Movie Review: Dinner for Schmucks

Regular movie goers know the formula for this kind of film: Nice guy, nice girl, crazy friend or interloper, romantic rival, misunderstanding and mayhem.  Lately, it’s the stuff of I Love You, Man, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Wedding Crashers, etc.  Now, we have Dinner for Schmucks.

First off, please let me get this off my chest, I do not support the title of the film.  It bothers me.  After watching the movie, I’m even more annoyed, because there is no reason to use the word “schmucks,” which some folks find a very offensive term.  So…

What is going to make this comedy sink or soar is the cast.  Do we care what happens to these characters?  Are we willing to watch, while the hijinks and hilarity rise to uncomfortable and ridiculous extremes?  In Dinner for Schmucks, Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd make it work.  And, newcomer Stephanie Szostak helps with an adorable sweetness.  Rudd is the perfect everyman, as Tim, a guy trying to work his way up the ranks of a financial firm.  When he’s invited to a party where every rising star at work needs to bring an idiot they can ridicule, he’s appalled, but the lure of the 7th floor office carrot is too much.  He runs into Steve Carrell’s Barry, who spends his time making mice dioramas.  Is this a blessing or a curse?  Barry seems to infect every aspect of Tim’s life.  And, their descent is a mindboggling, painful trip into chaos.  At one point, I looked at my son and said, “If this gets any more brutal, I’m going to have to leave!”  I stayed, and later was amazed at a scene where everything seemed to go haywire, then more crazy things happened, and then, when you thought nothing else could possibly happen, more went wrong.  Who wrote this stuff?  Well, it turns out a french guy did, and this is an American version of the film, Le Diner de Cons.  I think Rudd and Carrell save this one from feeling too mean spirited.  In this genre, I usually really dislike the romantic rival character (usually played by Russell Brand or someone of his ilk), here though, Jemaine Clement nearly steals the show as the over the top artist, Kieran, who I found to be hilarious!  I give Dinner for Schmucks a 7 out of 10.  It should be noted that the two 18 year old dudes with me gave it 8!

Movie Review: Despicable Me

One of the most highly marketed films of the summer caught the fancy of my 4 year old, and he was despondant the first time we tried to see Despicable Me, because it was sold out.  We finally got to it again, last weekend, and we decided to go all out and do the 3-D.  I’m glad we did.

Steve Carrell plays Gru, a hulking villain who is having some financial hardships and needs help to proceed with his plan to steal the moon.  Dr. Nefario and his population of minions do the heavy lifting for Gru’s schemes.  And, they’re facing competition from a newcomer to villainy, the young and cocky Vector (Jason Segel).  Gru decides to use three orphan girls to help him defeat Vector.  And, you can guess how things go from here.  The girls are adorable and funny and sweet.  Gru’s career path is really all about his need for acceptance and love.  I thought some of the orphanage stuff was a little dark, though my little one didn’t seem adversely effected by it.  If you go to the 3-D show, be sure to stay for the credits, because the minions do some more fun 3-D stunts.  We enjoyed the show but found it didn’t really have the emotional teeth of, say, Gru’s dog, Kyle.  I give Despicable Me 8 out of 10.

New in Theaters!!

Fun stuff in theaters this weekend!!  Another great weekend to see a movie.

It’s fun to see the choices Zac Efron is making.  I really think he has wise people advising him.  Here, he’s Charlie St. Cloud, a young man overcome by grief at the death of his younger brother.  He lives a life with memories, until he finally meets a girl to help him deal with his pain.  Charlie St. Cloud is rated PG-13 for language including some sexual references, an intense accident scene and some sensuality.

Dinner for Schmucks is an Americanized version of a very popular French film, called Le Diner de Cons.  Paul Rudd is engaging, as always, as Tim, a rising executive who needs to find a guest to bring to his boss’ monthly “dinner for idiots.”  Steve Carrell is daffy, as his new friend, Barry.  Dinner for Schmucks is rated PG-13 for sequences of crude and sexual content, some partial nudity and language.

If you feel like getting more involved in your movie experience, Grease The Sing-a-Long is for you!  It’s the movie you love, with Olivia Newton John and John Travolta, from 1978, with all the words to all the songs on the screen (as if you didn’t know them all already!).  The Grease Sing-a-Long is rated PG-13 for sexual content including references, teen smoking and drinking, and language.

