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Nebs
Joined: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:01 pm Posts: 6385
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Hamlet 2
Hamlet 2Quote: Hamlet 2 is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Andrew Fleming, written by Fleming and Pam Brady, and starring Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, Amy Poehler, and David Arquette. It was produced by Eric Eisner, Leonid Rozhetskin, and Aaron Ryder. Hamlet 2 was filmed primarily at a high school in New Mexico from September 2007 to October 2007. The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Focus Features. The film had a limited release on August 22, 2008, followed by a wide release on August 27. Its UK release was originally scheduled for December 28, 2008, postponed until February 27, 2009, and eventually cancelled.
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Thu Aug 28, 2008 3:33 am |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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Re: Hamlet 2
Heh.
"Life is a parody of a tragedy."
This is the bestest darn movie I've seen in ages!
This is the work of demented genius Andrew Fleming - - and it's not his first ropin' @ the rodeo - - nope! - - he did a fine job on two other movies I've seen. First is the ridiculously under-rated recent Nancy Drew - - check it out - - it's way better than it deserves to be! And then there's 1999's Dick, which put a wicked spin on history with Interview With The Vampire's Kirsten Dunst, Brokeback Mountain's Michelle Williams, and classic weirdo Dan Hedaya, not to mention Will Ferrell in an early big screen role as journalist Bob Woodward.
Hamlet 2 is simply brilliant.
How else could one explain the plot device of having Hamlet using a time machine, with the help of Jesus, to go back pnto the past to knock the cup of poison from Ophelia's hand, and then embrace the newly christened bisexual Laertes?
How?!?!?
As good as this year has already been - - with gold-plated classics such as Vanishing Point, Man On Wire, 10,000 BC, WALL-E, and Kenny - - I've got to give Hamlet 2 my nod as frontrunner for best picture of 2008! It'll never win the Oscar®, but it's surely a lock for one of this year's five nominees for a Bradley®!!!!
88 out of 5.
{In the same way they adapted the stage version of Mamma Mia to film, I can't wait to see the inverse in the Broadway adaptation of Hamlet 2 from this film. And I hope the director is just as strict about using the original cast...}
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Thu Aug 28, 2008 6:46 am |
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Nebs
Joined: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:01 pm Posts: 6385
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Re: Hamlet 2
We really should have Bradleys. For one, I'd actually follow the ceremony.
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Thu Aug 28, 2008 3:36 pm |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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Re: Hamlet 2
Nebs wrote: We really should have Bradleys. For one, I'd actually follow the ceremony.
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Thu Aug 28, 2008 4:12 pm |
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jmovies
Let's Call It A Bromance
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:22 pm Posts: 12333
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Re: Hamlet 2
This film to me didn't live up as much to its hype. Steve Coogan did alright in his role and the kids were pretty good. However, the film kind of drags in the middle but that is all forgotten in a very fun last 20 minutes. Overall, its a nice little comedy that could of been funnier.
B
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Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:04 pm |
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The Mr Pink
What would Jesus *not* do?
Joined: Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:55 am Posts: 829 Location: Going Up the Down Escalator
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Re: Hamlet 2
I wanted to like this more than I actually did. It just felt like they went into this with a great concept and didn't really know how to execute it once they got started. Coogan was hit and miss, at times seeming to be lost, Keener was under used, while Arquette has never been used better. The last twenty minutes save the movie but in the end it was to little to late.
Grade C
_________________ Top ten of 2008, Updated!
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Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:54 pm |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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Re: Hamlet 2
The Mr Pink wrote: Arquette has never been used better. True dat!
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Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:04 am |
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Viper Rodgers
Leader of the Pack
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 3:35 am Posts: 1526 Location: A better place
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Re: Hamlet 2
http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/08/26/pseudo-sequel-fails-to-match-hype/My official review. I am very surprised Bradley... Usually you and I think exactly the same when it comes to comedies... But I hardly laughed in this, so i won't personally call it a comedy : )
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Fri Aug 29, 2008 3:10 am |
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Johnny Dollar
The Lubitsch Touch
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2005 5:48 pm Posts: 11019
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Re: Hamlet 2
There are laughs. Absolutely. But they needed to take a few more passes at this script. In fact, the whole enterprise seemed rushed. And poor Steve Coogan misfires here; there's no consistency to his work and it almost seems like he's playing different characters from scene to scene.
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Fri Aug 29, 2008 3:38 am |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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Re: Hamlet 2
Sorry to hear that, Viperdude. But then again, such is the nature of comedy - - if it don't make ya laugh, it evaporates before your eyes. As I mentioned above in my review, it worked great for me - - but perhaps in the case of this film it has to do with the differences in a viewer's life experiences. I think it's aimed squarely at those who have been involved in a high level creative group activity (eg: teaching, filmmaking, grad school, marketing, etc.) and at those who've experienced the death and rebirth of career optimism. Beyond the overall comedy that clearly didn't work for you, I was especially sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the David Arquette joke... Viperman wrote: During the opening of the film, the narrator poetically states, "To act is to live." Honestly, it is dumbfounding to think how the rest of the "Hamlet 2" cast can make a living off of their acting. With its highly touted supporting cast, including David Arquette and Elizabeth Shue, one would think that at least one of them would give a memorable performance. Sadly, this is not the case. Arquette's character instantly goes down as one of the most useless and retarded performances in history. His biggest moment in the film comes when he talks about how sunny it is outside. That is exactly the joke! Oh well, there's still four months left in 2008 - - let's hope we find yet another in the string of comedies which we both find hilarious!
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Fri Aug 29, 2008 9:15 am |
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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Re: Hamlet 2
Funniest movie of the year (to date). Steve Coogan was brilliant.
A
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Fri Aug 29, 2008 12:03 pm |
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Viper Rodgers
Leader of the Pack
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 3:35 am Posts: 1526 Location: A better place
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Re: Hamlet 2
Bradley Witherberry wrote: [Beyond the overall comedy that clearly didn't work for you, I was especially sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the David Arquette joke...
You know, i usually love those kinda cameos where actors/actresses really dumb down to make fun of themselves... This one just didn't click with me at all. I guess a lot had to do with the rest of the movie not working with me, so i just didn't even give him a chance. But yeah, i agree, like Hamlet 2, Sideways, etc... they should only work for you if you can connect with them on some level. Thanks once again for the great insight and understanding Bradley!
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Fri Aug 29, 2008 5:26 pm |
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MovieGeek
Grill
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 6:38 pm Posts: 3682 Location: Here
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Re: Hamlet 2
Hilarious! Oh man there were 3 separate scenes where I could not stop laughing then I thought about them a minute later and laughed even harder! So great. Might actually rival Tropic Thunder.
"It feels like I just got raped..... In the face!" "YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!! FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!" "That is excellent wirework!"
9/10
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Fri Aug 29, 2008 7:33 pm |
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thompsoncory
Rachel McAdams Fan
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:13 am Posts: 14544 Location: LA / NYC
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Re: Hamlet 2
A mixed bag. I was expecting pretty much non-stop laughs and what I got was nothing more than a mildly amusing comedy. I loved some sequences and thought Steve Coogan was solid, but the rest of the cast was totally underused. I don't think they did enough with the great concept they had, as it could have definitely been a much better film if some work was done to it. B-
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:17 pm |
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Shack
Devil's Advocate
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am Posts: 37886
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Re: Hamlet 2
Yeah, it's great. I loved Coogan so much here. The scene after drama gets cut Keener was also awesome, after this and the 40YOV, I'm hoping to see her in more comedies, she's awesome. Arquette's role was perfect, and the cameos, including Rick Fox and Amy Poehler, worked (the only one I thought didn't work was Elisabeth Shue... she was just kind of there). I also liked the use of the narration and score, particularly near the beginning. And the opening clips succeeded where Tropic Thunder failed, in the sense that they actually felt legit, as opposed to in on the joke. One thing I liked is that it walked such a fine line when parodying some of the stuff in movies like this, like the "kids get the teacher back on his feet" device or Keener leaving him. It's not too much of a farce that the characters don't feel real, and it doesn't fall into the sentimental cliche trap itself, it maintains its comic nature. You could make a case the entire movie walks that line, actually. It's a line that most of the great mockumentaries, including Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman, walked as well, though I don't think this film should be lumped in with those that much, H2 still feels like a movie and knows it does. yoshue wrote: And poor Steve Coogan misfires here; there's no consistency to his work and it almost seems like he's playing different characters from scene to scene. That was the point! 4.5/5
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Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:00 pm |
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trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
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Re: Hamlet 2
I laughed a lot, but, more importantly, I laughed with the film, instead of at it. This is the same kind of irreverent humour that Hot Rod did so well, and it's fit into a perfectly crafted satirical plotline. It's not only a spoof of the 'inspirational teacher' story - it's a mockery of it. It's a kind of meta-parody, in that Coogan is aware of all of the movies and continually attempts to make his story into one of them, and it works rather brilliantly.
Of course, it's also got some terrific bursts of creativity, like David Arquette's role, or Elisabeth Shue playing herself, or the entire play at the end. And the whole thing is played ultra-straight - from the music choices to the aesthetics - which makes it even funnier.
It's the rare comedy that combines off-the-wall humour with a genuine storyline, and it does it superbly. One of my favourite comedies of the year.
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
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Sat Dec 27, 2008 1:49 pm |
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Magic Mike
Wallflower
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:53 am Posts: 34875 Location: Minnesota
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Re: Hamlet 2
It was good, but disappointing. The finale is great though.
7/10 (B-)
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Sun Dec 28, 2008 3:58 am |
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billybobwashere
He didn't look busy?!
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 3:59 pm Posts: 4308
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Re: Hamlet 2
weird as hell, but successful enough to work. A slow start is made up for by a great finale. The songs were the best parts.
B
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Sun Dec 28, 2008 5:55 am |
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Mr. Lobotomy
Well I'm not stoned, I'm just fucked up - I got so high I can't stand up
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:21 am Posts: 993
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Re: Hamlet 2
After just average WOM, I wasn't expecting all that much. But to my surprise it was hilarious. Amy Poehler's cameo was amazing! She was just so damn funny. By far the best part of the film was the script, just so many great lines. This really is a film worth seeing, Rock Me Sexy Jesus was also very good. I've heard some say it should win the Oscar for best song, ehh, I don't think so but I would like to see it get a nom. The acting isn't the best in the movie, no one stands out as bad but I wasn't all that impressed outside of Coogan and Poehler of course.
B+
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Mon Dec 29, 2008 3:20 am |
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Groucho
Extraordinary
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:30 pm Posts: 12096 Location: Stroudsburg, PA
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Re: Hamlet 2
Lots of fun. No masterpiece but certainly worth a B grade.
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Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:45 pm |
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jmovies
Let's Call It A Bromance
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:22 pm Posts: 12333
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Re: Hamlet 2
I gave this a B?
After a re-watch this gets like a C-. It really drags. The last fifteen minutes are really the only good part.
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Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:08 pm |
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