Category Archives: Comedy
Comedy
Flash Movie Review: Strangers with Candy
If I had the opportunity to go back and do high school again I definitely would not do it. Once was enough for me. With the things that happened to me in high school, some of the scenes in this movie gave me anxiety. But that is my stuff; the majority of you may not experience a similar reaction. Not familiar with the previous movie or television show this film was based on, I will review this prequel as a stand alone. Middle aged ex-con Jerri Blank, played by Amy Sedaris (Jennifer’s Body, Elf), returned home to discover her mother had died, her father was remarried and presently was in a stress induced coma. On the suggestion of her dad’s doctor, Jerri decided to return to high school, hoping to make her father proud; in turn, wakening him from his coma. However, Jerri soon discovered high school would be as tough as her time in prison. The first thing that grabbed my attention with this movie was the incredible cast. Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report-TV, Company) was excellent playing closeted science teacher Chuck Norlet. High school grief counselor Peggy Callas was played by Sarah Jessica Parker (The Family Stone, Hocus Pocus). In addition, there was Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master, Moneyballl), Allison Janney (Juno, The Help) and Matthew Broderick (Glory, The Producers) as part of the cast. These were not lightweights by any means. The majority of humor in this comedy was made up of politically incorrect references. When there was physical comedy some of it would work, but others fell flat. I found the silliness waned within a short time; getting more groans than chuckles out of me. If you are looking to revisit your high school years, you would be better served to transfer out of this movie’s district.
1 3/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Seven Psychopaths
A pet is a part of the family. The unconditional love, their eyes filled with devotion looking up at you; there is nothing better. When I would come through the front door and see that dog tail whipping side to side I would say, “Who wants a doggie massage?” Immediately Baldwin would plop down at my feet, waiting for his rubdown. That is a fond memory I keep close to my heart. Presently the far western suburbs where I teach are being warned not to let their small pets outside alone due to coyote attacks. The idea sends chills through me. Now imagine my confusion when I heard what the story was in this comedy. Struggling screenwriter Marty, played by Colin Farrell (Alexander, Total Recall), had two crazy friends Hans and Billy, played by Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Hairspray) and Sam Rockwell (Moon, Everybody’s Fine), who were dog kidnappers. They would do it for the reward money. Like me, you have to wonder how this could be a funny movie. This was one twisted film filled with great one liners. Christopher Walken was at his crazy best and may get a nomination for his role. When Billy and Hans unknowingly took the Shih Tzau of LA criminal Charlie, played by Woody Harrelson (The Messenger, Zombieland), their lives would not only be put into jeopardy, but they would become fodder for Marty’s new script. As you can imagine this was no ordinary comedy. Think of this wild film more like a fine rich broth, spiced up with a touch of Tarantino and a smidgen of the Coen Brothers; the offbeat dialog was precisely delivered by the incredible actors for maximum affect. Seeing what someone will do to get their beloved pet back will surprise you and amuse you. Scenes with graphic violence and blood.
3 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Here Comes the Boom
What a rude awakening I got my first week as a high school freshman. The first time in physical ed class a ceiling tile fell, nearly hitting a student in the head. From that day forward I always kept one eye on the roof waiting for the next tile bomb to drop. Since my elementary school did not have a cafeteria, the first time I walked down the lunch room line I was surprised by how many food items did not look like they were part of nature. I do not recall any teachers who would do what the teachers did in this movie. If Kevin James (Grown Ups, The King of Queens-TV) was graded for playing teacher Scott Voss, he would get an above average for effort. He deserved credit for doing the physical training the role demanded. Scott would try to become a mixed martial arts fighter to raise money for classes being cut, due to a budget shortfall. If he could get a scheduled fight, he would get paid even if he lost. It was a win-win situation. The cast was an enjoyable bunch to watch. Kevin’s character was affable and down to earth. I do have to say it was odd seeing Henry Winkler (Click, Happy Days-TV) playing a submissive, wishy washy character as music teacher Marty Streb. Come on, he was the Fonz. The other surprise was seeing Salma Hayek (Frida, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) playing school nurse Bella Flores in this comedy. For what was required of her, she was fine in this role. The problem with this movie was the story was bloated and predictable. The multitude of sight gags did not always work, being dull and flat. More chuckles than laughs, this boom was more like a pop. A brief scene with blood.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Pitch Perfect
The stakes were high, where the difference between winning and losing could easily be decided by a single note. I am especially fond of powerful, strong female voices; so, I was ready to see this musical movie. After a disastrous finish to last year’s singing competition the Barden Bellas, an all girl a cappella group, were determined to regroup and win the trophy this year. Led by the controlling Aubrey and her sidekick Chloe, played by Anna Camp (The Help, Forgetting the Girl) and Brittany Snow (Hairspray, Prom Night), the two needed to replenish and reinvigorate the Bellas. In one of the better scenes, reluctant freshman Beca, played by Anna Kendrick (50/50, Up in the Air), was cornered in the dormitory’s showers when her singing caught the ear of nearby Chloe. The competition heated up when the school’s male a cappella group’s Jesse, played by Skylar Astin (Taking Woodstock, Hamlet 2) took an interest in more than just Beca’s singing. Fitting into the Step Up or Bring it On type of movies, this film was like an older version of the television show Glee. The singing was fun, while the bulk of the comedy was easily handled by the character Fat Amy, played by Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids, Bachelorette). The funniest bits, however, came from the competition announcers Gail and John, played by Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, People Like Us) and John Michael Higgins (Bad Teacher, Big Miracle). Overall the movie was out of tune for me. I felt there was not enough development to the characters, making them cartoonish. Anna Kendrick was quite good both in acting and singing; I forgot she had been nominated for a Tony Award previously. The story for the most part was predictable; some new twists would have been nice. Even with some sour notes, this harmless comedy had some decent riffs.
