Newlyweds (2011)

or Ed Burns' Love Letter to Tribeca

NDC score:★★★★☆

Released: December 2011 VOD (Video on Demand)
Country: USA
Runtime: 1 hr 33 min

Director: Edward Burns

Starring: Edward Burns, Max Baker, Kerry Bishe, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Marsha Dietlein
Writer: Edward Burns

Outside Reviews:

Rotten Tomatoes

critics: -

community: 100%

IMDb

user rating: 8.6/10
Metacritic
Metascore: -
User Score: -

The Story 
Newlyweds Buzzy and Katy think they have the secret to marriage success figured out.  They've committed to avoid drama and keep out of each other's way.  Kinda like college roommates with benefits.  Life for the honeymooners is great until Buzzy's erratic (and sleazy) sister, Linda, imposes without warning and decides to move in.  Can the new couple keep up their "sensible marriage" when drama forces it's way into their lives?

NDC Thoughts 
Ed Burns shot Newlyweds in 12 days, on a budget of $9,000 (no, that's not a typo).  It was filmed on Burns' personal Canon 5d. The actors wore clothes from their personal wardrobe.
That's all very interesting, but it doesn't mean much to an audience if the film is crap.  And when a movie is on such a tight budget, and filmed in less than two weeks, there's a good chance the film will suck.
I'm happy to report, Newlyweds does not suck.  In fact, it's quite beautiful.  And real.  It's about what happens after "happily ever after".  It brings up questions real married people ponder.  It dismisses the myth of the perfect marriage.  The film is about the inevitable conflict and drama that is a part of any real relationship.  It teaches us that if we constantly work to avoid drama, we also give up honesty. And without honesty, we miss out on true intimacy.
Newlyweds not only provides great insight into the effort required for relationships to succeed, it also boasts terrific acting.  The actors all look very comfortable around each other, and have great chemistry.
My sole complaint with Newlyweds is the inconsistency of the filming style.  There's intermittent interviews with the characters (like in The Office), which leads the audience to believe it's a mockumentary. But in the most dramatic and intimate parts of the film, the characters never ask the cameraman to leave.

From it's unconventional production to it's refreshingly honest portrayal of marriage, Newlyweds is a unique piece of indie entertainment that shouldn't be missed. Check it out VOD, December 26, 2011.

I wasn't able to make it to the Tribeca Film Festival this year, but thanks to Sherry over at SAP, I was able to catch a private screening of Newlyweds (the closing film at the festival) before it's VOD release.  Sherry, feel free to burden me with more screenings anytime!

Immortals (2011)

or The only film I'm giving 2 stars to that you should probably see in theaters.

NDC score:★★☆☆☆

Released: November 2011
Country: USA

Director: Tarsem Singh

Starring: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, John Hurt

Outside Reviews:

Rotten Tomatoes

critics: 38%

community: 75%

IMDb

user rating: 7.0/10
Metacritic
Metascore: 48
User Score: 7.2


The Story: King Hyperion wants to take over everything.  So he goes after a god-weapon with incredible powers. He also wants to free the Titans...I'm not sure why, because they don't even know him and would probably just kill him.

Anyway, for reasons unexplained, the gods can't get involved (kinda like real-life religion), so the only one who can save humanity is a mortal named Theseus.  Can Theseus save mankind from destruction? Even gods don't know.


NDC Thoughts: Immortals can be likened unto that ditz you dated for way too long, just because he/she was a hottie. The moron couldn't tell you Stephen King from Shakespeare, considered Applebee's fine dining and listened to Nickelback (an unforgivable offense). Intellectually, it was almost unbearable.  But carnally, it was Disneyland.

In other words, Immortals is a disjointed mess.  It pisses your brain off.  But if you can ignore the plot, script, and characters, it looks absolutely stunning.  It's a visual wonderland I can only compare to Tarsem's far superior, The Fall. 

Do I think you should go see Immortals in theaters? Yeah, I do.  But only if you can ignore the voice in your head that keeps muttering how stupid the whole thing is.

AFI Movies of the Year: The Squid and the Whale (2005)

or It's Minor Baumbach.

NDC score:★★★★☆

Released: October 2005
Country: USA

Director: Noah Baumbach

Starring: Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, Anna Paquin, William Baldwin

Outside Reviews:

Rotten Tomatoes

critics: 93%

community: 77%

IMDb

user rating: 7.6/10

The Story: A semi-autobiographical work of Baumbach's, The Squid and the Whale is a coming-of-age tale of two brothers who must deal with the divorce of their parents.  

NDC Thoughts: It's not always easy to accept the situations in The Squid and the Whale. It's a very awkward film. We don't get a moment of relief from this bizarre family.  Even the laughs it evokes are usually uncomfortable.  But the film shouldn't be comfortable, because it deals with painful situations. Divorce isn't pleasant. And neither is growing up.

The Squid and the Whale is about the struggles of adolescence.  It's about embracing the imperfections of our parents.  It's one of those movies that helps us realize everyone's a little messed up.  And that's important to remember.

AFI Fest 2011

The AFI Movies of the Year Marathon

It's no secret to film fanatics that the AFI FEST 2011 is underway.  Unfortunately, I won't be attending any of this year's films.  But to get in the spirit of the festival, I'm going to be watching and reviewing the AFI Movies of the Year. I'll then pick my favorite films, the movies that shouldn't have made the top ten, as well as films that should have.  Feel free to watch the films along with me, and share your opinions (find the list of films here).

12 Days of Horror: [REC] (2007)

or the other (and better) shaky camera film that came out in 2007

NDC score:★★★★★

Released: November 2007
Country: Spain

Director: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza

Starring: Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano

Outside Reviews:

Rotten Tomatoes

critics: 96%

community: 78%

IMDb

user rating: 7.7/10

The Story: A young reporter and her cameraman are covering the nightly activities of a fire department.  The firemen are called to an apartment complex to help an old lady stuck in her room.  Shortly after the firemen, reporter and cameraman arrive at the complex they find the old lady has gone mad (this discovery is made after she rips open a man's jugular with her mouth).  As the group tries to run for safety, they learn the government has quarantined the apartment building and they are trapped with the flesh-chomping old hag. Oh, and the woman's condition is contagious (yeah, it's a zombie movie).

NDC Thoughts: In a time when shaky camerawork and zombie flicks flood the horror scene, [REC] shines as a beacon of hope for both genres.  It's raw and completely horrifying.  There's no corny dialogue.  No comedian. No romantic interests. It's a scary movie with the singular purpose of terrifying the audience.  And it does so masterfully.

[REC] is a damn-near perfect horror film.  Watch it in the dark, on a big screen, with someone to hold. A must see.

12 Days of Horror: Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

or, why you should be terrified of your kid's imaginary friend.

next door critic score:★★★☆☆

Released: October 2011
Country: USA

Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

Starring: Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown, Christopher Nicholas Smith, Lauren Bittner

Outside Reviews:

Rotten Tomatoes

critics: 68%

community: 64%

IMDb

user rating: 6.5/10

The Story: A prequel to Paranormal Activity and it's prequel, Paranormal Activity 2 (I guess that makes it a pre-prequel).  More found footage of Katie being haunted by a demon, which means: more shaky footage, a strange amount of self-recording for one family, things dropping, and *slight spoiler* people getting dragged around the house by an obviously bored demon *end of spoiler*.  This time the footage is from the late 80's, when Katie is a little girl (who mysteriously has a "Willy" stuffed toy five years before Free Willy was filmed.  Creepy).

NDC Thoughts: Paranormal Activity 3 is not the most frightening of the franchise. That title still belongs to the first film.  And most of the scares are cheap shots (things that go bump in the night).  It is, however, very entertaining.  The acting is solid, the film looks more polished, and it's actually quite funny.  It felt fresh for an aging premise.  I think the freshness has a lot to do with the new directors, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman; who proved their prowess in the documentary (or mockumentary) field with Catfish.

I was ready for the Paranormal Activity franchise to die, but after seeing PA3, I could handle one or two more for mindless, Halloween fun.  The question is, how will they keep up this "found footage" premise? That could get ridiculous.

While Paranormal Activity 3 doesn't cover new ground, it is a great time at the movies.  Go see it in a packed theater, and drag your entourage along with you.  This one is all about the group experience.