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Gareth von Kallenbach (136 KP) rated Hitch (2005) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
February is the time of year when thoughts turn to romance and the coming spring. It is also the time of year when Hollywood brings new romantic themed films to the theaters in an effort to open big, thanks to the date movie crowd.
Some of the efforts, such as last weekend’s The Wedding Date, never take off, while others, such as Hitch provide a nice mix of romance and comedy which, for the most part, work very well.
The film follows the exploits of urban legend Alex Hitch Hitchens (Will Smith), a self-styled date doctor who specializes in helping men romance the lady of their dreams. Hitch does not provide a dating service but rather helps his clients with their confidence and instructs them on the true way to win and keep and ladies heart.
With his proven results and good rapport with his clients, Hitch is a man in demand, yet due to his policy of privacy and secrecy, to many, the so-called love doctor is little more than an urban myth which is just fine with Hitch. He would rather work in the shadows than bask in the limelight. The adoration of his clients is all he needs. Well, that and a steady supply of ladies to charm at the days end.
Hitch is about to face his toughest case yet in a kind but portly accountant named Albert (Kevin James) who is desperate to win the heart of his wealthy socialite client Allegra (Amber Valletta). When Albert and Allegra start to be seen with one another in public, they catch the eye of celebrity snoop Sara (Eve Mendes), who becomes determined to see what is behind this unexpected couple, which in turn leads her to believe that the so-called Date Doctor is a reality.
If matters were not complicated enough, Hitch starts to see Sara on a social basis with each of them unaware of what the other really does. Sparks fly despite the unflappable and smooth Hitch having one thing after another go awry. Sara really seems to be effecting him, and the more pathetic and hopeless he seems, the more they are drawn to one another.
Instead of turning the film into a whimsical lark, Director Andy Tennant, who helmed the recent Sweet Home Alabama manages to balance comedy with romance, all the while keeping a little bit of drama involved.
Mendes and Smith have good chemistry with one another, as do Smith and James. Smith is very solid and likeable as the charming Hitch. He plays him as a smooth and confident guy, who is actually more reserved and cautious on the inside. The duality of his character is clear without being overwhelming, leaving him not only likeable, but as a character that is easy to root for. The biggest surprise of the film would be Kevin James. His portrayal of Albert is a solid mix of humor and decency. James gets many laughs with Albert’s attempt at being suave, as he portrays a very realistic and believable character who is struggling to find his inner confidence and let his body and voice convey what he has in his heart.
The film does lose momentum during the final twenty minutes when it becomes lazy, resorting to many standard situations that have been done many times before. That being said Hitch as a whole works, and if you are willing to overlook a few blemishes, you may find yourself enjoying the warmth, humor and charm.
Some of the efforts, such as last weekend’s The Wedding Date, never take off, while others, such as Hitch provide a nice mix of romance and comedy which, for the most part, work very well.
The film follows the exploits of urban legend Alex Hitch Hitchens (Will Smith), a self-styled date doctor who specializes in helping men romance the lady of their dreams. Hitch does not provide a dating service but rather helps his clients with their confidence and instructs them on the true way to win and keep and ladies heart.
With his proven results and good rapport with his clients, Hitch is a man in demand, yet due to his policy of privacy and secrecy, to many, the so-called love doctor is little more than an urban myth which is just fine with Hitch. He would rather work in the shadows than bask in the limelight. The adoration of his clients is all he needs. Well, that and a steady supply of ladies to charm at the days end.
Hitch is about to face his toughest case yet in a kind but portly accountant named Albert (Kevin James) who is desperate to win the heart of his wealthy socialite client Allegra (Amber Valletta). When Albert and Allegra start to be seen with one another in public, they catch the eye of celebrity snoop Sara (Eve Mendes), who becomes determined to see what is behind this unexpected couple, which in turn leads her to believe that the so-called Date Doctor is a reality.
If matters were not complicated enough, Hitch starts to see Sara on a social basis with each of them unaware of what the other really does. Sparks fly despite the unflappable and smooth Hitch having one thing after another go awry. Sara really seems to be effecting him, and the more pathetic and hopeless he seems, the more they are drawn to one another.
Instead of turning the film into a whimsical lark, Director Andy Tennant, who helmed the recent Sweet Home Alabama manages to balance comedy with romance, all the while keeping a little bit of drama involved.
