Two siblings’ underlying resentment for one another is put to the test by a new love interest in My Blind Brother, a rom-com that often feels like it’s cutting with a blunt edge. In a clever bit of character building, the film opens with Robbie (Adam Scott) effortlessly running through the end of a marathon while his brother, an able-sighted Bill (Nick Kroll) sweats the last leg out trailing behind on Robbie’s guide rope. Here both the plot and joke remains purely on the surface; Bill’s life and accomplishments are performed in his blind brother’s shadow. Often, the unsatisfying aspect to Sophie Goodhart’s directorial debut is in its inability to mine its premise further.

The brothers become increasingly petty to one another over Robbie’s new girlfriend Francie (Jenny Slate), a woman in crisis after her ex-boyfriend gets blindsided by a bus. Slate and Kroll have worked together previously and share a dynamic chemistry on-screen as a romantic pair. Her presence elicits a warmer, more verbally unhinged side to his character—the only version of him in My Blind Brother with charisma. She also has moments of unexpected vulgarity spoken with her delightful, squeaky tone. This movie and everyone in it knows that Francie is dating the wrong brother; however, in the frustrating tradition of romantic comedies, the tension is left to linger everyone cowers away from confrontation.

Considering the level of comedic talent involved, one of the most surprising elements to My Blind Brother is its saccharine quality. Robbie is treated as an unrepentant dick throughout the movie, only to be given a tearful confession at the movie’s end. The character’s disability provides a few solid gags but is handled with a level of naturalism. Kroll, Scott and Slate are all charming presences in their roles—as is a totally magnetic and slightly underserved Zoe Kazan as Slate’s roommate—but knowing each of those actors’ penchants for hilarity, My Blind Brother feels lean on humor.

My Blind Brother is mostly amusing and its performances are strong, however, the tone remains unwavering until the film’s ending: lightly comedic, but unrelentingly self-serious. With so little actively happening in the plot the movie grows dull between stretches of more consistent humor. Sophie Goodhart’s My Blind Brother is thinly plotted and familiar, but this mostly pleasant comedy has a winning romance at its center which elevates the film beyond standard fare.

Check out the first poster and photos for Michael Dowse‘s (Goon) newest film, What If, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan.

The film centers around med school dropout Wallace (Radcliffe), who strikes a close relationship with quirky animator Chantry (Kazan). As their relationship blooms, they wonder if being best friends means they could also be soul mates, even if she is already a part of a long-term relationship. The film co-stars young up-and-comers Adam Driver and Rafe Spall.

From the look of the poster and photos, this looks like the first time we will see Radcliffe in a contemporary, real-world film. His Harry Potter co-star Emma Watson has successfully made this transition, so it is intriguing to see Radcliffe go through it.

What If is set to open in August, released by CBS Films.

I’m not going to lie, the primary reason In Your Eyes caught my attention is that Joss Whedon wrote and produced the film. And I’m guessing I’m not alone. Whedon began earning fans many years ago with his high-concept sci-fi television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Serenity. Then he made The Avengers. His Marvel Comics film was a massive commercial success (reaching the third all-time highest grossing film at the box office), quickly cementing himself as one of Hollywood’s most powerful directors. Sadly, In Your Eyes is a disappointing melodrama, featuring a decent concept that gets compromised by a generic and familiar love story.

In Your Eyes begins with a young girl named Rebecca clinging her sled tightly as she studies the snowy New Hampshire hill with great focus. It’s apparent something bad is about to happen when the overly dramatic score kicks in right as her mother pleads for her to be careful. As she races down the hill, the film jumps to a boy clutching his desk at school. Suddenly he can somehow see exactly what she does. When her sled slams into a tree, they simultaneously get knocked unconscious. These two characters don’t share the inexplicable psychic connection again until twenty years later.

The film removes the soft focus filter to indicate present day, reintroducing the characters as adults now. Dylan (Michael Stahl-David) is an ex-convict who lives in a trailer home in the New Mexico desert, while Rebecca (Zoe Kazan) is unhappily married to a wealthy doctor in New Hampshire. On a random afternoon, their strange connection suddenly comes back, allowing them to see through each other’s eyes once again. As an added bonus, the two are now also able to talk to each other. Without really questioning these powers, the two soon become best friends and engage in flirtatious conversations. It’s easy to guess what happens next.

The running joke of the film is how others react to these two talking out loud to “themselves” in public. This is funny the first couple of times, especially when Rebecca interrupts Dylan’s romantic date with another woman, but the gig gets old pretty fast. When others catch them talking out loud, they often grab their phone to pretend they’re having a conversation on the phone. Because cell phones do exist in their world, I wondered why they didn’t just call each other, instead of looking like weirdos to everyone. Perhaps to save minutes on their cell phone plans?

Admittedly, trying to justify the logistics of the film is pointless. Regardless of how (or why) these two are able to communicate, the concept of a long-distance relationship between two people who’ve never met is enchanting and relevant. While films like Spike Jonze’s Her depict falling in love with someone you’ve never met more effectively, In Your Eyes does a good job exploring how love knows no bounds.

Despite the concept being moderately interesting, poor and straightforward execution renders In Your Eyes mostly ineffective. Many lines in the film are delivered unnaturally, making the dialogue sound painfully awkward and sometimes downright cringe-worthy. Also, the film never really feels like a true Whedon production. By establishing all the metaphysical fantasy elements at the beginning, the storyline eliminates all surprises by taking the safest and most predictable route the rest of the way. Therefore, the story lacks the fresh Whedon spin we typically receive from him. Unlike his other work, In Your Eyes consists of a dull, vulnerable, and powerless role for the lead female, and that’s highly disappointing.

The quirky indie comedy, what was once a unique and unfiltered genre, has started to grasp onto the same devices, making for predictable whimsy. The Pretty One, the first full length feature from AFI grad Jenée LeMarque from her Black List darling script, seems to have fallen into a few of these indie comedy traps, with it’s subtlety and filtered reality, but was no less enjoyable to view, and sweet in it’s presentation.

The film features Zoe Kazan playing both roles of identical twin sisters Laurel and Audrey, who predictably are nothing alike. Laurel has never left home, doting on her widowed father (John Carroll Lynch) and painting horrible replicas of famous artwork. Audrey is in LA, flourishing as a successful real estate agent. When Audrey comes home to visit her sister to celebrate their shared birthday she sees Laurel’s life, spent living in her dead mother’s clothes, caring for their father and pining away for the barely legal boy next door. Audrey decides Laurel needs to get away from home once and for all. She tells her father that she’s going to take Laurel home with her to LA and she whisks Laurel off for a makeover. With her hair cut short, suddenly the two really are identical sisters. But tragedy strikes, and the two get into a horrific car accident before they ever reach home or can begin a new life for Laurel together.

When Laurel wakes she can hardly fathom what has happened and is even more confused when her father informs her that “Laurel” didn’t make it out of the accident. It isn’t until she’s home and her memory comes flooding back that she realizes the mistake and that she is Laurel and it’s Audrey who actually died. She is about to inform her father and his girlfriend of their mistake when the world’s true opinions come clean. That perhaps it was better this way, Laurel wouldn’t have been able to handle the loss of Audrey, best it was Audrey that lived. Shocked at this insight into how the world viewed her, especially when no one has a thing to say on her behalf at the funeral, Laurel decides to run away from them all and assume the life Audrey has created. A chance to start fresh as her better half.

