Dumb and Dumber 2 Review

Finally got to see Dumb and Dumber 2

SPOILER FREE

One thing that people must understand before going into this movie is this: If you're not a true fan of the original film and understand the type of humor that this film is throwing at it's target audience, then you will not appreciate this one. There is no middle ground here, you either appreciate the film for what it is or will be left clueless with it. As a whole, the film is nothing to rave about but it isn't as terrible as the critics make it out to be with just a 25 percent on rottentomatoes. Its certainly better than the godawful prequel that came out in 2003, which everyone has seemed to have forgotten about. Even though this film is better than that one, that really isn't saying much as neither touches the first film in terms of quality. Now for the verdict on whether Dumb and Dumber 2 was worth the twenty year wait.

Dumb and Dumber 2 partially succeeds due to the chemistry between the two main leads Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, both who've clearly aged since the events of the first film but comfortably fit right back into the roles that made them iconic figures in the genre of comedy. The plot for Dumb and Dumber 2 has the two leads teaming up twenty years since their first adventure. The characters of Lloyd and Harry have gone on a road trip to find Harry's newly discovered daughter, who ended up being given away at adoption. The plot seems like a logical one given the sentimental aspect of it, but it's execution isn't up to standard with the performances of the two leads. The films greatest flaw is it's script which clearly needed more revisions to really make this second outing more enjoyable than what it turned out to be ultimately. Jim Carrey reportedly turned down the offer to reprise his role numerous times over the last twenty years with his reasoning having to due with the script. Looking at the one for this movie, I can't say I blame him. A sequel to a film like Dumb and Dumber or any other comedy sequel needs to have a script that allows the same joke to be told twice with just as much of a comedic punch as the previous film. Anything short of that response then the comedian has failed, which in this case is the filmmakers of this movie somewhat. One feels an underwhelming feeling while watching this film that more could've done much more with these characters if the storyline was more fleshed out. Personally, I would've liked to see Jim Carrey meet with Mary Swanson again played by Lauren Holly in the first film, in a cameo for the sequel. The problem that this film seems to be having in regards to registering with audiences is the humor possibly being outdated after twenty years. Only real die hard fans of the first movie or Jim Carrey fans from that era are going to appreciate the Farrelly brothers brand of humor that the first film introduced. It doesn't quite work on the same level in this one but that's not to say the film isn't without its funny moments.

In conclusion, Dumb and Dumber 2 is worth watching primarily for the chemistry of the two lead stars but everything outside of that crumbles with the poor script the actors are stuck with. This is one sequel that shouldn't have taken twenty years to make and if Jim Carrey was really abdament about not returning until the script was on par with the first film, then one feels he should've continued to wait. It is not a bad film per say but it feels disappointing that the wait for this was so long and what we ended up getting was a barely passable piece of entertainment. This movie doesn't warrent a full thumbs up but doesn't deserve a complete thumbs down either. It lands somewhere in the middle, and perhaps if they ever intend to do a third one, they will work much harder on trying to find a stronger script that allows Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels to really sink their teeth into.

                                                                                                                                                 6/10

Overcoming Loss and Personal Grief And Turning It Into Strength And Will.

Tonight's marathon is about experiencing loss and personal grief but transforming that grief into something more than just guilt. We follow four main story arcs involving some of the screen's most iconic heroes and witness the events that bring them large amounts of grief, watch them cope with guilt, and then ultimately transforming that guilt into something much more. Whether that grief turns into the will to survive, the will to stand up for what you believe in and fight crime, or the will to save humanity from an alien invasion, it does nothing but make the characters were following in the film much stronger than when we first see them. We have on our menu for this evening:

                    Cliffhanger 1993, Batman Begins 2005, Gravity 2013, and Aliens 1986

This is probably the most appealing way to get the message of overcoming loss and personal grief across, with the only film truly missing is The Lion King. But as Gandalf the Grey would say in Fellowship Of The Ring, "All you need is to figure out what to do with the time that is given to you." That time only allows for four films tonight, so critical decisions had to be made on which films were the most effective. There is probably no better way to begin this marathon theme than with the opening scene of Cliffhanger. In this film, Sylvester Stallone plays Gabe Walker, a mountain climber with a troubled past full of grief. During an attempt to rescue his best friend and his girlfriend, a tragic accident occurs where the girls line becomes loose and leaves her dangling over a cliff for dear life. Gabe does the best he could to save her but ultimately loses her grip when the glove she's wearing slips off. Gabe places guilt on himself for not doing enough to save her, and has to live with the notion that his best friend blames him for her death and Gabe's love Jessie tries to convince him that it wasn't his fault. The trios differences are put aside when a plane transporting three cases of 100 million dollars is intercepted by another plane full of terrorists. Their attempts to slide the money from one plane to another fails when the rope attached to the two planes breaks, forcing their own jet to crash into the snow. Making a phony distress call for help, Stallone and his buddy Hal played by Michael Rooker climb the mountain to rescue them, only to find out what the groups sinister plans are. Gabe Walker is a classic case of a hero who undergoes huge levels of loss and grief, but ends up shedding that grief through his heroic actions in the film when trying to save his best friend and the love of his life. This is one of Stallone's biggest and most iconic films as it led to a career reboot in 1993 following the trainwreck that was Rocky V.

The second film of the lineup is Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed reboot Batman Begins. The second major character who experiences transformation from grief victim to hero is Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale. In Batman Begins, Nolan chooses to go back and show Batman's early roots, explaining how he got to where we see him in The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne is shown as a young boy who loves his family and has a special relationship with his father. One night while coming out of a theater performance, Wayne witnesses the brutal murder of his parents at the hands of a street criminal, which forever changes his life and fills him with guilt. Bruce thinks he is responsible for his parents death and wants vengeance for what happened. Seeking training from The League Of Shadows, Bruce Wayne turns his grief into a fight towards injustice, while facing his worst fear and using it on his worst enemies. In this case, his worst fear appears to be his fear of Bats. He uses this fear as his alter ego and becomes immersed in his crime fighting stature, who later becomes known as The Dark Knight. Of all three films in The Dark Knight trilogy, Batman Begins is the one film that deals with the issue of experiencing tragedy and the character of Bruce Wayne being reborn through his grief as Batman. By the end of the film, he understands that his parents death was not his fault, and will continue to fight crime to ensure that never happens to anyone else again.

 The third film in the marathon is Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity. The character of Ryan Stone played by Sandra Bullock is a medical engineer, who possesses personal grief in her life prior to the space mission with the tragic loss of her four year old daughter. During their mission, George Clooney's character Matt gets her to realize that what happened to her daughter is in the past, and that she needs to find the will and the strength to overcome her grief and fight for survival. Their mission takes a dramatic turn for the worst after their shuttle is destroyed by debris from a satellite, leaving them adrift in space. Gravity is much more than just an IMAX 3D space experience, it is a great story arc about a woman fighting for survival and overcoming adversity. By the end of the film, she manages to find that will to survive and move forward with far greater strength than she began with at the beginning of the movie.

This is a perfect bridge into the finale of the marathon with James Cameron's Aliens. Aliens places the timeline 57 years after the events of Alien, in which Ellen Ripley awakes upon rescue to discover that everything she ever loved or cared for on Earth is gone. Her daughter on Earth died of old age, her crew on the previous mission has been wiped out by the Xenomorph, who she still lives in fear. No one really believes her story and leaves her having nightmares that someday the alien will make it's way to Earth and wipe everyone out. Ripley's worst fears are put to the test when she is asked to lead a mission with a group of marines back to the planet where the eggs were found to rescue a group of colonists that have fallen captive to the newly discovered creatures. Ripley's transformation in Aliens is the most significant of all four character arcs because she not only has to face her worst fear head on, but gets a second chance of being a mother when she comes across a little girl named Newt, whose parents fell victim to the Xenomorph. Newt is a central figure in Ripley's life because she not only gives Ripley back her humanity, but encourages her to fight for not only their safety, but to wipe out the alien species.

It can almost be said that tonight's marathon represents a rebirth for every main character because they all experience such dramatic transformations during the course of their story arcs, making them almost entirely different people by the end of each film.

Going On An Adventure Night Part l

Tonight's marathon is the beginning of a three week story arc of going on an adventure. Each week the adventures get bigger and bolder starting with this one. This weeks adventures begin with some of the most iconic adventure/fantasy films from the 1980's. The 80's were a great time for filmmaking in terms of music because the instruments they used make the sheer power of the music stand out to this day. We have on our menu for this evening:

       The Neverending Story 1984, Legend 1985, The Princess Bride 1987, and Labyrinth 1986

There's a saying that goes "From the smallest beginnings come the greatest legends."That's exactly what this lineup represents, and also is a strong beginning for what's to come in the weeks ahead. The 80's handled the fantasy theme in a darker mystifying tone compared to the hardcore realism that today's adventure films represent. The first film of the evening is The Neverending Story. In this film, a troubled boy dives into a fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book. The birth of the theme of a person going into another world in a fantasy fashion begins right here. This film is followed by Ridley Scott's post Blade Runner epic titled Legend. In this film, Tom Cruise plays a young teenager who must stop the lord of darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves. This movie connects perfectly with The Princess Bride, which deals with a grandfather reading a book to his ill grandson. The character of Falk assures his weary romantic grandson that the book has more to deliver than just a love story. He mentions fencing, fighting, torture, death, true love, giants, and pirates. Cary Elwes gives an iconic performance that serves as a wonderful prelude to his role in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. The final film of the evening brings the first adventure night to a stunning conclusion with Jim Hensen's 1986 fantasy epic Labyrinth. One of the most iconic films of the 1980's and a star vehicle for David Bowie, Labyrinth tells the story of a young girl played by Jennifer Connolly, entering the world of her own creation to save her baby brother whose been taken by the evil king played by David Bowie. While entering the world of her first creation, she experiences her beginning awareness to love, duty, and danger.  All of these films combined together show off how stylish and creative fantasy films were made in the 1980's. The visuals played secondary to the compelling stories that made audiences engulfed in thee worlds. It's a strong beginning to what promises to be an amazing month of adventure marathons.

Fighting Against Discrimination Part lll-The Birth Of The Civil Rights Movement Past And Present Day

The third and final part of this epic timeline marathon deals with the emergence of the fight for civil rights in the years post World War ll. This piece of the timeline is significant because it introduces several key players such as Ceasar Chavez, Malcom X, Professor X and Magneto. The fight for civil rights for Hispanics, African Americans, Gays and Lesbians, and Mutants is shown here. Topics such as fighting for equality, concealing your gender from others, overcoming corruption, and whether violence or nonviolence should be used is covered in this final part of the marathon. We have on our menu for this evening:

             Ceasar Chavez 2014, Malcom X 1992, Boys Don't Cry 1999, A Better Life 2011, and XMEN 2000

The first film of the new story arc is Ceasar Chavez, starring Michael Pena and John Malkovich. The film is a biography on the civil rights activist and labor organizer who uses the same nonviolent
protest strategy initiated by Gandhi to secure a living wage for farm workers. Torn between his duties as a family man and his commitment to helping his people, he uses non-violence as a form of battling greed and prejudice in his struggle to bring dignity to his people. The story of Ceasar Chavez has inspired millions of Americans from different ethnic backgrounds to fight for social justice outside of the farms. His story, along with Gandhi's, is living proof that the actions of one man can change the world.

The next film in the lineup is Spike Lee's Malcom X, a biography of the slain black nationalist leader, who began his career as a small-time gangster, who rose to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam. Denzel Washington plays Malcom X in a stunning performance that captures the essence and spirit of this controversial individual.

The first two films present the fight for civil rights in both the Hispanic and African American communities. The third film in this part of the timeline is Boys Don't Cry, Hilary Swank's Oscar winning performance about a Nebraskan female born girl named Teena Brandon, who adopts a male identity of Brandon Teena in an attempt to find himself and love. Reverting back to Europa Europa, this film also reintroduces the theme of hiding ones identity from others in fear of being discriminated against.

The next film tackles the current issue of immigration with a father trying to keep his son away from gangs and immigration agents while attempting to give him the opportunities he never had. Demian Bichir received a well deserved Oscar nomination for the film as the gardener father.

The final film of the entire timeline of discrimination is racism in the future. Bryan Singer's XMEN, deals with two mutants named Wolverine and Rogue who come to a private academy for teaching mutants to balance out their powers. While doing so, they must join together with the other residents to form a team called the XMEN to oppose a radical terrorist group of mutants that's hellbent on mutant dominance. The two key figures in this film are the leaders of the mutant people named Professor X and Magneto. Professor X embodies the traits of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Ceasar Chavez in the belief that violence is never the answer and minorities (or mutants), can coexist with the rest of humanity. Magneto follows the belief of Malcom X in which society can never fully accept minorities and mutant/minority rights should be fought for with any means necessary. The mutant registration act by Senator Kelly is a mirage of the communist witchhunt that was touched upon in Good Night Good Luck. The character of Rogue played by Anna Paquin, has the issue of hiding her true identity from people in the same vein as the Jewish boy in Europa Europa and Hilary Swanks character in Boys Don't Cry. What the film XMEN does in bringing our epic timeline to a stunning conclusion is that it ties everything that was previously shown together. Magneto even goes as far as lifting a direct quote from Malcom X in the final scene of the film. "There is a war coming and I intend to fight it by any means necessary." To which Professor X replies "And I will always be there, old friend."

Fighting Against Discrimination Marathon Part ll-Pre and Post World War ll era

The fight against discrimination continues with the second part of the epic timeline covering forms of discrimination from the era of slavery leading up to present day. Where the first part ended with the passing of the emancipation proclamation in Lincoln, the second part of the timeline picks up in the late 1800's with the rise of Mahatma Gandhi, the Jewish and Japanese discrimination during world war ll, and ending with the battle against communism in the early 1950's. For the second part of this epic timeline showcasing the different forms of prejudice in society, we have the following films:

  Gandhi 1982, Europa Europa 1990, Come See The Paradise 1990, and Good Night Good Luck 2005

With slavery abolished, a whole new realm of discrimination arises and spreads throughout the 20th century, beginning with Sir Richard Attenborough's 1982 classic Gandhi. The film is a biography of Indian civil rights leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, a lawyer with the philosophy of nonviolent protesting who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule . Ben Kingsley is astonishing as the iconic historical figure, giving you goosebumps from being so good at playing the part; it may be Gandhi's actual spirit that jumped back inside him during filming.

The next film tackles the issue of discrimination towards the Jewish community by the Nazi's in World War ll. The twist however, is in the film Europa Europa, a young Jewish boy is desperate to conceal his identity from the public that he becomes a Nazi to protect himself against the acts of violence that are being aimed towards the Jewish. This subplot introduces the concept of someone hiding their identity, which is a terrific foreshadowing for later films in the marathon, such as Boys Don't Cry and XMEN. Hilary Swank plays a lesbian who hides her identity from people by passing off as a male and Anna Paquin's character hides the fact that she's a mutant from society in XMEN.

The film after Europa Europa, titled Come See The Paradise, deals with the issue of discrimination towards Japanese Americans in World War ll. Starring Dennis Quaid, the film deals with an American who falls in love with the daughter of his boss at a movie theater in Little Tokyo. The father soon finds out about the relationship between the man and his daughter and forbids them from seeing each other again. They decide to escape to Seattle, but are separated by the authorities when it's decided that the Japanese be placed in internment camps like war prisoners. This film is significant because it deals with one of the shadier aspects of American history and shows one family's struggle to remain together in a society that is rather narrow minded.

The final film of this second part of the timeline is George Clooney's Good Night Good Luck. In this film, the conflict of the communist witchhunt is introduced with Senator Joseph McCarthy hunting down all supposed communists living in the United States, threatening to expose them with a list he claims to have. This becomes a personal battle for broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow played by David Strathairn in his quest to bring down Senator McCarthy. The communist hunt works well with the film XMEN, because that film deals with Senator Kelly using the same scare tactics as McCarthy towards identifying Mutants living in the United States. The parallels even goes as far as having Kelly claiming to have a list of identified mutants living in the US and finally declaring "We must know who they are and above all we must know, what they can do." Whereas the first part of the timeline dealt with the moral and legal issue of slavery, the second part deals with different forms of racism that emerged in the early portions of the 20th century.

Marathon About Fighting Against Discrimination-Then And Now. Part 1-The Slavery Era

Imagine a movie marathon that captures the discrimination and the fight for equality through every form of discrimination going as far back as the early days of slavery. Imagine this marathon occuring on a grand epic scale that includes some of the greatest anti slavery and racism films ever made. When combined, these give you a broad perspective on different ethnic groups that experienced discrimination through the past and present. This marathon has three parts, with the first covering the era of slavery, the second covering the era of discrimination before and during world war ll, and the third part being a post world war ll era that carries into the present day. The goal is to inform and show the atrocities that happened in the past to people of different cultures and what is still going on today. We have in the beginning portion of this grand marathon:

                               Amistad 1997, 12 Years A Slave 2013, and Lincoln 2012

This is a perfect trio of films that deal with the issue of slavery and the fight for justice and freedom. What all three films have in common is not only are they oscar nominated pictures, but they have stellar casts behind them, with combined talents of Morgan Freeman, Matthew Macconeghay, Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, Pete Postlethwaite, Stellen Skarsgard, Anna Paquin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Alfre Woodward, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field, James Spader, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jackie Earle Haley. These films set up the first section of the fight against discrimination timeline by presenting issues of mutiny, being wrongfully enslaved, and the legal battle to abolish slavery.

We begin the timeline with Steven Spielberg's epic drama Amistad. Nominated for four academy awards, this film covers a 1839 mutiny on a slave ship traveling towards the northeastern coast of America. When the slaves are captured, the film escalates into a court-room drama revolving around the man who led the revolt, played by Djimon Hounsou. Not only is Amistad one of Steven Spielberg's finest works as a filmmaker, but it effectively begins the timeline that leads into the 20th and 21st century.

The second film in the slavery era timeline is Steve McQueen's critical darling 12 Years A Slave. Winner of three academy awards including best picture, this film deals with a free black man named Solomon Northup, who is abducted and sold into slavery in the antebellum United States. If Amistad is the introduction into the era of slavery, then 12 Years is the Empire Strikes Back of that story arc. One of the most powerful films about slavery ever put on film, 12 Years shows it's brutality without holding back and allows you to follow the journey of one man's struggle to seek his freedom.

The final film in the story arc revolving the slavery era is Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Nominated for 12 academy awards and winner of two including Daniel Day Lewis stunning performance as the nations 16th president, Lincoln revolves around the president's struggle to continue carnage on the battlefield during the civil war, while also fighting with his cabinet on the decision to pass the emancipation proclamation.What the film represents is the end of the slavery aspect of the timeline showcasing the legal battle it took to free the slaves. Amistad began that legal battle with freeing the slaves who formulated a mutiny aboard the Amistad in an effort to return to their homeland. The issues that these movies deal with when you put them all together, are the moral battles people fought against each other on the issue of whether African American slaves should be treated equal or not. The heart of this story arc is the one involving Solomon Northup and his struggle to be freed of his enslavement.

Remakes That Dont Suck Night

 

 

 

 

Tonight's marathon is about defying the odds about remakes. The general consensus on them is they just quite simply aren't good nor can recapture the magic of the original films. While that may be true most of the time, that doesn't apply to all of them. There are some remakes that have beaten the odds and managed to be pretty solid films, showing that anything's possible. Some of those great remakes are in tonight's lineup. We have on our menu for this evening:

             True Grit 2010, The Great Gatsby 2013,The Departed 2006, and Cape Fear 1991

This marathon is living proof that remakes can be more than just good movies, but GREAT ones. An excellent remake can be done if the right people get behind it such as good writers, directors, and actors who can take the original characters and run off with them to make their own interpretations. A good remake is one that does not hide in the shadow of the original film but stands beside it and makes its own stamp in movie history. A moviegoer should be able to choose between the original or the remake to watch as a form of tough decision rather than just automatically picking the originals. If the logic that only the originals are good movies are true, then none of these movies would be considered high quality films.

The first movie to break the trend of remakes being terrible movies is the Coen Brothers' True Grit. The original film came out in 1969 starring John Wayne in contrast to this one starring Jeff Bridges. The storyline is about a tough U.S Marshal played by Bridges who ends up helping a stubborn young girl track down the man who killed her father. The plot is the same as the original film but the eras in which they were made changed. The remake gets a royal treatment and lives up to the quality of the original while also surprising audiences.

The next remake that follows this treatment is The Great Gatsby, not only a piece of English literature but also remakes the mediocre 1974 first attempt starring Robert Redford. The 2013 version stars Leonardo Dicaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan, with the plot centering around a Midwestern war veteran who finds himself drawn to the past and the lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor. Where the original Gatsby film failed in it's attempt to bring such a flashy and complex world to the big screen, Dicaprio's version successfully projects this on film. This version feels more grand, epic, and ultimately tragic for those who knows how the story ends. The film even managed to garner academy award nominations for costume and art-set decoration. Along with the praise of the technological aspect of the film, the acting by the three leads is strong and makes the characters believable.

The third film of this marathon is The Departed, the 2006 American remake of Hong Kong's Infernal Affairs. The plot is the same involving an undercover state cop who infiltrates an Irish gang and a mole in the police force who works for the same mob race to track down and identify each other before their exposure to the enemy, after both sides realizing they have a rat. The Hong Kong version of The Departed is a great film but the American one boasts a remarkable ensemble cast of Jack Nicholson, Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Anthony Anderson, Alec Baldwin, and Ray Winstone. This version is directed by Martin Scorsesse who's also known for his mobster crime drama epics Goodfellas and Casino. The Departed is a great film that is separated from Infernal Affairs because of it's wide American appeal with the all star cast and it's gritty feel.

The final film of the night is Martin Scorsesse's Cape Fear, a 1990's remake of the 1962 thriller starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum. Compared to that version, which was a great thriller for it's time, the remake packs an emotional punch with a stellar cast including Robert Deniro, Nick Nolte, Juliette Lewis, Jessica Lange and Jon Don Baker. Two of the films stars, Deniro and Lewis, received Oscar noms for their acting performances. The plot of Cape Fear remains the same as the original film in which a convicted rapist is released from prison after serving a 14 year sentence, and chooses to stalk his defending lawyer and his family. The twist is his lawyer threw evidence away that could've released Cady from serving his sentence, and Cady is vengeful for him doing that. Cape Fear remains one of Deniro and Scorsesse's best work in their respective careers.

What tonight's marathon proves is that not all remakes suck, but can be great films if they are handled with great care. Like what Professor X said in XMEN 2000:

"Were not what you think, not all of us."

Same applies for remakes.