British, Dry Comedy
3 stars
Funny, but slow moving. British actors Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play themselves on a road trip through Northern England. Coogan reluctantly asks Brydon to join him on the trip after his girlfriend backs out. The two bicker and jab each other while they impersonate their favorite actors over and over again. I did laugh out loud several times, but it does move along a bit slowly. Only for people who have patience for the slower pace of some independent films.
Monday, June 27, 2011
DVD Comedy recommendations
A quirky list of my personal favorite comedies you probably haven't seen or thought of in quite awhile:
A Fish Called Wanda
Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis
British caper/heist with American actors. "Don't call me stupid"
All of Me
Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin
Martin's body is partially possessed by Lily Tomlin
Bad News Bears
Tatum O'Neil
Best Little League movie
Bandits
Bruce Willis, Cate Blanchett, Billy Bob Thornton
Cate Blanchett bonds with her kidnappers, love it!
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Keanu Reeves
Two dopey teenagers enjoy a time-machine adventure.
City Slickers
Billy Crystal, Jack Palance
City boys play cowboy while on vacation
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caeser
Competitve but comical treasure hunt
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer
Modern day film noir murder mystery, so funny
Oh God
George Burns, John Denver
Classic. George Burns plays God
Paper Moon
Tatum O'Neil, Ryan O'Neil
Father/daughter con-artist team
Stir Crazy
Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder
The comic pair are framed for bank robbery and go to prison
Young Frankenstein
Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman
"It's Alive!!"
An Ideal Husband
Rupert Everett, Cate Blanchett
A government minister who is being blackmailed turns to his philandering buddy for help.
The Gods Must Be Crazy
N!xau
An African bushman discovers a discarded Coke bottle and thinks it’s a gift from the gods.
A Fish Called Wanda
Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis
British caper/heist with American actors. "Don't call me stupid"
All of Me
Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin
Martin's body is partially possessed by Lily Tomlin
Bad News Bears
Tatum O'Neil
Best Little League movie
Bandits
Bruce Willis, Cate Blanchett, Billy Bob Thornton
Cate Blanchett bonds with her kidnappers, love it!
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Keanu Reeves
Two dopey teenagers enjoy a time-machine adventure.
City Slickers
Billy Crystal, Jack Palance
City boys play cowboy while on vacation
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caeser
Competitve but comical treasure hunt
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer
Modern day film noir murder mystery, so funny
Oh God
George Burns, John Denver
Classic. George Burns plays God
Paper Moon
Tatum O'Neil, Ryan O'Neil
Father/daughter con-artist team
Stir Crazy
Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder
The comic pair are framed for bank robbery and go to prison
Young Frankenstein
Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman
"It's Alive!!"
An Ideal Husband
Rupert Everett, Cate Blanchett
A government minister who is being blackmailed turns to his philandering buddy for help.
The Gods Must Be Crazy
N!xau
An African bushman discovers a discarded Coke bottle and thinks it’s a gift from the gods.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Bad Teacher
Comedy
3.5 stars
Good, but not as funny as I’d hoped. Cameron Diaz stars as the title character who’s set on landing the rich but nerdy Justin Timberlake. Good supporting cast includes Phyllis Smith (“The Office”) and Lucy Punch (Take Me Home Tonight) as fellow teachers as well as Jason Segel as the gym teacher. It’s unfortunate so much of it was given away in the previews. It’s a decent flick, but I didn’t laugh as much as I expected to.
3.5 stars
Good, but not as funny as I’d hoped. Cameron Diaz stars as the title character who’s set on landing the rich but nerdy Justin Timberlake. Good supporting cast includes Phyllis Smith (“The Office”) and Lucy Punch (Take Me Home Tonight) as fellow teachers as well as Jason Segel as the gym teacher. It’s unfortunate so much of it was given away in the previews. It’s a decent flick, but I didn’t laugh as much as I expected to.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Art of Getting By
Indie, Teen Angst
3 stars
Good acting, but an unexceptional film. Freddie Highmore stars as privileged teen with a seemingly high IQ, artistic ability, and a good support system, who chooses not to apply himself and moons over dream girl, Emma Roberts. The impressive cast includes Rita Wilson as his mom, Blair Underwood as the school principle, and Alicia Silverstone (!) as his frumpy English teacher. We’ve all been through teen angst to varying degrees, but with this kid I just wanted to shake him by the shoulders and scream "Get over yourself!". Clearly Highmore’s character belongs in a school for gifted students, but his trials and tribulations are no more exceptional than anyone else’s. The ending was predictable, but I found myself hoping Robert’s character would decide differently than the outcome. A much better independent teen angst film, which also co-stars Emma Roberts and is available on DVD, is It's Kind of a Funny Story, where the teen checks himself into a mental ward and gets a good education on life. Skip this movie and rent It's Kind of a Funny Story instead.
3 stars
Good acting, but an unexceptional film. Freddie Highmore stars as privileged teen with a seemingly high IQ, artistic ability, and a good support system, who chooses not to apply himself and moons over dream girl, Emma Roberts. The impressive cast includes Rita Wilson as his mom, Blair Underwood as the school principle, and Alicia Silverstone (!) as his frumpy English teacher. We’ve all been through teen angst to varying degrees, but with this kid I just wanted to shake him by the shoulders and scream "Get over yourself!". Clearly Highmore’s character belongs in a school for gifted students, but his trials and tribulations are no more exceptional than anyone else’s. The ending was predictable, but I found myself hoping Robert’s character would decide differently than the outcome. A much better independent teen angst film, which also co-stars Emma Roberts and is available on DVD, is It's Kind of a Funny Story, where the teen checks himself into a mental ward and gets a good education on life. Skip this movie and rent It's Kind of a Funny Story instead.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Comedy, Family
3.5 stars
I actually liked this one. Jim Carrey stars as a successful real estate agent who inherits penguins from his Dad and makes a home for them in his NY high-rise condo. Of course the concept is ridiculous, but the penguins were so darned cute that I fell in love with them! Jim Carrey himself was more restrained in this role, rather than his usual full-out kooky self in films like Ace Ventura. The kids in the theater loved it and I think the parents will be relieved to watch a heartwarming comedy that skips gross-out gimmicks (aside from the penguins pooping a few times, but then, what would you expect from a wild animal brought indoors?). Real penguins combined with very realistic computer graphics were used. Appropriate for all ages. Really cute.
3.5 stars
I actually liked this one. Jim Carrey stars as a successful real estate agent who inherits penguins from his Dad and makes a home for them in his NY high-rise condo. Of course the concept is ridiculous, but the penguins were so darned cute that I fell in love with them! Jim Carrey himself was more restrained in this role, rather than his usual full-out kooky self in films like Ace Ventura. The kids in the theater loved it and I think the parents will be relieved to watch a heartwarming comedy that skips gross-out gimmicks (aside from the penguins pooping a few times, but then, what would you expect from a wild animal brought indoors?). Real penguins combined with very realistic computer graphics were used. Appropriate for all ages. Really cute.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Green Lantern
Sci-Fi, Action
3.5 stars
Fun movie with great special effects. Ryan Reynolds plays a Top Gun type pilot who receives the powerful green ring from a dying alien, and is now obliged to fight the bad guys of universe. The talented Peter Sarsgaard is great as the schleppy professor called in to examine the dead alien. I enjoyed all the imaginative aliens and their creative tricks. The only weak link was the choice of using Blake Lively as Reynolds’s boss/love interest. She’s not a bad actress, but she’s way too young to be believable as his superior in the Air Force. Also, the romantic scenes were way too syrupy and slowed down the pace of the film. I would have loved to have seen another Kelly McGillis-type actress (Top Gun) steam up that role. Otherwise, it’s a fun ride. There is a small scene partway into the closing credits that open up the story for a sequel. Not an award contender, but a fun ride nonetheless.
3.5 stars
Fun movie with great special effects. Ryan Reynolds plays a Top Gun type pilot who receives the powerful green ring from a dying alien, and is now obliged to fight the bad guys of universe. The talented Peter Sarsgaard is great as the schleppy professor called in to examine the dead alien. I enjoyed all the imaginative aliens and their creative tricks. The only weak link was the choice of using Blake Lively as Reynolds’s boss/love interest. She’s not a bad actress, but she’s way too young to be believable as his superior in the Air Force. Also, the romantic scenes were way too syrupy and slowed down the pace of the film. I would have loved to have seen another Kelly McGillis-type actress (Top Gun) steam up that role. Otherwise, it’s a fun ride. There is a small scene partway into the closing credits that open up the story for a sequel. Not an award contender, but a fun ride nonetheless.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Super 8
Sci-Fi, Adventure
4.5 stars
Excellent movie, I loved it. After a terrible Air Force freight train crash, strange things start to happen in a small Ohio town, taking place in 1979. A group of kids who were filming an amateur film witnessed the crash and knew there was something very wrong about it. I won’t give away anymore. The kids were great actors, especially Elle Fanning. It is very reminiscent of classic Spielberg films like E.T. and The Goonies with children playing the lead roles and pursuing dangerous adventures. Too scary for smaller kids. Make sure to stay after the credits role for some priceless extra scenes. Loved, loved, loved this movie.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Midnight in Paris
Indie, Romance
4.5 stars
Loved it! Owen Wilson stars in this Woody Allen film as man longing for the 1920’s era of Paris, and finds it after the clock strikes midnight. While his fiancée (Rachel McAdams) has different goals in mind for the future, Wilson finds himself at home rubbing shoulders with legendary expats of 1920’s Paris and develops an attraction to Marion Cotillard. The film feels like a love letter to Paris with beautiful scenery and that je ne sais quoi... Sorry, I got a little carried away for a moment. For romantics, Francophiles, and lovers of the artists and writers of that era. I plan on buying the Blu-Ray when it comes out. Loved it!
4.5 stars
Loved it! Owen Wilson stars in this Woody Allen film as man longing for the 1920’s era of Paris, and finds it after the clock strikes midnight. While his fiancée (Rachel McAdams) has different goals in mind for the future, Wilson finds himself at home rubbing shoulders with legendary expats of 1920’s Paris and develops an attraction to Marion Cotillard. The film feels like a love letter to Paris with beautiful scenery and that je ne sais quoi... Sorry, I got a little carried away for a moment. For romantics, Francophiles, and lovers of the artists and writers of that era. I plan on buying the Blu-Ray when it comes out. Loved it!
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