Thighs Wide Shut

The Lobster
Super Hurry Animals
Website | Trailers & Mo
PG-13 | 118 min

In a sorta near future, if you aren’t paired up with a significant other, you will be turned into an animal – of your choice, naturally.  Mustached Colin Farrell was recently dumped by his wife and so he needs to partner up, or animal on out for the rest of his life.  He goes to this seaside hotel run by Olivia Colman (still one of the best actresses no one knows), which helps to pair off people, or turn them into animals.  But the time to do so is limited.  If Colin doesn’t find a mate in 45 days or less, he will became a lobster (hence the film’s title).  His brother is already a dog (ever wonder why there are so many dogs??), and he brings him along on this last ditch human effort.  Others have to go thru the same drill, including some really dour and desperate souls like Ashley Jensen, Ben Whishaw, John C Reilly, and the adorable Jessica Barden

The hotel is an oddball pacifying paradise – like The Village from The Prisoner, with forever overcast skies.  Within its doors, they stage awkward dances and even more awkward demonstrations, trying to get these folks to couple up – and offer plenty of outdoor activities too, including hunting those who have failed and escaped the grounds.  If you hunt and kill one of these escapee loners, you get bonus days to stick around.  If you don’t, the clock continues to tick, and pretty soon your days as a Homo sapien are numbered

And so after awhile, after Colin has tried and tried and tried, and failed (the heartless Angeliki Papoulia provided no help), he decides he doesn’t want to be a lobster, and he flees for the woods, and taken in by loners Léa Seydoux and Rachel Weisz.  But a (un)funny thing happens on the way to being lonely – he falls for Weisz, and she for him, and that’s not suppose to happen, and even more things happen from there, and there you go

For the first 30 or so minutes of Yorgos Lanthimos first English language feature, when we’re in that wonderous hotel, I thought The Lobster was itching its way to being the kinda movie I endless love and never shut up about.  It had happened once before with Lanthimos’ Dogtooth, which is one of the mos fcuked up flicks I’ve seen this century, but as The Lobster claws its way outside of that hotel, something got a little lost in translation, and became a little long in the tooth, but I’ll excuse it, cause The Lobster is unique and imaginative, and often fun, and always keeps you on your toes, and that can’t be said of a lot of movies that come out today.  I give it bonus points for being different, and it doesn’t even really have to try – it juss is different

These lonely love seekers aint no superheroes – they’re super-zeroes, and I’d rather count on them and their sad weirdness, than the good guys saving the cinematic day.  MARVEL OVER THAT, YO!!!

Verdictgo: Jeepers Worth A Peepers

Lobster shacks it up currently in limited release

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

Wreck-It Ralph
8-Bit o’ Honey
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
PG | 101 min

Wreck-It Ralph may not eggzactly be the gemmiest of the Pixar gems [editor’s note – turns out this ISN’T a Pixar pic, but a straight-up Disney toon!], but I can’t think of another Pixar toon or any toon for that matter that totally & specifically appealed to me and my endless lust of childhood nostalgia.  Sure, Toy Story is the gold standard of such days gone by but never forgottens, but arcades and video games tickle my ye olde fancy much mores so than Mr Potato Head and that Slinky dog could ever (mainly cause Star Wars & GI Joe action figures were my fav toys and they weren’t really allowed to play with Woody & Buzz).  And while the story of Ralph is all over the place AND THE ARCADE, and at times, a bit too much for the eyes, I was STILL totally game for the gaming being gamed!!!!!  It’s true!  Level passed!

And you know how these modern studio cartoons lean heavily on famous actors to voice the characters and it can be REALLLLLLLLY distracting cause you can’t lose yerself in these characters cause all you can hear and think of is the famous person voicing them?  WELL, that is NOT the case with Ralphy as John C Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch and Alan Tudyk (AMAZING!) all disappear behind their 8-bit alter egos with such ease that it’s such easy listening!  And even moist incredible of incredibles is the work that Sarah Silverman done does as the Powerpuffy lil girl Vanellope von Schweetz.  We aint a huge fan of the SS, but NOW WE IS CAUSE SHE SO PERFECT AS THE SWEET AND VICIOUS VANELLOPE WHO MAY LIKE BE ONE OF THE MOST FUN FEMALE DISNEY CHARACTERS SINCE LIKE (Miss Bianca?) EVER!  These are truths!

