Review: The Diary of a Teenage Girl

"I had sex today. Holy shit."

That is the only line in the first few minutes of THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, directed by Marielle Heller and adapted from Phoebe Gloeckner's novel. Paired with the initial shot of 15-year-old, confident and artistically driven Minnie Getz (Bel Powley)'s butt as she walks, and the elated expression on her face as exuberant music plays, we discover the world of 1976 San Francisco through our protagonist's eyes.



Minnie's first time, it turns out, was with her mom (Kristen Wiig)'s boyfriend, Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård). She narrates the experience by recording the loss of her virginity, and the continuation of her and Monroe's sexual relationship behind her mother's back, on cassette tapes, which act as the "diary" of the film's title. Her artwork -- her sketches, Aline Kominsky-inspired comic strips, and paintings -- act as her subconscious, fleshing out the narrative as Minnie interacts with her family, her classmates, and her adult lover, stepping heartily into the world of sex.

The film combines a coming-of-age story with a warped sense of responsibility (Minnie is unequivocally 15 years old), resulting in an astute portrait of a teenager in the 70s. Minnie oscillates between want of sex to love of Monroe to hate of Monroe, unable to make up her mind but knowing that she wants to be loved by someone.

The cast is pretty evenly cast, with a striking performance by Powley and Skarsgård. Wiig's performance also adds emotional weight to the story, which would otherwise simply be that of sexual exploration. Overall, THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL is a fun watch, perfect for rehashing the teenage experience in an honest, carefree way. Now playing at the Midtown Cinema!

Review: The End of the Tour

It's a simple story, really -- the story of two men, both writers but for different mediums -- one a journalist and one a novelist -- meeting and meshing and clashing and in the end, finding friendship. THE END OF THE TOUR, directed by James Ponsoldt, has so many conversational layers to it, but what makes it truly worth watching is the core of the story: friendship and the effects it has on you.

David Foster Wallace (played by Jason Segel), most famously known for his 1079-page book, "Infinite Jest", is on tour. David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg), who is a journalist for the New York Times and has a couple of books under his belt, himself, discovers Wallace's work and begs his boss to let him do an interview.



Dave Wallace's initial presentation is honest, no airs: he's timid but friendly, he's open but with reservations (as he's being interviewed, that can be expected). Almost immediately, he announces that he's wary of how the article will go, concerned about the agenda that David has and saying, "I don't even know if I like you yet". David Lipsky, on the other hand, comes off as very expectant and focused, stating multiple times that "You did agree to this interview".

While the relationship quickly dissolves into eager boyhood, shooting the breeze and eating junk food, there is a fascinating dynamic between these two writers that unfolds as various encounters and conversations lead them back to their defensive positions. It's a fascinating character piece, the only plot being the development of their relationship.

In that sense -- in terms of plot development -- the film is somewhat lacking. Not that it missed the mark, it just doesn't require too many twists and turns; but those who are looking to get lost in a story will find themselves disappointed. For those who love character pieces, however, THE END OF THE TOUR is brilliant, and dripping with insight into both Dave and David's lives. You learn a lot about David Foster Wallace's depression, and intentional disposition.

THE END OF THE TOUR is now playing at the Midtown Cinema! Come check it out for yourself!

Review: Phoenix

Though there have been plenty of films depicting the events of the Holocaust, you won't find too many actual German films on the list -- perhaps it's too much of a faux pas to be attempted with such a touchy connection to the events. But PHOENIX, directed by Christian Petzold, grabs the bull by the horns in a slow-paced, heartbreaking story of a German Jew in the aftermath of the war, touching on themes of identity, betrayal, and a desire to belong.



Nelly Lenz (Nina Hoss) has returned from a concentration camp, broken mentally and physically -- the camp has left her disfigured. Her friend, Lene (Nina Kunzendorf) provides a place to stay and aids her in the recovery process, as she receives facial reconstruction; but Nelly worries that the surgery will make her unrecognizable for her husband, Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld). After she has recovered, she begins the hopeful search to find him, a sentiment which Lene cannot match because of the rumors that Johnny was the one who turned Nelly in.

It's an interesting premise, made even more interesting once she finds him... but I won't spoil the rest of the film for you. What I will say is that the character development in this film is astonishing -- for Nelly, a broken woman trying to get her life back, and those surrounding her, everything has changed. This isn't your typical Holocaust film in that it doesn't plunge into the "action" with gory finesse, but the turmoil of the war is still painfully present in each scene. What makes it all the more interesting is the uncertain motivation that steers Nelly through the story.

That the entirety of the film builds off of such a strongly written character is a testament to the film's craft; everything about this film is beautiful, from the ambient sound to the perfectly chosen title. Hoss gives a magnificent performance, carrying you with her in her battle between hope and despair, as she tries to reshape her identity in the conditions she's given.

PHOENIX is now playing at the Midtown Cinema! Don't miss this one -- it is well worth the watch.

Review: Irrational Man

Woody Allen's done it again, folks. And by that, I mean he's produced another film. Whether it's good or bad is an entirely different doing, and as you can guess, this one doesn't come close to competing with his better works. Laced with a voice-over narrative akin to a psychology textbook, IRRATIONAL MAN tells the story of a man who considers committing murder to give his life purpose.

Jill and Roy (Emma Stone and Jamie Blackley) are your typical, middle-class college students at Braylin University -- in fact, they are stereotypical: they don't have too much characterization past their fancy sweaters and family dinners. But we do know that they are in love, and the rumors of the dashing and intellectually cutting new philosophy professor give way to Roy joking that Jill is going to develop a crush.

And when we first meet Professor Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix), the first instinct is to completely understand why it was a joke: the rumors that the man is a genius but always looks like he's wasted is not too far from the truth. Abe blunders onto the scene with jutting gut and the ever-present single malt scotch in his hand, jaded and without direction. But the man can argue philosophy, which is apparently enough to get all the ladies riled up (or at least the two ladies featured in this film). Fellow professor Rita (Parker Posey) can't get enough of him, cheating on her husband with Abe as he moans and groans about the lack of meaning in life with phrases like "Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom" and his romantic-bordering-suicidal demeanor.

Despite the complete implausibility of Abe's likeability (no, Woody Allen, you cannot justify a character's likeability by saying that "everyone likes him"), Jill develops a deep attraction to him. They begin spending a lot of time together, causing Roy to become jealous.

And then one day at a diner, they overhear the heartbreaking story of a woman who is about to lose custody of her kids because of the corrupt Judge Spangler (Tom Kemp). The woman makes an offhand comment that she hopes the judge dies of a heart attack, and Abe immediately becomes enraptured by the idea of helping this woman by serving the judge a dose of justice. In his head, he argues that the judge deserves to die, and begins scheming what he considers to be the perfect murder.

From that point on, the plot actually does putter along quite nicely, combining the likes of "Crime and Punishment" with Abe's TAXI DRIVER-esque mentality; but its basis is absolutely ridiculous. The film follows true Woody Allen form, riddled with psychoses and those familiar themes for women -- it wouldn't be a Woody Allen film if every woman didn't have an affair. I just wish that there was more to their character beyond the men they're interested in.

There were a couple of really entertaining sequences, most notably the scenes in which Jill begins to piece together what is going on. Both Phoenix and Stone perform excellently, with some pretty natural chemistry on screen. But do the positive notes in this film outweigh the bad? For me, it's a toss up -- if you have a couple hours to kill, I'd say why not, but don't necessarily expect this review to be proven wrong. IRRATIONAL MAN is now playing at the Midtown Cinema!

Review - Dark Places

If a film's title is called DARK PLACES, you better expect it to be dark. And director Gilles Paquet-Brenner's latest film stays true to its title, though the end result is not entirely satisfactory. Regardless, it's a film that, while not being too proud of its structural integrity, I did enjoy.

Libby Day (Charlize Theron) narrowly escaped being included in her family's massacre as a child, and now, as an adult, is still haunted by the past. Since the moment 28 years ago when she testified against her brother, Ben (Tye Sheridan), who was convicted of the crime and given a life sentence, Libby has led a shell of an existence, living off of the money donated to her by strangers and the sales of an "autobiographical" book that she didn't even write. But when the Kill Club, a group of "solvers" who work through old cases, approach her to ask for her help in absolving Ben of the murders, Libby is thrust into the dark undertows of her past. She must contact people she'd never have contacted again to unravel the mystery, including her brother (later played by Corey Stoll), estranged father (Sean Bridgers) and her brother's old girlfriend (Chlöe Grace Moretz).

While the concept of the film sounds fascinating, the final result is a film that is far from perfect, but still wraps you up in its intensity. The voice-over narrative is either an attempt to connect you with the protagonist or to give the story more of a film-noir feel, but on neither account does it actually have any impact -- in fact, the film lazily relies on the voice-over, dropping Libby's backstory and characterization into your lap. But though the first twenty minutes are lush with forced exposition, you don't ever really get a moment to sink your teeth into her pain.

However, once the plot picks up, you will find yourself sucked into the eddy of clues that Libby finds as she begins to map out the actual events of that night. Her present journey is interspersed with brief flashes of her memory of the night, and various scenes from her brother's perspective leading up to the event. So a lack of effort in Libby's character may bring the film down, but the plot evens out the score a bit. No mercy is spared for the Day family as bit by bit of horrifying information gets thrown into the mix, notes of child molestation and Satanic rituals to name a few. Again, not perfect, as the scenes seem crammed in at times, but that, perhaps, is the downfall of a screenplay adapted from a book -- and as a result, you will feel some form of connection with Libby by the end of the film.

Given the crowded plot line, the cast does a pretty solid job. Theron is intriguing as the mean-spirited, self-centered woman that Libby has become, and Christina Hendricks carries the family as Libby's harried mother in the flashbacks. Overall, DARK PLACES may not be too high up on the list of films to see, but it also isn't a waste of cinematic space, and it does have some heart. Check out the film and see for yourself this week at the Midtown Cinema!