Monday, May 30, 2011

Singin' In The Rain


The second of Greater Union Miranda's Masters of Hollywood film is this much beloved classic musical.
I have long been a fan of films about film making. The whole film making process is something that fascinates me. I've been on a few film sets and while I know for most people it is really boring I find it interesting. Most of the time it is all just people setting up to film something but I love to see where the camera and lighting is set up and what goes into making each shot. This film is set in 1927 when talking films were starting up and some silent stars were getting nervous about this new technology. Writers Betty Comden and Aldolph Green have come up with an excellent story that really takes advantage of this major change in film making. There is also the excellent look at celebrity and tabloids. Two famous stars being romantically linked is not something new and happens today all the time. But today I can't imagine a film studio making a couple stay together and pretend to have a relationship for the sake of a film. But besides the excellent story there are the brilliant musical numbers. I've always been a fan of fun songs and musical numbers and this film is full of them. Most of them fit nicely into the story but there are a couple that feel tact on. This would be my only minor criticism of the film.
Gene Kelly would have to be one of the most brilliant dancers who ever lived. The way he moves is simply stunning. He is also an excellent actor too. He nicely plays up the satirical nature of his character who is not above using his star status to get what he wants but in a good way. He is joined with two brilliant partners. Debbie Reynolds is delightful as Gene's love interest in the film and is excellent at song and dance. The best thing though is Donald O'Connor. Gene and Donald make a wonderful comedy double act and are really funny. But Donald is a brilliant performer in his own right with his stunning dance sequence for the song 'Make 'Em Laugh'. One of the best dance scenes ever put to film.
The big screen is certainly the place to see grand musicals like this one. The vibrant dance numbers prove the adage that 'they don't make them like they used to'.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Mad Bastards


Australian film making seems to be finally making more films about Aboriginal people. We are now getting at least one major release each year.
Writer/director Brendan Fletcher has travelled through northern Australia and collected stories from various people to make this film. It shows very much in the story and certain scenes as they play out. You can really see a story like this happening. To me I think a more apt title for the film would have been 'Angry Bastards'. This is a group of people will a lot of anger inside them. They are very quick to anger and always seem to want to pick a fight. Of the three main characters: TJ, Nella and Bullet they all seem to get angry in their scenes. Although Bullet's anger is more caged and comes out in subtler ways. The story also does not follow the conventional path either. TJ seems to take a while in getting to his son. He has to go through a lot of emotional baggage before he actually gets to meet his son which doesn't come until later in the film. TJ is very much the angriest person in the film so he has to try and remain calm before the meet.
Dean Daley-Jones was one of the writers on the film and so some of these events come from his personal experiences. He does an excellent job of conveying TJ's anger. He is very much a man with many demons and he can let this out at any time. His fellow cast members are mostly non-professional actors and so they feel very real in their performances. Ngaire Pigram is very good as Nella who must struggle with her feelings for TJ and how they impact her son. Lucas Yeeda is wonderful as Bullet.
Another great film about native Australians. Make sure you get a chance to see this so we can encourage more of these films to be made.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Source Code


Duncan Jones made a big splash a couple of years ago with the brilliant sci-fi thriller 'Moon'. His follow up has a bigger budget and more people.
There is one thing I've never understood about the military. They go to a lot of trouble to develop special programs and technologies to help fight battles. But the one thing they can never seem to factor in is human emotion. They expect their soldiers to be like emotionless robots who can kill at whim or complete a mission without taking into account the people around them. That is the case here. Supposedly Colter Stevens has been screened to make sure he was suitable for the Source Code program, I would have thought that the creators of the program would have factored into their screening process how emotional soldiers can get in difficult situations. It is especially true when you have innocent lives at stake. I think if the situation involved enemy soldiers it would be different but Colter has to try and save civilians in a city. Other than that this is a well made thriller. Writer Ben Ripley has done an excellent job of making us confused like Colter is when he wakes up in the Source Code. We discover what is going on through Colter's eyes. He also does a good job of making each trip to the train interesting so you don't get bored. I found the ending to be a bit cliched but that was ok.
Jake Gyllenhaal is perfect as the hero. He has played soldiers before so there is not much of a stretch here. He is very convincing though as someone who is supposed to be an average guy taking charge. Michelle Monaghan does not have all that much to do except react to Jake. But I always like to see her in anything. Vera Farmiga is excellent as always. Her character is another example though of emotion getting in the way of the mission. Jeffrey Wright plays a nicely ruthless and focused scientist.
I think that I may have over thought this film a bit. You will need your thinking cap to watch it and be willing to go along with a risky premise. Risky in terms of believability.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Snowtown


Between 1992 and 1999 a series of killings happened in the town of Salisbury North in South Australia. Serial killer John Bunting then stored the bodies in barrels in the basement of an abandoned bank in Snowtown. This is that story.
I am not someone who is easily disturbed by what I see in movies. Blood and gore I can usually handle because I know it is not real and so can watch it. There have been some scenes in films which I unexpected found myself upset by and they are in films based on true stories. Director Justin Kurzel has brilliantly created a disturbing atmosphere for this film. There is always an uneasy sense that something bad is happening or going to happen. He does not use much musical score and very little dialogue. But the brilliance of it is that he does it in such an ordinary setting and with people that look like your average people from a small town. Most films about serial killers while being realistic are set in places you don't expect to visit. But this is a place that we have all visited or have maybe lived in. What makes it scary is that it could be happening near you and you'd never know. Plus John Bunting ingratiates himself into the lives of this family in such a natural way. The fact that he runs a pedophile out of town helps and he becomes like a hero and father figure to them. The kids in the film have had to deal with some disturbing things in their lives so that when John reveals his true nature it does not come as much of a shock. There was one scene in the film that I could not watch and left me physically shaking. It left me in a great deal of shock after the film had finished.
Daniel Henshall is brilliant as the serial killer John Bunting. He comes across as such an average guy that you could meet anywhere. He does have that cocky attitude that makes his character a hero to those around him. It would have to be one of the best performances in a film ever. Equally as good is Lucas Pittaway. His character is much like the young man in 'Animal Kingdom', that quiet reserved type who is drawn to an evil mentor. He speaks very little but conveys so much by his silences. The rest of the cast are mostly non-professional actors which helps to add to the sense of dread that director Justin Kurzel is going for. These are ordinary people which makes what John did all the worse because it could happen anywhere.
Not a film for the faint of heart. The not quite resolved ending maybe unsatisfying but it just adds to the already tense atmosphere. Still a brilliant film that should be a warning to us all of what could be happening right next door to us.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Arthur


Russell Brand is following the typical career path of most comedy actors. Playing mostly in support roles at first and now he does a remake for his first leading role.
While I have seen the original 'Arthur' I cannot remember too much about it. I know I should have watched it before seeing this version. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. The story is very simple and something you would not think that could happen in this day and age. The film has not been all that successful and some have suggested it is because of the Global Financial Crisis. A film about the woes of a ridiculously rich man does not seem to be something the average cinema audience can relate to. I got this impression from the film as well. We are supposed to feel sympathy for this character who is rich and must give up his wealth to be with the woman he loves, oh the poor thing. As witty and charming as he is I don't think he can convince us as a character that we can feel sympathy for him. The fact that he has his nanny still hanging around does not help either. I was able to get over this because I found it to be quite funny. There are many witty lines which I really enjoyed.
Your enjoyment of this film does depend on your love of Russell Brand. The film has clearly been tailored for his style of comedy. I thought at first that he was behaving like Dudley Moore which I am not sure if it was conscious or not. I thought he was really funny and many clever and witty lines. Part of his excellent comedy skill is having another funny performer to work with and Russell gets that with Greta Gerwig. I loved how she was able to be equally clever and witty like Russell. I am a huge fan of Jennifer Garner and would love to see her in a leading role soon. Here she plays a fairly one dimensional bad person. She deserves better. Helen Mirren is brilliant in everything she does. I think it was sensible to make her character female in this remake as it makes more sense. She brings a nice deal of dignity to the film.
If you can get past the fact that Arthur is a whiney rich guy who is forced to become like the rest of us then you should have fun. You also have to like Russell Brand too.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides


The Walt Disney company have tried to reboot one of their biggest franchises with a fourth installment. Hoping to get rid of the stigma with the poorly received second and third installments.
I think I need to write my film reviews for this blog a bit closer to the time I see them. I've had some time to think about my feelings for the film and each time I think about it I find more problems with it. My first reaction was that it was a lot of fun but far too long. For some reason I noticed the slower parts of the film a lot more. I'm a big fan of Rob Marshall. I think his musicals 'Chicago' and 'Nine' are brilliant. I got really excited when I heard he was going to direct this film. He has ended up doing a decent job but the non action scenes I found to be a bit lacking in excitement. Rob does handle the action well. They are almost like musical numbers anyway. I don't know what it is about Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio who wrote the convoluted second and third installments have not lost their knack. While this film is a bit simpler they have included many unnecessary elements. The fact the Spanish are searching for the fountain as well I found was a bit too much and does not heavily impact on the main story too much. Their role could easily have been for-filled by the English. Speaking of the English I found Captain Barbbossa unnecessary too. While I liked his character in the previous film and love Geoffrey Rush I would have preferred a different character in that part, someone new. While the love story between the priest and the mermaid was important for the plot I think it was not needed. It seemed like they were trying to set up a new Will and Elizabeth.
Johnny Depp is clearly one of the best actors working today. He seems to be very comfortable playing the role of Captain Jack Sparrow. Maybe a little too much. While he is funny in that reckless attitude he does not bring anything new to the character. Penelope Cruz is excellent. But then she is excellent in everything she does. She does a good job of verbal sparring with Johnny. As mentioned above, while I love Geoffrey I would have preferred a different character in his role. A new ships captain. The big delight though was Ian McShane. Many people would not know him from previous work but he is brilliant here as Captain Blackbeard. By far the best thing in the film.
If the rumours are to be believed Johhny Depp needed a lot of convincing to do this film. And the person who had to talk him into it no longer works for Disney. So if this film is hugely successful then it will be interesting to see if he does another one.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Babies


I've recently had a new addition to my family with my brother and his wife having a baby. In honour of the event I went to see this observational documentary.
This film is much like a nature documentary where we spend the time watching animals in their natural environment. In this case it is babies during their first year of life. There is no narration which is good as we just get to see these babies perform without any commentary. We only get titles telling us where they are from. To some this would seem a boring film but because the makers have obviously spent a whole year with their subjects they can only show the best possible footage. Which makes it quite fascinating. The one thing I found interesting was how similar the behaviour of the babies was. Despite their different cultural backgrounds and countries they come from the babies essentially do much the same things. Parents seem to look after them the same as well. Naturally the film is full of cute moments and some very funny sequences. Especially those involving animals.
See why babies are the same the world over. Possibly some more different styles of child rearing would have helped but still very fascinating.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Water For Elephants


The circus of the depression in 1930 comes to life in this film about a man who runs away with the circus.
I'm not much of a fan of circuses. Seeing animals perform this way does not really interest me all that much. However I still read the book before the film came out. I really enjoy nice romantic stories so thats why I read it. Surprisingly the film is quite faithful to the book as far as the main plot is concerned. The character of August has been changed to also be the owner of the circus when in the book there was a separate character who was the owner. It is a perfect example of the type of change made from he book which is that it has been streamlined. The framing device with the older Jacob telling the story is one area which has been lost. As a script writer I understand these changes had to be made and needed to in order that the film work. Director Frances Lawrence is not known for making romantic dramas but he has done an excellent job here. Like the book he has captured the authentic look and feel of circuses in this time. You can really feel the atmosphere. The film also highlights an area that has plagued circuses all their life, the issue of animal cruelty. I must give you a warning that it gets quite bad at times and can be very distressing. One aspect I did not like and it came from the book too is the ending. I found it to be far too happy for a romantic story. Maybe I've been conditioned to expect some tragedy in a romantic story.
It is good to see Reese Witherspoon do a good film after the very disappointing 'How Do You Know'. I found her performance interesting here. Although she plays a star performer her performance is quite subdued. She does not look to overshadow Robert Pattinson as the film is about his character. The other two lead performances were a bit disappointing. I hope Robert plays in a film that does not involve a love triangle. He is still very brooding and sullen. I think he needs to lighten up as well and do a comedy. Christoph Waltz I think is a brilliant actor and is excellent here but my fear is that he is going to become typecast as a villain. He need to play a good guy soon.
An excellent romantic drama that captures the magic of the circus that I think has been lost over the years.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Burke & Hare


