Office Space

In many ways, Office Space may genuinely be twenty years old but in many, many other ways, the film remains a timeless satire of the corporate workplace environment today as it did when if first was released in theatres back in February of 1999. While not initially successful, the film gained a second life on home video and cable, growing into one of the biggest cult films, beloved and frequently quoted.  

Peter Gibbons (played by Ron Livingston) works at a software company called Initech along with his friends Samir (played by Ajay Naidu) and Michael Bolton (played by David Herman), the latter of whom hates his name because he shares it with the singer of the same name. Peter is struggling at work and has grown to hate working at Initech, but continues to trudge in every day, even if he has to take his first break an hour later (to be fair, he sits next to a woman who answers the phone, chirping repeatedly, "Corporate Accounts Payable, Nina speaking. Just a moment. Corporate Accounts Payable..." The bane of his existance is his eight different bosses, in particular Bill Lumbergh (played by Gary Cole), who is obnoxiously condescending. One night, his girlfriend takes him to see an occupational hypnotherapist to help with his depression about work. However, the hypnotherapist dies before he can finish his therapy with Peter. As a side effect, Peter stops caring about work and blows off going in to work overtime that weekend. He also blows off work during the week to spend time with a waitress he likes at a local restaurant, Joanna (played by Jennifer Aniston), who has her own troubles at her job. At the same time, the company has brought in two efficiency experts to try and improve things around the office, both named Bob (played by John C McGinley and Paul Wilson). It is their arrival that causes worry for a number of Peter's co-workers, including Tom Symkowski (played by Richard Riehle) and office oddball Milton (played by Stephen Root).  

The film was written and directed by Mike Judge, drawing from his own time as a software engineer until his animation career took off (he is responsible for shows such as Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill). It is that real life experience that makes so much of this film ring true for so many people. From the mundane everyday tasks to the little annoyances in the office that can drive a person crazy, such as annoying co-workers, or in the case of Samir the fact that no one can or cares enough to learn how to pronounce his last name correctly. The battles with technology also ring true, especially with one continually malfunctioning printer that leads to the best scene in the film of the three main leads destroying it with a baseball bat in a spot on spoof of a gangster movie beat down scene out of something like Goodfellas or Casino and became something that would be spoofed itself several times over the years, most memorably in Family Guy. With Joanna's character, the film also delves into the soulessness of working for a chain restaurant (or any sort of chain store company) and having to strictly adhere to certain guidelines, as evidenced in her boss' obsession with the number of pieces of flair (decorative buttons) she wears on her uniform. It is even more hilarious that all of this mundane corporate satire is played out to a soundtrack that is almost exclusively gangster rap, which adds a certain level of absurdity to the proceedings. 

The cast for the film is top notch with Ron Livingston making for the perfect everyman character. Anyone who has worked in an office environment can probably have related to his struggles at one point or another, especially anyone who has hated their job but yet not been brave enough to quit. In fact, many who were in that situation have found inspiration in Peter's story arc to do just that. Michael and Samir are just as sympathetic in roles, brought wonderfully to life by David Herman and Ajay Naidu. Jennifer Aniston does well as Joanna, bringing out some of the workplace frustrations of working in the service industry that nicely compliments the ones depicted for a corporate workplace. Gary Cole plays Bill Lumbergh perfectly, capturing every bad, micromanaging boss ever in one unnervingly even keeled performance. Just a drawn out "Yeah..." is enough to bring him instantly to mind. Stephen Root as the socially inept Milton has perhaps become as iconic as the film itself, which was actually based on a series of shorts based on the Milton character. Root makes Milton such an unique character, shuffling around the office, mumbling all his lines and obsessed with his red Swingline stapler. It's a marvelous comedic performance and Stephen Root just steals every scene he's in. 

Office Space is a movie I feel will continue to live on as a beloved cult film for many years to come. Many aspects of the film feel as fresh and funny as they did in 1999. Some aspects are hilariously out of date (for example a 3.5" floppy disk figures into the plot in the second half of the film). But in a larger sense the film still holds up just as much as it ever did. It's a film I loved when it first came out and love even more now that I work in a corporate office myself. I still remember when I first had a problem with an office printer and remarked, "Oh man, this is just like Office Space!" Like I said, infinitely relatable.         

Happy Death Day 2U

After seeing Happy Death Day 2U, I can say I am really loving this burgeoning series of films. We will have to see if it ever spawns a third film, but based on the first two, I would warmly accept a third outing with Tree and her band of friends. These are fun films that know when to not take themselves too seriously. Taken in the right way, they can be a blast to watch. This follow-up even goes a step further, taking the events of the first film and building on from that while answering some nagging questions from the first film as well.

This film picks up almost immediately where the last film left off with Tree (played by Jessica Rothe) celebrating that it's the next day with newfound boyfriend Carter (played by Israel Broussard). However, things are not all well and good as the time loop seems to have jumped to Carter's roommate Ryan (played by Phi Vu), who finds himself in eerily similar circumstances to Tree, stalked by a Baby Face masked killer and when he dies wakes up at the start of the same day, this time in his car that apparently smells of Hot Pockets and feet. Turning to Tree and Carter for help, they are able to quickly subdue the killer (Tree has plenty of experience in that department) and to their shock discover the killer is another version of Ryan, there to try and close the time loop by killing his earlier self. You see, Ryan was working on a machine along with his friends Samar (played by Suraj Sharma) and Dre (played by Sarah Yarkin). When the machine fired the previous day, it created the time loop Tree got stuck in. They decide to fire it again in an attempt to close the time loop, but the resulting blast jettisons Tree back to the previous day in a whole new time loop, with one huge difference: She is now in an alternate dimension. She and her killer roommate from the previous film, Lori (played by Ruby Modine) are now friends, Sorority sister Danielle (played by Rachel Matthews) is now dating Carter and most importantly, her mother is still alive in this universe. Ryan and his friends, as well as their Quantum machine, still exist in this universe and can help fix her new predicament with one small wrinkle. Since everyone else's memories reset with the day, Tree has to memorize all the formulas they come up with and teach it to them the next morning so the work can continue. And instead of waiting for a masked killer to come after her again, she decides to just off herself at the end of each day so the day can reset leading to another darkly comedic montage of Tree repeatedly dying, including my personal fave of the series of Tree jumping out of a skydiving plane wearing nothing but a bikini, knee socks and tennis shoes. But this also leaves Tree with a dilemma: when they fix the time loop, does she stay in this new alternate universe where she has her mother back but not Carter, or return to her original timeline. 

The film was written and directed by Christopher Landon, who also directed the first film. He does a marvelous job taking what was established in the first film and then building on it and expanding on what was in the first film. He takes the plot in some wild and unexpected directions as the film once again revisits events in the first film in new ways (not unlike Back to the Future Part II, which this film draws clear inspiration from). I loved how it explored the multi-verse theory and didn't just find a way to put Tree back in the time loop, but also an alternate universe that might actually be a happier life for her in the long run. It creates an agonizing dilemma for her and one that causes and understandably conflicting choice. It's this plot point that adds a bit more weight to this film that the first one. Landon does a great job giving it the appropriate weight in the film. Not to say that the film is super serious. In fact, it's far from it. This film is most assuredly even funnier than the first film. They pretty quickly all but abandon the slasher film elements of the first one to delve into sci-fi comedy territory and for me it was all the better for it with not trying to repeat what came before. 

Once again, Jessica Rothe is this film's MVP, showing she is equally adept at hilarious comedy and drama as the film moves from one to the other. She makes Tree such a lovable character that I couldn't help but root for even as she was cracking me up. She also gives Tree such strength and dimension as well. She's perceived as a dumb blonde sorority girl, she may even see herself as that, but continues to rise to the challenge and maybe even surprise herself. Israel Broussard returns as the adorkable Carter, as likable as ever as Tree's love interest for the film. Phi Vu gets an expanded role this time as Carter's roommate Ryan and unwitting source of all the campus' quantum mishaps, along with his two classmates, played by Suraj Sharma and Sarah Yarkin, who make for an amusingly nerdy trio. I also have to give props to Rachel Matthews' turn as Danielle. Also expanded from the original film, Matthews has a scene of classic farcical hilarity that I won't dare spoil but the moment you see it you'll know what I'm referring to.  

Overall, Happy Death Day 2U is every bit as entertaining as the original, if not even more so. The film also deftly switches up genres and makes for a refreshing continuation of the original film rather than something that simply tries to be a lazy rehash of what came before. Of course, it all depends on what a viewer wants from a sequel to Happy Death Day. I, for one, loved every minute, laughed my butt off, and much to my surprise even got a little choked up. If you were a fan of the original film, I think this one is even better.

Happy Death Day

One of the more pleasant surprises of 2017 was the film Happy Death Day. An amusing mash-up of a murder mystery, slasher flick and the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day made for a thoroughly entertaining film that knew exactly what it was and never tried to be anything but that. 

Teresa "Tree" Gelbman (played by Jessica Rothe) wakes up in the dorm room of a strange boy, Carter (played by Israel Broussard) after a night of partying. He assures her nothing happened and he slept in his roommate's bed. Still, she leaves quickly and returns to her Sorority House. It is Tree's birthday, as she is reminded by her roommate Lori (played by Ruby Modine) offering her a cupcake. That night, she is due to attend a fraternity party, but on the way there she is murdered by a strange person in a baby face mask (which also happens to be the University Mascot (?!). When she dies, she then proceeds to once again wake up in Carter's bedroom on the same morning. Freaked out, she goes through the day's events again and once again runs into the masked stranger and dies again. As the day repeats again with her waking up in Carter's bedroom she realizes she is stuck in a time loop. As she discusses her predicament with Carter, after convincing him by pointing out everything that is going to happen before it does, he suggests using this opportunity to discover who her killer is and stopping it before it happens again. Realizing she has the advantage of already knowing how the day is going to unfold, she sets out to try and catch her killer, even if it takes more than a few tries to get it right. However, with each attempt, Tree finds herself getting a little weaker as evidence of her past deaths are still detectable, which means she doesn't have as many chances to survive the day as she may have initially thought.    

The film was directed by Christopher Landon from a script by Scott Lobdell that is perhaps far wittier and funnier than one might expect from the premise. They make an intriguing use of the time loop premise and apply it to a murder mystery/horror film, with the main protagonist having to solve their own murder. It's also amusing how they subvert the slasher cliche of the "bitchy" blonde character who appears in a large number of those films and put her front and center in this one, and as the film goes on and her day repeats more and more, the layers are peeled back and she slowly becomes a better and more likable character, one that we find ourselves rooting for as the film nears it's climax. At the same time, the tone of the film shifts away from slasher horror into a far more comedic tone, starting with an extended montage of Tree's failed attempts to discovering her murderer only to die by various methods and wake up in Carter's dorm room again. Landon and Lobdell do a great job of balancing the tone from suspenseful to funny and back again for the big climax. I also have to applaud the production design for the fact that Carter's dorm room ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE A REAL DORM ROOM. It is a rare sight in films indeed.

This film completely and without a doubt is a testament to the charm and charisma of Jessica Rothe, whose performance as Tree makes the film. She gives a wonderful performance that shows the growth of Tree over the course of film's events from a depressed, angry and self-loathing young woman to one who has rediscovered herself over having to live the same day over and over and eventually become a happier person who is more in love with life by the end. Israel Broussard has an equally good turn as the adorkable Carter, who becomes both a repeated partner in crime in trying to get Tree out of her time loop and a potential romantic interest as well (the dude has posters on his dorm room wall for Repo Man, Back to the Future, They Live, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 so I can see the appeal). 

Overall, Happy Death Day was a pleasant surprise for me. I wasn't sure what to make of it from the trailers when it was first released, but when I finally saw it I really dug it. It is a lot of fun from beginning to end with a breezy mix of suspense and humor make for an entertaining ride of a film. I also appreciated that the film straight up mentions Groundhog Day, as if to defuse anyone who dismisses it as a knock-off of that Bill Murray classic (which it isn't). And if that wasn't enough, this weekend sees the release of the sequel, Happy Death Day 2U. So we have that going for us, which is nice. 

The Kid Who Would Be King

I've always been a sucker for a good fantasy film. Anything that gets my imagination going with epic battles between good and evil. I've always appreciated any time there is a unique twist on the usual legends as well, which is probably why The Kid Who Would Be King appealed to me so much. As I sat in that theater, drinking my Coke and munching my Truffle Parmesan Popcorn, grinning ear to ear, I have to say this is some of the most fun I've had watching a movie in a while now. 

