Review #1,311: 'The Disaster Artist' (2017)

It was a man named Michael Rousselet of online film group 5-Second Films who first clocked onto the rich vein of unintentional humour found in Tommy Wiseau's 2003 crap-fest The Room. He brought along friends, who had a great time throwing plastic cutlery at the screen in homage to the weird decorating choices found in the background of some of the film's interior scenes, and generally marvelling at just how any self-respecting film-maker could release such an utter shambles and compare it to the work of Tennessee Williams. It soon caught on, and The Room evolved into a cult phenomenon, playing for years and attracting a vocal celebrity fanbase that included the likes of Patton Oswalt, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill and Kristen Bell.

Once Greg Sestero, co-star of The Room and somewhat reluctant best friend of Wiseau, released a tell-all book called The Disaster Artist, it seemed inevitable that it would someday find itself adapted for the big screen. And who better than super-fan and Wiseau-obsessive James Franco to carry out the task and don the thick black locks and questionable fashion sense of the man who still remains an enigma to this day. The Disaster Artist starts by detailing how Sestero first met Wiseau in acting class, with the latter impressing the young pretty-boy actor with his fearless, if abominable, displays of his acting prowess. Played by Dave Franco in the film, Sestero soon packs up and moves to Los Angeles to live with Wiseau, whose bottomless pockets are one of the remaining unexplained mysteries circling the clearly Eastern European weirdo. But as one producer tells them, they only have a million-in-one chance of becoming a success even if they had the talents of Marlon Brando, which they do not.

This spurs Wiseau into writing his very own movie, a melodrama called The Room which tells the story of a handsome all-American hero named Johnny, who'll naturally be played by Wiseau. Being the innovator he thinks he is, Wiseau wastes a fortune by going against industry standards of renting and purchases two cameras: one 35 mm and the other HD Digital, which he'll use simultaneously to shoot the movie. His bizarre spending habits don't stop there. He also builds a set of an outside alley when an actual alley sits just outside the studio, and Wiseau also goes to the expense of installing a toilet only he is allowed to use. Yet this is least of the crew's worries. As Wiseau's ego and paranoia spin out of control, he finds himself at loggerheads with everyone around him, including his best friend Greg. He also forgets his lines, fires members of staff on a whim, and remains the only one blissfully ignorant at the steaming cinematic turd he is creating. In his mind, nobody understands or respects his vision.

The moral of The Disaster Artist could be interpreted as not everybody should follow their dreams, despite what most people will tell you. But James Franco, directing himself as Wiseau directing himself, clearly adores The Room and is completely caught up with the weird charisma of Tommy Wiseau. At its heart, The Disaster Artist is a sweet rags-to-riches story that celebrates how greatness - and The Room is great - can emerge from the strangest of places and the unlikeliest of people. If it had been any other year, the older Franco would have been a shoe-in for a Best Actor nod, but recent allegations have seen the Academy distance themselves from the prolific film-maker. Of course, he doesn't look anything like Wiseau but, with the help of prosthetics, a tar-dunked wig and some good-old fashioned thesping, Franco becomes Wiseau before our very eyes, refusing to spill over into pantomime territory. It will make you laugh, cringe and possibly even cry, which is crazy given the subject matter. They could have taken the easy route and turned the story into pure parody, but Franco, along with writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, have helped sculpt The Disaster Artist into a celebration of eccentricity, stubbornness and the unexpected places magic is found at the movies.


Directed by: James Franco
Starring: Dave Franco, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Ari Graynor, Alison Brie, Jacki Weaver, Paul Scheer, Zac Efron, Josh Hutcherson
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,288: 'The LEGO Ninjago Movie' (2017)

It's highly unlikely that anybody was expecting 2014's The LEGO Movie and its spin-off/follow-up The LEGO Batman Movie to be quite as good as they were. The former came out of left-field and took a surprisingly anti-corporate stance in teaching its younger viewers that using their own, raw imagination to have fun will always trump sticking to the instructions, while the latter leaned on the popularity and gravelly charm of Will Arnett's vocals as well as DC's impressive roster of popular supervillains and supporting characters to create a ridiculously entertaining and eye-catching romp. The latest in LEGO's movie franchise is The LEGO Ninjago Movie, based on the popular Ninjago toy line and the various TV series, books and video games to emerge from it. Perhaps we've been spoiled, but Ninjago, with its three directors, six writers, and a noticeable lack of focus, gives the impression that this universe is already running out of steam.

The city of Ninjago is constantly under attack from the evil Lord Garmadon (Justin Theroux), a four-armed brute who lays siege to the metropolis with a variety of wild gadgets and machinery that would put James Bond to shame. Garmadon's son Lloyd (David Franco), who lives with his mother Koko (Olivia Munn), is bullied at school for being the spawn of the evil tyrant, and when his father phones him on his birthday, he quickly realises that it was an accidental butt-dial. Garmadon's efforts to conquer Ninjago are constantly thwarted by a secret gang of ninjas: Kai (Michael Pena), Jay (Kumail Nanjiani), Nya (Abbi Jacobson), Zane (Zach Woods), Cole (Fred Armisen), and the mysterious Green Ninja, who is actually Lloyd battling his own father. When he lets his emotions get the better of him, Lloyd accidentally released a giant - and live-action - cat into the city, forcing him to team up with his deadbeat dad in search of the 'Ultimate, Ultimate Weapon' to take back the city from the clutches of Meowthra.

Justin Theroux is easily the best thing in The LEGO Ninjago Movie, voicing the character with a similar growl to Arnett's Batman and getting all the best lines. He is an ego-maniacal and selfish war-lord, but his relationship with Lloyd (which he pronounces L-loyd) forms the heart of the movie. The film relies far too much on their bantering however, as the rest of the running-time fails to generate many laughs, despite the best efforts of Jackie Chan's Master Wu. Ninjago also has the handicap of being self-contained, without the blink-and-you'll-miss-em cameos from other franchises that added to the whole idea that you can do whatever the hell you want with LEGO and the results may just be wonderful. It's a noticeable step down from the two predecessors, but the message the film is trying to convey is a good one, in that violence is rarely the answer and there is always two sides to a coin. It's certainly the loudest and most action-packed of the series, so kids will no doubt take to it, but many older audience members hoping for another pleasant LEGO surprise will likely wish they'd kept this one in the box.


Directed by: Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher, Bob Logan
Voices: Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Jackie Chan, Fred Armisen, Abbi Jacobson, Olivia Munn
Country: USA/Denmark

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #418: '21 Jump Street' (2012)

Did anyone really want a modern update of 21 Jump Street, a cancelled TV show that ran between 1987 and 1991, a show that is only really remembered for being Johnny Depp's big break? The answer is, tragically, yes, it's the same people that watch tripe such as the recent remakes of Hawaii Five-O and Charlie's Angels, lapping up its generic story lines and unchallenging episodic structure. Thankfully, we're not going to have to watch two failed movie actors accepting a career in television (in the case of Hawaii 5-O), as 21 Jump Street has been given a full-blown movie, and rather than following the same tone and style as its predecessor, Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall have written as an absurd action-comedy, taking a giant gamble and casting heart-throb Channing Tatum, an actor that has looked more comfortable in recent years in action films and romantic comedies.

Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) are two recent police graduates who became best friends in helping each through their own difficulties during the police examinations. In high school, just seven years earlier, Schmidt was a nerd who dressed as Eminem ("not-so-Slim Shady"), and Jenko was the long-haired popular jock. After a failed drug bust, the two are assigned to a recently re-instated program that was cancelled in the 80's (get it?), and are shipped off to 21 Jump Street to play undercover at a local high school that has seen an influx of a new hallucinogenic drug. To their surprise, they find that the politics of high school have changed, and now the nerds rule, and the jocks are the ones that don't fit in (Jenko blames recent TV shows, "fuck you, Glee!"). With Schmidt seeing his new popularity as a way to re-live his high school days the way he would have wanted, his friendship with Jenko suffers, as does their drug operation.

Given the recent comedy disappointments that have starred the likes of Jonah Hill and his posse, I wasn't expecting much more than a few titters from 21 Jump Street. To my surprise, the film is actually hilarious, thanks to a witty, smut-filled script, some fast-paced action scenes, and real chemistry between the two leads. It also plays out like a love-letter to the 1980's, where mismatched-buddy action comedies seemed to be out every other week, and is wise enough to be well aware of this, embracing the cliches of the genre (during a high speed chase, there is a nice running joke about vehicles not exploding as they would usually in movies, and Ice Cube plays the obligatory angry black captain - "I'm black, and occasionally I get angry!").

Hill, love him or hate him (I tend to be in the former category) gives the performance you would expect - nervous, foul-mouthed, and wasting no opportunity to make a clever pop culture reference - and it's interesting how he makes the audience almost despise the nerd when we are so used to them being the sympathetic character. Tatum is the film's trump card, proving a brilliant comedy actor, and does not simply play the straight man to Hill's funny man. Jenko is big, handsome and stupid (in the opening calamitous drug bust he forgets the Miranda rights -"you have the right to... suck my dick, motherfucker!), yet he has a big heart, bonding with some science nerds to both infiltrate a dealer and to learn about science.

The jokes are about as crude and as vulgar as I've heard for a while. There are as many cock jokes than there are sight gags, often blending the two together- a funny scene sees Jenko childishly doing ridiculous sex positions with a toy giraffe on Schmidt as he talks to his potential girlfriend on the phone. But if you can stomach the smut and would find the lead characters tripping their balls off on drugs funny, then there's plenty of fun to be had here, as at its core there is a lot of heart. Fans of the original show are in for a treat too, as there is an inspired revelation at the end, as well as homages and references to the series and the era in general ("I look like Fred Savage in the Wonder Years, only naked!"). A film that proves that taking an old idea and re-doing it can work, as long as your wise enough to make it seem fresh.


Directed by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle, Ice Cube
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie