Cindy Prascik's Reviews of A Walk in the Woods & The Transporter Refueled

Dearest Blog, being on my deathbed last weekend, I missed out on my weekly trip to the cinema.

Hollywood very thoughtfully released only crap this weekend to give me a chance to catch up.

Thanks, Hollywood!

First on my agenda: A Walk in the Woods.

Two older men attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail.

If you take Wild, subtract annoying women who say things like, "I've never been in the driver's seat of my own life!" and add two pretty cool old dudes, you've got A Walk in the Woods. It's not normally the kind of picture I'd need to see on a big screen, but the lure of Robert Redford is strong. He shares excellent camaraderie with co-star Nick Nolte, and their banter is mostly good fun. There are a couple moments where the writing seems a bit awkward, and the movie runs maybe just a hair too long, but otherwise the men's adventure is both funny and uplifting.

A Walk in the Woods runs 104 minutes and is rated R for "language and some sexual references."

Despite its cast's pedigree, this film isn't likely to scare up any awards attention, but throw in some lovely scenery and a bit of screen time for the wonderful Emma Thompson, and it's still an entertaining couple hours.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, A Walk in the Woods gets six.

Next up: The Transporter Refueled.


Cars, cars, chicks, cars, cars, cars, fight scene, cars, fight scene, chicks, cars, cars, cars.

Disclaimer: I missed maybe the first five minutes of The Transporter Refueled. A lousy schedule left me the choice of slightly too little time between shows, or two hours between shows, and, frankly, I didn't care enough about either of these movies to waste two extra hours. I'm telling myself there was something in those first five minutes to keep this from being the worst movie ever made, but I don't think I believe myself.

The thing about the Transporter movies is: they're silly. Of course they're silly. But when you've got the right person at the fore (*cough* Statham *cough*) they're enough fun that you don't mind so much. The Transporter Refueled is absolutely no fun, and you'll mind the hell out of every minute.

The delightful Ray Stevenson is sadly wasted, and the everyone else is just a collection of the worst teeth you've ever seen. It's like the filmmakers went out of their way to find actors who never met a dentist. I had the room to myself for this one (shocking) and I confess I was bored enough to take a peek or two at my phone.

The Transporter Refueled clocks in at a mercifully short 96 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of violence and action, sexual material, some language, a drug reference, and thematic elements."

Do not, under any circumstances, waste your money on this.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Transporter Refueled gets one.

Until next time...

 Still dreamy! <3 br="">

Movie Reviews: TROPIC THUNDER

Saturday, August 16, 2008
Movie Reviews: TROPIC THUNDER
IN THEATERS



TROPIC THUNDER

Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), pampered action superstar, sets out for Southeast Asia to take part in the biggest, most-expensive war movie produced. But soon after filming begins, he and his co-stars, Oscar-winner Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey), comic Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) and the rest of the crew, must become real soldiers when fighting breaks out in that part of the jungle.

Cast: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey, Jr., Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan

Director: Ben Stiller

Opened August 13, 2008

Runtime: 1 hr. 46 min.

Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material

Genres: Action Comedy, Comedy, Showbiz Comedy

Review:

Ben Stiller's first directorial turn since 2001's Zoolander is a ball of contradictions. It's seriously funny but serious satirical at the same time. Stiller creates some great comedic homage's to such storied war films such as Saving Private Ryan, Apocalypse Now and Platoon. The characters and plot are paper thin but this isn't really the type of film that begs for deep story or characters. It's a send up of Hollywood types and the caricatures presented vary from very funny, very much dependant on the actor playing the type, to very one note boarding on grating. Each one is introduced through some just ingenious faux trailers that preface the film. First the good, well the very good, Robert Downey Jr. is just spectacular. Downey Jr.'s Kirk Lazarus is a fabulous send up of method actors every where. He has a couple of wonderfully hilarious, one pretty un-PC, interactions with Stiller's Speedman that are some of the films high points. Nick Nolte is particularly funny, in limited screen time, as the grizzled author of the book that the faux movie is based on. Got that? Good. Tom Cruise has an extended cameo, complete with bald head, overly hairy chest and forearms like Popeye, which mostly hit the mark. It's good fun to see Cruise dole out some viciously vulgar dialogue as the insane studio exec. While Cruise's fun turn is enjoyable I was more than a little surprised than to say that I enjoyed Matthew McConaughey, as Speedman's agent, supporting turn here as well. Actually, I'd say it's his best role in a long while. That last statement probably has more to do with McConaughey's penchants for making crap. Other strong supporting turns include Danny McBride as pyrotechnic munitions expert, who may or may have not blinded Jamie Lee Curtis on the set of Freaky Friday, and Jay Baruchel as the green and most sensible actor on set. Stiller himself isn't bad but he isn't great either. His Tugg Speedman is most just Stiller mugging for the camera, similar to Derek Zoolander in a way, which just left me wishing he had done more with the caricature of the fading action star. Still he's worlds better than Black who is playing a caricature of a caricature. Having his play the drug addled funny man fails as his act gets old right from the start, a real shame as it was a pasture filled with comedic possibilities. Even with some small failings Tropic Thunder is a funny film that may offend some hyper sensitive folks but it's never the film's intention to be mean spirited just to point the mirror back at Hollywood.

B+