Critical Film Condition

To make a long and totally constructed story short: Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is a very ambitious and pushy editor at a New York publishing house. She manages to make her staff’s life a living hell, especially her smart assistant Andrew Paxton’s (Ryan Reynolds). When her Visa application is denied, she has to present an American fiancée in order avoid deportation to Canada and save her job. Not really easy for a single and grumpy professional with no life outside the office. This is where an obedient assistant comes in handy. With the immigrations office hot on her tracks, Margaret blackmails Andrew into marrying her in exchange for a promotion.

When they travel to Alaska to meet Andrews’s family, Margaret is welcomed with open arms despite the horror stories Andrew has been sharing about his boss. In secret, everyone is suspicious however, especially Grandma Annie (Betty White), who delivers one of the best opening lines ever: “Would you like to be referred to as Margaret or Satan’s Mistress as usual?”

Margaret and her Louboutin heels are a clear disconnect in Alaska. All the fresh air and nature, the hunky Alaskan shop owners/strippers, Andrews six-pack and the experience of an actual family life are getting to her. When Grandma Annie insists that Margaret and Andrew get married that weekend all hilarity ensues.

The plot is usually a negligible factor in RomComs and “The Proposal” is no exception. In fact it is a somewhat laughable excuse. But Director Anne Fletcher (“27 Dresses”, “Step Up”) and writer Pete Chiarelli manage to turn this into a very likeable comedy with a tag-team of two fantastic lead actors. Both Bullock and Reynolds are great at physical comedy, which makes even the weak chemistry forgivable. And they both look very yummy naked (Deathpool, hello!), although Sandra Bullock is a little too skinny for my taste.

Another great asset is “Golden Girl” Betty White as Grandma Annie, part hell-raiser, part Shaman, part babymaker-blanket provider. The cast is completed by Mary Steenburgen (Grace Paxton) and Craig T. Nelson (Joe Paxton).

Check out this clip from the folks at funnyordie.com:

Perfect summer date movie.

Popularity: 6%

We actually saw more of this “A Christmas Carol” couple of weeks ago in the Disney Press Event here in Munich. But here goes something for the general public (yes, I’m a snob).

Well, this isn’t a trailer, per se… I don’t think it even qualifies as a finished product, because “The Polar Express” actually looked better than this, CGI-wise. But the perfectly timed delivery of the punchline after this short 20 second clip just proves how good Robert Zemeckis is, by capturing the magic of Jim Carrey’s absurdly expressive mug in digital.

“I’d rather not”… LOVE IT!

Popularity: 9%

Since we went to see Kevin James at the Brandenburg Gate, we feel the need to follow up on this. We were glad to hear that Kevin James made it out of Berlin alive. His press tour was a big hit and everyone loved him here.

We’ll leave it to Kevin James himself to tell you all about the movie. Also, there is some funny behind the scenes stuff we thought you might enjoy. This one is surprisingly funny, another light-hearted comedy from the folks at Happy Madison (no plot, no problem!). They make us, well, happy.

This is James’ first stand-alone starring role and he definitely stays in his comfort zone and does what he does best. He reminded me a little of John Candy. Like in his popular sit-com “The King of Queens”, this character is slightly cheesy, but good-hearted and very likeable. Obviously sporting a great sense of humor, however missing some stamina.

And speaking of sport, Kevin James did all of his own stunts. And there is some serious physical stuff in this. So, respect! James’ brother Gary Valentine (who also starred in “The King of Queens”) has a great cameo as a Karaoke Singer. Favorite quote: When are you gonna give up, Blart? – I’ll meet you on the corner of “NE” and “VER”!

Release dates (may be subject to change):

USA 16 January 2009

UK 20 March 2009

Germany 26 March 2009

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Popularity: 8%

This is an easy movie to review, mainly because in all it’s promise of complexity, “Duplicity” is just a funny romantic comedy with some twists along the way, but nothing that will leave the audience flabergasted (did I spell that right?).

Julia Roberts and Clive Owen play retired secret agents who plot to use their skills to steal a secret product from a cosmetics company to sell the patent and make millions. One works for one company, owned by Tom Wilkinson’s character, and the other one works for Paul Giamatti.

Acting-wise, it excells, not due to its main stars, but because Giamatti and Wilkinson are a joy to watch. Roberts looks amazingly hot in her forties, and convincingly out-stages Clive Owen, who just does a decent job as the man who holds the remote at home, but gets the wife to chose the channel. But Paul Giamatti, who takes serious roles into sky-high acting nirvana, got a laugh from the whole audience when he was on screen. And Tom Wilkinson, who I am a personal fan, is the silent assassin with very limited screen time.

But the problem with “Duplicity” is that it is just fun. With a premise such as this, there was much more ground to explore than the simple, often-times predictable twists revealed through cheap flash-backs every single fucking time. I have what I have come to call a screenwriting curse: for a long time, no movie except “Watchmen” had a plot-twist that got me jumping from my seat, screaming hurray to the screenwriter. But in “Duplicity”, the whole audience was waiting for that moment, and it never came. The twist at the end might be surprising to some, but it still left me unhappy with how the plot developed.

And this doesn’t mean that “Duplicity” is a bad movie. It’s just that while pretending to be a “Romantic Spy Comedy”, it forgets the spy part and becomes something that Nancy Myers could have done with the same acting tallent. It is fun to see Roberts’ character take the wheel and make Owen’s feel like a dog on a leash (especially if you’re American and love the parallel between CIA and MI6), but, probably from the fear of overly confusing the audience, it stays at that.

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Release dates: USA & UK: March 20th, Germany: April 30th

Kristie’s take:

I like movies that have a sense of humor about themselves. And that is clearly what sold it to me – aside from the cast and the acting. The ubiquitous Tom Wilkinson and the unerring Paul Giamatti are a pleasure to watch and the chemistry between Clive Owen and the simply stunning-looking Julia Roberts works well. Writer/director Tony Gilroy has the whole “Balance of Power” thing down and though it does translate well into romance, though the rest of the story falls a little flat. But this is mainly a romance and a spy movie only by force of circumstance. And sometimes you just have to prioritize: Jason Bourne’s love interest just gets killed to he can brood and avenge – end of love story, start of major kick-ass retribution. In “Duplicity” two agents meet, sparks fly and then everyone plays everyone. And I like the fact that we are dealing with industrial espionage, hence the crappy sunglasses and bad accents. And my guess is that no self-respecting agent would wobble on cobblestone in wedges like that. (Guddy, how could you not notice those shoes!) And that is what makes it fun. It is a fortunate turn of events that Clive Owen gets to horse around playing offbeat James Bond agent characters (like in “The International” and “The Pink Panther”, etc.). It becomes him. And Julia Roberts is just a wonder: beautiful, smart and sexy.
Perfect date movie.

Popularity: 4%

This movie is what I generally like to refer to as Good Clean American Family Values Fun. Don’t get me wrong: I think that the US is the most magnificent country in the world. But I feel the need to (however gratuitously) add the disclaimer that this is an American movie, which shows due and proper regard for decency and standards promoting family values and protecting our children.

That being said, “17 again” is a generation-jumping comedy and essentially a fairy tale in the tradition of “Peggy Sue got married”, “Monkey Business”, “Big”, “13 going on 30”, “Freaky Friday”, etc. The question if you went back in time armed with the knowledge that you have now, what decisions would you alter and what would the outcome be, is one often deliberated – with varying creativity and preponderance.

The ever-present morale of „there is no place like home“ is referenced again and again ever since Toto tried to jump that cat in the Emerald Palace. Likewise “be careful what you wish for” and “be grateful for what you have”. Americans just love movies with a positive message that serve as cautionary tale and punch-line. Sadly Toto never left Kansas.

Mike O’Donnell (Zac Efron) has it all: he is a popular high school senior, headed for a basketball scholarship and is about to take the court for the big game when his beautiful girlfriend Scarlett tells him that she is pregnant. He makes a pivotal decision and gives it all up to settle down with her.

Twenty years later Mike (old Mike: Matthew Perry) is in a rut. His life did not turn out the way he expected. His is on the brink of a divorce from his wife (Leslie Mann), his kids loathe him and his career is at a dead end. He crashes with his best buddy nerd-turned-billionaire Ned (Thomas Lennon) who owns an unparalleled collection of sci-fi memorabilia.

