I Love You, Philip Morris - 2009 - Dir. Ficcara/Requa

It's a strangely produced movie. Without Carrey and McGregor's presence, the movie probably would have ended up as a slight more subdued indie, I suppose. A much more understandable beast in that context too. I mean, it makes sense why Big Names would want to get on board with this. It's High Concept with outrageous characters. McGregor's gentle southern boy/belle is simultaneously eye rolling and probably the best part of the movie. I think that's where I fall in my feelings... I felt like it was broad, aiming for the lowest common denominator, but I was entertained I suppose. It's nice to see Carrey being big as hell again and he's still real good at it. And you know, it's nice to see a movie that is just Sweet in some sense. Even if it's cheap and familiar. And yeah, despite the homosex and the prison and the con games, it's a pretty basic story. You know how things are going to go down. And in some sense, I feel like the Direction was plopping the camera down in the most reasonable place and tell the actors to be as big as they can. So, I can't say there's a ton of inspiration behind the scenes. In fact, I will tell you, the best thing the movie has going for it are the performances of the leads. Everything else... Meh!

Hey boys! Leave some room for me!

The Goods - 2009 - Dir. Brennan

I just threw this shit on one night. It's one of those movies that would probably be straight to video if it didn't somehow attract a bunch of names to it. It's just one of those loud, crude comedies the kids seem to get such a kick out of these days. It's based around Jeremy Piven being a wise-ass loudmouth. Everyone else has the appropriate amount of quirks. James Brolin wants to have sex with David Koechner. Katheryn Hahn wants to have sex with a Man-Child. Ed Helms is in a Boy band. Basically the movie just works by repeating those jokes until 90 minutes passes. It's sad because I really do like the cast. There's no one in it that I don't think is fully capable of being hilarious but the script is just so broad, so obvious. Jokes are cheap and based on being outrageous and shocking. Even Piven, who seems pretty good at jazzing up lousy writing, flounders as the leading man. There's not nearly enough steam in the character to push through the movie. There's not nearly enough steam in any aspect of the movie to push it through, which I suppose is why it ends up resorting to being loud. But you know... I guess, I dunno. I like Loud. The sequence where everyone is just screaming is great. But I feel like the movie doesn't earn the Loudness. It's not a choice to the people who made it, it's the only thing they can think of.

The Goods staring Jeremy Piven's Face

Duplicity - 2009 - Dir. Gilroy

So I liked Michael Clayton... thought it was a pretty neat movie. So I had reasonable hopes for Duplicity. I know it wasn't received as well and it didn't really look as good either but hey... I'd give it a shot... eventually. And it's okay. There's some funny ideas in it and it is a reasonably good time, I guess. It feels like its aiming a little low, a little too cheap, than it should have been by trying to be a "It's-A-Con-But-We're-All-Having-A-Good-Time" type movie. We've already got plenty of those. And being that the romance in the movie is one laced with betrayal and witty banter, it's not exactly romantic. And since a function of the movie is to just reveal how complicated the Con is, the movie boils down to witty people doing things we don't exactly understand. The thing is, I really like this movie on paper. I think it has great ideas and it handles them in a way that I'd get a kick out of. Just the execution feels insincere... it doesn't take it's plot seriously and the characters don't take themselves seriously, but despite all the not being serious, it still doesn't come off as fun. I suppose it's sort of mean... but that's not right. So I guess that's how it ends up feeling insincere. It feels like there's nothing to pull us into the movie.

Beautiful people... Loving one another...

Arsenic and Old Lace - 1944 - Dir. Capra

I think it makes sense that this is the first Capra movie I've seen. Probably in no way appropriate... OR I'm sure I could've found a MORE Capra-esqe movie. I ended up watching it basically due to an interest in a early american dark comedy. And you know, this fits the bill. I always think it's a little interesting to see Dark comedy from a different time. Just to see where the lines are drawn and what is done to make the Dark part of it palatable. In this case, we're given a mad-cap hectic theatrical vibe. Grant is makin' faces and noises, running all around like a Stooge- The ladies are overly innocent and silly. For perhaps the first chunk of the movie, I wasn't really engaged. The movie gets a little bit more interesting when we meet Jonathan and Dr. Einstein. I'm always a sucker for Peter Lorre and always enjoy his performances. But they are really the only thing that raises the stakes. Otherwise, it felt a little too silly... and we spend the majority of the time just watching Grant spaz out, which he is very good at. The real charmers are the old ladies though. Perhaps they make the movie. It's certainly the most memorable and unique aspects. It's a very adorable naivete that they carry around. So, I dunno, it's an all right movie. I can't say I got very much into it. There were a few satisfying laughs. I suppose I'm a little biased against that Wacky Theater Tone it had so much of. I suppose it is pretty impressive that Capra managed to carry that Tone out of the theater and into the film. You don't see it done that well very often. I still don't care for it though!

Such a dashing fellow...

Don't Be A Menace - 1996 - Dir. Barclay

You know, I remember this movie from back when... but I never really showed any interest in it. A general bias against the Wayans, I suppose. Well founded if we take the Scary Movie series into stock. I ended up watching it simply because I've recently moved to Los Angeles and for some reason it seemed appropriate. I was in the mood for silliness. AND MAN it delivered. I had a fine time watching this. Maybe I just thought Shawn Wayans overly naive and mild protagonist was funny as hell. That guy... and the repeated jokes about his Dad just charmed the shit out of me. It's pretty upfront about being a parody. The plot is secondary to them just making sure they get every stereotypical sequence out of the mid-80s to 90's street gang movies. So I suppose... it's not well-made in the traditional sense. It resembles the modern Family Guy style parodies that we have been getting, but it just feels less churned out. It feels like they are amusing themselves rather than mugging at the camera. At times, I wish maybe it felt a little tighter... maybe a few less winks for the audience (yeah, they do do SOME mugging [I guess I'm just not a huge fan of mugging!]). But overall, I got a real kick outta the movie. Maybe I'll rethink my feelings about the Wayaneseseseseses.

The Frame of the movie Bernie Mac is in.

Wet, Hot American Summer - 2001 - Dir. Wain

I never really sat and watched this movie through. I don't think I really "got" David Wain for a while. Like, I wasn't convinced that he knew that we was being campy and funny. I thought maybe he was just some Idiot running amok. Now, I think he's great. The movie is Wain at the top of his form. At least, a lot more successful at being a movie than his later attempt The Ten. You know, the guy doesn't tell much of a long form story or anything. So, it's really a lot of camp stories jammed together told in a CAMPY manner. :D The strongest point of the film are the performances. Generally, letting everyone be as big as possible, Wain has a nice, simple straight-forward way of shooting so as to let us focus on the goofiness of the performances. Paul Rudd is easily my favorite, he's at home playing the smirking douche. Oh wait... David Hyde Pierce and Jeanne Garofalo have awesome chemistry together. MAYBE THAT'S MY FAVORITE PART!? Either way, it's a goofy comedy. It's a lot of fun and really, really dumb. And the cast is real good. Bradley Cooper and Amy Poehler play a pair of theater jerks. Chris Meloni plays a psycho (big surprise). Not to mention the whole cast of Wain regulars. It's good fun!

Get that fucking Face off your face, Paul Rudd!

The Last Dragon - 1985 - Dir. Schultz

It's a sorta of tricky movie to talk about, because I feel like I should like it more than I do. And I didn't dislike it. I enjoyed it. A cult film I really knew almost next to nothing about until a few weeks ago. It had the simple ingredients of funk, kung-fu, and blaxploitation all rolled up into one film, so it seemed like a pretty safe bet that I would in some sense enjoy the film. I figured at the worst it would boring and poorly assembled like most exploitation films and I've seen plenty of those. It ended up being most like an 80's action movie, perhaps similar in tone to something like "Big Trouble in Little China." With it's over-the-top villains, bits of magic, and pretty much a cookie cutter story-telling. It was campier than I think I expected it to be. Bordering on a cartoon-ish movie. Especially enjoy Sho'nuff. The Shogun of Harlem who seems to have been ODB's father. The whole film is a very reasonable precursor to the Wu-Tang Clan's combination of urban living and kung-fu philosophy. I was surprised I hadn't heard of it sooner. Although, I suppose it comes from a generation slightly older than mine. Or perhaps of the older folks of my generation. The same people that love "The Warriors." Like "The Warriors," it's stylish and a nice snapshot of what an 80's movie is, but ultimately perhaps for reasons I'll never know, my heart remains cold to it.

