At the beginning of August I posted a list with mini-reviews of all the films I had seen so far this summer. Here are three more I saw this past month. I should also note that while this is the "August Edition," this list is based on films I saw in August, not (necessarily) films that were released in August.
The Watch
I was originally supposed to go see an early screening of The Campaign, but arrived at the theater too late. So my fiend and I saw went and saw this movie instead.
The film was generating good buzz before the Travon Martin case came into the national spotlight. It had a good comedic cast with new take on the classic alien invasion plot line. The reviews for this movie were pretty brutal, but I liked all of the actors that were starring in it, so I decided to give it a shot.
The film is nothing revelatory. The jokes are solid if not entirely innovative, and the plot comes with a twist most people should be able to figure out about a quarter of the way through the movie.
That being said, if you like these actors you'll like this movie. If you don't, you won't. Ben Stiller is surprisingly restrained, which pairs nicely with the insane energy Vince Vaughan brings to his performance. Vaughan plays most of the movie in his hyper speed talk, but that's the way I like him. Jonah Hill tags along as a 20-something that still lives at home who comes off as slightly creepy. But that's one of things I like about Jonah Hill: he has a very distinct brand of humor, but each performance is tweaked to prevent that brand from becoming stale.
Ted
Seth MacFarlane's directorial debut played out like an episode of anyone of his TV shows, not that that is a bad thing.
MacFarlane's type of humor is no longer as fresh as it once was. His ability to shock the audience and push boundaries has become limited by being forced to do it every week on three different shows. But this movie succeeds because it is a movie.
The live action format, the extended run time and the freedom to not have to worry about censors helps free up and give a new perspective on this type of humor.
Great turns by Mark Walhberg and Mila Kunis, help keep the movie from getting too out of hand.
Plus, any movie that heavily references "Flash Gordon" is ok by me.
Expendables 2
As I mentioned in my last movie post, my dad and I go see about two movies each summer. This was the second one.
This was perhaps the most uneven movie I had seen in a long time. I don't think anyone goes into this type of movie expecting it to be good, but I was surprised by the moments of true brilliance that popped up throughout.
This movie was made up almost entirely of one liners and meta-jokes to the actors' past performances. Anytime it could break away from that, the movie showed it could be something more than what people were expecting.
The problem with movies that have a cast size as large as this is that there is never enough time to devote to any one character. I was surprised at the great chemistry between Stallone and Statham, but there was never enough time to fully develop that relationship.
The biggest surprise was Liam Hemsworth, who had a much better chance to display his acting prowess in this film than in "The Hunger Games." He lent a heart and soul to this film that it was otherwise sorely lacking.
Verdicts
You may notice I didn't follow any of these mini-reviews with a final declaration of whether or not I was IMPRESSED or UNIMPRESSED by these films. I went into these films pretty much knowing what to expect and each one delivered, so I'll just say each one SATISFIED. The comedies were funny and the action film brought the action.
What's to come
I still want to see The Bourne Legacy and Premium Rush, after that, I probably won't hit the cinema again until Taken 2.
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