Showing posts with label Michael Clark Duncan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Clark Duncan. Show all posts

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Ricky Bobby has a need, a need for speed. Since his father told him that anything other than first place is last place Ricky has strove to be the number one Nascar driver and he has succeeded. Until the fateful day that he pushes his sponsor too far and French driver Jean Girard is brought in as his rival. Ricky Bobby pushes himself too far and ends up in a traumatic accident, losing his wife to his partner, and being forced to move back in with his mother while he tries to regain his mojo an be able to drive again.

Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a pretty damn funny film. I kind of regret that I didn’t get to see it with a theatrical audience because I am sure that the jokes were even better with that current of excitement that runs through movie audiences; however, even on my little 13” TV screen, alone in my room, the jokes were still funny.

I have to say that I am a fan of Will Ferrell. I loved the man since he was Alec Trebec and James Lipton on SNL and I am very pleased that his career has continued since he left the show. The best thing about Will Ferrell is that he commits to the absurdity of his character or story situation 100%, no matter what he plays, who he is on screen with he finds the joy, humor and personality in the moment and brings it to life. This makes the jokes play better than they would with another actor in the role because Ferrell is one of the great comedians – a comedian who can make any joke funny, even if it’s inherently unfunny.

Comedy is subjective, and I expect that Ricky Bobby probably has had quite a few people that have watched it not like it, but I thought it was pretty dang funny.

Director: Adam McKay
Writers: Will Ferrell & Adam McKay
Ricky Bobby: Will Ferrell
Lucius: Michael Clarke Duncan
Cal Naughton Jr.: John C. Reiley
Carley Bobby: Leslie Bibb
Susan: Amy Adams
Jean Girard: Sacha Baron Cohen

Cal Naughton, Jr.: Shake and bake!
Ricky Bobby: What does that do? Does that blow your mind? That just happened!
Jean Girard: Is that a catchphrase or epilepsy?

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Kung Fu Panda


Kung Fu Panda
Originally uploaded by kenlu.
When my brother first suggested going to Kung Fu Panda I was reluctant. I did not want to sit in a theatre on a Friday night surrounded by kids who would be giggling, throwing popcorn and whispering through the entire movie. I'm a movie snob, I like certain conditions and I know it. However, my brother's cold and convienient showtimes prevailed so we went to see Jack Black portray a Panda.

Kung Fu Panda made me laugh so hard I cried at least once in the film. This is a kids movie, but it's trying to be a tried and true kung fu movie - the only thing missing is David Carradine.

Po the panda (son of a goose mind you) works in his father's noodle shop while longing to join the "furious five" kung fu masters that protect his city. He is the geekiest of geeks about kung fu and yet knows that it's something he can never do...until he is selected as the dragon warrior by old maser Oogway at the Jade Palace and must train to bring out his potential and save everyone from pending doom at the hands of Tai Lung.

The traditional cast of characters include the other five warriors voiced by everyone from Jackie Chan to Angelina Jolie and the struggling master Shifu voiced by Dustin Hoffman. These individauls do not want Po there and all (except Jolie's Tigress) are eventually won over to Po. What follows is the kung fu movies you remember watching as a kid, but this time it all makes sense to any age as the humor is just as important as the kung fu.

My favorite character was probably the aged master Oogway who spouted such phrases as "yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present" and managed to make these sound like they kind of fit in a kung fu movie.

I do reccomend this film, I would just reccomend that you avoid having so many little kids in the theatre if you're picky about your theatre enviroment like I am.

Director:Mark Osbourne & John Stevenson
Writer: Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger
Po: Jack Black
Shifu: Dustin Hoffman
Tigress: Angelina Jolie
Tai Lung: Ian McShane
MOnkey: Jackie Chan
Mantis: Seth Rogen
Viper: Lucy Liu
Crane: David Cross
Oogway: Randall Duk Kim
Commander Vachir: Michael Clark Duncan

Tai Lung: What are you going to do, sit on me?
Po: Don't tempt me.