My Young Auntie [Fangs Of The Tigress] (1981) - 3/5

With stellar films like "36th Chamber Of Shaolin" and "Shaolin Mantis" under his name, my appreciation for director Kar Lau Leung and his ability to craft some of the Shaw Brothers most brilliant kung fu films was only growing. One of his films that seems to be a fan favorite is the often silly, but still kung fu packed "My Young Auntie". Although the film sports some great moments and some stunning choreography particularly towards the end, its rather oddly paced structure and hit or miss comedic sequences left the film lagging behind some of his others. One that fans are sure to love, but might not appeal to everyone.

A young woman (Kara Hui) ends up marrying an elderly man to help prevent his evil brother from inheriting his wealth and land. When her husband dies, she takes to living with her nephew (Kar Lau Leung) and grandnephew (Hsiao Ho) to avoid being bullied by the evil brother. Here she begins to learn a few new things from her westernized grandnephew and has to eventually team up with her new family to overthrow the evil brother.

Director Kar Lau Leung is one of my favorites from this era of Shaw Brothers martial art films. Even though "My Young Auntie" does throw in a bit more comedy into the routine than his more straight forward kung fu films (like "Shaolin Mantis"), its hard not to be impressed with how Kar Lau Leung handles the extensive fight sequences. The finale of the film is almost completely non-stop choreographed fighting dealing with all sorts of weapons/styles and easily highlights the film as our two leads stage a full on attack of the villain's house. Even the earlier fight sequences, although more or less tongue-in-cheek, have well choreographed fights that intrigue the eye like one done at a western themed masquerade ball and a street fight with our leading lady in high heels and a dressy gown on. This is the main reason one should watch "My Young Auntie" and fans of Leung's other films will easily enjoy this one in that aspect.

On the plot and style of the film though, I wasn't so easily impressed. The humor can be hit or miss, with tons of slap stick borderline sex comedy thrown into the mix (mostly through the grand-nephew character) and the plot can be a bit of a confusing stretch with its hierarchical family drama and who gets what for inheritance. The film seems to dabble quite a bit in the culture shock of the west and east of the time period and often seems to lose track of its focus and the direction of its goal by throwing in a rather random sequences that only seemed fitting for a background for fights. The masquerade ball is visually arresting but only serves as an elongated distraction for our villains to steal the will of the deceased husband. It fluffs the film up nicely, but rarely adds the needed nuances to give it weight.

Although "My Young Auntie" is one of the more popular pieces for the director and cast (even earning our leading lady a Best Actress award for that year in Hong Kong) with its unique tale of battling sexes and a changing landscape in China, the end result is a bit mixed. It never seems to find the right balance of humor and action to flow properly and its visual astuteness seems undermined by ill explained plot progression and often misdirected attention. Great choreography saves it through many of its longer sequences though and earns much of its merit that way. A Shaw Brothers classic perhaps, but not quite the film I was expecting.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Alien from the Deep (1989) - 2/5

Italian Antonio Magaretti is quickly becoming my all time favorite guilty pleasure directors. Unlike his director brethren Mario Bava and Dario Argento, Magaretti wasn't concerned about making critically acclaimed genre films. He was perfectly happy making B-movies and B-moves he made well. I can honestly say I was never not entertained by any of his pictures, no matter what genre. "Alien from the Deep" proves that even at the tail end of his career, even with the Italian film market floundering, that he was still able to craft likeable B-movie adventures.

Like a number of his later films "Alien From the Deep" takes an environmental slant when two members of green peace sneak onto an island in order to video tape footage of a corporation dumping toxic waste into a volcano (well shit, that can't be good). Out of nowhere an alien meteor crash-lands in lake near the volcano and soon an alien breaks loose, causing lots of explosions and death.

The plot structure of this film is extremely awkward. It starts off like typical Magaretti jungle adventure with Macaroni Combat influences sprinkled in then at the 45 minute mark, an alien shows up. I literally forgot there was even supposed to be an Alien in it all by the time it fucking made its appearance!

Due to the Alien not showing up until halfway through, the last half is on fast forward as all the plot elements about the Alien are quickly thrown at the audience. We literally learn that it's bio-mechanical, immune to almost everything and only harmed by hydrogen in a matter of minutes.

Typical with Magaretti films the special effects are rather shotty but loveable at the same time. We get poor miniatures and the Alien is mostly shown as a giant 'claw' that likes to squeeze people and then let it's slime mutate their skin. When the full alien is revealed in the climax it's obviously influenced by the final confrontation in James Cameron's "Aliens". Our sexy heroin clad in underwear (a tribute to Sigourney Weaver in "Alien") fights the beast with a construction loader, similar to the forklift battle in "Aliens".

The cast is all likeable, despite having silly dialogue to spout out at each other. Julia McKay is lovely to look at and her love interest Bob (Daniel Bosch), a snake farmer forced to aid her in her quest, is surprisingly charming. Of course veteran American actor Charles Napier steals the show as Col. Kovacks, the leader of the illegal dumping operation. He, like most bad ass American actors in Margaretti films, is underused and isn't given much to do other than bark orders over computer consuls.

"Alien from the Deep" is an enjoyable B-movie venture. Good? Hell no (mostly due to its odd story structure) but it has that loveable Magaretti charm that his films always endure. I put off buying "Alien from the Deep" due to its steep retail price on DVD ($26.99!) but scored a used copy for less than half that. For me it was worth the cash and it will be for you too if you enjoy Italian trash.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Grotesque (1988) - 1.5/5

After getting worldwide fame for her demonic portrayal as a possessed girl in "The Exorcist" that earned her an Oscar nomination, star Linda Blair found herself type-casted and couldn't get any acting gigs other than cheap B-movies and exploitation films. Through these films Blair earned herself a loyal fan base... hell even I have a soft spot for her as "Savage Streets" is one of my all time guilty pleasures. Sadly for every loveable trash effort she did, there's a polar opposite with "Grotesque" being on the other side of the spectrum .

"Grotesque" is a typical home invasion horror flick with a young woman (Linda Blair) and her best friend (Donna Wilkes) traveling up into the snow packed Rocky Mountains to spend time with her parents. When some sadistic splatter punks invade their home, killing many of the family members in order to find money, Blair's grotesque and misshapen step-brother decides to get vengeance.

What gets me about this film is it has so much fucking potential. Blair and Wilkes ("Angel") are exploitation goddesses and they are sorely underused. The plot of the grotesque brother is not given much back story and the film runs completely dry at the hour mark.

The punks themselves are so over the top and sadistic that one can't help but laugh. The best way I can describe them is the 'splatter punks' from the beginning of "RoboCop 3" with their wild spiked hair and pasty skin. They are so fucking nasty that you truly root for them to die in the absolute worst ways possible... the aspect the film sorely misses its mark on.

Other then Blair, Wilkes and our lead punks, the acting itself is quite atrocious. The worst is the two bumbling cops trying to solve the case. What did they do, cast two local yokel cops? The make-up effects also leave a lot to be desired, which is ironic as Blair's father in the film is a Hollywood horror movie make-up artist.

However these are just minor quibbles compared to the shit of all shit endings. You think the dream ending to Umberto Lenzi's "Nightmare City" was a cheap cop out... you ain't seen nothing yet! I had to restrain myself from throwing my Iron Maiden 'Eddie' bobble-head doll sitting on my coffee table through the television screen. I shit you not this is one of the worst fucking endings I have ever seen!

I wanted to like "Grotesque".... I really really did. The snowy mountain setting, the exploitation cast and the idea of a misshapen monster killing punks perks my interest but this was a poorly executed excuse of a horror film with the end-all worst wrap-up ever. What exactly Blair saw in the messy script to also serve as producer is beyond me.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Bandit 4: Bandit Goes Country (1994) - 1.5/5

What the shit... there's a "Smokey and the Bandit 4"? Before you pass out from sheer excitement you'll be even more exhilarated when I reveal that there are actually 7, get this, 7 of these damn movies as "Bandit 4: Bandit Goes Country" is the first of 4 television made sequels. What... made for television? No Burt Reynolds and no original characters? Yea... this isn't going to be good.

Well "Bandit 4" is part of an experiment Universal tried out in the early 90's called "Action Block" where they made multiple full length made-for-television movies in order to hopefully generate enough viewer interest to kick-start a television series. With the "Smokey and the Bandit" franchise being long dead for 10 years (and rightfully so after the train wreck that called itself "Smokey and the Bandit Part 3"), the "Bandit" franchise was ripe for revival. Sadly, these television films aren't very good and failed to generate a successful television series to follow.

