Movie Review: The Revenant

I apologize for all of my R rated movie reviews recently.
That said, this is the goriest, heaviest, adult movie to date on my blog with a review.
I make this note so that no one takes this R rating lightly in any way shape or form.

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The Revenant (2015)

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Producer: Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent, Keith Redmon, James W. Skotchdopole
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: December 16, 2015 (TCL Chinese Theatre), December 25, 2015 (U.S. Limited Release), January 8, 2016 (Worldwide Release)
Running Time: 156 minutes
Country: United States
Language: Arikara, English, French, Pawnee
Rating: R

Trailer

Inspired by true events, in an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald. Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. (Source)

Movie Tags: Historical, Man vs Wild, Survival, Drama, Western, semi-biographical

Note: Please note R rating.

This film may be, by far the goriest grittiest movie I've seen in years, but it was worth watching.

I'm going to be honest.. I saw this over two weeks ago and still have no idea how it makes me feel.
It's a story about real people's lives, it's history. It's gritty, unpleasant, cringe inducing, insightful, beautiful, ugly, raw...
I loved it but I also hated it... unsure of where that leaves me. Conflicted. Confused.

I feel the need to consider it given me a different view on my life, the value of how easy life and death came almost 200 years ago. The idea that I came from those that survived those conditions, ones I can't even imagine, always blows me away. Something I try not to think too hard about because it might blow my mind away too much. 

This movie dances around the entire reality that lives hanging in the balance. Struggling with the ideas of if you are able to change your life or if you are meant to let things be.
That partnerships, friendships, relationships, life and death, all come and go so easily and quickly. While some.. last longer than you'd ever expect, but let's dive in.

Hugh Glass was real. His story is true, this version however, not entirely. You may have no noticed the "semi-biographical" tag.
Hugh Glass was a mountain man and beaver fur trapper in the American West in the 1820s and 1830s.  On his first trip up the Missouri River in 1823 he was severely mauled by a grizzly bear, left for dead by his companions, survived, and struggled on his own for about six weeks and 200 miles back to Fort Kiowa. This feat was legendary among his peers almost immediately and the story has been retold (and elaborated on) ever since. (Source)

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What I enjoyed the most, were the little details this movie touched on. Actual research into the lives, culture, and practices of indigenous tribes.

There's a scene where a Pawnee man dies and a piece of moss is placed in his mouth. This is something they actually did to respect their dead.
The person I watched the film with pointed it out to me, I noticed it, but hadn't really thought much of it. It's such a simple, but beautiful moment which only adds farther depth to the complexity of this film.

Along with that, there is a meeting of chance, which leads to Hugh being kept alive by someone solely for their consideration and kindness. The effort they put into building shelter is beyond amazing and authentic to the times.

There's the hunting techniques, the Pawnee hunt with fire. There's a moment when you see fire rage up and take over a flat area and wolves running off. A Pawnee man is taking a kill from the wolves since they fear fire, as most animals instinctively do.

As I've already discussed, some of the facts have been altered an that effects my feelings and review of the film. Mainly because it's disappointing. While I understand there are issues of entertainment and different version of memoirs of the events. The heaviest point, some characters did not die, those that somewhat impacted the story line, as well as the driving force of the film doesn't hold against the facts of the journey. But I'm trying to avoid spoilers.

If you are interested... Farther reading... Fact checking...

IMDb | Wikipedia | Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Review: Brooklyn

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Brooklyn (2015)

Directer: John Crowley
Producer: Amanda Posey, Finola Dwyer
Based on: Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures (United States), 20th Century Fox (International), Lionsgate (United Kingdom)
Release dates: 26 January 2015 (Sundance), 6 November 2015
Running time: 112 minutes
Country: Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom
Language: English
Rating: PG-13

Trailer

An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. (Source)

This is a story about a woman in a different time and traveling between two different worlds. Trying to not only find her way but decide who she is and who she wants to be, which are two very different things.

Eilis leaves Ireland looking towards America and New York City as not only an escape her for small little life, but as a new hope of everything she might dream or of accomplish.
Everything is in place for her, a home, a job, a new life to build, a new world to explore.

She leaves behind an older sister and her mother, her sister now expected to care for her mother as she ages. Something that does bring tension to their relationship but is never really forced on Eilis, in the sense that's it's expected of her instead.

Homesickness plagues Eilis for months on end as she experiences her first winter in America, which is most colder and more extreme than she's used to. Making the world seem much less welcoming.

The only comfort she has are the girls in her boarding house, who are only occasionally friendly. However, she must still form a relationship with them. She has to live with them and they have been there longer and know more. They aren't always nasty or rude, just usually.
They do provide insight to subjects she's has no knowledge of. Such as eating spaghetti (which you see in the trailer).

Tragedy strikes back home in Ireland. Eilis must go away to be there.
Once there, she struggles with the reality that she left behind not being what she might have imagined for herself. Things begin to fall in place and she's left to decided which life is for her. As well as what she values more, the person she is or who she wanted to be.

The pace of this movie is fairly slow, however being in the time frame of almost 65 years ago, there's a bit of build up to explaining and showing insight into the lives of women during that time. What is expected of them, what sort of behaviour and manners they are held to, because it's all very different.
There's a large struggle of being independent. Not only as a women during those times, but simply as someone trying to make a new life for themselves, somewhere where the culture is different. You have to rely on those around you to show you the way. To teach you how life is different.

That said, I became upset and resentful of the main character at times. She comes off as quiet and timid, while she is such a clever intelligent women. I think part of branching out on her own, made her more comfortable. Not only with who she is, but openly expressing it.
Something she struggles to do when she has to return to Ireland. She sort of reverts backwards, sidetracking herself as she deliberates decisions for her future.

I quiet liked the movie, not for reasons of enjoyment. But as food for thought. It's a story that makes you think about yourself. Establishing that you have more power than you think.
Embrace yourself.

Recommend: Strong independent female role,  History, Romance, Personal development

IMDb | Wikipedia | Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Review: I Love You, Man

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I Love You, Man (2009)

Director: John Hamburg
Producer: Donald De Line, John Hamburg
Distributor: DreamWorks Pictures
Release Date: March 20, 2009
Running Time: 105 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Rating: R

Trailer

Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), a real estate agent, proposes to his girlfriend Zooey Rice (Rashida Jones); both happily become engaged. The conflict is that Peter seem to not have any close friends to share the good news with: only family and superficial (mainly female) acquaintances. After overhearing Zooey's female friends voicing their concerns over his lack of close male friends, Peter realizes his abnormality and decides that he needs to find male friends in order to have a best man for the upcoming wedding. (Source) Which leads him on a series of man-dates and to meeting Sydney Fife (Jason Segel).

Movie Tags: Comedy, Goofy, "Guy" humour

Note: Please note R rating.

First as foremost, the language of this film.

Now that that's out of the way, this film was hilarious. Not in a series of fart jokes/potty humour sort of way. Not a let's talk like men in locker rooms about women sort of way. But a genuine high quality entertainment of trying to understand how men having friendships, works.
What things are open for discussion, what conversational topics needs to be prompted or have the right situation to be acceptable.

Along with that concept, the different levels of seriousness in friendship. Just because you talk to someone everyday, do a regular activity together, doesn't mean you know them as well as you think. Doesn't even mean they're your 'friend' just because you cross paths a lot, it involves taking that extra step to actually get to know someone.

Rudd's character, Peter, is timid in every sense of the word. Along with awkward. This many defines it.
He so unsure of how to be himself in social situations, especially those that are among other males. Constantly being a 'try hard' and fumbling to be one of the 'cool guys'. Is cringe-worthy to sit through.
Enter Sydney, Segel's character. Who see Peter as a nice guy, sure he's socially awkward, fairly square and rigid, but he's honest. Which say something about a person.

The combination of the actors and two characters they created together is heart warming, cue fart joke. Just kidding!

Being someone that in their adult life struggles to have friends I consider to be in my inner circle, this film hit a little close to home. It's not always easy to make friends, have relationships outside of work, or even be able to have the same friendship you once had with someone from high school.

The only negative point I feel the need to bring attention to, what I thought, is the very obvious signs pointing to this being "written by a man". There just off about the female roles at times. There are certain disagreements and topics I felt were almost robot like in how they reacted or behaved in those situations. However on the other hand the argument could be, the story wasn't really about them.


I adore Paul Rudd and am fairly fond of Jason Segel. While I've swooned over Paul Rudd in almost every roles he's done since Clueless, I'm always a little wary about Jason Segel's humour and performances. Having experienced some of his hit-and-miss roles throughout his career.
This one is particular shows his more charming side while not ignoring the fact his character is also crude, blunt, and only occasionally vulgar.


Recommend: Adult humour, awkward situational humour, quirkiness, and comedy, guy humour.

IMDb | Wikipedia | Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Review: Swiss Army Man

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Swiss Army Man (2016)

Director: Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan
Producer: Eval Rimmon, Lauren Mann, Lawrence Inglee, Jonathan Wang, Miranda Bailey, Amanda Marshall
Distributor: A24
Release Date(s): January 22, 2016 (Sundance Film Festival), June 24, 2016 (United States)
Running Time: 97 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Rating: R

Official Site | Trailer

Hank (Paul Dano), a man who is attempting suicide after being lost on an island, when he sees a corpse wash ashore, Manny (Daniel Radcliffe). He develops a type of friendship with the dead body and discovers that he can manipulate the cadaver like a Swiss Army knife and ends up slowly reanimating him from the dead. (Source)

Movie Tags: Comedy, Emotional, Goofy, Sentimental

Note: Please note R rating.

"If you hide farts from those you care about, what else are you hiding?" - Manny

Before I start, this is what I believe the underlining message of this story is. We're all kind of gross, we all do things, like fart, why hid it?
Everyone poops. While it's great to 'keep the mystery alive', don't feel shame for it.


Going into this, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd seen the trailers online, thinking they were silly yet curious as to what the film would actually be about. "Light hearted and hopefully silly to watch", I hit the nail on the head.

While is film does carry very heavy subtext, starting with a man ready to take his life, as well as the main protagonist questioning almost every aspect of his life, almost obsessively, it's very well hidden under a layer of utter silliness. I'm practically fond of movies that address very serious issues, in a very non-serious sort of way. I personally think life is about laughing, even if it's not all the time.
You should be able to view yourself, your issues, and see some of your hang ups as silly, while still being able to embrace them. Which I felt was the main theme of Swiss Army Man.

The entire premise of a man that's dead, but is he really dead? Is rather interesting. It may lead you to assuming you'll show concern, of the bad kind, for the leading man Hank. The catch is, there are other things to be more concerned about.
Not once did I really find the idea of a friendship with a "dead but not quite dead man" concerning, which in retrospect makes me wonder about myself a bit.. Let's chalk that up to the flow of the story being so smooth.
You simply go with the flow of the current and get swept away by this odd movie.

One thing I am somewhat unsatisfied with, which is why this only received four stars, that's is the ending. It felt almost, uncomfortable. The journey, is what catches you, then reality sets in, and you're left trying to salvage what you took from the experience.
While it, once again, indirectly addresses the primary concerns of the movie. Too many "what ifs" "what's next?" were left open.
However the point is, does that all really matter as much as you think it does?



As a disclaimer I should comment, quirkiness is almost always a plus in my book. Even more so if it's quirky without being weird. Which is movie flirted with that line, I choose to give it an overall good rating.

Recommend: Emotional drama, adult humour, quirkiness, and comedy.

IMDb | Wikipedia | Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Review: Men in Black III

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Men in Black III (2012)

Based on: The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Producer: Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Studio: Amblin Entertainment, P+M Image Nation, Hemisphere Media Capital
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Release Date(s): May 23, 2012 (France), May 25, 2012 (United States)
Running Time: 106 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Rating: PG-13

Official Site

Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back... in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K's life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him - secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind. (Source)

Movie Tags: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comedy, Goofy, Imaginative, Quirky

Yes this is a time-travel movie and somewhat of a 'tie-in' to piece in the other movies and the world of MIB after 10 years. The funny thing? It actually works.

Let me say I am a huge fan of MIB when it first came out and while I have seen them all, I can admit when one isn't that great. Even to the point of not being happy to admit that I have seen it.. those of you that have seen Men in Black II should know what I'm talking about.. (While parts of the storyline are valid, the movie wasn't one to be remembered and I'm still trying to block it out..)
This one however, surpasses any expectations set for it along with being better than the previous example of the series. Although, it could be argued that's why it's better.

Bringing a storyline back to life after 10 years, isn't easy; actors age, people won't sign back on, and there's always the factor of trying to introduce not only the old audience but a new one as well. Trying to appeal to new fans while pleasing the old ones.
This being said, it's no surprise that there are new faces to the franchise, although these new ones should not be overlooked; most notable there is the introduction of Josh Brolin as young Agent K who was amazing. It was a pure entertainment to watch him in the role. He went above and beyond, doing the role of Agent K justice.

While most of this films' plot line seems similar to what we've seen before, expanding on Agent K, his life and trying to farther understand him, there more to this story than meets the eyes. Under the almost typical plot there are plenty of twists, turns, and laughs to be found. Some moments are more pleasing than others, and there are a few that might have you saying "Predictable" this is still an entertaining movie.
Nothing is ever going to stop the complex relationship J and K have. K being distance and J forever trying to figure him out and make him less stiff and strict. K being K and J being J; it's that opposites' relationship that both works and causing never-ending friction, only leaving room for entertainment.

Plot-wise, the general roles of 'good' and 'bad' where displayed along with those fighting to help the good while stopping the bad and save the world, a simple plot, but sometimes there's nothing wrong with simple, when you rely on the characters coming to life and playing the story out. I feel they did, having this movie live up to the expectations set for it.

What I enjoyed the most was the ever growing introduction of aliens and other life forms. There was an alien introduce that was able to see multiply futures, never knowing which was the one they were heading towards, which leads to countless awkward moments. He constantly said things along the lines of "Unless we're in the reality where (thing) happens" *waits for it, it doesn't happen* "Whew, that was a close one." While everyone else lives on none the wiser. Although that's kind of the theme in MIB isn't it?

What I really loved, was the cleverness behind this film. In the sense of not only appealing to it's young audience, in expanding and while introducing it's self to new fans, but also in the sense of playing homage to an older crowd that I feel may have been previously overlooked. With the factor of time travel, there are countless jokes and references to things that aren't around anymore, that might have applied to an older crowd. Both the seriousness of the theme (aka being in the past) and in poking fun; jet-packs the size of a car and the usual, H-U-G-E cellphones.

One of the negative points I have to comment on, it's a very large pet-peeve, the CGI and general computer animated or manipulation of the film. Compared to the other films, there is no question this is the best looking MIB movie in all of it's Sci-fi glory. However, there are still moments of sloppy work which drive me insane. Mostly the villain hopping around, which looked ridiculously fake, no questions asked. I understand some situations can't happen in real life, it should still look 'real'. (I can only explain it as, he looked like Mr. Fantastic, you know stretches and looking like he has no bones, hoping around. Really bothered me.)


I highly recommend this film. Not the MIB we're used to, which isn't a bad thing.
Compared to the other movies, I was felt feeling MIB has lived to a reputation of being over the top, bigger and badder is ultimately better, where as MIB III delivered a story with more heart and soul while not sacrificing anything plot wise. Well other than Tommy Lee Jones not having much time in the spot-light, which makes me sad but still happy to see he would return for the role, if only for awhile.

There are questions answered while others are raised. I feel the journey is worth what we find out, over what is left to be answered or decide for yourself. Which is what the Sci-fi genre is about; the conspiracy and theories the individuals decide on.

There are already questions behind the possibility of MIB IV, I hope it doesn't happen. This movie left on a fairly clean although possibly open-ended note. It could be said to nicely wrap up the series. *Crosses fingers*

Recommended: Sci-fi, Quirky, Time-travel, Adventure.

IMDb | Wikipedia | Rotten Tomatoes

Mini Movie Review: #1 Mark of Love, Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family, and Hello Sister, Goodbye Life

Mini Movie Review: #1
Mark of Love, Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family, and Hello Sister, Goodbye Life

Personal Note: This is a post I started back in April but because of my personal life I never got around to finish and posting. I however, still wanted to share my opinions on these not-so-great movies.

I've watched some not so great movies recently. Wanting to really start on review movies in general, although feeling these movies in question didn't contain enough content to feature a review each (also doubting I would be able to produce enough content about each of them that would worthy of posting) I decided on a mini review to feature all of them.

Movie Review: 35 and Ticking

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35 and Ticking (2011)

Director: Russ Parr
Producer: Russ Parr, Kym Whitley
Release date: May 20, 2011
Running time: 108 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Rating: R

Centering around the lives of Victoria, Zenobia , Cleavon, and Phil -- all friends approaching the age of 35 and struggling to build the families they've always dreamed of. While Zenobia (Nicole Ari Parker) is still looking for a man, Victoria (Tamala Jones) is married to a man who doesn't want children. Cleavon (Kevin Hart), meanwhile, is too geeky to get a woman, and Phil (Keith Robinson) is already married with children, but his wife is not very interested in being a mother. All four of them try to rectify their romantic lives and futures while their biological clocks tick away. (Source)

Movie Tags: Romantic Comedy, Emotional, Goofy, Sentimental

Note: There are some adult situations and context. Please note the R rating.

This film was surprising. I personally feel that the blub that I read was not descriptive, going in I didn't know what to expect. (I made sure to find the better one for my review.) That said, I'm happy with what I found, however there are some flaws and pit falls along the way.

We follow four friends, two of who are struggling to keep their marriages and to keep their romance alive, one maybe more than the other but each struggling in their own way. The other two are single with no prospects in sight, still looking for love at the age of 35 and 37 (I believe).

I'd like to address the matter of the main characters age first because it plays a major role in all aspects of the movie. I bring that up because I find that stories with older characters lead to very different types of storytelling, it's only natural. The characters are more open and honestly, they aren't afraid to tell it like it is because they're done playing games and having everyone running around. They want a real relationship and aren't shy to voicing it, which usually leads to hilarity in many situations.

Since this movie follows four different characters I wanted to give each one a small introduction and my feelings on their story before giving an overall opinion.

Zenobia (37) is a sports anchor who hasn't met the right man yet or a man worth her time. She's very quick to judge and pass people over, while I consider it to be a major flaw it comes with her job. It's difficult for her to meet new people when most of them already know who she is because of her show. She wants someone that will take enough time to see her as the person she is and not just someone who's on TV.
I found Zenobia to be a typical hard-working women to put her career first and didn't think much of a relationships only to look in the mirror and go "I want a life beyond my work" and have no idea how she got where she is or how to go about changing that. The story was a bit typical but had some seriously hilarious moments.
In the beginning Zenobia is easily set as the main character but quickly become over-shadowed having her story thrown to the back burner as other characters stories begin to play out.

Victoria (37) is married to a hard-working responsible man and in a fairly stable place in life. Through the struggles of Zenobia, Victoria realizes she's ready to start a family, although not completely supported by her husband in the decision.
I found Victoria's story to be the one without a lot going on. There's a few major conflicts but overall not much happens with her. She appears once in awhile and then doesn't show up, dealing with her own things.
Overall I felt she didn't have the best story. I wasn't interested in the conflict or resolve as much as the others. She was a great friend to have when they needed her but she wasn't around most of the time.

Phil (35?) is working himself to the bone. Between juggling two kids and a wife that is never around to help out or spend time with him and their family, along with having to provide for all of them. From the beginning there's conflict in his marriage and between how their group feels about it, mostly his wife.
I liked Phil's story the most. It's one of those moments when you see a man that is honestly trying his hardest to make life, family, and love work. He's trying to balance and juggle everything, but somehow usually ends up with life handing him the short end of the stick.

Cleavon (35) is a lazy-bum. He's never had a 'real job' or stood on his own two feet. He slid by for most of his life and doesn't have interest in doing any more. Celvon not a smooth talker or a cool guy, that's putting it lightly! He is awkward and shy to the extreme. Always always finding himself in awkward situations with his foot in his mouth. And yet he tries, oh does he try.
His story is by far the funnies and raunchiest, the entire reason this has an R rating, which I found to be more hilarious than anything else
He's a typical guy, set in his ways and bound to make an idiot out of himself. He's generally considered to be the 'little kid' of the group often pushed into something by the rest of them, to then have them hover to see how it works out. (Don't you hate it when your friends do that?!)
About half way in I felt Cleavon became more of a major player in the overall story. In the beginning he's there for comic relief but over time he enters the spot-light and begins to try and find himself.

The biggest grip I have about this movie is transition scenes. I found more than a few of them to be very weak. The reasoning or drive behind a situation or a character [sudden] actions was full of holes. I felt these weak moments were usually setup in order to lead to a more important or dramatic scene. Leaving me to be semi-understandable in that sense.

As I'm sure it's clearly obvious by now, I enjoyed the comedy here. On occasion it was hit and miss but mostly hit. I found myself laughing more than I ever expected to and enjoyed watching awkward situations play out. There are a few subtle sign of following stereotypes which I felt it was for comic relief and faded once you got hooked into the stories.
I also love the element of tie-in. While each of the four friends have their very different lives, at the end of the day they find themselves relying on each other. Sometimes more than I felt most [real] people would admit to. It's an amazing thing to know no matter how terrible your day is a friend to comfort you, let you try on their shoulder, or just listen; is a phone call away. Again I feel this comes form the difference of age. They're friendships have lasted this long, why would they suddenly stop?

There's a little bad but mostly good. Some flaws are a little harder to over look than others but overall I still enjoyed this movie.
Easily said, might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Recommend: If you enjoy emotional family drama, romance, quirkiness, and comedy.

IMDb | Wikipedia | Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Review: Rango

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Rango (2011)

Director: Gore Verbinski
Producer: Gore Verbinski, Graham King, John B. Carls
Studio: Nickelodeon Movies, Blind Wink, GK Films, Industrial Light and Magic
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Release date:  March 4, 2011
Running time: 107 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Rating: PG

Official Site

An unnamed pet chameleon (Johnny Depp) becomes stranded in the Mojave Desert after his terrarium falls from his owners' car by accident. He meets an armadillo named Roadkill (Alfred Molina), who is seeking the mystical Spirit of the West and directs the parched chameleon to find water at a town called Dirt. While wandering the desert, he narrowly avoids being eaten by a red-tailed hawk and has a surreal nightmare before meeting the desert iguana Beans (Isla Fisher), a rancher's daughter, who takes the chameleon to Dirt, an Old West town populated by desert animals. (Source)


Movie Tags: Children & Family, Ages 8+, Family Adventure, Animated, Comedy, Goofy, Imaginative, Feel-good, Witty

Just because something is animated doesn't mean it's for kids!

Note: This is not a children's movie! I have no idea how this got a PG rating but it is not, in my opinion, appropriate for children. From it's adult theme, to the crude language, and dark humour.

Children may not understand some of the words, their meaning(s), and the general adult heavy theme, but it is not something they should be introduced to while not understanding.

Under the context of this being acceptable for kids 9+ I am shocked to see what they got away with. The entire movie trends a very thin line of suggestion. Never saying too much but lots of hinting. If you're old enough you'll pick up on it otherwise it will go right over your head, which is what bothered me the most, because of how often it happened.
Such as, right in the beginning there's a moment when Rango asks his headless barbie "Are those real?" Referring to her breasts while not stating where the comment was directed. Then there are moments with quite a bit of quick slick talkin' where a sly change of a word with one that sounds similar and you have a very adult joke on your hands. At least to those who are paying enough attention to catch on but most are left none the wiser. A few examples include; cojones, prostate (and entire joke followed the phrase 'prostate exam'), and mammogram.
Changing a word or two might leave children not noticing but I kept asking "Did they just say that?" I'll admit it's clever, it really is, but not when you label a movie for children.

The worst, I think was the fact the word damn was said once in a pretty intense scene, which I found to be fairly violent (the scene that is, with the cherry topping of a curse word). But then I was pretty horrified with how often they said hell. You say 'heck' with kids, at least that's what I think.

This movie also deals with quite a bit of killing, death, and general violence.

I seriously do not think kids should see this, the theme and humour is more for adults, and those who have a pretty off sense of humour at that.

Putting that aside as I am an adult, I actually enjoyed this movie. It's very strange, I'm not denying that, and it should be noted my sense of humour is all over the place, including being slightly off (at times), which this very much appeals to me in that regard
This movie off the wall, there is no other way to explain it! At first glance I was ready to write it off, walk away and be done, but a movie sharing friend (we recommended things back and forth) highly recommended it. On the recommendation of it being a good movie, I stuck it out. And I'm happy I did! I can't explain the change of opinion other than the movie really does have heart to it. You start to feel for the characters and wonder where everything is going.
I found myself chuckling at the jokes that appalled me at first, mostly based on how clever some of them really are.

If you're able to put up with some weirdness and look for clever joke you will enjoy this movie. It will take some time, and maybe a bit of digging, but this is a great movie.

I do not recommend for the faint of heart. This is a very strange movie that you might not be up for, but if you can give it a chance you may very well fall in love.

Recommended: Adults, broad sense of humour, open-minded.

IMDb | Wikipedia | Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Review: Humble Pie (American Fork)

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Humble Pie (American Fork)

"A gentle giant in an ungentle world.

At nearly 400 pounds, Tracy Orbison (Hubbel Palmer) is a wide target.  When he sets out to pursue his dream of acting, the grocery clerk finds an assortment of people waiting to dash his hopes: a drama coach (William Baldwin) with designs on Tracy's sister, Peggy (Mary Lynn Rajskub); a pack of juvenile delinquents; and his God-fearing, self-loathing mother (Kathleen Quinlan).  Through it all, Tracy remains irrepressibly upbeat, convinced he's destined for something big."


Movie Tags: Comedy, Independent Movies, Independent Comedy, Heartfelt, Quirky


This movie has it's share of ups and downs.

From the moment we enter Tracy's life we see how empty and lonely his world is. From having no friends and nothing more than his job to keep him going, he's just floating along in the world. Everything we see just builds the image of a very unsatisfying his life is, how little drive, ambition, and direction he has..
Between having this crap grocery store job (been there) for 11 years, his only friend is his sister who doesn't get him, to an emotionally detached (borderline emotionally abusive) mother that just wants to see her kids with someone; Tracy doesn't have a lot to look forward too.
Then one day his manager calls him into the office, to talk about his work ethic and future. Things more or less go decently, and giving him tickets for a local play, that him and his wife planned to see what now have other arrangements. Tracy goes with a fellow co-worker and falls in love with the stage. He enrolls in acting classes, only to find that his acting coach was the star of the play he saw, and he begins to idolize him. From that moment his life starts to look a littler brighter.  Tracy starts to put all of his love of life and effort into his acting and begins to see the world in a new light.

After that, the movie fell apart. It literally became difficult for me to watch.

Tracy is a nice guy, who expects more from people as he gives more than most do; he doesn't see bad in people and believes that they can change if you show an interest in their life. Sadly, not everyone in the world is like that.
Throughout the movie he is taken advantage of over and over. Towards the end, the movie tries to level it's self out having some characters turn around and change their ways, but I wasn't feeling it. Too many characters did a 180 with very little drive or explanation behind it. Along with that mentality that "Since I'm sorry it makes everything better" instead of trying to actually make atonement for what you've done.
That is a big no-no in my book.

I have to say, I felt pretty bad for Tracy through everything. Another story about a nice decent guy that gets dumped on in the world. In the end, he did learn more than a few things about himself. Which I suppose is always part of the human journey. To find out who you really are and who is really there for you.

Two things I have to bring up.This movie is NOT a comedy. Seriously, it's not. Also it was great to see Vincent Caso (Bladezz) from The Guild!

I do believe that it's one of those stories "Good idea, poorly executed".
All in all it was simply an okay movie. Not great, not horrible. Trust me I've seen a lot of horrible [indie] movies. Worth watching if only for the actors, lots of actors with great potential.

Recommend: If you want something a little different and enjoy watching personal growth.

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