What the Hell Were They Thinking?!

      Hello, readers, happy Monday to you all. It's that time again for my weekly tribute to films that make you question whether there's any hope left for humanity. This week's a good one.

      ... Okay... Mega Piranha is about genetically modified (What a refreshing surprise!) Piranhas from the Orinoco River in Venezuela. Through human interference, the Piranhas manage to escape and set course for Florida. Gradually, the fish keep getting bigger and bigger by some sort of means that the screenwriters - God bless 'em - try to pass off as scientific fact. Either way, a lot of people are gonna get their asses handed to them by these aquatic creatures and it'll be up to former pop singer Tiffany and Greg Brady to save the day... Wait - what?! Well, I guess that means we're all royally fucked.

      This film sets the standard for all shitty films to follow. The acting's bad. No, I'm going with atrocious. Nah, actually I'm going with a bad on par with watching that video from The Ring. After watching Mega Piranha, you could very well die in seven days. Is it 'cause that creepy girl Samara Morgan's coming for you? No, but it could be that you throw yourself from a skyscraper by the end of the week to rid yourself of the images this movie throws at you. You'll at least die laughing 'cause I really can't emphasize how bad the acting is. It's literally watching the cast hesitate to say their lines while they wait for their cues. Then again, you expect this when the film's big "get" is Barry Williams aka Greg Brady. Then there's the editing and, holy shit, who was in charge of that? Did they stick an eight year old boy with ADHD in the editing room and say, "Make it happen... Oh, and we hid your Ritalin, so good luck!" The clip you saw up above, that was not cut or edited in any way to make it look like that. What you see is what you get from this movie. Plus, the ending just shows up abruptly. Something tells me the filmmakers just said, "Fuck it. That's good enough." I for one, will not tolerate such shoddy filmmaking, so I drummed up proper ending to this horrible script. Cue the intro!

Mike Brady: "Greg, could you come here. We need to have a talk, son."

Greg Brady: "Oh, jeepers, dad, what is it?"

Mike Brady: "Your mother tells me you did a film solely for the money. She says it was pretty bad too. Maybe even dog shit... Is that true, Greg?"

Greg Brady: "Well, dad... yeah, it is. You're not mad, are you?"

(Audience awws)

Mike Brady: "No, son, I'm not. I'm just disappointed."

Greg Brady: "I just wanted to be popular, dad. All the cool kids at school said this movie would be neato. What's wrong with wanting to be liked?"

Mike Brady: "Heck, Greg, nothing's wrong with that, but you said the same thing when you took that cameo role in Dick Roberts: Former Child Star, which who are we kidding, was the only high point you had in the past twenty years."

Alice: "Ho ho, that's a pretty low high if you ask me, Mr. Brady, he he!"

(Audience laughs)

Mike Brady: "Hey, Alice, could you check on dinner... and could you also maybe perhaps shut your fucking piehole?"

Greg Brady: "Well, my classmates are all just a bunch of nincompoops! It's just not fair. Marcia's able to get anyone to like her with her pretty face and smoking hot bod."

Mike Brady: "Now, now, Greg, that's your sis..."

Greg Brady: "Only by law... and I swear I walked in on her getting dressed on accident!"

Mike Brady: "Look, son. It's understandable that some like Tiffany are so desperate for relevancy again, they're doling out BJs and Handys to the entire film crew... but you're a Brady, and you're better than that. See, a real friend likes you for who you are, not what pile of shit film you're in. If you judge your friends for passing judgment on you, you're not only judging yourself you're judging your friends for judging you. And that would be using bad judgment... Understand, Greg?"

Greg Brady: "Yeah, I guess so."

(Audience awws as Mike and Greg hug)

Greg Brady: "Hey, dad?"

Mike Brady: "Yes, Greg?"

Greg Brady: "How come you and mom never hug or kiss?"

Mike Brady: "Well - uh - well - whoo... You see..."

Cindy Brady: "Gee whithz, dad. Have you theen my hamthter Thnowflake? I think I lotht him."

(Audience applauds as Mike looks at the camera and shrugs his shoulders)

     

You're Next

Cast of Characters:

Erin - Sharni Vinson

Felix Davison - Nicholas Tucci

Zee - Wendy Glenn

Crispian Davison - A. J. Bowen

Drake Davison - Joe Swanberg

Aubrey Davison - Barbara Crampton

Paul Davison - Rob Moran

Director - Adam Wingard

Screenplay - Simon Barrett

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity

      After two long years, the much awaited slasher film You're Next is finally here. Wait a minute. No black guy, no brainless bimbo and no douche-bag jock? Who's dying first then?

      You're Next takes place at the Davison home. Celebrating their 35th anniversary, Paul (Rob Moran) and Aubrey Davison (Barbara Crampton) invite their four children, along with their significant others, over for a family dinner to celebrate the occasion. It's a been a while since they've all been together under the same roof and that clearly shows. It seem like only seconds after "amen" for the food has been uttered that one of the sons is getting under the skin of another.

      Well, what's the best way to end an argument? That I can't say, but a good way to at least interrupt one is to launch a crossbow arrow through one of the guest's foreheads. That definitely does the trick and will most certainly send this family from shouting down each other's throats to embracing each other tightly while the theme song to Family Ties croons in the background.  Now under a home invasion by some masked intruders, the Davison family must fend for their lives... Cue the suspenseful synthesizer music... Or they... will... die!

      When I first read about this film, it was getting quite a bit of positive buzz. Then I saw the trailer for it a few months back and wondered how the hell could just another The Strangers or The Purge gain any positive buzz? I mean, I was honestly getting ready to "D-" the hell out of this film. For starters, some of the performances - while not horrible - weren't really much to be desired of. Most of the performers are relatively unknown, with the exception of Rob Moran who you've probably seen in quite a few Farrelly brothers films. The twists are somewhat predictable as well... but I've said it before and I'll say it again. Never judge a film by its trailer and this sucker punched me in the face by how entertaining of a flick it was. Look no further than director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett for the reason why. Over the past 10-15 years, we've been bombarded with a number of slasher films (a lot of them shitty remakes) that take themselves so seriously, and most of the time they're all about how much they can amp it up in terms of blood and gore. Yes, I may be 28, but I'm still gonna bark out loud like an old man, "They don't make 'em like they use to!" Wingard and Barrett know the material they are working with and have great fun with it, even slightly poking fun at a few cliches we've commonly seen in slasher films. That's what makes this such an effective little film. Whether it's the family debating on who should run out to the car to get help (They point out Drake can't do it 'cause he has an arrow stabbed in his back, and the daughter of the clan starts crying that her family doesn't have enough faith in her to pull it off) or one of the killers repeatedly stabbing a victim with one tool and then another and another after each previous one seems to not do the trick ("Why won't you die already?!"), You're Next never takes itself too seriously without going entirely overboard into camp territory, and although it doesn't scream originality, the way the plot unfolds still keeps you engaged. With some rather nifty camera work at times, some pretty funny kill moments and a foot tapping score that screams vintage John Carpenter while setting just the right tone the film needs, Wingard and Barrett prove themselves to be competent filmmakers within this genre. Finally, I have to mention Sharni Vinson. Even though I did say the acting wasn't up to par at times, Vinson still was quite the badass here, and out of all the performances she was easily the best. This was the first time I've seen her in anything, and this may very well be a breakout role for her.

     Is it perfect? No. Is it scary? Not really, but is it entertaining? You're damn right it is. It doesn't break any new ground by any means, but considering that it's been forever and a day... and yeah, another day after that since I've seen a slasher film that didn't make me wanna gouge me eyes out, you could still say this is a refreshing breath of fresh air for the genre. Despite the drunk asshole college kid sitting in front of me that almost made me kick-start You're Next 2 into instant production, I had a fun time. I give You're Next a B+ (★★★½).

REVIEWS COMING LATER NEXT WEEK...

What the Hell Were They Thinking?!

Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

The Iceman

Drinking Buddies

The Frozen Ground

Getaway

The World's End

Cast of Characters:

Gary King - Simon Pegg

Andy Knightley - Nick Frost

Steven Prince - Paddy Considine

Oliver Chamberlain - Martin Freeman

Peter Page - Eddie Marsan

Sam Chamberlain - Rosamund Pike

Director - Edgar Wright

Screenplay - Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright

Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references

      Co-writer/star Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and co-writer/director Edgar Wright partner up once again and go bottoms up in the much anticipated third installment of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, The World's End. As Gary King would say, "Let's do this!!"

      Gary King (Simon Pegg) is a hedonistic alcoholic who dreams of completing the Golden Mile, an infamous pub crawl that winds through twelve pubs in their hometown of Newton Haven, with his lifelong friends. Years before, they attempted the crawl, but ultimately failed to reach the final pub, the World's End. Now all grown up, Gary tries to get his four friends - Andy Knightley (Nick Frost), Steven Prince (Paddy Considine), Oliver Chamberlain (Martin Freeman) and Peter Page (Eddie Marsan) - to brave through the crawl once more. Having grown older with steady careers and families, the four have moved on from that point in their lives, and see Gary as just trying to live in the past with no intention of amounting to anything else. Reluctantly, though, they all give in and join Gary on the legendary pub crawl.

      While journeying through the crawl, Gary winds up in a bathroom fight with a local teenager who turns out to be inhumanly strong and agile. Gary accidentally beheads him and, to his surprise, finds out that this boy appears to be some sort of robot. When his friends find out what is going on, they don't know what to make of it, and certainly don't know how many more there are. Unsure of who else may be a robot in disguise, the five agree to continue on with the rest of the crawl in order to not draw any attention. Will they be successful though?

       Since Shaun of the Dead, Pegg, Frost and Wright together have been a comic force to be reckoned with. When it comes to the Brits, America just can't beat them in terms of witty humor in comedy. Knowing how great Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz were, The World's End has a lot to live up to. I'm happy to say it doesn't disappoint. Like it's predecessors, the plot is fairly straightforward and simple, which is to the film's benefit. Even when the robots' intentions are revealed, it never really gets bogged down in the details. The strength in this film ultimately lies in the characters and that trademark witty dialogue by Pegg and Wright. This isn't quite about a robot invasion much like Shaun of the Dead wasn't quite about a zombie apocalypse. This is about five guys stumbling their way through twelve pints of alcohol on a rather arduous pub crawl when they happen to wind up in the midst of an invasion. The invasion never takes center stage. The five guys do, and that's where the humor lies. It's in Gary still trying to chug his pint down while sucker punching robots in the face. It's in Gary warning Sam (who thinks he's just trying to get into her pants once again) about the robots, but first stopping himself to find out if she still wants to have sex, and it's in Gary, Andy, Steven and Peter desperately proving to each other they're still real and not robots in hilarious fashion. That scene in particular was, in a way, a slight nod to the great blood test scene from John Carpenter's The Thing. On top of that, the character "switch" between Pegg and Frost, where before it was Pegg playing the straitlaced one and Frost playing the goofball slacker was a good move, in my opinion. Given the type of film this is, Wright's directing style fits right at home here, and he manages to string together quite a few cleverly choreographed fight sequences (although the Shaun of the Dead zombie fight choreographed to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" still remains my favorite), where each of the six key characters get their own moment to shine (particularly Frost). Overall, as we've seen in the first two films, there is a layer of heart at the center of the movie as we see the strained friendship between Gary and Andy develop. Gary seems like he just wants to have fun, but as the movie progresses you begin to see that it may just be to cover up his inner sadness as he sees that his friends have moved on with fulfilling lives and he's still stuck in his aimless life going nowhere. Andy may himself seem always annoyed by Gary's antics, but it's never out of hate, but more out of one just wanting something better for his friend.

