Tag Archives: Movies (Theater)

Hot Tub Time Machine (Theaters)

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Time travel movies are very hard to pull off. There are so many rules established by previous movies, not to mention a little something called the “space-time continuum” that make it a bit difficult to make a believable time travel flick. Thankfully, Hot Tub Time Machine is nowhere near realistic and seems to make up its own set of rules as it goes along.

The story follows three best friends: Adam (John Cusack), Nick (Craig Robinson), and Lou (Rob Corddry). After Lou has an accident that is mistaken for a suicide attempt, his two friends and their nephew Jacob (Clark Duke) decide to cheer him up by taking him on a weekend getaway to an old ski resort that used be one of their favorite party spots growing up. After another accident in the resort’s hottub changes it into a time machine, the four of them find themselves back in Winterfest ’86 with a chance to relive their past. The only catch is that they must relive everything exactly as they originally experienced it in order to not affect the future/present they came from.

That is pretty much the story in a nutshell. While the movie deals with the theme of time travel, it conveniently side steps many of the pre-established time travel rules from other films. For instance, the old rule that your future self and your past self can never occupy the same space is thrown out the window. The future versions actually replace their past selves. When ever anyone sees them, they are seeing the younger versions of the characters. The other rule about changing the past is pretty much scrapped also. While at first they try to leave the past as unaltered as possible, there comes a point where the characters just decide to change whatever they want to change at will.

While these minor details don’t really hurt the movie, the real star is the 80s setting. Anyone who grew up in the 80s or is at least familiar with the era will find alot to enjoy about this film. The entire movie is just filled with old school references and it is hilarious to see how much things have changed from a decade that really doesn’t seem like it was too long ago.

The cast is overall pretty solid. John Cusack plays the love sick regular guy role to a tee, something that he has had the chance to perfect as he has portrayed this same character countless times in his career. Craig Robinson is hilarious in the movie, but I can’t help but feel that his performance is a bit toned down, even for him. Clark Duke is great as the young voice of reason among the 4 of them. Expect to see Duke in more and more films starting with Kick Ass, due out this week. Then there is Rob Cordrry, who plays Lou the likeable asshole of the group. It is nice to see Cordrry in a role where he can finally be as offensive and vulgar as he wants to be.

The film is a fun walk down memory lane with some solid laughs thrown in. I was a little disappointed by the humor in this movie. The movie is very funny but nowhere near the laugh a minute fest that the previews or the movie’s title would have you believe that it is. Still, this is a funny movie and most of its appeal ccomes from just reliving the 80s through the eyes of the characters.

Clash of the Titans 3D (Theaters)

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To be honest with everyone, I was quite against this remake since they day I found out it was in production. Yet is was the lure of the original that brought me into the theaters today. As a child, Desmond Davis’s Clash of the Titans was nothing short of magical for me. Regardless of how cheesy it may have been, it brought to life a universe of Greek mythology which previously could only be retold though books and oral tradition. Over the last couple decades, I will proudly admit to watching the original at least fifty times over, and prior to this screening, I did spend a lazy afternoon reliving the 1981 cult classic on my living room sofa in all its glory.

I think the biggest disappointment I had with Clash of the Titans was the huge alterations to the storyline. When you remake a movie such as this one, it needs to stay true to its roots. Remakes are created to enhance the experience and retell a story using updated technology and special effects. Not ruin it by changing the very fabric of the story itself. Okay, so the basic plot of the story remained the same, (Perseus defeating the Kraken) but the storytelling and development were so foreign to me. They changed so much in the screenplay, that with a few adjustments here and there, it could have possibly been made into another film altogether.

Putting Bias and nostalgia aside, this film was still quite horrible. Besides the updated CGI monsters and action sequences, this film lacked any kind of substance whatsoever. The storyline in the original was definitely not academy award winning, but at least it had one. This film seemed to jump from idea to idea with little to no explanation. There was hardly any background info on any of the characters or development for that matter and the dialogue between the actors was just grotesque. It was really hard for me to appreciate anything in this film.

Yet despite all its flaws, I believe there will be some out there who will come out of the theaters with some sort of satisfaction. After all, the sound was great, the monsters were pretty cool, and the film maintained a nice pace. Enough to keep the average moviegoer entertained.

My suggestion? If you enjoyed the original, I’d wait till this one is released on Blu-Ray and DVD. Everything that made the original a magical experience is gone. Save yourself the time and money and rent it. If you’ve never seen Clash of the Titans, pay for the 2D version of the film. The movie was shot with 2D in mind and during its post production some genius thought it was a good idea to make it 3D. The 3D glasses didn’t enhance the story or effects one bit.

Brooklyn’s Finest (Theaters)

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Brooklyn’s Finest is the latest film from acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua. The movie follows the lives of three New York cops all at different stages of their careers. When watching this film I couldn’t help but think about the movie Avatar. Both movies take familiar and somewhat recycled plot elements, yet they present them in a way that is so engaging that it almost makes them seem fresh. Brooklyn’s Finest is filled with cop cliches but it is so well executed that you can almost overlook many of these familiar elements and appreciate the movie as a whole.

BF follows the lives of three New York cops. Sal (Ethan Hawke) is a family man struggling to make ends meet in his household. When things get tough, he finds himself down a road of corruption from whihc there is not turning back. Eddie (Richard Gere) is the grizzled old veteran cop a week away from retirement who is saddled with a rookie partner for his remaining time on the force. Then there is Tango (Don Cheadle) who has been undercover so long he is losing his sense of identity and the line between who he is and who he is pretending to be is becoming increasingly blurred. Masterfully, all three of these plots intertwine at the end for the film’s climax.

While we’ve all seen similar characters to those mentioned here, the way they are portrayed by the actors is what really makes them so effective in this film. The entire cast does a great job making their roles believable. Another bright spot in the cast is the return of Wesley Snipes as Caz, a former drug dealer who was just released from prison. This is Snipes first role on the big screen since…Blade Trinity. It is nice to see him back in a major movie flexing his acting chops. Snipes is one of those rare actors who is an excellent physical presence as well as a commanding personallity. My only gripe is that his role in this film is fairly limited, but his interactions with Don Cheadle are some of the more interesting scenes of the entire film.

Overall, this is a pretty good flick. It doesn’t really break any new ground in terms of originality, but it is a well written and well acted film that is entertaining throughout.