The Perfect Match
Lionsgate Films
Rated R for nudity, sexuality and pervasive profanity
Womanizing Playboy Finally Meets His Match In Battle-Of-The-Sexes Comedy
Confirmed bachelor Charlie Mack (Terrence J) is always up-front with women about his dating philosophy, simply, “I don’t do relationships.” The shameless playboy’s almost 30, and his womanizing ways have become an embarrassment to his family and friends. They feel it’s high time for him to mature, especially after he brought his latest conquest (Chantel Jeffries) along on a blind date set up by his sister, Sherry (Paula Patton).
Besides, his BFFs Ricky (Donald Faison) and Victor (Robert Christopher Riley) have both already settled down. The former is married and doing his best to impregnate his desperate for a baby wife, Pressie (Daschia Polanco). And the latter is engaged to Ginger (Lauren London) who’s worried that Charlie’s going to ruin her impending wedding by “bringing one of those floozies” to the reception.
Meanwhile, therapist Sherry is willing to see her brother as a client, if that would help him figure out why he’s such a pathetic case of arrested development, at least when it comes to romance. Otherwise, Charlie’s actually rather well-adjusted. He’s a well-paid executive at Premier Edge, a leading L.A. PR firm where he’s proven to be quite adept at attracting lucrative new accounts to the company.
The plot thickens one evening when he’s out having drinks with the guys and they challenge him to remain faithful to the same woman for the next month. Charlie takes the dare, and settles on Eva (Cassie Ventura), a gorgeous stranger he just met at a coffee shop, as the object of his affection.
However, he still gets involved with the express understanding that theirs will be a “no strings, no expectations” relationship. She agrees, despite the fact that she’s only used to being in committed ones. So, they’re both ostensibly operating in uncharted waters.
Will this libidinous liaison turn into love, now that Charlie has grudgingly agreed to give what would ordinarily be a one-night stand a chance to blossom? That is the burning question at the center of The Perfect Match, an intriguing romantic romp directed by Billie Woodruff (Addicted).
Fair warning: this character-driven escapade is certainly not for the prudish, as it contains frontal nudity and some fairly frank dialogue. That being said, it’s also funny, engaging, unpredictable and visually-captivating, courtesy of a constant parade of eye candy across the screen.
Overall, this delightful ensemble dramedy is reminiscent of a couple of other great urban classics, Love Jones (1997) and The Best Man (1999). That’s good company!
Excellent (4 stars)
Running time: 96 minutes
The Final Project
Cavu Pictures
Unrated
College Kids Vanish Without A Trace Inside Abandoned Mansion In Found-Footage Horror Flick
There is often a fine line between paying homage and plagiarizing. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case with The Final Project, a shameless ripoff of The Blair Witch Project, the micro-budgeted horror flick which inaugurated the “found footage” genre back in 1999.
Besides having the word “Project” in the title, this pseudo documentary also revolves around a group of film students who mount an ill-fated expedition in search of an evil spirit. In Blair, they were looking for a witch said to have been terrorizing a rural region of Maryland for several centuries. Over the vociferous objections of wizened local yokels familiar with the legend, the kids pressed on with their mission deep into the woods where they eventually vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the inscrutable video furnishing the footage for the movie.
Because The Blair Witch Project netted nearly a quarter billion dollars at the box office after being shot for a measly $60,000, it spawned a cottage industry of imitators, none of which ever quite measured up to the original. This latest attempt to cash-in on the concept was written, produced and directed by Taylor Ri’chard.
Taylor apparently wore a lot more hats here, including visual and digital effects, which is par for the course for a horror flick of such modest means. It’s just too bad that he lifted so many ideas from Blair, otherwise I’d probably be lauding his efforts as a decent outing by a first-time director.
The Final Project is set on Lafitte Plantation in the tiny town of Vacherie, Louisiana. The notorious estate is known for miles around as being haunted by the ghosts of a family matriarch buried on the premises as well as by a quartet of Union soldiers who perished there during the Civil War.
The film unfolds at the University of Southwestern Louisiana where we find a half-dozen film majors in need of extra credits to pass a course. After their professor (Robert McCarley) approves an outing to Vacherie in search of the spooks, the classmates pack their gear and depart for the abandoned mansion.
Their last chance to turn around and avert disaster rests in listening to the sage store clerk (Tiffany Ford) they encounter en route. She issues the proverbial dire warning “Abandon hope all ye who enter here!” But, of course, they ignore the suggestion and make their way to the abandoned mansion.
Gradually, the six, Genevieve (Arin Jones), Misty (Amber Erwin), Anna (Teal Haddock), Charles (Charles Orr), Gavin (Sergio Suave) and Ky (Evan McLean), are picked off one-by-one, and all the clues to solving their mysterious disappearance are contained on their cameras left behind.
A faux student film which looks a lot like, well, a lot like a student film.
Good (2 stars)
Running time: 82 minutes
OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam’s Kapsules:
For movies opening March 11, 2016
10 Cloverfield Lane (PG-13 for frightening sequences, mature themes, violence and brief profanity) Suspense thriller revolving around an accident victim (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who comes out of a coma to find herself imprisoned in a subterranean bunker by a survivalist (John Goodman) claiming that the Earth’s surface has been rendered uninhabitable by a chemical catastrophe. With John Gallagher, Jr., Mat Vairo, Cindy Hogan and Jamie Clay.
The Brothers Grimsby (R for violence, profanity, coarse sexuality, drug use, crude humor and graphic nudity) Action comedy about a British spy (Mark Strong) forced to rely on his feeble-minded, long-lost brother (Sacha Baron Cohen) to foil a global terror attack. Featuring Rebel Wilson, Penelope Cruz, Gabby Sidibe and Isla Fisher.
The Young Messiah (PG-13 for violence and mature themes) Adaptation of Christ The Lord: Out Of Egypt, Anne Rice’s best seller chronicling the year in the life of 7-year-old Jesus (Adam Greaves-Neal) when the Christ child was informed of His divine destiny by Mary (Sara Lazzaro) and Joseph (Vincent Walsh). With Sean Bean, Christian McKay and Jonathan Bailey as King Herod.
About Scout (Unrated) Unlikely-buddies drama about a 15-year-old Goth girl (India Enninga) who embarks with a suicidal stranger (James Frecheville) on a road trip across Texas in search of her missing little sister (Onata Aprile). Featuring Danny Glover, Ellen Burstyn, Jane Seymour and Nikki Reed.
The Automatic Hate (Unrated) Tale of forbidden love about long-lost cousins (Joseph Cross and Adelaide Clemens) who become attracted to each other while digging up the deep secret that tore apart their families ages ago. With Ricky Jay, Deborah Ann Woll and Richard Schiff.
Backgammon (Unrated) Adaptation of the R.B. Russell novella Bloody Baudelaire, a whodunit about two couples invited by a mysterious host (Christian Alexander) to spend the weekend in an isolated mansion. Co-starring Noah Silver, Alex Beh, Brittany Allen and Olivia Crocicchia.
Barney Thomson (Unrated) Robert Carlyle plays the title character in this dark comedy, set Glascow, about a barber-turned-serial killer’s attempt to elude apprehension by the detective (Ray Winstone) heading the murder investigation. Support cast includes Emma Thompson, James Cosmo and Ashley Jensen.
Boom Bust Boom (Unrated) Cautionary documentary examining the stock market collapse of 2008 while issuing a clarion call to reform an economic system marked by alternating cycles of record highs and devastating crashes. Featuring commentary by Terry Jones, John Cusack and Professor Paul Krugman.
Creative Control (R for profanity, drug use, nudity and graphic sexuality) Sci-fi romance drama, set in Brooklyn, about a jaded tech exec (Benjamin Dickinson) who uses a state-of-the-art invention to sleep with his BFF’s (Dan Gill) unsuspecting girlfriend (Alexia Rasmussen). With Nora Zehetner, Reggie Watts and Gavin McInnes.
The Dog Wedding (PG-13 for drug use and suggestive content) Romantic comedy about a German businesswoman (Rosalie Thomass) who falls in love with a pro wrestler (Matt Bloom) she meets at a dog park in Arizona. Featuring Bernhard Schutz, Dee Booher and David Casillas.
Eye In The Sky (R for profanity and violent images) Drone warfare drama about a military commander (Helen Mirren) based in Great Britain who finds herself facing an ethical question when she is informed by a pilot (Aaron Paul) that a 9-year-old girl (Aisha Takow) has just entered the kill zone of a targeted terrorist cell. Cast includes Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi and Phoebe Fox.
Hello, My Name Is Doris (R for profanity) Sally Field stars in this romantic dramedy as a shy spinster inspired by a self-help guru (Peter Gallagher) to pursue the young co-worker (Max Greenfield) she has a crush on. With Wendi McLendon-Covey, Stephen Root and Beth Behrs.
LOLO (Unrated) Romantic romp revolving around a 40-year-old fashionista (Julie Delpy) who falls head-over-heels for a computer nerd (Danny Boon) she meets while vacationing at a trendy spa with a girlfriend (Karen Viard). Supporting cast includes Vincent Lacoste, Antoine Lounguine and Christophe Vandevelde. (In French and English with subtitles)
Me Him Her (Unrated) Out-of-the-closet comedy about a young slacker (Dustin milligan) who ventures to L.A. to help his TV star friend (Luke Bracey) find the courage to let the world know he’s gay. With Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis, Alia Shawkat and Casey Wilson.
Remember (R for violence and profanity) Cat-and-mouse thriller revolving around an addlepated Auschwitz survivor’s (Christopher Plummer) attempt to track down the Nazi fugitive (Jurgen Prochnow) who’d slaughtered his entire family during the Holocaust. Featuring Martin Landau, Dean Norris and Bruno Ganz. (In English and German with subtitles)
