Religulous

Starring: Bill Maher, Larry Charles, and Religious people
Written By: Bill Maher
Directed By: Larry Charles
If George Carlin wasnt going to make a documentary about ridiculous religions, I knew Bill Maher would. Religulous is a hilarious, informative and very interesting documentary that will make agnostics & atheists laugh their heads off. This movie will either piss you off or it will make religious people question their beliefs. I thought this movie was great and I hope Bill Maher and Larry Charles make a sequel!

Religulous is a documentary comedy that stars political comedian Bill Maher as he goes on a journey to ask questions about various religions. He travels to Jerusalem, The Vatican, Salt Lake City, down South in the USA and other religious areas and places. At those places, he interviews religious believers and gets their take on what they believe. His goal isnt to totally debunk other peoples beliefs, but to see if people can factually back them up. He tries to hear their side of things, even though he questions everything they bring up. The main groups that Bill targets is: Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Mormons, Scientologists, Jews for Jesus, and Hasidic Jews. Obviously Bill Maher is agnostic and doesnt know what to believe, and that shows in the film. Anyone whos seen his TV shows or his standup should know that. So when Maher shows up to interview people, you can see it in their faces that they felt tricked. Besides interviewing religious people, Bill also talks about his upbringing and why he feels the way he does about religion.

Bill Maher and George Carlins views on religion pretty much sums up my thinking as well. Personally, I never went to church and I thank my parents for that. The only times I have stepped in a church were for Christenings or weddings/funerals (and most of the time I escaped to the parking lot). My parents wanted me to discover my beliefs on my own and I did. I dont like/believe in organized religion and dont believe in any of that. I can see why people believe in something and why religion exists, its just not for me.

With that out of the way, I thought Religulous was a great take on religion and it made me laugh out loud in the theater a whole lot. The way that Maher & Charles present religion makes it quite silly and makes the people that believe in it very gullible. The cut-away footage of religious programming and films was gut busting hilarious. Seeing preachers talk in tongues/gibberish was great and Im scratching my head as to why people would actually believe anything that comes out those morons mouths. I thought Bill Maher was surprisingly laid back to his usual self and let others present their case. Im sure other people dont agree with me on that statement. Of course there were times when Maher said something mean or offensive. For the most part, he let the people make themselves look foolish.

I can see why Maher mainly focused on Christianity and Catholicism, since thats what he knows the most about. But it would have been nice for him to go into Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Rastafarianism, and other religions. I thought he might go into Judaism, Islam or Scientology more but he only just touched upon the surface. Can we say sequel? He talked about those religions and interviewed believers in those religions but it seemed like there wasnt enough focus on them. Maher dresses up like a looney in Hyde Park in London and spouts off stuff from Scientology. It was funny to see that no one recognized Maher, and theyre probably use to the crazies that go to the Speakers Corner every Sunday to spout off their nonsense. Bill Maher walks out of an interview with an Hasidic Jew, which takes place in Monsey, NY (I played in an ice hockey league there). Some of the other highlights for me were seeing Maher attend the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, the trucker stop chapel, ex-homosexual interview, and hearing from people that work at the Vatican. If youre offended by Maher attacking your religion, without a doubt youll be laughing with him as he attacks another.

For me, Religulous is successful in that its a thought-provoking documentary and really funny at the same time. Its hard to mix the two but Bill Maher and Larry Charles succeed. Some people might not even want to see this but if you ever second-guessed your beliefs, you might want to check this out. But if youre also looking to find an outrageous comedy to see, Religulous might be that movie.

RATING & SUMMARY:

Bottom Line: Religulous is an excellent documentary that makes you think and laugh at the same time
Favorite Scenes:
Rating: R
Running Time: 101 minutes
Overall Rating:

