2010 Review #52: Date Night

Date Night

Rated PG-13
(sexual and crude content throughout, language, some violence and a drug reference)
1 hour 28 minutes

Storyline:
In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple's attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous.

Directed By: Shawn Levy

Starring:
Steve Carell
Tina Fey
Mark Wahlberg
Taraji P. Henson

Critics Grade:
67%
(Consensus: An uneasy blend of action and comedy, Date Night doesn't quite live up to the talents of its two leads, but Steve Carell and Tina Fey still manage to shine through most of the movie's flaws)

My Grade:
B-

To me, Steve Carell and Tina Fey are a movie couple match made in heaven. On paper, these two would seem perfect to headline a film together. Both play hilarious characters on NBC Thursday night shows (The Office and 30 Rock) and it was only a matter of time that they would share the screen together. I have to say after watching Date Night, overall, I was not let down. The movie itself is only mediocre in my opinion. It's of course riddled with cliches and it's the same old same old storyline we see in so many action comedies. Yes you know how it's going to end. Yes you know that it's about the unlikeliest people doing the incredible and coming up with master plans in the blink of an eye that actually work! Blah blah. This movie has it success or failure riding on the two people that showcase all over the poster.

This movie is about these two character, but more so, about these two actors. If you had some random Joe and Jane Schmo playing these roles...this movie would probably be a dud. However it's Carell and Fey...two of the most beloved TV (and movie) comedians we have in the world today. Carell usually does his best work playing the brainless guy with a big heart. Fey is perfect on 30 Rock as the neurotically stressed out TV show producer and writer. Both actors are playing differently in this movie though, mainly Carell. He is less than funny here than he typically is, but I think Fey is right on her game the whole time. I love her witty delivery and some of her classic one liners. Carell is still awkward and that's something he does better than most. Together they make a great on screen couple. Together they are hilarious (MOST of the time). Although the writing of the film didn't give them a whole lot to really work with. I feel like they ad-libed a lot of their lines because of this. But overall, they were near perfect together.

That's the only real reason I enjoyed this movie, because otherwise it would have been a drag to sit through. There is a SLEW of big name cameos and most of them are very good. Again though, the writing of this movie was pretty weak so they could only do so much. Carell and Fey made this an entertaining movie. It all rested heavily on their shoulders and for the most part they pulled through. They would be the only reason I would recommend this movie for other people to watch. If you aren't a fan of them...you won't be a fan of this movie. I was not a fan of the movie per say...but the main actors made it worth my time.

2010 Review #51: The Last Exorcism

The Last Exorcism

Rated PG-13
(for disturbing violent content and terror, some sexual references and thematic material)
1 hour 27 minutes

Storyline:
A troubled evangelical minister agrees to let his last exorcism be filmed by a documentary crew.

Directed By: Daniel Stamm

Starring:
Patrick Fabian
Ashley Bell
Iris Bahr
Louis Herthum
Caleb Landry Jones

Critics Grade:
70%
(Consensus: It doesn't fully deliver on the chilly promise of its Blair Witch-style premise, but The Last Exorcism offers a surprising number of clever thrills)

My Grade:
B+

Films about exorcism's generally are fairly disturbing movies. The idea of a demon, whether one believes or not, entering a human body and controlling us...is frightening. In reality or in nightmares. Also these movies generally involve this horrific event happening to young children and a lot of the time there is a lot of sexual references. Apparently demons are quite horny things. We have seen our share of movies over the years on this very subject. It started with the classic, and still greatest film about this..."The Exorcist". Ever since that Best Picture nominee came out in the 70's, we have seen a grocery list long of movies about this very same thing. Most of the time they aren't very good. A few years back, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" came out and it was finally a film about exorcism that did something kind of different. That film, for the most part, is a court room drama/thriller. It cut backs to scenes of the girl being possessed, etc...which to me were some pretty chilling scenes. I very much liked that film. Now we have the newest one, "The Last Exorcism"...is this a sign we won't be seeing any more movies of this subject? No...probably not.

