So it’s been a while since I’ve done this so it’s time to catch up with all the movies I’ve seen recently at the theatre, so here’s a massive General Consensus.

So here’s how this is going to work.  Since I want to create an average score for the film (like my own blogosphere only version of RT or IMDB) I will only count reviews that have a rating.  If your rating is letter graded then I will convert it using High School style grades (i.e. A = 9/10, B = 8/10, C = 7/10, D = 5/10, F = 3/10).  I’ll definitely mention other, non-scaled reviews, but they won’t be calculated into the overall General Consensus.

Going the Distance

Director: Nanette Burstein

Written by: Geoff LaTulippe

Starring: Justin Long, Drew Barrymore, Charlie Day, Jason Sudekis, Christina Applegate & Jim Gaffigan

Reviews

Sure, there are funny scenes, including one that’s flat-out genius (it involves a table), and humorous incidents, and clever bits of dialogue. Far more lines fall flat, however, and Justin Long is too plain to generate electricity on his own. Whenever he’s on screen, your eyes inevitably dart to the other players – Peter Martin from Cinematical. Grade: N/A

Don’t fret, though. It’s not all tears and tissues, as a hearty amount of raunch runs throughout, courtesy (more often than not) of Garrett’s best buds, Dan (Charlie Day) and Box (Jason Sudeikis). All characters get a little carried away with the f-bombs, employing the expletive with the frequency of a giddy teen eager to give it a spin, but discussions about masturbation euphemisms and oral sex earn laughs out of their honesty, not necessarily their vulgarity. And the supporting cast is nicely rounded out by the likes of Christina Applegate (as Erin’s big sis), Jim Gaffigan (her husband), and comedians Kristen Schaal and Mike Birbiglia in too-fleeting appearances. – William Goss from eFilmCritic. Grade: 10/10

The one, main issue with the film, one we notice right off the bat, is in the execution. Being a documentary film maker, Burstein has a problem letting go of the hand-held or grainy digital nature techniques she has come to embrace. Unfortunately, she doesn’t choose between that and the smooth technique of modern, Hollywood film-making. The film ends up bouncing back and forth between techniques, giving us a little grit and grime when it should probably stay focused on the slickness the narrative calls for. One scene in particular has Erin and Garrett eating at an outside restaurant, and the grain put in place is so jarring, we have a tough time focusing on the comedy that is attempting to ensue. – Jeremy Kirk from FirstShowing.net. Grade: 7.5/10

Erin and Garrett, despite being movie characters, are also aware of these problems. They grapple with them clumsily, humorously, and with a lot of trial and error, as do real people. Their interaction is neither too cute nor too angst-ridden. They aren’t one-dimensional rom-com characters (He’s afraid of commitment! She’s a career-driven shrew!), nor are they overly quirky. – Eric D. Snider. Grade: B+ (8.5/10)

As great as Barrymore and Long are in this movie what really stands out is the remarkable supporting cast.  From Charlie Day to Christina Applegate everyone gets a chance to shine.  Garrett lives with his best friend, Dan (Charlie Day), who is one of the funniest sidekicks that I’ve seen in a while.  Dan even shines even more when he’s together with Garrett’s other best friend who he works with, Box (Jason Sudekis), who plays the other friend who has this ridiculous 70s moustache that I wish I could sport. – Andrew from gmanReviews. Grade: 7.0/10

Avg. Score: 8.3/10

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Director: Edgar Wright

Written by: Michael Bacall, Edgar Wright & Bryan Lee O’Malley

Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman, Kieran Culkin, Brandon Routh & Chris Evans

Reviews

This is what Edgar Wright does, apparently. He takes the tired, cliched conventions (if not genres altogether) of film, turns them on their head, gives them a makeover, holds a mirror up to them – call it whatever you want, he makes them better. – Fletch from Blog Cabins. Grade: N/A

Without rooting for anyone, it has hard to get engaged in the film although there were lots of great comedic
moments, interesting visuals & editing and a great ensemble cast. In particular, Kieran Culkin is fantastic as Scott’s gay roommate Wallace, and he’s repeatedly introduced as his “gay roommate Wallace”, Anna Kendrick was solid as Scott’s sister Stacey and Chris Evans was hilarious and absolutely perfectly cast as one of the evil exes. Shannon from Movie Moxie. Grade: N/A

The best part about Scott Pilgrim (for me at least) is that it’s exactly like the comics, complete with the little identification black boxes, video game and comic references galore, and no explanations for anything. That’s not a bad thing either, there is no explanation for Ramona’s weird “subspace” scenes in the books, so why do we need one in the movie? – from Alex Billington from Firstshowing.net. Grade: N/A

