Movie-a-day challenge

Day Three Hundred and Thirty: The Pianist (2002)

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:54:23 -0500

Hello there!!! We’re back! I know it’s been a really long time since we reviewed anything. Once we completed our initial go round with all of our DVDs we needed a much deserved break. In that time off we got married and more importantly got Netflix :)

This has changed the way we review. We don’t buy DVDs like we used to because we have so many movies right at our fingertips. After noticing that in our absence we gained a lot more followers we figured it was about time we start reviewing again. We probably won’t be reviewing everyday anymore, but we’ll try and get one out at least once a week. Here’s our new review:

Eric’s Review: At the risk of being unpopular, I think Nazis were just awful. They were bullies, but like murderous bullies. Imagine the biggest dick in your high school, then imagine him or her (but probably him) with a lot of guns and bully friends and they keep killing everybody. Plus, the principal is on their side and always screaming in German. That’s what it was like in Poland during Dub Dub Deuce.
This movie is equal parts great and brutal. It is a very moving portrayal of a Jewish man trying to hide out from the Nazis during Word War II. I know that no movie can ever come close to accurately portraying the horrors faced by the people targeted by the Nazis but if this movie is even a fraction of an indication, then it was the worst thing to happen to anybody maybe ever. This guy loses everything with the exception of his life. He starts out really nonchalant about the whole thing. I don’t really blame him. If you told me that a bunch of guys were going to come to my home and butcher me and everyone I know just because, I’d probably call bullshit too. Things get real for this guy in a hurry as he routinely sees casual executions and horrible beatings. He ends up being sparred mostly because of who he knows. A friend helps him get jobs for him and his family, another friend pulls him out of line when he’s on his way to a death camp, and a few other friends give him places to hide here and there. Then he is finally sparred by a Nazi after he plays the shit out of a piano in front of him. So what I learned from this is that it pays to be nice to everyone and to be amazing at at least one thing. It will save your life one day.
This movie is extremely hard to watch. Mostly because of all the innocent people being slaughtered. If I am grading this movie on how good i think it is ( which I am) it is going to get a pretty high mark. But it would get an even higher mark if I was giving it a point for every day I was sad after watching it. So far it is a 1 but I’m guessing that number may go as high as 20. Adrien Brody rightfully won an Oscar for this movie. It is his greatest work, followed closely by…I can’t think of an ending to that sentence. So if you want to see a well made movie about the holocaust, or are just feeling a little too happy and need to take it down a dozen notches, watch The Pianist and feel bad about complaining about anything for the rest of your life.

Eric’s Rating 7.9 out of 10

Michelle’s Review: I’ve seen The Pianist before. I remember very distinctly watching this for the first time. I had a long break between classes in college and decided to watch this alone in my dorm in the middle of the afternoon. What a great idea that was. All I remember about that afternoon was crying…a lot. When Eric mentioned he hadn’t seen it before, I said you should watch it, but prepare yourself because it’s so unbelievably sad. It’s been sitting on our Netflix que for quite some time because let’s face it, you have to be in a certain kind of mood to watch a two and half hour Holocaust movie that you know will rip your heart out. Last night turned out to be that night.

The Pianist is an amazing movie. It’s also terrifyingly graphic and is frequently difficult to watch. It’s the story of a Jewish Pianist from Poland who spends most of the movie trying to hide from the Germans. While his family gets whisked away on trains to concentration camps, he somehow manages to escape the same fate, and goes into hiding. He survives. By some strange miracle he survives.

Throughout his journey of survival, he’s grows painfully thin and weak. You watch Adrian Brody shrink down to barely anything, while his hair grows long and disheveled. I’m guessing this is why he’s starring in those shaver commercials with Andre 3000 now…the man has the ability to grow some serious facial hair.

No horror movie could ever compare to the gruesomeness of this film. And this all really happened, which makes it all the more painful to watch. A wheel chaired man tossed off a balcony, people being chased out of their homes only to get shot in the streets, a mother suffocating her baby so the screams wouldn’t alert Germans of where she was hiding; the kind of atrocities that you couldn’t imagine in your worst nightmares. It’s an emotionally exhausting two and a half hours. The performances are outstanding. A very well deserved Oscar for Mr. Brody. It’s a movie that is worth watching but prepare yourself, because you just won’t feel good after watching it.

Michelle’s Rating: 8.5 out of 10

We Did It!!!

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:43:00 -0500

Hello all of you faithful followers! We are thrilled to announce that we have completed our initial movie list, A-Z, with a total of 329 movies/reviews. It hasn’t been easy and considering we started this challenge in October of 2009, we slowed down considerably with getting our reviews out on time, but we did what we set out to do, which is watch everything we’ve got in alphabetical order.

So here’s the best part. One rule we had was that we only watched movies in order, and if we purchased one that didn’t fall in order we couldn’t review it. So naturally, because we love movies, we’ve bought quite a few in the past two years that fall into that, “we can’t review it” category. So we’re making a list of all the movies that we didn’t get a chance to review and a small handful of flicks that we accidentally skipped over, and we’ll be watching and reviewing them at random. I’d say it’s a list of about 30 movies, so we’ll still be posting reviews within the next few months, in no particular order.

This challenge has been a great opportunity to experience the vast range of our movie collection, and to watch some movies that usually sit dormant on our very large shelf.

Thanks so much for sticking with us, and we hope you enjoy reading our reviews!

Michelle & Eric

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Nine: You've Got Mail (1998)

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:34:00 -0500

Eric’s Review: And we come to the end of our initial list of movies with what many moms describe as “Oooooh such a good movie!” You’re not alone moms, I like it too. The romantic comedy genre has yielded some of the all time stinkers in movie history. Many times good stories are wasted on actors with little chemistry. Sometimes these actors are even romantically linked in real life and have their names squished together to indicate they are power couples, like Benniffer Lopleck. Other times, decent actors are hindered by cheesy predictable plots, which leave you not caring how the movie ends, just as long as it ends soon. Then, every once in a while it all comes together and you get to see a romantic comedy that is both romantic and a comedy. This movie falls in that last category. You’ve Got Mail pairs up the unfairly charming Tom Hanks with the up until recently adorable Meg Ryan, in a movie that proves that the Internet is much more than porn, cat videos, and mediocre movie blogs. Hanks and Ryan fall for one another on an AOL chat room and are completely unaware that they are business enemies in the cut throat industry of book selling. Meg runs a little book store and Hanks owns a giant chain that comes into town and threatens to eliminate the little shop that has been there forever. All the while, these two are building up a cyber-relationship and decide to meet. Hanks realizes Meg is is mystery girl and tries to get on her good side before he reveals himself as the mystery e-mailer. Hanks is so damn charming that he ruins the business that her mother left her, stands her up on their first scheduled meeting, and still gets her in the end. And i don’t consider that a spoiler because any movie where Hanks doesn’t get the girl is just unrealistic. That’s right, in a movie where a guy survives a horrible plane crash, lives on an island for years with no survival training at all, performs his own dental work, and sails home on a boat made of garbage, the most unrealistic part is that he doesn’t get the girl in the end. Luckily, this movie doesn’t make that mistake.
Eric’s Rating: 7.0 out of 10
Michelle’s Review: Put Tom Hanks in anything and I’m a happy camper. Put Tom Hanks in a romantic comedy and I’ll purr like a kitten. Put Tom Hanks in a romantic comedy with Meg Ryan and I’ll start pooping rainbows. You’ve Got Mail is the second remake of the old classic Shop Around the Corner. It’s first remake was the musical “In the Good Old Summertime” which we reviewed a long time ago. Its about two people who have never met, who exchange correspondence with each to other, not realizing that they actually know each other in real life, and hate each other. This version is cleverly updated to be modern and hip, by using the interweb instead of letters like in the older versions. As you can tell by the already dated title, it revolves around the famous phrase made so famous by AOL many years ago. Hanks and Ryan, two strangers, exchange emails and IMs back and forth not realizing that they already no each other. They both run bookstores, and Hanks’ big bad chain bookstore is about to put Ryan’s indepently owned children’s bookshop out of business. When the two online friends decide they should finally meet, Hanks discovers who this mysterious woman is but chooses not to tell her. They eventually become friends and Hanks ends up falling for her, and in the end, Ryan discovers who Hanks really is and they live happily ever after. It’s all set in New York City’s upscale upper west side, which paints an awfully cozy picture of New York City life. It’s the kind of movie that made me want to live in New York City when I was younger. Lovely brownstone buildings, shopping at Zabars, adorable little book shops and coffee houses…how sweet it is. News flash, they left out the annoying tourists, hideous traffic, disgusting smells, crazy homeless people and cockroaches the size of cats. Oh well, that’s movies for ya! Ryan and Hanks, as usual, have wonderful chemistry, and the humor flows smoothly throughout. I like to think of this movie as being incredibly charming. It’s the kind of movie you can watch all the time, and it’s still really enjoyable. It has a great cast, a classic story, and just enough rom to balance out the com. While it’s no Sleepless in Seattle, it’s still a pretty great 90s flick.

Michelle’s Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Eight: Young Frankenstein (1974)

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:59:24 -0500

Eric’s Review: This film is highly regarded as a comedy classic. Now, while this may discredit me as powerful movie critic who is literally read by tens and tens of people, I fell that it is a tad overrated. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a very funny movie, and a good representation of Mel Brooks’ comedy style, I just don’t think it quite belongs in a conversation about the greatest comedies of all time. It still gets me laughing, but a lot of the gags haven’t quite held up over time. But also keep in mind that a decent Mel Brooks movie is still funnier than most other movies. Gene Wilder does a good job channeling the over the top insanity of early cinema mad scientists. I would cast him in this part based on his hair alone. While some of his zany stuff falls a little flat with me, he also is responsible for my favorite moment in the movie when he tries in vain to restart his performance of “Puttin’ on the Ritz” with the monster, after he is startled by a malfunctioning light. As in many of Mel Brooks’ movies, there are a good amount of puns, and a lot of references to the genre that is being spoofed. The standouts in this movie are Marty Feldman, who plays the vaudvillian hunchback Igor, and Peter Boyle as the monster. Boyle obviously has few lines but his high pitched groan in the aforementioned “Puttin’ on the Ritz” is classic. Again, not my favorite Mel Brooks movie, but definitely worth having in your collection.

Eric’s Rating: 6.7 out of 10
Michelle’s Review: Young Frankenstein is one of those classic comedies that I’ve always felt is just a little overrated. While it might not be the most popular opinion, I will say that I do enjoy the film and think that’s it quite funny, but not nearly as amazing as it is thought to be. The rolling in the hay, the Abby Normal brain, the cleverly disguised penis jokes are all often repeated classics that have been burned into pop culture history. And of course, there is the iconic “Puttin on the Ritz” number which, when given the proper set up, will cause most people to grunt in tune. However, it’s the kind of movie that makes me smile and giggle, but not laugh out loud. I think that the cast is superb and the brilliant design work and filming techniques make you completely forget you’re watching a movie made in the mid-70s. Mel Brooks is very good at making parodies, and this film is no exception, but I find that Brooks’ humor can be a little too corny for my taste. I guess it just depends on the mood I’m in. Some jokes that are quoted too often, as they are in this film, can grow lack luster and hackneyed, by no fault of the actual joke, but that people can’t get enough of quoting great movies to death. I myself am guilty of this as well, but usually with less iconic films. Do I think Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle singing Putting on the Ritz is an important moment in film history…absolutely! Do I think that this movie is one of the funniest ever made…debatable.

Michelle’s Rating: 6.8 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Seven: The Wizard (1989)

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:56:35 -0500

Eric’s Review: This is an oft forgotten movie from my youth. It’s claim to fame is that it introduced the world to Super Mario Bros. 3, which to this day is one of the best video games ever made. The plot of the movie, in short, is this: A kid named Jimmy suffers from some sort of post traumatic stress disorder after the death of his twin sister, he is put in a home, but is broken out by his brother, Fred Savage. Fred and Jimmy go on the lamb and in the process start hanging out with the lead singer of Rilo Kiley. They find out that Jimmy is like Rain Man except instead of being super good at math and counting toothpicks, he is out of control good at video games. They decide to make their way to sunny California to compete at a conveniently held video game tournament at Universal Studios. They overcome some obstacles, including this wiener guy who was hired to find them, and this hotshot punk who is the current king of prepubescent gamers. They make it to the contest, play some Mario 3, and bring the family back together much to the delight of Beau Bridges and Christian Slater. The movie is essentially about video game battles, but attempts to get really deep, dealing with a lot of family issues, repairing broken relationships and such. At times there is too much drama, and not enough Battletoads, but I think the same can be said about a lot of things. There are some pretty obvious questions that are raised during the final show down where three kids play Mario 3 for the first time ever. The glaring question is how the hell did Jimmy know how to get that magic flute in the first castle in level one? There is no way he would know that having never seen the game before. It’s really tucked away and you have to have the flying aspect down pretty well and know that you can run by those skeleton Koopa Troopas after you stomp on them without getting hurt. You figure this stuff out quickly, but the kids only had ten minutes to play the game. Come on bro! Plus, if you want to get even dorkier you can point out that the championship was based on how many points the kids had, and warping to level four doesn’t all the sudden shower you with points, it just moves you ahead in the game and don’t have to deal with that big fish in level 3 that has an insatiable appetite for Italian flesh. In fact, since level four is harder, he wouldn’t get as many points as someone raking in all the easy points in level one. Of coarse, you can make the argument that he is a wizard and was rocking so damn hard that level 4-1 felt more like level 1-5 to him. Can you imagine?! Anyway, you could spend a lot of time picking apart the movie but that’s no fun. The simple fact is that Nintendo can cure certain types of mental ailments. Dr. Mario has done more for me than any other Doctor I can think of.
Eric’s Rating: 5.9 out of 10
Michelle’s Review: The Wizard is one of those movies that I had fond memories of from my youth. It’s a deliciously dated film that revolves around the almighty original Nintendo system. A time when Nintendo was cutting edge, there were 97 games available for it, and you could call a hot-line for help when you got stuck on a certain level of a game. While the film is a shameless plug for all things Nintendo, there is also a strange story line about a little boy (with what appears to be some form of autism or post traumatic stress disorder), who is super awesome at video games, but doesn’t talk other than saying California over and over again. His twin sister died a couple years earlier and he hasn’t spoken since. After his mother and step father decide to put him in a home, his half brother (Fred Savage) decides to bust him out and run away with him to California. On the road they meet a spirited ginger girl, who goes off with them on their runaway road trip. Along the way, they discover his amazing video game “Wizardness” and decide to enter him into this event called Video Armageddon, at Universal Studios Hollywood. All the while, they are being chased by an asshole who’s job it is to find runaway kids. And then their father (Beau Bridges) and other brother (Christian Slater) are also out on the road looking for them. While on the road, they go from arcade to arcade, prepping the little guy to do battle. Their main competition is this douchey, mullet clad kid named Lucas, who has the holy grail of Nintendo gadgets….THE POWER GLOVE! He keeps it in special suitcase with his name on it, which just makes it all the more cool. Clearly this kid is going to be tough to beat. The Video Armageddon doesn’t seem to be the most well organized event, but somehow the little guy makes it to the final 3, that also includes Lucas and some nerdy girl with braids. What they aren’t prepared for is the biggest mind blow in the history of video games, they must play a NEW game, the premier of Super Mario Brothers 3!!!! I can’t even imagine how amped people must have been when that game first came out. Somehow all three kids know exactly how to play this new game that no one has ever played before. In the end, little Jimmy wins the whole thing, and we discover the reason the kid screams California so often. Throughout the film he carries a little yellow lunch box, that turns out to be filled with mementos of his dead sister. He wants to leave the lunch box in California at this place with giant Dinosaurs, which is where he and his family used to go on their vacations. Man, if he had only said that from the beginning! When I was kid, I dug this movie because of all the super cool video games, and glimpses of Universal Studios. As an adult, not much has changed. The story is pretty darn weak, and it really is just a giant advertisement for Nintendo, but I’m a sucker for nostalgia so it doesn’t bother me all that much. The cast is actually pretty good considering the kind of movie it is, but no one is particularly very good in it. Seeing old Nintendo in all of it’s former glory is pretty neat, and hearing New Kids on the Block in the background will keep me appeased for an hour and 40 minutes. It’s by no means a good movie, but if you were a kid in the 80s or early 90s I think you’ll appreciate it for what it is.

