Captain America isn’t the best action flick of the season, and it surely wasn’t the most recognizable Marvel title this summer, but this introduction of our newest Avenger is really striking a chord with those writing the reviews.
Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) is Steve Rodgers in the 1940s tale of how a scrawny Brooklyn boy became the nation’s superhero, Captain America. While the country fought against the reign of Hitler in World War II, Captain America fought against the mad man Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), also known as Red Skull, and his scientific terrorist organization HYDRA.
Stop right there.
That summary paragraph tells us exactly why critics love this movie.
1. Nostalgia is the name of the game.
Critics love a good period piece. Take us back to the 1940s and you’ve got a solid basis for a good movie. Just look at Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and The Aviator – all movies critically acclaimed (though not as pulpy in story) primarily for their aesthetic creativity and depiction of the world according to the early 20th century.
2. America Wins!
Needless to say, this country thrives on the “We’re number one!” chant. Any movie that gives us a sense of pride, especially in a familiar realm like history and World War II, especially at a time when the country is fighting in wars and needs to see a winning military… yea, that movie will sit well with most critics. Other examples, Inglorious Basterds, and Valkyrie (though Tom Cruise plays a German, he’s still OUR Tom Cruise). Furthermore, this is a “little engine that could” story. You root for Steve Rogers not only because he is American, but because he is an American that is smart and courageous first, and later handsome and brawny. Talk about bootstraps.
3. Sitting on Grandpa’s lap.
Quite frankly, very few critics are as young as I am. This movie resonates with several of the older critics (and younger ones too) because they were either alive for World War II, or their parents were and might have fought or told them stories. It all comes back to nostalgia. Captain America is a movie that reminds us of that story Grandpa told before bedtime. Think Pearl Harbor, or Cinderella Man. Real events always strike a chord.
4. Marvelous Magic.
Lest we not forget, this is based on a comic book. Sure, there might be names of people that we recognize in Captain America (or really just one, Hitler), but the best thing about most comic books is their ability to create an alternate universe within the one we live in. So, while the war is going on, there’s this secret scientific invention that poses a threat to the ENTIRE WORLD (comic books are always about the world, never just about a city or neighborhood). Honestly, comic books are impressive. Not only must they keep up with the true events of the world, but they must create an alternate one that fits into the real one chronologically.
For most people, the end of the Harry Potter movie franchise will be a passing thought. But for some – those of us who have donned capes and lightning bolted foreheads to midnight premieres and book releases, who have gone hours without eating just to finish a Rowling book, and those of us who could easily teach a Defense Against The Dark Arts class – saying goodbye to this franchise is like sending an only child off to college. It hurts.
A bit dramatic? Maybe.
This dates me, but I’ve barely known popular culture without the wizarding world of Harry Potter. My first introduction to J.K. Rowling was in a public library in 1998, a year after the Sorcerer’s Stone (I knew it as The Philosopher’s Stone) was published. After reading the first book and enjoying it, I didn’t hear much about this brand new author and her characters again until the Sorcerer’s Stone film warranted a middle school field trip for my English class. That was all it took.
I’ve grown up with the young cast of the Harry Potter franchise (literally, Daniel Radcliffe and I are 3 days apart), and it’s been a delight to watch them grow and mature as actors. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and interview them in person, but nothing compares to the experience and the excitement of buying the latest Rowling book or seeing the latest Potter movie. That’s what I’ll cherish the most. Though I’ve always preferred books to their movies, here was a movie franchise that never strayed too far from accuracy. Led by amazing writer Steve Kloves, producer David Heyman and a foursome of great directors – Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell and David Yates, the Harry Potter Hollywood empire was the gift that kept on giving.
So, here we are, on the eve of the last Harry Potter movie release. I won’t say anything about the movie… this post is a reflection of the past 10 years. Because I can’t do a slow-motion movie montage set to the music of Vitamin C’s Graduation Song, I present to you true Harry Potter fans a compilation of some of my favorite moments from the past 7 movies.
The Magic Moments.
Simply Ron.
photo credit: latimesherocomplex.wordpress.com
”Checkmate.”
It takes a real man to navigate a giant chess board with such skill, such conviction, such manpower… eleven year-old Ron Weasley was that man in The Sorcerer’s Stone. In a game where you were as good as dead if you lost, Ron sacrificed himself so Harry could checkmate the White King. If this scene wasn’t the best part of that entire movie, I don’t know what was.
photo credit: mugglespace.webs.com
Ron always has his movie moments though. From the Howler letter, to the immense fear of spiders, to “Eat Slugs!” and “Weasley Is Our King,” to being under the spell of Romilda Vane, his love story with Lavender (who calls him “Won-Won”), and that cheesy confession about Hermione’s voice leading him back in Deathly Hallows. Perhaps he isn’t the main man, but Ron is the best wizard wing-man of all time. Just imagine how hard it must be to associate with Harry Potter.
Harry, the Ladies Man.
photo credit: famouspeoplepic.blogspot.com
I always found it adorable when Harry’s teen angsty love life was on display. Sure, he only really dealt with two girls (three, if you count taking Parvati to the Yule Ball), but how cute was he? That awkward door-dance with Cho in Goblet of Fire, the way he quickly blurts out “Ijustwonderedifmaybeyouwantogototheballwithme?” Ahh, love. I’ll admit I didn’t like Cho Chang much at all. The actress who plays her was okay, but the character… ugh. What an airhead. Thankfully, Harry ends up with the ginger we all know and love.
Hermione’s Awesomeness.
photo credit: availableimages.com
The last 30 minutes or so of Prisoner of Azkaban is like an ode to Hermione’s awesomeness. After Ron and Harry keep noticing that she had been appearing out of nowhere in several of her classes, Hermione is forced to reveal that she had been given a time-turner, and the trio use it to save both Sirius and Buckbeak. Emma Watson takes the lead for these last few scenes, and it’s the first time that we see Hermione as a major character on screen, instead of just being a wing-woman to the boys.
Also, this happens.
(Cue: Smokey from Friday, ”You got knocked the f*** out, man!”)
Harry vs. Draco
photo credit: wikia.com
Remember the moment they first met in the Sorcerer’s Stone? Draco Malfoy must have been the cutest little villain of all time. But it was okay to love him because he was never really the villain of the movie, was he? In any case, the most intense Harry vs. Draco moment had to have been in The Half-Blood Prince, where Harry uses the “Sectumsempra” spell at the end of their fight. The immediate remorse he has after using the deadly spell, compared with the anger and utter loathing he had just moments before – that scene is the truest explanation of their relationship.
And The ‘Best Teacher’ Award Goes To…
photo credit: stellarpath.net
Professor Trelawney. I know you’ll probably disagree on this, but I absolutely loved professor Sybil Trelawney and her false sense of clairvoyance. Sure, she was a nut case, but she was an earnest one. I also love her character partially because I think Emma Thompson can do no wrong.
Second place goes to Firenze… because he is, like, the hottest centaur in the universe.
The Knight Bus.
photo credit: polwig.com
Wizards got around, man. There was Hagrid’s too-tiny motorcycle, the coveted Nimbus 2000 and other broomsticks, the Weasley’s flying blue car, and good old-fashioned floo powder or portkeys. No mode of transportation was cooler than The Knight Bus. The quick scene in Prisoner of Azkaban was an embellished nuance by director Alfonso Cuaron, but the characters in that scene were some of the most memorable. Stan Shunpike, aloof Ernie, the talking shrunken head… come on, who wouldn’t want to take a ride on that triple decker. *Jamaican accent* “Take it away, Ernie!”
