I was scanning HBO for something to watch, and I found "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", which I have been meaning to watch for a long time. I'm definitely glad that I made time to watch it, as it was a really good romantic comedy.

The writing of the film was definitely my favorite part. It is one of those films that is a satire of the genre into which it falls. As such, it hits all of the romantic comedy tropes while making fun of them at the same time. This meta-humor always seems to appeal to me, as some of my favorite films fall within that category. The humor of the film is consistently very funny, and even the raunchier elements are done in a way that they are genuinely hilarious, not offensive. The characters are also very well-written and dynamic, especially the character of Aldous Snow, who often breaks outside of his archetype. 

The filmmaking style of the film is good. The cinematography is nice, making use of the location of Hawaii. The music choice is also very good to provide comedic elements. I also found the original song written for the film to be quite funny and enjoyable. All of the actors also do a good job of fitting the comedic elements of their role.

Overall, I really enjoyed "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". It is a funny romantic comedy that makes fun of a lot of the tropes associated with a heavily clichéd genre. I highly recommend it for fans of meta-humor.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Big Tuna's Rating: B
How Did I Watch It?: HBO.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Yes.

I've been meaning to watch this film for a long time because of my love for the Coen Brothers. However, I only now got around to it because it was on HBO. It may just be over-hype, but I think that it is probably my least favorite of their films.

The plot of the film is enjoyable enough, but I thought that it was pretty predictable as a whole. There are some funny moments, but I never thought it was absolutely hilarious, like some of the other films. It still does have the same witty dialogue that they are known for, though. I also didn't think it was as profound as some of their other films. While watching the film, I kept thinking of comparisons to "The Nice Guys", which I found to be more enjoyable. It seems as if Black was inspired by this film.

The filmmaking elements were all really good. The dream sequences were the best-made parts of the film, because they had some really intricate cinematography and production design. The acting is also really good as a whole. Jeff Bridges is obviously great as The Dude, but I thought that John Turturro and Peter Stormare were the funniest parts of the film. Both had characters with a very extreme personality that was well-executed.

Overall, "The Big Lebowski" is good enough, but I don't like it as much as the other Coen films. I think that the diversity in their filmography allows the audience to have different opinions of their films, so I understand if this is one of your favorites, but it just didn't appeal as much to me.

The Big Lebowski 
Big Tuna's Rating: B-
How Did I Watch It?: HBO On Demand.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Yes.

"Rat Race" was heavily recommended to me by a friend, so when I found out it was on HBO, I decided to watch it. I generally enjoy the films of ZAZ, one of whom was the director of this film, and this film generally emulates their style.

The writing of the film is okay. It has some extremely hilarious moments in it, however, it isn't as consistently funny as some of their other films. The premise offers the potential for a lot of commentary, some of which is explored satirically, but one of my issues with all of their films is that they do not go as deep as they could go. The ending also isn't as predictable as I thought it would be.

The ensemble cast is very funny, with Jon Lovitz and Cuba Gooding, Jr. being my favorites. The filmmaking style is pretty simple, but that is all that a comedy of this caliber really needs. The opening credits are a little over-the-top, though.

Overall, "Rat Race" is an enjoyable, simple slapstick satire. If you are fans of films such as "Airplane" or "The Naked Gun", this is in the same vein, and you would likely enjoy it too.

Rat Race
Big Tuna's Rating: C+
How Did I Watch It?: HBO Go.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Maybe.

I came down with a really bad illness last week, so I missed this documentary in a film class, so I watched it to catch up. Despite subject matter that sometimes becomes a bit too odd, "Project Nim" manages to be a very interesting documentary.

While the stories of the parties involved that are trying to train this animal are quite interesting, there are some aspects of the story that are very weird and uncomfortable. For example, there are parts talking about the chimp's sexual exploration and how the researchers wanted to study his sexual habits that are presented very uncomfortably. I have to applaud the film in the way it presented the story as a whole, though. The film is very much presented like a thriller in parts, and it works.

