Community (2009-2015)

Genre: TV / Comedy
Starring: Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown 

Number of seasons: 6

 

A group of students at Greendale Community College, in Colorado, form a study group. In spite of their very different personalities and the fact that they often annoy each other, a tight friendship forms between them.

This show is heavy on meta-humor and pop culture references. While it has its moments, they are fewer and further apart as the show moves on. I toughed it out, but I was glad it was over. I think I simply was not the right (nerdy) public for it. Too many unfunny spoofs and them episodes that detracted from the actual story. A few moments made me laugh or smile, but most of it fell flat with me. Reading about the in-fighting involving Chevy Chase was more interesting than the actual show. It probably should have ended a couple seasons earlier, especially since a few cast members left the ship early.

 Rating: ««

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya 

Running Time: 181 minutes

 

Still reeling from the passing of his mentor Tony Stark, Peter Parker is hoping to set Spider-Man aside a bit and to enjoy a school trip to Europe, where he plans to share his feelings with MJ. Unfortunately for him, he gets aggressively recruited by Nick Fury and Mysterio for another very important mission.

I largely prefer these Marvel movies that focus on one superhero to those ensemble deals, where there are too many characters. This installment in the Spider-Man franchise is well-done, visually speaking, with good acting from an ensemble cast and a compelling storyline. It is fun and action-packed, and it leaves you wanting more. And, it contains a bit of Marisa Tomei, which, in my book, is always a great bonus. Overall, a good mix of action with a touch of romance.

Rating: ««««

Bad Lieutenant (1992)

Genre: Thriller / Film Noir
Directed by: Abel Ferrara
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, Zoe Lund
Running Time: 96 minutes

 

An unnamed NYPD lieutenant is sinking deeper and deeper in a life of drug abuse, sex and gambling, putting himself and his family at risk.

While not a flawless film, Bad Lieutenant is provocative Neo-Noir character study. The film greatly benefits from Harvey Keitel’s performance. The actor fully immerses himself in that role, giving it his all, in more than one way. Some of the images can be hard to take, but this down and dirty movie is well worth watching, if you can stomach it.

Rating: ««««

 

Road Trip (2000)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Cast: Tom Green, Breckin Meyer, Seann William Scott 

Running Time: 94 minutes

 

Josh Parker is college student that goes on a road trip from the New York area to Austin, Texas, with three of his friends, to retrieve a package that was mistakenly sent to his long-distance girlfriend Tiffany before she opens it and finds out he had an affair.

This is a teen sex comedy containing a good deal of humor and cheap pointless nudity. Fortunately, many of the jokes are actually funny and the acting is mostly decent, except maybe for Tom Green, who is on just one silly note. This is entertaining, albeit quite silly.

Rating: «««

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans
Running Time: 181 minutes

 

The surviving members of The Avengers reunite and find a way to go back in time to attempt to retrieve the Stones and reverse the destrution done by Thanos in Infinity War.

Visually speaking, this is great work of art. The story is also a little more focused than in the previous Avengers movies. I love the use of music, which is usually solid in Marvel films. There is a lot of good action and character development.

While superhero movies are not my cup of tea, I can give this one props. A lot of things were thrown at the wall here. Fortunately, a good portion stuck. But, the story dragged at times, with it lasting all of three hours.

Rating: «««

Compliance (2012)

 Genre: Thriller
Directed by: Craig Zobel
Cast: Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy 

Running Time: 90 minutes

 

Inspired by an actual strip search phone call scam, Compliance tells the story of Sandra Frum, a fast food restaurant manager, who is convinced, over the phone, by a stranger impersonating a police officer, to perform a strip search, along with other sordid acts, on one of her employees, who is said to be suspected of theft and other crimes.

This is one weird film. What feels even more insane is that it is based on something that happened for real. There are some really sick people out there. As for the movie itself, it is well done. The acting is good, and the film is made as to make you feel the tension all the way through. A few little details threw me a little off, but, overall, a well done thriller.

Rating: ««««

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: John Hughes
Cast: Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins 

Running Time: 92 minutes

 

Neal Page is an uptight man working as a marketing executive. As he is trying to make his way back home to Chicago for Thanksgiving, from a business trip in New York, weather conditions are getting in his way. He finds a new traveling partner in Del Griffith, a nice but overbearing shower curtain ring salesmen. With the clumsiness of an elephant in a china shop, Del tries to help Neal, by any means necessary, find his way back home.

The on-screen chemistry between Steve Martin and John Candy was amazing. They carried that story on their shoulders, masterfully directed by Hughes. This movie is laugh-out-loud funny and also sweet at times. I loved it.

Rating: «««««

Milk (2008)

 Genre: Biographical
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin 

Running Time: 128 minutes

 

This film tells the story of gay rights activist and first openly gay man elected to public office in California, Harvey Milk, from his failed attempts to get elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, to his successful election and to his assassination.

Sean Penn carried this film with such an amazing acting job in the lead role. He was so awesome that he made you forget the actor at work. He brought Milk back to life. The supporting cast was also good, and so was the directing work done by Van Sant. Overall, a great film.

Rating: «««««

EuroTrip (2004)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Jeff Schaffer
Cast: Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg 

Running Time: 92 minutes

 

After getting dumped by his unfaithful girlfriend following high school graduation, Scott Thomas travels across Europe with three of his friends hoping to reach his pen pal from Berlin after realizing she was a beautiful woman, and not a guy as he originally thought.

This is your typical sex comedy that became a trend at one time. Lots of pointless nudity and crude humor. This movie is a little better than most of its kind, though, thanks to decent acting and some good jokes. Fun and entertaining, albeit very stupid.

Rating: «««

Batman Begins (2005)

Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman 

Running Time: 140 minutes

 

After finding his calling as the dark knight, Batman must spring into action to stop Ra’s al Ghul and Scarecrow from punishing Gotham City by plunging it into chaos by spreading a gas over the city.

This film puts a lot of effort into telling the origin story of Bruce Wayne/Batman, from the killing of his parents to him becoming the masked superhero. As such, it takes a while before it gets into gear. Though that part feels a little long, it is indeed well done.

Christian Bale was a great choice to play Batman. He fits well with the contemporary darkness of this reboot. In this first episode of the reboot, Bale is supported with a loaded cast, with such names as Michael Caine, Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman. Not sure about the choice of Katie Holmes, but that would be fixed later in the franchise.

This movie marks a nice change in the Batman franchise, with a move from the cartoonish stylings of Tim Burton to a darker and more realistic approach. Kudos to Christopher Nolan and co. for that.

Rating: ««««

 

Psycho (1960)

Genre: Thriller / Horror
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Janet Leigh
Running Time: 109 minutes

 

Marion Crane is an on-the-run real estate secretary who stole some money from her boss and then left town to go join a married man with whom she is having an affair. Because of the heavy rain, she stops for the night at the Bates Motel, where the proprietor, Norman Bates, ends up killing her and disposing of the body. Marion’s sister, the man with whom Marion was having a tryst and a private detective go on the hunt to find her.

This is classic Alfred Hitchcock film. It was clearly made on a low budget, but it is so well done, nonetheless. Hitchcock was great at creating an atmosphere, and the actors and actresses he chose for the roles were really good too. I love these old movies, especially when, like this one, they are ahead of their time.

Rating: «««««

P!nk: All I Know So Far (2021)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Michael Gracey
Cast: P!nk, Carey Hart, Willow Sage Hart 

Running Time: 99 minutes

 

This documentary follows singer P!nk behind-the-scenes as she travels around Europe for a leg of her 2019 Beautiful Trauma world tour. We get a privileged look at how, on a daily basis, she balances her musical career and her family life with her husband Carey Hart and her two young children.

This is a very interesting documentary. P!nk is clearly a hard worker, and this film shows just how much energy she puts into keeping things going. It was a lot of fun to watch, and it was also cool to see some of her performances. I always liked P!nk.

Rating: ««««

 

Iris (2001)

Genre: Biographical / Drama
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Cast: Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Bonneville 

Running Time: 90 minutes

 

This biographical film covers the life of novelist Iris Murdoch and her relationship with husband John Bailey. The movie goes back and forth between the time when Iris Murdoch was up-and-coming and her relationship with Bailey was starting and that period later in life when she battled Alzheimer’s Disease.

This was a brilliant film. It touched me deeply. The story of a strong mind being overtaken in later life by such an awful disease is quite sad. The going back and forth in time was seamless. They found the right actors to play the young and old Murdoch and Bailey. Solid performances all around. The movie itself felt a little short and condensed, but, overall, it is a great work of art.

Rating: ««««

Jimmy Carr: The Best of Ultimate Gold Greatest Hits (2019)

 Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Brian Klein
Cast: Jimmy Carr 

Running Time: 58 minutes

 

Jimmy Carr’s humor is not for the faints of heart or the sensitive souls. No topic whatsoever is off limits. The only thing stopping Carr from being among my absolute favorite comics is that, in his shows, there usually is not much structure. It is hard to describe exactly what he talked about, as it is just a free-floating barrage of jokes on an array of controversial topics. It is the case here again with this TV special. That being said, I still enjoy it. It is a great way, for me anyways, to release some stress by laughing at a bunch of “inappropriate jokes” about sensitive issues. Loads of fun for a twisted guy such as myself.

Rating: ««««

Breaking News in Yuba County (2021)

 Genre: Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Tate Taylor
Cast: Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Awkwafina
Running Time: 96 minutes

 

Sue Buttons is a Kentucky woman going through a boring life with nobody paying any attention to her wants and needs, not even her husband Karl. She catches her husband having an affair with another woman, but he dies from a heart attack right after the act. So she buries the body and stages his disappearance, hoping to finally get some attention for herself.

Reading the premise, I expected a fun comedy. What I got was a silly little flick with not much laughter to offer. There were a few moments, but they were few and far between. The script did not offer much, and the acting was uninspired.

Rating: ««

Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Debra Winger 

Running Time: 114 minutes

 

Kym Buchman gets a temporary release from drug rehab to attend her sister Rachel’s funeral. From the moment she arrives, tension starts to build from a long and complicated family history, casting quite the shadow over the proceedings.

This is a compelling story delivered on screen by a good director and a solid team of actors. The characters are multi-layered and complicated, so the talented cast has a lot to sink their teeth in too. At times, it dwells a bit in the melodramatic, but such can be family life sometimes I guess. All things considered, this is a very good film.

Rating: ««««

Batman & Robin (1997)

Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Cast: George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman
Running Time: 125 minutes

 

Batman, Robin and Batgirl team up together to attempt to foil the evil plans of Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy.

Honestly, I do not expect to spend much time reviewing this one. It is so bad, it is hard to believe it came out. The story is stupid, the acting is uninspired and the attempts at humor are lame. Honestly, I watched it again for posterity to add it on here, but, unless you are starved for punishment, avoid it.

Rating: «

Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)

 Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Bo Burnham
Cast: Bo Burnham 

Running Time: 87 minutes

 

This is a special comedian Bo Burnham filmed from inside his home during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also wrote, directed and edited this film. In what I will loosely call a comedy special, Burnham looks at society, at the state of his own mental health and at the woke movement, amongst other things.

There is a great deal of humor in the songs and sketches of this special. There is also a lot of  serious talk. There are so many levels that it is probably a good idea to watch it more than once to grasp it all. It is a little too much to take in one serving. Nonetheless, I was entertained, I was touched. This was greatly inspiring in my own quest for expression through creativity.

Rating: ««««

Heat (1995)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Michael Mann
Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer

Running Time: 170 minutes

 

LAPD detective, Lieutenant Vincent Hanna, is on another case. He knows the man he is looking for is career criminal Neil McCauley. He just has to catch him in the act. This cat-and-mouse game between the two is taking its toll on each man’s private life.

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are two of my favorites. As such, I truly love this film. It is funny to think that both lead actors have but just a few scenes together in this movie. But, such scenes. Two brilliant actors at work. The supporting cast is also solid here, and Michael Mann did an awesome job bringing this story to life on screen.

Over almost 3 hours, there were times where the story dragged on a tad bit, but, overall, this is a movie well worth seeing more than once.

Rating: ««««

 

The Lucky One (2012)

 Genre: Romance / Drama
Directed by: Scott Hicks
Cast: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Jay R. Ferguson
Running Time: 100 minutes

 Logan Thibault is a US marine fighting over in Iraq. As he stops to pick up the picture of a young woman off the ground, a sneak attack kills many soldiers, but barely misses him. Unable to find out who is on that picture he keeps it with him. Upon his return to the States, he sets out on a mission to find and thank that woman that inadvertently saved his life.

This film is based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name. As such, it is overly emotional, sappy and predictable. But, thanks to some decent acting and a compelling storyline, this movie remains entertaining, in spite of the evident flaws.

Rating: «««

Batman Forever (1995)

Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Cast: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman
Running Time: 120 minutes

 

Batman must now protect Gotham City from two new evil masterminds, The Riddler and Two-Face, who have a devious plan to capture precious information from the minds of its people. In the process, the Dark Knight will gain another ally in Robin.

This installment in the Batman have different feel than the previous two, with Joel Schumacher assuming the director’s job and Val Kilmer taking over the lead role from Michael Keaton. Both did a fine job. While this is not a grand film by any means, Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey brought a lot of energy to the mix, in spite of the animosity of the former towards the latter. This is a fun film, with lots of action. It is overloaded and a little silly at times, but it is entertaining.

Rating: «««