Entertainment Maven

Ruby Sparks Review (Kirk Haviland)

Ruby Sparks (2012)

Starring Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Chris Messina, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, Elliot Gould and Steve Coogan

Written by Zoe Kazan

Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

Actress Zoe Kazan may become a bit of a renaissance woman because of Ruby Sparks. Not only is she the female lead of the film, she also wrote it. Yet when it came to directing the film she was more than happy to let the tandem of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris of Little Miss Sunshine fame take the lead. It’s been 6 years since Dayton and Faris stormed the indie scene with the runaway sensation of Sunshine, will Ruby Sparks make that six year wait for a follow up worth the time?

Calvin (Dano) is a now 29 year old high school dropout living a solitary existence in a giant house struggling to write his next epic novel. And oh yea,h as a 19 year old he wrote one of the “quintessential American novels” and has been unable to produce a follow-up since. On the advice and orders of his therapist (Gould) Calvin is assigned something to write and that night he dreams of a girl named Ruby (Kazan). Immediately inspired Calvin begins writing a new tome based on a supposed love story between Ruby and himself. His brother Harry (Messina) asks where the book is going and warns him that he’s wrote his ideal of a girl, but not a real person with his manuscript. After more obsessing, and weird discoveries around the house, Calvin awakes one morning to discover Ruby standing in his kitchen preparing breakfast, completely unaware she has sprung from his imagination. Unable to handle the situation and believing he is losing mind Calvin almost loses the literal girl of his dreams until he realizes she indeed has come to life. Ruby is the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” he has always fantasized about and this leads him to decide he would never write about her again (after showing his brother that she really is the girl he wrote by literally telling her what to do via his writing), until she develops ideas and needs of her own. Calvin does what he swore he wouldn’t and starts rewriting their relationship and Ruby herself. Of course things go drastically wrong and the real question becomes can Calvin let go of his controlling ways to allow someone else to exist, either in his life or not.

Ruby Sparks is another of the quirky comedies that have come out as counter-programming this summer like Safety Not Guaranteed and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Written by Kazan, Ruby manages to assemble a great amount of talent behind and in-front and behind the camera. With obvious inspiration drawn from Marc Webb’s 500 Days of Summer and Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Ruby does manage to deliver a very charming and entertaining film backed with strong performances from our leads. Paul Dano is fantastic here as Calvin, the awkward introvert faced with the gift of a lifetime that can’t seem to find a way to change his structured/controlling ways. Calvin’s Mother (Bening) and Step Father (Banderas) are the free spirited artistic type of people Ruby was based on, yet he cannot get along with them. Dano’s awkward manic energy works well in this context and he truly delivers an engaging performance here. Kazan’s Ruby is that girl that Calvin has dreamed off, but she also has her own personality, goals and dreams. What could have been a one dimensional caricature becomes an intense and intimate portrayal in her capable hands. Ruby Sparks gets dark, real dark, in its 3^rd act and to the credit of directors, Dayton and Feris, they do not let any of the dark scenes pass without impact. The inevitable scene where Calvin comes clean is particularly rough, and it’s never treated as flippant as actions and their implications are painfully played out. The ending may not satisfy everyone, but it did work for me even if it was a tad familiar.

A strong script with solid direction that does not shy away from the darker, harder to watch situations of the script, Ruby Sparks goes farther into some of those darker places than most of the so called “romantic comedies” it will clearly be marketed as. Ruby Sparks is both charming and challenging at the same time and for that I give Ruby a recommend.

Till Next Time

Movie Junkie TO

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Mumbai gets the spotlight at TIFF 2012 (Nadia Sandhu)

I’m a Bollywood kid. As a Canadian of Indian descent whose family is no stranger to the film industry there, I have been a fascinated witness to the journey that “Bollywood” has taken here in the West. I’ve seen these films go from a source of ridicule for my classmates to being considered an actual cinematic form and a cultural heritage surrogate for ex-pats and first gens.

Lost among the Michael Jackson inspired dance routines (I dare you not to find the Thriller genesis of most Bollywood dance sequences) and blatant Hollywood plot rip offs are the hidden gems of Indian “parallel cinema” a tradition that took root around the time of French New Wave in the west.

Cameron Bailey should be commended for shining a spotlight on “hindie cinema” as he calls it, a new new wave of Indian film makers devoted to realism and expanding stylistic boundaries in this year’s City to City program at TIFF.

Leading the way are the folks at Anurag Kashyap Films (Full disclosure: Producer Guneet Monga is a friend and former client) whose gritty Gangs of Wasseypur wowed audiences at Cannes and is enjoying crossover mainstream success in India.

