The body-swap.  It’s an old favorite, been around since time immemorial.  Like Father Like Son, Prelude To A Kiss, The Hot Chick, 18 Again (not to be confused with 17 Again, which is a teen-again thing.  Totes diff.)  And let’s not forget Freaky Friday, Freaky Friday,  and, of course, Freaky Friday.  Can you merge the fratty humor of The Hangover with a body-swap story and make it fun to watch?  With The Change-Up, that’s a yep, you bet.

Dave Lockwood is a Type A lawyer in hyperdrive.  He works, lives and even sleeps according to a set of rules so tight it’s a wonder he’s got time to use the bathroom.  Oh wait, he kinda doesn’t.  Mitch Planko is an over 30 Man/Boy who couldn’t grow up if his life depended on it.  His life consists of morning bong hits, “acting gigs” (a.k.a. blissful unemployment) and bangin’ anything with hooters in a 5 mile radius.  Felix and Oscar…sorry, Dave and Mitch, have been besties since 3rd Grade, even though they appear to be opposites.  So when they’re peeing in a fountain one night (because that’s just what guys do) and wish for each other’s lives…bammo!  Just be careful what you wish for, fellas.

Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds do a fantastic job here.  Bateman and Reynolds are able to switch from one character to the other easily, and it looks like they’re having a ball doing it.  Bateman gets to bust out of his usual good-guy cookiecutter role when he’s Mitch-as-Dave, and it’s fun to watch him whip out his Arrested Development dry humor.  Reynolds takes the party boy Mitch and jumps the characterization into hyperdrive, poking fun at men that don’t wanna grow up.  He also has fun with the whole idea of unemployed/underemployed actors; a scene with Dave-as-Mitch at a “big break” for Mitch is horrifying and hilarious at the same time.  It’s a perfect blend of low humor and slapstick, and Reynolds pulls it off without a hitch.

Olivia Wilde (Cowboys & Aliens, House) plays the requisite wet dream co-worker, law associate Sabrina McArdle, and thanks to her talent (yes she’s got actual talent fellas; stop drooling at her for a sec and you’ll notice) she’s able to give Sabrina a wry sense of humor and dash of bad-girl mojo that plays well with the character’s lawyer day job.  Wilde is believable as an associate in a high powered firm, unlike some other high-brainpower characters in other movies I oculd mention (*cough*DeniseRichardsIsNoPhysicist*cough*).  Leslie Mann (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) plays Dave’s wife Jamie, and she gives a her no-holds-barred comedic performanc that amps up what could have been a token MILF role.  Like Anna Farris, Mann will do anything for a laugh, and as anyone who has seen the trailer for this movie will know, she’s got no problem goin’ there this time.

A big part of the enjoyment in The Change-Up lies in the vicarious thrill of watching someone completely and totally fuck with the established norms of life.  Watching Mitch-as-Dave, plowing through meetings with a potty mouth and a mind like a sailor on shore leave; haven’t we all wanted to go all Office Space at one time or another?  (Except for me.  I love my job.  LOVE it.  Hi, boss.)  The Change-Up gives us the release we crave after swallowing our real thoughts one too many times.  And Mitch is glorious in his complete and utter inappropriateness.  He tells Dave’s little girl to “always solve  your problems with violence”.  He says one of Dave’s babies looks “a little Downsy” and that he’s gonna “wreck” Dave’s wife.  He puts on an “Asian” accent when he talks to high-powered Chinese businessmen, and tells them they should all go out for sushi and ka-ray-o-kay.  Sure, the “real Dave” would get canned, and probably sued for divorce.  But who cares?  It’s a fantasy, and he’s our id, unchained.  As for Dave-as-Mitch, he gets to live the married guy’s dream; booze, boobies, sleeping in and a bathroom all to himself.  He turns Mitch into a more user-friendly version, call him Mitch.2.  And with Mitch-as-Dave running off the leash, it’s a nice balance to see Dave get a first look at himself as Mitch and scream, “I’m a douchebag!”

Of course Dave and Mitch realize that there’s no place like home, and life is best when you balance responsibility and fun.  The bottom line of all body-swap movies is that your own life is your best life, be all you can be, carpe diem, yada yada.  Just like slasher flicks, body-swap stories are the closest thing we get to morality plays nowadays.  If this ain’t your first time to the rodeo, you know how it’s gonna play out right from the start.  The Change-Up doesn’t say anything new, and doesn’t go in any unexpected directions.  It’s here to entertain you, and it does the job admirably.  If you’re looking for more from this film?  Well, maybe you didn’t get enough love in your childhood.

Today at Comic-Con saw less news, but much more high-profile announcements. Most of the action took place in Hall H, which was bogged down with some serious line management problems, but we’ve got it all summed up right here for you.

The first big presentation of the day was from Warner Bros. First, the first footage from Green Lantern was screened. Although nothing spectacular, the fans enjoyed it overall, but were disappointed with the lack of Reynolds in the suit. This only confirms the fact that the suit is a work-in-progress. Still, I am looking forward to this film and hope that it can be a simple, fun superhero origin story, which we haven’t seen a lot of recently. Also, I’m looking forward to the more fantastical elements of the hero. Producer Donald DeLine said that many other Green Lanterns are featured and that the movie is part space opera, which is a good sign that they’re not ignoring that area of the Green Lantern mythos. And although the Green Lantern announcements are cool, DC has really not stepped up their game to challenge Marvel’s cinematic dominance. Geoff Johns is now in charge of their creative decisions moving forward, which is a great move, but the company has not centralized their film properties as Marvel has to such enormous success. Also, there was no word on Batman, which was a huge missed opportunity. Still, I’m hoping that after Green Lantern DC gets their act together and makes something great, maybe a Justice League movie? (Although I’m torn on whether or not Chris Nolan’s Batman should be a part of anything like that.) After a short Harry Potter trailer and panel, Zack Snyder came onstage for Sucker Punch. This new movie is based on his idea and stars an ensemble cast of women who are breaking out of a mental institution and includes Carla Gugino, Jamie Chung, Vanessa Hudgens, Jena Malone and Emily Browning. I’m not sure what to think about this movie, but the footage got a fantastic reception and it sounds truly unique. Hopefully the trailer gets released online soon so we all can see it.

Let Me In, the American remake of the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In, has had an enormous 360 when it comes to the public’s view. After a period of resenting the fact that such a movie was being remade, it seems like every detractor has been shut up by footage from the upcoming movie. I know I wasn’t too excited for this, but now its definitely on my radar. Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), from what I can tell, is doing a fantastic job helming the movie. He talked about how Steven Spielberg gave him tips for interacting with young actors, and that is what has me most excited for this film. Both Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) and Chloe Grace Moretz ((500) Days of Summer, Kick-Ass) have a lot of potential to give amazing performances and I hope they both pull it off. Check out this trailer for the film:

At this point, Hall H screeched to a halt after a fight broke out. It’s still unclear what actually happened, but the prevailing rumor is that someone asked another guy to move and when he didn’t, he stabbed him in the face with a pen. That’s speculation, but the scene was pretty grisly with blood everywhere and the victim being taken out on a stretcher, all with 8 or 9 cops in the vicinity.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost then introduced their new film, Paul. In the movie, the duo travel to Comic-Con and then embark on a road trip to Roswell, New Mexico. On the way they meet an alien named Paul, who is voiced by Seth Rogen. Paul is directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad) and the supporting cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Jason Bateman, and Jeffrey Tambor. I am really looking forward to this movie as Pegg and Frost are consistently hilarious and the story is pretty original. Paul is not your typical alien – he basically thinks of himself as an everyday Joe. Road trips are always pretty fun so having one with this trio of comedians and an alien should be awesome.

Once again Jon Favreau showed his skill at captivating the geek demographic by creating huge anticipation for Cowboys & Aliens, his new movie starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, and Sam Rockwell. Although the idea is great, it takes skill to blend such two very different genres, but Favreau is going for a very Western feel. After explaining that he is trying to emulate the Sergio Leone/John Ford films of the 40s and 50s, while using practical effects from the 80s as well as CGI for the aliens, he decided to just screen some early footage. Although the crew has only been shooting for three weeks, attendees were very impressed by the scene. In a surprise appearance, Harrison Ford was brought on stage in handcuffs by two security guards. It was his first appearance at the convention and the crowd went nuts. This a natural reaction, of course, to the man who played Han Solo and Indiana Jones, as well as many other awesome characters. I hope Favreau can really nail the Western feel and deliver a really fun, interesting film due out next summer, July 29th.

Now the presentation you’ve all been waiting for: Marvel. What Marvel is doing with their properties on film is incredible. By going independent and forming Marvel Studios where writers can collaborate and come up with great, interlocking stories for all of their superheroes, the company shows that it knows what its doing. Hopefully the result will be incredible, but there are a lot of moving parts, and all of them must come together perfectly. Captain America was first, as a short teaser showed Chris Evans in full costume throwing the iconic shield at the camera. After some discussion, the filmmakers actually had some footage to show which involved Hugo Weaving as Red Skull searching for an artifact that has something to do with Odin. I really like the Indiana Jones/World War II period piece vibe I’m getting for this movie. I hope Joe Johnston can create a very good atmosphere and seeing Cap killing Nazis is going to be sweet. Next up was Thor, which is much farther into production. A lot of footage was shown, and I can’t wait to see the trailer. Apparently the costumes are not nearly as cheesy as they looked in the first images we were shown. Reactions were very positive, which is a relief. Finally, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige brought on The Avengers. After years of rumors, this movie is finally actually happening. The final lineup was announced: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman/Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Donald Blake/Thor, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk (see the full cast in the photo from the event). It’s going to be insane seeing so many heroes on screen at the same time. I hope Joss Whedon can bring together all of this madness and deliver an amazing film.

Behold the cast of "The Avengers"

Well that was a very big day at Comic-Con, and while we knew most of this going in, it was still awesome to see all of these projects materializing before our eyes. Its going to hard, but we can’t fuel the hype too much. I’m looking forward to all of these films as much as anyone, but I’m not going to let the anticipation ruin my enjoyment of the movies as movies.

