While many credit 'Kick-Ass' with being the film to kick start the 'average person being a superhero' genre, I think it started earlier with 'Mystery Men'.
We had been so conditioned with big budget glossy superhero films that when 'Kick-Ass' came along it was a refreshing burst of lower budget adrenaline. All the other superhero films played it safe with the violence and language to please as many people as possible. But 'Kick-Ass' reveled in the delight of hard core violence and language. Not caring who it offended. The character of Hit Girl probably had a lot to do with the films success, but it also had a nice texture to it which made it so great. It also had a level of clever satire on the superhero genre. All the qualities that are lacking in this sequel. To me it felt like everyone was going through the motions with this film, like they are not really trying. It is a shame considering how great the first film was. The language and violence in the first film seemed to mean something and be more shocking but here just feels ordinary. Writer/director Jeff Wadlow seems to lack the satirical edge that Matthew Vaughn was able to bring. Jeff also had a great opportunity to make something of the revenge story of Chris D'Amico against Kick-Ass. But he squanders that as well and just makes that subplot boring and bland. I also expected a bit more fun and interest with Mindy and her struggle to have a normal teenage life but even there its no fun. There are a couple of funny scenes but largely that aspect is not fully utilized.
Think for an actor like Aaron Taylor-Johnson this is one of those role you play to make some easy money. He is not required to stretch his acting talents too far and no doubt get paid quite handsomely for it. The same can be said of Chloe Grace Moretz. They both do decent work but by virtue of the fact that their roles lack any spark, they themselves lack spark in their acting. Christopher Mintz-Plasse looks to be having some fun but his story does not get the attention it deserves. I also liked seeing John Leguizamo and Donald Faison back on the big screen. The film's real highlight though was Jim Carrey. Once again he plays a small supporting role which steels the whole film. His role is small but his character seems so much more well rounded and interesting than many of the others in the film.
This is very much a straight-to-DVD film that managed to make its way into cinemas. Further proof that there are some films that did not need sequels.
Writer/Director Noah Baumbach teams up with his 'Greenberg' star to create this delightful film.
This is one of those films that is very much character driven. We follow the life of Frances as she struggles with work, friendships and love. That is basically the plot. I found myself not realizing that there was a plot to speak of. This gives the film a more natural feel and the character of Frances feels like a real person. In most films you can see each plot point coming and learn to expect them. But with this film they are pretend in a more free flowing way so that you do not see them coming. Frances is such a delightful character that you love to spend time with her. We come to know her quite well and share her struggles. I admit that she has a very free spirit type life style which scares me but when you have someone who is as charming as this you don't seem to mind. The way Frances pursues her dreams is also one of the more refreshing elements of the film. Do not let the fact that the film was made in black and white turn you off either. It does give a very 'Woody Allen feel' to it but that is a good thing.
Greta Gerwig is a brilliant actress. I admit that her range so far does not seem very large as she plays pretty much the same type of character in all her films but she does have a great deal of natural charm which makes her a delight to witness. I also like her more natural comedy style where she makes jokes in a more offhanded way. The film is mostly about Frances so Greta gets most of the screen time but a few of her co-stars do lend some great support.
If your sick of the carefully choreographed films that where each event feels carefully planned then this is the film for you.
Finally Michael Bay is taking a break from blowing stuff up to tell a more low-key true story.
I am not a big fan of Michael Bay. He would have to be one of the worst directors working today. His films are always the same. His films always seem to be aimed at 15 year-old boys (straight ones). I do not mind mindless action films but doing the same thing over and over was getting monotonous. I did become intrigued when this film was announced. I thought finally he was doing something different, alas I was mistaken. While he may not be directing huge robots or blowing up buildings or destroying freeways in car chases, Michael Bay is still making terrible films. There is a really great comedic film here which could have been hilarious but in the hands of Michael it is a boring mess. The story sounds very funny but it needed a more comedic director to accentuate the humour of the situation. These are very funny characters but Michael cannot seem to bring out their funny side and they just come off as the big, dumb bodybuilders. Their story is seems funny too but in the hands of Michael Bay it get really boring and dull. His quick cut editing is one of those annoying things that upsets me the most. I also get the feeling that this film might be homophobic too.
The only thing that Michael Bay did get right with this film was the casting. Mark Wahlberg is excellent as the leader of our group. He can play that dumb but charming character so well. Dwayne Johnson is also very good as groups weak link. His character's inner turmoil regarding his religion is quite a good character trait. Anthony Mackie is very good too and is given the more interesting trait for a body builder to have. Tony Shalhoub plays a sleazy asshole very well but it does come off as a bit stereotypical. Ed Harris seems to be the only one in the film whose character has any kind of dignity.
I suppose it was too much to expect Michael Bay to break away from his tried and true methods of making films for teenage boys. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt but he let me down.
