Friends With Kids (2012)

Two best friends (Adam Scott and Jennifer Westfeldt) decide to have a child together while keeping their relationship platonic, so they can avoid the toll kids can take on romantic relationships.

Friends with Kids is a romantic dramady that mixes the two elements well enough to overcome some of its ordinaries developments that come with the territory of the films genre. It can be a fun, sometimes jumpy film that could wind up being a minor hit if marketed and released in the correct spot.

The film begins with two characters, Jason and Julie, hanging out with their two other couple friends that quickly flashes forward to the two couples having kids. The things Jason and Julie see the kids bring to their friends make them want to have kids themselves, but they don’t want to have to fall in love in order to have one because it would be a nuisance to them. Lo and behold one drunken night, they whip up a plan to have a baby together without actually being together. It doesn’t wind up being as stupid as it sounds. The two sides are portrayed equally throughout the pregnancy and the child’s life without ever showing of the characters in a bad manner. For a while it looks like this could work. It allows the film to have fun with the consequences this has on their friends who both take it very differently, and creates both harsh and warm tones on the subject of marriage. It’s one of the few romantic movies that just shove cliché messages in your face. When the film steps away from the light-hearted moments and in truths, it feels raw, brutal, and real. The idea they came up with doesn’t seem so perfect anymore and things get into the way. Its cliché and predictable, but never manages to lose your attention.

Adam Scott as the lead Jason is a complete dick at times, sentimental at others, and it speaks volumes to his charm that you still manages to love his character the whole time through. His baby-mama/best friend is the one you need to worry about. She doesn’t do much wrong, but she has such an unlikeable aroma around her and takes away screen time from the awesome Adam Scott, you might resent her enough to hate half the movie. Their friends are made up of loveable faces from the small screen variety. Kristen Wigg and Jon Hamm provide a couple far apart from their Bridesmaids time, which is either a good or bad thing for you while the other couple is made up of Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd, who are the ones that gives you hope that marriage can work out for the best. The two couples are mirror opposites of each other and do a good job keeping the film moving along.

Friends with Kids is nothing spectacular, but it’s a very solid, very nice film that you’ll just love if you fall into the Adam Scott fanboy variety.  It’s just always nice to see him get an opportunity to be the leading man for once because he is such an awesome guy. Apart from him though it does provide more than a few laughs, and even more awkward moments (not in a bad way) that feel a bit of place in this weird zany film. I don’t know exactly when this drops in 2012 but I know it will fall sometime, most likely around March or April, be sure to give it a shot.

Overall Score: 7/10

The Devil Inside (2012)

In 1989, emergency responders received a 9-1-1 call from Maria Rossi (Suzan Crowley) confessing that she had brutally killed three people. 20 years later, her daughter Isabella (Fernanda Andrade) seeks to understand the truth about what happened that night. She travels to the Centrino Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Italy where her mother has been locked away to determine if her mother is mentally ill or demonically possessed. When she recruits two young exorcists (Simon Quarterman and Evan Helmuth) to cure her mom using unconventional methods combining both science and religion, they come face-to-face with pure evil in the form of four powerful demons possessing Maria. Many have been possessed by one; only one has been possessed by many.

This found footage appeal has officially overstayed its welcome; specifically in the horror genre. It has reached a point to where the entire plot and character paths can be mapped out and predicted almost to a tee in where and how the film will come to a conclusion. As a matter of fact, every one of these films don’t even give you a conclusion; they just abruptly end the film in a lazy attempt to maintain its “real” events bullshit. That’s a giant copout that only really benefits the studio behind the film, where they can just say the answers will come in the inevitable sequel that goes more into the background of the “demonic” possession. The Devil Inside does all of that, providing the spitting image of how repetitive found footage films have become.

