Wreck-It Ralph

Wreck-It Ralph - Dir. Rich Moore (2012)

If Brave was Pixar's most Disney-like movie, then Wreck-It Ralph might be Disney's most Pixar-esque film to date. The comparison is easy to see since the concept could succinctly be described as Toy Story for video games.

Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the villain of an old school arcade game modeled after Donkey Kong. He's a burly brute who is forced to live in the city dump while his nemesis, Fix-It Felix Jr. (Jack McBrayer), lives in luxury in a high-rise apartment with his fellow Nicelanders. Ralph trashes the building, but Felix always manages to fix the damage before Ralph is tossed acrimoniously into the mud. Poor Ralph is tired of playing the antagonist, especially when he constantly sees the other Nicelanders lavish accolades for Felix. To paraphrase Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Ralph's not a bad guy, he's just programmed that way.

Ralph game jumps into a violent, high-tech first person shooter called Hero's Duty to win a medal and prove he can be a hero. From there, he winds up in Sugar Rush, a candy-themed racing game where he meets little Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), who is shunned by the other racers and their monarch King Candy (Alan Tudyk) for being a glitch. Meanwhile, Felix and Sgt. Calhoun (Jane Lynch), the lead in Hero's Duty, set off to find Ralph before the arcade permanently unplugs their game.

Wreck-It Ralph features a wealth of video game references, many of which will go over the heads of younger viewers and casual gamers. At one point, Ralph attends a support group named Bad Guys Anonymous with M. Bison, Zangief, Kano, Dr. Eggman, King Bowser, and one of the Pac-Man ghosts. Other cameos include other Street Fighter characters (Chun-Li, Ken, Ryu), Sonic the Hedgehog, Frogger, and the paddles from Pong. King Candy has a vault with a giant Nintendo controller as the door with the combination set as the Konami Code. Novelty duo Bruckner & Garcia, best known for their 1982 single "Pac-Man Fever," were plucked out of obscurity to write a Wreck-It Ralph theme song. There's even graffiti with internet memes like "Leroy Jenkins was here" and ”All your fortress are belong to us." The most heartbreaking moment in Wreck-It Ralph is the appearance of Q*bert and his supporting cast, who have been rendered homeless after their game was unplugged.

In lesser hands, Wreck-It Ralph could have rested on simply stringing together one pop culture reference after another. However, there is genuine heart and humor to the story thanks to director Rich Moore, who has helmed some of the best Simpsons episodes. He can count "Cape Feare," "Marge vs. the Monorail," and "Lisa's Substitute" on his resume. Moore worked on the script with another Simpsons alum Jim Reardon, Phil Johnston (Cedar Rapids), and newcomer Jennifer Lee. The results of their work impart tried and true themes of friendship and self-affirmation. The majority of the film is set within Sugar Rush, which may seem like the least interesting world that they could have explored. Yet, the animation is gorgeous and the writers find clever ways to work in renowned food products, such as a volcano of diet cola with Mentos stalactites.

It is here that the movie also explores the budding camaraderie between Ralph and Vanellope, both of whom are considered pariahs within their respective societies. Thanks to the voice actors there's a real tenderness to the characters. John C. Reilly is perfectly cast as the lovable lug while Sarah Silverman brings her trademark caustic (though sanitized) humor. Jack McBrayer is another spot-on casting choice as the "Aww, shucks" Fix-It Felix. Alan Tudyk steals the show as the loopy King Candy with a gusto impression of Ed Wynn.

It may be hyperbole on my part when I say Wreck-It Ralph comes exceedingly close to reaching the heights of Disney's renaissance era when they were pumping out The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. Wreck-It Ralph is not just the best animated film of the year, but one of the best Disney productions in years.

Rating: **** (*****)

Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect - Dir. Jason Moore (2012)

The trailers made Pitch Perfect look like Glee: The College Years, which sounds about as entertaining as being waterboarded. However, this peppy little picture might be one of the nicest cinematic surprises of 2012.

