Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011)

Let me start by saying I have not seen either of the first two documentaries in the Paradise Lost series. Luckily, a good portion of this film is focused on the past history of the West Memphis 3.

In 1994, teenagers Damien Echols, James Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were convicted of killing three younger boys in a wooded area of Arkansas. Echols was sentenced to death and the other two were given life sentences. In the first Paradise Lost, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky notice some inconsistencies with the evidence presented at the trial. That movie helps get the attention of the national media and celebrities and the conspiracy theories start up. This film picks up 15 years after the conviction. The focus shifts to how views have changed about their guilt/innocence. John Mark Byers, the father of one of the victims, makes the strongest case. In the first two films, he strongly believed the WM3 should be punished for their "devilish" ways. But now, he feels they are completely innocent and the focus should shift to Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of another victim. The court proceedings keep going at a snails pace for the WM3 when, all of the sudden, they're able to walk out of prison using a unique plea deal. Maybe Paradise Lost 4 will focus on their lives after prison.

This was a very informative film and I was definitely glad I randomly caught it on HBO one night. While the filmmakers agenda is clear, Berlinger and Sinofsky made sure they covered every angle possible. From Echols to Byers to Hobbs to the Dixie Chicks, every opinion matters and every side of the story needs to be told. The movie, for the most part, took its time with the bevy of information it had to give to the audience. But the ending was rushed together, and understandably so. Filming had basically ended when the WM3 were suddenly released in August 2011, so the release had to be pushed back. It's absolutely not the best documentary I've seen this year, but I did find it informative and enjoyable. Grade: B

The Guard (2011)

Let me start out by saying I loved In Bruges. A terrifically dark film and one of my favorite comedies of the past five years. It also starred Brendan Gleeson and was directed by Martin McDonagh, whose brother John Michael directed The Guard. The similarities don't just end there.

Gerry Boyle (Gleeson) is an unorthodox small-town Irish police officer. He wants to be Dirty Harry and loves hookers. One day, Boyle and his new partner come across a dead man in a rural home. A few days later, his department is treated to a visit from FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle). He explains to Boyle and the other cops that the FBI is tracking a drug shipment to a nearby port. Turns out, the dead man Boyle found was involved in the trafficking. Soon after that, Boyle's brash, young partner goes missing and his wife is constantly at Boyle's side trying to find out why. Now, this unlikely duo must partner up to try and find these dangerous criminals who weren't thought to be in the country for some time.

This movie was made for dark humor aficionados. I'm not going to say it's as good as In Bruges, but it's definitely funny. Brendan Gleeson has a quick wit about him and his chemistry with Don Cheadle makes this a very enjoyable film. Thrown in Mark Strong, who is good in everything, as one of the drug traffickers and that makes it all the better. The Guard did get a few points knocked off for the ending. It's not that it didn't make sense or that it wasn't satisfying, it was just poorly put together. The whole sequence felt more rushed than it should have. That said, I'd still recommend this to anyone who loves a good dark comedy. Grade: B

Bridesmaids (2011)

While this movie didn't totally live up to all the hype surrounding it, Bridesmaids was still a funny movie in the vain of most Judd Apatow flicks. Except this time the characters were girls.

Thirtysomething Annie (Kristin Wiig) is at a crossroads in her life. Her business has recently shut down, she has a menial service job, her roommates are utterly ridiculous and her relationship status is virtually nonexistent. To make matters worse, her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is getting married and she's asked Annie to be her maid of honor. Of course Annie excepts the offer, but she soon finds out she's in over her head. On top of all that, Annie has to deal with fellow bridesmaid Helen (Rose Byrne). Helen is Lillian's fiance's boss's wife, so naturally she wants to fit in. Helen is constantly trying to usurp Annie's maid of honor role and Annie is slowly but surely starting to crack under the pressure. Her mother, her quasi-boyfriend and the rest of the bridesmaids are no help. What Annie's going to do to get out of her rut is anyone's guess.