Celebrities are all over the media these days. The public seems to have an insatiable appetite for finding out the tiniest detail for what they all do. This one group took things too far.
It is probably an offensive stereotype to classify this film as the perfect example of what is wrong with teenagers today. But it is probably not just teenagers who are to blame for the proliferation of celebrities who are only famous because of their wealth and not for actually doing anything. I just don't get it. But what really struck me about this film was how lax famous people are about their security. The way these kids were able to break into people's homes was amazing. Do people still really leave a key under the door mat? Or leave back doors open? Sophia Coppola has done a very good job of presenting this story. She does not over analyse the situation and pretty much presents the events as they played out with very little social commentary. I think this was a clever way to do it as these characters pretty much speak for themselves. While they are not 'rich', they are still very well off and I think the blame lies with the parents. The film is not a very good advertisement for home schooling. Marc is the only one of the group who seems to come from an average house and get sucked into the groups madness. The girls have very little morals and only seem to care about their own well being and making themselves famous.
Katie Chang is excellent as the leader of the group Rebecca. She plays the role so well that you see she is really evil. The cool manipulative way she charms Marc and then betrays him. Equally as good is Emma Watson as Nicki. She does not care about anyone but herself and is brilliant at acting nice when underneath she is pure evil. As Marc Israel Broussard has the best role. He is the one we as an audience can relate to and we feel sorry for him as he gets drawn into the scheme. He is the only one in the group you have any sympathy for.
One more example of what amazes me about society. I do not know what it is about these vacuous celebrities that fascinates people so much. And I am still baffled.
Drug smugglers are always trying to come up with ways to get their product across boarders. This is one of the more interesting ones.
There are times when reviews of films can be quite scathing. This is one such occasion. I don't think I read or heard any good reviews for this film. Normally bad reviews are supposed to be a guide for what not to see, but, depending on the film, this can be more of an encouragement to me. I have to go see the film to see if it is as bad as what everyone says it is. Sometimes my expectations are so low, because of these reviews that I become pleasantly surprised by how much I end up enjoying it. While this film is not the greatest comedy ever made, neither is it the unmitigated disaster that most critics would have you believe. The concept is a nice one for a broad comedy and lends itself nicely to some great juxtaposition humour. The film has lots of it and some works but some does not. The biggest problem I had though was the film's length. There is a whole section when Will Poulter's character Kenny goes to hospital. I know it was meant to be a plot point to give the heroes another obstacle in their journey but it felt unnecessary.
Jason Sudekis is an excellent comedic actor. He is another one of those actors who doe not usually play a 'character' but he has enough witty one-liners to keep you entertained. Jennifer Aniston seems to be taking her career in a good direction by playing less clean-cut characters. I like how she is embracing her inner dirty girl. Here she does a decent job but being Jennifer Aniston she would not go all the way when playing a stripper which would have been better. Emma Roberts is also getting dirty herself and is quite good at it. I remember Will Poulter from the brilliant film 'Son Of Rambow' and he has certainly grown up a lot since then. He is excellent in this film as the group's punching bag. Ed Helms, Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn are very good in their supporting roles.
This was not the horrendous disaster that I was expecting. I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I expected and got a few decent laughs out of it.
Magicians pulling off a heist would be an intriguing concept for a movie. Sadly though in the hands of Louis Leterrier it has become ordinary. I am a fan of heist movies and love to guess at the various twists and turns the story might take. It took me a while to work out what it was about this film that I did not like and I think it was the film's perspective. The film is told from the perspective of Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), the detective looking for the magicians. For me that was the wrong way to tell the story as it takes away from the more interesting characters in the film which are the four magicians pulling off the heist. The audience should be getting to know these characters and why they are doing what they are doing. In some ways I know that it might give away the films final reveal but I'm sure there are ways to work around it. The final reveal is very good but the magicians reason for being involved in the heist is quite lame and a big let down. Perhaps if we knew the characters better and their motivation we would care more about their reasons.
Jesse Eisenberg is very good as the leader of the magicians. But as mentioned above we do not get to know his character all that well so his role is mostly doing magic on stage. The same can be said of his team played by Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco. Mark Ruffalo is his usual excellent self as he gets the most to do. Melanie Laurent does a decent job in the side-kick role. Morgan Freeman seems to be having the most fun in his role as the magician debunker. Michael Caine is OK but his is another character that lacks motivation.
There was so much potential here to have a great fun heist film. But sadly the director and writers have let us down.
The last Wolverine film 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' while financially successful is not very highly regarded. So thankfully they did a 'do over'.
