Review Wrap-Up for 9/26/08

I’ve put up a bunch of new DVD reviews over on CT that I now present to you in truncated form. Click through for the full write-ups.

Bucket List, Bruce & Lloyd, Funny Games, Harold & Kumar 2

Bucket List: Still, the movie is more or less enjoyable if you expect from it no more than what it has to offer. The two lead actors make it very much worth watching, but I advise quickly getting past the all-too-convenient situational settings. [Buy Funny Games at Amazon]

Bruce & Lloyd: Out of Control feels very much like a direct-to-video toss off, but has a few genuine laughs that mostly occur when it’s not trying to so hard to be “out of control.” Larry Miller appears as the underchief of the technology division and provides most of those with his wildly inappropriate phraseology and alternate agendas. [Buy Bruce & Lloyd at Amazon]

Funny Games: This is not for an audience that likes its stories nice and tidy. Everything is left open and the usual redemption that comes at the end of such movies is completely missing. So don’t expect anything other than relentlessly downbeat turns, with things going from worse to worse to worse and so on throughout the film. It’s unsettling and disturbing and not for the casual viewer. [Buy Funny Games at Amazon]

Harold & Kumar 2: All the characterizations are the same as before, which I guess makes sense since the movie is supposed to take place essentially right where the previous one left off. But that leads to an unsatisfying viewing experience since there’s no growth that’s taken place or which occurs during the movie itself. [Buy Harold & Kumar 2 at Amazon]

The Promotion: There’s nothing necessarily wrong with The Promotion. It’s perfectly likable and non-offensive as a comedy about two guys slugging it out for the manager position at an about-to-open grocery store. But there are problems with the script that even the best efforts of the actors can’t overcome. [Buy The Promotion at Amazon]

The Love Guru: In the hands of an actor less inclined to unabashadly mug everytime something funny happens, thereby draining all the actual humor out of the situation, The Love Guru would be about 95 percent better than it is. As it stands it’s got some genuinely funny bits, but Myers is simply too enamored of himself and so brings every scene to a screeching halt so he can make a face. [Buy The Love Guru at Amazon]

The Foot Fist Way: It’s never out and out funny in an obvious way, but the humor comes unexpectedly and, in most case, awkwardly as you watch a collection of relative idiots bumble their way through their lives trying to be bigger than they really are.

The Godfather Trilogy – The Coppola Restoration: There’s no sense in reviewing the movies themselves since they, at this point, are bigger than being merely films that can be judged on any sort of objective, critical level. They’re fantastic and epic, even while telling a very small and intimate story about men and what they do to protect their family. So on to how the movies look. [Buy The Godfather Trilogy at Amazon]

Iron Man: There’s so much to like about Iron Man it’s a bit hard to keep count. Between the tight, engaging script, Robert Downey Jr.’s loose, natural performance, the fact that Gwyneth Paltrow actually seems to be having fun and the top-notch special effects it’s just fun. On top of that it’s a good movie in and of itself. [Buy Iron Man at Amazon]

By Chris Thilk

Chris Thilk is a freelance writer and content strategist with over 15 years of experience in online strategy and content marketing. He lives in the Chicago suburbs.