Get Him to the Greek

Russell Brand reprises his role as rock star Aldous Snow in the non-sequel to 2008's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall".  Aaron Green (played by Jonah Hill) is an ambitious record producer who is still a huge Aldous Snow fan, despite his recent fall from fame after a hugely offensive and lame debacle of an album.  When Aaron's boss starts hinting at financial troubles for their label, Aaron suggests hosting an Aldous Snow anniversary concert at the Greek Theater in L.A. to drum up some easy money.  The problem is, Aaron's boss puts him in charge of getting Aldous to the concert on time, and that task may prove easier said than done.  The film's antics provide some hearty laughs, but all in all the comedy is sporadic at best.  Brand pretty much carries the story, portraying Aldous as a superficial, egotistical, over-sexed, and over-drugged party animal.  Brand's humor is a little obvious, but his natural charm and ability not to take himself too seriously gets the job done.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Hill.  A guy who got off to a fantastic start in 2007's "Superbad" has quickly become one-note.  It seems that Hill is only capable of playing the same type of character over and over again, and his angry but lovable loser shtick is starting to wear a little thin.  The highlight of the film - and definitely the most surprising turn - may very well be by Rose Byrne, who plays pop sensation Jackie Q and Aldous' girlfriend of 7 years.  Having done mostly serious roles up until now (most notably on the critically-acclaimed legal drama "Damages"), it is refreshing to see Byrne in a crass, ditzy role where she dances provocatively in music videos, wearing ridiculous outfits and singing songs with thinly-veiled metaphors about anal sex (laugh-out-loud hilarious).  "Get Him to the Greek" may not be the funniest addition to the Apatow collection of raunch fests with heart, but it still merits a viewing if only for Brand's self-indulgent charisma and Byrne's outrageously naughty and out-of-character appearance.


3 out of 5 stars

The House of the Devil

Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) is just your average college student looking for a job so she can get her own apartment and escape her awful roommate.  When she answers a babysitting ad in hopes of making some extra cash, Samantha ends up at a spooky house with a creepy couple on the night of a lunar eclipse... and unknowingly putting herself in horrific danger.  The film takes place in the early 80's, and is lovingly shot to capture the feel of that time period; it could easily have been released in the 80's instead of 2009 and you would not be able to tell the difference.  Much like the cheesy horror films of that time, though, the movie fails at scaring up any real chills.  The story plods along at an excruciating pace, throughout which we see Samantha rudely snooping through the entire house and dancing along to her clunky Walkman.  Occasionly, we hear a strange noise or ominous thump from the house, but not much more than that hints at what is to come.  Things continue this way for roughly the first three-quarters of the film until Samantha's purpose is finally revealed, and not very satisfactorily.  Pulling some elements from "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Omen" at the last second - but achieving the scares of neither - the ending comes off as pointless and unsatisfying.  Without even the kitschy campiness of the 80's horror movies to fall back on, "The House of the Devil" delivers neither the thrills nor the fun.


2 out of 5 stars

Please Give

Alex and Kate are a successful NYC couple who make a living by combing through the belongings of dead people in search of rare, antique pieces to display in their eclectic furniture shop and resell at a ridiculous profit.  They live with their rebellious teenage daughter next door to a cantankerous old woman named Andra - their tenant who must die in order for them to expand their apartment into the home of their dreams.  Alex and Kate's lives start to get complicated when they befriend Andra's granddaughters and unlikely relationships start to form.  Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener ("Friends with Money") - well-known for her interesting, complicated characters - the film is a satisfying balance of biting humor and authentic sentiment.  Played by Holofcener's long-time collaborator and muse Catherine Keener, Kate is a woman who should be happy with all life has given her, but instead feels guilty at all her good fortune.  To compensate, she compulsively gives money to the homeless and tries her hand at volunteering - all the while condescendingly pitying those less fortunate and completely missing the point of her good deeds, thus becoming the bad person that she strives not to be.  The excellent supporting cast includes Oliver Platt as Kate's complacent husband, and Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet (in a glorious turn as the self-centered and bitchy Mary) as their neighbor's granddaughters.  "Please Give" is a wonderfully entertaining and insightful look into the lives of wealthy Manhattanites that gives generously with both hands.


