Movies

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104733/

One high school drama teacher is about to make a huge number 2 in this wildly irreverent and completely outrageous movie from the producers of Little Miss Sunshine. When his school's theater department is threatened to be cut, failed actor-turned-high-school-drama-teacher Dana Marschz writes a play that he hopes will solve everything: a sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet. Now, staging one of the most politically incorrect musical-theater extravaganzas ever seen, Dana and his class will put it all on the line for one controversial, conflicted night of hilarity.

Steve Coogan is Dana Marschz, a former actor who freely admits that the only thing that kept him from fame and fortune was his complete lack of talent. Yet his passion for theater burns on. He attempts to share his passion by teaching drama at a high school in Tucson, Arizona. When he learns that the school is cutting the theater department, Marschz decides that his first original opus is the only way to save his job. Hamlet 2 is born from this epiphany -- a story of hope, second chances, forgiveness, a time machine and a sexy Jesus.

There was a lot written about how funny this movie was when it was released. The whole movie, and Steve Coogan separately, were reportedly little-known comedic gems of the year. I thought there were some very funny moments, but the level of humor this movie is billed to contain is misleading. Marschz's life becomes a series of disappointments that lead up to a big, controversial finish. There are a few one-liners along the way that add will make you laugh, but this is not a movie that will make your sides hurt from continuous laughter.

Steve Coogan has a very "Monty Python" demeanor; he has the slapstick, physical-comedy, tragic-hero, Eric Idle approach. If ever anyone could recreate Eric Idle's cameo in National Lampoon's European Vacation, Coogan is the guy. To conceal the true controversial nature of Hamlet 2, very few details of the musical are divulged as the movie moves along. For me, this meant that the story was a little weak, but I can see how the impact of the big finish would have been lost had more been shared over time. But with so little material, Coogan was just ok. There are more laughs from situations in which he has no pants on then from much of his dialogue. I do not know much about him, but I feel that he was wasted in most of this movie. But he truly shined in his non-speaking moments, especially during the musical at the end. But then again, maybe that is where his talent lies...

Anyone remember Catherine Keener? Four years ago she was probably one of the most promising actresses (after earning an Oscar nomination for her role in Capote) and here she is as Mrs. Marschz in a bizarre comedy about a high school drama department. Now you understand my bias when I say that she was a fish out of water here.

As a story about troubled high school students who become inspired by an unlikely, but passionate teacher, Hamlet 2 is cliché and falls apart. Without the actual production of the Hamlet 2 musical within the movie of the same name there is really nothing worth seeing here. But give me a spinoff movie of Amy Poehler's foul-mouthed, ACLU-attorney character and I might even see it in the theater.

Save your time. For a better version of this movie, The Family Guy did an episode where Peter produces his vision for The King and I ("The King is Dead", Season 2, Episode 7). It's funnier and significantly shorter than Hamlet 2.

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Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1012804/

REDBELT is the story of Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Jiu-Jitsu master who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai's code.

An accident on a dark, rainy night at Terry's studio between an off-duty officer and a distraught lawyer (Emily Mortimer) puts in motion a series of events that will change Terry's life dramatically, introducing him to a world of promoters (Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna) and movie star Chet Frank (Tim Allen). Faced with this, in order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life.

Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) runs a martial-arts studio, always emphasizing the arts' use being rooted in self defense only. He has a reputation as a passivist, but his honor is tested when a series of events back him against a wall. He is played like a fool and has to regain his honor and come up with enough money to pay off his debts.

This was not your typical martial-arts movie -- well, it wasn't really a martial-arts movie at all. Sure Terry is a teacher, and the movie involves a competition, but the movie is more about the web woven by writer and director David Mamet. The plot is mainly about the trouble Terry suddently finds himself in with no feasible way out and the jiu-jitsu is used almost like a prop. I enjoyed how each of the characters became involved, voluntarily or otherwise. Each player was a pawn in the game. I enjoyed this movie only for what it could have been. In execution, it was a weak effort.

And while David Mamet may be known for his obscure plots and confusing endings, this movie left much to be desired by way of substance. It was VERY rushed and moved too quickly. To defend the pace, the ideas were not that complex and required little to set them in motion. But the movie could have easily been given some depth and lengthened. I feel that this story could have been better sold to HBO or someone as a mini-series rather than a stand-alone movie. There were many characters that warranted more attention than they were given, but before you knew it, the movie was over.