Without much further ado, here are the titles (photos and descriptions from http://www.tiff.net):

Gangs of Wasseypur – Part One Anurag Kashyap, India, Canadian Premiere
Part One of Anurag Kashyap’s decade-spanning gangster epic chronicles the bloody turf war between two competing criminal families during the tumultuous era of Indian independence and industrialization. Starring Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadda and Reema Sen.

Gangs of Wasseypur – Part Two Anurag Kashyap, India, North American Premiere
Part Two of Anurag Kashyap’s stylish Indian gangster epic amps up the adrenaline as the irresistibly amoral criminal clans of Wasseypur careen towards their bloody date with destiny. Starring Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadda and Reema Sen.

Ishaqzaade Habib Faisal, India, Canadian Premiere A love story set amidst political violence in northern India, this romance follows Hindu Parma (Arjun Kapoor) and Muslim Zoya (Parineeti Chopra) as they try to escape the restrictive demands of their families. Better known for glossy entertainments, Bollywood’s Yash Raj studio delivers a surprisingly gritty reflection of the new India.

Miss Lovely Ashim Ahluwalia, India, North American Premiere
Set in the lower depths of Bombay’s C-grade film industry, Miss Lovely follows the devastating story of two brothers who produce sex-horror films in the mid-1980s. The film gets under the skin of the Bollywood underground — an audacious cinema with wild cinemascope compositions, lurid art direction, rollicking background soundtracks, and gut-wrenching melodrama. Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Niharika Singh and Anil George.

Mumbai’s King Manjeet Singh, India, World Premiere
Rahul roams the streets with his balloon-seller friend Arbaaz. These two kids escape the grim realities of their lives by gambling, roasting stolen potatoes, stealing an auto rickshaw for a joyride, and chasing girls. But soon Rahul has to “take care” of his violent father, who has forced him to live on streets. Starring Rahul Bairagi, Arbaaz Khan and Tejas Parvatkar.

Peddlers Vasan Bala, India, North American Premiere
The lives of a rookie cop, a streetwise orphan and a beautiful young ex-teacher collide explosively in the drug underworld of Mumbai in this edgy, powerhouse thriller that exemplifies the verve and excitement of India’s new independent cinema. Starring Gulshan Devaiah and Siddharth Mennon.

Shahid Hansal Mehta, India, World Premiere
Shahid is the remarkable true story of slain human rights activist and lawyer Shahid Azmi, who was killed in 2010 by unidentified assailants in his office. From attempting to become a terrorist, to being wrongly imprisoned under a draconian anti-terrorism law, to becoming a champion of human rights (particularly of the Muslim minorities in India), Shahid traces the inspiring personal journey of a boy who became an unlikely messiah for human rights, while following the rise of communal violence in India. This story of an impoverished Muslim struggling to come to terms with injustice and inequality, whilerising above his circumstances is an inspiring testament to the human spirit. Starring Raj Kumar, Prabhleen Sandhu and Baljinder Kaur.

Shanghai Dibakar Banerjee, India, North American Premiere
From the director of Love Sex aur Dhokla comes a searing political drama. Abhay Deol plays an investigator seeking the cause behind the assassination of a firebrand politician, complicated by the actions of the politician’s lover, played by Kalki Koechlin.

Ship of Theseus Anand Gandhi, India, World Premiere
In the first feature film from acclaimed Indian playwright Anand Gandhi, three disparate people — a devout monk stricken by illness, a blind woman whose sight is suddenly restored, and a stockbroker who sets out to combat the illegal international trade in human organs — are linked by an unknown connection as they follow their individual paths through the kaleidoscopic streets of Mumbai.

The Bright Day Mohit Takalkar, India, World Premiere
Yearning for meaning in his life, a coddled young man abandons his girlfriend and family to set out on a spiritual quest across India. Shot with sophisticated DSLR cameras and reflecting a new passion for personal filmmaking, The Bright Day finds images to chart a soul’s progress.

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UFC 145 DVD Review (Kirk Haviland)

UFC 145 DVD Review

Jones VS Evans

April 21^st 2012 – Philips Arena, Atlanta Georgia

We here at Entertainment Maven, in our attempt to bring you informed reviews of theatrical releases, home entertainment and special events, have decided that it’s time to acknowledge one of the largest growing forms of entertainment in the world. Of course what I am talking about is Mixed Martial Arts, and in particular the UFC. Now we will not be getting into live event coverage, there are plenty of avenues which cover the live events as they happen or shortly after, and while we do cover events we have decided they will be film related only at this time. So why are we going to be reviewing UFC DVDs? Because there are only a handful of sites out there doing reviews of the actual DVD releases from UFC. Many fans can’t afford to pay out over $60 a month for pay-per-view events and wait for the DVD releases to see the full card. Also, there are some events you just need to own. These reviews will come in a DVD review format, only slightly different from our other DVD reviews, where we will discuss the main program (card) and list and discuss the special features for the disc. Then we will ultimately give our opinion on whether it’s worth your hard earned money. Now let’s step into the octagon for UFC 145!

