Tag: todd phillips

Don’t worry, it all ends tonight… “The Hangover Part III” (2013)

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directed by Todd Philips
© 2013 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

I hope that the only hangover people today will be the ones in this film. And not even them, because the third film of the “Hangover” series is actually a lot different from the previous two. As always, mind the spoilers. So in this one they surprisingly don’t wake up wasted in some hotel room. This time, Alan’s father dies and “the wolfpack” meets again. At the funeral, Stu and Phil (Ed Helms & Bradley Cooper) find out from Doug (Justin Bartha) that Alan (Zach Galifianakis) has stopped taking his ADHD pills and been slightly out of his mind recently. The whole family worries very much and they propose to take him to some rehabilitation facility. However, they know it won’t be that easy so there’s an idea that Doug, Stu and Phil will go with Alan. Obviously just to drop him off there, not to stay. On the way, the guys get attacked by some strange guys whose leader is Marshall (John Goodman). Perhaps you don’t remember this name, but in the first film, the dealer “Black Doug” (Mike Epps) gave Alan wrong drugs. Those drugs were supposed to be given to Marshal. And seems like that mistake was more serious than we could think, but you’ll find out more watching the film. The problem is that Marshal wants to get Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), the gangster we know from part I and II, but the man is hiding somewhere and the only person who might have any contact with him is… Alan of course. Marshal kidnaps Doug and agrees not to kill him only if the rest of the wolfpack finds Chow. And I have to say that this is definitely the worst “Hangover” film of the trilogy. It’s nothing like the two previous ones, which is a shame. First two parts were rather comedies, and this one is a slightly funny crime story. I still enjoyed watching it, but I’d definitely expected more. Also the ending was rather disappointing and that part after the wedding – totally unnecessary in my opinion. But as I said before, I love those guys and I’m glad there’s another film with them. I just wish it was a bit more “Hangover”, if you know what I mean. And I guess the cast felt the same because they agreed to play in the third part only if there will be no fourth. Which is pretty sad… But not to leave you with a depressing thought – remember baby Carlos (Tyler, but I prefer Carlos) from the first part? The same little actor, Grant Holmquist, plays the toddler Carlos in the third film. If that’s not adorable, I don’t know what is.

My rating: 6/10
S.

One night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster. “The Hangover Part II” (2011)

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directed by Todd Philips
© 2011 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

If you celebrated the New Year’s Eve well enough, I’m guessing today is your second hangover day. Congrats! And to keep you company, I’m giving you the second part of this crazy trilogy. If you haven’t seen the first part, I’m just warning that there will be spoilers, just so you know. In the second film everything starts the same way as in the first one. Tracy (Sasha Barrese), Doug’s wife, calls Phil (Bradley Cooper) to find out what’s going on and we see him, Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Stu (Ed Helms) looking really messy, which seems like there was Las Vegas night 2.0. However, this time they’re in Bangkok. How? Stu is about to get married to Lauren (Jamie Chung) and their wedding will take place in Thailand. All four friends go there and have no plan of going crazy before the big day. Stu takes his relationship very seriously and doesn’t want to risk getting wasted and lost anywhere. But as you can guess, next morning Stu, Phil and Alan wake up in some random hotel room in Bangkok, totally wasted and, again, with no idea about the previous night. Together with them there’s Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), the gangster from Vegas, a capuchin monkey that’s chain-smoking, a cut human finger… oh and Stu has a huge tattoo on his face. But nothing worries them more than the fact there’s no Doug (Justin Bartha). Luckily, their friend skipped the night so he’s safe and sound, but there was someone else with “the wolfpack” last night – Lauren’s brother (Mason Lee). Finding Doug in Vegas was nothing comparing to finding young Teddy in Bangkok, a city of dreams and nightmares. I know a lot of people think this part is worse than the first film, but I guess it’s just because we’re used to the fact that sequels are always worse. But if you forget about the fact that it’s another part, the film looks really good. I feel like I like those guys too much and it’s hard for the filmmakers to disappoint me. And I guess I’m not the only big fan because there was a quite funny situation about Stu’s tattoo. His tattoo looks like the one that Mike Tyson has on his face, so the artist who designed Tyson’s tattoo filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. If he’d won, the producers would have had to postpone the premiere, which means losing a lot of money. And we wouldn’t have got the film that fast. Luckily, the judge didn’t stop Warner Bros. from releasing “The Hangover Part II” because apparently it was “in public interest”. Oh definitely it was in our interest. What would we do without another Hangover film? Some superheroes don’t wear capes, I swear.

My rating: 8/10
S.

You ready to let the dogs out? “The Hangover” (2009)

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directed by Todd Philips
© 2009 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Happy New Year everybody! I hope that you celebrated last night well, especially since we were saying goodbye to the most annoying year in ages. And if you actually celebrated hard, I’m guessing you’re either reading this post in bed holding a bottle of water or you’ll read it some time later when letters stop spinning. So basically, enjoy your hangover. And what’s a better film to watch when hangover if not one about a bunch of guys hangover as well? I thought so. I guess most of you have seen or at least heard of this story, but just to make sure we’re on the same page: it’s about four friends who go to Las Vegas to have their stag party. The one getting married is Doug (Justin Bartha), who takes with him his fiancée’s brother Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and two friends, a dentist Stu (Ed Helms) and a teacher Phil (Bradley Cooper). It’s about to be a night of their dreams, but actually on the next day Stu, Phil and Alan wake up in their suite totally wasted with absolutely no clue what happened the day before. They also realise that Doug is not with them. Instead, they have a baby in the closet, there’s a tiger in the bathroom and Stu is missing a tooth. And this is just the beginning. The three guys need to find out what they were doing last night and most importantly – find the groom. I must admit that I love this comedy so much. It’s the kind of humour I really appreciate. It’s not cheesy, yet I can relax watching such film, which is a win-win. I think the screenplay was very well-written and all the elements make more or less sense, even if it’s just a comedy about guys getting drunk. I adore the dialogues, the music, the characters… generally, I’m a fan! For those who’ve seen it – remember Stu singing a tiger song while the animal was getting asleep? 10 years ago it was my alarm clock sound, I swear. Oh and fun fact (a spoiler coming, so be careful) – Lindsay Lohan was supposed to play the role of Jade (Heather Graham played her instead and I’m very happy about that because she’s a way better choice), the stripper that Stu married, but she said that in her opinion the script had no potential. If you ever feel like you wasted a big life chance, remind yourself about Lindsay. You’re welcome.

My rating: 8/10
S.

I just hope my death makes more cents than my life. “Joker” (2019)

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directed by Todd Phillips
© 2019 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

I saw this film today and I couldn’t stop myself from writing a post about it right away. I’m still shaking inside. It was an extraordinary experience and if you’re wondering whether to watch it or not, do it. But don’t go to the cinema with a bunch of friends or your date, don’t buy popcorn or snacks and definitely don’t leave your phone turned on. It’s one of those productions that you need to… survive on your own. I guess I don’t need to explain who Joker is, because some people may know him better than the president of their country. Welcome to the 21st century, in Batman we believe. Anyway, in this production we’re taking a big step back to find out where Joker came from. We meet Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) who works as a comedian. Well, “comedian” might be the wrong word here… A part-time entertainer, perhaps? So basically speaking, he dresses up as a clown and does the job that people wish to never have to do themselves. He’s single and lives with his mother (Frances Conroy), which is a typical picture saying “this guy is a loser.” I’m not saying that living with your parents means so, but film producers like to stick to this idea, which is clear for everyone to understand. Arthur struggles with the lack of respect and huge aggression towards him, so his friend lends him a gun for protection. And one day, he actually uses it, which turns his world upside down. My description is pathetic compering to what actually happens on the screen, so please consider it as a lame introduction to a fantastic story. The number of emotions I felt during the projection was unlimited, but mostly I was covering my mouth with both hands thinking “Omg, what’s going on?” I left the cinema feeling empty inside and in this case it’s a huge plus. This film shows how horrible people can be, how much hate there is in us, how we like to use others and treat them like shit just to feel better for a moment. And I’m sure this production wouldn’t be the same without Joaquin Phoenix. He made me experience everything with him. When he was angry, I was angry. When he felt embarrassed, I closed my eyes repeating “no no no, please, no.” When he wanted to kill those who’d made him suffer, I wasn’t against it. It’s scary, but I seriously supported his actions, although they were wrong. That’s how much he played with my mind. If he doesn’t get an Oscar for this role next year… no, he will. He must. Because he was marvellous. Exceptional. Authentic! And I’m not afraid to say this: Joaquin Phoenix, you are the best Joker of them all.

My rating: 8,5/10
S.