Well this "Bandit" run of films has nothing to do with any of the original characters, hell there isn't even a Smokey (hence why that term was dropped from the titles). What we get here is another good 'ol Southern Boy actually named, no shit, 'Bandit' (Brian Bloom) and his semi drivin' buddy causing high jinks and getting into trouble while always following his morals and finding plenty of love along the way. In this particular film Bandit heads out on the highway in his Dodge Stealth (the Pontiac Trans Am was old news by this time) to go back to his home town to help his cousin, who's bootlegging music, haul a woodin' bear (you read right) to a town parade while trying to win back the heart of his old high school flame (Elizabeth "Showgirls" Berkley).

Hal Needham, director of "Smokey and the Bandit I & II", returns to direct but that hardly means a damn thing. First off all he's directed more shit than gold and with no Burt Reynolds or budget he has very little to work with in order to make an entertaining return of the "Bandit" with tedious plots, bland characters and unexciting stunts. He also gives the film a far more country feel and less southern good 'ol boy for my taste, even including a sequence of line dancing (the horror! the horror!) and a horrid title sequence featuring a suicide inducing country song, further showing how Universal was hoping this would generate into a full blown television series.

"Smokey and the Bandit Part 3" may have been awful but in a train wreck sort of way it was actually somewhat watchable due to its sheer badness. "Bandit 4" may be a 'better' film but it's strictly TV shenanigans and completely forgettable TV filler. The look, the plot and the acting all reek of "TV Movie of the Week" and it only will serve as a minor curiosity to fans of the franchise.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Breeders (1986) - 1/5

"Breeders" is Tim Kincaid's second of three direct-to-video (a new trend at the time) of horror/sci fi hybrid films he directed for producer Charles Band's Wizard Video line (though Band did decide to give "Breeders" a very limited theatrical release). Out of all three (also including "Robot Holocaust" and "Mutant Hunt") this is the most tasteless, vulgar and the downright repulsive. Then again a horror 'monster rape' film with a title like "Breeders" one can't expect a film with any sort of class or respectability.

Virgin women are a small commodity in New York City to begin with but they become even more rare with a slimy underground space creature decides to procreate it's race by mating with New York's most coveted citizens. Now it's up to a dim-witted cop too young to grow facial hair and an over-made up doctor to kill the creature before it's offspring can cause the end of the human race.

What "Breeders" is as an extremely cheap knock-off in the questionable 'monster rape' subgenre of films that is desperately trying to mimic the success of "Humanoids of the Deep", made by Charles Band's more respectable partner in crime Roger Corman. Unlike that film which had a competent director and suitable actors, "Breeders" is just shit filmmaking all around.

The 'actors' (a term I like to use loosely) are just above porn level which should be no surprise since the director got his start in the genre. His banal directing also reflects his questionable background in filmmaking as his none-existent style focuses largely on female skin... which tries to be titillating but it just comes off as creepy and unpleasant when sandwiched between violent and disgusting rape sequences.

The casting is also odd as Tim Kincaid no doubt cast young women based on beauty and not if they fit the description as a virgin. One snorts cocaine, one dances nude in a photography studio, etc. Drug use and openness to nudity is all elements of quote, un-quote 'virgins'. Trust me, these girls have been around the block.

It's not just the acting and directing, but the monster suit, writing and even the sound quality is absolute rock bottom. Some of the dialogue is hard to make out thanks to the cheap sound recording that causes a hiss whenever someone speaks. Then again hissing is more pleasant listen to than compared to some of the crap dialogue. The monster suit also nothing more than a cheap rubber costume with glowing bug eyes covered with slim (I will admit that some of the gore effects are impressive and ghastly).

Tim Kincaid's writing is also porn level as there are plot holes big enough that this alien can't even get his cock into. Seriously how is this alien able to take the form of normal everyday people? What's the point of all this work when it just breaks out of their bodies in a mess of gore and blood when it has proven again and again that it rapes women without having to go to this extra trouble. It just seems to me like an excuse to load the film up with some gore.

"Breeders" was a trying film experience. It could have had some B-movie chuckles with its horrid filmmaking if it weren't for the offensive subject matter, which comes to a head in the climax when all our women swim around in a vat of what looks like alien semen.... barf. "Humanoids from the Deep" had respectable qualities... "Breeders" does not and fails to entertain even on a bad film grade scale. It's amazing that a film of this nature got re-released on video and DVD by a respectable company such as MGM and even inspired a loose remake in 1997 under the same title.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

51 (2011) - 1/5

After being pleasantly surprised with "Seconds Apart", my faith in the After Dark Originals was rising...only to be crushed by the science fiction/horror atrocity that is "51". As with "Scream Of The Banshee" I was instantly discouraged by the SyFy logo that graced the beginning of the film and nothing from that point on lead me away from those assumptions. In fact, it may only go downhill from there as any hope of legitimate science fiction or horror is swept away in shoddy special effects, horrid acting, and a knocked off script from far better films. Yeah, it's that good.

Due to commercial pressure from the news and the people of US, the government has decides to let two very invasive reporters spread the word about what's truly in Area 51. With the military on half patrol and a plan to let them see everything but the actual aliens in the facility, the tour seems to be going fairly smoothly. That is until a shape shifting alien called Patient Zero decides to let loose a few of his pissy alien friends...

It's always refreshing to have to push one's way through a film, knowing by half way through that it isn't going to get better. "51" is exactly how that is. From its poorly designed sets, lacking vision of the story, and its horrendous acting it was borderline stressful watching this film wash down a perfectly hilarious concept. Hilarious in all the wrong ways, I do mean to say. Our actors seem half assed in their dedication to the characters as the characters are written and the plot progression is about as by the numbers as one can get, only separating itself long enough to throw in some completely random details that rarely make sense (the purple vapor for Patient Zero is actually a mixture of bloods....why? Who the fuck cares?).

On top of being completely idiotic in its plot and characters (who puts that many inept soldiers on the most top secret base anyway?), the film itself blatantly steals from other far superior science fiction horror films. The military and alien battle with the two insectoid like monsters obviously steals moments and ideas from "Alien" and our survivors below with the shape shifter has far too many stolen ideas from John Carpenter's "The Thing". This is executed with reluctant dedication to the special effects that look as cheap as the SyFy original it became.

Fan of science fiction horror films? Don't bother with "51". It's cheap, silly, poorly executed, and down right burdened with trying to sell a half thought through script. Only good for unintentional laughter of which there is a few good moments. That's about it though. Not worth the time nor money unless one is intentionally looking for the bad. In that case, eat up.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Dawn Of The Dead (2004) - 3.5/5

Despite my everlasting and immense love for George A. Romero's classic zombie film "Dawn Of The Dead", I have to admit that Zack Snyder's more intense remake doesn't make me want to vomit obscenities and curse the name of Hollywood like some of the bigger horror remakes. In many ways, I respect this film and what it did quite a bit. Dare I say this without the zombie elite feedback...it's a pretty solid film. It's intense, fun, and an overly stylish new vision of the classic tale that modernizes it with relative ease. It's not as good as the original (few zombie films are), but it works the nerves and connections just enough for a rather enjoyable horror time.

When a rapid spreading affliction begins turning the people of the world into flesh craving zombies, a group of survivors lead by a nurse (Polley), a police officer (Rhames), and an TV salesman (Weber) take shelter in a mall to sort out what their next step is. As the zombie chaos spreads, the group will have to make decisions about their future that may leave a few of them joining the hordes out to eat them.

For the most part, film fans hate remakes. At this point in my life, I could care less if its a remake or not. In fact, "Dawn Of The Dead" does the remake right. It takes the heart and concepts of the original, but twists it in new and modern ways. That's right, its not a shot for shot remake. Keeps it fresh and fast, something that I sincerely appreciate.

On the plus side of things, "Dawn Of The Dead" certainly makes things exciting. Running zombies that flash across the screen with blood, teeth, and creepy eyes are the intensity of the film adding a new layer of modern "speed" to the zombie craze. The plot progresses relatively quickly too as our zombie outbreak descends within a matter of minutes on film - including a fantastic opening sequence that throws the viewers into the chaos head first - and from there the film spends little time on punching through the motions even ending on a wicked cool ride in armored vehicles through hordes of the dead complete with chainsaws, shotguns, and flaming propane tanks. Zack Snyder certainly knows visual flair too and adds a nice modern touch to the film really giving us one intense ride.

