(Movie Review) The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

The most incredible thing about Burt Wonderstone is how few people went to see it

Steve! What are you doing to me Steve? I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I am a pretty solid fan of Steve Carell. I loved him in The Office, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Get Smart, and pretty much anything else he has put his name on. His most recognizable role as Andy in The 40 Year Old Virgin seems like a thing of the past these days. I seem to remember him more for movies like Dan in Real Life, Evan Almighty, and Dinner with Schmucks than anything else lately. While this movie isn’t as bad as some of those mentioned above, it’s not much better either.

Storyline: Burt Wonderstone (Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Buscemi) have been best friends since they were young . They grew up to be famous magicians that headlined their own Vegas show for years. But with new acts like Steven Gray (Carey) taking their audience, Burt becomes hard to work with and drives Anton away…which leads to the cancelation of their show. Burt now finds himself with no friends, no money, and no career. If he is to ever become the great magician that he once was he must find a way to fall in love with magic again before his last chance passes him by.

I feel that it would be dishonest to say that I didn’t laugh at some of this movie. It was ok at times. Funny even. But the overall product was somewhat of a letdown. There were times that I thought that the story was going to go to a really funny place, especially after Wonderstone hit “rock bottom”, but it turns into this gooey montage of ways that Burt is trying to improve himself. Sure, it was needed, but it takes up too much of the movie. And even with it taking up a lot of screen time it still somehow feels like a rushed turnaround when it finally happens.

Worth the admission? It pains me to say it, but no. It falls short on a bunch of levels. While it had the potential to be a huge hit for Carell it ultimately turns out to be a humdrum comedy that lays on a thick layer of a self improvement message. Was it terrible? No. Will I watch it again? No.

If you are looking for a few good Steven Carell movies, rent Crazy, Stupid, Love, (2011) or, and many will disagree with me, Seeking a Friend for the End of the Wold (2012). I enjoyed both of them much more than The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and I bet you will too.

PS. Who in the world thought Steve Buscemi was a good casting choice. He looks like an Albino Bush Baby (look it up) and added very little to the movie.  

 

 

(Movie Review) Oz The Great and Powerful

The Yellow Brick Road turns out to be made of gold, as OZ rakes in the cash on opening weekend

In yet another assault on my masculinity, I have to admit to you fine folks that I am a huge fan of Oz. The Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz, The Wiz, Wicked and Tin Man are amazing little pieces of fiction in my opinion. But with the exception of the original Wizard of Oz film, most of the other Oz related titles have been made for TV movies, musicals or miniseries. So the question I have always wondered was “would Hollywood make a film that rivals the original and ACTUALLY make it profitable”? While the question is still out on this film ultimately being profitable, I don’t think that it completely measures up to the original…but it is a heck of a good movie regardless.

Storyline: Carnival conman Oz (Franco) is tired of the carnival world. He wants more out of life. He doesn’t want to settle for being a good man, he wants to be a great man. When a tornado whisks him away to the Land of Oz he is quickly greeted by Theodora (Kunis) and she tells him that he must be the powerful wizard that the prophecies had promised them. Theodora introduces Oz to her sister, Evanora (Weisz), who quickly sends Oz to kill the “Wicked Witch” Glinda (Williams) before he can become king and inherit all of the gold of Oz. With new companions met along the way, and finding Glinda to be a kind and gentle witch, Oz must work with her to find out who the real evil witch is and how to bring her down.

Worth the admission? Without a doubt! This movie was really fun and the performance from Michelle Williams as Glinda was great. And Zach Braff as the voice for a flying monkey named Finely was adorable. Was it a perfect movie? No. There are a few things that I really didn’t like. One, James Franco makes a fine enough Oz, but the way that the character is played makes him so unlikeable. That is the fault of the writers, obviously, but it is not until very late in the movie that you actually begin to like the character some.

Another thing that I didn’t really like was the fact that The Wizard of Oz (1939) gave you an option at the end. You could either pick to believe that Dorothy had a very beautiful and lucid dream OR that she went to a magical new world. This movie confirms that the events in The Wizard of Oz were real, which kiiiind of makes the choice to have actors play dual roles (in both films) seem pointless.

Lastly, if the Wicked Witch is pained by water, and there is a scene in this film where tears cause her pain, wouldn’t she just burn up from the inside? Her body is, what, 75% water?

All in all, good movie. Very fun and very beautiful. Try to see it in 3D!

(Movie Review) A Good Day To Die Hard (2013)

John McClane continues his assault on all things breakable in A Good Day To Die Hard…and wins

People really make me mad. I mean, like, furious. Do you know why? Because they are NEVER happy! When movies like, Bullet to the Head (2013), The Expendables 2 (2012) & The Last Stand (2013) came out, people cried into their popcorn and said “ This is so lame. A bunch of 60 & 70 year olds blowing stuff up and shuffling around. There needs to be more action.” Then you have a movie like A Good Day To Die Hard that comes out and people continue to cry into their popcorn saying “this is so unrealistic. A guy in his 50s could never survive that”. It’s maddening.

