Date Night - Review

Date Night stars Tina Fey and Steve Carrell as a married couple looking to spice up their usual date night but get involved in a black mail scheme involving sex and the mob. Ultimately the film is funny but leaves you wanting more, maybe more than is really possible.

Tina and Steve are great on the their hit shows, The Office and 30 Rock but this is the big screen and Date Night has them trying to be funny in slightly different ways. Steve Carrell is easily type casted in the nerdy, nice, goofy and sometimes clumsy male. Tina Fey is the smart mouthed, un-hip, sexually tame mother. The two are married with kids. They both feel a bit trapped as their marriage has lost that spark. A married couple close to them split and as a reaction they go out to the city instead of the local eatery for a night of fun and adventure. What they get is a night of guns, blackmail, crooked cops and Mark Wahlberg bare chest. They get involved in a black mail scheme that has nothing to do with them but are confused for some one else and the adventure begins. They have to find the couple with the restaurant reservation they stole, the blackmail goods that could solve the mystery and save their hides while alluding, crooked cops and Mark Wahlberg's oily chest.

Date Night has some funny moments, both involving speedy or not so speedy chases. One involving a motor boat, the other involving a spiffy Audi colliding into a taxi cab with hilarity to ensue. Fey and Carrell are fine. Might the movie have been better if they were allowed to improvise or roam free with the script? I don't know. I am not sure improvisation are their strengths. Fey's best talents are as a writer, not an actor or even a comedian. Carrell also seems like someone who best works with set material and is funny when working with quality material like on The Daily Show or The Office, not so much with Get Smart or Evan Almighty. Towards the end of the film, Carrell and Fey are involved in a strip tease scene involving a stripper pole that is humorous but a little bit of a let down. It should be the scene everyone talks about the next day or at the water cooler but it's not that memorable. It might be because the pole dance sequence requires a good sense of physical humor and neither of these two comedian are known for their physical humor.

Date Night is not bad but it is not memorable. The crooked cops chasing the simple married couple from New Jersey might be the dumbest bad guys ever and their stupidity isn't even played up for any amount of humor. None of the one liners are that funny and many of the smartest jokes are after the fact (punchline) jokes. Even the gag reel during the credits is not up to par and displays Fey's and Carrell's lack of ability to improv or do physical humor. If you don't believe me that Fey is nothing special at improv then why was her best character on SNL, a portrayal of herself on the Weekend Update Segments. It is only till recently that she discovered new success as Sarah Palin.

Date Night will go down as one of those movies that could have been so much more but until then will go down as pretty good, well sort of.

Kick Ass - Review

Kick Ass is the new comic book movie aimed at not being a comic book movie but being a analysis of a comic book movie dressed up as a comic book movie. Confused? It seems like a lot of comic book movies have been diving deep into self exploration and if that is not your cup of tea then Kick Ass is not for you. If you like comic book action, self aware humor and 11 year old with ninja stylings and the mouth of a sailor than maybe this film is for you.

Aaron Johnson is Dave, a geek who wonders why no one has ever tried becoming a super hero. It seems logical that someone at least one person would have dressed up in cape and cowl and fought crime. So one day, after getting beat up and no one doing a thing, or even caring, he decides to buy a wet suit, put on a mask and fight crime. He doesn't have any powers or even any gadgets. His method of fighting crime is really no different than a neighborhood watch. Except when he patrols the neighborhood, he does it in a mask.

Along the way, he meets a father and daughter duo called Big Daddy and Hit Girl (Nicholas Cage and Chloe Moretz). Big Daddy and Hit Girl are the real thing and out for revenge. Big Daddy is a former cop who wants to avenge his wife's passing, while his daughter is along for the ride and is there to make her father happy. They are after mob boss Frank D'Amico. Some wild action, a trap involving D'Amico's son (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Superbad's McLovin) as a fake comic book hero Red Mist, some girl chasing and comic book references galore occur in Kick Ass.

Kick Ass is enjoyable. The movie doesn't really discover an identity. Is it an homage or a critique of comic book culture? In his narration, Kick Ass tries to persuade us that his motives are not spurred by revenge or the sudden appearance of super powers but simply by the frustration that no one seems to care about how bad this world has become. It seems like a noble premise until you meet Big Daddy and realize that this is really a revenge movie after all. And then what may seem like an original premise falls under every comic book convention.

