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Movie Review: “Between Two Ferns: The Movie”

By Matt Pascarella

Runtime: 1 hour 22 minutes

Rated: TV-MA

“Between Two Ferns” started as an Internet talk show on the Funny or Die website, which is run by Will Ferrell. Zach Galifianakis interviews celebrities and asks them invasive, sometimes inappropriate, questions. The interviews often spiral downhill at some point, with the guest taking a crack or two at Galifianakis. Of course, it’s meant to be funny and the interviewees are in on the joke. “Between Two Ferns the Movie” tells the story of Galifianakis and his crew travelling around the country to get ten episodes of the show in order to secure a late-night talk show deal.

The opening features Galifianakis interviewing Matthew McConaughey and it is not going well. There is a small leak in one of the pipes that suddenly bursts and soon floods the room and the studio. Don’t worry, Matthew McConaughey was saved.

We rewind to the previous 48 hours where Galifianakis is shooting a documentary about the show and explains he has been taping his shows for over a decade. He has dreamed of being a network TV personality. You meet his crew: his assistant, Carol (Lauren Lapkus), the camera operator, Cam (Ryan Gaul), and Boom Boom (Jiavani Linayao) who operates the boom microphone.

The studio has been destroyed due to the burst pipes and Galifianakis is called into the office by Will Ferrell who tells him how much he cares about how many clicks his website, funnyordie.com, gets. Galifianakis needs to shoot ten more episodes and Ferrell will give him a late-night contract. Galifianakis and his crew take “Between Two Ferns” on the road.

This movie stays very true to the short interviews that began on the Internet. Galifianakis interviews an abundance of celebrities who are less than thrilled, with a few exceptions, to be on his show. The interviews are funny, stupid funny, and I mean that in the best way possible. There is a lot of dry humor and wit. It can get a little weird in parts. The interviews are insulting, uncomfortable and sometimes raunchy.

Stay for the credits!!! The bloopers might be one of the funniest parts of the entire movie.

Galifianakis plays the part of a disdainful host very well and his supporting cast made this a very fun movie. I only wish there were more interviews. If you are a fan of “Between Two Ferns” or have never heard of it and like dry, deadpan, slightly uncomfortable, humor this movie is for you. I give it two ferns up!

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Movie Review: “Missing Link”

By Matt Pascarella

Rated: PG

Runtime: 1 hour, 34 minutes

Adventurer and seeker of mythical beasts, Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman), is determined to discover the great and elusive sasquatch. He must go out searching alone in order to do so. When he finds Mr. Link (Zach Galifianakis), they go on an adventure of enormous proportions.

The movie begins with Sir Lionel Frost and his assistant, Mr. Lemuel Lint (David Walliams) in a rowboat in search of what we later find is the Loch Ness Monster. Sir Lionel Frost tries to take a picture but fails. His assistant is put in serious danger. After some arguing, his assistant states he has had enough and quits.

Back in Frost’s office he opens a letter from someone tipping him off to the whereabouts of Sasquatch and encourages him to go looking for the creature. Frost goes down to the local explorer’s club and tells them about the letter. The leader, Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Stephen Fry) laughs at Frost, claiming he will not discover the hidden creature. Frost Challenges Lord Piggot-Dunceby and says if he brings back proof of the creature, Lord Piggot-Dunceby will admit he was wrong and grant Frost membership into the club. However, Lord Piggot-Dunceby hires someone to have Frost killed.

A short time after Frost begins his search, he meets mild-mannered sasquatch Mr. Link, or Susan as he later names himself, who explains he wrote the letter. Mr. Link is tired of the Pacific Northwest and wants to be taken to meet his cousins, the yetis, who live in the Himalayas. Frost agrees to take him in exchange for proof of his existence.

On their journey, they are attacked several times by the man hired to kill Frost, Willard Stenk (Timothy Olyphant). Mr. Link is helpful in fending off this wannabe hitman.

In order to get to the Himalayas, Frost needs a map from the widow, Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), of a former mythical beast seeker. He and Mr. Link go to get it, but the widow is not a fan of Frost and will not let him have the map. Frost and Mr. Link break into Fortnight’s home to get the map and after succeeding, are attacked again by Willard Stenk. Upon seeing this, Fortnight agrees to help them get to the Himalayas.

Later, the group gets a guide to help them find Mr. Link’s Shangri-La. When they are close, they are captured and thrown into a very, very deep pit.

Will the group escape? What will happen to Sir Lionel Frost? Will Mr. Link ever meet his relatives?

My interest in bigfoots and sasquatches drew me to this movie and I was not disappointed. With its star-studded cast, this film delivers on multiple levels: action: humor, heart and it portrays sasquatches in a way you might not have seen before. It’s entertaining for both kids and adults. The stop motion/CGI is great, too. This movie is well worth the rental whether with family or with friends.