UFC 145 was billed as the end to the bitter and ugly feud between two former training partners and friends, Rashad Evans and Jon Jones. After Evans injured himself leading into his title fight against Maurizio Rua at UFC 128, Jones took his spot and ultimately won the title. During an interview shortly after winning the belt, Jones was asked if he would fight Evans and answered with the statement that he would fight anyone he was asked to. Evans took exception to this and the feud was sparked.

The first disc of this 2-disc set features the 6 match pay-per-view card in its entirety. The Main Event Card goes as follows – Evans vs Jones / Rory MacDonald vs Che Mills / Brendan Schaub vs Ben Rothwell / Miguel Angel Torres vs Michael McDonald / Mark Hominick vs Eddie Yagin and Mark Bocek vs John Alessio. The Main Card this time around delivers in spades. The main event is a good fight but results in a pretty lopsided affair by the end of it. Rory MacDonald makes Mills look like an amateur here with another impressive annihilation of an opponent. Quick surprise knockouts are the result of our two middle fights, and our first two of the pay-per-view card, Yagin vs Hominick and Bocek vs Alessio both go the distance with one result being a little controversial. That said the Yagin vs Hominik is a bloody, messy, straight up brawl that really is an excellent bout. Also, Michael MacDonald delivers an impressive, attention worthy performance.

The 2nd disc has all the preliminary fights and special features. Prelim line up is as follows – Travis Brown vs Chad Griggs / Matt Brown vs Stephen Thompson / John Makdessi vs Anthony Njokuani / Mac Danzig vs Efrain Escudero / Kieth Wisniewski vs Chris Clements / and Marcus Brimage vs Maximo Blanco. This time around it was the prelims that had the judges working overtime as out of the six bouts only one resulted in a stoppage. The Brimage vs Blanco fight’s most entertaining moment was not in the dull fight but the after bout celebrations which spontaneously turned into a back flipping contest. The stoppage comes in the Brown vs Griggs fight and it was the winner for submission of the night.

For special features we get a fantastic Countdown to UFC programme. The interviews and behind the scenes stuff is superb, especially the face to face interview at CSS sports studios where Jones and Evans verbally spar in numerous heated exchanges over who said what heading into the fight. I also loved the part where Jones calls out Evans on his accusations of Jones’ arrogance by referencing the most arrogant stuff Evans has done, and there are a lot of clips to pull from. We also get a behind the scenes short film and the complete broadcast of the official weigh-ins as usual. What are missing unfortunately are the 3 UFC primetime episodes they shot for this fight. Clocking in at about an hour minus commercials, this fantastic series would have made this disc complete.

UFC 145 delivers the goods on the main card and the main event does not disappoint. I recommend this as a purchase based on the Rory MacDonald performance alone, but the Jones/Evans bout and other solid performances, like the one from by Michael McDonald, also make it an easy sell. UFC 145 is a solid buy for any UFC fan.

Till Next Time,

Movie Junkie TO (or in this case Octagon Junkie TO)

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ChickFlicking at Fantasia 2012 – Afro Tanaka Review (Nadia Sandhu)

We now interrupt comprehensive Fantasia Film Festival coverage from Matt Hodgson for a surprise installment of Chickflicking. A surprise because neither of us was ready for a relationship comedy right smack in the middle of this genre filled festival line up.

Fantasia Film Festival 2012

Afro Tanaka (2012)

Starring Shota Matsuda, and Nozumi Sasaki (One of Japan’s “Most Beautiful Women”)

Directed By Daigo Matsui

Don’t let the whimsical title mislead you, Afro Tanaka is no send up of ‘sploitation cinema. Afro Tanaka is a heartwarming coming of age story about a boy-man, his fro and his bros.

The story opens as our lovably clueless hero is shocked out of a suspended state of boyhood by the news that one of his buddies, the fat one no less, is set to be married. In fact, all of his buddies have girlfriends, which means Tanaka will be the only dateless one at the wedding. This is bad in and of itself, but it seems everyone remembers Tanaka being pretty vocal about having more time to lose his virginity and meet women when he impulsively dropped out of high school years ago. It is now a matter of honour that Tanaka get into a relationship and he quickly maps out a plan. Enter a cute new neighbour and the story unfolds from there.

