Kick Ass: The Film Holds true to it’s name… And then Some!!

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Stars:  Aaron Johnson (Kick Ass/ Dave Lizewski)                     Chloe Grace  Mortez (Hit Girl/ Mindy Macready)

             Nicholas Cage (Big Daddy/ Damon Macready)              Christopher Mintz- Plasse ( Red Mist/Chris D’Amico)

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Any Film that can make a little 11 year old girl out to be the baddest ass in comics has the winning formula for a great comic book film.  Tarintino, Rodeiguez, Snyder & Raimi can currently all suck it, there is a new king in the genre of comic book films and he hails from the merry old land of England….. Mr. Matthew Vaughn, who comes from the Guy Ritchie world of  gangster films takes a fresh stab at the quickly dwindling world of comic book adaptations.

Kick ass is the moniker of comic book aficionado & wanna be super hero Dave Lisewski. Always curious why average joes never took to the streets in costume to right wrongs and help the helpless. After a bystander watches and does nothing as Dave and his friend get mugged  he decides to Armed with a wet suit & good intentions  he tries to do just that. With a few road blocks in his path he still doesn’t let that get him down. After intervening in a gang fight that is captured on film  his popularity skyrockets and becomes intertwined with the D’Amico crime family.

Now for the review, this film kicked fricken ass!!  It was hilarious, violent and action packed.  I really connected with the character of Dave, being a nerd, always craving respect and attention, and I thought scenes & the dialogue between Dave and his friends ( Clark Duke & Evan Peters) was hilarious and brilliant.

The action scenes had a good mix of style and substance. While they were crazy violent, bloody and a tad over the top, they were well choreographed, and  shot with a slick style like in 300 or watchmen. I really enjoyed how Vaughn wasn’t afraid to go over the top and didn’t restrict  the film in terms of language or violence, he went straight for the jugular and went for the 18A/ R rating. 

Kick Ass, Hit Girl and Big Daddy. A first meeting of the minds

 

I also really liked the actors, and how they weren’t the A listers, they were just right for the part.  Aaron Johnson ( Dave) had this awkward sensibility and was not very handsome, at least in the classic way.  Unlike Toby Maguire in Spiderman you actually buy Aaron as an award outcast with little going on in his life.   Cloe Mortez ( Hit Girl) had the attitude and spunk needed for a bad ass super heroine.  She’s the anti Dakota Fanning, she was crude, confident and pulled it off fantastically.  My favorite part of the movie was Nick Cage, his parody of the Adam West 60′s batman was hilarious and campy and  Cage was able to work with it. It was a welcome back  to good roles for the talented Cage.

I Know the film differed from the book a little bit, but It was great in spite of that. No film follows the book to the letter and I felt that the  changes made the film a little better, I think the film would have been a bit too dark and  went against the new tone of the film.  I couldn’t find any problems with this film, it was funny, fun and filled to the brim with action and will give Iron man 2 for the best comic book film of the year.

TV Shows that got a raw Deal

All the time  TV shows are given the green light, then either through poor ratings, poor reviews, poor advertising,  or the wrong timing they get the axe. Very oftten they aren’t even given the chance to wrap up properly leaving the faithful viewers left a little empty, bitter and unfulfilled.

Some of my favorite shows that I feel weren’t given a long enough shot are:

COMEDY

Andy Richter Controls the Universe- Some may know him as Conan O’Brien’s rotund sidekick, but Andy is a funny guy.  In this hilarious show Andy is living in Chicago as a writer for a faceless corporation , where he gets himself into a whole bunch of mishaps. The show ran for 19 episodes on FOX. Andy hasn’t had a really good show that has had longevity in several tries.

Stella- The bizarre day to day lives of three peculiar gentleman in suits ( Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, & David Wain).  It started out as a comedy sketch troupe, then moved on to online shorts before hitting Comedy Central.  The show only got 10 episodes, and if that wasn’t hard enough it was replaced by mind of mencia. Since Stella’s cancellation the guys have done okay, Black & Showalter have a new show Michael and Michael have issues, and David Wain had a web series called Wainy Days & directed two films; The Ten & Role Models.

Greg the Bunny- A very funny  sitcom where humans & puppets co exist. The show focuses on a little bunny puppet  Greg ,his best human  friend Jimmy ( Seth Green) who wind up working on a popular kids show sweetknuckle junction. The show was another shining star on the FOX quick pull trigger finger.

Clerks The animated Series- The beloved characters of the cult classic bring their quick wits to the small screen. This show ran on ABC for a brief period. This show was axed due to Kevin smith having problems with… well probably everyone.
Freaks & Geeks- Judd Apatow’s first big endeavor into TV. A coming of age comedy/drama about a family in 1980′s Michigan & the nerds and burnouts that revolve around them. It was a launching pad for a lot of young Hollywood’s big names in comedy. It got rave reviews but since it was an off beat show it wasn’t a mainstream success until DVD.

Undeclared  - Judd Apatow’s 2nd big kick at the can that is TV. A College based comedy/drama  set in the early  2000′s with Jay Baruchel playing the nerdy but lovable protagonist trying to find his way at college. After 17 episodes and poor ratings the show was canned. Apatow chalks it up to the fact that you can’t paint a full picture of college life on cable TV so it’s always a toned down version which doesn’t always win the kids over.

Clone High- An animated venture by ” scrubs” creator Bill Lawrence. Set in a high school all the characters are modern day teenage clones of important historical figures. The show was zany , goofy and off the wall but it was hilarious. Even though it had great voice talents and clever writing It was a show that  fell victim to being a cult favorite and really not taking off until after it’s hiatus/cancellation.

Undergrads- A cartoon show about four best friends and their lives together at college as freshman. It was also a hilarious one season wonder that grew after it was cancelled. However creator Pete Williams has tried to get it back on the air, and since he does all the voices and is a major creative hand it is possible but still a slim chance.

DRAMA

Veronica Mars- The spunky & crazy hot teenage wonder balanced life as a student and P.I. Where she faced spoiled rich kids, latin gangsters and a proverbial  melting pot of lowlifes in the town of Neptune, California just outside San Diego. The show was smart, funny, creative and well thought out. It’s signature was season long story arcs with huge twists at the end. The show altered its format in the third season, that combined with a changed time slot , a dip in ratings, & the writer’s guild strike brought a very good show to a screeching halt. There is talks of a spin off as V Mars working for the FBI but thats almost been dashed by Rob Thomas the show’s creator.

Black Donnelys-  a Crime drama about four Irish- American brothers living in Hell’s Kitchen, NY and their involvement in organized crime. It was a great show that ended in limbo and it was upsetting. Big wigs at NBC have kept a tight seal on the details of the shows cancellation, there may be sketchy details involved because it got great reviews, and average ratings. normally those types of shows get put on the bubble but this show got quickly ripped from the air after 13 episodes.. Tis was a shame, normally Paul Haggis= Gold  and this was no acception, just didn’t get the chance.

This is my personal opinion, and there will be an honorable mention coming soon, but if you feel I missed any gems or campy greatness feel free to comment.

Hot Tub time Machine: Time travel, never so funny

 

After the travel, a freakout

 

Imagine the Hangover crosses paths with Back to the future, and you get a hilarious time travel adventure.  Steve Pink directed the new comedy  that stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry(Daily Show), &  Craig Robinson (The Office) as three best friends with a strained relationship.  They are miserable at work, at home and they don’t even have each other. When Lou (Corddry) suffers an accident the guys take the reunion as an opportunity to reconnect and get their friendships back on track. Lou, Nick (Robinson), Adam(Cusack) )head up to Kodiak Valley Ski Resort where they had some of the best times of  their lives. Adam brings his nephew Jacob (Clark Duke) who is in desperate need to get out and experience life.  While partying in the hot tub a drink is spilled on the tubs console sending them back to 1986, the weekend of “Winterland ’86″ to be specific. It was a key weekend that set the course for their personal and professional lives.  It is their second chance to right the wrongs and take that leap, the chance most people do not get in their lives.

A raging good time, with unthinkabule concequences

 

When people they will compare it to The Hangover, as it is a crazy comedy that takes place over a day.  HTTM rises to the occasion, it is hilarious. The main cast (Corddry, Cusack, Duke & Robinson) have great chemistry and are very funny together. Corddry is the main focus and he delivers. He takes a step away from his satirical style of comedy that is his comfort zone,  and steps to a style that is vulgar, volatile, slapstick and goofy. Each main character really gets their own chance to shine, whether its Cusack being a drugged out mess, Robinson’s musical number, or Duke’s great one liners and slapstick gags.

Crispin Glover ( who is no stranger to time travel), Collette Wolfe, Chevy Chase, & Lizzy Caplan are great supporting characters that give the film backing. I also enjoyed how they played with the characters knowledge of the future (very back to the future Pt 2) but they had fun with it. I also enjoyed the pop culture of the 80′s and the tremendous art direction that went into the film, a credit to Bob Zembicki & his art & design team. It is something that is so important and one wouldn’t normally notice unless it’s a period piece, not expected from a goofy comedy but it was fantastic. The film was also backed with a solid soundtrack from key bands from the 80′s such as  The Talking Heads, Poison, Motley Crue, New Order,  Men without Hats, INXS, Public Enemy, & many others.

Young Corddry, Cusack, Robinson & Duke.. well he stays the same

 

This was a great, creative & well written comedy. It was a fun and interesting take on two old topics that are second chances and time travel.  Hilarious Jokes and a great cast really made the film work. I would strongly recommend this film, also I would put it in the top five comedies of the last couple of years amongst the hangover, I love you man, superbad and Role Models. Which is some great company to share.