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Movie Review: Dumb and Dumber To

Posted in Reviews! with tags , , , , , on 11/14/2014 by Taylor Holt

dumb

Stars: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Rob Riggle, Laurie Holden, Rachel Melvin, Kathleen Turner

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, partial nudity, language and some drug references. Running time 110 minutes, Comedy

Compare to: Any movie featuring idiots caught up in a dire situation without being aware of it

Nice of them to release The Theory of Everything on the same day as Dumb and Dumber To.

If you’re a fan of the firs Dumb and Dumber and groaned at the idea of a sequel, fear not. While this isn’t the original by any means, you’re not the same age anyway and nostalgia usually beats anything else that could come out.

For me personally, I had to mentally prepare before stepping into the auditorium. The inappropriate attitude to go into any movie is “This is gonna suck.” So don’t do that. Just sit down, relax, and though you’re not going to remember anything you see in this hour and fifty minutes, you can still enjoy yourself. Continue reading →

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Movie Review- Tusk

Posted in Reviews! with tags , , , , on 09/29/2014 by Taylor Holt

tusk1

Stars: Michael Parks, Justin Long, Genesis Rodriguez, Haley Joel Osment and Guy LaPointe

Rated R for some disturbing violence/gore, language and sexual content, Running time 102 minutes, Horror/Comedy

Compare to: The Human Centipede (2009), Red State (2011)

We don’t normally associate Kevin Smith with Horror films but it seems after his 2011 effort, Red State, and a podcast he’d done and taken the idea as far as he could, it looks like he’s going to dig a little deeper.

Though the film has made its way into theaters around the nation, it’s tough to imagine Tusk finding its way into the hearts of mainstream audiences. And if I’m to go by the excruciatingly loud Mexican family sitting behind me in my screening, the kids won’t care about it either.

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You Gotta See This: Odd Thomas

Posted in You've Gotta See This with tags , , , , , , on 08/18/2014 by Taylor Holt

odd

Stars: Anton Yelchin, Addison Timlin, Willem Dafoe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Not rated but nothing here seemed past PG-13 due to some language, and the entire movie involving the dead and occult, Running time 97 minutes, 2014, Mystery/Comedy/Thriller

Compare to: The Frighteners (1995), Fright Night (2011)

After GI JOE: Rise of Cobra, I’d pretty much written director Stephen Sommers off. This is the guy that not only did one of the worst movies I’d ever seen, but also movies like The Mummy Returns (2001) and Van Helsing. So you get the idea- big, CGI-infested crap with no soul.

So while initially turned off to Odd Thomas in finding out that he wrote and directed it, a friend put in a good word and I checked it out. And though it’s not prefect, it’s definitely worth an hour and forty minutes of your time. Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Let’s Be Cops

Posted in Reviews! with tags , , , , on 08/13/2014 by Taylor Holt

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Stars: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Rob Riggle, Andy Garcia, Nina Dobrev, Keegan Michael-Key, James D’Arcy

Rated R for language including sexual references, some graphic nudity, violence and drug use, Running time 104 minutes, Action/Comedy

Compare to: Cop Out (2010), The Other Guys (2010)

Of all the buddy cop comedies, this one has the least “cop” in it. Car chases, explosions, gun fights, and all the other things that make movie cops the hero are subtly subverted as two losers try and get the perks without doing the work.  Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Movie 43

Posted in Reviews! with tags , , , on 01/26/2013 by Taylor Holt

movie-43

Stars: Dennis Quaid, Greg Kinnear, Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Kate Bosworth, Justin Long, Jason Sudeikis, Halle Berry, Stephen Merchant, Terrance Howard, Johnny Knoxville…

Rated R for strong pervasive crude and sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity, language, some violence and drug use, Running time 90 minutes, Comedy

Compare to: The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)

Whenever a film is marketed with the strategy of shoving giant words in your face that say things like “MOST OFFENSIVE MOVIE EVER” or “Critics are calling it ‘DISGUSTING. REPULSIVE. HILARIOUS.” it’s going to be a movie that has more underage kids sneaking into it than adults actually buying tickets. I feel a very short review coming on. Continue reading →

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Horror/Comedies: Love/Hate

Posted in Whatever with tags , , , , on 10/30/2012 by Taylor Holt

NOW think of that Twilight line: “I’m a monster…”

Have you ever seen a movie so uneven? Especially one so purposely imbalanced. The first half acts a sort of spaghetti western, two outlaws escaping to Mexico and taking hostages along the way with no promise anybody will be making it out alive- the second half quickly charges headfirst into the Horror/Comedy genre, complete with B-movie special effects and one liners.

Why am I talking about this movie at all? Who cares about it? I don’t know, although a theater professor of mine specifically cited it as an example of a film that doesn’t know what it is, Horror, Action or Comedy. Can’t it be all three? Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Seven Psychopaths

Posted in Reviews! with tags , , , , on 10/12/2012 by Taylor Holt

Stars: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Olga Kurlenko, Abbie Cornish, Tom Waits

Rated R for strong violence, bloody images, pervasive language, sexuality/nudity and some drug use , Running time 109 minutes, Comedy/Crime

Compare to: Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), The Ladykillers (2004)

Following in the tradition of Guy Ritchie movies and maybe even Martin Scorcese, Martin McDonagh sets us up for a film that, at first glance, seems like any other dark comedy out there; crude, violent, nobody’s a good guy, that kind of thing. Though the final result isn’t as easy to categorize. While a dark comedy would continually revolve around jokes of a serious nature (kidnapping, violence, death, etc.), Psychopaths has no qualms about quickly going off the deep end to tell us stories of subjects they aren’t trying to make jokes of.

By the time the credits roll, how you may feel about the movie may depend on how open minded you are about it in the first place. Continue reading →

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Dear Mr. Burton: A Notice of Separation

Posted in Whatever with tags , , , , on 10/10/2012 by Taylor Holt

Frankenweenie was released last Friday, and while I didn’t officially review it, I feel pretty confident that we pretty much know what to expect from Tim Burton, for better or worse, depending on how you see him already. Below is exactly what the title says. I’ve been working at this for too long with that insufferable man and I just can’t do it anymore. Please…*sniff*…give me a moment… Continue reading →

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Movie Review: ParaNorman

Posted in Reviews! with tags , , , , , , on 08/19/2012 by Taylor Holt

Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann

Rated PG for scary action and images, thematic elements, some rude humor and language, Running time 93 minutes, Animation/Adventure/Comedy

Compare to: The Goonies (1985), Corpse Bride (2005)

I knew I was going to like ParaNorman and thankfully, I was right. Not the most formal way to open a review, but being that I’m review a cartoon intended for (mostly) all ages, it feels appropriate. It seems that while your favorite Christmas movies from childhood are the most recognized for the stop-motion animation process, creepier children’s stories is where the genre has found its niche.

Having watched Coraline (2009) who also made ParaNorman, I had an idea of what to expect and if you’ve seen that, then you will too. Strange, humorous, and the fine line in between. The only issue I’m seeing is that some of the subject matter may be too serious for many of that kids will be interested while some of their parents might feel the same. That, and any older viewers might find the story of an outcast using their unique abilities to save the day a bit too linear. Other than that, I’m sold. Continue reading →

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My Pitch for The Hangover 3

Posted in Whatever with tags , , , , , on 08/14/2012 by Taylor Holt

So while The Hangover 3 is in pre-production and is already set to open in May of next year, make a bajillion dollars at the box office, and have thousands of fratboys pee in their cargo shorts in drunken delight after watching Zach Galifianakis make a kooky face, I didn’t think it would hurt to pull the old screenplay out from underneath the bed.

“Screenplay?” You ask? Yes, screenplay. I wrote a Screenplay for The Hangover 3 immediately after viewing the celluloid gold that is Hangover 2. I just loved it so much that I can’t get enough of the crazy characters, the wacky scenarios, and the unique living creatures they find and carry around for a good thirty minutes.

Did I mention there are kooky Zach Galifianakis faces? Because there are. What follows is an overview of what could’ve have been the Holy Grail of comedies. It could only be the Grail because The Hangover is the Ark of the Covenant and The Hangover 2 is the skull that completes the skull trio that will allow the crops to flourish. Anyway. Continue reading →

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