Retro Movie Review: Takers (PG13 – 107 minutes)

In light of the recent sudden and sad passing of Paul Walker, I decided to go back and post a review of Takers, I movie I really enjoyed, in part as tribute to him, and in part to remind you that it existed (you had probably forgotten).  The Fast and Furious franchise is awesome, and I love it – but Takers got a little overlooked, for several good reasons.  

It’s not that great (I said I enjoyed it, not that it is good, that's always an important piece to clarify), and the release was delayed for almost a year which may or may not have had something to do with trying to avoid negative public pushback after Chris Brown and T.I.’s legal troubles.  In any case, I found it very entertaining, so perhaps you can rent it and see what you think.

Takers was directed by John Luessenhop, who had previously done Lockdown in 2000, so not a ton of experience.  The story centers around a crew of bank robbers, who pull one major heist a year, and have been living the easy life as millionaires.  They have a huge plan in place for their next job, which they pull off, only to have their plans compromised by the return of a member who used to be with their crew, but did some time.  He demands that they pull another job, after all, he’s been in prison, and didn’t rat on any of them.  Since a driven detective was hot on their heels after their last job, he closes in on the crew as they prep the new one.

That’s a pretty basic heist-movie plot, nothing you haven’t seen before.  What I find entertaining is the cast of this movie

• Idris Elba plays the crew lead, Gordon.  He gets to use his own British accent (even though I liked The Losers – his American accent will go in and out on you).  Gordon is all about laying low between jobs, after all, he’s got his junkie sister to try to take care of (Marianne Jean-Baptiste).  Elba plays this role perfectly, absolutely confident in the lead, but cautious in execution.

• Paul Walker plays John Rahway, who seems to be the second of the crew.  His is another quietly confident performance, a bit jittery on seeing the return of their ex-crew member, and wanting to profit, but worried about what will happen.  Also – he does walk naked into a pool – and whether that was him or a butt double, it’s a great shot – key to the plot, you know.

• Michael Ealy plays Jake Attica.  He’s level-minded, owning and running a restaurant/club where the crew hangs out.  Ealy is stunning, there is no way around that (actually most of this cast is really good looking).  His performance in this flick is good – again, quietly confident, seeing as how he has to try to keep his younger brother in line.

• Chris Brown plays that younger brother, Jesse, and while he’s got plenty of trouble in real life, he’s decent in this movie.  Of course, he does play an irritating hot-head, so who knows if he has any acting talent, he is basically playing himself.  He does get to show off some new parkour skills – so there’s that.

• Hayden Christensen plays A.J. with about as much range as you expect from him.  Again, he may not be that great an actor, but he is pretty fun in this.  Plus, he wears a sassy hat almost the entire time and does his own piano playing in a wife beater to show off his physique (put a shirt back on, you're in movie with Idris Elba, you can't compete with that!) and what I am hoping are terrible fake tattoos - if they're real, they are even more terrible.  He’s that stereotypical piano-playing member of the crew.  And spoilers, don’t get too attached to his character.  Just enjoy him swinging that baseball bat while you can.

• Tip T.I. Harris plays Ghost – the member who is released from prison and searches out his old crew.  Only to find that his girl is now with Jake, and the crew doesn’t really seem to have missed him.  He tries to convince everyone that he bears them no ill will, and has brought them this huge job as a show of good faith.  Not everyone trusts him right away, except for Jesse, which should show you how good an idea that is.  Again, I think T.I. is just playing T.I., so he may not be that great an actor, but he wears some nifty suits.  Get him a dialect coach (I cannot understand you with all that Atlanta in your speech!), and he may be good in a few years.

• Zoe Saldana plays the girl that was with Ghost and is now with Jake, she really traded up in my opinion.  There’s not much for her to do – again, see The Losers if you want more action from her, or Columbiana.  She’s basically just ‘the chick’ in this very dude-heavy movie.

• Matt Dillon plays the cop after the crew, Jack Welles.  He’s spiraling out of control, so that the only thing he can focus on is catching this crew before they pull their next job.  His life is such mess that he chases criminals with his daughter in the car, something the criminals point out to him later is terrible parenting.  He also has to try to corral his young partner, who may or may not have issues of his own.

• The fantastic Jay Hernandez plays that younger partner (see Torque – if you haven’t).  He’s struggling as well, trying to provide for his wife and new baby.  He seems to be the partner who has everything together, but, looks can be deceiving! 

The movie has lots of action, and some fun group scenes, and is unapologetically unoriginal.  The chemistry of the cast is what makes it entertaining, and while none of them are hugely talented (like I said, most of them went with the same ‘quietly confident’ mode), they are fun to watch, and they look great – well most of them anyway (sorry, T.I., besides I really only understand about half of what you say).  Check it out, it’s some fun mindless entertainment!

8 out of 10 – Gained points for Idris using his real accent, but lost points for his sister never straightening out, no matter how much he helps her.  Gained points for Hayden’s hat and Chris’s parkour, but then lost points for the cop bringing his daughter investigating.  Dude, really, just take her home!

Bonus Video 1:  The Losers – from the same year, based on a graphic novel – similar, but different, and tons of fun.

Bonus Video 2: Torque, the pairing to the Fast and Furious movies

Bonus Video 3:  Fast and Furious - the fourth one.  Seriously, 1, 4, 5, and 6 are amazing fun movies, and 7 comes out next year - I cannot wait.

Bonus Video 3:  Takers Cast Interviews

2009 Year in Review

Best of 2009 – originally written 1/6/2010 - transferring over items from another location!  Enjoy!

Once again, Entertainment Weekly has published their list of the top 25 movies you should see before the Academy Awards, which are on March 7th. Supposedly these are the quality movies of the year, the best of the best.  As you know, for me, quality doesn't always equal enjoyment and I often tend to disagree with their list. Here's their list - followed by mine!

1.  Up in the Air – A Jason Reitman directed film starring George Clooney as a man who is hired by companies to fly in and fire folks.  If you think that sounds depressing, and you don’t understand why it was marketed as a comedy, you are correct.  It also stars Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga.

2.  Avatar – Chances are you’ve seen this.  James Cameron’s new sci-fi epic with the super fantastic 3D.  Just enjoy it for the visuals, don’t think too much about the plot, or you’ll realize that you’ve seen this story about a dozen times before.
3. The Hurt Locker -  A war movie directed by James Cameron’s ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow.  I hated it, but that’s just me.  It’s not an action movie, like they told me it was.  It’s Jeremy Renner doing an incredible job in character study of a soldier who has probably seen too much.  It’s well done, just not my cup of tea.
4. Precious (based on the novel Push by Sapphire).  Well done but difficult to watch - who knew Mo'Nique could act for real? And Mariah Carey?  And Lenny Kravitz?
5. Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino World War 2 Brad Pitt movie, ultra-violent, with a great performance by Kristoph Waltz.  No, I didn't see it - I don't really enjoy his movies.
6. Invictus – Welcome to Oscar season, which means Clint Eastwood directed a movie - this one is about Mandela and rugby and features Matt Damon doing a South African accent, and Morgan Freeman playing Mandela.

7. An Education – a tiny little drama by Lone Scherfig featuring Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, and Alfred Molina.  A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.  Yawn.
8. Up – Disney/Pixar annual submission to ensure they win another animation Oscar.  The first 10 minutes are virtually silent, and some of the most beautiful, heartbreaking filmmaking I’ve seen.  Then it launches into a pretty typical Disney flick.  It’s not bad, and it’s good for the whole family – so far the first on this list to be so.
9. A Serious Man – A Coen Brothers movie (I hate their movies) starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind and Sari Lennick.  A Midwestern math teacher watches his life unravel over multiple sudden incidents.  No, thank you.
10. The Messenger - Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster informing people their loved one has died in the war.  Depressing little drama from Oren Moverman.

11. Julie and Julia – Here’s a second one that may be family friendly.  Meryl Streep being awesome, and Amy Adams being annoying (like always).  Amy plays Julie, a woman who decides to try 365 recipes from Julia Childs’s cookbooks, then blog about it.  It’s based on a true story, and is fairly entertaining. 
12. A Single Man – Not to be confused with the Serious Man listed above, this is a Tom Ford directed movie starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore and Matthew Goode.  An English professor (not the math teacher from Serious Man) is unable to cope with his typical days in 1960s Los Angeles after the death of his boyfriend.  That sounds depressing.
13. Crazy Heart – Because you were thinking, what would Colin Farrell be like as a country singer?  Well, then this Scott Cooper movie is for you.  Jeff Bridges plays an aging country singer who falls for a young woman with a young son.  The relationship is basically doomed from the start, but it inspires him to better himself.  I hated this movie, it just grated on me like nails on a chalkboard, but hey, maybe it’s up your alley.  The music is good (if you like Country/Folk), so you can look for another Oscar for T-Bone Burnett. 

14. The Blind Side – The fictionalized version of the true life story of Michael Oher, who was homeless and traumatized and then become an NFL player with the help of a caring woman and her family.  Directed by John Lee Hancock. 
15. The Last Station – This is a historical drama that illustrates Russian author Leo Tolstoy’s struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things.  It’s directed by Michael Hoffman, and stars Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, and Christopher Plummer.  If you’re a huge Tolstoy fan, this one’s for you! 
16. Nine – This is a big time musical with Daniel Day Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, and Fergie.  It’s directed by Rob Marshall – who did Chicago, and is the story of a famous film director who struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives, as he engages in dramatic relationships with his wife, mother, mistress, muse, and agent.  If you’re into musicals, here you are.

