The Heat review

THE HEAT:

FBI AGENTS YOU CAN LAUGH AT THAT WON’T RESULT IN A FINE OR JAIL TIME!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

20^TH CENTURY FOX

Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock getting ready to kick some ass as The Heat

            Okay, I gotta make something perfectly clear, I’m not much of a fan of “chick flicks”. Don’t get me wrong, there are some I actually enjoy like some of Adam Sandler’s previous romantic comedies, those were actually pretty funny, and any of them that focus very hard on the comedy just as much as telling a cute story.

            However the 2011 comedy, Bridesmaids changed the rules, I love that movie, it was a chick flick that the guys can enjoy just as much as the “babes” with its raunchy comedy, the cute story, the unforgettable characters, and Melissa McCarthy, oh my god where do I even begin with this woman? Melissa is incredibly hilarious in anything she stars in, even the 2013 Jason Bateman comedy, Identity Thief which received mixed reviews from critics, I thought Melissa’s performance was top notch, the same can be said with the latest McCarthy and Sandra Bullock (Miss Congeniality, The Blind Side, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) buddy cop comedy, The Heat, directed by Bridesmaids director, Paul Feig.

            Wow, this is a hysterical comedy, the humor is at full force, Bullock and McCarthy’s performances are very likable, the chemistry is good between them, even the classic good cop bad cop action is very amusing to watch. The premise is basically what you get if you put Bridesmaids and Reno 911 in a blender, and that’s not a bad thing, the jokes, while crude and raunchy at times are very good, the cop action is over the top, if not funny at the same time, and might be one of the funniest films of the year, it’s right up there with This is the End.

            Sandra Bullock plays uptight FBI agent, Sarah Ashburn who travels to Boston to team up with foul-mouthed cop, Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), a duo that is very incompatible, haven’t seen that before! But when they join forces to take down a ruthless drug lord, they become the last thing they ever expected; buddies. It’s a pretty straight forward plot and often predictable, it’s usually how a lot of buddy cop films are summed up in the beginning, most recently the 2010 Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg comedy, The Other Guys. But the performances Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy deliver in this movie, that’s more than enough to make up for its predicable premise.

            There were many times during the film where I couldn’t stop cracking a smile or upright laughing at some of the goofy dialogue, jokes, and one-liners these characters make. It had the right amount of crude raunchiness and silly moments for me to enjoy the movie as a whole and not just for the crude content.

            The Heat stands well on its own, being a great comedy; it’s definitely up there with some of my many favorite comedies, alongside films like The Hangover, Horrible Bosses, and Tropic Thunder. It’s also great seeing a buddy cop flick with women as the main protagonists instead of men, if it was a duo of men taking down criminals, it would just be like every other cop film that comes out these days, so it’s nice to see women kick just as much ass as men.

            Men will enjoy it, along with women; even cops or FBI agents may have some good laughs with this flick. Just make sure you don’t sneak into the movie without paying, otherwise you may be paying an unpleasant visit from…The F*CKING HEAT!

            

World War Z review

WORLD WAR Z:

IT LACKS IN ORIGINALITY, BUT BEING A DAMN GOOD ZOMBIE FLICK MORE THAN MAKES UP FOR IT!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES    

Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane and his family surviving a zombie apocalypse in World War Z

Director Mark Forster (Monster’s Ball, Stranger Than Fiction, Quantum of Solace) brings a thrilling adaption of Max Brooks’ best selling novel, World War Z to the big screen with cutting edge visual effects, extreme zombie violence, and an outstanding performance by Brad Pitt (Inglourious Basterds, Moneyball, Mr. and Mrs. Smith). While it lacks in the originality department World War Z is undeniably entertaining and it’s a good old fashioned zombie apocalyptic thriller, unlike recent zombie comedies such as Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, or Warm Bodies where everything is played for laughs or a lot of the recent zombie action thrillers based on popular video games, the movie is a giant war between humans and zombies with lots of gunfire, flesh eating, the traditional zombie movie material, it’s pretty much Night of the Living Dead on steroids.

Brad Pitt plays United Nations employee, Gerry Lane who traverses the world into a race against time to stop a pandemic that’s transforming all of humanity into flesh eating zombies that are toppling armies and governments and threaten to devastate humanity. So it’s up to Gerry and his family to survive this apocalyptic war and figure out a way to stop the contagious virus that can destroy the world.

The plot is pretty basic, traditional zombie survival, but they like to throw in a few surprises in there. As a whole, World War Z is loaded with action and plenty of fun, while it isn’t exactly scary nor is it a bloody horror mess; it’s an intense fast paced thriller with a classic story.

 I enjoyed the film for the most part but I wouldn’t say it’s better than any of those classic zombie flicks like Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, or the Evil Dead franchise. It’s almost impossible for a modern horror or supernatural thriller these days to surpass the classics, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the movie, I thought it was worth my time and money.

I’ve never read Max Brooks’ book so I won’t be able to compare any of the differences or flaws, but from what I can tell the movie’s adaption has mixed reception from people who read the book. However as a moviegoer, World War Z is a very good action/horror thriller with enough zombie action for classic horror fans as well as newcomers, epic special effects, eye-popping 3D, and a likable performance by Brad Pitt.

If you’re a fan of the Max Brooks novel, classic zombie movies, or post apocalyptic thrillers, give this flick a try. While the plot is simple, there should be something for everyone in this gut pounding zombie thriller. 

Monsters University review

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY:

A SURPRISINGLY ENTERTAINING PREQUEL TO MONSTERS INC. WITH LOTS OF HILARITY AND HEART!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

DISNEY/PIXAR

Mike and Sulley getting ready to become Scarers in Monsters University

            In November of 2001, Pixar released an animated family comedy about monsters and why they scare children known as Monsters Inc., which would eventually become a critical success, an Academy Award nominated feature, and praised by critics and audiences. Now they made a prequel, Monsters University and while it isn’t quite as memorable as the original it’s still very comedic and charming.

Billy Crystal (Analyze This and That), John Goodman (Argo, Flight, The Big Lebowski), and Steve Buscemi (Hotel Transylvania, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) reprise their voice roles as Mike Wazowski, James P. Sullivan (Sulley), and Randall in the film and I’m glad they did. There’s also some new additions to the Monster crew including Helen Mirren (RED, The Queen, Excalibur), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2, Rango), Charlie Day (Horrible Bosses, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia), and many more “Monstrous” talents.

As a young Cyclops, Mike Wazowski has always dreamed of becoming the world’s greatest Scarer at Monsters Inc. but before he could become a Scarer, he had to go to college at Monsters University.

While there he meets his roommate, Randy (Randall), a comedic group of monster nobodies, and the son of one of the greatest Scarers of all time, James P. Sullivan or Sulley as most people call him. Mike becomes jealous of Sulley’s greatness and tries to challenge him at scaring; problem is Mike’s not scary.

Along the road of their humorous rivalry they learn more about one another and become the best of friends we know today, help a group of underdog monsters become champions, and eventually compete in the Scare Games to show everyone what it takes to be a monster.

Monsters University was a good prequel to Monsters Inc. and actually made me feel like a kid again in the theater watching Monsters Inc. back in 2001. While it wasn’t as great as Toy Story 3, you can be certain it’s a lot better than Cars 2 (yeah, I saw the trailer for the Cars spinoff, Planes but just keep telling yourself “Monsters University came out this year, I’m gonna be okay!”).

            I wouldn’t consider this a Pixar masterpiece but it’s definitely one of their good animated films, like I said before Monsters Inc. was a little more memorable than this, does that mean I didn’t like University? Of course not! There’s enough comedy and heart in the story that can delight the adults just as much as the younger generation, in fact the humor and heartwarming story might be so delightful that it might scare you too, in a good way.