Director: David Schwimmer
Writers: Michael Ian Black, Simon Pegg
Producers: Sarah Curtis, Cathy Lord
Starring: Simon Pegg as Dennis, Thandie Newton as Libby, Hank Azaria as Whit, Dylan Moran as Gordon, Harish Patel as Mr.Goshdashtidar, India De Beaufort, Maya Goshdashtidar and Matthew Fenton as Jake(IMDb). Rated PG-13.
Dennis desperately wants to regain his former finance's (Libby) love. However she has lost confidence in him because he left her at the altar while she was pregnant. After meeting Libby's new boyfriend,Whit, Whit mentions to Dennis that he is running in a marathon. Dennis, feeling that he could possibly regain Libby's love, decides to run in the marathon. Dennis wants to prove to Libby that despite his reputation of being an irresponsible and unmotivated person, who never finishes anything he starts, that he can actually finish the marathon.
This is an incredibly funny movie. What was most impressive about this film was how the transitions of humor and seriousness worked so well without mitigating the comedic flow of the film. Simon Pegg is funny but he can be dramatic convincingly, and he can return to being funny without any indication of struggle. Persistence and personal reformation were some of the serious aspects of this film, and seemingly the humor comes into play while Dennis is trying to become a better man while working to obtain those two items.
Some of the funniest parts include, Dennis's short lived effort to train in his tight silk running shorts, and his fight with his best friend Gordon. Admittedly those are the parts that I find funny, but there are plenty of funny scenes in this film for everyone. The comedy is fresh and even the parts that are predictable are funny, and that is likely due to Pegg's comedic acting prowess. The guy is just funny. Surely David Schwimmer's directing had something to do with it too. Harish Patel deserves an honorable mention. He was great. This is a film where the loser ends up being the winner, and the winner ends up being the loser. According to Movies.com, fans gave it B-, and critics gave it a C, and I will side with the fans, B- it is. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
21: Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner
Director: Robert Luketic
Writers: Peter Steinfeld, Allan Loeb
Producers:Dana Brunetti, Micheal De Luca, Kevin Spacey
Starring: Jim Sturgess as Ben Campbell, Kevin Spacey as Mickey Rosa, Kate Bosworth as Jill Taylor, Aaron Yoo as Choi, Liza Lapira as Kianna, Laurence Fishburne as Cole Williams, Josh Gad as Miles Connoly, Sam Golzari as Cam, and Jacob Pitts as Fisher(IMDb). Rated PG-13.
Ben Campbell is siting alone in the library, and a student named Fisher approached him. Not knowing who the student is Campbell is hesitant at first but later acquiesces, and follows Fisher to a room where he is greeted by his physics' professor and four students. Campbell is persuaded by the group by being told how much fun and money he can have in a rather short period through counting cards in Vegas. Although the offer is tempting, Campbell rejects the offer because of his busy schedule. However, the group seriously needed the genius mind of Campbell so the girl he had a crush on, Jill, was sent to persuade him further but Campbell remained stern in his rejection of the offer. But after deep consideration, Campbell realized through this venture, he could earn the $300,000 needed for Harvard Medical School. Campbell joins the group, and he ends up having an encounter with Cole Williams.
This film had a very odd pace. The story developed rather slowly, but the pace at which the story development was adequate enough to keep me interested; basically I was marginally bored through the rising action. Strange indeed, while as bored as I was I still found the desperation of Campbell real and enticing. I credit the film makers for the infusion of that realism. There were no fancy car chases or elements indicative of a major action film. 21 simply was not that type of movie, although the potential to take the film in that route was there because of the Vegas element. A quick fact about this film, this movie is actually based on the best selling nonfiction book, Bringing Down the House.
The plot development on screen was clean, and I cannot recall seeing any logical problems with the storyline. On another note, Scenes where the opportunity for explosive acting could have been exhibited were rather tamed. Campbell suffers losses, but his anger was tamed, and his anger matched the over all tone of the film. This was a rather mellow film. I wanted more suspense in the key scene where Campbell first met Cole Williams, but again even the suspense in that scene was tamed. The acting was good, the casting was good, the ending was relatively entertaining but the film needed some more drama. According to Movies.com fans gave the film a B+, critics gave it a C, and I will give it a C-. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Writers: Peter Steinfeld, Allan Loeb
Producers:Dana Brunetti, Micheal De Luca, Kevin Spacey
Starring: Jim Sturgess as Ben Campbell, Kevin Spacey as Mickey Rosa, Kate Bosworth as Jill Taylor, Aaron Yoo as Choi, Liza Lapira as Kianna, Laurence Fishburne as Cole Williams, Josh Gad as Miles Connoly, Sam Golzari as Cam, and Jacob Pitts as Fisher(IMDb). Rated PG-13.
Ben Campbell is siting alone in the library, and a student named Fisher approached him. Not knowing who the student is Campbell is hesitant at first but later acquiesces, and follows Fisher to a room where he is greeted by his physics' professor and four students. Campbell is persuaded by the group by being told how much fun and money he can have in a rather short period through counting cards in Vegas. Although the offer is tempting, Campbell rejects the offer because of his busy schedule. However, the group seriously needed the genius mind of Campbell so the girl he had a crush on, Jill, was sent to persuade him further but Campbell remained stern in his rejection of the offer. But after deep consideration, Campbell realized through this venture, he could earn the $300,000 needed for Harvard Medical School. Campbell joins the group, and he ends up having an encounter with Cole Williams.
This film had a very odd pace. The story developed rather slowly, but the pace at which the story development was adequate enough to keep me interested; basically I was marginally bored through the rising action. Strange indeed, while as bored as I was I still found the desperation of Campbell real and enticing. I credit the film makers for the infusion of that realism. There were no fancy car chases or elements indicative of a major action film. 21 simply was not that type of movie, although the potential to take the film in that route was there because of the Vegas element. A quick fact about this film, this movie is actually based on the best selling nonfiction book, Bringing Down the House.
The plot development on screen was clean, and I cannot recall seeing any logical problems with the storyline. On another note, Scenes where the opportunity for explosive acting could have been exhibited were rather tamed. Campbell suffers losses, but his anger was tamed, and his anger matched the over all tone of the film. This was a rather mellow film. I wanted more suspense in the key scene where Campbell first met Cole Williams, but again even the suspense in that scene was tamed. The acting was good, the casting was good, the ending was relatively entertaining but the film needed some more drama. According to Movies.com fans gave the film a B+, critics gave it a C, and I will give it a C-. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Drillbit Taylor: The Bodyguard
Director: Steven Brill
Producers: Judd Apatow, Susan Arnold, and Donna Roth
Writen by: John Hughes, Kristofor Brown, and Seth Rogen
Starring: Owen Wilson(Drillbit Taylor), Nate Hartley(Wade), Troy Gentile(Ryan), David Dorfman(Emmit), Alex Frost(Filkins), Leslie Mann(Lisa) IMDb. Rated PG-13.
Wade and Ryan are are excited about the first day of high-school. Eager as can be they could not have waited to meet new friends as they were already strategizing on how to be popular. These plans were thwarted when Wade decides to intervene while Filkins (the school bully) was harassing a peculiar kid named Emmit. Wade's bravery granted Filkins a license to make high-school difficult for himself, Ryan and Emmit. Feeling beat-up, frightened, and frustrated, Wade, Emmit and Ryan decided to hire a body-guard as refuge from duress, and that body-guard was ultimately Drillbit Taylor.
The most pronounced performance in this film was provided by Alex Frost. He was absolutely convincing as a bully. From the facial expressions to the intimidating disposition, Frost delivered quite nicely. He did not seem to struggle in the role, and that made him appear quite believable. What was not so believable was that this 18 year old senior in high school lived an unsupervised life. While there was some effort by the film makers to justify that aspect of the characters life, as a young man is his late teens having a parental figure in his life could have kept the integrity of the bully role intact. Attributing parents to that character may not have affected his function in the film.
The texture of the film felt somewhat odd at times. There was something about some of the dialogue that felt rehearsed, for lack of a better term. The on-screen chemistry between Wade and Ryan was descent although hopefully the tall and chunky duo will not become the motif for, from nerd to popularity teen movies. We see this duo in Superbad, hopefully this great irreverent comedy has not created a monster.
The pace of the film was excellent. The acting was good but again some of the dialogue did feel rehearsed. I really enjoyed watching Owen Wilson perform in his usual laid back comedic style. This movie was very entertaining with the bulk of the comedy coming from the scenes where Filkins is bullying Wade and Ryan. They endure some much humiliation sorrow is induced, but laughter is still a priority. According to Movies.com , critics gave this film a C. The fans gave it a B, and I will give it a C+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Producers: Judd Apatow, Susan Arnold, and Donna Roth
Writen by: John Hughes, Kristofor Brown, and Seth Rogen
Starring: Owen Wilson(Drillbit Taylor), Nate Hartley(Wade), Troy Gentile(Ryan), David Dorfman(Emmit), Alex Frost(Filkins), Leslie Mann(Lisa) IMDb. Rated PG-13.
