Thighs Wide Shut

The Double
Double Unstandard
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
R | 93 min

How do you like your Jesse Eisenberg – nebbish, dweeby and overly nervous (The Squid and The Whale), or cocky, bullish, and totally in charge (The Social Network)?  Why choose when you can have BOTH in Richard Ayoade‘s crazed second feature - The Double, based on Fyodor Dostoevsky‘s second novel of the same name, with a script co written by Harmony Korine’s brother Avi

We first meet the lesser Eisenberg - Simon James – a 1984ish worker drone, stuck in a rut.  Barely noticed or appreciated, he goes through life hoping for more – to climb the corporate ladder, and to climb into the heart of fellow co-worker and neighbor Mia Wasikowska.  Everything changes when a look-a-like, James Simon – also Eisenberg, starts work at his company, and fulfills his dreams… for himself.  The new brash Eisenberg does what the shy old Eisenberg can’t – he becomes the apple of the boss (Wallace Shawn)’s eye, and the orange of Wasikowska’s heart.  So much for dreams, as this is a total nightmare!!

A nightmare indeed, but Ayoade keeps the dark material as light as he can, and makes it as fun as he can too.  The same was true of his mostly brilliant debut Submarine, and with these two films in the bag, Ayoade has made himself a director to be watched, and to be greatly admired.  Submarine was very Rushmore-y, and I was curious if his follow-up would be more of the same, the way that every Wes Anderson movie is more of the same (but not in a good way).  The Double is not more of the same, it’s a leap from Submarine, in both style and substance, but equally mostly brilliant, and we can’t wait to see where his next leap takes us

Obviously Ayoade has fans on the inside too, as such killer actors as Sally Hawkins, Noah Taylor, James Fox, Paddy Considine, Cathy Moriarty, Craig Roberts, Rade Serbedzija and Yasmin Paige signed up for Double duty in the teeniest tiniest of roles.  Oh yeah, I forgot to include Chris O’Dowd on that list, but he’s not a killer actor.  He’s annoying and unfunny.  He’s like an Irish Seth Rogen

Anywho, Ayoade ALL THE DAYS!!!!!!

Verdictgo: basically Breast In Show

The Double is up, not down today in limited release AND on-demand!

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

Submarine
Sinking & Swiming with Wales
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
R | 97 min

Remember how awesomes and clevers and fresheses in teen angstness and confusion Rushmore was?  Well, we’ve all been waiting for the next Rushmore (which was the next Harold & Maude or if….?) and there hasn’t been a next one.  Lots of tries, lotsa failures.  Not even Wes Anderson could get back to that way cool of school.  Enter the Welshish graped Submarine (based on the Joe Dunthorne novel), which comes purty darn close to Rushmoreian heights and low-ts (it was quite a downer, if you don’t remember).  And its protagonist, Oliver Tate (an incredible incredible incredible Craig Roberts), is even more likable and loveable and rootable-er than Max Fischer could ever be!  Richard Ayoade‘s flick is sharp as a tack and not tacky like the B-Sharps, even with all the flashy film techniques and snappy editing goings on.  It’s got 2 apathetic parents (the very well paired Noah Taylor & Sally Hawkins), one spirtual guru goon (constantly sirprizing Paddy Considine) and one adorable bobbed girl in a red jacket (paging Yasmin Paige), and they’re all problematic peeps causing mad problematics for our lil man Tate.  The first 1/3 is brilliant, and the 2nd third is moody, and the 3rd third is moody blues, and yet all three thirds are juss plain cool to watch as a whole movie.  It’s no Rushmore, cause Rushmore is our Rushmore?

Oh Snap!: yer telling we you don’t want to see a movie that looks like this?

Verdictgo: Jeepers Mos Def Worth A Peepers

Submarine stays afloat in limited release

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…