I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor star in an interesting comedy based on a true story. The film which was produced in 2009 and released in three other countries before the production company decided not to bring it to the US. The rights were purchased by two other companies and release at the end of 2010.

The film is based on Steven Russell, an American con artist & prison escape artist. Russell seemed to be living a normal life with a wife and daughter, until one day he decided he no longer wanted to hide being gay. He moves to Florida, gets a boyfriend, and lives an extravagant lifestyle... all on credit card fraud. Eventually caught, he serves him times before getting out, running his con, and going back.

The story is silly, almost unbelievable, and definitely a little over done for Hollywood. Overall I liked it. Not one to watch with the kids and probably not for people that don't like Jim Carrey since he reverts to some of his old comedic shticks.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045772/

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Horrible Bosses (2011)

One of the #1 films at the box office this past summer, this comedy stars a number of well known actors and a director [Seth Gordon] with a pretty decent track record.

The film is about three people with completely different bosses, all awful in their own way. Nick's [Jason Bateman] boss is a mean corporate manipulator [Kevin Spacey],  Kenny's [P.J. Byrne] boss constantly sexually harasses him [Jennifer Aniston], and Kurt's [Jason Sudeikis] boss is a recently promoted junkie [Colin Farrell].

I can see how playing these characters was probably a lot of fun. Spacey's character is pretty unrealistic... well they all are, his more so than the others. Aniston was probably the most crude, but also pretty funny. I found Byrne to be pretty funny, just slightly annoying at times. Sudeikis was REALLY annoying though, and reminded me of what I didn't like about Hall Pass.

So back to the plot. All three feel cornered in their jobs. Bateman's character realistically more so than the other two. They hatch a plot to kill their bosses, in the process they hire Jamie Foxx, but end up deciding to kill each others bosses... like in Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train.

Over the top silly, some funny parts, a good drinking movie but definitely not one for kids.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1499658/

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3 Idiots (2009)

This Bollywood comedy stars Aamir Khan, who is probably the most popular actor in India at this time. He stars in films such as Lagaan, Rang De Basanti, Earth, and Like Stars on Earth.

The only one of those that I have seen is Like Stars on Earth, and I did enjoy it. I gave it a 7/10. This one is about a kid who is thought to be a lazy student but thanks to a good teacher [Khan] he is inspired to become a good student. The 7/10 was because the film is close to three hours, it breaks out in song and dance several times, which works with the kids movie theme.

This movie is about three college students. Khan plays the son of a rich Indian family who puts learning above grades. There is a good moral to the story, but the breaking into song and dance in this film just does not fit. Maybe this is normal in India, but I didn't like it. The head professor, I'm guessing he is the dean... it wasn't very clear to me, is made to look like a moron. I'm not sure why he had to be so over-the-top stupid with crazy hair, a lisp, and crossed eyes; I found this whole dynamic ridiculous.

Late in the film Khan's character is re-united with the girl he loves. It has been 10 years and he has made no effort to contact her? This is just stupid, and played off as comical, I didn't think this was in any way realistic. For a 2 and a half hour commitment I wasn't very impressed with this film. It is about college electrical engineers, so that was one saving grace for me.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1187043/

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Bridesmaids (2011)

Kristen Wiig has to be the funniest actress in a leading role right now. After watching her in roles with no freedom... Adventureland, Extract, Date Night, etc she has really shown how funny she can be as of late. She took Paul from being a joke to decently funny, and in her first film as a lead she really excelled.

Wiig is the latest Saturday Night Live comedian to hit the big screen and she has been actually making the weekly show worth watching again. [Along with Andy Samberg]. This film is not a comedy you watch with your parents. It is the kind of humor you would expect from the Farrelly Brothers [Dumb & Dumber, There's Something About Mary, etc] or Adam Sandler [except funny]. Unlike those companies that cater to male humor, fart jokes, etc. This one really does the same thing with women.

The female cast was excellent. Rose Byrne as the "new rich friend" Helen that Annie [Wiig] competes with. Maya Rudolph as the best friend Lillian [also from SNL, I honestly don't find Maya very funny, she was actually more of a serious character in this film, giving Annie's crazy character some balance]. Best of all might be Melissa McCarthy who some would say stole the show.

I really don't need to tell you the plot, the cast was good, the film was funny, and you should check it out.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478338/

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State and Main (2000)

Part of Peter Traver's Top 10 list from 2000, I gave this comedy I haven't heard much about a shot. Come to find out that the cast includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alec Baldwin, Julia Stiles, and a few other faces you would recognize. Also there is an uncredited cameo by John Krasinski at the very end.

The film is about a film cast and crew looking for a new town after being forced out of their previous one. The new town they come upon is a sleepy little town in Vermont that boasts about their "old mill" which is a centerpiece in this film. Come to find out that the mill burned down in 1960 and the script now needs some major work since the title was "The Old Mill."

I can see how this might have been better 10 years ago, but I didn't find it to be anything special, and this wasn't Hoffman's best performance... he is still quite green.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120202/

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Billy Elliot (2000)

Nominated for three Oscars in 2001 and on the imdb top 250 2001 Edition, a list I am making little effort to finish at the moment. This film came out recently in high definition so I decided to give it a shot.

Categorized as comedy, but probably closer to just a drama. The film is about a boy Billy [Jamie Bell] who lives with his father, older brother, and grandmother. His father and brother both work in the coal mines, but are currently on strike. This provides an interesting and comical [at times] backdrop for the film. Billy is in boxing class, and his father is trying to groom him to be a boxer like he was. He becomes distracted by the strike and Billy, who is a horrible boxer, takes interest in the dance class that shares the gym.

The teacher sees talent in Billy and thinks he can get into a private dance school with his families support, a tall order given who his father is. A cute enough story for young kids, and popular enough that they actually made a musical out of it. I was unable to determine if this is actually based on a true story, but it wasn't bad.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0249462/

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Hall Pass (2011)

The latest film from the Farrelly brothers [Kingpin, There's Something About Mary, Shallow Hal, Stuck on You, etc.] and along the same line of humor as the rest of their catalog. So let's start by saying, if you don't find those films funny, you won't like this. I for one, enjoy seeing them, and am glad to watch them, but once is enough.

The film stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis as horny married men who seem to think that if they weren't married then they would be god's gift to women. After a series of events they make their wives [Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate] so upset they they take their friends advice, and give the two a week off from marriage.

They of course start by realizing how hard being single can be, trying to pick up girls at Applebees and Chili's provide stupid comical  moments. You know that they are going to meet someone and have a difficult decision to make. Silly over the top comedy, with dirty jokes. Not for everyone, but I knew I'd watch it eventually, and it was ok.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480687/

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Cedar Rapids (2011)

I heard about this movie watching an interview with Ed Helms on the Daily Show. Helms got his start on the Daily Show, moved on to minor roles in film, then "The Office", then thanks to some success with The Hangover he was awarded his first starring role in this film.

He plays a timid... almost stupid character most of the time so I wasn't sure if he could really pull this off. Thanks to some good performances from his supporting cast the film had a few positives. Helms plays Tim Lippe a small town insurance agent off to a insurance convention in Cedar Rapids [read: the big city]. He plays a sheltered boy, the kind of sheltered that you would expect a 12 year old in Los Angeles imagines a mid-American small town boy would be.

I have to ding the movie for making this guy to be much dumber than he could possibly be about the "outside world," but it is also a comedy so I'll play along. He gets to the convention and is roommates with the person he was specifically told to avoid, Ziegler [John C. Reilly]. Now, I've come to really dislike Reilly because he always seems to play Will Ferrell's sidekick or brother in the worst comedy's of the year. For me though, his character worked... annoying but sincere at the same time. Says stupid things, but not to get laughs from an audience. I'm not quite sure what to make of Anne Heche's performance. She plays a tied down mother who lets loose one weekend a year at this convention, serious morality issues that are dodged here, but a someone good performance.

I just don't know, I don't think many people will like this one. I'm not even sure if it deserved a "just average." It wasn't bad, it wasn't great, it made me laugh a few times, and it wasn't as bad as I expected or as bad as it could have easily been. You'll have to decide for yourself.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477837/

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The Green Hornet (2011)

This is one of those movies that you really have to ask yourself, "is this even worth my time?" The first sign of a film being really bad is if you see a lot of commercials for it. That means that it is so bad they are afraid your family and friends won't suggest it, so they have to tell you about it as much as possible. Second is that it has Cameron Diaz.

I was getting this and Green Lantern mixed up since I knew little about either. This one is not a comic book remake, it is a TV show made into a movie starring Seth Rogen in his most annoying role ever. Couple that with Diaz still thinking she can make entrances like she did 13 years ago... your 39!

So Kato is his sidekick that is really the hero of the film. Rogen's character is a rich brat and just plain annoying. Need I say more?

I felt I had to watch it, but I'm not sure why. Don't have the same feeling.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0990407/

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Our Man Flint (1966)

James Coburn stars in this 1960's James Bond spoof film that later became a series with In Like Flint and a TV movie a decade later. Coburn passes away back in 2002 a year after doing voice work on Monsters, Inc. He won an Oscar in 1997 for Affliction, and although I can't put my finger on where and how I know him, he looks very familiar as a grandfather character, and not as a younger man in this film.

I actually had no idea this was supposed to be a spoof going into it. After a scene or two I was thinking "this has to be a joke right?" Then felt dumb when it was so clear I was sure. Flint is picked by a series of computer as the only man that can possibly save the world. He has 4 girlfriends, his own secret codes, and a Swiss army knife that puts Q's inventions to shame.

As with most spoofs the novelty wears off, it is funny for about an hour and after that I was kinda done with it. I do kind of want to see the sequel and was pleasantly surprised with it overall. However, if spoof comedies are fair game for the Action 101 book then a lot of films were missed.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059557/

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Zorro, the Gay Blade (1981)

On vacation visiting family we decided to take a break from action movie month with this George Hamilton comedy. Hamilton who was in a number of films in the 1960's and 1970's started making his transition to television in the 1980's with the exception of a few spoof films: Love at First Bite and this one.


I loved this movie, witty humor and laugh out loud funny. Only problem was that I thought the movie was from the 1950's or 1960's, the video quality was kind of poor. Since I'm not that familiar with Hamilton I was thinking "man, Steve Martin must have been influenced by Hamilton." Sure he might have been, but seeing how close their careers were chronologically I doubt it now.

So the plot goes that when Vega senior passes away he calls for his two sons, Don Diego Vega assumes his fathers legacy of Zorro which has been passed down to him only to sprain his ankle jumping from the 2nd story on his first encounter with the Spanish Government. His homosexual brother [also played by Hamilton] shows up just in time to lend assistance as Zorro. This utterly confuses the government as the new Zorro loves bright colored costumes and is obviously gay.

A nice "vacation" for me from action month, and a funny film when you are in the mood for a The Birdcage style comedy.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083366/

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The Concert: Le Concert (2010)

I'm not really sure how to classify this film. Watched because of its musical focus, but it is more of a comedy than anything. Nominated for a foreign language golden globe, the film was not really on anyone's radar for the Oscars. I'm really not sure who the panel came across this one, but it is a good example of the difference between the two awards for this genre. The Oscars focus on dramas because they strike a larger audience, while the Globes are willing to throw a comedy into the mix. I'm not sure why, because they never seem to win, and foreign comedies just don't come across as funny when you are reading subtitles.

The film starts in Russia, where Andrey Filipov is a janitor at the Bolshoi Orchestra House. Once a famous conductor, but fired for hiring Jews he has spent the last 30 years dreaming of conducting again. When a fax is sent from France asking the Orchestra to come play, he intercepts it and gets his friends together pretending to be the famous Orchestra. The plot is really fun for the first 30 minutes, but it switches from comedy, to drama, back to comedy, and I really can't keep up with what is supposed to be funny and what is supposed to be serious. There are definitely serious moments when it comes to interaction with Anne-Marie, daughter of a famous singer that Filipov used to know.

If I knew French or Russian that might have helped, which is exactly why this film isn't even considered for an Oscar. Just ok [at best] for me.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1320082/

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Wonder Boys (2000)

I'm not quite sure what I expected from this film, but it wasn't what I wanted or expected. The title, theme, and cast, even the opening scene in the classroom lead me to believe this was going to be a different version of Dead Poets Society. I was wrong, this film is all about Michael Douglas, and his character is just not interesting to me. The film won an Oscar for best song with Bob Dylan's "Things Have Changed" and was nominated for two others for screenplay and editing. It was also on the AFI Annual Top 10 List.

The film is centered around Professor Tripp [Michael Douglas] who has just impregnated the [married] Dean Sara [Frances McDormand]. He wrote a fiction book that was on the best seller list, but has not been able to finish his next work for years. His publisher, Terry [Robert Downey Jr.] is in town and wants to know how it is coming. His wife just left him and he is renting a room to a student Hannah [Katie Holmes]. To make things more complicated an odd student with a lot of talent, James [Tobey Maguire] is following him around.

The film is a dark comedy, more of a dram-edy because nothing is laugh out loud funny, and many of the funny things come at the expense of one of the main characters. I really wanted there to be more to this movie than following Professor Tripp around. A pothead professor living off the fame of a single best seller is not the kind of movie I can really get into. This film had more acclaim but I really liked Solitary Man a lot more [and I only gave that a 6/10].

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185014/

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Jackass 3D (2010)

So first of all I did not watch this in 3d, and the scenes that pandered to the 3D audience really weren't all that cool. It is pretty amazing that these guys are STILL doing this. Maybe I shouldn't admit that I've seen all the CKY videos and Jackass tv episodes, but if there is a guilty "guy movie" pleasure I get, it is from these stupid movies.

Let me say though, that this is the worst one yet on male nudity. I seriously could have done without all of that, especially the guy running around peeing on everyone. I do however love the practical jokes, and one of the opening scenes where they have a giant hand basically in an office break room knocking over unsuspecting people was really funny.

You already know if you will like a movie like this, if you liked the previous Jackass films this is pretty much the same thing.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1116184/

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The Band's Visit: Bikur Ha-Tizmoret (2007)

I actually remember seeing a trailer at the movie theater for this film when I went to see There Will Be Blood at The Magnolia. I remember thinking... that looks awful, I hope no one puts it in there Top 10. So thanks a lot Roger Ebert, he put this in his Top 20.. so I don't have to watch it, but it definitely made me wonder if it had any redeeming qualities.

The premise of the film is that an Egyptian Police Band is scheduled to perform at a ceremony of an Arts Center opening in an small town in Israel. When one of the members has the name misspelled, they end up in the wrong town with no available transportation until the following day. A local shop owner, a 30-something single woman, takes them in for the night and finds friends to shelter the bad over night. The entire film is based on the different band members as they interact with the different locals.

Dull, slow, and quite uneventful. This international "slice-of-life" film was not my cup of tea and I could have done without it. I definitely wouldn't suggest it. Although better than what I expected, it wasn't far off.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032856/

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Due Date (2010)

A road trip movie starring Robert Downey Jr. & Zach "snufalufagus" Galifianakis. Snufalufagus' career has really taken off since his role as Allen on The Hangover, and I can tell you right now, if you don't like his brand of humor, you won't like this movie.

I'd call that common sense, you have to like the stars, but he will probably never match his performance from The Hangover, and those going to see him do that will always feel his films come up a little short. The central character in the film really is Robert Downey Jr. who is trying to get home for the birth of his son. Downey plays a man who loses his cool pretty easily, and gets him into trouble, Snufalufagus plays a sad man desperately in need of a friend. There is quite a bit of "guy" humor, jerking off jokes, cursing, and pot usage. The film relies on these things for most of its laughs, and the dark humor will probably be a bad combination for most people.

I wouldn't suggest this one, at all. But I did like it, knowing the type of humor I was getting myself into.
 
Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1231583/

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Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, the famous Spanish director, known for All About My Mother, Talk to Her, Volver, and Broken Embraces. Since this is my 5th film of his to see, and with mixed emotions about the four I just listed, I expected this to be below average. The title alone scares me, and Spanish comedy is not my thing. With only two films left to finish the Yahoo 100 Movies to See Before You Die, I had The Apu Trilogy and this one. With the 6 hour trilogy over, I felt getting through this one as fast as possible was a great goal. At only 90 minutes it was like pulling off a band-aid.

The film stars Carmen Maura and a young Antonio Banderas. The plot is frustratingly bad, and the acting is worse. I felt like I was watching a bad soap opera on Univision, and struggled to get it over with. Amazingly this film was nominated for an Oscar in 1989 and lost to Pelle the Conqueror [a film I've never heard of].

It was rough, but hey, I finished a movie list by watching it, yay!



Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095675/

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Easy A (2010)

This film is the Emma Stone high school spin on The Scarlett Letter. Probably one that I would have skipped, had it not been nominated for a Golden Globe. I'm actually pretty happy that I ended up watching it.

My assumption was that Stone would play a popular or snobby girl, but her character is very likable, and the film is pretty cute. Her parents, played by Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci, are probably more of what a high school kid wishes their parents were like than reality. Lisa Kudrow's character was completely unlikable, I'm starting to not like her performances, what happened to being funny?

This film would have been 8/10 and "Worth Watching" if the ending scenes were a little more realistic. The film had some funny moments, mainly all due to Stone's acting. The pep rally scene was so bad I had to dock it a point. Not for everyone, but not bad.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1282140/

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Grown Ups (2010)

Fart jokes, jokes about sex with old ladies, fat jokes, all of what you can expect from a Happy Madison Production. The thing that is really frustrating is that this film is disguised as a family movie.

It is as if Sandler gets together all the comedians who have only put out crap in the last 10 years [Rob Schneider and David Spade] and made a movie about school age friends having a reunion. Maybe it was wrong of me to have any expectations from this movie. Truth is, I've liked most of Adam Sandler's movies. It just seemed like no one tried to really make this more than a "hanging out with Sandler and his friends."


I suggest avoiding this one.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375670/

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Dinner For Schmucks (2010)

A remake of the French film The Dinner Game about a group of friends who invite the dumbest person they can find to dinner as a competition. I haven't seen the original but it is regarded as one of the best French comedies of all time. Dangerous territory trying to remake comedy in another language and country.

The film stars Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. Rudd is a businessman who has just impressed his boss at work, he has been invited to dinner and asked to bring an interesting person. Carell is the strange man he encounter and then invites. When Carell gets the date of the dinner screwed up, and starts providing relationship assistance, things get out of hand fast.

The comedy is mostly stupid and relies on Carell being an idiot. About 5 minutes worth is all you can handle and it gets annoying fast. Zach Galifianakis plays Carell's boss at the IRS, a role that was taken in a stupid direction and really missed the mark for me. I think we are all starting to see that The Hangover may have been a fluke.

Not sure why I gave this a 6/10, kinda liked it a little, but overall was just worthless.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427152/

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