2 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Hit & Run
In traditional wedding vows there is a part that goes something like, “Do you promise to love and cherish each other, until death do you part?” I still remind a married friend of mine about the time I was walking with him and his wife during a rain storm. A car came barreling down the street, hit a huge puddle of water and my friend quickly ducked behind his wife to avoid the splash. Instead, she got smacked with a wall of water that totally drenched her. I still tease him that their vows must have overlooked the part about protecting one another. In this comedy we find a man so in love with his girlfriend, he was willing to put his life in jeopardy for her. Yul Perkins aka Charlie Bronson, played by Dax Shepard (When in Rome, Baby Mama), was in the witness protection program after testifying against his old friend Alex, played by Bradley Cooper (The Words, The A-Team). When Charlie’s girlfriend Annie Bean, played by Kristen Bell (Big Miracle, Veronica Mars-TV), needed to be in Los Angeles for a job interview, Charlie insisted on driving her. Their road trip turned into a madcap racing adventure as former convict Alex, an ex-boyfriend of Annie’s and U.S. Marshal Randy Anderson, played by Tom Arnold (True Lies, Roseanne-TV), pursued the young couple. Real life couple Kristen and Dax were good together in their roles, quite believable. Tom Arnold easily handled most of the screwball comedy scenes. I gave Dax credit for writing the script besides doing director duty. Several scenes were funny and I liked some of the dialog. My issue with the movie was its similarity to other comedy chase movies. The Bradley Cooper character seemed false to me. While the movie played I cannot say I was totally bored; however, I was not all that invested in the story either. What people do for love and what movie critics do for reviews, is not always a marriage made in heaven.
2 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Campaign
I make it a point to never talk about religion or politics in my classes. Having been a witness to verbal assaults between people of opposing views, I find such behavior silly. In this age of reality television shows, how long before you think we will subject political candidates to a televised obstacle course or quiz show format? In this political year, here are two candidates who certainly would add some spice to any election race. Cam Brady, played by Will Ferrell (The Other Guys, Blades of Glory), was running unopposed for reelection. Two CEOs from a large corporation, looking for someone who would be in favor of legislation beneficial to their company, threw their money behind local tourist guide Marty Huggins, played by Zach Galifianakis (Due Date, The Hangover franchise). With Marty in the race, the campaign quickly heated up into an over the top battle–not so dissimilar from any current reality show competition. I laughed at several scenes during this comedic satire. Though I am not a fan of Will Ferrell, i found his limited acting ability worked to his advantage, in his role as the pandering incumbent. With everything these days being marketed to death, I found some of the looniness in this film not much different from what our political candidates must go through before any photo op or stump speech. The uncomplicated story was well served with the actors’ comedic talents. When the movie ended, I wondered what it would be like if we made every person with political aspirations go on a game show. Besides winning valuable gifts or prize money to fund their campaigns, we would really see what these people were made of. Stay through the first set of credits.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
I am guessing most of you never heard of a restaurant chain called Wimpy’s. They were one of my first introductions to a hamburger chain, when I was a little kid. Their serving plates had a border of international flags. I much preferred my definition of wimpy than how it was used here. This was my first encounter with this movie franchise, nor was I familiar with any of the books. Since I was called a variety of names growing up, I am uncomfortable with the use of any negative descriptive words towards children. For those of you who know these movies please forgive me; I wasn’t getting it. I did not understand why the main character Greg Heffley, played by Zachary Gordon (Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise, The Brothers Bloom) was considered a wimpy kid. The story was about what Greg would do during his summer vacation. Where he wanted to sit at home and play video games; his father Frank, played by Steve Zahn (Sunshine Cleaning, Employee of the Month), felt his son needed to be outside and have some fun. This led Greg into several exploits. I thought the use of lying and revenge for a base to build comedic antics was a poor idea. For me the jokes were lame and the different situations Greg got himself into were barely worth a chuckle. I guess this movie was meant for a narrow age group of children. Maybe the books were better, but on film it was boring for me. I have been called a kid at heart; I just hope they were not referring to these type of kids.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Paul
