The Danish Girl

The Danish Girl tells the true story of artist Lili Elbe who became a pioneer in the transgender community. This is the first real Oscar contender I have seen so far this year. Eddie Redmayne is my choice for Best Actor. 

The Danish Girl is in theaters starting November 27, 2015. 

SEE IT! 

The New Girlfriend

I had the pleasure of attending a special preview of the latest film by French director Francois Ozon, The New Girlfriend. The film is in French and is subtitled in English.

It tells the story of two childhood best friends Claire and Laura who grow up together but unfortunately Laura becomes ill and dies. Laura's husband is left alone to care for their newly born daughter but Claire promises to help them both. Shortly after she realizes she may have gotten more than she bargained for. Claire happens to stumble into David's (Laura's husband) home one day to find a woman with blonde hair and a dress tending to their baby. The 'woman' turns out to be David in a wig wearing Laura's dress. The story progresses into a whirlwind of craziness as we learn David's secret obsession with cross-dressing and how he just cant let go of his wife. Claire is reminded of her friendship with Laura and helps David through the difficult and bizarre situation. Their relationship turns into an unconventional friendship that leaves you wondering for more.

The New Girlfriend is an erotic twisted love story. As ScreenDaily said, it's "a love story for the modern age." Like most European films there's no shortage of sexually explicit scenes.

As a huge fan of foreign films, I really enjoyed The New Girlfriend. It's a mystery drama that keeps you locked in a state of shock but filled with emotional and comedic moments to cool tensions. The cast gave the film real depth and emotion. Claire is played by the beautiful and eloquent Anaïs Demoustier. French native Roman Duris plays David with such passion and depth you'd think he was a drag queen off screen. Both actors exude a great deal of tenderness and bring to light the hardships that come with death and gender fluidity, like being transgender.

The film will be released in the U.S. on September 18, 2015 and carries an R rating. In the meantime check out the trailer.

                                   

SEE IT!

Vacation

Let me start off by saying, I am a die-hard National Lampoon Vacation fan. Vegas Vacation is one of my favorite movies of all time.

They are back and are making a new and updated Vacation movie centered on Rusty Griswold who is all grown up. Rusty's family is tired of the same old vacation so he decides to go back to his roots and take the family on a road trip to Wally's World. The 2,500 mile journey from Chicago to LA isn't easy and comes with many shenanigans. Some sentiments from the older films come up too. I won't say too much not to give anything away.

Rusty is played by Ed Helms. Not only is Helms perfectly casted for the role but the entire cast is great. Christina Applegate plays his wife and Audrey (Rusty's sister) is played by Leslie Mann. They stuck to the original Chevy Chase and Beverly D'angelo for Clark and Ellen Griswold, undoubtedly a great decision.

Vacation is hilarious and just as good as the original four films. I love the small celebrity cameos. This film is definitely worthy of its 'R' rating with lots of F bombs and full frontal female and male nudity. Vacation will be enjoyed by both the original fans and new ones who don't know much about the franchise. But as an added bonus I definitely suggest you check out the original ones:
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
European Vacation (1985)
Christmas Vacation (1989)
Vegas Vacation (1997)*
*My personal favorite--a must see.

I'll be seeing Vacation again when it hits theaters on July 29, 2015.

SEE IT!

 

 

Desert Dancer

Desert Dancer is a film based on the true story of Afshin Ghaffaian, an Iranian native who decides to purse his passion of dance in Iran and start an underground dance company in 2009, in the midst of the nation’s highly controversial presidential election.

The film chronicles his real life experiences as he combats oppression from the conservative Iranian regime. His simple freedom of expression, dance, comes at a high price. Afshin must go through leaps and bounds to follow his dreams and become free.

The film has a very artistic element to it. Desert Dancer is not a major studio picture; it was independently made with a $4 million budget. It contains intense edge-of-your-seat moments though that will keep you entranced. Desert Dancer is more than just about dance. It tells the story of the terrible injustices Iranians are facing and the corrupt government’s hold on the younger generation. This story resonates with people all over the world under governmental control and censorship. 

I had the pleasure of the meeting the director, British native, Richard Raymond. Desert Dancer is his directorial debut. As we spoke he told me how this film was very close to his heart and a passion project. He first read about Afshin in the paper and immediately flew out to see him to make this story into a feature film.

Desert Dancer stars Frieda Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), Reece Ritchie (Prince of Persia), and Tom Cullen (Weekend). Pinto and Ritchie have no formal dance background but they were a magical combination on screen. Ritchie rehearsed for over 8 months prior to production. But beyond his dancing ability, he is an engaging actor with an immense amount of realness and transparency. Pinto immediately jumped onto the project when she read the script. Desert Dancer is truly a labor of love. It is in limited theater release on April 10 and full release on April 17.

SEE IT!

2015 Oscars Wrap Up

2015 Oscars Hits and Misses

This year's nominees didn't set a high bar. All the films nominated were not that moving or amazing. Nothing wowed me or pulled me in. Here are my hits and misses from the night.

Best Actress-Miss :( 

Patricia Arquette gave a below average performance. Her acting was not one-of-a-kind or anything special. Side note; the nomination of Emma Stone was single handily the worst move of the night.

Musical Performances- Hit :)

While I was mortified The Lego Movie wasn't nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, I was ecstatic to see Tegan and Sara perform 'Everything is Awesome.' Great appearance by The Lonely Island as well. Who knew Lady Gaga has such an amazing voice? I didn't. Wow I am impressed. 

Best Actor- Hit :)

Eddie Redmayne was the most deserving win of the night. He epitomizes what acting really is. He first stood out to me in 2011's My Week With Marilyn. He is going places and will only earn bigger and better roles. He was smart and fortunate to land such a unique and difficult role like Steven Hawkings. 

Host- Miss :(

Neil Patrick Harris was not as great of a host. I expected more from him. He wasn't ready to host such a big event. Then again it's difficult to out perform hosts like Billy Crystal and Ellen Degeneres. His jokes were stiff and lacked fluidity. 

Best Picture- Miss :(

Birdman was definitely not worthy of best picture. While I enjoyed most of the cast and loved the cinematography, it was not deserving of Best Picture. 

Overall the Oscars was a major drag, which was no surprise. Until next year. 

Transparent

5 Reasons to Watch Transparent on Amazon

Transparent is the latest original series from Amazon Studios. This comedy-drama follows an LA family as they discover old and new secrets combating sexuality, love, and life.

Jeffrey Tambor is captivating, as he encompasses the perfect balance of quirky yet serious, playing a sixty-something year old divorced retiree who is finally ready to 'come out' as transgender to his family. 

Think your family is messed up? Think again. The Pfefferman family is one dysfunctional mess, but they love each other nonetheless. No matter the struggle they come together to support and help one another. We are reminded that blood is always thicker than water.

Opens your eyes to a different unknown world of transgender lives. While gay characters have become commonplace over the years, we have yet to see many real roles discussing transgender people in society. This series gives us a further look into their lives.

Fun and surprising guest appearances like Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing). Every so often a familiar yet exciting face makes a cameo. 

Transparent is Golden Globe nominated for 'Best series, comedy or musical' and 'Best actor, comedy or musical series'. Award season is just starting and I'm sure it's going to get the accolades it deserves.

Season one, consisting of ten episodes, is available on Amazon Prime. The show has already been renewed for a second season.

Horrible Bosses 2

With Horrible Bosses bringing in over $200 million internationally, it was pretty clear a sequel was in the works. I had the chance of watching an early screening of Horrible Bosses 2 almost 8 months ago. While there are some fresh faces, Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz, the movie still falls flat. There were some cheap laughs here and there but the plot was pretty much mimicking the first film, lacking in originality. Not a big surprise though, as no one expected they would deviate much from a successful formula.

Lucky for the Warner Bros. Sudeikis, Bateman, and Day are comedic geniuses. They are the modern day David Spade, Adam Sandler, and Chris Farley. As bad as the film was the actors give it some substance and boost of entertainment. Jennifer Aniston hasn't lost her comedic touch either. She was entertaining and kept the ball rolling. 

At the end of the day, it's best to enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday getting stuffed and steering clear of Horrible Bosses 2. 

SKIP IT!

Marco Polo (Netflix)

I am really excited to see Netflix's latest original series Marco Polo set to premiere December 12. The 60 minute series is based on the explorer's adventures in Kublai Khan's court in 13th century China. The new show seems to have it all; intriguing dialogue, action packed fighting, and passion-filled sex scenes.

Marco Polo will be played by 24 year old Italian-born Lorenzo Richelmy, a fairly new face with few credits to his name.

Check out the trailer on Youtube:

Lucy

If you see any movie this summer make sure Lucy is one of them. Lucy (Scarlett Johanson) is forced into becoming a drug mule for a Japanese drug lord. But things only get worse when the narcotics erupt in her body and spread through her system. She begins to unlock parts of her brain because the drug allows her to access more of her mind over time. She eventually begins to control people's minds and her surroundings. But with great power comes great difficulty as her body cannot take the growth of her mind. Time is of the essence as she fights for her life against two forces, her own brain and drug lords. 

The imagery in this film is amazing and really leaves you questioning what is real and what is fantasy. Lucy is action packed and a great summer film to check out. Scar Jo is badass as ever. The plot is riveting and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Lucy a refreshing blend of Limitless (Bradley Cooper) meets the Matrix. 

Written and directed by Luc Besson, from The Fifth Element. In theaters July 25, 2014. 

SEE IT!

A Million Ways to Die in the West

3 Reasons Not to See 'A Millions Ways'

As a huge Family Guy fan it saddens me to say this, but do not waste your time or money watching this film.

1. It was unnecessarily long and boring: Run time is almost 2 hours of uncomfortably low-brow, boring humor. It was uneventful and slow placed.

2. Seth MacFarlane is not a suitable onscreen actor: He needs to stay behind the camera...or better yet behind the microphone. He may have forgotten this wasn't an animated film. He's emotionless and has no onscreen presence. 

3. Plot line was a joke, and no not the good kind: Seth tried to get serious when the audience just wants to laugh. Attempting to build up dramatic effect, he just left the viewer yawning and dosing off. There was no real movement or fluidity.   

If you liked Ted, you'll hate this. If you hated Ted you'll dislike this also. If you have the ability to see and hear, you'll hate this.

*Highlight: Fun and surprising cameos.

SKIP IT!