A few days ago, Latino Review’s El Mayimbe suspected that Harrison Ford would be joining Cowboys & Aliens. That rumor has now been confirmed.

Cowboys & Aliens is Iron Man director Jon Favreau’s next project. The movie is based on a graphic novel series in which aliens attempt to conquer the Wild West. Cowboys and Apache Indians must put aside their differences in order to defend earth. You can read the first issue here.

The movie is moving forward based on a script by Star Trek scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and Lost co-creator Damon Lindelhof. The current cast includes Daniel Craig in the lead, Zeke Jackson, and Olivia Wilde as Ella.

Earlier today, Favreau confirmed the rumor, saying:

Please stop asking if Harrison Ford is in Cowboys & Aliens. Okay? He is. Please don’t tell anybody.

Harrison Ford is my all-time favorite actor. Han Solo and Indiana Jones are among the greatest characters in all of movies. That being said, his recent roles haven’t had the same effect. Hopefully, C&A can give Ford another gritty hero to play and, although the actor is quickly approaching his 70th birthday, I think he still has a lot more in him.

Year One wants it’s audience to believe it’s Agent Sands at the end of Once Upon A Time In Mexico. The film blindly fires it’s comedy at us, hoping things will hit us and evoke mountains of laughter. Why shouldn’t it? It’s directed by Harold “Egon” Ramis who’s done some decent comedy directing and is responsible for Ghostbusters and Caddyshack. The movie’s headlined by timid nerd Michael Cera, whom everyone adores, and Jack Black, who can be great when he wants to be. The talent is certainly there to make a fun, if useless, summer comedy. Yet like the aforementioned Sands, Year One misses just about every shot of comedy it unleashes.

Year One is terribly constructed together to the point where Ramis should feel ashamed he took part in it. Scenes start, climax, and then cut to the next scene without finishing the previous joke or giving us a clue as to what occurred. Picture sleeping with the chubby and ugly cheerleader and she leaves right before you both finish. Other, better films are guilty of this as well but they at least have the decency to mention what happened the next scene later. It leads into a point about the editing in this film, which is absolutely atrocious. Pieces are just slopped together, often times without any consistency. For instance, why does Jack Black’s hair change from black to blonde over the course of a scene? Editors Craig Herring and Steve Welch should do community service for what a sloppy job they do on this picture.

Nice, but mine are bigger.

Sloppy though, seems to be the keyword for this picture. The script by Ramis, Gene Stupnitsky, and Lee Eisenberg is full of half-assed ideas that come from a History of the World Part I/Life of Brian double feature. Unlike those films, theirs lacks the consistency both comedy and filmmaking wise to be anything remotely decent. Perhaps they chose to set the film in a prehistoric age because that’s how all of their jokes feel. All of the “laughs” rely on dick and fart jokes which is going to appeal to anyone ten and under. Certainly the film gave me this vibe it was trying to appeal to a young audience but even then, the jokes are almost twenty years too late. Ramis’ direction, unfortunately, doesn’t do anything to elevate the material either. Presumably, he shot what was on page and did simple pointing and shooting. To paraphrase, the man did a lazy job with a sloppy script.

Jack Black and Michael Cera do make for a solid team though and play off of the other well. Likely it’s due to the fact both men are essentially playing themselves in caveman’s clothing. The flick does absolutely nothing to make you accept these two are playing different people other than dress them differently. Black though, seems to be doing a parody of his Po from Kung Fu Panda as he proclaims “I’m the chosen one!” His typical shtick is at play here though, so those turned off by him will find nothing to accept here. Cera tries with his timid nerd act that does work in spots. Seemingly, he’s the only one doing something in favor of the film rather than taking a meh attitude toward it. His low-key take is refreshing when you consider what everyone else in the film is doing.

The biggest of these offenders is not Hank Azaria but Oliver Platt as the High Priest. Normally Platt is enjoyable but here he’s repulsive, and not because his character calls for it. Platt’s character is implied to be gay, since apparently all priests in comedies have to be. Trouble is, it’s annoying, unfunny, and should make said homosexual priests feel ashamed. Azaria’s a different matter, as he interpreted his role of Abraham as Cap’n Abraham of the S.S. Choppin’ Skin. Every line is muttered like a drunken pirate leading one to think Azaria was a Captain Sparrow reject. Unlike his other recent history adventure, Azaria doesn’t bring the film down and does have the best line in the whole film. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is his son Isaac and while it’s impossibly hard to hate the kid, he’s essentially McLovin in different clothes. Vinnie Jones is Vinnie Jones, and Olivia Wilde makes for some really nice eye candy. David Cross portrays Cain and seems to pop in and out when the script needs him, while Paul Rudd feels all but wasted as Abel.

Year One is lazy, unprofessional filmmaking. Ramis is better than this, Apatow is better than this, even Jack Black is better than this. I keep reassuring myself the only reason Ramis did this was so we could get Ghostbusters 3. At the same time, he shouldn’t have succumbed to such a stupid, idiotic and retarded monstrosity of film. Much like it’s premise, Year One should be buried, ancient history when it’s all said and done.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