Thighs Wide Shut

The Death of Stalin
Gimme Some Pravda
Official Site | Trailers & Mo
R | 107 min

A movie about Stalin’s death and the power struggle to succeed him that immediately followed, in the quick-witted, biting hands of Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop), with a cast of such funny bone ribbers like Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor and Michael Palin (nice name there buddy!)???  Is this going to be a recipe for ironic iron and sickle silliness or what??????????????  It’s more like ‘or what’, but that ends up being not such a bad thing.  It actually ends up being a good thing – a more of an eye-opening historical film about real stuff that most Americans know zero about (I knew like -1 about all of it), than a clever and hilarious funny one that I was expecting

Is it OK to expect to laugh your head off when that’s what you’re expecting from cleverman Armando Iannucci?  I think it is.  Is it OK to wonder why the movie wasn’t all that funny (it has its moments, but not as many as one would think… especially what I was thinking), but it really isn’t all that that funny?  And yet everyone and their mother think it’s the funniest thing since funny sliced bread!

And how can you take a movie seriously, which isn’t probably trying to be serious, but actually is serious and is tackling some ultra-serious matters, when a movie bout Russians is spoken in mostly British accents?  Not a big deal, but it’s kind of distracting

These sound like major gripes I’m griping about, but I think with a little more actual laughs, and some actual Russian accents or attempts at them (c’mon, you don’t want Buscemi saying ‘я морж’??) – this could be a bona fide classic, instead of a nice history lesson with some funny guys in it being restrained from being funny

Lesson learned?  History – yes, more laughs – next time, please!

Verdictgo: Jeepers Worth A Peepers

Stalin LIVES in limited release

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

Win Win
Headgear In Neutral
Official Website | Trailers & Mo

Thomas McCarthy coulda made his 3rd feature Win Win more of a champion, instead of one that wins by merely playing an exhibition game against a bunch of walkovers, but that’s still OK by us!  Odds are, if you partner up Paul Giamatti with Amy Ryan, and give them pals Jeffrey Tambor and Mc’s muse Bobby Cannavale to crack wise with (+ throw in peeps like Burt Young, Melanie Lynskey and Margo Martindale), yer probably going to a end up with something that resembles a purty decent movie.  It is indeed a decent one, and even more than decent, and probably more than it deserves to be.  Maybe this tale of small town trying to pay the billsness and sheltering of lost baby birds (Alex Shaffer), with wrestling fun on and off the mat, is juss too basic stuff for McCarthy’s talent level.  If you’ve seen his Station Agent or even betterer Visitor then you know that Win Win could have somehow won won more.  How?  Dunno, maybe showing more of David W Thompson‘s winning (not in a Sheen type of way) face???

Foley Artists: Giamatti and Ryan’s adorable lil screen daughter Clare Foley (not this one) sure makes the rounds.  you may have seen her in these commercials or perhaps chilling out with her pumpkin-haired actor brothers LJ, Aidan and Liam! those parents should sell their Oscar worthy sperm by the zillions!!!

Verdictgo: Jeepers Worth A Peepers

Win Win is currently hittin the mats in NY & LA only and elsewhere elsewhen

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…