Jason Segal is not the only cast member from the TV series 'How I Met Your Mother' who does some writing on the side. But Josh Radnor directs as well.
The 'coming home' story is very prolific in cinema. Another TV star, Zach Braff made a similar film 'Garden State'. In most films when someone returns home it is usually because of a death. So it was refreshing with 'Liberal Arts' that it was for a friend's retirement. From the reviews I read I had fairly high expectations for this film. You will no doubt say that I should not believe reviews, but these are from critics that I greatly respect and admire. This film is good but not as great as I was hoping for. The story is interesting from the perspective that many men who date younger women don't agonize over the age difference so much. I was perhaps expecting it to be funnier. It does have some very amusing moments. My favourite being when Jesse finds Zibby reading a vampire book. It does however make Jesse come off as a snob which made me dislike the character and thus turn me off the movie a bit. I did however like the way the relationship resolved itself and the ending.
I know that 'How I Met Your Mother' is a very popular TV series but it was not one I could get into. Josh Radnor looks to not only be a good writer and director but a good actor as well. Elizabeth Olsen is an actress everyone is raving about and this film is a good reason why. She is so delightful here and plays the character of Zibby really well. She has a nice level of maturity which is why Jesse falls for her. Richard Jenkins is another one of those actors that can do no wrong. I don't think it is possible for him to give a bad performance. Likewise for Allison Janney. Her role is a small one but incredibly effective. She can say so much from just one look. I also liked Elizabeth Reaser in her small part as well.
You might enjoy this more than I did. I think I was expecting it to be a lot better than it was. It is still enjoyable though.
'Bring It On' brought competitive cheerleading to our attention. 'Glee' brought competitive show choir to our attention. Now we learn about competitive a capella singing.
I never knew about that a capella singing extended that far beyond a barbershop quartet. 'Pitch Perfect' may follow the clichéd story of a group of underdogs who are trying win a highly competitive sport. But in this case it is full of fun and interesting characters that make is incredibly funny. Writer Kay Cannon with help from Mickey Rapkin's book has created a group of women who are quirky and interesting. These are characters that, through the power of laughter, you come to care about and really root for in their quest for success. I admit that not all of them are fun to be with but you can't have everything. Aubrey is the type of character who is so short sighted that you just want to get up on the screen and slap her silly. I'm surprised none of the other girls in the team didn't do it for me.
As this is a character based film, then it is all about the performances. Anna Kendrick walks a very fine line in this film. While she is obviously the lead, she runs the risk of being overshadowed by her more interesting co-stars. That does happen a little bit here. Anna plays the only 'normal' person in this bunch of 'wacky' characters. While she stands out by virtue of the fact that she is the lead. Her character is not quirky enough to make a big impact. Brittany Snow kind of plays the same character from 'Hairspray', the side kick to the bitch. As the bitch Anna Camp is very good but her character annoyed me a lot. Which I'm sure was the intention. I was pleased that as a producer Elizabeth Banks got to give herself a small role as one of the judges. She and he co-judge played by John Michael Higgins are hilarious. However, the movie is stolen by the Australian comedienne Rebel Wilson. I remember when I was in the USA and the trailer for this film would come on and the reaction Rebel would get, made me so proud to be an Aussie. Rebel's witty one liners are what makes this film so funny. This is truly a star making turn and we are sure to see more of Rebel in the future.
A cut above the normal 'misfits make good' movies that you see all the time. It has hilarious characters and a breakthrough performance that makes the film well worth seeing.
Like all great artists, the rumours of Clint Eastwood's retirement from acting were greatly exaggerated.
I am a very strange person. I find it ironic that I hate sports, but like sports movies. I think it is because the behind the scenes drama is so much more exciting than the actual game itself. Last year we got the baseball scouting movie 'Moneyball', which was all about using statistics to calculate who was a better player. Despite being about baseball and statistics I thought it was an excellent film. The director of 'Trouble With The Curve' is Robert Lorenz who has been producing Clint Eastwood's movies for the last few years. He now gets his chance in the directors chair and I think a lot of Clint's style has rubbed off on him. Much like the theme of the movie, which is that the old ways are sometimes better, Robert uses a very old style of story telling to bring this story to life. There seems to be a few movies being made this year that feature older people and it is pretty refreshing. This story has an element of predictability but as with many films the joy is not in the destination but the journey itself. Once again a knowledge of baseball is not required. The film is a very sweet story about a father/daughter relationship and baseball is only the setting not the main focus.
