Mid90s (2018) - Hill debuts with resounding skater youth drama

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Adolescent star Sunny Siljic looks doubtful against a clouded blue sky on this simple, arresting poster for Jonah Hill's Mid90s

Stevie is a 13 year-old boy in a small family with a big brother and a single mother, and he looks up to the older guys that hang out as skateboard enthusiasts in the LA area, and who are about to become his good friends.

 

Mid90s is written and directed by debuting great Californian filmmaker Jonah Hill (21 Jump Street (2021, starring actor/story contributions).

It is a fantastic, music-drenched youth picture, which feels personal and distinct in its portrait, which succeeds in showing us a group of adolescents who are not masters of responsibility, but who somehow still maintains a kind of innocence in their actions and behavior. 

All the young actors are golden, and Sunny Siljic (1915 (2015)) is wonderful as protagonist Stevie. Na-kel Smith as Ray also deserves singular praise. Mid90s is a very impressive debut.

 

Related posts:

 

Jonah Hill: 22 Jump Street (2014) - Lord/Miller's wobbly, vexing, overrated sequel (co-star)

This Is the End (2013) or, Hollywood Apocalypse (co-star)

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - Scorsese's obscene suit-and-tie criminal epic is as entertaining as it is morally dubious (actor) 

21 Jump Street (2012) - Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill dish out some loud buddy cop fun (co-star) 

Moneyball (2011) - Miller makes compelling baseball movie history (co-star)

The Sitter (2011) - Green and Hill's inappropriate babysitter movie is a crude hoot (star)

Cyrus (2010) - The Duplass brothers score hilarious dramedy gold (co-star)

Get Him to the Greek (2010) - Brand and Hill light up Stoller's funny music biz satire (co-star) 

Megamind (2010) - Ferrell leads McGrath's hilarious animation superbly (voice co-star)

Evan Almighty (2007) - Shadyac's monumentally miscalculated sequel/professional gravestone (hope not) (actor)

The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005) or, Let the Sunshine In (actor)

 

 

Watch a short promo for the film here

Cost: 1.7 mil. $

Box office: 9.3 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 5.47 times its cost)

[Mid90s premiered 9 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 85 minutes. It is based on Hill's own experiences growing up. Shooting took place in Los Angeles. The film opened #21 to a 258k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #10 and in 1,206 theaters, grossing 7.3 mil. $ (78.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 925k $ (9.9 %) and Russia with 262k $ (2.7 %). The film won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Hill has not returned as a filmmaker yet since the film. Siljic returned in The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018). Mid90s is certified fresh at 80 % with a 7.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Mid90s?

22 Jump Street (2014) - Lord/Miller's wobbly, vexing, overrated sequel

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The two stars look ridiculous in a veritable sea of spring-break youths on this poster for Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's 22 Jump Street

Our odd cop partner heroes of 21 Jump Street (2012) are given a new mission, which is like a copy of their last mission, only this time the drug problem is in a college instead of a high school, and once again they will have to go undercover.

22 Jump Street, which like its successful predecessor is based on the 21 Jump Street (1987-91) TV-series, makes it a meta-joke in itself that its plot is so close to the first film. The film often nearly implodes, because the filmmakers behind it also can't take their concoction seriously and stuff it with meta-jokes and references simply to keep it going.
Much of 22 Jump Street, in particular its editing, music and overall style, seems to have been created by - and for - galling teenagers with ADD. Channing Tatum (Logan Lucky (2017)) has gotten chubbier, and Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)) looks more tired than usual. Many of the scenes and jokes fall flat on their asses.
22 Jump Street seems long and a bit awkward. There are still a few fun moments, especially scenes with Jillian Bell (Idiotsitter (2014-17)) who is the funniest part of the film. It also has a funny poster sequence for future Jump Street sequels during the end credits.
22 Jump Street is written by Michael Bacall (Project X (2012)), Oren Uziel (Freaks of Nature (2015)) and Rodney Rothman (Grudge Match (2013)), with Hill contributing story elements, and directed by great directing partners Floridian Phil Lord and Washingtonian Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie (2014), both). The two have wisely moved on to other things after this.

Related posts:

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller: 2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
The Lego Movie (2014) - Glue and near-robotic square-mindedness gets a kick in the head in the year's surprise family favorite
21 Jump Street (2012) - Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill dish out some loud buddy cop fun
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) - Hefty-paced fun in 3D food lunacy 
 

Watch a teaser trailer for the film here

Cost: 84.5 mil. $
Box office: 331.3 mil. $
= Big hit
[22 Jump Street premiered 4 June (New York) and runs 112 minutes. Filming took place in Puerto Rico and Louisiana, including New Orleans, from September - December 2013. The film opened #1 to an excellent 57 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for 5 consecutive weeks (moving to #2-#2-#3-#4) and grossed a huge 191.7 mil. $ (57.9 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 31.4 mil. $ (9.5 %) and Australia with 21 mil. $ (6.3 %). The gross far exceeds the 201.5 mil. $ the first film made. The film's budget is listed as 50 mil. $ at Box Office Mojo, but a leaked final budget document lists it as the above, - and since an unreported 34.5 mil. $ tax credit seems unlikely, the final budget document's estimation is used here. Another info from the Sony leaks of 2015 concerns the series' further sequel plans, which are a film ('MiB 23'), which is to mix the Men in Black franchise with the Jump Street characters, directed by James Bobin (Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)). With Bobin's latest major flop in mind, it is uncertain whether this strange crossover film will ever materialize. 22 Jump Street is certified fresh at 84 % with a 7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of 22 Jump Street?

Evan Almighty (2007) - Shadyac's monumentally miscalculated sequel/professional gravestone (hope not)

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+ Most Expensive Flop of the Decade: 105.7 mil. $ range

+ Most Expensive Flop of the Year (lost approximately 105.7 mil. $) + Worst Poster of the Year + Biggest Career Killer of the Year: Tom Shadyac 

 

This poster for Tom Shadyac's Evan Almighty is a fine example of a grotesquely manipulated copy-paste poster graphics job that's gone awfully wrong

 

Following the funny huge hit Bruce Almighty (2003), spin-off Evan Almighty focuses on news anchor-turned-congressman Evan (Steve Carell (The Big Short (2015))). One of his colleagues gets contacted by God, who - for reasons that seem beyond our comprehension, - make Evan into a modern day Noah.

- As his hysterical wife leaves him, and the political job becomes harder and harder to keep, Carell trots around in more and more wacky costumes and hair jobs in Evan Almighty, which must surely rank among the craziest and most outlandish comedies in recent history. It is a very bizarre film built around a poor idea, which is also very badly constructed from there. It is also a huge effects feature, which is amusing in small glimpses, - mostly those in which Carell seems to laugh inwards in earnest at the whole absurd situation he has put himself in here.

Morgan Freeman (Oblivion (2013)) is, however, good as God, and, believe it or not, so is the message of the film.

Evan Almighty is written by Steve Oedekerk (Bruce Almighty), with Joel Cohen (Toy Story (1995)) and Alec Sokolow (Garfield (2004)) contributing story elements, and directed by Virginian master filmmaker Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)), whose directing career fell into a black hole, probably as a result of the costly failure of Evan Almighty. (Shadyac has only directed a documentary since.)

 

Related posts:

 

Tom Shadyac: The 2000s in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

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

Bruce Almighty (2003) - Carrey makes laughter in well-made what-if-you-were-God-comedy

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) - 6th gear Jim Carrey smacker

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 175 mil. $

Box office: 173.4 mil. $

= Huge flop

[Evan Almighty was released June 22 and runs 96 minutes. Its script is a reworking of the spec script The Passion of the Ark, which Sony Pictures bought in a bidding war for a huge 2.5 mil. $ in 2004, beginning the hugely expensive and difficult production of Evan Almighty. Jim Carrey, the star of Bruce Almighty, declined to star in the sequel, which thus became a spin-off. Shooting took place in Virginia, Washington and California, including Universal Studios, from March - August 2006. The budget ballooned from 140 mil. to 175 mil. $ due to the effects-heavy, animal-heavy shoot. Shadyac had an environmental focus during production, getting thousands of trees planted to make up for its CO2 emissions, and had a fall-out with the producers towards the release of the film. The film opened #1 with a 31.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weeks in the top 5 (#3, #5) and grossed 100.4 mil. $ (57.9 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 12.1 mil. $ (7 %) and Australia with 6.7 mil. $ (3.9 %). The film additionally made in excess of 27.6 mil. $ on home video sales in North America alone, which, if added to its gross, changes its statues to merely a big flop. Evan Almighty is rotten at 23 % with a 4.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Evan Almighty?

Megamind (2010) - Ferrell leads McGrath's hilarious animation superbly

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2 Film Excess nominations:

Best Lead Actor: Will Ferrell, also for Everything Must Go (lost to Stephen Dorff for Somewhere)
Best Animation (lost to Toy Story 3)

+ Best Family Movie of the Year

An appropriately silly-looking poster for Tom McGrath's Megamind

Megamind is a super-villain who has fought for the power over Metro(-)City his whole life. When he suddenly attains it, he learns that it is futile to be the super-villain of a city that has no superhero ...

Despite Megamind being an animated feature, Will Ferrell (The Producers (2005)) steals the show completely with a superbly intonated, super-humorous voice performance as the title character. Of course it doesn't hurt that he is backed up by Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, Brad Pitt and a script that's rich on inventive fun. - The result is that Megamind is really funny! And animation-wise, it is as wildly attractive as intended, even if some of the action is obviously there simply to satisfy the need for 3D-type action.
The movie fires away at a high pace, successfully entertaining children as primarily an adventure and adults as primarily a comedy. Unfortunately for the film, it is an example of one of those cases where two major Hollywood films are released very near each other with almost suspiciously similar storylines: In this case Despicable Me, - also a film about a super-villain with an identity crisis development and helper minions simply called minions (Megamind's fishbowl helper is also called Minion), - which came out some months prior to Megamind and got to be the much more successful commercial one of the two, although they are of similar tone and fun level.
Megamind is written by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons (Penguins of Madagascar (2014), story, both) and directed by Washingtonian filmmaker Tom McGrath (Madagascar (2005)).

Related posts:

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch the final official trailer for the film here

Cost: 130 mil. $
Box office: 321.8 mil. $
= Even-steven
[Megamind premiered October 28 (Russia) and runs 96 minutes. Robert Downey Jr. was initially intended to voice the title character, but that luckily fell through. The film opened #1 to a 46 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed atop for another week before dethroning to #2 and then #3 before falling out of the top 5 in its 5th week. It grossed 148.4 mil. $ (46.1 % of the total gross) domestically. Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Russia with 22 mil. $ (6.8 %) and the UK with 16 mil. $ (5 %). The film did not receive a release in China, and its Japanese release was canceled due to the Fukuyama-centered earthquake and tsunami, which contributed to its lackluster result. It sold in excess of 3 mil. DVDs and Blu-rays in North America, adding 43 mil. $ to its result, making it a financial success with this taken into account. Megamind is fresh at 73 % with a 6.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Megamind?

Get Him to the Greek (2010) - Brand and Hill light up Stoller's funny music biz satire

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The two stars are primed to sell Nicholas Stoller's Get Him to the Greek

Jonah Hill (Moneyball (2011)) plays a guy who works for record executive Sergio (Sean Combs (Draft Day (2014)) is surprisingly good in the part) and who gets an idea: He wants to stage a revival concert for British rock star Aldous Snow at the Greek Theatre in LA. The problem becomes how to get the unruly star from London to the gig in 72 hours.

The idea of master writer-director Nicholas Stoller's (Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)) movie here is funny. The film features a serious satire of the music business, which isn't funny enough, especially in its first half hour, which lags. 
But the tone is adroit throughout, and especially the city scenes with Hill and Russell Brand (Arthur (2011)), who returns as the character from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, are amusing. Elisabeth Moss (A Buddy Story (2010)) does well in a supporting role, SPOILER especially in the threesome scene. It is a shame that Brand's rock songs just don't play well, and they shouldn't have been featured in my opinion. The sentimental ending for Hill's character is also contrived.
Still, Get Him to the Greek is an entertaining comedy.

Related review:
 
Nicholas Stoller: The Muppets (2011) or, Man or Muppet? (co-writer)

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 40 mil. $
Box office: 91.2 mil. $
= Flop
[Get Him to the Greek was released June 4 and runs 109 minutes. The film was already announced as a spin-off to Forgetting Sarah Marshall a week after that film's release. Filming took place in London, New York, California and Las Vegas. The film opened #2, behind Shrek Forever After, to a 17.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it grossed 60.9 mil. $ (66.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 10.9 mil. $ (12 %) and Australia with 8.4 mil. $ (9.2 %). Get Him to the Greek is certified fresh at 72 % with a 6.3 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Get Him to the Greek?

Cyrus (2010) - The Duplass brothers score hilarious dramedy gold

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+ Best Independent Movie of the Year

The simple, effective poster for Jay and Mark Duplass' Cyrus

John is a despairing, divorced man, who is thrilled to meet a genuinely sweet woman at a party, who becomes his girlfriend. The only problem is that she lives with her bizarre, 21 year-old son.

John C. Reilly (Carnage (2011)) is brilliant and really funny here in great New Orleanian writer-director brothers Jay and Mark Duplass' (Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011), both) small dramedy pearl. It plays on our tendency towards manipulation and lies when under pressure.
The vivacious camera concept (cinematographer Jas Shelton (The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015))) works well in this intimate story. Jonah Hill (21 Jump Street (2012)) and Marisa Tomei (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)) are also outstanding.
Cyrus has a good story and is funny as hell. - Don't miss it!

Related posts:

Jay & Mark Duplass:  Jeff Who Lives at Home (2011) or, Signs of Jeff
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

The Duplass brothers give an interview about the film here

Cost: 7 mil. $
Box office: 9.9 mil. $
= Big flop
[Cyrus premiered January 23 (Sundance) and runs 91 minutes. It was shot in and around January 2009. It opened in just 4 theaters to a solid 181k $ first weekend in North America, where it peaked in 454 theaters and grossed 7.4 mil. $ (74.7 % of the total gross). It screened in 14 other countries with the 2nd and 3rd biggest markets being the UK with 1.9 mil. $ (19.2 %) and Mexico with 0.1 mil. $ (1%). Reilly got nominated for the Best Male Lead Independent Spirit award for his performance in the film. Cyrus is certified fresh at 80% with a 6.9 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Cyrus?

Moneyball (2011) - Miller makes compelling baseball movie history

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+ Best Sports Movie of the Year

Brad Pitt portrays Oakland Athletics' general manager Billy Beane in Bennett Miller's Moneyball

Billy Beane is the man tasked with getting the free-falling Oakland Athetics baseball team back in winning shape without more money in a sport that has acquired ballooned monster budgets. Together with an economist, Beane finds a new way to play - and win - ball.

Even if you don't understand baseball, (which I can't profess that I do), Moneyball works. Steve Zaillian (Schindler's List (1993)) and Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing (1999-06)) wrote the Oscar-nominated script, based on Michael Lewis' (The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game (2006)) non-fiction book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (2003), and great New York-director Bennett Miller (Capote (2005)) has made a great film out of it.
Beane's struggle and his gamble is staged with high stakes, and, of course, the core story of getting a team of outcasts to start winning, against all odds, is gripping material. Solid work marks Moneyball's production, led by a perfectly cast, Oscar-nominated Brad Pitt (Troy (2004)). The cast also includes fine turns from Oscar-nominated Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)), Chris Pratt (Jurassic World (2015)) as an unsure player, Spike Jonze (Three Kings (1999)), and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt (2008)), who is good as usual, as the team's dissatisfied coach.

Related posts:

Bennett Miller: 2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Capote (2005) - The writing of one of the 20th century's finest non-fiction crime novels comes to life

Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 50 mil. $
Box office: 110.2 mil. $
= Flop
[Columbia Pictures bought the rights to Lewis' book in 2004. Pitt committed to the film in 2007, and Steven Soderbergh was about to direct the film in 2009, when, days before shooting was scheduled to start, Sony put production on hold and got Miller in instead of Soderbergh for a summer 2010 shoot. Moneyball premiered at Toronto and was warmly reviewed, making many especially American Top 10 lists of the year and 6 Oscar nominations: For Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing and Sound Mixing. - It won none. The film followed its 19.5 mil. $ domestic opening weekend to a 75.6 mil. $ gross (68.6 % of the total gross.) Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan (11.4 mil. $/10.3 %) and Australia (5.3 mil. $/4.8 %). Moneyball is certified fresh at 94 % with an 8 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Moneyball?

21 Jump Street (2012) - Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill dish out some loud buddy cop fun

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The stars of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's 21 Jump Street look misplaced at a high school prom on this poster for the flick

QUICK REVIEW:

The nerd and the popular jock from the same high school meets some years hence in the police academy and later again as rookie cops, as they are sent on an undercover mission to search out the drug source that is supplying a high school.

On the corpse of the original, more or less straight-faced, youth-eschewed cop series (21 Jump Street (1987-91)), here gets erected a self-conscious, energetic raunch comedy with two enthusiastic stars and lots of fun comedians and actors in supporting parts: Talents like Rob Riggle (The Hangover (2009)), Ice Cube (Ride Along (2014)) and Dave Franco (Unfinished Business (2015)), who not only is a real dish, - he can act, too!
The film features prominent amounts of music and yelling, which can be a little intense, but if you're in the mood for it, 21 Jump Street is definitely a successful adaptation, (which I figure is the best word to describe its link to the original show.) It's festive, silly, wild, has a liberal view on drugs, (which won't fall in everyone's favor), plus a car chase with three limos(!). The funniest gag: SPOILER When big car accidents don't result in huge explosions, twice.
21 Jump Street is written by Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)), with star Jonah Hill (The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005), actor) contributing some story, and directed by Phil Lord and Christoper Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009), both).

Related review:

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller: The Lego Movie (2014) - Glue and near-robotic square-mindedness gets a kick in the head in the year's surprise family favorite
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) - Hefty-paced fun in 3D food lunacy 

Watch the red band trailer for the film here

Cost: 42 mil. $
Box office: 201.6 mil. $
= Big hit
[21 Jump Street took most people by surprise, because it mostly didn't inspire great expectations and turned out to be pretty funny. It opened #1 in North America with a 35 mil. $ first weekend, kicking The Lorax (2012) out of the spot after two weeks there. It grossed 138.4 mil. $ in North America (69 % of the total gross), and a sequel, 22 Jump Street, also by Lord and Miller, was released in 2014. The third film, 23 Jump Street, is now in development.]

What do you think of 21 Jump Street?