The 40 Year Old Virgin

Director/writer Judd Apatow was behind Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, produced Anchorman, wrote for The Larry Sanders Show and The Ben Stiller Show among other things and Steve Carrell was the best thing in Anchorman (and that was a funny cast!), the best thing by a country mile in Bruce Almighty and even filled the shoes of Ricky Gervais in the American version of The Office, and the cast of the cast have rarely put a foot wrong of late so the expectations watching this where pretty high-

The expectations are met- I don't know why I worried for a second that with Judd Apatow at the helm the film wouldn't be hilarious- Andy is 40 and a virgin as the title suggests- and the film is about the effort of his friends to get him laid. Carrell in his first lead role is perfect- and the film never makes fun of Andy's situation it's suprisingly sweet in places- his friends seem to be only looking out for him- but don't worry about the sweetness factor with an healthy doses of the f-word and c-word, comedy for grownups is finally back- there are many brilliant scenes (the chest waxing scene!) and killer dialogue ("I Want You to Know I Can Be Very Discreet...But I Will Haunt Your Dreams") and again fans of F&G and Undeclared can look out for familiar faces.

Entertaining for those who likes comedy- Steve Carrell is a comedy god and Judd Apatow is a god. So you don't want to upset the new people I pray to do you?

****

Mean Creek Released in 2004. Mean Creek is what Stand by Me would be if the other boys set off to get back at Verne. Mean Greek features a young cast for the duration of the movie (Scott Mechlowicz was born in 1981 and is the oldest by a few years) and this young cast are pretty amazing- Rory Culkin (young brother of Macaulay-), Trevor Morgan (slightly older then when I last saw him- he was one of Mel Gibson's kids in Patriot, the one who hid under the table) and the rest of the cast are all equally brilliant but the honours go to Josh Peck (a Nickeledon regular on The Amanda Show and Drake and Josh- think Kenan and Kel if you haven't seen it)- who gives a suprisingly multi-layered that gains at times your sympathy.

The central premise of a bullied Sam (Culkin), his would be girlfriend, his brother and his brothers two friends taking bully George (Peck) on a boat trip down the river only to play a joke on him (strip him naked so he has to run over naked) that eventually takes a turn for the worst, George is not the typical movie bully, you spend time with him as do the other characters and you learn he isn't the bastard that they make him out to be, he does crappy stuff, but he has learning disabilities, he has emotional issues- the only moment George goes too far, his when he finds out that there was going to play a trick on him. Like I've said the young cast is amazing and the story is engaging. Highly recommended. (Reviewed R2) ****

Undeclared: Complete Series

Okay, I'm not gonna aplogize- this is going to be a five star review, like Freaks and Geeks, I believe everything Judd Apatow touches turns to gold and this the natural successor: (which lasted even less episodes then F&G) high school to college, was in the half hour sit-com format (F&G was an hour).

This like F&G, this as such a perfect cast, Seth Rogen, the only Geek regular to become a regular on this- you've got the perfect females Carla Gallo and the ever wonderful Monica Keena (Busy Phillips guest stars along with few F&G alumni), perfect males Timm Sharp, Rogen, Brit Charlie Hunnam and lead Jay Baruchel are also so likeable and Loudon Wainwright as the dad is the best TV dad since Flaherty's Mr. Weir in F&G and Hal in Malcolm in the Middle, the laughs are not punchlined like most american sit-coms (takes the increasingly popular way of no laugh track) and the episode where all the characters spend the entire episode drunk is an automatic stand-out, like F&G there are many wonderful recurring actors and guest stars, it just makes me sad there where only 17 episodes, whilst there is some sit-coms that lasted over 200.

In conclusion, Undeclared is not only the perfect companion piece to Freaks and Geeks, it was one of the best shows of the 2001-02 season and anybody in their mid-20s will guarteneed to love this show.

*****

Expected upcoming DVD reviews in the next couple of week:

Entourage Season One, Undeclared: Complete Series, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Bad Santa, Sin City, Stephen King's It, Second Generation, Arrested Development Season One, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Volume One and a few more

Earth Girls are Easy

Let's just call today "I love the 80s", after already reviewing (and probably giving an over generous review to) One Crazy Summer, it's time for another classic childhood memory- the unusual comedy/science fiction/musical Earth Girls are Easy.

