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27 Dresses has a relatively standard plot.  Katherine Heigl is desperately in love with her boss (Ed Burns).  Her younger sister (Malin Ackerman) comes into town to visit, and a few weeks later, is engaged to Burns.  Meanwhile, Heigl is doggedly pursued by James Marsden, a first class wedding reporter.  The title comes from the fact that Katherine Heigl is a very very good bridesmaid, which might be expected after attending 27 marriages.

Movies of this sort typically depend on the success of a few key arcs.  One is the pain the lead feels at being so close to the man she loves, and yet unable to reach him.  This film executes this arc exquisitely, as Heigl not only has to deal with her dream man being with her sister, she has to plan much of the wedding, dealing with her sister’s Bridezilla routine.  The film does an excellent job of not laying it on too thick, and Heigl is great for just barely letting the pain show through as she soldiers on.  Well done on this front, 27 Dresses.

A second important arc, or moment, at least is the realization that the guy next door/best friend/dork you are helping out is actually the one for you.  Generally speaking, there are two main contributing factors here.  First, an established relationship with the guy next door/best friend/dork you are helping out, so the realization is believable.  And second, of lesser importance, is some sort of amusing event forcing the realization.  I’ll hold comment on the latter, which is a very minor spoiler.  My biggest problem with the movie was with the former.  Part of it is that Heigl and Marsden don’t seem to have much chemistry.  But the larger problem is that there’s no foundation for their relationship.  Granted, the characters have perfect backgrounds for each other.  But I didn’t find myself wanting them to be together.  It seems the only reasons they get together are Marsden’s stalkerish tendencies, one alcohol-fueled night, and an Elton John song.  And it is “Benny and the Jets”, for crying out loud.

There’s a few fun supporting characters, even if they don’t get much screen time..  The lovely Krysten Ritter (Gia Goodman from Veronica Mars) plays a “Goth” secretary at Heigl’s work.  Melora Hardin shows up as Marsden’s boss.  And sadly, the character is nothing like Jan.  Last, but certainly not least, Judy Greer is Heigl’s best friend/co-worker.  In a just world, Greer (the Love Monkey alum, as you surely remember) would get to be playing leads.  But I’m happy to take what I can get.

Aline Brosh McKenna’s script isn’t perfect, but it delivers.  McKenna also wrote The Devil Wears Prada, but don’t hold that against the movie.  I mostly admire the restraint shown.  Yeah, being a bridesmaid twenty-seven times is quite a lot, but it fits in with the story.  Even the slightly ridiculous things never feel over the top.

Possibly the the coolest thing about the movie, and I have an imdb.com commenter to back me up, is that Malin Ackerman’s ringtone appears to be Mikey’s music from Nickelodeon Arcade.  I mean, come on.  How cool is that?

The best thing about Hancock may be the Bond trailer which precedes it.  Granted, I may be just a wee bit pumped up for Quantum of Solace.

Will Smith seems just about incapable of making bad movies.  Probably because he’s ridiculously awesome.  No, seriously.  Go back and watch some episodes of Fresh Prince.  The man is a genius.  In Hancock, we get to see a different sort of Will Smith character, trading drunken misanthropy for the usual wisecracks and winning smiles.  It is fascinating to see his darker side, and I, for one, am rooting for him to play the heavy at some point.

The movie was well-publicized as a sort of anti-(super) hero story.  Really, though, Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan’s script plays just like a superhero movie, only the reluctant hero is a little more blitzed than usual.  So I guess I didn’t find it particularly unique, in that regard.  Which is disappointing, because I think given the premise and the actors, it really could have better broken away from the superhero norms.

Is it just me, or does Jason Bateman seem destined to go down the career path of Greg Kinnear or Dennis Quaid?  Maybe it is just me.  He gets to be married to Charlize Theron in this movie.  He got to be married to Jennifer Garner in Juno.  Jason Bateman is a lucky man.  Both his and Theron’s characters needed a bit more to them.  I don’t want to ruin the few twists in the movie, but there are a few key moments when the movie could have done more to explore these non-Hancock characters.

Speaking of not ruining things, look out for the Friday Night Lights characters.  I won’t say who they are, but one is likely one of your favorite, and the other may well be one of your least favorite.

The film is enjoyable, it just doesn’t always seem to hit the marks it should.  There are several potentially poignant moments, but the film fails to deliver.  Instead, we are left with a relatively average superhero movie.  Which, hey, isn’t a bad thing.

Wow.

The movie is worthy enough to be an Indiana Jones film, but it certainly doesn’t add anything to the canon.  Most of the non-Harrison Ford characters are superfluous, but that’s always been the case (save for Sean Connery, of course).  So yeah, it does sorta feel like a blatant cash grab.  But one of the reasons for the success of the Indiana Jones franchise is its sense of fun, and that’s retained in this installment.  Yeah, some parts are ridiculous, silly, unnecessary, or slow, but there’s enough fun stuff to keep things moving along.  Oh, and while no one may be positive about the origins of Indiana Jones, I see no reason to believe anything other than the theory he was based on a University of Chicago professor.

I was able to see a sneak preview of Get Smart, so I might as well be a good little toadie and put up a review.  Based on the TV show (co-created by Mel Brooks(!) and starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon), Get Smart is quite funny and has surprisingly decent action.  And I’m fairly certain those are all you really need from an action-comedy.

When I heard about Steve Carell in this role, it made a whole a lot of sense.  Anyone familiar with the series and Carell’s work would likely agree he was THE person to play the role, because it plays right into his strengths.  And he does a fabulous job.  I also think those who somehow aren’t big Steve Carell fans will be able to tolerate him here because the movie sort of tones down the Maxwell Smart character into something a little more digestable.

Anne Hathaway is…wow.  She’s pretty much the definition of classically beautiful.  She’s the type of girl you bring home to meet your parents, and your mother not only loves her, but tells her she could do better than you.  She’s…well…darn near perfect.  And I’m not just talking about her beauty.  She’s not going to be an action star, but she handles the action scenes nicely.  But comedy is a huge strength for her.  99 was always the sane, logical one in the operation, generally playing the straight man (or, woman, I suppose) to Max, but often knowlingly supplying a Mel Brooksish punchline.  Again, the character has been smoothed over a bit, but the casting was inspired.

The supporting cast is really spot on.  I’m an Alan Arkin fan (who isn’t?)  so I would have liked a bit more for him, but he’s funny.  Dwayne Johnson really has, in my mind, earned the right to drop “The Rock” when describing him.  He can do action and comedy (sure, particularly physical comedy).  His role in the movie isn’t particularly new fare for him, but it is a good fit.  There’s ton more, I’m not usually a David Koechner fan, but he’s funny, especially when playing off Johnson and Terry Crews (who is totally the man).  Masi Oka and Nate Torrence (from Studio 60!) are absolutely hilarious as the nerds, and you’ll no doubt find yourself wanting to see more of them.

I didn’t love James Caan’s quasi-Bush impersonation.  It felt out of place and unnecessary.  I also wasn’t sold on Terence Stamp as the bad guy, but others seem to feel differently.  I didn’t think he was bad, just didn’t knock it out of the park.

The film (written by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember) does feel pretty close to the original.  As I mentioned, I think Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 were softer versions of themselves, which I think sells better, but I sort of missed a bumbling Smart who managed to escape situations either through luck or the sheer genius of his imbecility.  The plot isn’t anything novel, it has a few unsurprising twists, but I don’t think summer popcorn fare really need to have unique stories.  The movie is chock-full of gags and one-liners, and most of them hit.  I laughed way more than I expected to.  I’ve heard some people have a problem with the age difference between Carell and Smart.  I don’t really understand why that sort of thing would bother people (the movie does make an attempt to explain it), but they definitely have an on-screen chemistry.  I don’t think their buildup is handled particularly effectively, though, it just sort of seems like, “Well, everyone in the audience expects these two to end up together, so, let’s put them together.”