Mike starts to wonder whether he made the right choices in life and how much better things could be if he had chosen a different path. He visits his old High School and reminisces over his past glory wishing he could do it all over again. Enter the mysterious janitor. With some movie magic, he is sucked into a time warp thingy (like in Austin Powers) and finds himself 17 again (as young Mike: Zac Ephron).

Pubescent Mike now tries to convince Ned that he is still old Mike in young Mike’s rippling body. This is resolved during a fierce Lightsaber Showdown. Seriously, I love it!

Ned gathers all the appropriate psychic, plejadian and paranormal literature and they cleverly deduce that Mike’s spirit guide, the Janitor, must have a serious learning experience planned: Mike obviously has to re-live his senior year to get the chance he thought he never had.

So far, so deep.

The faux teen enrolls back in the old High School. Mike is cool once again, preachy, but oh so dreamy. But when he meets his own children Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Alex (Sterling Knight), Mike realizes, this may not be all about him eventually.

Has Mike been taking his life for granted? Can he transform himself back and rescue his family? And can he advocate abstinence without getting his ass kicked?

Director Burr Steers and writer Jason Filardi are not trying to re-invent comedy. And that is oddly refreshing. There are a number of heavy glitches though. Matthew Perry is about 10 feet taller than Zac Ephron. And if some kid, who looked exactly like my husband suddenly showed up at my doorstep, I wouldn’t calmly touch his face in bewilderment – maybe only to snap a DNA hair sample in the process. But since this movie has some sense of humor about itself, that is forgivable. Overall this looks like it was made with affection & care. It is solid, light-hearted entertainment, no matter how illogical.

Thomas Lennon as Mike’s nerdy friend is an absolute scene-stealer. Fantastic. And when he starts to put the moves on Principal Jane Masterson (played by Melora Hardin) the sparks just fly (and not just from the Lightsabers!).

Some might not be familiar with Zac Ephron, the phenomenon. He starred in the High School Musical trilogy (which I am boycotting, yes, the Vatican isn’t the only one who can boycott movies!) and as the loveable Link Larkin in Hairspray (2007). Or maybe as that guy dancing next to Beyonce and Wolverine at the Oscars. He will irrevocably launch his movie career with this and God knows where in the stratosphere it will take him. He is acting a little too overzealous for my taste, but who can blame him after all those musicals, really. It will be interesting to see which road he is headed for: Leo DiCaprio, Ricky Martin or Danny Bonaduce.

Also, I know that Basketball isn’t the first sport that comes to mind when you see this guy. But the way that Ephron twirls those basketballs is utterly impressive. And I respectfully mean that as a compliment. Impressive.

I noticed that the 6pack shot of Zac Ephron’s upper body from the trailer was missing in the movie. Maybe the producers were afraid to poison the children with so much suggestion of sex. Sad!

Shake the shackles, little Zac and fly! The sky is the limit.

The movie is coming out April 10^th in the UK, April 17^th in the States and May 14^th in Germany.

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Popularity: 10%

If the boat’s a rockin’, do come a knockin’.

I dig the whole sex, drugs and rock’n’roll thing. Well, except for the drugs. My vice of choice is green tea and I know that makes me a total wuss. And my guess is that this movie was made for people exactly like me.

I totally admit, I like almost anything that writer/director Richard Curtis has ever done (Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually). Love it. (I know, wuss, wuss, wuss). This movie, I didn’t like so much and I hate to write that. It hurts like Mark Darcy saying this about Bridget Jones: “Mother, I do not need a blind date. Particularly not with some verbally incontinent spinster who drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney, and dresses like her mother”. Ouch.

“The Boat that Rocked” is an ensemble comedy about a bunch of mutinous DJs on an illegal pirate radio station in the North Sea in the 1960s. It is based on the true story of “Radio Caroline” that broadcasted pop music to the British masses from a ship anchored in international waters three miles off the coast of Felixstowe, Suffolk. Around 22 million people tuned in every day (remember, kids, downloads weren’t around that time). They dared to play the music that defined a generation and defied a government that considered jazz the only playable popular music.

Curtis, the “king of romcoms” is really threading through uncharted waters here. This one is very, very mainstream and at times cringingly constructed. It mighty have worked better as a full-on musical (and I am certain, there will be a musical version of this movie at some point). Granted, the movie is very well done, a riotous celebration of hedonism and debauchery, but mixed with fabric softener. It is light-hearted and groovy entertainment, it is actually, dare I say it? – almost American. I missed the Brit wit.

When boyish Carl (Tom Sturridge) is sent on the “Boat that Rocked” to see his godfather Quentin (the gentleman boss of Radio Rock, played brilliantly by the consummately and quintessentially British Bill Nighy), he finds camaraderie, friendship, his father and loses his virginity. Along for the ride is the crew of Radio Rock:

The Count (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, the outstanding American in an almost entirely British cast), a big, bearded and brassy American DJ. Dave (Nick Frost from “Shaun of the Dead”) as the funnily jocular jockey of the airwaves. Interesting nude scene.

Rhys Ifans plays Gavin, Britain’s most verbally outrageous DJ. Just returning from his drug tour of America, he makes the Ladies go gaga. Sporting one of the cooler entrances I’ve seen in a long time. He is however outsexed by the sultry Midnight Marc (Tom Wisdom) who knows the secret to seducing women, putting the naughty into nautical.

Completing the cast are Chris O’Dowd as the lovable Simon, Rhys Darby as the comical Angus and Ralph Brown as the early-bird Bob.

And of course there are tons of easy womenfolk on that boat (including Bond girl Gemma Arterton) and a lesbian named Marianne (played by Talulah Riley).

And there’s a veritable bad guy with interesting hair: Kenneth Branagh as Minister Dormandy, a fearsome British government official out for blood against the drug-takers and the law-breakers and the bottom-bashing fornicators of his recently great country. Joining him is his equally repressed sidekick, the interestingly named Twatt (Jack Davenport).

Can they stop the music?

No, they can’t. Music is the saving grace of this movie. And great music it is.

The soundtrack features tons of fantastic music by The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Who, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, The Kinks, Moody Blues, Dusty Springfield, The Isley Brothers and David Bowie – among many, many others.

If you go see it, see it for the music.

Release dates:

UK – 1 April 2009

Germany – 16 April 2009

USA – 28 August 2009

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Popularity: 5%

Sascha Baron Cohen ist back!

Oscar Wilde said: “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” It seems that the volatile and pretentious world of fashion is an easy bait for the (metaphorically) slap-happy comedian. And this looks like sh** will hit the proverbial.
After the flatulent-minded but hilarious “Borat”, Baron Cohen’s third big screen alter ego (the first was “Ali G in da House” is “Bruno”, a gay Austrian fashion show presenter (sometimes spelled Brüno). Love the Austrian accent! After the reports that Bruno burst onto the catwalk at Agatha Ruiz de la Prada’s show in Milan, it was only a matter of time until this happened. Baron Cohen may not know where to place the buttons but he sure knows how to push them. I still cringe at the thought of the scene in “Borat” where he performs the national anthem. That physically hurt me. And I have just completely blanked out that scene … well, you know which one.
Taking an adopted baby out of a cardboard box in an airport promises more muscle cramps. I guess he and Madonna don’t have each other on speed dial any more.
And homophobia will be a big issue. I will watch closely to find out how to defend myself against a man with not one but two dildos.

I think this one will be “Ach ja!” and not “Nicht, nicht!”

Popularity: 3%

Judd Apatow, of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” fame, has a good thing going for him: all of his latest comedies were successful, he’s married to Leslie Mann, and he’s good friends with rising star Seth Rogen. His latest comedy, “Funny People”, tries to set a little foot on the dramatic side of things, and it succeeds to a certain extent.

Adam Sandler plays a stand-up comedian that finds out he is sick, and about to die. His best friends, played by Seth Rogen, Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill,  get very depressed in their own unique kind of way, but more importantly, he tries to set things right to his now-married ex-girlfriend, played by Leslie Mann.

The problem with the trailer is that it seems Apatow tries too hard to set the (very good) dramatic tone, but forgets the comedy along the way. It’s obvious that he intends to do that: Sandler and Rogen play stand-up comedians and Eric Bana, who plays Leslie Mann’s husband, tries to be the funniest man in the movie. The jokes just don’t work that well.

The link for the standard definition trailer is down, so I’m posting the link to the HD trailer. the 480p version should work fine on any computer:

http://www.moviefone.com/movie/funny-people/33221/main

Popularity: 6%