Tony Stark's Therapy Session: Iron Man 3 Review

    Well, the summer movie season has officially kicked off. Get ready for a multitude of sequels, overblown CGI-fests, and the worst kids' films this side of The Smurfs 2. But to kick it all off, we've got the highly anticipated first installment of the second batch of Marvel movies leading up to The Avengers 2. No need building this one up; I've been waiting all year for it. Here's my review of Iron Man 3.

    It's sometime after the events of The Avengers, and Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has clearly been hit hard by what he's just gone through, losing tons of sleep as a result. In all his spare time, he has built numerous Iron Man suits, much to the dismay of his girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Stark is soon informed of a new threat, a terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), who is using planned attacks in prominent parts of the US to "educate" Americans, and specifically the President (William Salder). Stark decides to stand up to The Mandarin, which costs him a great deal. Now, on his own, with minimal resources, Tony Stark must track down this enemy and bring him to justice.

    With such a highly anticipated film like Iron Man 3, one must really pick and choose what they discuss. Much of what stuck with me in this film has to do with plot points that I simply cannot discuss spoiler-free. I will do my best to do a generalized review that those still waiting to see the movie can follow without worry, but just know that there is so much more to discuss than I am giving you right now. In short, Iron Man 3 is a superhero movie sequel with a purpose. What it accomplishes plotwise is important not only to the Iron Man series, but to the entirety of The Avengers. The themes this film deals with are heavy, deep, and sometimes rather dark. It makes it arguably the most mature and thought-provoking entry into the Avengers series. And I mean that in a very good way.

    One thing this movie deals with really well is the aftermath and the fallout of Tony sacrificing himself in the wormhole at the end of The Avengers. This film could have easily thrown that out the window, moved on, and completely forgotten what happened, as is the case with many crossovers in TV and film. Here, however, you see the direct impact that these events had on Tony. He's essentially developed an anxiety order, something almost along the lines of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, due to his actions in The Avengers. It brought up a really great point about superhero films: for the most part, these heroes are just regular human beings. They aren't just these intangible, indestructible gods. They get hurt. Now, I can name off a number of superhero flicks that have dealt with the physical repercussions of being a hero, but this is the first film I can think of to tackle the psychological end of it, and it's handled extremely well.

    The performances in this movie are all great, but you come to expect that. Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow have both made their mark on the series, and they only continue that stride. Don Cheadle is back as War Machine, who has now been renamed Iron Patriot, and does well. Ben Kingsley is a lot of fun. A number of people have questioned his voice in the trailer, and some seem to find it rather off-putting. I can assure you, there is actually a very good reason behind this. Let's just say, the Mandarin has a bit of a dirty secret that I'm sure you'll find rather intriguing.

    Iron Man 3 holds back nothing. As you saw in the trailers, Tony Stark basically loses everything. Not only that, but his sanity and mental stability are on the line now as well, along with Pepper and every other person and thing he cares about. This is a film that goes to some very dark and serious places, especially for the Iron Man series, which is known in part for a comedic edge and being a ton of fun. This movie still has both of those elements, but it also has a great deal of content for the viewer to ruminate on and really let sink in. It definitely left me thinking deeper than any Avengers film before it, and I sincerely hope anyone who's looking to catch the first good summer flick of the year will check it out. But, it's more than just a good summer flick. It's a complex film with complex dilemmas that left me with a huge smile. I adore the Avengers series, particularly the Iron Man films, and this one was no exception. I am really happy to kick off the summer this way. As always, thanks for reading!! :D

Tom Cruise Space Janitor: Oblivion Review

    So, I don't post for a good week or two, and when I do, it's a movie that's already been out for two weeks?? How does THAT make sense? Again, college life. But, hey, summer's about to start, and I intend to do everything I can to hit as many summer movies as I possibly can (including video reviews :D) so, that should make up for it. That said, let's talk about Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman in space. Do I really need to elaborate on that?? Oh wait, that's...kinda why I'm here. Here's my review of Oblivion.

    It's the year 2077, and the earth has been decimated by a war with the alien race knows as the Scavs. Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and his romantic partner Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) are part of a "clean-up crew," given the task of surveying Earth for any survivors, retrieving any salvageable resources, and staving off any potential threats left on the planet. While out doing a surveillance run, Jack comes across a woman named Julia (Olga Kurylenko), who they discover has been in cryogenic sleep for 60 years. Julia leads Jack to an underground militia of humans led by Malcolm Beech (Morgan Freeman). There, Jack's understanding of the world and reality is turned upside-down, and now he must fight to stay alive and preserve the human race.

    What can I say? I didn't expect much from this film. I expected this to be a typical sci-fi popcorn flick. I mean, no offense to Tom Cruise, I think he's a talented guy, but...I just didn't see him and science fiction mixing very well. I would like to now shake Mr. Cruise's hand for proving me 100% wrong. I did not enjoy Oblivion on a fun, goofy standard, but on the level of a legitimately interesting and commendable film. I'm sure others will disagree and present their cases, but, personally, I was really drawn in by this one.

    First of all, Tom Cruise simply oozes charisma. That's just what he does. It's what he's good at. He sucks you into his character's dilemmas without much effort at all. Morgan Freeman is Morgan Freeman, not much to say there, other than to gush about his appearance in the film. His outfit is just simply awesome. Victoria and Julia both serve their purpose well, although I think Riseborough could probably afford to work on selling emotions other than confused. She looks really lost through the majority of the movie.

    The way Oblivion was advertised, my expectations plot-wise were pretty low. I now understand why the trailers gave the movie such a basic outline. There are so many twists and turns in this plot that if the trailers gave away any more than they did, it would've been too much spoiled. What Jack comes to learn about the world and the history that he thought he knew is really fascinating, and keeps the film from being anywhere near predictable. I simply adore a plot that makes you rethink an entire hour of story that you just watched, and that's what Oblivion does really well. It keeps you guessing.

    Now, why don't we get into the one thing everybody presumably picked up from the trailers: visuals. Visually speaking, the film is breathtaking. I'm a really visual person, and I can never get enough of those moments in a film where there's no dialogue, no action or conflict, and it's just a sweeping orchestral score complimenting a beautiful backdrop. When a film lets you breathe and take in the scenery it has to offer...that just demonstrates so strongly for me the power and depth of film as a medium. This movie definitely has that element to it, and it is wonderful.

    Oblivion really came as a surprise to me. It went so far beyond the simple fun ride I had anticipated. I think it's safe to call this the first summer blockbuster of 2013, even though the summer season doesn't actually kick off until this coming weekend, 2 weeks after Oblivion's release. It's gonna be difficult for the bulk of this summer's line-up to beat Oblivion, in my case. This is a film that is always interesting, very endearing, and visually stunning to no end. The flaws are few and forgivable, and you're left with a truly memorable science fiction experience. Sci-fi fans, be sure to seek this one out. And, as always, thanks for reading!! :D

The Man Who Would Be Racially Inclusive: 42 Review

    Why do I keep putting out reviews in the middle of the week as opposed to the weekends when the films are released? Two words: college student. Anyhoo, we got a sports movie this week. Sports films are not usually my thing, with few exceptions. The closest thing to a sports film I've watched in the past year, in fact, was The Hunger Games, and I hardly think fans of this genre would count that. That said, this one intrigued me. Here's my review of 42.
    It's the tail-end of the 1940's and Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the lesser known Montreal Royals, is looking to add an African American ball player to his Brooklyn team in order to break the color barrier in the sport. His pick is California native Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), whose impressive record immediately draws Rickey's eye. Robinson is tried out for a season playing for the Royals, and, after not only proving himself, but far exceeding expectations, he is given a contract with the Dodgers. With the support of only his wife Rachel (Nicole Beharie), black reporter Wendell Smith (Andre Holland), and Rickey backing him up, Robinson sets out to wade through the racism, segregation, and every other problem he is forced to encounter, in order to prove his worth and leave his mark on the sport of baseball.
    Let me just say, this was one of my highly anticipated movies of the year. The first time I saw this trailer, I got really excited. It looked like it was going to hit all of the right notes that make a great and memorable sports film, and I was ready for it. It is with this in mind that I must report the dread that sank in during the first fifteen minutes of this film. 42 has some of the choppiest and hastiest exposition I've seen in a film in a while. The set up is extremely rushed, and it makes it difficult to care about any of the characters on screen. It would take a LOT to come back from this mess of an opening and engross an audience in this story...
    Luckily, this film does just that. The rest of the movie is positively captivating. As soon as the plot begins moving along, to say one can get engrossed in the film is a grand understatement. This is due in large part to the performances of Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford. These two become engulfed in their roles. Boseman shows a deep dedication to a portrayal of Robinson that honors the legacy of the man properly. Ford, meanwhile, is no stranger to drawing audiences in with as little as a facial expression, and he submits a performance that is stern, bold, passionate, yet funny and quirky all at the same time. It is a very fascinating character. One role I really enjoyed, albeit a minor role, was John C. McGinley as "The Ol' Readhead," an enthusiastic radio announcer who chronicles Jackie Robinson's career. He's not in the movie for very long, but he shines when he is on screen.
    A film like this cannot be done without proper writing and storytelling. Now, I actually know very little about the actual true story, so I am unable to touch the degree of historical accuracy in the film. That having been said, what is presented here is some truly memorable and powerful moments. This is a film that has a heart to it, and displays its characters in a very relatable human sense. The dialogue, especially that involving Harrison Ford, is sometimes mind-boggling...in a good way...a very, very good way!!
    42 is, in fact, a sports film done right. It breaks free from a lot of conventions and clichés that have become routine in the genre. This is not the traditional sports story. It is much more than that. This is a film that displays a great love for Jackie Robinson and his story of triumph over discrimination. That love is shown through very compelling characters, very engrossing dialogue, and drama and tension that keep your eyes glued to the screen at all times. It is such a shame that the first fifteen minutes of this movie were so poorly done, because the other 90% or so I can easily call a fantastic sports movie and a wonderfully-told tale of human triumph. As always, thanks for reading!! :D

    

This Time, the Evil's Even Deader: Evil Dead Review

    Let me just get this out of the way right now. Horror is not my genre. You will very rarely see me cover horror films, aside from The Conjuring in July which actually looks rather intriguing to me, and I will more than likely do some horror reviews around Halloween. Aside from that, however, I tend to avoid modern horror CGI-fests that we are so treated to these days. That said, I felt the need to check this one out, given that it's a remake of one of the greatest horror films ever made and one of my personal favorites. So, here's my review of Fede Alvarez's remake of Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead, simply titled Evil Dead.

    A young man named David (Shiloh Fernandez) meets his friends Eric, Olivia, and Natalie (Lou Tayler Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore) in an old cabin out in the woods to take part in an intervention for David's sister Mia (Jane Levy), who is fighting an addiction to heroine. They stay in the cabin with Mia to keep an eye on her, and things seem to be going well. In the cellar of the cabin, Eric discovers a strange book filled with Satanic imagery and writing. He begins reading it, unwittingly unleashing horrible demons in the process. Meanwhile, Mia goes through a terrible withdrawal and attempts to escape from the cabin. During her attempt, she is attacked by a demon, and becomes possessed. The demon through Mia tells the rest of the group that they will all die tonight. The group struggles to stay alive as demons take turns possessing them and forcing them to kill each other.

    I like to give as honest an effort as I can not to judge a movie before seeing it, even with remakes. I always hold onto hope that a remake can break free from the constraints of the original and become its own film. Here, however, it was rather difficult to keep my love of the original from forcing me into skepticism. Strange considering this is one of the few remakes that was actually rather enjoyable! I had a good amount of fun with this film. 

    I will get the flaws out of the way. The exposition is very lazy. The characters are basically forced to explain their backgrounds with each other, to each other. It's bad when Mia's brother actually has to come out and say, "Hey, I'm your big brother!" It doesn't help that the majority of the acting is not great. There are five main characters that we follow, and two of them, Olivia and Natalie, seem to serve no purpose other than screaming and getting killed. Aside from that, they are rarely if ever seen throughout the film. You are not given a chance to care about them. Shiloh Fernandez does an alright job as David, but it's pretty forgettable. Mia actually does fairly well, especially when possessed. I did love Eric's character quite a bit, though. Eric is a nerdy hipster-type who is constantly panicking while everyone else tries to keep their cool. Let's just say there is some impressive nerd rage going on in this film.

    I really want to praise this movie for going the route of practical effects, for the most part. As I hinted at before, CG horror films do not do it for me. In order for horror to affect me the way it's meant to, it needs to be as realistic-looking as it can be. If I know something's not really there, I'm not gonna be scared. It might be disturbing imagery, but it's not gonna stick with me. But when you use the art of make-up, lighting, etc. to make something that's actually physically there, I'm gonna remember that. It makes it feel like there is an actual threat on the screen as opposed to an effect. I thank the makers of this film for glorifying practical effects the way they did. These demons feel like they're right there in front of you. Oh, and, speaking of effects...dear LORD is this film gory. Those with weak stomachs, I beg you to proceed with caution when considering going to see this. Calling it a gorefest is an understatement.

    Overall, I had a good time in that theatre watching Evil Dead. It's not great, it's more disturbing than scary, a few jump scares aside, and it does not live up to the original in any capacity. Then again, I don't think it was supposed to. I view this as a way to introduce this classic story to a brand new audience. That having been said, it certainly holds merit for those who have seen the original. It's not the EXACT same story. There are some changes, especially involving characters (no, there's no Ash, I'm sorry), along with some throwbacks to the original, such as the book and locking the demon in the cellar. If you're looking for a fun, creepy, largely anti-CGI horror film that doesn't take itself too seriously and just takes you on a ride for 90 minutes, look no further. And, as always, thanks for reading!! :D

Alien Schizophrenia: The Host Review

    Please note that this is the first Stephanie Meyer-related film I have ever sat through. I would have fought against my better judgment to watch the Twilight series, but they were released before I was seriously thinking about reviewing films, so I had the free will not to subject myself to those. Here, however, I feel it necessary if I’m ever to be taken seriously as a reviewer to take on any movie no matter what the reputation or expectations surrounding it. That having been said, here’s my review of The Host.

    It’s the non-specific future and humans have been taken over by a parasitic alien race called Souls who can only survive by inhabiting the bodies of other life forms. Nearly all of humanity has fallen prey to this. The latest victim is Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan). Melanie is implanted with a Soul who goes by the name of Wanderer (later shortened to Wanda). Where as most human souls die off after being taken over, Melanie’s survives, leaving her a prisoner in her own body, able to communicate only with Wanda. Wanda is shown all of Melanie’s memories and experiences, soon begins to empathize with her, and, as a result, decides to help her. They escape from the rest of the Souls and head back to the human resistance, led by Melanie’s uncle Jeb (William Hurt), which also contains her lover Jared (Max Irons) and little brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury). It’s now up to Wanda to convince the humans that she’s on their side and that Melanie is still alive and needs their help.

    Now, allow me to take a moment and tell you what I won’t be discussing in this review. It seems that everyone is talking about the fact that this is yet another supernatural phenomenon turned into a teenage love story. At this point, I feel that is a tired argument. We’ve been complaining about that since the first Twilight came out, and everything new to be said about the topic has already been said, in my opinion. I want to look at this movie as if that aspect of it was okay. Because, love story or no, The Host is still positively atrocious. 

    I actually had a bit of a dilemma when trying to figure out how to configure this review. There are so many different problems I wish to address, so many complaints that I wish to rant about, and, honestly, if I did, many of you would probably lose interest in reading by the time you got to the 9th or 10th page. I will try my best to be concise, but, just know that there is SO much more to be discussed about this film than what I am about to offer.

    The acting is not convincing in the slightest. The only one who’s even remotely trying is William Hurt, and he definitely manages to carry himself with some dignity, but what he’s given to work with is just not enough to help him through the part. Saoirse Ronan carries the burden of two roles, those of Melanie and Wanda. Granted, one of those is almost entirely voiceover, but that doesn’t help her case at all. Ronan fails to be compelling as Wanda, and it gets worse when Melanie’s voiceover is thrown into the mix. These two personalities argue and bicker throughout the entire movie, and it gets annoying very quick. The other actors in the movie are bland stereotypes and nothing more, so I will choose not to touch on them.

    One thing that I must address is that all but one of the characters in this movie, aliens included, are complete morons. For example, evidently these Souls have gone from world to world trying to find the best species to inhabit, and each previous time, the other species had no issue coexisting with the Souls. The humans’ souls would essentially die when taken over, because humans are too weak to handle it. If that’s the case, why didn’t the Souls just stick with their previous hosts? It is mentioned at one point that they have conquered 12 different worlds. Surely one of those is better suited for this than human beings. And it’s poor, lazy writing and exposition like this that really hurt the film a lot. There are plenty more examples that I would love to discuss, but, as promised, I will keep moving along. On the flip side of this, while everybody else holds this level of stupidity, Melanie’s uncle Jeb might as well be a psychic. At several points, he is able to tell exactly what’s going on, like discovering a well-kept secret, with no evidence whatsoever, and purely by guessing. This happens far too often, and takes away from a lot of the potential suspense that the film is at least trying to build.

    Literally nothing about The Host is believable. The acting is wooden, the writing is very jumbled and, at points, extremely laughable, and, worst of all, it touches on a very intriguing concept with which it then chooses to go absolutely nowhere. A race of alien parasites take over humans and actually prove to be more beneficial for Earth than the humans themselves? How could you POSSIBLY screw that up??? Well, somehow, Stephanie Meyer found a way. The Host is a sad excuse for a sci-fi film, a shame seeing as its director, Andrew Niccol, also directed Gattaca, which is a fantastic piece of science fiction. Somehow, he managed to go from that to this boring, uneventful, potential-wasting garbage that I cannot urge people enough to avoid. Please, for the safety of your brain cells, leave this one alone. And as always, thanks for reading!! :D

