MOVIE REVIEW: LAST CHRISTMAS

Nothing seems to go right for young Kate, a frustrated Londoner who works as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. But things soon take a turn for the better when she meets Tom -- a handsome charmer who seems too good to be true. As the city transforms into the most wonderful time of the year, Tom and Kate's growing attraction turns into the best gift of all -- a Yuletide romance.

Director: Paul Feig

Cast: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh

Release Date: November 8, 2019

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content

Runtime: 1h 42min

Review:

Last Christmas looks and smells like a romantic comedy and for the better part of its runtime it is a wonderful one. Anyone who has been paying attention though should know to expect something a little different from Paul Fieg. Fieg directs the film with a deft hand, delivering a charming breezy film populated with incredibly likable characters. Emilia Clarke at her charming best here and ably carries the film. She's so damn loveable that it hard to take her character's disastrous life seriously. She's matched with an equally impressive Henry Golding whose character is just too good to be true. If this all sounds like basic rom com fodder it is and it isn't. Fieg and the razor sharp script have a turn that makes the film so much more than it appears at it's onset and it gives the film a much stronger message than you would have expected. 

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: A SIMPLE FAVOR

A SIMPLE FAVOR, directed by Paul Feig, centers around Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a mommy vlogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily's (Blake Lively) sudden disappearance from their small town.

Director: Paul Feig

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells

Release Date: September 24, 2018

Genres: Comedy, Crime, Drama

Rated R for sexual content and language throughout, some graphic nude images, drug use 
and violence

Runtime: 1h 57min

Review:

A Simple Favor is a twisty yet funny mystery that could have easily been written off like a Gone Girl knock off if not for Paul Feig’s style and wit.  Paul Feig has quietly become on of the stronger filmmakers working today.  Feig’s work has a great sense of style and humor that hard to find, in this film he crafts a classic Hitchcockian type of mysteries while satirizing it as well. It’s a delicate balance but he keeps going for the better part of the film even if the major reveal is slightly bungled and losing its impact.  The film’s strength is that it’s so fun and engaging that it barely matters.  Feig is also blessed with a stellar cast.  Anna Kendrick drives the film with a role that could be anymore suited to her talents.  Her and Blake Lively share solid chemistry with each playing off each other perfectly.  Their interactions are some of the best parts of the film.  Henry Golding is solid as the husband but in all honestly this film belongs to Kendrick and Lively.  A Simple Favor is one of the more unexpected cinematic surprises of the year. 

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: GHOSTBUSTERS

Director: Paul Feig 

Cast: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth

Release Date: Jul 15, 2016

Rated PG-13 for supernatural action and some crude humor.

Runtime: 1 hr. 47 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters isn’t the disaster many predicted but it’s not good enough on it’s own to prove it was necessary either.  I’m one of the few people who always liked Ghostbusters but was never in love with it even though I grew up with it.  There’s a definite fondness for the original film but I never really thought it was sacrilegious to remake it with women.  The director and cast do the best with what they have but it’s clear that there’s an issue with the story.  The overall plot hits a lot of the same notes that the original did but with a more generic punch.  As the film goes on, it does feel like everybody is reigning it in a bit, making me wish they’d decided to go for a full on R rated comedy.  I think that would have been a better choice for this director and cast.  As is, the cast is solid throughout with Chris Hemsworth leaving the biggest impression by displaying some strong comedic chops.  The film is a tad overlong by about 20 minutes or with some noticeable dead spots that could have been easily excised.  The Ghostbusters’ remake isn’t a train wreck but it’s not as good as it should have been to justify its existence. 

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: SPY

After years of doing work integral to the success of major missions, an intelligent but self-conscious deskbound CIA analyst (Melissa McCarthy) is finally given the chance to go undercover as a homely "cat lady" in order to save her missing partner (Jude Law) and thwart a global disaster at the hands of a dangerous arms dealer, in this comedy written and directed by Paul Feig. ~ Erin Demers, Rovi

Director: Paul Feig 

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney

Release Date: Jun 05, 2015

Rated R for Language Throughout, Violence, and Some Sexual Content Including Brief Graphic 

Nudity

Runtime: 1 hr. 55 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy

Review:

Spy is Paul Feig’s wonderfully vulgar spoof of the spy genre that could become comedic classic down the road.  It’s hilarious from the start and rarely lags even with it’s hefty 2 hour runtime.  Melissa McCarthy carries the film ably but the real standouts are her supporting cast.  Jason Statham and Rose Byrne are clearly having a ball hamming it up.  Statham steals just about every scene he’s in; thankfully Feig doesn’t overuse him making him more effective.  Byrne and her hair piece are slightly larger players but just as funny as the sexy villainess.  Mix in strong turns by Miranda Hart and Allison Janney and you’ve got a cast firing on all cylinders.  Paul Feig’s script is sharp and witty even going as far as giving us a fairly interesting spy plot to keep things interesting and hilarious all the way through.

A

Cindy Prascik's Review of Spy

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the pictures for the new Paul Feig/Melissa McCarthy comedy, Spy.

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

After a mission goes awry, a formerly office-bound CIA agent takes to the field.

Well, dear reader(s), the truth of the matter is I don't burn many cinema trips on comedies. There are several reasons for that, not least of which is that you usually spend your ten bucks and two hours only to find you've already seen all the really funny bits for free in a two-minute trailer. However, as Jason Statham goes, so go I, and I'm pleased to report that this time the captivating Mr. Statham is not responsible for two hours I want back. (Lookin' squarely at you, Redemption!)

It's fair to say you haven't heard the last of Jason Statham here, but Melissa McCarthy is the gal with her name above the title, and the comedienne ably keeps the laughs rolling as her accidentally-capable agent plays perfectly off other staples: the debonair Bond-type (Jude Law), the buffoonish superstar (Statham), the desk-jockey best friend (Miranda Hart), and of course the slick and slimy baddies (Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale).

Spy couldn't be more brilliantly cast, but as a fan I have to give a special shout-out to Miranda Hart, whose terrific turn hopefully will bring her lots more notice on this side of the pond. And then there's Jason Statham...oh...Jason Statham. If you didn't already know Statham can be funny, well, you just aren't paying attention, but he's a legitimate scene-stealer in Spy, and I couldn't be more delighted. Well, I *could* be more delighted if I hadn't had to wait 13 full minutes for him to make an appearance, but, other than that...probably not. Spy keeps the laughs coming, and if I worried this might be another of "those" waste-of-time comedies, that concern was already off the table before Statham even turned up.

Spy clocks in at an even two hours and is rated R for "language throughout, violence, and some sexual content including brief graphic nudity."

Smartly written and perfectly cast, Spy is a laugh-out-loud comedy with fantastic action and fight sequences, some beautiful locations, and nice twists.

Of a possible Nine Weasleys, Spy gets eight.

Until next time...*

*Author's note: This review sucks because I have no Starbucks today!