The Cinema For 8/6/10: The Surprise Of The Summer

Indeed so, as "The Other Guys" produces an unexpected tweet for the masses, and is certainly Will Ferrell's best effort in several years.

Him and Mark Wahlberg show fine and fun chemistry, and Adam McKay directs this movie away from the usual run of the mill crap that permeates our movie comedy culture now.

The Roeper man says Kevin Smith should take notes on how to make a fun cop buddy film:

It's a smart perspective, focusing on the low end hapless guys on the force instead of the headliners. And as the astute James Berardinelli says, McKay is able to get the best out of Ferrell:

It's like a Batman movie that tracks one of Commissioner Gordon's underlings. Also, the filmmakers don't overplay their hand. Once they have milked the idea for maximum comedic value, they switch up things. As with many action-comedies, this one expends a little too much running time on narrative and the comedic momentum flags during the final half hour as the more traditional action elements heat up en route to a finale. Still, The Other Guys is funnier and more energetic than anything Ferrell has produced in quite some time.

Another notable premiere this week is "Step Up 3-D", a continuation of the first movie even without it stars.

Hopefully you aren't a nutcase and expect something other than quality dancing and amazing visuals, as Step Up uses the 3-D in movies arguably better than anything else from a crap plot, as the crew of Spill indicates in yet another classic review that only they can day.

And finally, Middle Men, the third major release this week, has a good story that suffers under a poor script from it.

The solid Liz Weisman of New York Daily News:

Gallo has the start of a good story here, but he can't find an original way to explore it. So Wilson narrates incessantly, telling us about crucial events and details that we should see for ourselves.

We hear about the seductive decadence, but Gallo never figures out how to capture it. It doesn't help that none of the leads finds a comfortable equilibrium. Wilson, for example, is always too calm and remote, Ribisi always too volatile and irritating.

And that's The Cinema for this week, take care folks.

FIN.