Drama

Reviews

The Spectacular Now

By: Addison Wylie The Spectacular Now is the movie about high school I wish I had growing up.  It’s easily identifiable and relatable to anyone who felt growing pains or knew someone having a wobbly time through secondary education. James Ponsoldt’s coming-of-age dramedy features two exceptional performances from up-and-comers Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, who play unexpected friends who eventually become smitten with each other.  Though, Teller’s motormouth Sutter Keely won’t directly admit it since…

Reviews

If I Were You

By: Addison Wylie It’s appropriate that If I Were You’s climax includes a theatrical production because Joan Carr-Wiggin’s film is a full-on farce that would play well on stage. When I say “farce”, I mean a comedy of errors set at Defcon 4.  This is the type of film where someone ties a noose around their neck with full intentions to hang themselves, only to forget about the rope until they try and walk to…

Reviews

Bridegroom

By: Addison Wylie Bridegroom is an expansion of a YouTube video titled It Could Happen To You.  The story documented in It Could Happen To You is powerful with how uplifting it is as well as to how unfair it all becomes. Anyone who saw Shane Bitney Crone and Thomas Lee Bridegroom laughing together, holding hands, or embracing each other had proof that true love existed.  It gave people confidence that two levelheaded people could…

Reviews

The Broken Circle Breakdown

By: Addison Wylie I get worried when I feel emotionless at the end of a movie like The Broken Circle Breakdown. Felix Van Groeningen’s drama didn’t make me feel depressed to a point of numbness.  In fact, he wants his audience to feel high levels of emotion more than anything.  The film offers a lot to smile and cry about with its themes of love and loss, and a lot to tap your toes to…

Reviews

Random Acts of Romance

By: Addison Wylie Some movies can be summed up in one word.  Katrin Bowen’s Random Acts of Romance can be summed up with a let down sigh. It’s tough to see a movie worth rooting for bite off more than it can chew.  Or, in this case, expand its focus so far that the target the film is aiming for becomes more difficult to hit. Random Acts of Romance gets our attention with its overlapping…

Reviews

Dallas Buyers Club

By: Addison Wylie It’s undoubtable that Matthew McConaughey is going to win acting accolades with his incredible portrayal of Ron Woodroof, a homophobic Texan who tests positive for the HIV virus. It’s a performance that’s unstoppable with McConaughey’s conviction and brute honesty, as well as an unwillingness to show Woodroof as flawless. The man held firm beliefs against those who were different than him and his buddies down at the factory. But, when Woodroof is given…

Reviews

Wylie Writes at Toronto After Dark ’13: Finding Disturbed Love

If you’ve been keeping up with my writing at Film Army, you would’ve been more than acquainted with our coverage of this year’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival. The festival which focuses on bringing hardcore genre films (short and feature length) to eager audiences has been stronger than last year but still hit-and-miss. While gems like We Are What We Are and Big Ass Spider! had audiences glued, other horrors like Silent Retreat and Septic…

Reviews

TIFF 2013: How I Live A Confused Life

By: Addison Wylie Kevin MacDonald’s adaptation of Meg Rosoff’s novel How I Live Now is a bit of a struggle for movie goers trying to figure out what type of movie this is.  Mostly because How I Live Now has two sets of confusion working for and against it. MacDonald begins his film on an aggressive note to mirror the personality of our lead, Daisy (played by Saoirse Ronan).  While it fulfils its goal, the rebellious…

Reviews

Gangster Squad

By: Addison Wylie Considering the talent involved, it’s hard to believe everyone agreed to star in a film this goofy and shallow.  Especially, by actors like Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, and Josh Brolin who have recently been very selective about their work. Gangster Squad appears to have done its homework considering its 1940’s backdrop.  Its attractive period style, make-up and costuming convince us the film will have more weight to it since more effort is…

Reviews

TIFF 2013: Compelling, Cookie Cutter Cop Drama

By: Addison Wylie In terms of being a worthwhile cop drama, McCanick won’t astound movie goers, but it certainly does the trick. The problem with McCanick is that it has a really hard time trying to escape the shadow of other more successful cop dramas like Training Day and more recent middle-of-the-road fare brought to us by Antoine Fuqua. Josh C. Waller’s film allows David Morse to take a break from being a quirky supporting character…