Scenic Route

For a film that many critics slammed, Scenic Route was well worth the trip to the Redbox. (See what I did there?) Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler team up to bring us the story of two long-time, but recently distant friends stranded in the desert with a brewing schism of their relationship looming over the horizon. With fledging directors Kevin and Michael Goetz at the helm, Scenic Route offers solid lead performances and a thoughtful script that poses weighty questions about life and the choices that shape our journey. For a film that most people will overlook, I was pleasantly surprised.

Josh Duhamel, whose career has been all over the map, delivers an emotional haymaker in what could be his best performance yet. Dan Fogler, who has made a decent living as a voice actor, comes through with a compelling reason for us to forget the horrible Balls of Fury.

Unsettling and relentless in nature, Scenic Route forcefully pushes you along a road of brutal self-discovery and examines the thin line between humanity and the instinct to survive. Where does this road lead? Salvation? Damnation? You’ll have to see it to find out!

Prisoners

I've often said that if anyone ever harmed one of my children I could easily end up in prison. The only thing keeping me from savage revenge would be the fact that my remaining family would still need me to be a father. This film forces you to consider what you would do. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Prisoners  is a forcefully paced thriller that grabs around the throat and drags you to its stunning conclusion.

The stakes of this film could not be higher. When two young girls go missing, Keller Dover (Jackman) takes matters into his own hands when he feels the police are not doing enough to bring them home.  As time passes and the police continue to be puzzled by the girls' disappearance, the desperation mounts. Challenging the audience to consider its own response to such a traumatic reality, Dover pushes the limits as he searches for answers.

At times, this film is difficult to watch, but you will be compelled to hang in there until its riveting final moments.  Well-written, chilling, and ruthless in its emotional content, Prisoners  brings together a wonderful cast, with Hugh Jackman clubbing you over the head with a stunningly powerful performance.

Prisoners  is an absolute must-see. It is quite possibly Hugh Jackman's best performance to date. It certainly puts Villeneuve on the map as a director to watch.  Take a Xanax and go see this! Then go home and hug your children!

The Iceman

 

Based on real life events spanning 20 years, The Iceman details the story of Richard Kuklinski who leaves his job as a film lab technician to become a notorious contract killer for the mafia. For years, Kuklinski builds a reputation for his brutal cold blooded professionalism, all the while raising an adoring family who are kept in the dark about his true career and identity. Though Kuklinski desperately tries to keep his two lives separate, circumstances propel those disparate lives toward a terrible but inevitable collision as the consequences of his life's choices finally catch up to him.

Screened at the Venice, Telluride, and Toronto Film Festivals, The Iceman was received in limited release in US theaters. And though it made a horrible showing in terms of box office receipts, don’t let its lack of commercial success keep you from a magnificently acted film.

Michael Shannon, whom you will recognize from the recent Man of Steel, is simply great. His unnerving, chilling depiction of Kuklinski is riveting. Shannon’s cold dedication to his heinous craft is matched only by his intense commitment to and love for his family. Chris Evans, Ray Liotta, Winona Ryder, James Franco, and Stephen Dorff all serve admirably in supporting roles.

Directed by Ariel Vromen, The Iceman poses a difficult question that an examination of many of history’s monsters force us to consider: Are some men beyond redemption? Or is there a redemptive quality alive in everyone?

Mud

If you’re like me, you missed this when it came to the theater. (Due to its limited release, it might not have even come to your theater at all.) Mud, written and directed by newcomer Jeff Nichols, received some acclaim from both the Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals but never got much love from American movie-goers. What a shame!

Though it’s not a film I think a ton of people will love, I believe those who are willing to set aside their penchant for constant explosions and special effects will appreciate this little secret. Mud features a heavy sense of place that covers you like an old memory, giving you the feeling that you’ve seen these places before. Kudos to Nichols has given us a well-written drama with a Tom Sawyer-esque vibe that powerfully pulls you towards its emotional conclusion.

Mud churns and flows along like the Mississippi River on which it is set, featuring a wonderful cast whose performances are spot-on. So many times, films set in Southern culture are grossly overdone, leaving us with cardboard caricatures rather than genuine characters that we want to know more about. Not so with Mud. Matthew McConaughey leads a fantastic ensemble with Tye Sheridan, Sam Shepard, Reese Witherspoon, and Michael Shannon in supporting roles. The performances are effortless and noteworthy, especially that of Sheridan who I GUARANTEE you will see in future roles.

With themes of family, sacrifice, hard-won wisdom, and the consequences of choices, Mud delivers as a gritty, soulful, and smoldering film which is one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated of the year.

