Love crappy movies but are too ashamed to admit it? Are you a big Rob Schneider fan but you're tired of being burned? Not sure if you want to waste your money on the same old movie? That's why you have Joe.
Joe Loves Crappy Movies is by Joseph Dunn. Joe willingly goes to see the very worst that Hollywood has to offer. Whenever a crappy movie comes out Joe will be there to see it, make fun of it, and actually review it. Nothing is safe, and nothing is sacred. From the big budget action disasters to the low brow fart based comedies, to anything starring Martin Lawrence? Joe will tear it apart.
With each entry you'll get not only a comic poking fun at the movie, but also a detailed review. Joe's not educated in film or cinematography or acting, he's just a guy that draws comics and likes movies. So if you're looking for the everyman perspective and a little joke in comic form... you're in the right place.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Starring: Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Rachel Nichols, Tom Wisdom, Leonardo Nam, Lucy Hale
Directed by: Sanaa Hamri
Warner Brothers Pictures
The Official Site of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Discuss The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2on the boards!
Don’t feel like reading the long review, catch the Quick Look at Flixster!
My wife pleaded with me not to see this movie. “Why would any of your readers care anything about Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2!?” she insisted as if you’re not sophisticated enough to appreciate the subtleties of four young women facing the challenges of life. Or maybe she was just intuitive enough to realize that you guys are at least 80% male, between 18 and 26, and way more interested in seeing me slam The X-files movie than jabber on about Sex and the City Jr. for a dozen paragraphs.
I would never think so little of you though. I know how thirsty you are for all the gritty details of the most effeminate of this summer’s unnecessary sequels. Okay seriously – Sisterhood 1 was actually kind of good and with four talented leading ladies, all worth developing unhealthy celebrity crushes on, I was anxious to see what the sequel had to offer. Besides, I need a break from the endless conveyer belt of explosions and F-bombs that summer ’08 has been laying out week to week. A nice quiet movie with pretty girls talking to each other is just what the doctor ordered.
When the magical pair of jeans started their traveling three years ago in the first Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, we were treated to four young stars playing four young women about to embark on four life-changing adventures. I found the movie to be very sweet and it hit a lot of the emotional chords you would expect. It was ridiculously girly but like I said – Man cannot survive on cusses and dynamite alone. In this second outing the sweetness is back but the film struggles to find that same emotional connection. The girls are a little bit older and reaching out further into the world to take on… much less interesting problems.
As the girls have grown up, the challenges they face have regressed. Dying children and absentee parents are replaced with backstabbing friendships and pregnancy scares. (Honestly… false alarms are so 1998.) Watching Lena (Alexis Bledel) question if everyone has “one true love”, I couldn’t help but let my eyes roll at the parade of canned teen drama passing before me. Bridget’s (Blake Lively) quest to learn more about the mother she lost is the closest thing to a real dilemma, but as well as it is told, I just couldn’t get emotionally invested. It was one very focused look after another at problems I’ve not encountered or thought about since Coolio had street cred. Really, that’s the first signal that my wife was right. I had no business being there.
In the first movie the pants held the group of girls together throughout their tacky teen troubles, but the older bunch has become cynical and they begin to grow apart. This is pretty standard step to take considering it’s a sequel, but the less connected they became, the less interested I was. The four are good as a group and even though the movie is very much about their lone adventures, I missed the interaction. I missed the Sisterhood!
But I still didn’t belong. I should have taken the hint from my wife. Maybe she knew you guys wouldn’t care or that the true embarrassment would come when I looked around the theater and noticed I was the only boy in the room. Or maybe she just knew that it would suck. Lesson learned, folks – listen to your woman.
Rating: 5 out of 10 - When the first movie was released it was the Gilmore Girl (Alexis Bledel) and Joan (of Arcadia – Amber Tamblyn) that were the recognizable faces on screen. Not that it really effected how the story unravelled. Each girl and each story were given proper and equal face time. The same could be said for the second film even though the spotlight has shifted to a Gossip Girl (Blake Lively) and Ugly Betty (America Ferrera).
It’s great to see them stick true to what the movie is about, even when they could’ve easily exploited the hot young stars of the moment, but I wish the story had a better tale to tell. Sisterhood 2 is inoffensive but unnecessary. If it inspires you at all, it’ll be in the realization that you weren’t as tired of the bombs and cursing as much as you thought.
That’s a little harsh. I’d like to believe that it inspires friendship and loyalty even in the face of all the craziness life can throw at you. I’d like to think that, but I’m not a 13-year-old girl.
It’s not likely that I’ll be picking this one up. The only way I could see possibly owning it is if someone bought it for me as a joke. In no way is that a request for someone to stuff my Christmas stocking with the summer’s most watered down chick-flick. Though if you see a copy of the Lake House on sale, I wouldn’t tell you not to cross my name off your shopping list by picking it up.
Again I would say its a target audience dilemma. There were probably more than a few people that left this movie excited at the prospect of seeing it again on DVD. As beautiful as the cast is, I’ll stick to my laughs and mindless action for now.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - What I love about the teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is that the series has gotten to a place where the world itself if so strong that they can get away with not showing their title character for more than 4 seconds. And it’s still really good! Even though he’s barely a blip on the screen, we know these characters, we know this tone, we know this haunting theme music that sets the stage for excitement and instantly turns you into a kid again! …Even though you were 23 when these books first came out.