In terms of the subject material, this movie DOES do some things differently. First it uses the old hand held camera routine we see a lot in movies these days. But this is actually being filmed as a documentary, we even have side interviews with the "cast". The thing I liked about this style was that for the first 95% of the movie, it felt genuine and legit. If you can forget you are in a fictional film, this COULD actually pass as a documentary. Secondly, the main character is different that a lot of the priests we see in these movies. He's flawed, but he's also very charismatic. The guy has a big and very likable personality. You don't know how much his belief in God is authentic, but you do know that HE knows that exorcisms are fake. The premise of the movie is that this priest, after doing tons and tons of exorcisms since he was a little boy, finally wants to expose the falsehood of the practice. He's been faking it all along. We even get a scene where he shows the audience how he fakes all the cool tricks. Such as the bed shaking, the demon noises, etc. The premise is very cool and I personally think, very different.

But then his fake exorcism doesn't "work". The girl is still messed up but this priest is still not convinced there's a demon in her. After all, he believes demon's don't even exist. It makes you question where his real belief in God lies. But now he's convinced the girl is seriously mentally traumatized because he figures out she may have been raped...by whom...well he's not 100% sure. A lot of this film centers around him trying to get this girl actual medical help but the crazy dad won't go for it. There's also a very strange brother who doesn't much care for this priest. The writing here, for a low budget PG-13 horror movie is quite good. At least for the first 95% of the movie. I believed these people were real and not characters in a movie. The story of this family felt authentic and not out of the realm of believability. That's the other thing, in the first 80% of the movie...everything that happens CAN happen in real life. Everything that happens can be explained (if not a demon) by something not other worldly. Legit job with the writing, and some really great directing.

This main actor, Patrick Fabian, is very very good. I mean this guy passes as a somewhat cocky, flawed but also quite charming priest. He's a good man, he loves his family and you have to believe that he believes in his church and his God. He's funny and he's full of energy. His performance is actually one of the better ones I've seen from anyone all year. This may sound silly, but he would be maybe in second place in my personal lists for best actor of the year. Next to Leo of course. I just believed him, and he's one of those characters you would love to meet in real life. I didn't see many hints of a "performance". It felt like this guy really was the pastor, and he really was doing this documentary. Well played by Fabian. The girl was also very good. She was sweet and passed as a real life 16 year old girl and again...not as some character in a movie. She pulled off all the weird noises and freaky body movements (the ones that weren't obvious effects that is) very convincingly.

Is this movie scary? Well coming from me...no not entirely. But don't read to much into that, because it's very rare I get scared in movies anymore. The first 30 or so minutes actually don't have any real elements of creepiness. The first part of the film is all set up and it's all needed and so well done. Fans of in your face horror movies may not care for this movie. If you are expecting scares at every turn and a terrifying opening sequence...you WILL be disappointed. Nothing "scary" actually happens until about mid way through. I'll admit, there are some very tense, eerie moments in this movie. This movie, when the scares come, probably will freak some movie goers out. Again, this subject isn't light. It is quite disturbing just as a story element alone. A lot of the scares involve the characters meandering around this creepy old house in the darkness and you aren't exactly sure what's going to happen. I WAS happily surprised by the lack of jump scenes. These movies ALWAYS fall prey to over loading scenes with stupid and cliched jump out moments that are not needed at all. This movie maybe has one...possibly two. But nothing bad. I like when the scaring is more in your head than anything.

So the one negative thing I have to say is all about the last five minutes of this movie. Everything that led up to the final act of the film, quite honestly, was brilliant in my mind. Totally legitimate horror movie that uses mind tricks and the subject material alone to provoke fear. You don't know whether to believe this girl is truly possessed or just mentally unstable. You don't know if this pastor believes in what he does or if he can even save this girl...he doesn't even know. Just a really great spin on the genre that I appreciated. Then...the last scene came. The last scene (and maybe even a scene or two before that) through me for a loop. No, it's not a twist ending. But what happens goes against everything the rest of the film was building up.

When I think now of what happened, sure it makes sense to me...but I didn't get it as a filmaking technique. To me the ending got all Hollywood and way to strange. It wasn't your typical ending for a film like this...but it felt to "big". The rest of the movie was almost thought provoking (on a certain level, nothing to extreme) and haunting. The rest of the movie felt real. This ending got all...devil worshipy on us...or so I think. It explained everything that was going in about 2 minutes. That's disappointing to me because the rest of the movie was a slow but fantastic build up. The last few minutes seemed forced and like the writer just didn't have a good way to conclude the movie...so bam...they came up with this gem. I just didn't understand why they chose this way to end this movie. I'm not saying the ending was atrocious and ruined the whole movie or anything. I was just sorely let down. It got way to weird way to fast and way to much happened. Then it just ends rather abruptly. It was as if none of the characters stories (especially the pastor) were resolved the way they should have. Not to mention...all the authenticity the movie had before that...just kind of all got tossed to the side for this bizarre end. The rest of the movie was subtle...the ending was definitely not. I'm rambling.