2 Guns

Honestly, 2 Guns  has gotten very little publicity, almost sneaking into theaters following last week's much anticipated The Wolverine. But here's an ordinary opinion you might find interesting. It's just as good...maybe even better than the testosterone-fueled mutant-fest. 



In 2 Guns, the always great Denzel Washington teams up with Mark Wahlberg to rob a bank, but get WAY more than they bargained for.  Do yourself a favor and try NOT to learn anything else about the film before plopping your butt in your theater seat. Trust me. Just go in blind and enjoy the ride.

Wahlberg and Washington have amazing chemistry! How have they never done a movie together until now?!  And they almost didn't make this one. In fact, they accidentally ran into each other at brunch and talked about working together. I'm glad they did. And you will be too.

This movie is a lot of fun!  It's loaded with explosive action and balanced with playful humor, terrific pacing, and a solid script!  The plot is a little bit difficult to swallow and is not well-developed, but it's not really all that critical. While it will never win an Oscar, it's fun and entertaining.

2 Guns is directed by Baltasar Kormákur who has worked with Wahlberg before. (Remember last year's Contraband?)  And while 2 Guns is not as smart and emotionally charged as that film, it still delivers on one the best "buddy films" in the last couple of years.

The Wolverine

 

Ok, we get it! Hugh Jackman looks great without a shirt! For some of you, that’s all you will need to know about The Wolverine.  Tell your spouse or girlfriend that Hugh spends half of the movie naked from the waist up, and I promise she’ll agree to go see this with you.

 

Seriously though, The Wolverine has a lot going for it: evil Samurai, ninja warriors, witty dialogue, beautiful women, girls with swords, sexy cars (can you say Audi corporate sponsorship?) and a heavy dose of muscle-rippling, face-scowling action sequences.

 

What it lacks , however, is a tightly-written, fiercely compelling story.  Maybe it was just me, but the story failed to gel in way that left me wondering if I had missed something critical when I went to the restroom.  Don’t get me wrong…the story is not terrible, but To Kill A Mockingbird it is not.

 

The best thing about The Wolverine is that we get to see Logan come to terms with who he is. (Maybe now, his nightmares will end.) For years, we’ve seen Logan struggle with his identity, his purpose, and his immortality. This movie does in two hours what the original comic book took years to accomplish…finally giving the Wolverine some clarity in these areas. "I'm a soldier," he finally declares. "I've been hiding too long."

 

Here’s a few more things to note about The Wolverine:  With the exception of Viper, who sucks the life out of every scene she’s in, the cast is great.  Yukio, who first appears in the Wolverine #1 comic book, is played by Rila Fukushima and is terrific!  The visual effects are solid, the script is good, and the action is violent, but not overly bloody. 

 

Special Bonus for Reading This Blog:  Make sure to stay in your seat through the credits. As with a lot of the superhero films these days, we are rewarded with a bonus scene that sets us up for X-Men: Days of Future Past which is due out next year.

 

I love the Wolverine character and I have for 27 years.  If you are a fan of the X-Men franchise, you will enjoy this latest installment.  It’s not as good as Iron Man 3, but in my ordinary opinion it's well worth the price of admission.

 

Anniversary Date Night - Antico Pizza Napoletana

It's been 1 year since I met Handsome - woot, woot!! It was a combo of right time, right place, with a dash of divine intervention, when I met this guy one year ago...and it has truly been THE BEST year of my life. Ever. Period.

So in honor of our 1 year of dating bliss, we decided to celebrate with a quiet, romantic, candlelit dinner for two...errr, I mean, a loud, florescent light-lit dinner with a hundred of our closest strangers eating pizza.  But not just any pizza, Antico Pizza Napoletano.

**Warning - this is a long post - this place is social experiential eating so there is a LOT to tell!

Antico Pizza Napoletano is a little pizza joint on the west side of the Georgia Tech campus that serves delicious Neopolitan style pizza.  Now, pizza may not sound like a very creative, splashy choice for such a special event (and this is a special event, I mean he's tolerated me for a year now :), but it is truly one of our favorite foods.  Chris claims to be able to eat it daily - that's a bit gluttonous for me, but I could come close if you twisted my arm.

