MINI-REVIEW: A Thousand Words

MOVIE
A Thousand Words

CAST
Eddie Murphy,
Kerry Washington

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
March 9, 2012

DIRECTOR
Brian Robbins

STUDIO
DreamWorks Pictures,
Paramount Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 31 minutes





STARS
**1/2











REVIEW:

This movie has been almost completely forgotten by anyone who went to see it, and I can see why that is. 'A Thousand Words' has been on the shelf for about three years, and it was just released about three weeks ago with an incredibly bad 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie is about a fast talking businessman named Jack who gets into the wrong deal with an Indian guru. As punishment, a tree magically grows in his backyard and creates a spiritual bond with Jack. For every word Jack says, a leaf falls off the tree. Once all of the leaves fall off the tree, Jack will die. My younger sister wanted to see it, so I went along thinking I was going to hate the living crap out of it. Surprisingly enough, I did not hate the movie at all! Why does this film have a 0% while other crappy films like anything Adam Sandler has recently brought us has over that? (Not including 'Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star') Eddie Murphy was decent for not being able to speak for about half of the film. The supporting cast, including Kerry Washington and Allison Janney is decent enough to not be annoying. Cliff Curtis is clearly the funniest guy in this movie playing the wimpy assistant to Murphy's Jack McCall. The script is unoriginal, but it did keep me entertained.

Surprisingly enough to top all of this, this movie actually became a serious drama about life towards the second half; and for some reason it touched me in a way I did not expect to be touched.  Brian Robbins, who directed this movie along with a couple of other panned Murphy movies, has proved to be my ultimate guilty pleasure director. His movies aren't great, but I am entertained by them. I feel more people should have given this movie a chance, but I can clearly see why they didn't. Because the film was shot in 2008, some of the jokes were pretty dated. That didn't stop me from surprisingly enjoying this movie a little. It's not worth going to a theater to see, but a DVD rental is the perfect time to check it out if you and your loved one get bored one night. Eddie Murphy is decent, the script is dismal but acceptable, and there's no harm to be had at all from this PG-13 spiritual dramedy. Odds are I will watch this movie again and probably hate it to death because that's the kind of guy I am, but for now I'm going to accept the fact that I didn't hate this movie at all. 'A Thousand Words' seems destined to become my guilty pleasure of 2012, and I am still baffled at my feelings towards this film.



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REVIEW: John Carter 3D

MOVIE
John Carter

CAST
Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
March 9, 2012

DIRECTOR
Andrew Stanton

STUDIO
Walt Disney Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 12 minutes






STARS
***1/4











REVIEW:

You may be surprised on how much of an impact Edgar Rice Burroughs’s 'A Princess of Mars' has had on science fiction and cinema alike. Just how much of an impact you might ask. Let me put it to you this way: George Lucas said that without 'A Princess of Mars,' 'Star Wars' wouldn't have existed. The first exposure of the character John Carter was in 'A Princess of Mars,' making this character and this story the inspiration of science fiction so to speak. That's why it baffles me that it's taken literally a century for someone to take John Carter and put him into his own movie. And just what that movie might be known as? You guessed it, 'John Carter.' 'John Carter' is a deeply layered story so much that the trailers and TV spots of the film don't do this movie any justice whatsoever. I was starting to really dislike this movie in the first 20 minutes or so because of how silly and corny it got, but then it started getting cooler, and cooler, and even cooler than cool. Overall, I enjoyed 'John Carter' probably more than I should have. It's an extremely cheesy, but overall epic and fun movie that I would highly recommend checking out.

If my memory serves me right, this is only Taylor Kitsch's second big Hollywood movie, the first being 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine.' The 'Friday Night Lights' star is clearly trying to get his name out there in Hollywood, and I believe that he has with this movie. Kitsch, who plays John Carter, is charming, funny, and quite a There is a particular battle scene that involves him coping with some losses in the past that is very powerful to watch. His acting isn't the greatest, but I do see him going to do greater things in the future. Lynn Collins of 'True Blood' fame overacts a little. Plus her British accent isn't very good throughout the movie. Her acting though wasn't as bad as you'd expect. I didn't mind her as much as I thought I would, but her acting isn't perfect, despite her looks being incredibly stunning.

