Movie review: Louis C.K.: Live at the Comedy Store

Louis C.K. is back with another special focusing his comic talent on dead pets, kitchen bats, rat intimacy, and Boston accents among other topics.

Louis chooses some interesting topics to examine, and often has an unusual perspective as well. That said, some of his bits are a hit such as kitchen bats, while others like rat intimacy are not. And other segments felt as if they weren't fully baked and he was just testing them. Rather than feeling like a comedy special from an experienced comedian, this felt more like audience stand-up night at a local club.

This one is a mixed bag to be sure. Some fans may enjoy it while others will miss the quality he used to exhibit. Those not familiar with Louis C.K. may enjoy this more than those who are.

With some foul language and sexuality, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2015
Reviewed: 11.12.16
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Comedy, Stand-up comedy, Dark comedy

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Dana Carvey: Straight While Male, 60

Comedian Dana Carvey examines Hitler, Chinese factory workers, his role as a father of millennials, and teenagers in this comedy special.

Back again, Dana proves he can still bring the laughs in this comedy special. Tackling topics like millennials, Hitler, and Chinese factory workers he keeps the laughs coming with his silly stories and wise-cracks. While there were some great bits here, there were some that fell flat such as Trump impressions which have grown old.

Technical work, such as it is with stand-up comedy, was well done.

Overall Carvey can still make us laugh, but not quite as much as he used to. While he is absolutely not politically correct and will offend millennials quite easily, between the dead spots there are some good laughs that many will enjoy.

With some mild foul language and questionable material, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2016
Reviewed: 11.12.16
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Stand-up comedy, political comedy, comedy

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Mr. Magoo

Nearsighted millionaire Mr. Magoo seems to always end up in unusual situations. This time around Magoo accidentally comes into possession of a priceless gem which of course criminals and the government both want.

Leslie Nielsen (Mr. Magoo), Kelly Lynch (Luanne), Matt Keeslar (Waldo), Nick Chinlund (Morgan), Stephen Tobolowsky (Agent Stupak), Ernie Hudson (Agent Anders), Jennifer Garner (Stacey), Malcolm McDowell (Austin), Miguel Ferrer (Ortega Peru).

Mr. Magoo was a fun cartoon and the film does a nice job of bringing him to life. The story is typical bumbling Magoo as he, while completely unaware, comes into possession of a priceless gem. Now with the criminals and the government hot on his heels, and Magoo still quite unaware, we are off and running on a crazy adventure of mishaps and mayhem. The story winds down in typical Magoo style as he remains unaware, bumbling along to his next adventure.

Nielsen was a great fit for the role of Magoo and did a nice job of bringing him to life. Keeslar was enjoyable and fit well with Nielsen. Lynch delivered wonderfully as always, as did Garner, Hudson and the remainder of the well known cast which added a good quality feel to the film.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were nicely done with good attention to detail. Action scenes were fun and fitting, helping bring Magoo to life. Dialogue was campy and fun with some nice chuckles. Sound and soundtrack were both good.

While Mr. Magoo is definitely aimed at younger viewers the film has enough detail and plot, along with decent technical work, to make it a good choice for family movie night.

With some mild sexual innuendo, minimum foul language, and slapstick violence, this should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 1997
Reviewed: 11.12.16
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Children & Family films, Comedy, Adventure, Family

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Sacrifice

Surgeon Tora and her husband move temporarily to the remote Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland in hopes of adopting a child. Instead Tora uncovers a disturbingly mutilated corpse in her yard that leads to even more disturbing pagan rituals.

Radha Mitchell (Tora), Rupert Graves (Duncan), Ian McElhinney (D.I. McKie), David Robb (Richard), Hilary Rose (Janice), Joanne Crawford (Sgt. Tulloch), Megan Riordan (Janet), Liam Carney (Mr. Grey), Peter Vollebregt (Wickliff).

Sacrifice begins well enough with character introductions that roll smoothly into the main plot. As Tora and her husband engage in a strict adoption process requiring their move to a remote island, things get much more interesting. Tora uncovers a horribly mutilated female corpse in their yard which leads her to uncover some disturbing pagan rituals. While this builds the mystery well, the mystery itself isn't very deep, leaving entertainment to plot points and action scenes which are largely mediocre. The film ends quietly with few surprises.

Acting was decent with Mitchell delivering well. Graves also did nicely and played well against Mitchell. Crawford was enjoyable as well, bringing a bit more depth to things. The remainder of the cast was solid throughout.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were good with nice execution and well used natural scenery. Action scenes were mild but solid. Dialogue exposed nice depth and kept things moving along. Sound and soundtrack were typical for a reasonably budgeted film.

Sacrifice ends up being a fairly well done film incorporating mild horror, mystery, and thriller aspects in a solid storyline. Technical work is good and acting solid, however the film generates only medium engagement with the audience. Those who enjoy lighter horror should enjoy this one.

There is some fairly graphic gore, and violence, but this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2016
Reviewed: 11.12.16
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Irish Films

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Sausage Party

After falling from a supermarket cart Frank the wiener and his food friends must race back to their proper aisles before the Independence Day sale. Though there is danger on every shelf, the journey may just be a revelation as well.

Seth Rogen (Frank/Sgt. Pepper), Salma Hayek (Teresa), Maryke Hendrikse (Loretta Bun/Cherry/Plum), Jonah Hill (Carl), Bill Hader (Firewater/Tequila/El Guaco), James Franco (Druggie), Nicole Oliver (Sally Bun), Edward Norton (Sammy), Scott Underwood (Gum/Twink/Pizza), Kristen Wiig (Brenda).

Sausage Party is absolutely hysterical, if you like crotch humor. It is also entertaining, if you enjoy animation. The plot is amusing, if you enjoy irony. From Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Sausage Party is a silly look at the life of food in a supermarket and how that food, were it conscious somehow, could have a twisted perception of the world. Though this film may not be for everyone, you have to admit a story that examines the philosophy of food is somewhat unique.
The film begins well with some nice crotch humor, which it then builds upon as the plot expands. Though it is easy to dismiss the storyline as ridiculous, some slight examination reveals the irony and provides a bit more entertainment. Oh, and Stephen "Gum" Hawking was hysterical!

Voice work was a lot of fun in this one with some well experienced actors lending their talent. All did very well and were enjoyable throughout.

Animation work was fairly simplistic and elementary, but solid and fitting for the film. Dialogue was consistently funny and focused persistently on sexuality. Sound and soundtrack were enjoyable with a couple of good tracks.

While Sausage Party may not be for everyone, and is certainly not for minors, the story is silly, simple, and fun. Those who enjoy late night comedy should enjoy this one while those who are easily offended probably won't make it past the first 15 minutes.

With plenty of foul language and animated yet somewhat graphic sexuality, violence, drugs, and more foul language, save this one for older teens and above.

Released: 2016
Reviewed: 11.11.16
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Late Night Comedy, Adult Animation

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang

Follow the rise of artist Cai Guo-Qiang from his childhood in China to the realization of his lifelong dream, the Sky Ladder.

Guo-Qiang Cai, Wen-You Cai, Wenhao Cai, Ben Davis, Jeffrey Deitch, Phil Grucci, Thomas Krens.

Cai Guo-Qiang, a child in Mao's China, has become an art world superstar with fireworks and pyrotechnics his favorite medium. Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang follows the artist from his childhood to stardom and the realization of his lifelong dream, the Sky Ladder. Building a sky ladder out of fireworks sounds almost impossible, and in the film Cai thought so as well at one point, but he delivers once again with a spectacular show. If you have an interest in how fireworks are created, why, and in seeing leading-edge displays this is a great start.

As a documentary there really isn't much acting here. That said, Cai and others in the show presented pretty well.

Camera work must have been a challenge with this one. Good use of drones and footage from multiple locations, at a variety of speeds, did a nice job of capturing the fleeting images. Dialogue was pretty good, though you should be okay with subtitles if you are going to watch this one. Sound and soundtrack were just fine.

Overall Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang is a very nicely done documentary both from the perspective of a biography and as exploration of explosion art. Cai's fireworks displays are simply incredible.

Nothing here to limit audience age.

Released: 2016
Reviewed: 11.8.16
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Documentary, Social & Cultural Documentaries, Fireworks

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: The Heat

Ashburn is an uptight, ambitious FBI agent hoping her insistence on protocol and procedure will land her a promotion. In Boston to hunt down a Russian gangster, she finds herself paired with local cop Mullins and her strong dislike for protocol and procedure.

Sandra Bullock (Ashburn), Melissa McCarthy (Mullins), Demian Bichir (Hale), Marlon Wayans (Levy), Michael Rapaport (Jason), Jane Curtin (Mrs. Mullins), Spoken Reasons (Rojas), Thomas Wilson (Capt. Woods).

The Heat begins by showing us what a great cop Ashburn is, and how strongly she is focused on following the book. Next we get to see what a great cop Mullins is, despite her strong disregard for everyone and everything, including rules. The story then puts the two of them together, assigns them to taking down a Russian gangster, and the rest is a string of laughs as the two poke at each other through the bitter end. While there are some good laughs here, the plot and storyline are really pointless in relation to the humor.

Acting was decent from both Bullock and McCarthy, and the two seemed to work well together. The two delivered some decent comedy along with the rest of the cast despite some slow spots. Bichir was good in a smallish role, as was Wayans, Rapaport, Curtin and the remainder of the cast.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were reasonably well done if somewhat plain and minimalistic. Action scenes were decent and usually added nicely to the humor. Dialogue was campy, corny, and about as expected. The reliance on foul language was a bit disappointing but did generate some laughs. Sound and soundtrack were okay.

If you enjoy a mild, late night comedy check out The Heat. If on the other hand you are easily offended, pass on this one. Likewise if you are looking for a solid, detailed plot.

With plenty of persistent foul language, violence, and drugs save this one for older teens and above.

Released: 2013
Reviewed: 11.6.16
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Comedy, Action Comedy, Late Night Comedy

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel