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Sam (74 KP) rated The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) in Books
Mar 27, 2019
I had watched the Unfortunate Events film, and now I’m addicted to the Netflix series. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve rewatched the series, so I had been wanting to start reading the series for ages. It’s another one of those books that I haven’t gotten around to reading because I always found something I wanted to read more.
I’m glad I finally got The Bad Beginning though. It’s hilarious and some of the best children’s fiction I’ve read in ages. I’ve got a feeling I read it once when I was younger but I was never that into it. I definitely feel that some of the jokes are aimed more towards the readers my sort of age than kids, which is what makes it even better.
I absolutely love Justice Strauss and her library – it reminds me of something straight out of a fairytale.
The Bad Beginning is a hilarious start to the Unfortunate Events series and I can’t wait for my book ban to be over so I can buy the rest of the series and read them all over the stretch of a few weeks. They make the perfect quick read (I read this one in a couple of days around working, picking it up whenever I got a little bit of spare time).
Season two of Unfortunate Events comes out on Netflix in March, and it can’t come soon enough. Neil Patrick Harris makes the perfect Count Olaf and when I was reading this all I heard was his voice.
I’m glad I finally got The Bad Beginning though. It’s hilarious and some of the best children’s fiction I’ve read in ages. I’ve got a feeling I read it once when I was younger but I was never that into it. I definitely feel that some of the jokes are aimed more towards the readers my sort of age than kids, which is what makes it even better.
I absolutely love Justice Strauss and her library – it reminds me of something straight out of a fairytale.
The Bad Beginning is a hilarious start to the Unfortunate Events series and I can’t wait for my book ban to be over so I can buy the rest of the series and read them all over the stretch of a few weeks. They make the perfect quick read (I read this one in a couple of days around working, picking it up whenever I got a little bit of spare time).
Season two of Unfortunate Events comes out on Netflix in March, and it can’t come soon enough. Neil Patrick Harris makes the perfect Count Olaf and when I was reading this all I heard was his voice.
Mike Wilder (20 KP) rated Starship Troopers (1997) in Movies
May 30, 2018
It is a great film and in the category of action Sci-Fi one of the best.
Contains spoilers, click to show
Starship Troopers is a great Science Fiction movie. It is based on a book by Robert A. Heinlein. In the future, mankind is exploring the universe and encroach upon the territory of alien bugs and war begins. The insects are only responding to a threat of their territory and are trying to fight off the invaders. The clever use of insects as the aliens makes this film stand apart from other space movies.
The cast is great. It is made up of great actors, many of who at the time were relatively unknown including Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey and Denise Richards, mixed with established stars like Clancy Brown, Neil Patrick Harris and Michael Ironside, taking minor roles. The star of the movie is hard to choose between Dina Meyer, Casper Van Dien (both of who suffered injuries while making this, Casper broke a rib and Dina suffered a concussion) and the bugs! However I am going to have to say the bugs are the stars. The use of real and CGI in this film is great. The bugs are a formidable foe and a very creative one. They are numerous and relentless. Cleverly the use of different species of bugs makes for some great surprises.
The battles are epic and bloody. This is not a film for the squeamish, every battle is like a futuristic opening scene to Saving Private Ryan. People die in horrific ways, bodies and limbs are ripped apart and even main characters don't always survive, something I always appreciate in a film as it keeps the viewer guessing.
But it is not all about war, there is a good amount of comedy and even romance in this movie. It is a great film and in the category of action Sci-Fi one of the best.
The cast is great. It is made up of great actors, many of who at the time were relatively unknown including Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey and Denise Richards, mixed with established stars like Clancy Brown, Neil Patrick Harris and Michael Ironside, taking minor roles. The star of the movie is hard to choose between Dina Meyer, Casper Van Dien (both of who suffered injuries while making this, Casper broke a rib and Dina suffered a concussion) and the bugs! However I am going to have to say the bugs are the stars. The use of real and CGI in this film is great. The bugs are a formidable foe and a very creative one. They are numerous and relentless. Cleverly the use of different species of bugs makes for some great surprises.
The battles are epic and bloody. This is not a film for the squeamish, every battle is like a futuristic opening scene to Saving Private Ryan. People die in horrific ways, bodies and limbs are ripped apart and even main characters don't always survive, something I always appreciate in a film as it keeps the viewer guessing.
But it is not all about war, there is a good amount of comedy and even romance in this movie. It is a great film and in the category of action Sci-Fi one of the best.
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
In 2012, comedy writer/director/actor Seth MacFarlane created and introduced the world to basically a “live action” episode of his hit show Family Guy with the film Ted. I originally thought that film looked stupid. However as absurd as it was, it was still hilarious. Something about a talking “grown up” Teddy Bear was charming enough, but also required you to completely suspend disbelief and just go with whatever ridiculousness what was shown on screen. It was the success of that film that caused me to have higher expectations for MacFarlane’s new film A Million Ways to Die in the West. Sadly, he is a victim of his own success.
Seth MacFarlane takes on the “leading man” role this time around and unfortunately, he is not a leading man. His constant diatribes about how the west can kill you are delivered in his typical long-winded over intelligent style. Only they feel out of place as the rest of the characters and film do not take themselves remotely serious. Truthfully, I found myself not caring about him at all and was more interested in the other characters. Neil Patrick Harris is a standout as a “mustache man” who steals MacFarlane’s girlfriend and the rest of the cast pull off their cookie cutter western characters well.
That is not to say that this film is not funny. It has its funny parts. However they are far between and few are memorable. Because they try to play this movie a bit more “straight” than Ted, it just doesn’t work as well. Perhaps it is because we have seen it all from MacFarlane before and it is just more of the same.
In the end, if you are a MacFarlane fan and go into this film will medium to low expectations, you won’t be disappointed and will probably enjoy this film. But if you are looking for the next best comedy of the summer or something to make you constantly laugh, best you go check out Neighbors as this film is not near as funny.
Seth MacFarlane takes on the “leading man” role this time around and unfortunately, he is not a leading man. His constant diatribes about how the west can kill you are delivered in his typical long-winded over intelligent style. Only they feel out of place as the rest of the characters and film do not take themselves remotely serious. Truthfully, I found myself not caring about him at all and was more interested in the other characters. Neil Patrick Harris is a standout as a “mustache man” who steals MacFarlane’s girlfriend and the rest of the cast pull off their cookie cutter western characters well.
That is not to say that this film is not funny. It has its funny parts. However they are far between and few are memorable. Because they try to play this movie a bit more “straight” than Ted, it just doesn’t work as well. Perhaps it is because we have seen it all from MacFarlane before and it is just more of the same.
In the end, if you are a MacFarlane fan and go into this film will medium to low expectations, you won’t be disappointed and will probably enjoy this film. But if you are looking for the next best comedy of the summer or something to make you constantly laugh, best you go check out Neighbors as this film is not near as funny.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) in Movies
Sep 21, 2020
Realistically? This is only *ever* so slightly worse than 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘴, by a unit of less than a hair. I'd consider this to be about 45% funny, 55% unfunny in almost note-precise measure. Granted some of the humor does come from how jarringly wacky and final the scene-to-scene structure is - which unlike the majority I don't have a problem with because it shows how committed this is to truly trying to make you laugh, which I can respect. Though even its funniest moments are a far cry from the likes of the debilitatingly hilarious 𝘛𝘦𝘥 movies (the Gwendolyn joke is always a winner, though). Cut out the boring Theron + Neeson stuff and you could be left with a nicely lean, unique little comedy. I admire that this tries to be more than your average throwaway comedy by introducing like ten different plotlines but none of them ever come together smoothly at all and as a result it falls into *heavy* tedium quite regularly. My other main gripe is that MacFarlane (who does hold his weight here) plays the ultimate fucking incel - that dude who never lets people have fun on social media and swears women should just start lining up to fuck him just because he's superficially a self-proclaimed 'nice guy'. I'd hate that less if he didn't leave the ultra-talented pair of Charlize Theron and Amanda Seyfried to both be shoved unceremoniously to the corner as second and third fiddles who are relegated to kissing his despicable ass the entire time rather than flexing their comedic chops. Also quick side gripe, 85% of the jokes in the gag reel are funnier than the ones in the movie? Wtf?? But a mustachioed Neil Patrick Harris diarrheas into not one... but TWO different bowler hats. So its goofy streak satiated me for what that's worth. And I'll also support at least giving Wes Studi a more meatier role than all of 𝘏𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Matrix Resurrections (2021) in Movies
Dec 25, 2021 (Updated Dec 30, 2021)
Before watching The Matrix Resurrections, I was pretty much in the mindset that it didn't need to exist. The finished product did nothing to change my mind, however, it was entertaining enough that I genuinely enjoyed being back in this universe for another spin.
The whole narrative kind of felt inconsequential. Whereas in the original trilogy, Neo was woken up to save humanity. This time round, he's woken up for reasons that aren't made clear whatsoever, or at least, if they were then I completely missed them. By the time the story concludes, I found myself thinking "that was cool, but did anything actually happen?"
Like so many franchises these days, Resurrections leans heavily into nostalgia territory. I'm indifferent to this in all honesty. I see why some take issue with it, but I don't hate it. It doesn't feel too over the top, but the movie tries to get away with it by including a lot of meta dialogue about sequels and reboots. Some if it lands, some of it is horrifically on the nose. All of this combined really gives the impression that Resurrections purely exists to make money. The original sequels are riddled with issues, but at least it felt like a story was being told.
All of this being said, I still had a damn good time. It's a pleasure to see Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss back together, and it successfully hammers home that The Matrix was always centered around the love between Neo and Trinity. The supporting cast ain't too shabby either. Jessica Henwick is great, as is Yahya Abdul-Mateen and Neil Patrick Harris. The action scenes don't quite reach iconic status, but are still a blast to watch unfold, and the whole thing is visually pleasing, as is expected.
Resurrections is ultimately a mixed bag. There's plenty of material to enjoy, but there's equally a whole bunch of ideas that aren't executed particularly well. Unfortunately for any films that followed, the original movie is pretty much untouchable, but to its credit, Resurrections doesn't flinch in its commitment to remain part of a layered sci-fi saga, despite its blockbuster status, and for that, I can respect what Lana Wachowski has cooked up, even if it feels a little shallow at times.
The whole narrative kind of felt inconsequential. Whereas in the original trilogy, Neo was woken up to save humanity. This time round, he's woken up for reasons that aren't made clear whatsoever, or at least, if they were then I completely missed them. By the time the story concludes, I found myself thinking "that was cool, but did anything actually happen?"
Like so many franchises these days, Resurrections leans heavily into nostalgia territory. I'm indifferent to this in all honesty. I see why some take issue with it, but I don't hate it. It doesn't feel too over the top, but the movie tries to get away with it by including a lot of meta dialogue about sequels and reboots. Some if it lands, some of it is horrifically on the nose. All of this combined really gives the impression that Resurrections purely exists to make money. The original sequels are riddled with issues, but at least it felt like a story was being told.
All of this being said, I still had a damn good time. It's a pleasure to see Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss back together, and it successfully hammers home that The Matrix was always centered around the love between Neo and Trinity. The supporting cast ain't too shabby either. Jessica Henwick is great, as is Yahya Abdul-Mateen and Neil Patrick Harris. The action scenes don't quite reach iconic status, but are still a blast to watch unfold, and the whole thing is visually pleasing, as is expected.
Resurrections is ultimately a mixed bag. There's plenty of material to enjoy, but there's equally a whole bunch of ideas that aren't executed particularly well. Unfortunately for any films that followed, the original movie is pretty much untouchable, but to its credit, Resurrections doesn't flinch in its commitment to remain part of a layered sci-fi saga, despite its blockbuster status, and for that, I can respect what Lana Wachowski has cooked up, even if it feels a little shallow at times.
