foxtwin

The Other Guys – Mental Chatter Review

todd — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:34:53 +0000

Wahlberg and Ferrell - The Other Guys

The Other Guys has gotten more positive reviews than I expected it to get. I only read them after I saw the movie this past weekend. I expected to laugh, and I did quite a few times. However, I don’t think the movie was advertised properly–the trailers didn’t seem to know what the movie was really trying to be and after seeing it myself, the movie itself didn’t know either.

It was stupid, but in a good way. It seemed more like the movie should have been more strongly built as a type of “Naked Gun/Police Squad” movie but not quite as over the top. But as silly as some of the scenes were, the movie might have benefited going over the top some more. All the laughs came from the dialog and there wasn’t much to laugh at otherwise–not much physical humor. It seemed like they were trying to be really silly, but holding back and thinking, “Well, that would be just too silly.” For example, our comedy duo rush into a crime scene accidentally running over the corpse. What could have been a series of further slapstick mishaps, our other guys just sit in the car and talk about something else.

Speaking of the duo, there was a major problem here. There was no straight-man in this comedy team. I thought at first that Wahlberg’s character was the tough, cynical, beaten down cop who couldn’t get a break. Well, he was that, actually, but that would have been enough. No, he kept thinking every suspicious lead on a case was part of a drug crime–not a bad idea, but not Don Quixote enough. This just made the character stupid. On top of that, Ferrell’s character was a straight-laced nerdy naive goofball but then, they gave him this backstory that he used to be a pimp. So neither guy is really the goof, and neither is the straight-man–they just went back-and-forth with them. But they didn’t do it enough to go all “Dumb and Dumber” on the movie. They almost went there, and probably should have. Even the Captain, played by Michael Keaton, was just another stupid guy. Come to think of it, everyone was just plain stupid.

In the end, it all felt too reserved. One of the movie’s best moments was when they did go over the top. But it didn’t involve the main actors, but Dwayne Johnson (The Rock!) and Samuel L. Jackson making a fantastic cameo while pursuing criminals and jumping off a roof in a heroic dive only to end up splatted on the pavement–cut to a police funeral. Well played.

Still, I got buttered popcorn and laughed a lot. So in that sense, the movie delivered a good time. However, The Other Guys could have been great. In other words it was stupid, just not stupid enough.

Favorite line: Farrell tries to talk down a jumper using the megaphone from an ice cream truck and suddenly says, “Oh , he’s flying!”

"Oh, he's flying!"

Toys from Japan in Epcot

todd — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:00:18 +0000

A walk around Japan in Epcot. Beautiful area. The video includes a visit to the robot toy display which is so cool–see if you can spot Astro Boy, Ultraman, and some robotic Mickeys!

Morocco at Epcot

todd — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:00:26 +0000

A walk through Morocco in Epcot. Don’t miss the amazing crafts.

No Animatronics in Africa – Disney’s Animal Kingdom

todd — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:08 +0000

A walk through the Africa part of Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. Includes a little of the Research Center, too. Lots of great animals to see here.

Disney Petting Zoo – The Cutest Way to Get Germs

todd — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:00:43 +0000

Ride the train in Animal Kingdom and you get to the Petting Zoo. So many cute animals–some of them so tired in the hot Florida sun.

The Safari – Beware the Poachers!

todd — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:00:53 +0000

The best attraction at the Animal Kingdom (in my opinion) is the Safari–you just ride a big jeep/bus into the wild and see real animals. It’s awesome! So here’s some footage from the ride but be warned, it is really hard to keep the camera steady since the bus is turning and bumping a lot, so I apologize for the shaky filming. If you plan to capture footage of Disney World, get a camera with an image stabilizer. I hope you enjoy seeing the animals!

Palm Trees Can Walk – Entering Animal Kingdom

todd — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 12:00:10 +0000

Here is some footage of the Animal Kingdom in Disney World including the entrance but also just walking around some of the area between lands and attractions–there is a lot to see! Don’t miss the walking (er, rolling) palm trees. And just like the other parks, sometimes you stumble upon a show in progress. At the end of this video is a short clip of some fantastic drummers. Plus, monkeys!

Uncooperative Birds at Animal Kingdom

todd — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:00:24 +0000

The “Flights of Wonder” bird show in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom is a must-see attraction. Here in my video, the middle portion includes a talking bird who won’t talk–he was being quite uncooperative to the host, Lance Bass (no not really) and comedy ensued. This is why Walt Disney created Jungle Cruise, where the animals always show up and perform on cue.

Star Tours – on your left is the Death Star

todd — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:00:37 +0000

Mix Star Wars and Disney World and you get Star Tours. This is a fun little ride and over time, I enjoy the queue area (a.k.a. “The Droid Room”) just as much, or more so, than the ride. So, this video is what you see in line. Before going in, there is a glimpse of some lightsaber training going on outside the ride. Apparently, it was a Star Wars weekend. And yeah, Pee Wee Herman voices the tour guide–better than Jar Jar.

Muppets were 3D before 3D was cool … again

todd — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:44 +0000

Here is a short video of clips from the theater of the Muppets 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The waiting area before the movie, a big room with lots of screens, is very funny–a great way to wait for the real show.