The Hangover (2009)

The buzz about The Hangover was that it was so deliciously offbeat and delightfully funny that it should have received an Oscar nomination. And the trailer looked promising with its suggestion of a wild pre-wedding "bachelor's night out" that no one could remember, resulting in one groomsman missing a tooth, a baby in the closet, a live tiger in the bathroom, and the groom-to-be nowhere to be found! What a hoot, right? I didn't find the mystery cogent or the script very comedic, however. Maybe if there had been more physical humor and less "Omigod what do we do now?" Maybe make the baby half as funny as Look Who's Talking -- or the whole movie one-fourth as funny as The Whole Nine Yards? I just didn't care about these guys, even fraught with OMG-itis. Zach Galfaniakis had the best role as the slightly imbalanced and easily frazzled brother who shouldn't have been brought into the situation in the first place. Ed Helms was marginally funny at times as the uptight dentist who's gotten in over his head (though he overdid the wild-panic look too often for me). All told, the normally inexplicable Heather Graham did pretty well in her role (for a stripper with a heart of gold). The movie's saving grace was the closing credits, where we get to scan through every photo taken during the wild night out, which answers some questions as far as what actually happened that night -- except it was anticlimactic and I still didn't care. The only thing remaining to explain is: Why start a marriage with every man in the wedding party (including the father of the bride) colluding in a bald-faced lie to every woman in the wedding party -- that the bachelor's party is going to be mild and tame and certainly not intent on consuming obscene amounts of liquor and drugs over lap dances with strippers in Vegas (and that's before things got worse)? I'm not saying the movie shouldn't have been made -- the premise was quite promising -- it just could have been written, acted, and directed much better for the most part. I mean, at least Wedding Crashers had a point! 3.5 stars.

Kick-Ass (Kick Ass) (2010)

Kick-Ass gives us a clever, irreverent, twisted take on the comic-book super-hero genre: What if a normal person adopted a super-hero costume and secret identity to fight crime -- to do something about evil in the real world -- to make a difference? The result, in this case, is a wickedly original, character-driven spin on the super-hero vibe that is basically Batman meets Kill Bill. (For those who complain that this movie isn't for children -- what part of its R rating don't you understand? The script is peppered with f-this and s-that plus two mild references to masturbation and two to back-alley sex but if you can't take that, you certainly can't take the over-the-top violence.) As our story begins, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) hangs out with two other comic-book dweebs and is invisible to girls at his high school -- but he has had it with being picked on and bad guys victimizing whoever they want with impunity. Costumed as Kick-Ass, he is willing to pay the price physically and not back down. His newfound Internet fame attracts the attention of two highly skilled vigilantes, Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz, who steals the show as a purple-wigged butterfly-knife-wielding assassin) and Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage, archly channeling Adam West in a Batman costume with an arsenal of firepower), who offer to join forces. Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is a cuckoo's egg who should fulfill my great hope for a soon-to-follow sequel. The fight scenes are so intense and over-the-top with comical levels of splattergore, they almost out-Tarantino Tarantino. Alternately perky and lethal, Hit Girl has been raised and trained (like Terminator's John Connor) with a singular (salvific if vengeful) purpose -- so yes, she can field-dress any firearm and curse like a streetwalker. Her playful lethality (and body count) is what makes this movie! In the end, she tells Kick-Ass, it's about ending the scourge of evildoers and continuing what you set out to do. I'd love to own this movie and I can't wait for Kick-Ass 2! 5 stars.

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009)

The Most Dangerous Man in America performs a masterful if low-key turn at presenting the story of the publication of the Pentagon Papers, which stands with the Watergate scandal as the two greatest modern proof cases for the power of freedom of the press when when confronting a duplicitous government. We learn the story of Daniel Ellsberg's stellar career in developing and promoting President Nixon's war policies until he faces a rising crisis of truth and has an epiphany of intellectual and moral clarity: He decides he must expose the Nixon administration's bald-faced lies about its Vietnam War policies by smuggling out, photocopying, and distributing to the journalistic press some 7,000 pages of transcripts and documentation in 47 volumes that show just what Nixon knew, when he knew it, and what he actually said and did (often in direct contradiction to what he claimed he said and did). Daniel Ellsberg, now nearing 80, is a key witness to his role as are many others who had roles in the affair. Even so, if not for the tenacity, courage, energy, and risk shown primarily by Ellsberg, the government might have succeeded in suppressing the truth through its injunctions against the New York Times and the Washington Post. Only when many more newspapers proceeded to continue publication of the leaked documents did the truth reach the American people. This chapter in American history stands as a seminal lesson for every generation that should never be forgotten -- esp. in the present day, in the wake of the deceptions of the Bush administration and even the WikiLeaks issue. This documentary seems to just lay out the facts rather than push for greater emotional impact or I would rate it higher. 4 stars.

MacHEADS (2009)

MacHEADS is a very good (not exhaustive but topical and fun) documentary of the beginnings of the Macintosh industry and subculture through to the present day. It narrates the history of the Mac and its adherents and it hosts commentary by an acceptable range of Mac culture gurus (Guy Kawasaki, Raines Cohen, Adam C. Engst, and more). If you don't know who any of these people are, you probably will be bored by this oral history, have never been to a Macworld Expo, and could care less about Silicon Valley's high-tech infancy. As someone who has closely followed and consulted in the Macintosh world from the Lisa to the iPhone 4 (in addition to Windows, though grudgingly), I found MacHEADS to present key and fun-to-know essentials of the Mac's history -- and I even learned a few things I didn't already know. 4.5 stars.

The Lon Chaney Collection: The Unknown (1927)

The Unknown is a popular silent film and an entertaining Chaney vehicle largely because Chaney's character, Alonso the armless circus performer, effortlessly uses his feet to throw knives, play guitar, and light and smoke cigarettes. (See the disc's excellent 85-min documentary, Chaney: [Man of] A Thousand Faces, to learn which stunts the actor performed himself in this and other movies. Watching The Unknown with the on-disc commentary by Michael F. Blake, author of three Chaney biographies who has seen the movie 100 times, also is worthwhile.) Until rewatching The Unknown and enjoying the disc's accompanying commentary and esp. the Kenneth Branagh-narrated documentary on Lon Chaney's life and career, I never realized the monumental character and grace this actor bestowed on a fledgling Hollywood. In this documentary, Ray Bradbury, Forrest Ackerman, 1920s moviegoers and others describe the masterful effect Chaney made on the world of cinema and on them personally. We see the makeup kit used by Chaney, who created and applied his own makeup for roles as varied as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Opera, and London After Midnight. Beyond his genius for makeup, we also learn how naturally and utterly he created and conveyed his characters, whether they were grotesque ones baring the humanity they held buried inside (hunchback, phantom, vampire, clown) or apparently mundane ones with groundbreaking veracity and humility in their roles (underworld boss, Marine commander, ventriloquist). Chaney's face was so malleable and capable of convincingly conveying a range of emotions! London After Midnight was lost to fire in the 1960s so this disc's version consists of varied still shots that could not convey the full story for me even on multiple viewings. (A gun appears in one character's hand but not till a few scenes later are we told that a shot has been fired.) Chaney portrayed two roles in this film though I was totally confused until everything came together in the end. My initial reaction was to give these two silent films 3 stars each, however, on reflection this easily becomes 3.5 stars. The documentary easily receives 5 stars so overall I rate this disc, for its emotional impact, 4 stars.

You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown (1972)

As a lifelong fan of Charles Schulz's work who grew up in his hometown neighborhood and has visited the gallery near his home in Santa Rosa, Calif., I enjoyed You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown very much. The Peanuts gang's holiday specials are the best, of course, but Elected is very much in the Schulz tradition. (Note: Charlie Brown does not actually run for school president. He thinks he would lose and doesn't want the rejection, so Lucy takes a poll that predicts a 99% chance of losing. Oddly enough, the production team didn't realize until after the title track was recorded that Charlie not only is not elected but he doesn't run at all. As the producers explain in the disc's making-of featurette, that's why the lead song is "You're Elected, Charlie Brown" and the title shows the word "not" has been inserted.) Linus runs against a plain-vanilla kid named Douglas Anderson after Lucy's spot schoolyard poll (complete with threats to get the answers she wants) indicates Linus has a 99% chance of winning. Linus is a natural, of course, and gets pretty animated in his oratory. He's considered the clear shoo-in until he makes a major campaign gaffe. ("Auuugh!" cry Lucy and Charlie Brown.) As may be expected with the work of Charles Schulz, the twists and turns of the campaign trail are told at a child's-eye level but lampoon many of the contradictions and ironies of real campaigning (in the 1960s and early '70s). The disc includes the bonus show, "He's A Bully, Charlie Brown," where Charlie Brown goes to summer camp and takes on a raffish bully who has swindled several kids out of their marbles. It might be the only time Charlie Brown ever wins at something -- yet he's so modest that he lets the bully off easy. Enjoy! 4 stars.

