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meeza

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812 reviews in total

As I entered into "The Internship", I expected a popcorn entertainment summer comedy that was very comedic at times, but with a formulaic narrative plot; and that is what exactly I got from this internship. The film stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as Billy McMahon and Nick Campbell, two best buddies salesmen who abruptly get laid off from their marketing gigs due to a company shutdown. Nick goes the safe way by getting a job as a sales rep at his brother-in-law's mattress store. However, Billy feels like another dead-end job will lead him to an externship of financial limitations, so he gets all googled up and comes across an opportunity for him and his pal Nick by signing up into Google's internship program. Where did Billy find this opportunity? Where do you think? Anyways, Billy convinces Nick to get out of his mattress gig and join him at Googleland in San Francisco. Google's internship program is comprised of intern teams who must compete with one another in various competitions to demonstrate efficiency, teamwork, technological savvy, customer service, application development, and more. Whichever team wins, gets fulltime jobs at Google. Sign me up!!! Billy and Nick, being in their mid-40's, are in the minority age-wised in the program because all of the other interns are straight-out-of- college youngsters in their early 20's. Billy and Nick team up with three other youngsters; the smartphone obsessive Stuart, the chirpy Neha, the mama's boy Yo-Yo Santos, and the Google young employee Lyle which facilitates the team and admires the vivacious street-smart demeanors of Billy & Nick. There is also a prototype villain in the storyline which would be the self-centered Graham Hawtrey, a college grad who is always logged on in developing mischievous ways to humiliate and beat out the competition, most notably Billy and Nick. Rose Byrne also comes into the picture portraying Dana, a workaholic Google executive who Nick wants to match.com I mean match up with romantically. Shawn Levy directed "The Internship" more in line with the work of an intern; should not be expecting magnificent results but very worthy of its effort. There were numerous laugh-out-load moments in the movie, so credit goes to Vaughn and Jared Stern's screenplay for those "good job" pluses of "The Internship"; but when it came to the "innovative plot development" task, I must say that Scribe Team Vaughnstern were not in line for a promotion. Nevertheless, kudos to Jared and Vince for the comedic portion of the screenplay. Yes, they will get jobs in Hollywood, as if they haven't already, especially V.V. Speaking of Mr. Vaughn, his Vaughnisms definitely fit the role as Billy, so Vince is credited with another positive comedic performance. However, Mr. Wilson's lazy performance as Nick did not have enough gusto, even though his scenes with Billy were beyond satisfactory due to the chemistry that these two crashers continue to have in pictures together. I did "like" the supporting work from Aasif Mandvi as Mr. Chetty, the head of the internship program at Google. I liked it so much that I decided to google Mandvi to see what other movies he has been in; even though the faster route would be to IMDb it. The young actors in the picture held their ground, but I would not recommend any upward mobility in the acting world for any of them; for now that is. Max Minghella's performance as the villainous Graham Hawtrey was a carbon copy as the one he portrayed in "The Social Network"; kind of like comparing "Instagram" to other sharing-photos social sites. Rose Byrne is a respectable young actress, but I must say that every Rose has its thorn, and for Ms. Byrne it would be her lackluster performance as Dana; even though it was easy on the eyes. "The Internship" should not be minimized by the movie-going public, but then again there is no reason to maximize it as the best comedy of the year. Logging off! For now that is! **** Good

