Review: "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" (***½)

Steve Carrell, Ed Oxenbould, Jennifer Garner, Dylan Minnette, and Kerris Dorsey
star in "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day."

It’s a truly delightful little story. Director Miguel Areta's ("The Good Girl," "Youth In Revolt," a bunch of episodics) "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" is fun, sweet, and wholesome and fully supports my theory that children’s movies are becoming more engaging and entertaining for their adult viewers. I own hundreds of DVDs, but I’m very particular about which ones I choose buy. I buy them, typically, for two reasons: one, because I want to know how it’s made and the DVD offers invaluable commentary; and two, because I think I’ll watch it over and over and over again. I think that “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” falls into the latter category. It was that fun and enjoyable of a movie. Frankly, I don’t know why I liked this film as much as I did, I really don’t. There’s certainly nothing spectacular about it; there won’t be (nor should there be) any Oscar buzz or nominations; there wasn’t an extraordinary breakout performance. I think what it comes down to is just good, old-fashioned-fun. And there are few things in this world more delightful than the sound of children laughing. So the theatre ambiance probably aided in my taking to this movie.

The Goods: 13 Should-Be Oscar Contenders from 2014

Enough about the middle-of-the-road "The Imitation Game." We should focus on the best and most deserving films and not just the films that best fit into the Oscar cannon. Some of these 13 films, actors and actresses are already being mentioned—just not enough as they should be. For instance, Bill Plympton's animated feature "Cheatin'" has made the shortlist for a nomination, but can it overcome big studio films like "Big Hero 6" and "How to Train Your Dragon 2" to get one of the five slots? It very well should. Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" might get some craft category nods, but why isn't anyone talking about just how great Ralph Fiennes is?!

We have compiled a baker's dozen of should-be contenders this awards season. Who do you think should be in the conversation? Check out our list and leave a comment with yours!

Review: "Wish I Was Here" (**1/2)

Pierce Gagnon, Zach Braff and Joey King star in "Wish I Was Here"

I was bouncing with anticipation prior to watching Zach Braff's most recent, crowdfunded, writing/directorial feature "Wish I Was Here," which is why I'm disheartened to write what is about to be an extremely lukewarm review. Perhaps part of this feeling results from my difficulty in disassociating "Wish I Was Here" from "Garden State."

I loved "Garden State." Though I wouldn’t rank it among my Top Ten, it easily ranks among my Top Twenty Favorite Films. It’s strange and expressive and not at all geometrical. The soundtrack in "Garden State" is purposeful and thoughtful and fulfills its duty in emotionally supporting the characters without inundating them in anyway. The evolution of the soundtrack is perfectly synonymous with the growth of the characters. In “Wish I Was Here,” I found there to be a nearly opposite effect. I was so interested in the song choices that I stopped thinking about the movie and focused on the lyrics and instrumentals in the songs themselves. They’re gorgeous songs, and I’m glad to have heard them, but the soundtrack didn’t at all enhance my viewing of the film, if anything it removed me from it.

Savannah Film Festival Opens With Victor Levin's "5 to 7" (**½)

Crowds wait below the Trustees Theatre marquee on Broughton Street.

The 2013 Savannah Film Festival showcased a few strong films—"The Past," "The Invisible Woman," "Hank & Asha"—and honored some worthy guests—Alexander Payne, Jeremy Irons, Abigail Breslin. The overall quality of content, however, was down from in years past. The 2013 opening night film, "Nebraska," certainly had the right pedigree and was attended by both director Payne and star Bruce Dern. Previous opening night films have included "Silver Linings Playbook" and "The Artist," so you could have colored me surprised when I learned this year's opening night film was one that wasn't even on my radar—Victor Levin's "5 to 7."

With Oscar-hunting films like "The Imitation Game," "Whiplash" and "Foxcatcher" included in the lineup, I'm surprised that "5 to 7" was chosen as the film to kick it off. The movie premiered earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival and features Anton Yelchin and Bérénice Marlohe as lead players with Glenn Close, Frank Langella, Olivia Thirlby and Lambert Wilson in supporting roles.

Review: "Beginners" (****½)

Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent, and this adorable Jack Russell Terrier
star in "Beginners"

If heartstrings were things to be actually played, mine would be in perfect harmony. “Beginners” is a film where, upon reflection now while writing this, I can’t help but smile and hug myself. It’s a gorgeous story that so seamlessly elevates storytelling to a new level of honesty, hilarity and tragedy.

I feel it fair to mention that this is a film I’ve seen four times, and the superb, though often misspelled 95-paged screenplay is a lovely piece of work with which I’ve now read twice. I’ve read Mike Mills reviews and interviews and commentary on this film; it’s a problem for me that when I love something, I nearly smother it to death. I choke every last breath out of the thing for two reason I think: one, for the pure and honest sake of information; and two, to prove I love it the most. And with “Beginners,” I’ve upturned every rock, looked under every pebble, read the tweets, explored the blogs, smiled at the reviews; I’ve discovered and read and digested nearly everything you can on this movie, and I love it no less for having done so. The only thing left for me to do is write about it, which brings us to now.

Review: "Gone Girl" (****½)

Editor's Note: It is a pleasure to introduce you to the newest part of the Reel Georgia team, Ali Coad. I met Ali in early 2014, when we both began working for the Atlanta Film Festival. Ali holds a degree in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Georgia, so you'll have to pardon my writing once you read hers. But however eloquent she may be—and she is very eloquent—everything Ali writes exudes a crystalline sincerity, as if your best friend is writing to you personally. I know y'all will enjoy all that Ali has to offer and I look forward to reading every word. -CM

Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in "Gone Girl" 

I had read Gillian Flynn’s novel “Gone Girl” prior to seeing director David Fincher’s captivating adaptation, and in my humble opinion, this film lives up to all the volcanic hype and energy that presupposed it’s release. I liked the movie just as much as, it seems, most people did. I saw this film with a friend of mine who was in the enviable, nearly-impossible position of knowing nothing about this movie; I don’t really know how that happened, but it did. She knew who Ben Affleck was and, really, that’s about it. And when the twists and turns came, as we all knew they would, I’d catch small glimpses of her reactions and there was this beautiful, thrilling purity to it. Despite knowing what was going to happen, I still loved the intricate flimflam, but the electric magic of the big reveal was lost on me simply because I saw it coming. I still enjoyed it, but it didn’t pack the same punch for me as it did for my friend.

“Gone Girl” is the story of Amy and Nick Dunne. How from the outside looking in, they have a loving, perfect marriage. Fincher reinforces this idea by filming them through long hallways, through windows, in closed-off spaces; he really highlights the claustrophobia that can, sometimes though not always, accompany a partnership, even a loving one. It’s fair to say, like any other couple, that Amy and Nick struggle: Nick looses a job, his mom gets sick, Amy has parental pressures and obligations, they move, they argue over children. But at the end of the day, they love each other. Or so it seems.

An Instagram Reel of the 2014 Savannah Film Festival

Norman Reedus walked the red carpet at the opening night of the Savannah Film Festival. Photo: Cameron McAllister, ReelGA.com #savff #savannah #normanreedus #twd #thewalkingdead #redcarpet #reelga

A photo posted by Cameron McAllister (@reelga) on Oct 10, 2014 at 12:16pm PDT

In the past, We've posted some photos directly on here from around town for various festivals. But since the @ReelGA Instagram account remains pretty active while we are fest-ing, I'll just share what the 2014 Savannah Film Festival looked like with those of you who may not be following us on the photo app.

We took a lot of pictures of stars on the red carpet, the historic spires and structures of downtown Savannah and of the bright lights of the Trustees and Lucas Theatre marquees. The cream of the crop made it to Instagram. Enjoy! Make sure you are following @ReelGA for more throughout the year (even though not everything is #GAfilm related).

Check out over a dozen photos after the jump!

Call for Entries Open for Macon Film Festival

Earlier this year, the Macon Film Festival announced it would move from February to July for it's 10th annual festival in 2015. The move is in collaboration with the Bragg Jam Music, Arts and Kids Festival. Together, the two fests will form a 10-day event in downtown Macon, celebrating the best of the city's vibrant arts community.

Along with the new dates, new submissions dates are also in place. The Early Bird deadline closes on Monday, November 17th with the regular deadline closing in two months, on January 12th, 2015. Click here to learn more about submitting your film.

The 2015 Macon Film Festival takes place July 16-19, 2015 and features $13,000 in prize money across several different short film and feature film categories. The Macon Film Festival has quickly made a huge impression on Georgia's film festival circuit. This move to July will only further solidify the festival's unique presence.