The Way, Way Back (2013)

Writers/Directors: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (also co-wrote "The Descandents")
Sound Editing/Mixing: Rob Simonsen

Cast:
Duncan- Liam James
Pam- Toni Collette
Trent- Steve Carell
Betty- Allison Janney
Kip- Rob Corddry
Steph- Zoe Levin
Peter-  River Alexander
AnnaSophia Robb- Susanna
Joan- Amanda Peet
Owen- Sam Rockwell
Caitlin- Maya Rudolph

Introduction

I think I first heard about this movie on Reelz channel. Leonard Maltin or Richard Roeper said it was one of the best films to come out in the upcoming summer. I remember seeing commercials for it when it was getting critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival.
Then I watched it for the heck of it one night when it premiered on HBO. First because of the props and second because Steve Carell was in it.
Little did I know how terrible a character he was playing. One of the biggest jerks I've come across in recent memory... more on that later.

Summertime Comparisons

This area runs a little long, so feel free to scroll to the 2nd spoiler alert banner

In all likelihood, this is going to become one of my summer staples. The trick is getting the DVD so I can leave it at our shorehouse. So much time has passed since it came out that I could probably get it for cheap at Target or Wal-Mart.

Much like with "Fast Times at Ridgemont High [scroll to the way bottom for what I'm talking about here specifically]
http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2015/04/fast-times-at-ridgemont-high-1982.html
I got the idea to review this movie because I heard a song from the movie and immediately thought of it.
That's an aspect of music I love so much- you hear a song and it automatically transports you to another place. And sometimes that's a movie where it's featured prominently or at least referenced in the dialogue.

The song in question: "Kyrie" by Mr. Mister
It's playing in the background and the actors are putting their own words to it. Steve Carell I think was the one who said it was "carry a laser."
I remember looking it up myself and I had no idea what the words were.

Here's the chorus, in case anyone cares and wants to save themselves the Google search:

"Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel
Kyrie eleison, through the darkness of the night
Kyrie eleison, where I'm going will you follow
Kyrie eleison, on a highway in the light"

Apparently the first two words is Greek for "Love, have mercy."
You learn something new every day.

As for the whole comparison bit...

I guess you could say that this movie has a lot of similarities to "Adventureland," which stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Ryan Reynolds. Both take place in summertime and the characters are working at a theme park.
Ok, maybe just those two similarities. It's not a coming-of-age story because Jesse Eisenberg seems well established as a person. And working at the theme park is equivalent to purgatory for him. He'd just graduated and was planning on going to college, but his parents spent all the money he/they saved up... so he needs to take a summer job.

The main difference between the two: this one is way better.
"Adventureland" loses its way when it gets to the third act. Most of it is the fault of Kristen Stewart's story arc.
unrelated SPOILERS

She gets a raw deal from a lot of people over "Twilight" and the fact she cheated on Edward Cullen [yeah, WTF happened to Robert Pattinson?] with the "Snow White and the Huntsmen" director. People have picked her acting apart for years following those movies.
While I DO NOT understand why her character had to be involved with Ryan Reynold's [it's icky- she's practically a teenager and he's a married adult], I feel bad for her character and how she feels out of place in her family. Her step-mom is such a bitch.
And the ending was kinda... blah... didn't do a whole lot for me and it felt thrown in at the last minute.

Also, both movies have memorable moments involving 80's music.
"New Sensation" by INXS is another from this one that I recall.
Meanwhile, "Adventureland" had a lot more songs (apparently it takes place in 1987 despite all the anachronisms) including "Obsession" by Animotion and ...

"Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, oh, oh, oh Amadeus"
and this exchange to follow:
James: Jesus F***ing Christ! They play this song like 20 times a day!
Joel: F***ing Sadistsl F***ing Sadists!

***

ok, I'm done talking about unrelated movies. Maybe the next time I see "Adventureland," I'll give it its own review. It has its issues, of course, but I still enjoy it and its characters very much.
But for now, back to this movie.

By the way, here are the quotes about their "Kyrie" lyrics... and my bad, it wasn't Steve Carell. It was Allison Janney and Corddry.

Joan: Carry a laser down the road that I must travel!
Kip: Why would it be 'carry a laser'?
Joan: Because it's a song about outer space.

That dude plays such a jerk in this movie [I know, I already said that, but it's a valid point] that I shouldn't be giving him any more credit than he deserves... which is none.

I love Steve Carell, don't get me wrong. But movies like this... I guess I just prefer he does comedies because his dramatic roles aren't as fun to watch. You know, because they're all dramatic and shit...
sorry...

The Story
FINALLY moving on... my apologies. I could edit all that out, but I want my creative process to be there. In fact, I'll just put a notation in the beginning that say to scroll down to this point.

related SPOILER ALERTS
The trailer includes the very first scene. And actually, the first time I saw the movie, I had to miss the first 10-15 minutes because I had to finish watching something else... I was kinda broken up about it. I hate watching movies mid-progress. I worry that I'm going to miss a crucial detail or I'm going to be lost.
[Goes to make a reference about catching "Purple Rain" halfway through and realizes that a future entry needs to address Prince's short-lived cinematic career... and by that I mean he only did 4 theatrical releases, all in the 80's, and one practically was a concert film]

Enough stalling!

The scene in question: Steve Carell asks our protagonist how he rates himself on a scale from 1 to 10. Duncan says he's a 6 and Steve Carell says he's a 3. Mainly because he lacks ambition, doesn't put himself out there and hangs around the house all the time.
Sure, he might have a point, but saying someone is a three is just mean. And who's he to say that? He's only the jerk his mom is dating. And even if they were married, he still had no right to be such a jerk to him.

Okay, I'm done Steve bashing... for now.

Duncan is a very withdrawn teenage boy that really doesn't know what to do with himself because he lacks self-esteem more than anything else.
I saw comments in the IMDB messageboards that made reference to this: why are all these types of roles done by guys?

[Personal rant and some unrelated SPOILERS... again, feel free to skip]
On the plus side, they had this characterization for Duncan without using childhood molestation as an explanation for it. I say this now because that plot device was used in "Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "Love Letters for the Dead." The latter has a female protagonist and that about ruined the story for me. Mainly because I am an introverted wallflower myself and I don't have that in my past.
I had pressure from my parents to succeed in school and [non-condescending] tempers flared the few times I was getting C's and D's [9th and 11th grade nearly killed me]. Also, kids were mean to me in elementary school and in high school, I didn't really succeed in making m/any friends. That's always been hard for me and I don't know why. Breaking the ice in of itself is terrifying and I feel like I can't add much to an ongoing conversation unless I REALLY know the subject matter. I'm 30 now and I still have social anxiety issues that I can't explain and have no real way of resolving other than practice makes perfect.

Makes me wonder sometimes if I'm borderline autistic or I need Xanax or a therapist to cut down my anxiety.
At least my temp job recently got an upgrade to full-time, so I have one less thing to worry about for a while.

... I'll make another note. I don't know what's with me today, honestly :P it's been a pretty good day for me, albeit an uneventful one in my case.
I didn't even think any of this when I was watching the movie the first time. And it would have made sense to do so... I was in a major rut with my unemployment status.
***

"The Way, Way Back" got its title: 1) because "The Way Back" was already taken and 2) it refers to the wayback seat of a station wagon, which Duncan was occupying at the start and end of the movie. But he's in a much different state of mind from start to finish, which we get to see unfold.

He's going with his mom, his mom's jerkish boyfriend and his daughter, Steph, to his summer home upstate that's nextdoor to his sister... my bad, it's not his sister. They're just neighbors.
I feel like the worst person that could write for this movie. I forget all these details.

Anyway, Allison Janney's character almost reads like an audition for her current role on "Mom" where she's an alcoholic. Except she's far less apologetic in "Mom"... which I'd barely seen, so I really shouldn't comment.
She has a son and daughter. Peter wear an eye patch because his eyes are cross he has a lazy eye. And Susannah kinda becomes Duncan's love interest, but the romance gets to a VERY slow start due to his sheer awkwardness.
There's a cute scene (which I only just remembering searching for that "Kyrie" quote) where he's singing some REO Speedwagon ("Can't Fight This Feeling"), she catches him, he dismisses it as something from his mom and she jokes that he practically screamed it at the top of his lungs just for the hell of it.

Zoe Levin plays Steph and her role, I could say a similar thing about. That it was practically an audition for her character in "Red Band Society"- except she has a little more character development in the latter.
Sometimes, I REALLY miss that show. It really deserved a 2nd season. And a 3rd and so on...

One day, he decides to get out of the house and ends up meeting Owen (Sam Rockwell) at a local dive. They immediately develop a rapport over a Pac-Man machine. Duncan says "you know there's a pattern, right?" and Owen dismisses him, saying that he needs to make his own pattern.
He sees that he's wearing a T-shirt that has the name of a local theme park, so he goes there another day to find him again. He winds up getting a job there and really finds himself as a person.
So many cute scenes where Owen is teaching him the ropes and in trying to put a stop to a break-dance party, he gains a reputation and a cool nickname. I think it's Back Slide?
I'm sorry, I'm so bad at remembering this movie :P

Mainly because Sam Rockwell practically STEALS the show for me in the best possible way. I didn't think too much of him after "Iron-Man 2" (I SO wanted him to be collateral damage in that movie- payback for being such a jerk).
He has a wicked sense of humor, some I think was even improvised. And he's also very good to Duncan. He really seems to care about him and gives him so much good advice.
I actually spent a great amount of this movie hoping and PRAYING that there wouldn't be this great reveal later on where Owen is revealed to be a bad person or he does something really bad to tarnish everything Duncan and I liked about him.
THANKFULLY, that was not the case. But you have to admit- movies do that so often that it's cliché at this point.

And Owen has a cute love-hate relationship with Maya Rudolph's character. She can be really over the top on SNL and stuff, but here, she was a little more serious and heartfelt. So that was really nice to see. [And the fact she loves Prince as I do doesn't hurt either]

At least Duncan gets the courage to finally speak his mind to Trent (Steve Carell) and also lets his mom know what he thinks of him. This is coupled with the fact Trent is having an affair with one of the neighbors.The ending of this movie where Duncan reveals what he's been doing all summer and his mom meets "[his] friend Owen"... it's one of the best pay-offs you will ever see in movies. It's really nice to see it when the bullied and downtrodden find confidence and get acceptance from their peers or families.

Begin Again (2013)

Writer/Director: James Carney (best known for "Once")
Music: Gregg Alexander

Type: indie, music, drama

Cast:
Dan Mulligan- Mark Ruffalo
Greta- Keira Knightley
Dave Kohl- Adam Levine
Miriam- Catherine Keener
Violet- Hailee Steinfeld
Steve- James Corden
Saul- Yasiin Bey
Troublegum- Cee Lo Green

Notable Nomination:
OSCAR- Best Original Song- "Lost Stars" (Written by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood)

Write-up:

Opening Remarks

IMDb says that this movie came out in 2013, most likely in the indie film circuit otherwise known as the film festivals.
Wikipedia (assuming that site is to be believed... so far it hasn't fed me any misinformation) says it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2013 and reached theaters in June 2014.
I don't remember much about what the actual reviews said, but it got lots of positive feedback and I did have a chance to see it, but decided not to.

It would have been money well spent...

Story in a Nutshell

We open the movie at an open mic night where Steve (James Corden) is performing. After his song, he invites his friend Greta (Keira Knightley) on stage to do one of her songs. She resists at first, but humors him and gives a good coffee shop type performance.

After this scene, we see how our main players arrived at this open mic night.
How Dan Mulligan (Mark Ruffalo) is a partner at a record company struggling to find an artist to support-- we hilariously see him go through a bunch of demo CD's in his car, hating absolutely every last one of them.
How Greta used to write songs with her boyfriend, Dave (Adam Levine), and after a movie turned him into a rock star, he cheated on her and she walked out on him, rooming with Steve.

Dan falls in love Greta's sound at the open mic night and approaches her with the idea of recording an album. Considering his appearance and drunkenness, she's skeptical, but decides to take him up on his offer.
He takes her to his company and they decline to sign her unless she gives them a demo.

Somewhere along the way, they get the idea to record the album themselves in various locations in New York City.
And this endeavor not only gives our characters something to do, but it allows them to grow into better versions of themselves.

Actors and Characters
Some Spoilers ahead...
I'm not sure if I made this point in a previous entry, but I'll say it again:
The great thing about indie films like this is that you really get invested in the characters. You care about what happens to them through the course of the film and you also want to know what happens after the credits stop rolling.
(And it should be noted that you do want to stick through the end credits because the epilogue is pretty sweet).

Coming in, I only knew the first three names of the cast list I posted. All the ads were over within the blink of an eye, so they only focused on those names. I love a lot of Mark Ruffalo's work and I like Keira Knightley a lot... then the fact that this was Adam Levine's first acting gig...
Given all that, I'd been interested in seeing this movie for a while.

For whatever reason, it seems like Mark Ruffalo plays a lot of unlikable characters. At least it seems that way in the first couple scenes he's in.
Here, you think he's a workaholic who got himself divorced because he has a drinking problem. But after getting to know him (during his progress in the movie itself and one conversation he has with Greta), you learn that there's more to it.

Greta and Dave started as a singer-songwriting duo, but his career started moving too fast for her to keep up with- to the point where writing songs for him wasn't enough anymore.

