So, you got hungover and killed a whole bunch of Nazis- who hasn't done that in Vegas?! Oh, and get ready for my 400th video! This is "Movie Night."
*theme song plays*
Hi, my name is Jonathan Paula. Welcome to "Movie Night", the only show on YouTube that's talking about Hitler on Christmas Eve.
Our first movie tonight is "The Hangover." Released on June 5th, 2009, "The Hangover" can best be described as a comedy-mystery film. The plot follows the escapades of four best friends who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party.
After an apparently amazing night out on the town, they wake up after a Roofie-induced hangover, with the inability to remember anything that happened the night before.
And they also can't remember what happened to the groom. The comedy then unfolds over the course of the 100-minute movie, as friends Phil, Stu, and Alan, played by Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis, respectively...
...Try to find Doug, played by Justin Bartha, who is sadly reduced to a very small role in this movie, even though he is one of the central characters.
Taking cues from all the great "R"-rated comedies in the past few years, director Todd Phillips goes for a home run in this movie, really combining every type of effective comedy that there is, whether it's a fart joke, a gross-out moment...
...A surprise cameo, unexpected plot twists, situational miscommunication. or just flat-out clever writing. "The Hangover" really delivers the laughs consistently throughout the entire film.
Now, maybe it's because I've watched something like 2000 movies in my life and years worth of television, but I've kind of become jaded to the comedy genre. I don't laugh out loud as much as a lot of people.
But with "The Hangover", there were some scenes where I was legitimately unable to hear the dialogue, I was laughing so hard. This is a funny movie!
Of course, all of this would be for naught if the plot and characters didn't work well together.
Luckily, the cast mesh very well, truly exhibiting what appears to be a strong lifelong relationship right from the very first scene of the movie all the way to the ending credit sequence that is easily one of this year's best.
"The Hangover" is a terrific film with a heart of gold. It's very funny, and it has some of the most memorable and funny scenes you'll see this year.
It's no wonder that Warner Bros. is already slated to make a sequel, scheduled for release on Memorial Day, 2011. Anyway, let's take a look at your YouTube comments on "The Hangover."
Jon: LuluStoreys wrote... (reads LuluStoreys's comment)
Jon: JTGod wrote... (reads JTGod's comment)
Jon: DopeyKilla wrote... (reads DopeyKilla's comment)
I think it's safe to say that the response for this movie was overwhelmingly positive, but let's fire up the dual-chamber Rate-o-Matic and see how "The Hangover" did.
Very impressive! You guys scored this a "10", an "amazing" film, I had to give it an "8" for a "great." While it was a very, very great movie, it is a comedy, and I don't know that I can quite give it that "9" or a "10."
I had to hold off on the top scores for this one. It's not quite high art for me. But very enjoyable, one of the better comedies to come out in the last few years.
Moving forward now, let's take a look at our next film. Quentin Tarantino's newest film, "Inglourious Basterds", was released on August 21st, 2009 to immediate critical acclaim. And for good reason.
Once again, the iconic director has really lived up to high expectations that the public has for him and his work.
Told at a very slow developing pace, "Basterds" is split up into five chapters, any of which could easily stand on its own as a short 25-minute film, all with their own beginning, middle, and end.
As the plot progresses, however, we start to see the different narratives converge into one final plot. This is nothing new for Tarantino. It's a storytelling method he has used with great success in many of his past films.
In short, "Inglourious Basterds" is a story of Jewish-American guerilla soldiers led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine, played by Brad Pitt.
They are hell-bent on killing Nazis during the German-occupied France at the end of the Second World War.
Simultaneously, the movie is also the story of a Jewish girl, Shosanna, played by Melanie Laurent, who survived an SS attack on her family by the hands of Colonel Hans Landa, known affectionately throughout France as "The Jew Hunter."
Christoph Waltz's portrayal of Colonel Landa absolutely steals the show in every scene he is in. He is charming, deceptive, cunning, and, dare I say, adorable in his portrayal of a man known as "The Jew Hunter."
And while Pitt, Laurent, and a decent entry from Diane Kruger effectively nail their supporting characters, top accolades for this film absolutely have to be bestowed to Tarantino here.
Without question here, he is the de facto master of dialogue writing. The dialogue in this film just oozes off the screen with nearly every line spoken, which is critical to the success of the film, as nearly 2 hours of the 152-minute run time...
...Is mostly just a few people on screen, talking back and forth to each other. I did, however, find some of the more nuanced scenes tended to drag on just a bit.
However, this is a smart and defiant film not afraid to pull any punches, including some rather big punches in the area of historical accuracy...
...All the while staying grounded in a very gripping, immensely suspenseful, and realistic reality we haven't seen from Tarantino in a while.
From the captivating and interwoven storylines that command your attention from the first frame to the impeccable performances from the entire cast, "Inglourious Basterds" is an amazing film.
But let's see what you had to say about it in the YouTube comments.
Jon: ArtDiva36 wrote... (reads ArtDiva36's comment)
Jon: GreenCow423 wrote... (reads GreenCow423's comment)
Jon: IngramoschFelshammer wrote... (reads IngramoschFelshammer's comment)
There you have it- mixed reviews, but mostly accurate and positive reactions from the viewers. And now it's time to fire up the Rate-o-Matic and see how "Inglourious Basterds" did.
A double "awesome"! While many of the nearly 400 people who voted in the poll thought this was a perfect "10", enough of you also voted slightly lower than that, and that pulled the score down to a "9."
I happen to agree myself. Really close to a perfect movie, but just shy of that "10" score, though. Looking at this week's newest releases, let's read some Tweet Critiques.
Jon: NoahPennington Tweeted... (reads NoahPennington's Tweet)
Jon: ShiiDess Tweeted... (reads ShiiDess's Tweet)
Jon: RyanAustinF with another Tweet on Avatar said... (reads RyanAustinF's Tweet)
So, I guess the general consensus is that you should go out and see "Avatar" this holiday weekend. Well, that does it for this week's episode of "Movie Night." Now let's take a look at the films we'll be reviewing for next episode.
"District 9" is brand-new on DVD this week, and it just wouldn't be Christmas without John McClane in "Die Hard", so I hope you get a chance to watch both of these films for next episode.
Once again, my name is Jonathan Paula. Thank you so much for joining me. Have a very wonderful Christmas, and I'll see you next time. Goodnight.
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