[Review] Sleeping with Other People

New romantic comedies have it rough. The bad ones will fall victim to ridicule due to their cheesiness or lack of authenticity, and even the good ones will still get called out for their cliches. But don't all genres have cliches? There seems to be this notion that newer rom-coms need to be subversive in order to be considered "good". But can't a good rom-com just be a good rom-com? This year's Sleeping with Other People is in the same vein as other recent enjoyable explorations of platonic or no-attachment relationships, like last year's Daniel Radcliffe & Zoe Kazan starring What If, as well 2011's Mila Kunis & Justin Timberlake starring Friends With Benefits.

Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis are the couple here. Jake (Sudeikis) and Lainey (Brie) first meet in college dorms and have a one-night-stand. Lainey is presented as a stereotypical "drunk and loud white girl", and Jake is a fast-talking know-it-all and Beatles 'Stan' with Weezer and American Football posters on his walls. 12 years later, the two run into each other at a Sex Addicts meeting (yes, apparently they both turned out to be sex addicts). During the present time, the characters are significantly less obnoxious and way more likable (good call). Anyway, the two decide to start hanging out and attempt a "just friends" relationship, but we all know how that usually goes.

The humor here is nothing gut-busting, but there are plenty of chuckle-worthy lines of dialogue, as well as some funnily timed situations. There's a standout scene where Jake and Lainey go to one of their friends' son's birthday parties--high. Most of the comedy actually comes from Jake and Lainey's respective *advice-giving sidekicks* played by Jason Mantzoukas ("The League") and Natasha Lyonne ("Orange Is the New Black). Adam Scott and Amanda Peet (who was great in HBO's first season of "Togetherness") also have secondary roles.

But there comes a point in the story when it's clearly established that Jake and Lainey love each other (more than platonically), and that they need each other more than they need the other people that they're sleeping with. So it begs the question - Aside from a haphazard pact that they made, what is actually stopping them from just getting together? Nothing. They're mostly just standing in their own way for unfound reasons, so the stakes and conflict almost feel non-existent. And the ending drags more than it should. But even with that said, this film is still a gleefully pleasant experience. We're rooting for these two.

Very much like the aforementioned What If and Friends With Benefits, Sleeping with Other People doesn't necessarily subvert the rom-com cliches, and that's okay. It's just a good rom-com.

7.5/10

[Review] Grandma

Lily Tomlin gives a great performance in Grandma. You can add this film to the list of pleasant movies that take place over the course of one day, as well as the list of great female-centric comedies of 2015.

The film opens amidst a scene of Elle (Tomlin) breaking up with her much younger girlfriend (played by Judy Greer). We get the impression that Elle is a bit misanthropic (that's an understatement, according to her) and has a disregard for the feelings of others. But we also learn that it's only been a year and a half since her partner (of 30 years) passed away. The very next scene shows Elle crying in the shower, so we know there's some dimension to her aside from being a big meanie.

Shortly after, her somewhat estranged 18-year-old granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner) shows up at Elle's house. She need 630 dollars. For an abortion. But Elle is currently broke, so she begrudgingly takes Sage under her wing and they set out to scrap up some money in various ways. That's literally the plot. But of course, along the way some shenanigans ensue, old wounds open as Elle comes in contact with her past, and there is some major women power commentary throughout. When Elle decides to sell some books, she asks, "You've never heard of The Feminine Mystique?" and Sage says, "The X-Men character?"

Lily Tomlin is wonderful here. Her character becomes the endearing, no-nonsense curmudgeon. Even though she's pretty rude to multiple strangers, she spouts off some hilariously blunt things. And her tough love and protection for her granddaughter is something to behold. At one point, Elle beats Sage's jerky and unsupportive "boyfriend" with a hockey stick, and you might find yourself wanting to clap.

Grandma deals with a touchy subject, but it's a very sweet and genuine story, and a light spin on mother/daughter relationships. But it's so easygoing, and the runtime is only about 75 minutes, so the film might not end up being super memorable as a whole. However, Tomlin's character is one you won't forget.

8/10

[Review] Pawn Sacrifice

We've officially entered the Oscar season, so that means a lot of biopics and "Based On A True Story" films are on the way--some will hit the right spot, and others will be sleepy Blahs. Pawn Sacrifice, which stars Tobey Maguire as American chess sensation and complicated character, Bobby Fischer--is mostly a winner.

