Tag: Beverly D’Angelo

VIOLENT NIGHT – Review

Are you wondering about the perfect holiday movie night present for that action-thriller adrenaline fanatic? Oh but those big, loud, shoot-em-up “thrill-rides” aren’t really invading the multiplex for several months. Well, here’s one that “fits the bill” on both counts cause it’s fight-filled yuletide stunt/explosion spectacular. So just who’s the new action hero at its center? None other than that jolly old whiskered icon himself. And he’s got more than a lump o’ coal for those on his naughty list. Yes, it’s a white Christmas splattered with lotsa’ dripping red on this very noisy VIOLENT NIGHT. As you might think, all is not calm.


Although it’s a pretty mellow Christmas Eve in a British pub as a hard-working red-clad temp “bellies” up to the bar. A few pints ahead of him is a slumped-over Santa (David Harbour). He grumbles a bit about today’s kids being so damn greedy before lurching toward the exit. The barmaid realizes he’s headed to the roof access, but by the time she’s at the top of the stairs, her patron is gone. Plus she spies a flying sled pulled by eight reindeer. Could he have been the “real deal”? Cut to Connecticut, USA for a holiday reunion between Jason Lightstone (Alex Hassell) and his wife Linda (Alexis Louder). They want to share the holiday with their precious six-year-old daughter Trudy (Leah Brody) at his mother’s house. Now Grandma Lightstone’s place isn’t a cozy cottage, but a lavish estate with lots of security and hired caterers serving egg nog and such. Jason is first greeted by greedy older sis Alva (Edi Patterson), brat teen son Burt (Alexander Elliott), and her new “trophy” hubby, “B” (maybe “C”) movie action star Morgan (Cam Gigandet). Finally Granny arrives, the foul-mouthed business tycoon Gertrude (Beverly D’Angelo). As the bickering begins, Santa magically zips in through the fireplace upstairs. He relishes the cookies handmaid by lil’ Trudy (she believes) but dumps the milk in favor of the “good stuff” at the bar. As he enjoys his treat while seated in a massage chair, he hears…gunshots. It appears that the wait staff is actually an armed group of mercenaries led by (code name) “Mr. Scrooge” (John Leguizamo) who want some “undeclared” cash ($300 mil) in a big secret vault there. Santa tries to leave, but the noise has sent the reindeer skyward. And the magic nose touch that sends him up the chimney is on the fritz. So could the defender of the Lightstone family be the jolly old elf himself?

At the center of the story, and prominently featured in all the marketing, is the glowering, rather than jolly, grin of Harbour (looking forward to his reprising of the Red Guardian in the THUNDERBOLTS MCU flick) as the gift-giver turned butt-kicker. Sure he delivers the snark and cynicism we’d expect, but he also shows his tender side as he tries to comfort the sweet Trudy. Which in turn triggers his brutal “human” days. This is a nice contrast to his sweaty panic as the baddies just seem endless and he must “make do” with what’s at hand. Harbour’s got a worthy adversary in Leguizamo, who “Scrooge” really does despise St. Nick and everything Christmas. He’s hilariously single-minded as he lusts for the green while offering a logical explanation (“wires and pulleys”) for any bit of holiday magic. Louder and Hassell have us rooting for the couple to “patch things” up before the dark forces can squelch the beaming smile of Brady who reflects all the childhood wonder of the yuletide. And there are plenty of laughs provided by Gigandet as a wannabe John McClane, Patterson as the greediest of one-percenters, Elliott as her social media-obsessed spawn, and the delightful D’Angelo (a true Christmas movie icon herself) as one big, bawdy Granny whose heart only melts for her “grand-baby”.

Action movie vet director Tommy Wirkola transfers those sensibilities to this seasonal satire, never scrimping on the gore and bone-crunching combat. Much of the parody comes from the script by Josh Miller and Pat Casey (who penned the SONIC flicks), and it works well for the first third or so. Of course, the opening pub sequence, and home delivery montage, owe much to the BAD SANTA comedies, minus the sexy stuff but double the scatology (those reindeer). Unfortunately by the halfway mark, the film hits the “comedy lull” early, getting too somber with the family dynamic and the “backstory” to the Kringle (a hammer-wielding barbarian). Oh, and there’s the whole use of magic powers, which only “kick on” when needed for an “easy out”. Santa’s whole “I don’t understand ’em” doesn’t really give the filmmakers a “pass”. Then, to “juice up” the sagging second act, a painful riff on HOME ALONE booby traps reeks of dramatic desperation, going for easy “gross-out” gags. This really makes the hug-filled heart-warming finale seem like a cliche from so many cable TV holiday fodder. Seeing the trailer I recalled the great satiric TV promo for “The Day the Reindeer Died” in the superior SCROOGED from over 30 years ago (miss you, Dick Donner). Perhaps this is a nice SNL filmed sketch that can’t really be stretched to feature length. Harbour’s fun, but otherwise it’s a fairly vapid VIOLENT NIGHT. Ho-ho-hum.

