Review: Sundance Film Festival Selection ‘Mississippi Grind’ starring Ben Mendelsohn & Ryan Reynolds

Mississippi Grind-poster

Disguised as a buddy, road movie, Mississippi Grind is an intense and intimate story of addiction that reveals the gritty details of a lifetime gambler when he’s paired up with one that’s just beginning. Ben Mendelsohn melts into this fantastic role and he really tears your heart out.

Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) likes to play poker and he’s been on a bit of a losing streak. His luck changes when he’s around the hard-to-read Curtis (Ryan Reynolds). The two embark on a road trip from Iowa to New Orleans and as you may have guessed, learn more about themselves and each other. It could have been cliche and terrible, but all the talent involved from the writing to the directing to the acting, make it a solid movie about another side of addiction, the one that doesn’t destroy you, but those around you.

Yes, I’m a fan of Ryan Reynolds. He may have caught my eye in Van Wilder, but it’s Just Friends that really sealed it. Oh, and he’s actually a great actor. Yeah, he sucked as Green Lantern, but he’s been great in Chaos Theory, Buried and the yet-for-me-to-see Voices (which Liz is still raving about). As Curtis, he’s disheveled yet charming, but not the over-the-top charming that reared it’s ugly head in The Change Up or The Proposal.

Ben Mendelsohn, is the new (dare I say) Gary Oldman. He can do (and does) everything and you’ve probably seen him so many times and you didn’t even know it. Here are a few of my favorite roles:

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Trespass with Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman – watch in on Netflix
A thief who’s plans to rob a family man totally backfire.

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The Dark Knight Rises
The smarmy guy trying to control Bain.

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Starred Up – watch on Amazon
A father in prison who thinks what’s best for his son is to toughen him up. p.s. Even though it’s in English, I highly recommend turning on the captions.

My favorite part about this movie is that I didn’t know if I should root for them or not. The characters are so incredibly developed and presented, that you can just sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s the exact type of movie that’s the bread and butter of great actors, but unfortunately, it’s not the type of movie that appeals to a wide audience. Those who seek it out, however, will be treated to an emotionally layered thinkpiece.

Now available on DirecTV, at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema in New York today and October 5th in Los Angeles. It comes to Bluray/DVD December 1st, but I bet you’ll be able to buy it digitally the week or so before.

September Movie Preview – 61 movies opening including 12 documentaries & 13 also on demand

September-Movie-Preview-Reel-News-DailyThere are an insane amount of movies releasing this September. There are 12 that are on the top of my watchlist. Which are on yours?

  1. 99 Homes
  2. About Ray
  3. Ashby
  4. Cooties
  5. Dragon Blade
  6. Finders Keepers
  7. Mississippi Grind
  8. Prophet’s Prey
  9. Sicario
  10. Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
  11. Stonewall
  12. The Keeping Room

September 2nd

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

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Produced by PBS, this is likely to be in a classic documentary style.


A Walk in the Woods

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Robert Redford tried to make a comeback last year with his solo effort, All Is Lost, but this time he teams up with Nick Nolte. Potential to be great.


September 4th

Before We Go – available to rent

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Chris Evans directs with the unpredictable and amazing Alice Eve. She also stars with Matthew Broderick in Dirty Weekend, out this same day.


Bloodsucking Bastards
Also on VOD
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Liz is reviewing – stay tuned!


Break Point

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Dirty-Weekend_Press_1 TribecaDirty Weekend
Tribeca Film Festival 2015, also on VOD
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This didn’t impress Liz or myself, but Jeremy is going to give it a try. Stay tuned for his review!


Dragon Blade

Also on VOD
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Adrien Brody, Jackie Chan and John Cusack. Swords, armor and anticipated over-acting.


My Voice, My Life

Documentary

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Number One Fan

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The Transporter Refueled

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Coming Home

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Welcome to Leith

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Jeremy is reviewing – stay tuned!


chloe and theo stillChloe and Theo
Also on VOD
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Jordan is reviewing – stay tuned!


Steve Jobs-3Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
Also on VOD
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Liz and I will attended a special screening and Q&A with director Alex Gibney – stay tuned for their side-by-side reviews! Can you guess which is the iPhone user?


Wolf Totem


September 9th

The Visit

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Are you going to give M. Night another shot?


Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

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September 11th

TIME OUT OF MIND NYFFTime Out of Mind

On demand September 18th
New York Film Festival 2014
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Sleeping with Other People
Tribeca Film Festival 2015
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Don’t even think about it – just see it. I raved about it here.


Breathe

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Mélanie Laurent directs. I’m there.


Goodnight Mommy

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Listening
also on VOD
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Meet the Patels

Documentary

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Paul Taylor Creative Domain

Documentary

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Triple 9

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TBD


90 Minutes in Heaven

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The Perfect Guy

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September 18th

Captive

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Cooties

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Pawn Sacrifice

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Kate Macer (Emily Blunt, right), Dave Jennings, (Victor Garber, center right), Phil Coopers (Hank Rogerson, center left) and Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya, left) in SICARIO. Photo Credit: Richard Foreman

Kate Macer (Emily Blunt, right), Dave Jennings, (Victor Garber, center right), Phil Coopers (Hank Rogerson, center left) and Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya, left) in SICARIO. Photo Credit: Richard Foreman

Sicario
Toronto International Film Festival 2015
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Emily Blunt once more kicking ass. Love it.


About Ray
Toronto International Film Festival 2015
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Black Mass-00001Black Mass

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You can catch the doc on Netflix right now here.


Everest

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This might be worth the extra moola for IMAX.


Katti Batti

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The New Girlfriend

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Prophet’s Prey

Documentary

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Amy Berg has wowed me with West of Memphis and Deliver Us From Evil, so I’m looking forward to this.


Uncle John
Also on VOD

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War Pigs

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Some Kind of Hate
Also on VOD
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Jeremy Scott: The People’s Designer

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September 23rd

Pay the Ghost
Also on VOD
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Trailer TBA


September 24th

The Reflektor Tapes

Documentary, Toronto International Film Festival 2015

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September 25th

Finders Keepers

Documentary[imdb id=”tt3462002″ plot=”short”]


Mississippi Grind

Ben Mendelsohn is one of those actors that greatly elevates the movie without overshadowing it. CAN’T WAIT. (Insert joke from @harmonov about Ryan Reynolds)

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Stonewall

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Before I Wake

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The Green Inferno

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Misunderstood

Also on VOD, New York Film Festival 2014

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Mission to Lars

Documentary

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The Intern

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10 Days in a Madhouse

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99 Homes

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A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story

Documentary

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Ashby

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Ashby TrailerLife is about knowing how to take a hit. Brace yourself, Ashby opens in Select Theaters, On Demand and DIGITAL HD September 25th!

Posted by Ashby on Saturday, August 22, 2015


Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon

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Labyrinth of Lies

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The Keeping Room

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Before I Wake

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Hotel Transylvania 2

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Brand: A Second Coming

Documentary

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Could not find a trailer. This is not a good sign.


Wildlike

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September 30th

The Walk
New York Film Festival 2015
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6 New Movies From Ryan Reynolds This Year – First Up ‘The Voices’

The Voices (2)Yes, I’m a Ryan Reynolds fan. I actually get a lot of flack about that from my buddies on The Reel Big Show. He’s not just a pretty face though. He has been very busy in the past few years and now six of his movies are slated for release this year. Mississippi Grind, co-starring the magnificent Ben Mendleson has been picked up by A24 at Sundance, The Voices, co-starring Anna Kendrick comes the theaters/VOD Friday (Liz’s review coming soon) and The Captive comes to Bluray/DVD/VOD March 3rd. Woman In Gold starring Helen Mirren comes out April 3rd, then two other releases, Selfless with Ben Kingsley and Criminal with Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones and Alice Eve. Whew.

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