Paul Review

Paul

Directed by: Nick Frost, Simon Pegg
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Bateman.

Have you loved seeing Seth Rogen as your friendly neighborhood stoner? The actor who will not disappoint you when it comes to at least toking up once in every movie that stars him (besides Funny People, but lets be honest it was his first movie after dropping like 30 pounds). Well then meet Seth Rogen as a rude, foul mouthed alien who smokes a little bud in Paul. I personally love Seth Rogen’s movies, so I was going to see this eventually one way or another, but I decided to check it out on the big screen instead of Red Box.

The movie is about two nerds from the UK, who decided to take an American road trip to visit all the famous alien landing sites, but before that it was a quick stop to Comic Con. And that’s where our story begins. Along the way while driving to all their destinations, they come encounter with Paul (Seth Rogen) who is escaping from Area 51, when he finds out that he was going to be killed and used for stem cell research. After much reluctance and pant pissing, the two nerds played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) eventually agree to help out a desperate alien in need. Through this crazy ride, they meet Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Jason Bateman.

This movie is the perfect movie for nerds and geeks. Star Trek, Star Wars, ET, Men In Black, and just about any other sci-fi movie you can think of. However its hard to grip if you aren’t big into any of these movies, or can’t really grasp British humor. And for those people, Seth Rogen’s performance will carry you to the very end as he delivers that American comedic touch that keeps you familiar with the movie. By the way you have to love the Jesus Girl gone Dirty played by Kristen Wiig, and the want to be FBI agent performance by Bill Hader.

The movie was strong in many aspects, but lacked a strong story line. Also the comedy was strong but inconsistent at times, and lagged through parts of the movie. Comedy is never perfection, and this movie isn’t any different. But you will have a great time regardless! Paul is worth the money for the movie, and if not, definitely a Red Box rental.

6 out of 10

Limitless Review

Limitless

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro, and Abbie Cornish

Director: Neil Burger

Usually when you talk movies, you are talking performances, whether good or bad from an actor or actress. I have yet to see a movie where I am not talking about that exact thing, until now. That wasn’t to say that Bradley Cooper’s or Robert DeNiro’s performance wasn’t admirable, but the idea behind LIMITLESS was much more appealing. In a movie where Bradley Cooper was the main character, the concept was actually the leading role and it carried the movie to the very satisfying end.

Bradley Cooper is Eddie Morra, a stagnant writer who struggles to find a way out of rut that he’s got his life into. Until he meets his ex brother in law who opens his world to a drug that allows him to access 100% of his brainpower rather than just 20. Through many twists, and turns in the story as well as an excellent supporting performance from DeNiro as Carl Van Loon, Eddie Morra realizes that he can’t keep living until the next fix (SPOILER ALERT: Even getting so desperate that he drinks a dead man’s blood to get the drug into his system).

People could say that this movie aligns directly with drug addiction and they’d be right. But the visual effects make this one hit that you want to stay on again and again. I’m not promoting drugs, but I am promoting this visual ride that you won’t regret as we head into the summer movie line-ups. LIMITLESS is just that, a no holds bar on anything you thought about action, and intelligence. Plus who knew that Bradley Cooper could hold his own so well as a leading man.

6.5 out of 10

Rango Review

Rango

Starring: Johnny Deep, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, and Bill Nighy

Directed by: Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean)


Alright, so first off. Nickelodeon teams up with Paramount for a movie. Sounds like crap without even hesitating. Any Nickelodeon movies that were made in the past were usually straight to DVD or made for TV, because they didn’t have the caliper to survive box office numbers. Yet Rango is NOT at all what I was expecting. In fact in many ways the visual effects were even more effective than that of any Pixar movie (including names such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Wall-E).

Rango was visually stunning, down to the very last scale of a lizard. Throughout the movie, Rango constantly tested your eyes to make sure they were in fine tuning for the trees, to the textures of the characters’ faces, to the colors and the images in the sky. Rango takes advantage of every color in the palette to tell a story about a lonely lizard who struggles to find an identity after much time being spent by himself in an aquarium with a dead bug, a sexy doll with a missing head, and a windup goldfish. Rango is an actor of sorts, but once he’s force to live in civilization, he’s not sure what role he’s suppose to play.

The movie is strongly based around western movie clichés but with that, finds ways to parody them or cleverly alter what made them cliché to begin with. The dialogue in the film is very witty, and creative. Like a line that Rango (Johnny Depp) says, “I think your metaphor just ruptured by spleen”. At times the dialogue and themes even ride the line of Family movie and PG-13 down to very last chapter of this self-proclaimed hero’s tale. Themes of self meaning, and contemplation of life are sprinkled in right before the climax of the movie. We even see subtle hints at suicide that aren’t obvious enough for a young audience, but easy to pick up for an adult.

Regardless of its small bits of darkness, Rango is a fun and enjoyable ride through the mid-west. You may even need to put on your spurs, or in Rango’s case find a gun belt that fits. A great round of supporting voices such as: Isla Fisher (as Beans), Ned Beatty (Mayor), and Bill Nighy (Rattlesnake Jack) that help Johnny Depp carry along this beautiful tale about identity and belonging. And for those who are fans of the movie Unforgiven, then you’ll love the CGI cameo before the climax. Amazing! All in all this movie was something that anyone could enjoy, with slapstick humor and fantastic dialogue.

8 out of 10

Hall Pass Movie Review

Hall Pass

Directed by Bobby & Peter Farrelly (Something About Mary, Me Myself & Irene)


Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Cristina Applegate, Jenna Fischer

A dating movie, a singles movie. Almost anyone allowed to be admitted to it’s R content will enjoy it. This is probably one of the best comedies that I’ve seen since the Hangover. What movie am I talking about? Hall Pass. Hall Pass is about Rick and Fred, two married men who are granted a week free of marriage. During this week, their wives give them the opportunity to have an affair in the hopes of improving their marriage after the week’s over. By the end of the movie, it’s the wives who realize that this “hall pass” was actually for them and at the same time the husband’s realize just how good they had it all along. Even good enough for one of them to pass up a bare-chested Nicky Whelan (Scrubs, Halloween II) who speaks a sexy Australian accent.

For those who are tired of Owen Wilson’s quirky single man role, this could be considered his breakthrough as he plays Rick who is married to Maggie (Jenna Fischer). Owen Wilson plays the 30 suttin father of two, who struggles with reality of not being able to be another woman ever again. Of course he’s not as bad off as his buddy Fred (Jason Sudeikis) who is forced to publicly expose himself in the driver seat of car because his wife won’t have sex with him. One line in the movie summed it up best, “No one ever told me when I was a teenager that I’d still be jerking off even after marriage.” Hall Pass is effective not only because of Jason Sudeikis witty lines but because it’s supporting cast. Stephen Merchant (The Tooth Fairy), Larry Joe Campbell (Killers), and Richard Jenkins (Fun with Dick and Jane) who help make almost every moment laugh out loud. I don’t want to give away the meat of the movie but Hall Pass is a must see movie, and as cliché as the movie announcer guy makes it…this is certainly one of the best comedies of the year to date.

7 out of 10 stars