An Apology

Watching so many movies, one starts to develop a certain prejudice towards certain movies and actors.  You begin to think of certain people as typecast in one role, or a movie series to only appeal to the lowest common denominator.  So I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to those who I may have said bad things about over the years.  First up...

Nicolas Cage:
For many years, over my friends objections, I continuously categorized Mr. Cage as a one way actor.  The only character Cage could play, I would say, was himself.  In Con Air he was convict Nicolas cage and in Matchstick Men he was OCD Nicolas Cage.  I argued that for a role he simply picked a certain blend of Nicolas Cage and rolled with it.  That was until I saw him in Kick Ass, where he single handedly managed to play both of the common Cage types.  On one hand he was the stoic Father-Superhero, hellbent on exacting revenge on the mobsters that destroyed his family, and on the other... he was freaking nuts.  So heres to you Mr. Cage, I had you wrong.  I'm sorry.

Al Pacino:

See above.
















Work in progress... so hard to pick people out.

The Hangover Part II

I absolutely loved the first Hangover movie, the raunchiness and pure absurdity of it all made it so hilarious.  It is a movie that with so many classic elements, from "Carlos" the baby, to Mike Tyson, and to the screaming naked Asian guy, it was just one outrageous scene to the next.  When I first heard they were making a sequel I was overjoyed, nothing would make me happier than to take another ride with "The Wolfpack."

My feelings though are a bit tempered though after finally seeing the film.  Don't get me wrong, the movie is absolutely hilarious.  The problem was that it was exactly the same movie, only in Bangkok instead of Vegas this time around.  This is not just a simple sequel following the same formula, like it is literally exactly the same movie.

The film starts out as you might expect, with the Wolfpack arriving in Bangkok for, this time, Stu's wedding.  Everything seems to be going well enough and with Alan offering no drinks laced with ecstasy, you begin to wonder what could possibly go wrong.  That is until after a nice, peaceful camp fire the night before, Phil, Stu and Alan wake up in a hotel room with a wild animal (a monkey this time) and seriously hungover.  Sounds familiar right?  Except this time, Doug is right where he is supposed to be back at the resort, and it is instead Stu's future brother-in-law Teddy that is missing.  The rest of the film ensues, as you might expect, as the three of them scour Bangkok for any trace of the missing Teddy.

The film essentially follows the same plot line, with only the setting changed, and many characters from the first  movie make return appearances.  There are few notable additions, and I did find this film to be even more raunchy than the first.  Liam Neeson makes a rather hilarious appearance, but the fact that I knew his role was supposed to be played by Mel Gibson, only for the cast to object, made it somewhat disappointing.  Overall, I found the film to be just as funny as the first, but it is the lack of originality that hurts this film in my eyes.  The first Hangover was such a funny and unique film, with many of the jokes I remember being referenced to throughout the summer after it was released.  The sequel lacks a little bit of the magic of the first one, but like I said it is still extremely funny and if you liked the first one you should still definitely go see it.

This Smart Ass gives it...

American Beauty

I have watched many films over my short life thus far and I can vividly recall many of my first.  From cheering on the Mighty Ducks to staring in shock at the screen as I watched Mufasa fall to his death, I saw many films during my youth that turned me into a “movie fan.”  It was not until much a few years later, however, that I saw a film that turned me into a “movie lover.”  A movie that made me understand the true power of film.  That film was American Beauty.

American Beauty is the tale of Lester Burnham, played by Kevin Spacey, a seemingly unassuming upper middle class white American male.  He is married to his wife Caroline, has a daughter named Jane, and a mundane white collar job.  Not is all as it seems, though, as Lester is on the verge of the breaking point.  He is about to experience an intense mid-life crisis, one that will have a profound impact on himself, his family and his neighbors.  Those neighbors include a boy who has just moved into the house next door with his ex-marine father who begins a budding romance with Jane.

The movie is essentially a following of Lester’s actions, as he continues to rebel and “break free,” and the responses of those around him to his actions.  The film is so much more than that though; it is a commentary on American society and a critique of what we have come to value as a society and the things we have started not to value.  It is a story of humor, love, absurdity, lust and tragedy.  It is a story I cannot spoil for you, one that you simply must see for yourself.

Here is the first scene from the movie, see if it's to your liking:

This Smart Ass gives it...