The Movie Overdose attempts to contain the apocalypse with a review of Roland Emmerich’s 2012. We chat about how we would change Eddie Murphy for the better, what kind of sequel we want for Star Trek and whether we are glad to see Sean Connery coming back, if only in voice form. Tom slightly dampens the praise given to An Education and Sam revels in the madness of Running Scared and the flawed ambition of Dogma. The conclusion involves a discussion of actors that, no matter what, we always look forward to seeing on screen.

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I haven’t done anything new for a while, so watch this until I do…

Reviewed by Alicia Glass

Studio: Revel Entertainment

MPAA Rating: N/A

Director: Ben Gourley

Review Rating: 7

 Two slacker repo guys, one with girl troubles and one with brain troubles, decide to steal back all the cars they’ve repo’d to make a profit.

 It’s a perfectly fine movie, the first official full-length made by director and star Ben Gourley. My only problem with it is there’s very little that stands out and makes it memorable. Sure it has Jason Mewes of Jay and Silent Bob fame, with short dark hair even, but his new character for this movie acts more or less the same as Jay. Gourley’s character Leon, while an actual sensitive and caring male soul, seems to have the fates conspiring against him once he finds a girl he actually wants. And since Leon is the manager of his apartment complex, there are several other zany characters to choose from to make life more interesting: the fat and sensitive ever-present computer geek, the strange and brooding but good-hearted hard-rock star, and so on. There was one thing I clearly recalled though: T.J.’s wife Dominique is a bit of a larger woman and ethnic too, and that’s slightly unusual for most movies, I was glad to see it here.

 Not a bad movie at all, a good waste of time that may appreciate with age or theatrical release, Repo is the kind of movie that reminds us all how important it is to have life long friends who would do anything for you – whether you like it or not.

 Check out the trailer on the website here

So most people know that I love the Clerks movies, so I wanted to try and see what types of signs I could find in there, to exercise the reading for Thursday’s class. This is from the sequel to the movie, and, of course, has some epic R-rated language, but it makes me laugh, and we’re adults, so I hope this is OK for posting. So here we go…

The first thing that struck me was a sign of the title of this video. I thought this was where Jay rapped his signature rap, as it was referenced in the his own movie (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), but this version of the rap is different, and is indicative of the time he has spent in jail and cleaning his life around. It’s also not as loaded with as many epithets as his usual mouth, but it’s a sign that the rehab program he was in has started to change his thinking. It’s even more interesting to see Silent Bob’s expression as Jay is rapping, as he sort of shies away – it’s not Jay’s best, and it doesn’t sound really good. This might be a sign of how he really feels for Jay – either concerned for him, or embarrassed that he still hangs out with Jay.

Where Jay and Silent Bob are standing is also very interesting – they are standing in front of a Mooby’s fast food restaurant in Leonardo, New Jersey (a place that has been established to be a “waste pit” in other movies). The Mooby’s is also a reference to McDonald’s, because it’s everywhere in the View Askew universe (the set of movies Kevin Smith has directed with these characters), a sign of its omnipresence and hold over the lives of people who can’t get a “real job” (aka Dante and Randal, and Jay and Silent Bob usually end up wherever Dante and Randal go, maybe a sign of fate?). The bricks behind them are quite apparent, even though the Mooby’s logo is perfectly written on there and the paint looks really good. It’s an interesting sign because the stereotype of New Jersey is that it is a dump and that large buildings like this usually receive a lot of graffiti (which ends up happening later). It’s an interesting sign at the possibility of hope of life for Dante, Randal, Jay, and Silent Bob. Now that’s something I didn’t see when I saw the movie the first time around.

I also appreciated the fact that not only did this scene point to and reference other movies (the Buddy Christ shirt is from Dogma), but it also pointed to what our commonsense notion of what a drug dealer and a reborn Christian talks and acts like. Even though Jay and Silent Bob have gone through jail, they both still have the same posture and the same types of conversations of when they were drug dealers (could be signifying that rehab doesn’t work fully?), but that the experience was worthwhile for them, as they now found the Bible, and Jay wants to do something with his life now. It’s even more of a sign of how the experience of jail worked on them, because their language is still roughly the same as when they were standing in front of the Quick Stop. Another “cue”/sign here is that Silent Bob is in the scene, as he’s the director and the character, but he holds up the Bible to the camera when Jay references it, potentially showing us a view they may/may not have in terms of faith and religion in modern day society (could be parodying this type of people, which I could see).

I couldn’t really find too many more signs of the change of Jay and Silent Bob (other than than the lack of music going on – since it is silent – Jay usually raps with non-diegetic music – it seems to signify something has changed about his lifeworld), but their costumes are a little bit cleaner and worn on them as well, signifying their use in jail, along with the hard lives they have been leading until this point. The costumes of the people who want to buy drugs from them also were done well enough (including their posture), to signal that they were also down on their luck and they think that weed will help them, but the audience ends up being surprised that the main reason they choose this dealer is that he makes them laugh – a sign for the audience to laugh, as it is unexpected.

Please feel free to add on – I would like to see what other signs I take for granted in this scene, as I know these characters pretty well (or at least I would like to think so).

(^^)V

Making porno’s have never been so funny.

When longtime platonic friends Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) find themselves in financial hot water, they hit upon the idea of making an adult film with amateur actors — including themselves — to bring in easy money.

This film is Kevin Smith’s second film stepping away from the View Askiniverse universe, the other one is the bomb Jersey Girl. Now when you consider the title and the writer/director, Kevin Smith who is often known for his funny work mixed in with a tempest of crude vulgarity, I worried that Zack and Miri might dissolve into a simply put dirty movie but its not. It has more of the fun than the filth.

This film surely is very different from Smith’s previous works its funny and can be very raunchy but also has a bit of tenderness. To watch Rogen’s and Banks’ relationship evolve on screen is something that is very beautiful and surely a sight to see. Many of his other movies like Dogma and Clerks II where it gets so disgusting that you just get totally taken away from the story, though right when this film seems like its going to get out of control it doesn’t and stays more tender and doesn’t jump off that cliff and go into filth.

The greatness of this film comes from the charm that lies within Banks and Rogen. They are both hilarious and feature great chemistry that in the end keeps this film all together. Many of the supporting casts make this film ten times better with stars such as Justin Long, Craig Robinson, and Jason Mewes.

However I did have one problem with this film towards the end. I think Kevin Smith is great at writing funny and catchy dialogue but not the romantic sentimental screenplays. I think that the film made me laugh too much by the end when it wasn’t supposed to but of course most of it was saved by the comedy that saved each scene from going too far into the really cheesy love scenes. Another thing I didn’t quite like was how much of the cast was taking from other Judd Apatow films (Rogen, Banks, and Robinson). I think that Smith saw this man as a comedy directing genius and thought the best way too overcome him was to take a lot of big name actors and put them in his film. Not a lot of originality when it came to the cast.

The film’s title seems too raunchy too see but it does not go over the edge and creates a loveable of portrait of two friends who fall in love all because of a porno.

8/10=Matinee!!!

I’m not even supposed to be here today!

– Dante Hicks

This is the first time I have seen Kevin Smith’s breakthrough film, Clerks. Since its release in 1994, it has a cult following with people who follow Smith. This film reeks with Smith’s staples raunchy, obscenity filled, witty dialogue. It’s not a masterpiece, but it was a enjoyable ride.

The movie revolves around the day of the life of Dante (Brian O’Halloran), a lonely convenience store worker that is trying to get through the day. He is called into work on his day off to open up the store. He doesn’t want to deal with the riffraff that comes into the store everyday.

This is a mundane take on twenty-something people that are living their unremarkable lives. Dante is friends with Randal (Jeff Anderson) who works a crappy video store that is attached the store. Randal is an abrasive personality that rubs Dante the wrong way.

Dante has to deal with his girlfriend, Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti) always prodding him to do something with his life instead of working at the convenience store. Dante still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Caitlin (Lisa Spoonauer), who he finds out in getting married.

Throughout of the movie, Dante and Randal have to deal with multiple customers with some serious problems. Have Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith) loitering in front of the store selling drugs and such.

A movie shot entirely in black and white was a good choice to convey how lifeless these characters lives are. O’Halloran had some very good moments in this film. There was a long continuous shot between two characters that lasted roughly five minutes was great.

That being said, this movie is not all good. Some of the sequences dragged on a bit too much. I don’ know if Smith wanted the customers to be overtly quirky and insane. The character of Randal is such a dick; I don’t understand how Dante could be friends with him.

Judgment: All and all, not the greatest movie ever, but an interesting take on people trying to find their way in the world.

Rating: ***1/2

[WARNING: THIS EPISODE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS]

Season 8 of Degrassi, to put it midly, sucked (as a whole).  My only expectations of Paradise City after they renamed it to Degrassi Goes Hollywood was that it would provide me with enough material to rip the movie to shreds.

Boy was I wrong.

Acting has never really been a major beef with me, it’s always been the engaging content (or lack thereof) over the past several seasons that they give the characters to work with.  Directed by Stefan Brogren, Degrassi Goes Hollywood manages to prove that the people behind the scenes of my beloved show still got the mojo.

MAIN PLOT

Not hard to see why Paige hates her job as a personal assistant.

 Paige, an aspiring stylist, is working as an assitant to an arrogant reality tv star. Meanwhile, Manny’s still in the theatre program at Smithdale, and she’s dating her acting teacher Mick.  Jason Mewes is holding auditions in Canada for his new movie and he wants Manny for the lead role, but she bombs the audition after her tool of a boyfriend continually puts her down and tells her she’ll be a failure as an actress.  Jason eventually returns Hollywood, and through a series of events Paige lands the role.

To say this movie is  “Paige vs. Manny” is a major overstatement.  As the movie progresses it’s more about the characters versus themselves:  Paige dealing with her new-found fame and Manny battling her insecurities about her acting skills.  What I initially thought would be a contrived storyline is one that actually works, because it fits into the continuity of Paige wanting to work in fashion and Manny being an aspiring actress; these concepts have been continuously developed over the past few years.

All hope is lost until Manny realizes she has a second chance.

Manny’s plot feels the most genuine because her friends (Emma, Kelly and eventually Jay) force her to overcome her low self esteem, caused by her verbally abusive boyfriend.  Manny hops on a school bus with Jay and The Studz (who gained and quickly lost a role in Mewes’ movie) to head to Hollywood so she can audition once again, and despite the rough ending to Janny’s relationshipa while back, Jay helps Manny regain her confidence.

While Lauren Collins’ acting is spot on, Paige’s part of the plot feels very rushed.  Once she lands the part, she’s suddenly on the cover of Seventeen magazine, and out of nowhere develops a giant ego even though she’s barely been on the set.  She invites Marco and Ellie to come stay with her, and while Ellie goes off on her own adventure (see Subplot below), Marco’s soul purpose is to be there to eventually call Paige out on her crap.

Kevin Smith only manages to make a few visual appearances in Degrassi Goes Hollywood.

Degrassi Goes Hollywood does a great job of making sure the story focuses on the stars of the episode (Paige, Manny, Ellie) and doesn’t drift off path by focusing too much on making it too Hollywood-y.  Besides Jason Mewes and the occasional video appearance by Kevin Smith, the rest of the real-life celebs (Perez Hilton, Vivica Fox, Kelly Carlson, Cassadee Pope, Pete Wentz) only make very brief appearances.

Another success of Degrassi Goes Hollywood is how it manages to give us a bittersweet ending.  Yes Manny lands the lead role in Mewes’ movie as well as Studz getting a part, and Paige becomes Mewes’ assistant.  We also witness what could be the end of a great friendship between Paige and Marco. 

As always, Cassie Steele and Lauren Collins bring their A game to Degrassi.

Degrassi Goes Hollywood is an absolute gem compared to the last couple of seasons of Degrassi.  I’m giving the credit to Lauren Collins and Cassie Steele for being solid leading ladies, Stacey Farber for executing the wonderful storyline they gave Ellie and most importantly Stefan Brogren for being the driving force behind it all. 

Now we can officially look forward to Season 9.  Seasons 7 and 8 felt like transitions seasons for the new characters, so I have high expectations that this next season will be firing on all cylinders.  I’m making a bold statement right now: the epsidoes in season 9 that have been directed by Stefan will be amazing.

DEGRASSI GOES HOLLYWOOD MAIN PLOT GRADE: A-

************************** 

SUBPLOT

Crellie returns to Degrassi.

In what could’ve been a disaster, Crellie’s storyline was done masterfully.  Instead of it being solely about Craig and Ellie’s relationship, they gave Ellie an issue to deal with: the return of her dad from Afghanistan, who is now suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.  Ellie refuses to go see him at the hospital because she can’t bear the thought of seeing him in a helpless state, and she feels helpless herself because she doesn’t know how to “fix” him.

While walking around Hollywood, Ellie randomly runs into Craig.  They end up spending a day together catching up, since they hadn’t talked to each other in over a year.  A couple of scenes caught my eye as being amazing:  Craig singing “Rescue You” to Ellie and the scene between them in the hallway when Ellie realizes she’ll never be with Craig. 

Craig’s song had an obvious meaning, seeing as how he had written it for Ellie.  It didn’t feel like Craig intentionally did anything to help Ellie deal with her dad issues; where he helped was by simply being there.  In Ellie’s life which has been torn apart, the fact she was around someone she loved (even if she denied it to everyone but herself), and the fact he was the one there for her was enough to lift her spirit.

Ellie realizes Craig will never feel the way she feels about him.

Hands down, the best scene in the movie is when Ellie leaves Craig’s apartment after dinner with him and his girlfriend. Their conversation is a much better version of the romantic misinterpretations Ellie displayed way back in “Weddings, Parties, Anything.”  

“I just really have to stop thinking that my feelings for you will ever be requited.”  Ellie’s line, followed by Craig’s deflective response is Degrassi at its finest.

Crellie says goodbye one last time.

The great thing is Brogren never backs down from Ellie’s statement.  Even though Crellie shares a kiss as they say goodbye in a semi-cheesy style airport scene, Craig and Ellie still don’t get together as a couple.  I’m sure plenty of fans would’ve loved to see them end ”happily ever after.” However, the fact that Degrassi resisted Crellie officially getting together since Season 5 is thoroughly respectable, given how quickly couples get together on this show.

DEGRASSI GOES HOLLYWOOD SUBPLOT: A+