Wanderlust Review

Wanderlust is a comedy directed by David Wain, whose films have all been very funny so far. From Wet Hot American Summer to The Ten to Role Models, the guy knows how to make a movie funny. Wanderlust is no exception. Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston play George and Linda, a New York couple who spend a night at a hippie community only to come back after Rick (Ken Marino), George's incredibly obnoxious brother takes them in. Wanderlust then becomes a hilarious comedy about how wacky this community is. Headed by Carvin (Alan Alda), and featuring Seth (Aniston's real life boyfriend Justin Theroux), a nudist named Wayne (Joe Lo Truglio), and many others. By far the best part of the film is Theroux, who despite never really standing out in any movies or TV is hilarious here. Proving that you can play wacky without being too over the top, Theroux is great here. Then again, Paul Rudd's charm works wonders as he decides whether or not he really wants to stay in this community. As for Aniston, she's good here, playing it with a nice mix of smart and sassy. Wanderlust reminded me of a raunchier mix of Local Hero and Lost In America. I loved both Local Hero and Lost In America and although it sometimes feels raunchy just for the sake of being raunchy, I highly recommend you go see Wanderlust if you like raunchy humor and need a good, hearty laugh while being a little bit touched.

Ghost Rider Spirit Of Vengeance Review

           
I'll be the first to admit-I loved the first Ghost Rider. I thought it was a fun, exciting origin story. On top of this, I love Neveldine/Taylor, the directing duo behind the great Crank films and the strange but fun Gamer. Neveldine/Taylor have now decided to take on a sequel to Ghost Rider. It seemed perfect---a fun directing team mixed with a sequel to a movie I enjoyed. That being said, Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance is egregious. The storytelling rudimentary, the directing way too off the wall for its own good, and the acting over the top. Nicolas Cage starred in last year's Drive Angry, an off the wall 3D adventure I loved. This film had the potential to be the next Drive Angry. It had all the elements of that film-violence, 3D, a so ridiculous it might actually work storyline, and yes...Nicolas Cage. Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance, however, takes those elements and smashes them into bite size pieces, that when eaten, leave a horrible taste in your mouth. This film also wastes the actors of Ciaran Hinds and Idris Elba, two of the coolest British actors you can wish for, in horrible supporting roles. The film, on top of all this, is so squeamishly bad. As I was sitting there, with my unnecessary 3D glasses on, I couldn't help but squirm at the fact that people will actually enjoy this film. Heck, the guy behind me was having a blast with the film. Then again, the guy behind me was also talking to himself throughout the film. Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance also features quite possibly the worst scene in movie history in which Cage tries to hold back the Ghost Rider within, and ends up going insane. This is not a spoiler because it's so laughably obvious what's going to happen. Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance is a film that no one should ever see if not just for the fact that so much potential is wasted in the short amount of ninety minutes.

This Means War Review

When I first saw the trailer for This Means War, I was excited about the fact that it was going to be a cool action film. The trailer then turns into a romantic comedy in which two men compete for the affection of one woman. Still, I thought it could be decent. Well, I am here to tell you that even though it's the middle of February...I have found what should stand, for at least a couple months, if not for the rest of the year,as the worst film of the year. The decent premise ends up being made into a film that lacks any humor or heart. Then again..who can be surprised? This is directed by McG, the director of such crap as Charlies Angels 1 & 2 and Terminator Salvation. None of the three stars have any chemistry whatsoever. Chris Pine has no chemistry with Tom Hardy, and neither have any chemistry with Reese Witherspoon. Also, the film doesn't even get the ball rolling until about 45 minutes in. On top of all the bad things I am saying about this film..I haven't even gotten to the tip of the iceberg. By far the worst thing about this film is Chelsea Handler, whose obnoxious antics on her awful E! show don't even begin to compare with her character in this film. She brings all the raunchiness in this film, and not in a good way. Every word that comes out of Handler's mouth made me more and more mad until I couldn't take it anymore. Fortunately, she's not in that much...so I made it all the way through the film. This Means War has no redeeming qualities and no likable characters...save your money and spend it on something useful, like dental work.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Review

