We take turns hosting the yearly gathering; wives and kids are booted from their homes and the dudes take over for 48 hours. Occasionally we’ll partake in some organized activity — a round of golf, a canoe trip, a hike — but mostly we just drink beer and catch up. We’ll gather at JB’s house in Atlanta this weekend, flying in from Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, California, Washington DC, New Jersey and New York to partake in the festivities.

Getting together with the old crew provides lots of belly laughs and an occasional intense moment or two. Just like in the movies! While packing for this weekend’s trip I started thinking about the merriment, silliness and drama that ensues in reunion-themed films. The reasons for the reunions may vary, but the conceit never gets old.

HIGH SCHOOL

The high school reunion movie is alive and well: 10 Years (Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson) is in theaters now and American Reunion (Stifler, Stifler’s mom) was released earlier this year. My personal favorites in the genre are both from 1997: Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion and Grosse Pointe Blank. The former provides lots of laughs as Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino make up all sorts of stuff to impress the mean girls who teased them back in the day, and the latter gives us the surprisingly red-hot chemistry between John Cusack and Minnie Driver and the classic line, “What am I gonna say? ‘I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. How have you been?’” It’s just dawning on me that 1997 was fifteen years ago, so this year would be the 25th reunions for these characters if their stories continued. Love that.

CAMP

While I futilely wait for a reunion movie featuring the kids from Camp (2003) — in which I first discovered Anna Kendrick and knew she’d be a star — I’ll settle for Indian Summer. The 1993 drama stars Matt Craven, Diane Lane, Bill Paxton, Elizabeth Perkins, Kevin Pollack, Vincent Spano, Julie Warner and Kimberly Williams as chums who reunite at the camp where they all met as kids. It’s basically a poor man’s Big Chill, but the autumnal setting is stunning and the movie marked the turning point where I could finally differentiate between Elizabeth Perkins and Elizabeth McGovern. (They look nothing alike… but I got them confused for years. After seeing Indian Summer I finally shouted, “Got it! Perkins was in About Last Night and Big, while McGovern appeared in Ordinary People and She’s Having a Baby.) Mystery solved!

FOLK SINGING GROUPS

If Shakes the Clown is, indeed, “the Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies” and if This is Spinal Tap “does for rock and roll what The Sound of Music did for hills,” then A Mighty Wind is the The Godfather of folk music mockumentaries and does for reunion concerts what Vertigo did for, well, vertigo. (For the record, even I struggle with that last sentence.) A Town Hall tribute concert to honor the recently departed folk music icon Irving Steinbloom reunites The Folksmen (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer) and Mitch & Mickey (Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara) and the New Main Street Singers (John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, et al.) Hilarity ensues, along with some actually decent music. There’s not enough room in all the blogs in the world to hold the love I have for this flick.

COLLEGE

The granddaddy of all reunion movies, The Big Chill features a stellar cast (Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, JoBeth Williams) who gather for the funeral of their friend/classmate (a never-seen-because-all-his-flashback-scenes-ended-up-on-the-cutting-room-floor Kevin Costner.) The film brilliantly captures the yuppy angst felt by this group of former idealists, all set to a spectacular Motown soundtrack that spawned not one but two hit records. I can’t wash dishes without hearing The Temptations “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” playing in my head, and it’s all I can do to not use a recently-dried dinner plate as a faux tambourine as I put them away.

I leave you now to consider your favorite reunion movies as I head off for my own Big Chill weekend. Here’s hoping that no one ends up sobbing on the shower floor, a la Glenn Close.

TODAY’S POLL:

What’s your favorite reunion-themed movie?

The Big Chill

Indian Summer

A Mighty Wind

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion

Source: Sony Pictures

Opening at a theatre near you:

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Count Dracula has a daughter, Mavis, and moves her to an isolated area to protect her from humans. The Count opens a high-end resort so that all his monster friends can get away from the real world. Dracula’s worst nightmare happens; a teenage human shows up at the resort and he’s interested in dating Mavis. Hotel Transylvania website

What to Watch For: This is the first feature length film that Russian born Genndy Tartakovsky has directed. Tarakovsky is best known as the creator of the animated Television hits, “Dexter’s Laboratory” and “Samurai Jack.”

Word on the Street: Adam Sandler wrote several of the songs that appear in the film.

My View: The film has a strong cast with Adam Sandler as Dracula, Selena Gomez as Mavis, the daughter and Andy Samberg as the teen-aged boy, Jonathan. The film also stars Kevin James, Cee Lo Green and Luenell.

Looper (2012)

Source: Sony Pictures

This film is set in the future. When the mob wants to rub out someone, they send them 30 years in the past where Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is waiting to commit the perfect crime. The mob has a surprise for Joe, though. They are sending him his future, older self (Bruce Willis) to be killed. Will Joe do the deed? Looper website

What to Watch For: September has been a lousy month at the box office. Will this film be the one that brings audiences back to the movie theatre?

Word on the Street: The film has been getting great “word of mouth” and was the opening night film at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.

My Take: Joseph Gordon-Levitt has proven that he can do the action movie with the summer big hit, “The Dark Knight Rises” and 2010’s “Inception” and now he’s teamed up with Bruce Willis, a proven action star.

Pitch Perfect (2012)

Source: Universal Pictures

Music is Becca’s (Anna Kendrick) life, so much so that she wants to move to Los Angeles to become a music producer. Her professor, Father wants her to get an education first, so he makes a deal with Becca – stay at the university for one year and join at least one group activity. So Becca joins “The Bellas,” an all-female A Cappella group as they work to reach the A Cappella national championship. The only problem is their main competition for the prize is on their own campus, an all-male group called “The Treblemakers.” Pitch Perfect website

What to Watch For: First time feature film director, Jason Moore knows his way around a musical. He was nominated for a 2004 Tony Award as Best Director of a Musical for the Broadway hit, “Avenue Q.”

Word on the Street: As she did in last year’s “Bridesmaids” and this year’s “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” Rebel Wilson steals every scene she’s in.

My Take: The film has an incredible amount of songs and the performances are great; including Anna Kendrick, but the humor of this film is what makes this movie so enjoyable. Think of this film as a combination of “Glee” meets “Mean Girls.”

Won’t Back Down (2012)

Source: 20th Century Fox

Nona (Viola Davis) is a mother who works as a teacher in a failing inner city school. She decides to team up with another mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and fight the bureaucracy of the school system to improve their children’s lives. Won’t Back Down IMDB page

What to Watch For: Viola Davis’ appearance in this film should bring audiences to the box office, as she’s hot off her Oscar nomination for last year’s big hit, “The Help.”

My Take: The film is loosely based on real events that happened in California where a law was passed that allows parents to demand changes at under-performing schools, including sacking the staff.

If you can’t go to the theatre this weekend, stay at home and watch movies on CW69.

Sunday

1:00 pm

Roxanne (1987) Based on the play, “Cyrano De Bergerac” local fire chief, C.D. (Steve Martin), takes Chris (Rick Rossovich) under his wing to help him woo the beautiful Roxanne (Daryl Hannah). The problem is Chris can’t talk to women and C.D. is secretly in love with Roxanne.

3:00 pm

Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) The Baker family returns, headed by Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt, as the parents, Tom and Kate. The family goes on vacation, but their plans are soon ruined by a rival family headed by Eugene Levy.

Smiley Rating:

If Porky’s (Bob Clark, 1982) date-raped The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967) and they had babies, American Pie (Paul Weitz, 1999) would be the plaid wearing, socially awkward, perverted, 17-year-old son, who lacks self confidence, receives middling to average grades, and wants nothing more than to lose his virginity.  On top of that, he masturbates too much, he is humiliated day in and day out, and he displays absolutely zero tact when it comes to communicating with the opposite sex.  Luckily, he makes us laugh.

Yes, indeed, American Pie makes us laugh.  We laugh because it’s shocking.  We laugh because it’s gross.  And most of all, we laugh because it’s awkward.   You know, like, the awkwardness of losing one’s virginity or asking someone to prom.  This universal sentiment of humility is expressed most effectively in the one-on-one scenes between father (Eugene Levy) and son (Jason Biggs).  In these scenes, these two guys are completely and utterly inept at communicating with each other about sex, and the result is seat-squirming hilarity.  For a moment, I wonder if women (mothers/daughters) have the same sort of communicative issues, but my wonderment ends quickly as I imagine these early sex-talks between parent and child are awkward for all involved, regardless of gender.  I suppose this sort of “prudeness” is a cultural thing, rather than a gender thing.  That being said, I just realized that maybe these scenes were the most effective purely because Eugene Levy and Jason Biggs are by far the most superior actors in the movie, and therefore have the best comedic chemistry.

Conversely, the biggest flaw in American Pie is that nothing is really at stake.  Except for maybe a moment of humiliation or a slight strike against the ego, these characters seem to have nothing to lose… except for their virginity.  Perhaps something as simple as a small money wager would have increased the suspense, but when considering the galore of quotable lines, the satisfying conclusion, and the handful of outrageous iconic moments, I’d say this flaw is minimal and worth over-looking.

I’ll end with an observation:  I was a horny 16-year-old going on 17 when this movie was first released, so naturally, American Pie spoke to me.  I’ve seen it many times since then, and while it is still enjoyable, I can’t honestly say that it gets better with age.  Unlike sex, the first time was hands down the most entertaining.  Which brings me to the original tagline, a line that speaks to why this film in particular was successful and also the reason why I believe the sequels to this franchise have all but completely failed.  That is, “There’s something about your first piece.”  Yes.  There most certainly is.

Directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, staring Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Tomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Sean William Scott, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Eugene Levy. The gang is back this time for their High School reunion.

All the orignal cast is back for this one, including those minor characters who appeared in the series connected with this cast. More crude balls jokes and essentially American Pie doing what it does best. Though baring the last half hour no new material is brought into the mix, Instead it’s a process of recycling old jokes and material. Such as a grandparent would do when tell a story.

Each of the guys have gone off into the real world, some have grown up and some havent but the main point is non of their lives have gone in the way they intended. Is this good enough to set on the mantle along the other in the series ? not really no. You spend the first hour enjoying old times and jokes of the guys getting caught in awkward places and so on then followed by brand new material then it would have been better. What we get instead is merely the contents of the recycle bin emptied and made into another film.

Granted this is a funny film where you will laugh if you’re a fan of the series, just the overwhelming feeling of seeing it all before haunts every scene.

The character’s themselves havent developed much, it’s still the gang getting into bad situations normally led by stiffer, so on that front they didn’t change the ingredients. However this is very clearly the guys film with the woman having no plot of their own nor doing much on their own, you would be hard pressed to find a scene of just the girls have more than a 10 second chat about anything other than the guys.

The real humor comes in the last 30 minutes where finally all new material is used and its of the class we expect from American Pie. Now no spoilers here but its clear this won’t be the last film in the series nor the last time we see these characters.

Normally with each film there are a few things which become well known and are joked about from the pie, to the grandmother being killed, with this I can only think of one joke which will be a highlight which is a shame.

The performance of this film easily goes to Eugene Levy who is easily the funniest man in this film even when being serious you can’t help but laugh.

OVERALL *** It’s a true American Pie film, only because it’s not using any new jokes or material until the last half an hour. If you’re a fan of the series then yes I’d recommend it. If you’ve never watched it before then you won’t get a lot of the cameos or jokes mentioned.

American Pie

American Pie 2
Year: 2001
Directed by: J.B. Rogers
IMDB / Wikipedia / Trailer

American Wedding
Year: 2003
Directed by: Jesse Dylan
IMDB / Wikipedia / Trailer

American Reunion
Year: 2012
Directed by: Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg
IMDB / Wikipedia / Trailer

Starring:
Jason Biggs
Chris Klein
Thomas Ian Nicholas
Seann William Scott
Tara Reid
Alyson Hannigan
Mena Suvari
Eddie Kaye Thomas
Shannon Elizabeth
Natasha Lyonne
Jennifer Coolidge
Eugene Levy

There was something about the first movie that made everyone my age stand up and take notice. Well, everyone stood up and took notice, but it struck home for me and my friends who were all about the same age. Like the principle characters in the movie, we were all in the Class of 1999, male, and seeking a willing female participant with whom to have sex. There was nothing regal or noble about our cause just as it was in the first movie. We thought we were God’s gift to women but we kept missing the bigger picture when it came to sex. Sex was only one piece of the puzzle and, to get to the point, some work needs to be put in and you have to give something of yourself up to her.

Some of us never learned that.

But, as as my friends and I aged, and more and more of these American Pie movies made their way into theaters, we felt almost obligated to see them because these characters almost became reflections of ourselves. We wanted to see if our lives were going as Hollywood said they would go. The first movie told us that we would discover ourselves and lose apart of ourselves on the way to emotional maturity. The second film reminded us that people change as we all go out and discover the world outside of our parents’ roofs. The third film told us that, though it may be joked as such, marriage is not the end of anything but the beginning of something new. All of these were lessons that, despite the movies, all taken in stride and in our own pace. As much as I liked the movies I knew that real life didn’t always work out as well.

But there was something that nagged me about the first three films: for as much “growing” and self-discovery that these characters were supposed to be doing they seemed to be trapped as static characters. I know it’s a lot to expect movies like this to show real progression and maturity, and I’m definitely not one to call someone out on making the same mistakes over and over, but it left the movies feeling a bit more hollow. The group of friends were always looking to get drunk, have sex, and just chill with one another. For three movies this was the theme and, though the stories were pretty good (not so much on AP2) the theme was getting old.

I didn’t have high expectations for American Reunion so much so that I skipped seeing it in the theater altogether. But I felt that this film, if any of them, could bring the validation to the series that was to be expected and it did not disappoint. Without giving too much away the fact that so often these characters were living in the past was brought up time and again and how that does not make a fulfilling life. Whether you have been to your high school reunion or not you probably know of at least one person who is still stuck in the past trying to recapture the feeling they had when they were 17 or 18. I knew so many of these types of people that I purposely avoided going to my reunion a couple of years ago. These are the people who still hang out with the same people every weekend, having the same party, drinking the same beer, and having the same conversations they did when they were a decade ago. It’s sad, but this movie addressed it and it was a bold gambit.

One of the perks of these films is watching someone else’s mix-ups and reminding yourself that, no matter what you did in high school, nothing you did was ever that bad or embarrassing. These movies were as much about reaffirming your sanity as it was about sex jokes and crude humor. It was like looking at the past and feeling better about yourself. However, the time for these movies has come and gone and its target audience is (hopefully) at the age where we can cherish the past while looking forward to the future.

As conflicted as my thoughts and feelings are on these films I really do love them. They’re funny, they’re mildly disturbing, and they’re memorable–as memorable as many of my high school exploits (of which there were very few)–and that’s why there will always be a spot on my DVD rack for them. Because we all knew a shy guy with good intentions, the jock with the heart of gold, the normal-seeming guy with the inexplicably hit girlfriend, the quiet intellectual, the prissy choir girl, the band geek, the mousy loner, and the loud-mouth windbag; and whomever you identified with in the films it will stand that you identified with someone and that’s what makes these movies stand apart from every other coming-of-age comedy ever.

Hopefully this will be the last installment as I am not looking forward to American Mid-Life Crisis, American Prostate Exam, American Retirement, and American Funeral.

Most Valuable Actor: Seann William Scott as Steve Stifler (a.k.a. The Stifmeister). Without him these movies would have been fine and pretty funny, but with him they became outrageous riot fests that had me trying to catch my breath time and again. I’m not going to say that any actor could have pulled off the cocky jock persona, but Scott took it to another level with his subtle physical humor and his way to deliver the absolutely filthy dialogue. His character was a bit contrived in American Wedding but he was able to pull it off with his ability to become his character.

This film is exactly what you would expect from an American Pie film. It’s laugh out loud comedy, Stifler throwing a party, Kevin and Vicki reconnecting, Jim and his father talking awkwardly about sex and Jim getting himself into some sexually bad problems.

What I really liked about the film was that it seemed to be geared towards the generation that watched the original American Pie movies.

So many sequels are made for the new generation.

The only way you are going to enjoy this film is if you watched at least the first American Pie movie.

There is a lot of references to the first film, as there should be in a high school reunion movie.

Even the smaller characters are back like the MILF guys and the Shermanator.

Nadia makes a small appearance too and don’t forget about Stifler’s mom, she’s there as well.

Stifler is going to be getting some pay back for Finch sleeping with his mom all those years ago.

American Reunion makes you want to watch all the other American Pie films again.

Another thing this film does, is highlight how none of us are where we thought we would be after high school.

We all hope that when we return to our high school and see our old friends that we are going to have amazing things to tell them. This is not usually the case; we just end up with normal lives.

If you loved American Pie, American Pie 2 and American Wedding, you’re going to love this film.

Grade: B

This film was released on DVD and blu-ray in the United States in July. American Pie: Reunion will be released on Monday, September 10 in the United Kingdom. Note that this film is titled American Reunion in the US and American Pie: Reunion in the UK.

The Words (2012)

Source: CBS Films

A struggling writer, Rory (Bradley Cooper) is given an old briefcase that contains a manuscript. Rory decides to submit the work as his own and it becomes a big success. He must now, though, deal with the consequences of his actions. The Words website

What to Watch For: CBS Films won a bidding war for the film after it was shown at this year’s Sundance Film Festival (full disclosure, I work for CBS Television Stations).

Word on the Street: There is talk that Jeremy Irons may receive a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance.

My Take: I want to see this film because of the cast, which includes Cooper and Irons but also, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde and Zoe Saldana.

For A Good Time, Call (2012)

Source: Focus Films

College rivals, Lauren (Lauren Anne Miller) and Katie (Ari Graynor) who through a mutual friend (played by Justin Long), are forced to become roommates due to financial circumstances. Lauren soon learns that the job she moved to New York City for is gone and discovers that Katie makes ends meet by being a phone sex operator. Soon the two girls team up to open their own sex chat line. But, will success go to their heads? For a Good Time, Call website

What to Watch For: The co-writer of the film, Katie Anne Naylon actually did run her own phone sex line from her dorm in college.

Word on the Street: Lauren Miller, co-writer and star of the film is married to Seth Rogen, who plays one of the callers of the phone sex line.

My Take: It’s a very funny film that shows off the comedic talents of Ari Graynor – surely an actress to keep tabs on.

Bachelorette (2012)

Three women (Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan) who were jerks to a fellow student, Becky (Rebel Wilson) while in college are now asked to join her wedding party. They are determined to give Becky a bachelorette party that she will never forget and they succeed … maybe a little too successfully. Bachelorette website

What to Watch For: Rebel Wilson is said to be the highlight of the film; much like she did in her appearances in “Bridesmaids” (2011) and “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” (2012).

Word on the Street: The film has already been released on the Video on Demand platform and at one time was the number one film on iTunes.

My Take: I have hope for this film since Will Ferrell produced the film and the director, Leslye Headland, is a former staff writer on the excellent TV show, “Terriers.”

If you can’t make it to the theatre this weekend, stay at home and watch movies on CW69.

Sunday

1:00 pm

Jawbreaker (1999) When a high school prank goes horribly wrong and results in the death of their best friend, three popular girls cover up their participation. Now, they have to make a deal with a geek girl who has discovered their secret, either make her popular or she spills the beans.

3:00 pm

Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) The Baker family returns in the second installment of this franchise, headed by Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt as parents, Tom and Kate. The family goes on vacation, but their plans are soon ruined by a rival family headed by Eugene Levy.

By Mimi Starbrick

Well well well and this is like Helen Hunt on her hunting trip in the artics with Alice Roosevelt…or was it Eleanor Roosevelt…or Eugene Levy…I havn’t studyd histry fer a wile.  Miffle my smiffle and whoo when you want a muffin!

Improvisation can be very hit and miss. The problem with Best in Show and anything by Christopher Guest is that it is all, largely, improvised, so his movies become hit and miss as well.

The other problem that Guest has is that he has a reputation built on one of the coolest and funniest, mostly improvised films ever, This is Spinal Tap. People now expect Guest, who was largely responsible for Spinal Tap, to then produce something as good, especially if he manages to bring along the actors who helped make that film a success. Unfortunately, the spark and magic that helped make This is Spinal Tap a classic just isn’t reproduced here.

Christopher Guest struggles to recapture the magic of This is Spinal Tap!

It isn’t for lack of a good idea. The films based on improvised or fluid ideas are only as good as their main theme and the Crufts style Dog Show is a fantastic way to produce a wide range of unique, obsessive, quirky but hopefully funny characters. Best in Show has the full range, from the rich megastar to the “underdog” hopeful to the quarrelling couple who stay together for the sake of their dog. Each have their own great stories that have very funny moments but it’s never sustained.

The film lacks the clever, subtle touches that Spinal Tap had and also the stand-out, classic moments. There are some great scenes and some of the characters play very well off each other but it never really impresses like the Rock Mockumentary managed too.

Eugene Levy is brilliant and manages to be the best character in the film… again!

That isn’t to say there aren’t some brilliant performances and stand-out characters. Eugene Levy seems to find it effortless to steal a film. He manages to deliver some of the best lines and has the greatest reactions to how other characters act around him. The funniest part of the film is actually the commentary for the Dog Show though. The double-act of Fred Willard and Jim Piddock is acted perfectly. The combination of Willard’s awful and sometimes inappropriate knowledge of dogs, coupled with the straight-man, straight-faced delivery of Piddock is worth sitting through the whole ninety minute film to witness.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t make the film good overall. Although there are brilliant moments and some great characters, they deliver too sporadically and there are long moments of the strange or just outrageous.

Overall, aside from a few great performances and very clever scenes, this film lacks the subtlety and originality that made a film like This is Spinal Tap such a success. It is worth watching for Eugene Levy and Jim Piddock’s brief scenes but even those can’t make this film a good overall movie.

Rating 6.2

(1-3 – awful/avoid. 4-6 – average. 7-8 – good. 9-10 – fantastic.)

Willard and Piddock manage to be the best part of the whole film and well worth watching for their scenes alone!

Title : Goon | Year : 2011 | Genre : Drama| Cast: Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Liev Schreiber, Eugene Levy, Marc-Andre Grondin, Kim Coates, Nicholas Campbell|  Director : Michael Dowse| Rate :

[Perhatian : Mungkin dari beberapa bagian di review ini mengandung spoiler]

Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott -American Reunion, Planet 51) adalah pria yang tak spesial, di keluarganya dia seperti dibedakan dari adiknya bahkan dengan kemampuan otak yang terbatas dia akhirnya hanya menjadi petugas keamanan di sebuah bar lokal. Suatu saat Pat (Jay Baruchel -She’s Out of My League, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) temannya tanpa sengaja merekam aksi Doug saat menghajar pemabuk di bar tersebut dan pelatih hockey Halifax Highlanders melihatnya. Dari titik itulah akhirnya Doug direkrut menjadi pemain hockey dengan satu tujuan : merontokkan pertahanan lawan dengan pukulannya yang keras. Lambat laun kesuksesan diraih Doug, tapi tetap saja keluarganya tak pernah menyetujui jalan karirnya yang berbahaya. Doug sadar bahwa kebodohannya memang tak membuat keluarga bangga. Obsesinya terhadap Hockey karena Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber -X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Salt), pemain legendaris yang akhirnya bertemu dalam satu lapangan. Dia berhadapan dengan Rhea setelah keluarga mulai menerima dirinya dan gadis bernama Eva (Alison Pill -The Newsroom) yang membuat Doug jatuh cinta.

Seann William Scott memang cocok bermain untuk tipe film-film seperti ini, meski termasuk B-Movie menurut saya sendiri, Goon mempunyai plot yang rapih dengan eksekusi yang rata-rata baik. Pesan yang simple, bagaimana seorang yang terlalu disia-siakan menjadi seseoang yang akhirnya bisa dipandang hebat. Sama halnya film bertema zero to hero, Goon tak banyak didengungkan namun lumayan baik untuk sebuah film olahraga yang dicampur dengan drama.

Oh ya, Jay Baruchel jauh lebih annoying di film ini ketimbang di film-film dia sebelumnya.[109/2012]

American Pie: Reunion arrives on DVD and Blu-ray August 22, 2012.

A lot has changed since the gang from East Great Falls last graced our screens all the way back in 2003. Video games abandoned traditional controllers. Osama Bin Laden and Kim Jong Il died. Celebrities embraced Twitter, and a lot of them got in trouble for saying really offensive things. The Avengers finally arrived in cinemas, curing us of all sickness, and ending famine, suffering, and inequality the world over (or rather, it will in a few weeks time). And just recently Oreo revolutionised the hackneyed ‘Double Oreo’ and introduced ‘Triple Double Oreos’. That’s a lot of cultural milestones, and today’s teens are different from the generations that have come before because of them. So, unless the four direct-to-DVD American Pie spin-offs released in the past few years actually have serious cache amongst kids, I can’t imagine them caring much about what Jim, Oz, Kevin, Finch, or even Stifler have been up to over the past decade.

But that’s probably a good thing. American Reunion – or, American Pie: Reunion, as it’s called here in Australia – fares worst when it tries to compete with recent high school raunch-fests. Writer-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg are unable to craft any particularly memorable sequences to outdo the infamous set pieces from the original movie. Whenever they do try and wedge the 30-something male cast into an awkward sexual scenario with a buxom 18-year-old girl, it’s uncomfortable and unpleasant for everyone involved. Thus, the fourth instalment of the series is unlikely to send any young boys tittering onto the schoolyard. What sets American Reunion apart – and occasionally, even elevates it – is the nostalgia factor. There is an inherent pleasure and comfort in seeing these actors reunite, and I found myself surprisingly delighted to welcome back each cast member as they revealed themselves one by one.

If you hadn’t already picked up the premise of the film – really? – here’s the basic distillation: the class of ’99 that we once saw frantically and embarrassingly attempt to jettison their virginity are invited to their 13-year school reunion. But the crew is not as it used to be. The formerly freaky Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) are having trouble getting the spark back ever since they had a kid; Oz’s (Chris Klein) lacrosse days are over, and he now earns a pay check by hosting a banal sports show and appearing over-enthusiastic on Celebrity Dance Off (a nice play on his notorious leaked Mamma Mia auditions); Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is a house-husband; Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) is a worldly traveller; and Stifler (Seann William Scott), is, well, Stifler, but now his shtick is getting really pathetic considering he can’t even hold down a temp job at an insurance firm (Stifler remains – despite all odds – a supremely appealing presence, and that’s entirely thanks to Scott’s over-sexed, eager-puppy performance).

They’re not the only ones to return: Mena Suvari, Tara Reid, and pretty much all the bit players from the first flick score some screen time. Even Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy) and Stifler’s mum (Jennifer Coolidge) get their own romantic moments. Each character has a surprisingly thoughtful through-line, having to deal with work, marriage, children, and even death. With the cruel realities of adulthood upon them, and the sudden realisation that they are all 30 and perhaps not living the life they had always dreamed, how can they not reflect on high school with rose tinted glasses? But, as they learn, you can never really go back home. And though American Reunion is a mostly enjoyable experience, it pales in comparison to the original, which only makes that maxim all the more true.

3/5

Check out Simon’s other reviews here.

American Pie: Reunion arrives on DVD and Blu-ray August 22, 2012.

But for all those who really need to know what has become of East Great Falls High’s graduating class of 1999, “American Reunion” exists.  Surprise – no one has changed all that much!  If you took five minutes to think about what the most likely life trajectories would be for all the characters, congratulations, you have the same IQ as the screenwriters.

Jim is still as horny as ever, and thankfully the film is able to justify some of his exploits by raising the stakes and amplifying the embarrassment (translation: some very uncomfortable Biggs full-frontal nudity).  Seann William Scott’s Stifler is still a jerk (and his mom is still busty as ever); Thomas Ian Nichols’ Kevin and Chris Klein’s Oz are still struggling with their feelings for the lovely Vicky (Tara Reid) and Heather (Mena Suvari), respectively; Eddie Kaye Thomas’ Finch is still an enigma to the rest of the group and to us.

If “American Reunion” really wanted to shock us, the better option would have been to have some of these characters fundamentally change.  Compared to seeing Jason Biggs’ penis smushed under the lid of a pot, a script that dared to challenge the notion that people aren’t doomed to keep reliving new version of their high school problems would have registered much higher on the Richter scale of shock.

Instead, we get to see the old archetypes thrown into a rerun of the good old days, forcing the characters we once loved to act out the plot of Adam Sandler’s “Grown Ups.”  How much that can entertain you depends on how much you liked these characters in the first place.  C / 

Directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, Just whose backyard is it, anyway? Spring has sprung, and Verne and his woodland friends awaken from their long winter’s nap to discover that a large, green hedge has cropped up right through the middle of their once-natural habitat. Enter RJ, an opportunistic raccoon who explains that the world beyond the hedge is “the gateway to the good life” where peculiar creatures called humans live to eat, rather than eat to live. “For humans,” RJ proclaims, “enough is never enough.” Suspicious and even a little jealous of the charismatic smooth-talking RJ, the ever cautious Verne wants to keep his blended family safely on their side of the hedge. But, proving the adage that one man’s garbage is another man’s–or, rather, animal’s–treasure.

Title : American Reunion | Year : 2012 | Genre : Comedy | Cast: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Sean William Scott, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, John Cho, Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy, Dania Ramirez |  Director : Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg| Rate :

The Boys is back. Setelah 8 tahun berpisah sejak pernikahan Jim (Jason Biggs) dan Michelle (Alyson Hannigan -How I Met Your Mother). Jim, Oz (Chris Klein -Wilfred, Street Fighter : The Legend of Chun-Li), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) dan Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas -Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, How to Make It in America) bertemu beberapa hari sebelum reuni SMA digelar. Mereka sengaja tak mengikutkan Stifler (Seann William Scott -Mr. Woodcock, Planet 51) karena mereka tahu Stifler pasti akan merusak acara mereka. Namun, Stifler tetaplah Stifler bertemu tak sengaja membuat mereka akhirnya bersatu lagi melakukan hal gila yang seharusnya sudah tidak mereka lakukan atas dasar kedewasaan. Selalu ada sisi kekanak-kanakan dalam setiap manusia meski mereka sudah tumbuh dewasa, percintaan SMA yang belum selesai dan harapan yang masih mengganjal sejak SMA.

Siapa yang tak kenal mereka. Remaja generasi 90an pastinya tak mungkin tak mengenal mereka, gang yang konyol dan mau melakukan apapun demi ketenaran di kalangan siswa sejak itu. Kini mereka sudah beranjak dewasa dengan kehidupan yang mapan dan pasangan masing-masing. Sebuah reuni yang menyenangkan dibalut dalam komedi khas anak muda dan tetap bisa membuat tertawa atau minimal tersenyum.

Semua karakter, kecuali Stifler berubah dari sifat mereka yang dulu konyol menjadi karakter yang cukup serius dalam hidup mereka. Dan itu adalah point penting tentang arti sebuah kedewasaan. Meski persahabatan mereka sudah sangat lama, chemistry dari kelima tokoh bisa terjalin dengan baik dan rapih.

Ah, sayapun merasa ada di dalam acara reuni tersebut mengingat masa SMA yang kadang seru dan kadang penuh misteri, karena kita tidak pernah tahu bagaimana masa depan kita sampai saat itu tiba dengan sendirinya.[99/2012]

PROMISES, PROMISES
Encores!, mARCH 21, 1997
Christine Baranski, Martin Short, Terrence Mann, Kerry O’Malley, Dick Latessa, Jenifer Lewis, Eugene Levy, Joe Grifasi, Samuel E. Wright, Ralph Byers
(VOB)
A production of Encores! at City Center in New York.  Filmed high up in the balcony, with no zooms-mostly a full stage shot, and lots of spotlight washout, so you can’t see much definition, but this is the only known video of the show to exist!  If the filmer had zoomed in a little-this would have been a much better video. C+

I’ve seen this film over a dozen times and I always laugh, even though I know what is going to happen.  It is a mostly improvised film, meaning there was no real script.  This makes for some interesting interchanges, and a lot of “cutting room floor” material, which is featured in the deleted scenes on the DVD.  I think it also makes the performances more honest- rather than reciting from a script, the actors have to react to a situation.

I first saw this in a movie theater while on a date.  I believe I liked it more than the girl did, and to be honest, I probably liked the movie more than I liked the girl.  I’ve had an odd history with dating and movies.  I’ve always thought that a movie was a good date night activity and I still do, but my opinion has changed over time.  Nowadays, I think it is good to go to a movie on a date to find out if you are theater compatible.  Do you or your date talk during the movie? Do you like the front of the theater or back? Aisle or middle? Stadium seating or does it not matter?  I think these are important questions and can tell a lot about a person (as well as tell how the relationship might go). There will be more on this in future posts, I’m sure.

Back to the film.  One of the interesting things about the film is that since there are numerous characters, all of whom are weird and funny, there’s something for everyone.  The Swans have always been my favorites- I would have liked to see a whole movie just about them.

Here’s the wikipedia entry on Best In Show: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_in_Show_(film)