|
|
Friday, March 20
The Great Buck Howard
Turning Tricks Into Treats
Trailers & Mo | Official Website
Writer/Director Sean McGinly was once a novice road manager for mentalist Simon Baker The Amazing Kreskin, and he has channeled his brief experiences with him as the inspiration for his purty darn great flick The Great Buck Howard, with John Malkovich in the slight of hand title role and Colin Hanks walking a mile in his own shoes. The two crisscross America's nooks and crannies (with a big stopover in Cincinnati, where Steve Zahn and his mustache rule!), playing sparsely filled theaters, as Hanks lends moral support to needy Malkovich and his (hilariously) outdated shtick. As a performer, Buck's still got it after all these years, but he's about 3 steps away from becoming as completely delusional as Norma Desmond. Hanks' straight man role is a thankless one, and one the movie may have been better off saying no thanks to. We know why the role exists, but anything that has to do with his character (including having his father, not so shockingly played by Tom Hanks, pop up for no real reason, and a budding romance with an unusually restrained Emily Blunt) stands in the way of Malkovich's brilliant show. As of late, Malko's been laffable as a dramatic actor (did anyone take him seriously in The Changeling? wait, did anyone see The Changeling?), and hamazing as a comedic one (Colour Me Kubrick, Art School Con, etc), and so it's an absolute pleasure to see him continue on the latter's path... unless of course it's a Rowan Atkinson movie
The Winslow Boy: there be some mad quailty cameos within the film, but we demand more than cameos for our boy Michael Winslow. watch his Star Wars thingie and then tell me that this man of many talents doesn't deserve more work and love?
Verdictgo: Jeepers Worth A Peepers
Hunger
Not Very Appetizing
Trailers & Mo | Official Website
IRA member Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) led a famous hunger strike at a Northern Ireland prison in order to gain attention for his movement, and specifically regain Special Category Status for him and fellow political prisoners. Steve McQueen's (not that Steve McQueen) Hunger chronicles his incarceration and lack of eating, which ultimately resulted in his death/martyrdom. Watching this gauntly grueling process of decomposition is no fun at all. All movies don't have to be fun, but we got the point early on in the picture and didn't really need to sit thru the rest of the pain and suffering. It was like watching The Machinist all over again, and if yer like us, that was an experience not worth repeating
Glutton For Punishment: Fassbender's a big fan of taking a beating. if yer looking for more of it, but something that's a lot more fictional and a lot more entertaining, then czech out the low-budget horrorish flick Eden Lake, where a bunch of teens terrorize him and his girlfriend. it's like Deliverance, but with chavs instead of southern yokels
Verdictgo: Sum Merit But No Stinking Badges
Hunger opens in NY only today, while Buck Howard mentals it up in limited release and on VOD
and until next thyme the balcony is clothed...
|
|
