THE BOSS IS BACK. David Brent (Ricky Gervais) works as a salesman for a firm, but dreams of a career as a rock star; taking a month of unpaid leave, he pays a band to join him for a tour. A mockumentary done in the same style as The Office (2001-2002), where David Brent first … Continue reading Life on the Road
FAKE NEWS. REAL DISASTER. When New York City news radio reporter Frank Bonneville (Eric Bana) and his sound technician (Ricky Gervais) accidentally lose their passports, they stay put in the city and fake reports from a war-torn Ecuador. This remake of the French 2009 comedy of the same title starts out as a mildly amusing … Continue reading Special Correspondents
TAKING THE WORLD BY FARCE. This sequel to the 2011 reboot begins immediately after its last scene, with a big number called “We’re Doing a Sequel”, followed by the introduction of a villainous agent (Ricky Gervais) who sets up a European tour for the Muppets. It turns out to be a scheme where a criminal … Continue reading Muppets Most Wanted
ONE FINAL NIGHT TO SAVE THE DAY. When Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) learns that the magical tablet that makes everything in the Museum of Natural History come alive at night is corroding, the race is on to save it. The third film in the franchise is very similar to its predecessors, but still has greater … Continue reading Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
I had a little Office phase myself. For three and a half years, I was employed with a company that published free, weekly newspapers. The leadership was incompetent and insensitive to the needs of its staff and morale plummeted to the degree that a co-worker and I began to notice obvious similarities to The Office, … Continue reading The Office: A Boss from Hell
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OFF THE BATTLE IS ON. While Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) has been busy creating a business empire for himself, his old buddies at the Museum of Natural History are being shipped off to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The kind of mandatory sequel where no one involved has to work hard to … Continue reading Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
IN A WORLD WHERE EVERYONE CAN ONLY TELL THE TRUTH… HE’S JUST INVENTED THE LIE! Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) lives in a world where everyone is truthful all the time; one day he suddenly tells a lie… and realizes the potential of this invention. The first movie Gervais ever co-directed is a largely formulaic (and … Continue reading The Invention of Lying
THE FAIRYTALE THAT WON’T BEHAVE. Teenager Tristan (Charlie Cox) crosses a wall into a magical realm where he goes looking for a fallen star that he intends to bring to a girl he loves, but there’s dangerous competition. The Layer Cake director got Neil Gaiman’s blessing to bring his novel to the big screen, but … Continue reading Stardust
EVERYTHING COMES TO LIFE. Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) takes a job as a night watchman at the American Museum of Natural History, only to learn that every model in it comes alive at night. You know it’s a family film when Robin Williams is in it and never cracks any funny jokes; his performance as Teddy Roosevelt won’t … Continue reading Night at the Museum
As veteran actors Marilyn Hack and Victor Alan Miller (Catherine O’Hara, Harry Shearer) are working on a movie together, they learn that their performances are generating Oscar buzz for the first time ever in their careers. Another mockumentary from director Christopher Guest, who probably objects to that term since he and co-writer Eugene Levy clearly have … Continue reading For Your Consideration
