war during World War II. 


Patricia, taken aback by Eric's dark spiral downward and at a loss of what to do, seeks out his longtime friend Finlay (Stellan Skarsgard/Sam Reid) to help her understand what's going on with her husband. A horror story unfolds as Finaly relays to her their time as prisoners of war and the mental and physical torture done to Eric by the hands of Japanese soldier Agase (Hiroyuki Sanada/Tanroh Ishida). And in order for Eric to finally move forward, he must go back and confront his past, and Agase himself, after realizing that the man's still alive. 

The trouble with the movie isn't that the story itself is uninteresting, but it's the filmmaking that's dull, slow, and not captivating. The scenes bounce back and forth between past and present, and there are some that are there for a reason only the director may understand. The entire thing plays out as though it's supposed to be moving and emotionally striking, but isn't. 

Nicole Kidman's character is meant to be a savior of sorts to Colin Firth's tortured soul, but she is entirely underutilized and isn't given much to do besides just standing around. Even when Firth goes back to visit his torturer, it doesn't resonate in a way that it should. There's just no fire to any of it. We never understand why Firth's character is suddenly struggling to deal with something that happened to him over 40 years ago, nothing to indicate if there's something specific which triggers his flashbacks. Everything just happens, but it feels more like the film just tries to gain the audience's sympathies without giving us any sentimental attachment to what's happening. 

This isn't to take away from anyone's performance. Hiroyuki Sanada in particular is the stand out in the film. The few scenes he's in near the end completely captivate the audience and he's able to make you feel sorry for a man who made all the wrong choices 40 years prior and is in deep regret of them. Stellan Skarsgard's character also is more sympathetic than Firth's. You can see the guilt on his face every time we see him and his final act, though abrupt, is understandable in the scheme of things. 

The script isn't gripping like this kind of story should be. Based on the book by Eric Lomax, The Railway Man gives us facts, but struggles to keep the audience's attention with its slow-going and emotionally distant script. The scenes cut back and forth too abruptly at times and the film has a difficult times reaching a dramatic climax. Everything just kind of happens, but there's never anything to indicate any change in progress that leads us to every scene. Disappointing and frustratingly underwhelming. 

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Review: 'Gimme Shelter', Starring Vanessa Hudgens and Rosario Dawson

Vanessa Hudgens has come a long way since her High School Musical days. She's definitely grown as an actress and has branched out into roles that no one would have seen her taking on a few years ago. So there's something even more refreshing about her role in Gimme Shelter, and her dedication to playing the part the right way. Her portrayal of pregnant teenager Apple works in a movie where not everything does. 

Agnes "Apple" Bailey (Hudgens) lives an unhappy, abusive, and deteriorating life. She lives with her mom June (Rosario Dawson) and is forced to help her in her business of prostitution. June isn't the ideal loving mother nor does she really try to be. She's always dirty, forces her daughter into doing things, is a drug addict, and is verbally abusive and aggressive towards her. Apple gets fed up and runs away from home in order to go and find Tom (Brendan Fraser), the dad she never knew. 

Tom now works on Wall Street and is married with kids. He tries to help Apple in the only way he knows how, which is to basically tell her what to do with her life, but Apple isn't pleased with the way she's being treated by his wife, so she runs away from there too. But not before discovering that she is pregnant. She decides to keep her baby, but is close to losing her daughter when she gets into a car crash. In the hospital, she meets Father Frank McCarthy (James Earl Jones) who tries to help her and she ends up finding a home with Kathy (Ann Dowd), a woman who has opened up her home for young, pregnant girls who need help. Slowly, Apple finds a family and a way to get her life back on track. 


Director Ron Krauss thoroughly researched everything for this film as well as lived in the shelter for awhile. The character of Apple is based on several of the shelter girls' stories and Krauss even adds a touch of reality by filming the shelter scenes in the real-life Kathy's home. So the touch of real life is welcome and makes the film even more hard to bear in certain parts knowing what Apple and the rest of the girls in the shelter went through. 

A lot of the film touches on Apple's struggles and her typical teenage stubborn streak that declares that she knows how to deal with her own life, but secretly wishes that someone would help her and care. The film generally does a good job portraying that since we follow Apple's journey from beginning to end and we see the progression of her character. Apple's mom is just as complex a character and while a lot of the movie is spent hating on her, there's one split second where you actually begin to feel sorry for her because of where she ended up in life compared to how she was before. 

