Review: Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (2012)

By: Scott Jeffrey

It is usually a good thing when a movie keeps you on the edge of your seat. With huge explosions tons of plot twists and a story that has you guessing right up to the last scene, this is one of the things that Hollywood strives for. Tim and Eric leave the viewer on the edge of their seat with another power, pure awkwardness.

I can’t say as I have felt much more uncomfortable during a film. This is certainly not one to watch with the grandparents. 

Starting out with a fairly straightforward plotline, there are elements of the Tim and Eric format, with the advertisement for a movie chair that causes 3rd degree burns before the picture. To the long windup to the film.

The plot centers around Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim who have signed a contract for a billion dollars to produce a film. After having lost track of most of the money and running up a massive production bill, they show off their masterpiece which consists of 3 minutes of usable footage. The executives are quite displeased and as part of the contract 

Tim and Eric are required to pay all of the billion dollars back.

Shedding their lavish Hollywood lifestyle and reducing expenses they are coaxed by a television advertisement to take over a failing shopping mall  in order to make back their billion dollars.

They skip town leaving the studio executives guessing where they may have headed.

From here Tim and Eric spend time revitalizing the mall and creating new friendships. Tim creates his own family as Eric falls deeply in love with a store clerk. Everything they work for is tested with the studio Executives are tipped off by a disgruntled sword store salesman played by Will Forte. 

That is about all I can give you plot wise. To say much more would ruin the magic this film has. You really do not know what to expect at any given moment. Although some of it is a bit groan inducing and tedious to get through, there are moments where something so shocking happens you just have to laugh out loud. 

If you are a fan of the show you are going to love this movie. Stuff that Tim and Eric could not normally bring to a television audience is paraded around on the big screen uncensored and shocking as it may be. This is a movie that will make even the strongest of stomach want to gag, the stiffest of upper lips flutter in the silly antics and have the most open minded people frowning in disgust. 

With talents such as Jeff Goldblum, Zach Galifianakis, John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell this film has plenty of star power. Many of the old Tim and Eric Awesome Show stars such as David Liebe Hart make appearances too.

Score: Shrim

Acting: Shrim

Effects: Shrim

Writing: Shrim

Directing: Shrim

Overall: Dobis/50

Take Away Thought: I would say before you pick this one up to watch, maybe to check out an episode of Tom Goes To The Mayor or Tim and Eric Awesome Show first. 10 minutes isn’t so long to sit through, I honestly don’t know what the reaction would be watching this film having not seen any of their work before. Tim and Eric have their own form and function when it comes to creating films. I am pleasantly surprised that their own brand of charm does not wear off after the 10 minute mark and that these gents could produce such a funny film. The most awkward movie experience I have had for a very long time, but also memorably funny. 

Review: Warrior (2011)

By: Aaron Jankowski

Two brothers torn apart by an alcoholic father have a chance to put the past behind them and reunite their broken family, but at what cost?

Warrior, directed and written by Gavin O’Connor, is an emotional tale about the Conlon family. The Conlon’s are a family of fighters, lead by their father, Paddy, played wonderfully by Nick Nolte (Oscar nominated for Best supporting Actor) who is a former boxer and is recently sober after his drinking cost him his wife and two sons. His eldest son, Brendan (Joel Edgerton) was a UFC fighter but is now married with two children and teaches physics at a local high school. This brings us to the youngest Conlon, Tommy (Tom Hardy). A lot of the story revolves around Tommy’s mysterious history and military past.

Tommy, seemingly for no reason, decides to join a MMA tournament called Sparta, which is a grand prix set up to determine the toughest man on Earth. Despite his seeming hatred for his father, Tommy enlists Paddy as his trainer for the tournament. Brendan, not knowing is brother has also joined, also enlists in the tournament, despite his wife’s wishes. Brendan’s motives to fight are obvious, his family is facing foreclosure on their home and he refuses to let his family take a step backwards.

The story is not ground breaking in any way shape or form. Both men are underdogs in their own right, and the constant reminder of this by the tournaments broadcast announcers grows tiresome. Nothing makes a cliché (which could normally be ignored or forgiven) more annoying than constantly harking on it.

Much like the story, O’Connor’s dialogue is simple and holds no surprises. This is the unfortunate trap of a lot of sports movies. His film does a lot of telling and not a lot of showing, as we are told background info on characters via news casts and home video rather than learning it through character interactions.

It seems as if O’Connor wasn’t sure how to transcend from training to the fighting, so what we end up getting is a very awkwardly styled training montage. Yes, I know, you are all probably so shocked to hear that in a sports movie there is a training montage. It is unavoidable, but could have been done much better than it was.

