Ted
Plot Summary:
As a child, John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) wished for his teddy bear, Ted (Seth MacFarlane), to come to life. Twenty-seven years later, John and Ted are still the best of friends, and their friendship is threatened by Lori (Mila Kunis), John's girlfriend who wants Ted to move out so John can mature.
The Positives:
Ted is the directorial film debut of Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. The film was buzzed almost instantly from social networks and websites consistently promoting the film. A lot of people (including myself) worried that the funny parts were spoiled in the trailers and the film would be disappointing as a result. I am here to tell you that this film is far from a disappointment, in fact it's possibly the funniest comedy this year.
One thing they got right is how MacFarlane sets up his cast and crew. He uses a lot of the same crew from Family Guy (his co-writer, score composer, and a lot of the cast). And all works wonderfully here, he creates his own style based on this choosing. The cast is great as well, Mark Wahlberg is hilarious here. He's great in comedic roles and I hope he continues to do these roles. Mila Kunis is fun as well in her role, and MacFarlane steals the show as the titular character, one of the most original and brilliant comedic film characters in a long time.
The humor is spot-on and well-placed throughout the film. MacFarlane uses a lot of crass humor that is set up wonderfully here. He is not afraid to offend anyone here, and the film shows it. The pop culture references in the film also create great humor, by making this a film poking fun at society rather than a parody.
While this is a film with a lot of disgusting and vulgar humor, the film has a heart and a lot of it. The climax here is one of the most unexpectedly touching sequences I have seen this year and my heartstrings were pulled. I cared for the characters throughout the film and this climax proved it for me. MacFarlane has never pulled emotional moments in his shows, but I am happy he did with this film. I hope he continues to do so in the future.
The Negatives:
None I can think of.
Conclusion:
Ted is truly a wonderful film debut from Seth MacFarlane. Its consistently funny humor, great cast and heartwarming and hysterical script make this a comedy of its own. It is easily the best comedy of this year so far and one of the year's best. See it as soon as possible!
Rating: 10 out of 10
The Amazing Spider-Man
Plot Summary:
Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) finds a clue that may help him understand what happened to his parents when he was young. His path to discovery puts him on a collision course with Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), his father's former partner who eventually becomes The Lizard. Throughout this journey, Peter becomes Spider-Man.
The Positives:
When I first heard that they were rebooting the Spider-Man series, I wasn't too happy. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films were great films, and the studio tampered with the third one which resulted in Raimi's end of the series. I was worried that the studio would make an even worse film than Spider-Man 3, since they are responsible for that film being horrible. However, I left the film surprised, this is a pretty good film.
The casting is perfect for this film. Andrew Garfield nails it as Peter Parker, he is an even better and more developed Parker than Tobey Maguire was. The way he handles his emotions and his personality make it seem more natural. Emma Stone was great as Gwen Stacy, she fits the sarcastic female role well and it shows here. Rhys Ifans is also great as Curt Connors, a fun performance that never goes too far.
I really enjoyed the dark tone for this film. The plot, violence, and characters are a lot more realistic, which makes the film very interesting. I also liked how they made Peter's character a little darker too, he's a tough guy who wants to know more about his past.
I also felt that the action scenes and romance were great. Although they aren't a lot of action scenes, they are really well-done and entertaining to watch. The chemistry between Stone and Garfield is really good, it felt very real. I can see why they chose Marc Webb to direct now. When the film isn't a dark action superhero film, it's very much a real romantic comedy and I liked how they handled that aspect.
The Negatives:
While I liked the film, it isn't perfect. For starters, the film felt like more of a remake of Raimi's original film rather than a reboot of the series. The same exact plot points from the original are revisited, just with different characters in a darker, realistic setting. Some moments that were emotional in Raimi's film didn't have the same impact here. I wanted to see a different side to the Spider-Man story, not a dark remake.
I said earlier that I liked Rhys Ifans as Curt Connors. However, The Lizard is truly a weak villain. Instead of being terrifying, he comes off as unintentionally funny. His motives really didn't make a lot of sense and it felt more campy than scary to me. I expected a better job on the villain than what I got here, I hope the next film improves on that flaw.
Conclusion:
I will always hold Sam Raimi's first two Spider-Man films in my heart, but The Amazing Spider-Man is a pretty good remake of Raimi's first film. I would like to see what Marc Webb does with this series, but for now this film is a good start for a hopefully great series.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
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