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Bohan Reviews (215 KP) rated Beautiful Boy (2018) in Movies
May 7, 2019
Timothee Chalamet (1 more)
Steve Carrell
Beautiful Boy was a frustrating movie to watch, and for once that's actually a compliment.
Full Review:
https://www.bohanreviews.com/post/beautiful-boy
Full Review:
https://www.bohanreviews.com/post/beautiful-boy
Bohan Reviews (215 KP) rated Welcome to Marwen (2018) in Movies
May 7, 2019
It has a messy plot; a really awkward, poorly written script; a number of cringeworthy performances; and a weird clash of tone and content.
Full Review:https://www.bohanreviews.com/post/welcome-to-marwen
Full Review:https://www.bohanreviews.com/post/welcome-to-marwen
David McK (3425 KP) rated Space Force in TV
Aug 12, 2020
Steve-Carrell-starring Netflix 'comedy', that sees Carrell's General Naird put in charge of a newly-formed 6th branch of the armed service (the Space Force of the title).
And, despite a strong cast that includes the like of Carrell himself, John Malkovich (as his chief scientist) and Lisa Kudrow (Naird's imprisoned wife) this never really takes off at all.
And, despite a strong cast that includes the like of Carrell himself, John Malkovich (as his chief scientist) and Lisa Kudrow (Naird's imprisoned wife) this never really takes off at all.
Andrew Koltuniuk (762 KP) rated Date Night (2010) in Movies
Feb 2, 2022
David McK (3425 KP) rated Get Smart (2008) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
Big screen remake of an old 60s TV series, that was actually better than I was expecting!
Starring Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Terence Stamsp (with support from the likes of Terry Crews, and a cameo from Bill Murray), this was more deadpan than I (vaguely) remember (I wasn't around in the 60s, and only caught a few episodes on repeat), although I did pick up on a few of the call backs in the movie to said series.
Starring Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Terence Stamsp (with support from the likes of Terry Crews, and a cameo from Bill Murray), this was more deadpan than I (vaguely) remember (I wasn't around in the 60s, and only caught a few episodes on repeat), although I did pick up on a few of the call backs in the movie to said series.
Felicity Huffman recommended Foxcatcher (2014) in Movies (curated)
I’m not sure who enjoyed the new Disney movie ‘Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’ more, the adults or the kids.
Steve Carrell as the out of work, stay at home dad and Jennifer Garner as the stressed out on the go working mom are funny and quick witted.
There were lots of funny situations and lots of laughs from the audience as we follow the family through a day that is ‘cursed’ upon them by the midnight wish of their middle child Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) on his birthday.
Alexander wishes that his family, for once, would understand what it is like to be in his shoes and have a ‘Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’.
What ensues is mishap after mishap for each member of their family, and ultimately, the lesson that no matter what, family is first and families need to stick together to overcome challenges.
I loved the movie, and my 6 year old liked it too, even though many of the jokes in dialogue were over his head.
I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars, as a great family film, and great fun.
Steve Carrell as the out of work, stay at home dad and Jennifer Garner as the stressed out on the go working mom are funny and quick witted.
There were lots of funny situations and lots of laughs from the audience as we follow the family through a day that is ‘cursed’ upon them by the midnight wish of their middle child Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) on his birthday.
Alexander wishes that his family, for once, would understand what it is like to be in his shoes and have a ‘Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’.
What ensues is mishap after mishap for each member of their family, and ultimately, the lesson that no matter what, family is first and families need to stick together to overcome challenges.
I loved the movie, and my 6 year old liked it too, even though many of the jokes in dialogue were over his head.
I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars, as a great family film, and great fun.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Beautiful Boy (2018) in Movies
Nov 5, 2018
Well acted, directed and written...and dour
The advertisement for BEAUTIFUL BOY says that it is a "heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse and recovery of a family coping with addiction".
Heartbreaking, yes. Survival, relapse? Yes. Inspiring? Not so much.
Telling the tale of the true story of David and Nic Sheff (based on their memoirs), BEAUTIFUL BOY stars Steve Carrell as David and the wonderful Timothee Chalamet as Nic. It chronicles their relationship and David's attempt to help his son who has descended into addiction to drugs up to (and including) crystal meth and heroin. This is a tough tale, told rather unflinchingly and with great love and affection. It is also grim and dower. The highs are not really all that high and the lows are really, really, really low.
Which makes for a tough film to watch - it's a very good film - written, directed and acted well - but it's a tough film to sit through.
Let's start with the performances of the two leads. We view most of this film through the eyes of the Father, played by Steve Carrell. We start the film "in progress", meaning that Carrell's character of David has already come to the realization that his child is in the grips of something that he might not be able to get out of. Because of that, Carrell's character starts sad and somber and goes down from there. It is a well acted performance, but he is not asked to do much more than be sad and somber, punctuated by moments of frustration and anger and is somewhat overshadowed by the showier role and performance by Chalamet as the drug-addicted son.
I have now seen Chalamet in 4 films - INTERSTELLAR, LADYBIRD, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME and now BEAUTIFUL BOY, and in each one of these he was an actor that required your attention. He has a way of drawing you into his character's thoughts and feelings without saying or doing much. He is a "quiet" performer with a strength that is appealing and is no different in this film He was nominated for an Oscar for CALL ME BY YOUR NAME and I will not be surprised if his name is called again this year.
Joining Carrell and Chalamet are Amy Ryan and Maura Tierney as Nic's Mother and Step-Mother. Both are equal to the task that is given them - to be supportive, worried and sad - all at the same time. It would have been interesting to flesh out these roles in this tale, but that would have made this film something different than what it is intended to be - a tale of a father's inability to help his son, no matter how hard he tries.
Ultimately, the issue with this film is there is no variety to it. It stays, for the most part, on one emotional note throughout the course of it's 2 hour running time - somber and sad. That constant feeling of dourness makes this rather slow running film seem even slower, causing quite a bit of rustling and shifting in the chairs.
It's an important film about an important subject - I just wish they would have varied the pitch of it from time to time. Well acted, well written - and dour.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Heartbreaking, yes. Survival, relapse? Yes. Inspiring? Not so much.
Telling the tale of the true story of David and Nic Sheff (based on their memoirs), BEAUTIFUL BOY stars Steve Carrell as David and the wonderful Timothee Chalamet as Nic. It chronicles their relationship and David's attempt to help his son who has descended into addiction to drugs up to (and including) crystal meth and heroin. This is a tough tale, told rather unflinchingly and with great love and affection. It is also grim and dower. The highs are not really all that high and the lows are really, really, really low.
Which makes for a tough film to watch - it's a very good film - written, directed and acted well - but it's a tough film to sit through.
Let's start with the performances of the two leads. We view most of this film through the eyes of the Father, played by Steve Carrell. We start the film "in progress", meaning that Carrell's character of David has already come to the realization that his child is in the grips of something that he might not be able to get out of. Because of that, Carrell's character starts sad and somber and goes down from there. It is a well acted performance, but he is not asked to do much more than be sad and somber, punctuated by moments of frustration and anger and is somewhat overshadowed by the showier role and performance by Chalamet as the drug-addicted son.
I have now seen Chalamet in 4 films - INTERSTELLAR, LADYBIRD, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME and now BEAUTIFUL BOY, and in each one of these he was an actor that required your attention. He has a way of drawing you into his character's thoughts and feelings without saying or doing much. He is a "quiet" performer with a strength that is appealing and is no different in this film He was nominated for an Oscar for CALL ME BY YOUR NAME and I will not be surprised if his name is called again this year.
Joining Carrell and Chalamet are Amy Ryan and Maura Tierney as Nic's Mother and Step-Mother. Both are equal to the task that is given them - to be supportive, worried and sad - all at the same time. It would have been interesting to flesh out these roles in this tale, but that would have made this film something different than what it is intended to be - a tale of a father's inability to help his son, no matter how hard he tries.
Ultimately, the issue with this film is there is no variety to it. It stays, for the most part, on one emotional note throughout the course of it's 2 hour running time - somber and sad. That constant feeling of dourness makes this rather slow running film seem even slower, causing quite a bit of rustling and shifting in the chairs.
It's an important film about an important subject - I just wish they would have varied the pitch of it from time to time. Well acted, well written - and dour.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Big Short (2015) in Movies
Apr 19, 2020
Gets Better On Each Rewatch
Most of you reading this review remember the last time the U.S. had a downturn in it's economy - it was 2008 and the downturn was caused by a bubble that burst in the housing market. Michael Lewis' (author of MONEYBALL) book THE BIG SHORT attempted to explain what happend in lay man's terms. This books was considered "unfilmable" until the most unlikeliest of artists stepped in to make a wonderfully crafted and educational film that was also entertaining.
That person was Adam McKay - up until that time, known as the Director of such Will Ferrell films as STEP BROTHERS and ANCHORMAN.
Set in the timeframe right before - and during - the economic downturn (approx. 2006-2008), THE BIG SHORT follows 4 groups/individuals that begin to see that something is wrong - both with this seemingly "bullet proof" housing market and the institutions/regulations and governance around them.
Christian Bale is outstanding (and was nominated for an Oscar) for his work as Dr. Michael Burry a socially awkward genius who is the first to ferret out that something is wrong and "bets against the market". Bale's portrayal of a non-social (almost) recluse who speaks his mind is engaging and fascinating to watch. It was with this performance that I decided that Bale is, perhaps, the finest actor working today. Also stepping up his game - as a surprise to me - is Ryan Gosling as the narrator of this story. He has the right balance of charm and "smarminess" and often breaks the 4th wall to explain to us what is going on. Also on board, strongly, is Brad Pitt (one of the Producers of this film) as an ex-Wall Street maverick who is pulled back in by the opportunity this impending crash is creating.
But, the surprise to me in this film is the heart-breaking, gut-wrenching turn of Steve Carrell as Wall Street broker Mark Baum who's caustic personality hides some serious scars underneath and who takes the failures of "the system" to protect the people personally. Carrell was nominated for an Oscar the year before in his first major dramatic turn - FOXCATCHER - but I think his work here is stronger, more layered and nuanced and (if there is a hero in this story) had you rooting for this guy throughout the film.
But...none of this would have worked if McKay didn't figure out a way to make the boring-ness and tedium of explaining the housing financial system (tranches, CDO's, default swaps, etc) in such a way that educates and entertains the audience - and find a way he did. By pulling celebrities like Anthony Bordain, Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie in to break the 4th wall and explain extremely dry subject matter in such a way as to make it understandable and enjoyable, he makes this film succeed.
And, succeed it does, as it's 5 Oscar nominations (including Best Picture, Best Director and the aforementioned Best Supporting Actor nomination for Bale - a nomination that I would have been happy had Carrell gotten) would attest to - it did win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay (for McKay and Charles Randolph).
This is a film that gets better for me on each rewatch, for I understand just a little more. If this is your 1st time watch - or your 10th - check out the BIG SHORT, it will be worth your time.
Letter Grade: A
9 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
That person was Adam McKay - up until that time, known as the Director of such Will Ferrell films as STEP BROTHERS and ANCHORMAN.
Set in the timeframe right before - and during - the economic downturn (approx. 2006-2008), THE BIG SHORT follows 4 groups/individuals that begin to see that something is wrong - both with this seemingly "bullet proof" housing market and the institutions/regulations and governance around them.
Christian Bale is outstanding (and was nominated for an Oscar) for his work as Dr. Michael Burry a socially awkward genius who is the first to ferret out that something is wrong and "bets against the market". Bale's portrayal of a non-social (almost) recluse who speaks his mind is engaging and fascinating to watch. It was with this performance that I decided that Bale is, perhaps, the finest actor working today. Also stepping up his game - as a surprise to me - is Ryan Gosling as the narrator of this story. He has the right balance of charm and "smarminess" and often breaks the 4th wall to explain to us what is going on. Also on board, strongly, is Brad Pitt (one of the Producers of this film) as an ex-Wall Street maverick who is pulled back in by the opportunity this impending crash is creating.
But, the surprise to me in this film is the heart-breaking, gut-wrenching turn of Steve Carrell as Wall Street broker Mark Baum who's caustic personality hides some serious scars underneath and who takes the failures of "the system" to protect the people personally. Carrell was nominated for an Oscar the year before in his first major dramatic turn - FOXCATCHER - but I think his work here is stronger, more layered and nuanced and (if there is a hero in this story) had you rooting for this guy throughout the film.
But...none of this would have worked if McKay didn't figure out a way to make the boring-ness and tedium of explaining the housing financial system (tranches, CDO's, default swaps, etc) in such a way that educates and entertains the audience - and find a way he did. By pulling celebrities like Anthony Bordain, Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie in to break the 4th wall and explain extremely dry subject matter in such a way as to make it understandable and enjoyable, he makes this film succeed.
And, succeed it does, as it's 5 Oscar nominations (including Best Picture, Best Director and the aforementioned Best Supporting Actor nomination for Bale - a nomination that I would have been happy had Carrell gotten) would attest to - it did win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay (for McKay and Charles Randolph).
This is a film that gets better for me on each rewatch, for I understand just a little more. If this is your 1st time watch - or your 10th - check out the BIG SHORT, it will be worth your time.
Letter Grade: A
9 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Despicable Me 2 (2013) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
The second installment of Dreamwork’s Despicable Me franchise had me laughing out loud repeatedly throughout the movie. Getting the biggest laughs, like in the first movie, were the antics of the Minions, the formerly felonious Gru’s eager assistants. While the first Despicable Me actually had me tearing up at some points, I think overall I laughed more during this one.
Although Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell), and his daughters Margo, Edith and Agnes are the main characters, the Minions steal many scenes. Watch for references to The Love Boat and the Village People when the Minions go on vacation.
The main story line introduces us to the Anti Villain League, an organization that that sends a resourceful agent named Lucy (voiced by Kristin Wiig) to contact (kidnap!) Gru in order to help them find the villain who is stealing a serum that turns things monstrous. Resistant at first, Gru acquiesces, and what follows is a quick-paced and laugh-out-loud funny tale of good vs. bad as Gru and Lucy work to solve the mystery of who the culprit is. During all this Gru also shows us how much of a doting and protective father he’s become to his girls.
In a slightly predictable sub-plot, Gru both fends off, and finds, love! We saw the movie in 3D, which I normally do not do, as it frequently makes me feel slightly ill, however, in this instance it was totally fitting, and completely drew us into the story and the characters.
Although Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell), and his daughters Margo, Edith and Agnes are the main characters, the Minions steal many scenes. Watch for references to The Love Boat and the Village People when the Minions go on vacation.
The main story line introduces us to the Anti Villain League, an organization that that sends a resourceful agent named Lucy (voiced by Kristin Wiig) to contact (kidnap!) Gru in order to help them find the villain who is stealing a serum that turns things monstrous. Resistant at first, Gru acquiesces, and what follows is a quick-paced and laugh-out-loud funny tale of good vs. bad as Gru and Lucy work to solve the mystery of who the culprit is. During all this Gru also shows us how much of a doting and protective father he’s become to his girls.
In a slightly predictable sub-plot, Gru both fends off, and finds, love! We saw the movie in 3D, which I normally do not do, as it frequently makes me feel slightly ill, however, in this instance it was totally fitting, and completely drew us into the story and the characters.