Palm Springs 2020. 8+ out of 10. (Time Travel Movie #20)

 

Palm Springs 2020. 8+ out of 10.  (Time Travel Movie #20)

I'm not a huge Andy Sandberg fan --but the second I found out it was a Time Loop movie I was in.   Since 2020 has been such a crazy year and literally almost all 2020 movies have been either delayed or sent straight to streaming this may actually end up being my favorite film of the year.   It plays around with the concept of a time loop in the same way as the movie Groundhog's Day did --except the main character starts the movie out having already been in the time loop for quite some time and the twist is a couple other people have over time become trapped in the loop as well.  The way the movie has fun with and plays with this concept was a delight.  The main character almost just plays around with the world as if he is in a video game because he has been stuck in this loop for so long.   We get to see this loop more through the eyes of the girl from the wedding that he wakes up as a guest of everyday since she is new to the loop.   Just writing this blog makes me like the film better.  This may be the kind of film that I like more upon repeated viewings.   If you enjoyed Groundhog's Day and like Time Loop flicks I would rank this as a must see fun comedy film.

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Spook Chasers 1957 6 out of 10 (The Bowery Boys #2)

Spook Chasers 1957   6 out of 10

This film was the 45th out of  48 films featuring these characters. The Bowery Boys.  By this time in the series one of the main characters Leo Gorcey had left the franchise which puts Huntz Hall as Sach front and center.

Spook Chasers finds the gang helping cafe owner Mike Clancy fix up a mountain house (that used to belong to a gangster) that he just bought from a crooked real estate agent.  The gang finds some money hidden in the run down house and then must contend with some gangsters and the  shady real estate agent.  They basically find themselves in Scooby Doo episode where the real estate agent dresses up as a ghost to scare them away.  The house has trick doors and secret revolving doors which leads to fun and some good slapstick moments.  45 films in the gags of this troupe are pretty refined.  I like this film better than the Spook Busters which the group did over 10 years earlier.

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Murder Mystery 2019 7+ out of 10 (Netflix Movie)

Murder Mystery 2019 7+ out of 10

I have grown to really love the movie Just Go With It starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler -so when I first saw the trailer for this direct to Netflix movie--I was excited.   

Murder Mystery re-teams Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston as married couple that decides to finally go on their honeymoon after 15 years of marriage.  Adam Sandler’s character is a New York cop that wants to be a detective and Aniston plays his wife who likes to read Mystery novels.  

On the flight to Europe they get invited on a rich Englishman’s yacht.  This leads to a “Someone in this room is a murderer” plot.  The owner of the yacht gets killed when the lights go off while he is about to change his will. 

The murder mystery itself is just okay, but the dialogue and comic chemistry of Sandler and Aniston as a bickering couple is what makes the film good.  Their characters end up being suspected on the murder and must try and solve the murder themselves as the list of other suspects start dying off.   It’s kind of had the feel of movies like The Out of Towners.  I don’t want to say too much about the plot itself –for fear of giving away any of the mystery –but I would definite recommend it a good Comedy/Mystery film with some decent laughs.  I especially loved how the end of the film set itself up so well for a possible sequel (Mystery Movie fans will definitely catch the reference).

Sandler movies can be so hit and miss—but when he has been teamed up with Aniston and Drew Barrymore those films have worked quite well.   

Tag 2018 7+ out of 10

Tag 2018  7+ out of 10

The true story that this movie is based on features 10 friends from high school that have been playing the same game of tag for over 30 plus year.  I recall seeing a feature on the actual story years ago on ESPN and thought it was amazing.  Every year during a certain month the group which is now dispersed across the country plays an elaborate game of tag as a way of keeping contected.  They pull out all the stops including disguises like a guy that dressed up as the mascot from a sports team to tag one of the friends at a baseball game. 

It was just a matter of time until Hollywood turned this story into a movie.  They assembled a great cast that includes Jake Johnson, Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner and Hannibal Buress  and created a fun Hollywoodized over the top version of the story.   The movie was an enjoyable adventure and had some funny sequences. The group teams up to try and tag the one untaggable member of the team at his wedding weekend.  It was almost a little too over the top and I guess I blame that on the fact that I know it was based and an amazing true story.  

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Mystery Team 2009 5 out of 10

Mystery Team 2009  5 out of 10

One of the co-hosts of our Podcast recommended this flick from 2009 that stars a younger Donald Glover.  Think the Scooby Doo gang with no dog or girls and all three of them are basically like the guys from Dumb and Dumber.  

