Hot Tub Time Machine

So often in life, you rarely know what you are getting. “Green Zone,” “Shutter Island” and “Bounty Hunter?” Too vague.

With a film like “Hot Tub Time Machine” you know exactly what you get. A warm — dare I say hot — tub of water and some sort of time travel, what else do you need to know?

John Cusack (“Pushing Tin”) Rob Corddry (“Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay”) and Craig Robinson (“Pineapple Express”) play three friends who have lost touch with each other over the years, until they are reunited after Corddry suffers a Motley Crue-related accident.

They decide to relive their glory days at the Kodiak Valley ski resort, and they take along Clark Duke, who plays Cusack’s nephew. During their night of debauchery, wires get crossed, energy drinks get spilled and the foursome wakes up 26 years in the past.

Cusack, Corddry and Robinson all have their own memories from Winterfest ’86, and they are tempted to change things for the better. The trio appears to everyone else to be in their early twenties, and Robinson even has the Kid ‘n Play high-top fade.

Each character has his own subplot to carry them through the movie. Cusack is trying to avoid breaking up with his then-girlfriend, Corddry is trying to avoid a beatdown at the hands of the ski patrol and Robinson is trying to make sure his band’s debut show goes smoother than it originally did.

This leaves Duke to try and get the group back to the present. He occasionally fluctuates in and out of existence, so he has a personal stake in making sure the past follows the same path.

The movie combines the inherent cheesiness of the classic 80s movies (many of which Cusack starred in) with the comedy that comes along with meeting people from your past, or in Duke’s case, his mother, who is in the midst of her hard-partying youth.

The group tries almost everything you would try if you went back to the 80s, betting on games you know the outcome of, telling ex-girlfriends how they got fat and so on.

As the three older guys try to atone for their mistakes, the movie has plenty of comedy and even a few touching moments, courtesy of Cusack and a journalist played by Lizzy Caplan (“Cloverfield”).

Cusack is almost there for nostalgia, he doesn’t get too many punch lines, and is really a secondary part of the plot. You may empathize with him more than any of the other characters, but he doesn’t get many laughs.

Cusack might be the heavy hitter when it comes to names, but the movie is really Corddry’s to carry the comedic weight. From his obsession in discovering how the hotel bellhop loses his arm, to his relationship with a certain squirrel at the resort, he wins every scene he’s in.

If you’re serious about the consequences of time travel, this isn’t the movie for you, as you will no doubt find paradox after paradox after the movie winds to its conclusion. But if you went to the movie to see a movie that examines the serious consequences of messing with the space-time continuum, you clearly only read the last two words of the title.

It doesn’t require much brainpower, it doesn’t make you think hard after its over, but that’s sort of the point when you call a movie “Hot Tub Time Machine.” It brings the funny for 100 minutes, and it’s a very entertaining ride.

Rating - $9.50

Funny People

“Funny People” could easily describe the reason for Judd Apatow’s success over the last few years. It’s a simple, but effective formula. Put funny people on screen together, let them have conversations that range from the awkward to the obscene and don’t let the plot get in the way of the people.

In these days of the cookie-cutter romantic comedy or the interracial buddy comedy, it’s
refreshing to watch people that are just plain funny.

Adam Sandler, someone who has starred in many of those same clichés, now takes on a role that is basically a caricature of himself. He plays George Simmons, a once-groundbreaking stand-up comedian, who has earned his fortune by starring in terrible movies. Pay attention to the various movie posters in the background and you can see that Simmons has starred in movies that look so bad they could have been made.

He wakes up every day alone in his mansion, with only his staff to keep him company. But we aren’t meant to get to know the old George Simmons, because five minutes into the film, he learns that he has a rare disease that will more than likely kill him within months.

Living at the other end of the spectrum is Ira Wright, played by Seth Rogen. Rogen is crashing on a couch, working in a deli and trying to make it in the world of stand-up. He takes advantage of the chance to get laughs at Sandler’s expense, and gets a gig writing jokes for him.

Rogen also helps Sandler navigate his illness, encouraging him to tell his friends and family, including the woman that got away, played by Leslie Mann.

The film balances the fine line between comedy and drama, going back and forth between the two often within seconds of each other. There are times when people crying is the funniest part of the scene, and times when things get so real that all you want to hear is a dick joke.

The film comes in at a sturdy two hours, 26 minutes. A little long for anything but an epic, but when you’re first two directorial efforts gross almost $400 million, I guess you can have some leeway.

For a movie of its length, it moves very well. It doesn’t slow down very much, because you don’t know what’s coming next, you’re always on your toes.

The secondary cast is great, with Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman providing a lot of humor at the expense of themselves and the main characters.

Almost every stand-up comedian worth his salt from the ‘90s has a cameo in the film, and while some are more memorable than others (Ray Romano), they add to the texture of the film.

Since Sandler and Apatow were roommates before striking out in different directions (one in front of the camera, one behind), this movie is sort of a "What If?" for them.

The only thing different is that both men are married with children, and one would like to hope both men have more satisfying lives than anyone in the film. I guess it goes to show the stabilizing influence of family.

And for a movie, a director, and actors that have roots in the simple act of telling jokes, that's pretty deep.

Rating - $9.50

Bruno

Let’s get one thing out of the way first. This is not a family film, nor anything close to it. Regardless of who you see it with, it will make you uncomfortable in several parts throughout the film.

That being said, “Bruno” offers laughs more consistently than actor Sacha Baron Cohen’s last work, “Borat.” The awkwardness is there. The bigotry is on full display. And Cohen, too much of him, is there.

Bruno is a flamboyant host of an Austrian fashion show who loses his credibility when his all-velcro suit leads to a fashion show disaster. Not knowing what to do with his life, Bruno sets his sights on America with an assistant, in order to become a celebrity.

If there’s one thing American can do, is make a celebrity out of people with no discernable talent. Cohen whittles it down to an almost step-by-step guide on how to become a celebrity. Reality shows, controversial statements, illicit video tapes, he tries them all.

Various celebrities make appearances, and it’s clear that most of them are unwitting accomplices to Cohen’s assault. 2008 presidential candidate Ron Paul, singer Paula Abdul and actor Harrison
Ford are all caught on tape, and their reactions range from the confused to the profane.

Ironically, as much as the movie seems to mock celebrity, the real people that come off the worst.

The ignorance displayed by some church offcials, a mixed martial arts audience and a group of hunters, to name a few, is startling. Some of them could be forgiven, for they only crack in the face of Bruno’s onslaught, but others seem perfectly willing to make themselves look like fools with little provocation.

For example, a stage mother offers to get her baby’s weight down from 30 pounds to 20 pounds within a week to get a job. By being so off the wall himself, Cohen allows these people to open up and let out their own faults, and one wonders why on earth they would agree to sign releases to appear in the film.

“Borat” brought about a slew of lawsuits after it became a smash hit, most likely from people trying to cover themselves after the world saw what they had to say, and “Bruno” figures to have similar claims brought against it.

There’s a reason that Cohen isn’t known just as a simple gross-out comedian. Through his caricatures of stereotypes, he is able to unearth something that’s not funny at all: there are people even more ignorant than the characters he plays out there, and unlike Cohen, these people are 100 percent real.

Rating - $9.00

Duplicity

From the trailers, “Duplicity” seems like “Ocean’s Two,” where Clive Owen and Julia Roberts replace Danny Ocean and his crew in swindling some titan of industry. The first five minutes of the film would lead you to believe the same, with moving split screens, a pseudo-electronic soundtrack and the presence of a sultry Julia Roberts.

Then the opening credits roll, and you get a sense that this movie might be something different. Two jowly men (Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson) spend the entire six-minute sequence wrestling, and the ridiculousness of it all opens up the film right away.

What follows is a movie that shifts between romantic comedy and spy film almost effortlessly, and the star-studded cast of Roberts, Giamatti, Wilkinson and Clive Owen (“Inside Man,” “The International”) pull it off quite nicely.

Owen and Roberts, who meet in the opening scene that takes place a few years before the main action, seem to have an attraction for each other beyond their mutual love of good champagne. The questions of whether or not this attraction is merely a means to accomplishing their mission is what the entire movie hinges upon.

Owen is working for Giamatti’s company, trying to steal a miracle product from Wilkinson’s rival company. And did I mention that Roberts is the head of security for Wilkinson’s company?

It is very interesting to observe two people who are in the business of not trusting anyone, try their hands at a real relationship, and the trust that becomes necessary when you’re in one. Their relationship can be summed up by one of Roberts’ quotes in the movie, “Admit it. You don’t trust me either.”

One of the interesting themes of the movie is how the distrust that comes with espionage is so close to the distrust that relationships can breed. By the end, it has almost become a staring contest between the two, the only question is who will blink first.

Roberts and Owen have a very good give-and-take throughout the film, as it takes almost half an hour for the viewer to know the exact nature of their relationship. As they move forward in the present, flashbacks clue us in, one step at a time, just how these two people got to where they are and what they are doing.

“Duplicity” is one of those films where the viewer doesn’t see everything, plot elements are carefully portioned out when necessary. This can at times be jarring, sometimes it seems as though when the plot is finally picking up, there is another flashback. At first it seems to derail the building suspense, but as we learn more about the characters’ past, we can begin to guess as to where it is going.

The cinematography of the film is different than a standard spy flick. Offices can be as vast as canyons, and cityscapes can feel as claustrophobic as a plastic bag. Many of the more intense scenes are visually striking, whether is it the play of shadows, the view outside of a window or

There are some genuinely funny moments, some painfully awkward moments and moments when everyone but the characters can see what’s about to happen.

On one hand, by combining a romantic comedy with a spy film, one could say the movie tries to do too much, that it spreads itself too thin. On the other hand, it could be seen as an interesting take on the nature of relationships and trust in the most trying of circumstances.

Either way, it keeps you guessing until the last cork is popped, literally. The ending might not satisfy everyone, but the ride is more than worth it.

Rating - $9.00

Ghost Town

Most Americans are unfamiliar with the name Ricky Gervais. Maybe you’ve seen his name as a producer under NBC’s “The Office,” even though he created the original version. Maybe you’ve seen the Simpsons where Marge and Homer swap spouses on a reality show, which was written by Gervais.

Now he is thrust into his first leading role in a film, and the result is a movie that doesn’t quote know what to do with him.

Weapons in Gervais’ arsenal include the best comic timing on the planet, as well as the ability to be both irritating yet charming. He plays Bertram Pincus, a dentist who cares little for people and less for their trivial natures.

After a colonoscopy that leads to seven minutes of death, Pincus finds himself with ability to see and hear the ghosts that populate lower Manhattan.

The film operates under the “Casper Rules” of ghosts, that is they are ghosts because they have unfinished business. When they look to the one person who can actually hear them, Pincus becomes inundated with requests from these ghosts to help them.

The pushiest of these specters is played by Greg Kinnear, an adulterer in life who is damned to do nothing but play Tetris on his ghostly BlackBerry and watch as the wife he cheated on plans to get remarried.

He offers Pincus an offer he can’t refuse, respite from the other ghosts, and the plot is set in motion. The plot works well because Gervais is at his best when trying to extract himself from awkward situations, often of his own making. Imagine a man carrying on conversations with people only he can see, and you’ll appreciate the situations he finds himself in.

Gervais could hold a dialogue with a brick wall and make it funny, so when he’s bouncing his zingers off of people like Kinnear, SNL’s Kristen Wiig and others, the conversation crackles.
The film starts out looking like a new spin on the standard romantic comedy, but as the plot progresses, it quickly falls back into the standard mold.

In the process of breaking up her marriage, Pincus falls for Kinnear’s wife, played by Tea Leoni. As the independent, yet feminine woman, she is quickly able to penetrate Pincus’ shell, and he begins to fall for her.

As their relationship progresses, the movie becomes more and more formulaic, which slowly strips it of its charm. Gervais’ jokes are tossed under the rug, the rug being the standard story about the guy falling for girl, the guy has a secret, the girl gets upset when he reveals it.

Just before the movie falls completely into generic oblivion, the ending twists in a way that brings back its originality. Aside from the 20 minutes of schlock, it maintains its freshness.

There are quite a few moments that set the film apart from the standard romantic comedy. No spoilers here, but to watch a ghost try to encourage the man who is giving his recently deceased body CPR is a funny moment at what could be an awkward scene.

Overall, the movie is well worth seeing. If you appreciate the subtle nuances of awkward comedy, Gervais is your man. While the movie flirts with a cookie-cutter comedy, it is Gervais and his co-stars that are able to return it from the brink.

Rating - $9.00

Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?

With the birth of his first child approaching, Morgan Spurlock (of “Super Size Me” fame) is concerned about the world in which the child will come into. The culprit for the trying times we face? The FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted mainstay Osama bin Laden.

Spurlock decides that its up to him to find bin Laden. Armed with only questions, his journey takes him across Egypt, Morocco, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, the Gaza Strip and Pakistan.
The fact that Spurlock is leaving his wife alone for the final months of her pregnancy is the film’s main weak point. They speak on the phone and Spurlock says he wishes he could be there with her, and the viewer is left to wonder why he isn’t.

Despite his claim that he is hunting bin Laden to make the world safe for his son, there is no real reason he should be abandoning his wife when she needs her husband the most.

Desertions aside, the film takes a lighthearted approach to a serious subject. A constant, up-tempo soundtrack gives the film a rhythm not found in most documentaries.

Add that to the fact that major terrorists are animated into baseball cards, and we can see that the film does not take itself too seriously.

There is also a level of cinematography present that defies the standard documentary style. Several interesting shots of cities and people add depth to the film.

The journey itself is much more interesting than the end could ever be. Spurlock meets with professors, journalists, priests, businessmen and families across the Middle East. This allows him to get a grasp on the world bin Laden comes from.

Some devout Muslims discuss how bin Laden has perverted their religion and tainted it in the eyes of the world. Others describe how someone like bin Laden is a true savior of Islam.

The film’s strength is the people Spurlock interviews. He focuses on the common man. No generals or politicians, just the people who live every day in the chaotic Middle East.
It is interesting to see the similarities between the ghettos of the United States and the Middle East. In both, poverty is rampant and parents wish for better lives for their children.

Where people in America’s ghetto must fight against the easy riches and danger that drugs offer, Middle Eastern children must avoid the temptation of paradise and riches that Al Qaeda offers.

Many people tell Spurlock that they hold both America and bin Laden in equal contempt because they are the two factions responsible for the fighting. The only thing that people in the film have in common is their hatred of violence and those who cause it.

Spurlock’s visit to the Gaza Strip is especially interesting. He stands on the spot of land that is responsible for so much bloodshed. A poignant moment occurs when he sits in the rocket-blasted shell of an elementary school, wondering what it would be like to live in a world where this is the norm.

Anyone who is interested in the lives of people who have been involved in this conflict will enjoy the portrait painted by Spurlock. It provides a level of coverage that is untapped by the CNNs and BBCs of the world.

In the end, the film is more about the journey itself than the result. The fact that people are so similar, yet involved in such destructive conflict with each other is disheartening, yet offers hope that peace is possible.

The message of the film is universal. No one wants to bring a child into a world of violence and hatred. Despite the film’s nonchalant attitude towards the subject, there is an underlying mix of cynicism and idealism. The cynical view that people will never change is juxtaposed with a hope that one day people will get sick of fighting and simply coexist.

Rating - $9.50