Andrew J. Cohen directs this romp about a
mother and father (Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) who blow their daughter's
college fund and start an illegal casino in their basement to recoup the
losses. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi
Director: Andrew Jay
Cohen
Cast: Will Ferrell, Amy
Poehler, Allison Tolman, Rob Huebel, Michaela Watkins
Rated: R for language
throughout, sexual references, drug use, some violence and brief
nudity
Genres: Comedy
Review:
The House is an
unfortunate example of how getting an impressive collection of comedic talents
together doesn’t guarantee a funny movie.The premise sounds good and it should work but unfortunately the film
just never finds its footing with most of the jokes and situations missing the
mark.There a few laughs to be had here
and there probably birthed out of sheer will by Ferrell and Poehler but it’s
not enough to save the film.First time
director Andrew Jay Cohen can’t seem to create any sort of energy for the cast
which is a shame because it feels like there is a funny movie in there
somewhere.
Dearest Blog: After a weekend on the town, yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas to make up for lost time with The Good Dinosaur and Krampus.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First up: The Good Dinosaur.
A young dinosaur learns to face his fears.
There's no getting around it: The Good Dinosaur is kind of a stinker. Animation doesn't always have to be game-changing--I mean, I quickly forgave a sub-par outing from our little yellow friends the Minions because they're adorable--but I feel like it should at least be cute and fun.
The problem with The Good Dinosaur is there's almost nothing to like, and certainly nothing to like enough to make amends for what's not to like. The characters aren't cute at all, and the voices--though they include mighty talents like Sam Elliott and Frances McDormand--nearly annoyed me right out of the room.
Outside of some nifty water effects, the artwork and animation are ho-hum, and the movie's message is heavy-handed. Sadly, The Good Dinosaur was about the least-enjoyable time I've had at the movies this year.
The Good Dinosaur runs 93 minutes and is rated PG for, "peril, action, and thematic elements." The film is accompanied by a trippy little short called Sanjay's Super-Team, which adds about seven minutes to the total runtime.
Gotta be honest: while watching The Good Dinosaur, I was rooting for the asteroid.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, The good Dinosaur gets two.
Next on the day's schedule, the holiday horror-comedy Krampus.
A family pays the price for having lost the true spirit of Christmas.
Unless I have an ulterior motive (read: one of my favorite actors has a role), I seldom bother with horror movies, as I almost always find them stupid and not at all scary.
Benefitting from a fun trailer and a weak schedule of new releases, Krampus became the exception to my rule, and I'm pleased to report I didn't have reason to regret it.
There are no A-Listers, but Krampus boasts a great cast and the performances are quite good. Kid actors can be hit or miss, but the adorable Emjay Anthony is a nice surprise in what essentially amounts to the lead.
If I was never really scared, the movie still does a great job of maintaining tension, and the monsters are genuinely creepy. In fact, the entire look of the film is exquisite, from the festive holiday decor to cold, snowy exteriors, to some pretty badass baddies.
The laughs are equally solid and well timed, making Krampus a truly entertaining outing.
Krampus clocks in at 98 minutes, and is rated PG13 for, "sequences of horror violence/terror, language, and some drug material."
It may never become *that* classic you watch with grandma every Christmas Eve, but Krampus is good holiday fun.
