The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

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By: Henry J. Fromage (3 Beers)

Based on a popular Michael Connelly novel, the title’s Lincoln lawyer is played by Matthew McConaughey, a slightly sleazy and definitely jaded defense lawyer who’s office is his Lincoln Town Car as he shoots around town from one legal establishment to another.

Things get interesting when he’s approached to defend a millionaire playboy who’s accused of attempting to rape and murder a call-girl. What initially appears to be an open and shut defense quickly turns into anything but, and we embark on a twisty road indeed.

Hopefully with less fatalities and a similar amount of cocaine

A Toast

The movie starts with a retro, 70’s style credit sequence following the Lincoln through the streets of L.A., establishing two of the film’s strongest calling cards. Director Brad Furman infuses the film with a cool sense of style that is perfect for both the story and th strengths of its star.

He also shows us a side of the city far from Rodeo Drive that we haven’t seen before, an accomplishment considering the staggering amount of filming done there. A toast is also due to Michael Pena’s performance, which went from frigthtened innocent to hardened prisoner in only a few minutes. Oh, and McConaughey is smooth, smart, and just plain good in a way we haven’t seen in years.

Without having to resort to this… much.

Beer Two

Where this film falls short is the script. The novel it’s based on is apparently even more chock-full of surprises and revelations, and whenever you try to turn a 300 + page-turner into a script you’ll need to cut some things. While I like Marisa Tomei, she’s barely used except for your obligatory sex scene. Cutting her and his family dynamic with his daughter wouldn’t have hurt the movie much if at all and might have prevented the next problem.

Beer Three

Where the movie really drops the ball, and where you should drop a cold one down the hatch, is the end, or rather the ends.

Yep, this business again

The writer had too much material to work with, but instead of cutting anything he just decided to pack it all in there. The pacing’s fine, if not perfect, for the first two-thirds of the film, and then we’re treated to as many as four possible endings before it’s all over. You can’t help but feel that one more rewrite might have yielded a nearly perfect film.

Verdict

I’ll be checking out Furman’s next one for sure, but this stylish and gritty 90’s-esque legal thriller is still worth your time.

Bonus Drinking Game:

Take a drink: whenever Ryan Philippe scowls

Take a drink: every time you think the movie’s over and then something else happens

Drink a shot: whenever Matthew McConaughey takes off his shirt

Paul (2011)

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By: Oberst von Berauscht (3 Beers)

A Toast

Paul is an Alien who has lived on Earth for over 60 years, and has had a subtle but important impact on nearly all areas of popular culture, but when the Government decides he’s outlived his usefulness he hits the road. While making his getaway, he hitches a ride with British nerds Graeme and Clive (Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost) who have a real close encounter… with Seth Rogan.

I… really don’t know why

What follows is a thoroughly entertaining series of events, full of Sci-Fi jokes and references so obscure as to baffle even the most educated of geeks. The film hits its rhythm early on, and for the most part manages to maintain a sense of hilarity in every scene.

Aside from its sci-fi status, the film is ultimately a Buddy movie, and half the fun is watching these strange beings road-trip across the West. Clive and Graeme are loveable losers, and the too-cool Paul serves as their foil. Later, they meet up with Ruth Buggs, an ultra religious girl whose faith is shaken by the appearance of the Alien.

Another excellent aspect of the film is the CGI work for the character Paul, which is detailed and emotive, and after only a short period at the beginning is easily accepted as a living creature. Seth Rogan’s solid voice performance helps lend believability to the character as well. Anyone who worried this would be a weakness should find their worries alleviated.

Beer Two

And that is unfortunately where the film hits a serious snag. The anti-religious humor in the middle of the film reaches a fever-pitch, resulting in unnecessarily low blows. While some of the vitriol is biting but fair criticisms of blind faith and creationist ideologies, the filmmakers at times cross the line from satire into crude insults. The problem is that it feels unnecessary and serves only to incite anger from religious conservatives. When we lower ourselves to cheap shots we start to look no better than Fred Phelps and his brainwashed minions.

Beer Three

The film’s greatest weakness is that, for all its ambition and epic comedic scope, it feels short on big laughs. While you’ll find yourself laughing quite a bit throughout the film, no single moment stands out as a classic comedic centerpiece. One would think that, with the abundance of science fiction films to parody, they’d have found something new to point out or some inventive new take on the subject. Ultimately, there is very little new in Paul, and while it may be a solid comedy, it falls short of classic status.

Verdict

Worth probing around for.

Drinking Game:

Take a Drink: every time someone faints (double shot if it is two or more people).

Take a Drink: for every E.T. reference (if I said Star Wars you’d die).

Cedar Rapids (2011)

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By: Oberst von Berauscht (Two Beers)

A Toast

Midwestern naiveté is brutally skewered in Puerto Rican filmmaker Miguel Arteta’s low key comedy Cedar Rapids. Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) is a talented and successful small-town insurance salesman from Wisconsin. His success comes not from sharp-tongued salesmanship, but rather an honest dedication to his clients. He has lived in the same small town his whole life, and has little experience out of his element. When the top performer at his office dies suddenly in a bizarre case of auto-erotic asphyxiation, it falls to Tim to venture forth to the “big city” of Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the big convention, to restore the dignity of the company, and hopefully earn the distinguished “Two Diamonds” award his boss craves.

Ed Helms, most well known for his work on The Daily Show and The Hangover receives his first starring role and proves he can handle the pressure. In fact, all involved turn in wonderfully endearing performances. John C. Reilly for instance as Dean Zeigler, a living, breathing sad-sack story concealed by alcohol and a perpetual need to party. Also notable is Ron (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), a straight edged Wisconsinite.

The team is assembled

The world of Cedar Rapids is a nice, homespun one, where every “aw-shucks” moment is met with a fittingly bawdy “darn it”. Underneath this polite and neighborly exterior, and throughout the film is the ever increasing sense that dark secrets lay in wait…

Below the saccharine.

Beer Two

What keeps Cedar Rapids from perfection is often the same thing that makes the film so appealing. Often times the off-kilter quirky feel of the film can become overwhelming. The humor is often so dry that you hardly laugh at all, and merely feel a slight amusement. Don’t get me wrong, there are some absolutely hilarious moments in the film, but I found myself laughing less and less as the film moved along. Perhaps in another viewing the dryer moments will grow on me. Anchorman had a similar sense of humor to this at times, and that film took a couple viewings to grow accustomed to as well. I’ll call this a provisional 2^nd beer, until I’m able to view the movie again and reassess.

Verdict

A bit light on big laughs, but Cedar Rapids has fine performances, and is never less than amusing."

Drinking Game:

Take a drink: when John C. Reilly makes an awkward comment

Take a drink: Whenever Rob Corddry appears in the background

Drink a shot: when Ron mentions an HBO program

Limitless (2011)

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By: SG2

Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a writer who isn’t really progressing in life. He lacks motivation and has no self-worth. Until one day he meets up with an old acquaintance who introduces him to NZT, a drug that helps you access 100% of your brain. Within 30 seconds he’s an intellectual badass. Motivated, witty, and able grow a portfolio worth twelve thousand dollars to two million in weeks. But all this doesn’t come without consequences.

Little. Yellow. Different.

A Toast

I have to toast the way the film did the warping through time and space scenes. In Limitless, we learn that coming down from NZT after prolonged use is bad. One of the worse symptoms is blacking out. In the first such instance Eddie Mora is standing in one place, and in the next moment he seems like he ‘jumped to’ the next spot. This sets us up for a tunnel vision-like sequence of worming from one block to the next, to the next, until he wakes up and finds himself having bumped into someone or what have you. Basically, he was on auto-pilot and walked from one place to the next for a very very long time. By the end of it his legs were tired, which I thought was a realistic. The way it’s done definitely makes you feel like you were taken for a wild ride.

http://www.digitalbusstop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Tunnel-Vision.gif

It’s like this, only better.

Beer Two

Abbie Cornish has a corny scene. She’s being chased by a man who is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way. She’s hiding from him behind some rocks with some NZT on her. She’s scared and doesn’t know what to do. Eddie recommends she take a pill, which will give her the confidence and motivation to get out of the situation. After a few moments, a sense of calm takes over her face and her mood quickly changes to determination. She realizes she’s trapped behind rocks, and this guy will run after her, so she’ll have to bolt. But to where and what direction? Towards the man with a baseball bat or towards the ice skating ring where she sees a little child skating with her father?

Spoiler alert!

She chooses the latter. The chase goes right into the middle of the ice. She runs towards the little girl. She then stops. As the man chasing her gets closer she takes the little girl from her arms and swings her feet at the man’s face, cutting him big time. She then gently let’s the girl down and gets away. And I have my second beer.

Corn in the hole! In-coming!

Beer Three

The "Twilight" scene: In this scene a sober Eddie is going to die unless he can think himself out of the situation. Unfortunately, without the drug, he’s just as helpless as anyone else being held hostage by three armed thugs. Gennady (Andrew Howard) is the principal thug who wants more NZT and is ready to torture Eddie to find out where it is.

Spoiler Alert #2!!

While the other two are breaking into a safe and making a lot of noise, Eddie goes after Gennady with a knife and stabs him to death. A pool of blood forms and Eddie without a hesitation, Eddie begins to sip from the pool of blood in order to get some NZT in his system. I saw this coming the moment the pool of blood started to head in Eddie’s direction. I started the “oh no!” wail… everyone followed after… and the theater began to hollar and yell. I popped open this third beer immediately.

With a subtle aroma of death

Verdict

Limitless isn’t so limitless, but the concept, the dialogue, and the examples of how smart and powerful people can fool your cop-line up or double-cross you makes this movie one that I would recommend.

Bonus Drinking Game:

1. Take a shot anytime the man in the tan coat chases someone.
2. Take a shot anytime someone uses the word “algorithms.”

Trailer Reviews, Week 8

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Limitless

So, Mr. Bikes through Nova Scotia in Short-Shorts Bradley Cooper in a fairly conventional sounding thriller with Robert DeNiro (doesn’t his presence these days pretty much doom the film?)

Well, maybe this one won’t be a “comedy”

Well, actually, the trailer pretty much sells it for me. Maybe it’s all of the crazy places the story about a pill that unlocks the full potential of the human brain can go, Abbie Cornish’s curious involvement, or all that Kanye goodness, but I’m kinda looking forward to this one.

Verdict

Sure, this one won’t be the smartest movie you see this year, but it has all the elements you’d need for a pretty enjoyable time at the movies

The Lincoln Lawyer

This one puts Matthew McConaughey back in the type of role that turned him into a star in the mid-90s. He’s again playing a smooth lawyer in a popular novel written by a best-selling (so, pretty conventional) novelist. Not something you exactly win acclaim for, but then again nothing resurrects careers like a box-office hit.

Laying off the sauce probably helps, too

The trailer doesn’t really tell us anything except that there’s a pretty sick cast involved. What were the last movies by Ryan Philippe, Josh Lucas, and William H. Macy anyways? They could outperform the source material and make this just a bit more than guilty entertainment.

Verdict

They probably won’t all that much, though. Still should be pretty watchable, though.

Win Win

Director Tom McCarthy is two for two with The Station Agent and Oscar-nominated The Visitor and he’s arguable got his best cast yet together headlined by Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan. Here’s betting Giamatti plays a gruff but ultimately lovable loser again…

‘Cause he’s been known to do that

This is probably our best put together trailer this week, disregarding a couple of flat jokes that I’m guessing won’t make it into the final cut. It’s got all that underdog, hard-knock life sports goodness that I’m a sucker for every time.

Verdict

I’m sure I’ll find something to nitpick after this, but I doubt it’ll be too much with all of the talent and pedigree this movie boasts.

Paul

So, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fame unite with Greg Mottola, the director of Superbad and Adventureland? I think I can get on board with this…

Okay, so post-trailer this is pretty much the opposite of Limitless. While my expectations for that one jumped a bit, I can’t help but dampen them for Paul. If I wanted to watch a CGI abomination make scatological jokes I would watch Yogi Bear again.

Ok, you called my bluff. I’d rather roundhouse kick my Grandmother.

Verdict

I know these guys have talent, so maybe the trailer is getting the unfunny jokes out of the way first and holding out with the good stuff. It has happened before…