I am so glad Clint reneged on his plan to retire from acting. The man has still got the skill to give an excellent performance. He is still playing the grumpy old man routine but Clint has got it down to a fine art. Plus he manages to bring a great deal of emotion to the character so that he is not angry all the time. Amy Adams once again proves she can do any role she takes. You really feel like she could be Clint Eastwood's daughter. Equally as good in a non-flashy role is Justin Timberlake. I really admire him for the roles he is taking.
Once again this may across as a sports movie but that is only a small part of a bigger picture. Let's hope Clint breaks his promise to retire again.
The latest idea in Hollywood is to group famous characters together in the one movie. This is the imaginary creature version.
Recently Guillermo Del Toro was made a creative consultant at DreamWorks Animation. For me this is the first time that you can see his influence in a more obvious way. The design of the characters in 'Rise Of The Guardians' certainly looks like something that Guillermo would have come up with. However the look of the film is probably its strongest asset. As usual with DreamWorks films it looks wonderful. The animation is top notch. The area that is lacking is the story. The basic concept is excellent but I just feel the execution has not been taken into consideration. My problem is that there appears to be a backstory about the Guardians and where they came from that needed further explaining. The film opens with an explanation of how Jack Frost came into existence but I do not think that was necessary. They should have given us an explanation of how the Guardians came together. I felt that there was an epic story here which needed further telling. Other than that the film is good and it is nice to see these characters come together in the one film.
This would have to be one of the better voice casts assembled. Chris Pine has played the rebellious rapscallion so often that he knows this type of character really well now. Alec Baldwin does a very good Eastern European accent and makes North (aka Santa) something a bit different to what you normally seen. Hugh Jackman put on the strong Aussie accent to play the Easter Bunny which I found slightly annoying. Fellow Aussie Isla Fisher does better as Tooth. Jude Law was my favourite as Pitch. He brings a great deal of evil and nastiness to his voice which suits the character.
A decent animated film which lacks the depth to make it a truly brilliant film. Perhaps the Guardians will be expanded more if they make sequels.
Those films that feature the underdog are always some of the best films. This is the type of character that most people can relate to.
I was very much an introvert in high school. There were a few guys who I would talk to but none that I would call friends. I did not live in the area where my school was so it was not like I could meet up with my school friends on weekends. Most of the time I kept to myself and did not socialize with others. Unlike Charlie, in this film, I did not have a couple of older kids to help me come out of my shell. This would have to be one of the better 'coming-of-age' films I have seen lately. I think part of the reason that I liked it was because the film is set in the 1980's which is about the time that I was at school. It was set at a time that I could relate to. Something I cannot seem to do with lots of the modern type high school movies. One other thing I could relate to was the making of mix tapes. While I did not make mix tapes for other people, I made them for myself. Taping my favourite songs off the radio. There is also the very relatable issue of being in love with some one who does not exactly feel the same way. That is something which is universal. I was a little bit concerned when I found out that writer Steven Chbosky was not only adapting his own book but directing the film as well. Sometimes writers can be a bit too close to their material to make them effective. Steven, though has done an excellent job and manages to bring out all the emotion of the situations and directs with competence. My only major fault would be that I thought the ending was a bit too happy.
Logan Lerman does an excellent job as the sweet Charlie. He pitches the role at the right level of timidity so that he does not completely get taken over but his more over bearing co-stars and still make his character memorable. This would have to be one of Emma Watson's best roles since finishing the Harry Potter series. I think here she was better than she was as Hermione. Ezra Miller made an effective performance in 'We Need To Talk About Kevin', so it is nice to see him go from being so evil to being so good. Ezra is definitely the stand out in the cast. There are some nice performances by adults too. Kate Walsh and Dylan McDermott do a good job as parents without resorting to cliché. The same can be said of Paul Rudd who plays Charlie's favourite teacher. I was disappointed by Joan Cusack's small role.
One of the best 'coming-of-age' films I have seen in a long time. An emotional journey that I'm sure many can relate to but 80's kids could probably get more out of.
It has finally happened. The epic love story between a human and a vampire has come to an end. Good news for some. Bad news for others.
It often infuriates me that Hollywood studios do not have many original thoughts. When it was announced that the final Harry Potter film was going to be split into two parts it was announced that the same would be done for 'The Twilight Saga'. The Harry Potter book was long enough to warrant the split, however 'Breaking Dawn' was not. My feelings about the series are well known if you have read my previous blogs. So you know what my feelings would be with this film. I found this film to be particularly boring because it felt more like a short story that had been extended to make a film out of. I would have thought it could be more interesting because of the impending threat and recruitment of more vampires to fight this threat but it just comes across as dull. What really topped it off was the incredibly lame ending. I'm not afraid to spoil it by saying they take the 'it was all a dream' concept to all new depths of being infuriating. Just when you think the film is about to get good they go and throw that tired old cliché at us.
While Kristen Stewart does get more life in this film now that she has become a vampire but she is still very dull. She has only a couple more facial expressions. The same can be said for Robert Pattinson. He seems to make a good effort with the dismal material. Taylor Lautner's character spend most of his time as a wolf so we don't get to see the human form much. Sadly he is wearing his shirt most of the time. The rest of the cast are up to the same standard they usually are. Which is not saying much. I did like Michael Sheen and wish Dakota Fanning had more to do.
You don't need me to tell you if this film is any good. You should know by now what your in for and if you'll enjoy it or not.
You have no doubt seen Rashida Jones play small roles in many TV series and films. She has now written herself a leading role.
The most common theme amongst romantic comedies these days are couples who start off a friends who then fall in love. The twist here is that we have a couple who are separated and getting a divorce but still seem to maintain their friendship. This set up really had me worried. I find stories where couples say they are just 'friends' but behave like a couple in a relationship. That is the impression you get from Celeste and Jesse, until a friend announces they are supposed to be separating and getting a divorce. Then to add to my concern was the reason for their break-up, that Celeste cannot handle Jesse's slacker lifestyle. From the impression I got Celeste would have known this about Jesse before they got married. It further adds to the criticism people have about modern society that couples are getting married too soon. But then the film changes direction and gets incredibly good. 'Celeste And Jesse Forever' is very much a modern day romantic comedy. It is sweet that Celeste and Jesse try to remain friends despite breaking up, but their familiarity with each other means they are unable to move on. It is why Celeste keeps going back to Jesse. Celeste is an excellent character and you really come to care about her over the coarse of the film. Lee Toland Krieger did a brilliant job with the film's direction as well. His use of songs was very effective.
Rashida Jones has proven herself to be a good comedic actress. Celeste is a role she wrote for herself and so she knows her own strengths and weaknesses. But she is excellent in the role. Celeste feels like a real woman and Rashida does an excellent job of bringing her to life. Andy Samberg is another comedic actor who has had a few minor roles, some good and some bad. He makes an excellent romantic lead here and a great partner for Radhida in some funny moments. Ari Graynor is excellent in the 'best friend' role. She has some of the film's funniest lines. Equally as good is Elijah Wood in a role which is a send up of the gay friend. Emma Roberts also makes a good spoilt young singing star.
For me this is one of the best modern romantic comedies. It does not have any big name stars but is still very funny and sweet.
Actress Julie Delpy made her directorial debut with the film '2 Days In Paris'. It was enough of a hit to warrant a sequel.
The film '2 Days In Paris' was a good film that had some funny moments, in the style of 'Meet The Parents' but with an independent feel. Sadly Julie Delpy could not rest on her laurels and decided to make this sequel. For some reason she has decided revisit the same characters which helped to make her famous as a director. But instead of developing the characters in a good way she has made them worse. The characters in '2 Days In New York' are all people you do not want to know, especially in a film. They all have no redeeming qualities which makes you want to root for them or even spend time with them. They are all so stupid and do such dumb things. I could handle that sort of behavior in certain films but here it just comes across as bad. They do not feel like real people but badly written caricatures. The sub plot of Marion selling her soul as part of an art show was interesting but has a horrible ending.
