Many of the best documentaries reach their compelling heights purely by accident.  That is, like most in the genre the filmmaker starts out with a somewhat vague story arc he or she expects to orchestrate, only to have events occur in real time during filming that completely change the intended trajectory of the film.  One example of this is in 1991’s Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, which trailed the heavily troubled production of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now.  Legend has it, Coppola asked his wife Eleanor to document the behind the scenes production of his 1979 classic with the intention of later using this footage as a marketing tool for a production company the couple was trying to get off the ground.  Well, needless to say, things did not go as planned.  Coppola failed to foresee civil unrest in the Philippines where they were shooting, a raging monsoon destroying key set pieces, a decision to recast the lead days in, that replacement star (Martin Sheen) later suffering from a legit heart attack on set, and rampant drug use by the cast and crew (well…that last one may have been a given in those days).  Coppola pretty much descends into insanity due to these developments, and Eleanor candidly captures everything on film.  It’s a great watch if you enjoyed Apocalypse Now.

Anyways, I couldn’t help but think of Hearts of Darkness as I watched Weiner, a documentary about Anthony Weiner’s shit-show of a NYC mayoral run in 2013.  Much like Hearts, the circumstances surrounding the subject are completely upended in the middle of the project. Over the course of this captivating inside look at a political campaign, Weiner goes from optimistic underdog comeback story (which I have to assume was the original inspiration for the doc), to front runner for the Democratic nomination, until it all comes crashing down as more and more details of his salacious online “habits” come to the forefront. It’s especially fascinating to see the subsequent closed doors interactions between Weiner, his wife Huma Abedin, and his campaign team as the scandal is unfolding. I swear, some of the scenes are straight out of HBO’s Veep. One would wonder why Weiner would allow the cameras to keep rolling through all the chaos, however one would wonder about a lot of the choices he makes. Ironically, I received this Netflix DVD in the mail this past Monday (yes, I am one of probably 12 people that still subscribes to their DVD service), aka the day Huma Abedin announced the split with her husband. This recent development adds even another layer to the must see documentary of the year.  Tier 1 – RATED GREG

This is HBO’s TV Movie to bookend their recently cancelled series Looking, about 3 gay men in their late 20’s to 30’s living in San Francisco and trying to get their shit together in regards to career and relationships. If you liked the show, then you will like movie.  If you didn’t like the show, let’s be honest you probably just never gave it a chance.  I for one didn’t start watching until scrolling past a bunch of think pieces praising the two seasons upon it’s announced cancellation last year.  I don’t have a good reason why I didn’t keep up with it in real time, especially since I enjoy all of the other half-hour, 30 something city life dramedies that seemingly every network and streaming service enlists (shout out to the best of the bunch FX’s “You’re The Worst”).

Looking: The Movie isn’t really a movie at all. It’s basically a standard episode of the series, only 85 minutes long instead of 28.  There are no major events or locale upheavals that are common in TV finales (just imagine what HBO will inevitably have in store for Ballers: The Movie!!!).  There is a wedding, but it is subdued and authentic in a way doesn’t fall into the regular TV wedding tropes. The movie sticks to what the show did well, which was depicting a weekend amongst good friends filled with collaborative introspection and maybe a little too much to drink, that most people can relate to at least on some level. I wouldn’t classify the show as one of the best on TV, but it is refreshingly different than everything else out there.    Tier 5

Rated Greg’s All Time Favorite Jake Gyllenhaal Movies – Ranked

1. Nightcrawler
2. Prisoners
3. End of Watch
4. Donnie Darko
5. Jarhead

One of the most popular statistical terms in baseball analytics is Wins Above Replacement (WAR).   It’s a collection of metrics that ultimately compute how many more wins a player contributes to a team’s record in a full season, in comparison to that team’s projected record if said player was replaced by an average ballplayer (i.e. the 2016 MLB leader in WAR is currently Mike Trout with a 7.72 score). Well, Jake Gyllenhaal is the leader in WAR for Hollywood pictures. Nothing against Ben Affleck, he’s a perfectly capable actor (and an amazing director), but replace Gyllenhaal with Affleck in any of the movies above, and they’re not NEARLY as good. Not even close. Furthermore, even replace Gyllenhaal with a yearly Oscar nominee like Leonardo DiCaprio, and I still don’t think they will quite measure up.   However, put Gyllenhaal in something like The Town or Wolf of Wall Street, and the movie will remain just as successful. It may not make it better, but the film won’t be worse off either.

Gyllenhaal is a chameleon. Cop, cowboy, boxer, creep….his range allows him to be the best part of each of the movies in his catalog, the great ones as well as the flawed. I certainly won’t love or even like every one that I see, but I know going in it’ll be interesting to say the least (I think we’re past the statute of limitations on 2010’s Prince of Persia). The other actors I have high on the WAR leaderboard are Jennifer Lawrence, the aforementioned Leo, Denzel, Tom Hardy, and Ben Mendelsohn. Ironically, I think the one person that could have given Gyllenhaal a run for his money in this title was his Brokeback Mountain costar Heath Ledger (RIP).