I don't know. What I do know though, is that this is a horror movie worth watching. Regardless of it's silly and ridiculous ending. Maybe you will like the end, who knows. I would have given this movie a solid A rating if there was a better conclusion. Enough about the end. Because the rest of this movie is just great! Very subtle, very unnerving, very real and authentic. Fantastic directing, and a SOLID and believable performance for the lead actor. Yes, I totally recommend this movie to fans of horror movies. Just be warned this is a movie that does NOT rely on big scares...but a bigger story and bigger on it's characters. Don't let my unhappiness with the ending fool you...because this was a really good movie.

2010 Review #50: Survival of the Dead

Survival of the Dead

Rated R
( strong zombie violence/gore, language and brief sexuality)
1 hour 30 minutes

Storyline:
On an island off the coast of North America, local residents simultaneously fight a zombie epidemic while hoping for a cure to return their un-dead relatives back to their human state.

Written and Directed By: George A. Romero

Cast:
Alan Van Sprang
Kenneth Welsh
Kathleen Munroe
Devon Bostwick

Critics Grade:
30%
(Survival of the Dead offers glimmers of Romero's savage wit, but not nearly enough to make up for his unusually uninspired directing and a lack of new ideas)

My Grade:
C-

It's pretty much at the point where once you have seen one or two zombie movies you have seen them all. George A. Romero brought this genre to life many years ago and has not stopped making movies just like it over and over...and over again. Sometimes he adds something fresh to the zombie tale...but usually it's just the same old same old. Survival of the Dead has virtually nothing new to offer. It's about a group of survivors of some form of zombie epidemic that band together to continue living. A group of people that don't get along in normal circumstances but are forced to now if they want to keep alive. Romero tries to be humorous here, as he sometimes does with these movies. I feel like he tried extra hard to do so this time. I didn't think it was all that funny. Nor did I think the movie was all that scary. It was pretty generic in terms of zombie movies. Now the filmaking was quite good and the performances were surprisingly decent. It's not some dreadfully bad movie at all. But none of that saves this movie from being just another formula zombie movie. I honestly think this is a dying breed of film...it's been on it's last leg for some time now. Oh well. At least we still have vampires...right?

2010 Review #49: Death at a Funeral

Death at a Funeral
(2010 Remake)

Rated R
(language, drug content and some sexual humor)
1 hour 32 minutes

Storyline:
A funeral ceremony turns into a debacle of exposed family secrets and misplaced bodies. Remake of a 2007 British film.

Directed By: Neil LaBute

Starring:
Chris Rock
Martin Lawrence
Tracy Morgan
Regina Hall
Loretta Devine
Luke Wilson
James Marsden
Zoe Saldana
Danny Glover
Peter Dinklage

Critics Grade:
38%
(It's amusing and it assembles a talented cast, but Neil LaBute's surprisingly faithful remake of the 2007 Frank Oz dramedy ultimately falls short of the original)

My Grade:
B-

I never saw the original version of this film. I've heard it's a pretty good film, and that this remake doesn't really do it much justice. They say it's not 100% faithful to the original...but what remake typically is? But at any rate, I have to review this movie based on the fact that THIS is the version I've seen first. You know overall I was a bit surprised by the movie. I actually enjoyed the first two thirds of the film. Mainly because it has such a large and likable cast and all of the get such ample screen time. Most of them are pretty funny, and some are quite surprising. Chris Rock delivers a pretty good, calm performance. He isn't his usual crazy self, he does something different here and I liked it. Martin Lawrence was typical Martin Lawrence. Sometimes in this movie his humor is to forced and got a bit annoying. I liked James Marsden who was drugged up most of the time. He was probably the funniest character in the whole movie. The last act of the movie kind of just falls flat. To much is just so conveniently resolved and all is well. It doesn't really pack any kind of punch and it really just leaves you (or at least me) disappointed. I guess I wanted a bigger, more humorous ending...but didn't get it. Oh well, overall I basically "liked" this movie. I didn't quite love it and probably wouldn't watch it again. But on a one time viewing...it was decent.

2010 Review #48: The Spy Next Door

The Spy Next Door

Rated PG
(sequences of action violence and some mild rude humor)
1 hour 34 minutes

Storyline:
Former CIA spy Bob Ho takes on his toughest assignment to date: looking after his girlfriend's three kids, who haven't exactly warmed to their mom's beau.

