Hot Tub Time Machine

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Plot: Four guys get in a hot tub and travel back to 1986. Back in 1986 they relive their past and then return to the present. You knew that before your read this -- didn't you?

Review: Hot Tub Time Machine starts out slowly with a lot of gross-out images. After they get to 1986, the movie starts working, and it is pretty funny by the end. The humor is guy-oriented. There are a number of cover-your-eyes gross-out scenes. The characters are interesting and fairly well developed, but not very likeable.

My wife did not enjoy Hot Tub Time Machine because the sex scenes were not girl-friendly - probably misogynistic.

The movie knows that it is campy, but it plays the whole thing as a joke, and that is OK with me. You know that a movie called Hot Tub Time Machine was going to be campy.

Rob Corddry, who plays the "asshole" friend, gives a great performance and carries the film with his larger than life, fun-loving character. It would not have been enjoyable without him.

By the end of the movie, I liked it. The writer put in some interesting, introspective scenes at the end, and everyone likes a happy ending.

Cast: John Cusack, Rob Corddry

Directed by: Steve Pink

Rating: 2.5 flasks; too funny to be a 2.0; started too slowly to be a 3.0


More: Quote: "This is scientifically possible!"

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The Ghost Writer

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Plot: A ghostwriter, Ewan McGregor, is a writer hired by a British ex-Foreign Minster Lang (Pierce Brosnan) to write his autobiography. The previous writer died unexpectedly. Lang is accused of war crimes, and has continuing political and anti-terrorism roles.  Meanwhile, thugs try repeatedly to steal the book.



Review: This is an intelligent and entertaining movie that was well-acted and well-directed. Director and child-rapist Roman Polanski is a talented director, and I really liked this film. It is clearly a well-crafted movie that moves smartly from set-up to climax with building tension and intelligent dialog. There is enough comedic lightness to keep the mood up, since the basic geo-political plot line is heavy.

The co-stars Olivia Williams, who plays Lang's wife, and Pierce Brosnan give vivid, dynamic and occasionally funny contributions. I'd give Olivia an Oscar nomination.

The ghostwriter is unnamed in the film, as a joke that ghost writer's names don't appear on their work. Although a sophamoric joke, I did not realized Ewan McGregor's character did not have a name until the movie was over. 

Like last week's movie, Green Zone this is an overtly political movie, but the politics is from the British point of view, and the movie is not preachy about it -- so the movie works better.

I enjoyed this movie, and I wonder why more people don't see it -- especially with the lack of good movies in the theater now. Maybe it is too British, but I think you can get past that.

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams

Directed by: Roman Polanski, based on the book by Robert Harris

Rating: 3.5 flasks


More: I don't know how admitted child rapist Roman Polanski managed to direct a movie while he is jail. Obviously a talented fellow, but that is not a Get Out of Jail Free Card.

Even more: I never comment on sound editing. If I notice bad sound effects -- it must be quite bad, and I thought the sound-effects were un-natural throughout.

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