I have to admit right up front that I consider myself to be a mild Ryan Reynolds fan. I’m not going to say he’s one of the world’s great thespians by any stretch of the imagination, but what he lacks in raw talent or artistic craftsmanship, he more than makes up for with solid comedic timing, and an undeniable charm. Hell, he was the best part of Blade 3 (and the only decent part of Blade 3 come to think of it). I’ve also become a big fan of Elizabeth Banks… add Rachel Weisz and Isla Fisher to the mix and you’ve got my attention.

THE GENERAL IDEA

Definitely, Maybe revolves around Ryan Reynolds who plays a freshly divorced father on one of the days he has his young daughter (he has her 2 days a weeks). At school, an inappropriate teacher decides to talk sex ed to the far too young children, which inspires Reynolds’ daughter to want to know how her parents met and fell in love in the first place. Reynolds and his daughter decide to make a game out of it as he tells her the story of the 3 women he’s been in love with during his life, and she has to try to figure out which one ends up being her mother.

THE GOOD

It’s not often that I’ll refer to a child’s performance as one of the “good” things in my reviews. However, I’ll mention it here. Abigail Breslin does a terrific job as Reynolds daughter in the film, which is saying a lot because there were a number of scenes that could have easily been ruined by another child actor. No, she won’t get any Oscar nominations for her role, but she handled those harder scenes in such a way that she didn’t become a distraction, and that’s a pit most films with child actors fall into.

Ryan Reynolds has never been better. Was it the most challenging role of his career? No. Was it the most emotionally diverse role of his career? No. But I have no problems saying, that in this little pseudo romantic comedy, Ryan Reynolds gives the best performance I’ve ever seen him give. He still has his charm. He still has his wit. However, you see added on top of that a new maturity. It’s hard to quantify other than to say you can see him growing as an actor. He’s added subtlety and nuances to his performance that gives it a much stronger impact. Not only do you laugh with him in the comedy scenes, but he makes you also believe the emotional ones. The best way I can explain it is to compare his role to that of Jim Carrey’s in “Liar Liar” (which I loved by the way). In Liar Liar Carrey is hilarious, but one negative is that in the scenes that are supposed to be “emotional” or have some impact, you can’t separate Carrey from the clown. You still expect him at any moment to break out of the serious moment and say “yuk yuk” and make some strange rubber face. Reynolds navigates these two elements with ease, and I think ultimately, his ability to be both funny man and father is what makes this movie work so well.

The story does suffer a little from being a bit formulaic at times. No doubt about it. However, as I mentioned to the girl I saw the movie with: “Sometimes a recipe is a recipe for a reason… because it works”. Definitely, Maybe does use a few cinematic recipes during the run time, but they’re all done well, and the resulting entree is delicious.

I’ve also got to mention that Kevin Kline is in the film. This man is a minor deity to me and can do no wrong in my eyes. He plays a drunken literature professor who constantly sexes up his much younger grad students. I can’t imagine Jack Nicholson don’t it better than Kline did in the film.

Running just under the surface of the film are themes of political idealism as well. Reynolds has dreams of being president of the united states and is one of the many volunteers in the first Bill Clinton campaign. But as the story progresses, we see this idealist become disillusioned with the heroes he holds in such high regard. This all has a direct impact on how his story evolves through the movie and I thought was handled brilliantly.

THE BAD

Isla Fisher stands out as one of the weaknesses of the film. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Fisher. But she just wasn’t able to make her character seem real. Too aloof, too air headed and just so far out there that it became impossible for me to believe any rationale person, let alone Reynolds’ character, would ever fall in love with her. Scenes where her character is supposed to be emotionally fragile, vulnerable and sweet, come off as silly, annoying and a bit bothersome. This weakness is highlighted even more by the fact that the two other love interests (Elizabeth Banks and Rachel Weisz) were played so strongly (especially Weisz).

OVERALL

Definitely, Maybe is a funny, warm and ultimately endearing film that I just loved. Ryan Reynolds shows us he’s evolving as an actor, the framework of the movie (Reynolds telling his daughter the story of his three life loves) is interesting and functionally works very well. I’m not the biggest fan of romantic comedies at all, but if more of them were like Definitely, Maybe, I’d be a whole lot more excited about seeing new ones when they came out.

Overall I’m going to give Definitely, Maybe an 8.5/10

The General Idea

A brass band comprised of members of the Egyptian police force head to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselves lost in a foreign city. They are invited to stay the night and are accommodated by the owner and patrons of a small restaurant.

The Good

We follow a dreary group of police musicians around a desolate Israeli town after they mistakenly take the wrong bus. They are put up for the night by locals, and we watch the uncomfortable mingling that takes place. The situation is obviously awkward for all involved and eventually we come to realize that awkwardness and the problems life throws at us are a commonality shared by all. Another thing we have in common is music, and often the band will use their skill as a means to communicate to their Israeli hosts. This film plays up both the differences and the similarities, and in the end it is obvious that we are all more alike than we would like to admit.

The lead charachter known as The General (Sasson Gabai) is outstanding. He is a dignified and proper old school hard-nose that has his guard up for almost the entire film. Evetually the sultry restaurant owner gets him to crack a bit, but not for long and soon he retreats back into his shell. We eventually see the cost of his attitude, his knowledge of it, and his dismay at his inability to change. Rather than working it out, he almost prefers to keep to himself and protect others from his company. The performance was outstanding and really hooked me into the film.

The awkward exchanges are humorous much like the office television show. You laugh at the uncomfortableness of the situations, and that is the point.

The Bad

This film is a very slow 87 minutes. I feel that it was done deliberately, and although I didn’t have a problem with the pace myself, I think that some may get bored with this film. If I had to find something with this film to gripe about, i suppose that would be it.

Overall

This was a very enjoyable film. It never came across as preachy but the message was there for those with eyes and ears to hear. A wrong turn led to an uncomfortable night for a number of very boring, dreary people and at the end of the experience they somehow came away with a day that none of them will every forget. Eventually the band reaches their final destination and we get to see the group shine doing what they do best. It makes you smile to see such grey characters finally strut like peacocks in the right environment, and it was a great way to finish the film. I would recommend this movie and give it a strong 7/10.

The General Idea

Plot synopsis from IMDB: Fools Gold stars Matthew McConaughey as Ben Finn Finnegan, a good-natured, surf bum-turned-treasure hunter who is obsessed with finding the legendary 18th century Queens Dowry — 40 chests of exotic treasure that was lost at sea in 1715. In his quest, Finn has sunk everything he has, including his marriage to Tess Finnegan (Kate Hudson) and his more-rusty-than-trusty salvage boat, Booty Calls. Just as Tess has begun to rebuild her life, working aboard a mega-yacht owned by billionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland), Finn discovers a vital clue to the treasures whereabouts. Certain that his luck will change with the newfound information, Finn maneuvers himself aboard Nigels yacht and, using his good-natured charm, convinces the tycoon and his Blackberry-wielding, celebutante daughter, Gemma (Alexis Dziena), to join him in the pursuit of the Spanish treasure. Against Tess better judgment, the search rekindles her loveof discovery. But they are not the only ones after the treasure. Finns mentor-turned-nemesis Moe Fitch (Ray Winstone) has also set out to claim the prize.

The Good
We get to see a lot of quality abs in this film. This movie celebrates abs more than it celebrates treasure and I would have preferred the title of Golden Abs Of The Caribbean. Donald Sutherland also has an outstanding collection of ascots that he sports in the film. I have been on the fence about ascots, but I think this may have put me over the edge. I think I may be an ascot man. My favorite film critic Alex Reynolds sports an ascot, and with his permission I would like to enter the club.

The Bad
This film actually didn’t have a bad treasure hunting story, but it was muddled to death with divorce arguments (that you never really bought into) and the family troubles between an insanely wealthy father and his daughter. I did not see the need to slow the film down and add in unnecessary dramatic tension. People did not come to this film to learn life lessons, they came to see a fun rom-com treasure hunt - with abs.

The film overall didn’t have a very good story. The dialogue was bad and the conversational jokes were not that amusing. The best parts of the film occured when the treasure hunting was happening; or when they were talking about their research. This would have been a better adventure film than a rom/com/adventure. By trying to do too much, nothing was done very well and by the end of the film I thought to myself “well I saw that coming, and I didn’t enjoy the ride”.

At 113 minutes, this film was also needlessly long, I am confused why they decided to keep so much in. This fun in the sun beach romp should have been just that.

Overall

If you like to look at Kate Hudson and/or Matthew Matthew McConaughey in swim-wear, then certainly go see this movie. If you are looking for a quality rom/com - you may want to skip this one. I did not loathe this film; it just wasn’t very good. I wouldn’t be comfortable recommending this movie, and out of 10, I suppose I would give it a 4.

The General Idea

Plot synopsis from IMDB: Bruges, the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travellers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray and Ken, it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists. Ray, still haunted by the bloodshed in London, hates the place, while Ken, even as he keeps a fatherly eye on Ray’s often profanely funny exploits, finds his mind and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity of the city. But the longer they stay waiting for Harry’s call, the more surreal their experience becomes, as they find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloë, who may have some dark secrets of her own. And when the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Ray’s vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences.

The Good

This is an extremely well written story. Amazing call backs, fantastic tie ins, and an ending that … I would love to discuss, but cannot without giving something away. This is a dialogue heavy film that pits different characters together at different times. In a short amount of time we have in jokes, back stabbing, double crossing, good natured ribbing, enemies becoming friends, friends becoming enemies all the while remaining wildly entertaining. The characters in this film are all interesting, unique and it is a pleasure to see how them mix it up in varying combinations.

The film focuses mainly of the characters Ray (Colin Farrell), Ken (Brendan Gleeson) and “the boss” Harry (Ralph Fiennes). For most of the film we are following Ray and Ken around town, listening in on their discussion. This would normally be insanely boring fare, but Bruges is as beautiful a setting as you could hope for, and the 3 aforementioned heavy weights use language like they had a black belt in it. With words like whips they lash each other back and forth without skipping a beat, it was an absolute pleasure to watch these thespian masters speak with power, emotion and legendary timing.

We witness the “wind down” time of surly assassins and get to share in their post-murder day to day . Usually a film about assassins is all about “the job”; this film picks up where most finish. This was a dark drama, and the comedic moments were an equal shade of space. The theatre was packed and people were laughing throughout the film; well and often. So many of the conversations were packed with jokes, this is common in life, but is rarely done so well in a film. The chat was natural, funny and jam packed with profanity. You swear at work, I swear at work, these gents simply follow suit. The language is irreverent, crass and exactly what you should expect from people that kill others for a living.

The Bad
At 107 minutes I feel this film could have done with a slight trimming. The dialogue never got boring and in fact the film itself didn’t seem to drag, but a more liberal use of the editing shank may have made this just that much more. This however is my only quibble with this however. I have more problems with Mother Theresa than I do with this film.

Overall

I loved this film and could not recommend it enough, if you see one film this weekend - may this be it. I had high hopes for this movie and it did not disappoint in the least, it tickled me in the blackest regions of my heart; and for that, I thank them. Out of 10 I would gladly give this film a 9, and declare it Routh.

The General Idea

The son (Peter Gaulke) of a legendary wildlife show host attempts to fill his father’s shoes after his untimely passing. Pete (Steve Zahn) and his ragamuffin production crew run the show into the ground with a lack of ability and drug abuse. Upon being given 2 weeks notice from the network unless they deliver something “big”. They get a lead on a Bigfoot sighting in South America and start off on a road trip, doing 4 nature shows on the way down.

The Good

Every time this film showed nature footage with overdubs - I laughed my ass off. It was ridiculous, outlandish, peculiar and it just made me howl. These short videos were the best part of the film and the last shark video is easily the best of them all. I posted this video a while back, and it made me laugh just as hard when I saw it in the theatre. Everyone was in stitches in the theatre I was in, and that ridiculous shark made my day.

A lot of the drug humor fell flat and seemed unnecessary, but one short scene with a bottle of ether in an RV was also very funny. I will not ruin it for you, but stuff gets out of hand and everyone looks like they are in a Red Hot Chili Peppers Video.

The Bad

Like the characters in this film, it seemed like this film was slapped together by people that were high and had no desire for quality. The dialogue was horrible, most jokes fell flat and a lot of the gags just came off as lame. Many of the scenes seemed to be flat out improv, and instead of shooting till they got something good - it felt like they just kept the first take.

Peter Dante was in this film and usually makes me howl, but this time out, most of his lines were hurting and his best comedic opportunity was group vomiting into the mouth of a shark. I was excited to see him in the film, but was bummed out that he wasn’t given the tools necessary to bring the “ha ha” I am accustomed to.

You can see in the performances that the actors did not believe in the project, and you almost sense that they are mocking themselves as they work. This is so blatant that the movie itself ends on a scene that would normally be an out-take. The guys bust out laughing because the movie ends on such a ridiculous line - and they kept that shot as the final scene of the film; and in a strange way it worked. You knew the film sucked, and so did they - so in some sense it was refreshing to see that they were in on the joke that was this film

Overall

There are a lot of reasons to dislike this film. That being said, I laughed very, very hard at a few points. The animal clips were great, but the rest pretty much sucked. It was like an awesome animal episode of America’s Funniest Home videos and you just wanted the show to fast forward to the next clip.

As I was leaving the theatre, I was laughing at how funny some stuff was, and also at the blatant lack of effort or concern for quality. I would only recommend this film to personal friends that appreciate the absolutely ridiculous, but as a rule - I would not suggest you see it. Movies that suck, and yet entertain me at points are always the hardest to rate. I suppose I would have to give this film a reluctant 5/10. This is too high a mark for the quality of film that it was, but the animal videos did make me laugh very much, and since the film is a comedy, pragmatically I have to give it a passing grade of 50%. The film currently has a 0% at Rotten Tomatoes, ouch.