Directed By: Brian Levant

Cast:
Jackie Chan
Amber Valletta
Billy Ray Cyrus
George Lopez

Critics Grade:
12%
(Lacking a script funny enough to cover up for Jackie Chan's fading physical gifts, The Spy Next Door fails on every conceivable level.)

My Grade:
F-

Pardon my French but...holy shit was an awful movie! I can't even pretend to believe this movie would even be enjoyable for a young child. This was a damn unbearable movie to watch from beginning to end. There were a few times where I considered gouging my eyes out because that would seem more enjoyable. Jackie Chan isn't known for his acting abilities but this has got to be his rock bottom in terms of performances. His whole shtick was just dreadful. And don't get me started on those horrible kids. What did they have an open casting call and cast the first few kids that came in? Now children are very innocent things and I hate having to talk crap about them. But man these kids are like listening to nails on a chalk board. But Mike...this is a kids movie, why are you being so harsh?? Why? Because this movie is not even funny. I can't see how a kid could laugh more than once or twice in this movie. Stupid story, really bad comedy, ridiculously awful acting. This is one of the worst movies this year. I hated it.

2010 Review #47: The Ghost Writer

The Ghost Writer

Rated PG-13
(language, brief nudity/sexuality, some violence and a drug reference)
2 hours 8 minutes

Storyline:
A ghostwriter hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy.

Written and Directed By: Roman Polanski

Starring:
Ewan McGregor
Pierce Brosnan
Olivia Williams
Kim Cattrall

Critics Grade:
84%

My Grade:
A-

I'm not going to lie...political thrillers usually go right over my head and I feel like an idiot after them. I'm not to book smart when it comes to anything politics. So when I see movies about the subject...I sometimes feel a bit confused. The Ghost Writer, I assumed was going to be one of those movies but I was wrong. Yes, there are definitely levels of politics in play but they aren't overly strong because there are other aspects to this film. The mystery and intrigue behind the storyline are just that...mysterious.

There were times when watching this film where I was a bit confused. I had to pause and rewind on a few occasions so I could grasp what exactly was going on. Perhaps that's showing some respect for a extremely well written screenplay. This is a very in depth tale, and it's quite detailed at times. This is the kind of movie that just might need two viewings to fully understand. A lot happens, and a lot is thrown at us as an audience in the allotted 2 hour time frame of the film. You really have to pay close attention to what's going on. If you miss one scene...you just might be screwed for the rest of the movie. But at the very end of the film, when all is explained (rather abruptly) you are like "Oh! Now I get it!". Well OK...you may not get it right away. After the movie was over I had to think back throughout the film and remember some things before it clicked in my head what might have been going on the whole time. That's another great thing about it...in my opinion, the movie is left open for some interpretation. It has a fairly quick ending...and it may shock some people.

The performance of Ewan McGregor was brilliant. I honestly believe this is the best he's ever been. He was truly convincing in this role but it's a shame this movie will probably go unnoticed at years end. He may have been a candidate for a best actor nomination. Pierce Brosnan plays the central character of the film but only appears in a handful of scenes. When he's there...he's great. His performance is quite subtle and not flashy at all...but very good. I was also a fan of Olivia Williams who plays the wife of Brosnan. She very well may have delivered the film's best overall performance. You never really knew what her intentions were and she played the mysterious and sometimes eccentric wife very well.

Overall...I was very happy with this movie. While at times it may have been hard to follow, it really satisfies in the end. I'd also like to point out it had BRILLIANT film making. It was shot perfectly and had a extremely tense score at times. So many aspects are worthy of a few technical Oscar nods. But who knows if that will happen. But yes, The Ghost Writer is in the end...a wonderfully tense thriller that brings back "smart film making". This is not a movie that dumbs itself down for audiences. I'm not saying you have to be smart to watch it...God only knows I'm not. But if you just really pay attention and don't get distracted while watching this movie...you will have seen one of the better thrillers made in recent years.