2 Out of 4

VIOLENT NIGHT opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, December 2, 2022

DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD – The Review

drunkstoned1

Attention comedy geeks everywhere! To paraphrase a literary classic, this new documentary feature lets us all “look back in laughter” at one of the most influential humor magazines of the last fifty years. Actually its legacy reaches on past its newstand existence. Yes, it’s been absent from newsstands (there’s still a few of them left) for nearly twenty years. But, to paraphrase again, we’ve come “not to bury this magazine, but to praise it”. And to recall the chuckles and the mini-empire it spawned. Of course, this wasn’t the first humor publication. Puck paved the way decades before. Then Mad magazine shook up the staid 1950’s. But by 1970, that mag had somewhat settled into a (still entertaining) routine, poking fun at suburbia, and wasn’t connecting with the “counter-culture”. Younger “baby boomers” wanted their humor to have a sharper edge, to reflect the “hippie” spirit, and so they turned to the “underground comix”, the realm of artists like Robert Crumb, Jay Lynch, and Skip Williamson, which were sold at “head” shops and other alternative venues. Then in 1970, a magazine tried to bridge that gap between Mad and the comix. It was sharp, stinging satire and parody. And along with the wit, there were lots of jokes about corporate America, rock music, drugs, and, to the delight of its mostly teenage readership, sex. in the pix of many, many topless ladies. Time to peer behind the scenes of that seventies (and early eighties) institution with (here’s the complete title) DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON.

Of course the story of Nat Lamp really begins in the sixties, with the college institution, the Havard Lampoon. By then their magazine parodies became quite sophisticated. Now here’s one of the many interesting tidbits this doc unearths: Mademoiselle magazine approached the college editors to do a parody of them as a great publicity stunt. Inspired by idea, and the cash, the college staff plunged in. This generated the spark to go past the college and venture into the murky waters of the magazine world. The film zeros in on the original editors, Henry Beard, Doug Kenney, and Robert Hoffman. We see the mag’s shaky start with its trippy “graphix” and attempt to ape Mad with a weird cartoon duck mascot. There’s insight from the still lovable huckster former publisher Matty Simmons, who became the “godfather” to the young group, a fella’ who looked more like a used car salesman than the guiding force behind these subversives. And then we catch up with Michael Gross , the art director who gave NL a slick professional look (if you’re gonna’ do funny stamp make them look like the real thing). We’re treated to lots of terrific art from that golden era (didya’ know that Frank Frazetta and Neal Adams were contributors?). Soon, other writers made their mark, like Michael O’Donoghue, Tony Hendra (a Brit TV star!) Chris Miller, and PJ O”Rourke. Much of their work still has a real “bite” (that “Vietnamese Baby Book” still smarts!). There are even interviews with the men that sold advertising space (a tip of the cocktail glass to Jose Cuervo). Slowly the brand branches off and expands to the stage with “National Lampoon’s Lemmings” (great old video footage of Chevy Chase, John Belushi, and Gilda Radner) and the later “National Lampoon Show” (hey, there’s young Bill Murray). The doc gives lets us a listen to their first comedy record “Radio Dinner” and the syndicated weekly dose of mirth and mayhem “The National Lampoon Radio Hour”. With the jump into book publishing, the doc devotes a much deserved chunk of time to what many people consider to be the mag’s supreme comedy achievement, the still scathingly hilarious “National Lampoon 1964 High School Yearbook Parody”. Simmons says that NBC approached him about creating a weekend live comedy/variety late night show (he says they passed, sot wishing for their talent to be stretched too thin). Finally Hollywood makes them that “offer you can’t refuse” and we hear of the mega-smash ANIMAL HOUSE with lots of insight from director John Landis. This plus lots of behind the scenes footage and stories from cast members Tim Matheson and Kevin Bacon. Their next huge movie hit, NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION, is also profiled with stories of its creator John Hughes, director Harold Ramis, and quips from Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. Along the course of the film we also hear from NL admirers like Billy Bob Thorton and Judd Apatow. This is one wild, funny trip through a true comedy kingdom.

