The MacGuffin

It’s not a new idea to say Hollywood is unoriginal. Everything old is new again, as everything is either a sequel or a remake. One of the most popular approaches is to convert TV shows into movies. Generally, they have been turned into over the top comedy (like Starsky & Hutch) or overly dramatic fare (like Miami Vice), with neither approach replicating the tone of the original series. With 21 Jump Street, the original tone of the show might still be off, but the movie strikes a good balance between being approachable to the original audience as well as a new generation.

With 2011 officially in the books, it’s time once again to look back and reflect on some of the best films that have come out in the past year. As with all movie writers, coming up with a list like this is usually expected, but also damn near impossible. To me, reading and writing these types of articles are only beneficial in spreading word about titles that really had an effect on me, while stirring up debate between those who strongly agree with my choices, or vehemently disagree. No one list is ever truly definitive; what is considered great to one may not register the same way to another. The only real truth is that 2011 had a wide range of very interesting and fascinating films, and just like every year, there’s always a good handful worth noting.

I think Top 10 lists are fun. Many critics write beleaguered sorts of “I don’t really want to be doing this and it’s stupid and rankings are meaningless” disclaimers at the beginning of their lists. Ugh. Look, it should go without saying that any list (or review) is a reflection of the writer’s personality and their un-duplicate-able individual experience. If you’ve read the rest of my writing this year, you will not be shocked by my list. What I’d like to say before I dive in I don’t consider to be a disclaimer, but just necessary context: the films I didn’t/couldn’t see that are on my mind anyway.

Judd Apatow has become the king of comedies in the last few years. Each year there is at least one film that he or one of the Apatow crew are involved in. These films usually end up being one of the most talked about comedies of the year.

Brandi Sperry: I like road movies. I like alien movies. I definitely like the comedic ventures of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. And I’ve totally got a thing for Kristen Wiig. So it’s possible I had overly high hopes going into the movie Paul, which opens today. But I think a lot of people going into this will have high hopes, so maybe that’s fair.

Allen Almachar: Don’t forget director Greg Mottola, who brought us both Superbad (2007) and Adventureland (2009), two very solid, entertaining movies that have high replay value. With all this talent involved in the film, does Paul deliver with its sci-fi comedy/action/adventure stuff? Let’s find out.

Pegg and Frost star as Graeme and Clive, two comic book nerds traveling to America both to attend the San Diego ComiCon and to see the great sights of America’s UFO heartland. Renting an RV, the two travel around the southwest, taking pictures of various notable places where UFO sightings have occurred. All is well and good, even despite having some close encounters with the more hostile locals—that is, until they meet a most unexpected visitor.

When I read that The Green Hornet (2011) was set for a big screen adaptation, two things stuck out at me like a pair of sore thumbs. The first,was that the movie was going to be co-written and starring Seth Rogen. If you remember, this was the guy who played the chubby slob in The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005), the chubby slob who got a girl pregnant in Knocked Up (2007), and the chubby slob who liked to get high in Pineapple Express (2008). Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy, I think he’s really funny, but when I think about butt-kicking superheroes, his name isn’t the first to come to mind. The second big surprise for me was that the film was going to be directed by Michel Gondry. This is the eccentric director of such films as the very good Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), The Science of Sleep (2006), and Be Kind Rewind (2008). Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy, I think he’s a very talented and creative director, but when it comes to big budget action pictures, his name isn’t the first to come to mind. So, does the film work with these two unlikely collaborators?

A preview of the movies slated to be released during January-March of 2011, before closing out with a very special DVD picks of the week.

Judd Apatow had been the show runner for a couple of television shows before Freaks and Geeks, but most that are familiar with his work will agree that this was his true masterpiece.  Set in Detroit in the 1980’s, the show follows Lindsay and Sam Weir as they attempt to survive the reality of high school.  What Freaks and Geeks offers that other teen shows like Dawson’s Creek don’t is a look at the other side of high school as the tag line says so eloquently, “What high school was like for the rest of us.”  You get to see high school from the side of the “Freaks” (a.k.a. the druggies and burnouts) and the “Geeks,” which as some of you may know, will give you a completely different look at high school.  As a side note, this show is basically the flagship for “Before They Were Famous.”  It is almost inconceivable to look at the actors (and even some of the guest actors, including Ben Foster and a very young Shia LaBeouf) starring in this show and see where they went after this.

Spencer and John spend this special bonus episode chatting with Dave ‘Gruber’ Allen, best known for his work as Mr. Rosso on Freaks and Geeks.

This film starts with a military-sponsored marijuana experiment which gets shut down (which then doesn’t end up having anything to do with the rest of the film at all). Then it cuts to Seth Rogan driving around wearing various costumes, serving people subpoenas. He’s dating a girl from high school and when he goes to visit her between classes he argues with one of her teachers. She’s trying to get him to meet her parents for dinner but since he has a job, he’s having trouble working out the timing.