There are plenty of laughs as Laurel tries to assume her sister’s identity. Faking familiarity with people she’s never met. Trying to sell a house for the first time. Realizing her sister’s boyfriend isn’t all that great, but that the boy next door, whom her sister hated, seems to be just right. The boy next door being Basel, played by Jake Johnson who’s been perfecting quirky comedy on New Girl for a few years now. As Audrey née Laurel begins a romance with the confused but delighted Basel, she loses some of her shell and starts to find the confidence her sister always had. In the meantime Audrey’s best friend grows more and more suspicious of this impostor’s behavior.

The film’s romance is charming, Zoe Kazan’s fringe-framed large eyes always reflecting Laurel’s naiveté and eagerness to be loved. However, The Pretty One doesn’t ever seem to find a good balance between the deep pain of Audrey’s death and the light and indie-romantic love blossoming between Laurel and Basel. Kazan plays both equally well, but at points the film feels too divided and it makes it hard to invest in either story. Granted if LeMarque had tried something more straight forward, the humor would have been lost. Instead I almost wish she had embraced darker comedy, allowing Audrey’s death to be exactly what it was: a plot device for Laurel to start living her own life and understanding herself.

For a first feature, LeMarque already shows a knack for clean writing and a well-paced story. Her characters fit into a pretty and clean cut world, but one that draws from the same emotions we all use and is therefore accessible. The style of the indie rom-com is wearing thin, and I hope someone comes along to shake it up a bit soon, but Kazan, who was picture-perfect in the similarly quirky Ruby Sparks, continues to find interesting and unique women to play and is someone I’ll always keep an eye out for. It may not be able to find it’s feet exactly, fluctuating between loss and love instead of embracing the way the two emotions often go hand in hand, but The Pretty One is still a cute and enjoyable film.

The Pretty One trailer

We are giving away two Blu-ray copies of Ruby Sparks (from the directors of Little Miss Sunshine) to a couple of our Facebook and Twitter followers. This charming film stars Paul Dano (also from Little Miss Sunshine) as a writer who creates a fictitious character named Ruby (Zoe Kazan) who ends up coming to life.

How do you enter the giveaway?

Step 1: LIKE Way Too Indie on Facebook

Step 2: Leave a comment on this page telling us what your favorite book is.

* Additional chance to win: Follow @WayTooIndie on Twitter. Then tweet: “@WayTooIndie (your favorite book) http://tooin.de/ruby”, to enter.

Details on the giveaway
Winners will be selected at random. Two (2) winners will win one (1) Blu-ray of Ruby Sparks. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within two days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Must be in the United States to win. Entries can be submitted until November 2nd, 2012 at 11:59PM CT. This Sweepstakes is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter. Good luck!

AVAILABLE OCTOBER 30, 2012 ON BLU-RAY and DVD

From the directors of Little Miss Sunshine comes a “charming and delightful” (Marshall Fine) romantic comedy starring Paul Dano and writer-actress Zoe Kazan. Struggling with writer’s block and a lackluster love life, once-famous novelist Calvin (Dano) creates a beautiful fictitious character named Ruby (Kazan) who inspires him. But not only does this bring his work to life- it also brings Ruby to life- literally! Face-to-face with an actual relationship with his once virtual girlfriend, Calvin must now decide whether to pen this love story or let it write itself. Also starring Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas and Elliott Gould, Ruby Sparks is a smart coming-of-age story that proves true love can be remarkably magical.

DVD & Blu-ray Special Features:
● Behind the Story
● Real-Life Couples: Co-Stars & Directors
● Be Careful What You Wish For
● Theatrical Trailer
● Sneak Peeks of: The Sessions, The Blu-ray Experience and Lola Versus

Blu-ray Exclusive Special Features:
● Getting to Know the Cast
● Los Angeles: The Other Character

From the directors of Little Miss Sunshine comes Ruby Sparks, a whimsical film about a struggling writer who falls in love with a character he makes up. The film was written by Zoe Kazan who plays the lead role of Ruby Sparks. It is slightly ironic considering the film is about a writer bringing a character to life; which is essentially what she has done here for herself. You might go in expecting a standard romantic comedy and if so you will be pleasantly surprised that it is more than just that.

At one point (I will not say when) a character says “Just don’t tell me how it ends”, which is what I intend to abide. It is not really an easy film to spoil because the big “twist”, if you can call it that, is not really spoiling it. I do not believe it is a spoiler if that is what the entire film is about, enough to where they include it in the official synopsis and trailers. But thankfully, Ruby Sparks is much more serious than the trailers let on. However, if you are an absolute purist; which I would doubt you would be if you made it this far, then you should stop right here and read nothing more about the film. As always, I never try to ruin a film in my reviews for anyone who has not seen the film yet.

Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) is a famous writer who is struggling to find both inspiration for his next novel as well as romance in his life. The highly-acclaimed novel that made him famous is now ten years old and he has not made a very successful follow up since. So now he is currently working on what he hopes to be his next big hit and prove to himself that his career has not peaked. Not helping his confidence is his agent when he admits that living up to your first work is hard when it is a mega hit. And that “sophomore slump” syndrome does not happen when you are mediocre to begin with. Not wise words to tell someone when they are having a writer’s block.

Calvin mentions early on that he does not want to use his fame to get girls because he knows that they would not really like him for who he is. Instead, he uses some clever tricks suggested to him by his therapist to meet people such as, getting a dog so people stop to talk to him on the street. He is inexperienced in the dating world as he has only had one serious relationship in his life. Add that fact that he is awkward and shy makes it hard for him to meet someone.

It is not until Calvin starts having dreams about the character he made up for his new book that he gets inspired to write. Calvin creates Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan), as the girl he has always wanted to be with, the perfect girl in his eyes. He gets so inspired that he cannot stop writing. Then he realizes that the reason he wants to write so much is because he fell in love with the girl he created. Which is healthy for his career but not for his personal life.

Ruby shows up in his dreams more and more until one day he no longer has to dream about her because she suddenly shows up in his real life. Of course, he believes she is imaginary because how could she exist? It is a writer’s fantasy to create someone who is perfect for you then magically you meet that person. As time passes he realizes that she may not be completely perfect as he was expecting.

The great moral of the film is that even the perfect girl from your dreams is going to have faults and to try to change them is both dangerous and wrong. As the old adage goes, be careful for what you wish for, it just may come true. There are major drawbacks to trying to play God. Calvin’s brother pointed it out to him at the beginning of the film when he said that the honeymoon phase of a relationship does not last; women are different up close.

There is a great scene where we see Calvin on a sofa talking to himself. Or at least that is what it appears. There is a deep voice that seems like it is coming from his head until it is revealed when he lays down and the shot opens up to spot the man who was sitting in front of him. The man ends up being his therapist. The reason why this short scene is so interesting is it is before we start seeing the character he makes up appear in his life. So it sets the stage, if you will, for what was to come later in the film.

Ruby Sparks could have been a very different film if it had chosen to focus on what I feel like a lot of filmmakers would have focused on, which is the gimmicky part of the film. Instead, it pleads with you not to try to make sense of it because it does not even bother to explain how it happens. Similar to what Midnight in Paris did, it just embraces the magic of it all and asks you to imagine what if it could be true. Besides, the best part of the film is not the person he creates but rather the person he becomes.

Writer/actress Zoe Kazan stars in Ruby Sparks as the title character that is created out of Calvin’s (Paul Dano) mind as he is writing his latest novel. In addition to Kazan, Way Too Indie outlines our other favorite “Indie Film Pin-Up Girls” that include; Brit Marling, Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Olsen, Miranda July and more.

Brit Marling

Unofficially dubbed the Sundance Darling a couple years back, this blonde-haired beauty has written and starred in two sci-fi-esque Fox Searchlight films: Sound of My Voice and Another Earth. In the latter, she stars as Rhoda Williams, a young girl whose entire life is thrown for a loop when she crosses paths with a composer in a tragic accident. In Sound of My Voice, she portrays the mysterious Maggie, a cult leader who claims to be from the future. Now, she’s working on her latest outing with Voice director Zal Batmanglij, The East, which stars Marling alongside Ellen Page, Alexander Skarsgard and Patricia Clarkson.

