The Hangover Part 3

The Hangover Part 3 (2013)
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 21%

Hello Film Fans! This past Friday, an "epic" story, three films in the making, came to an end. Todd Phillips' Hangover trilogy is a favorite of Natty Ice swilling frat bros and mocha chai latte sipping office workers across America...well, the first installment at least. I have always had a sordid past with The Hangover franchise. When the first one came out in 2009, all of my friends saw it in the theater and told me about how hilarious it was. I, in recent years, have taken a stand against seeing comedies in the theater (especially if I have to pay a ludicrous amount of money to do so). The reasoning is this, the film will be just as funny if I RedBox it for $1 compared to seeing it for $11.50 with two hundred other people. The argument can be made that movies are funnier when other people are laughing with you. I think that may be true on a mental level but it doesn't actually make the film any funnier. It's like putting a laugh track into a show/movie that isn't really all that funny. No, when everyone was fawning over The Hangover, I was too busy laughing hysterically at the immortal I Love You, Man.

I often say "latas on the manjay"





Fact: I Love You, Man is one of the funniest films ever conceived and is Paul Rudd's greatest role (I would say Jason Segel too but Marshall Eriksen). Anyway, I have veered off topic...where was I? Right, The Hangover. I eventually saw The Hangover and chuckled throughout. I won't try to be a douche and say it wasn't funny. Zach Galifianakis was the best part of the entire film (trilogy), but he just isn't enough to carry the whole brand to greatness. The Hangover grossed $467+ million dollars in the box office. It was a critical success with a certified fresh rating at 79%. Then we move on to the 2011 sequel which earned $580+ million dollars at the box office. This is likely due to the excitement of the same characters getting into crazier situations. It is also likely that The Hangover gained an even wider fanbase once it hit retail markets. The critical reviews of the film put it at a 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes because the plot was recycled. Nothing new was brought to the table. The franchise should have died there, but it didn't. Phillips tried to squeeze the last bit of soul out of the story with the third installment. At the time of this writing, Wikipedia reports that The Hangover 3 has made an estimated $81,251,829 which is about $20 million short of its budget. The critical response is even more underwhelming than its predecessor, and it is on track to just barely be considered a success. I honestly believe that The Hangover should have been one film and everyone would have been much happier.

The Hangover 3 brings us back to the familiar characters of Doug (the always absent from the plot Justin Bartha), Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and the lovable man-child Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Alan has started acting more aloof than usual and begins to act out when his father (Jeffrey Tambor) dies of a heart attack. The family decides that an intervention is the best thing for Alan, and they request that Phil, Doug, and Stu take him to a rehab center. On route to Arizona, where the clinic is located, the group is forced off the road by men in pig masks. They blindfold the guys, throw them in a moving van, and take them to the desert. They are taken out of the van and we are introduced to a new character, Marshall (John Goodman). This is actually not the first time we have heard of Marshall. A flashback is shown of the first film where Black Doug, (Mike Epps) expresses concern that Marshall will kill him if he discovers that he sold the wrong drugs to Alan. Marshall informs that guys that he has been swindled by Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong). Chow has stolen $21 million in gold bars from him and because Alan still maintains contact with him, they are to lure him out of hiding so they can retrieve the gold. As collateral, Marshall decides to keep Doug with him (effectively removing Bartha from the rest of the film, per usual). Phil, Stu, and Alan then go on an increasingly bizarre road trip to find their old friend so that they can get Doug back alive.

I am not going to say that The Hangover 3 was devoid of comedy; it wasn't. My problem with it is it just felt trite and forced. Alan did ridiculous things because that is his character, and those moments were funny. However, it seems that none of the characters have developed at all. This is the firs time that Phillips has had multiple films to explore his character's personalities and developments, but he just lets it fall flat. I wasn't expecting some great character driven farce, but it would have been nice to know that Phil isn't still some self righteous jerkoff and that Stu has finally grown a spine. There really are no defining moments in the film that lend itself to an in depth discussion on technique so...

No BS

Don't see Hangover 3 in the theater. It isn't worth it. I was fortunate enough to see it for $6 so my wallet didn't feel the sting nearly as bad as could have. Wait for it to hit RedBox or Netflix and enjoy it with a group of friends (chug some alcohol for the full effect). With a weak story, jokes that fall flat, and characters that have become uninteresting it just isn't worth the time or money.

My Score: 6/10

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 (2013)
Directed by: Shane Black
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

Hey, did you know that Iron Man 3 was released last Thursday? You didn't? Where were you, busy writing the Batman/Aquaman fan fiction novella you are planning to unleash on the planet? What I am getting at here is that the Iron Man franchise is a huge deal for both comic book nerds as well as film enthusiasts. The first Iron Man film (masterfully directed by the fantastic Jon Favreau [not the speechwriter]) was such a fun experience and that fun has only been recaptured by Nolan's Batman films (so far). Iron Man 2 was not as good as the first and let's not get into the Green Lantern fiasco. Captain America was good and so was Thor but neither felt as natural and real as Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark/Iron Man. I feel he embodies the role so well because if there is anyone in Hollywood that could actually be Tony Stark, it's Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man 3 takes the beloved franchise and goes in a...different direction. It's not a bad direction it is just...

Iron Man 3 picks up after The Avengers (not sure how long after). Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has settled down with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and is living an almost normal life. He is plagued with anxiety and stress after realizing that there are other beings among us; aliens; gods. He rarely sleeps because he plays his brush with death over and over in his mind. This stress eventually causes a rift between Pepper and himself. The villain of the film, The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley), has been detonating bombs all over the country in an attempt to "educate" the current Presidential administration. When a reporter asks Tony about what he wants to do about the terrorist, Tony calls him out. He advertises his home address and invites The Mandarin to come fight like a man. His home is later attacked and Pepper is kidnapped. With Tony's home and workshop out of commission, he must recharge his latest prototype suit and make due with the bugs that come with it.

I am going to throw this warning out now...

**BIG HUGE SPOILERS LIE AHEAD!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!**

Ok, now that I have put that disclaimer out there, let's discuss this film. Iron Man 3, while not weak, is not a great film. One of the aspects of the Iron Man franchise that has always intrigued me is the casting. Almost everybody seems to fit their role perfectly and it really adds to the film. Robert Downey Jr. (not sure how to shorten his name...Downey? Downey Jr? RDJ?) brings Tony Stark to the screen as easily as ever before. His mannerisms are so natural that you forget he is playing a role. Paltrow as Pepper Potts is serviceable. I have never loved her portrayal of the character (or maybe I just don't like the character), but she gets the job done. Jon Favreau plays a larger role in this installment as Stark's head of security, and he is great. However, I think the person that stole the show (Robert Downey Jr. doesn't count) is Ben Kingsley. His portrayal as "The Mandarin" was fantastic. I was happy to see that he was able to stretch his comedic muscle in this film. Acting aside, I cannot decide whether I liked or disliked the story. What we have is Tony Stark essentially starting from scratch with a buggy prototype Iron Man suit after his entire workshop (and arsenal) are destroyed. At least that is what we think until he has Jarvis initiate something called "House Party" (or something equally as cheesy). With this, a vault opens at the rubble where Stark Mansion once stood, and out fly a dozen or so Iron Man suits. They all fly to his location as he fights the main villain. The Iron Man suit army takes on the biologically augmented army that Tony is fighting (without a suit). Why in the Hell didn't Tony initiate this reservoir of badassery until then? He dragged his Mark 42 armor through the snow when the battery became completely depleted. He had to break into a terrorist compound using items he MacGuyvered together that he bought at an Ace Hardware. He could have easily said "Hey Jarvis, I'm kinda screwed...can you send me a back up suit or nine?" I understand the reasoning from a plot standpoint. It would've been too easy if Tony had used his backups when the going go tough, but come on. I actually would have been better with an almost retelling of his origin. Have Tony slap together a POS Iron Man Mark 1 suit with stuff he cobbles together, and then fight the army at the end. That'd been a struggle. Also, let's discuss the baddies from the film. The theory behind what is going on is actually pretty awesome but the execution is a little lacking. First of all, the main bad guy henchman is Eric Savin (James Badge Dale) who is actually a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the comics. He is the precursor identity of Coldblood who is a cybernetic organism: living tissue over a metal endoskeleton ;). What they were trying to do here is beyond me. Sure, he isn't in the main stable of heroes but that's kind of like naming a henchman Barry Allen or Frank Castle. The last thing I will rant about is actually kind of a huge deal. In the end of the film, Tony decides to have the shrapnel removed from his body so that he can move on with his life. This also means that he is no longer in need of his electromagnetic "heart" that he has embedded in his chest. He has doctors remove the magnet and we see Tony chuck it into the ocean where his house once stood. He says that the Iron Man suit was a cocoon and that he is a changed man. What does this mean for the franchise? I always understood that the electromagnet that Tony possessed was what powered the suit, however Rhodey doesn't have one and he is War Machine/Iron Patriot. Not sure what it means but it felt wrong.

Iron Man 3 is a lot of fun and is better than its predecesor. While it feels hokey at times, it has a fantastic climactic battle that could only be in a superhero movie. It's really worth seeing the movie just to remind yourself why you love Robert Downey Jr. so much. Also, a scene very similar to this is in it.

My Score: 7.5/10