5:28 PM
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By Robert Jay Moore
Written and Directed by Robert D. Siegel. Independent, 2009. Color, 1 hour 28 minutes.
I don't know why all the movies I have watched and reviewed for this blog have been comedies. I guess I've just been in a good mood since I graduated and such. This film also is categorized as a comedy, but it is quite dark. I don't think there was a whole lot of scenes that I laughed at, but the story as a whole was pretty great.
The film follows "Staten Island Phil," played by Patton Oswalt. Think George Costanza with a crazier family and more of a loser. Phil is a huge New York Giants fan, specifically linebacker Quantrell Bishop. He can't afford to get into the stadium to see the Giants play, so he and his buddy watch from the parking lot on a TV hooked up to their car battery. Unfortunately, Phil's love for the Giants and "QB" goes so far that he follow his hero through New York and witnesses what can only be assumed is a drug deal. He mentions it to QB after he stalks him to a strip club, and the enormous athlete beats the crap out of him, landing Phil in the hospital.
Phil is then faced with the moral dilemma: Let justice be served, or stay true to his team? The lengths Phil goes to to preserve the integrity of his beloved Giants is hilarious, as well as unnerving. Oswalt plays the dorky part to perfection, keeping you on the edge of your seat in the climax.
Don't be fooled by the presence of Oswalt, even though this is classified as a "dark comedy," it's not the laugh-out-loud dark style you see in his stand-up. Some parts dragged on for too long, or were honestly kind of boring to watch. But maybe that was just a comment on Phil's pathetic lifestyle. Overall, though, this movie was really entertaining if you give it a shot.
Three and a half out of Five.
8:42 PM
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By Robert Jay Moore
Written and Directed by Chris J. Ford. Independent, 2008. Color, 1 hour 39 minutes.
When I was in college - way back, oh so long ago - I had a professor who would always complain about myspace. He said myspace was destroying the music industry because so many bands were becoming popular without record labels noticing them, which meant that to find music you actually liked, you had to sift through all the crap first. I never really agreed with him because I have always been a fan of independent music, films, art, etc.
After seeing this film, however, I can see where he is coming from.
I will keep this entry short because I am tired and have to work tomorrow. But I'll sum it up by saying if you want to see a movie about a crotchety old man who is afraid of change who meets a youngster who turns everything around for the better, bypass and just rent Up. This movie employs terrible lighting, terrible shot framing, and terrible acting. It feels like a bad credit report website commercial on local cable. The best acting award definitely goes to John Ratzenberger of Pixar fame (the voice of the piggy bank in Toy Story, among others). That being said, Ratzenberger should definitely continue doing voice-overs and stay out of the gaze of the camera from now on. And he was the best. Don't even get me started on Shelly Cole's utterly failed attempt at being the cute, adorable, spunky, Juno-esque pregnant girl. This movie was a waste of my 99 minutes, and just goes to prove that if you have the money to make a full-length movie, that doesn't mean you necessarily should.
One out of Five Stars.
12:32 PM
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By Robert Jay Moore
Directed by Shawn Levy, Written by Josh Klausner. 20th Century Fox, 2010. Color, 1 hour 28 minutes.
With stars like Steve Carrell and Tina Fey, one would expect this movie to be laugh-out-loud funny at every turn. I think this is why most people were disappointed with the film. Carrell and Fey do have their signature comedic moments, but most of them have already been revealed if you have seen the trailer. Instead, this feels almost like a family movie. A family movie with strippers, thieves, and crooked politicians.
The un-friendly parts of the movie, however, are so stereotypical, that they don't seem that raunchy. There doesn't seem to be a lot of uncharted territory, and it seems all Levy knows about the vices of New York City, he learned from other goofy movies.
If you can get past the fact that this movie is not The Office or SNL humor we're used to from these stars, the movie isn't that bad. Predictable, cheesy, cliche, but not bad. The story is about a couple who tries to break out of the day-to-day routine and spice up their marriage. They just happen to get caught in the middle of a blackmail scandal in the progress. It is a feel good movie that follows suit with Levy's other films. Although most of his other movies are "family movies," this seems more like a family film for adults. I'm sure it would be a lot more funny and appreciated by married couples with young children, or anyone who has been in that stage of life.
Probably the main reason this film did not fall well upon critics is the casting. It breaks our comfort zone to see Fey and Carrell as boring, married parents. Their comedy is too subdued, and the funniest parts and most familiar laughs are during the blooper reel in the credits.
Three out of Four stars.