Sigh... Kanye jokes...

BASEketball - 1998 - Dir. Zucker

Despite not having kept up with them in the recent years, I'm a big fan of Parker and Stone's work. This merely has them as actors and their influence sneaks in but the film is clearly a Zucker production. I feel like I always have to be a little easy on Zucker due to his involvement with Naked Gun and Airplane but I'm generally less amused by his more recent attempts. BASEketball is more of the same (looking at his filmography, this is probably the last one I'd bother seeing). It's got the corny Naked Gun-style jokes and Parker and Stone blend well with it. One might even say, it's seemless! But I feel like overall it's very much "Medium" entertainment. Probably what I enjoyed most was Parker constantly going "Awww! Aww!" In fact, both of their performances are probably the high point of the film. You know, I like puns and idiocy as much as the next guy, I just wished the movie tried a little harder on the story-telling front. There's almost no kind of tension or conflict... or, at least, any kind of substantial conflict. It's generally just a lot of goofy stuff and rich old mean guy. It's likable and if you want to round out your Parker/Stone viewing experience... well, I imagine you've already seen it.

Both of you... Stop having that hair!

Lars and the Real Girl - 2007 - Dir. Gillespie

I had put off this film for a while, fearing it would be a two hour examination of how pathetic and delusional one man can be. Sort of like an emotional car crash, where you can't turn away from the wreak of a man in front of you. It's actually more like a really nice bus ride with old people. It's charming, slowly paced, and any bawdiness is enveloped by it's charm. Assuming the old people aren't the filthy disgusting type of elderly people. The film rarely gets mean, rarely gets too sentimental. It doesn't really take many risks once you get past the premise. It actually ends up just being a much nicer movie than one might expect. Lars' delusion never gets cringe worthy and is often more about his progress to healing than his illness. Sure... I dunno. I suppose if you're looking for hard drama or... well... anything harder. You won't really get it from Lars. Solid performances from the main cast keep it from feeling to light and fluffy. They play it honestly and rarely cheap. The harder to swallow moments come from the townspeople... who as less developed characters, often highlight the Hallmark Card sentiment line that the film is toeing. It was a pleasantly light surprise, the kind of film that really sets out to do a certain job and does it very well.

Get the hint, Gosling! She's trying to read!

Beginners - 2010 - Dir. Mills

I swear I've seen Mills' previous film Thumbsucker, wrote it off as being like every other indie film at the time and moved on. I can't remember anything about it. It left absolutely no impression on me whatsoever, to the degree that I am no longer even sure that I've seen it. So I was skeptical about Beginners. The trailer hinting at more of the same, but Plummer seemed charming and I wanted some light fare. BACKSTORY COMPLETE. Christopher Plummer is so fucking charming. In fact, the cast all around is great. I rarely have anything bad to say about Ewan and my admiration for Laurent's performance grows as I think about it. The film so dangerously dances near the edge of forgettable indie-quirky romcom tripe that I WAS ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT (okay, not really). But between a subtitled dog and the playful editing, there's a lot to be suspicious about. What saves the film is that despite the goofy storytelling, it seems to come from an honest and genuine place. And the cast knew this and keeps an honest face throughout. It actually makes the playful/quirky aspects of it more welcome as the film progresses. What could have destroyed it, actually succeeds and keeps it playful. What emerges is a emotional comedy, that has enough depth that I was still chewing it over after leaving the theater.

QUIT LOOKING SO COOL, PLUMMER! >:|

Bridesmaids - 2011 - Dir. Feig

Bridesmaids made a big splash because of the amount of ladies in it, being hailed as a kind of rising of female R-rated comedies. To some degree, I'm pretty shocked that it got that level of praise. I think perhaps what initially bothered me about Bridesmaids is that it seems mildly condescending that the new female comedy hit is about Weddings. It is smarter than it might appear, emotionally more mature, although I'm divided as to whether this is because that was the goal or if they were being somewhat restrained from letting women look too goofy (ugly/stupid) in the film. I suppose it's an accomplishment that they were able to look as silly as they do. The film is cast really well. Wiig, who I'm not generally a huge fan of, is AWESOME. The movie ends up being more about Wiig's relationship with Rudolph and her new friend Byrne. Leaving Kemper and McLendon-Covey SUPER underused and McCarthy is thrown in anytime a raunchy joke needs to be made. So to some degree, I like to think that Bridesmaids is a somewhat misleading title. BUT I DIGRESS. Wiig plays the mid-thirties loser (read: Liz Lemon) with skill and with more earnestness than we may be used to seeing. Her relationship with the doofy policeman is perhaps the high point of the film. They're scenes are light, charming and they play off of each other really nicely. The film deserves the praise for being a good female driven comedy, but apart from that, it's a pretty basic comedy. Female roles plugged into a somewhat cookie cutter script. It's done well and perhaps the casting gives it a bit a fresh air, but not exactly as groundbreaking as we may lead to believe.

The Plumber - 1979 - Dir. Weir

A short TV movie that ended up being a bonus feature on The Cars That Ate Paris, which I enjoyed enough to give this a shot. I think I may have enjoyed The Plumber even more, which makes sense. It's a little tighter. About a woman who is getting used to the life of a homemaker who finds herself "terrorized" by a rather overbearing Plumber. It's a little like the spiritual ancestor of The Cable Guy. Naturally, one of the more entertaining aspects of the movie is the woman struggling to draw the line of what is acceptable behavior from the Plumber, who knowingly takes advantage of her upper-class guilt and pushes the boundaries further and further, behaving increasingly manic. Where he does manage to go is awesome and the transformation of bathroom is easily one of my favorite aspects of the film. Judy Morris is especially great as the protagonist. I definitely felt for her, but at the same time, she wasn't so likable that I was rooting for her throughout. She's one of those characters who you want to see a little terrorized. Part of the fun is not just seeing what the Plumber will do next, but how long she'll manage to keep up her facade of everything being peachy keen. It's a fun movie, a simple story told extremely well with a great balance of comedy and drama.

Caaable Guy- I'm mean- PLUUUUMBER!

The Cars That Ate Paris - 1974 - Dir. Weir

A movie I rented somewhat randomly, not really having a great idea as to what it was about. Throughout the movie, I kept expecting it to get a little more supernatural but it follows a town and their obsession with automobiles, to the degree that their economy seems based on outsiders getting into car accidents in some way. It's Weir's first feature and definitely feels like it. There's a definite unevenness and a strangeness. This makes it a little disjointed of a film but also quite a bit of fun to watch. It's silly and the ending most certainly hits the spot as a gang of youths terrifies the town and our protagonist gets over his fear of driving. It's got some Western/Mad Max touches that warmed my heart. The film has a series of strong moments and fun/creepy ideas and images that makes up for the weakness of the whole. The opening sequence is a good example of that. I always liked what I was watching, but often struggled to put it all together and make sense of it all. By the end, I don't think I ever successfully did, but I look back on the movie with great fondness and even as I write this, I'm remembering more things I liked about it. So maybe it's satisfying in a long-term sense. And I would certainly go for another viewing. Also Bruce Spense shows up! FUN!

You don't wanna cut this car off! LOLOLOLOLOLULZ!

