Nov 14: The Campaign

"In order to gain influence over their North Carolina district, two CEOs seize an opportunity to oust long-term congressman Cam Brady by putting up a rival candidate. Their man: naive Marty Huggins, director of the local Tourism Center."

Directed by: Jay Roach, Rated: R, 85 minutes

This year has been ridiculous when it comes to politics. From the most expensive campaign in history to Southern states threatening to secede, it's been a crazy few months. Riding on this wave of unnecessary, The Campaign, a political spoof comedy, attempts to poke even more fun at the situation. Pitting Will Ferrell against Zach Galifianakis sounds like a great idea, but unfortunately the film never really takes off and suffers from the "saw-it-in-the-trailer-so-it's-not-as-funny-anymore" effect.

Believe it or not, baby punching actually gets old. 

Cam Brady (Ferrell) is a four-term congressman from Hammond, NC. He's a womanizing jerk off who lies, cheats, and does whatever he can to maintain his office. In his own words, he's a great politician but a horrible congressman. Enter Mary Huggins (Galifianakis), a simple man obsessed with his little town who also happens to be the son of Raymond Huggins, a successful campaign manager. When the Motch Brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow) decide to back Huggins for congressman, in hopes of manipulating him, Brady goes into defensive mode to keep his office while facing off against the very incapable Huggins. What ensues are campaigns of the two men that are full of the worst things concerning politics (scandals, lying, baby punching, etc) and their continued attempts to outdo the other to win the election.

 Two pugs don't make a right. 

As I mentioned, The Campaign loses a lot of its jokes to the advertisements and trailers littered everywhere before its release. Every scene that would be funny is nothing new and the majority of the film feels like it's something you've seen before. You can tell while these scenes were used in the advertising, because they really are the most interesting parts of the movie. Everything else is just boring and drags on, and by the end of the film, both men have very little going for them and prove to be pretty awful human beings. Even the somewhat likable Huggins becomes too annoying to really cheer for and the end result leads to more frustration than anything else. Any attempt to be a true spoof of the political environment gets thrown out of the door because of the shear over-the-top ridiculousness of The Campaign. What starts out as a smart idea simply catapults itself into stupidity and loses any excitement or creativity about twenty minutes into the movie. I can't quite call this a big shame as I wasn't expecting much for the film but a part of me was enthusiastic about the possibility of something as fun as say, Anchorman or Step Brothers.

If only there was more room for activities...

I like to think of myself as a patient man but Will Ferrell and Zach Galifanakis continue to test me over and over. Both funny men have amazing talent and can make me laugh like no one else, but their continued recycling of the same characters, voices, and even jokes is getting tiresome. The Campaign is no exception and while it's not as stupid as all of Adam Sandler's messy turds, it really lacks any focus or heart and loses itself along the way. It's not that it tries too hard as much as it seems that the film was kind of a dud right off the bat. It's simply too uninspired and really not that funny to call an instant classic and it's hardly quotable like all of Ferrell's other films. The Campaign is something that can easily be missed and forgotten and I would not recommend checking it out. However, if you do have a strong curiosity to take a peek, it's not as bad as a lot of other stuff that's out there now.

The Good:

very few moments that warrant a chuckle and a rather interesting buildup to the story

The Bad:

that same buildup almost immediately falters and you're left bored, not entertained, and very frustrated

The Ugly:

wondering if Ferrell and Galifanakis will ever find their feet again and produce quality comedies that are both fresh and funny

Overall: 5.0/10

Discussion Question:

Are you surprised there are not more political movies out there? Or is that genre too uninteresting and familiar to be funny anymore?

Trailer:

June 22: Ghostbusters

"Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service."

Ghostbusters is not only a classic, it's one of the best comedies of all time. It's been quoted, spoofed, and referenced over and over and has spawned a sequel, a cartoon series, an iconic theme song, and plenty of merchandise. It features Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd in arguably their best roles (at their prime) and blends the supernatural with the super funny in glorious fashion. Not to mention, Ghostbusters features a giant, evil marshmallow man that arrives at the movie's conclusion, wrecking havoc on New York City. That alone would make a movie for me, yet Ghostbusters goes above and beyond just the "usual" massive s'more. 

Life tip: Use Reese's Peanut Butter Cups instead of chocolate for s'mores. It's GLORIOUS. 

Ghostbusters is so good, every line and special effect clings to your memory, never to be forgotten or trumped. The story follows Dr. Peter Venkman (Murray), Dr. Raymond Stantz (Aykroyd), and Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), three professors turned supernatural researchers, who, after losing their jobs, start a ghost hunting and capturing business. Venkman joins mostly for the franchising opportunities and possible fortune to be made (and the ladies), while Stantz and Spengler are much more serious about their new "calling". Their business proves very successful and the trio become quite the celebrities. With their growing attention comes investigation, and the new business is threatened to be shut down by the EPA, as their proton packs (devices used to capture ghosts) are believed to have possible negative effects on the environment. When the Ghostbusters discover that a portal to another dimension has been opened in the apartment of poor Dana (Sigourney Weaver), threatening to unleash a great evil on the world, the crew takes it into their hands to save the city and show that they are a much greater good than bad to the world. 

Even though they kind of look like super villains. 

There's really not a lot I can say about Ghostbusters that hasn't been said already by someone, somewhere. It's a universally loved film seen by practically everyone and is certainly deserving of all the praise it has been given. It's smart, side-splitting funny, and continues to entertain new and old audiences. Bill Murray certainly steals the show and practically ever line uttered from him is comedic gold. His dead-pan humor is beyond genius and Ghostbusters is one of the first films to show he is most definitely a national treasure. I cannot recommend Ghostbusters enough and if for some weird, inexcusable reason you haven't seen it already, go buy it immediately. 

The Good:

campy but brilliant special effects for its time (1984)

The Better:

a memorable cast that has perfect chemistry and shows you how fun it must have been to make a movie with your friends

The Best:

Bill Murray being Bill Murray and proving to everyone that he is the greatest comedian of all time (yes, I am being that bold)

Overall: 9.6/10

Trailer:

April 2: Yogi Bear

"A documentary filmmaker travels to Jellystone Park to shoot a project and soon crosses paths with Yogi Bear, his sidekick Boo-Boo, and Ranger Smith."

   I am quite surprised that I watched any part of Yogi Bear, let alone the entire film. It is everything that is horrible about movies these days. It rapes a classic character to a poorly rendered CGI death, while including poop jokes and animals dancing to songs that are decades old. Dan Aykroyd attempts to voice the title character, and he does poorly, as does Justin Timberlake as Boo Boo. They sound nothing like the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon and I think the filmmakers thought kids these days wouldn't even know who Yogi was, thus allowing the voice actors to do whatever they wanted with the characters. This isn't a case when the movie tries too hard, it's a case of "this movie should never exist". There really is no redeeming factor to the film and you can't even lie to yourself that it's good. 

You can't wash away the shame or the memories of watching this film. 

   The plot in Yogi Bear is just as bad as the film's concept. Ranger Smith, Yogi, and friends have to raise a certain amount of money to save Jellystone National Park from falling into the hands of an "evil" man who wants the land for something or whatnot. It's the same old plot you've seen in countless TV shows and movies, and Yogi Bear brings nothing new to the table (shocking!).  After just seeing trailers of the movie, I knew it looked awful but, after watching it, it's even worse. And, it absolutely pisses me off that shit like this can make $90 million at the box office and of course "deserve" a sequel. 

Just like these f**ked up, unnecessary, squealing little shithead rodents

    Yogi Bear needs to be skipped as though your life depends on it. Luckily the movie was only on TV and I didn't pay a dime to watch it. I was never the biggest fan of Yogi Bear, but I do know that this film is in no way a proper movie adaptation of the cartoon. The film features horrible special effects and green screen action sequences, as well as shitty acting by the human "co-stars" and the audacity to have a Morgan Freeman wannabe narrate the film. You don't f**k with God and you don't f**k with classic characters. You just don't. 

The Bad:

the fact that this movie was green-lit 

The Worse:

the fact that this movie was a box-office hit

The Worst:

the film itself

Overall: 1.2/10

Trailer:

Hey, it's much more entertaining