The worst thing about Kick Ass the movie is the Kick Ass character himself. The movie follows his dull and rather pointless narration and his feeble attempts at self training. There has to be at least 3 different instances where he is checking himself out in the mirror trying to psyche himself up while displaying his "awesome" fighting movies. A joke that is funny at first but after many other displays of his inadequate training, the joke wears very thin. His attempts at getting the girl are just as awkward, unimportant and a stretch, not only for relevancy but humor.

The best part of Kick Ass is the father and child relationships shared by Big Daddy and Hit Girl, as well as Mob Boss D'Amico with Red Mist. Big Daddy has been training his daughter for these moments since she was 6 and is very proud of her killing ways, While papa D'Amico is hesitant to trust and allow his son to join his mob. It's a shame that the movie focuses so much on Kick Ass that these story lines are a underdeveloped and not the central focus of the film. It is understood that Kick Ass is supposed to be the ordinary Joe, the common figure of which we the viewer should relate to, but his story is just so bland. So he is an awkward teenage that cannot get girls, with no super powers and reads comics. So was I and so were a lot of my friends.... I don't need to spend my time watching a movie that fails to be profound on the subject. Does Kick Ass save the day at the end? Yes, well sort of but his journey to super hero is more out of accident rather than defiance or great act of courage.

Kick Ass does not examine the mind state of super hero's like The Dark Knight was determined to achieve but it does hint at the disturbed nature of the masked hero far better than Watchmen did. Nicholas Cage as former police officer Damon MaCready is a twisted character of pure hate and determination that finds no peace except for time spent with his daughter. The blind faith his daughter has in his plan and violent methods is fascinating. The seemingly ordinary relationship D'Amico has with his son is odd but pleasant. Moretz as the 11 year old Hit Girl is just a treat. She wields a knife as if it were a 6th finger. She swears like she has 50 years of experience with an attitude that somehow doesn't come off as cute but fierce.

The final action sequence is the best part of the film. It truly captures the essence of the film; from the off beat comedic absurdity to the comic book plot, the oddity of people dressed up in costume to fight crime, the outrageous violence and casual misplacement of logic. Kick Ass is a bit long but enjoyable. It might be a fan boy type thing. I never read the original comic strip for which the film is based but you shouldn't feel lost or confused. You don't need to know everything about comics to get the humor or the references. It is a fun movie. At least one I would say is worth watching, even if you dislike it.

Hot Tub Time Machine - Review

Hot Tube Time Machine is a whacky comedy that goes beyond logic to be funny. The film finds three adult males going through hard times heading back to the past for a moment to relive their glory days.

John Cusack (Adam) is in a similar role as a broken heart, recently divorced man taking care of his nephew. Clark Duke (Jacob) is the nephew who would rather play video games than go out and be a teen. Craig Robinson (Nick) is a former musician turned pet groomer who is let down by his marriage and wonders what happened to his rock star days. Rob Corddry (Lou) plays a drunk low life who fails at everything even suicide. After Lou fails to kill himself, the guys get together and decide to take a man trip out to their favorite ski resort. They don't realize that like their own lives, the resort has seen better days. The resort is falling apart but the hot tub outside their suite is fully functional. They get wildly drunk and with the aid of a knock-of Russian power drink like Red Bull which causes a malfunction in the hot tub, they are sent them back to 1986.

Hot Tub Time Machine is actually pretty funny. Much of the humor works because despite being an absolutely stupid and awesome premise, the movie doesn't rely on crude, disgusting or crass humor. When the film does that like when a bell boy's arm is ripped off it comes off as a shock rather than funny. Disgusting humor exists but shock humor isn't the only thing that makes this film funny. While Corddry might be a little exhausting as he tries to find ways to make money in the past by using his knowledge of the future, the humor finds laughs because the chemistry from the four is very believable. The characters are very sarcastic and are capable of using the f-bomb to a smart and playful degree. There are also some very funny situations, for instance when Nick who has been struggling with his wife's affair calls his wife, in the past, at the age of nine and unloads on her for being a cheating bitch. The banter Lou and Jakob share as they insult one another is fun and spirited. Cusack provides little humor but his role as Adam is the emotional center. Even as the film's producer and biggest star, Cusack doesn't let his character dominate the film which could have caused the film to drag.

