Cinema Freaks Live: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Colossal (2017)

There may be SPOILERS in this!

The Campaign (2012)

Well, the 2012 presidential election is almost over (thank God Almighty), and while I had not planned on doing a election-themed review, I recently saw a movie that fit that description, so might as well. So will it be the Robert Redford classic "The Candidate"? Or maybe a full review of "The Ides of March"? 

Nope, its going to be the movie where Will Ferrell punches a baby. Stay classy, Observer...

Starring: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis

Directer: Jay Roach

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Campaign_(film)

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790886/

The movie stars Will Ferrell as a buffoonish congressman named Cam Brady who is running for reelection when he is caught trying  to make an illicit phone message to a mistress. Suddenly vulnerable, he is challenged by an odd yet idealistic tour guide named Marty Huggins, played by Zach Galifianakis. While he seems like a long shot, he is under the influence of the wealthy Motch Brothers, played by Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow (or as they are known on this blog, the sitting president in "My Fellow Americans" and the Trinity Killer from "Dexter"). They remake his image with the help of a shady campaign manager (Dylan McDermott) and it leads to a race that get nastier and nastier by the minute.

This an okay movie. I know, I know, I know, I say that about a bunch of different films which by most critical measurements do not deserve even that small positive feedback. That is partly a matter of how I view films, which is trying to see all sides of the picture. But I am also being honest about this one. 

Now that being said, its not exactly a game-changer. Ferrell and Galifianakis play the roles that they usually play, the former being the loud and angry jackass who hurts himself a lot, the latter being...weird. The supporting characters do their parts more or less the way they are suppose to do them. The plot is that of a typical political comedy: Groups A and B just can't get along and get into wacky situations because of it. It also ends on a familiar note: serving the people = good, greedy special interests = bad. In other words, this is another "it is what is is" type of movie.

So what exactly keeps this movie afloat, if anything? Well, it has a bunch of idiotic characters being really crass and unpleasant, which has been the death of many a comedy, and Will Ferrell in particular has been guilt of that on more than one occasion ("Step-Brothers," "Blades of Glory," etc.). I guess the big difference with this one is that, well, it's about politics: the way people act in this movie are obviously over-the-top, but given the way real campaigns are run, I do not think a lot of people are going to be seeing this and complain that it depicts our political system in a negative light. They may not approve of a lot of the bathroom humor or some of the other things that are shown or said, but not the overall emphasis on the nastiness. Comparing your opponent to Al-Qaeda does not look quite as outrageous in a political environment that spreads rumors about "death panels" and features ads about Grandma getting tossed off a cliff. So on that basic level, it works.

So, is the movie funny? Mmm, parts of it. Despite being a dramatic actor, McDermott is pretty amusing as Tim Wattley, an intense campaigner whose methods are a bit extreme to say the least. And Karen Maruyama also provides some humor as Mrs. Yao, the maid of Huggin's father (Brian Cox) who is obligated to talk with a Southern black accent (despite the fact that she is Asian) so that he can be reminded of the "good ole days." Saturday Night Live's Jason Sudeikis does a decent job acting as  Everything else is kind of hit and miss, but it keeps the film going at a steady paste (and it helps that it is only 85 minutes long).

On a side note, I kind of wished that the Motch Brothers had gotten more of a role in the film. Although they were modeled after the real-life Koch brothers, they remind me a lot of the rich brothers from "Trading Places," which was not a political film but had a vaguely similar plot. This comparison is even more compelling when you consider that Dan Aykroyd was the victim of the brother's conspiracy in that film and is now a brotherly co-conspirator in this one. I just think that is an interesting career transition, even if it was not intentional. So I wish that the movie had played more upon their characters, particularly given the comedic abilities of both Aykroyd as well as Lithgow (remember that episode of "3rd Rock from the Sun" where he brutally murders a woman in her bathtub and...wait, I think I am getting his TV roles confused...). Then again, if they did end up doing that and the attempt flopped, there is a good chance I would be complaining about how the filmmakers were trying to rip off "Places" or that they were trying to make a partisan political statement (they are, in fact, a bit partisan, but not in an overwhelming manner). So, it cuts both ways. I just thought I would point this out from my own nerdy, movie-obsessed point of view.

So overall, the movie is...passable, I guess. It all really comes down to how you feel about the two main actors. As I have indicated here and in the past, I have mixed feelings about Ferrell and I like Galifianakis well enough but I won't say I am crazy about him. If I had to place a range as to where this falls in terms of their respective filmographies, I would say it is not as good as "The Other Guys" but better than "Due Date." Sound like a ringing endorsement to you? Eh, didn't think so. My point being is that if you are a big fan of one or both of them, you will probably like it. If you don't like either of them, you may want to skip it. As far as being a political comedy goes, this one relies a lot more on gags than satire. Again, it depends on what you like, though for me it's a little hard to recommend it since there is better stuff out there (such as, well, "My Fellow Americans": http://docuniverse.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-fellow-americans-1996.html).

