Movie Muse

As strange as the title “Hot Tub Time Machine” might seem, it oddly fits this movie. You can only expect so much from a flick that has two nouns in the title that are as seemingly opposite as “hot tub” and “time machine.” It’s the kind of title that says “I’m not going to make sense, but who doesn’t love hot tubs or time machines?” It’s a silly, mindless film that revels in time travel jokes and an assortment of gags related to the discrepancy between being middle-aged now and being a 20-something in the ’80s. It’s the kind of pure sugar fun you need to be in the mood for. Read the rest of this entry »

According to his friends and himself, Kirk (Jay Baruchel) is a five out of ten on a scale of general sex appeal. Funny, because that’s the exact score I give this film. Kirk’s a decent enough guy. A bit scrawny, has some self-esteem issues, but he’s funny at times, genuine and often charming. I don’t know about those negatives, but the positives could also be said about “She’s Out of My League.” Read the rest of this entry »

With “Black Dynamite,” it’s pretty simple: what you see is what you get. Blaxploitation at its finest, the film attempts to rediscover, through means of both tribute and satire, an oft-forgotten genre of the 1970s. Drug-dealing, flashy clothes, afros, kung fu and a soundtrack layered with wah-wah pedal all contribute to flawless period re-creation. Quite simply, “Black Dynamite” provides a nice care-free jaunt to an odd corner of movie history. Read the rest of this entry »

“Marley & Me” does not prey entirely on our soft side for dogs, nor does it aim for laughs caused by animal hi-jinx. It’s a touching film with a warm spirit that manages to shake off any tearjerker stereotypes that most people would be quick to slap it with. That’s better than at least 75 percent of current films with the labels “romance” and “comedy” associated with them. Read the rest of this entry »

Rock ‘n roll embodies what we want out of our movies from time to time: letting loose and having fun: throwing aside order and morality for a time, however brief. In the ’60s, rock music was the essence of such “rebellion” and “Love, Actually” filmmaker Richard Curtis and his latest film, “Pirate Radio,” capture the rock ‘n roll spirit without dishing it out in the form of some “educational” period film. Read the rest of this entry »

No man is an island — but no film is either. The proverbial happy bachelor who is set in his ways is bound to succumb to the temptations of togetherness and love as he does in every film. “About a Boy” does not defy this classic character profile, but neither does it slosh around in clichéd fashion. Hugh Grant’s charms and his surrounding cast of unusuals played by fine actors add just enough color to Nick Hornby’s touching family story to appear fresh and even revelatory. Read the rest of this entry »

“The Promotion” is not a great or memorable comedy, but it’s a brave one. Brave in that it doesn’t give you what you expect from a comedy about Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly vying for the same promotion in a supermarket chain. The expectation is physical humor, gross-out shenanigans and general mayhem. What you get is a much more understated comedy that’s built upon that foundation but ends completely different. Some will find this violation of expectations refreshing — others will end up let down and bored. Read the rest of this entry »

Everything about “Whip It” screams sports movie clichés. Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) lives in small-town Texas and lies to her parents, namely her mother who has stuck her in beauty pageants her whole life, and sneaks off at night to Austin where she’s becoming a roller derby phenom. She even meets a cute boy during her rule-breaking excursions and she may well betray her best friend in the process. Read the rest of this entry »

Terrific, campy movie musicals don’t come around very often. How many films have been able to emulate the success of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show?” How many have even tried? “Reefer Madness” is about the closest any film has come to capturing the bizarre spirit of that cult classic. A film version of the Off-Broadway production, “Reefer” is the outrageous musical version of the old public education film warning parents of the “effects” of marijuana on impressionable teenagers. Only such a ridiculous blunder in our country’s drug-ed history could warrant a ridiculous musical and Showtime fits it with the trappings of a cult favorite. Read the rest of this entry »

The plight of the nerd has taken many forms in film and television over the years, but none so genuine as “Revenge of the Nerds.” Amidst all the sex and party-obsessed college stereotyping and seemingly unrealistic projection of the high school nerds vs. jocks concept onto the college scene, these nerds are pretty likable characters and their pranks make for the most classic college movie scenes outside of “Animal House.” Read the rest of this entry »

“The Men Who Stare At Goats” is like a cleverly written essay only the writer never actually wrote a thesis. When it leaves you wondering “what just happened?” it’s not because you don’t understand it, but because you don’t know what the point is. Included in the definition of art is purpose, and even if your purpose is to be purposeless, that is still a purpose. “Goats” is an unmemorable quirky war comedy that’s strengths stop at great concept. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s hard to believe a film such as “Harold and Maude” was made in the 1970s. Movies like this one, the off-kilter teen coming-of-age story, haven’t really become common place until today. Hal Ashby and Colin Higgins’ film was undoubtedly ahead of its time. It’s not rooted in pop culture, popular folk-style music is a central element and its sense of humor is a one- of-a-kind blend of dark and free-spirited. Teenagers of today would have an appreciation of it that teenagers in 1971 probably didn’t have. It was still probably uncomfortable for a lot of people to embrace the relationship of an older teenager and a crazy old woman, but it’s a thing of beauty in this movie. Read the rest of this entry »

It goes without saying that “Mystery, Alaska” is all about hockey, but the spin on that is that it’s about more than the sport and that’s the difference maker between a good and great sports film. “Mystery” falls somewhere in between those compliments, but transcending hockey is what this movie can hang its skates on. The title says it all. Instead of being called “cliche underdog title,” or “intense sports words” it simply refers to the town it takes place in, because that’s what’s at its heart. Even if the sexual humor is completely awkward and the swearing uncalled for, this movie is about the pride of a small town whose very existence centers around hockey. Read the rest of this entry »

You might remember nothing else from “In the Loop” other than its landmark insults, but that’s enough. This high-brow dirty British humor from the writing team behind the hit British political comedy show “The Thick of It” is exceptional and its ability to intelligently prod at politics is almost more of a bonus. Read the rest of this entry »

If “Annie Hall” had been a later Woody Allen film, you’d be ready to slap him by the end of the film’s opening monologue. But in 1977, the world was not full of Allen films filled with Allen humor and “Allenisms.” Thank goodness for that, because the film is truly one where his character can’t be the sole focus. This is a film about Annie, as the title suggests, which really makes this movie great and still shine among the Allen repertoire. Read the rest of this entry »