100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 13: The Watch

Director: Akiva Schaffer
Genre: Comedy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Rosemarie DeWitt, Will Forte Description: Four men who form a neighborhood watch group as a way to get out of their day-to-day family routines find themselves defending the Earth from an alien invasion.

Review: It’s a very noble deed: starting a neighborhood watch to help de police out. Evan is the initiator, but only three other people in Glenview want to help him. Soon the four men stumble upon something that’s bigger than any of them: extraterrestrials. That’s basically the story and you shouldn’t take it too seriously. It’s a simplistic comedy with jokes that pass you in warp speed. Occasionally they will make you laugh, but they’re mostly juvenile sex jokes.
Although we’re dealing with a cast who has lots of experience with the comedy genre, they don’t lift “The Watch” to a level above average. Ben Stiller is just being his silly self, Vince Vaughn is overly loud and outspoken and Jonah Hill is constantly proving that he’s not a loser. The one that made me laugh the most was Richard Ayoade, who’s just starting to make a name in Hollywood. But then again he’s British and their humor is almost always better than American humor.
Time goes fast while watching this movie, but when it comes to humor the makers were aiming for quantity instead of quality. “The Watch” isn’t a movie you should expect much from, it’s simple and easy to watch.

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (36)

This weeks trailers are about a dysfunctional family, a teenage runaway, a mother on the run, neighborhood watch and two befriended cops

The Perfect Family
Description: Suburban mother and devout Catholic Eileen Cleary (Kathleen Turner) has always kept up appearances. When she runs for the Catholic Woman of the Year title at her local parish,an award she has coveted for years, her final test is introducing her family to the board for the seal of approval. Now she must finally face the nonconformist family she has been glossing over for years. Her gay daughter, Shannon (Emily Deschanel), a successful lawyer, is about to marry her life partner Angela (Angelique Cabral). Her unhappily married son Frank Jr. (Jason Ritter) is cheating on his wife with the local manicurist. And Eileen's own marriage to a recovered alcoholic is pulling at the seams.
Director: Anna Renton
Starring: Kathleen Turner, Jason Ritter, Emily Deschanel, Richard Chamberlain
Trailer: Trailer "The Perfect Family"

Hick
Description: Small town teenager Luli (Chloe Grace Moretz) escapes to Las Vegas, leaving behind her alcoholic and abusive parents. Armed with her smarts, a pistol and pocket money, she hitchhikes her way west. Along the way, Luli crosses paths with Eddie (Eddie Redmayne), an unstable rebel with questionable motives and Glenda (Blake Lively), a cocaine-snorting drifter on the run. Adapted from the critically acclaimed novel by Andrea Portes, this powerful story pulls you into a provocative world of drugs, seduction and murder.
Director: Derick Martini
Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Blake Lively, Eddie Redmayne, Juliette Lewis, Alec Baldwin
Trailer: Trailer "Hick"

Bringing Up Bobby
Description: We follow European con-artist Olive (Milla Jovovich), and her 10-year-old American born son, Bobby (Spencer List), who find themselves in Oklahoma in an effort to escape her past and build a better future. Olive and Bobby blithely charm their way from one adventure to another until Olive's criminal past catches up with her. Consequently, she must make a choice: continue with a life of crime or leave the person she loves most in an effort to give Bobby a proper chance in life.
Director: Famke Janssen
Starring: Mila Jovovich, Bill Pullman, Marcia Cross, Rory Cochrane, Spencer List
Trailer: Trailer "Bringing Up Bobby"
Comment: My fellow Dutch-woman directed this film. I think this is a movie we can be very proud of. Looks good.

The Watch
Description: We follow a suburban "neighborhood watch" group that serves as a front for dads to get some male-bonding time away from their families. The group finds itself in over its head when it uncovers a plot to destroy the world. Director: Akiva Schaffer
Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Caughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Billy Crudup, Rosemarie DeWitt, Will Forte Trailer: Trailer "The Watch"
Comment: Looks funny and it's great to see Richard Ayoade in a movie again.

End of Watch
Description: We follow the long-term friendship and partnership between two cops.
Director: David Ayer
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anne Kendrick, America Ferrera
Trailer: Trailer "End of Watch"