Every life is death, and most deaths are suicides. Some are just more gradual than others. — Maggie

Miranda July

If Brit Marling is to indie than Miranda July would be to arthouse. She portrays herself (as she stars/directs/writes) in her directorial debut masterpiece Me and You and Everyone We Know; a quirky but creative artist who often struggles to fit in. July’s second film The Future is another prime example of her adorable yet slightly flawed character.

If you really love me, let’s make a vow – right here, together… right now. — Christine

Zooey Deschanel

It is impossible to have a indie pin-up girl feature without including everyone’s favorite, Zooey Deschanel. Zooey turned heads when she starred in the hit romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer alongside Joseph Gordon–Levitt as Summer, a girl not sold on true love. The bright-eyed comic talent is now starring in the popular sitcom New Girl on Fox as another quirky and offbeat chick with a sense of humor trying to figure out life in her early thirties.

You weren’t wrong, Tom. You were just wrong about me. — Summer

Elizabeth Olsen

The other Olsen sister has been busy making a name for herself with smaller, critically acclaimed films, like the tense and dramatic Martha Marcy May Marlene. In the film, Olsen plays Martha, a traumatized ex-member of an abusive cult trying to separate her past’s memories from her current day-to-day. Olsen has several films in the works including Theresa Raquin and Very Good Girls.

I am a teacher and a leader. — Martha

Parker Posey

Deemed the “Queen of Indies” in the 90’s by none other than ‘Time’ magazine, Parker Posey certainly deserves to be mentioned on this list. Even though she has been doing independent films for a while now, she still is as busy as ever appearing on TV Shows (recently on New Girl with Zooey Deschanel) as well as several films.

I watch soap operas. I bake brownies. Normalcy is coursing through my veins. — Jackie-O

Jessica Chastain

2011 was the year of Jessica Chastain as she starred in seven films, including The Help, The Debt and The Tree of Life. In The Tree of Life, Chastain stars opposite Brad Pitt as Mrs. O’Brien the matriarch of a family in Texas in 1956. Told through the eyes of her eldest son, Jack, the story revolves around the family’s struggles and hardships that leave lasting impressions on their children. Chastain has not slowed down since last year and can be seen in next year’s Mama and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.

Grace doesn’t try to please itself. Accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked. Accepts insults and injuries. — Mrs. O’Brien

Zoe Kazan

The granddaughter of famed filmmaker Elia Kazan, Zoe Kazan had movie making in her blood at a young age. After acting in several movies like It’s Complicated and Happythankyoumoreplease, Kazan wrote her first feature film this year with Ruby Sparks. Kazan also stars as the title character in the movie that tells the story of famed writer Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) as he creates the love of his life on paper, and she miraculously comes appears in his apartment. Kazan has several films in the works that she stars in, including the newest from Joss Whedon – In Your Eyes.

Just don’t tell me how it ends, okay? — Ruby

Debuting on Blu-ray and DVD Oct. 30
From the directors of Little Miss Sunshine comes a “charming and delightful” (Marshall Fine,Huffingtonpost.com) romantic comedy starring Paul Dano and writer-actress Zoe Kazan. Struggling with writer’s block and a lackluster love life, once-famous novelist Calvin (Dano) creates a beautiful fictitious character named Ruby (Kazan) who inspires him. But not only does this bring his work to life- it also brings Ruby to life- literally! Face-to-face with an actual relationship with his once virtual girlfriend, Calvin must now decide whether to pen this love story or let it write itself. Also starring Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas and Elliott Gould, Ruby Sparks is a smart coming-of-age story that proves true love can be remarkably magical.