Comedy is hard to do on a good day, it is even harder when it has to translate across cultures, but the humour in Afro Tanaka comes from a very real, very relatable emotional core that immediately connects with viewers – because if you haven’t been desperate to get a girl/boyfriend, you certainly have had a friend who was. This movie works without relying on three stooges style slapstick sight gags and extreme in your face over-acting but that’s not to say there isn’t some well timed mugging and stylistic homages to the films “gag manga” roots, charmingly sold by the comedic timing of a cast lead by rising young star Shota Matsuda (who also happens to be the lead in another Fantasia title Hard Romantiker).

“But what about the Afro?” you ask. Well, Tanaka has one and that is the extent of it’s involvement in the story. His decision to style his naturally abundant mane into the titular fro is in fact his only discernible claim to coolness. At least the ladies seem to dig it even if our hapless hero hasn’t noticed that fact.

Afro Tanaka screens once more at Fantasia. If you happen to be in Montreal, get thee to the cinema for 1pm on Thursday, August 2. You will laugh, you will cringe, you will cheer.

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Midnight Son DVD Review (Kirk Haviland)

Midnight Son (2011)

Starring – Zak Kilberg, Maya Parish, Jo D. Jonz and Tracey Walter

Written and Directed by Scott Leberecht

Last October heading into the Toronto After Dark Film Festival I remember looking at the lineup and seeing the title Midnight Son slotted into the last slot on Sunday of the fest. Not knowing much about this film I watched the trailer online and was not blown away, in fact it was a little underwhelming. Despite this I decided to take a chance on the film based on the programmer’s recommendations and the film did not disappoint. Mongrel Media’s recent release of the film on DVD allows me to happily revisit what was my most pleasant surprise of TAD 2011.

Jacob (Kilberg) is not your typical 24 year old male. Working as a night security officer in an office building, Jacob has become a creature of the night not out of habit but out of necessity. As a child he was found to have a mysterious skin disease that caused his arm to literally burn in the sunlight and has been unable to walk in direct sunlight since. Jacob has recently developed a ravenous insatiable appetite that is not curbed no matter how much he eats until he drinks some blood leftover from a piece of steak. Out at a bar one night Jacob meets Mary (Parish) outside selling cigarettes and candy. The two oddballs hit it off right away and start into an awkward relationship. One night during a date Mary develops a nose bleed that ends up giving Jacob his first taste of human blood, after which the animal blood he has been drinking fails to satiate his appetite any longer. Trying to acquire blood leads Jacob to Marcus (Jonz), a hospital employee who becomes Jacob’s blood dealer, who has many inventive ways of getting said blood. Eventually Jacob comes to learn that his actions have consequences he has to deal with as his off and on relationships with both Mary and Marcus take drastic turns that lead to the ultimate decision that occurs in the final moments of the film.

Midnight Son is not your typical bombastic gore-fest. It is deliberately a slow build that develops over time, getting increasingly dangerous and violent along the way. Director Leberecht’s script is strong, giving us one of the most awkward and unconventional love stories at its center that I’ve seen in quite a while. Kilberg and Parish are both very strong here, keeping the characters relatable and sympathetic throughout. Kilberg’s Jacob is one of the most original and unique “vampires” in screen history. Playing strongest in the quieter moments, Kilberg fleshes out Jacob’s character with intricacies and nervous ticks that help create a more enriched performance. Parish imbues her character with a frenetic energy that perfectly counterpoints Jacob’s stoicism. Jonz delivers an edgier performance, his character representing the grittiness of the real world seeping into Jacob’s solitude. Director Leberecht stages the film well, with the background of Los Angeles looming, finding little crevices to fill the film, like Jacob’s basement apartment at “43 ½ State Street”. The story is shot well, depending more on practical methods for its effects than computer-generated, and delivers a look that feels more polished than its means.

The DVD itself is sadly just a bare bones edition which includes just the film and some upcoming Mongrel release previews. Having met Leberecht, Kilberg and producer Matt Compton last year at TAD, I was really looking forward to a possible commentary track as the three men could really deliver a funny and engaging one, but alas we do not get that here. However the film itself is well worth the cost of the DVD purchase alone as the transfer to DVD looks beautiful. Keep your eyes fixed here on Entertainment Maven as I will have an interview with the creative forces behind Midnight Son coming soon.

Currently available at most retailers for less than $15 dollars (a great deal), Midnight Son is a definite recommend.

Till Next Time,

Movie Junkie TO

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Contact me at moviejunkieto@gmail.com