Grown Ups

I was a little leery of this movie because of the big cast of 'funny men'. Luckily it worked for them. This movie was pretty funny and felt pretty good. Just like a couple of guys riffing on each other. The premise is simple and basically it is a buddy movie and devolves into these guys just riffing with no real structure in the script. You could tell much of the movie was off the cuff lines. The extra scenes show this as the scenes have many takes with different lines. This leads to funny extra scenes.

The one thing that stood out to me was the inclusion of Kevin James. The rest of the guys are all old SNL guys and it really leads you to wonder if that role was written for Chris Farley. Not that I exactly see Farley sliding into the same role that James played but you can't help and wonder when you see the rotund physical comedian James play this role.

If you saw the previous and thought this movie would be funny than you should see it. It lived up to my expectations, though didn't necessarily exceeded them.

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 3:17:00 PM

 

Away We Go

This movie had a very indie feel to it. I'm pretty sure I don't mean that as a compliment. The movie had some nice chuckles, no real laugh out loud moments. Frankly, I was bored watching it. It wasn't a real challenging movie. They went out looking for the perfect family. No real shock when they decide they can't find the perfect family. I guess they will just have to make their own perfect family just by being themselves and loving each other! Yup, it is really that simple. Oh, and I really don't like the Gyllenhaals. Maggie is just a weirdo and she makes me uncomfortable.

You can probably pass on seeing this movie.

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- posted by Doug @ 10:53:00 PM

 

The Men Who Stare at Goats

This movie was just not as funny as I had thought it might be. Some slap stick laughs and a couple of sight gags but overall it was a lame attempt. Kind of a muddled plot and I'm not exactly sure what the underlying messages were that the movie was trying to put across. I'll assume it is an anti-military message since it is from Hollywood. ZING! But seriously it is like this movie just wanted to point out that the US military/government has invested time and money in research of extreme, and often odd, things such as ESP and acid.

Again, I was disappointed with this movie and its lack of cohesion and humor.

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- posted by Doug @ 10:12:00 PM

 

Get Him to the Greek

When this movie first came out I thought it might be good for a laugh or two but I never got around to seeing it. Then my friends had begun raving about how good it was, so I made it a priority to see.

Turns out my friends were right. I thought this movie was hilarious. The lines they wrote for Puff Daddy were absolutely hilarious. Russell Brand is just the perfect person to play a stereotypical British rock star. Sure it's pretty much the same role as the one he played in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (a movie that is given a shout out in Greek, not surprising since its made by the same people!) and knocked out of the park.

The movie gets a little sappy and cheesy at the end as they all learn valuable life lessons. That is kind of a trait of Apatow movies. 3/4 of the movie is hilarious and then the last quarter turns into cheesy wrap ups.

All in all this movie is definitely a must see just for Puff Daddy's lines. He isn't a great actor by any means but these lines are just GREAT for him.

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- posted by Doug @ 2:19:00 PM

 

The Invention of Lying

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this movie going into it. The beginning of the movie didn't real lead me to believe it was going to be all that good either. By the end of the movie I was laughing pretty good. It's a fun concept and allows writers some wiggle room for silly jokes.

The thing that bothered me about this movie and "Liar Liar", which had a similar plot, was the fact that they show people saying unnecessary truths. Just because you can't lie doesn't mean you would say mean and hurtful things even if you felt them. Kind of the difference between not lying and not saying. Either way this concern was quickly alleviated for me when it becomes clear that saying these truths is more of a characteristic of this "no lying" world. Once I got over that I was able to enjoy the movie more.

The movie itself is pretty simple but it does have some underlying messages even if they do get some what mottled and don't fully evolve in this movie. It's almost as if they wanted to get a bit deeper with the movie but ended up leaving the conclusions on the cutting room floor.

In the end this movie becomes a delightful romp with plenty of laughs even if some are cheap jokes provided by the main no-lies concept.

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- posted by Doug @ 10:09:00 AM

 

Toy Story 3

The gang is back! Honestly we all should know what to expect from Pixar movies by now. They are going to be well written and visually well done. This was no exception.

The great thing that Pixar is able to do with their movies is keep them well animated and silly for the kids but at the same time mix in great humor for the adults that keeps them entertained. Not only did Toy Story 3 work for me as a comedy movie and not just a kids movie I was also touched by the story as it got very sad at parts.

If you liked the previous Toy Story movies then you really need to see the third and final movie. It really ties the story line together neatly.

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- posted by Doug @ 10:09:00 PM

 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

An odd movie with an interesting underlying plot device. Mind erasing is a tricky subject but this movie deals with it well by using deja vu nicely.

Another tricky thing with the movie is the plot kind of works backwards as he is recovering memories. It can be confusing at times especially as the past blends into the current. It is manageable and actually might make this movie a bit more rewatchable so you can figure the timeline a bit better.

The secondary plot involving Kirsten Dunst's character is a bit puzzling to me. It doesn't really do anything for the movie aside from assist with the love triangle portion of the main plot. Even that benefit is minimal to me and just adds extra time that could've been cut from the movie. If they could re-release this movie with her scenes cut down I think the movie would flow much better, not to mention knock off some time off the 108 minutes of runtime.