One element that did live up to the hype was Melissa McCarthy. She was absolutely hysterical as one of the other bridesmaids. While Ellie Kemper and Wendi McLendon-Covey did well in their roles, the only one who made me eagerly wait for her next line was McCarthy. All that said, there were still problems with this movie. I really could've done without the needlessly ridiculous British roommates and while I appreciate all of the improvisation, some of it dragged on for no reason other than to show the audience "Hey, they're comedians." I liked this movie, but definitely not enough to call it the best comedy of 2011 as most critics have noted. Grade: B+

Young Adult (2011)

Dark comedies are some of my favorites movies, but this one got a little darker than it probably should have. On the other hand, the drama in Young Adult felt like it came from a real place. Fortunately, the good slightly outweighed the bad.

Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is a professional ghost writer. She helped author a once-popular series of teen literature that dealt with drama in a small town. On a whim, this 30-something decides to leave the bright lights of Minneapolis and head to her hometown in an attempt to get her high school sweetheart once again. Problem is, Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson) is a happily married man. Mavis doesn't care. All she cares about is getting Buddy back. While back in town, she runs into another old classmate. Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt) now needs the help of a crutch after being savagely beaten while in high school. Both of them form this odd friendship that revolves around their past lives. Mavis can't shake the adolescence and downright bitchiness she had in high school, while Matt will forever be labeled as the town cripple. In the end, they can only go so far out of their comfort zone to get past their hangups.

Theron gives a great performance, but that's to be expected of her. The real star of the movie was Patton Oswalt. His subtle bravado and intensity shine through in certain scenes and it's really terrific to see. Patrick Wilson, who I'm normally not that fond of, does a good job at playing flabbergasted. My problems with the movie involved certain aspects of the plot. Certain scenes and certain characters just seemed contrived, or even unnecessary. But those didn't happen often enough to throw me off. Jason Reitman directs another good movie, but this one may be his most polarizing. Grade: B

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

Brace yourselves: I'm about to give a positive review to a Matthew McConaughey movie. Correction, a Matthew McConaughey drama. I know, I'm as shocked as you are.

Defense attorney Mickey Haller (McConaughey) rolls around Los Angeles County arguing for common criminals who wouldn't get the time of day from other lawyers. His work was easy until he lands a case representing a Beverly Hills playboy named Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe). He is accused of practically beating a prostitute to death. Haller thinks Roulet is innocent and begins working on evidence with his investigator. They soon begin to notice holes in Roulet's story and start to dig a little deeper. The case soon begins to bear a striking resemblance to a case he had years earlier that sent a man to jail. But as they go further and further into the old case, Roulet starts becoming suspicious that his lawyer is working against him. He's a lot more dangerous than he looks, but he's still exuding innocence in this particular case. Now, Haller has to find a way around attorney-client privilege and protect himself from a case he no longer wants to take part in.

McConaughey was fine in this role. He's not really a good actor, but this role worked well for him. It was Phillippe that surprised me more. I've never really been a fan of his, but his character was a person I wouldn't want to cross in my life. The supporting cast of Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy and Frances Fisher were all terrific, yet they should have gotten more screen time. My one real gripe was the ending of the movie, which was satisfying but predictable. Fans of a good legal drama with a dash of crime thriller thrown in will like this movie. Grade: B+

RED (2010)

I had a surprisingly fun time watching this movie. As a so-called geriatric spy movie, there was a lot of good action and humor to impress all moviegoers.

Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is a former CIA agent who is living a quiet retired life. Whenever he feels lonely, he calls a pension customer service agent named Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker). When an agency hit squad tries to kill Frank, he travels to Sarah in order to protect her. Now the two of them are on the run and quickly realize someone in the CIA wants to terminate all the members of Frank's old black ops team. They track down Joe, Marvin and Victoria (Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren), and require their assistance in facing the killers. Thus begins a battle involving rouge agents, Russians, torpedoes, and the Vice President of the United States.

There really isn't a whole lot of plot to go around in this film. It's very simple and very easy to follow. But it's also a hell of a lot of fun. Bruce Willis basically played the same role he's played in other action flicks, but just a little more aware of his age. Helen Mirren was great as the killer with impeccable poise. The MVP of the movie was John Malkovich. He played a former agent with a screw loose, and it played right into his wheel house. Action fans will enjoy this, as will comedy fans. All are invited to watch. Grade: B+

The Tillman Story (2010)

Pat Tillman was a great man, there's no bones about it but, at least according to this film, his legacy will never be completely told. This movie tries to share as much as it can.

