Showing posts with label Will Ferrell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Will Ferrell. Show all posts
Mega Fun? Or Just Kinda Fun?
Good versus Evil. It’s the constant battle that is fought day in and day out. So is the case in Megamind. Megamind was sent to earth as a young boy, ejected into space as his planet was facing destruction. At the same time, Metro Man was also on his way to Earth under the same scenario. One landed in a nice house, and one in prison. Their fates had been selected.
As they grow, the rivalry intensifies. And it reaches a heated climax when Metro Man is trapped and his defenses are weakened, but will this final battle be the end for our hero? Or will Megamind need to find his nemesis to be complete?
Megamind is not your father’s animated film. In fact the humor here is not your son or daughter’s either. It is a funny film for boys and maybe even teens/adults but I wouldn’t look to young girls for a group that will enjoy this film. I had fun at some of the jokes that cross the heads of the youngest viewers, but there were more of those than jokes that make the youngsters laugh.
The voice work is top-notch and they do their best, but this film fizzles a bit when it comes to structure and overall pacing. It would have been nice to keep the fun going, but because of the story structure, it just can’t proceed.
Megamind could have been mega fun, but instead it was just kinda fun.
B-
Megamind
Dreamworks Pictures
Director: Tom McGrath
Cast: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross
Rating: PG for action and some language.
Runtime: 96 minutes.
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Good versus Evil. It’s the constant battle that is fought day in and day out. So is the case in Megamind. Megamind was sent to earth as a young boy, ejected into space as his planet was facing destruction. At the same time, Metro Man was also on his way to Earth under the same scenario. One landed in a nice house, and one in prison. Their fates had been selected.
As they grow, the rivalry intensifies. And it reaches a heated climax when Metro Man is trapped and his defenses are weakened, but will this final battle be the end for our hero? Or will Megamind need to find his nemesis to be complete?
Megamind is not your father’s animated film. In fact the humor here is not your son or daughter’s either. It is a funny film for boys and maybe even teens/adults but I wouldn’t look to young girls for a group that will enjoy this film. I had fun at some of the jokes that cross the heads of the youngest viewers, but there were more of those than jokes that make the youngsters laugh.
The voice work is top-notch and they do their best, but this film fizzles a bit when it comes to structure and overall pacing. It would have been nice to keep the fun going, but because of the story structure, it just can’t proceed.
Megamind could have been mega fun, but instead it was just kinda fun.
B-
Megamind
Dreamworks Pictures
Director: Tom McGrath
Cast: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross
Rating: PG for action and some language.
Runtime: 96 minutes.
This Campaign Deserves a Vote
Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) has been a North Carolina congressman for years and is ready to go back to Washington for yet another term. But a mistimed phone call coupled with the Republican strategist Motch Brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow) looking for a candidate they can oust Brady with leads to an opponent for the likable Democrat. But no one could imagine the man they would choose…director of tourism for a small town, Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis).Marty has always looked for a way to impress his father. This campaign is just what he needs to make a difference. This mild mannered family man will take the advice of a political hired gun named Tim Wattley (Dylan McDermott) to try to unseat the popular congressman.
Now the battle is on between the two and you will see a campaign unlike anything you have seen before.
The Campaign is laugh out loud funny and that’s not just a quote to get my name on a TV ad…in fact when it sticks to political foibles and when Ferrell and Galifianakis engage each other I really enjoyed it. HOWEVER, and you knew that was coming, there are a number of spots where it wanders and flattens out.
The spin the film puts on everything from television ads, to debates, and from kissing babies to the people behind the scenes works. It is unfortunate that they couldn’t spend all of the rather short run time on those aspects.
Both political parties get shots and there is no political bent here other than that ALL have their quirks…but there is more good here than so many believe of their local politicians.
In a time when we are ready to be bombarded by campaign ads as we choose another President; The Campaign is a welcome take on the process that will be front and center in our media for the next 3 months.
B
Warner Brothers Pictures
Director: Jay Roach
Cast: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott
Rating: R for crude sexual content, language and brief nudity.
Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes
Pay Attention to The Other Guys
We’ve seen buddy cop movies before. They are a staple of the movie going experience. You know, these are the ones that feature the cops that are the rock stars of the department. They crash cars, hog the glory and enjoy the women at every turn. Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson are THOSE guys.
But this movie only spends a short span with those guys; this movie is about the other guys. Allen (Will Ferrell) is a hard working desk jockey. He’s more comfortable sitting behind a desk and filling out paperwork that no one wants to worry about. His partner, Terry (Mark Wahlberg) has been off the regular beat for some time. He had an incident that sent him to the sidelines and made him a hated member of the New York police department.
Now, Allen and Terry see their chance to take over the beloved role of leaders in the department and get back involved in their police work. The two are becoming comfortable with each other and their lives outside of work. Terry is shocked at Allen’s wife (the lovely Eva Mendes) and Allen’s ability to make virtually every woman become enamored with him.
The two must work together to get to the bottom of a mysterious case as the other guys become THE GUYS.
Will Ferrell tends to be a take him or leave him kind of guy in most circles. I generally have chosen to take him, and laughed my way to the exit at most films. The Other Guys is no exception. Ferrell works in the role as the uptight desk jockey with some secrets. He works best when he is keeping it a bit cool on screen.
Wahlberg shines in the comedic realm. The sheer look on his face on many of the occasions when he is pondering what Eva Mendes sees in Ferrell will have the chuckles emanating from even the toughest individuals to crack.
The wasted thing seemed to be Jackson and Johnson. Those two could have had a whole buddy cop movie to themselves and it would have been extremely fun.
While much of the humor in the film works, the plot line with Allen and Terry working to solve the crime felt like it fell flat. Thankfully that was a smaller section of the film and the laughs kept coming throughout the remainder of this film.
Since I sometimes feel like, “the other guy” in the film critic community, I definitely relate to these guys. Better yet, I laughed along with these guys and that is an accomplishment. Despite some small dead zones, The Other Guys is fun, funny and a good time at the movies. At least in this case, it’s worth it to pay attention to The Other Guys.
B/B-
The Other Guys
Columbia Pictures
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton
Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material.
Runtime: 107 minutes.
READ MORE
We’ve seen buddy cop movies before. They are a staple of the movie going experience. You know, these are the ones that feature the cops that are the rock stars of the department. They crash cars, hog the glory and enjoy the women at every turn. Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson are THOSE guys.
But this movie only spends a short span with those guys; this movie is about the other guys. Allen (Will Ferrell) is a hard working desk jockey. He’s more comfortable sitting behind a desk and filling out paperwork that no one wants to worry about. His partner, Terry (Mark Wahlberg) has been off the regular beat for some time. He had an incident that sent him to the sidelines and made him a hated member of the New York police department.
Now, Allen and Terry see their chance to take over the beloved role of leaders in the department and get back involved in their police work. The two are becoming comfortable with each other and their lives outside of work. Terry is shocked at Allen’s wife (the lovely Eva Mendes) and Allen’s ability to make virtually every woman become enamored with him.
The two must work together to get to the bottom of a mysterious case as the other guys become THE GUYS.
Will Ferrell tends to be a take him or leave him kind of guy in most circles. I generally have chosen to take him, and laughed my way to the exit at most films. The Other Guys is no exception. Ferrell works in the role as the uptight desk jockey with some secrets. He works best when he is keeping it a bit cool on screen.
Wahlberg shines in the comedic realm. The sheer look on his face on many of the occasions when he is pondering what Eva Mendes sees in Ferrell will have the chuckles emanating from even the toughest individuals to crack.
The wasted thing seemed to be Jackson and Johnson. Those two could have had a whole buddy cop movie to themselves and it would have been extremely fun.
While much of the humor in the film works, the plot line with Allen and Terry working to solve the crime felt like it fell flat. Thankfully that was a smaller section of the film and the laughs kept coming throughout the remainder of this film.
Since I sometimes feel like, “the other guy” in the film critic community, I definitely relate to these guys. Better yet, I laughed along with these guys and that is an accomplishment. Despite some small dead zones, The Other Guys is fun, funny and a good time at the movies. At least in this case, it’s worth it to pay attention to The Other Guys.
B/B-
The Other Guys
Columbia Pictures
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton
Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material.
Runtime: 107 minutes.