Posts tagged Comedy
“The A-Team” Full of Sound and Fury
Jun 24th
Posted by Dan Culberson in Hotshots Movie Reviews
“Full of Sound and Fury”
THE A-TEAM is based on the television series of the same name that ran from 1983 to 1987 on NBC-TV, except that the war references have been updated from the Vietnam War to the war in Iraq.
In other words, its target audience of teenage boys hadn’t even been born when the TV series was running, and the teenagers who enjoyed the TV show back then are in their 40s now and probably way too old to enjoy this tired, old retread of a knockoff.
The movie opens “Somewhere in Mexico,” and the leader of the team of renegade soldiers of fortune, Col. John “Hannibal” Smith, played by Liam Neeson, escapes death by dogs and travels “Somewhere Else in Mexico” to rescue Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck, played by Bradley Cooper.
Face is tied up inside a pile of tires by the Bad Mexicanos, and when asked how he is doing says in his characteristic manner, “I’m living the dream!”
In the meantime, B.A. Baracus gets his customized van back, which means something only if you are familiar with the TV series, and, of course, “B.A.” officially stands for “Bad Attitude,” but we all know the initials stand for something else.
And speaking of initials, the three of them find their fourth member in a hospital as usual, he is the pilot of the team, his name is H.M. Murdock, and his initials stand for “Howling Mad,” because he either is or isn’t.
At this point, the movie turns into nonstop action and a nonstop attempt at humorous jokes, what every teenage boy thoroughly enjoys.
Then we are told that it is eight years and 80 successful missions later, Jessica Biel shows up as Capt. Charisa Sosa, she has a history with Faceman, but they haven’t seen each other in three years, and she claims that her fondest memory of Faceman is leaving him.
And the main plot of the movie begins, which is for the team to stop a counterfeiting operation in Baghdad and which involves double-, triple-, and quadruple-crosses.
Of course, Hannibal’s catchphrase, “I love it when a plan comes together,” gets some mileage, too.
Now, I hesitate to use a reference from Shakespeare to talk about this movie, but I will.
THE A-TEAM is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing but a waste of time.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
The A-Team – Movie Trailer
Jun 11th
Posted by Channel 1 Networks in Movie Trailers
Director Joe Carnahan resurrects the popular 1980s-era action series with this explosive reboot following the adventures of four Iraq War veterans who begin a second career as mercenaries for hire. Col. John “Hannibal” Smith (Liam Neeson), Templeton “Face” Peck (Bradley Cooper), B.A. Baracus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson), and H.M. “Howlin’ Mad” Murdock (Sharlto Copley) are a group of former Special Forces operatives who have been fighting the good fight for eight years when they’re sentenced to military prison for a crime they didn’t commit. Breaking out with relative ease, they embark on a treacherous quest to clear their names while being hunted across the globe by Charissa Sosa (Jessica Biel), a high-ranking military officer and one of Face’s many former lovers. Meanwhile, mysterious CIA operative Lynch (Patrick Wilson) offers tips that help point the federal fugitives in the right direction, which seems to lead straight to former military contractor Pike (Brian Bloom), who may have been responsible for setting them up in the first place. Just when it seems that the A-Team has all the evidence needed to prove their innocence, however, they discover that their latest mission is just getting started.
“Get Him to the Greek” Self-Indulgent Knockoff
Jun 10th
Posted by Channel 1 Networks in Hotshots Movie Reviews
Self-Indulgent Knockoff
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
GET HIM TO THE GREEK starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand is a major disappointment if you were expecting something original from the team that made the 2008 FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL.
On the other hand, as I have been saying for years, “Hollywood has run out of ideas,” and what can you expect when almost every other new movie is a sequel, a prequel, a remake, or even “based on the characters” from another movie as this one is?
This movie should have a title in the closing credits that says “Based on the premise of the 1982 My Favorite Year,” which starred Peter O’Toole and Mark Linn-Baker.
You be the judge: Leonard Maltin says in his MOVIE GUIDE that the earlier film is “about a young writer on TV’s top comedy show in 1954 who’s given the job of chaperoning that week’s guest star, screen swashbuckler and off-screen carouser Alan Swann.”
This film is about a record-company intern who’s given the job of chaperoning a British rock star from London to the Los Angeles Greek Theater in 72 hours, where he is scheduled to give a concert, and the rock star’s name is Aldous Snow. Same initials. Coincidence? Or intentional?
Anyway, the record-company executive is played by Sean “P. Diddy” Puff Daddy Do-wah Diddy Combs, and he tells his staff, “We got to thicken our revenue stream.”
Aaron Green suggests the idea of putting on a 10th anniversary concert at the Greek with Aldous Snow, and once that Snow agrees, Aaron is given the task of getting Snow from his home in London to Los Angeles in time for the concert.
And, of course, nothing goes as Aaron plans.
Snow believes that the concert is in two months and that Aaron chenged the date on him. So, Snow would rather party than catch a flight.
To keep Snow sober, Aaron drinks all of Snow’s booze in his flask and smokes all of Snow’s weed.
A stop in New York City for an appearance on the “Today” show doesn’t go well at all.
Snow asks Aaron to do something for him that is illegal as well as disgusting.
And then Snow changes their flight to go to Las Vegas so he can visit his father.
GET HIM TO THE GREEK is not much more than a self-indulgent knockoff.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”