After opening with a scene of Bobby (Maguire) stressfully tearing apart his hotel room in search of bugs (the hidden microphone kind), we flash back to his childhood and witness his rise as a chess prodigy, as well as his resistance to being raised in a communist household. When he joins the ranks of the best chess players in the world as an adult, he and his lawyer/agent (Michael Stuhlbarg) and a priest (Peter Sarsgaard) set out on a chess tournament tour around the world. The film follows Fischer's chesscapades, extreme bouts of paranoia, and his rivalry with Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber), as well as his personal battle against the Russians in general.

This could've been a brooding and dense (and yes, boring) experience, but thankfully it's way more accessible than anticipated. You don't have to know a lot about chess or Fischer's story to become engaged. There are subtle bits of humor, and the film moves at a fast pace as Fischer establishes his Rock Star status. His antics are emphasized: He shows up late for matches. Sometimes he just disappears all together. He makes odd requests. And he frequently yells at people. The filmmakers don't paint him as particularly likable, but he's interesting, and that's what matters here.

I've never been that high on Tobey Maguire's work, but he's impressively excellent here, and I don't think it would be farfetched to say that this is the best performance of his career. Sarsgaard and Stuhlbarg bring their 'A' games as well, particularly Stuhlbarg who continues his great run (seriously, his filmography is amazingly consistent and his turn on "Boardwalk Empire" is awesome). They're quite the amusing trio to watch. Aside from the solid performances, there's also some stellar dialogue throughout. A couple of choice exchanges: "Bobby has problems. / So did Mozart." and "Bobby's going to break. / He won't break. He'll explode."

Pawn Sacrifice might not have enough oomph to make it stand out from the heap of other Oscar hopefuls, but it's still a solid move.

7.5/10

[Review] Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

Here comes the sequel to The Maze Runner--the film series based on a set of YA novels that seem to occupy a space in The Hunger Games' shadow. The first film failed to establish its own world and suffered from "setup for the sequel" syndrome. Now, The Scorch Trails is bigger, intense-er, and more action-packed, but the whole thing still feels a little flat and can't get past its inherent flaws.

Picking up right where the last one left off, because the last one didn't really have a solid ending, Jonathan (Dylan O'Brien) and his fellow "Gladers" which include Thomas Sangster ("Game of Thrones") and Ki Hong Lee ("Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt") are transferred to a fortress run by a guy named Janson (Aidan Gillen, also "Game of Thrones"). There, they learn some disturbing information about a secretive diabolical organization called WCKD (Illuminati?). When they escape, they find themselves in another menacing maze of obstacles.

It's easy to wonder what the legitimate motivation behind the premises for these contemporary YA things are. They're prickly on metaphorical levels, so instead they come off as "What if?" situations. What if a bunch of young kids were tossed into an arena and forced to fight to the death? What if a bunch of young kids had their memories erased and were tossed into a giant, dangerous maze? It's forced spectacle -- spectacle that's drab and filled with depth-less characters and loads of exposition. And if there is meaning behind The Scorch Trials, I can't help but think it's all an allegory for sadistic hazing methods.

The Scorch Trials is crowded with filler, the action can get a bit tiring, and once again, there's an unsatisfying cliffhanger of an ending, so it never feels like a full-bodied feature. Yes, it does offer some thrills, a handful of the visuals (and creatures) are cool, and some new and intriguing characters are introduced later on (including another person from "Game of Thrones"). It's probably a fine theater experience for the fans of this stuff, but it just never is able to reach the next level. It's standing in its own way.

6/10

[Review] Cooties

When we were younger, we all were exposed to the rumor of boy and girl germs that went by the name of "cooties." Elijah Wood stars in this campy gorror comedy that takes the concept of cooties and makes it a real threat, while twisting in some zombie genre tropes.

It's Clint's (Wood) first day as a summer school substitute, and the kids are absolute assholes. As if things weren't already bad enough, there's a rampant cooties outbreak about to occur. During break, Clint casually says "One of my students tried to eat another one's face off, how is your day going?" The virus spreads as the kids go around scratching the shit out of each other during recess, turning into rabid and teacher-eating havoc-mongers. An all-out frenzy ensues as Clint and the remaining teachers try to survive and put an end to the nasty virus.

The film's loopy tone and offbeat humor is immediate, and there's some amusing turns from the supporting cast: Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, and Jack McBrayer. Some self-reflexive comedy sets in when the gym teacher yells at Elijah Wood's character, "Why don't you just sneak around like a little Hobbit..." The film is filled with goofy lines of dialogue, sight gags, and b-movie guts galore. There's also a pretty damn cool looking laser-lit funhouse scene during the climactic sequence.

Cooties drags out its thin premise a bit, and the film might not be crowd-pleasing enough to possess the potential cult appeal that it probably wants, but it's an entertaining viewing for this horror season, especially if you're tired of the serious glum of shows like "Fear The Walking Dead".

7.5/10