Hello everyone! Welcome to the weekend! There were seven new movies released here in the Twin Cities. I wasn’t able to see one of them unfortunately, and that was SHRINK with Kevin Spacey (I was supposed to be sent a screener, but it never came). If I can, I will try to see it and review it at a later date. But I did see the other six: 2 studio films, an in-between (not quite studio and not quite independent) and 3 independent films. Let’s get started, shall we?

First off we have Judd Apatow’s latest, FUNNY PEOPLE.

Now I know it may seem that he’s made alot of flicks lately (he’s produced a butt-load including PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, YEAR ONE, STEP BROTHERS, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL and SUPERBAD), but in truth this is only his third film as director. The previous ones being 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP. I thought they were both hilarious and touching. His new one attempts to be more mature by toning down the comedic elements a bit. The main characters are 2 comedians. One is established George Simmons (Adam Sandler) who just found out that he’s dying of cancer. The other is an up and coming comic named Ira (Seth Rogen). The two meet one night when George makes a rare appearance at the Hollywood Improv, and bombs. The veteran ends up hiring the novice as his own personal assistant/writer. The first half is about their relationship, but the second half is a completely different movie as it focuses on George trying to get his ex-fiancee (Leslie Mann) back in his life. There are entertaining things scattered throughout the movie and the first portion is arguably more enjoyable than the last. Even though the jokes are more reality based in this one, I did laugh quite frequently. The cameos are (mostly) funny too. Especially Emenim! I liked pretty much every character in this. Seth Rogen does the best job for me here. Normally he’s playing someone arrogant, but he brings a certain naivety and vulnerability to his part that I haven’t seen from him before. Sandler is in low-key mode the same way he was in SPANGLISH, and it’s effective. Jason Scwhartzman and Jonah Hill have some good moments as Ira’s roommates (love Scwartzman’s HEAD OF THE CLASS-ish sitcom). Leslie Mann does a fine job, but Eric Bana seemed a tad out of place as Mann’s obnoxious husband. There are many inspired moments in this, many involving Sandler and Rogen’s love-hate friendship. But what holds it back from being terrific is Apatow’s ego. He wrote so many good scenes and characters that it almost seemed like he didn’t know what to do with them. It also seems like he had three movie ideas (the two comedians bonding, Ira’s relationship with his roommates, and George trying to get back with his ex) and decided to mix them all into one movie. It feels pretty bloated. Some subplots are fully realized, others are pretty thin. I immediately noticed segments that could’ve been cut out (like Ira and his roommates taking a walk through the Hollywood Hills), even though they were good scenes. Apatow seems to be in love with his own writing that he can’t quite get himself to tighten and sharpen up the story to make it more focused. His first two movies were around two hours and then on dvd, he released extended versions with 20 minutes of extra footage. With FUNNY PEOPLE running 2hrs 25min, this seems like the extended version. I don’t mind seeing this version, but I would prefer to see the theatrical one first. I also thought the drama that was added felt a little too melodramatic at times. But, criticisms aside, it does a good job portraying the behind-the-scenes of comedians (I know, I worked for a few in the past couple of years). If you’re expecting something downright hilarious, you may want to turn your expectations down a notch. But if you don’t mind spending (alot of) time with some interesting characters, check it out. Just don’t expect a focused story. (The first half of this is still really good though).

The other mainstream release this weekend is the kids movie ALIENS IN THE ATTIC.

It’s about a family vacationing at a lake house when four booger-colored aliens attack them. The six kids staying there decide to stop them, in Home-Alone style fashion (with paint ball guns, potato guns, bubble guns, etc.) Okay, I wasn’t expecting this to be great or anything. In fact, the trailer is down right atrocious and I was loathing to see this. So, I feel kind of like an idiot when I walked out of it saying, “It really wasn’t that bad”. Hear me out. Remember in the late 80’s and early 90’s when Hollywood would release family sci-fi films with modest budgets to the multiplexes? Movies like SPACED INVADERS, FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR and THE EXPLORERS? Well, that’s exactly what this movie is. Now when I saw those films when I was younger, I enjoyed them well enough. But when you go back to watch them, they’re not quite as good. If I saw ALIENS IN THE ATTIC in 1989, I would have really liked it. Seeing it now at the age of 33, I still didn’t really hate it. There is a certain infectious energy and creativity that was put into this. The kids are smarter than the grownups, the aliens are kind of fun (and definitely not as silly as the ones in SPACED INVADERS). I liked the antigravity scene, and I thought the jerk boyfriend played by Robert Hoffman was pretty funny. Sure it’s all slapstick nonsense with him hitting himself as he’s controlled by aliens, but sometimes stupid simplicity is what we need. Also, the little girl in this is quite adorable and actually has some good comic timing. However, it’s lacking a certain energy to really make this take off. Something that Robert Rodriguez usually puts in his kids films, which I love. The jokes aren’t laugh-out-loud funny, but none of them are cringe-inducing. The ending is a little clunky, but nothing about this movie really bothered me. Does that mean that it warrants a recommendation? Not quite sure. I wasn’t crazy about it, but just because I didn’t hate it doesn’t necessarily mean that I liked it. I like it about as much as THE EXPLORERS and FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR. Like I said, if I saw ALIENS IN THE ATTIC twenty years ago, I would have recommended it. But now that the bar has been raised for family films, I would say wait for the dvd, and only if you’re a parent. That being said, it’s much better than G-FORCE, though I don’t think it’ll make as much money cause Jerry Bruckheimer didn’t produce. What a scumbag! Heh Heh!

