Flick | Halfway Between Here and There

Jump Cut – Dinner For Schmucks

Aug 102010

This summer has seen a few movie hits in North America. Blockbuster’s like Inception, Despicable Me, The Karate Kid and, Toy Story 3. Then we have our flops like, The Last Airbender, Knight and Day, The A-Team, Splice, Jonah Hex, The Girl Who Played With Fire…Phew…Lost my breath there. With all these movies tanking , can a film based off a French black comedy do well? Or is the gravy train going to run right through for Mr. Rudd and Mr. Carell?

Tim (Paul Rudd, I Love You, Man, Role Models) is a financial executive on sixth floor dreaming of making it to the promised land that is the floor above his own. He finally strikes gold when he impresses his boss Fender (Bruce Greenwood, Star Trek, Batman: Under The Red Hood) by attracting a very Rich Swede by the name of Mueller(David Williams, Little Britain USA). Now before Tim can move up in the corporate ladder he just needs to do one last thing. Attend a dinner with his follow co-workers. A simple supper, where they bring in “talented” and “intriguing” people. When all hope seems to be lost for Rudd’s character he meets (by meets I mean runs over) Barry (Steve Carell, The Office, Date Night) an IRS employee with the gift of scene re-enactment…with stuffed mice. Looks like Tim hit the jackpot.

The Good

New Kind Of Awkward Steve Carell is known for his goofy and incredibly oblivious characters but he shows that he can play any kind of fool with a snap of a finger, or in this case with the dye of a hair color. This lovable idiot feels like the friend we all have. You know the one that thinks what he does is normal and tries his best to help but still slips up somehow or someway.

Stellar Sub-Cast Move Over Rudd and Carell, because it’s time for the secondary characters time to shine. More specifically Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, Eagle vs. Shark) and Chris O’Dowd (IT Crowd, Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel). Two actors who are not strangers to the acting scene but are only now getting more and more roles here in North America. They were a show stealer with how they portrayed their characters. If you would have given them more time in the light I think I would not have cared about the main plot of the film.

Kieran: A goat could eat itself; if it was driven to it…I’m just a goat who’s halfway through eating itself.

The Bad

Same Old, Same Old Don’t get me wrong here I love Paul Rudd. I think pretty much whatever he is part turns to gold. The only problem I have is that he doesn’t break out of the mold he seems to have created for himself. He always played that slightly frustrated over worked guy in the office who gets stuck with the worse type of people around him. Spread your wings Paul and soar before you act gets dull. It’s happened one too many times buuuuudddyyyyy.

Disturbance In The Force Though I did praise some of the actors who had secondary roles, others on the other hand just ruined the flow of things. It might not even be the actor himself/herself, just the role they played. Like Tim’s one night stand who has an obsessively and unhealthy interest with him. The over exaggerated facial expressions and reactions to events that take place really feels like it belongs in something more like Good Luck Chuck or Saving Silverman .

The Ugly

I Can’t Take It Anymore! Look Zach Galifianakis is a funny guy, his stand up is awesome and he has been in some pretty hilarious roles. But too much of a good thing is bad. It feels like his sense of humour and over the top sense of reality is just getting stale because he’s in every movie now. Don’t believe me? Check the list out right now; The Hangover, G-Force, Up In The Air, Youth in Revolt, Little Fish, Strange Pond. That’s in 2009 ALONE!! Take a break or something. Go back to the comedy clubs. Anything but the silver screen.

Final Verdict

True this isn’t the perfect comedy movie but it does have it’s charm. Go ahead and sit down with some friends or lady friend, and you’ll see how fast how its little faults don’t really seem to matter. Dinner For Schmucks is definitely a flick you want to catch in theatres.

Machete Trailer

Movies No Responses »

Jul 112010

That’s right folks Robert Rodriguez is bringing his fake trailer to life! Machete previously shown during Grindhouse feature he did with Quentin Tarantino has now been filmed has on official release date!

Watch out for this new action flick to hit theaters September 3rd. Can’t wait until then? No problem we’re got your fix right here!

Don’t say we didn’t do anything for you. So tell us what you think of the fake trailer come to life (so to speak) in the comments below!

Jump Cut – Toy Story 3

Movies, Reviews 1 Response »

Jul 082010

So look who’s at it again! Disney and Pixar has decided to dust off one of their most beloved franchises and bring it back to finally complete this story of toys…A Toy Story if you will. But I think the number one question on everyone’s mind is. Can this new instalment live up to its predecessor? Or should have these animation juggernauts kept this family classic in the attic.

