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trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm
Posts: 19697
Location: ville-marie
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 Tower Heist Tower Heist Quote: Tower Heist is a 2011 crime comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson based on a story by Bill Collage, Adam Cooper, and Griffin. It was released on November 2, 2011 in the United Kingdom, with a United States release following two days later. Tower Heist follows Josh (Ben Stiller), Charlie (Casey Affleck), Dev'reaux (Michael Peña), and Odessa (Gabourey Sidibe), employees of an exclusive apartment building who lose their pensions in the Ponzi scheme of Wall Street businessman Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda). The group enlist the aid of criminal Slide (Eddie Murphy) and bankrupt businessman Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick) to break into Shaw's apartment and steal back their money while avoiding the special agent in charge of his case, Claire Denham (Téa Leoni).
Tower Heist began development as early as 2005 based on an idea by Murphy that would star himself and an all-black cast of comedians as a heist group who rob Trump Plaza. As the script developed and changed into an Ocean's Eleven-style caper, Murphy left the project. Ratner continued to develop the idea into what would eventually become Tower Heist, with Murphy later rejoining the production.
Prior to release, the film was involved in a controversy over plans by Universal to release it for home viewing on video on demand to 500,000 Comcast customers, only three weeks after its theatrical debut. Concern over the implementation harming ticket sales and inspiring further films to follow suit resulted in several theater chains refusing to show the film at all if the plan went ahead, forcing Universal to abandon the idea.
_________________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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| Fri Nov 04, 2011 12:50 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: Tower Heist _________________   1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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| Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:32 am |
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STEVE ROGERS
The Greatest Avenger EVER
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2004 4:02 am
Posts: 18501
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Re: Tower Heist I read your review and I've come to the conclusion that you like many other cinephiles have this knee jerk reaction to Ratner for no other reason other than it bothers you deep down that pretty much every movie he's made has been quite successful and this one will not be any different.. By the way, why do you have to post your reviews in a special article instead of just posting it in the forum like everyone else???
_________________http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dmXF3CE04A This kills TDKR At the box office next summer.. Get used to this
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| Sat Nov 05, 2011 6:07 am |
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Mister Ecks
New Server, Same X
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:07 pm
Posts: 28293
Location: ... siiiigh...
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Re: Tower Heist STEVE ROGERS wrote: I read your review and I've come to the conclusion that you like many other cinephiles have this knee jerk reaction to Ratner for no other reason other than it bothers you deep down that pretty much every movie he's made has been quite successful and this one will not be any different.. By the way, why do you have to post your reviews in a special article instead of just posting it in the forum like everyone else??? Because he writes reviews for the main site and would like people to go there to read them. You know there is a main site that goes with this forum, right?
_________________
Ecks Factor: Cancelled too soon
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| Sat Nov 05, 2011 7:57 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: Tower Heist I haven't read David's reviews since he stopped posting them in the forum.
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| Sat Nov 05, 2011 9:38 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: Tower Heist I have nothing against Ratner, lol. Red Dragon is a very solid, entertaining movie. I own The Family Man and watch it every holiday season. I enjoy the first two Rush Hours as far as they go.
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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| Sat Nov 05, 2011 10:02 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: Tower Heist Serious question about a stupid movie: How did Stiller and co. fool the FBI into believing the court date was Thanksgiving? Did they even bother trying to give a silly, quick explanation for this?
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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| Sat Nov 05, 2011 12:06 pm |
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_axiom
The Wall
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:50 am
Posts: 16163
Location: Croatia
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Re: Tower Heist 4/10 -> D
Very unfunny. Which was a surprise considering it lacks the usual Sandler overacting, which by default makes a movie at least ten times better.
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| Sun Jan 08, 2012 2:50 pm |
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Crux
Indiana Jones IV
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2010 11:28 pm
Posts: 1589
Location: Pittsburgh
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Re: Tower Heist I give it a B. Don't hate. Also, I paid $1.50 for the ticket......so yeah.
