Tis The Season..."Office Christmas Party"

Office Christmas Party (2016)

Rated R

Starring Jason Bateman, T.J. Miller, Olivia Munn, Jennifer Aniston, Kate McKinnon, Rob Corddry, Courtney B. Vance

Directed by Josh Gordon & Will Speck

The Story:

Carol Vanstone (Aniston) is going to shut down her brother's (Miller) branch of Zenotek to save the company money. Hoping to land a big client (Vance) and save his branch and the jobs of all of his employees, he grabs his right hand man (Bateman) and decides to throw an epic Christmas party like his dad used to do in order to have a Christmas miracle.

What could possibly go wrong?

There were a few surprises in store for me when I watched this movie.

The trailers, and the title, suggested some R-rated debauchery stupid comedy... and there are moments the film lives up...or down...to that stereotype.

Plus, it wasn't laugh out loud funny throughout, though there were several moments it hit the mark.

Instead, it stayed amusing and interesting throughout.

I was expecting Bateman to play the businessman who might lose the business because of an employee who goes too far in Miller.

With the roles reversed, and it's Miller in charge, and he's just a big goofball, and I mean that with all sincerity. I will watch T.J. Miller in just about anything he does, because he plays his parts so well and they are almost always the roles that steal the show.

As he leads the charge, it's Bateman who has to try and reign him in, while also realizing he's got to loosen up a bit if they have any chance of landing the client.

While the movie unfolds and the party gets a little crazier, you get sucked into the proceedings hoping that the movie ends well for the characters.

Yes, it is a bit of a Christmas miracle, because this is one of those "stupid comedies with a heart".

It's a great cast, and they're all making the most of their characters and situations.

I can't say I'd add it to the list of annual Christmas movies, it's a little too crude for that, but I'm glad I saw it, and I wouldn't be opposed to watching it again sometime down the road.

 Final Grade: B-

Special Delivery..."Storks"

Storks (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell, Anton Starkman, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Danny Trejo, Stephen Kramer Glickman

Directed by Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland

The Story:

Storks deliver babies. Or at least they used to, until one stork (Trejo) became too attached to Orphan Tulip (Crown) and refused to deliver her. After that, Hunter (Grammer) turned the service into CornerStore.com and the storks deliver packages to your doorstep with much less muss and fuss. Today, their top deliverer, Junior (Samberg) finds out he's going to be promoted. His first order of business is to fire Orphan Tulip.

Meanwhile, Nate (Starkman) pens a letter to the storks requesting a new baby brother with mad ninja skills. His parents (Burrell and Aniston) simply don't have the time to spend with him, so he wants someone to share his life with.

You can guess how these stories are about to converge, can you not?

:)

Warner Brothers Animation delivers an adorable and very funny animated film to kick off 2017 for our house.

It runs the gamut of emotions, and had quickly become a new family favorite in our house.

I should stop for a minute to mention that the film was written by Nicholas Stoller who also directed this alongside Doug Sweetland, a former Pixar animator. Both make their animated directorial debut with this film, and they've set the bar high for future installments and for the future of Warner Brothers Animation department.

The voice cast is superb from top to bottom and the story is compelling as you wait with each scene to see what is going to happen next.

The relationship between Tulip and Junior is one of the sweetest comic pairings in ages.

And no, they don't have some awkward physical relationship, but they do provide proof that a family is what you decide to make of it.

Add to the mix some of the craziest side characters ever in an animated film, especially Key & Peele's wolf pack and Pigeon Toady (Glickman) and you have a recipe for a very fun film, and one that will be revisited at the end of the year.

How you like me now?

:)

Final Grade: A-

We've All Had Some "Horrible Bosses 2"

Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)

Rated R

Starring Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz

Directed by Sean Anders

The Story:

Nick (Bateman), Kurt (Sudeikis) and Dale (Day) return, but this time they have invented a product and they are going to be their own bosses! They pitch it to billionaire Bert Hanson (Waltz) and he loves the idea and orders a boatload of them. The boys get down to business creating the product, all on their own dime, but when they take the product to Mr. Hanson, he declines, having already created a similar product. The guys plot their revenge, and that involves taking Hanson's son (Pine) hostage and ransoming him so they can save their company. Of course where these guys are concerned, nothing ever goes according to plan.

Having been pleasantly surprised at how funny the original Horrible Bosses turned out to be, I was eagerly anticipating the sequel, and hoped it wouldn't be a disappointment.

Long story short, if you liked the first one, there is little doubt that you will enjoy this follow up.

It's rude. It's crude.

But hey, that's where half the charm lies.

Sudeikis is manic, and his delivery is just killer. Listening to him deliver his lines simply kills throughout the film.

Day was a revelation for me from the first film, as I don't believe I had seen him in anything prior to that. As the exasperated one of the trio, he and Sudeikis provide a whirlwind of emotions and delivery that allow Bateman to be "the sane one" in a series of insane moments.

This works, and doesn't make Bateman have to do all the heavy lifting like he does in some other movies.

It provides a nice balance between the 3 stars.

Aniston and Spacey return in brief, but memorable parts that help drive the narrative.

I could think of worse things to endure than the prospect of a third go-round with this group.

Final Grade: B

It's Fairly Easy To Resort To A "Life Of Crime"

Life of Crime (2013)

Rated R

Starring Jennifer Aniston, Mos Def, Tim Robbins, Isla Fisher, Will Forte, John Hawkes

Directed by Daniel Schechter

The Story:

2 Detroit hoods (Def & Hawkes) hatch a scheme to kidnap the wife (Aniston) of a local businessman (Robbins) and ransom her for a million dollars. However, he was planning on divorcing her anyway, and enjoying the company of another woman (Fisher). As he has no intention of paying...things just got complicated.

So basically, this is Ruthless People, as penned by the late, great Elmore Leonard.

It's not as funny, though there are some funny bits.

It's actually more ruthless, but only a bit.

Not up to the excellent standards of Get Shorty or Justified, but a watchable caper that builds slowly as several characters are caught up in the tangled threads of the story.

Loyalties and alliances shift throughout the film until it all comes to an end.

They got the look and feel of the 70s down pat with the cars, houses and clothing.

The problem with Elmore Leonard adaptations with great casts, you come to expect more than just a typical movie.

Sadly, at the end of the day, this winds up being just an average tale that will become forgettable.


Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Nah, I think this was a one-hit wonder. Now I feel like watching Get Shorty again though. :)

The Price Of Fame... "$ellebrity"

$ellebrity (2012)

N/R

Starring Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Elton John, Kid Rock,

Directed by Kevin Mazur

The Story:

Kevin Mazur is a professional celebrity photographer.  Not a paparazzi.  This documentary will shed some light on what the paparazzi really is, what they really do, and how it affects our lives, as well as the lives of the celebrities they are stalking.

You may require a shower after watching this film.

First, sure, it's hard to feel bad for celebrities. 

Getting paid millions of dollars to sing, or act, or whatever seems like the easiest gig in the  world.

However, what is normally overlooked is the media presence that being a celebrity creates, at least for those that live in the New York/LA/Miami big city lifestyle where celebrities are a normal occurrence and paparazzi can congregate.

Easy fix: Move to Iowa.

Not taking that step though, the celebrities have to deal with a constant barrage of cameras and questions from people trying to make a quick buck on a shot, be it glamourous or not.

At events, that's standard.

At the grocery store, or dinner, or...

Well, maybe that line has been majorly crossed at this point.

Plus, there is the point: What about the children?

While the parent(s) chose fame, genetics chose the child.  Why are they under the microscope of public consumption?

However, until America's gossip habit fades, this problem is likely never going away.

One final point that they make rather well about why it will never go away:

Reality Stars.

Oxymoron, really.

But those that crave the attention have forever shifted the balance and now the real stars are forced to endure.

Or move to Iowa.

It is available to stream on Amazon Prime for free if you have that service.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not a purchaser, but one that would be sobering to watch every decade or so to see if things have gotten better, or likely, worse.

Who Knew Smuggling Pot Could Be So Much Fun? "We're The Millers"

We're The Millers (2013)
Rated R for Language, language, more language...

Starring Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Will Poulter, Emma Roberts, Ed Helms

Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber

The Story:

David (Sudeikis) is a small time pot dealer.  When he gets robbed, he is sent by his supplier (Helms) to Mexico to bring back a smidge, maybe a smidge and a half of weed.  David figures his best cover would be to travel as a family man, so he recruits a stripper (Aniston), a teenage runaway (Roberts), and a nerdy virgin (Poulter) to pretend to be his family and smuggle a little contraband back across the border.  What could possibly go wrong?

You know when you see a trailer, and you assume all of the funny parts were in the trailer?

Worse still, when you finally do see that movie, and you were right: All of the funny stuff was in the trailer.

That wasn't the case here.

All of the funny spots from the trailer are here in all their splendor, but the movie brings a lot more.

It's mile a minute laughter at the absurd conversations between characters.

Be warned, the writers embrace their R rating wholeheartedly with F bombs falling from the sky like crazy.

"I Never Got To Do This On TV"

But the delivery.. the lines themselves...the situations that the characters find themselves in...

You're going to laugh.

Yes, I know I sound like a hypocrite when I review some of these movies.  R Rated comedies often throw in language to ensure their rating.  It adds nothing to the joke, and is usually not involved in the dialogue other than to be a colorful adjective.


That is not the case here, it's some inspired naughty language that keeps the rapid-fire dialogue buzzing along like a well-oiled machine.  It's the second big-screen collaboration between Steve Faber and Bob Fisher when they co-wrote Wedding Crashers back in 2005.  You'd think Hollywood would want these guys to work together more often?

Speaking of where have they been, Rawson Marshall Thurber, a name that sounds too fake to be real, last hit it big with Dodgeball back in 2004.  Very quiet since then, but this was a welcome return.

"Is This The Way to the Three Amigos Remake?"

Sudeikis is a very underrated actor, and I loved him on Saturday Night Live.  He is a solid character actor, and delivers his lines perfectly.  That he can manage to keep a straight face with the lines he has to deliver... yeah, he's very good.  Whether he'll finally get moved up to leading man status after this film, I hope so.  If not, playing his smooth talking best friend/adversary roles will still be welcome in films.

"Friends Reunion?  They Wish..."

Jennifer Aniston continues to break away from the good girl/romantic comedy mold which she has been stuck with since Friends.  Add this to Horrible Bosses as two of her funniest big-screen efforts and hopefully she will continue varying up her film choices.

Naturally, much of the conflict of the movie comes from The Millers as they race to get the pot back to Denver, being pursued by the drug dealer whose stash they have mistakenly absconded with! 

The rest, is the family conflict of a family that isn't a family...but they begin to feel and act like a family.

"It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time..."

The ending is very appropriate for the film, and gives you as happy of an ending for this film as you can hope for.

Will there be a sequel?

I'm sure there is some way the Millers could ride again.

I'd come back for another go-round!

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  Movies that make only me laugh and can't be viewed by the whole family aren't high on my purchase list.  If it's running on cable some night a few years from now though, I could watch it again for some great laughter.