The movie begins to falter a little bit after Apple reaches the shelter. There she meets a girl named Cassie (Emily Meade), whose plight isn't something we completely understand. We get why she's at the shelter, why she doesn't like being at the shelter, and why she wants to run away from it, but her message and her story are somewhat disjointed. It's as though Cassie's only there to be the possible wrench in the system, the girl no one really understands and who hates everyone on principle. But her presence ends up being a little confusing rather than useful and her relationship with Apple goes from hate to friendship in a blink of an eye without explanation.

At some points the movie feels like it could have been a better documentary than a feature film because it's almost too factual sometimes. It's almost as though Krauss tries to put in everything he's learned about these girls into the movie but at the expense of slowing the movie down. Also, occasionally, the movie gets a little too preachy in its message, but ultimately finds solid ground again near the end. 

The movie's greatest strengths are its performances. Hudgens cuts off her hair, gains weight for the role, and just embodies the character she's playing to the point of being unrecognizable. Everything about her character down to the way she walks screams "I need help!" Her scenes with Rosario Dawson are full of tension and a heightened sense of danger, because Dawson is particularly creepy and out of control in her role. James Earl Jones is always a welcome sight in any film, and here is no exception. 

To sum it up, Hudgens gives a fantastic performance in a film that isn't perfect but is, at the same time, somewhat moving. The great performances are what fuels this film and you can tell that Hudgens and Dawson (and they're pointed out in particular because they have far more to do than Jones or Brendan Fraser) really pour all they have into this movie. Hudgens is unrecognizable and is bound for more complex roles now that she's proven she can succeed outside of the cutesy world she was introduced in. Ron Krauss delivers a decent film that falters and slows in its second act before finding its way to the end, not unlike its lead character does. 

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Ben Affleck Lays Down the Law in New 'Runner Runner' Clip

I suppose in a world of online gambling, you'd want Ben Affleck as your mentor. But Justin Timberlake looks pretty damn sure that that's not who he wants on his side at all. Last week, a new clip was released of Timberlake and Affleck, the latter welcoming the younger into the folds of black market gambling. 

Another clip has been released from their new film Runner Runner, giving us more insight into what seems like a very turmoil-filled relationship between the two. This time around, Affleck throws all his supposedly welcoming arms out the window and gets angry when confronted by Timberlake about an event gone wrong. 

You can watch the clip below! 

Runner Runner also stars Gemma Arterton and Anthony Mackie. The film hits theaters October 4. 

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New 'Prisoners' TV Spot and Clip Featuring Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman are back... and they're in the same movie! The trailer premiered at the end of May and after all this time we finally have a new clip and TV spot for their new film Prisoners. 

The TV spot is only thirty seconds long and gives us some things we've seen and some things we haven't. The clip, however, gives us a little taste for what to expect from the film and Jake Gyllenhaal. The scene in the clip is intense as Gyllenhaal and his officers apprehend a suspect and block off the area in search for the two girls who were kidnapped. Gyllenhaal looks outraged and stressed. 

You can check out the clip and TV spot below! 

Prisoners also star Hugh Jackman, Terrance Howard, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo, and Paul Dano. The film hits theaters September 20. 

     

Get More: Jake Gyllenhaal, Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

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New Clip From Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck Movie 'Runner Runner'

The announcement of Ben Affleck officially slated to play Batman sent everyone into a frenzy. Some people were ecstatic, others were appalled, some didn't really care either which way. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, it looks like it's happening. 

But before Ben Affleck puts on the famous cape and cowl, he must first go head-to-head with Justin Timberlake in the new movie Runner Runner. The movie pits Timberlake, who believes he being swindled out of his money in online gambling, heads to confront Affleck in order to get his money back. 

In the new clip released, we see Timberlake and Affleck meeting. Affleck gives him back his money but offers Timberlake a chance to make seven figures in three months and even more over the course of several years. Of course the younger man accepts, because there aren't flashing signs that scream "don't do it, this is bad!" everywhere. 

You can watch the clip below! Runner Runner also stars Gemma Arterton and Anthony Mackie. It hits theaters September 27. And if you haven't seen the trailer yet, you can watch it below the clip!

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Brad Pitt faces a difficult decision in first clip from 'World War Z'

Hollywood really has it out for humanity. They're always trying to come up with some creative way to kill us so they can serve their story and bring their lead characters into the realm of heroism. 

This time around, it's Brad Pitt who will ultimately become all heroic as he races to find a way to stop a pandemic that has hit Earth and is killing off everyone. 

The first clip from World War Z sees Pitt struggling to make a choice between working with the government to  save the world, or stay behind and be with his family. The choice seems simple enough, right? But no difficult choice is ever made until Pitt gives his version of the puppy dog eyes, apparently. 

Watch the clip below to see what happens!

World War Z hits theaters June 21.

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