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Starring: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Alexis Dziena, Aaron Yoo, Rafi Gavron, Ari Graynor, Jay Baruchel
Written By: Lorene Scafaria
Directed By: Peter Sollett
You’ve seen the endless trailers and commercials for this movie. Now Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist finally hits theaters and thank god for that. I don’t have to see the commercials for it anymore! I was dragged along to see this movie by my girlfriend, but it was either this or that stupid chihuahua movie. I chose this.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is about two people coming together for the love of one band. Nick (Michael Cera) broke up with his girlfriend Tris (Alexis Dziena) a few weeks ago, and his gay buddies decide to get him out of the house to play a show. They are in a queer band together called the Jerk Offs. They are in a band together and while he’s playing; Nick notices Tris at the show with another guy. Norah (Kat Dennings), who knows Tris from school and not really friends with her, decides to get back at her and pretends Nick is her new boyfriend. Soon after that, the duo continue to hang out and travel over New York City together. Their main goal of the night is to see their favorite band play a secret show, but they don’t know where the show is. While this is all going on, they have to deal with their ex’s, trying to locate Norah’s drunken friend who went missing, and other crazy mishaps.

I went into this movie with an open mind, and in the end; I just think this is for hipsters. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist tried REALLY HARD to be cool. They end up going to Brooklyn, which is like the Hipster capital of the world. They talk about the latest Indie bands, random music references like straight edge(for someone who’s SxE, this made me cringe), go to a secret show, it just screams trendy hipsters to me. A lot of the scenes felt forced to me, especially the ones involving Nick’s gay buddies. Maybe they were just bad actors, but something just tells me they threw in a bunch of gay guys just to fit with the times or something? Who knows. Plus I hated that they were trying to find this secret show the whole night, and by the time the band went on, it would have been at like 5am? Who the hell would have a show that late! I just thought it felt unrealistic. If there is a positive about this movie, it showcases New York City in a nice light because it shows you can do lots during the middle of the night. The film wasn’t all bad, and I enjoyed some of it; I just think everyone involved was trying too damn hard to be cool or hip. The movie seriously felt like a bunch of hipster college students wrote this movie.

Nick and Norah actually feels like a movie I wrote back in college for a class. The plot was about a group of buddies getting to a concert, and all this crap happens to them as they try to get to the show. It was a secret Metallica concert at a small club. Hey, I would have made it a punk show but the other people in my group wanted Metallica. The people finally get to the venue but there’s a sign saying the show was canceled. So you can imagine how typical Nick and Norah felt for me since I wrote something similar! As you can tell by most of my reviews, I’m no writer either.

Michael Cera and Kat Dennings pretty much act the same. Both are awkward with their delivery and make the audience cringe. A lot of the movie felt cringy and awkward, but those are the kinds of roles Cera is drawn too. He wasn’t as awkward in this movie as I thought he would, like he was in his past roles (Superbad, Arrested Development). I just hope he tries something new next time and doesn’t get pigeon-holed. Kat Dennings was okay and felt realistic to me, but she reminds me of the way that Cera acts. Alexis Dziena can play annoying snobs (ie. Fool’s Gold) really well but she reminds me of a 8 year old dressed up in lots of makeup at a beauty pageant. There were some interesting cameos by Seth Myers, Andy Samberg, John Cho, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Kevin Corrigan and Devendra Banhart. Seth Myers’ cameo was probably the funniest and the best scene in the movie I think.

Besides that cameo, this movie isn’t really THAT funny. There were some typical drunk girl scenes that made me laugh, and some random scenes with Michael Cera and others. Other than that, this movie felt more like a hipster teen drama than anything. The movie screams Look at me! Look at me! We’re cool, we can discuss obscure music and check out my hip clothes! But with all that said, at least the movie doesn’t take place at some lame prom, and in the suburbs like every other teen movie. But I still suggest waiting for video for this one because it’s not worth seeing in the theaters.

RATING & SUMMARY:

Bottom Line: Hipster movie
Favorite Scenes: Seth Meyer’s cameo, the drunk girl moments
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 90 minutes
Overall Rating:

Mirrors

Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Amy Smart
Written By: Alexandre Aja, Grgory Levasseur
Directed By: Alexandre Aja
I didn’t hear about this movie until about two weeks before it came out, but once I did, I couldn’t be more excited to see it. Kiefer Sutherland…in a horror movie?! This sounds amazing! The Red Band trailer was amazingly gory and the story was finally something that was a little different.