17. Star Trek – J.J. Abrams reboot or reimagining of the original series.  His logic is that he has created an alternate timeline, so now he can have all new stories with the characters you have loved previously.  I suppose that makes sense, and the movie was certainly entertaining!
18. District 9 – Neil Blomkaamp’s amazing ‘what-if’ with aliens and South Africa.  Quietly brilliant and disturbing.
19. Fantastic Mr. Fox - Wes Anderson goes animated with George Clooney and his other regular players.
20. The Lovely Bones - Peter Jackson leaves the shire to direct this movie about a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from purgatory.  She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.  Yikes, does that sound upsetting.  It stars Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, and Saoirse Ronan. 

21. (500) Days of Summer - Joseph Gordon Levitt proves he's amazing in this fun non-linear romantic comedy from director Marc Webb.  It’s pretty wonderful.
22. It's Complicated – A romantic comedy starring Alec Baldwin attempting to hold his own with Meryl Streep and Steve Martin.  It’s directed by Nancy Meyers, who knows her comedy, and features some really great fringe playing by John Krasinski.
23. The Young Victoria - Emily blunt plays a young queen Victoria.  I think that’s about all you need to know about that one.
24. Bright Star – Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw in a Jane Campion directed period piece detailing the three year romance between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. 
25. The Informant! – That exclamation point is really misleading.  At no point is this Soderbergh movie that exciting.  It is long, and it is boring.  Matt Damon got pudgy and wears a silly mustache. Tony Hale, Patton Oswalt, Scott Bakula, and Joel McHale also appear in this movie about a man who becomes a witness when the government goes after an agro-business giant with price-fixing accusations.  

I have seen 12 of those, which is way more than I usually achieve.  Here's my list - keep in mind, this is in no way a list of the best movies of the year (I'll leave that to the critics).  This is purely a list of my favorite movies of the year. You should feel free to disagree; after all, it's only my opinion.

1.  Star Trek - I am admittedly biased, a longtime fan...one of the first things I ever remember seeing on tv is the episode of the original series where the crew had to stop the miners from breaking the eggs of that carpet monster thing, the Horta. It takes some serious talent to take something as beloved as star trek and reimagine it strongly enough that it has crossover appeal for everyone, not just longtime fans. It helps to have a great, hot, funny cast - and a proven director in J.J. Abrams. Hooray for big time genre summer movies that deliver what they promise and go beyond!  I will acknowledge there were some flaws, it was probably too long, and what was with all the camera flares? 
2. Sherlock Holmes - Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in the return of Guy Ritche from his dark period - you know, when he was married to Madonna. This movie is quick, clever, action packed, and really just downright good. 

3. Avatar - I almost never argue with James Cameron. Aliens is one of the best movies ever. Terminator is one of the best movies ever. True Lies?  T2?  The Abyss? All amazing. Yes, it is technologically the next step, and yes, it has a weak plot, and yes, it is a story you may have seen before.  However, aside from all that, it is a visually stunning, incredibly enjoyable movie. Get your popcorn and your 3D glasses, and get comfortable because it is three solid hours of good movie fun.
4. District 9 - the only movie this year that blew my mind. A director and cast I didn't know, shot for next to nothing, and I had no expectations going in, so it completely caught me off guard.  It is smart, sometimes disturbing and sometimes funny - great action and great effects. 

5. Zombieland - another one that caught me off guard. This is something that capitalizes on Jesse Eisenberg’s weirdness, and really, the rules were great.  It is gross at points, the violence against the zombies is high-level, but it really is laugh out loud funny start to finish. Thank goodness for Woody Harrleson.
6. G.I. Joe - I expect to be argued with on this one - but remember, just my opinion!  I loved this, but then, I love Stephen Sommers movies, the bigger the better.  I also love movies where everyone in them knows they're making a silly action movie and they all look like they're having fun (see Kull the Conqueror)!  Also – an entertaining global cast, and the continued rise of Channing Tatum.
7. (500) days of summer - the best non-romantic comedy ever. Equal parts funny and complicated = fantastic! 

8. Ninja Assassin – Crazy, violent and gory - let's take the biggest pop star in Korea and make the best worst ninja movie ever!  I have always be a Naomie Harris fan, so it’s fun to see her in this.
9. Terminator Salvation – Surprise, surprise, I love McG movies too.  I loved this movie.  I’m fine being in the minority on this one, but I did love the way it tied all the previous movies together.  I liked seeing the beginning of SkyNet, and the first T-800s, and I loved Bale’s performance as Conner and Worthington’s performance as one of the first of a new breed of HK.
10. Surrogates - can't go wrong with a solid sci-fi actioner with Bruce Willis in it. There are some creepy overtones to this – why wouldn’t we stay in a pod all day and let our robotic selves go out and live a dangerous life?  Unless of course, someone destroys our robot, then what?!  It’s fun and short, check it out.
11. Hangover - the funniest movie of the year? Maybe.  This movie finally showcased Bradley Cooper, who has been awesome for a long time.  However, it also had some solid ensemble work. It is definitely ‘frat-guy’ humor, just to warn you, but it is funny; and spawned tons of quotable moments. "I've found babies before."
12. I Love You Man - probably interchangable with Hangover for funniest of the year.  I actually liked this one better.  It is also ‘frat-guy’ humor, but it has Paul Rudd, which makes it way more quality. Jason Segel is also hilarious.  And the movie itself is also quotable – “slappin' da bass!” 

13.  Transformers 2 – You’re right, it’s not nearly as good as the first, but it’s still pretty to look at. Michael bay is my favorite director (not person, I know he’s an ass), and I love big action summer popcorn movies!
14. Wolverine – I know this wasn’t as great as everyone wanted it to be, but I liked it. I thought it was very entertaining.  Hugh Jackman really knows how to play this character by now, and thank goodness for finally seeing Gambit onscreen, even if his appearance in this didn’t really make sense with the existing Marvel storyline, since this is technically a prequel to the X-Men franchise.
15. 2012 - No one destroys the earth better than Roland Emmerich, and did he ever destroy it in this movie!  At least he thought to build some arks this time, and save some people and two of each animal.  Big time entertainment! Big time popcorn!  And again, thank goodness for Woody Harrelson. 

16. Harry Potter and the Half Blood prince, or HP6.  It’s good, not as good as the book, but good.  Harry and crew are barreling along towards their inevitable end, and things are getting more and more difficult.

17. Fast and Furious (technically the 4^th). Back to basics, director Justin Lin broke down what worked about the first movie, then brought back all the original cast to make a quick-n-dirty actioner with all the original cast. It’s simple, it’s fun, it has a wide-ranging multi-ethnic cast, and it is the bottom line in what makes movies entertaining.
18. Street Fighter, the Legend of Chun-Li - awesomely terrible! Terribly awesome! Just completely ridiculous, but I loved it! Kristin Kruek goes on a revenge mission to determine who killed her father and to make them pay.  Neal McDonough gets creepy, Michael Clarke Duncan gets big, Chris Klein reminds you that he still exists, Moon Bloodgood is awesome, and Robin Shou crosses genres to go from Lui Kang to a mentor in this world.  Hooray!

19. Angels and Demons - way better than the Davinci Code, and clearly Ewan McGregor should have been playing villains all along, as he is awesome at it. Incidentally, the book was better, but the movie is pretty good.
20. Watchmen - crazy ambitious, insanely complicated - too long, and visually stunning.

There you have it.  For the record...here's my list of the worst movies of the year:

1. Watchmen - crazy ambitious, insanely complicated - too long, visually stunning, but not nearly enough to keep me from being really and truly irritated and annoyed...and what the hell was up with the blue tiger?  It was the coolest part, and it was eliminated almost immediately after being introduced!  The hell with you, Zack Synder.

2. He's Just Not That Into You – This was so incredibly terrible and insulting; all women are desperate for relationships and boyfriends and marriage and do nothing but sit around fixating on men?  Ick, throwing tons of celebrities into a horrible fakey romcom does not make it watchable.
3. Year One - yeah, it had some funny moments, but it just was not good. It was mostly just wasted potential, Michael Cera and Jack Black playing themselves, however, the one bright spot was Oliver Platt chewing the hell out of the scenery.

4. Fame – This was an odd choice to remake the classic.  It could have been great, but really just felt like an incomplete collection of short stories.
5. State of Play – this was a good story, but way too complicated.  I can't stand Russell Crowe even though I really like Ben Affleck.  Are we really supposed to believe they went to school together, and are the same age?  Maybe they are, but Crowe looks 15 years older.  Also, it’s a little tough to buy the intensity of rushing for a newspaper deadline in this day and age.
6. Push - cool idea, but really the definition of wasted potential.  Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning have mild super-powers.

There you go, a complete summary of 2009 movies! 

Movie Review: The Best Man Holiday (R – 123 minutes)

The original Best Man was released in 1999, and featured several up and coming young stars (at the time).  Harper, the “best man” in the title, was about to release his autobiographical novel as he was arriving to be the best man at his friend Lance’s (a pro football player) wedding.  The movie combined many storylines into one weekend, as Jordan got an advance copy of the book, and knew that Harper once slept with Lance’s fiancé Mia when she was looking for revenge for Lance’s affairs.  That happened years ago, and Harper is hoping to make it through the wedding, fending off advances from Jordan while waiting for his girlfriend Robyn to arrive.  Mia’s crazy friend Shelby shows up to throw things off, and Quentin and Julian, the other groomsmen, have their own issues, including Julian falling for Candace, a stripper.  Writer director Malcolm D. Lee actually did an incredible job putting all these storylines into one complete movie that was alternatingly fun and painful.  At the core was the friendship of the guys, and working through their issues to stand by each other.

The film was a success, and many of the stars when on to do some really great things.  That allowed Malcolm D. Lee to bring them all back together – 14 years later – for a Christmas party.  

Lance is thinking of retirement from the NFL, and he and Mia ask all their friends to come in for the holidays.  She does have an ulterior motive, but that is played out beautifully.  Lance still hasn’t quite forgiven Harper.  Harper and Robyn are expecting, after trying unsuccessfully several times.  Harper’s last book hasn’t sold and they are hurting financially because of the fertility treatments.  Julian and Candace are married with two daughters and running a private school together when Julian discovers an old YouTube video of Candace.  Shelby is a ‘star’ on the Real Housewives of Westchester, and every bit the insane diva.  Jordan is now a big time publisher and dating a handsome man with dimples, but not really committing.  And Quentin, well, he’s still crazy.

The movie works, and it works well.  There are several reasons.  One of them is the ability of Malcolm D. Lee to tell several interesting stories on top of one another.  And yes, while those stories are a little soap-opera-y, they are really entertaining.  As Quentin says at one point, “That was some melodramatic shit.”  He also wrote Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, which is actually much better than you think it is.  So check that out if you haven’t seen it.  He has also directed Roll Bounce, which again had the alternating hilarious and sad moments, and Undercover Brother, one of my favorite movies – which really needs a sequel.  Hey, if it took him 14 years to sequelize the Best Man, maybe there’s hope for Undercover Brother?

The chemistry between these stars is another reason the movie is successful.  They have known each other for the 14 years, and that shows on screen.  Honestly, the scene where the guys perform for the women is fantastic. 

• Taye Diggs plays Harper with a quiet desperation.  He really just wants to take care of Robyn, and make sure that his friends are happy, but unfortunately, he takes a round-a-bout way to get there.  He’s stunning, and probably the best actor in the bunch, and he is given plenty to do in this movie.

• Sanaa Lathan plays Robyn, and spends most of this movie really pregnant – which made me want this to turn into Blade (she played his mother).  She also does a good job in the movie, struggling to stay positive when Harper gets negative, and trying to keep everything moving in the right direction.

• Morris Chestnut plays Lance, and while the logos for the team he plays for were fake (if the NFL won’t give you licensing permission, why use the NY Giants name?  Why not use a fake name?), his body is real.  There were not nearly enough shirtless scenes for him.  He again plays Lance as really angry, mainly with Harper.  He is tolerating having everyone over to his house because Mia wants it.

• Monica Calhoun plays Mia with a simple understated grace and elegance.  She really has the most to do in this movie and is excellent.  Her joy at bringing all of her friends together for the holidays is infectious!

• Harold Perrineau plays Julian, who basically gets to just be shocked at his stripper wife’s past.  He knew she was a stripper – why is he that shocked?  Well, he’s great, and does get some fun moments.

• Regina Hall plays Candace, and while she’s wonderful in a few of those Scary Movies, she’s really good in this too.  She does a good job of keeping her past under wraps, until it comes to light, and then does a good job defending it and moving on.
• Nia Long plays Jordan as a complete Alpha female who needs nothing and no one to help her with her life.  She again does a good job playing the transition of Jordan from uptight and efficient to a more understanding and aware friend.

• Eddie Cibrian and his dimples play Brian, who Jordan is dating, but not really committing to.  He doesn’t get much to do, except for one scene with the guys, and a few others with Jordan.

• Terrence Howard plays Quentin, and he is the ambling stoner of the group.  He’s a very successful promoter, so he has a lot of money.  He is basically the comedy relief in this movie, and does a good job at that.

• Melissa De Sousa plays Shelby and she is out-of-control hilarious, until the one scene where she is out-of-control in front of her daughter, and then it’s a little heartbreaking.  She plays it just right.

The cast is all great, and they do a great job with the storylines they are given.  Yes, there are a lot, and yes, it’s a little melodramatic, but truthfully, it’s really well done.  It alternates between hilarious and touching in a really well-crafted way.  It does earn the R, mainly with language and some sex.  Also, in its first weekend of release, it gained back double the entire budget.  So that means that the little bit at the end that set up a sequel will definitely give us a third one.   Hopefully quicker than 14 years.

8 out of 10 – really entertaining, really fun, really touching, and really well done.   Gained points for a shirtless Morris Chestnut (yes, I am more on board with his rumored casting as T’Challa now), but on the other hand, lost points for a shirtless Terrence Howard, yikes.  Gained points for the jogging scene, watching Taye Diggs pretend to be out of shape.  Simultaneously gained and lost points for all the melodrama – but hey, that’s what we want!

Bonus Video 1 – Taye on the Daly Show.

Bonus Video 2 – Undercover Brother – seriously, if you haven’t seen this, rent it now.

Bonus Video 3 – Cast interviews.

Movie Review: Last Vegas (PG13 – 105 minutes)

There are plenty of movies that involve a story of several old friends getting together to relive their former glory – or hang out for one last hurrah.  Usually, played for laughs, these stories can be pretty funny.  Space Cowboys was a recent comedy, featuring a bunch of old dudes. 

Last Vegas is the story of four old friends, Billy, Paddy, Archie, and Sam who are getting together because Billy is getting remarried (to a much younger woman) in Las Vegas.  They grew up together in New York, and have since spread out throughout the country.  

Billy and Paddy had a falling out after Paddy’s wife died, and they have not spoken in about a year.  Billy was delivering a eulogy at the funeral of a friend, which made him realize his own mortality, and he proposed to his young girlfriend during the eulogy.  Sam and Archie travel to New York to convince Paddy to travel with them to Vegas for the wedding.  Hijinks ensue.  These hijinks include winning a bunch of money, staying in the penthouse suite, meeting a lounge singer, clubbing, getting in a fight with a young hothead, and throwing a huge bachelor party. 

The movie is lighthearted and fun, and really non-committal.  By that, I mean that you really do not feel attached to any particular character, but you do enjoy the story.  Each of the four main actors is wonderful – that goes without saying, however the movie is harmless fluff.  Honestly, I appreciated the smart humor and the scenes with the four of them together playing off each other.  The movie is funny, but not hilarious.  It is directed by Jon Turteltaub, who did both the National Treasure movies (which were great) and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice (which is better than you think). 

Usually in a movie with a cast this old, the story attempts to throw in a drama storyline by making one of the characters sick and/or dying – spoiler alert – no one in this movie is sick and/or dying.  Everyone makes it through, and it has a happy ending.  It’s the perfect little piece of fluff for this time of year, when your other options are mainly heavy-duty Oscar-bait pieces.

• Michael Douglas plays Billy, and his fake tan is exceptionally off-putting, as well as his relationship with a woman less than half his age.  Don’t worry, his buddies give him plenty of crap for that.  Douglas does get the chance to show his range and have a few dramatic scenes.  He’s good, and certainly capable for this movie.

• Robert deNiro  plays Paddy, and while given the chance to show his range, he continues to show the range that he has become famous for – which is mainly slightly irritated to angry.  But hey, it’s Robert deNiro, you’re not expecting more than that from him.

• Morgan Freeman plays Archie and of course has the best lines – but then, he is Morgan Freeman.  He’s better at comedy than I expected.  The scene where he sneaks out of his house so as not to upset his son is particularly funny.

• Kevin Kline plays Sam, and his character was the one I liked the least, not his fault, he was fine, but his character is all excited because his wife gave him a condom for his trip and permission to cheat, so he spends the majority of the front half of the movie looking for some strange.  It’s awkward, and yes – somewhat funny, but mainly just awkward.

• Mary Steenburgen plays the lounge singer Diana, who of course suddenly draws the attention of two of our leads.  She’s fine, I’m pretty sure she wasn’t doing her own singing, but she looks great and was very funny in her directness.

• Jerry Ferrara basically plays Turtle – or Dean as he’s called in this movie.  He’s funny, and has a good time, but doesn’t do anything you haven’t seen him do before. 

• Romany Malco plays Lonnie, which is basically the same character you’ve seen him play before.  He’s the very helpful hotel employee who caters to the guys’ wants.
• The stunning Michael Ealy plays Archie’s son Ezra, and has very few scenes, but they are well-crafted enough to completely begin and end his character arc.

Like I said, the movie is harmless fun – and I liked that no one died.  Keep your expectations low and you'll be pleased.

7 out of 10 – Gained points for Michael Ealy, lost points for deNiro being touted as one of the greatest actors (sorry, I don’t get it), at least he’s good in this.  Gained points for RedFoo griding on deNiro – now that’s comedy – Lost points for the obligatory Vegas girl bikini contest.  Gained points for the ending that may or may not lead into a sequel.  We’ll see.

Bonus Video 1:  A Fish Called Wanda – Kevin Kline has rarely been as funny as he was in this:

Bonus Video 2:  The cast reading current pop lyrics – hilarious.

Bonus Video 3:  Cast Interviews - Talking on the Talk

Movie Review: Thor: the Dark World (PG13 – 112 Minutes)

My main complaint about Ender’s Game was that it lacked a sense of fun.  I realize that is inherent in its subject matter, but it was still a complaint for me.  Good news, Thor 2 more than made up for it. 

Thor is a Marvel comics character, first published in 1962. However, the Thor world is taken directly from Norse mythology.  Thor, his brother Loki, and their father Odin are characters that have existed for centuries.  Their exploits are filled with the same arrogance and lessons that those of the Greek or Roman gods are.  It made perfect sense then that the first Thor movie would be directed by Kenneth Branaugh, who is as close to a living reincarnation of William Shakespeare as you will find on this planet.  The movie was part of the Marvel ‘Phase 1’ project, that was initialized by Iron Man, and Hulk.  It came just before Captain America, which led into the final piece of Phase 1, the magnificent Avengers.

Marvel then successfully announced plans for ‘Phase 2’, and even more successfully began them with Iron Man 3 earlier this year.  It wasn’t as good as Iron Man 1, but it was definitely better than Iron Man 2.  My expectations with Thor 2 were that it would continue that trend.  Where Thor 1 had a gorgeous look, fabulous action, and surprising sense of fun, I guessed that Thor 2 would drop the ball slightly.  Thor is always difficult to relate to – he’s a god from a different spacial realm – so half the success of Thor 1 was putting him on earth and giving it a ‘fish-out-of-water’ feel.  Thor 2 takes place mainly on Asgard with brief forays into other realms. 

This movie begins with Thor and his trusty hammer Mjolnir helping to restore peace and order to the 9 realms with the assistance of Lady Sif and the Warriors Three (in mythology, Thor also has the belt Megingjoro, the gloves Jarngreipr, and the staff Grioarvolr – so don’t complain about pronouncing Mjolnir – it could be worse).  Loki’s attack on New York took place just after the destruction of the bi-frost, and so the realms fell into chaos.  The warriors are starting to see the results of their work, and are locking up various baddies from all the realms in their special prison wing.  This gives Thor’s parents the opportunity to tell him he should think about settling down, probably with Sif, who seems to be holding a bit of a torch for him (Incidentally, in Norse Mythology, Thor is married to Sif).  However, there is an approaching convergence of the realms (basically the same deal that was happening in the Tomb Raider movie if you remember – the Alignment?), and the lines between realms are becoming blurred.  This just happens to be the perfect time for the long-ago vanquished Dark Elves (led by the 10^th doctor and Heavy Duty from the first GI Joe movie) to wake from their slumber, seek out a weapon called the Aether, and seek to destroy all the realms in vengeance, or anger, or just bitterness – you know, all the things that Dark Elves are known for. 

Meanwhile, on earth, physicist Jane Foster, her intern Darcy, and Darcy’s new intern Ian are bumbling around London looking for their missing mentor Erik Selvig while noticing some strange side-effects of the convergence.  To her credit, Jane is attempting to not mope around because of not seeing Thor for two years and is even out on a date.  However, they find some weird gravity holes here and there, the occasional teleportation loop, and floating trucks.  While fooling around with these (I’m not going to lie, if I found a stairwell that I could drop a bottle down, it disappears before it hits the floor, then appears at the top to drop down again – that would keep me entertained almost all day), Jane accidentally gets sucked into one of the teleportation loops that puts her right where the Aether is being hidden.  The Aether must have really loved Black Swan because it decides to bond with her.   She then bamfs back to London, where Thor appears – because of course, Heimdall couldn’t see her for a moment, and Thor’s been constantly harassing Heimdall to watch Jane all the time.  During a brief skirmish with the cops, Thor realizes she’s infected with something un-earthly, and whisks her away to Asgard where the queen of the Borg takes a look at her and determines that whatever is in her is dangerous and will probably kill her.  Odin thinks this is just fine, delivering one of the best lines in the movie – that she no more belongs on Asgard, “than a goat belongs at a banquet table”, but Thor vows to save her.  There’s not much time, as the Dark Elves – drawn to the Aether the way Captain Barbosa and his crew are drawn to their pirate gold – appear in some dark spaceships and attack the palace.  Thor then has to defy his father to figure the best way to end Malekith’s plan (the leader of the Dark Elves) – which is just to destroy all nine realms.

This movie is really well directed by Alan Taylor, who has previously done some action-y TV shows, Game of Thrones in particular.  It looks gorgeous, especially the moments on Asgard, which is all golden and vertical, and we get to see much more of it this time around.  There is a moment where Thor and Jane are talking on a balcony overlooking a lake, and it looks like Naboo.  The Asgardian costumes are impressive as well.  The bits on earth are really hilarious, due mostly to the team of Stellan Skarsgaard and Kat Dennings, who seems to have earned herself more screen time this go-round.  The movie had a decent story, great action, and a wonderful sense of fun.  The final battle sequence is outstanding as it transfers from realm to realm and includes all the characters, alternating from silly to serious, to action packed to romantic.  The first Thor had a wonderful fun tone, and this sequel maintains and excels that tone.  It fits perfectly in the ongoing Marvel Phase, and makes me really look forward to their upcoming releases.  There is an extended Captain America: the Winter Soldier trailer attached to the front, as well as the after the credit bits that you knew would be there – and yes – stay all the way through the credits (not just to the Thanos part, but to the Schwarma part). 

Cast-wise, everyone really is settling in to their characters.