Nic Cage In a Loincloth: The Croods Review

    And so we begin this year's venture into the world of animation with DreamWorks' take on the prehistoric misadventures of cavemen. What's that? This year's animation already started with Escape From Planet Earth? Hehe, silly reader, pretending that movie actually matters. I mean, it's not like it's my job to judge a movie fairly, especially if I haven't seen it yet. Oh, wait...crap. Well, anyhoo, here's my review of The Croods.
    Eep (Emma Stone) is a young girl who is part of a family of Neanderthal cavemen. Eep gets fed up with the rules set down by her overprotective father Grug (Nicolas Cage), who believes strongly that the outside world is nothing but trouble, curiosity will lead to disaster, and that the only place that's truly safe for his family is inside of a dark cave. The rest of Grugs's family, by the way, include his laid-back wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), his idiot son Thunk (Clark Duke), his hyper toddler daughter Sandy (Randy Thorn), and his wise-cracking mother-in-law Gran (Cloris Leachman). In the middle of the night, Eep is lured outside by a mysterious light (fire), which she soon discovers belongs to a strange young man named Guy (Ryan Reynolds) who warns her that the earth is changing and that she needs to get to high ground if she intends to live. Soon, Guy's warning comes true and Eep and her family are set off on a journey across a strange new land to find a new home.
    When I first saw the trailer for this film, I was deeply skeptical. I mean, the overprotective father plotline has been absolutely done to death, and this seemed like a really poor, almost forced attempt at it. I was amazed to find out, however, that this movie actually had the heart to back up the story, and then some! The Croods is an extremely fun 100 minute ride through a beautiful and extremely creative world that only animation masters such as DreamWorks could provide. The animation in the film is stunning, and the character design is so flawless, it's incredible. Even for a cartoon kids' film, The Croods does a lot to make the story and characters very three-dimensional and relatable. On a sidenote, speaking of three-dimensional: when it comes to movies that are released in 3D, it's very rare that you'll hear me comment on the 3D, because I have a very strong moral stance against the gimmick, and I avoid it whenever I possibly can.
    Now, of course, the convincing character animation wouldn't mean all that much if the characters themselves weren't interesting. And, I'm happy to report, the cast in this movie is wonderful. Special props to Nicolas Cage for proving to us that he can actually pull off a responsible father figure. That's not to say that this movie is not filled with Cage's usual schtick. He certainly has his time to bring us the Nic Cage craziness we've all come to know and love, but it's balanced really nicely with a warm-hearted, sympathetic father role. Emma Stone does really well as Eep. Ryan Reynolds is very funny and charismatic in his role. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the legendary Cloris Leachman as the grandma. To this day, Cloris has not lost her touch, and she was definitely a highlight as well.
    Speaking of highlights, let's get into the comedy. This movie has a delightful sense of humor, mostly found in physical comedy, but very good, commendable physical comedy; the kind you don't see a lot of in kids' films today. Some of it was almost (notice I said almost) Looney Tunes style. But, this film's sense of humor, I think, can best be summed up in Guy's little companion Belt (Chris Sanders). Belt is a small sloth with an Alvin-and-the-Chipmunks-esque voice who accompanies Guy on his journey, often seen hanging around his waist (hence the name). Belt provided some really great and memorable comic relief, and is definitely one of the first things to come to mind when I think about this film. One recurring gag with Belt occurs whenever something dramatic or even mildly bad happens. Everything will go silent, and, all of a sudden, Belt will pop up out of nowhere and, with his little chipmunk voice, utter the "DUN DUN DUUNN" music cue that we as moviegoers have become so familiar with. And it gets funnier every single time.
    Overall, this was a truly great and memorable moviegoing experience for me. The animation was spectacular, the acting was fantastic, and the film had me laughing nearly constantly, joke after joke and gag after gag. It's a big recommendation for people of all ages. There is something for every age group to appreciate in this film. It's clean, wholesome, and colorful enough for the kids, but the parents, grandparents, and even those in between, namely teenagers, can find something to appreciate. This is a film that knows how to keep the entertainment level high and not leave a single age bracket out of the fun. It's a glowing example of animation done right. Check it out, and, as always, thanks for reading!! :D

Presto Steve-o (No, Not That Steve-O): The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Review

    This film was written by two writers of Horrible Bosses. I just thought I'd mention this seeing how Horrible Bosses is one of my favorite comedies in recent years (Sidenote: "Why would you put his whole bathroom in your ass?!!" sounds just as funny out of context as it does in context...I've been wanting to say that for a while...Anyhoo!)  These two writers were able to handle the comedic prowess of Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis just fine, so how did they manage such powerhouses as Steve Buscemi, Alan Arkin, and Jim Carrey? Here's my review of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.

   Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) are two childhood friends who bonded over learning magic tricks when they were kids and vowed to become world-class magicians when they grew up. Before long, their dream comes true and they are launched into Vegas superstardom, performing every night to sold-out houses. Years later, their audiences slowly begin to disintegrate as they lose their edge and their passion. On top of that, their former audiences are now drawn to a new street magician named Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), who makes his living performing dangerous stunts and gut-wrenchingly disgusting card tricks, constantly mangling himself in the process. The public interest in magic is soon consumed almost entirely by Gray, making Burt and Anton's style of magic all but obsolete. Now, it's up to Burt, along with the help of his former magic assistant Jane (Olivia Wilde) and legendary magician Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin), to show the world what true magic is all about.

    It's hard to know how to go about discussing a movie like this. This is a film that had so, SO much potential to be something new and creative. It has a lot of really great ideas that could've brought us a fresh, unpredictable (in a good way) comedy. But, for the most part, the plot to this movie is fairly conventional. An arrogant rich guy falls from power, people start abandoning him, then he suddenly has a change of heart and goes back to set everything straight. We've seen it a million times. And this is where, as I said, it gets hard. I was pretty disappointed in the movie for that reason and a few others. However, at the same time, I was pretty happy with the movie for a number of other reasons.

    Let's talk about casting. There are some very strong casting choices here. Steve Buscemi, Alan Arkin, and Jim Carrey all do wonderfully. Buscemi's not in the movie quite as much as some would probably like, but he does what he's there to do; that is, to be Carell's loyal best friend. Arkin rarely, if ever, disappoints in a film, and, here, he is perfectly placed as a retired magician who used to be brilliantly famous and is now called back into the spotlight. Jim Carrey's been getting a lot of praise for his performance, and I have to agree. As someone who used to be a big fan of Criss Angel (and now can't stand him), I related to this character quite a bit. I also really loved the MindFreak spoof, hilariously entitled "Brain Rapist," which expertly satirized all the mind-numbingly stupid and dangerous stunts performed by Criss Angel and his peers. If you need an example, recall that scene in the trailer where Carrey's laying on red hot coals. It is very, very funny in the movie, and all of his stunts maintain that level of absurdity and hilarity.

   Now, the one weak spot with acting, unfortunately, is Steve Carell in the starring role. Simply put, Steve Carell cannot pull off pompous. He's supposed to be this arrogant, self-centered jerk throughout the first two-thirds of the movie, and he just has no idea what he's doing. He rarely ever comes across as arrogant; he just looks generally uninterested...in everything. And, in the few moments where he doesn't look completely bored, he instead chooses to be overbearing and annoying. He's either screaming his head off, or, whenever he's sad or distressed, he's letting out this bizarre little whimper that both sounds awful and goes on for way too long; so, you're just sitting there begging for him to shut up and keep moving the story along. The rest of the main cast was fine and salvaged the movie, at least for me, but it's still a huge problem when your main hero is absolutely impossible to root for.
   Due to the awkward atmosphere Carell creates with his character, the writing in the movie suffers, and a lot of the comedy is really hit-or-miss; well, that is, outside of Jim Carrey. Carrey hits all of his cues with accuracy. However, when he's not on-screen, it's a big toss-up as to whether or not a joke will draw a laugh or a groan, and there are examples of both extremes. There are jokes that are very funny and will put a big smile on your face, but then there are those that will make you cringe like you're listening to nails on a chalkboard. There are also plenty of moments in the middle, which really don't garner much of a reaction at all. For me personally, the good moments outweighed the bad ever so slightly, but for others, the groans may just overpower the laughs a bit too much.
    To me, the best and worst thing about this movie is the ending. Without spoiling too much, the movie ends with a huge moment that they've been building up to for the entire third act. It's the kind of moment that they foreshadow and build up so much and so well that, when it's finally pulled off, it's really, really cool to see, and it makes the rest of the film completely worth it. Now, I don't think I'm spoiling anything when I say this moment involves a magic trick. They do explain how they pull off this trick, but, it's fine because it's relevant to the plot. But, there's a lot of disturbing and inhumane behind-the-scenes work that is implied to be necessary in order to pull this trick off. That worked really well for humor; the fact that they imply it so heavily but never actually mention it. So, this big moment happens and the movie fades to black. You think it's done. Then, it fades back in to a montage showing, step-by-step, every little thing that happened to make the trick possible. More or less, they explain the joke in full detail just in case we missed it the first time. That irritated me so much and hurt the movie considerably.
    Overall, would I recommend Burt Wonderstone? I would say yes, but keep your expectations low. For me personally, the good parts make it worth it, but you're gonna have to suffer through a lot of moments that are annoying, grotesque, or just questionable. The film does have a certain amount of heart to it. I think it's really up to one's own determination of how much annoyance is too much. Like I said, the good for me just barely outweighs the bad, but, for others, that scale may tip differently. Honestly, I had a fun time. I didn't expect much, and I didn't really get much more than I was expecting. Just use your best judgment. And, as always, thanks for reading!! :D