Review: 'Welcome to the Rileys' is "Challenging and Provocative"

“Welcome To The Rileys,” is a stirring drama about three people’s journey through tragedy to a life filled with opportunity and optimism. Starring James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart and Melissa Leo, the film tracks the life of married couple Doug (Gandolfini) and Lois Riley (Leo) as the struggle to overcome eight years of grief over the death of their teenage daughter in a freak car accident.

Lois thinks she caused the accident by being too overbearing a mother, and Doug does not disabuse her of that line of thinking. The two battle major depression and live like emotionally dead zombies until they meet the 17-year old stripper named Mallory (Stewart).



While at a business convention in New Orleans, Doug wanders into a strip joint ahead of his colleagues and encounters Mallory, who propositions him like she’s been working the streets for over 10 years, which is possible given her life story. Because Mallory reminds Doug of his deceased daughter in age and appearances only, he tries to take her under his wing and provide her with the parenting she clearly never had.



Their relationship causes strain in Doug’s marriage, but forces Lois out of the catatonia she’d found herself in.

The Riley’s experience with Mallory reinvigorates their relationship and puts both them and Mallory on a new path for living.

Scripted by Ken Hixon (“City by the Sea” and “Inventing the Abbotts”),“Welcome To The Rileys” skillfully navigates the dark underside of post-Katrina New Orleans and the child sex-trade, delicately peppering the film with humor as it ultimately drives the film’s theme home.



While the film may prove too dark and gritty for Stewarts male fans, her female fans are sure to appreciate her work in this challenging and provocative role. After rapping up her stint as Joan Jett in “The Runaways,” to prepare for her role as a stripper and child prostitute, Stewart took pole dancing lessons, visited strip clubs and didn’t wash her hair for five weeks. Her appearance was so convincingly trashy, she said, that when she walked into a club off Sunset Boulevard, the owner offered her a job. The actress persuaded him to let her talk to the dancers to get insight about their lives.



“The only thing that I can figure out is that something most of the time was taken from them,” she said. “Like, you can’t hurt me more than I’ve already been hurt. And you can’t abuse me more than I abuse myself every day, so I’m gonna take from you. I’m gonna take your money.”



Director Jake Scott, who snagged Stewart before she began filming “Twilight,” says Stewart was right for the lead. “What I got from her in that movie was this vulpine, wily, kind of fox-like quality,” he said. “She’s got a way of looking at people that I found really compelling.” Stewart “has become more confident in the two years he’s known her and hasn’t let celebrity warp her identity,” he added. “She’s still Kristen to me — this kid from the Valley who’s into Van Morrison and watching movies and hanging out,” he says.


Source / WTTRSaturday

Spoilers* Austin Film Festival 2010 Review: WELCOME TO THE RILEYS

Rating: 3/5

Writer: Ken Hixon

Director: Jake Scott

Cast: James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, Melissa Leo



Sometimes, when circumstance meets opportunity at just the right time in someone’s life they might be inclined to do something unexpected…crazy even. The more severe the circumstance, the more probable the action will be all the more drastic when that opportunity presents itself. Often, the act of doing the unexpected leads to adventure: your old life is postponed, situations you would have never found yourself in present themselves, and relationships you never would have formed (and maybe never should have) become profound.



When Doug Riley (James Gandolfini) and Mallory (Kristen Stewart) meet at a seedy strip club just off the French Quarter, Doug has just embarked on the cathartic adventure on which WELCOME TO THE RILEYS is based, but Mallory just sees him as another mark. After Doug escapes to the champagne room, narrowly avoiding a group of generic businessmen from the convention he’s supposed to be attending, he rejects the persistent Mallory who just wants to turn a trick and go back to the stage. She thinks he’s a cop (and I would too, really) and storms out, only to have a chance encounter again with the troubled Mr. Riley at a local diner. Their friendship is fast-forming albeit somewhat peculiar given their differences, but the unlikeliness of these two meeting has an underlying sweetness found in the instant recognition of two damaged souls that have just found one another on an otherwise lonely night.



For most of us, the adventure would have ended there. But Doug Riley and his wife Lois (Melissa Leo) are living with a dark tragedy in their hearts – a tragedy that thankfully most of us will never have to endure. Their fifteen year-old daughter Emily was killed in a severe car crash…and the two understandably haven’t been the same since. Doug is having an affair when we first meet him, and Lois glides around their house like she’s part wife, part ghost. At first glance, their relationship seems perfectly normal given the fact that they’ve been married thirty years, but we slowly learn that the Rileys are suffering, and suffering deeply at that.



So, when Doug meets Mallory in New Orleans and suddenly feels responsible for her, his motivations and rash action are more justified than someone who hadn’t endured such a tragedy had acted just as spontaneously. Doug makes a deal to sell his Plumbing Company, buys some bolt-cutters and cleaning supplies, and sprints over to Mallory’s shady domicile to get the electricity back on and get Mallory’s life back on track.



In the face of being blind-sided by their daughter’s death it’s more believable that Doug would act so indiscriminately, so instead of accusing screenwriter Ken Hixon of shoddy plot development, the audience can buy into the bizarre actions of the characters as long as it’s only the Rileys who act insane. The rash decisions the characters make are just as sudden as the car wreck that killed their daughter Emily.



Continuing with that logic, Lois Riley does indeed act impetuously, and ventures out to surprise Doug in The Big Easy. Lois has become a shut-in that hasn’t been outside for years and is a rock’s throw away from existing in a constant state of catatonia. However, her condition and reason for being a hermit is not made known to the audience until much later in the movie, so her actions and inability to drive a car lead to a disconnect from her character and some incredibly out of place comedic moments as she struggles behind the wheel before heading out to confront her husband in New Orleans. We learn much later why she is more affected by Emily’s death in a heartfelt scene between Lois and Mallory.



Kristen Stewart’s quirks serve her well here, but her ratty appearance and bipolar behavior lend themselves to a drug problem that we never get introduced to. The performance is bold and racy, and Stewart doesn’t seem self conscious at all throughout the film. For a sixteen year-old runaway, Mallory is already close to being irrevocably damaged and Doug and Lois know it and try to take care of her even though the prospect of a healthy nuclear family at this point is highly unlikely. Mallory seems to know it before the Rileys ever do, in fact.



Read the rest of the review  at Gordon and the Whale
 
Twilightish

Eclipse Review ! NO SPOILERS. Pictures+Video

WARNING. I will NOT include ANY spoilers BUT some of the things i include in the review you might consider it as a spoiler. Read at your own risk.

I arrived at the theater here in Miami to see Eclipse at midnight at 9pm. I thought the lines were not going to be LONG since it was early but to my surprise it was three times what it was last year. As midnight approached the line became longer and longer. The theater was inside the mall in the third floor , some people were waiting since the morning and the line was all the way down to the second floor, yeah it was that long. I heard that in some theaters they had to close down all the rooms and OPEN them all ONLY for ECLIPSE. Im going to break down the review per character and scenes that you guys were dying to see. OF COURSE, NO SPOILERS. If you want any ,DM in twitter (@RobstenWorld)

Edward Cullen - Robert Pattinson : Edward was the same as in Twilight and New Moon but more passionate. Robert Pattinson really did an amazing job, he gets better and better ladies ;) ahaha! His kisses with Bella were MORE INTENSE! ALOT MORE ;) and he seemed to care about Bella's feelings for Jacob. You guys might know this because you guys read the book.

Bella Swan - Kristen Stewart - Bella was stronger in this movie , like she showed Edward that as much as she loved him she also cared for her best friend. Kristen did an amazing job portraying Bella as someone who had grown and had decided what she wanted.

Jacob Black - Taylor Lautner - Eh, well. Taylor he is still without a shirt most of the movie. He comes out in most of the movie and whenever Edward and Bella were having a moment he would appear UGH! LOL! BUT i must say the kid has talent and if it wasn't for all the TEAM JACOB girls who annoy me i might even like him a little bit :P

The Cullens:I loved how they portrayed  the family this time. So close and working to save Bella. The part were Rosalie talks with Bella (You guys saw it in the trailers) showed us another side of Rosalie and Nikki did do a good job. She tried to be tough with Bella but still showed that she cared about her by telling her that becoming a vampire was not the best idea. Jasper was amazing, so funny! During the fighting scenes (i will talk about it later) he would joke around with Emmett ALOT! and those were the funniest moments in the movie. The Cullens were AMAZING in this movie. I won't say more :P

The Werewolves: All i can say , is that they were more REAL this time. I can't say more because then i'll spoil it for you guys. The way they decided to work with the Cullens and how they interacted was great. David Slade did a good job with those scenes & the rest of the movie too ;)

Fighting Scenes: I mentioned that this year there were more GUYS watching the movie and of course , it's because the fighting scenes were INTENSE! I loved them. The werewolves and vampires working together was great !

Leg Hitch Scene : OMG! This scene was HOT! The kiss was INTENSE. I won't say NO MORE. Watch it ;)

Proposal: Beautiful...Beautiful..! So sweet. Robert and Kristen made it look so real. I was in tears when i was watching!

Tent Scene : The scene was hilarious at the beginning and then when Edward and Jacob started talking it was sweet. These two guys need to get over their feud, they would make great friends... :P ahah!

Jacob and Bella Kisses: The first kiss was whatever , he barely touched her lips BUT the second one was different. I wont say how, again , i don't want to spoil it. I was mad when i saw it BUT then i saw Edward and the things he told her and i was like awhe<3. So , don't be too mad when you see it!

Bellas hair : The wig was not bad. In some scenes people would ask each other "Is that a wig?" Because it was obvious. BUT, it was not as bad as i thought it would be!

Over all, the movie was the BEST out of all three. Better Edward and Bella Kisses , the fighting was without doubt THE BEST! So GOOD! and it was some how funnier too!  Those who saw it , what did YOU think?