Finally. After a couple of months of disappointing crap (The Vow, Joyful Noise), here is a really funny movie. Morton (Jonah Hill) and Greg (Channing Tatum) didn't get along in high school. Morton was a nerd with braces who couldn't talk to girls. Greg was a popular jock. They run into each other a few years after high school when both guys are in the police academy.
Morton is struggling with the physical tests and Greg is struggling with the academic tests, so they decide to help each other out. After they graduate, they are assigned to patrol a park. This isn't what either of them were expecting. One day they come across a gang of bikers smoking pot. They decide to arrest them, and let's just say that it doesn't go well. When they finally get one handcuffed on the ground, what they do to celebrate is just wonderful, dumb, and hilarious.
They get assigned to a special division. They are assigned to go back to high school undercover as students in order to break up a drug ring. Because Greg can't remember which fake identity is his and which is Morton's, they end up getting their schedules switched. This means Morton is in drama and track, and Greg is in AP Chemistry. This bit could have been eliminated as it was the least funny thing about the movie.
But there are still plenty of laughs. They are trying to find out who is supplying some new synthetic drug, and one of the funniest bits is where they find out what the drug does to you. There are several stages you go through, and they are all acted out brilliantly by Johnny Simmons in a very minor role. It's no surprise that Morton and Greg will eventually try the drug and go through the exact same stages.
Jonah Hill is funny as he usually is, and Channing Tatum has never been better (except maybe in The Dilemma). Ellie Kemper from The Office is given nothing much to do as one of the teachers, but Ice Cube is hilarious as the stereotypical police captain who is always pissed off and can't say anything without yelling.
This movie was a lot of fun.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Silent House - 1 1/2 stars
Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen) is staying at a lakeside house with her father and uncle Peter. They are fixing the house up to sell it. While she is inside, Sarah starts hearing strange noises. The windows are all boarded up, so even though it's the middle of the day, the house is dark.
At some point, her uncle will leave and her dad will disappear, so she will be in the house alone. A lot of time is spent following her as she looks around calling out "Dad?" or "Uncle Peter?" Every now and then, something goes boom real loud, or we see a figure standing in the background.
At first we aren't sure - is this a ghost story, or some kind of home invasion story? There is a point where we think maybe someone has been living in the house while it was abandoned. The movie is one continuous take - at least it looks like it was. That's about the only thing the movie has going for it. It isn't enough for a movie to make us jump every 5 minutes or so. There really isn't much of a story here. I found I was bored 15 minutes in, and I couldn't wait for the movie to end.
When we finally find out what's been going on, there are still unanswered questions. And I don't care enough about the movie to invest any time or effort into trying to figure it out. Just skip this one.
At some point, her uncle will leave and her dad will disappear, so she will be in the house alone. A lot of time is spent following her as she looks around calling out "Dad?" or "Uncle Peter?" Every now and then, something goes boom real loud, or we see a figure standing in the background.
At first we aren't sure - is this a ghost story, or some kind of home invasion story? There is a point where we think maybe someone has been living in the house while it was abandoned. The movie is one continuous take - at least it looks like it was. That's about the only thing the movie has going for it. It isn't enough for a movie to make us jump every 5 minutes or so. There really isn't much of a story here. I found I was bored 15 minutes in, and I couldn't wait for the movie to end.
When we finally find out what's been going on, there are still unanswered questions. And I don't care enough about the movie to invest any time or effort into trying to figure it out. Just skip this one.
Friday, March 9, 2012
John Carter - 2 1/2 stars
This movie is kind of a mess. Based on the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs (who also wrote Tarzan), its about a former Civil War captain who enters a cave, is transported to Mars (known by the inhabitants as Barsoom) and gets involved in wars and battles.
I have never read the books, but from the research I have done, it seems as though the filmmakers took a simple fantasy / sci fi adventure and made it as complicated as they could. They give Carter a backstory, and it takes way too long for him to get to Mars. It seemed like 20 - 30 minutes had gone by before he found that cave.
Once there, he finds that he has powers. Thanks to the different gravity, he can jump like 80 feet with ease. He also seems to be really strong, although the movie isn't consistent about that. One moment he is fighting an entire army off, the next he is held in chains.
He meets a tribe of giant green creatures with 4 arms. They don't trust him at first, then they are amazed by his leaping ability. A little later he meets the human looking people of Mars. He falls in love with a princess and gets involved in some kind of plot to force her to marry her bitter enemy.
There are also characters called Therns. They weren't in the first book, they popped up later in the series, but the filmmakers put them into this movie because there just weren't enough characters or something. It just isn't confusing enough - let's add the Therns from book 5!
Anyway, the Therns can shape shift, they seem to be immortal, they have visited other planets, and they are the reason Carter was transported to Mars. They have some kind of plan to kill everyone on Mars, then Earth was their next target, but I may be mixed up on that.
The movie is too confusing. I had a hard time caring about John Carter, the princess, or anyone else in the movie. The reason movies like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings work so well is they have well developed characters we care about, and the story isn't that complicated. There may be complicated things going on around them and many other characters involved, but the main plot is pretty simple. Also, casting a better, more charasmatic actor as John Carter may have helped.
Oh, and the movie is over 2 hours long. It should have been about 90 minutes. I think that's it for now.
I have never read the books, but from the research I have done, it seems as though the filmmakers took a simple fantasy / sci fi adventure and made it as complicated as they could. They give Carter a backstory, and it takes way too long for him to get to Mars. It seemed like 20 - 30 minutes had gone by before he found that cave.
Once there, he finds that he has powers. Thanks to the different gravity, he can jump like 80 feet with ease. He also seems to be really strong, although the movie isn't consistent about that. One moment he is fighting an entire army off, the next he is held in chains.
He meets a tribe of giant green creatures with 4 arms. They don't trust him at first, then they are amazed by his leaping ability. A little later he meets the human looking people of Mars. He falls in love with a princess and gets involved in some kind of plot to force her to marry her bitter enemy.
There are also characters called Therns. They weren't in the first book, they popped up later in the series, but the filmmakers put them into this movie because there just weren't enough characters or something. It just isn't confusing enough - let's add the Therns from book 5!
Anyway, the Therns can shape shift, they seem to be immortal, they have visited other planets, and they are the reason Carter was transported to Mars. They have some kind of plan to kill everyone on Mars, then Earth was their next target, but I may be mixed up on that.
The movie is too confusing. I had a hard time caring about John Carter, the princess, or anyone else in the movie. The reason movies like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings work so well is they have well developed characters we care about, and the story isn't that complicated. There may be complicated things going on around them and many other characters involved, but the main plot is pretty simple. Also, casting a better, more charasmatic actor as John Carter may have helped.
Oh, and the movie is over 2 hours long. It should have been about 90 minutes. I think that's it for now.
Project X - 3 stars
This movie is about 3 high school boys who throw a party. Somehow the party grows and grows until houses are destroyed and the SWAT team has to be called in.
Thomas is turning 17, and his parents are going out of town for the weekend. Since he will have the house to himself, his friends Costa and J.B. want to throw him a party. Thomas's parents are rich, the house is huge, and he has a pool. Perfect place for a party. Thomas isn't popular at school, but somehow Costa is able to get the word out to everyone at school.
Before the party, Costa takes his friends to a drug dealer to get some pot. While they are there, for some reason Costa decides to steal a little ceramic gnome from the dealer. Hmm, I wonder if there are drugs in that gnome? I wonder if the drug dealer will turn up late in the movie and want the drugs back?
The movie is filmed in the found footage / POV style we've seen with movies like Paranormal Activity or Chronicle. The movie is supposedly footage filmed by their friend. But the movie doesn't stick to this formula. Sometimes for no reason the movie is filmed like a normal movie. Two characters are having a conversation and the movie cuts back and forth between the two people. When the partygoers are arriving, suddenly the movie cuts to footage filmed outside of the people crossing the street. Why make the movie in this style if the filmmakers are just going to cheat?
There are laughs in this movie, so I am recommending it. I enjoyed the 12-year old security guards that Costa enlists. I also enjoyed the dwarf who is thrown into an over (don't worry, it isn't turned on).
Thomas is turning 17, and his parents are going out of town for the weekend. Since he will have the house to himself, his friends Costa and J.B. want to throw him a party. Thomas's parents are rich, the house is huge, and he has a pool. Perfect place for a party. Thomas isn't popular at school, but somehow Costa is able to get the word out to everyone at school.
Before the party, Costa takes his friends to a drug dealer to get some pot. While they are there, for some reason Costa decides to steal a little ceramic gnome from the dealer. Hmm, I wonder if there are drugs in that gnome? I wonder if the drug dealer will turn up late in the movie and want the drugs back?
The movie is filmed in the found footage / POV style we've seen with movies like Paranormal Activity or Chronicle. The movie is supposedly footage filmed by their friend. But the movie doesn't stick to this formula. Sometimes for no reason the movie is filmed like a normal movie. Two characters are having a conversation and the movie cuts back and forth between the two people. When the partygoers are arriving, suddenly the movie cuts to footage filmed outside of the people crossing the street. Why make the movie in this style if the filmmakers are just going to cheat?
There are laughs in this movie, so I am recommending it. I enjoyed the 12-year old security guards that Costa enlists. I also enjoyed the dwarf who is thrown into an over (don't worry, it isn't turned on).
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Academy Awards preview
The Oscars are on tonight. I'm only doing this for the big categories, but here are my
predictions and who I would pick to win.
Best actor:
Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
George Clooney in "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"
Who will win: Jean Dujardin.
My pick: Gary Oldman. I can't believe Gary Oldman has never won before. But that's beside the point. He delivered a master class on minimalist acting. I thought he was just incredible.
Best supporting actor:
Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"
Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte in "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"
Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
Who will win: Christopher Plummer.
My pick: since Albert Brooks wasn't nominated, I would pick Christopher Plummer. It was a great performance, and I've never seen him give a performance quite like this one before.
Best actress:
Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis in "The Help"
Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"
Who will win: Viola Davis.
My pick: Michelle Williams. She didn't just impersonate Marilyn Monroe. She created a really
interesting character. Her performance was vulnerable and really moving.
Best supporting actress:
Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain in "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer in "The Help"
Who will win: Octavia Spencer.
My pick: Octavia Spencer. Her scenes are the ones I remember best from this movie. She just
brought so much life and energy to this performance.
Best director:
"The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius
"The Descendants" Alexander Payne
"Hugo" Martin Scorsese
"Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen
"The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick
Who will win: Michel Hazanavicius.
My pick: Alexander Payne.
Adapted screenplay:
"The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
"Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan
"The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
"Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan
Who will win: The Descendants.
My pick: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. To take such a big novel and adapt it into a 2 hour movie
is an incredible feat. They kept in everything they needed to, and it worked. There was nothing missing. The movie demands you watch it more than once, and the more you watch it the more it makes sense and the pieces all fit together beautifully.
Original screenplay:
"The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius
"Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
"Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor
"Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen
"A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi
Who will win: The Artist.
My pick: I'm gonna go with Bridesmaids here. A very funny movie, but it would be a good movie even without all the jokes.
Best picture:
"The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer
"The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer
"The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
"Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
"Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
"Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
"The Tree of Life" Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Dede Gardner and Grant Hill, Producers
"War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
Who will win: The Artist.
My pick: Since Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy wasn't nominated, I pick The Decendants. The Artist was nice for what it was, but not a great movie. Extremely Loud shouldn't be nominated.
Neither should War Horse. The Help was a good movie, but not a great one. Moneyball was written by two screenwriters, and it showed. Some parts were great, and some were kind of boring.
I really can't believe that with 9 nominees, Tinker Tailor didn't get enough votes to be in there as the 10th. But the night will belong to The Artist. Hollywood loves movies about Hollywood, and especially old Hollywood. The Artist is like a love letter to silent film and even the people who didn't love it loved what it was about and what it symbolized.
predictions and who I would pick to win.
Best actor:
Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
George Clooney in "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"
Who will win: Jean Dujardin.
My pick: Gary Oldman. I can't believe Gary Oldman has never won before. But that's beside the point. He delivered a master class on minimalist acting. I thought he was just incredible.
Best supporting actor:
Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"
Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte in "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"
Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
Who will win: Christopher Plummer.
My pick: since Albert Brooks wasn't nominated, I would pick Christopher Plummer. It was a great performance, and I've never seen him give a performance quite like this one before.
Best actress:
Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis in "The Help"
Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"
Who will win: Viola Davis.
My pick: Michelle Williams. She didn't just impersonate Marilyn Monroe. She created a really
interesting character. Her performance was vulnerable and really moving.
Best supporting actress:
Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain in "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer in "The Help"
Who will win: Octavia Spencer.
My pick: Octavia Spencer. Her scenes are the ones I remember best from this movie. She just
brought so much life and energy to this performance.
Best director:
"The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius
"The Descendants" Alexander Payne
"Hugo" Martin Scorsese
"Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen
"The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick
Who will win: Michel Hazanavicius.
My pick: Alexander Payne.
Adapted screenplay:
"The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
"Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan
"The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
"Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan
Who will win: The Descendants.
My pick: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. To take such a big novel and adapt it into a 2 hour movie
is an incredible feat. They kept in everything they needed to, and it worked. There was nothing missing. The movie demands you watch it more than once, and the more you watch it the more it makes sense and the pieces all fit together beautifully.
Original screenplay:
"The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius
"Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
"Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor
"Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen
"A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi
Who will win: The Artist.
My pick: I'm gonna go with Bridesmaids here. A very funny movie, but it would be a good movie even without all the jokes.
Best picture:
"The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer
"The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer
"The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
"Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
"Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
"Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
"The Tree of Life" Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Dede Gardner and Grant Hill, Producers
"War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
Who will win: The Artist.
My pick: Since Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy wasn't nominated, I pick The Decendants. The Artist was nice for what it was, but not a great movie. Extremely Loud shouldn't be nominated.
Neither should War Horse. The Help was a good movie, but not a great one. Moneyball was written by two screenwriters, and it showed. Some parts were great, and some were kind of boring.
I really can't believe that with 9 nominees, Tinker Tailor didn't get enough votes to be in there as the 10th. But the night will belong to The Artist. Hollywood loves movies about Hollywood, and especially old Hollywood. The Artist is like a love letter to silent film and even the people who didn't love it loved what it was about and what it symbolized.
Wanderlust - 3 stars
Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston play a professional couple in New York. They both lose their jobs and their home and they are heading to Rudd's brother's house in Georgia to live with him. On they way, they come across a hippie commune. They think it's just a bed and breakfast and they stay the night. They quickly learn about the lifestyle, and they both decide to stay there a while and try it out.
It's a little hard to believe that they would be so open to this. The movie should have done a little more to establish how fed up they were with city life. The movie also doesn't go into too many details about life at the commune. Where does the money come from to keep the place going? Property taxes? Food? Supplies?
The house does not have any doors. They believe doors close people off. So they have to adjust to things like going to the bathroom and anyone just walking in at any time. They are also open about sexuality. They don't believe in monogamy. But this is only used as a device to cause conflict in Rudd and Aniston's marriage. We never see or hear about anyone else in the commune sleeping with anyone else. There seems to be only one other couple at the house, and we never hear anything about them sleeping with other people.
There is one guy who is a nudist. He supplies all of the nudity in this film. There is a skinnydipping scene, and I don't think I've ever seen a skinnydipping scene with less nudity. There is also a nude scene where Jennifer Aniston takes her top off. This was in the news months ago, but Aniston petitioned the filmmakers to cut that scene out. So now the scene is there, but the nudity is pixelated out - we see the scene shown later on the news.
There are some funny things in the movie and I laughed just enough to recommend it. But just barely. When it wasn't funny, I found I wasn't too involved in the story. I seemed too contrived and I didn't believe it. This is a very forgettable movie.
It's a little hard to believe that they would be so open to this. The movie should have done a little more to establish how fed up they were with city life. The movie also doesn't go into too many details about life at the commune. Where does the money come from to keep the place going? Property taxes? Food? Supplies?
The house does not have any doors. They believe doors close people off. So they have to adjust to things like going to the bathroom and anyone just walking in at any time. They are also open about sexuality. They don't believe in monogamy. But this is only used as a device to cause conflict in Rudd and Aniston's marriage. We never see or hear about anyone else in the commune sleeping with anyone else. There seems to be only one other couple at the house, and we never hear anything about them sleeping with other people.
There is one guy who is a nudist. He supplies all of the nudity in this film. There is a skinnydipping scene, and I don't think I've ever seen a skinnydipping scene with less nudity. There is also a nude scene where Jennifer Aniston takes her top off. This was in the news months ago, but Aniston petitioned the filmmakers to cut that scene out. So now the scene is there, but the nudity is pixelated out - we see the scene shown later on the news.
There are some funny things in the movie and I laughed just enough to recommend it. But just barely. When it wasn't funny, I found I wasn't too involved in the story. I seemed too contrived and I didn't believe it. This is a very forgettable movie.
Act of Valor - 2 stars
The makers of Act of Valor want to make sure you know that the actors portraying Navy SEALs in this movie are all active duty SEALs in real life. The directors tell us before the movie starts that only people who have experienced the kind of stuff we see in the movie can accurately portray it. Um, no. I have seen more convincing performance by actors in other Hollywood movies.
The movie is about a Navy SEAL team that goes in to Costa Rica to rescue a kidnapped CIA Analyst. The first 20 minutes or so are excruciating. The writing is bad, the directing is bad, the editing is bad, and the acting is horrible. This is the most amaturish movie I have ever seen.
Then the team gets into the mission, and the movie suddenly gets good. I don't know how accurate it is, but there are things in this movie I have never seen before. Like the way a sniper takes out a guart. He waits until his partner is ready to catch the body so it doesn't fall into the water and make a splash. The gun boats that meet the team at the extraction point are very cool. The bad guys drive up in trucks and are torn to shreds by the guns on these boats.
The action is great. But they should have had the SEAL team act as advisors, and used actors to portray the team.
The movie is about a Navy SEAL team that goes in to Costa Rica to rescue a kidnapped CIA Analyst. The first 20 minutes or so are excruciating. The writing is bad, the directing is bad, the editing is bad, and the acting is horrible. This is the most amaturish movie I have ever seen.
Then the team gets into the mission, and the movie suddenly gets good. I don't know how accurate it is, but there are things in this movie I have never seen before. Like the way a sniper takes out a guart. He waits until his partner is ready to catch the body so it doesn't fall into the water and make a splash. The gun boats that meet the team at the extraction point are very cool. The bad guys drive up in trucks and are torn to shreds by the guns on these boats.
The action is great. But they should have had the SEAL team act as advisors, and used actors to portray the team.
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