I was one of the few people that defended McG's direction of Charlie's Angels, I thought it was spot-on for that particular film. The sequel, I wasn't as fond of, but it had a stupid, goofy charm that made it enjoyable. So I was interested in seeing what he could do with a film beyond that world, but was surprised when he signed on to do We Are Marshall. I wasn't sure if he could do drama, if he could calm his camera and editing down to a reasonable pace. After finally getting around to seeing it, he proves that he's got some adult in him as well.

Now, I wouldn't call Marshall, a great or even a very good film, but it's passable; good enough to keep you interested in the story. He gets some fine performances out of some good actors, I particularly liked David Strathairn as the school's Dean and Ian McShane as a grieving father. Matthew Fox has got the quiet, pensive act down pat. Matthew McConaughey is trying too hard not to play himself, he's got a weird accent, that must be some attempt at trying to sound like the real guy, but it came off as distracting; I thought he should have been reigned in a little more.

I was born after the Marshall University plane crash tragedy, thousands of miles away, so I didn't know anything about it's history. There's no way I can attest to the accuracy of the film's portrayal, it feels real enough, but there are scenes that are definitely built for emotional impact. At least they don't have the football team coming back to win the National Championship, they're content with having a moral victory. I thought that the football scenes were overly dramatic, turning routine plays into something way beyond that; and everything was shot too close, so it's hard to tell what's really going on. But I appreciated the passion that surrounded the games, I liked the journey the team, coaches and town takes getting back to the field. From what I've read those touched by the tragedy, were happy with the film, and since it's their story, that's what's most important.

If I didn't know, I would never have been able to tell this film had the same director as Angels; it lacks that visual panache, but it's a story that didn't need it, an over-active camera would have felt out of place. What most felt like his touch was in the soundtrack, he has a penchant for Top 40 hits used in the most obvious ways; and you'll recognize every song as a classic rock staple. I think that McG has a decent career ahead of him, he'll turn out to be a competent studio director, that's comfortable in multiple genres. And maybe just every once and a while he'll knock one out of the park. We Are Marshall, is a fairly nice sports drama, it won't become a classic, but it goes down smoothly without a bad aftertaste. - Grade: B-

I've known about these filmmakers for a while, they're friends of a friend. I've never had the pleasure of meeting them, but I've heard stories. They started this comedy website The Lonely Island, then moved on to Saturday Night Live, where they gained infamy with the Lazy Sunday short, that became a huge Internet sensation. So when I saw the very funny Hot Rod trailer, I was excited. I meant to see the film in theaters, never got the chance, but watched it as soon as it came out on DVD.

The movie is fairly uneven. One minute it's brilliantly funny, the next you're groaning to yourself. That's because these guys are always pushing their jokes right to the edge; sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Luckily they work more than they don't, so overall the film is pretty damn funny.

SNL's Andy Samberg plays the lead role of Hot Rod, he's an amateur stunt-man, who does little stunts on his moped for his friends and neighbors. The film opens with him unsuccessfully jumping over an ice cream truck, to hilarious results. It was amazing to learn in the commentary that a stunt-man really did the jump, the way his body folds I figured it was a dummy. There are a couple of classic scenes, including a Footloose spoof, where Rod dances off his anger, the scene ends with possibly the longest fall in the history of film.

I loved the basis for the plot too. Rod organizes his biggest stunt in order to raise money to save his step-father, a typical plot device; what makes it funny is that he want so save his dad, so he can kick his ass. Deadwood's Ian McShane plays the step-father, who is constantly testing Rod's manhood by beating the crap out of him. They've got a great chemistry together.

The whole cast really has a great chemistry, you can tell they had a blast making this, and it comes across on the screen. The film is pretty well made, they've got a good idea how to stage their scenes and move the camera. I think it's one of those movies that you'll catch on cable every once and while and not be able to turn it off.