New and Notable Film Books—April 2016
New and Notable Film Books—April 2016
CATCHING UP WITH BLU-RAYS
As I said in my recent post, I’ve been laggard in keeping up to date on this website. The…
Everybody Wants Some—And Should
Everybody Wants Some—And Should
Everybody Wants Some—And Should
The time is August of 1980, the setting is Texas, and the guys who populate Richard Linklater’s newest film are members of a college baseball team who share living quarters. The newly-arrived freshmen face the challenge of fitting in with this highly disparate group, both off and on the field. Everybody Wants Some!! draws us in as our nominal hero (Blake Jenner) arrives at school, and meets his new housemates, lugging a crate of precious LPs. Each character he encounters is colorful, well-defined, and perfectly cast. Advertised as a “spiritual sequel” to Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, this film is a genial celebration of hedonism, college drinking, casual sex, hanging out with friends, and breaking down awkward social barriers. It is completely disarming and utterly delightful.…
Big, Noisy, Greek…and Obvious
I’m not sure anyone was waiting for, let alone demanding, a sequel to the surprise sleeper of 2002, but it’s here just the same, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 may well please its intended audience. But like many sequels, the spark of the original film can’t be reignited so easily. Writer and star Nia Vardalos is as likable as ever. The same can be said for most of the supporting cast, but under Kirk Jones’ direction everyone mugs shamelessly, as if playing to an audience in the second balcony instead of inhabiting a giant movie screen. Subtlety has no place here. Vardalos’ eager-to-please character is still anchored to her boisterous Greek family…but now she’s married to the high school principal (John Corbett) and…
Big, Noisy, Greek…and Obvious
Big, Noisy, Greek…and Obvious
