These Are Your Guys

The genius behind the collaborations of Adam McKay and Will Ferrell is their ability to find originality and hilarity in the mundane. They find comedy in the instances and events that are not considered a gold mine for humor. When they fail to score big laughs is when they break from this formula and lampoon things (ice skating) that are already a laughingstock.
Luckily, Ferrell and McKay have returned to their best ingredients in THE OTHER GUYS. The idea of making a comedy about the average cops that make up most of the forces across the country and are responsible for 98% of the actual work is great.
The movie starts with an immediate bang by ridiculing the over the top action personalities and sequences that make up cop movies. Samuel Jackson and Dwayne Johnson are perfectly cast and perfectly execute the cops that save the day in our summer thrillers. Ultimately, this is the produces one of my favorite laughs in the movie as reality strikes.
Reality doesn't last too long, though, as our everday heroes become the fictionalized Goliaths they're making fun of. That's all fine, because it simply represents the second act in a movie that is basically a series of amusing skits.
The movie works as a series of skits because the skits are funny and they don't need to form some comprehensive scheme. There is no overly complicated plot, at least not one worthy of being followed.
There is an annoying bit that revolves around Ferrell's relationship with his wife, Eva Mendes. The joke is that she's too hot for him, but he acts like nothing is out of the ordinary and she's a plain Jane. This joke is amusing at first, and Mark Wahlberg does an admirable job prolonging it, yet Ferrell totally kills it. He kills it by abhorrent behavior that really soured me on him. This is compounded by a ridiculous back story that was really the only thing in the movie that didn't work.
Wahlberg is dynamite as the serious cop in this screwball comedy. He remains grounded in a way that keeps the movie from spinning off its axises, and yet he still nails every chance he gets to play kooky with Ferrell.

The happy surprise was the comedy chops of Michael Keaton, who has been the funniest thing this summer after this and his role as Ken in TOY STORY 3. As the beleaguered Captain he is extremely likable, grabs big laughs with his ignorance about TLC and really brings it home when he thinks Ferrell is dead at the end of the movie.
All in all this was a good experience. I doubt it will stand repeat viewing, as many of the laughs are derived from their surprise. One of the best examples of this is the bribing executed by Steve Coogan's villain.
So while this movie may not stand the test of time, you should definitely see it now.

Studio Execs are Schmucks

Lets begin with the title, DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS, which is a complete misnomer. The only schmucks in the movie are the people hosting the dinner. A dinner that is referred to repeatedly as one for idiots. So i have to wonder, why did they keep the French title???? To be provocative? For continuity? Because of an underlying message that weirdos aren't schmucks, because schmucks are really jerks (like the supposed "normal" people)? If that's the case then I went a long way for a theme that is stupid and doesn't belong in a movie with a ton of comedians. Just make a movie that says be nice to people. Ugh
Anyway, the movie itself is a cringe-athon that ends with enough sappiness to ruin 100 pancakes. The cringes come in awkwardly forced moments that aren't plausible and therefore are almost completely devoid of humor. This is referring to all the staged gags and not the riffs that are obviously the product of the all-star cast.
This is the case with Kristen Schaal who dominates every scene she's in. It is almost sad to watch Rudd play it straight along side her when you know he could go toe to toe with her if given the freedom to use his strengths. Schaal's FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS co-star, Jermaine, doesn't fare as well in the movie. His character is too much of a gimmick and he's constantly trying to fulfill the terrible creation of some writer somewhere, when in reality he could probably have ad libbed his part with better results.
As for Steve Carell's idiot in the movie, he is more mentally challenged than anything else. He means well, but can't really function at a typical level. Isn't that like the definition of the nice retarded people you meet? (Editor's Note: Dave is allowed to write idiotic things like this because he is obviously retarded. Couldn't you tell?)
Carell is likable enough in the movie, to the point where I felt myself rooting against Paul Rudd. This was a strange feeling considering Rudd could play Osama Bin Laden and probably generate a fair amount of empathy from me. In this role he's just dirty and pathetic, the kind of anti-hero that doesn't deserve a happy ending.
Unfortunately this is a very Hollywood movie and Rudd gets his hollywood ending. Ultimately, this is the downfall of the movie, which is elevated to mediocre standing by an All-Star cast. Honestly, Galifianakis, Schaal and Carell provide the movie with real credibility. At the same time, though, I think some producer got the idea of cramming the movie with types and characters that the movie felt very formulaic and is if they were throwing everything in the book at us.
Essentially I didn't care about this movie. That's not a major flaw in a comedy, but my general apathy kept me from even following this movie. It couldn't hold my attention and didn't warrant many chuckles.
After seeing this movie I felt like a schmuck for having such high hopes.
Finally, maybe this is a crazy idea, but what if the roles were reversed? It seems predictable to me the way the movie was cast. A reversal of the kind PINEAPPLE EXPRESS executed might have put us off balance enough to break this formulaic movie.

Need Not Apply

With the announced departure of Steve Carell from THE OFFICE after the 2010-2011 season, producers have begun planning for life after Carell. Apparently the front runners for the head job include Danny McBride and "Murray" from Flight of the Conchords. Both would be hilarious additions to the show, but only a show with Carell at the helm.
As far as I'm concerned, THE OFFICE should go off on a relatively high note and take retirement in the spring of 2011. The show might be able to reinvent itself, but I'm doubtful. I'd rather we all part ways amicably and with the chance to bring fresh energy to a new project. Give us the payouts we want, which include Jim and Pam moving on, Michael marrying Holly and Toby throwing himself from the roof of Dunder Mifflin (and living with a ton of broken bones).
That's what I think. Do you want the show to go on or do you not even care at this point?

Better Left Unopened

When I saw the trailer for THE BOX i was instantly a believer in this Twilight Zone-esque film. It had the throwback plot and throwback setting that swept me away from my world and into a new one.
THe plot, as portrayed in the brief synapses designed to generate intrigue was simple enough. Cameron Diaz and James Marsden could push a button and get a million dollars, with the added benefit of killing a stranger. Plus there was a guy with a messed up face and eerie looking people.
The final product was a complicated trek through strange southern accents, tacky outfits and overcomplicated threads about salvation, Mars and moral choices.
Ultimately the movie spins a yarn that leads nowhere. Much like our heroes, we're looking for a way out, but the only ending is unsatisfying. We end up being led through door after door with no end in sight, until we fall through a series of loopholes that bring us to the end. It is especially disappointing considering the movie is nearly two hours long, and 85% of that time was a waste.
Cameron Diaz is painful to watch in the movie, but is especially tough to listen to. Her accent sounds like the product of acting school for dummies or the aftermath of an old soap opera binge. Regardless, I found her totally unsympathetic and was excited when she finally gets her just desert. Seriously, she had it coming.
James Marsden shows us why he is so great as Cyclops, because that mask lets him hide the fact that his face isn't capable of much expression. He does dull outrage, dull shock and mild happiness quite well. Unfortunately, in a movie that is supposed to have high shock value his expressions are rather limited.
I was intrigued with all the NASA angles, except that they're not explored as a possible vehicle for problems and solutions. Instead we're left in the dark, and Mars is only hinted at as the possible source of Earth's problems. (Spoiler Alert: My interpretation of the movie was that when NASA began exploring Mars they opened up a connection with a higher power that began judging them to see if the people of Earth should be allowed to further exploration. But that's just my guess.)
Anyway, I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone I wasn't mad at. THE BOX might have contained secrets and fun, but this box is a bore. You're better off watching INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS or some other Twilight zone creation than pretending to be excited by THE BOX.

This Collar Looks Good.

I am not an easy judge of any media I consume. Frankly, I'm a bit of a downer when it comes to tv shows and movies that have mass appeal. I probably nit pick and denigrate more than I should.
Maybe this was the case with season one of White Collar. Regardless, I can authoritatively say (because I have my own blog) that season two is a refreshing breath of air and a quality summer dalliance.
The show revolves around a con man who has turned his skills into an asset of the FBI. This is still the essential plot in the second season, except the running theme isn't a chase for an annoying ex-gf, but rather exploring who killed her. This is a plus for two reasons: 1, Our hero is better as a swinging single and 2, It has introduced a mysterious bad guy who actually has some balls. (Even if we don't know who this is, at least we know he or she likes killing.)
Additionally, it has allowed one of my favorite characters, Alex (Gloria Votsis with plenty of time since GATES was canceled) to enjoy an expanded role. She was the girl Neal kept at an arms length before, but now seems poised to enter his life in a closer way.
The other fun piece of the puzzle is Marsha Thomason as the hot/sexy FBI agent working under Peter. She helps even things out in terms of pressence against the overwhelming persona that is Neal. She also benefits from an off the books endeavor with Peter, which has them running a parallel investigation to Neal's snooping.
All in all, the show is fun and good. Some might even say good fun. It still utilizes the episodic format, but with a good amount of running stories and a reduction of Kelly from saved by the bell.
The best part is, you can't get involved now on PRIMETIME ON DEMAND and skip out on the waste that was season one.