Todd Philips’ road trip comedy is something of a mystery that manages to possess much more of a complex plot than we’re led to believe by the trailers originally. In its heart it’s about four friends re-connecting for one wild weekend before the wedding of their friend Doug, all the while exploring four friends who are also getting in touch with a part of themselves they lost or will eventually lose when they get back home to domestic monotony. The four characters here are much more representations of the male such as Stu who is a delusional male whipped by his domineering wife anxious to break out of his confines. Alan is something of an erratic monster who isn’t a bad guy even if he’s done some truly perverted things. Doug is a man facing a big change in his life about to marry a wealthy woman who is also the girl of his dreams and presenting a life as a married man and possible father, while Phil is a man who refuses to let himself be toned down even though he’s a father and a husband.
Tag Archives: Adventure
I Love You Beth Cooper (2009)
Riddle me this: Do you love movies about child molestation, child rape, animal cruelty, drug abuse, pedophilia, homophobia, alcohol abuse, and bulimia all of which is played for wacky comedy, sight gags, and relentless running gags? Well then strap in for “I Love You, Beth Cooper” a movie that actually turns a character with an eating disorder in to a pun where the camera man zooms in to her stick thin waist as if to draw some form of giggles from a crippling potentially deadly psychological disorder. I couldn’t believe the editor tried to use this as something of a joke and treat it with such a tongue in cheek manner. Do you think I’m being a kill joy? Well then you probably haven’t seen this mean spirited utterly cruel romance comedy that is probably one of the creepiest teen misadventures I’ve ever seen.
Stan Helsing (2009)
Comedy… especially horror comedy, is almost impossible to pull off. As the Wayans brothers can attest to, there’s only so much material to be mined until you’re pretty much just tapping the same old cliches for an audience that has seen it a thousand times over since the eighties. If “Scary Movie” proved anything, it’s that horror spoofs are quickly forgotten and easily aged especially when fads in horror comes and go faster than style in America. By the time “Scary Movie” was released, the whole “Scream” phenomenon was tired thus the Wayans were already three steps behind. “Stan Helsing” is an attempt to combine all the classic tropes while also bringing an actual narrative to the audience. Oddly enough while it’s not a good film by any means, it’s also not the worst spoof ever put to film.
Tekken (2010)
Someone somewhere figured that we as movie lovers and action buffs needed or would have wanted a “Tekken” movie–even if no one asked for it. Because as we are all aware, the “Mortal Kombat,” “Double Dragon,” and “Street Fighter” movies were all so amazing and rich in bone crunching action and sharp cinematic prowess that we just had to have a fifth tier video game franchise with fairly forgettable characters lacking any iconic sensibilities be turned in to action heroes for a potential film franchise. And not surprisingly this isn’t making the rounds in theaters any time soon. Movie websites have reported on this film for a short time and since then the word’s been slim to none on its quality.
Clash of the Titans (2010): Combo Pack Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital
It should have been a no-brainer. A Greek myth about a hero being called upon to battle the gods while also fighting with various creatures is a concept begging to be made in to an amazing movie. “Clash of the Titans” is the Harryhausen movie that fans continue to love but also secretly wanted to see remade… only for a curiosity. We wanted to know what it would look like, but we didn’t want it to happen. And then we were given the bright idea by Warner to not only remake the Harryhausen opus but turn it in to a franchise.
Red Skelton Whistling Collection (Whistling in the Dark / Whistling in Dixie / Whistling in Brooklyn) (1941) (DVD)
The Warner Archives have brought movie buffs of all kinds together to bear witness to the immortal Red Skelton and his “Whistling” trilogy, the 1941 comedy series that brought Skelton together with co-stars like Eve Arden and Virginia Grey. Restored and featured in three separate discs, the “Whistling” collection is ultimately a mixed bag of Skelton comedies that are all fairly flawed with some dated zingers that fall flat on numerous occasions, but when they shine, they manage to draw some genuine laughs thanks to Skelton who is sometimes too goofy to enjoy, and other times seem too funny for the material he’s handed.
Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)
You really do have to give Warner Brothers credit for putting together rather fantastic all star casts for Direct to DVD feature films that will never get the same treatment as their theatrical properties. For films that are obviously just there to keep the cash flowing, the Batman titles have been consistently top notch; especially “Under the Red Hood,” a movie that’s slightly flawed, but still very entertaining. I’ve never actually read the mini-series from the comic books, but word of mouth indicates it was all one big build up leading to a massive cop out, so “Under the Red Hood” compiles all of the best moments and brings it together for a ninety minute action flick that involves a brand new quasi-crime boss in the city named the Red Hood. I had about one reason to see this: Jensen Ackles, the star of the best show on television at the moment “Supernatural.”