Hot Dragon Time
Kid fantasies and kid-like adult fantasies are the order of the day this weekend. Whether you’re wishing you had a pet dragon or a magic Jacuzzi, this weekend is about movies delivering wish fulfillment to American audiences. First up, if you’ve played WoW, D & D, or done any LARPing, changes are you’ve wondered about How To Train Your Dragon (Rotten Tomatoes – Metacritic).
“Some movies seem born to inspire video games. All they lack is controllers and a scoring system. How to Train Your Dragon plays more like a game born to inspire a movie.” Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
It’s a game (that’s really a movie) meant to inspire a movie (that has a lot in common with games). Is the movie at peace with this media confusion?
“A thrilling drama interspersed with amusing comedic elements (rather than the other way around).” Variety Peter Debruge
“A fun and entertaining family fare in which the humor and action are stronger than the core story and blend of creatures.” Emanuel Levy Variety
It’s a drama that acts like a comedy and a family film focused on action. Sounds like this movie is a blend of genres as well as media. Also…
Creature blends aren't always a good thing.
“DreamWorks has created a state of the art family movie with a young hero and all the exotic elements of a fairy tale that seems far removed from our daily life. Or is it?” Andrew L. Urban Urban Cinefile
I dunno, is it?
“Better than Avatar.” Brett Michel Boston Phoenix
Plenty of films are, however most movies don’t inspire legions of nerds to learn a new language.
“Works enough miracles of 3-D animation to charm your socks off.” Rolling Stone Peter Travers
charming snake socks
“Dreamworks may have topped itself with How To Train Your Dragon, an exciting, fun and sensationally entertaining movie for everyone, a thrilling action adventure fantasy that should slay the competition and grab great word of mouth.” Pete Hammond Boxoffice Magazine
“It’s a bro-down, and every second has been calibrated for maximum bro-fficiency.” Amy Nicholson I.E. Weekly
Dudes everywhere should look forward to bro-tastic bro-vado.
“Hot Tub Time Machine isn’t a good movie, but like a bubbling bath it keeps pounding at us until our resistance wears down.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch Joe Williams
Hot tub resistance is futile.
Does it count as a time machine if the technology belongs in the past?
“Pink’s derivative vision plays out like a mullet in the new millennium.” Tom Meek Boston Phoenix
You mean, totally awesome (in a you’re wearing that as a joke right?) kind of way?
“A fundamentally lazy comedy that will probably make you laugh like an idiot.” Dan Kois Village Voice
Why does no one ever say "you laugh like a genius?"
“Succeeds beyond any expectations suggested by the title and extends John Cusack’s remarkable run: Since 1983, in 55 films, he’s never made a bad one.” Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
In terms of consistency, Cal Ripkin Jr. is to baseball what John Cusack is to movies.
“A sloppy, raucous, time travel farce in the grown-men-gone-wild “Hangover” style, it’s a surprisingly satisfying, if not exactly LMAO, riot.” Orlando Sentinel Roger Moore
IMO: ROFL > LMAO = LOL FTW!
“Like the “Scream” series, Hot Tub Time Machine is a cake-and-eat-it-too experience; you get both a vintage Brat Pack comedy, albeit one regrettably drenched in post-Hangover raunch, and an ongoing metacommentary at the same time.” Time Out New York David Fear
PDJ wants you to comment on his commentary
Is that Robin Williams with a dog face?
I am kind of intrigued that Hot Tub Time Machine has 65% rating on rotten tomatoes. I didn’t think that would be possible even if it was good. Hmm. . .might have to see it.
sorry, 62% rating on rotten tomatoes. 65% on metacritic. Still, that’s amazing for a movie that, by its name, should go straight to DVD.
I won’t be able to metacomment on this; sorry.
“Hot Tub Time Machine” was a lot of fun. The nice thing is that they’ve put the stupidest (or awesomest) facet of the story up front, so you can’t really say you were blindsided by it.