stewsego

PLOT- When the Museum of Natural History is closed for upgrades and renovations, the museum pieces are moved into federal storage at the famous Washington Museums. Larry (Ben Stiller) becomes another caretaker at the Smithsonian, where Kahmunrah, an evil Pharaoh will come to life with the reestablishing of a tablet as a magical force in the museum bringing the old exhibits (Such as Theodore Roosevelt and Dexter) and new exhibits (like General Custer and Al Capone) back to life, and in conflict with each other. Larry enlists the help of Amelia Earheart, who he develops a romantic interest in, and together they try to put everything back in order.

So....
Was the first film that good?
No.
Was a sequel needed?
No.
Did we get a sequel to a film that’s first film wasn’t that great?
Yes.

While this film is a light hearted family adventure with a good few lines in for good measure, it’s also quite a messy affair.
With the amount of comedic acting talent that is in this movie, you would have thought it could have been funnier then it actually was. Instead we are left with a film that delivers a few small chuckles and one or two laugh out loud moments. On whole it was a film where the trailer for it was filled with the funniest bits.

Most of the cast have been in film’s much funnier, but here they either act lazy or they rift of each other way to much to the point where you can see they are having a ball making this movie and we are not having as much fun watching it.

Ben Stiller plays his Ben Stiller role to a tee. It’s a funny role, but a role we have seen many times in films such as Meet The Parents, Along Came Polly, Something About Mary and so on. It’s now getting a little boring and smug. It’s a shame.
A massive shame. Ben Stiller is a great character actor. You only have to watch his role in Dodgeball to see that when he is giving a role that needs him to do more then make sarcastic comments in a straight man role he is a genius.
Ricky Gervais seems to be following him in his footsteps. Ricky Gervais is a funny man. The Office, and some of Extras (the two sitcoms he co wrote) will go down as some of the best comedy ever. But, David Brent, Andy Millman and Ricky Gervais all seem to be the same person. Sure he gave a gut wrenching performance in the 6th episode of The Office series 2 (to the point even I had a lump in my throat) but here it’s the same old stuff.
Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan do some good stuff. They are both at their best when they are together on screen. Wilson does the same old stuff he always does. Coogan though shines forth with a better played out performance. When their characters finally go in to battle it raises one of the laugh out moments.
Robin William’s gets very little screen time and is wasted. This, though, maybe down to the fact in real life William’s has been very ill (though he was seen on TV the other day joking about his heart scares and saying he was better).

Two people come out of the movie in better acting stakes. First we have Amy Adam’s who impressed us with her version of Amelia Earhart. Adam’s had proven herself as a bit part actor in many films (Enchanted. Catch Me If You Can. Doubt etc) and TV shows (The USA’s version of The Office) and here she acts with all the excitement and vigor you imagine Earhart did have.
Second out we have Hank Azaira (Many voices from the Simpson’s, a bit part in Friends, Run Fat Boy Run) he is a joy to watch (and most importantly funny) as Kahmunrah (he also plays the statue The Thinker). He plays him with all the pomposity he can find, and adds a nice little lisp to the role.

Sadly with so little time and so many actors and museum artifacts coming to life there’s not much room for everyone to shine.
If I were you I’d just watch the trailer.

The film runs for an hour and a half, a nice little time for a quick fix from a family adventure. The story is quite simple and many things will bring a smile to your face. Seeing history figures come back to life or re seen is normally very funny. Just look at Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
It just wasn’t the laugh out comedy that I was expecting. Though many people around me while watching it were laughing their guts out (as well as the bastards given a running commentary behind me).
The script just wasn’t that strong in laughs. When it was clear the cast were ad-libbing and trying to make the other person on screen laugh it was just embarrassing. The director Shawn Levy let his cast take over the film and by the look of it was never willing to shout ‘cut!’
It’s a shame.

All in all this is a quick fix in family adventure and raises a few laughs. For that I’ll give it 5 out of 10. But, because of Arzaira and Adam’s I’ll make this a sweet 6/10.

If there is going to be a third then either the director needs to grow some balls, or the script needs to be a hell of a lot funnier.

MARKS- 6/10

Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Rachel McAdams, Jude Law, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly
Plot: Detective Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) and his stalwart partner Watson (Law) engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.
Genre: Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

SO HERE IT IS.

The link to the new trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOr4i-wbH-M

Is this the real Sherlock Holmes? Is this what he is like in the book? Is this the closest and interesting version of the great man?

Or is this just another in a long line of movie reboots where everything needs to be bigger, louder and darker (ala James Bond and Batman reboots)?

Which ever it is the trailer looks brilliant. Robert Downey Jr looks great in the lead role, ozzying sex appeal and rogue like smiles. It's very Jack Sparrow. Jude Law looks like this is the role which will remind people he can act. Rachel Adam's looks sexy and Mark Strong makes a good looking villian.

Not sure on date it comes out but will keep you informed.

STILLER
WILSON
WILLIAMS
GERVAIS
COOGAN
AND MANY MORE

ARE BACK!!!!!!

A FILM THAT DIDN'T DO THAT WELL WITH CRITICS OR AUDIENCE MEMBERS HAS COME BACK FOR A SECOND TIME

WATCH THE TRAILER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQyrz5V7Vuw

REVIEW LATER THIS WEEK.

PLOT- When a murder of a physicist, Leonardo Vetra, finds a symbolist, Robert Langdon, and Mr. Vetra's daughter, Vittoria, on an adventure for a secret brotherhood, The Illuminati, clues lead them all around the Vatican, including the four alters of science, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. An Assassin, working for the Illuminati, has captured four cardinals, and murders each, painfully. Robert and Vittoria also are searching for a new very destructive weapon that could kill millions

Tom Hanks has been in some of the greatest movies ever.
Forrest Gump.
Saving Private Ryan.
Philadelphia.
The Green Mile.
Turner And Hooch (okay, maybe just for me then)
And many, many more.