4 out of 5 stars

How to Train Your Dragon

Hiccup is an awkward, gangly young man who is the complete antithesis of his father - a vicious warrior and leader of a tribe of hearty Vikings who live on an isolated island terrorized by fire-breathing dragons.  And these aren't just any dragons... this world includes a slew of subspecies of dragons, each with its own unique set of characteristics.  Among these is the most feared dragon of all, one that strikes with such accuracy and stealth that it has never been seen by human eyes, dubbed Night Fury.  The Vikings are trained early on to fight dragons and are expected to enter into this vocation willingly - except Hiccup shows no predilection to this noble occcupation, much to his father's chagrin.  Until one fateful day, when Hiccup maims a Night Fury and gets the rare chance to study it up close... and quickly discovers that dragons aren't at all what he thought they were.  As voiced by Jay Baruchel (the king of playing nebbishly neurotic young men), Hiccup is an incredibly likable antihero.  Though he lacks the prowess and physical strength of his fellow Vikings, he is noble of heart.  He quickly befriends the crippled dragon, who he names Toothless, and does anything and everything to help the dragon and keep it safe - even at the risk of alienating his imposing father (voiced by the gruff Gerard Butler).  The secondary characters are equally well-cast and provide excellent comic relief.  Most impressive was the flawless animation; the scenes at sea are so beautifully realistic that you can almost feel the ocean mist on your face.  A great story, engaging characters with depth, and gorgeous eye candy make this film a wonderful addition to the family movie genre.


4 out of 5 stars

(Untitled)

Adam Goldberg ("Dazed and Confused") plays Adrian Jacobs, a starving avant-garde music composer.  He struggles with finding an audience for his abstract compositions while his brother, Josh (Eion Bailey) rubs his own success - as a popular painter of hotel and hospital art - in his face.  Meanwhile, both brothers fall for beautiful and eccentric art-gallery owner, Madeleine Gray (the always adorable Marley Shelton), who prefers the integrity of an artist who is unappreciated  and critically-reviled in his own time.  Soon, Adrian and Madeleine are in hipster love and Madeleine is introducing Adrian to a whole new society of demented artists and wealthy collectors... but are these really the type of people Adrian wants to be associated with?  This satirical view on the eclectic and outlandish personalities in the art world tries to be funny, but too often I found myself asking if the filmmakers were looking down at these artsy weirdos or shining a sympathetic light on them.  It never fully commits to either side and subsequently leaves the viewer feeling confused and cold.  There is no one relatable in the film... Adrian is such an arrogant, talentless misanthrope, and Josh is such an egocentric, immature douche that there is no one you can root for.  Madeleine is probably the most likable character - and that is not saying much - in that she is confident, knows exactly what she wants, and is ruled by her principles (though her high standards are off-puttingly self-serving).  In the end, none of the characters grow or have any type of revelations and everyone pretty much circles back to where they first started.  I guess I just didn't see a point to this story, and maybe I wasn't supposed to.  "(Untitled)" is a study of strange, narcissistic people who live in a strange, narcissistic universe that I never wanted to know anything about.


2 out of 5 stars

Iron Man 2

"Iron Man 2", while lacking the story and gripping intensity of the first film, is still a worthy follow-up to the excellent first installment.  At this point, our protagonist, Tony Stark (played by the delectable and enjoyably cocky Robert Downey Jr.) has moved past most of the growing pains he experienced in the previous film, where we saw him coming into his own as Iron Man.  His problems are far from over, though, as now the U.S. government is after his Iron Man suits claiming they are weapons of mass destruction that should not be owned by a private corporation.  Of course, to some degree this is a valid argument considering Stark's reckless and narcissistic nature and his frequent misuse of the suits, including shameless Iron Man showboating.  Meanwhile, Ivan Vanko - the son of a famed physicist who worked closely with Stark's father - feels cheated of the Stark family's fame and glory and is working on his own arc reactor technology to seek revenge on the Stark Corporation.  Throw in a slimy, sanctimonious bureaucrat (played by the always exquisite Sam Rockwell) and you've got all sorts of predicaments for Iron Man to overcome.  The thing that takes away a little from this sequel is the lack of character development, which is a common problem for these superhero follow-ups since they are no longer focusing on the hero's origin story.  That being said, Stark is still a seductively fun character, despite his arrogance that can only be made endearing by someone like Downey Jr.  Don Cheadle is a welcome addition as Stark's best friend and military official, Lt. Col. James Rhodes (a.k.a. War Machine), who replaced Terrence Howard from the first film and plays him without the smug anger simmering just below the surface that Howard exudes.  The "will they or won't they" romance between Stark and his loyal assistant Pepper Potts (the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow) is still intact, but falls by the wayside of the action between Iron Man and Vanko (a caricature-ish Mickey Rourke with a laughable Russian accent).  The film sets up The Avengers film franchise nicely (including the highly anticipated Captain America and Thor films), at times seeming more like blatant advertising for future films rather than a serious movie in its own right.  Still, it fulfills all the prerequisites of a summer movie thrill ride and despite its shortcomings, Iron Man still comes out on top.


4 out of 5 stars