The Overnight

Now playing in theaters and possibly the funniest movie of 2015, The Overnight deserves a hand for delivering laughs in this smart and sexy comedy (handjobs and all).

Happily married couple, Alex (Adam Scott) and Emily (Taylor Schilling), newcomers to L.A. from Seattle meet Kurt (Jason Schwartzman) one day at the local park.  Kurt invites the couple over for dinner with him and his wife and the rest is history.  The Overnight is a comedic romp from beginning to end, without a single dull moment.  The humor isn't slapstick at all but clever, risqué and sophisticated -- think Knocked Up meets Polanski's Carnage. 

Each player was in top form and the ensemble performance was straight across the board fantastic.   I have to give it up for Patrick Brice (writer and director) who found the perfect sweet spot of major awkwardness and laughs, making you crave more uncomfortable moments – anticipating a great gag will follow.   And that was precisely the case.

I've been waiting for Jason Schwartzman to land a role like this -- one with some real comedic oomph.  Not that he could ever top Rushmore, but he wasn't too far off.  Adam Scott was better than outstanding as a level-headed guy experiencing a new side of himself and Taylor Schilling played the willingly daring yet conscientious wife beautifully.  The chemistry of all four characters hinged predominantly on the quietly captivating performance of Judith Godrèche as the ultra-friendly temptress plotting along with her husband to achieve their agenda, one which steadily takes shape from one minute to the next and eventually leads us to a rare Hollywood climax.

 The Overnight left me quite nostalgic for those great couples movies from far too long ago and here's wishing for more in the future.   4.5/5.

Director:  Patrick Brice

The Guest

Movie House Mayhem's Mighty Mayhem Pick for the month of September is The Guest starring Dan Stevens as David, an Iraq vet who pays a visit to the family of a deceased army pal from the war.  Director Adam Wingard delivers this Halloween treat which manages to fuse thematic elements from several memorable thriller and horror classics of the 1980s while keeping an identity of its own as a visually stylishly slick, campy cult classic.

Enjoy the unbridled badness of the dark comedic dialogue and action interwoven into the framework of the story much on the same level as Heathers.  The Guest also pays homage to The Terminator and is set to driving techno dance tunes and intense situational standoffs and revenge-guided ruckus.

Brendan Meyer plays Luke, the young son who is perpetually bullied at school and Maika Monroe plays Anna, the older teenage daughter with something between a crush on and suspicions toward the family's enigmatic guest.

This is a Mighty Mayhem Pick to put on your Netflix Watch Instantly list.
Director:  Adam Wingard

Love at First Fight

Les Combattants (2015), AKA Love at First Fight, is a French romantic comedy new to Netflix Watch Instantly.  Truly a drama at heart with thoughtfully nuanced character interaction, this film is centered around Arnaud (Kévin Azaïs), a young man who befriends a girl, Madeleine (Adèle Haenel), bent on survivalist military training.  Madeleine enrolls in a militia boot camp of sorts and Arnaud takes leave of the family construction business to go along for the ride against the wishes of his brother who is carrying the weight of the business load.

To begin the commentary on the merits of this film and not in order of importance, I should mention the acting is wonderful and there is real depth in the chemistry between the two central characters. The dialogue is a bit sophomoric in parts but appropriately so for a film about young adults.  The contrast between this film and similar films of this genre here in the States is remarkable.  The latter habitually clings to childish gimmicks and stereotypes typically in the tradition of goofball summer camp flicks and the like.

To end this review I submit that the most amazing aspect of Les Combattants is David Callie's beautiful cinematography.  Memorable scenes include the long trailing shot of Arnaud wading into the sea; the vibrant dance scene set to euphoric beats with brilliant colors enveloping the room; and delicate moments in the scenic countryside and forestland of France.  The cinematography alone is so good that a viewer could even enjoy this movie with the sound off.

I highly recommend Les Combattants, especially to young adults so they can experience what's out there beyond cliche-riddled American teen flicks.  4/5.

Director: Thomas Caille

Time Lapse

New to Netflix is Time Lapse (2015) -- a low budget sci-fi thriller.  Time Lapse begins with a certain level of promise and ends in original style.  The middle act suffers a little and one does get the distinct feeling that this is the first movie by director Bradley King.  In fact, it is his directorial debut.  The upside of that is the budget limitation and resulting claustrophobic set with basically three people in a room the entirety of the film, a plus for certain thrillers of this style.

Danielle Panabaker had fine screen presence as Callie.  Matt O'Leary stars as Callie's boyfriend, Finn, a man with a well-balanced moral compass.  Panabaker and O'Leary carry the film, really, with solid performances.  George Finn stars as Jasper, a character whose persona was a little too Kevin Federline for my taste.  Not only was Jasper purposefully made to be unlikable, but there were some weird camera shots of him which made no sense. For instance, in a scene where the three were going over crucial plans in the living room, the camera kept pointing to Jasper chugging away on a half-gallon carton of milk.  The camera would shift to another character who actually had something to say and yet again, inexplicably, point back to Jasper working on his milk.  I began to wonder if the milk would somehow link to the plot, but I think it was more of an editorial oversight as a couple of those swigs should have hit the cutting room floor.  I really liked Amin Joseph's performance as Big Joe and had hopes early on that he'd be in the mix of characters throughout, not just popping in to say hi.  Jason Spisak made an excellent bad guy as Ivan the paranoid bookie.  His thug, Marcus, played by David Figlioli, was a nice touch.  For a moment there after Ivan's entrance I started to have flashbacks of Jesse Pinkman and Walter White sitting on a couch, being interrogated by Tuco!

