Big Screen Blurb: Friends with Benefits

Friends with Benefits. Hmm...three words for you. Hi. Larry. Us. Or, if that's too cumbersome for you, here are two words: Fu. Knee. Yeah, okay, 'Fu' is not a word, but this one nearly left me verbally dry. Admittedly, I didn't even want to see it, but after witnessing the funniest sex scenes that I've ever watched and a plot that actually works, this is romantic comedy is one to see and see BIG.

Dylan (Justin Timberlake) is an Cali Internet guru who has been tracked down by head hunter, Jamie (Mila Kunis) to vie for GQ's web publication editor-in-chief. After getting the job, Dylan makes the cross country trek to New York and the two begin a great friendship. Hormones meet dating frustration for both, prompting the two to embark on a sex only, no strings attached, relationship. Yes, of course, they know such an arrangement never works and certainly never ends well, but they put faith in horniness and camaraderie and proceed with reckless abandon. It runs its course. The two hit the dating scene again...again, to no avail and begin realizing that perhaps they might actually have something a little more meaningful than just sex. Of course, being a somewhat realistic romantic comedy, Dylan is completely freaked by the prospect of an actual, once-in-a-lifetime, connection with someone and pushes Jamie away. Yadayadayada the ole 'will they or won't they' sits in on the way to a uniquely rhythmic conclusion.

This was good: 4.0 Stars on my scale. It was one of those low expectation winners that just hits you. In 2008, it was Burn After Reading; whereas, in 2010, The Hangover emerged explosively from obscurity. This one may not be as precisely comically tuned as those two, but it's very funny stuff and in a different way the others.

I had never really been in the 'Justin as an actor' corner, but I think that is main because of the following: His past character's have just not been likable.Whether it was Frankie in Alpha Dog or Sean Parker in The Social Network, Justin has played a lot a jerks. He's played them well. This character, however, is fun, likable and Justin nailed it. Further, who knew that Mila Kunis could be believable as a chick whose slightly neurotic nature would leave her bf-less, but she nailed that as well. They were both great, but they had plenty of help, which really made the flick work. The supporting cast, many of which were mere cameos, padded the funny here tremendously. Brief, but hilarious appearances by Andy Samberg and Emma Stone, were only topped by riotous supporting roles from Woody Harrelson, Patricia Clarkson and Shaun White. Harrelson was the topper. He played GQ's sports editor, who make no boners about it was out of the closet and patrolling for schlong. There were even a few deep moments provided by Dylan's dad (Richard Jenkins) and sis (Jenna Elfson--good to see her again, by the way).

As mentioned previously, I begrudgingly agreed to shell out the dough to watch this one. I thought it would be a shadow of another 2011 'romantic hook-up' flick with less-seasoned headliners, No Strings Attached (with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman). Considering that I didn't even want to take an hour to write a yada on that one after watching it on Blu-Ray, I really wasn't pumped about seeing Friends with Benefits. This one delivered in every way that No Strings Attached failed. It delivers the funny where NSA did not. It delivers a more intricately meaningful plot where NSA did not. And, it delivers a better cast from top to bottom that NSA did not.

Friends with Benefits is two-hours of good stuff that you need to see and see BIG--that is, if you're over 18! The language and sex is over-the-top in this one, so leave the kids at home and don't take your Nanna with you!

True...OUT!

Big Screen Blurb: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part II)

I felt like a total muggle. It was 11:13pm when I walked into The Pinnacle Thursday evening amid a levy of Harry Potter look-alikes and other characters. Even my friend, Dawn, who met me in the lobby with my ticket in tow, bared a striking resemblance to one of the Weasley's. She had been there since 7pm. Yeah, this was an event. Meanwhile, here I am in my blue t-shirt and plaid shorts...a sore thumb, indeed. But alas, I survived the movie and all the cruciatas curses which were flung my muggle way by any number of death eaters at the midnight showing. Actually, I survived all of that twice within 16 hours because I was back at the theatre Friday to complete the HP8 double-header. Well, I did more than survive. Truth be told (as I down a flask of Snape's finest truth serum), I had a blast.

This is it, baby. The last installment of a truly classical book franchise turned over to the big screen. We pick up right where we left off. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is burying everyone's favorite house elf and preparing to resume the hunt for more horcruxes along with Ron and Hermione (Rupert Grint and Emma Watson). There are seven of these objects which contain a piece of Voldemort's soul. If gathered and destroyed, Voldemort is vulnerable. Harry took care of the diary in HP2. Dumbledore knocked off the ring in HP6. Ron wiped out the locket in HP7. That leaves four to find and destroy: 1) cup, 2) diadem, 3) Nagini and well...in case you haven't read the book, I'll leave it at that. So, into Gringotts (wizard bank) our heroes go to retrieve the cup from Bellatrix's (Helena Bonham Carter) vault. All the while, the legend of the Deathly Hallows is coming more into play. This tale which involves a resurrection stone, an invisibility cloak and the elder wand, is emerging as equally important in the plan to destroy Voldemort. Yadayadayada Harry, Ron and Hermoine conduct the wizarding world's version of a scavenger hunt, while good fends off evil at Hogwarts.

It's good...very good. I'll go with 4.5 Stars--pushing 5.0 because I know that I'll buy the Blu-Ray in November. This is an action-packed roller coaster ride that sees one of the most brilliant stories of all-time come together in a combination of titillation and tears. You've got action sequences that involve everything from dragon rides to the emergence of Hogwarts as a battlefield. As a plus, that 'action' plays out in the course of truly telling the story. I've always been of the mindset that 'action' for the sake of 'action' is essentially meaningless. Those sequences need to accentuate the storyline. They do so quite nicely in this production, holding the story together while keeping the audience's attention in tact. As for emotion...hmm...plenty of tear ops here. You've got the unveiling of Snape and his role in Harry's development. You've got the loss of many of our heroes, who die defending the greater good. You've got the end of an era. The official end of a classic tale that started a kiddie book, but quickly emerged into a stream of fiction that captured kids and adults alike across the globe. 

With the many cudos I throw to cast and crew, I've got a few major gripes. I'll pick out my most severe. WARNING--as this might be a spoiler alert for some: I absolutely hated the Voldemort death scene. David Yates has done a tremendous job directing these last five movies. Further, screenplay writer, Steve Kloves has done an equally great job of condensing 4,014 pages of the seven books into eight movies and around 1,100 minutes of screen time. That's not an easy task by any estimation--especially considering the detailed and intricate world and storyline created by J. K. Rowling. BUT--why...OH WHY...do you not stay true to the book in the most epic of scenes in the movie: the destruction of Voldemort. In the book, good and evil opponents cease the fight as Voldemort and Harry square off in the Great Hall. Harry's defeat of evil is then played out in front of the wizarding world and greeted with exhilaration and relief. I thought we deserved the same in the movie, where the event would create an eruption among the crowd. Not so much. In the movie, Harry and Voldemort's final confrontation occurs unnoticed in the courtyard. The battle ends and good triumphs to a relieved wizarding world. Actually, during both times that I saw the movie yesterday, Bellatrix's demise was met with a gushing of applause, whereas Voldemort's destruction was greeted with complete silence. There's something wrong with that response. I mean, this is the crux of the eight movies--ridding the world of this sinister and evil individual who has tortured and/or killed thousands. Yet, one of his bitchy henchman's death is celebrated more than his own. Come on--that's a big let down for the fans and a failure for Kloves. As much as I applaud the man for his job on this franchise, I'd like to slap him upside his muggle noggin on that bonehead delivery. If it would have played out in the movie as in the book, we could have celebrated along with wizarding world over the triumph of good versus evil. Instead, it was, "...oh...well, he's dead now--do you wanna get some butter beer?" Disappointing.

All considered, however, this is one to see BIG. However, those few non-HP fans can go ahead and skip it...if you haven't fallen in love with this series by now, you probably don't deserve to for HP8. Or, if you're one of those that consider the whole wizarding storyline 'evil' or 'un-Christian'...hmm...my advice would be to grab your ears...pull your head out of your ass...wipe the crap out of your eyes and realize that your ignorance has caused you to miss a lot of valuable lessons about prejudice, love, friendship and compassion. It's sad too, because in my experience it's those that uphold that kind of rigid mindset against a story like Harry Potter that are in desperate need of those very lessons.

That's it for me...no yard work this weekend--I'm in HP recovery mode!

True...OUT!

 

Big Screen Blurb: Horrible Bosses

Admit it. We've all thought about it. Out of anger, embarrasment or sheer frustration, we've all at some point--on some level, fantasized about it: Offing the boss! Let's see. during high school and college, I had five jobs and five bosses. There was one of those that I would've gladly stuck in a shark tank wearing a pair of bloody, meat slippers. In the five years between college and starting BrandVision Marketing, I had two jobs and seven different bosses. Of those seven, I would have happily offered five of those to the firing squad on various ocassions. My point,  you ask? Hmm...that I'm a sadist? No. That I'm human. Just like Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day) and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis).

