The Six Wives of Henry Lefay

Release Date: October 19th, 2010  

Genre: Comedy

Stars: Tim Allen, Elisha Cuthbert, Eric Christian Olsen, Jenna Elfman

Synopsis: Ladies man and oft married Henry Lefay is tragically killed by a parasailing accident in Mexico leaving his daughter, his wife, and five ex wives to bicker over funeral arrangements.

AltAss Ratings (On a scale of 1 to 5 asses)

Plot & Writing:               

The story was okay and had potential for a decent comedy but the writing wasn't very funny.

Acting:                                

Tim Allen wasn't blowing anybody away with the funny and was absent for a good portion of the movie because his character is dead.  I thought Elisha Cuthbert did a nice enough job as the female lead but Jenna Elfman steals the show by far in a small supporting role and provided most of the laughs.

Originality:                       

I'm not sure if this plot line has never been done before but this style of comedy and the gags definitely felt well recycled.

Overall:                               

Without looking up the run time, the movie felt like it was at least a half our too long.  Not a lot of laughs for a straight up comedy and a comedy that isn't funny is pretty boring.  Skip it unless you're having trouble sleeping.

Rated H for Ho-Hum

The Laugh Factor:

Belly Laughs: 0

Chuckles: 3-5


 

Solitary Man

Release Date: June 12th, 2010

Genre: Drama

Stars: Michael Douglas, Danny Devito, Susan Sarandon, Jesse Eisenberg

Synopsis: A series of bad choices leads to the ruin of a once successful business man.  While he has found a way back into the game through the connections of the woman he is courting, another lapse in judgement threatens to leave him at the bottom for good.

AltAss Rating (On a scale of 1 to 5 asses)

Plot & Writing:                   

A nice little piece of work that examines an interesting character.  The explanation for his fall from grace and decay into utter demise is, however, ridiculously weak.

Acting:                                    

Award winning stalwarts Michael Douglass, Susan Sarandon, and Danny Devito are all excellent and effective in their roles.  Their younger counter parts Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots do a great job as well in difficult roles.

Originality:                         

Felt fresh and new without taking the big risk.

Overall:                               

The DVD and IMDB list comedy amongst this films genre and I did not see it that way at all.  For me it was a sad drama and one worth checking out.  Well written and well acted and not as painfully long as films in this category can tend to be.

The Laugh Factor

Belly Laughs: 0

Chuckles: 1-2

Marmaduke

marRelease Date: June 4th, 2010

Genre: Family / Comedy

Stars: Owen Wilson (voice), George Lopez (voice), Lee Pace, Judy Greer

Synopsis: Comic strip favorite Marmaduke and family move from the midwest to the west coast and struggle to fit in with their new environment.

AltAss Ratings (On a scale from 1 to 5 asses)

Plot & Writing:                       

Did enough to advance the story at a decent pace and provide some laughs for the audience.

Acting:                                      

Owen Wilson and George Lopez did some pretty decent voice over work but a movie like this is so much better when there is at least one real human with some talent in the leading role.

Originality:                             

Is it just me or did this feel a lot like the 1992 film Beethoven which featured an adorable St. Bernard and a much more capable Charles Grodin at leading man.

Special Effects:                  

The animals moving there mouths perfectly to the dialogue felt unnatural and unneccesary.  When Marmaduke plays Dance Dance Revolution it is unbearably corny.

Overall:                                     

Please only partake in this film with your family if you have younger children.  Even your ten year old will probably roll her eyes.  That said, I know there are even worse family titles cluttering your video store shelves an this one seems relatively safe in comparison.

The Laugh Factor

Belly Laughs: 0

Chuckles: 8-10

Unthinkable


Release Date: June 15th, 2010

Genre: Thriller

Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Michael Sheen

Synopsis: An American born Muslim man creates a video tape that shows him arming four nuclear bombs in four unknown locations within the United States.  Authorities combine forces and push the limits while interrogating the suspect in a race against the clock to find the explosive devices.

AltAss Ratings (On a scale from 1 to 5 asses)

Plot & Writing:                      

A solid effort in this category produced a good enough storyline to give the actors a good base to work with.  One twist too many keeps this movie from going to the next level.

Acting:                                  

Surprisingly I felt Sam Jackson did not have his best outing in "Unthinkable" but it wasn't a nightmare either.  I have always felt like Carrie-Anne Moss is one of the most underrated actresses in the business and she portrays FBI agent Brody very well.  Michael Sheen delivers the best performance of this film, however, as the terrorist threat in government custody.

Originality:                            

One of the first main stream films to tackle the subject of torture and during a small section in the middle of the film I was impressed and moved by how well the filmmakers were doing so.  Then as if the producers demanded the tone of the project to be changed, the story shifts and the statement is blunted severely.

Overall:                                 

This film had four asses in the palm of its hand until a horrible plot twist caused it to drop one and a half asses.  Still this movie is worth a look and will almost surely keep your interest and deliver some level of enjoyment.

The Laugh Factor

Belly Laughs: 0

Chuckles: 0

The Runaways

Release Date: April 8th, 2010
Genre: Biography / Drama

Stars: Dakota Fanning, Kristen Stewart, Michael Shannon

Synopsis: Based on the true story of the all girl rock band formed in the 70's called The Runaways.  Centers mostly on the relationship between singer Cherie Currie and Joan Jett during the rise and fall of the band.

AltAss Ratings (On a scale of 1 to 5 asses)

Plot & Writing:      

The screenplay was based on a biography written by Cherie Currie so I don't know who gets the blame for this storyline that struggled terribly in being consistently interesting and appealing to an audience.

Acting:                            

Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett took tremendous steps forward from her progressively lame performances in the Twilight series and Dakota Fanning seemed to almost but not quite nail her take on Cherie Currie.  Michael Shannon as producer Kim Fowley seemed absurdley over the top and not quite believeable at times.

Originality:                 

No drastic deviations from the typical music biography formula.  If anything the director and producers failed to follow the formula closely enough which is by and large why this movie is not very good.

Overall:                          

This film had a solid and interesting story to tell and just seemed to fall short in every way imaginable.  The one saving grace occurs about half way through the movie when The Runaways are touring in Japan and perform the song "Cherry Bomb".  The music and cinema combine in the scene masterfully to create an exciting and enjoyable scene.  This film could have benefitted from more music, a bigger budget, and a better supporting cast.  Skip it unless you're a die hard Joan Jett and/or Runaways fan.

The Laugh Factor

Belly Laughs: 0

Chuckles: 0

City Island

Release Date: April 26th, 2009

Genre: Comedy / Drama

Stars: Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Steven Strait, Ezra Miller, Alan Arkin

Synopsis: Corrections officer Vince Rizzo's pursuit of his secret dream of becoming an actor causes his wife to believe he is having an affair.  While this is the driving storyline in City Island, everybody in the Rizzo family has a secret of their own.

AltAss Ratings (On a scale of 1 to 5 asses)

Plot & Writing:                   

Very well crafted story and dialogue.  Nothing major to point out here that severely detracted from the quality of this film.

Acting:                            

Andy Garcia plays a character that is completely different from anything else he has ever done before in his career and knocks it out of the park.  Ezra Miller and Alan Arkin are hillarious in their supporting roles and everyone else keeps up which makes this film very fun to watch.

Originality:                   

There are some good twists on some of the staples of classic comedy and drama elements but nothing that will knock your socks off.

Overall:                        

City Island is well worth a look and provides some good laughs and teaches a valuable lesson about the value of the truth.  I passed this by several times at the video store before finally picking it up and ended up watching a lot of films not nearly as fine as this.

The Laugh Factor:

Belly Laughs: 2

Chuckles: 3-5