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Review: Super 8
Reviews
Review: The Hangover
Almost all the elements are familiar.
By
PETER KEOUGH
|
June 2, 2009
THE HANGOVER
2.0
Stars
VIDEO: The trailer for
The Hangover
VIDEO:
Peter Keough interviews Ed Helms.
The increasingly tiresome trend of raunchy comedies about bad male behavior finds nothing new to laugh about in Todd Phillips's retread of
Old School
(2003).
Almost all the elements are familiar. We have four stereotypical friends who drive to Vegas for a bachelor party: the regular-guy groom, Doug (Justin Bartha); the would-be hipster, Phil (Bradley Cooper); the nerdy worry wart, Stu (Ed Helms); and the freaky loser and brother-in-law-to-be, Alan (Zach Galifianakis).
In Vegas, they encounter the usual gags involving vomit, a naked man, a mystery baby, a trashed hotel room, a tiger, a guy Tasered in the nuts by a schoolgirl, and Mike Tyson. The gimmick: the next day the groom is gone, nobody can remember what happened, and they have to reconstruct everything.
It's
Dude, Where's the Groom?
Oh, and don't forget that comic stand-by: the suffocating women back home who are the reason for the trip in the first place.
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:
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,
Review: The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
,
Review: Planet 51
,
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Phillips, Downey, Galifianakis just barely deliver
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Cash for clunkers? Not completely.
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The opening for the latest animated kids’ fantasy is promising — but it’s for another movie.
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Juno continues to poison American independent cinema.
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The difference between French and Hollywood filmmaking consists of more than just subtitles.
Review: Scallops and lamb soar at Havana South
If you visit the Web site of Havana South, a new restaurant in the Old Port, you will find a photo of Barack and Michelle Obama looking handsome and happy.
Interview: Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis is one of those comics whose genius does not quite fit on the big screen.
Review: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy
Like cheap knockoffs of designer goods, Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck's excruciating comedy bears a superficial resemblance to the pricey originals it imitates.
Review: It's Kind of a Funny Story
The moment comes at around the midway mark of Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck's third narrative feature.
Review: The Hangover Part II
Amnesia might be the key to enjoying Todd Phillips's reprise of his 2009 hit comedy, since it follows by rote the formula set up in the original.
Tribute: Friends remember Billy Ruane
Billy Ruane died on a Tuesday night.
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ARTICLES BY PETER KEOUGH
SECRET IDENTITIES GET A WORKOUT IN THIS SUMMER’S MOVIES
| June 04, 2012
This summer, it's not enough for heroes to have superpowers; they have to suffer existentially as well.
NEW ENGLAND’S FILM FESTIVALS MAKE GREAT GETAWAYS
| June 04, 2012
We can't complain much here in the Portland area about the films we get to see.
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Whatever your opinion of the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, you can't deny that his brother Yoni was a hero, a courageous man whose conflicts and triumphs mirror those of his homeland.
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| June 01, 2012
Wes Anderson should always make movies featuring characters who are pubescent or younger — like Rushmore , which until this film was his best.
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| May 22, 2012
Lebanese director Nadine Labaki's whimsical film about internecine slaughter has a tone problem from the very start: a group of widows engage in a goofy line dance while the voiceover narrator bewails the death toll of religious warfare.
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PETER KEOUGH
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