Tag: Comedy

REVIEW: ‘Spy’

Director:
Paul Feig
Cast:
Melissa McCarthy
Jude Law
Rose Byrne
Jason Statham
Rated: R

Melissa McCarthy plays Susan in “Spy,” a CIA mission analyst who has remained at the agency’s headquarters for most of her career. From her desk, Susan monitors other agents, mainly an operative named Bradley (Law) to keep a watch for potential threats.

Susan’s whole world begins to shift, though, when Bradley is killed in the line of duty by an arms dealer named Rayna (Byrne). On top of losing a great agent, the CIA learns that Rayna has uncovered the identities of other operatives. In order to bring her down, Susan steps up to take on a field mission for the first time.

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Aloha review

Director:
Cameron Crowe
Cast:
Bradley Cooper
Emma Stone
Rachel McAdams
Bill Murray
Danny McBride
John Krasinski
Alec Baldwin
Rated: PG-13

Bradley Cooper plays Brian in “Aloha,” the latest film from Director Cameron Crowe. Brian is a former member of the United States Air Force, however, at the start of the movie he has moved on to working for a weapons and technology developer played by Bill Murray.

Upon his arrival in Hawaii, where he has to convince the local parties to allow a space launch, Brian meets Air Force officer Allison Ng (Stone), who has been ordered to be his guide. The protagonist also runs into his former girlfriend Tracy (McAdams) on the island and drama ensues.

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Pitch Perfect 2 review

Director:
Elizabeth Banks
Cast:
Anna Kendrick
Rebel Wilson
Keegan-Michael Key
Brittany Snow
Hailee Steinfeld
Adam DeVine
Rated: PG-13

In “Pitch Perfect 2,” the three time defending acapella national champion Barden University Bellas are riding high. Led by Beca (Kendrick) and Fat Amy (Wilson), now seniors, everything seems set up for more greatness for the group.

That all changes after a completely humiliating performance in front of the United States President which results in the Bellas being suspended from competition. To regain their status, the team enters an international competition, bringing along freshman newcomer Emily (Steinfeld), with the hope of winning a world title.

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Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 review

Director
Andy Fickman
Cast:
Kevin James
Raini Rodriguez
David Henrie
Neal McDonough
Rated: PG

In the thrilling sequel to the equally engaging (OK, who am I kidding), film “Paul Blart: Mall Cop, actor Kevin James once again returns as the titular character who still seems to be riding on the coat tails of what happened in the previous movie.

Speaking of the first film, everything that happened in it is negated in the first three minutes to help set up the plot for Blart’s next adventure.

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Get Hard review

Director:
Etan Cohen
Cast:
Will Ferrell
Kevin Hart
T.I.
Craig T. Nelson
Rated: R

In “Get Hard” Will Ferrell plays James, a rich business man who seems to have a perfect life for himself. This changes suddenly when he is charged with a white collar crime and has to go to prison.

In the process, James mistakes Kevin Hart’s character Darnell as a man who went to prison and hires him to teach him how to survive in the slammer. Despite never having been to prison, Darnell agrees and decides to teach James how to stand up for himself.

If you’re looking for an unpredictable comedy where you have no idea where the next joke is going to come from, “Get Hard” probably isn’t for you. The film, from beginning to end, is entirely predictable, both in terms of story and its jokes. It’s easy to figure out who the villain is, it’s easy to tell what’s going to happen and the humor is never a surprise.

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Big Eyes review

Director:
Tim Burton
Cast:
Amy Adams
Christoph Waltz
Terence Stamp
Rated: PG-13

Tim Burton’s latest outing as a director is a bit different this time around. Instead of being a movie with fantasy elements, Burton’s “Big Eyes” closely follows the true story of Margaret Keane (Adams), an artist whose work was wrongly credited to her husband Walter Keane (Waltz).

The movie shows how the two met, how the false credit was created and how Walter took advantage of it for financial gain. The movie also shows how Margaret eventually took a stand for her own art work.

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Night at the Museum Secret of the Tomb review

Director:
Shawn Levy
Cast:
Ben Stiller
Robin Williams
Owen Wilson
Steve Coogan
Ricky Gervais
Rebel Wilson
Dan Stevens
Rated: PG

Ben Stiller returns to the “Museum” franchise for one last adventure, once again reprising the role of Larry Daley. Now an experienced security guard, Larry has aspirations of involving the museum pieces which magically come to life in the educational experience at the exhibit. The problem is that the tablet that allows the museum pieces to come to life is unfortunately losing its power.

To restore the magic at the museum, Larry, his son and exhibits like Teddy Roosevelt (Williams), travel to a museum in London which has the secret of the tablet that can reverse the current trend.

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Horrible Bosses 2 review

Director:
Sean Anders
Cast:
Jason Bateman
Jason Sudeikis
Charlie Day
Chris Pine
Christoph Waltz
Jamie Foxx
Rated: R

The bosses are still horrible and the jokes are still funny in this sequel to the 2011 film.

“Horrible Bosses 2” picks up with the three protagonists, Nick, played by Jason Bateman, Kurt, played by Jason Sudeikis and Dale, played by Charlie Day, who all left their old jobs after the events of the first film and have gone into business for themselves. This time around, the three have created a revolutionary shower handle and are looking for a company to sell it to.

They end up going into business with Rex and Bert Hanson, played by Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz, and everything is right on track until they find out they were double crossed by the Hansons. The three lose nearly all of their new start-up business. To get back at the Hansons, the trio decide to try a kidnapping plot.

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The Book of Life review

Director:
Jorge R. Gutierrez
Cast:
Diego Luna
Zoe Saldana
Channing Tatum
Ice Cube
Ron Perlman
Christina Applegate
Rated: PG

“The Book of Life” follows three central characters, Manolo (Luna), Maria (Saldana) and Joaquin (Tatum). The three are childhood friends, however, circumstances separate them over time. That doesn’t stop young love to develop, though, as Manolo and Joaquin both have a crush on Maria.

Meanwhile, the rulers of the afterlife, Xibalba (Perlman) who looks after the land of the forgotten and Mary Beth (Applegate) who looks after the land of the remembered, decide to make a bet on the young love, to decide which character will win Maria’s heart.

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This is Where I Leave You review

Director:
Shawn Levy
Cast:
Jason Bateman
Tina Fey
Jane Fonda
Adam Driver
Corey Stoll
Rose Byrne
Rated: R

Jason Bateman plays Judd in “This is Where I Leave You,” a down on his luck man who lost his job, finds out his wife is cheating on him, and learns that his father has died all within the same short time period. This brings him back to his home town where he has to once again interact with his two brothers, sister and mother.

He soon finds out that his father’s last wish was for everyone to live together under one roof for a week and interact. Through that, the family begins to learn that they each are living with their own problems.

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