The strength of Time Lapse rests on the sci-fi plot of a camera which takes pictures 24 hours into the future and the pitfalls of such a contraption that spits out Polaroids.  The untapped potential of this time twister left me a little disappointed in a genre so broad in scope.  For a while in the beginning Time Lapse felt like a more accessible Primer but, unfortunately, lost some steam midway in and came close to falling apart near the end, only to rebound with a remarkably nice ending--literally saved by a hail Mary.  Some recommendations of films in the same vein:  Timecrimes (2007), an excellent sci-fi time travel flick out of Spain, the cult sleeper Frequency (2000) with Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel and notable director Duncan Jones' follow up to Moon -- Source Code (2011) with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Overall, this is a well done sci-fi film debut for first time director Bradley King and here at MHM we will be looking forward to his next film. 3/5

Black Mirror

Holy Rod Serling (!), do I have a Labor Day recommendation for you on Netflix Watch Instantly--Black Mirror, a dark sci-fi social satire in the tradition of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits.  An anthology series created by Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror premiered in 2011 on the BBC.  Each episode rises to the occasion and some are brilliant, but here's the catch:  the total collection of episodes? Seven.  The good news is that Netflix is rumored to be swooping up the series from the BBC.  I would absolutely love to see Black Mirror as a Netflix Original.

The title of the show aptly refers to what is so pronounced in our day-to-day lives, our smart phones (first and foremost), notepads, laptops and PC monitors.  The opening image of a cracked screen is perfect in precisely summing up most of the episodes as Black Mirror doesn't coddle the viewer but goes straight for the jugular.  One will realize this after a few minutes into Episode 1: "The National Anthem," starring Rory Kinnear as prime minister. Without giving away the surprise, let's just say that the prime minister is forced into what starts as a laughing matter, only to descend into an absurd, horrid reality as technology enters the fray.  We now learn quickly, along with the prime minister and his team of advisers, just how powerful "going viral" and social media are in today's world.

This episode is particularly timely and relevant to the current political climate. With the U.S. election season heating up, you may find gleeful sanctuary and plenty of laughs picturing your least favorite candidate in the prime minister's predicament.  4.5/5
Creator: Charlie Brooker

Narcos: Episode 1

Just say YES to Narcos, a very impressive series which debuted on Netflix August 28, 2015. Netflix cable cutters rejoice because I would wager Narcos is here to stay.

Narcos takes us to the Miami streets and alley ways, the slums of Columbia and to the Columbian rain forest in steadily paced rhythm and ever-growing plot intrigue. Of course, the show is set in the late 70s when kingpin Pablo Escobar's drug cartel was in its first stages and the music hums in rock and disco tracks of the day.

Wagner Moura is captivating as Pablo Escobar, sporting a pudgy belly and flat-footed walk, a sparkling grin and merciless gaze. Boyd Hollbrook plays DEA agent Steve Murphy who, for the most part, humorously narrates over the show in Goodfellas' fashion. Murphy is enjoyable to watch as a naive agent heading into the heart of the Columbian cartel scene.

What impresses me most about Narcos is the almost perfectly paced sequences alternating between the suspense of the drug trade and the lives of the characters. While there is a nod to Goodfellas in the style of narration, the vibe feels like a less flashy David Fincher or more lively Michael Mann project.

Episode 1 "Descentia" introduces the cast and provides some history into the cocaine trade. If you enjoy it as much as I did, you will be happy to see Netflix automatically load up episode 2 while the end credits roll. 4.5/5
Director: José Padilha

Southpaw

With Southpaw we have a great example of top notch performances from a cast that must've fully believed in the overall outcome of Antoine Fuqua's vision. And why not? For the most part Fuqua's films have provided a breath of fresh air to the action suspense genre, albeit with overlooked flaws which, unfortunately, are more pronounced when cooking up a feel-good sports drama. 

However, before I go into detail regarding the to-be-desired storytelling, I would point out that casting Jake Gyllenhaal was a mistake in spite of his fine acting performance. There is always a bit of crazy behind Gyllenhaal's eyes and an intelligent exterior most fitting for neutral to devilish characters. This film wants you to care so much about the story that at nearly every turn it not so subtly strives to collect tears from the audience, not easily achievable with a borderline likable main character.

Getting back to the storyline, one problem is the use of contrived subplots which has been a staple of Fuqua's films but more easily forgiven in previous outings. These undeveloped subplots are conveniently placed or plopped in the middle of the film in such clumsy fashion that any sensible viewer would scratch her head and perhaps vocalize a "hmm," then quickly conclude that something big is about to happen with the main plot. Just lazily constructed writing, no other way around that. I hope Fuqua addresses that shortcoming because it would go a long way in taking his films to the next level. The storyline also suffers from plot holes and inconsistencies, a teeter-tottering of quality for sure.

Overall, Southpaw was a fair movie that tried unsuccessfully to jam Rocky 1, 2 and 3 all into one film. Stellar acting performances all around but a bumbling screenplay knocks out any chance of Southpaw being a memorable boxing flick. MHM recommends The Fighter with Christian Bale as an alternative for those in search of a quality ringside film seat. 2.5/5.
Genre: Drama
Directed By: Antoine Fuqua