No Stranger Than Love is known around the Wylie household for its unofficial working title I’ve coined – the ‘Alison Brie Hole-in-the-Floor’ movie. However, the only memorable aspects of Nick Wernham’s rom-com are those two details – the former Community actress and the bottomless pit that randomly sprouts in her living room and gobbles up a promiscuous co-worker (Colin Hanks).
The crowd pleasing documentary Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made is about an underdog story: three teenagers (Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, Jayson Lamb) set out to make a shot-for-shot remake of Steven Spielberg’s classic Raiders of the Lost Ark. Through growing pains and strenuous shoots, the project remained unfinished due to personal conflicts among the trio and a spectacular finale that was out of reach for the young filmmakers.
We’re halfway through the year, which means it’s time for Wylie Writes’ recap of the best and the worst films of 2016. Sometimes, these early gems fall through the cracks once Oscar season rolls around. Let these choices remind you which films you should still check out, and which movies should stay unnoticed on your moviegoing radar.
Many will flock – or have flocked – to Hello, My Name Is Doris based alone on the star power of Sally Field. Having stayed out of the limelight except to play Mary Todd Lincoln and Spider-Man’s aunt, Field finds a fitting return to classic, unforgettable finesse with her role as meek accountant and closeted hoarder Doris Miller.
The trailer for Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping implies that the mockumentary is out to be a modern day This Is Spinal Tap. Given that the film has been produced by the musically inclined clever comedy trio The Lonely Island, the chances of the film hitting its targets is high.
Sami Khan’s indie drama Khoya is a captivating cascading trip through India as Indo-Canadian Roger (Rupak Ginn of TV’s Royal Pains) embarks on a quest to restore his birth history. But, when the film isn’t washing over the audience, the movie falters and indulges in its own mystery and melodrama.
It’s been three years since audiences flocked to the largely forgettable yet surprising box office hit Now You See Me, a crime thriller about a Robin Hood-esque band of highly skilled magicians who perform elaborate cons to rob the rich of their money. After taking in roughly $350 million worldwide, the film has apparently merited a sequel – the equally forgettable Now You See Me 2.
A few tidbits about the prolonged production of Jane Got a Gun could create scepticism for a movie goer right off the bat: the change of director Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin) to Gavin O’Connor (Warrior) and the frequent switches among the cast due to various conflicts (Jude Law replaced by Bradley Cooper, who was then replaced by Ewan McGregor) are a couple of examples.
Watching The Pasta Killer was a great experience. Not only did it reassure me of the power a great story can have over its audience, but it was nice to switch perspectives from a supportive friend to a fascinated movie goer.
