Movie #245 - The Groomsmen

The Groomsmen
2006  Rated R - 1 hr 38 min
Director: Edward Burns
Starring: Edward Burns. Matthew Lillard, Brittany Murphy, John Leguizamo, Donal Logue, Jay Mohr, Shari Albert

My biggest beef with this movie is the misleading marketing.  The poster pictured here reads "The boys are back in town."  The DVD box reads "Till death do they party."  But this isn't The Hangover. That movie might be better served by those one-liners than this one. 

This movie is good, but it's not a party flick.  This groom and his groomsmen have a lot of things to sort out with each other.  There's a lot more drama than there is partying.  It annoys me that they didn't trust in the movie's validity as a romance/drama and tried to make it sound like something it isn't.

You won't laugh that much when you watch it.  But you will find yourself drawn in to these barely-functioning relationships. Brothers struggling to accept each other, men in various stages of their own relationships trying to remain friends, a gay son reconciling with his dad.  Doesn't sound like a party movie, does it?

Movie #128 - Confidence

Confidence
Lions Gate Entertainment
2003 - Rated R - 1 hr 37 min
Director: James Foley
Starring: Edward Burns, Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, Rachel Weisz, Paul Giamatti, Donal Logue, Luis Guzman

This movie has a great cast, which caught my attention right off the bat the first time we watched it.  And since we bought it soon thereafter, you can assume safely that the cast delivers as expected.  This has a great twist-twist ending, lots of mind games between con artists, and plenty of Rachel Weisz being coyly devious.  I kinda love it. And Ed Burns.

I don't want to reveal too much for those who haven't seen it, but this movie keeps you thinking. I always enjoy a good double-cross or triple-cross or who-the-heck-is-working-for-whom kind of movie.  Just watch it sometime and you'll see what I mean.

Movie #41 - 15 Minutes

15 Minutes
New Line Cinema

2001 - Rated R - 2 hrs

Director: John Herzfeld

Starring: Robert DeNiro, Edward Burns, Kelsey Grammar

**This is a new acquisition, but since I've already watched all the numbered movies, I had to watch it right away - as per The Rules. I'll get back to the A's after this one.**

I really like this movie, mostly for the funny guy with the movie camera. If you're not familiar with it, two men come to the US - one to become a big movie maker, the other to make his fortune. Through some unpleasant circumstances, the two decide that teaming up and committing murders on film is the way to get rich and famous. Anywhere but in America, I'd say they were crazy.

Robert DeNiro plays the cop investigating their murders, Ed Burns is the arsen investigator that gets involved with their only eyewitness, and Kelsey Grammar is the ruthless investigative journalist with the risky, high profile show. The satire isn't so subtle in this movie, but it is really enjoyable to watch.

This was Ed Burns's first big role opposite some big stars. Robert DeNiro is great, Kelsey Grammar abandons his Frasier friendliness and gets truly mean, and the guy with the movie camera is just awesome. Highly recommended :)

Movie #7 - 27 Dresses

27 Dresses
Fox 2000 Pictures
2008 - Rate PG-13 - 1 hr 51 min
Director: Anne Fletcher
Starring: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Judy Greer, and Edward Burns

I got this movie as a Christmas present, thought it would be dumb, and avoided watching it until last summer when I was stuck in the house with morning sickness. Oddly enough, Katherine Heigl won me over in the end. But I hadn't watched it in well over a year, so for this second viewing, I had to remind myself that it wasn't so bad.

And it isn't so bad, but this is another case of "it is what it is." If you go into this movie expecting to watch a chick flick with pretty standard conflicts and resolutions, you're all set. If you want anything else, pick another movie from the Movie Wall. Meanwhile, those of you looking for a chicky movie will enjoy this one. Heigl is annoyingly adorable, torn between two good-looking guys, and victimized by every bride in New York City. Once again, the failure to communicate is at the root of every single problem in Heigl's character's life. In that respect, it's so predictable it hurts. So don't get too cerebral on 27 Dresses, just watch it with a bowl of popcorn and be entertained.