The Watch

This isn't one of the summer's blockbuster movies but still had potential based on the trailer to be an entertaining movie. You had three big name actors in comedy along with a seasoned English actor... Akiva Schaffer, known for being part of The Lonely Island, directed this movie...and the kicker is it is a movie about four regular guys forming a neighborhood watch group to protect from outer space aliens! That has ENTERTAINMENT written all over it!

Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1298649/

 The Watch delivered in an unexpected way mainly because of the cast. Ben Stiller, who has been in comedy classics like There's Something About Mary, plays Evan, a married man with family problems but hides it by forming community groups. Vince Vaughn, known for such movies as Wedding Crashers basically reprises that role for this movie with a wife and teenage daughter as Bob. Jonah Hill (21 Jump Street), the new face of comedy IMO, plays Franklin, a young adult that lives with his mom that has a chip on his shoulder. Last one in the pack is Richard Ayoade, who used to be in a television show called "The IT Crowd", plays Jamarcus, a sex deprived British guy looking for make some new friends.  These four work very well together and on screen chemistry can be seen in some funny scenes. Another noteworthy performance comes from Will Forte (SNL) because he gets to play a douce cop. This movie also features a cameo from someone I'm a big fan of! No spoilers haha!

This movie had a recipe for laughter and entertainment and it delivered on both of those things.  The Watch deserved the R rating it was given because of the raunchy humor. The run-time was a bit short at just over an hour but gave it enough time to tell the story and entertain the audience. The ending was a little hard to understand but it sent a good message and wrapped things nicely.

If you are a fan of comedy and sci-fi like me, then I would recommend this movie...

Rating: 8/10: Good

If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them my way! Thanks for reading!

The Dark Knight Rises

Ever since The Dark Knight announced that it would be having a sequel, the hype started to build and build...until the eventually release date of The Dark Knight rises. The question is did it live up to the massive hype?

Trailer:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1345836/

I hope I don't sound bias when I do this review but I'm such a big Batman fan that I wore a Batman mask, and custom made cape to the midnight showing.  Also, I did Batman impressions as a joke to some people working at the theater...but enough about me, let's talk about this movie...

First off, Tom Hardy (Bane) is no Heath Ledger. Their characters are very different. Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker made The Dark Knight the great movie it is praised as. No one's performance really stood out. Everyone did great in their roles. Tom Hardy (Inception)did great as Bane, a super villain that is Batman's biggest rival. Christian Bale did a good job as an older Batman. Michael Caine did really good as Alfred. He got a slightly larger role this movie. Hat's off to Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) for her performance as Catwoman. She had a lot of the mannerisms down and looked good in the suit. Plus, she did some cool stunts in some of the fight scenes! Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50) did well in his role as John Blake who becomes Robin by the end of the movie. I approve of him as Robin if that is the next movie that comes out of the series.

This movie had a lot of good in it besides the performances. The visuals were great especially the part in the football stadium. Unbelievable cinematography! The fight scenes were well done.The story gave a lot of insight about the motives of Bane, Selena Kyle's (Catwoman) back-story, and the aftermath of The Dark Knight.

Yes, the run-time was nearly 3 hours but what do you expect from a Christopher Nolan directed Batman movie! There was a lot of story to tell and needed time to tell it. I personally felt helpless as I watched Bane take over Gotham. The ending fight between Batman and Bane felt rushed. The end seemed like a great way to cap off the Batman trilogy.

Overall, it was an entertaining movie with a few flaws.

Rating: 9/10: Excellent!

Ted

What do you get when you combine Mark Wahlberg, a pot smoking teddy bear, and a love story involving Mila Kunis?

Sounds like the start of a funny joke! The previews made this movie seem like it was an adult version of Family Guy. That's exactly what it was! The movie was rated R for a reason and it is probably because the jokes go beyond cable television.

The story mixed in with the comedy is what made this movie stand out. Mark Wahlberg brings his A game to the big screen once again and doesn't disappoint as John Bennett! Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, voices Ted and sounds like Peter Griffin. Ted is John's childhood best friend that later becomes a pot smoking, beer swelling, sex-crazed, talking teddy bear. It is easy to tell that Ted is holding John back since John is working at a car rental place and has been dating the same girl for years now. Mila Kunis does a solid job as Lori, John's girlfriend. Other credit goes to Joel McHale, lead character in Community who plays the hot shot douche-bag. This movie has a twist in it and makes for an interesting plot. No spoilers!

The movie's run-time was just under two hours so if you are looking for a movie that will have you laughing so hard that you might fall out of your chair but also isn't dumb then you picked the right movie!  Just know, this isn't your typical children's movie!

Rating: 8.5/10
Very Good!


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637725/

Men At Work: Pilot

This show looked promising from the funny advertisements to the cast. Hyde from That 70's Show is the lead character. Danny Masterson as Milo, a recently single guy that is trying to get over the breakup of his girlfriend, Lisa (played by Amy Smart).

