The Hangover
Rating:
Reviewed by: Eric Alt

Directed by: Todd Phillips

The Skinny: Groom-to-be Doug (Justin Bartha) heads off for a bachelor party weekend in Vegas with his two best friends (Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms) and his socially awkward soon to be brother-in-law (Zach Galifianakis). After a night of partying, the three groomsmen wake up with no memory of what happened or, more importantly, where the hell Doug is.

The Good: There's really only one question for a movie like this: "Is it funny?" Well, yes. Yes it is. Fucking hilarious, actually. Is it brainy? No. Is it groundbreaking? Nope. But it will have you LOL-ing, ROFL-ing and, almost certainly, LMAO-ing. Part of what makes The Hangover work is the core foursome—not only do you completely buy their connection, but their increasingly frantic interactions make for an often unpredictable good time. Galifianakis's performance alone is worth the price of admission, and be sure to stick around for the end credits.

The Bad: Again, the movie isn't necessarily brimming with new ideas, but at least the cast goes for even the hackneyed jokes with full commitment. And the wrap-up is a little hurried and anti-climactic—but unless you were expecting your life to be changed after seeing this movie (and why would you?) you won't find too much to complain about.

Like Mike: Yes, Mike Tyson appears in more than just the Phil Collins-scored scene you see in the trailer and, yes, he's funny.

Theater, DVD or TNT in Five Years: Go see this. And,not to get ahead of ourselves, but you can bet this'll be a "DVD buy" in a few months, too.

Land of the Lost
Rating:
Reviewed by: Eric Alt

Directed by: Brad Silberling

The Skinny: Dr. Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell) believes in parallel dimensions despite what his colleagues, scientific facts, and Today host Matt Lauer say. He joins up with enthusiastic grad student Holly (Anna Friel) and redneck sideshow proprietor Will (Danny McBride) to unlock the secrets of a lost world.

The Good: There are more than a few good laughs, and the special effects retain the cheesy quality that made the original Sid and Marty Kroft show so endearing. Ferrell and McBride are solid, but neither is doing anything new here.

The Bad: Ultimately, this movie feels like a lot of effort for very little pay-off. The jokes are guffaw-worthy at times but kind of obvious and often repetitive (save a few decent surprises). LOTL ends up feeling like a really funny parody skit that keeps going well after its best ideas have been milked. And, again, Ferrell and McBride may as well just call all of their characters "Ferrell" and "McBride" because they've become interchangeable from movie to movie.

Are You Friel?: Anna Friel is a relatively new face to American audiences, but she's funny, sassy, and adorable and should, by right, pop up with more frequency.

Theater, DVD or TNT in Five Years: Despite its big screen bonanza aspirations, this will play just as well on DVD.