Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Hangover


Surprisingly good. Of the summer movies I've made it out to see this is one going into that I thought for sure I'd have nothing good to think about, let alone write about.

What set me up from the get-go was the opening shots of Las Vegas. I can be a sucker for the west, I know. But the opening shots were done from slightly different angles with slightly different objects and subject matter. To be sure, there have been plenty of 'Vegas' movies done in the past. Remarkably, I've been to Vegas. After seeing in person I realized that what you see in movies is the completely wrong way to show it. Of course the angles and sight lines you get from the ground there are not what you see in movies. You generally get the helicopter view, or the quick post card looking shot of a too insane to be true hotel. But Vegas, on the ground is completely different looking. Almost too strange to believe in size and scope. It is no wonder so many movies take place there. There aren't many movies that shoot it well. This one is and I can see that this can be attributed to Larry Sher.

Sher doesn't seem to have an impressive resume of great looking movies. He is a younger guy. But he does of a couple that stick out that I have seen. Garden State being one and Dukes of Hazzard being another. Yeah, I said Dukes. He also did Captain Jack way back. Yes! This guy is clearly having fun with his craft.

Comedies can be funny in script and this one has that in a way of an over the top Swingers. But only rarely can they also be beautiful to look at. Sher sets it up from the start and doesn't turn it off. I think if this movie were to have shown Vegas in the way that we are so familiar with seeing it then it would've fallen flat. But instead of the 'Helicopter/Micheal Bay' looking Vegas we get one where our cast of characters have to climb the stairs to the top of Cesar's and see it from there.

Good stuff.


2 comments:

Bleeno said...

is that an engagement ring at the top of the page?

Larry W Johnson II said...

promise ring