Angels and Demon’s, though, is not brilliant. To mention it on the same page as the films listed above is quite an insult.
Angels and Demons is based on the book, of the same name, written by Dan Brown. The Da Vinci Code was then made in to a film staring Tom Hank’s as Robert Langdon and directed by Ron ‘Happy Day’s’ Howard. It sparked mass criticism by religious groups for it’s outrageous tale, it’s view that that Jesus had a child and so on…AND sooooooo on.
…Oh, and other people who saw the film just thought it was crap.
I kinda liked it. Sure, the best moment was watching Tom Hanks keep a straight face when he builds up the films tension by saying ‘quick we need to get to a library!’ Hardly the most exiting line in film’s history.
But, now Angels and Demon’s is here. Directed again by Ron ‘Happy Day’s’ Howard and starring Tom Hanks. This film has been turned in to a sequel of sorts. It seems to fit the piece though. The book, it’s based on, is a prequel to ‘Da Vinci’, but since this is follow on in film terms references have been slung in to (I guess) remind people they are watching a follow up.
I don’t know.

The film, according to my girlfriend, has cut a lot out from the book. I’ve not read the book so all I can review on is the film as a stand alone.
The film is quite boring.
That’s not to say it’s rubbish.
But, the pace is a little boring.
Ron ‘Happy Day’s’ Howard tries his best to build up the tension. The last half an hour builds up close to boiling point, but to be honest by that point I was just getting bored to care. The film is, for the most of it, set over six hours, with a bomb about to blow up and priests getting killed every hour, so you would have thought there were lots of room to build up the tension to the point where the writers and directors of the hit (stressful) show 24 would even start to take notes. But, while the tension doesn’t quicken, the pace of time does. One moment you at 8pm then five minutes later your at half 9.

One of the big problems is Tom Hanks character Robert Langdon. He’s hardly the Indiana Jones whip cracking, funny, rogue like character who also happens to know his history and his symbols. Langdon acts like a virgin who has no friends. Maybe he has a cat, though I doubt the cat would like him. Maybe in the book he comes across better and less ‘know-it-all’, but as I said I haven’t read the book so can’t comment.
Hank’s does his best, but with the guy he has got to play there’s nothing exiting about him.

The rest of the cast come out similar.
Ewan Mcgreggor does well as a priest.
Ayelet Zurer also does well as a women who does…stuff with bombs and can …help out???????
That’s a problem.
Half the time most of the characters aren’t fleshed out enough for the audience to fully understand what they are up to.

The film never seems to let the audience in. Sure, not all films have to treat members of the public as idiots but in this case I would have liked to know who and what I was rooting for.

The film passed a few hours. For many I’m sure you will love it.
But, for me this was a damp film with little pleasure.

5/10

P.S

FOR TOM HANKS FANS THIS LINK IS FOR YOU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9z2hJwJuqg

ANGELS AND DEMONS COMES OUT THIS WEEK.

THE FOLLOW UP FROM THE DA VINCI CODE, AGAIN STARING TOM HANKS AND DIRECTED BY RON 'HAPPY DAYS' HOWARD'.

THIS IS BASED ON DAN BROWNS NOVEL, OF THE SAME NAME, AND WAS EVEN WRITTEN BEFORE THE DA VINCI CODE.
THOUGH IT SEEMS YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE READ ANY OF THE NOVELS OR EVEN HAVE SEEN THE DAV VINCI CODE TO UNDERSTAND THIS FILM.

CLICK ON LINK FOR A SHORT TRAILER.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcE8QaKiTGk

EXPECT REVIEW FRIDAY

In the first season of J. J Abrams TV show LOST two characters, Locke and Boone, are walking through the jungle searching for a member of their group that’s gone missing. So they don’t get lost they tie bits of Boone’s red shirt on tree trucks so they can find their way back. Boone makes the observation to Locke that ‘in the TV show Star Trek anyone with a red shirt dies. It always the poor guy you haven’t seen before but has just come along to make up numbers.’
Years later J.J Abrams has decided not to mess with some formulas, and kept the red shirt in. If only for a moment and not (if we’re being picky) actually a red shirt, it shows this is more then a remake or reboot. This is what Trekies (the fans) remember and love from the TV show and films but up dated.
It’s also what everyone who hated Star Trek remembers and hated from the TV and made better for them.

It’s all there.
The little 'in' gags. The short skirts for the female officers. Kirk making out with a green alien. A friendship that starts with hate. Bone’s ‘dam it Jim’s’. The poor soul who wears a red shirt. The Vulcan grip. And even the ‘these are the voyages of the….

