Reno 911!: Miami

Bulldog Reviews
“Reno 911!: Miami”
By: Michael Pickowicz

I’ll admit it. I’ve never been a big fan of “Reno 911!”. The show never really appealed to me, but I don’t think I ever gave it a fair chance. What sparked my curiosity of this movie were actually the humorous trailers on television. After laughing a few times just at those clips, I had to go see what this movie was all about.
“Reno 911!: Miami” is a comedy that follows the adventures of the Reno, Nevada Sheriffs Department and their camera man as they serve and protect citizens in the most random and unhelpful ways possible. In the movie, the crew gets an invitation to attend the National Police Convention in Miami, Florida. When they there, however, their name is not on the list, causing them to at a cheap motel. Thankfully for them, the hotel where all police stayed in was contaminated with a dangerous gas. With all the police out of commission, it’s up to the Reno team to protect the city of Miami and find an antidote for the gas.
Even though there is somewhat of a plot in place, it’s important to understand that almost all this movie revolves around scenes that have nothing to do with anything. This, however, is the major appeal of “Reno 911!: Miami”. Just watching the crew get a simple task and screw it up in the most improbable way is great. To put it simply, the movie is brainless in a good way. Another aspect of the movie that was great, which most fans of the show will recognize, was that it was filmed documentary style. It’s good to see that the movie doesn’t stray away from its roots in that aspect. One other aspect I liked was Patton Oswald, who plays the “Acting” Mayor of Miami in the movie. I personally thought he was hilarious in the movie, even saying one of my favorite quotes in the movie.
One of the complaints for the movie was that I found some of the characters to not be that funny. Particularly, I wasn’t a fan of the three female cops. I found most of their scenes more strange then funny. Thankfully, other characters played off them well enough for it not to matter too much. I also wish they had a few more random public help cases. The movie was pretty short, so a few more pointless cases that could only happen in Miami would have been great.
While “Reno 911!: Miami” isn’t the greatest comedy in the world, the movie, just like the Reno crew, gets the job done the only way it can: through pure stupidity. If you’re willing to take your brains out for 90 minutes, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this movie. For fans of the show, this is a must see if you haven’t done so already. On the other hand, haters won’t be converted because the movie grasps tightly to its television roots. “Reno 911!: Miami” is easily the funniest movie so far this year. This movie deserves 3 ½ Bulldogs out of 5.

Breach

Bulldog Reviews
“Breach”
By: Michael Pickowicz

For some reason, or another, the movie “Breach” seemed to fly under my radar till about a few days ago. Barely seeing any trailers or knowing anything about the movie, I felt is would be nice to avoid the blockbusters this week and see something different. After seeing the movie, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised.
“Breach” is a spy thriller, based on true events, about the capture of the United States greatest mole. The movie stars a man named Robert Hanssen, who has, for years, has been giving valuable US information to the Soviets, dating all the way back to the Cold War. To bring him down, FBI rookie Eric O'Neill is hired to be Hanssen’s clerk to get more information on the man. The only problem is that Neill is informed that Hanssen is nothing more then a sexual predator who the government wants to sweep under the rug. As time goes on, Neill begins to look at Hanssen as a mentor, finding no information that would convince him of the charges against Hanssen. When he finally learns the truth about his mission, Neill realizes he may have gotten in too deep.
One aspect of “Breach” that I really liked is that it was down to earth. True, it’s based on a real event; but it was nice that no Hollywood fluff seemed to be added to the story. All the characters seemed very real and it was easy to get attached to their personalities and relationships. The most interesting aspect of this movie was the main character, Robert Hanssen, played by Chris Cooper. The character himself was very complex. The way he acted in the movie definitely helped the movie. Not only was Neill not able to see through him, but I was also interested in who exactly Hanssen was and wasn’t. Also, the story in general was enjoyable.
The only thing that really annoyed me in “Breach” is that there were a few unanswered questions. While the movie clearly wants to avoid the “why”, it still kind of aggravating that there were no answers. With that said, however, the movie portrays Hanssen’s personality so well, that I could get make pretty good predictions at the unanswered questions.
It’s good to see a movie that I thoroughly enjoyed this year. While it is an off season for movies, there are a few diamonds in the rough. “Breach” would be one of them. The movie is an excellent spy movie that has great characters and a great story. It’s definitely worth taking the trip to the movies for. I give “Breach” 4 Bulldogs out of 5.