Tagged: Russell Brand
Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012)
You’re a dummy Russell Brand, you really are.
This is an intimate look at the fun glamorous, heartbreaking, inspiring, crazy, passionate, magical and honest mad diary of Katy Perry.
These concerts movies that come out every year always seem to be the same thing: a story about a popular singer, mixed with footage from behind-the-scenes, and a concert filled with all of their biggest hits. They did it with Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, and Justin Bieber, and look exactly where it got all of them (with the exception of Bieber of course). However, this one is a tad different because they have it all centered around a chick who sang about kissing girls, and liking it. Sadly, she never actually commits the act of kissing girls, but that’s why I have an imagination.
Seeing this film in 3D, is definitely not a “must”, but if you do, you will probably like the way this whole film is shot and the way it looks. Just take a look at that poster to the right, try and tell me that that is not some of the most yellow-looking popcorn you have ever seen in your life! But that’s how this whole flick is. It’s filled with all of these vibrant and purty colors, whether she’s back-stage stretching her legs out or shaking her boo-thang to ‘Teenage Dream’, and it’s really nice to just gaze at.
But on top of that, the songs are pretty fun, too. I’ve never been a huge fan of Katy Perry, I have always thought her songs were OK at best, but every time the film showed her in concert, jamming out to one of these songs, I will admit that I didn’t start to lip some of the lines and actually do my infamous “air drumming” that I do at any movie that has any type of music in it whatsoever. I know all 0f her hits (and living in the 21st century, how could you not?!?) and on the car ride home, I actually did feel a bit tempted to search all over the radio just looking for one of her songs. They’re catchy as hell, so just give me a break!
The one thing that really kept me away from this movie, was the fact that I felt like they didn’t show enough of Katy Perry. Yeah, we get to see what she’s really like behind-the-scenes and all, which I’ll get to in a minute, but I never felt like it went down that road as deep as it could have. We get a good glimpse of what’s going on through her mind during her divorce with Russell Brand, and how sad that makes her, but other than that, it’s all fun and games without any real ideas of who or what the person really is underneath that candy-cane skirt.
However, with the stuff about her that they do show and go into detail about, really made me like and think about her more. I always knew there was something somewhat different by the way Katy Perry handled herself and acted, but I thought it was all for show, instead, I find out through this film that she is actually like this all day, everyday and she is just being herself which makes her so much more endearing. Perry is not a wonder woman by any chance, she can’t really dance to her songs, she can’t keep up with her schedule, and she tries so hard to make her marriage work when it seems like it’s over, but she does show that she works her butt off when it comes to making her fans happy, whether it being giving a kick-ass show or a kick-ass meet-and-greet with her fans.
Not only does this chick do more in one night, then I do in an entire month (thank you movie reviewing), she is also a lovely person to be around. Perry just has this certain aspect to her character that really stands-out and makes you realize that this girl really is a genuinely nice person that only wants to make others around her happy and that everything that she sings about, comes from the heart regardless of how cheesy or lame her songs may actually be. I’ll give Perry one thing, she is definitely one of those rare pop-stars that has fun and goes out on that stage to give it her all, but at the end of the day, she is just another American-born and raised girl from a very religious family.
Consensus: People who don’t really like Katy Perry, or don’t have any interest in finding anything out about her probably won’t like what they see on-display here, but if you like her music, like her, or are curious about what goes on back-stage with her, then Katy Perry: Part of Me is a fun concert flick that will satisfy all of your Perry-needs.
7/10=Rental!!
Rock of Ages (2012)
If only life was played to the music of Def Leppard, then all girls would feel the need to pour some sugar on me. If you know what I mean.
This movie tells the story of small town girl Sherrie (Julianne Hough) and city boy Drew (Diego Boneta), who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams. Their rock ‘n’ roll romance is told through the heart-pounding hits of Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Journey, Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Whitesnake, and more.
I’ve never been a big fan of the 80′s but from time to time, I’ll find myself rocking out to a couple of hair metal tunes like “Cherry Pie”, “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, and plenty of others. So the idea of having a musical taking place around that era and focusing on that music, didn’t really have me reaching out for my “nostalgia money” but hey, nostalgia isn’t all that bad.
Director Adam Shankman is a guy who knows how to do musicals and bring out the most energy in them. Everything looks so colorful, the dance numbers have people running all over the place while pulling off some neat Michael Jackson-like moves, the editing is choppy but gives the film this frantic feel to it, and a hell of a lot of camp to be had here as well. I mean whenever anybody talks about the 80′s, you can’t get past the fact that everything in that era was just so corny and goofy, but also, so perfect for that time period. That aspect is what this film plays off of and I think Shankman did a pretty damn good job recreating this era to the point of where I felt like I actually was watching a story in the 80′s, not just a dramatization on what might have been.
But if you’re going to see this film, you’re not going to be bothered with the camp of purty colors that are on display. Nope. You’re definitely going to be seeing this film because you love 80′s music, or just music in general and if that is the case, then this is a perfect fit for your music loving heart. Every time the film would start to get lame and focus on its “story”, a kick-ass musical number would just come right in to bring my attention back onto the screen, get my feet tapping, and simulate all of drum parts for each and every song. Everybody in the theater that I was with, kept looking at me but I didn’t care because I just could not help myself once people starting belting out lyrics to “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, “I Wanna Rock”, and even, yes, “I Want to Know What Love Is” (hey, don’t judge that song can get to you, man). Some of the songs aren’t used in the right context here and some even weren’t made yet by the time that this film takes place in, but either way, I could not stop rocking out and I came to realize that the 80′s was a pretty cool time for music. Never thought I’d be saying that.
The problem with this film is that whenever people aren’t jamming out to some choice tracks, everything starts to get boring and terribly dull. The center story, that the rest of the film takes place around, is beyond cliché where we see a young girl come all the way to Hollywood to be a huge singer, only to fall in love with another young, up-and-comer. Boring! This is something we have all seen done before and nothing else is really changed here with the exception that this love is surrounded by 80′s tracks, but even they couldn’t get my head past the weak-ass story. I actually think I dozed off a couple of times, only to be awoken by the loud, thunderous sounds of the music that would bring all of the fun this movie needed.
The film also doesn’t have much to say about the 80′s, let alone the music that took over this decade. Maybe I was going for something more than what I really needed from a musical like this but I think that the film could have done more with it’s whole 80′s premise, rather than just showing us how cool it was. It would have been a nice mixture of Rock Star and Hairspray, and even though that may not sound so wickedly cool and fun, it still would have offered more insight to its decade than this film did. Also, 2 hours and 4 minutes is sort of pushing it a little too long, especially when you have a musical that’s just strictly for the 80′s crowd.
What really made this film such a blast though, aside from the 80′s tracks, was the strange ensemble that came out believable and made this film a whole lot better. Malin Akerman is delightful and sexy as the “Rolling Stone” reporter that gets involved with a big-time rocker; Mary J. Blige may not be the best actress out there but she sure as hell can sing, which that’s all this film needs; Paul Giamatti is slimy and slightly evil as Paul Gill, but who else could play that type of character; Catherine Zeta-Jones is over-the-top as Patricia Whitmore, the wife of the Mayor, but is entertaining and has one sick-ass dance number that brought me back to her Chicago days; and Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand both have a lot of fun with each other as the two club owners, but I think needed more time on-screen as well. As for our little tikes in the leads, Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta, they are delightful to watch but kind of get blown out of the water by this phenomenal supporting cast. Mainly, one in particular.
Tom Cruise as hair metal icon Stacee Jaxx, was not only a perfect bit of casting for Mr. Cruise here but also the best part of this whole movie. Lately, Cruise has been taking more and more roles that show him sort of making fun of his own image and this is one of those roles where he gets to play around a bit with that image, but also be able to release his inner rocker. His voice may sound a little too weak for some of these songs that he performs, but it doesn’t matter because the guy takes over the screen whenever he’s on and also has a pretty credible character arc to him as well. It’s nothing like Magnolia, but it’s still the only arc for any character in this movie and it’s used well because it’s Tom Cruise dammit! Honestly, Tom Cruise has one last, big Oscar for him somewhere and even though it may not be this role, I know it’s still coming up soon regardless.
