Along Came Polly (2004)

Along Came Polly (2004)

Along Came Polly is not Ben Stiller’s best film nor his best performance but I really enjoyed it. It’s not that original but it is still somehow fresh. It is pretty well written and there are plenty of memorable and distinct moments that make it more recognizable and original than the storyline itself would make it seem like it would. The bathroom scene, the ferret and the basketball scene are a few of these moments.

As far as acting goes, Ben Stiller does what he usually does. He makes you laugh and believe his character but doesn’t actually act wonderfully, which doesn’t seem to make sense. His performance is similar to that in There’s Something About Mary. Jennifer Aniston also gives the same performance as almost everything she’s done, which isn’t good but it works out fine all together. The best character and performance in the film is Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He has a very strange role in comparison to most of his other work, and he does it great. He was very hilarious and did really good, he kept the film more watchable, though he had a small role. Hank Azaria also had a very funny yet even smaller role that added more character to the otherwise average film.

Any fan of Ben Stiller or Jennifer Aniston will most likely enjoy Along Came Polly. It’s nothing extremely special and it’s not the funniest movie, but it has a good story and has many good laughs. Definitely worth watching if it’s on TV or something, but not really something you need to run out and rent, unless, like I said, you are a big fan of Stiller or Aniston.

7/10

The Apartment (1960)

The Apartment (1960)

Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder team up again for brilliance. I don’t like The Apartment quite as much as I do Some Like it Hot but it still is one of the greatest films of all time.

It is very clever, sweet and funny, and has fantastic performances by both Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. The supporting cast all does good as well. Along with the great acting, The Apartment has outstanding writing and directing by legend Billy Wilder. As I said it isn’t my favorite Billy Wilder film but it is one of the best, which automatically means its one of the best films ever made. Billy Wilder is a genius.

I first heard of the film while watching the films from the American Film Institute’s 100 greatest films of all time. Since then I have suggested it to many people and watched it a few more times. It’s a great way to get into classic films and a great way to stay into classic films.

It’s a great and original story, a great mix of comedy and drama. Sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious, but always amazing. I suggest this film to everyone. I think if you give it a chance there is almost no way you wont like it. The Apartment is one more film that proves Billy Wilder is one of the best directors in history.

10/10

Airplane! (1980)

Airplane! (1980)

Airplane! Is easily one of the funniest and most influential comedies ever made. Not the first parody film but it did take them in a new direction. It was done with more genius than almost every comedy made before and after, and it will remain a classic forever. It is jam packed with gags and one liners that would make Groucho Marx proud

There really isn’t anything bad to say about this film. Immature? Yeah, sure, but still funny to almost everyone regardless of taste. Its easily the best comedy of the 80s if not the best comedy ever made. It doesn’t get annoying like many other films in its style, it stays hilarious the whole time, and it will be hilarious for years and years to come.

I don’t think Leslie Nielson would be remembered the way he will be without this film. He plays one of the greatest comedy roles ever, and with the help of Robert Hays, Lloyd Bridges, Julie Hagerty, Peter Graves, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, this film becomes legendary. There is truly too many great lines to even begin picking favorites.

Now, is Airplane my favorite comedy? No. I’m not going to sit here and say I love it to death. Don’t get me wrong, I do love it and I do think it is one of the greatest comedies ever made, but at the same time, as far as comedies go, I wont call it one of my favorites unless I can watch over and over again. It does stay funny even after multiple viewings but they need to be pretty separated viewings, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just the only thing that keeps me from loving it a little more. Still genius.

If you haven’t yet seen Airplane! You have made a mistake. It is a must see by everyone. Make sure you are in the mood for a comedy though. It is one of the few full blown comedies that are both loved by almost everyone and seen as a classic.

9/10

Amityville Horror (2005)

Amityville Horror (2005)

Amityville Horror is definitely not the greatest horror film but I think its relatively easy to like. A lot of horror films are either really loved or really hated but I think this one is right around in the pretty good mark.

The story was changed a little from the original legend, but It stayed together still pretty well. I think some things were a little too much (talk about it later) but as far as the main story goes I think it was good.

Filmmaking wise, I think they did well. Good directing for a modern horror remake, and the cinematography gave it a really cool and creepy feeling. Most of the acting was good too, and a surprisingly great performance by Ryan Reynolds, which I wouldn’t expect out of him knowing his earlier work. The film is almost more creepy or eerie than scary but it gets the job done.

More of an old school style of horror film. More similar to The Shinning than many other horror films made in recent times. The bad guy is a house, not a random killer, it makes the film scarier and more ominous than a lot of others.

****Spoilers****

My main problem with the film was the stuff about the Indian burial ground in the basement. I understand they were trying to make everything make more sense and wrap it up better but I think it was too much. It actually made it less believable and more ridiculous. I think leaving out a better explanation makes it scarier and would have left you guessing and talking more. But not all films are the way you want them to be.

****end spoilers****

I don’t know how the film compares to the original because I haven’t seen it, but if you’re in the mood for an intense horror film I think this could be the right choice. Amityville Horror is not going to be liked by everyone but I think some will enjoy it. As I said it’s not great.

7/10

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Robin Hood: Men in Tights is far from Mel Brooks’ best film, but it definitely is hilarious. As far as his films that parody other film franchises go, its no Young Frankenstein but it is better than Dracula: Dead and Loving it.

Not the greatest acting but few comedies ever do. There may not be any great performances but they are funny performances. I don’t think I would have thought that Cary Elwes was the right choice to play the lead in this film, but they made the right choice by picking him. He gave a very Princess Bride like performance that worked out well. Dave Chappell gave a good debut performance, though he definitely wasn’t as funny as he would become later on. Mark Blankfield as Blinkin I think is probably the most remembered character in the film and its for good reason, he is hilarious.

The film is full of great Mel Brooks style jokes and gags that would make The Marx Brothers proud. Some jokes are misses and are slightly painful due to how unfunny they are but those come rare, its usually consistently funny. It’s probably my favorite Mel Brooks movie after Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. Though it is a little less liked and a little dumber, I think fans of those two films will still like this one.

Before you watch Robin Hood Men in Tights I would suggest you see at least one other version of Robin Hood, to understand the story they are making fun of. Im sure the film would still be funny who didn’t know the story but I think some knowledge of the legend would make it better.

Anyone who likes Mel Brooks, anyone who likes Robin Hood and anyone who likes comedies should give it a try. Some people might find it a little annoying and dumb at times but I think most people will at least get enough laughs to like it.

8/10

American Outlaws (2001)

American Outlaws (2001)

American Outlaws is not historically accurate really at all except for a few small things, but that doesn’t bother me at all, it is still a very fun movie.

The film has a good blend of action, drama and comedy which makes it easy to watch. Its not as good as the remake of 3:10 to Yuma, as far as newer westerns go, but I still think it was well put together. Good western gun fights, and a good western storyline, blended with some funny one liners.

The acting was decent as well. American Outlaws was the first film I saw Colin Farrell in and instantly became a fan, though now this is far from his best work. He does a good accent that would make you never guess he was Irish. The rest of the cast is a little hit and miss in my opinion. No one did terrible but even Kathy Bates didn’t do that great. Timothy Dolton probably gave the best performance of the supporting cast. However, other supporting cast members like Scott Caan and Ali Larter didn’t really give much of a performance at all

I think the film is pretty fairly rated by most, because it’s not great. The acting is ok, the story isn’t that original, and it’s not accurate, but it is fun and I still enjoy it. So overall, I can’t guarantee anyone will like it. If you like westerns or you like Colin Farrell, I think you should at least give this film a try. Just remember it isn’t a history lesson.

7/10

Choke (2008)

Choke (2008)

Being a huge fan of fight club, I was very excited to see Choke. They are both based on books by Chuck Palahnuik and I think they are both good, but very different. Fight Club is much better but I think it would have been interesting to see what Choke could have been with a bigger director or lead actor, and a bigger budget. (I think it might have been given a smaller budget because of it’s slightly risqué topics, which I think is unfair.)

With that aside I’d like to say I still think that Choke is underrated. It’s a great story with a lot of good twists and turns and it best of all, its hilarious. I think it had a lot of potential to be more main stream but something went wrong with that. Clark Gregg isn’t as big as a director as David Fincher (director of Fight Club) so I think it might have lost some momentum there. And with that, Sam Rockwell isn’t a huge name either. Though neither are big names I still think they did a pretty good job and the rest of the cast did as well, mainly Angelica Huston.

From what I’ve heard, if you read the book you are not going to like the film. I haven’t read it so I don’t know if that’s true. However, if you haven’t read the book I think you could really enjoy it. Its very funny, interesting and original. Don’t watch it when you are in the mood for a full blown comedy, it is really funny but more drama driven.

8/10

Crank (2006)

Crank (2006)

Crank is a strange movie to review. Its really a strange movie all together. It seems like the writer and director said “lets make a movie with truly non-stop action,” and in the end that’s what they had.

I can’t really say I think it’s a good movie, because I don’t. However I do enjoy it. Crank is the only movie I’ve seen that really is non-stop action. Right from the beginning the action starts and its tense right to the last second. With the camera angles and movement of the camera even the parts where people are just talking seems tense and almost action like.

I don’t think the film is all that well done in the long run though. It definitely works but it isn’t really good. The story is probably the most ridiculous story ever and the cinematography often times looks pretty armature. The acting is decent from Jason Statham considering what he was doing, but the rest of the cast were pretty lame and didn’t seem to try that hard.

So its hard to give a rating to this film. Do I go with how much I like it or how much it deserves? If you are in the mood for a real hardcore action movie Crank is your best choice, it makes action films like XXX look tame. On the other hand, if you are looking for an action movie that I feel is more of an actual good movie this isn’t the way to go. Bad storyline, acting, writing, dialog, directing, and so on… but somehow… it’s a lot of fun. Even though I bashed the film a bit, it’s still a very original and fun film, and can be enjoyed when you are just looking for a straight up, true action film.

7/10