Extract

Mike Judge, the creator of Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill, and Office Space forays back to the silver screen with a simple tale about an extract company owner (Bateman) who is dissatisfied with his marriage, and has to deal with incompetent and apathetic employees at work while trying to avoid a pending lawsuit that is stalling his attempt to sell the company.

Judge has a knack for portraying the everyman and puts a genuinely interesting and humorous spin on the plights that a monotonous life can concoct. Much in the spirit of Office Space, Bateman's character is likable and pathetic, and his interactions with the interesting individuals around him are pedestrian, but somehow captivating. A great placement of supporting characters JK Simmons, David Koechner, Ben Affleck and Kristin Wiig creates a mood of levity that I surmise is exactly what Judge was going for.

What makes this film work is the simplicity of the story and the slow, innocuous dialogue as well as the banality of the characters' lives. From Simmons calling all of the employees "Dingus" because he can't remember their names, to Affleck suggesting drugs as a remedy to all of Bateman's problems and Koechner simply pestering his neighbors with his painfully prolongued plea for them to attend a benefit with him. These are all conversations that we have had in our lives, so there is that element of connection that is often missing from contrived dialogue.

Jason Bateman is the most naturally gifted comedic actor in the business. From his days in Arrested Development to his bit parts as the scene-stealing cameo or supporting player, he is able to evoke laughter with a perfect sense of comedic timing and innuendo.

The film itself was not great however. Although funny at times, it did delve into the realm of inside jokes that Judge and his friends might appreciate a little more than the general audience. There was also the sub-plot (or perhaps the primary plot depending on perspective) of Bateman's sexual frustrations with his wife, Kristin Wiig. It seemed entirely unrealistic as the two shared a rapport and chemistry that could only be described as loving and sincere.

There were just too many things going on to appreciate the film for its originality and humor. The testicular accident was unnecessary. Mila Kunis, although funny and beautiful seemed an unnecessary distraction to the rest of the film, Brad the gigolo held far too much screen time, and Gene Simmons was absolutely awful as the dial-a-lawyer looking to capitalize on the accident.

In the end, this was an entertaining film because Bateman can do no wrong in my eyes. If you are expecting the iconic cult status of Office Space, you will be a little disappointed, as Judge will never be able to duplicate that gem. However, Extract is still a funny, light-hearted comedy that hits dead-on almost as much as it misses the mark. 7/10

Gamer

*Disclaimer* Any movie that has Marilyn Manson and Frank Sinatra on the same soundtrack should be avoided at all cost.

If the Running Man and Gladiator had a threesome with Blade Runner, and there was a child created, it would most certainly have ADHD and would be named Gamer. This is the most concise way that I can explain the train wreck that is Gerard Butler's latest pseudo-action flick.

Butler oozes testosterone as Kable, a death-row avatar being played in a real mortal combat game called Slayers that draws billions of fans in a mindless bloodthirsty pay-per-view frenzy. The inmates are implanted with nano-cortex technology or something like that, and they are immobilized from determining their own physical movements. The gamers then control them and try to work through obstacles and combat to reach a save point.

I am a fan of first-person shooter video games, but to substitute flesh and blood is just a little morbid. The idea on paper is kind of fascinating, but on the screen it is just a gratuitous mess of pointless violence.

There were times that I thought I was watching a Russell Crowe doppelganger, and the staging before battles was stolen from Gladiator point-blank. I was curious to see Michael C. Hall, as I am a big fan of his performance in Dexter, but he disappointed me as the billionaire creator of the hit game who supplanted Bill Gates as the richest man in the world. Likely? No - his Southern drawl depicts him as nothing more than a cute idiot. And his song and dance routine was as random as the Sims world that people were living and working in.

There were lingering questions after watching this film. Like why did the kid get to control Kable? There are about a dozen inmates per outing, and billions of viewers. How did those dozen get so lucky to actually control the guys? It was never even touched on. Maybe I was the only one in the audience thinking about that.

The other "big" name was Ludicris who was ludicrous as the revolutionary who hacked into the broadcasts to spread the moral high ground message. I have to say, I have no idea why he is in movies. Every single role he has played, he has disgraced the title of actor and made a mockery of film. The talentless rapper has no business being cast.

All in all, this film was a valiant effort to revive the futuristic sci-fi death-as-entertainment genre, but fell short with its scattered sub-plots and an overall lack of emotional connection. Butler's Kable is a hardcore warrior, but the wife and daughter angle just didn't leave me caring, and there was never a feeling like he was in danger because battle success was just so easy for him and his handler.

I like Gerard Butler, and he is a great potential action star. I think his intentions were great for this role, as the movie could have been cool. The story was original enough, but there were just too many elements that were disappointing; Overshadowing the others was definitely Michael C. Hall's performance.

Mediocre action, too much gratuitous violence and blood, and an ambitious failure of a delivery by hopefully last time directors of Crank and Crank 2, Taylor and Neveldine. 5/10.