Journey 2 The Mysterious Island is the perfect example of too little too late. By this I mean that Journey to the Center of the Earth was one of the few films to be in 3D before the 3D craze of Avatar, and now, a sequel, four years later feels forced and rather dumb. Dwayne "The Rock/Body Building Extraordinaire" Johnson stars as Hank, the stepfather of obnoxious and annoying Sean (Josh Hutcherson). Sean discovers his grandfather, Alexander (Michael Caine) has been sending mysterious messages from the supposedly fiction Mysterious Island. This then turns into an adventure to find this island. Included in the ride are tour guides Gabato (Luis Guzman) and Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens). The main problem with the film is that director Brad Peyton and writing team Brian and Mark Gunn make the film too childish, and don't use the 3D or I Max to its fullest effect. A good example of the childish humor in this film (which comes fast and consistently) is a joke involving Guzman and bird droppings. Guzman, speaking of which, is more obnoxious than ever here and he can be pretty damn annoying. In fact, the only likable character in this film is Hank. With that being said, even Johnson as Hank has an extraordinarily painful scene involve a campfire and a weird rendition of Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World in which all the lyrics are about what is happening to them. Hutcherson and Hudgens are both obnoxious and stereotypical teens. Caine is way too wacky as the adventurous grandfather. Journey 2 The Mysterious Island will be obsolete in just a few weeks when everyone has forgotten that they've seen it. There are no redeeming qualities of this film, and if you never see it...have no fear..you've saved yourself an hour and a half of your life to do something else.  

Under The Radar Movie Review #2-Brainstorm

                     
What do I say about a movie that stars arguably the best actor ever Christopher Walken in his best role and yet barely anyone has ever seen? Well..I say damn you man, go and see this brilliant film. Louise Fletcher and Christopher Walken portray scientists Lillian Reynolds and Michael Brace. These scientists have discovered a way for people to live through one another by a process in which one person can read the other person's mind. The film then follows both scientists as this project to perfect the idea goes terribly wrong ruining their mental capacity and ultimately, their lives. Walken, who is my favorite actor and is brilliant in everything, gives his best performance here, really going in depth with his character and never letting up. Natalie Wood is also good as Karen, Michael's wife, and Louise Fletcher is equally as excellent as Walken as Lillian. Brainstorm is an amazing film that can be found very easily on DVD..so check it out...right now.

Big Miracle Review

Big Miracle is the true story of an expedition to save the whales from certain death in a small town in Alaska. John Krasinski is Adam Carlson, the reporter who discovers the whales, and Drew Barrymore is Rachel Kramer, the ex-girlfriend of Adam who feels obliged to help. The film itself is like day old candy..kids will partially enjoy it, while adults and teens will just find it hard to swallow. The main problem I had with this film is that it's so sticky sweet that it's hard to even get past the first scene. Director Ken Kwapis, who has worked with both stars before is known for doing films that don't exactly have a fantastic reputation. Don't believe me? Well, Kwapis's filmography includes Dunston Checks In, He Said She Said, Beautician and the Beast, and more recently, the bomb with Krasinski that was License To Wed. To be fair, I did kind of enjoy all of the previously mentioned films in a guilty pleasure sort of way. However, Big Miracle has none of the guilty pleasure aspects that were in those films. Rather, this film has a good cast hamming it up and talking about whales. I admittedly did like a couple of things about Big Miracle. First off, I liked the setting. The snowy scenes in Alaska were some of the best snow scenes in quite some time, and that's saying a lot. Second off, I liked the message. The message that you can do anything if you're truly dedicated to it is present here and done in a nice way. Third off and lastly, I liked Krasinski as a leading man. Even though this film is yet another unsuccessful attempt at him trying to get away from just being Jim from The Office, he does make a convincing and charming leading man. However, I would not recommend Big Miracle to anyone because it's just not a very easy movie to like due to its syrupy nature.

Safe House Review

Safe House is adrenaline pumping fun. Denzel Washington stars as Tobin Frost, an ex-CIA agent turned criminal who, one day walks into a CIA house out of nowhere. It is then up to Matt (Ryan Reynolds), a safe house operator to keep Tobin alive all the while escaping with him when the safe house is breached. What I liked more than anything about this film is that, while the action is great, it also works on a psychological level. While Washington kicks a lot of butt in this film, as does Reynolds, both can outwit each other and even other people at any time. At one point in the film, Tobin mentions to Matt what the CIA will ultimately end up telling him about the case. I won't tell you what happens..but let's just say in that instant Tobin completely outwitted Matt. Safe House is also a surprisingly complex film. It's not one of these stupid big budget Hollywood action films. It's more like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in that you might need a large coke and a big bag of candy to make sure you stay awake during the film. Reynolds is great as the straight man who doesn't really get too involved in the action unless Tobin's in a jam somewhere. Washington is also great as the master of talking people into doing what he wants them to do, and as the guy who's always ready to snap a neck or fire a bullet. While Safe House has plenty of action for those hoping to see that sort of thing..it's also a great thinking man's thriller and one I highly recommend both sides check out.

Red Tails Review

Red Tails is a film about a very important, and interesting time in American history. Red Tails is also an egregious film about this time in history. Everything about this film is unremarkable and dull, from its cheesy dialogue to oddly bad acting from such good actors as Terrence Howard and Michael B Jordan. During the course of this film, there were about five times in which I wanted to get out of my seat and walk out. What other movie are you going to hear dialogue as corny as "You get us the mission...you light up the board." The main problem with this film is that it makes The Tuskegee Airmen, some of the bravest men in our nation's history, look like a bunch of wimps. Also, the whole attempt to be in the same vain as earlier war films such as All Quiet On The Western Front and at some points, even Birth Of A Nation or J'Acusse is kind of pathetic. While those are great films, this film feels so lazy and so much like director Anthony Hemingway said "Whatever," and decided to just steal from these great films. Finally, a romance between a pilot nicknamed Lightning and his girlfriend Joe was not needed at all..it felt too mushy and weird to be in a film whose tagline is "High octane action and daring dogfights." Red Tails may not annoy some people as much as it annoyed me, but it will bore the masses and unless you're an insanely major history buff, barely nothing in the film will work for you, either. Personally, nothing worked in it for me.

Under The Radar Movie Reviews #1-High Strung

               Every once in a while, I will review a film that not a lot of people know about. These reviews will be called undr the radar movie reviews, and they can be movies I love or hate. In this case, it is a film that I absolutely adore. When I first heard the plot summary for High Strung, which involved Jim Carrey as Death, and Steve Oedekerk as Thane Furrows, a washed up cynic who's more or less done with life, I was not excited. However, it turns out High Strung is hysterical. About 90% of the film involves Thane walking around his house, screaming about what he hates (AKA everything,) but it's done so delightfully you can't help but laugh. In one of his earlier and lesser known roles, Carrey plays Death very convincingly and yet with a goofy enough attitude that we like him. Oedekerk is convincing as a cynic on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and we get some very funny cameos from Thomas F Wilson (Biff from Back To The Future) and Fred Willard. High Strung is nearly impossible to find on VHS and when on DVD, it is very expensive and either a bootleg or DVD-R but I highly suggest you check out this hysterical masterpiece.

Blockbuster: The Rise & Fall

Although this is somewhat different from what I generally do, I feel obliged to write about how Blockbuster has ultimately come to be no more. The pictures seen above are from the store in Rockville, MD. This is the 2nd closest  Blockbuster to me. There is also one in Silver Spring, MD that is very close to my house, and it is also closing down. In the following blog..I will talk about my theories of the downfall of Blockbuster. Let me preface my arguments, however, by saying that my local Blockbusters started their closing sales not too long ago and are closing on February 19th according to the employees. I say this because generally when a big company closes down, they have a longer store closing sale than just a month and a half. Now, without further ado..my theories of why this once huge chain is no more. My first theory is that while Blockbuster won the battle by being a nostalgic market, it lost the war to Netflix by not having some kind of streaming program. Netflix has a streaming program that allows people to watch new releases, older titles, and even hard to find titles instantly, while with Blockbuster, all they had was mailed DVD's and Blu Rays and store trade in. This meant that, unlike with Netflix, you had to wait for the movie you wanted to watch. This is not to say the Blockbuster mail-in program won't stay standing, just that the stores are all going down because of the previously mentioned statement. My next theory is that Blockbuster can not compete with Redbox. Redbox has way over 20,000 kiosks in which you could rent a movie at the touch of a screen, while Blockbuster had only a few hundred stores, and therefore paled in comparison to Redbox. My third, and final theory is that with companies like Apple, and the recently torn down Megavideo, people can download movies and TV shows in the safety and comfort of their own home, and in that being in the case, did not need or even want to drive out to get a movie to watch. Even further proof of this is that Netflix is even competing highly with these companies. Blockbuster's downfall is sad for old school movie lovers like myself, but it is a good chance for film buffs to get some great deals on DVD's as the prices go down more and more.