Dumb and Dumber To

                   

Most squeals I am opposed to but sequels made twenty years or so after the original are sequels that tick me off the most. This type of sequel could only be made if the original film was a hit because your audience has to come back so many years after. Yeah, I understand if a director is wanting to do a sequel to his early work but a sequel so long after the original makes you look very desperate. A classic example of this is the 2008 Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull which was a sequel twenty five years after the original and nineteen years after the third film. It was filled with silly casting, a plot that was out of place and desperation. This movie casted a bad eye on what once was the finest trilogy around. This year, twenty years after the original, we are finally getting a sequel to Dumb and Dumber.                                                                                  

Put out in 1994 by the Farrelly brothers, Dumb and Dumber was just about the time when Jim Carrey was getting big and took off as a cult film and put the Farrelly brothers on the map. I won't say I'm not necessarily a fan of the Farrelly brothers work though. Yes, they have put forth some original concepts for Hollywood and they know how make money at the box office but I find  their recent works of Hall Pass and The Three Stooges to be not funny. I would say I respect Carrey more in show biz than the Farrellys but he has had misses in film with something recent like The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and I have never been fan of actors who are afraid to venture outside of one genre like Carrey seems to be. When it comes to Jeff Daniels, I find him to be a very likable actor and but he is underused and I wish we saw more of him in Hollywood. All this said, I could not go into the Dumb and Dumber To without a little of uneasiness.              

Now twenty years later, Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) has been living at a mental institution for these last twenty years. Harry Duane (Jeff Daniels) takes his time one day out of the week to see him until we find out that it was all an elaborate hoax and he learns also that he had a daughter now close to twenty years old with old flame Fraida Felcher (Kathleen Turner). A road trip movie ensues with  both trying to find Harry's daughter and Harry reconnecting with Lloyd.

From its new characters which are all not special to began with, very forgettable characters and a new plot with a concept that is a little cliched, these are the new things to this installment. Still though, this is a sequel that tries to survive through nostalgia and the main nostalgic pieces are the two main characters themselves. Ever since since I was little, I have always felt the same about Harry and Lloyd. They are not the type of guys you want your teenage daughter bringing home and yes they are unrealistic characters but as something like Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World, they are hard not to like. This sequel gives us non-stop jokes through these characters which are sometimes very clever and well written jokes. Harry gives us no background on what he's been doing for the last twenty years and this is left to the audience to decide. These characters did not grow up at all but we also didn't expect them to. Carrey and Daniels know how to bring that same charm from the original movie and the chemistry couldn't be better between them.

As for many comedies, this follows the same formula for a road trip movie. The first act sets up the road trip, the second act is where the journey happens and third act is where it all unfolds and then the road trip ends. This road trip film doesn't use atmosphere very much and the plot does wander at times. It is third act where the movie unfolds and is where the movie gets going. Using a tech/science convention as a last setting, an original idea in its own right, we watch a third act full of twists and turns that comes as unpredictable fun.                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                   
I can't say I got much out of Dumber and Dumber To but it does work perfectly wasting a Sunday afternoon as I did but not much more than that. For a sequel though coming so late after the original, this could have been so much worse though. This is a barely above average comedy really only made for die-hard fans of the first one. Somehow I think a third installment is coming.

3/5
                                        

My most anticipated films of 2013

Every year, there are films that will stand out. Memorable films that are exciting, may add something to a series or whatever. Here are films scheduled to be released in 2013 that I am most looking forward to.

 

I really enjoyed the Kick-Ass movie. I see that Kick-Ass 2 is returning most of the great cast from the original. Kick-Ass 2 also adds Jim Carrey so anything can happen and I am looking forward to it.

 

After a brief absence of mob films, we get a new one, Gangster Squad in January. It's got a big and impressive case led by Ryan Gosling and looks to have some potential.

Being a fan of the original, I am really looking forward to this remake of Carrie. It will be interesting to see how Chloe Grace Moretz does in the lead.

Producer M. Night Shyamalan will hopefully get back on track with After Earth after some very rough and subpar movies in recent years. It will be also interesting to see Hayden Smith again.

