The Hangover, Land of the Lost, Taking of Pelham 123, Up

The Hangover - It's been a pretty great year for comedies. There was the bittersweet Adventureland and the laugh out loud I Love You, Man. Now there is The Hangover. And guess what? It's probably the best of this year's comedies (so far... I mean, Funny People is still on the way!). The movie starts at the end with three guys in the middle of the desert all worse for the wear. It seems they had a bachelor party misadventure and now they can't find the groom. Flash back two nights. The four guys check into a swanky Las Vegas hotel. They get dressed. They have a toast on the roof. Then... crazy stuff ensues. None of which we actually get to see. Instead, the film reopens on a trashed hotel suite. The couch is on fire. There's a chicken walking around. Ed Helms' dentist character is missing a tooth. There's a baby in the closet... and a tiger in the bathroom. Bradley Cooper's character has been in the hospital and, of course, the groom is nowhere to be seen. The movie is pretty straightforward - it sets out to answer what the hell happened. And it's all sometimes silly but always funny. Everyone - the director, the writers, the actors - are all really better than they have to be. When a movie is genuinely funny, it usually doesn't need to look particuarly good but this one most definitely does. It's a surprising film and it's definitely worth checking out.
Grade: B

Land of the Lost - Chalk it up to my love for Danny McBride but I was actually surprised that I didn't hate Land of the Lost. I thought it was going to be typical Will Ferrell stupidity... and it was sometimes. But for every terrible plot point and silly joke, there was something actually funny. McBride is a scene stealer, for sure and he got most of the best parts. Ferrell, Anna Friel and McBride travel through time and space and end up in a mysterious land full of dinosaurs and sleestacks and who knows what else. They must find a contraption that will get them home. The scene at the motel is one of the funniest things I've seen all year and, dare I say, funnier than anything in The Hangover. However, The Hangover sustains the laughs for the entire film... Land of the Lost, unfortunately, does not.
Grade: C

Taking of Pelham 123 - This remake sure is exciting. It also tries to be edgy and raw and rough and dirty. It just doesn't succeed at that all the time. The film follows Ryder (John Travolta), a disgruntled ex-con and ex-Wall Street genius who hijacks a Subway car. His hostage negotiations fall in the hands of Walter (Denzel Washington), a disgraced MTA employee. Ryder makes some demands, the two have a verbal tug of war. The movie is pretty fast paced and remains exciting for much of the film with the exception of a pretty boring stretch near the end. And director Tony Scott (of True Romance fame) tries to make things raw and dirty but you can only push the edginess so far in a studio film. Overall, Taking of Pelham 123 is a pretty decent way to spend an afternoon.
Grade: B-

Up - Up may be the most depressing kids movie ever made. The moral of the story, for me, is this: You dream big as a little kid and then you grow up and realize none of your dreams are ever giong to come true and everyone you love is going to die and you're going to be miserable and alone and then stuck in the middle of nowhere being followed around by an annoying kid, a creepy bird and a talking dog. Not really a kids movie. And while Up did seriously depress me (I'm not even kidding. I was near tears and not because it was heartwarming but because it made me realize how much life - mine and in general - sucks), it's still a pretty cute movie. I don't think it's as good as Wall-E but it is sweet and enjoyable and funny. And I'm finally not the only person in America who hasn't seen it.
Grade: B

Hairspray, Premonition (DVD)

Hairspray - Hairspray is the kind of movie that immediately puts a smile on your face. It's a charming, well done musical. Is it as glossy as last years big musical, Dreamgirls? No. Dreamgirls surely looked better but as far as story, characters, and substance, Hairspray is far superior. The story follows chubby teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) in 1960's Baltimore. She and her best friend Penny Pingleton (an adorable Amanda Bynes) are obsessed with the dance program The Corny Collins Show hosted by James Marsden. Tracy also has a major crush on one of the stars of the show - Link Larkin (Zac Efron). Despite her mother's (John Travolta!) discouragement, Tracy auditions for the show and Corny picks her eventhough the station manager Velma (a delightful, evil, wonderful Michelle Pfeiffer) objects. Lots of singing and dancing ensues. Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Allison Janney, Elijah Kelley, and Christopher Walken round out the stellar cast. Also, look for cameos from some of the gang from the original Hairspray movie: Jerry Stiller, Ricki Lake and original director John Waters. Eventhough Hairspray may seem dated (takes place in the early 60's, remake of a movie from the late 80's), its very much like Grease in the sense that it's timeless. The songs are great (my personal favorite is 'Ladie's Choice' by Efron... and I can see why he elicits screams from young girls - he's dreamy!). The cast is nothing short of amazing. Pfeiffer, making a return to the screen after way too long, is easily the stand-out. She's just having so much fun being so, so very bad. Bynes would get my best runner up award as far as performances go. She's adorable and hilarious. Blonsky is a wonderfully capable newcomer. Walked is mostly being Walken (and there is definitely nothing wrong with that) and Travolta is having the time of his life - especially during hs homage to Tina Turner near the end. The story drags a bit and the cinematography could have been stronger but all in all, Hairspray is one fun movie!

Grade: B

Premonition - What Sandra Bullock lacks in talent (let's face it - she's no Meryl), she makes up for in likeability. I find it very difficult to not like her when she's in a film. She's easy to cheer for and you really want to like the swill she turns up in most of the time. I actually really liked her last attempt at traversing space and time in film - The Lake House - but that made up for all the plot holes with chemistry to spare from Bullock and Keanu Reeves. There is zero chemistry between Bullock and her Premonition love interest Julian McMahan. I like him but he's going through the motions here. McMahon plays Bullock's husband who dies one day and is alive the next. It goes back and forth and things happen that Bullock can't explain. People talk to her like they've met before but she doesn't know who they are. Here daughter has scars all over her face and doesn't know why. There are random dead birds and strange phone messages. So, in short, Premonition is sort of a mess - bad supporting actors giving wooden performances, a script that isn't nearly as clever as it thinks it is, plot holes galore. The only thing it really has going for it is Bullock's likeability factor. You want to root for her. Unfortunately, likeability only gets you so far and Bullock just can't save this movie.

Grade: D+