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Discuss this week's Joe Loves Crappy Movies here!

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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 Hangover

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Jeffrey Tambor, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Mike Tyson

Directed by: Todd Phillips

Warner Brothers Pictures

The Official Site of The Hangover

Discuss The Hangover on the boards!

We’ve trained ourselves to expect certain things from certain movies. Every gangster movie is going to have a rat, every M. Night Shyamalan movie is going to have a twist and every red shirt is going to die. The Hangover very easily could have been just another “bachelor party in Las Vegas” movie with all the strippers, gambling, heavy drinking and bad decisions that that implies, but it chooses instead to tell the story from the perspective of the morning after. The result is a murder mystery style adventure where no one actually dies but our heroes, three pals of varying degrees of social awkwardness, follow the clues of a night gone wrong in hopes of finding their missing friend Doug who’s getting married the next day.

I know, I know, I know… A bachelor party movie told through the haze of the next day sounds as thrilling as a bank heist movie told from the perspective of the real estate agent that rented Citibank the space. The film’s victory comes in the clues they follow to remember their forgotten night of fun. A missing tooth, a tiger in the bathroom and Mike Tyson butchering a Phil Collins classic help The Hangover break the Vegas stereotype and give us not only a fresh take on tired old clichés but also one of the funniest comedies in years.

While Hangover avoids what we’ve come to anticipate in a Vegas bachelor party film it seems to embrace very specific character types. Phil (Bradley Cooper) is the smooth operator. You half expect someone to say he’s “so money” if only ironically. Stu (Ed Helms) is the geeky sad sack, beaten down by dentistry pride (they’ve earned their ”Dr.” title) and a high maintenance girlfriend. Alan (Zach Galifianakis) is a special kind of socially inept. It’s as if he’d spent his life sealed inside a plastic bubble filled with nothing but a skittles and pornography but was let out for the weekend just to attend the party. He’s what the love child of Buger (Revenge of the Nerds) and Harry (Harry and the Hendersons) would look like.

Each embraces their character type and never strays too far from what’s expected from them. I thought it worked. I’m almost looking forward to Facebook surveys that let you know “which character from The Hangover you’re most like.” Could the movie have been benefited had they strayed or expanded beyond cool guy, geek and outcast? Maybe but somewhere around the point where they argue over the pronunciation of the word “retard” you realize that it doesn’t even matter.

As the group puts together the pieces of the night before we begin to see the larger picture of what happened hopefully leading us closer to finding Doug. What’s interesting is that it’s told without any visual flashbacks other than a few photos from a surprise wedding, about 30 seconds of pool-pissing surveillance footage and of course… the closing credits. This is my not so subtle plea for you to sit tight as the credits begin to role. The bathroom will still be there after you shuffle through another dozen laughs or so.

I’m not interested so much in explaining the story to you or even reliving some of the funnier moments, which you’ve most likely already done around the water cooler or on the playground depending on how liberal/cool your parents are, I’m far more interested in spreading the word. I wish I were able to come up with a clever turn of phrase to express this better but the simple, succinct truth is that The Hangover is hilarious. It doesn’t overuse gross out humor or try terribly hard to teach you a lesson or tug at your heartstrings, it’s just flat out funny. A welcome burst of laughter in what has been an emotional and action-packed summer so far.

Too much penis though. Say what you want about Wolverine. At least you never saw his dong.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10 - I love journey movies that change settings and situations as quickly as this movie does. In many ways it mirrors the other big release this weekend Land of the Lost which both play more as a stoner kid’s movie than you’d think. The Hangover was the easy champ though barely sliding into second thanks to another strong showing from Up. June is a dead zone until Transformers 2 hits so expect these two instant classics to be slugging it out for a couple weeks.

The Hangover is a true instant classic, so good that the sequel was greenlit like three weeks before the film’s release. That’s the sort of thing that doesn’t happen unless your main character is wearing a cape and a mask for the majority of the movie. I’ll be picking this up on DVD for sure and eagerly awaiting the next adventure.

Not time for love Dr. Jones. I’m off to bed. Sleep well. Thanks for swinging by.

Joe Dunn's Facebook profile

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