Movie #419 - Live Free or Die Hard

Live Free or Die Hard

2007 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 8 min
Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant, Justin Long, Maggie Q, Cliff Curtis, Kevin Smith, Andrew Friedman, Jonathan Sadowski

This one was a first-time watch. Yes, it took me FOUR years to get around to seeing this. Shameful, right?

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at what a worthy follow-up this movie is to the successful 90's trilogy.  McLane's older, not really that much wiser, and still as ornery as they come.  Toss him into a world of computers and hackers and he's lost, but he makes up for what he can't decode with brute strength and guts.  Also, he can take helicopters out of the air with a broken fire hydrant, which is pretty friggin' sweet.

So I did enjoy this one. It's a fresher take on the "outdated" franchise, but it still stays true to the main character and his approach to law enforcement.  There's even a nice throwback line, saved for the very end.  Nice work, all around.

Movie #296 - Idiocracy

Idiocracy
2006 - Rated R - 1 hr 24 min
Director: Mike Judge
Starring: Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews, David Herman, Justin Long

This movie is both hillarious and terrifying.  What would happen if stupid people kept reproducing and smart people stopped?  What if eventually the scales tipped in favor of mankind's less intelligent?  Not only would Darwin rollover in his grave, but the events portrayed in this movie might actually happen.

Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph participate in an army program that freezes them, then gets shut down, leaving them in their pods for 500 years before they are accidentally opened up and set loose into the world.  Society is filled with idiots and the world is suffering.  Wilson now finds himself the smartest man in the world, a title which brings great responsibility.  Can he help save the crops and solve all the world's problems in one week? Or will he be executed, Colosseum style?

This movie is mostly low-brow comedy, but I think it's pretty funny.  And Terry Crews as president is just about my favorite thing in the entire movie.

Movie #220 - Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest
1999 - Rated PG - 1 hr 42 min
Director: Dean Parisot
Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Justin Long, Missi Pyle, Daryl Mitchell

This movie's so cheesy, it's good.  The premise is cute: what would happen if an alien society found episodes of a space-travel show and thought it was real? What if they came to earth to find these "space travellers" and ask for their help?  Seems ridiculous, but it allows for some awkward humor and a great adventure story.

If you've ever been a Trek fan, this one will be especially fun for you to watch.  The expendable crew member tags along on the adventure, and provides a great little subplot. Will he live or die? Will he ever get a last name?  And Sigourney Weaver's character laments her pointless job: repeating what the computer says. 

Your life might not be changed by this movie, but you'll probably laugh. Sometimes, that's good enough.

Movie #166 - Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
2004 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 32 min
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Christine Taylor, Rip Torn, Justin Long, Alan Tudyk

Oh man, do I love this movie.  I realize I say that about 90% of the comedies on the movie wall, but I can't help it, I love to laugh.  And Ben Stiller in this movie, and all his priceless one-liners, really make me laugh. 

As I like to say whenever appropriate, "Nobody makes me bleed my own blood."

I think that says it all.

But then there's Rip Torn and his quotable dodgeball coaching sessions ("If you can dodge traffic, you can dodge a ball.") I'm not sure how helpful they really are, but they're hillarious. 

The movie as a whole follows a predictable trajectory... evil guy tries to stomp out good guy, good guy triumphs after much strife and turmoil.  But if you need a good laugh, and some light subject matter to occupy you for a few minutes, pop this DVD in and enjoy.

After all, Chuck Norris gives it a thumbs up.

Movie #92 - The Break-Up

The Break-Up
Universal Pictures
2006 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 46 min
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Justin Long, John Michael Higgins, Vincent D'Onofrio

The best part about this movie is the end.  Not because it's over... but because it doesn't end the way you expect.  A Hollywood rom-com always has a happy ending right?  Well, despite the movie trailer that would have you believe this is your standard rom-com, it so isn't.  Instead, it's like a study in communication breakdown, romantic dysfunction, the differences between men and women and how they manage conflict.  And even with its cutesy back-and-forth between this couple - expertly protrayed by Vaughn and Aniston, by the way - this movie is full of sorrow, regret, and doubt.  It's well done and highly underrated.  Calling this a rom-com just doesn't make sense.

Anyway, I really do like this movie, although it's not one I could pick up and watch every weekend.  There are laughs, here and there, but mostly it's just a reminder to appreciate the one you're with and not take anything for granted.  But the open-ended last scene also reminds us of all the things possible in the future.