Damien Riley HQ

I love watching a film I know hardly anything about that has mediocre scores on Rotten Tomatoes and that surprises the hell out of me to be on my best films of the year list. Watching the Accountant was like that for me.

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The rest of this review may contain spoilers

This is a film of two worlds: 1) a history and upbringing of an autistic boy and 2) The path of adulthood and a career for that boy after becoming a man. As it turns out, high functioning autistic people make ingenious accountants. Ben Affleck is this man and he is so good, many underground crime bosses use him to “uncook” their books. Let me reiterate, he is really good at it.

We are catapulted from stories of his youth where his father mercilessly trains him to fight a exist alone to his life as a criminal accountant who’s cool as a cucumber. If you heard he was doing well and not getting caught year after year, you might think to yourself, “Ok, so what’s the problem. This guy has it made.” Wrong. There are some real issues that would prevent the average person from being happy in his shoes. First, he can’t have relationships. His autism gives him tunnel vision and he is literally unable to walk away from projects. He attempts a relationship with Anna Kendrick but it never really pans out because of his disorder. In more than one way, it gets in the way.

In this film we see what Affleck’s character can do as a result of his father’s horrifying training. He is a machine when it comes to fighting. He is able to see details no one else does and this makes him not only an accounting weapon but also what we might call a para-military soldier and killer.

So, these are just some if the amazingly creative particulars written into this gem of a film. Affleck is at the top of his game. There are many shoot-em-ups from which he generally emerges victorious. I loved every minute of this film. They say people with autism are on a different level than the rest of us. This film shows that shouldn’t be looked down on. Someone with autism, trained in this way, could save the world. Would he be happy though? The jury’s still out.

This Jerry Bruckheimer production truly “brings it.” On the heels of Pirates of the Carribean, this mega-producer was able to produce another highly entertaining Summer swashbuckler for Disney. It is partially based on the popular video game of the same name.

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Jake Gyllenhaal (Jake from here on out) plays Dastan, a street rat who becomes a prince. Sound familiar? No, actually other than that there are no parallels to Alladin. He obtains a dagger that is able to rewind time one minute in duration. Naturally everyone wants this dagger so he must keep it safe. Gemma Arterton is the beautiful princess who is charged with the task of getting it back from him. Dastan wrongly believes she wants HIM and not the dagger, as every prince probably would, but he is mistaken. Their romantic comedy banter back and forth is some of my favorite stuff from this film.

There are a couple of actor heavyweights in the film as: Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina. They bring a stoic feeling to the film. Both are very physical in the film, along with Jake. They appear to do many of their own stunts including Alfred Molina’s harrowing scene when he kisses an ostrich. I understand these are mean animals and yet, they manage to be ridden in the film without the use of CGI. Quite amazing if you asked me.

The film looks like a sword and sandal epic but feels just short of it at times. It isn’t a bad movie but it’s not as good as The Gods of Egypt or The 300. The story is a bit complex and I think could have been more engaging if it were whittled down and simplified a bit. Despite poor reviews and some stale audience periods, It did gross over 300 million dollars so something definitely is there that kept people swiping their cards and slapping down bills at the box office. I would recommend this film for fans of Jake or possibly the video game (I’ve never played it) but ony after you’ve seen everything else he’s done. I think you’ll find it a lot of fun in a branched off performance for him.

I published four reviews on ‘Riley on Film’ last week. My impressions ranged from “This is a character study in evil” to “why was this made?” You’ll find the posters below. click on each one you want to read my review of. the inly one I can’t recommend is ‘Elvis and Nixon.’ Read why. The other 3 are amazing films and I recommend them.

Starring: Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville, Colin Hanks, Evan Peters, Sky Ferreira, Tracy Letts, Tate Donovan, Ashley Benson
Genres: Comedy, History
Directed By: Liza Johnson
Studio: Bleecker Street Media/Amazon
MPAA Rating
R

I agree it’s out of the ordinary that a rock icon and a President met in the White House Oval Office. I don’t agree it was extraordinary enough to make a feature-length film, Elvis and Nixon, about the meeting. Only the cast is impressive but their talent is wasted on a piss poor script.

On other matters, the casting is not even remotely fitting. Kevin Spacey doesn’t have the demeanor nor the voice of Nixon and Michael Shannon as Elvis is about as arresting as his one Karate move he shares a few times.

This is an Amazon film that many critics are shocked was made at all. It was a ridiculous way to spend a couple of hours but there is nothing clever or shocking to share about it. Can I just ask why was Michael Shannon, one of my favorite actors, playing a supposed based on a true story narrative of Elvis? These guys belong together in a Superman movie but not this.

I really can’t recommend this film. Whatever it set out to do was a mystery so I can’t say it achieved its goal. If this is the quality we are to expect from Amazon films, I’ll be wary of what I select.

Watching “The Congressman” I was taken back by the video images of a sleepy Maine fishing town and impressed by the acting skills of Treat Williams.

There is care given to capture sunsets, active fishing expeditions, and more. There is one sunset that is unforgettable.

This film is about a Congressman named Charlie Winship, played by Treat Williams who is known for Hair and Deep Rising, among many other television and film roles. Charlie has a bad day when he is captured on iphone video sitting wile the rest of Congress is doing the pledge of allegiance. In our viral world, it gets publicizes fast and Charlie gets a lot of judgement for what he did. It gets a lot worse before it gets better and the idea presented is that we tend to worship rituals instead of concepts of freedom.

Charlie retreats to an island off the coast of Maine and while there he recovers the small town values that once made up his political his platform. He connects with a woman, Rae Blanchard, played by Elizabeth Marvel. She is very important in his return to his previous morals about Freedom. The film moves around rather quickly with not too much time on any one person. It focuses a spotlight on an issue and then moves on leaving the viewer to form her/his own opinions.

This may be seen by some as a “light hearted” film that doesn’t make any grand stadium statements. The other reason to see this film is Treat Williams’ performance. He speaks with such seasoned ease in acting. He delivers his line as though he were an actual congressman. It’s a great film to watch and internalize at the theater or on Video On Demand where you can find it now. For the reasons stated above, I hope many get to see and enjoy this film.

Directors: Jared Martin, Robert Mrazek
Writer: Robert Mrazek
Stars: Treat Williams, Elizabeth Marvel, Ryan Merriman
R | 1h 38min | Drama

I have always liked restoration hardware and shows that restore things. Recently my wife has restored and redone a lot of parts of our home and we are all reaping the benefits of joy.
<img src=”https://rileyonfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/image-e1462387691799.jpeg” alt=”bed set” width=”660″ />
<em>Our story of our journey to success is a long one. I write in my column just a little about it here along with why we enjoyed fixing up our current home.</em>
I think it was about age 20 that I started to see the financial journey most people take in a lifetime. It’s pretty simple for most. As my dad used to tell me: when you are young you will be paid a little for hard work and when you are older you will be paid a lot for doing a little work. I have certainly found this to be true.
Another thing I remember is feeling that an AA (2 year) or even a BA (4 year) degree really isn’t worth much and it’s only those who have connections or family or a trust fund who ever really “make it.” Since then, I learned differently. Those degrees are stepping stones that catapult you into your chance at life. They are also gatekeepers keeping the riff raff out.

<blockquote class=”pull alignright”>Randy Pausch before he died of cancer said publicly that the brick walls in life are not there to tell us no but to show ourselves and others how much we want something.</blockquote>

People told me all kinds of weird things when I was young and starting out. “Bill Clinton will make college free soon so wait and have a hit off this bong buddy!” Other people told me it would be impossible to graduate based on budget cuts. Really? Looks like I dodged those. These and many other statements like them are excuses used by real people I’ve encountered all throughout my life, especially in my late teens and twenties.
I’ve gained so much from college and for hanging in there with a good work ethic. When my wife and I first got together in 2002, we were poooooor by many people’s estimation, certainly by ours now. I’m not proud of it but sometimes to pay that last bill, I had to go down and get what is called a “Pay Day Loan.” These are horrendous for a young family. We had one 4 year old at the time and I wish I never had to sink that low as to get these pay day loans but I did. Like I said, I’m not proud of it.

<blockquote class=”pull alignleft”>For a poor young couple in charge of a family, loans were a means to an end, a dangerous one at that.</blockquote>

Now, in the 14th year since then, we have been homeowners for 7 years and we have 3 kids ages: 8, 11, and 17. We would never need to get a payday loan, we have savings, 2 retirement plans with the state, I work as a teacher with 17 years experience and my wife is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist making close to what I make after all the years. We aren’t hurtin’. Next month we are taking our first trip to Hawaii as a family and we’re tickled to death.
In the past month, my wife decided to get us a new bedroom set, bathroom sets, various things at the container store, and basically, what feels to me to be a brand new home. We have talked a lot about getting a new home but after these minor adjustments and additions of new furnishings, we’ve done it all for much cheaper. Now, we can let the equity accrue and enjoy our house.

<blockquote>I usually don’t give advice on home stuff but I would say getting things fixed, replaced, renovated, and restored has as much of a payoff as getting a brand new home.</blockquote>

Think about places like the place where you sleep, the place where you eat, the place where you are entertained, and the place where you take a shower and get refreshed. If you’re not happy where you are, fixing up these places will definitely give you a boost. Move on and up in the right time but remember just a little effort can give you a boost like you’ve been waiting for all your life.
<hr />
I’m linking to: <a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/hope/”>Daily Post</a>

I have always liked restoration hardware and shows that restore things. Recently my wife has restored and redone a lot of parts of our home and we are all reaping the benefits of joy.
<img src=”https://rileyonfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/image-e1462387691799.jpeg” alt=”bed set” width=”660″ />
<em>Our story of our journey to success is a long one. I write in my column just a little about it here along with why we enjoyed fixing up our current home.</em>
I think it was about age 20 that I started to see the financial journey most people take in a lifetime. It’s pretty simple for most. As my dad used to tell me: when you are young you will be paid a little for hard work and when you are older you will be paid a lot for doing a little work. I have certainly found this to be true.
Another thing I remember is feeling that an AA (2 year) or even a BA (4 year) degree really isn’t worth much and it’s only those who have connections or family or a trust fund who ever really “make it.” Since then, I learned differently. Those degrees are stepping stones that catapult you into your chance at life. They are also gatekeepers keeping the riff raff out.

<blockquote class=”pull alignright”>Randy Pausch before he died of cancer said publicly that the brick walls in life are not there to tell us no but to show ourselves and others how much we want something.</blockquote>

People told me all kinds of weird things when I was young and starting out. “Bill Clinton will make college free soon so wait and have a hit off this bong buddy!” Other people told me it would be impossible to graduate based on budget cuts. Really? Looks like I dodged those. These and many other statements like them are excuses used by real people I’ve encountered all throughout my life, especially in my late teens and twenties.
I’ve gained so much from college and for hanging in there with a good work ethic. When my wife and I first got together in 2002, we were poooooor by many people’s estimation, certainly by ours now. I’m not proud of it but sometimes to pay that last bill, I had to go down and get what is called a “Pay Day Loan.” These are horrendous for a young family. We had one 4 year old at the time and I wish I never had to sink that low as to get these pay day loans but I did. Like I said, I’m not proud of it.

<blockquote class=”pull alignleft”>For a poor young couple in charge of a family, loans were a means to an end, a dangerous one at that.</blockquote>

Now, in the 14th year since then, we have been homeowners for 7 years and we have 3 kids ages: 8, 11, and 17. We would never need to get a payday loan, we have savings, 2 retirement plans with the state, I work as a teacher with 17 years experience and my wife is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist making close to what I make after all the years. We aren’t hurtin’. Next month we are taking our first trip to Hawaii as a family and we’re tickled to death.
In the past month, my wife decided to get us a new bedroom set, bathroom sets, various things at the container store, and basically, what feels to me to be a brand new home. We have talked a lot about getting a new home but after these minor adjustments and additions of new furnishings, we’ve done it all for much cheaper. Now, we can let the equity accrue and enjoy our house.

<blockquote>I usually don’t give advice on home stuff but I would say getting things fixed, replaced, renovated, and restored has as much of a payoff as getting a brand new home.</blockquote>

Think about places like the place where you sleep, the place where you eat, the place where you are entertained, and the place where you take a shower and get refreshed. If you’re not happy where you are, fixing up these places will definitely give you a boost. Move on and up in the right time but remember just a little effort can give you a boost like you’ve been waiting for all your life.
<hr />
I’m linking to: <a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/hope/”>Daily Post</a>