Movie Review Peter Rabbit

Peter Rabbit (2018) 

Directed by Will Gluck

Written by Ron Lieber, Will Gluck

Starring Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, James Corden, Daisy Ridley, Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki

Release Date February 9th, 2018 

Peter Rabbit is the latest in a long line of kids movies based on dignified and beloved works of children’s fiction that replaces the dignity with shrill, unfunny modernity. Peter Rabbit takes Beatrix Potter’s lovely rabbit stories and wipes it’s furry feet on them with a terrible pop soundtrack and sub-Home Alone style gags so jarringly violent you begin to wonder if they belong in a kid's flick.

Peter Rabbit (James Corden) is a mischievous, blue jacket-wearing rabbit who enjoys wreaking havoc in the garden of Mr. McGregor (Sam Neill). That is, until one day when Mr. McGregor up and dies while attempting to kill Peter. No, that’s not something I am making up for effect; the guy dies in the first ten minutes. The death is played with comic effect, but it is a nonetheless dark way to start the movie.

Peter and his family, including Cotton Tail (Daisy Ridley), Flopsy (Margot Robbie), Mopsy (Elizabeth Debicki) and Benjamin (Colin Moody) then take over Mr. McGregor’s home and garden on the assumption they have won the place. They throw a party for their comically anthropomorphized animal buddies and begin to wonder where this adventure will take them next.

Meanwhile, in London, Thomas McGregor (Domnhall Gleeson) has just found out that he did not get his prized promotion at Harrods Department Store and went a little mad. Fired, he finds that his long forgotten Uncle has left him a country cottage. With nothing else to do, he heads for the country and sparks up a rivalry with Peter and his family while he attempts to rebuild the cottage and sell it.

Find  my full length review in the Geeks Community on Vocal.Find  my full length review in the Geeks Community on Vocal. 

Movie Review: Fired Up

Fired Up (2009) 

Directed by Will Gluck 

Written by Freedom Jones

Starring Nicholas D'Agostino, Eric Christian Olson, Molly Sims, Daneel Harris 

Release Date February 20th, 2009 

Published February 21st, 2009

Eric Christian Olson is a talented, quick witted comic actor who has yet to learn the fine art of choosing projects. Olson has been the best part of more than a few bad movies and sadly Fired Up continues the trend. Though Olson earns the few scant laughs to be found in Fired Up, this limp cheerleading comedy is yet another low point on his growing resume.

Nick (Olson) and his pal Sean (Nick D'Agostino) are top flight football jocks who use the game as a way of meeting chicks. It's worked so well that they can't walk the halls of Gerald R. Ford High without bumping into someone they've been regularly bumping into.

Unfortunately, football is about to cut into the skirt chasing. Coach (Phillip Baker Hall) wants the boys in El Paso Texas for two weeks of girl free, boiling hot football prep. But, when the boys overhear cheerleaders talking about an upcoming cheer camp where 300 beautiful women will be surrounded by a paucity of male cheerleaders.

The opportunity is irresistible and after some serious scamming they find themselves on the Cheer squad and indulging a near endless amount of beautiful girls who don't already know what horndogs they are. Things get complicated when Sean develops feelings for the head cheerleader Carly (Sarah Roemer) and Nick runs afoul of the cheer counselor Diora (Molly Sims).

Fired Up being an idiotic formula comedy you can guess what happens from there. As is the case with all formula movies in this day and age predictability isn't so much the problem; it's trying to find unique ways to draw laughs from the formula. Folks, formula isn't going away anytime soon so we can only hope that the characters trapped in these formula stories are interesting and funny.

Unfortunately, in Fired Up, they are not. Even the very talented Eric Christian Olson struggles to get laughs out of these stick thin characters. The women in Fired Up are utterly useless, written as either bubble headed or clueless, there isn't one brain among them as each falls head over heels for our lecherous heroes.

Filling in for the characters is a whole lot of awkward gay jokes and bizarre asides featuring the head cheerleaders jerk boyfriend and his love for 90's hip hop and pop tunes. These jokes are seemingly just whipped against the screen and we in the audience are expected to find them as funny as the filmmakers do. We don't.

There is a movie out there that will give Eric Christian Olson the role he needs to best show off his quick wit and comic virtuosity. Hopefully he finds it soon and and can put Fired Up behind him as quickly as I forgot it after writing this review. Right about.... now.

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