"Ted"

Years ago, I was one of the many, many people who loved watching Seth Macfarlane's "Family Guy." When it was cancelled, I mourned. I watched on Adult Swim, bought the DVDs, and rejoiced when it came back. Now, like most of my friends, it's gotten old. What was once unique and inspired, has become repetitious and predictable. Still, when I saw the trailer for "Ted," I was hopeful. After all, when "Family Guy" is funny, it's very funny. While "Ted" may not match the best of "Family Guy," it does come close to some of the better moments.

In this tale, a young boy's wish brings his teddy bear to life. While this is a heartwarming tale at first, it soon takes a very mature turn, when the boy becomes a man (John, played by Marky Mark Wahlberg), and Ted becomes a foul mouthed, pot smoking, depraved party animal. Soon, Ted is coming between John and his girlfriend, Mila Kunis. So, from that point on, you can figure the plot out for yourself, really. Macfarlane is funny, but he's also in love with tropes, and stock story lines. It's a fact he seems to be aware of, and further use for comedy. With no major plot twists to worry about, the film simply becomes a vehicle to set up jokes about a teddy bear who like to party with whores. For me, that was enough. The jokes were over the top, but most of them worked.

For others, however, it may not be. The films jokes, and humor are targeted to men in my age group. Women might not like the crude, possibly sexist humor (Every woman is just a stereotype, or simply exists just to be pretty.) If you're too old, or too young, you may not get a good deal of the jokes. And if you're looking for some form of higher film... well... I mean, come on. The poster is a potty joke.

This isn't one to rush out and see. In fact, I dont think you would really miss much by waiting it to come out on disk, or even cable. But if you like Macfarlane's brand of humor, and you need a good laugh, then you might want to give"Ted" a try.

Abraham Lincoln : Vampire Hunter

Ultra quick review time. I'm working the 4am shift tomorrow and I should be in bed by now.

Well, what can you say about a movie with such a ridiculous concept. In case you didn't get it, AL:VH tells Lincoln's hidden history, as a asskicking action hero with a hate on for the undead. All of the action is just as over the top as the plot. Taking that all in mind, if you're the kind of person who still wants to see the movie after all that,  then you may really like it. It's campy, and cheesy. It may even strike many as distasteful. Especially this close to Juneteenth. But this film isnt for then anyway.

Ok. Sleepy now.

Moonrise Kingdom, Prometheus

Hey movie fans!

So, I'm going to try to start posting on Blogger now, and seeing if that makes cross posting easier.

Two very different movies for this week, but both very enjoyable. 

Fist off, the latest Wes Anderson film, "Moonrise Kingdom."  Anderson continues his tale of whimsy, and angst, with the story of a pair of pre-teens who run away from home, and how their mission throws their entire community out of whack. To cut to the short of it, if you like Wes Anderson films, (Rushmore, Royal Tenenbaums) then you are going to like this latest adventure. It has all the elements that made the other films so wonderful. Crisp, and bizarre characters, beautiful and crisp images, and Bill Murry. If you're not familiar with Anderson's other works, then you might be thrown off a bit by the disjointed, and overly quirky world he populates. Half movie, and half storybook, his tales unfold in ways that are both familiar and surprising. He has a genuine talent for creating a jigsaw filled with oddly shaped characters, that all fit together with aplomb.

That isn't to say this film is perfect. To be honest, it isn't breaking a lot of new ground. Except for some difficult questions about young love, I don't feel if really tread ground that wasn't explored. In addition, I still found it hard to believe why these two would have fallen in love in the first place. Mind you, both actors do a superb job of showing the two get closer as the story progresses. In fact, both Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward do a great job. Not just as child actors, but as actors of any age. Its just that, at the beginning, it seems a bit forced.

Speaking of young romance, parents will have to judge if their kids are mature enough to see this one. Certainly, the main pair participate in activities that any parent would disapprove of. Then again, it's handled in a mature, reasonable way. I know that when I was 12, this kind of film would have been perfect for me. Other kids, not so much.

But any complaints I may have are only slight. I was grinning like a goon all the way though. Anderson's films are like beautiful trips into a world that resonates with the little recluse child I was as a child. 

Next up.. another film with connections to my childhood, "Prometheus." Ridley Scott returns to the universe he started with Alien in this "not really a prequel" space horror flick. In this tale, a team of scientists travel in space looking for the origin of man. Most of them end up screaming at one point or another.

I grew up with the "Alien" franchise. (When I was young, I must have seen "Aliens" at least 50 times. I (and I am not kidding) had 3 copies of the movie on one VHS tape, and my cousins and I would put it on while playing out our own space battles.) I still love "Aliens," but as I grew up, I also learned to love the scarier and smarter original. The pure terror is palpable. That's what "Prometheus" brings with it. Unlike the other Alien films in the franchise, Ridley turns he attention back on the Humans, and the Lovecraftian horrors that await mankind in the void of space.

While acting isn't normally a focus of horror flicks, as you can imagine with Scott, that's not the case. All of the main cast do an excellent job immersing you in their world. Noomi Rapace is wonderful as the frantic, Shaw, frantically doing everything she can so survive. Charlize Theron is one stone cold... fox. But my favorite performance is by Michael Fassbender as the android "David." Both creepy, and calculating, he exudes a 'More Human than Human’ feel. 

As you can imagine, this one isn't for the squeamish. The effects are both graphic, and realistic. Thanks to one scene, the next time I have a belly ache, I'm going to have nightmares. But, beyond the gore, the Horror is smart. It all makes sense, meshing high-tech, with the visceral monsters. Also, want to point out, while the 3D effects may not be needed.. they are fantastic. Some of the best 3D I've seen in years. If they took out the Horror aspects, then this would still be beautiful.

Not that the film is perfect. While this film brings up a lot of questions, they’re not anything new to fans of Sci-Fi. They’re the same ones brought up in the 1930’s by Lovecraft. And the same, it offers no answers, letting us try to answer them for ourselves. In addition, I have a bit of a problem with the end. I don’t want to spoil it, but it left me questioning the motivations of both the characters, and the film makers.  

So, there you go Movie Fans, to very well done films for two very different films. Two films I would love to own, and see again.

Until next time, have fun!