moViEs
by Ken Hanke & Justin Souther
a normal character in the world of duplicity and corruption in which it exists. Malkina, on the other hand, is right at home here — to the degree that Reiner is himself afraid of her. (A bizarre story Reiner relates — with flashbacks — about Malkina having a sexual encounter with the windshield of his Ferrari — “Seeing a thing like that changes you” — puts this into disturbing, yet humorous, perspective.) The rest of the characters — name actors Bruno Ganz, Rosie Perez, Ruben Blades, Goran Visnjic, John Leguizamo — are mostly windowdressing oddities, given brief, but memorable bits. All of this is carried out with a combination of precision and scads of McCarthy-esque philosophical dialogue that would seem improbable in real life, yet strangely belongs in this movie. People in The Counselor talk a great deal, but they rarely communicate directly. A great many seem to find the artificiality of this dialogue a problem, and you may, too. For me, it fits the film (and I really wish real people were this well-spoken). But be warned, if you decide to try the film, that it is one merciless movie, and often a very bloody one (it contains two decapitations — one of which is extremely gory). Still, I think it’s worth seeing — and it’s a lot better than its reception suggests. Rated R for graphic violence, some grisly images, strong sexual content and language. reviewed by Ken Hanke Playing at Carmike 10, Carolina Cinemas, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande
Bad Grandpa H
diREctoR: Jeff Tremaine (Jackass 3D) pLayERs: Johnny Knoxville, Jackson Nicoll, Greg Harris, Georgina Cates hiddEn camERa comEdy RatEd R thE stoRy: Johnny Knoxville in old-man makeup, pulls pranks on unsuspecting bystanders. thE Lowdown: A dumb, molasses-paced hidden-camera flick that tries to be both gross and heartfelt, but really just feels pointless.
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octoBER 30 - noVEmBER 5, 2013
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I thought we’d be done with Jackass movies after 2010’s Jackass 3-D, a film where its only entertainment value was the various existential crises of its cast of 40-somethings, who realize they’re still stuck getting bludgeoned and violated for both a living and our entertainment. What I forgot is that people absolutely love watching grown men be humiliated for shits and giggles — and that this kind of public abasement can be made on the cheap. That the latest iteration of Jackass, Bad Grandpa, both topped this weekend’s box office and made its money back should’ve been obvious. Bad Grandpa, strangely enough, finds “Jackass Prime” Johnny Knoxville as the sole remaining on-screen holdover. This time around, instead of a parade of tasteless and dangerous stunts with varying degrees of bodily harm, we have something more akin to a real-life movie. It’s got a plot and everything! But like a hidden-camera show, Knoxville spends the film in elderly makeup, attempting to make random strangers uncomfortable as the titular Bad Grandpa, Irving Zisman. The character is a recurring Jackass staple (and usually joined by Spike Jonze in old-lady drag, who only appears here in out-
Community Screenings
BreAThless • WE (10/30), 7:30pm - WCU will screen Breathless, the classic film by Jean-Luc Goddard, in the university’s A.K. Hinds University Center. Free. Info: jsholder@wcu.edu or 227-2324. geneVieVe • TU (11/5), 7pm - The 1950s British film Genevieve will be screened at Tryon Fine Arts Center, 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon. $5. Info: tryonarts.org or 859-8322. girl rising • TU (11/5), 7pm - A screening of Girl Rising, a documentary about educating young women around the world, will be held in UNCA’s Humanities Lecture Hall. Free. Info: kcornell@ unca.edu or 251-6808. miDDle eAsT Film series • TH (10/31), 7pm - The Middle East Film Series will screen Life in
HHHHH = max rating takes), and serves the single punchline of an old man doing socially and age-inappropriate things for a hidden camera. Admittedly, over a few minutes on a TV show, this can be amusing (granted, it was usually the least physically disgusting permutation of their comedic stylings), but Bad Grandpa makes the mistake of stretching this onenote comedic premise into feature length. The situations are all pretty puerile, from Irving getting his genitals stuck in a vending machine, to Irving stumbling upon a male strip club, to Irving just generally sexually harassing strangers, all for the sake of filming the reactions of random strangers on the street. Like I said, there is a plot of sorts, with Irving trying to get rid of his grandson (Jackson Nicoll, Funsize) by driving him across the country — and yes, they even predictably grow as people. This seems to be inspired by Borat (2006) and Bruno (2009), films which used the same type of hidden-camera device, but at least attempted some sort of social commentary. Bad Grandpa uses the grandfather-and-grandson story to graft a lot of schmaltz onto a film where an elderly man paints the walls of a Denny’s with his diarrhea (that some critics are praising the film’s “heart” shows how low the bar sits for merit). But maybe even worse, the existence of a storyline has a tendency to bog the
Occupied Palestine at Brooks-Howell Home, 266 Merrimon Ave. Sponsored by Western Carolinians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East. Free. Info: mepeacewnc.com. miDnighT in pAris • SA (11/2) & SU (11/3), 2pm - Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen’s 2011 film which follows an American in Paris who travels back in time to the Jazz Age will be screened at the Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square. $8/$7 students and seniors/Free for kids under 4. Info: ashevilleart.org or 253-3227. moVie nighT AT colony eArTh • TUESDAYS, 8pm - Colony Earth screens feature films, documentaries and more. By donation. Info and location: avl.mx/vb. We shAll remAin Film series • MONDAYS (11/4) through (11/25) The “We Shall Remain” film series will feature documentaries from the Native American perspective. Held in UNCA’s Highsmith University Union Grotto. Free. Info: msp.unca.edu.