DrLaser's stats
- Review count280
- Helpfulness votes157
- First reviewMarch 15, 2008
- Last reviewAugust 14, 2013
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4
Overall rating
4
/
5
We're the Millers - funny drug smuggling caper
PostedAugust 14, 2013
Here's the premise. Small time pot dealer gets mugged and doesn't have the money to pay his dealer who offers him a way out by smuggling a small amount of pot over the border. He hires people to pretend they are his family to disguise his caper, and everything that can go wrong does. Although somewhat predictable and definitely over raunchy with Jennifer Aniston as a stripper, its a light comedy with some good laughs.
The chemistry between Aniston and Sudeikis never really materializes. Its a big missed opportunity for the film. In spite of that, they do fine with the somewhat weak script.
I think the best scene is the last outtake after the credits, which is most definitely worth waiting for. All in all its an amusing summer film that will leave you with a smile.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
The To Do List - Raunchy funny nerd girl on a sexual journey
PostedAugust 6, 2013
Dialogue
5
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5
Art Direction
4
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5
Acting
4
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5
Story
4
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5
Camerawork
4
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5
First, do not bring the kids or anyone not open to sexual humor. Its raunchy, but actually quite frank and funny. This is the story of a High School valedictorian nerd on a journey of sexual discovery during the summer before college. She creates a list of the sexual things she needs to do so she can lose her virginity. The casting is spot on. Aubrey Plaza was made for this role. She brings the right blend of innocence and sexual comedy to the role. Bill Hader is perfect as her slacker boss. Christopher Mitz-Plasse in a small part is the guy who is friends with the would be boyfriend but seizes an opportunity when its handed to him. Andy Samberg plays a rock musician who affords her a chance to mark off another item on her list.
There's a great homage to the film Caddyshack at the pool that should crack you up. Actually there's a lot here to laugh at, most of it being both smart and honest. The film is very much in your face, but it deals with universal realities of teens coming of age and does it in a clever way. A big thumbs up!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
THE Wolverine - wow!
PostedJuly 30, 2013
Dialogue
4
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5
Special Effects
5
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5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
5
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5
Story
5
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5
Camerawork
5
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5
As usual stay after the ending for a shocking extra scene.
In this installment of the Wolverine story, he goes to Japan, so think of this as a samurai film with that wry sense of humor that makes Wolverine so endearing. He is haunted by dreams and has lost his will to kill. But we all know that is subject to change without notice!
Director James Mangold takes the franchise in a new direction with a different style. It works but take a bit to get used to. Once the story settled in I found myself enjoying the way he tells this story. The plot is full of the usual high dosage of twists and turns. The action is good with a few surprises. Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine seems a bit more mature with a developed personality.
I give The Wolverine a big adamantium thumbs up!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
World War Z - intense fast spreading zombie apocolypse
PostedJuly 23, 2013
Dialogue
4
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5
Special Effects
5
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5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
5
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5
Story
5
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5
Camerawork
5
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5
There are slow moving zombies and then there are fast ones. These are the sprinters of the Zombie Olympics and they are scary. And, oh yes, and there are millions of them! It sets the pace for the film. Right out of the gate the action happens quickly and never lets up. Few people last more than a scene if that.
Unlike most Living Dead type films or 28 Days Later ones, this is not so much about killing the zombies as it is about trying to find zombie number one so that the world can look for a cure. Of course that means some fool must go out into zombieland to find where it all started and that fool is Brad Pitt. He is some sort of spook worker for the UN (they never make it clear but you know he's a badass). He's a family man with a wife and two kids in tow when it all begins and is told that if he doesn't go on this suicide mission, his family is expendable.
This is not the book so don't compare it. Its well done and constantly intense. Imagine thinking you've escaped the zombies and are escaping on a jet for a while only to have them suddenly attack from out of nowhere. The battle scenes are epic and furious.
Its not your father's zombie film. Follow the bread crumbs and go see it!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
RED 2 - the next chapter in what might be many
PostedJuly 22, 2013
Dialogue
4
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5
Special Effects
4
/
5
Art Direction
4
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5
Acting
4
/
5
Story
4
/
5
Camerawork
4
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5
The usual suspects are back and crazy as ever in another round of elder mayhem and madness. The bonus players this time are Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones who ignites scenes of fun filled jealousy. Hopkins is a master of crazy and can turn on a dime on that thin line that separates madness from genius. The adventure has the team targeted by their former bosses. The squad sent to kill them are nothing but cannon fodder as you already know but the directing makes it entertaining and there is always an element of humor in everything that happens as murder is interlaced with the insecurities of romance.
The producers know that this franchise has legs and its clear that the actors are enjoying their roles and each other. It can't be long before RED 3 hits the silver screens. If you liked the first one, this one is a thumbs up as well.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
White House Down - thumbs up
PostedJuly 21, 2013
Dialogue
5
/
5
Special Effects
5
/
5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
4
/
5
Story
5
/
5
Camerawork
5
/
5
In the same vein as Die Hard 3 (the one with Samuel L. Jackson), White House Down is essentially a buddy movie of two men trying to deal with a terrorist. Jamie Foxx plays the President and Channing Tatum is a not quite good enough job applicant for the Secret Service trying to keep his rejection secret from is daughter. But then the world changes and Tatum is the only person left standing after an attack. He and Foxx elude the bad guys with cunning moves and humor. The action is nonstop and the twists seem endless.
