Friday Night Movie Review 4!

Friday Night Movie Review seems to come back around so quickly that it's no surprise we get caught with our collective pants (yes, we share one large pair of pants) (they're clown pants) down. We're a little light for content this week, and one of them is a new take on a movie we've done before, and one of them isn't even a movie. And yet we've got the audacity to serve you up this content anyway! We'll do what we please, because rules are for cops!

Join us after the jump to read about what we've been watching:


Jacinta:

Friends With Benefits (2011)
Let's get this out of the way first. Yes, this is a run of the mill romantic comedy. Yes, you know how it ends even before the opening credits have rolled. Yes, Justin Timberlake's abdomen probably should have had top billing on the movie poster. Despite that, it's really really good fun. In an almost Scream-esque kind of way, it's a pretty self aware film and isn't afraid to take little jabs at the genre.

Mila Kunis plays an 'emotionally damaged' corporate headhunter from New York who lures Justin Timberlake's spunky blogger character from sunny LA into the big city office of GQ Magazine. As he's the new boy in town, they hang out a bit, enjoy each other's company, and decide to enter into a 'friends with benefits' arrangement. That goes ok for a while. Then there's an emotional conflict. Then they end up together. Oh no, did I just spoil it?!

It's a very simple 'Act 1/Act 2/Act 3' script, but the cast are really very good, and there's enough zing in the writing to result in more than a few belly laughs. JT and Mila have great chemistry, and all of the supporting cast & cameos are solid too, but it is probably Woody Harrelson's gay sports writer that steals the show. When he's not trying to get the very hetero Dylan (JT) to go out and trawl for dudes with him, he offers the best pearls of wisdom of the film. And he has a boat. And he was ON that boat, but sadly not with Andy Samberg (who pops up in the start of the movie). Missed opportunity!

I enjoyed it a lot, and I would definitely say it was worth a look, but have your expectations set to 'reasonable' and you won't be disappointed.

J. Tagmire:

Everything Must Go (2010)
I know that this film is going to be primarily discussed as Will Ferrell doing a "serious" role, but that always bugs me. It's not his first non-comedy, and as silly as some of his characters are (Blades of Glory / Step Brothers) he's definitely proven his ability over the past 15 years, whether it's comedy, writing, producing, whatever… it's all serious.

And speaking of serious, this is seriously a serious movie. Will Ferrell plays Nick Halsey, a guy suffering from losing his job, his wife, and his house, while also suffering from alcoholism and depression. The pacing is very slow and the story doesn't really stray too far from what you already know about the characters, but there
were a few highlights: The acting is SOLID, Christopher Jordan Wallace (son of B.I.G.) plays a neighborhood kid who clings to Nick and helps him out. Rebecca Hall and Stephen Root play the neighbors, and show that Nick isn't really the only one with problems. And my favorite part, the art direction / concept of Nick Halsey living on his lawn after being locked out of his house.

This isn't the kind of film that anyone is going to rush out to see, but I'm still glad I caught it when I did. I have a feeling it'll disappear pretty quickly.



Stryder Wolfe:

Paul (2011)
Last week I finally saw stoner alien comedy Paul! I have to say that I thought it was quite good! Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are together again as space geeks heading across the U.S.A. checking out alien tourist traps when they encounter (closely!) ACTUAL alien-on-the-run Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) and are thus forced to go on the lam. Along the way many laughs are had, and hi-jinx abound.  We may even learn a valuable lesson about life with the help of Kristen Wiig's character, Ruth, who literally gets her little mind blown with the help of some alien magic mojo. It's hard to live a lie when the truth stares you so blatantly in the face!

I highly recommend Paul as a great, fun movie IF you're into the crop of "R-Rated" movies and don't mind the language. The only problem with this movie is that it didn't have a lot of memorable scenes to take away at the end. It always felt to me like it was on the cusp of something really awesome and didn't quite make it over.  Still, it was worth seeing. Aliens, British guys, what's not to love? The truth is out there.


Luke:

Hell's Kitchen USA (2009 - 2011)
OK, so I neglected to watch any films this week. But to make up for it, I did watch about 25 episodes of Hell's Kitchen USA! Because I'm a go-getter!

Now, a lot of people criticize Gordon Ramsey's behaviour, but I am here to assure you that those people are gigantic sissy babies, and clearly deserve a plate of under-cooked risotto up-ended on their heads. People talk a lot of crap about how tough Chuck Norris is, but seriously, Gordon Ramsey is Chuck Norris, Wolverine, and a pissed off grizzly bear rolled into one. He was carved out of a rock by an ancient god and brought to life. In his youth he would transform into a mountain lion and impregnate the unsuspecting maidens who dared to bathe in England's streams. He doesn't have hands, he has eagle talons. And they are made of solid gold. Yes, he's tough, but he's also fair. He rewards success and he punished failure. Preferably with headbutts.

I've been out of the HK loop so I caught up with series season where I became entranced by the adorable Chef Holli (swoon), and am now switching between season 8 and 9. As the series progresses it appears that the producer's have cast more buffoons than chefs, and it's less about cooking than it is about drama (why else would the wretched Elyse last so long?) but regardless, it's certainly entertaining and, for me, at its best when the contestants are trying to murder each other. Highlights of series 8 so far have been Raj's crazy kung-fu antics, Antonia's shitty signature dish, and the confuzzling paradox that is the bespectacled blonde Sabrina who I find utterly repellent and yet strangely compelling.

Oh! And one more thing. "F**K OFF!".

 DONKEY!!