MOVIE REVIEW: DOWNSIZING

When scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall as a solution to overpopulation, Paul (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressed lives in order to get small and move to a new downsized community — a choice that triggers life-changing adventures.

Director: Alexander Payne

Cast: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, Udo Kier

Release Date: Dec 22, 2017

Genres: Comedy, Comedy Drama, Satire

Rated R for language including sexual references, some graphic nudity and drug use.

Runtime: 2h 15min

Review:

Downsizing is a fairly surprising film that sports some stellar supporting turns but ultimately lacks enough focus to make it truly special.  Alexander Payne has plenty on his mind in this film and he covers bevy topics from environmentalism, class warfare and self actualization.  Its dense film that feels as unfocused as it is polished.  Matt Damon is fine in the lead role but his character is a bit simplistic throughout while everyone around him feels more interesting and nuanced.  Christoph Waltz and Udo Kier make for some fun neighbors to Matt Damon’s Paul but its Hong Chau who ultimately steals the show.  Hong Chau injects the film with a palpable sense of humanity and heart, something the film sorely lacked until her arrival.  The cast’s chemistry really fuels the film even as the film meanders trying to find a definite direction or purpose.  Ultimately, it never nails any of its points and feels like it could have used some trimming and focus.

C+

Cindy Prascik's Review of Race

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dearest Blog, today it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the first of February's sports biopics, Race. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or from Googling Jesse Owens. 

 

Race is the story of legendary track and field star Owens, from his early days at Ohio State University through the controversial 1936 Olympic Games. There's no denying Race is little more than your run-of-the-mill Inspiring Sports Movie, but still-timely issues, nail-biting sports action, and some nice performances make it worth a look. Stephan James is a delight as Owens, earnest and sympathetic. 

 

The film boasts strong supporting turns by Jason Sudeikis, Shanice Banton, William Hurt, and David Kross. Characterizations are pretty broad--the city of Berlin even has its own super-villian-sounding musical cue--but if the storytelling is a bit hokey, it's easy enough to forgive in such a compelling tale. Race runs just a tad overlong and is by no means comfortable viewing. The issues it raises are too near for that, evidence the ugliness in my Facebook newsfeed during the Grammys, or the casual way acquaintances assume it's okay to drop racist comments around me because we both happen to be white. 

 

Race is a long overdue "thank you" to Jesse Owens for his courage, but also hopefully one small step towards a day when bigotry really is a thing of the past. Race clocks in at 134 minutes and is rated PG13 for "thematic elements and language." It's not the best sports movie you'll ever see--it might not even be the best sports movie you'll see this month--but Race has a story worth telling and a message worth hearing. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Race gets six and a half. 

 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: HORRIBLE BOSSES 2

Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day return for more employee revenge in this follow-up to the 2011 comedy. Sean Anders directs from a script by Anders and Jonn Morris. Having narrowly avoided prison following the antics of the previous film, Nick (Bateman), Kurt (Sudeikis), and Dale (Day) decide to go into business for themselves. When their breakthrough product, the Shower Buddy, catches the attention of a wealthy entrepreneur named Bert Hanson (Christoph Waltz) who offers to bankroll their initial production run, the eager inventors quickly move into manufacturing. Proudly filling Hanson's initial order before the deadline, they decide to surprise their key investor with the good news, only to get a nasty surprise: A shrewd businessman with a serious lack of ethics, Hanson announces that he is cancelling the deal. With no investors to keep the business afloat, the Shower Buddy factory will soon fall into foreclosure, allowing Hanson to scoop up the product at a fraction of the original cost, change the name, and reap the profits. Indignant, Nick, Kurt, and Dale hatch a plot to kidnap Bert's son Rex (Chris Pine) for a healthy ransom, paying a visit to criminal mastermind Dean Jones (Jamie Foxx) for a few pointers on the fine art of abduction. Needless to say, nothing goes quite as planned, and as the police launch an investigation into the elaborate crime, the hapless trio must once again race to stay one step ahead of the law. Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Spacey co-stars. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Sean Anders 

Cast: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz

Release Date: Nov 26, 2014

Rated R for Strong Crude Sexual Content and Language Throughout

Runtime: 1 hr. 48 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

While I enjoyed the original film, I was kind of disappointed it wasn’t an all out laugh fest.  The cast was great but I just felt the film was missing something.  I’ve rewatched it a few times and found it amusing but still lacking.  So while most people would say this is a pointless sequel, it kind of is, I was interested in seeing how the second go around would fair.  Thankfully the sequel delivered exactly what I was hoping for from the first film.  It’s a hilarious film that’s consistently funny with very few dead spots.  Bateman, Sudeikis and Day have much better chemistry this go around deliver hilarious performances all around.  We get extended cameos from Kevin Spacey, would have like more, and Jennifer Aniston, could have used less, which are solid but feel like they were tacked on to the original plot.  Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz are solid additions to the series with Pine bringing a douchtastic energy to his character which is perfect for the role.  Waltz on the other hand is rather underused, serving mostly as a plot mechanism and not doing much else.  It’s rare that a needless sequel surpasses the original film but that’s the case here.

A-

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 CAMPAIGN

IN THEATERS ON DVD

THE CAMPAIGN



Two powerful CEOs pit a blundering congressman against an unlikely political newcomer in order to seize control of a crucial North Carolina district in this satirical political comedy starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. On the eve of an upcoming election, incumbent congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) makes a misstep that threatens to end his career in politics. Recognizing the opportunity to gain influence in the aftermath of the public gaffe, a pair of scheming CEOs handpick credulous tourism-center director Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) as Brady's political rival, quickly shaping him into a viable candidate with the help of a seasoned campaign manager. As Election Day draws near, Brady and Huggins cast ethics aside to engage in the brand of hysterical mud-slinging that's sent contemporary politics straight down the toilet. Jason Sudeikis, John Lithgow, and Brian Cox co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Jay Roach

Cast: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, Katherine La Nasa

Release Date: Aug 10, 2012.

Rated R for Crude Sexual Content, Brief Nudity and Language

Runtime: 1 hr. 25 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

The Campaign is a consistently funny skewering of the American political process with enough silly laughs to keep thing light and easy to digest. Jay Roach keeps the film moving at a brisk pace never lingering on anything to long to let it get stale. He moves his film to set pieces (debates faux campaign ads etc) and lets his stars take over. Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis put on wonderful performances, each creating great caricatures. Ferrell delivers a strong turn as Brady, playing his a dumb smug entitled moron who out to win at all cost. He’s all façade with no substance. Galifianakis matches with his well meaning odd duck Huggins, who is strange but always sympathetic. While the two stars dominate the supporting cast really rounds out the film. Sarah Baker, who looks like Wendi McLendon-Covey long lost sister, is good fun as Huggins ignored wife. Dylan McDermott shows that he can do comedy just as well as anyone. Karen Maruyama has a bit role but leaves a great impression while working with a running gag throughout the film.

B

[Trailer] The Campaign

The perfect film for the upcoming elections; could be a classic or a massive miss (Jay Roach is directing) either way I’ll be there opening weekend!

MOVIE REVIEW: HORRIBLE BOSSES

IN THEATERS

HORRIBLE BOSSES



Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, and Charlie Day star in this workplace comedy about three frustrated employees who hatch a plan to kill their micromanaging bosses, only to find their murderous plot snowballing into disaster. Seth Gordon (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters) directs a screenplay written by Michael Markowitz, Jonathan Goldstein, and John Francis Daley. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Seth Gordon

Cast: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey

Release Date: Jul 08, 2011

Rated: Crude and sexual content, pervasive language and some drug material

Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

Horrible Bosses isn’t perfect but ultimately it’s a fairly good time, a testament to the strong cast assembled. Seth Gordon sloppily directs this film. His biggest fault is never finding a steady rhythm to the proceedings, after a strong start he just seems disinterested as he’s more than happy to leave all the heavy lifting to the cast. Luckily the cast is game. Bateman, Sudeikis and Day have wonderful chemistry together. They breathe life into a mediocre script. All three bring a certain kind of energy to the film and it works very well. The trio’s energy keeps the film alive throughout with Charlie Day being the real standout of the group. His manic energy is really something to behold, no shock to fans of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Colin Farrell has more of a cameo than an actual role. Kevin Spacey the primary antagonist here and he’s clearly having a ball. Jennifer Aniston delivers dirty lines with the conviction of a 3rd grader but she’s limited to a small role. Most of the jokes are fairly pedestrian which is kind of surprising considering the subject matter but it does find a solid footing in the second half but I don’t think it’s the kind of comedy that’ll hold up after repeat viewings as it never reaches the heights of 80’s film 9 to 5.

C+

Bluray quality; Video soft but sharp ; Sound is decent but unimpressive.

I was hand-selected to be a member of Blu-ray Elite, a beta program from Warner Home Video which has graciously sent me this free Blu-ray disc.

[Trailer] Horrible Bosses

From the look at this trailer it’s almost impossible to figure out how this film could disappoint.

An allstar cast, Jennifer Anniston thrown in there as well and according to chatter she might go topless...desperation anyone...

Anyway back to the movie, it looks like it'll be a more twisted version of the 80’s flick 9 to 5.