MovieZen Blog

Summer Comedies

It looks like the summer is going to belong to comedies for once. Hopefully they will be good enough to forget all the lackluster attempts from yesteryear. All of them seem fairly original and will probably cater to differing tastes. Here are some films which are slated to come out this year

First up is Forgetting Sarah Marshall a film with a lot of "Freaks and Geeks" alums. It is yet to be seen if they can repeat the magic with the sleeper hit "Knocked Up." It strikes me as a regular run of the mill comedy: boy-gets-heart-broken-finds-new-girl-in-paradise type but I can only go by the trailer. It apparently has not done very well, I guess the lack of bankable stars and predictable plot line was their downfall.

Critically acclaimed and well received is the comedy Baby Mama starring Tina Fey, a critical take on woman's biological clock ticking. Mike Myers returns to cinema with the The Love Guru which has been hyped as the next "Austin Powers."  Will Smith stars as an unlikely hero (Will smith rarely misses and it is highly unlikely that this film will do badly). There is another SNL alum who graces summer comedies with "You Don't Mess with the Zohan."  Rainn Wilson stars in his first starring role as a mullet wearing rocker in The Rocker ( Aug.1) as an aging metalhead who left a band right before it became famous and now he wants a second chance.  And of course Ben Stiller is presenting a comedy about making a movie about Vietnam in Tropic Thunder ( Aug.15).

Don't miss out on a summer full of comedy!

Maryam DiMauro
Filmsi

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5 Rentals for a Night In

We all have nights when we're just not up to going out and making and making the rounds. Nights when we just want to stay home with a video, something that will make us laugh. So here are some movies, out for rental (or in some cases available on iTunes) right now that will make you glad you stayed in.

27 Dresses

After serving as a bridesmaid 27 times, a young woman (Heigl) wrestles with the idea of standing by her sister's side as her sibling marries the man she's secretly in love with.

Wedding Daze

After the death of his girlfriend, Anderson tries to move on by asking a complete stranger to marry him.

School of Rock

Down and out rock star Dewey Finn (Black) gets fired from his band, and he faces a mountain of debts and depression. He takes a job as a 4th grade substitute teacher at an uptight private school where his attitude and hi-jinx have a powerful effect on his students. He also meets Zack, a 10-year-old guitar prodigy, who could help Dewey win a "battle of the bands" competition, which would ...( show more ) solve his financial problems and put him back in the spotlight.

Hairspray

Tracy Turnblad, an overweight teenager with all the right moves, is obsessed with the Corny Collins Show. Every day after school, she and her best friend Penny run home to watch the show and drool over the hot Link Larkin, much to Tracy's mother Edna's dismay. After one of the stars of the show leaves, Corny Collins holds auditions to see who will be the next person on the Corny ...( show more ) Collins show. With all of the help of her friend Seaweed, Tracy makes it on the show, angering the evil dance queen Amber Von Tussle and her mother Velma. Tracy then decides that it's not fair that the black kids can only dance on the Corny Collins Show once a month, and with the help of Seaweed, Link, Penny, Motormouth Maybelle, her father and Edna, she's going to integrate the show.....without denting her 'do.

Love Actually

The characters are falling in love, falling out of love, some are with right people, some are with the wrong people, some are looking to have an affair, some are in the period of mourning; a capsule summary of reality. Love begins and love ends. They flirt a lot. They are all flirting with love. At all ages and social levels, love is the theme. Romantic love and brotherly love ...( show more ) is the hotchpotch throughout the movie. Most of the movie is filmed in London, during Christmas and the characters all ended up at Heathrow airport a very uplifting note.

Katie Gatto
Convergent Streams

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