Tag Archives: Mark Wahlberg

by

The Other Guys – Review

5/5 – This peacock flies.

I distinctly remember not wanting to see The Other Guys when it was first released. I can’t remember why, but I can remember not wanting to see it.

I ended up catching it on HBO recently through no fault of my own. I was vacationing in Cancun. There was a torrential rainstorm outside. Some other movie had just ended on Mexican HBO and The Other Guys came on. I wasn’t even paying attention as it started. But by ten minutes into the movie, I was hooked. I wouldn’t let the channel be changed and once I returned home to the US, I rented the movie from Netflix just to watch it all the way through from the beginning.

Been there.

Without a doubt, The Other Guys is the funniest movie I’ve seen in a while. It is so over the top and so ridiculous, but the movie just goes with it. Even when it questions its own ridiculousness, it answers back with an even more ridiculous answer. Why does Mark Wahlberg’s rageaholic Detective Hoitz know how to dance like a ballerina? Simple, it’s because he took classes so that he could “make fun of guys when we were kids to show them how queer they were.”

Will Ferrell is hilarious as the buttoned up Detective Allen Gamble. This role is up there with my favorite Will Ferrell roles of all time. When we got Gamble, er I mean Gator’s, origin story, I was dying.

Careful, Hoitz. Gator don’t take no shit.

If you get your hands on the DVD, make sure to watch the gag reel and improv outtakes. I can’t believe I’m recommending a gag reel, as it’s usually a collection of boring “watch this actor break and then everyone on set laughs” clips one after the other, but the gag reel for The Other Guys is really funny, as is seeing what improvised lines didn’t make the final cut of the movie. Rob Huebel really shines here.

Samuel L. Jackson and Duane “The Rock” Johnson steal the movie as action-hero cops in the beginning of the film. I still laugh to myself whenever I think of the line, “Aim for the bushes.”

With all the serious movies that he’s done, I forgot how funny Michael Keaton can be. He’s awesome as the precinct’s captain that can’t stop quoting TLC songs.

The combination of a very funny script and a cast who go the distance with their improvised lines make The Other Guys a must-see movie. Definitely watch it. Twice.

by

At The Theater #50: The Fighter

“Want to see The Fighter at the AMC 34th St at 5:40?” Can you spot what’s wrong with that sentence? If you live in New York City you might realize it breaks a cardinal rule of movie going here, namely you need to specify which 34th St movie theater you mean. There are two, and unlike the dueling theaters on 42nd St, they’re completely across town from each other. To add to potential confusion, they’re both owned by AMC-Loews. I should have realized the chances of my cousin and I ending up at different theaters were 100% when I texted him the above quote on 12/29/10.
After discovering we were at different theaters, we didn’t give up. Giving up would be antithetical to the story of The Figther. It would go against every sports movie ever! And I have three movies to watch in the theater with only three days remaining in the year!
We decided to put our fate in the hands of the New York City Transit Authority and headed downtown to the Village East from opposite ends of 34th St.
Transit Tip: If there has been a recent blizzard that knocked out multiple subway lines, stick to the line you know in running well, even if it might leave you slightly further away. Wow, two lessons learned today and I hadn’t even bought my movie ticket yet!
We made it to the Village East with time to spare. Thank you New York City Transit!
If you hate boxing, but have a crush on Amy Adams, here’s your reason to see The Fighter.

The Fighter is an excellent movie and is one of my tops for the year. I’m not a boxing fan and knew next to nothing about Mickey Ward or his brother Dicky Eklund going into the movie. But director David O. Russell does a great job drawing into the story of the two brothers. I also really loved how the fight scenes were shot to look like a televised boxing match.
Mickey’s sisters look a collection of fairytale villains. Is that Gollum on the left?

The Fighter does a great job of getting you inside the head of Mickey Ward. He’s stuck in the shadow of his washed up, crackhead brother Dicky. He’s being mismanaged, but can’t bring himself to fire his manager because she’s also his mother. He also can’t bring himself to fire his crackhead trainer, because his crackhead trainer is also his crackhead brother. His life is going nowhere, and it’s not until he meets his new girlfriend Charlotte that his life gets any direction.

If someone ever produces The Linda McMahon Story, Melissa Leo needs to be cast in the title role.

People told me that Christian Bale steals the show. I think he’s great in The Fighter, but I feel like saying he steals the show takes away from the great jobs that Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. But yeah, Christain Bale is awesome as usual here.
Christian Bale’s ability to morph into another person is eerie.
Go see The Fighter. It’s a great movie. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.