#45-46: Scott Pilgrim Vs. After.Life

#45: After.Life. Starring Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci. Rated R. 1 hour 44 minutes. IMDB Member Grade: 6.1 out of 10. My Grade: C+. After Life has a pretty cool premise because it's pretty mysterious. A girl a dies, or so we are lead to believe. She goes to the morgue only to awaken. The coroner tells her she is dead, but he has a gift to talk to dead people and help them move on. But she feels alive. She truly believes she is alive and he is deliberately holding her captive and pumping her full of drugs to make her appear dead to others. He has done this many times before. You don't really know what to believe most of the movie, that's why it was kind of cool. At least the first 2/3 of the movie was good. Then the finale of the movie came and it was so confusing and left way to open. Because it never really gave you closure...it never actually tells you for sure what was going on. For a straight to DVD movie...it doesn't get the right to do that. In my opinion. It had good performances from a well respected cast. It had a solid premise and it was a good movie up until the end...at least for me. It's hard for me to recommend it or not recommend it. This is the kind of movie that will be interpreted differently but everyone. So it's up to you. I kinda liked it, but didn't really like it. Hehe.

#46: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Starring Michael Cera. Rated PG-13. 1 hour 53 minutes. Critics Grade: 81%. My Grade: B+. Well here we finally have a movie that dares to be unique and original. This is a very stylized film that is utterly strange. From the get go it plays itself like it's an old school video game. It never lets that go. There's no sense of reality here in this movie and that's what makes it so good. From the opening scene this movie is so far stretched from reality that you have to be an idiot to criticize it on that level. Everyone in the movie is just cool with random mythical ex boyfriends coming out of nowhere and have magical powers. Everyone is OK with the fact that people are kicking the shit out of each other and killing each other (video game style - coins fall to the floor when they die). I was a bit thrown off at first by how weird this movie is, but after a while I started to love it. This movie is high octane entertainment! It is so quirky and enjoyable. It's flashy and fun. Michael Cera is getting a little old now, but at least this character was somewhat fresh for him. He doesn't play the creepy teenage virgin like he always does. He plays a creepy, and quirky 22 year old who has actually had numerous girlfriends already. It's a very funny performance because of how strange the writing is and how weird the film making was. This is just a weird ass movie but I could not help but be very entertained by it. I was pleasantly surprised!

#42-#44: Dinner for Schmucks and more!!

#42: The 41 Year Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It. Starring Bryan Callen. Rated R. 1 hour 22 minutes. IMDB Member Grade: 3.2 out of 10. My Grade: F-. This is a spoof movie that spoofs...well just read the title and you will know. This is by far one of the worst spoof movies ever made and quite possibly one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It is not funny at all. It tries to be an exact spoof replica of all the title films and it fails miserably. This movie sucks. It's terrible. I hated it. I couldn't even finish watching it. Boo to this movie!

#43: Crazy on the Outside. Starring Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver. Rated PG-13. 1 hour 36 minutes. IMDB Member Grade: 5.2 out of 10. My Grade: C. This is a film directed by Tim Allen and he's actually not THAT bad. This movie however is missing any kind of heart and soul and it's actually kind of a flat paced movie. It has some good performances and it's kind of funny at times but overall it's just...boring. I almost didn't finish it. It has a pretty standard, cliched story. But Tim Allen at least tries to make a good movie. And it is a pretty OK movie. Just nothing remarkable or memorable. It's what I call a generic but good movie.

#44: Dinner for Schmucks. Starring Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd. Rated PG-13. 1 hour 54 minutes. Critics Grade: 51%. My Grade: C+. Dinner for Schmucks is a rather cliched comedy if you ask me. It has that same old same old formula. Guy is trying to impress his lady friend but then someone comes in and screws it all up. You know exactly where the heart of this story is going and you know exactly how it's going to end. The only saving grace here is Steve Carrell. His character is unique for this type of movie and is a fresh addition. He plays this truly moronic guy but you totally feel for him. You like him and also you feel bad for him. This guy truly is an idiot but he has a heart of gold. He provides some really funny moments. My main issue is that it took about an hour and twenty minutes to get to the actual "dinner". The dinner sequence, which is about 20 minutes or so, is the easily the best part of the film. The parts leading up to it had it's moments but was ultimately a let down. Just such a formula comedy with almost nothing too new to offer. Oh well. It had it's slight charm and a few chuckles. It was OK. Good enough to watch once.

2010 Review #41: The Expendables

The Expendables

Rated R
(strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language)
1 hour 43 minutes

Storyline:
A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator.