Tillman was a standout football player at Arizona State University who was drafted into the NFL by the Arizona Cardinals. The California native received many accolades during his playing career. However, after the 9/11 attacks, Pat and his brother Kevin joined the Army to serve their country in bringing those responsible for the attacks to justice. While doing recognizance work in Afghanistan in 2004, Pat Tillman was killed in action. Initially determined by military officials to be an insurgent ambush, the Army eventually concluded that Tillman had died by friendly fire. That's when all hell broke loose. Pat's family did not accept that as a valid excuse for the coverup. Tillman's mother and father began an arduous journey to determine the truth and, more importantly, get government leaders to admit fault. Easier said than done.

As with all documentaries, The Tillman Story had a clear agenda it was trying to bring to light. But it worked very well here. The facts are stated in black and white and it's up to the viewer to take away what they can. The slight problem I had with this film is it didn't tell me a lot more than what I already knew. It's a commonly held belief the feds covered up the circumstances surrounding Tillman's death, but other than that, only the scenes actually in Afghanistan were new to me. I haven't seen all of last year's Oscar nominated documentaries, but this probably could have made the cut. Grade: B+

Tron: Legacy (2010)

Cards on the table, I have never seen the original Tron but I was told it wasn't entirely necessary. I'm glad because this movie was solid as is.

Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has been missing since 1989, leaving behind his young son and a multimillion dollar technology company. More than 20 years later, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) is out of his element and still affected by his father's disappearance. One day, he gets a page from his father's old arcade. When he investigates, he's subsequently sucked into the Grid the elder Flynn used to visit. It is there that Sam runs into Clu (also Bridges), a rogue Kevin Flynn-lookalike created by Flynn as a way to help the Grid become perfect. After being saved from Clu, Sam finally sees his dad after two decades. Kevin has been trapped in the Grid since 1989 by Clu, who has since led a "coup" to seize control. Kevin, Sam and Quorra (Olivia Wilde) must now find a way to escape the Grid without letting Clu reach the outside world. Such a move would be disastrous.

My star rating may be a bit high for the somewhat hollow plot, but the graphics and feel of the movie were pretty cool. I'm not a fan of 3D movies, but I think this was an ideal project for the technology. Also, the graphics used to make Bridges look 20-some years younger were really impressive. The mouth didn't exactly sync up, but the rest worked well. Garrett Hedlund did a great job recapturing his role as 2005's new "It" actor, and Jeff Bridges basically played The Dude trapped in an alternate universe. A solid movie with great graphics...nothing more, nothing less. Grade: B

Cedar Rapids (2011)

Ed Helms in a leading role doesn't exactly sound enticing, but he really pulled it off here. He was equal parts goofy, inept, sheltered and hilarious.

Naive insurance agent Tim Lippe (Helms) works for a small agency that has won the prestigious "Two Diamonds Award" three straight years at the annual conference in Cedar Rapids. When the company's top agent tragically dies (albeit in a hilarious manner), Lippe is thrust into the role and heads down for the event. This manboy has never been on a plane let alone to a "big" city like Cedar Rapids. He quickly finds he's out of his element. Lippe meets up with some other conventioneers including Dean Ziegler (John C. Reilly). Big Z is the partier of the group. He's the one Lippe's boss told him to avoid. Of course, that wasn't going to happen. On this one trip, Lippe gets beat up, laid, extorted and completely inebriated. All in good fun.

Helms really owned the movie. It was his to control and he never let up. I was very impressed because the trailer for this movie and the reviews just didn't add up. Helms, Reilly and the rest of the supporting cast worked real well together. The biggest surprise was Anne Heche. I've hated her in everything she's done, but she was funny and a great counterbalance in this. I haven't seen much this year, but this could rank as one of the best comedies released. Most should enjoy this movie. Grade: B+

Due Date (2010)

A basic road trip movie made by a director (Todd Phillips) who has a lot of experience making road trip movies. But this one was better than most because of the great performances by the two leads.

