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themadzak
Reviews
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009)
Bad, bad movie
I never read the book. So I am reviewing the movie based on no prior knowledge of the storyline. Wow. This is a bad, bad movie, and I think it's the fault of Tucker Max.
Tucker Max is the writer of the book of the same name that became a best seller. Apparently he took those profits and made the movie because his name was displayed in large letters as the producer in the credits. He is also listed as the screenwriter. I'm guessing his success went to his head and he thought he knew how to make movies, but he doesn't. Because he was the boss, no one would - or could - tell him that his script was terrible and his director wasn't getting the job done.
What we're left with is an attempt at crude, college humor. Single guys drinking, chasing women, and all the stereotypical jokes that you would expect. The problem is that the jokes are not funny. The three lead characters are incredibly unlikable.
Yes, I understand this movie is supposed to be about redemption, so the characters are supposed to be unlikeable at first. However, there is nothing to like about these guys. There is no glint of morality or decency that leads you to believe the guy isn't as bad as he seems. So, by the end of the movie, you just really don't care what happens to them. This is what other reviewers mean when they say there is no character development.
Almost every other ratings website gives this movie an extremely low - if not their lowest - rating. I have no idea how IMDb has this averaged out at 5.3 out of 10 stars. My only guess is that Tucker Max is paying people to log on and give excessively high ratings. Since the story is supposed to be autobiographical, he seems to be the kind of person that would do something like that.
Backwards (2012)
Stupid ending to a boring movie
I travel a lot and end up watching movies on Netflix. You may know that Netflix is great for TV reruns, but not so great for movies. I end up watching a lot of independent movies like this.
This movie is a chick flick for women who like sports. The main character sacrifices her personal life and any sort of a career for her dream of winning an Olympic gold medal in rowing. After being named an alternate for a third time, she gets frustrated and quits. Her best friend, who would not have made the Olympic squad at all, replaces her as the alternate.
She gets a job at her alma mater, a private prep school (high school), as the new rowing coach. At this point the movie utilizes the typical sports movie cliché where the new coach turns things upside down and no one likes her. Eventually the coach realizes she's being far too tough on high school age girls, and changes her tactics. She takes the best two girls and makes them the national champion in the two-man event. Now it's off to Europe for international competition.
Spoiler alert: Up to now the movie was merely somewhat boring. Here is where it gets downright stupid....
Someone on the Olympic squad gets injured and will not heal in time. The tougher-than-nails Olympic coach comes to our main character and asks her to rejoin the team, not as an alternate, but as a first line rower. (And here is where the stupid chick flick emotional crap takes over.)
The prep school girls hate her for making the decision to leave for the Olympics before the European event. The athletic director, her boss and boyfriend, also says she's abandoning her responsibilities. When she rejoins the Olympic squad, her best friend hates her for coming back. If our main character wouldn't have quit, she would have been the alternate, and her best friend wouldn't have even been on the team. But, in typical chick flick emotional style, the best friend feels betrayed that she came back and took her spot, leaving her to remain as an alternate. In the end, our main character just quits the Olympic squad, gives her seat to her best friend, and returns to coach her prep school squad in Europe.
The first part of the movie sets up just how hard this woman worked for the Olympics. It shows how she makes physical sacrifices to stay in tip-top shape, how she has no friends, no love life, and no career all to make it to the Olympics. Then, after she gets the chance, she gives it up. We viewers are supposed to accept this would really happen?
The prep school girls and the AD boyfriend are selfish. An Olympic gold medal could set this woman for life. It could bring fame, endorsements, and high-paying coaching opportunities at universities like Yale. And we're expected to sympathize with the high school squad and believe that the coach is being unreasonable and abandoning them?
As for her best friend, the movie clearly shows how tough the Olympic coach is and how he cares only about winning and not about feelings. Our main character feels she got screwed over by being named as an alternate, but the coach made it clear he didn't care about feelings. So when she comes back, the best friend - the one who wouldn't even be an alternate if our main character didn't quit - feels betrayed, and we're supposed to sympathize with her, too? Even if she doesn't agree with it, her best friend should understand what the coach has been teaching the team for years: Results count for everything! Feelings and emotion don't matter!
I swear, if I ever met the person who wrote this movie I would punch them in the head.
Lost and Delirious (2001)
OK, but puzzled by the ending
I read a few user reviews that spoke of the poor acting. I have to disagree. I thought Piper Perabo was great in the movie, and the other actresses did their jobs well.
I didn't get the ending. I will not say what it is because I don't want to spoil it for you. If anyone wants to explain it to me feel free to e-mail me. I think it's because I'm a guy!
The movie captures the viewer via their emotions, so I imagine its appeal will be greater with women than men. I can say that it makes you care for Piper's character and you feel what she is going through. Of course, these are not things guys usually look for in a movie.
I didn't think the plot holes were too large as other reviewers have stated. I will give my movies a little latitude in that area. I don't label something a plot hole just because the characters do not respond exactly how I would.
Overall I gave it a 4 for two reasons: I think it will have limited appeal - very few men will like the movie - and the ending does not quite fit the "ground rules" laid out during the rest of the movie.