Author: Ian D.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s passion for film is admirable. Since emerging from his teenage years on the great sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun he has starred in a myriad of independent films (Brick, The Lookout, Hesher) and blockbusters (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Looper.)

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints feels like a relic from another era, a lost film stored away in a vault from the ‘70’s. It also contains a rare, timeless quality that leaves the setting feeling modern and nostalgic. After debuting at Cannes earlier this year the film has gained buzz on the festival circuit and has finally garnered a nationwide release.

This week I had the pleasure of spending just under two hours with actual humans. There were no capes on screen, no spandex visible either. The stories morality was not black and white, good vs. evil but rather complicated and messy. There were no visible special effects or final action sequences.

The previews for the new comedy, We’re The Millers, look canned at best. A lot of camera mugging from aging A-listers and SNL alum. It’s fairly clear why this is on precisely no one’s radar. It’s story arc is canned and all the crucial plot points are telegraphed. Even the characters are tired movie tropes. Than why, against all odds, did the Millers make me laugh harder than any other movie this summer?

Let’s get something straight out of the gate: Only God Forgives is not Drive 2: Electric Bugaloo…not even close. Upon reflection it’s really hard to say what OGD is at all.