The adorable Anna Kendrick stars as Beca, an aspiring DJ and record producer. Beca strikes a reluctant deal with her estranged father (John Benjamin Hickey), a professor at the fictional Barden University. Beca will attend for at least one year in order for daddy to pay for her move to Los Angeles.

At Barden, a capella is king and just about every clique is involved. The big men on campus are the Treble Makers while the most glamorous gals are The Barden Belles. There's even a stoner group known as The High Notes. The Belles saw their chance at winning nationals go up in smoke when co-captain Aubrey (Anna Camp) projectile vomited on stage. Aubrey isn't too happy when her best friend Chloe (Brittany Snow) recruits Beca and a motley crew of girls to rebuild the Belles. The new team must pull together if they want to make it to the championship in New York City. It won't be easy because Aubrey runs the team with an iron fist. She steadfastly sticks to a rigid regime with the Belles portrayed as prim and proper while performing ditties by Ace of Base and The Bangles. Meanwhile, Beca wants to change things up with a hipper and livelier set list.

Pitch Perfect was based on the non-fiction book by Mickey Rapkin, a senior editor at GQ, who covered a season of competitive collegiate a capella. Yes, that's a real thing. It was adapted for the screen by Kay Cannon, a writer/producer for 30 Rock and New Girl. She injects a quirky sense of humor to the film, which is skillfully handled by director Jason Moore, best known for the stage musical Avenue Q. Moore keeps the picture energetic as evidenced by a montage as hopefuls audition to Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone."

Pitch Perfect works because there isn't a cynical bone within its body. Yes, the whole idea may be silly, but the movie never treats its characters with any sort of snarky condescension. Perhaps, the most ridiculous sequence in Pitch Perfect is the Riff-Off as various groups do battle while armed with musical bullets from Rihanna, Salt-N-Pepa, and Foreigner. It might seem like an eye-rolling endeavor, but it's hard not to join in on the fun when everyone on screen is clearly enjoying themselves.

Anna Kendrick is an absolute delight though her star-crossed romance with Treble Maker Jesse (Skylar Austin) isn't as interesting as her interactions with the other girls. There's the usual second act breakup before they reunite in the third act. No, the camaraderie between the Belles forms the spine of Pitch Perfect with terrific performances by Rebel Wilson and Hana Mae Lee. Wilson is getting the lion's share of attention for her outrageous role as Fat Amy, who calls herself that so "twig bitches" don't do it behind her back. However, it is the relatively unknown Lee who makes a breakthrough appearance as the demure Lilly. She has a great singing voice, but her speaking voice barely registers as a whisper. Thankfully, no one can hear her because what she says are psychotic non sequitors ("I ate my twin in the womb."). Christopher Mintz-Plasse pops in for a cameo as do Donald Faison, Har Mar Superstar, and Joe Lo Truglio as an a capella group of alumni, who don't know when to leave campus. John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks (who also produced) also appear as a pair of commentators in the vein of a Christopher Guest mockumentary. Do they actually have commentators for a capella?

Pitch Perfect does for a capella what Bring It On did for cheerleading and Step Up for street dance. Despite not being a fan of the majority of the music used, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Even the most jaded moviegoer will have a tough time holding back the smile on their face.

Rating: *** (*****)

Wanderlust

Wanderlust - Dir. David Wain (2012)

Wanderlust is the latest comedy to come out of the Judd Apatow factory. It was directed by David Wain and reunites him with several members of the sketch comedy show, The State, including Ken Marino, who co-wrote the screenplay with him. Wain's first feature film was 2001's Wet Hot American Summer, a cult classic that was a spoof of 80's summer camp comedies like Meatballs. His biggest hit to date was Role Models with Paul Rudd as an energy drink pitchman dissatisfied with his life.

In Wanderlust, Rudd is George, a white collar worker seemingly satisfied with his life. He's married to the beautiful Linda (Jennifer Aniston), a documentary filmmaker, and they've just bought a "micro-loft" in the trendy West Village of Manhattan. Never mind that the cramped accommodations are a glorified studio apartment, it's a sound investment says their real estate broker. Then, the bottom drops out. HBO turns down Linda's new doc about penguins with testicular cancer and George's firm is shut down due to revelations of massive fraud. The not-so-happy couple is forced to move into the Atlanta McMansion of George's overbearing brother, Rick (Marino). During the road trip, George and Linda take a detour into a hippy commune called Elysium and are drawn to stay by a life unburdened of the trappings of modern society.

Wanderlust is rife with great, comedic performances from a game supporting cast. Marino is very funny as the obnoxious Rick with Michaela Watkins as his put upon wife. The denizens of Elysium are a colorful batch of characters led by Justin Theroux as their guru, Seth, whose outdated knowledge of technology consists of laserdiscs, FAX machines, and Walkmans. Alan Alda co-stars as Carvin, the community's burnt out founder, who rides around on an electric scooter. There's also Malin Akerman as the sexy bombshell, Eva, and Joe Lo Truglio as a wine making nudist. When he's not stomping grapes for his homemade wine, he's attempting to write a Robert Ludlum-esque political thriller.

There's good chemistry between Rudd and Aniston, having previously worked together in The Object of My Affection. Aniston gets to play it looser than usual though she doesn't get as outrageous as the sexpot dentist in Horrible Bosses. Rudd is always entertaining as the exasperated straight man. He gets the best scene in the film when he tries to psych himself up to sleep with Eva by awkwardly spouting dirty talk in front of a mirror. Nothing else in Wanderlust can top it. In fact, the bloopers shown over the end credits were the only other thing I laughed at. Rudd is naturally funny, especially when it feels like he's working off the cuff. However, the humor in Wanderlust is strained and full of tired jokes about hippies and their lack of hygiene. There's also a lame subplot involving real estate developers threatening Elysium.

In 1985, Albert Brooks wrote, directed, and starred in Lost in America, a sharp comedy with he and Julie Hagerty as yuppie Los Angelinos. They leave behind their lives to travel across the country in a Winnebago only to discover their old, materialistic ways were just fine. Wanderlust isn't nearly as subversive or satirical. It's a rather pedestrian comedy, despite all the talent involved.

Rating: * ½ (*****)

Paul

Paul - Dir. Greg Mottola (2011)

Along with director Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost came to prominence in geek culture with their Channel 4 sitcom, Spaced. Their leap to feature films with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz was wildly successful. Having tackled zombies and cops, Pegg and Frost finally get around to tackling sci-fi with Paul, based on a script they wrote with Greg Mottola (Adventureland Superbad) behind the camera.

Paul makes it known right away who its target demographic with an opening sequence set at Comic-Con. Pegg and Frost are Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings, a graphic artist and science fiction writer, respectively. The best friends traveled to the United States to attend the Mecca of nerd-dom. They ogle the Slave Leias and get starstruck at meeting the robot from Buck Rogers ("…bidi, bidi, bidi."). Afterwards, Graeme and Clive embark on a bromantic road trip in a rented RV to visit famous UFO sites such as Area 51 and Roswell. Coming across a car accident, they are shocked to discover, Paul (Seth Rogen), an alien who has been locked away in a government facility since his spaceship crashed in the 1940's. Graeme and Clive agree to help Paul get to his mothership. Along the way, they also pick up Ruth Buggs (Kristen Wiig), a Christian fundamentalist whose faith is shaken by the appearance of a creature from outer space.

The supporting cast is a tremendous ensemble of players that include Jason Bateman as a no-nonsense man in black on the hunt for Paul with a pair of bumbling FBI agents played by Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio. They take their orders from Sigourney Weaver, who appears for most of the picture as a hidden voice sort of like Dr. Klaw from Inspector Gadget. We also have Jeffrey Tambor as sci-fi author Adam Shadowchild and Jane Lynch in a tiny role (a little Jane Lynch goes a long way) as a diner owner. Everyone is good, but none more so than Wiig as both a comic foil to Paul and love interest to Graeme. Wiig takes a rather one-dimensional character in Ruth and makes her extremely likable. She also possesses tremendous comic timing shown off when Ruth awkwardly tries cursing for the first time and launches into a series of nonsensical profanities ("Well, ain't that a bag of tits.").

Seth Rogen may be suffering from overexposure as of late. While you certainly cannot fault the man for venturing out of his comfort zone, the results have been mixed at best (i.e. Observe and Report, The Green Hornet). Here, Rogen goes back to basics providing only motion capture work and his distinctive voice. His Paul pulls a 180 on the prototypical alien by turning him into a rude and gross little guy with a cigarette constantly in his hand. He's E.T. if he were a potty-mouthed, bulb-headed stoner from a galaxy far, far away.

Paul definitely has its weaknesses. As foreigners, Pegg and Frost go the easy route by portraying most of the Americans they come across as bible-thumping zealots or gun-toting rednecks. David Koechner and Friday Night Lights' Jesse Plemons a bit wasted as the latter. Some of the subplots don't pay off, especially the one involving Ruth's domineering father (John Carroll Lynch), which could have easily been cut from the film to tighten the plot. In the end, Paul will live and die by its geek chic sense of humor.

While Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz poked fun at genre conventions, Paul is more concerned with making specific references, many of which will go most everyone's heads. There are tons of requisite Star Wars gags with entire lines of dialogue quoted by various characters. One of the best features a country western band playing their version of the Mos Eisley Cantina song. Other iconic sci-fi flicks like Back to the Future and obscure ones like Mac and Me are referenced as are numerous Spielberg movies to the point where the director himself makes a voice cameo receiving story advice from Paul.

Make no mistake about it, Paul is a movie for geeks and by geeks. As someone who is steeped in the culture (I'm a Comic-Con veteran for nearly two decades), it's hard for me to say how mainstream audiences might take the film. Hopefully, they'll find Paul as hilarious and surprisingly poignant as I have.

Rating: *** (*****)

I Love You, Man

I Love You, Man - Dir. John Hamburg (2009)


I Love You, Man is a hilarious, manly take on the romantic comedy, applying those same issues of awkwardness and companionship to a platonic heterosexual relationship. The film manages to remain fresh while still following the typical rom-com formula beginning with the meet-cute followed by the montage, the big fight, and even a last-minute confession during the third act wedding.

Real estate agent, Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), has never had any close guy friends, let alone a best friend. He’s always gotten along better with the opposite sex. He’s closer to his mom (Jane Curtin) while his gay brother, Robbie (Andy Samberg), and dad (J.K. Simmons) are the best of buds. With Peter and his fiancée, Zooey (Rashida Jones), about to get married, the women is his life decide to help Peter find a best friend. They set Peter up on a series of man-dates to poor results. During an open house at the estate of Lou Ferrigno, Peter bumps into Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) who openly admits he’s only there to pick up vulnerable divorcees. He’s in investments though we never see him do any kind of work. Sydney lives in a house by Venice Beach and has set up his garage as the ultimate bachelor’s pad with electric guitars, drums, and a special recliner for masturbating. Sydney’s candidness, free-wheeling life, and love of Rush strike a chord with Peter whose idea of a good time is staying at home and watching Chocolat.

Neither the script nor the direction by John Hamburg (whose last big-screen credit was Along Came Polly) are anything to crow about. The appeal of I Love You, Man rests solely on the shoulders of its leads. Jason Segel is in-demand following his writing/starring turn in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but it is these second banana roles (How I Met Your Mother, Knocked Up) that he excels at. He has a quirky, easy-going charm, most definitely someone you’d want to hang out with. His co-star, Paul Rudd, already has a proven track record as a strong supporting player in any comedy (The 40-Year Old Virgin, Anchorman). If there’s any justice in the world, the one-two punch of Role Models and I Love You, Man will cement his status as a bankable leading funnyman. His deadpan, sardonic wit makes him the perfect foil to Segel’s Sydney while spouting nonsensical slang like “totes magotes” or “latres on the menges.” Throw in the lovely Rashida Jones as well as Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressley as a quarreling couple and just a little bit of scatological humor make I Love You, Man the funniest movie of the year, so far.

Rating: ***