A Fish Called Wanda - 1988 - Dir. Crichton

I knew next to nothing about this movie apart from the fact that it was long overdue that I had seen it and that it had the same cast as Fierce Creatures. I'm a big Python fan so I think I expected the most from Cleese and Palin, but honestly, Kline fucking KILLED IT in this movie. He's so STUPID in this movie. In the best way. I was surprised he won an Oscar for his role but he deserves it. He's so incredibly manic and loud, but it is pulled off so well. I'm still smiling about the way he moves around in this movie. The rest of the cast performs admirably. Curtis playing straight (I suppose that's predictable with her being a lady). Cleese playing a goofy straight. Palin playing a nut whose efforts to kill an old woman makes up the subplot. It's not exactly groundbreaking by any means but is just a really strong comedy with a strong cast and a satisfyingly manic climax. It's just really well put together at times and is just so good at consistently raising the bar of the silliness. I'm sure it has great replay value as well. I can imagine I missed plenty of jokes in the dialogue being that it comes at you pretty quickly. If I had to toss a complaint out there, it can be a little slow and perhaps some of the silliness is dated, but the movie is more than twenty years old at this point and I think it's impressive that this movie aged as well as it has.

John Cleese has a terrible genital disorder.

Mon Oncle - 1958 - Dir. Tati

I have mixed feeling about Tati. I've only seen Playtime previous to this, but I feel like I have a general idea as to how he functions. First of all, he's a genius. Second of all, he's really hard to watch. Both Playtime and Mon Oncle have been some of the hardest comedies to watch. They are just so slow... and not particularly funny. But they are just SO FUCKING CHARMING. They just ooze charm. It looks SO GOOD too, which is important due to the lack of dialogue... and the dialogue that is there, it's not really important. It's just there is support the action, like the score would. The humor is pretty old-fashioned, Hulot is of relation to the Chaplin/Keaton characters, but he seems to lack the drive and the manic-ness of them. I think that ends up being a bit of a double-edged sword. The lack of goal and drive for our protagonist is probably the leading reason why the film drags as much as it does. I do love the general premise of that type of character being thrown into a manic, technology driven world. So I dunno, I feel like if you are in the mood to be charmed, looking for a very simple humor and feeling particularly patient: This movie will hit the spot. Visually incredible too. I especially like the shots of Hulot's building.

Always turn your fish on for important guests!

Amarcord - 1973 - Dir. Fellini

Of all the "Great Masters of Film," I think I struggle with Fellini the most. I dunno. His films are very watchable and obviously they deserve some level of respect... I suppose I just don't really care all that much to see them. I'll sit and watch 'em! No problem with doing such an act, but I don't know... I just don't seek them out and aren't very emotionally involved with them. He can be a blast visually. And he makes a fine joke. And I'm pervy enough to get down with his... inclinations. I suppose, Amarcord seems to be the most charming of his films that I've seen. Anyway, it's a fun movie! It's mostly a series of light-hearted sequences with goofy townspeople. We somewhat follow a young fellow who happens to be coming of age and his various pseudo-sexual romps (The Tobacconist sequence probably being the most memorable). The movie is paced very nicely considering it's meandering nature. I feel like films like this can often too strained. There are obviously some more serious bits but they are underscored or result in humor by the end. There's also an insane hooker in it! The wikipedia entry makes me feel like there's way more to the movie than I give it credit for, which I'm sure is reasonable but wikipedia entries will do that, won't it?

Sigh... Italian People...

Severance - 2006 - Dir. Smith

Severance doesn't really bite as hard as it should, or make us laugh as much as it probably should either. It's probably unfair to compare it to Shaun of the Dead so I won't do that. But apparently a lot of people do so, I guess it was at a time where British people couldn't make a violent comedy without the comparison on this side of the pond (still the case, maybe?). The movie simply doesn't do enough to break out of the horror genre, so we're left with a horror movie with an unusual amount of jokes in it. There are an appropriate amount of cringe-worthy moments and moments of tension (the bear trap stands out as a high point in that regard). It sort of falls apart by the third act but I feel like that is a pretty common problem. The movie fails to really bring anything to the table with the whole weapons manufacturing idea. It's simply a function of the story, there's a few throwaway lines here and there that might suggest that we'll go deeper but we don't. And it seems to be implied that the villains were murderous brutes anyway so... I dunno. The movie is just very ordinary. One can watch it with a minimum of effort. The story-telling is goofy, jumping from different character perspectives (we see a dream sequence of one, hallucinations of others [both to stir up interest more than anything else]). Dialogue is clever enough on the upside, I certainly wish more horror writers had Moran's ability with dialogue. It would make the genre more bearable. If anything, the acting is the only thing that stands out as a clear positive. Everyone sells their somewhat stereotyped characters well (they are pretty straight-forward horror tropes, I have no problem with this though). Particular favorite is Tim McInnery, who I just enjoyed seeing a little older after so much Black Adder.