Storyline: Detective John McClane (Willis) has been looking for information on his son Jack/John Jr. (Courtney) as he has been out of contact with John for years. When John finally receives information that Jack is in Russia, John hops on the first plane in an attempt to see his son. When he arrives in Russia he finds that Jack is part of the CIA and is currently in charge of a Prisoner of the State that might be able to take down those responsible for the Chernobyl disaster that took place in 1986. The only problem is getting this man out of Russia alive. Jack and John must team up to protect Mr. Komarov (Koch) and get him to safety.

So, as you can tell from what I said in the beginning, I think that this movie is getting a lot of hate for no reason. People are complaining about how “over the top” some of the action is? How can they think back to 1988 and watch John McClane get shot, run barefoot through glass, and get blown up and say “this is completely realistic” but when 2013 John McClane gets thrown through a glass window while hanging on to the tail of a helicopter they say “rubbish! This could never be!” I have some sobering news for people (and the critics that gave this movie such bad reviews), most of the stuff that happens in ANY movie can’t really happen. There are no Terminators, there is no magic mail box at a lake house that acts as a time warp, there are no clowns in the sewer, Godzilla is not real, and John McClane would have died in the very first movie if he was a real NYC Detective. So stop complaining about it, sit back, and watch Bruce Willis whisper his lines and blow up Russia!

Worth the admission? As a huge fan of all of the franchise, I am going to say yes. It was fun. Mindless action and things going “boom”. Sometimes movies can just be fun. They don’t have to challenge you or make you think. They can just be a good time. So check it out!    

(TV REVIEW) The Walking Dead (2013)

The Walking Dead returns with heart pounding action…unless you’re a zombie. Then you have no heart.

February is known for being that time of year when you snuggle up close those that are the most important to you and paint the town red. By “those that are the most important to you” I am obviously talking about the remaining members of your Zombie Apocalypse group. And by “paint the town red” I mean the excessive amount of head shots that you and your group are unleashing on the hordes of undead that are in constant pursuit of you and your group. The problem with the Zombie Apocalypse is not really so much with the zombies, but more about the people that have changed to fit in to this new world paradigm that they find themselves in. People stake out their places in the world and will fight to the death to hold on to that. Sometimes that is a great and noble thing, but in this world it is usually followed by a maniacal mad man that is looking to reign down death and destruction on anyone in his path. Welcome to a day in the life of Rick Grimes (AKA “Officer Friendly”).

Storyline: The dead walk the earth. There is no real answer to why they do, they just do. Bites are a death sentence and the only way to ensure that your friends and family do not come back as “walkers” is with a well-placed shot to the head. This is the world that we live in now. But not everyone has been turned. Rick Grimes (Lincoln) and his group have been on the run and looking for a place to call “home” for the last year. They have finally found that home in the form of a prison that the group had to clear of zombies to make safe. But a rival group in the town of Woodbury is not happy with Rick and his people being in their backyard. So an all-out war is being waged between the two factions and many, if not all, of those in the fight may lose their lives in an attempt to hold on to what they feel like is theirs. It’s a dangerous new world, and zombies are the least of your worries.

Thoughts? Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years you have not only heard of this show, but you have probably heard of how it is breaking records left and right on viewer numbers. And rightfully so! This show rarely disappoints and almost always delivers fast paced episodes. With season 3’s midseason premier, The Walking Dead returned with the highest ratings of the shows run and I can only assume that those numbers will continue to go up. If you haven’t watched the show in the past, check it out on Netflix. Well worth it.


SPOILER: This poster makes me think that poor little Carl is about to take one to the dome. You know, he lost an eye in the comics...but the show has deviated so far from most of those story lines that it might not happen. Dale lost a leg in the comics, not Hershel. Michonne is the one that the Gov physically abused (raped)  and held captive, not Maggie. Their stay on the farm was brief, not lasting months. Shane dies in the first comic, not so much further into the story. 

The show has a way of making good on the events that took place in the comics but often changing the timelines or the character that the event happened to. So, as the poster suggests that there will be "an eye for an eye", maybe Rick is the one that is going to have his peeper popped? Beats him having his arm cut off (like he did in the comics). 

                                                             

(Movie Review) Identity Thief (2013)

Identity Thief steals a few laughs, but not as many as I hoped it would.

Hollywood has a wonderful way of dropping the ball with almost every rising star that they help create. Not only do they overuse actors to the point of it turning the audience away (Gerard Butler and Sam Worthington are good examples) but they take someone that has experienced a recent upshot in popularity and pair them with a seasoned actor for feature films. I know that this is to help lend some “star power” to the newer actor, and expose the seasoned actor to the new fan base of the newer actor, but it usually turns out to be a bad combination. Look at Hollywood Homicide (Josh Hartnett and Harrison Ford in 2003) or Due Date (Zach Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr. in 2010) or anyone else on the laundry list of movies that I could provide that have done this and had bad to mediocre results. That being said, Identity Thief is well above being labeled a mediocre comedy, but it is nowhere near as funny as the previews would lead you to believe.

