REVIEW: Friends with Kids

Friends with Kids is an ensemble film that calls itself a comedy when it's really a drama. Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein) wrote, directed and stars in the film about two friends who decide to have a child together after seeing how it destroys the romance and passion in their married friends' lives. Their reasoning is that they can have the best of both worlds- a child with someone they care about, plenty of time to themselves with only 50% custody, and they can still have romance when they meet that "special someone." If you've ever seen a romantic film you can probably guess where this story is headed. And you will probably be let down by how formulaic it is.

Westfeldt chose to star in the film, but her portrayal of Julie is entirely off-putting. She speaks in a strange whiny, breathy tone of voice that is irritating to listen to for 100 minutes straight. The film does have strong supporting cast. Adam Scott plays Jason, Julie's friend and father of her child. He plays the "charming womanizer" role very well. Kristen Wiig, John Hamm, Maya Rudolph and Chris O'dowd bring their comedic chops as Jason and Julie's married friends with children.



The problem was that the TV spots for the film claim that the four of them were as funny as they were in Bridesmaids, and that just isn't true. They were obviously hoping this film could piggyback on the success of Bridesmaids, when it's a much more dramatic film. As I walked out of the theater, I heard several people saying they were disappointed because it wasn't nearly as funny as Bridesmaids or it was a "different kind of comedy."

I'm torn. I want to suggest seeing Friends with Kids in the theater just to support independent film but the truth is, it's mediocre at best. Despite a few good performances, it's just too predictable, and not as funny as it claims to be. It's a good movie for a girl's night in, best viewed after 2-3 glasses of wine.

INDIE SPOTLIGHT: Elizabeth Olsen

If you watch a lot of TV, you've probably been bombarded with spots for the new film Silent House starring a fresh-faced but somehow familiar Elizabeth Olsen. You've probably wondered "why does that chick look so familiar?"* It's because the bears a striking resemblance to her older sisters, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, the twins who rose to fame in the 90s playing Michelle on Full House. The Olsen twins went on to sell books, fragrances, clothing and accessories to teen girls, resulting in their net worth of around $100 million.

While the Olsen twins are undeniable moguls, their younger (and arguably more talented) sister is making a name for herself as a serious actress. I first saw her in Martha Marcy May Marlene, an oddly titled film about a girl struggling to adapt to normalcy after escaping a dangerous and abusive cult.




After the trauma she encountered, Martha suffers from paranoia and hallucinations. The film blurs the lines between what is real and what she's imagining. Critics lauded Olsen for her subtle yet powerful performance, and the list of award nominations she received is quite impressive:

*via Wikipedia. Click to enlarge.

A graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU and the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School in NYC, Elizabeth seemed intent on being taken seriously as an actress and not simply riding her sisters' coattails.

Her new film Silent House is a horror film that uses the gimmick of "real time," suggesting you will watch every moment of the 88 minutes of horror that "befell Sarah Murphy and her father," minute by minute.



Her next few films have her starring opposite Robert DeNiro, Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener and Cillian Murphy. There's no doubt that her star is on the rise. If you haven't seen Martha Marcy May Marlene, I recommend checking it out. It's currently available at the Redbox kiosks or Blockbuster (what gives, Netflix?!).


*It could also be because while on-screen she also resembles a young Maggie Gyllenhaal, another great indie film actress.

Small Theaters Are In Danger Nationwide

Have you ever sat in the back row of a movie theater? After the lights go down you hear a hum and a faint click-click-click-click of the movie projector starting up. That is one of my most favorite sounds of all time, and it's soon to be a thing of the past. Film projectors are going the way of dial-up modems and cassette tapes. Soon we'll tell our children how wonderful it was to watch movies on 35mm film while they roll their eyes and mumble "geezer" under their breath.

What I didn't expect was just how soon the change would be happening and how it would affect smaller, independently owned theaters across the country. Michael Hurley, a small theater owner in Belfast, Maine who runs the Big Screen Biz website, recently wrote an article for Indie Wire, warning that the switch from 35mm to digital projectors might just be a nail in the coffin for smaller theaters. You may think that digital projectors would be a cheaper alternative, but as Hurley mentions, the cost to convert starts around $65,000 which is more than smaller theaters can afford.

So what does this mean for indie films? I don't know how it works in your town, but here in South Florida many independent films are shown at small art house theaters and university campuses. If they close their doors, we will lose access to so many wonderful films. Personally, I will be heartbroken. These theaters are always my first choice for a night out.

As it is, indie movies have a hard time finding audiences. AMC Theatres does a great job of showcasing independent films, and perhaps the other big chains will follow suit. But losing those small theaters will mean less screens available for filmmakers who rely on them.

I polled readers on the Indie Buzz Facebook Page and many of them stated that the reason they don't watch indie movies is because they are not available in their area.

Closing these theaters would make accessing films that much harder. What can we do to help? IndieWire makes a great point in saying we "live in a Kickstarter world." Perhaps if there's a small theater in your town in danger of closing, you can help raise the funds to help with their conversion!

Rental of the Day: LIKE CRAZY

TITLE: Like Crazy

STARRING: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence

ONE LINE SYNOPSIS: Jacob and Anna are a young couple in love but their relationship is tested when she violates the terms of her visa and is sent back to London.

WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT: I like think this film is what most people imagine when they think of "indie films." Small cast, incredibly small budget, experimental cinematography, no discernable 3 act structure and an ending atypical to Hollywood standards. A lot of this can be off-putting to audiences used to fluffy big-budget romantic films like The Notebook or The Vow. But the performances here are worth seeing. Yelchin is no stranger to the indie scene. If you haven't seen Charlie Bartlett, you may want to consider making your movie night a double feature. In Like Crazy, he delivers a performance that feels so genuine, it will evoke memories of your own lost love(s). Similarly, Jones's honest portrayal of Anna makes her feel so familiar, as though you've known this girl all your life. The film is presented as a series of moments in time, relationship milestones, bits of conversation, random memories blurring in and out of focus. Again, this can be challenging for audiences used to the Hollywood formula, but the characters make the journey worthwhile.

Another reason to see this film is that it epitomizes how affordable DSLR cameras are revolutionizing the film industry. Like Crazy was shot on a Canon EOS 7D DSLR camera that retails for around $1500. The entire budget of the film was only $250,000. To put this in perspective, the big-budget films I mentioned earlier were shot for $29 million (The Notebook) and $30 million (The Vow). Like Crazy, on the other hand, was shot beautifully for such a low cost that it's an inspiration for independent, low-budget, no-budget or DIY filmmakers.

WHO WILL LIKE IT:
-Romance junkies
-People who don't mind films straying from Hollywood conventions
-Filmmakers with shallow pockets looking to be inspired

WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT: Redbox, Netflix DVD-only

Werner Herzog teams with Investigation Discovery

Those familiar with our sister blog Reel Geek Reviews may remember a review I posted for Werner Herzog's latest documentary, Into the Abyss which explores capital punishment by "sharing the stories of two convicted murders- Michael Perry who is on death row and Jason Burkett who is serving a life sentence for a triple homicide in Conroe, Texas."

What I didn't know when I wrote that was that Herzog had teamed with Investigation Discovery (I.D.), a TV network owned by Discovery Communications that showcases crime-related documentaries. I.D. asked Herzog to work with them to create a series about capital punishment called On Death Row. Their intention had never been to create a film. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, I.D. president Henry Schleiff recalls the creative process:

"After doing the research, Werner came back and said, 'There are just so many aspects to this, would you mind if we separate this out, do it as a film first, and then come back and do this television project? And again, we're not as easy as I want this to sound, but it seemed like a no-brainer for us. Our answer was, 'Of course.'"

And so Into the Abyss was made. After strong showings at the Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals in 2011, the film went into wider release in November of that year. Now, I.D. has begun showing the four-part series on Fridays at 10pm.



We are fortunate that a documentarian of Herzog's caliber is making his work so accessible to the American audience. Now you no longer need to hunt down art house theater's showing documentaries in your area and pay to see his work. You can tune in from the comfort of your home (provided I.D. is part of your cable service).

If Into the Abyss was any indication, we can expect On Death Row to be a gripping, emotional, thought-provoking series. With a controversial issue like capital punishment and a fearless filmmaker and master interviewer like Herzog, how can you expect anything less?

You can use the Channel Finder feature on the series' website to find local listings.