Ruby Sparks: A Review

Tonight I had the pleasure to see Ruby Sparks almost a month before its release date. Even more exciting, the film's two leads, Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan, were in attendance to participate in a Q&A after the screening. They were both gracious and intelligent with their answers. Not to mention they are dating in real life, which upped the adorable factor to the umpteenth degree. My crush on Paul Dano aside, these two have a lot of chemistry together on and off screen. All in all, I really loved the movie. Certainly not flawless, but that's partly what Ruby Sparks is about; is anything or more importantly, anyone truly flawless?

Ruby Sparks is about a young, awkward writer, Calvin, with only three friends: his brother, his shrink, and his dog. After the success of his first novel, Calvin is struggling with writer's block until he begins writing about a girl named Ruby Sparks. Unbelievably enough, Ruby materializes in Calvin's apartment and their relationship grows into something too real for fiction.

With such an outlandish plot, Ruby Sparks could have turned into many different films, and by different, I mean terrible. I am extremely relieved that the movie didn't take any of those wrong turns. I should note that not only did Kazan star in the film, she also wrote and produced it. This girl is a force to be reckoned with. I am blown away by her ear for dialogue, attention to detail, and self-reflexiveness. The script was strong throughout - funny when it needed to be, emotional when it needed to be, and above all else, every word that was spoken sounded truthful.

Every part of Ruby Sparks has layers upon layers of meaning. It is about being happy with yourself before you can be happy with another person. It is about not trying to change who people are, and even if you could, would it be worth it? While all of these themes run through the entire film, I never felt like it was tackling too much. In essence, the problems weren't forced. Calvin and Ruby simply experienced a lot of ups and downs, and I tackled the big questions right along with them. That is what I like about this film - it does tackle a lot of the big questions. The conflicts are real conflicts, ones that we all try to come to terms with at some point or another.

Speaking of Calvin and Ruby, Dano and Kazan are both fantastic. I think Dano will have a long and successful career, probably becoming one of the great actors of his generation. He brings so much likeability to Calvin, a character who is extremely flawed, to say the least. Dano embraces the flaws, and breathes life into them. As for Kazan, she is fresh air personified. As Ruby, she is as bubbly as can be, without overdoing it. She's quirky, but in a charming way. Both of these performances, along with their electric chemistry, help to make Ruby Sparks as enjoyable as it truly is.

With the casting and writing primarily taken care of, directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris agreed to take on the project. Known for directing the little-indie-that-could, Little Miss Sunshine, this directorial team was the perfect choice. They brought just enough cutesy, a lot of heart, and a knack for good storytelling. Ruby Sparks is an example of what happens when the right people collaborate on the right film at the right time. Everything just falls into place to create movie magic.

Ruby Sparks is a movie that will have you smiling from start to finish. It is a piece of fantasy, lined with a true dose of reality - a dichotomy that is seamlessly balanced. Maybe this isn't a film for the bitter and jaded, but
I predict that it will melt at least a few icy hearts upon release.

Safety may not be guaranteed, but a good time definitely is.

Personally, I'm always grateful for any movie that is sans-superheroes during the summer months. I am even more grateful when the movie is as cute and lovely as this summer's indie darling, Safety Not Guaranteed. While not a perfect film, it is certainly an enjoyable one.

Safety Not Guaranteed is about a journalist and two interns researching a story about Kenneth (Mark Duplass), an oddball man who put an ad in the local paper about wanting a time traveling partner. One of the young interns, Darius, an equally oddball girl (Aubrey Plaza), takes on the story as her own and becomes the catalyst for the film's strange events.

Unlike many films in the "quirky indie" genre, Safety Not Guaranteed never felt overdone or pretentious. The characters and dialogue are authentic. These are real people speaking real words, which is sometimes rare to come by. At one point in the film, Kenneth endearingly says that he still believes there are purists in the world. This movie is as much about that idea as it is about anything else, and we could all use a little of that child-like optimism. Safety Not Guaranteed was undoubtedly written and directed with good intentions. 

Good intentions aside, there are a few plot holes and unexamined back stories which simply felt like a distraction. While not a science fiction film, there are science fiction aspects and a bit more scientific explanation would have helped in suspending my disbelief. I know the film isn't exactly about the time travel itself, but it all seemed a little too easy for my liking. Also, the film's supporting characters had a lot going on, but not much screen time. The focus is mostly placed on Darius and Kenneth, which makes sense as they are the main characters, but there wasn't any need to drag in so many other subplots. It unnecessarily took away from the narrative.

This is director, Colin Trevorrow's, first feature-length, theatrically released film. As I mentioned, the film isn't perfect, but it is a winning debut. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next. In any case, I predict that his style and storytelling will only evolve over time. For me, he played it a little too safe with the story and visuals. There were glimpses of greatness, but I wish he had pushed some of his ideas a bit further. That being said, his heart was in the right place and that's half the battle. Audiences love a crowd-pleaser (myself included). 

