August 27, 2009

I’m on a bit of a hot streak with movies lately. The last 3 I’ve watched on DVD were all quite good, as well as the last 3 I’ve seen at the theatres. It has inspired me to do a ‘review’ of each of them since I really enjoyed all of them, and can’t recall a time in the past where I’ve seen 6 consecutive movies that I would recommend to others. Now, I’m not planning on doing a traditional ‘review’, but rather a basic post on what I thought of the movie. Don’t expect Roger Ebert. But having said that, this post will cover the 3 movies I saw on DVD in the last couple of weeks.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
I’m really hot and cold with Kevin Smith. I generally like him and his movies, but it’s hit or miss…love it or hate it. The previews and the press surrounding the release of this film made me want to see it when it was in theatres, but I ended up watching it on DVD 2 weeks ago. I’ve enjoyed Seth Rogen since I first saw him on the under-appreciated TV show Undeclared, and tend to enjoy the movies he’s been in. When you add in the fact that I have a mad crush on Elizabeth Banks from her role as Kim on Scrubs, then it seems like a pretty good combo.
I thought Zack and Miri Make A Porno was hilarious, and Rogen and Banks were a great team working together. Justin Long and Jason Mewes were highlights as well, and their scenes were very memorable. The movie itself was enjoyable, but I had the two-disc edition and watched most of the special features as well. With just the deleted and extended scenes, there was an extra 110 minutes…that’s essentially a whole other movie! Add to that the gag reel, the footage from the panel discussion at Comic-Con, and a documentary on how the film was made, and it was a lot to watch. But it was worth it. Interesting to hear Kevin Smith talk about his battle with the MPAA over the rating, and how he has successfully appealed in the past. If you want the laughs only, then just watch the movie, but if you liked it as much as I did, then watch the special features as well.
I Love You, Man
The previews made it look like a typical farcical comedy, but this was actually a pretty good movie, without being one of those silly yuk-fests. It was definitely funny, and the story was decent, but I really liked the characters. Paul Rudd initially seemed out of place as the straight man, since he’s proven he can be pretty spectacularly funny at times, like in Anchorman and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. He has definitely come a long way since I first saw him in Clueless and Romeo + Juliet, both of which were nearly 15 years ago! His awkwardness ended up being pretty endearing, though, and played well off of Sydney’s (Jason Segel) carefree attitude. I enjoyed the movie, and thought they both were great, although there was far too much Rush for my liking. No movie needs to feature that much Rush music…and a cameo of the band in concert.
Adventureland
I just watched this movie a couple of nights ago, based on a recommendation from a friend. We’ve jokingly (and accurately) referred to Jesse Eisenberg as ‘a Michael Cera clone’, and the only other thing I had ever seen him in was The Squid and The Whale. I had never seen Kristen Stewart in anything before, because I may be the only human being on the planet who hasn’t jumped on the Twilight bandwagon. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, it’s basically the story of Jim and Emily as they spend a summer working at an amusement park in Pittsburgh. The poster and the DVD packaging proclaims that it’s ‘from the director of Superbad’, and the artwork would lead you to believe that it’s another goofy comedy, but don’t be fooled. It’s a smart, coming-of-age story, with complex characters and relationships. I was impressed with Kristen Stewart, especially with all the press I had been hearing about Twilight, and how she is capable of so much more. I’m now looking forward to her role as Joan Jett in the upcoming biopic.

If any of you have seen these 3 movies, feel free to comment below. Did you like them too? Why or why not?