The General Idea

Plot outline from IMDB: The story recounts the early life of Genghis Khan who was a slave before going on to conquer half the world including Russia in 1206

The Good

The Mongolian steppes are open grasslands untouched by the filthy hands of humans, and they are breathtaking. The wide open plain gives the illusion that the sky is within your reach. There is something incredibly freeing about seeing so much space, as inspiring as it was on film - I can only imagine how overwhelming it would be in real life. When I was 17, I had the chance to live and eat with a Mongolian and he would often tell me tales about his land and his love for goat meat. He missed his home more than most; and it is easy to see why. Most everywhere else seems like a chicken cage in comparison. The landscapes were used to great effect in this film and the ancient lands served as narrators with much to tell.

The horse warfare of the Mongols is legendary. From shooting a bow while riding, to the use of long reaching, curved slashing blades - enemies were decimated with speed and strategy from the centaur-like mongol warrior. In this film we see the evolution of the Khan’s strategy one encounter at a time; and it delighted me. Strategy

When doing a biopic you are hard pressed to find a better subject than Genghis Khan. Much of his history has been passed on via oral tradition; and often the lines between fact and fiction can get a bit shady - but even if 1/100 of the stories are true - this man is still among the greatest who have ever lived. I was overjoyed to see a film recount his tale on the silver screen. Sergei Bodrov did an outstanding job and delivered an epic movie that showcases the journey of this man from boy to legend.

The Bad

In the vast myth of Genghis Khan it may be possible that he was captured 3 times in his life, but to show them all in one movie may have been a mistake. The film dragged the most when Genghis was captured and by the third time I was staring to whisper “not again” to myself. I would have preferred if they slimmed down the amount of “capture time” from the film. That being said this is a fairly minor complaint.

Overall

This was a legendary epic that paid tribute to a man that conquered and plundered using strategy, charisma and force of will. I was delighted throughout this film and consider it my favorite of the SXSW film festival. Whenever you get a chance to see this film - please do so. Out of 10, I give Mongol a 9.

Finding a great little movie that most people don’t know about is sort of like putting on a jacket you haven’t worn in a couple of months, only to find a $20 bill in the pock that you totally forgot was there. It’s a great feeling! Unlike the $20 situation though, you’re anxious to SHARE this new little treasure with other people. As the story goes, that’s the situation that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay found themselves in after watching “The Foot Fist Way” a while back. They thought it was so brilliant, that they put up their names and some money to get it released. Since that time, a lot has been made of how much Ferrell LOVES this movie. The trailer came out last week and we VERY good. So does the movie itself live up to this huge hype it’s getting now? Well… almost, but not quite.

THE GENERAL IDEA

Fred Simmons is a 4th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and owns and operates his own Martial Arts school. He fancies himself as the “King of the Demo” (doing Tae Kwon Do demonstrations). He’s sort of a red neck hillbilly/Napoleaon Dynamite/Ben Stiller from Dodgeball character… A giant ignorant dick who when all is said and done means well and has a good heart. To him, his school, and his wife mean everything. But Fred faces some inner demons after he finds out his wife has been less than faithful and they separate. Now he finds himself trying to keep his life, his school, his sanity and his loyal young students together. His one spark of joy is having the opportunity to meet his living idol… the world martial arts champion and movie star Chuck “The Truck” Wallace.

THE GOOD

This movie promised laughs, and it gives them to you. You can understand why this film was so appealing to Will Ferrell since much of the comedy in it is similar to Ferrell’s style. Goofy, slapstick and very much off the wall. There are 5 or 6 seriously bust gut laugh moments in the movie with a whole ton of solid jokes along the way. If all you’re looking for is something to make you laugh… this film will do it enough to satisfy you.

Simmons is played by Danny McBride who is on the way up in the comedy film world. He was very good in this flick, not only at delivering the punch lines, but also making this asshole character seem somewhat likable. McBride makes you want to cheer for Simmons, and that was very important in a film like this.

The kids and adults who played Simmons student at the Tae Kwon Do school were all wonderful. I especially like the two kids in this class who go with him on the road trip.

THE BAD

Part of the problem in this film is that it’s very hard to cheer for Simmons, because as I mentioned at the beginning, the character is really big idiot. I didn’t feel bad or sorry for him in the least when we find out his wife cheated on him because… well… ANY woman would cheat on their husbands if they treated them the way Simmons treated his wife. McBride does do a good job at making him more human… but you can only draw so much water out of a stone. At some point you have to like the character enough to become interested in what happens to him… and I never quite got there despite McBride’s best efforts.

The movie is at it’s best when it clearly doesn’t take itself seriously. At the same time, the movie is at it’s worst when it tries a little to hard to be “legit”. Case in point, the martial arts scenes. There were HORRIBLE, but you could tell they were trying to make them look at least somewhat authentic, and they were FAILING at hit horribly. When you keep it silly, we laugh with you, when you try to make it look cool and you fail, we laugh at you.

Yes, there were a solid amount of laughs in the film no doubt, and perhaps if I didn’t have my expectations up so hugh (due to the huge comments from Ferrell about how damn funny this flick is) I would have enjoyed it more. But the reality is, the movie isn’t THAT funny. It’s good… actually it’s VERY good… but it’s not going to end up in the top 10 comedies of the year. Sometime silent or drawn out awkward scenes can be hilarious… but something they’re just drawn out and awkward… and that happens a couple of times in The Foot Fist Way.

OVERALL

The Foot Fist Way is a solid comedy that most people will enjoy if you go in with realistic expectations. The martial arts are horrible, the main character is no Ron Jerremy and pretty forgetable and sometimes the film tries to be something its not… but… it does what it primarily sets out to do which is to make you laugh, and on that level, it was a night well spent at the movie theater.

Overall I’m going to give The Foot Fist Way a 7 out of 10.

The General Idea

Plot Outline from IMDB: Activists arrive in Seattle, Washington en masse to protest a meeting of the World Trade Organization. Riots and chaos ensue as demonstrators successfully stop the WTO meetings.

The Good
People should always make the most out of their right to express freedom of speech. If you disagree with something, and a protest is forming - you should chip in and be a part of it. This film reminds us of our responsibility to fight the man, and that is something that we all need to be reminded of.

The WTO protest was covered on international news and was my first heads up to the international body. The protesters brought the issue front and centre, and introduced their critiques of the WTO through this event (that was paid for by tear gas assault on their tender faces). This is an event that deserved its own film and I was glad to see the tale told on the silver screen.

The Bad

This event is a fantastic subject for a film; sadly the story sucked. To recount this tale, we follow a group of protesters (focusing on 2 lovebirds?!?), the city’s Mayor (Ray Liotta), a police officer on the scene (Woody) and his wife (Charlize Theron). This film used the different characters to show different perspectives of the event, but the bias was so obvious that it was a waste of time and effort. I would have much preferred an honest and focused story from the perspective of the protesters alone.

Why a love interest was introduced to a film about a WTO protest boggles my fucking mind. This was unnecessary, and totally watered down the message with a hack romantic interest for the king of the protesters. The only love interest in this film should have been between people and freedom. Making a film more marketable or appealing by adding a tacked on love story is especially insulting from a film that seems to be trying to convey a message.

The narrative was structured in a way to give us all the facts of the event, and in doing so - it seemed like they were acting out a laundry list. I would’ve much preferred if this film was a documentary with no actors, and just recounted the tales of the event with narration and footage from the day. The film begins with a great introduction and if the style was kept for the duration of the film; it could have been an great, stylized documentary.

Overall

The subject was good but delivery was poor. Enough was enjoyable that the film wasn’t a total bore, but I really didn’t care for the story and out of 10, I would give this film a 5.

The General Idea

Plot Outline From IMDB: Devastated Peter (Segel) takes a Hawaii vacation in order to deal with recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah (Bell). Little does he know Sarah’s traveling to the same resort as her ex … and she’s bringing along her new boyfriend.

The Good

Many of the funniest moments in this film come through verbal sparring. One person will burn someone, and with outstanding timing a retort will be given, funnier than the previous line. The stacking of punch lines is a very good comedic technique, causes big hearty laughs and is done often in this film.

Going in, I was skeptical about Jason Segel as the lead. I didn’t care much for his character in Knocked Up, and was afraid it would be more of the same. To my delight he was nothing like his Knocked Up character and was great as the leading man. He was hilarious and believable as a man with a broken heart; like all of us, I am sure he has had some practice. His natural ability as a piano player was put to good use and served as an excellent way to add uniqueness to his character. Staring in a script you wrote has its advantages; Jason crafted a story that played to his strengths and resulted in a damn funny film.

The cameos in this film are outstanding, I will not mention them - because that would ruin the surprise. I will tell you that the greatest cameos come via the TV show that Sarah Marshall stars in, and were milked for maximum hilarity.

The Bad

This film follows a typical ROMCOM structure and offers no deviation from type. You know how things are going to end and you know that right before the happy ending the couple will have an issue that will strain their fledgling relationship. I am not against sticking to formula, but the ROMCOM structure is so beat to death that it nauseates me. The “crisis” moment is funny as hell however, and is done in a way that allows people to relate to both sides of the argument.

Overall

This movie was very funny, and the theatre was aflame with laughter the entire screening. To give you an idea of how enjoyable it was, I would consider it superior to Knocked Up but under 40 Year Old Virgin. The film was very funny and made the most of its formulaic and predictable skeleton. Harold and Kumar had more gut busting jokes thanks largely to NPH but this film certainly edges ahead with the number of quality jokes. Out of 10 I would give this film an 8. I can see this film becoming very popular, and is one you should check out April 18th.

I am but one of many people who instantly because a big and probably life long fan of Simon Pegg after watching Shaun of the Dead for the first time. That movie just had it all… terrific comedic performances, great writing, some great sick gore… it was just one of the most fun films I’ve seen in a long time. Then came Hot Fuzz, which wasn’t quite as good, but still very solid and just solidified Pegg (as well os Wright and Frost) as a guy that gets me interested in any project he’s involved in. So along comes Run Fatboy Run, the first non-Edgar Wright directed project I’ve seen Pegg in. Pegg wrote the screenplay, but how did the movie do with former Friends star David Schwimmer behind the camera instead of Wright? Well… not as well.

THE BASIC IDEA

From the official synopsis: “An overweight man leaves his fiancée on their wedding day, only to realize years later that she’s the one and only woman of his dreams in a romantic comedy that reunites Big Nothing co-stars Simon Pegg and David Schwimmer, this time with Schimmer in the director’s chair. It’s not easy to win back a woman after leaving her at the alter, but when an out-of-shape man finally realizes just what a mistake he made, he vows to run a high-profile marathon in order to convince his ex-fiancée that the rich and handsome man she is about to marry isn’t the guy for her.”

THE GOOD

Oddly enough the first person I want to mention for this movie is Dylan Moran. Moran plays Pegg’s best friend and the cousin of Pegg’s love interest. Moran was also in Shaun of the Dead with Pegg, and while he was pretty over shadowed in “Shaun”, he absolutely stands out and shines in Fatboy. His deadpan comedic timing was just perfect. It got to the point that every time he opened his mouth on screen you just EXPECTED something hilarious to come out. Very much a supporting role, but to me he stood out even more than Pegg, wich is a testament to how well he did in this flick as opposed to a knock on the job Pegg did. Speaking of which…

Simon Pegg was, as expected, very strong in the lead. That same charm and lovable half loser aura that he brought to “Shaun” was very much in full force for Fatboy. Pegg seems to have the ability to take even a mundane piece of dialog, and make it something that puts a grin on your face. Speaking of “face”, Pegg has that same Jim Carrey ability of using his face to emphasis comedic elements… but in a more subdued manner than Carrey, which I think is even more effective.

One thing that these British style comedies absolutely MUST have to work, is strong, memorable characters. Fatboy is well equipped in that regard. Pegg, Hank Azaria (who was also fantastic in the film), the Landlord, the Best Friend, even the Kid were all very endearing characters that you liked, laughed with… and even enjoyed when you weren’t supposed to like them very much

The first hour of this film is HILARIOUS.

THE BAD

Ok, the first thing I should mention here is a MAJOR pet peeve of mine. A little while ago I wrote a post called “8 Things I’m Sick Of Seeing In The Movies” talking about horrible overused cliches that too many movies fall back on. Well, in that article the #1 thing I put right at the top was:

1 - The current boyfriend/husband of the main character’s would be love interest is a total jerk

THE CLICHE: You know what I’m talking about. The “hero” of the film loves a girl, but the girl has a boyfriend. Already you know there is a 97% chance that this boyfriend will end up being a total dick. He yells at her, demeans her, doesn’t respect her. You can’t imagine why on earth she’s with him in the first place… but whatever the reason it doesn’t matter, because you know she’s going to end up with the hero in the end anyway when she finally sees the jerk in question for what he is, and leaves him for the hero.

 

Well guess what? That happens… again. About half the movies I’ve seen here use that old cliche and it always DRIVES ME NUTS! I HATE THAT!

Thawndie Newton does not belong in movies. I think she’s terrible, and terrible once again in this flick. At no point could I imagine why Pegg was in love with her, or why she was worth fighting for. Maybe I could have if Newton brought ANYTHING to the character… but she’s just not capable of it.

I mentioned in the “Good” part that the first hour of the film is hilarious. And it is! However, after the first hour the movie hits a wall. Great characters and a clever direction suddenly gave way to far overused cliches, safe yet terrible plot devices, and it went from feeling like a motion picture to a bad sitcom episode. A real shame because the film was moving along so great up to that point and it seemed to just get flushed.

OVERALL

Strong characters, some great laughs and a couple of decent performances are almost ruined by bad cliches, safe Hollywood type decisions and a sudden change in direction that disrupted the feel of the film. I still enjoyed the film when all was said and done, but I can’t help but also feel let down by it. For a Pegg movie I was hoping for so much more. A decent flick I think you’ll like… but don’t expect to love it in the least.

Overall I give Run Fatboy Run a 6.5 out of 10