Day 330: How To Be Single (2016)

First off, I understand that I might have chosen a chick flick for today, but it is a comedy and it features Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect). The other thing is that the film also features the very beautiful Dakota Johnson and with that being said How To Be Single is today’s film. Alice (Johnson) has been dating Josh (Nicholas Braun) all throughout college and she just wants some time apart from him to make sure that he is the right guy for her. So, with the help of her new friend and co-worker, the wild and voluptuous Robin (Wilson), she throw herself on the dating scene. After figuring out that maybe it isn’t for her, she tries to go back to Josh, but discovers that it’s too late cause he has moved on. Now she has to figure out what to do before she stays single for too long. The film also stars Leslie Mann (The Other Woman) as Meg, Damon Wayans Jr. (Let’s Be Cops) as David, Anders Holm (The Intern) as Tom, Alison Brie (The Lego Movie) as Lucy, Jason Mantzoukas (Dirty Grandpa) as George, Jake Lacy (Balls Out) as Ken, Colin Jost (Staten Island Summer) as Paul, Brent Morin (Undateable) as Lucy’s Date, and the film was directed by Christian Ditter (Love, Rosie).

While this film is definitely a chick flick, it has some redeeming qualities to it. It may seem like it bashes guys because it’s all about how their relationships aren’t working or you the fact that you don’t want to get caught as Rebel puts it in the “Dicksand”(dick quicksand). There are some moments when they look absolutely crazy or when the bartender argues that you can’t find chemistry from an online dating app. I love Rebel Wilson because she plays the drunk, crazy, Aussie or Brit very well in every film that she is in and she does have some hilarious moments in the film. The thing I really liked about the film is the fact that it doesn’t just focus on Dakota Johnson’s character, but also on Leslie Mann’s who is trying to deal with the fact that she has put work ahead of her personal life and Alison Brie who believes in using dating apps. The film is kind of like six degrees of the bartender Tom because he is connected to all of them somehow a she tries to figure out his life after a girl wakes him up. So, there is plenty of subplots to drive the story forward and it moves pretty well. It’s just that I am not completely into chick flicks so women may enjoy the film more than me. Having Jason Mantzoukas in the film was definitely clutch by me because his character was hilarious. I am going to go ahead and give the film an B+ for a final grade only because it’s one I probably wouldn’t watch again.

Day 190: Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)

Today’s film that I chose was one that I really wanted to read the book before going to see it, but I never got the chance and it was officially released today. So for today, I chose to watch Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates which stars Adam Devine (Pitch Perfect) and Zac Efron (Neighbors) as Mike and Dave Stangle. The Stangle brothers are a couple of guys that are absolutely inseparable. They work together, they party together, and they screw stuff up together, but there are people that want it to stop.  You see their sister Jeanie (Sugar Lyn Beard) is getting married in Hawaii and their parents are worried that they are going to screw it all up. The only way they can go is by finding wedding dates, but when they do they get more than they expected. The film also stars Aubrey Plaza (Dirty Grandpa) as Tatiana, Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) as Alice, Stephen Root (Office Space) as Burt, Stephanie Faracy (Hocus Pocus) as Rosie, Sam Richardson (Veep) as Eric, Alice Wetterlund (Girl Code) as Cousin Terry, Lavell Crawford (Breaking Bad) as Keith, Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) as Keanu, Jake Johnson (Let’s Be Cops) as Ronnie, and the film was directed by Jake Szymanski (7 Days In Hell).

I was a little skeptical about the film heading in because I thought it was going to be one of those films where the trailer was funnier than the film itself.That was definitely not the case whatsoever with this film. This definitely has to be a contender for comedy of the year and I know there’s a lot of time left, but I couldn’t stop laughing. If Adam Devine and Zac Efron weren’t making you laugh, Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick were definitely there to provide some laughs as well. There was just a lot of great chemistry going around in this film and you could definitely see it all around with every moment in the film. It’s hard to choose a favorite scene because any moment with the Stangle brothers was absolutely hilarious like the push pop scene or even the ATV aftermath scene was great. Sugar Lyn Beard has her moments in the film too tat were great whether it be with the masseuse or getting high on Ecstasy. After seeing this film, Zac Efron has definitely grown on me and he plays the role of funny, but sensitive dumb jock guy every well in some of his movies. The proof is in the pudding with the Neighbors series and this. I’m not sure I like where Aubrey Plaza is going with her career, but I an’t complain cause I am a huge fan of hers. I didn’t realize until now that this is the second straight film I have watched and reviewed that takes place in Hawaii. Maybe this is a sign of a new vacation spot that I should go to. Nevertheless, this is definitely a comedy to check out and with that being said I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.