I have mentioned before my anger at how some trailers deceive you in to thinking one thing about the movie and what it’s about, to actually find it it’s different.
The same can go for this films trailer.
You get the impression we are going to have to sit through a movie where the first half is just about Kirk and his up bringing and it won’t be until the end there will be this massive fight.
I was wrong.
The first thing we witness in the movie is the birth of James T Kirk as his father saves his, his mothers and 800 other crew members by killing himself in glory. We then cut to Kirk as a young boy, being a rebel, to Kirk in a bar room brawl. It’s here we witness our first signs that Abrams and script writers Orci and Kurtzman are not pissing about. In walks Captain Christopher Pike (played by Bruce Greenwood) and tells Kirk to join up in the star fleet and be even better then his father.
Now, let me take you back to the very, very, very first ever episode of Star Trek. It was 1966 and the first captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise wasn’t Kirk it was Captain Pike. It wasn’t until the second episode that Kirk showed up.
Phew!
We then cut forward three years and see Kirk, Bone, Spock and all the gang ready to help when a Vulcan planet is attacked.
It’s where the action and loud explosions happen.
And while the main rebooting story kicks of after only half an hour it doesn’t rush things. If your new to the Star Trek world your not confused. In half an hour we understand the lead characters already.
This is down the writers and director getting the source material right, but also down to the actors.
Chris Pine who plays Kirk is brilliant. He’s everything I imagine Shanter wanted to be but wasn’t allowed at a time when film and TV was PC. While Kirk in the TV show and old film was cool and sexy, it was only ever hinted at that he was this cocky, dirty fighter, who slept around and was one of the most intelligent people around. Sure Kirk slept around with green aliens in the show, but it felt a little wrong to watch. Pine nails it. He’s the hero, though the rules are broken. He’s sexy enough so the women fancy him but he’s such a bastard at times that he sometimes gets it wrong. He handles the comedy and the action well. And, now the trekies have a real man to worship as so do most the guys who aren’t trekie fans.
Zac Quinto (from Heroes) plays the pointed haired Spock. I forgot how annoying Spock can be, but after an hour I remembered why. Vulcan’s don’t show emotion. But, Spock being half human and half Vulcan he was always confused. This film pushes Spock further then I had seen in the TV show and the old film. He plays it with the flared nostrils and ever so slightly smirk that, again, was needed in the TV show.
Other cast members are also great. Eric Bana plays Neo with the spit and hatred that’s needed. Simon Pegg heads up the fan boys quote as Scotty (trust me the Scottish accent after while works), Zoe Salenda as Uhura is as sexy and spunky as she should be (with the shirt skirts still there) and Karl Urban as ‘Bone’ who looks like he is having so much pleasure as he shouts ‘dam it Jim’.
And also Leonard Nimoy as Spock from the future, in more then just a hyped up cameo. He plays a larger part in it then I had thought. But, it works.

The action works fantastic. Abrams skill shine throughout.

This is a film that shows what a movie can be.

So, where next. Surely a sequel is just around the corner. They say the sequel to a great film is never as good. But, with recent films like Spiderman 2 and The Dark Knight proving that the first is not always the best means hope is left for the sequel. And, who can forget that other space film Star Wars. The sequel The Empire Strikes Back was 100 times better then a New Hope.

But will this reboot take the curse.

The curse of the Star Trek films where every odd number film is rubbish and the equal number ones are fantastic.
If that is the case, and they are not calling this Star Trek 11 but Star Trek 1, then this is meant to be a very poor film, so imagine what the next film will be like.

I can’t wait.

STAR TREK

9/10

PLOT- When famed photographer and womanizer Connor Mead (McConaughey) is forced to face his past at his brother Paul's (Meyer) wedding, he re-evaluates his actions when he comes face-to-face with the Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Present, Future, and his deceased uncle (Douglas) to reconnect with his first and only love, Jenny (Garner).

Maybe it was the fact that I went in to this film thinking it was going to be the worst thing that I had ever seen, but truth be told this is one of the better films I have seen in the last few weeks.
Sure, it is labbled as a ‘chick flick’ and it’s a revamp of A Christmas Carol, and yes it’s a predictable play by the rules film, but for all it’s cheesyness and over the topness this is one of those films that you can’t help and watch with a smile.
While most reviews have been harsh about this film, you have to see it for what it is. This is not an oscar worth of a film, neither is it a film that will land on your top ten movies ever. But, for a Sunday afternoon movie fest this is a must.

The film pushes along it’s rule by rules and comes out on just the right side of cheese. Matthew McConaughey plays the part of Connor Mead with all the glee and intention it was built for. While some have never been kind to his acting style (Family Guy I’m looking at you) in this kinda part he plays it to perfection. It’s a tour de force of chick flick acting. It’s over the top, he shoots out lines like a lizzard and when need be (normally when piano music play over the top) he can bring tears to his eyes.
One can’t help after seeing such films as I Love You Man and Superbad, that if the film had been written in the style of Judd Aptow’s movies then this would be rated a lot better by people. This film needs the more off the cuff and naughty like banter which fits so well in Aptow’s movies. But, just because of the star and chick flick lite moments it will never be rated very high.
The whole cast look like they are having a good time. Micheal Douglas, in his sleezy Hugh Hefner role, moves around the scenes as if that’s just how he talks and walks in real life. Also, while talking about Douglas, it seems a waste to have him chat up a younger women only to get turned down. I’m sure there must be a joke about his real wife in there somewhere.

The script is played out well. Over the top slapstick, like the cake breaking, is weighed out nice by the flashbacks of our hero’s past. The funniest part comes from his hallway of ex girlfriends.

I doubt I’ll be going out to buy it, but it would be worth a look to see what the outtakes were like on the DVD. The cast look fit to burst in to laughter at any given moment. In fact that is half the joy.

For all it’s covers failings, the inside makes it a very good movie. So, what if you’re a stright male who likes farting, beer, and laughing at old ladies falling over in the street. This movie is sure to warm some part of your body.

7/10

PLOT- Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) lives a mutant life, seeks revenge against Victor Creed (who will later become Sabertooth) for the death of his girlfriend, and ultimately ends up going through the mutant Weapon X program.

Anyone who saw the X-men trilogy or read any of the X-Men comics could tell you that the best character out of a hit and miss buntch was Wolverine. The X-men films pushed this character further up the ranks in terms of which characters got more screen time. This was down the fact the Wolverine was a tormented soul, who got in to fights, had metal claws come out of his hands and chewed cigars while putting out witty one liners. He was the everyday man in a universe that belonged to freaks.
And so, when the films were made Hugh Jackman (a late choice according to reports. The role was going to go to Mel Gibson) was cast in the role and he looked (aside from the silly yellow costume which they didn’t use, thankfully) and acted the part.
And now we have his spin off.