So yeah, Adam's first acting gig and he winds up playing a jerk... maybe not as big a jerk as he could have been... you see it happen in movies all the time where fame goes to a guy's head and he morphs into an ugly version of themselves. In this case, he just cheated on her, she left and he becomes more concerned about making hits than the actual music.

The relationship between Dan and Greta is really nice, how he helps her career in obvious ways and she improves his life in ways that aren't quite as clear-cut-- at least not at first.
And it never goes further than friendship, which helps us avoid a lot of the pitfalls and clichés that mark a lot of rom-coms that get more mainstream theatrical release.

Granted, much of the movie is predictable and maybe things happen much easier than they would if the situation played out in reality... but really, who cares?
It's just a pleasant venture.

A Word on the Music

All I can say... is too bad Greta's album isn't available in the real world on iTunes or Amazon because that's the album I'd want to be. There is a soundtrack available, but it only includes some of her songs, plus a couple sung by Adam Levine and one by Cee-Lo Green (who plays an artist that Dan made huge and therefore owes him for his pimped up successful lifestyle).

All the scenes were music plays are so nice... about as nice as laying in a hammock on a warm spring day. We don't just have the coffee shop vibe with Keira's pleasant voice, but we have a good backing band with piano, bass, drums, violin and cello.
One highlight is where Dan's daughter, Violet (Hailee Steinfeld- first time I'd seen her since the "True Grit" remake) plays some good electric guitar on a track where he also happens to be playing bass (Greta's idea).

Then there's the song "Lost Stars"... I'm not even going to acknowledge the overproduced version that Dave plays for Greta...
It plays throughout the movie in instrumental, you hear her sing in, and at the end, he performs the song at a theatre as she originally wrote it.
...I'd only recently got Maroon 5's new album (a decision I mulled over for almost a year while I was feeling out their new direction) and fell very hard for "Lost Stars"... I heard Adam perform it a couple of times, but this was the first time I'd really listened to it. It reminds me of a bunch of his older songs- like a couple of piano bar type songs from the It Won't Sooner Before Long album- but better.

Major kudos to Gregg Alexander for co-writing all the cool songs in this movie, including "Lost Stars."

Also loved the scene where Dan and Greta go around New York at night, listening to the same iPod with their headphones/earbuds connected.
It's true: you can tell a lot about a person by their playlist.

Peronally, I have several.
I am a HUGE fan of music. I own almost 200 albums by various artists and try to listen through them regularly. And recently, I started investing in some artists from "American Idol" and "The Voice" who released their music via crowdfunding campaigns. It took a while for Alexis Grace and Juliet Simms to get EP's together and the end results were well worth the wait.
"Begin Again" kinda speaks to that persuasion. Maybe times are changing and artists of the future might not need record companies to become successful in their own rights. And considering what has happened to many winners from "The Voice" (Juliet got 2nd place, to someone whose album NEVER came out), the alternate channels may be the better way to go.

So anyway, where I'm going with this, is that if you don't check into this movie for the actors, I'd recommend it for anyone who simply loves music.
Just sit back and let the magic happen while you fall in love with the music and these characters.

Final Comments

I loved the comments Greta and Steve made on Dave's beard when they were watching him give an acceptance speech at an award show. [Thankfully, he got rid of it in the final performance scene]

I feel the same way about Adam when he's coaching on The Voice and doesn't shave. A little stubble is fine, but I fucking hate it when he spends weeks with a full-on beard. (You'd think after he married a Victoria's Secret angel, he'd do that less often)

Actually, in general, I prefer my men [in Hollywood and otherwise] clean-shaven and it's a pet peeve when they all let themselves go when they're not shooting for a film.

7. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Code-name: Fag & NYer
(btw, this is not meant offensively. It's actual dialogue from the movie's gay private investigator
"This isn't good cop and bad cop. This is fag and New Yorker.")

Based on the novel "Bodies Are Where You Find Them" by Brett Halliday
Writer/Director: Shane Black

Type: film noir spoof dramedy

Cast:
Harry Lockhart (lead/narrator)- Robert Downey Jr.
Perry VanStryk "aka Gay Perry" (The Consultant)- Val Kilmer
Harmony Faith Lane (THE girl)- Michelle Monaghan
Harlan Dexter (The Movie Star)- Corbin Bernsen
Dabney Shaw ("He discovered me")- Larry Miller
Mr. Frying Pan- Dash Mihok
Mr. Fire ("I'm Mustard, baby")- Rockmond Dunbar
Girl in the pink wig- Shannyn Sossamon
[Honorable Mentions]
Young Harry Lockhart- Indio Downey [Robert's son]
Young Harmony- Ariel Winter [of "Modern Family" fame]
Laurence Fishburne as the voice of the Bear in the Generos commercials

Write-up:

"Origin" Story

The day I became a die-hard fangirl of Robert Downey Jr., I threw myself into research about him and his films. Based on accolades, characterization, storytelling and so on, I had a list of roughly 10 films I HAD to see.
Right behind "Chaplin" (which I saw the very next day), there was "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang."
I'm pretty sure what sold me on it was the scene they showed on his "Inside the Actor's Studio" appearance... search "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang audition scene" on YouTube

I wanted to see this movie so bad :P wherever I found it online a week later had obviously posted it illegally. [Ironically, I not found the DVD with no problem but HBO/Cinemax started playing it a couple years later]

Because I had seen it recently, I was immediately reminded of Andrew Dice Clay's film "The Adventures of Ford Farlaine"... it was another film-noir type spoof that happened to feature protagonist narration.
Had WB continued on with Johnny Knoxville in the lead role, KKBB could have become a carbon copy of that movie... instead, they played smart and went with a real actor with a considerable amount of talent for drama and comedy.It's highly unlikely I'll ever promote any other Downey film as much as this one [except come Oscar time]. Not only because it's an indie film that needs the exposure and word-of-mouth, but it was so funny, so unique and cutting-edge... it felt like one of the best movies I'd seen in a LONG time.
It has gotten a little traction as a possible sleeper/underground classic in recent years.
* Nostalgia Chick had it on her list of top 11 movies (also at #7).
http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/team-nchick/nostalgia-chick/35918-lindsays-top-eleven-favorite-movies-of-all-time-this-week
*When I bought the DVD at FYE, the cashier said how much he enjoyed it.

I'm just hoping Shane Black directing "Iron-Man 3" helped attract more viewers. Almost a decade later, Robert still believes only a dozen or so people saw this movie. :P

Narration, Characters and Story

First of all, the fact that Robert narrates this movie is one of my favorite highlights. He tells it like it is, but brings forth a great sense of humor when it's called for. Early on, he freezes the pictures a couple times, keeping us on our toes and often is good for laughs.

We begin with a flashback where it kinda helps to pay attention because, believe it or not, it features younger versions of our male and female leads.
This also happens to be the film debut [and so far only acting credit] of Robert's son, Indio.

Then our main story, which is being recalled, narratively, a year after it happened.
Harry Lockhart was a common thief from New York. He pulls a job that goes array, his partner gets killed and he stumbles into a film audition to escape the cops. [Helluv an audition too!!]. He impresses Dabney Shaw so much he gets flown to LA for a screen test.
Aspiring actress Harmony Faith Lane moved to LA to earn enough money to help get her sister into foster care away from their abusive father. Her biggest break was a spot on a Generos beer commercial.
Like a poor man's "Dos Equis"
"I prefer Genoros. But what do I know? I'm a bear. I suck the heads off fish."

After going out to LA, Harry gets assigned to P.I. Gay Perry (described as the "most butch gay detective") for detective lessons for this movie he's doing the screen test for.

During one of these "lessons," they accidentally stumble into a murder plot. The victim is the formerly estranged daughter of actor Harlan Dexter (who hosted the party where we meet our three main characters).

There's also a storyline involving Harmony's sister, Jenna and her apparent suicide. Because they were old friends, Harry agrees to help her with the case.
Supposedly, Harmony once told Jenna that their dad wasn't her father and that her real father was a movie star that came to their town to shoot a movie.

What ties it all together: Jonny Gossamer. *Harmony grew up on the books
*Harlan Dexter starred in the movie based on them (along with, as Gay Perry points out, Michael Beck from "Xanadu")
*Harry says at one point that in each book, this detective takes on two seemingly unrelated cases, but almost always, they're connected in some unexpected way.
=The movie winds up following this formula and we're all led to believe Jenna was directly involved in the murder plot that killed Veronica Dexter.
"And Hilarity Ensues..."

While "selling soap" for his movies, Robert also uses this phrase a lot. In the case of this movie, it is so true.

Sadly, some of it is at HIS expense.

On the Sherlock 2 commentary, he name-drops this movie and goes on to say since its release, people seem to love seeing him get his ass handed to him. An odd comment to make as someone who believes NO ONE saw this movie. It's also inaccurate. I freaking hate seeing him get beat up and/or tortured on screen.

We start with him trying to protect Harmony at the party, delivering some tough dialogue and the following scene immediately discredits him. Just so sad :P I know he can defend himself in real life [practitioner of Wing Chun kung fu]We get one really long, bad, day where his finger gets broken, stitched up, broken again by thugs, and ends with his first homicide (of one of said thugs).
What wound up happening with his finger after that... I was screaming at my computer and just short of dying of asphyxiation, I was laughing SO hard... I can't even give it away.Then there's the infamous [or would be if more people saw this movie] torture scene involving electrocution in a very *sensitive* place.
Probably the most method Robert would ever put into his acting [aside from living and breathing an iconic role like Chaplin or Sherlock], he had his then-fiancée Susan pinch his back near one of his floating ribs to elicit the appropriate "painful" reaction.

He and Michelle Monaghan have great chemistry in this (probably the reason why they were cast together again as a couple in "Due Date") and results in more great funny moments.
One involves a spider, which she claims he was more afraid of than she was. And it was crawling on her.
The same goes with him and Val Kilmer as well. I believe I heard somewhere that Val Kilmer decided to make his character gay so he'd have an excuse to kiss Robert. Not as good as the RDJudsie Sherlock/Watson bromance, but still good.

The dialogue overall is so witty in a very self-aware fashion. A lot of the clips can be found on YouTube, but I'd still suggest watching the whole movie.
One has the line "look up the word 'idiot' in the dictionary" and another "I want you to picture a bullet inside your head."
The Rest of the Main Cast 
Anyone who read my "Batman Forever" review would remember Val Kilmer was my favorite Batman... it had been several years since I'd seen him in anything, so to me, he didn't appear to age well. But gotta love his sense of humor in this character.
Because of an interview the two of them did where they were comparing "Weird Science" to "Real Genius," I had to see the latter because I hadn't heard of it before that.
Both kinda stretch the limits of believability, but I still opt for "Weird Science" because it seemed way too far fetched that whatever Val Kilmer and the other characters were up to got the interest of the U.S. military.

This was my first experience with Michelle Monaghan, who I later saw in "Due Date" and that unbelievable sci-fi film "Source Code"... I still haven't been as impressed with her as I was in this particular movie. Harmony Faith Lane has more than enough sass to keep up with both of these guys.

It was also an interesting experience seeing Corbin Bernsen in this role. Up until this point, I'd known him as Shawn Spencer's dad in the TV show "Psych." We see some younger footage of him that was segued into a fake Jonny Gossamer movie, but let's just say he plays a completely different kind of character in KKBB.
Additional Comments

Granted, Harry Lockhart isn't perfect, but he's still one of my favorite Downey characters. Taking out of the equation the dumbass moments of jealousy and drunkenness [we only hear of this incident 2nd hand], his attitude towards women was refreshing.
There's a moment where he's with the body, sees that she's not wearing underwear and discretely covers her up with her dress.
His attitude with Harmony (outside those 3 jerkish lapses) is also respectful and protective. Back when they were growing up, he was her best friend that always listened to her, but she didn't seem to want anything to do with him beside friendship. Since she never asked him out.
When they share a room for the night, he doesn't immediately crawl into bed with her until she invites him in. It doesn't lead to sex and he's okay with that. Even though she subtly offers to "help him out" when he appears uncomfortable being in bed with her, he talks her out of it unless she really wants to.

I credit the "Girl in the Pink Wig" with part of the reason why I wound up liking "Scott Pilgrim" (Ramona Flowers has pink hair when we first meet her). This character has a small role, still important to the plot and one of the more tragic deaths [2nd only to Jenna and the rest being bad guys] we have.

It's also another credit to why I had this "hostile" attitude towards Colin Farrell. In addition to the episode of "In the Land of Women," this movie carries another strike against him in the following line of dialogue from Gay Perry."Harry, you're not getting the part... Colin Farrell wants too much money."
Supposedly the only reason Harry was given the screen test was to convince Colin Farrell to lower his "price tag" to be in this new movie.
I'll still take Robert over Colin any day, but since seeing him in "In Bruges" and "Seven Psychopaths" (in both, he gets to KEEP his Irish accent), my hostility has lessened considerably.

For whatever reason, Shane Black seems to have a thing for Christmas movies... Lethal Weapon takes place around that time, so did the latest "Iron-Man" and this movie too.
I also found a hint of irony in the setting- it being Christmas with him being in LA, found him in "Less than Zero" in that same capacity with pretty depressing results.The opening credits are orchestrated with various illustrations, really well done.It also pays to stick through the credits because we get to hear him sing. He wrote "Broken" (track 2 of his album The Futurist) about his first wife, Deborah Falconer, but because of this movie, I always imagine Michelle Monaghan singing the female vocals. 

I have one final Downey film on this countdown that has a higher spot because it was my first movie of his. But KKBB has a great story with a lot of unexpected quirks, hilarious moments and twists. It also features some of his best acting. I wouldn't give it an Oscar necessarily, but he gives so much to this role and it really shows. Not in a big flashy blockbuster way, but in a bare-bones way with humanity and emotion in all the right capacities and places.
 

#101: Little Miss Sunshine

Codename: Superfreak

Logistics:

Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris

Type: Indie

Method of Release: 

Sundance Film Festival to Limited Release to Nationwide Release (Summer of 2006)

Cast:

Greg Kinnear

Toni Colette

Abigail Breslin

Steve Carrell

Paul Dano

Alan Arkin

Notable Awards & Nominations:

Oscar- best supporting actor, Alan Arkin

Oscar- best original screenplay

AFI- FILM OF THE YEAR (2006)

Nominated for best picture & Abigail Breslin for supporting actress

Nominated for Golden Globe for best picture and Toni Collette for actress

Opinions & Comments: 

[Note: be wary of any spoilers up ahead]

I received a tip from an anonymous source that this was a movie that went on to define the independant film success story. (A few months after, I came across it on IFC on a random weekday night).

In recent years, I’ve grown to appreciate independent films. It gets you away from the burden of special effects, clichés and predictability and brings you back to the fundamentals. Most of which comes down to clever, off-the-wall writing and on-screen chemistry. It provides lesser known actors with a platform to stand on and occasionally, someone on the A-list could receive more accolades on an indie film than something with a vastly larger budget.

Throughout the movie, you get to know the individuals, but it's how the ensemble functions as a whole that is the soul of this picture. Almost everyone can relate to the "dysfunctional family" motif and given how superficial America can be (particularly in the pageant industry, the ultimate goal of this picture as the title suggests), the underdog story is just as relatable.

Abigail Breslin left her mark on Hollywood as well as the hearts of millions with the role of Olive, the avid pageant contestant who is anything but typical. Experiencing only a few seconds of doubt in the entire picture, she never backed down or feared being herself.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is her dad, played by Greg Kinnear, who continually got on my nerves (as well as everyone else in his family) because of his attitude. 

Firstly, he's a motivational speaker trying to sell people on a "9-step program" (which he brings up so many times in the first hour you could make a drinking game out of it) and inevitably, most of the families' savings went towards a book deal and promotional tour. 

Secondly, there's a scene at a diner en route to the competition where he attempts to talk Olive out of ordering ice cream because it has the potential to make you fat. His logic follows that beauty contestants do well because they're skinny and she'd be setting herself up for failure.

Thirdly, there were at least 3-4 times where something is said and he says that attitude or mindset is for losers. The mumbo-jumbo he's trying to sell is about maintaining a positive attitude, a winning positive attitude and in life, there are winners and losers and he apparently has no patience for losers.

Compartively, it's a good thing Olive has the support and confidence of his father/her grandfather, played by Alan Arkin. He coached her and helped her prepare for the competition. Sadly, he's only with us for the first half of the movie, but it's hilarious listening to him running his mouth through the course of this roadtrip from Albuquerque. Profanities fly left and right, at a gas station he asks someone to pick up some dirty magazines for him, and the wisdom he imparts to Olive's brother, Dwayne is to sleep with a lot of women.

Dwayne is played by Paul Dano, a relatively unknown actor outside of the indie circuit. He came to the Poconos sometime last year for a Q&A session about the movie "Ruby Sparks," which he co-wrote. Other than that, I know very little about him, but his movie sounds very interesting. It's about a writer and how one of his characters (see the title) comes to life.

For most of the movie, he never says a word. He took a vow of silence (inspired by German philosopher Nietzsche) until he was granted permission to train to be a fighter pilot. He gives a somewhat emo/antisocial vibe, but he shows a couple of times that he does care about his family and Olive in particular.

Even before receiving that tip or hearing much of the acclaim the movie got, I wanted to see it mainly for Steve Carrell. He had a supporting role in the Frat Pack comedy "Anchorman," the first time I saw him in anything, and after that, I predicted that he was going to be huge after that. 

Considering the circumstances in which we're introduced to his character, Uncle Frank (brother of Olive's mom), he is a very sweet, easy-going guy who occasionally has some deep things to say. 

In the beginning when we see a little bit of everybody in their individual backdrops, we find him at a hospital. After getting fired from his job, passed over for a promotion, losing a guy he had feelings for (all to the same Provost Scholar, Larry Sugarman), he tried to commit suicide. So Olive's mom, played by Toni Collette, brings him home to stay with them. Because she has him bunk out with Dwayne, the two of them establish a good chemistry where they really seem to get each other, especially after Dwayne starts talking again.

Not much can really said about Olive's mom other than the fact she's probably the most sane, gronded person in this eccentric family and she always tries her best to keep things together.

Road trip movies are great in that all the characters have to put up with one another in a small space, personalities clash and eventually, a mutual understanding is reached. Almost always, that understanding is that family comes first.

Steve Carrell begins the movie at his lowest point. This road trip helps him heal and again, with his good natured personality in this role, it's hard to believe how things started out for him. Nothing sort of lovable, as he often is in his movies.
Greg Kinnear comes a long way from debunking the loser mentality to overcoming and not caring for it anymore. His "9 steps" are ultimately a waste of family money because, according to the guy he was doing business with, nobody wanted to buy into it because he was a nobody. He probably takes the longest journey of anybody and once he gets off that soapbox of his, he shows that he's a great guy and helps bring the family together as his wife has done through most of the film in subtler ways.
Paul Dano is probably 2nd to him where he goes from hating everybody to indifference to sharing Steve Carell's belief to forego what society wants and follow his dream no matter what happens.

Additionally, road movies tend to be more about the journey than the destination itself. But it provides the audience with a counterexample to the chemistry of dysfunction. 
At the pageant, we see how the other half lives and ultimately, we're taught about convenential vs. unconventional and how unconventional is often frowned upon for being different.

Case in point: the woman in charge of the whole pagaent. What a phony!

Because with all the bumps along the way, the family almost didn't make in time to compete and she almost saw to it that they didn't. Either because the prestige of the entire production was more important than one individual or she saw they were different and was discriminatory.

There's a nice moment where Olive gets an autograph from the reigning Miss California, who was very sweet to her. Going back to the moment earlier at the diner, Olive asks if she eats ice cream and she said yes.
Other than that, we only see the other contestants and what they bring to the stage. All of which is highly superficial and manufactured.

It all ends with the talent portion and Olive is the last one to go. The codename comes into play as she does a pretty outrageous dance routine to Rick James' "Superfreak." (I won't give too much away because you have to see it to believe/enjoy it). While the woman in charge wants her taken off the stage, her family decides to get up and join her so everyone can be humiliated together. A few bunches of girls and their moms walked out, but a handful of people applauded by the end of it.

At the end of it all, she has them arrested and the cop says they're free to go as long as Olive isn't entered in another California beauty pagaent again.

Steve Carrell summed it up hilariously: "I think we can live with that." 

Remaining Social Commentary:

This movie came out before reality TV got a hold of pagentry. I hadn't seen a single "Dance Moms" or "Toddlers & Tiaras" and I'd very much like to keep it that way. Those are among my biggest American pet peeves. Few things annoy me more than stage moms, particurarly the ones that push their kids to the breaking point as if they want to live their dreams through them. The breaking point often consists of the kid wanting to quit because the competiveness is too much where it isn't fun anymore.

I have zero experience with that, but I know a thing or two about how we're all geared towards outer beauty vs. inner beauty. How certain body types and eye/hair color are valued higher than others. I'd noticed a year ago how a lot of makeup ads feature girls with blonde hair and blue eyes and how there're fewer models to represent my archetype (brown & brown). Even more annoying is how most models are required to be a minimum height of 5'7". I wouldn't necessarily want to be a model if it means resorting to developing an eating disorder to even looked at, but I take issue with not having an option because of something out of my control.

The pageant didn't take things as far as they could have, but when you're spraytanning little girls, the line is just seconds away from being drawn on that issue. 

Why on this list:

Other than reading all of the above mentioned, it's probably one of the best ensembles films you'll see as of the past decade. Great cast, obviously because I cited the strengths of each of them. As a result, I never forgot who Abigail Breslin was, but it's more out of coincidence that I'd seen a bunch of her movies since then. Either it was another member of the cast or the story that attracted me to it, but she's delightful to watch.
It's an original look at society in a way it hasn't been quite looked at before. It starts off a little somber, but with time, everyone grows on you and there are laughs along the way in places you'd never expect. More importantly, what's great about it is that it makes you think and reflect on how the world functions and how it things probably should change... but most likely won't, but you don't care as long as you're cool with being yourself.