“It’s happened again,” Phil (Bradley Cooper) says at the beginning of the new film, “The Hangover: Part II.” For fans of the original, what has happened is pretty obvious. The “Wolfpack,” composed of Phil, Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis), have spent another wild night partying and can’t remember anything about it. Like in the original, the men have lost one of their friends and must spend a day trying to find him before a big wedding.

—–

The sequel begins a few years after the original. Stu is now engaged and his fiancée’s family is waiting for him to arrive at the wedding in Thailand. Phil calls to inform them that another late night has turned disastrous for the “Wolfpack.”

The story then flashes back to the events leading up to the wedding. Alan, who drugged his friends in the original, is waiting for his invitation to Stu’s wedding but Stu, for obvious reasons, doesn’t want to invite him. After Doug (Justin Bartha), whose wedding took place at the end of “The Hangover,” pressures Stu to invite his brother-in-law, Stu relents. Joining the “Wolfpack” and Doug on the trip to Thailand is Teddy (Mason Lee), the teenage brother of Stu’s fiancee.

When the group arrives in Thailand, they decide to have “one drink” on the beach at night a few days before the wedding. The next morning, the “Wolfpack” wake up in Bangkok hung over. Doug left the beach early so he’s back in his hotel room but Teddy is missing. As the story continues, the “Wolfpack” spend their day investigating what happened the previous night and trying to find Teddy.

(more…)

According to Box Office Mojo, the comedy “You Again” has grossed a disappointing $17.8 million in its first two weeks of release. Those box office results are low considering that the movie’s strong cast includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, and “It Girl” Betty White. However, the film’s tired and bland formula has prevented it from becoming a hit.

“You Again” tells the story of a high school dork who is given a chance for revenge years later. Marni (Kristen Bell) was a pimply-faced loser who was tormented by popular cheerleaders in high school. Her main antagonist was Joanna (Odette Yustman), who played a pivotal role in making Marni’s life miserable.

Years after both teens graduated, Marni’s brother Will becomes engaged to Joanna (who is as unlikable as ever). In an unbelievable surprise only seen in silly comedies, Marni doesn’t realize that her brother’s fiancé is her former nemesis until she is on a plane heading to the wedding. Arriving at her parent’s house, Marni seeks an apology from Joanna. However, Joanna claims that she doesn’t remember her. This denial infuriates Marni who plots to reveal Joanna’s true character to Will before the wedding. (more…)

The two highest-grossing movies in the United States from 2009 were “Avatar” and “Transformers 2.” The special effects and the anticipation before both films helped propel these films to earn hundreds of  millions of dollars. Much of the media coverage about both films (especially “Avatar”) focused on their special effects rather than their stories. With that in mind, one of the unfortunate legacies of 2009 at the movies may be that strong stories and great characters are seen as no match for visual excitement at the box office.

At the end of December 2009, Yahoo compiled a list of the top grossing movies of the year domestically. (Because the list came out in December, “Transformers 2” is featured as the highest grossing movie of the year, rather than “Avatar.”) The Yahoo list featured four sequels, one franchise revival (“Star Trek”), and one James Cameron movie about a planet with blue aliens on it. That latter film, along with “Transformers 2,” will not likely be remembered for its story or its characters, a disappointing realization for moviegoers who want great stories to go along with grand special effects. (more…)

Even bad or marginal films can offer stand-alone scenes that stand out. Here are my ten favorites from last year:

1. Up – Married Life Montage: Four of the most memorable and moving minutes you’ll ever see. Most montages and flashbacks of this sort focus on what David Zucker lampooned so well in the “Naked Gun” films: the run-on-the-beach type of stuff. Director Pete Docter not only captured the harsh realities of life with a miscarriage and the tragedy of growing old, but also the small everyday moments that later become the most poignant. Docter’s real accomplishment, though, was in setting the early bar so high with these heartrending few minutes and then living up to them for the next 90. 

2. Inglourious Basterds –  Once Upon a Time… In Nazi-Occupied France:  After “Death Proof” I worried that one our great directors had started to buy into his own fanboy press that he could do no wrong. But the “Basterds” opening scene with “The Jew Hunter,” SS Officer Hans Landa (Christopher Waltz —  who must win the Oscar), psychologically destroying a French farmer, not only unnerved me completely but eased all my fears regarding Mr. Tarantino. (more…)

BEST PICTURE – DRAMA

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
Precious
Up In the Air

BEST PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
James Cameron – Avatar
Clint Eastwood – Invictus
Jason Reitman – Up In The Air
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds (more…)

–

Lou Lumenick says this might be THE comedy hit of the summer.

Nothing would be more welcome than an R-rated comedy in this genre that doesn’t resort to forgettable gross-out gags, scenes that never end and a mind-numbing runtime. And if it sounds like that’s picking on Judd Apatow … it is.  (more…)