Michelle’s Rating: 5.8 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Six: The Wrestler (2008)

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:15:15 -0400

Eric’s Review: This is one of the best movies of the past five years. Being a former wrestling fan who Wikipedia searches former wrestlers to see what has become of them, this was right up my alley. Most people who think about professional wrestling conjure up images of the wacky larger than life, over the top characters of the 80’s. People like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, and The Ultimate Warrior. Few people think about what goes on when the cameras aren’t rolling, and how people who make their careers taking copious amounts of physical abuse are able to cope with life after their bodies can’t take it anymore. The lifestyle of these “golden age” wrestlers is pretty much common knowledge nowadays, and the effects of long term drug and alcohol use is as well. I own a bunch of the old Wrestlemanias on DVD and it is baffling how many of those guys are dead. Easily, the most uttered phrase when I watch these old matches is “See that guy? He’s dead.” Back in the 80’s and early 90’s, wrestlers had to be huge and strong and able to body slam Yokozuna on an aircraft carrier at a moments notice. Most wrestlers took the quick route, which was to hit the juice. Unfortunately, it took a toll on a lot of those behemoths. Mickey Rourke is 100% convincing as a “broken down piece of meat” who is still holding on to his wrestling career because it’s all he knows. He gets on the fast track to a life of glitz and glory and it eventually fades away leaving him with nothing. The movie is full of scenes that are pretty hard to watch, including a brutal hardcore match that makes Rourke’s heart basically explode. He tries to repair his relationships and put wrestling behind him but ultimately decides that his fans are his family, and goes out with a bang. It is impossible for anyone who is familiar with wrestling to not like this one. You could pick a bunch of wrestlers that have followed a similar path as Randy the Ram. Terry Funk, Razor Ramon, and Jake the Snake come to mind, although the Funker has managed to maintain his dignity. The movie does a great job of humanizing these athletes. It shows that there is more to wrestling than just tights, pile drivers, and guillotine leg drops. Just like with any real sport, there is a terrible dark side that the public does not see. Rourke should have won an Oscar. It’s really the best performance in recent memory.
Eric’s Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Michelle’s Review: Mickey Rourke has a scary looking face, like it was chiseled out of stone, but not very well. Luckily, this face came in handy for the role of beaten down wrestler, Ram Jam. This is a sad story of a once famous wrestler, whose best days are far behind him. He lives in a trailer, making money doing odd jobs and doing small local wrestling events. His body has been beaten and bruised, and he uses steroids to keep his muscles and strength. He frequents a strip club where he has befriended one of the girls there (the typical stripper with a heart of gold who has a kid she’s trying to support). After a particularly brutal match, he has a heart attack, and is told that his wrestling days are over. Wrestling is all he has, and he realizes that without it, he is all alone. After trying to reconnect with his daughter and pursue a real relationship with the stripper, he realizes that the only thing he has in this world are his fans, who love him no matter what. I’ve learned a lot about wrestling in the past three and a half years (thanks to Eric), and found this movie to be pretty incredible. For those who say it’s all fake, and I used to be one of them, this flick will give you a chance to see how things really work behind the scenes. Matches are planned out right before they go on, and while it is obviously choreographed, there is still a lot of damage that can be done, and it definitely takes a toll on your body. There are a few graphic scenes that show Ram Jam razor blading his forehead for an uber bloody effect, or when one of his opponents uses a staple gun on him. This stuff is just plain scary, and you know that not one bit of it is fake. I think that The Wrestler is a superbly told story, that is accessible to those who aren’t wrestling fans just as much as those who are. Mickey Rourke should have absolutely won the Oscar over Sean Penn. His performance IS the movie. This is easily one of the best films to come out in recent years, and is absolutely worth watching.

Michelle’s Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Five: Winter Passing (2005)

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:55:48 -0400

Eric’s Review: This was an impulse buy for me. I saw Will Ferrell Zooey Deschanel, who at the time I knew as, that girl who was in Elf with Will Ferrell, and thought that I would take a gamble on a movie I had never heard of. I wouldn’t say the gamble didn’t pay off, but I didn’t exactly hit the jackpot. It’s like when you get a scratch off ticket and you win your money back. You’re happy you didn’t lose your $5, but you are bummed that you didn’t win. The movie is quiet and slow and the plot isn’t all that interesting, but the acting is very good, even by the normally wacky Ferrell, who plays a very subdued oddball named Corbit. The plot is basically this: An actress, who is the daughter of two famous writers is offered $100K by a publisher to get some letters written between her recently deceased Mother and weird drunk Dad. She is obviously emotionally damaged from her unconventional upbringing and does not keep in touch with her father. She goes to her decrepit childhood home where her Dad lives with an old student and a weird guy, and locates the letters. She learns some things about her family, accepts her past, forgives her weird Dad, and decides against publishing the letters, and is way happier. There are parts of the movie that are kind of snoozey, but i think on the whole it is just a little better than okay. Ed Harris’ character is kind of eccentric, but not eccentric enough to be really interesting. He lives in a gross old shack, plays golf indoors, and sometimes sleeps on a bed outside, but most of the time he is just sipping bourbon and starring in to space. And Ferrel is odd but he holds back a lot, presumably so that he doesn’t take focus away from the story. So I suppose if you asked me if you should watch the movie, I would say “I don’t know, I guess” which would frustrate you because that is not a real answer. I guess what I’m saying is, if you find this movie sitting in your DVD player one night I wouldn’t advise you against pushing play, but I would probably try to figure out how it got there in the first place. Or if you are getting a 5 DVD’s for $20 deal and need one more to get the bargain, and it is between this and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, I would take this one. That is what happened to me and I have no regrets.
Eric’s Rating: 5.7 out of 10

Michelle’s Review: Winter Passing is one of those easily forgetable, sleepy, indie movies that you don’t mind watching, but also don’t feel much of anything after you watch it. It’s about an actress who is approached by a book publisher, asking her for a series of letters that her writer father and deceased mother exchanged to each other over the years. The girl hasn’t been home in a long time, but wants the money to fuel her drug habit so she makes the trip back to Michigan to visit her father to look for these letters. He’s not in great shape, and he’s living with two younger people who have taken on the role of his caregivers. The cast is pretty solid, with Zooey Deschanel, Will Ferrell, and Ed Harris, but the story is just sort of meh. It’s a dark, brooding film that tries to hard too be something that it’s not. With the drugs, sex, suicide, self abuse, and crazy people it certainly fits the dark indie film template. The only things that stay with me from this movie are Deschanel slamming her hand into a drawer…cause that isn’t something you see everyday, and Ferrell wearing eye liner…which was supposed to be funny but wasn’t. Ferrell was clearly trying to be more subdued and trying hard to show his dramatic chops, but this flick wasn’t a very good showcase of that. It has its moments here and there but unless you’re a big fan of Ferrell or Deschanel this flick is one that’s okay to skip.

Michelle’s Review: 5.4 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Four: The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:06:05 -0400

Eric’s Review: This movie is pretty hardcore. It tells the tale of brothers who are brought together in their fight to free Ireland from the oppressive English, and then torn apart by a vicious civil war. It is the kind of movie you have to really be in the mood for in order to enjoy. It is an Irish movie so sometimes you have to pay close attention to understand the actors’ thick accents. The movie is brutal at times to help the viewer gain some perspective on how much of a struggle gaining independence was. People get tortured by having their finger nails ripped out, people are beaten, and friends are turned against each other. It is really interesting as an American to watch a movie like this because we forget that we aren’t the only country who had a war for independence and a civil war. Here’s a quick rundown. The Irish are tired of the Brits bossing them around all the time so they take up arms against them. The Brits try and squash it quickly but the Irish working together and kicking some ass. Lots of people are killed on both sides and finally the Brits are like, “Fine. You know what, you got it. You can be your own country, but we are gonna keep a little bit of it. Just the top, it’s not really a big deal, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Then some of the Irish were like “Okay, we’ll take it. The top is our least favorite part anyway.” But then some were like “No dice dickweed. We want the whole thing, and we’ll snatch that shit if we have to.” So then the Irish who were fine with the treaty fought the Irish who weren’t cool with it. Countrymen against countrymen. Brothers against brothers. Now the movie isn’t just a history lesson. It shows the personal struggles of a few Irishmen and women to help show the effects that these wars had on people. The acting is good for the most part, being led by the guy who plays The Scarecrow in the Christopher Nolan Batman movies. The movie is a lot like Braveheart, in the sense that a group of over-matched people fight for their freedom, their is a lot of violence, and the British come off as total dicks. Although it seems that there are a ton of movies where the British come off as total assholes. And for a country that ran the show for a long long time, their are a lot of movies about them getting them getting the crap beat out of them. It is quite possible that you haven’t seen this movie, as I had never heard of it until well after it came out, but it is a great movie that you should definitely check out if you have any interest in the subject matter. Even if you don’t, you may after you watch it.
Eric’s Rating: 8.2 out of 10
Michelle’s Review: I appreciate a good war movie, but never find myself really in the mood to watch one. The first time I saw this was a few weeks before I went to Ireland for the first time. Eric had really enjoyed it when he saw it, so I figured what better way to learn a little bit of Irish history before heading over there. It comes as no surprise that like most war movies, this one is filled with lots of blood, violence, and misery. It spans two wars, the Irish War for Independence, and the Irish Civil War. For the first half of the movie you follow a group of men who are trying to form a militia to fight back against the British who have been torturing, killing, and destroying the people of their communities and their homes. The second half of the film is after the first war has ended and the civil war has begun in Ireland. The group of men who were once a strong team have become divided, two of them brothers, fighting on opposing sides. This isn’t exactly the kind of movie I’d pull out for date night, but it’s a well-told, very gripping film with some really superb performances. It’s hard to not be in awe of the sweeping green hills of Ireland, and that beautiful Irish music, even though guys are getting their finger nails ripped off with rusty pliers and girls are having their hair ripped and cut from their scalps. Like any modern day war movie, they don’t hold back on the gruesomeness, so don’t watch while eating anything tomato based, mainly soups and sauces. It’s also important to crank the volume and pay close attention, because the Irish accents are thick and it’s easy to lose important dialogue. If you’re looking to scope some Irish cinema or learn about Irish history this film is a great place to start.

Michelle’s Rating: 7.0 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Three: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:39:10 -0400

Eric’s Review: This movie has the distinction of being one of the most whimsical children’s movies of all time, and being completely terrifying. The morale of the movie is that being curious and not listening to adults will kill you. I know that Willy mentions that they will all be fine, but I’m not buying it for a second. He spends a good deal of the movie lying to people, so there is no way I am going to believe that a kid who gets shot through a chocolate tube, a girl who fills up with blueberry juice, a kid made super tiny, and a girl free falling into a furnace, are not dead or horribly mutilated. First you have Agustus, who falls into a chocolate river, gets sucked into a tube and shot out at an incredible speed. He is dead. He probably passed out and drowned wherever he ended up. Then you have Violet who fills up with juice and has to be squeezed. Squeezed. If she does survive, she is still blue, with flabby skin and a huge hole somewhere on her where the juice was squeezed out. Mike is made super tiny and sent to be stretched. There is no way that went well. The kid’s dead. Then there is Veruca who falls down a garbage shoot. You can hear her voice getting fainter and fainter for at least 4 seconds. How long of a free fall is that? I’m no expert, but she most likely would have broken every bone in her body. A pencil dive from 10 stories. What a damn mess. Then her Dad comes down head first after her and would have landed right on top of her. Gruesome. If you can get passed the horrible deaths and the boat ride that would have made me crap a week’s worth of pants, the movie is magical. The chocolate factory is a fun house of dreamlike wonder where you can eat almost anything and little orange men walk around with songs dancing out of their tiny mouths. Gene Wilder is perfect in his most recognizable role. He is a wild haired man child with a little hint of crazy, and as long as you don’t defy him, he will take you on an incredible journey. Even knowing that if I stepped out of line, I would die, I’d still go on that tour. No doubt. The sets are incredible, and the music is great, which is why the movie has stood the test of time and could not be out shined by Tim Burton’s CGI filled crappy remake. Unlike the chocolate that Wonka makes, this movie gets better with age, with the added bonus of not getting that gross white stuff on it when it has been sitting out for a while.
Eric’s Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Michelle’s Review: It’s four o’clock on a Friday, and I’m sitting here at my desk at work, wishing more than anything I could be picking giant gummy bears from a tree and taking boat rides on chocolate rivers. I wish I was watching little orange men with green hair doing cartwheels, and bratty girls falling down garbage shoots. I would love to see my boss turn into a giant blueberry. Nothing would please me more. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of those childhood defining movies. I remember watching it as a kid and insisting on having candy whilst viewing. Everyone loves candy and chocolate and crazy people and no movie combines those things better than this one does. Willy Wonka has some serious issues. While the man can be gentle and kind, he can also take you on crazy boat trips where you see images of chicken’s getting their heads cut off and worms crawling on guys faces. That boat ride scene still haunts me to this day. I don’t know how comfortable I’d feel letting my kids near a guy like this, but apparently poor people have no reservations about it. Old Grandpa Joe and Charlie seem to make it through the fun house unharmed, minus the whole almost getting chopped to bits in a ceiling fan after sneaking a sip of fizzy lifting drink. This movie is so wonderfully executed, because everything is real. Fuck CGI! Fuck the new version of this movie with Johnny Depp throwing his dignity down the toilet. What’s great about the original, is that it’s clear that everything about it is real, even if it doesn’t seem to be. Kids turn into blueberries and get sucked up pipes and fall through trap doors, and all of that good stuff. Sure, the script isn’t particularly faithful to the source material, but man oh man, is it a classic. It’s one of those family films that’s been passed down generation after generation and will continue to be. Even as an adult, you want to be in that world, and experience the factory, and all the craziness. The kid actors are all fantastic, except for the kid who plays Charlie, who even when I was kid, always grossed me out a bit. He just always looked dirty and made goofy faces. The cast is brilliant, the sets and props are unreal, and the music is the great big bow on top of a pretty great package. This one will continue to stand the test of time.

Michelle’s Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Two: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:59:54 -0400

Eric’s Review: This is a brilliant movie. It takes place in a world where cartoons and people live together and everything is wacky. You wake up every morning knowing that most everything you do that day is going to be completely zany. Your toothbrush may sing to you, and elephant may ask you for spare change, or someone might drop a very real safe on you and make you dead. In the movie, 99.999% of the toons are friendly and wouldn’t hurt a fly, but in a real world where a portion of the population was nearly indestructible, life would be a nightmare for us normals, but that’s a whole other movie. One of the biggest toon celebs in this world is Roger Rabbit. He is the main suspect in a murder that he claims he did not commit. Right off the bat you believe him, because if the answer to the question “Who framed Roger Rabbit?” was “nobody” you’d feel a little gypped. You go into it thinking someone framed him and you won’t be disappointed. I won’t ruin it for you but it’s the guy who is clearly shown to be the villain right from the get go. You see him and you think, “Wow this guy is evil. Not like in Back to the Future where he plays Doc Brown, and is the coolest. Man Christopher Lloyd has range.” Christopher Lloyd frames him. He plays the judge. The judge frames Roger Rabbit. This idea for this movie is awesome and it is made way better by the fact that you get toons from Disney and Warner Brothers and miscellaneous partying together. You get to see Donald and Daffy Duck in a piano duel and Mickey skydiving with Bugs Bunny. You just get the feeling that nothing like this could happen nowadays. But back in the swinging 80’s they teamed up for the common good. The movie doesn’t just rely on famous cartoon characters, it builds a great story around them and makes a ton of great jokes. It was a movie I watched a lot as a child and I still like the jokes I liked back then and am able to appreciate a lot of jokes I didn’t get as a young innocent lad. It had been a while since I had seen this and I loved watching it again. I would love a sequel to this movie but I’m worried that they wouldn’t get all the cartoon characters in it and they would put someone like Josh Hartnett in it. I suppose it’s best to leave this classic alone.
Eric’s Rating: 8.6 out of 10
Michelle’s Review: I don’t think we can be friends if you don’t like Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I would really question your judgment, because this movie is just that great. Not only is it a brilliantly funny, smart comedy that goes beyond just an animated kids movie, but it is also a masterpiece in special effects. While filmmakers have been combining animation and live action for decades, way back to when Walt Disney was making his early Alice In Wonderland silent films, none have ever brought the wow factor the way WFRR? does. To see the way the cartoons and humans interact is incredible and you never once doubt that these two worlds are coexisting. Combine this impressive feat, with a clever story that combines multiple generations’ favorite cartoon characters, and you have yourself a real gem. You wish you could live in a world where the penguins from Mary Poppins serve you drinks, and when you order your drink on the rocks, they give you a glass full of rocks. As the title implies, Roger Rabbit, a beloved toon from Maroon Studios, has been framed for murder and the movie is about trying to find out who framed him…hence…the title of the movie. The bad guy is one of the spookiest villians in movie history…The Judge! Christopher Lloyd has always been great at playing crazy, but with this role he takes it to a whole new level. I remember as a kid being horrified by him in this movie, especially the end scene where he goes bonkers and his eyes bug out of his head…I get chills just thinking about it. Who Framed Roger Rabbit also brings us one of the foxiest females of all time, both cartoon and human…Jessica Rabbit. Her gravity defying curves and that pink sparkly dress, almost make you forget she’s a ginger. Movies like this just don’t exist anymore. They still do the human/animated combos like Alvin and the Chipmunks and Garfield, but they’re not the same. The magic and thought isn’t there, because everything is dumbed down for a generation of kids who don’t appreciate a movie unless the soundtrack is done by Katy Perry and the Black Eyed Peas or features one of those creepy kids from the Disney Channel. This is one of those films that gets better with age, because it’s designed to please a 40 year old just as much as a 4 year old. It’s one of the best films Disney has ever made and continues to be a smile inducing treat.

Michelle’s Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Twenty One: While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:19:02 -0400

Eric’s Review: Yet another rom-com! Three Peat! I have to say that I don’t care for this movie very much. It is basically about a crazy woman (Sandra Bullock) who ends up getting everything she wants for doing something that is by all accounts terrible. You see, she works for the train company in Chicago where she collects tokens and mopes all day. She sees this guy one day and falls in love with him. A little while after he is pushed onto the tracks by some windy city hooligans and is knocked right out. The woman jumps on the tracks and saves the guy. So far so good. It’s a little weird to fall for somebody that you’ve only seen a few times and have never spoken to but it isn’t too outrageous, especially for this type of movie. Then she accompanies the unconscious man to the hospital. While he lies in a coma, she lies about being his fiance. At first it is just so she can go see him, as only family is allowed, but then she keeps up the lie when his family shows up. C’mon Sandra. What’s your deal? The family is super nice and invite her over for Christmas and she ends up falling in love with the guys brother. Eventually the truth comes out and instead of everyone keeping this crazy woman out of their lives, the brother marries her. She fabricates a relationship with this coma’d up guy and ends up living happily ever after. Not only do I not root for this woman but the movie itself is kind of boring. Short on the com and, at least in my eyes, short on the rom. In real life this movie would end with a pretty sizable restraining order. I suppose nobody wants to see a movie that follows that formula though. Girl meets boy, girl gets crazy, girl must stay 500 yards away at all times. I guess these kind of movie are supposed to come to a quick and tidy little conclusion even if it is improbable, but the ending of this movie, although predictable, left me making that pfffffff noise that you make when you think something is bullshit. “Pffffff, yea right.” So i guess you can sense that I don’tr like this one all that much.
Eric’s Rating: 3.8 out of 10
Michelle’s Review: A lonely train coin collector named Lucy, watches a guy she’s swooned at from afar, get mugged and pushed on to the train tracks. Without thinking, she rushes to his aid and saves his life. While he’s lying in the hospital in a coma, a nurse mistakenly thinks Lucy is his fiancee and says so infront of his entire family. The family is so excited that Lucy saved his life, and was his fiancee, that she can’t muster up the strength to correct the mistake and so she goes about pretending to be engaged to this guy in a coma, while in the process, falling in love with brother. Okay, I’ll admit, that it all sounds a little creepy. That despite how much I love this movie, it’s easy for someone to see Lucy as a disgusting person who is basically taking advantage of this poor family. While the story may seem completely far fetched, it still manages to be really sweet and funny. This is one of the few Sandra Bullock movies I enjoy, and it has a great supporting cast of some amazing old-timers like Peter Boyle, Jack Warden and Glynis Johns. I’d say it’s the supporting cast that carries the movie. Maybe it’s because I grew up watching it, but I’ve always found this flick to be absolutely charming, probably more charming than laugh out loud funny. I guess I just have a soft spot for early 90s rom-coms. I miss the days when leading men in rom-coms weren’t guys under the age of 25, and women in rom-coms weren’t Anne Hathaway or Kate Hudson. This one takes me back to simpler times.

Michelle’s Rating: 6.7 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Twenty: When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:35:00 -0400

Eric’s Review: I have to say, as far as romantic comedies go, this is way towards the top. I attribute most of the success of this movie to Billy Crystal. If you have read some of my past reviews, you would know that I am an admirer of Billy. He is a funny man and has made some great rom coms. I think a big reason he has success as a romantic lead is that he isn’t all that attractive. I can watch a Ryan Reynolds movie and not give a shit if he doesn’t win back his high school girlfriend because he is so good looking it makes me sick. Billy Crystal overcomes his mediocre looks to win the woman that is just a little bit out of his league. I can root for Billy Crystal or Woody Allen to win the girl. Their options are way more limited than Hugh Grant’s. Have you seen him smile? Aside from being a more believable movie than most, it is extremely funny. Rob Reiner knows funny, and Billy Crystal has some of the best timing and delivery of any comedian. Mix those two together and add one of the most famous scenes in film (Meg Ryan’s diner orgasm) and you’ve got a classic. It is very cleverly done with the old people testimonies thrown in between scenes. Old couples who are still together are as adorable as they are wrinkly and forgetful. They make you make that face where you look at the person next to you and you frown but your eyebrows are pointed up and some people even add and “awwww” at the end of it but that’s totally optional. I don’t usually say “awwwwww”. That’s just me though. I’m not a huge fan of the romantic comedy genre, but a good movie is a good movie, and this is a good movie. If you get the comedy part right, everything else falls in to place, and everyone brings it, even Meg Ryan.

Eric’s Rating: 8.1 out of 10

Michelle’s Review: This movie moved into my #1 favorite spot a few years ago and I’ll tell you why. I think it’s the perfect romantic comedy. It has the classic story of two people who hate each other eventually falling love. Add to that some incredibly smart, witty, dialogue, and impeccable chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan (two rom-com veterans) and you have yourself a classic on your hands. And it also boasts one of the most famous movie scenes of all time, aka “The Orgasm/I’ll Have What She’s Having” scene. It’s set in New York City, like all great romantic comedies should be, and has an incredible soundtrack of jazzy standards that set the tone for the whole movie. The two main characters are both ridiculously flawed but somehow still lovable. I said it after we reviewed Forget Paris, and I’ll say it again…Billy Crystal is a charming man. You can keep your Ashton Kutchers and Justin Timberlakes…give me Crystal any day. He’s not attractive, but somehow he is so believable as a romantic lead. The banter between Harry and Sally just slides off the tongue and makes for a romantic comedy that actually feels like it could really happen. And then there’s Meg Ryan, who used to be so beautiful before she had that “turn me into an alien” plastic surgery. Watching her take 10 minutes to order her food always makes me smile, because to her that’s normal and she doesn’t see anything weird about it. And yes, her faking an orgasm in public is all the more incredible because after she does it, she just smiles and goes about her business. This movie is like pure comfort food for me. No matter how many times I watch it, I always laugh at the same parts and I always get misty when Harry gives his speech at the end. Plus, the end of chapter sequences, where they interview the old couples about how they met is brilliant and makes the movie all the more charming. If you love rom-coms, I can’t imagine you not liking this movie. If you don’t love rom-coms, I still find it hard to believe. Sure there is a love story at it’s core, but I think that this movie has such great dialogue and seems grounded enough and funny enough, that it goes beyond just being another run of the mill romantic comedy. It’s a classic, so if you haven’t seen it you should get on it!

