Sunday, September 5, 2010

DVD Review: MacGruber

Will Forte as MacGruber. Courtesy Alliance Films.
MacGruber is based on a series of Saturday Night Live skits spoofing 1980s television show MacGyver. The punchline is always the same -- MacGruber, played by Will Forte, blows himself up along with the people he's supposed to be saving while trying to defuse a bomb. Since that doesn't really translate into feature film material, Forte and his writing team of Jorma Taccone (who also directed the film) and John Solomon had to give the character a backstory while injecting a ton of extremely crude humour. The outcome? The most ridiculously funny film you'll see this year (emphasis on ridiculous).

During MacGruber's wedding ceremony Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer) killed MacGruber's bride-to-be (played by Maya Rudolph). That was 10 years ago and MacGruber, who is a trained Navy SEAL, Green Beret, and Army Ranger, has been living off the grid in seclusion ever since. Until now. Von Cunth has stolen a nuclear warhead and MacGruber is called back into action to put together a team of special operatives to go capture him. Things don't do go as planned and in typical MacGruber fashion his team is blown to pieces and MacGruber is pulled off the case. Hell-bent on getting his revenge he begs Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) to help him get Von Cunth. Piper agrees and with the help of MacGruber's friend Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig), they go on a hunt to "pound some Cunth" as MacGruber puts it.

Forte is brilliant as MacGruber and appears willing to do just about anything for a laugh (even dancing around with a stick of celery in his rear end at one point). Wiig fulfills her part perfectly and proves she is one of the best female comedians to come out of Saturday Night Live in recent memory. Phillippe is good at being the straight man to MacGruber's dimwitted idiot and even gets in a few good laughs himself. But it was Kilmer who truly shocked me. You can tell he gets his presence in the film alone is funny and he takes it one step further by playing it up in full-on schlock mode.

MacGruber isn't going to win any awards, nor will it go down as a classic. However I'd say it's the best SNL-skit-turned-movie since Wayne's World. Bottom-line: If you saw the trailer and thought it looked funny you will not be disappointed.

Special features on the DVD include the theatrical and unrated version of the film, audio commentary with the cast and crew, deleted scene, and a gag reel.

Film *** / DVD *** (out of 5 stars) 

Rated 18A
Cast: Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Val Kilmer, Ryan Phillippe
Directed by: Jorma Taccone
 
MacGruber is available on DVD and Blu-ray September 7.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

TRAILER: Yogi Bear (2010)

A still from Yogi Bear. Courtesy Warner Bros.
The live-action-animated hybrid version of Yogi Bear is hitting theatres this December, in 3-D. But unlike the trailer for next year's makeover of The Smurfs, Yogi Bear looks worse than the Marmaduke film. At least Dan Akroyd got the voice of Yogi down, and Justin Timberlake voicing Boo-Boo is quite funny.

Watch the trailer below and let us know -- will this destroy your childhood memories of the troublemaker bear or are you excited to see Yogi on the big screen?

Yogi Bear is in theatres December 17, 2010. More info can be found at yogibear.warnerbros.com.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Hey Montreal, 'Deliver Us From Evil' Is Coming

Lasse Rimmer and Lene Nystrøm in Deliver Us From Evil. Courtesy Evokative Films.
The Swedish thriller Deliver Us From Evil (Fri os fra det onde) was one of the best films at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, and I've been wanting to see it again ever since I screened it. Well it looks like the time has come for it to hit theatres across Canada, starting in Montreal on September 7 with a French subtitled copy at the Quartier Latin Theatre, and on September 10 at the AMC Forum Theatre with an English subtitled copy. More details on the film and the trailer are below courtesy distributor Evokative Films.
Lars and Johannes are brothers with very little in common. Johannes is a high-powered lawyer with a beautiful wife and two children; Lars is a truck driver and a drunken brute who beats his girlfriend. Having returned to his hometown in the country, Johannes hopes for a less hectic, more genuine lifestyle. But trouble is underfoot when Lars runs over a woman with his truck. He sees only one way out: put the blame on Alain, a Bosnian refugee with impaired mental functions. But when Lars, the God-fearing husband of the victim, and his friends close in on the Bosnian, Johannes stands up for the man and shelters him. Undeterred, the violent, drunken horde makes its way to Johannes’ secluded house, where the family and Alain fear for their lives. When words no longer suffice to contain the madness, a siege begins, in which unchained anarchy dictates a scenario of terror… Deliver Us From Evil is a piercing insight into human nature driven berserk.


Know of any other interesting movie-related news or events? Email tips@criticizethis.ca and let us know.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Give'r! Red Band Trailer for Fubar II

Paul Spence and David Lawrence in Fubar II. Courtesy Alliance Films.
Fubar II kicks off this year's Midnight Madness programme at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 9. I screened the film about a week ago and can tell you it's funnier and raunchier than the first and lives up to the hype surrounding it.

What's it about? Here's the description from Alliance Films:
The story starts in Calgary where the boys are tired of trying to give’r while barely scraping by, when their old buddy and party leader, Tron (Andrew Sparacino) hooks them up with jobs in Fort McMurray. Before long they are rolling in dough and good times. Flush with money and confidence, Terry starts dating Trish (Terra Hazelton), a local waitress, and things get serious in a hurry. Meanwhile, Dean is playing up the part of the cancer survivor, and upon hearing about the glories of workers’ compensation, purposely bungs up his leg in an attempt to qualify. When Terry moves in with Trish, Dean does his best to save his buddy from swapping the banger life for domestic captivity.
To get a better taste of what you're in store for check out the red band trailer below. Needless to say, viewer discretion is advised. If you miss the film at TIFF don't worry -- it opens wide on October 1.

TIFF 2010 runs from September 9 to 19. For full descriptions of the films, and to purchase tickets, visit tiff.net/thefestival.



New On DVD: August 31, 2010

Michael Caine in Harry Brown. Courtesy eOne Films.
My pick of the week is Harry Brown -- a tale of revenge brought on by the elderly title character (portrayed by Michael Caine) after his best friend is murdered by the gangs who haunt the public housing block they live in. Director Daniel Barber has crafted an excellent atmospheric film and Caine delivers one of his best performances. This is a must-see film that deserves an audience. Available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Also available on DVD and Blu-ray this week:

The Evil Dead (Blu-ray)
Survival of the Dead (DVD/Blu-ray)
Go Diego, Go! Diego’s Ultimate Rescue League (DVD)
Babies (DVD/Blu-ray)
Marmaduke (DVD/Blu-ray)
Parenthood: Season 1 (DVD)
Flashforward: The Complete Series (DVD)
House: Season Six (DVD/Blu-ray)

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

New On DVD: August 24, 2010

Emily Mortimer and Andy Garcia in City Island. Courtesy Anchor Bay.
When Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia), a corrections officer and wannabe actor, brings home ex-con Tony (Steven Strait) Vince's reserved family soon see one another for who they really are. City Island is smart, sweet, and funny and will hopefully be discovered by a larger audience now that it's available on DVD and Blu-ray. Julianna Margulies, Ezra Miller, and Emily Mortimer also star.

Also available on DVD and Blu-ray this week:

After.Life (DVD/Blu-ray)
$5 A Day (DVD/Blu-ray)
Dorian Gray (DVD/Blu-ray)
Withnail and I (Blu-ray)
Lost Season 6: The Final Season (DVD/Blu-ray)
90210: The Complete Second Season (DVD)

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Get SMS Alerts from Alliance Films


Alliance Films, Canada's largest film distributor, has entered into the mobile phone realm with a new VIP SMS alert program. Text ALLIANCE to 777888 and you'll soon be getting the latest news on Alliance releases delivered straight to your phone along with chances to win passes to advance movie screenings, DVDs, concerts, and much more. Keep in mind by signing up you may be charged messaging fees from your mobile carrier.

While this is a great initiative, I'm curious to know when they are going to jump into the iPhone/iPad app arena the way their competitor Maple Pictures did? At least this is a start and they are heading in the right direction.

For more information on the Alliance VIP SMS alert program, visit alliancefilms.com.

Know of any other interesting movie-related news or events? Email tips@criticizethis.ca and let us know. 

Friday, August 20, 2010

'The Human Centipede' Coming to the Toronto Underground Cinema


Fans of the grotesque rejoice! The Human Centipede is finally coming to Canada and will have a limited run at the Toronto Underground Cinema between August 28 and September 3 (full schedule below).

Described as "Frankenstein meets The Fly", The Human Centipede has been grossing out audiences at film festivals and screenings around the world for over a year. In Roger Ebert's review he had this to say about it: "No horror film I've seen inflicts more terrible things on its victims than The Human Centipede. You would have to be very brave to choose this ordeal over simply being murdered. Maybe you'd need to also be insane." As sick as it is it does have quite a cult following, however, and even won Best Horror Feature at Fantastic Fest 2009 and Best Picture at Screamfest 2009.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

New On DVD: August 17, 2010

Michael C. Hall in Dexter. Courtesy Paramount Home Video.
Dexter is one of my favourite shows on television and season four is considered by many to be the best season since the show started. Whether it's the great writing or Michael C. Hall's excellent portrayal of your friendly neighbourhood serial killer Dexter Morgan, it's a show that is hard to stop watching. Seeing it on Blu-ray after having watched it on standard cable sure makes it even more enjoyable too. If you're never seen the show I highly recommend picking up all the seasons and getting caught up before season five starts in September. Also on DVD and Blu-ray.

Also available on DVD and Blu-ray this week:

Me and Orson Welles (DVD/Blu-ray)
The Last Song (DVD/Blu-ray)
Temple Grandin (DVD)
Suck (DVD/Blu-ray
Cemetery Junction (DVD/Blu-ray)
Gunless (DVD/Blu-ray)
Furry Vengeance (DVD/Blu-ray)
Piranha (1978) (DVD/Blu-ray)
Hamlet (1996) (Blu-ray)
Nanny McPhee (Blu-ray)

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Recent Posts