"Observe and Report"

The Seth Rogan comedy "Observe and Report" is not worth your time. Seth Rogan plays a bi-polar mall security guard looking to solve the crime of a mystery "flasher." The R-rated movie uses every opportunity to uphold it's rating. Seth Rogan is exactly what you'd think he'd be while playing a mall security guard. The first 20 minutes might make you think the movie is going to be funny, but after that, every joke repeats itself.

The highlights of this movie are Rogan's mall security cohorts. Matt Yuan and John Yuan almost steal the movie with their performances. Is it worth seeing the movie for, though? No. Aziz Ansari has a cameo, which should have been much longer. I'm starting to think that everything this guy does is funny. Even with these 3 providing some funny moments, the movie falls short. The writing was leaning on Rogan and Anna Farris too much - but the comedic duo was not able to save this movie.

Overall, I'd say don't bother watching this. What we can learn from this movie and "Paul Blart" is that you have to do more than just put a bumbling idiot in a mall security guard outfit in order for a movie to be funny.

I'm glad Rogan put out "Funny People." Though I haven't seen it yet, I'm sure he redeemed himself with it.

"Bandits"

I don't have much time, so I'll make this a quick one. If you're in the mood for a dry humor / bank robbing movie, check out "Bandits" starring Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton. It's a 2001 release, so if you haven't heard of it, that's probably why. Bruce Willis plays a solid character but Billy Bob steals the show. The two are an odd couple who, after robbing a few banks, find celebrity and infamy in their theft. Willis plays his typical tough guy character, but Billy Bob (looking really skinny in this movie. Might've been when he was battling his eating disorder) plays a hilarious hypochondriac. If you like Wes Anderson movies, then I think you will also like "Bandits."

If I had to knock it, I'd say it might be about 20 minutes too long, but even that might be a stretch.

"Adventureland" / "Sunshine Cleaning"

I chose to review both of these movies at the same time b/c both are so similar. The plots are completely different...kind of...but the feeling of "Adventureland" and "Sunshine Cleaning" are exactly the same. Both movies have that indie feel (ie "Little Miss Sunshine" or "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"), so much so that I was waiting for that cliche shot of the teenage boy looking out the car window, headphones in place, with some indie rock song playing on the soundtrack.

Having said all that, I thought both movies were good. I actually liked "Adventureland" better which surprised me. In case you don't know, "Adventureland" is about a college student finding himself desperate for a job. His only offer is at a run down theme park. From there he meets new friends that give him entirely new experiences. It reeks of that typical coming-of-age story, but it does well with it. Ryan Reynolds holds his own playing the role of a lowly repairman. It reminded me a lot of "Dazed and Confused." Give it a try if you're looking for an offbeat dramody.

"Sunshine Cleaning" has all the ingredients of an independent movie - including Alan Arkin. Amy Adams stars as a struggling mother faced w/ staring a cleaning business amidst being a fading star in a small town (small town = independent movie ingredient). With all characters being borderline pathetic, the movie remains upbeat. The problem that I have with this movie is that it's not conversational. There's nothing to bash in this movie and there's nothing to rant and rave about. At best, I'd say it's pretty good - worth a shot, but nothing that's going to define your evening.

* I must admit that I watched both of these movies in the back of my father-in-law's Tahoe on the to and from North Carolina. With my legs half numb, a dog in my lap half the time, and living in fear of what might happen if I were to rip one, my memories of these movies could be a bit cloudy. So if you totally disagree with me, well, you have my disclaimer.

"State of Play"

A long haired Russel Crowe and the mere presence of Ben Affleck was almost enough to scare me away from Kevin Macdonald's "State of Play." I'm glad that I was able to gut out watching this movie b/c it was far better than I imagined.

"State of Play" is a crime thriller based on murder and D.C. politics. I won't get into the plot simply b/c there's too many twists and turns to wrap my head around. From the very onset, the movie grabs your attention. Don't look away, though, b/c you might just miss something very important. I would not put Play in the same category as a "Syriana", where the jargon alone leaves you wondering what in the world is going on. "State of Play" is much easier to follow, yet leaves you guessing at the movies end the entire time.

Russell Crowe was very good, Rachael MacAdams was a surprise casting but performed a successful supporting roll as an up and journalist. The big shocker of the film was Ben Affleck's performance...he was VERY good. I've never been a huge Ben Affleck fan, at least not when it came to acting (I think he's a much better director). But with his performance here, his role in "She's Just Not That Into You," and from what I hear about him in "Extract," 'ol Ben might be coming around. Or maybe he's just picking better scripts (though "Gigli" had Oscar written all over it; wonder what happened there).

If you're in the mood to try and solve a mystery, definitely check out "State of Play." It's worth a watch.

*I also failed to mention Jason Bateman's appearance in the film. This guy makes every movie better. He's honestly in my top 5 actors right now.