Naked Hobo

After Molly (Kate Hudson) and Carl (Matt Dillon) get married, down on his luck best man Dupree (Owen Wilson) crashes with the newlyweds.  Dupree is a living disaster though, and soon his mere presence brings chaos and destruction to the formerly happy couple’s lives.

The tagline alone should have been enough to keep me away, “Two’s company, Dupree’s a crowd”.  Taglines like that are never a good sign.  Sure there are a few chuckles, and if you want something to serve as nothing more than mere distraction, then maybe this is the film for you.  The complete ineptitude of Dupree and the havoc he inadvertently wreaks stretches the limits of believability.  A lot of people have that friend, that one person that may seem like an ass, a jerk, a loser, whatever, to most people, but for whatever reason he or she is your ass, jerk, or loser.  You get them.  I really don’t see how anyone could stand to be around Dupree long enough for him to reach that level of acceptance.  Sure, he’s a nice, but he definitely falls into the category of too stupid to still be alive.  I just can’t have sympathy for him, which is what I think I am supposed to feel.  I also find that Kate Hudson’s Molly is really kind of a bitch.  This is one of those “a guy needs to grow up and change when he gets married, because the man the woman fell in love with was only chosen because of his moldability”.  So, the film helps perpetuate that notion too.

I guess a large part of what bothers me is that you have some serious talent in this movie, and it is utterly wasted.  Wilson could have been put to such better use, and Matt Dillon is really too good of an actor to be in a film like this.  Truthfully, just about everyone is too good of an actor to be in a film like this.  The whole thing seems like a sitcom that has just gone on too long.  I can’t even say that the story itself was a good idea.  I take back what I said earlier, this film isn’t even a very good distraction.  The more I write and think about it, the angrier I seem to be getting.  I want my time back.  Best to stop before i damage my keyboard, 1 Axe.

In a world where technology makes it possible to enter another person’s dreams, Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is offered a chance for redemption.  Along with his team, he must enter the subconscious of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) in order to convince him to break up his father’s company.  Fischer though has had training to protect himself from such an attack, and the entire notion of implanting ideas into another person’s mind is thought to be impossible.  But how much of what is happening is a dream, and how much is real?

This is not a movie for the general public.  Sure, they might enjoy some of the more actiony sequences, but the emotional and intellectual journey the movie takes you on is going to be lost on a lot of people. Critics love it, slack jawed movie goers hate it (and don’t get me wrong, I love action scenes, I just think it’s nice to have some story around it sometimes).  It is one of those films that on the surface seems simple, but scratch that away and you have layer upon layer of dizzying delving into the human subconscious.  The story of implanting an idea into Robert Fischer is really the backdrop to the emotional journey that Cobb himself is going through.

This movie was a triumph visually as well.  Capturing the dream world is no easy task, making something that can feel both real and unnatural at the same time is no easy task.  The effects were amazing too, particularly when it comes to how people in the dream are affected by what happens to them both in the real world, as well as other layers of the dream.  You don’t just see the scenes as they happen, you feel them, they capture you and transport you into the film.

The acting, well, I think Leo is a damn fine actor (unless he is playing the pretty boy).  Surround him with some great talent, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Ken Watanbe, and you are guaranteed to have flawless execution of the script.  Levitt especially is an actor that I am going to be keeping my eye on as he has very obviously moved past his days of “3rd Rock From the Sun“.  And as always, I’ll be watching for anything with Page as well.

I think this represents Christopher Nolan’s best work to date.  While “Dark Knight” was a good, fun, movie, this film is true cinematic art (and it doesn’t have anyone talking like a guttural ape).  Nolan blends technical mastery with an interesting story, populate the film with skilled artisans of their craft, has wonderfully composed music by Hans Zimmer that compliments each scene perfectly.  I just hope that Nolan hasn’t peaked, and we can expect more work of this magnitude from him, 4 1/2 Axes out of 5.

Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) isn’t the most confident guy when it comes to girls.  When Jerry (Zach Galifianakis), his mother’s (Jean Smart) current boyfriend sells a clunker to a group of sailors, the trio head out to stay at a friend’s cabin.  The cabin turns out to be a trailer, but Nick doesn’t care after he meets local Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday).  Nick instantly falls in love with the alluring Sheeni, despite her already having a boyfriend.  To help bolster his confidence and win the girl of his dreams, Nick creates an alter ego, bad boy Francois Dillinger.    With Francois’ help, Nick is on his way to winning the heart of Sheeni, and leaving a path of destruction in his wake.

Michael Cera has made the role of the skittish, dweeby, guy his calling card.  Makes one wonder how much of it is an act.  For me though, the schtick is beginning to wear a little thin.  I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the movie, it’s just that I am seeing the same character in 2 movies a year, and I’m gonna see it again with “Scott Pilgrim vs the World“.  But, I guess you go with what works.  The rest of the cast is full of journeymen actors, each adding a bit to the overall film, even if their parts are generally small, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta,  Fred Willard, I just like seeing them on film.    However, I think the casting of Doubleday as Sheeni was perfect.  She plays the “innocent” girl looking for a bad boy so well.  She can accomplish a lot with a sly smile and a flirtatious glance.

While personally I would have liked to see a bit more of Francois, which is kind of the impression I got from the trailers, I still think the film worked rather well.  The persona of Francois didn’t cover up for the fact that the real Nick Twisp is a bit of a bumbler.  He isn’t a bad boy so much by choice, by kind of by default due to his own ineptness.  This is kind of the clumsy nerd version of “Fight Club“.

The movie had some good laughs, nothing huge, but it was amusing when it needed to be.  If you like Michael Cera, odds are you will get a kick out of this film.  The films also manages to be a good adult comedy without going into the arena of raunchiness.    There is enough wit and creativity for a good, fun movie, 3.95 Axes, almost a 4, but not quite.

After being accused of being a Russian sleeper agent, CIA agent Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) goes on the run.  Her boss, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber) and Counter Intelligence agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are hot on her heels.  But, is Salt the only sleeper, or are there others like her?

I have begun to change my mind on action flicks, giving them a little more wiggle room as far as things like plot and character development go.  You gotta take films in context, what are they trying to achieve.  Sometimes film is art, other times it is merely entertainment.  This one falls into the entertainment arena.  I have to admit I was a little surprised by this one.  I was planning on letting it slide until I got nab it off Netflix, but after some encouraging words from a few folks that have seen it, I thought, what the hell.  Glad I did.

I’m not really a huge fan of Angelina, something about her lips that makes me think of a dead monkfish.  But, I will admit that she plays the secret agent type pretty well.  I don’t really expect too much depth to the characters, and there wasn’t, but there was enough.  The casting was fine, no one really stands out as exceptional, but again, action flick, average is pretty darn good.

As is typical with many, ok, most, action films, there are some plot holes, some things that don’t quite add up, and some things that make absolutely no sense at all.  I can accept that if these don’t detract from the film.  Something that I catch and go, “oh, look at that”, I can live with that.  It is the times when I go, “you’ve got to be fucking kidding me”, that makes me cringe and takes me right out of the movie.  “Salt” came close, but never quite crossed that line.  I can buy into the whole super agent thing, I’m a Bond fan so I go roll with that.  There are a few tings that made me go, “hmm, doubtful, but I’ll let it pass, this time.”

They try to add as many little twists as they can, attempting to keep the audience guessing, is Salt really a Russian spy, or is she a good guy (girl)?  I am rather astute at picking out the bad guys in a film, so I wasn’t terribly surprised by the reveals, however I expect the average movie going public to be astounded and amazed.*

There was some good action sequences, which any good action film needs.  Note here, you can’t just have one 90 minute action sequence though, some form of story needs to be inserted every now and again or the action becomes commonplace and loses its “Wow” effect.  Explosion after explosion does not a good action flick make, I need at least a semblance of a plot, threadbare as it may be.  Again, much of the action requires you to buy into the whole super agent idea, someone that is so skilled, so trained, that no obstacle can stop them.  Still, as I find with many an action film, the levels of security in some places seem surprisingly lax.  If every place was as easy for a spy to get into as these films make it out to be we would have a presidential turn over every few weeks.

Overall, I had fun.  While this will not become a classic action flick, it did its job.  I think it is worth a matinee price, skip the popcorn though, 3 1/2 Axes.

*You, my friends, are not the average movie going public.

Tim (Paul Rudd) is trying to climb his way up the corporate ladder.  After bringing in a potential big money client, Tim is invited to a special dinner, where each person invites one special person as a guest.  These special people are brought in to be ridiculed and made fun of.  Tim wants to rise in the company, but he feels bad about the dinner.  He bumps into the perfect person for him to bring, the bumbling Barry (Steve Carell).  Once Barry enters Tim life he makes a complete ruin of everything.

This was a funny movie.  Carell plays the fool quite well, bringing destruction wherever he goes, and yet you can’t really dislike him.  Rudd plays well as the straight man, he and Carell have great chemistry.   The rest of the cast is brilliant.  Zach Galifianakas is great as the odd, mind reading Therman.  Then there is the brilliant Jermaine Clement.  He really needs to be in more films.  His turn as the oddly eccentric artist Kieran is quite reminiscent of his role in “Gentlemen Broncos“.  The actors are used quite well, the roles playing to their strengths.  I also got a kick out of seeing “Little Britain” alum David Walliams, as well as small roles from “Daily Show” folks Kristen Schaal and Larry Wilmore.

While not quite as funny as “The Hangover“, this movie was still packed a bag of laughs.  There were a few gut busitng moments, and plenty of chuckles throughout.  I still hate movie trailers though as many of the funny scenes were already spoiled before I even entered the theater.  Still, there was enough to keep me laughing and amused til the very end.

The one thing I don’t get though is the title.  The word Schmuck is never used in the film.  Tim’s boss calls the dinner a dinner for idiots.  Does idiot have too much of a stigma attached to it (from what I have no idea).  How is it a worse word than Schmuck?  Is it because no one uses the word Schmuck anymore?  Small bother for me, but it really has no actual bearing on the film itself.

So, while this is pretty much a remake of the French “Dinner Game“, and not quite as funny as the original, it still entertained me for a solid 90 minutes.  Some may find the film a bit too mean spirited, but I think everything is done with just enough taste to not truly offend (except those that live to be offended).  Not the best comedy I have seen, but better than most that have been belched out of the Hollywood machine, 3 1/2 Axes.

In a post-apocalyptic world, Eli (Denzel Washington) makes his way through the wastes.  He is heading west, determined to protect what is believed to be the last Bible.  There are those that would use the sacred book for more nefarious deeds, like local town tyrant Carnegie (Gary Oldman).  With the help of a local prostitute, Solara (Mila Kunis), Eli must keep the book out of Carnegie’s hands.

I liked the way the world of the apocalypse is portrayed in this film.  Small things that help to make the world seem more real, the return to a barter system, the importance of clean water, cannibalism.  These are things that would be a definite reality in a world gone to absolute shit.  While I get a kick out of the use of bottlecaps as money the “Fallout” series of games, the truth is that currency would be obsolete.  The Hughes brothers give the film a dusty, burned out husk feel.  They also throw in some decent action scenes.  The story also shows that compassion can take a back seat to survival, no matter what book one is carrying.

While not a perfect film by any means, it was still an enjoyable one.  I’m not disappointed that I paid to see this through Netflix, nor am I upset I missed it in the theaters.  Though parts of it drag a bit, it picks up when it needs too.  There are a few qualms I have with the film though.  There are numerous continuity errors, which are normally a huge annoyance to me, and while I noticed them, they didn’t seem to bother me all that much.  Most of these have to do with Eli and his bow.  There is also the ending.  It would have been a better ending if it stopped about 3 minutes sooner.

I have read some other people’s complaints about the movie too, that the trailers were misleading, that it is nothing but a Christian propaganda piece.  I saw the same trailers, I picked up right away that Eli was carrying a Bible.  And, you can argue against the existence of God all you want, fine by me, but you cannot seriously argue that the Bible is not one of the most influential books ever written.  God or no God, the Bible has affected the lives of billions, for both good and ill.  These are probably the same people that cry foul when a bunch of holier than thou do-gooders preach against films like “Harry Potter”.  I thought the Bible was a great fit, it is an important piece of history, it can be used to sway and control people.  Get off you atheist high horse and just do what many of you wish religious types would do, live and let live.  It’s just a freakin’ movie.

Sorry, I got a bit ranty.  Won’t happen again.*  So, decent flick, some minor hiccups, just ignore the last scene and all is well, 3 Axes.

It’s a bad world out there.  Orphans hooked on heroin, adulterated malt liquor, and The Man.  Only one person can stand up to all the bad guys, Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White).

This was an incredibly well done send-up of the 1970’s blaxploitation flicks.  It captures the feel of those old films so perfectly, the little inconsistencies, the bad acting, the gratuitous nudity.  At times the film is rather sophomoric with its humor, others it is downright clever.  Oh, and the costuming, man, the 70’s were a rather, um, unique era when it came to fashion.

So, I mentioned bad acting.  This is not a slam on the movie, the bad acting is intentional.  It takes some good acting to purposely act poorly.   I think the entire cast did a great job being bad actors.  The stilted delivery of lines, the sometimes ridiculous dialog, all a perfect homage to the source material.  It was also nice to see Arsenio Hall doing something too.  Michael Jai White is perfect as the sexy and deadly Black Dynamite.  Just the way the actors so dryly deliver their lines when I am sure that inside they were often cracking up, perfect.

It isn’t just the acting that is purposely bad though.  The directing was done so that it not only parodies blaxploitation flicks, it becomes what it parodies too.  Everything that would normally be fixed or re-shot in a “professional” film is left as is here, film gaffs, blunders, reused shots, continuity errors, all deliciously left in place.

I remember seeing a trailer for this last year and thought, maybe it will be okay.  Then it ended up being released in only 70 theaters nationwide and disappeared in only 2 weeks.  Thank  you DVD.  I’m really glad I got to see this.  Being a fan of such films as “Cleoptara Jones” and “Shaft“, this was a bright spot in my movie viewing life.  While not perfect (most of which was intentional), it is still damn funny and a beautifully well made spoof, 4 Axes.

Extra note:  Apparently Adult Swim has decided to pick this up as an animated series.  I’d be into that.

Black Dynamite