Interest has definitely shifted to Voldemort and, even though you’re not supposed to say his name out loud, nearly every English speaking person in the world knows it. The films have been growing stronger and stronger with each outing (I was really taken with Order of the Phoenix) and I have high hopes that this magical look into the character’s past will continue the trend.
If you missed yesterday’s strip then click back to see how the battle began. I had a couple ideas for the Sisterhood comic, but none of them would let me draw Batman and Iron Man battling in a volcanic wasteland other than this one. I’ll save the sappy options I wrote for the next generic teen soap movie.
Have you gotten over the shock that I actually saw Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2? How about the fact that you just read a review about it? I guess it would have been a really ugly situation had it been a positive review. We dodged a bullet there people…
Thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoy the new “Quick Look” feature at the top of the page that allows you to get an abbreviated version of my reaction to the film. You won’t get all the finer points but if you’re in a hurry it’ll do the trick! You can see a slew of other Quick Looks here ranging from the latest releases to classics like Raising Arizona and Weird Science. Head on over and check it out.
Thanks so much for reading. I’ll be back soon and I’ll be riding the Pineapple Express!
Live Journal/Myspace/Rotten Tomatoes/Buzz Comix/Top Web Comics/Comics on the Ipod/The Webcomics List/Online Comics/Wikipedia/Comixpedia/JLCM Map!
Joe – The creator of the strip who has embraced giving crappy movies the chance they deserve. Like the majority of the cast he’s obsessed with boobs.
First Appearance - The Introduction
Yeo – Yeo is Joe’s wife and often the voice of reason in the strip. Having her act rational allows the rest of the cast to embrace being in a comic strip which primarily involves randomly punching people, interacting with fictional characters and talking about boobs. Yeo is smart, beautiful and way too good for Joe. Don’t tip her off.
First Appearance - Fever Pitch
Irv – Joe’s movie-going sidekick who’s always down for watching Jason Statham crescent moon kick some thug through a plate glass window and getting some drinks before after and during a Vin Diesel movie. Like the majority of the cast he’s obsessed with boobs.
First Appearance - Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior
Agent 337 George Jones – A government Agent that took over for Joe after he was bad-mouthing President Bush in the V for Vendetta strip. George ran the show for over a month bring a much needed sense of patriotism and justice to both the strips and reviews. He eventually got too attached to his work, empathizing with Joe’s plight to give crappy movies a fair shake. In a way he came to love crappy movies as well and was pushed out of the position. He spiraled out of control and ended up in prison. His adventures will be told in the limited series JLCM Presents: 337 Locked Up which is set to début Christmas of 09.
First Appearance - V for Vendetta
Other Notable Appearances: Stay Alive, Ice age 2, Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, Slither, Here Comes Guest week, Let’s Go To Prison
Leonidas – The former king of Sparta who has traveled into the future and is having trouble coping with the modern times. Yelling loudly and kicking people into giant holes doesn’t really work the same way it did in the olden days. As time as gone by he’s adjusted but it’s a safe bet that he’s always one bad message away from throwing a spear through someone.
First Appearance - 300
Other Notable Appearances: Four Brothers, Strip# 300, The Golden Compass, Rambo, Untraceable, The Ladies of Max Paybe
Palpatine – Former Senator, Emperor of the Galactic Empire, Sith Lord... He shows up in the Joe Loves Crappy movies galaxy on occasion to let people know that they’re being stupid. No one’s really sure how he shows up in this universe but chances are it breaks all kinds of copywrite laws.
First Appearance - Episode III: The Dark Side
Other Notable Appearances: Four Brothers, Night Watch, Saw 3, Are We Done Yet
Slow Billy – Billy is a sweet kid but he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. If you’re watching him for the day be prepared to explain to him the plot of the movie or how popcorn works or, not so much where babies come from, but what babies are. He’s a complete moron.
First Appearance - Four Brothers
Other Notable Appearances: The Chronicles of Narnia, The Da Vinci Code, Vantage Point, Journey to the Center of the Earth
Kyle the Movie Snob – Be careful what fun facts about movies you tell your friends at a friendly gathering or in line for the latest blockbuster, because if you’re even slightly wrong, Kyle will be more than happy to let you know. He usually gets what’s coming to him though. Poor guy has cracked three ribs since joining the JLCM cast.
First Appearance - Ultraviolet
Other Notable Appearances: 16 Blocks, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Transformers, Journey to the Center of the Earth
Jean-Luc Picard – Another lawsuit waiting to happen is Jean Luc Picard who, towards the end of the strip’s first year, became the go-to background character. If there was ever a seat to fill or a random person to place wandering around in the background, nine times out of ten it was Picard. While Picard has crossed paths with Irv he and Joe have never met. Perhaps they will some day but for now just can an eye on the background.
First Appearance - The Producers
Other Notable Appearances: I’m not telling you, that’s no fun. It’ like Where’s Waldo – go find him!
Ice Cream Sandwich – Delicious and… deadly? Usually when you see someone eating an Ice Cream sandwich, someone else is experiencing a substantial amount of pain. Still, how nice is an ice cream sandwich on a hot summer day?
First Appearance - Saw IV
Other Notable Appearances: Bee Movie, Run Fatboy Run, Saw V