Jake Johannsen: I Love You (2010)

I greatly enjoyed Jake Johannsen in this comedic performance because he has a very fluid style of monologue, used no blue language that I can recall, and speaks intuitively yet reflectively about the varied dynamics of "till death do us part." He presents a mature and florid conversation about living in a committed loving relationship with one's spouse because he can poke fun at its challenges -- for example, he suggests the term "premature ejaculation" could amount to "poor sportsmanship" before he addresses how to be intimate and how to fight fair in a marriage. I suppose I fit his target demographic, which I presume is baby boomers or at least people in his age range, though many younger adults were also in the audience enjoying themselves. 5 stars.

John Caparulo: Meet Cap (2008)

Meet Cap is a funny, high-energy show -- for a slacker-generation comic who lacks exercise and avoids education. Cap has a grating, whiny voice in the best tradition of Wallace Shawn and Louie Anderson. He shambles (almost waddles) as he holds forth on the virtues of infomercials and the guile of Loch Ness documentaries on the Discovery Channel. ("Why did you make another show if you haven't made any progress?!") He uses four-letter words fairly often so families beware -- but for anyone who is an adolescent at heart, Cap is funny. 3.5 stars.

Wanda Sykes: Tongue Untied (2003)

I've never been a big fan of Wanda's "ghet-to" diction though she apparently makes it work for her just as Ah-nuld has with his Austrian accent. She's clearly a professional and well-practiced comic with a sense of entitlement to the stage. She takes her time but it's like having a living-room conversation with her audience. She starts out with some pretty tart and (to put it nicely) sassy things to say about Bush and Cheney that by now are a bit dated (though still applicable and relevant). The rest of her patter is common-sense comedic commentary on things like Florida strip clubs, how women think all the time and men don't, and other issues of sexual rather than national politics. It was fairly funny fare though her normally glib tongue tripped up once and the audience wasn't always tracking right with her. 3.5 stars.

Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008)

Wallace & Gromit never disappoint! Now the two operate a huge mechanized bakery out of their home -- so the Rube Goldberg-style wake-up routine threads the chute for Wallace amongst the chutes for bread and the pair's delivery-truck routine is perfectly synchronized and choreographed -- until Wallace meets Piella Bakewell, former Bake-O-Lite poster girl turned doughy dowager. Unbeknownst to Wallace, Piella plans to woo him as her 13th murder victim for a literal baker's dozen of revenge! Always the brains of the outfit, Wallace's dog Gromit struggles to save the day -- but will need help from Piella's put-upon pooch, Fluffles. The ending is ingenious, however, you will see Wallace's scorched buns just as two nuns do the same and drop their kittens. If your kiddos can handle the concept of a "serial killer" who brains her 12th victim (off-camera) and threatens Wallace as well as Gromit, they will doubtless laugh at the slapstick fun. Adults can appreciate the dry wit, movie references, and painstaking stopmotion animation. As always, Wallace & Gromit pack an hour of action and delight into a half-hour. Enjoy! 5 stars.

Heaven (1987)

If you thought Baby Boom was full of cliches (spinning newspapers, fistfuls of cash superimposed over products being purchased), then Heaven is like a film student's sophomoric attempt to make a documentary as art film. About 40 film clips were reused 4-40 times each (such as the esp. obnoxious planetary collision), about 40 audio clips were repeatedly replayed (usually alarmist preachers' tirades), the sheer number of weird film clips went beyond kitschy and well into sucky territory (esp. the hordes of angels in blackface, dancing for fried chicken and sliced watermelon), and a number of interviewees had no idea what they were talking about (which is part of the film's point, except it kept coming back to the first guy who could never form or express one coherent thought -- usually accompanied by the exploding planet). Oh, I understand the film -- I just don't think it's very good. It's worth seeing for the sheer variety of the interviewees' opinions -- but it would all be pointless if not for the touching and sincere faith expressed by a number of those featured. Diane Keaton predominantly uses facial closeups, tight shots, and ultra-tight shots (centering on just the eyes or the lips), which tends to get exasperating even as the camera captures a wealth of humanity. Heaven ponders the nature and existence of God, heaven, the afterlife, and whether there is love and sex in heaven. (The emphasis on romantic love and erotic attraction is, of course, not spiritual so the nonspiritual interviewees are all for it while the humorless preacher calls them "ignorant." Great way to witness, nimrod.) I'm a believer who thinks that (to use another's metaphor) when the movie is over, not only does the movie continue to exist but so do I -- so I step out of the theater with my friend for ice cream before heading home to live out the rest of my life. This film hasn't been stocked by our favorite service here for a long time so I finally rented a copy from a competing service. (See my growing Bl-ckbuster list for hundreds of titles you can rent elsewhere then rate and review here.) 2.5 stars.

Under Wraps (1997)

Under Wraps is a phenomenally fun and tongue-in-cheek family movie about a mummy that three curious children discover, accidentally reanimate, and name Harold. Played by Bill Fagerbakke (the voice of Patrick Star in Spongebob Squarepants), Harold emotes only by means of moans and facial contortions (I mean, expressions) that turn the whole scary mummy vibe on its ear. (I particularly like his sheepish shrug and gaptoothed puppydog smirk.) His makeup is excellent as he shambles about town, sometimes openly (moaning with pleasure while sipping a jumbo soft drink) and sometimes in disguise (mumbling his way past authority figures). The precocious children are very good in their roles too. Under Wraps could easily become one of your family favorites, if you can find it. We first saw it on cable TV some years back; after our favorite rental service (right here) neglected to stock it in all that time, I finally snapped up a rental from a competing service. (See my extensive Save lists for the many thousands of titles this service does not stock. See my developing Bl-ckbuster list for hundreds of those titles the competing service does stock.) Enjoy! 4 stars.

Jo Koy: Don't Make Him Angry (2009)

Jo Koy is fairly funny; I give this stand-up routine 4 stars. While his anti-French bit in the beginning is lame and too long (consisting mainly in simultaneously spitting and making "pew" sounds for several minutes), his impersonation of his Filipino mother's speech and mannerisms is simply hilarious -- his tyke's antics, not so much. (The show's title comes from his son's affinity for pretending he's The Incredible Hulk.) Other than "doing his mom" (or wishing he could "do" Michael Phelps), Koy is at his level best when talking about the inanities of normal daily life. His timing between punch lines is about one second or a half a beat too long, so you may feel like he's dragging things out or just not spry on his cues. He is funny though and you should have plenty of opportunities to laugh (unless you prefer a comic who cusses a blue streak -- that's not Jo). Think of him as the Filipino who lives next door. 4 stars.

National Geographic: Lost Gold of the Dark Ages (2010)

TV. This National Geographic special on the greatest Anglo-Saxon gold hoard ever discovered is fairly interesting. The bloke who discovered the trove in a wide-open field surrounded by three major highways with a customized metal detector tells his story (along with the narrator). We learn how academics were brought in and kept the dig under wraps (to guard against nocturnal thieves). We learn the scope of this astonishingly large find, see many of its pieces up close, and learn of their purposes. Only speculation so far can surmise why and by whom they were hidden and forgotten. Here is a real -- and England's greatest -- tale of priceless buried treasure that's well worth seeing. 3.5 stars.

Diary of a City Priest (2001)

