Posts Tagged ‘Comedy’
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Footloose (2011) [Movie Review]
Movie: Footloose (2011)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Target Audience: Teenagers & fans of musicalsQuick Summary: Ren, a kid from the city who loves dancing, comes to a small down named Bomont. Due to a Reverend’s son dying 3 years prior while returning from a party; all dancing, drinking, drugs, and loud music are forbidden within city limits.
Involvement difficulty: This was an simple movie to sit down and understand. There weren’t any difficult underlying tones and it was easy to enjoy the movie.
Character Development: There wasn’t an extreme amount of character development in this movie, but more of a few simply changing how they acted. The overly-cautious Reverend learned to trust in young people a little and his daughter (Ren’s target of affection) stopped acting like a harlot. Oh, and Willard learned to dance.
Setting: This movie takes place in a small down of Bomont, in the southern United States. Though what city doesn’t matter, it’s the atmosphere of the city that makes this movie actually work. The city is represented as being fairly cut off and ‘set in their ways’ compared to some larger cities. They’re also very heavily influenced by the Church, failing to abide by any form of antidisestablishmentarianism (the separation of Church and State).
Plot advancement: When the plot starts going dancing and most forms of ‘fun’ become outlawed to ‘protect the children’. Once those kids become teenagers they start rebelling, dancing where their parents can’t see them. There are those also participating in drinking and drugs, but most just dance. The teenagers are clearly unhappy with the anti-dancing laws, but haven’t got the backbone to change it. Ren comes in and becomes that backbone, showing that there are good people out there that just want to dance. Though showing of good morals, Ren convinces the Reverend and the rest of the older townsfolk that the teenagers can prove trustworthy given the chance.
Originality: This is a remake of Footloose from 1984. As far as remakes go, I guess it was all right. However, I’m a little bothered with the way they merged the two. This movie was ‘updated’ to take place in the current time, but most of the character interactions that take place are unrealistic for the current time. Take the racial factors into consideration for example; The black guy works in a cotton factory outside of town. Aside from Ren, there was no other white people working there. Not only that, there were no other mention of anybody else that works out of town except the black guy. And the football team (with exception of two): All black. But the city counsel, the church congregation, and any other figures of authority were almost entirely white.
Aside from that, the idea that everybody has Internet, cell phones and iPods but still are listening to the songs like I Need A Hero, Let’s Hear it for the Boy, and Footloose seems a little off. Don’t get me wrong, I’d complain if those staple songs weren’t in the movie but it still seems strange.
I did find that this version was much less clear-cut on what each side was standing for. In the original version, it was irrational fear of the parents versus the freedom of the teenagers to make their own mistakes. In this version I felt they tried to do the same, but I didn’t get that vibe. Honestly for a larger part of the movie I was on the Reverend’s side. Kids dance these days like they’re having intercourse with clothes on, compared to the dancing of the 80s where it was just energy, footwork, skills and being able to actually dance. This version therefore felt like it was the Reverend trying to protect the kids from acting like floozies. The movie did clean itself up later, but at the beginning it was very vague.
Oh, and there was more dancing in this one, which was one of my biggest complaints from the 1984 version.
Extras: Willard was funny, which is a requirement. I thought the Willard from the first version was just as good. He is by far my favorite character. Whoever chose him for this part did a fantastic job. Seeing him learn to dance gave me a goofy smile.
Wasted Time /VS/ Hooked Time: I felt that the move was fluent. Though I’ll admit I liked the original more solely because the actions fit the time, this movie seemed to have fewer ‘dead’ parts.
Pros: This was a fun, and fairly light-hearted movie. I still like the songs, and the dancing was pretty good. Except Ren, he just came off as a ‘Nancy-boy’.
WOW-factor(s): None.
Can-be-Improved: I felt Ariel, the Rev.’s daughter, was poorly cast. She was a good actress, but appeared as though she was in her early 20s instead of being a high school kid like the rest of the cast. This made it seem a little bit creepy given that Ren looked like he was about 15.Rating: 7.5/10 Cowboy Hats.