The rest of the cast has a lot of famous actors who are all in the movie for brief periods of the movie. Willem Dafoe plays the main alien Tars Tarkas, and it seemed that he was only in the movie for two things: 1.) to call John Carter "Virginia," and 2.) to be apart of a father/daughter story that went nowhere. Thomas Haden Church was hardly noticeable as the voice of Tal Hajus, who is basically Willem Dafoe's Barsoomian enemy. Mark Strong, who should now be known as the go to leading villain, plays a member of a group that controls the entire balance of the universe, which is disrupted when John Carter lands on Mars. (Or as it's referred to in the movie as Barsoom) We also have Ciarán Hinds, who plays the father of Lynn Collins/king of Barsoom, and even Bryan Cranston shows up for a 5 minute cameo as a colonel officer from Earth. The supporting cast is impressive, but overall they are not used very well in the movie.

It's sort of hard to believe that the director of 'Finding Nemo' directed a movie like this. This is a complex film with a decent enough script and cool special effects to keep you along for the ride. Sure it isn't as good as 'Finding Nemo,' but Stanton should have a fine career in the future if he wants to escape animation. I blame Disney's marketing company for this movie's current disaster story at the box office. If audiences had known that this was more than just a sci-fi movie and a lot better than something average, then this movie would've gotten much more attention. The cast is fine, the special effects are awesome, and the story comes full circle in a way that makes you want to see a sequel, which they tease for at the end of the film. Overall, even though this review is pretty late, I'd say check out 'John Carter' if you can. Just don't see it in 3D though, because it is awful in this movie. It's not as cool and fun as 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,' which was directed by another Pixar director, Brad Bird, but this is still a very enjoyable movie and worth taking the interstellar trip to see. Check it out if there isn't anything else out that you haven't seen and want to have some fun for over two hours.

REVIEW: Casa de Mi Padre

MOVIE
Casa De Mi Padre

CAST
Will Ferrell, Gael García Bernal

RATING
R

RELEASE
March 16, 2012

DIRECTOR
Matt Piedmont

STUDIO
Pantelion Films (Lionsgate)

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 24 minutes






STARS
****











REVIEW:

Every once in a while, there is a movie that will divide the film community into two halves. Some will find that movie to be uproariously funny and something they would want to see again and again. Then there are the sophisticated people who nitpick that movie and take it too seriously. This is exactly what Will Ferrell's 'Casa de Mi Padre' is destined to become. 'Casa de Mi Padre' is a western spoof movie that mocks telenova films almost entirely in Spanish with subtitles. As crazy as this may sound, this was the movie I was looking forward to see the most out of any film coming out in 2012. Another way to say it is that this was my most anticipated movie of 2012. Many friends have argued with me throwing names like 'The Avengers' and 'The Dark Knight Rises' at my face. As great as those look, there was something about 'Casa' that just made me want it to see it the most out of everything else coming. So as you could guess, I was very excited to see this movie. Surely enough, this movie surpassed my expectations. It may be cheesy and over the top at parts, but this is the exact movie I've been waiting to see for a while. Let me put it to you this way: I haven't laughed so hard at one movie possibly since the stupid-as-hell but still humorous 'Grown Ups.' 'Casa de Mi Padre' delivers the goods in 84 minutes, especially when you're given some tasty salsa to go along with it.

Will Ferrell as far as I know can do any role he sets his mind to. From doing critically panned adventure sexual comedies like 'Land of the Lost' to more dramatic and serious movies like 'Everything Must Go,' Ferrell is a master at his craft. He learned Spanish just for this one movie, and it's funny to hear him speak the language, especially when he's really good at it! Ferrell gives some of the biggest laughs of the movie even by just posing for the camera. Even though Ferrell is the selling point of the film, the rest of the cast is just as great! The funny thing about Ferrell being in this movie at all is that he is surrounded entirely by a Spanish/Latino cast.

Famed Spanish actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna are very good as the main antagonist and Will Ferrell's brother respectively. You can't just have Ferrell overacting in every scene in the film, so that's why these Spanish actors are great at standing alongside Ferrell. Then there is newcomer (not if you saw 'Man on a Ledge') Génesis Rodríguez who is both stunning to look at and quite funny as well. You even have more familiar faces like Hector Ramirez from 'Napoleon Dynamite' and Nick Offerman from 'Parks and Recreation' joining in on the fun. Overall the cast is great, but the writing and jokes that they are given to read only make the movie even better.

The writer of this film is Andrew Steele, who is probably best known for writing for 'Saturday Night Live' and the critically panned 'The Ladies Man.' Let me assure you that the script of this film isn't the script for 'The Ladies Man.' While the dialogue sucks, it's supposed to because this is a spoof film. What makes this script funny is how the actors act out with the dialogue given, and how the movie is supposed to represent an old trashy telenova from the 70s. Kind of like a Grindhouse film in Spanish, that includes any type of technical flaw that can be thought of. These flaws include crappy special effects, awful editing, and other things in those types of categories. An example of this would be at the very beginning of the film where you clearly see a stunt double for Will Ferrell riding on a horse, which then approaches a brown cow. When Ferrell picks it up and looks in the camera's direction, the cow is now black and appears to not be a cow, but a piñata. If you like that type of humor, as well as many other Spanish related jokes, then you surely will laugh your ass off in this movie.

'Casa de Mi Padre' is a movie where I had literally no problems with it at all. This film rang every right note in my book, and I just sat and laughed my ass off all the way through. Will Ferrell is hilarious as always, but his great use of the Spanish language only makes his performance even funnier. Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and the rest of the supporting cast are also quite funny as they are mocking their own country's type of film. Andrew Steele's script and the director of Matt Piedmont seal the deal of how much I enjoyed this movie. I may be going out on a limb by saying this, but 'Casa de Mi Padre' is not only one of my favorites of 2011 so far, but it may also be the best spoof movie since 'The Naked Gun.' There is nothing that bugged me in this short movie, except for the fact that it is a short movie I guess. It's only 84 minutes including the credits, and even those you should stay for! Overall 'Casa de Mi Padre' is a funny, well-acted, and awesome spoof movie that is well deserving of being seen. This movie is in limited release at the moment, but I would say if it's at a theater near you, check it out! You won't even care about reading the subtitles after 10 minutes.

REVIEW: Jeff, Who Lives At Home

MOVIE
Jeff, Who Lives At Home       

CAST
Jason Segal, Ed Helms

RATING
R

RELEASE
March 16, 2012

DIRECTOR(S)
Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

STUDIO(S)
Paramount Vantage,
Indian Paintbrush

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 23 minutes

STARS
***

NOTE: THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON OCTOBER 31, 2011 FOR THE PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL

REVIEW:

Who would imagine that Jason Segal, that naked comedian from 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' could smoke weed and actually act all in the course of 83 minutes? If you're as amazed as I am, then you should check out his new movie 'Jeff, Who Lives at Home,' which is being released in March of next year. This dark comedy also stars Ed Helms of 'The Hangover' as Jeff's brother Pat and the always great Susan Sarandon as their mother. Jeff is a thirty something slacker who lives in his mother's basement and is still looking for his purpose in life. Pat is a "successful" businessman who can't even see that his marriage is slowly falling apart, even when she dumps her morning breakfast on a brand new/expensive Porsche. After receiving a mysterious phone call looking for a man named "Kevin," Jeff believes that he is about to find his destiny, even though he might be under a heavy influence of weed throughout. Pat tags along for this ride, and soon finds out that his wife may be cheating on him.

There was no way to know whether the film was going to be good or not, mainly because the only things that have been released to market the film is two photos. Still, this was screened four months in advance and without a rating, so I took my chances. Luckily enough, 'Jeff, Who Lives at Home' lives up to its hilarious title. The film is funny as hell, while also very sweet and poignant in which it may tug at your heartstrings a little. 'Jeff, Who Lives at Home' may be the sweetest and most poignant film to come out in 2012, which is nothing short of a bad thing.

Jason Segal is now trying to be in a drama while at the same time make some hilarious jokes. Because of the dramatic aspect, Segal gives the best performance of his career so far. The character Segal plays, a stoned thirty something living at home waiting for destiny to come his way, is somewhat like Seth Rogen's character in '50/50,' though not as obnoxious. Jeff isn't looking to settle down or even score with a few chicks, unlike Rogen's character. Jeff is the type of guy you'd actually want to hang out with or just smoke a joint with. Despite being a slacker with a love for weed, you can relate to Jeff's situation. Jeff is simply looking for his destiny after getting "Kevin's" phone call, and in some ways the other supporting players in the film are looking for their destiny as well, and that is shown very well because of the fine supporting characters. However while the other performances are good, they could not live up to Segal's fantastic performance.

Everyone in life has their own destiny, whether it's top of the world or bottom of the slumps. 'Jeff, Who Lives At Home' depicts that sublimely, though not being as fantastic as it could have been. Sure I laughed a lot and the drama was effective, but there was one plot line that I felt was unnecessary to the storyline except for the very end of the film. This storyline involves Susan Sarandon, Jeff's mother in the film, dealing with her own work problems throughout. Her subplot quickly becomes predictable as the story progresses, which I had a problem with because I like surprises in my movies. I'm not going to say what this plot was about because of its March release, but I'm just going to leave it at that saying that her plot line was my least favorite thing about the film. However my father did say to me after I told him this (paraphrasing here) "But Zach if that didn't happen than she wouldn't be there at the end and everything wouldn't have been what it was." That may be true dad, but it just didn't add anything to me.

‘Jeff, Who Lives At Home' is not a fantastic movie, but you will laugh your ass off and (if you have a heart) cry at points. The performances are really good, the story is well thought of, and The Duplass Brothers are now on my list of directors to keep my eye out for in the future. It's going to be very interesting to see how Paramount and Indian Paintbrush market this movie, because it's very hard to categorize this in a specific category. Should this be released as an indie for art houses to host, or should Paramount go wide release and hope for the best? I'd say go wide, mainly because this film will be popular amongst 'The Office' fans. What I mean by that, besides Ed Helms being in this, is that the film's similar camera shots, quirkiness and documentary like feel helps fans of the popular Steve Carell show enjoy themselves a lot in this fairly short film. 'Jeff' may last only 83 minutes, but you may come out of this surprised and heartfelt by how good this goofy premise turned out to be. This may not come out until March, but 'Jeff' is something you may want to put onto your calendars soon. But sorry kids, this will undoubtedly be an R rated film, but just for language and drugs. If your parents let you see this movie, I guarantee that you will be laughing before the opening credits even starts, because of an awesome opening monologue given by Jeff about the Mel Gibson movie 'Signs.' Do I really have to say much more?

REVIEW: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

MOVIE
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

CAST
Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
March 9, 2012

DIRECTOR
Lasse Hallström

STUDIO(S)
CBS Films, Lionsgate UK

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 47 minutes






STARS
**1/2








REVIEW:

I bet nobody here has even heard of this movie, let alone ever expressed interest in going to see it. I probably wouldn't have seen it if it wasn't for the numerous free screenings around town, as well as some strong buzz coming from critics and audience goers alike. I guess that's why I decided to check out 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,' an unknown British movie starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt. The title basically tells the plot, but to elaborate on it, an autistic married man teams up with an eccentric woman to introduce salmon fishing to the Yemen. There wasn't much I was looking forward to, mainly because no expectations were held at all. Coming out of the film, I felt no different than I did going into it. It's just an okay movie for me. Nothing is terrific, and nothing is mediocre.

Ewan McGregor is fine for what he's given, the same being said towards Emily Blunt, who suffers through a stupid war subplot. Kristin Scott Thomas was annoying and, in my opinion, unnecessary. Her character is even a part of the last minute of the movie that is both dumb and forcing you to give out one last chuckle. Amr Waked, the actor whose character is the leader of this whole salmon fishing plan, is my favorite part of this movie. His persona and charm engaged me from the opening shot of the film where you see him fishing pops on the screen. This is a guy who should be in more movies, possibly bigger and better moves than this. Unfortunately, some characters are in here for no reason at all. The story is even so desperate that they have to add a character that has to go to war and goes missing in action. Yes, the story does play out as you'd expect. The script is okay, but it should have been a bit more creative rather than following the typical clichéd route that many movies these days travel.

 Even though nobody will probably see this movie, is it enjoyable for what it is. However I can't exactly say this is a great movie, because this is just an average film. The cast is fine for what they're given, (except for Scott Thomas) the script is okay, and the story suffers for ending in the typical clichéd fashion. If you go into this expecting a great movie, you'll probably be disappointed. However if you go in expecting nothing, you may enjoy it for what it is. Nothing is really harmful in this film, so nothing can scar anyone for life. I wish there was more to say about this movie, but there really isn’t. It's a highly forgettable movie by all means, but you will have a good enough time watching it if you do check it out with an open mind and no expectations whatsoever. Don't expect any awards for this smelly piece of fish.