If you’ve seen the films trailer, then you’ll have seen just about any amounts of terror the film has to show. Clocking in at just 87 minutes, the film wastes way too much time explaining information to you about the characters motives and thoughts. I’d say it takes them almost 45 minutes to even show the possessed mother, Maria Rossi. That’s the other aspect where the film cheated the audience. In the trailer, the mother is the focus; she gets the most screen time, is given the best moments, and appears to be the star, but she seems to barely be in the film.  Nothing is shown what might’ve caused her to become possessed, what happened to her during her hospital stay, and what became of her. The film pulled a complete bait and switch. If the goal was to bore the shit out of you then mission accomplished.

One would think with the overwhelming negative reviews that this could wind up putting a dent in the stoppage of these films, but they came too late. Every stupid schmuck decided to go check it out that opening Friday and it will probably be one of the most profitable films based off just this one weekend where it made 34x its budget. With its success, the genre will surely be back stronger than before with even more copycats, but hopefully the audience learns to not be so foolish. This is the exact type of film that should have come and gone without a spec of interest. It is already a candidate for one of the worst films of 2012 and it’s the only release so far. That’s not the type of year I expect 2012 to be, but what can you honestly expect from a January release, where only generally terrible films come out.

Overall Score: 2/10

Shame (2011)

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's insular life spirals out of control.

Shame tells the tragic story of a man so blocked off the world around him; he cannot feel the satisfaction of anything. His emotions are locked inside and the key has all but been lost. The only real moments he has a sense of feeling is when he climaxes during sexual intercourse.  Thus he is the absolute definition of a sex addict. It controls everything about his life. He cannot go minutes without an intrusive thought or actions. He has allowed the addiction to overtake him. It’s somewhat pathetic, but this kind of downward spiral without an end is sight is highly entertaining. It’s when his sister unexpectedly crashes onto his doorsteps that the film begins to show just how isolated Brandon truly is. The paths he takes and the choices he makes just to get that one fix is portrayed no different than when a junkie is craving for a fix of drugs. His world is spiraling out of control and when his sister needs his help, he is absolutely puzzled. How can he help somebody else when he can’t even help himself? It’s a question he struggles with; goes back and forth with, but ultimately has to answer. It’s a raw film with lots of questions and very little answers, but one that will leave you looking with fascination.

With no doubt in my head, Michael Fassbender gives the performance of the year. It’s hard to remember a time when I truly hated this actor, but with the year he had, he completely won me over to the point where I will see anything he acts in. His performance here is raw; it has no flashes, no camera tweaks, and no beautiful portrayals of his character. It’s just simply him walking around the streets of New York City wondering what the hell is wrong with him. The agony of it all is on full display during his sexual encounters, and his carefully chosen words to his sister should leave you feeling the same way I did. It’s the best performances you’ll encounter in a movie this year. As for his sister, Carrey Mulligan displays something you’ve never seen form her before. She degrades herself down to portray a weak, vulnerable, dirty, lost soul that is drowning. It’s as raw as Fassbenders performance, but she is allowed the much more juicer scenes. It’s pretty clear she is one of the most interesting young actors today that isn’t afraid to do anything as long as she likes what she sees in the script. The two seemed all to perfectly cast and help create Shame into one of the best movies on 2011.

Shame received the horrifying NC-17 Rating that should have all but killed its chances of awards or the general public of seeing it, but thankfully Fox Searchlight boldly picked it up and distributed it uncut for all to see. It’s a powerful film about addiction in a form that we’ve never seen before. It’s a film that the general public won’t applaud, but the real movie fans will fall in love with. Do not the let opportunity to see this get past your grasp, you will regret it.  

Overall Score: 10/10

We Bought A Zoo (2011)

This holiday season, acclaimed filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) directs an amazing and true story about a single dad who decides his family needs a fresh start, so he and his two children move to the most unlikely of places: a zoo. With the help of an eclectic staff, and with many misadventures along the way, the family works to return the dilapidated zoo to its former wonder and glory.

There are two types of Cameron Crowes films. One that is pure gold like Almost Famous and one that is like Elizabethtown, aka pure shit. We Bought A Zoo has the look, feel, and dialogue of an Elizabethtown, but by the end of the film I didn’t really care about the bad things because the good things were so cute and charming that they created the illusion that I was watching the Almost Famous Cameron Crowe. It’s not a film I would ever put near the top of my list, but it is one I think I will continue to revisit every few months to put myself in a good mood. We Bought A Zoo is nothing ground breaking, but I can’t help but fall in love with it.

The story doesn’t matter all that much. There is a lot of oversentimental life lessons stuffed in here such as the moving on, letting go, and remembering the past to allow yourself to have a future. Sure, they do manage to sneak in some very good scenes that tug at your emotions but for the most part, that story isn’t what you’re focused on. What you do care about is this zoo they are building and how it brings the people involved together as a family. It isn’t done in a different way than you’d think, but the characters are portrayed in such a likeable manner, you can’t help but root for them to succeed. It’s not all depressing though; the Zoo is a beautiful sight to see. The animals and the world around them come to life and Crowe captures them in a way that makes them shine, as if they are angels. It is one of the more remarkable things the film managed to do.  

Matt Damon is the man. He can literally do it all. One movie he is a badass action star fighting to find his identity, another minute he’s a fat dimwitted funnyman taking down a company from the inside out. Here, he plays a father struggling to cope and take responsibility after the death of his wife. His journey to “start over” as he loves calling it in the film, is extremely solid; he is even capable of making you shed a tear for him. He creates such a great “everyday” character, you recognize this guy from the world around you. As for some of the other characters, Scarlet Johansson is so sexed down; you’d have a hard time realizing it was her at moments in the film. It makes you miss the pre-Hollywood days of her movie career. She’s a bit generic here, but that’s not her fault; more the choice of dialogue they gave her. Matt Damons two children are where the film hits and misses. The daughter Rosie adds a lot to the cuteness factor, but his son plays such a clichéd depressing character, you become a bit frustrated with him. He makes up for it in some scenes, but that probably comes from the unexpected reveals that come about throughout the story.  Its not the all-world ensemble cast, but We Bought A Zoo works because they are so damn likeable.

Even despite its cheesy, clichéd, and overly depressing tones, We Bought A Zoo is awesome. It’s the exact definition of a family friendly drama where children will enjoy for the actual Zoo, but adults can enjoy the other messages the film manages to spew out.  Don’t allow yourself to be scared off by the mixed reviews because there’s a great chance you’ll love it as I did. It was my favorite Christmas viewing yet.

Overall Score: 7/10

New Year's Eve (2011)

New Year's Eve celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, in the intertwining stories told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.

New Year’s Eve is everything that is wrong with Hollywood. It takes six or so different plot points going and has them all magically intertwine and decide that is enough. They half-ass the stories, don’t even attempt to create characters and just film whatever they feel like filming. It’s lazy, pathetic, and worst of all trendy; I don’t think there is a more perfect example of how stupid human beings can be when you see films like He’s Just Not That Into You or Valentines Day pulling in big bucks. But it’s the start of a new year and thankfully the crowds were smart enough to even avoid this pile of trash that they tried to pass off as a film.

I won’t even get into the dozen of short stories they managed to throw together because they are all either terrible or are good enough not to be called awful. What I do want to mention is just how stupid this film to managed to be. First you have Hilary Swank playing a female, she’s clearly meant to be a male so don’t try and force her gender on us. Secondly, you have Sarah Jessica Parker not playing a horse; big mistake. Thirdly, you have an absurd storyline of a woman trying to complete a list of resolutions for the New Year and she just so happens to find the right guy to accomplish them all. What’s worse is it’s not even in the top 5 clichéd moments of the film. The absolute worst part of the film is when everything is going wrong and the ball is stuck in limbo, Swank’s character gives a speech and every single person in Time Square is standing still in silence as if they are grasping each word she spews out of her mouth, all the while wearing some product placed Nivea hats. There is just no way everyone would respond that way in that situation. Its so god damn annoying and in a film full of clichés, it’s the one that stands out to me the most because it’s the farthest away from reality.

The best part of this film has got to be its big name cast that includes Zac Efron, Halle Berry, Robert DeNiro, Seth Meyers, Jessica Biel, Abigal Breslin, that kid from the Disney channel, Michelle Pfeiffer, Aston Kutcher, Cary Elwes, Common, Katherine Heigl, Bon Jovi, Josh Duhamel, Ludacris, and Lea Michele. They somehow managed to not snag a single good working actor and instead settled with the names above. Real great job Gary Marshall; you managed to accomplish the great casting feat of paying dozens of people money to do absolteuly nothing.

If you’re a fan of Zac Efron, then A.) what’s wrong with you and B.) he gets the most and best screen time of the cast, so you should find it somewhat watchable. Otherwise turn and never look back on this trash.

Overall Score: 2/10

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) has always been the smartest man in the room...until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large-Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)-and not only is he Holmes' intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder-a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction-all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history

In 2009, Guy Ritchie’s interpretation of the character Sherlock Holmes hit the big screen and it was something we have seen a lot before in other films but was a breath of fresh air within the title characters universe that we accepted it as new. It definitely wasn’t but it helped the film appeal to a much larger audience then was to be expected from a Holmes film. It was successful enough to warrant a sequel that at times topped the quality of original, but seemed much too bloated for its own good to keep it from surpassing the first one as a whole.   

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are faced with their most threatening villain yet in the great Professor Moriarty. His motives are bland and generic, but the interactions between him and his foes give off a menacing appeal that helps make the character the ultimate enemy for Holmes. This chess battle that they literally metaphor is thrown into your face way too much, treating the audience as if they are stupid by saying what they’re doing rather than just doing it. It got as repetitive as the constant decision to use slow motion. They movie had quite a bit of good action pieces, but when they take ten minutes to finish, even action junkies begin to stop drooling. Guy Ritchie obviously didn’t get the memo about Sucker Punch. The biggest disappointment of the film was its inability to restrain its blockbuster side of things. Throughout the entire film, the characters laugh, rack jokes, act so heroic that you never feel anybody is in any danger. What’s worse is that placed directly in the middle of the film is a scene that oozes the films full potential; you’re disappointed by everything that comes after. For a few minutes Sherlock Holmes was vulnerable, he was breakable, and best of all he was fearful of something. If you adapted a film around just that one scene it could have been fantastic, but instead all you get is commotion on screen.

With Robert Downey Jr, you don’t exactly get a wide range of characters, you simply get one; a cocky, egotistical dick that you can’t help but like. He’s more of the same here, but the layer of recoating doesn’t feel as entertaining as before since you’ve seen it so many times already. Jude Law gets a little more into the action this time and his chemistry between him and Downey are front and center. It’s the films biggest strength and even is better than before. It’s too bad that the rest of the film wasn’t. The villain is Professor Moriarty played greatly by Jared Harris, a recognizable by not famous face. He is the exact opposite of the first films villain. Where’s Mark Strong was a weak, scared little phony, Moriarty is a menacing character that when given the chance to unleash his menacing side is quite good.  The problem lies with the tone of the film. He felt a little out of place in a film that seems content with pleasing the families rather than the adults in the crowd. Did I mention Noomi Rapace was in the film? O I didn’t; its probably because she is such a wasted character that she was completely forgettable. What a wasted casting.

If the first Sherlock Holmes pleased you, than you should be satisfied enough by this disappointing sequel. It feels like much more of the same but with a better viallain and a weaker everything else. If the first one turned you off, I really don’t think there’s a batshit in hell that this would change your mind on the franchise. All I will remember from this film is the missed opportunity to turn it into something great.

Overall Score: 6/10