Expectations can lead one down a road filled with disappointment. I try my best to avoid the pitfall of expectations, especially when it comes to movies. Now it is a different story if we are talking about chocolate–I always expect chocolate to taste good. I will admit when I received this movie, I expected nothing. Maybe I even had a slightly negative attitude about it, based on what I had heard from several people. This is a perfect example of having no expectations and discovering a total surprise. This funny film was an easy one to watch. The story was about two British friends who traveled to America, starting their vacation at a comic book convention. From this starting point the best friends Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings, played by Simon Pegg (Burke and Hare, Star Trek) and Nick Frost (Snow White and the Huntsman, Pirate Radio) set out on a road trip to visit infamous locations of an alien nature. Early on in their tour they had a surprise alien encounter with Paul, voiced by Seth Rogan (Funny People, Knocked Up), a fugitive from a government secret base. I was amused with Seth’s performance, liking him more that I usually do in a movie. Also, one of the reasons I got this DVD was because Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids, Friends With Kids) was in it. She did not disappoint me in the least with her wild character Ruth Buggs. Vulgar language throughout the movie; the story was brilliantly scripted by the lead actors, Simon and Nick. With a foul mouthed, smoking alien as the star; this fun comedy was much better than yesterday’s movie I reviewed, The Watch.
2 3/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Watch
If there’s somethin’ strange in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call? Oh, excuse me; I just had a flashback after watching this movie about a neighborhood watch group. Though this comedy vaguely reminded me of the movie Ghostbusters, there were some big differences. And they were not good. In this movie we had Evan, played by Ben Stiller (Tower Heist, Greenberg), a husband who was the manager of the local Costco store. Keeping active in his suburban town; Evan started a community watch with fellow neighbors Bob, Franklin and Jamarcus, played by Vince Vaughn (Couples Retreat, The Dilemma), Jonah Hill (Moneyball, 21 Jump Street) and Richard Ayoade (Bunny and the Bull, The IT Crowd-TV). During a nightly drive, the patrol hit a large foreign object in the road. Did you like the way I wrote that last line? Yes, the neighborhood boys struck down an alien, discovering the earth was soon to be invaded. What a group of heroic, brave neighborhood watchmen! Now if they could have only found a better script, this would have been a better movie. If you like jokes about male and female anatomy, this film has a plethora of them. Not only was I bored silly with the old, stereotypical humor; I could not believe the mundane acting from Stiller and Vaughn. Could these two actors have put in a little more effort in their roles? It may have helped; but honestly, the script did not provide anything worthwhile. If I were you I would not stop by for a visit to this neighborhood.
1 3 /4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Madea’s Witness Protection
When you think about it, I suppose you could cast Madea as an employee for the Department of Motor Vehicles or have her be a customer service representative for an insurance company. Would it really make any difference? I mean seriously, will this franchise continue until we watch Madea going into a nursing home? Tyler Perry (Madea Goes to Jail, Good Deeds) who is Madea deserves credit for keeping many people employed at his Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, along with his charitable donations. However, after seeing this tired movie, I felt he could have done much better with the script. In this latest installment; George Needleman, played by Eugene Levy (American Reunion, Taking Woodstock), was a naive businessman who was set up to be his company’s fall guy for a ponzi scheme. With an opportunity to decipher the trail of money and clear his name, Mr. Needleman with his family had to go into a witness protection type of arrangement. And that is where Madea came into the picture. I cannot tell you how bored I was with the stereotypical, low humor about the cultural differences between the families, aka races. Or having Madea say the same threatening things to people; I was able to mimic the lines in my mind at the same time. This was a lowbrow portrayal of shallow people, nothing more. Even copying a scene from the movie Ghost did nothing to make this viewing experience any more pleasurable. Mr. Perry, either write better screenplays or retire Madea already.
1 1/2 stars
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