Turbo (2013)

"Are you crazy?"

"Yeah, I'm crazy! What made you think I was sane?"

Turbo the snail (Reynolds) dreams about racing in the Indianapolis 500.  Every evening he watches videos of his idol, 5 time champion Guy Gagne (Hader), and does time trials to improve.  Every day he works with the other garden snails to harvest tomatoes.  Everyone thinks his dream is an unrealistic joke.

An accident gives Turbo extraordinary speed.  He and his brother, Chet (Giamatti), are fired from the their jobs in the garden and end up far away from home.  Turbo joins forces with taco truck visionary Tito (Peno) and a gang of racing snails.  Can Turbo's Indy 500 dreams come true?


As I have mentioned before, my dad and brother are interested in going fast.  My dad loves racing (Nascar, Indy, Formula One, etc.) and my brother loves Motorcycle racing and has competed a few times.  For that reason, I have a working knowledge of professional racing.  When the trailers for this film first aired, I knew I would end up seeing it.

It is an intriguing premise and it mostly comes together.  The film has a great voice cast, that perform their roles without pulling you out of the story.  The voices fit the characters and the animation.  I thought it was a cute, inoffensive film that I enjoyed but don't really want to see again.  It didn't do too well in theaters, but it was popular enough to have a television show Turbo FAST on Netflix.

Turbo (2013) 96 minutes
Director: David Soren
Starring: Ryan Reynolds as Theo / Turbo
Paul Giamatti as Chet
Michael Peno as Tito
Samuel L. Jackson as Whiplash
Luis Guzman as Angelo
Bill Hader as Guy Gagne
Snoop Dogg as Smoove Move
Maya Rudolph as Burn
Ben Schwartz as Skidmark
Richard Jennings as Bobby
Ken Jeong as Kim Ly
Michelle Rodriguez as Paz

Pillow Talk

"Well, what am I missing?"

"If you have to ask, you're missing it!"

Interior Decorator Jan Morrow (Day) shares a party line with songwriter and playboy Brad Allen (Hudson).  She needs the line for her work, but he has it tied up singing to different girlfriends.  They have never met, but can't stand each other.

Brad's best friend and patron, Jonathan Forbes (Randall) is trying to romance Jan.  And Jan's maid, Alma (Ritter), loves listening to Brad's phone calls.  When Brad meets Jan at a restaurant, he is smitten and poses as Texan Rex Stetson to win her affections.  Jonathan hires a private investigator to get information about Rex, while berating Brad for his lack of progress.


My cousins and I have a deep love and appreciation for older movies.  We especially love John Wayne, Cary Grant, and Doris Day.  A few years ago, one of my cousins purchased the Doris Day / Rock Hudson movie collection, and we all fell in love with it.  Pillow Talk is the first film in the group and probably the best known of the Day / Hudson collaborations (Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back, and Send Me No Flowers), which also featured Tony Randall.

As usual, Day is great and she has great chemistry with Hudson.  Parts of the story are outdated... the "party line" and some of the gender issues.  But it is still an entertaining film.  The cast is awesome and works well together.  There is no weak spot and it is just a fun film.

Pillow Talk (1959) 102 minutes
Director: Michael Gordon
Starring: Rock Hudson as Brad Allen
Doris Day as Jan Morrow
Tony Randall as Jonathan Forbes
Thelma Ritter as Alma
Allen Jenkins as Harry
Marcel Dalio as Pierot

A Fantastic Fear of Everything

"Well, actually, writers and serial killers are very similar. They're practically brothers."

Jack (Pegg), a published author, gained notoriety with his children's book "Harold the Hedgehog" which he blames for ruining his life and his marriage.  He is obsessed with his next book, "Decades of Death," about serial killers from the Victorian Era.  This obsession and research makes him paranoid that someone is trying to kill him.  He refuses to leave his apartment, can't sleep, and carries a knife at all times.

His agent, Clair (Higgins), sets up a meeting with a script supervisor, Harvey Humphries (Kerry Shale) that is interested in "Decades of Death."  All Jack needs to do is show up to dinner in a suit and talk to Humphries... but that involves facing all of his fears: leaving home, laundrettes, and beautiful women.


After the film premiered, I saw a trailer online and couldn't wait to watch this film.  I enjoy Simon Pegg, although I do not love all of his film choices, and immediately added the film to my Netflix queue.  Now that I've seen it, I have to say it wasn't what I was expecting.  The premise is strong and has lots of potential for comedy.  Simon Pegg is a talented at Physical Comedy and makes that gags work.  But the film isn't set as a comedy and it takes a bit to get into the story and figure out what is happening.

That said, Pegg is great and has some funny moments.  You worry about his character, but he nails the psychosis and fully commits to every scene.  I enjoyed the film and would be interested in watching it again to see what new things pop out.  But be warned, the very beginning is a little jumbled / confusing.  Once you understand the situation better, the film improves.

A Fantastic Fear of Everything (2012) 100 minutes
Rating: R for language
Director: Crispian Mills & Chris Hopewell
Starring: Simon Pegg as Jack
Claire Higgins as Clair
Amara Karan as Sangeet
Paul Freeman as Dr. Friedkin
Alan Drake as Perkins

Gimme Shelter

Streetwise teen Apple Bailey (Hudgens) runs away from her drug addict abusive mother (Dawson) in search of a better life.  She locates her father, Tom (Fraser), and moves in with his family.  But when they learn that Apple is pregnant, Tom and his idyllic family, wife Joanna (Szostak) and children, reject her.  With no else to go Apple turns to the streets.

With no where else to turn she seeks help and guidance from Father Frank McCarthy (Jones), a kindly priest.  To give her a chance for a better life with her baby, he sends her to live with Kathy (Dowd), who opens her home to pregnant teens.


A friend has been talking about this film for months.  Once it was released on DVD, she purchased it and we got together to watch it.  I was hesitant, based on the basic description and the fact that I hadn't heard anything about the film.  But I was pleasantly surprised.

The story feels realistic... gritty and dark.  The performances are good, especially the girls at the shelter, who are the most realistic characters.  Rosario Dawson disappears into her character and is almost unrecognizable.  Brendan Fraser and James Earl Jones are good as their respective characters.  Vanessa Hudgens carries the film with ease.

I hated the ending, but overall enjoyed the film.

Gimme Shelter (2013) 101 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material involving mistreatment, some drug content, violence and language - all concerning teens.
Director: Ron Krauss
Starring: Vanessa Hudgens as Agnes "Apple" Bailey
Rosario Dawson as June Bailey
Brendan Fraser as Tom Fitzpatrick
James Earl Jones as Frank McCarthy
Ann Dowd as Kathy
Stephanie Szostak as Joanna Fitzpatrick

No se Aceptan Devoluciones: Instructions Not Included

Acapulco playboy Valentin Bravo (Derbez) hides his fears and avoids commitments.  One day a former fling, Julie (Lindsey) drops off their daughter and runs away.  Valentin takes the infant across the border to Los Angeles to give the baby back.  But he ends up starting a new life as a father.

Six years later, Valentin is a top stunt man for Frank Ryan (Raymont) films.  His life is devoted to his daughter, Maggie (Peralta), who has a vivid imagination.  Maggie longs to meet her mother and her wish comes true with Julie comes back into their life and Valentin's relationship with Maggie is threatened.


I heard good things about this film and was excited when it showed up on Netflix instant streaming.  I was pleasantly surprised.  You think you know what to expect, based on the trailer and the description, but then the film changes and takes you by surprise... and it continues to change until the end.  The story packs and emotional punch, while still making you laugh throughout.

The majority of the film is in Spanish, so be prepared to read subtitles.  But the subtitles don't take away from the enjoyment of the film, so don't let that keep you from watching.  Eugenio Derbez has many great facial expressions and Loreta Peralta is adorable and captures your heart.  A sweet film.

Instructions Not Included [No se Aceptan Devoluciones] (2013) 122 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, thematic elements and language
Director: Eugenio Derbez
Starring: Eugenio Derbez as Valentin Bravo
Jessica Lindsey as Julie
Loreta Peralta as Maggie
Daniel Raymont as Frank Ryan
Alessandra Rosaldo as Renee

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

"So, what's the plan?"
"No plan. Just bigger guns."

Dylan Dog (Routh) is a supernatural detective, working with the undead, "no pulse, no problem."  After the death of his fiance, he retired and became a regular private investigator.  He is contacted by Elizabeth (Briem) to investigate the death of her father by a monster.  He refuses to get involved and that evening his friend and assistant Marcus (Huntington) is killed.

Dylan decides to take the case and is joined by Marcus, now a zombie.  Their investigation leads to werewolves, flesh eating zombies, and vampires.  Can Dylan protect his client and prevent a supernatural war?


The film is based on Italian comic book Dylan Dog by Tiziano Sclavi.  The film only retains the character name and profession from the comic, and changes everything else: setting, tone, assistant / partner, etc.  Fans of the comic were not impressed with the film, especially with all of the changes.

I discovered this film through Netflix a few years ago.  It sounded interesting, so I gave it a shot and was underwhelmed.  I found the film again and decided to give it another try, after doing a little research on the film (and discovering that it was based on an Italian comic).  I liked it better the second time, but it still isn't a great film.

The story / premise has potential... The cast is decent and are mostly fine in their roles.  Brandon Routh previously appeared in other comic book inspired films, Superman Returns and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.  He is best known for Superman, but he is more interesting as darker characters.  He is funny in Scott Pilgrim and had a great arc on Chuck.  He is fine, but not great, here.  Sam Huntington is funny as Marcus.  The rest of the cast are fine, but not remarkable.  Which is the problem with the film as a whole, it is fine... but not memorable.

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2010) 107 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of creature violence and action, language including some sexual references, and some drug material
Director: Kevin Munroe
Starring: Brandon Routh as Dylan
Anita Briem as Elizabeth
Sam Huntington as Marcus
Taye Diggs as Vargas
Kurt Angle as Wolfgang
Peter Stormare as Gabriel

Stir Crazy: 600th review!

600 and going strong!

It's hard to believe, but this marks my 600th movie review.

100 Monty Python and the Holy Grail

200 Duck Soup

300 Super Troopers

400 Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein

500 The Odd Couple

"A hundred and twenty five years... Oh God, Oh God... I'll be a hundred and sixty one when I get out."

Writer Skip Donahue (Wilder) and actor Harry Monroe (Pryor) decide to move to California to start new lives.  Along the way they stop in Arizona to get jobs, and get framed for a bank heist.  Despite their lawyer's, Len Garber (Brooks), best efforts, they are sentenced to 125 years in jail.

Skip and Harry have a hard time adjusting to life in a maximum security prison.  They become friends with bank robber Jesus Ramierz (Suarez) and murder Rory Schultebrand (Brown), while avoiding prison "top dogs" Blade (Charles Weldon) and Jack Graham (Jonathan Banks) and mass murderer Grossberger (Van Lidth).  Their situation changes when Warden Walter Beatty (Corbin) Deputy Warden Wilson (Nelson) discover Skip has a natural talent for bull riding and want him to compete in the annual prison rodeo.


Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder starred in four films together: Silver Streak (1976), Stir Crazy (1980), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989), and Another You (1991).  But their first collaboration was Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles.  Pryor co-wrote the script and was the first choice to play Sheriff Bart, but the studio refused, and Cleavon Little played the role with Wilder as the Waco Kid.  Despite their strong on-screen chemistry, Wilder and Pryor did not get along.  This film was their most successful collaboration.

Everything about this film works.  Pryor and Wilder have an undeniable chemistry on screen and play off each other well.  Both shine in the film, getting funny lines and reactions.  If you watch closely, their co-stars have difficulty keeping a straight face during some moments.  It starts slow, setting up both characters before sending them to jail.  There are good moments, but the story really comes alive when they are confined.  I look forward to watching the other film collaborations of Pryor and Wilder.

Stir Crazy (1980) 111 minutes
Rating: R for Language, Nudity and Some Drug Content
Director: Sidney Poitier
Starring: Gene Wilder as Skip Donahue
Richard Pryor as Harry Monroe
Georg Stanford Brown as Rory Schultebrand
JoBeth Williams as Meredith
Miguel Suarez as Jesus Ramirez
Craig T. Nelson as Deputy Warden Wilson
Barry Corbin as Warden Walter Beatty
Joel Brooks as Len Garber
Erland Van Lidth as Grossberger

Grabbers

"What killed him, Jim?"

"The fact he's just a head."

"Doctor, we really need to know."

"I dunno. A tiger?"

Not much happens on the small Irish island of Erin Island.  The sergeant of the police force is leaving for 2 weeks of vacation and brings in workaholic Garda Lisa Nolan (Bradley) to help alcoholic Garda Ciaran O'Shea (Coyle).  Nolan and O'Shea instantly clash.

Meanwhile, several fishermen from the town have gone missing and dead whales have washed up on the beach.  Paddy Barrett (Roddy) captures a strange creature that Dr. Adam Smith (Tovey) can't identify.  After several attacks they discover that the only way to survive the creatures is getting drunk.

A friend from high school brought this film to my attention, she raved about it and I had to give it a try.  And I'm glad I did!

The film is a nice mash of horror and comedy, with just the right amount of each.  The premise is funny and is carried out well.  The grabbers are menacing and comical.  But the real joy is the cast.  Richard Coyle (who I know from UK's Coupling and Terry Pratchett's Going Postal) is funny and charming as Ciaran O'Shea.  He is well-matched with Ruth Bradley as Lisa Nolan, who begins the film as the straight man but really shows her acting chops / comedic timing in the second half.  Apparently, director Jon Wright took his stars drinking, so that they could use some of that "research" towards their characters.

They have a great supporting cast.  Lalor Roddy is the town drunk, Paddy Barrett, is hilarious and a fan favorite.  Russell Tovey's Dr. Adam Smith is adorably awkward.  David Pearse and Bronagh Gallagher are the pub owners, Brian and Una Maher; they have some funny exchanges and great reactions.  Pascal Scott is the town veterinarian Dr. Jim Gleeson who is full of sarcasm.  The rest of the cast are memorable in their own right and get to have fun towards the end of the film.

Check it out!

Grabbers (2012) 94 minutes

Director: Jon Wright
Starring: Richard Coyle as Garda Ciaran O'Shea
Ruth Bradley as Garda Lisa Nolan
Russell Tovey as Dr. Adam Smith
Lalor Roddy as Paddy Barrett
David Pearse as Brian Maher
Bronagh Gallagher as Una Maher
Pascal Scott as Dr. Jim Gleeson