1852 - Bad Teacher

I read the script for this quite a while back and I remember really enjoying it, it translated really well to the screen and Cameron Diaz was a perfect choice - the cast is solid through and through.  The premise, for those who don't know, is about a terrible human being of a teacher who must become a better teacher if she's going to be able to afford a boob job and snag a fellow teacher with family money.  The laughs are frequent and funny, and the film doesn't try to make her into a shinning citizen by the end - she goes through the kind of lessons you want someone like this to go through, but still stay true to their spunky nature.  For the laughs and pure enjoyment it's an easy recommend.

1840 - Despicable Me

It's been a lot of fun to rediscover old films with my son, but it's just as enjoyable to experience things for the first time with him as well.  Outside of the voice actors this didn't really seem that interesting to me from the advertisements, but we watched it anyway.  It's the story of an evil villain who is in danger of losing his evil corporate funding to a young hot shot unless he steals something amazing - The Moon!  It's Steve Carell vs. Jason Segal and it's pretty damn enjoyable.  In terms of the quality of writing it's not quite up there with the Pixar team, but it's not bad by any means.  Worth checking out if you haven't, and i'm sure my little guy will drag me to the sequel that's coming out.

1795 - This is 40

I'm a big fan of Judd Apatow - I like how much he throws himself into and this little empire and network of people that he's created - it's quite something.  Throw that and Paul Rudd into the mix and I'm a happy camper.  This is by no means a perfect film.  And it's not for everyone - if you like slice-of-life family drama that connects pretty deeply, you'll dig it - but if you like big stakes then I imagine a film about middle class white people not being able to afford their amazing lifestyle isn't going to quite do it for you.  And that's fine too.
The Apatow "method" of improv heavy films has never been quite so obvious as it is here - and I'm not passing judgement or suggesting that it doesn't largely work, but at the same time I find it difficult to justify the running time for this sort of film.  There's no need for a 2hr, 14 minute film about a mid-life crisis comedy.  Good for Judd for getting away with it, but I think that this is a film that could benefit from a good deal of pruning.  As it is I like it, but I probably could have loved it.
If you've liked his previous films, this one is worth checking out - although I feel like it's his less heart-filled film.  At the end I don't know if I felt like Pete and Debbie so much resolved their issues as they just stopped bitching at each other about their current problems.  I sound like I didn't like the film, but I swear I did.  Can't wait for the special features that'll be loaded to the tits on the BluRay.

1767 - Jeff, Who Lives at Home

I'm a big fan of the Duplass Brothers and their success - I think it's well deserved.  I think that, like Jeff in this film, they were in the right place at the right time and ready for it.  They tell simple stories but ones that are just rife with wonderfully comedic, but painfully honest moments - and this is no exception.  The story is, literally, about a stoner son who is sent out to buy wood glue for his mother and the events that transpire around it.  Jeff is obsessed with the idea of fate and things happening for a reason and this day will test that in really great ways.
Filled with talents that I adore - Jason Segal, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon, and Judy Greer (who can do no wrong in my book) - each character gets a solid moment to shine here. 
Is some of it heavy handed?  Perhaps - actually - yeah, sure.  But it never steps into melodrama, it doesn't need to.  It just got added to Netflix recently so there's no time but the present to check out this really solid little flick!

1758 - Knocked Up (commentary

This film is a huge leap forward for Apatow as a filmmaker.  Not only is it visually miles ahead from his first film, but the storytelling feels tighter (even in this extended version) and the emotions more toned.  You get a real sense that he's in command of his craft here.  The commentary was was entertaining enough with Apatow, Rogen, and Bill Hader along.  They start off promising that it's going to be like a film school in a box, but it's not really.  Still enjoyable enough for fans though!  Made me want to re-watch it with the commentary off!
One more night of unpacking in the shop... one more Apatow film :)

1708 - The Muppets

You don't have to know me all that well to know that I'm kind of a Muppet nerd.  Kermit was my favorite doll when I was a kid, and because of him my favorite color was green.  I have a Muppets Take Manhattan poster in my office, as well as an original Muppets lunchbox, and my own customized Muppet from FAO Swartz.  So there it is. 
I'm also a fan of Jason Segal and Amy Adams and so when I saw this in theatres I had high hopes.  I remember feeling weird while watching it.  Almost like I wanted to like it more than I was.  It's full of some great moments, but a lot that are just... well.. good.
I love half of the songs (Everything that I Need, Pictures in my Head, Man or Muppet) and the rest just feel like filler, and not great filler.  Actually there are some songs in this that I downright dislike.  Chris Cooper doesn't fit.  I don't know why, but he didn't add anything to the mix for me, and I HATE the "maniacal laugh" bit.  Did people actually find that funny?
So as a re-introduction film, it was pretty decent.  But I'd like to think that there's still a great Muppet film coming down the pipeline.  This one was just merely good for me.  I'm still glad I sprang for the Wokka Wokka edition bluray! :)

1643 - The Muppets

It's time to start the music...
I'm a big Muppets-nerd.  I grew up with them, loved the toys, the shows, the films, the dolls, you name it - I loved it.  One of the main characters, Walter, is very similar to that.  He grew up identifying with the Muppets (he happened to be one).  So on top of that it appears that this is set to be one of the best reviewed films of the year - currently at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes (with over a hundred reviews in!)  So with all that, combined with all of the hype, publicity, and press that's been going on the bar has been set pretty damn high for our fuzzy friends.  So, did the film reach it?...

I think so.  I have to be honest, it took me a little while to warm up to the beginning.  I started to worry that this would be a Jason Segal film co-starring the Muppets (not that I dislike Segal - I like him a lot), but what I wanted was the reverse, and eventually it became that, and that's when the film really started to work for me (although the opening dance number worked pretty damn hard at winning me over).  What's really quite interesting about this film is that it's really geared towards the adult Muppet fans.  Sure, they're clearly trying to introduce the Muppets to a new generation, but it really feels like the film is made for us (how awesome is that?).  After being subjugated to a series of pretty terrible made-for-TV films they have finally been given the proper love and treatment.  The film is about how no one cares about the Muppets anymore, and how cynicism has taken over, and that's where the heart lies.  There is a series of really funny moments, and a few that aim high and miss (I might be in the minority, but Chris Cooper was... not great... he tried his best but it just wasn't a good fit to me...). 
The biggest issue that the film faces, and the thing that keeps it from being a perfect Muppet film to me, is just that it's really really hard to service all of those characters that have accumulated over the years.  If you look at the original Muppets film it's just filled to the brim with these tender moments that really identify and make you pull for the characters.  Rolph's "I Hope that Something Better Comes Along" and Gonzo's "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday" are not only two of the best Muppet songs ever, but they work so well emotionally for the story and the characters.  We don't really get anything like that in this film, and that's what I feel is missing.  It feels like we round up all the characters and have a bit of fun with them - kind of like a 'best of' album, but it's hard to say that any of the characters really get a 'great moment' here.  So as a re-introduction to the Muppets I think it's pretty damn great and works well - but for their next outing (please please please let them make more quality projects) I really want it to focus on these guys, their hopes, dreams, flaws.  Sure, get the celebrity cameos in there (there are some brilliant ones in this film), but I want the Muppets front and center the whole time.
Okay.  So I think I did a good job of not giving anything away.  I realize that my review might not seem the most positive, but know that I really loved this, I smiled the whole time, laughed a lot, and got emotional at a few moments.  It's not perfect, but it's pretty goddamn great.  If you're going to give someone your money at the theare in the near future, give it to a Muppet!

1642 - Undeclared: complete series

I missed both this and Freaks and Geeks during it's original run.  It's a shame that neither of these were given a fair shake, although who knows how their success would have shaped the futures of their respective casts.  Perhaps if Freaks had of gone several seasons we never would have gotten this series.  Let's not think about that.
As far as network college comedies go this is probably one of the better (if not best) I've seen.  These actually feel like people that are in college, what they deal with, how they talk to one another.  How it's slightly awkward.  Really enjoyed that about it.  Not a bad character in the bunch, and I loved how they managed to get pretty much the entire cast of Freaks in somehow (where the hell was Franco?!). 
The cast is great, I'm a fan of all of them, and it's nice to see them all doing pretty damn well for themselves.  If you missed this great show during it's (too short) run you can find it on DVD now.  Seventeen episodes, and the box set is loaded with commentaries and other goodies.

1358 - Knocked Up

So it's been a little while since my last post. I've been doing a lot of writing and I've even decided to catch up on my sleep - what a weird concept - but according to my wife I was sleep deprived (don't tell her I said so, but I think she's right). I want to bed last night at 7:30pm. And it was awesome.

So, again, despite the fact that I've got a STACK of films I haven't seen before, again I felt the need to watch something in reference to a project I'm working through - I'm working on a script right now that bares a few similarities to this film and so I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't hitting the same notes too hard. It was lovely to revisit - it's chalk full of people that I really really adore. I read somewhere that, post-film, Heigl considered it a sexist film. It's a shame 'cause I think she's pretty fantastic in it. I would say that the film is probably targeted more to guys - but I mean, come on! What a feat is that considering the content is about a guy getting a girl pregnant. And Apatow made guys want to see that!

Really glad I revisited again - a really nice little flick.

1357 - I Love You, Man

I saw this when it first came out, and I'm happy to say that it holds up on repeated viewings. God damn there is some really strong comedy writing in this film. Each character, right down to the small supporting ones, has a super strong voice and P.O.V. Segal and Rudd are lovely together. Rashida Jones holds her own and does wonderful things in what could be a rather thankless role. Really glad I picked this film up - looking forward to listening to the commentary at some point in the near future. Really great, fun film.