It has been a while since we've seen director John Landis make a film. But he makes a return with this very black comedy.
One of my favourite comedy sub-genres is the black comedy. It is a genre that is hard to tackle as the subject matter can usually involve things that you would not normally laugh at. One popular topic is death which is what this film is about. The story of William Burke and William Hare is one that suits the comedy genre. While I'm not sure how much of the film is true the bumbling nature of what they did is very funny. The film is funny but maybe not as hilarious as it could have been. I'm not sure if maybe some of the darker humour was removed to make the film more appealing to a larger audience. I do think it was not as dark as I'd hoped. I still found it quite amusing though.
Simon Pegg is one of my favourite actors at the moment. He is quite funny here but his humour is more deadpan rather than clown like. His buddy Andy Serkis gets to play the clown a bit more. It is so good to see the real Andy too. Isla Fisher is very funny as an actress trying to put on an all female version of 'Macbeth'. The support cast: Tom Wilkinson, Tim Curry and Jessica Hynes are very good. I also quite liked Bill Bailey's small role too.
While not the greatest black comedy ever it is still quite amusing. Definitely not for the squeamish either.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Your Highness


Comic actor Danny McBride has played many supporting roles to a great deal of acclaim. He has now written himself a leading role.
My favourite period in history is medieval times. I would love to live in this time. As many of you know one of my all time favourite films is 'Monty Python And The Holy Grail'. So a medieval comedy is something I really look forward to. I think Danny and his co-writer Ben Best have got some good ingredients there for a good comedy but they have not been able to put them together. The main problem is the language. Now don't get me wrong I'm not opposed to swearing or crude sexual humour but I think it needs to suit the situation. Here Danny and Ben have used modern language which seems out of place in the context of the film. They have quite cleverly set the film in what seems to be an alternate place to earth (as this world has two moons) but even still it bears a resemblance to our world. For me the use of the 'F' word felt out of place. I maybe wrong but it does not feel like a word they have used in medieval times. I feel Danny and Ben would should have looked at more clever ways of using language to get their point across. I'm not sure if it is because they want it to appeal more to a modern audience or they were just lazy. Other than this the film is fairly good. I think the story is its strongest part.
The other major problem with the film is the casting. While I know Danny wrote the film for himself to star in I think he does not suit the role. Mostly because it needs an English actor to pull it off. They understand the period that is being parodied. James Franco I think understands it a bit better and does a very good job. Natalie Portman I think can do anything so she has no trouble here.
There is a good comedy in here somewhere and it could have been if the writers had of tried a bit harder to work on the language and maybe researched the period better.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Fast Five


For some reason Hollywood thinks of foreign audiences as being a bit stupid. Hence why this film is being advertised as 'Fast & Furious 5' and not by its original title of 'Fast Five'. Because international audiences are too stupid to know what the film is.
One of my guilty pleasures has been 'The Fast And The Furious' series. My favourite type of action sequence has always been the car chase, so a film that is all car chases is a great deal of fun. It is rather funny as I'm not all that interested in cars and don't know anything about them. But I find the chases in films really thrilling. I know the plots of these films are not all that thought provoking but they are just a great deal of fun. The first film is still my favourite. The second film is one of the most homoerotic of the series. I don't like the third as it feels strange without any of the original cast. The fourth film is good but the fifth film is excellent. Despite being the fifth film in the series the makers have come up with an excellent plot instead of rehashing the same story over and over. Although they have borrowed elements from the 'Oceans' series it is still a great deal of fun. It is much longer than the others in the series but there is so much plot to deal with that you don't mind. The makers have also managed to create some excellent action sequences too. Right from the start with the train chase it is really thrilling. The chase while towing the safe is also hilarious as they destroy most of Rio.
The acting in these film is not one of its strong suits. I think the actors play support to the cars so don't need to emote all that much. Vin Diesel is good in the tough guy role. Paul Walker does not get much to here which is shame. The same can be said of Jordana Brewster. It was nice that they gave Sung Kang a love story to keep his character occupied. Dwayne Johnson played a nicely ruthless villain.
Make sure you stay for the extra scene in the middle of the end credits that gives a lovely tease for what will happen in the sixth film. Let's hope the rumours come true and they film it in Australia.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Thor


