“Tower Heist” is a terrible movie. The story revolves around a “heist” that makes no sense. Practically every detail of the heist sequence is ridiculous. Only an idiot would find it remotely believable.

Somehow 67% of critics gave this hot mess a positive review, while this time the public gets it right with a score of 48%, which is still way too high.

The cast is talented and does a solid job with the silly script, so they can’t be blamed for this disaster. That leaves director Brett Ratner and screenwriters Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson. They can fight over who’s most at fault.

The film follows a group of employees at a luxurious New York City apartment building called “The Tower,” who seek revenge on a wealthy businessman, Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), for swindling them out of their pensions. The story may have been inspired, at least in part, by the events surrounding Bernie Madoff‘s Ponzi scheme.

Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) is the building manager of The Tower, and he, along with other employees, invest their pensions in a fund managed by Arthur Shaw. They’re furious and devastated when they find out that Shaw has been arrested for securities fraud and their pension funds are gone. In one of the many ridiculous plot points, Shaw is placed under house arrest in his penthouse in The Tower, flaunting his wealth and making them feel humiliated.

Determined to get their money back, Kovacs hatches a plan to steal $20 million that Shaw has hidden in his penthouse. He recruits a group of his fellow employees, including his brother-in-law, Charlie (Casey Affleck), concierge Enrique (Michael Peña), doorman Lester (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and maid Odessa (Gabourey Sidibe). Matthew Broderick plays Mr. Fitzhugh, a bankrupt former Wall Street investor also recruited by Kovacs. They also enlist the help of a petty criminal named Slide (Eddie Murphy) to teach them the ropes of stealing.

Murphy and other cast members have some funny moments, and Téa Leoni looks as beautiful as ever while handling her role as an FBI agent with ease. Téa’s charisma and acting ability helps make all of her scenes enjoyable, but her presence isn’t enough to save this disaster of a movie.

Alan Alda does a fine job making the audience hate the Shaw character. He’s arrogant and obnoxious, but his act wears thin and the movie drones on.

Halfway through the film it seemed like a mediocre comedy, but then it goes completely off the rails with the heist. These sequences are insulting to the audience.

I came across this film on Netflix thinking that a light comedy might be fun. Sadly, I’ll never get that time back.

“Along Came Polly” isn’t a great film. It’s a pretty conventional and predictable romantic comedy released in 2004, directed by John Hamburg and starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston. Yet the film has many of the ingredients that make it succeed in the romantic comedy genre, including chemistry between the co-stars and some hilarious scenes that make you laugh out loud.

The story follows Reuben Feffer (Stiller), a somewhat reserved and neurotic risk analyst who marries lovely Lisa (Debra Messing), the woman of his dreams, as the film opens. But on their honeymoon in St. Barts, their marriage falls apart when Reuben catches Lisa cheating on him with her athletic and well-endowed scuba diving instructor. Devastated and heartbroken, Reuben returns to New York City and tries to get his life back on track.

That’s when he meets an old acquaintance, Polly Prince (Aniston), a free-spirited and impulsive woman who shakes up Reuben’s world. Despite their different personalities, they start dating, and Reuben discovers new passions and experiences he had never imagined before. You can pretty much guess the rest of the movie from here.

Both Stiller and Aniston are in their comfort zones here. Neither is asked to do anything new or challenging from an acting point of view, but both effortlessly nail their performances. Stiller is always believable as the awkward nerd, and Aniston has been playing a version of her Rachel character from “Friends” for years. But both are great, and of course it helps that Aniston easily comes across as fun and adorable. Most men will fantasize about taking Jennifer salsa dancing after this film.

The supporting cast helps to carry the film, with Phillip Seymour Hoffman stealing scenes as Rueben’s childhood friend Sandy. The “let it rain” scene with Hoffman in the pick-up basketball game has become iconic. The entire scene is comedy gold, with Rueben being grossed out by the sweaty, hairy dude who decides to take his shirt off during the game.

Alec Baldwin delivers some funny lines as Rueben’s boss Stan, while Debra Messing looks fantastic while giving a solid performance as Lisa.

There are enough laughs in this film to make up for the formulaic story, so enjoy the ride!

We’ve added a video version of this article on YouTube. Check it out and let us know what you think of this film in the comments under the video.

It’s always interesting to rewatch an old film and get a sense of how it holds up. Can you enjoy it as much after all these years? Many classics hold up remarkably well, but that’s not always the case.

“Annie Hall,” directed by Woody Allen and released in 1977, is widely regarded as one of the most influential and important films of the 20th century. The film stars Woody Allen and Diane Keaton along with an excellent supporting cast. The film follows the story of Alvy Singer (Allen), a neurotic New York comedian, and his relationship with Annie Hall (Keaton), an aspiring singer. Many have claimed that the story is semi-autobiographical, though Allen has denied this while Keaton has acknowledged that some of the interactions between Alvy and Annie are similar to her brief, off-screen relationship with Allen.

Diane Keaton as Annie Hall

The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress for Diane Keaton’s portrayal of Annie Hall. Keaton’s Annie Hall is quirky, endearing, and struggling to find her place in the world. She delivers a brilliant performance worthy of her Oscar, and creates one of those iconic characters frozen it time that we can all fall for again and again. Her performance alone makes it easy to recommend this film to anyone who loves movies.

Classic Romantic Comedy

Some consider “Annie Hall” to be a defining film of the romantic comedy genre, even if the story doesn’t get wrapped in a nice, romantic bow at the end of the film. The story highlights the ups and downs of the relationship between Alvy and Annie. As the film progresses, the relationship between Alvy and Annie begins to deteriorate, with Alvy becoming increasingly neurotic and insecure, and Annie seeking personal fulfillment outside of the relationship. The film ends with Alvy reflecting on the lessons he has learned from his relationship with Annie, though viewers can question whether he learned anything at all.

Even in that context, the movie is hilarious. The film’s exploration of themes such as love, relationships, and personal identity is still relevant and relatable, and its unconventional approach to narrative structure continues to influence filmmakers today.

Woody Allen

Many fans consider this Allen’s best film, though his legacy has taken quite a beating with controversy surrounding his personal life. I’m able to separate those issues from the film and I can still enjoy his work, though it’s understandable that others can’t and won’t do that.

That said, Allen as the lead character was less interesting and funny as I rewatched the film after all these years. Allen’s portrayal of the neurotic and self-absorbed Alvy Singer has become a caricature with the passing of time. We’ve seen variations of this role from Allen over and over again, and it just doesn’t land in the same way 45 years later.

Supporting Actresses

Both Carol Kane and Shelley Duvall were excellent as other love interests for Alvy in the film. Kane plays the sweet and beautiful Allison Portchnick, Alvy’s first wife, who he somehow grows tired of. Duvall then makes quite an impression later in the film as a Rolling Stone reporter who has a one-night relationship with Alvy after his separation with Annie. They talk about their sexual experience together, which Pam describes as a “Kafkaesque experience” which she somehow meant as a compliment while Allen cracks one of his better jokes in the film. The tall and thin Duvall seems like an odd match for Allen but she flashes some unexpected sex appeal in this brief role.

Is it worth a rewatch?

“Annie Hall” was a reflection of its time, capturing the zeitgeist of the late 1970s in America. It dealt with issues such as love, sex, identity, and social class in a way that resonated with audiences of the time. And after all these years, it still holds up as a fun comedy. You just might not laugh as much at some of the gags and jokes.

Here’s a video version of this article. Check it out and share your thoughts on this film in the comments.

Yes, “Clueless” is twenty years old, and it’s still one of the best teen comedies ever made! There’s much to remember from this cool comedy, but Alicia Silverstone’s breakout performance tops the list, and Dan Hedaya was also excellent as Cher’s father.

Here’s one of our favorite lines from the movie when he explains to Cher’s date (who he didn’t realize was gay), “If anything happens to my daughter, I have a 45 and shovel; I doubt anyone will miss you!” Classic . . .

The reviews for “The Hangover Part III” are not good. Jason Zingale doesn’t pull any punches:

“The Hangover Part III” is a really bad movie (like, worst film of the year bad) – a joyless and humorless cash-in that bears little resemblance to the 2009 original except by name. Say what you will about the first sequel, but at least that one actually felt like a “Hangover” movie. I’m still not even sure if “Part III” is supposed to be a comedy, but the shocking lack of laughter would suggest otherwise.

Most critics have hated it, though the user ratings on Rotten Tomatoes are surprisingly high.

Meanwhile, here’s an interview with Bradley Cooper that is very uncomfortable. I understand what the writer was doing, but his approach seemed a little harsh to me. Is it really such a crime that Cooper sticks it out for the third installment of a movie that did so much for him? Why not hit the writer and director instead?