I should have used the time during the DC snowpocalypse to catch up on writing. Obviously, I didn’t. I had started a draft of reviews on a round of rentals I had recently partaken in, but it seems WP ate my homework. I just haven’t had the willpower to rewrite it. So let’s see if I can remember my impressions.
Observe and Report – I really wanted this to be funny, and indeed the trailers painted it to be so. Wow. Not only was the movie not funny, it couldn’t even achieve the dark comedy I think it actually tried to be. The main character is bipolar and instead of finding the levity of the situation, a la Little Miss sunshine, things spiral out of control into the land of attrocity. This is a disaster. Sorry Seth. A for effort but this is one of the worst things I’ve seen. Don’t rent it, don’t bother catching it edited for TV. If you really want to go out of your way to show how little you like someone this will make a great gift.
The Hangover – I wish that I had watched this AFTER the aforementioned catastrophe. It would have been like a cleansing balm to my tortured cerebrum. I can’t say enough Good about this movie. It takes all the most absurd situations, slings them into a chaotic bender that will leave you wishing for more. I’ll admit there are a couple of parts that dragged, but over all I give this flick a hearty Hell Yeah!
Sherlock Holmes – We saw it in the theater for once. This is not your Sir Arthur’s Sherlock. Downey plays a MUCH more active role. I’ll admit they tried to work in the detectives uncanny reasoning through some “flash forward” editing, but most of it seems aimed towards making Holmes a 19th century John McClane. I enjoyed the reading the fiction growing up, but I’m not such the purist that this departure bothered me much. That being said there really was no air of proper mystery to the plot. I recall the BBC TV adaptations and realize how much I miss the sleuthing involved in Sir Arthur’s mysteries. Over all, a fun ride but don’t watch this expecting much more than a resounding MEHstery.
Yes Man – Rent this. It’s funny if a little lame. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and though it may not have the replay value of something like The Hangover, it’s a good comedy in it’s own right. It reminds me more of Carey’s Liar Liar comedy. The zaniness isn’t as forced as the Ace Bleahntura product line and allows you to connect with the character. I dare to call it a romantic comedy, but I am a sucker for the hijinks that ensue in a boy meets girl absurdity. We’ll just say it’s my concession to seeing a “chick flick” with my wife. Borderline Yeah but to be fair I can’t compare it to The Hangover so Meh plus.
