Tag: marijuana

THE GENTLEMEN – Review

As THE IRISHMAN begins the home stretch to the Oscars are you in need of another mob movie fix? Like Scorsese, this director has a history of flicks about the “thug life” featuring guys and goons that can “lean” on anybody that gets in the way. Well, this is one quite a bit different as it’s not set on the mean streets of East Coast USA, but rather in swinging (like a pendulum do’) London, so it’s got an international flavor. Plus this flick expands past Picadilly into the country estates and castles (hitmen at Downton Abbey. oh dear). So it involves the elite, but people who don’t fret about getting blood spilled on those custom-tailored suits and gowns. Yet, somehow most of the world believes that these “goodfellas'” can still be called THE GENTLEMEN.

After a brief flashforward involving one of the plot principals, the story really begins on a dark night as Ray (Charlie Hunnan) discovers a most unwelcome visitor lurking in the shadows of his plush home. It’s a sleazy P.I. named Fletcher (Hugh Grant) and he’s got a business offer. He’s just finished a job for “Big” Dave (Eddie Marsan), editor of the popular tabloid the Daily Print, digging up lots of “dirt’ on Ray’s boss, “cannabis king” Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey). But Ray can buy it all from Fletcher before it sees print. Of course, Ray needs a hint at what he’d be buying. We get the backstory on Mick: born to poor parents in Florida, USA he wins a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford, where he balances his studies with a lucrative pot-selling “side hustle”. He amasses a “weed” empire, deciding to put down roots in the UK by marrying the gorgeous Rosalind (Michelle Dockery). They rub elbows with the highest of high society, which answers one of the mysteries about him. Namely, where does he grow and produce his “primo” product”? He attracts the attention of another rich Yank, Matthew Berger (Jeremy Strong), who intends to buy the operation. Luckily Mickey wants to start a family, so after naming a hefty price tag he lets Berger in on the big secret. Mickey has made deals with the cash-strapped “upper-elites” (the Earls, Lords, etc.) to set up underground greenhouses on their secured properties. Mickey even takes Matthew to visit one. Then word leaks out about Mickey’s retirement. An ambitious young mobster from the East, Dry Eye (Henry Golding) makes an offer that’s is quickly rejected by Mickey. Then that secret “bush” locale is hit by a bunch of young thugs. Throw in a tough boxing coach named, well, Coach (Colin Farrell), and the drug-addled daughter of royalty, and it’s starting to look as though Mickey will never “get out”. But just how much evidence does Fletcher have? And will Ray convince his boss to buy it?

A stellar cast has been assembled for this crime caper with Oscar-winner McConaughey front and center as the American who’s just as sophisticated and cultured as any of the native brits (well, really more so than most in this tale). He seems to be channeling more of this TV ad persona (you’ve seen those baffling car ad in which he’s featured) than most of his screen work (Mickey is almost the inverse of the yahoos in GOLD, MAGIC MIKE, and even DALLAS BUYERS CLUB). He’s smooth as silk, only creasing his GQ ensembles when someone disrespects him. Or when he’s around his wife. Much like Gomez in THE ADDAMS FAMILY his Mickey is hopelessly enamored of the ravishing Rosalyn played with a smoldering tough sensibility by Dockery, who seems ecstatic to be out of the Downton finery. Another “happy camper” is Grant who can barely contain his joy in being cast as the skeevy, pervy (his threats to Ray are mixed with aggressive flirtations) private eye. He flits about the screen like a mischievous imp as he spins a tale of double-crossing and deceit. Farrell is quite entertaining as the gruff, no-nonsense Coach who only gets his hands dirty in order to protect his beloved “lads”. Speaking of dirtying your hands, Goulding appears to relish his turn as the scowling, always plotting Dry Eye, who seethes as he’s denied a seat at the “adults’ table”. Strong scores as the somewhat foppish (not quite the fashion plate as Mickey), but dangerously brilliant (at least two steps ahead) Berger. And as Mickey’s #1, Hunnam is everything you’d want in a right-hand man, though he’s got a real cleanliness mania, whether it’s Fletcher removing his shoes or having to go into a high-rise drug “nest”. Filth is this tough guy’s Kryptonite.

