Devil’s DVD Disappointment: The Hangover Part II

In Hollywood the adage “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” rings truer than ever. If audiences shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars for a product once, they’re very likely to do it again. And again. And, if not, there’s always the reboot. Why create when it is so much easier (and more lucrative) to re-create? Because you may end up with The Hangover Part II.

The Muppets

After a decade-plus absence from the big screen, those loveable Muppets triumphantly return in, you guessed it, The Muppets. And those Muppets are as self-aware as ever, taking their Hollywood and mainstream hiatus as a reason to rally the troops for a welcome comeback.

The Hangover Part II (Devil’s Advocate Review)

The “Wolf Pack” rides again, as Stu (Ed Helms), Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zach Galifinakis) get wasted and then find out that once Bangkok has you, she just won’t let go.

The Hangover Part II

In Hollywood the adage “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” rings truer than ever. If audiences shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars for a product once, they’re very likely to do it again. And again. And, if not, there’s always the reboot. Why create when it is so much easier (and more lucrative) to re-create? Because you may end up with The Hangover Part II.

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: It’s Kind of a Funny Story

SPOILER ALERT: It’s Kind of a Funny Story is NOT a funny story. It’s actually a nice feel good coming of age drama with a few laughs thrown in. It’s kind of a few things thrown in and mixed well. Take part comedy, add a bit more drama, mix in a serious tone and you get modern-day One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Well….not completely. Comparisons are there but with different stipulations and tone.

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: Dinner for Schmucks

Dinner for Schmucks, the latest from director Jay Roach, starring Steve Carell and Paul Rudd,  entertains the notion that people can be unintentionally entertaining, to intrinsically horrible people.   Carell plays Barry, a well meaning oaf, who is “befriended” by Rudd’s overly ambitious Tim.  They embark on a series of exploits, which in the end amount to little.

Episode 47: Due Date

This week Rene, Jonathan, and Mike hit the road as they discuss Todd Phillips’ latest film Due Date.  Is Robert Downey Jr. destined for high praise and acclaim?  Is Zach Galifianakis more than just a beard?  All this and more on this week’s episode.

Give us a listen because we’re robust and flavorful.

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Due Date (Devil’s Advocate Review)

Another week at the movies and another remake hits the theaters. This time we have a remake of the great road trip comedy Planes, Trains & Automobiles.  This time with Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis in the roles played by Steve Martin and John Candy respectively.

Wait.

This isn’t a remake of Planes, Trains & Automobiles? I’ll be right back.

Due Date

The immediate impulse upon hearing the premise of Due Date is to think of the 1987 classic Planes, Trains and Automobiles. The performances by Steve Martin and John Candy, fueled by great chemistry and sharp character relationships, teased the very best that the two major comedians had to offer. It’s a shame that a large portion of the moviegoers who will see Due Date will never see that movie. They might be able to find just how it’s supposed to be done.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story

SPOILER ALERT: It’s Kind of a Funny Story is NOT a funny story. It’s actually a nice feel good coming of age drama with a few laughs thrown in. It’s kind of a few things thrown in and mixed well. Take part comedy, add a bit more drama, mix in a serious tone and you get modern-day One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Well….not completely. Comparisons are there but with different stipulations and tone.

Dinner for Schmucks

Dinner for Schmucks is memorable if only for its amazing ability to waste talent; high-profile, honorable, comedic talent.  It seems that more and more these valuable resources are squandered in mediocre films either spouting inane comments or filling in as human wallpaper.

Dinner for Schmucks (Devil’s Advocate Review)

Dinner for Schmucks, the latest from director Jay Roach, starring Steve Carell and Paul Rudd,  entertains the notion that people can be unintentionally entertaining, to intrinsically horrible people.   Carell plays Barry, a well meaning oaf, who is “befriended” by Rudd’s overly ambitious Tim.  They embark on a series of exploits, which in the end amount to little.

Episode 34: Dinner For Schmucks

Toor and Mike got together this week to discuss dinner guests, comedic pairings, and foreign films remade for the American mainstream audience.

Give us a listen and we’ll send you a copy of “Your Mind is My Puppet.”

And visit our sponsor at http://www.audiblepodcast.com/devilsadvocates for your 14 day free trial and a free audiobook of your choosing.

Check out our written reviews at http://www.devilsadvocatesmoviereviews.com and email us at devilsadvocatesmovies@gmail.com.

Leave us a voicemail at (309) 740-3267.

Up in the Air (Lil Devil)

This is a tough time in America’s history. Recession means bankruptcy, and unemployment runs rampant as factories close and their roles are filled overseas. Unlike anyone else in the country, for Ryan Bingham, these are the glory days. His job is traveling to and fro between just about every city or town on the map, and giving loyal workers the professional boot. Many stories concern those who walk “the road less traveled”; Bingham takes that road, along with several thousand more. He doesn’t relish this task; he’s like the garbageman, only the garbage asks him how he sleeps at night. What he does relish is the act of flying itself, as he feels more at home in the airport terminal than the address on his driver’s license (which I suspect he doesn’t have or need). This is a one-of-a-kind character, in a one-of-a-kind movie. The movie is Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman and starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, and it’s one trip well worth undertaking.

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: The Hangover

The Hangover stars Bradley Cooper (Phil, a married teacher who hates his students), Ed Helms (Stu a dentist who has a harpy of a girlfriend that controls his every move), Justin Bartha (Doug the groom), and the always hysterical Zack Galifianakis (Alan the extremely weird and creepy brother of the bride).  Four actors, who up until now lived their careers as supporting actors; I found them all to be an excellent ensemble.  Ok down to it.  I enjoyed the hell out of this movie.  It took all the necessary components of a bachelor party movie (i.e. cool car, strippers, trashed hotel room, and we can’t find the groom and he’s getting married in ten minutes) and then made it an original.  It was pumped up by the fact that nobody can remember what happened the night before.  In my opinion the best film of this type since the classic Very Bad Things.

The Hangover

Have you ever had so much fun one night, you couldn’t remember any of it? I have.  My first time in Vegas, the night we arrived was a blur.  Stories told at every get together always end the same way, “and then he passed out by the pool and was seriously sun burnt.” Words like stripper, making out with a stripper, and up 700 bucks and not realizing it pop up every time. Sounds like I had fun, but then again I wouldn’t know. I was drunk. That is nothing compared to the newly released The Hangover. A story brought to you by Todd Phillips who gave us Old School, Starsky and Hutch, and Road Trip. The Hangover is about four friends on the way to Las Vegas for a one night bachelor party.  Needless to say things don’t go as planned.

The Hangover (Devil’s Advocate Review)

I went in with high hopes for The Hangover, and those hopes were met if , I  was looking to watch a crude and over the top vulgar depiction of a bachelor party gone wrong.