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| Sun Jan 08, 2012 6:41 pm |
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am
Posts: 34865
Location: Maryland
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Re: Tower Heist be.redy wrote: 4/10 -> D
Very unfunny. Which was a surprise considering it lacks the usual Sandler overacting, which by default makes a movie at least ten times better. Sandler? _________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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| Sun Jan 08, 2012 6:42 pm |
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Crux
Indiana Jones IV
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2010 11:28 pm
Posts: 1589
Location: Pittsburgh
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Re: Tower Heist Stiller?
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| Sun Jan 08, 2012 8:42 pm |
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_axiom
The Wall
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:50 am
Posts: 16163
Location: Croatia
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Re: Tower Heist Typo. Same shit though.
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| Mon Jan 09, 2012 8:49 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: Tower Heist David wrote: be.redy wrote: 4/10 -> D
Very unfunny. Which was a surprise considering it lacks the usual Sandler overacting, which by default makes a movie at least ten times better. Sandler? Holy nitpicking, Batman - - be.redy's statement is 100% correct.
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| Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:56 am |
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Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm
Posts: 67043
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Re: Tower Heist Tower Heist
It's an hour and 40 minutes of fun, light entertainment. I like these types of movies where you can just sit back and relax, have a day dream if you want to, resume the action and you've missed nothing. It is what it is and I appreciate that, but for two actors that are supposedly comedians, Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, when did they stop being funny? or were they ever funny? It's weird. I didn't laugh once, and that got me thinking, I've never laughed at Eddie Murphy, and the last time I laughed at a Ben Stiller movie was 9 years ago with Meet the Fockers. Casey Affleck had a few lines that made my lip move slightly. That's kind of all this movie can elicit from their audience because there are just no laughs. It's a heist movie for kids really, not a comedy.
I guessed all of the twists and turns (and the plot of the film) in the first 25 minutes. It was remarkably easy. It was all a bit safe and American, I guess. Yanks aren't typically very funny, and this film reflected that. Eddie Murphy is still trying to make people laugh by doing the same routine that didn't really work all that well 30 years ago. Ben Stiller is still being nice, little, sensible, honourable Mr. Awkward, and that's not working either. I wonder if when he's older he'll look back on his career with pride or will he just be forgotten as most US comedians are. Broderick was pretty useless in this too, but he's quite a likeable chap so he's forgiveable. Tea Leoni was forgettable. Alan Alda was probably the best one in it, but his lines weren't crisp enough for his character to warrant being hated or liked, he was just kind of lame.
There were also plotholes in this. I don't understand how they got the car onto the roof and into the swimming pool or how they changed the court date to Thanksgiving without the FBI knowing. One thing I did like, though, was how they made the black guy be the one with experience in theft. Art imitates life. The film is essentially saying that you can never trust a brotha' because he also attempts to double-cross them. At the very start when Stiller walks passed Murphy on the street and Murphy is giving him some schtick, Stiller says "same jokes as yesterday", which pretty much sums up this movie (and I believe it was a sly nod to Eddie Murphy's career of late).
C+
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| Sat Jan 05, 2013 4:23 am |
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Thegun
On autopilot for the summer
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:14 pm
Posts: 21641
Location: Walking around somewhere
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Re: Tower Heist Who do you fine funny Algren?
This film is light and overall fun. Welcome return to Eddie Murphy if only in a PG13 supported role. It reminds that he can still do, but come on already and do something hard again. Biggest surprise was Broderick, he hasn't been this good since Election. He was hilarious. Stiller was Stiller, the plot was for the most part believable that you would expect from working class guys trying to pull off a robbery. I think the ending needed more though, it reminds me a lot of another Ratner film, After the Sunset. Great cast, overall entertaining, but not a lot afterwards. Takes no chances, but you have a good time while watching it.
B+
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| Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:03 pm |
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Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm
Posts: 67043
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Re: Tower Heist Thegun wrote: Who do you find funny Algren? Ricky Gervais, Steve Coogan, Robert Webb, David Mitchell, Jack Dee, Jim Carrey, Steve Martin, Stephen Merchant. And you? _________________STOP UIGHUR GENOCIDE IN XINJIANG
FIGHT FOR TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE
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| Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:03 am |
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