Ed's Review Dot Com

Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday August 21, 2012

• The Dictator
• Chimpanzee
• Bernie
• A Separation
• Weekend

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Lucasfilm, Partnership Pictures,

Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelley, Bryan Cranston, Tristan Wilds, Lee Tergesen, Method Man, Andre Royo

Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding star in this biographical documentary about the famous WWII Tuskeegee Airmen, part of the 332nd Fighter Group, and all black World War II unit that were the best escort pilots in the service of their country. Known as Red Tails, they fought the Nazis in Europe while they fought racism at home. This true story covers the fight they had to gain respect in a time when black men really didn’t get to be a part of the real military, but were assigned to less significant roles. These brave heroes fought the for the right to fight like the real ace pilots they were.

This is not a perfect movie by any means. If you want to pick it apart you surely can find lots of things to complain about. Cliche ridden, with a very mediocre score, and with some really corny scenes, it’s not overly exciting. I think if they really failed on this script it was because they are trying too hard to tell a story that needs to be told. This is a lot like the old documentaries we used to see and not like the big budget WWII fighting ace films that came along a lot later. I think the actors gave it a commendable try, but the script wasn’t quite crisp or fresh enough to make this a great little film. But it was, as I said, probably a story that needed to be told. The feeling I got was similar to the religious broadcasting that they used to put on TV in Sunday Mornings in the 50’s and 60’s. It was a requirement to keep their license for the stations to broadcast so many public service hours every week, and the relegated these to Sunday morning and very late at night (think “Sermonette”). They did it because they had to, and it was a good thing to do, but they didn’t really put their heart and soul into it. It was sort of just done in order to get it out of the way. That’s how this film felt to me. I think it’s well worth the time watching it as a rental, but it won’t be really exciting unless you are really a WWII buff and already know the story. Still, I’m glad I saw it, and it was worth the effort. I give it a lukewarm recommendation at best.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Wessler Entertainment, C3 Entertainment Inc., Conundrum Entertainment

Sean Hayes, Will Sasso, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jennifer Hudson, Sofía Vergara, Jane Lynch, Craig Bierko, Stephen Collins, Larry David, Kirby Heyborne

Moe (Sean Hayes), Curly (Will Sasso), and Larry (Chris Diamantopoulos) have been best friends since childhood when they lived together in an orphanage. Coincidentally, the orphanage is about to go under and Monsignor Ratliffe (Brian Doyle-Murray) is here to tell the boys and girls (including the Stooges) that they’re out of a place to live and off to foster homes. This makes Curly happy because everyone knows Fosters is Australian for beer!!! So the boys set out “Blues Brothers” style on a mission from God to save the penguins. This leads to four segments featuring a great deal of homage to the original Stooges with lots of comedy to go around. There are a couple of other excellent casting choices too, including Jane Lynch as the Mother Superior, Jennifer Hudson as a singing nun, and Larry David as an unusual nun named Sister Mary Mengele who is a real riot.

This movie is a gas! Its been in the making for years. I’ve been playing an online game called Hollywood Stock Exchange for years and years. (HSX.COM) In this simulation, you have a sum of money to invest in movies, studios, and actors. I’ve always enjoyed it because it is an excellent way to learn what’s really going on in the film business as there is a ton of information on movies still in development, and through all stages until release. One of the films that was in there years ago was The Three Stooges. I bought shares almost immediately and held on to them for years and years and years until it finally came through. I’m glad they really waited until they found the right people and right script to make this happen. Moe is awesome, Larry is spot on and Will Sasso does Curly that is just like watching the real thing. I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job at Curly than Will.

If you’re one who hated the Stooges (female) then you’ll probably hate this film too, but if you’re a fan of the Stooges (male) then you’ll have a warm place in your heart for a fond tribute to the original classics. I have a personal fondness for the Stooges. These shorts were made for in between films in the theaters way back in the 30’s and had run their course and were basically forgotten. Back in the early days of television in the 50’s, there were not a lot of stuff for kids. This was just before the Mickey Mouse Club, and a few people had made some inroads in Children’s TV, mostly in the local areas. Bozo the Clown, Soupy Sales, Romper Room, and few other things were out there. In Pittsburgh WTAE Channel 4 was a new ABC affiliate and had an after school program called Popeye and Knish with Hank Stohl. Following that was Paul Shannon’s Adventure Time. Hank Stohl had good success with the Popeye cartoons but Paul Shannon was looking for a hook. He brought out the old Stooge shorts and started airing them on the show. They were something the kids of the 50’s had never seen. They caught on in a big way, and suddenly Moe was amazed all the fan mail coming from the kids in Pittsburgh. This lead to a huge resurgence in the old shorts, and the possibility of much new work for the team. They put the group back together and did new shorts, as well as an animated TV show featuring the new stooges and clips of the old shows. Right until the time Moe died, he was still trying to put the group back together.

This is an awesome tribute to the boys, and done with loving care. Meanwhile, it is really funny. It’s Stooge humor, so it’s slapstick, and seeing guys hit int he face with a sledgehammer is par for the course here. But that’s what we wanted to see, and while you’re laughing your head off at a series of gags that are perfect for an 8 year old boy, you’ve got a serious tear in your eye due to the memories of growing up with the Stooges. Kudos guys for an excellent tribute and one I gotta add to my collection. Please, if you a Stooge fan, check this out. It’s a riot.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

New in theaters this weekend Friday August 17, 2012

• The Expendables 2
• ParaNorman
• Sparkle
• The Odd Life of Timothy Green
• Cosmopolis
• Robot & Frank
• The Awakening
• Why Stop Now

The biggest new release this week is probably “The Expendables 2”, a fun comedy action film with just about everybody who’s ever made an action film, including Stallone, Statham, Jet Li, Arnold, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, to name just a few. There are some other honorable mentions like ParaNorman, a kids flick about a child who can talk to the dead, and The Odd Life of TImothy Green about a couple who wanted a kid so much they would do anything. It’s a family fable. Also gathering some attraction will be “Sparkle” with Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston. This is reminiscent of some great, girl wanna be a star films. Does Glitter come to mind? Uh oh.

Other releases are “The Awakenings” a ghost story, “Cosmopolis”, where Robert Pattinson is having a horrible day, “Robot & Frank” a story of an aging cat burglar who finds friendship with a piece of metal, and “Why Stop Now” a comedy featuring Jesse Eisenberg and Tracy Morgan.

Last Weeks top Box Office:

1 – The Bourne Legacy
2 – The Campaign
3 – The Dark Knight Rises
4 – Hope Springs
5 – Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

DreamWorks SKG, Saturn Films, Varsity Pictures

Eddie Murphy, Kerry Washington, Cliff Curtis, Clark Duke, Ruby Dee, Allison Janney, Ariel Winter, Justina Machado, John Witherspoon, Jack McBrayer, Jordan-Claire Green

Jack McCall (Eddie Murphy) is a fast talker. He’s a literary agent, and wants to sign the new book of the latest Indian Guru at any cost. He strikes up a deal, makes some huge promises and promptly finds it all falling apart. When he arrives home, he finds a strange tree in his yard. The tree loses a single leaf for every single word he utters. Jack needs to learn the consequences of the things he says.

I went into this film not expecting much. Poor Eddie’s had a rough time lately, and I was afraid this would be horrible. It appears a lot of people agreed, because it came and went without any attention whatsoever. So when it arrived on DVD, I figured it was worth taking a chance on it. It’s a very small and understated film. I expected crazy, over the top humor. It wasn’t. It was very low key, with good jokes and humor that fit the story, but with a touching story that really gets to the point. It reminded me of Liar Liar in a way, but was still unique in the way Eddie played it. I expected that it was a curse set upon him by the guru, but it appears it was simply Karma teaching him a lesson. It was a hard lesson for poor Jack to learn, but in the end, he found out what is really valuable and what is trash. This is not the kind of movie you run out to spend $13.00 to see in the cinema, but it’s well worth watching on DVD. I recommend you take a quiet even and pop this one on and see what you missed. One of those hidden gems that we miss in the theater and DVD gives us a chance to enjoy. This is not Beverly Hills Cop or The Nutty Professor, but it’s definitely worth watching and enjoying.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog