For a series set in a magical alternate world tucked away from our weary doldrums, the Harry Potter films have never conveyed any sense of the wonder of J.K.
Remember that old movie gag in which the hero dropped a huge bell on the villain and then struck it to deafen the foe inside?
"Year One," Harold Ramis' new, inaccurately titled comedy, that suggests the pairing of the neurotic, sensitive straight man and the fat, loud-mouthed schlub is as old as history itself.Perhaps that's why Jack Black and Michael Cera are playing to types so rigid they might as well be cast in stone.If you've watched the trailer for the film then you already know the plot: Black's Zed and Cera's Oh live in a village in what is certainly not the first year of human existence.The village is apparently in the Garden of Eden even though it's clearly not, and Zed and Oh pine for Maya (June Raphael) and Eema (Juno Temple), respectively.One day, Zed eats the forbidden fruit, and soon the two friends set out to explore the world as they pledge to return as heroes to win their loves.Along the way they stumble from one Bible story to another, meeting Cain (David Cross) and eventually making their way to Sodom, where the people inexplicably speak with British accents.Anyone going into this film expecting even a hint of the Ramis of old is in for a rude awakening, which is all the more bewildering given the wealth of comic talent both in front of and behind the camera.How could he come up with this?
After three months of anxiety, Conan O'Brien finally debuted as the host of the "Tonight Show." Expectations were high, and the ratings have been solid if not extraordinary.
"The Hangover," Todd Phillips' new comedy, plays like a mix between "Animal House" and "Memento."It takes the hackneyed idea of the bachelor party gone awry - epitomized in the film called, funnily enough, "Bachelor Party" - and tilts it on its head, masking much of the sordid events in an alcoholic blackout and leaving them to the audience's imagination.The groom-to-be is Doug (Justin Bartha), who embarks on a one-night trip to Vegas with three friends: Stu (Ed Helms), a preppie dentist; Phil, a jerk who jumps at the chance to leave his wife and kids for the weekend; and Alan (Zach Galifianakis), Doug's future brother-in-law who may or may not be mentally-challenged and who at one point makes a passing reference to his status as a registered sex offender.The film begins with the three buddies calling Doug's fiancee the day of the wedding to inform her that they won't make it in time, then flashes back to the beginning of the whole mess -- a toast on the roof of their Vegas suite.Smash cut to the next morning, and their room is in shambles, a baby is in the closet and a fully-grown tiger occupies the bathroom.