More than ten years has passed since the last Toy Story and it shows. Andy is all grown up and hasn’t let the old crew out to play for quite some time. Add in the fact that he’s ready to head out to college and you can see where this is going. The now seventeen year old has to say goodbye to his collection of toys. He’s ready to stash them in the attic all but Woody voiced by Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan, Angels and Demons) but when there’s an accidental mix up Woody has to rescue the gang from their new home. The day from h e double hockey sticks. While Woody figures a way to help them out, Buzz voiced by Tim Allen (Galaxy Quest, Home Improvement) tries to hold down the fort and talk with their new “friends”

Watch out Antonio Banderas. Buzz is movin' on in

The Good

What’s not good about this movie? They have an awesome cast of voice actors that’s off the charts! Since they’ve been in the game together from the previous flicks their relationships on screen are spectacular.

This isn’t just for the kids. The guys from Pixar didn’t forget about you mom and dad. They pull some fantastic jokes from some classic films like The Godfather and Shawshank Redemption. Let’s not forget the slightly dark tones Pixar loves to whip out in their flicks. This one is no exception. The obvious one of having to deal with separation is nice and dandy but just wait near the end of the movie. It’ll blow the socks off you Power Rangers action figure.

The Bad

The only bad thing that can be said is the following…It’s not long enough. Woody just starts whipping out some crazy impulse escape manoeuvres that make you think you’re watching Prince Of Persia: The Sands of Time. Once the crew has their plan set up everything just feels slightly rushed through. Some of you may make the arguments that they are experts in these sorts of situations now but keeping the spirit of the first and second Toy Story there could have been a few more bumps on the road.

On a side note. The 3D was useless. Let’s not talk about it anymore than we should.

The Ugly

Wait. You seriously thought I would have something here. Just move it along to the final verdict.

Final Verdict

So I am assuming you all know what this is going to be. You need to go check this out. From one end to another this a near perfect film, fun for young and old. So why aren’t you watching it yet?

At The Movies – The A-Team

Movies, Reviews No Responses »

Jun 302010

Lately we’ve been seeing a lot of remakes and re-imagining of old movies and series. We’ve had remakes of Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and even the Karate Kid to name only a few of these. Now, like any reasonable person, I get a little worried when someone in Hollywood decides to “re-imagine” something. More often than not it ends in tears and psychological damages. So, it’s not hard to explain that when I sat down to see the A-Team in theatres I was slightly worried and braced myself for the worse. So, does this movie cause more damage than good, or is it this a plan that really comes together?

New Beginnings

Now, this movie is, in a way, a prequel to the original television series. The first part of the movie is devoted to telling the story of how the team came together during a mission in Mexico. The movie then goes into the story of how the team is framed and dishonourably discharged. The team, Col. John “Hannibal” Smith (Liam Neeson), Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck (Bradley Cooper), Cpl. Bosco “B.A.” Baracus (Quinton Jackson), and Murdock (Sharlto Copley), is assigned to do a black ops mission into Baghdad to steal back US printing plates and the 1 billion dollars printed with it. However, upon the completion of the mission the money and plates are stolen and the team’s commander is assassinated. With no one to confirm the legitimacy of the team’s mission, they find themselves under arrest. Now, the story has changed with the times. The original story has this aspect of the story occurring of Vietnam, while this new movie has the story happening in the Middle East.

The Good

The movie starts off by kickin’ it old school. They use the original theme to the television show and continue using it throughout the movie. They also stick true to the characters original personalities while giving them a bit of a new school flare.

Next, this movie doesn’t lose sight it’s an action movie. While it develops the plot in some of the slower parts, it makes up for it some epic and badass scenes that quickly follow. Also, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I hadn’t see bits and pieces of them in trailers.

The Bad

It’s true that the original series was a little over the top at moments. There were even a few times were simple facts of physics were outright ignored. We, as viewers, accepted this. However, this movie found a way to take it one step further in over the top action scenes and outrageous plans. While visually they look nifty, they seem hard to fathom.

When re-makes are done, it’s quite common to see the original cast make an appearance or have some sort of role in the movie. The remaining members of the original A-Team were approached for cameos in the new movie. Both Dwight Schultz and Birk Benedict (Murdock and Peck respectively) accepted the cameo roles while Mr. T turned it down. After the length and popularity of the series, I had hoped that the cameo roles might have been a little larger, but they amount to blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearances.

The Final Verdict

This movie makes a great summer block buster and is enjoyable all around. It’s nice to see that this new movie stuck close to its roots while giving it a new feel. All in all, it makes it easy to see through some of this film’s shortcomings. Go check out this film for a good time.