Now, this restaurant isn't something we just stumbled upon, friends of ours recommended we try it - they STRONGLY recommended it, while we were eating at a local pizza joint, coincidentally.  Funny how that happened.  Anywho, we Googled it, and really, the only things we learned about it were:
1. expect a long wait
2. you sit at communal tables
3. the pizza is amazing


When we arrived, a "bouncer" (who is the owner I think) greeted us at the door and sternly, but politely directed us to the end of the line of about 10 people, to wait...TO ENTER THE RESTAURANT!  I mean, wow, were we at a club?!  How special is this place?  After only about 5 minutes of waiting though, he motioned for us all to enter, and WAIT INSIDE.  In line.  To order.  Again, I'm thinking, this better be good and worth the waits (yes, waits is plural at this place).

While waiting, we scoped the place out.  The entrance to the restaurant is a narrow "hallway" with glass on one side were you can see into the first of two rooms, and through the door to the back room where they cook the pizza.  We noticed two things while waiting, there was  a very varied assortment of adult beverages people were consuming, and there was definitely a communal atmosphere with pizzas just laid out on the tables.  Interesting.

When we got to the front of the line, we perused the menu board - and had no idea what most of the options were.  Call us uneducated, call us wanna-be foodies, but don't call us unadventurous, cuz we just picked one off the menu and had no idea what most of the toppings were.  We ordered the Divola pizza.  Now the pizzas are pricey, from 19-24 smackeroos for one pie, but one pie can feed 2-4 people, depending on how polite, hungry, or a pizza fanatic you are.  Chris and I ate an entire pie ourselves, and had the food babies to prove it.  We also ordered 2 soft drinks - 8.5 oz over priced Cokes - that's about 1 cup and a sip, or 4 gulps.  They also have overpriced water, wine and one brand of beer on offer.

So here comes lesson #1: BYOB: bring your own beverage.  Now, I don't know how they feel about non-alcoholic drinks being brought in, but you can DEFINITELY bring in your own alcohol.  There is no corking fee, and they will also open your bottle for you, and provide plastic tumblers.  Score!!! Some crazy people even brought their own glass wine glasses - which I find pretentious and a bit silly personally.  We didn't know this, but a group of lovely young women shared two glasses of their wine with us, so sweet. Love me some wine with my pizza, or really, just whenever.


Once we ordered, it became a game of figuring out what to do next.  Where do we go?  How do we get our pizza?  Where will we sit?  We moseyed around in the front room, pretty table, lighting and stools - too full.  Then to the back room...warehouse style, florescent lighting, long tables with benches, and the kitchen right there, within reach, no glass separating, nothing.  Just right in the mix with the tables and diners. We stood with a group of people, scoping the joint for an open seat or two.  Then we noticed the "waitresses" carrying pizzas on giant rimmed-baking sheets. Yup, no pizza rounds here, just giant cookie sheets.

Here comes lesson #2:  As the "waitresses" come around calling our your order number, if you don't have a seat already, they will help you find a place.  ANY PLACE.  Anywhere they can set your pizza down, where you can gather around it, they will.  This could be a lovely seat at one of the tables, OR it could be gathered around a stack of boxes in the kitchen, or as Chris and I got, a spot at one of the kitchen "islands" just steps from the giant, wood fired ovens.

Now, here's a big tip - if you have a personal bubble not to be intruded, this place is NOT for you.  Cuz your rubbing elbows with perfect strangers for dinner.  Literally.  Also, if you like quiet, intimate conversations, again, not for you.  But if you enjoy a vibrant, albeit loud, atmosphere, this may be the ticket.

When our pizza was delivered, we were escorted to an island like I said, just steps from the oven and kitchen staff.  As a matter of fact, I think Chris actually was in the kitchen while he ate.  Because we were at an island, we stood.  Sounds bad, but it was kind of fun, as we got to see the kitchen staff at work, and see the rest of the restaurant while eating. 

Lesson #3:  Nothing you order here is bad.  Truly!  The pizza was scrumptious. Ours had a spicy cured salami on it with sweet (and kinda spicy, just like me) red peppers in a vinegar brine, and fresh bufalo mozzerella. The hand-tossed/stretched dough makes a crust that is slightly/lightly charred when cooked, just like they advertise, and with a nice chew to it - not crispy, and not floppy.  Just right.  And they have a fun little "toppings" bar, too. So cool.

And they manage to get this good of a pie by flying in fresh ingredients from Naples - weekly!!!  That means all the deliciousness on that pie is not only fresh and made to order, but truly authentic Neapolitan pizza.  And to add to the authenticity, they cook the pizzas in wood-fired ovens flown in from Naples.  Boom! Now that's the way to make a pizza!

There are more details I could share about our dining adventure, but I should stop here and encourage you to have your own.  Antico Pizza is definitely worth the drive, the effort to find a seat, and the cost.  Dare I say this is my favorite pizza...ever?  But that's just my opinion.