Paul (2011)

Need a good spoof of Spielberg sci-fi movies like Close Encounters, Star Wars, and ET?  This movie was as much fun as Fan Boys.  So if you enjoyed that one, you will most likely "get" this one too.  The fun part is recognizing all the connections.  If you miss them, the story is more or less just average.

Simone Pegg and Nick Frost are goofy comedy geniuses.  Either that or they are the UK's version of Jack Black.  I prefer the first observation.

The other fun surprises here are the great performances from some very familiar faces like Jane Lynch, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, and Seth Rogen.  These are not the only ones of course.  The entire cast was clearly having a good time.

Don't watch this movie with high sci-fi expectations.  Instead, have a bunch of popcorn and your sense of humor completely intact.  And I do recommend the unrated version for the out of control language and "alien behavior".

State of Play

While some similarities exist, not much other than the character names and the title are carried over from the brilliant BBC series to this very smart movie. You don't need to have seen the series to enjoy this movie. In fact, you may enjoy it more if you are not distracted by the differences.

In the extra features a producer makes the statement to the effect that everyone in Hollywood wanted to be part of this project. And there are huge names aplenty to be sure. Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck turn in very different roles than their norm, and both are great. Helen Mirren continues to be one of the best actors from any country. Robin Wright Penn and Rachel McAdams are both very strong and sexy characters here. Jason Bateman does his best acting to date and was a very pleasant surprise for me.

Set in DC this political murder thriller is good a keeping the audience guessing. The pace is brisk and one has to keep up with plot twists as they happen.

Watch this with someone who like to guess who did what to whom and watch them react at the end when all is revealed.

Hancock

Part sci-fi, part action thriller, part romance, and part superhero spoof, this movie has a little something for everyone. Everyone over the age of 12 anyway. Yes, it has a PG-13 rating, which it's earns. A few years ago this would have been an R movie.

Will Smith is very very funny as a drunken super-human-almost-hero. Jason Bateman is the perfect straight man. And, Charlize Theron is just a perfect specimen.

It is a pity this script was tossed around Hollywood for 10 years before this movie was made. As it is, it looks like the suits didn't think audiences would be ready for the story until after all the other superhero movies were sure to make money. I'm guessing they were wrong.

The dialogue in this movie is very funny. The concept is funny. The acting is funny. No matter how you look at it, this is a fun movie to watch. BUT, the movie changes. The last 30 minutes of the film is less funny. Don't worry. it does not get all serious and preachy. It does get a little more exciting.

Watch this movie with lots of popcorn and beverage of your choice.