Why I Love Film - #7 (nsfw)

Sid and Nancy they ain't

There's a special brand (!) of genius behind Russell Brand and Rose Byrne's creations of rockstars Aldous Snow and Jackie Q. We were introduced to Aldous, a once famously sober rockstar, in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (when he used to have sex with Sarah Marshall) and were introduced to Jackie Q in Get Him to the Greek. The foul hilarity that spews forth from their mouths around each other kind of belie the talents they have as actors, but only on the surface. Once you can get past what they're saying, and you can pay attention to how they're saying it, the characters are two of the smartest things to come to film in the last few years. And definite career makers of performances. 

And something like this could only be captured on the big screen. The performances, and characters, are too big for anywhere else. 

More after the cut --

Arthur.

Willy Wonka's party days

There are moments of genuine comedic genius in this updated remix of 1981's Arthur, starring Dudley Moore, Liza Minelli, and John Gielgud. Here, Russell Brand portrays our titular loafer in wildly expensive loafers, while Helen Mirren takes Gielgud's spot as his live-in nanny Hobson. Greta Gerwig, affable and luminous as ever, takes over for Liza Minelli as Arthur's love interest/savior. He drinks more than anyone should, to a debilitating degree, and every time he steps out of his house, it's a party. Drinks are on him, of course. Most remakes today have nothing to offer audiences, and do nothing to improve upon or rethink the original films. Admittedly, this version of the popular Moore film (for which he was Oscar nominated, and Gielgud won) doesn't do much to rethink the original, but... the improvement is there. In the 81 film, Arthur's alcoholism isn't treated with the same touch (it's merely a plot point, it feels) and Brand's performance here has more heart than most things Dudley Moore did. Both are fine films, and this one certainly won't see the Oscars, but that doesn't stop it from being a warm, and abstractly hilarious afternoon at the movies.

More after the cut--

In Theaters This Weekend

Gorgeous.

Four movies, each with equally high anticipation on my part. The Russell Brand remake of Arthur, Joe Wright's latest film Hanna, a soul searching film about a surfer called... Soul Surfer, and the latest from David Gordon Green called Your Highness. 

Note - my anticipation for Soul Surfer isn't anticipation in the strictest sense. I'm not looking forward to a good movie. I'm looking forward to a train wreck. And I'm going to bet money that I get one. Of course, not a train wreck like Red Riding Hood, but a bitter accident nonetheless. 

Which is more worth your time and money? Well, that's why I do this. Onward ho. 

More after the cut--

Hop

"I'll take a Geoffrey, please"

For those who know me, it's no secret that I usually find movies like this a bit deplorable. There's just something about the live-action/animation hybrid that I can't ever get behind. Be it Yogi Bear, or the Scooby Doos, or the Alvin and the Chipmunks' films, I'm always reminded of the glory days where Roger Rabbit was king. But, a lesson I learned from reading Roger Ebert prevails in these situations - you judge the movie for what it is and if it achieves what it set out to. Hop is a film that does just that - it's sweeter than candy, it's a kid's movie through and through, but it has enough in it for adults to enjoy. And the most enjoyable thing about the movie? The comedy isn't once forced. Yes, there are pop culture references every now and then, but it's all derived from the situation. And situational comedy is always the best option. 

More after the cut --

In Theaters This Weekend

Slow dancing in a burning room.

Stumbling their way into the box office this weekend are three major releases. Source Code - a Jake Gyllenhaal time bending thriller, Hop - a live action/CG hybrid about the Easter Bunny's slacker son, and Insidious - a good ol' haunted house movie from one of the original Saw directors. 

Which will be more worth our time and money? I'm willing to bet all three have what it takes to entertain, and I'm willing to bet even more that Insidious will be much better than I'm anticipating. But, I'll be seeing Source Code without fail. 

Let's take a closer look at the three, shall we?

More after the cut --