Would You Rather (3/10): I'd rather not...

“Would you rather...?”

I’ve never considered movies like this to be horror films because for me there has to be actual scares involved and not just gory scenes. I know that they still succeed at shocking and grossing out the audiences, but there is really no actual fear involved. Perhaps my definition of horror isn’t actually accurate, but I’m not a huge fan of these torture porn movies. David Guy Levy borrows several familiar elements here from the Saw franchise and Eli Roth’s Hostel, although with a much lighter approach. The torture scenes aren’t in your face, in other words more is implied than actually shown. I’m grateful that Levy took that approach, but I still had a hard time finding anything entertaining about this movie. The characters are all one dimensional and the plot is very predictable. From the moment Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator) appears on screen you know his character is up to no good and it’s not hard to figure out where the plot is heading. Steffen Schlachtenhaufen’s script is weak and his characters are all one dimensional. He couldn’t have given Sasha Grey’s character a more stereotypical role than he did with her character here. And the same could be said for Combs and Robin Lord Taylor’s characters. Perhaps I’m being a bit too critical of this film because I saw this after having seen Cheap Thrills, which I thought this film was ripping off (but apparently this was made before it). I wasn’t a huge fan of Cheap Thrills either, but it is a much better film than this and at least it offered plenty of surprises and twists along the way.

The film introduces us to Iris (Brittany Snow) a young woman who is trying to take care of her ill younger brother, Raleigh (Logan Miller), who requires expensive treatment for his leukemia. In the next scene Raleigh’s doctor, Barden (Lawrence Gilliard Jr), calls her to his office and introduces her to a wealthy man named Shepard Lambrick (Jeffrey Combs) who has an interesting proposition for her. He invites her to his home for a game in which she will be competing against other guests and the winner will receive full payment for their treatment from his foundation. She’s not convinced about accepting the invitation, but she feels impelled to go for her brother’s sake. Once she arrives at Shepard’s home she is introduced to the other guests: Lucas (Enver Gjokaj), Travis (Charlie Hofheimer), Linda (June Squibb), Peter (Robb Wells), Cal (Eddie Steeples), Amy (Sasha Grey), and Conway (John Heard) who have all been invited for similar reasons. Shepard then invites them to the table and along with his son, Julian (Robin Lord Taylor) and several body guards he tells them the rules of the game. The premise is simple, it is the familiar game of “would you rather” where the participants are given two options and they choose which one they’d prefer, with the exception that in this game they have to act upon the action they choose, and neither of them are very promising. It doesn’t take too long until the guests realize they’ve been invited to be a part of a very sadistic game. 

There isn’t really too much I can say about this movie, other than the fact that I found it rather tasteless and predictable. The performances were all weak, but the main problem relies on the weak script they were given. I mean just look at June Squibb and what she did in Nebraska and compare it to the material she is given here where she isn’t allowed to shine at all. Brittany Snow and Enver Gjokaj are the two how come out best in this film but neither of them did anything special or groundbreaking here. After seeing this I felt like Cheap Thrills was a masterpiece next to it. I’m probably not the right target audience for this film, but I couldn’t find any of it worth recommending.  

My Review: Nebraska (8/10)

"I ain't fiddlin' with no cow titties. I'm a city girl!"

Alexander Payne has directed yet another powerful film by creating real characters going through real life situations in a very poignant and hilarious way. Nebraska is one of those films that manages to balance serious subject matters with light touches of comedy by creating characters from Midwestern American society that feel authentic and are easy to relate to. It's a heartwarming film with some very emotional dramatic moments that are taken to another level thanks to some strong performances. Bruce Dern stars in the role of a lifetime and his performance is so natural that he completely owns this movie and never misses a note. It's a difficult performance because due to the subject matter one wrong note could've made the audience feel like it was being manipulated, but it never does and Payne manages to direct his actors in such a way that I never felt he was being condescending. Will Forte also delivers in a strong dramatic role sharing great chemistry with Dern and making this a strong father-son road trip story that stands out above other such films. June Squibb is hilarious as well and she brings some comedic relief during some of the emotional or more dramatic moments. This road trip film is gorgeously captured through black and white cinematography giving the film a more nostalgic tone towards the past. It's a well balanced road film about old age and family, and one of Payne's best films (I'd rate it second, behind Sideways my personal favorite of his). This sad and tender film takes us through a journey that may be slow at times, but Payne makes sure he rewards his audience for sticking with it.

Written by Bob Nelson, Nebraska is an original screenplay centering on a Midwestern American family from Billings, Montana. The father, Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) who's in his late 70's and approaching dementia, is convinced that he has won a million dollars after receiving a newsletter, but everyone else in his family knows it's just one of those scams for people to purchase magazine subscriptions. His wife Kate (June Squibb) can't convince him otherwise and neither can their two adult sons, Ross (Bob Odenkirk) and David (Will Forte). Since no one will take him to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect his million dollars he tries to walk there. Finally David decides to call in sick at the electronic store where he works at and take his father to Lincoln. He believes this is a good opportunity to get closer to his estranged father who has always had alcohol related problems and been a very quiet person. Together they embark on the journey, but along the way they agree to stop by the small town in central Nebraska where his father grew up and meet up with their relatives. The trip becomes an illuminating experience for David who begins to understand some of the things that made his father the way he is, and through this unexpected journey the two grow closer together.

This could've been yet another forgettable father and son film, but thanks to Payne's unique style and deadpan humor along with Dern and Forte's powerful performances Nebraska is a beautiful and touching film. The tone of the film balances really well the family dynamics with the longing and yearning for the past mixed with the discomfort and emptiness of the present. Dern portrays this character so well and the final scenes he shares with Forte are touching and tender. It's a genuine story and in my opinion it's an improvement from Payne's previous film, The Descendants, which I enjoyed a little less than this one. Nebraksa is a very revealing film and I loved the way the father son relationship was slowly built without ever being manipulative.