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We're the Millers (2013)
Dumb Fun
Jennifer Aniston plays a stripper in this movie. I think that's all that needs to be said here.
We're The Millers follows local pot dealer David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) after unfortunate circumstances lead his boss, Brad Gurdlinger (Ed Helms), to have him transport a giant shipment of weed from Mexico into the U.S. To do this, David assembles a fake family bearing the last name Miller to cross the border without suspicion. This family consists of Rose O'Reilly (Jennifer Aniston), a stripper who lives in David's apartment block, Kenny Rossmore (Will Poulter), David's dorky neighbor, and Casey Mathis (Emma Roberts), the local "gutter punk".
While this particular story may be original, the way the movie plays out is completely cliché. When watching the movie you're going to be able to tell what's gonna happen next as far as the progression of emotion between the characters. The classic at first they don't get along, then they start to have fun, then they find out something about one of the characters that upsets them, yada yada yada. You know the drill. But I'm very lenient with comedies because they have one job: to make me laugh and We're The Millers, for the most part, does its job successfully.
This is a very dumb comedy. There is no joke that takes any thought to figure out, but the movie never seems full of itself. It's very self aware and doesn't try to be something it's not. That being said, I don't know if I would have liked the movie as much if it wasn't for the cast, particularly Sudeikis and Poulter. Sudeikis just has a natural charm to him and he delivers lines that aren't actually that great in ways that make them funny (Also he's engaged to Olivia Wilde, so good on him). Poulter has the perfect face for this role. I almost feel bad for saying it but his character was hilarious just because he's such a dorky looking guy. Aniston and Roberts do what they can with what they're given in the script but neither of them really did anything that stood out to me (Except for a scene that was actually rather uncomfortable after Kenny attempts to flirt with a girl). Also, Nick Offerman is in the movie for a little bit and has a really awesome scene involving a mug. None of the other actors really do anything worth mentioning, which sucks because Ed Helms is in this movie and nothing with him made me laugh due to the unfortunately weak script. Really it's the actors that made this movie likable, and the fact that the b-reel during the credits of the movie is funnier than most of the actual movie backs that up.
What you see in the trailer for the movie is basically exactly what you get: A pretty enjoyable comedy, although nothing remarkable. Speaking of the trailer, it actually gives a lot of the best laughs away (as most trailers do) so if you haven't seen it or you don't really remember it, don't watch it! This Is The End still reigns champion as this year's best comedy, but I'd say We're The Millers is good in its own right.
I Had a Heart Once (2013)
Visually wonderful, but lacks the emotional punch.
Josh Lewis' "I Had A Heart Once" is a film he has been heavily advertising on Twitter. After working for 6 months on it, he's obviously very proud and after viewing it I'd say he has no reason not to be, although a couple of tweaks could have made this truly spectacular.
Considering it's a short, there's not too much to explain plot-wise. That being said, the film follows John (Rohan Mead) between snippets of outdoor flashbacks and our lead sitting on a couch in what is presumably his home recording a message as he talks about, essentially, how he lost his heart.
The first half of the film is visually great. The lighting is very dark in John's home setting the tone of absolute dread, and the over-exposed lighting of the flashbacks help add some intensity to the emotion. Lewis sets up his shots beautifully, and obviously in a bit of an artsy fashion but it never feels pretentious or too showy. Unfortunately, none of the emotion hit and I think it's mostly because of the lead, Rohan Mead. It's hard to understand a lot of what he's saying, and his portrayal of such a depressed human being seems a bit forced at times.
The second half, however, pulled off what the film was going for much better. Hearing the lead's story of how he lost his heart was tragic, and I think this is partly because of the fact that a lot of the second half is flashback sequences while Mead does voice over. The emotion from Mead seemed much more palpable when he wasn't on screen (and also seemed to be speaking a little bit more clearly), and I back up this statement by being totally sucked out of it during the final shot of him back on the couch. The "Happy Birthday" line didn't help as it felt a little bit off for me and I can't tell if it's because of the delivery or if it's just a bad line. A line that went something along the lines of "Is it just me, or does everything bad happen on a Tuesday?" was a little weird as well.
I see the potential here, it's just not being fully realized or at least not emotionally. Aesthetically the film is undeniably great but I feel a better lead could have put the film on a whole different level, one that would have been emotionally satisfying. I'll be looking out for Lewis' next project because it's clear to me that this guy is gonna create something truly great not too far in the future.
Pacific Rim (2013)
When it comes down to it, this movie is just a damn fun time.
I had certain expectations going into Pacific Rim – I just wanted to see giant robots (known as Jaeger in the movie) and giant monsters (known as Kaiju in the movie) fight. I wasn't going to mind if the characters were meaningless vessels solely to move the story along as long as the giant action scenes were done correctly, because that's what this movie is for. If I were to give you the plot of this movie I would tell you the only thing that matters is the action, and if you go into this movie with the same expectations as me, you're going to get exactly what you bargained for.
Guillermo del Toro directs this film and he does a great job at making every single action scene seem huge. Every hit in the movie packs a punch, and a hard one at that. The Jaeger vs. Kaiju battles do not disappoint in the slightest and are helped hugely by the great special effects work. The CGI in the film is top notch and makes every high- octane scene that much more intense. Not to mention the sets that the actors are in inside of the Jaeger are practical. The fact that they took the time to build sets for the actors instead of just putting them in front of a green screen is something to appreciate, and adds to the film's realism.
The Kaiju are so interesting to look at, from the effects work yes, but also out of the different designs of each one. Some of them walk, some swim, and some fly but they all look fantastic. Seriously, I couldn't help smiling seeing these things battle, it's everything the inner child in me could want. It's completely over the top, but everything in this movie is, right down to the script and acting.
Charlie Hunnam stars as our main protagonist and, although not awful, he definitely wasn't anything memorable. Anyone could have played his character. There were only 2 standouts in this movie to me – Idris Elba and Charlie Day. Elba brought a presence of force and power that the movie obviously needs, but is also the most human out of all the mostly hollow characters. Also, that guy's mustache is awesome. Just look at that thing. If I had a list of favorite mustaches, his would be towards the top. But, in my opinion, Charlie Day steals the whole movie. Maybe it's just because I'm a fan of his, but I absolutely loved every time his character was on screen. He was hilarious, but he also served as an important part of the story. That being said, whenever the movie focused on any other characters it slowed down for me because I didn't care about them as much. Luckily, the two get a lot of screen time to balance it out.
Honestly, there's not much more to say about Pacific Rim. The film follows up with exactly what it advertises – giant, incredible action. A more refined human element would have been appreciated (and if the movie had it, it would be phenomenal), but the movie is entertaining enough in its action to look past that. When it comes down to it, this movie is just a damn fun time.
Pacific Rim - 4/5