Tear Jerker.
photo credit: images.wikia.com
I didn’t cry when Dumbledore died. I did, however, sob uncontrollably when Cedric Diggory died. It wasn’t because I cared much for Robert Pattinson or Cedric Diggory, but how could you not feel something when his dad, Amos Diggory started howling “my boy!” Harry was crying, Hermione and Fleur were crying, Cho was crying (but who cares)… it was emotional man.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
photo credit: images.wikia.com
There were quite a few nuances throughout the movies that really stood out as directors’ efforts to capture the world of Harry Potter. Little things, maybe irrelevant to the overall plot, but still things that made us realize that their world isn’t like ours. Take, for example, the telephone box that transported Harry and Mr. Weasley to the Ministry of Magic in Order of the Phoenix. Later, toilets did the same for Harry, Ron and Hermione in Deathly Hallows Part 1. Even in the beginning of the franchise – the way the young wizards and witches got through to Platform 9 3/4 (and the fact that it was even named that) was so cool. And Butterbeer – even if you don’t know what it tastes like, you know what it tastes like. What about the way that Dobby drops a cake on the visiting Masons in Chamber of Secrets, or when Harry blows up Aunt Marge in Prisoner of Azkaban. It never ends: The Monster Book of Monsters, the golden Snitch, the Cornish Pixies, the ugly little Mandrakes, the yawning headmasters, Rita Skeeter’s self-writing notepad and Umbridge’s skin-writing spell. The moving staircases, the singing Fat Lady, Peeves the Ghost, Moaning Myrtle, Kreacher the other House Elf…
It was the little things that brought this story alive,
Here on TGOTV, we celebrate Will Smith Day on the 4th of July, for obvious reasons. Roland Emmerich’s alien action flick goes down in box office gold history, and Smith’s performance marked the beginning of a beautiful friendship between him and the action adventure genre. Though Sir Willard had done Bad Boys a year before, the Fresh Prince proved he could roll with the big boys in Independence Day. This Fourth of July favorite is playing on HBO today, but you can always head over to Netflix and start a Will Smith action queue.
Nod Ya Head.
BAD BOYS and BAD BOYS 2 (1995/2003)
photo credit: spectrumculture.com
My absolute favorite Will Smith role and movie(s). The sexy Mike Lowery, hilarious Marcus Bennett (Martin Lawrence), and in the sequel a fiesty Gabrielle Union joins them in kicking ass and taking names. Not to mention, the Bad Boys 2 soundtrack is solid.
MEN IN BLACK I, II, III (1997/2002/2012)
photo credit: collider.com
The Black Suits’ comin’. Not only is it a successful movie franchise, the song “Men in Black” has found its place on cheesy wedding and Bar Mitzvah playlists across the world. The dance moves are just so catching.
I, ROBOT (2004)
photo credit: canadianchristianity.com
My second favorite Will Smith action flick. Futuristic Will Smith is dark and brooding, as a cop who doesn’t trust the technology humans have become dependent on.
WILD WILD WEST (1999)
photo credit: popstar.com
The movie is so-so, and definitely not his best box office performance, but… Sisqo, anyone?
I AM LEGEND (2007)
photo credit: tublogdecine.com
Some have called it the best action thriller of 2007, and others completely thrashed Ben Lyons for saying that. Whatever, I thought it was pretty good for a one man Will Smith show.
Hancock (2008)
photo credit: onemansblog.com
Will Smith is the rude superhero reject Hancock. A good movie? Not particularly. A good Will-Smith-in-a-tight-suit movie? Definitely.
You know, one where you find yourself waking up on a couch in an apartment you don’t recognize, or in Facebook pictures you don’t remember taking, with people you’ve surely never met?
Yea, me neither.
But if I were to have one of those nights, I would want the whole situation to be directed by Todd Phillips, written by John Hughes, and produced by the Coen Brothers. Somehow, I’d be hanging out with both Mike Tyson and Paul Giamatti, and we’d end up playing drunk poker with a bunch of Hells Angels in a dodgy East Village speakeasy.
A girl can dream.
Anyway, there are a bunch of movies who have taken the “It happened one [drunken] night…” concept and ran with it, and there are others that are obviously about binge drinking and partying. I prefer a well-done drunken scene. Whether it’s an overall concept or not, just one drunk scene can catapult a comedy from box office winner to cult classic. Here are some of my personal favorite drunken movies and scenes:
***Note: these are my choices, feel free to comment with yours. These are all comedies – so Nicholas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas doesn’t make the cut. And no, I will not include Beerfest on this list.