In a world where it seems just watching a film isn’t good enough, you have to actually make prequels or reboot a franchise, we get Wolverines back story.
It was clear from the X-Men films that there was a lot to his past, and due to memory loss he couldn’t remember. So it’s quite handy we have a origins movie to help him remember.

The film starts of with a fantastic credit sequence where we witness Wolverine (or Jimmy as he likes to be called) and his brother Victor cut scene their way through different wars and fights. Giving the audience the heads up that these brothers can not be killed. Their indestructible. Which is handy.
It then shows them working for a special organization under the watchful eye of William Stryker, who will later see in X-Men 2…keep up.
Then events transpire meaning our boy Jackman goes on a rampage to kill his brother, Stryker etc. Basically make a lot of mess.
Literally.

What we witness is a film so full of ideas and ‘nudge nudge wink wink’s’ to it’s comic book fans that it becomes to bloated with no real room for Jackman to for fill the proper emotions and response for his character.
Because, when striped of it’s two big action sequences this film is nothing. From it’s Little House On The Praire style life, to it’s one of many looking at the sky and screaming ‘nooooooooooooo’ points, and adding in to many characters there's nothing much to exite.
As with the X-Men film, this film stands on what mutants you use in the film. Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds gets so little screen time that he's the Venom from Spiderman 3 and Two Face from The Dark Knight over again. Deadpool shines in the scenes he is in. It helps that in one of the comic books Deadpool himself states he looks a little like Ryan Reynolds. But, he is limited. After all he soon gains the same powers as Wolverine but handles them with a different style. And, do we need two similar mutants. I mean, we already have Wolverine’s brother.
But, if the rumors are to believed, a Deadpool movie is on the cards. It could and should work. He has the style, the jokes etc to rank over anything in his own movie. Plus, his back story is far the best out of the mutants in general.
And the pointless inclusion of Cyclops sends the movie down a notch. It’s a pointless nod to the other movies. The fact he is a rubbish character bumps this point up more.
Lynn Coilins, who plays Wolverine’s girlfriend is stunning. She is gorgeous and adds the right amount of texture to a character which needs to grow if she is to become the Silverfox.

And then there’s Jackman. He’s marvelous. Far better then Gibson would have been. He looks and sounds the part. But when the X-Men trilogy was basically the Wolverine story anyway, you wonder what the point of this film was.
Plus, like Superman, he can’t die. This puts the film in a weird place. It’s a place where there is no tension. Where’s the threat? Plus, we know how the film plays out because we have seen the X-Men films.

And, no, I didn’t miss the gay subtext of Jackman, naked, jumping in to a gushing water fountain.

6/10

PLEASE READ OTHER REVIEWS BY GOING TO MY BLOG

APRIL TV LOOK BACK

THE LOSER
RED DWARF.- Over Christmas there was a Blackadder documentary. I don’t remember who it was who said this next quote ‘lets not do anymore. Who wants to see us fat and old’, but maybe the cast of Red Dwarf should have listened…and took note.
Doug Naylor, co creator and now sole writer of Red Dwarf wrote 3 half hour episodes. He shouldn’t have.
As a massive fan of Red Dwarf of old I felt cheated and upset. The story was so over blown and complex that it didn’t make sense. Plot lines from past series were not resolved. But, worst of all there was no comedy. I didn’t laugh once.
Doug Naylor seems adamant that a sitcom doesn’t need laughter. Just a ton of crap special effect.
And the scenes on the Coronation Street set were cringe felled and pathetic.
If Doug Naylor is allowed a series 9 then he needs to work on getting Rob Grant, the other creator of the show that left after series 6, or someone who can tell him that some of his ideas are rubbish.
I won’t even go in to the actors who played them. All I’ll say is the quote from the Blackadder documentary. ‘lets not do this anymore. Who wants to see us fat and old’.

THE BIZARRE
Britain’s Got Talent- The show where the rest of the world get to see what Britain is really good at. And, according to this show it’s about bad comedy, bad singing, bad dancing, and plenty of drag queens.
Yet again Simon Cowell and his crew of Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan (and sometimes Kelly Brooke, who appears in only a few as she was soon sacked after joining) are at the buzzers to choice who should perform in front of the Queen. And after a teenage break dancer won last year I’m sure the Queen is hoping that a good act gets through this year.
And chances are that act is going to be the women dubbed ‘The Hairy Angel’, charmed I’m sure. Susan Boyle, a singer, has hit the media with force. Everyone wants to know her, Demi Moore stated she loved her, Catherine Zeta Jones wants to play her in a movie, the press want every nook and cranny of her life to be in the paper.
I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fact that since talent less Jade Goody sadly died last month the press is looking for someone else to write a lot about, and for no reason.
Sure.
Susan has a good voice, but her power is the fact she is not very attractive, she is old and she is a virgin.
A bit like Amanda Holden, except I doubt she is a virgin, and evidence proves she has no talent. They should have got rid of her and not Brooke. Kelly Brooke has more talent then Holden…well two bits of talent anyway.

THE FUNNIEST
The Inbetweeners- E4’s hit show The Inbetweeners has to be the funniest show on TV at the moment. Not everyone will like the foul language and ‘young’ humour, but for someone who left school only a few years ago it’s one of the most compelling, funniest shows on TV. The life’s of Will, Jay, Neil and Simon are played with all the good intentions, if the characters themselves aren’t. The first episode, about a school trip, had a fish getting punched, Jay asking an old women ‘are you the one who sucks of young boys’, Simon with a sock on his penis, and Will hiring a fishing boat. It sounds over the top, and in a way it is. But, the fact that it feels, sounds and acts very real adds a certain nostalgia for me.
And it’s one of the few shows that wisely doesn’t need to use a laughter track to drain over the show and ruin comedy, unlike…………………………………………………….

THE SURPRISE
Reggie Perrin. A remake of the 70’s classic (though I never saw it). It started on BBC and no one expected good things for it. But, less then ten seconds in to the show a joke is made and the laughter track, the watching in studio audience burst out laughing.
Reggie Perrin, though, surprised me. It had some very good laugh out moments and I enjoyed it. Though the sad fact about it is I couldn’t tell you any funny lines from it as I can’t remember. But, I did like it.

THE WINNER
ASHES TO ASHES- The Life On Mar’s spin off comes back in styles. The Genie Genie fires up the quarto, while his team Chris and Ray pull on the tight jeans, future women sent back in the past Alex oozes more sex appeal then anyone on TV at the moment, and the music of the era cranks up a notch.
It’s appeal is mass. It has the stand alone style, that every episode can be watched no mater if seen before. But, if you have watched it, it’s immense. The clues to why Alex, and Sam Tyler from Life On Mar’s always end up meeting with the brilliant Gene Hunt, played by Philip Glenister, is coming to a head. There’s comedy, twists, drama, action, suspense, thrills.
It also has one of this months most chilling moments on TV. When Alex realises that she may not be the only one from the future…
It’s the best British show since Life On Mars, and at a time when TV is mostly dull and boring it’s no surprise this is winner of the month…and maybe year.

PLOT- A petty thief is gunned down in an alley and a Congressman's assistant falls in front of a subway - two seemingly unrelated deaths. But not to wisecracking, brash newspaper reporter Cal McAffrey who spies a conspiracy waiting to be uncovered. With a turbulent past connected to the Congressman and the aid of ambitious young rookie writer Della Frye, Cal begins uprooting clues that lead him to a corporate cover-up full of insiders, informants, and assassins. But as he draws closer to the truth, the relentless journalist must decide if it's worth risking his life and selling his soul to get the ultimate story.

Now, I’m going to review this film on it’s own merit and not compare it to the 2003 TV six part drama of the same name.
1- Because, one, I’ve never seen it, therefore would be a little bit unfair.
And
2- It would take up more time then I’m willing to give.
That drama was written by Paul Abbot and stared John Simm, Bill Nighy, and David Morrissey and set in London. It was seen as a bench mark in British TV and was just dieing out (according to the makers of this film) for a remake.

So, low and behold it has been. Remade by director Kevin Macdonald and using the cast of Russell Crowe, Rachel Mcadams, Helen Mirren and Ben Afleck.

The film it’s self dieing to be clever, and dieing for people to gasp and stand up for a standing ovation at the end. For me, unlike everyone else who saw it, it disappointed me. Maybe it was down to the fact that the trailer for the movie made it look like a fast paced action thriller, no holds barred. If you saw that trailer and got exited about seeing it, then maybe you might want to think again.

The film plays well and stylish. It’s directed with the intention to build up all the plot’s going on and push them to the end with all the tension it can muster. It doesn’t help itself with the fact it uses over blown music to destroy the scenes. When the tension is needed, say a character running in a car park away from a man wanting to kill him, the tension music (the thumping bass line) doesn’t grip you to the edge of your seat forcing you in to the film more. Which, I would have thought it to be where it should have been. Instead, the ‘tension music’ is played over the top off scenes where people are just talking, and not really about anything gripping. This may have been done because some of the film is quite slow, and not always in a bad way, but it feels like the director, Macdonald, thought he would spice up the film. He fails on this mark as it’s more of a distraction then a plus to grip you more.

The cast themselves are pretty solid, if a little stereotypical. Russell Crowe does his small grow like voicel, but throughout his performance as Cal, the reporter trying to get to the bottom of this story, he never shows any emotion to how he is feeling. Then again it was quite hard to notice anything else apart from that he looked rather fat and his hair moved on it’s own accord. Thankfully he’s relationship with young reporter Delia, played by Rachel McAdams, never strays in to a romance story, leaving the plot of the film to flow much more neater without distracting (except for the tension music).
Speaking of Rachel, she plays the part of Delia well, but seems limited in what she does. Maybe in the TV show her character was fleshed out, but in this film she is wasted. Which is a great shame as she is a very pretty and talented actress. But to be honest if she had left the film halfway through I would probably have forgotten she was in it.
Helen Mirren does her hard nosed editor job, she seems to relish such lines as “f**k you very much”, but lines like that are far and few between.
Two actors do stand out though. The two that really shouldn’t have been the best thing in it, given their past record, but they ended up winning the scenes they were in.
First up was Ben Affleck. Not known for his great acting work, here he gives the performance of his career as the man whose world is falling around him. He shows more emotion then Oscar winner Crowe does the entire movie. And, I never thought I say this, when Ben isn’t on screen the movie losses my interest.
Second was Jason Bateman as the seedy, sleazy PA. The man who was in the sitcom ‘Arrested Development’ and bit parts (as tragic comedy parts) in films such as Hancock and Juno shows us how fun he can be as a creep who un does his world with a foray of tears.

The film, as mentioned, moves along at a slow pace, and while such moments as the for aforementioned ‘car park’ scene and a few gritty powerful chats (Affleck fighting back) the film never really grabs me. The people who sat around me gasped at some of the stuff at the end, the twists and turns were good, but by the point they were revealed they had lost my interest.

Though…well…I seem to be the only one who thought this…

6/10

Check my blog for more reviews.

PLOT- Heading back to the streets where it all began, two men rejoin two women to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert. When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Connor. But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmaneuver him.

You can’t help thinking, while watching this movie, that Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez havn’t had the best of luck when it comes to films.

They all starred in the first of the ‘Fast’ franchise in 2001, with only Walker coming back for a second and none of them doing the third. So, when the script rolled in for a forth chapter to a saga that ended after the first one, they must have had to grit their teeth. After all, everyone needs a job to make money for a living, and at whatever cost. Just look at Jade Goody.