 The story is basically that this group of guys created the “Mystery Team” when they were around 7 years old to solve small crimes around the neighborhood.   Unfortunately, at age 18 they basically are all still stuck in that 7-year-old mindset.   They are still solving these petty crimes like "Who stuck their finger in the pie?" when a murder case falls into their laps.    The movie derives its comedy from the juxtaposition of these 18-year-old in 7-year-old clothes and naïve demeanor working on an adult crime that takes them into a world of strippers, drugs and murder. It had some funny moments -but the potential of the concept was never really realized.  The film should have been funnier than it was.  The Dumb and Dumber style humor was very hit and miss with some jokes working and others just kind of sitting on the vine.  

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Get Hard 2015 6 out of 10

Get Hard 2015 6 out of 10

Get Hard has a fun premise and two great comedians.  Will Ferrell  plays a millionaire named James King that is going to be sent to prison for fraud.  Being a rich out of touch white guy Will Ferrell just assumes that Darnell (  Kevin Hart ) has spent time in prison.  He hires him to train him to survive prison and Kevin Hart's character takes the job because the money is too good to pass up.

Like many modern comedians this film has some really funny moments as Kevin Hart attempts to put Will Ferrell's clueless character through a ridiculous prison training camp.  The two actors have good chemistry together which leads to some fun comic moments.  The issue holding this film back from being a better film is the plot itself.  It is obvious from early in the film that Will Ferrell's character is being set up to take the fall and that he is clearly innocent.  It is also clear that at some point later in the film the story will turn from a story about training him for prison to uncovering who framed him to clear his name.   Unfortunately the movie spends about 5/6 of the time showing the ill advised prison training and uncovering that he was framed is basically plugged into the end of the film almost as if it was an after thought.   

My suggestion is that if you are a fan of either Will Ferrell or Kevin Hart than enjoy the film for the comic moments between the two actors.   Just don't expect anything for the story itself.

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Game Night 7 out of 10 2018

Game Night 7 out of 10 2018

I liked the concept for this comedy starring Jason Bateman and Rachel Mcadams.   The movie is basically a comedy version of The Game starring Michael Douglas (I need to revisit that film).

A group of friends meet on a regular basis for a competitive game night.   When the main character played by (Jason Bateman) overachieving brother shows up to game night he invites the group to his house the next week to kick things up a bit.  They show up to find out that he has planned an interactive murder mystery that he has hired some company to put on.  The game kicks off as dangerous gangsters show up and attack the brother kidnapping them.  It is clear to the audience right away that this isn't the planned game -  but the game night couples assume it is and continue to sip their wine applauding the drama.   

The couples think that the game is a foot and start following the fake clues unknowingly finding themselves in a dangerous situation.    The story really leans on your ability just go along with it and for much of the film I was able to.   Jason Bateman basically plays the same character he always plays which I'm ok with because he plays that character so well.  His chemistry with Rachel Mcadams was excellent,  they really worked well as a time.  The movie has many funny and excellent especially when they have to go over to the creepy cop neighbor's house to use his computer.   The creepy neighbor is played by Jesse Plemons who was so excellent in the Black Mirror Star Trek style episode.  This dude can act.   This character steals the movie in my opinion.   

I absolutely loved one of the big twists in the film --which in my opinion should have been the ending --the film however decides it isn't over yet and continues into the truly hard to believe territory that I just didn't want to follow.   This actually took the film down a notch for me.    

All in all I would say that if you like Jason Bateman and the comedy style of the Horrible Boss films (the same creative team was behind this film)  --you will enjoy this comedy.

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Office Christmas Party 2016 6 out of 10

Office Christmas Party   2016  6 out of 10

This movie has a great cast that includes Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, T. J. Miller, and Oliva Munn to name just a few.  Unfortunately like so many modern comedies it just never achieves the level of humor of a classic comedies.  This movie is meant to be "The Hangover"  of office comedies, but comes up short. 

The premise of the story features on uptight CEO (Jennifer Aniston)  that threatens to shut down her brother (T.J. Miller) branch.   Profits have been down so she cancels the companies rinky dink wine and cheese holiday party and tells them they will need to layoff 40% of their staff.    Instead they decide as a hail mary to throw a major christmas party in an effort to land a big client that will save the branch.    Like many current day comedies it has funny moments.   Kate McKinnon in particular shines as the follow the rules HR lady.     I love Jason Bateman, but he plays the same character way too many times.  Jennifer Aniston is wasted as the uptight CEO.   

Some of the outrageous politically incorrect party scenes are entertaining, but the plot just falls flat.  The wild party lends itself to a great trailer --but not necessarily a great film.  It especially derails when the branch manager realizes they have failed in their effort and goes on a bender with a pimp that leads to a car crash and ends him up in the hospital with no consequences.  I guess the film makers figured they needed a big action scene.

A couple days before I saw this movie I stumbled across some Re-Runs of the TV show The Office with Steve Carell.  I found myself watching a mini-marathon of this show I used to love back in the day and found myself laughing out loud several times.   The Office Christmas Party didn't get me to laugh outloud.   I would enjoy an episode of a Christmas party episode of The Office more than this movie.

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