Bridesmaids
I think the ads for this movie are a little misleading. This really isn't a female version of The Hangover. It's more of a raunchy comedy that just stars women. I'd say it's more like an Apatow movie about bridesmaids, only not quite as smart.
I laughed out loud many times throughout the movie. However, some of the jokes went on a little too long. Outside of the raunchy parts there are some pretty funny lines of dialog. I thought all of the women were good for the most part, but I thought Melissa McCarthy was the best of the bridesmaids.
If you like raunchy, then you'll enjoy this. This is another movie that's probably more enjoyable if you've had a few drinks before with some friends.
I'd say it's a matinée at best and see it with some friends that are willing to throw a few back with you beforehand.
No Strings Attached
I was expecting to hate this, but I actually found it enjoyable. It's a role reversal, where Natalie Portman basically plays the emotionally-detached woman that just wants sex with no commitment, and Ashton Kutcher plays the sensitive, caring man that wants to be in a relationship.
Normally, Ashton Kutcher kind of bugs me, but I didn't mind him here, even though at the beginning of the film I think he was kind of a pussy. Then again, it's still realistic cause we all know guys like this. You know, the guy that meets a girl and tries way too hard to get another date or to keep her interested. What's interesting here is that Natalie Portman's character establishes up front that she's a little messed up and she's no good in a relationship. That doesn't stop him though.
The supporting roles here felt realistic to me and not just standard caricatures that you'd normally see for the friends in a movie like this. Normally it seems that in these RomComs the friends are always way over the top. They are either super witty, super goofy, totally unlikeable or something like that. In this movie, they actually just felt like normal people that you'd expect to be friends with. It was a little refreshing to see.
I also applaud it for not falling into the plot hole trap where the whole thing could wrap up if the main characters would just communicate. A five minute, honest conversation could solve all their problems. That's not an issue here. The characters DO communicate, they just don't want the same thing.
I credit the direction of Ivan Reitman. Sometimes having a veteran comedy director really helps.
This is worth a rental.
The Greet Hornet
Originally, I thought this was going to be horrible based on the trailers, but I actually didn't mind this. It's funny in parts and the action is pretty good. They actually didn't some kind of interesting things during the fights that didn't just feel like a blatant ripoff of The Matrix.
The script isn't great though. The dialog is clunky and I felt like it was all over the place. My biggest problem with the movie was Seth Rogan. His character is just totally unlikable to me. I don't know if this was due to the script or Rogan's performance. Since Rogan was one of the co-writers of this, I'm not sure what to think. He's just kind of an ass throughout the movie.
Jay Chou is pretty awesome as Kato though. I'd like to see him turn up in some other action or martial arts flicks. I also enjoyed Christoph Waltz as the villain. For some reason I just found him funny. Cameron Diaz was completely wasted here though. It seems her role would have better suited for more of an up and coming-type actress, and someone a little younger perhaps.
This is also worth a rental unless you absolutely can't stand Seth Rogan.
Hatchet II
If you love gory slasher flicks, then this is for you. The story is as dumb as you'd expect in a slasher flick, but you don't watch slasher flicks for the story. You watch them for the kills. This is where Hatchet II delivers, as it has some of the best on-screen kills I've seen in a while. Plus, all of the effects are practical effects, instead of CG effects, so I give them credit there for going that route. I'm getting tired of all the CG blood in horror flicks. It really takes me out of the movie.
Hatchet II also gives many nods to lots of other films in the genre, even lesser known films like Rise of the Mask and Frozen (which was also directed by Adam Green). Even the main character, played by Danielle Harris has been in several of the Halloween flicks. You might remember her as the little girl from Halloween 4 and 5. Tony Todd is back reprising his role from the first Hatchet and Kane Hodder is back Victor Crowley.
I highly recommend this if you like a good ole fashioned slasher flick. Rent it!
No comments:
Post a Comment