For all those confused by
last week’s column – Elizabeth Banks is not my ex-wife. Although that
would be pretty awesome since she is one of the year’s hottest actresses,
having already laid down solid performances in
Definitely Maybe
,
W.,
and
Zack and Miri
. This week she brings
her obvious charms and classic Hollywood beauty to
Role Models,
a lowbrow comedy that comes out of nowhere but
manages to be one of the more enjoyable of the year.
What makes it good? Besides
Banks, this profanity-riddled gem stars Paul Rudd, Stiffler, McLovin, and Jane
Lynch (who steals all her scenes). Writer/director David Wain (
Wet Hot
American Summer)
has no desire to
emotionally entangle us in his tale of two grown misfits stuck with community
service as Big Brothers to a pair of quirky kids.
It’s the classic
men-who-act-like-children-hang-out-with-real-children-and-learn-to-grow-up
storyline we’ve all seen before, but with none of the sappy lessons or moral
guidelines. Rather, Wain’s script (co-written with Rudd) and his fine cast
deliver horn-dog dick, drug and boob jokes mixed in with swearing and live
action role-playing Dungeons and Dragons style. It’s weird and shallow and kind
of stupid but it works, partly because of the actors (even the kids) and partly
because things like educating the coffee shop barista on the true meaning of
‘Venti’ is inherently funny, as is a grown man explaining to a pre-teen what
KISS song “Love Gun” is really about. It opens Friday at the Village 8.
For all the kids out there,
Madagascar
2
also opens Friday and this is one
of those rare times when the sequel is even better than the original. The
original voice cast, headed by Ben Stiller, is back and this time the animals
construct a makeshift flying machine to fly back to New York but end up on the
African savannah instead where they meet tourists, hunters and other animals
just like them. Animation is rich, colourful and strong, and although the story
bites
The Lion King
a tiny bit,
it’s still fun, funny, and pretty darn good.
The other good news out of
the Village 8 is that, starting November 9, they’re offering Weekday Matinees
for $9.50 ($9 for Club Shred) and in this day and age any deal is a good deal.
Speaking of the economy and
the state of all things financial, now is probably a good time to freeze your
credit card inside a block of ice and push it to the back of the freezer. And
if you don’t believe me just check out the DVD of the week.
Maxed Out
is an American film about banks and credit card
companies that stalk middle and low-income families and college students in
hopes of ruining their lives with fees and interest rates as soon as the first
payment is missed. The film, directed by James Scurlock, watches more like a
high school educational movie than a typical documentary — lots of
talking heads and interviews, and even some old school edu-film footage —
but it’s incredibly engaging nonetheless. Probably because it’s so
heartbreaking and scary as hell.
Like when credit card
companies admit their favorite new customers are people fresh out of bankruptcy
“because they can’t file for bankruptcy again and you know they have a taste
for debt,” or when a college girl kills herself to escape the bills she’s
accumulated and the companies continue to send pre-approved’ applications in
her name to her grieving mother for the next seven years. Watch this movie
– big banks are the greasiest entities on earth.
And don’t forget — the
new Bond film drops next week, and it could be the movie event of the year.
