DemiRonin

Our Idiot Brother is an ensemble comedy about a brother who unexpectedly comes back into the lives of three New York sisters. Ned, played by Paul Rudd, is not exactly an idiot, but more like a happy-go-lucky puppy who sometimes pees on the carpet. Ned only sees the good in people and believes that if you give others the benefit of the doubt, things will work out for the better. Unfortunately for Ned, he lives in the real world and not everyone is the Honest-Abe Ned embodies.

The movie starts off with Ned being arrested for selling Marijuana to a officer on duty, who takes advantage of Ned's generous nature by telling him he's been going through some tough times. After being released from prison for good behavior Ned returns home to a co- op biodynamic farm only to learn that his long term hippie girlfriend (Kathryn Hahn) has replaced him with a new boyfriend, Billy played by T.J. Miller. Not only is she kicking Ned out the farm but she's also decided to keep Ned's best friend in the world, a golden retriever by the name of Willie Nelson.

With only a backpack to his name Ned moves back in with his family which consists of his mother and three sisters: Liz (Emily Mortimer) the busy mother of two who is married to an documentary filmmaker, Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) the career oriented journalist, and Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) the bisexual artist - slash - comedian. Ned moves from one sister's home to the next as his welcome is quickly depleted by Ned's inability to adapt his sisters' Type A personalities. Ned's just not used to the double faced lives of other people. His innocence doesn't allow him to keep track of what's a secret and what's not. Ned has the strange ability to reveal the darker sides of those around him, revealing truths that many would rather not acknowledge. Ned acts as the catalyst to disrupt everyone else's shallow lives so that they may live a truer and more loving existence. "Ignorance is bliss" is obviously a strong theme in this film.

The cast for the film is very dynamic with plenty of talent to hold the scenes together. However some of the sisters never quite garner enough sympathy from the audience. They are all so self absorbed that when they blame their problems on Ned it simply adds for the viewer's dislike for the characters. Our Idiot Brother is primarily about family but great family feuding films have great moments of forgiveness. This film has one of those moments but for some reason the forgiveness feels like there wasn't much of a struggle. The reason for this is there's simply no reason to hate such a simple and loving character. Yes, Ned can be a little blind to things going on around him but overall the anger towards Ned from his sisters just makes them look jealous of his honesty.

As for Ned you never really know where he's supposed to be going in the film. It is somewhat set up that he has dreams of living back on the farm or perhaps regaining his long lost dog but those desires are fairly weightless in the context of a movie. For this reason the film fails to be anything more than a slightly bigger version of your family sitcom episode. You'll still laugh, but tomorrow you won't remember why it was it was so funny.

This Film might not be for you if:

-You don't like Paul Rudd's charm

In a time when Hollywood studios are looking for an easy buck by remaking every single popular movie they can get there hands on, it makes perfect sense to bring back the 1985 vampire classic Fright Night; the story of a horny teenage boy living next to a vampire. Anton Yelchin plays Charley, a popular high schooler living in a suburb of Las Vegas who happens to be dating Amy (Imogen Poots), the hottest girl in school. When Ed, Charley's nerdy childhood friend (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) warns him that kids have gone missing and that a vampire my be the cause, Charley shrugs it off. However once Charley learns the horrible truth he is tasked with the same nightmare Ed was unable to solve, convincing others that "Jerry the vampire" is murdering people. In order to protect his family and girlfriend from Jerry, played by Colin Farrell, Charley enlists the help of Vegas show runner Peter Vincent, played by the popular David Tennant of the TV series Doctor Who. Peter Vincent is a drunk ego maniac who is an expert on everything vampire. Unfortunately Peter is also a bit of a chicken when it comes to actually facing the undead bloodsuckers.

Fright Night [2011] stays fairly true to the original with the basically the same characters and plot line of the original. At the same time it's a well done modernization of the tale, making some of the elements of the previous iteration a bit more realistic. There is plenty of homage to the original but something new is the amount of comedy director Craig Gillespie's injects. There's plenty of laughs and references to the plague that is Twilight which makes watching a movie about a neighborhood vampire that much more fun. Another tweak between the versions is a more action based focus than the original. There are explosions, shotguns, and car chases making the film a bit more adventurous.

Fright Night's acting is mediocre except for the performance by David Tennnant, who brings most of the humor. Colin Farrell plays a decent vampire, who's charm allows him to disarm his would be accusers. However Farrell's body size works against him in that it takes away from the fear that you'd expect of a vampire . Colin Farrell has never really had an intimidating and threatening film presence and wearing clothing out of a Ralph Lauren commercial doesn't help. In contrast Chris Sarandon, the original Jerry, was a stalking six foot tree, who made all other actors sharing the screen shrink. Toni Collette's talent is pretty much wasted in this film. Her relationship to Yelchin never reaches believability as the two act more like chummy roommates rather than mother and son.

If I had to choose one Fright Night to rewatch the 80s version would win every time. Not only because the practical effects are simply amazing but also the fact that the classic took full advantage of its R rating which the 2011 version doesn't. There's something sexy about the 1985 version that the 2011 adaptation leaves behind. Sure, there are hot and skinny women walking around in lingerie and plenty of swear words but there's not the same sense of danger and seduction that was infused in the original.

As for the 3D, and speaking as someone who hates 3D, I begrudgingly recommend seeing Fright Night in 3D. The blood splattering and the glass flying at you makes the film feel like a carnival ride, which adds to Fright Night's fun. The original Fright Night is not a film that has aged particularly well, and neither will Craig Gillespie's version. However that doesn't mean teenagers and horror fanatics shouldn't take advantage of what is a decent vampire ride.

6 out of 10

This film is not for:

Film viewers expecting anything profound

Salvation Boulevard is a star packed ensemble "dramedy" based loosely on Larry Beinhart's novel of the same title. Greg Kinnear plays Carl, a former "deadhead" (followers of the band Grateful Dead) who has settled into a nice quite life with his uptight and super religious wife Gwen, played by Jennifer Connelly. Gwen religiously attends the Church of the Third Millennium which is led by the charismatic Pastor Dan Day, played by Pierce Brosnan. Having enraptured the town with his holy message, Day sustains a small empire for himself made out of an adoring congregation that worships him like a prophet. With an ego of the size of Jesus' cross, Day aspires to build a "city upon a hill", a planned and private community, complete with a school and hospital. Not only will this provide a safe and convenient sanctuary for God's worshipers but as the chief developer of this colossal undertaking Day stands to make a healthy sum of money.

However, the meeting of renown atheist extraordinaire Dr. Paul Blaylock, played by Ed Harris, puts it all at risk. After a public philosophical debate, Blaylock and Pastor Day retire to Blaylock's office for a friendly nightcap. Carl tags along to the meeting as Day's newly evangelized prize. Here a genial discussion about a joint book venture turns awry when Day accidentally shoots Blaylock in the head with an antique pistol.

In a moment of panic, the Pastor disguises the incident as a suicide attempt with Carl in the room as seemingly the only witness to Day's deceit. Carl's life then spirals into disaster as not only do his wife and closest friends not believe his truthful story but there are others trying to kidnap and frame him.

Salvation Boulevard's story line has a similar feel to that of the Coen Brother's film The Big Lebowski [1998]. Like "the Dude" in The Big Lebowski, Carl plays a very passive protagonist who gets caught up in mortal danger through no fault of his own. He is seemingly moved from precarious situation to the next by all forces other than himself. Carl passivity is contrasted by the outrageous antics of the characters that surround him. Pierce Brosnan with his good looks, deep voice and smooth command of language personifies an excellent slimy and manipulative pastor. As Day's ego and paranoia grow throughout the film so does Brosnan's comedic affect as he literally starts to believe the devil is after him.

With such a wealth of idiosyncratic characters Salvation Boulevard was able to attract a large award winning cast, including Marisa Tomei who plays a free spirited security guard. Jennifer Connelly and Jim Gaffigan play Day's fanatical and easily persuaded followers. Some would say these characters are a cruel misrepresentation of the Evangelical community. They may have a point, but taking this comedic movie too personally deprives the viewer from finding all the comical religious Easter eggs in the film. One of which is a building with devilish horns on the roof where Carl is taken to by Day's zealots. The laughs in Salvation Boulevard are not gut busters but are subtlety sprinkled throughout the film.

On the down, this film has a less than satisfying ending and seems to end abruptly. The side characters don't get endings that are worthy over their performances. Instead they are given in the form of text. An extra ten minutes might have wrapped the film in a more imprinting manner. Salvation Boulevard is layered with jokes that lie not only in th dialogue and action but also in the art direction and cinematography, giving the film the rare quality of finding something new every time you watch it. Unfortunately, this film will probably go under appreciated as critics have slammed it for its obvious slant against Evangelical Christians. However, I have faith that in time Salvation Boulevard will find its audience, but they probably won't be as devoted as your average "deadhead".

7 out of 10

This Film is not for:

-People who don't find mocking religion funny

-People who have no interest in religion