Hot Tube Time Machine struggles with some logical errors. Despite taking place in 1986 there is a rousing gambling scene that involves the 1987 AFC championship game. Cleveland Browns fan (like myself) might enjoy this moment as John Elway's historic drive falls short. There is also a joke that Lou forms Motley Lue and enjoys the celebrity of being a rock star. This is not necessarily possible because Motley Crue was formed in 1981. Despite these errors, the goof ball premise of a hot tub time machine already dismissed any sense of logic or reason. It's a funny movie. It doesn't matter that the Chevy Chase character is never really explained or why the group is so reluctant to relive their past, make the best of it or improve on their future by fixing the past. It is probably a smart move that the movie doesn't really take the time to examine their emotional state or explain the time wizard that is Chevy Chase's character.

The real break out star of Hot Tube Time Machine is Craig Robinson. You might recognize him as a recurring character on The Office or small roles in Pineapple Express and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. In this film, as part of an ensemble cast, he gets to display a wide range of comedic skills. He can get your sympathy, be enraged, be sarcastic and be funny at the same time. There is a fair amount of sincerity in his comedic delivery. This sincerity makes a great deal of what he does either funny or charming.

Hot Tub Time Machine is funny if you accept that logic does not exist and just go with the flow. It's a guy movie, not like Wild Hogs or even The Hangover. The guys aren't good looking, on a road trip or in a fashionable hot spot like Vegas. Even the ski resort, past or present looks like a bad movie set or sound stage but this adds to the movie's charm. It has the Cusack production stamp all over it and I am sucker for Cusack's personal and sometimes morbid romantic explorations. Plus any film where the Cleveland Browns go to the Super Bowl cannot be all bad.

The Cleveland International Film Festival

The Cleveland International Film Festival.

Before you say anything, It does exist. It is not a made up festival or anything. The festival has for 34 years shown movies from around the world in all forms; short, full length, documentary, fictional, animated, and so forth.

For example today, on the 4th day of the festival I saw a french romantic comedy and a documentary on the history of film criticism. You can catch a plethora of films at the festival. You can see an Iranian film about guys wanting to lose weight who then train in sumo wrestling or a documentary about Allen Iverson. Variety - the spice of life.

I love talking about movies. I get into plenty of conversations about movies. I consistently hear people complain about the movies that are being made and shown in local theaters. Since many people out there do not know of or cannot make it to an art house cinema where foreign films or low budget movies are a regular occurrence, they are then stuck with the general milieu of Hollywood cinema at your near by megaplex. But countless amounts of people out there yearn for something more than some romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant as the awkward British guy or some over-hyped teen drama with countless minutes (which feels like hours) of intense yet unsatisfying staring.

What I am saying is... if you want more than what is available to you, then you have to seek it out or you can attend a festival in which there are dozens of options, easily packaged and available to you. Kind of like a buffet for movie lovers. If you cannot make it to Cleveland, fear not because most likely a film festival is closer to you than you think. There are countless amounts of festivals all over the world. In big cities, small cities, universities and even small local theaters organizing festivals ranging from genre festivals showing three nights of horror classics to international festivals displaying a world of cinema beyond your individual grasp.

I suggest going to the Cleveland International Film Festival. Supporting the arts never hurt anyone, plus you might be surprised by what you see or you might be surprised by what you like.

the Oscars - Why You Shouldn't Put Too Much Stock in Award Shows

Today, the 82nd Academy Awards will recognize certain individuals for acting, writing, directing and producing motion pictures. The awards ceremony also recognizes the make up artists, production designers, editors, sound technicians and so forth. I refuse to claim someone as a victor, not because you cannot judge art or some lame crap like that but because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences might be the worst at award acknowledgment in the history of cinema.

Since 1929, the Academy Awards have been very successful at kissing Hollywood ass. It is a giant party and promotional gala for the movie industry. As a child I bought into the notion that great movies are the movies that had won awards. Today, many people, not just children subscribe to the notion that success should be awarded, not simply by commercial or critical gains but by little golden statues that mean absolutely nothing.