I enjoyed Get Smart.  In many ways, it is the ideal summer movie.  Fun story with fun characters, entertaining action scenes and a plot not really veering into the ridiculous, but which doesn’t require too much thinking.

Through the magic of Ytic, I saw The Promotion (which comes out this week in limited release) a few weeks ago. If you read the good folks at Cinematical, you’ve seen them hype this movie. Mucho. I quite enjoy their work, but I’m going to have mildly part ways here. The Promotion is a decent enough film, funny and charming at times, but ultimately it is too slight to reach its potential.

Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly are assistant store managers at a local chain grocery store fighting over a promotion to store manager at a new branch opening. The movie follows their wacky exploits and politicking as they try to best each other. Fred Armisen is their boss, Jenna Fischer is Scott’s girl and Lili Taylor is Reilly’s wife.

Written (and directed) by Steve Conrad (who also wrote The Pursuit of Happyness and The Weather Man), The Promotion seems like it knows it can be funny, it just can’t quite decide the right path to get there, taking a few steps down several different ones, then quickly turning back and starting anew. To wit, we get a few fantasy pops, but only early on. The always awesome Bobby Cannavale shows up as Jenna Fischer’s boss, as a potential foil to Sean William Scott, but then he goes away for the bulk of the movie. Reilly plays a Canadian and Taylor a Scot, so the movie has some fun with their accents, but not to the point of being a running joke. Etcetera.

The cast is pretty spot on. John C. Reilly can’t help but be funny. That’s just a truth. Seann William Scott being funny may be less so, but Dude, Where’s My Car? was hilarious. And I think you have to admit Stifler is a pretty great character. I would have liked to see more to the characters of Jenna Fischer and Lili Taylor (though, to be sure, that’s pretty much always the case), something elevating them more from the typical supporting female pillars.

I’m more than a bit biased, but I enjoyed all the shots of Chicago. Probably would have liked it to become even more of a character, to be honest. But hey, they did manage to get Rainbow Cone in there.

But perhaps the biggest problem with the movie as a whole (other than that the humor only comes in spurts) is with the resolution. Neither Scott nor Reilly end up as sympathetic characters. I found myself not particularly rooting for either one to win the job. And that’s sort of a problem, seeing how the entire movie is two struggling against each other to win the promotion. And the ending, well, I didn’t find it satisfying in the least.

So I’d say The Promotion is generally amusing, and it shouldn’t be avoided, but I don’t think it is worth actively seeking out.

Trailer after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

I know we’re supposed to hate Uwe Boll. Of course, that’s probably just going to bias me in his favor, given my general taste in movies. In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale was the first Uwe Boll joint I had the pleasure of watching. And really, I don’t see what the fuss is about. ItNotK:ADST was a perfectly decent movie. There are plenty of better movies to watch, but the film is certainly watchable.

The screenplay of In the Name of the King, by Doug Taylor (based on a story by him, Jason Rappaport and Dan Stroncak) tells a relatively standard fantasy story. In the interest of full disclosure, my two least favorite genres may be documentary and fantasy. Sue me. Jason Statham plays a farmer (named Farmer!) seeking revenge who ultimately teams up with the King’s army to defeat an evil sorcerer-villain-type and his army of bad guys.

The movie’s cast is most impressive. Jason Statham is the lead, and he’s perfect serviceable as the reserved hero who just wants to protect his family but is destined for so much more. Ron Perlman plays his gruff, talkative friend who kicks a$$. Which is just about the ideal role for him, obviously. John Rhys-Davies is a poor man’s Merlin, and I’m a fan of his, though I think he could have been more of a presence in the film. Matthew Lillard plays the King’s idiotic semi-evil nephew who wants to usurp the throne. Which, again, is pitch perfect casting. Also want to mention Brian J. White, who doesn’t have an especially meaty character, but imdb says his first role was in The MatchMaker (uncredited) and he was also in Brick, so I have to show him some love.

And then, oh man, and then Burt Reynolds as the King. Which is exactly as ridiculous as you are picturing. Finally, Ray Liotta as the evil sorcerer. In my mind, I put Ray Liotta as sort of the evil Keanu Reeves. Because Keanu Reeves isn’t actually capable of playing a real human being. He doesn’t talk like people talk, and if you ever take a second to watch, he doesn’t seem to walk like people walk. Which, don’t get me wrong, doesn’t mean I don’t like him. Because he can be great. But I’d describe Ray Liotta similarly, except that he’s flat out creepy.

The women of the movie are all quite attractive: LeeLee Sobieski as Rhys-Davies’ well-meaning daughter who gets screwed by Ray Liotta and wants to fight in the army, Claire Forlani as Farmer’s wife, and Kristanna Loken as the leader of a group of peace-loving forest-dwellers. And I’ll offer significant props to Boll and Taylor for making them all mostly-essential to the plot, generally strong characters. Possibly the most frustrating/impressive part of it all is how tastefully dressed all three remain during the entire movie.

Adam prompted me to see the movie, and he made some very good points concerning the special effects, so I’ll leave off that discussion, in the hopes he picks it up in the comments or in a post. The battle scenes were generally awesome, though they did seem a bit awkward. They didn’t feel entirely necessary, though. As if they had been shoehorned into the story, which was disappointing.

As I mentioned, the story is standard, though marginally engaging. Some of the intrigues and disparate storylines coming together could probably have been tightened up. Ultimately, I think you are likely to come out of In the Name of the King with exactly what you were expecting. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Trailer after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

It is little late and I really hope no one will make a decision whether or not to see Iron Man based on my thoughts. But on the off chance, since I just came back from a 11 pm showing (and learned walking up 14th street at 1:30 in the morning is pretty safe) thanks to free tickets Gavin won on the radio (thanks Gavin!): it is a really solid movie. I’ll think about posting more later, but Robert Downey, Jr. and Jeff Bridges are pretty fantastic, and the movie is just all-around rock solid. Great special effects, and a decent story. I do recommend it.

AND PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD STAY FOR THE END OF THE CREDITS!!!

Movie: The Bank Job

Movie: Run, Fatboy, Run

Released: 2008

Stars: Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton, Hank Azaria

With: Dylan Moran

Written By: Michael Ian Black and Simon Pegg

Reason for Watching: Gavin wanted to go see it.

I Can Name This Movie In One Note: Comedy about a schlump of a guy who decides to run a marathon to redeem himself.

You Should See This Movie Because: It is surprisingly decent.  Unexpectedly middle of the road for a Michael Ian Black script, the movie is a rather standard schlub-to-hero story with rather standard gags.  It doesn’t break any new ground, and feels sort of familiar, but it is an enjoyable experience.

Dylan Moran plays more or the same character he does in Black Books (a British show that’s uneven but quite funny at times): a constantly sloshed misanthrope.  And that’s a recipe for humor.  Or humour, as the case may be.  Harish Patel provides more comic relief as the landlord/assistant coach, he generally works.  And India de Beaufort is rather stunning as his daughter.

The main characters are likable when then should be (and similarly unlikable when they shouldn’t).  The story follows the path you’d expect it to, by and large, but for this sort of movie, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

You Shouldn’t See This Movie Because: There are funnier comedies.  With slightly more daring scripts.

Bottom Line: David Schwimmer (like I could go the whole way without mentioned he directed the film) delivers a funny movie that won’t end up as the funniest movie of the year, but very well could finish in the top ten.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but Brian and I saw a sneak preview of 21 a full month before it is being released to you plebes in the general public. And weeks before its nominal debut at SXSW. Thanks, YTIC!