April 2012
13 posts
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...
March 2012
12 posts
The Muppets (2011)
The Muppetsis a comedy film based on the well-known puppet characters created by Jim Henson. This post-Henson production focuses a muppet named Walter and his human brother Gary, played by Jason Segel. When Walter tags along with Gary and his girlfriend Mary, played by Amy Adams, to L.A. in hopes of meeting his heros, he not only finds that the muppet studios is abandoned but that a wealthy...
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Riveting, clever, shocking, psychologically stimulating, and seemingly overlooked by the U.S. movie-going population, We Need To Talk About Kevin is a film adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s novel with the same name. Directed by Lynne Ramsay, who also directed the film adaptation of The Lovely Bones, We Need To Talk About Kevin is a dramatic thriller that focuses on Eva, played by Tilda...
EMP Note
In case you’re wondering why I haven’t done a review on The Hunger Games yet, and I know that you are, it is because I’ve decided to read the book first. But DON’T WORRY movie-fans, I will have you know that I ordered the paperback edition using my Amazon Prime account 2 days ago, and will have my book report as well as my review of the movie completed and on your desk by...
21 Jump Street (2012)
21 Jump Street is a film adaptation of the late 1980’s television series with the same name. The film focuses on two recently-graduated police officers, played by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, who are seeking to make a name for themselves on the force, although their immaturity and clumsiness makes this goal a hard one to achieve. The two become reassigned to a specialty division on 21...
The Foot Fist Way (2006)
In lieu of the new season of HBO’s hit comedy Eastbound and Down, I have decided to watch and review the first Jody Hill/Danny McBride production, an independent comedy titled The Foot Fist Way. Made on a very low budget in 2006, The Foot Fist Way focuses on a Kenny Powers-esque Taekwondo instructor, played by the aforementioned McBride who runs his own dojang in a small North Carolina...
Project X (2012)
Project X is a comedy done in the trending ‘found footage’ cinematic style. The footage was filmed by a high school AV student who has been paid to document Thomas Mann’s 17th birthday party which, with the help of his 2 friends, becomes one of the biggest and most chaotic house parties ever. The film was directed by Todd Phillips of The Hangover fame and the cast is composed...
The Artist (2011)
The Artist is a French comedy/drama done in the style of a black and white silent film. The film tells the tale of silent film star George Valentin, played by Jean Dujardin, and his struggle to accept the new advancement in cinematic technology that is sound and audible dialogue. After losing most of his fame and fortune, Valentin goes through a boose-filled depression and his only shred of...
EMP Update
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U2: From The Sky Down (2011)
“Did I dissapoint you? Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?”
Yes, Bono, you kind of did this time.
From The Sky Downis a documentary that focuses on the recording of U2’s critically acclaimed record “Achtung Baby” (1991) and the period of time leading up to its creation and release. During this time, the band had fallen on hard times creatively. After a long...
Act of Valor (2012)
“Based on real acts of valor,” Act of Valoris an action film about a team of highly-trained Navy SEALs who embark on a secret operation to prevent a deadly global threat. The film is loaded with suspenseful first-person combat sequences, relentless violence, and cool cinematography. However, what makes Act of Valor so different from other films of its kind is that it is an account...
The Sitter (2011)
Buckle up those seat belts dudes and dudettes because Jonah Hill and three bizarrely uncontrollable kids are “going on a little field trip” in the 2011 comedy The Sitter. This “completely irresponsible but lovable idiot gets coaxed into babysitting mischievous children” formula is no stranger to cinema. And even though The Sitter is different enough than the others of...
EMP Update Message
Hello Readers,
If you are reading this, then congratulations! You have been directed to my blog either by a friend, a link on my FB or Twitter, or by going all the way to page 48 on some random Google search! If you are still reading this, then congratulations again! You get my sense of humor! Or you are just reading this to spite me because you want to dissect my reviews on your own BLOG and...
February 2012
6 posts
Wanderlust
“Brilliant!” Says Eric Koeppel of ‘Eric’s Movie Party’
“Hilarious!!!” Raves ‘Eric’s Movie Party’ film critic Eric Koeppel
“BRILLIANTLY HILARIOUS!” Exclaims Steve Swanson of the New York Times.
OK, so maybe I made that last quote up, but seriously, Wanderlust is an ingeniously written, knee-slapping comedy adventure...
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
I firmly believe that it’s not fair to judge a movie before you see it, so on the off chance that it might actually be a good film, I chose to spend 90 minutes of my time watching Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance on the Marcus UltraScreen this afternoon. It’s not good. At all. This second installment to the Ghost Rider franchise is just as poorly written and laughable as the first...
Safe House
Question: What do you get when you combine Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, and a crap-ton of fire arms?
Answer: Some sort of unstoppable super-human with 6 pack abs and machine guns for arms. Oh, and also Safe House
For a time of the year when one can’t necessarily expect the year’s biggest block buster to come out, Safe House is a breath of fresh air for action movie fans....
The Grey
Hoping to see Liam Neeson fight blood-hungry Alaskan wolves with his bare hands for two hours straight in a bad-ass, action-packed blood-bath of a movie (Yay, hyphens!)? Think again. I mean, you can definitely expect a lot of gruesome, bloody man v. wolves scenes in The Grey, but there’s much more to it than that. So if you intend to see this movie, don’t make the same mistake I did and...
