Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

      Hello, readers. This weekend marks the writing and directorial debut of Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Don Jon, of which he also stars. This week's recommended viewing will be devoted to a prior film of his and I decided to go with Beethoven, a must see. Yes, he was Student No. 1 in that film... Okay, let's try again and aim for something a little more substantial this time.

      See, texting's not the worst thing you can do while driving. In The Lookout, Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) once had it all: pretty girlfriend, wealthy family and popularity from being a star on his high school hockey team. One accident would change everything for him. Four years later, Chris suffers from a form of short-term memory loss similar to anterograde amnesia.  He's taking classes at a special facility for those with disabilities and shares an apartment with his blind yet upbeat roommate Lewis (Jeff Daniels). Things seem to be on the up for Chris when he meets Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode), a former schoolmate of Chris's. Spargo welcomes Chris into his circle of friends and it's not long until Chris stumbles on Gary's plan to rob not just the local bank, but the bank where Chris works maintenance at. All the roles are assigned but one - the lookout. Who better to have as your lookout than one that works there and suffers from memory loss. Seems like the perfect plan, right?

      This is really the first movie I saw that made me go, "Hey, that Angels in the Outfield kid can really act." Granted, other great films of Gordon-Levitt's such as Brick, Mysterious Skin, and Manic came before The Lookout, but I didn't seem them 'til after this. This was screenwriter Scott Frank's directorial debut, having previously written Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Minority Report. What a debut. The Lookout is moving, at times funny (courtesy of the always terrific Jeff Daniels), and intense. There's never a dull moment here. Most importantly Scott Frank gives us a central character we gradually find ourselves caring for without it being maudlin or emotionally manipulative. What could've been just another bland heist thriller ends up being a complex character study that still delivers the thrills. Frank's writing is sharp, his characters are richly written and his direction - for a first time director no less - is spot on (previously writing films for Steven Soderbergh and Steven Spielberg doesn't hurt your own chances though). Gordon-Levitt, Daniels, Isla Fisher and Matthew Goode (in an award level turn) all deliver the goods with their performances. It's small films like these that show you don't always have to go big to be engaging, and this film most certainly had me engaged from the opening shot to the very end.