In lieu of writing a review for each movie I see, I’ll do a single post you can view, but too much I won’t bite off so as to chew, so just the right amount I will choose.
This is my first four-pack of 2015. The movies aren’t really related to one another, except that I saw all of them back in January.
The One I Love
Easily one of my favorite new movies to tell people about… and yet… I haven’t written a review about it yet. Odd. Does the phrase “quirky sci-fi” make much sense? I’m not sure that it even applies to this film, but in a way, it does. I heard some buzz about THE ONE I LOVE, and seeing as how it’s a Mark Duplass film, I was totally up for seeing it. The fact that it wasn’t billed as being a comedy, per say, had me slightly less interested in seeing it than I should’ve been. Talk about a crazy film! About a third of the way through, my head started to spin a little bit – in a good way, like being at a carnival. And like some of the carnivals that showed up in my hometown in my youth, this film maybe didn’t seem like it was built on a ton of money, but it provided all the enjoyment of the big guys. For anyone looking to find a potential date-night movie with a twist to it, I can certainly recommend this movie. To try to explain what this movie is about always does it a disservice. It’s about a couple (Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss) who go off to stay for a week in a house recommended by their therapist. While they’re there, they try to work through some of their marital problems, but something intercedes. Sound scary? It’s not. At all. I feel like that’s one caveat I should share. On the intensity scale, it’s pretty low. Absolutely worth seeing, couldn’t recommend it more highly! And even if you’re not married / not dating / anti-relationship, the twist is interesting enough that you’d probably enjoy it.
My Score: 83 out of 100
In A World…
Does voice-over actually cast a shadow? Perhaps not, but for the daughter of the world’s most recognizable voice-over guy for movie trailers, that’s exactly what her dad does. And being that movie trailer voice-overs are typically done by men, the fact that Lake Bell’s character wants to get into the business makes for a tough time. The movie doesn’t get bogged down by her struggle, but rather finds comedy in a few different ways. It’s not the greatest movie ever, but it’s entertaining enough that you won’t feel robbed of what could’ve been an otherwise pleasant evening.
My Score: 80 out of 100
The Hangover Part III
I wasn’t a huge fan of the first Hangover film. It was entertaining, but it’s probably not in my Top 50 comedies of all time. I could check, but… okay, nothing’s stopping me. So actually the first HANGOVER isn’t even in my Top 200 Comedies of all time… and that explains why I didn’t see the sequel. Now the third part of the trilogy didn’t have the Stranger In A Strange Land trope, and because it was on HBO, I watched it. Some parts of it were lame, but all in all it wasn’t as horrible as I thought it would be. John Goodman was a great addition to the cast. They relied a bit too much on Ken Jeong, though. I’m guessing if you like his character and if you like Zach Galifianakis’ character, you’ll probably like Hangover Part III more than I did… but you probably won’t like it as much as the first.
My Score: 45 out of 100
Stretch
Guy drives a limo and has a crazy, crazy couple of days. This movie absolutely felt like it had a smaller budget than deserved, but it was decently crafted. Sometimes when you delve into the world of indie flicks, that’s exactly what you’re going to find. I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend people watch this flick, but if someone mentioned it, I’d at least say I saw it and it was a decent watch. Nothing above decent, though. I wasn’t bored during it, but I probably wouldn’t watch it again.
My Score: 75 out of 100 (though looking back, it should probably be a little lower)
Guys Film Quest 