Just watched "The Quiet," it had an intriguing storyline that was pretty well executed. The only thing I really have to complain about is all the unnecessary sex talk. I mean, I get why it was included and the part it plays in the film, but it made me really uncomfortable- especially Shawn Ashmore's little talk by the pool. but yeah, it was a good film overall.
Following the 2012 comedy 21 Jump Street with Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill comes its sequel, 22 Jump Street. I enjoyed the first one, and this film holds no exception. In fact, I actually feel that this is the better of the two (and that's actually not an unpopular opinion.) It holds the same premise as its predecessor: two cops going undercover to find out who's spreading a deadly drug. Back then, they went to high school - but now they're heading to college. Usually when follow-ups to comedy hits come out and they try to copy what the previous one did, it fails (see: The Hangover, Part II,) but this has no problem with that. In fact, the film actually accepts that role and embraces it. A big reason why this movie works so well is that it doesn't take itself seriously. 22 throws a bunch of puns, gags and jokes at us that are truly ironic, talking about sequels and doing the same thing over again - which is actually what it's doing. It allows the audience to just laugh along without needing much thought. The main characters are still their goofy 'ol selves, but we get some new additional ones that truly hold their own light and deserve some credit. Ice Cube takes his secondary role and absolutely owns it, being even funnier than he was before, and having a nice amount of solid quotes. Mercedes (Jillian Bell) also does a great job at doing this, just by being a sassy roommate that has no trouble serving a good comeback. Aside from the comedy, the action is still pretty captivating, as is the whole "mystery" of the big case - who started spreading the drugs? You go through a few twists and turns but the end result might surprise you. Overall, this is a well-rounded, entertaining film that has no problem knowing what type of film is and achieves more than expected. It also shines in the right place, while also slowing down when it's needed. Also, I must say that this has some of the best end credits I've ever seen. It's very creative and continues to shove in our face that it's not anything new or original, and it's still the second film in the series, but it puts a cherry on top to a hilarious blockbuster.
THE VERDICT: ★★★★ 1/5
92%, A-
A laugh-out-loud sequel that's - surprise! - better than the original. Very humorous
and even though it sticks to the same premise, it still finds ways of improving.
To-Watch List:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier [Out Now]
The Other Woman [Out Now]
Maleficent [Out Now]
Sex Tape [Out Now]
Lucy [Out Now]
Gone Girl Out Now
Guardians of the Galaxy [Out Now]
Big Hero 6 [November 6th]
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 [November 21st]
The Penguins of Madagascar [November 26th]
Horrible Bosses 2 [November 26th]
Annie [December 19th]
The Interview [December 25th]
Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel are back together after being an amazing comedic pair in 2011's Bad Teacher. Though three years later, there's a big difference: The film they're in is actually bad. Sex Tape is truly one of the laziest comedies I have seen in my 19 years of living thus far. It starts off fine, with a little timeline of a sex-loving couple as they find love, marriage, and then two kids in the baby carriage. All of this puts a massive halt on how often they have intercourse, so whenever they get the opportunity, they try their best to take advantage of it. Well one night comes around where they have the house to themselves, and they produce a whole sex tape (shocker!) But of course, something goes wrong: The three-hour video gets sent to family members, friends, bosses, etc. With a concept like this, a main cast like that, and a trailer that actually looks entertaining, why wouldn't you want to see this? Well, unfortunately this is one of those comedies that put all the best scenes and jokes into the preview, which is definitely not a rare situation. I'd actually say that the ONLY positive thing about this film are Cameron and Jason, as well as their chemistry. I feel like the main thing at fault is here is the writing, poorly done by Kate Angelo. There are a slew of moments where jokes felt like they were meant to be funny, but they weren't. There were also plenty of side characters in this film, but they were all try-hard, boring and completely irrelevant. Not only did you not care about them, but they didn't give you a reason to because they had absolutely no personality. Also, they could've been a lot raunchier with this film as a lot of the "sex" in this sex tape is stored in the beginning, but even then they don't really reveal much. Nudity may have been shown, but there was barely anything comedic involved. You can tell that Diaz and Segel were really trying their best with this lousy script, putting both of their normal styles into their acting, but it wasn't enough to even get me through the whole 94-minute duration. I stopped Sex Tape at the 57 minute mark, after the crappy, amateur dog chasing scenes and multiple embarrassing lines that really showed that there was no more potential left. Also, if I had to hear "iPad" one more time, I was going to scream - the Apple promotion was completely overdone and ridiculous. This movie definitely had some potential to it, but it took its fine field of actors and wasted their talents with something that should've been a straight-to-DVD release instead. Don't bother with this one.
THE VERDICT: ★
17%, F
(From what I saw)
A waste of Diaz and Segel's comedic talents and a waste of viewer's time to the
point where I refused to give this film all of it. Don't believe the trailer or the cast.
To-Watch List:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier [Out Now]
The Other Woman [Out Now]
Maleficent [Out Now]
Lucy [Out Now]
Gone Girl Out Now
Guardians of the Galaxy [Out Now]
Big Hero 6 [November 6th]
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 [November 21st]
The Penguins of Madagascar [November 26th]
Horrible Bosses 2 [November 26th]
Annie [December 19th]
The Interview [December 25th]
Highly recommend you watch it. So many are uninformed on the AIDS epidemic of the 80s/90s and this brilliant documentary brings to light the tireless efforts of activists who sought to bring awareness and money to the disease.
It was amazingly twisted and macabre and satiric. Like a satire of all the Hollywood satires.
Jullianne Moore was the stand out as usual. She can do anything, the new Meryl Streep is upon us and not everybody seems to notice.
but yeah, it was a good film overall.