Maybe Mamet was trying to capitalize on the popularity surge that mixed martial arts has enjoyed recently. I fall in with the crowd that has made MMA fighting something to watch. I have to admit that I was disappointed in the lack of fight scenes.

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Link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0841046/

Dewey Cox was overshadowed by his brother's greatness. When both boys were very young, Nate was naturally gifted at everything he did and ambitious enough to really make a difference in this world. And then one day, during a relatively routine machete fight, Dewey chops Nate in half. When the doctor is unable to recombine the top of his body with the bottom, the boy dies. Dewey had made a promise to his brother to be great enough for them both, and that is exactly what he sets out to do when his dad kicks him out of the house. Dewey goes on to greatness as one of the leading rock musicians in history, while ever tormented by the loss of his brother.

Sound ridiculous? It was and I cannot even do it justice. But one thing that was great was how the movie would constantly reassure you that it was parody. Many times the dialog between two characters would explain and oversimplify the scene and suggest just how ridiculous it really was. It was pretty funny when this happened, but there were a few times when the movie tried to be serious and it didn't work. From a humor perspective, the highs were very high, but the lows were too low for me to say that I liked Walk Hard.

There was some of the most hilarious writing in Walk Hard, but the movie itself was pretty awful. Unfortunately, that seems to be the pattern to Judd Apatow's movies.

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Link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0486946/

Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy start in Wild Hogs, the hysterically funny comedy about four weekend-warrior friends who decide to rev up their ho-hum suburban lives with a cross-country motorcycle adventure. They don their leathers, fire up their hogs and throw caution and their cell phones to the wind as they hit the open highway. But a lot can happen on the road to nowhere, including a run-in with the bad-to-the-bone Del Fuegos, a real biker gang who don't take kindly to the wannabes. Filled with hilarious misadventures, screwball situations and madcap mayhem, this laugh-out-loud comedy is a movie your whole family will go hog wild over.

Wild Hogs is about four middle-aged men who live in Ohio. During the week each does his nine-to-five thing, but every weekend they armor up in denim and leather, cruise around town on their motorcycles and then have a few beers. When mid-life crisis tickled one man's nose, it was not long before it spread through the group and a motorcycle road trip ensued. What better way for them to regain the spontanaety and autonomy of their glory days? I'm not sure this plot really needed conflict, but on their way west they came across a more traditional biker gang, who did not take kindly to these four midwestern suburbanites considering themselves peers.

When the movie was first advertised I could not believe the cast (John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy). I had no issues with getting such an ensemble together, I was more taken back by the fact that these men (primarily Travolta) would make a movie like this. The more I thought about it, and certainly now that I have seen the movie, I believe that this was more about making a fun movie and working together than it was about setting box office records. I would have loved to be a fly on the camera while these men worked together; I hope it was as much fun for them as I imagine it to have been.

I gave Wild Hogs "the old college try" since I had heard some surprisingly encouraging remarks. I talked to a few people who were very pleased with the movie. I addressed my concerns with them about how cheesy it looked and I was told not to worry. In the end, Wild Hogs was very cheesy. But it was fun enough for what it was. If you can relate with the characters I am sure there is more substance to the movie than I was able to enjoy.

Have you ever been told that, "You will love Office Space even more if you have ever worked in an office setting?" Well, you will appreciate Wild Hogs much more if your own mid-life crisis is knocking, or has knocked at your door. Since (thankfully) mine has not, once the "conflict" settled into the story my interest waned.

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Link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0365830/

This is A story (not necessarily THE story) about how Jack Black (JB) and Kyle Gass (KG) came together to form the cult-revered musical tandem Tenacious D. The movie starts with a clash between JB and his oppressive father over the importance of rock music. Their fallout (and a vision from Dio) leads a young JB on a journey to his destiny. He settles in Hollywood after a chance encounter with KG upon arrival. KG teaches JB how to be a rock superstar and they team up, but something is missing. And thus they begin their trek together in search of The Pick of Destiny, a mystical guitar pick used by all great rock bands in history.

I had a hard time telling if this movie was geared for the long-time "D" fans or someone else. There were many recycled bits, which may have been homage to the loyal fans or an attempt to get new fans with the same old lines (they worked before, why not try them again?).

There were a fair share of redeeming factors to this movie. There was certainly a good amount of The D to entertain fanboys and fangirls alike. There were some hilarious scenes and great cameos.

I have been a Tenacious D fan for many years. I have followed their journey from a cameo in Bio Dome to a short-lived HBO series and on to a (relatively) celebrated full-length studio album. That self-titled CD was hilarious, but it was also little more than a reworking of old material.

While, as stated above, I am not sure of the target audience for this movie, I can narrow it down. This movie was made for die-hard Tenacious D fans and/or people males age 15-35 who fit the appropriate politically correct term for "stoner." If you don't fit into this small niche audience, it is probably not in your best interest to watch Tenacious D In: The Pick of Destiny.

While still officially a Tenacious D fan, unofficially I think they are in dire need of some new material. Or maybe their famous days are over (as the band only, since Jack Black seems to have no shortage of movie roles these days).

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Link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0402230/

Maggie Gyllenhaal (World Trade Center), Tony Shalhoub (Monk), Edie Falco (The Sopranos) and Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report) deliver brilliant performances in this intoxicating, intelligent comedy. In this character driven masterpiece several New Yorkers -- an oddball office shrink, a cluelessly competitive pastry chef, and a flirtatious security guard -- reveal their eccentric private stories. It's a deliciously bittersweet comic triumph from director Danny Leiner (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle).

How does that Meat Loaf song go? Two out of Three Ain't Bad? I guess that means one out of three is bad. This movie was neither Great, nor Wonderful. And as soon as it is no longer considered "new," it will be zero out of three.

I wanted to enjoy the movie. For most of the movie I enjoyed the characters and felt for them in certain scenarios. Something was just missing. Well, I figure two things were missing: cohesion and closure.

I can appreciate the idea of many smaller stories combined to form one bigger super-movie. Maybe I am just used to seeing it more when the stories have some common element. These stories never intertwined and nothing, except the emotional roller coaster of life in The Big Apple was the same for any of the characters.

There were emotional highs and lows. Hopes were exalted and dashed. And all the while...nothing really happened. There was no story; we simply follow a few people on their day-to-day routines and see the happiness and pain they experience at whatever intervals they experience them.

And then the movie ends. That's it.

Well to be fair they showed one more scene that only serves to compound the abundance of loose ends and detract from any feeling of compassion. I won't spoil the final scene, but it was not the most "pro-family" scene I have ever watched.

The movie does have a decent list of names associated with it. Probably my favorite of the bunch is Jim Gaffigan. He may not be the funniest comedian, but I have enjoyed seeing him in what I can when I can. He and Tony Shalhoub bantered well together as doctor and patient. Their story was a little forced, but the two had good chemistry.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is finally beginning to grow on me. Or then again it might just be the part she played was much more...wholesome than roles she has had in the past (e.g. Happy Endings)

It certainly would take much more than additional witty banter from Jim Gaffigan and wholesomeness from Maggie Gyllenhaal to even make The Great New Wonderful into A Movie Worth Seeing. I do not recommend you see this movie. I will even go one step further to recommend you avoid it altogether.

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Link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0430105/

Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund co-star in this gripping tale of brotherly love, betrayal, and revenge from acclaimed filmmaker John Singleton.

After their adoptive mother is gunned down during a grocery store holdup, the estranged brothers reunite to seek revenge and take matters into their own hands. Defying police orders, the four begin turning their old Detroit neighborhood upside down searching for the mastermind behind the brutal killing. Along the way, they discover they are bound by ties thicker than blood in this emotionally powerful, action-packed drama.

I had expected only to like this movie. I had seen the trailer and commercials and from them the movie looked decent. I had not expected to run out and buy a copy after seeing it so I could watch it time and time again; I did not expect to love it, only to be entertained. And I was entertained, at parts...but only a few of them.

The self-help street justice that the brothers turn to in their effort to avenge their adopted mother's killer was over-the-top unbelievable. The "saintly" woman who took these lost-cause boys into her home apparently did not do nearly as good of a job raising them as everyone gave her credit for. She took these boys when no one else wanted them. She gave them a home when no one else would. In her and each other, they had family. But then they grew up, went their separate ways and never got off the streets. Only one of the four appears to have his head on straight.

Marky Mark was good in his role, but the role just wasn't impressive. None of the roles were. The writing and the action were hijacked out of some 80s movie that is only aired on the basic channels Saturday afternoons when the networks have nothing else to show. I would have thought the film industry had evolved beyond movies like this.

I am usually a supporter of violence in movies. In most action movies it can paint a picture. In Four Brothers it was senseless and unnecessary as it just leads you back to the idea that what the brothers got away with was completely ridiculous.

The ending. Oh my, the ending. "There is a plot twist coming, I can feel it... Wait, was that it? Was that the big finish? Huh. I guess it was." I just narrated your thought process as you watch the end of Four Brothers.

I think the plot was too big for the movie and there was no way the makers could have achieved what they wanted. I cannot imagine a scenario when this would be a movie worth watching. Feel free to pass on Four Brothers.

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Link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0396857/

Shadowboxer is an emotionally-charged, full-throttle thriller, which delves deep into the harsh underworld of organized crime and uncovers the complex lives of trained assassins, Mikey (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) and Rose (Helen Mirren). But when a brutal crime boss wants his wife dead, Rose has a change of heart when they find her pregnant. And so, the three begin a harrowing life on the run. Driven by fierce love, Rose and Mikey protect their adopted family from present danger -- looking to redeem their tragic past.

As the movie began to pick up steam, it really began to rub me the wrong way. There were ridiculous scenes at the beginning that I figured only set the stage for more to come. Luckily the weird beginning did not become the weird middle or the weird ending. The movie got less bizarre, but the story never really seemed to do much for me. The only redeeming factors in Shadowboxer were a few performances. The cast was decent and some of the actors did a respectful job.

The bad guy: I like Stephen Dorff; he reminds me of a young, Lost Boys-esque Kiefer Sutherland. But maybe the vampire vibe comes from his part in Blade. The world may never know. He plays the over-the-top crime boss. We see that his men are fiercely loyal, though we never know why. We never find out what he does or why he is so good at it. All we know is that he is heartless and wants his wife killed. I like him, but he wasn't great here. Though some of you may enjoy his full-frontal scene...

The good guy: Cuba Gooding, Jr. has played some brilliant parts over his well-respected career. He has done great work in great films and he has done great work in some lesser films. Shadowboxer will fall into the latter category. Cuba's role was not one many other actors would covet, especially if they had his name recognition, but he was impressive in it. Another "lesser" movie in which Cuba excelled is A Murder of Crows.

The doctor: Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Out of nowhere, Gordon-Levitt has given me two great performances. He did not have a lead role in Shadowboxer like he did in Brick, but he is still worth mentioning. I can talk about how good Cuba was and I can talk about how excited I get when a movie is set in Philadelphia and someone makes a run to Pat's for cheesesteaks, but it was really Gordon-Levitt's performance that was the highlight of the movie for me. His part was much less serious than his character in Brick, and it was hilarious. Maybe it wasn't intended to make me laugh so hard, but Gordon-Levitt as the crime boss's go-to doctor when "accidents" occur, who also has an affinity for large black women...if you would not laugh you don't have a sense of humor.

If you take a "Hey, I think you'll like this" recommendation from someone who has not even seen the movie you could enjoy parts of it. That is the brief version of how I ended up seeing Shadowboxer. I went through it so now you don't have to. And now I can do my small part to educate you on a movie you are probably better off avoiding.

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Link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0365485/

Lonely hit man Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan in a Golden Globe-nominated performance) and struggling salesman Danny Wright (Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear) form an unexpected bond during a chance meeting in a Mexican bar. Six months later, when the self-proclaimed "facilitator of fatalities" turns up on the doorstep desperate for help, Danny and his wife (Hope Davis) are both horrified...but intrigued enough to oblige. Together, the two men set out for the most thrilling adventure of Danny's life and the most critical kill of Julian's career. Deftly mixing explosive action with savage wit, The Matador is "effortlessly entertaining" (Rex Reed, The New York Observer).

I cannot remember who it was that suggested I watch The Matador. I always try to get back to those who make recommendations I use and offer my feedback, but this time please forgive me.

I have always enjoyed Pierce Brosnan. I never really thought he was the best James Bond, but he did well in the roll...if that makes any sense. Either way, you understand that he is always the cool Brit chick-magnet. In The Matador, there is a small twist on that as he has a strong penchant towards booze and loose women. Not only does Julian Noble lack the class of James Bond, but he may be completely devoid of tact as well. He is a loose cannon and completely socially awkward. For 22 years he has enjoyed a career that has kept him in total isolation from other people's personal lives. Or more so that it has been his personal life that has remained in isolation.

Things have changed. While in Mexico on a job, he has a startling realization that he has no friends. Drunk and lonely he stumbles into the hotel bar and finds an unsuspecting Greg Kinnear character (Danny). This poor man, who is nervously waiting to hear back from the company he just pitched for business, breaks the commandment of thou shalt not be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is the first friendly face Julian has come across since he realized he had no friendly faces in his life and he is immediately labeled "friend."

The unlikely duo plays the get-to-know-you game for a little while before Julian oversteps his boundaries by asking Danny to help him on a job. Julian asks Danny to help him kill a man. Pulling the trigger or distracting body guards, there is no difference to Danny who wants no part of Julian's business in Mexico, a decision from which we are shown the seeming end of the friendship. Until Julian shows up on Danny's doorstep in Colorado.

For a few days Danny stayed in Mexico in case the company whose business he sought needed to hear his pitch a second time, and over those few days he shared a few drinks with a man who kills people for a living, a man with no one else to turn to when he is at his wit's end. Julian needs a friend again and with no one else to turn to, he gives Danny the choice to help or turn his back.

Brosnan and Kinnear play an odd-couple of sorts, two personalities who could hardly be more different. I would argue that they did not have good chemistry together, but that was the whole point. I believe every interaction between Julian and Danny was supposed to be as uncomfortable for the viewers as it was for Danny. That was mission accomplished.

I liked where the movie started. I liked where it was going. I did not like where it ended up. The final scene was the best way they could have ended the movie, but it was the conflict resolution I did not like. I liked the Julian Noble character, but the movie would have been better had it been about all of the years he was the best at what he did. Remove the conflict in The Matador and let Julian do what he does best with a camera over his shoulder. Give me a The Matador prequel and I bet you sell more tickets.

The movie was luke warm. You would be ok to see it at someone else's request, but you needn't actively seek out The Matador.

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Link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0449059/

For months I waited in anxious anticipation for Little Miss Sunshine. I all but counted down the days until I would be able to see this cast come together and lend its collective hand to a simple story. The movie has been receiving very favorable reviews from movie lovers and casual viewers alike. Somehow, however, I managed to miss the boat on this one. I may have to reserve judgment somewhat until I can see it again, but who knows when that will be. For now, I will give you my first-impression thoughts.

Some of the things I have read about the movie have praised the character development. I must have been asleep during the part where they added depth to any of the characters. I won't go into too much detail to save the spoilers for a separate conversation, but I only liked what they did with two characters and one of them received about half of the screen time he deserved. The only development given to any character was how he or she contributed to the problem(s) that threatened to pull the family apart.

I was excited for this cast to see how its members would interact on screen. I wanted to see how well they would banter together. The focus of the movie, however, was the story rather than the writing/dialogue. The story did not deserve all of this attention. Each character provided maybe one scene of comedy and that was it.

So many scenes and ideas were run into the ground. Something would be suggested in dialogue and the theater audience would laugh. Those who laughed would see the suggestion play out in their minds and that, in most movies, would be the end of it. Little Miss Sunshine then took it a step further to then act out that suggestion after the laughs had already been received. Too many scenes dragged on with almost no purpose. I think Little Miss Sunshine could have been a short film if only the length of the movie weren't necessary to build the suspense leading to the actual beauty pageant (and even that scene ran too long).

I like the idea of a movie geared towards the importance of family; one that shows us that usually no one understands or accepts our quirks better than our family. We all have problems, and together we can work them out. Each member of the family was different. They thought they were all on their own, isolated island. It was from a last-minute road trip, which forced them into each other's lives, that they began to see that they were there to support each other. I like the message, I just did not care much for the vehicle with which they pushed the message.

Abigail Breslin was adorable. I cannot, and I need not, elaborate much further. She was the bright shining star in this picture that played the young girl, Olive, and she was figuratively the glue that held this movie together. Credit is due, also, to the costume team who dressed her in the most freakishly bizarre yet amazingly precious outfits.

Alan Arkin was the other highlight for me in Little Miss Sunshine. It was his on-screen time that I mentioned above was not what it should have been. He deserved more, alas the part was not written to allow it. He has always been the Police Captain from So I Married An Axe Murderer to me, and now he's Grandpa from Little Miss Sunshine. This was a great part, and I cannot articulate how fantastic he was.

On their contributions alone I wish I were able to suggest you go see this movie. Maybe upon a second viewing I would find the magic everyone else sees in this movie. For whatever reason, I did not really enjoy Little Miss Sunshine.

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