Peter (Robert Downey Jr.) is an uptight yuppie who arrives at the airport to make it home in time for his wife to give birth. He's casually making his way in when Ethan (Zach Galifianakis) runs into him...literally. Once they both are kicked off the plane for making "terrorist" threats, they have to embark on a car ride from Atlanta to L.A. in order to make it for the childbirth. Along the way, shit goes down. Car accidents, Western Union beatdowns, an appearance from Ray, and a dog. And Ethan just can get on Peter's good side. Every time he tries, it just doesn't work out. It eventually doesn't become a question of when they'll make it to California, but if they can even stay alive.

Zach Galifianakis is almost always funny, and Robert Downey Jr. is a great actor. These two actors together had a great rapport, but it wasn't a complete match. They definitely had their moments though. Ethan's going to L.A. to get on "Two and a Half Men," and his obsession is hilarious. He even has a superfan website that, yes, actually exists. RDJ's best quality in this is his ability to keep such a straight face in the midst of shenanigans. A good movie that's funnier than you think. Grade: B+

Megamind (2010)

A very funny comedy. I probably would've given this an Oscar nomination over How to Train Your Dragon. The quick wit was there for adults, and there's enough pop and flash for the kiddies.

Megamind (Will Ferrell) had a rough childhood after being sent to Earth when his planet explodes. Unfortunately for him, the same thing happens to Metro Man (Brad Pitt). Thus, a lifelong feud was born. Along with Minion (David Cross), Megamind comes up with another plan to try and stop Metro Man. He kidnaps Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey) for the umpteenth time and, what's that, he wins. Metro Man is defeated. Well, now what. His life starts to go on without meaning. He no longer has a battle. So, he needs to create one. But while that's going on, he's starting to fall for Roxanne. Maybe there's more to life than blowing ish up and running a muck. Let's just see if Roxanne has the same feelings toward him as he for her.

I found myself laughing a lot during this movie. The voice acting was very well done, especially between Ferrell and Cross. Honestly, I could have closed my eyes while they had a conversation and just pictured the two of them riffing. The movie probably could have been longer and the plot was relatively basic, but I had fun. One of the shining stars in a surprisingly dull year in animated film. Grade: B+

Jackass 3 (2010)

Was Jackass 3 the same old stuff just shot in 3D, and therefore better looking on Blu-Ray? Yes. Still funny? You bet. Nothing's ever going to top the first movie, but this was still good.

Based on the TV show, this is a movie about roughly 14 people whose plane crashed on a mysterious island that may or may not have supernatural.....wait, wrong show. This is about 9 idiots who are trying to top the pranks and stunts they did in the first two movies. Some are not for the squeamish, including the Toy Train Eruption, Sweat Suit Cocktail and Lamborghini Tooth Pull. All the favorites are there pulling them off. Johnny Knoxville, Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Wee Man, etc. And yes, April and Phil are backed as victims of a hilarious prank at the hands of Bam Margera. Not much else to explain.

Can't explain the plot too well because this isn't a stereotypical movie, but it is a stereotypical Jackass film. It doesn't really add any more or less to the "franchise." Personally, I enjoy the physical stunts as opposed to the gross-out ones because I'd actually consider doing some of the physical ones myself. My favorites were the Roller-skate Buffalo, Midgets in a Barfight and Duck Hunting. I'm not sure how many of these will go down among the best the crew has done, but it's still a fun movie. Grade: B

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

What a fun movie that I feel may be more enjoyable if you're an adult. The details in the plot were something I loved about the flick, but kids may have been lost in them. Still, they probably were just enthralled with the action.

Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) can't do anything right in his town of vikings. He's so small and rail-thin that he isn't able to help the rest of his village out whenever they are attacked by dragons, which happens pretty often. The fact that he isn't a big, bad viking disappoints his father, Stoick (Gerard Butler). By pure chance, he happens to capture a Night Fury dragon. Problem is, he can't bring himself to kill the beast. While tending to the Fury he's injured, he's trying to convince his friends and boss (Craig Ferguson) that he really is becoming a killing-machine. How long can a charade like that actually go on? Or better yet, will the animal tear everyone to shreds once Hiccup fixes its wing?

