2008 Movie # 75 - Meet Dave
God damn it Eddie Murphy. We know you're capable of better than this. And Norbit. And basically every movie you've made in the last forever. Except Bowfinger, Bowfinger's awesome. Did the Oscar nomination like piss you off or something? You didn't think you were worthy of it maybe and then decided to keep it from ever happening again you would make stuff like this.
Granted Meet Dave isn't quite the I want to kill myself train wreck Norbit was, it's still not good. It just barely reaches the level of tolerable. It features all the same jokes you've seen 1000 times in other, better movies....well actually you've seen them before in 1000 other, also not so good movies since they're the same fucking jokes. "Oh he's an alien so things on Earth confuse him. HA! He doesn't know how to dance and shit! Uh oh he wants to shake hands with him, the fuck is he gonna do now?!" And so on.
I can safely say that just about everyone in the cast deserves better than this, especially Elizabeth Banks. She was in Slither damn it! Everyone in Slither should be just handed gold bars at random due to their wise movie selection. I know she's not hard up for work so I really can't imagine why she would agree to do this movie. She couldn't have read the script and thought "Wow, this is unlike any movie ever." The same applies for Ed Helms. You're on the Office man! COME ON!
That's really all there is to say about this one. It's not funny, but at the same time it's not excrutiatingly bad. It won't be remembered as an epic Eddie Murphy failure such as Adventures of Pluto Nash, but only because it won't be remembered at all.
* 1/2 / 5
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Shawn's X-Files I Want to Believe Review
2008 Movie # 74 - X-Files I Want to Believe
I'm a huge X-Files fan. I own every season on DVD in their original collector edition forms. I own the first movie as well. I watched the show while it was airing starting with season 3 and straight through until the very end. Hell I even support the majority of the later episodes, except kind of season 9. So needless to say I was one of those people who was pumped as shit at the idea of a second movie after all this time. After what seemed like forever and tons of talk that lead to nothing, a new movie is in theatres so I checked it out on opening weekend. Sadly I have to say that it was definitely not worth the wait.
People are going to be very divided on this movie, in fact it seems like they already are. Both fans and non-fans alike are split pretty down the middle with their thoughts on this movie. I went along to see it with a non-fan so that helped add a different perspective on things. Eerily enough in the end, she ended up enjoying the movie more than I did I think.
I certainly didn't hate the movie. I enjoyed it for the most part, I just wanted it to be so much more than it actually was in the end. The story was primarily character based, with the emphasis being put on Mulder and Scully's relationship after the show has ended. It also deals heavily with Mulder trying to believe and faith and all the usual things that the show heavily focused on. The problem is that all of it feels a little blah. I was never that invested. It was great at first to see the characters back together, especially on the big screen. But then they just didn't seem to do a whole lot.
The movie is done in the style of one of the standalone story episodes of the show, however it's done as one of the weaker standalone story episodes. In fact I can easily name about 30 or more stand alone shows that are much better than this movie. It almost feels scaled down from the TV show. The movie is definitely a slow burn, teasing the audience with what is actually going on and I'll admit that I was interested in what was happening. However when you finally find out what actually is happening it's kind of like "wow thats it? seriously? thats all we get after all of that waiting....maybe fuck you x-files movie".
Not only that but there is literally no climax in this movie. It builds and builds and builds and then ...nothing. There is also another subplot involving Scully and one of her patients (a subplot I was never that invested in really) that builds and builds and builds and once again....nothing. I usually don't have a problem with open endings but come the fuck on now. To do it once was one thing but to pull that shit on me twice in the span of like 10 minutes? That's just flat out cruel.
I really do find it hard to believe that after this long of a break after the show, this was really the best they could come up with for the new movie. I was expecting the same creepiness and kick assness from the first few seasons of the show, when it was in full out classic mode. Instead I got a decent thriller that had it not featured these characters, would have a direct to DVD movie I would have most likely never watched. It ain't bad, but wow it pains me to think about how much better it could have been.
** 1/2 /5
I'm a huge X-Files fan. I own every season on DVD in their original collector edition forms. I own the first movie as well. I watched the show while it was airing starting with season 3 and straight through until the very end. Hell I even support the majority of the later episodes, except kind of season 9. So needless to say I was one of those people who was pumped as shit at the idea of a second movie after all this time. After what seemed like forever and tons of talk that lead to nothing, a new movie is in theatres so I checked it out on opening weekend. Sadly I have to say that it was definitely not worth the wait.
People are going to be very divided on this movie, in fact it seems like they already are. Both fans and non-fans alike are split pretty down the middle with their thoughts on this movie. I went along to see it with a non-fan so that helped add a different perspective on things. Eerily enough in the end, she ended up enjoying the movie more than I did I think.
I certainly didn't hate the movie. I enjoyed it for the most part, I just wanted it to be so much more than it actually was in the end. The story was primarily character based, with the emphasis being put on Mulder and Scully's relationship after the show has ended. It also deals heavily with Mulder trying to believe and faith and all the usual things that the show heavily focused on. The problem is that all of it feels a little blah. I was never that invested. It was great at first to see the characters back together, especially on the big screen. But then they just didn't seem to do a whole lot.
The movie is done in the style of one of the standalone story episodes of the show, however it's done as one of the weaker standalone story episodes. In fact I can easily name about 30 or more stand alone shows that are much better than this movie. It almost feels scaled down from the TV show. The movie is definitely a slow burn, teasing the audience with what is actually going on and I'll admit that I was interested in what was happening. However when you finally find out what actually is happening it's kind of like "wow thats it? seriously? thats all we get after all of that waiting....maybe fuck you x-files movie".
Not only that but there is literally no climax in this movie. It builds and builds and builds and then ...nothing. There is also another subplot involving Scully and one of her patients (a subplot I was never that invested in really) that builds and builds and builds and once again....nothing. I usually don't have a problem with open endings but come the fuck on now. To do it once was one thing but to pull that shit on me twice in the span of like 10 minutes? That's just flat out cruel.
I really do find it hard to believe that after this long of a break after the show, this was really the best they could come up with for the new movie. I was expecting the same creepiness and kick assness from the first few seasons of the show, when it was in full out classic mode. Instead I got a decent thriller that had it not featured these characters, would have a direct to DVD movie I would have most likely never watched. It ain't bad, but wow it pains me to think about how much better it could have been.
** 1/2 /5
Monday, July 28, 2008
Shawn's Step Brothers Review
2008 Movie #73 - Step Brothers
I believe I made it clear in my review of Semi-Pro a few months ago that I like Will Ferrell. I also made it clear in that same review that I thought that movie was a huge mis-step but that maybe, just maybe it was time for him to switch up the routine a little bit. I also mentioned that while I certainly liked the idea of Ferrel doing an R-Rated comedy, Semi-Pro just felt like they were swearing purely because they knew they could.
Thankfully this movie changes all that. It's funny, very funny actually. Ferrell doesn't switch up things too much from his usual routine, but definitely takes a huge step forward from Semi-Pro. Finally this one makes good on the R rating. This thing is full of language and sex humour and it never feels like it's doing it for the sake of doing it. It feels like it's doing it because that shit is hilarious.
The premise is simple and I was a little worried that it would essentially be the one joke beaten to death for the entire running time of the movie. Although of course it mostly is Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly acting like vulgar 8 year olds for the most part, they always seem to find a way to keep it fresh and funny. A couple of scenes go on a little too long and aren't that funny but those scenes are featured in even my favourite Ferrell comedies. You just have to hold on to the hope that once that scene is over, the funny will come back and with this movie it almost always does just that.
It's nice to see the two leads team up again although I have to admit Talladega Nights is a little overrated I feel. Their chemistry is fantastic and you can tell that the majority of their dialogue is improvised. I also liked that the rest of the cast is given a chance to shine and be funny as well, it's not just a two man show.
Based on the trailers there was a lot of material cut out of this movie so I definitely am looking forward to the DVD because I'm sure it's going to be just loaded with good stuff. This is the first of what I'm hoping is a trilogy of great R rated comedies (the other two of course being Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder) and it's one that I definitely have to recommend. Unless of course you hate Will Ferrell cuz this one damn sure isn't going to change your mind about him.
