Semi-Pro (2008)

Title: Semi-Pro (2008)
Genre: Sports Comedy
Rating: R (language, sexual situations)
Running Time: 100 minutes
Director: Kent Alterman
Starring: Will Farrell, Andre Benjamin, Woody Harrelson, Andrew Daly, David Koechner, Andy Richter

My Take

When I heard that Will Farrell was making a basketball movie I must admit I was excited, but not as much as I once would have been. After getting excited for his previous sports related movies - Kicking & Screaming (2005), Talladega Nights (2006) and Blades of Glory (2007) - and ultimately being disappointed, I expected much of the same immature and gay humor. What I got instead was the best Will Farrell movie since Anchorman (2004) and one of the funniest sports comedies I've ever seen. The story is goofy like most of Will Farrell's movies, but the absence of the usual gay comedy was a pleasant change. Will Farrell was his usual hilarious self and he doesn't need to change in my opinion as long as he can stick with good and hilarious scripts. I know what I'm going to get out of Will Farrell, but this movie proved to me that he can be in a great movie without changing what makes him such a great comedic actor. The supporting cast was solid and the movie was great entertainment. I wish they could have eliminated a couple words which would have easily made it a PG-13 rating. With an R rating, several young adults were not able to watch and several adults probably avoided it assuming much more of the raunchy usual. Those who missed this movie missed out on a hilarious comedy that actually has very little objectionable content. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and like it so much that I'm considering buying it and watching it again. "Love Me Sexy" is one of the funniest songs I've heard. I give this comedy two thumbs up and hope that Will Farrell continues making movies like this in the future and less movies like Blades of Glory.

Ranking the Top 5 Best Will Farrell Movies (That I have Seen)

1. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy & Wake Up Ron Burgundy (2004)
2. Elf (2003)
3. Semi-Pro (2008)
4. Wedding Crashers (2005)
5. Old School (2003)

Honorable Mention

1. Talladega Nights (2006)
2. Starsky & Hutch (2004)
3. Bewitched (2005)
   

Ranking the 5 Worst Will Farrell Movies (That I have Seen)

1. Melinda & Melinda (2004)
2. Kicking & Screaming (2005)
3. Blades of Glory (2007)
4. A Night at the Roxbury (1998)
5. Austin Powers Series of Movies (1997-1999)

Dishonorable Mention

1. Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
   
2. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
3. Zoolander (2001)

Movies I Haven't Seen/Not Included

• Several of Farrell's older movies
• Boat Trip (2003)
• Winter Passing (2004)
• The Wendell Baker Story (2005)
• The Producers (2005)
• Curious George (2006)
• Step Brothers (2008)
  

I want to hear from you. Disagree with my lists? What are your favorite Will Farrell movies? Are you tired of seeing Will Farrell comedies? I want to know what you think!

Popcorn Rating

movie theater popcorn

Sweeney Todd (2007)

Title: Sweeney Todd (2007)
Genre: Musical
Rating: R (Bloody Violence)
Running Time: 116 Minutes
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jaime Campbell Bower

My Take

Tim Burton and Johhny Depp have done it again. They have made a unique movie that appeals to the masses, and Sweeney Todd might be their best movie to date. Let me begin by saying I don't like musicals, and in fact I hate musicals generally speaking. The only musical I liked before Sweeney Todd was Sound of Music. Sweeney Todd is a musical, but it is not your typical musical. Of course with Burton and Depp you know you are getting anything but typical. In any musical, vocals and soundtrack are essential and it was rock solid in Sweeney Todd. Depp proves again with his singing in this movie he is the most diverse actor of his time. I think Depp has the ability to take on any role and make it fantastic. The story in Sweeney Todd was told in a brilliant way and kept me engaged throughout. The nature of the story is grotesque, but somehow Burton was able to make light of even the darkest of situations. I think this is part of what I liked so much about the movie. It has lots of bloody violence, which keeps me from recommending this to anyone and everyone.


Unfortunately for those who can't stomach bloody violence, you can't simply close your eyes at a certain spot because the blood is frequent and not always predictable. That said, the blood is not realistic, and it is so over the top that it is comical. I found myself laughing hysterically during much of the movie. Depp was not the only actor of note in Sweeney Todd. Alan Rickman also put in a solid performance as well as several others. The reason I know this is a good movie is because I have been thinking about it even days after I've watched it. I want to watch it again, and I rarely watch movies twice. I even own some movies that I've only seen once. When I woke up this morning and started shaving I started singing... "Pretty women..." Thankfully I didn't cut myself shaving. I don't know that I can ever go to a barber again. I don't know how exactly, but once again Burton and Depp have made something of a masterpiece that only they could pull off. The bloody violence could keep some away, but there was no nudity or sexual situations and minimal bad language to speak of, so it was generally clean if you take away the blood. I strongly recommend this movie. I will watch it again.

Popcorn Rating

Movie Theater Popcorn

Hot Rod (2007) - Short

Synopsis

Title: Hot Rod (2007)
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13 (Language, Adult Situations)
Running Time: 87 Minutes
Director: Akiva Schaffer
Starring: Andy Samburg, Isla Fisher, Jorma Taccone, Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Ian McShane, Will Arnett

Should you watch?

This is a very silly movie. I found it VERY comparable to Napolean Dynamite. If you were a fan of that movie, you should absolutely love this movie. Andy Samburg is hilarious as Rod. The comedy style may not be for everybody, but I really enjoyed the movie. WHHHOOat did you say? WHHHY am I talking like WHHHat? It's short in length at just an hour and a half so it doesn't drag out too long. It is well worth a rent.

Popcorn Rating

Buttered Popcorn

Ratatouille (2007) - Short

Synopsis

Title: Ratatouille (2007)

Genre: Animation/Comedy

Rating: G (Great Family Movie)

Running Time: 111 Minutes

Directors: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava

Starring: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter O'Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo

I enjoy most animated movies and this one was no exception. I don't know if it is head and shoulders above several other good animated movies, but it was good. This is another perfect movie for the whole family to enjoy

Popcorn Rating

Buttered Popcorn

Psycho (1998)

Synopsis

Title: Psycho (1998)

Genre: Horror

Rating: R (Violence, sexuality/nudity)

Running Time: 105 Minutes

Director: Gus Van Sant

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William Macy, Robert Forester

Plot: A woman steals $400,000 and drives off with the money. She runs into an old motel off the main highway and meets Norman Bates. Norman runs the motel and has some obvious quirks about him. The woman would soon wish that she never made a stop at that motel.

My Take

This movie clearly lacked originality. In fact, it was pretty much a direct imitation of the original psycho. What was the purpose? The only difference was that this version was in color and there were different actors. The original Psycho was classic and I guess Gus Van Sant didn’t want to mess with ‘greatness’. The movie doesn’t worry about keeping realistic because the original didn’t worry about keeping scenes realistic. I did notice an obvious editing mistake: The house is on the right of the motel but one of the shots had it on the right.

What About Vince?

I thought Vince did an exceptional job as Norman Bates. He may have played the psycho role just a little early when he was in the long dinner scene with Anne Heche, who it should be noted also did brilliant in my opinon. Although I think he gave too much of his character away too early, I think that is a directorial mistake as opposed to Vince’s mistake. I guess he could argue the point, but ultimately that is probably up to the director. I thought Vince truly shined in this movie. One of his best performances for sure.

Should You Watch???

