Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
The Sheik and I is so meta. It comically achieves it’s goal in a roundabout way without the audience realizing what is even going on. It doesn’t know what it is itself just as the majority of the audience has no idea about the subject matter. It’s a documentary. It’s a narrative. It’s art. It’s whatever you want to call it…especially controversial. Sharjah, one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, decided to have an art show and invited director Caveh Zahedi to make a movie for it. They never showed the movie at the show and they don’t want you to see it either. However, Zahedi is hiding behind America’s whole freedom of speech thing and you get to see whatever Zahedi wants to show you through his somewhat arrogant retelling of the whole film making experience.
A lot of the situation behind the movie doesn’t make sense. Why would a conservative Middle Eastern city invite a prolific documentary maker of taboo ideas such as, “I Am a Sex Addict”, commission him to make an “art as subversive” film, and then not expect him to make something that would ruffle a few feathers? At first they say there are no rules for this movie but Zahedi doesn’t play by the rules anyway. “It’s part documentary but part of it is not documentary.” He travels to Sharjah without an idea and just begins shooting the people he meets and making a movie from that. And yet, it still has more of a plot than many crap movies in theaters these days.
Caveh Zahedi and his crew...sans baby.
It’s interesting to see how he and his crew interact with the people of Sharjah and how many regular people are willing to or unwilling to help. We have to assume most of the people are just regular people and they are merely intrigued by the filming camera. What this evolves into is a movie about making a movie about making a movie you’re not allowed to show. The reactions that sprout from this experiment are pretty wide ranging. Many people hated it and many people enjoyed it. It was banned from the art show but apparently not because the powers at be didn’t like it but they were afraid to show it. In a climate of uprising right now in that area of the world, you can understand why.
Zahedi underhandedly set out to show how “cool” the people of Sharjah were by creating a movie for them with them about them. For me, it worked. It broke the many stereotypes of Middle Eastern culture while exposing how and why many of those stereotypes still exist. You can learn a whole lot more from a mockumentary without a goal that just exposes the people for who they are than a documentary setting out to exploit key features a filmmaker might want to tackle. You get a better understanding of the everyday lives and feelings of the people. You also get a better understanding of what they’re going through in terms of government and quality of life.
Typical baby snatching scene from the middle east
“In a place where there’s no freedom of speech, you cannot go and say there’s no freedom of speech.” I don’t think Zahedi intentionally set out to overthrow traditional ideas and shake up a government, he’s just a hard headed American trying to understand a people he knows nothing about. He was intrigued by the mystery of the state of life in the Middle East and seemed dumbfounded by how regular and easy-going the actual people of the land are. He wanted to include them in his artwork and by doing show, depict how cool he though they were. The documentary, mockumentary, art, bad film, whatever you want to call it was a fun watch and great exposure of the UAE…even if they don’t want you to see it.
The Sheik and I plays again
Wed, April 25th at 6:30pm and
Sat, April 28th at 9pm.
This post is part of our SFIFF coverageHeld each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and $70,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 people in attendance.
Visit an Francisco International Film Festival’s Official Website
Tags: Caveh Zahedi, I Am a Sex Addict, San Francisco International Film Festival, SFIFF, Sharjah, The Sheik and I
Posted in 55th San Francisco International Film Festival, Reviews | No Comments »
Thursday, April 19th, 2012
Think Like A Man wasn’t funny. I thought it was supposed to be a comedy but for the majority of the movie, my theater was silent and instead I found myself watching a well-produced infomercial for Steve Harvey’s self-help book, “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.” With such a stellar cast, you would think there was more to it but the biggest laughs did not come from the main characters. There were hints of a good movie in there for both men and women but it ended up being a dud for both sides of the story. I thought Steve Harvey was a comedian. “Steve Harvey is a traitor.”
When you begin your movie making fun of Tyler Perry, you should at least make sure your movie is better than his. This was a very tongue-in-cheek attempt to separate your urban film from the rest of the stereotypical pack but the problem is Perry manipulates a formula that works while Think Like A Man’s formula needs to go back to the drawing board. “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment” is an advice book for women detailing how men think…basically giving away the rules to the “game.” Each woman in the movie reads the book and starts applying its advice to their unknowing counterparts. It seems to work until the men figure out what’s going on and start lying by using the book’s advice against the women. That seems to work until the women figure – I think you get it.
