Nat's Mad Hot Screening Room

Funny and raunchy. One would expect that from A Good Old Fashioned Orgy and the characters we’re introduced to. And yet there was something lacking in this ridiculous romp. Perhaps it didn’t take the funny or raunchy to the level it should have.

Eric (Jason Sudeikis) is a guy who uses his father’s (Don Johnson) Hampton’s house for theme parties every summer weekend. Unfortunately for Eric and his friends, Dad decides to put the place on the market, prompting Eric to plan one more memorable party. After covering every type of party imaginable, Eric and best friend, Mike (Tyler Labine) decide on a Labor Day party of epic proportions: a good old fashioned orgy.

While convincing Eric’s seven best friends to participate in the orgy isn’t easy, they eventually agree and so begins the planning exhibited by all – some of it gender specific – but nevertheless, sex toys are bought, trips to the gym are mandatory, and even a secret orgy club is researched. However, Eric does meet an obstacle in his realtor, Kelly (Leslie Bibb), when he discovers he really likes her and starts to question whether the upcoming orgy is such a great idea. Eventually, the friends find themselves with the momentous weekend upon them. Will they go through with their good old fashioned orgy, or won’t they?

I’m sure my fellow critics will rate this film higher but I was turned off by the mix of predictability and insincere moments. I left the theater with the feeling of “meh” - though there will be audiences who will eat this movie up. On a side note, I get so sick of seeing actresses having to be beautiful and perfectly toned while their male counterparts get away with being average, nerdy, or downright fat. If the camera wants hot bodies, why can’t we see male eye candy as well, especially in a picture where the theme involves getting naked? (On the flip side, heaven forbid we look upon a scantily clad average-looking woman.) I know this movie is a comedy but it contains a message that doesn’t go unnoticed.

Okay, okay, I’ll get off my soap box ….for now.

All in all, the premise of an entitled group of thirty-something year-old friends stepping away from their comfort zones to screw each other just didn’t rock my boat like I imagined it would. It’s worth a few laughs, but not the price of theater admission. Wait for On Demand.

2 ½ licks out of 5

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy opens in theaters September 2nd.

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

Directed by: Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck
Written by: Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck
Featuring: Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Bibb and Tyler Labine
Plot: A group of 30-year-olds who have been friends since high school attempt to throw an end-of-summer orgy.

Trailer:

Feature by Natalie Norton.

Rachel Weisz gives a strong performance as an American police officer who takes a government contracted position as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia.  The film is based on the real life events of Kathryn Bolkovac, a woman simply doing her job when she uncovers a far-reaching scandal of corruption, sex-trafficking, and payoffs. Not only do the hideous crimes include the participation of private military contractors and local police force, but, appallingly, extend to the United Nations itself.

The film is action-packed, suspenseful and at times, makes one wonder what it would look like as a documentary. As an audience member and person with a conscience, it’s disturbing to witness scenes involving greed, violence, and the sex trade-- and then be reminded that they can exist where the mission is “peace-keeping” and the agencies and people doing the work are supposed to be “good”. The Whistleblower illustrates that abuses of power, broken systems, and lack of accountability are alive and well. Not only is it our duty as global citizens to continue to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, but also to remain watchful of those who are in positions of policing, peacekeeping and governing.

I was taken in by the story and the direction of Larysa Kondracki in the way that she films harrowing sequences that you have to watch and yet want to look away from. The acting by Weisz, Redgrave, Strathairn, and the entire supporting cast is effective and fills each scene to a fever pitch. Cinephiles may find fault with camera choppiness and Kondracki failure to provide narrative closure, but Bolkovac story had me held.

3½ LICKS OUT OF 5

The Whistleblower opens in New York and Los Angeles today.

The Whistleblower

Directed by: Larysa Kondracki
Written by: Larysa Kondracki, Eilis Kirwan
Featuring: Rachel Weisz, Monica Bellucci and Vanessa Redgrave
Plot: A drama based on the experiences of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska cop who served as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and outed the U.N. for covering up a sex scandal.

Trailer:

Feature by Natalie Norton.

We’ve all heard of the “Spaghetti Western” (1960’s Western genre films that were produced and directed by Italians, most notably Sergio Leone, and primarily shot on location in Italy). The Guard is also a Western (as defined by writer/director John Michael McDonagh himself) in addition to it being a crime story and dark comedy. For fun, I’ll call it a “Potato Western” --‘Western’ because of the old-fashioned western formula involving crime, corruption, lawmen, outlaws, prostitutes, and a suspenseful shoot out – ‘Potato’ for featuring the beautiful scenery of rural Ireland and Irish characters with thick brogues tinged with gratuitous cursing.

The Guard takes place in West Ireland, the area of Connemara, territory of Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson), a rebellious and sarcastic policeman used to doing things his own way both personally and professionally. Gerry’s quirky and comfortable world is turned upside down when he and a young rookie officer discover a murder victim. The dead man ends up being a link to an international drug trafficking investigation which subsequently involves more law enforcement and a serious by-the-book FBI agent, Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle). Wendell does not care for Boyle’s sense of humor or style from the get-go, but the two are forced to work together in order to solve the crime. Needless to say, the crime involves even more than meets the eye.

Don Cheadle’s austere Wendell is the perfect foil to Brendan Gleeson’s wise-cracking Gerry. I don’t believe it would have worked with anyone else playing that role. In fact, I wasn’t entirely interested in the movie until Wendell Everett was introduced. The contrasting American with his opposing personality and outsider perspective was certainly necessary to making this a well-rounded story. The rest of the characters were imaginatively supportive but some of the dialogue and jokes were lost on me. Be prepared for some heavy Irish accents. I’m sure I missed some witty remarks because of it. Overall I found this to be a fairly solid directorial debut, especially in terms of great casting, clever writing, and nice pacing.

3 LICKS OUT OF 5

The Guard is in theaters now and playing at Angelika Film Center New York and AMC Empire 25 in New York City.

The Guard

Directed by: John Michael McDonagh
Written by: John Michael McDonagh
Featuring: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle and Mark Strong
Plot: An unorthodox Irish policeman with a confrontational personality is teamed up with an uptight FBI agent to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring.

Trailer:

Feature by Natalie Norton.

PressPausePlay is one of those “thinkers” – you know what I’m talking about – a thought provoking piece that throws out every theme and argument pertaining to art and the artist’s relationship with the digital revolution. Cinematically the documentary is not astounding but it’s ambitious in its information coverage. The directors obviously wanted to cover all of their bases in one shot -- in regards to music, film, literature, and art -- but there’s enough out there to examine each topic individually if they ever decide to go the PBS series route. Nevertheless, Dworsky, Köhler, and company do a fine job of sending the idea bubbles into the void and letting the audience take what they will.
Here are just a few snippets that stuck with me:

• A) On Music: For better or for worse, Napster changed the way we get our music. No longer do we put a vinyl on and simply listen and experience the record start to finish. That has become an old, unique practice. All of our songs are carried on a portable player and we’re multi-tasking while we listen, albeit, mindlessly much of the time.
• B) On Film: Would Scorsese, Lucas, or Spielberg be who they are today if they were young film students? Would they be filtered out of the masses if their work was displayed on YouTube? Is film school still necessary?
• C) On Business: The self-taught creatives are no longer working for the big Madison Avenue ad agencies but doing well with their own start-ups. These designers are wearing all hats and working with a creative freedom never before seen in past generations.

The pros and cons of artistic culture and its relationship with technology is nothing new, but the integration and overall industry changes seem to be moving even faster these days. In PressPausePlay, musicians, filmmakers, writers, and artists are interviewed about their work, what the digital revolution has done for them, and how technology is helping them to achieve their goals. Is technology giving artists the gift of ease and affordability? Yes. Is it providing the utmost freedom for creation, expression, promotion, and distribution of one’s work? Yes. Although the general outlook seems to be pretty positive, there is another side of the coin presented. Is this digital revolution still a true artist’s friend or instead pandering to a group of mediocre wannabes? Is this the end of great art and our culture as we know it, or simply a new beginning?

3 LICKS OUT OF 5: For keeping me engaged in the subject matter despite there being too much of it.

PressPausePlay seems to be in a festival rotation at the moment, but keep an eye out for when it hits a theater or TV near you.

PressPausePlay

Directed by: David Dworsky, Victor Köhler
Featuring: Apparat, Olafur Arnalds and Scott Belsky
Plot: The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent of people in an unprecedented way, unleashing unlimited creative opportunities. But does democratized culture mean better art, film, music and literature or is true talent instead flooded and drowned in the vast digital ocean of mass culture? Is it cultural democracy or mediocrity?

Trailer:

Feature by Natalie Norton.

It's good to see Cameron Diaz playing against type. She's her usual funny self but in a wicked way; that is, acting in a comedic role but playing a superficial, money-hungry bitch who is determined to get everything she wants. Everything she wants includes a rich husband (her ticket out of teaching) and a new pair of boobs to snag him with. There's no sensitivity to her manner, yet plenty of rudeness and shenanigans -- and the audience eats it up.

Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) has just been dumped by her rich fiancé. Now she must return to the teaching job she just left behind in order to support herself (which is certainly not part of her life's plan). Grumpily she ventures into another school year and finds herself across the hall from perky all-star teacher, Amy Squirrel (played by a hilarious Lucy Punch). Amy is the exact opposite of Elizabeth and they're immediately at odds, especially when new substitute, Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake), comes into the picture. Not only is the eligible Scott friendly and nerdy-cute, but he also comes from a family of rich watchmakers; hence Elizabeth's interest is immediately peaked. All the female teachers are taken with him, but it soon becomes apparent that Amy and Elizabeth will go the furthest to catch his attention. In the meantime, Elizabeth will do anything to obtain the money for her breast implants – including lie to -- and steal from -- the students she teaches and the very school she's working for. The supporting cast features Jason Segel as the P.E. teacher, John Michael Higgins as the principal, and the enjoyable Phyllis Smith as Elizabeth's awkwardly mumbling coworker.

3 LICKS OUT OF 5: Bad Teacher is far from the greatest comedy I've ever seen, but it had enough laughable moments to hold my attention and lighten up my day. I give it 3 out of 5 Licks for pleasantly surprising me.

Bad Teacher

Directed by: Jake Kasdan
Written by: Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg
Featuring: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel and Justin Timberlake
Plot: A comedy centered around a foul-mouthed, junior high teacher who, after being dumped by her sugar daddy, begins to woo a colleague -- a move that pits her against a well-loved teacher.

Trailer:

Feature by Natalie Norton.