This is a perfect light summer film that does not take it self too seriously. Director Emmerich knows his plot lines and knows that we have all seen his earlier film Independence Day and uses references to it with great success. He's walked this ground before and clearly enjoys it.
Though its light its intense and entertaining with Tatum and Fox making an unexpectedly good team. Two thumbs us!
Pros well paced
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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1of 1voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Man of Steel - faster than the 2.4 hours on screen
PostedJuly 5, 2013
Dialogue
5
/
5
Special Effects
5
/
5
Art Direction
5
/
5
Acting
5
/
5
Story
5
/
5
Camerawork
5
/
5
Man of Steel is the best Superman movie hands down. Its well written, directed, and acted with a more credible telling of the story than any of the past versions. It manages to be current and topical while staying true to the old story lines. The casting is excellent with some fine acting by Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and Russell Crowe. Although I was unsure of the choice of Henry Cavill initially, he truly embodied the character of both Clark and Kal-El.
The story itself is very different than any previous version of the Superman saga. This is the story of an alien civilization that has lost its freedom. The children are created in test tubes to fulfill a specific task like bees in a hive. Their planet is doomed and the one proponent of free choice and goodness sends his only born son to earth where as he says he will be "a god".
There are scenes where the use by the military of drones is questioned, where civil liberties are ignored, and where Superman is the victim of prejudice. But there are also powerful scenes where people change and grow. The most memorable is the boy who taunted the young Clark on a school bus. When Clark later saves him, he is forever changed. It is redemption at its best when he later assists Clark. Its all wonderfully handled with just the right blend of sentiment and story.
Don't expect another Christopher Reeve here. Expect more. Its a great film!
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Star Trek Into Darkness - great for the old fans and new
PostedMay 26, 2013
Dialogue
4
/
5
Special Effects
5
/
5
Art Direction
5
/
5
Acting
4
/
5
Story
4
/
5
Camerawork
5
/
5
Working on a blend of old stories told in a new timeline allows director Abrams to give the old fans a giddy treat as he fills the screen with amazing nonstop action that really takes advantage of 3D (see it in 3D if you can on a BIG screen because its worth it for a change).. By recycling old characters and villains in a new way, the film maintains suspense and teases you with little treats both expected and not as well with a few surprises. What makes it work is that its actually fun.
Captain Kirk is far too young and cocky for the command he has assumed, yet we all know that he is the one man in the entire Star Fleet who has that gut ability to beat the odds no matter how stacked against him they always seem. Watching the evolving relationships between the crew is at times funny and at other times emotionally powerful. Its this mix of comedy and action that gives the new Star Trek films their punch. And there's a lot of punching here, both physical and in punching to warp speed. The romantic fights between Spock and Uhura in front of Kirk are killer good.
Bottom line, I give Star Trek a big Vulcan thumbs up (whatever that might look like)! Live long and prosper!
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
3
/
5
The Great Gatsby - maybe just the good Gatsby
PostedMay 17, 2013
Its everything you would expect from Baz Luhrmann and not a lot of the feel of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Its showy. Its shallow. The party scenes are wildly over the top. The story was like a Vegas version of the Eiffel Tower. Yet, its certainly entertaining and quite visual like his earlier film Moulin Rouge. His style is that of a music video.
DiCaprio is all charm. Maguire is all innocence. Edgarton is a brute of old money.
Skip the 3D and save some money. It only matters in the party scene.
I feel that Luhrmann missed a lot of what Fitzgerald was trying to say, but maybe that doesn't matter in one of his films to his fans. DiCaprio looks good and the art directing is fantastic. In the end it felt like this retelling should have been known as the Good Gatsby. It really wasn't great, but it was certainly good enough for an evening at the movies.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Iron Man 3 - Ok, not up to the first two.
PostedMay 12, 2013
Dialogue
4
/
5
Special Effects
4
/
5
Art Direction
4
/
5
Acting
4
/
5
Story
4
/
5
Camerawork
4
/
5
Iron Man 3 suffers from the change of director and direction. Sure, its definitely worth seeing, but just don't get your expectations up for something special. There are missed opportunities and strange surprises. But it is still Iron Man and with Robert Downey, Jr. and it does have enough energy and talent to sustain the weak points. Coming after The Avengers, this feels a little bit less exciting.
To be fair, there are still plenty of one liners, and daring action, some of it good. What seems to be missing is the romantic tension, the charm, the feeling of danger. Its a bit too formulaic. All said, the directing style is just not as good as that of Jon Favreau. He really had it down. Its a pity he didn't stay on as director for this one. The 3D adds very little so save your money and see it on a normal screen.
Pros great actors
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