**** / 5
I believe I made it clear in my review of Semi-Pro a few months ago that I like Will Ferrell. I also made it clear in that same review that I thought that movie was a huge mis-step but that maybe, just maybe it was time for him to switch up the routine a little bit. I also mentioned that while I certainly liked the idea of Ferrel doing an R-Rated comedy, Semi-Pro just felt like they were swearing purely because they knew they could.
Thankfully this movie changes all that. It's funny, very funny actually. Ferrell doesn't switch up things too much from his usual routine, but definitely takes a huge step forward from Semi-Pro. Finally this one makes good on the R rating. This thing is full of language and sex humour and it never feels like it's doing it for the sake of doing it. It feels like it's doing it because that shit is hilarious.
The premise is simple and I was a little worried that it would essentially be the one joke beaten to death for the entire running time of the movie. Although of course it mostly is Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly acting like vulgar 8 year olds for the most part, they always seem to find a way to keep it fresh and funny. A couple of scenes go on a little too long and aren't that funny but those scenes are featured in even my favourite Ferrell comedies. You just have to hold on to the hope that once that scene is over, the funny will come back and with this movie it almost always does just that.
It's nice to see the two leads team up again although I have to admit Talladega Nights is a little overrated I feel. Their chemistry is fantastic and you can tell that the majority of their dialogue is improvised. I also liked that the rest of the cast is given a chance to shine and be funny as well, it's not just a two man show.
Based on the trailers there was a lot of material cut out of this movie so I definitely am looking forward to the DVD because I'm sure it's going to be just loaded with good stuff. This is the first of what I'm hoping is a trilogy of great R rated comedies (the other two of course being Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder) and it's one that I definitely have to recommend. Unless of course you hate Will Ferrell cuz this one damn sure isn't going to change your mind about him.
**** / 5
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Shawn's Dark Knight Review
2008 Movie #72 - The Dark Knight
I actually saw this badboy opening night. God I miss the days of punctual movie review writing. There's really no need to give this a movie a big introduction. You all know what it is, its been hyped for literally months and months now. The question on everyones mind of course was whether or not this one could live up to the crazy amounts of hype it had been give over that time. Well since the movie has been out for 9 days now and has broken pretty much every box office record it could break, and is well on its way to breaking even more, not to mention the across the board great reviews and it's current #1 spot on the IMDB top 250, I think it's pretty safe to say that yes, people seem to like this movie. With damn good reason too because the movie itself is just fantastic.
You know I really don't know what else to say about this movie that hasn't already been said hundreds of times on the internet already. Everything about the movie is just spot on. Would I say this is the best comic book movie of all time? I'm not sure about that but offhand I can't think of one that's better. So in fact it just might be.
I actually saw this badboy opening night. God I miss the days of punctual movie review writing. There's really no need to give this a movie a big introduction. You all know what it is, its been hyped for literally months and months now. The question on everyones mind of course was whether or not this one could live up to the crazy amounts of hype it had been give over that time. Well since the movie has been out for 9 days now and has broken pretty much every box office record it could break, and is well on its way to breaking even more, not to mention the across the board great reviews and it's current #1 spot on the IMDB top 250, I think it's pretty safe to say that yes, people seem to like this movie. With damn good reason too because the movie itself is just fantastic.
You know I really don't know what else to say about this movie that hasn't already been said hundreds of times on the internet already. Everything about the movie is just spot on. Would I say this is the best comic book movie of all time? I'm not sure about that but offhand I can't think of one that's better. So in fact it just might be.
The movie is of course 2 and a half hours long but you will never once feel like it's going on for too long. The movie actually feels more like an epic crime drama than a comic book movie. The story is fantastic though. It keeps you guessing and never lets you out of it's grip of awesome for even a second. By the end of the movie you're begging the movie to stop being so awesome because you just can't handle it anymore. The movie however never listens to you. It continues to hurl awesome at you and never relents.
A lot has been said in advance of Heath Ledger and again, it's not hype because he's amazing in the role of the Joker and is completely different than any other take on the character that has been done up until this point. His Joker is insane and just terrifying and almost all of his scenes get you on the edge of your seat because you just have no fucking clue what the man is going to do next. It really does make the loss of Ledger more tragic because this role would have done amazing things for him.
Everyone else is fantastic too. Bale is one of my favourite actors and continues to shine in the role, even if his Batman voice is just a tad on the ridiculous side. Morgan Freeman gets more to do this time around which of course is always a good thing. Aaron Eckhart I would rank pretty close to Ledger in regards to the best performance in the movie. His character arc is both tragic and fascinating to watch. This one also features a lot more action than Batman Begins and all of those sequences are very well done. The boat part at the end had me actually go long periods of time without breathing, thats how fucking into it I was.
It's really hard to believe how far the Batman movies have come. I mean think back to Batman Forever and how Two Face was in that movie compared to this one. He was a fucking cartoon then but now he will scare the shit out of you and your children. No Bat skates or Bat shark repellant or fucking Bat credit cards anymore, just 100% pure ass kickery. Nobody whose reading this hasn't seen this yet and is probably already working on their second or third time watching it. I still don't know if I would put this above Wall-e, and I certainly can't agree it;'s the best movie ever made (IMDB again), but this is a classic thats for damn sure.
5/5
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Shawn's Wanted Review
2008 Movie #71 - Wanted
Fuck...yeah. That sums it up right there. I was all geared up for this movie and it was exactly what I wanted it to be. I essentially wanted something along the lines of Shoot 'Em Up in terms of just crazy over the top action with no regards for reality in any way. That's exactly what I got. This movie is an ass kicking that I was happy to receive.
The biggest complaint people have/are going to have with this movie is the fact that it is ridiculously over the top. In fact this movie can't even see the top any more because of how fucking far over it it is. There isn't a single aspect of this movie that is grounded in realism. To those who critique this I say...fuck off. Lighten the shit up! Just relax, enjoy the movie an dhave fun or I will take your eyes away from you! AWAY FROM YOU!!!
The movie is non-stop too. From beginning to end this thing pretty much never lets up. There's a few pauses here and there for story but even those quieter moments are stylized as hell. Speaking of the story I was actually pretty impressed with it. I wasn't expecting much, just enough to string each of the action sequences together (pretty much just like Shoot 'Em Up, a movie that didn't even need to attempt a story in my opinion) but what they provided was actually pretty good. The Loom stuff was a little stupid but whatever, I can accept that. Like I said it's not like anything else makes sense either.
The acting is good. Morgan Freeman makes up for the Bucket List by playing a surprisingly large badass, something the man needs to do a lot more often because damn is he ever good at it. Angelina Jolie....well really who cares how her acting is, you get to look at her so I'm sure most people will be satisfied. James McAvoy was someone ho wasn't even on my radar before this movie, having not seen Atonement but he does well here and is believable as someone who could start out a loser but then turn into some sort of crazy badass of proportions I don't even think can be accurately measured.
I've pretty much already made the point about the action but damn it the action is so good that if I didn't give it it's own paragraph it would find me and kick the shit out of me. All the action is just top quality, with my personal favourite being a run through a warehouse near the end of the movie that has some of the most creative gunplay I've seen since....well Shoot Em Up but still. I could watch that scene every hour for the next 16 years and be perfectly ok with it.
It's about damn time an R rated action was not only released, but did really well and was fucking awesome. Hopefully this is a sign that the floodgates are open because as you know from my rant a few months ago, this is something I've been waiting for to happen for quite some time now. See this movie...I'll fucking know if you don't.
**** 1/2 /5
Fuck...yeah. That sums it up right there. I was all geared up for this movie and it was exactly what I wanted it to be. I essentially wanted something along the lines of Shoot 'Em Up in terms of just crazy over the top action with no regards for reality in any way. That's exactly what I got. This movie is an ass kicking that I was happy to receive.
The biggest complaint people have/are going to have with this movie is the fact that it is ridiculously over the top. In fact this movie can't even see the top any more because of how fucking far over it it is. There isn't a single aspect of this movie that is grounded in realism. To those who critique this I say...fuck off. Lighten the shit up! Just relax, enjoy the movie an dhave fun or I will take your eyes away from you! AWAY FROM YOU!!!
The movie is non-stop too. From beginning to end this thing pretty much never lets up. There's a few pauses here and there for story but even those quieter moments are stylized as hell. Speaking of the story I was actually pretty impressed with it. I wasn't expecting much, just enough to string each of the action sequences together (pretty much just like Shoot 'Em Up, a movie that didn't even need to attempt a story in my opinion) but what they provided was actually pretty good. The Loom stuff was a little stupid but whatever, I can accept that. Like I said it's not like anything else makes sense either.
The acting is good. Morgan Freeman makes up for the Bucket List by playing a surprisingly large badass, something the man needs to do a lot more often because damn is he ever good at it. Angelina Jolie....well really who cares how her acting is, you get to look at her so I'm sure most people will be satisfied. James McAvoy was someone ho wasn't even on my radar before this movie, having not seen Atonement but he does well here and is believable as someone who could start out a loser but then turn into some sort of crazy badass of proportions I don't even think can be accurately measured.
I've pretty much already made the point about the action but damn it the action is so good that if I didn't give it it's own paragraph it would find me and kick the shit out of me. All the action is just top quality, with my personal favourite being a run through a warehouse near the end of the movie that has some of the most creative gunplay I've seen since....well Shoot Em Up but still. I could watch that scene every hour for the next 16 years and be perfectly ok with it.
It's about damn time an R rated action was not only released, but did really well and was fucking awesome. Hopefully this is a sign that the floodgates are open because as you know from my rant a few months ago, this is something I've been waiting for to happen for quite some time now. See this movie...I'll fucking know if you don't.
**** 1/2 /5
Shawn's Hellboy 2 Review
2008 Movie #70 - Hellboy II The Golden Army
I'm pretty sure that Forgetting Sarah Marshall was my fiftieth movie on this blog and that was like three months ago. I find it hard to believe that I have only seen like 20 movies in the past while but maybe thats true. I am missing a whole lot of them so it's really not that hard to believe actually. IT also doesn't help that I don't write the damn reviews until days after I actually watch the movies.
I saw Hellboy 2 just after it opened but of course am only getting around to writing about it now. I enjoyed the first Hellboy a lot more than I thought I would back when I first watched it and have seen it a couple more times since then. The advanced word for this one said that it was a lot better than the first in just about every way. I agree that between the two movies I would give the nod to this one as the better picture overall, however it doesn't win by leaps and bounds.
I will say that the action is definitely better in this one, although the first one had some pretty good sequences as well. The scene with the huge forest elemental thing, as well as the final battle with the golden army itself stand out as the two highlights for me. However there are smaller sequences that are also well done and overall the movie stays fast paced and never slows down for too long.
It does manage to tell a pretty good story however. It's nothing too special, but it's enough to keep you invested. The characters seem to be more fleshed out this time and have a lot more to do. This could also be because the actors themselves seem to be a lot more comfortable in the roles this time around. Ron Pearlman still is fantastic in the lead role of Hellboy and it's pretty much impossible to picture anybody else working as well. Selma Blair also seems to be given a much bigger role this time around and does a good job with this screentime. It's a little strange at first to have a different voice for Abe Sabien but it's not a huge deal.
The creatures in this movie are another huge highlight. If you've seen Pan's Labyrinth then you have some idea of what to expect, only take that and times it about by about 10. This movie is literally swimming with cool creatures both big and small. It's worth watching the movie just to see some of these designs alone.
I gotta recommend this one overall. It's not the best movie this summer but it's damn sure entertaining and one that I plan on watching again down the road.
*** 1/2 /5
I'm pretty sure that Forgetting Sarah Marshall was my fiftieth movie on this blog and that was like three months ago. I find it hard to believe that I have only seen like 20 movies in the past while but maybe thats true. I am missing a whole lot of them so it's really not that hard to believe actually. IT also doesn't help that I don't write the damn reviews until days after I actually watch the movies.
I saw Hellboy 2 just after it opened but of course am only getting around to writing about it now. I enjoyed the first Hellboy a lot more than I thought I would back when I first watched it and have seen it a couple more times since then. The advanced word for this one said that it was a lot better than the first in just about every way. I agree that between the two movies I would give the nod to this one as the better picture overall, however it doesn't win by leaps and bounds.
I will say that the action is definitely better in this one, although the first one had some pretty good sequences as well. The scene with the huge forest elemental thing, as well as the final battle with the golden army itself stand out as the two highlights for me. However there are smaller sequences that are also well done and overall the movie stays fast paced and never slows down for too long.
It does manage to tell a pretty good story however. It's nothing too special, but it's enough to keep you invested. The characters seem to be more fleshed out this time and have a lot more to do. This could also be because the actors themselves seem to be a lot more comfortable in the roles this time around. Ron Pearlman still is fantastic in the lead role of Hellboy and it's pretty much impossible to picture anybody else working as well. Selma Blair also seems to be given a much bigger role this time around and does a good job with this screentime. It's a little strange at first to have a different voice for Abe Sabien but it's not a huge deal.
The creatures in this movie are another huge highlight. If you've seen Pan's Labyrinth then you have some idea of what to expect, only take that and times it about by about 10. This movie is literally swimming with cool creatures both big and small. It's worth watching the movie just to see some of these designs alone.
I gotta recommend this one overall. It's not the best movie this summer but it's damn sure entertaining and one that I plan on watching again down the road.
*** 1/2 /5
Friday, July 18, 2008
Shawn's Speed Racer Review
2008 Movie # 69 - Speed Racer
This one was probably the only frustrating miss of the year. I didn't get to see it in Imax which I would have absolutely loved to do, especially after actually watching the movie. My theatre only played it for a week, as did the other theatre I go to. So I never had the time to go check this one out. Despite all the bad reviews, the massive scale box office failure and general hate on this movie, I still held out hope that it would surprise me and end up being a good watch. That's exactly what it did, it actually turned out to be a really good watch.
Of course it's all about the look of the movie which many people hated but I thought was pretty cool and well done. It's rare to see something so different in movies these days so I applaud the movie for it's balls in going in the direction that it did. It really does look like an anime cartoon brought to life. It's not just the races that look like this but the entire world that these characters live in as well. Basically you're either going to appreciate the look of the movie, or loathe it. There's definitely no in between.
The races are of course the highlight of the movie and there are plenty of them throughout the movies running time (an issue that will be addressed shortly). They are fast paced, crazy over the top and just a shit ton of fun to watch. They actually don't take up as much of the movie as I would think, but when a race is about to start you know shit is about to get awesome real fast.
The cast all does a good job, with everyone realizing what kind of movie they're in and having fun with it, while at the same time never making it too over the top or campy. My favourite would have to be Matthew Fox as Racer X but being a huge Lost fan I pretty much support anything the man does. He really was great in the role though. Christina Ricci actually looks like a cartoon character here and it's both strange and hot.
My one main issue would have to be the running time. The movie is over 2 hours long which there isn't really a need for. Don't get me wrong I was never bored but I still felt there were things that could have been cut out and the movie would have been just fine still without it. I also wasnt a huge fan of Speed's brother and Chim Chim. I felt their sequences didn't mesh with the rest of the movie, although their parts were clearly in there to keep the younger kids interested in things.
The problem I think comes down to the fact this movie is really marketed towards anyone. It's supposed to be a kids movie but it's 2 1/2 hours long and features a surprisingly complex plot about corporations and sponsorships and corruption, etc. Also the majority of these kids have no fucking clue who Speed Racer even is. However the age group who does remember the character and the cartoon have no interest in the movie since it's a movie aimed at kids. I however had a lot of fun with it and wish it would have done better in theatres. check this one when it hits DVD.
****/5
This one was probably the only frustrating miss of the year. I didn't get to see it in Imax which I would have absolutely loved to do, especially after actually watching the movie. My theatre only played it for a week, as did the other theatre I go to. So I never had the time to go check this one out. Despite all the bad reviews, the massive scale box office failure and general hate on this movie, I still held out hope that it would surprise me and end up being a good watch. That's exactly what it did, it actually turned out to be a really good watch.
Of course it's all about the look of the movie which many people hated but I thought was pretty cool and well done. It's rare to see something so different in movies these days so I applaud the movie for it's balls in going in the direction that it did. It really does look like an anime cartoon brought to life. It's not just the races that look like this but the entire world that these characters live in as well. Basically you're either going to appreciate the look of the movie, or loathe it. There's definitely no in between.
The races are of course the highlight of the movie and there are plenty of them throughout the movies running time (an issue that will be addressed shortly). They are fast paced, crazy over the top and just a shit ton of fun to watch. They actually don't take up as much of the movie as I would think, but when a race is about to start you know shit is about to get awesome real fast.
The cast all does a good job, with everyone realizing what kind of movie they're in and having fun with it, while at the same time never making it too over the top or campy. My favourite would have to be Matthew Fox as Racer X but being a huge Lost fan I pretty much support anything the man does. He really was great in the role though. Christina Ricci actually looks like a cartoon character here and it's both strange and hot.
My one main issue would have to be the running time. The movie is over 2 hours long which there isn't really a need for. Don't get me wrong I was never bored but I still felt there were things that could have been cut out and the movie would have been just fine still without it. I also wasnt a huge fan of Speed's brother and Chim Chim. I felt their sequences didn't mesh with the rest of the movie, although their parts were clearly in there to keep the younger kids interested in things.
The problem I think comes down to the fact this movie is really marketed towards anyone. It's supposed to be a kids movie but it's 2 1/2 hours long and features a surprisingly complex plot about corporations and sponsorships and corruption, etc. Also the majority of these kids have no fucking clue who Speed Racer even is. However the age group who does remember the character and the cartoon have no interest in the movie since it's a movie aimed at kids. I however had a lot of fun with it and wish it would have done better in theatres. check this one when it hits DVD.
****/5
Friday, July 11, 2008
Shawn's Love Guru Review
2008 Movie #68 - The Love Guru
God damn you Love Guru. At least The Happening was entertaining on some crazy so bad it's good level. You however have the privledge of being the first genuinely bad movie of the 2008 summer.
I remember after seeing the trailers I thought this was going to be terrible. However I held out hope that maybe, just maybe, the movie itself would prove me wrong and turn out to be a pleasant surprise. Not so much. The movie isn't a complete trainwreck, but it's certainly not funny. The best thing it has going for it are some cool cameos. However if you know those going in, then that means there is pretty much no reason to see this one.
I like Mike Myers for the most part. The Wayne's World movies are awesome (yes even the second one), I like the Austin Powers movies (the first being of course the best), as well as So I Married an Axe Murderer and at least the first Shrek. This is just a huge misstep and possibly a sign that it might be time to pack it up, or at least wildly change his brand of humour because the 5th grade penis jokes just ain't doin' it for anyone anymore.
The problem mainly is that the movie simply isn't funny. Mike Myers seems to think it's hilarious though and that eventually makes the movie come off as not funny, as well as irritating to watch. Jessica Alba offers up a whatever performance and Justin Timberlake gets almost nothing to do, although he does fine with what he has.
I don' tknow...don't see it.
* 1/5 /5
God damn you Love Guru. At least The Happening was entertaining on some crazy so bad it's good level. You however have the privledge of being the first genuinely bad movie of the 2008 summer.
I remember after seeing the trailers I thought this was going to be terrible. However I held out hope that maybe, just maybe, the movie itself would prove me wrong and turn out to be a pleasant surprise. Not so much. The movie isn't a complete trainwreck, but it's certainly not funny. The best thing it has going for it are some cool cameos. However if you know those going in, then that means there is pretty much no reason to see this one.
I like Mike Myers for the most part. The Wayne's World movies are awesome (yes even the second one), I like the Austin Powers movies (the first being of course the best), as well as So I Married an Axe Murderer and at least the first Shrek. This is just a huge misstep and possibly a sign that it might be time to pack it up, or at least wildly change his brand of humour because the 5th grade penis jokes just ain't doin' it for anyone anymore.
The problem mainly is that the movie simply isn't funny. Mike Myers seems to think it's hilarious though and that eventually makes the movie come off as not funny, as well as irritating to watch. Jessica Alba offers up a whatever performance and Justin Timberlake gets almost nothing to do, although he does fine with what he has.
I don' tknow...don't see it.
* 1/5 /5
Shawn's All the Boys Love Mandy Lane Review
2008 Movie Review #67 - All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
So this is a movie I've been reading and hearing about for what seems like forever now. The movie just keeps getting delayed although the reviews seem to be mostly positive. It's rumoured to be coming out later this year but it's already been moved from its scheduled August release date so we'll see. Either way I'm choosing to count it as a 2008 movie. So after reading all this positive buzz about the movie I was really curious to see what all of the fuss was about. After watching the movie all I can really say is...I don't get it.
Every year there are a ton of straight to DVD horror movies released. I only see a few of them (some of which have actually been reviewed here) and for the most part they are just garbage in epic porpotions. This movie is a step up, but isn't a whole lot different from the rest of the generic horror we see tossed out.
The movie takes a painfully long time to get going. Instead we just get to spend the first half hour or more (it seems like a fuck load longer anyway) with a bunch of generic unlikable teen characters spouting "funny" one-liners and just generally doing a bunch of shit I didn't care about and certainly didn't feel like watching. These are people I stay away from in real life so why would I want to watch a movie focused on them? At least it does a good job of making you want them all dead.
Thankfully once this happens, it really fucking happens. The kills and gore in this movie are quite good, though after watching Hatchet not too long ago, a little on the meh side at times. If you want to see some fucked up gory shit, check out Hatchet. The killer uses a gun which I have to admit is pretty cool. I've always said that if a horror movie killer had a gun it would be the smartest route, although the movie would be 10 minutes long. ...Maybe that's why they had all the padding in the beginning.
There's also a twist at the end of the movie that people seem very divided on. It's a love it or hate it kind of thing. I won't spoil it here but I wasn't a very big fan of it. It seemed a little tacked on, like the makers wanted people to think their movie was a lot deeper than other horror movies. I don't know it didn't do anything for me but I've seen forums full of people discussing the significance of the ending, so job well done filmmakers I guess.
Whether this movie even sees a theatrical release remains up in the air. If it does, I wouldn't rush to check it out, especially when you can aquire a DVD quality version through other methods. However I don't see why this one couldn't be put in theatres because it's certainly a lot better than Prom Night which got a major release, and did really well. Fuckin Hollywood.
** /5
So this is a movie I've been reading and hearing about for what seems like forever now. The movie just keeps getting delayed although the reviews seem to be mostly positive. It's rumoured to be coming out later this year but it's already been moved from its scheduled August release date so we'll see. Either way I'm choosing to count it as a 2008 movie. So after reading all this positive buzz about the movie I was really curious to see what all of the fuss was about. After watching the movie all I can really say is...I don't get it.
Every year there are a ton of straight to DVD horror movies released. I only see a few of them (some of which have actually been reviewed here) and for the most part they are just garbage in epic porpotions. This movie is a step up, but isn't a whole lot different from the rest of the generic horror we see tossed out.
The movie takes a painfully long time to get going. Instead we just get to spend the first half hour or more (it seems like a fuck load longer anyway) with a bunch of generic unlikable teen characters spouting "funny" one-liners and just generally doing a bunch of shit I didn't care about and certainly didn't feel like watching. These are people I stay away from in real life so why would I want to watch a movie focused on them? At least it does a good job of making you want them all dead.
Thankfully once this happens, it really fucking happens. The kills and gore in this movie are quite good, though after watching Hatchet not too long ago, a little on the meh side at times. If you want to see some fucked up gory shit, check out Hatchet. The killer uses a gun which I have to admit is pretty cool. I've always said that if a horror movie killer had a gun it would be the smartest route, although the movie would be 10 minutes long. ...Maybe that's why they had all the padding in the beginning.
There's also a twist at the end of the movie that people seem very divided on. It's a love it or hate it kind of thing. I won't spoil it here but I wasn't a very big fan of it. It seemed a little tacked on, like the makers wanted people to think their movie was a lot deeper than other horror movies. I don't know it didn't do anything for me but I've seen forums full of people discussing the significance of the ending, so job well done filmmakers I guess.
Whether this movie even sees a theatrical release remains up in the air. If it does, I wouldn't rush to check it out, especially when you can aquire a DVD quality version through other methods. However I don't see why this one couldn't be put in theatres because it's certainly a lot better than Prom Night which got a major release, and did really well. Fuckin Hollywood.
** /5
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