But, this movie looks like a lot of fun had been had back stage and off set. There seems to be a fuel of excitement in the actors, and not just because they are working. They all, even Walker, seemed to have upped their acting game. Not to fair I might add, but behind the grit and the serious face pulling there seems to be a laughing child waiting to burst out.

Needed or not, Fast and Furious (not Fast and Furious 4. No. This is the same title as the original ‘The Fast and Furious’, just with the ‘the’ taken away) is back. And, although not a massive fan of the other three this one, in cinematic terms was a good mindless blow away film.

Quite how it will be viewed when not in a cinema is up for judgment. Unless you have the latest in HD TV’s and sound systems this may fall flat on DVD. But, hey, that’s neither here or there at the moment.

The film starts of with a fresh out look on the exiting finale of the first film and it packs it’s punch straight away. There may as well be a quote from the director, Justin Lin, at the start saying ‘forget Oscars and awards. Forget your brain, because this is fun’.

The action rolls over and the car chases are brutal and cleverly executed. The first race, around the busy streets while other people are driving home for work, shows neat directing and out landish ideas which make use of the sound system and look.

The story, with a shocking death, doesn’t push to many brain buttons but with some neat action gun fights and car chases it hardly maters.

As I said, the actors are having fun. Though his character Dom is hardly a ‘laugh a minute’ sort of guy, Vinny (as I like to call him…not to his face though) pulls out breath stopping fights, gas explosions and car chases with style. Cool leaks from the man. My only problem with him is his inability to have any one liners. Some of the stuff he does needs a sweet Roger Moore like one liner. Then again, his character is in pain.

Walker looks good.

Enough said.

And the ending leaves you with a nice smile, ending it at just the right second with no escape needed to be seen (you’ll understand if you see it)

With talks of a 5th film set in Brazil and the actors on board for that it means more of the same. But, hey that’s good fun isn’t it. After a month of State Of Play, Knowing, Watchmen where everything is serious and over analyzed it’s fun just to watch a film that is made for just that…fun.

So for that….

7/10

Go to my blog for more reviews.
Thank you

PLOT.- Friendless Peter Klaven goes on a series of man-dates to find a Best Man for his wedding. But when his insta-bond with his new B.F.F. puts a strain on his relationship with his fiancée, can the trio learn to live happily ever after?

I went in to ‘I Love You Man’ with a slight hesitation. From the trailer to the movie poster, everything seemed to suggest, that this film was a hellish over the top comedy where a straight act man meets a crazy wild man that everyone hates but soon, through scenes cut to ‘chick flick’ music, everyone starts to love him. I imagined the last scene would be everyone in the film just saying to this ‘crazy wild man’, ‘I Love you man’.
And, if I’m honest, I’d probably have quite liked that movie.

But, this film had something more, something that other ‘buddy comedies’ lack. It contained heart and a lot of truth.
The ‘crazy wild’ man, Sydney (played with beautiful restraint, and the right amount of over the top lewdness, Jason Segel) wasn’t that crazy. Sure, he drank beers, loved rock music, made lewd comments, farted, masturbated, got things wrong, was carefree, but, show me a man who isn’t like that. It was Seqel that made this movie warm and fuzzy…in a manly way obviously.

The film follows a straight laced man named Peter, played by Paul Rudd (TV sitcom Friends, 40 year old virgin etc) whose always been a ‘girlfriend man’. The women love him because to them he feels he can be open and honest. It’s not until his soon to be wife questions who is going to be his best man. What sets out for the first half an hour is Peter going from one man date to another, each with it’s own laugh out sequence. Then he meets Sydney.
Sydney speaks the truth, they share the same interests, they enjoy each others company. It’s perfect.
And, so rolls out the one by one scenes seen in many other movies about friendship. They like each other, they change each other for the better, they have a fight, distance themselves from each other, before coming back together

It’s done wonderful and adds surprises in as well.

The ‘male speech’ feels fresh and adlibbed. Seqel and Rudd work so well together that it feels very real when watching them together.

This is the perfect ‘friendship’ movie, so push away your Sex and The City movie where the friendships feel and act so fake. Here, in this very movie what we are watching is the love of two men. There are no homosexual overtones, unless you want to look for them, and it will hopefully make other men talk to other men about their problems and open up a little bit more.

Men will laugh and women will cringe, but at the same time laugh. It works for both sexes. One of the many wonderful things about this movie as it also connects in to Peter’s wife and her friends, alas for a short time, but we see that they talk about sex, problems, and share secrets as well.

It’s basically what prompts the movies plot.

So, I’ll slap the bass (you’ll understand once you have seen) and end this review with a loving……..

8/10

Because, yes, I love this film…man…

PLOT- The narrative is told from the perspective of Brian Clough, the new manager of Leeds United. Clough despises Leeds, its players, and the former club manager Don Revie. The club wins only one of six games in the 44 days Clough is manager, and the board of directors sacks him.

Now this review is being written by someone who doesn’t’ know much about football, not watches football, and can’t even care for it a little bit.
But, while watching this movie it was hard not to like the game. Every tackle, every goal, every red card, every football chant from the crowd, every cheer sounded looked like it was coming from the heart.
The footballers back in the 60’s and 70’s are a long way away from the Beckham’s, Owen’s and…all those other footballers whose names pass me. These footballers portrayed in the film look like they’d kick and spit on you till you cried, and all you’d done was cough quietly in a corner.
The film, directed by Tom Hooper, is based on the book written by David Peace. Hooper creates the style and setting of the 60’s and 70’s. The whole thing feels like your not watching a film, but a gritty documentary filmed around the times. The sleekness and glossiness of movies these days is lost in the murky times the film is set around.

Actor of the moment, Michael Sheen, is on top form. Thanks to a documentary I’d seen on Brian Clough earlier in the week I couldn’t see Michael Sheen the film. All I could see was Brian Clough.
Michael Sheen, known for playing Tony Blair, David Frost, Ken Williams and many more, looks and sounds the part. The ego, the laugh, the dry wit, the anger lurking inside bursting to come out. It’s all there. It adds to the feel that this film is more a documentary, and we are watching the real thing, more then a film.
At the end of the movie, clips of the real Brian Clough are shown. Was this to add a roundness to the story? Show the real man? Or, to show off Michael Sheen as an actor, to show how good he was at capturing the man?
The rest of the cast are good as well. Great in fact. The ever excellent Timothy Spall, as Clough’s right hand man Peter Taylor sounds and acts like him, if not looking like him.
The same can be said about Colm Meaney as Clough’s arch enemy Don Revie.

The film flicks back to Clough’s glory days at Derby, then flicking back to show his downfall at Leeds’s. Before showing us that he then went on to become the greatest British manager off all time by putting Nottingham Forrest to the top twice.

The film may not be liked by his family. It may not be accurate, but for an outsider who knows nothing about football, I can say I enjoyed it.
Because, though it’s a film about football, it’s a film about two friends. Clough and Taylor’s friendship that lasts for years, before going through a rough patch, before becoming friends again. Spall and Sheen play this friendship to it’s every level.

If you don’t know anything about Brian Clough then watch clips of the Gallagher brothers, Robbie Williams, Life On Mar’s Gene Hunt, and to some extent Jonathan Ross. They have the ego’s, they have the fire in them to say and do what they want. But, then again you shouldn’t be in a job like singer, football manager etc if you don’t think you can be the best. It’s a dog eat dog world out there, and Clough knew it.

It’s a great drama. It’s a great heart felt movie, and it’s a great sports movie…

But, it’s not the best sports movie in the world....but it’s defiantly in the top 1.
8/10

"The Boat That Rocked" is about a band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that, incomprehensibly, preferred jazz. The Count, a big, brash, American god of the airwaves; Quentin, the boss of Radio Rock -- a pirate radio station in the middle of the North Sea that's populated by an eclectic crew of rock and roll DJs; Gavin, the greatest DJ in Britain who has just returned from his drug tour of America to reclaim his rightful position; Dave, an ironic, intelligent and cruelly funny co-broadcaster; and a fearsome British government official out for blood against the drug takers and lawbreakers of a once-great nation.

While watching ‘The Boat That Rocked’ I couldn’t help thinking that writer/director Richard Curtis had lost the plot…literally. Unlike his last film, ‘Love Actually’, with its many characters and plot strands that all had a start, a middle, and an end, TBTR never quite feels like there’s an end in sight.
It’s as if Curtis (famed for Blackadder, Four Weddings, Red Nose day etc) sat down at his computer with the idea to make a film about pirate radio. He then wrote down all the ideas he had and then tried to put them together in some sort of plot. There’s a feud between two of the DJ’s which could have been a good centre plot…but that fades away.
A young lad whose been sent to the boat and his search for his father, this could also have been a good centre plot…but that fades away.
A wedding about to happen, which would have…you get my point.

Instead we get scenes that seem to be linked only by the music of the era. Comedic scenes which seem like great set up’s, only for the punch line to be missing. And to have a character called ‘t**t’ is funny for the first few times, after a while it just becomes numb and a little embarrassing.
It’s a shame.

The reason this film is pulled out of a 5/10 mark to a 7/10 is down to the cast, the music and a rousing last half an hour.

The cast are on top form. Bill Nighy is brilliant. His laugh, his grin, his punch of victory before the end, his sneer, and the whole look that makes you wish he was in your family.
Nick Frost shows a lot of humor…and a lot of himself!
Kenneth Branagh and Jack Davenport do what they can with their ‘evil’ roles.
But, the winner in the comedy race has to be Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He plays ‘The Count’ as well as Richard Curtis’s ‘I need an American in my film’ character. He brings the flare and power needed behind a bunch of Brit’s on a boat all aiming for the spot light. He brings loud mouthed humor and brings the film to its ‘heart felt’ knees when he talks about ‘these days being the best ever’.

The music is brilliant. It’s a soundtrack you will hum for days, and weeks. It’s a soundtrack we all need in our life.

And, the rousing last half an hour brings the film to its peak. It would be wrong of me to tell you what happens, but it’s the one point in the whole film where there seems to be a heart. And, in the last five minutes with the rousing music, the ‘chicken’ surviving, the punch in the air, and hope for music, the hairs on my arms went up and I felt like standing up and shouting ‘YES. f**k YOU GOVERNMENT!’

The Boat That Rocked may only have hit the little waves, but with its great cast and music it’s the best British film I’ve seen since that last romantic comedy by Richard Curtis that had Hugh Grant in it…hang on…where was Hugh Grant in this…

7/10

When a meteorite from outer space hits a young California girl named Susan Murphy and turns her into a giant monster, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years. As a last resort, under the guidance of General W.R. Monger, on a desperate order from The President, the motley crew of Monsters is called into action to combat the aliens and save the world from imminent destruction!
With the voices of Reece Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie and Kiefer Sutherland.

First things first. This animation film from Dreamworks looks amazing. At some point during this film I had to remind myself that every fraction of screen I was seeing was being filled up by animation. It may sound stupid if you haven’t seen it. But it looks very real in some places.
Second thing’s second. I did not see this film in 3D. Some cinemas are showing this in 3D and I’m sure it looks amazing. For me, well I saw this in 2D.
Third thing third. I so hope Kiefer Sutherland takes some of the voice and actions of his character General Monger, and put them in his TV character Jack Bauer’s motions.

The film looks amazing, sure. But, the storyline and the plot is very good. Though with all the B-Movie references, and Politic and government mentions it’s hard to see if a child would understand or ‘get this’. That’s not to dumb down any child. It’s just at some points the references were of so many that I wondered if the children in front of me were laughing at them or just laughing because one of the characters looks like a jelly.
That, I suppose, is how animation films are made these days. In the days when I was a child I must have made my parents watch all the cartoons with me, and they must have been bored senseless. Now with the likes of Shrek, Toy Story, Monster INC etc, the movies are filled with enough silly, loud, colorful looking moments to keep the children happy, but with enough sly nudge nudge wink wink jokes to the parents.
It’s also how The Simpson’s works so well.

So, what does a 24 year old male think of it? Yes, it was good. As I mentioned about twenty times it looked amazing. The jokes were very funny and the emotions that can come out of an animated character that is basically just a blue jelly with one eye is astounding.
The voices all add their own tact and tic to their counterparts.
And, that is about it.
It was the right amount of length.
It made me laugh.
It looked great.

So, Monster VS Aliens in 2D I’ll give a nice 7 ½ / 10

Paul Blart is a mild-mannered, dutiful family man who works as a security guard in a New Jersey mall. For years, he has applied to become a cop, but he always fails the physical exam because he is overweight. One day, a gang of organized criminals put the mall under siege and take hostages. Blart becomes trapped inside, and because of his sense of duty, refuses to leave. He thus becomes the police department's eyes on the inside and attempts to stop the criminals on his own.

You go and see a film like Paul Blart you know for sure it’s going to be silly, over the top, and mindless…and for the first two of those things I was right.
It was silly. The set up is silly, the out come is silly, the whole idea is silly.
It was over the top. The set up is over the top, the out come becomes over the top and the whole idea is over the top.
But, it’s not mindless.
To say it was mindless would be to say it was a pointless film.
This is not a pointless film.

Sure, it’s never going to win rave reviews, or film Oscar awards, but then again it was never made for any of that. It was made to be a film where you laughed all the way through it.

To give the film a very simple review would be to say ‘it’s Die Hard…only a comedy’.
But, it never becomes a spoof of the Die Hard/Under Siege films. It becomes it’s own film.
The first part of the movie we get to see Paul Blart (Kevin James, also writer of the film) and his family life, his work life and his personal life. We find out that he lives with his mum and his daughter, (he wife left years ago) and it seems Paul Blart is a ‘loser’ who will always be stuck in this life and never finding a girl to go out with or get a better job.

Okay, what plays out is a ‘you know what Paul your not a loser, you have a great family, you have already met the girl of your dreams and she loves you for being you, your going to save the day, and all you had to do was open yours eyes and gain confidence’, it’s simple.

The film is owned by Kevin James. He can do the comedy prat fall as if he had invented it. Watching someone fall over is funny. But, when watching that same person fall over quite a few times in one movie can be, for most, very boring. What Kevin James does though is invent the comedy prat fall so it’s now owned by him. With every fall comes a tumble, an extra trip, a bounce to finish it of. And every time you laugh.
When he dances at a club, after having a drink, he becomes a whirl wind of excitement. You know he’s going to fall through the glass window, but you don’t know what he’s going to do before hand. Is he going to sing first, kiss someone, throw up, what? No-one knows. Kevin James never seems, either, to take the joke to far.
He also gives enough ‘drama’ to his character. The scene in his bedroom, before the main action of the film, has him sobbing. It starts to break in the hardest of hearts in men and women.
The rest of the cast are great, but it was never about them, it was always about Kevin James. Though one cast member, the gorgeous Jayma Mays (Amy) adds not only a ‘love interest’ but a quirkiness about her.

The film contains great action sequences, funny memorable one liners, great characters, and great timing.
So what if it’s silly.
At times when cinema takes it’s self to seriously, and all the news in the ‘real world’ can do is tell you money is tight and Jade Goody is the people’s princess, we need humor that can make us laugh like this.

So for that reason I give Paul Blart a cracking 8+HALF / 10

PLOT- In 1959, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead.

Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsules contents and the girls cryptic message ends up in the hands of young CALEB MYLES. But it is Calebs father, professor TED MYLES (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years.

Two things struck me after seeing this film.
1- If a film is directed, written by, and produced by the same person, chances are it’s not going to be a great film.
2- This is not a good film.

Nicolas Cage. Excellent actor. Oscar winner in fact. Con Air, Leaving Las Vega’s, The Rock, Snake Eyes, Raising Arizona are among just a handful of his classics. But, one can’t help but think that if Nicola’s Cage had received a set of numbers that predicted the future, like his character in the film, that maybe he wouldn’t have taken this film. He plays he famous stare and deep voice mumbles that has seen him win Oscars in the past, but if I were the Academy Awards I’d ask for his Oscar back.
The films not his fault though. The plot, in itself, works well for the first three thirds. But, the ending had me almost laughing at it. People walking out of the cinema seemed to share the same view, “It was okay till the end with the…”
I won’t spoil the end. I’ll let you sit through the film and watch it.

I’m nice like that.

This film, and it’s failings, belong to one man. Alex Proya’s. He co-wrote it, directed it, and co produced it, and at one point while reading the credits I half expected to see that he had written the theme tune, ala Dennis Waterman.
He had directed Will Smith’s I, Robot, which worked so well because, though the story was set in the future, had robots, and it was over the top, it had a major plus. It’s tongue was firmly in it’s cheek.
Where as ‘Knowing’ was so stone cold serious.

Still, even if he wrote and produced it in that form, the two major special effects sequences were very good.

But not enough from making me want to watch it a second time or give it anymore then 2/10.