First Trailer for TED 2

As Seth MacFarlane's 2012 surprise hit, Ted, made more than $200 million domestically on a $50 million budget it is no surprise that we are getting a sequel to continue the adventures of the foul mouthed teddy bear and his best friend John Bennet (Mark Wahlberg). I'm always skeptical when people try to stretch out stories that were never intended to be more than a one off flick where good fun was had, but some times it works. Most times it doesn't. On a good note, I was a pretty big fan of the original Ted despite not being a huge MacFarlane fan in the first place (not because I didn't like his work, but because I was generally unfamiliar with it). It was one of two strong comedies in a year where the comedy really suffered and was overtaken by more dramedy-type material that was inherently more reliable as far as quality goes, but doesn't give off the care-free time at the movies that a flat-out, broad comedy can deliver and Ted was able to elicit those kinds of feelings. The bad spot is that MacFarlane followed that up with last years rather terrible A Million Ways to Die in the West which was a nice try, a good idea and a rather ballsy move considering the conceit and the lack of audience for the western genre, but it just wasn't funny and MacFarlane wasn't great as the lead. With him being back behind the scenes and behind the titular character while having the seasoned Wahlberg to boune off of though this first trailer for the unnecessary sequel at least promises more of the same and an interesting new premise for which comedy may spring forth. Ted 2 also stars Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Patrick Warburton, Morgan Freeman and opens on June 26th.

THE BOY NEXT DOOR Review

The Boy Next Door is ridiculous, outlandish and all-around pretty dumb. The good thing is, once we get to the third act of this ridiculousness we have a firm grip on whether or not the people behind the movie understand that as well. This is comforting on an intelligence level, but alarming in knowing this is what they'll make some serious profit off of. The Boy Next Door cost a minuscule $4 million to make and will easily recoup that with a ton of gravy on top in its first weekend because it is exactly the kind of movie its target audience wants to see on a cold January afternoon. Still, there is no way around the fact the movie is still pretty bad despite much of it seeming intentional and yet there is nothing from those first two acts to suggest its intentions. Instead, it initially seems director Rob Cohen and his cast were decidedly set on making a serious thriller. It is one of those films that should be a guilty pleasure, one that is fun to watch whenever you don't really feel like thinking, where you're envious of the world these people live in because it seems so picture perfect only to have it rocked by the drama and scandal you fed off of as a teenager. The Boy Next Door largely meets those qualifications, but isn't necessarily the one you would pick for the job when there are so many other, more competent satires of this type of film out there that will not only make you feel less stupid for wasting your time on them, but also have a little fun with their premise. It's almost as if Cohen tried not to have any fun or poke any jokes at the story for those first two acts before throwing his hands in the air and yelling, "to hell with it!" and putting all his eggs in the basket of his climax. By virtue of this being one of those movies we quickly label "so bad it's good" one feels inclined to forgive much of its shortcomings, but just because the finale inspires confidence that Cohen and his crew knew what we hoped they did all along doesn't make it a good movie. This is still a bad movie, one that almost doesn't feel fun enough to earn that aforementioned label, but it has its moments and I can't say I didn't laugh at all-because there is certainly some laughing to be had.