Alexander (played by Louis Serkis) is a misfit at school along with his best friend Bedders (played by Dean Chaumoo). He lives with his mother, Mary (played by Denise Gough) in suburban England and Dad is no longer in the picture. One day, while avoiding the school bullies Lance (played by Tom Taylor) and Kaye (played by Rhianna Dorris), he ducks into a local construction site to hide. There, he finds an old sword sticking out of a half destroyed concrete column. He is able to pull the sword from the stone and takes it home. Upon examining it with Bedders and entering the Latin inscribed on it discover that the sword is the one and only Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur. Soon after, Merlin (played by Patrick Stewart), often in the guise of a teenage boy (played by Angus Imrie), appears to tell Alexander that by pulling Excalibur from the stone that he is charged with a great quest to defeat the evil Morgana (played by Rebecca Ferguson), who is plotting to escape her underworld prison and take over the world. Using his knowledge of King Arthur from a childhood book, Alexander recruits Bedders as well as Lance and Kaye in his fight against Morgana, who is due to rise in only four days during a solar eclipse. 

The film was written and directed by Joe Cornish who does a fantastic job blending the old Arthurian legends with the contemporary world, while keeping the proceedings strictly family friendly. In the process he crafts a fantasy adventure for all ages that is very much in the mold of 80's family adventure films such as The NeverEnding Story, The Goonies, and especially Time Bandits. Within that mold, he crafts a wholly original adventure tale about a quartet of kids who stumble into a quest to save the world, with some assistance from the legendary Merlin. Unlike Cornish's decidedly more adult previous film, the equally stupendous Attack the Block about dayglo aliens attacking a London block of lower income housing, he keeps things from getting too intense while also making the impending threat of Morgana a very real one, both her and her army of fiery undead soldiers sent after our quartet of heroes to vanquish their threat and obtain Excalibur for her. The best stroke is that it would have been easy to make it all a silly goof, but Cornish wisely takes the proceedings seriously. There are flourishes of humor throughout the film, but the central quest of Alex and his mates have a refreshing sense or earnestness as they rise to he challenge of becoming pre-teen knights, challenged to live up to the values of bravery, honesty and teamwork. Woven within this is also Alex's own personal struggles, namely growing up without a father, a plot thread that to my surprise did not go in the direction the audience might expect. I also appreciated the ways Cornish blended the Arthurian legend with contemporary Britain, such as Merlin requiring an special potion to keep his youthful energy up only to his surprise finding every element he needed in a diet of fried chicken and cherry cola or the kids purchasing armor at an Antiques store and re-purposing construction signs as shields.  Capping everything off is a fantastic synth score by Electric Wave Bureau keeps the energy in the film up, as it clocks in at a lean two hours. It's a wonderful score that again ties the film to it's 80's fantasy film roots. 

The cast for the film is strong, led by Louis Serkis as Alex. Serkis does a good job capturing both Alex's courage in standing up to bullies, as we see early in the film, as well as his uncertainty and trepidation when the task of saving the world is placed on his and his friends' shoulders. He does a good job hitting the emotional beats of the story and makes Alex an engaging character that it's easy to root for. Dean Chaumoo is great as Bedders, who creates quite an endearing character. It's the little flourishes, like Bedders being an aspiring illusionist, so he naturally relishes spending time up close and personal with the real Merlin, even taping Merlin performing a duplication spell with the intent to study it and learn how to do it himself, to which Merlin simply responds he'd most impressed if he did. Speaking of which, Angus Imrie adds a delightfully offbeat and geeky turn to Merlin that is refreshingly different and unique from previous portrayals. Patrick Stewart likewise makes the most of his few scenes in the film as the older Merlin and whose addition is always welcome. Rebecca Ferguson adds some genuine menace to her role as Morgana, making the most of an unfortunately rather underwritten role. Likewise, Denise Gough is saddled with the worried mother role of the film, but does convey her character's genuine and understandable concern for her son's strange behavior, especially running around with a sword and leaving notes that he's going on a quest.

Going into The Kid Who Would Be King, I already knew I was going to enjoy it as it fit neatly into the fun fantasy film genre but I was surprised just how much I enjoyed it. This film perfectly recaptures what was great about the fantasy films I grew up on while creating something new and remarkably relevant to the world we live in today. It's got plenty of charm, adventure, and genuine magic to it. It's just a shame no one's going to see it, because it really is a genuinely good movie and one I can't wait to watch again.