Blu-ray thumbs

[Johann]

THE FIGHTER (2010)


Based on a true story, this one is gritty and at times hard to watch.
Mark Wahlberg stars as Mickey, a welterweight boxer overshadowed by his brother Dickey, who once knocked Sugar Ray Leonard down in 1978.
But currently, Dickey is a crack addict, and Mickey is a punching bag for other boxers.
The dynamic with his family is harrowing and very real. They are tight-knit, and they struggle with Mickey and Dickey's ambitions. But there is a happy ending after all...
Amy Adams shines as Dickey's bartender girlfriend.

[Chris Knipp]

I'm glad you're back, I love your thumbnail reviews. You forgot two directors' names - David O. Russell for THE FIGHTER, Stephen Chbosky for WALLFLOWER.

[Johann]

I forgot to mention Christian Bale winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for THE FIGHTER too.
Happy to be back.

[Johann]

WAYNE’S WORLD (1992)



Pure nostalgia from high school, directed by Penelope Spheeris.
It’s a silly comedy revolving around a local Illinois cable access tv show.
The show gets picked up and sponsored by Rob Lowe, who exploits it’s stars Wayne & Garth.
This is Mike Myers’s and Dana Carvey’s film debut, they were cast members of Saturday Night Live at the time. Lorne Michaels produced this, and it was a hit. The humour isn’t fall-down funny, but if you have a spliff and a six-pack you’ll have a good time. Cameos from Meatloaf and Alice Cooper!

[Johann]

WAYNE’S WORLD 2 (1993)


This sequel didn’t make as much money as the first, nor is it as funny.
I liked it nonetheless. As Ebert said, you can’t hate Wayne and Garth.
Wayne has a dream of a “weird naked Indian” & Jim Morrison, who tells him to put on a concert.
“Book them and they will come” is the sage advice.
They want Aerosmith, Van Halen and others to play, but prospects aren’t good.
“WAYNESTOCK” might be a bust…
This time around they have quite a few cameos: Kim Basinger, Christopher Walken, Rip Taylor, “Del” from Withnail and I, Chris Farley, Charlton Heston, and Aerosmith, among others.
I liked their token hang-out where Ed O’Neill works: Stan Mikita Donuts, a spoof of Tim Horton’s donuts.

[Johann]

TED(2012)


This is the directorial debut of Seth MacFarlane.
I watched the Unrated version and man, it’s crude.
This humour isn’t for everybody, like Family Guy.
A boy gets a large teddy bear for Christmas, and he wishes for the bear to be real,
So that they’ll be forever friends, “Thunder buddies”, pals for life.
Well sure enough, the wish comes true with the help of a shooting star.
The bear is voiced by Seth, and he sounds a lot like Peter Griffin…
Mark Wahlberg (as Johnny Bennett) must contend with foul-mouthed Ted as an adult, and the results are crazy.
You have to suspend disbelief to enjoy this movie, and I felt it was redeemed by the heartfelt
Love given to Sam Jones and Flash Gordon, a seminal movie in my life and Johnny’s.
There is sex, drugs, rock and roll, Tom Skeritt, Ryan Reynolds, Mila Kunis and Giovanni Ribisi.

[Johann]

TED 2 (2015)


This sequel is not very good. Whatever “bar” the first Ted sets, it’s lowered here.
It’s set three years after the first movie, with Ted trying to legally establish himself as a person and not property.
Patrick Stewart narrates both films, Michael Dorn has a cameo in this one, and there’s more love for Sam Jones and Flash Gordon. Seth hired Morgan Freeman and gave cameos to Liam Neeson and Tom Brady.
The story just never gets a foothold.
I like the pop culture references and enjoyed the New York Comic Con sequences/fight.
It’s the crude humour that rankles- is it really necessary?
There will probably be a third Ted, it’s a popular franchise.
Mark Wahlberg was good in the first one. Here he’s just hanging on.