Consensus: Rock of Ages may have a weak story that makes the era its portraying more dull than it has any right to be, but the non-stop 80′s tracks are filled with energy and fun, and feature some great performances from this impressive ensemble cast of characters, especially an intense Tom Cruise.
6.5/10=Rental!!
The Five-Year Engagement (2012)
Just wait for Russell Brand to ruin this chick, too.
The Five-Year Engagement is a romantic comedy following Tom (Jason Segel) and Violet (Emily Blunt) as their relationship becomes strained from the continued delays of their wedding an prolonged engagement.
When you get a movie that seems like it’s going to be a mixture of something from Bridesmaids (producers), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (director), and straight-up Judd Apatow (also producer) comedy, you would think think that this would be laugh out loud funny, right? Ehhh, who knows!
Director Nick Stoller does do what he does best; and that is, keep the laughs going even when the plot seems like it’s starting to float away. There’s definitely a great sense of improv here, which is what makes this cast so damn good; but regardless of whether or not this film’s jokes were actually written, I still laughed many more times here than I did with Stoller’s last flick. Yes, I know a lot of people praise Get Him to the Greek as if it was his end-all, be-all masterpiece, but I guess I’m just not with you on that one.
I also thought that it was cool to see this premise go down and show us something about two people in love, which is something I haven’t seen much in flicks that are about a happy-happy couple such as this. The film shows what it’s like for two people to be together and less of how easy it is to love the other person for all that they are, but at the same time gets into how hard it is to be happy for that other person when they’re doing the things that they’re doing as you’re in total and complete misery. I know this isn’t anything that’s necessarily ground-breaking or inventive to talk about, especially when you talk about half of the rom-coms that have come out within the past 10 years, but it’s still a subject/theme that is done very well here, and I don’t think you see too much of that in rom-coms nowadays.
However, that theme, along with a lot of the jokes, seem to somehow get lost in the shuffle of this 2 hour and 4 minute movie. It seems like every rom-com lately has started to fall into this path where they aren’t just about being a funny, romantic movie, but they also have to have a huge deal of drama in it too, just so it can even things out. The film seems very disjointed in parts, as it was more just a bunch of sketches put together, but they were still funny enough to hold me over and get past it. But by last couple of acts where the film shows Violet and Tom’s relationship starting to crumble down, the film starts to get a bit darker and focus more on the sadness these two have away from each other, rather than focus on some cool moments of comedy. It’s actually a big downer when these two aren’t together because not only does it take a lot of steam out of the comedy, but the idea of these two being perfect for each other is uprooted as well.
Also, did I mention that it’s a 2 hour and 4 minute movie?!? Only Judd Apatow can do comedies like that people so stop trying to hop all over that skill cause it ain’t happenin’, ight? I don’t know why I started talking like that but I guess I got so much love for my homeboy Judd Apatow, I had to back him up. Anywhoo, back to what I was talking about…
Another quibble I had with this flick was that since the film shows 5 years passing, you would think that these characters would change or look a bit older in anyway, but instead, the movie feels more like it’s happening in about 5 months rather than 5 years. Tom gets a caveman beard and Violet gets bangs later on, but other than that, nothing else really changes between these characters and they all sort of just stay the same without any difference in change, look, or act. Then again, not every person in the world needs to change every single day that goes by, but 5 years is a pretty long time.
What I can say about the pairing of Emily Blunt and Jason Segel is that they both have obvious chemistry and use it well with the surprisingly slim amount of scenes they get together. Segel plays more of the straight-man role and Blunt pretty much plays his somewhat goofy, psychiatrist honey and both display a lot of fun working together on-screen, but the film shows more scenes of them apart than together. I wish the film focused more on them just hangin’ out, goofin’ off, or just simply being a loving couple, rather than just worrying they’re going to go next with their relationship and whether or not they’re going to work out. Just be happy and loving you damn kids! Even though you are both older than me!
