Ed's Review Dot Com

Broad Green Pictures, Ingenious Media, Miramax,

Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Tony Cox, Christina Hendricks, Brett Kelly, Ryan Hansen, Jenny Zigrino, Jeff Skowron, Mike Starr

Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) is back as the drunken no good oaf who’s as broke as always. He’s followed around by Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly) who was just a troubled kid in the original movie, but now is a 21 year old loser who won’t leave Soke alone for a second. To further torment him, his mother shows up, Sunny Soke (Kathy Bates) with a plan to crack a safe and rip off a charity event which will make Willie go back to playing Santa one more time. But perhaps the last straw is that he’s going to need the help of his “elf” partner Marcus (Tony Cox) who would really like to kill Soke instead of helping him, although a 2 million dollar payoff helps convince him. The plan is complex, and of course nothing goes right as everyone crashes through this EXTRA raunchy sequel to Bad Santa.

This film doesn’t quite hit the bulls-eye as it is much dirtier and nastier than the first one. This one really goes into the gutter. But that’s what you would expect from Willie Soke from his first film. Is it really possible that is was all the way back in 2003 when we got that Christmas Classic of Disgusting Material? Well, one look at a grown up Thurman will convince you that many years have passed. With a lot of smut, even more silliness and stupidity, over acting galore, and a suite of really goofy characters. Somehow it keeps you entertained and when it’s over, though you might want to hit the shower to wash off the crud, you’ll find that it was kind of funny after all. This crew makes us feel better about ourselves because no matter how badly we screw up, we can never be as bad as this bunch. If you like seeing Moe hit Curly with a sledge hammer, or love to rubber neck when there’s a bad accident on the freeway, and if you don’t mind a constant stream of extremely bad language, you’ll find yourself chucking all the way through. Kathy Bates is exceptional in her role as Willie’s Mom. It’s gross, it’s stupid, and dog gone it, it’s funny.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Gravier Productions, Mediapro, Televiso de Catalunya (TV3),

Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Adrien Brody, Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni, Gad elmaleh, Kurt Fuller

Director Woody Allen turns the lens on Paris as a young engaged couple, Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams) are there on business. But Inez seem to pulling away from Gil, or is it mutual? Gil loves Paris and wants to return there after their marriage. Inez seems to favor her ex-boyfriend, a know-it-all pompous fake intellectual who Gil cannot stand. While walking in the streets of Paris at night, a little drunk, at midnight, a cab pulls up beside Gil and asks him to get in. When he does, something magical happens that changes him forever.

This, like many Woody Allen films, is either loved or hated. I must admit I am not a big fan of Woody Allen films. They are often bizarre and very difficult to figure out. This one is definitely quirky. But though I never got such huge hits as “Annie Hall” which simply leaves me flat, I really enjoyed this film. I’m not sure why, really, but it’s a really interesting concept. I am purposely trying to say as little as possible about the magic that happens in this film, as I don’t want to give away too much, because if you manage to stumble on this film without knowing the twist, you’ll enjoy it a lot more. But the basis of this film, as in most Allen films, is a bad relationship. These two people should never have been together as they have no interests in common. But they both end up seeking out that which makes them happy and finding out what that is keeps us interested in them.

Owen Wilson was very good in this film. He’s a quirky actor to begin with, and plays a certain type of lovable oaf very well (such as in Meet the Parents, Drillbit Taylor, or You, Me, and Dupree, where he’s really great, but in this film he plays a much more serious (although somewhat ridiculous) role, and this is perhaps one of his best performances. This is a very thought provoking film, that is lots of fun, and is one of Woody Allen’s best, in my opinion. I really enjoyed the strangeness of this story, and I wish I could find my own taxi at midnight to take me to the place I’d like to go. I really enjoyed this movie, and recommend it. I nearly passed on it, and I’m glad I gave it a chance.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Warner Bros. Pictures, Silver Pictures, David Dobkin Productions

Animus Films, Paramount

Matt Long, Jessica Stroup, Mischa Barton

Anyone here read Misery?  If you read the book or saw the movie, then you’ve already seen this movie.  Honestly, it was almost 100% the same film, almost down to the dialog.   Someone in a review compared this to Fatal Attraction for teens.  Nope, this was Misery for teens.  I don’t want to give away the story, but every major scene was in there.

If it wasn’t such a blatant rip-off, I probably would have really liked it.  It was a well done movie, and the characters were pretty well acted.  Teenage football hero, now a College football star comes back home to his high school for Homecoming (hence the title) and for a ceremony to retire jersey number 7!   He brings his new girlfriend for the celebration.  Trouble is, his high school sweetheart doesn’t quite get that it’s over, and she isn’t happy that he has someone else.  Turns out she’s a pretty twisted soul.   There’s a whole back story about her and her recently deceased mother that isn’t really developed thoroughly.  Now both girls do some pretty dumb things, and the football hero/jock is pretty stupid as well.  Same for the callers to the farm house.  Everybody here is pretty stupid, but I guess that’s the point.

If you haven’t seen both movies, watch Misery with James Caan and Kathy Bates (It’s a Stephen King st0ry) as it’s must better, or if you’re so inclined, watch them both and learn what “derivative” means!

Not a bad movie, but there’s really no surprises either.   Except that this is another of those movies filmed in “The Burgh”.   Yep, Pittsburgh, Pa.

New Line Cinema

Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Carter Jenkins, Ashton Kucher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, Taylor Swift

Ok, I listed about 10% of the cast.    I don’t know if I’ll still have room for the review.  🙂    Never since It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, have they hauled out this many stars for a single movie.  If you’ve never seen that one (how could you not?), go get it. It’s a lot funnier than this is.

Of course it was made to be seen on Valentines Day, and it was made in LA, so it’s more of a Valentine present to LA than to the public.   This is a lot of fluff mixed in with a lot of sweet, a lot of tears, a lot of hearbreak, a lot of “Aw gee” moments.  There are a zillion stories going on, and you have to try to follow all of them.  Every trick in the book is going to be used to bring everyone together in the end.  But bring them together they do.

If this film suffers from anything, it’s from trying to do TOO MUCH.  Maybe a couple of the stories could have been left out, and it would be a little easier to follow.  But since they put them in, you just have to try to follow.

All stages of love are represented here.  And they all end up fitting together.  It’s not classic film making and it’s not deep or thought provoking, but it is a delightful romantic comedy.  If you hate romantic comedies, then you might be one of the haters of this film.  But if you don’t expect Sheakespear, and just go with the flow, it’s a cute, suprisingly funny little Valentines Day romp that will not disappoint.