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. 

The Art Of Self-Defense (2019)

When I did the last challenge, I kind of wish that I had Hulu cause they have stepped their game up for me over the past couple of months on films that I have wanted to watch. One of those is with Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) who is one of those actors whose generally played the same character or some sort of variation of it in almost every film and sometimes it works (e.g. Now You See Me) which is the frantic introvert. Then there are some instances where it has fallen flat and just isn't good (e.g. Batman V Superman). I however decided to check out one of his films that came out last year entitled The Art Of Self-Defense where he plays frail and fragile Casey, who after being attacked by a gang of motorcyclists decides that he is going to take karate lessons from a very charismatic and mysterious Sensei (Alessandro Nivola). What initially starts as a way to defend himself goes completely south for Casey in this dark comedy that also stars Imogen Poots (Green Room) as Anna, Steve Terada (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull) as Thomas, David Zellner (Damsel) as Henry, Phillip Andre Botello (Funny People) as Kennith, and the film was written and directed by Riley Stearns (Faults).

The movie really starts off looking like it's going to be this bleak dark comedy about someone who is a little weird to most, but decides top learn some karate. Then out of nowhere, it looks like the film is going to go dark and in a weird direction until it turns into a really dark crime drama all in a one and the half hour span. I honestly thought that this was going to be a comedic look at dudes that think they are cool for learning Karate, but don't get me wrong because I love the end result. It was kind of chaotic and that's what I liked about it because I sort of figured out part of the twist, but seeing that ending was like a breath of fresh air. Most of the pace of the film is very slow even though things seem to be moving quickly. I love what Matthew Lickona of the San Diego Reader wrote, "It's tempting to imagine that writer-director Riley Stearns caught a screening of the supremely feel-good The Karate Kid and thought, "Yeah, I can make the opposite of that."" I actually was thinking that the whole time I watched this film. What if this was a film about people who say The Karate Kid and took everything that was honorable and great about Karate and just shit all over it. Is it the best movie ever made? Well that's an easy answer and it's no, but it's definitely worth one watch and it's on Hulu. My point above is that Eisenberg is kind of like Kristen Stewart where they have the same look in every film, but I like Eisenberg. Witht hat being said, I am going to give this one an B- for a final grade.

Bubble Boy (2001)

One of the ideas of doing a blog site like this or a movie challenge of any sorts is to check out films that you may have missed because they fell by the wayside or you just couldn't get around to them. Back in 2016, I did a 366 movie challenge and one of the actors I enjoyed the most were films with Jake Gyllenhaal (Enemy) who has also grown to be one of my favorite actors in the world. The film I decided to watch for today is one that I avoided for obviously a very long time, but never late than never as I watched 2001's Bubble Boy. The film was a dark comedic take on the 1976 classic The Boy In The Plastic Bubble as Gyllenhaal stars as Jimmy Livingston, a boy who has lived in a plastic bubble his whole life because he has no immunity system. After becoming best friends with Chloe (Marley Shelton), the girl next door, he begins to fall in love with her, but then he finds out she's getting married to some jerk. One day, he decides to build a bubble suit so he can try and stop the wedding from happening. The film also stars Danny Trejo (Machete) as Slim, Swoosie Kurtz (Liar Liar) as Mrs. Livingston, John Carroll Lynch (American Horror Story) as Mr. Livingston, Verne Troyer (The Love Guru) as Dr. Phreak, Matthew McGrory (The Devil's Rejects) as Human Sasquatch, Brian George (Employee Of The Month) as Pushpop, Patrick Cranshaw (Old School) as Pappy, and the film was directed by Blair Hayes (Night Music).

I was actually expecting this film to be very cheesy considering it was showing for free on the VUDU app, but it really wasn't all that bad. It actually had some real funny moments in the film that had me in stitches. Here is this kid that is being raised by a super religious mother inside of a plastic bubble and the only education he knows is that of what his mother has taught him. So, when Marley Shelton's character comes over to visit, things begin to happen that never had before for him and it's the funniest thing. The real awesome and funny moments of the film happen when he hits the road and man was it a fun movie to watch at that point. There are some great moments and great cameos from future stars like Zach Galifianakis, Arden Myrin, Pablo Schreiber, and various Hollywood deep cut names like Robert LaSardo, Fabio, Cleo King, The Sklar Brothers, and even Leo Fitzpatrick (Kids). Those are just some of the names that help play a part in all of the madness that ensues in the film once he gets out on the road. The only thing that I will say about the film that I didn't enjoy was the film's choice for the "villain boyfriend" role that was played by Dave Sheridan and I am honestly not sure if it was because he wasn't enough of a presence or if the role was just bad. I have seen better guys play the asshole boyfriend role and even Craig Kilborn did a better job in Old School then he did and that's because the writing for his role was better. All I am saying is that you're not even worried in the slightest that he is going to actually marry Marley's character. You kind of figure that Jake's character is going to save the day that's how bad that was. It was a decent, fun film to watch, and why not it was free on VUDU. That is why I am going to give the film an C+/B- (somewhere in there) for a final grade.

Godsend (2004)

You will notice over time that there are certain actors in the world that I am trying to knock down their filmography because of how legendary they are or I just want to see more from a certain actor. Robert De Niro (The Irishman) is definitely one of those actors whose had a legendary career and I am just trying to watch a lot of his films which is why I chose Godsend for today besides the fact it was showing for free on Youtube. How many of us in the world have lost a loved one whether it be that they left this earth too soon? That is what happened to Paul and Jessica Duncan (Greg Kinnear & Rebecca Romijn) who lost their son Adam (Cameron Bright) who was hit by a car. That is when they are approached by Richard Wells, a famous Doctor who specializes in children approaches them with an idea of bringing back Adam through stem cell research. The only problem is that the procedure is successful, but once the new Adam approaches the death age of his original self he begins to change and have night terrors that worry the Duncans. The film also stars Munro Chambers (Turbo Kid) as Max, Deborah Odell (Horseman) as Tanya, and the film was directed by Nick Hamm (The Hole).

Godsend is one of those films where they tease what kind of an amazing decision it is to basically clone a child then all of a sudden they turn the tables and here are the negatives about cloning. The great thing about this lesson in why you shouldn't is because there is a twist at the end of the film that I definitely didn't see coming. I definitely thought that Greg Kinnear did an excellent job in the film and I would even say he was the MVP of the film. I'm not saying that Rebecca Romijn did bad in the film, but she didn't carry the film like Kinnear did as he commanded the screen. Robert De Niro was kind of a minor character in a way where he was only in certain parts of the film, but when he is there he commands the screen as well. I also have to say that I didn't think Cameron Bright did a bad job, but he just wasn't interesting enough at times when he would change to his evil self. He didn't do a great job of revealing it like Jackson Robert Scott did in The Prodigy. The film is definitely worth checking out for free on Youtube, but would I own it? Probably not if I am being honest, but there are things to like like the overall tones of the film is very gloomy even after Adam's birth. The cinematography for the film is very good as well, but it gets better when they move to the rural town. So, I am going to say at least give it a watch and I am going to give it ab B- for a final grade.

Frozen (2013)

You'll notice over time that there are a lot of films that I have never viewed and with the astronomical amounts of films released in the past it almost seems impossible to see them all. Disney is one of those companies that I have unfortunately missed a lot of so when they decided to come out with Disney +, I took it as an opportunity to catch up which is why I chose Frozen for today's film. The film stars Idina Menzel (Uncut Gems) as Elsa, a girl who has never had it easy ever since she was a kid who discovered she had the powers to freeze things. To make matters worse, she almost killed her sister Anna (Kristen Bell) which forced her into isolation so that she could learn to control her powers. Well, one faithful day as she is revealed to the world as the new Queen, she kind of freezes things and curses her village into infinite winter and now it's up to Anna to try and save Elsa and the village before it's too late. The film also stars Josh Gad (Pixels) as Olaf, Jonathan Groff (Glee) as Kristoff, Santino Fontana (Sisters) as Hans, Alan Tudyk (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as Duke, Ciarán Hinds (Game Of Thrones) as Pabbie, and the film was directed by Chris Buck (Surf's Up) & Jennifer Lee (Zootopia).

I am not going to lie and say that I thought some of the songs they sing were a little cheesy to me at first, but as the movie progresses you almost forgive the singing. You forgive it because the story gets better and more interesting as the movie progresses and you can see why people loved this film. I will however say that if it wasn't for Josh Gad as Olaf, I don't think the film would've been that good because he is the MVP of the film for sure. Every Disney movie has that formula in it with all of the main characters, but one of them is always the comedic relief of the bunch and Olaf is that for Frozen. One of the things I liked most about the film too is that it didn't end with the typical princess in distress moment. What I mean by that  was there was no prince at the end of the film that kisses the Princess and she's magically fine. No in this film, they go outside the box and it's the true love of one sister to another that saves Anna at the end of the film. The voice acting was great, the singing was great as well, and the story was great. Their is not a lot to pick apart when it comes to this film, but I imagine that if I was a little kid when this came out that I may have loved all the songs too. So, I am going to go ahead and give this film an A for a final grade because it deserves at least that.

Uncut Gems (2019)

When you think of films hitting the theaters these days, Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore) is not a name that comes to mind, but if we were talking mid to late 90's and on you couldn't have the conversation without him. He ruled the comedy world at one point before his career took an alternate route for a while, but he's back in the box office with a brand new film in Uncut Gems that has been getting quite the praise so I had to see it for myself. In the film, Sandler plays a jeweler named Howard Ratner, who seems to have it all, but underneath all of it lies a dark tale. The dark tale is the fact that Ratner has a little bit of a gambling problem that seems to get worse and bad people are after him. That is until one day, an uncut gem from Eithopia could be his ticket out of it all the problems. The film also stars former NBA legend Kevin Garnett as himself, The Weeknd as himself, Idina Menzel (Frozen) as Dina,  Jonathan Aranbayev as Eddie, Lakeith Stanfield (Knives Out) as Demany, Eric Bogosian (Boogie Nights) as Arnold, Judd Hirsch (Taxi) as Gooey, Pom Klementieff (Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2) as Lexus, Julia Fox as Julia, and the film was directed by Josh and Benny Safdie (Good Time).

This was definitely a good role for Sandler to take and while you can't help but have some funny moments in a film it was definitely something different for him. Unfortunately while he did a great job in the film, the definite break out star of the film was Julia Fox who in her first major role knocked it out of the park in my opinion. She plays Howard's side piece Julia who in one view may not be the most innocent character, but in the end like Fox said in an interview, "She's really ride or die... she's a trooper." It was a role that was apparently written for her which is no surprise to why she was so amazing in the film to begin with. Funny little stat for you guys out there, this film ranks seventh all time on the list of most F bombs in a film at 408 which is insane, but one film on the list has 935. The film at times is definitely a slow burn as things are developing over time, but they get real interesting when you realize that the threat is real and he is still an idiot that can't stop gambling. Believe it or not, the film is not based on a true story, but rather stories the Safdie brothers father would tell them of various guys in the diamond district. One thing is definitely for sure and that is I did not see the ending coming at all and it kind of delighted me because it was different than your typical endings that you always see. Check it out in theaters right now and I am going to give the film an B- for a final grade.

Overlord (2018)

The first time I saw the trailer to today's film, I knew it was a film that I wanted to see, but I never had the chance to until now. In a lot of Adolf Hitler's speeches, you always heard this thing about a thousand year reich and you wondered what in the hell was he talking about and how would he even achieve that? Well, what if we took that statement and we expanded on it for a film and that is today's film's Overlord which was directed by Julius Avery (Son Of A Gun) and the film is about a group of soldiers that are tasked with having to blow up a radio tower in a small French town so that the US can begin storming the beaches in Normandy. The only problem is that when they get there it proves to be challenging and they discover just what kind of sinister plans the Nazis have to accomplish this 1000 year goal. The film stars Jovan Adepo (Fences) as Boyce, Wyatt Russell (22 Jump Street) as Ford, Mathilde Ollivier (The Misfortunes of François Jane) as Chloe, Pilou Asbæk (Game Of Thrones) as Wafner, John Magaro (The Big Short) as Tibbet, Iain De Caestecker (Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D) as Chase, Dominic Applewhite (The King's Speech) as Rosenfeld, and Bokeem Woodbine (Spider-Man: Homecoming) as Rensin.

If you are looking for Saving Private Ryan, Flags Of Our Fathers, or any other World War 2 movie like that then turn away because this is more in the style of Inglorious Basterds than that. This is just supposed to be a fun monster movie that happens to take place during the second World War and it would have played at a Grindhouse. I thought the film was a lot of fun and you see this transformation in Jovan Adepo's character where he is this grunt that is not respected by his peers because he's afraid and his head is just not in the game. Over the course of the film, that begins to change as he is just put through the ringer and he begins to get hardened by the war or at least in the situation they are in. There is one thing that I did like about the film and that is they have no idea what these re-animated corpses are. They are not calling them zombies because that term hasn't been thrown around a lot and Boyce can't seem to explain what he has seen. As far as they know, this serum is masking them into super soldiers that just kill everything they see in sight. The special effects are great in my opinion and it's no surprise as they have J.J. Abrams as a producer and that gunfire that we see in the opening sequence is terrifying. The makeup special effects were also amazing and I loved what they did with Wafner towards the end because they make him the true super villain of the film. If you want something fun to watch that is also bad ass at times then check out Overlord. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.