But since a lot of these scenes are dedicated to what’s going on around these two, the film gets to show more scenes with its awesome supporting cast. Chris Pratt (who looks like Patrick Wilson, if he just got back from an all-you-can-eat buffet) is hilarious as Tom’s bro-bro and steals just about every scene he has; and I probably would have liked to see a whole film dedicated to just him and his wife, Suzie, aka Violet’s sister, aka the hilarious and very sexy Alison Brie. Rhys Ifans is pretty slimy but good as Violet’s charismatic supervisor, Winton Childs. And there are so many others here that are worth mentioning but it’s really just such a huge supporting cast that it’s really hard to name them all.
Consensus: The tone may be a disjointed, the laughs may not be constant, and the run-time may be about 30 minutes too long, but The Five-Year Engagement still entertains enough with it’s very funny laughs, and it’s charming leads, that are backed by an amazing supporting cast that steals the scenes almost every chance they get.
6.5/10=Rental!!
Arthur (2011)
Who says you don’t need another story about a drunk rich dude in the 21st century?
Irresponsible charmer Arthur Bach (Russell Brand) has always relied on two things to get by: his limitless fortune and the good sense of lifelong nanny Hobson (Helen Mirren) to keep him out of trouble. Now he faces his biggest challenge – choosing between an arranged marriage that will ensure his lavish lifestyle or an uncertain future with the one thing money can’t buy, Naomi (Greta Gerwig), the only woman he has ever loved.
Having already seen the original and knowing that this flick was just another unnecessary remake used to boost up somebody else’s career, I can’t say that I was looking forward to this but more as curious. I was curious to see whether or not how bad this actually was and if, just if, it would make me hate everyone involved. Well, it didn’t really do either.
This film is definitely a little bit different from the original, in the way its story is shown. The original shows this drunken billionaire as a sad and messed up dude, but here, Arthur is shown as a charming and happy man-child which is the right approach I think this film took. The script has its fair share of problems in many departments but the comedy was pretty funny and there were a couple of zingers here and there that actually had me chuckling, which is something I was definitely not expecting in the least bit. About 1 in every 10 joke actually hits it mark, but that’s still better than 0 so I can’t say that I didn’t at least laugh a couple of times here.
The problem that this film hits is that it just feels too held-back from everything it could have possibly explored. What I mean by that is since the film is rated PG-13, you never get any real hard raunchy jokes and you don’t get anywhere near the close amount of debauchery as you got with the original. You see his drinking problem come up 2 times, you hear about how he apparently he has sex with all of these chicks even though you rarely see them, and we never get to see him go to any darker places than he was already in. The whole rating this film was given made it enough to appeal to just about everyone, but I still feel like they held-back a little bit too much.
Let me also not forget to mention that the problem with this flick lies within the fact that it starts to get very cheesy and predictable by the end, which lead me to eye-roll a couple of times. I mean I knew where this film was obviously going right from the start but sooner and sooner down the road with this flick, I realized that the laughs weren’t really here and even though the film did display a nice little amount of heart and emotion for its story, a lot of it just didn’t feel right and more of just cliche.
Your enjoyment of this film will probably be based on how much you actually enjoy watching Russell Brand for a whole 109 minutes. I like Brand and I think he’s always funny and this is no exception here. He spits-out jokes with rapid fire, almost never stopping, and just brings that great charm we all know and love him for. Brand seems like a different Arthur as opposed to Dudley Moore’s version and still is able to handle the expectations of this role very well. The problem that he runs into is that when it comes to him actually bringing some emotional and heart-gripping drama to the flick, he can’t really do it all that well. Brand comes off as more of a really soft dude whenever he tries to soften up his mood and it just does not feel right considering this guy the whole film is making references to Chinese little girls, Batman, and even the French in such a mean-spirited way.
As with the original, this one here really tried its hardest to have us relate to and care about Arthur, when he just seemed like too much of a dick to care about in the first place. I mean this guy is filthy rich, doesn’t have work a day in his life, and is about to marry Ben Affleck’s smoking-hot wife, and he’s complaining about how he’s not able to be with the one he truly loves. Come on, stop being a little bitch and just soak it up, or how about you actually get a job and stop being a little brat.
