Red-Band Trailer for BLOCKERS Starring John Cena

The first, red-band trailer for Universal's Blockers has arrived and it finally feels as if we might have a solid comedy waiting in the wings. Over what was a notoriously dry summer that saw Snatched, Baywatch, The House, and The Hitman's Bodyguard do little to nothing for the genre (not to mention Edgar Wright making another good film, but not necessarily a funny one) most audiences relied on the likes of dramedies such as The Big Sick and maybe Logan Lucky (for those who actually saw it) to garner a few laughs while even the animated fare was somewhat light on quality with Captain Underpants maybe being the best, but least seen of the bunch. All of that to say, the fall awards season isn't particularly known for its sense of humor, but while we'll get a few comedies in the form of sequels such as Daddy's Home 2 and A Bad Mom's Christmas I'll be looking forward to next spring when an original and seemingly clever comedy like Blockers drops. I'm surprised much of the reception to this has been negative as I found much of the situational stuff here to be pretty appealing in terms of the comedy being elicited from the generational gap which typically plays pretty stale. Maybe I simply have more trust in the movie as a whole because it is the directorial debut of Kay Cannon who has cut her teeth as a writer on New Girl and the Pitch Perfect series before jumping into the director's chair. I tend to appreciate Cannon's offbeat and rather random sense of humor that she infuses into her projects and I look forward to how that crosses over into her filmmaking style. It also doesn't hurt that Cannon's lead trio consisting of Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, and John Cena seem to have great chemistry between one another and make for a group of friends I could see having fun hanging out with outside of watching them in a movie. Mann and Barinholtz definitely know their way around a studio comedy, but it will be nice to see Cena take on a larger role in a live action comedy after that scene-stealing performance in Trainwreck a few years back. All of that said, I hope this breaks the mold of stale studio comedies for, if you saw the trailer for Father Figures a few weeks back, you'll recognize how dry the well has indeed run. Blockers also stars Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, Graham Phillips, Gideon Adlan, Jake Picking, Ramona Young, Miles Robbins, Jimmy Bellinger, and opens on April 6th, 2018.

VACATION Review

It was something of a surprise this new sequel in the Vacation series that also intends to serve as something of a reboot or re-make, but isn't really, included the line from the trailer about how this Vacation will indeed stand on it's own. It seemed a piece of dialogue specifically designed for the marketing campaign so as to let audiences know the movie itself was aware of what it represented and the pressures it might face in convincing audiences it was worthy of the challenge. This line, when given in the trailer, almost made the film more endearing (hey, it knows it has a lot of work to do), but the fact they included it in the final product gave an entirely different impression-one of desperation even. Maybe desperation is the wrong word, maybe a lack of confidence is a better way to put it. The statement itself wants to impose a sense of confidence though, a bold statement of this particular film being it's own thing and being successful on it's own terms whether there was an original or not. Of course, if this were a world where the original Vacation didn't exist we would have (a slightly altered) We're the Millers and that would be it. Instead, as brand recognition and nostalgia are at an all time high thanks to social media and our heightened sense of self-awareness it would be wrong to not try and capitalize on every big brand of generations past. And thus, we have what is essentially a remake (but it's a sequel!) of/to the original film where Stu from the Hangover movies plays a grown-up Rusty with call backs aplenty just in case you didn't get that this was in the same timeline as the 1983 film, but that it's still supposed to stand on it's own. These call-backs are of course intended to make audiences familiar with the 1983 version recognize the correlation and laugh while those who aren't will hopefully just laugh because...the comedy is timeless? All of these particulars don't really matter though as this is little more than a ninety-minute comedy intended to make audiences chuckle. When taken on such simple terms, it does it's job well enough. My qualm is why couldn't we do something with these actors/directors/writers that maybe didn't rely on tapping into nostalgia? If we keep re-making and re-visiting old properties what are future generations going to reboot or re-make? Or even worse, be able to call their own?

First Red-Band Trailer for VACATION Reboot

It's hard for me to admit, but I haven't seen any of the Chevy Chase Vacation films sans Christmas Vacation as the in-laws enjoy watching that every couple of years or so when Christmas in fact rolls around. I've seen bits and pieces of the original as well as parts of Vegas Vacation on TBS or TNT at some point in the past, but never have I sat down with the intention of watching any of these straight through. That looks as if it will change this year as Warner Bros. has decided to not necessarily reboot or re-make what you would typically label as a sequel, but kind of is, as it continues the story of the Griswolds, but more by treating us to the next generation of the family that started it all. Given I don't have as much of a history with this series I likely don't get some of the references or jokes that play in this trailer, but as it states outright this is a Vacation that will stand on its own and I can only hope it proves itself right. Ed Helms is playing the grown-up Rusty Griswold who is intent on picking his family up out of its current slump by recreating his childhood vacation to Walley World. Christina Applegate is playing his wife with Leslie Mann filling the role of sister Audrey. Both Chase and Beverly D'Angelo return as Clark and Ellen for what I assume are glorified cameos while Horrible Bosses and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 scribes John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein take on their first directing gig. Vacation also stars Chris Hemsworth, Steele Stebbins, Skyler Gisondo, Nick Kroll, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, Regina Hall, Keegan-Michael Key and opens on July 31st.

THE OTHER WOMAN Review

Given the bad rap that romantic comedies typically get it seems The Other Woman was bound and determined to make sure people didn't think of it as a film that fit squarely into that cardboard box and so instead first time screenwriter Melissa Stack took cues from 9 to 5 and The First Wives Club and smashed them together into modern day giving us a comedy of errors in which three women, all scorned by the same man of course, get together and plot their revenge on the sick schlub. Thus, this is the antithesis of the rom-com, the movie not where some hopelessly romantic woman falls for a man who seems to be the perfect fit only to find out he isn't and that she has been blind to the real man of her dreams who's resided three cubicles down for years now, no, The Other Woman is out for revenge on the fanciful relationship and instead wanting to make sure everyone knows how the wrong kind of infatuation can lead nowhere and that it's only the healthy kind that might offer more meaningful fulfillment in our little time on this earth. That said, you don't really go into a movie that looks like what The Other Woman is going to be and expect much and maybe that is exactly why I had a pretty good time at this one. The film sports a pair of hilarious leading ladies with chemistry to burn and a solid guiding force in director Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook, My Sister's Keeper) who seems to have a taste for the eclectic and in trying his hand at straight-up comedy for the first time in his career, for the most part, lands on his feet only to stumble a few times in the area of slapstick and poop jokes that feel too immature for the subject matter the film is inherently taking on. Everything about The Other Woman screams that it should be easily shoved into the chick flick doldrums (shiny New York City setting, jobs for all that make life a breeze, cheesy pop soundtrack, several montages) but in a slight turn of hand we find that the film ultimately is able to divert the clichés of this formula and show the growing and repairing of relationships between women rather than the more idiotic road of watching these sophisticated women fight over a man clearly below their standards only for one of them to fool themselves into thinking our central schlub here is still the one, still worth keeping around, while never nailing down the entire male species as one stereotype.

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN Review

Let's just be up front about this whole Mr. Peabody and Sherman thing: it's a little weird. I mean, the whole concept and everything is a little out there when it comes to typical, safe family entertainment in that it's just straight-up odd to think about what is typically considered a pet adopting what typically takes care of said pet. That said, I'm not familiar with the original series that apparently ran as part of the Rocky & Bullwinkle universe and really had no idea of what type of story I was getting myself into or what adventure I was going to be taken on as I hadn't paid much attention to the marketing for the film, but as Dreamworks originals tend to go I expected to at least have a nice, colorful and randomly funny entertaining time if not receiving the deeper, more introspective character moments and more honest themes that come along with what we have become accustomed to with Pixar. Many people will disagree and say that Pixar has been slipping lately and I won't argue with you when it comes to defending the Cars series, but I enjoyed both Brave and Monsters University to a point that Mr. Peabody & Sherman can't even touch. Of course, this is really like trying to compare a January release to an Oscar-bait film as it seems Dreamworks productions have both lower standards and naturally a lower set of expectations for their final product than that of the major summer tentpoles Pixar is akin to putting out. Still, it is hard to discern the difference in the two when they exist in the same genre and are targeted (mainly) at the same audiences, but it is only when the first offering does well and/or have the right people behind it to truly invest and push it to something more, something deeper that we get the eventual sequels with a more pristine release date a la How to Train Your Dragon (we all saw how Turbo turned out last year when they through a non-franchise, non-re-make in the throws of summer). With Mr. Peabody & Sherman the studio has concocted what is essentially an extended TV episode and it feels this way without me, again, never having seen the original show. It is fine that it is episodic though because it is so brief of an experience that instead of coming away feeling short-changed, we feel satisfied with the amount of adventure packed into these pint-sized characters.

THE BLING RING Review

It's not that I'm not a fan of Sofia Coppola, it's simply that I haven't seen any of her work outside of her 2003 breakthrough Lost in Translation and to make matters worse I was only sixteen when I watched that film and so I highly doubt I completely caught the gist of what it was saying or could analyze the points it was trying to make. I've always been intrigued by her work, both The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette have been on my "need-to-see" list for quite some time, but what would have likely best prepared me for her latest feature, The Bling Ring, is her film just prior that also takes a look at the vapid Hollywood lifestyle and the re-evaluation of it when a genuine life-changer is thrown into the mix. I've heard nothing but good things about that film, titled Somewhere, and am more interested than ever in checking it out now that I've seen what Coppola was going for in The Bling Ring. Despite the fact that it is extremely evident what the writer/director was going for in her latest film none of it ever really transfers over into the final product. The idea of exposing these dull brats for what they truly are and driving home the point of how flat and tasteless the results of their actions will eventually be which will of course echo in their older years has already been done this year, and to much greater effect. Harmony Korine served up a commentary on the youth of today and this culture they worship and want so desperately to be a part of earlier this year. Spring Breakers bombarded us with attractive images and ridiculous rituals that have become acceptable among the college set while ultimately teaching us through its main character that being eager to learn and experience new things can also lead to maturity if one is able to put the world in perspective and not fall for the instant gratification. The Bling Ring doesn't have anything as heavy to say, it simply wants to show you how materialistic the kids of California have become and how this obsession with celebrity for sake of celebrity isn't a good sign for future generations. It gives us nothing more than the facts of a true story, but nothing about its execution makes it shine.

THIS IS 40 Review

Maybe it's because I too have a relationship with Lost, that I still hold onto my love for The Office or that I also enjoy the music of Hairspray that allowed me to appreciate This Is 40 all the more, but either way I look at it I can't shake the overall impact the film left me with. It is easy to complain about Judd Apatow movies; whether it be that they are too long, that they try to do too much or are unable to balance themselves between the drama and the comedy. For me, these complaints are not necessarily invalid but they do prove to be somewhat easy to make. They do not take into consideration the skill at hand, the ability with which Apatow more as a writer than a director has likely so painfully made it feel so effortless to capture the real essence of life, the standard complications, the humor in everything. The genuine humor, not the forced false broad jokes that can so easily be relayed in awkward home movies, but the honest and often hilarious conversations we have everyday with one another that are so easily forgotten but just as easily recognizable when someone such as Apatow is able to tap into the truthfulness of life and bring it to a mass audience. I still like The 40 Year Old Virgin more than Knocked Up, but with his last two efforts the writer/director has certainly become more introverted, attempting something few comedians have the balls to do once they find real success. Those two early works afforded him the opportunity to do such a thing and he is not missing his chance. Like Funny People, This Is 40 touches on the bigger questions of what we decide to do in this life and why it matters and why it might not. Unlike that more serious film though Apatow lets his characters create their own story and resolve their own issues without forcing a narrative, a task upon them. A daring move, but one that pays off for the most part.

PARANORMAN Review

I am always hesitant when it comes to stop motion animation. No matter the intrigue that might come along with it, there is something about the style that makes me feel no matter how hard I try I won't be able to get past it. This was true earlier this year with Aardman's Pirates! Band of Misfits yet I still found myself enjoying that film to a much bigger degree than I ever expected. This might have eased the resilience that would have usually come along with a film like Paranorman. In fact, I was very much looking forward to this film as it seemed, in the very least, to be one of those hand crafted movies that would employ its technique to emphasize the creepy tone of its story. One of those films where I would regain the sense of something along the lines of Hocus Pocus or Monster House where it is a movie I can always pull out around Halloween every year and never be disappointed. Suffice to say Paranorman more than meets the expectations I was holding for it and honestly delivers one of the funniest and more entertaining experiences I've had at the movies in a while (and I just saw The Expendables 2 which was riotously funny). The film has a sense about it where you know the makers understood every aspect of what they were trying to accomplish. They know their characters better than anyone else so when those characters encounter such strange happenings such as what goes on in this small little town they know how they would react and how they would deal with it while always keeping the focus on our main protagonist. And while if you've read the synopsis you may think this all sounds very Sixth Sense-like trust me when I say it turns that little plot device into not just a gift but a curse that justifies its surprisingly touching storyline.

Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) tries to hide from
the zombies he let loose.

All around we find that every aspect of the film nearly exceeds expectations. Whether it be in the actors voice work that helps develop the characters even further or the visual prowess that is inherit in every frame. I was consistently impressed with how the film rolled out and that I was never bored but instead engaged by how brilliant the pacing. When I was immediately intrigued by the story early on I worried it would end up going down a road that was less than satisfactory. In this regard, I was lucky enough to be proven wrong. When the film opens (with a great homage to the grindhouse/slasher flicks of the 70's and 80's by the way) we are not only immediately given a taste of the genuine affection the film has for scary movies, but we also see the delicacy and intelligence of the filmmaking in the way it is explained to us that Norman sees dead people and that is just something everyone around him needs to live with. We see that it is something not completely accepted about Norman, but it is known and it defines his life in this moment. Here is where the well rounded, fully realized character comes into play as it is clear that Norman sees this as something he'd rather not be burdened with, but he also likes to be alone and this is a fine enough excuse to be that way. He doesn't really care to have friends in the casual sense of the word. He would rather just be left to his own devices without having to deal with the humiliation he finds around every corner at school. This gift he has for seeing the dead is naturally not a random coincidence though and as Norman and his ever persistent companion Neil (Tucker Albrizzi) find out there is much more to the history of their town then the school play they put every year likes to include.

Courtney (Anna Kendrick), Norman, Alvin
(Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Neil (Tucker Albrizzi) and
Mitch (Casey Affleck) are on a scary adventure.

While Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In, The Road) creates a sense of maturity in a young Norman while still instilling the unjaded, child like wonderment that belongs to someone his age we are also treated to several other performances that make this a cast of characters one you don't mind going on an adventure with. I especially enjoyed the bits of subtle humor that were injected throughout. They weren't your typical bits of animated humor either, but significant in the way that they came perfectly integrated into the DNA of who the characters are. The school bully is named Alvin and he gets one of the few recognizable voices here from McLovin himself Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Alvin is an idiot and finds it rewarding to hide his shortcomings by pointing out Norman's. Jeff Garlin and Leslie Mann provide a few great bits as the parents presiding over all of this while Anna Kendrick and Casey Affleck are the older siblings to Norman and Neil who somehow get roped into the thick of the plot. Even John Goodman shows up early on as one of Norman's uncles who seems to share a certain trait that he needs to pass on to our hero. In the end, it really does come down to how the film took the archetypes of this rather tired premise and breathes life into it through the course they take in executing it and how they populate the world and realize that vision altogether. The piece completely compliments itself in every aspect. I thoroughly enjoyed it, my only drawback being that it doesn't ever truly find a ground on which to stand. It is stuck somewhere between genres and demographics, but I've never been one to let the lines restrict the need to create what one really wants to see their final product become so props to directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell.

Norman and his gang come to realize that all is not what
it appears to be in their small town.

That being said, there was the distinct concern as I watched the film about who exactly this was aimed at or made for. My mind kept coming back to the film lovers who specifically found their interests satisfied in old school horror flicks. Given that is a small demographic to create a film for I had to think there was more to it than that.  There were plenty of children in the theater with their parents and while there was a good amount of laughter coming from each their was also that concerned laughter at some of the more subversive humor from the parents that weren't totally sure if they were appropriate in laughing at what their child just missed, or if other parents in the theater might judge them for it. It straddles the description of "family entertainment" pretty strongly as there were certainly a few scenes and images that conjured up real fear in the children sitting around us. There were also a few jokes and words that weren't exactly subtle to the children sitting next to me either. I can't say that I really worried about this dilemma after seeing the film, I was more surprised at how damn charming the film was. I wanted to see it again and recall the jokes and was also wishing i already had the blu-ray so I could watch the special features. It is that kind of movie, it wraps you up in itself and takes you on an adventurous, scary, and outright fun trip that you hate to see end and only hope you can catch up with those folks again sometime in the future whether it be at home or in a sequel. Paranorman may not be for everyone, but that is what makes it so appealing to those who it is intended for.

PARANORMAN Review

I am always hesitant when it comes to stop motion animation. No matter the intrigue that might come along with it, there is something about the style that makes me feel no matter how hard I try I won't be able to get past it. This was true earlier this year with Aardman's Pirates! Band of Misfits yet I still found myself enjoying that film to a much bigger degree than I ever expected. This might have eased the resilience that would have usually come along with a film like Paranorman. In fact, I was very much looking forward to this film as it seemed, in the very least, to be one of those hand crafted movies that would employ its technique to emphasize the creepy tone of its story. One of those films where I would regain the sense of something along the lines of Hocus Pocus or Monster House where it is a movie I can always pull out around Halloween every year and never be disappointed. Suffice to say Paranorman more than meets the expectations I was holding for it and honestly delivers one of the funniest and more entertaining experiences I've had at the movies in a while (and I just saw The Expendables 2 which was riotously funny). The film has a sense about it where you know the makers understood every aspect of what they were trying to accomplish. They know their characters better than anyone else so when those characters encounter such strange happenings such as what goes on in this small little town they know how they would react and how they would deal with it while always keeping the focus on our main protagonist. And while if you've read the synopsis you may think this all sounds very Sixth Sense-like trust me when I say it turns that little plot device into not just a gift but a curse that justifies its surprisingly touching storyline.