This flick marks sort of a homecoming, or at least a return to his roots, of director Guy Ritchie, who also wrote the screenplay with a story assist from Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies. In the dozen years since ROCKNROLLA Ritchie has bounced about from the RDJ Sherlock HOLMES franchise, to franchise wannabe THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., to the darned near-unwatchable KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD, to last Summer’s fairly sanitized ALADDIN (though not the worst of the live-action reboots). He’s back in his “comfort zone” and his “home turf” as he keeps the action zipping briskly along while throwing us many unexpected curves and bits of inspired hilarity (Old MacDonald will never sound the same). Ritchie even throws in some satiric jabs at his own profession as Fletcher indulges his own cinematic aspirations (he includes a screenplay in his blackmail package). And he still has a taste for film making flourishes, slowing down the actions, speeding scenes in reverse, along with creating a rap music YouTube street-fighting video. Sure he still peppers the script with “F-bombs” (and being in the UK there are “C-bombs”) and blood, though he saves the gore to make the most impact. And there’s even a nice tribute to the recently departed, much-missed “Mr. Creosote”. Needless to say, the fancy mansion and wardrobes are quite dazzling. To sum things up, THE GENTLEMEN is an unpredictable, most welcome return to the lowlife and high-class law-breakers in Guy Ritchie’s London underworld.

3 Out of 4

BOUNDARIES – Review

Christopher Plummer and Vera Farmiga in BOUNDARIES. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

With a fine cast headed by Christopher Plummer and Vera Farmiga, BOUNDARIES looked promising but the road trip dramedy manages to hit every cliche pothole along its way. Which is a shame – such a good cast deserved a better script.

Laura (Vera Farmiga) has daddy issues, and talks with her therapist about how she needs to set “boundaries” with her charming but unreliable father Jack (Christopher Plummer). Laura’s problem is a big heart, taking in endless strays and bordering on animal hording, but she is most devoted to her 13-year-old son Henry (Lewis MacDougall). It has been just them since her equally unreliable ex (Bobby Cannavale) abandoned them early on but Laura has carved out a stable life for her son.

When she gets a call that her dad has been kicked out of his retirement home for dealing pot. He’s broke and Laura has to pick him up. He wants to move in with her but Laura refuses, determined to protect her young son from the influence of her wily, law-breaking father. Laura’s plan is to put Dad on a plane to go live with her always-sunny younger sister JoJo (Kristen Schaal) in her studio apartment. When they pick him up, Dad insists they have to drive his old car to his new home, so he can transport his copious supply of adult diapers. Of course, Dad is transporting more than Depends and his secret plan is to sell his stash of pot to his old buddies along the way to raise some cash.

That sets up BOUNDARIES’ road trip premise. The strong cast has a lot of talent that goes to waste, including Christopher Lloyd as one of dad’s pot-smoking old hippie buddies, and Peter Fonda as another old buddy, although one who has done very well financially.

Writer/director Shana Feste could have crafted a charming offbeat family drama out of this film with this cast. Instead she steers the film into every cliche pothole and avoids anything like authentic human feelings. Laura complains endlessly about driving across the country but they are really only driving from Texas to California. Along the way, she can’t help but pick up more stray dogs, a cute conceit that is supposed to be heart-warming but instead comes off as contrived. Hilarity ensues every time charming Jack enlists his grandson’s help to unload the pot.

Feste’s script does not allowed the characters to evolve and develop into real people in real relationships. Every character remains two-dimensional and none of the sentiment in the film rings true. The cast sometimes tries to wring something out of the too-familiar situations but the trite script gets in the way. Still, they manage a few moments, although not enough to save the film.

BOUNDARIES is a disappointing experience that could have been much more, and a shameful waste of a good cast. No reason to take this trip.

RATING: 2 out of 5 stars

WOODSHOCK – Review

 

It’s travel time at the vacation wing of the ole’ multiplex yet again. A couple of months ago we explored France in PARIS CAN WAIT, and just a few weeks ago we joined Steve and Rob for a food-filled travelogue in THE TRIP TO SPAIN. Summer may be over, but it’s not too late to “get away from it all” with another trip….a trip inside your mind. If you’re thinking of “mother’s little helper” then you’re on the right track. Movies about drugs have changed with society over the years. The first flicks were hysterical (in more ways than one) cautionary tales epitomized by the camp classic REEFER MADNESS. With the counter culture’s rise in the 60’s and 70’s there were more enlightened films like, well Roger Corman’s THE TRIP. And in the 80’s Cheech and Chong finally took their weed humor to the big screen with UP IN SMOKE, which begat a new genre, the “dope comedy” with PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, HALF BAKED, and it’s “Citizen Kane”, THE BIG LEBOWSKI. Now that states are easing up on pot, many legalizing it, will there be a new “strain” of “chronic cinema”? Well here’s a unique mix, a thriller/marijuana whose title is a nod to a 60’s movie/event: WOODSHOCK. Oh, and you’d best hit the concession stand first.

