Horrible Bosses 2 Review Part 1
A film that basks comfortably in the warm glow of lowered expectations.
I have nostalgic feelings for the first Horrible Bosses as it was one of the first films that taught me that Rated R was not an automatic comedy success story. I found it lame and pedestrian with very few funny moments but otherwise relatively unremarkable. It wasn’t as bad as the Change Up but you wouldn’t be wrong to put the two movies in the same paragraph. I walked into this theater expecting more of the same Chef Boyardee pasta with sawdust in place of Parmesan cheese.
Imagine my surprise when I found myself honestly laughing out loud on a fairly continuous basis. I guess in the time since the first movie Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day have figured out how to work together without trying to remake the Three Stooges. Either that or I have been so barraged with bad movies in the last couple years that my own taste has shifted from “I want to see something good” to “I want to see something that compares favorably to being staked out over a red ant pile and covered with honey”.
Regardless of motivation I found this movie to be shockingly entertaining. The story no longer focused on an incredibly lame and nonsensical revenge plot and everyone had a motivation that I could relate to (which of us hasn’t dreamed of faking our own kidnapping in order to test our parents love?). The jokes were better and the villains more worthy of what came to them. 
I also am a huge fan of Jennifer Aniston, Christoph Waltz, and Jonathan Banks (Mike from Breaking Bad. Los Pollos Hermanos image courtesy of our Breaking Bad t shirts)
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Horrible Bosses 2 Review Part 2
The thing that bugs me is the part that really made this movie work was Rex Hanson as played by Chris Pine. Regular readers (hi mom!) should know by now that I consider the two recent JJ Abrams Trek-ish flicks to be the ruination of my most beloved franchise and I see Chris Pine as the face of that abomination. Therefore it is hard for me to say anything about him without unloading a lifetime of hatred and scorn (the fact that the dude probably gets laid all the time adds an element of jealousy to that hatred) but the fact is his character really made the movie fun. He was exactly the kind of arrogant, rich, egotistical, mentally unstable villain any film needs as the bad guy and his bizarre interaction with the other three dudes was time well spent. I will never say the man can’t act but he will need to do about 100 more of these films and get me hooked up with a hot chick to make up for the first JJ Abrams Trek film (there aren’t enough good films and hot chicks in the universe to make up for Into Darkness).
This is not to say this film is a triumph. It is merely competent but when compared to the first one that makes it a film capable of shaking the pillars of Heaven. If the first film were a swift kick in the balls then this one is only a mild slap on the face and if you go into the theater expecting testicular impact you will actually quite enjoy it. 
Acting was decent, cast quite good, and while the story was not something to write home about (ah ha ha ha) it also did not inspire me to kill the next person who used the word “your” incorrectly (“Your welcome”. Shakespeare image courtesy of the funny t shirt category).
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Horrible Bosses 2 Review Part 3
The story. The three doofuses from the first film are back and now they have an invention they are trying to manufacture and sell. They get called in by Rex to talk about their invention and Bert (Christoph Waltz) orders 100,000 units. He later rips them off completely and plans to not only take over their business by also ruin them financially. The boys decide to kidnap Berts son Rex (Chris Pine) and hold him for ransom. They opt out but it turns out that Rex has serious daddy issues and wants to fake his kidnapping in order to get some of his dads money and prove that daddy loves him. Elaborate plans are cooked up and then go awry. Crosses are doubled and a couple of twists pop up. The film ends modestly smothered under a blanket of deus ex machina but it is at an acceptable level.
So worth seeing? In a normal month probably not but honestly with the Hunger Games scaring all the rest of the fish out of the water it is not a bad choice. You will laugh. You won’t gain a lot of insight into the transient nature of existence but you will laugh. 
This film would work really, really well with about half a bake on so try to get partially drunk or partially stoned before seeing it. Or just down a sixer of Schlitz and play X-Box all night. Either would be about the same level of entertainment. (Image courtesy of our Bob Marley t shirt collection).
Thanks for reading. I know I’ve been not writing a lot lately but this holiday business is kicking the crap out of my movie viewing time. I’ll try to see something good this week and write it up. Do social media stuff with us on Facetwitpinagram etc. Thanks.
The Infamous Dave Inman
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Watching the 100 while I’m working. Not bad but not great.