Earth Girls are Easy was Jeff Goldblum/Geena Davis was there third film together (It's not exactly the Fly were talking here)- the plot is slight- sexually frustated housewive Davis is sunbathing one day (sadly not nude sunbathing as the original song goes) and a spaceship crash lands into her swimming pool with three brightly coloured aliens inside, Wiploc (Jim Carrey), Zeeboo (Damon Wayans) and leader Mac (Goldblum) and after shaving all there brightly coloured body hair, the quick learning aliens she grows to become friends with them (something more then friends with Mac), with great musical interludes, provided by the brilliant Julie Brown (who acts, writes and sings). The film really as an excellent cast, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans are of course as expected are very funny, Micheal McKean is also good fun as is the late Charles Rocket as the smarmy husband complete with an imagantive dream sequence- Earth Girls are Easy is so 80s, but it's so much fun.

In conclusion, Earth Girls are Easy is another relic of the 80s, there is some people who can't stand the 80s and I imagine they won't like this, but taking away childhood memories, this is such a likeable film, with some funny moments.

****

One Crazy Summer

I have to say I've got a real soft sport for 80's Cusack, I love the films Say Anything, The Sure Thing, Better Off Dead etc. But I saw One Crazy Summer long before any of them, I owned this on video years ago as a youngster, so this held a special place in my heart for a long time. I hadn't seen it for maybe 13/14 years and whilst on holiday in Florida I picked it from Walmart for $5.50, but had it held up as a valuable childhood memory?

I think the first thing I should be asking myself is, did director/writer Savage Steve Holland know that he making something slightly rubbish, now I'm not saying rubbish is a bad thing (I love Showgirls!)- the film is very much a product of the 1980s, most of the jokes are pretty lame, but I was still smirking practically all the way through, It had achieved one thing: nostaliga, there are some neat animation moments, and Bobcat Goldthwaite and Curtis Armstrong are good value for money, and to see Demi Moore before she became (and subsequently wasn't) the highest paid actress in Hollywood, and of course John Cusack is ever likeable. It's suprising who pops up in this movie (Jeremy Piven! Rich Hall! and god Joe Flaherty!) .

So in conclusion, if you saw it in 80s, liked it and haven't seen in good long while, watch it and reminsence. If your new to it, I'd wager a guess that there's nothing here a million teen comedies have done better since.

***

Final Destination 3 Cinema Review (Spoilers Lie Within) Okay, I just got back a couple of hours ago from seeing this at the cinema: I'll start by saying I liked the first two movies, there was fun, particulary seeing the ever more gruesome deaths, the third movie which features nobody from the first two movies, but the return of original director James Wong and writer Glen Morgan and after using a plane crash and a highway pile up its the time of a rollercoaster: The big question is: Is it any good then? I have to be honest, and say despite the gruesome deaths, it's pretty average, the plot is so full of holes it's unreal, the characters are never fleshed out (at least there was some what likeable characters in the first two) and most the characters get killed off with no real idea. Speaking of the deaths they do have there moments (the gym scene, the crushing and especially the bit with the nail gun) but nail gun aside seem to cut away too quickly, I wanna wallow in blood and gore goddamit- Going back to the plotholes: a stupid thing involving the video camera, characters dying in the wrong order (I was under the impression death took the people out in order they died or reverse order) and you'd think the police would get involved somewhere when the two main characters are at the scene of every death. This is by the numbers really, it's like Scream 3, there's ideas and moments there, but it just leaves you empty.

See it for the nail gun death, or go and see Brokeback Mountain depending on your mood as long as Final Destination 4 (If it happens) gets back to what the first two films are about. **

Okay I promise I'll get to some titles that aren't exactly five star experiences for me. Okay

Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Series

I'm not sure if I was a freak or a geek at school- I think if you had to catgorize me, I guess I'd be closer to a freak (nowadays I guess I'm closer to a geek), this show set in a Michigan high school in 1980 his 18 (only 18!!!) episodes of perfection, well wrote, directed and cast (the young cast could actually pass for students- was Beverly Hills 90210 like that!)-

Linda Cardellini (now ER) is plays the lead role of Lindsay- ex geek, wannabe freek, a wonderful anchor to the show- but list the rest of the cast: Martin Starr, Samm Levine, James Franco (Harry Osborne in the Spider-Man movies), John Francis Daley and Becky Anne Baker as well as frequent actors Natasha Melnick, Joanne Garcia, David Gruber, Steve Bannos, Sarah Hagan and Tom Wilson- are all remarkable, arguably there as never been a television cast so suited to their roles. I missed three names off then- because I believe there the performers that deserve extra recogniation: Joe Flaherty as Mr. Weir, so wonderful in anything he does (I have called this man god on more then one occasion) , Jason Segel- it's hard to explain just how good he is as Nick and possibly my favourite cast member: Busy Phillips as Kim Kelly, unbelievablely excellent in the bitchy, sometimes uncaring (often times caring) role that is so fully rounded.

The quality of writing is excellent including scripts from creator Paul Feig, Judd Apatow and Mike White. And such an excellent choice of music, The Grateful Dead's Ripple as been on in my house constantly. Stand outs episodes include the final episode, Kim Kelly is My Friend, Beers and Weirs and let's just say all the others.

The commentaries on this set are amazing (29 for 18 episodes) including cast members who went onto ER and Dawson's Creek (two big shows) shows how much love there is from the people who worked on this show (R1 only).

*****

NewsRadio Seasons One and Two If I say the words (or is that word) NewsRadio too many people, they'll just look at me with a blank expression. It's no surprise really it's only really been shown at one in the morning on Sky's Paramount channel in the U.K, luckily for me I had a bout of insomnia when Paramount went through the first three seasons (they never had the rights to the last two seasons), and this is the perfect ensemable sit-com which some of the most incredibly sharp writing. I should start by talking about the performers, his show belongs to the late Phil Hartman as rapidly insane news anchor man Bill McNeal, his delivery his perfect, (Note: the fifth season recorded after his death, didn't have the same magic as when Hartman was in it), Stephen Root as station owen Jimmy James, would in many another sitcom be the best thing in, another performer with such natural perfect delivery. Dave Foley in the lead role is good fun, Maura Tierney (now of ER) is his love interest, there's Andy Dick, with his perfect timed pratfalls and Khandi Alexander, Joe Rogan and Vicki Lewis round of a cast that doesn't have a bum note. The 28 episodes in the first and second series (6 in the first, 22 in the second) quickly gel together and it's amazing our early in the series, the characters become fully rounded. The third episode Smoking, is an excellent episode (and an excellent example of how comfortable they cast where with each other so early) about Bill McNeal trying to quit smoking and Dave trying to give up caffeine, and finishes with the odd message, don't bother trying to give up your addictions your only going to fail, other classic episodes on this set include The Cain (another Bill centered episode), Rat Funeral, Goofy Ball (the Goofy Ball of the title is voiced by Judd Apatow, who went onto to create Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, which I'll get too in later posts) and it's fair to say many more of these episodes. The show is very funny, and it's utterly bewildering that this show never got a decent U.K airing (it could have been on Channel 4 on Friday Night), but I can't recommend this show enough. *****

Bret Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be It's not hype...this is by far the best DVD the WWE have ever released, better then the brilliant Ultimate Ric Flair Collection, better then the Rise and Fall of ECW, better then Mick Foley's Greatest Hits and Misses, this is the greatest wrestling DVD/release of all time... Hell froze over and Bret "The Hitman" Hart and the WWE reached an agreement and got Bret's full involement (the original title was going to be called Screwed: The Bret Hart Story, as you can see it focused somewhat on the Monteral Screwjob), anyway this three disc set is absolutely perfect- disc one houses the excellent Bret Hart documentary, which like I said thanks to Hart's involvement- you here multiple sides to the story, and the documentary gets very emotional at times, when talking about his father and his brother, Owen (there is also a short extra where Hart talks about wrestlers who passed away), and deals with Stampede Wrestling (we get to see some Stampede footage), The Hart Foundation, Intercontinetel Championship, WWF Championship, the Anti-American Hart, the Screw Job, WCW, Owen's death and the end of the career, nothing is sugar coated over, everything is said how it seemed to go down. the documentary is one word is perfect. The 2nd and 3rd discs house an whole bunch of awesome matches (disc one also has a couple of matches), the stand-out matches are of course Bret vs Owen from Wrestlemania X, Bret v Austin in a submission match from Wrestlemania XIII, Perfect and Hart from Summerslam 91, and the sole WCW match, the Owen Hart Tribute Match vs Chris Benoit, you can't ignore the other matches, because Bret Hart, as his catchphrase and the title of this DVD goes, he was the Best there was. If your a wrestling fan, there is no excuse (NO EXCUSE!!!) why you shouldn't be buying this, even if in his day you was never a huge Bret Hart mark this DVD is still a must own. *****

Mine and Jay Sherman's ratings system: ***** Excellent **** Very Good *** Pretty Good ** Average * IT STINKS!!!

Also on this blog, I'll mention news that effects me and/or makes me laugh and other film related crap.