We Need To Talk About Kevin

Lynne Ramsay has only released three feature's in the last ten+ years, but her debut, Ratcatcher, is one of the most solid first outings I have ever had the pleasure of watching, and her newest, We Need To Talk About Kevin, is a smack in the face to remind you of how amazing indie filmmaking can be.

Tilda Swinton plays Eva, the wife to John C. Reilly's Franklin, and Ezra Miller's Kevin. Eva and Kevin, from the moment he is out of the womb, have a contentious relationship, one that grows more frightening all the time. They are like to rooster's in a cage, fighting to the death all the time. Franklin never seems to notice Kevin's awkward and disturbing behavior, seeing as how it is always directed towards Eva, and almost always happens when he is not around. But is it just a matter of Eva's perspective, or is there something genuinely wrong with Kevin.

Ramsay really creates an amazing and skin crawling dynamic between Eva and Kevin, and, in fact, Eva and the whole world. One wonders how much of this is real, and how much of this is going on her head. Well placed clues along the way, though, allow you to put together an informed concept of who this woman is, and I can't think of ANYONE more suited to bring out the subtleties and mannerisms of Eva than Tilda Swinton. This really is one of her best roles.

We Need To Talk About Kevin is one of my favorites of the year, and Ramsay packs a lot of punch into it. I highly recommend seeing it.

Cyrus

The Duplass Brothers have been working steadily in independent film since they started shooting short films in the early 2000's. Their debut feature, The Puffy Chair, followed by their psuedo horror film Baghead were both highlights of the last couple of years. Their hard work has finally paid off and, with Cyrus, the Brothers move into the low budget studio territory, but still manage to keep the spirit that got them here in the first place.

John C. Reilly plays John, a guy who is looking for love as his ex-wife is about to get remarried. He meets Molly (Marisa Tomei) at a party that his ex-wife and fiance are throwing, and the two hit it off. Molly is very secretive, though, when it comes to talking about her life. When John follows Molly home, he finds out what she's been hiding - Her grown son, Cyrus (played by Jonah Hill), still leaves with her, in a sort of time capsule single mother/son relationship. They do everything together. They're best friends, and when John starts horning in on his mother's time, Cyrus becomes jealous, and when Cyrus becomes jealous, things get weird.

Cyrus is a humorous indy, and, maybe, the Duplass Brothers best film to date. Everyone brings in a great performance, including Jonah Hill (who I've never been a huge fan of). It's not the kind of film that has you rolling around on the ground laughing, but it definitely has its great moments, especially when things escalate between John and Cyrus. The Duplass Brothers have made something super solid and funny, and have shown what studio heads seemed to forget regularly - that a funny film, or any film, really, can be made for a reasonable amount of money.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Writer/Director Judd Apatow seems to have his name on everything lately, and now he has teamed up with Freaks and Geeks team mate, writer/director Jake Kasdan, to produce Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Apatow co-wrote the film with Kasdan, and Kasdan directed.

Walk Hard is a parody of the life of Johnny Cash, famously brought to the screen a few years ago in the James Mangold film Walk The Line. John C. Riley plays Dewey Cox, a country boy who accidentally kills his piano phenom brother, by cutting him in half with a machete. From then on, he makes a pledge to be as good a musician as his brother, and win back the love of his father, who continuously reminds him that "the wrong kid died". The story follows Cox from his first appearances in a band, through his initial success, his drug years, the destruction of his marriage, and his comeback. All of it is told with trademark Apatow "one step to far" humor, and Riley plays Cox completely balls to the wall.

Walk Hard is funny, like pretty much everything that Apatow has his hands in, but, it reminds me a lot of Knocked Up. It's the kind of film that you watch once, and think - "Well, that was funny", and then you don't really ever think about watching it again. Cox's whole life is thrown at you in an hour and a half, and, by the time it's all over, you feel tired and satisfied, but not wanting for more. With other Apatow-related films, Superbad, Talladega Nights, and The 40 Year Old Virgin, I was always ready to watch it again. Walk Hard, though, left me uninterested in a second viewing.

Tim Meadows, of Saturday Night Live fame, plays an amazing supporting role in the film as the member of the band who always seems to be getting Dewey into whatever his next vice is. They go through a couple of drugs, and every time Meadows, as Sam, is caught doing the drugs by Cox, he tells Cox - "You don't want to get involved in this shit", and then goes on to list all of the reasons he shouldn't do the drugs that Sam is doing. Oddly enough, all of the reasons Dewey shouldn't do them always end up coming off as reasons Dewey SHOULD take drugs. For some reason, this gag never ceases to be funny. 

Riley inhabits the role of Cox like a second skin. By the time the film is halfway through, you don't even question Riley as an actor playing a role anymore. You just, automatically, see him as Dewey Cox. Like Will Ferrel in Talladega Nights, Riley plays Cox as close to a talented moron as he possibly can. Jenna Fischer, of The Office fame, also does an incredible job as Darlene, the June Carter character in this Cash take off.

But, here's the question - With all of the great performances, all of the hilarious jokes, is Walk Hard worth seeing in the theater? I can't answer that question, because I prefer seeing everything in the theater, as opposed to watching it on a TV screen. But, if I was more fickle about my theater going, honestly, I would probably wait for DVD on this one. It is funny, but it's not a Superbad, or a 40 Year Old Virgin.