Movie Review: Hits (2014)

David Cross writes and directs a tale of fame set in the small town of Liberty, NY.  The film shows how the internet can make you famous, even if it wasn't the way you intended for it to happen.

Meredith Hagner plays Katelyn, a nineteen year old girl with a dream to be on the NBC television show, "The Voice."  She feels she has what it takes and is willing to do just about anything to be heard.

Katelyn's father Dave, who is brilliantly played by Matt Walsh, has issues with his city council.  He continues to go to the town halls and is shut down.  This has progressively made him more upset and the videos of his city council outbursts have become mildly popular on YouTube.  This is where Donavan(James Adomian) comes in.  He becomes quite interested in Dave's cause when his drug dealer(Michael Cera) shows Donavan and his wife(Erinn Hayes) the YouTube video.  Donavan, who lives in New York City, and his group of friends are part of an internet group called "Think Tank" and he feels Dave is the perfect subject.

Everything culminates in the small town of Liberty.  Katelyn is looking to record a demo, Dave is becoming more and more popular on the internet, Donavan is surprised by the amount of attention, and there are a lot more characters that have integral parts within this story.

David Cross masterfully weaves all of the characters into this film.  There is a lot going on, but he finds a way to give each character enough screen time so that you are able to keep up with this interweaving tale.  There are also characters who may play small roles but had me laughing out loud.  Derek Waters was remarkably funny in his role as the awkward and always hungry Larson.

Those that are looking for fame do find it.  It just doesn't come the way they might have thought it would.

I'm giving "Hits" three out of five Pile Drivers.  Definitely worth watching if you like a tragic comedy.

You can read more of my reviews here on Cinema Head Cheese and also please check out my blogs, reviews and podcasts on http://maskerpiecetheatre.blogspot.com/

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Movie Review: What Richard Did (2012: Element Pictures/Tribeca Film)

...oh, those pesky, albeit invariable and inescapable life decisions; with spectrum-wide variance, they have the ability to merely move us through the day, and they have the profound effect of affecting our lives...our very destiny, years to come. The waking hours.....Should I have the cinnamon toast, or the Frooty Pebbles.....Sniff, sniff!! Whoa!! Better shower before I go. Gonna ask for that raise, today.....Hey, you moron!! Pick a lane, would ya'? I'm drivin', here, I'm drivin' here, I'm...Whoa!! Almost hit that pedestrian; that was close, whew.....Yeaaaa!! Won the election. Time to make those changes, which I promised the people...especially for the people that pay me the most.....Will she say yes?? Will she say no?? Oh God, if she says no, I might just have to kill myself.....Let's see, the bottle says 'wash, rinse and repeat'. Wash, rinse, repeat...wash, rinse, repeat...Uh oh, I'm balding back there. Time to call Hair Club for Men.....OK, doors and windows locked for the night, children tucked safely in their beds, alarm clock set for 6:00. Time for bed...Good night sweetheart...Smooch, and ZZZZZZZZ!!!

...and as much as we'd adhere to...or at least, claim to adhere to a level of control, when it comes to our feelings and emotions...well, let's just say that those self-same feelings and emotions are often times running the show, and as such, are...for the most part...in the driver's seat, when it comes to our making the decisions that affect our lives. Good. Bad. Scary. Elating and Satisfying. Effectual, for the moment. And yes, even Life-Changing. And again...yes, there's the desire to maintain a measure of control, when it comes to how our feelings and emotions affect our decisions making; but let's face it: there are moments where those feeling and emotions do get out of control, and...good or bad, like it or not...we have to deal with the repercussions and end result of those situations. In the end, it's how we deal with those decisions, and the resulting outcome, which makes each of us, the kind of person we are...

Movie Review: La Bamba (1987; Columbia/Twilight Time)

...considering the historical events associated with the previous film, which this viewer partook of and reviewed, a while back, it is sort of ironic that the year 1959...closely associated anti-establishment movement, initiated by political warfare guerrilla Che Guavara...would also be the same year, which bore a headline of great tragedy, of equal precedence...media & headline-wise...and the subject of this viewer's next review...

...date line, circa 1959.....Cuban President Fulgencio Batista is forced from power, and in his place, Fidel Castro becomes the reigning Cuban Premier.....Television viewers were taken to strange, surreal and sometimes horrific places, which lay 'somewhere between the pit of man's fears, and the summit of his knowledge', with the premiere of "The Twilight Zone".....the Xerox company introduces their very first copier.....The epic film, "Ben Hur" holds it's star-studded gala premiere, in New York City.....And disaster strikes down a small, single-engined 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza plane, one fateful winter's evening, on the outskirts of Clear Lake, Iowa...the fiery crash, claiming the lives of famed rock-n-roll musicians Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson (...aka 'The Big Bopper'), and 17-year-old Richard Stevens Valenzuela, also known as Ritchie Valens.....

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #56 - We're Mad as Hell, and We're Not Gonna Take it Anymore!

Kevin and Dave share their disgust for the news media and the lack of tact involved in sensationalizing violence and tragedies. Kevin shares a story of his daughter's defiance and how it led to him watching one of his titles for the show.

They review the Korean monster movie The Host, the Monopoly documentary Under the Boardwalk and the DVD release of No Holds Barred.

Kevin talks about the beginning of the final season of Breaking Bad and the issues between AMC and Dish Network, and he and Dave wonder when cable channels will finally be available a la carte.

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