THE HUSTLE (2019)

Directed By: Chris Addison  Written By: Stanley Shapiro, Paul Henning, Dale Launer & Jac Schaeffer  Cinematography: Michael Coulter  Editor: Anthony Boys 

Cast: Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson, Alex Sharp, Tim Blake Nelson, Timothy Simons 

In this remake of 1988's "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," 2 con-women hustle in a small French Riviera town - one for small amounts from average men, and one for higher amounts wealthier men. They bet on what looks like an easy target. The winner gets $500K from him, and the loser leaves town forever.

HEAVY WEIGHTS (1995)

Directed By: Steven Brill 
Written By: Judd Apatow & Steven Brill 
Cinematography By: Victor Hammer 
Editor: C. Timothy O’Meara 


Cast: Aaron Schwartz, Ben Stiller, Tom McGowan, Shaun Weiss, Kenan Thompson, Paul Feig, Tom Hodges, Leah Lail, Allen Covert, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Jeffrey Tambor, Tim Blake Nelson, David Bowe 


11-year-old Gerald "Gerry" Garner lives in Long Island, New York, and he's overweight. Gerry's parents Maury and Mrs. Garner decide to send Gerry to Camp Hope, a camp for overweight boys. The camp is owned by kindly Harvey Bushkin and his equally kind wife Alice Bushkin. When the Bushkins file for bankruptcy the camp has to be sold, it is bought by a wacko named Tony Perkis. Tony plans to force the campers to lose as much weight as they can, and he also intends to document the marathon shedding of weight and use it for an infomercial for his slenderizing program. In the eyes of the campers, Tony has made Camp Hope a living hell. As Gerry and counselor Pat Finley lead the efforts to overthrow Tony, the campers prepare for the Apache Relay against arch rival Camp MVP. The Apache Relay is a kind of race in which Camp Hope has never defeated Camp MVP before.

DONNIE BRASCO (1997)

Directed By: Mike Newell 
Written By: Paul Attanasio 
Based On The Book By: Joseph D. Pistone & Richard Woodley 
Cinematography By: Peter Sova 
Editor: Jon Gregory 


Cast: Johnny Depp, Al Pacino, Anne Heche, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, Zeljko Ivanek, Zach Grenier, Gretchen Mol, Tim Blake Nelson, Paul Giamatti,


An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the mafia life, at the expense of his regular one. This film seems set apart from the supposed usual gangster dramas. Maybe because it's more about the difficulties of going undercover aspect of the scenario more Han the mob wars and community. So that is seems a bit more elegant and not asking you necessarily to go with the mobsters and presenting them more as the heroes or at least the leads we care about.

COLOSSAL (2017)

Written & Directed By: Nacho Vigalondo 
Cinematography By: Eric Cress 
Editor: Ben Baudhain & Luke Doolan 


Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Dan Sevens, Tim Blake Nelson, Austin Stowell 


Gloria is an out-of-work party girl who, after getting kicked out of her apartment by her boyfriend, is forced to leave her life in New York and move back to her hometown. When news reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, South Korea, Gloria gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to his far-off phenomenon. As events begin to spin out of control, Gloria must determine why her seemingly insignificant existence has such a colossal effect on the fate of the world.

YELLING TO THE SKY (2011)

Written & Directed By: Victoria Mahoney 
Cinematography By: Reed Morano 
Editor: William Henry 

 Cast: Zoe Kravitz, Gabourey Sidibe, Jason Clarke, Antoinique Smith, Shareeka Epps, Tim Blake Nelson, Billy Kay, Tariq Trotter, Yolanda Ross, Marc John Jeffreis, Sonequa Martin-Green

THE GOOD GIRL (2002)

CAST: Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gylenhaal, John C. Reily, Tim Blake Nelson, Mike White, Zooey Deschanel, John doe, John Carroll Lynch, Deborah Rush, Aimee Garcia

Directed By: Miguel Arteta
Written By: Mike White
Cinematography By: Enrique Chediak
Editor: Jeff Betancourt

This is a movie where I wonder what is the point I enjoy mike white scripts but this feels more like a vehicle that was written around a star to give them some kind of artistic indie credibility and bring out there strengths more then a film with a story that ether needed to be told or actually have a story to tell. It’s got plenty of great characters but has nothing to do with them. It’s almost like they just stand around and react to the star but don’t actually seem to do anything.

I understand this is supposed to be partially a examination of small town life but we have explored that in many other films already, the only difference is that this is updated more modern but still the film revolves around a scandal that threatens to come out but never is in any real danger of being exposed.

I can see why the film has such a good character actor cast the characters are quirky which is usually a actor’s paradise.

The film revolves around a bored housewife. Whose husband is a pot smoking house painter who wants to have kids his best friend has a crush on the housewife who has a retail job to try to enliven her life. Which it doesn’t then she meets Holden a cashier who fancies himself after Holden Caulfield from “A Catcher In The Rye” he is much younger and they begin a torrid affair which the longer and deeper the relationship gets the more unstable and unbalanced he becomes. Which leads to a robbery of the store and her trying to cover it up. Mix in a born again adulterer A Christian security guard who does heavy recruiting for his church. A Sarcastic make up person who makes the store announcements and wears way too much make up and a cat lady.

This film feels like a loose plot tread or a used one of “Desperate Housewives”

Jennifer Aniston tries but she feels like she is out of her element there is nothing wrong with her performance but it feels like she is out of place and trying to mask that with her character wanting to get out the town and her life doesn’t help. Jake Gylenhaal here gets to play the type he always seems to enjoy angst ridden as a actor he seems to prefer off beat and downtrodden characters even though he more has the looks of a movie star. In some films that he is in that is annoying luckily not here.

This may have been better served just like his other script and film “Year of the dog” as a short story or a novel it would then be more penetrating instead of feeling like a quirky run of the mill independent film.

Rent at your own risk.

GRADE: C-