Movie Review: "The Kings of Summer" (2013)

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Movie: "The Kings of Summer"
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Year: 2013
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Tired of dealing with their overbearing, nagging parents, a trio of teenagers run away and build their own home in the middle of the forest to live a life of no rules and infinite freedom.

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and written by Chris Galletta, "The Kings of Summer" is a coming-of-age dramedy about a group of high school boys and their problems with their parents. It stars Nick Robinson as Joe, a 15-year old who has been butting heads with his dad Frank, played by Nick Offerman, more and more since the death of his mother. His best friend Patrick, played by Gabriel Basso, doesn't have it much better at his house. His over-involved parents drive him crazy, too, so much so they have him literally breaking out in hives. One night after a party they are attending gets broken up, on the walk home, Joe gets an idea about how he can solve his parent problem. He convinces Patrick they should run away and build themselves their own home in a secluded forest clearing. They will then live there as free men rather than boys living at the mercy of the laws set by their nagging parents. Also tagging along with them is Biaggio, played by Moises Arias, who is a classmate of theirs. Neither Patrick nor Nick seem to know Biaggio all that well, but after the aforementioned party, he kind of attaches himself to them and has been present in their plans ever since. Biaggio is kind of an oddball character who does and says things many would consider weird, but despite his bizarre behavior, he is quite endearing, absolutely funny, and fiercely loyal.

There are a lot of laughs in "The Kings of Summer" which stem from dozens of humorous situations, including Biaggio's quirky behavior, their (mis)adventures in the wild, as well as the interactions between the kids and their in-your-face parents. Nick Offerman does a fantastic job delivering this dry, sardonic, and gruff yet witty dialogue. He makes sniping, sarcastic remarks towards his son, as well as other people throughout the film. Patrick's parents, played by Mark Evan Jackson and Megan Mullally, offer a different type of humor as they are the blissfully oblivious types who think they are being helpful, but more often than not, are just being annoying to their teenage son. We find their interactions with Patrick to be hilarious, even though we get secondhand embarrassment from watching them unfold. All of the adult actors might be spectacular, but Basso, Robinson, and Arias are just as excellent.

Beyond a surprising amount of humor, there is also an enthralling adventure here as well as these young men set off on personal journeys of self discovery. They have an amazing summer where they build there own house and make their own rules in order to live wild and free. When you think about it, isn't this the ultimate summer goal everyone wants to achieve? Through this wilderness exploration, they learn a lot about themselves, and their parents learn a lot about what they might have done that led to this ordeal. Biaggio's parents are the exception to this because they seem to be ignorant of the fact that he was ever gone and are rarely featured in this film. In fact, we sort of thought he was already an orphan once he came onto the scene.

We are so glad to have discovered "The Kings of Summer." It winds up being an absolute treat of both visual and thematic proportions. It is extremely well acted by everyone in the cast, and it is a touching, engaging, and beautifully shot piece of cinema we very much enjoyed.

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 76%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!
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Last summer, we were watching: "Adventureland"

Two summers ago, we were watching: "The Seven Year Itch"

Movie Review: "Super 8" (2011)

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Movie: "Super 8"
Director: J.J. Abrams
Year: 2008
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes

A group of friends shooting a homemade zombie movie catches footage of a train wreck with their super 8 camera. This wreck was no accident, and they soon discover something mysterious is going on the government is trying to keep a secret. Meanwhile, strange occurrences and attacks begin to rattle their small Ohio town as it becomes harder to deny the two events are connected.

"Super 8" is a sci-fi adventure film written and directed by J.J. Abrams. It's about a group of friends making a movie in their small town over their summer break. This group of friends is comprised of Charles, an aspiring filmmaker played by Riley Griffiths; Joe, a would-be artist and effects makeup extraordinaire played by Joel Courtney; Cary, a pyromaniac and explosives maker played by Ryan Lee; Martin, the star of their homemade movie played by Gabriel Basso; Preston, a nervous worrier played by Zach Mills; and Alice, an aspiring actress played by Elle Fanning. While out late one night, the friends witness a train wreck and discover some top secret information while trying to film their homemade zombie movie. After the wreck happens, the government jumps on top of things quickly, invading their small town after strange, damaging occurrences begin to happen. All of the town dogs run away at once, people go missing, the power starts flickering, and many other bizarre things start to happen. The kids go on a mission to find out just what the heck is going on, and how it's linked to the train crash they witnessed.

This film takes place in 1979 and is a great summer adventure flick where this group of kids take center stage in a "Goonies"-style film with a sci-fi twist. Luckily, we get very solid performances from all of the kids involved in "Super 8." It's rare when a movie can put together an ensemble cast of child actors and pull it off, but all of the kids here are actually really great actors, and we get the sense and feeling they would be friends in real life making a movie together one summer. Riley Griffiths plays the perfectionist filmmaker character well as he runs around screaming directions for his friends in order to get more ambiance and legitimacy into his picture, which he intends on entering in an international contest. Joel Courtney is super sweet and is extremely likable. As the protagonist who goes through a terrible tragedy early on in the movie, we sympathize with him wanting to spend as much time as possible with his best friends just to take his mind off the sadness, especially knowing his dad, played by Kyle Chandler, doesn't really know how to talk to him or want to get to know him. Speaking of Kyle Chandler, he is also fantastic as the stoic, overworked sheriff of their small Ohio town, who clearly relegated the child-rearing duties to his wife, only to have his life turned upside down when the unthinkable happens. We loved Gabriel Basso in "The Big C," so it's fun to go back and see one of his earlier roles. Cary, played by Ryan Lee, is the nut-ball of the group and just wants to blow stuff up all the time. As we know, Elle Fanning comes from an acting family, and she really does take after her sister. She's a splendid actress and we've come to enjoy her work quite a bit.

This is an imaginative original story, something often lacking in Hollywood, especially when it comes to big summer films like this. J.J. Abrams seems to love his sci-fi twisty stories, and this is no exception. We really like "Super 8." It is an engaging movie that will keep you enthralled in the mystery and invested in its characters. That being said, the train crash scene is a bit over the top. Though the effects are decent, it winds up feeling like a bit too much. The rest of the CGI isn't the best, and though it doesn't look atrocious, it doesn't look great, either. We really have come a long way since 2008, and so has Abrams as a director. When it comes to Abrams' camerawork, and hardcore fans of his know what we're going to say, there are a lot of lens flares here. This has become something of a trademark for him, but when executed in a smaller scale sci-fi action mystery like this, the sheer amount of them becomes distracting and very noticeable after a short while. Luckily in his more recent offerings, Abrams has dialed it back significantly. Overall, "Super 8" truly is a fun movie with a solid cast giving great performances, a really interesting sci-fi twist, and a "Goonies" feel that may transcend the ages. This is the perfect summertime watch. 

My Rating: 8/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
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Last summer, we were watching: "Meatballs"

Two summers ago, we were watching: "Caddyshack"

Movie Review: "The Wackness" (2008)

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Movie: "The Wackness"
Director: Jonathan Levine
Year: 2008
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes

Recent high school graduate Luke (Josh Peck) is planning on spending his summer dealing weed and working through his personal issues with his psychiatrist Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley), who is also a customer of his. He also starts seeing Dr. Squires' stepdaughter Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby), who just recently started paying attention to him despite being a classmate and customer of his for a while.