They hate their bosses and with good cause. Nick is in line for the GSM position. He's spent painstaking years kissing the butt of one Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) in hopes of being promoted. Harken is the CEO and poised to pull the trigger on the ole promotion. Unfortunately for Nick, the trigger is pulled and Dave promotes himself to the position. That's not Nick's only gripe. Dave is pretty much a wretched human being who cuts no one an ounce of slack, not even when Nick's Gam-Gam is nearing death. Meanwhile, there's Dale. He's a dental assistant for Dr. Julia (Jennifer Aniston). Dr. J is just another dental professional...that is, until the gas takes effect. You see, when the patient is knocked out, Dr. J is ready to play. Play is exactly what she wants from the engaged Dale, but he's having none of it out of fidelity to his betrothed. Finally, we have Kurt. He actually loves his boss and is next in line and assured that one day he'll be running the show. It looks like he's even going to usurp nepotism and surpass the owner's lazy, obnoxious gigilo of a son. That is, until the ole man kicks it, leaving the son in charge by the default of inheretence.

None of our heroes can really leave their jobs--for various reasons. So, the logical thing to do is simple: Off the boss. They're not pros, however, so they reach into the dregs of society to find someone capable of such a horrific act. Enter MotherFucker Jones (Jamie Fox). MF (we'll call him) asks for a cool $30K to do the deed, but his Buffalo Bill-like negotiating tactics see him settle for $5,000. Of course, he then pulls a switcharoo on our boys, deciding to provide mere instruction on how to kill these horrible bosses. Yadayadayada the fellas set out to do exactly that while running into various obstacles and a hopeful happy ending.

It's good. I'll go with 4.0 Stars here. It's funny and entertaining throughout its 100 minutes. Bateman is, well...Bateman. He brings his standard serious, but cynical, dry wit to the group's various outrageous endeavors. I was not familiar with Charlie Day, prior to this flick. At first glance, I thought his character was setting up to be a mirror of Zach Galifiankis' character in The Hangover, but the more you get to know Dale, there's no copycat here. There is some similarity. Dale can be pretty naive, but he's not nearly the psych job that Alan is in those two flicks. Day makes the distinction well and in an entertaining way. Finally, Jason Sudeikis--he surprised me here. I didn't know if he could pull off 'Lady's Man' after convincing me that he could play a complete moron in Hall Pass. Cudos to Jase--he nailed it. Plus, Spacey--typically great and was here as well. Aniston--love her usually and loved her here. Farrell--hmm, never been a huge Colin Farrell fan, but he was pretty funny as the bigotted, obnoxiously entitled son. 

Good acting with an entertaining and humorous storyline that provides just enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. That's Horrible Bosses in a nutshell and probably one you should see Big! Sure, it'll be out in November on Blu-Ray, but why wait? It might even give you a few good ideas of your own. Of course, if you currently work for BrandVision Marketing, it's a movie that you should avoid COMPLETELY! Just get back to work and don't give it a second thought!!!

True...OUT!

Big Screen Blurb: Larry Crowne

First of all, my peeps, NO--I have not stopped going to the movies. (You're kidding me, right?) I have, however, been seeing a few flicks again...namely: Bridesmaids and Super 8. The first fresh flick that I've seen in the heat of July is none other than Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in Larry Crowne.

Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) is a model employee. He works at UMart (Hollywood equivalent to Wal-Mart with undoubtedly as many people finding their way to YouTube from various nose-picking excursions in the store aisles). Larry may be a little dorky, but he's a stickler for detail and all with an eye on what is good for customer and company alike. Then one Friday, as his shift nears a close, he gets hailed to a meeting with the brass. The 'brass' in this little scenario better resembles a collection of dumb-asses. Nonetheless, Larry is expecting his ninth Employee of the Month award, and with good cause. However, Larry is, instead, handed his walking papers and after years of loyal service is promptly shown the door. His lack of a college degree combined with his advancing years is the culprit. Larry decides to stave off future disappointment by enrolling in the local community college. Enter Mercedes (Julia Roberts). She's a Speech/Com prof at the school and is struggling on a few notes. She's quite frustrated with her job--and a collection of students who continually lack a caring attitude toward their vocation. She's equally frustrated with her husband (Bryan Cranston)--he's a lazy, jobless, blogger who prefers to scribble out a couple of blog entries a week and surf the net for big, breasted chicks with the remaining 39 hours of 37 minutes of the work week. Plus, there is Alvarez (Roxana Ortega) who takes a liking to Larry in an effort to de-dork him. Yadayadayada we experience Larry's first semester through junior college while sitting side saddle with him on his lil blue, gas-saving, scooter--we see the ups and downs of personal growth meeting economic downsizing with a little romance thrown in for good measure. 

I'll go with 3.0 Stars here: The Sunny Side of Okay. Quite frankly, it was not at all what I was expecting. I thought this was going to be a romantic comedy more along the lines of the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan variety. (i.e. Sleepless in Seattle or You've Got Mail) It was not at all. It was funny. It was moving. It was thought-provoking. It is not a romantic comedy as much as a slice-of-life tale with a late romantic anchor thrown minutes before you're expecting to dock. This is a movie that touches on a lot of issues. Actually, there are a lot of slices to be divvied out from this slice-of-life tale. Corporate downsizing--the utter unfairness found in firing a great employee over the non-sense of not valuing his experience over his educational credentials. Don't get me wrong, I see great value in a college degree and am proud of my years at the University of Tennessee. You just don't can a guy who is still going strong after decades of service and an exquisite employment record because he's not educationally qualified  to run the company. Then there's...economics and personal finance--Larry's battling the bank to keep his house, which is a tall order following his recent divorce and untimely firing. Of course, the movie also touches on relationships and the frustration of being with someone who is no longer who you married, etc., as witnessed from the Mercedes-Dean dynamic.

To sum it up: There's a lot going on here. There are a lot of issues being touched on, with few of them explored with any great depth. That, of course, was undoubtedly the intention. As such, it's a thought provoking, challenging and funny 98 minutes. Hanks does dorky justice, and in a very likable way. Roberts is solid too. Plus, you've got small, but fun roles for Rita Wilson, Rami Malek, Bryan Cranston and George Takei.

It's worth a watch, but no Big Screen required. It would make for a fun part of a chilly November night when it comes out on Blu-Ray/DVD.

True...OUT!

Big Screen Blurb: The Art of Getting By

What is life? Hmm...at best, it's the years of annoyance between birth and death; or to quote George (Freddie Highmore) in The Art of Getting By, it's something to be feared. Not my answers, mind you, but George's outlook on life is less than rosie. Thus begins our story.

George lives in New York with his mom and step-dad. He's an ordinary, not-so-typical teen. (Yes, I realize this seems to be an obvious paradox, but we're talking about teen years here when you try so hard to carve out your own niche while simultaneously fitting in with EVERYONE ELSE!) At any rate, George's fatalistic attitude toward life has made him a bit...oh, how can this be put nicely...a bit socially awkward. Not that this result bothers him at all. It is life, after all, that he fears. His attitude and fatalistic philosophy has helped him nicely avoid life. Actually, he's avoided most everything. From homework to the notion of having friends, George has been skating by on the bare minimum of effort with no real results achieved. Along comes Sally (Emma Roberts). Sally is certainly a bit more functional than Georgy, but for whatever reason...be it intrigue, a challenge or boredom...she takes an interest in him. George welcomes this attention as hormones seem to usurp his need for social distance. Along the way, the two meet Dustin (Michael Angarano), a budding artist and alum of their school. From there, Dustin sort of mentors George in the ways of art and takes an even stronger interest in Sally. Yadayadayada a love triangle forms in the wake of George’s family upheaval and academic woes. All the while, coming to a front is a potential post graduation move for Sally as George just struggles to graduate.

It's okay. I'll go with 2.5 Stars on this one, which for you newbies means "Eh...it was so-so--falling on the downside of okay". I love this cast. Freddie Highmore is a very talented young actor, who I enjoyed in Finding Neverland, August Rush, and Spiderwick Chronicles. However, there was just something missing in this performance. I never really "felt" the connection that was supposed to be building between George and Sally. It always seemed to be a very flat relationship. When Sally is battling the ole "do I chose Dustin or George?" demons, you're left scratching your head as to why? Where was the real connection that would make such a choice even necessary?

Furthermore, I wondered throughout the flick, to what extent was I supposed to be liking George as this character progressed. He was actually fairly likable throughout and I wonder if he was supposed to be. Was I supposed to dislike the fatalistic, lazy George who had an obnoxious answer for everything? Because, quite frankly, I didn't dislike George. I actually liked him. Maybe I just know a few teens with similar attitudes who are very likable? Not sure. I do know that as we see what is supposed to be immense character growth, it comes across more like a character shift of sorts. He wakes up to realize that he can't constantly shirk responsibilities simply because to him those responsibilities are tied to a monotonous and meaningless existence.

All in all--it's okay, but nothing to run out and see Big Screen. Wait until November if any of this has struck a cord and watch it on Blu-Ray/DVD. As for me--I probably could've used this 83 minutes differently and had more fun, but then again, I did enjoy scrubbing down my orange cheesy fingers that seemed to glow in the dark from the cheddar popcorn...and the raspberry shake was awesome! As for me on this Saturday afternoon, there's no avoiding the lawn today. I've done everything from mow and weed-eat, to take care of the plants and trim the shrubs.

True...OUT!