Review: Tower Heist (2011)

Ben Stiller.  Period.  He is one of few that have a direct line to my sense of humor, along with Jack Black, Will Ferell, and Seth Rogen.  But in Tower Heist, he has showed a side of him I have never seen before.  You feel yourself rooting for Stiller to actually get away with an incredible crime.  Tower Heist succeeds with the important help of Matthew Broderick, oddly sexy Gabourey Sidibe, and don't forget a subtle comeback for Eddie Murphy.  Eddie hasn't made a really good movie that shows off his roots as a funny black comedian that we saw in past movies.   The movie is fresh, fun and harmless.  In a couple of years, no one will remember this movie.  It doesn't excel, and it doesn't sink.  But with a subject like this, I feel it hard to create a timeless film to remember for decades.  Tower Heist is a movie that if you love Stiller and Murphy, you should see.  If you don't really care, see it.  The only problem with this film is the major plot holes at the climax.  They make no sense.  Whatever, I had fun.
Bottom Line:  Regardless of the plot holes,  Tower Heist yields an all-star cast lead by Stiller and makes you root for not-so-good criminals.


B
'Til Next Time,
Jack

Review: Paranormal Activity 3

Ahh, just what the world needs.  Another Paranormal Activity that is not scary, meaningless, and downright lame.  However, this one is actually good.  It is a prequel to the first two and features the demon Katie and her sister Kristi as children.  The flick has many of the old scare tactics like mysterious moving chairs or ghosts closing doors.  But this one differs because it has a beat.  In order to capture the "entities," the main character devises a mechanical arm that swings at the same rate of a fan.  You see the living room one second, the it revolves to the kitchen, very slowly.  It reminds me of the clock in Insidious (review on that to come).  It scares you!  The last 10 minutes of this movie is frightening.  And it somehow links up events seen in the first two films. SPOILER: Like we see a fire being started, and fans of the first two know what that means!
But I really liked this film!  It was scary, fun, and has cool twists unlike the other films.
Bottom Line:  Under new direction, this fresh PA film definitely won't be forgotten.

B
'Til Next Time
Jack