Documentary, 87 Minutes, 2010
I’m a big fan of stand-up comedy (although I’m a big hater of clubs – I neither drink nor smoke – so I almost never go out to see it). It’s truly one of the purest forms of performance. Most comics author and perform their own material in front of small, often distracted (and drunken) audiences. They might travel for months on end to stand on tiny stages under blinding lights and do dozens of shows in a week.
“A Beginner’s Guide to Endings” on IMDB
Comedy/Drama, 92 Minutes, 2011
Had no idea what to expect from this one. Liked the box art, liked the people in it and had a couple hours so gave it a shot. The first shot is of Harvey Keitel [IMDB] and that’s usually a good sign. He’s a low-life who spent most of his life being a bad father to his five sons and has finally done something so heinous that he can’t live with himself.
Comedy, 102 Minutes, 2012
Ben Stiller [IMDB] has been more “miss” than “hit” lately. Well – to be fair – more “average” than “amazing”. His last few movies, including this one to some extent, have been a little uneven, silly and too dependent on deus ex machina. This one is saved in the end by some slick special effects and some fun (if completely immature) gags, but it is a bumpy ride.
Drama, 110 Minutes, 2012
This movie was marketed horribly. It was marketed as a quick-cut, quick-wit, wacky ensemble comedy like “Snatch” [IMDB] or “Ocean’s Eleven” [IMDB]. The trailer has swearing, explosions and guns. It was presented as a fun, simple, frenetic story about some lunatics that steal an even bigger lunatic’s dog. Smart, yes, but not too smart.
Comedy, 91 Minutes, 2012
I’m a big fan of the old Universal Horror films. “Frankenstein”, “The Wolfman”, “Dracula” and “The Mummy” are all classics and this movie gets a decent bump just by having them all together. Sure they’re all cartoons with famous voices but they’re still together and there’s a host of little references and in-jokes that just for old-time fans like myself.
The story is kinda blah. It’s got that “been there, done that… now with more pop culture references!” feel that a lot of animation has. It’s fine, but nothing that you’ll remember a few days later. Monsters are really just decent folks hiding from the horrible humans that tried to hunt them out of existence. Dracula, in an effort to shelter her from the humans that killed her mother over 100 years ago, hides his daughter away from the world in a lavish hotel that caters exclusively to the monster world. When a wayward human hiker stumbles onto the hotel everybody is, of course, forced to reconsider.
Sport/Comedy, 92 Minutes, 2011
I’m a fat guy. I spent my high-school days reading comic books and watching “Star Trek” while not being invited to parties. I never got along all that well with the jocks and sometimes really didn’t get along with them. “Battlebots” may be the closest thing to a sport that I’ve ever followed. In spite of all of that I love sports movies.
Not all of them, of course, but the anthem movies – the under-dog / come from behind / fuck-ups-make-good movies – I adore those. Actual sports are overly complicated, overly commercialize, they often make superstars of despicable people. Also the time you have to invest is insane! Movies are simple, direct and give you honest heroes; and all in a couple of hours tops!
For what it’s worth: if I were to suddenly want to get into sports I think that hockey would probably be my choice. It’s big enough to really sink your teeth into but still small enough that money hasn’t been able to completely ruin it. It’s fast and relatively simple compared to the three big balls (“foot”, “base” and “basket” in case you don’t know). This movie celebrates hockey, specifically one of the more unsavory (but iconic) aspects of it.
Comedy, 90 Minutes, 2011
There’s always humor, often some of the best, to be found when people take something too seriously. It can be anything, but it’s all the better when the something in question is a little… out there. This is what makes movies like “Best in Show” [IMDB] so good. Take an activity that we know of but really nothing about. Include a cast of people, often small-town people, for whom this thing is everything and just sit back and watch the fireworks.
Drama, 97 Minutes, 2012
This isn’t really a “comedy” (although it’s billed that way). You really won’t laugh at it. It’s a somewhat decent drama however. A light, non-threatening, ultimately unimportant drama to be sure, but a decent one nonetheless. It’s flawed and these flaws tend to undercut its message but I’m willing to admit that I may not be the target audience here.
Zombie alert!
See the review of Paranorman on our sister site, MoreBrains.com dedicated to all things zombie!
Comedy, 95 Minutes, 2009
[My daughter recently discovered that all her Jewish friends go the movies on Christmas day. She came up with the idea of watching a movie for each night of Hanukkah. This is the eighth and final one!]
