Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Screenwriter Christy Hall makes her directorial debut with Daddio, a script she originally conceived of as a stage play. That theatrical quality is evident in the film, an emotionally rich two-character study that takes place in near real time. Featuring stellar performances from Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn, Daddio is the sort of understated but affecting drama that often gets lost in the summer blockbuster shuffle but deserves to be seen.
Ben Stiller, directing his first feature since 2008’s very funny Tropic Thunder, hasn’t made a great film with The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, but it’s a very pleasant diversion with a few genuine laughs, a sweet storyline, and some spectacular cinematography. Stiller’s film is the first to try to adapt James Thurber’s classic 1939 New Yorker short story of the same name since the 1947 Danny Kaye version. Here, though, working from a script by Steve Conrad (who also wrote the generally well-received The Pursuit of Happyness), Stiller doesn’t try to faithfully adapt the story so much as use elements of it to create an updated, brand new version. Continue reading “Film Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
The 36th Mill Valley Film Festival opens this Thursday, October 3, and runs until Sunday, October 13. The Festival is featuring early views of some hotly anticipated fall films, including August: Osage County, Nebraska (opening night film), Dallas Buyers Club, 12 Years a Slave, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, among others. Here at Spinning Platters, though, we thought we’d spotlight some of the lower profile films that may not be getting as much attention. Full schedule, tickets, and more information available at: http://mvff.com
starring: Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Anthony Mackie, Robert Patrick, Michael Peña, Mireille Enos, Giovanni Ribisi
screenplay: Will Beall
directed by: Ruben Fleischer
MPAA: Rated R for strong violence and language
starring: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn, Hunter McCracken, Laramie Eppler, Tye Sheridan, Fiona Shaw
written and directed by: Terrence Malick
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some thematic material.