Marvel continues to introduce us to more of its characters and more specifically those who are part of 'The Avengers'. This is one of their more mythological heroes.
Marvel have been choosing some interesting directors for their films. I think Kenneth Branagh is one of the more interesting. He has mostly made films based on Shakespeare's plays and definitely nothing with such grand special effects as this. I think that maybe why he was chosen. There is a very complex family story at the heart of this film. Something Shakespeare did a lot of. There is the power plays by the king's siblings to gain the throne all with heaps of action. I must say that Ken has done an excellent job. The story is fairly typical of stories set in the world of royalty. A king who is about to hand over his title to his older son has the younger son try to usurp the older brother. Despite this it is still a fun film. The action is well handled and paced. While Ken has not used many special effects in his previous films he certainly knows how to use them here. The sets and landscapes are very spectacular. I think the fact that the earth scenes all take place in one location is because all the money was spent on the special effects.
I have never seen an episode of the TV series 'Home & Away' so I was not very familiar with Chris Hemsworth's work. He definitely looks the part of a Nordic god but he is good at acting like one too. In these films an actor can get lost in so many special effects but Chris is able to rise above it and be a forceful presence. Natalie Portman once again proves her brilliance here. Despite not having to be a huge part of the film she makes some subtle moves that make her very endearing. Anthony Hopkins is a grand actor in a grand role here. He makes a great king and has a great presence. Tom Hiddleston does a good job as the villain. My one big disappointment with the film was Rene Russo. I have been a huge fan of hers for years and am upset we have not seen much of her lately. I just wish we got to see more of her here. She has only a couple of lines and not much else to do.
A great deal of fun and excitement that makes good use of the 3D technology. While not the greatest comic book film it is still a great introduction to one of the lesser known characters.

Potiche


We live in a world where women run companies. However there was a time when they were not considered suitable to do jobs like this. This film takes a comedic look at one of those times.
Francois Ozon is a director whose films I came to a bit late. I've seen most of the films he has released in Australian cinemas over the past few years. He is an excellent director who works in a variety of genres. He is excellent at making comedies like this one. I think he has used the sexist attitude from the past to show how absurd it was to not let women run a company and have positions of power. I think it helps that the character of Suzanne is a strong woman to begin with as it may not have worked or had a different outcome if she was played as a ditzy character like some women are though of as being. Suzanne has been bought up I think to be a housewife and support her husband from home. So when she gets a taste of power she wants more. I think a lot of the humour in the film comes from the absurdity of how silly it is that Suzanne is treated so badly. She even seems to accept the fact that her husband Robert sleeps with other woman. It is like she is afraid to upset her life by upsetting her husband. The tone is very much farcical and is played in a bit of a theatrical way. I also got the feeling that the film could have been a musical. There are a few songs that play like musical numbers which was quite pleasant.
Catherine Deneuve is a mature actress who can still give a brilliant performance. A legend that is perfect in this role. She brings a great deal of maturity to her performance and you know that she has possibly dealt with a situation like this. Her legendary co-star Gerard Depardieu is equally as good. His role is more a supporting one and not as big but he is still great. They two of them have a wonderful dance number in the film. Fabrice Luchini is nicely nasty as Suzanne's husband Robert who treats her quite badly. Karin Viard is also good as Robert's secretary who has a change of heart after working for Suzanne.
Another great French comedy that takes a lighthearted look at a time when women were not treated very well. But is still empowering to women and shows that despite living in a tough time you can still achieve greatness.

How I Ended This Summer


The Russian landscape is always depicted as being bleak and harsh. I don't think you could get a more bleak and harsh landscape than the one depicted here.
Some of my favourite films and episodes of television series are those where you have a few people trapped in a location for the whole story. I love the compact nature of a story where all the twists and turns take place in one spot and people can change by their behavior. This is one of those films where you have two guys stuck at a meteorological station on a remote island. At first not a lot happens and the story is just about the way these guys don't get along very well. The film is all about subtlety. The guys are not obvious in their dislike for each other. It is the subtle way they do things that shows how they do not get along. There is also the small event that happens to make the relationship change and make it more intense than it already is. While you can understand the young man, Pavel, not wanting to upset his co-worker, Gulybin, by revealing some bad news but it just makes the situation worse and he ends up worse off than he would have been if he had of told. I do feel that the second half of the film drags quite a lot. I think the tension could have been better if things were a little tighter.
Grigory Danilov is excellent as the young Pavel whose youthful exuberance makes him disliked by his older co-worker. I would have liked to know a bit more about his character though and how he came to be on the island. Sergi Pushkepalis gives a nicely stoic performance as the older man who can't understand why his co-worker is so reckless. You can understand why Pavel get so exasperated by him.
A somewhat overly long thriller that is nicely subtle in the story it tells. It is recommended if you don't always like things spelled out for you in an obvious way.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Incendies


The next film on my list of Oscar Foreign Language Film nominees is this French/Canadian production set in the Middle East.
The premise of a family reading a will is always an interesting one. Invariable there will be a problem where a family member will find something out about the deceased they did not know. In this case a pair of twins are given letters that they must deliver to their father that they thought was dead and a brother they never knew existed. Only one of the pair the daughter Jeanne is willing to take this emotional journey. And an incredibly emotional journey it is. This is by far and away one of the best films I've seen this year. The plot is like a clever detective story when Jeanne uncovers a life she never knew her mother had. The story is told in as two parallel journeys with us seeing the mother's journey as the daughter discover each event. This can get a little confusing as the actress playing the daughter and the one playing the younger version of the mother look a lot a like and you have to concentrate to make sure you know which time period you are in. The mother, Nawal, goes through many harrowing experiences which can be quite hard to handle especially at the end.
All the actors in the film are brilliant. Lubna Azabal is amazing as the younger version of Nawal. Her character has an incredibly emotional journey as I said and she handles it so well. As Jeanne Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin is equally as good. Finding out about the horrible things your mother went through can be difficult. Maxim Gaudette is fine in his small role as Simon but his character is very arrogant.
I can see that the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had a hard time choosing which of the five films nominated deserved the award. 'Incendies' I think is the best so far.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

Pop sensation Justin Bieber has just been in Australia recently doing concerts. So I thought I would check out his film to see what all the fuss is about.

I've spoken before of my unusual musical tastes. I like songs and not really anyone artist. There is one artist who I love but generally I like a wide range of songs and musical styles. Justin Bieber's music is not something I care much for. I agree he is a good singer but none of his songs have any interest for me. I was interested in seeing this film to find out about the boy behind the music. I must say that I was disappointed. This is a very well put together documentary/concert film but it does not reveal anything especially interesting about him. It is the type of film that preaches to the converted. A film for his fans and not for those who may want to learn more about him. The biggest disappointment though is that we don't hear from the boy himself. All the interviews are with friends and family. I would have liked to hear what Justin thinks of all the hype and pressure that is going on around him.
The jury, I think, is still out on Justin Bieber. He has only been around for a couple of years now and if he is really as talented as people think he is then we need to wait a few years and see if he is still as popular or if his young teenage audience has moved on to the next sensation.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Hop



It surprises me that for all the Christmas movies we get, there are very few if any films about Easter. Now we get to learn all about the Easter bunny.

Normally films like this do not appeal to me. I've avoided the 'Alvin And The Chipmunk' films so far. But it was the casting of Russell Brand as the voice of EB that made me want to see this film and I'll talk about that later. The story and characters are very much aimed at children and the creators have not done a lot to make it appealing for adults. I'm not saying that the story has to be really complex but it has to be of some interest to adults as they are the ones who generally have to take kids to these films. There is also the fact that the Frank character is a slacker and looking for a job. I'm not sure if this is something that children care about or are interested in. I tend to think that the human character EB meets should have been a child. That to me would have given a lot more conflict to the story and possibly set up some funnier situations.

Russell Brand has such a distinctive voice that you only associate it with him and his personality. My hope with this film was that some of his crazy humour may have come across in the film. But sadly it didn't. I must say that he is quite good but would have liked some more silliness. James Franco is generally a great actor but seems really dull here. It maybe the material he has to work with. The support cast are fairly ordinary too and have done far better work else where.

The only appeal for this film would be for children. Adults taking their kids to see it may have a hard time enjoying it.