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 10:11:00 PM

 

In America

Typical indie film, someone had a vague idea for a movie and they ran with it without really thinking of how you could make a full movie with it. The best part of this movie was the two little girls. They were delightful. Cute and charming when it was needed but also very poignant at key times.

Bottom line: Typical indie movie. Not really tremendously entertaining but not the worst way to kill an hour and half.

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 5:22:00 PM

 

Reign Over Me

If you have a spare night and just want to feel down or get a good cry than this is the movie for you! It's just an incredibly sad movie. Sure there are a couple of laughs thrown in, with Sandler how can there be not, but the sadness is the majority.

Don't get me wrong, it was a very good movie. Just a bit darker than I had thought. There is a scene with Sandler and Cheadle that is the biggest tear jerker of the movie and one of the biggest I have seen in a while. Then again, I don't seek out sad movies since I can be such a wuss at times.

Pinkett-Smith plays a great character. She is Cheadle's wife and I believe her character is supposed to be unlikeable so she fits in perfect since she is annoying and unlikeable!

Another negative to the movie is Sandler's New York accent. I don't like it. I didn't like it in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" and I don't like it now. Just seems too contrived for me. A minor complaint though as his performance in this dramatic role was pretty good. He showed some depth in this movie and he's moved into an actor and not just a funny man.

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- posted by Doug @ 12:34:00 PM

 

Charlie Wilson's War

This was a fun movie. It almost demonstrates a 'butterfly effect' when Wilson's (Tom Hanks) seemingly well meaning efforts end up with us (America) creating more turmoil in Afghanistan.

Sure this movie shows some of Hollywood's liberal politics but I enjoyed that it shows that we as a country sometimes go in guns blazing and rip out the perceived evil without thinking about the further consequences of a power vacuum. Much like we may be doing back in Afghanistan (again) and in Iraq.

If for nothing else that is why this movie is worth watching. To make you think about how reactionary this country is and how we forget once the cameras and spotlights move away. We need to have a plan from start to finish and not just go with knee jerk reactions. This goes for foreign wars, our economy or our health care system. We need a long term view and most importantly the wherewithal to follow through.

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- posted by Doug @ 7:28:00 PM

 

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

I started watching this movie on a whim a few weekends ago. It had been in my queue because I loved the book when I first read it years ago. So when I was looking for a lights hearted movie to pass some time I decided to select this one.
I could not have been more pleasantly surprised! I mean this movie was just plain silly but at the same time I laughed quite a bit. It was by no means just a kids movie. Though I'm sure kids would love the food that falls from the sky!
This is a movie that is made for kids and appears to be just fine for that but it also allows the adults to watch the movie and still be entertained.

Then again maybe I'm just biased because I remember the book and got some good nostalgia laughs from it! I definitely recommend for anyone who read the book. Also I recommend the book if you haven't read it!

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- posted by Doug @ 9:42:00 PM

 

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

A fun little movie. A couple of cheap laughs but not too many chuckle out loud moments. It was kind of sloppily done but it was still entertaining. Sure there was a Will Farrell cameo but even that was pretty lame and not really funny.

Good for a couple quick laughs but easily not a classic comedy or really one that you want to watch more than once.

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- posted by Doug @ 7:45:00 PM

 

Paper Heart

Worst movie ever? This movie was terrible from beginning to end. This pseudo documentary was not funny, not entertaining and not educational. Did it bring anything to the table?

This was supposed to be a documentry I think but then they decided to throw in a fictional "love story" storyline that just didn't make much sense or really add anything to the movie.

By all means stay away from this movie unless the alternative is watching paint dry. Well, only if the paint is a boring color like white or yellow...

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 1:42:00 AM

 

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

I was pleasantly surprised by the first Transformers movie. I was very afraid that they would ruin a childhood memory of mine. Luckily I went away slightly awestruck but VERY happy that they had succeeded in making a movie with a decent plot and was done well visibly.

This movie was more of the same, at least visually and effects wise. However the plot was kind of thrown together and kind of lame. I really didn't care for it much and it was secondary to the battle scenes.

I have some issues that carried over from the first movie though. They make the Autobots a little more human like and the Decepticons are very insect-like and I just don't really understand why. The Decepticons have all these jagged edges and extra tines and things hanging off of them.

It also seems to me that the robots have no scale when they transform into robot form. I mean I believe a mack truck robot (Optimus Prime) would be much larger than a man but it seems like they make him 40+ feet tall. I would think 20 feet or so would probably be right. I dunno, it just bothers me at how big they get versus their transformed selves.

The robot forms are also a bit too complicated. You lose a lot of identity of the robots and they all start seeming like the same grey machines. So that during the battle scenes you could very easily lose track of who was who. I hate this and I think it really takes away from the movie. We need to identify the good guys and even better, our favorites. It's just too hard as it is.

