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"Transformers:" Revenge of the bad movie

6/23/2009

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Let me start things off here by saying that I love Michael Bay. I like what he does. He gives me a summer spectacle that makes the hairs on my arms rise right up while simultaneously manipulating me into thinking I actually have feelings. I don't know how you guys are, but when Harry Stamper sends A.J. back into the ship and says, "Your job is taking care of my little girl now," well, my heart swelled and I was actually convinced Bruce Willis was going to die in real life. Whether you think Bay is a hack or not, one thing is undeniable, he knows how to direct the shit out of an action movie, and, with the first Transformers, he proved it. Now with his second outing, Bay  has upped the ante and attempted to deliver us even bigger, louder, more bad ass robot fighting than before, and on that level he succeeds.

Revenge of the Fallen (RoF) has more robots than the last time, more action sequences, more robot character development, ...



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We "Propose" you ogle Ryan Reynolds' abs...

6/18/2009

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So, as a lady, I've seen my fair share of chick flicks. And fine, sometimes I swoon at the cheesy romances, irrational plots and predictable denouements. I'm only human, after all. But sometimes, angry feminist Darcie rears her head and I breathe fire on movies I thought might become guilty pleasures but instead piss me off (Bride Wars, I'm looking at you). And, even sometimes, I am quite bored by chick flick rom-coms altogether (ie anything starring Mandy Moore). The Proposal, starring the adorable/ageless Sandra Bullock and the sexy/dry-witted Ryan Reynolds, made me swoon, I must admit. Shh...just don't tell anyone.


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"Away We Go" into this quiet film

6/17/2009

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Away We Go is a polarizing film. No, seriously, check out its review on Rotten Tomatoes and see for yourself. Some either call it a breath of fresh air, while others deem it arrogant and smug. The film is even polarizing for The Movie Press team. Both Greg and Clark let out a disinterested "meh" at the end of the film, while I was undoubtedly more affected.

For some reason, Away We Go truly struck a chord in me--maybe the flick is more geared towards women than the heavily showcased John Krasinski silly antics trailer would lead you to believe. It's a film about a couple searching for a place to raise their child and about what truly makes a home.


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What happens in Vegas...oh, fuck it.

6/3/2009

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The Hangover strives to bring that old cliche to new heights, but when you're working off a cliche, your movie tends to become one as well.

The flick is basically a more profane and less bizarre version of Dude, Where's My Car. Three friends (Justin Bartha, Ed Helms and the sexy Bradley Cooper) and one possibly retarded future bro in-law (Zach Galifianakis) head out to Vegas for one wild and crazy bachelor party. Cut from scene of first drinks to morning after, the dudes discover they've misplaced the groom and try to piece together the events of the night to find their friend.

With a flick from the dude who brought you Old School, you walk into The Hangover expecting a film that's heavy on dude-broing, wackiness and profanity. You're not going to be disappointed, but you're not going to be completely elated either.

As the groom, Bartha is a complete throwaway, and he leaves Cooper to play the almost-straight man in the midst of Helms' shrieking hysteria and Galifianakis' disgusting, screw looseness, and Cooper does it with gusto. He's the charmer of the group, stealing from his junior high students, ditching his dreaded wife and baby, and basically oozing charm. Helms takes his Office character up an annoying notch (and a couple of voice decibels), and Galifianakis tries his hardest to emulate Will Ferrell in Old School--for the most part he succeeds.

The Hangover, while funny, isn't completely gut-bustingly so. When it hits, it hits hard--namely with Ken Jeong stealing the show as a gay Asian gangster wielding a crowbar and no undies.  Okay, fine, maybe his character is offensive to gays and Asian and the gaysians, but just as he did in Role Models, Jeong commits to his character with panache.

Another highlight includes (the way too featured in the trailers) scenes involving Mike Tyson, Phil Collins and a tiger. Although I had seen the trailer tons of times, it still made me giggle pretty profusely. 

But when it doesn't hit...the film flails. The plot is slightly slow-moving for me, and the conclusion doesn't quite live up to the wacky shenanigans of the whole film. Also, the women in The Hangover seem little more than props and stereotypes--there's the hooker with a heart of gold, the shrill, cheating girlfriend and then the blank bride-to-be.

Don't go into The Hangover expecting a Wedding Crashers or even an Old School. It's not a laugh a minute type of movie, but you can expect an Apatow-level of bro camaraderie. The chemistry between Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis is perhaps unrivaled this summer so far, and it makes the film not only watchable but enjoyable as well. It may not have been the wildest of nights, but this is one fairly gnarly Hangover you won't mind waking up to.

--Darcie Duttweiler


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