The Campaign (2012) - Dinner & a Movie on the Ballot

On the Menu: THE CAMPAIGN (2012)

Ingredients: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Brian Cox, Dan Aykroyd, John Lithgow, Dylan McDermott, Sarah Baker, Katherine LaNasa, Karen Maruyama and Jack McBrayer. Directed by Jay Roach. Run time: 85 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: The wife had Election Day off, so she decided she could stay out a little later the night before. Normally, she wouldn't suggest a movie, but we have two movie theaters/restaurants in the area: Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company and Cinebarre. HOPE SPRINGS and TED were playing at the former. I suggested THE CAMPAIGN because I thought it would be fun to see the night before Election Day, plus it was a shorter drive.

Democratic Congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) is running for his fifth term in NC's 14th District. He's running unopposed, but his campaign takes a serious hit when he accidentally leaves a racy message intended for his mistress on a constituent's answering machine.

Two dirty businessman, the Motch brothers (Aykroyd and Lithgow), urge Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) to run against Brady.

Things get shady. Then, things get scandalous.

Then, things get ridiculous.

Tough to Swallow: The H. Ross Perot quote at the beginning of the film says he was a presidential candidate in 1988. He didn't run until 1992. The quote is from 1996, which was the second time he ran for president.

I still don't really understand why Marty is coerced to run for Congress. Cam was running unopposed. The Motch brothers could have just helped Cam reinvent his campaign.

Something to Chew On: John Goodman has a cameo.

Marty's car has the license plate GEN-0101, which is a biblical reference.

Aftertaste: Over the years (2005-2009), I had grown tired of Will Ferrell. But, in 2010, he redeemed himself with THE OTHER GUYS and MEGAMIND (I've yet to see EVERYTHING MUST GO).

Unfortunately, this is one of those Ferrell movies where he seems to play the same character he always plays. The schtick is old. Even Galifianakis's Marty is basically a cut-and-paste version of his Seth character from his standup routines. The political jabs toward John Edwards and the Koch brothers just couldn't make up for the lack of laughs. The humor is crude, which is fine by me, but I thought it was going to be much funnier.

The funniest part of the movie, much like in TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY,  is the dinner scene involving the Huggins family. Well, I take that back. The funniest part is probably the Dermot Mulroney reference during the end credits scene.

Maybe this is a film that gets better with multiple viewings. Heck, I gave ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY a measly 2.5 stars when I saw it in the theater, and now it's a flick I'll watch every time it's on television.

But, based on first impressions, it just doesn't get my vote.

Around the Table:
"I thought it was funny, but I got a little bored." -- My wife.

Rating:

Foodie (2012) - A True Delicacy

On the Menu: FOODIE (2012)

Ingredients: Nick Karner, David Berberian, Jeff Alguire, Tony Hughes, Meredith Leigh Sause, Tracey Coppedge, Emlee Vassilos, Gilly Conklin, John Jimerson and Alena Koch. Directed by Christopher G. Moore. Run time: 29 minutes. Rated: Not rated.

At First Bite: A friend and former coworker, Christopher Moore, has made some pretty impressive short films in the last few years: HARD STAPLED, BURSTERS, I SEE U and FLUSH WITH FEAR. And, they've progressively gotten better. FOODIE is his latest, and it's making the rounds on the festival circuit.

C-Mo, as I affectionately call him, was my boss back when I worked at a video store while in college. Everyone there knew he would be doing stuff like this eventually. And, we all knew he'd be great at it.

Mueller (Karner) loves food. It's what he lives for, and the culmination of his existence occurs when his co-worker, Chef Lando (Berberian), invites him to attend a top-secret supper club called Kitchen X.

The other attendees include the host chef, Brandon X (Hughes), Teddy (Sause), French Milt (Alguire), Darla (Vassilos), Shannon (Conklin) and the wine aficionados, Beth (Coppedge) and Greg (Jimerson).

First rule of Kitchen X? You do not talk about Kitchen X.

Oops.

Second Helping: Honestly, I've watched the movie about 8 times just to make sure I got my fill. There's more pressure when you're writing a review for someone you know, and you want to give your best effort.

Tough to Swallow: The wine commercial ran a little long for my tastes (about 30 seconds too long). We get the gist of Beth and Greg's obsession with the S&M portion, and there's enough of their crazy left over to see at dinner. Also, I think we should have seen the ad from Mueller's perspective only -- its TV quality makes it stand out from the crispness of the rest of the film.

The quality of audio changes during Mueller's phone conversation with Hannah. It's most notable at the end. Perhaps his last couple lines were added in later because they sound more hollow than the rest.

The cell phone has no service when Mueller answers it.

Mueller's scream can be heard in the dining room, but Greg's scream, a room closer to the dinner guests, goes pretty much unnoticed.

The blood smear on the fridge varies by shot.

The focus is soft here and there.

To me, the introduction to the bathtub scene might have worked better had it been a slow reveal.

I question why Mueller receives the invitation. Food is his life. There isn't a motive for his selection. I'd understand the choice if he had run a competing restaurant out of business, made someone sick, fired someone, etc. It would seem just as easy to create a similar scheme for someone like Shannon Von Vuster, whose ties to food go unmentioned, or blogger Darla, who might have written a bad review.

After multiple viewings, Brandon's accent begins to become unappetizing. I think maybe it was just that the actor repeatedly uses a filler in mid-sentence ("I would like to thank Beth and, uh, Greg for pairing this with their lovely pinot from, uh, Stover Creek.")

Something to Chew On: Moore directed, co-wrote, produced and edited the film. He also shares the credit for visual effects.

The budget was $3,326, which was raised through Kickstarter.

Co-writer and co-producer Eryk Pruitt is also credited as an extra. He is also the owner of the bathtub.

Moore said he came onto the film in August 2011 and worked on pre-production until shooting began in November. Shooting continued into December, and pick-up shots were filmed in January. The first screening was April 28 at the Cape Fear Independent Film Festival.

Exteriors of Kitchen X were shot at The Myers House in Hillsborough, NC.

Brandon's ringtone is the theme from Moore's BURSTERS.

POV shots were influenced by Jonathan Demme's SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. BBC's "Sherlock" inspired some transitions.

Being a STAR WARS geek, I'm sure Moore had something to do with the naming of Chef Lando.

I think there is a nod to FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF as well (when Hannah calls Mueller's name twice on the phone).

FOODIE was nominated for Best Horror at the 2012 Cape Fear Independent Film Festival.

The flick won the Grand Prize award for Best Original Fiction at the 2012 ConCarolinas Short Film Festival.

Don't confuse this film with the 2012 13-minute short called FOODIE directed by Aaron Rudelson.

Check out this clever bit of marketing (1 of 6):

Aftertaste: I feel really awful that it took me nearly a month to get this review out into the world.

Note to self: Make sure you're connected to the internet when typing a full review on your blog. The reason? Because your computer automatically saves your progress if you're connected, and you'll have that backup if your computer decides to freeze. Otherwise, you have to start over from scratch, which, as you can see by the length of this review, is a pain in the rump.

Okay, on to the review. I was really excited to see this film. I would say the horror comedy is my favorite of all genres. Plus, it's a movie where food is front and center, which is perfect for this blog.

The opening title sequence is very impressive. Seriously, it's probably one of my favorite things about the film. It really gets your mouth watering.

The writing is smart. We're introduced to a ridiculous amount of foodie vocabulary, which might as well have been Greek. The one-liners aren't too cheesy and don't feel forced. Credit also goes to the actors. Most of the them seem to deliver their lines with ease. The character of Beth is a little overpowering, but I don't fault Coppedge in her acting. Mueller, on the other hand, is rather bland for a protagonist. As far as the best characters go, French Milt and Chef Lando take the cake.

Camerawork is another plus. My favorite moments include Mueller walking down the hallway, the canted angle shot when Brandon announces dinner is ready, and the low angle shot in the kitchen near the end. I was also very pleased with the editing. The transition from the inside of Mueller's car to the outside of Kitchen X is pretty sweet. Two other transitions I enjoyed are choice cuts on sound, e.g., the clinking of wine glasses --> Hannah and her wine glass, and the thud on the floor --> Mueller opening his eyes.

The inclusion of Darla's "tweet" is a fun touch as well.

I have to say the special effects are awesome considering the budget. Normally, I'm okay with movie blood, but the scene with the cleaver almost made my stomach turn every time. It's rather unsavory. Funnily enough, the only other movie to make me feel similar was RULES OF ATTRACTION, and it was also a scene featuring a bathtub (I almost passed out).

The final shot of the film is, by far, is my favorite thing of all. Just exquisite.

Watching FOODIE reminded me of a little of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME and the 1995 black comedy THE LAST SUPPER, which would be a nice pairing if you were planning on a movie night. Other enticing double-feature ideas would be DELICATESSEN, PARENTS, EATING RAOUL and RAVENOUS.

Moore's FOODIE might be just around 30 minutes long, but it brings a lot to the table. Sure, it's not perfect, but every film has its gristle.

So, look for this at a film festival near you. If you aren't lucky enough to find a screening, keep up with the film on Facebook or its own website.

And, if you've seen FOODIE and don't agree with me that it's finger lickin' good...

Eat me.

Rating:

ActionFest Buffet 3.0: Leftovers

On the Menu: THE RAID: REDEMPTION (2011)

Aftertaste: Possibly the best action flick of ActionFest 2012.

Rating:

On the Menu: THE DAY (2011)

Aftertaste: Like THE ROAD, but with young peeps, including the lovely Shannyn Sossamon.

Rating:

On the Menu: BAD ASS (2012)

Aftertaste: A real-life viral video becomes a vigilante flick starring Danny Trejo. It's WALKING TALL with a fanny pack.

Rating:

On the Menu: COMIN' AT YA! 3D (1981)

Aftertaste: The most fun movie at ActionFest 2012 not named MANBORG, but it's not purposefully ridiculous. It's just ridiculous.

Rating:

On the Menu: SLEEPLESS NIGHT (2011)

Aftertaste: This secret screening was a nice surprise. You'd never know Tomer Sisley is a stand-up comedian by trade. Dude rocks the action-thrillers.

Rating:

On the Menu: THE LOST BLADESMAN (2011)

Aftertaste: A little confusing with all the characters, and I was hoping for more action. More of a drama until the second half.