Summation: Overall I liked this movie. I’m actually a little torn about if I liked it more than the first one. Watch it I felt that they made a movie based on Footloose 1984, then cherry-picked the key and memorable moments from the 1984 version so they could call it ‘Footloose’. There is more music and dancing in this one, and less teen angst which I think would be vital in any sort of a remake of a music-themed movie. I think I’d have enjoyed it better if they had remade it as if it took place in the correct era. None the less, it was worth a watch.
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Overlord: Dark Legend [VG]
Game Title: Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles
Developer: Cavia and Capcom
ESRP Rating: M
Genre: Rail Shooter
System: WiiDarkside Chronicles is a rail shooter for Resident Evil series. A chronicle series similar to Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles. . Starts out in South America with Leon Kennedy and Jack Krauser before going into flash back stages of the Raccoon city story line with Leon and Clair Redfield which recaps the plot of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Code Veronica.
Controls are simple enough, as to be expected with a rail shooter, mostly point and shoot. You can use the nunchuck or the D pad to quickly change between weapons. I personally preferred the nunchuck for this, I kept hitting the middle of the D pad and switching to the wrong weapon.
The camera movements mimic the movements of the characters as if the game were played in first person. You don’t actually control the movement yourself and this can be a bit awkward for aiming but gives it a more realistic feel.
In game graphic are pretty good, consistent with no glitches in the in the background or game play that i have noticed so far. Response time with the controls is very accurate. The quality of the cut scenes were excellent as well, on par with many CG movies I have seen. Including Resident Evil Degeneration. I have always been a fan of the music and sounds of Resident evil games. The sounds fit the game well without drawing your attention away from the game play.
Darkside can be played one player or two player co-op. In the first 2 hours that I played you always had the option to choose between 2 characters at the start of each stage. With two players you play with both. Haven’t tried two players yet, I’ll need to find someone to play with for next time.
You can collect gold through out the game to power up your weapons. I started with powering the shot gun. The short gun is one your most useful tool against the undead and mutated….. once you power it enough that it not so damn slow. It is able to push back multiple attackers within range which is very useful if you are playing solo and don’t have backup. You can also shoot at random items in the background of the game play (recommend using handgun with unlimited ammo for this) to uncover more gold and hidden files with extra information about the characters and story line. But really its about the random destruction.
Probably about 90% of the time I was shooting at something. There are longer higher quality cut scenes are the start and end of every stage and usually a few short cut scenes during the stage, but they are blended well into the game pay as not to be distracting.
As much of a fan of the series as I am, this is a Chronicle game so I wouldn’t call it original. The resident evil series is great for pouring out side games to go along with the main story that re-introduces past story lines and story lines mentioned in other games. Resident Evil 4 mentions the Kennedy report which I believe is based on the South American mission that Darkside chronicles starts with. I personally like all the side story games, they easy to play and is a great refresher for the main story line.
If I wasn’t wasting my time shooting Zombies I would probably be wasting it with Smash Bros Brawl. Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles is what it is, a straight forward rail shooter. Not much decision making is needed you just point and shoot. Personally after work this is what I look forward to. I don’t have to worry about anything except getting that next head shot. I wish the realistic movement was toned down a bit, it’s frustrating to miss a shot because your character suddenly turned and ran the other way, otherwise this is a fun game to play if your are looking for something quick that does not require a big commitment. Given another 2 hours and 2 minutes I think I might be able to finish the game.
I would give this game a 4/5 as it is one I would play over again and would like to own.
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Review: Fan Boys [Movie]
Movie: Fan Boys (2008)
Genre: ComedyBored one night, I was surfing around looking for something good to watch and stumbled upon Fan Boys. This movie freaking a hilarious and I have no idea why. I also haven’t the faintest clue how I managed to miss this movie for over a year, it’s something I can see myself watching.