Michelle’s Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Nineteen: What Women Want (2000)

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:11:18 -0400

Eric’s Review: In the year 2000 things were a lot different than they are today. The world was rebuilding itself from the devastation of Y2K, boy bands were making everyone aroused all day long to the point of insanity, and the answer to the question “What do women want?” was, Mel Gibson. Now, in the year 2011, the world is back to it’s tip top shape, boy bands are a thing of the past along with arousal of any kind, and the new answer to “What do women want?” is anybody who isn’t Mel Gibson. In this movie plays a chauvinist man who is really a less violent and angry version of himself. In this movie, he falls in the tub while holding a hair dryer which obviously gives him the ability to hear the thoughts of all females. He uses this power to further his career by stealing ideas from a very intelligent Helen Hunt. Now here’s the kicker, he falls in love with this girl, and makes her love him which is wasn’t all that hard because he knew what she was thinking so he knew how to be super cool. He learns a little, becomes a better father, lover, and overall better dude. Although the premise of the movie sounds stupid, it really is pretty entertaining. Mel Gibson is really out of his element as someone who isn’t threatening anybody or avenging the death of a family member, but actually he delivers a pretty funny performance. As far as cheesy Rom-Com-Chi-Fli’s go, this is one of the ones that is more fun to watch. It isn’t the most creative movie around, in fact it is a pretty standard romantic comedy. But the reason there are so many of these things is that if it is done adequately, it makes for an entertaining 2 hours. It isn’t great, but it’s way better than bad, although it loses some points for the casting of Skeet Ulrich. The guy’s gross. Other than that the movie is pretty fair. Just good old Mel-Gib-Hel-Hun-Rom-Com. Sorry. I’ll stop.
Eric’s Rating: 6.1 out of 10

Michelle’s Review: Do you remember when Mel Gibson wasn’t crazy? I know it’s hard to remember back that far, but try just for a minute. Let’s face it, the man was probably always crazy…he just wasn’t crazy in public. Then he got divorced, started threatening to bury women in his rose garden, and make some not so nice comments about the Jewish community. Oh Mel, what were you thinking? I’m not going to lie, I used to have a crush on Mel Gibson back in the day. He used to be a stud…I’m just saying. This was the last movie I remember of his that I actually enjoyed. Being a big fan of the Lethal Weapon movies (if you recall us reviewing all four of them) it’s hard to see Gibson in a romantic comedy, but my god is that man charming. He plays this asshole who works for an ad agency, and basically treats women like shit. Even his own daughter can’t stand him. Then one night after a freak accident, set to the sweet sounds of Meredith Brooks, he gains the power of being able to hear inside womens’ heads. He quickly realizes how much woman hate him, despite how charming he thinks he is. Trying to harness these powers, he tries to sabatouge the woman who got promoted over him and naturally, ends up falling in love with her. He gets in touch with his feminine side and realizes that he’s been a giant dick. Like I said, I like seeing Gibson in this type of role. He definitely exudes masculinity, and even though he’s a crazy person, I still swoon a little when he does the dance with the coat rack set to Frank Sinatra. A solid rom-com through and through.

Michelle’s Rating: 6.9 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Eighteen: What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:13:49 -0400

Eric’s Review: What is eating Gilbert Grape? This is the question that is asked in the title of the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? If you look at it from a literal standpoint, the answer is nothing. The main character, Gilbert Grape, is not being eaten at all. In fact, he is never even in danger of being eaten at all during the movie. If you go into this movie trying to solve the mystery of what will end up eating Gilbert Grape, you are going to be disappointed and confused. It isn’t that kind of movie. The title is really asking the question “What is bothering Gilbert Grape?” It is really important that you understand the title before watching this movie. If you don’t get the title you won’t get the picture. For instance, if you misread the title as “What’s Eating Gilbert? Grapes?” You won’t realize that there aren’t any grapes bothering anybody until the movie is almost over and you’ll have to start over again. If properly viewed, you will find that the answer to the question is “Life”. Gilbert lives in a nowhere town with his morbidly obese mother, two sisters, and mentally retarded brother. He wants more in life but feels stuck and fears he will never go anywhere. There are a lot of instances of people saying things like “We aren’t going anywhere”, “Where are you going” , “Stay right here”, and things of that nature, that are supposed to emphasize the feelings of confinement that Gilbert is feeling. He has a few people in his life that have been in his town for their whole lives and all turned out to have different problems that Gilbert does not want to happen to him. His mother became a hermit who weighs 600+ pounds, his father killed himself, his boss’ business is failing, his married lover is in a sham marriage (obviously), and his two best friends have low aspirations of doing anything more than being a fry cook and a mortician’s apprentice. Gilbert seems to blame the town and wants to get out but by the end sees that he can be as good a person as he wants to no matter where he is. So really Gilbert Grape may have really been eating himself. Again, he isn’t actually eating himself, I’m saying that Gilbert’s problem was with himself. Try and stay focused. If you really want to see a movie where a guy just sits down with a knife and fork and slowly eats himself, then you probably won’t like this movie and you are also probably gross. The acting is pretty good with the exception of Leonardo DiCaprio who does an excellent job. He plays Gilbert’s mentally challenged brother Arnie. He is very convincing and obviously spent a lot of time researching people with this condition and creating different mannerisms for Arnie. This is one of Depp’s good movies before he turned into a pirate and stated making lizard movies.
Eric’s Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Michelle’s Review: The question that has baffled mankind for centuries…what’s eating Gilbert Grape? The mean answer, for those who are familiar with the film, is naturally his mother. But that’s mean, so don’t even think about it! Gilbert Grape is a guy who lives in a town in the middle of nowhere. He doesn’t do much with his life except work at the local grocery shop and take care of his younger brother Arnie, who suffers from some form of mental retardation. They live with their two sisters, and their mother who is easily 600 pounds, and hasn’t left the house in seven years. It’s pretty clear that Gilbert wants more out of life but doesn’t know how to escape the family that keeps him there. I’ve always been really fond of this movie. I think Johnny Depp used to be a great actor until he decided to shit out a bunch of pirate movies and work exclusively with Tim Burton. He used to be picky about the roles he took, therefore producing more quality pictures. And then there is the young Leo DiCaprio who is given the always challenging role of playing someone who is mentally retarded. While his performance often gets mimicked because of the way he flicks at his nose in the movie and the way he speaks, I think he did an incredible job. And obviously he grew up and still has a ridiculously successful career, although still lacking in the Oscar department, which is kind of disappointing. This is one of a handful dramas that I can watch over and over again. It has a sleepy vibe to it, but the relationships between the characters are really compelling, and the story is well written so you don’t notice it much. Definitely worth checking out.

Michelle’s Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Seventeen: What About Bob? (1991)

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:28:37 -0400

Eric’s Review: This is an underrated little gem where Bill Murray really shines. He plays a man who has a panoply (nice word potentially used incorrectly) of mental ailments. He has just been referred to a shrink played by Richard Dreyfuss and proceeds to stalk him on his family vacation. Now this could have easily turned into a gruesome murder movie with Bill Murray murdering everyone and fashioning a fanciful summer wardrobe out of people skin, but the movie takes a light hearted approach and instead makes Bill Murray a lovable goof who wins the hearts of Dreyfuss’ whole family, all except for Richard himself, who is eventually driven the brink of bananas. Bill is great in this one. Although What About Bob? doesn’t get brought up very much, it is a great example of how he can carry a whole movie and make it worth the watch. He makes you like him as much as all the characters in the movie. It may have been the movie’s intention to see it from Dreyfuss’ point of view but Bill is way too cool not to like. There are a few really good scenes, like the turret’s scene, where Bill explodes in a stream of silly obscenities. His rationale being that if he fakes it then he can’t have it. Makes sense to me…sorta. The movie is undoubtedly funny but does not really have any home run scenes that stick with you. All great comedies can be quoted and referenced the max. Unless you just watched this one, you won’t really remember any of the gags. Also, the ending seems a little rushed, and wraps up a little too cleanly. It’s not the funniest comedy around, and not Bill Murray’s best work, but it is still a little underrated and worth checking out if you haven’t ever seen it.
Eric’s Rating: 6.8 out of 10
Michelle’s Review: Of all the Bill Murray comedies out there, I feel like this one gets over looked the most. I remember watching it a lot when I was a kid, but it wasn’t until I was in college that I rediscovered what a gem this flick is. It’s about a guy named Bob who has a multi-phobic personality and is about as crazy as crazy gets. He’s afraid of everything, has major dependency issues, and said he divorced his wife because she liked Neil Diamond. Then there is Leo, a well-off psychiatrist who is a bit self-involved and is busy promoting his new book. When the two get paired up and have their first session Bob immediately is hooked. So naturally when Leo says he’s going on vacation with his family for a month, Bob freaks out and does everything he can to crash the vacation. The great thing about Bob is that even though he is completely crazy, everyone but Leo finds him extremely charming, funny, and insightful. Leo’s family falls in love with Bob, while Leo slowly turns mental at how well Bob has fit right in. It’s definitely a dark comedy, but man oh man, no one makes being crazy more funny than Bill Murray. In one scene he teaches Leo’s son about Turret syndrome, and they go back and forth screaming profanities at each other, and you get to hear some really innovative stuff like “turkey tits.” My only gripe with the movie is the ending. I mean I guess when you build up Leo’s anger throughout the film the way they did, you need some major climactic scene to wrap it all up. But the whole Bob marrying Leo’s sister was a little too weird, and then having Leo be in sort of a vegetative state that he breaks out of right before they say I do is all a little over the top. I usually love Richard Dreyfuss, but his character in this one is so unlikeable that it’s really hard to sympathize with him. I’m sure that was the director and writers intention, but it’s hard to believe that an intelligent person would lose it the way he did. If Bob was such a nuisance, why didn’t Leo just call the cops or get a restraining order? In the end, the movie is still really funny, mainly because Bill Murray is just great at being that guy who is irritable but unbelievably charming.

Michelle’s Rating: 6.8 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Sixteen: Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:09:25 -0400

Eric’s Review: This movie has attained a pretty devoted cult following over recent years. Even with all the fans that this movie has accrued, it still way underrated. I am a big Michael Showalter fan, and have never been disappointed with anything he has been a part of. I can admit that some things that he and other members of The State have done are not laugh out loud, drop a load, funny, but this is from beginning to end hilarious and should really be regarded as one of the funniest movies of the last ten years. Lock it in, top 5 no doubt. The cast is incredible from the huge names David Hyde Pierce, Amy Poehler, Christopher Meloni, Bradley Cooper, and Paul Rudd, to the lesser known Showalter, Zak Orth, Joe LoTruglio, and A.D. Miles. There is not a dull millisecond in this whole movie. It is a joyous barrage of absurd, brilliant, and often nonsensical humor that will leave you feeling pretty good about what you just treated yourself to. Every character has at least one brilliant moment in this one. Even Janeane Garofalo, who I typically don’t care for, has some pretty great moments. David Hyde Pierce is made all the more funny because of the fact that he seems out of place in this group of comedians. He is known for his sophisticated role on Fraiser but brings some serious thunder to Wet Hot. The fact that this movie was not huge when it came out is puzzling. I suppose there was a serious lack of advertising because I don’t know a single person who has seen this movie that did not absolutely love it. I have heard rumors of a possible sequel which would be incredible. Every actor and character that they play is so great that it wouldn’t be hard to capture at least some of the magic created by the first movie. So if you haven’t seen this one, I don’t blame you but you need to do yourself a favor and check this one out. You might as well just acquaint yourself with everything that Michael Showalter has done. Sandwiches & Cats is an incredible album and Mr. Funny Pants may be the funniest book I’ve ever read. Get on it partner.
Eric’s Rating: 8.8 out of 10
Michelle’s Review: Wet Hot American Summer is hilarious. Exactly what you would expect from David Wain and Michael Showalter. It’s a silly satirical gem that pokes fun at summer camps and all of the steamy counselor romances, arts and crafts projects, and talent shows that you remember from your youth. With many familiar faces in the cast like Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Molly Shannon, and David Hyde Pierce, and most of the cast from the short lived sketch comedy show The State, the movie boasts a really impressive group of very funny people. It’s no wonder that the movie has developed such a cult following. While it wasn’t enormously successful originally, cool people knew what a genius flick this was, and embraced it and it’s absurdity and loved every minute of it. It’s set in 1981, so it’s ripe with bad fashion, hideous hair, and an awesome soundtrack which only increases it’s greatness. I wish comedies like these were made more often. They’re so brilliant, and wonderfully written, and yet we’re forced to see more bad rom-coms starring Justin Timberlake and Ashton Kutcher about hooking up with your friends. Just give me cafeteria chef humping a refrigerator and rousing rendition of “Day By Day” and I’ll be happy. And that’s how you’ll feel after watching this flick…very very happy.
Michelle’s Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Fifteen: Wayne's World (1992)

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:58:51 -0400

Eric’s Review: Shwing! It’s Mike Myers’ original quoted to death movie. Long before people kept asking me if they made me randy and before you could say “one million dollars” without putting your pinky to the side of your mouth, there was an excellent public access television host that everyone loved to quote. His name was Wayne Campbell and through the wonders of film we are brought into his world. He taught us to party, he taught us to rock, and with the help of his sidekick Garth, he taught us different ways to indicate that a woman is attractive. To this day no woman can resist a man who calls her Baberaham Lincoln. The movie is funny in a way that is a mix of wacky humor and subtle dialogue. Unlike Austin Powers, Wayne is way less in your face and as a result avoids making you sick of him. You have to take a long time in between Austin Powers viewings but Wayne’s World is an all the time kind of flick. The cast is flawless from the two stars, down to the smaller parts of Ed O’Neil, Alice Cooper, and Chris Farley. I find it hard to believe that there would be anybody reading this that hasn’t seen this movie, and even less likely that someone who hasn’t seen it would watch it and not love it. Although Wayne’s World was huge, it has been forgotten somewhat recently because of the success of both Austin Powers and Shrek. Do yourself a favor and rekindle your love affair with the pride of Aurora. Party On!

Eric’s Rating: 8.3 out of 10

Michelle’s Review: Party on followers! Wayne’s World is such a joyously, silly and totally bodacious flick. While I’ve enjoyed most of the SNL skits turned full length features, I think this one might be my favorite. They’re great characters that don’t seem out of place in real life and they made head banging during “Bohemian Rhapsody” the norm. They gave hope to all those people filming public access shows in their parent’s basement. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey make such an amazing team, and I think these characters are the best of what these two comedians have to offer. Enough time has passed, where you can quote this movie over and over again and you don’t feel like a douche. It makes you want to party and rock out and bust out the old acid wash jeans and flannel. It’s the kind of movie you can watch over and over again and somehow it never stops being funny. It makes you long to watch SNL episodes from the 90s and reminisce about how much better SNL was back in the day. Buy the two pack (that includes the equally awesome sequel) for 7.50 at Target and enjoy!

Michelle’s Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Fourteen: Watchmen (2009)

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:24:13 -0400

Eric’s Review: Who watches the Watchmen? Us, apparently. This is the movie version of the famous comic written by the self proclaimed ”king of writing comic books that eventually get made into movies, some of which are great and some of which are just okay but the guy must make shit loads upon ass loads of money”, Alan Moore. This is his most acclaimed piece of work and people have been itching to turn it into a moving picture film for years. Finally it came to fruitful fruition and what came of it was a pretty sweet movie, not a monumentally awesome movie, but a more than solid film. Now, there is a lot to the story, as we are learning the back story of this grim future and the broken down superheroes who inhabit it as the movie progresses, so it may warrant a few viewings to get the whole thing down. Also, as nerd snobby as this sounds, it is beneficial to read the book first. It was a very ambitious endeavor to turn this book into an action movie and for the most part it does a really good job. They don’t stray very far from the source material and take much of the dialog straight from the book, a technique that worked rather well fro Sin City. The acting is nothing too special with the exception of Jackie Earle Hailey as Rorschach and to a lesser extent Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian. Hayley has very few scenes where he isn’t wearing a mask but he uses his face time wisely and delivers a bad ass performance. Probably the best part of the movie is when he is set up and sent to jail. He is responsible for a lot of the inmates being put away because he is a superhero, so the inmates have it in for him. One guy ties to shank him in the lunch line and Hayley throws hot grease on the bitch. As he is being taken away he says “You guys don’t understand, I’m not stuck in here with you, you are stuck in here with ME!” Fuck yeah! That’s how I react when he says that. Every time. I can’t help it. Now this movie is a lot more in depth than most superhero flicks, so you have to be ready to sit for a good long time and pay attention. If you aren’t willing to make the commitment then you need to hold off until you are. If you half ass this thing you probably won’t like it. So in closing I really like this movie. I don’t think it is great and I wouldn’t be shocked if I heard someone say they didn’t like it. It’s a good representation of a great book and is definitely worth the watch.
Eric’s Rating: 7.9 out of 10
Michelle’s Review: Comic book movies are invading the planet! Every actor in the business is tossing on some spandex and a mask and signing up for these CGI filled movie adventures. What separates the good from the bad is mainly the acting. The newest Batman movies are so enjoyable because behind those masks and make-up are quality actors giving quality performances. Comic book movies always run the risk of coming across cheesy if not enough care and attention is given to the script and the performances. If you’re not careful you end up with a steaming pile of hot garbage that 12 year old boys will still love because they don’t know any better…like Green Lantern. I’m still not 100 percent sure how I feel about Watchmen. I like the fact that it doesn’t feel like a typical cut and dry superhero movie where there is a bad guy and a good guy and that’s it. This is about a series of characters that you can’t always tell if you’re supposed to like or not. They are a group of semi-retired superheros who try to investigate the death of one of their own and end up having to stop a nuclear war. One of my issues with it is that the performances are sort of meh. Patrick Wilson is just awful as is Malin Akerman and Billy Crudup is okay but it’s hard to tell because he plays a monotone, emotionless blue guy who sort of just walks around the whole movie naked, his blue dong just hanging out for the world to see. Maybe they can use him for a Smurf movie sequel. Luckily, Jackie Earl Haley, gives yet another awesome performance as Rorschach, and is one of the few actors to bring some serious chops to the film. The story is interesting, but it’s not executed well. The movie feels like it’s four hours long. At times it feels like you’re watching four or five short movies instead of one long one. The only things that were executed well were the visual effects and soundtrack. Zack Snyder brings his unique directing style to the film and creates a very visually stimulating picture with a perfect soundtrack to accompany it. The opening sequence set to “The Times They Are A Changin” is one of the highlights of the film. I guess they shouldn’t have set the bar so high so early in the film. It’s not that I hated the movie, but I feel like the visual effects out shown the important parts, the acting and the storytelling.

Michelle’s Rating: 6.0 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Thirteen: Wall-E (2008)

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:16:01 -0400

Eric’s Review: Alas, we have come to our final Pixar movie. Wall-E is the story of a robot named Wall-E. His primary function is to put garbage in his body and make a cube of it. He is presumably the last of his kind and is all alone on Earth with the exception of his cockroach friend. You see, Earth has become too gross for human life so people live in space. Wall-E spends his days cubing up our old junk and collecting things that he deems neat. One day a robot come looking for plant life she is presumably female and Wall-E gets a roboner and decides to flex his game and mack the shit out of this chick. What starts out as a love story turns into a fierce commentary on where our flabby sorry kabooses or kabeese (depending on what the plural of kaboose is) are heading. You see, in the future we are all big fatsos who sit in motorized chairs allday just getting fatter and probably smellier. Wall-E’s quest for robo-booty inadvertantly saves all human life. Well not necessarily saves it, I mean they were all alive, Wall-E just gets them to come back to Earth and rebuild our wrecked planet which is going to get everyone back in shape and looking as slim and attractive as ever. While it isn’t my favorite Pixar movie, it does a really good job of providing a feature film’s length of physical comedy. There isn’t a lot of dialogue because the two main characters have a very limted vocabulary. Despite this, the movie is very touching and gets a very green message across which is totally in these days. Any body who even likes Pixar movies a little bit will not be disappointed.

Eric’s Rating: 7.8 out of 10
Michelle’s Review: I imagine the script for this movie being very bizarre, considering the first half hour or so of the film doesn’t have any dialogue. It’s definitely the most unusual film to come from Pixar, and yet I found myself being completely won over by it’s charm and uniqueness. It’s a robot love story with a heavy environmental awareness message thrown in. Wall-E is a robot who is designed to clean up garbage that is covering Earth about 700 years into the future. Earth is no longer livable, and the human race now lives in outerspace, awaiting the day when Earth will once again be able to sustain human life. Wall-E meets and falls in love with another robot named Eve, who is designed to detect signs of life on the deserted planet. After Wall-E discovers a small green plant in a boot, he and Eve end up in outerspace, trying to help the ships captain return people back to Earth. The theme of mass-consumerism and pollution destroying the earth is pretty prevalent. In the film, humans are depicted as extremely fat and lazy after centuries of being catered to by computers and robots. It is a kids movie so it isn’t done with a heavy hand, but for most adults, the message is pretty clear. I think the film is an interesting concept and I think it was super ballsy of Pixar to make a movie like this. The robots and adventure make it appropriate for kids, but this movie has some heavy shit to wrap your mind around, and definitely appeals to a more mature audience. Besides the heavy stuff though, their is a beautiful love story that is so sweet and touching, it’s hard not to awww audibly. For characters who don’t go beyond saying their own names, you never once have a hard time understanding how they’re feeling. It’s really a remarkable piece of storytelling. And the film is not without it’s laughs as well. Watching Wall-E try to decide whether to put the spork he found in with the fork pile or spoon pile is hilarious! It’s a strange little gem that keeps the fine tradition of superior films from Pixar alive.
Michelle’s Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Day Three Hundred and Twelve: Waiting (2005)

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:05:17 -0400

Eric’s Review: This movie is best describes as “meh”. It’s not the worst movie around, but it has very few redeeming qualities. I think I may have cracked a smile once or twice, which is more than I can say for a lot of comedies, but I don’t think it is worth the space that it takes up on our Ikea bookshelf that acts as our DVD rack. Ryan Reynolds’ character is maybe the most unlikeable character that the viewer is supposed to like in any movie that we own. He is supposed to be this carefree guy who has a job that he hates but he parties and is sarcastic so we are supposed to think he’s cool. Instead he just comes off as a loser who is stuck at a job he hates because he’s a loser. Dane Cook gives off the very same vibe but luckily he doesn’t get much face time. The only tolerable character is Justin Long’s. He comes across as a halfway decent guy but doesn’t have a lot of comedic scenes. He’s mostly just moping around wondering why his life sucks. The only part of the movie I dug was the final scene where the newly hired trainee loses his cool and tells everyone why he hates them. He basically pinpoints the reasons why the movie is unbearable. I think they set out to make a movie that was the chain restaurant version of Animal House but ended up making the chain restaurant version of… I don’t know, some other shitty movie. If they didn’t bother to write a clever movie, I’m not going to bother writing a clever review. For some reason or another people liked this movie enough for it to get a sequel, which makes me sad. I’m sure there are thousands of great movie scripts out there that will never see the light of day, but the Waiting… movie franchise is one farted out crap of shit away from being a trilogy. Basically what I can deduce from reading my own review is that if you just watch the movie and don’t think about it, it is a “meh” movie, but when you sit down and think about what you have just done to yourself, it angries up the blood. Instead of watching the movie, just go to an Applebees instead. You will have a better time and at least you’ll get a burger out of the deal. I still maintain that it is a good premise for a movie if it is done well. The 5 minutes of Office Space that take place in a chain restaurant is a better movie than Waiting.. I hope somebody takes another shot at this and gets it right. Sorry for being so cynical about this one. Maybe I’m just mad at Ryan Reynolds because he is so handsome. Or maybe he makes bad movies. Good lookin’ guy though.
Eric’s Rating: 2.9 out of 10
Michelle’s Review: I went into this movie with extremely low expectations based mainly on the fact I knew what kind of movie it was and the fact that the cast boasted an assortment of “actors” I dislike. I think it’s because of those low expectations that I found myself not hating it quite as much as I thought I would. I still dislike Ryan Reynolds and Dane Cook and Anna Ferris, but I found the concept of the movie to be pretty smart. Many of the funny aspects of the movie come from pointing out all that is horrible about those cheesy chain restaurants with dumb crap all over the walls. And even though I’ve never waited tables in my life, I know that those crazy customers exist and how much you want to smack them. While I thought I’d be more grossed out about watching a man sprinkle pubes into someones food, I couldn’t help think that bitch had it coming. I have a lot of friends who are waitresses and I’m a nice person so I treat my waiters and waitresses kindly and always try and tip well unless the service is terrible. Because of this I like to think that no one would ever dream of shaking dandruff on top of my food. Here’s hoping! Unfortunately, much of the movie suffered from poor writing, poor acting, and really stupid jokes. It definitely knows its audience and plays up to it well. The penis/testicle jokes became lame quickly, and the same can be said for all the cracks and innuendos about having sex with minors. I enjoy raunchy humor as much as the next person but only if it’s done well and executed by comedians who are actually funny. The plot was pretty simple and almost didn’t seem necessary. Ryan Reynolds was horrible, but that didn’t surprise me. Anna Ferris was blonde, lispy, and skanky…as usual. And even though Dane Cook wasn’t in it much, he still managed to annoy me. Some of the other supporting characters weren’t quite as bad, although I don’t know why David Koechner insists on being apart of such shitty movies. He’s a funny man and I think he can do more. I did find myself chuckling occasionally and didn’t hate the movie entirely, but I feel like this movie would have benefited from better actors and some fresher jokes.

Michelle’s Rating: 3.5 out of 10