It's a very simple plot but it takes a few liberties with it. What I was very happy about with this movie was the pacing of it. Normally, kids animated movies rush through the plot when moving from point to point. This film took its time to get where it was going and I appreciated it. The main downfall, Baruchel. I think he's a funny actor, but voice-acting is not his strong suit. In the end, a pretty good movie deserving of an Oscar nod. Grade: B+

Winter's Bone (2010)

Seeing how I used to live in Missouri, I consider myself a bit of an expert on meth. Not really, but it was nice to see a movie filmed in the state. This was a very gritty movie that felt real.

Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) is 17-years-old and she is in charge of her family. Her two younger siblings are too young to fend for themselves, her father is a drug-maker who may or may not be dead and her mother was driven crazy by the things her husband had done. One day, police notify her that her father is wanted for a court date and needs to show up. If he doesn't, the family will lose their house because he put it up as collateral for bail. When he doesn't show, a bail collector says they have one week to find him, dead or alive. Ree starts wondering through the seedy meth underbelly of Missouri to try and find her father. Along the way, she is helped by her uncle Teardrop (John Hawkes). They try to talk their way to the top of the heap in meth dealing to see looking for answers. Between the threats and the beatings and the guns, Ree will not be deterred in her quest to save the family house.

I liked this movie. I was surprised by how real it felt, despite it dragging a bit at parts. Jennifer Lawrence was great in her role, but the real star of the movie was John Hawkes. He was absolutely fantastic, making Teardrop one person you would never want to cross in your life. The use of real Missouri-folk as actors helped give the film a sense of realism. It won't win Best Picture, and maybe it was a stretch for it to be nominated, but it says a lot about the state of indie films that this can get a nod. I enjoyed this, but if you're not interested in movies that don't have much action, this may not be for you. Grade: B

Kick-Ass (2010)

What a fun movie. It's very violent and incredibly profane, so let's just get that out of the way. It's a very fresh take on the superhero genre and I just had a blast watching Nicolas Cage doing his best Adam West-Batman imitation.

Dave (Aaron Johnson) is a normal high-schooler who goes through life getting ignored by girls. He loves comics and visits the comic book store with his friends almost everyday. After getting mugged one too many times, he decides to take matters into his owns hands. He becomes his own superhero: Kick-Ass. The first is the worst. He nearly gets killed trying to stop some thugs from breaking into a car. When he gets out of the hospital, he needs to get serious about fighting crime. He starts training and eventually creates a cult following for himself online. Copycats like Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) start coming out of the woodwork. When things get too real for Kick-Ass, that's when Big Daddy and Hit Girl (Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz) coming in guns a-blazin...literally. The main goal is to take down the crime syndicate that runs the town and keeps the citizens in fear. The superheroes can either come together to stop crime, or get too entangled in each others' lives to do any good.

All the actors did a great job in their roles with the standouts being Chloe Moretz and Mark Strong as the main mobster, Frank D'Amico. Strong is good in anything he does, but Moretz takes the cake. Your jaw will hit the floor by what words come out of her mouth. Don't worry, it fits her character. The plot for the movie was a mix of originality and same-old crap you've seen before. The good outweighed the bad, but not enough to make it a top tier movie. I still had a hell of a good time. Grade: B+

Machete (2010)

This was incredibly violent, cheesy, disturbing and downright cool. Robert Rodriguez set out to turn the fake Grindhouse trailer into the epitome of a B movie. And he succeeded.

Machete (Danny Trejo) is a former Mexican Federale, and was the only uncorruptable one on the force. His final confrontation with drug lord Torrez (Steven Seagal) on the Mexican side of the border leads to Machete's wife's gruesome death. Three years later, Machete is a day-laborer and is recruited to assassinate Texan Senator and staunch advocate for harsh immigration reform, John McLaughlin (Robert DeNiro). When that goes awry, Machete is on the run. Not only is he running from McLaughlin's people, but he's running from an I.C.E. agent (Jessica Alba), the cops, the man who set him up on the assassination attempt and Torrez. To say Machete has a well thought out plan is so far off base. His only plan is to kill as many people as possible to make sure that his name is cleared and he can finally have closure on his wife's murder. Oh, and Machete don't text.