Julie Delpy is a very good actress and seems to make a decent job of her own horrible writing. Marion can be charming but she does some stupid things. Chris Rock is probably the only one with a decent character in the film. His character is the most sensible one as he navigates his way through a bunch of crazy people. I'm sure that Julie's real father Albert got lots of fans from his performance in '2Days In Paris' but I think one film was enough for him. He does not do much more in this film except the same routine. It was good at first but just gets annoying after a while. The same can be said of Alexia Landeau and Alexandre Nahon. They both start of good but just get steadily worse as the film goes on.
If you liked '2 Days In Paris' then do not ruin the experience by seeing its sequel. A pretty bad set of characters.
You may remember Bobcat Goldthwait as the crazy, out of control guy from the 'Police Academy' movies. Bobcat has now calmed down and become a director.
As a script writer I am not a fan of reality TV. I do not watch any of those shows and from the bits I've seen I find the people on them to be in no way interesting. So when I heard what this film was about, I got a bit excited. I'm a huge fan of black comedies so this film definitely appealed to me. Our hero Frank gets to do what most of us sometimes dreamed about doing in our sickest moments. If we had nothing to live for, to go around killing people we hated. The film begins with a very sick and twisted dream sequence which made me laugh a lot. The plot is pretty clichéd and is only a way for Bobcat to rant about what is wrong with America, but he does it in a very entertaining way. It is a clever satire on our modern life and obsession with certain people in the media. He also has a go at how people have no manners anymore and have become so selfish. The great thing is that even though Frank is going around killing people he has a good reason for doing it. There are a few people who come into the firing line but he does not kill them because they are not nasty enough. The targets might be obvious but you don't mind when done so hilariously.
Joel Murray is probably a face that is familiar to you. He has appeared in many films and TV series in small roles. I think this is his first lead. He is perfect as our put-upon hero. Being a less familiar face means he can play the regular type guy role. Joel has that deadpan quality which makes him funny as well as real. His partner in crime Tara Lynne Barr is equally as funny and a nice side-kick for Joel. She has the perfect balance of sweetness and nastiness. I also liked how they did not take their relationship in the obvious direction.
It may look cheap and be very wrong but it sure is funny. Let Frank and Roxy live out your dream of getting even with society.
In 1984 the movie 'Red Dawn' was made. Then in 2010 an Australian version was made. Now we get another go at the story.
'Red Dawn' is another one of those films that has been sitting on the shelf for ages before being released. Sadly that time on the shelf has not been good to the film. Overall the film does not feel cinematic. To me it felt more like a made-for-TV movie and not something you would want to see at the movies. I kind of got the feeling that it had been put under a rigorous test screening process and that things which were not working had been cut out. This means it opens rather quickly. While the opening titles sequence is very effective in conveying lots of information in a small time period there is still lots that need to be explained. The whole premise of the film seems pretty ludicrous anyway. I cannot imagine North Korea getting away with a ground assault on the USA like it is depicted in the film. I have not seen the original film so cannot vouch as to whether the credibility of the premise is better verified then. At least it made more sense in 'Tomorrow When The War Began'. Australia is not a major super power with a huge army and nuclear weapons in its arsenal. The other thing that did not make sense to me was the fact that some Americans were rounded up and put in detention camps. It was never explained as to why these people in particular were singled out and not others. Perhaps I missed some vital piece of information.
Poor Chris Hemsworth seems to have been unlucky with a couple of films he made. Before he became famous with 'Thor' he made 'Red Dawn' and 'The Cabin In The Woods' which had their releases held up. Chris is definitely the best thing in this film. He manages to pitch his performance in just the right way so that he brings dignity to a trashy film. The one thing that really annoyed me about this film was Josh Peck. While his performance was pretty bad what I could not get over was the fact that he did not look like he could be Chris Hemsworth's brother unless he is adopted. Chris looked like the actors who play his parents but Josh would have to have been adopted. A minor point but it was one of those niggling things that just ruined what was already a pretty bad movie. Josh Hutcherson gives a decent performance.
People wonder why Hollywood cannot come up with an original idea and instead keep remaking old films. This film does nothing to make remakes seem like a good idea.
