The Best of, Kind of, Sort of, a Little More Than, Half Year Review

 10. Ted

Directed by Seth MacFarlane

Written by Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, Wellesly Wild

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Rob Corddry, Joel Mchale, Giovanni Ribisi 

9. Dark Shadows

Directed by Tim Burton

Written by Seth Grahame-Smith

Starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Grace Moretz, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Johnny Lee Miller, Bella Hethcote, Christopher Lee, Alice Cooper

8. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov

Written by Seth Grahame-Smith

Starring Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Rufus Sewell, Alan Tudyk

7. The Five-Year Engagement

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

Written By Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller

Starring Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Jacki Weaver, Rhys Ifans, Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart, Molly Shannon, Chris Parnell, Brian Posehn

6. Brave

Directed by Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Purcell

Written by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, and Irene Mecchi

Starring Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Craig Ferguson 

5. Prometheus

Directed by Ridley Scott

Written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof

Starring Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green

4. The Amazing Spider-Man

Directed by Marc Webb

Written by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, and Steve Kloves

Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary

3. The Cabin In the Woods

Directed by Drew Goddard

Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard

Starring Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford

2. Seeking a Friend at the End of the World

Directed by Lorene Scafaria

Written by Lorene Scafaria

Starring Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Nancy Carell, TJ Miller, Rob Corddry, Adam Brody, Martin Sheen

1. The Avengers

Directed by Joss Whedon

Written by Joss Whedon

Starring Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlet Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, Tom Hiddleston, Colbie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, 

Seeking a Friend For the End of the World Review

            

           Steve Carell is one of the few comedians who can do more than just play the goofball in a movie and this year he returns to a more dramatic role in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. I’ll start this review by saying that this comedy-drama written and directed by the writer of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Lorene Scafaria, is one of the best movies I’ve seen all year.

An asteroid is heading towards Earth and there is no hope left for humanity, normally this would be a blockbuster directed by Michael Bay, but rather than tell the story of a crew of astronauts frantically trying to save us, this movie tells the story of Dodge (Steve Carell), a man who at the end of days finds himself alone. At this time Dodge inadvertently befriends a neighbor girl named Penny (Keira Knightley). Penny convinces Dodge to go after his high school sweetheart and the two go on a road trip that’ll change their lives, what little there is left, forever.

Everything you need to know about this movie’s plot is in the title, but simply put, there is much more to this film. Steve Carell’s character Dodge is the perfect example of the way most of us treat our lives, he is a man who walks through every day of his life until he finds out there isn’t much of it left. The cast is superb with appearances by Adam Brody, TJ Miller, Nancy Carell, Rob Corddry, Patton Oswalt, and Martin Sheen. Like most movies, this film all goes back to the script and this is a great one.

A solid script, great direction, and some stunning performances make this movie well worth the watch, one of the best films of the year. I give it an A.

TED Movie Review

           

            He’s the man who created TV’s Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show and now Seth MacFarlane has released his feature film debut Ted. Starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis theater goers lined up to see if Mr. MacFarlane would strike comedy gold or be forced to release more Family Guy knockoffs for the rest of his life.

            As a young boy John Bennett didn’t have a whole lot of friends, so naturally when he was given a stuffed teddy bear for Christmas John only wished that it when he talked to it, it could talk back. Magic prevails and the next morning John wakes up to see his teddy bear come to life and instantaneously the two become famous. Cut to several years later where our story takes place and John (Mark Wahlberg) and his teddy bear, Ted (voiced by Seth Macfarlane), are still living together and still best friends, but when Lori (Mila Kunis), John’s girlfriend of four years, asks for Ted to move out John and Ted’s friendship is tested like never before.

            I was a big fan of Family Guy when it first started with its mix of witty pop culture references, political humor, and just amazingly stupid situations which is something Seth MacFarlane can be very good at balancing which is what he has done with Ted.  Every part of this comedy is solid but there are two things that stand out about it. One being the only downfall of Seth MacFarlane’s blend of comedy, which is he has a tendency to rely on easy jokes such as fart jokes that can be funny but if used too much they become the most obnoxious and annoying jokes a movie can have, but what surprised me the most about this movie is the heart behind the characters, a person will find themselves genuinely caring about what could happen to this talking, walking teddy bear.

            This is by no means the best comedy ever written, but definitely the funniest movie I’ve seen this summer. Some great jokes and great cameos make this movie worth watching. I give it a B.