Blog: Jordan

Saw The Hangover recently and was pleasantly surprised. The film is funny throughout, featuring a solid story with lots of twists and turns. Zach Galifianakis is as good as advertised, and the other leads are effective, too. I wouldn't call it a landmark comedy, but it's certainly worth seeing in the theater. In this day, that's no small praise.

I was surprised, though, because the trailers made this look like just another moronic comedy--one where stupid characters do stupid things. The film's far from high brow, but it isn't as base as that. The previews only showed the stupid slapstick bits--like the Tiger or Mike Tyson--rather than the funniest moments.

This seems to happen a lot today, especially with comedies: Previews that demean the film itself. I suppose it's done to attract the widest audiences by using the biggest bait--bland phsyical humor. Given the box office, I imagine it works.

Just saw the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are. I'm pretty torn: It looks like it could be a moving, imaginaitve film, or it could be a hamfisted sapfest. Since Spike Jones directed it, I'm holding out hope for the former. But even the best filmmakers screw up sometimes--badly.

I think a big part of the film's success will hinge on the wild things--whether they look believable or merely like giant puppets. They seem alright from the trailer, but there really isn't any conclusive footage shown.