In limited release, they’ve already got the second adaptation of a Stieg Larrson novel, The Girl Who Played with Fire.  Seems like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was still playing here, last week.  Computer hacker Lisbeth and journalist Mikael are back to investigate a sex-trafficking ring.  Lisbeth is accused of murder, so she has to go on the run, while Mikael works to clear her name.  The Girl Who Played with Fire is rated R for brutal violence including a rape, some strong sexual content, nudity and language.

I guess I remember the movie, Cats & Dogs.  I might have blocked it out.  But, it WAS in 2001!  I would imagine the technology is better now, but it’s still got to be a brutal way to spend a couple of hours!  Here, it’s Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, and of course, you have the option of 3-D!!  Voices by James Marsden, Neil Patrick Harris, Nick Nolte and Christina Applegate.  The war continues between canines and felines, but they have to join forces to battle a rogue cat spy with her own sinister plans for conquest.  Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is rated PG for animal action and humor.

New to See on DVD!

More and more people I know are watching movies while they travel, whether in the car or on the plane.  Here’s what new out on DVD this week:

Clash of the Titans – Sam Worthington plays the mortal son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), who embarks on a perilous journey to stop the underworld and its minions from spreading their evil to Earth.  I gave this 6 out of 10, which may have been generous.

Repo Men – Jude Law and Forest Whitaker star in a sci fi flick about a world where artificial organs can be bought on credit.  One man is struggling to make payments on his new heart and must go on the run before it gets repossessed.

Jesse Stone: No Remorse – Made for TV movie, with Tom Selleck as Police Chief Jesse Stone.  After getting suspended by the Town Council, he starts to investigate a series of murders in Boston.  That leaves Rose and Suitcase to handle a crime spree in Paradise on their own.

Operation Endgame – Zach Galifianakis and Emilie de Ravin star in an action comedy about groups of government spy teams.  They’re in an underground facility and start to battle, after their boss is assassinated.

Don’t Look Up – Evil spirits released from old celluloid causes a film crew to slowly go insane while in production on a new project.  B-movie cast.

The Art of the Steal – Mindboggling documentary about the struggle for control of Dr. Albert C. Barnes’ 25 billion dollar collection of modern and post-impressionist art.

Ip Man – Biopic about Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun. 

Batman: Under the Red Hood – Animated movie.  Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm.  Jensen Ackles from Supernatural voices the Red Hood.  Woot!

New TV on DVD:

Agatha Christie Hour – Set 1
The City – Season 2
The Mothers-in-Law – Complete Series
Sabrina the Teenage Witch – Final Season
Sgt. Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show – Season 1
Stargate Universe SG-U – Season 1.5

Friday Night Lights

I was a wreck after watching the last episode of Friday Night Lights.  They got a whole new class of kids, and I wasn’t sure I’d care about them as much as the original kids, but I do… oh boy, do I!  After a week off, Season 4 of FNL picks up tonight on NBC with the grand entrance of little baby Riggins!

Actress Stacey Oristano has to be relieved!  Her character, Mindy Collette Riggins, has been on bedrest for months!  We talked about the show, and how its production is different from other series.  DirecTV now picks up production costs and runs the series for subscribers in the fall.  While we’re watching Season 4 on NBC, Stacey says they’re just finishing shooting Season 5, in Texas, and it will begin on satellite in October.  She says this season ends with a bang and cliffhanger, and next season?  Well, you’ll have to listen to the interview to find out.  With Daune on Demand, you can hear it right now online, or download to your device and podcast later!  You know I don’t want anything bad to happen to my Tim Riggins!!!

New in Theaters This Weekend!

More good summer movies enter theaters this weekend! Need an escape from the heat?

Critics are going nuts for The Kids are All Right, and it’s finally open here! Julianne Moore and Annette Bening star as a same sex couple, raising two teenage children, who have tracked down their biological father, played by Mark Ruffalo. And, he is the typical goofball Ruffalo does so well. The Kids are All Right is rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some teen drug and alcohol use.

You remember the series of books by Beverly Cleary, right? Here, it’s the story of Ramona and Beezus. The adorable Joey King plays the young grade schooler of the title. Selena Gomez plays older sister, Beezus. Though why parents, in this case John Corbett and Bridget Moynahan, would do that to a little girl, I have no idea. If you go and find out, let me know! Ramona and Beezus is rated G.

One of the most anticipated films of the summer opens this weekend. Angelina Jolie is the rare woman who can carry an action picture. Salt will make lots of money. Salt was originally written for a male lead, but Tom Cruise turned it down. Now, Angie is Evelyn Salt, a CIA officer who is accused of being a Russian spy by a defector. Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor also star. Salt is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.

New to See on DVD!

This is actually a tough week to make recommendations, because there are just so many great films in theaters.  There will be time to hole up on your couch to watch vid when the air conditioning is not so inviting as it is right now!

The Runaways – A coming-of-age biopic about ’70s teenage band The Runaways, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.  Based on the book by lead singer, Cherie Currie.

Mother – Korean film about a mother who desperately searches for the killer that framed her son for an horrific murder.

2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams – Sequel to the 2005 film, 2001 Maniacs.  Here, the residents of Pleasant Valley take their cannibalistic carnival on the road and head to Iowa.

Roger Corman’s Cult Classics:  Forbidden World – From 1982.  A federation marshal arrives at a research lab on a remote planet where a genetic experiment begins feeding on the dwindling scientific group.

Roger Corman’s Cult Classics:  Galaxy of Terror – From 1981.  Great B movie cast, headed by Edward Albert.  A space ship crew meets up with horrors projected by their own imaginations.

The Losers – After being betrayed and left for dead, members of a CIA black ops team root out those who targeted them for assassination, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Chris Evans and Zoe Saldana.

Cop Out –  A veteran cop was planning to sell his rare baseball card to pay for his daughter’s wedding.  When it’s stolen, he recruits his partner to track down the thief.  Bruce Willis and Tracey Morgan star.

A Town Called Panic – Animated feature, in French, about plastic toys who travel to the center of the earth and discover a parallel underwater universe where pointy-headed creatures live.
 
Tin Man – A re-imagining of The Wizard of Oz, with Zooey Deschanel and Neal McDonough.  It was a mini-series on Syfy Channel.  We liked it. 

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers – Documentary about Daniel Ellsberg, a Pentagon insider who leaked top secret information to the New York Times that showed how five Presidents consistently lied to the American people about the Vietnam War.

Getting the Criterion Collection Treatment:

The Red Shoes – Boris Lermontov demands utter devotion to dance, from his protogees.  Moira Shearer plays young ballerina Victoria Page, poised for superstardom, but also falling in love with the composer of a ballet Lermontov is staging to showcase her talents.  From 1948.

Black Narcissus – Deborah Kerr classic from 1947 about Anglican nuns who are trying to establish a religious community in the Himalayas.

NEW TV on DVD!!

Being Human Season 1

Courage the Cowardly Dog Season 1

Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 9

Desperate Romantics The Complete Series

Gimme a Break! The Complete Series

Jersey Shore Season 1

Look Around You Season 1

Matlock Season 5

My Boys The Complete 2nd and 3rd Seasons

RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne – Complete Series

Super Friends Season 1, Vol. 2

Tin Man (mini-series) 2-Disc Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)

Trinity The Complete 1st Season

Movie Review: Inception

Everybody is going to be talking about Inception.  First off, my advice to you is to NOT talk to anyone about it, before you see it, if you plan to see it.  There are no earth shaking twists, or anything, it’s just best to approach the film with no preconceptions.  And, be sure you’re not sleepy.

That said, I loved it.  It’s so smart, and yes, you should expect to think a little or have your mind boggled, because it’s written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who brought us Memento and The Prestige.  It takes place in a time when there is technology that allows special individuals to influence your decisions or steal information from your mind, by entering your dreams.  There are levels to the dream state, and that’s where it gets confusing, because there are times in the film where different things are going on at different levels.  This is a cast up to the task of a complex plotline:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Marion Cotillard and lots of other familiar faces in smaller roles.  Tom Hardy is the double rainbow here.  He’s GORGEOUS and very likeable as a rakish member of the dream team.  Because a lot of the action takes place in dreams, gravity is optional, as displayed in the still, above.  There’s an action sequence where Joseph Gordon Levitt is battling various elements in zero gravity that is so fantastic.  At one point, I thought it was going to end one of two ways, and I thought to myself, “If this happens, I’m going to love this movie.  If that happens, I’m just going to really like it.”  I love this movie.  One detraction:  I felt the soundtrack was overwhelming in some of the scenes and drowning out some of the dialogue.  In other scenes, I really wished they subtitled Ken Watanabe.  I love the actor, and mean no offense, but his English is just not that great, especially with some complicated narrative.  That said, Inception gets a 9 out of 10.

New in Theaters This Weekend!

This is the time of year where I start scrambling to the theaters, because there are so many good movies coming out, I don’t get to see some of them before they’re gone!  I’m still mad I missed Robin Hood!

Inception is written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who makes challenging and complex films.  Yes, those filmmakers do still exist!  He’s responsible for The Prestige and Memento… and now, Inception.  Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe and the delicious Tom Hardy star.  There are a lot of other interesting cameos.  It’s based on a place and time where there is technology to enter the human mind through dream invasion.  I really don’t want to tell you any more than that.  Just see it.  Inception is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout. 

Critics have been going gaga over a new indie that’s been making the film festival circuit, this year, and it’s finally here, in limited release.  Winter’s Bone is about a girl who lives in the Ozark Mountains and is trying to track down her drug-dealing father to keep her family intact.  Winter’s Bone is rated R for some drug material, language and violent content.  I’ve learned that it’s best not to go into any indie flick with inflated expectations, but I think it might be good to see what’s sure to be the breakthrough performance for star, Jennifer Lawrence.


A few weeks ago, I got a promotional bag with a pink wig in it, and I was like… “What is THIS all about?”  Turns out, it’s a key element in the new movie, Standing Ovation.  They’re going the High School Musical/Glee route, with the story of a group of friends competing in a national tween music video contest.  Honestly, in scanning the cast list, I didn’t recognize any of the names, but then, I don’t watch shows on Nick or Disney much!  Standing Ovation is rated PG for some rude behavior.  If your kid wants to go, it will probably be okay.  I mean, who can’t get behind a movie tagged:  Dance Sing Dream ?

Disney has the live action film, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, out to compete with Toy Story 3, I guess.  It might get one or two kids who’ve already seen Twilight Eclipse 5 times.  Jon Turteltaub directs Nicholas Cage again.  They’ve teamed up on the National Treasure movies.  Here, Cage is Master Sorcerer Balthazar Blake, who’s a little nutty and trying to defend New York City from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath.  Jay Baruchel plays the kid he recruits to be his apprentice and help in the mission.  Alfred Molina is the bad guy.  The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is rated PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language.

New to See on DVD!

With so many great movies in theaters, right now, it’s hard to recommend seeing one at home.  But, there are some good ones out on DVD this week, so if it’s a financial decision, or you just want some coccoon time, I get it.

The Bounty Hunter – Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston star in a romantic comedy.  Slam dunk, right?  Wrong!  You need a script that makes these very likeable actors likeable characters.  Swing and a miss, here, as Butler plays a bounty hunter who learns that his next target is his ex-wife, a reporter working on a murder cover-up.  They argue a lot during a run for your lives adventure.

Greenberg – Is there mean spirited humor in Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg?  Yes.  But somehow, for me, when Ben Stiller is delivering the lines, they’re truly funny!  Greenberg is a New Yorker who moves to Los Angeles to house sit for his brother and try to figure out his life.
 
Our Family Wedding – A young couple, played by America Ferrara and Lance Gross, are in love and want to get married.  They have to get through the family upheaval caused by their announcement, first.  Carlos Mencia and Forest Whitaker play the bickering father-in-laws to be.

Chloe – Thriller with a star power cast.  Julianne Moore is married to Liam Neeson.  She suspects he is a cheater, so she hires Amanda Seyfried to try to seduce her husband, so she can catch him.  Dramatic tension and dangerous deeds develop.

The Greatest – Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon are a married couple in desperate times, after losing their grown son.  Carey Mulligan plays a troubled teenage girl who enters their lives.

Don’t You Forget About Me – Documentary about four filmmakers who go in search of director, John Hughes, who disappeared from Hollywood, basically, in 1991.  

8: The Mormon Proposition – Documentary that comes down hard on the Mormon Church’s historic involvement in the promotion & passage of California’s Proposition 8 and the Mormon religion’s campaign against LGBT human rights.

New TV to See on DVD:
Ally McBeal Season 3
Andromeda Season 1 (CAN)
Backyardigans Operation Elephant Drop
BeastMaster Season 1 (CAN)
The Lucy Show, The The Official 2nd Season
Mystery Science Theater 3000 XVIII
Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal Season 1 (CAN)
Psych The Complete 4th Season
Saturday Night Live, Best of Tracy Morgan (Expanded)
Saturday Night Live, Best Of Will Ferrell (Expanded)
Saving Grace The Final Season
Selling Hitler (mini-series) Selling Hitler
Sesame Street 20 Years & Still Counting
SpongeBob SquarePants Triton’s Revenge
Street Hawk The Complete Series
Super Hero Squad Show, The Quest For The Infinity Sword Volume 1
Thomas and Friends Creaky Cranky
White Collar Season 1