Men at Work vs. 40 Year Old Virgin? This show reminds me a lot of the characters in the movie, 40 Year Old Virgin. This show revolves around four friends that work together and could be your typical buddies. Besides Milo, you have Tyler who is the "pretty boy" who brings style and sophistication to the group. Gibbs, the ladies man, who never met a pretty woman that he didn't try to seduce. Then you have Neal, the one guy in the group in a committed relationship who doesn't know how to be in a relationship. The characters alone should be a reason to check this show out.

The episode drew me in because it was raunchy and had good quotes in it. Also, you can learn from some of the mistakes the guys make. This show has potential...

Rating: B - Slightly Recommend

How I Met Your Mother: Magician's Code (Season Finale)

Last episode "Good Crazy" left things a lot of doors open. Is Quin and Barney's relationship on the rocks? How will Marshal react to Lily's pregnancy? These questions required a two part episode to answer.

Before this episode aired, it was hinted in the preview that there was a big surprise in store...wait for it

As I was watching this episode, I was left wanting more and was sad that my favorite show on TV will be gone for many months. The episode itself was pieced together so well. From the stories told while Lily's in labor to the surprise ending. There was humor in the shenanigans that ensued and I found out the coolest middle name for a baby. Also, that was a cool way to make a proposal!

The question that needs to be asked is who is Robin going to marry? Ted? Barney? Kal Penn's character?
Who is the mother? Is it Victoria?

Rating: A: Must Watch!

"Magician's Code"

 

The Avengers

In the last few years, many superhero movies were released including Thor (Good), Ironman 2 (Good), Captain America (Very Good). There has been one superhero movie that has set the standard for all superhero movies...Batman: The Dark Knight. This movie is on my list of top ten movies of all time! This dark story of Batman's biggest rival, The Joker, played by the recently departed Heath Ledger, has been very successful and is in a lot of fan's collections including mine. Batman is my favorite superhero but that movie had it all and now four years later, The Dark Knight Rises is coming this July! Can a movie about a group of superheros about saving the Earth from Loki's army top one the best superhero movie of all time?

The answer to that question is debatable but if you want a movie this year that is going to deliver on all levels, you found it! Action packed, loaded with cool looking explosions that only Director, Joss Whedon, creator of Toy Story, can do. This movie has it all! The acting was great especially Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of Loki. Robert Downey Jr. (Ironman) gave some great one liners. Chris Hemsworth as Thor, did good in his serious role and action scenes. Chris Evans (Captain America) showed his maturity since playing Human Torch in Fantastic Four. Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk) despite not being in a Hulk movie still did well in his dual role of scientist/angry ass kicking monster. Samuel L. Jackson, known for his role in Pulp Fiction, played Nick Fury and proved why he is a great actor. Even the female actresses stepped their game up for this game. Young actress, Scarlett Johansson did a good job in her smaller role playing The Black Widow. Another female actress made quite an impression that I didn't know was in the movie. Canadian actress, Cobie Smulders, known for playing the sexy Robin Scherbatsky in How I Met Your Mother, really shined in her role as Agent Maria Hill.

The only flaw in this otherwise perfect movie was the the slow start to it. The run time was nearly 2.5 hours but it sure didn't seem like it. It gave enough time to tell the story without it feeling rushed or too drawn out.

The last half hour sold me on this movie as it had jaw-dropping action and was a superhero fantasy all rolled into one.I have a hard time giving this movie or any movie the rating that I'm about to give it but it feels well deserved...

Rating: 10/10: Perfect! 

The Avengers trailer

Saturday Night Live: Eli Manning 5/5/12

As much as I like Saturday Night Live, 31 year old, NFL Quarterback, Eli Manning didn't seem like a good choice for the host of this week's SNL. His background is football and recently led the NY Giants to a second Superbowl with a victory over the heavily favored New England Patriots. He doesn't have any acting to his credit so I felt like it was going to be a bad episode of SNL. By bad episode, I mean, not funny. I mentioned before in earlier blog posts that the host makes the show hit or miss. This show is supposed to be funny so having dry, boring hosts make it hard for the show to be funny. I thought Eli was one of these hosts...

Until I saw this episode! Not only was Eli funny in most of his roles but he can be a decent actor.  His best skit by far was "Little Brothers" where he actually makes a spoof on his older brother Peyton. Eli wasn't afraid to make a fool out of himself in "Miss Drag World" and played along to the script despite being dressed in drag. Ha! Did you know that Eli was cast a Cheech and Chong movie?

This was a solid episode where the skits were mostly hits and we even got a special appearance by The Dictator (Sasha Baron Cohen)! The skit involving The Dictator made me want to see his movie even more now! The Dictator comes out next week and looks to be another version of the international spoof, Borat.

The only real complaint about this episode is the musical guest, Rihanna wasn't very good live. She is a talented singer and big name but she didn't sound that great on the set. This episode showed potential for a second appearance by Eli Manning in the near future. Speaking of the near future...I can't wait until next week when former SNL cast member, and personal favorite, Will Ferrell returns as the guest host!

Rating: B+
Recommend

'TCM Comedy's Cheech and Chong' clip

'Miss Drag World' clip

'Little Brothers' clip

The Dictator trailer

Will Ferrell trailer