Mendes and Smith have good chemistry with one another, as do Smith and James. Smith is very solid and likeable as the charming Hitch. He plays him as a smooth and confident guy, who is actually more reserved and cautious on the inside. The duality of his character is clear without being overwhelming, leaving him not only likeable, but as a character that is easy to root for. The biggest surprise of the film would be Kevin James. His portrayal of Albert is a solid mix of humor and decency. James gets many laughs with Albert’s attempt at being suave, as he portrays a very realistic and believable character who is struggling to find his inner confidence and let his body and voice convey what he has in his heart.
The film does lose momentum during the final twenty minutes when it becomes lazy, resorting to many standard situations that have been done many times before. That being said Hitch as a whole works, and if you are willing to overlook a few blemishes, you may find yourself enjoying the warmth, humor and charm.
Daniel Boyd (957 KP) rated Sausage Party (2016) in Movies
Jul 20, 2017
Funny voiceovers (1 more)
Classic Seth Rogen humour
Wasted potential (1 more)
The animators were treated poorly
Comfort Food
Based on the trailer I had high expectations going in, but really this movie is exactly what you expect it to be. The humour ticks all of the boxes that you would expect it to, casual racism, crass sex jokes, low brow sexism and drug induced illusions, the only difference that these feature in this movie to all of Seth Rogen’s other movies is that they are animated in this instance. If you switch off your brain and all you are looking for is a silly comedy then there is a good time to be had here and I did enjoy my time with this movie, but I can’t help but feel that there was also a lot of wasted potential here. I expected to have sore sides from laughing during this film and I only laughed out loud twice in the cinema and to be honest any less than three belly laughs during a Seth Rogen movie is underwhelming for me. Maybe I am being harsh, plus I was quite ill when I saw the movie so maybe if I went back and watched it again while feeling better I would have a better time. Like I said up top, if all you need is a quick fix of immature, shameless humour then you will enjoy this movie for what it is, but there could have been more done with this project and I’m a little bit let down that it couldn’t live up to its full potential.
Nikki G. (48 KP) rated Christine (2016) in Movies
Sep 2, 2017
Not an easy film to watch, but it should make you uncomfortable
Contains spoilers, click to show
Christine Chubbuck is a name that most people have never heard of, although her demise by her own hand was the supposed inspiration for the 1970s film Network, although that was a comedy. Anyway, she was a smart young journalist for a small local television station in Sarasota, Florida, in the early 1970s, struggling with trying to make a name for herself and the "if it bleeds, it leads" style of reportage that was starting to become de rigueur back then. She also struggled with depression and probably bipolar or borderline personality disorder, as well.
Christine tried to hang with the new style and offered to do a piece for the station on suicide. She spoke with police officers and interviewed them on what would be the best way. Ten days prior to her death, she purchased a gun. When asked why, she said to a co-worker, "Well, I had this wild idea that I would blow myself away on the air." Everyone thought she was making a crass joke, but about a week later, that is exactly what she did.
This movie details Christine's spiral downward into the morass of mental illness, exacerbated by the pressures of being female in a male-dominated world. It is fascinating and uncomfortable, not to mention heartbreaking. Rebecca Hall completely dissolves into the character of Christine and does a fantastic job of making you relate to this woman who just wanted people to like her and tell her that she was doing a good job.
Christine tried to hang with the new style and offered to do a piece for the station on suicide. She spoke with police officers and interviewed them on what would be the best way. Ten days prior to her death, she purchased a gun. When asked why, she said to a co-worker, "Well, I had this wild idea that I would blow myself away on the air." Everyone thought she was making a crass joke, but about a week later, that is exactly what she did.
This movie details Christine's spiral downward into the morass of mental illness, exacerbated by the pressures of being female in a male-dominated world. It is fascinating and uncomfortable, not to mention heartbreaking. Rebecca Hall completely dissolves into the character of Christine and does a fantastic job of making you relate to this woman who just wanted people to like her and tell her that she was doing a good job.
Awix (1081 KP) rated The Foreigner (2017) in Movies
Feb 9, 2018 (Updated Feb 9, 2018)
I Wanna Know What a Roaring Rampage of Revenge Is
Not-as-lighthearted-as-you-might-expect vehicle for Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan: Chan plays an ex-special forces restauranteur whose daughter is killed in a terrorist attack, Brosnan the IRA man turned politician whom he pursues for information about the men responsible.
Obviously there's a bit of an issue with audience expectations where these two guys are concerned, as this film is considerably heavier than the kind of thing either of them usually makes, and the subject matter of this film might be considered a bit iffy anyway - terrorist bombings and the IRA are not usually the stuff of a jolly evening's entertainment. (Given that Brosnan's character somewhat resembles real-life Irish republican leader Gerry Adams, I would imagine that the libel lawyers had a profitable time with this film, too.)
But, that said, both actors are actually rather good, and when the action sequences come Campbell handles them with his usual aplomb - note I say when, for this is much more of a straight thriller than a martial arts action movie (it's certainly not a comedy of any stripe). It's all a bit dour and you get a distinct whiff of it all having been made on a low budget, but everyone involved deserves credit for being prepared to do something a bit different and doing a decent job with it.
(No idea why there's a picture of Steven Seagal listed with this movie; I suspect there may be more than one film titled The Foreigner and there's been a mixup.)
Obviously there's a bit of an issue with audience expectations where these two guys are concerned, as this film is considerably heavier than the kind of thing either of them usually makes, and the subject matter of this film might be considered a bit iffy anyway - terrorist bombings and the IRA are not usually the stuff of a jolly evening's entertainment. (Given that Brosnan's character somewhat resembles real-life Irish republican leader Gerry Adams, I would imagine that the libel lawyers had a profitable time with this film, too.)
But, that said, both actors are actually rather good, and when the action sequences come Campbell handles them with his usual aplomb - note I say when, for this is much more of a straight thriller than a martial arts action movie (it's certainly not a comedy of any stripe). It's all a bit dour and you get a distinct whiff of it all having been made on a low budget, but everyone involved deserves credit for being prepared to do something a bit different and doing a decent job with it.
(No idea why there's a picture of Steven Seagal listed with this movie; I suspect there may be more than one film titled The Foreigner and there's been a mixup.)
Goddess in the Stacks (481 KP) rated The Last Black Unicorn in Books
Feb 24, 2018
I've been wanting to read this book ever since I saw Haddish's interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. This woman is HILARIOUS. Somehow I didn't realize she was in the movie Girls Night until I read about it in her book - I really do need to see that movie. That aside, this book was pretty great. It's written in her speaking style, so it's not technically correct grammar, but it SOUNDS right, which is more important in a memoir, in my opinion. It's supposed to show the author's personality, and this does.
I don't know that I'd put this on quite the same level as Trevor Noah's Born A Crime, or Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy, but it's not far behind them. Haddish talks about her childhood in the foster system and then raised by her grandmother, her string of no-good boyfriends, and her abusive marriage. She's had a rough life, but somehow she's come out of it with a gift for comedy and a grounded personality.
Her swamp tour with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith is one of the most hilarious stories in the book, and one of the few that is purely funny. Most of them are underscored with a serious issue that make me feel a little bad for laughing at them, but Haddish laughs at them, so how can you not? It's an interesting conflict that leaves me with slightly mixed feelings about the book.
It's a pretty quick, easy, fun read, and if you like Tiffany Haddish, it definitely shows what she's gone through to get where she is now.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
I don't know that I'd put this on quite the same level as Trevor Noah's Born A Crime, or Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy, but it's not far behind them. Haddish talks about her childhood in the foster system and then raised by her grandmother, her string of no-good boyfriends, and her abusive marriage. She's had a rough life, but somehow she's come out of it with a gift for comedy and a grounded personality.
Her swamp tour with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith is one of the most hilarious stories in the book, and one of the few that is purely funny. Most of them are underscored with a serious issue that make me feel a little bad for laughing at them, but Haddish laughs at them, so how can you not? It's an interesting conflict that leaves me with slightly mixed feelings about the book.
It's a pretty quick, easy, fun read, and if you like Tiffany Haddish, it definitely shows what she's gone through to get where she is now.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Micah Ulibarri (78 KP) rated Everything Sucks - Season 1 in TV
Apr 3, 2018
It's a dramedy that takes place in the 90s. I'm talking so 90's it hurts. Three high school freshmen in Boring, Oregan start off their first year of high school in a big way. Hopefully they wont embarrass themselves.
I absolutely fell in love with this show. First of all, it is funny and feels more like a comedy. Nevertheless, the characters are complex and the situations are interesting and emotional.
The young actors, Peyton Kennedy, Jahi Winston, and Rio Mangini especially, do some great work. I think it's great that they actually look like young high school kids. Nonetheless, the are able to bring the emotion.
The show has themes of relationships, self-discovery, growing up, and how the 90s influenced that. There are some very positive representations of discovering sexuality. Not only as a young adult, but some of the older adults recently out of long term relationships also learn what it is to love and trust again.
Finally, one of the big plot points is the making of a movie in the kids AV club. It's actually really impressive when you see just how intensive a process that was not even 20 years ago.
