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peter-vast
Reviews
Me and My Mates vs. The Zombie Apocalypse (2015)
Laughs n gore, not a whole lot more
I have to say, I enjoyed this a lit more than I expected. It had lots of great one liners and awkward comedy moments, and zombies. Plus me, as a zombie extra, I should probably mention. Alex Williamson might well get another role playing the Aussie larrikin based on this performance. Most of his lines were pretty funny and pretty well delivered. Greg Fleet was also very solid and delivered some great lines. Plot wise I loved the concept, and the interplay between the characters was pretty clever. There wasn't a whole lot going on plot wise other than enough to deliver the next classic one liner or gore filled scene, but that wasn't really the point. One minor criticism, the military angle was unresolved, and seemed a bit of an afterthought. Overall, it was pretty bloody hilarious, and well worth your time, even if some of the humour borders on being more than a bit wrong. The opening image and the ending were original and unforgettable. The next movie Daniel and Declan make I'm sure I will also love, as the ideas, writing and humour overall are great. Then again I loved Hot Tub time Machine, so probably don't take this as gospel. To sum up, in my book it's already a cult classic. Aussie zom com - brilliantly realised.
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Low expectations, but delivers laughs by the tub full and so much more!
Low expectations, but delivers laughs by the tub full! So much so, in fact, that this movie has been added to my multiple watch list, as the only comedy on that list. It wins multiple views not so much because of the gross out gags (most of which are dealt with fairly early on) or because of the heavy 80's references and irony (which I loved, but that's probably a generational thing), but because of the clever scenario based comedy, the interplay between the characters, the characters themselves, and the performances of all the lead and most of the support characters, which are mostly above and beyond what you would expect from a comedy that shameless paints itself the basest of base, although it's far from it.
There are so many stand out moments, and stand out performances, and stand out situations, and stand out gags, that the pace, quality or quantity of laughs doesn't stop. Blaine's character is distressingly similar to someone pretty much anyone who grew up in the 80's would have known, and the many truths painted (although exaggerated somewhat) and presented in this movie holds a mirror up to not just the 80's but every decade, demonstrating how ridiculous our material aspirations can make us when we take a step back a look at ourselves.
This movie deliberately pretends to be a dumb gag movie, and while achieving that aim perfectly, it does it in a clever and genuinely original way that the movie title would never suggest.
Nick's challenging look to the camera while he delivers the line "it's like ... some kind of hot tub time machine" sums up the originality & pretence of simplicity. It's one of many defining moments this movie offers.
I know it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but the characters portrayed alone justify a watch even if you are opposed to 'this kind of movie' (even though it isn't). For example, Lou, the washed up protagonist dreamer is a masterful creation and is played masterfully indeed - "he's an arsehole, but he's our arsehole" as Adam so succinctly states while the scene is being set.
What the movie does, is looks at our youthful dreams and holds a light to them in the context of our current lives. That it can do this so well, make all of us look back and remember, and think 'what if' is a credit to the scriptwriters of a 'dumb gag' movie that many will dismiss based on the title alone. Therein lies the irony.