We have been so conditioned with most comic book films to expect a certain type of film. Christopher Nolan has managed to buck this convention but many others go with the same formulae. This time it seems the producers of the X-Men series have gone for story over action. That is not to say that there is no action but there is very little when compared with many other action films you see. I think the hiring of director James Mangold helped in that area. He is not know for his big budget action films but for low key character films. We explore the character of Logan/Wolverine more with this film and it is all the better for it. There are still some great action sequences in the film and James handles them with a great deal of excitement.
Hugh Jackman has so firmly established himself as Wolverine that it will take a while to see anyone else in the role. It is this reason that he does such a good job with the character. The supporting cast are also excellent. Rila Fukushima is probably the best of them for me. She gives such an amazingly layered performance and is so subtle in some aspects that I was totally blown away.
'The Wolverine' makes us love Wolverine all over again. It is more character driven and so all the better for it.
One of the biggest decisions a parent can make for their child is what to name them. It can sometimes effect their lives. Especially if they choose the wrong one.
Films that are based on plays can be tricky to adapt. Plays usually take place in only a few locations and use a different style of performance. These need to be changed in some ways to make them more cinematic. This story takes place in one room and is just four characters talking but manages to be very cinematic and is a good film. The inappropriate naming of a baby is only one element to the story that explores this groups friendships and secrets are revealed. It is very funny and there are several laugh-out-loud moments. The various twists in the story are also nicely handled and are also very funny too.
The cast have a great deal of chemistry too which makes the film enjoyable. You feel like they are really friends. I have been getting acquainted with Patrick Bruel in a few films lately and he is an excellent actor. Charles Berling is great as the groups hotheaded member. Judith El Zein is the outsider of the group but still feels like she fits in. Guillaume de Tonquedec is excellent as the one in the group with biggest secret. The best though is Valerie Benquigui as the most neurotic of the group. It might be because her character has more to do but she has some of the films best moments.
A great self contained French comedy that nicely explores the reationships of a group of tight-knit friends.
In 2011 Seth Rogen provided the voice for the alien Paul in the film 'Paul' written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Now Seth Rogen has co-written and co-directed a film about the end of the world. Coincidence?
There has been a lot of criticism about the films released in this year's blockbuster season. That they mostly deal with doom and gloom and the end of the world. While 'This Is The End' deals with that subject it is done in a humourous way. When actors play themselves in films there is mixed emotions. On the one hand there is delight in seeing an actor being themselves as opposed to a character they are playing. But you are left wondering if they are 'really' playing themselves. I think there is a certain thrill in guessing what's real and what's not. The apocalypse premise is just there to let these actors play around with their public perceptions and hopefully develop funny situations. When these guys have improvised in the past, for me, it did not always seem funny. But I really liked this one. There are some quite funny scenes here and I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I expected.
When actors are playing themselves, are they really acting? I the guys are playing more the public perception of them and not the real selves. Even so it is quite funny. Normally I am not a fan of Danny McBride but I thought he was quite funny here. His scene with James Franco where they discuss porn is the highlight of the film. The other thrill is seeing all the cameo appearances by famous faces. Michael Cera also has some of the films best scenes.
It might not really be how these actors behave but it is still quite a funny film. Any film that ends with a musical number is not all that bad.
Co-writers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright bring their Cornetto trilogy to an end. Both literally and figuratively.
For those who read my very first blog will know, one of my top 10 favourite films of all time is 'Shaun Of The Dead'. Not only was it brilliantly written but it featured my three favourite genres: comedy, romance and horror. The follow up 'Hot Fuzz' was brilliant too. Now Simon and Edgar take us to 'The World's End'. You can tell that I am a huge fan of Edgar, Simon and Nick Frost but I am willing to admit there are problems with their work (except maybe 'Shaun Of The Dead' which I think is perfect). The problem with this film is the mixture of genres. In 'Shaun' they were able to successfully make a romantic comedy with zombies. In 'Hot Fuzz' they managed to make a big action packed buddy cop film but set it in a small English village. This time they were less successful in making a reunion comedy with alien invasion. While there are many funny moments there were they were just not as funny as their previous films. I did not laugh-out-loud as much as I have before. I also noticed a few problems with the plot and characters. Despite all that I still enjoyed the film. Edgar is skilled at making create action scenes and there are several good ones here. I really liked the fight scene in the toilets. The films best moment was the way they referenced Cornetto.
I think Simon Pegg is one of the best comedic actors working today. He can also do drama as well. He is excellent here but I found his character too annoying and thus not as funny as he has been in previous films. I did however like Nick Frost in this film more than in previous films. He seems more subdued in this role and it really suits him. Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan are great as the rest of the gang but don't have all that much to do plot wise. I loved Rosamund Pike in this film. She is mostly known for her dramatic roles so I liked to see her expanding into comedy. There was also great delight in spotting some familiar faces (and voices) in cameo roles.
While it does not live up to the high expectations I had for it based on previous Cornetto films. Being a fan I'm willing to over look its flaws.
