112 - The 40 Year Old Virgin

Connection To THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER - Paul Rudd.

Before seeing The 40 Year Old Virgin, I already brought, watched and loved the DVDs for Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. So I actually think my mind going into this would be different to somebody who hadn't seen either of these shows would know despite the title that the film as the potential to have heart.

I think the title does make it sound like it will be American Pie but with an older character, a desperate odyssey for a virgin to finally get laid - but it's not really like that, it's his new friends that are pushing him to get laid, but the only way the truly know how to make him appeal to women is to give him Lothario traits that never suit him, but I think the message is actually the exact opposite to American Pie which message seem to be lose your cherry as soon as possible so there's no more pressure to this films hey just wait until you yourself are ready, which is ultimately the better message of the two for me.

While it does have something in common with American Pie and that is comedy set-pieces - the infamous chest waxing scene which Steve Carell did for real is probably the films most famous moment, though there is other funny scenes including Carell talking to Elizabeth Banks' book shop worker in only questions ("do you like to do it yourself?") and Apatow's wife Leslie Mann drunk driving are among the stand out scenes.

Overall Apatow's directorial debut is probably still his best film - the others haven't proven they have had the same re-watch-ability like this movie has. The cast are on super-form and has time to be a bit disgusting whilst still having a heart. Recommended.

88 - Superbad

Connection To NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST - Michael Cera.

So yeah... I spent much longer away from this blog then I planned too... the truth is I got into rhythms with some TV shows thanks to streaming sites - Orange Is The New Black Season 2 and the first 4 (of 5) of Community - which is a show I'd know I'd love if I got a chance to see it, and yeah I did...

I can't see myself keeping the same speed I did back in April, dips could... probably will happen again, I'm a bit up and down when it comes to writing, I lose faith very quickly - which is often why you see bits of self deprecation all over the place.

I have decided to implement a new rule - well not really implement but rather make an amendment... well to my only rule and that is about the same connection being allowed to be used more then once... I have decided to change that - though I will endeavour to mix it up when it comes to connections, if I get into a role based around a franchise or even a director or actor, I don't want to force myself playing around trying to find a tenuous connection.

This beginning was a bit long-winded without even talking about the film I'm going to cover here, I decided to ease myself back in with a film that I've seen more - and I know that I enjoy - one of the first films that it was clear the Apatow Crew (is that what you call them) are going to be around (I know The 40 Year Old Virgin beat is by 2 years) but I think this and Knocked Up where clear that these guys - often  unconventional leading men - where capable of opening movies.

Superbad on paper seems like a teen plot that's been done a million times - teenagers in quest of something and getting themselves in one situation - sometimes dangerous - after another and the lads in the quest of buying alcohol is their MacGuffin,

What works is we split the time between Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill), named after the two wrote it when there was actual teenagers (which is impressive) - Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen - and the misadventures of Christopher Mintz-Plasse who decided the best name for his fake I.D. was McLovin and he ends up on an adventure with 2 cops (Rogen and Bill Hader).

I think this film help made me a fan of Bill Hader, who now as a proud position on the list of my favourite all time SNL cast members (which includes Phil Hartman and Amy Poehler on that list), and also interested me (and the world) to the goddess that is Emma Stone (making her movie debut) making you believe that yeah a kid like Jonah Hill could stand a chance with her.

So yeah films don't always have to be the most original premise wise it's what you do with it that counts, Superbad works cause the premise is so thin that you can just spend the film enjoying the characters and the scenes.

Overall, endlessly watchable, I've seen it at least 4 or 5 times at a guess and I still laugh at much of it, so yeah I'm going with highly recommended.

8 - The Sitter

Connection To 21 JUMP STREET - Jonah Hill

Jonah Hill's last fat film, I don't why I started with that but I was reading up about the movie and that little tidbit was presented to me, ignoring health reasons Hill looks better suited to being overweight.

The Sitter reminded me of the 80's movie Adventures In Babysitting (or Night On The Town as it was called here in the UK for a time) - in fact so much you could question if this was a remake or not and Elisabeth Shue as been replaced by Hill (I'd sooner have Shue babysitting me).

I have to say I did like this movie - Hill's relationship with the kids he's looking after where well developed and the adventures in babysitting he got into a long the way where enjoyable particularly when he meets with the closest thing to the film has to a villain - Sam Rockwell - who's a fucking hoot here. I'd like how they progressed the Hill character throughout the movie making him grow as a person throughout.

Going back to Hill and his relationship with the kids, I liked all their personalities - kid actors can often be annoying but I liked each of them and what they brought to the table - SPOILER I liked how they handled the potential sexuality of one of the kids and was in such a sweet way END OF SPOILER, Ari Graynor (who I'm getting more of a crush on) was also very enjoyable this movie as Hill's almost girlfriend (she lets him go down on her).

This is shorter then what I normally write because I think films that go on one adventure to another tend to you just listing the stuff that happened.

I liked this film, I know critically it wasn't amazingly recieved film but I enjoyed spending time with all the characters, while it's not necessarily a laugh a minute it has it's funny moments which make it not the worst way to spend 90 minutes.

7 - 21 Jump Street

Connection To LEAVE IT TO BEAVER - both are based on TV shows.

I have no problem at the end of the day with all these remakes - be it of an older film, a foreign film or an update of a TV show - the reasoning being nobody is forcing me at gunpoint to watch any of these - they don't effect my enjoyment of the original in anyway, the same way a film based on a book or comic doesn't effect what you once enjoyed there still there (I also hate the term raped my childhood which has been banded about), and I'm curious often then not to see how an adaptation of the same material attacks it (okay, a fair bit of the time it ends up being a lame duck).

21 Jump Street, was a show I was familiar with but never seen - I knew it starred Johnny Depp and Richard Grieco and knew it was about cops going undercover as high school students but that was about it, it probably also had something with Depp choosing to take interesting roles to avoid the pin-up moniker he would get with this show.

21 Jump Street works totally as a movie in it's own right, it's maybe because the show's concept can be boiled down to so few words, it also like the better TV remake movies sort of makes fun of some of the concepts (in a loving way) while being it's own thing. This film also feels like the first high school film in a long-time to acknowledge the world is a bit different now - that jock and geek are not quite how they are always presented anymore.

One of the stars Channing Tatum, actually went from hey I tolerate him to hey your actually a pretty good actor, so it's awesome when a movie pretty much changes your precipitation of people, who has great chemistry here with the other undercover cop Jonah Hill.

SPOILER(ISH) AHEAD - but do you want to know one of the most awesome things about this movie it's not actually a remake of the TV series it ends up being a stealth sequel and we get the cameo of two original 21 Jump Street actors in cameos playing their original characters which I won't spoil here END OF SPOILER

The supporting cast is actually filled out nicely with Dave Franco and Brie Larson cool as students and the ever adorable Ellie Kemper as a teacher among others in a pretty well cast film.

Overall, it's funny and the action scenes are cool and features great chemistry between the leads, this actually has me looking forward to it's sequel (22 Jump Street).