Bad Teacher (2011) - Diaz and fine co-stars make Kasdan's weak-premised romcom float

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Cameron Diaz's naughty school teacher look's sex appeal is a major selling point for Jake Kasdan's Bad Teacher

A morally questionable woman is forced to continue her life as a teacher in a middle school, when her relationship to a rich jerk falls apart, so she can afford the breast operation she wants.

The premise's drive (getting those breast implants) unsurprisingly doesn't result in comedy gold, as it is simply too arbitrary. But Bad Teacher is saved primarily by Cameron Diaz (The Holiday (2006)), who is wonderful in the lead and just as endearing as Jason Segel (Sex Tape (2014)), although their romance here doesn't make one's heart race out of control.
Justin Timberlake (Runner Runner (2013)) is convincing as a preppy fool/substitute teacher, and several wacky comedic actors amuse in side parts: Lucy Punch (Someone Marry Barry (2014)) is energetic; Phyllis Smith (The Office (2005-13)) is delightful; Thomas Lennon (Bob's Burgers (2012-16)) is funny, and John Michael Higgins (Tween Fest (2016), TV-series) as the dolphin-obsessed school leader is fantastic. They all help make Bad Teacher go down much better than it otherwise might have.
The film is written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (Hello Ladies (2013-14), both) and directed by great Michigander filmmaker Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)).

Related post:

Jake Kasdan, with Diaz and Segel: Sex Tape (2014) - Sex comedy fun with beloved stars Diaz & Segel

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 20 mil. $
Box office: 216.1 mil. $
= Mega-hit
[Bad Teacher premiered 17 June (the UK and Ireland) and runs 97 minutes. Columbia Pictures bought Stupnitsky and Eisenberg's spec script in 2008. Filming took place in California, including Los Angeles, and in Illinois around March 2010. The film opened #2, behind fellow new release Cars 2, to a solid 31.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it remained in the top 5 for two more weeks (#3, #5) and grossed 100.2 mil. $ (46.4 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Germany with 18.7 mil. $ (8.7 %) and Russia with 13.4 mil. $ (6.2 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 2 star review, translating to a notch harder than this review. Kasdan directed for TV-series Ben and Kate (2012) and New Girl (2011-13) before returning with the less successful but slightly better next pairing of Diaz and Segel, Sex Tape (2014). Bad Teacher is rotten at 44 % with a 5.3/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Bad Teacher?

Inside Out (2015) - The must-see movie masterpiece of the year

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+ Best Movie of the Year
+ Best American Movie of the Year
+ Best Family Movie of the Year

The five core emotion characters on the poster for Pete Doctor and Ronaldo Del Carmen's Inside Out

Inside Out is the big Pixar event of the year and a film that's gonna go down as one of the greatest animation films of all time, I predict. It is a must-see, a masterpiece and maybe the year's best film.

Riley Andersen is an 11 year-old girl, whose life in Minnesota has been mostly happy up until now, as her parents have decided to move the family to San Francisco. Inside Out looks at how the girl's emotions react to the dramatic changes in her life.

The ingenious and very careful design of the representations of people's inner lives that are a major part of this film have been described as so thought-provoking and poignant that the film doesn't really need its story, meaning the story of moving in Riley's external world. I couldn't disagree more, as I think the external story makes the inner life more actively insightful, - and vice versa, - whereas an exclusive focusing on the inner life could have been more stillborn in contrast. The very relatable story of Riley's problems in adapting to a new environment and leaving her familiar one behind propels Inside Out forward. SPOILER The resolution inside the girl is ultimately more reliant on ploys of adventure and fantasy, but it also conveys a strong and true message about the importance of sadness and letting a variety of emotions be expressed, which touched everyone I saw the movie with on a deep level; (I was sure because of the noticeably loud sobs and sniffling.)
Inside Out is not only extremely funny and touching; its animation and character designs are overpoweringly strong and beautiful; Michael Giacchino (Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)) has made a great score, and the sound universe is fabulous. 
Inside Out is almost too good. - How will anyone ever be able to make anything to equal this, I pondered after finally coming out on the other side of the film's magic. Inside Out is human and profound. Smaller kids won't grasp it all, but I still think it is recommendable to people of all ages and outlooks. It is the kind of rare film that I genuinely believe betters the world.

Inside Out also has the benefit of a top-notch voice cast of which I'll single out Amy Poehler (They Came Together (2014)) as Joy, Phyllis Smith (The Office (2005-13)) as Sadness, and in particular Richard Kind (A Serious Man (2009)) as Bing Bong, a kind of fantasy imaginary creature who, with the talent and expertise of the Pixar character animators and Kind's outstanding voicing, grabs audiences hearts in very little time. Truly amazing.
Screenwriters Meg LaFauve (Captain Marvel (2018)), Josh Cooley (Up (2009), voice actor) and writer-directors Pete Doctor (Up) and Ronaldo Del Carmen (Freakazoid! (1995-96)) have layered the story with all kinds of meanings and evocative, innovative concepts. It marks Del Carmen's first feature directorial work and Doctor's best to date. The film had a long and difficult development, which can be read about here.
The short film before Inside Out is James Ford Murphy's Lava (2014), a gorgeously animated, musical love story of volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean. In itself a moving work of art.

Related posts:

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a great trailer for the film here

Cost: 175 mil. $
Box office: 702.5 mil. $ (and counting)
= Big hit
[Inside Out was a majorly anticipated film; its unique story grabbed people's attention and imagination everywhere. It opened to a stunning 90.4 mil. $ first weekend in North America, #2 behind Jurassic World (with 106.6 mil. $), but still Pixar's second biggest opening of all time (behind Toy Story 3 (2010)) and the biggest opening ever for an original movie, animated or otherwise, (original meaning not a sequel, spin-off, remake or an adaptation), in this capacity even beating Avatar (2009)! Inside Out went on to gross 344.5 mil. $ (49 % of the total gross) in North America. And there seems to be no possibility at all that it won't win the Best Animation Oscar (at least!) at the next Oscars, (in my mind.)]

What do you think of Inside Out?