Funny Games (07) - 5 Beers

Remake of the German original...in English. This is a virtual shot by shot remake of the original. Super stylish and post-modernism. I saw this version first (hello, Naomi Campbell!!) and can't tell which is better. You tell me. Still just as hopeless and empty. Cue music.

Funny Games (97) - 5 Beers

Upper class family violently tortured and brutalized. It's in German, so enjoy the read. Rarely comes along a film as successfully hopeless as this...think A Clockwork Orange. So angry, so negative. You've never seen a film like this. Cue the music.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World - 3 Beers

The original cannon ball run. I heard a comedian say don't bother unless you've seen this film. I don't buy that. This was clever and classy, but not particularly funny. Have you recently seen 'Seven Year Itch?' Comedy. Funny? Not even close.

Spinal Tap - 5 Beers

Haven't reviewed this yet. I was once told that you can't play music without having seen this movie...I'd like to change that to you can't listen to music unless you've seen this movie. Stands the test of time.

Tropic Thunder - 4 Beers

Actors get into bad situations. Downey completely pwned this character...see it for that reason alone. Crass and over-the-top with some outstanding jokes. I hate to say it, but Stiller was the weakest link here, though, from what I understand, Stiller was the reason this film got made.

Pineapple Express - 4 Beers

Stoners get into murderous hijinks. I'm absolutely loving the grown-up/juvenile comedy genre. It's been years...YEARS since I've seen anything that treated its audience like free-thinking adults, for crap's sake. Not a perfect film, but a film for grown ups...imagine that.

Gran Torino - 4 Beers

Vet hates people. Hello racial slurs! This movie made me nostalgic for the days when young people were very afraid of leathery old people. They'd just as soon kill you as f-ing look at you. I have uncles like that. Those men no longer exist. Thankfully. Sadly.

Get off my lawn.

The Happening - 3 Beers

Stuff goes bad on a global scale. Some shocking violence. M. Night is paying now for the terrible endings in his past movies. Lots of M. hate, because this film is not entirely bad. It's certainly a renter, if for no other reason than Shamylan(?) is a mighty good storyteller. Can you say that about yourself?

Harold - 3 Beers

Kid is bald and goes to school. Some witty writing and entertaining characters. Not really clear as to why he didn't just shave his head. Despite the typical troubles--bullies, girls, adults--the movie successfully avoids the major stereotypes.

Valkyre - 4 Beers

Plot to kill Hitler. Props to shooting a different kind of WWII film. Hard to buy Tom Cruise as a German. Film skirted the issue of why people wanted to kill Hitler (power grab) and left the issue implied (stop killing Jews). Plenty of style and, like I said, different for these kinds of films.

Bedtime Stories - 3 Beers

Guy tells stories, stories come true. I go into these movies expecting absolutely nothing. Nothing at all and I'm usually not disappointed. That was the case with this film. I swear to F, if I see Rob Schneider do another brownface/redface/yellowface actor, I'm going to write a letter to someone. 1) It's offensive to me, 2) he has yet to do anything funny with any one of those characters.

Zack adn Miri Make a Porno - 2 Beers

Poor roommates shoot a porno to pay the rent. The absolute best, and funniest parts of this film were before the group started to shoot the actual 'no. I liked the male/female twist on the washed up male/male loser stereotype. The rest was about as much of a letdown as you'd expect it to be.

Saw V - 3 Beers

Tries to make sense of the senseless violence...and does a reasonable job. It's hard to really look at this film seriously, but it tries hard to get me to. Essentially it tries to cover the violence of the past 4 films and make sense of the fact that it doesn't really make sense. Noble effort, shameful content.

The Onion Movie - 4 Beers

Satire, Onion-style. Lots of skits being run, irreverent and cool. A few of the skits are funnier than other, but it's funnier than a ton of crud I've seen that's been passed of as comedy in years past. Think 'Kentucky Fried Movie.'

The Rocker - 2 Beers

Once great drummer, loses gig, hooks up to drum with the hip kids. I love Rainn Wilson/Dwight humor. Some funny moments bashing into a slightly predictable story. If you want to have a beer or two and pop this one in, it'll pass the time, overall...I suppose.

Robot Chicken: Season 3 - 4 Beers

Continued puppet hijinks. Still just as funny, and even a little more cleverly written than years past. The only complaint I have for season 3, and for all the seasons, for that matter, is that if I, or you, don't know the show that is being lampooned than I, or you, don't get the inside jokes...and I got most of them.