Gavin O'Connor's "The Accountant" - Ben Affleck, Autism and Accountancy

Sounds like a Danish film I saw at the last Danish Film Festival - Christoffer Boe's perverse "Sex, Drugs and Taxation". While tax lawyer Mogens Glistrup (Nicolas Bro) has a blunt affect, Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has autism. But Christian has a different story altogether. 

While growing up motherless, Christian and brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) were raised by a strict military father who prepared them to fight for themselves. He knew that oddball Christian would encounter bullies as he grows up. Their dysfunctional childhood is shaped by their father's constant transfer: they moved 34 times in 17 years. 

After their father's death, Christian disappears for 10 years and resurfaces as a forensic accountant. Due to his business-like demeanor, Christian is able to deal with shady characters from Tehran arms dealers to international drug lords and money launderers. This time though, he is hired to trace the $61 million loss of a robotics company due for initial public offering (IPO). With the help of in-house accountant Dana (Anna Kendrick), Christian uncovers a plot perpetrated by the most unlikely suspect. 

I initially expected a story line that involved political conspiracies, international terrorism and arms deal, but Christian's background is a mere back story. 

Instead, the story focuses on a highly functional autistic protagonist who sincerely cares about the good people. He even donates most of his earnings to an institution that supports neuroscience research and cares for the mentally handicap, the NT's (neuro-typicals).

While emotionality is a characteristic far removed from most autistic persons, i.e. ability to foster emotional connection with others, Christian's tale makes a compelling story; one that parallels do-gooders like errr. Batman or James Bond or Ethan Hunt. Moreover, he has amazing gadgets, Indonesia-trained killer chops, an impeccable marksmanship and love for the finer things (like classical music and Pollock paintings). 

And he's easy on the eyes as well. 

What more can you ask for in a non-flying, non-caped, unarmoured hero?  

Braxton wants to watch Glen's demise in "The Walking Dead".

#theaccountant  #benaffleck  #annakendrick

50/50 - Light Hearted Mortality

Adam is 27. He has a career writing stories for a radio show, a girlfriend who paints abstract, a wise cracking best friend who's eternally conspiring on picking up girls, a inundating mother who patiently cares for her husband afflicted with Alzheimer's. But Adam suffers from intermittent back pains. One day, he's told by his doctor that he has Neurofibrosarcoma and Schwannoma - which are spinal cancers (it's a tumor at the neural sheath that wraps around our nerves).

His chances: 50/50!

If you think it's going to be one of those mawkish "disease of the month dramas", you'd be perfectly off tangent. It's actually one of those light hearted dramedies much like George Clooney's "The Descendants". Moreover, it's based on a true story.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as Adam, once again displays what an intuitive actor he is. It's quite perplexing why he doesn't even merit a nomination from the Oscar. And while we're on that subject, the divine Anjelica Huston, playing Adam's mother Diane, packs a richly nuanced portrayal of an overbearing mother who would rather keep her personal woes to herself. When she defensively informs Adam's psychologist Katherine (the fabulous Anna Kendrick of "Up in the Air" and the "Twilight" saga) : "I smother my son because I love him," you fathom the complicated, albeit affectionate dynamics of this mother-and-son relationship - and it broke my heart. Some people have odd ways of loving and of coping. Indeed, some hold on too tightly, too stiflingly.

I have never been fond of Seth Rogen (playing Adam's best friend Kyle), but here, he surprisingly enraptures. I was quite taken with his turn.

Director Jonathan Levine's "50/50" will take you to a leisurely emotional journey; one that lingers and bestows a life affirming sentiment to his audience. The film also succeeds in avoiding overtly maudlin emotionality. Considering its subject, that's a tall order.

Adam and Kyle


Bryce Dallas Howard plays Rachel, Adam's fair-weather girl friend. Howard unintentionally came up with the film's title, "50/50".


Anna Kendrick captures the essence of a really bad psychologist. Her struggle to "try so hard" unsettles.


Anjelica Huston plays Adam's mother


Joseph Gordon-Levitt: another out-of-the-box performance. He accepted the role 2 days before they started the shoot. James McAvoy was initially tasked to play Adam but had to beg off for personal reasons.

Up In The Air - George Clooney Shakes Our World

How does George Clooney do it?

He comes up with one great movie after another, and still able to maintain his box office status.

This is a film about the people hired by the big companies to fire their own employees. This corporate procedure is supposed to lessen the blow to the concerned employees and conveniently takes the dirty job of firing people off the hands of the employers. In "Up In The Air", Clooney is Ryan Bingham. It is his job to constantly travel all over the U.S. to fire people. One day, a newbie Natalie (Anna Kendrick) comes up with a system that will ground people like Ryan. What are its repercussions to his lifestyle?

Jason Reitman's dramedy, "Up In the Air" is one of those movies that will have you sitting through the whole movie entertained and yet, some part of you reel with self-examination. It's one of those true gems that leave you stunned with a few truths about your notion of being alone; of your concept of how a family should be; of man's constant search for flight!

That George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick get Oscar nominations for their solid performances is really a testament of how well written this script/story is.

And I thought I was gonna be bored. How wrong i was.

"Rub one up," Vera suggests to George in one of their intimate phone moments.

An interesting trivia for the film, the succession of "fired people" were real!