Fruitvale Station

Rated R for some violence, language throughout and some drug use     

90 minutes

The Oscar race officially began for me with Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station.  

 Coogler won the 2013 Cannes Film Festival’s Prix de l'avenir - a "future" award, meaning essentially that Coogler is a talent to watch.   

He took home both The Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.  It looks like I am not alone in my thoughts.

The emotional toll Fruitvale Station took on me is hard to describe.  If you are like me, you hadn’t even heard of this movie – let alone the inspiration behind the film, Oscar Grant.  The subject matter is eerily familiar when reading recent headlines..a day in the life of a young, unarmed black man who was shot and killed on New Year’s Day 2009.  This film hit extremely close to hom.

The 27 year old Coogler began writing the script for his directorial debut when he was a film student at USC.  His ability to let his audience sit in the truth of the life of Oscar Grant was something I had never experienced before.  He didn’t try to make Oscar seem perfect, he didn’t try to make every white person the enemy. Without forcing any social or racial undertones onto us, he simply let Michael B. Jordan breathe life into the man who was Oscar Grant.   

Grant will frustrate you.  You will root for him.  You will want to wring his neck.  You will feel like you are his mother or his father.  At the end of the day – and I mean that most literally - you will sob for him.  You will beg God to make the ending different.  You will pray out loud with his mother (played tenderly by Octavia Spencer):  “Let’s keep him lifted up, y’all.”

Bottom of Form

“Fruitvale Station” begins with actual cell phone footage of Grant’s run-in with the transit police following a fight on a train.  You hear the sound of a single gunshot followed by onlooker’s gasps of disbelief. 

From there, Coogler rewinds the day to show us Grants last day of 2008.  I was most impressed with Cooglers ability to  remain in control – he just invites us along to witness the reality of this man’s last day.  He never points fingers.

Michael B. Jordan’s ability to change the mood of the moment with just one eye twitch was uncanny.  The move reminds us he was human.  He could be caring, warm and tender and equally impulsive and quick to anger.

When his mother tries to convince him to take the train to be safe, you want to scream DON’T DO IT!!!

We all know (or at least assume if you didn’t follow the 2009 headlines) how “Fruitvale Station” ends.   But somehow Coogler makes this film gut wrenching to watch.

You pray somehow this story will end differently, right up until the last credits run.  You will leave the theater in silence.  You will lift him up in prayer.

The Way, Way Back

THE WAY, WAY BACK is the funny and poignant coming of age story of 14-year-old Duncan's (Liam James) summer vacation with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her overbearing boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and his daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). Having a rough time fitting in, the introverted Duncan finds an unexpected friend in gregarious Owen (Sam Rockwell), manager of the Water Wizz water park. Through his funny, clandestine friendship with Owen, Duncan slowly opens up to and begins to finally find his place in the world - all during a summer he will never forget. (c) Fox Searchlight

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, language, some sexual content & brief drug material                                                                                              

Runtime:  103 min 

If you go into The Way, Way Back expecting typical Steve Carrell humor, you will be very disappointed.  In his role of Trent - Carrell plays a complete jerk - and does so quite convincingly.  You know the type - macho "has-been" - mid life crisis - sucking up to the single mom, etc... gets joy from destroying any hope of self esteem or innocence a child has left.  (Been there, done that)  I wanted to punch him 15 minutes in...

The Way Way Back starts extremely slow.  It was a little annoying to me - I was let down and just knew we were going to be being bored stiff as the story lumbered along.  What I didn't realize, until the moment it happened,was Directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (who brought us the wonderful The Descendants) were letting us see watch the summer unfold through eyes of Duncan, the depressed, socially awkward teenage son of  Trent's love interest.  

Duncan, played brilliantly by the young actor, Liam James is a remarkable actor.  I predict we will be seeing great things from him.  Toni Collette nails her role as Pam, his mother.  No big surprise here - she plays the role of Mom-In-Need very, very well.  (Remember her in About A Boy?!)

