Saturday, October 9, 2010
Scratch that!
Hey all, we will have a new movie review this Sunday! Promise! We have been so busy, what with my new job, Suzy's new job, and Suzy's move. We are watching Secretariat and Life as We Know It today, so watch this space!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Jon's take on Easy A
Easy A is supposed to be a throw back to the great John Hughes movies of the 80s. It stars Emma Stone, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Amanda Bynes (in her "supposedly last" film), Thomas Haden Church, Lisa Kudrow, Penn Badgley, Alyson Michalka (no, I've never heard of her either) and Dan Bird.The film had a lot of problems for me. First off, I was told this was supposed to be a film that was in the style of a John Hughes movie, but instead, it reference John Hughes directly once, mimics him and then POINTS out that it mimiced him. There is a nice montage of his films in the movie, though that felt a little out of place.
As the story begins, we meet Olive (Stone) who lies to her friend Rhiannon (Michalka) and tells her she lost her v-card to a college student. Their conversation is overheard and quickly spreads through the school. Well, she tells a friend of hers, Brandon (Bird), that it wasn't true. He asks her if she will pretend that she slept with him to prevent the guys at school from picking on him. He figures if he says he had sex with her, the guys will take him in and respect him, since currently he is their punching bag. This will get worse as word spreads about what she supposedly did for him and lots of guys start to pay her if she will lie to them. Meanwhile, in class, Church plays her favorite teacher, Mr. Griffith, who is having the class read the Scarlet Letter, so Olive sews an A to her clothes and plays up the part of a tramp, not really funny to me.
Olive's parents, Tucci and Clarkson, are brilliant as her parents, and her support system. She has a little brother who is adopted and together, the four of them have some very funny conversations. "You are only related to me through marriage!" Olive says to her father. I wish the film had been about their home life, then I would have really liked it.
As Olive's life starts to unravel, she has runins with various people, Kudrow as the wife of Mr. Griffith and an advice councellor is a complete waste. She has to contend with Marianne (Bynes) as the leader of a crazed Christian group who are angry at her for her blatant display of immorality. Marianne is shown as completely nuts and so are all her little minions. Malcolm McDowells shows up for all of about 5 mins as the school principal. And then there is the requisite hero, Woodchuck Todd (Badgley) who is spoken of at the beginning of the movie, then swoops in conveniently in the last 10 minutes to help our heroine fix her problem just in time for the credits to roll.
I did like how the end of the movie worked, that was actually pretty clever, however, it did feel a little forced as the first hour and 20 is showing how the lie is destroying her life, the last 10 implies that all that damage can be fixed that easily. What? You've gotta be kidding me, even Full House took longer to resolve issues!
So, I did like some of the humor of the film, but most of it fell flat for me and I only occasionally smiled and twice laughed out loud. Her first scene with Brandon is classic and anytime Tucci and Clarkson were on screen, I perked up. However, the blatant immorality that ran through this and the mockery of Christians without at least one sane one to show up was annoying. That aside, this was no John Hughes movie, more like a "let's pay tribute to him by making random references to him" type of movie.
Does this film deserve a PG-13 rating? Absolutely not. This should have been R. It contains a lot of language. Lisa Kudrow is jaw droppingly vulgar in one scene and anytime Alyson pops up, the filmmakers seemed to think it was funny for her to call everyone, "B*tch". Not funny. Also, there is quite a heavy amount of sex-related dialogue as that is what this movie is all about.
As to whether this film is any good? If you are a fan of Emma Stone (I am), rent it. Or if you want to watch Tucci and Clarkson work their magic. Just don't get your hopes up cause this isn't that great. 1 1/2 out of 4 gold bricks for the "eh" Easy A.
Suzy's take on Easy A
This is gonna be quick folks as I am in the process of moving house. But, my take is Easy A is one of my favorites of the year, with only a few missteps, it gets 3 1/2 out of 4 gold bricks. I'll put more up later.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
LIfe is crazy
Hey all, we are going to be posting more reviews soon. Easy A will be on here hopefully within the next 2 days. And, of course, Wall Street: Money Never Dies will be reviewed soon. Our lives are a little hectic right now, what with Suzy getting a new job and moving and myself having a lot on my plate as well. Stay tuned!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Dinner For Schmucks: Jon's View
Alright, so many of you know that I believe Steve Carell walks on cinematic water. I love everything he does. But, I have to step away from that belief when writing reviews to be fair to you all. :)
Dinner For Schmucks stars of course Carell as Barry, Paul Rudd as Tim, Bruce Greenwood as Tim's boss Lance, Zack Galifianakis is Therman, Jemain Clement as Kieran, Lucy Punch is Darla, and Stephanie Szostak is Julie, David Walliems is Mueller. Tim is getting a promotion at his marketing job after he comes up with a brilliant idea to win the business of this wealthy Swiss investor, Mueller. His boss tells him that there is this business dinner held once a month where they find weirdos and make fun of them. Tim tells his girlfriend, Julie, who is appalled by this. He tells her he won't do it, and wasn't going to, until he accidentally hits Barry with his car. Barry was picking up a dead mouse to use in one of his mousterpieces (hilarious). We will get to see many of his creations and they are very funny, some are even touching and sweet. Anyway, Barry decides he will be friends with Tim, whether Tim wants him to be or not. Unfortunately, disaster follows Barry. So, Barry accidentally sends Julie away whilest bringing in Darla who is someone from Tim's past that stalks him. Julie is working at an art gallery and Keiran is the man whose art is on display. He is the only thing I didn't like in this movie. He is creepy and off putting, but he works as a sort of villain. Barry wants to help Tim get Julie back and stop Keiran from getting her while Tim is trying to get this promotion and stop Barry from ruining his life. Therman is Barry's rival and well, you have to watch it to see why.
The movie is very funny. It's a mix of slapstick and innuendo. It is dry humor which really works well for this, but there is enough physical humor to keep you smiling if you aren't into the double entendres. The dinner won't come till the last 20 mins of the movie, but there are plenty of fun gags along the way. It is a sweet movie about friendship, and doing the right thing even when it costs you. That being said, there is one scene that really turned my stomach and did derail the film a little bit, but other than that it flows well and does what it set out to do. It's smartly acted and well written. Zack G cracked me up with his "mind tricks", he has some of the funniest scenes. If you are a fan of Steve Carell, you will love this, if not, you will probably still enjoy it, maybe just not love it.
For those concerned about content, there is some language at the very beginning and one rough one right at the end. There is also some sexual humor, but you will probably laugh in spite of that.
We don't give out our 5 brick rating till the end of the year, but I will tell you, this is going in my top 5. I loved it (I'm trying not to be biased here!), a solid 4 gold bricks out of 4 for Dinner For Schmucks.
Dinner For Schmucks stars of course Carell as Barry, Paul Rudd as Tim, Bruce Greenwood as Tim's boss Lance, Zack Galifianakis is Therman, Jemain Clement as Kieran, Lucy Punch is Darla, and Stephanie Szostak is Julie, David Walliems is Mueller. Tim is getting a promotion at his marketing job after he comes up with a brilliant idea to win the business of this wealthy Swiss investor, Mueller. His boss tells him that there is this business dinner held once a month where they find weirdos and make fun of them. Tim tells his girlfriend, Julie, who is appalled by this. He tells her he won't do it, and wasn't going to, until he accidentally hits Barry with his car. Barry was picking up a dead mouse to use in one of his mousterpieces (hilarious). We will get to see many of his creations and they are very funny, some are even touching and sweet. Anyway, Barry decides he will be friends with Tim, whether Tim wants him to be or not. Unfortunately, disaster follows Barry. So, Barry accidentally sends Julie away whilest bringing in Darla who is someone from Tim's past that stalks him. Julie is working at an art gallery and Keiran is the man whose art is on display. He is the only thing I didn't like in this movie. He is creepy and off putting, but he works as a sort of villain. Barry wants to help Tim get Julie back and stop Keiran from getting her while Tim is trying to get this promotion and stop Barry from ruining his life. Therman is Barry's rival and well, you have to watch it to see why.
The movie is very funny. It's a mix of slapstick and innuendo. It is dry humor which really works well for this, but there is enough physical humor to keep you smiling if you aren't into the double entendres. The dinner won't come till the last 20 mins of the movie, but there are plenty of fun gags along the way. It is a sweet movie about friendship, and doing the right thing even when it costs you. That being said, there is one scene that really turned my stomach and did derail the film a little bit, but other than that it flows well and does what it set out to do. It's smartly acted and well written. Zack G cracked me up with his "mind tricks", he has some of the funniest scenes. If you are a fan of Steve Carell, you will love this, if not, you will probably still enjoy it, maybe just not love it.
For those concerned about content, there is some language at the very beginning and one rough one right at the end. There is also some sexual humor, but you will probably laugh in spite of that.
We don't give out our 5 brick rating till the end of the year, but I will tell you, this is going in my top 5. I loved it (I'm trying not to be biased here!), a solid 4 gold bricks out of 4 for Dinner For Schmucks.
Wall Street: Jon's view
We saw Wall Street since the sequel is coming out soon. We wanted to be able to compare the sequel to the original film. That being said, we also realize that this film is 23 years old and we wanted to judge it from the eyes of a viewer in that time period.
Wall Street was directed by Oliver Stone and stars Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, John C McGinley, Terrence Stamp,. Hal Holbrook, and James Spader. The story focuses on a young stocktrader, Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) whose got ambition and wants to meet the great Gordan Gekko (not Geico!) and share his ideas. His friend and coworker played by John C McGinley, doesn't think he stands a chance of ever getting in. He finally just goes to Gekko's office and gets 5 minutes to meet Gekko. Gekko is impressed with this young man and decides to mentor him in his ways. Fox's dad (Martin Sheen), doesn't like Gekko at all and warns Bud to avoid him. Fox Senior owns a plane company and is leary of Gekko and his ways. Bud Fox goes to Gekko's house one night and meets the love interest Daryl Hannah. Why on earth they cast her as the love interest is beyond me. She's not a great actress, she's not attractive, her face is very manly. Suzy even cracked that she looked like a drag queen! We also meet Gekko's wife, Sean Young here. The only reason she is in this movie is because she was considered "eye candy". The women literally have nothing to do here. The other actors are in smaller roles, Spader is Gekko's lawyer, Hal Holbrook is Fox Jr's boss.