Women who are upset in Pits.

The Jerk - 1979 - Dir. Reiner

Haven't seen this movie since my high school days and to be honest couldn't remember much about it until someone quoted it and the memories came flooding in. I was a huge fan when I first saw this! And I still am! Steve Martin's first starring role as a supremely naive man raised by a poor black family who goes out into the world when he realizes that he's not their blood child. That and he discovers the pleasures of white people music. It's a fun movie. My especially favorite part would be the gas station section of the film, which is kind of a shame because it's so early on in the film. The movie never gets AS funny as that section. It certainly has its laughs throughout. It's not as seriously plotted as many comedies, he becomes rich, then loses it. Generally, not due to any actual action he takes. But that's about as far as we go. So it's like a series of goofy scenes dragging a story along behind it. Certainly we're never really asked to take the plot seriously or do we ever worry that things won't work out for him in the end. I suppose that feels like a weakness sometimes, but the movie is just too silly for serious story-telling, so it feels right that it treats the story as it does. It's a great early Steve Martin role especially to see him in his prime doing something other than the sarcastic prick roles that he seemed to be typecast in frequently afterward.

That's what I wear when I go to the bathroom!

Black Dynamite - 2009 - Dir. Sanders

This film was repeatedly recommended to me by a friend. It seemed like a good idea but I just repeatedly put it off. MAN! I can't tell you how surprised I was by this flick. It reinvigorated my faith in the Parody genre. After years and years of duds, this is one that actually got me laughing out loud. In fact, I could say I laughed more at this than I have at anything in a long while. The tone and attitude of the film is perhaps what helps it the most. Rather than getting overly silly, it sticks to it's Badass image. It saves all of the over-the-top wackiness until the very end, successfully topping itself. It felt like it was dragging a little at first, because it very distinctly shifts gears around the third act. So perhaps it's not the smoothest transition to the wackiness that it could be. But to be honest the third act works so well that the transition to it is a minor complaint. Naturally, it has all the classic Blaxploitation stereotypes of boom mikes in frame and shitty acting but the movie also maintains the style of a classic Blaxploitation. It's just a parody that really knows it subject and knows how to pace a story. Michael Jai White plays a terrifically badass protagonist, all the while being able to make sure there's a vein of inept acting running throughout. Excellent choice if you're in a goofy mood!

Yeah!

A Woman Is A Woman - 1961 - Dir. Godard

A ton of fun! Not some I feel like I say about Godard films, but this is certainly a lot of fun to watch. It features his wild editing, sudden diversions, and general goofiness without any of the long winded rants about communism or whatever the hell Godard gets so caught up with. It's more straightforward, following the relationship between these two people and Belmondo who... you know... is classy and wants to get it one with Karina, who wants to have a baby but her fella doesn't want one. Despite the relationship drama, it still has that pretty light farcical feeling, where everyone is young and full of vigor and up for anything (arguments while bike riding). The film has a lot of random music cues, which... to be honest, I don't really know why they are there. But I feel like they are excellent. It's just a comedy that you don't see a lot of. Not to be taken too seriously. It does wacky things just to do wacky things. But it doesn't feel like just because it's wacky it can't have a bit of a heart now and then. When the drama does come in, which it inevitably does since it's about young people being in love. It's still very French New Wave-y. I would say it's probably the most accurate introduction to Godard someone can get while still being entertained (for some reason I remember Breathless as being pretty straightforward, I plan on verifying this).

YEEEAAAAHHHHH!!!!!