Rating:

On the Menu: GOD BLESS AMERICA (2011)

Aftertaste: Goldthwait's stuff is always risky/ballsy. Twisted and over-the-top, but I agree with most of the soapboxing when it comes to how our culture has devolved.

Rating:

On the Menu: WONDER WOMEN! (2012)

Aftertaste: A well-done mix of comic book history and girl power. Sometimes inspirational, too. I'm still waiting for the live-action Wonder Woman summer blockbuster. I vote for Gina Carano.

Rating:

Manborg (2011) - ActionFest Buffet 3.0: Plate #5

On the Menu: MANBORG (2011)

Ingredients: Matthew Kennedy, Ludwig Lee, Meredith Sweeney, Conor Sweeney, Adam Brooks, Jeremy Gillespie and Andrea Karr. Directed by Steven Kostanski. Run time: 60 minutes. Rated: Not rated.

At First Bite: The late-night movies at ActionFest are usually the best, e.g., TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL and HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN. So, I made sure to secure a ticket to MANBORG.

A soldier (Kennedy) dies while he and his brother are fighting the evil Draculon (Brooks) and his army. He's brought back to life as a half-man, half-cyborg.

Draculon now rules the world.

Manborg, as he now calls himself, teams up with Mina (Sweeney), Justice (Sweeney) and #1 Man (Lee) to fight Draculon and his Killborgs.

Tough to Swallow: I can't think of anything bad to say, except I wish it were longer than 60 minutes.

Something to Chew On: The budget was an estimated $1,000.

Brooks portrayed both Draculon and Doctor Scorpius.

The director is also credited as playing Assorted Killborgs.

Kyle Hebert is the voice of #1 Man.

Regional premiere at ActionFest 2012.

Won the 2012 Spirit of ActionFest Award.

We were told before the movie to yell "Manborg!" if there should be a technical issue with the projection/sound. Funnily, the following day, people were yelling this when other films had problems or while simply waiting for a film to start.

Raven Banner Entertainment picked up the distribution rights back in February, so hopefully a DVD is on the way soon.

Aftertaste: It would be very easy to confuse MANBORG with a straight-to-VHS flick from the '80s, and for good reason. The filmmakers at Astron-6 make these types of movies for a living. They purposefully made the company name sound like Vestron, which was responsible for EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY, BIG MAN ON CAMPUS, DREAM A LITTLE DREAM and, surprisingly, DIRTY DANCING. A number of Vestron's films haven't been released on DVD despite the library now being owned by Lionsgate.

Anyway...

Here we have a low-budget work of art. It was all filmed in a garage on a green screen. Manborg's costume is made from everyday scraps painted to metallic. Throw in some voice dubbing, some stop-motion animation and some lasers, and it's like you're in nerd heaven.

There's so much involved in this movie, it's difficult to believe it's only an hour long.

The Baron might be the film's best character. He's a baddie with a soft spot for one of his prisoners. He's the comic relief in a movie full of ridiculousness. Of course, having #1 Man's voice dubbed makes him pretty hilarious as well.

Call it a poor man's ROBOCOP. Or a poor man's TERMINATOR. Throw in some TRON and make it a comedy.

Just remember it looks the way it does on purpose.

Rating:

Goon (2011) - ActionFest Buffet 3.0: Plate #2

On the Menu: GOON (2011)

Ingredients: Seann William Scott, Liev Schreiber, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Eugene Levy, Kim Coates and Marc-André Grondin. Directed by Michael Dowse. Run time: 92 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: I was hoping this movie was going to make the lineup for ActionFest 2012. I had been seeing posts about it from Magnet Releasing on my Facebook news feed for a while. Once ActionFest added it to this year's schedule, I marked it as my first must-see flick.

Doug Glatt (Scott) is a bouncer, who spends time watching hockey with his best friend, Ryan (Baruchel). Doug idolizes one of the league's toughest players, Ross Rhea (Schreiber), but doesn't actually play hockey himself. He can't even skate.

Doug and Ryan go to check out the local hockey team one night, and one of the players picks a fight with Doug in the stands.

The aftermath leads to Doug being picked up by the Halifax Highlanders.

Even though he still can't skate.

Tough to Swallow: In the locker room before Doug's first Highlanders game, the players have on white socks, but when LaFlamme walks in the room all the socks change to blue.

The Highlanders are located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but there are Manitoba signs in the background of shots throughout the movie.

Credit for MTL Tomahawk #1 is misspelled as Tomahawak.

Something to Chew On: Based on the true story of Doug Smith.

Adapted from the novel "Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey" by Smith and Adam Frattasio.

Clips of some of Smith's fights play during the closing credits.

Kevin Smith originally cast Scott as the goon in his 2013 hockey movie HIT SOMEBODY, but in November 2010 announced Nicholas Braun would play the role instead.

Aftertaste: Oh, man, this movie is just plain brutal.

Is it comparable to SLAP SHOT? I think it's better. Yeah, yeah, shoot me. In my opinion, Doug is just as dumb as the Hanson brothers, but he's easier on the eyes and tougher than all three combined. GOON is funnier, bloodier and more warmhearted.

You know right from the beginning it's going to be over the top. Blood is dripping on the ice in slow motion to the classical music of Puccini, and then a tooth follows. Not often do I really take notice of a soundtrack when watching a film, but the music here is really complementary to the action and sometimes helps get a laugh.

Baruchel's character is a little much, but not enough to totally take you out of the movie. Levy and Coates are underused, but the movie is about Doug and it's only 92 minutes.

I would say this is Scott's PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE. Doug is the antithesis of the typical characters Scott portrays. His performance probably won't garner any accolades, but it does deserve some type of recognition. I'd guess his best chance would be at the MTV Movie Awards (Best Performance or Best Fight).

To me, GOON was the second-best film of ActionFest 2012.

Wanna fight about it?

Rating:

Let the Bullets Fly (2010) - ActionFest Buffet 3.0: Plate #1

On the Menu: LET THE BULLETS FLY (2010)

Ingredients: Chow Yun-Fat, Wen Jiang, Ge You, Xiaogang Feng, Kun Chen and Carina Lau. Directed by Wen Jiang. Run time: 132 minutes. Rated: Not rated.

At First Bite: Chose this as my first Saturday film of ActionFest 2012. Seemed like it could be this year's THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD.

A group of bandits, led by Pocky Zhang (Jiang), ambushes a "train" carrying, Ma, the next governor of Goose Town (You), his wife (Lau) and his counselor. The counselor perishes, but, to avoid death, Ma poses as the counselor. Ma tells Pocky he can be the governor of Goose Town and split the taxes with Master Huang (Yun-Fat), the local mobster.

Zhang would rather just take from Huang, not the townspeople.

But, it's just not that easy.

Tough to Swallow: In the opening, regular titles and subtitles conflict in telling the year. One reads 1919. The other reads 1920.

Often, the subtitles go by pretty quickly.

Not sure it had to be two hours and twelve minutes long.

Something to Chew On: LET THE BULLETS FLY is China's highest-grossing film (domestic) of all-time, passing Xiaogang Feng's AFTERSHOCK.

Feng plays the counselor in the opening scene of this movie.

Jiang is also credited as one of the film's six screenwriters.

The budget was an estimated $18 million.

Aftertaste: LET THE BULLETS FLY was much funnier than I had expected. And, the laughs start right off the bat with the "train" robbery. Ge You is the comic relief, but Yun-Fat gets some chuckles because he plays two roles: the mobster and his double. For the most part, it plays like a black comedy -- since the death scenes are funny as well.

I don't know enough about present-day China, but I've read how this movie is a commentary on the corruption they've seen. Maybe that's why it broke the box-office record there.

Even though the movie runs long, its pace is pretty frenetic. The back-and-forth dialogue is tough to follow at times. If you don't like subtitles, this might be a tough film for you (unless the dubbed version stays true to the script).

The game of one-upsmanship between Zhang and Huang grows and grows as the movie progresses. The laughs are entertaining, sure, but it's this battle that keeps you interested. They are great, well-written characters, and they're pretty badass, too.

Comedy, violence and mind games: A winning trifecta.

This is one of the first of the ActionFest 2012 flicks to get a DVD release (April 24, 2012), and I'm definitely planning on getting one.

Rating:

Friends with Benefits (2011) - February Filmathon Film #11

On the Menu: FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (2011)

Ingredients: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Woody Harrelson, Patricia Clarkson, Richard Jenkins, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Nolan Gould, Shaun White, Andy Samberg and Emma Stone. Directed by Will Gluck. Run time: 109 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: I've had the DVD sitting by the television, but been putting off watching it in favor of non-romantic comedies and action flicks. However, it was the wife's pick out of the stack.

Corporate headhunter Jamie (Kunis) recruits well-known blogger Dylan (Timberlake) to work for GQ. Both have recently gotten out of relationships and end up spending lots of time together. They become good friends and decide to take it to the next level, but without any attachment.

Does that ever really work?

Tough to Swallow: Jamie's phone has the date 8/24/2010 on it when it's supposed to be July 4th. It's very brief.

Something to Chew On: Kunis used a butt double for nude scenes.

Jason Segel and Rashida Jones appear uncredited as stars of the movie within the movie.

Masi Oka ("Heroes") has a cameo as a passenger on a plane. His character's name is Darin Arturo Morena, but I don't recall hearing or reading his name anywhere.

Catherine Reitman, daughter of director Ivan Reitman, plays a female co-worker. Six months before this film hit theaters, Reitman's NO STRINGS ATTACHED, another bed buddies flick, was released.

Gluck previously directed EASY A starring Stone and Clarkson.

The sign Jamie uses to flag down Dylan at the airport originally read "O. Penderghast." Olive Penderghast was Stone's character in EASY A.

Gluck's daughters appear on the plane in front of Jamie and Dylan when the friends are going to visit Justin's family.

In the scene where Dylan hits on the Belgian girl, the saxophone player is playing Biz Markie's "Just a Friend."

Susan Sarandon is the only person from SNL's "Motherlover" Digital Short not to appear in this movie.

After the end credits, there are fake outtakes from the movie within the movie.

Aftertaste: For me, this is the third Justin Timberlake movie of the month following BAD TEACHER and IN TIME. And, surprisingly, I have to say I enjoyed this one the most.

Timberlake and Kunis have great chemistry together, and are both very attractive. The dialogue is witty and quick, and the supporting cast shines. Clarkson, Jenkins and Harrelson are scene stealers.

I like how the characters break down rom-coms. It's a self-aware movie, but still follows the same clichés. So, it's predictable, yet still funny and entertaining.

Oh, the beginning of the closing credits is pretty cool. A pair of hands works the credits like a smartphone.

All of those things make this the f*ck buddies movie you should watch, not NO STRINGS ATTACHED. I love Natalie Portman, but Ashton Kutcher is horrible.

For Gluck, it's a couple notches below EASY A (4.5 stars). Maybe an easy B.

Around the Table:

"I liked this movie and not just because we get to see Justin Timberlake’s ass. I enjoyed the love story part of it and find some of it to be true to life, especially the part where Justin’s character is making excuses to his sister of why it wouldn’t work with Mila’s character." -- My wife

Rating:

Bridesmaids (2011) - February Filmathon Film #9

On the Menu: BRIDESMAIDS (2011)

Ingredients: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Jill Clayburgh, Jon Hamm, Chris O'Dowd, Rebel Wilson, Matt Lucas, Michael Hitchcock, Ben Falcone, Terry Crews and Richard Riehle. Directed by Paul Feig. Run time: 125 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: This movie got a lot of hype. It was called the female version of THE HANGOVER. I held off on seeing it until the DVD release because almost every comedy deemed the next HANGOVER has disappointed.

Lillian (Rudolph) is getting married and has picked her life-long best friend, Annie (Wiig), to be her maid of honor. Annie feels threatened by Lillian's newest, and richest, friend, Helen (Byrne), who tries to plan everything from the engagement party to the wedding.

Annie is also dealing with a crappy "boyfriend," ridiculous roommates and recently saw her bakery go out of business.

Tough to Swallow: During the bridal shower, Megan has a brace on her right wrist. It's on her left wrist every other time we see her.

In the subtitles and credits, Air Marshal Jon is misspelled as 'Air Marshall Jon."

I never quite understood why Annie got the blame for the airplane incident.

Something to Chew On: This was Clayburgh's final film. Six months before the movie hit theaters, she lost her 21-year battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. She was 66.

Hamm is uncredited as Ted.

Feig has an uncredited cameo as a wedding guest.

Co-writer Annie Mumolo has a small role as the nervous woman on the plane.

Judd Apatow is one of the film's producers. Wiig and Mumolo are also credited as co-producers.

SNL alumni Nancy Carell (formerly Walls) and Melanie Hutsell are Helen and Annie's tennis partners.

McCarthy and Falcone, who played Air Marshal Jon, are married to each other in real life.

Nominated for a 2011 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (Wiig and Mumolo).

McCarthy received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

There are two funny references to "The Brady Bunch" and "The Twilight Zone." Well, funny to me.

The wedding scene/song plays out a little longer over the credits, and there's a homemade tape featuring Megan and Air Marshal Jon.

Aftertaste: Even though my wife loves toilet humor, I find it interesting a comedy written by women contains so much of it. Those parts of the movie, plus McCarthy's Galifianakis-like antics, were funny, but I laughed more at Wiig's performance, especially her scenes with Rudolph. I think my favorite joke was early in the movie at the coffee shop when Lillian talks about how Ted wanted Annie to get dental work.

My favorite scene was definitely Annie losing it on the airplane. What kind of name is Stove? It might be the only time Wiig went over-the-top and was still funny.

The engagement party speech scene was slightly uncomfortable to watch at first. Redemption was found in having it drag out, plus seeing Lillian's reaction.

The appearance of my second favorite musical group of all-time (#1 being Huey Lewis & The News) was cool, and had me singing the song for the rest of the next two days.

I think Matt Lucas is a funny guy. I loved him in "Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire," a show that wasn't given a fair shake by Comedy Central. However, Lucas and Wilson, as the bumbling brother-sister roommates, bring nothing of substance to this movie. The run time could easily be 10-15 minutes shorter.

I'd say BRIDESMAIDS is the female equivalent of THE HANGOVER. Although, I'm still not sure it warranted two Oscar nominations. But, the Academy loves when women take on something that makes them look worse than they really are, e.g., Kathy Bates, Hilary Swank, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Renée Zellweger, Mo'Nique, etc.

Hopefully, Annie didn't catch the bouquet because THE HANGOVER PART II was disappointing.

Rating:

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) - February Filmathon Film #7

On the Menu: KUNG FUN PANDA 2 (2011)

Ingredients: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, Dennis Haysbert, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Victor Garber and Lauren Tom. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson. Run time: 91 minutes. Rated: PG.

At First Bite: Personally, I find Jack Black to be annoying. But, it is much easier to watch one of his movies if he's just a voice actor.

In the first film, Po (Black) was matched up against Tai Lung, who really had a beef with Master Oogway. Here, the story pits Po against someone from his past, Lord Shen, who is bent on killing off Kung Fu altogether and taking over China.

Tough to Swallow: I wish I would have seen this in 3D.

Something to Chew On: This is the feature directorial debut of Yuh Nelson.

To date, KUNG FU PANDA 2 is the highest-grossing film with a female director.

Shen was actually a character for the first movie, but was written out before production.

Guillermo del Toro is credited as a Creative Consultant.

Charlie Kaufman did some uncredited script touch-ups.

2012 Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature.

Aftertaste: Po is still a fanboy of the Furious Five, but he's toned down from the original. And, only one skadoosh. This time Po is more vulnerable. He's haunted by flashes from his past, but he's not sure what they mean.

Darker than the first film. Of course, when you have a villain hellbent on killing all the pandas, it's going to be dark. Who hates pandas? I will say Shen doesn't look the part of a bad guy, but having Gary Oldman's voice definitely helps.

I love the use of different animating styles. The movie starts and ends with 2D shadow puppetry. The bulk of the movie is 3D CGI, and Po's memories are 2D anime.

The dragon sequence and the ensuing chase are my favorite scenes. The final battle is pretty sweet as well though (by that point the movie is sooooo red). There are some really funny moments. I think the one I laughed at most was when Po is flipped by the prison door and turned around by Tigress (Jolie). There are also some tug-at-your-heart ones, especially with Mr. Ping (Hong).

I'd say Mr. Ping and the Soothsayer (Yeoh) steal their scenes.

Better than the original. Pure awesomeness.

Rating:

Division III: Football's Finest (2011) - February Filmathon Film #5

On the Menu: DIVISION III: FOOTBALL'S FINEST (2011)

Ingredients: Andy Dick, Marshall Cook, Alison Haislip, Mo Collins, Michael Jace, Bryan Callen, Paul Henderson, Greg Fitzsimmons, Kevin Covais, Adam Carolla, Will Sasso, Debra Wilson and Sally Kirkland. Directed by Marshall Cook. Run time: 98 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: In honor of the Super Bowl, I wanted to watch a football-related movie. BIG FAN would have been perfect had I not already seen it.

DIVISION III is about a crappy football program at Pulham University, a liberal arts college. The previous coach suffered a heart attack, and the school president brings in Coach Rick Vice (Dick) for publicity. If he can't coach PU to a winning season, then the program will be cut.

So, it's a familiar underdog story... with Andy Dick.
Tough to Swallow: The school's name is Pulham University, but if you watch the movie with subtitles, it's Pullham University.

IMDb categorizes this as a romance?
Something to Chew On: Cook starred in, directed, produced, co-wrote and edited the movie. It is his feature debut.

Dick and Henderson are the other co-writers. Dick is also credited as an executive producer.

This movie is based on Cook's short film DIVISION III (2006), which also starred Dick.

Cook graduated from Occidental College, a Division III school, where he also played quarterback for 2 years.

Collins, Callen, Sasso and Wilson are all "MADtv" alumni. You know, back when "MADtv" was funny and the cast didn't go out and make EPIC MOVIE, DATE MOVIE and crap like that.

Covais was a finalist on Season Five of "American Idol." Remember Chicken Little?

Sasso played a commentator, the voice of Boo Venals and also did the voiceover in the beginning of the film.

Cook's mom has a cameo as the librarian.

Coach Vice wears a brace on his left leg. When he and Roy race down the sidelines, it starts to break. Roy yells, "Run, Forrest, Run!" Michael Jace was a Black Panther in FORREST GUMP.

The teabag scene really happened. Apparently, there were multiple takes done.

In the credits, one of the sponsors listed in the thank yous is Adult Chocolate Milk. I thought maybe it was a band, but it is in fact a drink.

There are outtakes during the closing credits.
Aftertaste: I've been disappointed with bigger comedies so far this month. BAD TEACHER and 30 MINUTES OR LESS didn't live up to expectations, considering the A-to-B-list casts. This movie, however, stars Andy Dick, so you don't expect anything more than offensive humor. Well, good news. DIVISION III has offensive humor in spades.

The team mascot is the Blue Cock. The rival mascot is the Cougar (there's also a team named the Beavers). There are lots of balls. And, the coach is borderline racist and slightly insane. Imagine the fun.

My favorite moments include the first pregame speech and prayer, and the food fight.

The story is old: Loser coach takes over a losing team and tries to turn things around. But, really, this movie isn't about the game. There aren't a lot of in-the-game scenes. The movie is more about the characters and the jokes. To me, even the final game takes a backseat to the commentary by Carolla and Sasso.

This movie was also my introduction to the lovely Alison Haislip (former correspondent on "Attack of the Show!" on G4).

I think just the fact that Andy Dick is a lead will turn people away from watching this movie. I don't necessarily like his antics, but I didn't find him that off-putting here. Heck, I even watched it a second time with the audio commentary (provided by Cook and Dick).

Get some. As Coach Vice would say.
Rating:

30 Minutes Or Less (2011) - February Filmathon Film #4

On the Menu: 30 MINUTES OR LESS (2011)

Ingredients: Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, Nick Swardson, Fred Ward, Michael Peña, Dilshad Vadsaria and Bianca Kajlich. Directed by Ruben Fleischer. Run time: 83 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: I worked as a pizza delivery guy for three and a half years. I remember the story of Brian Douglas Wells, the delivery guy with a bomb strapped to his chest who robbed a bank.

