2010 Movies - Few Bright Spots so Far

For me, this year has been a huge disappointment for major movie releases. Here are a few bright spots and surprises for me mid-way through 2010 that I viewed at my local movie theater.

Cop Out

This movie benefited from going in without expectations. It sounded like a recipe for disaster. Note that I am fan of Kevin Smith despite has last few films. I figured that I couldn't handle Tracy Morgan for more than 4-5 minutes at a time. I assumed he would only be good in short bursts, like SNL. However, Morgan was very humorous, playing off Bruce Willis (using his smarmy persona), with ease. I found it consistently funny, unlike other comedies this year. It features a small roll by Stifler (Sean William Scott.) that made me laugh. If anything was wrong it was that Kevin Pollak's comic presence was under-utilized. I recommend giving Cop Out a rent, you might be surprised.

Hot-Tub Time Machine

Another movie I entered into without any pre-conceived thoughts of greatness, although I must admit the thought of John Cusack being transported back to the 80's brought feelings of nostalgia for my childhood. I laughed at the high ridiculousness of it all and dug the music immensely (again the 80's factor.) The cast also really seemed to gel well together, playing off of each comfortably. Corddry and Robinson are really funny actors and are showcased. Again, more cameo roles, with Chevy Chase as the Hot-Tub Time Machine repairman, Crispin Glover as the bell-hop and William "Billy" Zabka, 80's villain extraordinaire, as Rick Steelman. I enjoyed it. I'm not saying it's a must-buy, but definitely worth a viewing.

Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass followed it's namesake and well, did kick ass. Okay that was lame... but what do you do with a title like that. In our backward culture there was outcry created by language used by the young characters and not as much for the violence (though there were complaints.) Much like Shoot 'Em Up, I think this movie was woefully misunderstood. Why is violence in print acceptable, yet when portrayed on screen in an obviously over-the-top fashion we are offended? This is a parody of a genre and of violence itself. It's so removed from reality, it's hilarious just in principle. Look for the Nicolas Cage tribute to comic pulp in his Adam West style line-delivery. Kick-Ass gets a high recommendation from me.

The Losers

Another lesser-known graphic novel turned movie. I thought this one worked really well. The casting was excellent and although the plot could be considered formulaic and predictable (think A-team), it worked and was paced nicely. I had plenty of laughs with this one. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who I really enjoyed in The Watchmen, has a great chemistry with Zoe Saldana, and Chris Evans is particularly notable for his laugh-out-loud scenes. The Losers are winners in my book! I apologize for that last line...