In case you couldn’t tell from the Top 5 list, my favorite Gyllenhaal roles are the one’s where he plays a giant weirdo, and Demolition is his most recent entry to the weirdo collection. It’s hard to say much about this film without giving the humor of it away, but in it Gyllenhaal plays a recent widower that acquires a unique hobby to fill the hole in his life. It is a dark, dark comedy that has a ton of good scenes and is one of his best performances, but somehow I’m not sure if it all really comes together.   But I do believe it would have been a complete dud if replacement player Ben Affleck starred.  Tier 3

 

Clearly a spoof on Pixar films, Sausage Party specifically angles toward the Toy Story variety in that it gives personalities and voices to inanimate objects and places them on a journey of self-discovery.  However, instead of the given personas for each character falling somewhere on the seven dwarfs spectrum, they reflect the type of people that get into arguments in the comments sections of news articles and youtube videos.  It’s definitely funny, but it’s more out of the “oh no they didn’t” shock value.  Be very careful who you see this with.  You know how the R Rating states not suitable for children under 17?  It should also state “not suitable to see on a first date” or “not suitable to see with your parents.”  Tier 3

Rated Greg’s All Time Favorite Bank Robbing Movies – Ranked

1. Point Break
2. Heat
3. The Place Beyond The Pines
4. The Town
5. Public Enemies Hell or High Water

Now that’s what I’m talking about! There’s nothing like a good ole-fashioned bank robbin’ movie. To me, there’s no crime that translates better to film. Quick tangent – In reality, I know it would be terrifying to catch a glimpse of a shark up close but I can’t help but fantasize about it every time I go boogie boarding, and I have similar thoughts towards witnessing a bank robbery while cashing a check. What kind of masks would they wear? Will they go for the vault?  Which one of these guys is “the wild card?”  How exactly do exploding dye packs work?   But I digress…

In Hell or High Water, two brothers played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster go on a bank robbing spree with a gruff West Texas lawman (Jeff Bridges) hot on their trail. First and foremost, this is a GREAT looking movie. There’s something about shooting in wide-open, desolate towns that appeals to the screen and a lot of the scenery reminded me of No Country For Old Men.   From the writer of Sicario (in my top 5 for 2015), the story and dialogue also more than hold their own, upholding a theme of resiliency and loyalty through the final frames. Jeff Bridges in particular places himself as a front runner for my favorite performance of the year. He certainly isn’t the first actor to play a grizzled, weeks from retirement officer of the law, but his mouthy portrayal may be the best.  Hell or High Water is hands down the best movie of summer sixteen.  Tier 1 – RATED GREG

Dublin, 1985. High school new kid Conor yearns for the affections of an older girl. A wise young lad, he embarks on the most tried and true avenue to accomplish this feat, one that’s proved successful in the generations before him and still works wonders today. Namely, he starts a rock band. Sing Street is loosely based on director John Carney’s own young love and teenage band experiences (I have to assume emphasis on loosely), and in a summer full of diluted sequels and superhero nonsense, it’s the feel good movie we deserve.

Generally, musicals are not my steez. In fact if you asked me if I’d rather watch a musical or go to the dentist, I’d have to think about it. So I’m glad the fact that IMDb classified Sing Street as a musical did not scare me off. This is not a movie comprised of a bunch of nerds breaking into song and dance. Rather, it’s your standard coming of age film that happens to include a few scenes of knucklehead band practices and gigs. The main reason Sing Street works so well is that, on top of music from 80’s deities like Duran Duran, The Clash, and The Cure present throughout, the original music played by the burgeoning band is truly undeniable.  Specifically, if this song doesn’t add a hop to your step, you’ve got issues.  Full Disclosure – If you need subtitles in order to understand any of the BBC shows like I do, you will probably need them for Sing Street as well.  Tier 2 – Runner Up

I saw a whopping 8 movies worth checking out this month, but none good enough to earn top tier.  Spoiler free blurbs on Jason Bourne, Star Trek Beyond, Blue Ruin (2013), Zootopia, Swiss Army Man, London Has Fallen, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, and Triple 9 are below.

Damn when did Chris Pine get so old?”  That’s what ran through my head during the opening scene of Star Trek Beyond.  I’ve always considered him in the same age bracket as myself, so upon seeing this it gave the same feeling I get when I see the “You Must Have Been Born By 1998” sign at the 7-11 checkout.  Did the makeup dept. purposely age him or is this how he actually looks now?  One of the broad plot points of the newest Star Trek is “Captain Kirk has a mid-life crisis,” so it’s entirely possible it’s makeup and some Just For Men – Touch of Grey, but nonetheless it rattled me. Just like it rattled me the first time I watched someone younger than me play in the NBA (Lebron James). And just like it rattled me when I turned 27 and realized I was no longer eligible for The Real World.

In regards to the actual movie….it’s ok.  I thought it was kinda dull until my favorite karaoke song kicks it into gear in the third act. I’ve never been a big Star Trek fan and unless I have a few friends in the Trekkie closet, I don’t know any either. But I know they exist (similar to Trump supporters).  If it is your jam, you likely already saw it opening weekend. For the rest, you can probably find something better to do with your $15 and wait for cable.

And sidenote: An unrecognizable Idris Elba plays the villain Krawl or Kral or Kale or whatever behind an alien mask and some sort of voice distortion.  I have no idea what the point of having a bonafide G like Elba play a part in your movie if you can’t tell its him (same goes for Oscar Isaac in X-Men). On top of this, Elba has voiced characters in 3 different animated movies this year, but no major roles as an actual human. Hopefully he gets himself out there a little more because he really is perfect to play the next Bond.  Tier 6  Update: On second thought, you can pass on this.