Inside Out

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching!  There's no way mortals work at Pixar.  The creators there have to be gods of some kind.

Inside Out ? 5 out of 5

I?m quite the fan of Pixar?s work.  Ever since I first saw Toy Story, I was hooked with their films.  I hold them completely responsible for the renaissance of animated films that happened and the new golden era of family films we have.  They showed us that animated features don?t have to be song and dance numbers with bright colors and dumb characters meant to occupy your child while you sneak off to power nap or wolf down candy you hide in a secret stash.  Pixar showed us that the stories can by dynamic and deep and the characters can be rich and fun while all existing in a premise unlike everything else out there.  With the exception of the Cars films, I?ve never been disappointed with a Pixar movie and that?s why I bought this one on Blu-ray without actually seeing it.  I figured with their track record, purchasing Inside Out before seeing it was a completely safe bet?and boy was it.

For now on, I'm just going to pretend I have anthropomorphic emotions in my head.

Inside the mind of a small girl named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), deep within the center of her mind, exists her emotions:  Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling).  These emotions find their work cut out for them when Riley?s mother (Diane Lane) and father (Kyle MacLachlan) packed up their life in the Midwest and moves them to San Francisco.  While the stress of moving comes into play, Sadness starts to act up and begins to turn happier memories into sad ones.  After Sadness takes control of Riley?s mind and ends up creating a sad core memory?the memories that create who and what we are?Joy attempts to stop her from creating any more sadness but accidentally ends up getting her and Sadness lost in the deep recesses of Riley?s brain.  Now they must figure out a way to get back and take control before Fear, Anger and Disgust does something drastic that can change Riley?s life forever.

In all seriousness, Inside Out really creatively captured the difficulties that kids
face as they grow up and their world changes around them.

Like all Pixar films, this feature has some absolutely amazing animation and voice acting.  I really loved the look the emotions had with their glowing appearance and a texture that made them look a bit like Muppets.  The core cast of Poehler, Smith, Hader, Black and Kaling are incredible at bringing to life these characters but the film also has a great supporting cast that helps really give this world life and depth?and yes, John Ratzenberger continues his streak of doing a cameo voice.  Furthermore, and once again like all other Pixar films, the concept of this story is incredibly creative and imaginative.

I get the same way when I see the posts my racist uncle puts on Facebook.

Joy is looking at her hand...she must be high.
That's probably why she's so upbeat.

This unique look at what drives a young girl trying to come to terms with moving across country perfectly illustrates the difficulty that comes with being a kid and growing up.  Seeing inside Riley?s mind and seeing things like memories fading and being forgotten or, more importantly, meeting an imaginary friend from Riley?s childhood help Joy and Sadness on their journey really crafted some incredibly emotional scenes.  It?s never surprising that Pixar creates stories that will fill the viewer with happiness and incredible sadness (dang, Up makes you cry within the first five minutes) but it?s always impressive how they can create dynamic characters that you get invested with and then have a very strong emotional reaction to.  So, yes, I will admit that Inside Out made me cry.  I watched it with my girlfriend and tried my hardest to not bawl in front of her but the story was so strong and the characters so likable and sympathetic that fighting those feelings were impossible.  So, once again, you made tears come out of my face, Pixar, and I?m not mad at all for you doing it. 

Bing Bong's part in the story really had me in tears.  I don't know if I should be
openly admitting how often this film made me cry.

 

What's that?  No, I'm not crying again.

With its excellent animation, perfecting voice acting cast and a story that is overflowing with creativity, wit, humor and drama Inside Out is just another epic feature from a studio that keeps churning out amazing films.  I find it hard to category which films they?ve done that are their best because their level of creativity is beyond so many other animation studios in existence but I do think that this is definitely one of my top five films they?ve done.  I walked out of this one with no complaints and the only regret being not seeing this one in the theater when it was out?but if I did it then, I would have been trying even harder to not cry because as much as I don?t want my girlfriend to see me shed some tears, I REALLY don?t want complete strangers to see me bawl over the heartbreak of some animated emotions.

THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY PART 2 (2015) REVIEW : The Satisfying Finale [With IMAX 3D Review]

Perjuangan Katniss Everdeen, sang Gadis Api menuju pada babak terakhir. Setelah mendapatkan cerita yang menjembatani perjalanan terakhir dari Katniss Everdeen ini lewat Mockingjay Part 1 pada tahun 2014, jelas The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 adalah salah satu film yang sangat dinantikan di tahun ini. Penonton ingin mencari tahu bagaimana kelanjutan dari cerita Katniss Everdeen yang  ditutup dengan penuh pertanyaan di bagian pertama.

 

The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 kembali disutradarai oleh Francis Lawrence yang mulai dipercayai menangani seri ini lewat The Hunger Games : Catching Fire. Jennifer Lawrence pun tetap menjadi sosok Katniss Everdeen dan mentransfrormasi dirinya menjadi simbol aktris blockbuster yang memiliki efek besar. Jelas, sosok Katniss akan menjadi salah satu karakter yang berarti dalam rekam jejak pamor dari Jennifer Lawrence.

Di bagian pertama, Mockingjay berubah menjadi sebuah drama penuh intrik politik yang membuat sebagian orang kurang menyukai film ini. Mockingjay Part 1 hanyalah sebuah cerita pengenalan atas konflik-konflik yang akan dihadapi oleh Katniss Everdeen di bagian kedua. Di bagian kedua ini, segala konflik yang sudah dilontarkan di bagian kedua diberi sebuah konklusi yang juga mengakhiri seri ini. Dan The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 menjadi sebuah seri penutup yang masih memuaskan dan menyenangkan untuk diikuti. 

Setelah Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) berhasil diselamatkan, dia menyerang Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) dan membuat hubungan mereka merenggang. Peeta dicuci otak oleh Presiden Snow (Donald Sutherland) agar memusuhi Katniss. Hal itu jelas membuat Katniss terpukul dan semakin menguatkan misinya untuk membunuh presiden Snow dengan tangannya sendiri. Presiden Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) tetap tak mau untuk mengirim Katniss langsung untuk menyerang Snow.

Tetapi, Katniss tetap tak mau tahu dan dia pun berusaha agar dia bisa pergi ke Capitol untuk menyerang Snow. Naas, ketika Snow tahu akan rencana Katniss beserta teman-temannya untuk menyerang Capitol untuk membunuhnya. Dia sudah menyiapkan berbagai perangkap di sekitar kota Capitol agar dapat membunuh Katniss dan timnya. Hal itu pun semakin membuat perjuangan Katniss untuk membunuh Snow semakin mendapatkan tantangan. 

Menjadikan satu buku menjadi dua bagian film memang menjadi sebuah tren yang diawali oleh Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. Memang, dengan formula itu akan dirasa efektif oleh rumah produksi untuk mendatangkan banyak keuntungan bagi mereka. Mockingjay adalah salah satu yang menggunakan formula itu. Buku ketiga dari Suzanne Collins ini pun dibagi menjadi dua bagian film yang sebenarnya akan menjadi sangat riskan untuk performa filmnya.

Nyatanya adalah Mockingjay hanya memiliki satu konflik besar yang sebenarnya tak begitu rumit. Maka, keputusan untuk dipecah menjadi dua bagian hanyalah gimmick dari sang rumah produksi untuk mendatangkan keuntungan. Dengan adanya dua bagian itu, jelas problematika yang besar adalah bagaimana menyamaratakan performa di dalam filmnya. Isu plot itu jelas jurang besar bagi pamor seri The Hunger Games yang menjadi salah satu seri adaptasi novel young-adult yang kuat.

Di bagian kedua, The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 tidak lagi memiliki konflik yang signifikan. Segala konflik yang ada di dalamnya hanyalah jawaban dari konflik yang sudah ditawarkan di bagian pertama. Jelas, ini adalah tantangan yang besar bagi sang sutradara untuk mengemas Mockingjay Part 2 agar tetap menjadi sebuah film yang tak terasa sia-sia untuk dipecah menjadi dua bagian. Francis Lawrence benar-benar berusaha keras untuk menyingkirkan paradigma itu. 

Kata ?Aji Mumpung? memang tak bisa terelakkan ketika Mockingjay dibagi menjadi dua bagian. Tetapi, Francis Lawrence membuktikan bahwa Mockingjay Part 2 tetap menjadi sajian yang sangat menggugah minat penontonnya untuk mengikuti filmnya hingga akhir. Mockingjay Part 2  mengubah warna cerita menjadi cenderung lebih gelap dan murung. Sang sutradara berusaha kuat untuk menghadirkan nuansa cerita penuh intrik politik yang lebih kental.

Jelas, berubahnya warna cerita itu adalah kekuatan dan potensi besar dari Mockingjay Part 2. Sehingga, seri-seri The Hunger Games bukan hanya sebuah film fantasi petualangan remaja yang hanya lalu. Tetapi, memberikan pendalaman lebih tentang propaganda politik yang dapat dikaji lebih lagi. Representasi kediktatoran pemimpin yang mempermainkan bawahannya yang terlihat secara implisit lewat karakter-karakter seperti Snow ataupun Alma Coin.

Mockingjay Part 2 memberikan sebuah final battle yang berhasil membangun suasana mencekam. Dan sang sutradara berhasil benar untuk menghadirkan hal-hal itu sehingga bagian kedua dari Mockingjay ini tak terasa monoton bagi sebagian penonton.Banyak beberapa bagian dari Mockingjay Part 2 yang berhasil membuat penontonnya keasyikan menonton petualangan dari Katniss Everdeen dalam perjalanannya menuju kota Capitol. Anggap saja, di bagian kedua adegan pertarungan itu adalah penebusan dosa dari bagian pertama yang sangat minim akan hal itu. 

Francis Lawrence tak terlihat terlalu asyik untuk memberikan pendalaman lebih kepada karakter-karakter yang ada di seri The Hunger Games yang semakin lama terlihat semakin manusiawi. Pun, lewat naskahnya, The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 memiliki dialog-dialog sarkastik terhadap otoritas pemimpin dan permainan propaganda politik yang tampil secara implisit dan dibutuhkan interpretasi yang kuat dari penontonnya agar pesan yang dimaksudkan dapat tersampaikan. Dan hal itu lah yang menjadi poin plus lagi dari seri Mockingjay Part 2.

The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 jelas mengajak penontonnya berpikir tentang kebenaran yang kita bela. Adanya pro dan kontra di dalam memilih kebenaran jelas sudah menjadi sesuatu yang lumrah. Sehingga, perlu adanya tanggung jawab atas apa yang kita pilih tentang sesuatu yang kita anggap benar. Dan representasinya lewat karakter Alma Coin dan Snow, polemik pemilihan pemimpin yang bersih adalah salah satu isu yang diangkat oleh The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 yang dirasa akan relevan di berbagai belahan dunia.

Tak dipungkiri lagi, The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 memiliki nilai-nilai produksi dengan estetika berkelas. Lewat tata kostum, artistik, dan teknik pengambilan gambar yang menarik menjadi kelebihan lain dari seri ini semenjak Catching Fire. Juga, performa luar biasa tetap dihadirkan oleh Jennifer Lawrence sebagai karakter Katniss. Dia jelas sosok aktris aset Hollywood yang berhasil menjadi ikon film blockbuster. Jennifer Lawrence dapat menghadirkan segala bentuk emosi di dalam setiap adegan sehingga The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 tak hanya sebuah franchise kosong. 

