Not being the hugest fan of Woody Allen, I had convinced myself I would never see Midnight in Paris when 1) I heard that Owen Wilson was the star and 2) I saw the trailer for the first time. Woody Allen has never done much for me. I can appreciate how much he has contributed to Hover over the years. He really doesn’t take much of a break. More importantly, I like that he writes most of the screenplays for his movies if not all. And while there have been a couple of his films that I did like (most notably Annie Hall and Match Point), for the most part, I have found them to be rather stale. I know he has his die-hard fans who will see anything that he sees. I will most likely only see a Woody Allen movie if it earns a Best Picture Academy Award nomination. Hence, my review.
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Category Archives: Comedy
Bridesmaids (2011)
Though 2010 was the best year for movie releases in my lifetime with the likes of movies like The Town, Inception, Shutter Island, Blue Valentine, 127 Hours, Black Swan, and The King’s Speech, it still liked that one killer comedy (although Date Night was an entertaining movie). I have also heard very good things about Get Him to the Greek, but I still have not seen it. 2011, on the other hand, has had some fantastic comedies, including The Hangover Part 2 (sure, it was the first movie all over again, but it was still laugh-out-loud hilarious, so who cares), Hall Pass, Horrible Bosses, and the more sentimental Crazy, Stupid, Love. which was just as endearing as it was funny. But, without a doubt, the funniest movie of the year was Bridesmaids.
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Moneyball (2011)
Moneyball is the true story of Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane. In 2001, the Athletics advanced to the Major League Baseball American League Division Championship Game, where their opening day payroll of $33,000,000 was facing the New York Yankees and their opening day payroll of $109,000,000 in an elimination game for the right to advance to the conference championship. Instead, the Athletics lose the game and the series. It is a foregone conclusion that the team will lose its three marquee players, who are free to sign wherever they want, to bigger market cities because the team doesn’t have the money to sign the players to the massive contracts they have demanded with great statistical seasons.
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The Descendants (2011)
With some of his performances, George Clooney has been known for hitting the ball out of the ballpark. A two-time Academy Award Nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Performance (2007’s Michael Clayton, 2009’s Up In The Air), Clooney is poised for his third nomination with 2011’s The Descendants. Successful as both a supporting actor (Academy Award Winner – 2005’s Syriana) as for as work behind the camera (Academy Award Nominee for Best Director – 2005’s Good Night and Good Luck), Clooney is at his best when the movie revolves around his performance as a leading man. This is precisely what happens in this movie. Continue reading The Descendants (2011)
Everything Must Go (2011)
Everything Must Go was not Will Ferrell’s (Old School, Blades of Glory) first attempt at anything more than silly humor. He did a great job as a socially awkward and isolated IRS agent in Stranger Than Fiction. In more of a subdued role (Winter Passing), Ferrell plays a would-be musician. This movie could have been better, and Ferrell looked out of place. While he can still crank out $100 million laugh-out-loud comedies (2010’s The Other Guys, 2008’s Step Brothers), he is still trying to show the world that he can do more than make people laugh. He does just that in Everything Must Go, a movie with a few subtle laughs but one with its lead character not delivering the joke. In this regard, the film did an excellent job.