Ed's Review Dot Com

Fierce Entertainment, Aura Film Partnership, Endgame Entertainment

Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Bibb, Lake Bell, Michelle Borth, Nick Kroll, Tyler Labine, Angela Sarafyan, Lindsay Sloane, Martin Starr, Lucy Punch, Will Forte, Rhys Coiro, Don Johnson

Poor Eric (Jason Sudekis). Eric has never worked a day in his life it seems. His dad is very rich, and they have a vacation home out in the Hamptons on Long Island. This place is awesome, and right near the beach. So every summer, at least every weekend, Eric and his gang of hanger-on friends party at the beach house. As we meet them, they are in the midst of a very inappropriate “White Trash” party. Eric meets a pretty faux pregnant girl Kelly (Leslie Bibb) who he promptly forgets. But she has a big surprise for him. Eric’s Dad is selling the house because he doesn’t use it much anymore, and Kelly is the Realtor. When Eric and his friends come to the realization that there’s nothing they can do to stop the sale, the decide to have one last Labor Day bash that will be positively EPIC! But what to do. After rejection the “Brown” party idea where everyone wears brown, and all the food is brown………(hunh?) they finally stumble upon a great idea. Since their generation was cheated out of sex by Aids and Herpes and tons of other scary things, they decide to hold “A Good Old-Fashioned Orgy” party. Most of the guys are into it, but he girls take a little longer to warm up to the idea. They do their homework, and preparations, and then the big party arrives. Will they have the courage to really do it? How does something like that get rolling? That’s what they have to figure out.

This film is really funny. In fact, much funnier than I expected. I also got the Unrated version from Netflix, so I can’t speak for the R version that was in theaters for a short time. The movie just didn’t catch on, and it’s a much nicer DVD release anyway. It’s definitely inappropriate, but that’s what it’s going for. This is low brow humor all the way. Like the Hangover films, and the American Pie films, this one tries to gross us out by getting to the lowest point it can. The jokes are really funny, and the characters are those that have enough substance that we really care about them and believe them.

It’s not a great film, and certainly not award winning cinema, but it’s good at what it tries to be. A dirty little time waster that goes a little too far all the time. These guys are friends, but like real friends, each of them has some issues. They gotta get through the issues first before they can really be close enough to pull this off. There are some really funny characters that it’s quite enjoyable to get to know a little bit. All the loony characters are here, and they’re all pretty likable. For some guilty pleasure fun time, go ahead and rent this if you’re not offended easily.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Goldcrest Pictures, Gigi Productions, Mint Pictures,

Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser, Sam Robards, Rita Wilson, Alicia Silverstone, Blair Underwood, Sasha Spielberg

George Zinavoy(Freddy Highmore) is one of the teens that seems to have no focus. He’s just skating by doing the least possible to get by. He’s obviously got smarts, but doesn’t have the impetus to use them. He wears the ever present trench coat, and tries to blend into the background. Obviously his mother has her own issues. She’s in a relationship with a guy whose business is failing, and she’s losing everything trying to hold on to him and help him out. But when George gets a chance to be friends with Sally (Emma Roberts) he jumps into it with both feet. They find a connection over similar circumstances, but decide to remain platonic friends. George is in trouble in school again, and may not be able to graduate, so the principal introduces him (and Sally) to an artist alumni Dustin, (Michael Angarano) a successful painter, and he is a guide to George into finding out what is really important to him, but distractions cause George to once again resort to just getting by, and he may not be able to graduate after all.

This is an interesting film. George is like many teens today, who seem to have this fatalistic view of life where nothing is worth anything, and just getting by is truly an art. George gets a chance with Sally, but is afraid to pursue it. Then when he decides it’s worth it, the chance has passed. It’s the same with school. By the time he decides it’s worth it, the chance has passed, and he finds himself in a really tough bind. He loves art, but doesn’t know what to do with it, and if he tries, he may fail, so he lets that slide. That’s how many of us do with just doing the least we have to do to get by. This is a film of lost chances.

The acting is solid. It’s not outstanding, and the script is, like the theme of the movie, just getting by. It’s not a classic work of art, but for the film that it is, it’s just right. I enjoyed watching this film, and it was interesting as I went trhough it, but it’s not extremely memorable. I think it’s ironic that the theme is “just getting by” and the film seems to do the exact same thing. Either it’s lazy on the part of the filmmakers, or it’s a brilliant strategy in itself. I’m really not sure which. So I rate this film right down the middle, as it seems appropriate. Emma Roberts does a fine job. I know her dad, actor Eric Roberts is very proud of her, and she is one of the highlights of the film. Alicia Silverstone plays a teacher. She’s really wasted in this film. She only has a few scenes, and they are not significant. I think it’s an attempt to attach another known name to the project, but her effort is just one more example of “The Art of Getting By”.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday January 10, 2012

• Moneyball
• Killer Elite
• What’s Your Number
• I Am
• Saving Private Perez
• There Be Dragons
• Higher Ground

Insurge, Paramount Pictures

Fernanda Andrade, Simon Quarterman, Evan Helmuth, Suzan Crowley, Bonnie Morgan

A young girl, Isabella Rossi (Fernanda Andrade) is troubled over events that happened in her home back when she was a little girl. Something was wrong with her mother, and two priests and a nun were murdered by her mother, and she was found incompetent for trial and sent to a mental hospital, later transferred to a mental facility in Rome. Isabella has just found out that the murders were committed during an exorcism, so Isabella takes off for the Vatican to visit her mother and learn as much as she can from the School of Exorcism. During her visit, very bad things happen in this very terrifying horror movie.

This is one scary film. It has a lot of frightening moments when they are conducting exorcisms and it has a lot of loud jumps and noises that also send the audience into screams. The contortions of the victims is very graphic and it is very hard to watch. I saw this in a large theater that was packed with people on opening weekend. Show after show was sold out, and at the 12:01AM show Thursday night, they had to add additional shows at 12:30 because all of the shows were sold out.

The reviews for this film are either awful, or not so bad, but why are the theaters so packed? Well, people just like to be scared. But this is haunted house Halloween type scaring where you are more startled than really fearful, but it is also very creepy, and if you’re a horror fan, it’s not all that bad at all. The problem with Exorcism films is that there is not much more you can do with it that hasn’t already been done. You know what’s going to happen and what to expect. So they have to resort to cheap bangs and screams to make you jump. But that’s exactly what we horror fans love about these kinds of films.

So I do have to say that I did enjoy this film. It was especially nice watching the reaction of the whole theater. People jumping out of their seats from being scared. The screaming was incredible.

The thing most people find irritating about this film is the ending. I won’t spoil it, but it’s exactly what you would have to do to end this. This is one of those “Based on real events” movies, which means that someone somewhere was involved in an exorcism, and the entire movie is pure fiction! This means that they have to set up a make believe website where you can investigate the “real” events of the event. Well, you have to be careful how to end the film, not to spoil the website. I don’t have a gripe with the ending. I certainly didn’t see it coming, but I was satisfied that it was a proper ending to the story. I don’t feel cheated by it at all.

If you’re a horror fan, and like to be frightened, this is certainly pretty good at supplying that. If you’re looking for something with more depth and story, then this is pretty shallow.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Gran Via, Miramax Films, Tequila Gang,

Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison, Alan Dale, Jack Thompson, Julia Blake, Edwina Ritchard, Garry McDonald, Emelia Burns, Guillermo del Toro

Sally (Bailee Madison) is a young girl who seems to have a bit of a flaky mother who sends her off to live with her dad, Alex (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes). Alex has just invested his last dime in a very old magnificent, if a little run down mansion that formerly belonged to uber rich nature lover, painter, and odd fellow Lord Blackwood. Lord Blackwood disappeared years ago shortly after his son disappeared. Alex and Kim (Kim is a well known interior designer, and Alex must be an up and coming architect) are attempting to restore the house to it’s full glory to get on the cover of Architectural Digest. Sally on the other hand, is just bummed that her mother sent her away, and she’s irritated that Dad has a new girlfriend. Kim, too, seems to have some baggage accepting a new daughter as she mentioning recently losing a son. Sally and Kim don’t start out too well, but as weird creatures in the basement start terrorizing poor Sally, she finds that perhaps Kim is the only one she can count on. All hell breaks loose in Blackwood Manor and it all starts with an old fireplace in the basement that was sealed off and hidden years ago after Lord Blackwood disappeared.

This is a remake of a made for TV film in 1973. I understand the TV film wasn’t bad at all, but I don’t recall seeing it. That sets this movie up for one to hate! Why do we need a remake is always the first question. There are some problems with this film. There are some huge errors and a plot hole or two. But that really hardly matters here, as the film is so damn creepy! I mean this one really scares you. Mostly the monsters (?) are hidden from view, and we don’t know really who they are or what they want. Then, unlike the original, this one has them definitely after the child, who is a very believable abandoned by her mother, scared and vulnerable little girl with something supernatural after her. And the old, “no one belives the kid” thing gets a good workout here.

The film is dark and scary, with all the good things for anyone who loves horror. There are “jump out of your seat” moments for those who love the loud noise – pop out of nowhere moments. There is blood and gore that is dome pretty graphically for those who love the guts. There is also a great deal of suspense and outright fear as we wait for these things to happen and we try to put the pieces together.

So my opinion is to forget the plot holes and errors in the script, and just get into it and scare yourself out of your socks. This must have been a hoot in the theater, but now that it’s on DVD, turn down the lights, turn the volume up loud, and have a scare fest that is really worth it for a change. I don’t think any horror fan will be overly disappointed in this film.

Should you wish to talk about the goofs and plot holes, let’s comment, but I don’t want to give away too much info in the review. Enjoy this one!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog