God Bless America

This is a brilliant premise that not only delivers visually, but audibly, and cerebrally as well. It shows what is wrong with our society in a smash nose fashion, that I would wager the majority of people who watch this film are actually smart enough to recognize a good movie when they see, and therefore are smart enough to realize how bad our society has actually become. Bobcat Goldthwait wrote this unseen gem, and just like his other film, World's Greatest Dad, he delivers what humans have stopped thinking about. Very common societal issues that have somehow become "normal". The way he puts it all down is genius, and though the content is very adult, mass murder and whatnot,  it is very poetic. The opening monologue in itself is one of the best I've heard, and the hero/anti-hero depending on your views of the story, has several really good speeches throughout. When Frank gets the news of a terminal, inoperable brain tumor, he decides enough is enough and his first target is awesome. a "Sweet sixteen" spoiled beyond belief, reality queen who is "mean". This is when he instantly feels better about his soon to end crappy existence, but until one of the now deceased girls classmates stalks him as kind of an innocent "you're my hero", things get awesome. She wants to kill everyone, whereas he just wants to kill people who deserve it. People who are mean. Sure, it is a Dramedy about two mass murderers who, in a strange way, had me rooting for them to wipe out the scum of the Earth and get away with it. It would be a hard film to watch if you have a weak stomach, or hate senseless killing. I really know the reason we are on Frank's side is because of how and why he loses his job. There is no respect, no chivalry, no decency, and no common sense in our world anymore and Frank decides to amend that, and I respect him for it. Balls to the wall, all out, downright delightful extermination of the vermin that occupy our society with no remorse at all. Funny thing is today, one day after watching this film, I realized I would be spared by Frank. I am polite and respectful. So, here is to "the meek shall inherit the Earth" and all that.

NBM rates God Bless America - Phenomenal

50/50

Why would I not want to see this movie? Oh ya, the whole Cancer thing can be depressing and uncomfortable, but other than that we get to see the range of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (JGL). I know he is great because he and Ryan Gosling are always jockeying for position for my favorite actor slot. Seems every time I watch one of their films they catapult to #1 for me only to drop back down to #2 when the other releases a film. 50/50 is no different. Talk about Oscar Snubs. Nobody has mentioned JGL not getting a nod for his role in one of the best reviewed films of the year. He didn't even let the likes of Seth Rogen bring him down, yet no nomination. Utter BS. I don't want to get started on this years Oscars flubs, as there are many. I guess technically I don't really have a "Say" just an opinion as I am not officially a member of that "Dirty Little Guild" - The Screen Actor's Guild that is. On to a comedy about cancer. I read that the writer of the film was the one with Cancer and he wanted to put together a film that could somewhat document the journey while at the same time show that you can still have fun...sort of. The film is funny at times, and sad, dark, and depressing as hell at other time. It is what I call a Perfect movie, because it drags almost every emotion into one place while never being convoluted. It makes the audience happy and terrified at the same time. Along with the writer's intentions for a cancer dramedy, one might ask how Seth Rogen gets cast as the not so funny comic relief? He really was that friend to this guy during his cancer ordeal and treatment process. I wish someone else had been Kyle (Rogen), but he didn't ruin the film for me. I don't mind Rogen, but I can think of a dozen other people I would have liked for that role. JGL delivers an Oscar worthy performance of a Adam,  27 year old man dealing with the lifestyle change of what Cancer brings. He has a type of cancer he cannot even pronounce, but throughout it is referred to as Cancer of the Back, Spine Cancer, and Back Cancer. We follow his relationship with Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard) through the process, but the real performance is delivered by the always Lovely Anna Kendrick. She is his therapist helping him cope with his current state and she is awesome. Kyle on the other hand seems to only be interested in exploiting his cancer as a way to pick up girls. He figures a "pity-F@#$" is better than nothing and eventually this will take its toll on the friendship. His overbearing Mother (Anjelica Huston) seems to be his biggest problem, because now she feels she has to treat him like he is 8 years old again. I will say the chemo-treatment scenes are some of the funniest in the film. That is a hard sell, but the two gentlemen he gets the honor of meeting in those treatments, which last 4 hours each time, is what really changes his life. Though they are both 40 years his senior, they all have a commonality that brings them closer together, because finally he has someone who actually does know how he feels, and not just someone who says they do. Unless you are there, there is no way you know how someone with that disease is feeling. It's just humanly impossible. Once again JGL delivers quality and shows he is an elite actor in a business full of hacks who are only there because they look good in underwear. Oh, and you do not get Back Cancer from sleeping on a bad mattress. I looked it up. 


NBM rates 50/50 - A Cinematic Work of Art

Hesher

Take a good hard look. Yep, that's Joseph Gordon Levitt in what I think is one of his best roles. Let's face it, he did not need the role of Hesher to break out if you will. He is an indie god among actors and viewers alike. He can do whatever he wants and he will be respected. Hesher proves that. His character is one of the most vile people ever written. These people do exist, but with movies we like to be shown things that are sugar coated and not like the norm. He is a bitter young man, who hates everyone and everything. He speaks his mind, listens almost strictly to Metallica and He is also a pyroMANIAC. As impactful as Hesher is with everyone who is unlucky enough to meet him, the real story of this film is about a young boy named TJ Forney. TJ is  on the mend as is his father Paul (Rainn Wilson in his best role to date). They have just lost their wife and mother and neither of them knows how to cope. Paul turns to anti depressants in bulk form. He may as well be a zombie. TJ, only being 11 or so, does not have the luxury of drowning his sorrow in booze or drugs. He has to deal with his pain all on his own. Paul and TJ are living with Paul's mother trying to pick up the pieces. Life is hard enough for this family, what they don't need is an abusive, destructive, foul mouthed pothead squatter. Enter Hesher!! I said they DIDN'T need that. Anyway, Hesher comes to live with them because TJ blew off some steam. A funky happenstance. Either way, TJ is responsible for getting Hesher evicted from his layer. Now Hesher is gonna real mess up some lives...or is he? The first half of the film is filled with one liners that mostly include a non chalant F word followed by a Heavy Metal rim shot. BRILLIANT. He is funny because he doesn't give a rat's ass about anything. No one really says anything to him except Grandma. She likes Hesher. He talks to her and she is lonely. We get the feeling that Hesher is a guardian angel of sorts. Put there to protect TJ from a bully who is ruining his already crappy existence. Not the case. Hesher actually watches the bully beat up on TJ, and he does nothing. Then we think, maybe Hesher is teaching TJ that no one will ever be there for you, so you should defend and fend for yourself. Nope, wrong again. Hesher is truly a selfish individual that puts everyone around him into awful situations only to bail on them in their time of need. Most of the time, he is both the cause and effect of every bad situation. The film has great visuals throughout. His crap tattoos, his artwork, his van etc.. It also shows, in great fashion, the turning point in Hesher's mentality. What he really needs or wants. We watch TJ and his Dad go at each other's throats while Hesher just sits there eating his dinner. It really begins to look like he may be the normal one in this equation. He goes from dropping F Bombs to talking in nothing but sexually explicit language. That change comes when Nicole (A very drab looking Natalie Portman) shows up. She kind of becomes the third wheel with Hesher and TJ. I really wanted to rate this film A Work of Cinematic Art, especially after the crap I gave to There Will Be Blood yesterday, but alas, Hesher is too just half of a Perfect movie. The second half also derails in this film. It is only 1 hour 43 minutes, but it could have been trimmed. The last 23 minutes are a bit of the writers just seeing what they could get away with. We see Hesher go through a change, then revert, but we also see how he sees the world. He will always keep his guard up, and no one will ever get in. JGL offers up a performance that I could see as being hard. He does things in Hesher that as a human being would be hard to do. He is a bit of a psychopath, but JGL gives him life. He makes us care about him. I think if you can handle all the bad language and how douchey Hesher is most of the time, you will enjoy this.

PS. The swimming pool scene where Hesher emulates Luke Skywalker is absolutely hilarious. I laughed very hard for the first 35-45 minutes, then I felt really bad for the last 45 minutes with a few more laughs thrown in.

NBM rates Hesher Phenomenal

World's Greatest Dad

Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) is anything but the greatest dad in any realm, let alone our world. He is the epitome of a Father who has no freakin clue what his son is dealing with, or what to do about life. His life, his son's life....the whole thing seems to be a cluster F to him and he is drowning [figuratively speaking.] Lance is a somewhat normal middle age high school teacher who has to deal with his passion about to axed by budget cuts. His poetry class is all he seems to care about, but it may be taken from him. That is not his biggest issue though. His son, Kyle, is an abnormal 16 year old boy. He does constantly think about sex, but not normal sex. He is always trying to freak out his one and only friend. He succeeds most of the time, but his relationship with his Father is something else entirely. If my kids ever spoke to me the way Kyle speaks to Lance, I may have to beat them. Not only a lack of respect, but utter profanity and things one person should never say to another....ever. When Lance feels his tide is turning at one aspect - dating - he feels good. He goes on a date with a fellow teacher and drags his son along, who actually acts humanly. When Lance drops Kyle at home in order to take his date, Claire, home tragedy strikes. **SPOILER ALERT**  Lance comes home to find his son has passed in an extremely strange fashion. When Lance, grief stricken by this turn of events, decides to change his son's fate. Not literally, but more like contextually. He ends up changing his life and everyone around him as well. He ends up accidentally creating a legacy for his outcast son, and he does not know where to draw the line. He did it to make himself feel better about what has happened, but soon feels the effects of the choices he has made It is a depressing movie to watch, but at the same time, you kind of feel good about the choices Lance has made. All the people he helps and what not. Two things intrigued me about this film. Robin Williams to begin with. A brilliant actor who is always enjoyable in his darker roles. And 2, it was written and directed by the fantastic Bobcat Goldthwait. The comedian has a great dark mind and it shows. When I heard him interviewed about this film, he made sure that we knew this was not a feel good movie, and most definitely was not The Real World's Greatest Dad.


NBM rated World's Greatest Dad - Awesome

About a Boy

I'm about to go in a direction none of you will understand. Not my best friend, not even my wife understands my strange connection to this film. Let me start by saying I will sit and watch anything with Hugh Grant. He doesn't do bad work. Nine Months, Love actually, and Two Weeks Notice are just some of his brilliant comedies. About a Boy however is more drama than comedy. It follows a young boy with his single Mom growing up in the UK. Hugh Grant on the other hand is a song writer. He wrote one song that went huge way back when and just does nothing all day. He continues to cash the royalty checks, which provide a comfortable living, and he is too afraid to write anything else. The Sophomore curse as I call. Anyone who has a very successful "1st" in any business is automatically set up for failure. He does not want that failure. One normal day sitting in his flat (that's what they called apartments over there) not doing anything this young boy comes beating on his door. The boy is trying to escape the local bullies and even though he does not know the boy, he lets him come in for refuge. They have some discussions, hang out for a while, then he leaves. No biggie, right? Well, not exactly. The boy shows up the next day at his door just to hang out and talk. Hugh knows this can't be right, but he also sees an opportunity for his playboy ways. He uses the boy to pose as his son at a single parents meeting, mostly comprised of women. It works at first, but like all things, it blows up. It doesn't take long for Hugh to realize this boy kinda sees him as a father figure. At first he doesn't mind, but eventually it gets old. Then the boys mother starts asking questions, as she had no idea he was at this strange mans house every afternoon. He ends up being friends with her and trying to explain her boys problems. It goes really south when Hugh buys the boy clothes and new sneakers. This pisses his mother off. The whole story boils down to one thing. Hugh must save this boy from ruining his whole life. Not drugs are anything like that. He is gonna sing at the school talent show. That's not that bad. Let me finish. He is singing a tribute to his mother. The song, Killing me softly by the Fugees. Not a good choice of song about one's Mum. He owes this boy for showing him, there's more to life than to be terrified. He has grown quite fond of the boy, but no, it doesn't end like most movies. Hugh does not marry his mother and become his step dad or anything like. I had a great childhood with a very present Father, but I think I relate to Hugh's character. I always want to help people out whether it's the 80 year old woman at the store, or a small child who wants to play. I'm not weird, I'm just a big kid. I did get some strange looks when I coached a tee ball team of twenty 5 year olds without having a kid of my own on the team. I like teaching, and will continue to. I don't know who of you would like this movie. I know I've seen it at least 5 times, and I own it. Like I said, my wife doesn't even get the appeal, but I dig it. I think it's a great story of how a 12 year old can teach a 40 year old about life.

NBM rates About a Boy - Phenomenal

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