Monsters University is another film that I am interested because what came before. Like the first one, this looks to have a great plot and animation.

Oblivion might only be remembered for Tom Cruise getting dumped while on set by his wife, Katie Holmes but who knows.

Dark Skies feels like an old fashioned film with children in some type of horror plot. This one could go either way and I am interested in how it turns out.

                                                                             

                                                                                                 

Oz appears to be loosely based on the classic Wizard of Oz movie. I want it to be great and or else because I wouldn't see a point of it if not.

 

Thor returns for Part 2 and Iron Man for Part 3. Both should be interesting after the original movies and also their parts in the recent Avengers movie.

Into Darkness is the new Star Trek movie and I loved most of the other Star Trek movies including the 2009 version. It should fun to watch and see where this series is going.


Obviously 2013 will have it's share of good and bad films but these are the ones I am most looking forward to.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I can't lie. I haven't seen the 26 minute 1960's short of the Grinch in close to ten or fourteen years. I know that if I watched it today, it is something that I would like and it is something I liked back in the day. Ron Howard's more recent Grinch movie is one I haven't seen since the early 2000's and has a lot going for it. That said, it seems like it is lacking somewhat and should have been better.

This is the classic story of the chubby green Grinch who tries to destroy the Christmas spirit by stealing the presents and Christmas decorations from the people of a town called Whoville. Throughout this, the Grinch does eventually discover the Christmas spirit and learns to love this holiday.

It was a very interesting idea making the Grinch a live action movie. It works really well with the land of Whoville depicted with beautiful style and imagery. The film beautifully captures snow, a mountain and everything in between with this live action technique.

Considering the earlier version, obviously this is a familiar plot. It has a good setup that does well with it's running time, gives an interesting perspective on Christmas and has some decent music. There is also a cliche-type ending that does include a good message. That said, there is a sleigh concept here that is never really explained. All in all, the plot is kind of a mixed bag.

As the main character in the film, the Grinch sure does provide a lot of everything here. Jim Carrey offers up a very quirky and wild performance and he works well with Taylor Momsen who plays Cindy Lou in the film. The Grinch itself also looks really well put together. On the other hand, the laughs are sometimes a bit lacking and after an hour and a half of Jim Carrey's Grinch, the shtick gets a little old.

What gets lost in the middle is all the soft highlights. Anthony Hopkins does a great job with narration and there is an interesting back story with the Grinch that is original and fun. As with a lot of films, sometimes it is the little things things like this that make or break a film. In this case, they add to the film.

I do think though that there are some missed opportunities in this film. For just one example, there is no explanation of where the police are in this town. The little people in the town are also kind of interesting but not really explained.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a film that has it's heart in the right place but it is somewhat inconsistent and there seem to be things missed in the middle so in the end it is kind of a disappointing ride.

3/5

Liar Liar

Jim Carrey is one those few actors that I either love or hate in a film. Some of the films he's in I find him enjoyable and funny while others I feel he is annoying and very hard to take. Liar Lair fits into the "hard to take" pile. I found this to be a dry and a not very funny film that has almost nothing going for it.

Liar Liar is about a guy named Fletcher (Carrey) who is a divorced father who always lies. One day, his son Max (Justin Cooper) wishes that his dad just can't lie for one day and the whole film is Fletcher struggling with this wish and trying to please his son at the same time.

There were some things I did find effective in this film, particularly the mother (Maura Tierney) and Justin Cooper who played Max. They both had some good chemistry. Justin's acting is pretty good for his age but these characters can't really carry the film due to the limited screen time they have.

Overall, the film does have an interesting plot and it is original but Jim Carrey is just not right for the main role. He is just too energetic and outgoing for this role and his behavior does not work here. The film is basically the Carrey character with  abnormal behavior and many of his scenes are very unrealistic including scenes in a courtroom and one where he just walks into son's classroom with a cake with no security anywhere to be seen. I could go on and on about how bad Carrey is in this movie.

Liar Liar is a film with a lot of going for it and also a film that does have some highlights including good supporting characters and some good ideas but it is also a film with some bad casting, a lot of unrealistic scenes and in the end, I think it is one of the most disappointing films from the 90's.

2/5