The supporting cast is also a lot of fun as well and damn near saves this flick. Helen Mirren is great as Hobson, and shows that she can be totally hilarious without barely ever cracking a smile. She’s sarcastic, realistic, but also very mean which is where I found most of the time she was on-screen to be some of the best moments. It was also really funny watching her try her hardest not to actually laugh at Brand doing all of his goofy stuff. Greta Gerwig gets her first main-stream role here as Naomi, and she’s very good but she seems too much of a type like that quirky, indie girl we see so much now of. Jennifer Garner is also fun to watch in this very unlikable role as Susan and she’s just totally crazy in a type of role we barely ever see her in ever.
Consensus: Arthur is a remake that is predictable, unnecessary in the first place, and doesn’t really do anything new here at all, but the cast makes this film enjoyable and funny enough to at least have a little fun for the time being. Still, who the hell needed an Arthur remake?!?
5/10=Rental!!
Despicable Me (2010)
Now I see why every kid is in love with this movie and those little yellow things too.
Villainous Gru (Steve Carell) lives up to his reputation as a despicable, deplorable and downright unlikable guy when he hatches a plan to steal the moon from the sky. But he has a tough time staying on task after three orphans land in his care. There’s also problems with another villain named Vector (Jason Segel)
With almost every animated film that’s been coming out lately, being incredibly amazing, this one seemed like it had a lot of potential. But really, it’s potential didn’t really go anywhere.
I know that this film wasn’t aiming for the 18-year old kind of potty-mouthed film critic but almost every single Pixar film that has come out within the past 3 years, has had me balling like a 5-year old, so why shouldn’t this either? The answer to that question is that this film is centered too much towards kids with no real jokes actually being as funny as they should be.
This is a pretty cool premise with a lot of gags that had me chuckling here and there, but ultimately the film goes for the “cute” laughs that will get the kids laughing more than the parents, which is alright but you really have to have some stuff for mommy and daddy. But the humor also seemed like it was trying too hard with these gags and the humor that it all had that “been there, done that” feel to it and ended up being some pretty predictable stuff.
The emotional aspect of this film isn’t terrible but at times it’s just way too in your face to really care for. I thought that Gru and Vector were going to be the meanest sons of bitches in the whole movie but there’s these side characters that are actually worse. There’s a woman who runs the orphanage telling these kids “they will never get adopted!”, and also puts them in these little cardboard boxes called “The Boxes of Shame”. There’s also a park carnie that is the biggest dick ever and just sticks it in these kids face that they didn’t win a fuzzy unicorn because they couldn’t knock down some stupid target. It’s annoying when these moments just hit you over the head with how emotional they want you to feel and it’s just downright annoying.
Probably what really kept me going for this film was the animation that looked very very good. I liked how all of these characters were all unique in their own look and how the constant colors just kept popping up everywhere, creating an even better film to look at. I saw this in the regular 2-D version but I have to say that if I did see it in 3-D it probably would have been awesome because of just how this film looks and all.
The cast here has a lot of heavy-hitters but nothing really amazing. Steve Carell is good as Gru with his European accent; Jason Segel is annoying as Vector; I didn’t even notice Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario; and Will Arnett does what he does with the Bank of Evil (formerly Lehman Brothers) loan officer, Mr. Perkins. There’s also some nice bit parts from the likes of Kristen Wiig, Julie Andrews, Miranda Cosgrove, Danny McBride, and Jemaine Clement to top off this whole cast. The problem here is that everybody’s fine I guess, they just aren’t given much and there’s nothing really all that funny about what each of these characters do and it’s kind of disappointing considering all the talent they have, I usually laugh at no matter what.
Consensus: Despicable Me has great-looking animation and some chuckles here and there, but overall it’s too centered towards kids, predictable by the end, and just an animated film that doesn’t do much else different than what we have already seen done before and better from far-superior Pixar films.
5/10=Rental!!
Also, if you want to check out what I said about Javier Bardem joining the cast of ‘Despicable Me 2‘, go on over to http://www.boomtron.com/2011/10/despicable-me-2-may-be-getting-some-oscar-talent/ and give me some love on back. Thanks everybody!
Fright Night (2011)
Thankfully this vampire isn’t named Edward, or Jacob, or any other name that those sparkling vampires have.
This film sees when teen Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) suspects that his new neighbor, the sinister Jerry Dandrige (Colin Farrell), is a vampire, and turns to a self-styled vampire expert, Peter Vincent (David Tennant), for help. Las Vegas magician Vincent proves useless, and it’s up to Charley to save his mom, Jane (Toni Collette), and girlfriend, Amy, from the seductive bloodsucker.
I have to confession to make…I have still not seen the original cult classic that this film is based off of but after seeing this I may just have to give it a shot.
This film focuses a lot on the horror rather than the actual comedy aspect of the film, which in ways they both worked out. The scares were here but were more suspenseful as they were freaky, and humor had me chuckling here and there which isn’t that bad considering the type of horror/comedy films we have come out in today’s day and age.
The problem with this film is that it doesn’t know whether to choose to be a comedy, a horror, or even an action film for that matter, and just instead turns out to be a bit of a mess. I kept wondering what director Craig Gillespie wanted me to laugh at, as well as be scared about because even as tense as this film may be, it’s never really scary unless it’s trying to live up “the scary factor” with a bunch of cheap jump-scares.
Another problem I had with this film was that after I checked out the trailer, I felt like this was going to be sort of making fun of our usual vampire flicks we have in today’s world, but instead ends up being the same old generic piece of junk that nobody really cares about in the end. I mean I liked how they kept up with a lot of the traditional rules a vampire must have, but they never really made that idea click anymore than it really should have. Some of this could have been amazing, but the writing was just sort of lame.
Although the writing may be poor, the action is awesome and is what kept me going for this film the whole time. The film takes awhile to get where it needs to get but when it does get there, the non-stop action kept me excited as well as the constant flying of blood, guts, and gore at the screen. I did not see this one in 3-D but if I did it was probably a total magic show by how beautiful all of these visuals actually looked and added so much more to the action of this film.
Anton Yelchin is pretty good here as Charlie, with his cool kid look and one-step-ahead-of-you approach to everything, Yelchin keeps this character interesting and somebody we want to win in the end; David Tennant is a bit over-the-top as the local illusionist, Peter Vincent, and seems like a role that was made for Russell Brand but Tennant sells some of the funny moments here, even though the dialogue may be a little crappy; and Toni Collette is OK as Charlie’s mom but she isn’t really given much as well. Oh and McLovin‘s here. He’s the man!
The best out of the whole cast was actually Colin Farrell as Jerry, the next-door neighbor vampire. Farrell absolutely just seems like he’s having a total ball with this role and totally shows the sexual undertones that is within Jerry’s soul when he is sinking his teeth into these people’s necks. Farrell commands almost every scene he’s in and makes you feel uncomfortable and not knowing just what he may do or say next. Great casting job for this part!
Consensus: The action is fun and great to look at, especially in 3-D, and the cast is good but the writing is a little too sloppy because it doesn’t quite know what it wants to be nor does it actually live up to any potential of being a new and cool type of vampire flick that we need to see done well.
5.5/10=Rental!!
Get Him to the Greek (2010)
If I was able to chill with Russel Brand, I know it would probably be better than this movie.
Ambitious young record company intern Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) will let nothing get in the way of his planned rise to the top in the music business — not even the unruly rock star (Russell Brand) he must escort to Los Angeles for the start of his anniversary concert. Doing whatever it takes to get the rocker from Point A to Point B, Aaron encounters all manners of mishaps.
So for anybody who saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall may remember Russell Brand as Aldous Snow totally stealing the show. Well this one is a spin-off with the same guy here, the only problem is that I wish it was as funny as that one.
The script had me chuckling here and there, because the jokes have some good wit and work with the situations that this film places them in. However, the only problem that the jokes are way too raunchy, and not the good raunchy either. A lot of this film’s humor is just random, immature potty jokes that don’t work. I don’t mind a good raunchy joke here and there, but once it starts to become the only thing the film seems like it’s shooting for, it just starts to become an annoyance and do nothing for me. I laughed every once and awhile, but not enough as I was expecting.
