Kick-Ass isn't just a clever title...

After the trailer for Kick-Ass repeatedly made it look like a “Spy Kids” take on comic books I was ready to pass over the cheesy dialog, the warm fuzzy messages about being yourself, and all the truth and justice bullshit for a chance at some comedy down the hall at Death at a Funeral. 

For the most part, I don’t like comic book movies. I’ve never read a comic book cover to cover in my life. The Dark Knight got boring. Watchman was over-rated. 

But something deep within my soul was pulling me towards Kick-Ass. I mean, think of all the jokes I could make about this movie and all the cheese-dicks in the audience. 

I realized quickly that Kick-Ass wasn’t here to mess around. Have you ever heard an 11-year old girl call someone a “cunt”? How bout seen a man cooked in a microwave? And they say Tarantino brings too much violence to the table. Kick-Ass was like Kill Bill for comic book kids… but this movie ain’t for no little kiddies. 

Balls to the wall, campy, ridiculous, unbelievable at times….but so much fun. Violent, obscene, make your mother wonder what kind of kid she raised-fun.

Kick-Ass is adapted from the comic book of the same name created by Mark Millar (even I know that name). It’s about an ordinary kid who decides to become a super hero. No special powers, no million-dollar gadgets. He gets himself a wet suit, practices some lines in the mirror, and POW!-BAM!-ZOOM!, he’s “Kick-Ass”. Nicholas Cage plays “Big Daddy”, a Batman type vigilante with his daughter, “Hit Girl”, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, following closely behind in daddy’s footsteps. Of course there’s a ruthless drug dealing bad guy standing in everybody’s way with absolutely no problem punching a little girl in the mouth... repeatedly. 

I’m not going to get into any of the plot points, it’s too much fun for you to discover on your own. Literally, at times, Kick-Ass had me at the edge of my seat, having no idea what was going to happen next. In a movie like this, I can ask for nothing more.

Kick-Ass is a well-directed movie with action scenes that flow, music that will make your palms sweaty, and it’s funny. Maybe not laugh out loud, quote for weeks funny, but I had a smile on my face more than I didn’t. If you let this movie take you for a ride you’ll be ready to get off by the end, but you’ll be happy you got on board.

My Vote: Surprisingly smart and refreshing. A must see movie for sure.

Getting whacked off on Date Night is never a good thing... or is it?

Phil and Claire Foster, played by Steve Carell and Tina Fey, might be having a good time as they make fun of other people, but they are going through the motions of date night, going through the motions of their marriage. Watching other couples split apart is putting the pressure on the both of them to spice things up before they end up like everyone else.

In a desperate move to liven up their normal Friday night activities, the Foster’s pose as another couple, the Tripplehorn’s, to nab a reservation at the hottest seafood restaurant in town bestowing a Hitchcockian case of the wrong man upon the Foster’s and turning them into the most wanted couple in the Big Apple. The Police, the Mob, and Politicians all need something from them, but the Foster’s are having a hard time figuring out exactly what it is.

Date Night is not a good movie, per se, but it sure is a funny one. Carell and Fey team up and turn a story, one that’s about as original as taking your girl out for dinner and a movie on date night, into something people will be talking about. The twist and turns of the plot are a little tired and in the beginning I became worried that the movies minor pitfalls would become major issues and leave me restless. Thankfully Carell and Fey are masters at their craft and saved the over produced, clichéd story from its self.

James Franco and Mila Kunis are hilarious as the real Tripplehorn's. Mark Wahlberg shows off his Marky Mark muscles while Ray Liotta takes a chance at playing a gangster. Common and Jimmi Simpson play the crooked cops after the Tripplehorn’s and Kristen Wigg and Mark Ruffalo show their faces and help set the story in motion as the perfect couple gone bad. Even Bobby Bottle Service shows up to round out one of the most recognizable casts outside of Valentine's Day.

My Vote: You’ll have a good time at this movie, laughing and forgetting about all the things that go on in your routine day-to-day life. Isn't that what "Date Night" is all about?