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
It has been four years since Harold and Kumar embarked on their munchies induced quest for White Castle hamburgers. The resulting chaos and mayhem that resulted led to solid box office and DVD sales and spawned the sequel “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay”.
The film picks up at the conclusion of the last film and finds Harold (John Cho), planning a trip to Amsterdam with his friend Kumar (Kal Penn), in order to surprise his new girlfriend Maria (Paula Garces). Kumar is thrilled at the idea of the trip fueled in large part due to Amsterdam’s very tolerant attitude towards drugs.
As they prepare to board their plane, the duo meet Kumar’s old girlfriend Vanessa (Danneel Harris), who is about to marry a powerful and conservative Texan named Colton (Eric Winter), who has designs on being the President someday.
Unwilling to let on that he still holds a torch for Vanessa, Kumar attempts to get high during the flight and ends up getting himself and Harold mistaken for terrorists. Before the duo know what has hit them they have run afoul of Homeland Security agent Ron Fox (Rob Corddry), and are sharing a cell in Guantanamo Bay.
Desperate to escape their plight, the duo soon find themselves on the lam with Fox and the nations law enforcement officials in hot pursuit.
Harold and Kumar hope to make it to Texas in order to seek help from Colton as Harold thinks that due to their friendship and his connections he can get the duo out of their predicament. Kumar is all for this as not only is it the best way to get out of their situation but he secretly thinks he can get Vanessa to come back to him before it is too late.
Along the way the duo look to find help from their bizarre friends, and run into all manner of obstacles ranging from the Klan, Rednecks, and Neil Patrick Harris in a very funny cameo, and countless other bizarre people and situations.
The film is crude but if you were a fan of the last film, you will likely find this film very funny. The chemistry between Cho and Penn is good and it is fun to see the misadventures of the two best friends and hear them argue amongst themselves over their plight. Harold being the more level headed of the two is furious over the irresponsible Kumar and how he got them into this situation, but he is willing to stand by his friend to a point, which results in one of the fun moments in the film when the duo end up in a brothel in Texas.
Penn and Cho also seem to be having a good time playing the characters and despite the abundance of crude and drug related humor, there are some genuinely funny moments in the film and it is better than the first film in the series.
Those expecting a deep plot and characters will be disappointed, but if you came into this film looking for those elements, then you must have gotten into Kumar’s stash. That being said, take the film for what it is, and enjoyable if light piece of comedy, and you are likely to be glad that you are along for the ride.
The film picks up at the conclusion of the last film and finds Harold (John Cho), planning a trip to Amsterdam with his friend Kumar (Kal Penn), in order to surprise his new girlfriend Maria (Paula Garces). Kumar is thrilled at the idea of the trip fueled in large part due to Amsterdam’s very tolerant attitude towards drugs.
As they prepare to board their plane, the duo meet Kumar’s old girlfriend Vanessa (Danneel Harris), who is about to marry a powerful and conservative Texan named Colton (Eric Winter), who has designs on being the President someday.
Unwilling to let on that he still holds a torch for Vanessa, Kumar attempts to get high during the flight and ends up getting himself and Harold mistaken for terrorists. Before the duo know what has hit them they have run afoul of Homeland Security agent Ron Fox (Rob Corddry), and are sharing a cell in Guantanamo Bay.
Desperate to escape their plight, the duo soon find themselves on the lam with Fox and the nations law enforcement officials in hot pursuit.
Harold and Kumar hope to make it to Texas in order to seek help from Colton as Harold thinks that due to their friendship and his connections he can get the duo out of their predicament. Kumar is all for this as not only is it the best way to get out of their situation but he secretly thinks he can get Vanessa to come back to him before it is too late.
Along the way the duo look to find help from their bizarre friends, and run into all manner of obstacles ranging from the Klan, Rednecks, and Neil Patrick Harris in a very funny cameo, and countless other bizarre people and situations.
The film is crude but if you were a fan of the last film, you will likely find this film very funny. The chemistry between Cho and Penn is good and it is fun to see the misadventures of the two best friends and hear them argue amongst themselves over their plight. Harold being the more level headed of the two is furious over the irresponsible Kumar and how he got them into this situation, but he is willing to stand by his friend to a point, which results in one of the fun moments in the film when the duo end up in a brothel in Texas.
Penn and Cho also seem to be having a good time playing the characters and despite the abundance of crude and drug related humor, there are some genuinely funny moments in the film and it is better than the first film in the series.
Those expecting a deep plot and characters will be disappointed, but if you came into this film looking for those elements, then you must have gotten into Kumar’s stash. That being said, take the film for what it is, and enjoyable if light piece of comedy, and you are likely to be glad that you are along for the ride.
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Gone Girl (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Let me start by saying that the novel Gone Girl is a fantastic piece of literature. Author Gillian Flynn writes a wickedly deceptive story through the use of characterization and voice that is not only a rousing read, but also a gripping one that allows the reader to understand just exactly who the players are in this thrilling story.
With this in mind, I was concerned that there was no way this film could capture the dark side of the characters and the story being told. I am glad to say that I was wrong. While the typical statement of “the book is better” does apply here, director David Fincher crafts a film that audiences will be able to understand and fill in the blanks of the devious motivations of the characters based on what is seen on screen. This is a refreshing theater experience as I feel that most novel adaptations often lead to lazy filmmaking that assumes the audience is familiar with the source material. Perhaps Fincher is helped by the fact that Gillian Flynn herself wrote the screen adaptation of her novel, keeping the most important elements in play.
Ben Affleck plays Nick Dunne, an introspective “nice” guy who finds himself the primary suspect in the missing persons/murder investigation of his wife Amy, played by Rosamund Pike. The two shine in their performances. They each took their characters from the pages of the book, breathed life into them and embodied Nick and Amy on screen. Combine them with a strong supporting cast of Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry, who gave performances that were neither lost nor forgettable. This is important as each are needed to provide contrast to the main characters and propel the story forward.
Though this film is not perfect, if there is any one gripe I have about this movie, it’s that a simple line of missed dialogue may cause the theater patron to miss something important to the story, such as the significance of the woodshed. However this is a small gripe as I feel that the pacing of the film and the constant advancement of the story will keep most patrons’ attention and keep them interested in the destiny of the characters.
If you are a reader, I would recommend reading the book first to get into the minds of the characters and truly feel the thrill of this story. However, if you haven’t the time or just don’t like to read, you won’t be disappointed with this strong film adaptation.
With this in mind, I was concerned that there was no way this film could capture the dark side of the characters and the story being told. I am glad to say that I was wrong. While the typical statement of “the book is better” does apply here, director David Fincher crafts a film that audiences will be able to understand and fill in the blanks of the devious motivations of the characters based on what is seen on screen. This is a refreshing theater experience as I feel that most novel adaptations often lead to lazy filmmaking that assumes the audience is familiar with the source material. Perhaps Fincher is helped by the fact that Gillian Flynn herself wrote the screen adaptation of her novel, keeping the most important elements in play.
Ben Affleck plays Nick Dunne, an introspective “nice” guy who finds himself the primary suspect in the missing persons/murder investigation of his wife Amy, played by Rosamund Pike. The two shine in their performances. They each took their characters from the pages of the book, breathed life into them and embodied Nick and Amy on screen. Combine them with a strong supporting cast of Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry, who gave performances that were neither lost nor forgettable. This is important as each are needed to provide contrast to the main characters and propel the story forward.
Though this film is not perfect, if there is any one gripe I have about this movie, it’s that a simple line of missed dialogue may cause the theater patron to miss something important to the story, such as the significance of the woodshed. However this is a small gripe as I feel that the pacing of the film and the constant advancement of the story will keep most patrons’ attention and keep them interested in the destiny of the characters.
