10s Movie Review - How to Be Single

Director: Christian Ditter
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, Alison Brie, Damon Wayans Jr., Anders Holm, Jake Lacy, Colin Jost

Description: A group of young adults navigate love and relationships in New York City.

Review: A film with multiple storylines is a common given in modern day romantic comedies. There is off course so much to tell about love. Since “Love Actually” this concept has almost become a romcom cliché. “How to Be Single” is also set in this format. Not persee a search for love, but the will to live without. And it soon shows there is not a lot to talk about, because the message is clear pretty quick.
In “How to Be Single” we follow four women in New York. All have a difficult time dealing with relationships in their own way. Either because they can’t commit or they simply can’t let go. Alice has decided to take a break from her relationship, in order to find herself. Her older sister Meg is a workaholic with the dream of becoming a mother, without a man. Alice friend Robin lives for parties and having one night stands. Lucy is focused on online dating, without noticing the men surrounding her. And there are plenty of great men in new York. But if you don’t know what you want, it doesn’t help you much. First get to know yourself, before getting to know someone else. This is something that the women in this film don’t really understand.
Alice’s story is the lead, mainly because she is the connection to Robin and Meg. Lucy’s storyline is dangling on the side. And Alison Brie’s talent is underused this way. I will choose Brie’s energetic performance over Dakota Johnson’s anytime. Her character Alice is constantly needing people around her, she is hopelessly naïve and her storyline quickly bores. Her sister’s story has that same effect. And all the male roles lack any depth. Thank goodness for Rebel Wilson, because she is the funny aspect in “How to Be Single”. If it wasn’t for her and Alison Brie, this film would be even worse.
“How to Be Single” does something that has been done so many times before. A very forgettable romcom.

Rating: 2/ 5

In the Picture: The Characters from "Big Hero 6"

I just saw “Big Hero 6” and I think it was amazing, Disney did it again. And don’t you just love the characters? Here they are.

Baymax

Voiced by: Scott Adsit

Baymax is a healthcare robot. As such, he is highly intelligent in the world of medic, devoted and extremely caring for his patient in question. Baymax is also slightly naïve as he lacks understanding of human emotion. However, after meeting Hiro, Baymax slowly begins to change, pick up human tendencies and emotions and eventually gains a personality of his own.

Hiro Hamada

Voiced by: Ryan Potter

Hiro is a young boy with intelligence far beyond his years. Because of this he can be rather brazen and cocky, but never to the point of arrogance. He spends much of his time using technology to win money through illegal bot fights. Hiro has a much softer side to him, and he’s shown to be rather shy in front of crowds and during the process of making new friends. Hiro is a free-spirited, innocently sassy, warm and very loving boy.

Tadashi Hamada

Voice by: Daniel Henney

Tadashi is incredibly kind, encouraging and hard-working. He is always there when people need him. He has an energetic sense of humor and can be silly and excitable. Ever the optimist, Tadashi successfully balances his rising career in cutting-edge technology and providing moral and emotional support for his younger brother Hiro.

Go Go Tomago

Voiced by: Jamie Chung

Compared to her teammates, Go Go is tough and extreme, making up for her lack of conversation with bluntness and sarcasm. A straightforward athelete, Go Go lives for the speed and thrill and is willing to take up any challenge.

Honey Lemmon

Voiced by: Genisis Rodriguez

Honey is sweet, sunny, outgoing and humorously photogenic. She loves life and seems to find most things interesting. Eternally optimistic and bright, Honey is the team member who keeps everyone smiling and her sympathy towards other people’s issues can help relive moments of fear and tension within the group.

Fred

Voiced by: T.J. Miller

Fred is incredibly eccentric, zany, childish and rather boisterous. Nevertheless, he is ultimately very sweet, and extremely laid-back, especially when compared to his friends. Due to his nature, he can often sit back and look upon the brighter side of things, even in the face of danger.

Wasabi

Voiced by: Damon Wayans Jr.

Wasabi is neurotic and compulsive, apparently suffering from OCD, as well as a hint of anxiety. Wasabi is the most grounded and appears to be the one with the most common sense. He is easily scared and disturbed when facing intense situations, but he isn’t a coward.

 

 

Favorite Character: Baymax

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 31: Big Hero 6

Director: Don Hall, Chris Williams
Genre: Animation/ Action/ Adventure/ Family/ Comedy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk, Maya Rudolph, Abraham Benrubi, Katie Lowes, Billy Bush, Daniel Gerson, Paul Briggs, Charlotte Gulezian

Description: The special bond that develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax (scott Adsit), and prodigy Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter), who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.

Review: Not everyone was happy when Walt Disney Animation Studios took over Marvel Entertainment in 2009. But with “Big Hero 6” it has proven to be an okay choice, because it’s a heartwarming animation filled with action and adventure.
We meet whiz kid Hiro, who watches his also brilliant older brother Tadashi build robots. When Hiro also invents something and he shows it to the professor at school, something goes horribly wrong. There is an explosion and Hiro’s brother dies. But he decides to continue his brothers work. One of Tadashi’s projects was a white, inflatable robot called Baymax. A funny and very huggable robot that steals the show and wins your heart. Together with his friends and Baymax, Hiro is trying to find the man who stole his invention.
“Big Hero 6” manages to combine Japanese animation with the more traditional cartoon techniques. The movie is on a high artistic level. With that, the movie deals with strong emotions (loss and mourning) and manages to combine that with humor and action. Baymax is the biggest plus of the film, with his clumsy posture and funny sounds. Fist bumps have never been this funny. It’s amazing how a robot can be so loveable.
The scenes between Baymax and Hiro are the best, but even in the dynamic action sequences the central theme is never gone. “Big Hero 6” is again a very unique film by Disney, a definite must-see!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 99: Let's Be Cops

Director: Luke Greenfield

Genre: Comedy/ Action

Runtime: 104 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Damon Wayans Jr., Jake Johnson, Rob Riggle, Nina Dobrev, James D’Arcy, Andy Garcia

Description: Two struggling pals, Justin (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Ryan (Jake Johnson) dress as police officers for a costume party and become neighborhood sensations. But when these newly-minted "heroes" get tangled in a real life web of mobsters and dirty detectives, they must put their fake badges on the line.

Review: This time, not two cops undercover as citizens, but two friends going undercover and pretending to be cops. Cop movies have this timeless formula that can be mixed and matched with countless of genres. Most of the time it’s two totally different characters that have to team up. That’s not any different here, but this time it’s two buddies impersonating cops and they choose to work together.

First we have Ryan, who doesn’t have a job. He could have been a professional football player, but after an injury he never picked up the ball again. His best friend Justin works for a gaming company, where he is trying to sell his game, without any luck. When they are going to a school reunion, where they have to go in costume, the decide to dress up as cops. Soon they realize that those uniforms have big advantages and gives them a big confidence boost.

The strongest point of the movie is the chemistry between the two leading men. Both actors are masters at portraying the clumsy, frustrated losers. Although the buddy cop movie is sometime getting old, it never bothers you here. The comedy finds a balance between funny and obscene. Sometimes the jokes are a bit predictable and obvious, but the easy likeable characters played by Johnson and Wayans Jr. make up for it.

The concept of “Let’s Be Cops” is very pleasant. It’s not a very intelligent comedy, but that’s not something you should expect. For a movie I didn’t have high expectations of in the first place, it was very enjoyable and funny. It had a strong opening and a strong ending. Some minor flaws, but you can forgive those.

Rating: 3,5/ 5