The Hangover Part II Review

As The Hangover Part II begins we are treated to a strange sense of déjà vu with Phil (Bradley Cooper) on the phone with his friend’s girlfriend who seems anxious and worried as to where they are; Phil, Stu (Ed Helms) and, Alan (Zach Galifianakis) stand dirty, scared and, delirious as Phil utters the words “We Fucked Up… Again”. This scene is almost a line for line recreation of the opening of the first Hangover and for better or worse sets the stage for the entire rest of the movie which is a mixture of reused or slightly altered jokes or increasingly insane and ridiculously improbable scenarios that the Wolf Pack (Alan’s name for the 3 of them) have to overcome.

The Hangover Part II is a lot more of the same and not for the better, it follows almost exactly the plot of the previous movie and deviates only in location and who is getting married. This time its Stu’s turn to get married and his friends travel to Thailand for the wedding. The night before they all gather on the beach along with the brides 16 year old Stamford graduate brother, Teddie and as they raise their beers in a toast the screen fads to white and we are transported to the most foul hotel room in existence (located in Bangkok) with cockroaches crawling over the beds and 17 different colored stains on the mattresses and of course a finger in a bowl of blood. Just replace a trashed Vegas suite with this nasty hotel room and replace a tiger in the bathroom with a chain smoking clothed monkey and the game as been set. When they wake up they find the brides little brother missing instead of Doug like in the first movie and so begins a long retread of the events in the first film as The Wolf Pack must try and locate Teddie and get back to the wedding in time. The 3 friends must retrace their steps and piece back together what happened the night before while along the way discovering the chaos they instilled in the shadier parts of Bangkok.

As the movie progresses Phil, Stu and, Alan are confronted by Russian and Asian mobsters, ladyboys, and a monk monastery. With each new obstacle they learn something deep and disturbing about their actions and as Stu states “There is a demon living inside me that is the only explanation for the things that I have done”. The Hangover Part II sees the return of Mr. Chow the Chinese gangster who the boys found in the trunk of the police car in the last movie and now Alan has invited him to party with them. The movie amps up the action quite a bit with shootouts, car chases, and riots but even through all of these insane set pieces I can’t help but feel like the film makers couldn’t come up with any fresh jokes and instead added a bunch of preposterous scenarios that are just so far over the top that that serves as the joke itself.

The Hangover Part II isn’t all bad with the return of some great characters including Mike Tyson. And some amazing scenes from Zach Galifianakis who truly steals the show as the increasingly sociopathic Alan, as he has all the most hilariously memorable moments. The monkey makes quite the impression as well with his tendency for nibbling on penises.

Though The Hangover Part II made me laugh and entertained me quite a bit it is too much of the same and not creative enough for me to recommend it, even more so considering the amazing quality of the first movie. With more action but less laughs the Hangover Part II is a mixed bag, not nearly as memorable as the first but also cranking up the ludicrous scenarios The Wolf Pack find themselves in. Hopefully after this hangover they will say “never again” before they run any good will they have left into the ground. 

(3 out of 5)

Converted: The Office

   For a long time I have had a vocal hatred for The Office, I never understood why so many people watched the show and thought so highly of it. I have tried many times to watch The Office and every time I sat down to watch an episode I find myself consistently annoyed and uncomfortable with the way the characters on the show acted. I thought Michael Scott was the embodiment of everything I hate in people; he was ignorant, disrespectful and incredibly annoying. Dwight was such an outlandish caricature and a borderline sociopath I could not believe he could ever function in society let alone handle a job where he is required to interact with other human beings. So even though I had tried several times to try and break into the show I found it impenetrable.

   Recently friends of mine started watching it and came away with very positive feelings, I stood in disbelief, and I could not understand what they found so enjoyable about it. Against my better judgment I tried once again to get into the show. I must have stopped watching the first season like 20 times and its only 6 episodes long. I found myself frustrated that I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what everyone enjoyed so much about the show. I laughed occasionally but I cringed every time Michael Scott would open his mouth, and sure enough some insanely insensitive remark or racial slur would spill out and I would get fed up and turn it off but finally I got to the first episode of the second season and like seeing an image of Jesus in my grilled cheese I was converted. 

The episode started off like any other with Michael up to his usual shtick, preparing for some idiotic award ceremony he invented to boost morale, like usual I couldn’t stand Michael as he continuously acted selfish and annoying. It wasn’t until the office went to Chili’s for the awards and things started to go south that I became interested. Michael was humiliated by his employees and the patrons of the restaurant and it was there that I finally felt bad for him and once Pam tried to raise his spirits by getting everyone to applaud and cheer I was hooked, it was touching and I found myself caring about these people. I still find Michael’s behavior distasteful but he see him almost like a child, I excuse the things he does because I know I really does have good intentions and really only wants everyone to like him.

   As I am writing this I am deep into the 4^th season and I have no intention of stopping, these characters have grown on me and I have learned to love them all for very different reasons. Dwight is completely insane but is sweet and loyal, Kevin is inappropriately hilarious, Jim is a romantic to a fault, and Angela is bitch (I got nothing). Everyone is great on the show and the cast is so strong they are able to swap characters in and out Ryan becomes a deuce when he moves up to corporate and, Andy who is even more unstable then Dwight (which is impressive) is integrated with the offices when they merge branches.

The Office is a fantastic show and it’s entirely because of its cast, everyone is needed and no can be removed or replaced. They meld together so well and their growth as the series continues is the most compelling part each with their own hopes and dream I continue watching hoping to see Michael find someone to be with so he won’t be alone, to see Jim and Pam married and happily together, Dwight and Angela to acknowledge and relish in their relationship and for … the assholes to get what’s coming to them (Ryan, Andy, Jan, David). I am happy I gave the show a chance (many chances) because I really did end up loving this show with its endearing characters and its strong comedy. 

L.A. Noire Review

     L.A. Noire has been misrepresented that is something everyone needs to know right off the bat. Between the action heavy trailers and an emphasis on "from the Makers of Grand Theft Auto" on pretty much every piece of promotion for the game, I have a strong feeling people are going in unprepared for what L.A. Noire really is. Anyone opting into this game because of the Rockstar connection are going to be surprised, but not necessarily in a bad way. For one L.A. Noire isn't a traditional open world game in the vain of GTA neither is it a by the numbers third-person shooter. Instead Team Bondi (Not Rockstar Games) take a huge risk in making what is ostensibly a $90 million adventure game, and its Astounding.

    L.A. Noire is quite simply the story of young police officer Cole Phelps as he raises through the ranks of the LAPD and comes face to face with the vile, corrupt and, increasingly violent underbelly of 1940's Los Angeles. As the story progresses you will spend time in each of the major crime divisions of the police force from beat cop to Homicide detective. First thing most people will realize is that Cole is unlike any Rockstar protagonist, he is war hero and is dedicated to clean up the streets of L.A. He is a sharp contrast to the world around him and it makes for a very interesting lead, and though Cole may act high and mighty even he has dark secrets that unravel over the course of the story. A decidedly Rockstar trait does rear its head in L.A. Noire and that is a constant revolving door of strong stand out side characters, from the classic Irish police captain to the drunk on the job detective. These characters are always fleshed out and never feel one note, each of these individual people play a large role in your time with the game and by the end of the game you will have strong opinions on all of them. Its a testament to the writing that the characters are never on opposite ends of a good/bad spectrum, most characters have very good traits and crippling bad traits. It all culminates in a cast and story that is gritty and believable which rival some of the best crime movies.

Actually playing L.A. Noire is where the the game really differentiates itself. The majority of the game is spent investigating the scene of a crime, you and your partner arrive and are given a quick recap of what might have transpired and you quickly get to work looking for clues in the area that might help solve the case. Interacting with the crime scene is handled well whenever you approach an item of interest the controller vibrates and some music cues up (both of these features can be turned of for added difficulty). Once you have your hands on said object its just a quick turn of the right-stick and you begin to turn and flip the object to see if just maybe there is a case solving clue on the bottom of that coffee cup. Once you feel like you have collected enough evidence you will move unto the next stage of the game where you will need to interrogate suspects to get information. You will enter these interrogation scenes with anyone who may be able to provide more information on the case or on a possible suspect in order to coaxes a confession out of them. These interrogation moments have you asking questions and judging whether the person is telling the truth or is a bald faced liar either with incriminating evidence or by reading their facial expressions, yea you read that right.

This is where L.A. Noire becomes truly ground breaking. Through voodoo and black magic Team Bondi is able to capture the souls of some of Hollywood's greatest characters actors and trap them in this game and force them to act with the false promise that they will be released. In all seriousness Team Bondi was able to create from scratch a process which takes 32 high definition cameras, positions them 360 degrees around a central point, have an actor get into full hair and make-up and then have that actor sit in a chair and perform their lines as if they where in that scenario. The result is nothing short of jaw-dropping, the actors are giving these characters life and its their performance that is being shown and its their skill as actors that makes it better not an animator carefully raising one side of the mouth to create something that sort of resembles a smirk. It is a huge step forward in having videogames crossover from the "toys" or "for kids" mentality and stand tall next to the likes of big Hollywood summer blockbusters. Interestingly and completely fitting L.A. Noire is the first game ever to be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.

With its outstanding technology that gives the already wonderfully written and realized characters life and a gripping story with twists and revelations that span the gamete of classic noir and refreshing new gameplay that stands out amongst all the rehashed games that fill the market, L.A. Noire is an innovative and engrossing game that no one should miss out on.

(5 out of 5)

About Me and this Site

I have created this site for a few reasons, mostly I just wanted a place where I could write indiscriminately about things I love those things being Videogames, Movies, TV Shows and, whatever else strikes my fancy. Secondly I wanted a place where I could practice writing and have the internet judge me harshly and extremely negatively (I'll just keep telling myself its constructive criticism).

You can expect a wide range of different topics including but not limited to articles about important news (in the field of subjects I named above) , reviews, quick impressions, and just overall opinions on the latest and greatest Games, Movies, and Television Shows.