On the downside of things, "Dawn Of The Dead" severely aches for some great characters. Occasionally the writing loves to lower its IQ for the sake of the intensity (like an asinine sequence where a young woman drives a truck into the streets to save a dog), but mostly this film lacks strong character work. The acting is fine and many sequences are piled in to serve as our window into the survivors, but there is simply too many characters to get it all in. There is really no lead in the film and the few we do follow rarely emote the sympathetic tone needed for us to truly root for them to kick ass and survive. By the end of the film, I was more or less rooting for the mall security guard C.J and his anti-hero tactics just because he seemed to have a bit of faux depth.

"Dawn Of The Dead" remains one of the better remakes out there of a classic horror film because it wasn't afraid to deviate its story while retaining the mindset of the original one. Some of the deviations work, the higher intensity and the rather ill thought through final run for the dock for example, but some of them find themselves running into issues like too many characters or a dumb ass subplot featuring a zombie baby (you read that right...). In the end, the film is immensely enjoyable with its fast paced chaos even if it never touches the glory of the original one. Fans might enjoy it, but its more or less best to get the younger audience into the idea.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Attack The Block (2011) - 4/5

"You discovered a species hitherto unknown to science, possibly extra-terrestrial in nature, and you kicked its head in." - Ron

There is a certain aura or atmosphere that was embraced by fantastical 80s films that have knocked socks off of an entire generation of movie goers. This aura, somewhat of an unexplained phenomenon that mixes a slew of genres into one, has been revived in the last few years. "Attack The Block" is a film that not only crafts this same feeling, but does so without ever having to blatantly use inside jokes to do so. Nothing says fun quite like inner city London teens having to fight off an alien invasion. It helps that the film is not afraid to take it to its limits either.

Moses (Boyega), a young gang leader in south London, may have had a tough night to begin with when he and his gang rob a young woman (Whittaker) for spare change, but when a creature falling from the sky decides to attack his posse he takes matters into his own hands. Now Moses and gang are going to have to protect their block and what is theirs from an seemingly endless force of glowing fanged 'wolf-gorilla motherfuckers'...

The respect has to be given to "Attack The Block" and its rather endless surprises. On the surface it feels like "The Goonies" meets "Critters" (which on this site is one of the highest calibers of praise) with its collection of young kids crafting weapons out of everyday objects and being thrust into a fantasy like world of adventure and danger, with the danger being giant blackest of black aliens. In many senses, this is what carries the charm of the film. A strong cast of youth partnered with a rather childish idea of 'less is more' when it comes to over explaining itself  and really "Attack The Block" is a simple adventure story. It works with passion. We cheer for our heroes, hiss at the baddies, laugh at the witty dialogue, and constantly throw ourselves at the whim of its basic plot progression. It's heartfelt and entertaining.

What "Attack The Block" does differently than say its counterparts from the 80s, is that it pushes itself with modern style to rather intense moments. Horror themes run with some well crafted tense moments and moments of striking gore (including a face removal scene), the dialogue does not shy away from being offensive at times with swearing and pop culture references, and our heroic team is not all that shiny and upstanding. In fact, our lead Boyega is down right brutal and efficient in his delivery of the character Moses - which does pay off in the end as we begin to really root for the kids and a final showdown climaxes.  It's these more extreme elements that modernize the film and place it firmly in this day and age even with its 80s style foundations.

"Attack The Block" might not be for everyone with its quick dialogue, extreme moments of terror, and dark characters, but for those willing to see past the surface level and down into the heart of this film - it's easily one of the best of the year. One that twists itself in such entertaining ways, its hard to wipe the smile from your face by the time the credits roll. A must see for genre fans.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - 3.5/5

Marvel just keeps rolling 'em out, don't they? Two superhero movies in one year (the other being "Thor")? Although neither of them are the best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has been building towards the highly anticipated "Avengers" film, the fairly high quality that "Captain America" and its horrible sub-title "The First Avenger" presents is still a bit surprising. A hero created as World War II propaganda for the US is ably visualized for the modern audience, creating a romping fun time that utilizes its cast and visual flair to the full benefit, even if the script is hit or miss. One that fans and those willing to suspend the logic unit for two hours are certain to enjoy.

Steve Rogers (Evans) was born not to fight. His frail physique and medical issues prevent him for fighting for his country as the Nazis roll over Europe. It never kills his spirit or his dire need to defend those who fight for freedom. This is what sparks a scientist (Tucci) to offer him the chance to do what he always wanted to. A serum that would give him superhuman strength, speed, and agility to be able to help out the Alliance. For every great hero though, there must be a balance and the rising Nazi section Hydra lead by the brilliant and vicious Red Skull (Weaving) must be stopped.