Basically, if you remember the story behind that botched 2003 robbery, then you know the plot of 30 MINUTES OR LESS.

Dwayne (McBride) can't wait for his dad to die. He figures the inheritance would be rather large. A stripper suggests he hire a hitman. In order to pay for the hit, Dwayne and his buddy Travis (Swardson) kidnap an unsuspecting pizza boy named Nick (Eisenberg) and force him to rob a bank wearing a bomb.

Tough to Swallow: The Major interrupts Dwayne and Travis while they're watching FRIDAY THE 13TH (3D). Dwayne says there's 45 minutes left, but it's the final scene of the movie.

The outtakes on the DVD aren't funny.

Something to Chew On: Ben Stiller was one of the film's producers.

This is Fleischer's second feature film. He previously directed ZOMBIELAND, also starring Eisenberg.

In the beginning of the movie, Nick rents the first two LETHAL WEAPON films. Later, Dwayne is talking to Travis about his tanning salon idea. He calls one of the tanning options the Tanny Glover.

Following the credits, there's a commercial for Dwayne's tanning salon.

Aftertaste: There are a few funny moments. Not a lot, but a few. And, they come from the Eisenberg/Ansari tandem instead of McBride and Swardson, which was a surprise. I love Swardson, but McBride seems to play the same guy in every movie (essentially Kenny Powers). He's like the Tommy Lee Jones of comedy.

I can't complain about this movie too much. Even though it's not as funny as I wanted it to be, it's only 83 minutes long. So, I didn't feel like I suffered through it. Especially, since it's peppered with scenes featuring the lovely Dilshad Vadsaria ("Greek").

As a follow-up to ZOMBIELAND though, Fleischer dropped the ball. Maybe he should stick to original ideas. Or at least have more of a script and not rely on ad-libbing.

Heavy on the cheese, light on the sauce.

Rating:

Bad Teacher (2011) - February Filmathon Film #3

On the Menu: BAD TEACHER (2011)
Ingredients: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch, John Michael Higgins, Eric Stonestreet, Thomas Lennon, Phyllis Smith, Kaitlyn Dever, Noah Munck, David Paymer, Molly Shannon, Matt Besser and Rick Overton. Directed by Jake Kasdan. Run time: 97 minutes. Rated: Unrated.
At First Bite: When the trailer for this one came out, it did not appeal to me at all. It didn't look very funny, and I'm not a big fan of Cameron Diaz. So, seeing it in the theater wasn't going to happen.

DVD is another story though.

Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) is an apathetic teacher who is just skating by while planning her wedding to some rich doofus. After her last day at work, her fiancé dumps her. So, she ends up back at school trying to seduce a wealthy substitute, Mr. Delacorte (Timberlake).
Tough to Swallow: Jem Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird is referred to as a 'she.' And, in a different scene, Scout is referred to as 'he.'

Drug sniffing dogs wouldn't miss a false bottom in a drawer.

The 'sex' scene is beyond retarded.

A pull quote on the back of the DVD from Yahoo's Denise Parkinson reads "Totally hillarious." Yes, two L's. Where's my red pen?
Something to Chew On: The film won 3 Teen Choice Awards, including Best Comedy. I imagine it got the most votes because it featured more kids. The movie beat out BRIDESMAIDS (R), THE OTHER GUYS (PG-13), DUE DATE (R) and LITTLE FOCKERS (PG-13).

Paul Feig, director of BRIDESMAIDS, has a cameo as a parent at the car wash.

Paul Bates (COMING TO AMERICA) plays the superintendent.

Dever, like Stonestreet ("Modern Family"), stars in an ABC comedy ("Last Man Standing").
Aftertaste: The movie has its funny moments, but none really involve Diaz or Timberlake, whose character is just awkward overall. Segel, Punch and Smith have the best characters and lines. Higgins is wasted.

Also, the chemistry is never there between Ms. Halsey and Mr. Delacorte. However, it's not like you're really given a reason to root for them since neither character is really likable. I mean, Halsey is a gold digger whose life goal is getting a boob job. The later romance is simply forced on us.

I think the writing was the problem. The story had potential, but got lost somewhere. Teacher movies work because the teacher finds a way to transform the children. Here the children aren't really given a chance to do much of anything aside from answering questions about Atticus Finch. I'm not sure they even took the test at the end.

I will say if were a teacher, I would also show movies in class and grade papers by writing "Stupid" and "Is this f***ing English?" on them.

BAD TEACHER doesn't quite make the grade.
Rating:

Attack the Block (2011) - February Filmathon Film #2

On the Menu: ATTACK THE BLOCK (2011)

Ingredients: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway and Nick Frost. Directed by Joe Cornish. Run time: 88 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: On the back cover of the DVD a reviewer called it "THE GOONIES meets GREMLINS." That's all the reason I needed to watch.

A street gang full of young teens runs rampant in South London. That is, until aliens land in their housing project.

Tough to Swallow: The kids are basically pricks in the beginning, so it's difficult to root for them over the nasty alien creatures.

The British accents might be tough for some to understand, and the street slang (trust, bruv, fam, bare, etc.) won't help. I watched with subtitles, so it wasn't as bad.

A plot point is discovered in the weed room later in the film, but wasn't apparent earlier under the same conditions.

Something to Chew On: Places in the film are named after British sci-fi writers.

The aliens are mostly done with practical effects.

Cornish grew up and lives in South London.

Drameh, who plays Dennis, almost got the lead as Moses. He was also the only member of the gang who had already debuted in film (HEREAFTER, 2010).

Aftertaste: I can't say my expectations were high since I hadn't heard of it until seeing the DVD on the shelf at Blockbuster. The pull quote referencing my favorite film, THE GOONIES, and GREMLINS gave me some hope.

The protagonists aren't as lovable and funny as Mikey, Data, Mouth and Chunk. The creatures are more similar to CRITTERS than GREMLINS. And, the drug use, nasty deaths and language make this flick more suited for adult audiences.

ATTACK THE BLOCK excelled where SUPER 8 failed: creature effects. Practical over CGI is definitely the way to go.

The film is also categorized as a comedy, but doesn't really strive for laughs outside of Frost. Although, the youngest characters, Probs and Mayhem, were funnier.

Overall, I wasn't disappointed. It's an enjoyable sci-fi horror film, bruv.

Trust!

Rating:

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011) - Happy Holidazed

On the Menu: A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS (2011)

Ingredients: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Danny Trejo, Thomas Lennon, Amir Blumenfeld, Paula Garces, Danneel Harris, Patton Oswalt, Eddie Kaye Thomas, David Krumholtz, RZA, Bobby Lee, Richard Riehle and Elias Koteas. Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson. Run time: 90 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: I had a free ticket for a 3D movie eating a hole in my wallet. Plus, having watched three horror movies over the last few days, I wanted to see something funny. Luckily, the midnight show was nowhere near sold out. I wouldn't guess too many Christmas movies get midnight showings, especially 3-4 days after Halloween. It did seem a little weird to me.

Even though it's been just three years since the duo escaped from Guantanamo Bay, six years have elapsed in the movie world. Harold (Cho) is married, drug-free and working on Wall Street. Kumar (Penn) is on the splits with his girlfriend, and always looking for a new high. The two friends haven't spoken in a long time.

Harold's father-in-law, Mr. Perez (Trejo), and the rest of the Perez family are visiting for the holidays. Mr. Perez even brings a Christmas tree he's been growing for the last eight years. A package addressed to Harold shows up at Kumar's, so Kumar decides to deliver it to his ex-best friend.

And, that's when things unravel. Just like old times.

Tough to Swallow: The feces on Todd's driver-side window changes pattern/position in the shots following the initial incident.

When we're first introduced to Adrian, he has his back to the camera for his first lines. His mouth isn't moving in sync with those lines.

The same sync issue crops up when Neil Patrick Harris is talking to Gracie on stage after the rehearsal.

Said rehearsal wasn't recorded, yet Harold and the Perez family watch it on television (in 3D) later in the film.

On Christmas morning, Santa's hat is lying on the floor in Harold's house. Right before the credits roll, Santa flies toward the screen wearing his hat.

Brett Gelman is credited as T.V. Director. You don't abbreviate television (TV) with periods. It's one word.

Something to Chew On: The famous triple-dog dare scene from A CHRISTMAS STORY not only appears in the film, but it's also reworked.

There are at least three 3D references in the movie.

Three sisters play the role of Todd's daughter, Ava.

NPH's partner, David Burtka, appears, not as himself, but as a crazy version of himself (just like NPH has done throughout the series).

Sergei (Koteas) watches MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION.

The movie will feel topical for those seeing it in theaters because of the scene with the Wall Street protesters.

In the credits, a song on the soundtrack is titled "Dougie Houser" (by Envy). Listening to the song on Amazon.com, the group pronounces the name Doogie Howser. I'm going to chalk it up to a copyright issue instead of two misspellings.

Aftertaste: This is only the second 3D movie I've seen in theaters (HP7: Part 2). This film uses 3D to better effect. Eggs and traffic cones actually fly at you, and the pot smoking scenes are much cooler to watch. Nothing really popped out at you during HP7. I don't really understand the point of 3D when the film would look basically the same without it.

However, the characters (and filmmakers) here mock the use of 3D. I like a movie that can make fun of itself, and be smart about it. I wouldn't say there are a lot of laughs unless you're actually a stoner. It takes a lot for me to laugh out loud during a movie. This sequel didn't reach that pinnacle, but I remember four things that induced an under-the-breath chuckle: 1) Wafflebot commercial, 2) baby girl on drugs, 3) NPH wiping his mouth and 4) the real-life events happening during the clay animation scene.

To me, the scenes with NPH are the funniest, which is no different than the first two films of the series. I'm a big fan of self-deprecating humor.

I will say I would not have paid full 3D price for a ticket to see this. I refuse to pay to see a movie in 3D. Unfortunately, I've now used my two free 3D movie tickets.

If you like the first two, then you won't be disappointed in A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS. I gave the original 2.5 stars, and the first sequel 3 stars. It's no BAD SANTA, but it is definitely an adult-themed Christmas flick that will draw the under-30 crowd.

Rating: