Tag: Jesse Eisenberg

A REAL PAIN (2024)

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Written & Directed By: Jesse Eisenberg 

Cinematography: Michal Dymek

Editor: Robert Nassau

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Jennifer Grey, Will Sharpe, Daniel Oreskes, Liza Sadovy, Kurt Egyiawan, Ellora Torchia 

Mismatched cousins reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother, but their old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

One wonders as he writes, directs, and stars in the film. If Jesse Eisenberg wrote this film specifically for Kieran Culkin and his talents or just a dynamic role and character that culminated easily fits. As he has played versions of this type before. Only here he has softer edges to offer the character. He still is good at playing these types of characters and roles. His performance comes off more natural not clearly scripted and more off of instinct. 

As it gives Eisenberg a perfect partner to bounce off of and play the exact opposite of. Eisenberg’s character is his usual nerdish, nebbish, and afraid of life. Overly polite and settled down with a wife and child. So he is responsible. who resents but is amazed by his cousin. Who is charming, resourceful, and troubled.

This trip is catching up for both of them. Not to mention an adventure. To honor their grandmother. 

As it goes along you wonder exactly what is going on. As the film and main character grow more Intense you wonder exactly what she is after and hoping to achieve. As it comes off more an intellectual’s adventure. Which is pleasant but always seems At odds. Even when there is no reason for there to be 

So that the film constantly ends up and feels like a mystery. That sometimes gets explained but other times, lets it flow and we hope will work itself out and find closure, but we will always wonder.

One can appreciate the end. As an ending an end to this adventure for both of these characters. Where they go from here we will have to wonder or at least wait and see. As it’s not clearly defined. 

Though have to admit for such a short film, it feels like it drags a lot of time and is a bit like the whimsical indie films of the early 2000’s. It tries to register characters in a foreign environment that is picturesque historical and oddly Poetic filled with conversations and tries to be on the wavelength of visual Poetry. 

Though from Someone who knows how to do it but feels way too Technical Than actually passionate.

Grade: B-

THE ART OF SELF DEFENSE (2019)

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Written & Directed By: Riley Stearns

Cinematography: Michael Ragen

Editor: Sarah Beth Shapiro

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots, Steve Terada, David Zellner, Philip Andre Botello, Jason Burkey, Mike Brooks, CJ Rush

One night, Casey, a scrawny, bookish accountant, is beaten up for no apparent reason by a motorcycle gang. Traumatized, he sets out to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Then he stumbles across a karate school. He joins but progress is slow. Then the teacher starts to force him to be more aggressive.

This Seems more like an existential comedy of various tones that stay at a certain level no matter the emotion. 

How someone can get lost in a leader, hobby, or subculture that accepts you or makes you feel confident. How martial arts can have that hold on you and what happens if you take it too seriously and corn under the influence of a charismatic leader.

The film at times is homoerotic and misogynistic. As we watch an alpha must defeat before can move forward. The film keeps changing at first inspirational leader become a kind of enemy. Who by the end epitomizes the main character’s fear.

The characters all seem to some degree lost and lonely. Where it seems martial arts gives them not only purpose but a place to belong. Not To mention a discipline to follow that they lack. 

The film is an absurdist comedy that starts off in a recognizable reality but gets looser and crazier the longer it goes along.

The power of influence and what some people will do to stay in power to have that strength and feeling. As they might fail in other places. So that this is all they may have. 

Not to mention what it means to be an alpha in a society that seems to want most to be beta’s through that lust and desire to be the leader and it seems to control your own destiny. 

This is also a bone-dry comedy that gets outlandish but you follow it especially. As it always keeps its Composure and stays within its tone.

A very dry film that feels more like a cult novel than a natural film. As it all Comes together at first feels so distant and you want to know more about the characters. 

Grade: B- 

VIVARIUM (2020)

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Directed By: Lorcan Finnegan
Written By: Garrett Shanley
Story By: Lorcan Finnegan & Garett Shanley 
Cinematography: MacGregor
Editor: Tony Cranston

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poots, Jonathan Aris, Eanna Hardwicke

A young couple is thinking about buying their starter home. And to this end, they visit a real estate agency where they are received by a strange sales agent, who accompanies them to a new, mysterious, peculiar housing development to show them a single-family home. There they get trapped in a surreal, maze-like nightmare.

The film Plays as a mystery with no answers though gives you everything you need to know in the opening scene 

While the film Certainly has many ideas and great visuals in what feels like a kind of fantasy tale. It becomes just as frustrating as the characters feel throughout watching it.

As the films give us a mystery to keep us intrigued but that is about it. As Jesse Eisenberg’s character, it keeps digging itself deeper though it offers no explanation. Which ends up feeling like why should we care and with offering no kind of answers but trying to make it more mysterious it gets annoying and we can’t even feel much for these characters who are trapped.

After a while, it feels like this film is mostly a showcase for the director and screenwriter rather than making them engaging or logical. 

It seems rather more interested in impressing rather than being a story or even a film. So that it can leave the audience cold And unfulfilled. 

The film gives clues that this is rather weird by the make-up and loom of the real estate agent. So it alerts us that there is something afoot.

The scenes with them Raising a child who is supposed to be a mimic but you can tell His voice even when normal is a voice overtakes you out of the film.

The film has an intriguing central idea. Then just seems hesitant to move on and instead just chooses not to explain its point and Leaves it to be freaky or weird and visual. So never making its points.

Which can be intriguing but here it seems Lazy. As for all that they show and tell they can’t back it up and would have to explain why. That it might not all fit together.