Wade and Ryan are are excited about the first day of high-school. Eager as can be they could not have waited to meet new friends as they were already strategizing on how to be popular. These plans were thwarted when Wade decides to intervene while Filkins (the school bully) was harassing a peculiar kid named Emmit. Wade's bravery granted Filkins a license to make high-school difficult for himself, Ryan and Emmit. Feeling beat-up, frightened, and frustrated, Wade, Emmit and Ryan decided to hire a body-guard as refuge from duress, and that body-guard was ultimately Drillbit Taylor.
The most pronounced performance in this film was provided by Alex Frost. He was absolutely convincing as a bully. From the facial expressions to the intimidating disposition, Frost delivered quite nicely. He did not seem to struggle in the role, and that made him appear quite believable. What was not so believable was that this 18 year old senior in high school lived an unsupervised life. While there was some effort by the film makers to justify that aspect of the characters life, as a young man is his late teens having a parental figure in his life could have kept the integrity of the bully role intact. Attributing parents to that character may not have affected his function in the film.
The texture of the film felt somewhat odd at times. There was something about some of the dialogue that felt rehearsed, for lack of a better term. The on-screen chemistry between Wade and Ryan was descent although hopefully the tall and chunky duo will not become the motif for, from nerd to popularity teen movies. We see this duo in Superbad, hopefully this great irreverent comedy has not created a monster.
The pace of the film was excellent. The acting was good but again some of the dialogue did feel rehearsed. I really enjoyed watching Owen Wilson perform in his usual laid back comedic style. This movie was very entertaining with the bulk of the comedy coming from the scenes where Filkins is bullying Wade and Ryan. They endure some much humiliation sorrow is induced, but laughter is still a priority. According to Movies.com , critics gave this film a C. The fans gave it a B, and I will give it a C+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Shutter: Ghostly Figures
Director: Masyuki Ochiai
Writer: Luke Dawson
Producers: Doug Davison,Takashige Ichise, Roy Lee
Starring: Joshua Jackson(Benjamin Shaw), Rachael Taylor(Jane Shaw), Megumi Okina(Megumi Tanaka), David Denman(Bruno), John Hensley(Adam), Maya Hazen(Seiko) IMDb.Rated-PG13.
While driving on a dark road Benjamin and Jane accidentally run over a young woman, but after the police complete a thorough search no traces of the young woman can be found. The couple subsequently move to Tokyo on account of Ben's work as a photographer. Jane begins to notice some the pictures her and Benjamin took together are marred with a white cloud like streak, and this also applies to some of the pictures taken from Benjamin's photo shoots. In one instance, Benjamin's assistant(Seiko) noticed the streak on the pictures and tells Jane of "spirit photography", and recommends that she should see her former boyfriend who owns a spirit photography magazine company. Seiko's former boyfriend refers Jane to a local spiritual medium which Jane and Benjamin end up consulting after they both saw the ghost of the young woman they ran over.
During the film I struggled quite considerably to sustain a measure of interest. The film was entertaining intermittently because the sequence of events within the film were ineffectual in terms of potency. The supposed frightful scenes were not frightful enough and that left me seeking to be frightened. In absence of suspense there were no special effects to tickle the mind into amusement, but admittedly the pace of the plot was descent, but that still did not save the impotence of the film, for the horror element did not rise to the occasion. The death scenes were not extraordinary, and they were rather platitudinous. At minimum a film must be entertaining but this film was not so entertaining in my opinion. Shutter is small screen entertainment, and my kind heart will grade it a D+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Writer: Luke Dawson
Producers: Doug Davison,Takashige Ichise, Roy Lee
Starring: Joshua Jackson(Benjamin Shaw), Rachael Taylor(Jane Shaw), Megumi Okina(Megumi Tanaka), David Denman(Bruno), John Hensley(Adam), Maya Hazen(Seiko) IMDb.Rated-PG13.
While driving on a dark road Benjamin and Jane accidentally run over a young woman, but after the police complete a thorough search no traces of the young woman can be found. The couple subsequently move to Tokyo on account of Ben's work as a photographer. Jane begins to notice some the pictures her and Benjamin took together are marred with a white cloud like streak, and this also applies to some of the pictures taken from Benjamin's photo shoots. In one instance, Benjamin's assistant(Seiko) noticed the streak on the pictures and tells Jane of "spirit photography", and recommends that she should see her former boyfriend who owns a spirit photography magazine company. Seiko's former boyfriend refers Jane to a local spiritual medium which Jane and Benjamin end up consulting after they both saw the ghost of the young woman they ran over.
During the film I struggled quite considerably to sustain a measure of interest. The film was entertaining intermittently because the sequence of events within the film were ineffectual in terms of potency. The supposed frightful scenes were not frightful enough and that left me seeking to be frightened. In absence of suspense there were no special effects to tickle the mind into amusement, but admittedly the pace of the plot was descent, but that still did not save the impotence of the film, for the horror element did not rise to the occasion. The death scenes were not extraordinary, and they were rather platitudinous. At minimum a film must be entertaining but this film was not so entertaining in my opinion. Shutter is small screen entertainment, and my kind heart will grade it a D+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Movie Favorites: Red Dragon
This is a great film, that is smart, engaging, and it has Anthony Hopkins, what more can be said. There may be very brief commercial interruptions, but the movies is not censored with all things being equal.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Doomsday: The Grunge of Scotland
The film features Rhona Mitra(Eden Sinclair), Bob Hoskins(Bill Nelson), Alexander Siddig(John Hatcher), Craig Conway(Sol), MyAnna Buring(Cally), and Malcolm Mcdowell(Kane). Neil Marshall directed and wrote, and Benedict Carver, and Steven Paul produced the film(IMDb). Rated-R.
All is well in Scotland, but when the "Reaper" virus infected the population, the government decides to build a wall around Scotland serving as a moat to protect England and the rest of the British Isles. However, 25 years later, well after the authorities believed the virus was extinct they were surprised to discover that the virus had resurfaced, and with only 48 hours before the virus begins to infect England, Major Eden Sinclair was recruited to find a cure, but the cure is in Scotland where part of the population has become cannibals.
The action scenes of the film were cut way too often to fully appreciate them, especially some of the fight scenes after Major Eden and her crew had initially entered Scotland. Furthermore, the lack of proper lighting in Kane's laboratory made that particular fight scene even more difficult to enjoy. During some of the fight scenes I could not help but think of how much I enjoyed the fight scenes in Rambo, and how Sylvester Stallone could have helped with technical advice.
While watching this film if you are reminded of Madmax, The Road Warrior, or Escape From NewYork, that is because the director was trying to combine some of the elements of the post apocalyptic films of the late 70's and and early to mid 80's, according to Wikipedia. This was also a cool way to pay homage to those films. The Medieval parts of the infected Scotland (influenced by the movie Excalibur) was centered around Scotland's Blackness Castle. It was a little weird, but what helped assuage the weirdness was the transition of using the supply tunnel. The supply tunnel beautifully bridged the grunge world and the medieval world.
The script was adequate for what the film intended, and the acting was solid for what the film intended. Rhona Mitra was awesome, and her character was tough, but her toughness may have been more pronounced if she had more fight scenes involving hand to hand combat, because that seemed to have been a great strength of the character. Rottentomatoes.com has given the film 4.5 out 10, and according to Movies.com the fans gave this film a B and critics gave it a D+, and I will give it a C-. Stay tuned, movieporium.blogspot.com.
All is well in Scotland, but when the "Reaper" virus infected the population, the government decides to build a wall around Scotland serving as a moat to protect England and the rest of the British Isles. However, 25 years later, well after the authorities believed the virus was extinct they were surprised to discover that the virus had resurfaced, and with only 48 hours before the virus begins to infect England, Major Eden Sinclair was recruited to find a cure, but the cure is in Scotland where part of the population has become cannibals.
The action scenes of the film were cut way too often to fully appreciate them, especially some of the fight scenes after Major Eden and her crew had initially entered Scotland. Furthermore, the lack of proper lighting in Kane's laboratory made that particular fight scene even more difficult to enjoy. During some of the fight scenes I could not help but think of how much I enjoyed the fight scenes in Rambo, and how Sylvester Stallone could have helped with technical advice.