So I am working my cute little butt off and have been looking for something to watch while doing so. I just finished S3 or Lillihammer and am now going through the 100. There are a few thoughts I have had on it so far and would like to share.
While it’s not horrible it does have a lot of problems shared by Hollywoods dive into young adults. First and foremost the idea that everyone in the future is both young and good looking. 
Every show since Heroes has done it (except, ironically, for Hiro. Image courtesy if the Heroes t shirt collection). I know they wrote in a premise of why all the 100 had to be kids under the age of 18 but where are the nearsighted dorks or the kid with the near terminal case of acne? In 100 kids there is going to be one or two that have an odd nose or lopsided jaw. Also if the space station has limited resources how is it these kids all have perfect teeth? I doubt orthodontia would get much priority.
Then there are the usual dystopian stereotypes that Hollywood ascribes to. Somehow no one can let go of the idea that if there were a nuclear war the survivors would descend into primitive savages in about a week. It’s only 97 years in the future and everyone has forgotten how to use guns and radios and instead look like Native Americans with armor made out of old tires. I hate to ruin someone’s thought process but reloading used bullet casings is not rocket science. I’m not saying it’s a bad stereotype (hey, I played a lot of Gamma World back in 7th grade) but it’s just so lacking in imagination. Kind of lazy really.
Anyway, I’m enjoying the show. It is definitely ticking off the sci fi stereotype one at a time (my prediction is sometime in the next few episodes I see the giant mutated bear creature and the human with ESP and/or three of something we normally have two of (in Total Recall it was breasts. Best mutant ever!)) but there is a reason those stereotypes became so rote. I only have a few more in this season so maybe I’ll do a post show wrap up. Back to work!
the Infamous Dave Inman
Star Trek Retrospective: Episode 8 Miri
Fun episode, although as a kid I remember being totally grossed out by the lesions. Of course at age 8 the idea of all adults dying and leaving me to live hundreds of years playing with my Legos sounded pretty cool.
Of course one problem I have with this episode is it shows the foolishness of the Enterprise crew ever transporting down to an alien planet in less than full NBC gear. Seems like any given planet could be home of a bunch of diseases that could wipe out the human race. Kirk and Lt. Tormolen wore protective suits when they beamed down to Psi 2000 in the Naked Time. 
I read a book called Expendable which had explorers who would land on a planet wearing effectively a body suit that was biohazard, hasmat, and personal body armor and they still died left and right. (suit image courtesy of the Iron Man t shirt collection) Seems like a prudent precaution.
I’m also pretty sure the outside scene were the same set they used for the Returns of the Archons (and possibly a Piece of the Action) with junk piled up. Sometimes I wonder if stories were actually driven by whatever set they had available that month.
the Infamous Dave Inman
Star Trek Retrospective: Episode 9 Dagger of the Mind
I quite enjoyed this episode. Who doesn’t love stories about psychopaths and the criminally insane? It is wonderful to see someone completely nuts if only to give our own psychosis perspective. I mean, Joker is completely bonkers and we love him. What about Patrick Bateman from American Psycho? Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs? 
Dexter from Dexter (image from our collection of Dexter t shirts).
I also liked this one because Kirk was totally sucked in . When he proves fallible that actually makes him more likable. No one wants to watch God solve problems by snapping his fingers or Cthulu wreak havoc by being nigh indestructable. When a human makes a human mistake we end up identifying with him more. “Hey, Captain Kirk was totally fooled by Dr. Adams yet I too would have been fooled. In that regard he and I are very similar!” See how that works?
Also kudos to the prop department for putting together the very cool Neural Neutralizer out of a dentist char and some spare light parts. I love it when they cobble together something cool. Of course this was Season 1 when they still had a budget but honestly it didn’t look any worse than most modern sci fi props.
the Infamous Dave Inman
Some thoughts on the new Star Wars trailer Part 1
I’m kind of mixed.
So I watched the new trailer a few times today and I think I need to write out my feelings to really understand them. I’m sure you, my beloved readers, will appreciate this insight into my thought process.
Casting my mind down memory lane I remember how it was to see the trailer for the Phantom Menace. I, like most Star Wars fans, was unbelievably excited. “OMG a new Star Wars! I’m gonna start waiting on line now!” Of course there were certain signs that in retrospect I should have seen for the dead mine canaries they were. 
Mainly WTF was up with the title and who is this dopey kid looking like the worst child actor in the history of child actors? (Ralph Macchio image from the Karate Kid t shirt collection) However my natural enthusiasm helped me turn a blind eye to the danger like a heroin junkie looking at a used needle.
Then I saw the film and it was like someone had set my hair on fire and punched me in the balls for 136 minutes. I couldn’t believe how awful it was and how far off the track of what makes Star Wars great it had gone. Stunningly bad, and almost bad enough to make me question my love of some of the original three (most specifically Return of the Jedi).
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Some thoughts on the new Star Wars trailer Part 2
What came to pass…
Then came Attack of the Clones and I felt like maybe there was hope yet. No more dopey kids, what looked like Stormtroopers, and Natalie Portman’s midriff. I thought perhaps the Phantom Menace was just destined to be the one bad one so that when fans had to make a list of best to worst there would be no drama or nerd rage. I walked into the theater with both hope and fear. Of course Clones sucked as bad if not worse than Phantom Menace and I felt my respect for the entire franchise slip another 8 notches or so. 
I went back and rewatched the original series and came to the startling conclusion that Return of the Jedi is kind of a mediocre film and the only really good film in the series is the Empire Strikes Back (sorry fan boys. I admit the Vader/Luke/Palpatine scene is super cool but there isn’t enough coolness in the universe to make up for the inclusion of the Ewoks. ESB image from the movie t shirt category).
Finally we got Revenge of the Sith and by this point I was burnt out on hope. I had had my dreams squelched by Lucas too much already and really only went to see the film from some kind of nerd obligation. It’s was like looking for your missing dog and following a blood trail from the freeway to the bush where he died. You really don’t want to see the mangled remains of your dear pet but you have to be sure and take care of it. In this sense Revenge of the Sith did not disappoint. I expected it to suck and it did. I will agree it was the best of the three but winning that contest is like winning a self flagellation contest. Being the best of the worst is not the same as being good.
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Some thoughts on the new Star Wars trailer Part 3
So that is my mind state as I watch the trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: the Force Awakens. Sure it looks cool, seems to have Stormtroopers, has a distinct lack of dopey racist CGI cartoon comic relief (DIE JAR JAR BINKS DIE!), and the Millennium Falcon. (Trooper image courtesy of the Star Wars t-shirts category) However I have been burned by this license so badly in the past that all the subtle clues that I missed in the Phantom Menace warning me of impending suckage receive laser focus. A three pronged lightsaber? (that one saber and two mini bite sized lightsabers, in case you wanted to carve your turkey or something) A droid that looks like a yellow and white soccer ball with a Roomba on top of it? A jet bike that looks like a flying refrigerator? Why does that pilot still have the Rebel Alliance symbol on his helmet? Shouldn’t the Rebel Alliance formed an actual government and either taken the old Republic symbol or just come up with a new one? Then there is the uber ominous quote. “There has been an awakening. Can you feel it?”
The whole thing really feels of trying too hard. Star Wars and ESB had no pretensions of being anything other than a fun story in space. With ROTJ Lucas decided he was making the epic of the century and ironically created the worst of the three as a prelude for the worst ever. However I think I need to get into the specifics of this trailer down on this screen to really think about it.
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Some thoughts on the new Star Wars trailer Part 4
Well do this plus and minus style ok?
Plus: It’s a Disney production production rather than a Lucas Arts one.
I have had my issues with the Mouse but have more or less turned around in the last few years. Films like Wreck It Ralph and Guardians of the Galaxy have reminded me that the thing Disney does better than anything else is make good films. When they focused on dopey princess stories it was easy to deride them but since they have stepped into my preferred genres I have to say I like what they do. They know how to please both fans and non fans and most importantly respect a license, keeping idiot writers and directors from marking up a beloved character like a dog urinating on a tree.
Minus: George Lucas is still listed as a writer.
The irony of listing the creator of Star Wars as a major detractor is not lost on me but if there were ever a war crimes trials for nerds Lucas would have been lined up against a wall and shot for Jar Jar alone (right next to Joel Schumacher and anyone associate with the production of the Host. Batman image courtesy of the comic book t shirts). He wrote the basic treatment for these films and is somehow listed as the writer for the credits so I am really afraid he is going to be all over this film like a sexual predators DNA at a crime scene.
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