Acting-wise, it was extremely well cast. Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass have believable chemistry as their unlikely friendship begins to unfold. Their performances are endearing, and by the end, I was pulling for both of them. Despite having lackluster subplots, the supporting characters are also well played, by Jake M. Johnson and Karan Soni, the journalist and other intern, respectively. These two characters are mostly there for comedic relief. However, each actor brings their own sensibilities and charm to the script, leading to a few welcomed, awww-inducing moments.  

In some ways, Safety Not Guaranteed will not be what you expect. There are definitely some twists and turns throughout. Overall, this flick is a nice way to spend a summer evening, and it has something for everyone. You will leave the theater a happier person, and that is guaranteed.

Lola Versus: Too Much Quirk, Not Enough Heart

Have you ever asked yourself, "I wonder how many ways Greta Gerwig can braid her hair?" Oddly enough, neither have I. But for some reason, the latest indie dramedy from Fox Searchlight, Lola Versus, sets out to explore this and quite frankly, it doesn't do much else. I mean, do we really need more films about lost, 20-something, wannabe bohemians? What else can this genre possibly have to offer us? For all you lost, 20-something, wannabe bohemians out there (and I say that as lovingly as possible), Lola Versus unfortunately won't answer any of your burning life questions.

Like I said, Lola Versus is your average indie flick about a 20-something gal named Lola (played by Greta Gerwig) trying to find her path in life and love after her fiance breaks off their engagement. This personal journey leads her down some troubling roads, but in the end, she is on the right track to happiness. While it takes the audience about fifteen minutes to figure out this right track, it takes Lola the entire movie. This makes for a pretty lousy time for everyone involved.

In other words, Lola Versus is unbearably cliche. You've got the quirky girl, her outrageous best friend, her goofy love interest, and her only-good-for-comedic-relief parents. And of course there is the scene with said quirky girl and said goofy love interest running around the city doing cutesy things that no one ever does in real life. None of this really accomplishes anything. It is too contrived and too obvious for any genuine emotion.

That being said, there were a few shining moments. Namely, the outrageous best friend, played by Zoe Lister Jones. She had some of the best lines in the film, and delivered them all with great timing. Her onscreen presence was a breath of fresh air. And while Lola was a rather one-dimensional character, Greta Gerwig plays her as best she can. Her decisions make Carrie Bradshaw look like a genius, but Gerwig still manages to garner some likeability out of the role. As an actress, she is tangible - cool enough, but not too cool. Her signature dry delivery is always something I enjoy.

While I understand what this movie was trying to accomplish, it ultimately fell flat. It wasn't cute enough, funny enough, or clever enough. It felt halfhearted throughout. Simply put, there are too many good, warm and fuzzy films in this genre to waste time on ones like the drab Lola Versus.

Lovely Molly: Not For the Faint of Heart

Tonight was the advanced midnight screening of Lovely Molly at The Bloor Cinema. I have been to enough midnight screenings to know that I was in for something strange - something a little too strange for the average "let's catch a movie after dinner" crowd. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a proud member of the midnight screening club as I openly embrace the weird, the uncanny, and the cult film. But I have to admit, I was a little taken aback by this one.

In short, Lovely Molly is about a newlywed couple, Tim and Molly. Of course everything seems normal at first, but when they move back into Molly's childhood home, strange events begin happening to her, and only her. As the film progresses, the intensity of her experiences also progress, which leads to an unrelenting final twenty minutes.

This is a film nearly impossible to judge on simplified terms. On a technical level, it is pitch perfect, but this film goes much deeper than that. As Molly's personal struggles and history are revealed, the audience has more and more questions instead of answers. I am not sure if this is a movie you "like" or "dislike" - but it is a film that challenges you every step of the way. It is more of an experience, rather than a movie you watch for sheer enjoyment. For that, I commend director Eduardo Sanchez. This film challenges your beliefs and your expectations. There is nothing quite like it.

Quite frankly, Lovely Molly is a crash course in how to make a scary movie. Sanchez did it 12 years ago with The Blair Witch Project and he did it again. He chooses atmosphere over gore, and sound over sight. Moments linger just long enough to make you unsettled, but never overstay their welcome. The golden rule in comedy is that a joke is only funny three times. The same can be said about horror - a scare is only scary three times before it falls flat. Sanchez is a director who understands this, consistently finding new ways to send a shiver up one's spine. A good scare is all about timing and pacing, both of which Sanchez has down to a tee.