 

Anyway, we - I mean Duncan - is lumbering along, being humiliated with every step he takes, until he finds himself sitting at the water park, watching the "normal kids" frolic and play.  All he wants to do is get away from the adults who are ruining his life.  Enter Owen (Sam Rockwell) -  the "Peter Pan" of the water park - the guy who never wants to grow up.  Owen immediately sees himself in Duncan (or so we assume) and decides to make Duncan his summer project.

Once Owen puffs a bit of self-esteem back into Duncan's lungs - the movie takes off - the music steps up - everything gets brighter - and you start to really, really dig this movie.

The Way, Way Back is very fun, and ends exactly as it should if only life ended like the movies.

Step back in time and remember how hard it is growing up - especially when the adults insist upon shoving their new friends and lovers into our lives, whether we want them there are not.  It does a wonderful job of reminding us all, if you see a child who looks lonely - a smile goes along way.  Taking five minutes to listen to their ramblings could mean the world to that child.  

The best moment in the movie comes towards the end, with Trent getting in Duncan's personal space demanding that he get in the car.  Owen steps in front of Duncan and looks Trent square in the eye.  I don't remember what he said.  Maybe he didn't say anything.  But Duncan knew.  And Trent knew.  Go out and be that guy.

 

 

Stuck In Love - A First Time For Many

Meet the Borgens. William Borgens is an acclaimed author who hasn't written a word since his ex-wife Erica left him 3 years ago for another man. In between spying on Erica and casual romps with his married neighbor Tricia, Bill is dealing with the complexities of raising his teenage children Samantha and Rusty. Samantha is publishing her first novel and is determined to avoid love at all costs - after all she's seen what it has done to her parents. In between hook ups, she meets "nice guy" Lou who will stop at nothing to win her over. Rusty, is an aspiring fantasy writer and Stephen King aficionado, who is on a quest to gain 'life experiences'. He falls for the beautiful, but troubled Kate and gets his first taste of love and a broken heart. A tale of family, love (lost and found), and how endings can make new beginnings. There are no rewrites in life, only second chances.  

Run Time: 97 min. Comedy/Drama  Directed By: Josh Boone

There was so many reasons to be excited about screening "Stuck In Love."  Not the least of which is it gave me my first crack at a celebrity interview.  I was given the opportunity to sit down with Liana Liberato and Patrick Schwarzenegger (yes, THAT Schawarzenegger!) , young co-stars in the movie.  

You can see the interview on Live at Five, Friday July 5, 2013, only on KQTV.  I am sure you will find them as charming as I did when I met them.  They both seem wise beyond their years and are extremely professional and driven.  It was such a pleasure to meet with them and talk about the making of "Stuck In Love".

Speaking of which:

Stuck In Love is a hopeful little movie.  You find yourself really REALLY cheering for the characters as they find their way through the mess that is their lives.  It does a great job of reminding us that no one's family is perfect - even though they may appear otherwise. First time director Josh Boone is a master at taking us all through the same experiences, yet letting us travel in different characters' footsteps.  Dad (Greg Kinnear) is waiting patiently for his ex-wife (Jennifer Connelly) to come to her senses, yet he shows us he is only human with his daily "appointment" with his married neighbor (Kristen Bell,  adorable as always).

We sidestep through the mine-field that is first time love with son Rusty (Nat Wolff).    Just as we start to feel that sweet memory of our own first love, the roller coaster takes a sharp turn as we see love through the very jaded eyes of daughter Samantha (Lily Collins).  And just as I LOVED Logan Lerman in "Perks", I adored him in this movie as Lou - the person I was rooting for the most.

The soundtrack was great, which included this 

It all  feels very authentic, like peeping through the windows of any home in America.  You will fall in love with the Borgens, at least one of them.  You will especially want the romance of Rusty and Kate (played beautifully by Liana Liberato) to weather the storm.  You will be proud of the adults who step in to to help these young lovers.  

The Borgens are very passionate people who in the end, do things that will surprise you.  And make you want for more.

The best line of the movie?  "A writer is the sum of your experiences.  Go get you some."

I think that is what made me love this movie so much - it makes you feel like it is okay to take chances - it is okay to hang on to hope as long as you want to.  It's your story after all, isn't it?