Category Searchlight Pictures

A Real Pain from Searchlight Pictures

A Real Pain

A Real Pain is a comedy from Searchlight Pictures staring Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg as they tour Poland after a death in the family.

Searchlight Pictures has shared their latest film with us, A Real Pain, for the purpose of our viewing and reviewing. As with every film review we have done, our opinions are not for sale but we will be more than happy to watch the film and share our honest thoughts on it. I figure we should remind folks of our process every once in a while.

A Real Pain is the story of two cousins that had drifted apart and with the passing of their grandmother are reunited for a trip through Poland to see where their Jewish ancestors came from and what all they endured along the way. The film is listed as both a Comedy and Drama in Vudu and I feel they are only half right. Sure there are some amusing lines and moments but this film is not a comedy in any way. Either that or I have a very different definition of “comedy”. I had only seen a single trailer for the film and didn’t know much about what to expect. The only expectations that I had were that our two leads, Culkin and Eisenberg, were an odd pairing that deliver great performances. With that pairing one other thing was clear, at some point things are going to be said that can’t be unsaid. I can confirm that both expectations were met.

The writing is fantastic as was the portrayals by the cast. Culkin should honestly be nominated for his role. The pain his character feels and shows in everything he does and says is done so well that you want to see if he will be okay. The journey through the film leaves you caring about him, more than his cousin who carries his own pain but comes off more sanctimonious about it. By the end of the journey their relationship is stronger for it but leaves you wondering, what happens next? The film was well done, start to finish. Not my usual style of film but if you’re looking for a well written tale of overcoming grief and facing your demons you won’t go wrong with this one.

Sideways from Searchlight Pictures

Sideways

Sideways is a film about friendship, lost love and wine tasting from Searchlight Pictures.

In the world of wine tasting, Sideways does a great job of explaining the reasons behind the behaviors of the wine tasting crowds. They still seem absolutely nuts hearing them talk about wines but some of the things they’re saying actually make a little sense. For the 20th anniversary the film has been rereleased by Searchlight Pictures to 4k. When the folks at Searchlight had send us the film, I had never heard of it. I honestly thought it was a newer film that I just never saw a trailer for.

The film follows Miles who is still reeling from his divorce, two years prior, but also the failure of his novel he is trying to publish. He is accompanied by his closest friend Jack, an actor that is on the verge of getting married. They take a road trip to taste a lot of wine and try to live a little before returning home. Jack spends most of the time trying to cheat on his future bride and to help Miles find himself a woman to spend an evening with.

Despite the education about wine tasting, I found the film to be slow and overall to be quite dull. That’s even with the talented cast delivering great performances through the entire film.

Kinds of Kindness review

Today we take a look at Kinds of Kindness from the same director behind of Poor Things and much of the same cast, including Emma Stone.

Some films come and completely change how you viewed the genre or create a new bar to hold all cinema to. Kinds of Kindness is one of those films for me. From Searchlight Pictures and Director Yorgos Lanthimos, the film is broken up into three short films, each more deranged than the last. This film was one of the most difficult I have ever reviewed. I literally spent more than a week just staring at the screen, trying to figure out how to voice my thoughts on the film. For me it was beyond difficult. I even called friends to voice my feelings on the film but even they couldn’t help me voice my thoughts in a constructive manner.

In short, this was probably the worst film I have seen all year, BUT it’s clear, I am not the target audience for the film. The cast, editing, literally everything in the production was done with expert skill, beyond what most films do these days. It just wasn’t a film FOR ME. Now, I have no idea who the target audience really is but they’ve managed to do something great with the film, despite my lack of enjoyment. They proved that a film unlike any other out there, using truly original ideas and stories could not only be well received but also be brilliantly executed. It proves that not all films have to be for everyone. I used to believe that if someone watching it can’t enjoy it even a little then they screwed up. After seeing the film I can respect what they’ve done and what they’ve tried to do and still not enjoy it. If you’re someone that watches a film for the directing, the acting or some other technical aspect then you will love this film. If you focus on the uniqueness of the story then this is the film for you, but if you’re looking for a great story at the same time this one may just fall short.