The Hangover (2009)
A crass, unfunny, uninspired comedy about the misadventures of four friends having a bachelor party in Vegas. The soon-to-be groom is missing after a wild night out and the three friends left have to find clues and locate their friend and figure out what happend that wild, crazy night. What follows are unfunny-and in some cases groan-inducing- gags during the search(which included a horrible scene involving the police, children and tasers); the characters are no where near being relatable or sympathetic to the audience; we want these characters to go throught their hardship and pain. It also doesn't help that the movie, at least to me, is a bit racist and homophobic. You have the scary, intimidating blacks, the gay Asian gangster and the wacky annoying Arabs. The only time any laughs were brought out it was by Ed Helms, but those laughs were few and far between. I honestly feel sorry for people who believe that this film is either brilliant or pushed the envelope, I call BS on that. 1*/4*

Thank you! I've never understood how this got put up on a pedestal as an example of great modern comedy. Everyone I know loves this film; I couldn't stand it.

Also, I just got back from a double bill of Mike Leigh's Another Year and the Ryan Gosling/Michelle Williams drama Blue Valentine. I'm still giving my mind some time to settle down, but right now I'd say that both of these films are late entries into my 2010 Top 10. Two 9/10s.

That's almost as happy as a double billing of Blue Valentine and Rabbit Hole.

I didn't hate the film like you did, but I dind't think it was particularly great either, it made me laugh a few times but I was still dumbfounded as to how JB could call that film "edgy" when it's really not.

Due Date (2010):
Todd Phillip's follow-up to The Hangover starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis as two mismatched travellers going West to L.A.(Galifianakis is travelling to Hollywood to fulfill his dream to be an actor). After being thrown out of an airplane and renting a car, wild and wacky hijinks ensure. The comedy in this film is literally hit or miss(more being misses); Downey Jr. and Galifianakis have decent chemistry together, but you're never sure that both would get along so well late in the film. Some of the side stops are, at best, chuckle worthy, but you could see a potentially good film if it had a darker edge to it(example: Downey Jr. talking about his dad and Galifiankis's response). The movie is a rental at best. 2.5*/4*

Buried (2010) ***1/2

Exactly what I wanted and more, with one of the best closing lines of recent years. Remind me to thank JB for pointing me this way.

Despicable Me

Fun little comedy. Nothing earth-shattering, but rather simple wholesome entertainment. Loved the title song by Pharrell. Have already downloaded it to the iPod now.
-Jeremy

Yeah, it's a very traditional story told very well. A flick that's simply damn good at what it sets out to do.

Seen today...

Harry Brown - 7/10

A far more respectable and resonant film than Gran Torino. It doesn't relish in its violence, whipping out the red stuff only to drive home the lengths to which decades of drugged-up junkie thugs have pushed Michael Caine's title character. That Caine plays Brown as a quiet man driven to action rather than a trigger-happy action star provides firm dramatic support to a movie that does give into traditional revenge saga theatrics towards the end.

Zerophilia - 5/10

I'll give the filmmakers credit for getting a story with this odd a premise (average dude discovers he has an extra chromosome that allows him to swap genders) and treat it respectably. But the flat acting, a script that always takes the easy way out when it paints itself into a thematic corner, and an inconsistent blending of gender politics with sex comedy screwball make swift work of removing any and all bite it might've had. An original idea that isn't half as fascinating as some script tinkering could've helped it become.

Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff - 5/10

Bloody hell, this was dull. Precious was funnier.

I hope I don't forever alienate PROMETHEUS with what I'm about to write.

I understand, completely, why someone would love Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon; there is more than enough room within the horror genre for the influence of Adaptation. or, more generally, Charlie Kaufman. If you look at his stuff from the right angle, Kaufman basically writes horror films.

Anyhow. This one is a higher-than-average-IQ comedy/horror/satire that uses (sorry, PROMETHEUS) a stupid framing device (that is, before Donald Kaufman gets the pen) to make some points about fate, reality tv, meta-thisandthat, impartiality as it pertains to documentary... I thought it was mediocre. But not because it didn't try, oh no. The movie tried too hard.

There was some stuff that I really liked. Nathan Baesel (Jim Carrey + Robert Sean Leonard =) was great as Leslie, Robert Englund did an awesome homage in the "Ahab" role (this, by the way, is just a great term coinage... it puts the movies it references in a brand new light) and the first 35 or so minutes would make a brilliant short film.

I dunno. Cool that the movie takes place in the parallel universe of horror films but I felt that
Adaptation., Series 7: The Contenders and Scream already did it. And better, too.

Gran Torino didn't revel in violence.

I meant those as two separate ideas, but yeah, I could've worded them differently. I'd even say Harry Brown is a bit more violent than Gran Torino, but again, it doesn't whip it out to keep the audience from getting bored. What I meant more in terms of relating to Gran Torino is that Harry Brown was more emotionally earnest -- you got to know Harry better and understood what was going through his head without him having to say much. Gran Torino essentially had Clint Eastwood playing Clint Eastwood, hurling out the occasional nonchalant racial slur, then, as the film wrapped up, going, "Oh, by the way, you're supposed to feel sorry for me."

My goof for not wording my thoughts the way I wanted!

Okay cool I understand what you mean now A.J.

Quantum of Solace (2008):
Follow up to Casino Royale which has Bond following leads to a large organization which lends their hands to control third world governments, buying politicans, etc. The first 15 minutes are good, which concludes with a chase scene in Italy, that has a nice payoff, despite the fact that it was given away in the trailer. The Bond girl is just a bore(the same could be said as the villian) as she tries to avenge the murders of her family years ago; the writer tries to compensate by given her a hand in some of the action scene, but it feels empty since we're not given an idea of her real emotions and feeling(I know she angry, but that's purely MOVIE WRITING). Hopefully, the next Bond will leave a satisfying taste in the mouth of the series' fan. 2*/4*

Takers
A poorly written, poorly acted heist film that I have to admit to liking. Sorry guilty pleasure. 5.5/10

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps
This was a little better than I expected. It was pretty vanilla with not a whole lot going on and pretty much wasted the talent attached to it but it was entertaining enough to sit through on a lazy afternoon. 6/10

Two of my Bottom 10 of 2010

Cool. We were debating between this, To Catch a Thief and Modern Times for tonight's DVD spin. I feel strangely serene about back-burnering the Chaplin film for another night.

Ugh back-burn To Catch a Thief. I love Hitchcock to death, but that film's nothing but pretty people being pretty for over 2 goddamn hours

Correction: pretty people being pretty for 106 minutes. Not too bad! We'll go with Buried, however, because I aim to please thee, Melord. Me, lord. Melord. Commas and spaces and other lessons of PeachyPete. Milord.

Ha! You funny fucker, you. Speaking of Buried I watched that earlier today as well. It's really well made...and really fucking depressing. I'd say more, but, well, I'm just not going to.

I also watched Easy A. I liked that just fine, but it isn't as good as Buried. Next up, I'm thinking about watching Knight and Day, or something, you know, that's probably better.

I wouldn't worry too much about putting Modern Times on the back burner for another night seeing as how the majority of the forum has been doing that for damn near a month. RIP Reelviews movie club.