Director/co-writer Douglas Tirola (along with co-writer Mark Monroe) aren’t re-inventing the documentary form with what seems at times to be a really well-researched bonus feature on the next super deluxe home video edition of ANIMAL HOUSE (hey, it’s been over two years, so it’s probably due for yet another re-issue). It’s told in a fairly straight-ahead chronological order (“then they did this, which led to this…”) and the interview subjects are the same basic talking heads (although there are some neat background knickknacks in view). But happily, the pace is jazzed up with some great graphic images from the mag’s pages and nifty limited animation enhancing some of the best gag cartoons (be sure and wait for the rolling Sam Gross-drawn frog). What actually surprised me was the way that the doc began to focus in on the funny yet sad and tragic story of Doug Kenney, the founder perhaps best known as the bespectacled Delta House veteran (“What are we supposed ta’ do, ya’ MORON!!”). The subtitle of the doc could be “The Seduction of Doug K”. He was engulfed by the vices of tinsel town and almost becomes a poster child for all the excesses of the flashy, coke-fueled 70’s and 80’s. His end became a harsh “wake up call” for those “over-indulgers”. Actually it would make a great solo doc or a dramatic/comedic bio-pic (Will Forte? Clark Duke?). I just wish the doc could have touched on the great “funny pages” section (No Vaughn “Cheech Wizard” Bode?) and the superb “Sunday Newspaper Parody” which revisited the 64′ Yearbook world. That’s being a bit nitpicky, but if they can run a few seconds of “Disco Beaver from Outer Space”? But (semi-) seriously this is an entertaining and informative look at a time before political correctness, when comedy burst its shackles and seemed to cover the globe.Without this mag would we have “Saturday Night Live”, “The Onion”, “Funny or Die” or “Adult Swim”. Uh-uh. And if you listen closely you can still catch the echos of raucous laughter generated by the lunatics of the Lampoon. Thank you Mona Gorilla!

4 Out of 5

DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD opens everywhere and plays exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre

drunkstonedpster

 

 

VACATION (2015) – The Review

vacation

Oh, can ya’ hear it? That infectious, steady beat emanating from your local multiplex’s state of the art speakers? Is that Lindsay Buckingham imploring you to join him and cruise down the “Holiday Road”? Why of course it is! It’s time again to load up and head out on another VACATION! Oh, but hold up, this isn’t just another excursion, we’re about to switch lanes and take a different route, via the “sequel/reboot highway”. First, lets; a take a glance at our rearview mirror. In the late seventies, the National Lampoon magazine (the counter-culture’s humor monthly of choice) ran a terrific prose article called “Vacation 58” written by freelancer John Hughes (yes, the future “Brat Pack” patron saint). Jump to 1978 when the mag exploded into movie houses with the smash NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE. The studios desperately wanted more hit flicks from NL. Unfortunately the next few comedies sputtered at the box office (CLASS REUNION, MOVIE MADNESS). Finally, in 1983, Warners produced a film based on that old Hughes piece, albeit with some changes (invading Disneyland and plugging Uncle Walt? Uh, no, along with the 50’s nostalgia). This surprise smash spawned three more adventures with Clark Griswold and the family. But now we’re cruisin’ with Clark’s son Rusty and his own family. Can this new crew continue the comic chaos, or will a “stay-cation” with the DVD boxed set prove a better bet?

Yes, Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) is all grown up, and as we meet him (after a very funny opening title sequence inspired by a popular website), he’s just returned to Chicago. Midway Airport actually, for he’s a pilot for one of those bargain airlines. Soon he’s in the loving bosom of his family. There’s his gorgeous wife Debbie (Christina Applegate) and his two sons, gangly, awkward James (Skyler Gisondo), and his constant tormentor, pre-teen Kevin (Steele Stebbins). That night they have their neighbors over for dinner, who regale the Griswolds with their tales of their recent vacation in Paris. Rusty brags that, once again, they’re heading to their cabin on a lake up in Michigan. It’s then that he realizes that the fam, particularly Deb, is not that excited about the same spot (going through the scrapbook he sees the smiles morph into a lackluster stare). He’s gotta’ make new fun memories for them, maybe by revisiting one of his golden past trips. The next day Rusty makes the big announcement: they’re driving to California to experience the killer coaster “the Velociraptor” at the premiere amusement park “Wally World”. He piles them into an odd rental vehicle and begins this quest to bring them closer. As they say, it’s not the destination, but the journey, so they make several stops along the way. Hey, let’s drop in on Debbie’s old college, then a natural hot spring. Soon they arrive on the doorstep of Rusty’s sister Audrey (Leslie Mann) and her dim, hunky TV weatherman hubby Stone (Chris Hemsworth). Maybe they’ll make the time to drop in on the grandparents (Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo). But will Rusty’s plans cause his wife and kids to drift even further away?

So, is Helms another Chevy? Well no, he’s an outstanding comic leading man in his own right. After being part of the “wolf pack” in the HANGOVER trilogy, he proves that he can carry his own flick. His take on Rusty combines the panic of the dentist from those flicks along with the awkward bravado of Andy from TV’s “The Office” with the clueless enthusiasm of his CEDAR RAPIDS role to make an endearing doofus daddy. But he’s really not carrying the whole thing on his able shoulders. Applegate reminds us that’s she’s quite a gifted comic actress. Sure she went toe to toe with Ron Burgundy in several funny verbal jousts, but here (specifically in the college sequence) she shows off a skill for slapstick we’ve not seen since she was the Bundys’ blonde bombshell on TV. D’Angelo spent much of her time being exasperated and annoyed at her on-screen hubby, while Ms.A gets down and dirty right alongside the boys. Speaking of the boys, Gisondo (so terrific as young Moe in the recent THREE STOOGES feature) really shines as the nervous, fumbling elder son. There’s a real comic energy and rapport in his scenes with Helms. And he really embodies the terrors of puberty, especially in his encounters with the gorgeous Catherine Missal, the teen dream gal who always pops up at whatever dingy roadside motel the Griswolds occupy for the night. While Gisondo’s James is clumsy sweetness, Stebbins as Kevin is the ultimate “bad seed” who makes the torture of his older bro’ his sole reason for living. He brings a lot of evil energy to his part, often gleefully spouting profanity that would make a sailor, no the whole fleet, blush (a bit the producers too often relay on to get a cheap chuckle or to end a scene). Mann has little to do as the flashy Audrey (she’s much better served in her hubby’s flicks), but Hemsworth shows off his keen comic chops (Thor could be funny, but not this hilarious) particularly as he takes great care to explain the TV controls (oh, that “red band” trailer). Chevy and Beverly do make an appearance in a stilted cameo, but we must make note of the unofficial fifth Griswold on the trip, the mysterious blue oblong enigma, the “Tartan Prancer”, that “all that was left” rental vehicle. It may not be as ugly as the “Wagon Queen Family Truckster”, but “TP” takes its place alongside that classic car in addition to the “Bluesmoble”, “Ecto 1”, the Delta’s “Deathmobile” and even Jack Benny’s “Maxwell” in the comedy car hall of fame. It comes with two gas tank openings, an electrical cord with odd prongs, and an indecipherable remote key (“What is this muffin symbol?”) that produces unexpected actions (“Why would they program that?!”). And the navigation system, that bounces from a calm Nordic voice to an extremely angry Asian, becomes a hysterical narrator to the mayhem.

The writing/directing team of John Frances Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein, best known for the first HORRIBLE BOSSES, ably carry on the tradition established by the late, great Harold Ramis. Yes, too many gags were used in the ads and trailers, but Rusty’s pep talk about the trip remains a really clever take on current Hollywood marketing. They don’t pull back from the raunch (no wimpy PG-13 remake here), while also going for the family pathos. Sure, yeah, the “heart’ stuff is okay, but we’re just marking time till the next outrageous gag or gross-out. There are countless comedy stars from TV and films that pop up in often very funny bits, but this doesn’t offset the now-familiar comedy flick third act “lull”. So yeah, it could use a 5 or 10 minute trim. But fans of the original series are just here for the big laughs and there are plenty (happily not just pop culture references. I’m, looking at you TED 2!), and to be truthful, it’s a lot better that the EUROPEAN and VEGAS entries (Hmm. just the opposite of the STAR TREK series, whose even-numbered flicks were usually better). The new VACATION is a familiar, but still often riotous comedy re-invention that won’t sully your memories of ole’ Wally World. Just make sure that you listen to the moose out front!

3.5 Out of 5

vacationposter

 

Principal Photography Begins On New Line Cinema’s VACATION Starring Ed Helms and Christina Applegate

national_lampoons_vacation

“It’s a Long Way Down The Holiday Road!”