RAISE YOUR GLASS.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
The Hangover (2009) – Well, duh. Let’s get to the obvious right off the bat. As the title implies, the best thing about Todd Phillip’s misadventure masterpiece is that you don’t see the drunken night. Putting together the pieces of a night you can’t remember has never been so funny. I, too, wonder… “what do tigers dream of when they take a little tiger snooze?”
RUNNER UP: Knocked Up (2007)
photo credit: collegecandy.wordpress.com
Sixteen Candles (1984) - Three words: Long Duk Dong. Come on, that morning after scene where he says to Grandpa, “no more yankie my wankie, the Donger need food!” Wrongfully stereotypical? Yes. Rightfully hilarious? Heck yes.
photo credit: roopevintage.com
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) - Here’s a classy favorite. Two couples get together for dinner and drinks. Sounds easy enough, but when the liquid courage gets going, the truth starts flowing!
RUNNER UP: Swingers (1996)
photo credit: poptheology.com
The Big Lebowski (1998)- Jeff Bridges will forever be The Dude. Beard, bathrobe, and White Russian in hand. The key to cementing an unforgettable drunken movie moment is to have a memorable character and memorable lines. Also, this movie puts some of the best Coen Bros. writing on display.
RUNNER UP: Jackie Chan in Drunken Master (1978)
photo credit: santabarbarawinetours.org
Sideways (2004) - Another classy one. For all us winos, Sideways is a much appreciated boozer. Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church are two men confronting their mid-life crises with a road trip to Wine Country. Their experiences are a much needed reminder that sometimes, you just gotta “drink the fucking Merlot.”
photo credit: engadget.com
Weird Science (1985)- Best scene of the movie, Gary, Wyatt and Lisa walk into a bar. After a a few drinks, Gary’s wearing a fedora, smoking a cigar, and tellin’ it like it is. Anthony Michael Hall is unforgettable.
RUNNER UP: Arthur (1981)
photo credit: omahype.com
National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) – There’s way too much here. Wayyy too much. From deciding what to do with a drunken under-aged girl sprawled on your bed, to a bunch of white guys ending up at the blackest bar in town, to the iconic John Belushi character Bluto… director John Landis created an often imitated monster with this one.
photo credit: fanpop.com
Old School (2003) - Will Ferrell is Frank the Tank, my second favorite character of his movie career (Ron Burgundy being the first). You know what they say, you can take the frat boy out of college, but you can’t take the college out of the middle-aged married man. Yea, something like that.
RUNNER UP: Dazed and Confused (1998)
photo credit: imisstheoldschool.com
The Best Man (1999) - Things fall apart at the worst possible time: the drunken bachelor party. Taye Diggs and Morris Chestnut star in the climactic scene where Chestnut’s character Lance finally learns of the secret his best man had been keeping for years. And then he kicks his ass.
photo credit: film.com
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)- And the award for best drunk chick in movie history goes to: Caroline. So gross.
Men In Black - Worm Guys, photo credit: timeinc.net
A few days ago I came home and found a House Centipede (I caution you not to google it) in my kitchen. Let’s call him Rodney. Unfortunately, Rodney’s life was cut short by Raid poisoning – my weapon of choice – but his family must not have been happy because just two days later, I found his cousin Paco waiting for me in the kitchen. If you’ve ever seen a house centipede you know how disgusting they are, and seeing them got me thinking of the several movie bugs that have made my skin crawl.
The most disgusting movie bugs are not your average cockroach. They are almost always bigger, faster and deadlier than their human counterparts anticipate, and tend to spew some odd colored mucous-y stuff from their various mouths. Sometimes movie monsters are aliens, other times they’re hellish beasts or science experiments gone wrong. Either they are smarter than us and want to control the human race, or so animalistic that we are nothing but food. Sometimes they resemble a bug we’ve seen, other times we’re so glad nothing on Earth resemble them. Consider the following, some of my favorite creepy crawly buggy monster things.
ARACHNIDS.
photo credit: availableimages.com
Arachnophobia (1990). Ok, so some rare South American spider hitches a ride to the US and breeds uncontrollably, and it’s up to Jeff Daniels and John Goodman to stop them. This movie makes the list because all it takes is more than one spider to be a scary situation. Just think, spiders coming out of the shower, out of the faucets, out of every crack and crevice, and their bites are deadly. Doesn’t take much does it.
Eight Legged Freaks (2002). It’s kind of what would happen if you took Aragog out of Harry Potter and made a movie about him and his family. David Arquette takes on thousands of poisonous spiders who grow large when exposed to a noxious gas.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) – one word: Shelob. Feeding on all living things, pet of Sauron, spider of the shadows.
Legion (2009) – I know, the Ice Cream Man isn’t really a spider, but he could have been! The elongated limbs on this demon were totally spider-ish. If you saw that thing coming down the street in a “Mr. Softee” truck, you would run too.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). Laugh if you want, but Aragog is no joke. Sure, he might have been Hagrid’s friend, but you remember what happened the second Hagrid left – trust no spider. The only things worse than thousands of tiny spiders, are thousands of giant spiders. I’ll admit though, I did take a moment of silence at the spider’s funeral.
ALIEN BUG THINGS.
photo credit: dailyskew.com
Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) - Ridley Scott was just getting going with this movie. Sigourney Weaver and a team of mining humans land on a planet inhabited by aliens of the most gruesome kind. Blood, guts and mucous galore. Then, James Cameron kicks it up a notch with the sequel. If a Zombieland type virus let loose on the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park, the result would be the aliens in Aliens.
Alien vs. Predator (2004) – I love Sanaa Lathan, but in this movie – I loved the Predators even more (is it just me, or do they kind of look like they have dreads?) The detail in both the aliens and the predators are so intricate and so bug-like that despite rooting for them, there’s still a huge EWW factor.
District 9 (2009) - They were like giant walking cockroaches. Christopher was an alien, but he and his friends were kind of the protagonists in this sci-fi/horror mix. You wanted to help them, but man they were gross to look at.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) – The Rancor. There is nothing gentle about this giant. Lurking under the command of Jabba the Hutt, razor sharp teeth for ripping apart, claws at the end of long forelimbs, slobbering… yea, no thanks.
Super 8 (2011) - Some may not have have seen this yet, but —- SPOILER —- there is an alien monster. And ET he is not.
WTF IS THAT.
photo credit: images.wikia.com
The Thing (1982) – A shape shifting alien that takes the form of humans. In the process you get to see what the thing really looks like, and the only natural reaction is the headline of this category.
Cloverfield (2008) - A monster attacks New York City, and the few people who’ve seen it try to describe what exactly they’re dealing with to a video camera. If it were me on tape, the words “angry mole rat lizard thing” would have been what the Department of Defense wrote down.
Clash of the Titans (1981) – Now this might come as a surprise, but I think the original Medusa is way scary. Her face is actually worse than the snakes coming out of her head. Gotta chalk it up to the original. In 2010′s remake Medusa is laughable.
Slither (2006) - Everything in this movie is just gross. Slug-like aliens that crawl into humans and make them, in turn, slug-like. It’s a comedy, but there’s nothing funny about disgusting, slimy, slug things. (Can you tell, I hate things with no legs)
ICING ON THE CAKE.
The Human Centipede (2010) – Bringing it back to Rodney and Paco, this Dutch horror film is the mother of all things WTF. Basically, an evil scientist kidnaps three tourists and mutilates their bodies, joining them in centipede-like fashion. Trust me, you don’t want to know the details, or see the pictures.
So, Bad Teacher opens this weekend. The verdict is still out on whether it’s any good, but I’m looking at the larger picture here: Cameron Diaz is doing comedy again.
Diaz is definitely a hit or miss actress. Some love her, some hate her, but for me it depends on the movie. There are instances, as in There’s Something About Mary, where she isn’t the main focus and doesn’t add much more than being a pretty face. There are others, as inVanilla Sky, where she is understated just enough to do an amazing job and get a lot of recognition for it. But Bad Teacher is Cameron Diaz yet again venturing into that swampy genre that is comedy.
It’s extremely hard for actors to be successful in several genres, and many do it anyway just because their stars have risen high enough to give them the access. Diaz is an actress that I think can pull off the comedy when care is taken, and here are a few instances where she’s done it successfully.
The Sweetest Thing.
photo credit: filmcritic.com
So it’s slightly unfair – put any gal next to Christina Applegate and she’s bound to fall short. That much we know. But Cameron holds her own in this role, one that put her in places that only comediennes like Kristen Wiig and Tina Fey usually go: in the toilet. Potty humor, for better or for worse, she is good at.
What Happens In Vegas.
photo credit: prettyboring.com
Put anyone next to Ashton Kutcher, and they are bound to look better. I don’t know why I like this movie, but I’ll watch it anytime it’s on. I like how Cameron isn’t afraid to be athletic, manly even. Any actress that will run through the streets using Tom & Jerry-like antics against her costar, is okay with me.
In Her Shoes.
photo credit: smh.com
For a good chunk of this film, Cameron is lazy and drunk. It’s a drama of sorts, where Toni Colette does her Toni Colette thing (frantic, depressed, sex deprived) while Cameron plays the sister she picks up after. The charming thing about Cameron in this role is that she’s a really good sloppy drunk (which we also see in What Happens in Vegas).
There’s something about Cameron…
Sometimes in her movies she’ll have a funny moment (as in The Holiday, Charlie’s Angels, Shrek even…), but I’d like to see less of Cameron on Tom Cruise’s arm, and more of Cameron face planting…
I love a good action-adventure film as much as the next nerd. They make the best trailers, they make comic books look cooler than they actually are, and they are the perfect compromise for date night. Action movies make everyone happy. What I don’t love, is a poorly executed action flick. If there’s no story, no method to the madness, or no feeling of wanting to hop in a Batmobile upon exiting the theater… I’m not a happy camper.
Does anyone else feel the action excitement dwindling? The movies we’ve seen so far have not lived up to their hype, so now we’re expecting the majority of the summer blockbusters to be duds. Out of the ones we already have- Thor, X-Men: First Class, Super 8 and Green Lantern- only X-Men: First Class and Super 8 have been well executed. Admittedly, one could tell from the trailers which two would be worth watching.
We’re supposed to be looking forward to several fast-paced flicks topping the box office, including Michael Bay’s baby Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the final installation Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger and the ominous Cowboys & Aliens. I’m expecting another 50% satisfaction rating.
The Beautiful Letdown: Comic Book/Marvel Movies.
Ok, so Green Lantern is a DC Comic, but the general category of discussion here is Super Hero Movies. Let’s talk about this for a second. Yesterday I had a chat with my best friend who works for Warner Bros., the studio behind Green Lantern. Generally I like Warner Bros. film decisions more than others in the big six, but the fact that Green Lantern is topping the box office this week does not make up for the fact that it was an epic fail. We agreed on this.
Doesn’t matter what the comic is, the message is in the making. There are a few things you just can’t get away with when it comes to action/adventure, and more specifically Comic translations.
For one thing: You absolutely need your director to know the material. Putting a director like Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, The Mask of Zorro) on this film seemed like a good idea – he’s an action movie genius. But Mr. Campbell even said he isn’t well-versed in making comic book movies. This was new territory for him, and it showed. A big name only goes so far.
Speaking of big names – Ryan Reynolds. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ryan as much as he loves himself, but Green Lantern he is not. He isn’t even Deadpool. Give me a guy like Sam Worthington, Chris Evans, Michael Fassbender, and I’ll give you a convincing superhero or villain. They need to be the strong, silent type… Ryan is a comedian.
And most importantly, the story needs to be cohesive. If we can tell that there are four or more writers on a film, then Warner Bros., you know it’s crap. Just like with the director, find a good writer or group of writers that know the material well and stick with one direction.
X-Men: First Class had all of these elements on point…just saying. But there’s still hope. I’m still looking forward to several of the releases this summer. Especially this one:
July of 2009, TGOTV started out of a need to express my love for all things film (and television, originally) in a way that didn’t annoy my friends. What started as a platform for rants and opinions quickly evolved into an outlet for fine-tuned reviews, best movie lists and features, a catalogue for reference, and my personal favorite part – a place for readers to send in their own reviews and comments.
It has been loads of fun.
Now, going into July of 2011, TGOTV needs little bit of restructuring. It’s time to eat the mushroom, and grow. You might have noticed I’ve been on hiatus these past 2 months, as other parts of my life have taken precedence. I took a little time to think about what I’m returning to and I’ve decided to make some changes. This is exciting, trust me.
The Skinny:
So, two years later, I’m kicking the review habit (though not in its entirety).
1. Instead of a summary, opinion and rating system, I’ll be focusing on commentary. Think of it as a supplement to your movie going experience instead of a reflection on mine. I’ll tell you what I thought of the movie, sure, but I’ll spend more time telling you why.
2. The TGOTV Features will become the norm. I’ve noticed that you all are mildly obsessed with my lists. Top 20 Teen Flicks of the 90s-2000s, 35 Best Films of the Decade, 15 Best Holiday Films… those are the most popular posts, so I’ll do them more often.
3. Readers’ reviews will be more frequent. I’ll let you slap a number on them, so I don’t have to.
4. Anecdotes, insight, sweepstakes, casting news, Netflix suggestions, actor du jour, trailer links, movie guides, twitter round ups….
So here we are, Hangover Part II. That’s it? Yes, that’s it. The title of this film is very simply Hangover Part II. The title, like most of this movie, is kind of a disappointment. Not just because it fails to inspire, but because the lack of aspiration in this film basically starts right there at the title.
So then you say to me, “Hey Indiana, what do you mean lack of aspiration?” Well, casual and hardcore readers, I’m glad you asked that. This movie is a sequel, don’t just put a number after the title. Give us a decent subtitle Hollywood! Give us a reason to shell out our hard earned clams and simoleans on something we just finished watching not even two years ago. Give us a taste of what else is going to go on in this movie; the theme, the underlying emotion, hell even the location, something. What do we get? Just Part II? Fine.
Well, in that case, I’ve got a better title for this flick, and you know what? I’m even going to throw in a sexy little subtitle to boot. Ahem…
Hangover: The Revenge of Zach
Yea, I went there. So, you say you loved Hangover? Well, how much did you love it? I think the amount of love you had for the film needs to be classified in order to figure out whether you will be able to appreciate the sequel. Did you love the refreshing concept, that was cleverly-crafted and excitingly-enacted on a beautifully-set stage and circumstance? Or did you love that it was a movie filled with dick jokes, unexpected male nudity, and slapstick comedy?
Well, if you said the latter then let me tell you something, remember that other classic movie you loved, American Pie presents: Band Camp? Well, watch that again, imagine 40 year old men playing all the roles and Voila!, there you have it, you’ve created the Hangover Part II (and you probably made it better).
This movie is basically the same concept used in the first film. A bunch of good friends find themselves away from home a couple days away from the wedding, drinks are poured and hijinks ensue. The problem arises when it is the EXACT same problem (and I mean EXACT, name something you loved in the first movie and it is practically duplicated in this film ie. weird animal appearance, strange extenuating circumstances to retrieve a friend, acoustic guitar solo… and on and on.) Only this time our beloved characters find themselves in another country… “OH NOOOOO, ISN’T THAT WACKYYYYY?”
So, how is this the Revenge of Zach, then? Well, as good as this movie wasn’t, Zach Galifianakis really shines in this film. Just about anything I laughed at in this movie was an after effect of some type of ridiculous shenanigan his character Alan bumbled his way into. However, even his schtick begins to wear thin and become a little grating at points, unfortunately, that’s just the kind of movie this movie is.
In the end, Part II becomes a stumbling block for this movie, and also one that it cannot get over. Because this is not a part two, if anything it’s almost the same thing again. A better title would be, Hangover: Again. You’ll get all the things you thought you loved in the first film and find out that maybe you only liked it that much because it was in a new setting. Kind of like getting drunk on vacation is not the same as getting wasted in your kitchen. So, if you’re thinking about going out to go see this movie this summer, I say don’t. Take that 15 dollars of ticket money, head to your local liquor store, grab the biggest cheapest bottle of alcoholic swill you can purchase, and invest in a real hangover instead. You’ll definitely have a better time with it, and you might even feel better the next morning.
-Peace
Indiana Freeman
Rating: 2/5
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