 

Theresa (Kirsten Dunst) shares a rustic house with her husband Nick (Joe Cole). He works clearing trees in the massive wooded area just outside their little town. At the beginning of the story, they’re taking care of Theresa’s gravely ill mother, who’s occupying a bedroom. As the days drag on, Theresa tries to relieve Mom’s pain with marijuana. Before she rolls the joint, she mixes in a few drops of a liquid from a small amber-colored bottle. After a few tokes, mother drifts away into the embrace of death. This sends Theresa into a tailspin of grief, wearing mom’s old clothing, and weeping beside her empty bed. Nick is of little help, since he accepted a promotion and is putting in lots of extra hours. Finally Theresa decides to return to her old job at a state-sanctioned marijuana dispensary run by the gregarious Keith (Pilou Asbaek). One of the shops regulars is senior citizen Ed (Steph DuVall), who needs to ease his suffering from a lingering illness. One day Keith suggests that Theresa add a little “something special” to Ed’s prescription to “help him out”. She douses the buds and gives him the special supply. But both are stunned when Ed returns to the shop after word gets out about the death of another “regular”, college-age Johnny (Jack Kilmer). has she lost her mind? Did she deliberately switch their orders? And what about her midnight walks about the woods and her nocturnal fence building? Will a few joints laced with the liquid help her understand what happened?

 

 

After co-starring in last year’s unexpected box office smash HIDDEN FIGURES, Dunst is re-establishing herself as an “indie” film icon with this role (even more arty that THE BEGUILED remake from a few months ago). Her Theresa is the film’s main focus. Dunst conveys the all-consuming grief Theresa feels over the loss of her mother, and her own hand in it. It’s followed by numbed days, leading to extreme self-meditation. Dunst makes her an enigma (or perhaps a mystery wrapped in an enigma), a blonde ghost often literally floating through life (echoing her MELONCHOLIA role in many ways). She’s the opposite of Asbaek as the “party monster” Keith who seems to always be on the search for the newest thrill or high. His relationship with Theresa is complex. Were or are they lovers? We know they’re boss and employee, but something deeper is bubbling under the surface. There’s more passion between them than there is with Cole as the confused, clueless Nick. He wants to help his wife, but doesn’t have the skills or time to break through to her. DuVall is a hovering reminder of mortality, a guy wanting to go, but can’t get the exit door to work. Kilmer is almost a kid brother to Dunst, a warm fire snuffed out cruelly, though it’s never clear if it was by accident.

 

Nothing’s very clear about this film at all. Fashion documentaries Kate and Laura Mulleavy in their feature film making debut (script also) aim for atmosphere rather than coherence. the camera lingers on Dunst as she gazes into mirrors, an angel of death dispensing truly “killer weed”. Much time is spent on double-exposed images with flowers and butterflies suddenly dissolving into the background. Are they trying to make us feel as though we’re on some powerful stuff? Oh, and what’s with the fence building anyway? No clues are present nor hinted. The whole flick’s a hazy fever dream that never really lets us wake up. While the recent mother! flaunted its artistic intents, it had an energy to it, while this film glides along in a slow-motion haze. We never get attached to the characters (who mumble more than speak), which lessens the story’s impact and heightens the frustration at the stupefying conclusion (everything just stops instead of resolving). WOODSHOCK is one long pretentious trip. Bummer man.

 

1.5 Out of 5

 

WOODSHOCK opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli theatre.

 

 

CARTEL LAND – The Review

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In the Midwest, we are aware of the illegal immigrant issues. We see it and live among it and have out own opinions about it, whatever they may be. But truly, we are far removed from the drug wars that occur at the US/Mexico borders. We, like any sizable city, see the drug abuse and the lives it tears apart, but that’s the end of the line. Where it starts, where the buck stops (so to speak) is where cultures and countries collide. That’s why films such as CARTEL LAND are crucial to the rest of us not living in the middle of the source of the problem.

Produced, directed, shot and edited and may other credits go to a nearly virtual one-man filmmaking team. Matthew Heineman tossed himself into the heart of darkness to capture a sample of the essence of organized crime in Mexico and it pays off, having risked life and limb in the process. CARTEL LAND is an off the cuff, seat of your pants documentary that at times plays like an action-drama. Intense moments of live gunfights between Mexican vigilantes and drug cartels are broken up by engagingly honest interviews on location and heartfelt, emotional moments of recollection and tearful testimony.

CARTEL LAND is essentially told in two chapters, inter-cut back and forth between the US and Mexican side of the border. Roughly one third of the focus lies on the Arizona Border Recon, a paramilitary group of citizens that patrol the border and track cartel movement and activities, in the hopes of squashing as much of it as then can. The Arizona Border Recon was started by Tim “Nailor” Foley, a veteran and former drug addict whose life changed after an accident which led him end his drug use and fight the cartels, who have increasingly become more bold in crossing into US territory.

The story of Foley and his Arizona Border Recon is weak, admirable on some levels, but little happens and interviews with Foley lead us to have certain doubts about his and others’ motives. His and his groups’ actions prove to have little measurable effect as depicted on screen and he is far less an intriguing character as his Mexican counterpart. Foley’s story often feels self-serving and not so much about the cause as it is about his own personal vendetta. This arc of the film draws away from the overall consistency and quality of the film and I honestly could have done without this portion altogether. I see and I understand the bilateral nature of what Heineman was attempting, but for whatever reasons, it fails to hit its mark.

The other two-thirds of CARTEL LAND focuses on Dr. Jose Mireles, also known to his supporters as “El Doctor,” who honestly deserved to have the entire film centered on his story. Dr. Mireles saw what the drug cartels were doing to his friends, family and neighbors, and saw it eating away at the fabric of his country. He founded the Autodefensas, a paramilitary group of concerned citizens who take up arms and take back what is theirs… land, property, loved ones and control over their towns and their lives. Over time, Dr. Mireles and his Autodefensas enjoy incredible success and respect for their accomplishments. However, as we see repeatedly throughout the world, putting one’s self out there in the world eventually has its price as the underlying corruption that infects society seems always to relapse after a period of remission.

CARTEL LAND flourishes as a bittersweet drama of good deeds rewarded with bad luck brought on by evil men. Dr. Mireles is an extraordinarily fascinating individual with whom we can relate. At the risk of overstating my point, Dr. Mireles for Mexico is like their Ghandi without the penchant for non-violence. He does good work, even is his means are forceful and ride the thin line of what’s lawful, but in the absence of law he brings justice. In this sense, I suppose we could call him the Batman of rural Mexico, but all kidding aside, it’s difficult to watch this film and not feel respect for the man.

This becomes all too unbearable when the tables turn and we realize what fate ultimately has in store for Dr. Mireles, a turn of events that is sickening and all too familiar here at home as well. CARTEL LAND is as much exotic to us as it is deeply personal and relevant too all our lives, even if we don’t feel it personally from day to day. Heineman puts himself out there, on many occasions capturing the chaotic, real-time danger and uncertainty on film as he’s pulled behind a truck for cover during a gunfight or tripped up during pursuits. Remember, this is a man and a camera in the midst of the action and its real life.

CARTEL LAND depicts a side of this ongoing, seemingly never-ending war from an entirely new angle and perspective. The film is not overly graphic, but images of beheading and hanging victims are displayed, as well as shots of dead Mexican citizens caught up in the violence. I commend Heineman for not shying away from this. It is reality and people need to see the truth as it truly exists. Like the westerns of the 1950s when nobody bled gave way to controversial modern depictions such as Peckinpah’s THE WILD BUNCH, violence begets blood and blood is life, so depicting the loss of life means we’re bound to see blood.

Let’s be honest. This is a hot button, political topic. CARTEL LAND is a film that digs into the truth without succumbing to the tabloid, self-serving sensationalist documentary styles of so many contemporary films of this nature. Heineman manages to drop himself right in the middle of the action and stays there till the end, but never turns the camera on himself and somehow remains virtually invisible the entire film, but still makes a powerful statement, the way documentaries should be made.

CARTEL LAND opens in theaters on Friday, July 17th, 2015.

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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DON PEYOTE – The Review

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For the sake of full disclosure, I would like to begin by declaring that I am not now, nor have I ever been, a participant of the pot smoking culture. Why am I declaring this, you may ask? Simple. This movie is, essentially, all about smoking pot. Wonderful. Another DAZED & CONFUSED you say? Wrong. With that said, DON PEYOTE is also much more, but the weed certainly plays a major role.

Please, do not misinterpret my opening remarks. I hold no personal or political grudge against anyone for partaking in this extra-curricular activity. I only bring it up to make a point, as indulging in the great green pastime may certainly influence how the film is experienced. So, as you read this review, keep in mind these are merely the opinions of a critic who was not under the influence during the viewing.

In so many ways, watching DON PEYOTE is like watching Terry Gilliam’s FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, only a bit more insane and with a definite indie flair. Instead of the central character being a gonzo journalist who thrives on anarchy, Warren is a struggling graphic novelist who thrives on paranoia. Both characters share a relentless taste for getting high, but after doing so, Warren delves into the colorful world of conspiracy theory, sinking deeper into its crippling grasp with each hit on his improvised apple bowl.

I’m sure you can already sense what’s in store with this film. Whatever you’re thinking, you’re not wrong. Or, you are. It all depends on how far removed from reality you currently claim to be. That, my friend, best describes DON PEYOTE and how best to determine where you may stand at the film’s completion. Just food for thought. Beware, and enjoy.

DON PEYOTE is about Warren, played by Dan Fogler, who fills the unknown void in his life with marijuana. He enjoys a relatively modest life, albeit with a borderline career and a relationship built on an unstable footing. His fiance wants a child, but fails to recognize she’s about to marry one, then when she does finds Warren completely surprised by her willingness to abandon their bond. Warren surrounds himself with friends, all of whom are equally out of touch and similarly self-destructive on a subconscious level, as he makes his way through this psychotic warm and fuzzy trip.

Let me stop you here, before we go any further. If you’re seeking a clearly structured, linear film with a concise story in three simple acts and a well-defined, low mess ending… turn around. Just, stop. Go home. Give up now. These things, you will not receive. DON PEYOTE, more or less, breaks all the rules of conventional filmmaking, but does so with such energy and bravado. The film appeals to just about every genre. Comedy, drama, mystery, horror… it even has a musical number.

DON PEYOTE is many things, but it is not a low-budget half-ass mockery designed only to get your money. Well, actually, it is, but the difference is that Fogler’s film delivers instead of just luring you in and then letting you down. The cast alone is as amazing as it is overwhelmingly surprising. Each moment of the film is like finding one prize after another, all within the same box of Cracker Jacks!

Allow me to elaborate. Anne Hathaway. Need I say more? Fine. Anne as a mysterious dream agent. Not hooked yet? Josh Duhamel returns* along side Dan Fogler. [*Please refer to SCENIC ROUTE (2013).] Jay Baruchel plays a drug dealer. Topher Grace plays Fogler’s agent, that’s right. Fogler, not Warren. (See the film for clarification.) Wallace Shawn plays Warren’s psychotherapist. Abel Ferrara plays a taxi driver… alright, this one’s not much of a stretch, but still… Abel Ferrara!

Perhaps my favorite moments in the film occur once Warren is committed. Mentally, not emotionally. For an indie film, DON PEYOTE has some incredibly imaginative imagery and the production value follows suit without straying from the indie core of the film’s appeal. Fogler is clearly having fun with this film, but worked extremely hard at making it so. Aside from starring as the cuddly, yet troubled central character, Dan Fogler also co-wrote and co-directed DON PEYOTE with Michael Conzoniero. Fogler is so confident with his vision that he frequently breaks the fourth wall, addressing the audience directly. Ballsy.

Fogler himself, as an actor and comedian, I am beginning to see him as something of a modern-day Chaplin. Talented, funny and smart, hard working and yet playfully driven. That’s impressions I get from watching his work, but DON PEYOTE really gets to the heart of this notion for me. The film oozes pet project, a labor of love. These are the kinds of films I love to see being made. Kudos, Mr. Fogler.

Personally, I enjoyed the frantic, disjointed nature of this film. I was refreshed by the utter lack of accurate expectations I had for DON PEYOTE, but with that may come a limit to its adoring audience and to the level of its viewers’ understanding. Try and look past this, if you will. Live a little. Enjoy the ride.Warren is a character that endures a lot of chemically-induced hardships for your entertainment.

DON PEYOTE is available through Video On Demand and opens theatrically on Friday, May 16th, 2014.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

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