Day 119: Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

For today I chose a film from Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore) because the first film in the Hotel Transylvania series was very good despite what people may be saying about his career. When I saw that Netflix had Hotel Transylvania 2 available to watch, I took the shot and it’s todays’ film. The film starts off with Mavis (Selena Gomez) and Jonathan (Andy Samberg) getting married and that follows with them having their first child Dennis (Asher Blinkoff). Dracula (Sandler) is having a hard time with the idea that his new grandson could be a human and not a monster. It’s gotten to the point that Mavis and Johnny are thinking about moving away to give Dennis a normal upbringing. Not liking the idea of that, Dracula has Johnny take Mavis on vacation in an attempt to see if he can bring the monster out of Johnny. The film also stars Kevin James (King Of Queens) as Frank, Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs) as Wayne, David Spade (Tommy Boy) as Griffin, Keegan-Michael Key (Let’s Be Cops) as Murray, Fran Drescher (The Nanny) as Eunice, Molly Shannon (Superstar) as Wanda, Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation) as Grandpa Mike, Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) as Grandma Linda, Mel Brooks (Spaceballs) as Vlad, and the film was directed by Genndy Tartakovsky.

While I loved the first film, I have to say that I enjoyed this one, but not as much as the first. This film had it’s funny moments, but not as much as the first film did. The funniest character in this film was definitely Blobby who provided enough laughs even though he doesn’t really say much. I honesty believe that is why they had him in the film as much as he was. The first film dealt with Mavis wanting to date a human and this film had them struggling with the idea that their son could be human. That is the one thing I have to give the film credit for is that it was well written film and it may show that Sander has something left in the tank. I loved the edition of Mel Brooks as Vlad and certainly the nod to Interview With The Vampire with the costume Johnny wears at a party.  The only thing I had a problem with is that he switches his stance very quickly on how he feels about humans even though this is a guy who has hated humans for a very long time. I just feel that this is something that should have been developed over a film, but nonetheless it was a good film. I am excited to hear that there is going to be a third film in the series because it’ll be cool to see where they take it now. Alright so it’s time to give the film a final grade and with careful thought, I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.

Day 52: Freaks Of Nature (2015)

I was going through my local Redbox trying to find a film to watch when I stumbled upon one that caught my eye based on the poster. The film is called Freaks Of Nature and it’s a horror comedy that was released back in October. In the town of Dillford, humans, zombies, and vampires all live in some form of harmony together. They work together, live near each other, and go to school together so it sort of seems normal. That is until one unfaithful day when the Aliens all of a sudden decide to show up. The aliens bring chaos and unnerving thoughts that send everyone in a downward spiral. That is until three teens, a human named Dag (Nicholas Braun), a zombie named Ned (Josh Fadem), and a vampire named Petra (Mackenzie Davis) have to team up to try and save their town from not only the aliens, but from each other as well. The film also stars Denis Leary (Rescue Me) as Rick, Ed Westwick (J. Edgar) as Milan, Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) as Lorelei, Keegan-Michael Key (Let’s Be Cops) as Mr. Keller, Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad) as Shooter Parker, Joan Cusack (High Fidelity) as Peg Parker, Chris Zylka (Piranha 3DD) as Chaz Jr., Ian Roberts (Get Hard) as Chaz Sr., Mae Whitman (Independence Day) as Jenna Zombie, Patton Oswalt (King Of Queens) as Stuart Miller, and the film was directed by Robbie Pickering.

If you are afraid of how cheesy this film could be, well don’t bee because I really liked it. I feel like horror comedies are the new thing in Hollywood with how good Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse proved to be. Freaks Of Nature is sort of a spoof movie without actually being one if that makes any sense to you. It kind of pokes fun at the vampire genre with some of the vampires looking like they came straight out of Twilight or how the aliens look as if they came out of The War Of The Worlds. I’m not going to give it away completely, but there is also an homage paid to Teen Wolf contained within the film and when you see it you’ll know what I am talking about. Vanessa Hudgens is and always has been super hot and she definitely is in this film as the sexy Lorelei, the object of Dag’s affection until he meets his one true love that takes him time to discover. There were only a couple of times I thought to myself that the film was getting a little cheesy, but not enough to deem this a Cheeseball Cinema worthy film because it was that good. It has all the comedy you could want with some horror like chase scenes and suspense with the aliens as well. The acting was very good and the cinematography was good too.Wait till you see what happens to the alien at the end, it looks like he is that creature from Basket Case. It was a fun film to watch and defintely worth your time if you enjoy horror comedies knowing that they are just that “Horror Comedies”. With that being said, I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.