• Chris Hemsworth again is magnificent as Thor.  He seems to enjoy himself, and does a great job of moping around Asgard longing for Jane.  He’s charismatic and beautiful, and yes, there is the prerequisite shot of him shirtless for the ladies.  It is completely gratuitous and has nothing to do with the plot, it’s just as excuse to let Hemsworth be shirtless for a moment.  I personally felt there could have been more than one scene like that, but I’ll take what I can get! 

• Tom Hiddleston was the breakout in the first Thor and continued to astound in the Avengers.  Only someone as amazing as Hiddleston could hold down a villain role with that many heroes surrounding him.  He’s equally wonderful and vile in this.  You share Thor’s love and hate for Loki, desperately wishing you could trust him.  The scenes with Loki and Thor bickering and fighting are wonderful and speaks to the great chemistry that Hemsworth and Hiddleston have built.

• Natalie Portman is fine as Jane Foster, she is a bit one-note, but loosens up more in this than I have ever seen her do before.  Jane’s attempted date at the beginning (with the magnificent Chris O’Dowd from Bridesmaids), and the bumbling through the rest of the film are really entertaining, and give Portman the chance to be human. 

• Kat Dennings really does have an expanded bit, she’s not acting so much as just being Kat Dennings, but she is really fun and entertaining in this.  I especially liked her interaction with their new intern – Liam – and it still cracks me up when she calls the hammer Mew-Mew. 

• Stellan Skarsgaard is also a little more expanded in this, and his Erik Selvig is barely recovered from Loki’s brain manipulation in the Avengers – and I do mean barely.  For example, the first time we see him, he is tearing around Stonehenge naked.  And that is absolutely as brilliant as you think it could be.

• Anthony Hopkins is in this to play Odin to chew the scenery, and he does a magnificent job at that.  I particularly liked his interactions with Loki, and with Rene Russo as Frigga.  Russo actually gets a whole lot more to do in this movie as well, including an entire battle scene with Malekith.

• Speaking of Malekith, Christopher Eccleston is the perfect choice as the villain in this movie.  He’s grim and determined and wants nothing more than to plunge all 9 realms into the eternal darkness of nothing.  I was really impressed with the dark elf makeup, especially on him.  It is subtle and beautiful. 

• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who I always enjoy, plays Malekith's second in command and has some beautiful dark elf makeup as well, and then an amazing prosthetic when turned into ‘the Kursed’.

• Jaimie Alexander plays Lady Sif, and while she does seem to long after Thor a bit unrequitedly, she’s still a badass in battle.  There have been rumblings about her as Wonder Woman previous to this.  This will only add more momentum to that push. 

• In terms of the other Warriors 3, Ray Stevenson continues to play Volstagg, Tadanobu Asano returns as Hogun (just with a longer wig in this one), and Zacary Levi steps in as Fandral instead of Josh Dallas (who I am guessing couldn’t return because he was busy with Once Upon A Time?).  They each get a bit of business in this movie, and are very fun. 

• Idris Elba’s Heimdall is far more action-packed in this movie and actually gets a chance to leave his little bridge-projector room.   He also gets the chance to take the helmet off.  The sequence where he takes out an entire ship is wonderful.  He certainly proves that he’s worthy of his own superhero movie, just which one to cast him as…or perhaps James Bond?  He’d be perfect for that.

Go see this – and see it now – and see it in 3D.  It’s easily the movie I’ve enjoyed the most this year.  Quality-wise, Gravity is probably the best movie I’ve seen this year, but again – that’s not why I go to movies.  I go to be entertained.  I love all the details in this movie:  Thor hanging Mjolnir on a coat rack, the glimmer of Loki’s magic, Odin’s Raven, Frigga’s badassery, and the brief introduction of Benecio del Toro as the Collector.  It’s everything a fun summer movie should be, which is even more welcome now, in the midst of the Oscar Movie Season doldrums.

10 out of 10.  I loved it so much – it’s the only thing this year that made me want to turn around immediately after it was over and turn around to go right back in to see it again.  Iron Man 3 was okay, but made me really angry the first time out (maybe too much knowledge of the character beforehand?  I know nothing about Thor storylines).  Star Trek Into Darkness made me furious, even after multiple viewings made me okay with it, Man of Steel was a huge let down.  So far the only things that I really enjoyed were Fast 6 and the silly fun of Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters.  This really took the cake.  Gained points for Hiddleston, he’s fantastic.  Gained points for Lady Sif being awesome.   Gained points for Kat Dennings – who was almost funny enough to make me want to watch Two Broke Girls – almost.  Gained points for Skarsgard running around Stonehenge naked – that’s worth the price of admission.   

Bonus Video 1: EMH –  This show is streaming on Netflix, and it is fantastic. 

Bonus Video 2:  The honest trailer for Thor 1. 

Bonus Video 3:  Loki taking over Comic-Con and belittling Chris Hardwick.  Hiddleston is amazing.

Bonus Video 4:  Cast Interviews: