Get Him to the Greek

There is a moment about an hour into the new comedy, “Get Him to the Greek,” where the film’s stars, Jonah Hill and Russell Brand, emerge running from a Las Vegas hotel in glorious slow motion. The image is almost Scorsesian and would have fit perfectly in “Goodfellas” had that film been about a drug addled rock star instead of a drug addled mobster. As they race from the building, Brand is wearing a Cheshire Cat worthy grin that encapsulates the joy and chaos of the situation while also embodying the entire spirit of the film. It is a near perfect moment and the exact point in which I feel in love with “Get Him to the Greek”.

The movie is the story of up-and-coming record executive, Aaron Green (Hill), who is charged with the task of transporting aging rock star, Aldous Snow (Brand), from London to Los Angeles for a huge concert at the Greek Theater. Hence the title, “Get Him to the Greek”. When given the opportunity to wrangle Snow by his boss, Sergio Roma (Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs), Green isn’t too concerned because he has three days to safely bring him back. Of course, it won’t be that easy.

Green arrives in London to find Snow in the midst of a drug bender caused by the recent break up with his longtime girlfriend Jackie Q. (Rose Byrne). When Green attempts to focus the situation and get anything accomplished (like getting Snow on an airplane), he is met with nothing but childish resistance. The pair does eventually begin their travel west but the trek is slowed and hindered by stop offs in New York and Las Vegas mixed with brief abuses of one hundred year old Absinthe and the consumption of some bizarre drug concoction referred to as “Jeffery”. As time moves along friendships are formed, issues are discovered and vomit is discharged. None of which matters as long as the great Aldous Snow gets to the gig in time.

While huge and successful in his homeland of Great Britain, comedian Brand has been a tough sell here in the States. Up until now he is best known for historically bombing TWICE as host of the MTV Music Video Awards. His most promising project to date has been his small role in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” where he originated the character of Aldous Snow. With “Get Him to the Greek,” Brand is given an opportunity to take center stage and try, once again, to win over the American public.  The film has a critical sense to get that done; an underlying make or break urgency that somehow doesn’t come across as too needy. This is a film that exists to get you on board with the rest of us and see Brand for what he is- a comedic punk genius that demands to be adored and admired.

The rest of the cast surrounding Brand pulls the hard punches as well making for a hell of a funny flick. Hill plays the great straight man, running near blind through Snow’s bungled and jumbled world. He portrays awkward moments with perfection and keeps the unorthodox happenings in the film grounded. There have been times in his past performances (“Superbad” and “Funny People”) when I have been too aware of the fact that Hill is improvising his lines. Here, he has shed that tendency almost completely and gives a solid and honest performance. Sean ‘P. Puff Diddy Daddy’ Combs is absolutely awesome and owns more laugh-out-loud highlights than anyone else in the cast.

Director Nicholas Stoller and producer Judd Apatow make a great creative team. Stroller found early work on Apatow’s short-lived television show, “Undeclared” and later the two worked together on “Sarah Marshall”. Acting as both writer and director this time around, Stroller’s greatest accomplishment here is placing us into the mad world of Aldous Snow which presents the hard partying side of show business that we’d all like to experience. Apatow’s fingerprints are pretty apparent as well and all the characters become living, breathing people with real problems to overcome. “Get Him to the Greek” is hilarious film with a heart and should do well in making Russell Brand the star that he already knows he is.

Grade: B+

Babies

Nature documentaries have made us accustom to seeing cute and cuddly creatures existing in their natural environments. Films like “March of the Penguins” and the recent release of Disneynature’s “Oceans” (Both of which are French productions) feature adorable little penguins and huggable polar bear cubs that melt our hearts and make us want one real bad.

The idea of presenting human babies in a nature documentary is a stroke of genius that reminds us that we are all connected to the world around us. “Babies”, a French film by director Thomas Balmes, presents four babies from different corners of the world. There is Mari, born in Tokyo, Japan, who is an only child that proves to be a spunky little girl that needs to work on her coping skills. On a vast farm in Mongolia we meet Bayar, a baby boy that has more personality than most adults you know. Hattie is a girl who lives in San Francisco with her pseudo-hippie parents. Finally, with the most eye-opening footage in the film, we are introduced to Ponijao who lives in Namibia, Africa and learns to strive in a world that seems completely foreign to our Western sensibilities.

“Babies” is proof that we are all born the same clean slate and are then shaped by our surroundings. By showing parallel footage of the four babies playing, crawling and learning to talk and walk, it is easy to make connections between the differences and similarities of the various cultures around the world. We see Hattie being coddled by her overbearing parents while Ponijao seems to be rooting through the dirt unsupervised. She isn’t, it is just a different way to parent. Bayar gets into all sorts of trouble and as the film progresses, the different situations he gets himself into becomes increasingly laughable and endearing.

The filmmakers followed each child for a little more than a year and captured some remarkably magic moments. We watch Mari struggle with her toys and lose it when things don’t go her way. Hattie makes a mess in her diaper to her cat’s disgust. Ponijao plays a game of balance with a cup on her head that is jaw dropping once you realize the child’s age. Bayar is my favorite and has so much attitude it is sight to witness. The interaction between him and his older brother had me cracking up. In fact, the film invokes heart-warming laughter throughout.

The film has very little dialogue and plays like a standard nature film that is merely showcasing human nature in a very straightforward way. The images are breathtaking and “Babies” has moments where it looks like a standard narrative film with panning shots and extreme close-ups that place us directly into the location. During the 80 minute running time of the film, you will fall in love with all of these babies. They are adorable, huggable and will melt your heart. “Babies” will make you want one real bad.

Grade: B

Iron Man 2

It seems that sequels to comic book movies can either go one of two ways. There are ones (”Spiderman 2” and “The Dark Knight”) that feel like a natural extension of its predecessor and add layers to the hero’s mythology. These are justified sequels that merely continue on where the previous film left off. Then there is the variety (“Spiderman 3” and “Batman and Robin”) that comes with a slight sense of manipulation. This is the sort of film that I jokingly refer to as “SpaceBalls 2:The Search for More Money” movies. These are the unneeded sequels; two-hour exercises of bright lights and loud noises that exist with the hope that they generate 80% of the original’s profits.

“Iron Man 2” is a bit of a mixed bag that is almost equal parts justified and unneeded. The film spends much of its time slowly developing nothing much of anything then, as if by magic, shifts into overdrive and ends with a high level of frantic fun that just about makes up for all the time wasted to get there.

Six months has past since Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has announced to the world that he is Iron Man and the fame seems to have gotten to his already ego-inflated head. We meet up with Tony at the Stark Expo as he announces to the world that he alone has “successfully privatized peace” and all the world shall rejoice. This celebration is short lived once Tony learns that a government organization called the Senate Armed Services Committee has decided that the U.S. Government should posses the Iron Man technology for fear that the suit will fall into the wrong hands.

Meanwhile……in Moscow, the Iron Man technology has fallen into the wrong hands. Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a vodka swilling bad boy with impeccably placed hair highlights, has the blueprints for the arc reactor that is a sort of radioactive battery that gives the Iron Man suit its juice and keeps Tony Stark’s damaged heart beating (for now). Ivan believes that Tony’s father had wronged his recently deceased father and becomes Whiplash, a walking He-Man action figure with electro-whips.

Tony must also deal with a corporate rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), love issues with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and lust issues with his new assistant Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson). Also, Sgt. Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up again to remind us about the Avenger Initiative.  There is a lot going on and yet not much happens.

The original “Iron Man” was a unique comic book film that seemed to have one foot firmly planted in the real world. The film worked because it focused on the man behind that mask instead of the mask itself. Robert Downey Jr. was the star of the film and not the special effects. Director Jon Favreau has taken a step back here by placing “Iron Man 2” square in the comic book universe and losing bite in the process. There is scene after scene that rings false, the dialogue is stilted and everyone who is not in focus in the film is obviously an extra on a movie set.

The main problem comes from the script that was assembled by the talented Justin Theroux who got the gig hot off the success of “Tropic Thunder” which he co-wrote with Ben Stiller. He seems out of his depth here, loading the first two thirds of the film with an over-abundance of story that is convoluted and dull. Whiplash spends most of this time in a lab tinkering with robots when he should be out raising hell. The Justin Hammer (Rockwell) character is supposed to be an annoying evil genius that isn’t annoying enough, evil enough and doesn’t really come across as that smart. It is either too much or not enough.

Then “Iron Man 2” finds itself and the last act of the film is fantastic. The rhythms and humor of the original surfaces in full force and the action is thrown at you at top speed. It could be too little too late but it isn’t and “Iron Man 2,” amazingly enough, leaves on such a high note that it should hype you up for the rest “The Avengers” films that are already loaded up in the pipeline. See the film, be patient and wait for the pay off, it is worth it.

And skip forward to the end of the credits for a little bite of what s to come in the Marvel universe. (Stop…..Hammer Time!)

Grade: B-