QUICKary Review: The Hangover is a movie that’s more than earned its R rating: it’s a crude, crazy and entertaining joy ride around Sin City.

The Hangover has taken the great phrase “What happens in Vegas..” and transformed it into what may be this summer’s hit comedy. The ultimate boys’ night out, complete with crude humor and random cameos, makes laughing at this Las Vegas road trip right even though everything goes completely wrong.

Doug (Justin Bartha) is getting in married two days, and has his bachelor party in Vegas with his buddies; Phil (Bradley Cooper) the cool school teacher, Stu (Ed Helms) the nerdy dentist, and Doug’s eccentric, future brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis).

As simple as the story is, it starts off as a brotherly toast on the hotel rooftop amongst the bright lights of Vegas, and turns into a night they wish they could remember. The gang wakes up with their suite completely trashed, and Doug is missing, along with Stu’s tooth. Tigers, babies in closets and hospital bracelets are just some of the remnants from an outrageous night of partying. The guys are as clueless as the audience as to what happened, and they scramble to find Doug before the wedding.

Even more bizarre are the situations they encounter as Phil, Stu and Alan piece together the events of what happened the night before. From Chinese gangsters to a run in with a Phil-Collins-singing Mike Tyson, the random nature of The Hangover is what makes it enjoyable. It’s a movie where we already know the ending, but the search for the trio’s missing comrade is completely unpredictable. Everything (and I mean everything) comes out of nowhere, and it’s pointless to make sense out of any of it.

The Hangover is a definite dude’s movie, and even the female characters (mainly Heather Graham as Jade) take a backseat to the outrageous adventure. You can’t help but be amused when Stu shrieks in horror as things constantly spin out of control. Taking the lead is Zach Galifianakis’ ability to steal scenes by making Alan more than just your standard creepy-funny guy.

Though it provides a stream of humor, The Hangover is thin on laughs in final third of the movie, compared to the raucous events leading up to it. The plot takes a turn that doesn’t really jive with the rest of the movie, however, it more than makes up for it a must-see during the ending credits. It’s quite the appropriate finale to a movie that, in itself, is the ultimate “WTF?” moment.

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This tired and tried Romantic Comedy starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner did not, as expected, deliver…however…it could have.

As much as I try like him, Matthew McCona-Pardon always leaves me with the urge to buy him a back brace and acting lessons. His only asset (his looks) are shamefully abused as he plays Connor Mead (Ugly Betty anyone?) a Southern playboy photographer with a sad past and so an inability to respect and love a woman for the rest of his life. Loosely (and I’m sure they felt cleverly) based on the Charles Dickens novel, A Christmas Carol, Connor is the “screw-ge” of the show as he tries to convince his younger brother (Breckin Meyer) not to marry his fiancé (Lacey Chabert).

Connor basis his theories of life on the wisdom of his deceased Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas); the ultimate playboy Bachelor. As his views are not loved nor respected by normal people, (or the secret love of his life Jenny Perotti (Jennifer Garner)), Connor soon finds himself drunk and alone in the bathroom and that’s when Uncle Wayne’s ghost (or “Jacob Marley”) comes in and informs Connor that he’s wasting his life and will be met by three ghosts that will hopefully (obviously) change his entire perspective on life.

We soon discover Jenny has a HUGE role to play in the demise of Connor Mead’s stunted emotions- as she snubbed him (yes snubbed him) at their junior grade dance because he didn’t have the kahoonahs to ask her for a dance himself.

It was a sigh for me to see Jennifer in such a movie as I have been loving her work of late (Catch and Release, Juno), but I’m glad to say she maintained her excellent standard even if her script was lacking. Her self sufficient character leaves you knowing the ending off the batt as she still holds that special flame in her heart for Connor even though he’s only ever treated her badly. I’d like to say as a woman this isn’t how it goes, but moving on.

The first ghost eventually arrives. Allison Vandermeersh (Emma Stone) is just wonderful as the ghost of girlfriends past and will have you laughing out loud before long. I must say that the entire movie is carried by the supporting cast; I would actually put myself through this again for them. Next we have Connors hilarious assistant Melanie, (Noureen DeWulf) as the ghost of Girlfriends present and finally the pretty but otherwise mute Ghost of girlfriend’s future. A hundred flashbacks and montages later Connor is left alone to make the decision of his life; can he change and learn to trust and love someone?

All in all it’s the same old same old Hollywood romance- but if that’s your thing then you’ll love this movie. I felt it could have done better with a meatier story of more substance and then, actually, it could have been a rather fresh romantic film. I’d give it a 5.8 (out of ten).

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QUICKary Review: Ladies and gentlemen we have a new record! My attitude about Dance Flick went from absolute excitement, to absolute disappointment in under six seconds.

It’s official: if Date Movie, Epic Movie and Meet the Spartans didn’t already kill off the spoof flick genre (thanks to directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer), Dance Flick is the final nail in the coffin.

I was so excited to see Dance Flick for several reasons: the trailer was hilarious, and this movie was created by the Wayans Brothers. It’s a movie you expect to be so silly and off the wall to the point where it’s funny, but it ended up being a complete disappointment. That’s a shame since the Wayans are best known for creating the hit show In Living Color. They also made Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2, spoofs that were actually funny.

Dance Flick brings together all of the dance movies from the past several years: Save the Last Dance, You Got Served, Step Up, etc. They also rip off musicals like Hairspray and High School Musical, and they even manage to throw in a dig at Twilight. The main story follows the one from Save the Last Dance; Megan (Shoshana Bush) is a lovely white girl who moves to the urban part of town and goes Musical High School. She meets Thomas (Damon Wayans Jr.) and they bond over their love of dance. Unfortunately, an overweight thug named Sugar Bear (David Alan Grier) and a rival dance crew threaten Megan and Thomas’ relationship.

The movie’s jokes are nonstop and thankfully it’s fast paced, so they never spend too much time setting up or delivering any one joke. The problem is most of the gags aren’t funny at all. The slapstick starts off entertaining, but gets old after a few minutes. Dance Flick also spends too much time making fun of severely outdated pop culture references. It’s 2009; if you’re still poking fun of Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton, I’d say you need to update your gossip magazine collection.

In all the randomness going on, Essence Atkins plays clueless single mother Charity, and she’s the only actor in the movie that provides any sort of consistent funniness. At times, what’s happening in the background of any scene is more interesting than what the characters are doing. There were a few moments that made me howl, but that’s about it. I had such high hopes and wanted to love it, but it ends up being another movie where all of its funny parts are in the trailer. Dance Flick feels more like a bunch of different skits stitched together instead of a real movie. That’s not a bad thing, but within each one it’s like the Wayans decided to throw a barrage of jokes at the wall, and barely any of them stick. The most disappointing thing is Dance Flick’s only job is be an entertaining and funny movie. Sadly, it fails at both.

LoLz Factor: I can count exactly three times where I laughed hard during Dance Flick. That’s a shameful drop in the bucket compared to the number of attempted jokes during this movie.

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Directors: Zach Creggor & Trevor Moore

Release: March 13, 2009

If you liked Superbad, Sex Drive, or American Pie then this movie is right up your alley. Its about a guy that was in a commited abstinent relationship with a girl in high school then through an unfourtunate series of events wakes up 4 years later after being in a coma to find that his high school sweetheart is now Miss March of Playboy. He and his long time friend travel across the country to try and win back her heart, whilst having a crazy adventure along the way. Sure there is the sappy disney love story ending, but the fun part of the movie is the events that lead up to the ending. There is a ton of really funny moments in this movie that had me laughing out loud! This is a great feel good movie that makes you forget about your problems. The best friend is a lovable sex crazed kid while the main character is a funny prude. My only fault with this movie is that I believe the girlfriend could have been a bit hotter, I mean she is beautiful but not Miss March material imo. Overall I give this movie a solid 3 out of 5 good laughs and a happy ending.

http://www.wisevid.com/gateway.php?viewkey=d079ec797dcaa27598f0

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Sex Drive

Staring Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew, Clark Duke, James Madison, and Seth Green

Directed by Sean Anders

“He’s leaving virgin territory” is the tag line for this film.   Sex Drive is based on the book, All The Way by Andy Behrens.  This comedy follows Josh Zuckerman (Kyle XY), a high school senior through an adventurous cross-country trip to meet a girl he has met on the Internet.  The movie’s awkward situations one after another keep this movie’s laughs coming.

We start out by meeting Ian (Josh Zuckerman), the stereotypical lovable loser beleaguered by his own virginity.  Ian, who is awkward around women, can’t seem to find a break from his brothers to his job, finds ease in talking to a girl on the Internet.  Ian’s best friend Lance (Clark Duke), is the polar opposite, he is comfortable in his skin and well charmed with the ladies. Upon finding out about Ian’s Internet crush, Ms Tasty, Lance talks Ian into stealing his brother’s vintage 1969 GTO to meet up with her after the promise of sex.   From there we meet Felicia (Amanda Crew), Ian’s other friend who he secretly wants more than a friendship with.  She unfortunately tags along on the Ian’s sex trip as she thinks the trip is to visit Ian’s sick grandma.  The three head South where uproariously ensues.  Everything from partying with the Amish to participating in purity pledge with a twist at a Kentucky local county fair helps Ian figure out what he really wants.

Josh Zuckerman plays Ian’s lovable character to the point where you want the very best for the high school senior.  But this movie is about the supporting actors.  The supporting cast brings the movie from mediocrity to something much more. Duke Clark does a decent job playing the best friend and the over-the-top ladies man.  Amanda Crew gives a sweet but funny performance as Ian’s friend and love interest. James Madison absolutely steals every scene he is in playing Ian’s older brother, Rex, a younger brother’s worse nightmare. Seth Green is at his best as a sarcastic Amish man helping Ian and company through their road trip after the car breaks down.

Even though this movie did not do well at the box office, this teen sex comedy soared past my expectations.  Although this is a typical teen sex comedy, this comedy lightly stews in everything from raunchy-gross comedy to awkward comedy in a flawless fit.  This film is a must see for fans of the American Pie series or the recent Superbad, and a pleasant surprise for anyone.

Rating 3.5 out of 5

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The story follows a newly married couple and the world’s worst dog in this comedy directed by David Frankel.  As a young pup, Marley gets adopted by John and Jenny Grogan (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston).  John, a writer, starts writing columns about Marley and the adventures Marley brings.  As the years pass, John and Jenny start a family, move across the country, and realize just how important Marley is in their family. 

This film really revolves around Marley and John’s relationship.  Marley is literally the world’s worst dog, but with that comes a lot of comedy.  It is a light hearted story based on the autobiographical book by columnist John Grogan that will make you fall in love with Marley.

Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson did not deliver their best performances in this film, but the comedy in the story definitely made up for it.  This movie will keep you laughing and keep you wanting to see what crazy thing Marley will do next. 

This is definitely a movie the whole family will enjoy.  It really shows how pets are apart of the family.  I loved this movie so much and it’s one I will probably watch over and over and over again!

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Adam Shankman directs Adam Sandler in this family comedy about a hotel handyman who tells his niece and nephew bedtime stories and they magically come true.

Skeeter is a hotel handyman who is recruited by his sister (Courteney Cox Arquette) to watch after her two children with the help of her colleague (Keri Russell).  Skeeter has the night shift with the kids and he tells them bedtime stories.  Disappointed by the stories, the children join in and help Skeeter tell the stories.  Their imagination with the story-telling starts the growth of their relationship with Uncle Skeeter.  But, the bedtime stories start to come true and affects Skeeter’s life.  Realizing what is happening, Skeeter tries to tell the bedtime stories in a way where his dream of becoming a hotel manager comes true.

Where to begin?  The writing is genius.  Throughout the entire movie, I was wondering how the bedtime stories were going to come true.  I was pleasantly surprised when the crazy stories came true in a realistic way.  Each story became more and more unrealistic and made me wonder when something unrealistic like the story was going to “come true” for Skeeter.   I still cannot get over how imaginative, creative, and brilliant the script of this movie is. 

Adam Sandler is as funny as ever.  This will not become a “classic Adam Sandler movie”, but it’s a good one.  He keeps the sarcasm flowing in this family film.  If you like Adam Sandler as an actor, you won’t be disappointed.

Overall, I thought this movie was BRILLIANT!!   The crazy things that you think are going to happen, do happen… but they happen in a very realistic way.  I saw this movie three times and every time, I just kept thinking how awesome the writing was!!  Loved it!!  This is one I highly recommend… after all, you can almost NEVER go wrong with Adam Sandler!!

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