Bridesmaids of Frankenstein

Of all the movies released this summer, perhaps the one from which I knew the least of what to expect was Bridesmaids. Produced by Judd Apatow, Bridesmaids on the surface appears to differ from his usual brand of comedy. With a story focusing on women and marriage that would seem more at home in a traditional romantic setting, it's a huge leap from the usual guy-centered gross-out humor of Superbad and The 40-Year Old Virgin that we usually associate with the Apatow name. Director Paul Feig was another unknown, as his career to this point has been mostly in television, with episodes of The Office, Arrested Development and Nurse Jackie bearing his name. Tack on a cast of unproven talents, and Bridesmaids had every chance to be an underachieving Sex and the City knockoff, with less charm than the HBO show's best moments. Still, word of mouth and and humorous trailers paved the way for a my most anticipated May release, which reunited two former SNL cast-mates, current star Kristen Wiig and alumni Maya Rudolph as the maid of honor of her best friend, the bride.

Sketchy part of town? Perfect place for six white women

When her best friend is engaged to be married, Annie Walker (Wiig) is happy to accept the duties as maid of honor for her childhood friend Lillian (Rudolph). Having known each other since just about forever, Annie wants to be there for her best friend's big moment. However, Annie is going through a rough patch in her life; stuck in a dead-end job she hates, sharing an apartment with a weird British brother/sister combination, and in a loveless relationship with raging asshat Ted (Jon Hamm), the wedding (and all the celebratory events associated with it) is a scary change for someone who's near rock-bottom in their life, but one she's looking forward to. Things begin to spiral out of control, however, especially with the interference of bridesmaid Helen (Rose Byrne), who has it in her head that she's really Lillian's best friend and tries to take over the planning. Annie's low self-esteem due to all this threatens not only to ruin Lillian's wedding, but also their lifelong friendship in the process.

Shhhh... I'm trying to murder you with my heat vision...

The plot itself seems reliably mundane, which really lowers your guard to the laughs and amusement that accompany it. The gross humor you can expect in an Apatow production does make itself known, especially in a scene where the bridesmaids get food poisoning from a restaurant Annie chooses. But while that brand of scatalogical humor is expected in a film like this, it thankfully doesn't overpower the "other" funny bits that pop up throughout. Sure, the female anatomy jokes could be seen as a little uncomfortable and a lot of the dialogue can be vulgar, but the "vagina jokes" (as opposed to "dick jokes") feel authentic and foul language is also represented in a realistic fashion. It's all funny anyways, and you'll find something to laugh at no matter your gender, whether it be snickering at wry wit or howling at the raw physical humor..

Wiig re-negotiating her SNL contract

That level of funny is in part thanks to the stars and especially Wiig, who co-wrote the screenplay and provides many of the film's best-acted scenes. An every-woman, Annie has to show several sides, from the loving side around Lillian and general snarkiness to her wounded vulnerabilities and rock-bottom depression. Bridesmaids represents Wiig's best on-screen performance, and it does so partially because she doesn't try to play one of her usual eccentric-yet-entertaining personas. Annie's charm is in her likeness to the everyday single woman, and she comes off as honest and sympathetic to any viewers. Rudolph plays well off of Wiig's energies, and the two come off believably as best friends. Rudolph, who is a better actress than most people give credit, flows between the wedding jubilation and nervousness flawlessly. Byrne completes the Big Three with a great performance as the underhanded Helen, especially rewarding as the character doesn't play like a typical catty housewife. Despite being lauded as the film's "villain", Helen is no such thing, and the complexity of the character does so much to let the film go forward. Byrne has had a string of luck with roles this year, as she'll be aiming to be in her third major 2011 film when X-Men First Class comes out later this summer.

No, I didn't eat your Ring Pop; why do you ask?

It's a shame the secondary characters don't get quite as much love as the main trio of stars. Reno 911's Wendy McLendon-Covey and The Office's Ellie Kemper play other bridesmaids but despite getting some quality dialogue and depth, nothing is really done with them. I wouldn't think it was so bad if they hadn't started to go down some interesting roads with these two parts, only to fizzle out about halfway through. The guys of the film also don't get much attention, though that is done intentionally and in a positive way that focuses on the women's characters. Though the roles of Hamm as Annie's dickhead lover and Chris O'Dowd as her speculative beau are relatively small, both put on good shows with what they have. O'Dowd is an underrated performer who may garner more attention from this film, but I'm especially impressed with Hamm, who continually chooses varying roles to increase his range as an actor. Who knows how long Mad Men will remain on television, and it's obvious that he's getting ready to make it on his own. Jill Clayburgh is another underutilized actress, as I thought her role as Annie's mom also had potential but didn't do much overall. The best of the secondary characters however is played by Melissa McCarthy. McCarthy plays Megan, sister of the groom and the most hilarious of the bridesmaids, and brings with her the best and raunchiest dialogue and laughs. She also shows herself to be remarkably sensitive, and in this way her character doesn't overpower the film, as she is never overused to the point of boredom.

If not Fab Four... Significant Six? Doesn't quite feel the same...

I was a little annoyed that several scenes presented in the trailer never made their way into the movie's finished product, a sin every major film commits to some degree but one that in this case left me mercifully unprepared for the jokes when they hit. Bridesmaids manages to feel like it left a lot out while still coming in at over two hours, but for not one moment during the runtime was I bored or unamused while sitting in the theater. A truly wonderful film about friendship that takes a more blue-collar approach to the same ideas put forth by SatC, Bridesmaids places at #5 for 2011. I really, really, REALLY liked this film, and while some might be surprised that I'd even be interested in seeing it, I would recommend it to any choosing to abstain from the big-budget visual porn that comes to theaters this summer, but don't want the rampant stupidity of the Something Borrowed set.

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Insidious is... Pretty Damned Good

It's pretty rare for me to be scared by a horror film. Despite their supposed purpose, most horror titles might stretch a startled jump out of me, but rarely do "scary" movies live up to that particular descriptor. So it wasn't much of a surprise that I had little interest in and wasn't really looking forward to seeing Insidious, the latest haunting film by director James Wan. It's a bit far from his usual fare; Wan's Saw series practically created the torture/horror sub-genre, and that seems at odds with Insidious's apparent old-school style of tension and carefully-concealed scares. Non-informative trailers put forth very little to convey any real reason to go out and see it in the theater, and Insidious seemed destined to be one among many similar horror titles that only hardcore fans would bother with. Then the good reviews started appearing, and my buddy Southland Dan suddenly got extremely excited. Anyone who has seen us talk movies knows that me and Dan don't always agree when it comes to our opinions on film, but nevertheless we often get excited about the same things. All of the sudden I was roped in enough to check this film out on Monday (though it should be mentioned there was nothing left of interest to see, anyway). And so with Dan alongside, I made my way in town to see which of my two impressions would prove to be correct.

Peek-a-boo is not a fun game in this house

After moving into a new home in the suburbs with their three children, teacher Josh (Patrick Wilson) and homemaker/musician Renai (Rose Byrne) seem to have worked things out fairly well. Though they sometimes have problems, the couple and their family are largely happy and healthy. When their oldest son falls in an accident and goes into a coma that spans many months, Josh and Renai have more than enough problems on their hands. Problems don't let up however, and Renai witnesses several unexplainable events that make her believe that the house they live in is haunted. The couple seek help from an eccentric psychic (Lin Shaye) who gives them the grave news: it's not the house they have moved into that is haunted. The spirits they see are in fact haunting their comatose son.

With the cleaning power of Cheer(tm), this bloody stain will come right out!

The concept introduced here is actually quite interesting, and a nice twist on the haunted house motif. Every scene has some level of creepiness, proof of Wan's ability to keep the tension in play. Even better, he varies those tension levels so that no two scenes feel exactly the same, keeping the film from appearing stale or repetitive. One thing thankfully missing is the creepy kid scenario. Once Dalton (Ty Simpkins) falls into his coma, there's very little ability needed to play a sleeping kid. The other children disappear from the story once the truly insane stuff goes down, and we're left with the adults handling the situation, which is all I really ever wanted. The world doesn't need another Linda Blair, as one was quite good enough and unrepeatable, thank you. The creature designs are also extremely effective in their use. A good number of spirits haunt this family, each easily recognizable and scary in their own way. They range from a megalomaniacal dwarf to a sixties-era psychotic teenager to a demon that looks not a little like Darth Maul, each popping up unexpectedly and to great effect when they do. These elements create a great atmosphere in which to get the bejeesus scared out of you, much more than many recent horror film I can name.

Right through here, you can see the master bedroom, complete with its own wraith

The performers sent in to play the victims in this tale are definitely low-budget, but more than make up for their lack of high-roller credibility with amazing performances that work to enhance the film's vibe. Patrick Wilson has long gone unnoticed as a supporting actor in good films and a lead in bad or unpopular ones. Never very memorable, whether playing Nite Owl II in Watchmen or the evil Lynch in The A-Team, Wilson does all he can to put that aside in a very compelling role. Josh is a loving dad and husband, but doesn't always have the mental toughness to take on a trouble spot head-on, preferring to avoid adversity when it rears its head. In this way he's less able to handle his son's condition, and Wilson plays his part pretty damned well. Rose Byrne is better as Renai, and some of the scenes featuring the actress reacting to the strange happenings around her are the best in the film. Also a devoted parent, Renai is more willing to accept the idea of paranormal activity centering around her son, and some of the script revolves around these two very competent performers arguing over the correct course of action to take. Barbara Hershey may not have the same level of role that she had in last year's Black Swan, but she continues her horror career to great effect here as Josh's mother Lorraine and the couple's third-party adviser. Lin Shaye is also good as Lorriane's friend Elise who also happens to be a psychic with experience in the paranormal. Leigh Whannell (who also wrote the screenplay) and Angus Simpson make welcome contributions as psychic technicians working for Elise. They play the part of tension-relieving humor, but hold their own when the frights ramp up again. In all, we have a very strong cast for this genre that play nice and properly entertain the audience with their talents.

You, sir, are no John Hodgeman

I was afraid in the final act that too much would be shown, invalidating the genre by over-producing what should have perhaps been left to the imagination. Wan, however, excels here as well, making a journey to the spirit realm feel as fluid and realistic as can be, despite the film's small budget. When we were initially greeted by an atrocious opening credits sequence, I was afraid that the story following would be one I couldn't fully get into. By the time final credits had rolled in however, I was forced to recall that I had been on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the film, and jumped out of it on more than a few occasions. The only horror film I can recall that had a similar effect on me had been 2002's The Ring (I remember to this day Agatha So tearing holes in my arms in the film's scarier sequences, so frightening it was), and while there's nothing I've seen to match the terror of Samara I have to give Wan credit for creating the film I didn't think he was able to make. A surprise smash and one I wasn't sure I would rank highly, Insidious manages to come in at #5 for 2011. Far exceeding my few qualifications for excellence, I can't recommend it more highly for people who wish modern horror wasn't so often more of the same Saw and Hostel clones.

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