Opening in 1300 screens is THE COLLECTOR.

A horror film being advertised as from the writers of SAWIV, V & VI. That’s not gonna make me running into the theater. I didn’t like any of the SAW movies and loathed the last three especially. Actually, director Marcus Dunstan got his big break on Season 3 of Project Greenlight where he and his writing partner Patrick Melton won for their screenplay FEAST. Since then, they got a few writing assignments like the SAW movies and a made-for-dvd HIGHLANDER film. This is the first time that Dunstan got to direct one of his screenplays though. The premise is intriguing. A thief breaks into a house in the middle of nowhere to make a large score of riches, but what he discovers is that the family that lives there is being tortured by a sadistic killer. He must decide whether to save himself or help the family that’s in danger. I like simple premises in films cause it allows the filmmakers to be creative with the direction. I’m a little frustrated with this cause I almost liked it. The final hour, in which he’s actually in the house trying to save the family, is pretty darn thrilling. Most of these segments, with the thief sneaking around the house trying to rescue the family as the killer is trying to find him is alot of fun. The booby traps that the killer sets up are unrealistically elaborate (hanging fishhooks from the ceiling, strings that set off bear traps, and spears, and how about that chandelier with spikes?), but you don’t go to a horror film for realism. Dunstan as a filmmaker is much more talented than anyone who’s handled a SAW movie. He chooses not to film it like a Nine Inch Nails music video. He seems to storyboard everything carefully, and much of the middle section of the film has very little dialogue. I liked this approach. My favorite scene involves a couple making out in the house as the thief and the killer are watching, both with extremely different motives. The payoff to this is awesome. So why am I not recommending it? The first 25 minutes or so are just flat. The acting is pretty weak and the direction is uninspired. I was getting bored. But once things get rolling it’s actually decent. One clever bit of visual filmmaking that I thought was cool was when you see a POV shot of a lightning bolt hitting the ground. I’ve never seen that before. I just wish that Dunstan put in as much effort into the first act that he did with the rest of his picture. Horror fans will probably be more forgiving than myself (Horror is my least favorite genre). I do think that the director is one to keep your eye on though. Given a bigger budget and better actors, he could pull off a horror classic, I think.

Now for the independent films. We have HUMPDAY.

It stars filmmaker (only acting this time) Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard (best known for co-starring in THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT) as two old friends. Ben is happily married and has a great job. Andrew is a drifter, who lives life to the fullest. It’s been a few years since they’ve seen each other until Andrew randomly shows up at Ben’s doorstep, asking for a place to stay until he gets back on his feet. While the two old friends attend a wild party, they drunkenly think up a crazy idea to make a porno with both of them having sex with each other. They think it’ll be great since they’re both straight. When they sober up, Andrew challenges his buddy that he would never have gone through with it. With his ego bruised a bit, Ben calls him on it, and they make plans to do it at a hotel in two days. This causes a strain between Ben and his wife. The premise sounds like something that could have easily turned into a Jack Black/Will Ferrell comedy. Well, this movie couldn’t be more different. Shot on an ultra-shoestring budget, this movie feels real. That’s also due to that fact that it’s mostly improvised. One thing usually that stands out in independent films is the amateurish acting, but that’s not the case here. Every performance is right on the money and feels 100% natural. This was also shot on digital and I was very impressed how great this looked. The problem with digital filmmaking is that most times, directors overlight everything. But the lighting is very minimal here. Much of the photography plays with shadows. The story doesn’t have a normal structure, which was refreshing. It’s about two people who are very much alike even though they live different lives. It’s about coming to terms with yourself. I highly enjoyed watching the characters come to life. I felt that I was watching real characters reacting to insane circumstances and I bought every minute of it. I also really like how they established Ben’s relationship with his wife. They act like a real married couple. The payoff is anti-hollywood and I loved it! I could see someone not accustomed to his type of low-budget filmmaking thinking that this is boring. But if you like character studies that make you think about the movie long after it’s over, check it out!