Plus there’s all kinds of awesome video game cameos, INCLUDING THE TAPPER DUDE FROM TAPPER!!!!!  AND EVEN SOME LOVE FOR THE CONTRA SECRET EXTRA MAN CODE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   But no love for the kid from The Wizard with the Power Glove??????????????????????????????????????????

Verdictgo: Jeepers Worth A Peepers

Ralph 1-ups itself at a theater near jews

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

We Need To Talk About Kevin
Birth (Out of) Conrtrol
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
R | 112 min

We do need to talk about We Need To Talk About Kevin cause we juss need to talk about it.  First you MUSS MUSS MUSS see this, then we can talk about how Tilda Swinton might be the single greatest half-amphibian-half-human working in movies, and how John C Reilly is the most bestest absent-minded lovable doof working in movies, and how we’d be scared to f$%king death to ever run into Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell or Rock Duer on the street, cause all 3 of them played Kevin at different ages, and all 3 of em make us never want to have kids, let alone touch a bow and arrow ever again

Lynne Ramsay‘s take on Lionel Shriver‘s 2003 novel of the same name is as beautiful as it is frightening, as empty as it is loving, and as unforgettable as Gus van Sant’s Elephant was kinda forgettable, sorta.  What else do we need to talk about?  Bobbed?  What about bobbed?

Verdictgo: Breast In Show

Kevin will get Talked about in NY this Friday and elsewhere elsewhen

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

Carnage
Parents Pair-Rants
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
R | 79 min

Watching Roman Polanski‘s Carnage is like watching a stage play, sorta not come to cinematic life as a film play.  Not so sirprizing so, so, so, since it’s based off of Yasmina Reza‘s play God of Carnage, but the play’s the thing, right?  No, it’s not.  But if you enjoy the talents and talkings of Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C Reilly, then you will probably take away some enjoyment in their talents and talkings in Carnage

So what’s all the yapping & fussing about between these four Oscar-de-baiters?  Winslet & Waltz (hmm, that sounds like a really fab name for a musical duo!)’s son smacked Foster & Reilly (hmmm, that sounds like a really nifty name for a realty company!)’s son’s face with a stick, so the four ‘rational’ parents need to suss things out like civilized peoples.  Things from there get pouty, then shouty, then tipsy, then vomity, while all feeling way too play-y.  But the play’s the thing, right?  How many times do we have to answer this?

moral of the story:  all four actors ham it up in their own way, and it’s fun, even if it’s all too theater-y, but still, would you rather pay $80+ to see this on Broadway or $7.94 to see it in the greatest physical forum of human entertainment – the movie theater?  Here’s yer answer – EAT IT THEATER!!!!

This:

Verdictgo: Jeepers Worth A Peepers

Carnage car-rages in NY & LA this Friday, and elsewhere elsewhen

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

Terri
Paining Growths
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
R | 105 min

New rule of thumb: if John C Reilly co-stars in a movie about strange kid who’s name is also the title of the movie then it is probably worth seeing.  First Cyrus, and now Azazel Jacobs‘ Terri.  Terri is pajama wearing outcast Jacob Wysocki.  John C is his mentor.  Creed Bratton is his pilled-up uncle.  Bridger Zadina is his hair-pulling friend.  Olivia Crocicchia is his adorable crush.  Simple filmmaking + awesomely complex characters + some fingering scandals = Terri-fied

16 & Not Pregnant: Olivia Crocicchia, we’ll keep our eye on you… when you turn 18

Verdictgo: Jeepers Worth A Peepers

Terri  is varied currently in limited release

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…