Tag Archives: Spy

Run-On Sentence Review: Spy

Posted in Movies, Run-On Sentence Reviews by

spyWith Bridesmaids, The Heat, and now Spy, the collaboration of Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy is gaining a pretty great track record because in the same way that The Heat was a spin on buddy cop comedies, Spy is a spin on, you guessed it, spy movies and it spins in a pretty fun way, mostly due to McCarthy who takes a nice journey from drab to fab and she gets some pretty fun moments of bad-assery but lending a helping hand, Jason Statham and Rose Byrne are great choices for, respectively, the blowhard tough guy and the ice cold “Bond villain” but I think what I really liked about this movie is that it always seems to be laughing with McCarthy and never at her because she is the heroine of the movie and I know that other films would still go there, this instead gives her a lot of smarts to show off while still being hilarious.

Verdict:  Definitely a good candidate if you want a laugh.

– Ellen

Grade A, Choice Picks: Ellen’s Most Anticipated Movies of Summer 2015

Posted in Choice Picks, Movies by

Maybe you can’t tell from this blog, but I am a bit of an indoor kid, so I will be spending most of summer bingeing “crap” television (i.e. amazing television) and going to the movies.  Granted, the “official” summer movie season has already begun and at least three movies that would have made this list have already come out: Avengers: Age of Ultron (awesome), Pitch Perfect 2 (fun), and Mad Max: Fury Road (epic awesomeness).  But I’m getting the list out before June, which seems like the actual start of summer, so cut me some slack.

Honorable Mentions: Vacation (July 29), Magic Mike XXL (July 1), Dope (June 19), Mr. Holmes (July 17), Paper Towns (July 24), Minions (July 10), The Fantastic Four (August 7)

masterminds10. Masterminds (August 19) Not a lot out for this one yet, but a movie starring Zach Galifianakis and Kristen Wiig as bank robbers and Jason Sudeikis with a ‘stache?  That will at least guarantee a good time even if it ends up not being any good.

9. The Diary of a Teenage Girl (August 7) The trailer for this Sundance darling just dropped this week and it seems to be my brand of quirky and weird.  I am also a sucker for a good coming of age summer movie.  I am not going to even touch the skeevy Alexander Skarsgard, even if I may want to with some degree of shame.

8.  Spy (June 5) The track record of Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy teaming up for a summer comedy is pretty stellar and I am quite excited to see a comedic Jason Statham and Jude Law.  The summer season is not a place for your broody period dramas.  Give me a lot big action sequences or a lot laughs and I’m happy.  I get both with this one.

n-MISSION-IMPOSSIBLE-ROGUE-NATION-large5707. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (July 31) Little bit about my family, my dad is a pilot and any time there is a plane in a movie, he is bound to be complaining about the inaccuracies.  Any time I see that trailer with Tom Cruise hanging off the side of that plane, I can hear my dad screaming in my head.  The M:I movies may be a bit inaccurate, but they are always a good time.

6. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (June 12) I recently went to an even where they were handing out promotional items for this movie.  I was quite pleased to be intrigued by the trailer for the movie that is plastered on my new towel and beach chair.  Another quirky coming of age story (see number 9).

5. Jurassic World (June 12) If you know me at all, it will come a surprise that I am putting Chris Pratt at number five, but even the glory of Chris Pratt leading a pack of velociraptors apparently couldn’t surpass my excitement for the top 4.

manfromuncle4. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (August 14) Guy Ritchie movies tend to have a particular cool vibe that speaks to me and this one looks even more fun than most.  The movie looks good, but do you know what looks really good?  Henry Cavill.

3. Inside Out (June 19) Even better than Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy’s track record is Pixar’s.  A Pixar movie fronted by Amy Poehler about a teen girl’s emotions is sure to be an Ellen-pleaser if maybe not a crowd-pleaser, but it will probably be a crowd-pleaser, too.

2.  Ant-Man (July 17) I feel like I can just leave it at “Paul Rudd in a Marvel movie”, but I’ll try to say a little more.  The movie may have a bit of a storied production process, but remember that at this same time last year everybody was referring to Guardians of the Galaxy as “that Marvel space movie”.

trainwreck-trailer-pic1. Trainwreck (July 17) Bit of a disclaimer: I recently binge watched all of Inside Amy Schumer, so I am on a bit of Amy Schumer kick.  The movie is also getting some good buzz from it’s SXSW premiere.  At this point in my life, Amy Schumer and Bill Hader in a romantic comedy is probably going to be number one in my book, so I just went ahead and put it at number one.

– Ellen

Sweet Streams: Spy

Posted in Anglophiles Anonymous, Sweet Streams, TV by

tv_spy_darren_boyd_jude_wrightThe hipster in me loves finding new delights from across the pond.  “It’s some show, you’ve probably never heard of it.  It’s British.”  Or even better, when the show inevitably gets adapted for American audiences, I can say, “The British version was better.”  (See: Coupling, The Office, Sherlock, Da Ali G Show, Being Human, Trading Spaces, What Not to Wear, etc.).  Of course, the Anglophile in me, also loves saying that last one.

Now, when the awfully funny Spy gets adapted for American TV, don’t you want to be a cool kid, too?  Well, you can be because it’s on Hulu.  In case, Hulu hasn’t already gotten you with their incessant self-promotion, let’s see if I can sway you.

Spy is about the unassuming Tim Elliot, a man who is always trying to impress his ambitious and genius son, Marcus.  To up his game, Tim decides to get a better job and accidentally applies to be an MI-6 agent.  The show becomes part workplace comedy, complete with the kooky boss and office crush, and part family comedy as Tim fights his ex-wife and her new boyfriend for custody of Marcus.

This show is so rife with hilarious characters that I have a hard time picking my favorite.  Is it Marcus, who runs gambling rackets out of his bedroom or runs his student council with the kind of iron fist that would make Stalin cower?  Or maybe it is Tim’s boss, known only as The Examiner, who eagerly awaits his next torture and opportunity to impress Tim? It could be Tim’s friend, Chris, who could be a lawyer but finds it easier to just hack bank accounts.

Just check out the first episode below already.  Of course, I’m mourning the fact that the second season just ended and it will undoubtedly be another year before the third season starts.  Crazy Brits and their weird TV programming schedules.

– Ellen