Posts Tagged ‘comedy’

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Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

May 8, 2017

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Michael Rooker, Kurt Russell, Vin Diesel (voice), Bradley Cooper (voice)
Director: James Gunn (Guardians Of The Galaxy, Slither)

Bottom Line: I’m kind of surprised at the overwhelmingly positive reviews Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 has received because it was kind of disappointing to me and the actual critics have a tendency to be harsher, particularly on popcorn flicks. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not bad. I mostly enjoyed myself while watching Vol. 2, but the biggest reason the first film was so fun was because of how fresh and original it was – and that was made clear when repeat viewings hardly matched the joy of watching it for the first time. The action/comedy hybrid approach still works well here and Vol. 2 is plenty funny – hilarious at times even – but it’s not as funny as it wants to be. There were more than a couple of jokes that elicited no response from the audience. Dave Bautista as Drax The Destroyer really brings the laughs this time around and pretty much any time Baby Groot is on screen, you can’t help but smile.

Where Vol. 2 comes up short is mostly in the story department. It’s funny a lot of the time and the characters are as charming as they were the first time around but, without getting too “spoilery”, 90 minutes into the movie I realized we had answered the question of “Who is Star Lord’s father” and little else. What’s the point of a Guardians Of The Galaxy movie if there’s nothing to “guard” against? And because of that lack of conflict, the movie seems to drag in the second act as Star Lord gets to know his dad and the action screeches to a halt. On the bright side, Michael Rooker’s Yondu – the blue-skinned dude with the whistling arrow – is given a much deserved expanded role and his character is a surprising highlight in the sequel.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 is a fun time at the movie theater and because of that, general audiences are probably going to love this movie. If you were a fan of the first film, this sequel probably won’t disappoint you. It’s funny and charming, plus it has some emotional edge to it, but most of the movie plugs along without any real conflict and while Kurt Russell is great, as always, the character he plays feels more like DC’s Green Lantern than the quality stuff we’ve come to expect from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Vol. 2 is plenty enjoyable, but all the comedy really overshadows the other weaknesses in the script and I suspect this will be more apparent on repeat viewings. And really, this movie could have used more Groot!

Replay Value: Just like the first film, this movie will never be better than the first time you watch it.
Sequel Potential: Vol. 3 already announced and release date is hinted at for 2020. Plus, the Guardians will be in the next Avengers movie.
Oscar Potential: Groot and Rocket look amazing, but the rest of the visual effects were kind of a let down. The first film got nominations for Makeup/Hairstyling and Visual Effects, but I’d say Vol. 2 probably won’t get any nominations.

Grade: 6/10 (recommended)

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Get Out (2017)

March 1, 2017

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Lakeith Stanfield
Director: Jordan Peele

Bottom Line: Without a doubt, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s sketch comedy show “Key and Peele” has been one of the funniest things I’ve seen on television in recent years. The duo has since moved on with their careers, with Key starring in last year’s very good but largely overlooked film Don’t Think Twice and becoming a very popular voice actor, while Peele wrote last year’s Keanu as the first film for the two comics to star in together, but received rather lukewarm reviews.

And then came the trailer for Get Out, a horror film written and directed by Jordan Peele that looked like a total mind bender, full of racial tension – a complete departure from what the comedian is famous for.

And yes, Get Out was completely crazy, but it’s a game changer. It tells the story of Chris Washington (Kaluuya), a black man going to meet his white girlfriend’s family for the first time, along with all the trepidation and seemingly harmless stereotypes that arise in such a situation, made all the more awkward when Chris sees that the family employs a couple of black folks as servants around the house – and they are about as natural as Keanu Reeves in a dramatic role. Get Out manages to turn a situation that could make any man apprehensive – meeting the girlfriend’s parents – and turns it into a complete horror story, filled with racial overtones that are still way too relevant in today’s world.

Get Out is a borderline masterpiece that is wicked smart, excruciatingly tense and entertaining, all while sprinkling in appropriate amounts of humor and traditional jump scares. It’s a monumental achievement for Jordan Peele in his first directing role and almost certainly makes the multi-talented comic an A-Lister going forward. His script is full of bits of racism and stereotypes that make the film’s wild final act all the more mind-blowing and powerful.

The acting in Get Out is top notch from the entire cast. Kaluuya easily carries the film in the lead role, providing Chris with a perfect mix of cockiness and apprehension, as his vulnerability increases throughout his horrific experience. Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener are genuinely creepy as the parents, with Keener’s hypnotherapy likely to disturbingly cling to you long after the film is over. And then there’s Lakeith Stanfield and LilRel Howery, who play small but spectacular roles. Stanfield is particularly great, channeling his hilarious character from the hit FX show “Atlanta” in Get Out‘s opening scene before reappearing later in a completely different context. It’s the kind of glorious bit role that has earned a number of actors Best Supporting nominations in the past.

Get Out is the first must see film of 2017 and is better than any movie that I saw in 2016. It will be interesting to see how a horror/thriller hybrid released in late February and written/directed by a black man will fare come next year’s award season. Sadly, this genius film will likely overlooked or forgotten by then, but with a ridiculous 99% positive rating from the critics so far, maybe Jordan Peele’s wonderful film will help break new ground. And if it does get nominated, it shouldn’t be to diversify the awards, it should be because it deserves to be – and Get Out is plenty worthy.

Replay Value: This is the kind of film that requires a second viewing.
Sequel Potential: Even though this is likely to be a big hit and has award potential, a sequel would almost certainly trivialize this film’s message.
Oscar Potential: If Get Out doesn’t get a Best Picture nomination it will be because it got slighted or because 2017 was an amazing year for films. This movie is drawing live at Best Pic, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay noms, with some serious long shot possibilities for Kaluuya, Keener, and Stanfield in the acting categories. Still, we are in pretty unprecedented territory here.

Grade: 8/10 (must see)

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Dumb And Dumber To (2014)

April 1, 2015

Starring: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Rob Riggle
Director: The Farrelly Brothers (Dumb And Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, Hall Pass)

“Wanna hear the second most annoying sound in the world?”

Bottom Line: I knew this was going to be bad because of the total lack of word of mouth and poor scores from critics and audiences alike, but, man, it was even worse than I was prepared for. I laughed out loud one time that I can remember and the rest of the “funny” parts were relegated to a courteous chuckle. It seems like over the past 20+ years this film has been simmering in the crock pot of the Farrelly Brothers’ collective imaginations that they could have found time to write some genuinely funny material, but it almost all falls flat. It doesn’t help that Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels feel like ghosts of their previously iconic characters; there is literally no soul in their performances. I was just looking at Carrey’s resume and he hasn’t made an above average comedy since Bruce Almighty all the way back in 2003, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that this movie was a bust. It’s a lot of the same gags from the original with very few of the laughs and none of the heart. Too little too late.

Note: I suspected I had maybe grown out of the humor that made Dumb And Dumber so special, but prior to this film’s theatrical release, I watched the original again and that movie is a true comedy classic. It’s 20 years old and I’m in my thirties now, but I was still laughing my ass off. So, yes, Dumb And Dumber To really does just suck.

Replay Value: I tuned out about two-thirds of the way through my first viewing.
Sequel Potential: The world would have loved a Dumb And Dumber sequel 20 years ago… but in 2014, it was a pretty bad idea. In 2015 and beyond, a third movie sounds even worse.
Oscar Potential: None – but Dumb And Dumber To is another movie that got an undeserving pass from The Razzies.

Grade: 2/10 (Horrible)

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In Bruges Review

February 15, 2009

I’m going to keep this short and sweet. I’ve seen In Bruges on a couple of top ten lists and nominated for a couple of awards, including the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. I wasn’t too excited about it, however, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The plot about a couple of hitmen having to flee to Bruges because of a botched murder didn’t exactly reek of hilarity or originality to me. It didn’t help matters much that the first 20-30 minutes of the movie were boring enough for my girlfriend and best friend to quit watching it. I wasn’t exactly intrigued either, but I didn’t want stop watching it and hold onto it for several months instead of sending it back to Netflix, so I stuck it out… and I’m glad I did.

If you can stick out your initial boredom, you’ll actually find yourself watching a pretty funny film that is highlighted by the best performance of Colin Farrell’s career. I’m going to go ahead and spoil something that I don’t think is that important by saying that the characters of Farrell and Brendan Gleeson find themselves in Bruges because Farrell has accidentally killed a child while assassinating a priest and his boss (played fantastically by Ralph Fiennes) intends to give him one last vacation before his partner is to kill him.

What really stands out about In Bruges is the great dialogue the actors have to play with. The script is pretty good and gets much funnier in the second half of the film. I’m not exactly sure how this film gets nominated in the screenplay category while The Wrestler, a much superior film does, but it is a solid effort. Colin Farrell’s character is especially funny and is given several unique scenes to display his somewhat morbid sense of humor. Harry, the boss played by Fiennes, is the highlight of the film, however. I’ve never really thought of Fiennes as funny, which may be why his work in this movie really stands out as hilarious… although it is weird to see him being called “Harry,” whom he has been trying to destroy for two films as Lord Voldemort.

In Bruges is a pretty funny character piece. It’s more of a dramedy than a full blown comedy… and the pacing is troublesome at times, especially the first act of the film. It picks up nicely though and I found it to be a pleasant surprise. It’s not a must see, but it’s worth watching for its humor and for a Colin Farrell performance actually worth watching.

Score: 6 out of 10 (Recommended)

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