This was so over-the-top that you can't help but love it. Purposely poorly written and outlandish acting helped make this one of the more fun movies of the year. It's EXTREMELY violent and sexual so be prepared for that. Hell, he uses a guy's intestines as a bungie cord while the intestines' owner is still connected to them. This movie marks the first appearance of Steven Seagal as a full out bad guy, and there was no better choice. Everyone played their part well and with the right amount of cheese. And yes, even Lindsay Lohan was good in her role. Enjoy this movie but prepare for gore. Grade: B+

Four Lions (2010)

This was a very smart and ambitious dark comedy, and I do love a good dark comedy. I just wish this had been a little funnier. I really enjoyed the film's subversive wit, though.

Omar and Barry (Riz Ahmed and Nigel Lindsay) are two would-be suicide bombers who can't seem to get on the right page with their targets. They consistently bicker and argue about the members of the group, the real meaning behind their sacrifice and how exactly they are going to make and employ their bombs. The five members of their group are not always the brightest or most understanding so Omar has to bring them back down to earth when they want to act out and brandish their guns in public. A few of them travel to Pakistan to get some real training within a terrorist training camp and, let's just say that doesn't go so well for them. When they get back, they have their target. Now, let's see if they can survive their own amateurism long enough to blow themselves up at the London Marathon.

Like I said earlier, this was a very smart comedy. Lots of totally inappropriate jokes that were absolutely hilarious. My kind of jokes. They just weren't there throughout and that was kind of disappointing. I do appreciate this comedy for what it is, but I do feel it was intentionally made to be provocative, so that knocked it off a bit. In the end, I liked this movie, but not as much as I would have wanted. Grade: B

Easy A (2010)

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Basically, the same effect was had on me when I first saw Mean Girls. The trailer made this movie look like another generic teenage high school movie. Far from it.

Olive (Emma Stone) is your average high school loner. She's not one of the cool kids. She's not an outcast. She's just there and she likes it that way. However, when she tells of a sexual encounter that never happened, rumor spreads quickly and she's the school's resident tramp. How can she use this to her advantage? She sees this as an opportunity she can't pass up to make her high school days seem less trivial. But when things start to swirl out of control, the school's Christian brigade led by Marianne (Amanda Bynes) feels it's their duty to make sure Olive doesn't go to Hell. Nobody knows she is making this all up and when she starts to tell people, will they believe her?

Stone was fantastic in this. A little hard to believe that she would be the loner with her sense of humor and style, but she pulls it off. The best lines of the movie went to her parents though, played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson. Basically, they play the coolest and most understanding parents ever. I recommend this movie because it will exceed any expectations you have.

The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

Yes, I am aware that most documentaries are one-sided, but none have ever told a single side of a story like this movie. It was still very entertaining.

Super-producer Robert Evans has lived the life that kids dream about when they are young. Be very, very business-savvy, become famous and have your pick of the girls. Evans narrates the movie himself, even imitating the voices of the other people he's talking about. His stories start with his disastrous turn as an actor in the 1950s and 60s...the only reason he got the gigs were because of his looks. He then focused on making movies and proceeded to buy the fledgling Paramount pictures and produce hits like Love Story, The Godfather, and Chinatown. Power struggles ensue and the 80s hit him with a jolt after he's busted for drugs. Evans is very open and honest about his long and successful life.

As much fun as I had watching this movie, I feel I maybe would have appreciated someone else talking about the Evans lifestyle. I know that's not what he or director Brett Morgen were going for, but I'm just saying. This movie was very good and any movie fan will like this look at a producer's life.

Mystery Team (2009)

The boys from "Derrick Comedy" made a movie. It's basically just a longer version of all of the internet shorts they've done in the past, and just as funny. I was laughing almost the whole time.

Jason, Duncan and Charlie (the "Derrick" guys) are three high school seniors who have never grown out of their adolescence. They are still trying to solve menial mysteries posed by kids half their age. That is, until a little girl asks the Team to find out who killed her parents. The mystery gets deeper and deeper and the Team continues to get out of their element, but still manage to collect all of the right clues. However, they are unaware of the consequences of their actions. They might have gotten themselves in way too deep.

I'll forgive the last 20-25 meandering minutes or so that seemed to get away from the heart of the movie, because I expected that from a movie like this. It's got some humor that may not be for all audiences, but it worked for me. Some smart and witty, some gross-out and sophmoric. Either way, I had fun.