Written and directed by Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness" is a coming of age dramedy starring Josh Peck who plays Luke, a pot dealer, who has just graduated high school. He is planning on going to college, but first he is going to spend his summer dealing weed and trying to cope with the mounting trouble he is having at home with his parents. Luke deals pot to a psychiatrist named Dr. Squires, played by Ben Kingsly, who exchanges therapy sessions for dime bags. Dr. Squires' advice for Luke is to find a woman and get laid. What Squires didn't expect was for the target of Luke's affections to be his stepdaughter Stephanie, played by Olivia Thirlby. Stephanie has been a customer of Luke's for a long time, but has just recently started paying attention to him because all of her friends are off gallivanting on vacation in far away places over the summer.

This is a story all about the character of Luke and how he has to deal with so many changes in his life at at the same time. He has just graduated, his parents are having financial troubles and are in danger of losing their apartment, which means they argue all the time, which is really taking a toll on him, and on top of all of this, he finds himself falling in love with a girl who may not feel the same way. This is enough to make anyone have problems. The entire film is set against the backdrop of New York, which itself is a character of the film as hot, sweaty days turn into warm summer nights to the point where you can taste the city and feel like you're right there in the thick of it. Even in 2008, treating the setting of New York as a character was kind of cliché, but we digress. Josh Peck is really great as Luke, who is a sympathetic character, a guy who knows he probably shouldn't invest so much of his time in the wrong girl, but as all of the elements of the universe align in his favor, he finds himself drawn more and more to Steph as his mounting personal problems take a backseat to spending time with her. Olivia Thrilby is also good as Steph, a character we as the audience know isn't interested in Luke, but leads him on anyway.

"The Wackness" is all about every kind of relationships, and none are stranger than the one between Luke and Dr. Squires, who seems very terrible at his job and not mentally stable himself, though they say you go into psychiatry or psychology to work out your own deep-seeded issues, so who knows? Needless to say, Squires doesn't give the best advice, but what he does give Luke is a friendship that means a lot of both of them, even if they don't show or say it. The film delves deep into the issue of how relationships, be they friendships, sexual ones, or familial ones, shape you as a person and pave your path in life. It mixes all of this dramatic context with the occasional humorous moment, but is mainly reliant on how the audience feels about the characters. As for us, we might not always gripped by them or their situations, but we still feel invested in where it's going to end. The writing within the screenplay is great, but in execution, it's moderately interesting though not fully engaging. We look at Luke's life and can relate on some level, but in the grand scheme of it all, his issues may appear rather trivial to some. Such is life for a mid-class white kid, we guess.

At the heart of "The Wackness," it's a decent coming-of-age dramedy about unconventional relationships. Ben Kingsley is absolutely nuts as Dr. Squires, but he nails his performance. Josh Peck and Olivia Thrilby are mostly great here. Though it can all get a bit silly, it's a worthwhile movie about summer in New York in the 1990's with a lot of callbacks to the era in terms of music, terminology, clothing, and many other references.

My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 69%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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Last summer, we were watching: "American Graffiti"

Two summers ago, we were watching: "Piranha"

Movie Review: "Now and Then" (1995)

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Movie: "Now and Then"
Director: Lesli Linka Glatter
Year: 1995
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

While back in her hometown waiting for her friend to have her baby, a writer reflects on her youth and the life-changing summer she and her three best friends have in 1970. 

Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and written by I. Marlene King, "Now and Then" is a coming-of-age story about four young girls growing up in a small town in the summer of 1970. Each character is played by two actresses, one at age 33 and the other at age 12. It stars Demi Moore and Gabby Hoffman, who play Samantha; Rosie O'Donnell and Christina Ricci, who play Roberta; Melanie Griffith and Thora Birch, who play Teeny; and Rita Wilson and Ashleigh Aston Moore, who play Chrissy. Though the film opens and closes with the older set of women, the primary focus of the movie is on the girls in their younger years as they try their hardest to get money for a tree house. Much like "Stand by Me," "Now and Then" has a writer, in this case Samantha, telling the story about the pivotal summer in the lives of her and her friends. Oddly enough, both films also partially revolve around the death of a young kid that the group wants to investigate, though the way each film handles this is very different. Each of the four girls is unique, offering a relatable character for whatever your personality might be. Samantha is the intellectual who likes to read and write, Roberta is the tomboy who tries to hide her developing body, which the polar opposite of Teeny, who is the glamour and beauty-obsessed one who tries to create a false look of development, and finally there's Chrissy, who is the totally sheltered, goody two-shoes who has no idea about the real world other than the lies her parents have told her. The summer begins with this quest to raise money for their tree house, though this plot line quickly takes a back seat to the obsession and investigation of the death of a little boy who died 25 years earlier, one whose tombstone simply read 'Dear Johnny.' The girls learn a lot about themselves, each other, and the world as a whole through this investigation.

"Now and Then" is a fairly touching, sometimes funny, and as mentioned earlier, wholly relatable movie. All the young actresses do a great job and help create a great, engaging story. As for the older cast, none of them are bad, but this whole section seems superfluous and could have easily be cut entirely. It wouldn't have taken anything away from the context of the film. The only real purpose for these sections is to show that despite two of the girls going their separate ways in life, all four of them remained friends and made good on their promise as young kids to always be there for each other when they needed it...we guess that's something. It also feels like this section is included to have Demi Moore's Samantha narrate the entire thing as an adult, which could have easily been handled with a quick line of exposition explaining how she was merely reflecting on that most important summer in their lives. Still, despite a couple of cheesy instances, this is an enjoyable film and the perfect pick for any of the summer months.

My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 19%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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Last summer, we were watching: "Summer of Sam"

Two summers ago, we were watching: "Stand By Me"

Movie Review: "(500) Days of Summer" (2009)

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Movie: "(500) Days of Summer"
Director: Marc Webb
Year: 2009
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a true romantic, and from the moment he met Summer (Zooey Deschanel), who doesn't believe in true love, he thought she was the one. Tom tells the story of the 500 days Summer was in his life.

When you first see the title of this film, it may be a little confusing. How can there be "(500) Days of Summer" when a year is only 365 days!? Well, this is all cleared up when we find out Summer doesn't refer to the season, but rather, to a person. Full disclosure, the first film for 2016's SUN-day Summer Movie Month is not technically about summer.

Zooey Deschanel plays Summer, who considers herself a realist and doesn't buy into frilly concepts like love. Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, on the other hand, convinces himself Summer is 'the one' from the moment he lays eyes on her. At first, she doesn't budge, insisting that life will eventually get in the way of any romance they might have, but also eventually, Tom and Summer have a strong, undeniable connection we totally get invested in, even when life does get in the way. This film is told out of chronological order. It actually opens on day 488 with Summer and Tom sitting on a park bench. Summer has on what appears to be an engagement ring, and then, it all jumps back to day 1, the first day Tom and Summer meet. From here, the movie jumps to day 290 where Summer tells Tom she thinks she needs a change, then it goes back to day 1, and so forth and so on. The film continues to jump around its timeline, slowly unfolding what happened between Day 1, 'love at first sight,' to Day 290, a possible breakup, and day 488, together on a bench. This manner of storytelling adds a lot of intrigue to the rom-com-dram as the audience must piece together the last 500 days of Tom's life along with him. Like love itself, this story seems messy from the outside, but upon closer examination, it's really just perfect for such a crazy thing.

It is clear the arrival of Summer into Tom's life had a profound effect on it. We watch how one person manages to change the course of another person's life, for better and for worse. This may lead audiences to think about their own life, love, happiness, misery, and the grand scheme of things. There are moments in one's life that are clearly major turning points, and it really makes you wonder, if there had been one, tiny difference on any given day, you might not be where you are now. MIND BLOWN. For Tom, this moment was meeting Summer.

Many people might not like "(500) Days of Summer" because it doesn't conform to what some may see as a "normal" film. The disjointed storytelling is only part of its strange puzzle. There are also moments where characters break out into dance numbers in the middle of walking to the tune of Hall & Oates. They work at a sappy greeting card company and are forced to write about love even while going through heartbreak. Tom takes advice from his much younger yet much more mentally mature sister. Summer turns into two dozen faces on a crowded bus in Tom's mind. We welcome these quirky changes in its narrative. Movies can get so stale and boring when they follow the same strict formula, and this romance somehow feels more real, even when our two main characters might be on the verge of collapse. Most of this has to do with the chemistry between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, the queen of quirk. They are so good together. We completely believe Gordon-Levitt as the heart-on-his-sleeve romantic and Deschanel as a love skeptic. Gordon-Levitt is excellent as Tom and he lends himself perfectly to this role as a hopeless romantic. Zooey Deschanel, as we mentioned, specializes in these oddball types of indie movie roles that have strong ideas about life and relationships. She fits the part of Summer like it was written specifically for her, even though it wasn't.

"(500) Days of Summer" is director Marc Webb's first feature film, and up until he made this film, Webb primarily directed music videos. This film shows he has a good knack for storytelling and an eye for interesting visuals and kitschy style. Even the most hardened souls will find it difficult not to smile at a movie like this. Everyone who has experienced love or heartbreak should watch this as soon as possible. It's deeper than a surface level rom-com, but it's not so dramatic that you'll tire of its subjects. It's simply honest, charming, relatable and different in the best ways possible.

My Rating: 8/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 86%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
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Last summer, we were watching: "Wet Hot American Summer"

Two summers ago, we were watching: "The Sandlot"

Movie Review: "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (2005)

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Movie: "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"
Director: Ken Kwapis
Year: 2005
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 59 minutes

A group of four best friends find a pair of pants that mysteriously fits all four of them perfectly despite each of them being different heights and builds. They believe these pants are something magical and will lead to good fortune. As each friend embarks on their first summer apart from each other, they decide they will ship the pair of pants from one person to the next each week, writing of the adventures and experiences they have while wearing them.

Directed by Ken Kwapis, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" is a coming-of-age story about four girls in their late teens who separate for the first time in their friendship and go through many different life experiences. It is based on a book of the same name by Ann Brashares and stars Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, and Blake Lively. They play best friends who have grown up together and been through many of life's changes with each other. Tibby, played by Tamblyn, is the cynical one of the group. She wants to be a filmmaker and is going to spend the summer shooting a documentary. Lena, played by Bledel, is the shy, artistic one is going to spend the summer learning her roots with her grandparents in Greece. Ferrera plays Carmen, who has divorced parents and lives with her mom. She hardly sees her dad after he up and left them, but is determined to make the most out of her time with him, only to find out he is about to have a whole new family. Bridget, played by Lively, is the athletic one who lost her mother at a young age. This makes her a little bit more rebellious, but she is also sexually aggressive. Bridget is about to go off to Mexico for a soccer camp where she is the star player. Before the girls go their separate ways, they happen upon a pair of pants that miraculously fits all of them despite their drastic physical differences. They make a pact that they will stay connected through these pants, which they will share and mail to each other every week.

What happens to each girl while wearing the pants challenges who they are and makes them see the world from a different perspective. Each girl has a different life experience, some of which are happy, some utterly tragic, but each experience is life-changing nonetheless. The strongest aspect of this movie is that each girl is so unique, so vastly different from one another, that someone somewhere who watched will relate to at least one of the characters. Between the four of them, they have to deal with terminal illness, death, suicide, first loves, family rivalries, divorce, first sexual experiences, second marriages, and more. It also shows that no matter how big the differences are between these friends, they remain both close and connected, even when life throws them impossible changes and shapes them in a multitude of ways. We believe this is a strong, important message for impressionable girls to learn at a young age, that no matter what life tries to wedge in between you, differences can be put aside for the ultimate thriving and strengthening of the bonds of friendship.

Beyond this important subtext, there isn't exactly a whole lot about "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" that makes it stand out above the rest. The acting is decent enough and everyone does a fine job, but sometimes the subject matter demands a flare for the dramatic, venturing into eyebrow-raisingly theatrical and silly territory. Each of the four girls has their own arc as they deal with their life changing events, but ultimately come together more than once in a show of solidarity. There are funny moments, sad moments, and there are even a few exciting moments, though these mostly fell flat for us and came off as predictable rather than genuine. In the end, this is a film about relationships and all of the things that happen within these relationships that must be overcome. It's about the importance of friendship and how it is important to have someone to lean on for support. Cue Bill Withers right about.....now.

My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 5.5/10
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 77%
Do we recommend the movie: Sure, why not?
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Last summer, we were watching: "Summer School"

Two summers ago, we were watching: "Dazed and Confused"

Movie Review: "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (1997)

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Movie: "I Know What You Did Last Summer"
Director: Jim Gillespie
Year: 1997
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

The summer after graduation, a group of teens celebrates the Fouth of July together. On the drive home, they accidentally hit a pedestrian who was crossing the road. Thinking he is dead and fearing a jail sentence for vehicular manslaughter, they dump the body in the ocean and swear to never speak of the incident again. Now, a year later, the teens have all gone their separate ways, but when Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) receives an ominous note reading "I know what you did last summer," she returns to her hometown to meet up with the others and figure out who knows their deadly secret and what to do about it.

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" is a horror slasher flick directed by Jim Gillespie. It stars the late 90's "it" crew of young heartthrobs in Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ryan Phillippe, and Sarah Michelle Gellar. They play a group of friends fresh out of high school who make the biggest mistake of their lives one Fourth of July when they accidentally hit a pedestrian after a night of drinking. To avoid any possible trouble they might have, instead of calling the police, they dump the body in the ocean to cover their tracks and try to move with their lives. A year later, this act comes to bite them in the butt when they all become the target of an unknown killer dressed as a fisherman. Can they survive long enough to atone for their sins?

The first thing we must say about watching "I Know What You Did Last Summer" perhaps for the first time since the early 2000's is the acting is godawful mostly terrible, especially from Freddie Prinze Jr. Prinze Jr. looks perpetually concerned or constipated or possibly just concerned that he's constipated in every single scene where he appears. I used to love Freddie Prinze Jr. when I was growing up, but man, he is definitely not a good actor. The acting isn't much better from the likes of Ryan Phillippe and his roid-rage routine, or Jennifer Love Hewitt and her constant screaming and twirling. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays to type as a beauty queen who basically gets by in life by smiling and waving, and you know a movie truly does have terrible acting when she's the one pulling the weight. The best part about this film is that it's R rated. So often nowadays, chances are not taken when it comes to making teen horror films rated R, why exactly we're not sure, but we definitely notice. With this R rating, the makers of this film don't have to hold back when it comes to blood, gore, and scares. This is something very beneficial to a slasher-style horror flick as it uses gore as part of its selling point, and rightfully so. Knowing this, we are treated to a couple of really cool and gruesome death scenes where our protagonists and other people they encounter get skewered with a fish hook or have a body part severed or get shoved into ice. On the flip side, it is also just a pretty basic slasher film, only updated for 90's youth. It doesn't really take any risks or do anything new with the formula. Luckily, "I Know What You Did Last Summer" never drags at any point, so it breezes by the torture of its cheesy dialogue and gets straight to the torture contextually.

In the end, this isn't the worst horror film we've ever seen, but it's a semi-decent choice if you're in the mood for a summer murder party with laughably bad acting.

My Rating: 4/10
BigJ's Rating: 4/10
IMDB's Rating: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 36%
Do we recommend this movie: No.
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Last summer, we were watching: "What About Bob?"

Two summers ago, we were watching: "National Lampoon's Vacation"

Movie Review: "One Crazy Summer" (1986)

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Movie: "One Crazy Summer"
Director: Savage Steve Holland
Year: 1986
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Hoops McCann (John Cusack) just graduated from high school and is an aspiring artist. The application for his art school requires he write a story about love, but he's finding it difficult without having any love in his life. He decides to spend the summer with his best friend George (Joel Murray) in Nantucket. On their way to the island, they meet a singer named Cassandra (Demi Moore), who is trying to raise money to save her grandfather's house from foreclosure and being sold and turned into a seafood restaurant by the sinister Mr. Beckersted (Mark Metcalf).

"One Crazy Summer" was the second and final collaboration between director Savage Steve Holland and lead star John Cusack. They had previously worked together on the film "Better off Dead." This film, much like their previous one, is a goofball style romantic comedy with wacky characters and fun animated interludes. Cusack plays Hoops McCann, who feels like he has a hopeless love life and is a disappointment to his basketball loving parents, which is something Hoops is terrible at despite his name. What he is good at is drawing, and that is his true passion, but he needs to write a romantic story in order to get accepted into his chosen art school. Hoop's best friend George Calimari, played by Joel Murray, who is probably best known for being Bill Murray's brother, is taking his little sister Squid, played by Kristen Goelz, to Nantucket to spend the summer with their grandparents. George asks Hoops to come along, and despite Hoop's dislike of boats but with nothing else to do over the summer, he agrees to tag along for some potential fun. As soon as they leave, you can tell they are in for a wild time as they run into a singer named Cassandra, played by Demi Moore, who they help escape from a biker gang that's chasing her over some money she took which she claims is actually hers and the gang claim is theirs. What a wild first night in town! Cassandra, who is Hoops would-be love interest, needs the money to save her grandfather's house, which serves as a group home for many senior citizens. This is the main focus of the film. There are a lot of interesting characters like the weird not too bright Stork twins, Egg, played by Bobcat Goldthwait, and Clay, played by Tom Villaird, who look nothing alike despite being twins. They are hilarious weird and a lot of fun to see go from regular weirdo to manic, bizarre men. Clay is regularly bullied by Teddy Beckerstead, played by Matt Mulhern, the douchey, wealthy meat-head jock and son of Aguilla Beckerstead, played by Mark Metcalfe, the man who is trying to buy Cassandra's grandfather's home so he can turn it into a seafood restaurant.

Like most 80's teen comedies, where a wealthy snob is harassing a blue collar hero, it all comes to some kind of sports competition that the white collar villain excels at, but the underdog hero must win against all odds. In this case with "One Crazy Summer," and the sports competition is a boat race here. Like we mentioned, this was the cliché of the 1980's, and similar scenarios can be seen in films like the aforementioned "Better off Dead," "Summer Rental," "Meatballs" both 1&2, and "Revenge of the Nerds," just to name a few. But despite this familiar and overused scenario, it's the wacky stuff surrounding it that makes this movie super fun to watch, even a few decades later. Things like the rent charging grandmother, the sweet looking little girl Squid who will take instant and severe vengeance on anyone who makes fun of her dog, Ack Ack, played by Curtis Armstrong, who is supposed to be a future Marine but gets sad when he finds a lost doll, and the weird uncle who is obsessed with winning a radio contest, it's all hilarious and fits together well to create a zany summer romp and one we enjoy watching quite a bit. It's all these elements that really make this film the off-the-wall summer comedy we remember enjoying as kids.

My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 60%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "The Great Outdoors"

Movie Review: "Point Break" (1991)

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Movie: "Point Break"
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Year: 1991
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes

A rookie FBI agent named Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) goes undercover as a surfer to try and find the identity of some serial bank robbers known as the ex-presidents who he and his partner believe frequent the beach scene.

Long before winning the Academy Award for directing "The Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow was honing her skills with "Point Break." Starring Keanu Reeves as Johnny Utah, and no, that is not a joke, the main character's name is really Johnny Utah, he's young hot shot FBI rookie and former NCAA D-1 quarterback. Utah is hyped to get out into the field and catch his first perp. He is partnered with an older FBI veteran with a bit of an attitude named Pappas, played by Gary Busey pre-insanity. Wait, Gary Busey and Keanu Reeves in the same movie? Are we dreaming!?! HELL YES!!! THIS IS AWESOME!!! Working in Los Angeles every summer year after year, a group of bank robbers known as the ex-presidents rob multiple banks in the city and have never been caught. Based on some flimsy evidence and a hunch, Pappas believes these bank robbers are be surfers, you know, because no one else gets tanned unless they are surfers. Now, Johnny Utah has to go undercover as a surfer to try and get close to and discover the bank robbers. Utah is eventually taken under the wing of surfer named Bohdi, played Patrick Swayze, who is a live in the moment and very spiritual in a Buddhist sort of way. It seems like he's also hiding something, and the closer Utah gets to Bohdi, the closer he comes to discovering the truth.