Although "Captain America" might not be the most waterproof of stories, the sheer fun that it portrays is infectious. The 1940s set pieces and art designs gives a new and very inspired setting for the now well worn superhero film and this is augmented by director Joe Johnston's rather well paced and visually arresting style that gives the film the same charm he brought to his highly underrated "Rocketeer". Although the film certainly lacks a bit of the focus needed to really see its larger scoped story through to the end (leaving far too many allies and plot holes - that I'm sure will be later filled in with "Avengers" and the eventual sequels like the rather anti-climactic final showdown with Captain America and Red Skull), its unique balance of heart, humor, action, and fantasy elements plays with the childish intrigue of the audience. 

The highlight of "Captain America" though, as with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is the impressive casting choices. Chris Evans evokes that rough all-American young man with vigor and charm (almost making us forgive him for being in the awful "Fantastic Four" films...almost) and Hugo Weaving is the perfect casting choice for the infamous Red Skull - delivering thick German accents and sinister glares all over the place. The supporting cast is solidly built, but as with "Thor", their lacking screen time and character builds leaves a bit too much to be desired. Captain America's team is poorly developed and the rather quickly rushed love story for our lead seems to bloom from just the slightest bit of nurturing.

It's hard to deny the many little faults in "Captain America" with its unfocused delivery and poorly built supporting cast, but the sheer charm and visual prowess of watching a superhero fight Nazis (is there really any better villain to have?) certainly delights to no end. Fun for the whole family with its heart and fists. Not the best Marvel out there, but another solid addition.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Bridesmaids (2011) - 3/5

I'll be the first to admit: I'm very picky with my comedy. Great comedies are rare and succeed usually due to the alignment of three things - a funny script, an able cast, and a director with timing. These three things seem to rarely come together in the perfect ways, but from the highly regarded way that "Bridesmaids" was receiving praise I felt I was obliged to see if this was going to be the surprise that "The Hangover" was in how it was crafted. It's not. My disappoint in the film wakes not because it is missing one of these three items like so many films do, but because it rarely seems to get them out of the "vulgar with a gold heart" arena that has become so common place since Kevin Smith began to make it an art-form.

Annie (Wiig) has just discovered that her long time friend Lillie (Rudolph) has become engaged. Not only this, but she will be the maid of honor and have to begin planning a slew of wedding events for her long time friend. This, coupled with her slowly sinking life of being broke, alone, and having no ambitions, may just lead Annie into a full on competition with another bridesmaid (Byrne) for redemption.

I heard it repeatedly. How hilarious "Bridesmaids" was. How vulgar it was. How unique it was. On surface levels this is true. It is rather intriguing to have a comedy where the women in the film are the vulgar ones who swear, make sex jokes, and generally act like children. In some extents it's even funny. Wiig portrays the lead character, for whom we follow through the trials and tribulations, in relative solid form giving us someone to root for through the blunders of her life and the supporting cast more than makes up from the punch line laughs set up through the various situations that arise as our bridesmaids stumble through this wedding process. The script gives us enough situations to ponder and just enough set ups to get the point across, but the true highlights of the comedic element come from the rather quick banter and odd offbeat moments (with definite praise towards McCarthy and her straight up and often odd supporting bridesmaid Megan).

Yet, strip down "Bridesmaids" from the rather gimmick laid premise of women swearing and shitting in the middle of the street, and what is left is the exact same "heart of gold with vulgarity" film we've been repeatedly bashed in the face with first with Kevin Smith and then with Judd Apatow. It's by the numbers with its progression, easy to predict in how things will play out, and rarely deviates from the now patented formula to give us anything truly clever or unique. This is what is so massively disappointing with this film. The concept could have be ground breaking and genre defining, but the film's penchant for not taking the concept to its full lengths or to more or the more awkward moment leaves it oddly tasteless for the sweetness of its ideas. It succumbs to its "hit rock bottom, find the flaw, rise up" main plot and its random romantic sub plot with such force that its true highlights, that being its caricature like supporting cast and their interactions, are lost in fray.

"Bridesmaids" might be a great film for those who can't possibly get enough of Apatow and his upheaval of the comedic cinema spectrum, but for those looking for a bit more in a comedy might be a bit disappointed as it simply follows the formula to an almost perfect "t" - lettings it's rather clever idea fall a bit flat.

Written By Matt Reifschneider