Movie 43 (2013)

1/5

Movie 43 is an abomination of filmmaking. It is an offensive assault on the senses for 90 straight minutes. This thing--which I refuse to call a movie--is a collection of unrelated images and scenarios designed to disgust and disturb. It is the kind of thing created for reaction videos, with no inherent value. From neck testicles to cartoon cat masturbation fantasies, from parental abuse and incest to graphic leprechaun violence, from gratuitous nudity to yellowface surgery, there is no line it won't cross. I'm disappointed that so many quality actors have sullied their names by taking part in this evil transgression of cinema, this shameful plague of a thing. It makes me shudder just thinking about it. Ugh.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1333125/

Role Models (2008)

4/5

Role Models stars Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott as Danny and Wheeler, two advertisers for Minotaur energy drink. Danny hates every new trend and saying and he picks fights with everyone who uses them. He's in a rut, and when he tries to shake things up with an impromptu and rather lame proposal to his girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks), she dumps him. In a fit of anger, he does some highly illegal things in the Minotaur truck with Wheeler, and they both get sentenced to do community service with the Sturdy Wings mentoring program as punishment. The rest of the movie is the expected, predictable journey of maturation and development that Danny and Wheeler undergo, with the requisite melodramatic loss of trust and triumphant winning back of love.

Still, the movie manages to impress. The humor starts off a little subdued, but quickly builds with incessant, nearly ubiquitous sexual innuendo and laugh-out-loud situations. The writing is phenomenal, throwing in little jokes and asides that give the movie flair and individuality and ensuring you quote it long after its ending. There are no major complaints I have from a technical standpoint. The one thing I didn't like was the two bits of nudity in the movie; they were completely unnecessary, thrown in for seemingly no other reason than because they already had an R rating for language and figured they might as well get more bang for their buck, literally. At the very least, the use of nudity wasn't distasteful or overindulgent, so for that I'm thankful. Anyway, I have only very minor complaints with this altogether enjoyable and entertaining movie experience.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430922/

Final Destination (2000)

2/5

Final Destination is about a boy (Sawa) who can see the future. He gets off a flight to France because of a premonition, along with about five other people, and as soon as the plane takes off, it explodes. When his best friend (who had also gotten off the plane) dies in a freak accident soon after, he realizes that Death is "tying up loose ends." The boy and the few others he saved try to fend off all the possible ways that Death might reclaim them, but Death has a few unexpected surprises for them. If that doesn't sound exciting to you, I don't know what will!

This movie is a thrill rush--a poorly-acted, poorly-written, poorly-filmed thrill rush. Still, I have to admit, I don't really regret watching it. I loved seeing the build-up to the freak accidents. But even better than that was how the filmmakers tricked you into thinking someone would die in one way only to have them die in a completely unexpected alternate manner. The ludicrous nature of the deaths was also often hilarious. If you're anything like me, I'm sure you'd enjoy this movie, so don't turn it off if it comes on TV.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0195714/

The Rundown (2003)

3/5

I was always kind of interested in this movie because I like The Rock, Seann William Scott, and Christopher Walken. The movie succeeded as an entertaining action movie with clever recurring comic interludes and surprisingly fleshed-out characters. The action throughout most of the movie was really really cool, although the first fight sequence was a bit too hard to comprehend due to the strobe lights. The fighting was never overedited, with long, medium takes so you can always tell what's going on. It wasn't extremely funny, but it was funny enough for an action movie.

The acting from all parties was nothing to write home about; even Christopher Walken was pretty stale. Every so often it looked as if he forgot his lines and was trying to remember them. The plot was predictable and some characters' motivations were unconvincing. The special effects were cheesy when present, although thankfully it only happened twice. Overall, though, it achieved what it set out to achieve. I recommend it for anyone who is looking for a funny movie with developed characters and excellent action.

Disclaimer: I saw this on network TV, so it was edited for content and length.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0327850/