Edd Benda’s directorial debut “Superior” follows Derek and Charlie, two best friends and cousins set on taking one last adventure before their lives begin in the summer of 1969.

The opening scene quickly establishes the dynamic between the two friends; Derek, played by Paul Stanko, is riding in a hang glider attached to Charlie’s truck. Charlie, played by Thatcher Robinson, is driving. Their personalities are further reflected in the paths set before them. Both just graduated high school, but while Charlie is slated to register at Michigan Tech at the end of the summer, Derek’s path leads to the Army recruitment office to await the draft. While they both share an obvious bond and sense of adventure, Derek is the risk-taker—the embodiment of the invincible teenager who fears nothing. Charlie is more pragmatic and realistic, as he says later in the film “There’s a reason why you’re the one in the hang glider.” The difference in mindset doesn’t interfere with their bond, however. From the film’s opening moments the friendship is clear despite their obvious differences.

With the crossroads looming before them, Derek and Charlie embark on a trip around the perimeter of Lake Superior on bike after the hang gliding fiasco removes Charlie’s truck from the equation. As the trip takes the two to new places and introduces them to new people, it becomes clear that Derek’s path will diverge even further from Charlie’s than expected. Cinematographer Alex Bell captures the Michigan landscape beautifully, with repeated shots of diverging roads that emphasize the constant opportunity to take the road less traveled.

Death is omnipresent in the film, in the reclusive man Derek and Charlie meet in the woods who drops dead in front of them, in the mortician they meet who takes them in for the night (a night the pair spend sleeping in coffins), and in the shadow of the Vietnam War that hangs over the country. The inescapable air of death surrounding the characters serves as a reminder of the fate that awaits us all, but more importantly, that adventure must be seized in the present.

“Superior” debuted at Dances with Films Festival on June 5, 2015.

Written & Directed by Edd Benda

Starring: Paul Stanko & Thatcher Robinson

Grade: B

“They Came Together” sets itself up to be a parody of the romantic comedy genre with extremely dated comedy that never seems to quite ”come together” until the brutal end — and that’s on purpose.

Watching this film takes you back to the 90s, when films like ‘There’s Something about Mary’ were all the rage, but the nostalgia feeling just makes you want to switch movies rather than remember the silliness of those films. The film plays on a ‘You’ve Got Mail’ vibe, but isn’t nearly as funny or sweet. That’s the biggest problem with this film. It’s supposed to make fun of the absurdities of romantic comedies, but none of the jokes are funny enough to make you feel like it’s pointing anything out. As you go through the movie you start to feel like you’re just watching a really bad rom-com.

‘They Came Together” stars Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd — two really funny comedic actors that probably should have never been paired as they have no romantic chemistry, even in a romantic spoof type film. Poehler stars as Molly, an over the top goofy candy store entrepreneur who is single and not so eager to join the dating pool (and you’ll see why) and Rudd as Joel, an executive at a major candy corporation who recently became single after being cheated on by his non-committal girlfriend Tiffany (played by Cobie Smulders).

The film plays in story form by placing our characters on a double date where they cheesily explain to their friends how they met and ended up dating each other. So the story begins with a flashback (no spoilers, I promise) of a Halloween party where Molly and Joel’s friends had set them up on a blind date, yet they randomly meet on the street and end up hating each others guts, but secretly finding each other irresistible — as it plays out at the party.

Main characters Molly and Joel joyfully tell the tale to a bored married couple, played by Bill Hader and Ellie Kemper, whose comedic chops complimented our leads very well.

The film only being  83 minutes long feels like it takes a lifetime to get funny and on track as most jokes are for the moment versus having any bearing on the plot, typical parody style.  There’s even a point in the story where “the oh so graphic,” and sometimes uncomfortable tale, grows tired to the point where even their dinner guests tried to leave (as I am feeling most audiences will want to do within the first 40 minutes).

Don’t get me wrong, the movie does deliver laughs, especially since the film is loaded with cameos from top comedians who perform the SNL-like material with ease. Faring better than most in the laughs department, was well-known dramatic actor Christopher Meloni, most recognized for the NBC drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Meloni reconnects with director David Wain, Poehler and Rudd, who he worked with on the film ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ (2001), another Wain comedy, to create a character that truly stands out. In the film, Meloni re-tackles his comedic funny bone as Joel’s over the top, money-hungry boss, which was a nice welcome as his character’s embarrassing antics in the film by far gave the most laughs.

Overall, this film deserves a C as some scenes work and others don’t. If you like the actors in it you may enjoy it because of their charisma alone, but if you don’t, then stay far away from this film — as bits with idiomatic expressions like “you can say that again” will probably frustrate you rather than make you laugh.
‘They Came Together’ opens June 27th, in Limited Release.

Director: David Wain

Writers: Michael Showalter & David Wain.
Starring: Paul Rudd & Amy Poehler.
Grade:  C

Whimsy and insanity come together in an awkward but mesmerizing dance (much like songs played in minor chords) in “Frank,” a film about an avant-garde band whose lead singer wears a large costume head with a cartoon face painted on it. The concept sounds utterly ridiculous, but through it’s quirky characters and examination of a tortured soul who just wants to be liked, “Frank” has a lot of heart and somehow works.

The film opens with naïve, ginger-haired dreamer Jon (Domhnall Gleeson) living a placid, but charmless life in a small English town. Jon is a cubicle drone, who tweets out utterly banal insights about his life (“Panini with cheese and ham #livingthedream”), but his day to day life is just a routine as he awaits the moments where he can write down the songs he’s constantly composing in his head. A wannabe musician, Jon has zero outlet for his little songs and quietly yearns for something more. Right on cue, as if the antenna of the world is finally listening, Jon’s universe is transformed when he accidentally meets a strange, dysfunctional psych-rock outsider band (think a Shaggs-y version of the Velvet Underground meets Captain Beefheart and Daniel Johnston), the unpronounceable and cult-like Soronprfbs, who have lost their keyboardist to madness (trying to drown himself on a frigid English beachfront no less). With the band in town for a gig, Jon offhandedly offers his keyboard skills (he can play F, C & A), and much to his surprise, the band’s unhinged and loony manager Doug (Scoot McNairy), gives the young lad an impromptu chance to fill in for the evening. It’s a bit of a disaster, but Jon is invited to join the band anyhow. And when the malfunctioning, ramshackle group retreats to a cabin in the woods in Ireland to record a new album, their adventure begins. Guileless and way out of his depth, the experience is initially transformative to Jon, but eventually begins to take on a much darker edge.

Irish director Lenny Abrahamson beguiles with this weird mix of moods and methods — goofy comedy here, sudden slashes of tragedy there, momentary eruptions of musical inspiration overshadowed by admitted mediocrity. Everything is light and hopeful until all of a sudden it isn’t. Even Jon’s high spirit and naivete turns into greed and an obsession with fame, but the darkness that arises seems like an allegory for things that happen in real bands.