I can probably give you over 21 reasons why the comedy "21 & Over" is a grotesque, unauthentic movie that you should stay away from. But that would mean this would have to be an extended movie review which would increase the chances of not being read thoroughly by you. The film stars Miles Teller as Miller, a slacker-type college dropout who most probably spent too much of his Miller time partying and not concentrating on his studies. Skylar Astin co-stars as Casey, Miller's preppy high school best buddy who reunites with Miller so they could take out their other high school compadre Jeff Chang (played by Justin Chon) for a liquorish, hard-partying night on the town to celebrate his liquor legalization into the world; in other words to celebrate his 21st birthday. So as Wang Chang, I mean Chung sings about, they want for "everybody to have fun tonight". Jeff Chang (as Miller and Casey call him, instead of the good ol' calling someone by their first name) is in a predicament because the next morning he is scheduled for a very important interview for a pre-med medical employment position set up by his imposing, pressuring dad Dr. Chang. When the night on the town becomes a wild partying romp which causes Jeff Chang to be heavily liquored up, it is up to Miller & Casey to take him back home before Dr. Chang finds out about his son's fiesta time. The big predicament is that Miller & Casey are not aware of Jeff Chang's address so they go on this wild goose chase to locate a gorgeous sorority female friend of Chang named Nicole in order to obtain his address, and also Casey has his own personal reasons to chase down the hottie Nicole. Are you still with me? Anyways, Jon Lucas & Scott Moore who both wrote and directed (it really took two people to develop this crap) "21 & Over" have developed an unoriginal, lame movie which has the same formulaic features as most of the teen partying movies in the past. So just because it's "21 and Over" it does not mean it gives it a legalization credence. While he was handed a farcical screenplay, I must say what saved this film from ultimate disaster was the fast-talking charismatic performance of Miles Teller. However, I cannot say the same for the robotic acting effort of Skylar Astin as Casey, and the over-the-top work of Justin Chon as Jeff Chang (try to say that 20 times without stuttering). Even though it was healthy for the eyes to look at, Sarah Wright's performance as Nicole was lifeless and stereotypical in this type of genre. Lucas & Moore's screenplay was so awful that I think someone 12 & Under could have written up a better scribe of "21 & Over". Teller's performance is the sole reason I would even consider a marginal recommendation of this movie, but even that is not enough to card you at the door to enter the silly world of "21 & Over". *** Average

I decided to see "The Place Beyond the Pines" in a Broward County Theatre because it had to be in a place beyond the Pembroke Pines. OK, some of you who unbelievably are still reading this, and are not from South Florida are totally lost. No worries but please keep reading. "The Place Beyond the Pines" is a strong picture that is brilliantly directed by Derek Cianfrance. The movie is set in three different acts. The first one features Ryan Gosling as Luke, a motorcycle stunt rider who discovers that he is a father due to a past fling he had with Romina played by Eva Mendes. Romina visits Luke in a stunt show he was performing in her town, and consequently Romina's mother informs Luke "I am your father!!!", I mean "You are a father". Luke, delighted that he is a dad, desperately tries to obtain funds to support his son. The problem is that Romina is with someone else, an African American named Kofi; and from the looks of it she is not willing to take a Kofi break. Nevertheless, Romina is still attracted to Luke. In a desperate state, Luke decides to go into the line of bank robbery, inspired by the idea from his new friend Robin Hood; kidding, just Robin. So then Batman decides to enter the pines. OK, refocus!! I mean Luke and Robin start robbing a few banks. Luke does the gritty work in the bank and rides off in his motorbike, while Robin waits for him in his getaway truck. The second act of the picture focuses on Avery; a police officer that had a heavy hand in an incident with Luke. Avery is portrayed by Bradley Cooper, who in this playbook portrays Avery as a decent family man, but at the same time takes advantage of a dire situation to move up from rookie cop to elected official. The third act of the "The Place Beyond the Pines" fixates on both Luke & Avery's teenage sons, Jason & A.J. To divulge into that act, would be a committing an excruciating act of cinematic spoiler; which would put me in a place beyond the movie crime with many of you, so I will hold off. The third act of the movie is not as powerful and authentic as the first two; and was way too coincidental for my taste, but it did not detract too much from the film's effectiveness. Cianfrance excelled in his craftsmanship of "The Place Beyond the Pines", and I hope it's not forgotten in the place of the academy minds in next year's Oscars. The screen writing team of Ben Coccio, Darius Marder, and Cianfrance