Anchorman 2: 'Super-Sized R-Rated Version' Quick Review

(WARNING: There will be some Spoilers regarding the film)

A few months after the release of the original ‘Anchorman’, DreamWorks released a direct-to-video ‘spiritual sequel’ to the film called ‘Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie’. This film was actually made by mostly using unused footage that was shot for the first film, including alternate takes and even some unused subplots, the most notable being one about a group of bank robbers that the Channel 4 News Team were following. That was originally what the film was to be centered around until it was replaced with the ‘pregnant panda’ storyline due to poor test reactions. Now, a few months after the release of ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’, Paramount (the company that basically now owns the rights to the franchise) have done a similar thing but instead of a direct-to-video release full of unused subplots from the film, they are actually releasing an entirely new version of the film in theaters, referred to as the ‘Super-Sized R-Rated Version’, for one week only. Apparently, the upcoming Blu-Ray release will feature 3 separate cuts of the film; the theatrical version, an unrated version (like the previous film), and this new ‘R-rated’ version.

So then, how does this new cut hold up compared to its theatrical counterpart? Well, first off, let me start by talking about what makes this film ‘different’ from that version because for the most part, in many areas, not much is changed. It’s still the same movie as the theatrical version; it has the same plot (Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News Team heading to New York to join the first 24-hour news network) as well as the same general plot points, like Ron briefly becoming blind at one point and the scene where he and his family are taking care of a shark (though the latter scenario is sort of truncated in this version). The major difference here is in the writing. According to the marketing, this version features ‘763 new jokes’ and sure enough, pretty much every scene in this cut of the film has different dialogue than in the theatrical version (though there are a few jokes that are carried over from that cut). There are also a few scenes that were cut out from the theatrical release (some of which you’ll remember seeing in the trailer) that are put back into this cut.

Overall, this version is about as funny as the theatrical cut. Like that one though, not all of the jokes hit. In fact, I’d say this version actually suffers at times because some of the new ‘bits’ go on longer than they need to be. Because of this, we can clearly see why a lot of these jokes were cut because some of them do drag on for a while. Then again, I am really impressed at how they managed to actually make an alternate version of the theatrical cut without really making any real changes to the actual plot of the film. I mean yes, there are a few new scenes added in (like a whole new musical number) but if you were to run these films side-by-side on mute, I’m pretty sure that there will only be a few differences between them. So, like I said in my original review of the film’s ‘theatrical cut’, if you loved ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’ then you’ll really like this film. It’s one of the few comedy sequels that manages to be about as good as the original. If you have seen the original theatrical cut already, I do recommend checking this version out, mostly if you’re interested in seeing what new material is in this version. However, I do think the original theatrical cut is the superior version.

The LEGO Movie (2014) review

(As you can tell, this review was a little late but, sadly, there is a big reason for why it took me a while to write this. My dad was injured in an accident a couple days ago and, at the time I am writing this, he has just passed away as a result of his injury. As such, I dedicate this review in memory of him because I know that he knew how big of a LEGO fan I am. Love you Dad!)

Sometimes, there is a movie that, in one way or another, will directly appeal to your childhood. For me, ‘The LEGO Movie’ is one of those movies. When I was growing up, LEGOs were probably my favorite things in the entire world and while I’m not as big of a LEGO fan now as I was when I was a kid, I still have a general passing interest in the brand. As such, this was the first major movie of 2014 that I was anticipating because I was really excited to see an actual ‘LEGO Movie’ on the big screen (this being the first official theatrical LEGO movie). However, at first glance, one might view this as a cynical marketing gimmick done by Hollywood with the main purpose of selling LEGO products which would make sense considering that these are construction toys we’re talking about here. But then you take into account the two men directing this film, Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Their previous two films, 2009’s ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ and 2012’s ‘21 Jump Street’, were some of the best films of their respective years and in the end, ‘The LEGO Movie’ will most likely end up being one of the best films of 2014 for a few good reasons. It’s certainly the first great film of 2014, that’s for sure.

Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) is just your average guy (or ‘minifigure’ if you want to be precise) who lives a very ordinary life as a construction worker in his hometown of Brickville. However, things begin to change when he comes across an object known as the ‘Piece of Resistance’, which is the only thing that can stop a powerful weapon known as ‘the Kragle’ (in reality, a tube of ‘Krazy Glue’). Emmet soon finds himself at the center of a prophecy where he is believed to be ‘The Special’, the only one who is capable of stopping the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell), who plans to use the Kragle to take over the world by freezing it in place and bringing an end to the idea of ‘creativity’. Emmet joins forces with the ‘Master Builders’, people who are capable of building anything without the need of ‘instructions’, unlike people like Emmet. With the help of allies like freedom fighter Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), wise old wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), and even the ‘Caped Crusader’ himself, Batman (Will Arnett), Emmet sets off on his journey to save the LEGO universe as he tries to prove to everyone (including himself) that he truly is ‘The Special’.

At first, this story may seem like your traditional ‘unexpected hero’ story and that would seem like that’s the case here… or is it? I say that because, without giving anything away, this film pulls one heck of a plot twist near the end that I guarantee a lot of you will not see coming (on that note, I applaud Warner Bros and everyone involved on the project for not giving this key part of the movie away in the marketing). Not only that, but this twist is a really good one as well as it does a fine job of representing the legacy and popularity of the LEGO brand through the eyes of its fan base. The story itself speaks to both the LEGO builders who always follow the instructions (I’m not afraid to admit that I’m one of them) as well as those who like to go ‘outside the box’ and by doing so, this movie will appeal directly to both groups of fans. As directors, Lord and Miller certainly fall into the latter group as proven by some of the creative decisions that they have made in their films, which is once again evident because of this film’s unexpected turn of events.

Also, the animation in this film is fantastic. From what I hear, this film was a mix of computer animation and stop-motion animation. With that in mind, I now want to know what parts of this movie were actually done in stop-motion. I mean, sure, the majority of the film clearly must be computer animated but part of the reason why it’s so good is because, in execution, it really feels like stop-motion animation. It’s quite amazing to see how everything in this movie, even special effects like fire and water, is made to look like they were really made out of LEGOs. Of course, like with a lot of great animated films, this one also boasts an excellent voice cast. Everyone is well cast in their respective roles and this film has a great cast of characters, including the no-nonsense Bad Cop who has a split personality where he’s also sometimes a Good Cop (Liam Neeson in a rare comedic turn) as well as a great comedic interpretation of Batman as done by Will Arnett. Also, be sure to be on the lookout for some pretty cool cameos along the way.

My friend Augie made a good point recently about how Phil Lord and Chris Miller have been very successful at taking projects that wouldn’t seem to be good ideas at first and turn them into something that ends up being far better than what we initially expected. I mean, I’m pretty sure that none of us were thinking that ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ and ‘21 Jump Street’ would turn out to be as good as they were, but they were. The same can definitely be said for ‘The LEGO Movie’. On the surface it does look like a ‘marketing gimmick’ to sell products and in the end there’s part of it that no doubt feels like a feature-length LEGO commercial (it was unavoidable). But then this film pulls one of the best twists in recent memory and as a result, it turns out to be a very well-made animated film. It has excellent animation, a terrific voice cast, and a story that may seem simple at first glance but in the end it turns out to be one that has a lot of heart. This film does a great job at representing the LEGO brand and its dedicated fans. For LEGO fanatics, this is an absolute must-see but even if you aren’t, this is still one that I highly recommend because it truly is one of the best animated films in recent years.

Rating: 5/5!

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) review

In 2004, we were introduced to the legend that is Ron Burgundy, the anchorman from San Diego with ‘a voice that could make a wolverine purr and suits so fine they made Sinatra look like a hobo… in other words, Ron Burgundy was the balls’. ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’ is one of the best comedies from this last decade, mainly because it’s so quotable thanks to both its great cast and its great writing, although in reality most of it was actually improvised. But as for a sequel, that took a while to get going. At one point, Paramount even passed on a proposal for it, and it seemed like the project was officially dead… until now. It may be nine years since the original film came out, but everyone’s favorite news team is now back for ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’. But can Will Ferrell and Adam McKay deliver a rock-solid follow-up to probably their best film together? After all, as films like ‘Hangover Part II’ and ‘Grown Ups 2’ have proven it’s fairly common for most sequels to hit comedies to be incredibly inferior to their predecessors. However, in the end, ‘Anchorman 2’ manages to be that rare exception. It may not end up being as good as the original, but it comes pretty damn close.

After the events of the first film, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and his wife, fellow news anchor Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), are enjoying massive success in New York as co-anchors for one of the city’s prestigious news networks. However, things start to change when Ron is fired from his job, while Veronica is promoted to be the first female nightly news co-anchor, due to the fact that, according to famous anchor Mack Tannen (Harrison Ford), he’s one of the worst news anchors ever. This puts Ron in a serious depression for a few months until he is approached to work for a new network, GNN, which is set to be the first 24-hour news network. Ron accepts the job and rallies up the old Channel 4 news team to join him; field reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sportscaster Champ Kind (David Koechner), and meteorologist Brick Tamland (Steve Carell). Together, they hope to capture the former glory that they once had back when they worked in San Diego.

First, let me just say that like the original, this is a very goofy movie. There are plenty of ridiculous moments that occur in this movie that I don’t want to reveal for those who haven’t seen the film yet. If you can accept this film’s very silly tone, then you’ll have a good time with it and I will go on record saying that I did laugh consistently throughout this movie. Sure, as with most comedies, not all of the jokes were bull’s-eyes, but for the most part they worked very well. It doesn’t really feel like a repeat of the first film. Sure, there are certain callbacks to the original but it’s not like this is a note-for-note copy of the previous film. But this film, like the last one, wouldn’t have worked if it wasn’t for the outstanding cast. The returning players, Ferrell, Applegate, Rudd, Carell, and Koechner all fit back into their roles with ease even after nearly a decade and the camaraderie amongst them is top-notch, as it was in the first film. The new members of the cast, including James Marsden as a new rival for Ron and Meagan Good as the manager for GNN who becomes another love interest for Ron, are welcome additions as well.

I’m just going to come out and say it; 2013 has not been a good year for comedies. As of now, my list for the Top 10 worst films of the year includes 5 comedies, which is an unfortunate sign of the declining quality of today’s comedies. Thankfully not all of the comedies this year have been bad. If I were to name the two best comedies of the year so far, in a currently unspecified order, they would be ‘The World’s End’ and this movie. Which one is the best of the year? It’ll take a while for me to figure that out but one thing’s for certain; ‘Anchorman 2’ is one of the best comedy sequels ever, one of the rare films in that group that manages to be almost as good as its predecessor. It may not end up being as funny or quotable as the original, but it is still very funny even though not every joke hits and is just as goofy as its predecessor. It may have been nearly a decade since ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’ came out, but Ferrell and director Adam McKay succeed at continuing the story, although I think the idea of another film is a little too much.

Rating: 4/5

Short Review: The Campaign

When it comes to writing reviews, sometimes you just can't think of material for each new review so this is the first of a series of short reviews that I might do from time to time in case I can't make up a review for a new movie. Enjoy!

The latest film from Jay Roach, who also brought us the 'Austin Powers' and 'Meet the Parents' series as well as 2010's 'Dinner for Schmucks', The Campaign is certainly one funny comedy. Both Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis are hilarious and the two work off each other extremely well. The one that steals the show, however, is Dylan McDermott as Galifianakis' shady campaign manager. There are certainly some big laughs in this movie, and even someone like me who doesn't know much about politics got most of the jokes. Also, for a comedy that in the end may just be another one of those dumb comedies, it did expose some of the problems that go on in politics, like how sometimes the wrong people are elected because they're backed by rich people. Overall, I can't say it's the funniest movie of the year, but it definitely had some big laughs. This really pleases me because 2011 was a really horrible year for comedy movies. The only real good comedy I remember seeing from last year was 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' and that didn't even crack my Top 10. On the other hand, 3 comedies ('Zookeeper', 'The Dilemma', and 'Jack and Jill') made my worst of list. This year has been much better as we had not only this movie, but 'Ted' as well. Another reason why this year has been such a better year for movies.

Rating: 4/5