Change Your Image
portnoys_disciple
Reviews
Code Monkeys (2007)
Insert Credit (0/2)
Alright, so I'm a kid of the 90s. I grew up on NES and SNES games, and the old 8-bit and 16-bit technology is just nostalgia to me. I loved it, and still do. Now that I'm in my upper teens, I am able to enjoy everything this show has to offer, and not just the appearance...although the appearance in and of itself is extremely enjoyable as well.
The show rules, man. Inventive characters and good voice acting combined with out-of-the-park hilarity and a plethora of references to early gaming makes this show one of the absolute funniest I have ever seen. It's something that you don't have to be extremely in-tune with the gaming community to enjoy, and yet being part of it makes the show all the more enjoyable.
Some people may not like it because of its odd and sometimes inappropriate humor, some may not like it because it reminds them of that one level that they just couldn't beat when they were an acne-infested junior in high school, dropping quarter after quarter into that dang machine to no avail. And some may not like it because they simply can't be pleased.
Thankfully, I am not one of those people. This show gets a 10/10 for me. I certainly hope that they continue with the show and make more seasons of the fine, fine product that is Code Monkeys.
*GAME OVER*
Semi-Pro (2008)
And I thought it was actually going to be funny.
For the most part, I like Will Ferrell's comedy. I really do. I loved Talladega Nights, to be honest. I laughed throughout the whole thing. I had expected this to be a good bounce-back from Blades of Glory. I prayed that Mr. Ferrell just happened to make a flop and was back to making good movies. I was wrong.
I felt the plot itself was solid--I really like it as a non-comedic movie. But it insists on itself--it just begs to be laughed at. The problem with that is that it insists in all the wrong ways. For example, Shaun of the Dead is one of my all-time favorites, mostly because of the fact that it is a rather serious subject with scenes that could be seen as horrific and yet maintains to be laugh-out-loud hilarious every time I watch it. It insists on being a good movie, not on getting you to laugh at cheap jokes. That's where Semi-Pro went wrong. You have to either be ridiculous with a handful of serious elements (ala The Big Lebowski) or serious with a handful of comedic elements (ala Shaun of the Dead). Semi-Pro doesn't fit into either, because it's not good enough in either one of those categories.
I probably only laughed out loud maybe three or four times throughout the whole movie, and more out of a response to pure nonsense than actual comedic value. Like, "....what?!" rather than a response to pure hilarity. I am reminded of the "I'm on fire!" scene from Talladega Nights--hilarity. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous--you just couldn't NOT laugh at it. This movie attempts to achieve the same ludicrous hilarity that Talladega Nights had...and fails miserably.
If you're a huge fan of Will Ferrell's comedy, or just Will Ferrell in general, then you may like this. Again, don't get me wrong, it's not a horrible movie, but don't expect anything epic. Unless, of course, you expect an epic fail, in which case you may be pleased.
So overall: decent movie, good storyline, great cast, horrible jokes and even worse comedic value lands it a 5 out of 10.