Reel-View Ratings: The Bigger The Beard, The Better The Movie
FRESNO
Shannon the sex addict (Judy Greer) gets a job working alongside her lesbian sister Martha (Natasha Lyonne) as a hotel maid in Fresno, Calif. She relapses with a hotel guest, and one comedy of errors later, he’s dead and the two siblings have to cover up a murder before Shannon (who also is a registered sex offender) goes to jail. Hijinks and bawdy humor ensue with the likable likes of Aubrey Plaza, Fred Armisen and Molly Shannon. But Fresno isn’t an easy pill to swallow — sure, it’s great to see women taking on this kind of humor with ease, and the cast is TV star-studded, but this movie just. Isn’t. Funny. The humor is crass without comedy.
Plays at 8:15 p.m. June 4 at Kahala Theatre as part of the 2015 Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival
I Am Michael
Journalist Michael Glatze (James Franco) is a prominent gay rights activist — until he has a religious crisis, looks to Christianity for personal salvation, renounces his homosexuality and marries a woman (Emma Roberts). Based on a true story, the film toes a careful line between political statement and biopic, unwilling to condemn anyone or anything outright (though it does hint at its liberal ideological leanings from time to time), but this equivocation prevents it from truly taking flight into greatness. Still, the solid cast — which includes Zachary Quinto and Charlie Carver — elevates the film, particularly Franco, who gives a subtle, restrained performance that does himself and the role justice.
Plays at 6:05 and 7:05 p.m. June 7 at Kahala Theatre as part of the 2015 Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival
Racing Extinction
Human heartstrings are easily pulled by droopy eyed puppies and clumsy kittens, but nothing hits quite as hard as graphic human brutality against animals. Filmmaker and activist Louie Psihoyos knows it, which is why Racing Extinction, his follow-up to The Cove, is like a gut punch. He roams from case study to case study, sometimes employing his crew to covertly infiltrate smuggling operations, sometimes stepping back and simply letting the carnage speak for itself. The film falters under the weight of so many examples, but the overall message — if we humans don’t change our ways, both our oceans and entire way of life are doomed — stays with you even after the lights come back on.
Plays at 7:30 p.m. June 6 at Doris Duke Theatre
