Jay and Silent Bob Reboot: A Letter To Kevin Smith [Review]

Jay and Silent Bob reboot gave the characters of Jay and Silent Bob a send-off befitting of a king and it's only right considering how iconic the characters are. While this may not be the last we of them on screen, their own personal stories are perfectly wrapped up in a way that more than redeems Jay for all his shortcomings and highlights why Silent Bob is the best friend anyone could ever have.

Normally when I do a review I breakdown the cast, dialogue, cinematography and overall plot of the movie in great detail, but not this time. Like a PG-13 John Travolta I say Fuck That. This film, yea film not a movie, is the culmination of  seven films and 25 years worth of work. Of course the cast, dialogue, plot and cinematography are going to be great. Now it might not be great to you, but it is to me and many other Kevin Smith View Askew Universe fans and that, most importantly, is who this movie is made for. So instead of a normal review, I'm gonna write this...

Dear Kevin,

        Thank you. Thank you for making films that me and my friends were able to bond over. But not just films, but two characters that had a little piece of each of us inside of them. Not all those guys are here anymore and that's probably why as I get older these movies take me back to a time when things were just funny. When we would go to the mall and yell about small children being on escalators. When playing ball hockey (Dek) was the most important thing in our lives. Shit. Come to think of it Clerks might be the reason why I enjoy ball hockey as much as I do (we even played a game on my neighbor's garage roof). Anyway, Jay and Silent Bob were, in a way, us. And since not all of us are here it's nice to see that those two still are.

      It has been a pleasure to watch these guys for as long as I have, but this last outing really hit me in the gut. See no longer are we the guys who get stoned, go where the wind takes us, party all night guys; we're dads. And being a dad is, probably (like 99% sure), the funnest thing in the world. So, suffice it to say, the things that the characters of Jay and Holden were saying hit harder than a ton of bricks. That monologue Affleck does is outstanding and couldn't ring any truer. That bit alone is worth its weight in gold. Then to see Jay come full circle like that, well I think I got dirt in my eye at that exact same moment.

    Jay and Silent Bob was more than a great trip down memory lane. It was about growing up, taking responsibility and understanding that the past was fun, but what the future holds might even be better.

    P.S. Jersey Girl is a fantastic movie. Affleck, Carlin, Liv and Raquel Castro give outstanding performances. Never met anyone who watched it and didn't cry 10/10.  Please, just accept it is good.


                                                                                                   Thanks Again

That's it, that's my review of Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, which wasn't a review at all.  But seriously if you have come this far in the View Askew Universe then you owe it to yourself to watch this film.


Rating: 9/10 Stars 




Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1

McBride Hits Another Home Run with The Righteous Gemstones

Well into the second generation of a grand televangelist tradition, the world-famous Gemstone family is living proof that worship pays dividends in all sizes. Patriarch Eli, the man most responsible for the tremendous success of the family's megachurch, is in mourning over the loss of his wife. Jesse, the eldest of the three grown Gemstone siblings, looks to lead in his father's footsteps, but finds his past sins jeopardizing the family ministry. Next in line comes middle sister Judy, who secretly lives with her fiancé and dreams of escaping the Gemstone compound. Rounding out the dysfunctional trio is pseudo-hipster Kelvin, the youngest of the preachers and a thorn in Jesse's side. As the family battles numerous threats to their renowned religious empire, they continue to spread the good word... and make a solid buck doing so.

What if Danny McBride redid East Bound and Down—but this time with Kenny Powers as a pastor? Created by McBride, the series initially seems content to coast on the humor of that premise. But it gradually cracks the cynicism with which it frames its characters and their work, offering poignant glimpses into their inner lives. The Righteous Gemstones is a hilariously compelling and somewhat humanizing study of a preaching family, their faith and the world they strive to proselytize.

McBride has a flair for comic set pieces: the series opens with a very funny scene at a mass baptism in what turns out to be a Chinese wave pool–complete with sirens, flashing lights and a pop soundtrack. McBride's Jesse Gemstone, whose seems to have stepped straight out of the Tammy Faye Bakker era, is a perfect characterization of that time period and nails his character to a tee.

The Righteous Gemstones premiere episode's hour-long length gives it time for proper world-building, teasing out future characters. Both Walton Goggins and Dermot Mulroney appear to be serious scene-chewers for the full season, which IMDb suggests will be an 8 episode run.

The Righteous Gemstones can be seen every Sunday at 10pm on HBO.



 

The Dead Don't Die Is a Poor Man's Plan 9 [Review]

When you hear that a zombie movie is being made and it will star Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover and a plethora of other heavies from Hollywood you can't help but to get a little excited. But then you notice Tom Waits is involved and the writer/director is Jim Jarmusch... Okay, lets still see how this plays out, because on paper this looks like it could be really good.

Yep..... Looks. Good. On. Paper. The famous last words of every person who has ever made a poor decision.

The Dead Don't Die synopsis reads as follows: In the sleepy small town of Centerville, something is not quite right. The moon hangs large and low in the sky, the hours of daylight are becoming unpredictable, and animals are beginning to exhibit unusual behaviors. News reports are scary, and scientists are concerned, but no one foresees the strangest and most dangerous repercussion that will soon start plaguing Centerville: the dead rise from their graves and feast on the living, and the citizens must battle to survive. I know, sounds pretty cool, Right? But IT'S A TRAP.

I'm going to assume that you (the reader) are familiar with a small movie called Plan 9 From Outer Space, it's probably the greatest worst movie ever made by director Ed Wood. See Ed genuinely thought he was making a great horror/sci-fi picture, but the end result was a debatable failure. Ed didn't set out to make a bad movie it just happened, but because of his passion for the material the film actually comes across quite enjoyably. Now 57 years later we have Jim Jarmusch who is doing exactly the same thing, just with a bigger budget, but is missing the one key ingredient that made Plan 9 actually work, a genuine love and respect of the material.

Jarmusch doesn't care for zombie movies, which he has stated many times, he just wanted to do a goofy movie with people he knew and liked. That's fine and had the movie been just that it might have been decent. It is when he goes on to beat you over the head with social and economical themes that he straight lifted from George Romero is where it goes off the rails.The difference being Jarmusch lacks the nuances that made Romero great at telling a story about zombies while weaving in commentary on society as a whole.  

Yes there are many nods to Romero and enough social commentary jokes to fill a stadium but the whole thing lacks any structure. There is no rhyme or reason to the movie and the lost plotlines and characters can only be construed as a shitty riff on Plan 9 (which up to this point in time I'd of thought impossible).

There is more frustration than entertainment here. The brief glimpses as to what could have been are fleeting and only make the movie that much worse.



Rating: 4/10 STARS

   

Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1

Baywatch Drowns Due to Lack of Identity [Review]

Many a movie have sprung from the television series of past to become successful one offs or outright franchises. From the 21 Jump Street franchise to The Adams Family the formula of making old new again never seems to fail. But those two, and a handful of others, knew how to approach the source material. Either you play it straight all the way through or you send-it-up for its ludicrous plot and over-the-top stories. Both ways work when done properly and Baywatch would have too if it would have just picked a side of the fence to land on.

Baywatch, unlike the previous mentioned films, doesn't know what it wants to do. It spends half its runtime trying to play it funny like Starsky and Hutch and the other half dead serious like Bad Boys. It's this identity split that makes the movie very distracting and makes you ponder why you decided to watch this and not Wonder Woman.

The cast, for the most part, is pretty good. There are a few exceptions though, but the most glaring is Priyanka Chopra. She phones in a performance that would only work on a daytime soap opera. She is a unsuccessful villain to say the least. However, The Rock and Zack Efron have pretty good chemistry on screen and had this been a straight-up buddy movie this would have worked extremely well,  but their talent cannot over come the lack of direction the movie has as a whole.

The most off putting thing though about the whole movie is its odd nods to the series. From the slow-mo running to the brief cameos it makes no sense as to why they would do that in one scene then try and play it straight the next.

If you liked Baywatch the series then go rewatch those episodes because there is nothing here that you will enjoy. And if you are in the mood for a funny rehash of an older TV show then watch CHIPS. Seriously, it's funny and better than this failed attempt at a movie.


Rating: 5/10 Stars



Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1

Yoga Hosers Is Stupid Good Fun [Review]

I get it, Kevin Smith isn't for everyone and even I can admit that Tusk falls apart in the third act, but when he does his brand of comedy it works. That's what Yoga Hosers is, a mashup of Kevin Smith classics mixed with Ghoules 2 and some Puppet Master for good measure.

Set in the Great White North of Canada, YOGA HOSERS tells the story of Colleen Collette and Colleen McKenzie - two teenage besties from Winnipeg who spend their lives doing Yoga with their faces in their phones, 'Liking' or 'Not Liking' the real world around them. But when these Sophomore girls are invited to a Senior party by the school hottie, the Colleens accidentally uncover an ancient evil, long buried beneath the Manitoba earth.

There are quite a few standouts in the movie but most notably would be Harley and Lilly-Rose who do an excellent job carrying the film, both girls hit their assigned marks and come off as seasoned acting vets. Depp is just doing what Depp does and even as odd as his character is he still gives an awesome performance. Even Ralph Garman (the man does a good Stallone and West) delivers for the short time he is on screen.

The FX are pretty decent for the budget. The Bratzis, however, actually turned out very well and make for some of the better scenes in the movie. The Goalie Golem is cool as well, it has a early 90's comic book vibe akin to the Jason vs Leatherface series cover art (Topps put them out). 

I'm not sure what else I could say about the movie. It has a few flaws and is clearly geared towards a younger generation, but with cameos from Stan Lee and the real Batman (Kevin Conroy) there is enough to hold the attention of any viewer... Especially if they are a Kevin Smith fan. Kids will enjoy it and it makes for a good intro to horror for the younger crowd and a doorway for those younger fans to explore some of Smith's finer works.


Rating: 6.5/10 Stars




Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1

Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!! [Review]

Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!! takes us back to August 1980 and plays out over a three-day period. Beginning with the arrival of Jake (Blake Jenner) to the first day of classes. We follow Jake as he arrives on a baseball scholarship to meet his teammates, prep for the start of term, and get ready for the inevitable step-up from high school.

Like most Linklater films the plot is incidental because it's all about the journey, we are merely hanging out with these characters for a weekend in their lives.Time is mostly spent following them about as they head to clubs, throw a wild party, engage in endless competitions, bicker, and attempt to hit on any woman that comes within range, all before term has even commenced. On the surface this is a formulaic collegiate sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll rites of passage tale, but Linklater infuses depth and nuance into the exploits of young people in this brief moment of time.

The cast for Everybody Wants Some!! is spectacular right down to the bit roles. Finn (Glenn Powell) is the senior who takes the role of learned guide with a nice twist in self-deprecation, Willoughby (Wyatt Russell) is a blond haired pot head philosopher who dispenses pearls of wisdom to his impressionable protégées whilst passing round the pipe, Billy 'Beuter' Awtry (Will Brittain) is the homesick cowboy missing his love, Jay (Juston Street) may be on the verge of being signed up by a major league team or may simply be a neurotic narcissist with anger management issues and Beverly (Zoey Deutch) is the theatre girl who has a future on stage and, most likely, with Jake. 

Everybody Wants Some!! may be billed as a spiritual sequel to Dazed and Confused, but it feels more like a genuine followup to a classic film. It's that next step, that moment in time when you thought you knew who you were but really had no idea. Who you though you were at 17 is not the person you will be at 22 and Linklater captures that essence in a bottle, films it and puts it on the screen for all to see.



Rating: 8.5/10 Stars 



Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1

The Nice Guys Makes Moviegoing Fun Again [Review]

Shane Black can do no wrong, (he gets a pass on Iron Man 3) he is responsible for some of the best films of the past three decades. From Monster Squad to the Lethal Weapon franchise he has hit countless home runs penning scripts and has a unique flare behind the camera as well. Black's latest outing with The Nice Guys shows that he is more on point than ever and can make a genuinely fun movie going experience.

The Nice Guys unfolds in 1970s Los Angeles, when down-on-his-luck private eye Holland March (Gosling) and hired enforcer Jackson Healy (Crowe) become the unlikeliest of partners.  Working together, they have to find a missing girl who seems to have a target on her back.  And is her case related to the violent death of porn star Misty Mountain in a car crash?  During their investigation, March and Healy begin to uncover a shocking conspiracy that reaches up to the highest circles of power…and just might get them both killed.

Crowe and Gosling are the stars here, but it is the supporting cast that really adds to the atmosphere of this cinematic beauty. Angourie Rice in the role of Holly, Goslings on-screen daughter, is just one of the outstanding performances that bring this piece to life. With other roles filled out by the amazing Keith David and the fantastic Matt Bomer, this film becomes more than a buddy comedy; it becomes a, pure as the drive snow, work of art.

The Nice Guys is what the cinema has been missing for a few years now. That mid level movie that doesn't involve superheros, zombies or some over hyped book series turned picture. This is an original piece with an original idea and it blows the doors off of everything else that is hitting the theaters right now. The Nice Guys proves that a good script and a great cast will always be more entertaining than anything, even in the days of IMAX 3D and superheroes.


Rating: 10/10 Stars 




Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1

Skating to New York the Canadian Stand by Me [Review]

Coming-of-age stories are a staple in film and literature. They show the growth that every human goes through at one point in their life, just on a much grander scale. Often many go by the wayside as they are pale imitations of far better iterations ( Stand by Me, Goonies, Dazed and Confused), but every now and then someone pulls through and puts their mark on the genre.

Skating to New York is the story of 5 Canadian boys who decide to skate across Lake Ontario on one of the coldest days of the year. The boys are not just friends, but also the local hockey team and in Canada hockey isn't just a game; it's a way of life.

The hockey aspect of the movie is what separates it from the others and provides the overall narrative that drives the story. Hockey has placed one of the kids in a situation where he must perform or get beat on by his father, another sees his family torn apart. Add to this that the kids really do enjoy the sport and hope to get scouted, then you have another level of pressure. It this pressure from all sides that causes the kids to bust out and do something solely for themselves; skate to NY state.

like its American counterpart, the gang is thrown into all types of situation: from jumping breaks in the ice, to dealing with cigarette smugglers the kids face many trials on their trip. Most amusingly though is a nod to Stand by Me with a pair of pants frozen in the ice, which could possibly be a dead body.

The movie has a great cast and each role is played perfectly, but the highest marks go to Wesley Morgan as Rudy, the mastermind behind the adventure. Young actors who deliver believable performances are hard to come by, but this group knocks it out of the park.

After the cast, the second best thing about Skate to New York is the cinematography with its beautiful landscape shots. Director Charles Minsky is a veteran cinematographer with a lengthy list of credits including Pretty Woman, Dutch and You, Me and Dupree. Minsky uses his honed set of skills to deliver a very vibrant movie, even though its set on a frozen tundra.

If you are a fan of hockey, ice skating or movies that tell a genuinely good story then there is no reason to not check out Skate to New York.



Rating: 7/10 Stars




Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Funnier Than the First [Review]

Life is good for Mac Radner (Seth Rogen) and pregnant wife Kelly (Rose Byrne) until the unruly sisters of Kappa Nu move in next door. As the loud parties threaten the sale of their home, the couple turn to ex-neighbor and one-time enemy Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) for help. Now united with the former college student, the trio devises schemes to get the wild sorority off the block. Unfortunately, the rebellious young women refuse to go down without a fight.

Unlike the first film, Neighbors 2 is more of a 'girl power' movie than just a straight up rehash of its predecessor. The setup may be the same but it's the context that matters. This time the house isn't occupied by guys who just keep screwing up, but instead girls who never had the chance to screw up and that is where the heart of this movie lies.

Rogan and Byrne had great chemistry in part one and now that chemistry carries over and is doubled with this installment. However, it's Jimmy (Ike Barinholtz) as the middling soon-to-be father that delivers a good portion of the laughs. But over the course of the movie you get the sense that its more of a coming-of-age story for Teddy (Zac Efron), even though he years late.  Chloe Grace Moretz, again, delivers an oddly funny performance similar to that of Hitgirl in the Kickass series.

If you enjoyed the first movie then there is no way you won't enjoy this one, now if you didn't care for the first then this one will completely redeem that first entry.



Rating: 8.5/10 Stars



Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1




  

Angry Birds Movie Is Awesome Fun [Review]

The flightless birds of Bird Island lead a mostly happy existence, except for Red (Jason Sudeikis), who just can't get past the daily annoyances of life. His temperament leads him to anger management class, where he meets fellow misfits Chuck (Josh Gad) and Bomb (Danny McBride). Red becomes even more agitated when his feathered brethren welcome green pigs and their leader, Leonard (Bill Hader), to their island paradise. In an attempt to convince the birds that the pigs are up to no good, Red, Chuck and Bomb head up the mountain to find Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage). But while out of the town the Pigs take off with all the eggs. Now it's up to Red, Chuck and Bomb to lead the birds in a fight for their eggs.

The Angry Birds Movie is one of those rare games that really doesn't have a set storyline other than birds attack pigs because they stole their eggs. This in turn gives the movie free range on what to do with their characters and, at the same time, causes no outcry from fans because the story was the same as the game. This is why Angry Birds works, its an origin story for a game that has been around since 2009. Even if you never played the game or know nothing about it, you are still on the same page as everyone else. The only upside to playing the game before seeing the movie is the little nods to different levels and character's special abilities.

The entire cast delivers with high marks going to Danny McBride, Gosh Gadd, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis and to Keegan-Michael Key as Judge Peckinpah, a Owl who stands on another bird's shoulders to appear taller and is the town judge.

If you enjoy jokes that you'll get but not the kids, nods to X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Shinning; then this is one you don't want to miss. The kids will have a blast and you will too.



 Rating: 9/10 Stars





Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1

Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland [Review]

When Blue Mountain State was canceled by Spike I assumed that I would never see the Goat House again but with the help of the internet, and four years time, we finally have our chance to return to one of the best series to run on television.

BMS: The Rise of Thadland picks up with Thad (Alan Ritchson) who has indeed gone pro and was the number one draft pick over all (with a 50 million dollar signing bonus). He spends his money on zoos, guns and anything else that pops into his head. But back at BMS Alex (Darin Brooks) and Sammy (Chris Romano) are preparing to live up their senior year when the new Dean breaks the news that the Goat House is being shut down and sold. With Alex's senior year in jeopardy, he decides to contact the only person he knows who has money and is dumb enough to buy the Goat House...Thad Castle. But there is a catch, Alex must throw a very specific party that caters to Thad's whimsical nature. Then and only then will he buy the Goat House.

First and foremost Alan Ritchson (Thad) steals the show. With the constraints of television no longer an issue, Ritchson is allowed to release an uncensored version of Thad that is funnier than what is seen on the series. However the movie is still balanced enough to let Darian Brooks (Alex), Rob Ramsay (Donnie), James Cade (Harmon) and newcomer Jimmy Tatro (Dick Dawg) breakout comedic gold in some of the funniest scenes imaginable. Even though Tatro is new to the gang he plays Thad's cousin perfectly, even mimicking the same lisp Thad had years ago.

The only downside of the movie, compared to the series, is the lack of Football and Coach Daniels (Ed Marinaro). One of the things the show did exceptionally well was balance the off field story with the on field one and Coach Daniels was the link that tied it all together. Marinaro does appear throughout the movie but his role is greatly diminished from the series. I understand that squeezing a series into a feature movie isn't easy, but sacrificing Coach Daniels' storyline didn't feel right.

With that said the movie still works and does what it was designed to do; make you laugh. If you're a fan of the series then you are going to have a good time because this was made specifically for you. If you're not a fan of the series, then what the hell you reading this for? Go watch the series and comeback, everyone else mix up your mojitos and get ready for some a slooty good time. 



Rating: 7.5/10 Stars     



Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1

Lazer Team Hits The Funny Bullseye [Review]

Rooster Teeth is the Youtube production company behind Lazer Team, the first feature movie released under the Youtube Red banner. The movie collected a record-breaking $2.4M on Indiegogo two years ago to become one of the top crowd-sourcing funds ever.

When the king Antareans warn mankind of an impending alien attack, Earth trains Adam (Alan Ritchson) from birth to be our defender. The Antareans send down a power suit Adam is supposed to wear to fight the Worg, but the suit doesn't make it to Adam. Instead, inept cop Hagan (Burnie Burns), cocky jock Zach (Michael Jones), stoner Woody (Gavin Free) and has-been athlete Herman (Colton Dunn) discover the suit. They each pick one of the four parts, and become genetically linked to the armor, so now Adam has only a few days to train these losers to be the Lazer Team.

Casting for this movie is excellent and everyone gives a great performance but Colton Dunn and Alan Ritchson are the scene stealers of the movie. Dunn has a unique way of delivering even the most mundane dialogue and making it funny. His delivery coupled with his acting makes for the funniest moments in the movie. Ritchson, who we are use to seeing play a halfwit in comedies, shows that he can do the smart character just as well. Surprisingly he doesn't deliver any comedic lines in the movie, in a full turn he ends up showing off his dramatic skills and shines bright in the most emotional scene of the movie.

The visual effects are another standout of Lazer Team. On both the practical and digital fronts they made every dollar count and it shows. Probably the best effect in the movie is the practical battle-beast Worg that they face in the final battle. 

Lazer Team is exactly what it was meant to be, an action filled sci-fi comedy that brings out the best in all genres and molds them into one decent movie. If you just want to laugh and be entertained, then this is one of those movies for you.


7.5/10 Stars 




Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1


  

Tangerine Is A Good Movie... Theoretically [Review]

In theory Tangerine sounds like an amazing movie. A movie about two transvestite prostitute working the streets of L.A., one with dreams of becoming a singer; the other just wants to be love by her boyfriend. Entirely shot on an iPhone and weaved together with micro-stories by way of a cab driver, who is also one or the prostitutes customers, and you have yourself a "mainstream art house flick". Well, in theory yes but when you actually get to it, it comes of as a moderate, run-of-the-mill movie.

The thing is, this movie wanted very badly to be akin to Larry Clark's Kids (1995), Jonas Akerlund's Spun (2002) and to an extent Doug Liman's GO (1999). But the tone that is hit in those movies is never quite captured by Tangerine.  Sure, Tangerine has humor like the others but it is missing that "grit" that made the aforementioned films memorable and impactful.

There are two things that hurt the film the most, one is the lackluster dialogue and the other is a miscast lead. The dialogue is weird, some scenes are just painful to the ear but then you'll get a golden nugget from Clu Gulager giving an amazing monologue about how he got his name at birth. The leads are a different story, Mya Taylor plays Alexandra who performs pretty well. She hits all the marks, has some pretty funny scenes but most importantly can act believably. Now Kitana Kiki Rodriguez (Sin-Dee), on the other hand, is very rough around the edges and stumbles over the dialogue throughout the movie. Even her physical acting is clumsy, especially when she finds the woman who her boyfriend has been cheating on her with. (I think the part would have been better suited for John Leguizamo and if you have ever seen To Wong Foo; you know why).  

Visually Sean Baker did an amazing job shooting with the iPhone. He probably could have gotten better results had he went with a DSLR, but shooting a feature on an iPhone tends to create a little more buzz than traditional means, but what ever the reasoning; he pulled it off nicely.  Also the audio is very crisp and clear. It is very apparent that even though it was shot with an iPhone the audio was recorded using quality sound equipment.

Even though the dialogue is harsh, the movie does have a solid beginning, middle and end. It might not be the greatest story ever told, but it does tell a story none the less.

This is a hard one to call, production wise this is a decently crafted movie. The editing, cinematography and audio are on point. Yet the acting and dialogue leave much to be desired. I'd say it is worth a Netflix watch because of these two things: Clu's monologue; the man shows that at 88 years old he can still captivate an audience with nothing more than a monologue and a extended cameo.  The other, I would like to see Baker get the chance to make a movie that is on par with Kids, Go and Spun. He shows the potential is there, it just needs to be refined a bit more.