Watch if you haven’t seen the original, but if you’ve seen the original you’ve already seen this movie. There is nothing new here. Psycho is a movie classic and the updated version is not much worse than the original. I actually really enjoyed it if I’m going to be quite honest. It’s been a while since I saw the original and I thought that while it’s not the most realistic or horrifying movie, it is a classic. While imitation is not original, it doesn’t hurt or diminish the original. If anything, it is a huge complement that they kept everything the same. I would watch this movie again because I really enjoy horror films and Psycho is a classic in my eyes even if it isn’t the best movie.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn

Clay Pigeons (1998)

Synopsis

Title: Clay Pigeons (1998)
Genre: Dark Comedy
Rating: R (Adult Situations, Violence, Profanity, Adult Humor)
Running Time: 104 Minutes
Director: David Dobkin
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Joaquin Phoenix, Janneane Garafolo, Georgina Cates, Scott Wilson, Vince Vieluf
Plot: Out in the country of Montana, an ordinary guy is mistaken by the FBI as a serial killer. As several people close to him wind up dead, he ironically is the one there to report to the sheriff’s office, which is hilariously naïve. The actual serial killer, Lester Long, eventually befriends Clay and it is a roller coaster of a ride from there.



My Take
Clay Pigeons was a directorial debut for David Dobkin. Before Clay Pigeons, he gained notoriety as a music video director. Another person involved in the movie but not mentioned is Ridley Scott who was the executive producer of the movie. Now I’m generally not a fan of black comedies, but I actually liked this movie. Often times black comedies are extremely weird and the plot makes no sense at all. Often times black comedies have no comedic moments whatsoever, but while Clay Pigeons had its weird moments I was able to follow the story and there were some comedic acting and dialogue. I am a big fan of both Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix so maybe that is part of the reason why I liked this movie. I also like Vince Vieluf. He does a perfect job as the dumb deputy Barney. I very much enjoyed watching this film.

What About Vince?
Vince played a very weird character in this movie. He played Lester (the molester) Long who was a serial killer who stabbed numerous woman to death. This role for Vince was different then his past roles which was nice to see. He was a cowboy who had a strong accent and had a very strange persona. While I liked him, I found his fake laugh to be annoying. I concede that it did add to the quirkiness of his character, so I’m sure it was intentional, but it was a little over the top. Other than that though, I liked his performance. He is starting to show some versatility and his performance in this movie has not gone unnoticed by fans of him and the movie.

Should You Watch???
This movie is not for everyone. Firstly, note the rating as there is some sexuality, violence and profanity. Secondly, not everyone enjoys the black comedy genre. I am usually included in that crowd, but for some reason I found myself enjoying the subtle comedy and plot twists. If you are looking for something a little different, check it out. If you are a fan of black comedies, chances are you’ll absolutely love this one.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn

Becoming Jane (2007)

Synopsis

Title: Becoming Jane (2007)

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG

Running Time: 120 Minutes

Director: Julian Jarrold

Main Actors: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith, Joe Anderson

Plot: Becoming Jane follows the life of early 19^th century writer Jane Austen. The movie is loosely based on fact, but the story about her personal life is somewhat unknown. Austin is credited for writing 6 novels including huge successes Pride and Prejudice and Emma. The movie was edited for re-rating and was originally PG-13.

My Take

I have a feeling that although this was not exactly my favorite type of movie, Becoming Jane will be hugely popular among females. I know my sisters will love this movie. I say it isn’t exactly my type of movie because I found it slow and boring at times. I also think it is a little bit too wordy. I know that Austen is known for her humor in her books and witty dialogue, but it got a little annoying to me. The storyline is familiar and good although I think the I-love-you-I-love-you-not can get a little tiresome. The costume design team did a good job making the costumes and set look 2 centuries old. I have no real complaints about the acting or directing. With this movie, you get about what you expect going in to the movie.

Should You Watch???

If you like Pride and Prejudice, you should love this movie. They are very similar. Could this be because Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice? I actually prefered Pride and Prejudice to this movie, but I thought both were pretty good. This movie clearly attracts the female audience, but it is watchable if you are male. If you are a guy and want to do something nice for your female partner, offer to watch Becoming Jane. Just be aware that you may want to check the sports ticker on your computer or phone when the movie hits a dead spot.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn