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Greezusbreakcore
Reviews
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012)
Decent, but could've been way better
There's only so much you can do.
As a constant listener of Marc Maron's WTF Podcast, I found an interview with him and T&E mentor Bob Odenkirk, and he describes exactly what I think held this movie back from being what it could have been: When you make a movie, you have a LOT of people to please on some level. The producers, directors, actors, executive producers, EVERYONE has to be pleased on some level, or else there's gonna be a problem. I think that this concept comes through in this movie in huge ways.
The story here is the same as many of the people reviewing this movie. As a huge Tim and Eric fan, I'd been looking forward to this movie for quite some time, and very simply put, you should go in with your expectations in the medium-low range. There are some really funny moments, but there are multiple problems with this film that include, but are not limited to:
- A very Hollywood-esque feel, as opposed to a classic, awkward Tim and Eric feel. This could have been used to certain advantages, but only a small amount of the jokes attempted within this context are notably funny.
- An EXTREME lack of the Awesome-Show style jokes prevalent in Check it Out and TAEAS.
- As a certain critic pointed out, the storyline simply isn't funny. I found myself laughing at way more of the off-kilter characters and awkward, stabbing moments than jokes coming from the story.
This doesn't mean that T&E fans necessarily have to go home sobbing, however. Loggia, Ferrell and Forte serve very good, funny roles, Forte especially notable as a sword salesman constantly on the edge of losing his mind. The son jokes are present, the ending is pretty funny, and let's just say that Shrim definitely serves up to it's mysterious poking-at in the preview.
5/10. It's alrite, but if you're expecting the greatest T&E masterpiece of all time, you, unfortunately, will have to wait for another day.
Nightmare Weekend (1986)
You have no idea what you are pitting yourself against
As an individual with an interest in B-movies, a person who has watched The Star Wars Holiday Special and The Room more than 10 times each, I must say that this movie is the longest, most trying experience I have ever had. Characters are hardly fleshed out & the plot rolls along excruciatingly slowly (not to mention the fact that half of the plot is typical romance fodder.)
This creates a certain sensation I feel while watching this movie, a sensation that, hilariously, I can actually deem an effective explanation for.
See, if you're like me, you don't really mind how "bad" a movie is; you're merely looking for something that will keep you intrigued/amused, whether it's "good" or "bad." I love The Star Wars Holiday Special; there are multiple moments where the 'So bad it's good / What the hell were they thinking??' aesthetic applies wonderfully. I'd compare it, and perhaps other B-movies, to, say, a musical act like GG Allin; so totally over-the-top and obnoxious that you simply cannot look away.
This bandwidth being established, watching this movie from start to finish without the aid of alcohol is similar in nature to listening to Metallica's collaboration with Lou Reed, "Lulu." This movie is like "Lulu" in several ways: It's way, way too long given its content, it's set up absolutely terribly, there are very few moments where you are driven to care about what you're experiencing on any level, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
This isn't to say that you're going to be experiencing some decent-to- great (I wouldn't even call it excellent, honestly) unintentional humor, you're just gonna have to go through a long, painful experience to get any of it, and if you actually care about the story, then trust me, you're gonna have to go through an even longer painful experience.
In conclusion, If you're like me, even after reading this review, you're gonna be grabbing this movie to see how terrible it truly is. I hope that, as a person who loves the Star Wars Holiday Special, I've effectively explained the level of 'awful' you're putting yourself up against. If, even then, you're still going to be watching this film, then I commend you for your bravery, and beg you to prepare yourself with the only advice I can offer you; Alcohol may help (I wasn't fortunate enough to have any laying around at the time of my viewing.)
This movie is the only one that's ever caused me to literally stop the movie, look at the clock, and state out loud, "How far am I into this piece of ****?"