The main problem with this film is that by the end the film starts to get a little bit more sweet than I expected as well. There is this little romantic sub-plot that really brings down this film. I get that they were trying to bring more heart to this film rather than a penis, which is where half of the film’s jokes were coming from, but the tone just seems to be uneven by the end. The things that happen in this film are a little bit too unbelievable to actually take into account of some reality, because the way these people act in just seems put on, and made for the next dumb scenario to happen.
I had a great time with these performances which actually helped me through some of the more annoying scenes. As always, steals the show by doing his usual charming, raunchy character as Aldous Snow, and it all feels genuine. Every time this guys on screen, you don’t see him as that crazy guy that did a weird hosting job of the MTV Video Music Awards a couple of years back, you see him as this nutty, drug-addicted rocker and it works. I’m glad to see that Russell BrandJonah Hill is at least still getting big roles that he deserves because this man is just funny in almost anything he does. It’s not just because he’s fat like many people think, it’s because that comedic timing Hill has is perfect. My favorite element of this film had to be Sean “P. Diddy” Combs playing the record producer, Sergio. He does to this film what Tom Cruise did in Tropic Thunder, and that’s basically just play himself, and curse all the time, thus providing many belly laughs. I found myself laughing at his parts the most out of the film, and I’m glad that Diddy at least doesn’t have that much of a huge ego, to take roles like this. There is also some nice little supporting jobs from the likes such as Rose Byrne, Colm Meaney, Elizabeth Moss, and randomly Lars Ulrich.
Consensus: There are some laughs here, much ado to the amazing cast here, but there is too much random raunch that seems put there to make crazy situations, seem even crazier, and the sweetness by the end doesn’t seem real.
5.5/10=Rental!!
Bedtime Stories (2008)
I think I had better bedtime stories in my own life, then this damn movie.
Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) is a down-on-his-luck guy who’s always telling bedtime stories to his niece and nephew. But his life is turned upside down when the fantastical stories he makes up for entertainment inexplicably turn into reality. Can a bewildered Skeeter manage his own unruly fantasies now that the outrageous characters and situations from his mind have morphed into actual people and events?
Before all of you start judging, I had to watch this with my little 5-year old cousin, because if I did watch it on my own time, GOD, I would need something else to do.
This film is strictly for the family, and mainly younger kids. There is a lot of crazy things going on, like colorful visuals, random action, and the of course occasional little cute spots for the whole family to enjoy. But if you a 17 year old, movie critic, your in the back just about ready to go crazy.
Now I would lie to you, if I didn’t say I didn’t laugh at this. Cause surprisingly I had a chuckle here and there, mainly from Sandler, but other than that, this comedy was just poor. But I can’t be too mean to this film, and it’s little amount of comedy, mainly because it’s centered towards kids, and they will laugh at anything that seems different, or cool. But since this is a Disney movie, i was wondering, where is the heart at??? And I didn’t really find it honestly, and with a film that is centered towards the kids, and the whole family I expected more, but hey, whatever.
Adam Sandler I think is funny, even in his worst movies. And this is where he actually tries something new, and aim his comedy at a younger audience, while also entertaining the older ones as well. For the most part, he does a good job at it, because he’s funny when he wants to be, and brings out some chuckles, mainly because some of the jokes are centered towards adults at times. Russell Brand is randomly in this, and just feels, and looks awkward mainly because he isn’t able to bring his usual, adult laughs to the screen, though he does have some funny moments. Keri Russell is just there not doing much, as well as Courtney Cox. But the funniest, and most random casting of them all, was indeed, Guy Pearce. That’s right, that Guy Pearce. He play’s the main bad guy in this film, and I guess he does a good job, but you can’t be really sinister in a family-oriented film, and actually be believable, so he’s just randomly in this for laughs I guess.
Consensus: Here and there was a couple of chuckles, mainly from the cast, but Bedtime Stories is a great kids movies, that may be too colorful, dull, and little heart, for the whole family to enjoy, especially the adults.
3/10=SomeOleBullShitt!!!
