An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn (2018)

There are times when you check out films just based on the name itself because it intrigues enough to want to press play. There are definitely times when you check out films based off of who is in the film or even who directs it and that was definitely the case with today's film in 2018's An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn which was written and directed by Jim Hosking (ABC's Of Death 2). The film stars Aubrey Plaza (The Little Hours) as Lulu Danger, a woman whose marriage is so unsatisfying, she just needs the slightest reason to run away. One day all her prayers are answered when a mysterious figure from her past is schedules to perform an event called An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn; For One Magical Night Only in her hometown. What ensues is one wild and crazy adventure as Lulu looks to finally get the answers she deserves no matter the costs. The film also stars Craig Robinson (Hot Tub Time Machine) as Beverly Luff Linn, Emile Hirsch (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) as Shane Danger, Jemaine Clement (Moana) as Colin Keith Threadener, Matt Berry (Toast Of London) as Rodney Von Donkensteiger, Zach Cherry (You) as Tyrone, Sky Elobar (Candy Corn) as Carl Ronk, Jacob Wysocki (Unfriended) as Lawrence Doggi, Sam Dissanayake (This Is 40) as Adjay, Maria Bamford (Barnyard) as The Elegant Woman, and Michael D. Cohen (Suburbicon) as Mitch Stemp.

This film was just so weird from beginning to end that I thought it was written by the people behind Tim & Eric and some of the best Adult Swim comedies out there, but I looked it up and it wasn't. The film has that certain brand of comedy that is just so dumb that it's funny, but at the same time you're like what is wrong with them and I get that watching Adult Swim shows like Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule, and even some of Eric Andre's stuff. I don't know how to describe that brand of comedy, but if you've seen those then you know exactly what I am talking about. One thing that I left this film with was the fact that if it wasn't for Jemaine Clement, I think this film would not have been as great without him. I love his style of comedy and he shines in this film as the most interesting character of them all so its safe to say that he is the MVP of the film. I definitely loved some of the other actors in this film and I love what each of them brought to the film, but Clement brought out the best in all of them. I just love some of the over the top ridiculousness that is presented in this film like the hotel manager or Tyrone's mom which is really played by a dude and so many other things that put this film over the top like the music and costumes as well. It's funny for most of the film, Robinson just has to grunt and moan for most of it until we get to the performance and how lucky was he? The film is on Netflix right now and I definitely suggest you give it a shot as I am giving the film an B+ for a final grade.

Moana (2016)

Every once in a while, I like to check out Disney Plus and maybe watch films that I avoided at the cinemas which definitely includes the film I chose for today. Back in 2016, Disney tackled a new topic when they explored the lore of the Polynesian islands and their culture when they released Moana in 2016. Legend has it that a goddess by the name of Te Fiti created life with the power of her heart. One day, a demigod by the name of Maui (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) stole her heart and when he tried to escape it was lost in the ocean and he was banished. Fast forward to the future and we meet Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) who is a very curious girl and only daughter of the chief of her island. All she wants to do is set sail in the ocean, but when resources start to become scarce because of the curse, she finds the heart and sets out to find Maui to convince him to make things right once and for all to save her island. The film also stars Rachel House (Thor: Ragnarok) as Gramma Tala,  Temuera Morrison (Star Wars: Episode II- Attack Of The Clones) as Chief Tui, Jemaine Clement (What We Do In The Shadows) as Tamatoa, Nicole Scherzinger (Men In Black 3) as Sina, Alan Tudyk (Frozen) as Heihei, Oscar Kightley (Hunt For The Wilderpeople) as Fisherman, and the film was directed by Ron Clements (Hercules), John Musker (Aladdin), Don Hall (Big Hero 6), and Chris Williams (Bolt).

What can be said about a Disney movie that hasn't already been said before? They all follow the same formula where you have your main characters with one being on a mission, one being funny, and then they give you the comedic relief character in the form of an animal or creation (snowman). Most every single Disney movie follows that formula and why not? The formula has worked for years and as long as they keep it fresh it will work for more and more years. One thing I will say is that even though he is in cartoon mode, Dwayne Johnson still found a way to be funny and a very integral part of the film because if it wasn't for him I may not have enjoyed this as much. To be honest, I think he was more the comedic relief then the darn chicken who was just too dumb to be eaten. I thought some of the songs were just too much and it's probably the one thing that drives me nuts about Disney movies, but the one I did like was when Jemaine Clement had his time to shine with his song which had a very Bowie/Tim Curry feel to it and that was awesome. This was definitely enjoyable especially if you want to learn about some of the legends of the culture and how they received their names. I however don't think it's the best Disney movie ever made cause that belongs to The Toy Story. Therefore I am going to give this film an B+ for a final grade.

Dinner For Schmucks (2010)

There are people in the world that would do things out of desperation just for a promotion in their job field and some have absolutely no regrets about it because to them money equals power. Or at least it means that you'll get a little bit more respect from your colleagues and that is what Paul Rudd's (This Is 40) character will attempt to do in today's film Dinner For Schmucks. You see all Tim (Rudd) wants is to get to the next floor because it means more money and respect and after introducing his boss (Bruce Greenwood) to a potential client (David Walliams) that could save their company, Tim is tasked with one mission. All Tim has to do is find an idiot and bring him to a dinner that they hold every year and if he wins he is in for sure. Cue in Barry (Steve Carell), a man who does taxidermy with mice and creates diorama art with them as a hobby as his pick, but as Tim gets to know him his life begins to spin out of control and Barry could be the key to saving it, but what will he do? The film also stars Zach Galifianakis (Bubble Boy) as Therman, Jemaine Clement (What We Do In The Shadows) as Kieran, Stephanie Szostak (Iron Man 3) as Julie, Ron Livingston (Office Space) as Caldwell, Lucy Punch (Bad Teacher) as Darla, and the film was directed by Jay Roach (Trumbo).

There were a lot of funny moments in this film and that is because Steve Carell does such an amazing job just being an idiot he literally reads into things too literally. Barry is the slightly more intelligent version of Brick, but that is not to take away from Paul Rudd who was the perfect teammate for Carell in this film. All I am going to say that is that when we get to the actual dinner scene you will laugh your ass off as the scene also features actors and comedians like Octavia Spencer, Chris O'Dowd, Jeff Dunham, Patrick Fischler, and Rick Overton who all have their moments, but the greatest, laugh till you cry moment belongs to Galifianakis and Carell. Galifianakis basically plays Carell's biggest foe, enemy, bully, etc. and it is in the dinner scene that business begins to pick up. Some of the other great comedic moments also come from the very brilliant Jemaine Clement who does very well to hang with Carell in their scenes which are priceless but he does well on his own too. If you are looking for just some laugh out loud funny or if you love Paul Rudd and/or Steve Carell then this is the movie to watch and it's available on Netflix as we speak and make sure you hang on til the very end of the credits for something special. I am going to give the film an B+/A- (somewhere in there) for a final grade because it made me laugh an I do not regret watching it.