Written and Directed By: Sylvester Stallone

Starring:
Sylvester Stallone
Jason Statham
Jet Li
Dolph Lundgren
Eric Roberts
Randy Couture
Steve Austin
Mickey Rourke

Critics Grade:
44%

My Grade:
B-

So in my opinion there are maybe three types of action movies. First you have the epic/action-drama or thriller. Movies that have big stories and the action its snuggly in between. Usually these ones have very well written screenplays and great casts. Movies like The Dark Knight or recently Inception. Second you have the confusing as all hell action movies that try to do way to much with a story and have over the top insane action. Stories that usually baffle an audience to a point where the action is just a distraction. Something like Eagle Eye or maybe even Salt. Lastly, you have the old school, plain ol' action flick. Movies that are maybe 85% action and 15% attempts at a simple storyline. That's where The Expendables fits into. Sometimes they are pretty bad, and sometimes that actually are kind of enjoyable. This time...I think it was quite entertaining.

The big selling point for this movie was the ginormous cast of action legends. If you want the list, just look above I won't speak of them here. With this group of guys all you really need to expect are scenes of awesome action. That's exactly what you get. There is a storyline, of course there has to be one. The plot is rather simple and fairly easy to follow. Although I think I got confused once or twice...but who really cares. You can't walk into this movie anticipating some kind of coherent or good plot or any kind of brilliant performance. You come to a movie like this for action. The action here is very cool. It is very fun. It is very entertaining. It isn't even THAT over the top. It is pretty bloody at times. The blood looked like something you would see in a violent episode of Looney Toons or something, but oh well. These guys know how to do action, and they certainly show off here in this movie. I mean I was glued to the screen the whole time. It never really got slow or boring.

There were a few side plots they could have done without. I think they wanted to add some human elements to the characters...but they didn't do a great job. There was a pointless side plot with Jason Stathams character that fell flat. Jet Li had some kind of character build up that led to nada. I thought those were a bit strange but again they were so small it didn't even matter. Some of these actors clearly are beyond their years do a movie like this. It was sort of like the Old Dogs for action legends. A couple of them just looked tired and exhausted. Watching Stallone run was like watching someone trying to run through a pool of chocolate pudding. But whatever, these are the superstars of the genre. They all did their part and they all did awesome!

That's all this movie really is: awesome! Actually it's quite bad ass. It's by no means an epic masterpiece of a film. It's not one that will be on my personal best list at the end of the year. It may not even be a movie I'll remember in six months. But right now I do remember it, and it was damn fun! It does not disappoint. It is chock FULL of action that is almost non stop. The action scenes are explosive and cool. There's nothing to hate about this movie if all you want to do is watch a good action flick. The movie is a very old school action flick and I liked that. It didn't try to do to much. It never went to far or over the top. It was just action. And it was just awesome.

2010 Review #40: Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine

Rated R
(strong crude and sexual content, nudity, drug use and pervasive language)
1 hour 39 minutes

Storyline:
Four guy friends, all of them bored with their adult lives, travel back to their respective 80s heydays thanks to a time-bending hot tub.

Directed By: Steve Pink

Starring:
John Cusack
Rob Corddry
Craig Robinson
Clark Duke

Critics Grade:
63%

My Grade:
B-

Well I won't sit here and waste more than a paragraph on giving my take on Hot Tub Time Machine. That doesn't mean I thought it was bad...it's just that there isn't much to this movie to warrant more than a simple paragraph. This movie is beyond ridiculous and overly silly. Obviously not a movie to take seriously...duh. Don't mind the premise...which happens to be about a group of friends who travel back to the 80's thanks to a faulty hot tub. It sounds stupid on paper. Hell even the trailer made it looks unappealing to me. The charm of this movie really isn't in the plot but more so with the cast. This has a great group of guys headlining the film. They aren't over the top funny nor is the writing of the movie. But they all work so well together and have great chemistry. They are all fairly consistently funny and carry the story really really well. They almost make the screenplay seem coherent and kind of unsilly. There just isn't much to say about a movie like this. It's a very random pre summer comedy that had some hit and miss humor (more hit than miss though). I probably won't remember it a month or two from now, but today...I thought it was a pretty funny, albeit ridiculous comedic film. It's one to watch when your bored.

2010 Review #39: The Other Guys

The Other Guys

Rated PG-13
1 hour 47 minutes

Storyline:
Two mismatched New York City detectives seize an opportunity to step up like the city's top cops whom they idolize -- only things don't quite go as planned.

Written and Directed by Adam McKay

Starring:
Will Ferrell
Mark Wahlberg
Michael Keaton
Steve Coogan
Eva Mendes

Critics Grade:
77%
(Consensus: While not the best collaboration between Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, The Other Guys delivers bursts of comedy during a summer largely devoid of laughs)

My Grade:
B

There haven't been many good live action comedies so far this year. So far for me, only one I can remember is Get Him to the Greek...which was a solid, really funny film. I feel like slowly but surely the comedy genre is dying...but I hope it's just a phase. A lot of recent comedies lately suffer from trying to hard for the big laugh but end up being more awkward than anything...and just plain not funny. At least for me. Usually comedies aren't original in story, characters or jokes. Sometimes the sense of comedy can be kind of new, but not very often. Will Ferrell (Anchorman, Stranger Than Fiction) has type cast himself as the bumbling idiot funny guy character who talks in a weird dialect. But people still love him, and I'm still a fan. He has grown kind of tired though, I would like to see him do some new form of comedy.

Here we have a story that is way beyond insane and ridiculous. There's not a single character in this film who shares any remote realistic comparison to a real human being, let alone a real cop. But that's the point of movies like this. You have to take things we all know as typical and everyday and exaggerate those things beyond all realism. That's what makes them funny. It's funny to see things or people that are normal be flipped upside down into craziness. Here we have two laughed at desk cops who are trying to solve a big crime to get back in the game. The crime is rather mundane for movies like this and it tries to be to smart at times. But we aren't really here for the crime, we are here for the guys investigating the crimes.

Will Ferrell and Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, Shooter) are a tandem I thought I would never see together, but here they are. They are odd ball match made in heaven. They worked really well together. Both were off the wall, INSANE characters that balanced each other out so perfectly. Wahlberg plays the wannabe tough guy cop who has serious anger issues. He shot Derek Jeter after all (hehe). Sometimes his anger get's a little annoying but overall it's a riot to watch. Will Ferrell plays his typical character that has become very hit and miss lately. Here it is definitely a hit. He benefits from some hilarious writing and his quirky "Ron Burgundy" performance works really well with the writing. He says some things in this movie that are just damn funny. I loved the scene after the explosion and he says stuff like "how do people just get up from this in movies?!?". Great funny man performance this time around! The two are a perfect pair!

The rest of the movie is full of nothing but over the top antics and nonsense. The great cameos by Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson are proof of how crazy this movie is. The opening scene is classic, especially after you find out what the big explosive chase was all about. Michael Keaton plays the Captain and he is so damn weird but man it's great to see him back in movies. He plays a police Captain and a manager at Bed Bath and Beyond by night. Ha! So random! This whole movie is random. This movie is ridiculous. But this movie is freaking nothing but entertaining and nothing but hilarious! I was not expecting to really enjoy this movie...but I did. I thought it was consistently funny and a great comedy for you all to check out!

2010 Review: Straight to DVD 2 Pack!

#37: Nine Dead. Starring Melissa Joan Hart and William Lee Scott. Rated R. 1 hour 38 minutes. IMDB Member Grade: 5.2 out of 10. My Grade: F+. The general basis of this movie is actually pretty cool, albeit not very original. Nine strangers find themselves mysteriously held captive in a room, each handcuffed to a pole. None of them know why they are there. Their masked kidnapper comes in and tells them they have to all figure out why they are there and every 10 minutes he will come in and kill one of them randomly until they figure it out. If they figure it out, he will reveal himself and turn himself in and let all the survivors go. Sounds kind of promising. Unfortunately this film suffers from a straight to DVD release and a shitty budget. Meaning this movie has a cast of actors who are really really really bad, and damn near unbearable to watch. I mean most of them make it really hard to even sit through. Even Melissa Joan Hart (the only noticeable person in the film) suffers from terrible acting disorder. Then the storyline is really weak. A cool premise takes a big hit from a poorly executed screenplay. The "reason" they are all there lacks any kind of originality and there's no shock and awe to it. I thought the filmaking aspect was pretty good, at least for a straight to DVD type flick. But overall the movie is pretty crappy which is sad because the idea of the story is pretty cool.

#38: Tell Tale. Starring Josh Lucas and Lena Headey. Rated R. 1 hour 33 minutes. IMDB Member Grade: 5.2 out of 10. My Grade: D+. In terms of over all quality, Tell Tale is a much better film than Nine Dead. In terms of acting, it's considerably better. In terms of filmaking, again there's a huge improvement. In terms of storyline...eh...nothing inspiring about it, meaning it's only just vaguely better than my previous review. Again we've seen this kind of thing before. A man get's a new heart and all of a sudden this man starts seeing images of his new hearts previous owner. A crime thriller then ensues. I think I've seen a few episodes of X-Files like this, not to mention a few other films. I've never been a fan of the concept. To me this movie's story was really boring and I had a hard time keeping with it. I struggled to not turn off the film. On a technical level, this movie works. In terms of acting, and directing...but man the screenplay does not carry over well. Bored to tears. It wasn't awful I guess...but I just could not get into this movie.

