Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake hit all the comedic high notes in this summer's R-rated romantic comedy, Friends with Benefits.
Jamie (Kunis) -- a corporate headhunter -- and Dylan (Timberlake) become fast friends after she convinces him to take the job as artistic director for GQ in New York City. Neither one of them is good in relationships -- she's emotionally damaged, he's emotionally unavailable -- but they both really like sex, so after an alcohol filled night of watching romantic comedies they decide that they're going to be friends who have sex with each other.
Ground rules are firmly established to prevent them from developing feelings for each other -- because that always works so well. Soon, they're shagging morning, noon and night, but things get complicated when Dylan takes Jamie home to L.A. to spend a weekend with his family.
There's a fight, another fight, and -- just when you think they're going to solve things -- another fight. But eventually Dylan makes the grand romantic gesture and the two get together.
Friends with Benefits was a lot of fun to watch for a number of reasons. For starters, I'm a big fan of the R-rated romantic comedy movement happening. It moves the whole genre into a more adult -- and consequently realistic -- zone. It's easier to believe the characters are real people when their conversations are vulgar and unpolished.
FWB's cast does an excellent job of bringing together a hilarious script. Kunis and Timberlake have great chemistry, and it's easy to believe they're really good friends. Woody Harrelson makes a brilliant showing as Tommy, Dylan's gay coworker, and Richard Jenkins is great as Dylan's father who suffers from Alzheimer's Disease. Shaun White even makes an appearance as a bizzaro version of himself.
The movie has a lot of really funny moments. From an R-rated urination sequence -- I know it sounds weird, but trust me -- to something as simple Dylan trying to do math in his head, the laughs keep rolling for the entire movie.
I know a lot of people thought Friends with Benefits was going to be exactly like No Strings Attached -- the January romantic comedy starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. I haven't seen No Strings Attached, but there's no way a d-bag like Ashton Kutcher could make a movie as funny as FWB. Even if you like No Strings Attached, Friends with Benefits is hilarious.
In a summer dominated by brilliant R-rated comedies -- Bridesmaids and Horrible Bosses among them -- Friends with Benefits' holds its own thanks to its hilarious cast and script. This is definitely a romantic comedy worthy of your time and money.
7.5 of 10
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" review
The question: Is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II a conclusion worthy of the most successful film franchise in movie history? The answer: Hell yeah, it is!
SPOILER ALERT!
Part II picks up right where Part I leaves off -- Harry, Ron and Hermione, having been rescued from Malfoy Manor by Dobby, continue their quest to discover and destroy all of Voldemort's horcruxes. The search takes the trio to Gringott's Bank -- to Bellatrix Lestrange's vault -- and, eventually, to Hogwarts. This is where the action really picks up.
Shortly after Harry's return to Hogwarts, Voldemort and all of his forces arrive and vow to lay seige to the castle unless Harry is turned over to him. Rather than surrender, the professors and students -- under the leadership of Professor McGonagall -- take up the defense of Hogwarts while Harry searches the castle for the remaining horcruxes.
What happens next is one of the most epic battles in movie history. Thousands of Death Eaters, trolls and werewolves laying seige to Hogwarts is one of the coolest things I've ever seen, but the filmmakers have to be commended for focusing on Harry's quest to stop Voldemort instead of the battle. As much fun as the special-effects orgy was, it was better to maintain the heart of the story.
The whole series boils down to a final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort where *gasp* Harry defeats him once and for all. Big surprise there. But we don't watch Harry Potter to be surprised -- we've always known Harry was going to win. We watch the movies because it's about how he wins. It's always been about the journey, and let's be honest, it's been one helluva ride.
Deathly Hallows: Parts II hits a lot of great highs. Forget about Voldemort dying, Ron and Hermione finally kiss! Not only that, Neville Longbottom finally shows himself as a complete bad-ass; he's been leading the resistance inside Hogwarts since Harry's been away, and he kills Nagini! Plus, few moments were as satisfying as seeing Molly Weasley waste Bellatrix Lestrange.
The movie also provides plenty of emotion, particularly the reveal of Remus, Tonks and Fred's deaths -- though I think they could've spent a little more time with those moments.
The actors -- especially Radcliffe, Watson and Grint -- continue to demonstrate a maturity of talent beyond their years. I've no doubt we'll see bright post-Potter careers for all of them.
My only real question is: Will Part I and Part II work together as a single movie? Considering they took one story and turned it into two movies, it'll be interesting to see if the two movies will flow together as one story.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II is a fitting conclusion to the decade-long film franchise that has enchanted audiences around the world and changed movie history forever. Well done, Harry Potter. Well done.
9 of 10
SPOILER ALERT!
Part II picks up right where Part I leaves off -- Harry, Ron and Hermione, having been rescued from Malfoy Manor by Dobby, continue their quest to discover and destroy all of Voldemort's horcruxes. The search takes the trio to Gringott's Bank -- to Bellatrix Lestrange's vault -- and, eventually, to Hogwarts. This is where the action really picks up.
Shortly after Harry's return to Hogwarts, Voldemort and all of his forces arrive and vow to lay seige to the castle unless Harry is turned over to him. Rather than surrender, the professors and students -- under the leadership of Professor McGonagall -- take up the defense of Hogwarts while Harry searches the castle for the remaining horcruxes.
What happens next is one of the most epic battles in movie history. Thousands of Death Eaters, trolls and werewolves laying seige to Hogwarts is one of the coolest things I've ever seen, but the filmmakers have to be commended for focusing on Harry's quest to stop Voldemort instead of the battle. As much fun as the special-effects orgy was, it was better to maintain the heart of the story.
The whole series boils down to a final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort where *gasp* Harry defeats him once and for all. Big surprise there. But we don't watch Harry Potter to be surprised -- we've always known Harry was going to win. We watch the movies because it's about how he wins. It's always been about the journey, and let's be honest, it's been one helluva ride.
Deathly Hallows: Parts II hits a lot of great highs. Forget about Voldemort dying, Ron and Hermione finally kiss! Not only that, Neville Longbottom finally shows himself as a complete bad-ass; he's been leading the resistance inside Hogwarts since Harry's been away, and he kills Nagini! Plus, few moments were as satisfying as seeing Molly Weasley waste Bellatrix Lestrange.
The movie also provides plenty of emotion, particularly the reveal of Remus, Tonks and Fred's deaths -- though I think they could've spent a little more time with those moments.
The actors -- especially Radcliffe, Watson and Grint -- continue to demonstrate a maturity of talent beyond their years. I've no doubt we'll see bright post-Potter careers for all of them.
My only real question is: Will Part I and Part II work together as a single movie? Considering they took one story and turned it into two movies, it'll be interesting to see if the two movies will flow together as one story.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II is a fitting conclusion to the decade-long film franchise that has enchanted audiences around the world and changed movie history forever. Well done, Harry Potter. Well done.
9 of 10
Thursday, July 14, 2011
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Review
The Transformers franchise looks for redemption with Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and actually finds it.
The movie picks up three and a half years after Transformers 2 and Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) is having a hard time finding his first post-college job. To make matters worse, he's living off of his girlfriend, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whitely), who works as a personal assistant for the more-than-sketchy d-bag Dylan (Patrick Dempsey).
Meanwhile, the Autobots are still working with the NEST team and Lennox (Josh Duhamel) to protect the world from the Decepticons. A Russian informant leads the team to Chernobyl where they find a fuel cell from an Autobot ship that crashed on the moon in the 1950s.
Sam discovers the real purpose of the Apollo missions were to beat the Soviets to the moon to examine and recover technology from the crashed alien ship. After uncovering the conspiracy, he once again finds himself thrust into the middle of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons.
The real question is: Did the world really need another Transformers movie?
After the abomination that was Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I lost all interest in Transformers -- Shia LeBeouf dying and going to Autobot heaven was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. Honestly, how can you come back from something that stupid?
Well, a lot of things happen in Transformers 3 to make it better than Transformers 2. For starters, even though Transformers is about giant alien robots, Dark of the Moon is the most human of the franchise. I give a lot of credit to writer Ehren Kruger for using the extreme circumstances of the movie as a way to explore human emotions and relationships.
Another improvement is the transition into much darker subject material. There's a particularly poignant scene depicting the aftermath of a full-scale Decepticon attack on Chicago.
And, possibly the biggest bonus, Megan Fox is gone -- fired by Steven Spielberg after she said director Michael Bay was like Hitler.
Of course, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is still victim of the same pitfalls of the other movies. Michael Bay tries too hard to infuse the movie with humor that feels completely forced -- especially given the more serious subject matter. Shia LeBeouf seems incapable of playing a single scene without sounding like a complete smart-ass. At least there aren't any giant Decepticon balls in this one.
And, as always, the movie is like watching one really long special-effects orgy. Not that the effects aren't good -- it honestly looks like there were real giant robots on the set. The problem is that there is so much going on visually that you can't even begin to process everything on the screen. It is sensory overload, especially in 3D.
All in all, Transformers: Dark of the Moon manages to not only bring the franchise back from the Vortex of Suck that was Transformers: Rise of the Fallen, but it is the best movie in the series.
6.5 of 10
The movie picks up three and a half years after Transformers 2 and Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) is having a hard time finding his first post-college job. To make matters worse, he's living off of his girlfriend, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whitely), who works as a personal assistant for the more-than-sketchy d-bag Dylan (Patrick Dempsey).
Meanwhile, the Autobots are still working with the NEST team and Lennox (Josh Duhamel) to protect the world from the Decepticons. A Russian informant leads the team to Chernobyl where they find a fuel cell from an Autobot ship that crashed on the moon in the 1950s.
Sam discovers the real purpose of the Apollo missions were to beat the Soviets to the moon to examine and recover technology from the crashed alien ship. After uncovering the conspiracy, he once again finds himself thrust into the middle of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons.
The real question is: Did the world really need another Transformers movie?
After the abomination that was Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I lost all interest in Transformers -- Shia LeBeouf dying and going to Autobot heaven was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. Honestly, how can you come back from something that stupid?
Well, a lot of things happen in Transformers 3 to make it better than Transformers 2. For starters, even though Transformers is about giant alien robots, Dark of the Moon is the most human of the franchise. I give a lot of credit to writer Ehren Kruger for using the extreme circumstances of the movie as a way to explore human emotions and relationships.
Another improvement is the transition into much darker subject material. There's a particularly poignant scene depicting the aftermath of a full-scale Decepticon attack on Chicago.
And, possibly the biggest bonus, Megan Fox is gone -- fired by Steven Spielberg after she said director Michael Bay was like Hitler.
Of course, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is still victim of the same pitfalls of the other movies. Michael Bay tries too hard to infuse the movie with humor that feels completely forced -- especially given the more serious subject matter. Shia LeBeouf seems incapable of playing a single scene without sounding like a complete smart-ass. At least there aren't any giant Decepticon balls in this one.
And, as always, the movie is like watching one really long special-effects orgy. Not that the effects aren't good -- it honestly looks like there were real giant robots on the set. The problem is that there is so much going on visually that you can't even begin to process everything on the screen. It is sensory overload, especially in 3D.
All in all, Transformers: Dark of the Moon manages to not only bring the franchise back from the Vortex of Suck that was Transformers: Rise of the Fallen, but it is the best movie in the series.
6.5 of 10
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