87 - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Connection To THE HOUSE BUNNY - Kat Dennings

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is the sort of film where there is a clear divide in what I liked about it and what I didn't.

My main criticism of the movie is it feels like it's trying just to hard to be cool and hip, the bands that get named even Nick's band are supposed to show you how cool these people are, and I think it's certainly a negative of the movie that brings it down a notch or two.

To be fair, though there is enough positives in this - Nick (Michael Cera) and Norah (Kat Dennings) at least have a relationship in which you can sort of care if they get together, there's also decent support from Ari Graynor who finds herself in misadventure after misadventure mostly in thanks to her constant intoxicated state.

I don't think it's the most memorable movie, I can say liked it but only remember certain bits of it - Graynor retrieving gum from a toilet is one stand out scene - so I would probably file it under not the worst way to kill a couple of hours but I'm going to struggle in conversation later besides a few words.

Overall, a short write up befitting of a film that's quick to put out of the memory so quickly, enough to recommend about it that you should sit and watch but I'll be very surprised if you'd be calling this your favourite film after watching it. 

86 - The House Bunny

Connection To THE HELP - Emma Stone

So sue me - The House Bunny - is the sort of film I enjoy - funny, light, pretty (and likable) ladies - so easy to watch, it stars three women I particularly enjoy watching - Anna Faris, Emma Stone and Kat Dennings and is does have a good energy going for it (and no-way where's out it's welcome).

I have honestly seen The House Bunny about 4 times now - more times then I've seen Schindler's List (which I've seen 3 times), obviously List is a classic, which brings me to the reason I brought it up... it seems a lot of people can tend to ignore the virtues of a movie just existing to entertain and thus a film like The House Bunny is not meant to be brought up in the same breath as Schindler's List, it's just after a crap day and I just want to relax and there the only 2 films I could watch, The House Bunny is going to get chosen 9 out of the 10 times.

I think one of the appeals of The House Bunny (besides the three actresses I mentioned) is that it sort of takes the piss out of the whole make-over thing - I think most of the girls of this unpopular sorority more just need to get some confidence in themselves, the makeovers work from them because somebody finally believes in them, Emma Stone's character just is not comfortable in front of boys and it's never in doubt she's pretty to the audience (how many have films have pretty much told us the clearly pretty girl is meant to be ugly) and all the girls including Faris' ex-Playboy bunny all learn from each other.

Now like I said I'm not here to pretend it's high art, and it's not necessarily out original - it seems every college films involving sororities or whatever after have an underdog and an evil counterpart - of course when men, and other people start giving the girls attention they start becoming more like the other sororities until they can find the right balance.

Casting wise the girls all deliver likable performances including those I haven't mentioned like Rumer Willis and Katherine McPhee and Hugh Hefner plays himself and doesn't really do too bad, I would complain the Colin Hanks as Faris' love interest though as very little do - so much that he might as well have not featured in the movie at all.

Overall, a movie that I will probably see multiple times more and still like it as much, if you want some dumb but with a heart (much like Faris' tittle character) then this is the movie for you.

85 - The Help

Connection To PRETTY UGLY PEOPLE - director Tate Taylor (also Allison Janney and Octavia Spencer)

I feel like I've been burnt one too many times by films that have recieved Academy Award attention. It didn't help The Help (awkward thing to say) in my eyes that the film won an academy award (and nominated three further times) and to be honest on paper the all film sounds awards-batey - admit it they love films that deal with subjects like race.

Crash was the film I think that ultimately ended my interest in what was nominated, won etc, the awards were already on shaky ground before that (Shakespeare In Love winning Best Picture etc.) but the manipulative rubbish that was Crash killed it, so like I said if I know a film as got Academy Award mention it will go against it - sure I've liked films since then, note not loved - The Hurt Locker, Black Swan etc. and some of the wildcard films have nominated/won such as Bridesmaids and The Dark Knight are more in the love category (but like I said wildcard). 

So yeah I'm writing this all before watching The Help, just sort of let anybody reading know that there is some prejudice going in before watching it, couple this with the last film I watched is from the same director - Tate Taylor - and I could considered it the weakest thing I've watched so far, and in the interest of a positive though I absolutely adore Emma Stone so anyway on with the movie...

And I enjoyed up really liking The Help, it's hard to believe it was the same director as Pretty Ugly People - Collectively all the characters interested me (as appose to one) and it was story that I enjoyed following throughout, I wouldn't say it changed my mind on the Academy Award thing single-handedly but maybe it's warmed me to seeing some of the ones I haven't seen yet (such as The Artist).

I think this is the longest film I've watched so far since starting this, I consciously pick films that come in at under 2 hours and closer to 90 minutes the better to be honest - mainly so I'm not there sat twiddling my thumbs, this though comes in at over 2 hours and really didn't feel like it.

I felt like the film made good use of the time period it was set, having some knowledge of the time - such as civil rights - I think actually helps enhance the experience, and it's actually good to see a female-orientated film that is not really about the "boy".

Of the cast I most enjoyed Ocativa Spencer, proving in 2 films to me that she is one to watch, Bryce Dallas Howard was enjoyably bitchy and Jessica Chastain, I like the warmth she brought to the role, I can't leave Emma Stone who like Chastain liked what the warmness and the humanity she brought to the character.

My favourite scene is when Spencer who had previously been fired by Howard getting her revenge in pie form, Sissy Spacek's reactions for me really made that scene.

Overall, a film I really liked (love is perhaps too far), I can't falter the cast (even those I didn't mention) and the story kept me interested all the way through.

84 - Pretty Ugly People

Connection To A THOUSAND WORDS - Allison Janney

If is a film is bad, hell even terrible in doing this six degrees (or 84 degrees chain at the minute), it can be a good thing - I can watch in enjoyment or gritted teeth depending on which type of bad it is, a worse thing in killing my interest for a film is just blandness - Pretty Ugly People - which I watched yesterday (most of the films I wrote about yesterday where watched on the Saturday) and honestly it just killed my interest dead in watching something else for the rest of the day - I would go as far to say this of all 84 movies this is the least pleasure I've took from anything I've watched .

Pretty Ugly People became the most challenging film for me so far because (besides one thing which I'll say later) most of the characters where I wouldn't say unlikable but just not people to have any reason to root for, if I had an ounce of interest in these characters it would take away from much of it's obvious plotting.

Missi Pyle is the fat friend in a group who gets them all to come home by sort of implying she's dying, while in fact she's lot a shit ton of weight and wants to go on a hike she was never allowed to go on a kid because her family didn't think she could handle it.

On paper, you can't fault cast - Melissa McCarthy, Josh Hopkins, Phill Lewis (Hooch is crazy), but the characters they are given are not particularly interesting, McCarthy as a good moment I suppose involving using a satellite phone. Honestly of the cast I say take Octavia Spencer out of this movie... the only reason why? She's much too memorable to be part of a movie where the rest of it is so forgetful, she deserves to be transplanted to a much better movie.

Spoiler Zone for next paragraph - Hopkins character is pretty homophobic to a character who's a single male air steward, can you guess the twist in the tale? yes Hopkins character is gay all along and masking it, man this is the second film I've watched and that's been the case and the other film, while lot great - Cursed - did it better (how is that possible?), there's also while I'm complaining an example of death by convenience towards the end.

Overall, the least interesting movie I've watched so far, which would probably put top of the list (or thereabouts) of my least favourite movies experiences on this blog

Potentially no updates next few days (not related to this film).

83 - A Thousand Words

Connection To A.C.O.D. - Clark Duke

A Thousand Words was made in 2008 but didn't see a release in 2012, and even skipped cinemas over here in the U.K. altogether (though it got advertised at one point), I actually don't think quality was the reason is what kept it from release for so long but rather to do with studio separation and all that.

As a film I felt there was elements I actually liked of this movie and I think film most reminded me of was Click - high concept which starts as a comedy but then gradually becomes more of a drama in a lesson to get a man to change his ways for the better. A Thousand Words as a tree grow in Eddie Murphy's garden that leaves fall off every time Murphy speaks and he'll die once the last one has fallen...

Now I'm not holding up Click as a classic but I think that movie did it better then this did, you don't quite feel Eddie Murphy is selfish enough to be the one forced to go through this journey, sure he could spend more time with his wife (Kerry Washington) and kid and should listen more but the path he was heading down was not drawn clearer like in other films.

As the wife, Washington is mostly wasted just getting to stand there being annoyed or upset at Murphy, though there is a scene where she dresses sexy to try and rekindle their relationship, though some of his male co-stars such as Cliff Curtis and Clark Duke have more to do, Curtis particularly stands out to me from the bunch.

In the end though it's a weird choice to have Eddie Murphy where his voice is one of the key elements of his success forced to be quiet for big parts of the movie

Overall not bad, doesn't have anything in it though (I guess sans Washington dressing sexy) that I'd want to revisit, this is a watch once movie and that's it.

81 - Wet Hot American Summer

Connection To NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE - Samm Levine as an uncredited voice role here, confirmed by Levine himself if there was some doubt from IMDB.

It's been over 10 years since I first discovered Wet Hot American Summer, it was brought in a budget DVD pack with some other films, if I recall correctly it was one or two of the other comedies was my reason for buying as I had never heard of this film at all - I think that says a lot I can't remember what the other films where but this film as been brought multiple times and I even purchased the American DVD with extras (the British is bare-bones).

This is my 4th or 5th time watching WHAS and it's still as funny now as the first time I saw it, it has a weird tone to it which isn't a bad thing - it's not out and out parody but it's not in a world where everything is completely straight if that makes sense. This film is set in 1981 on the last day of a Jewish summer camp and is about the misadventures of the counselors, the romance of the camp director (Janeane Garofalo) and an astrophysics proffers (David Hyde Pierce) and we also spend some time with the kids.

The plot is basically just an excuse to string the funny moments together and the film features plenty of funny people, practically the entire cast of The State, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, early roles for Bradley Cooper and Elizabeth Banks.

I don't want to write about too many of the scenes because it gives away the direction but one of the funniest scenes for me was when the camp director goes into town with the counselors just how it spirals out of control is so hilarious, I also like Christopher Meloni and his subplot as the cook and is also a shell-shocked Vietnam vet.

Overall I'd prefer somebody to go into this film without any expectations then you can be surprised like I did as I found this incredibly funny.

80 - Not Another Teen Movie

Connection To JOE DIRT - Jaime Pressly.

In time to come when all the spoof movie movies get lumped together as the scraping of the bottom of the barrel for parody, it will be a shame for the genuinely funny ones in the bunch, it to be fair is films that would pre-date Date Movie, films such as this teen spoof Not Another Teen Movie.

Not Another Teen Movie parodies unsurprisingly an whole bunch of teen movies particularly the comedies (so I guess it does fall into the trap of spoofing something already funny - but at times at least as a new joke to with it, also it parodies the more earnest scenes of these comedies)

Jake (Chris Evans - doing a better Freddie Prinze Jr. then Prinze Jr.) makes a bet with his friends to turn Janey (Chyler Leigh) into prom queen even though she has glasses, a ponytail and paint covered overalls, so yeah the basis is She's All That with scenes or characters mimicking among other teen movies such as American Pie, Can't Hardly Wait, Cruel Intentions, The Breakfast Club, 10 Things I Hate About You and Bring It On among others, yeah it's noticeable that most of the teen movies are from the 3 or 4 years before

The best characters for me are Mia Kirshner as Catherine, taking off Sarah Michelle Gellar's character in Cruel Intentions as Jake's sister (only by blood), she does still get to be sexy for the most part even when doing ridiculous things (the brother/sister incest thing is tiny bit ironic since Chyler Leigh kissed her real brother on film, since they played love interests in Kickboxing Academy), another enjoyable character was Sam Hungington as Ox (taking off Chris Klein's Oz from American Pie) I just love how he plays the performance

My favourite scenes including Ricky reading 10 Things I Love About Janey in class, the musical number (showing Disaster Movie how a musical number featuring the cast should go) and I like Jake trying to save Janey's brother from bullying.

The films worst scene for me, and is the scene that takes toilet humour literally as the three horny freshman characters spying on a girl on toilet who ends up getting discussing, this is not the worst part but the scene ends with the English teacher among others getting covered in shit, the scene goes on way too long for a pay off that is more disgusting and funny.

Overall, because plenty of the jokes hit the mark and everybody plays their characters so well, the film ends up being so damn enjoyable for me.