Okay, now we will admit, Keanu Reeves' acting is terrible in this movie...well, actually, in most of his movies. He sounds like he is still playing Ted from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," laid back and a little dim, though he's not supposed to be dim since he's a friggin' FBI agent. Reeves even studied real life FBI agents for research on this role, though you would never know it because he makes a billion derpy faces and says some pretty extraordinarily and intentionally hilarious lines. On the flip side, we have to admit we find his method a little endearing, and we have both really come to enjoy Reeves as an actor, unironically. Meanwhile, Gary Busey is a goldmine, constantly spouting off some of the most amazing, off the wall bonkers lines that are hilariously wonderful, some of which now live in the "insult hall of fame." There is also the stereotypical ball busting boss who thinks they are incompetent screw-ups, even though their hunch might just prove to be right. Despite all the stereotypes and bad acting from Reeves, this actually quite an amazing movie to watch as it is immensely entertaining. The shots of the summer surf, the cheesy dialogue, the action, the planning, the botched and horrible undercover work, it all comes together to create a summer movie masterpiece of sorts. Plus, it is the inspiration for "The Fast and the Furious" franchise, which lifted most its plot points directly from this film. We can't help but enjoy this movie as we feel the excitement and laugh at the sometimes intentional, sometimes unintentional funny dialogue. The overall story is still pretty decent, even though Johnny Utah is literally the worst, most terrible undercover agent in the world and does many things that could have blown his cover. It's a solid film with a sometimes thrilling and dazzling visual spectacle as our character skydive, surf massive waves, and get into huge fights. Just because it's a couple decades old DOES NOT mean it needs a sequel/reboot/hybrid/remake, and yet, coming this Christmas, we are getting one anyway. Patrick Swayze is rolling over in his grave, and Keanu Reeves should be pissed as hell anyone would dare compare him to the idiotic, even more derpy actor that is Luke Bracey.

My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 68%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
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One year ago, we were watching: "Summer Rental"

Movie Review: "Adventureland" (2009)

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Movie: "Adventureland"
Director: Greg Mottola
Year: 2009
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 47 minutes

James (Jesse Eisenberg) is a recent college graduate who was planning on spending the summer before grad school backpacking across Europe with his friend. Just before he was scheduled to leave, he is told by his parents that his father has been laid off and now, they can no longer afford to send him to Europe or possibly even help him pay for grad school. Having to now live in more modest means, they move back to their home town where James must now spend his summer working to earn money for school. Despite having a degree, with no work experience, the only job he can find is working at the local amusement park called Adventureland.

This film takes place in the summer of 1987. Jesse Eisenberg plays James, who has just graduated from college with an arts degree, one of the most popular degrees held by your local Starbucks barista. He and his formerly yuppie parents get a huge dose of reality when James's father is laid off. Now forced to get a job, James finds he is over-educated and under-experienced and is not even qualified to do most manual labor jobs. This is a sad reality for a lot of college students even now in 2015, so to see this all unfold in the late 1980's is just a stark reminder of how little things have changed. Luckily, a childhood friend hooks him up with a job at Adventureland, a low rent amusement park. James gets assigned to running fairway games where park patrons pay a lot of money to play rigged games to try and win cheap prizes. There, James meets a couple of coworkers who he gets along with well. One of these people is named Joel, played by Martin Starr, and the other is named Em, played by Kristen Stewart. Joel tells it like it is, but is a huge geek, and Em and James seem to hit it off even though they are both pretty royally screwed up individuals. Jesse Eisenberg plays the same type of character he almost always plays, a little bit sarcastic and yet also insecure, and yet sort of a know it all. The film focuses on his relationship with Em, who is essentially just Kristen Stewart with a different name. Em is a little disillusioned with a "too cool for school" attitude and a chip on her shoulder. Her father is quite wealthy, but she works at the park just to waste the opportunities afforded to her because she's angry inside. Despite liking James, she is already involved in a sexual relationship with the park's married handyman Mike, played by Ryan Reynolds, a much older man who is obviously trying to recapture his youth and stay young in an environment where people think he's cool and not the loser cheater he really is. Together, this cast makes up an enjoyable movie with some decent acting and a fairly honest middle-upper class American tale of love, friendship, failure, triumph, and pain. "Adventureland" does a good job of displaying the unsure future many post college graduates face. It's sort of an after college coming-of-age story, but it also does an excellent job of sharing that simple summertime job theme we have all come to know and love. It also captures the look, feel, and spirit of the 80's quite well against the backdrop of a cheap local amusement park. We like this movie, and where we have disliked some of these actors before, they aren't so bad here.

My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "The Seven Year Itch"

Movie Review: "Meatballs" (1979)

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Movie: "Meatballs"
Director: Ivan Reitman
Year: 1979
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes

The summer is just starting at Camp North Star. Head counselor Tripper Harrison (Bill Murray) welcomes some new CIT's (counselors in training) and a whole batch of new campers. Tripper and his CIT's get up to a lot of mischief as they prepare the campers for the annual competition against the neighboring and very wealthy Camp Mohawk. Meanwhile, one camper named Rudy (Chris Makepeace) has been outcast by his peers, so Tripper takes him under his wing and befriends him for the summer. 

"Meatballs" is the original wacky summer camp movie. Lakes, camps, long nights around a fire, stories, memories, the summer sun, jokes, what's not to love? From the opening scene, you know this film is going to be the Bill Murray show, and that's exactly what it winds up being, not that we're complaining. Sure, there are other characters in the film, but Bill Murray is front and center throughout its duration. In fact, without Murray, this movie would be rather mundane as he brings his signature messing around, goofy campiness to Camp North Star. We're not entirely sure how much of the film is actually scripted and how much is just Bill Murray riffing and doing his comedy thing, but regardless, it is a fun ride to watch unfold. The main meat of the story is about the friendship between Bill Murray's character Tripper and the outcast camper Rudy, played by Chris Makepeace. Rudy has a lack of confidence and low self esteem, and Tripper helps bolster his self image. There is also the subplot of a rivalry between Camp North Star, which is the economy camp, and Camp Mohawk, the posh, elite, high cost camp across the lake. This eventually sets up a scenario for an underdog story as the two camps compete in an inter-camp Olympics. From the start, we see some typical summer camp hijinks like pranks on the camp director Morty, played by Harvey Atkin, boys hitting on girls, normal shenanigans, etc. We wouldn't call it cliché because it wasn't at the time when this film came out, and since "Meatballs" did it first, well, it's only old to us now in 2015. It is definitely a fun movie, but does feel a bit dated now and hasn't held up as well over time. Bill Murray might be fantastic, but hey, when is he not? Certain scenes specifically are eyebrow raising, but we can mostly cast this aside in lieu of great comedic bits. Overall, though it's not a summer classic like some other movies, this film is not completely lost on us.

My Rating: 6/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 75%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "Caddyshack"

Oscar Movie Review: "American Graffiti" (1973)

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Movie: "America Graffiti"
Year Nominated: 1974
Director: George Lucas
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Did It Win?: No.

It's summer 1962 and the recent high school graduates cruise their small California town for one last night of summer fun before starting college. 

Before George Lucas was wowing audiences with "Star Wars," he directed the much more intimate slice of life, coming-of-age dramedy called "American Graffiti." This film encapsulates American small town life in 1962. It was a time when the teens of the era spent their summer nights cruising the main drive in their American-made V-8s, hanging out at the local drive-in burger joint. Despite the studio being unsure of Lucas and the film, a pattern in his life, "American Graffiti" was able to turn its modest $777,777 budget into a whopping $115 million dollar domestic box office gross, a huge amount of money for the time and even somewhat by today's standards.

There are some great young actors in the film that would go on to do so much more, venturing into bigger and better things in their careers. These names include the likes of Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, and Harrison Ford. The story primarily focuses on four different characters: Curt, played by Richard Dreyfuss, who is uncertain about his future and going off to college. Curt spends the night in pursuit of a mysterious blonde in a Ford Thunderbird, getting himself into situations he never thought he'd wind up in. Then, there's Steve, played by Ron Howard, who seems determined to leave home for college, so much so that he wants to make his current relationship with girlfriend Laurie, played by Cindy Williams, a non-exclusive one, even though they had been going together for quite some time. He loans his car to another character of the film's focus Terry, played by Charles Martin Smith. Terry is the typical awkward nerdy type who doesn't own a car and isn't great with the ladies. After Terry is handed the keys to Steven's car, he immediately goes out cruising for "chicks." He convinces a girl named Debbie, played by Candy Clark, to spend the evening with him and he spends the entire time awkwardly trying to show her how cool he can be. The final character focus is on John, played by Paul Le Met, who drives the fastest car in town. John gets tricked by a group of girls and gets stuck driving around with a junior high aged girl all night, to his dismay. All the while, he is being pursued by an out of towner named Bob Falfa, played by Harrison Ford, who wants to test his '55 Ford against John's hot rod. Paul Le Met won a Golden Globe for most promising newcomer for his portrayal of John, but ironically, had one of the least notable careers of all the film's principle actors. Beside these characters, the other stars of the film are the beautiful cars and an amazing soundtrack consisting of about 45 now-classic songs that run continually through the film. Once one song ends, another begins, and there is never a stretch of time where music is not playing.

This simple slice of life story garnered four Golden Globe nominations and two wins, including the aforementioned Globe for Paul Le Met, and the Golden Globe for best Comedy or Musical. It was also nominated for five academy awards, including best picture, best director, and best original screenplay. Though it doesn't have a gripping plot or story, it does do a very good job of displaying what life used to be like for teenagers in the restless summer before college, before "life" begins. We have come a long way since this film, and if you are ever feeling nostalgic for a simpler time, "American Graffiti" is worth a look.

My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "Piranha"

Movie Review: "Summer of Sam" (1999)

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Movie: "Summer of Sam"
Director: Spike Lee
Year: 1999
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 22 minutes

It's the summer of 1977 in New York City. The Son of Sam has been committing random murders, driving fear into the citizens of the city. Just because there is a killer on the loose, life can't just stop as many people deal with relationships and friendships while they go about their everyday lives. As the summer moves on and the Son of Sam is still on the loose, fear grows, accusations fly, and vigilante groups start taking the law into their own hands, putting more innocent people in danger. 

"Summer of Sam" is a fictional story built around the true events of the Son of Sam murders perpetrated by David Berkowitz. Though it most certainly plays a part in the film, instead of focusing directly on the killer himself and the murders he committed, the movie focuses on the lives of a few people in the community. The main focus is on a hairdresser named Vinny, played by John Leguizamo, and his wife Dionna, played by Mira Sorvino. Vinny is extremely unfaithful and cheats on his wife constantly. He also has some weird ideas about sex, especially when it comes to marriage. Another big part of the film involves Vinny's childhood friend Ritchie, played by Adrien Brody, who left town looking like an Italian guido and came back sporting the British punk rock look, complete with spiked hair and even a fake English accent for a brief time. He doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of Vinny's macho, heavily New York friends, and they certainly let him know it. As the heat rises and the Son of Sam continues his killing spree, tensions rise and paranoia spreads across the community. Joey T, played by Michael Rispoki, who is the makeshift leader of Vinny's little group of neighborhood pals, starts to rile up his crew into becoming vigilantes. They create a list of people from around town who they think could be the Son of Sam, usually fueled by their own personal beefs and prejudices with each person on the list. Topping that list is Ritchie, who because of his unconventional look and lifestyle, has been singled out for ridicule and beatings.

Spike Lee does a rather great job of showing how fear drives people to desperation, especially in smaller suburban communities of bigger cities. He shows how easy it is to manipulate the fearful and how simple it can be to convince people of lies when hysteria takes over. Adding the summer heat, infidelity, scandal, and intrigue to the mix only serves to add frustrations and anger, in addition to, you know, the serial killer on the loose. He executes this by intertwining his political message, one involving racial issues, gay rights issues, religious issues and relationship issues, with a series of excellent camera shots and interesting visual effects. Unfortunately, the movie does feel quite long. There's no reason for it to be 2 hours and 22 minutes, but like most of Spike Lee's movies, he overstuffs it with his own agenda. Sure, it gets messy from time to time, but most of it isn't terrible, and in fact, some if it is really great.

My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 50%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "Stand By Me"

Movie Review: "What About Bob?" (1991)

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Movie: "What About Bob?"
Director: Frank Oz
Year: 1991
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes

Bob Wiley (Bill Murray) has some problems and was just referred to Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss) by his former psychiatrist, who is entering retirement early. Bob thinks Leo can help him, but Leo is about to take a month long summer vacation to Lake Winnipesaukee. Bob, scared to spend the month without his new psychiatrist, tracks Leo down at his vacation home. All Dr. Marvin wants to do is relax with his family, but Bob showing up puts a damper on his plans, especially when the rest of Leo's family really takes to Bob and starts inviting him places. From then on, Bob is a constant presence on Leo's vacation, quickly driving him insane.

"What About Bob?" is an uproarious early 90's summer vacation comedy where a well-renowned psychiatrist named Dr. Marvin gets more than he can handle with his newest patient Bob Wiley, played by the ever funny and brilliant Bill Murray. The film opens with Bob waking up in his one room studio apartment with a humidifier blowing as he repeats his mantra: "I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful," not because he does, but because he needs to convince himself that he does. He works out of his apartment and his only companion is a goldfish named Gil. Bob has a lot of phobias and won't leave his apartment unless it is absolutely necessary. Usually when he leaves his apartment, it's to visit his psychiatrist. Bob's previous psychiatrist recommended Bob see Dr. Marvin, played very well by Richard Dreyfuss.

Their first meeting seems rather inconsequential, setting up the characters and their attitudes. Bob quickly creates a bond to Dr. Leo Marvin and a necessity for him, even if Marvin doesn't know it yet. Instead of actually helping him with a few intimate tips on surviving a month without a psychiatrist, Leo almost brushes Bob off, merely handing him one of his self-help books and telling Bob to read it and work on himself while he goes on vacation. After all, Leo doesn't want to spoil his vacation, now does he? As soon Leo leaves, Bob finds that he can no longer function. He works out some very elaborate, very bizarre and very crazy lies to find out where Leo is vacationing. Once he finds out this information and makes his way there, though the journey is difficult for someone with so many phobias, this is when the real fun begins. From the moment Bob enters Leo's vacation, it becomes a constant battle between the two of them. Leo tries to hint at Bob to get him to leave, but Bob is too oblivious to the situations and never gets the hint. Every time Leo is rude or yells at Bob, Bob thinks it's some new form of radical therapy and goes along with it. Leo's family doesn't exactly help out as they welcome Bob with open arms and think he is a great person. Bob being with Leo and his family constantly helps him out tremendously as he makes strides and starts to conquer his fears. Meanwhile, in a hilarious reversal, Leo slips slower and slower, deeper and deeper into madness with many laughs along the way.

