MOVIE REVIEW: TAG

One month every year, five highly competitive friends hit the ground running for a no-holds-barred game of tag -- risking their necks, their jobs and their relationships to take one another down. This time, the game coincides with the wedding of the only undefeated player. What should be an easy target soon becomes an all-out war as he knows they're coming to get him. 

Director: Jeff Tomsic 

Cast: Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Annabelle Wallis, Isla Fisher, Rashida Jones, Leslie Bibb

Release Date: June 15, 2018

 

Rated R for language throughout, crude sexual content, drug use and brief nudity 

Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min. 

Genres: Comedy

Review:

Tag is one of those goofy comedies that shouldn’t work because of the flimsy premise but it succeeds more often than not.  Jeff Tomsic creates a fun little film that moves along at a steady pace with the “tag” sequences standing out for ingenuity.  The film’s biggest asset is it’s collection of stars.  They all share good comedic timing and chemistry together.  The jokes go off in fairly rapid fire manner with the movie never lingering too much on anything to avoid stagnation.  Its breezy style makes it easier to overlook some of the horrible things these friends do to each other.  Still it makes for a funny movie that’s got a beating heart underneath it’s crude exterior.  There are a few dead spots here and there but nothing damning even though they could have used female members of the cast a bit more.  Same complaints aside, Tag is a surprisingly funny film that doesn’t disappoint. 

B+

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Tag & Incredibles 2

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for a promising double-bill of Tag and Incredibles 2.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

First on my agenda, Tag.

A group of friends continues a game of tag from their high-school days three decades (and counting) into their adult lives.

While Tag's story is "inspired by actual events" rather than "based on a true story," it seems a great deal of it skates hilariously (or alarmingly) close to the truth. Based on a a group of friends from Spokane, Washington, who really have been playing the same game of tag for over 30 years, some of the picture's most outlandish tags are the ones that really happened.

Tag is a comedy, but it's more amusing than laugh-out-loud hilarious. The likable cast includes Jeremy Renner, Ed Helms, and Jon Hamm, yet I found the characters--at best--bland, and--at worst--pretty lousy people, which made it hard to enjoy their exploits. In fact, as I exited the theater, the first thing I did was jump online to check the IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes scores to see if the movie had left anyone else as flat as it had left me. (At this writing, it's got a 7.1 on IMDB and 56% on RT, so I guess it has.) The story is fascinating, and a few cool tunes pop up, but with such a terrific cast it's hard to think it shouldn't be better than it is.

Tag clocks in at 100 minutes and is rated R for "language throughout, crude sexual content, drug use, and brief nudity."

It's good for a few summer afternoon laughs and an eyeful of Jeremy Renner, but otherwise Tag is most definitely not "it." 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Tag gets five and a half.

Next up: the long-awaited sequel Incredibles 2.

In an effort to have the superhero ban lifted, Elastigirl is tapped for some high-profile missions while Mr. Incredible keeps the home fires burning.

Incredibles 2 is a sequel that is well worth the 14-year wait. The characters haven't aged onscreen, but they've aged very well in popular culture, with the stay-at-home-dad angle being a nice touch for 2018. The film's action sequences are exciting and well-choreographed, with nary a one dragging on too long. (Are you paying attention, Avengers?) Incredibles 2 features bright, crisp animation, top-notch voice talent, charming characters, and clever laughs. There's an awful little short called "Bao" that runs before the movie, so, unless you really love the pre-show or you want to grab a favorite seat, give yourself an extra five minutes to get to the theater.

Incredibles 2 runs 118 minutes and is rated PG for "action sequences and some brief, mild language." 

Be advised there is one scene featuring a strobe-light effect that may adversely affect some viewers.

Incredibles 2 is a fantastic family film that (at least on first viewing) seems even better than the original. Only time will tell if it ages as well. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Incredibles 2 gets nine.

MOVIE REVIEW WE’RE THE MILLERS

A low-level pot dealer poses as a family man in order to pay back a debt to his supplier in this comedy starring Saturday Night Live alumni Jason Sudeikis. When David attempts to perform a good deed and gets robbed in the process, however, his supplier Brad (Ed Helms) is none too happy. Now, in order to pay Brad back before the hammer drops, David must retrieve a big drug shipment from Mexico and sneak back across the border undetected. It's a risky job for sure, but with the help of a few neighbors David might just pull it off. With sardonic stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston) assuming the role of housewife, teenage misfit Kenny (Will Poulter) posing as the awkward son, and rebellious Casey (Emma Roberts) filling in as his sister, David slips on some khakis, and starts heading south. Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, and Ken Marino co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Will Poulter, Emma Roberts, Ed Helms

Release Date: Aug 07, 2013

Rated R for crude sexual content, pervasive language, drug material and brief graphic nudity.

Runtime: 1 hr. 50 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy

Review:

We’re the Millers is fun raunchy little romp of movie with cartoonish characters in cartoonish situations. It’s well aware of the type of film it is but for some reason it wants to tack on a redemptive ending for some generally bad characters. Personally I’ve never understood why raunchy comedies feel the need to teach its characters a lesson especially when it doesn’t make sense. Jason Sudeikis’s character is more or less jerk, albeit a funny one, throughout until he has his A-HA moment in an eye rolling moment. I know I’ve probably belabored the point about the ending but it does kind of leave a WTF taste in your mouth. Regardless, the better portion of the film is consistently funny while remaining fairly harmless for an R rated film. Aniston, who I can’t stand for some reason, is solid throughout even though her chemistry with Sudeikis is extremely forced. Will Poulter is lots of fun while Emma Roberts comes across as nondescript in an underwritten role. We’re The Millers isn’t going to be considered a classic but it’s the perfect kind of comedy for a lazy afternoon.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE HANGOVER PART 3

The Wolfpack set out in search of Mr. Chow after Doug is kidnapped by a criminal seeking to recover $21 million from the diminutive hustler as the decadent Hangover trilogy winds to an outrageous close. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, John Goodman, and Melissa McCarthy star in this Warner Bros. release from director Todd Phillips. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Todd Phillips

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, John Goodman, Melissa McCarthy

Release Date: May 23, 2013

Rated R for Drug Content, Brief Graphic Nudity, Pervasive Language, Sexual References and Some Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

“The End.” “It All Ends.” “It Ends.” Etc… I really hope those taglines at the top of the posters are a firm promise. Some series really shouldn’t go past its original film. It’s fairly apparent that The Hangover was the kind of movie that never should have been a franchise. It would have been a smart decision to avoid sequels, like Phillips did with Old School. Instead we were dealt one of the laziest sequels ever. This 3rd film is only marginally better. I do give Phillips credit for mixing up the formula this go around even though it creates a weird serious / comedic tone throughout. As a comedy, it’s never consistently funny. At best it, delivers a handful of chuckles here and there along with long stretches of nothing. By nothing, I mean nothing. No fun, no thrills, no suspense. The audience is just left wading through uninteresting exposition until we get to the next set piece. The cast is just as disinterested as most of the audience, Cooper and Helms in particular. They both seem content in delivering lines from the past films and not much else, not that I really blame them. Zach Galifianakis and Ken Jeong both get larger roles here and are given free reign to do whatever they want. Both take their characters to extremes with grating results. John Goodman and Melissa McCarthy are terribly underused in one note characters. The film has a strange feel about it, like it’s disinterested in itself. The few chuckles that come through don’t last long enough to reach a zenith. It only finds a tad breath of energy in a post credit scene which comes after an awkward slow-mo montage. Let’s hope they don’t renege on their promise to let it end.

D+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE HANGOVER PART 2

IN THEATERS

THE HANGOVER PART 2



A modest bachelor brunch devolves into a wild weekend in Bangkok when the gang travels to Thailand to see Stu get married. Still traumatized by memories of the Las Vegas fiasco, Stu (Ed Helms) vows to keep his pre-wedding partying to the bare minimum. But when Phil (Bradley Cooper), Doug (Justin Bartha), and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) show up, Stu's low-key brunch makes their previous Vegas fiasco look like a family trip to Disneyland. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Todd Phillips

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong

Release Date: May 26, 2011

Rated R for pervasive language, strong sexual content including graphic nudity, drug use and brief violent images

Genres: Comedy

Review:

“Classic Stu.” That statement should tell you everything you need to know about this sequel. Todd Phillips doesn’t raise his game in this sequel, instead he just changes the background and changes a few things. Déjà vu all over again. I’ll admit I laughed during a parts of films, there are a few high points that reach a manic level but it never sustains it, but my overall enjoyment of the film was hindered by the fact that this is about as lazy a follow up as you can imagine. The writing team seems to have literally taken the original script and just changed names and places. Galifianakis is grating this go around and just feels like he’s trying too hard. Ed Helms is given more to do and his comedic talents are given more room this go around. Bradley Cooper is just as douche baggy as he was the first time and doesn’t do more than he needs too. Ken Jeong is fun but the expanded role makes his one note character more obvious. Cameos and scenes don’t surprise because you are just waiting for them because Phillips telegraphs them to such an extent only a simpleton would be waiting for them. Hangovers suck especially when you recount the same night over and over again.

C-

Movie Reviews: THE HANGOVER

Sunday, June 07, 2009
Movie Reviews: THE HANGOVER
IN THEATERS


THE HANGOVER

Two days before his wedding, Doug and three friends drive to Las Vegas for a wild and memorable stag party. In fact, when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning, they can't remember a thing; nor can they find Doug. With little time to spare, the three hazy pals try to re-trace their steps and find Doug so they can get him back to Los Angeles in time to walk down the aisle.

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, Jeffrey Tambor

Director: Todd Phillips

Opened June 5, 2009

Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.

Rated R for some drug material, pervasive language, sexual content and nudity
Genres: Farce, Comedy

Review:

Sometimes the best party nights are best left to the forgotten abyss but when you wake up with a trashed suite, missing groom, a baby and a tiger in the bathroom you just have find out what happened. Todd Phillips raucous and strangely inventive what the hell happened last night comedy is varying levels of fun throughout. Phillips’ takes what could be a fairly paint by the numbers scenario and turns it into something enjoyable and thoroughly insane. The cast works well together with Copper, Helms and Galifianakis getting the majority of the screen time. Bradley Copper brings a sort of arrogances and alpha male quality to Phil which fits his characters type similar to Vince Vaughn’s character Old School also directed by Phillips. The Office’s Ed Helms is wonderfully neurotic and he cycles between moments of clarity and paranoid fervor over what he did last night. Zach Galifianakis brings a blind childlike innocence to his “bearded Jesus” who might be an idiot savant. Heather Graham has a small supporting role as the nicest bride/stripper/hooker/mom on the Vegas strip. Ken Jeong has plenty of fun as a gay Asian stereotype mobster whose trash talk is almost as funny as the beatdown he puts on the three dazed and confused hungover trifecta. Mike Tyson has great extended cameo and mostly plays a straight man that’s had something stolen from him. The script is fun and it’ll probably recall a lot of day after where the party does and doesn’t look as fun in the daylight. There are some small miscues mainly the film loses a little steam once they find the groom and the characters are clearly types as opposed to fully realized people. Small complaints and nothing really earth shattering and it definitely doesn’t bring down any of the R rated fun. From Road Trip to Old School and now The Hangover (we’ll ignore Starsky and Hutch) Todd Phillips has shown a great ability to deliver some great comedies.

B+