Whoa! I had a super busy weekend as it turned out, but now I'm going to try and play catch-up. I got re-certified in CPR, watched live hockey, split a huge beer with a couple of friends, played music with my band and saw Swedish pop-star Robyn. All of these things were great, especially the latter.
As a result, these will be shorter reviews, but that's ok.
I wanted beforehand to quickly address the hardships of a ranking system.
Every time I put a year-end list together, whether it be for music or films, I find myself wanting to make adjustments as soon as it gets done. Sometimes my rationale for a particular ranking will change; with music it's sometimes the fault of either playing a CD too much or else discovering a song or batch of songs too late. If I could do it again, I would definitely make a couple of alterations to 2010's music list.
Another problem is that people tend to drop some serious knowledge on your ass and make some pretty decent points when they don't agree. Take for example mulhernmovie loyalist Al, who had this to say:
"Ondine at #38? You are really dumb, fo real. That movie was awesome. There is no way that Ben 'my sh*t don't stink' Stiller movie was better. What's next? You trying to convince anyone that Black Swan is worth watching? Crazy-ass mo-fo..."
And you know what? He's probably right, which brings me to my final point: Oftentimes the feelings I have for the movies I watch do end up directly affected by the situation and/or the time of day. When I saw Ondine I was super tired, so the fact that the movie had kind of a sleepy and quiet feel made me nod off even further. I watched Greenberg in the exact same spot--my couch--but I was more alert at the time so I took it in a more engaged fashion. Because of movie theaters being less comfortable than home and having less distractions, the movies I saw in the theaters almost certainly had a distinct advantage. Unlike Matt Damon's Green Zone, in which I fell asleep 15 minutes in and consistently woke up to sounds of gunfire and shouts of "Go! Go! Come on, let's move! Go!" I thought for sure my basement was under siege by some sort of terrorist faction.
So apologies Al, I owe Ondine another viewing, but if you think I'm not going to recommend Black Swan, you are the one who is "really dumb, fo real."
Onto the countdown:
#33 Hot Tub Time Machine
Just about exactly what you'd expect--no more, no less. Low-brow and at times slapstick comedy about four friends being shot back in time to 1980s ski-bum Colorado territory via magical hot tub. They all are in a middle-age rut, wanting to change the future by altering the past (a new twist on not necessarily new film territory). John Cusack tries to test the fates by trying to re-ignite an old love; The Office's Craig Robinson jumpstarts a music career; Rob Coddry plots revenge on a former bully; Michael Cera pal Clark Duke just tries to make sense of the whole thing and oh yeah--not erase his conception. Laugh-out loud funny at times with good performances by all, but certainly not uncharted waters.
#32 The Other Guys
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg star as two cops relegated to the office after a couple misunderstandings. When the balls-to-the-wall and revered duo of Sam Jackson and Duane "The Rock" Johnson die leaping from a building, the precinct is looking for new blood to step up. Ron Riggle and Damon Wayans, Jr. (there's a Damon Wayans Jr. ??!?) are their competition who will stop at nothing to humiliate them, including daring Ferrell to do an "office pop", ie, shooting his gun off in the office, and picking a hysterical silent fight during Jackson and Johnson's funeral. Eva Mendes is Ferrell's astonishingly hot wife and Steve Coogan is his usual relaible self as the white-collar criminal they aim to expose. Pretty funny throughout--better than Semi-Pro and Ricky Bobby but eons short of Anchorman and Step Brothers as far as Ferrell vehicles are concerned.
#31 MacGruber
The SNL skit-turned-movie isn't always a succesful venture, is it? For every seminal Wayne's World, there's another Night at the Roxbury around the corner--yes, an entire movie about the guys who ram their crotches into women to Haddaway's "What is Love". I wasn't sure how the ridiculousness of MacGruber would translate to the silver screen; there's only so many times Will Forte' can blow up mid-sentence. For the most part, it actually worked for me. I was surprised at the amount of cursing and over-the-top violence that they couldn't pull off on SNL used here. Will Forte', along with Bill Hader, are two of the best tv-to-movie exports the show has produced in recent history. Ryan Phillipe and Kristen Wiig are good sidekicks, but it's Forte's show as he gets people accidentally blown apart, curses out military men and montages his way towards an encounter with nuke-wielding villain Dieter (Val Kilmer). Crude and fun.
# 30 She's Out of My League
Oddly enough, this one was ALSO written by the duo responsible for the aformentioned time-warping jacuzzi. In yet another re-hashing of schlubby guy pulls off amazing girl, Judd Apatow (the king of schlubby guy pulls off amazing girl) alum Jay Baruchel stars as Kirk, an airport worker whose ex-girlfriend Marnie happens to live at his house with his parents. Not ideal. In a "out of all the gin-joints in the world" moment, Molly (Alice Eve) walks through his security line and forgets her phone. She calls it, he picks up, they meet, inevitable fireworks begin. T.J. Miller is outstanding as Kirk's co-worker and best friend Stainer, who tells Kirk over and over again that there's no way in hell it'll happen--"She's a hard 10 and you're only a 5." So Kirk tries to hold onto the impossible while all the while dodging his crazy ex. Funny stuff.
#29 Morning Glory
Rachel McAdams is a rising journalist with horrible bangs who takes a job producing a morning show that is ranked a distant last among the major networks. It's the same stale bullsh*t each morning anchored by Diane Keaton and Modern Family's Ty Burrell (who I think is fantastic on TV but less appealing here). She cans Burrell and goes after journalistic idol emmy-winning Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford). He is cranky, stubborn, and war-worn, but he eventually agrees to it, sold by McAdams to "bring integrity back to the morning news". He of course despises Diane Keaton, and hilariously chastises her at every possible chance. Soon the show's makeover begins to catch popularity despite the mayhem behind the scenes. She does everything she can to keep things together. Ford is at the top of his game and his scenes with McAdams work as his tough persona ever so slightly softens and they become a team--albeit a dysfunctional one.
...Til next time...
No comments:
Post a Comment