The next generation of Griswolds is at it again. Shooting has begun in Georgia on New Line Cinema’s VACATION, starring Ed Helms (“The Hangover” films) and Christina Applegate (the “Anchorman” films) on the road for another ill-fated adventure.

The film marks Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s directorial debut.

Following in his father’s footsteps and hoping for some much-needed family bonding, a grown-up Rusty Griswold (Helms) surprises his wife, Debbie (Applegate), and their two sons with a cross-country trip back to America’s “favorite family fun park,” Walley World.

Rounding out the cast are Chris Hemsworth (the “Thor” films) in the role of Stone Crandall, Rusty’s irritatingly successful brother-in-law; Charlie Day (the “Horrible Bosses” films), who plays a river rafting guide; and Skyler Gisondo (“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” “Hard Sell”) and Steele Stebbins (“A Haunted House 2”), who play Rusty’s sons, James and Kevin.

Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold from the classic “Vacation” comedies.

Goldstein & Daley (“Horrible Bosses,” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2”) wrote the script, based on characters created by John Hughes. David Dobkin (upcoming “The Judge,” “Wedding Crashers”) and Chris Bender (“We’re the Millers,” upcoming “Horrible Bosses 2”) are producing, with Marc S. Fischer serving as executive producer.

The directors’ behind-the-scenes creative team also includes director of photography Barry Peterson (the “Jump Street” films, “We’re the Millers”), production designer Barry Robison (“Wedding Crashers,” “Pitch Perfect”), and costume designer Debra McGuire (“Ted”).

VACATION is a New Line Cinema presentation and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures

Review: ‘The House Bunny’

Travis:

Hands down, ‘The House Bunny’ is the biggest surprise of the summer so far for me. I really didn’t expect this movie to be very good, even with Adam Sandler producing this comedy. Anna Farris plays Shelley, an aging (27 years old) Playboy bunny who is living her dream as a resident of the Playboy mansion, hoping to be the November centerfold. On the morning following the enormous birthday bash that Hefner threw her, she receives a letter asking for her to move out of the mansion. Devastated, Shelley packs her belongings into her beat-up clunker of a station wagon and moves out into the real world… homeless, jobless and witless.

Desperate to find herself a new “family” Shelley stumbles upon a high-class sorority house where she discovers what a “house mom” is, but is immediately rejected by the stuck-up, ice-cold house mom played by the great Beverly D’Angelo. She’s referred to ZETA house, where she finds the sorority has recently lost their house mom and will soon loose their charter and their house if they cannot produce 30 new pledges in time. Shelley vies for the job of ZETA’s house mom, promising she can turn their bad luck into good fortune, making them popular and sexy. Hence, the film’s title takes hold. Shelley is an odd duck, endearing but ditsy and awkwardly philtrophy… I mean, philosophical.

‘The House Bunny’ is a hilarious comedy from director Fred Wolf (Strange Wilderness) with a little bit of moral story thrown in at the end, but be aware this is a movie intended to produce uncontrollable laughter and it succeeds. I nearly hurt myself laughing during a few of the scenes. The comedy is a combination of old school jokes with a fresh twist and some absurdly comical new gags that carry lots of weight in this college comedy for the “geek” crowd. One of the funniest running bits in the film is Shelley’s strange and unique method for remembering the names of the people she meets. It’s really not easily described in writing, but think cute blonde suddenly possessed by Satan while repeating a person’s name. The scene in which this gag is introduced is painfully funny, but it actually manages to maintain most of its value as its used throughout the movie.

The ZETA house is populated with seven various unpopular girls, ranging from the anti-social goth girl (Kat Dennings) to the book-smart nerd girl (Emma Stone) and just about everything in between. Most of the humor in the movie is self-deprecating to the character of Shelley, but it’s the way the humor interplays with what’s going on all around her that makes it so successful. This is not a movie that’s simply filled with lame gags and jokes strung together, having no true purpose to the plot, exemplifying the proven attributes of why Adam Sandler’s movies have been so successful.

(3.5 bunny ears out of 5)

Ram Man:

As I’m leaving “the Huddle” (Ram Man’s crib) to check out Happy Madison’s latest comedy “House Bunny” I receive the latest issue of Playboy. Like a sign from above (Thanks Hef!) , It has Anna Faris on the cover! Come to find out (after reading 20Q w/ Faris) Anna is not only starring in the film but actually came up with the idea for the script. She had some writing help from Legally Blonde’s Kirstin Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz then teamed with Adam Sandler and Alan Covert to bring Shelly Darlingson, “the House Bunny” to the big screen.

Shelly (Faris) raised in orphanages, grew up with dreams of popularity and someday a family of her own. After high-school, once her body filled out, she posed for Playboy and Hef made her dreams come true. Shelly lived in the Mansion with her “sister” bunnies. Her days filled with shopping trips, lavish parties and meeting loads of celebrities (Cameos by Shaq, Matt Leinart of the Arizona Cardinals and Sean Salisbury of ESPN). Shelly was about to turn 27 and in the running to become Mrs. November. The morning following her big birthday blow-out Shelly discovers a note with her breakfast telling her to pack her things and get out. (the note actually planted by her rival for the magazine’s November spread). Shelly is now the homeless bunny forced to live out of her junked out station wagon.

After spending the night with some hookers and the LAPD (she misunderstood breathalyzer for blow-job when being ticketed by officer Dan Patrick), Shelly was in search of a new place to call home. She stumbled on to sorority row at the local college, and to a ditzie blonde, it was like “a bunch of little Playboy Mansions”. Shelly make her way to the Zeta Alpha Zeta house, the social misfits of the college. These girls: Natalie: the nerd (Emma Stone), Mona: the angry Goth chick (Kat Dennings), Harmony: the easy pregnant girl (Idol’s Katherine McPhee)and Joanne:who could double for Oz’s tin man (Rumor Willis) are about to loose their charter and become homeless themselves. The Zeta’s are in need of a make-over. They have no pledges, parties or fundraising of any kind and only a few weeks to correct the problem. The girls are desperate and hire Shelly to be their house mother. Shelly in return decides to give the Zetas a make-over..a complete make-over (clothes, bras, hair, make-up and personality). After a successful fundraising drive featuring the new and improved Zetas in a racy calender and a couple of wild parties their rival Phi Iota Mu, the pretty snobs on campus, take notice and begin to sabatoge the efforts of the Zetas to save their house. The Mu’s and their wicked house mother Mrs. Hagstrom (Beverly D’Angelo) are secretly behind the plans to take over the Zeta house to alleviate the overcrowding in their own.

The Zeta girls aren’t the only ones in need. Shelly realizes after meeting Oliver (Colin Hanks), a guy who manages the elderly center near campus, that not all guys will fall for her idiotic flirty tricks. Some guys like a woman who thinks. So Natalie and the girls give Shelly an intellectual make-over to impress Oliver. The end of the film is some what predictable but getting to it is the fun part. Faris and her exorcist memorization technique had the crowd rolling. The film, in addition to numerous cameos by Playboys finest and the guys from Happy Madison (Allen Covert, Johnathan Loughran, Nick Swarsdon), features the acting debut of Tyson Ritter lead singer of the All-American Rejects as Colby..Natalie’s love crush in the film.

I expected and rauchy sex comedy featuring a ditsy blonde and absolutely no story. I was pleasantly suprised by one of the best teen comedies of the summer. Anna Faris’ role as Shelly the “House Bunny” was created by and most important for her. You forget early in the film that she is acting and begin to believe she is that crazy! Go check out “House Bunny” a worthy end to the summer movie season.

(3.5 out of 5 centerfolds)

Michelle:

‘The House Bunny’ is such a pleasant late August surprise. With all its ‘Legally Blonde’ mojo going on, Anna Faris’s take as Shelley, one-time Playboy bunny, now sorority house mother, is certainly her star making vehicle. Faris has the all the comic timing to be the next big funny lady. She and Emma Stone, (Natalie), are perfectly teamed – together they give the script that extra special pizzazz. This female cast has alot of enthusiasm with their portrayals of sorority sisters about to lose their house. Nepotism was very evident with the additions of Colin Hanks (son of Tom Hanks) and Rumer Willis (daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore). You know these two would never get acting gigs if it weren’t for their famous parents. Katherine McPhee’s big screen debut as the pregnant sorority sis just goes to show that American Idol once again voted for the wrong winner, Taylor Hicks. Poor Beverly D’Angelo had the constant “what am I doing here” look on her face.

With a rousing, lively soundtrack, ‘House Bunny’ hippity hops its way into one of the most unexpected comedies of the year.

(3.5 stars out of 5)

[rating: 3.5/5]