THIS is the script!? Really!!?
You have the dreamer (Michael Ealy) with the driven successful man-woman (Taraji P. Henson). The grown-up kid who can’t commit (Jerry Ferrara) with the pushover girlfriend who wants a ring on it (Gabrielle Union). The player player (Romany Malco) with the girl who gives it up too easily (Meagan Good). The momma’s boy (Terrence Jenkins) with the single mother (Regina Hall). And Kevin Hart. And Steve Harvey (yes, he’s in the movie as himself pushing his book). All members of this cast deserve something better. They did a great job with the material they had but the script was stale. The most consistent laughs came from Duke (Caleel Harris), Candace’s (Regina Hall) little boy. Let’s continue the name calling…there are also cameos from: Chris Brown, La La Anthony, Wendy Williams, Sherri Shepherd, Bruce Bruce, J.B. Smoove, Keri Hilson, Kelly Rowland, and some basketball players including Ron Artest and Lisa Leslie. Whew, that was a mouthful.
The required entire ensemble cast coming together at the end shot
Kevin Hart got his screen time and used it fairly well. He goes off on his ridiculous tangents and most of the time they’re pretty funny. They just don’t mesh well with the rest of the movie. It’s like movie movie movie, Kevin Hart, movie movie movie, Kevin Hart, movie movie, oh, Kevin Hart is still here. The basis of this movie is to get people to see the advice that the book gives and make them want to go buy and read it. The movie itself is just no good and a waste of time. It was doomed from the beginning with trying to tackle too many couples and not have a good overbearing story. If you have relationship problems, this movie is probably just going to make it worse because if your date dragged you to this garbage, you’re going to want to dump them for making you watch it.
Tags: Act Like a Lady, Bruce Bruce, Caleel Harris, Chris Brown, Gabrielle Union, J.B. Smoove, Jerry Ferrara, Kelly Rowland, Keri Hilson, Kevin Hart, La La Anthony, Lisa Leslie, Meagan Good, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Romany Malco, Ron Artest, Sherri Shepherd, Steve Harvey, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Jenkins, Think Like A Man, Wendy Williams
Posted in Reviews | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, April 17th, 2012
Here we go again…another movie with two big faces almost kissing on the poster so you know what that means. This time it’s Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling in an adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel title, “The Lucky One.” It’s a flat, one-dimensional film made specifically for the target market. There’s almost no substance or reasoning in the entire movie as it’s just a play by play intended for audiences to watch googly-eyed and not have to think about anything. I’m pretty sure the director, Scott Hicks, told Zac Efron to stand there and look pretty because he basically shows no emotion or acting whatsoever.
The movie starts off with Efron during a night raid in Iraq. Guys, don’t let this fool you because it’s the end of anything you think you might even enjoy watching. The next day, first sergeant Logan Thibault finds a random picture of a beautiful girl posing in front of a lighthouse and discovers that she’s somehow his guardian who keeps saving his life. He vows to find her and thank her when he returns from his tour of duty. While dealing with post traumatic stress disorder, he goes all Forrest Gump and starts walking to Hampton to look for this girl. He’s also looking for who he is but without letting the audience puzzle that together, they tell you through a voice over.
it's a romantic melodrama...very melo, not much drama
In Hampton, we meet the girl in the photo Beth (Taylor Schilling), her grandmother Ellie (Blythe Danner), son Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart), and ex-husband Keith (Jay R. Ferguson). Luckily, Beth runs a dog kennel and Logan is great with animals. However, he’s terrible with humans and can’t figure out what to say to Beth. He doesn’t talk much and comes off kinda creepy. He’s a good hard-working charming drifter though and is just looking for a peaceful existence. If you couldn’t tell by the poster, Beth and Logan fall for each other which Ellie and Ben are happy about but Keith? no so much. Babymama drama ensues.
