LaowaiGuy's Reviews

The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

6/10

7 September 2016

Quirky road-trip movies have a chance to become great films because of the many opportunities the characters have to develop as they get to know each other while they complete their journey. This is what made Little Miss Sunshine an engaging, humorous film full of troubled but lovable characters. Unfortunately, The Fundamentals of Caring never reaches these heights.

In this film, the characters are fairly unlikable at first (as expected)but never really grow to be all that likable in the end. Craig Roberts does a fantastic job playing Trevor who is wheelchair bound with MS. Because of his disability, Trevor is given a huge leeway to be a jerk while pretending to have severe conditions that he isn't experiencing. This is forgivable when we are first introduced to the character, but becomes increasingly annoying as he jeopardizes a friendship to play dangerous pranks. I guess as a MS victim he has found very few other ways to amuse himself.

Paul Rudd's character Ben is depressed due to a personal tragedy when he first meets Trevor. Through his unique style of care-giving, he and Trevor form a close bond due to his ability to handle Trevor's antics. He has a good heart and wants Trevor to experience life beyond his home and brief trips to a park. The road trip is the perfect opportunity to broaden Trevor's horizons.

At first, Trevor's mother is strongly against the trip for safety reasons, but relents as Ben thoroughly explains their itinerary and safety precautions, though it still seems like a bad idea for a MS patient.

They meet two characters while on the road to the "biggest pit in the world". One is Dot (Selena Gomez) who is a foul-mouthed runaway who claims to be 21. Her character has no redeeming attributes, but is probably the first young woman that Trevor has seen in many years. The chemistry between Dot and Trevor is forced at best, but he is infatuated with her despite her lack of charm.

The other character they meet (Peaches) seems to be a completely unnecessary addition to the quirky party, but gives Ben a chance to be a hero of sorts.

All in all, the film manages to give most of the characters a reason for the audience to root for them; at least for a little while.

P.S. The producers could have actually filmed on location starting in Washington State and going as far as Utah. Instead they decided to film it all in Georgia. As a native of the Northwest it was obvious they weren't filming anywhere near the supposed locations. Also, the plug for the beef jerky sponsor .

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Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015)

1/10

Couldn't be Worse if it Tried

2 August 2015

This is the ultimate cash grab from actors who must not have had any other projects going at the time of filming. This is a very unfunny SNL skit that drags on for 8 episodes. Having actors in their mid-30s to mid-40s pretend to be teenagers is pathetic. The jokes fall flat and the hi-jinx are just lame. Of course, there is a nerd that is being bullied by the other kids and we have to endure their pranks and harassment because the writers have nothing better to offer. Also, they decide to stage a forced romance between 40-something geek Coop and 30- something "hottie" Donna...beyond pathetic. Avoid this trashy show! It doesn't offer any redeemable aspect of what summer camp should be like.

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The Goldbergs (2013–2023)

9/10

The 80s as it really was

8 July 2015

As a child and teenager of the eighties, I can truly appreciate the humor of The Goldbergs. There really were rumors that Pop Rocks mixed with soda would cause your mouth to explode and there was a big scare about razor-blades being put in Halloween candy . Apple II games (like Oregon Trail) and Atari games were really cutting edge back then. A CD player could actually cost $900 which is hard to believe now. This show personifies the way life was in a more innocent time: the glorious 80s!

The Goldbergs a fun combination the of the Wonder Years with a touch of Malcolm in the Middle are viewed in the eyes of tweener Adam Goldberg. He is either a pre-teen or teenager depending on which "1980- something" they choose to highlight during the happenings of that particular year in that totally awesome decade.

Adam is a creative kid who films most of his adventures and a video camera. He has a mean older brother (of course) Barry who is this decades' version of Wayne from the Wonder Years. He torments Adam, but Adam finds humorous ways to humiliate and anger him. His older sister Erica provides the female perspective on this day of age from a Tiffany concert to the latest Madonna fashions. Adam's way over-protective Mom (Beverly) is constantly storming off to the school to confront any teacher who dares to hurt her "beautiful boy". Like many sitcoms of the past decade or so (especially in animation), the Dad (Murray) is a clue-less, pants-less, overweight dude who gives out fatherly "advice" from time to time.

Luckily, the grandfather Pops isn't nearly as clueless as the Dad. He is Adam's best friend and true adviser. Many of Adams schemes would fail if Pops didn't provide some wisdom about how to handle the complications with some class. His advice is ignored often enough to give us some feel-goodery at the end of each episode when the character realize they should have just listened to Pops.

