Mad Movie Monday - Sand, Hair and Spaceman Balls

Paul
First of all... if you haven't experienced the sheer greatness of the Simon Pegg, Nick Frost pairing, you are truly missing out! There's no way you can go wrong with these two. I mean really. How can you not expect to get something brilliant out of the same two geniuses behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz?

source

Well... I'll admit that I didn't. I know, I know, shame on me for not having faith, but this one just seemed a little too 'out there'.  THANKFULLY I was proven wrong with this hysterically witty film that had the whole theater cackling OUT LOUD as if we were watching a stand up comedian. Seriously, I have been in plenty of theaters where people laugh but never to the point that you completely miss hearing the next thing that the characters say. I can recall about 5 times where I totally missed a follow-up line because I was recovering from my own laughter, as well as everyone else's. It was epic. Paul was fantastic. It brought out my nerdy side and had so many fantastic Si-Fi references. The script was great, the cast was phenomenal and even good old {often annoying} Seth Rogan as the voice of the alien Paul was worth praising. I've mentioned being on the fence with Rogan before and I think I've finally come to a conclusion: I like him better as just a voice. :) 
I definitely recommend this one to any geeks, nerds, comic book/graphic novel fans, comic-con lovers and Si-Fi enthusiasts. Also anyone else you simply likes to laugh. 
Rated S for Si-Fi-fantastic
Tangled

source

What an adorable movie. Bravo Disney, you've done it again! I haven't been overly impressed with some of the more recent Disney releases{I'm still a sucker for the classics} but I totally fell in love with this movie. While Mandy Moore can be grouped with Seth Rogan in a list of my not-so-favorite actors, she had the perfect voice for Rapunzel. Light and flighty and innocent to the max. Perfect casting. Zachary Levi {from Chuck, the TV show} played the voice of Flynn Rider. Absolutely perfect and totally hysterical. Z and I were giggling throughout the entire movie and have had many moments of remembering funny lines ever since. If you've seen the trailer, you've seen Flynn's smarmy attempt at seducing Rapunzel with his "smolder". LOVED it, but loved the line that follows even more. You'll have to see it for yourself to experience the hilarity! This is absolutely a must-see for all ages. It's sweet, funny, romantic, action-packed and has a really beautiful story attached to it. The colors are breathtaking and you'll definitely leave with a smile on your face!
My Rating: H for Hilarious and HAIR-tastic!
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

source

I was pretty open minded about this flick but slightly hesitant, and for good reason. It IS, after all, based off of a video game, and we all know how that turned out for Angie Jolie in Tomb Raider - epic fail. I am a Jake Gyllenhaal fan, but this seems so out of character for him I wasn't sure if he'd be able to pull it off. Trying to put my hesitation to the side, Z and I hunkered down and dove in with the help of our Netflix instant queue. {It's still there in case anyone is interested!} I decided I would try and be as optimistic as possible, since Z had enough skepticism for us AND the pups, and hoped that it would be something similar to The Mummy/ The Mummy Returns. Not to be confused with the terrible third installment featuring yeti's and NOT Rachel Weisz... that was painful. I figured Prince of Persia has the sand, the action, the creepy villain, the smooth-talking leading man and an outspoken beauty. Seems fair enough to assume that it could come close, right? Eh... 
While the cinematography and special effects were quite impressive, the rest just fell short. It's not like it was a BAD movie, just not as good as I would expect from the cast and budget that were involved. Gyllenhaal was heroic, but no Brenden Frasier. Maybe it was because of the accent... or the long hair... or the anticipation of the line, "I wish I knew how to quit you". Who knows.
Worth seeing, but I wouldn't rush. Perhaps wait until it airs on TBS.
My Rating: G for Good, but not Great.
Until next time...
More trivia time!
Tangled marks a great achievement in Disney's history of animated films. What is it?