"The Lookout" and "Blades of Glory"

The Lookout- Chris Pratt ("Brick's" Joseph Gordon-Levitt) miraculously survived a terrifying car accident four years ago. In an instant he went from being a high school hockey star on top of the world to being a young man living with the effects of a serious head injury. Chris doesn't have amnesia (which would have been the typical movie thing to do), but he has trouble putting events into sequence. Simple things like opening up a can have become terribly frustrating. His roommate Lewis (the always terrific Jeff Daniels) is a blind man, thus being the only person who treats Chris like a real person. When Chris describes his sequencing problem Lewis simply tells him, "It's like a story. Start at the end and work backwards. You can't tell a story if you don't know where it's goin'."
Writer and first-time director Scott Frank ("Out of Sight," "Minority Report") clearly understands Lewis's view on storytelling. This isn't to say that "The Lookout" unfolds in a "Memento"-like fashion (it is entirely in sequence), but Frank's assuredness of where he's going prevents his film from going into detours or having extraneous scenes. Every moment informs what comes next, and every character decision makes sense. We understand why Chris follows Gary Spargo ("Match Point's" Matthew Goode) even though we immediately know he's trouble. It doesn't hurt that Gary sets Chris up with Luvlee ("Wedding Crashers'" Isla Fisher) as Gary gradually brings him in on his plan to rob the bank where Chris works as the night janitor. Chris is understandably against taking part in this, but of course Gary knew that would happen and knows exactly which buttons to push to get Chris on board with the simplest, yet "most important" job of all, that of the lookout (I mean...why else would they call it that?).
"The Lookout" is sleek, entertaining, and incredibly cool without the cool calling attention to itself (this isn't the first half of "Lucky Number Slevin"). It didn't do very well at the box-office this weekend and will certainly be gone from theaters quickly. But do yourself a favor and try to catch this one while it's out. Then when it becomes a cult hit on DVD you'll be able to say, "Oh yeah, well I saw it in the theater." (I can say that about "Office Space." Can you?) 8.5/10

Blades of Glory- Some people are snobs. They just are and will never give a movie like "Blades of Glory" a chance simply because it's a "dumb comedy." I am not one of those people. Anyone who takes movies seriously should know that making a dumb comedy work is a fine art. They can recognize the brilliance that lies under the surface of such visibly idiotic movies as "Pootie Tang," "Dodgeball," "Zoolander," and "Dumb and Dumber." One of the great artists of our time when it comes to this is Will Ferrell. If you disagree with that statement (or any of the ones I just made really) then you're not going to get anything out of "Blades of Glory." If however you appreciate Ferrell or just a well-made dumb comedy in general then you need to check this movie out.
Ferrell stars as the bad boy of men's figure skating, Chazz Michael Michaels, an uncouth drunken slob, and the ultimate ladies' man (something that doesn't exactly go hand-in-hand with men's figure skating). His routine is improvisational and markedly different from that of his rival, Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder), a sensitive young man who's routine is so artful that he even skates with a dove in his hand. Upon tying for Olympic Gold (the Olympics are called the Winter Sport Games here, presumably because the Olympic committee is comprised of well, snobs), they break out into a battle royale on the medal's stand which leads to the brilliant gag that was all over the trailers in which a mascot is set on fire. (Just like the wrench throwing scene on "Dodgeball" it's somehow even funnier in the context of the movie even though we've seen it numerous times already.)
They are immediately banned from ever taking part in men's figure skating again and we meet them again three and a half years later, each of their lives in a complete state of disarray. An obsessive fan of Jimmy's however ("Art School Confidential's" Nick Swardson) finds the loophole that will change Jimmy and Chazz's lives. They can compete in pairs. With the help of Jimmy's old coach (Craig T. Nelson credited only as "Coach"), the two of them reluctantly agree to take part simply because both realize it's the only chance either of them has to return to glory. This is the set up for many great comic opportunities that the screenwriters and co-directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck take full advantage of. Not every joke works, but enough of them do and come at such a rapid pace that we have no time to focus on the ones that don't.
Ferrell is at his finest as Michaels and fans of his will "drink it in." Heder isn't a great actor (Napoleon aside) but in the right role he is very likable and funny, as is certainly the case here. The real standouts in the cast though are Amy Poehler and Will Arnett (Gob on "Arrested Development"), the real life husband and wife who play a brother and sister skating pair, the Van Waldenberg's. In one of the film's great comic touches we learn of the tragedy they had to overcome to become champions, because as anyone who watches the Olympics knows, every athlete who gets there had a family member get eaten by a bear or something. Arnett and Poehler are absolutely brilliant as the evil twins who will do anything to destroy Michaels and MacElroy. Jenna Fischer (Pam of "The Office") co-stars as their sister whom they guilt into spying on MacElroy. It turns out the two make a great couple. Heder and Fischer are cute and awkward together, making for some very funny scenes.
"Blades of Glory" also features a hilarious and imaginative chase scene (Ferrell and especially Arnett get a chance to show off their prowess as physical comedians) and some truly great costumes that should (but won't) be remembered come Oscar time. This is after all, just a "dumb comedy." 7.5/10