The film is an interesting combination of archive footage, interviews, and reenactments. The reenactments are better than those of the average documentary because of the way they are shot to make them blend with the archive footage. The editing f the film is also very good, as is the cinematography, both used effectively to transition between different aspects of the story.

So overall, "Project Nim" is a good documentary that gets a bit weird in parts. It is undoubtedly well-made, though.

Project Nim
Big Tuna's Rating: B
How Did I Watch It?: HBO Go.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Maybe.

Tonight, I decided to watch the sequel to the film that I watched last night. Worthy of is predecessor in terms of quality, but slightly less enjoyable, "28 Weeks Later" is definitely a film to watch for fans of the original.

The biggest thing that I didn't love about this film was that it was far less suspenseful. It was definitely more action-oriented, whereas "28 Days Later" was more horror-oriented. Another difference was that this film was also very emotionally-driven, creating slightly better character development, even though it was already great in the original. All in all, this film was still interesting, but it never really had the edge-of-your-seat feeling of the original.

The cinematography of this film was really great. Two scenes stand out in particular: the introduction, and the night-vision scene. the introduction is the most suspenseful scene in the film, and that's because of a combination of amazing long shots showing the approaching danger, and a suspenseful score. The night vision scene has some cool techniques to add to the storytelling.

So overall, "28 Weeks Later" is a very good film. I didn't love it quite as much as the original, but just by a slight margin. This series may be the one to change my mind on zombie films.

28 Weeks Later
Big Tuna's Rating: A-
How Did I Watch It?: HBO On Demand.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Probably.

I had yet to see this film, but I have wanted to see it for a while, and I have heard a lot of good things about it, so I finally decided to give it a watch. I'm generally not a huge fan of zombie films, but I think that I may be slowly changing my mind.

This film is quite possibly one of the most intense films that I have ever seen. The tension is really well-built from the beginning, partly due to the extremely effective use of sound, and the choice to leave some scenes silent, while dramatizing the score in others. The cinematography is also extremely intriguing, often creating a sense of intrigue and ambiguity, which further builds suspense. The end battle scene is truly phenomenal, and had me biting my nails in suspense, shouting at the screen what I wanted to happen.

Another thing that the film does extremely well is the development of the characters. The protagonists are likable, and definitely garner audience sympathy due to their ability to retain human personalities despite the situation. The character Frank, played by Brendan Gleeson, is probably the most likable character in the film. We see his character develop, and his traits show in his actions throughout the film. Jim and Selena, played by Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris, are also exceptionally well-developed, making for interesting characters, and therefore an interesting perspective to the story.

So overall, I really ended up loving "28 Days Later". It is a suspenseful, well-made horror film. If you are a fan of horror films, definitely watch this film. I plan on watching the sequel within the month. 

28 Days Later
Big Tuna's Rating: A
How Did I Watch It?: HBO On Demand.
Had I Seen It Before?: N0.
Would I Watch It Again?: Yes.

In preparation for the upcoming sequel, I decided to re-watch the original "Independence Day", which I had seen many times before, but not in the past couple of years. Unfortunately, I found that this film doesn't hold up as well as I remembered, however it is still enjoyable.

The writing of this film contains most of its shortcomings. It's really goofy and unbelievable. The alien invasion element is obviously pretty far-fetched, but a lot of the family dynamics are even more far-fetched to me. Most of the events that happened in the film (related to family dynamics) are extremely ridiculous when looked at in context. For example, the world is in danger of being destroyed by aliens, yet there is time for a wedding. The film is also pretty convoluted as a whole. There are way too many subplots, and while they do fall together by the end, it results in the film feeling rushed and jumpy. Regardless, the film is still very enjoyable, and manages to provide a feeling of pride for being human as opposed to just American patriotism, which is common for these type of films.

The acting of the film is pretty good, but not great. Will Smith is fine, but I remembered him being more prominent. Even though Smith is the top-billed actor, Jeff Goldblum is more likely the lead of the film. Goldblum provides some funny moments and shows some sincere emotion, but the best emotional performance in the film comes from Bill Pullman, the other of the three primary actors. My favorite performances in the film, however, came from supporting actors, such as Mary McDonnell, Randy Quaid, Harry Connick Jr., and Harvey Fierstein.

The special effects are the most impressive part of the film, however they did not hold up particularly well over the years. Some of the spaceship scenes look a bit cartoonish, however the aliens themselves still look good.

So overall, "Independence Day" is a fun movie, but definitely not a great movie. There are some pretty strong special effects, especially for the time it was released, but the script is really goofy and predictable.

Independence Day
Big Tuna's Rating: B
How Did I Watch It?: HBO.
Had I Seen It Before?: Yes.
Would I Watch It Again?: Most likely.

The other day, I was looking for something to watch and decided to watch "Vacation", which I had seen in theaters when it first came out, but haven't seen since. I watched about the first hour of it then, and I decided to finish it up today.

I love the original "Vacation". It is still among the movies that have made me laugh hardest in my life. This reboot, however, has a much raunchier style of humor than the original. It provides for some really hilarious moments, however many of its laughs are based on shock value rather than genuine funniness.

The writing of the film is okay. It's pretty formulaic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in this case, especially since it is supposed to be reminiscent of the original film, which it is. Very much like the original, a series of things go wrong, there is a family dilemma, they make up, and there is a happy ending.

The film does provide for some very funny moments, however. Ed Helms is almost always hilarious and he bring his charm and sarcasm to this film, and it fits very well. There are also funny cameos from Keegan Michael-Key, Charlie Day, Chris Hemsworth, and Ron Livingston. A lot of the funniest moments involve the personalities or reactions of these actors. Charlie Day's scene is probably the funniest in the film and makes me laugh every time that I think about it.

So overall, "Vacation" is a funny movie, but it is by no means great. It is a fun movie to watch if you don't really have anything better to do, but it's not something that you need to rush to see.

Vacation
Big Tuna's Rating: C+
How Did I Watch It?: HBO.
Had I Seen It Before?: Yes.
Would I Watch It Again?: Yes.

I decided that in preparation for "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2", I needed to revisit the original that I had not seen in a few years. I am glad to say that I remember enjoying it, and it still holds up.

The movie is in no way particularly original. It's the "They can't be together!" romantic comedy mixed with the "culture shock" comedy film. That being said, the film is still ridiculously enjoyable. I completely understand why the film was so successful, becoming one of the highest grossing romantic comedies of all time: the characters are charming. The film feels real, and you truly do like the characters despite their flaws. This film really succeeds in the enjoyment level. Nia Vardalos and John Corbett are both good in their roles, and they are supported by a very funny supporting cast. One thing that I will note is that the wedding only takes up about twenty minutes of the film. The rest is about the romance between the two characters. Maybe it should be called "My Big Fat Greek Love Story" instead.

There really isn't that much more to say about this film other than it was enjoyable. There was nothing that was poorly made about it, however there was nothing spectacular about the cinematic elements worth note either. So if you are looking to sit around with a few good laughs, check this one out.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Big Tuna's Rating: B
How Did I Watch it?: HBO.
Had I Seen It Before?: Yes.
Would I Watch It Again?: Yes.

I would like to begin this review by saying that my viewing of this film is in no way meant to offend anyone. That being said, I decided to watch a Sacha Baron Cohen film in honor of the release of "The Brothers Grimsby".

There were some funny parts in this film. Unfortunately, the film also had to be filled with shock-value moments that are potentially offensive to a lot of different people. The funniest parts in this movie were the parts that weren't misogynistic, homophobic, anti-Semitic, or of another offensive nature.

The mockumentary aspect of the film was very well done. The cinematography seemed very documentary-esque and the responses of the people seemed very natural, enhancing the feel of the film. This is likely due to the mostly unscripted nature of many of the film's scenes.

So overall, "Borat" is good for a few laughs, but it is weighed down by so many unfunny and potentially offensive jokes.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Big Tuna's Rating: B
How Did I Watch It?: HBO.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: No.