Hot Rod (2007) - Samberg and Schaffer arrive with amiable stunt comedy

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+ Best Huge Flop Movie of the Year

Andy Samberg strikes a fearless pose on this pretty rad poster for Akiva Schaffer's Hot Rod

Rod wants to earn the love of his stepfather - and then beat his ass - by jumping over 15 buses on his motorbike. - The ultimate jump!

Hot Rod is written by Pam Brady (Hamlet 2 (2008)) and directed by theatrically debuting Akiva Schaffer (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)).
Andy Samberg (Major Lazer (2015), TV-series) isn't as funny as the protagonist as Will Ferrell might have been, (the movie was written with him in mind originally), but he is many times easier on the eye, and he really works for his laughs here. He is teamed up with an enthusiastic cast that includes Bill Hader (The Angry Birds Movie (2016)), Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down (2009-13)), Sissy Spacek (Gray Matters (2006)) and Ian McShane (Columbo (1990), TV-series). They all help make Hot Rod a funny film. It features a lot of stunts and some hysterical comedy.

Related post:

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 25.3 mil. $
Box office: 14.3 mil. $
= Huge flop (0.56 times the cost)
[Hot Rod was released 3 August (USA) and runs 88 minutes. The film was in development for years at Paramount as a Ferrell vehicle, which never came to fruition. After Samberg's Lonely Island music-comedy group were hired to SNL in 2005, the film changed direction to suit them instead. Shooting took place in British Columbia, Canada, including Vancouver, from July - September 2006. The film opened and peaked #9 to a 5.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it grossed 13.9 mil. $ (97.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 163k $ (1.1 %) and United Arab Emirates with 84k $ (0.6 %). Roger Ebert agreed with this review in giving the film a 3/4 star review. Hot Rod sold in excess of 24 mil. $ worth of copies on the North American home video market, which, if added into its theatrical gross, would change its status to that of merely a 'big flop'. Schaffer returned with several episodes of SNL and Lonely Island video shorts en masse before he returned to cinemas with The Watch (2012). Samberg returned theatrically in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008). Hot Rod is rotten at 40 % with a 4.9/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hot Rod?

Deadwood - season 3 (2006) - The uneven but strangely endearing conclusion to the gritty western show

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+ Best Western Title of the Year + Best TV-series of the Year + Best Fight Scene of the Year (fight in the mud scene, episode 5: A Two-Headed Beast)

A ghoulish blue poster for the last season of David Milch's Deadwood

The third and last season of David Milch's (Luck (2011-12)) fine HBO western show, - which takes place in the real, titular town of Deadwood, South Dakota around the year 1877, and is part-historical, part-fictional, - comes off to a poor start: Everyone speaks the same gutter mouth and mopes around in the same pestilential mood. The show continues to be overly theatrical and dourly obsessed with its own past for a while. The season kicks into speed rather late, but still manages to go out as a unique and strangely endearing series.

Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), Alma Garret (Molly Parker), Trixie (Paula Malcomson) and sheriff Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) on this neat character poster for the third season of David Milch's Deadwood

The details:

The following summary will contain numerous SPOILERS:

The wealthy Hearst is responsible for the first murder of the season, while Mrs. Bullock opens the first school in town. Alma Garret (played very well by Molly Parker (The Playroom (2012))) loses her child, while mayor Farnum conducts a big speech on blatant anti-Semitism. 
Brian Cox's (L.I.E. (2001)) actor character and Hearst's 'Aunt' Lou (Cleo King (Just Before I Go (2014))) are both amusing additions to the town's gallery of characters. The season paddles on with a subplot about the racist drunk Steve and his horse stable, while Garret's bank positions itself, and the town's unofficial boss Al Swearengen battles impotence.
Hearst's anger is feared in town, while Cy Tolliver spreads his gall as per usual. Calamity Jane starts a lesbian flirt with the otherwise vague Joanie Stubbs.
The season continues towards its conclusion mostly in twilight, with often driveling characters, always in fearful anticipation of the grand attack of Hearst. This kind of electricity accelerates with an assassination attempt and a clandestine murder and culminates when Hearst has Garret's husband Elcott murdered, which Trixie, - another often tiringly uniformly cussing character, - becomes so angered by that she shoots Hearst. - Which he survives!
Although Swearengen's alliance with Chinese boss Wu against Hearst is another enjoyable string of the plot, it never really amounts to much, because it all seems to seep out in the last episode, in which Swearengen murders another professional of his own as sacrifice for Trixie's hasty assassination attempt. And Hearst finally leaves camp by his own accord.
Thus the distinctive, uneven show ends with a familiar scrubbing of blood off the floor.

Best episodes:

5. A Two-Headed Beast - written by Milch and Regina Corrado (The Strain (2014-15)); directed by Daniel Minahan (Game of Thrones (2011-13))
The Hearst-loathing in Deadwood climaxes for the time being, as Swearengen's right hand man Dan beats Hearst's goon to death in the town's mud in an epic battle, and sheriff Bullock drags Hearst away by the nose!

6. A Rich Find - written by Milch, Corrado and Alix Lambert (John from Cincinnati (2007), TV-series); directed by Tim Hunter (Hannibal (2013-14))
The series finally gets back to its former, high quality level, and the swearing at times takes on a Mark Twain-like poetry. 

11. The Catbird Seat - written by Milch and Bernadette McNamara (NYPD Blue (1999), TV-series); directed by Gregg Fienberg (True Blood (2014), TV-series)
The animosity between Hearst and Deadwood finally explodes.

Related reviews:

David Milch: 2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Deadwood - season 2 (2005) - The dirty frontier West continues to entertain thoroughly
Deadwood - season 1 (2004) - Milch presents a new f-ing take on the old frontier West

In lieu of a trailer for the season, here's the title theme - enjoy

 
Budget: Reportedly 4.5 mil. $ per episode, or 54 mil. $ 
Box office: None - TV-series 
= Unknown
[Deadwood season 3 was first aired in the summer of 2006 on HBO. It runs 12 48-60 min. episodes. According to Metacritic, the third season, with 85 % positive reviews, was nearly as well-reviewed as the second (at 93), which remains the best reviewed of the three. The costly show was canceled after the 3rd season, however a TV movie script has been commissioned by HBO in 2016, after Deadwood has remained a talked-about audience and critical favorite for years. The season won 1 of 6 Emmy nominations, for its outstanding makeup in a single episode. 62,621 IMDb users have given Deadwood an 8.8 rating.]

What do you think of Deadwood and its 3rd season?

Deadwood - season 2 (2005) - Milch's dirty frontier West continues to entertain thorougly

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The not very aesthetically pleasing poster for the second season of David Milch's Deadwood

The second season (out of three) of creator David Milch's (NYPD Blue (1993-05)) lavish, historical HBO series set in the titular town in 1877 begins about 7 months after the first season and spans 12 ca. 45 minute-long episodes.
The show continues to be a joy to watch due to its endearing characters, the general perfidy of the camp and the rare instances of greatness among its tough residents. Mayor Farnum (well-played by William Sanderson (Blade Runner (1982))) and newspaperman Merrick (Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986))) grow into a couple of really funny characters in season two. But it continues to irritate that the main character, sheriff Bullock, is played so stoically jaw-clenched by Timothy Olyphant (Die Hard 4.0 (2007)).
The minor problem of Deadwood's at times snail-pace plot might be that it seems like it, apart from its general direction, is sort of made up as it rolls along, without any real sense of underlying necessity.

Ian McShane (Cuban Fury (2014)) continues to be a huge part of David Milch's Deadwood's attraction as the boss of the town, Al Swearengen

The details:

The following plot summary contains SPOILERS:

The season's main subject is the annexation of Deadwood into Dakota state territory. Some of the details of this become too muddy as it moves along, and the mistrusted Pinkerton family from the first season send out a snakelike agent by the name of Isringhausen, whose ulterior motives also remain somewhat unknown for the entire season. On the more positive side, the violent town receives an enthusiastic Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day (1993)) as a Dakota commissary.
Another agent, this one for the wealthy Hearst, Wolcott, turns out to be a perverted killer of women, who in turn lays bare the cynicism of the town's original, secondary power figure Cy Tolliver (Powers Boothe (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014))).
When Swearengen finally recovers from serious illness, Sol (John Hawkes (The Sessions (2012))), Bullock and Alma Garret (Molly Parker (Hollywoodland (2006))) have opened a bank. Bullock's wife arrives, and his relationship with Garret ends in agonizing silence, while he and his wife's pretty son expire in a tragic horse accident.
Joanie's (Kim Dickens (Gone Girl (2014))) brothel Chez Amis closes following a triple murder. Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert (Mississippi Grind (2015))) receives some much needed help and gives some in return. The town's Chinese boss Wu (Keone Young (Men in Black 3 (2012))) makes a vendetta over a brutal Chinese gangster from San Francisco, and Alma gets engaged to Ellsworth (Jim Beaver (Crimson Peak (2015))).
As the season draws to its end, Wolcott gets a death sentence from Hearst; Deadwood is annexed into Dakota territory for a substantial prize; Farnum's hotel gets sold to Hearst; Tolliver gets stabbed in his stomach by the new priest in town, - a bitter, old acquaintance, - and an election is announced.