Our next movie is the political satire IN THE LOOP.

This one has some of the same characters from the BBC show THE THICK OF IT. Never seen it before so I don’t necessarily know the direct relation. If this is an extension of the show, or supposed to be an adaptation I’m not quite sure. Anyway, the movie is about the inner workings of the Government. It’s got a smorgasbord of characters. We have the Prime Minister Simon, his new assistant Toby, his enforcer Malcolm Tucker. They are against the Iraqi war and so is U.S. General Miller (James Gandolfini). There really is not a structured plot here. It’s a very free form that follows all of these characters as they are trying to get their political views across. Now, I’m going to admit it right now. I am NOT a political person at all. You could talk to me about anything going on in the world right now, and I can almost guarantee that I won’t know what the hell you’re talking about. So, I’m not going to pretend that I understood all of what was going on in the film, but I will tell you that I laughed my ass off through almost the entire thing. It didn’t matter that I didn’t exactly know what these characters were talking about. What mattered was how funny the dialogue was and what silly things the characters were doing. Everyone does a terrific job (with the possible exception of Anna Chlumsky who felt a tad out of place, but maybe that was the point). The real standout here is Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker. This is a truly unforgettable character that spouts off insults and profanities as often as one breaths. I wish I could read my handwriting so I could quote some of his delicious dialogue that I jotted down during my screening, but I can’t. All I know is that he uses the words “Twat” and “Cunt” like they were “it” and “is”. One of my favorite scenes is when he confronts Gandolfini as they try to one-up each other by exchanging insults. The satire is pretty dark and they really don’t paint a pretty picture for politicians, and that’s fine by me. I can imagine that if you follow politics and have a sense of humor about it, you will even like this more than I. And even if you don’t follow this stuff, you will still enjoy it cause it’s hilarious. My only gripe about it is that I’m getting sick of this handheld photography like how THE OFFICE is filmed. I do like my movies storyboarded, and sometimes I find this “new and hip” approach to be quite distracting. If Robert Altman were still alive, this would be the type of project that would attract him. It has many similarities to his films (the multiple characters, storylines and dialogue). IN THE LOOP is a dark satire that I think is one of the funniest films of the year!

The last film is the adult-oriented stop-motion animated film, $9.99.

This actually was released in a few theaters last December to qualify for the Oscars, so technically it’s a 2008 film, not a 2009 film. Anyway, this is a mult-character piece that takes place at an apartment complex. People are miserable and don’t know the meaning of life. We have a bum who may or may not be an angel, an old man who wants a friend, a father and son who don’t know each other anymore, and a model who wants to shape her boyfriend into a piece of furniture. It’s weird, it’s quirky, and it’s semi-interesting. I like the look of the animation that resembles more like claymation than stop-motion. I am of the opinion that the reason for shooting an animated film is to accomplish things that you can’t do in a live-action movie. This movie does have some weird stuff, but I do believe that it could have been done live-action. Though it’s cool to look at, I felt that they were relying on this animated gimmick to distract us from the fact that it’s kind of preachy and not all that interesting. If this was live-action, I probably would have hated it. But since the animation was neat, I was never bored. But I didn’t really care for anyone. I’m kind of getting tired of these “grown up” cartoons like WALTZ WITH BASHIR and PERSEPOLIS. To me, they kind of seem more focused on the gimmicks than the actual story. Animation buffs will probably want to check this out. Otherwise, wait for the dvd. Not terrible, but nothing special.

Okay, here is a recap of what’s out this weekend. (ratings our based on a Four-Star System)

FUNNY PEOPLE [R] – ***
ALIENS IN THE ATTIC [PG] – **1/2
THE COLLECTOR [R] – **1/2
HUMPDAY [R] – ***1/2
IN THE LOOP [NR] – ***1/2
$9.99 [R] – **1/2

I know the movie most people will be checking out this weekend will be FUNNY PEOPLE. I did like it but there are two movies out there that are much better. HUMPDAY is a better buddy film, and IN THE LOOP is funnier. See those first before FUNNY PEOPLE!!! They are at The Uptown and Lagoon Cinema. If you hard up for a horror film, THE COLLECTOR isn’t terrible. ALIENS IN THE ATTIC is a better family movie than G-FORCE. And $9.99 is okay, but I found it to be too gimmicky.

Take care everyone! Be geeky and watch movies

Tags: Adam Sandler, Apatow, Funny People, Humpday, In The Loop, Political Satire

This post was written by Austin Kennedy, Saturday, August 1st, 2009 at 1:02 pm and is filed under Diversionary Tactics, Musings, News, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.