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Reviews
Funny People (2009)
what he said
Like everyone else says, cut out the 40 minutes of the affair and it's a pretty good movie. Apatow is good, but loses perspective when it comes to editing out his family. The first 2/3 are good, and the ending with the two in the coffee shop is really great. It seems the whole 40 minute digression was just a setup for this reconciliation, which is very satisfying. Rogen, slim, and sweet, is a really likable guy, a real change from the a-hole he played in Zack and Miri. Now what's with Sandler? He's switching more into the Robin Williams trap--not quite funny, not quite dramatic, often just aggressive (I couldn't even watch Spanglish, Punch Drunk was painful but I did like Anger Management). It works here, but please, don't go further down that road, or if you must, stay on the funny side of the road.
Splinterheads (2009)
Good indie date flick//kooky comedy
On one hand, it's good for a date because it has the familiar guy-tricked-by-girl, guy-pursues-girl, guy-gets-coldcocked-by-her-boyfriend, guy-gets-girl arc. On the other hand, it has eccentric/charming characters and unconventional humor more typical of independent movies, because it's actually funnier than the stuff that comes out of a big studio.
The main actor, Thomas Miiddleditch, really made me laugh. He has great reactions that you see upclose. Those alone cracked me up. Because he isn't classically handsome, it reminded me a little of Napoleon Dynamite, if ND had a conventional family. Then I found out the same guy did the music for both movies.
Middleditch (Justin) falls for Rachael Taylor (Galaxy) who's travelling through town with a carnival. Justin is a slacker, post high school, doing a low wage job, and he falls hard for her. After she treats him like crap, he's super nice to her when she goes geocaching/swimming at a quarry. I thought he should have taken her clothes and run off, but hey, she is Rachael Taylor (Transformers I).
There's a surprising amount of good action during the climax and I was cheering when the boyfriend (Dean Winters) gets his comeuppance. Good date movie ending. Winters is a familiar actor from TV and movies (though I had to check IMDb to remember where) and perfectly cast. Also Lea Thompson and Christpher McDonald are mom and her boyfriend. Then there's Amazing Steve and Wyoming. Very funny and offbeat moments with them.
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Very cool action movie
Heard a sequel is coming out soon, so wanted to watch the original first. This was a cult hit in 1999 and I never heard of it. I see why it's compared to Tarantino, even though they're different styles.
With flashbacks, high energy violence, and Irish accents that slip in and out of gear, it reminds me of Guy Ritchie movies, but better. I was rooting for the brothers and so is Willem Dafoe, really far out as a gay FBI agent. Too bad I don't see him in the credits for the sequel. He really takes the film over the top into another territory. And if you watch the deleted scenes on the DVD you see that everyone on the set has a great sense of humor. Really looking forward to the sequel, and wonder if the two brothers will still be as athletic.