May 2012
17 posts
30 Minutes or Less (2011)
On the heels of his first feature film Zombieland, music video and television commercial director Rubin Fleischer released his second action-comedy titled 30 Minutes or Less featuring an ensemble of comedic actors including Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, and Nick Swardson. When a pizza delivery guy in Grand Rapids, Michigan named Nick, played by Eisenberg, is attacked by the...
April 2012
13 posts
The Descendants (2011)
Academy Award and Golden Globe winning drama The Descendants takes place in Hawaii and tells the tale of Matt King, a lawyer and sole trustee of thousands of acres of valuable land, played by George Clooney. When King’s wife is put into a coma due to a severe boating accident, he is forced to deal with his two ill-behaved daughters and the decision of whether or not to sell his...
In Time (2011)
Ever hear of the phrase “time is money”? Yes? Well, then, have you ever wondered what it would be like if time actually WAS money? Yeah, me neither. But you definitely won’t get any sort of a realistic or intriguing answer to that question from the sci-fi action film In Time starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. The film features Timberlake as protagonist Will Sales who, upon...
We Bought a Zoo (2011)
We Bought a Zoo is a comedy/drama based on the memoir by Benjamin Mee. The film stars Matt Damon as Benjamin Mee, a father of two children struggling to cope with the recent loss of his wife. While seeking a new life for his family, Mee purchases a house connected to a ramshackle zoo despite not knowing the first thing about running a zoo. When Mee runs into financial trouble and the zoo is on...
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
EMP Note: I feel the need to preface this review with an explanation, as I felt almost the opposite of this movie as many other critics did and I don’t want any guff. First off, you should know that I tend to do at least a LITTLE research on a film before watching it, but for this one I did none. So needless to say, I had no idea that The Adventures of Tintin was a well-loved European comic...
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (2012)
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is an animated comedy film adapted from the Dr. Seuss children’s book with the same name. Like the book, the film features Ted Wiggins, voiced by Zac Efron, who lives in Thneed-Ville, a town now full of artificial nature due to the destruction of real wild life run by a greedy businessman who sells bottled air named Mr. O’Hare, voiced by Rob Riggle. When Ted seeks out a...
Hot Fuzz (2007)
“My, my, here comes the fuzz!”
Hot Fuzz, a British action comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead and Spaced fame, stars Pegg as Nicholas Angel, a London police officer who takes his job very seriously. When Nicholas is relocated to the bizarrely crimeless village of Sandford, he arrests a drunk driver who turns out to be his goofball partner played by Nick...
Goon (2012)
Hockey fights, Canada, comedy, Seann William Scott, corn dogs…
If you enjoy one or more of these things then you will love the 2012 sports comedy Goon directed by Michael Dowse and written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg of Superbad and Pineapple Express fame. The film features Scott as Doug Glant, a bouncer from Massachusetts, who goes to a hockey game with his hockey-obsessed friend,...
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)
Being Elmo is a documentary film about Kevin Clash, the creator of the famous Sesame Street puppet Elmo. The film tells the tale of how the puppeteer got his start at an early age, and how he came to be the mastermind behind not only one of the most well-known puppets of all time, but an international icon, via archival footage and interviews with names such as: Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell,...
Drive (2011)
Fasten your seat belts EMP readers because Ryan Gosling is behind the wheel in this crime drama thriller, and he is on a mission!
Drive was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and is adapted from the 2005 James Sallis novel with the same name. The film focuses on The Driver, played by Gosling, who is a Hollywood stunt driver by day and a getaway driver for hire by night. (EMP note: I am going...
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011)
Jeff, Who Lives at Home is a dramatic comedy starring Jason Segel and Ed Helms as two brothers in their thirties whose lives, along with their mother’s, played by Susan Sarandon, have never been the same since the death of their father years earlier. The film takes place in one day and follows the dysfunctional family of three as they unexpectedly cross paths while attempting to deal with...
Friends With Kids (2011)
What do you get when two best friends in their thirties who are not romantically involved decide to have a child together just because their friends all have kids?
How should I know. I’m twenty-three and single (ladies), but I’m sure the 2011 ensemble comedy Friends With Kids can help you answer that question. This independent film was produced by, directed by, and stars Jennifer...
The Hunger Games (2012)
“Happy Hunger Games, Eric’s Movie Party readers! And may the odds be ever in your favor…”
The Hunger Games is a film adaptation of the first installment to author Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy. This science-fiction action film takes place in a post-apocalyptic North America, now known as Panem, which contains twelve districts. As a form of punishment for...