Reviews: Bounty Hunter, Percy Jackson and More!

#32: The Bounty Hunter. Starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. Rated PG-13. 1 hour 50 minutes. Critics Grade: 08%. My Grade: D. There really is not much I can really say about this movie. For me, there was virtually nothing redeeming about the story or the characters. I didn't find it very funny, maybe a rare little chuckle here and there. Both these characters are terrible to watch and are not likable at all. The performances seem really staged and fake. The story is incredibly predictable and unoriginal. Plus...I hate romantic comedies. So I was just destined to not like this movie.

#33: Brooklyn's Finest. Starring Richard Gere and Don Cheadle. Rated R. 2 hours 12 minutes. Critics Grade: 43%. My Grade: C+. Here we have a multi story cop drama with nothing entirely new to offer. Honestly the overall storyline is fairly cliched and you can pretty much predict how it will end up. That being said, I somewhat liked this movie. I thought it was dark and filmed with a brilliant style. You never feel good or happy while watching any of this movie. That reflects well from the characters and the solid performances from the cast. The story may be unoriginal but it's hard to call this a bad film. With the cast it has, it's really hard to discredit a movie like this. As a cop drama, I think it just barely works. It was good enough for me to enjoy on a one time viewing. Not one I'd probably ever watch again, it is a bit slow. Overall though...pretty OK movie.

#34: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Starring Logan Lerman. Rated PG. 1 hour 58 minutes. Critics Grade: 50%. My Grade: C-. This is being called a Harry Potter ripoff. In a sense yes, it rips of the Potter franchise and also the Narnia franchise. But this is still it's own movie. In terms of a fantasy film...I've seen much better ones in my life. This one is rather flat and doesn't have a very exciting tale to tell. It doesn't feel very adventurous to me. I think it had some great visual effects and the director did a fantastic job bringing this fictitious world to life. The performances, overall, were pretty good. Mainly from the lesser of the cast, the random supporting characters that popped up here and there. Logan Lerman is typically a talented young actor, but he doesn't carry the film well on his shoulders here as the title character. He's good...just not all that great. He's attractive though hehe. The movie has some entertaining moments but overall it's not the kind of movie I'd recommend to most people. It was OK.

#35: Chloe. Starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried. Rated R. 1 hour 36 minutes. Critics Grade: 52%. My Grade: C-. This is one hell of a shocking movie. Meaning it's shocking to watch based on it's subject material. This is a sexual thriller with a lot of sexual and not a lot of thriller. It's a pretty damn dirty film. The material has been done time and time again. There's nothing new here with this one. I didn't much care for the writing of the film and the characters are a bit dull and unlikable because they are all total jerks. The performances however are GREAT! Julianne Moore is one one of my favorites and dammit to hell already...give that lady an Oscar!! The performances are really the only solid thing about this movie. Otherwise, it's gross and kind of boring.

#36: The Kids Are All Right. Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. Rated R. 1 hour 46 minutes. Critics Grade: 96%. My Grade: A-. Finally, we have the best full on dramatic film of the year. This will be a controversial film I'm sure...but screw everyone who says gay marriage is wrong. I say you are wrong and go jump off a cliff after you fall off your high horse and break your leg. This movie proves that the gay community is JUST like everyone else on earth. We have problems same as all you straights out there. We aren't perfect, just like none of you are perfect. We should be entitled to have families like the rest of you. Every child needs love, who cares who it's from? The movie has a wonderful screenplay and it feels so authentic. Bening and Moore play this lesbian couple with such authenticity. This truly feels like an actual couple, with actual human problems. They are struggling to keep the magic alive. They are struggling to keep their kids happy. Now their children want to meet their sperm donor...and when they do he turns out to be a cool guy. The parents struggle with this because they don't want their family to deteriorate and that's exactly what happens. This is just a wonderful little film that has some occasional funny moments. BRILLIANT performances from Bening and Moore (both deserve Oscar nominations for this film) and Mark Ruffalo gives one of his most touching and best performances as well. Great film!