Showing posts with label GENRE: Comedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GENRE: Comedy. Show all posts

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, 2008

Watching this film, I realized that I may have outgrown teen movies. Also the teens in movies are always doing stuff that no regular high school student would actually do. Like wandering around NYC at 4AM trying to track down a band, getting into a stranger's van to change clothes, allowing your (drunk) best friend to leave in said van with three strangers, fishing a phone and some gum out of a toilet; the list goes on.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)

Michael Cera and Kat Dennings star in this film about a never-ending night. Filled with typical Hollywood cliches, an unrealistic plot, and mediocre acting, unless you're watching this film because your parents wouldn't let you, you won't be too enthralled. I am surprised to discover that it's based on a book.


Directed by Peter Sollett.
Written by Lorene Scafaria.
Based on the novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

Melody's Stars: * *


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time
Fail=So bad it doesn't even make the rating system

Saturday, February 21, 2009

I Love You, Man, 2009

Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, and Rashida Jones ("Karen" on NBC'sThe Office) star in this "bromantic" comedy about best friends.

When Peter Klaven (Rudd) proposes to his girlfriend Zooey (Jones), he realizes that he doesn't have anyone to be his best man. After numerous failed "man-date" attempts to find his bff --including a quite memorable one with Doug (Thomas Lennon from Reno 911)--Klaven is ready to give up on friendship.

Then Sydney Fife (Segel) enters his life. Fife and Klaven are fast friends; that is until the new friendship threatens to ruin his relationship with Zooey.

I Love You, Man (2009)

I Love You, Man is a comedic rollercoster ride. While there are a number of laugh-out-loud moments it also drags at points. Not recommended for young people or those who offend because it is filled with crude humor. This is a total "bro-flick" [chick flick for men].


Directed by John Hamburg.
Written by John Hamburg and Larry Levin.


Melody's Stars: ***


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time
Fail=So bad it doesn't even make the rating system

Sunday, February 1, 2009

The Love Guru, 2008

I watched this film expecting nothing and it fully delivered. Perhaps it is because my expectations were set so low that I am allowing this film one star. This could have been a really good, funny film (and for the first 15-minutes it actually was) but instead The Love Guru is painfully typical.

The Love Guru (2008)

Mike Myers plays a Guru who wants to be as famous as Deepak Chopra. To attain his goal, he must help the manager of an ice hockey team (Jessica Alba) get her star player back on track. The movie features Justin Timberlake, John Oliver, Meagan Good, Romany Malco, Jim Gaffigan, and Stephen Colbert (Colbert plays an off-the-wall sports announcer who is fighting a drug addiction).

Guest appearances by: Deepak Chopra, Jessica Simpson, Kanye West, Val Kilmer, and others.

While there are a number of funny bits (most notably two Bollywood dance spoofs), The Love Guru runs about an hour too long, is filled with moments that make you physically cringe, lots of jokes about bodily functions, and numerous double entendres.



Melody's Stars: *


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time
Fail=So bad it doesn't even make the rating system

Friday, January 23, 2009

The Rocker, 2008

When Fish (Rainn Wilson), the drummer for up-and-coming rock band Vesuvius, is dropped from the band just as they hit it big, his life is ruined. 20 years later he gets a 2nd chance when his nephew's garage band suddenly needs a drummer for their gig at prom. Refusing to grow up, Fish convinces the young band (and their parents) to go out on the road for a tour. But when their manager books them to open for Vesuvius, the band's commitment is tested.


The Rocker (2008)


I had very high hopes for The Rocker because the cast list is filled with comedic talent: Will Arnet (George on Arrested Development) Fred Armisen (Obama on SNL), and Christina Applegate. As Fish, Rainn Wilson had too much Dwight in him (the character he plays on NBC's The Office) and not enough Rock'N'Roll. The style of deadpan humor that works so well for Dwight's character, is painfully out of place. The best part of this movie is actually Demetri Martin's cameo as a music video director.

In the same way that a comic who laughs at his own jokes isn't funny, The Rocker failed because it tried too hard.

Directed by Peter Cattaneo. Writing credits go to: Maya Forbes & Wallace Wolodarsky for the screenplay and Ryan Jaffe for the story.


Melody's Stars: 0


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time
Fail=So bad it doesn't even make the rating system

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona, 2008

After first viewing this film I would have given it '0' stars. A stereotypical Woody Allen film--complete with an unnecessary narrator--Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona is about two friends (Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson) who meet a man in Barcelona and the mixed-up love triangles that follow.

Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona (2008)

For some reason this film has stuck with me though. Mostly because it questions why and how we fall in love and the reasons people do or don't stay together. For that reason, I am giving it a few extra stars. Also, there are a number of talented actors to watch. If you have seen No Country For Old Men, this film highlights the talented Javier Bardem in a completely different role.


Melody's Stars: ***


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time
Fail=So bad it doesn't even make the rating system

Saturday, January 17, 2009

WALL-E, 2008

WALL-E is a robot love story with a message. When humans trash the earth so badly that there is no room left for living plants, they move to another planet where they grow fat and lazy while machines do everything for them.

I can't decided if this movie was hyped-up so much that it could never live up to my expectations, or if, perhaps, it really is only so-so.

WALL-E (2008)

Cast includes the voices of Fred Willard, Kathy Najimy, and Sigourney Weaver.
Directed by Andrew Stanton.


Melody's Stars: ***


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time
Fail=So bad it doesn't even make the rating system

Sunday, January 11, 2009

The Accidental Husband, 2008

This movie made me cringe it was so predictably bad. If for some reason you plan to watch it you might want to stop reading because I'm about to "spoil" the plot.

The Accidental Husband (2008)


Uma Thurman plays Love Doctor Emma Lloyd who gives advice on a radio show. When she suggests that a female caller postpone her wedding, the jilted husband-to-be, fireman Patrick Sullivan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), seeks revenge. His downstairs neighbor, a young Indian boy who likes to hack computer systems, has just the solution; he marries Emma and Patrick.

When Emma goes with hubby-to-be Richard Bratton (Colin Firth) to apply for her marriage license she discovers that she is already wed. Emma goes to find her "computer-glitch" husband and annul the marriage. She finds him in a local bar where he gets her drunk and brings her to his apartment. The next morning, Emma rushes off to work where her Dad shows up with her Mom's wedding dress. Then both Richard and Patrick call her and she tries to juggle the calls. Then Patrick shows up with the annulment papers. For some reason she allows him to join her at the wedding cake tasting. The cake tasting scene is slightly funny. Emma and Pat pretend that they are actually engaged when a woman starts asking them questions.

Later that night Emma has a book-signing. The woman from the cake-tasting is there and it turns out that she is the wife of a Big Cheese who is about to liquidate Richard's company. But because she liked "Richard" at the cake tasting, she makes her husband meet him. Since "Richard" is actually Patrick, Emma has to think quick and tells everyone that the real Richard is her little brother. With some pressure from Emma, both Richard and Patrick agree to play along.

Emma,"Richard", the woman, and her Big Cheese husband all go off to an "Indian bar mitzvah." (Don't ask.) Emma and Patrick start to have fun and almost kiss, which freaks Emma out so she calls her Daddy and goes home. At last she can relax while Dad makes pancakes for breakfast. Well, until a teenage girl joins them in the kitchen. Emma thinks this is her Dad's new girlfriend and she storms out. (Later she learns it's the girlfriend's daughter and they all makeup).

Emma runs back to Richard who is happy because the Big Cheese had fun at the Indian party and has saved his job.

But Patrick still has the annulment papers. And when he goes to return them at her work, he and Emma have a hot make-out session in the elevator. So now Emma's confused again. She continues to give out her radio advice, but now she doesn't really believe what she is telling her callers. She goes to Patrick's apartment and sleeps with him.
The next morning, Emma discovers the truth about how Patrick met her when she looks in his trashcan. Super mad, Emma confronts him in the shower and runs out the door. He follows to explain. They just happen to stop in front of the store where Patrick's ex-fiancee works. He asks Emma "Do you know that woman?" Then he explains and tells her that he wanted her to know how it felt, to bring her down a peg. Emma runs off and then we see the requisite montage.

Emma decides to marry Richard. But the night before, while on-the-air, Patrick calls to tell her that he loves her. So Emma sits in the church knowing she can't marry Richard. Richard arrives and shows her that he never filed the annulment papers. "I know when I've lost" he explains. Emma then sets off the fire alarm and requests Patrick's Fire House to come to put it out.

The movie finally ends with Emma (in wedding dress) and Patrick driving off in the firetruck.

Filled with stereotypes, terrible lines and a totally predictable plot, this is one of the worst romantic comedies that I have ever seen.



Melody's Stars: Fail!


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time
Fail=So bad it doesn't even make the rating system

Saturday, January 10, 2009

The Promotion, 2008

Doug Stauber (Seann William Scott) is a "shoe-in" for promotion to Manager with the supermarket chain he works at until Richard Wehlner (John C. Reily) arrives in town from Canada. The two men compete for the same job in this bittersweet "comedy."

The Promotion (2008)


Given the number of talented comedic actors in it, this film it should have been really funny but I don't think that I laughed once while watching it. Seann William Scott may be hilarious as the character Stifler, but otherwise he lacks comedic timing.

That said, any blame for the lack of humor really has to be placed on Writer/Director Steve Conrad. There are numerous scenes that have outrageous comedic potential but Conrad wrote and/or directed them too straight. For example, there is a scene at the company retreat where Jason Bateman plays a team-building coach. This scene has potential for over-the-top comedy but instead you watch it feeling slightly sad for John C. Reily's character.

The Promotion also features Jenna Fischer and Fred Armisen. Neither of these actors were really even given a chance to do anything in this film.


Melody's Stars: *


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time
Fail=So bad it doesn't even make the rating system

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Son of Rambow, 2007

Set in England in the early 1980s, a young boy from a religious family becomes friends with a trouble-maker who owns a video camera. The unlikely friends pair up to make a movie together. Complications arise when a popular French exchange student wants to join in.

Son of Rambow (2007)

Staring Bill Milner, Will Poulter and Jules Sitruk. Directed by Garth Jennings. Bittersweet, funny coming-of-age story.

Melody's Stars: ***


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time
Fail=So bad it doesn't even make the rating system

Step Brothers, 2008

For the most part, I like Will Ferrell. Some people don't. But he usually can make me laugh. And teamed up with John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins (The Visitor, 2008), and Mary Steenburgen this movie starts off with a comic bang. If you're in the mood to play along with the premise that two 40-year-old men still live at home and behave like 13-year-old boys, this movie is quite fun.


Step Brothers (2008)

Unfortunately towards the end, Step Brothers gets all Hollywood sappy and that kind of ruins things. But there are quite a few laugh-out-loud moments in here (and not just the ones shown in the trailer).


Melody's Stars: ***


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time
Fail=So bad it doesn't even make the rating system

The House Bunny, 2008

From the preview I had hopes that it could be ones of those really bad but secretly funny guilty pleasure movies.



The House Bunny (2008)


But no, this movie was so bad that I had to create a new rating for it: FAIL.


Melody's Stars: fail!


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time
Fail=So bad it doesn't even make the rating system

The Baxter, 2005

One of my all-time favorite movies, I stumbled upon The Baxter in the video store one day.


The Baxter (2005)


Written, directed, and starring Michael Showalter, this is a very funny, cute, romantic comedy about what happens after the "nice guy" is left at the alter for the "hot leading man." Also stars Michelle Williams, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Rudd and Michael Ian Black. Kudos to Peter Dinklage who plays an uptight wedding planner.



Melody's Stars: *****


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The Women, 2008

This movie:

The Women (2008)


is a remake of this movie:

The Women (1939)


Hopefully the original was better, because this movie really didn't need to be any longer than the preview.


Melody's Stars: 0


Rating System:
*****=Worth Buying
****=Worth Seeing in Theaters
***=Worth Renting
**=Worth Watching on TV
*=Worth Watching if also cleaning house or doing paperwork
0=Total waste of time