Miles Teller (Whiplash, Bleed for This) is an actor that I find myself liking more and more with each passing role. Since arriving on the scene in 2010 with memorable roles in Rabbit Hole and the well-made remake of Footloose, Teller has starred in the forgettable 21 and Over, Two Night Stand, and That Awkward Moment. Furthermore, his time has been consumed with the Veronica Roth Divergent / Insurgent / Allegiant franchise, a series that fell way short of the fantastic Hunger Games franchise as well as the lesser The Maze Runner series. Now, I’m not going to knock a guy for picking movies that are going to bring him a hefty paycheck, especially if there’s part of me that believes he’s doing it so that he can take lesser money in independent movies that can showcase his skill, evoke emotion, and that I can enjoy. Nonetheless, these three movies probably took the better part of a year and a half to make (just guessing). It’s something I think about when an actor that I really like does reoccurring roles in movies that I really don’t like. Now I’m not saying that Teller is Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Ryan Gosling, or Emma Stone, but still. Also, for as much love as The Spectacular Now got both with critics, I was not a fan at all. And mostly, it was because of him. As much as I’m starting to like I’m, I don’t see him as A) a leading man or B) a heartthrob. And I thought his character was a complete douche in The Spectacular Now because he was a douche. They made his character out to be this big player, and it just didn’t work for me. Now with that said, I absolutely would see this movie again. I have a different take on Teller than when The Spectacular Now came out five years ago. Of course, everyone knows about Whiplash and the incredible counter-performance he gave to J.K. Simmons, the eventual Oscar-winning Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role that year. But, he has also impressed with Bleed for This (a pretty good movie with a pretty good performance that was overshadowed by the breadth of amazing boxing movies that have been made over the years), Only the Brave and, now, Jason Hall’s (screenwriter for American Sniper) directorial debut Thank You For Your Service.
Continue reading Thank You For Your Service (2017)
Category Archives: Amy Schumer
Trainwreck (2015)
I’d say that there is a pretty darn good chance that Trainwreck will go down as the funniest movie of 2015. There doesn’t appear to be a ton of comedies this year, and the one that I was most excited for (Vacation) looks like it’s going to be a dud. Usually, the great comedies of the year are released before September 1st. I have no evidence that backs up this claim, but it seems like the good movies reserved for the later portions of the year are the Oscar contenders. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t comedies released in October, November, and December, but it seems like there are average more often than not. I guess what I am implying here is that the funniest movies of the year have probably already been released and that Trainwreck seems to be the most amusing of that group. I often mention in my movie blog of the year 2010, which, I believe, is the best movie year in my lifetime. However, there wasn’t that one hilarious comedy you remember from that year. For me, the funniest movie that year was Get Him to the Greek, but that movie had nothing on Trainwreck. Had it been released in 2010, Trainwreck would have made the year that much better.
Continue reading Trainwreck (2015)