Tag: Comedy

REVIEW: While Predictable, ‘Barbershop’ Sequel Delivers With Heart

Ice Cube is back with the “Barbershop” crew and this time he went out of his way to add some depth and drama into the mix of comedy.

The film picks up with Ice Cube’s character Calvin, who is now successfully running his barbershop in Chicago with his business partner Angie (Regina Hall). For the most part, life for the crew is good, although, they begin to notice the increase in gang-related violence plaguing the streets.

In response, Calvin and the barbershop workers decide to try and call a truce between local gangs and give out free haircuts for a weekend to help promote peace on the streets.

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REVIEW: ‘The Boss’ Stumbles Due To Poor Writing

Melissa McCarthy is back with another comedy, this time playing a character who happens to be the owner of a huge corporate empire.

The character is Michelle Darnell, who rose to the top on her own and used cut-throat business practices to do so.

Her ways of getting by eventually lead her into trouble, though, when she gets arrested and sent to prison for a white collar crime.

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REVIEW: Greek Wedding 2 Is A Messy Rehash Of The Original

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” is the sequel that no one really wanted.

The movie picks up quite a ways in the future from where the first one ended. The main characters, Toula (Nia Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) are still married and are trying to prepare their daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris) for college.

As if that isn’t stressful enough for the parents, Toula soon learns that her own parents Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan) are actually not officially married. For that reason, the big family is forced into preparing another wedding.

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REVIEW: ‘Deadpool’ Is Good Fun Despite A Standard Story

The fans wanted the real Deadpool and Ryan Reynolds gave them the real Deadpool.

This latest film from Marvel comic book lore follows the story of Wade Wilson, (Reynolds) a former special forces member who gets by doing odd (usually a bit dangerous) jobs for people.

His life style begins to change, though, when he meets a woman named Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) and the two hit it off right away. Life doesn’t allow Wilson to enjoy his surroundings very much, though, as he is soon diagnosed with terminal cancer.

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REVIEW: Coens’ ‘Hail Caesar’ Is A Fun Love Letter To Old Hollywood

George Clooney plays Baird Whitlock in “Hail, Caesar!,” the latest dramedy from writers/directors The Coen Brothers. Whitlock is a star Hollywood actor and is working on the set of a 1950s Hollywood mega production for the studio Capitol Pictures. After shooting one of the scenes for the picture, though, Whitlock is drugged and kidnapped.

That’s where the real star of the film enters, Eddie Mannix, played by Josh Brolin. Mannix is the head of production at Capitol and manages everything that goes on, whether it be angry directors or the social life of the contracted actors. Mannix is seemingly everywhere and if he didn’t seem overworked before, the kidnapping puts him over the top.

As most Coen Bros. movies go, “Hail Caesar!” doesn’t play by the conventional rules and they have once again made a rather oddball comedy. While this does provide for some solid laughs, especially directed toward the industry, it does make the movie a bit too disjointed in how it handles the main conflict.

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REVIEW: ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Lags Behind Its Predecessors

Whenever someone says they have problems with excessive sequels, I always bring up “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011) as an example of how a sequel can surpass the original. The first film, released in 2008 was good, but “Kung Fu Panda 2” was even better and is one of my favorite animated films ever.

So does part 3 live up to its predecessor? Unfortunately, no.

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REVIEW: Powerful Acting, Intriguing Dialogue Make ‘the Big Short’ A Superb Look At The 08 Crash

Monday, Sept. 15, 2008. The morning of that day, as I was getting ready for another day of classes in college, I turned the news on. On every news channel that morning was not news of the upcoming general election, but rather, the fall of Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch and much of the economy because of the housing bubble bursting.

That morning would come to have a significant impact on the course of America’s economy in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. One important factor in leading up to that morning, though, is that there were some who knew it was coming far in advance. That’s where “The Big Short” comes in.

The movie begins in the early-to-mid 2000s, when everything seems to be perfect with the housing market. In the first act, the film introduces a few different characters who all find out , though, that a collapse is coming. The first one to do so is financial analyzer Michael Burry, played by Christian Bale. The other characters who follow in Burry’s financial footsteps are Mark Baum, played by Steve Carell, Jared Vennett portrayed by Ryan Gosling and two younger investors mentored by Ben Rickert, played by Brad Pitt.

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Sisters review

Director:

  • Jason Moore

Cast:

  • Amy Poehler
  • Tina Fey
  • Maya Rudolph
  • Ike Barinholtz
  • John Leguizamo
  • Rated: R

Like the title says, in this movie Amy Poehler and Tina Fey play two sisters, Maura and Kate, who are each going through struggles in their own lives. At the onset of the movie, they are given another issue to deal with when they find out their parents are selling their childhood home.

When the siblings are tasked with taking care of the house for a weekend before it’s sold, though, they decide to have one last hurrah with a crazy party. As usual with party movies, insanity ensues.

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Krampus review

Director:
Michael Dougherty
Cast:
Adam Scott
Toni Collette
David Koechner
Emjay Anthony
Conchata Ferrell
Rated: PG-13

“Krampus” is a horror and dark comedy that centers around a dysfunctional family who have gathered just a few days before Christmas. The youngest in the family, Max (Anthony), is having a tough time with the whole situation, though, because the holiday just doesn’t feel as enjoyable anymore.

In a fit of anger he tears up his letter to Santa and tosses it out the window. It turns out to be a bad decision, though, because it summons the evil spirit Krampus who punishes those who don’t honor Christmas.

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The Night Before review

Director:
Jonathan Levine
Cast:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Seth Rogen
Anthony Mackie
Jillian Bell
Michael Shannon
Rated: R

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a man named Ethan in “The Night Before,” an average guy who has a tradition of going out the night before Christmas with his two friends Isaac (Rogen) and Chris (Mackie). The tradition was started just after Ethan’s parents died in 2001 and has carried on throughout the years.

The film picks up with the three friends deciding that the current Christmas Eve would be their last night out, though, as life is pulling them in different directions. Because of this, they decide to make it the best night possible by making it to a legendary party.

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