Go see it!

Then see it again!

While there were lots of comedies this year, very few have been much more than a long running play to make the audience laugh at all costs. Dodgeball is guilty as charged.

The premise; the owner of a second rate gym needs money to save his gym and his league of misfits from foreclosure. His competitor across the street door runs a gym that is everything Average Joe’s is not, clean, well equipped and solvent.

In their quest for cash, the members of Average Joe’s stumble upon the idea of playing Dodgeball in a tournament in Las Vegas. The prize as it happens is the exact amount needed to escape foreclosure.

Here’s what works about this movie

1) Characters. There’s a decent motley crew of misfits. Take special note of Rip Torn as their mentor/coach.

2) A real life on screen couple that works. I really believed that Christine Taylor found Ben Stiller’s character repugnant. Obviously they are married in real life.

3) Vince Vaughan. It took Vince a few years before he found his niche in Hollywood and it’s the type of role he plays in Dodgeball and Old School. Tall, slightly goofy with Chevy Chase styled delivery.

4) Premise. The premise is so ridiculous, it’s funny.

This comedy does the trick and it’s almost safe enough for the whole family. There’s a coda after the credits which some may find pushing the boundaries of taste, but by that point most of the audience are stuck in traffic.

Try as I might I couldn’t come up with something to blog about today. Whenever I run dry I go to the movies and tonight it was The Day After Tomorrow.

Not sharing political beliefs usually spares me having to hear the rantings of others. If only Michael Moore and Rush Limbaugh followed this credo. That being said, the Day After Tomorrow is a very political film. Never have so many characters been used as a mouthpiece for an agenda. And what is the agenda?

Let me double check the agenda/plot here. Burn fossil fuel > bad environmental juju > Ice Age. Riiight. OK, got it now.

That having been said, there’s some phenomenal eye candy in this film. Really, really incredible effects. But as amazing as the effects are, the dialog is not. It’s downright awful. The story? Sorry captain we blew all the budget money on effects so nothing left for writers. Maybe Walt the Janitor can whip up a draft after he’s done sweeping.

This is not a film one goes to see to bond with the characters or identify with their plight. This film is about turning Manhattan into a very expensive ski slope. Approach it like that and all will be fine.

So because this movie is all about eye candy and it does it so well, I’m going to rate it on that basis.

Go see The Day After Tomorrow. It’s at least Saturday matin�e grade entertainment.

Everyone’s favorite green dude is back for 105 minutes of non stop animated goodness. Thought the wedding in the Shrek 1 was the happily ever after part, did you? No sir for Shrek is more than a one trick ogre and he’s got to win his harshest critic yet, his father in law.

Jammed start to finish with laughs and zany antics Donkey, Shrek and a new sidekick Puss in Boots are off to help Shrek morph into something more acceptable to Princess Fiona’s parents. Along the way he and his green bride learn an important lesson about accepting themselves.

Some choice points about Shrek 2.

1) Puss in Boots. The new character does a lot to balance out the Donkey/Shrek relationship. Another interspecies buddy film would’ve been a bit too much a second time around. And Puss is one cute kitty.

2) Disney spoofs. Pick any character in the Disney catalog and it has a cameo and every one of them is spot on funny.

3) Excellent use of a large ensemble cast. This makes Shrek look even better and more lovable because his support team is so strong.

4) It’s exactly the right length.

5) After suffering through a 1 act play that ran for 2 hours with no intermission, just the night before, I’m acutely aware of when something has jumped the shark. Shrek 2 does not jump the shark. The quality is consistent start to finish.

6) Did I mention Puss in Boots is cute?

Verdict: go see Shrek 2. DVD it, Rent it, matinee it, whatever it but do see it!