Ever since they hit both their critical and commercial peak with the 1998 comedy There’s Something About Mary, the Farrelly Brothers have been striving to reach the same level of raunchy, silly, but ultimately relatable humor that made Mary such a hit all those years ago. They’ve come close with later, similar movies, such as Shallow Hal and Me, Myself and Irene, but with their newest movie, Hall Pass, they unfortunately probably won’t hit the same mark as they have with several of their other, better movies.

After a series of embarrassing examples of their supposedly heightened sex drives, lifelong friends Rick and Fred (Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis) are given one week off of marriage from their wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) to get all of their pent up sexual energy out of their system. The biggest problem Hall Pass suffers from is the lack of follow through with this pretty simple set up. Nothing ever feels as wild or crazy as it could’ve been, and too much time is spent on setting up the concept of the “hall pass”, leaving very little time for anything interesting to happen during the actual week of freedom. And what does happen is limited to the standard “getting drunk/high” antics that are associated with nearly every comedy of this nature that’s been released in the last few years, with all of the craziness saved for the very last day.

Now, that’s not to say that despite these flaws, nothing funny happens, as there are a few good examples of what made the Farrelly’s famous in the first place. For every misguided exposed penis joke that falls flat, there’s a masturbation gag that brings down the house. It also doesn’t hurt that the movie is packed with funny people, aside from Wilson and Sudeikis, including Ricky Gervais’ other half, Stephen Merchant, and the always funny JB Smoove, all of whom shine when they’re obviously working off of each other, as opposed to the script they were given. However, none of the funnier supporting characters are given enough screen time to really make anything out of their characters, having to split their presence with some odd cameos by Richard Jenkins, Joy Behar, Kathy Griffin, and a freakishly older Taylor Hoechlin (Tom Hanks son from Road To Perdition).

There’s nothing particularly innovative or offensive about Hall Pass (at least, unintentionally offensive), which isn’t too good in terms of making a lasting impression on an audience. And even if there are one or two jokes that will stay with them after the movie’s ended, there’s not be too much in the heavily sanitized advertisements for the movie that will make people rush to the theater to see Hall Pass as it is, making it just that much more inconsequential. And while it’s nice to see such hilarious, yet underappreciated, comedians as Sudeikis, Merchant, and Smoove finally get some exposure, hopefully, in the future they can find better movies with more substantial roles to showcase their talents, instead of stooping to appearing in movies like this one.

5 out of 10.

Whereas the animated shorts every year are usually more often better than not, the live action shorts tend to be a little more on the…bad side. Not that they’re unwatchable, but they all seem to be incredibly flawed and overlong with half-baked ideas and mediocre acting, and I always wonder how there weren’t five other better short films in the world that could’ve been nominated over these.
So, with that in mind, here are the nominees:

Best Live Action Short Films:

The Confession (UK)

Despite a pretty impressive performance from its young lead, Lewis Howlett, The Confession, the story of a boy awaiting his first confession with a priest, feels like it’s trying too hard to make a statement, but ends up being nothing but heavy handed. Adding twists you can see coming from minutes away, and characters, such as the young boy’s best friend, who serve no purpose but to make the boy look more innocent, The Confession is probably going to end up winning on Sunday due to its heavy themes and subtle lead performance. While there’s nothing terribly wrong with the short, except perhaps it going a little too far in its moral dilemmas by the end, it doesn’t feel like anything particularly exceptional, or at least as good as something nominated for an Academy Award should be.

6 out of 10.

Wish 143 (UK)

In what had the potential to be something memorable, Wish 143 tells the story of a terminally ill teenager who makes a wish to foundation that grants them for one hour alone with a naked woman. Or, basically, to have sex. However, instead of what could’ve been a funny, subversive, and somewhat touching short, we’re given exactly what’s to be expected by the token “cancer” short that seems to be nominated every year in this category. It’s melodramatic, sappy, and tries way, way too hard to feel unconventional and exciting, leaving its audience disappointed when it turns out to be just the opposite.

5 out of 10.

Na Wewe (Belgium)

As the token “war” short of the program, Na Wewe struggles to define itself as either a comedy or a drama, as everything from the performances to the situation suggest that it’s a drama, but it concludes pretty ridiculously, and presents its heavy message pretty lightly. Na Wewe looks at the struggle between the Hutu and the Tutsis, two warring tribes in 1994 Burundi, as a car driving through the country is pulled over by a pack of rebels who are determined to find the Tutsis in the group, and kill them. Using this microcosm of the situation to show how absurd the idea that physical attributes and national identity denote some kind of ideology isn’t a bad idea, but the short’s inability to decide on a tone to present this idea makes it hard for an audience to know how the unfolding events should be taken. Combined with a pretty silly ending that feels way too clever for this otherwise realistic story (even more so when considering what the title means in English), it’s understandable why Na Wewe was nominated, with its global themes and historically based story, but its flaws also make it a sure thing to lose.

6 out of 10.

The Crush (Ireland)

In what is probably the worst of the five nominees, The Crush tells the story of a young student in love with his teacher, so much so that he challenges her fiancée to a duel to the death. Unfortunately, the short feels like the project of a high school student, in both content and delivery. Aside from a terrible performance from young Oran Creagh as the young student, Ardal (pronounced Ar-Dull, awesome name), the whole short feels so amateurish and not completely thought out, with a few unfortunately shot sequences that attempt to be dramatic, and a drab, television feel to the whole thing. While the story is cute, along with its star, it all just feels too inconsequential and dependent on its own cuteness to be anything special.

4 out of 10.

God of Love (USA)

Now, if The Crush felt like a high school student project, God of Love is almost certainly the senior thesis of a college student. Written, directed and starring Luke Matheny as a lovelorn twentysomething, crooner at a jazz club who stumbles into the possession of a box of darts that act as Cupid’s arrows, God of Love finds the crooner discovering the basics of love, and learning that some things just aren’t meant to be. Though it suffers from some very hip, indie clichés, and a few instances of feeling a little too cool for itself, God of Love is a pretty simple and funny short that doesn’t really feel like it belongs on this list, mainly due to its lightheartedness. However, despite these faults (or strengths, depending on how you look at it), this short feels like the most original, personal, distinctive and lively of the nominees, making it far more memorable than most of them, and definitely more likeable.

7 out of 10.

Well, that’s all of the live action nominees for the 83^rd Academy Awards. I guess the only thing left to do is wait until Sunday and see who ends up coming out on top. No matter who wins, however, it will probably still end up being one of the most exciting and unique experiences in most of these people’s lives, so, for their sakes, I hope they make the most of their time at the top, and have a good time.

Since Sunday is the most anticipated day in movie history (dating back to January 1, 2010), I have decided to once again bore you with my predictions and hopes for the people and films who will acquire a golden naked man statue. As I lack knowledge in most of the 24 Oscar categories, I am offering my amateur expertise in the important ones (sorry Best Achievement in Costume Design).

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

This is a surprisingly tough category. Hans Zimmer created a masterfully intense score for Inception that also played a major role in the plot of the film. However, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross should not and cannot be denied acknowledgment for their touching, hearty Social Network soundtrack.

Want to win: The Social Network; Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Will win: The Social Network; Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Best Achievement in Cinematography

There should be absolutely no doubt about this one. However, the Academy is sometimes very stupid and likes to snub movies that aren’t about stammering monarchs. Roger Deakins and Wally Pfister have amassed 13 noms between them with zero wins. In my eyes, this is a travesty due to the visually inspiring films they have helped to create. It is my hope that one of them is permitted to break this glaring oversight and accept an award. As much as I hate to see Deakins ignored again, I think it is definitely Wally’s turn as Inception, to me, is the clear choice in this category.

Want to win: Inception; Wally Pfister
Will win: Inception; Wally Pfister

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Another easy one. Toy Story 3 should easily dominate. And I will not disagree with that. My only complaint is that Tangled wasn’t recognized, as it is a better movie than How to Train Your Dragon.

Want to win: Toy Story 3
Will win: Toy Story 3

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Good competition in this category, but Aaron Sorkin’s Social Network outshines the rest by about 100,000 ohms.

Want to win: The Social Network; Aaron Sorkin
Will win: The Social Network; Aaron Sorkin

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

I think that as much as The Social Network stands out in the Adapted category, Inception makes its presence known in this one. Christopher Nolan’s script is a perfectly and tediously concocted story built on multiple levels while maintaining a structure simple enough for the audience to follow. Sadly, The King’s Speech has been receiving much more praise. And since the Academy refuses to modernize itself in any way by recognizing something truly original and clearly superior, it will undoubtedly vote for the same old conventional story.

Want to win: Inception; Christopher Nolan
Will win: The King’s Speech; David Seidler

Best Achievement in Directing

The absence of Christopher Nolan on this list may be the most disgraceful and unwarranted snub I have ever seen. I omitted my choices in the Editing category because of the lack of acknowledgment for Inception‘s phenomenally edited product. I can’t ignore this category however, as it is too important. I realize now that Nolan will never be recognized by the old elitists who control the awards shows. As a film maker, I’m sure it is much more rewarding to receive high acclaim from the audience anyway. So fuck it. With that being said, David Fincher is also one of the best directors of the era and absolutely should not be denied an Oscar this year.

Want to win: Christopher Nolan; Inception
Will win: David Fincher; The Social Network

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

This is somewhat of a toss-up for me as I very much liked both supporting female roles in The Fighter. Due to greater screen time and opportunity for character development, my uncounted vote goes to Amy Adams.

Want to win: Amy Adams; The Fighter
Will win: Melissa Leo; The Fighter

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Over the past few years, my favorite acting performances have come from people in supporting roles. Christoph Waltz, Heath Ledger, Javier Bardem, Mo’Nique, and Tilda Swinton are a few examples of supporting acting dominating lead roles in the past five years. This year is no different as the best acting performance of the year was that of Christian Bale in The Fighter. Bale is an actor of incredibly wide range, and his turn as the crack-addicted and eccentric Dickie Eckland is a far cry from any other role he has undertaken.

Want to win: Christian Bale; The Fighter
Will win: Christian Bale; The Fighter

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Coming into 2010, this seemed to be the most hyped category as Blue Valentine was on the festival circuit and Black Swan and Rabbit Hole were building a lot of hype. Now that it’s down to the wire, it seems that Natalie Portman is the clear choice to take the trophy this year. I have always thought very highly of Portman as an actress, as she is one of the few names who will draw me to a theater. No role I have ever seen her in has disappointed me, and I am glad that she is receiving such high acclaim for her best performance yet. I must also acknowledge Michelle Williams for her convincing turn in Blue Valentine.

Want to win: Natalie Portman; Black Swan
Will win: Natalie Portman; Black Swan

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

This may very well be the weakest of the acting categories this year. My personal choice would be Jesse Eisenberg as I believe he stepped out of his normal character to portray a very convincing and cocky Harvard entrepreneur. I also can’t deny that Colin Firth single- handedly carried The King’s Speech on his back. His performance as King George VI was actually quite impressive as he didn’t allow the speech impediment to define the character. I would not be disappointed if he were to win.

Want to win: Jesse Eisenberg; The Social Network
Will win: Colin Firth; The King’s Speech

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Okay, so most years the Best Picture category comes down to two contenders. Usually I love one and I hate one. This year, I love two and hate the hype of the potential winner. Once again, Inception should win. Obviously that isn’t going to happen. So it comes down to two: The Social Network and The King’s Speech. One is a film that defines the 2000s and helps us transcend into the next decade. The other is another period piece about British royalty. It kind of amazes me that there were enough British monarchs that we get a new movie about one of them every year. The Social Network should undoubtedly be etched into film history with an Oscar win.

Want to win: Inception
Will win: The Social Network

That’s enough of that.

Every year, with the announcement of the Academy Awards nominations, everybody gets to see if their favorite movies, actors and actresses got recognition for whatever it is they did during the past year, even if it was just blatantly so their names would be appear on such a list. (I’m looking at you everybody associated with The King’s Speech). But many people forget that there are far more categories featuring the names of people you’ve never heard of than those that do, including those of the Live Action and Animated Short Film.

