Reviews

Now this is a movie I have personally been waiting for since I first saw the original movie when I was a kid. John Carpenter's THE THING is my favorite movie ever made and for good reason. It's a violent, intricate, horror/sci-fi movie that has an atmosphere that has never been replicated in film. All of the actors in the original take their roles very seriously and there is a genuine feel of paranoia and fear throughout the entire film.

So how was the prequel? In short... not that great.

I've went to see this movie twice now and am still thinking about certain scenes that really hurt the overall movie. Without giving to much away, I'll say the biggest issue was the use of CGI. The original John Carpenter masterpiece relied on practical effects that were pulled offed wonderfully, but this new film just had the same problems that most Hollywood movies suffer from these days. The old days of practical effects and model building are dead, and now its far easier to rely on a computer to generate a woman's chest bursting open. At times I felt like I was watching Men in Black 3.

But not all of the movie was bad. I was very impressed by the overall acting and never had any real issues with any of the characters (except for the doctor who was just a bit cliché). When first hearing about the movie and a lead female role, I was disappointed and knew this would be a typical Hollywood movie. Too my surprise, Mary Elizabeth Winstead actually pulled off the role extremely well. She took the role seriously and was very believable throughout the film.

Overall I enjoyed watching The Thing Prequel and I'm glad they made it, but it just can't live up to the original. It was a nice companion piece but the film really fell short in the last quarter of the film.

Rating = C+

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Before watching this film, all I heard about the movie was that it was filmed in first person and was french... Then I saw who directed it, Gaspar Noé. I've seen Irreversible and must say it was overrated garbage, but there were a few scenes that very well done. Many people think that Gaspar Noe's films are artistic and inspiring, but I only see them as a cheap gimmick. Throughout Enter the Void, there is a blend of great shoots and then the worst closeups of a florescent light or wall that just sits there for over 5 minutes. I really felt the movie had only a few important scenes then the rest was just music video, screensaver, nonsense.

Reading the summary, "A drug-dealing teen is killed in Japan, after which he reappears as a ghost to watch over his sister." is not a good description at all. It was more like "Drug- dealing teen brother and sister are in a weird love relationship, brother dies, sister gets pregnant from Japanese thug, brother is reborn"....

The movie just forces you to watch unpleasant situations and calls it art. If you are a fan of this film and watching unpleasant rape scenes then this film is for you, but you need to have your hard drive checked by the FBI if you truly enjoyed this film.

Rating = D-

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The Best Worse Movie, is a look at the making of the film Troll 2 and its journey from being crowned the "worst film of all time" to a cherished cult classic. Troll 2 is a perfect example of the "so bad it's funny" category. Very few movies get everything, I mean everything so far from right, except for Troll 2.

The Best Worse Movie was made by the child actor from the film, he manages to find all of the cast and discusses with them how the movie changed there lives. It was funny to see the reaction from everyone involved who either wrote the film off as an embarrassment or just a good laugh. Except for the Italian director of Troll 2, who still regarded the film as a masterpiece.

I was very shocked how much I enjoyed this documentary. I enjoyed it as much as "King of Kong", and really enjoyed the story of how a film can go so wrong in every department. It goes to show how beloved some of these terrible campy 80's movies are today with the Nintendo generation.

Rating= A+

UPDATE: After watching this documentary, I went out and watched Troll 2, and yes, it was as bad as they say.

This film was one that I automatically didn't like before I even watched it. The idea of making a film out of a very well-known and recent event seems like a Director comp-out and doesn't have any real substance.

After seeing the film, I was wrong. The Social Network really wasn't an amazing movie, but gave some very interesting insight on how TheFaceBook.com came to being. The movie was very anti Mark Zuckerberg and did portray him as stealing the idea and basically selling out his best friend.

Altogether the movie was entertaining but reminded me of "Notorious" due to the fact that after watching both movies, I really didn't learn anything that I didn't know before.

Rating = B-

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A PS3 Gamers Totally Biased Review of: "Halo: Reach"

Not much was expected from the release of Halo: Reach. Halo 3 was much like Halo 2, and seeing videos and screenshots, Reach seemed a lot like Halo 3, which was like Halo 2. I went into this game know what I was playing, was Halo. And I wasn't even close to being wrong. It has the same game play, same enemies, just a new prequel story. I really don't see the appeal of the Halo lore. Should we really care about these characters and the Halo story line? Does anybody actually remember what happened in Halo 1? I guess Master Chief has become a huge poster child for Xbox and anybody who plays the system is supposed to automatically love anything related to the "Halo" franchise.

The combat hasn't changed much in the newest version of Halo. I was hoping we could move on in the series and they would try and follow some things that other developers have implemented in their shooters. It was tough to adjust to the zooming feature in Reach after using "down the irons" style in so many other games like ModernWarfare 2 or Killzone 2. Reach's new standard weapon is a single-shot assault rifle called the DMR which would have absolutely benefited from "down the irons" style shooting. Instead the game still uses the thumb stick click to lock-zoom for long range shots, and if you are hit by another attacker, you zoom out. I find this extremely aggravating. The other issue I have always had with the thumb stick click in Halo, is I grip the controller tightly while playing and find myself zooming in during close combat fights when I am only trying to turn my character, usually resulting in my death because I get so disoriented. Weapon shots are solid, but lock-zoom is outdated. The main change to combat is the introduction of space combat, allowing you to pilot one of the "A-Wing" like ships to blast Banshees and other spacecrafts out of the air. This part was pretty good, flight mechanics worked well.

The story of Reach is told through the eyes of the newest Spartan, know as "Six". You're character has just joined Noble Team, which is sort of a special ops group that pulls off the toughest jobs. The team has some interesting characters. Each has their own personality and skill set. You're team is trying to find some artifact that is the key to winning the war against the covenant. Very exciting.

Multiplayer is the real main draw of any Halo game, as well as most FPS games. You will find a lot of things to do in the multiplayer portion of this game. Bungie has finally implemented matchmaking for Firefight mode, which was introduced in ODST. This makes things a lot easier when trying to find some teammates to run around and blast waves of bad guys with. The online can be fun. There are plenty of different game modes. The new maps are nothing to get excited for though, hopefully we see some new DLC shortly, its already rumored to be releasing soon. If you loved the online component of Halo 2 or 3 then you will love this, as not a lot has changed. Is that good or bad? That's up to you.

In the end, Halo: Reach doesn't bring much new to the series other than being close to the same game as its predecessors. If you've played the other games, and love them, then you will be sure to enjoy Reach. If you're looking to upgrade from the Halo 3 online experience then there isn't much I can say here, you'll be playing the same game almost, with some different maps and some new, though not that great, weapons. Reach will hold my interest probably until Medal of Honor releases on PS3, and then I probably won't play this game again for a while.

Story: 5/10

Graphics: 8/10

Gameplay: 7/10

Replayability: 8/10

Final Score: 7 out of 10

written by FoxTodd

• VideoGameHollywood.com

I was extremely excited to see this movie and was ready to watch an epic film on par with District 9… Boy was I wrong. Monsters was the worst movie of the year by a long shot. Where do I began with this bore fest.

After watching the trailer and making of the film you get the idea that the movie will be a monster film with a giant creature destroying everything in its path, and a group of survivors who are stuck in a situation they can't get out of. Monsters started off with two very unlikeable people who are for some reason, stuck in Mexico during one of the most hostile times in the last century.

First off, why are they there? Does Mexico not have an airport? Again, why are they there? Within the first 15 minutes you get a terrible back story about the characters and shortly discover that their entire situation is self-created. As the story moves along they have to go through the infected zone to make it back to the United States. Not sure why Mexico doesn't have an airport, but the only way across is on a ferry or through the zone.

Well our main character bangs a prostitute that takes their passports and money and they have to go through the infected zone. How am I supposed to relate to that, can't say I've ever been robed by a Mexican hooker. By then you really start to hate the characters, especially the guy who oh course is a photographer taking photos of everything, which gets annoying very quickly.

So they travel by boat, they travel by land, and they travel by car, and most importantly, nothing happens. I was 50 minutes into the film and looked over at my friends who had the same look on their faces. When is anything going to happen? The pace of this film was just horrendous and you simply don't care what happens.

The film never explains the so-called infection, which I can't really figure out what it does. The movie keeps on going with horrific dialogue, for example, "you practice laughing", or my personal favorite, "no gasolina". So our main character says, "What did he say",…"He said we have no gasoline". Wow.

I hated this movie with a passion and could not wait for it to end. But what takes the cake is the last 15 minutes, I'm even getting mad thinking about it so I won't go into detail. Please avoid this movie like the plague and go see anything else, I mean dear lord, Devil was better then this, and it sucked.

Rating = F-

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This was a movie that I knew would be horrible just by the amount of advertising the film had. Devil was a really dull movie overall and I kept hoping for more. What can I say, the acting was bad, which I can forgive, but overall the plot did't really go anywhere. People didn't act how they would in the situation and you just didn't care about any of the characters. The only scenes of horror were pitch black leaving you with nothing but sound effects and then a really badly shot of someone dead.

I just kept hoping that the film would improve and have some crazy twist, but I was shocked on how predicible the ending was. Any five year old could have figured it out half way through and I'm pretty sure Shyamalan just showed up on set for 5 mins so they gave him a credit in the movie.

Go see Devil if you are really bored but don't expect any thrills. I honestly think any of the Saw movies are better then this and some of those are just terrible.

Rating = D-

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I don't hate Ben Affleck. Many of the other contributers on this website might, but I never have. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a "fan", but I wouldn't avoid a movie because he was in it. I will and have avoided Ben Affleck movies not because of the person, but because his filter (i.e. terrible movies) is apparently set at zero. He probably should have fired his agent somewhere around 2003-04. I mean, just IMDb his stream of hits between 2001 and 2004. Some of these movies were money makers, well, at least Pearl Harbor, but most were flops on a scale that would have derailed Tom Hank's career. Affleck has proved resilient through this, and believe it or not, people still give him money in the film making business. Matter of fact they give him creative control over his movies now.

That's right folks Ben Affleck is now not just an actor, but a writer/ director, and he's pretty good at it. The Town impressed me much more than I thought it would. The story is pretty generic: Guy robs bank, takes hostage, falls in love with said hostage, stalks her, protects her from accomplices, protects her from police…all of this handled in a way that doesn't seem pointless. The story actually works pretty well, and the sheer audacity of robbing Fenway Park is admittedly pretty cool. Yet, the main shortcoming of the movie, what keeps it from being an A is the story itself.

I can't help but wonder if the reason the movie succeeds rests more upon the acting of Ben Affleck, or his direction, than on the original story on which it was based, a book by Dennis Lehane, who also wrote Boston movies Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Affleck's first directing effort, Gone Baby Gone. No joke, Affleck knocks it out of the park playing gangster with a heart of gold (who never killed anybody) Doug MacRay. I bought the character from the beginning. He plays a very methodical bank robber, who keeps his cool no matter the situation. Jeremy Renner plays Doug's partner and best friend Jem, the id of the duo. Jem is played with almost unrestrained intensity, yet never in a cartoon way. He represents everything "the town", Charlestown, Ma, stands for, at least in Affleck's portrayal of the Boston suburb. He is fiercely loyal and ready to settle any situation with violence. This group dynamic and the action alone, make the movie worth seeing.

The romance part of the story, while not seeming tacked on, does feel unessential. It is used to tie a couple of things together, but everything we learn about the gang through this relationship could have been learned elsewhere. The more interesting, yet underdeveloped, relationship is between Doug and Jem's cracked out sister, Krista, played with disgusting authenticity by Blake Lively. Her story plays much more realistic and is more integral to the plot, although the climax of her story seems kinda out of nowhere. Once again I do not blame this on Afflecks direction, but on the source story itself. My initial rating of the movie after walking out of the theater was a B-; I just wasn't feeling something about it. I think it had to do with the unimportance of the love story. Upon reflection, I'll raise the grade to a solid B. Not a must see, but if it's on Netflix, check it out. The most important thing I got out of this movie was that Ben Affleck is an up and coming director, one who I will follow. I can definitely say that I want to see his next directed effort after seeing this film.

Rating = B

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"The Thing" is the first movie to truly terrify me as a child. I grew up watching Predator and Terminator, but this was different. It wasn't the creature, or the idea of being taken over that frightened me, it was the atmosphere. The film has a sense of isolation and fear that no movie has ever come close to. All of the characters take their roles very seriously and you feel as if you are alone with them in Antarctica. The acting, effects, and story are beyond A+ and are the perfect example of true filmmaking. "The Thing" will still scare people 100 years from now, and until I die, I was consider it the greatest movie ever made.

Rating = A++

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A friend of mine recommended this movie to me and I didn't expect much. Arthur was a very enjoyable movie, but had its flaws. I could see his character as annoying and not very clever, but its more of the overall atmosphere of the film that makes it. More then the slapstick comedy, I frankly enjoyed seeing 1980's New York and the classic Rolls Royces in the film. Arthur didn't have an amazing story and it was hard to feel sorry for a ridiculously wealthy drunk. But after the first 15 minutes you start to warm up to the character and his lifestyle. By the end of the movie I was very happy to see him choose the love of his life over his arranged marriage. Arthur is a bizarre movie that has a very odd appeal to it. I'm not sure how to classify this film, but it is an interesting piece of cinema that gets my overall approval.

Rating = B

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The Count of Monte Cristo was a film my girlfriend recommended to me, and to be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it. Seeing that it was a recent film and was not well known by my friends or colleagues, I was skeptical. After the first 10 minutes, I was hooked. I've never read the book, but I can see why it is such an important piece of literature. The story was riveting and had me at full attention all the way through. This movie was a bit more "Hollywood" then I usually like, but it moved at a fast pace so that even a simpleton would enjoy. After seeing this film I am adding this to my books I need to read before I die. Anyone who's looking for a good evening movie, this is it. The film isn't amazing directed, but the story is so strong it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Rating = B+

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Here's the deal. Robert Rodriguez is no brilliant director that the world thinks he is. After watching ALL of his films you can tell that this guy has the mind-set of a 10-year-old. He's a complete tool, wearing tight v-neck shirts and probably gets off to pictures of himself. Machete was just what you think it is. A Mexican Rambo who is fighting for immigration rights. But wait this movie is unique because its campy and exploitative.... NO, its corny, thats it, Robert Rodriguez is corny. He has no originality, just the mind of a immature juvenile who loves himself. The movie is a typical action movie with some fun blood effects and boobs, but nothing more. Watch Desperado for Danny Trejo acting in a better character, but lets be honest, even that movie becomes unwatchable after 2/3 the way through. It's just bad filmmaking and people like him will continue to make garbage for the rest of their lives.

Rating = D- ...and i'm being generous

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Shawshank is by far the most grossly overrated films of all time. To say that this is better than Lawrence of Arabia, better than Alien, Better then Saving Private Ryan, is just ridiculous. This movie is weak, as are all the characters in it. I'll never forgot the scene where the old man hangs himself after leaving prison and the piano symphony kicks in. Why should I feel sorry for him? Try living in Africa buddy and tell me how hard your life is. This movie is for weak people who love to shed a tear for prisoners and overall just weak people. Now I love the director of this and Stephen King, but im sorry, this isn't a masterpiece, it's forcing the audience into the characters emotional problems that few can relate. Go see the Green Mile instead.

Rating = D-

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I went in to this movie thinking, "oh boy another Michael Cera movie" seeing the same character do the same thing he does in every movie... I was wrong. Youth in Revolt was a delight. I thought the movie would be far more vulgar, but the only times bad language was used is when Cera turned into his alter ego. The movie was very well written and had me laughing out loud for most of the film. The boyfriend character, Trent, was hilariously casted as were the rest of the characters. Go see Youth in Revolt if you are over 13.

Rating = A-

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First off, let me say I HATE SAM REIMI!!! I think he is a terrible director and should not be allowed in Hollywood. He loves himself and makes movies Corny and stupid. I think he has the mind of a twelve year old and makes immature, tasteless, garbage movies. BUT, I did enjoy The Quick and the Dead. This is by no means a real western film but rather a modern twist on one with a full cast of well-known Hollywood actors. The story is simple, but Gene Hackman is such a bad Badguy that the film is enjoyable to watch simply to see what happens. It's no Sergio Leonne, but still a good try.

Rating = C+

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I went to go see Rambo on a bunch of liquor and had a blast. This is a movie to see with the boys and intoxicated a humanly possible. I loved the original film and this one was a great sequel. All that was missing was Col. Kirby (R.I.P.). Rambo was ultra violent with great effects, even though a lot of the blood was CGI. The story wasn't amazing, especially the strike team he had with him, but that's what made it fun. If I were 12, this would be my all time favorite movie. The bad guys were REALLY BAD, and I loved seeing them disemboweled. If you love any Stallone film, then go see this and enjoy the bloodbath.

Rating = B-

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Igby Goes Down was by no means a terrible film. I would classify it as a dark comedy with a lot of drama. The movie was filmed well and has a very bizarre cast of characters. I thought Kieran Culkin did an awesome job and was perfect for the character. My only problem with the movie was the forced emotions that they tried to pressure on you. Every characters so called problems were simply self-created and I'm sorry but I can't feel sorry for some spoiled kid who never had a job in his life and can't handle the harsh upper-class lifestyle in New York. Claire Danes is a skank in the movie... nothing more. Her character starts off OK, but then ure like, WOW she is nothing but a whore and why should I feel sorry for her. Altogether I like this movie, it is the definition of an independent movie.

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Frozen was a movie I was not looking forward to seeing. I thought it would be a really low budget movie with 1 setting and a drawn out plot, but I have pleasantly surprised. Frozen was really entertaining. I think anyone who has been on a ski lift has always had some sort of horrible thought of dying on it. At first the dialog was really bad and seemed forced and I was rolling my eyes within the first 10 minutes. But then it all goes wrong. The situation they are in is a tough one to get out of. Your mind races with ideas, maybe they could jump or climb, but you soon realize, they are boned. If you want to see a good Saturday morning movie or your in a cabin with your friends, check out Frozen. Rating = C+

Got to say Pirrana 3D was an entertaining flick. It's safe to say that anyone who is going to see this movie knows what to expect. Boobs, blood, and some hilariously stupid people all in a troubling situation. The acting is terrible and the score is down right ridiculous, but what do you expect. Just don't take Mom to see this movie unless she has a great sense of humor. This movie made me laugh out loud at times and was a great movie to watch with a group of friends. It's great to see movies like this being made, but it's far from a great film and I'm not sure if it really helps the horror movie industry.

But sit back and enjoy Pirrana 3D... when it goes straight to netflix.

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I was not really looking forward to seeing MacGruber but all-in-all I had a good time watching it. MacGruber is definitely the prime example of a B grade comedy, but it was an enjoyable story all the way through.

I can't think of too many comedies that actually become funnier as they go along. The trailer pretty much gives you an idea of what's to come, but the over the top violence was the selling point for me.

Val Kilmer did a great job as the bad guy and movie had some memorable quotes. If you need a good Saturday morning movie, this is it.

Rating = C-

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Last night I watched a British comedy with a rather taboo theme called "Four Lions". The movie was a satire following a group of want-to-be Jihadi Islamist terrorists who live in Sheffield, England. The premise seemed funny enough and this was definitely classified as a dark comedy. The movie was directed and written by famous UK director, Chris Morris.

I'm don't particularly like British comedy, and the idea of a man in woman's clothing is simply not funny to me, but this was a very different type of movie. It was almost like an Islamic "Trailer Park Boys" with a good cast of characters and a simple plot.

I would not say the movie was particularly good, but it had some very memorable moments, especially the dark ending. The biggest problem was the VERY strong British accents and slang, which I had a hard time understanding at times. So all-in-all, if you enjoy British comedy or just want to see something new, check out "Four Lions", but don't expect a masterpiece.

Rating = C

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First of all, let me begin by saying that if you are going to see The American expecting big explosions, big shootouts, and over the top action you will be sorely disappointed. This is not what The American delivers. Many critics have derided this movie, which makes me wonder what they're doing reviewing movies. Perhaps the problem is that this is not a "movie", instead it is true cinema. The shootouts are quick, for the most part over before you know it. The soundtrack is extremely understated, we hear more footsteps, doors opening and closing, and coffee cups clinking than we do music. But what we do hear, a slight and methodical piano playing and at most a momentary symphonic crescendo, draws us into The American's world, and makes us fearful of what may be around the next corner. The characters are a mystery, and almost all of our questions go unanswered. Most of all, though, the cinematography is nothing short of masterful.

Whatever The American may lack in inspiration it more than makes up for with the absolutely flawless craftsmanship it exhibits in filmmaking. I found myself in complete awe of this latter point, unwilling to blink, much less go to the bathroom, for fear I may miss another amazing shot or more subtle foreshadowing and intricate character development, another heart pounding walk through small town Italian corridors, or another expressive close up of Clooney making instruments of death at his workman's bench.

The movie follows the story of Clooney, most often referred to as "Mr. Butterfly" because of his unspy-like and highly metaphorical fascination with the creatures. (Think Papillon with Steve McQueen) We see him leave Sweden on a mission whose objective is never divulged to us, and flee to small town Italy, to execute another job we do not see him accept, and whose goal neither we, nor Clooney, care to know. The whole time there is someone on our tail, we must always be looking over our shoulder, wary of the double-cross, and trying to catch a hint of what might be around the next corner, afraid that anyone we care for could be a secret agent or assassin, never able to truly love much less trust, empty, amoral, utterly alone… in short, a spy. It is in drawing us into this world that the movie is nothing short of stellar. Will Clooney be able to escape this world of intrigue and finally find some happiness, some peace, some real human emotion?

Rating = A-

Review by SkyMoney - VideoGameHollywood.com

Can you remember any of the characters names… or even the plot itself. This is what I felt right after seeing this little gem of a movie. Now lets get things straight, I was really looking forward to seeing this film. A movie with the greatest action stars from the last century was sure to be a bloodbath with unforgettable lines that I would be quoting till I was 70. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

Even from the opening scene, the movie felt like a B grade thriller with horrific camera angles and cut up action scenes. I really don't need to see 6 different angles when someone is punched. Stallone clearly needs some help when it comes to directing. Every dialog shot was so zoomed in, that you had no idea where they were, or for that matter what was going on. Almost every shot only showed a characters eyebrow to their chin in frame while they recited there so-called lines. Its hard to believe this movie was so disappointing. I really enjoyed Rambo and don't understand how this movie went so awry.

But of all the problems with The Expendables, the biggest problem was the pace of the movie. This movie moved so fast, just one setting after another in a matter of seconds. I would say the longest scene in the movie ran for 5 minutes, than BAM back in South America or some random location. I have never scene such terrible editing, if you can call it that. It was just bunch of scenes smashed together and deeming it a movie. Im sorry Stallone, but you really let me down on this one.

Overall Rating = F-

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Wasn't really looking forward to seeing this one just by watching the trailers. Altogether "The Other Guys" was somewhat entertaining but really didn't deliver much. Usually after a Will Ferrell movie, you have a few scenes or lines that are stuck in your head for the week. It almost seemed as if this film needed a few more writers on board. Don't get me wrong I laughed out loud at times, but it wasn't a memorable experience.

I think I would have liked this movie a lot more when I was 12, but for any adult, it was kinda boring. It was funny to see old Marky Mark yell at Will Ferrel, but the gimmick wore off quickly. Again not to many memorable jokes, but worth watching on Netflix a year from now.

Rating = D

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