From director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes remake, High Tention), Mirrors is a remake of a Korean horror flick called Into the Mirror (which I haven’t seen…yet). It’s finally a remake that isn’t at all cheesy or just plain awful. So I was pleasantly surprised. Then again, Aja did an amazing job on The Hills Have Eyes, so it’s not too surprising.

Former NYPD detective Ben Carson (Sutherland) gets a job working as a security guard at a burned down, once prestigious department store that’s in the works of being remodeled. After his first night of working, he soon discovers that this place isn’t what he expected. Mysterious hand prints on mirrors that he can’t seem to clean off, voices, and visions in the mirrors that aren’t there in reality.

Soon enough, the horror with the mirrors starts affecting his family. Starting with an extremely disturbing scene dealing with his sister, Angela (Smart) and a bathtub. I admit, I, one of the biggest horror fans out there, was a bit grossed out. Then continues with his wife and two children. And the scene to top all scenes…something I never thought I would see in a horror movie happened. Let’s just say I’m sure the born again Jesus freaks are going to shit themselves over this one.

The gore scenes are fantastically done. They’re disturbing, and I was certainly too scared to look at ANY mirror I came across after seeing this movie. The acting was great for a horror movie, and like I said before, the story was something nice and new for us horror fans to enjoy.

There’s SO much about this movie that I’d love to just keep talking about, but I don’t want to spoil anything for those of you who want to go see it. I will say, Kiefer just can’t get away from the whole Jack Bauer type role. The whole time I just kept thinking “So is THIS what Jack would do when faced with the paranormal?” But hey, that’s not a bad thing.

This movie is worth checking out. Especially if you’re a fan of Aja’s other two films. I loved it, and can’t wait until it’s on DVD!

RATING & SUMMARY:

Bottom Line: LOVED it.
Favorite Scenes:
Rating: R
Running Time: 110 minutes
Overall Rating:

In Search Of A Midnight Kiss

Starring: Scoot McNairy, Sara Simmonds, Brian McGuire
Written By: Alex Holdridge
Directed By: Alex Holdridge
This charming, low-key, and no-budget production shot entirely in black & white follows Wilson and his blind date Vivian as they stroll the streets of downtown L.A.

Its photography and structure are reminiscent of Woody Allen’s Manhattan and Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, but the location is relatively unique. Midnight Kiss shows a stretch of L.A. rarely depicted on film (how many movies show people riding the subway in L.A.?)

The characters and their dynamic are also interesting, as these seemingly different personalities slowly fall for each others’ charms. While not at the caliber of, say, Once, this is a very good indie production with strong, naturalistic performances. A solid renter – hopefully Netflix will pick it up.

RATING & SUMMARY:

Bottom Line:
Favorite Scenes:
Rating: NR
Running Time: 90 minutes
Overall Rating:

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Starring: Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Depp, Sandra Dawn Thompson, Jann Wenner, Ralph Steadman, George McGovern, Jimmy Buffet, Pat Buchanan, Jimmy Carter
Written By: Alex Gibney
Directed By: Alex Gibney
I didnt really know too much about Dr. Hunter S. Thompson before this documentary. I knew that Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas movie was based on him and also that he wrote & rode with the Hells Angels. But that was extent of it. I pretty much disliked Fear & Loathing because it was such a trippy movie and I couldnt follow a damn thing. But this documentary sheds some light on who the real Hunter S. Thompson was.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson is a documentary, written & directed by Alex Gibney. The documentary is 2 hours long and goes into a lot of detail about the life & death of Thompson. Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was a gonzo journalist who was most famous for his novel Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. Thompson is also known for using lots and lots of mind-altering drugs and his love for guns. He was also heavily involved with politics and wrote for Rolling Stone magazine. The film is narrated by Johnny Depp, who played Thompson (or Raoul Duke) in Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas and then became good friends with the gonzo journalist & author. The documentary covers everything from his death, Hells Angels, his run for Sheriff in Aspen, being involved with George McGoverns campaign, and the infamous stories that lead to Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. Plus theres lots of other stuff as well including lots of interviews with friends, colleagues, and lots of archive footage of Thompson.

For someone who doesnt know much about the man, this is certainly a good place to start. I only knew a few things about Hunter but after seeing this documentary, I know a lot more. Gonzo was very interesting documentary to me, because Hunter S. Thompson was extremely interesting. With all the drugs and gun play he did, Im surprise he lived through that. Im surprised nothing happened tragically earlier. He took his own life a few years ago, and its something that was planned for awhile it seemed. It was all about legacy with him. As sick as it sounds, perhaps it might have been more effective if he carried out his suicide earlier in his career? I thought that his funeral idea that he taped planning in the 70s was quite eerie. But its also amusing thats what he wanted to have done, and Johnny Depp made it all happen after he died. Thompson wanted his ashes to be shot out of a canon on his land, with Bob Dylans Mr. Tambourine Man playing. The canon & tower was designed by his friend Ralph Steadman. His funeral became a big party with A-list celebrities and politicians attending. Its definitely a great way to celebrate a life.

The things I liked about Hunter and this documentary was the focus on George Mcgoverns campaign. I remember briefly reading about McGovern in school but didnt really know anything about his campaign. Or maybe I just didnt pay attention in history class. Thompson loathed Nixon and liked a lot of the qualities that McGovern had in him. When I was watching the documentary, something really clicked in my head that all this stuff sounds way too familiar. War mongering President (Nixon/Bush), trying to get our troops out of war, etc. and a new promising candidate (McGovern/Obama) is on the horizon. History likes to repeat itself thats for sure. Lets hope Obama doesnt repeat the mistake of McGovern though. But enough of that political crap.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting documentary that showcased Thompson as a pioneer journalist that had a lot of great qualities about him. But there were a lot of things that were just weird & off about Thompson as well. But the weird stuff is what made people fall in love with the man. He was definitely one of the most eccentric writers. If youre a fan of Hunter S. Thompson, be sure to see this if you can.

RATING & SUMMARY:

Bottom Line: An interesting documentary that turned me into a Hunter S Thompson fan
Favorite Scenes:
Rating: R
Running Time: 118 minutes
Overall Rating:

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Starring: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd
Written By: Jason Segel
Directed By: Nicholas Stoller
Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a good date movie, brought to you by the Judd Apatow comedy team who continue to release comedy hit after comedy hit. We’ll ignore the Drillbit Taylor movie for now. The movie is hilarious, mixing in real situations of break-ups and over the top scenes you might find in a comedy movie. If your girlfriend doesn’t want to see this movie with you, just tell her there’s male full frontal nudity in it.

We’ve all been there at one point in our life, breaking up with someone or the one being dumped. This time it’s Peter (Jason Segal), who was dating actress Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). He’s the TV composer on her show, Crime Scene. The show is like CSI: Miami (very MUCH like it) and she’s the star of the show. One day, she decides to break things off and he doesn’t handle it well. He tries to go out on the town and mingle with his Brother (Bill Hader) but Peter is still clearly not over Sarah. He decides he needs to get away and takes a trip to Hawaii, but there’s a problem. Sarah and her pompous, full-of-himself British rocker boyfriend Aldous Snow are staying at the same hotel Peter is staying at. He starts to dread his decision of going to Hawaii, but starts to flirt & hang out with the cute hotel desk clerk Rachel (Mila Tunis) and tries to get over Sarah Marshall. While hanging out with Rachel and having a good time, he still has to deal with Sarah and her rocker boyfriend the entire time he’s there.

I didn’t think Jason Segel could star in a movie but after seeing this, I take that back. But then again, I didn’t think Seth Rogen could star in a movie and now he’s starring in a bunch of films. Jason Segal wrote the movie as well, and does a fantastic job of dueling duties. I would think you’ll be seeing more of Jason after this movie, he certainly deserves it. The guy certainly loves to show off his cock in this movie. Besides the much-talked about male nudity scenes, the guys will love this movie because of seeing Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis. Kristen Bell is parading around in a skimpy pink bikini and you see Mila Kunis flashing her “girls” in a photoshopped Polaroid. It looked photoshopped; I guess it would be too good to be true huh? Girls also might like this movie because of Russell Brand, who plays the pompous British rocker. He also provides 2 songs to the movie which I can’t stop listening to now. Be sure to check out the song “Inside of You” by Infant Sorrow on the soundtrack.

Story-wise, it’s pretty straight forward and at times, predictable. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad, the movie is actually quite good. I actually can see myself watching this movie more than Knocked Up. It seems like the type of movie that gets even better with repeat viewings. We’ve all been there at one point in our lives where we are going through a bad break up, so I’m sure many of you out there will find this movie hilarious. And if not, you’ll still find it funny. Unless you’re the old grandparents sitting behind me and kept saying out loud “this movie is stupid.” But anyway, it’s a great date movie that’s hilarious, has nudity, and reminds me of classic 80’s comedies.

RATING & SUMMARY:

Bottom Line: A hilarious movie!
Favorite Scenes:
Rating: R
Running Time: 112 minutes
Overall Rating:

Be Kind Rewind

Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow
Written By: Michel Gondry
Directed By: Michel Gondry
Going on sheer innovative talent, I can safely say that Michel Gondry is right now the world’s best director. Especially in a time where computer effects and modern technologies make it easier and cheaper to make everything look better, Gondry takes the same traditional approach cinema trailblazer Georges Melies did 100 years ago. Gondry, in his films and music videos, has used trick photography, various lens filters, and just plain cinema magic to truly make the cinematic image exciting again. He has long been a proponent of technology-free special effects, making him one of a dying breed.

I think, therefore, it’s only appropriate that his latest film concerns VHS, which is by all means dead. Unlike vinyl records, which many music aficionados believe is a more superior means of listening to music than CDs, the videotape has very few redeeming qualities when put agains DVDs. In Be Kind Rewind, Gondry only revisits a bit of recent nostalgia, but more than anything, he looks at the interactive quality that home video brought the world in the early 1980s – especially the ability to tape things yourselves.

While Gondry has cinematic innovation down pat (at times there are some shots that are hard to believe possible without digital assistance), his talents as a writer are far less impressive. Not that he is a bad writer, it is clear that he has some amazing ideas; just look at his music videos if you need further proof that he is undeniably creative. Be Kind Rewind’s biggest flaws are in its pacing, and at times, its utter ridiculousness. I fully understand that in a way, Gondry is echoing the same type of bizarre surrealism perfected by Luis Bunuel, but there are times where even that can’t be used as an excuse.

The plot, in about a sentence, essentially follows two dudes who make their own ’sweded’ versions of popular movies after the videotapes at the rental store one of them works at has all of its tapes erased. By the time this plot is established, 15 minutes has already passed, and very few laughs are to be had, which is problematic, especially for a comedy. Fortunately, the build-up is almost worth it. The ’sweding’ or essentially re-filming of entire movies in a couple of hours, is the funniest part of the movie. Mos Def and Jack Black play just about every character, and do so in a way that simultaneously mocks and homages each film they recreate. In the film, people seem to love their sweded videos, and they become a cultural sensation. Except that there are these bad folks who want to tear down the building they work out of. Oh, and of course there’s copyright infringement. At times, the plot is a bit jumbled or ridiculous, but it almost doesn’t matter because the fake movies are just that funny.

I don’t say this often, but I think this film would be way better on DVD. I anticipate that it would have some amazing deleted scenes, or some of the full sweded movies. And since they are the best part of the films, or in a way, the sex scenes in the porn-with-a-plot, they will definitely be the most rewarding part of the watch. It’s not necessarily the fault of Gondry that this film isn’t better; in some ways, the film has a definite charm of its own, and it is his first fully American movie not written by Charlie Kaufman. With far more of a European background in ideology and filmmaking, he is quickly trying to adapt to an American plot structure, and even to a mass target audience. Science of Sleep, his last film, also struggles from a weaker script, but its international performance and style flavours tended to make it feel far more comfortable (and aesthetically, it is absolutely mesmerizing). Be Kind is less a movie about specific visuals – in a way, it’s about making them even less beautiful with a home video camera – but carries some of the same magic. I don’t think it’s right to say Gondry should just go back to making music videos, since he does have something fun and exciting with this film. I just hope he still gets a chance to make something that will make him the cinematic legend he deserves to be.

RATING & SUMMARY:

Bottom Line: Flawed, but so hilarious at times that you’ll forget that the plot is sort of silly.
Favorite Scenes:
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 101 minutes
Overall Rating: