Tag: Comedy

REVIEW: ‘Irresistible’ is irritating

I have a lot of respect for Jon Stewart. He made me laugh on a nightly basis with his show. But wow does he get local politics wrong.

Stewart writes and directs this feature starring Steve Carell as a political strategist for the Democratic Party named Gary Zimmer. Gary works out of Washington D.C. and mainly focuses on national races. After having a successful career, though, Gary is left rather down following the election of 2016 which was disastrous for Democrats.

He gets a spark of hope, though, when he sees a viral video of a man in rural Wisconsin making an impassioned speech about protecting benefits, such as SNAP. The man, who’s also a veteran, is viewed as the perfect Democrat to win in a more rural area of the country, and Gary decides to help him win a race for the small Wisconsin town’s mayoral seat. However, this also draws the attention of the national Republican party, and it sets up a big time political match in a small town not used to the Washington tactics.

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REVIEW: Despite some good moments, ‘King of Staten Island’ can test patience

The King of Staten Island isn’t as cool of a title as The King of New York, but few people can be as cool as Christopher Walken.

While this 2020 movie has that title, main character Scott Carlin (Pete Davidson) is certainly no king. In this Judd Apatow-directed feature, Scott is a 24-year-old who lives with his mother Margie (Marisa Tomei) and isn’t a student attending college or working any job.

What Scott does instead is either get high with his friends, or work as an amateur tattoo artist. Much of this behavior is pinned to the death of Scott’s father, who was a firefighter who died in the line of duty. His way of life is challenged, though, when his sister Claire (Maude Apatow) moves to college and his mother begins a relationship with another person working in New York City’s Fire Department, Ray (Bill Burr).

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REVIEW: ‘The Wrong Missy’ is a miserable comedy

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Happy Madison production, since I haven’t really kept up with the studio’s move to Netflix. I have to say, the quality hasn’t really changed, and that’s not a good thing.

David Spade stars as Tim in “The Wrong Missy.” The film starts out with him going on a blind date that turns out to be a disaster. The person he goes on a date with is Missy (Lauren Lapkus), who is completely coco for Cocoa Puffs. The date is so bad it actually turns him off from dating for a while.

However, during a business trip, Tim meets another woman named Missy, which is short for Melissa, (Molly Sims) and the two immediately hit it off. They share interests and have an easy time chatting with each other. The two eventually exchange numbers and Tim likes her so much that he wants to invite her on a company retreat to a tropical island. The only problem is he mixes up the phone numbers and invites (gasp) the wrong Missy! Comedy is allegedly supposed to ensue.

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REVIEW: Latest ‘Emma’ adaptation is a stilted experience

“Emma” is a novel rich enough to spawn several on-screen adaptations, but unfortunately, the latest is rather dry.

Anya Taylor Joy plays the titular character here. A wealthy young woman in England, Emma has a reputation as a matchmaker. The movie picks up with her starting a friendship with Harriet Smith (Mia Goth), and eventually, she decides to try and set her up with one of the local suitors.

At the same time, Emma herself is looking at starting her own relationship with someone. However, some of her previous actions make the process somewhat tricky.

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REVIEW: ‘International Falls’ is a strong, amusing look at a stark situation

This small Minnesota city on the Canadian border has a few claims to fame. It was the inspiration for Frostbite Falls in Rocky and Bullwinkle, it’s officially known as the Icebox of the Nation for its cold temperatures, the high school hockey team has a rich history winning seven state titles and it was the home of National Football League legend Bronko Nagurski.

I can’t say I was ever really expecting my hometown to be the setting for a motion picture, though. Yes, before leaving for college, the setting of this dramatic comedy was where I was born and raised.

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REVIEW: ‘Downhill’ enjoyable thanks to mix of drama, dark comedy

“Downhill,” aka, “Marriage Story: On Ice.”

This movie taking place at a ski resort in Austria follows a family of four on vacation. The family includes the parents Billie (Julia Louis Dreyfus) and Pete (Will Ferrell), and their two sons Finn (Julian Grey) and Emerson (Ammon Jacob Ford). The family appears to have some stress from vacation traveling, but seem to be ready for a pleasant trip in Europe.

However, the situation gets rocky when a controlled avalanche to provide more snow on the slopes causes a sequence of events that results in a rift between the married couple. The rest of the trip explores their drama as they navigate the rest of their vacation.

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REVIEW: Underneath the glitz and glamour, ‘The Gentlemen’ is empty

Few movies get as smug and full of itself as director Guy Ritchie’s new feature “The Gentlemen.”

The movie stars Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Pearson. Mickey is the kingpin of a crime organization that grows marijuana in the United Kingdom on land owned by wealthy British citizens. After building his empire up, though, Mickey is looking to get out of the “business” and settle down.

To do so, Mickey is holding meetings with Matthew (Jeremy Strong), a wealthy interested party. However, one night, a tabloid journalist named Fletcher (Hugh Grant) introduces information to Mickey’s right hand man Ray (Charlie Hunnam) that could throw a wrench in the situation.

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Best of the Decade: Comedy

This is a series called “Best of the Decade.” It’s a list including 10 movies that I found to be the best in a specific genre from 2010-2019.

Whether they were based on TV shows or real life experiences, the past decade provided audiences with a good deal of laughs. Here are my favorite funny flicks from the 2010s.

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REVIEW: A return to ‘Zombieland’ is fun, but also forgettable

It took a decade but audiences have finally been invited back to Zombieland. Unfortunately, it’s lost some luster.

The movie picks up with the protagonists of the 2009 horror comedy, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). The four have been surviving across the United States since joining together as a makeshift family in California.

At the beginning of the movie, the four have made it to Washington D.C. and decide to take up residency in the still intact White House. The presidential mansion is a great place to live, but like all families, there can be growing pains and stress. Eventually, it causes Little Rock to go out on her own. The remaining trio decide to go after Little Rock to ensure her safety and encounter some new faces along the way.

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Monday Movie Report: Margot Robbie to produce, star in new comedy

New Line Cinema is negotiating with Margot Robbie for a new comedy titled “Fools Day.”

According to Variety, New Line acquired a short film also named “Fools Day” with the intention of adapting it to a full length picture. For Robbie, if the negotiation works out, she would be an executive producer and also join the cast in a supporting role.

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