My Grade: C-
This is an unnecessary movie. Some of my friends (Dave, I'm calling you out) would argue the FIRST Hangover is also unnecessary. I disagree. These movies are basically gross-out sitcoms for people who appreciate a dark sense of humor and recognize that in the world today, loutish, infantile men have become the norm instead of the exception. Better to make fun of them than to try to make sense of them.
All that being said, The Hangover Part II really is unnecessary. It is not nearly as funny as the first one. Moving the movie to Thailand doesn't make it more exotic...it feels vaguely exploitative. Repeating the same hijinks and moving them to a new location isn't giving the audience more of what it wants....it is being lazy. Frankly, all of the funniest scenes in this movie felt like either a) Zach Galifinakis/"Alan" improvisations or b) throw away moments. (Admittedly, I laughed pretty hard at those moments, but they came separated by long moments of queasy silence.) I really hope they don't make another one, but if they do, I might see it if they make Galifinakis the prospective groom and put him front and center. The prospect of Alan getting married might almost be worth dragging one's carcass to see them rehash this premise once again. Almost.
The NBA Finals
Ain't karma a bitch, LeBron? I'm no Mavericks fan (far from it), but seeing the way the series played out couldn't have been more satisfying given the entitled, self-satisfied way the overrated LeBron James has handled himself practically since Day One in the League.
The other thought about The Finals--okay, I didn't watch it wire-to-wire, but NBA basketball is a pretty lame product these days if these really are the two best teams. Maybe a lockout will do the NBA good? It better...since it is inevitable anyway.
The Colorado Rockies
They are pretenders and sellers, not winners and buyers. After 65 games, you really are what your record says you are. And that saddens me, because I really like a lot of the players and they do try hard. They're just not very good. They have four guys who are All-Stars (or who should be All-Stars: Tulo, CarGo, Helton and Jhoulys Chacin) and a bunch of journeymen or not-quite-there prospects. And if anyone can figure out Ian Stewart, who was supposed to be the next Graig Nettles or Scott Rolen at third base, please give them a Ph.D. and have them call GM Dan O'Dowd.
The Rockies will make their usual thrilling late summer run, but they will have more losing streaks than winning streaks and unless Ubaldo Jimenez remembers how to pitch at home, the Rockies will finish 82-80 (give or take three games either way) and the ever penurious Monfort Brothers will be moving a lot of "supporting cast" to try and rebuild around CarGo and Tulo. It will be interesting to see if anyone has the patience to sit through it again.
The Best Shows on Television
Next week, around the time the Emmy nominations are announced, I'll do my annual list of what I think the best shows and performers on television really are. I can say that last week I finally watched the first few episodes of BREAKING BAD (2008) on DVD, which had been a show that eluded me, and I think that it might have the greatest pilot episode I've ever seen. If I taught screenwriting, I might use it as an example of how to take an outlandish premise with potentially unlikeable or unbelievable characters and make it riveting and believable. I have a feeling the rest of the series doesn't quite hold up (even fans of the show tell me it can be overly reliant on the brilliant Bryan Cranston in the lead role), but kudoes to Vince Gilligan doing such a great job setting the whole thing up. I'm jealous, haha!
My time is up. Thanks for the vine. And remember that friends don't let their monkey smoke or do drugs.
Peace...
No comments:
Post a Comment