Short form summary is that 4 star wars fan boys / high school friends decide to take a road trip to the Skywalker Ranch to steal Star Wars: Episode 1 before it gets released in theaters. They do stupid shit along the way. This movie falls in the same category as Super Bad, Eurotrip, American Pie and anything good made by Kevin Smith: It’s funny just because it’s genuinely dumb and unrealistic, but you can see one of your friends doing it. A little spoiler for you all, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes make a short cameo in it. That should be reason enough to go see it.
I don’t want to recap too much of this movie, as the plot line itself is pretty standard. Instead, I’m going to just give some point forms that I found awesome, which do include spoilers.
- The have a van with an R2D2 head on it, a light speed button and the Leia/Han painting on the side.
- They make fun of Jar Jar Binks
- Comment on naming their hands Princess Leia.
- Constantly make fun of Trekkies.
- Rush is one of the greatest bands of all time.
- William Shatner mother fucker!
This movie was great, but could have been better. I’ve watched it 3 times, and I think I’m done.
Final Rating: 7.5/10 -
Movie: Paul Blart: Mall Cop (Review)
Steve Carr’s Paul Blart: Mall Cop, starring King of Queens Kevin James and hottie Jayma Mays, comes off as a pretty funny movie in the trailer. Fair warning, it’s not.
The whole idea of this movie is that an overweight failure of a security guard is caught up in an organized crime in the mall and has to stop it on his own. Throw in a crush on a kiosk worker and low blood sugar and you have yourself a movie. Unfortunately, they forgot to include good writing with this story line, which leaves the movie with a hollow half-assed feel to it.
The acting itself really wasn’t that bad, but the characters just didn’t have enough substance to carry the movie. If they weren’t going to give us a
hardcoredecent fulfilling plot, at least give us some character background or slapstick humor. Given that these are the top two factors needed for a successful movie of these genre, it’s fair to say that the mark was missed on this feature.All in all, Mall cop seems to fall short of being a comedy as I only found myself with one chuckle the entire course of the movie (which was also in the trailer, go figure). The only real entertaining thing that I found was that on an episode of King of Queens Kevin James was forced to shave his mustache because his wife said he “Looked like a motorcycle cop”. Oh how things repeat themselves.
Final score: 3/10 ‘Buy this from the dollar bin when it shows up at the dirt mall’. -
Vampire Game
Vampire game
One of the only shojou manga I have ever read. Started reading not knowing it was shojou since I tend to keep away from them as they are targeted towards a female audience. Since it is a story mainly targeted at females, it has some story elements that I didn’t really like sometimes even though the overall story was really good.
Vampire Game is about the reincarnation of Vampire king, Duzell, who died 100 years ago in a fight with King Phelios who defeated him using a powerful spell that sacrifices the caster. Duzell vows to reincarnate after 100 years to get revenge and destroy the reincarnation of Phelios. Fast forward to the present: The descendants of King Phelios are all fighting for the throne, like you’d expect from any royal family. Princess Ishtar, the main character of the story, is 15 years old and currently first in line to the throne. She is a willful and troublesome princess, always causing trouble for her head bodyguard Darres. She escapes the palace one day as usual causing trouble only to happen upon the reincarnated Vampire King Duzell, who is in the body of a cat. She adopts the cat and promises to help him find the reincarnation of her ancestor Phelios so he can kill him. Through out the 15 volumes they set out to find who in the royal family is the reincarnation of King Phelios; all the while trying to stay ahead of power hungry royals aiming for the throne and Ishtar’s head. Full of political intrigue, Vampire game is a an excellent manga with lots of twits and turns to keep any reader entertained till the very end.
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Seto no Hanayome
Seto no Hanayome – The Inland Sea Bride
Nagasumi Michishio, a young middle school student on a trip to visit his grandmother at the beach with his family, is drowning only to be saved by a mermaid. As if almost drowning wasn’t enough of a hassle, according to mermaid law if a person sees mermaids true for they must both be executed. Luckily for Nagasumi the mermaid who saved him, Sun Seto, has decided that in order to save both of them she wants to marry him. Sun’s father, the leader of a merman fish gang, is overly protective of his only daughter and He is constantly trying to kill Nagasumi so that he can “protect” his daughter.