This show is quite enjoyable even if you didn't grow up in the 80s. But from someone who "smoked" candy cigarettes, rode a bicycle WITHOUT a helmet and played a little "Nintardo" from time to time; I highly recommend this TV series to acid-washed jean wearing, shoulder exposing, big haired generation who loved E.T. and Ferris Bueller!

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Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021)

7/10

Funny but Laced with Many Modern Clichés

14 June 2015

Andy Samberg is the main focus as Jake Peralta the lovable but bumbling "detective" who is a constant wise-cracking presence who solves cases with charm alone. He is supervised by ultra-serious and gay (oft mentioned) Captain Ray Holt who just happens to be an African American. He is played by the ultra-respected Andre Braugher. Jake's tom- foolery does not go unnoticed by the captain and this is a constant source of amusement as the odd couple often clash with each over while they practice their version of police tactics. Not to be out-done, another African American supervisor is the hulking Terry Crews. As Terry, he has more sympathy for the shenanigans of Jake, but can tire of Peralta's immaturity at times.

Of Course, a modern show is not complete without competent brunette women who are both sexy and intelligent...especially intelligent. Stephanie Beatrix and Melissa Fumero play Hispanic women who are the brains of the group and do most of the work on the police force. They are both tough as nails especially Beatrix as Rosa Diaz who can barely manage to crack a smile while at work (a common comic device for each episode).

The white members of the cast fill out the roles of comic relief to varying levels of stupidity. Peralta's best buddy, Charles Boyle, is a suck-up lap dog who constantly tails Jake and can not do the simplest task without his approval. Then we get the non-stop sarcasm from Chelsea Peretti's character Gina which can tow-the-line from mildly funny to chalkboard scratching annoying. This character could easily be killed off and no one would notice.

Finally the dumbest characters have the comedy trifecta: white, fat and bald. Scully and Hitchock do moronic things like drink cups full of tacks and rubberbands, eat weeks old Chinese dishes and lock themselves outside of the office. Hilarious stuff.

The only clichés that are missing are the dumb blonde bimbo and Asian guy who is great with math and computers, but sucks at relationships.

Though I have to admit the show can be quite funny at times, it would just be nice to see less effort put into the show to demonstrate how diversified and enlightened Americans are today especially if you are a flawless minority.

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Bob's Burgers: Crawl Space (2011)

Season 1, Episode 2

10/10

Bob's crawl-space adventures

3 November 2014

Episode 2 follows the theme from the movie "The Shining" as Bob gets "trapped" in his crawl-space and gradually becomes more and more delusional. At first, he trying to avoid his in-laws, especially his annoying mother-in-law Gloria. Gloria has a habit of making startling noises and coughs. Al, her husband, doesn't do much besides make some muttering noises. However, later Bob realizes that he has truly become trapped and must find a way to escape or he will be doomed to suffer the strange sounds of his in-laws forever.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family must endure their guests the best they can. Each character handles the situation in their unique ways that suit their characterization. Louise pretends that her father has died and summons his spirit to haunt her friends. Tina discovers that her grandparents amorous adventures has combined with zombies to haunt her dreams and have caused her to be exhausted during the day. Gene, without his father to assist him with his assignment, does a history report by using sound-bites of his grandparents' love making from his recorder.

Most of us can relate to having guests at our homes that we'd rather not spend much time with. It is enjoyable to see how the Belcher family adapts to their new situation. For those who are familiar with "The Shining" it is fun to see Bob and his light-night have some quirky and devious conversations in the speakeasy Bob discovers.

Two prominent characters are introduced in this episode. The handyman Teddy who tries to rescue Bob and the guidance counselor Mr. Frond who attempts to comfort Louise when she divulges her father's "death". The viewers get their first glimpse of the naive Mr. Frond and the caring, but gullible Teddy. They will play important roles in future episodes, but for now we just get a taste of their quirkiness.

This is one of the best episodes as the problems are resolved in a humorous way where the characters are able to shine.

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Bob's Burgers: Human Flesh (2011)

Season 1, Episode 1

8/10

Is Bob using human flesh to spice up his burgers?

28 October 2014

This episode highlights many of the quirks of the Belcher family who run Bob's Burgers burger joint. From the TV dad cliché; we are introduced to Bob a well-meaning but dim-witted husband and father trying to survive in a harsh world with Linda an eccentric but lovable wife and mother who insists on being positive no matter the circumstances and three kids who are oblivious to their surroundings.

