Paul Rudd takes on just the right wry comic tone as Danny, a disenchanted corporate mouthpiece who believes he’s flushing his life away working with mascot/partner, Wheeler (Seann William Scott) , peddling Minotaur Energy Drinks from school to school under the guise of anti-drug PSA’s. When Danny’s life takes a turn for the worse, he drowns his sorrows and disappointment in an energy drink binge which clouds his judgement, causing them both to land on the wrong side of the law. With a choice between jail time and community service, the duo goes with the obvious choice: community service at Sturdy WIngs, acting as “Bigs” for underpriviledged “Littles.”

The two get more than they bargain for – well, maybe Wheeler did, anyhow – when they get paired up with their Littles. Danny takes on an introverted, live-action role player by the name of Augie Farks (Christopher Mintz-Plasse – who’ll always be immortalized to many of us as McLovin’). Wheeler gets the fortune of taking on a miniature version of himself, except quite a bit cruder, in the form of Ronnie Shields (Bobb’e J. Thompson).

The beginning was a little slow as the audience was being introduced to Danny and Wheeler. Once the pleasantries are out of the way and the Littles get on the scene, the movie notches up the hilarity immediately. Scott and Rudd may have gotten top billing, but both were upstaged by their miniature counterparts, with Thompson stealing most of the guffaws.  As with most comedic formulas, the tempo slows down as the characters all start getting serious with each other after the predictable let down from older duo surely comes. However, unlike most comedies, Role Models was able to crank it back up to finish telling a pretty damn good story overall.

While the laughs weren’t exactly rapid fire, the movie was still engaging and charming enough while mired in bouts of crudeness. Do yourself a favor and watch it at the theatres now.

From left: Elizabeth Banks, Justin Long, Seth Rogen

Ah…unrequited love. Not many have had the misfortune to bed that demon. Those who have, however, are sure to appreciate the tale of Zack and Miri.

Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) are platonic roommates and long time friends wallowing in financial distress. It all comes to a head when the electricity, last in a succession of unpaid utilities, is shut off. To top that off, they further depress themselves after attending their high school reunion. Inspiration hits when Zack decides the answer to their financial woes is to make a pornographic film.

I don’t know what all the hubbub was about with the MPAA initially charging Zack and Miri with the “NC-17″ kiss of death. Granted, Kevin Smith had to do some additional editing to coax them down to an “R,” but the sex scenes were goofy sleaze – and quite a bit tamer than what you would see in a softcore film at Holiday Inn.

Delaney, the producer of Zack’s endeavor, was played by Craig Robinson (Pineapple Express, The Office). Perhaps not one of his funnier roles, but he still brings the laughs with his giddy desire to see new titties.

Rogen (40 Year Old Virgin, Pineapple Express) and Banks (40 Year Old Virgin, W.) have a great chemistry on the set, and the movie was as blunt as the title implies. There’s no great M. Night Shyamalan twist at the end, but if you’re a Kevin Smith fan, you know base humor is the order for the day, even if it is just a blanket for an underlying story that allows Smith’s soft spot to show. If you prefer cerebral humor, this film isn’t for you, heck, why’d you even interested in a Smith film to begin with? Jason Mewes fans will no doubt see a side of him they haven’t seen before, and if you don’t walk out with at least a smile on your face, then you were watching the wrong movie

Surprisingly Tolerable, but no Grease 2.

Walking into the theater with my excited niece in tow, I was amazed at what I was perceiving to be the demographic for High School Musical 3. Children, ages six through twelve, were all eagerly awaiting the new arrival from the HSM franchise with baited breath. Baited, no doubt, with the promise of endless requests to their parents for the avalanche of HSM3 merchandise sure to come this holiday season. It made me wonder – are children REALLY this eager to be in High School? This eager to be a few short years free from the tyranny of their parents? This eager to start paying bills?

Keeping in tune with the HSM series, the songs were catchy and entertaining, and the choreography was in line with any professional stage musical. This, no doubt, is to distract viewers from the story, which took a side seat to the agonizingly plentiful musical numbers. In a nutshell, we find our lead, Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), undecided as to what college he’d like to attend next year, not eager to go to his father’s alma mater which he thinks is expected of him. Cue music.

Ashley Tisdale, who plays Sharpay Evans, is presumably the driven antagonist who will stop at nothing to crush the rest under her heel in her climb to stardom. Yet, her one and only dastardly plan is thwarted so easily that it’s almost unnecessary to even have it in the movie altogether. Cue music.

The acting was sub par. It was professional enough, but only for stage acting at a college, or semi-professional level, where the dialogue is not entirely natural enough to translate on film. Instead of having conversation, the actors were just waiting their turn to say their lines. The lack of drama and story really killed it for me, not that I’m a High School Musical fan. Still, it was entertaining enough when you shut off your mind and let the movie numb your senses. Cue music.

After watching the film, I can see why kids enjoy it. It paints a lovely picture of highschool. One that’s free from bullies, from angst, from the growing pains of adolescence. Coupled with the “even losers are winners” attitude prevalent today, I’m a little leery that Disney’s not enabling the growing lack of accountability and responsibility in our youth, even if the movie contains a good message about making your own decisions in life. I miss the days when they weren’t afraid to shoot Bambi’s mother. Cue music.

Cue music.

To save humanity from an epidemic, an elite fighting unit must battle to find a cure in a post-apocalyptic zone controlled by a society of murderous renegades. That pretty much sums it up.

Rhona Mitra does her best Kate Beckinsale impression as Major Eden Sinclair, the leader of a special operations unit tasked to find a cure among the quarantined survivors of a lethal virus contained on the British Isles. Unfortunately, that’s where the interesting part ends. This movie had a hard time deciding what it wanted to be, and ended up being a hodgepodge of ideas loosely thrown together to fit into a surprisingly coherent story. It viewed almost as bad as an Uwe Boll video game theatrical masterpiece.

(more…)

“En-Ra-Ha!”

Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is a primary school teacher that seems to have all the answers to happiness.  Her whole life seems to be devoted to turning tough times into flashes of pleasure. When her bike gets stolen, the only thing she can think to say is, “I didn’t even get to say goodbye.” Rolling with the punches is an understatement…Poppy can take it from the best of them. Scott (Eddie Marsen) is a cynical driving instructor who plays the yin to her yang. Polar opposites, each driving lesson is a painful one. Well, for Scott. 

While I was prepared to find this film dreadfully boring, it wasn’t. Not completely. It was difficult to remain detached as Sally kept reeling me in with Poppy’s infectious personality – the kind miserable cynics like me want to punch in their grinning faces. No matter what malignant turn life threw at her, she remained steadfastly happy. Eddie Marsen was terrific. Short and unintimidating as he is, the venom he spewed actually made me afraid of Scott the driving instructor, who’s constant mantra of “En-Ra-Ha” was comedy in and of itself.

Happy-Go-Lucky is not mainstream enough for the popcorn flick fanatics, but it’s found a comfortable niche in the independent markets. Happy-Go-Lucky is a meandering movie that just opens a brief, semi-inspiring, window into Poppy’s life. If there’s a lesson to be had, it suggests for you to find happiness within yourself, and that’s the secret not many are privy to. I enjoyed it, less for the story (which was hardly there), and more for the characters.

Opening Date: October 10, 2008
Director: Mike Leigh
Run Time:  118 min
Rating: R

http://www.happygoluckythemovie.com/

“Tell No One” is a good idea.

I am envious of Dustin Hoffman. I think he’s figured out the secrets of reincarnation – without dying! First, he makes me think he’s a fake tanned, rough riding, Pistolero from Hell Ride, and now he’s convinced me that he speaks French. If only I had that ability.

Tell No One is about Doctor Alexandre Beck (François Cluzet) losing the love of his life, Helene (Kristin Scott-Thomas) , 8 years ago, only to get an anonymous email showing him a recent video clip of what can only be his not-so-dead wife. The questions that come up from that alone make the premise interesting.

Billed by many as an intense thriller, I found the film sorely lacking. The flashbacks were well handled, and in truth, that’s where most of the thrill lay…in small spurts. The present day story leaves a lot to be desired as it does nothing for the film except make Alex wander around aimlessly throughout hoping to find leads on his wife, only to run into dead ends and cops out for his hide.

The pace was beyond slow. Running time for the film is listed at 125 mins. It felt like 300. The story, when finally revealed, was good enough, if only Director Guillaume Canet would have weaved it into the plot a little more coherently. As it is, the movie is aptly named – Tell No One. I plan to.

Hilariously serious!

Seeing ghosts is always a fun theme for a movie. In most you have either children (The Sixth Sense) or psychics (Ghost) having the curse – or gift – of seeing ghosts…the rest are just trying to kill the living. The other, less explored avenue is when the main character has a near death experience that allows them to get the sight. The only one I remember is The Frighteners, with Michael J. Fox – a highly recommended DVD, if you haven’t seen it yet.

Ghost Town centers on a very selfish, isolated dentist, Dr. Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) , who doesn’t hate crowds, only the people in them.  This, amongst other little quirks, leaves him with severely hampered people skills. After a routine operation kills him for seven minutes, Dr. Pincus quickly discovers that he now has the ability to see ghosts. All of whom want something from him, especially Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) , who wants him to break up the impending marriage of his widow, Gwen (Téa Leoni) , in exchange for ridding him of the pushy spectres.

The comedy in this flick is sparse, but it makes up for it by making those moments exceedingly funny. Both Gervais and Leoni were fantastic. I’ve never seen Leoni laugh like that in any film, which leads me to believe some of those moments were purely real. Kinnear, who has thrived on supporting roles, shows why he likes living there. It’s a definite comfort zone for him and he plays the part effortlessly.

The plot wasn’t surprising, and there wasn’t some magical twist at the end, but the story is engaging enough and very entertaining. Ghost Town should be on your must see list for the fall.

 

Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes place within the three year gap between Episode II and Episode III, and gives us another look at Jabba the Hutt, albeit in animated form, as well as some of his family. Anakin (Matt Lanter) and Obi Wan (James Arnold Taylor) finish a battle on a distant planet when Anakin receives a mission by way of Padawan Ahsoko Tano (Ashley Eckstein) to investigate the disappearance of Jabba’s (Kevin Michael Richardson) son. In order to complete it, Anakin and his newly appointed apprentice must match wits and sabers with Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and his pupil, Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman).

The animation was great, even though some may dislike how stylized the characters look. The mouth movements didn’t always follow the words being spoken, but it isn’t that noticeable unless you listen with your eyes. The action was actually a bit boring, though plentiful. I never got the feeling anyone was in real danger besides the clones and the droids. It was almost like watching an episode of G.I. Joe in the eighties, where gunfire is everywhere but no one important is getting hit. The voice acting was subpar. There was a consistent lack of emotion on all the characters parts that, in conjunction with the action sequences, had me trying to remember how long the running time was to gauge how much more I had to endure. I couldn’t shake the feeling that if this were a Pixar or Disney venture, I would have enjoyed the film more due to the quality of the voice work they employ. The plot was pretty standard fare - it was very cohesive with a very small ripple, lacking any surprising twists or two. Maybe my expectations were too high as a casual Star Wars fan, I don’t know, but I came away feeling the movie’s potential wasn’t harnessed correctly. Maybe it is true – Lucas could crap in a cup, label it Star Wars, and still make a mint in profits.

As a stand-alone movie, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone other than hearty Star Wars fans who need their next fix. As a pilot to a new series (which it is), it serves it’s purpose to get the ball rolling…but that’s all. I just hope the voice actors take a few more lessons before the series really gets going, not that they’d need to. It’s branded with the Star Wars name, after all.

 

Tug Speedman (Ben Stiller), Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) and Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) are a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make an epic war film. Their lack of on screen chemistry and ballooning costs force the studio to contemplate cancelling the movie. However, Director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) refuses to give in to looming defeat and is convinced that sending the boys out into the jungles of Southeast Asia will be the only way to salvage the film and harness some quality acting.

Tropic Thunder opens with hilarious movie trailers respective to each actor, magnifying the sometimes ridiculous aspects of the film industry. I found Robert Downey’s character to be the most interesting. Lazarus is a method actor from Australia who gets his skin surgically altered in order for him to play the part of a black soldier. Lazarus adopts any and all perceived affectations and speech patterns based on his own obvious prejudices. The comedic value of this character alone made this movie worth seeing, but if that’s not your thing, there’s plenty of other ways this film will make you laugh. The writing was top notch, the only lull being in the rescue scene, where we have to endure a longer than comfortable journey into self discovery. I was slightly disappointed that Jack Black, and by extension Jeff Portnoy, was completely overshadowed throughout the movie. Portnoy didn’t mesh very well with the rest of the ensemble and stuck out like a sore thumb, much like his real life counterpart. He would have had a better impact if he had died early in the film. This is definitely a fun romp at the movie theatre, second only to Pineapple Express in this year’s comedic offerings.