delivered a strong script not so much in dialogue, but in storytelling. Gosling was brilliant again, and continues to demonstrate that he is one of the best actors working in today's motion picture industry. Cooper was steady with his work as Avery, and yet delivers another good performance that demonstrates his acting range. Eva Mendes' whopper of a performance as Romina was the most surprising part of this picture; not to degrade Mendes, but I have never been impressed with her filmography in the past; but without a doubt, her Romina conquers all her past work. There was also a place for effective supporting turns in "The Place Beyond the Pines" from Ben Mendelsohn as Robin, which I must say Mendelsohn continues to perfect the character of a creepy hoodlum lowlife in yet another movie; and from Ray Liotta as a crooked cop. I think you should place a viewing of "The Place Beyond the Pines" in your daily itinerary, and I promise you that you will be in a pleased place. ***** Excellent

I wonder if stoners would love the Wonderstone better. Because I sure did not see the movie magic in the comedy "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone". The movie stars Steve Carell as the title character. Burt is a longtime Vegas magician along with his partner in "hocus pocus" crime Anton Marvelton, portrayed by Steve Buscemi. Wonderstone is no doubt a talented magician, alongside Marvelton; however Burt's prima- donna behavior reappears way too often, and causes for many of his closest to wish Burt would just disappear; including Anton himself. Wonderstone gets Austin Powerish in lust for his beautiful assistant Jane, even though he calls her Nicole. Jane, I mean Nicole, I mean Jane is played by the "easy on the eyes" actress Olivia Wilde. Wilde thang!!! You make my heart sing!! Anyways, Burt & Anton's magic show starts to be mechanical instead of evolving, and it causes the crowds to gradually disappear as audiences start diminishing. The new hot magic man on the Vegas scene is Steve Gray, who mimics the real life outrageous modern magician Chris Angel. Gray is also a mind freak and does outlandish acts like holding his urine for days, smashing his head with tools, and other odd & gruesome acts. Gray's character is played by none other than Jim Carrey. James Gandolfini also co-stars in the picture as Doug Munny, the arrogant Vegas hotel owner who was the one that gave Burt & Anton their start at his Bally's hotel, but now runs impatient after observing zero novelty in Burt & Anton's magic routines. Down and out of his luck, Burt seeks assistance from legendary magician Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin), who Burt used to idolize as a child. Don Scardino left numerous non- healing scars in his lazy direction of the picture. Like Burt and Anton's repetitive acts, Scardino too suffered from a case of mono, as in monotonous. Even though I do give him some credit for his orchestration of the shocking Steve Gray scenes, and the way he incorporated Vegas in the picture as a love letter to Vegas entertainment, and to the Vegas Strip itself. But too bad the rest of his direction was missing in action. Or maybe it was that he was handed a hackneyed script by Screenwriters Jonathan Goldstein and John Frances Daley. The Steves are sure talents, but this time around they did not have the thespian magic of the past. Carell's performance as Wonderstone was way too annoying, and Buscemi did not marvel with his work here as Marvelton. However, the acting brains of this cinematic operation is no doubt Jim Carrey with his grand performance as Gray; it brought back the magic of vintage Carrey at his comedic apex. Olivia Wilde sure did look great on screen as Jane, but she did not bring any show-stopping acting with her performance. Gandolfini was, let's just say Gandolfini being Gandolfini, with his work as the demanding Munny; unlike his recent money performances in "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Killing Me Softly". "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" is neither incredible nor credible. But if you want to get Carryed away, it's sure worth the mind trip. *** Average

Hello! My name is Richard Roeper. I am a well-renowned film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times for more than 20 years. My film column has garnered numerous awards, including the National Headliner Award as the best column in the country. For eight years, I was the co-host of the nationally syndicated movie review program, "Ebert & Roeper" with Sun- Times legendary film critic the late, great Roger Ebert. I am also the co-host of the "Roe and Roeper Show" on WLS-AM, the most listened-to talk show of any kind in Chicago. I review movies for a nationwide audience on the Reelz Channel and on my website, richardroeper.com. I am now going to review the movie "Identity Thief" which deals…… Wait, wait!!!! I have to confess! I am not Richard Roeper. I am just a slightly deranged, pun-loving pseudo film critic named Meeza. And yes, I did steal Mr. Roeper's identity to start up my review of "Identity Theft", so sue me, or better sue him because he has more money than me. Anyways, in the comedy "Identity Thief" there is no identity hidden whatsoever, it's pretty much what it is. The movie stars Jason Bateman as Sandy Patterson, a Denver account executive and family man who becomes a victim of identity theft. The culprit that caused that would be Diana, an overweight woman from Winter Park, Florida who has stolen more identities than Puff Daddy and Prince combined, or whatever they are called these days. In a state of distraught, Sandy travels from coast to coast to hunt down Diana so she could go back to Denver with him so she can confess her theft crime against him to his boss. However, fat chance that is happening at first when Sandy discovers that Diana is no Lady Diana and is more of a Fiesty Diana. The movie converts into a road trip flick that silly comedies have traveled in too many times. I would not identify Director Seth Gordon as one of the brilliant comedic auteurs of our time with this artificial effort. Sure, the film had its comedic moments but the way too many car chases and slapstick scenarios lost the film its identity as a promising comedy. Moreover, Craig Mazin's asinine screenplay is nowhere close to be identified as one of the worthy scribes of the year. So why did I chuckle at times in this movie? It was because of Melissa McCarthy's humorous performance as Diana, sure she did go over-the-top numerous times, but there was some laugh out Mcarthyism hilarity that made up for it. Bateman was doing as Bateman does; in other words, he caught the bait again of clinging on to a role where he plays the straight man who suddenly is caught up in outrageous situations. Numerous supporting players of "Identity Theft" were fraudulent in the sense that they have identified themselves with better roles in their acting past; and that would include here Amanda Peet as Sandy's wife, Morris Chestnut as a Denver Detective, and Robert Patrick as Skiptracer, a madman chasing Diana for stealing millions from his boss. And then there are the terrible performances from T.I. and Genesis Rodriguez as bounty killers also after Diana; let's say that the genesis, middle, and end of their acting efforts here sure had a "bad rap" to it. The reason why I am not giving "Identity Thief" a failure identity is because of a handful of "laugh-out-loud" moments from McCarthy. But other than that, I think you should not run the risk of being a victim of this foolish movie. OK, that completes my report of "Identity Thief". And by the way, I am sorry for all the puns in this movie review, but being a silly punman is pretty much my identity. *** Average

I practically had a cosmic attack experiencing the David Cronenberg WTF verbally-trippy flick "Cosmopolis". And let's just say that this movie is not worthy of being in the cover of any magazine and that includes Cosmopolitan. To describe "Cosmopolis" would be an exercise in futility or better stated an exercise of stupidity; because that's what the movie was. Not to dis The Cro, because I have always admired how Cronenberg has incorporated existentialism in his films. But in "Cosmopolis", it seemed he tried to hard to make it an avant-guarde experience, when in the end it was too blatant instead of being a subdued cerebral- challenging effort; or maybe he had one too many Cosmopolitans while directing the movie. The movie stars Robert Pattinson as Eric Parker, a young millionaire who has had much success in the numbers game in the market. The movie takes place in a very eventful day for Parker. And much of it takes place in a stretch limo. There are an abundance of characters who one by one enter in & out in Parker's limo and share conversations with him on such topics as the near extinction of the desktop computer to the insecurity of the stock market. Parker is also being hunted down by a psychopath ex-employee, and also receives a daily medical checkup & prostate exam in his limo. Is the future of healthcare for the filthy rich going to be called Limocare? Cronenberg's screenplay within the dialogues of the characters was non-appealing and unauthentic. I don't care how intelligent a person is, people don't talk this way; whether they are in a stretch limo or a taxi cab! Oh by the way, the main goal Parker wants to achieve during this WTF limo ride is to get a haircut. I do have to agree with the good buzz that Pattinson received for his performance. It was very impressive and it salvaged the film from being a complete failure. The great talents that are Paul Giamatti and Juliette Binoche took a thespian ride also in "Cosmopolis", but they were not at their usual "top of their acting game" in this picture. Maybe I just didn't get "Cosmopolis", but even if I did, I don't think it is worth the trippy ride. ** Needs Improvement

My childhood of watching Vanessa Hudgens' Disney movies & shows will never be the same. OK, so there is a blatant lie in that last sentence; not all the acting that Vanessa did as a child was Disney; blink, blink. Nevertheless, Señor Walt Disney is probably rolling in his grave in reacting to Hudgens' looking incredibly sultry and adulterated in Writer-Director Harmony Korine's "Spring Breakers". This movie is not a formulaic t*tty tale of college students jumanjing to the hot spots of spring break partying to unleash their wild side alongside their partners in spring break crime- Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker, Jose Cuervo, Bud Lite, and let's not forgot the rubbery one, Mr. Trojan (he does not have a first name). Instead, Korine has presented us stunning visuals and an inventive semi non-linear narrative in "Spring Breakers". The movie features four longtime female friends all around 19 or 20 years old, and I must mention very attractive (hey, I am a guy, what did you expect?) who are craving for the fun in the sun time that is spring break on the beaches of St. Petersburg, Florida. Ashley Benson and Hudgens play Candy & Brit, the college devilish hotties who are fed up with their mundane university education, and are in need of a desperate break from the books. Rachel Korine is Kotty, the most sexually-loose one of the group (even though it's a "not so tight" I mean "tight" race for that designation) who alongside Candy & Brit is trying to wrestle up some coin for the spring break sexscapade, I mean escapade. And to wrap up the eye-candy quartet, there is Faith played by Selena Gomez; cause I gotta have faith, faith, faith, I gotta have faith; well, I guess it would be nice if I could touch your body…..; sorry the George Michaelnotsoangelo in me got a bit carried away. Anyways, Faith is the religious one (sense her name) who decides to lead herself into temptation by partnering up with her rebellious gal pals into the spring break partying tsunami. The big problem for the gals is that they don't have enough money to go on the trip, so they decide to knock off a chicken restaurant for their spring break budget. After some hard partying in the St. Petersburg party valley, they get arrested in a police raid, and end up in the can with their bikinis on throughout the whole time. How come I never saw that in my field trips to county jails as a kid? Anyways, much to their surprise they get bailed out by Alien (no not the thing that comes out of John Hurt and Noomi Rapace's stomachs). Alien is a drug-dealing gangster who moonlights as an aspiring hip-hop artist. Alien is as wicked and gangster as they come, and also has ulterior motives in why he bails out the Foxtastic Four. James Franco's performance as Alien is, what's the phrase? O yea, far out!!! It is a show-stopping performance that reinforces what a diversified talent Franco is. Hudgens and Gomez might have caused a Disney uproar with their seductive personas in "Spring Break", but in the end, it's not a small world after all, and eventually these Disney girls do have to "wish upon a star" to be big adult stars and that means appealing to other demographics as they age. Both of their performances were very effective, especially Gomez who showed sparks of brilliant thespian talent. Rachel Korine, who should be called Rachel So-Fine, was powerful in her delivery; and the same could be said of Ashley Benson's bravado effort. Korine's screenplay was not all that magnetic, but it was his directorial vision that was the filmmaking spark of "Spring Breakers". However, I don't know if Harmony was in a bad harmony state of mind when he orchestrated the film's very unauthentic and swashbuckling ending; which unfortunately downgraded the film from excellent to good. Nevertheless, "Spring Break" is not just T & A, and shits & giggles; and it is worth baring your bucks to experience. **** Good

I am all in favor of filmmakers taking an innovative approach to tell a story on film. However, when the result is a messy and uneven film, it makes me a bit cinematically psychotic realizing I will never get back those close to two hours of my life. And that is what exactly happened as I experienced Writer-Director Martin McDonagh's "Seven Psychopaths". Here are seven psychotic reactions I endured while watching this atrocious movie. Psychotic Reaction #1- I felt a bit madly unimpressed watching Colin Farrell star as Marty, a struggling screenwriter whose crave for the bottle made him look like the real Colin Farrell himself during his past spirits-fueled party days. Psychotic Reaction #2- Marty's best friend Billy, played modestly by Sam Rockwell, is a vivacious but disturbed dognapper who takes interest in assisting Marty with a screenplay he is writing up ironically called "Seven Psychopaths" by putting an ad in the paper to bring in real psychopaths in order to assist Marty with his writer's block. Consequently, this plays out as a tired and lazy concept which shot blanks in its delivery, and caused me to feel a bit quasi-psychotic. Psychotic Reaction #3- Christopher Walken's supporting performance as Billy's dognapper partner Hans was not in "Walken" distance compared to Christopher's past classic performances. Hans is portrayed as a mummy- like character who mumbles and spills constant gibberish throughout the movie. I felt a bit psychotic in realizing that the great Walken would hit this low. Psychotic Reaction #4- I am a big Woody Harrelson fan since his days in "Cheers", but I think Harrelson has recently had a case of character-stereotype entrapment in his acting by constantly portraying a heartless bastard, as he does here in "Seven Psychopaths" with his over-the-top performance as Charlie, the mafioso who is livid when his shih-tzu Bonny is kidnapped by Billy. By the way, this "Bonny Situation" does not have enough pulp to give it an enticing revenge storyline, and caused some psychotic reactions in my cinematic nervous system. Psychotic Reaction #5- I am a big fan of McDonagh's film "In Bruges", but his screenplay and direction of "Seven Psychopaths" tries to do too much and ends up as a unengaging narrative instead of a witty original piece; and yes, you guessed it, that caused a psychotic reaction in me of profound disappointment in McDonagh's work this time around. Psychotic Reaction #6- As I was watching the movie on DVD in my apartment, the lights went out do to a local blackout; this has nothing to do with the movie, but it did cause a psychotic reaction in me, as I could not see worth a.... Psychotic Reaction #7- The ending of this movie is one of the most unauthentic climaxes I have ever seen on film, and it just made me so mad & psychotic that I got up from my chair and yelled "I am mad as hell and I am not going to take this anymore"; sorry that I got a bit Networkie there. OK, after reading this review, you must think that I am pun-induced psychopathic pseudo film critic. Yes that is true, and what also rings true is that "Seven Psychopaths" should be whacked from your "movies to see" list, if its in there already. ** Needs Improvement

I am no doctor, and I don't play one in TV or in movies for that matter, but I am about to write a cinematic prescription to all movie buffs struggling with the mental illness of CMBD (Cinematic Movie Boredom Disorder)due to the rash of lifeless & dull movies which are released during the first few months of the year. And that would be to enliven yourself to take a dosage of the movie "Side Effects". Steven Soderbergh's directorial swan song "Side Effects" is filled with so many thrilling additives that it just might be Sir Soderbergh's best movie. The film stars Rooney Mara stars as Emily Taylor, who is battling depression after her husband Martin is released from prison. Martin (Channing Tatum)was in the slammer due to insider trading. Emily in a state of disarray tries to commit suicide. Consequently, Emily gets under the care of a psychiatrist. He would be Dr. Jonathan Banks, expertly played by Jude Law. Dr. Banks seeks information on Emily's past by consulting her former psychiatrist, Dr. Victoria Siebert; played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, who does not look like a Young Victoria in this one, but Mrs. Michael Douglas still looks very ravishing on screen. Dr. Banks first prescribes the anti-depressant Zoloft to Emily. However, after taking it for a while, Emily is still in a depressed state. Then Emily informs Dr. Banks about a new anti-depressant drug that a colleague of hers took which helped her get over her depression. Dr. Banks prescribes this drug to Emily and what follows is for you to digest and experience. I will not divulge more information on the plot of "Side Effects" because