All in all, the characters are the ones that sell the show. The show often ends on cliff hangers making you wanting to come back. My wife and I watched it through twice in one week. It's only 10 episodes and every single one of them is well worth it.
Also, shout out to the 90s tunes. Most of which are still songs on pretty much any of my playlists.
I absolutely fell in love with this show. First of all, it is funny and feels more like a comedy. Nevertheless, the characters are complex and the situations are interesting and emotional.
The young actors, Peyton Kennedy, Jahi Winston, and Rio Mangini especially, do some great work. I think it's great that they actually look like young high school kids. Nonetheless, the are able to bring the emotion.
The show has themes of relationships, self-discovery, growing up, and how the 90s influenced that. There are some very positive representations of discovering sexuality. Not only as a young adult, but some of the older adults recently out of long term relationships also learn what it is to love and trust again.
Finally, one of the big plot points is the making of a movie in the kids AV club. It's actually really impressive when you see just how intensive a process that was not even 20 years ago.
All in all, the characters are the ones that sell the show. The show often ends on cliff hangers making you wanting to come back. My wife and I watched it through twice in one week. It's only 10 episodes and every single one of them is well worth it.
Also, shout out to the 90s tunes. Most of which are still songs on pretty much any of my playlists.
Darren (215 KP) rated 500 Days of Summer (2009) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
This is not a love story. This is a story about love. The tag line sums of this movie perfectly. It’s a story of a boy Tom who meets a girl at work called Summer, He thinks she is ‘The One’ and after a little bit of a fling. Until Summer decides she doesn’t want anything serious, Tom goes on the roller coaster of emotions and we get to see how he gets though the 500 days of Summer. Tom gets help from his two best friends McKenzie, Paul and even his little sister Rachel who is surprisingly more adult than her age would show.
The Story is something a lot of people can relate to as it’s a dead-end job that Tom just filled even tho he dreamed of being something better. Can this doomed relationship give him the confidence to take the next step in his career? With some great chemistry between Tom and Summer that sparkles at the start but fizzles out as the relationship grew. Having great locations from an Ikea store to a hill-side park in the middle of the busy city. The music through out the movie are great classics from The Smiths, Morrissey and Beatles conversation keep the music lovers interested in the storyline.
Overall Movie Rating 93% it’s a rom-com that everyone will enjoy as it is a position everyone would have been in some when during their love life. Action junkies will not be interested that much but overall a very good romantic comedy that all will enjoy
https://moviesreview101.com/2010/01/26/500-days-of-summer/
The Story is something a lot of people can relate to as it’s a dead-end job that Tom just filled even tho he dreamed of being something better. Can this doomed relationship give him the confidence to take the next step in his career? With some great chemistry between Tom and Summer that sparkles at the start but fizzles out as the relationship grew. Having great locations from an Ikea store to a hill-side park in the middle of the busy city. The music through out the movie are great classics from The Smiths, Morrissey and Beatles conversation keep the music lovers interested in the storyline.
Overall Movie Rating 93% it’s a rom-com that everyone will enjoy as it is a position everyone would have been in some when during their love life. Action junkies will not be interested that much but overall a very good romantic comedy that all will enjoy
https://moviesreview101.com/2010/01/26/500-days-of-summer/
Gareth von Kallenbach (136 KP) rated Kevin Hart: What Now? (2016) in Movies
Jul 15, 2019
Kevin Hart returns to theaters with his latest concert movie What Now The film features his concert held in Philadelphia, PA where over 50,000 adoring fans sold out Lincoln Financial Field.
Kevin Hart does more than answer the question as to “What Now?” He brings forth new material about his family, pop culture, relationships, and the quirky interaction that we all engage in during our daily lives. His routine offers fans and comedy lovers the opportunity to sit back and let the laughs take over.
Hart demonstrates with the turnout, material, and ability to keep a full house entertained that he is stand-up comedy’s rock star.
No one else is even close right now in being able to bring audiences of different cultures, races, lifestyles, professions, and backgrounds together in order to laugh at all of the things that make us uncomfortable or what we probably shouldn’t laugh at under normal circumstances. For Hart, nothing is out of bounds or considered safe.
Fans and newcomers will not be disappointed with Hart’s newest performance. The presentation of the act incorporates an interactive stage and special effects that allow the jokes to come to life.
At times, I found myself more interested in the technological aspects than the jokes. They were able to build off of each other and enhance the performance, even for the few jokes that miss the mark.
This film however, does not. There are more than enough quotes and lines that audiences will find themselves repeating or using in casual conversation. The performance is fresh and ensures that we will continue to see Kevin Hart for years to come.
Kevin Hart does more than answer the question as to “What Now?” He brings forth new material about his family, pop culture, relationships, and the quirky interaction that we all engage in during our daily lives. His routine offers fans and comedy lovers the opportunity to sit back and let the laughs take over.
Hart demonstrates with the turnout, material, and ability to keep a full house entertained that he is stand-up comedy’s rock star.
No one else is even close right now in being able to bring audiences of different cultures, races, lifestyles, professions, and backgrounds together in order to laugh at all of the things that make us uncomfortable or what we probably shouldn’t laugh at under normal circumstances. For Hart, nothing is out of bounds or considered safe.
Fans and newcomers will not be disappointed with Hart’s newest performance. The presentation of the act incorporates an interactive stage and special effects that allow the jokes to come to life.
At times, I found myself more interested in the technological aspects than the jokes. They were able to build off of each other and enhance the performance, even for the few jokes that miss the mark.
This film however, does not. There are more than enough quotes and lines that audiences will find themselves repeating or using in casual conversation. The performance is fresh and ensures that we will continue to see Kevin Hart for years to come.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Highland Fling in Books
Jun 24, 2019
I can't say there are many classic novels that I've really enjoyed, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book when I really focused on it. It is a comedy, and I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't appreciate the humour as the book was originally published back in 1931. I will admit that I maybe didn't enjoy it as much as I could have, but I did quite like it and find it quite interesting.
It follows Albert Gates, an artist who has moved to Paris, as he accompanies friends to Dalloch Castle in the Scottish Highlands. He meets Jane there, and they bond while irritating the other guests to keep themselves amused. The friends of Albert's, Sally and Walter, have their own happenings both during the holiday and after returning home.
Albert opens an art exhibition that receives more attention than Jane anticipated, and Jane starts to panic. Is there a wedding on the horizon, or will Albert be going back to Paris alone?
This actually has some rather dramatic moments, including a fire that strikes in the night. The characters are all very different, such as the foreigner-hating General Murgatroyd (whom Albert takes great joy in winding up). At first, I really wasn't taken with this book. But when I sat and really read it, I actually did start to enjoy it.
I really don't read books like this usually, and I wasn't sure how much I would like it. But it is a good book, and I definitely recommend it for lovers of classics or similar genres to this. 3 to 3.5 stars.
It follows Albert Gates, an artist who has moved to Paris, as he accompanies friends to Dalloch Castle in the Scottish Highlands. He meets Jane there, and they bond while irritating the other guests to keep themselves amused. The friends of Albert's, Sally and Walter, have their own happenings both during the holiday and after returning home.
Albert opens an art exhibition that receives more attention than Jane anticipated, and Jane starts to panic. Is there a wedding on the horizon, or will Albert be going back to Paris alone?
This actually has some rather dramatic moments, including a fire that strikes in the night. The characters are all very different, such as the foreigner-hating General Murgatroyd (whom Albert takes great joy in winding up). At first, I really wasn't taken with this book. But when I sat and really read it, I actually did start to enjoy it.
I really don't read books like this usually, and I wasn't sure how much I would like it. But it is a good book, and I definitely recommend it for lovers of classics or similar genres to this. 3 to 3.5 stars.
Isiah Zane Hodge (12 KP) rated Halloween (2018) in Movies
Jun 28, 2019
The best horror sequel ever?
How could anything truly top the great Halloween? Though the franchise has been riddled with cheese and just insane plot holes. This sequel of the original 1978 horror classic maybe one of the best horror sequels of all time let alone probably the best Halloween sequel ever? The film has a freaky atmosphere that seems to be directly copied from the original. Is that a bad thing? No not necessarily. The original sequels to the Halloween franchise have little to no atmosphere. Feels like more of the focus is promantly towards the "not so" mysterious Micheal Myers and less about setting the scene up for a good erie feeling. Which isn't to say that its easy to do. Much of a sequels scares come from the shocking and overrated "jump scare" aspect. Once you're shown the big bad on camera, it's hard to gain that same fear and mystery back. However in the 2019 film, it ramps it to 11. Maybe it's because we haven't seen Myers on the big screen for quite some time? There is something about seeing an older Myers that is so freaky to me. The cat and mouse plot twist is a wonderful change that makes this film a 9/10 for me. As a horror buff, I was so excited for this film so much that I didn't watch anything else for 2 months. I loved the film that much. Definitely a great watch.