The oldest child, Tina, is obsessed with her rash she got as a grill cook and insists on announcing this to the family. Meanwhile, Gene, the middle child, is enamored with his bull horn and its ability to make impressive fart noises and dog barks. Louise, as per usual, is trying to cause trouble-- this time by telling her class that the burgers are made from human flesh. As the youngest child (age 9), she is -- of course -- the smartest of all the family and has the vocabulary of a teenager.

These rumors get spread to the general public and the recently transferred health inspector, Hugo, catches wind of these horrible allegations. With his partner Ron at his side, Hugo accuses Bob of contaminating the meat with human remains.

The amusing coincidence is that Hugo used to be Linda's boyfriend. This causes strife between Bob and Linda and causes Hugo to be unfair to the restaurant by posting a sign that warns customers of potential cannibalism.

This is a fun way to introduce the characters of Bob's Burgers as we see each member of the family fight for attention and the parent fight to save the restaurant from impending doom. We get to see how much the characters care about each other and their quirky characterization is revealed through-out the episode.

Like many animated shows, the focus is on the father, but the rest of the family members get enough interaction to ensure an enjoyable conclusion to the episode's dilemma.

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Mulholland Drive (2001)

9/10

Naomi Watts makes Mulholland Dr. quite enjoyable

15 October 2010

Sometimes an actor or actress makes a movie so much better than the sum of its parts. Mulholland Dr. is an example of this as Naomi Watts (Betty) is absolutely wonderful in every one of her scenes. She demonstrates true acting range as she portrays murderous rage, heart- broken sorrow and pure joy in captivating moments during this film. It was a pleasure to see her demonstrate her acting skills in two particular scenes.

In one scene she is practicing her lines for a movie with her roommate. It's about a husband and wife splitting up. She delivers her lines with passion and emotion and it seems like Betty could become a movie star despite her roommate's wooden responses. Then a few scenes later, Betty is in an audition with the actor playing the husband (Robert Forster); who insists that she stand very close to him as they rehearse the same lines as before. She performs the scene with such intense, raw emotions as she kisses her husband while saying her lines in a heavy whisper. It's very believable performance. I can't imagine Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman or Julia Roberts pulling off that kind of pure acting.

Oh by the way, enjoy the rest of Mulholland Dr. as Betty helps her new roommate (of sorts) Rita (Laura Harring) discover her true identity. Laura does a great job of moving Rita's emotional state from confusion, to fear to blissful happiness in a matter of a few scenes. I'm surprised her career didn't take off as much as Naomi's. She does an excellent job in this movie.

Don't worry about trying to discover too many hidden meanings as some reviewers will try over-analyzing every scene especially since it's directed by David Lynch. Just enjoy the ride with Betty and Rita as they go on a wild adventure of self-discovery and character development. It's a long, strange trip, but it's worth taking.

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The Great Escape (1963)

5/10

The Great Escape lacks emotion and intensity

13 October 2010

The Great Escape is the type of movie where people from different generations will have wide variation of opinions. People from the so-called "greatest generation" who lived through WWII and may have served in the "war to end all wars" like my grandfather, will probably enjoy this movie. It's good vs. evil in a world where that seemed so evident in life. Allied vs. Axis and the Nazis vs. freedom. This group of airmen will doing anything to escape the clutches of the evil Nazis who are holding them captive.

However, the major problem with the movie is that the Nazis don't seem so evil, cruel or stern. There is lack of fear or even concern for the characters because this group of Nazis are wellnice and well-mannered to a fault. You feel like it is a game to everyone involved. The airmen try to escape and they are playfully sent away to the "cooler" with a smile and mild scolding. The next attempts result in the same punishment this time without the smile. Nobody is threatened with a firing squad or sent away to hard labor. The Nazis seem to encourage escape attempts.

Having seen recent movies like Schindler's List, Max Manus and Sophie Scholl; the Nazis in these movies aren't so forgiving of war-time transgressions. It just rings false in this movie especially for someone in my generation (genX) or younger. This leads to a lack of intensity or involvement in the movie when you know the characters face little to no consequences for their actions.

It doesn't completely ruin the movie because the final third of the movie has some real reasons to finally become involved in the characters because bullets actually start to fly and some characters actually have to fight the enemy. Still the action is stilted and hollow because of the lack of film making expertise and technology, so you don't feel the emotion that you should based on the fatal incidents.

The Great Escape has some fun moments with good actors like a young Steve McQueen, James Garner and a less grizzled, almost gentle Charles Bronson. It was enjoyable to see them before they became really famous movie stars. However, this movie doesn't deserve the universal praise that it received from film critics and viewers. If you want to see Steve McQueen in a motorcycle chase this movie is for you. If you want to see an intense prison break during WWII—don't bother with this movie.

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Cedar Boys (2009)

6/10

Intriguing yet disappointing

18 April 2010

Warning: Spoilers

Cedar Boys manages to be intriguing and disappointing at the same time. It is an interesting story portraying Australian youths without including surfers, dingoes or Aborigines, which was a welcome change. It was also interesting to see how the former Lebanonese citizens are able to adapt to a new society where employment options are limited especially for the teenagers or young adults.

They live in a world where all the opportunities for a successful future seem to be afforded to only the non-immigrant population especially the rich, beautiful, white people. Immigrants seem to have little chance to survive without resorting to committing crimes such as selling drugs or committing crimes. How will they fight the urge to join their friends and a few family members in a exciting yet dangerous life of illicit behavior?

The protagonist of the story; Tarek (Les Chantery), tries to live the best of both worlds. He wants to maintain his squeaky-clean, hardworking image in front of his parents and little sister while desperately wanting to be accepted by the rich and famous who frequent some of Sydney's nightclubs.

Tarek is joined by his friend Nadil (Buddy Dannoun) and by a small-time, drug-dealing associate Sam (Waddah Sari) in a quest to find fame and fortune. Unfortunately, they choose to mess with the wrong people. They become entangled with local drug dealers who have little appreciation for their aspirations for a glamorous, care-free lives.

This small budget film can not manage to provide the intensity and emotion that should occur when these two groups collide. The established drug dealers seem mostly dismayed or slightly annoyed that a new gang has encroached their territory. They don't inflict the type of damage necessary to send a message to their rivals and in the process the audience can not be fully engaged in Tarek and his friends' plight. Being slapped around a little by their enemies doesn't convey the fear that these people must have felt in a similar real-life situation. This leaves the viewer less involved than they should be.

The poor camera work also hampers this film. Sometimes scenes are shown with people talking yet you can't see their faces until the cameraman slowly backs out. This doesn't seem to be a deliberate way to build tension, just a lack of skill by the camera operator. Quick pan shots and choppy editing do a disservice to the film. It would have been more enjoyable if the producers had managed to spend a little more money in order to provide a quality product.

Cedar Boys had an opportunity to be an excellent film, but fell short of greatness.

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Brooklyn's Finest (2009)

7/10

Brooklyn's Finest Collides with Clichés!

10 April 2010

Warning: Spoilers

Brooklyn's Finest desperately wants to be NYC's rendition of L.A. based "Crash" (2004). Crash had more characters to invest in but manages to keep the audience engaged in most of their lives as they end up intertwined with other character's predicaments. In this version of desperate lives meet desperate situations, the pay-off is hollow.

Tango (Don Cheadle) is a walking, talking stereotype of an undercover cop who is trapped on the mean streets of NYC. His daily life of drugs and crime has caused enormous strains on his personal life and eaten away at his eternal soul. How will he escape his unfortunate destiny? Can he pretend to be loyal to his street gang and his evil BFF: Caz (Wesley Snipes) while trying to eliminate them at the same time? Tango and Caz. Sound familiar?

Meanwhile, Sal (Ethan Hawke) is a cop (surprise!) who is married to a pregnant wife who is about to give birth to their 4th child and she is also suffering from a serious respiratory condition. He wants to buy his family a new home, but how will he come up with the down-payment for a mortgage on his lowly SWAT salary?

In addition to truly sad stories, Eddie (Richard Gere) is an aging cop who has fallen in love with a prostitute. What should he do?

These problems need to be resolved and everyone needs to somehow find numerous ways to become involved in the other characters' lives, if it at all possible. The audience is all set for a roller-coaster ride of good vs. evil, conscience vs. greed and love vs. lust. It should be a joyride mixed warm and fuzzy feelings!

Don Cheadle does his best to make us sympathize with his character's dilemmas. It does seem like he's in a no-win situation for him. He's an underrated actor who can carry films at times (Hotel Rwanda or Traitor), but he usually needs a good supporting cast to compliment his skills.

Tango is hard not to root for though he's seemed to gone "in too deep" and become too attached to his beloved gang of thugs. Hopefully, he will see the light and make the right choices before it too late. Will Caz discover Tango's betrayal or will he have to pay for his life of crime? So many questions, so few answers!

Hopefully, Sal will find an honest way to get his well-deserved money. Hopefully, temptation will not get the best of him. Hopefully, the hooker will say "yes" to Eddie. Hope, hopeis a dangerous thing.

You will need to watch this clichémovie to find the answers. However, I will provide one clue to this puzzle: this a Hollywood movie. So it must have a Hollywood endingright?

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Shutter Island (2010)

8/10

Enterntaining Film with Enormous Plot Holes.

7 April 2010

Warning: Spoilers

Shutter Island is one of those thrillers that can really only go one of two ways. The first option is the "he/she's gone crazy option". The main character is dreaming, on drugs, insane or dead and no one can seem to help him or her recover from their unfortunate condition. A Beautiful Mind or The Sixth Sense are prime examples of these types of films.

The other option is the massive conspiracy option where the character is being heartlessly manipulated by numerous people in some sort of cruel diversion required for him to truly appreciate his charmed existence. Movies like The Game or The Forgotten played that angle to ridiculous extremes. Shutter Island tries to have the best of both options and still manage to come off as a credible movie.

Don't get me wrong. It's an entertaining movie with a great performance from one of the best directors and best actors of this generation. Leonardo and Martin can help create an engaging movie, however it doesn't change the fact that the main characters in this movie have to jump through incredible holes in the plot to get to the truth.

The audience has believe that a in facility full of nurses, doctors and policemen that all these "protect and serve" types are just going to let a delusional person run around the compound and try to figure out his true existence. We have to suspend all belief in reality in order to serve the needs of one troubled character. No one will try and help him? No one will try to stop a possible criminal from roaming around the complex questioning everyone he sees. This seems a bit much to ask of people who work at this facility, even trained professionals.

Would they really risk endangering all the people who live near or on this facility to be exposed to a possibly dangerous or deranged individual? It doesn't seem very likely especially in an era where anyone who acted different than the mainstream population: Communists, educated African-Americans, gays and Rock 'n' Roll stars were all cause for alarm in 1950s American society.

I the movie's acting, cinematography and direction were top-notch (except for forgettable Mark Ruffalo as Leonardo's buddy). It was just to hard to ignore the gaping holes in the plot.

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Glorious 39 (2009)

4/10

Glorious? How about horrible?!

5 April 2010

Warning: Spoilers

This film had an excellent opportunity to be an engaging commentary on England before World War II. It starts off with an impassioned speech about all the reasons that Hitler is on the verge of taking over Europe and why Churchill should be the true leader of the UK. The only slightly interesting part of this film.

I won't pretend to know enough about the social, political and economic situations of the British people before the worldwide outbreak of WWII. Still, I was hoping learn about some of the debate surrounding the forthcoming war and be entertained by an interesting plot. I got neither.

Instead, I got a brief glimpse of the ridiculously, wealthy aristocrats living in the beautiful British countryside. This family (the Keyes) pretends to love their adoptive daughter Anne (Romola Garaia) for over twenty years then absolutely despise her because they find out that her parents were Gypsies! The only person in this family that seems to somewhat love her is her self-important father; Sir Alexander Keyes (Bill Nighy). He conveniently pops in to give her multiple pep talks, just as members of their family are plotting to kill her boyfriend and anyone else she tries to reveal their hideous no-war/ pay-off Hitler-secret plans. Her mother is much more interested in her garden than helping her adoptive daughter. Wonderful family!

Throughout the film, mysterious secret service members have decided to make it their mission to follow her everywhere (on bicycles) and harass her into returning a recording of Nazi meeting hidden on a record she found in her father's "study". His study is a house big enough for a posh, elite family of ten. So these two gentlemen kill off all known associates instead of simply killing her and destroy the incriminating record(s). Finally, Anne is forced to run all over the countryside hoping to send the record to someone she can trust which is apparently impossible.

The ending somehow manages to be even more unbelievable than the rest of the film. Ann uses her young grandson to confront the two youngest family members Walter Keyes (Christopher Lee who was a teenager in '39) and his brother (who was an infant!). Walter is made out to be the actual villain in this movie though he's clearly following directions from his evil family members. Anne's grandson manages to get Walter outside to meet with Anne (in a wheelchair) with her daughter. Then Anne blows away Walter with her shotgun hidden behind her wheelchair! No, she doesn't, she smiles wryly at him (fade out). One of the worst endings I've ever seen. Maybe I'm not as aristocratic as I should be.

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