Stylistically and tonally, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD is electrically on-point and endlessly entertaining. It’s layered with callbacks to both Bryan Lee O’Malley’s books and Edgar Wright’s own clever and particular brand of filmmaking. – Kate Erbland from GATW. Grade: 7.0/10

This film is the movie that Michael Cera has been waiting for.  While he remains a pretty awkward character throughout the movie, unlike every other movie that he’s starred in for the last decade in this case he’s actually a confident (most of the time) awkward character that accepts his awkwardness.  Also, he kicks some serious ass. – Andrew from gmanReviews. Grade: 8.5/10

But the wonderful thing about this movie that literally had me smiling and laughing for two hours straight is that it’s not exactly grounded in reality and it takes so much pleasure in breaking down that fourth wall like it was never even there. It’s like watching a live-action comic book where finishing blows are accompanied by a giant on-screen “K.O.” and the sound of someone reaching an epiphany is the same ditty Link finds when he opens a treasure chest, and it’s like discovering raw awesome in its purest, most undiscovered form. – Aiden Redmond from FlickSided. Grade: 10/10

The technicolor dream world is invaded by top notch fight choreography that sees the stakes and the high kicks sufficiently raised with each new battle. The fireballs and psychic blasts aren’t explained, and they don’t have to be – it all mirrors the same feeling we have when we find our dream girl or guy. The world becomes a bit more animated, and for Scott Pilgrim, a life of slackerdom manifests that animation in video game and comic book form. – Cole Abaius from Film School Rejects. Grade: B+ (8.5/10)

While I can’t argue against the idea that Michael Cera is (again) simply playing the same character that he always has, his style of comedy is perfect for this type of movie, and I’m not sure if there would’ve been too many other young actors who could have pulled this off. – Red from Anomalous Material. Grade: A- (8.5/10)

Avg. Score: 8.5/10

The Other Guys

Directed by: Adam McKay

Written by: Adam McKay & Chris Henchy

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Eva Mendes, Steve Coogan, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson & Michale Keaton

Reviews

Adam McKay comes with another brilliant hit, after having previously done Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers andAnchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and he doesn’t seem to have any signs of slowing down. – Andrew from gmanReviews. Grade: 8.5/10

It really is kind of boring watching the story go toward its obvious end, and as is the case with lots of comedies gone awry, The Other Guys runs out of ideas before it runs out of time, so it works way too hard trying to manufacture laughs, which can be brutal business. – from GetTheBigPicture. Grade: 4.0/10

The easiest comparison is to call The Others Guys the American answer to Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz. This isn’t to say I’m comparing the two since they are drastically different in terms of their execution, but McKay shows a solid ability to interject moments of silliness, such as a late night rendezvous between Allen and his wife’s mother, as well as a satisfying satirical look at not only the buddy cop films of the ’80s — although they were an obvious inspiration — but pretty much all guns-blazing action films of late. – Brad Brevet from Rope of Silicon. Grade: B+ (8.5/10)

McKay has a knack for following around people with sprinkles of cruelness. While you don’t come away exactly “loving” Brennan and Dale in Step Brothers, you still marvel at how mean and fun they are. Allen and Terry aren’t on that level of insanity, but it’s refreshing to see a duo that generally seems to despise each other for most of the film’s running time. – from The Film Stage. Grade: 8.0/10

The supporting cast is just as successful at extracting laughs from your gullet and add to the non-stop barrage of chuckles. Coogan is joined by Eva Mendes, Rob Huebel, Rob Riggle, Damon Wayans Jr., Dwayne Johnson, Samuel Jackson, and Michael Keaton. Even Ice-T gets to be a funny man via some sharply written narration. – Rob Hunter from Film School Rejects. Grade: B+ (8.5/10)

Ferrell and Wahlberg are funny together, with a natural rapport that plays up Hoitz’s dislike for Gamble without getting too mean; above all, this is a light, silly film. Michael Keaton, in an increasingly rare funny live-action performance, shines as the guys’ blustery captain, fitting right in with the Ferrell/McKay sensibility. – Eric D Snider.  Grade: B (8.0/10)

Like all of McKay’s movies, The Other Guys isn’t really about the plot.  The plot is simply the tree to hang as many jokes on as possible.  There’s a lot of Ferrell’s “screaming/stating-the-obvious” humor that’s become that actor’s trademark, but somehow it still manages to work. – Matt Goldberg from Collider. Grade: B (8.0/10)

Avg. Score: 7.6/10