Blythe Danner was the only enjoyable thing to watch...and the dogs
The Lucky One is tailored for the romance novel type and girl empowerment lovers. There are some laughs and genuine good times in the 2nd act but the movie pretty much turns into a softcore porno for the ending. Logan is just the perfect guy that any girl would gush over. He makes all the right moves in the movie except, of course, telling her about the picture he found which I couldn’t imagine would be a problem. But evidently it is and sets up the movie for the big ending which just fell flat on it’s head for me. There was no connection between the audience and the film…it felt worse than a TV movie that at least panders some tears. Obviously, I’m not the target market but neither should you be because the movie just isn’t any good. “I like to walk.”
Tags: Blythe Danner, Jay R. Ferguson, Nicholas Sparks, Riley Thomas Stewart, Scott Hicks, Taylor Schilling, The Lucky One, Zac Efron
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Thursday, April 12th, 2012
Moe. Larry. Curly. The Three Stooges are on the big screen in a work of love you can tell came from a good place. The Farrelly brothers veered from their path of adult-oriented comedy and went back to their childhoods to bring the world these three comedic masters once again. They’re just as you remember but unlike you’ve seen them before – set in the present day. The movie is a huge risk – will audiences react to slapstick vaudeville type comedy? Will people even want to see it? Will this generation’s kids enjoy a much older generation’s comedy? I think it’s a great experiment and comedy is comedy – if people think it’s funny, they’ll laugh. I’m not the biggest fan of the Stooges but I couldn’t hold back a few laughs.
This film isn’t wall to wall laughs but it is filled with plenty of slaps and hits. It’s the classic Stooges antics (including sped up video) set in our present day world. The Farrelly brothers split the film into three short episodes like we’re used to seeing The Three Stooges. This isn’t such a stretch as most of today’s films are written in three acts anyway. Don’t worry, all three episodes connect and progress as one full film. We first join the trio in an orphanage which serves as our origin story. Skyler Gisondo, Lance Chantiles-Wertz, and Robert Capron play young Moe, Larry, and Curly respectfully. I didn’t really enjoy the kid versions but it illustrates that this kind of comedy isn’t easy and once the main actors come on screen, you quickly see the difference in quality.
Sean Hayes is Larry. Will Sasso is Curly. Chris Diamantopoulos is Moe.
Sean Hayes is Larry. Will Sasso is Curly. Chris Diamantopoulos is Moe. Even though this movie had an incredibly difficult time with casting, I think they did a remarkable job capturing the essence of The Three Stooges. Watching these guys imitate the originals and then adapt it to the current world was really enjoyable to watch. It wasn’t a laugh riot but I did have genuine laughs. The three leads had great chemistry and it seemed like a trio who had been running a comedy show together for years. Joining them is a random mix of stars including Jane Lynch, Sofía Vergara, Jennifer Hudson, and my favorite, Larry David as a nun! The storyline is pretty recyclable: the orphan which Larry, Moe, and Curly grew up in is in danger of closing down unless they come up with a large amount of cash. So, the Stooges leave the comforts of what they know to try and raise money in the real world.
The Nuns of Mercy Orphanage
Indubitably, they have a tough time and stuff happens. Blah blah blah. The script was playful and contained a ridiculous amount of puns. “What I tell you about those puns!” There are a lot of forced and missed jokes throughout the movie but there are tons of other laughs. If you’re a Stooges fan, or not, you might begin this movie with your arms crossed but I bet as the movie progresses, you won’t be able to hold back a grin, stop yourself from smiling, or not chuckle along with the rest of the audience. There will be some things you don’t like, but all together, it’s a fun comedy that kids and adults can enjoy together. It’s over the top as vaudeville should be and still carries the flame that the original Stooges lit. It’s a work of love from fans for fans and new fans. It won’t appease everyone but I think it did a good job trying to please the most. As one older gentleman of the audience exclaimed after the screening, “That was Darling!”
Tags: Bobby Farrelly, Chris Diamantopoulos, Curly, Farrelly, Farrelly Brothers, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Hudson, Lance Chantiles-Wertz, Larry, Larry David, Moe, Peter Farrelly, Robert Capron, Sean Hayes, Skyler Gisondo, Sofia Vergara, The Three Stooges, Will Sasso
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Wednesday, April 11th, 2012
Set in 2079, Lockout bursts out quickly with comedy followed by action and then accompanied by extremely fake-looking special effects. The script is as hilarious as the premise and unbelievable leaps this movie takes. It’s a foolish film but really fun and entertaining. It’s a perfect rental but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it in theaters. It’s almost like a blockbuster movie trapped in a TV movie budget. I loved Guy Pearce as our main character, Snow, who is an arrogant a-hole who walks both sides of the law. The no-nonsense villains of level-headed Langral (Peter Stormare) and insane in the membrane Hydell (Joseph Gilgun) were also fun to watch.
Ok, so the United States of America made a prison in space called M.S. One (Maximum Security One). Instead of just locking up the convicts, the main financier of the project (which is a deep space exploration company) decides to use the prison as testing grounds for new technology included status. In Lockout, status is putting people to sleep for an extremely long period of time just like in Demolition Man which this movie obviously got inspiration from. The President’s daughter goes on a humanitarian mission to uncover reports of foul play going on, noting that status is known to cause aggression, dementia, and levels of psychosis. “Some minds just can’t handle it.” As an audience member, hearing all this just gives you giggles as you can guess how it’s going to play out.
Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace in Lockout
One thing leads to another, there’s a side story about a briefcase, a lunatic takes over the space station, and you’re in the heart of this action-packed space rescue mission. Snow is your typical nonchalant guy who never backs down and never looks back. He only thinks for himself and sacrifices anything in his way. The President’s daughter, Emilie Warnock (Maggie Grace), is concerned about everybody but herself and tries real hard to get people to think of her as something other than the first daughter. Their back-and-forth is hilarious mainly because Snow is such a jackass. The ship is filled with the cream of the crop of bad guys but two take leadership early on and I really liked Joseph Gilgun who pretty much played a slightly more psychotic version of his character from the UK TV series Misfits. I really enjoy criminals who shoot first and forget to ask questions later.
Joseph Gilgun is my favorite villain of the year so far
There isn’t anything out of the ordinary in this film except the fact that they ignore almost all aspects of physics. Some of the scenes are hilariously awful but they just fast forward and gloss over those questionable scenarios. Remember, this is a movie you’re watching…in space…set in the future, you don’t have to take it so seriously. What is serious, though, is how seriously bad some of the visual effects are. Everything in space looked decent but anything on Earth looked terrible! It’s like all of the good animators and modelers were busy working on other films and these were the rejects. At points, it looked like you were watching a video game or a mock-up of what they were planning to make….not the finished product. It wasn’t ready for the big screen.
ridiculous.
Other than that setback and the unexplainable physics, I had fun watching Lockout. The script kept delivering great lines and fun settings (some overdone and reused scenes as well). There were a couple twists thrown in there too. Some of which you knew were coming and others were a bit surprising. It kept the pace of the movie quick and light and the tone of the entire film was consistent with what they were going for. Just like most of Luc Besson’s works, it’s a quick escape into action and adventure. But this time, in Space!
Tags: Guy Pearce, Joseph Gilgun, Lockout, Luc Besson, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare
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Tuesday, April 10th, 2012
Bully (formerly known as The Bully Project) is finally ready to be shown to the world after making the rounds at some film festivals like Tribeca and Hot Docs. It has already been released in New York and Los Angeles and slowly opening in more and more cities each weekend. Unless you live under a movie rock, you’ve probably heard about the controversy between this film and the MPAA which wanted to release the film with an R-Rating for language. Bully is a documentary following five students into their schools where they get bullied daily. The filmmakers and producers want this movie shown in classrooms across America, but will it makes a difference? Sadly, probably not because honestly, the movie isn’t as powerful as it could be and the message delivered has already been heard numerous times.
The message is powerful and the movie has many strong moments within it, but as a whole, the documentary just wasn’t up to snuff. Early on, you could tell it used many documentary tricks to pull out the emotions it wanted to get from you. I’m not sure why they chose to do this because the stories alone were intriguing enough. There’s no way you could hold back tears when you hear parents talk about their children in this manner and those scenes didn’t need any tricky camera work or editing to convey their true intentions. There has been many works and hoopla around the Bully project in recent years which is why this movie was made in the first place. Because of that, the project seems dated even though the problems still exist and no proper solution has been found. I doubt that this film is a solution either as it hardly offered up any ideas or resolutions to even the stories it presented. It’s entirely one sided and doesn’t even approach the bullies to try to figure out the other half of the stories.
One of the most unsafe places for kids in America...their school bus
What Bully does do is lay out the stories that some people ignore. It gives voices to the problems that others try and brush away. It gives parents the opportunity to talk to other parents about their experiences with bullies and their own children. It gives everyone a glimpse into the lives of a couple of students who have to deal with these extraordinary problems at such an extraordinary young age and see how much they have to cope with. It might not answer questions of Why or How but it at least let’s you see into the world that is otherwise impossible to see into. You would think that kids would act differently when a camera is around, and maybe they did, but you could easily see the bullys and the heartache they caused. The film intertwines focus with the suicide deaths of Tyler Long and Ty Smalley while carouseling through it’s other subjects.
Alex from Sioux City, Iowa
From Sioux City, Iowa to Tuttle, Oklahoma, Murray County, Iowa, Yazoo County, Mississippi, and Perkins, Oklahoma, you meet Alex (12), Kelby (16), Ja’Maya (14), and the parents of Tyler (17) and Ty (11). Their stories run the gamut from sexual orientation, to being able to make any friends, to standing up for themselves. You can try and relate to the various stories and wonder how you would handle it differently but see in most cases, nothing is being done by most people. Communication is a huge theme in the film and you can see where it breaks down with some of the worst school administrators I’ve ever seen. Many people try to shift blame but, as the film comments on, there really isn’t just one solution and changes have to be made across the board.
It's hard not to cry during this powerful city hall meeting
Distributor Harvey Weinstein and Director Lee Hirsch want this movie shown in schools across America where the problem is. I don’t really see the film helping much in that environment…I think it’s better targeted to adults and parents where the problem actually begins and could be thwarted. If the movie went deeper into talking with kids and finding the influences or reasoning behind why bullies did what they did and then showed them how awful they actually are, then maybe this would have more of an impact. But because it portrays bullied kids as defenseless creatures that can’t help themselves, it’s only perpetuating the stereotype and giving fuel to bullies knowing they have easy targets. Sure, it will change a few minds and hopefully get other kids to stick up for the ones who get picked on, but that’s not solving the problem, just adding a defense shield. However, if parents see this and communicate with their kids, and teachers see this and communicate with their students, and administrators see this and find solutions to manage it all, then things could change for the better. However, as the movie exposed, sometimes you can’t change how people think and the adults are as big as a problem as the kid bullies themselves…
Tags: Alex Libby, Bully, David Long, Harvey Weinstein, Iowa, Ja'Meya Jackson, Kelby Johnson, Kirk Smalley, Laura Smalley, Lee Hirsch, Mississippi, Murray County, Oklahoma, Perkins, Sioux City, Tina Long, Tuttle, Yazoo County
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Thursday, April 5th, 2012
Contrary to its premise, Goon is actually a really sweet movie with a lot of heart. That doesn’t mean it’s bad ass full of blood, hard punches, and manly sports action either, though! Goon is based on the true story of Doug Smith and an adaption of the book, “Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey” by Adam Frattasio and Doug himself. In the movie, Doug Glatt is played by Seann William Scott and he’s not too bright. He’s a bouncer at a local bar in Massachusetts and feels like he doesn’t have anything going for him until his hockey-obsessed friend Ryan (Jay Baruchel) takes him to a game where he’s discovered.
Dougie isn’t discovered for his hockey playing ability, no, he’s discovered for his pounding fist and relentless ability to take pain. He’s hired by his local hockey team, the Orangetown Assassins, to be a Goon…otherwise known as an enforcer in the hockey world. The movie glorifies all the fights you see on the ice. Sure, there’s something about shooting a tiny puck in a tiny goal but the main show is the fist to fist assaults these guys have on each other. Quickly, word spreads about Glatt and he’s sent to Halifax, Novia Scotia to play in the minor leagues and protect a star hockey player whose become to afraid to make plays, Xavier Laflamme (Marc-André Grondin). In a previous game, another enforcer, Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber) hit Xavier so hard that it gave him a concussion – he’s never played the same again. Dougie is sent to protect him and inevitably, the entire movie is set up for the showdown between Glatt and Rhea.
Glatt vs Rhea
Surprisingly, there’s a lot more to the movie than hockey and fighting. First of all, there’s the family problems in the Glatt household. Dougie’s Jewish parents played by Eugene Levy and Ellen David are never proud of their sons and aren’t afraid to show it. Their one son Ira (David Paetkau) is gay and Doug is stupid. Stupid. Gay. Stupid. Gay. They don’t approve of him bashing people’s heads in and getting punched himself. However, Eva (Alison Pill) instantly falls for Doug…she’s into hockey guys but has never met one as nice as Doug. Problem is, she has a boyfriend. This is one of the cutest love stories I’ve seen in a while and it’s hilarious that it’s hidden in this macho sports film. Dough is literally a sweetheart touched by the first of God.
Alison Pill is way too cute in this movie
The movie has a great tempo and keeps you interested in all the subsequent stories. Hockey fans are going to love noticing the allusions to real teams, players, and incidents that are portrayed in the film. There’s even a cameo from Georges Laraque. The acting is good enough and the script is pretty funny. “I think it’s a pretty name, like your face.” There’s a lot of laughs especially from the wise-cracking Jay Baruchel whose annoying Boston accent is as annoying as a real sports-crazed Bostonian. The movie did skip around a bit and I think they edited out a good chunk in the end but in that respect, it cut right to the meat of the film when you wanted it the most. I wish they developed the whole team aspect a little more but that didn’t take away from the main story. This is going to be a great On Demand addition and rental. Something you might have not expect to be so good.
Tags: Adam Frattasio, David Paetkau, Doug Smith, Ellen David, Eugene Lev, Georges Laraque, Goon, Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Marc-André Grondin, Seann William Scott
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Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012
Here we are again. American Reunion is the fourth theatrical release of the American Pie series and the eighth installment of the entire series. We had American Pie (1999), American Pie 2 (2001), American Wedding (2003), American Pie Presents: Band Camp (2005), American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile (2006), American Pie Presents: Beta House (2007), American Pie Presents: The Book of Love (2009), and now, American Reunion (2012). Expect more of the same from this teen comedy series of raunchiness and pop culture. It’s funny and has its hilarious moments but it’s not that funny and if it wasn’t for the original 2 movies, American Reunion would have gone straight to DVD like the last four.
Everybody is back from the original 2 films and I mean everybody. Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eddie Kay Thomas, Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy (who has been in all 8 films!), Chris Klein, Mena Suvari, Tara Reid, Natasha Lyonne, Shannon Elizabeth, John Cho, Chris Owen, Justin Isfeld, Molly Cheek, and more! They all pop up in one way or another and if they aren’t a main character, the writers probably turned them gay. I guess they were going for low hanging jokes but there were plenty of easy gay jokes thrown in there for all the side characters. The cast must of had a great time reminiscing, because this was truly a reunion bringing back the original cast after a decade.
The whole gang is back
Even with all these returning characters, American Reunion is pretty much all about Stifler. Love him or hate him, he takes over the movie and is the center of attention like his character demands him to be. The premise is simple…the class of ’99 is having a reunion (even though it’s 3 years late). The original gang all decide to go back – Jim, Kevin, Finch, and Oz while Stifler is still living at home with Stifler’s mom. Jim and Michelle are married (obviously from American Wedding), Kevin is with his wife (Charlene Amoia) who makes him watch every show on The CW, Finch is the same sophisticated and quirky Finch, and Oz is a news reporter with a hot model wife (Katrina Bowden). They all feel like they need a break from their regular routine so they decided to head back home a little early before the reunion to have fun. Like every American Pie movie, the basis of the movie is the long torturous road to getting laid. Jim runs into the girl next door (Ali Cobrin) which he apparently used to babysit and is coincidentally turning 18 that very weekend. Kevin and Oz’s old flames pop up and the ridiculously smoking hot Dania Ramirez plays an ugly duckling from band.
Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) and her old friend from band, Selena (Dania Ramirez)
The movie has all the same antics you would expect. The incredibly awkward parental talks from Jim’s dad, Eugene Levy. Being stuck and hiding in rooms while some angry person thinks someone is snooping around. Somehow winding up in inappropriate positions you can’t explain. And of course, something to do with Stifler’s mom. There are not as many boobies as the other films, but there is something else…and there are still plenty of amazingly-figured teenage girls that let it all hang out. It’s as if everybody grew up but this movie is still targeted to the high school boys who aren’t supposed to get into the theater without adult supervision. The jokes are the same, the attitude is the same, and Jason Biggs keeps embarrassing himself on camera for everyone to see. American Reunion will definitely bring back some fond memories of the past as it plays out the same jokes from the originals and returns you to that time. The soundtrack is a great mix of 90s hits including Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” and Boys II Men’s “I’ll make love to you.”
...but no one has really grown up
So if you want to take a trip back to the 90s/early 00s, attend the reunion. But if were already too old to be watching American Pie when they originally came out, you’re probably going to feel really awkward watching American Reunion around a new generation of high school kids. You’ll probably just want to wait until it comes out on DVD and watch it with the same friends you watched the other ones with and laugh about your own pasts. There’s really no substance or anything new in the movie so there’s no rush to see it. If they missed the reunion by 3 years, you can miss the theatrical release and catch the movie later. I really thought there would be more conclusions in this movie but they kept it ridiculously open hinting at yet another movie. “Let’s not wait for another reunion to hang out again”…till next time.
You can't have an American Pie movie without Eugene Levy
Tags: Ali Cobrin, Alyson Hannigan, American Pie, American Reunion, American Wedding, Charlene Amoia, Chris Klein, Chris Owen, Dania Ramirez, Eddie Kay Thomas, Eugene Levy, Jason Biggs, Jennifer Coolidge, John Cho, Justin Isfeld, Katrina Bowden, Mena Suvari, Molly Cheek, Natasha Lyonne, Seann William Scott, Shannon Elizabeth, Tara Reid, Thomas Ian Nicholas
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Friday, March 30th, 2012
They have been screening Salmon Fishing in the Yemen like crazy. I think we recorded over 300 screenings starting from back in January. I figure they’re banking on the word of mouth recommendations because selling a movie titled Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is probably a difficult thing to do in the states. But I can’t imagine what kind of word of mouth they’re getting because all I’m hearing is meh. This is one of those movies that’s not good and it’s not bad either. It’s just what it is and there it is.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen stars Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor and Kristin Scott Thomas and is a romantic comedy-drama based on the novel of the same name. It’s about a Sheikh (Amr Waked) who wants to bring Salmon Fishing…you guessed it, to the Yemen. Ridiculous, right? I think we lost half the audience right there. Ewan McGregor is Alfred Jones, an expert in fisheries and a novice in relationships. He’s contacted by the beautiful Emily Blunt as Harriet Chetwode-Talbot who is a consultant in dealing with the Sheikh’s finances. Alfred immediately thinks the idea is crazy and says no but when the Press Minister’s press secretary, Bridget Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas) discovers this as a good story for Middle Eastern relations, she says yes for Alfred and he’s stuck working on this ludicrous project. Even more ridiculous, right? Where does the romantic conflict come in? Alfred’s wife (Rachael Stirling) is mean and doesn’t appreciate him while Harriet has a quick love trance with a British soldier (Tom Mison). Then the soldier is sent to Afghanistan. Then the soldier is missing in action. I think we just lost everyone else…anybody still here?
Sheikh (Amr Waked) and Alfred (Ewan McGregor) salmon fishing
The good thing is that the movie doesn’t suck completely and has quite a few cute moments. It’s not as awful as your typical romantic comedies so if you’re dragged into this one, you’ll be able to sit through it and might enjoy parts. It also takes you on a trip from Britain to the mountainous terrains of the Yemen (which is really Morocco). I’m a fan of Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt so that’s what drew me to this film and their performances were as great as expected. The movie, however, was just so cheesy. Every time the Sheikh spoke, sentimental music started to play in the background. They portrayed him as some all-knowing being of wisdom that knew exactly what to say. Kristin Scott Thomas was a breath of fresh air in this film as her hectic no holds barred attitude turned up the pace of the movie while everyone else seemed to mope around. It also offered up a bit of political satire.
Hey! Look over there!
I definitely can not recommend this movie but I can’t damn it either. If you’re stuck on a long flight and have already seen all the other movies, go ahead and press play on this one. If your Netflix queue is all unavailable and it’s raining outside and there’s nothing good on TV, then go ahead and watch Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. It won’t change your life, teach you anything new, or even entertain you the entire time but it will pass the time. Again, it’s not a good movie…but it’s not bad either. It’s as exciting as…Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.
Tags: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
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Thursday, March 29th, 2012
All these Greek mythology movies are starting to give me a headache. Immortals? Percy Jackson? Blank of the Titans? All of their stories are starting to merge together and we forget who stars in who and which Gods are in which. Wrath of the Titans is the sequel to Clash of the Titans from about two years ago and follows the story of the demigod Perseus (Sam Worthington). He’s somewhat of a God now himself after defeating the Kraken in converted 3D. You should know what to expect from this series and they don’t hide it in the trailers: Greek Gods, Enormous Monsters, and Explosions. If that’s what you want, Wrath of the Titans will quench your thirst.
There’s really no point into going into the story…it’s basically the same storyline as the last one. The Gods believe it’s the end of days and Perseus must save the day because for some reason being half human is better than being full God. This time, instead of the Kraken, the big boss at the end is Kronos, the father of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. He’s trapped in the constructed prison of Tartarus located in the underworld where a bunch of these other demons are being released from. Demons like Chimera, a double headed fire-breathing dog-like thing or another and Makhai, a sword-wielding siamese mutant that takes the term eyes in the back of my head one step further.
The monsters of Wrath of the Titans (the true stars)
They keep the Greek mythology to a minimum here including only a handful of Gods: Zeus (Liam Neeson), Hades (Ralph Fiennes), Poseidon (Danny Huston), and Ares (Édgar Ramírez). They lay on the mythological explanations pretty thick making sure they all keep referring to each other as “my brother” or “my son” so you don’t get confused with who is who. I really enjoy the mythology so I was pretty disappointed that they limited it so much. Our two new characters are another demigod Agenor (Toby Kebbell) who is the son of Poseidon, and Hephaestus, the fallen God who forged all of the God’s bad ass weaponry like Zeus’ lightning bolt, Hades’ spear, and Poseidon’s trident. Bill Nighy did a terrific job playing Hephaestus as a lunatic talking to an owl but Toby Kebbell didn’t quite sell me the overused funny/clever liar/thief that the crusading party can’t trust but has to trust because otherwise the movie wouldn’t move on.
The motley crew of Wrath of the Titans (all typical roles represented)
If you haven’t guessed, there’s a journey involved into the great unknown. Stuff happens that sets them back and I guess we’re supposed to believe that they won’t succeed? Come on, you’ve seen this movie before…the non important people in the group die but they get there just in time but it’s not just in time, they’re a little late but they figure something out and change plans for a last ditch effort and then a whole lot of people have to die until the final plan is done and then Perseus rides on his Pegasus and saves the day once again and and and you get the idea. This movie did have one of the coolest labyrinth scenes though. Whenever I see a maze, I want it to move and interact like it did in this film. And of course, with a labyrinth comes a minotaur so they threw that in but I was they didn’t because it was just more monster filler.
SPECIAL EFFECTS! LIGHTNING LAZERS ZOOM!
Everything you expect going into this film is what you get on screen. The main point is that they didn’t mess it up. The story is just good enough to keep your attention span for the length of the movie and the big explosions and gruesome monsters are enough to enjoy the visuals. The 3D is actually pretty playful and fun in this one leaning more towards the gimmicky side than the layered immersion side. There are no “wow” or “awe” scenes in this one, just more of the same grunting action that you got from the original. All the characters are interchangeable and none of them really developed but who cares? The audience just wants to see big monster carnage, right? There are already talks for a third installment but I can’t fathom what they’d do next…they’d have to use their God powers to keep me coming back…or just make another monster a little bigger than the last one that moves a little faster. Why do big beasts always move in slow mo?
Tags: Agenor, Ares, Bill Nighy, Danny Huston, Édgar Ramírez, Hades, Hephaestus, Liam Neeson, Perseus, Poseidon, Ralph Fiennes, Sam Worthington, Toby Kebbell, Wrath of the Titans, Zeus
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