Rating: 5/10 Stars



Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1




 

Shane Dawson's Not Cool From The Chair [Review]

This review is a bit complicated, I not only want to review the movie that Shane Dawson directed, but also give a brief overview of the show that led me to the movie The Chair, plus my thoughts on how Zachary Quinto represented Pittsburgh. Please bear with me and try to follow along, but if I lose you the review of the movie is at the bottom in green and you can skip to that.

The Chair was a show that just aired on Starz and was the creation of Chris Moore (he's a super producer) that pitted two film makers against each other by giving them the exact same script and seeing how each makes it their own. Brought on to help produce the show and each film was Zachary Quinto, Cory Moosa and Josh Shader. The entire show and each film were shot in my home town of Pittsburgh PA (another reason I really enjoyed the journey). Through 9 episodes we follow each crew on their journey to make their movie and on the 10th episode we are shown who's movie performed the best.

The Chair was a great show from a teaching stand point, but did paint the two directors in a very unfavorable light. Through out the course of the show your lead to believe that one is a "real" film maker and the other is just a guy who makes Youtube videos. Yet this underlying tone doesn't really hit you until Zachary Quinto flat out calls Shane Dawson's movie a waste of money and that he was so offended that he was pulling his name from the movie.

Here is where I take a quick detour... Zachary Quinto is a great actor and Pittsburgh native, hence the reason of the show taking place in the Burgh, when he made the statement of the film being so bad I knew I had to see 'Not Cool' because Pittsburghers aren't ever wrong. Now imagine my surprise when I watched Not Cool and it's everything BUT a horrible film.

 Mr.Quinto was the face of Pittsburgh, whether he likes it or not, on the show and to say the things he said about Shane Dawson's movie not only makes it look like we as a city have no sense of humor, but you trashed a kid who made a decent flick just because you don't "like" raunchy comedy. Someone in your position should show some tact and still support the film you helped make. But the motive for Mr. Quinto's outspoken detachment from the film are a lot less nobel than you would think. The other director on the film had ties to Quinto prior to the show and is the reason why she was even considered for the show. It wasn't Quinto making a personal stand, it was the schoolyard mentality of "my friend is better than you". I applaud Moore and Moosa for standing by the project...Now back to the actual review.

Not Cool is a movie that follows the character of Scott (Shane Dawson) over the course of Thanksgiving break when he returns home from college. Upon his return he is quickly dumped by his girlfriend and left to wallow alone over the holiday break....or so he thought.

What really sells the overall story of the movie is the cast. Each actor really brings a sense of believability to their roles. Having never heard of Shane Dawson prior to The Chair and this film, I wasn't expecting the performance he delivered. His comedic beats were on time, but his ability to deliver during the dramatic scenes is what really brings it home. His costar Cherami Leigh delivers a very memorable performance akin to Rachael Leigh Cook's performance in She's All That, but what really pulls you into the film is the B story of Joel (Drew Monson) and Janie (Michelle Veintimilla). Monson plays the socially awkward, love struck, dorky character to a T and Veintimilla is perfect as the drop dead  gorgeous sister of Scott who is far smarter than the "friends" she surrounds herself with. The stars aligned for Dawson on this project when it came to casting.

The cinematography of the movie is very sharp, Frank Paladino did a great job of shooting this and painting the city of Pittsburgh in a beautiful light. One scene that stands out to me takes place in Heinz Field and if you were to walk in on just that scene you would believe this was a Fault in our Stars type drama. Again hats of to this man.

There is nothing offensive at all in the film, it is very humorous with the right beats of dramatic elements to balance. One of the funniest elements comes from Dawson who plays the popular girl
and does this funny over the top valley girl who loves to party. Not Cool is in the same vein as American Pie, Can't Hardly Wait, Premature and a slew of Nation Lampoon's type movies. If you liked any of those, then without a doubt you will enjoy this.

Rating on this one is 7.5/10 stars, it's a solid rental and a buy if you enjoy humor.