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The Internship (2013)


The Internship Poster

The Internship (2013)

 

The Internship pairs Vince Vaughn with Owen Wilson again for the first time since Wedding Crashers (2005).  Why is this relevant?  It is relevant because Wedding Crashers grossed over $285,000,000 worldwide and was a huge success and a hilarious movie.  Filmmakers hoped that Vaughn and Wilson together again in the same film would help them to repeat their previous success.  It has already been 8 years since the release of Wedding Crashers.

I think that a movie like The Internship would have been a much bigger hit if it had been made 5 or 6 years ago when the main characters were still in their prime.  As it turns out, The Internship lost money.

My gut feeling before watching this movie was that it was going to be a big disappointment.  It looked funny, but not very.

The Internship Wilson Vaughn Computer

The film is a comedy about two best friends (Vaughn and Wilson) who lose their jobs as salesman.  They manage to get internship positions at Google, but they are forced to compete against younger, much more qualified computer nerds for a chance at employment.

The movie was written by Vince Vaughn and Jared Stern and directed by Shawn Levy.  The rest of the noteworthy cast includes Rose Byrne, Aasif Mandvi, Max Minghella, John Goodman, Josh Gad, Rob Riggle, Will Ferrell, B.J. Novak, Gary Anthony Williams, and Tiya Sircar.

The Intership Wilson Vaughn Hats

Vaughn and Wilson showed a similar comedic chemistry to what they had in Wedding Crashers, except that they were not as funny as they could have been.

I think that the PG-13 rating was what ruined this movie.  Wilson and Vaughn do better in movies where they are allowed to get away with more craziness and crudeness.  Vaughn is fast-talking and witty and he is a lot funnier and thrives when his dialogue is not limited.  Wilson responds to Vaughn’s wittiness with his own charm, but if Vaughn is not allowed to be funny then it makes their banter incomplete.  The filmmakers tried too hard to reach a wider audience with the PG-13 rating, but ultimately this sacrificed too many laughs and the result was bone dry humor.

The movie is very formulaic.  It is very predictable.  It’s funny, but mostly stupid funny.  Some of the dialogue is clever, but some is also pretty cheesy.  Sometimes it’s wholesome and sometimes it’s cheap.  The Internship is entertaining enough as long as your expectations aren’t too high.

The Intership Wilson Vaughn Fist Bump

The film was a cross between Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) and Old School (2003) without the raunchiness and the big laughs.  It’s a good time that you don’t have to think about too much.  For Vaughn and Wilson, this movie is a step down and a step back from the comedies that we are used to seeing them in.

I rate this movie a 6 on a scale of 1-10.

Buy, rent, or run?  Rent.

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Trailer for The Monuments Men (2013)


The Monuments Men Poster

The Monuments Men (2013)

 

The Monuments Men is based on a true story about a team of art historians and museum curators that are brought together during World War II to save priceless works of art before Hitler has them destroyed.

The film is directed by George Clooney and the noteworthy cast includes George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Bob Balaban, and Jean Dujardin.

The all-star cast would be enough to make me want to see the film, but this is an intriguing story that I know nothing about.

I would bet money that it gets nominated for an Academy Award for something, and it will likely deserve it.

The film is set to release on 12/18/13.

 

The Hangover Part III (2013)


The Hangover Part III (2013)

The boys are at it again.  They’re back for another go-round.  Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Justin Bartha all return for more hilarious antics.

The Hangover Part 3 Group Car

Nobody is getting married this time, but with this group, things always have a way of spiraling out of control.

Todd Phillips returns again to write and direct.  Ken Jeong, Jeffrey Tambor, Heather Graham, Mike Epps, Sasha Barrese, and Gillian Vigman are all back along with the addition of John Goodman and Melissa McCarthy.

The Hangover Part 3 McCarthy

Most sequels to any movie usually can never be as good as the original.  There are a few exceptions, and it is always a very welcome surprise when it happens.  But, this rarely ever occurs.  With that said, I went into this movie hoping that it would be as good as Part II, if not better.

This movie was not quite as formulaic as I expected it to be.  Although it was a bit predictable at times, they had a few surprises thrown in and it was not exactly like the first two films.

The Hangover Part 3 Jeong Zach

The type of comedy was different throughout the majority of the movie.  This film seemed to tone down the raunchy humor and substitute it for more obvious, subtle, or dark humor.  Instead of being so outrageous and over-the-top all of the time like the first two films, this movie concentrated a little bit more on the events in the story taking place.

The Hangover Part 3 Zach G

Cooper, Galifianakis, and Helms were all just as comical as they were in the first two films.  The rest of the returning cast is also just as good as they were in the first movies.

The Hangover Part 3 Jeong

Goodman and McCarthy are both great additions to the movie.

If you are a fan of the first two Hangover films, than you will surely enjoy this third movie.  I liked this movie just as much as Part II.  It did not top the original, but The Hangover Part III is a worthy final chapter of the Wolf Pack saga.

The Hangover Part 3 Wolf Pack

I rate this movie an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

Buy, rent, or run?  Buy.

Trailer for The Internship (2013)


The Internship cover

The Internship (2013) (Click on the title for my full review.)

 

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are teamed up again for the first time since Wedding Crashers (2005).  If The Internship is anything like Wedding Crashers, then we are definitely in for a show.  I think that the filmmakers are counting on audiences to think the same thing.

The movie looks like it might be good for a few laughs, but I just have a gut feeling that audiences are going to be disappointed.  It looks funny, but not very.

Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn play two friends who lose their jobs and manage to get internship positions at Google in hopes of eventually getting a job with Google.

I’m a big fan of the comedy duo, but they probably should have tried to make a movie like this together 5 or 6 years ago when they were still more in their prime.

Either way, the film is basically guaranteed to make a lot of money, at least in the first few weeks after it is released.

Yeah, I’ll probably see it and hopefully I’m wrong about my gut feeling.  What are your thoughts?

The Movie is directed by Shawn Levy and some recognizable supporting cast includes John Goodman, Rose Byrne, B.J. Novak, Max Minghella, and Aasif Mandvi.

The movie is set to release on 6/7/13.

Top 13 Current Redbox Movies Vol. 2


Top 13 Current Redbox Movies Vol. 2

red box 

If you are thinking about renting a movie from the Redbox, you might want to read this list to help you decide exactly which movie to rent.

Here is another edition of my top 13 current Redbox movies, back by popular demand.

Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movie Reviews September 2013

Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movie Reviews August 2013

Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movie Reviews July 2013

Click on this link to read Vol. 1 from 2/10/13.

Click on this link to read Vol. 3 from 4/21/13.

Click on this link to read Vol. 4 from 5/9/13.

I have updated the list based on all the movies that are currently available to rent at the Redbox as of 3/14/13.  They will change some of the titles weekly, but the list should still be pretty accurate for a while and hopefully be able to help you find a good movie to rent.  I have included the DVD covers and previews.  If a movie doesn’t have a cover or preview above it, simply click on the title for my full review of the movie along with the poster artwork and preview.

I do not claim to have seen all of the movies that are currently available at the Redbox, but I have seen 67 of them.  Of those 67 movies, here is the list of my top 13 Current Redbox movies:

What's Eating Gilbert Grape cover

1.  What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)     My Rating: 10

2.  The Machinist (2004) 

3.  Ted (2012)


The Dark Knight Rises cover

4.  The Dark Knight Rises (2012)               My Rating: 9

5.  The Raid: Redemption (2011)

6.  Skyfall (2012)

7.  End of Watch (2012)


looper levitt willis cover

8.  Looper (2012)                                           My Rating: 8.5


titanic blu ray cover

9.  Titanic (1997)                                            My Rating: 8.5

10.  Frankenweenie (2012)

11.  Flight (2012)

12.  Sinister (2012)


moneyball cover

13.  Moneyball (2011)                                     My Rating: 8

You really can’t go wrong with any movie on this list.  Next time you’re going to the Redbox, I recommend consulting this list.  They are in my opinion, the best current Redbox movies.

Now that you have seen my recommended Redbox movies, check out my list of movies to stay away from.  Click on the link below:

Top 13 Disappointing Current Redbox Movies

 Netflix Clouds

Are you a fan of Netflix?  Click on the following links below for Netflix related material:

Netflix Watch Instantly Movie Reviews September 2013

20 Best Drama Movies Based on Real Life Available on Netflix Watch Instantly

20 Best Classics Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly

13 Best Mind-bending Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly

13 Best Comedy Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly

13 Best Romantic Comedy Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly

13 Best War/Military Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly

13 Best Gritty Action/Thriller Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)


extremely loud & incredibly close poster

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a tender, heartfelt drama about a boy (Thomas Horn) who tries to keep the memory of his father (Tom Hanks) alive for as long as possible.  The boy is completely devastated after his father dies inside of the World Trade Center during the attacks on September 11th, 2001.  He finds a key to an unknown lock that belonged to his father and he is prepared to search all of New   York City to find out exactly what the key will unlock.

extremely loud & incredibly close binoculars

The pace of the film was pretty slow and it allowed for the development of the main characters.  It did not have to rely on special effects or action, just actors acting and telling a story.

extremely loud & incredibly close bathroom

Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock both give charming performances in the film, as they usually do.  But, their roles were miniscule in comparison to the breakout performance of 14-year-old Thomas Horn.  Horn came out of nowhere.  He did an excellent job of acting in his first movie ever.  The young man was able to carry the majority of the film on his back.  Thomas Horn reminded me a little bit of Haley Joel Osment.  It will be interesting to see what Horn does next.

Max Von Sydow did a great job with his supporting character.

EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE

Jeffrey Wright and John Goodman both had minor supporting roles.

My only complaints about the movie are that it was maybe a little too slow during some parts and it was a little bit predictable.  It would have been more beneficial to the film if Hanks and Bullock had a little bit more face time.

It is hard to get excited to watch a movie that has anything to do with the attacks on the WorldTradeCenter on 9/11/2001.  That is the reason why I did not rush out and catch this movie in the theatre when it was out in 2011.  I’m glad that I did take the time to finally watch it because it did turn out to be a pretty touching story.

extremely loud & incredibly close 9 11

I rate this movie a 7.5 on a scale of 1-10.

Buy, rent, or run?  Rent.

Trailer for The Hangover Part III (2013)


the hangover 3 poster close up

The Hangover Part III (2013) (click on the title for my full review)

Here is the first look at the teaser trailer for The Hangover Part III.  It supposedly all ends with this third piece of the trilogy.

Hollywood loves sequels.  They want to see how much money they can squeeze out of basically one story.  Honestly I am pretty fed up with sequels, but a movie like this is guaranteed to have moments of uncontrollable laughter.  The Hangover (2009) was hilarious.  The Hangover Part II (2011) was really funny, but not as good as the original.  I have a feeling that The Hangover Part III will probably be about as good as Part II.  Maybe we will be pleasantly surprised and it will be better than the original, but for the most part with few exceptions, the original is always the best and the sequels never add up.

Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Justin Bartha are all back again for another go round.  Ken JeongHeather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson, and many more from the first two parts are back again along with the addition of John Goodman.

Hollywood is sure to rake in a lot of cash once again, and I’m sure there will be some laughs along the way.

The movie is set to release on Memorial Day, 5/27/13.

Flight (2012)


Flight poster

Flight (2012)

Flight transports you into the depths of a dark and lonely place only to bring you back feeling better about it all.  Alcoholism, drug addiction, loss, grief, sorrow, anger, and pain are all symptoms of this darkness.

Is it a feel good movie?  No, but you will probably feel better about it at the end.  Not because it is over, but because of how it ended.

The film is about a hero pilot (Denzel Washington) who crash-lands a doomed plane like no other pilot could.  The pilot has a drug and alcohol problem and is therefore under investigation to decide whether or not he was the root cause of the plane going down.

Some parts of the film were hard to watch.  It all got a little bit more intense than I had anticipated and that caught me by surprise.  This was not a bad thing, but it is hard to enjoy watching appalling scenes in a movie and feel good about them.  These scenes would not have been so hard to watch if they had not been depicted so well.  That being said, the severe moments were very necessary to the rest of the movie and kudos to the cast and director for making them so powerful.

FLIGHT

Robert Zemeckis did a wonderful job directing Flight.  The flying sequences in the movie were remarkable, but the performances by the all-star cast were what really made the film.

Denzel Washington supplied his best acting since American Gangster (2007) or Déjà vu (2006).  The raw emotion and realism that he brought to his character is enough in itself for me to recommend that you watch this film.

flight washington rain

Don Cheadle and Bruce Greenwood were both at the top of their game.

Although he played such a skuzzy character, John Goodman portrayed that character very well.

Each actor and actress played so well off of the other that it seemed to bring their acting ability to its highest potential.

Even though some parts of the film were very extreme, I think that it is absolutely worth the watch.

I rate this movie an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

Buy, rent, or run?  Buy.

If you liked Flight, then you will most likely enjoy:

2 Guns (2013)

flight upside down plane