(USA, 125 min.)
Dir. Judd Apatow, Writ. Amy Schumer
Starring: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, LeBron
James, Tilda Swinton
Add me to the Amy Schumer train! It’s so nice to catch up
with the new Queen of Comedy. Trainwreck
is a hoot. I haven’t laughed this hard or loud at a movie since Bridesmaids.
Schumer stars as Amy, a woman with a lady boner for the
single life who writes at a silly men’s magazine and finds herself struggling
with human emotions like love while profiling a dorky/endearing sports doctor
(Bill Hader). Awkward situations abound as Amy tries to get a handle on love
while cozying up with her subject and balancing the demands of her driven boss
(Tilda Swinton), who chases crazy clickbait about semen flavours and ugly
girls. Swinton is perfectly cast as the type-A editor with an ambiguous accent,
while Schumer is incredibly funny leading the charge of Judd Apatow’s latest
raunch-fest. Like all Apatow films, Trainwreck
is exhaustingly overlong, but it keeps its laugh-a-minute thanks to the spunk
of the performances and some spot-on comedic timing.
Rating: ★★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
Trainwreck is now available on home video.
Furious 7
(USA, 137 min.)
Dir. James Wan, Writ. Chris Morgan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Michelle
Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Ludacris, Dwayne Johnson, Kurt Russell
Speaking of trainwrecks, the Fast and the Furious franchise returns for its seventh installment
with the creatively titled Furious 7.
I gave up on the franchise after the third film, Tokyo Drift, so I’m not the target for this one, but Furious 7 is as big, loud, and ridiculous
as a film and be going on a half-dozen sequels to a movie that lives on the
premise of “fast cars equal good movie.”
The film movie has loud, dumb action galore and some
wild set pieces that are a guilty pleasure. The script handles like my
grandmother driving her Honda Civic, and the weakness of the story strains
under the well-intentioned effort to hold the film together following the death
of Paul Walker. The piecemeal effort doesn’t work as characters and threads
crisscross and reference the past as filler, while a sentimental ending and
farewell to Walker is more awkward than touching as the cast bids him farewell
on the beach to the ballad “See You Again.” However, Dwayne Johnson steals the
show with the ultimately one-liner/groaner combo that sees him rip off a full
body cast and hightail it from the hospital into action. A franchise can only
run on fumes for so long.
Rating: ★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
Iris
(USA, 79 min.)
Dir. Albert Maysles
 |
| Iris Apfel in Iris, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. |
Another fond farewell comes with Albert Maysles’ final film,
Iris. This posthumously released
feature (Maysles was still alive while it debuted on the festival circuit)
gives a colourful portrait of Iris Apfel, a 93-year-old New York style maven.
The film follows Iris as she models various combinations of her flamboyant
ensemble—big colourful glasses, necklaces, and bracelets accessorize loud pants
and dresses-and reveals how style is all a personal construct held together by
confidence and taste. Iris is a colourful character both for her sense of style
and for her loud personality. The film, much like the other tale of golden age
fashionistas Advance Style, shows
that some things never go out of fashion as Iris passes down her flare to new
trendsetters. She’s the ultimate hipster, even at 93, and her passion for
clothes offers a fitting subject for the 88-year-old Maysles, who fed his love
for documentaries until the very end.
Rating: ★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
Iris is now available on home video.
Up next: Straight
Outta Compton, plus lotsa more docs!
