There's Something About Mary (1998)

Poor lovestruck loser Ted (Ben Stiller) never got over the girl of his dreams after an incident in his youth left him scarred. Years later, he hires a shady investigator to track her down and that's when matters get complicated.

This remains one of my most memorable theater experiences. Full of broad belly laughs, you hardly ever see this type of "swing for the fences" comedy anymore. It's refreshing to visit all these years later because it still has the same effect on me. It's the perfect marriage between gross-out humor and heart that really sticks the landing and cements it as a modern comedy classic.

4½ squirts of hair gel out of 5

Muppets from Space (1999)

Gonzo, the lonely, misunderstood, self-described "weirdo," contemplates his place in the world and where he belongs. Continuing off of a seed planted in The Muppet Movie ("I'm Going to Go Back There Someday"), we finally get our Gonzo-centric movie. While logic would dictate that this movie takes place in space, the majority of it is actually set at a top secret government facility, which captures Gonzo, prompting the rest of the Muppets to break him out.

While technically a well-made Muppet movie, the poor reception of this film led to the brand scaling back and being relegated to TV and direct-to-video productions for awhile, and it wasn't until 2011 that the Muppets were given another chance at their next big theatrical outing.

2½ whatevers out of 5

Note: If you get ahold of the DVD, it contains the most fun audio commentary I've ever heard with the Muppets themselves in a special MST3K silhouette style. It actually ends up being more entertaining than the movie itself.

The Accountant (2016)

An autistic man (the Hollywood variety, who is both a jacked expert assassin and also Mensa-level genius) works as a forensic accountant for dangerous criminals while moonlighting as an avenger of justice during daylight hours.

It's basically a neurodivergent superhero flick, which translates to a painfully average action thriller. Nothing too memorable you'll recall by the next day.

2½ stimming techniques out of 5

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

I think I've always liked this film more than other people. That's because Jim Carrey is a walking cartoon, so he embodies the animated character so effortlessly. Ron Howard's adaptation of the misanthropic children's classic is a bit long in the tooth, but it's cemented itself in the minds of a lot of kids due to being aired annually on TV. It's not perfect by any means (they add a lot of backstory which I find a touch unnecessary), but it's a perfect accompaniment to the original, despite the fact that some of the Whovian make-up effects might trigger nightmares in smaller kids. But then again, isn't that what Christmas is all about?

Those prosthetic effects (by Rick Baker) are excellent, although Carrey had such a hard time during the production that they hired a CIA agent to give him torture endurance training. That's what I call suffering for your art.

When you think about it, this is the original Wicked.

3½ thirty-nine-and-a-half foot poles out of 5

THE INVENTION OF LYING [2009]

Ricky Gervais & Matthew Robinson co-write & co-direct The Invention Of Lying, a seemingly fluffy romantic comedy with cynical undertones.
It takes place in an alternate universe where the concept of lying never existed until it suddenly triggers in one man's brain and spirals out of control.  It takes the viewer into very grey areas about religion, politics, Hollywood and general day to day interactions while dissecting everything most folks take for granted or are oblivious to.  Gervais has a wonderful way of slugging us square in the face with our own stupidity and selfishness, especially where it's cleverly disguised as a harmless rom-com that occasionally even fools itself.  It looks, feels and plays like a generic rom-com but is so much more and unfortunately that doesn't leave much when it comes to the bland technical side of the film.

3 fatty fat faggots out of 5

WIN WIN [2011]

I love how the harmless simplicity of Thomas McCarthy films leave room for the characters to flourish in a funny yet realistic manner like in The Station Agent or Pixar's UP.  The Paul Giamatti led drama Win Win continues this wonderful tradition.
The premise doesn't really stand out as anything amazing but it's the writing, characters and performances that make the film memorable and worth recommending.  It occasionally stands on the edge of sappy schmaltz but somehow manages to narrowly avoid it with well-timed humour and believability.

3½ noisy hot water heaters out of 5

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SLIPSTREAM [2007]

Sir Anthony Hopkins writes, directs and stars in this surreal piece of cinema suitably titled Slipstream.
Feeling like a David Lynch narrative edited by the drug-inspired side of Oliver Stone, Hopkins never allows the film to plant it's feet in reality long enough for viewer to grasp onto anything meaningful. It's an interesting experience, from an artistic point of view but the effect wears off pretty quickly and becomes borderline irritating.

2½ doll heads out of 5

OPERATION: ENDGAME [2010]

A fantastic ensemble cast makes up the comically and ridiculously violent thriller Operation: Endgame.

Sadly that's about all this film has going for it, as each and every single character is despicable and once the plot starts it never really develops into much.

One thing I found fun, despite what the poster art depicts, there's only one gun in the entire film and it's not loaded.  Each character is hilariously killed by something you'd find at an Office Depot.  

2½ footprints of blood out of 5

Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011)

Why do I do this to myself?

Not even Jim Carrey could save this overbloated piece of fluff, filled with one too many penguin poop jokes. At one point, the movie goes in an interesting direction, when Mr. Popper loses his mind and adapts to the penguin's environment--but then it quickly turns head and becomes the usual formulaic family flick. I would have liked to see the other direction the movie could have gone.

In short: Stop making PG-rated comedies, Mr. Carrey.

1 cell phone in the blender out of 5

Win Win (2011)

Paul Giamatti stars in this indie drama as a fledgling lawyer/wrestling coach who struggles to make ends meet. One day, he finds a troubled kid on his doorstep who turns out to be a wrestling champ, who ends up integrating himself with the family. Kind of plays like the "feel good" equivalent of Hesher, with several unforeseen complications and real world consequences thrown into the mix.

3 moon texts out of 5

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