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(Dean) (2016)
Some good laughs, but Demetri Martin plays it too safe.
Demetri Martin has been my favorite comedian for many years, therefore when I heard that he had written, directed and starred in a film I grabbed tickets immediately. Having no trailer to go off of, my mind went wild thinking how the insanely creative Demetri Martin's comedy would translate into a film. Sadly, a lot was lost in that translation.
The best part of Dean is its usage of Martin's trademark doodles, which accompany the film's scenes in split screens. They feel fresh and were the saving grace when the film started out with a clichéd father and son by a grave that made me worried. The biggest letdown is the film's continual return to cliché, especially in the final act which plays out as a heavy-handed drama with little comedy.
The best thing about Demetri Martin's comedy is that his jokes are presented, the audience gets them, then he moves onto the next joke. In this film there is a lot of unnecessary lingering done. The morals are beaten into our heads in four concluding scenes of nothing but expositional dialogue. Even when the dialogue is more in line with his comedic styling he allows characters too much time to react to the jokes, therefore explaining them. If Demetri Martin tackled each scene as he did his jokes, it could've been a wholly unique film, but his insistence to make a straightforward narrative greatly hurts the film.
One scene really perfectly exemplifies where the film succeeds and fails. It's a party scene and Dean doesn't know anyone there. He spots a pretty girl across the room, cue slow motion and music. This instantly got me groaning. Then he takes it further, Dean leans onto a counter in the slow motion and knocks a bunch of clutter everywhere. I groan a little more having seen this joke even taken here before. But then something brilliant happens. He continues the slow motion for just too long. He picks up the clutter, not even looking at the girl anymore, all in slow motion, then he leaves the room. I laugh out loud. It's a perfectly executed defiance of expectations. But then he ruins it, falling back into cliché. I was really hoping in his embarrassment Dean would never talk to this girl, but instantly in the next scene she approaches him and a love story begins. From cliché, to defying clichés, but ultimately settling back into cliché. You can almost feel Demetri's reluctance to take risks and that's a damn shame because if he did it could've been this generation's Annie Hall.
However, Demetri has stated that he has more conceptual ideas for future films and Dean was picked up by CBS, so here's to his next project taking more risks and blowing everyone away!
Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule (2010)
A formulaic Awesome Show spin-off that doesn't disappoint
With Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!, Tim and Eric created an environment where they could do literally anything and it didn't matter. Beyond a few repeat characters and skits, the episodes didn't link at all and neither did the individual parts of each episode. Whereas with Check it Out, we have a "normal" set up and flow to each episode. Whether or not this is better or worse is up to opinion, but one thing is for sure, it's completely hilarious.
Steve Brule was never one of my favorite characters from Awesome Show, I preferred the the oddballs like Richard Dunn, David Liebe Hart and James Quall, but this show managed to round him out more and give him more quirks and nuances that are infinitely hysterical. Every guest he has he mispronounces their names, he's always cut off mid-sentence and he has some severe family problems, but miraculously these jokes make me crack up each and every time. Just as in Awesome Show, the comedic timing and editing is spot on, and this time it even further parodies every local access show ever made perfectly. If I didn't know about it, I could easily see it playing on a local channel.
The new characters more than hold a candle to the old, and are probably some of my favorite parts of every episode. Whether its Doug Prispreed's confusing sport reports, Terry Bruge Hiplo's offpaced movie reviews or Carol Krabit's useless predictions, I'm dying from laughter every time. Where do they get these people!?
Adding structure to comedy like Tim and Eric's seems like an oxymoron, but it works, maybe not for everyone, but for me. I cant judge which I like more, because for me I consider this just an extension on the Awesome Show. One thing is for sure about both, on first glimpse it looks like it was thrown together sloppily in minutes, but there is actually comedic reasoning and timing for every joke, every bad edit and every cut in and cut out. Tim and Eric create a tedious form of awful quality like no one else, and their shows make me laugh like no one else's.
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012)
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie from the top
I absolutely love the show and I have to say that this didn't disappoint whatsoever. It's basically the contents of the shows formed around a coherent plot. The story is basic, Tim and Eric are given $1,000,000,000 to make a movie, but spend it all away by accident. They then leave to S'wallow Valley to run a failing mall as they are hunted down by Shlaang Co. (who lent them the money). For a 90 minute movie, there is tons of content in this. From the hilarious opening Shlaaang Super Chair ad, to "Johnny Depp"'s Diamond short film, to Top Gun, to "Understanding Your Movie", to Shrim, it's got it all. I laughed hysterically at this movie, maybe more than I have at any comedy. Though I will admit, certain points of the main plot dragged on, or were too not random, the overall movie will not disappoint fans of the show. There's not much else to say other than go and see this movie, you'll love it if you love the show and maybe even if you haven't seen the show before.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Coming From a Huge Fan of the Comic Series.
When compared to the comic, I'd argue they could have made it longer or split it up into a trilogy to include all that they left out. When viewed as a stand alone film, this is an utterly fantastic film with truly unique Special Effects and Editing.
Story: 8.5/10 I adored the story in the comics, even though it was the character development and dialogue that made the series. As far as the main plot goes, they did it excellently and even the changed ending was equally as good as the book's. My major complaint was that they basically did Scott Pilgrim: Precious Little Life (the first comic) perfectly and it was nearing 1/2 of the movie. But then for the other 5 they chopped out every bit of side plot possible (such as Scott getting a job, the high school flashbacks, and Knive's father trying to kill Scott) and left the bare minimum. All these side stories were equally enjoyable as the main one and were what really developed the characters well.
Acting: 8.5/10 As far as casting went they portrayed all the characters accurately as far as looks go, but there were 3 stand outs for me. I thought Stephen Stills, Scott, and Ramona were played sort of badly. In the comics I saw Stephen as the kind of emotionless guy who didn't care much, but he was played as if he's really nervous. In the books I saw Scott as the obnoxious, annoying, nerdy guy, but Micheal Cera plays him like the quiet and awkward guy. And Ramona was played as if she was a Gothic, emotionless person who didn't ever smile, but in the book she seemed more girly and she was smiling quite frequently. Ramona particularly annoyed me because there weren't any of those happy, funny moments between her and Scott which made more of a reason for Scott to like her.
Special Effects: 10/10 The special effects were the stand out part of this movie. They were probably the greatest comic book effects to date. The editing was flawless with split screens, tracking text, and great fights galore. I was absolutely awestruck by the actions going on on screen. And as far as the first book goes, they basically did it panel for panel and that was truly impressive.
Directing: 9/10 I feel that Edgar Wright truly loves this series, and based on the first 40 minutes, was planning on doing it much more accurately and much more like the books. I think it could have easily been made into a 2 part series (book 1-3 in the 1st, book 4-6 in the 2nd), but they probably ran into time or budget restraints. But from what was made, Edgar did a brilliant job at recreating what he did.
If you haven't read the series, I think you'l love this movie to no end, and if you have read the series you'll love the movie, but will be angry with what they left out. Truly a great movie adaptation that's worth the watch.
Enter the Void (2009)
Perhaps the Greatest Film Ever Created
Gaspar Noe has created an experience that we have never experienced before and probably will never experience again.
Without exaggeration, this movie has the greatest cinematography I've ever seen in a movie. He uses a mixture of point of view and out of body experiences so fluidly that you can barely notice where the cuts were. Not only is this movie beautiful to look at, but it's also very tragic and uplifting in ways that words cannot describe.
I watched this movie on my own for the first time, and I sat in awe for 3 minutes, jaw hanging open, after it ended. Within the following two weeks I showed it to my brother, two friends, and my dad, who all instantly said it was one of the greatest movies they've ever seen upon conclusion.
Gaspar's style has no equal. People who complain it dragged on didn't get that Gaspar set his ideas and stuck to them, he wasn't going to stop doing the sweeping shots or the light shots and throw off the whole continuous feel of the film.
The dramatic modern drama story line is also gripping and unforgettable. The main character's calmness is haunting and all the acting in this movie ranges from good to great. The ending will make you think, and after 3 viewing I still don't get it fully, but the doesn't stop this movie from having memorable last impression.
Yes the movie is explicit, but the explicitness is easy to work past when you are caught up in the sheer beauty of whats going on on screen. And if that is what prevented this from being nominated for any Oscars, shame on the academy.
This is my new favorite movie of all time, and it's one of the few that has had a physical and emotional effect on me. For a movie fan, this is a must see, life changing experience that you will not get out of your mind for months to come.
The Office: Threat Level Midnight (2011)
One of the best episodes of the entire series.
This episode of "The Office" had a much different style to it. It still kept the documentary feel perfectly, but it was slightly more obvious comedy. With that said, it is probably the most I've laughed at any episode of "The Office" (And I've seen them all). The in show-movie "Threat Level Midnight" was hilariously done, and was even funnier then I expected it to be based on the screenplay episode. People will still complain about this episode, because people always complain about every episode of the new season, but I laughed throughout and it had nice (short-term) nostalgia to the old episode. Every character's character in the movie is hilarious and Toby's role in the movie is classic. If your a fan of "The Office" and have been waiting for THE great episode of the season well here it is.