Dengan pembelahan dua bagian dalam adaptasi buku terakhirnya, jelas tak dapat dipungkiri bahwa The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 memiliki permasalahan lewat pengembangan plot yang sangat minimalis. Tetapi, Francis Lawrence berusaha keras untuk mengarahkan seri terakhirnya ini tetap menjadi sebuah film penutup yang memiliki presentasi yang kuat. The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 tetap menghadirkan sebuah petualangan Katniss untuk berhadapan dengan presiden Snow yang penuh akan intrik politik yang menarik dengan warna cerita yang murung. Tetapi, itulah potensi dari Mockingjay Part 2 sehingga dapat menjadi seri penutup yang memuaskan.

Di wilayah asia, film ini dirilis dalam format IMAX 3D dan berikut adalah review dari format tiga dimensi lewat layar IMAX

DEPTH

Hasil konversi format IMAX 3D tak berhasil memberikan kedalaman film yang menarik. Sehingga, rasanya kedalaman The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 hanya terasa seperti film dua dimensi.

POP OUT

Tak ada sama sekali efek Pop-Out yang mewarnai The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2. Sehingga jelas akan terasa pointless untuk disaksikan dalam format tiga dimensi.

The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 dikonversi menjadi sebuah film tiga dimensi berformat IMAX yang tak memiliki pengaruh signifikan di dalam filmnya. Sehingga, menyaksikan The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2 dalam format ini hanyalah sebuah gimmick lagi dari rumah produksi untuk mengeruk keuntungan. Sehingga, sangat berharap film ini hanya dirilis dalam format IMAX dua dimensi.

Spy

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching!  Next movie needs a crossover with Jason Bourne and James Bond.

Spy ? 5 out of 5

Spy comedies are nothing new.  There?s been a few of them and they often vary in the quality department.  However, when I heard that a writer/director I really enjoy; Paul Feig (the man who is, according to people of the internet, super evil because he?s being the Ghostbusters reboot?the remake that, also according to people on the internet, will erase all memories and copies of the original film due to the lack of dicks in the story), was creating a spy comedy with a comedic actress I really enjoy; Melissa McCarthy, I was very excited but never got the opportunity to see it until it came out on Home Media (but that?s because of my own spy stuff I had to do?but don?t look too much into that because I might have to kill you if you learn too much?or give you a stern talking to and have you pinky swear you know nothing about my job).  

But if you tell anyone, I will threaten you by vigorously shaking my fists.

Jude is here to lay down some law...I'm truly sorry for
that one.

Spy tells the story of CIA analyst Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) hitting the field after the agent she works with; Bradley Fine (Jude Law), is murdered while on operative must try to find a suitcase nuke that?s in a location known only by the daughter of an international terrorist (Rose Byrne)?who, just so happens to be, the same person who killed Fine.  However, along the way, Cooper must compete with an irritate and rambunctious agent who keeps mucking things up (played by Jason Statham).  Now Cooper must find the location of the nuke before it?s sold to the highest bidder and is unleashed on the world and avenge her friend?s death.

It's hard to make killing a man funny but Feig and McCarthy did so and made
it look so easy.

Bobby Cannavale is in the film...and seems to be
rocking some guyliner.

I figured that Spy would be funny because I?m a fan of Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy but I don?t think I was prepared for exactly how funny it was going to be.  The story is incredible solid and build on a foundation that creates a decent spy thriller with surprisingly good action but, at the same time, does a great job of poking fun at the genre.  The cast is incredible and a fantastic mix of proven funny-makers like McCarthy and other actors not necessarily known for comedies but all doing an amazing job of bringing the laughs?for example, Jason Statham was absolutely hysterical as he played a slapstick-y and goofy character that I?ve never ever seen him play before.  Finally, the comedy is unrelenting and gags and jokes are coming at you fast and nonstop.  Everything from simple jokes that rib spy and action film clich?s to slapstick humor to gross out jokes to more vulgar insult based lines litter almost every second of the film and it had me laughing so hard and so often that I was brought to tears every few minutes and found myself actually exhausted from how much I laughed.  I slept like a baby that night.

Every time I see Rose Byrne is in a comedy, I always try to convince myself she won't
be funny but I'm always wrong.  I really need to end this ridiculous preconceived notion.

I have a lot of friends who aren?t fans of McCarthy because they see her as a one trick pony who only does films that involve her falling down and making cracks about her being fat (yet, when Chris Farley made this his career, it was considered brilliant?but I won?t get into the systemic sexism of comedy and the entertainment business here) but while those gags can be seen in the film on an occasion (and they are funny), this film also makes fun of those tropes with jokes about McCarthy not wanting to be seen that way and gags about her actually being a true badass.  Some characters want to light her up as the funny fat person but her character is actually a dedicated agent who wants to do a good job and is actually really handy with a gun and in a fight.  In fact, this film even does one better by making her be the tough one and having the man who usually is doing the fighting (Jason Statham) be the one who messes up and falls down.  It?s honestly some immensely brilliant comedy writing and just another reason that I am such a fan of Paul Feig and his work?and, just to incite the rage of the internet, I?m excited as hell for his Ghostbusters reboot.  Yes, hate me for not hating a film that hasn?t even been released in trailer form yet.  I know it?s weird that I?m excited for something rather than hating it based entirely on casting decisions alone.  I?m a rarity on the ?net.

Yes, that man is Jason Statham...and the look actually works for him.

Any complaints I have about the film are minor and involve a couple of missteps in the story.  Occasionally, a plot point felt superfluous and unneeded but it never took away from the immensely entertaining experience.  And sure, there was a joke or two where I laughed very slightly less hard than other times but, seriously, from beginning to end I was laughing my ass off to this film and was intensely entertained.

The longer you stare at the look on McCarthy's face the funnier this screenshot
gets.

Paul Feig wrote and crafted a spy comedy that takes itself seriously enough to look like a legit spy film (seriously, the action in this film is really, really good) but, at the same time, balanced itself out with some of the best humor I?ve seen in a film this year.  Spy is definitely one of those comedies that I will turn to repeatedly in the future because it is just that well put-together and just that hysterical.  And, if it?s not asking too much, I would very much love to see this turn into a regular franchise and see more wild and funny adventures of Susan Cooper.  I'll consider it a personal favor, Mr. Feig.

Vacation

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching!  Well, at the very least, this film isn't Christmas Vacation 2.

Vacation ? 3 out of 5

It?s been over 30 years since the Griswolds first took their original vacation to Wally World in John Hughes? National Lampoon?s Vacation.   It was a classic trip that still holds up today and even gave us more laughs when the Griswalds went to Europe and, in my opinion, hit their highest note when the holidays came and we got Christmas Vacation.  Since that time of egg nog and good cheer, we had some a more forgettable trip to Vegas but how does this new trip hold up?  How does this non-reboot that?s sort of a reboot but also is a remake but not really remake sequel that is simple titled Vacation rank?  Well, long story short, it?s better than Vegas Vacation, I can tell ya that.

Chase, taking on the Mad Scientist look now.

 

Rusty Griswold is now an adult and is being portrayed, once again, by a different actor (this time it?s Ed Helms).  Well, it seems his wife Debbie (Christina Applegate) isn?t the happiest in their marriage and isn?t looking forward to their yearly vacation to a boring old cabin by the lake.  So, Rusty decides to pack the car, grab his boys; James (Skylar Gisondo) and Kevin (Stelle Stebbins), and recreate the vacation his father took him on years ago and head to Wally World.  Well, things don't go quite as planned and life makes sure to throw a wrench in the gears as often as it can.  Can the Griswalds survive the trip, and each other, and make it to the greatest theme park in the country?  Or will everything go down in flames?

And the "Holiday Road" song should be cemented in your brain right about now.

Whenever I review a comedy that I don?t feel strongly about, I always feel the need to remind myself that comedy is very subjective?in fact, the two most subjective genres in the world of film, in my opinion, are comedy and horror because the experiences are way more personal than other types of films.  When it comes to what makes us laugh and what makes us scared, so much of what we see and hear can result in a wide variety of reactions.  What scares or makes one person laugh can be annoying or lame to others.  With that being said, I won?t say that Vacation is an instant classic like the first trip so many years ago.  The film isn?t terrible but it is very hit or miss.

One of the misses is that Christina Applegate doesn't really feel like she's
contributing at all.

It'll be a cold day in hell when Charlie Day is
not funny.

Some of the film?s strongest points involved the wide variety of characters that come into play on the trip and the actors who portrayed them.  Proven funny-makers like Leslie Mann, Charlie Day, Keegan-Michael Key, Nick Kroll, Tim Heidecker, Kaitlin Olson, Michael Pe?a and Colin Hanks show up and provide some very amusing and outright hilarious sequences that really help move the film along and make up for the less-than-funny moments that bog the story down.  Additionally, there are times when actors who aren?t traditionally known for doing silly comedies come in and really had me rolling.  Actors like Chris Hemsworth and Norman Reedus had some incredible solid scenes that proved to steal the moment and became excellently written and incredibly performed bits of comedy gold.

See the gag is he has a big dick--which, honestly, could have been a terrible
joke if Hemsworth didn't nail it just right.  Yep, that line sounded weird to me, too.

Another element that worked fantastically well with the film was Steele Stebbins as Kevin, the younger sibling in the Griswold family.  Without a hint of doubt in my book, this kid was the funniest member of the family and had so many extremely hilarious moments.  His character would constantly antagonize and berate his older brother and the vulgar things that would come out of his mouth proved to be the right amount of shock value to be hysterical but without crossing the line and feeling like it was being vulgar to get the cheap laugh.

Also, the kid tries to murder people by suffocating them.  That's just Comedy 101.

The parts that slowed the film down and weakened it to the point it was nearly as bad as Vegas is that a lot of the jokes were really poorly written.  There are some gags that try to poke fun at our digital and social media age but come off less like a rousing send up of this reality and more like an aging stand-up comedian in a dark, smoking and sparsely filled nightclub saying things like, ?What?s the deal with Facebook?  It?s not a face that you can see in a book, is it??  Then, when you don?t have these weak bits, you have the even weaker bits of being gross for the sake of a cheap laugh?only the laughs didn?t arrive for me.  I stated that Stebbins? character of Kevin was written incredible well and was able to be that balanced of a character that could say and do shocking things without feeling like a cheap shocking bit but this balance isn?t seen in such parts as the family bathing in sewage run-off.  Instead, these parts just felt like diving down to the lowest common denominator in order to get a quick laugh but they came off more desperate or like throw-away gags so they ended up more groan-inducing than chuckle worthy.

This was definitely the lowest of the low points with the humor.

Finally, the last element that really hurt this feature is the fact that some members of the cast didn?t feel right or just didn?t need to be there.  For example, the bloated corpse that appears to be Chevy Chase (seriously, he now looks like he could play a drowned mad scientist on an episode of C.S.I.).  I?d hate to kick a man when he?s down but the reality is Chase?s glory days are long behind him and matters are only made worse during his short scene when you see that he is trying way, way, WAY too hard to make jokes out of nothing.  It?s sorta sad and depressing to watch.  Almost as sad as seeing Ed Helms not really channeling even anything remotely close to what other actors brought when they played Rusty.  As much as I like the guy in the right role, Helms just didn?t work as Rusty because he simply wasn?t Rusty.  He was playing the same role he always plays and that is basically just being Ed Helms.

#NotMyRusty

At times, Vacation is super hysterical and a laugh-out-loud riot that is a lot of fun and filled with hte nostalgia of the 1983 cult classic and, at other times, it is a weak, unfunny mess of bottom-of-the-barrel gags that flounder around in a desperate grab for attention and pity laughs.  I won?t call the film a waste of time because when it works, it works insanely well but, in the end, the film doesn?t stand much of a chance at holding its own against some of the better films in this franchise.  But it?s still way better than Vegas.  I can?t emphasize that enough.