Storyline: Sandy Patterson (Bateman) is a great guy. Pays his bills, works hard, and loves his family. All of that hard work seems to be paying off when he is given a new position with a much higher pay and with a boss that he can actually get along with. But just when things are looking up for him he finds that his identity has been stolen and the thief (McCarthy) has ruined his credit and left him destitute. Sandy, in order to keep his new job with a financial firm, must find a way to bring this thief in and have her admit to what she has done before he loses everything that he has worked so hard for.

As of right now, this movie barely has a 5 out of 10 rating on IMDB.com and is given a 24% fresh rating on Rottentomatoes.com (by critics) it doesn't look as if I am alone in my criticisms of the film. While there were a few really great laugh-out-loud moments, the movie just doesn't live up to the expectations that I had for it. McCarthy is one of the most talked about comedy actors in the business right now. After her hilarious performances on Bridesmaids, This is 40 and her new series Mike and Molly, it’s no wonder why Hollywood is throwing projects at her. But no matter how hard she tried, this role just didn't work for me. Although I am looking forward to seeing her later this year with Sandra Bullock in The Heat.  And Bateman works better (in my opinion) in dry comedy…not slapstick and gimmicky comedy. 

Worth the admission? Maybe if you catch it on a matinee. Not at full price. It will be worth renting once it is out of the theaters, but that is about all I would recommend. I will give credit to McCarthy for a rarely seen vulnerable side that she shows in a few scenes in this movie. Glad to see she isn't just a one note actor.

(Movie Review) Warm Bodies (2013)

Warm Bodies might be the most imaginative and appealing Zombie movie ever made 

  

Imagination is something that is desperately missing in this world. People are fine, for the most part, with the status quo. People do what those before them did, who did what those before them did and so on. That is why people in the fashion world claim that clothing runs through cycles and that everything that is out of style tomorrow will be back in style one day (which is why I kept my Superman underoos from my childhood). 

This repetitive cycle is most apparent, to me, in movies. You can take a few classic movies and basically see how most modern films are derived from them.  Not so with Warm Bodies. While George Romero will be created with popularizing Zombie films in the late 60s, movies like Warm Bodies take the backdrop of a Zombie Apocalypse and turn it on its ear by making it a love story/comedy.  Making something new from an old Hollywood trope produces a very fresh and interesting movie.

Storyline: R (Hoult) is a product of the Zombie Apocalypse. He has little brain function and lacks most basic motor skills. The only source of food that is appealing to a Zombie is human flesh. They can’t help it. People are just a bunch of walking Happy Meals to them. When R’s pack attacks a group of survivors, R falls in love with Julie (Palmer) at first sight. When R thinks that Julie might be at risk of dying from the attack of the other Zombies he risks his non-life to save and protect her. As his emotions for her grows stronger he begins to heal himself from his Zombie plague. But a secret that R holds, and the determination of Julie’s father to wipe the Zombies from the face of the Earth, might be enough to keep R and Julie from every being together.

Worth the Admission? Very much so! I knew that I would love this movie from the first preview that I saw of it. The story is REALLY out there, but the message is such a great one. That no matter how bad the world gets and how bad it looks for humanity, love is what we should rely on to pull us back from the brink. You can’t ask for something with a better message than that.

Nicholas Hoult (R ) and Teresa Palmer (Julie) are fantastic together. And while this is not my favorite Rob Corddry role (M) he delivers some of the best one-liners in the movie. It’s just a really fun movie with a great message. Check it out. 

(Movie Review) Bullet to the Head (2013)

A Bullet to the Head would have been less painful that sitting through this movie.

There are some older action stars that can still “go”. My favorite has to be Bruce Willis, but I have always liked Sylvester Stallone too. It’s hard not to look at movies like Rocky, Rambo, and The Expendables and consider Stallone to be one of the baddest of bad asses, and even in this film he maintains his reputation of being the toughest guy in the room, but this movie is just something that doesn't measure up to his past work.

Storyline:  After watching their respective partners die, a New Orleans hitman and a Washington D.C. detective form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy. – IMDB.com

Worth the admission? Not really. I’m all for a good dumbed down action flick, especially when the actors involved are at the top of their game, but this movie just disappointed me in a lot of ways. The good parts about it was that the action was GREAT. Lots or gun play, lots of head shots and an ax fight…you can’t get much better than that. And again, Stallone was the best thing about this movie. For 60+ years old he is in phenomenal shape and can still be a believable action star. But everyone else in the movie is kind of horrible. With the exception of Jason Momoa (as hired killed Keegan) and Sylvester Stallone (as James “Jimmy” Bonomo) the acting in this movie was really really bad. Even for an action film.

There was one shining moment in this movie. I did some background/extra work on this film and was actually visible in 3 different scenes. Granted, I was only in the background, and you would have to know where to look for me (except in the final scene I am clearly on the right hand side for about 30 seconds) but the fact that I was in the final cut made me very happy. So, because of that, I must recommend that you DO check the movie out at some point.  :)