Last movie you watched......

I'd put it in the 4-5 range. The first one is a 10. It wasn't that it wasn't funny, but 98 percent of movie had ZERO originality to it. I expected more and was disappointed.

The best part of the trip to the movies was the preview for Horrible Bosses. That movie looks hilarious.

 

"I want you to fire Professor X."

"You mean Hank?"

Ya, that one looks like it'll be great.

 

Who's in it?

 

Jason Bateman, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Jason Sudekis, Jennifer Aniston, Charlie Day (from Always Sunny), Jamie Foxx.

 

Clerks II, with all dialogue intact, last night on Comedy Central.

It skated on references to other movies, was predictable at just about every turn, and felt like a movie made by people who had only seen Clerks and Mallrats. They thought they understood the "Kevin Smith Formula," (if there is one) and proceeded to make a movie with the words, but not the language, of Smith's better work.

With apologies to Family Guy, Randall's dialogue was basically "Something, something . . . gay slur. Something, something . . . racial joke. Loud noises!"

Top it off with the fact the two leads (still) can't act their way out a paper bag, and it was just . . . unpleasant. Maybe I would have liked it five years ago, when it actually was in theaters.

 

It was pretty obvious the plots were gonna be similar. I mean, how else can you change a movie based on a giant hangover? People say the first is better just because it was the first one made. If Bangkok was the first one, then that would be enjoyed more. Comedic sequels are hard to make. Just look at Caddyshack 2.

 

Eh, see, I don't know if I agree with this.

There's a difference between being similar and being AN EXACT COPY of the first film.

Did you see the Youtube video that played the trailers to both movies on the same screen and ran them in real time? The trailers were shot-for-shot identical and that's what this movie felt like.

Don't get me wrong, this flick was hilarious. I laughed my ass off. But there were a thousand different ways they could have continued on with the characters and had a similar concept without basically being an exact replica of the movie.

(SPOILER ALERT)

The Hangover I basically spent a half-hour setting up the idea of a bachelor party in Vegas where Alan was a tag along the groom to be didn't want, then they had a blackout, then they woke up, realized they lost Doug, spent a lot of time looking for him, had a wild car chase involving Chow because "Doug" was kidnapped, found out Doug was never really kidnapped, found out Alan drugged everyone, fought and blamed each other because the wedding wasn't going to happen, sat in quiet reflection, remembered where Doug was, found him, made it to the wedding in time for the ceremony, laughed at their hijinks and looked at the pictures on the camera of the night of debauchery.

The Hangover II basically spent a half-hour setting up the idea of a bachelor party in Vegas Thailand where Alan was a tag along the groom to be didn't want, then they had a blackout, then they woke up, realized they lost Doug Teddy, spent a lot of time looking for him, had a wild car chase involving Chow because "Doug" Teddy was kidnapped, found out Doug Teddy was never really kidnapped, found out Alan drugged everyone, fought and blamed each other because the wedding wasn't going to happen, sat in quiet reflection, remembered where Doug Teddy was, found him, made it to the wedding in time for the ceremony, laughed at their hijinks and looked at the pictures on the camera of the night of debauchery.

Really, the only thing plot wise that changed was the location and the person who was lost. That's like making a sequel to Avatar with the exact same type of characters in the exact same plot, step for step, but making them green this time and changing the main character's name from Jake Sully to Jack Sullivan.

 

I thought the first movie was much more creative. And the writing was much better. Not one line in this version resembled "I didn't know they gave out rings at the Holocaust." Or "Tigers love pepper. They hate cinnamon." Not saying Hangover 2 wasn't funny, but the orginial Hangover was inspired. This movie just felt flat to me - I don't care if it had come out first or second.

 

Yeah, my through-the-roof enthusiasm to see the movie has been somewhat tempered by what I've heard from friends/acquaintances.

 

There were a couple of choice moments that were every bit as good as the things in the first movie.

(Spoiler)

The moment where the boat crashes on land and Alan drops the anchor had me in stitches. Also, the line "It used to be bologna but now they make you put in numbers and shit." slayed me as well. And the entire transsexual stripper scene was brilliant.

 

Came close to going to see "Bridesmaids" with my brother and his wife last night, until I realized its running time was 2 hours, 5 minutes (and the show started at 10:05 p.m.).

Is there any reason a comedy needs to be that long?

 

"I am Number Four"

I'm a sucker for alien/comic book/Sci Fi/ what have you style movies and red boxed this yesterday. Not terrible as some of the RT reviews made it out to be - interesting to say the least. I wonder if a sequel is in the talks. Well, I doubt it made much more past its budget.