So instead the movie comes off as a study that we are watching personally for what? Who knows but that is not what you expect and makes it all the more challenging. So that it plays almost like a fictional documentary only more observant as we never get any explanations or testimonials.

It’s A shame as both actors I truly like but the way it plays anyone could have played these roles. As they are front and center they don’t have much to play with and could be anybody. They are barely likable and don’t have any personality. 

Grade: C+

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP (2019)

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Directed By: Ruben Fleischer

Written By: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick & Dave Callahan

Cinematography: Chung-Hoon Chung Editor: Chris Patterson & Dirk Westervelt

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson, Thomas Middleditch, Zoey Deutch, Avan Jogia, Victoria Hall, Victor Rivera 

A decade after their first adventure, the zombie-bashing team of Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock move to the American heartland. Here, they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of their own makeshift family.

Just like the first film, this isn’t really a horror film more like an action-comedy that has horrific elements or a more horror background.

This sequel definitely feels less than inspired as the main cast does come back for the sequel but throughout they all look disgruntled or miserable to be here. Even though one would like to think at least they would be back to enjoy each other’s company, but it seems like everyone is more here for only here for a bigger paycheck.

The only time they seem genuinely like they like each other is in a moment towards the end when coming together in what looks like certain doom 

Though this film Came about after a failed pilot for a Zombieland television series with a different cast. Which is where Even the parody or actors Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch playing bizarro

Versions of Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg’s character come off as cheap weak humor. Though seem like they would be the replacements of the actors either choose not to come back or the straight to streaming sequel or if they couldn’t have gotten the actors for the first film.

Woody Harrelson seems to be the only one here who seems to give a damn or bother showing any excitement. Maybe as he finally gets a love interest and not as lovey Dovey as Jesse Eisenberg’s romance from the first film.

Even though Abigail Breslin character goes on her own throughout the film And the characters are trying to find her. The film still gives her the least amount of screen time and attention as her character just seems to be going through a teenage rebellion.

The film pretty much continues the adventures of the characters and adds very little so that it would seem more of the same. Except at least in the first film the story seemed at least creative. Here it feels like the movie and script are running on fumes.

Zoey Deutch is a newcomer to the film franchise and provides the only distraction and is the only truly funny thing about the movie. As she brightens up her scenes as a dumb blonde stereotype. As she reminds me of Valeria Andrews character in the Ashton Kutcher movie JUST MARRIED where she was one of the truly bright spots of that movie and she only really had a few scenes. 

Zoey Deutch does a lot of heavy lifting on her scenes and makes the film almost entertaining. Even though she supposed fate is telegraphed and predictable. When she is absent it Feels like they are struggling to come up with material as it goes along. Maybe an excuse to expose more of Eisenberg’s Character’s rules and theories. As well as expand them

The ending is pretty fun could have used that ingenuity earlier especially the credits sequence. 

While watching this film I kept having thoughts just as I had when watching THE WALKING DEAD.  How do they have power? Fireworks attract zombies but not lights? No defense against zombies except gates in this so-called Babylon. There is always a suspension of disbelief but one  Shouldn’t be wondering these things as you are watching it, though the film does have it’s moments. Which are mostly stylistic. This seems to be one of the only ways the director seems to want to enliven the sequel and set it apart. As with each new film he makes even outside of the franchise usually has a few visually striking scenes where you can admit you have never seen that before.

Such as the fight within the Elvis HEARTBREAK HOTEL. Which is an action sequence that manages to feel epic in such a small amount fo space that seems to depend on excellent choreography. The other sequence is the ending when forced to fight an overabundance of zombies with no guns. 

In the end, the sequel is a majorly disappointing feeling like it was made only because of demand not necessarily well thought out or organic. 

Grade: D+

CAFE SOCIETY (2016)

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CAFE

Written & Directed By: Woody Allen
Cinematography By: Vittorio Storaro
Editor: Alisa Lepselter 


Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carrell, Blake Lively, Corey Stoll, Parker Posey, Anna Camp, Richard Portnow, Paul Schneider, Jeannie Berlin, Sheryl Lee, Saul Stein, Tony Sirico, Don Stark, Elissa Piszel 


In 1930’s Hollywood, the powerful agent, Phil Stern, is attending a party and receives a phone call from his sister living in New York. She asks for a job to her son and Phil’s nephew, Bobby, who decided to move to Hollywood. Three weeks later Phil schedules a meeting with Bobby and decides to help him. He asks his secretary Veronica “Vonnie” to hang around with Bobby, showing him the touristic places. Bobby immediately falls in love with Vonnie, but she tells that she has a boyfriend, a journalist that travels most of the time. However, Vonnie’s boyfriend is indeed a married man that is also in love with her and soon she has to make a choice between her two loves.

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ADVENTURELAND (2009)

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adventureland

Written & Directed By: Greg Mottola
Cinematography By: Terry Stacey
Editor: Anne McCabe
Original Music By: Yo La Tengo 


Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, Kristin Wiig, Margarita Levieva, Wendie Malick, Matt Bush, Michael Zegen, Kevin Breznahan, Josh Pais, Eric Schaeffer

In 1987, James Brennan’s dreams of a summer European tour before studying at an Ivy League school in New York City are ruined after his parents have a severe career setback. As a result, James must get a summer job to cover his upcoming expenses at the decrepit local amusement park, Adventureland, where he falls in love with a witty co-worker, Emily Lewin. In that bizarrely shady workplace, the young carnies have unforgettable and painful learning experiences about life, love and trust while James discovers what he truly values.

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