But if any of this appeals to you, by all means, go and see it. I am guessing, however, that you may want to wait a bit before you do so. I think we have all had enough of campaigns for the time being, don't you?

I do not own the pictures or links displayed above. They are for entertainment purposes only. Please do not sue me.

Review: Hall Pass (2011) TH

A golden ticket to indulge

Kids, mortgage, career: all responsibilities that can get piled on and weigh one down from marriage. Some look back and envision how things could have played out differently or what it would be like with someone else, due to an uncontrollable obsession that follows a person around and gets the juices flowing again whenever the opposite sex bends over or is noticed with lustful glances across the bar.

Fred (Jason Sudeikis) and Rick (Owen Wilson) have wives that know what's cookin' in their spouse's loins and what secret conversations they attempt to conceal--and they're tired of it. The two men are granted permission to have a week of fun and best of all no questions asked while the wives take a leave of absence on their own. The husbands don't know whether it's too good to be true or just a cleaver trick. Yet, their friends hear the news and want to tag along and see these sex-on-their-mind hall pass holders work their supposed magic they're always on about. Except these accountant, Hardy Boy looking urbanites are terrible at it, out of practice and not hip in the slightest. Their perception of women is that they are naive and can be scooped up and used as easy as salt shakers with nothing but their manly presence and a pick up line to draw them to their salivating plate. Meanwhile they have no idea that the pass works as a two way street while their wives talk it up with some newly met baseball studs who think they have a couple of cougars on their hands.

This is "Beavis and Butthead" mixed with "Hangover" antics. You're gonna get more sex jokes and newly invented lingo than you can't count, not to mention male and female nudity and gross out humor. This is more of a shock gag movie that plays on taboos and awkwardness. Sounds like a recipe for simple fun to loosen up from the day-to-day grind and at times it produces unexpected laughs, though at others it feels up and down by either over or under playing the comedic timing. Not to mention the chemistry between the cast didn't always feel authentic and kinetic, such as Brent (Derek Waters): the cut and pasted antagonist who overreaches and feels forced due to having no range other than to hamper Rick's (Wilson) plans. Both Fred and Rick strike out continuously and then random characters and settings are thrown in the mix so that things "coincidentally" fall into place at the same time for more of a topsy turvy climax.

This isn't going to be another "Dumb & Dumber," "Kingpin" or "There's Something About Mary" where the replay value and jokes can be relived over and over again due not only to the odd and crude though workable humor but characters that breathed and ultimately became the part through and through. "Hall Pass" has its moments here and there, is easy entertainment and includes some messages about if what you're feeling is real or just a fantasy, or if the person you have is just enough. Though this doesn't stand as tall or generate as much hearty laughter that can draw up lasting memories as one would except coming from a movie with the Farrelly brothers' name on it.

Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly (Fever Pitch, Stuck on You)
Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate, Jenna Fischer
Website: IMDB

REVIEW: Horrible Bosses (2011)

Director: Seth Gordon

Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis

Website: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1499658/

This goofy comedy, sort of like The Hangover with some slight shades of Office Space (and not just because Jennifer Aniston is in this movie too), was pretty enjoyable for what it was. I didn’t hear of this until recently, and it had such a weird name that I figured it’d be some sort of really out-there dark comedy, or something. But nope, it’s just a regular modern comedy, albeit done better than some others have been.

Mostly the reason for this is that there’s no nonsense or crap in it. The movie doesn’t try to squeeze in an emotional subplot or get serious. It’s just zany fun, and although it’s not done masterfully either, you’d be hard pressed to really call this a bad movie by any stretch. The plot is that three guys get fed up with their completely ridiculous and, well, horrible bosses, and hatch a half-drunken plot to kill them that turns into reality pretty quick. All three guys are pretty much morons and there are easy ways they could fix their problems. Like when someone is blackmailing you by threatening to tell your girlfriend you slept with them, wouldn’t you just go to your girlfriend first and calmly and rationally explain the situation, thus nullifying the blackmail? These blackmail scenarios are so easily beaten and happen so often in movies, but nobody ever does anything about them. And it bugs me! There are a few other moments like this that do admittedly take you out of the movie, but then, it could have been worse.

And then again, stupid characters are pretty much a norm for this type of comedy, so I can’t complain too much about that. Aside from a few sticking points, this was an enjoyable film. Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell all clearly had a ton of fun playing the evil bosses, with the fun-ness directly proportional to how outlandish and ludicrous their terrible acts were, and leads Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis were pretty funny, too. Jamie Foxx had a good part as ‘Motherfucker’ Jones, the go-to man that the guys consult about their murder scheme. The ending could have been stronger, but mostly this was a really fun and goofy ride that I liked quite a bit.

The jokes were really predictable (well, except for a few choice instances) and there wasn’t anything too special about this movie, but I had fun watching it. It is a fair bit raunchier and more risqué than some other recent comedies, and that’s part of it, but mostly it’s just the strength and energy of the cast and the spunky, loose jokes that are chucked at you like fireballs that do it in the end. Get this one while it’s hot. You won’t regret it.