My final two complaints are specific to this movie. The first is for the stupid Jar-Jar Binks characters that were Skids and Mudflap. I found them to be very racist and just plain stupid that actually detracted from the movie. The other character I found odd was JetFire, the old Decepticon turned Autobot. Yes we get it, he's sooo old that he takes form of a Jet that was used from 1964 to 1998. That didn't really add up to me. Then when he transforms into robot form he has a cane. A cane! What is up with that? That left me very confused.

In the end this was only really worth watching if you are a fan of the Transformers genre because it isn't really great for the boring plot or the confusing battle scenes.

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 12:16:00 AM

 

Despicable Me

I went and saw this movie with my five year old nephew today. He found it hilarious! Sure enough the "fart gun" went over quite well with him.
The movies plot was very scrooge-esque. The evil villain encounters three young girls and eventually his heart grows large and he loves them. Not the most original plot but it works just fine. Jason Segel's character (the nemesis) is a pretty funny secondary character.
The real scene stealers are the several hundred minions (those odd yellow creatures with one or two eyes) as they provide several site gags and some physical humor through out the movie.
I knew going into this it was a kids movie and I wasn't really expecting much. It wasn't my favorite kids movie but there was 3 or 4 times I legitimately laughed aloud at and my nephew did not. I'd like to think it was because those were some adult jokes mixed into the movie. I did laugh at some of the same things he did as well though. This isn't a movie an adult can't sit through but I wouldn't be in a rush to see it without kids.

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 12:12:00 AM

 

Up

I thought this movie was going to a be funny kids movie with some adult jokes subtly thrown in. What I got was a pretty dark and sad movie. Definitely not what I was expecting.

The opening 10 minutes of the movie is a heart wrenching story about a couple who bond over hero worship and grow old together. Then the wife dies. Pixar amazingly conveys the pain and sadness of the husband. This 10 minute montage was actually the highlight of the movie.

Well, that and Dug the talking dog. He bordered on the annoying side at times as he became slightly overused but they did a decent job not going to him too much. I had a good chuckle when he first appeared and I enjoyed the talking dog gimmick throughout the movie.

What I did find annoying was the little child. Both in his image and his voice. I just didn't think there was enough of a story between the old man and child to carry the whole movie. I dunno, just not too much to this movie and I was having trouble suspending reality for the balloons anyways.

And that bird was wicked annoying too.

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 2:17:00 PM

 

Hot Tub Time Machine

What a whimsical journey to one of the greatest eras of our fine country. The 1980s was a time of excess, innovation and great style. If you are allergic to fluorescent colors and big hair you better keep your distance!

Granted any movie that takes us back to the 80s has the advantage of cheap comedic laughs with the costuming, other sight gags and references to 80s pop culture.

The movie itself was really just a slapstick buddy comedy. The friends have lost touch both with each other and themselves. Luckily, while on a trip back to an old high school hot spot, they encounter a time machine. A hot tub time machine that is.

While the movie was good for some laughs and nostalgia it wasn't the funniest movie I've ever seen. It might have some rewatchability since there are probably many references to 80s phenomenons that I missed the first time. The movie was lacking any real solid one liners, quotes or jokes to take away so the movie, in the end, is not very memorable.

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 11:41:00 AM

 

Taken

This movie struck me as a watered down Bourne Identity. There was some cool fight scenes but the plot was simple and came across very straight forward. This movie is kept short and doesn't try to develop the plot much.

I suppose it is actually kind of refreshing. I mean why bother setting up characters and plot for 30 minutes when you they would really just be vehicles for the fight scenes?

So, in summation, nice little action movie that doesn't bring much else to the table.

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 10:21:00 PM

 

Avatar

What movie needs to be 162 minutes long? Surely not this one. I had to watch it in two parts and it was still long.

This movie was also supposed to be a technical masterpiece. I will say one thing we are no closer to life like animated beings. They still look creepy and not human like.

The whole Na'vi world is very cartoony and actually came off as very uncreative to me as I felt like the creatures were all retreads from past cartoons/movies.

I was a bit confused between the "Real world" and the Na'vi world. It was a bit hard to picture the Na'vi being part of the real world and not some matrix like world separate from the human, live film world.

In the end the movie just didn't really make a lot of sense to me and I thought the special effects (CGI) work just wasn't good enough to overcome a boring plot and seemingly unimaginative characters. I don't even want to get into the social commentary that this movie appears to send (Forcing out the natives to achieve wealth) because that was the only clear part of this movie.

Maybe I'm just not a scifi kind of guy but this movie was really bland and the fact it was even in the talk for an Oscar is surprising to me. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. It should be marketed as a cartoon movie like Pixar's.

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 5:38:00 PM

 

The Informant!

I'm still a little puzzled about this movie. It just seems to end without giving you a full answer to why things happened the way they did. I got a few chuckles along the way but it wasn't a knee slapping comedy.

The plot was pretty straight forward although it does reveal itself a bit early and you can guess the ending before the story actually unfolds. That is a bit disappointing but you can deal with it as the plot is still entertaining.

I just don't like the ending. I was left a bit confused by how they left it. Another question I had was how much did the wife know? Might have to watch it another time to see if I can't figure it all out. I'd give this movie a B- but I'm in no rush to recommend it to anyone.

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 10:32:00 PM