If you are a reader, I would recommend reading the book first to get into the minds of the characters and truly feel the thrill of this story. However, if you haven’t the time or just don’t like to read, you won’t be disappointed with this strong film adaptation.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated American Horror Story - Season 4 in TV
Nov 18, 2019 (Updated Nov 18, 2019)
Season 4 of AHS, subtitled 'Freak Show' gets a bad wrap in my opinion.
It doesn't reach the lofty heights of the first two seasons, but there's plenty to love and it tries something new.
The bulk of the series revolves around Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange) and her group of travelling sideshow performers, all who have some sort of abnormality. As they arrive in 1951 Florida to set up shop and make a living amongst a world that fears and targets them, they are also being eyed up by Richard Spencer (Denis O'Hare), a shady businessman attempting to profit from their misfortune, and Dandy Mott (Finn Wittrock), who harbours an unhealthy obsession with the Freak Show, and in particular, conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tattler (Sarah Paulson).
All the while, a murderous and sinister clown called Twisty (John Carroll Lynch) is on the loose, causing the finger to be pointed at another Freak Show member, Jimmy Darling (Evan Peters).
All of these plot lines running at once actually run side by side pretty smoothly, making for an engaging narrative, with plenty of plot twists along the way.
The Twisty plot line is proper classic slasher horror, and is unfortunately tied up pretty quickly, but it makes way for a surprisingly touching story about family, and what it means to be different.
I found myself caring about almost everybody during Freak Show. It's very well written.
The cast are as usual, pretty great. As well as the cast members mentioned above, we have returning AHS in the likes of Kathy Bates, Francis Conroy, Emma Roberts, Angela Bassett, and Naomi Grossman, as well as some new blood in the form of Michael Chiklis, Erika Ervin, Mat Fraser, Wes Bentley, and Neil Patrick-Harris.
Sarah Paulson is the undisputed highlight during this season, playing two characters at once, with some fantastic effects work going on.
The only character I really struggled to get on board with here was Elsa, which is a shame as she's front and centre. No fault of the great Jessica Lange of course.
The season drags for a while in the mid section, but with so many likable characters, it's not a huge issue.
Freak Show is also the first season that has a concrete connection to other seasons in the AHS story, confirming finally that all the seasons take place in the same universe, which is incredibly exciting, and opens the door for a lot of possibilities.
The gore effects and horror elements continue to be a big plus for AHS, and as always, the anthology format keeps it feeling fresh. Another win for Ryan Murphy and co.
It doesn't reach the lofty heights of the first two seasons, but there's plenty to love and it tries something new.
The bulk of the series revolves around Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange) and her group of travelling sideshow performers, all who have some sort of abnormality. As they arrive in 1951 Florida to set up shop and make a living amongst a world that fears and targets them, they are also being eyed up by Richard Spencer (Denis O'Hare), a shady businessman attempting to profit from their misfortune, and Dandy Mott (Finn Wittrock), who harbours an unhealthy obsession with the Freak Show, and in particular, conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tattler (Sarah Paulson).
All the while, a murderous and sinister clown called Twisty (John Carroll Lynch) is on the loose, causing the finger to be pointed at another Freak Show member, Jimmy Darling (Evan Peters).
All of these plot lines running at once actually run side by side pretty smoothly, making for an engaging narrative, with plenty of plot twists along the way.
The Twisty plot line is proper classic slasher horror, and is unfortunately tied up pretty quickly, but it makes way for a surprisingly touching story about family, and what it means to be different.
I found myself caring about almost everybody during Freak Show. It's very well written.
The cast are as usual, pretty great. As well as the cast members mentioned above, we have returning AHS in the likes of Kathy Bates, Francis Conroy, Emma Roberts, Angela Bassett, and Naomi Grossman, as well as some new blood in the form of Michael Chiklis, Erika Ervin, Mat Fraser, Wes Bentley, and Neil Patrick-Harris.
Sarah Paulson is the undisputed highlight during this season, playing two characters at once, with some fantastic effects work going on.
The only character I really struggled to get on board with here was Elsa, which is a shame as she's front and centre. No fault of the great Jessica Lange of course.
The season drags for a while in the mid section, but with so many likable characters, it's not a huge issue.
Freak Show is also the first season that has a concrete connection to other seasons in the AHS story, confirming finally that all the seasons take place in the same universe, which is incredibly exciting, and opens the door for a lot of possibilities.
The gore effects and horror elements continue to be a big plus for AHS, and as always, the anthology format keeps it feeling fresh. Another win for Ryan Murphy and co.
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas is the third movie in the Harold and Kumar series. This movie takes place six years after the events of Escape from Guantanamo Bay. Harold Lee (John Cho) and Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) have fallen out of touch since Harold got married, got a job on Wall Street and moved to the suburbs. Kumar is still smoking tons of weed. Harold on the other hand has stopped smoking weed and is desperately trying to find a way to impress his father in-law, Mr. Perez, played by Danny Trejo. Mr. Perez is obsessed with Christmas. Every year his family uses a Christmas tree that he has grown. This year he brought his home grown tree to Harold’s house for Christmas. In an attempt to win Mr. Perez over, Harold encourages Mr. Perez to take the family to midnight mass while Harold decorates the tree while they are gone.
Kumar is still living in the same apartment that he shared with Harold. He has let the place go a bit while he has been living on his own. His ex-girlfriend shows up to tell him she is pregnant, but since Kumar is high he doesn’t act very mature about it. Later, as Kumar is getting ready to go to a party with his new friend, he finds a mysterious package at his door addressed to Harold. Kumar decides to take it by Harold’s house on his way to the party. When he gets there Harold and Kumar catch up a little bit over some egg nog. Harold opens the package and discovers it is a giant joint, which Kumar proceeds to light it up. Harold gets upset and throws the joint out of the window. It then magically comes back inside and burns down the tree. Of course this freaks Harold out and a desperate search for a new tree begins
This is the beginning of a hysterical journey . This roller coaster ride is filled with drugs, sex, gangsters and even more drugs. Of course Neil Patrick Harris comes back to be his crude self. This movie has a lot of good Christmas moments, but it is only for a mature audience. Fans of the first two Harold and Kumar movies will love the third installment. A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas is a non stop laugh fest. The 3D in this movie was surprisingly good. Movie goers will be impressed by the two different kinds of snow and the weed smoke going out over the audience. A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas is bound to become a Christmas classic that you will want to watch every year.
Kumar is still living in the same apartment that he shared with Harold. He has let the place go a bit while he has been living on his own. His ex-girlfriend shows up to tell him she is pregnant, but since Kumar is high he doesn’t act very mature about it. Later, as Kumar is getting ready to go to a party with his new friend, he finds a mysterious package at his door addressed to Harold. Kumar decides to take it by Harold’s house on his way to the party. When he gets there Harold and Kumar catch up a little bit over some egg nog. Harold opens the package and discovers it is a giant joint, which Kumar proceeds to light it up. Harold gets upset and throws the joint out of the window. It then magically comes back inside and burns down the tree. Of course this freaks Harold out and a desperate search for a new tree begins
This is the beginning of a hysterical journey . This roller coaster ride is filled with drugs, sex, gangsters and even more drugs. Of course Neil Patrick Harris comes back to be his crude self. This movie has a lot of good Christmas moments, but it is only for a mature audience. Fans of the first two Harold and Kumar movies will love the third installment. A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas is a non stop laugh fest. The 3D in this movie was surprisingly good. Movie goers will be impressed by the two different kinds of snow and the weed smoke going out over the audience. A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas is bound to become a Christmas classic that you will want to watch every year.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) in Movies
Apr 22, 2022
Meta-Fun
It is a tricky thing on film, to parody your film image without making it an homage (or a complete trashing) of yourself. And, in THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT, Nicholas Cage (playing Nick Cage) has found the line perfectly.
Conceived, written and Directed by Tom Cormican (THAT AWKWARD MOMENT), UWOMT (as I will call it here on out) is a meta-film that has Nicholas Cage playing a highly stylized and fictionalized version of himself. In this film, Nick Cage is desperate for work and going broke, when a rich fan offers him $1 million to appear at a birthday party. What happens next is bizarre, gonzo and out-of-control - and a lot of fun.
Let’s start with the man himself, Nicholas Cage, once he was convinced to do this film (and it took some convincing, for he turned this film down at least 3 times), he dives in with both feet and with full gusto filling Nick Cage with the wild actions and antics that are the basis of many, many Nicholas Cage memes. It is a knowing characterization by Cage, but one that knows when to pull back (not a trait often associated with him) and he does it all without winking at the camera.
Credit for this must go to Writer/Director Cormican (and his co-writer Kevin Etten),who had a clear vision of what they wanted to accomplish here, what tone they wanted to set, and how “meta” they wanted this film to be. And they accomplish this goal well, making an interesting and intriguing comedy/action flick that will satisfy many…but, especially, fans of Nicholas Cage.
Along for the fun ride are Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Hadish, Ike Barinholtz and Sharon Horgan who all deliver the right vibe for this film (as well as a couple of cameos that would be a spoiler to mention). They all look like that they are having a fun time.
But…the glue that holds all of this craziness together is the performance of Pedro Pascual (NARCOS, THE MANDILORIAN) who plays the millionaire Superfan who hires Cage and, eventually, befriends him. This is a masterful, comedic performance and it is Pascual’s sincerity (without going into buffoonery or overplaying) that grounds this film just enough that you actually care about the relationship between Pascual’s character, Javy, and Cage.
A ton of fun, not only for the performances and wild events, but for the many, many references to fun Cage films/roles of the past - items that will now motivate many (including myself) to check out.
Letter Grade: A
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Conceived, written and Directed by Tom Cormican (THAT AWKWARD MOMENT), UWOMT (as I will call it here on out) is a meta-film that has Nicholas Cage playing a highly stylized and fictionalized version of himself. In this film, Nick Cage is desperate for work and going broke, when a rich fan offers him $1 million to appear at a birthday party. What happens next is bizarre, gonzo and out-of-control - and a lot of fun.
Let’s start with the man himself, Nicholas Cage, once he was convinced to do this film (and it took some convincing, for he turned this film down at least 3 times), he dives in with both feet and with full gusto filling Nick Cage with the wild actions and antics that are the basis of many, many Nicholas Cage memes. It is a knowing characterization by Cage, but one that knows when to pull back (not a trait often associated with him) and he does it all without winking at the camera.
Credit for this must go to Writer/Director Cormican (and his co-writer Kevin Etten),who had a clear vision of what they wanted to accomplish here, what tone they wanted to set, and how “meta” they wanted this film to be. And they accomplish this goal well, making an interesting and intriguing comedy/action flick that will satisfy many…but, especially, fans of Nicholas Cage.
Along for the fun ride are Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Hadish, Ike Barinholtz and Sharon Horgan who all deliver the right vibe for this film (as well as a couple of cameos that would be a spoiler to mention). They all look like that they are having a fun time.
But…the glue that holds all of this craziness together is the performance of Pedro Pascual (NARCOS, THE MANDILORIAN) who plays the millionaire Superfan who hires Cage and, eventually, befriends him. This is a masterful, comedic performance and it is Pascual’s sincerity (without going into buffoonery or overplaying) that grounds this film just enough that you actually care about the relationship between Pascual’s character, Javy, and Cage.
A ton of fun, not only for the performances and wild events, but for the many, many references to fun Cage films/roles of the past - items that will now motivate many (including myself) to check out.
Letter Grade: A
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)