Sanchez employs tropes of the "found footage" genre, but doesn't overdo them. He uses it to enhance the story, as opposed to using it as a gimmick or cheap scare. It is used to create a sense of time, and furthermore, a sense of impending doom. You know when the climax is going to happen, but you don't know how it is going to happen. This is a masterful technique when creating suspense.

Sound plays a huge part in this film. There are unnerving whispers, voices, snarls, and creaks throughout. What is scarier than something you see? Something you don't see, but hear. Sanchez relies heavily on this idea, and as usual, it works. Most notably, though, is the overwhelming, high-pitched ringing noise that occurs every time Molly enters her old bedroom. It is almost too much to bear, but it is effective as the representation of Molly's increasingly unstable emotional state.

Speaking of Molly, she is a complex and difficult character to portray. However, actress Gretchen Lodge did it seamlessly. She went in at full force, and never looked back. With her performance alone, Lodge created a past, a present, and a future for Molly. The supporting cast was also superb, all acting with immense pathos for Molly, and creating underlying stories beyond the script.This is what I especially appreciated about this movie. The characters are fully formed individuals, which is often what is lacking in most horror films.

All of this sounds like a positive review, which it is. That being said, I have to say that this isn't your old run-of-the-mill horror flick. I love horror movies, but this wasn't exactly an enjoyable time. I haven't left a theater feeling so disturbed in a long while. Everything about this film - the story, the back story, the images, the atmosphere - will give you the heebie-jeebies, for lack of a better term. This film is deeply visceral, packing a punch like no other. It goes after your deepest fears, real and not real, and I haven't quite yet decided which is scarier.

I Went Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and Caught Nothing

As I need a good romantic comedy fix now and again, I was really looking forward to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, with its charming cast and apropos director known for his feel-good flicks like Chocolat. That being said, I left feeling beyond disappointed. The plot is too convoluted to effectively summarize, but it is basically about a team of people trying to introduce salmon into the Yemen to please a sheik, all the while the British government is using the story to help put a positive spin on tumultuous Middle East and Western relations in the media. 

That’s where all the trouble begins - the story. It is difficult to follow; Who is who, what is what, and why they are doing this in the first place is unclear. I’m not afraid to admit I had no idea what was going on half the time. Beyond that, the rest of film was predictable. I don’t necessarily believe that predictability is bad or an indicator of the strength of a film, but this all felt a little too contrived. From the get-go, the film was built around the two protagonists (Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor) inevitably falling in love. The rest of the movie suffered because of this. All other stories and characters were marginalized to the point of uselessness. In a romantic comedy, we all know the two characters are fated to end up together despite any threatening challenges, but there must be a little give and take for the audience to truly root for the couple by the end. This give and take was no where to be found because of how set up the entire relationship felt. Consequently, I left the theater feeling unsatisfied and manipulated. 

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen attempted to deal with complicated global issues, but it didn’t exactly pan out. The British government probably feels mocked. Yemen probably feels mocked. The whole thing was embarrassing. The sheik was portrayed as this all-knowing figure, who didn’t say much beyond offering words of wisdom at the film’s convenience. There were also significantly under explained Middle Eastern men trying to assassinate the sheik. I found it offensive. It was a stereotypical Westerner view of the Middle East. Isn’t that what the film was trying to fight against? Apparently not. 

The film’s only redeeming quality was the casting. Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor both make consistently enjoyable films, so I’m surprised they agreed to this one. Nevertheless, both did what they could with a boring, uninspired script. They brought as much life as possible to their characters, giving multi-layered performances. Both of them stepped out of their comfort zones, which was nice to watch. McGregor played less confident than usual, and Blunt played less stiff than usual. Not to mention their chemistry was the one element that kept the film from being unbearable.

With the slew of good films over the past few weeks, I would suggest avoiding this one as appealing as it may look. Unfortunately, it is definitely less warm and fuzzy than it is cold and scaly. 

WWJD? - Jiro Dreams of Sushi review

I love Toronto. I love that we have an entire building dedicated to the love of cinema. I love that on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, a small documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi was sold out and shown to a packed theater, as if it was the latest blockbuster. This film deserves all of the praise and hype it has been receiving, and then some. I feel grateful and indebted to David Gleb for directing this beautiful documentary. 

Jiro Dreams of Sushi tells the story of world-renowned sushi chef, Jiro Ono. He is 85 years young, and has not stopped working for a day in his life. Despite being considered the best sushi chef alive, Jiro strongly believes there is still and always will be room for improvement. He is on an ongoing quest to reach the top, although he claims that no one really knows where the top even is. This is a film about following your bliss; finding your passion and pursuing it to the highest degree every single day. Jiro personifies these ideals. His amount of discipline, dedication, and drive are all astonishing and commendable traits. We could all learn from Jiro, which is why I have officially reclaimed the phrase “WWJD” to mean “What Would Jiro Do?” Start making the wristbands now! 

The film itself follows Jiro and his two sons at the small ten seat restaurant, as they prepare sushi, serve customers, train apprentices, and choose only the best quality fish and rice. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is filmed as precisely as Jiro makes sushi. It is a perfect showcase of Jiro’s work because the film is made with as much passion for cinema as Jiro has for sushi. Many times throughout the documentary, Jiro mentions that the key to perfection is repetitiveness. To mirror this, Gleb shows Jiro plating different pieces of sushi over and over again over the course of the movie. His shots of the sushi are simply delectable. Never have I been so close to smelling and tasting food off a screen. It is a true testament to the beauty of both Jiro’s and Gleb’s work. 

Accompanying the breathtaking cinematography, there is a soundtrack to die for. A food writer compares Jiro’s specialized menus to concertos in music. Most of the film is expertly paired with classical music, mostly played or composed by Philip Glass, another master in his field. Again, the passion of the classical music is another pitch-perfect manifestation of Jiro’s own passion. It also must be mentioned that the sounds of the kitchen are amplified, which adds another level of heightened sense and creates its own orchestra of utensils. Through the chopping, clanking, stirring, cooking, and cutting sounds, I felt as if I was right there in Jiro’s restaurant on the other side of the globe in Tokyo. 

This is a must-see for the foodie, for the uninspired, for the cinephile, and for everyone in between. It is a tribute to a great chef, but it is also a tribute to the importance of finding one’s calling in life. I have a soft spot for documentaries, and I love them even more when it is a documentary I can recommend to my friends because it is so charming and lovely. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is one of those documentaries. The only downside to watching it is that you will never want to eat Toronto sushi again because you know, in your heart of hearts, that Jiro just wouldn’t approve of what’s on your plate. 

Being Overwhelmed by Being Flynn

Tonight I was lucky enough to catch an advanced screening of the new film, Being Flynn, directed by Paul Weitz. I am having a hard time processing my thoughts on this film because it is such an emotional roller coaster. More downs than ups to be sure, but it is undoubtedly a rewarding ride. 

In brief, Being Flynn is the semi-autobiographical story of Nick Flynn, a young man (played by Paul Dano) trying to come to terms with his past, his present, and his estranged father (played by Robert De Niro) who shows up out of the blue after eighteen years. It’s a movie that tackles a lot of subject matter in a short running time, which makes it difficult to swallow whole. It is one of those lump-in-your-throat-the-entire-time movies. The characters’ struggles are so deeply intense and personal that one cannot help but struggle right along with them. 

As I mentioned, the movie deals with a lot of themes, all of which help to unravel a delicate story of a father/son relationship. Memories play a huge part of this film. They work to create the melancholic, reflective tone that hovers throughout. These are some of the scenes that stick most in my mind because they are crafted perfectly to add layers to and humanize our protagonist, Nick. We see private moments between him and his mother (played by Julianne Moore) that are lovely to be of witness to. There is a tenderness to these scenes that add a welcome contrast to the harshness within the other parts of the film. 

Another underlying theme of Being Flynn is writing, and the writing process. Nick and his father are both writers, and this comes up frequently. In a way, this is the only thing connecting them at first. As someone who loves the written word, I certainly appreciated this idea. The passion for writing can be seen in each line of the script, in each scene, and in each minute detail of character. This is a nuanced film, capturing moments that only a writer would think to notice. 

I can’t go on further without mentioning the pure OOMPH that is Robert De Niro. A high school teacher of mine told me that so many actors end up becoming parodies of themselves. For the most part, I have unfortunately found this to be true. We all know De Niro has not been up to form as of late, but his performance as Johnathan Flynn is one to be remembered and embraced. He oozes “the method” - he is dedicated to this character in a way that I haven’t seen in a long time. It is the utmost refreshing. He brings humour to a character who is nearly impossible to like, and brings humanity to a man who doesn’t have much of it on his own.

Paul Dano also gives a notable performance, as expected. This kid can do no wrong and I sincerely hope he continues to make smart choices with his roles. I can see him becoming a force to be reckoned with, even more so than he already is. In his quiet way, he displays powerful emotion. With one look or gesture, we all know exactly what he is thinking, feeling, and experiencing. I hear Oscar calling. Strong supporting mentions go to Julianne Moore and Olivia Thirbly, who are always captivating to watch. I love actors who can make supporting roles memorable - actors who leave you wanting more of their onscreen presence. 

With a killer soundtrack consisting of songs by Badly Drawn Boy, Paul Weitz certainly knows how to impact an audience. He is a writer and director who wears his heart on his sleeve, perhaps to the point of audience manipulation. But in that regard, at least he comes by it honestly and for the right reasons. It is genuine, for the love of all that is good, warm and fuzzy film making. Maybe I’m a sap, but I personally don’t have a problem with any of that.