This is 40

Expectations:

As bad as 2012 has been for comedies in general, I was extremely hopeful that This is 40 would be a nice, final addition to the few good comedies that have come out this year. And when I say "few," I mean 21 Jump Street. Seriously though, how many good comedies can you name that have come out in 2012? Maybe I'm becoming overly critical in my old age, because I have now seen an overabundance of R-rated comedies, but this year has been very sad. I decided, however, to place my hope in Judd Apatow, even though he lost me with Funny People. I'm also a huge fan of Paul Rudd, who, although not funny himself, has been involved in many comedies that I have loved. But, the real hook is the kids. I'm a sucker for child actors, whether they be comedic or dramatic. So, me and my overly-critical self (and my girlfriend) went to see This is 40...

Plot:

I must say that the plot was extremely sporadic and never really took shape. There was a lot of arguing and fighting and kid drama and parent drama, but there was absolutely no flow to the story. Maybe Apatow was attempting to show that your life is rarely defined by two hours, as it is in the movies. Nevertheless, I didn't care for that. If he was truly trying to display a real family with parents in their 40s, then he should have made the family more real. As any true southerner would say, "Those kids needed to be beat!". I know it wasn't meant to be a family film, but it's highly unlikely that ANY parent, in that setting, would allow their twelve year old to cuss them out like that. But, oh well, what do I know. 

Characters:

Little did I know, until the credits starting rolling, that the kids in the film were actually Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann's children. So, for Apatow and Mann's sake, let's hope that their children don't cuss them out like that. Regardless, the kids were great, as was the entire cast, providing for some really great moments.

Positives:

Apatow's younger daughter, Iris, stole the show as Charlotte. Her character's innocence and humor really shone among the often dreary family, and anyone would love to have her as a kid. The older daughter, Maude, whose character was named Sadie, also did a great job in her role, however unrealistic it may have been. Her teenage emotions and drama were absolutely hilarious, and her fascination with LOST made the story much more personal for me.... not even kidding. Paul Rudd's performance was as mediocre as usual, but Leslie Mann did a fantastic job, as wife Debbie. This is 40 really felt like it was Debbie's story, and everyone else was just there to screw it up. On top of these main characters, there were many great smaller roles, such as John Lithgow's turn as Debbie's dad, Annie Mumolo's Barb, Megan Fox's Desi, Tim Bagley's Dr. Pellagrino, and Melissa McCarthy's Catherine.

Negatives:

The overall cast was fantastic, but I would say that Apatow missed the mark with a few characters. First, Charlyne Yi's Jodi had way too big of a role, and her storyline with Fox's Desi made the film run an extra ten minutes, at least. Second, the usually great Jason Segal's Jason just didn't really seem like a Jason Segal character. Segal is not a character actor, and that is what messed him up. He is meant to act like himself. Finally, I don't understand why Graham Parker was so freakin important. The excessive amount of characters just spiraled out of control, in my opinion, and this could be the reason that the film had no real flow.

Conclusion:

This is 40 was nowhere close to the same level as 21 Jump Street, but it was the second best comedy with a number in its title in 2012. There were many, many hilarious moments, but the film just never really came together and ran a little too long. Apatow has a great comedic mind, but this was not his best work. It almost seemed like it was forced, due to the lack of storyline. However, the addition of the children really made for some great humor and some good performances, which will not be forgotten. I would suggest This is 40 for any R-rated comedy lovers like myself, mostly because many of the other ones this year have sucked. I give This is 40 2.89 out of 5 stars. 

The Dictator

Expectations:
Heading in to watch The Dictator, I didn't quite know what to expect. Although many people love Sasha Baron Cohen's other films, my movie knowledge falls short of ever having watched either Bruno or Borat. I had a feeling that this movie was going to have more of a direct storyline and be more movie-like compared to Borat and Bruno, which were just him being in character and doing random, stupid crap (from what I have heard). Personally, I like that structured feel of a movie, so long as it isn't too predictable. Since seeing the Super Bowl ad, I have been waiting to watch The Dictator with great patience, and, while I wasn't too confident in it, I did believe that this film had the potential to be one of the funniest comedies of 2012...

Plot:
I must say that the storyline was both random and structured. There was certainly a plot, but Cohen's random, stupid crap made it's way into the film with ease. The butt of the movie's jokes mostly revolved around either racist or political themes, which opened the door for many hilarious one-liners. However, the plot itself was funny and contained a few elements that only someone as goofy as Cohen could pull off. The biggest problem was that the movie, from beginning to end, had absolutely no twists or turns. It would have been so much better if Aladeen (Cohen) ended up nuking America or something in the end. I wanted to see how far his crazed power could take his hilarity, but I felt like that film structure turned out to be too predictable for this character to really shine.

