Author: Keith Young

The Angry Birds Movie

Keith YoungLeave a comment

image

Based on the Angry Birds video game series first released in 2009 game and downloaded over 3 billion times, The Angry Birds Movie is a fairly typical animated kids’ movie that attempts to entertain accompanying adults. It follows the adventures of Red voiced by Jason Sudeikis who keeps to himself until he is forced to take an anger management class. After befriending fast-talking Chuck voiced by Josh God and explosive Bomb voiced by Danny McBride, Red discovers a mysterious plot from a group of newly arrived green pigs. Eventually, the whole community of naive birds team up to defeat the mischievous pigs pretending to be friendly. The film is filled with the requisite bird and pig puns, such as a Birds and Bees Fertility Clinic, free-rage chicken, Instaham, and Hamnesty International. Since it is based on the video game, there are many references to actual gameplay that would be familiar to all players. For instance, each bird has a corresponding skill and many birds are launched from a slingshot to destroy the green pigs. Although it will surely entertain young children, the film’s premise feels half-hatched and probably would be better suited as a short film similar to the ones played before Pixar movies. It will no doubt be a commercial success with many sequels to come but hopefully the future films will harness the creativity and heart of Pixar and Disney.

Neighbors 2

Keith YoungLeave a comment

image

Starring Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, and Rose Byrne who reprise their roles from the first Neighbors released in 2014, Neighbors 2 is a fairly good but not great sequel that follows a very similar plot line as the original. Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne play a married couple with a young daughter who are trying to sell their house but run into trouble when a new rowdy sorority moves in next door. The only major twist from the original is that they are a group of feminist-minded girls who just want to party instead of a group of frat brothers led by Zac Efron. The movie does have some really funny moments that tend to be vulgar humor with references to sex and drugs. However, I found the movie to be less vulgar and perhaps not as funny as the original movie. The film diverges from most vulgar comedies by underscoring aspects of feminism. The sorority led by Chlöe Grace Moretz’s character is founded to distance from the conventional sexist fraternity parties and sororities with girls concerned with their vanity. They are trying to create their own group that just lets the young women be themselves and party on their own merits outside of male influence. Also, unlike most comedies that would make fun of homosexuality, the film nonchalantly talks about a character’s best friend and fraternity brother getting married to another man. Overall, Neighbors 2 is a funny but not perfect sequel to the original and brings up interesting issues unexpected for a crude comedy.

The Nice Guys

Keith YoungLeave a comment

image

Written and directed by Shane Black who wrote the original Lethal Weapon, The Nice Guys is a very entertaining action comedy set in the 1970s. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are two private detectives who go on a wild goose chase after the mysterious death of an adult film actress in Los Angeles. The film is very aware of cinematic history in that it blends elements of a classic crime caper with screwball comedy filled with Three Stooges-esque physical comedy. The soundtrack is particularly effective: songs from Earth, Wind & Fire, Kiss, and America along with the classic Pina Colada Song effortlessly tells us the setting. Also mixed in is a score that sometimes feel like it comes from a 1940s film noir to remind us that the film is essentially a crime mystery. The pairing of the tough guy persona of Russell Crowe along with the sometimes naive buffoonery of Ryan Gosling is terrifically cast, similar to Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the quintessential buddy action comedy Lethal Weapon. Known for his good looks and charisma, Ryan Gosling paradoxically plays a character who quite literally stumbles and sheepishly squeals his way through unraveling the plot’s mysteries. The film takes on such an entertaining joy ride that the almost satirically preposterous conspiracy discovered at the end is irrelevant. I would highly recommend the movie based on its well-timed elements of action and comedy and perfect casting of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling whose on-screen chemistry will hopefully be replicated soon.

The Man Who Knew Infinity

Keith YoungLeave a comment

image
Following the conventions of a more traditional biopic film, The Man Who Knew Infinity is based on the true story of the brilliant mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, played by Dev Patel famous for his breakout role in Slumdog Millionaire, who travels from his native India to study with a famous British mathematician, played by the always terrific Jeremy Irons, at Trinity College within Cambridge University. Completely self-taught with neither formal education or financial means from a foreign culture and religion, Patel’s character must confront the prejudices of the British academic elite, including Irons’ character who acts as his eventual mentor. The film is very much a fish out of water story, a tale in which the main character overcomes adversity to be accepted by others. Patel’s character must leave the only world that he has known, including his new bride and very resistant mother, in order to fulfill his dream of revealing his mathematical formulas to the world. The movie effectively discusses the ideas of conflict, including conflict between belief in God and nature, between colonialism and culture, and between academic elitism and natural genius, all while in the face of military conflict with the events occurring at the onset of World War I. I found the film to be a deeply fascinating look at a man that many have never heard of in a field that many would find difficult to understand. The fairly standard structure of the film as a biopic is overcome by the strength of the performances by Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons.