At the season's exciting end, one looks greatly forward to the third season.

Best episode:

3: New Money - written by Milch, Elizabeth Sarnoff (Lost (2005-10)), directed by Steve Shill (Rome (2005-07))
Al Swearengen is operated for gallstones, - and rarely has a TV scene been more excruciating to behold!

Related review:

David Milch: Deadwood - season 1 (2004) - Milch presents a new f-ing take on the old frontier West

 In lieu of a trailer for the season, not currently available on Youtube, here is a video with the great opening theme of the show, by David Schwartz (Arrested Development (2003-13))

Budget: Reportedly 4.5 mil. $ per episode, or 54 mil. $
Box office: None - TV-series
= Unknown
[As with the first season, the viewer ratings for the show are not to be found online. Metacritic reports that the 2nd season is the best reviewed of the show's 3, with 93 % good reviews, 'near universal acclaim'. The season was nominated for 11 Emmys, winning 5, which were all technical, episode-specific ones. After several years mull, HBO has as of January 2016 commissioned Milch, who is today reportedly 17 mil. $ in debt due to obsessive gambling, to write scripts for two TV-movies that are to conclude Deadwood, which ended prematurely with season 3. Deadwood is #69 on IMDb's Top 250 TV-shows, where 61k+ users have given it an 8.8 average rating.]

What do you think of the second season of Deadwood?

Deadwood - season 1 (2004) - Milch presents a new f-ing take on the old frontier west

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+ Best New TV-series of the Year + Best Western Title of the Year

Five characters from David Milch's Deadwood stare you down on this poster for the first season

Deadwood is an HBO TV-series in 3 seasons from creator David Milch (NYPD Blue (1993-05)), based on the real town of Deadwood, South Dakota. The season comprises 12 48-60 min. episodes.

Season one takes place within approximately two weeks of 1876 in the raw gold-digger camp, which is more or less run by Al Swearengen (Ian McShane (Sexy Beast (2000))), owner of the brothel and saloon The Gem. Our other protagonist is the former sheriff Seth Bullock (Timothy OIyphant (The Grinder (2015-16))), who founds a lumber store in the town with his business partner Sol (John Hawkes (The Sessions (2012))) and rich New Yorker madam Alma Garret (Molly Parker (House of Cards (2014-15))), whose husband SPOILER gets pushed to his death on the land he bought cheap.Western legend Wild Bill Hickok arrives with his companions; the drunken, miserable Calamity Jane and Charlie Utter, who opens a post office, SPOILER after Hickok gets shot dead by an embittered poker enemy by the name Jack 'the Coward' McCall, who is freed after a mock trial in town.

The details:

Powers Boothe (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2015-16)) is spectacular as Cy Tolliver, the entrepreneur who opens Swearengen's competing brothel, The Bella Union, where he gets into trouble with a young conman couple, SPOILER who he later murders brutally in front of his closest employees, a soft, lesbian prostitute and a gay card shark, who consequently lose sympathy for their employer.
Other festive elements of Deadwood include the priest, who has some kind of brain tumor, which gives him seizures and makes him increasingly pitiful, until Swearengen shows mercy SPOILER and strangles him to death. - And the doctor (splendidly portrayed by Brad Dourif (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975))), a choleric but honest man, who helps and falls for an invalid who works in The Gem.
The last of the town's residents I feel implored to mention is Mister Wu (Keone Young (Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos (1986), TV-series)), who runs the Chinese part of town similarly as Swearengen, whom he respectfully calls 'Swegen!', runs the town general.
McShane is a force to be reckoned with and has one of his career's best parts in Swearengen. The show features raw aesthetics and innovative, refreshing (and very, sometimes even exaggeratedly expletive-laden) dialog. It is refined if psychologically somewhat flat, and not unlike a western soap opera, a good one though, mind you.

Best episode:

12. Sold Under Sin - written by Milch and Ted Man (NYPD Blue (1994-99)), directed by Davis Guggenheim (He Named Me Malala (2015))
The season's last episode is a royal finisher, in which Bullock goes against Garret's vile father and accepts the sheriff's star of Deadwood, while Swearengen cements his power, despite the town getting itself a mayor.

 

Related post:

 

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the first season here 

Cost: Reportedly 4.5 mil. $ per episode, or 54 mil. $
Box office: None (TV-series) 
= Unknown
[Deadwood was an expensive show to produce, and it was finally canceled because of this I suspect. I have not been able to find its viewer ratings, (shoot me a comment with a link, if you do.) The season received 80 % positive reviews, according to Metacritic, based on 26 of them, which is the lowest of the three seasons. It is #69 on IMDb's Top 250 TV-shows where 60k+ users have given it an 8.8 average rating.]

What do you think of Deadwood season 1?
Other good western TV-series?

Hercules (2014) - Ratner and Johnson's forgettable noisemaker

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Dwayne Johnson allegedly trained for something like 8 months for his portrayal of Brett Ratner's Hercules

Hercules, Zeus' half-human/half-God son, has lost his own family, but he fails to remember how. With his band of mercenaries, he fights for Thrace and an answer.

This is as close to a plot summary as I can come after watching this unvisionary revival of the Greek myth figure and movie hero by great Florida-born filmmaker Brett Ratner (Red Dragon (2002)). It is an adaptation of Steve Moore's (Red Fang (2000)) graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars (2008) by Ryan Condal (Colony (2015-), TV-series) and Evan Spiliotopoulos (The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008), video).
Hercules is a visually polished, uninspired presentation of general ruckus without a single scene that stands out after it is over.
The cast is not too shabby at all: Dwayne Johnson (Faster (2010)) is dedicated in the title lead, Reece Ritchie (The Lovely Bones (2009)) is a snack to behold; (so why doesn't Ratner gratuitize him more than he does, (this is a sword-and-sandal movie, dammit!)), and John Hurt (The Elephant Man (1980)) and Ian McShane (Coraline (2009)) light up some, although they all deserve better direction and a better script than what they're given here.
Hercules, at least (?), is committed to being silly, as it provides ludicrous lines such as; "Fucking centaurs!"

Related posts:

Brett Ratner: 2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Tower Heist (2011) - Ratner's so-so financial crisis comedy

Watch the trailer for the movie here

Cost: 100 mil. $
Box office: 243.3 mil. $
= Minor flop
[Moore, who died a few months before the film's release, apparently didn't receive any payment for his graphic novel's use for the film. Hercules came out in a year in which Hollywood (by chance) released two major Hercules titles: The Kellan Lutz-starring The Legend of Hercules (2014) came out earlier in the year and bombed, (it is apparently a lot worse than Ratner's film!) Hercules opened #2 domestically to 29 mil. $, behind Lucy (2014), to reasonable reviews, based often on benevolence towards Johnson. The film grossed 72.6 mil. $ (29.8 % of the total gross) in North America. It opened #1 in countries like Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Singapore. 6 mil. $ (2.5 %) of the gross came from IMAX. The film's 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Russia (22.2 mil. $/9%) and Brazil (14.2 mil. $/5.8 %). Hercules is fresh at 60 % with a 5.4 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hercules?

Coraline (2009) - Selick's otherworldly masterpiece

♥♥♥♥♥♥

+ 3rd Best Movie of the Year

The fantasy-inspiring, great poster for Henry Selick's Coraline

Coraline's parents have moved her to a new, large house. There's only one nerdy playmate in the neighborhood, until Coraline finds that there is a different, wildly adventurous world hiding inside the house...

Coraline is not a conventional kids animation with a clear moral, but instead a visually magnificent, fairytale-like horror so crazily created that I almost couldn't believe that it existed, as I saw it first. - The colors (which go from B/W to color), the designs and the seamless mix of techniques (like puppet stop-motion, digital compositing and CGI) will knock you out of your couch in amazement.
Coraline is unusually rich on originality and real, nightmarish horror, (meaning also that it isn't appropriate for kids under age 6-8, depending on the child.)
The voices, by Dakota Fanning (The Motel Life (2012)), Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives (2004-12)), Ian McShane (Deadwood (2004-06)), John Hodgman (Mozart in the Jungle (2014-)), Jennifer Saunders (Shrek 2 (2004)), Keith David (Requiem for a Dream (2000)) etc., are also lively and inspired. Inspired is the word that most defines Coraline, which is also very odd and surreal.
Henry Selick (James and the Giant Peach (1996)) adapted Neil Gaiman's (Stardust (1999)) 2002 novel and directed the film. He also directed the successful, (yet grating) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), which many (wrongfully, also due to wrongful advertisement) think that Tim Burton directed, - he didn't.

Related posts:

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Top 10: The best adaptations reviewed by Film Excess to date
Top 10: The best adventure movies reviewed by Film Excess to date  

Watch the trailer here

Cost: 60 mil. $
Box office: 124.5 mil. $
= Minor flop
[Coraline came in 3rd in the US with a 16.8 mil. $ opening weekend. Its US run ended at 75.2 mil. $ (60 % of the total gross), - meaning that it was mostly outside America that Coraline should have been better welcomed. It was Oscar- and Globe-nominated as Best Animation, (unfortunately losing to Pete Docter's Up). Coraline eventually became commercially successful with DVD sales (45 mil. $ profit), a video game and soundtrack.]

What do you think of Coraline?