In the proud tradition of such films as Wayne’s World and The Blues Brothers, MacGruber is the latest film based on a skit from Saturday Night Live.
A spoof of the old TV show MacGyver, this movie is crude and rude, but it’s also funny. And that’s what’s most important to know.
As played by Will Forte, MacGruber is an alleged military hero and explosive experts. Far from professional, he’s a childish man whose attempts to dismantle ticking time bombs are thwarted by something so trivial.
MacGruber’s arch-enemy, Dieter von Cunth (Val Kilmer) has just stolen a Nuclear Warhed for purposes most nasty. So, MacGruber and his allies, Lt. Piper (Ryan Phillipe) and Vicki (Kristen Wiig) must not only save the day, but keep our hero’s attention to the task at hand.
This movie, first and foremost, is delightfully ridiculous. Yes, MacGruber is obnoxious and immature, but Will Forte plays him with zeal. The most nauseating jokes that come from MacGruber’s mouth, or his actions, are instead validly funny as a result.
As for the other actors, it’s their interactions with MacGruber that allow them to shine. Val Kilmer as von Cunth is the perfect hammy villain, and Phillipe and Wiig make for the perfect “straight folks” who have to put up with MacGruber. And as MacGruber’s superior, Powers Boothe is perfectly serious and thus, delightfully out of place in this farce.
This is a film that takes the clichés of dumb 80’s action movies and makes them dumber. Not only dumber, but they are effectively funnier. It’s the enthusiasm that the actors, along with director and co-writer Jorma Taccone, execute on screen that makes MacGruber the mighty fine comedy it is.
About Me
- Jethrotcat
- This is the blog where I talk about the latest movies I've seen. These are my two Schnauzers, Rufus (left) and Marley (right, RIP). As of now, the Double Hollywood Strikes are officially over. May the next strikes not last as long as these ones did.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Shrek Forever After
As the ads spell out in bold letters, Shrek Forever After is supposed to be the last entry in this franchise, but it's also the first in 3d. It’s not the grandest of finales, but it’ll do as a decent time waster.
Once again, Mike Meyers is the voice of Shrek, the big green ogre guy. As the movie opens, Shrek’s getting sick and tired of life happily-ever-after. So sick is he that he’d just like to be the terror of the swamp again.
This guy Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) meets Shrek, and promises the green guy a day as a feared ogre. Instead, he sends Shrek to a world where he never existed. And if Shrek doesn’t act quickly, he won’t exist anymore.
I saw this in 3d, which means more money to pay at the box office. When stuff flies at the screen, you’ll notice it and notice it well. The rest of the time, it looks like any other flat screen movie. You’ll wonder after a while why it’s supposed to be special.
Amongst the main cast, Puss’n’Boots (Antonio Banderas) gets the best notice. Although his appearance was spoiled months ago, his other-world fate as a fat cat was the best thing about the movie. With the rest of the humor going so-so, I thought Puss was the only decently funny thing about this movie.
A saving grace here is that the plot doesn’t lag. At around 90 minutes, the film knows how to keep going. It especially helps to have moments, such as the film’s final battle, that keep one’s attention away from their watch.
And yet, this Shrek is overall nothing special. Not a moment that’ll legitimately stay in the pop-cultural osmosis for eternity. If they makers put a bit more effort in effects and story, then this film’ll truly be worth both the flat screen and 3d prices.
The end.
Once again, Mike Meyers is the voice of Shrek, the big green ogre guy. As the movie opens, Shrek’s getting sick and tired of life happily-ever-after. So sick is he that he’d just like to be the terror of the swamp again.
This guy Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) meets Shrek, and promises the green guy a day as a feared ogre. Instead, he sends Shrek to a world where he never existed. And if Shrek doesn’t act quickly, he won’t exist anymore.
I saw this in 3d, which means more money to pay at the box office. When stuff flies at the screen, you’ll notice it and notice it well. The rest of the time, it looks like any other flat screen movie. You’ll wonder after a while why it’s supposed to be special.
Amongst the main cast, Puss’n’Boots (Antonio Banderas) gets the best notice. Although his appearance was spoiled months ago, his other-world fate as a fat cat was the best thing about the movie. With the rest of the humor going so-so, I thought Puss was the only decently funny thing about this movie.
A saving grace here is that the plot doesn’t lag. At around 90 minutes, the film knows how to keep going. It especially helps to have moments, such as the film’s final battle, that keep one’s attention away from their watch.
And yet, this Shrek is overall nothing special. Not a moment that’ll legitimately stay in the pop-cultural osmosis for eternity. If they makers put a bit more effort in effects and story, then this film’ll truly be worth both the flat screen and 3d prices.
The end.
