David Gordon Green’s recent reinvention of his career has been nothing short of fascinating to watch. After creating a name for himself making glacially paced, poetically written indies such as “Snow Angels” and “All the Real Girls,” Green did a complete 180 and began making uproarious stoner comedies such as 2008’s “Pineapple Express” and now the absolutely ridiculous and hysterical “Your Highness.”
Scan the schedule of any kid-centric TV channel these days and it’s impossible to overlook a distressing theme: shows depict young teenagers living glamorous celebrity lives.
Director Gore Verbinski turned a lot of heads when he abandoned his “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise to make “Rango,” an animated Nickelodeon Western populated entirely with talking animals. However, “Rango” is the perfect fit for Verbinski, a genre-based hilarious film that’s just as much for adults as it is for kids.
Despite the Austin music scene’s illustrious history, it has been harboring fundamental flaws that stand to compromise the interests of the artists involved, the core of its reputation, and what it stands for.
For the past decade, cable networks such as HBO, FX , AMC and Showtime have been embroiled in a competitive struggle to produce the best programming. HBO continues to produce strong dramas, and AMC’s “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” are among the best shows on TV. However, FX remains on top in terms of consistent quality, especially with its new boxing drama “Lights Out” and its Southern crime show “Justified,” which has just entered its second season.
In the 2009 box office giant “The Hangover,” Ed Helms (along with every other principal cast member) suddenly became a household name, and, like his “Hangover” co-stars, his next few projects have essentially been twists on the persona established in that movie. However, “Cedar Rapids” is smart in its use of Helms, taking what made him funny in “The Hangover” while making sure to invent a new character to go along with it.
There are elements of a good film in there. The underused Timothy Olyphant is always a pleasure to watch, and the film’s action scenes are fantastically directed by D.J. Caruso. Unfortunately, entirely too much of the film can easily be described in one word: silly.
The Harry Potter movie franchise has always been flawed, both for casual viewers and die-hard, ultra-critical fans of the book. Screenwriter Steve Kloves usually manages to anger the die-hards by watering down plot points, misattributing character motivations and inventing his own uninspired dialogue where J.K. Rowling’s would have served infinitely better. At the same time, Kloves often confuses casual moviegoers by providing abysmally muddled plot exposition.