The 2011 Movie Countdown- #30-21

Day 3

30. What’s Your Number

- Anna Faris is a pretty funny actress and I thought she had turned the corner when she found The House Bunny a few years ago. However, since then she has been drifting back and forth in works that do not really live up to her potential. In this film, she hunts down the 19 guys she has slept with because she is determined not to hit 20. There is a pretty good concept here and it is more of a guy usual centered story than Bridesmaids but something does not quite connect here. There are funny moments, and Chris Evans and her have some nice scenes together but the ending issue feels forced and it turns into a silly romantic comedy by diverting the issue of them getting together as long as possible.

29. Our Idiot Brother

- Paul Rudd is the driving force of this film and every moment he is on screen this film clicks. He is a stoner slacker who gets arrested for selling pot to a cop. This forces him back to his house where he takes turns living with all of his sister’s and unintentionally ruining their lives but never in a malicious manner. At the end he delivers a big speech about what this all means to him and it is there you see the emotional heart of the film. It makes everything that came before it connect a little better and delivers  strong connections to revisit the second time around.

28. Tower Heist

- A return to the old Eddie Murphy is always welcome. For pieces of this film you get that and Tower Heist is pretty awesome in those scenes. However, there are not nearly enough of them. Furthermore, when Eddie isn’t on screen this movie plods along following Ben Stiller and the rest of his rag tag crew. But if you want to hear Eddie Murphy riffing like crazy then this movie is well worth watching. I like the topical nature of the plot as well which somehow manages to not feel forced.

27. Friends with Benefits

- Sort of torn on this film. It wants to be different and at times succeeds. At other times it feels just as formulaic as the films it is riffing against. That leaves you with the two leads who do really play well off each other and do have a certain level of chemistry. In fact, their chemistry together is really what carries the film throughout its duration. The script doesn't always work and they introduce too many goofy side characters (like Kunis' mom) which sort of derail the proceedings. Logistically I understand why they include the stuff with Timberlake's dad in the film but it really feels out of place at times and an unnecessary diversion. Overall though I would say I enjoyed the film and there are quite a few funny lines sprinkled throughout. What hurts it though is the fact that you know how it is going to end even though it wants you to think it is different from that type of film. That would not be all bad but they spend so much time showing you how affable and together these characters are that it seems implausible that they are so emotionally damaged.

26. Scream 4

- Wes Craven and the gang return to deliver a new edition of their hit 90’s franchise. For the most part the film works. Much like the original three it is at its best when it is poking fun at the genre and finding new ways to poke at the conventions while engaging in them. However, someone needs to shake Ehren Kruger and stop having him punch up scripts. There is a scene with two cops that for some dumb reason begins talking about Bruce Willis as a cop. Then the killer shows up and dispatches both cops with the last one (Anthony Anderson) yelling, “Fuck Bruce Willis,” before he dies. It comes way out of left field and is played too facetiously to be taken seriously in any way. On some level I get that for this franchise but it feels like forced mocking rather than just natural mocking within the context of the story.  Also, that ending is completely goofy. With a better final 10 minutes this movie would’ve worked much better.

25. Drive Angry

- The best grindhouse film not marketed as a grindhouse film. Nicholas Cage is at his insane best in this film as a man who escaped from Hell. The story is pretty dense for an action film and as it spends its time filling in the backstory it gets sillier but more fun. There are some good performances here by guys like Billy Burke and William Fichtner where they just are told to glare at the camera and walk towards the frame. The important thing here though is that it was one of 2 films this year to effectively use the 3D gimmick. Also, this is the second time that Patrick Lussier has shown he can do well in that format (including 2009’s My Bloody Valentine) so hopefully he keeps doing it. This is a loud, in your face action film and a helluva good time.

 

24. No Strings Attached

- It covers the same ground as Friends with Benefits but works better in quite a few ways. First off, the characters actually have reasons to be distant from each other. That comes from the script. Another thing from the script is that they flip the roles of the lead characters. The male is the hopeless romantic and the female is the one emotionally unattached. Something that comes from the physical appearance of the actors is that Ashton Kutcher is about a foot taller than Natalie Portman. They have some pretty good slapstick with this throughout the film. All the secondary characters are pretty fun and there are quite a few funny lines throughout.  This is a movie that deserves your time and will find a nice home on cable TV and FX or TBS in the future.

 

23. Fright Night

- I enjoyed this film quite a bit and actually texted a friend to write, "This film is better than it has any right to be." I think the lessons for directors and writers of remakes in the future are clear though. When the characters are asked to be different from their counterparts in the original- the film works out well. When they are asked to basically copy the same actions it does not work nearly as well. I like this film as much as - if not slightly more- than I did the original mainly based on the performances but some of the technical aspects are too hard to overlook. There are some cute asides to the original (The "You're so cool Brewster" line is here but in a different context) but they feel almost superfluous at times.

22. The Lincoln Lawyer

- Matthew McConaughey is pretty great in this. He finds a way to blend his normal traits of laid-back cocky and channel that into a lawyer who usually can defend his clients no problem but is having an attack of conscience here. This is a better crime drama then you think and there are plot twists throughout the film that take the outcome of the trial in a bunch of different directions. They probably go with one too many towards the end as it gets a little goofy to follow along. However, it is a thriller made solely for adults and does not care if anyone else wants to come along for the ride.

 

21. Cedar Rapids

- Ed Helms is a small time insurance agent who heads off to a big convention in Cedar Rapids. It is his first plane ride anywhere and he lives his insulated small town life for the city. There he meets a group of people and gets pulled in different directions by a figurative angel and devil trying to influence him. Throughout the film Helms’ character gets caught in an escapade of prostitution, drugs, corruption, and adultery. What makes the film work though is that the movie never treats Helms as the butt of the joke. He is just a nice guy who is not schooled in the ways of the world, but he is trying hard. This is a great little underdog comedy. 

Day 4 tomorrow