STARRING: Sandra Bullock (Miss Congeniality, While You Were Sleeping ); Ryan Reynolds (Wolverine, Van Wilder)DIRECTOR: Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses, Step Up, choreographer)WRITER: Peter Chiarelli (newcomer)PLOT: An executive blackmails her assistant to marry her to keep from being deported back to Canada. Of course a family get together puts a wrench in the plans.
FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 I don’t consider myself a fan of romantic comedies. However, I have seen most of the Sandra Bullock ones (except Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous; I couldn’t get past the title). Bullock is fun to watch. It seems effortless to her. She is not afraid to look foolish and she’s great at being sarcastic and sincere. That’s probably why they keep putting her in these films.
4 Ryan Reynolds is so darn charming. I will always see him as Van Wilder, no matter what kind of role he plays. His line delivery might always sound the same but it seems to work. I also like that he’s a good Canadian boy. Way to represent.
4 Like many comedies, it’s the supporting roles that steal the show. Betty White (Golden Girls, Mary Tyler Moore) proves that she still has the comedic chops. She is so fun to watch. There’ s a weird chanting scene, but I think it’s just in the movie to give White more time to interact with Bullock. It’s also nice to see Oscar Nunez (The Office) in his multiple roles. His stripper performance is quite disturbing.
4 At times, I felt like I was watching While You Were Sleeping. Sandra Bullock is great at making families fall in love with her and then she leaves them sad when things don’t work out. That is until the guy chases her down with the family’s blessing. Disappointing and cliché.
4 Lots of people are talking about the ‘nude’ scene where a naked Bullock and Reynolds run into each other. The scene does not serve the plot at all. I’m pretty sure it’s in there to show the audience that Bullock can still look young and sexy. The setup is so over the top as well. Reynolds’ character decides to take off all his clothes while standing on his bedroom balcony instead of in the bedroom. Who does that?
RECOMMENDATION
Wait for Movie Central or TBS
(you’ve seen this all before)
COMING SOON
Transformers 2
STARRING: Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers, Alias ); Ed Helms (The Office); Zach Galifianakis (Tru Calling)DIRECTOR: Todd Phillips (Old School, Starsky & Hutch, Road Trip)WRITERS: Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (Four Christmases)PLOT: Three groomsmen wake up from an outrageous bachelor party that they have absolutely no memory of. And the groom is missing.
FIVE OBSERVATIONS 4 What makes this film work is the chemistry of the lead characters. All three of them are so different from each other, but they have an instant rapport. This male bonding reminded me a lot of Old School, also directed by Phillips.
4 Great tight cast. Bradley Cooper has paid his dues in a lot of films, so it’s great to see him take the lead. Also it’s fun to see Ed Helms outside of The Office. But in the end, it’s Zach Galifianakis that steals the show as the weird brother-in-law. He’s going to make it big soon.4 Half the fun of The Hangover is trying to figure out what actually happened the night before. I had just as good a time figuring things out as I did enjoying the humourous situations these groomsmen found themselves in. And just so the audience isn’t left hanging, we get to catch a glimpse what actually did happen over in the night with a series of photos that run alongside the closing credits. You could tell they had fun posing for the outrageous pics.
4 Because it’s Todd Phillips and because it’s the comedy norm these days, along with the laughs comes the inevitable raunchiness. It is a bachelor party after all. There are a few disturbing scenes thrown into the mix. It’s too bad really, another film that I have a hard time recommending to most people. Also I can only look at Helms' broken teeth for so long.
4 The Hangover is definitely a guy movie. It’s full of male humour, bodily functions and such. With I Love You Man, Star Trek and now The Hangover, this year’s crop of films are definitely being aimed at the male population. Take that Sex in the City: The Movie. RECOMMENDATION Wait for DVD(Nothing really cinematic about it)COMING SOON Taking of Pelham 123, Transformers 2
STARRING: Ed Asner (Studio 60, Lou Grant, Elf ); Jordan Nagai (newcomer)
DIRECTORS: Pete Docter (Monsters Inc.) & Bob Peterson (first-time)WRITER: Bob Peterson (Finding Nemo)PLOT: Carl tries to fulfill his lifelong dream of seeing South America by transporting his home using thousands of balloons. Unfortunately for him, an eager boy scout is along for the ride.
FIVE OBSERVATIONS 4 Pixar gets everything right. Again. What I love about Pixar films is the heart that is found in each story. While there is plenty of wit, humour and slapstick, I often find myself really caring for these animated characters. Even though you can see some of the character progression a mile away, it is still endearing when it’s presented on the screen. Loved the grape soda pin.4 Pixar animation is like nothing else. They take so much time to perfect their images. The balloons alone are worth watching. I also like how they make the humans look like cartoon characters instead of trying to make them look realistic. I love that Carl is so boxy in his design.4 Like Wall*E, this film does not load up on the characters. We are given a chance to really get to know four or five individuals. Simplicity is the key. And I while I hate a movie like Snow Dogs where live animals are given the gift of speech, I love how they justify the talking dogs in this film. Dug is awesome.
4 Even after seeing plenty of trailers for Up, it never occurred to me that Russell, the boy scout, is Asian. I must hand it to Pixar for ignoring the stereotypes that are often found in other Disney fare. I liked the racial diversity and that it’s not made into an issue in this picture. 4 My one concern with Pixar (and I noticed this during Wall*E as well) is that their films seem to be aimed more at adults with some stuff thrown in for the kids as opposed to aimed at kids with a couple of things just for the parents. Since Up deals with the elderly and honouring the memory of a loved one, I wonder how much the kids enjoy the film. I’m sure they like Russell and Dug, but a lot of the content seems like it would go over their head. Don’t get me wrong, I love the themes and artsy-ness of Pixar movies but I sometimes wonder if I’d feel the same way if I were a parent.RECOMMENDATION See it in the theatre
(All Pixar films need a big screen viewing)COMING SOON The Hangover, Taking of Pelham 123, Transformers 2
