Cameron Crowe movies are a little complex, but if you are willing to put in the work, they are usually worth the effort. “Aloha” (2015) is the latest example. You’ve basically got a love triangle romantic comedy with Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams and Emma Stone. Everybody could have phoned it in and filmgoers wouldn’t have minded. Instead, Crowe weaves a rich story full of interesting supporting characters, and the music is (as usual) spot on. Stone is delightfully committed to the role of a frighteningly committed fighter pilot. Bonus: The climax includes a Gamecock football highlight with Mike Hold (not pictured).
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On the verbal SAT of my life, plays are to movies as bell peppers are to ice cream. And I really dislike bell peppers. Me watching a movie about a play is like me having to eat bell pepper-flavored ice cream (think about that for a second). Micheal Keaton is a washed-up movie action hero trying to put on a Broadway show in “Birdman” (2014). The darkness is too dark, the acting is too acty and there is waaay too much camera time devoted to middle-aged men in tighty whiteys. Yep, them’s chunks of real bell peppers on that sundae.
“Crazy, Stupid, Love” (2011) is a treatise about never giving up on your perceived soulmate (in real life, that kinda stuff results in restraining orders). It doesn’t make you think too much (unless you want to). It’s stupid, funny and uneven, yet it’s also a nice movie that made me feel happy. There’s something to be said for that. The plot is a Shakespearean knot of interconnected relationships. The music was nice. I would probably pay to watch Julianne Moore and/or Emma Stone spend two hours checking their email. Steve Carell plays himself (he usually does). Ryan Gosling seems nice.
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