Tag Archives: Noah Baumbach

Ritchie Poormanie

Mistress America
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-Wigging Out (Not In A Good way)
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
R | 84 min

and

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
The Mod Squandered
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
PG-13 | 116 min

Noah Baumbach and Guy Ritchie have nothing in common, cept they both direct films, and both were born in September (one yearish a part).  Other than that, I happen to see both of their latest cinematic adventures within a week of each other.  But their movies DO have something in common – both were nice tries, but kinda more of the same, but basically near misses, that were kinda enjoyable.  Knowwhatttamean?

uncle man

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is based off of a TV show that you’ve never seen (and neither of I), but it’s essentially a Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movie, set in the mod 60s.  It looks cool, zooms right along, but wasn’t much of anything.  But it did have an American playing a Russian, a Brit playing an American and a Swede playing a German!  What doesn’t make sense is how Ritchie used to make dumb fun movies, but with wit and bite.  U.N.C.L.E. had a look, but no wit or bite.  It didn’t have me crying U.N.C.L.E., but letz juss say I’m not camping out for a #2

Btw, I think I’d go gay for Henry Cavill.  I’ve been all in since I saw him on The Tudors, but now, more than EVER!!

mistress america

Noah Baumbach had previously done the impossible – he made the unwatchable Greta Gerwig watchable!!!  See Frances Ha… for more than juss laughs (HA!)!  A second helping of GG and Baumbach has gotta work the same mojo magic again, right?  You’d think, and while watching their Mistress America it kinda feels like it’s working, but in the end, it felt more like a misstepped Mistress!  Nothing felt natural – especially the acting – and none of the characters were all that likable, although I did like meeting Lola Kirke, who seems to be 1202102301320 times more talented than her sister, as seen on Girls.  I really tried and tried to like this movie.  I DID. I want Baumbach to be our new Woody Allen, spewing out New York stories that I want to dive into, but not so fast there buddy.  We’re edging back to reality – where Greta Gerwig is unwatchable.  Still, I’d camp out for what the two do next… as long as she’s watchable

Verdictgo: juss cause I kinda liked both movies, doesn’t mean they’re great movies, so… Sum Merit But No Stinkin Badges

The Mistress From U.N.C.L.E. are both playing at a theater near jews

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

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Portrait of a Serial Stiller

While We’re Young
Fountain of Youth Truths
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
R | 97 min

while we're young

Noah Baumbach cannot be stopped, and I hope he doesn’t, cause he keeps handing us charming little films that charm the little big pants off of us, and sometimes they make us cringe, but in the best possible way.  So what would happen if you took his gruff Ben Stiller Greenberg character, grounded him a bit more (but still let him be crazy after all these years), and then let his inner youth playfulness play out like France Ha?? I’ll tell – you get While We’re Young, which is like Girls, but with girls AND boys AND adults, and it’s like actually watchable (read – not horrible), and thensome and things!

Documentary filmmaker Stiller and producer wife Naomi Watts aren’t having a midlife crisis, but all their friends are having babies (including Ad-Rock Adam Horovitz!!!) and they aren’t, or doing much of anything, so they’re looking for something fun and new.  They find it in hipster extraordinaire couple Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried.  Driver wants to make docs like Stiller, and Darby makes ice cream.  Stiller and Watts eat them up, take them under their wings, but it’s really Driver and Seyfried who take the ‘older’ couple under their wings – introducing them to a world where bike riding with a dope hat, hip-hop dance classes, VHS movie watching, and tripping balls on ayahuasca are the new normal

Things go well, until, well, they don’t, and Stiller starts to see a rusty lining in his dip in the fountain of youth.  Join them + Charles Grodin, Brady Corbet and Ryan Serhant (perfectly playing a douche-wad just like himself) as they search for youthful truths, and adult realities

Oh, and nice Scott Rudin cameo there!!