Based on the life and writings of Father John Patrick McNamee, pastor of St. Malachy's Catholic parish in inner-city Philadelphia from 1984 to the present day, Diary of a City Priest is a poignant celebration of the trials and mysteries of being an inner-city Catholic priest. David Morse as "Father Mac" struggles to find time to reflect and write about the meaning of his priestly life and service in the midst of a very jammed schedule as everyone's "go-to guy." You can kvetch about his muttering and frustration -- now there's irony -- but how would you do if everyone came to you with their problems -- even beggars from dinner hour till midnight, cleaning out your pantry -- for the past 15 years, and you knew it would be so for the rest of your life? In an unusual touch that worked adequately for me but may not for others, Father Mac has face-to-face dialogs with four saints that are integral to his faith and outreach. Most show a good sense of humor but the best line of the movie is one saint's counsel: "Live through the mystery, don't try to unravel it." The movie was made on a low budget -- you can tell since some scenes are grainy or blurry with motion -- though authentically (on-site at St. Malachy's and environs). The script feels alternately yeomanlike (put through its paces) during most of the dialog but waxes lyrical in its description of a priest's sacramental duties. (Probably the latter comes from the real Father Mac's writings while the dialog scenes are constructed.) The movie reflects accurately (as far as I know) the real life of a parish priest -- esp. an inner-city one whose perfunctory benefactors in suburbia don't understand that donating a pre-owned car might as well include a bumper sticker that says "Strip me for parts." Struggle as he may with yielding to stress and burnout, Father Mac's dedication is selfless and inspiring. The movie sustains that message for the most part. 4 stars.

Covert Affairs (2010)

Covert Affairs: Seasons 1-5 is a sweet spy series starring Piper Perabo as the newest (and hottest) CIA recruit. (She's promoted to field operations a month early for being the most competitive and capable trainee from "The Farm" who speaks six languages. It also helps the show's appeal that her lips and outfits look poured on.) Covert Affairs is the new Alias and as fun as Burn Notice. Her tough-as-nails immediate boss is Kari Matchett (Nate's ex Maggie in Leverage), who reports to Peter Gallagher as well as being his take-no-prisoners wife. After Piper's character Annie Walker, however, my favorite is her blind and whipsmart field-support agent Auggie Anderson, played by Christopher Gorham. Interesting subplots arise as we learn why Annie joined the CIA and how she relates to her sister (who thinks she works at the Smithsonian). This show has run for 5 seasons because it's fast-paced, intelligent, and a pleasure to watch. Episode 1: Pilot (Annie's first field contact gets ventilated and Russian agents threaten her life), 2: Walter's Walk (Annie protects a boy genius), 3: South Bound Suarez (Annie expatriates two Venezuelans), 4: No Quarter (Annie is stranded in Zurich with a Mossad agent who may be her contact or a killer), 5: In the Light (Annie tracks an arms shipment), 6: Houses of the Holy (Annie tracks a Senate leak), 7: Communication Breakdown (a hacker shuts down D.C. telecommunications), 8: What Is and What Never Should Be (Annie tracks a suspicious art auction sale), 9: Fool in the Rain (an Iranian trade delegate hopes to defect), 10: I Can't Quit You Baby (Annie poses as a diamond smuggling mark), 11: When the Levee Breaks (Annie's boyfriend returns to the CIA after going rogue, and agency politics get more complex). (This review will be updated as seasons are viewed.) 5 stars. (8-7-2010, updated 8-6-2016)

Brian Regan: The Epitome of Hyperbole (2008)

Brian Regan is pretty darn funny. His rubber-faced expressions make him often look at various moments like Will Ferrell or Kevin Bacon or Christian Slater or Gary Shandling or others. His language is barely blue at all -- a few uses of "hell" but no f-bombs or s-bombs -- so technically my kids could watch him even though they might not appreciate his humor like I do (though more so in Standing Up than The Epitome of Hyperbole). In short, check him out because, after all, streaming a 42-minute comedy act is not that big of a risk. (Please don't post a "review" unless you watch the whole show though since it's hardly fair to bail after watching less than a third of the guy's material then criticize him esp. for what you never saw.) 3.5 stars.

Brian Regan: Standing Up (2007)

Standing Up is my first exposure to Brian Regan and I agree with those who think he's very funny. I really liked this performance and laughed quite a bit. His observational humor is intelligent and original. (Few jokes are absolutely original but Brian's humor is also so physical -- esp. his rubber-faced expressions -- that he finds a way to make each comic moment fresh and new.) Funny thing: With his mighty-morphing face, he often looks like Will Ferrell or Kevin Bacon or Christian Slater or Gary Shandling or even others. It is true that his language is barely blue at all -- a few uses of "hell" but no f-bombs or s-bombs -- so technically my kids could watch him even if they might not appreciate his humor like I do. Brian riffs for quite a while on family esp. married life as well as TV programming like the antiques road show, golf, news, and politics. In short: Watch him. It's 42 minutes well-spent. If you like him, see more (though I think Standing Up is funnier than The Epitome of Hyperbole). 4 stars.