Short Review: I’ve had more fun cleaning my television than watching this film on it.


Yet another attempt at remaking Japanese horror. Taken from the same well* as The Ring and The Grudge (the film work of Japanese horror filmmakers Takashige Ichise and Hideo Nakata (Ringu, Yogen and Ju-on), this remake of the movie Honogurai mizu no soko kara (or something like that) is horrible misfire. I think I speak for many people when I say: OKAY, ENOUGH WITH THE JAPANESE HORROR WITH THE CREEPY GHOST GIRLS ALREADY! POINT TAKEN!

I understand that American horror movies are crap. Producers are remaking every horror movie from the 70’s or rehashing these Japanese pieces instead of bothering to come up with original content. Can't we put some effort into finding original horror scripts? They’re out there. I’ve read them.

It is surprising that this film is so miserable. Jennifer Connelly, Tim Roth, John C. Reilly and Pete Postlethwaite being directed by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) how can you go wrong? The answer to that question is that you burden them with a drifting and uninteresting script and film in dim plodding scenes. I know better than to think that a cast list packed with gifted actors is a promise of quality. That said, seeing this cast in this film is like going to see Tiger Woods play only to find that he’s spending his days on a miniature golf course. Sure, technically it’s the same game but perhaps they should set their sights a little higher.

Usually, I try to find something redeeming about a film when reviewing it. I probably could find some elements of this film to hold up as positive. I’ll be honest, the amount of sincerely great talent that is sacrificed to make this droll heap of a movie irks me too much to want to bother. This movie is long in the tooth and self-conscious. Salles tries for suspense but instead delivers hollow revelations. His surprises offer no intrgue, no real shock. A film that acts suspenseful when its not is like an old woman who still thinks she’s young and pretty. The film gets all dressed up and presents itself with confidence. It taunts and teases thinking it is luring the audience in. All its doing is embarrassing itself and creeping everyone out. Sad.

Don’t bother with this film. It wants to be The Ring, but it would settle for being The Grudge. This is a boring movie who’s only interesting moments are when it stumbles over its own plot holes. It’s not worth your time, it’s not worth your attention. Just keep moving, there’s nothing to see here.

* - pun intended

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Labels: film, Jennifer Connelly, John C Reilly, movie review, Tim Roth

Yes, this is crude, stupid and a complete waste of time. That said, it is funny. I know there's plenty of people out there who would disagree. As my Geddy Lee Lovin' Brother-in-Law says "Will Ferrell is a one-trick pony, but its one heckuva trick."

Labels: film, Gary Cole, John C Reilly, movie trailer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Will Ferrell

Screenwriters: Steve Acker and Pamela Petter (Monster House)
Director: Steve Acker
Actors: Jennifer Connelly (Dark Water), John C. Reilly (Step Brothers), Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings: Return of the King), Crispin Glover (Back to the Future), Martin Landau (Ed Wood) and Christopher Plummer (Twelve Monkeys)

Labels: Christopher Plummer, film, Jennifer Connelly, John C Reilly, Martin Landau, movie trailer

This is much like the recent films coming from Will Ferrell (Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro), a strong premise spoiled by over indulgent routines and sloppy direction. In the case of this film, the premise is that two fully-grown man-children Brennan (Will Ferrell) and Dale (John C. Reilly), who still live with their single parents, are forced to move in with one another when their parents get married. The trailers for the film showed promise. They concentrated on the comedic elements well and had me hoping this would be the production that would pull Ferrell out of the slump he's been in since Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. This didn't help one bit.

The film could have been very good if it had been more reserved. Ferrell and partners Andy McKay (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) and John C. Reilly (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) overplay their routines and fall into simple crass jokes or into absurd disjointed gags that are reminiscent of the more strained moments of Saturday Night Live. I found myself waiting for bits to play themselves out so the film could advance. One such time is when Dale and Brennan get into their first big fight. The melee sprawls out into the front yard and the scene goes on forever. A more steady hand on the editorial wheel would have trimmed this down, but like many portions of the film the scene is allowed to ramble on until every last bit of life is exhausted.

Ferrell and Reilly are well suited for their roles and work well together. The supporting cast does a good job as well. Of the supporting crew, Kathyrn Hahn (Anchorman) who gives the best comedic performance. Her turn as Brennan pathetic sister-in-law who lusts after Dale (the role is very close to crazy sister Gloria in Wedding Crashers), is one of the funnier parts although much of her job is to simply deliver crude lines. The acting is not the issue. The whole cast works with what they've been given and deliver some laughs but the good parts are stranded in a sea of nonsensical or just juvenile muck.

This film and Anchorman were both written by Ferrell and McKay and directed by McKay himself. There are stark differences between the two productions. Anchorman worked so well because it was focused and each scene was evenly timed. Even when Anchorman gets weird, the alley way brawl ending with a man with a trident in his chest and another on fire for example, it still remains a cohesive piece. This script wanders and doesn't seem to ever fully grasp what its overall purpose is. There's no distinct conflict for the second act since the two step brothers become friends relatively early in the narrative. This puts their parents in the antagonist role, a role they did not hold earlier. Finding no conflict of merit with them, Ferrell and McKay then produce Brennan's brother to be the villain. He's a good villain but by the time he is introduced and established the conflict between the three step brothers is a distraction from the conflicts already built in the first act. This ends up making a very lopsided narrative that can't carry any dramatic punch. When the film ends, with a good conclusion, it falls flat because there has been no systematic building towards the big ending. So, it feels slapped on. A more structured approach to the script and a more liberal use of editing could have made this work.

Overall, if you think Blades of Glory or Semi-Pro were funny, your tastes are probably numbed enough to take this in and enjoy it. The truth is that there are some funny moments but overall the movie isn't worth the rental.



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Labels: Andy McKay, comedy, film, John C Reilly, movie review, Will Ferrell

This has a good premise, two desperate losers compete for a promotion that can change their lives. The promotion in question is a manager position at a supermarket. The leads John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott are both proven comedic talents. The upbeat tone of the trailer may be misleading. Writer/Director Steve Conrad is responsible for the hilarious, but very dark, The Weather Man




Screenwriter: Steve Conrad
Director: Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness)
Actors: Seann William Scott (The Dukes of Hazzard), and John C. Reilly (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story)

Labels: comedy, John C Reilly, movie trailer, Seann William Scott

The fact that this was made, meaning that it was financed and insured, and trained professionals labored over its creation, and then deposited into our cinemas the same way a cat makes deposits in its cat box, can't be a positive sign for the health of our civilization. Its trash like this that makes me wish we'd just all stop what we're doing and start this culture over from scratch. I'm calling for a do-over.

I'm a fan of John C. Reilly but this is simply a dismal and worthless mess. If anyone holds up the DVD case and asks if you want to watch it you reaction should be as follows:

1) Slap the other person
2) Pull the DVD from their greasy mitt
3) Throw the offending DVD from your sight
4) Slap the other person again


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Labels: comedy, film, John C Reilly, movie review

Screenwriters: Adam McKay (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), and Will Ferrell (Elf)
Director: Adam McKay (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby)
Actors: Will Ferrell (Wedding Crashers), John C. Reilly (Magnolia), Mary Steenburgen (The Brave One), and Richard Jenkins (The Kingdom)

Labels: comedy, John C Reilly, movie trailer, Will Ferrell