Tell me... why should I recognize an award show in which a film noir, science fiction film, or an animated film have never won Best Picture? Tell me... why only 13 people of African American descent have ever won an Academy award for acting? There are have only been 4 people of Asian descent to win an acting award and 8 people of Latin or Hispanic descent to win. Way to go Anthony Quinn on winning twice. In case you don't want to do the math. The best actor/actress category has had 164 winners since 1927, while the supporting actor/actress awards have been given 146 times since 1936. So with 310 acting awards being awarded, only 8 percent of those awards have been given to minorities. That is not the only injustice because there is no explanation as to why only four woman ever been nominated for directing? Wait, there is more. Alfred Hitchcock never won an Academy Award. Peter O'Toole never won an Academy Award. Robert Altman never won, neither has Albert Finney, Deborah Kerr or Greta Garbo. Charlie Chaplin only one won Academy Award and that was for his score of the film Limelight (1952). Here are some more numbers for you; Only 8 foreign films have ever been nominated for Best Picture and none of them were victorious.

If you feel that those statistics are simply coincidence or just bad luck then try this argument. In another attempt to promote itself the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked the 100 greatest movies of all time in 1996. In any case, it was the 100 greatest American or English language films because there was not one foreign or foreign language film listed. Almost 70 years after the Academy awards were created the AFI list only honored 32 best picture winners. Many of the films on the list never won any Oscars. Those films included Taxi Driver, Psycho, Vertigo, Dr. Strangelove, and The Manchurian Candidate. If those films are a little too old for you then how about this; a revised list was done in 2007 in which The Shawshank Redemption was on the top 100 films of all time and that films also failed to win any Academy Awards.

Another example of the Academy's failure to recognize great films took place in 1941 when Citizen Kane failed to capture the awards for best picture and director. Since 1941, Citizen Kane is heralded as one of the best, if not the best film of all time. Citizen Kane is mentioned in every text or class that attempts to teach film. Citizen Kane is not just a great film because of its execution but because of the influence it has had on a variety of film personalities and cultures. Despite this influence it failed to capture the best picture award. The film that had won, How Green Was My Valley is not a bad film but is not celebrated on any level in comparison with Citizen Kane. The reasons for Citizens Kane's defeat is nothing short of shameful. Welles, who wrote, starred and directed the picture loosely based the film on media tycoon William Randolph Hearst. During the films release, Hearst threatened anyone's career if they applauded the film or voted for it in any award ceremonies.

The greatest problem with the Academy Awards is that they have convinced people that the films that have won awards aren't just good films but movies worth watching. How many times have you heard this, "Well I thought I should see it because it had won so many awards." Or this, "it has to be good, it won like 10 Oscars." The notion of what is and isn't Oscar worthy is absurd. The Oscars are not the only barometer for good or bad movies. Films that win Oscars are not necessarily good or even memorable. Sometimes the movies that win are the films that don't offend while others times the films that win just make a lot of money. Some of the most praised, studied and adored films of all time never won an Oscar. Some were denied because of politics, while others were denied because of popularity. No one knows exactly why certain films or actors, writers, and directors have been neglected by the voting committee. It is unsure why Charlie Chaplin had not won an Oscar until he was removed from the United States. Some thought he was a communist or that he hated Jews while others disapproved of his personal life. It is unclear why Hitchcock never won an Oscar. Many feel that Martin Scorsese had not won an Oscar for so long because his films were too violent. There were reports that Raging Bull was denied the Best Picture Award of 1980 because his film Taxi Driver had influenced the assassination attempt on President Reagan the day prior to the 1981 ceremony. Some reports suggest that the Academy did not want to appear as if they were promoting the violence in Scorsese's films.

So who makes up the voting committee? I guess, if anyone is to blame it should be those who vote? You might be happy to know that the voters are a bunch of movie people. The voters are actors, writers, directors, camera persons, technicians, stylists and musicians? Musicians? Really? I know there are a couple of categories for music but as much as I love Bruce Springsteen I am not sure if he is a solid voter for Best Picture. Bruce Springsteen is a voter, in case you wanted to know. Other voters include those in the public relations business. Oh yeah, public relations. The people who sell you stuff help decide which films deserve awards or not. The president of marketing for Universal Pictures is Eddie Egan and don't worry he has a vote. I wonder if he will be compelled to vote for Inglorious Bastards, which was produced by Universal or will he vote for what he thinks was the best picture.

Who wins and who is nominated does matter in other terms besides awards and recognition. In 2009, Hollywood.com reported that films see a bump in ticket sales when nominated for best picture. If that is true then what kind of bump do they get at the ticket office, rental box or sales counter when the film wins best picture? How can anyone trust these voters when so much money is at risk?

I don't want to get rid of the Oscars but I feel it is necessary to acknowledge that the Oscars do not determine greatness. It's a big party. People enjoy watching the glam of the red carpet. It's a spectacle. It's a method to promote the notion that Hollywood is still the place where dreams come true and if you are talented or popular enough you can win an award that is about 8 pounds symbolizing everything and nothing all at once.

Crazy Heart - Review

Jeff Bridges displays great talent while singing and performing great country music crafted by T-Bone Burnett. Crazy Heart is an adequate film about an alcoholic musician struggling to rediscover his gift for writing music.

Jeff Bridges is Bad Blake, a country musician at the end of his career playing bowling alleys and small town bars. Bad Blake is looking for one last moment in the sun but is unable to write a hit song or stop his drinking. At a tour stop he meets single mother Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and they connect over music and a romance blossoms. It is partly because of their romance that Bad Blake reaches out to his former protege Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) to perform some opening gigs and write some new songs. Until meeting Jean, Blake was unwilling to meet Sweet or even discuss the success of his protege while his career was coming undone.

The two fall in love, Blake becomes a hit with her son and the only thing standing in their way is Blake's drinking as Jean is afraid to make the same mistakes she has made in her past. Though it may be unclear what mistakes have been made, she is very weary of Blakes drinking. Then during a trip to see Bad Blake in Houston where Jean allows Blake to watch her son for an afternoon and due to his alcoholism (?) he loses the young boy at a mall. Jean is upset and decides to never see Blake again, understandably so. After feeling down and out, Blake calls up his friend Wayne (Robert Duvall - also one of the film's producers) and decides to go to rehab. Blake cleans up his act and starts writing hit country songs for Tommy Sweet but unfortunately never regains the love of the woman who brought him out of his drunken darkness.

So the film might read like a country song. Drunk country star finds love, his talent and peace through love. Crazy Heart isn't new ground. The Wrestler (2008) was one of the last films to portray a former star in their profession struggling with the end of their career and personal misdirection only to find some hope through romantic encounters with a younger woman. Crazy Heart is a more positive film than The Wrestler but both films have powerful performances by their stars. Crazy Heart might not be original, shocking or even that clever but it has a great performance by Bridges. The film is not completely removed from reality too. Many great country musicians of the past have resurrected their career in recent memory like Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Loretta Lynn. Therefore it is not hard to believe that a country great can come from obscurity to reclaim the talent that made them great so long ago. It is also not hard to believe that there is a connection between drug abuse and country music; Willie Nelson, Steve Earle, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings all have associations with drugs use and/or abuse.

Bridges knows that he has never received the same respect as other talented actors. Even though at times, in the eyes of this reviewer, Bridges has often over acted in many of his roles. Despite his lack of recognition he has still had many great performances throughout his 50 years of acting on television and the big screen. While many honor him in the Big Lebowski as the Dude, his performances in such films like the Last Picture Show, The Fabulous Baker Boys and The Fisher King should be used as reliable sources for his talent. He brings a great deal of subtly to this role without relying on gestures or breaks in his speech to define the character. He embodies the great southern charm that his character Blake is known to have. Bridges is also not bad singer, being able to bring T-Bone Burnett's music to life.

Crazy Heart spends a fair amount of time focussing on the issue of alcoholism. For the first part of the film it might be easy to dismiss Bad Blake's drinking as basic part of the music or country music culture. It becomes clear that his addiction is a problem when his drinking and driving causes a car accident. At the hospital he consults with the doctor and the doctor tells him that dismissing his problems with jokes and a devil may care attitude will only bring him closer to his death. After losing Jean's son and her affection, he goes into rehab. Alcohol and the problems of addiction play a large role in the film, as big as romance or the music itself. Other than Blakes constant drinking, Jean seems to have a past involving drinking, Blake's best friend who takes him to rehab owns a bar and knows the troubles of getting sober. At a gig with Sweet, Blake asks Tommy why he is drinking tea instead of whiskey. To deny the role that drinking/alcohol play in the film is to deny the central theme of recovery.

Despite powerful performances and good music there is nothing that stands out in this film. Plus everything in the film moves so quickly that nothing has a big impact. It takes a moment of screen time for Blake and Jean to fall in and out of love. It takes a moment of screen time for Blake to stop drinking, enter rehab and come out clean. It might be hard for the viewer to really appreciate the difficulty it can be for some to recover from substance addiction. A lot of things go unsaid like why Blake has such a difficult time going to work for Sweet. The storyline in which Blake tries to reconnect with the son he abandoned takes too much time and is underdeveloped.

Crazy Heart has great music and great performances but Bridges, Farrell and Duval. Taking place in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico with such beautiful landscapes, director Scott Cooper effortlessly connect the music with the open landscapes of the southwest. T-Bone Burnett's selection of covers and well crafter originals add to his legacy of making great movie soundtracks that include O Brother Where Art Thou and Walk the Line. With all that in mind, the film goes little to nowhere without Bridges.

The Book of Eli - Review

Denzel Washington in post-apocalyptic action adventure is (kind of) entertaining as long as you can suspend disbelief and ignore logic or reason.

The film is set in the not too distant future, in the wasteland that has become the United States. A traveler, Washington's Eli is walking west. Why? Because he carries a package and that must be delivered. The earth as we know it is no more. A war has destroyed landscapes, wild life and resources. Everything is in limited supply. Things are in such limited supply one can barter with KFC hand wipes.

Along the way Eli has to overcome traps and cannibals. He arrives at a town run by Carnegie (Gary Oldman) and his gang. In a time when few can read because of a war in which books were burned, Carnegie searches for one book that he can use to run his town and possibly the world? He is searching for the Bible. We come to learn that every Bible ever created has been burned except the one which is in the possession of Eli. Eli and Carnegie have some fights and shoot outs that are part western and part Mad Max. With divine guidance and strong convictions , Eli goes West to San Francisco where a small community is trying to rebuild society through intellectual thought and science. This group take the bible and with a newly constructed printing press they copy it along with other important pieces of literature and thought.

The Book of Eli is the first film directed by the Hughes brothers in almost 10 years. Albert and Allen Hughes have only made a few films since there breakout debut, Menace II Society in 1993. I am not really sure if this method helps them or hurts them. Eli has some decent action sequences, a downplayed performance by Washington and a positive religious message that is not offensive. The film is smart enough to suggest the power the bible and it's message can have while being used for good or evil. Unfortunately the film is not smart enough to build on it's backdrop, characters or plot lines.

For example, the film is set up on the principle that Eli has been walking with the Bible for 30 years trying to get west. It is 2905 miles from New York City to San Francisco. You understand that food or shelter is not easily accessible but with that amount of time to travel, Eli would only have to walk 1/3 of a mile per day to reach the west coast. With a questionable ending, one also wonders whether or not Eli is able to see? The viewer never really knows about the war that brought upon such destruction - nuclear war? You don't know why all books or sources of knowledge were burned - religious war? If so, who won? With limited resources and little to no civilization in sight, how are people still using motorcycles or cars? The list could go on.

If you are curious for information or come into this film questioning why things are they way they are then you will leave unsatisfied. If you can suspend disbelief long enough to ignore the giants wholes or gaps in the script then you might have a good time. Washington is relatively subdued as the traveler on a spiritual mission. He brings a certain humility to the character that makes his performance somewhat stand out. Oldman performance is a bit strange as it seems like he is trying to do his best impersonation of Jack Nicholson. At two hours long, it does get bogged down in the middle and addition of the Mila Kunis character Solara turns a somewhat predictable film into a more very predictable film. At least the Hughes brothers have enough class to resist the temptation to turn Kunis into a sex object. Sorry movie goers but there are no shower scenes, bikini shots or even any romantic twist between Washington and Kunis. Thank goodness. And even in post apocalyptic films there is still plenty of room for product placement.

The Book of Eli is bound to land itself on the "there is nothing else to watch on cable" guilty pleasures list. It's not horrible but it's not very good. It's a film with a religious theme that is not overtly offensive which can be a difficult trick to pass. A good idea that goes under the file - underdeveloped.