Movie review times 2

Steve Coogan plays an obviously gay man who is in denial about his sexuality who was once an actor but now finds himself married and teaching drama at a high school in Arizona. His wife, Catherine Keener, wants a baby, his two main students want big parts in his productions, and most everyone else wants him to go away and leave them alone. When he finds out all the funding for his department is going to be cut and his classes canceled, he goes into high gear and he produces his crowning theatrical achievement, the sequel to Hamlet, Hamlet 2 and then things go haywire from there.

This is a mostly very funny film. If you ever did high school theatre, community theatre, schlocky dinner theatre, or if you ever saw any productions of high school, community, or schlocky dinner theatre, then you'll identify with this film. It's mostly clever and it's only a bit annoying. I really liked it but I can see how and why others wouldn't. I'm a huge fan of Steve Coogan's comedy and he's very good in this film but by the end you just want to strangle him to make him shut up. His character gets annoying and grating, luckily it's balanced by all the other quirky characters in the movie. I loved Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Shue, and Melonie Diaz most of all.

I recommend this one but it may not be for everybody out there.

After catching bit and pieces of this movie I finally got to see it all the way through. Despite what you may have heard, it's funny. And most importantly, it's funny all the way through.

It's a anachronistic romp through the Bronze age/Old Testament time period. Black and Cera play a couple of lovable fuck ups who always find some way to end up on top.

Black can be a little manic and over the top in some of his roles and he's almost that way in this film but he stays just this side of the annoying line in this movie. Cera under plays his character as usual and once again he delivers another funny performance. David Cross as Cain is funny in the movie, as is Oliver Platt, who I usually can't stand. I also liked Olivia Wilde (hubba hubba!), and the gals who played the love interests of Black and Cera, June Diane Raphael and Juno Temple.

Yes, this movie is silly. Yes, the jokes and gags fly as fast as bullets. And yes, I really really liked it.

Monkey Movie Reviews

We watched these two movies while snowed in this weekend:
Pure fun. That's what The Hangover is. It's not demanding, it has no message, it's just pure fun.

Four guys try to reconstruct what happened to them during 48 hours in Vegas. Stolen cop cars, Mike Tyson, live tigers, a chicken, a marriage to a stripper/escort, a screamingly flamboyant Chinese American gangster all combine to make their time in Vegas more than memorable. It's a wild funny fun ride.

When finally given a chance to shine Ed Helms does just that. He and Zack Galifinakis steal this movie. Also good in it were Rachel Harris as Helms ball busting girlfriend and Heather Graham. Rumor has it that Lindsay Lohan turned down the part Heather Graham took and if that's true then I'm almost inclined to believe there is a god because Lohan would have ruined this flick for me. There's no way she could project the sweet innocent stripper with a heart of gold image that Graham did.

I recommend this movie highly because it's so funny but I can see how some women might not like it. Ladies, you've been warned.

In The Loop is scathing razor sharp black comedy at it's finest. It's a satire for the ages, even though it's really about some slimy politicians in the run up to the Iraq war.

Peter Capaldi blisters the screen with the reprisal of his character Malcolm Tucker, first introduced in the BBC series The Thick of It, who is a top aide to the British Prime Minister. The film centers on him and his riding herd on an ineffectual British Cabinet Minister, his aides, and some American politicians and military people who are at odds. Capaldi takes swearing and Alpha male behavior to new unheard of levels. If you're not a fan of cuss words, and Capaldi spares no one, not man, woman, or child, then you better avoid this film. But for those who don't mind a blue word or two, or a couple thousand, then I highly recommend this film to you.

For my money, the director of this film, and he also co wrote the script with some other guys, Armando Iannucci is a genius. He wrote a slew of stuff for the BBC, including most all of the Alan Partridge series, and the aforementioned The Thick of It. The way he set up Mimi Kennedy's 'I'm not a monster' joke in the first part of this movie is a thing of beauty.

Like The Hangover, I recommend this film highly, perhaps a little more so because it's more politically relevant, but I can also see how women would hate it. The Alpha male posturing and numerous dick/gay insults may be a little off putting for hose with more delicate sensibilities than mine. But honestly, I loved this film more than I've loved any other film in a long long time.