Mike Myers was once my favorite comedian. In the day of Austin Powers, SNL, and Wayne's World he could do no wrong, and relied on physical humor and wordplay. The Love Guru, however, has very few gags that actually work, and I don't think there's a single joke in here that isn't potty humor. Forget Narnia. This is the biggest disappointment of the year.
Pitka is a self-help guru who comes to America to become the next Deepak Chopra, but always finds himself at #2. So when the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jane Bullard, comes to him to resolve an issue, he can't help but take it up. The star hockey player, Darren Roanoke's playing ability has sharply decreased ever since his wife left him, for a rival player, Jacques Grande. (Played by Justin Timberlake, and he steals the show). Pitka's job is to get Darren and his wife back together so that the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup.
I laughed about five times out of the hundreds of failed jokes Myers cracks, and the problem is that it's either potty jokes or cracks at Hinduism. The saviors of this movie are Justin Timberlake as a French hockey star and Stephen Colbert as a hockey announcer - they steal every scene they're in, even against Mike Myers. But the problem is just the timing. The comedic timing is so poor in this movie, and I think the problem is that Mike Myers chose a first-timer to direct it.
The Hinduism aren't so much offensive as annoying - there were many opportunities at greatness in this movie. And none were taken. D
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Incredible Hulk
The original 2003 Hulk was bogged down by melodrama, too long a running time, and the fact that Nick Nolte had more time on-screen than the actual Hulk. This fixes everything where the original went wrong. It tosses out the director and the entire cast, and makes one of the best actors around into the Hulk. It runs a half-hour less than the original, and it's character driven AND action-packed at the same time.
Dr. Bruce Banner is experimenting with gamma rays and it goes horribly awry, but the side effects only occur when he's angry. Unfortunately, when he's angry, he turns into a 9-foot tall green hulk who has no control over what he does. He goes on the run, and his girlfriend Betty is deeply saddened.
Five years later, he's a fugitive from the US Army and has been trying to find a cure for years. The Army finds him in Brazil, and Bruce flees back to America to find a cure. But Emil Blonsky, a soldier hot on Hulk's tail is exposed to Hulk's gamma rays and becomes The Abdomination, a giant beast bent on killing Hulk!!
Yes, that's quite a back-story, but it's also quite a movie. It's not nearly as good as Iron Man, but it doesn't have to be. It's much better than about 9 out of 10 of the recent superhero movies out there, and also has a heart. The true problem is that it's all essentially just a set-up, but I will say what I will never say for the original - it's one awesome action movie. B
Dr. Bruce Banner is experimenting with gamma rays and it goes horribly awry, but the side effects only occur when he's angry. Unfortunately, when he's angry, he turns into a 9-foot tall green hulk who has no control over what he does. He goes on the run, and his girlfriend Betty is deeply saddened.
Five years later, he's a fugitive from the US Army and has been trying to find a cure for years. The Army finds him in Brazil, and Bruce flees back to America to find a cure. But Emil Blonsky, a soldier hot on Hulk's tail is exposed to Hulk's gamma rays and becomes The Abdomination, a giant beast bent on killing Hulk!!
Yes, that's quite a back-story, but it's also quite a movie. It's not nearly as good as Iron Man, but it doesn't have to be. It's much better than about 9 out of 10 of the recent superhero movies out there, and also has a heart. The true problem is that it's all essentially just a set-up, but I will say what I will never say for the original - it's one awesome action movie. B
Sunday, June 15, 2008
You Don't Mess With The Zohan
Adam Sandler decides to dub an Israeli accent for his new comedy, You Don't Mess With The Zohan. This gets into its preachy moments from time to time but overall is his funniest since 2004's 50 First Dates, and succeeds in not being offensive - instead being just plain funny.
Zohan is an Israeli counter-terrorist agent who hunts down his country's enemies and kills them swift and efficiently. But while he loves serving his country, he tires of all the violence and dreams of being a hair-designer. So when chasing a famous terrorist 'The Phantom', he fakes his own death and moves to New York City under the alias Scrappy Coco, and gets a job at a Palestinian hair salon. He loves his new job, but becomes famous locally and risks exposing his alias.
Yes it's a completely idiotic and unrealistic premise, but that's the beauty of the whole movie. Zohan is essentially a superhuman, and several hilarious scenes build off of it. But the weaknesses lie in the back plot.