This all works because the foundation of the story is solid and the direction is excellent, but it wouldn't be as excellent as it is without its actors. Bill Murray is so charming and funny as Bob. He is such a tremendous mix of crazy and crazy humorous, and he was the perfect choice for a character like this. He and Richard Dreyfuss play so brilliantly off of each other. Dreyfuss is also great here, and though he often had to be the proverbial party-pooper, he does it so convincingly. We can't help but laugh whenever he breaks into a fit of rage. Overall, we love watching this movie and it's the perfect fit for our SUN-day summer movie series!

My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
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One year ago, we were watching: "National Lampoon's Vacation"

Movie Review: "Summer School" (1987)

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Movie: "Summer School"
Director: Carl Reiner
Year: 1987
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes

When the remedial English teacher wins $50,000 on a lottery scratcher, he backs out of teaching summer school. As a last minute replacement, the gym teacher Freddy Shoop (Mark Harmon), who was planning on going to Hawaii for summer vacation, is forced to teach the class. Shoop, not ever teaching anything other than gym, isn't sure how to handle his rambunctious students. His first few days are little more than fun and filled with field trips, but when Vice Principal Gills (Robin Thomas Grossman) gives Shoop an ultimatum, he is forced to buckle down and teach. He must also get his students to pass the English efficiency exam, or he will lose his job. 

Summer is known as a time of fun, a relaxation period for the school-aged youth of America, if you will. Unfortunately, some youngins don't pay attention during the year, goofing off during class to the point where they are forced to spend their summers retaking their failed courses. This is the case for the students in the film "Summer School," though their reasons for attending are because of a wide range of circumstances. Mark Harmon plays gym teacher Freddy Shoop, who is a laid back, California surfer type of dude. He's a bro who only knows about gym and would rather be friends with his students than a teacher to them. His plans to spend a summer in Hawaii are ruined when he is made to teach remedial English over the summer break, forced to oblige when threatened to not have his tenure granted by vice principal Gills. The only people who want to be in class less than Shoop are his students, which are a very eclectic mix of kids. His class is filled with miscreants of the worst level: there's a football player who has to retake English or be kicked off the team; a surfer girl with a major crush on Shoop; a pregnant teenager who is going to give birth any second; a young girl who has dyslexia but doesn't know it; and a pair of alcoholic, horror-loving clowns who seem to share a brain named Dave and Chainsaw, played by Gary Riley and Dean Cameron. In an effort to get something done for a change, Shoop makes a deal with his students: he will grant them each one wish in exchange for their cooperation during the summer, in the hopes that they will pass his class and he can get his tenure and stay hired on as a gym teacher.

This is one of those really fun comedies that just feels so very 80's, even more so when revisiting it in 2015.  In many ways, it is very formulaic, right down to the studying musical montage right smack dab in the middle of the movie, but this formulaic plot doesn't make it any less of a good time. There are a lot of laughs and chuckles offered up throughout the film, often from the aforementioned horror-loving class clowns Dave and Chainsaw. They give the movie a lot of its more silly and obnoxious, humorous moments, but then, there are some very snarky and smart replies from Mark Harmon, who is quick on his toes with these responses. There is also some good quippy humor from many of the other characters and a few awkward situations where you can't help but laugh. It is also one of those underdog stories that we can all root for since we know what it's like to be students and struggle with out studies. The students are thought to be hopeless and Shoop doesn't fully know what he's doing, but we want to know if they can rise above what's expected. With some truly fun, great and memorable moments, along with some quotable lines, it may be cheesy, but this is sure a wonderful summer movie. Kick back, pull up a pillow, and relax with this comedy!!

My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 61%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "Night Moves" and "Dazed and Confused"

Movie Review: "Wet Hot American Summer" (2001)

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Movie: "Wet Hot American Summer"
Director: David Wain
Year: 2001
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes

It's summer, 1981, and the last day for the campers and counselors at Camp Firewood. With it being their last day together, the counselors take the opportunity to have as much fun and create as much mischief as possible.

BigJ and I both remember watching this movie in the past and not liking it a whole heck of a lot. This film is a spoof of any of the numerous summertime camp comedies like "Meatballs" and hosts of others of that style. Usually, spoofs take a much more serious genre like action, drama, or romance and make a sillier version of it, but "Wet Hot American Summer" takes comedies that are already silly and just makes this that much sillier. And trust us when we say, it's goofy as hell. It still does what others spoofs do in pointing out absurdities and clichés within the particular genre. There are some parts of the film that BigJ thought took some of the jokes a little too far beyond the point of being funny into borderline annoying territory. To him, some of it was funny, while other points offered little more than a chuckle. Some were just flat out eye rolling to him. Me, on the other hand? I laughed out loud on numerous occasions, way too much for my own good, at the absurdities taking place on screen. In the same way this movie spoofs zany clichés of comedy films, "A Deadly Adoption" did the same just recently with Lifetime made-for-TV dramas. I feel like this movie is under-appreciated, and the amount of times I legitimately laughed is enough to prove me right, at least in my eyes. You really need to be in the right mood to watch it, though.

It's weird to see such a strong currently relevant cast of character here, before they made it big time in Hollywood. To see the likes of Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler and Elizabeth Banks pop up here was hilarious, and also cool to see how far they have come and where they started. Other actors in this film include Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Christopher Meloni, Ken Marino, Molly Shannon, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Marguerite Mareau, all of whom have gone on to do bigger, better things, some within comedy, and some outside of it. All of these people play principle characters in this film and interact with one another well and hilariously most of the time. When this movie was initially released, though, it opened to mediocre reviews and pretty much flopped at the box office. Since then, the film has developed a huge cult following, enough so that Netflix is just about to launch a streaming TV series based on it. Who's laughing now? Overall, it takes a certain kind of crazy person to enjoy this movie, at least as much as I did, and I have a feeling I will be co-opting some of the lines in this comedy and incorporating them into my vernacular.

**By the way, starting this week, each Sunday we will be bringing you year 2 of our SUN-day Summer Movie Review, so be on the lookout for those each coming week!!**

My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 37%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "Million Dollar Arm" and "The Sandlot"

Movie Review: "The Great Outdoors" (1988)

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Movie: "The Great Outdoors"
Director: Howard Deutch
Year: 1988
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes

Chet Ripley (John Candy) simply wants to give his wife Connie (Stephanie Faracy) and their two boys, Ben (Ian Giatti) and Buck (Chris Young), a nice vacation at the same lake he used to go to with his father. When Connie's sister Kate (Annette Bening) and her husband Roman (Dan Aykroyd) arrive uninvited with their twin daughters, it throws a wrench in Chet's plans. Roman is a Chicago stock broker and looks down on Chet's simple life, scoffing at the thought of grilling hot dogs and renting pontoon boats, and instead, insisting on lobster tail and high speed jet boats. Roman interjects himself in every facet of Chet's family vacation, criticizing him the whole way. 

Well, folks, we hope you enjoys our little summer series this year! If you did, please let us know, and if you have any other ideas for themed months, let us know that, too! For the month of September, we'll be going "back to school," so stay tuned!

This is one of John Candy's more memorable roles and he does an excellent job opposite the very funny Dan Aykroyd. Their 'odd couple' type of dynamic works, with Candy playing his usual "every-man" roll in Chet to Aykroyd's upper-crust, snobby Roman. They bring a lot of funny moments to the table, a lot of chuckles throughout, and a few heartier laugh-out-loud moments sprinkled in the movie as well. Some of the funniest scenes in the film come when Chet and Roman are left to go toe-to-toe with the local wildlife, bats, bears, you know, the usual forest fare. Beyond the main two actors, Annette Bening seems to play a snobby wife really well, knowing little about what's really going on with her husband and his dealings beyond what he tells her. Her obliviousness makes her character funny. Both of the actors who play the sons are basically interchangeable, but the two girls who play the creepy, menacing ginger twins serve a purpose and do a great job exuding an awkward, ever-watching "The Shining" twins type of feel, though they have almost zero dialogue.

There are elements of the script that drag the story down, unfortunately. One element in particular is the romantic sub-plot between Chris Young's Buck and a local girl named Cammie, played by Lucy Deakins. This silly, week-long summer teen romance is superfluous and completely unnecessary to the rest of the story.  In fact, their entire sub-plot could have been completely cut from the film and it probably would have been an improvement overall. The primary plot and this sub-plot never intersect. In addition, Cammie is never even mentioned in the main story line! It seems that this relationship only exists in order to give the film a full 90 minute run time. It runs its course early in the film, leaving a ton of wasted minutes that could have been used with more Candy and Aykroyd hysterics.

Overall, this is a decent family comedy with a ton of heart. Many families can relate to wanting the perfect vacation, just like in last week's movie, so when things goes awry, it can really pull a family apart. "The Great Outdoors" is a good mix of competition, family-friendly fun (minus a few bad words here and there), comedy, and nature written by wonderful John Hughes.

My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 40%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "Admission"

Movie Review: "Summer Rental" (1985)

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Movie: "Summer Rental"
Director: Carl Reiner
Year: 1985
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes

Jack Chester (John Candy) is an air traffic controller in Atlanta that's getting a little burned out at work. After a small incident involving a fly, his work is forcing him to take a mandatory vacation. He packs up the family and takes them down to Citrus Cove, Florida for the summer. While they are there, Jack has a run-in with one of the locals, Al Pellet (Richard Crenna), who is the Florida Sailing Regatta champion 7 years running. As luck would have it, Pellet turns out to be Jack's new landlord and demands they cut their vacation short and get out of his newly acquired house. In an effort to save his family's vacation, Jack makes a bet with Pellet over the upcoming yacht race. If Jack can take Al's championship cup, he can finish his vacation rent-free, and if he loses, he leaves and Al still keeps the rent. Jack enlists the help of his new friend Scully (Rip Torn), who loans Jack his boat/fish restaurant the Barnacle for the race. 

This film is a very lighthearted, sweet comedy that is good for chuckles, but not belly-laughs. For being PG, it still has its moments of risque-ness. Ahhhh, the 1980's! It has a similar plot to plenty of other 80's comedies, which seems to represent the formula of the comedies for that decade: a bumbling but likable underdog confronts a usually snotty and wealthy upper-crust jerk who is the best at something. In an effort to make the situation right, it is always settled with a competition in the thing the jerk is good at, leaving said jerk to usually bite the dust. This situation always leaves the films predictable and formulaic, with no real surprises when all is said and done. See: "One Crazy Summer," "Revenge of the Nerds," "Better Off Dead," and countless other films. That being said, none of these other movies have John Candy, and he carries the entire film on his shoulders. It banks on his charm and comedic chops for laughs. It still isn't his best or most memorable film, though he does give a great performance. Candy is very relateable as a person, he reminds us of an every-man type of guy. It's always sad to think that he is no longer with us. Rip Torn plays Scully, a nationally non-descript pirate character, who seems to be performing a role at his restaurant from which he never stops. It's strange to make him be this way, but it also adds some much needed zaniness to the movie.

Overall, it won't make you think too much and is short enough if you're trying to kill some time and have a few laughs. It's a film that the entire family will most likely enjoy because, really, who can't relate to being burned out from work or school and needing to take a vacation?

My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 15%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "Kick-Ass"

Movie Review: "The Seven Year Itch" (1955)

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Movie: "The Seven Year Itch"
Director: Billy Wilder
Year: 1955
Rating: G
Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Every summer, the men of Manhattan send their wives and kids on vacation while they stay home and "work." Most men take this opportunity to do everything they aren't allowed to when their wives and kids are around, like drink, smoke, and spend time with younger women but not Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell). Richard is determined to follow his wife Helen's (Evelyn Keyes) instructions and refrain from these activities. Unfortunately for him, a young woman (Marilyn Monroe) is renting the upstairs apartment for the summer, making his task that much more difficult. It also doesn't help that Richard has an overactive imagination that often gets the better of him. 

It's always interesting to watch old-school movies through a modern-age lens. At the time this movie was made, we're sure it was commonplace for a husband to send his wife away for the summer while he stays at home and drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimeny, and gallivants with the tartlet from upstairs. Nowadays, this movie seems much more sexist, violent towards women, slightly racist, and absolutely favors these ideals of the 1950's. The women who portray the wives of this film are seen as more matronly, leaving behind a giant list of rules like a mother would do, and the younger women flagrantly flaunt their bodies and seem to have no problem throwing themselves at married men. Every single man in the movie wants to cheat on his wife as soon as she is out the door, ready to hook up with whatever young hottie he comes across first with no regard to his wife or kids.

There is some humor in the movie, particularly Richard Sherman's over-imaginative fantasies. Some people might think his incessant babbling to himself isn't funny at all, but the way he goes from zero to something with the drop of a hat provides for a lot of hilarious scenes and scenarios, though they are not all a hit. Let's be honest, Marilyn Monroe was not that great of an actress, but damn if she wasn't a sex symbol. She plays the same overly-ditzy blonde in a tight dress with a squeaky, childlike voice and men seem to eat it up every single time. This movie features Monroe's most notable and iconic scene where her dress gets blown up by the subway. Perhaps one of the reasons this movie is still around is due to this scene alone, but if you didn't grow up watching it and saw it today for the first time, you might think twice about how wonderful it is and may question why it has survived this long at all. One scene in particular that is disturbing to us is when Richard is having one of his fantasies and he slaps a nurse that is fawning over him. She says something to the effect of, "hit me again, I'll just keep crawling back to you!" WHAT????? We had the same jaw to the floor reaction that we did when we saw Mickey Rooney show up on screen for the first time in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," just in a sexist manner, not a racist one. We like to think we're pretty even-handed when it comes to accepting all matters in cinema, even if we are uncomfortable with a subject matter, but this is just too much, too desperate, and too untrue.

It's funny that the parts of this film that were considered to be "the norm" are now considered passe and offensive in 2014, while the parts of the movie that were seen as odd or made fun of (IE: eating at a restaurant that serves exclusively healthy foods and soy products) are now commonplace and customary in a world filled with health-nuts and the diet conscious. While we don't particularly identify with this movie, it's funny in an ironic sort of way, and we can't believe some of the thing that were deemed normal in the 1950's. This isn't a bad movie and has its moments of humor, but it's really nothing special and Marilyn Monroe plays the same character as always with an interchangeable male lead.

My Rating: 6/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 86%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "Blackfish"