Wild Card (2015) | Film Review

(First viewing via VOD) - Wild Card is a by-the-numbers action flick starring Jason Statham as Nick Wild. Wild is a man with an extensive history of world traveling, actioneering, and apparent escapades that have made him somewhat famous. So how does a man like this end up stuck in a place like Las Vegas? He’s a degenerate gambler.

Wild Card has a paper thin plot. The majority of the film features Statham acting as a sort of Mr. Fix-It in and around Vegas. He’s the sort of guy you hire if you need to impress your lady, of if you’re looking for some extra security for a night on the town. He’s also well-respected by all, including the local mob. He stays out of their way, they stay out of his.

The Brass Teapot (2012) | Film Review

(Originally published on Letterboxd on Feb 6, 2014) - What would you do if you found a teapot that produced money every time you suffered pain? If you're anything like Alice and John (Juno Tempe and Michael Angarano), you'd go to extreme lengths to obtain endless wealth that stretched far beyond physical pain and extended into potential moral ruin. You know, just like investing in the stock market!

The Brass Teapot is a strange film the tiptoes down the line of comedy and thriller, while never fully embracing either. It tells the story of a young couple--the aforementioned Alice and John--struggling to make ends meet, and altogether underachieving. John is tormented by Alice's ex-boyfriend who keeps trying to get back with her through bullying him, and Alice is haunted by the purity and seeming perfection of her sister's marriage and family. Through it all they seem resilient, determined not to let the other succumb to their own personal fears. But when a car accident results in Alice discovering a little brass teapot with an unusually strong allure, the two lovebirds soon find themselves hurting each other in more ways than one, all in the pursuit of what they think they want: Financial success and stability.