A tacked-on romantic subplot that's forced and contrived bogs down the movie, and the end just makes it all too soft and melodramatic. But Adam Sandler does much more right than wrong here. B-
Zohan is an Israeli counter-terrorist agent who hunts down his country's enemies and kills them swift and efficiently. But while he loves serving his country, he tires of all the violence and dreams of being a hair-designer. So when chasing a famous terrorist 'The Phantom', he fakes his own death and moves to New York City under the alias Scrappy Coco, and gets a job at a Palestinian hair salon. He loves his new job, but becomes famous locally and risks exposing his alias.
Yes it's a completely idiotic and unrealistic premise, but that's the beauty of the whole movie. Zohan is essentially a superhuman, and several hilarious scenes build off of it. But the weaknesses lie in the back plot.
A tacked-on romantic subplot that's forced and contrived bogs down the movie, and the end just makes it all too soft and melodramatic. But Adam Sandler does much more right than wrong here. B-
Friday, June 13, 2008
Son of Rambow
One of the coolest moments of my life occurred in my screening of Son of Rambow. Last year I participated in a summer camp where I could make a movie at the Michigan Theater, and given the subject matter of Son of Rambow, at the Michigan Theater during the screening they asked me to speak about this camp. I had the pleasure of speaking in front of an audience that included my school librarian, my best friend, and my family.
It's rare that a movie comes along like Son of Rambow. It has fun, has laughs, has its share of action, pays tribute, but moves along with a great plot and vibe that, in my opinion, ranks this amongst the greatest movies of the year.
In 1980, Will is a young, quiet British schoolboy who belongs to a strict religion. Lee Carter goes to his school, and is a bully in every sense of the word. Will goes over to Lee's house and the two watch Rambo together. They decide to make a remake of it together, and although they couldn't be more different and initially hate each other, they realize their friendship matters more than anything. But they begin to fight over the movie, and other people want in on it.
This is such a great movie. It's just got this spirit to it that many movies lack today, and that's ambition. It has great performances by all, and a witty script. See this. You won't regret it. A
It's rare that a movie comes along like Son of Rambow. It has fun, has laughs, has its share of action, pays tribute, but moves along with a great plot and vibe that, in my opinion, ranks this amongst the greatest movies of the year.
In 1980, Will is a young, quiet British schoolboy who belongs to a strict religion. Lee Carter goes to his school, and is a bully in every sense of the word. Will goes over to Lee's house and the two watch Rambo together. They decide to make a remake of it together, and although they couldn't be more different and initially hate each other, they realize their friendship matters more than anything. But they begin to fight over the movie, and other people want in on it.
This is such a great movie. It's just got this spirit to it that many movies lack today, and that's ambition. It has great performances by all, and a witty script. See this. You won't regret it. A
Saturday, June 7, 2008
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was an action-packed, if too long movie that was entertaining, even if it didn't quite reach the heights it set out to achieve. This sequel, Prince Caspian, loses much of the action and entertainment that drove the first one, and doesn't reach the heights it sets out. It's the biggest disappointment of the year.
Peter, Lucy, Edmund and Susan are four children whose previous adventure to a magical kingdom named Narnia left them kings and queens of that land, and a year passes and they are mysteriously thrust into Narnia again. But whilst a year passed for them, 1300 passed for Narnia, and it has been thrust into chaos and violence.
They meet a prince named Caspian whose evil uncle has tried to have him killed, and together they form an army to rebel against the corrupt kingdom and restore Narnia to peace and tranquility. But things are not so simple, and prove quite deadly for all things good...
It seemed destined for another sequel to happen, for the original was a good movie and made $750 million. But after this, they should either make the next Narnia a masterpiece or leave the franchise dead in the water. The dialogue is wooden, the action sequences stale and it doesn't follow the book, which was a major strength of the first.
I'm sorry, I love fantasy franchises as much as the next person, but this one is close to dead in the water. C-
Peter, Lucy, Edmund and Susan are four children whose previous adventure to a magical kingdom named Narnia left them kings and queens of that land, and a year passes and they are mysteriously thrust into Narnia again. But whilst a year passed for them, 1300 passed for Narnia, and it has been thrust into chaos and violence.
They meet a prince named Caspian whose evil uncle has tried to have him killed, and together they form an army to rebel against the corrupt kingdom and restore Narnia to peace and tranquility. But things are not so simple, and prove quite deadly for all things good...
It seemed destined for another sequel to happen, for the original was a good movie and made $750 million. But after this, they should either make the next Narnia a masterpiece or leave the franchise dead in the water. The dialogue is wooden, the action sequences stale and it doesn't follow the book, which was a major strength of the first.
I'm sorry, I love fantasy franchises as much as the next person, but this one is close to dead in the water. C-
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