Unlike similar scenes in films like Rocky, Warrior’s training shots were void of emotion. I place a lot of the fault on the shoulders of a poorly plotted score. The use of songs by The National are perfect to accent the melancholy in the films deep emotional scenes, however the score fails to help build momentum and lift the spirits during the happy, or intense moments. So what we end up having is a film that’s emotional landscape has extremely low lows, but whose high’s plateau extremely early.

Hardy, Edgerton and Nolte are great carrying the movie on their collective shoulders. Jennifer Morrison is also good as Brendan’s wife in the few scenes she has. Though, Nolte steals the show. It is no wonder he was given a nomination for his performance.

Warrior’s build to its climax is slow, and has no sense of urgency. Even if one hasn’t seen the trailer for the film, it is obvious that the Conlon brothers are going to face each other in the final match of the tournament, which takes all sense of urgency and importance out of every match leading up to the finale.

Once again, this is where the films lack of ability to evoke any emotion other than sadness and pity. You want to get amped up for each fight but it just doesn’t happen. The fights are beautifully choreographed, but that is not enough. I was more emotionally invested in watching the giant robots throw down on each other in Real Steel.

When the final bout does come, it even fails to deliver and felt rushed. Though enough cannot be said about how well Edgerton, Nolte and Hardy handled themselves in this subpar venture.

My sentiment about Warrior can be summed up in a quote one of the announcers says as Brendan enters the ring, “I remember him ... I remember him being very unmemorable.”

SCORE: 6/10

ACTING: 8/10

EFFECTS/VISUAL: 7/10

WRITING: 6/10

DIRECTING: 7/10

OVERALL: 34/50

TAKE AWAY THOUGHT: Full disclosure, I know nothing about MMA and am not even really a big fan. But I am a lover of sports movies and am usually able to get embarrassingly lost in the emotions of the game, fight or race, but I was just unable to get involved with this film. I am also a sucker for movies involving father issues, but again, O’Connor failed to grab me. I suggest you go and watch The Wrestler instead.

Review: Closer (2004)

By: Aaron Jankowski

To call Closer a love story is to only understand half of its brilliance.
This brilliantly written film is more so about lust, revenge and sadness. Love is there, but it seems out of place in this drama directed by Mike Nichols.

The story revolves around a love triangle between Dan, an obituary writer and faltering author (Jude Law); Anna, a photographer (Julia Roberts); and Larry, a doctor played brilliantly by Clive Owen. On the outside of the triangle is poor Alice, a striper, played by Natalie Portman in one of her best roles.

Though Dan is with Alice, he is passionate about Anna, and though Anna is married to Larry, she can’t help but feel for Dan.
The underlining truth in this film is every one of the characters is terribly flawed and weak.

At a showing of Anna’s photography, all the characters meet for the first time in a year.

The first half of the movie meanders long at a slow pace as all the characters meet, fall in love and make their beds. Though, the second half takes off with Dan telling Alice he is in love with Anna, and they have had an affair for a year. When Anna tells Larry, who she is now married to, the same thing, the result is one of the most powerful exchanges I have ever seen in film (NOTE: Clive Owen owns two of my top five powerful moments.)

Larry’s reaction to Anna’s news is so powerful; it makes you feel awkward and uneasy watching his explosion of rage, guilt and passion.

The verbal spare between Owen and Roberts is acting at its finest.
Both Larry and Anna are powerful, unrelenting. Whereas, Alice and Dan find themselves battling back tears as Alice can’t help but still love him.

Law, though far from the worst actor in the film, is out matched by Portman in their scenes, and completely blown out of the water by Owen, who in the second half plays his character with pure dark brooding anger, all-be-it with a beautiful tinge of dark humour.
What follows is a perverse game of cat and mouse, as the characters betray their spouses, and their own hearts in the name of love.
There is no hero. No villain. No one wins in this story.

Alice sums the film up perfectly when she talks about Anna’s photography: “It’s a lie. It’s a bunch of sad strangers photographed beautifully and all the glittering assholes who appreciate art say its beautiful cause that’s what they want to see. But the people in the photos are sad and alone, but the pictures make the world look beautiful.”

The best part about Closers score is its absence. At the movies most intense moments, Nichols allows the actor’s emotions to be alone. Raw and powerful.

Closer is incredibly powerful, and like all good films that pluck at real emotions, can be uneasy to watch.

SCORE: 7/10
ACTING: 10/10
EFFECTS/VISUAL: 7/10
WRITING: 10/10
DIRECTING: 10/10

OVERALL: 44/50

TAKE AWAY THOUGHT: If you are a fan of Clive Owen, see this film. If you are not a fan of Clive Owen, you MUST see this film. Let him change your mind. This movie teaches us once thing: Everybody is capable of cheating.

Review: The Devil's Double (2011)

By: Scott Jeffrey

In the wake of Saddam Hussien’s death it is rare for most North Americans to get a brief window into what life was like living as a member of the Hussien family during the first gulf war, or in this case, posing as one of them.

The Devils Double is a cinematic retelling of the story of Latif Yahala (Played by Dominic Cooper) an Iraqi soldier fighting in the Iraq-Iran war who is selected to become a fedai or political body double for one of Sadam’s son’s Uday Hussein (Also Played by Cooper).

Latif is tracked down by government officials with increasing security threats to the Hussein family, Uday and Latif attended boarding school together and were always remarked as being very similar in appearance. Latif is quite reluctant to become a fedai as it requires he absolve his identity. Uday is uncompromising and gives him the choice of becoming his fedai or death. This is where we can begin to see evidence of Uday’s brutal insanity.

Latif is forced to undergo plastic surgery and a death notice is sent to his parents. When latif is sent on his first assignment to pose as Uday, an assassination attempt is made and is labelled to be most likely done by a kurd group. Uday is more concerned with laying the blame on Kuwait of whom he suspects of slant drilling in Iraq’s oil fields. With one fell swoop the first gulf war is launched. With Udays voice booming over the army. “The age of the sheikhs is over!”

Uday grows increasingly more insane, taking advantage of young school girls, taking large amounts of cocaine and performing human torture personally while videotaping it. Uday even goes far enough to ask Latif to commit murder on his behalf.

Although he has access to all of Uday’s lavish personal effects, from designer suits to Ferraris, the situation grows terribly volatile with each passing day and he requires a way out. He also becomes infatuated with one of Uday’s personal concubine’s. Deciding to make a run for it he bolts and realises the Hussein family will never let him have peace.

Cooper is absolutely magnificent in this film. He captures the essence of both characters and creates a vast contrast between the two. The audience can grow to feel for Latif and loathe Uday at the same time, which is a sign that Cooper has done his job perfectly. Uday’s delusional nature is played out as he bats Latif around like a mouse, playing a vulnerable drug addicted black sheep and on a military side a strong political leader. With Uday being a very complex character by himself Cooper, is able to keep this up over both roles. Displaying the true desperation and determination to free himself Latif is seen as the conflicted polar opposite of Uday, a truly honourable man. Keeping these complex personalities separate must have been a nightmare.

Although parts of the story seem a bit fictional, this is supposedly the first hand retelling of the events. There is powerful imagery throughout and it certainly brings thought to mind about the true nature of the first gulf war, as well as a behind the scenes look. It seems to drag on at times, but then again it fits more of a biographical form than a drama or action genre. The imagery is violent and the film goes out of its way to depict Uday’s malicious nature with great detail. Prepare for some gore. I myself am not sure if the romantic backstory in the film was added in for effect or part of the real story, if anything it was neither here nor there. Really the main reason to watch the devils double is to see Dominic Cooper in action. It is a remarkable story but I would say the film probably does not do justice to what the real Latif Yahala’s novelistic account would be. I will say, it has prompted me to add it to my reading list and closely watch Mr. Dominic Cooper.

Score: 6/10

Acting: 8/10

Effects/Visual: 6/10

Writing: 6.5/10

Directing: 7/10

Overall: 33.5/50

Take Away Thought: Call me crazy but if they ever make a movie about Queen or involving them. If they need to cast a Freddy Mercury, Dominic Cooper would be your man. Just saying.

Review: Velvet Goldmine (1998)

By Aaron Jankowski

They set out to change the world but only managed to change themselves.

Velvet Goldmine, written and directed by Todd Haynes, follows a journalist, played by Christian Bale, as he tries to find out what happened to pop icon Brian Slade after he faked his own assassination on stage at a show Bale was at.

During his investigation, Bale speaks with everyone from Slade’s first manager to his ex-wife, played by Toni Collette, while using his own involvement in the glam-rock scene to piece together the information.

The film is about more than just Bale’s investigation however. The film explores the rise of glam-rock, an age of bisexuality. Combining both of those elements so perfectly is a love triangle between Brian Slade, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and his hero turned accomplice, Curt Wild, played by Ewan McGregor, and Slade’s wife.

Delving into Slade’s life stirs up mixed emotions for Bale, as we see him filled with both nostalgic glee and catholic guilt over his own involvement in the sexual escapades of the glam-rock movement.

Slade is clearly based off of David Bowie circa the Ziggy Stardust years, and though the soundtrack features none of Bowie’s work, the score is guided by Bowieque sounds. With songs by Brain Eno, Slade, Thom Yorke, Thurston Moore, T-Rex, Roxy Music, as well as original songs sung by McGregor and Rhys Meyers this is a movie best watched with your stereo turned up loud.

Rhys Meyers shines as Slade when he is singing and shaking around doing his best Bowie, which more than makes up for his subpar acting performance. McGregor’s depiction of out-of-control drugged out rocker Curt Wild, looking and at times acting like Kurt Cobain, is perfect.

Though his performance may make some squeamish. When we first see Wild perform live, he ends his set by jumping around naked and shaking his penis at the crowd.

Velvet Goldmine, like the cultural movement it portrays, is unapologetically sexual and may make some views feel extreme unease.

When Bale asks Slade’s first manager about Slade, his answer sums the film up perfectly, “He was elegance walking hand in hand with a lie.”

This film is an excellent biopic about a musician whose fabrication hardly takes away from the beauty of the story.

SCORE: 10/10
ACTING: 7/10
EFFECTS/VISUAL: 8 /10
WRITING: 7/10
DIRECTING: 8 /10

OVERALL: 40/50

TAKE AWAY THOUGHT: Before watching Velvet Goldmine, make sure you have a hefty supply of David Bowie records on hand. After watching Brian Slade trot around in platform boots, and wearing glitter eye makeup for two hours, you will be left wanting more of the music.

Review: Brick (2005)

By: Aaron Jankowski

This is not your typical high school drama.

Actually, Brick is not your typical anything. It mixes every day high school drama with more mature themes such as unrequited love, drug running and murder.

The 2005 film written and director by Rian Johnson is a murder mystery played in the vein of old noir detective movies.

As the film opens, Brendan, played exceptionally by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is looking over the dead body of his ex-girlfriend Emily (Emilie de Ravin). Though, this is not the beginning of the story. Johnson’s tale begins when Brendan gets a note from Emily telling him to meet her. When he shows up at the location, he receives a phone call from a panicked Emily, who says she is in trouble, and then hurries off the phone. From here, Brendan’s adventure begins.

Gordon-Levitt is perfect as the flawed, over-protective hero who sets out not only to find who killed Emily, but more importantly, “Who put her in front of the gun.”

To solve his case, Brendan ruffles the feathers of everyone in his high schools social hierarchy, from the stoner Emily is dating to the jocks she was known to hang around with. Though, most of his battles are clever exchanges of wits, there are a few action sequences that are as grizzly as real life after school fights.

Brick avoids becoming a cliché by absorbing everything cheesy about the genre and spitting it out in a dark twisted mockery of itself. It’s almost impossible to decide if Brick is a homage to film noir detective stories, or a legitimate story of itself. It has all the regular players in a detective story, including a creative take on the Lieutenant looking for a reason to call his detective off the streets.

Yes, the characters in this film are high school students. Yes, they have to deal with class, principals and parents. And no, the film does not ignore that there would be a police investigation into the murder of a high school student.

Johnson just works around all these things by placing his characters in an absurd reality where everyone talks like Frank Sinatra and adults stay out of the way.

The film is beautifully shot, existing mostly in a dull pre-rainfall greyness. But the best part of Brick is its tough as nails dialogue straight out of the 40s. With lines like, “I fed you Jer to see him eaten, not to see you fed,” Johnson’s script walks the line between cliché and genius.

The characters in Brick are high school kids by age only, the issues the film deals with, aside from the central murder story, are as heavy and adult as they can get, making it all the more interesting watching the drama unfold.

Will you see Brick’s twists coming? Probably, if you look. However, it is engaging enough you might not find your mind racing ahead of Brendan to solve the mystery.

Brick is a showcase of Gordon-Levitt’s abilities, long before Inception or (500) Days of Summer, though he is almost equalled by Lukas Haas, who plays the King Pin, a local drug dealer and the Moriarty to Gordon-Levitt’s Sherlock.

The music in Brick, much like its dialogue, is heavily inspired by the stylings of the 40s.

SCORE: 8/10

ACTING: 9/10

EFFECTS/VISUAL: 8/10

WRITING: 9/10

DIRECTING: 9/10

OVERALL: 43/50

TAKE AWAY THOUGHT: Brick flew under a lot of people’s radar, though I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of detective movies. I would also highly recommend this to anyone who got a kick out of the video game, L.A. Noir.