Verdictgo: MOS DEF Jeepers Worth A Peepers

feel Young at a theater near jews

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

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Gerwigging Out In

Frances Ha
Goody Allen
Official Website | Trailers & Mo 
R | 86 min

frances ha

Bah Frances Ha!!  Stupid title, stupid poster.  What’s with that stupid name?  Or that image from the stupid poster?  Wrong questions

Right questions – How is this film so light and fun, footloose and fancy-free?  Why aren’t all movies in black & white?  Why are most  performances in Geta Gerwigish flix so so so so awful (even if she’s nekkid in 98% of those films), but this Greta Gerwig performance in this Geta Gerwigish-ish flix is be absolute Greta Gerwigian perfection?  And how can I make that soundtrack the soundtrack of my life?

Oh .  Did you juss make yer bestest movie yet?  Perhaps, but it’s hard to say ‘ya’ that Frances Ha is better than yer Squid & The Whale (2nd best film of 2005!!), cause that’s crazy talk, but there’s certainly something about yer Ha les Frances.  Is it cause we know yer in love with Gerwig in real life and it shows in the movie, and in turn, we sorta love her now?  Or that you cast a girl (Sting’s daughter ) who sorta looks like a female version of you to play her BFF, and making us wish we had a BFF like that?  Or how bout taking , cleaning him up a bit and basically making a B&W and better & way better mo mature version of Girls?  It’s all good stuff, from top to bottom (the snappy editing was snappy!!!) + good usage of a Streep daughter  (no, not Mamie) and that guy , and this girl that makes us…

Loopy 4 Lupe:

Justine Lupe!!!!



Verdictgo: Jeepers MOS DEF MOS DEF MOS DEF Worth A Peepers

Frances goes Ha currently in limited release

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

3 Comments

Mr. Baumbachstic

Greenberg
Slow Times At Grudgemont Low
Official Website | Trailers & Mo

Ben Stiller is a serious actor! remember? Noah Baumbach can do wit on the west coast! and the west coast apparently has made him lazy! Jennifer Jason Leigh is still his wife! and currently her greatest employer! Greta Gerwig can’t act!  there are reports to the contrary on this, but this notion comes from the same people who actually enjoy the mumblecore movies she usually inhabits and shows her breasts in!  This is the brunt of what makes up the mostly frustrating, lightly fascinating Greenberg, a not so friendly, friendly film about an unstable, although seems to be purty stable Stiller, who’s a happy to be lost soul, who is really an unhappy found soul, trying to make a connection, yet not really trying to make a connection, in a jaded, although not really jaded LA landscape, while house sitting for his brother, or maybe he’s doing some house standing???  Lotta contradictions there, eh?  Well, that’s how it feels to watch this uneven affair that kinda floats and floats, and boasts and boasts, and goes every which way, but mostly sideways, on the way to something about possibly understanding the character and motivations of Greenberg, but in the end we don’t know jack or Greenberg, and still don’t get the whole Greta Gerwig is an actress thing.  Rhys Ifans can act, and his interactions with Stiller work.  Wish there was more of that.  Stiller also has a good rapport with the dog he’s looking after.  The dog is the most likable character in the movie.  The dog is more likable than anything found in Margot At The Wedding.  Neither ‘berg or Margot live up to the bestness that was The Squid and The Whale.  All three are better than anything we’ve seen Greta Gerwig in.  Not a total abortion, or anything to force Noah’s mom into having one, even if there is an abortion in the movie, for no other reason than to have an abortion in the movie, but maybe it’s cause J-J-Leigh had one in Fast Times.  Wish Greenberg’s Cali BFF was Spicoli.  Wish Judge Reinhold JOed in every movie

Bries Nuts :  you can take yer Alison Brie and keep her cause we’ll stick with Greenberger and Unwatchable  States of Tara coming and up hottie Brie Larson.   mmmmmmmmmmm Brie

Verdictgo: all kinds of messy, but we’d still take this over 3838388345555642 other flicks, so Jeepers Worth A Peepers

Greenberg is currently screenberging in NY & LA only, and soon to spoon st elsewhere st elsesoon

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

2 Comments

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