The film takes us down this road about greed and what it will do to you. Bud Fox is shown as a shallow, ambitious man who will do what it takes to get ahead, which is just what Gekko is looking for. Unfortunately, we don't really like any of the characters except for maybe Fox Senior, he's the only one with any integrity. The film does move at a quick pace, sweeping you up in the crazy world of the NYSE, but that's all it does. The remorse Sheen shows once he finally wakes up, is stupid and fake. His crying was funny in what is supposed to be a big scene. Michael Douglas and Martin Sheen were great, but Douglas' lines were annoying. He spoke in cliches all the way through the movie! Enough already, noone speaks that way! That was beyond ridiculous. All of his lines were oneliners, and of course, there is his famous "Greed is good!" speech, which was the best part of this whole mess.
Don't get me wrong, I've seen films from Oliver Stone that I like, but this was not good. The story spends a whole lot of time building up, then wraps everything up in about 10 minutes, with no real satisfying conclusion. It's just kind of there. A lot of things happen that are completely pointless, there is a conversation between Douglas and Hannah that makes no sense, they must have left that storyline on the cutting room floor, because what she says comes out of nowhere and is out of sync with the rest of the movie. The remorse of Bud Fox is utterly implausible, and outlandish, it doesn't really make a lot of sense in keeping with the flow of the film. Along with that, the story just isn't that compelling.
For those who want to see this, be warned, the language is rough. There are quite a few f bombs in it, along with other harsh swearing. There is also some nudity that comes outta nowhere and a sex scene (in shadows, so nothing too graphic). I really didn't like this movie (can you tell?). 1 1/2 gold bricks for the blah Wall Street. Hope the sequel is worth my time.
Wall Street was directed by Oliver Stone and stars Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, John C McGinley, Terrence Stamp,. Hal Holbrook, and James Spader. The story focuses on a young stocktrader, Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) whose got ambition and wants to meet the great Gordan Gekko (not Geico!) and share his ideas. His friend and coworker played by John C McGinley, doesn't think he stands a chance of ever getting in. He finally just goes to Gekko's office and gets 5 minutes to meet Gekko. Gekko is impressed with this young man and decides to mentor him in his ways. Fox's dad (Martin Sheen), doesn't like Gekko at all and warns Bud to avoid him. Fox Senior owns a plane company and is leary of Gekko and his ways. Bud Fox goes to Gekko's house one night and meets the love interest Daryl Hannah. Why on earth they cast her as the love interest is beyond me. She's not a great actress, she's not attractive, her face is very manly. Suzy even cracked that she looked like a drag queen! We also meet Gekko's wife, Sean Young here. The only reason she is in this movie is because she was considered "eye candy". The women literally have nothing to do here. The other actors are in smaller roles, Spader is Gekko's lawyer, Hal Holbrook is Fox Jr's boss.
The film takes us down this road about greed and what it will do to you. Bud Fox is shown as a shallow, ambitious man who will do what it takes to get ahead, which is just what Gekko is looking for. Unfortunately, we don't really like any of the characters except for maybe Fox Senior, he's the only one with any integrity. The film does move at a quick pace, sweeping you up in the crazy world of the NYSE, but that's all it does. The remorse Sheen shows once he finally wakes up, is stupid and fake. His crying was funny in what is supposed to be a big scene. Michael Douglas and Martin Sheen were great, but Douglas' lines were annoying. He spoke in cliches all the way through the movie! Enough already, noone speaks that way! That was beyond ridiculous. All of his lines were oneliners, and of course, there is his famous "Greed is good!" speech, which was the best part of this whole mess.
Don't get me wrong, I've seen films from Oliver Stone that I like, but this was not good. The story spends a whole lot of time building up, then wraps everything up in about 10 minutes, with no real satisfying conclusion. It's just kind of there. A lot of things happen that are completely pointless, there is a conversation between Douglas and Hannah that makes no sense, they must have left that storyline on the cutting room floor, because what she says comes out of nowhere and is out of sync with the rest of the movie. The remorse of Bud Fox is utterly implausible, and outlandish, it doesn't really make a lot of sense in keeping with the flow of the film. Along with that, the story just isn't that compelling.
For those who want to see this, be warned, the language is rough. There are quite a few f bombs in it, along with other harsh swearing. There is also some nudity that comes outta nowhere and a sex scene (in shadows, so nothing too graphic). I really didn't like this movie (can you tell?). 1 1/2 gold bricks for the blah Wall Street. Hope the sequel is worth my time.
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