Robin Hood
And now on screen is the one-billionth film starring Robin Hood, called Robin Hood (No, duh?). Its director Ridley Scott trusts that his audience knows all about the guy, so this film is about Robin “before the hood.”
So who was Mr. Robin “before the hood?” Well, he’s Robin Longstride, and he’s played by Russell Crowe. Mr. Longstride is an archer-guy in the army of King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston). They’ve been doing some crusading, and Robin tells the King that non-stop crusading’s a bad idea.
King’s response? “You’re an honest man. To the shackles you go!”
So when Richard gets an arrow to the neck, Robin and his merry men get to go home. At home, which is England, now-King John (Oscar Isaac) is taxing his citizens too much. Thus, Robin and his Merry Men decide to take action.
There’s just one problem: the script that Oscar-Winner Brian Hegeland co-wrote barely takes action. The movie just pads the time with too much talking, story elements and characters. This just creates a tangled mess on screen.
As Robin, Russell Crowe makes for a capable gritty idealist hero. His arch-enemy, Godfrey (Mark Strong, in his umpteenth villain role), is a decent villain. So, perhaps this new Robin Hood’s not that bad.
There’s some good production design here, but I bet you don’t care about that. There is some action at the end; if you can wait that long, then the wait’ll be worth it. If not, no problem with me if you ignore it.
So who was Mr. Robin “before the hood?” Well, he’s Robin Longstride, and he’s played by Russell Crowe. Mr. Longstride is an archer-guy in the army of King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston). They’ve been doing some crusading, and Robin tells the King that non-stop crusading’s a bad idea.
King’s response? “You’re an honest man. To the shackles you go!”
So when Richard gets an arrow to the neck, Robin and his merry men get to go home. At home, which is England, now-King John (Oscar Isaac) is taxing his citizens too much. Thus, Robin and his Merry Men decide to take action.
There’s just one problem: the script that Oscar-Winner Brian Hegeland co-wrote barely takes action. The movie just pads the time with too much talking, story elements and characters. This just creates a tangled mess on screen.
As Robin, Russell Crowe makes for a capable gritty idealist hero. His arch-enemy, Godfrey (Mark Strong, in his umpteenth villain role), is a decent villain. So, perhaps this new Robin Hood’s not that bad.
There’s some good production design here, but I bet you don’t care about that. There is some action at the end; if you can wait that long, then the wait’ll be worth it. If not, no problem with me if you ignore it.
Iron Man 2
How is Iron Man 2? The last one opened two years back and just about every critic liked it, audiences too. Now, the sequel’s here, and it’s also good.
It starts by recapping the end of the last one, when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) outs himself as Iron Man. Now, because of it, the U.S. Government wants his Iron Man armor. Meanwhile, his power source/pacemaker’s poisoning him, and Stark’s been keeping it a secret. That’s never a good thing.
This Russian guy Vanko (Mickey Rourke) has a grudge against Tony for something Tony’s pa did to his pa, his former business partner. So he makes himself some bad guy gear and goes after Tony. He also meets Tony’s business rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), and the two baddies conspire to do some bad stuff.
Once again, Robert Downey Jr. makes a likeable rogue out of Tony Stark. He does “display textbook narcissism” quite well, but also commitment to duties other than to his own. He’s so effective in this two-sided role that his reluctance to divulge his mortality seems most natural and not artificial padding by screenwriter Justin Theroux.
The effects here are in top-form. The CGI enhanced-armor and CGI created machines mesh very well in their environment. This makes the set pieces amazing to behold. A highlight: the battle with Tony, his now-armored partner Jim Rhodes (Don Cheadle) against a legion of War Machines.
Should you take time out of your schedule to see Iron Man 2? For the aforementioned reasons, and many more, the answer is yes. Be sure to stick to the end of the credits when you do.
It starts by recapping the end of the last one, when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) outs himself as Iron Man. Now, because of it, the U.S. Government wants his Iron Man armor. Meanwhile, his power source/pacemaker’s poisoning him, and Stark’s been keeping it a secret. That’s never a good thing.
This Russian guy Vanko (Mickey Rourke) has a grudge against Tony for something Tony’s pa did to his pa, his former business partner. So he makes himself some bad guy gear and goes after Tony. He also meets Tony’s business rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), and the two baddies conspire to do some bad stuff.
Once again, Robert Downey Jr. makes a likeable rogue out of Tony Stark. He does “display textbook narcissism” quite well, but also commitment to duties other than to his own. He’s so effective in this two-sided role that his reluctance to divulge his mortality seems most natural and not artificial padding by screenwriter Justin Theroux.
The effects here are in top-form. The CGI enhanced-armor and CGI created machines mesh very well in their environment. This makes the set pieces amazing to behold. A highlight: the battle with Tony, his now-armored partner Jim Rhodes (Don Cheadle) against a legion of War Machines.
Should you take time out of your schedule to see Iron Man 2? For the aforementioned reasons, and many more, the answer is yes. Be sure to stick to the end of the credits when you do.
The Losers
It’s funny how a movie called The Losers could be such a winner. It’s based on a DC comic book, and it acts like one too. So if you expect something more intelligent, go elsewhere.
There are these five military guys: Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch, and Cougar. They’re on a top-secret military mission in Bolivia, and then it goes wrong. As in “get betrayed by their top-brass wrong.”
Then there’s Aisha (Zoe Saldana); she’s been seeking the evil mysterious warmonger Max (Jason Patric). She knows that Max set the Losers up for their fall. So, she decides to recruit them for a good ol’ revenge mission.
Unlike Kick-Ass, which came out the prior week, The Losers doesn’t get jarringly dark. Instead, it’s just good explosions and fun. It’s an ideal that the film never loses sight of.
As for the actors, they are great in their roles. The best notice goes to Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the effectively charismatic Clay, and Chris Evans as the funny Jensen. Actually, out of the main cast, they are at their best when they’re working together.
This is one of those movies that ask its audience to hold on to its suspension of disbelief. Tightly hold on to it, I might add. If you can do it, then this romp’ll make a great preparatory summer blockbuster.
There are these five military guys: Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch, and Cougar. They’re on a top-secret military mission in Bolivia, and then it goes wrong. As in “get betrayed by their top-brass wrong.”
Then there’s Aisha (Zoe Saldana); she’s been seeking the evil mysterious warmonger Max (Jason Patric). She knows that Max set the Losers up for their fall. So, she decides to recruit them for a good ol’ revenge mission.
Unlike Kick-Ass, which came out the prior week, The Losers doesn’t get jarringly dark. Instead, it’s just good explosions and fun. It’s an ideal that the film never loses sight of.
As for the actors, they are great in their roles. The best notice goes to Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the effectively charismatic Clay, and Chris Evans as the funny Jensen. Actually, out of the main cast, they are at their best when they’re working together.
This is one of those movies that ask its audience to hold on to its suspension of disbelief. Tightly hold on to it, I might add. If you can do it, then this romp’ll make a great preparatory summer blockbuster.
Kick-Ass
As the title implies, Kick-Ass is all about violence, comic book violence. No surprise here, since it’s another comic book movie. But don’t expect it to be total fun and fancy free here.
There’s this guy, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who wonders why no one’s ever decided to be a superhero. He decides to do it himself, under the name of Kick-Ass. After a rocky start, to say the least, he finally becomes an internet sensation and a crime fighter.
Then these two show up: Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his daughter Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz). They’re out to get the evil Frank (Mark Strong), and they get Kick-Ass involved. And there’s more violence.
Yes, there’s action involved. And these scenes are well-done, both in editing and choreography. It’s the type of action you’d expect in a comic book.
In the case of Watchmen last year, you knew right away that it was a dark, neo-noir comic book movie. But here, it starts as a raunchy comic book movie and goes darker along the way. As in “treats physical violence far seriously darker.” It’s rather jarring, and it might put off its audience a bit.
When the film’s not that brutal, it’s at its best. It’s really at its best when Big Daddy and Hit Girl are on screen. As B.D., Cage is delightfully eccentric; as H.G., Moretz fully realizes her as the sanest of these “heroes.”
My final word on Kick-Ass is that if you can stand the violence, you can have some fun. It’s not in any shape or form for the prude, that’s for sure.
There’s this guy, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who wonders why no one’s ever decided to be a superhero. He decides to do it himself, under the name of Kick-Ass. After a rocky start, to say the least, he finally becomes an internet sensation and a crime fighter.
Then these two show up: Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his daughter Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz). They’re out to get the evil Frank (Mark Strong), and they get Kick-Ass involved. And there’s more violence.
Yes, there’s action involved. And these scenes are well-done, both in editing and choreography. It’s the type of action you’d expect in a comic book.
In the case of Watchmen last year, you knew right away that it was a dark, neo-noir comic book movie. But here, it starts as a raunchy comic book movie and goes darker along the way. As in “treats physical violence far seriously darker.” It’s rather jarring, and it might put off its audience a bit.
When the film’s not that brutal, it’s at its best. It’s really at its best when Big Daddy and Hit Girl are on screen. As B.D., Cage is delightfully eccentric; as H.G., Moretz fully realizes her as the sanest of these “heroes.”
My final word on Kick-Ass is that if you can stand the violence, you can have some fun. It’s not in any shape or form for the prude, that’s for sure.
The Runaways
Once upon a time, there was this rock band of teen girls called The Runaways. Its most famous people were named Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. They had a good run, but then the band ended. And now, it’s a movie.
The Runaways is the first movie from music video director Floria Sigismondi, who also wrote the movie based on Cherie Currie’s memoirs. And I say this is an awesome first feature.
The film opens up by telling us about Cherie (Dakota Fanning) and Joan (Kristen Stewart) before the band was even thought up. Cherie, along with her twin Marie is the good girl with a drunken stepdad and an overbearing mom. Joan, meanwhile, is already into sex, drugs and rock’n’roll.
Then Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), an eccentric record producer, comes along. Inspired by Joan’s suggestions, he decides to make an all-girl rock band. He then gets Cherie to join, and then a few others come along, and The Runaways is born.
Amongst the main cast, the best notice should go to Michael Shannon, who made such a potential slime ball so magnificent at the same time. As the main Runaways, Dakota and Kristen make the audience care about their characters’ ordeals. These main three fully realize their characters for their audience.
One of the best scenes is when Fowley improvises the band’s first hit, “Cherry Bomb.” Once realized on screen, this tune and the film’s other music makes for great listening to say the least.
If there’s a problem with the movie, it’s that the other three runaways aren’t that noticeable. But that’s not a terminally fatal detriment; if you can find it at your local Art House, give it a try.
The Runaways is the first movie from music video director Floria Sigismondi, who also wrote the movie based on Cherie Currie’s memoirs. And I say this is an awesome first feature.
The film opens up by telling us about Cherie (Dakota Fanning) and Joan (Kristen Stewart) before the band was even thought up. Cherie, along with her twin Marie is the good girl with a drunken stepdad and an overbearing mom. Joan, meanwhile, is already into sex, drugs and rock’n’roll.
Then Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), an eccentric record producer, comes along. Inspired by Joan’s suggestions, he decides to make an all-girl rock band. He then gets Cherie to join, and then a few others come along, and The Runaways is born.
Amongst the main cast, the best notice should go to Michael Shannon, who made such a potential slime ball so magnificent at the same time. As the main Runaways, Dakota and Kristen make the audience care about their characters’ ordeals. These main three fully realize their characters for their audience.
One of the best scenes is when Fowley improvises the band’s first hit, “Cherry Bomb.” Once realized on screen, this tune and the film’s other music makes for great listening to say the least.
If there’s a problem with the movie, it’s that the other three runaways aren’t that noticeable. But that’s not a terminally fatal detriment; if you can find it at your local Art House, give it a try.
Clash of The Titans
OK, so in 1981, there was this movie film called Clash of the Titans. It was all about the clashes, but not about any Titans.
And people remember that film so much that now it's made again. It's directed by Louis Letterier, whose last movie film was The Incredible Hulk, and is available in 2d and 3d screens. I saw the 2d version, 'cause I didn’t want to pay more, so that's what I'll talk about.
Its plot is quite simple: this Hades fella (Ralph Fiennes) wants to conquer the world. Since the humans are revolting against the Gods, he decides to get Zeus (Liam Neeson) to let him scare 'em. He says this’ll put ‘em in their place, but he’s so evil we know better.
And then there's Perseus (Sam Worthington); he's a Demigod, and the son of Zeus. His human family got killed by Hades’s goons, so he leads some humans (and a Djinn) on a quest to thwart Hades.
Just like the older movie, this new one is also all about the clashes. For a film of its title, this is not a bad thing.
The giant monsters, especially the gigantic Kraken, are amazingly realized by CGI. The epicness of its battles is aided by Ramin Djawadi’s score. And the set and costumes effectively realize this extreme take on Ancient Greece.
Clash of the Titans’ plot and characterizations are simple, but they don’t need to be that detailed. It set out to be a big action piece, and it succeeded big time.
And people remember that film so much that now it's made again. It's directed by Louis Letterier, whose last movie film was The Incredible Hulk, and is available in 2d and 3d screens. I saw the 2d version, 'cause I didn’t want to pay more, so that's what I'll talk about.
Its plot is quite simple: this Hades fella (Ralph Fiennes) wants to conquer the world. Since the humans are revolting against the Gods, he decides to get Zeus (Liam Neeson) to let him scare 'em. He says this’ll put ‘em in their place, but he’s so evil we know better.
And then there's Perseus (Sam Worthington); he's a Demigod, and the son of Zeus. His human family got killed by Hades’s goons, so he leads some humans (and a Djinn) on a quest to thwart Hades.
Just like the older movie, this new one is also all about the clashes. For a film of its title, this is not a bad thing.
The giant monsters, especially the gigantic Kraken, are amazingly realized by CGI. The epicness of its battles is aided by Ramin Djawadi’s score. And the set and costumes effectively realize this extreme take on Ancient Greece.
Clash of the Titans’ plot and characterizations are simple, but they don’t need to be that detailed. It set out to be a big action piece, and it succeeded big time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)