2008 - The Lego Movie

This has quickly become one of my son's favorite films, and he has been dying to re-visit it since we watched it way back when.  He's counting down the days till it becomes available on DVD.  The best part about watching it this time was how he got excited as certain things approached.  Watching films with nerdy excitable kids is one of my new favorite things.
I don't love the first act of this film, though in retrospect it's a perfect set-up for everything that follows.  Once we're moving along though this film is a rocket - and it's got one of the best third acts I've seen in recent years, and potentially ever in a family film.
Feel free to check out my previous review of this.  This film has it all - a fun story, great characters, lots of laughs - but most of all it's a conversation piece, and has been between my son and I.  Is it also a blatant commercial for toys?  Maybe a tinge - but it's a great goddamn toy!

1962 - The Lego Movie

In theory the idea of a Lego Movie is terrible.  Seriously.  And when I was asked what it was about, I told someone that the plot was, actually, about how to play with lego.  Which sounds ridiculous.  But it's true - and it's awesome.  It took me a little while to get into it if I'm honest, but part of that was getting my little guy and his popcorn sorted out - so I absolutely need to see it again just to watch it clean and without distractions.  I don't want to say too much about it - the reviews kind of speak for itself, but I will say that the film has one of the smartest third acts in a kid's movie I've ever seen - and what might be my favourite final line of a film - the funniest anyway.
If you've ever played with Lego you should love it.  Unless you're dead inside...

1859 - The 40 Year Old Virgin

Today's my day at home to get some office work done so I'm also re-watching some much loved classics.  I rewatched this last year with the commentary but it's been a LONG time since I've watched the actual film - and it's a good reference for something I'm developing.  This is a cast that would be hard to assemble today if you look at the tremendous talent that's in all of the supporting roles.  What I love about this is that it's, technically, a dirty movie but it's done with such a sweetness.  Steve Carrel is just goddamn delightful here.  You buy into him and his situation without a second thought.  It's so interesting to look at how far Apatow has come since this, especially visually.  No offence to him or his team, but it's not a great looking film - it's not overly cinematic - which makes sense since I believe all his directing experience up to this point was in sitcom, and this absolutely looks like it. 
If you haven't seen this it's kind of a classic by this point.  If you're a fan of comedy you owe it to yourself to check it out.

1843 - Zack & Miri Make a Porno

I haven't seen this in forever and wanted to revisit it.  Seth Rogen is pretty great here, but the stand-out for me is Elizabeth Banks.  The chemistry they've got is pretty damn sweet and you damn well believe that she's into him.
It's not my favorite of Smith's films - the story feels a bit more formulaic than others, and luckily he's got the cast to sell the moments that don't feel quite as organically earned as others.  I sound like I'm shitting on this film, but I swear I do really adore it.  Justin Long has a cameo that's pretty goddamn amazing.  If you haven't seen it and enjoy things in the vein of Kevin Smith, it's absolutely worth checking out.  Do it!

1757 - The 40 Year Old Virgin (commentary)

I've been getting my studio space set up for editing my new film Sex After Kids, so I threw this on in the background with the commentary which includes a ridiculously large amount of people.  It's interesting listening to commentaries with actors because you very quickly get a sense of who are interesting and fun people, and who are very desperately trying to be as interesting and fun as the people whom it comes naturally to.  It's goddamn awkward to listen to sometimes.  As I'm going to be working around the studio for the next few days in the evening there's a good chance I'll check out the commentaries on the other Apatow films as well.
Part of the issue with watching an Apatow film on DVD is that you never get the theatrical cut, you get his bloated version - which isn't a bad thing - but it's tricky to make a comedy really work after it's pushing two hours.  It's interesting to hear them on the commentary talking about how most of the crew had no idea how they were going to possibly string this thing into a film in the end.  A large part of what Judd does is he slaps down two cameras and just has the actors throw a bunch of stuff out and see what happens.  I can see how this could work quite well, but it's also a reason that the visual style of the film is pretty damn ugly.  It looks like a badly shot three-camera-sitcom in some scenes - which I'm not sure if I noticed before. 
The commentary doesn't offer a whole lot of insight into their productions, but it is entertaining if you like this group of people.  If you don't, then steer clear. 

1632 - Our Idiot Brother

Paul Rudd can pretty much do no harm in my eyes.  I think that the guy is just hands down pretty fantastic, and this is a great role for him.  He plays a slacker brother to three girls whom are all at a cross-roads in their lives, and when their idiot brother gets involved all their stuff starts going to hell, of course it's not his fault, but of course he's the one to blame.  It's one of those stories where it's those around our lovable idiot that need to learn the real lessons.
This film has a great packed cast and is full of a lot of fun and lovely little moments.  Slightly unbalanced and not perfect, it's a cute little film and those who love Rudd, like I, will greatly enjoy it!

1455 - Wet Hot American Summer

This film has been on my life to watch for some time now and I actually can't recall who told me that I should check it out. I have to say that I had an issue with the tone. It danced a weird line, but then as it went on it got more and more over-the-top, but the tone - outside of a few examples - wasn't as 'off' at the top of the film. It should have been crazier earlier. It's full of great comedic moments and an amazing cast full of people that I would love to work with one day. A laundry list, really - especially Paul Rudd who is just brilliant in this film. I love that all these actors are playing teenagers despite not even being close to those years anymore - it adds a fun dynamic.
I wanted to like this film more than I did - but it's worth recommending if you're given the tone warning up front and if you love even half of this fantastic cast. An interesting film that should have been just a little bit stronger. Look forward to director Wain's other work - especially The Ten (which is on netflix!!!)

1367 - W

First off, I was blown away to see that it was Thandi Newton in this film. She's practically unrecognizable. The performances in this film are what makes it worth watching. The scenes with Josh Brolin and the wonderful Elizabeth Banks humanize these characters in a way that makes them almost endearing. The film was enjoyable enough, but it just felt like a series of scenes and moments - the only real tie being his relationship with his father, and living under his shadow. It's an odd film to want to make for Stone. Can't say I highly recommend it, but if you're interested, there's enough there to keep you watching it.