Review of Benjamin Button

I watched several trailers and read previews online, but the entire premise of the movie (the main character ages in reverse: is born an old man and dies a baby), seemed utterly ridiculous to me. However, having seen the film, I have to admit, I was blown away. It is arguably one of the best films of the year and probably Brad Pitt’s best acting effort, period. There are very solid reasons it got five Golden Globe nominations last week.

Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) stars as a man who is born old (as a baby, he is crippled, has arthritis, heart disease, and is hideously wrinkled and deformed) and gradually gets younger as the film progresses. Abandoned by his father after his wife dies delivering Benjamin, he is adopted by an old folks home, run by Queenie (Taraji Henson). Believing he will die soon anyways from his many ailments, she raises Benjamin as her own. Benjamin soon meets Daisy (Kate Blanchett), one of the nursing home’s patient’s grandchildren. They grow up together and become fast friends. Eventually, Benjamin learns to walk and begins a whole series of adventures, from drinking to visiting whorehouses to sailing the high seas.

For many this movie will draw parallels to Forrest Gump. The acting is superb, the special effects are excellent (Brad Pitt’s face on the body of an old man for example), and the direction are outstanding. All in all, this was an excellent movie. If one was to find something to detract from it, the length (over 2 ½ hours) is a little long, but the film never drags or slows and constantly keeps humming along.

All in all, this movie was a very pleasant surprise, as I wasn’t sure what to expect. Take sometime out over the holidays and go see this movie, as people will be talking about it when you go back to work or school.

http://www.benjaminbutton.com/

9 out of 10

Role Models review

Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) are a couple of salesmen for an energy drink company, Minotaur. They drive around in a huge truck and market it to kids in schools. After an accident fueled by too much Minotaur, the judge gives them a choice, 150 hours of community service or 30 days in jail. They reluctantly choose the community service, and are sent to ‘Sturdy Wings’, a Big Brothers-like organization, where they are to spend time and mentor young boys. Danny gets Augie, a D&D loving nerd, while Wheeler gets Ronnie, a foul mouthed fifth grader. Suddenly jail doesn’t seem so bad.

All in all, the movie falls into the same genre as Superbad and the many other Judd apatow films of recent (this one has nothing to do with him). There is plenty of cursing, bountiful drinking, gratuitous nudity, and even a little recreational drug use tossed in for good measure. KISS fans will especially enjoy Wheeler’s love of them, from his KISS pinball machine, to his description of them as pussy magnets, to the climax of the film. Plenty of one liners and nasty gags are spread liberally throughout the film. My favourite was in the beginning when Danny arrives to pick up Wheeler, who says “guess what I did last night” and shoves his finger under Danny’s nose.

Jane Lynch (40 Year Old Virgin) makes an appearance as a reformed drug addict/alcoholic who now runs Sturdy Wings and is pretty over the top. Unfortunately, some of her scenes work and some don’t, making for some awkward watching. Despite this, it’s still a pretty solid movie.

http://www.rolemodelsmovie.com/

8 out of 10

Madagascar 2: Out of Africa

Longing to return to the Central Park Zoo, Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo set off in a repaired plane. Of course King Julien and his sidekick Marice tag along for fun. When it runs out of fuel, the plane crashes inside a wildlife refuge in Kenya, full of lions, zebras, giraffes, and hippos. While the penguins and monkeys attempt repairs, everyone is faced with a choice; is it better here or at the zoo?

All the same characters are back for the sequel. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett all reprise their roles in this animated movie. Once again, a crisis involving Alex ensues and their friendship is tested. It is much of the same as the first movie, with arguably more humour and fun thrown into the mix. Once again, the penguins steal the show, with wisecracks and gags. Fortunately, they are not relegated to a secondary role as they were in the first movie.

All in all, this was an enjoyable movie and should appeal to those who liked the first, mostly children. Luckily as Dreamworks did with Shrek, they’ve thrown in enough adult humour to keep the parents interested too.


http://www.madagascarmovie.com/

7 out of 10

Review of Death Race

The year is 2012, the US economy has collapsed, creating a global recession and crime has become rampant. In response, the US prison system has been privatized and is now a money-making business. Corporations, looking for extra revenue streams, begin broadcasting death sports between convicts. The most popular is ‘Death Race’, a NASCAR-like race with armed and armoured cars, where five victories means freedom and losing means death. Reminiscent of the game Car Wars, the combatants fly around a track in souped-up cars fitted with armour, rockets, machine guns, napalm, and a variety of defensive weaponry. To pump up the audience, female inmates from another prison are bussed in to be ‘navigators’ in the Death Race.

Former race car driver and ex-con Jensen Ames (Jason Stratham) is framed for the murder of his wife and sent to Terminal Island. There, the warden (a mean spirited Joan Allen) tells him to race or rot in a cell for the rest of his life. The bonus, he will take the place of the most famous racer ever, Frankenstein. As Frankenstein had already won four races, if he wins this race, he will gain his freedom. He was actually killed in a previous race, but Frankenstein is a crowd favourite, so the warden is desperate to have him back. Since he dropped out of the races, viewership has plunged and everyone is eagerly awaiting his return. All he has to do is outlast seven other competitors, including his arch-nemesis Machinegun Joe.

Ostensibly a remake of Roger Corman’s 70s classic, Death Race 2000, about the only thing that is the same is the title. The movie is a testosterone fueled rush of cars, explosions and hot women. Joan Allen in particular plays the nasty warden very well. Stratham portrays essentially the same character he has several times (Crank, Transporter, etc), so you know what to expect. Tyrese Gibson plays the psychotic Machinegun Joe quite well also. The plot is limited and the stars, in reality are the cars, guns and explosions. There are occasional plot holes, (the windows are supposed to be mirrored glass, yet the drivers can flip each other the bird) but they don’t really take away from the story. There are several sub-plots, like the warden’s scheming to keep ‘Frankenstein’ behind bars to keep ratings, the crime that framed Jensen and so on. If you are looking for an action packed film laced with profanity, violence and mayhem, this is your film.

http://www.deathracemovie.net/

7 out of 10

Tropic Thunder Review

Tug Speedman (Ben Stiller) is an actor hired to star in an ensemble Vietnam war movie based on a best-selling book (Tropic Thunder), with two other huge stars, Oscar winner Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) and drug-addled funnyman Jeff Portnoy(Jack Black). Of course, with such huge egos, the production goes astray and the director is amiss on how to get it back on track. The author of Tropic Thunder, himself a Vietnam vet, suggests a trip into the jungle away from the luxury and personal assistants each one has. There, they encounter a drug lord and the fictional war movie suddenly becomes reality.

This movie is one of the funniest Stiller has made in a while. It starts out as a spoof of war movies and begins taking shots at Hollywood stars’ egos and the movie industry. There are tons of sight gags, like the fountain of blood from a wounded soldier to exploding cast members to the slaughter of an endangered species. The movie itself starts out with some of the best fake movie trailers ever made. Stiller’s Scorcher series are atypical of action movies, while Portnoy’s Farty Family is a rip off of Eddie Murphy fat suit movies. Lazarus’ Satan’s Alley has to be seen to be believed (and the cameo in it is downright hilarious too). By the end of the fake trailers, I was already crying I was laughing so hard. When the movie itself gets going, it takes shots at Vietnam movies, parodying the scene in Platoon where Willem Dafoe is running, trying to get to the helicopters and gets shot in the back.

Jack Black is almost an afterthought in this movie, which in my opinion, is a good thing. The only good thing he brings are his scenes with his ‘jellybeans’ (heroin stash) are pretty funny. Robert Downey Jr. steals huge chunks of the film with his portrayal of an African-American sergeant, with his classic line, “I’m just a dude disguised as dude playing another dude”. Ben Stiller brings in plenty of comedic moments, including his outright refusal to believe that the bad guys they run into aren’t just actors testing them. His former dramatic role as ‘Simple Jack’, a handicapped farmer is the one that has the Special Olympics and tons of other groups up in arms. In some ways it is offensive, but the use of ‘retard’ is never meant to be crude, just a way to expose how shallow all the actors in the movie really are.


http://www.tropicthunder.com/

9 out of 10

Pineapple Express Review

Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) stars as yet another stoner who lives for weed and its narcotic effects. When he has a stressful day at work, which is everyday because he is a process server, he lights up and all his worries melt away. He buys his MJ from Saul Silver (James Franco). One day he gets some really rare weed, Pineapple Express from Saul. He is parked outside a house ready to deliver a summons when he witnesses a murder by a drug lord and a crooked cop. In his panic to flee, he drops his roach clip with the Pineapple Express on the road and takes off, but not before he rams several cars parked nearby several times. He races over to Saul’s to find out just how rare PE is. Terrified, they flee Saul’s apartment and hide in the woods. In the beginning, they think their paranoia is irrational, but they quickly learn that hired killers are only a step behind them and the race is on.

The movie is a typical Apatow production, with plenty of cursing, drug use and over the top insanity. Once Rogen witnesses the murder, the movie barrels along like a roller coaster, full of laughs, gunplay and gore. The fight scenes in the movie are hilarious, with kitty litter, toilets, ashtrays and all manner of paraphernalia used to good effect. The movie’s lone car chase is one of the funniest I’ve ever seen.

The movie is well paced and very funny but has a few shortcomings. Several sub-plots go nowhere, especially the one about Rogen’s high school age girlfriend. A scene has Saul and Dale sell drugs to elementary school aged kids…not cool IMHO. However, James Franco steals nearly every scene he is in, especially his paranoia while in the woods. He definitely has a career in comedy if he so chooses. Rogen pulls out the same stoner character he has played in other Apatow films. He doesn’t do anything poorly, but he doesn’t really add anything or do anything unexpected. Danny McBride is hilarious as the drug dealer middleman who sold Saul the Pineapple Express. His character reminded me of Wile Coyote, simply because he takes a beating and keeps coming back for more.

http://www.ridetheexpress.com/

9 out of 10

Step Brothers Review

Wil Ferrell and John C. Reilly team up to bring us Step Brother (they also starred together in Talladega Nights). Brennan Huff (Ferrell) is a 39 year old unemployed bum who still lives with his mother (Mary Steenburgen). He plays video games and eats nachos all day long. His mother meets Robert (Richard Jenkins) at a medical conference and fall in love. They quickly get married. The catch, Robert has a 40 year unemployed bum for a son too, Dale (Reilly). Right from the start, they hate each other and try to maim and embarrass each other constantly. They only stop trying to kill each other when they are threatened by Brennan’s younger brother, Derek (Adam Scott). He is very successful, has a nice family, and is an over-the-top asshole to his brother and new step-brother.

Both Ferrell and Reilly are very funny in their slacker roles. Their gags come non-stop for the first half of the movie. When they team up to become successful, their company’s (Prestige International) rap video is one of the most outrageous things you’ll see this year in a movie. But the big scene-stealer is Adam Scott, who plays an arrogant prick who enjoys taunting his brother and rubbing his success in his face. A close runner-up is Kathryn Hayn, who plays Alice, Derek’s wife. Her scenes with Reilly are downright hilarious.

The film was very good and the pacing excellent. The plot is non-existent, but let’s be honest, plot is usually secondary in most comedies anyways (or a way to set-up more gags). There is hardly a let-up in jokes and gags, and the scene where Ferrell buries Reilly is classic Wil Ferrell.

http://www.stepbrothers-movie.com/

7 out of 10

Hancock review

Hancock is a socially inept homeless alcoholic, who has no respect for anyone. The catch of course, is that Hancock is also a superhero, who can fly, is invulnerable and fights crime when he can sober up. His general disdain for society is shown by his actions. One day he saves Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) from getting crushed by a train. Embrey is a PR man who takes Hancock under his wing and proposes to repair his terrible media image. Embrey’s wife (Charlize Theron) thinks Hancock is nothing but trouble and that her husband should stop helping him. Embrey’s first piece of advice is to let the D.A. arrest Hancock and put him in jail, making people realize that they need Hancock.

Much like the Incredibles tried to portray what might if superheroes really existed, Hancock takes a page from that book and shows what happens to a superhero, who despite his good intentions, sometimes does more harm than good. The movie starts as a satire on the superhero genre and for the first half is very good. The jokes are good and effects, while not perfect, are still pretty good. After his return to Los Angeles though, the movie falls apart. Through an interesting plot twist, Hancock learns of his origins and his past. A villain appears from out of nowhere and attacks Hancock at the exact moment he learns of his vulnerability. That shift from satire to a very dark movie is odd and totally unexpected.

All in all, the movie was pretty good, but it’s likely not going to be the summer blockbuster Sony was hoping for.

http://www.hancock-movie.com/

8 out of 10

Review of Wanted

Wanted is based on Mark Millar’s graphic novels. Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a lowly, brow-beaten corporate drone. His girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend, his boss berates him constantly and he has a standing prescription for anxiety medicine. Then, one day, Fox (Angelina Jolie) appears and informs him that his estranged father has just been murdered. Morgan Freeman makes an appearance as the Fraternity’s leader. He joins the Fraternity, an elite group of assassins with a 1000 year old history. He is tutored and trained to be a world class assassin so he can avenge his father’s death.

Wanted was directed by the same director who did Night Watch and Day Watch (Timur Bekmambetov), so the action is very interesting, full of cheesy slo-mos and impossible stunts. A solid suspension of disbelief is necessary for this movie. Still, the action is non-stop and very watchable. McAvoy does an excellent job of portraying Gibson as a loser and then following through on his amazing transformation. Jolie does a pretty good job as a badass assassin who can intimidate pretty much everyone. Freeman is a little less believable, simply because most people haven’t seen him in a role like this and he doesn’t sell it very well. I also could have done without the plotline copied from Star Wars to be totally honest. My advice is to wait for the DVD or see it at a second run theatre.


http://www.wantedmovie.com/


6 out of 10

Review of Love Guru

Mike Myers stars as Pitka, an American who was abandoned at the gates of an ashram in India. After being raised by a guru, he moves to the USA to seek fame and fortune as a self help guru. Constantly playing second fiddle to Deepak Chopra, he seeks to gain a guest spot on Oprah, believing that will secure him bragging rights in the self-help market. He must use his unorthodox methods to help Toronto Maple Leaf Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) deal with his estranged wife, who is currently dating LA King goalie Jacques Grande (Justin Timberlake).

Despite all the critics who have savaged this movie, it isn’t all bad. Essentially, he has re-packaged Austin Powers as Pitka. Austin Powers was filled with penis jokes, gags about bodily functions and oddly named characters. Really, what’s the difference between Alotta Fagina and Tuggingmypuddha? Even Min-me (Verne Troyer) is along for the ride. The only real difference is that the subject matter allows Myers to ridicule other institutions like Bollywood, self-help counselling and a host of other silly topics. One of the funniest parts of the movie is when Myers and his sidekick sing 9-5 and More than Words with a sitar.

I saw the premiere and I thought it was very funny and equal to the Austin Powers movies. If you were a fan of those movies, then you’ll likely enjoy this one too. If, like many critics, you do not enjoy low brow comedy, then you won’t enjoy this either.


http://www.lovegurumovie.com/

7 out of 10