Ghost Town

broderic on October 2, 2008

Ghost Town should’ve capitalized on the spectral tone of the film and opened up closer to Halloween. Instead it opens up in the doldrums of September, barely making a peep in the b.o. chart, and sinking from sight as if it was one of the ghosts who fulfilled their wish. That’s too bad as there is some charm found within this movie.

Ricky Gervais, and his British shtick which he perfected on shows such as Extra and The UK Office, is the leading man to try and right the wrongs of ill fated Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear. Gervais is supposed to make the ending to Leoni and Kinnear’s marriage final so that Kinnear can join the great shmucks in heaven or hell or somewhere in the afterlife that is not on Earth. Gervais is a crack up and his wit is perfect for the role of a dentist who wants nothing more than to be left alone. I imagine this will be the way some dentists imagine their humor to be. You really can’t be belly-laughing or guffawing while your dentist is drilling teeth. You can only tee-hee and force a smile through the fingers in your mouth.

I would watch anything with Tea Leoni in it, and I did. She’s one of the more unsung comediennes that never get the right role. She’s almost there, but her Egytologist doesn’t really register until her heart is broken. Someone save her and make her smile. Perhaps the dentist.

Kinnear is Kinnear. Smug. He gets Gervais to be his mouthpiece to reconcile with his ex. You can bet Kinnear is going to crack smart on Gervais. It was fun to watch American comedy versus British comedy. With Tea Leoni right in the middle. I was waiting for Rita Mae to show up or The Specials to sing their song, but it wouldn’t have happened. Too bad it may have lively up the scene.

While not a perfect romantic comedy (did the courting couple even kiss once?), it has its charms. Don’t expect too much, and you get not enough. Ghost Town was just as ephemeral as the dead guys in it.

3 of 5 stars.

“Your complicated thesis intrigues me. Tell me more.”

broderic on September 16, 2008

Burn After Reading

After their Oscar winning triumph, No Country For Old Men, the Coen brothers come back with a dark comedy, their bread and butter. Some will note that the overtones of the movie resemble Fargo in its pitch black humor of money, murder and mayhem. Of course, you wouldn’t know with the ridiculous ad campaign on tv. It’s not a comedy, but a thriller with very light comedic touches.

What some would also note is how closely it also resembles one of their worst works, The Ladykillers. The archly dark comedy is there and the laughs seem forced from the setup to the letdown. It’s not a comedy, but a thriller with hamminess that’ll raise you cholesterol level.

It is mainly about money, and how that affects everyone. The lack of it drives two of the sillier protagonists. Having too much seems to be the wife’s and Clooney’s excuse for sack diving. John Malkovich is uptight because of being a rich, white guy of the intel branch. And every one is paranoid and acting wrong on misinformation.

I did not like it one bit. Because it reminded me too much of their later earnest comedies, The Ladykillers, especially. I was hoping for their early slapstick: Raising Arizona or Hudsucker Proxy. They’ve really evolved and matured. Now if I can get to understanding them again I’d be happier watching them in the theatre.

2 of 5 stars.

“I thought Matthew’s favorite holiday tradition was making nativity scenes with Marvel Comics action figures.”

broderic on September 1, 2008

The House Bunny is like Legally Blonde, but with sex appeal. It’s about the characters finding what they are made of and to use it to make a way in the world. And it’s about the bunny costume. But most of all, it’s a remake of Revenge of the Nerds from a woman’s perspective.

Anna Faris plays the eponymous bunny girl, Shelly. She’s kicked out of the Playboy mansion because of some nefarious playmate machinations. She looks for another home wherein the ladies are the best pals, and naturally (sarcasm!) she finds it in a sorority house. The girls of this sorority are the geekiest of the geekiest, worst than omega mus because they can’t even keep more than seven members. Shelly teaches them to be cool and popular. She also learns to be studious and smart from them. But it is all about being true to yourself, and neither the sorority sisters nor Shelly act that way until the script allows them too.

Admittedly, I went for the bunny girl costume. Anna Faris is supposedly Goldie Hawn of the aughts. Maybe, but she needs better scripts and a better leading man than Colin Hanks. The movie was fun, but not funny. Dumb, but not making you dumb while watching it. Stupid, but all in good fun. It’s popcorn for the brain. Too much isn’t good for you.

3 of 5 stars.

Actual Pineapple Express Review

broderic on August 22, 2008

Most times, when you're high, you feel time slow down. Most times, when
you watch a Judd Apatow flick, you feel time slow down. Pineapple
Express is a stoner movie produced by Apatow. Time slowed down.It's not like other movies from the Apatow factory, where the movie was
really 30 minutes too long, although this one had an ending then an
afterward that resolved nothing but added more time. The time seemed to
stretch in this movie and his other movies because of the languid pacing
and stretching out of jokes to maximize, but minimize, their
effectiveness. For example, midway through the film, stoners Rogen and
Franco are selling some pot to kids, and the scene lasts for five
minutes as we watch them smoke up and dance stoner dances with the kids.
The too young to smoke kids inhaling, and you would've been laughing
like you were high, but the story adds extra dancing to this scene that
made it pointless. Ten year olds high, funny. Ten year olds and Seth
Rogan dancing not so much.Still there was some laughs to be had. Only if you smoked. I think
everyone in the audience was high, so people were laughing. Danny
McBride wrestles another movie away from its stars and becomes the most
likeable character actor this summer. Gary Cole plays scary somewhat
scarily funny, and Ed Begley makes you laugh remembering his turns in
other comedies like Spinal Tap and Women on the Moon. And Amber Heard,
although in her twenties, plays a very delicious high school girl.See it, but only if you're high.3 of 5 stars.

Quote of the Day [8.15.08]

broderic on August 15, 2008

“I don’t care about what anything was DESIGNED to do, I care about what it CAN do.”

Gene Kranz (Ed Harris), “Apollo 13”