While watching this film if you are reminded of Madmax, The Road Warrior, or Escape From NewYork, that is because the director was trying to combine some of the elements of the post apocalyptic films of the late 70's and and early to mid 80's, according to Wikipedia. This was also a cool way to pay homage to those films. The Medieval parts of the infected Scotland (influenced by the movie Excalibur) was centered around Scotland's Blackness Castle. It was a little weird, but what helped assuage the weirdness was the transition of using the supply tunnel. The supply tunnel beautifully bridged the grunge world and the medieval world.
The script was adequate for what the film intended, and the acting was solid for what the film intended. Rhona Mitra was awesome, and her character was tough, but her toughness may have been more pronounced if she had more fight scenes involving hand to hand combat, because that seemed to have been a great strength of the character. Rottentomatoes.com has given the film 4.5 out 10, and according to Movies.com the fans gave this film a B and critics gave it a D+, and I will give it a C-. Stay tuned, movieporium.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Hulk Trailer 2008
There seems to be very little buzz about the upcoming Hulk movie. While most are eagerly anticipating Ironman and Batman, the Hulk is set to release on June 13, 2008. From what the trailer allows us to see, the film already looks fun to watch, and the incredible Hulk is tailored as a force of goodness. The 03 Hulk looked impressive, but noticeably too florescent. In contrast, the 08 Hulk is dark green in appearance with more muscle definition. One key distinction noted in the trailer is the nemesis figure contrived by the film makers. The dichotomy of good against evil is ostensibly better defined, and if compared to 03 Hulk the antagonist was not as defined, albeit the antagonist did emerged during the falling action of the film. The Hulk is against tough competition this summer, and the trailer for this film may have been released a little late considering that the Batman and Ironman trailer has been in release for a while. Stay tuned, movieporium.blogspot.com.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Semi-pro: Jive Turkey !
The film features Will Ferrell(Jackie Moon), Woody Harrelson(Monix), Andre Benjamin(Clarence 'Coffee' Black), Maura Tierny(Lynn), Andrew Daly(Dick Pepperfield), Will Arnett(Lou Redwood), and Andy Richter(Bobby Dee). Kent Alterman directed, Scot Armstrong wrote, and Jimmy Miller produced the film(IMDb). Rated-R.
Jackie Moon was originally a singer who had a hit single "Love Me Sexy." The proceeds from the single enabled Jackie Moon to buy a basketball team called the "Tropics" out of Flint, Michigan in the ABA(American Basketball Association). The team sucked, and when the ABA decided to merge with the NBA four teams were to be integrated with the NBA excluding the Tropics and the rest of the ABA. In a league meeting, Jackie Moon being dissatisfied with the terms, persisted that the conditions for entry into the NBA be based on performance, and then begins the race for the prestigious and highly coveted fourth place.
Seeing Will Farrell in 1970's fashion is funny in itself, but the overall movie did make me laugh. The humor in this film may appeal and satisfy the comedic demands of those who appreciate weird humor such as a man biting his hand because his team did not qualify for the NBA. Those who are not really into the sort humor that Will Farrell is known for, may see absolutely nothing funny about that. There was some subtle humor in the movie that went right over the head of movie-watchers, for example, when Jackie Moon walks into the night club with ice packs taped to his knees. Nobody in the theater laughed at that, but basket ball fans may have appreciated that because professional basketball players wrap ice around their knees court-side but never in night clubs presumably.
Potentially, the funniest part in this movie is the jive turkey scene. Besides the obvious careless play with the gun, another funny part of that scene is, Lou Redwood is angry about being called a "jive turkey" rather than a "cock sucker." This scene is classic and movie-watchers responded with incessant laughter. The scene where Jackie Moon fights the bear is also funny, but that scene is beat by the fight scene during the commercial break.
The script is adequate for what the movie intended be, which is a pleasantly stupid movie designed to make people laugh. Although as I walked out of the theater, one young woman mentioned the movie was not funny, the film still had an appeal that Will Farrell fans will appreciate. Now, was this movie funnier than Superbad? No, apparently not. The rhythm of the film was sometimes lost by the subtle humor mentioned earlier, and for this reason its either the audience was laughing really hard or just chuckling at parts that were mildly funny. The casting was great, and the chemistry amongst the actors was awesome, but this movie was simply entertaining, but according Movies.com fans and critics agree, Semi-pro deserves a B-, but I'll give it a C. Stay tuned, movieporium.blogspot.com.
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