1) Neighbors - Directed by Nicholas Stoller, Starring Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, and Zac Efron
The latest film in the Apatow/Apatow-adjacent sect of Hollywood tells the simple, basic story of a couple of new parents who must deal with a fraternity house moving next door. They first make friends with the college-age goons, but then open up a pandora's box of pranks after calling the cops on the boys, led by Zac Efron and Dave Franco. I put this in the review simply because that is all there really is to the movie, and that is where almost all of the jokes derive from: The improvisation here is weaker, the plotting is not as clever, and ultimately, it seems this type of studio comedy, while still capable of raking in a lot of money, is growing a bit stale, running low on stoner-bro comedy ideas, attempting to throw in gross-out gag after gross out gag, and pop culture reference after reference to keep the audience from realizing just how unoriginal everything going on is. That being said, the movie's MVP, while publicly considered to be Rose Byrne (who admittedly does a completely satisfactory job as Rogen's wife, just as much part of the debaucher as her male counterparts are), is actually Stoller himself, who adds enough visual flair and creativity to make the dull moments go down relatively easy and the cliched, repetitive scenes seem fresh enough to distract me from just how little of the film actually made sense. More a series of vignettes, a few of which are particularly inspired for their sight gags, the story only really works due to the fact that the trailer gave enough away to make it obvious even to somehow who is hardly paying attention. As the frat boys, Christopher Mintz-Plasse is particularly disappointing, bringing nothing to a character that was already one-note. Also overhyped is Dave Franco, who doesn't act as much as constantly remind the audience he is a wanna-be version of his brother. So, an unoriginal plot, unrealistic/out of nowhere characterization, and a cast that has done better before must be not worth seeing, right? Wrong - especially when compared to most studio comedies these days (if Neighbors or Haunted House 2 or Ride Along is going to win the box office, I have absolutely no problem with it being Neighbors). Rogen is game and familiar enough that most of his aside jokes work fairly well, and the underwhelming cast is helped mightily by its supporting cast of adult comedians, including Hannibal Burress, Jason Montzoukas, and specifically Ike Barinholtz, who plays a role I have seen far too many times before but brings a specific energy to it that makes it stand out from the crowd. Throw in some inspired sight-gags (again, credit goes mostly to Stoller for this) and a short running time and what you get is a film that nobody should remember in 5 years from now (which means a lot, considering the impact the original Apatow Productions had on mainstream comedy) but also one that goes down easy, moving fast and furiously enough that none of the jokes stay in your mind for very long, whether they made you laugh or not. Oh yea, and there's an unbelievably cute baby, which begs the question (which I'm sure the studio execs releasing the film had on their mind): Who doesn't love a baby on a big screen? But this might be the main problem of the film, as well - it clearly considered its audience so much that any real personality the film may have had comes out instead in party montages, popular EDM music, and stereotypical frat-boy behavior that elevates just how rudimentary a lot of it is.
Final Grade: 6.5/10
2) The Orphanage - Directed by J.A. Bayona, Starring Belen Rueda
The highest grossing movie of 2007 in Spain, this Guillermo Del Toro produced film takes the concept of a horror film and manages to make a moving, tense, net never truly scary film about much more than imaginary children coming to life. Filled with moments of cinematic beauty, this film frankly surprised the hell out of me, reminding me of the power of cinema; that too many moments feel derivative and taken straight from other horror movies certainly detracts a bit, but the techincal prowess and commitment to subverting expectations shown by Bayona balances its flaws out, resulting in a highly satisfactory if not necessarily profound viewing experience. Growing up in an Orphanage, Rueda's Laura moves back in with her adopted child, Simon, and husband, Carlos. What happens from there is not worth spoiling, but it has a lot more to do with loss, the terror of the unknown, and overcoming these two terrible but inevitable facets of life than anything that creeps in the night, behind closed doors. The moments of such visual and emotional power in this film, a trademark of excellent Spanish filmmaking, render the rather standard plot moot, and the images conveyed stick in your mind well after the film is finished, most importantly the horrifying, curious visual of a small child with a particularly intimidating sack over his head. Also to be praised are the last thirty minutes, where Laura is alone, the lack of dialogue is nothing but refreshing, and the pieces of the admittedly not wholly clear puzzle come together in surprising yet even more satisfying ways. It is a shame, then, that Bayona could not help himself in some moments, amping up the genre-influenced intensity, occasionally taking me out of the story so that the rest does not remain as palatable. While this is no standard horror film, one still wants the tension to be constantly elevating, and a few scenes ripped out of your-everyday shock films work to stop that tension dead in its tracks. Also, due to the occasional insertions of such scenes, the story was not always clear, and the purpose of said scenes was not always properly discerned. Despite these flaws, The Orphanage stands out from the crowd of endless horror films released in theaters these days, mostly by focusing the story on human elements and how they are affected by the supernatural, rather than milking the audience's arbitrary awe with seeing things that could not and do not exist (as far as I am concerned). If Spanish directors and producers began controlling the horror studio scene, I certainly would not oppose, least of all if they could churn out more stuff like this and less like The Purge.
Final Grade: 8/10
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