The Hangover Part II

            You know it's not often that a sequel is better than the original it follows. Some may say a sequel in the Star Wars franchise or Indians Jones franchise is better than the first, but there will always be debate when it comes right down to it. However, though I'm sure some out there may think otherwise, I don't believe The Hangover Part II will ever be heavily debated as being better than the original.
            First off, the first movie was never made with the intention of a sequel being created. But like with anything in Hollywood now a days, if it makes a bucket load of money than you can make a pretty safe bet a sequel will be made. If one isn't than I guarantee it wasn't from a lack of trying.  The problem with this movie is the fact the original was a not a script where a sequel could easily be adapted off of its storyline. Sure there are a couple sub plot lines you could try to roll with, but there really wasn't enough there to make a whole other movie. The plot of the first Hangover was pretty much one and done. This is where The Hangover Part II runs into its only problems.
           The plot of The Hangover Part II is essentially the exact same as the original only in a new location and other details slightly altered. Then again as I have pointed out above this is really the only way to have created a sequel to begin with. Plus, I give credit to director Todd Phillips and the marketing team behind this film as they have never pretended it was anything else. They knew what they did and needed to do and they advertised it as such. They went with the old saying, "If it ain't broke, then don't fix it."
           In this go around Stu (Ed Helms) is the one getting married. He's getting married in Thailand as to please his soon to be wife and her parents. After what happened last time he does not want a bachelor party, much to the disdain of his friends Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Doug (Justin Bartha); well mainly Phil. As a favor to Doug, Stu agrees to invite Alan (Zach Galifianakis) to the wedding, thus completing the Wolfpack.
           The guys fly to Thailand and are doing the usual pre-wedding festivities. They go out on the beach one night, along with Stu's soon to be brother-in-law Teddy (Mason Lee), to just kick back and have a beer. Next thing they know they're waking up in a crappy hotel in Bangkok and don't know what has happened. Their old friend Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) is there, and oh, Teddy is missing. Thus the adventure begins.
            Contrary to how it might sound above I didn't care that the plot was exactly the same. I wish more of the jokes had been a bit more original though as a lot of them seemed to play off ones from the last movie as well. However, this didn't make them unfunny, it just diluted the instant hilarity you got from the similar jokes in the first movie.
            Overall, I still really enjoyed this movie. It was still hilarious and outrageous like the first with plenty shocking/gross/funny moments. The only problem is trying to find that absolute hilarity the first one gave so well, when you're already looking for it.
             I give the movie a thumbs up and 3 out of 4 stars. If you haven't seen it yet and you really don't want to have to wait a few more months to see it on DVD, then by all means go the theater to see it. I did and I by no means see it as a waste of money and I highly doubt you'll disagree with me. Enjoy!

Editors note: Due to my vacation and long absence from the blog I figured I should skip the review of Little Fockers this time and go with the most recent movie I have viewed, especially because of its popularity and the fact that it's out in theaters now. Little Fockers will most likely be next up to be reviewed, though I do have a few options to pick from so stay tuned!

Limitless

            Have you ever imagined what you could do with your life if you were smarter? Probably, right. I know I have. Have you ever thought that you weren't using your brain to it's fullest extent. Maybe, at times, but that's not necessarily something I tend to think about. Regardless though, when you go see the new movie Limitless questions like that tend to rise into your thought process.
             Limitless, based on the book The Dark Fields, stars Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a down on his luck writer who is having trouble writing. Eddie's life is already down in the dumps when his girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish), breaks up with him. Depressed, Eddie is uncertain what to do next when he runs into his old brother-in-law Vernon. Vernon seeing Eddie in such a situation offers him this new drug that he's representing called NZT. Vernon promises Eddie only good things from the drug and though skeptical at first Eddie decides, what the hell.
             What NZT does is allow the user to access the entire functionality of their brain; not just up to 20% were told we're able to access. This does wonders for Eddie as he starts performing on levels he's never even dreamed off. However, a wonderful drug doesn't come out of the blue and create better lives with no complications. From this point on Eddie must navigate himself through all of the very high positives and very low negatives that comes with such a powerful drug.
               I loved the premise of this movie as it was something fresh and new and it made you think. However, the movie did have its holes. There were a few times I found myself questioning different things happening in the movie if they were realistic or needed or just plain odd. Don't get me wrong though I was thoroughly entertained. Most of the stuff I'm talking about is ticky-tack stuff that doesn't really need to be worried about and some of you might not even notice.
               The acting in the movie was nothing Oscar worthy, but wasn't bad either; it did the trick. Bradley Cooper did a fine job going between a hot shot and nothing. I was disappointed in Robert De Niro's part as it wasn't as large as I thought it was going to be and almost seemed pointless and unneeded as well.
               All in all, I enjoyed the movie as it's fresh plot was passable enough to cover for its holes and somewhat weak ending. If anything it was enjoyable to imagine what one could accomplish not only if they can put their mind to it, but their "entire" mind to it. I give this movie a thumbs up and a solid 2 out of 4 stars.
                If you don't feel like spending the money to see it in theaters, that's fine, but I recommend seeing it once it's available on DVD and all other devices. It's something I believe both men and women would enjoy seeing as well.

Look out for my next review which will be on the movie Takers starring Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, T.I., and many others.

Surrogates

             What do you think the world would be like if you never had to leave your house? Better? Worse? Safer? Could you learn to adjust to a life like that? These are all thoughts that are provoked by the movie Surrogates. Surrogates is a sci-fi, action, thriller based off of a comic book series. It stars Bruce Willis as FBI Agent Tom Greer.
              In this world, almost everyone lives through a surrogate. A surrogate is a robot made to look like however you want and you control it with your own mind so that you can see, hear, taste, feel, and sense everything the robot does. This allows people to never leave their homes and worry about getting into car accidents or being hurt. This is because even if your surrogate gets destroyed while out in the world, nothing bad happens to you.
               Of course this all changes when two users are found dead after their surrogates are destroyed. These are the first murders in 14 years since surrogates were invented by James Cromwell's (Babe) character, Dr. Lionel Carter. This is where Agent Greer comes in and tries to figure out not only how this happened, but who is behind it and why. Through all of this, the film ties in messages of how hooked people can become to technology and it can't help but make you think about people and their phones today, for example.
                Now with anything that gets many people wrapped up into it, there are others who are against it. And in this movie it's no different. In the film there's groups of people all over the country against surrogates and living your life as a lie. So they live normally together in camps. They are all lead however by Ving Rhames' (Pulp Ficton), the Prophet. His intentions don't seem to be exactly what they seem which is to live a peaceful life. So Agent Greer must go between these two similar and separate worlds to find the truth behind these murders and why they're happening.
               Overall, I thought this movie was better than I expected and heard. Sure it had its holes here and there, but it kept me entertained and just when I thought I had the ending figured out it went a different direction. I figure most guys could enjoy this film quite easily, yet it'll probably be a bit more difficult to please the female crowd, but that can happen with this type of movie. However, if it looks interesting to you then by all means see it, you'll probably be entertained.
                I give the movie 2 1/2 stars out of 4 and a thumbs up. This movie is streaming now instantly on Netflix and may also be available through Redbox. Enjoy.

My next review will be on the Bradley Cooper's new movie in theaters right now, Limitless.