Seto no Hanayome is a pretty good shounen Manga with a good mix of comedy and ecchi material to keep readers happy. There is even a pretty good anime adaption of the Manga that started in April of 2007. Seto no Hanayome is a good Manga that has a solid plot with great art.
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George Carlin Died
George was a funny guy, I watched a lot of his stand-up. He died on Sunday at the age of 71 due to heart failure. That sucks.“I think he’s down there now. Screaming up at us”
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Movie: Mr.Woodcock (Review)
Title: Mr.Woodcock
Genre: Comedy
I have to say before the movie even started I thought the movie was funny. I mean with a name like Woodcock and having a mind in the gutter how could you not? As for the movie itself Billy Bob Thornton continues to be a very entertaining man…and a total dick (thus Woodcock becomes even funnier!). Combine that with Seann William Scott (Stifler from American Pie <3) and this movie is pure gold. This is the story of an asshole gym teacher and a kid who grows up and writes a book about self-esteem and ‘letting go’ of the past then comes back to find out that the same gym teacher is back home nailing his mom. That’s just good writing.This is the kind of movies that true comedy lovers live for, without having to sit through the “romantic-” parts of the movie. This is right up there with Badder Santa, and is great.
Final: 9/10 “You must like getting spanked, Farley. I guess it runs in the family”
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Movie: The Game Plan (Review)
Title: The Game Plan
Genre: Family, ComedyI found myself laughing throughout the movie, but come the end of it I can’t really remember why or at what parts. Oh well, it’s those forgotten moments that got me to the next moment to forget or I would have turned it off. I’ve noticed in the past that “The Rock” has been a pretty stale actor, leaning mainly on egotistical roles and this follows that suit. However this was a little lighter than some of his other roles, and I was impressed by his ability to not suck (as he has in most of the other films he’s appeared in).
The plot wasn’t that bad: An egotistical football player finds out he has a daughter, she stays with him and turns his world upside down. I was expecting to watch a lot of green screen moments with the rock running around pretending he wasn’t old and out of shape, but they actually focused on the story and didn’t show any real football action until the end of the movie. It’s quite a step up to have a story in a sports-based movie, I’ll give the creators kudos on that one. I did get a feeling that it was similar to The Pacifier, but I think this happening to a football player is a little more likely than a Navy SEAL becoming a nanny.Overall it was worth watching, but not really worth watching in theaters. It would have been better as a straight-to-DVD movie instead. That said, wait until it comes out on DVD to go see it unless you’re a die hard Rock fan.
Final: 6/10
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Movie: The Heartbreak Kid (2007) Review
The movie The Heartbreak Kid wasn’t that bad, I had some ‘LOL’ moments but it’s not some of Ben Stiller’s best work. Though it had a good plot for a romantic-comedy, it was still very predictable. A man marries somebody, meets somebody on his honeymoon that’s better, she finds out, he gets in a lot of trouble.
This might just be personal opinion here but I think I’m just about sick of the romantic-comedy genre, I’d like some good comedies back please and thanks. Despite my growing unhappiness with the genre, this movie did hold up on both the romantic and the comedy factors and proved to be a worth-watching film. I’d recommend going to see it in theaters for the the Ben Stiller fan (or if you want to see nudity on the big screen, because that’s there too)Final: 6.5/10 “My son found your panties on the sidewalk and we’ve been talking about you all week.”
What threw me off was that Ben Stiller had gray hair and was acting like he was 40. I’m a fan of some older stuff, such as Zoolander, so seeing him being old throw me off. What worries me though is that as he’s getting older the quality of his movies are going down hill. The flare just seems to be burning out, not quite gone yet, but getting there. I’d like to see him come out with something in the near future living up to his humorous reputation, but can’t see it happening.
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