Characters:
As expected, Sasha Baron Cohen's Aladeen was in basically every scene of the entire film, and I had no problem with it. I only wish that I could dream up a character as crazy and genius as Aladeen. Cohen did his thing quite well, and I have a great amount of respect for him. Zoey, played by Anna Farris, wasn't that great of a character, but her occupation and beliefs made for many interesting moments. She suffered from the fact that the idea of her character was more important than the character herself (if that makes any sense). Many big actors made small appearances in the film, such as Edward Norton, Megan Fox, and John C. Reilly. There is no doubt that these small appearances made for some funny moments. Aside from these roles, however, there were very few major character, which was certainly very different.

Aladeen Character: Aladeen

Aladeen Character: Aladeen

(You will understand after you watch.)

Conclusion:
While I won't be rushing out to buy The Dictator on DVD, I am very glad that I watched it, and it is safe to say that, so far, this is one of the better comedies of 2012 (the year is still very, very young). There were many hilarious one-liners and a few really funny scenes, which usually make for a good comedy, as long as the plot is good. I do wish, however, that the film would have been a little more extreme. Did it deserve an R rating? Heck yeah! But there could have been a more extreme and unrealistic feel to the movie, due to the extreme and unrealistic idea. If you want to see a good comedy, you are probably going to have to wait a while, so I would go check this one out. Also, make sure you pay attention to the American-turned-Arabianish music. That was probably my favorite thing about the whole film. I give The Dictator 2.82 out of 5 stars.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Expectations:
The original Transformers movie is one of the greatest movies of all time, and, although many disagree, I also loved the second movie. There was certainly a drop off of greatness following the first film, but it wasn't as bad as the "official" critics make it out to be. Everyone wondered whether the third film in the series would be more like the first film or the second. I was more interested in how Michael Bay was going to wrap things up, with the expectations being that this will be the final film in the series. I really wanted to see some major characters killed off. I have an emotional connection to the Transformers and knew this would probably be my only chance of crying at a movie this summer, so I wanted it! Could we please cry at the farewell of Bumblebee like we did at the farewell of Andy in Toy Story 3 last summer? Well you will have to watch to find out (In 3D!!!).

Plot:
If you desire something realistic then you shouldn't be watching Transformers, but I must say that the tie-in with the moon landing really made the story get off to a good, relatable start. I was also glad that Michael Bay went ahead and explained the moon landing deal before anything else, because that was basically all that we were told in the trailers. The storyline was much more basic than the second movie, which made it much better. There were a few twists and turns, but there was no bringing people back to life five times at the end of the movie like there was in the second movie. With the plot being so simple, many parts were a bit predictable and repetitive, but it wasn't too much to bear. The coolest part was the fact that they finally showed how quickly the Transformers could destroy an entire city. It was finally the gigantic amount of destruction that I have longed for. There is really so much more that I want to say but don't want to ruin the movie for anyone.

Characters:
I liked what they did with the characters for the most part. Sam was sort of caught in a "welcome to the real world" moment and felt under appreciated. This really made me connect with him early on, but I think they clung to that a bit much. There were a few robots that were missing from the second movie, and no explanation was given about where they might have gone (unless I missed it). Optimus had a new trailer that he was a bit too dependent on, considering he did not have the trailer in the first two films. The big question with the characters was how would Rosie Huntington-Whiteley do in the place of Megan Fox. I personally thought she was good but not great. I didn't really miss Megan Fox, but, at the same time I wasn't amazed by the new girl. Josh Duhamel and Tyrese were extremely good, and their characters were brought in extremely well. I thought they kind of seemed a bit awkward in the second movie. Simmons has a love connection that was predictable but really turned out to be fun to watch. Sam's parents, who were too involved in the second movie, also matured with Sam but brought on some laughs as usual. John Malkovich was amazing but gone too soon. Patrick Dempsey was absolutely USELESS!

*New Addition to the Blog:
Best Character: Dutch, played by Alan Tudyk (A Knight's Tale), was a great new addition to the cast as Simmons's agent or something. He was hilarious and was given just enough screentime.

Worst Character: Jerry Wang, played by Ken Jeong (The Hangover), was the stupidest character (barely beating out Patrick Dempsey). It just seemed like an excuse to get Ken Jeong in the movie, and the laughs didn't seem to flow out of the audience as you might expect.

Conclusion:
Before I sum up my emotions, I want to endorse the watching of this movie in 3D. Aside from Avatar, I have never enjoyed the 3D aspects, but this movie made me a believer once again. The problem is that most 3D movies will not be this well made, so enjoy it while you can. Now for my real opinion on this movie: it was amazing. I remember when the first Transformers movie came out and someone had to convince me to go watch it because I thought it would be stupid. Boy was I wrong. I didn't get the tears I was hoping for unfortunately, but oh well. I do think the end could have been a bit sadder. A couple of characters are killed off, but I think the timing was bad, and there should have been more killed off. The ending was a good send off that was abrupt compared to the lagging ending of the first two films. The characters were good for the most part, and the story really showed how much history and emotion the Autobots carry around with them. I love the Transformers series and will miss these guys so so much. 3.95 out of 5 stars.