Green Room

Keith YoungLeave a comment

image

Green Room is a well-directed independent film that is definitely not for the faint-hearted. At the beginning, the film follows a punk rock band that is literally living gas tank to gas tank on a cross-country tour and eventually end up somewhere they really should not be. Desperate for any paying gig, the band of young misfits arrive at a run-down compound located deep in the Oregon woods where they perform in front of a large gathering of white supremacists. The group  find themselves trapped inside the back green room after a young female is discovered murdered. The movie becomes a slow burn thriller in which we really do not know what happened and what exactly the gang of white supremacists are doing at the compound. Then, it rapidly descents into hell for the band members after the arrival of the gang’s leader played by Patrick Stewart who tries to clean up the mess and elude the police. As probably the greatest asset to the film, the acting from Stewart is top-notch; his brilliantly creepy performance as an unrepentant psychopath is so markedly different from what we are used to in Star Trek. Evolving into a classic midnight special, the standoff elevates into an extreme level of violence and gore. Although the scenes of violence can be gratuitous, the movie maintains clever dialogue and outstanding acting. The band’s default leader played by Anton Yelchin develops from being subdued and indecisive to becoming a no-holds-barred fighter adamant on escaping alive along with a young woman portrayed by the sublime Imogen Poots. I would recommend Green Room only to those willing to go on a wild roller coaster of thrills and are not squeamish.

Money Monster

Keith YoungLeave a comment

image

Directed by Jodie Foster, Money Monster follows in the footsteps of The Big Short by providing an entertaining movie about the pitfalls of Wall Street. It is a gripping real-time thriller that blurs the line between villain and hero and that everything may not be as it seems. George Clooney, portraying a Jim Cramer-type host of a popular financial television show, is taken hostage by a desperate man, effectively played by Jack O’Connell, looking for revenge and answers after losing most of his money from a bad investment overhyped by Clooney’s character. As the man with the gun, O’Connell’s character at first blush seems to be the villain but over the course of the hostage crisis we are left feeling sympathetic for his plight. The movie resonates well with the current political and economic environment in which politicians like Bernie Sanders rail against income inequality and the perceived corruption of Wall Street. While having moments of comic relief, the film directly and indirectly addresses such serious subject matters as the implications of cable news, reality television, and the business of Wall Street. It is about a so-called journalist walking a fine line between entertainment and journalism and a violent situation that is broadcast live around the world like reality television and caused by the powerless feeling injustice at the hands of the rich and powerful. Overall, I found it to be an entertaining blockbuster that provides the right amount of thrills and smarts to make it worth watching in theaters.

Miles Ahead

Image Keith YoungLeave a comment

image
Following the exploits of Miles Davis as he tries to recover a stolen sessions tape, Miles Ahead provides a glimpse into the life of a tortured genius. We meet the legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in 1979 in the midst of his five-year break from the music, a period marked by heavy drinking and drug abuse. The film is anchored by an exceptional performance from Don Cheadle who portrays Davis as he dives into moments of sheer madness, including several scenes involving gunfire, while being informally interviewed by a Rolling Stone writer played by Ewan McGregor. It is not a typical biopic but rather a mishmash of flashbacks to the relatively sane years when he was at the top of his fame and alternating with his chaotic adventure to reclaim his music. Miles Ahead is a film brimming with energy reflected by Miles Davis’s musical brilliance despite his personal demons and Don Cheadle’s nuanced depiction of a truly larger-than-life jazz legend.

The Meddler

Image Keith YoungLeave a comment

image
Starring Susan Sarandon, The Meddler is best described as a cute independent film that delves into touching subject matter with a mixture of comedy and romance. The acting is top-notch with Susan Sarandon playing an overly meddlesome mother to her daughter played by Rose Byrne who is dealing with a recent heartbreak. Sarandon’s character is willing to help anyone while trying to deal with heartbreak of her own that she stubbornly refuses to confront. Her character eventually becomes romantically involved with the always superb JK Simmons who plays an endearing motorcycle-riding retired cop. The Meddler is a very good light-hearted film that provides the right material for its exceptional cast to display their comedic, romantic, and dramatic range of talent.

It’s Showtime!

Keith Young2 Comments

image
As an avid movie buff of all types of movies both independent and big blockbusters, I created KEITH on Reels to share my thoughts on movies by providing brief reviews of the many movies that I see. To better understand the mission of this blog, a few quick words must be said about the title: KEITH besides being my name stands for Keen Entertainment Insights To Hollywood, and Reels besides the obvious connection to movie reels is a pun on wheels for my perspective from being in a wheelchair.

Before we get started, a little bit about myself: I directed a short documentary in my senior year of high school that premiered in my Dallas area high school’s first annual student film festival, and later went on to SMU in Dallas where I minored in Cinema-Television studies. I enjoy trying to go at least once a week to local independent movie theaters, being an active member of a movie screenings group, and attending local film festivals.

I hope you enjoy reading my concise insights into the magic of filmmaking and see you at the movies!