if I do that would be a gargantuan spoiler for all of you which causes side effects of disappointment, delusion, and anger. Soderbergh captivates us with his cerebral direction of "Side Effects", and if this is his last movie (Steven has stated that he will hang it up as a director),it will have an everlasting effect on Soderbergh fans. However, it is very depressing that Steven will no longer continue to provide us a fare of excellent movies in a variety of genres. Screenwriter Scott Z. Burns lights up "Side Effects" with a clever scribe. Rooney Mara adds another giant performance as Emily to her impressive and developing thespian resume. Jude Law's brilliant work as Dr. Banks is worthy of several sessions during next year's movie awards season. I was also psyched about the supporting performances from Vinessa Shaw as Dr. Banks' wife, and Ann Dowd as Martin's mother. Zeta- Jones was modest but at times her character was inflicted with the stereotype psychiatrist blues, and was not much of an upper. Tatum's work as Martin was not magical but made its impact. I am stimulated to state that "Side Effects" will be one of the best movies of the year, and deserves for you to get on the couch or in a movie theater seat to experience it all. ***** Excellent

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"Smashed" might not have been a smashing success at the box office being a small independent movie, but I have to mention that there is an actress that is smashing her way to elite status, and that would be Mary Elizabeth Winstead. She stars in the film as Kate Hannah, who is married to Charlie Hannah. Kate is an elementary school teacher. Kate & Charlie do not have any kids. However, they have adopted a few liquorish little ones or big ones for that matter in the names of Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker, Jose Cuervo, and a string of other spirited lush-causing agents. In other non-pun wordage, they are both alcoholics. While teaching a class, Kate throws up in front of her students due to a hangover; when her students ask her if she is pregnant, she is caught off-guard with the question, and lies to them and says that she is. Consequently, the entire school's administration and faculty is informed that Kate does have a pun in the oven, I mean bun in the oven, (even though she doesn't); and suddenly Kate is impregnated with a deceitful cover-up situation and has to pretend she is pregnant in her school. The school's Assistant Principal Dave Davies, played by Nick Offerman, did see Kate drinking in the teacher's parking lot the same morning that she spilled her vomiting vocabulary in front of her class. Davies questions Kate on the incident, and Kate does inform him that she was drinking and is not pregnant. Davies is a recovered alcoholic and suggests that she join him in an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting. Kate, seeing that her self- destructive vice is worsening, decides to join Davies in the meeting. There she meets her sponsor Jenny, portrayed by Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer. Once again, Spencer is playing a role where she provides "help" to a white woman. Whether Kate is able to overcome her alcoholism, is one that I will not reveal because I will be spilling the spoiler on you; and if I do, you just might "86" me by not reading any of my future film reviews. As far as Charlie "J. Daniels" Hannah is concerned on his drinking, he just keeps chugging away which does not make things any easier for Kate from abstaining from alcohol when her husband is still married to the bottle. James Ponsoldt vehemently exhibits the independent spirit or spirits, in his direction of the picture; he shot the film in only 19 days. Ponsoldt and Susan Burke's script of "Smashed" was very authentic on the struggles of alcoholism and its effects on a marriage. Winstead's starring performance as Kate hanged over my head for quite a while in declaring it as one of the best performances by a leading actress in 2012, and should have received more merit during the recent award season. Aaron Paul, of TV's "Breaking Bad", broke in the independent movie circuit with a great performance as Charlie. Also have to give shots out, I mean shout-outs, to the steady supporting performances from Offerman, Spencer, and Megan Mullally as the school's Principal. And I also place in good standing Mary Kay Place's brief supporting work as Kate's mother Rochelle. "Smashed" is not a perfect film, but it is a gripping film that should be watched for no other reason than Winstead's monster smash performance! ***** Excellent

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