      Although the final scenes seem to be a little bit more conventional than what we've seen from these three before, this is still one hell of a laugh riot, and may be Simon Pegg's best performance out of the trilogy. The dialogue is sharp and witty. The main performers really click together, and there are also two terrific cameos from Pierce Brosnan and Bill Nighy in a hysterical voice-over role (which leads to a funny conclusion from him I did not expect to hear). If you haven't seen the first two films, don't worry. While I highly recommend you do anyway, this film stands alone as its own film, so the material won't go over your head or leave you feeling left out. It may not be their best effort, but if Paul proved anything it's that Edgar Wright couldn't have been more missed. Seeing these three back together was time well worth spent. I give The World's End an A- (★★★½).

Jobs

Cast of Characters:

Steve Jobs - Ashton Kutcher

Mike Markkula - Dermot Mulroney

Steve Wozniak - Josh Gad

Daniel Kottke - Lukas Haas

Arthur Rock - J. K. Simmons

Clara Jobs - Lesley Ann Warren

Rod Holt - Ron Eldard

Chris-Ann Brennan - Ahna O'Reilly

Paul Jobs - John Getz

Jack Dudman - James Woods

John Sculley - Matthew Modine

Director - Joshua Michael Stern

Screenplay - Matt Whiteley

Rated PG-13 for some drug content and brief strong language

      Ashton Kutcher dons the glasses as he takes on the influential figure that is Steve Jobs in Jobs. Before reading this you will all have to click through fifty online Apple agreements and will be subsequently tracked. Have fun.

      Jobs opens in 2001 with Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) introducing the iPod at an Apple Town Hall meeting. Following that scene, the flashbacks all the way to 1974 where a young Jobs is dropping out of college due to the high expense of tuition. Two years later, Jobs has moved back in with his adoptive parents Paul (John Getz) and Clara (Lesley Ann Warren). While working for Atari, he forms a partnership with his childhood friend Steve Wozniak (Josh God) after he sees the personal computer Wozniak has built, which would later be named the Apple I. Together, with a few other acquaintances of Jobs, they form the company Apple Computer right inside the Jobs family garage. After many failed attempts to gain venture capital, they strike success through Mike Markkula (Dermot Mulroney), who's willing to invest in their company. From there they go forward.

      Following the invention of the Apple II, the Apple Company achieves immediate success. The success soon goes to Jobs's head as he begins to distance himself from the very friends that helped catapult him to success. Not only that, but when his girlfriend Chris-Ann Brennan (Ahna O'Reilly) tell him she's pregnant with their child, he continually denies that the baby is his, even after his daughter is born (to be fair, he does later on reconcile with her). In 1984, Jobs and Co. develop the Macintosh and although the device is met with much enthusiasm, Jobs is eventually forced out of the company by new CEO John Sculley (Matthew Modine) in 1985.

      Full disclosure - I hate Apple products (I am typing each letter with immense joy on my PC and thank God about 75% of the readers here use Windows, so the backlash will be minimal), and I didn't like Steve Jobs either. The man was a great businessman and a brilliant marketer. There's absolutely no doubt about that. He'd have to be in order to get people to line up in droves to buy the next bull shit iPhone. However, he was no Thomas Edison like I've heard him be compared to before. Wozniak was the real genius behind Apple Computer. Jobs just packaged it and sold it well. That being said, just 'cause I don't like the main character doesn't mean it'll effect my view of the movie. I don't think much at all of Mark Zuckerberg (although it's ironic that when I done with this, I'm gonna immediately post a link to here on my Facebook page), but I absolutely loved The Social Network. Rant aside now, I'm reviewing a movie, so before I walked into the screening room I threw my "Fuck you, Apple!" mentality outside the door. While the film has its share of inspired moments, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by the movie as a whole. The film rightfully doesn't portray Jobs as some sorta Christ-like figure, but I also think they do a disservice to the story by sometimes going out of the way to really demonize him. It's no breaking news to those that knew about Jobs that he was short-tempered, mistreated his employees, and for the longest time refused to acknowledge his daughter Lisa. However, we only go skin deep into his character and some of his personal issues (such as with his daughter) are just lightly touched on. We do get plenty of moments showcasing Jobs's aggressive behavior but we don't get into the why he was that way, his motivations for it, or what exactly it was that made him tick. What made The Social Network so wonderful was that director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin really dug deep down into the character that is Mark Zuckerberg. I didn't like Zuckerberg, but by the end of the film I not only didn't hate him, I actually sorta felt sympathy for him. Here we don't quite reach as much depth as we need to see into the heart and soul of a man that was driven to succeed at all costs. Like Lovelace earlier last week, this too borders on that made for TV feel. The greatest sin though is reducing the great Apple vs. Microsoft feud to one short phone call scene. You could glean an entire film out of just that, and to keep it to just that moment in the film was a mistake on writer Matt Whiteley's part. As for the performances, I do give Kutcher his props. From a macro point of view, in terms of greatest performances of all time, or even just great performances this year, it doesn't crack the list. That being said, Kutcher does nail the look and mannerisms of Jobs down pat (aside from the unnecessary 2001 scene with him under old age makeup that doesn't work), and from a micro point of view, in terms of what Kutcher's body of work has given us, this is a solid effort from him and by far and away one of his better performances. It's very thin competition though. We don't get much from the supporting cast. It's a shame that veteran acting talents such as James Woods, Dermot Mulroney, J. K. Simmons and Matthew Modine are given very little to do. One exception though is Josh Gad. This is my first time seeing him onscreen and boy, does he hit out of the park as Wozniak. It's a terrific performance from him.

      While it is an ambitious looking film, overall it winds up falling short of what it wants to be. It's not a bad film, but this is more a straightforward, by the books biopic that doesn't go much in depth inside a man that, whether you loved him or hated him, was still one of the most influential men of the past thirty years. It's definitely worth a rental, but when stacked up to other biopic films, it's mostly disappointing. I give Jobs a C+ (★★½).

Lee Daniels' The Butler

Cast of Characters:

Cecil Gaines - Forest Whitaker

Gloria Gaines - Oprah Winfrey

Hattie Pearl - Mariah Carey

Vice President/President Richard Nixon - John Cusack

First Lady Nancy Reagan - Jane Fonda

Carter Wilson - Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Howard - Terrence Howard

James Holloway - Lenny Kravitz

President John F. Kennedy - James Marsden

Louis Gaines - David Oyelowo

Annabeth Westfall - Vanessa Redgrave

President Ronald Reagan - Alan Rickman

President Lyndon B. Johnson - Liev Schreiber

President Dwight D. Eisenhower - Robin Williams

Maynard - Clarence Williams III

Director - Lee Daniels

Screenplay - Danny Strong

Based on The Washington Post article "A Butler Well Served by This Election" by Wil Haygood

Rated PG-13 for some violence and disturbing images, language, sexual material, thematic elements and smoking

      Academy Award winners Forest Whitaker, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding, Jr. Vanessa Redgrave and Robin Williams star alongside John Cusack, Lenny Kravitz, James Marsden, Alan Rickman, Liev Schreiber and Academy Award nominees Oprah Winfrey and Terrence Howard in Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels' film Lee Daniels' The Butler. Step aside White House Down. You're not the only film with a stacked cast now.

      Looks like he won't be getting a free car. Lee Daniels' The Butler is inspired by the real-life account of Eugene Allen, who worked at the White House for 34 years before retiring in 1986 as the head butler. Here, Allen is portrayed as Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), who as a child was raised on a cotton farm in Georgia. After his mother is pulled away to be raped, his father, trying to retaliate, is shot dead in front of him. Cecil is taken in by caretaker Annabeth Westfall (Vanessa Redgrave), who trains him to be a house slave.

      Now grown up, Cecil has been recommended for a job at the White House during the Eisenhower administration. Cecil, already not much of a political man himself, is told by the head of the butler staff that there is a zero tolerance policy on politics. When he is present in the office serving the president, he is to hear nothing and see nothing. Meanwhile, although he enjoys his job, his home life is rather different. His wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey), even though she loves him, resents the fact that he works long hours and is hardly at home for her while she smokes and drinks throughout the day. His son Louis (David Oyelowo), fighting for change to the point of radical means, joins the Black Panther Party and denounces his father as just another "Uncle Tom" working in a subservient role. How dare he talk smack about Mister Tibbs too. He deserved every bit of that bitch slap he got from his mother.

      First off, before you think Lee Daniels is just another self-promoting whore, the reason his name comes before the title was because of a so called copyright dispute between The Weinstein Company and Warner Bros., which released a 1916 silent short film with the same name. Oh, yeah. People will definitely confuse the two if nothing's done. Anyway, Lee Daniels' The Butler features one of the most impressive casts in recent years and an Oscar worthy performance from Whitaker. It seems that for a while now, Whitaker has been stuck in "Straight to DVD" hell. That said, this is one of his best performances ever and there could be an argument to be made that it's just as good as his Oscar winning performance in The Last King of Scotland. Along with Whitaker, there are some impressive supporting turns from Robin Williams, James Marsden, Liev Schreiber, John Cusack and Alan Rickman as Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford respectively. With playing any president there's always the chance you end up stumbling into caricature territory, but these five managed to pull off some genuine, albeit short, performances. Cuba Gooding, Jr. provides some comic relief in a role that reminded me when he's not starring in crap like Boat Trip and Daddy Day Camp he can actually act, and Oprah Winfrey takes time away from the usual "look at me" grandstanding she typically does to give a performance that I believe will earn her a much deserved Best Supporting Actress nomination. The story of how Gaines was, at times, like a fly on the wall observing each president handle a defining moment of their term is thoroughly fascinating. It's remarkable to think that perhaps a simple answer, while serving tea, in response to a question from one of the presidents could have swayed a decision of theirs. However, no story arc here is as powerful as the one we see in the strained relationship between Cecil and his oldest son Louis, both of whom feel the other is just getting in the way of their own respective plans.

      While the symbolism sometimes can get pretty obvious and the issues of each time period more or less get painted in broad strokes, it still doesn't take away the fact that this is a deeply moving and intriguing story about an ordinary man who was put into an extraordinary position. Plus, you can't blame the filmmakers too much. It's rather difficult to pull off a decades spanning story as perfectly as Forrest Gump did. The performances are exceptional and despite the heavy-handed story elements, director Daniels and writer Danny Strong throw in some much need comic relief (as mentioned with Cuba Gooding, Jr. above) to provide the viewer with some breathing room in between the more emotional moments. I give Lee Daniels' The Butler an A- (★★★½).

Kick-Ass 2

Cast of Characters:

David Lizewski/Kick-Ass - Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Chris D'Amico/The Mother Fucker - Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl - Chloe Grace Moretz

Sal Bertolinni/Colonel Stars and Stripes - Jim Carrey

Director - Jeff Wadlow

Screenplay - Jeff Wadlow

Based on the comics Kick-Ass 2 and Hit-Girl by Mark Millar & John Romita, Jr.

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, crude and sexual content and brief nudity

      Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Chloe Grace Moretz return, now with Jim Carrey, in the sequel to the controversial yet surprise hit Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2.

      Following the events of the first film, both David Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Mindy Macready (Chloe Grace Moretz) have retired from crime fighting. Seeing that he has inspired others to become masked vigilantes, Lizewski becomes inspired himself to get back into crime fighting. Having been caught crime fighting by her legal guardian, Mindy decides to not join Lizewski, but instead attempts to live a normal high school girl's life. Lizewski dons the Kick-Ass mask once again and manages to find a team of crime fighters known as Justice Forever, which is led by Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), a former mobster turned born again Christian.

      Meanwhile, Chris D'Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is busy plotting his revenge against Kick-Ass for killing his dad. Formerly Red Mist, D'Amico uses his inheritance to become a new super villain - The Mother Fucker. While Justice Forever is fighting crime throughout the city, The Mother Fucker is putting together his own team of super villains to fight back.

      I never got a chance to Kick-Ass 'til after it came out on DVD, and I was totally surprised by how much I really enjoyed it. As much as Jim Carrey would hate hearing me say this while he hypocritically cashes in his paycheck from the film (Google Jim Carrey Kick-Ass 2 to see what I mean if you don't know already), Carrey's Colonel Stars and Stripes is clearly the most interesting character out of the bunch and the best thing about this movie. The problem is he's not in the film that much. In fact, it seemed like he was in the film just only a tad bit more than what we saw of him in the trailer. You have a character that goes from being a mobster to a crime fighting, born again Christian. That is a story arc I would've loved to have seen more of, and although we get little mentioned tidbits here and there of his past, they're more like teases than anything else. It's a shame since what we're left with other than Carrey is a disappointing and predictable mess with too many side characters with very little development thrown into the mix. What made the first film so good was co-writer/director Matthew Vaughn's ability to blend the bloody violence with dark, twisted humor and it never took itself too seriously. Given the material, how exactly could you? With Kick-Ass 2, we have a new director, Jeff Wadlow. While I have no problem in swapping directors for sequels, I do have a problem with Wadlow's tonal inconsistencies and the film's inability to decide whether it should be funny or the opposite. Here, almost all the humor is sapped away and when it tries to be funny it falls flat at times. The middle act provides us with a Mean Girls ripoff where you can see how it'll turn out from a mile away. Even though he was funny in the first film, Christopher Mintz-Plasse just isn't convincing in any way as the primary villain, and by the final act I started wondering if I'd enjoy just a straight up origin story of Colonel Stars and Stripes instead. The answer is yes, by the way.

      While the film certainly has a few inspired moments, it's not enough for me to recommend it. I don't fault the film's use of all the bloody violence like a lot of critics with sticks up their asses seem to object to (even though I've seen far, far worse). I do fault this film though for not bringing any of the humor from the first one along for the sequel. I give Kick-Ass 2 a C- (★★).

Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

      Hello, readers. The World's End opens this week. Since it reunites co-writer/director Edgar Wright with comic duo Nick Frost and co-writer Simon Pegg, it is only fitting that this week's recommended viewing pick be devoted to the film that brought the three front and center to us.

      In Shaun of the Dead, Shaun (Simon Pegg) lives a directionless life, working a dead end job as a salesman for an appliance company. His younger colleagues, as Rodney Dangerfield would say, give him no respect. His girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) is unhappy with their relationship. He has a uneasy relationship with his stepfather Philip (Bill Nighy) - it's not his father, by the way - and his housemate Pete is at his breaking point with him due to Shaun's crude slacker friend Ed (Nick Frost) living with them. Following a heavy night of drinking, both Shaun and Nick slowly, and I do mean slowly, begin to realize that an uprising of zombies have taken over the town. While at first they plan to rescue Shaun's mother, Liz and then just "Wait for all this to blow over.", that proves to be easier said than done for them.

      I actually debated between whether I should pick this film or the unofficial "sequel" Hot Fuzz (the second film of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy). Both were fantastic films and it's really hard to decide which of the two I love more. When in doubt, just go with the first. At the time of its release, the zombie genre was running out of steam. Earlier in the year, you had the lackluster remake of Dawn of the Dead, and just a week or two before it you had the second Resident Evil crap fest of film. You'd think it'd be the worse time ever to release just another zombie picture. Then again, when you're aiming for satire, it ends up actually being the best time release a film like this. What makes this film so much fun is that while this is technically a zombie film it's really about the characters and their reactions to it more. We're spared the usual origin story of how it was the environment or the government or inbreeding or whatever the hell it normally is. This is about Shaun, Ed and Liz and much of the humor revolves around the fact that in spite of the zombie invasion taking place around them, they still somehow manage to squabble and argue over the little things that complicate their daily lives. Both Pegg and Frost couldn't be any more electric together and the dynamic they create is amazing. Credit should also be given to Edgar Wright for helping bring it out of them. He's further proof that like De Niro/DiCaprio to Scorsese, Samuel L. Jackson to Tarantino and more recently Sharlto Copley to Neill Blomkamp, never ever underestimate how important the relationship between director and  performer really is. Take Wright out of the equation and you get Paul which while okay was really disappointing. If dry British humor with a number of zombie master George A. Romero references is your thing, this is a must see for you. The writing is sharp, witty and clever. The cast is uniformly hilarious and Wright's directing style fits this film perfectly. Make it a movie night and throw in Hot Fuzz which satirizes the buddy cop genre.