Chattanooga Film Festival 2016: Honey Buddies (Buddymoon)

Honey Buddies (Buddymoon) (2016)
Chattanooga Film Festival 2016

Back at the beginning of April, I was able to go to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria (thanks again, Daniel and Tim, for bringing me on board...puns and all).  For four days, the Majestic Theater in Chattanooga was filled with movie lovers of all shapes and sizes.  Comedy, horror, drama, documentaries, short films, animated films, independent films...the festival had movies for everyone, regardless of tastes.  For the last several posts, I have been posting my reviews of the movies that I saw there (in the order that I saw them).  Next up (the final review in my coverage of the Chattanooga Film Festival 2016) - Honey Buddies (Buddymoon).




I've been providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available.  The descriptions and the trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for Honey Buddies (Buddymoon) was:  When David (David Giuntoli; Grimm, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi) is left by his fiance just days before the wedding, Flula (Flula Borg; Pitch Perfect 2), his relentlessly upbeat best man, insists they go on David's previously planned honeymoon:  a seven-day backpacking trip through the mountains of Oregon.  On the trail they cross paths with a conspiracy theorist, a friendly backpacker and a bloodthirsty predator as the unrelenting trek tests their friendship and their lives.



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 




Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

J.R. Mounts. Everything.

I first met JR Mounts a couple years ago at Marble City Comic Con.  He had a pickle mannequin in a trench coat and a fedora (the mannequin...not JR) and I was intrigued...so I had to talk to him.  Rather than just trying to get me to buy something from him, JR actually talked about art, puns, and the creative process.  Even though I had never met him, JR was treating me like I was one of his biggest fans.  That is one of the things that sets JR apart from so many other vendors that I have met...when people stop by his booth, he is genuine and not just treating the person like another potential sale.  And that is one of the things that makes his books so great - they have that same genuine personality and humor.

Since that first meeting, JR and I have grown to become friends and have gotten together a couple times to work on various projects.  The first time, he joined Daniel, Tim, Jeremy, and myself on Mass Listeria as we discussed our top 5 influences (listen to that episode here).  The next time we got together, we recorded an episode of Saturday Morning Cereal (listen to that here) and then worked on some videos highlighting the artistic process and the ups and downs of what it means to be an artist.  We also got a sneak peak at his newest project, "Stuck in My Head" and were one of the first media outlets to see some of the completed art!  We also recorded a..."crappy"...commercial.  We had a lot of fun making the videos, so hopefully you have just as much fun watching them.


Scairy Tales Noir commercial
 


"Yuck It Up"



"Full-Time Schtick"



"Stuck in My Head"



"Labor of Love"



"On the Road Again"



"Ducking Around"




If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Halloween Movie Month: Re-Animator

Re-Animator (1985)
unrated
Netflix instant

Re-Animator is about a medical student, Herbert West (played by Jeffrey Combs) who is fascinated (if not obsessed) with finding the scientific answer to re-animating dead tissue.  West believes that he has found the correct formula for a serum to bring the dead back to life, but there are still a few kinks to work out.

I hate to admit it, but this is the first time that I have ever seen Re-Animator.  Aside from knowing that it is a cult classic, the setting, tone, acting, etc. have a cult-classic feel right from the beginning.  It does not take long for there to be gore, mad scientists, and exploding body parts.  While the effects and acting were pretty cheesy, there is just something about movies from the 70s and 80s that feel so much more real.  Maybe "real" isn't the best word...but, at least more genuine.  Even when doing a schlocky comedy horror, the actors still portray the roles with conviction.

Re-Animator is one of those movies that knows the horror tropes, when to use them, when to give a new take on them, and how to do them appropriately.  For example, most horror movies have the "here kitty, kitty" bit where there is a strange noise and the characters go out in search of the source of the noise, hoping that it was just a cat in the alley.  In Re-Animator, there is still a "here kitty, kitty" scene, but it is when they are actually looking for the cat because they realize that they have not heard from it in a while.  It's just a nice little twist that a lack of noise is what prompted the scene, rather than a startling noise.

Another thing that I love about this movie is that it is a horror comedy that actually gets the horror aspect and the comedy aspects right.  The music, though repetitive, does well at setting the appropriately creepy mood.  There are plenty of gory, gruesome, creepy scenes.  But, amidst those scenes, there is very dry humor.  The humor is done well in that it gets me to laugh (at the very least, chuckle) without completely breaking away from the scene.  Too many horror comedies make the mistake of either focusing too much on one aspect while the other withers, or having the horror and comedy completely separate from each other.

The plot is not really anything new - bringing back the dead and the search for immortality.  While the general plot might be familiar, it is done very well and I actually care about the characters.  Also, the two main characters are actually complex.  Rather than just being straightforward "good guys," they each have their flaws and their moments of compassion.  This movie has a similar type of fright as a classic sci-fi mad scientist, but with the "horror" factor of mortality and what it means to actually be alive.  I especially appreciated the way in which people who were brought back from the dead were presented as being more animalistic monsters.  Is this because there is no soul to keep things in check?  Is it just the reanimation of the biological drives?  Or would bringing someone back from the dead bring their soul back too?  While watching Re-Animator, I found myself thinking about what it is to be human and what it means to be truly alive.  I pondered why the search for immortality leads to so many problems.  While it might not have necessarily been the intention of the movie bring up these questions, I think that there is great potential for very interesting conversations brought up by the movie (but outside of just talking about the film).

Rating and Recommendation:  4/5.  I absolutely loved this movie!!  I am not necessarily saying that the quality of the movie is better than other movies that I have seen, but I am saying that Re-Animator delivered in pretty much all of the ways that I wanted it to.  It is exactly what a cult classic should be!  It had its shortcomings, but overall it was incredibly enjoyable to watch.  This one is absolutely a must see!  It is currently available on Netflix instant, but I enjoyed it enough that I will still probably buy a copy to add to my personal library.  It should be noted that there is gore, swearing, nudity, and plenty of other things that make this movie exceedingly not suitable for kids.


Be sure to check back soon for more reviews in Halloween Movie Month!  In the meantime, leave comments on this (or any other) review, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews), and let me know what movies you'd like for me to review for Halloween Movie Month!



- The Gargyle

Halloween Movie Month: Leprechaun

Leprechaun (1993)
R

Leprechaun is about a family that moves to a cabin in a small town in North Dakota.  While fixing up the cabin with some local help, they unwittingly release a leprechaun (played by Warwick Davis) trapped in the basement that goes on a murderous quest to get back his pot of gold.

There were so many things that made this movie so terrible.  The movie starts off with a portrayal of leprechauns that is so overly stereotyped that I halfway expected Warwick Davis to say "they'll never get me lucky charms!"  In fact, the movie has several bad Irish stereotypes.  I think that this is especially annoying because around St. Patty's day, I get sick of hearing everyone do horrible fake Irish accents all day.  There is no explanation to some of the things that happen and the characters all make so many terrible decisions.  Some of the deaths are just ridiculous (the leprechaun kills one person by jumping on them repeatedly with a pogo-stick).  The "romance" between the jock and the flirt all takes place in the span of about a day.  However, in re-watching it, there is something that I did not catch the first time I saw it...

Leprechaun was essentially a "cabin in the woods" movie.  I didn't realize it when I was younger because I had not seen that many horror movies at the time.  But, going back and re-watching it, I realized that it hits all the notes of a standard cabin in the woods.  First of all, the house that the family buys is a cabin that is, essentially, in the woods (not quite as remote as most cabin movies).  Secondly, the cast of characters includes the jock, the flirt, the virgin, and the stoner.  My favorite thing about the "stoner" character is that it is portrayed by a kid.  The kid does not actually do drugs, but his character is definitely that of the stoner.  Thirdly, the monster is released when someone finds something in the basement that summons the character and only something very specific can defeat the monster.

Rating and Recommendation:  In terms of quality, Leprechaun is pushing it to get a 2/5.  It's not quite to the point of being "so bad it's good," but it's almost there.  It is comically bad.  The type of movie that needs to be on Comedy Central during October (and probably March too).  But, it's not quite to the point of being so amazingly bad that it is an essential "must see" (like Troll 2).  There is no actual merit to the film in terms of acting, special effects, plot, or really any other aspect that is part of a good movie.  I think that it was intentionally supposed to be more on the comedic side of bad (at least, with some scenes, I hope that is what they were going for) - but, it's not like I was laughing out loud at any particular scene.  Despite all of that, it is still enjoyable to watch, especially when watching it with friends who can add to the humor by riffing it, or by watching it with people who love horror and can deconstruct the cabin in the woods aspect of Leprechaun.  


Be sure to check back soon for more reviews in Halloween Movie Month!  In the meantime, leave comments on this (or any other) review, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews), and let me know what movies you'd like for me to review for Halloween Movie Month!



- The Gargyle

Halloween Movie Month: Deadheads

Deadheads (2011)
not rated

Deadheads is about a zombie outbreak, but where two zombies retain most of their humanity...except for the whole being alive thing.  The two zombies team up and go on a road trip so that one of them can win back his love from when he was alive.

Deadheads was described as a horror comedy with romance.  Unfortunately, it failed to live up to any of those descriptions.  The biggest problem was that everything felt too forced.  There was an homage to Dawn of the Dead, but it was a little too on the nose (especially since the cop on the phone was actually talking about Dawn of the Dead).  The comedy was a bit too slapstick and too vulgar.  I certainly don't have anything against vulgar humor, when it is actually humorous.  But, a lot of the "humor" felt too much like "we are being vulgar...isn't that funny?!!?"

The "buddy comedy" angle was forced too quick.  The music was too "comedic" and too persistent. There was not enough to actually show the love story - it felt so empty.  Practically every aspect of the movie took me further out of it, rather than bringing me more into it.  Nothing is actually done to establish any real emotions.  The audience is told what they are supposed to feel, but there is nothing behind it to actually make the audience feel anything.  There was one scene that had some actual emotion, but even that felt too forced and too out of place.

Rating and Recommendation:  2/5.  Like too many of the movies that I have seen recently, it's not that this movie was necessarily horrible...it's just that there was too much potential that was left unfulfilled.  If they had just gone with a romantic comedy, it might have been ok.  As it is, they tried too hard to also make the zombie funny and I do not think that it worked at all.  If they had just spent a little more time on developing any of the various aspects of the movie, it could have been more enjoyable.  As it was, I didn't care about any of the characters.  I wasn't scared.  I didn't laugh.  Essentially, the "horror comedy with romance" was none of those things.  If you want a zombie comedy, just stick with Shaun of the Dead.  Then, watch Shaun of the Dead again.  Seriously, it's awesome.



Be sure to check back soon for more reviews in Halloween Movie Month!  In the meantime, leave comments on this (or any other) review, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews), and let me know what movies you'd like for me to review for Halloween Movie Month!



- The Gargyle

Halloween Movie Month: ParaNorman

ParaNorman (2012)
Netflix instant

ParaNorman is about a boy who can talk to ghosts and is the only hope of protecting his town from a centuries-old curse.

This is a pretty standard story for an animated kids movie - an awkward kid, who is tormented because he is misunderstood, must learn to embrace who he is while the rest of the town learns how to accept those who are different.  However, I don't know how appropriate it is for young children.  The movie starts with Norman watching a zombie movie and talking to his recently deceased grandmother.  His family's reaction is pretty harsh, basically saying "she's dead, move on."  The subjects of death, loss, loneliness, misunderstanding, judging others, fear, and mental stability are some of the more mature themes that are found throughout the movie.

Along with some mature thematic elements, most of the humor is pretty morbid.  There is one scene that immediately comes to mind where there is a slapstick comedy bit - with a lifeless corpse.  Although I laughed at that scene and thought there was a good balance between humor and morbidity, I think that this kind of humor might be a little too mature for kids.  It's not that it is too explicit, but rather it's that the content and topic of death might be a little more than what most kids are able to handle.  Plus, there were some scenes that were actually pretty creepy, especially for a kids movie.

However, once your kids are old enough to handle the mature subject matter of death and the occasional creepy scene (and one time where the grandmother calls someone a "jackass"), I highly recommend it!  I loved the stop-motion animation style and the amount of detail that went into it.  In some scenes, you can see reflections in the characters eyes, as you would in real life.  There was some great cinematography, use of color, and light and shadow.  Plus, there were some nice little nods to classic horror movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th.

Rating/Recommendation:  4/5.  I really loved this movie!  The characters were relate-able, lovable, and showed actual character development.  The morals were clear, but there was some ambiguity in who was "bad" and why - which I felt created more depth and complexity.  And the animation and voice-acting really brought these characters to life...even the zombies.

Be sure to check back soon for more reviews in Halloween Movie Month!  In the meantime, leave comments on this (or any other) review, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews), and let me know what movies you'd like for me to review for Halloween Movie Month!

- The Gargyle

Halloween Movie Month: Grabbers

Grabbers (2012)
Netflix streaming

Grabbers is a delightfully enjoyable Irish horror-comedy about alien squid that can't hold their liquor.  Ok, so there is a bit more to the plot than that.  A small Irish island is being attached by blood-scucking alien squid creatures and the only hope for the townspeople is to get drunk to avoid being eaten, because the alcohol is toxic to the creatures.

Grabbers was a bit of an odd mix for me.  It is definitely a horror-comedy with some good lines and a production value that makes the deaths and the creatures not be distractingly bad cgi.  I really like the use of orchestral music for the soundtrack, but it was a bit too pervasive and in the foreground when I felt like it would have been better served by being in the background.  There was good acting throughout, but the only way you know that the main character is supposed to be a drunkard is because one of the characters keeps saying that he is (rather than a convincing presentation of an inebriated individual).  The grabbers have a definite presence in the film, but in retrospect I feel as though they weren't actually on screen all that much.  You find yourself rooting for the two main characters to get together, but there isn't much to explain the relationship between them.

But despite all of the apparent shortcomings, I still really enjoyed Grabbers!  Maybe it's because it felt like an Irish version of Slither (which I love).  Maybe it's because I've not really seen too many Irish horror movies, so this felt like a relatively new experience for me.  Maybe it's because most horror-comedies go to the extreme of being horrorible, where you watch it because of how ridiculous and/or bad it is, rather than for actual cinematic enjoyment.  Whatever the reason, there is definitely something in the gestalt of the Grabbers that made it a delightfully enjoyable experience overall.

Rating:  3.5/5

Recommendation:   Watch it!  Good production value, good one liners, good cgi, and good acting help Grabbers to be a fun Friday night creature feature.  Although, there is enough swearing in it to make it not be family friendly.  But, if you are sitting down to watch a horror movie (of just about any variety), you probably shouldn't have your kids with you anyways.

Be sure to check back soon for more reviews in Halloween Movie Month!  In the meantime, leave comments on this (or any other) review, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews), and let me know what movies you'd like for me to review for Halloween Movie Month!



-The Gargyle

Movie review: The Other Guys

The Other Guys (2010)

Netflix streaming

Rating: 2.5/5

I wasn't all that impressed with this movie. I had heard that it was pretty funny, and it's from the same director (Adam McKay) of movies such as Anchorman and Talladega Nights, so I was expecting it to be pretty humorous. But there were only a few scenes that I found myself briefly laughing. It was pretty disappointing. Most of what McKay does is usually hilarious. Mostly because he has found a formula for his comedies that he has been able to make work. Of course, the downside of that is that most of his movies have started to all feel the same. That might be due in large part to the fact that Will Ferrell usually plays the lead role...and that role is usually practically the same character. The first few movies that Ferrell played such a character, it was hilarious. But the more that he plays that role, the more it starts to just feel annoying and like it's the same thing I've seen time and time again. In The Other Guys, Will Ferrell's character did start out as somewhat more of the straight man...but there was enough of a presence of his "zany" character to begin with that it never really felt right. Then, as the movie went on and he got zanier and zanier, it just felt like "ugh...not this again." I did think, however, that Mark Wahlberg did a great job. He is a much funnier actor than what some people might give him credit for.

As you could probably guess from my review so far, my recommendation is: pass. It wasn't entirely unpleasant to watch, but I wouldn't have been missing out on anything if I had never seen it. If you are wanting to see a McKay/Ferrell movie, I say just stick to either Anchorman or Talladega Nights.  Even if you've already seen them, I think you'd have a better time re-watching them than you would watching The Other Guys. If you are wanting a movie where Ferrell isn't playing that same type of character, I'd say go with Stranger Than Fiction. And if you are wanting Wahlberg in a comedic role, go for I Heart Huckabees.


This is a re-post of a brief review I did on my other blog, before starting Gargyle Reviews.  I have made a few grammatical changes, but the content of the review has not changed.  There are two other reviews (Thor and Inception) from my other blog that I will eventually be posting here.  I enjoyed both of those movies, and I do recommend watching them.  Before re-posting the reviews, however, I am going to watch the extras on the DVD/Blu-Rays and include that into my reviews.  Will my recommendation stay with just a "rent," or will either of them be upgraded to a "buy"??  Be sure to check back here to find out.

Be sure to follow me here and check back soon for more reviews and recommendations.  In the meantime, comment on this (or any other) review, and follow me on twitter @GargyleReviews

-GR

Halloween movie month: Slither

Slither (2006)
Netflix, instant
Rating:  3/5

Basic plot:  A meteorite carrying an alien parasite crashes in a small town in South Carolina, turning the residents into zombie-like monsters.

Okay, so there is a bit more involved in it than just what's said in the basic plot.  The alien takes control of Grant (Michael Rooker), and gradually transforms him into a squid/slug/mutant thing.  During the transformation, alien-Grant uses tentacle-like appendages that come out of his chest to "impregnate" a woman.  The woman doesn't exactly give birth to his slug spawn, so much as she just kind of explodes and thousands of the creatures go scurrying about.  When the slugs attack, they take over the residents, much in the same way that Grant was taken over.

Probably the biggest complaint that I have is about the accents.  Some of the accents aren't so bad (Nathan Fillion doesn't overdue it too much, and Michael Rooker's raspy voice lends itself well to keeping accents in check), but Elizabeth Banks's accent is just way overdone.  I don't mind accents when they help to make the setting seem more authentic.  But when an accent is done poorly, it makes the setting seem even less authentic.  Maybe it's just because I live in the south and hear various southern accents everyday, but I notice it even more when a southern accent is done poorly.  There are a wide variety of southern accents, but actors/actresses inevitably end up going with just one over-stereotypical version.  It's kind of like when someone tries to do a British accent, but just ends up sounding like Eliza Doolittle.  Aside from a few overdone accents, the acting is actually pretty good (I'm a pretty big fan of Nathan Fillion and Michael Rooker).

The "horror" aspect of this film plays primarily on the fears of swarms, disease, and rape/violation.  The swarm fear is pretty evident when the slugs start taking over.  And the disease comparison is referenced directly in the movie.  As far as the rape/violation fear, there are a couple of things that really stand out to me.  The first of which is that the way that alien-Grant and his slug offspring attack their victims is a bit rapey.  The second, and maybe a bit more subtle, is that Grant (who is the first and primary monster) was already a bit of an incestual pedophile before turning into an even bigger monster.

The visual effects weren't all that great.  But aside from the scene that shows an x-ray view of the parasite going into Grant's brain, they weren't all that bad either.  At least, they were good enough to show that they were taking the horror side of the movie seriously enough to care that it didn't look horrible.

There were a few little easter eggs paying homage to James Gunn's (director/writer) beginnings with Troma films, as well as what I assume were inspirations for him when he was a kid.  The ones that I caught were:  Toxic Avenger and The Blob were on tv, Lloyd Kaufman had a cameo (no lines), and one of the kids was reading a Goosebumps book.

Recommendation:  rent.  I liked Slither, and I would definitely watch it again.  Overall, it's pretty funny.  Nathan Fillion has some good one-liners, and does the dead-pan delivery very well (plus a pretty great fight scene when he goes back to the police station).  Aside from a few overdone accents, there is good acting with good actors.  Like Shaun of the Dead (though, not nearly as funny), Slither is primarily a comedy, but it also does the horror seriously.  I enjoyed Slither, and I don't really have any major complaints about it.  But there also isn't really anything about it that makes it stand out that much.  I was going back and forth between a 3 and a 3.5 rating, but eventually decided that it falls just short of reaching a 3.5.  But it wouldn't have taken much more to be a 3.5.

Be sure to check back soon for the next review in Halloween movie month.

-GR

Halloween movie month: Poultrygeist

Poultrygeist:  Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)
Netflix, instant
Rating:  2.5/5

Basic plot:  A fried chicken fast food restaurant is built on top of a Native American burial ground, causing people who eat there to turn into part-chicken/part-zombie.

This is a Troma Entertainment release, and it definitely lives up to the Troma history.  Those of you who have seen any Troma films (the most well-known of which is Toxic Avenger) know generally what to expect.  But for those of you who are unfamiliar, Troma films are typically full of nudity, over-the-top gore/violence, social commentary and/or overly-emphasized stereotypes (check out the wikipedia entry here if you are wanting to know a bit more about Troma).  The first zombie chicken isn't actually seen until 63 minutes into the movie.  But before that, there is plenty of nudity, swearing/vulgarity, racist stereotypes, scatological and "gross out" humor, excessive gore, social commentary on corporate america, and singing (yeah, this is a little bit of a musical...about 4 or 5 songs).

Recommendation:  If you are a Troma fan, you will probably enjoy Poultrygeist.  Decent songs, decent acting, decent comedy (my favorite phrase of the movie, "cluckwork orange"), lots of gore, and fair amount of nudity.  So, for Troma fans, it's worth a rent - 3/5.

If you are NOT a Troma fan, recommendation/rating is going to be pass - 1/5.  Seriously, if you aren't already a fan of Troma films, you are probably going to hate this movie within the first 5 minutes.

Troma films don't really fall into the "so bad it's good" category, because Troma films are intentionally bad and (usually) intentionally a bit offensive.  While I do somewhat respect the independent spirit of Troma Entertainment, their films are definitely not meant for the general public.


Keep checking back for more ratings and recommendations of what to watch leading up to Halloween.

-GR

Movie Review: Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses (2011)
Viewing:  Initial, On Demand
Rating:  3/5

Basic plot:  Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day), and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) are three friends who each have, as the title suggests, horrible bosses.  Each of the bosses (Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, and Colin Farrell, respectively) are horrible in their own right, and have made the work-lives of each of the protagonists miserable.  But, for various reasons, quitting isn't really an option for any of them.  Aside from not wanting to give up a job in a difficult economy, Nick has been burning the candle from both ends and believes that he is next in line for a promotion, Dale is on a sexual offender's list for drunkenly peeing in an empty playground one night (and therefore can't get a job anywhere else), and Kurt is devoted to a job that he used to like until the former boss died (leaving his coke-head son in charge).  One night over drinks, the three friends jokingly suggest that they kill their bosses. With each of them seemingly stuck in their jobs with their horrible bosses, even when they sober up they figure that killing their bosses is the only way out. So they hire a murder consultant (Jamie Foxx) to help them figure out how to do it.

The opening sequence does a fairly good job of setting up the characters, and I would say that most people could probably relate to one of the protagonists or having the types of bosses that they have.  And it's important to understand the main characters and why they hate their bosses, otherwise the rest of the movie falls apart.  If you couldn't relate to the protagonists, then the movie is just about three potential murderers.  But as it is, it's about three guys trying to liberate themselves.  Sure, murder is wrong, and you want there to be a sense of justice in the world.  But at the same time, you start hoping that they will not only be able to pull it off, but that they'll be able to get away with it.  And even though this dark comedy stays heavily on the "comedy" side, there is just enough "dark" that not only is there a real possibility that people will die, but also the possibility that things might not turn out so well for Nick, Dale, and Kurt.

While this movie is technically a dark comedy, it definitely favors the comedy side more heavily.  But it does it well.  It wasn't the funniest movie I've ever seen, but I did find myself laughing most of the way through, especially during the interactions between Charlie Day and Jamie Foxx.  On that note, it's great to see Charlie in a movie.  I've been a fan of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia since the very beginning, and I think that Charlie Day (along with the rest of the cast) is absolutely hilarious.  But his character is a very specific role in that show.  And while there were some snippets of his character in Horrible Bosses that were reminiscent of Sunny, it's good to see that he has some range to be able to play different characters.

I should also note that this is definitely an R-rated movie, in content as well as language.  Especially language.  There is lots of swearing and vulgarity (the most memorable of which is Charlie Day's comment about why he no longer has any money after paying for murder consultant, Jamie Foxx).  But, the swearing and vulgarity seems to fit in with the tone of the movie and ends up feeling "natural," rather than some other movies that use swearing/vulgarity as an attempt to try to make the movie seem funny.  In other words, this movie does not seem to suffer from the Dane Cook Effect.

Recommendation:  This is a definite rent.  The humor was pretty consistent, the characters were relate-able, and there was a dark enough tone that there is actually some question as to how things will turn out for the trio.  Since I saw this on-demand, I did not have any access to extras, and therefore do not know what extras there are.  But, I have a feeling that if the three main characters are on the commentary, that could potentially make the movie hilarious.  Also, there were a few clips included in the credits, which makes me think that there would be a good bit of extended/alternate scenes, deleted scenes, bloopers, and whatnot on the dvd.  I enjoyed the movie enough on the first viewing that I will most likely watch it again.  And if I get around to watching a version that has extras, I will let you know if said extras bump it up to a buy, or if it just stays as a rent.

-GR

Movie Review: Get Him to the Greek

Get Him to the Greek (2010)
Rating:  2.5/5
Viewing:  initial, On Demand

Basic plot:    British rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) has a failing career after the release of his song "African Child," his girlfriend breaks up with him, and he starts using drugs and alcohol again...heavily.  Meanwhile, Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) works for a record company run by Sergio Roma (Sean Combs), who is looking for the next big idea.  Aaron, being a huge fan of Aldous, suggest that they get him to do a concert at the Greek Theater in L.A. for a 10th anniversary show from when Aldous played there at the top of his career.  So, Aaron must go to England to retrieve Aldous and bring him back to L.A. to perform...in 3 days.  Along the way, Aldous struggles with his demons (failed relationship, excessive drug use, etc.), Aaron questions the state of his own life (having recently broken up with his girlfriend as well), and Aaron and Aldous develop a friendship over the hijinks and hurdles along the way.  "Hilarity" ensues.

Rather, hilarity allegedly ensues.  Get Him to the Greek is a sort of indirect sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in that Russell Brand plays the same character.  While Jonah Hill was in Forgetting Sarah Marshall as well, he does not play the same character in Get Him to the Greek.  I'm a fan of Russell Brand, and I thought that he was hilarious in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  So I was actually looking forward to Get Him to the Greek, hoping that it would maintain Russell's brand (pardon the wordplay) of comedy throughout, regardless of whether or not he was in the scene.  But sadly, that was not the case.  Aside from some rare moments involving other characters (mostly those involving Rose Byrne, playing the role of Aldous's girlfriend Jackie Q, who I think was supposed to be a lampoon at Katy Perry, who ended up having a real life relationship with Brand), the only times that I really laughed were during Brand's scenes.  So, while Russell Brand was once again hilarious, the movie itself wasn't really all that funny.

I typically haven't liked Jonah Hill's character in too many movies, but I think that usually has to do with the type of character he usually plays.  I like it when his character is more of an actual person, rather than the over the top stereotype of the Chris Farley-esque character.  I liked his character in Get Him to the Greek more than I have liked him in other movies, but he was still a bit of a tool (especially to his girlfriend).  Like I said above, even though Jonah Hill was in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, he did not play the same character.  I remember seeing an interview with the director around the time that Get Him to the Greek came out in which he said that they picked Hill because of the chemistry that he and Brand had in their scenes in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  And it was a pretty great chemistry.  Forgetting Sarah Marshall is actually one of the few movies that I actually liked Hill's character.  But if that chemistry is why they chose to put Hill and Brand together again, why would they mess with the formula and change Hill's character?  Or, if they were going to change Hill's character, then why keep Brand's character the same?  But, this is only a minor gripe.  Brand and Hill still had pretty good chemistry.  I just think that it could have been even better if they had kept Hill as the same character from Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

My biggest problem with Get Him to the Greek is that it seems to suffer from what I call the Dane Cook effect.  That is, vulgarity, profanity, etc. is heavily used and is supposed to be funny.  But, just because something is vulgar, profane, offensive, etc., that does not make it funny.  Think, for example, of comedians like Louis C. K., Brian Posehn, Patton Oswalt, Daniel Tosh, or Bo Burnham.  I think that each of those comedians are pretty funny/hilarious, but they are all certainly very offensive/profane at times.  The profanity/offensiveness is certainly a part of their comedy.  But when I talk about them to people, I describe them as being very funny, but offensive.  Now compare that to comedians like Dane Cook.  In my opinion, he is just loud, profane, and offensive, but not all that funny.  But, for some reason, people still think that because he is being offensive, he must be funny.  (On a side note, don't think that I am bashing Dane Cook.  I actually think that he has been pretty funny in the roles that he has played in movies.  And I think that he has the potential to be a very funny comedian.  But, because he keeps getting reinforced for the type of stand-up that he does, he keeps doing it without challenging himself to create better material).  Anywho, back to the movie...many of the scenes rely very heavily on profanity as the source of humor, but it just isn't all that funny.  It's just swearing.

Overall, I thought Get Him to the Greek was ok.  Russell Brand made me laugh enough, and I cared enough about his character.  Actually, his character was really the only one that I cared about.  Aside from Brand, the rest of the movie was "meh."  If other people were watching it, I would stick around.  But I probably wouldn't watch it again on my own.  I watched it On Demand, so I didn't have access to any of the extras.  If the extras include a good/funny commentary, it might make the movie more watchable.  If I ever get around to watching the extras (it is still in my Netflix queue, but at the bottom of the queue, and would be one of the ones I delete if I need to make room for other films), I will let you know if they add any quality to the movie.

Recommendation:  somewhere between rent and pass, depending on your personal preference.  Russell Brand delivered the laughs and the emotion, and was the only thing that made this movie enjoyable enough to watch.  So, if you are a big fan of Brand and want to see everything that he has done, then go ahead and rent (queue) it...you'll enjoy his performance (just don't expect much from the rest of the movie).  But if you are just watching it for Brand, then why not just watch his stand-up special (which is on Netflix instant).  If you are wanting to see Brand and Hill paired up, pass on Get Him to the Greek and just rewatch Forgetting Sarah Marshall (it is, by far, a much funnier movie overall).  Also, Get Him to the Greek contains some nudity, and lots of swearing.  So if you are offended by either of those, you will definitely want to pass...you probably won't find the humor funny enough to make up for the offense. 

-GR