For the past few weeks, all over the country, select theaters have been playing the Academy Award nominated shorts for those who didn’t have the opportunity to see them in whatever festivals they happened to screen at over the last year. So, in order to have the edge on my Oscar ballot this year, I went to one of these screenings just to see what kind of filmmakers they’re giving these awards to, and who had the most potential to walk away a winner this coming Sunday.

So, here are all of the Live Action and Animated Short Films that were nominated this year, along with a few words about each of them, and who I think should and will win.

Best Animated Short Films:

The Cow Who Wanted To Be A Hamburger (USA)

As a fan of Bill Plympton, I wasn’t surprised to love his new animated short about a young calf who is influenced by persuasive billboard to dream of becoming a hamburger. Despite the short’s length, Plympton’s signature style and humor is apparent, even if the story is pretty simple. Seeing the lengths the titular calf goes to in order to make his dreams come true, while knowing what achieving it entails as the audience, and seeing his reaction, creates some really funny moments. It’s surprising that this was only screened as “Highly Commended” seeing as it was better than most of the other shorts screened that were actually nominated.

9 out of 10.

Urs (Germany)

Another “Highly Commended” selection, Urs tells the story of a son trying to take his mother from their rural, old cabin to a more populated town, despite her unwillingness to leave. There’s nothing particularly wrong with Urs, but there’s not much that’s compelling about it either, with some pretty plain visuals, and nothing on the animation front that would’ve been considered impressive for at least the last fifteen years. Overall, nothing that memorable, but not for a lack of competent storytelling.

6 out of 10.

Madagascar: A Journey Diary (France)

For the first of the actual nominees, Madagascar: A Journey Diary, here, as opposed to the plainness of Urs story and visuals, we have a pretty cool mix of traditionally hand drawn, computer generated, and seemingly rotoscoped animation, all based around director Bastian DuBois’s trip to the titular country. However, while the animation was all very impressive and presented as basically a moving scrapbook of the trip, that’s all it ended up being. Moving from scenic location to scenic location, loosely tied together by the singular point of view of its director, Madagascar never really tells a story or develops anything but its concept of being a colorful record of a trip. And while some of the brief history and practice of native traditions, as well as the non-stop action of the trip, keep things interesting enough to fill a few minutes, the lack of any connection to the people participating keep the short from being very memorable.

7 out of 10.

Let’s Pollute (USA)

In what was probably the most excruciating short of the program and the nominees, Let’s Pollute is an extremely obvious and heavy-handed satire aimed at telling you all of the wonderful reasons why its great to pollute. Explaining America’s legacy of destroying the Earth, as well as discussing pollution’s importance to modern industry and life, Let’s Pollute talks so far down to its audience, it ends up having its head stuck up its own ass by the end of the seemingly unending five-minute run time. It’s one thing to try and use satire to get your point across, but when the majority of people you’re explaining your wild theories about how pollution doesn’t work have been on your side for the last thirty years, it only makes your short seem dated and pointless.

4 out of 10.

The Gruffalo (UK/Germany)

Adapted from a children’s book of the same name, The Gruffalo features an all-star British cast in the telling of what’s essentially a fable about brains vs. brawn. As a story being told by a mother squirrel (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter) to her children, The Gruffalo follows a mouse searching for a distant tree full of golden acorns, and the difficulties he faces along the way. Being based on a children’s book, there aren’t many surprises, and things do get repetitive and little too cute at times, but the style of the animation and conviction of its voice actors (who probably took the work for the fun of it, based on their performances) make The Gruffalo the most accessible and fun of the nominees, at least, if you’re under the age of five.

8 out of 10.

The Lost Thing (UK/Australia)

Another nominee based on a children’s book, this one created by co-director Shaun Tan, The Lost Thing tells the story of a guy who finds, well, a “thing” one day, and his attempts to help it be found. While the computer animation is pretty standard, the character design of the titular “thing”, as well as the many other “things” featured help distinguish the short, and the world created in it, as something unique. Combined with a memorable message about keeping the perspective of an idealist, and the loss of the ability to see this kind of uniqueness with age, makes The Lost Thing one of the better shorts of the program.

8 out of 10.

Day & Night (USA)

As a Pixar junkie, I’m sure there’s no objective way for me to judge their work, especially their shorts, which are always impressive works, jamming tons of character, humor and meaning into the few minutes each of them lasts. And Day & Night is no different. Looking at the relationship between the personifications of Night and Day as characters, each with their own benefits and impressive qualities, the short takes a weird, but not bad, turn near the end, as it becomes a moral take on the importance of embracing the differences of others. The combination of the two-dimensional characters and their three-dimensional insides, as well as some creative uses of sound and location to add to the action and humor, is pretty brilliant, as is the concept itself. While I’m always rooting for Pixar to win, despite the competition, I truly do believe that theirs is the best short of this list of nominees, and they deserve to and will win on Sunday night.

9 out of 10.

Well, I’ll see you tomorrow with my reviews of the Best Live Action Short Films, which, while not as entertaining as this batch, were interesting to watch nonetheless.

Again and again I hear the cries of respected critics and film evaluators alike. Much akin to the wake of THE GREAT GATSBY, these aficionados, these pundits, these analysts decree – “THE KING’S SPEECH is a masterful triumph…(they continue)…a vision of a brighter film future and a shadowy echo from the unforgettable silver screen of yore!” Well, I tell you now, my noble readers, I could not put it any better myself. Soon to be SIR Tom Hooper has created here, by some divine happenstance, a film of inconsequential, unimaginable, unthwartable brilliance. I say brilliance with the most belittlingly English droll possible and roll the “r” on the tip of my tongue for as long as to have you forget I ever said the “b”. THAT, good people of the Americas, is just how important it was to stress. This film, THE KING’S SPEECH, is so incredibly fine, such an astounding feat I do hereby knight it SIR THE KING’S SPEECH OF WINDSOR HOUSE.

GOOD DAY!

This weekend just past I had the pleasure and great honor to be part of something extraordinary. I was given the opportunity to aid in the creation of a short film for the 48 Hour ‘Go Green’ Project, and O, how I accepted! I’ll let you guess the title…Wait! A hint – our theme was “save the animals”….any idea?…NO, SILLY, it was not “Cheetah Pizza” nor “Children of Animals”…it was “PENNY”. ANYWAY – what the cuss does this have to do with FANTASTIC MR. FOX? I’ll tell ya….
Mr. Scott Bosch (scotticus boschican), of Punchbelly Productions, director and writer of “PENNY” had a simple idea. “I’ll remake RUSHMORE with a “save the animals” parable thrown in” he said. It worked gloriously. Not only did our team finish the short in time and send in an inconceivably polished product, we also happened to win the contest with an unprecedented 12 of 12 votes. WOW! So that’s how my weekend has anything to do with FANTASTIC MR. FOX – it is pitch perfect and so is Scott Bosch’s “PENNY”.

CHA-CHING!

Over the last few years, DJ Caruso has made a career as the whipping boy of Steven Spielberg, churning out mediocre Shia LaBeouf vehicles for him so it wouldn’t seem so weird when he popped up in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But while Caruso suffers from the kind of half-hearted filmmaking style that combines cheesy dialogue, a painful barrage of decidedly “indie” songs making up the soundtrack, and terribly clichéd instances of heightened teenage drama, there’s always something to like about his movies. Despite the limitations of the stories and talent he’s given to work with, Caruso somehow makes his characters likeable, and keeps things moving along quickly so the audience doesn’t get as bored as they should. And while I Am Number Four may have its problems, at least it had these positive qualities of its director to keep it watchable.

Based on one of the endless teen sci-fi/fantasy book series that have been spawned since Harry Potter took the world by storm ten years ago, I Am Number Four basically works as Twilight-meets-Superman. As the movie would have us believe, many years ago an alien race sent the last of its kind to Earth, which included nine of their children, each with their own protector, in order to one day save the Earth from the alien’s greatest enemy, the world-destroying Mogadorians. However, the Mogadorians have started tracking down and killing each of these alien teenagers, leaving us to follow the fourth on their list, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), as he travels around with his protector (Timothy Olyphant), attempting to live a normal teenaged life whilst keeping his terrible secret from the world. So, yeah…Superman meets Twilight.

It doesn’t help quash the Superman comparisons to see that two of the screenwriters here are Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, the creators of the seemingly unending teenaged Superman television series Smallville (which, as it turns out, is actually ending this year). It seems like they were hired due to their familiarity with the subject matter, but, obviously, whoever made the decision to hire them never actually saw an episode of the show. Instead of a movie, I Am Number Four feels like an extended episode of a late-night teen soap, with all of the normal high school generalizations in place, including the homecoming king jock bully, the pretty, artsy girl with issues, the perennially picked on science geek (who in true movie fashion looks and acts extremely normally, except for being a little on the short side), and our stoic, powerful-but-sensitive protagonist. So many of these are crammed into the movie, along with all of the drama that comes with them, that none of these characters really become anything but ciphers used to explain the overly complicated plot.

A glaring example of this can be found in Glee’s Diana Agron, who plays the artsy girl/love interest. She does what she can with the role, but, as the sole defining characteristic of her character’s prescribed artiness (as well as her seemingly only defining characteristic at all) is her passion for photography, she’s snapping away on one of her many cameras, in the darkroom developing their pictures, or just talking about why she loves it so in literally every scene she’s featured in. It got so bad that at one point, while defending his relationship with her, John shouts, “She’s not just a girl!”, to which several audience members all commented at the same time, “She’s a photographer!” It was an entertaining moment for the audience, but not in the way I think the filmmakers intended.

However, where the writing lacks, Caruso does manage to get some good out of the otherwise stale characters and plot points. The always fun to watch Timothy Olyphant makes his severely underwritten role as John’s protector far more memorable than it would’ve been with almost anyone else, and relative unknown Callan Auliffe, often given the job of explaining his and other character’s backstories, is pretty funny as the self-proclaimed “science nerd”, even when his presence in certain scenes doesn’t quite make sense. And, while they may physically invoke memories of Voldemort from the Potter movies, the Mogadorians actually feel threatening, which makes all of the fighting/action scenes, with the help of some nice effects, all the more thrilling.

Look, as far as teen sci-fi/fantasy dramas go (yeah, that’s a thing now), you could do a lot worse than I Am Number Four. But while watching, it all just feels so formulaic and worn, with specific characters and story details able to be spotted across the board in nearly every one of these kinds of movies, that I Am Number Four feels too…similar. Obviously, there are many people involved in the making of the movie that were hoping for a sequel, as you can tell by its finale, but, in the end, it just doesn’t feel different or original enough to capture the attention of its target audience, the same kind of people who are already obsessed with similar franchises, but have no place left on their bookshelves. When it does take chances, I Am Number Four shows that it could be a pretty entertaining time at the movies, but, unfortunately, these instances are too few and far between.

5 out of 10.

Adam Sandler isn’t really known for making typically good movies. You know, the kinds of movies with three-dimensional characters, intricate or relatable plots, and humor that doesn’t come from either taking a dump or getting kicked in the nuts. In fact, most of his movies embraced their ignorance of these qualities.

But you know what? They were really, really funny.

The kind of funny that warps the fragile, little mind of a ten year old seeing Happy Gilmore fight a crocodile with his bare hands, or Bobby Boucher tackle his biology professor (who bares a striking resemblance to Colonel Sanders). But, seemingly taking the Eddie Murphy route, Sandler seems to have spent the last few years focusing more on family films and comedies that seem like parodies of his former classics. So, with the annual release of a new Adam Sandler movie, in this case Just Go With It, a romantic comedy co-starring Jennifer Aniston, the excitement and enthusiasm just doesn’t seem to exist for him in the movie-going public like it did ten years ago.

In Just Go With It, Sandler plays plastic surgeon Danny Maccabee, who finds himself asking for the help of his assistant (Jennifer Aniston) and her children, in which they play his fake family in order to cover for a lie he told his new girlfriend (Brooklyn Decker). Like in many Happy Madison (Sandler’s production company) movies, strange, sometimes physically deformed characters roam in and out of the story, often serving no purpose than a cheap laugh, and the story constantly feels like it keeps getting impossibly more and more ridiculous, all the while feeling more and more predictable. Most of these characters are completely unrealistic and over the top, and Sandler’s Danny would probably be one of the most horrible and unlikeable people you could ever meet if he existed in real life.

Fortunately, however, this is a movie. And a surprisingly funny one at that.

While my brain kept telling me that Danny’s plan wouldn’t get past the first step in the real world, I couldn’t help but laugh as his lies continued to evolve into one of the most absurd concepts I’d ever seen unfold. And whereas the overall story may have gotten predictable, there are still a few clever ideas and non-sequiturs worked into it that feel original enough to evoke a good amount of laughter. Sandler is a funny guy, and when he surrounds himself with enough funny people and gives them all enough room to do their own things, despite a dumb idea or weak character, there’s usually going to be something funny there.

My god, they're going to snap that poor girl in half like a wishbone!

Now, that’s not to say that Just Go With It is the coming of a new golden age of Sandler. It is still a deeply flawed movie, with more jokes that don’t work than do, but it’s not entirely a waste. For anyone cringing at the trailers and TV spots, this review’s not going to sway many people’s opinions, but it’s surprisingly funnier than it looks. Adam Sandler is still a pretty funny guy, he just needs to find the right concept to showcase himself, as well as the kind of humor all of his longtime fans liked him for in the first place. And while Just Go With It is not that movie, it’s also not a half-bad way to spend a few hours.

5 out of 10.

This is simply a list of the “superbowl-originated” commercials. (read: does not include movie spots, TV show ads or anything FOX related)

#1 chevy cruze eco old people
#2 Hack bud light kitchen
#3 audi kenny g prison
#4 doritos dog window
#5 doritos cheese lick finger
#6 pepsi max black couple white girl peg
#7 bud light three musketeers
#8 chevy truck lassie
#9 fast five
#10 pepsi max yacht boys nutsack
#11 doritos dead grandpa
#12 nissan optima epic
#13 eminem brisk
#14 Bridgestone Kill Computer Email
#15 Godaddy.co Joan Rivers
#16 staples flying laptop
#17 peter stormare tiny dancer
#18 teleflora faith hill rack
#19 bmw normal
#20 motorola xoom white coats
#21 bmw bowie ch-ch-ch-ch changes biodiesel
#22 coke dragon
#23 VW Darth kid
#24 snickers richard lewis roseanne
#25 career builder monkies
#26 chevy cruze facebook
#27 carmax wrestler chair mermaid hippie nerd robot candy store
#28 droid droid
#29 TGIFRidays hick marriage
#30 ANti-gambling
#31 The Daily….?
#32 NFL Network folding computer
#33 NASCAR FASTCAR 500
#34 Cars.com ….
#35 Etrade baby always
#36 Best Buy Bieber Ozzy
#37 miNI Copper Cram It In The Boot
#38 Homeaway.com baby window
#39 hyundai hypnotism
#40 groupon tibet hutton
#41 coke war line guard
#42 Stella Artois ADRIEN bRODY
#43 Carmax oldays 1950s
#44 Chysler 200 Eminem black choir
#45 NFL Superbowl TV shows
#46 cars.com talking car
#47 DOGS
#48 Hyundai Sonata Technology
#49 Doritos date
#50 Bridgestone woodchuck
#51 2011 Beetle
#52 Mercedes bunch-a cars
#53 Camaro commercial
#54 iPhone Verizon
#55 Sketchers Kardashian

Dis ees my first Insta-Watch Review. It ees important. Why?! Because I say so. It was vital that for my first of this thing I pick a good movie. I pick DE BABYSITTERS. I do dis because I loaf de babysitters and de pimping. Dis movie ha boaf. It was not as good as coulda bin, but… ah, soach is life.

CIAO!