For All Your Movie Reviewing Needs! This blog will feature film reviews, the occasional personal blog, a tally of the films I see at the cinema and anything else I deem worthy of sharing with YOU, my loyal readers. I have archived my two previous blogs here too so anyone new can catch up with something they might have missed. Thanks for reading!
Having not seen a Sandra Bullock film since The Proposal, I was looking forward to her return to the big screen in this buddy cop comedy.
The film also stars Melissa McCarthy, who by now most of you will know from Bridesmaids, if not one of the several other comedies she's done since that. There is no doubt that the woman has comedy chops, but I was a little concerned with the casting of Bullock as the straight cop to McCarthy's funny cop. As Sandra Bullock is a funny lady too and I was hoping she'd have chance to shine.
The story is a relatively simple one. Uptight FBI agent Ashburn (Bullock), gets paired with foul mouthed Boston cop Mullins (McCarthy). The reasons for this being that Ashburn's boss thinks she needs people skills, and Mullins' boss thinks Ashburn will be a good influence on her. So they work together, hating each other at first but then finding middle ground and forming a friendship strong enough to bring down a drug lord.
If that sounds like a million other buddy cop movies you've seen, that's probably because it is. That's not to say it doesn't have merits or isn't enjoyable, because it does and it is. Just don't expect anything fresh. Even the idea of this being a female buddy cop movie isn't new. Well not if you remember Cagney and Lacey anyway.
A good effort on both leads part makes this a fun night out at the cinema (or night in if you're going to wait for the DVD) but it won't blow you away. 7 out of 10.
As a long time fan of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz, I was incredibly excited about the prospect of another collaboration between Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and writer/director Edgar Wright. So when my best friend informed me that Worthing Theatre would be showing The Cornetto Trilogy, in full, on my birthday weekend, with a free Cornetto to accompany each film, well I just had to go along. Especially as I'd not seen Shaun Of The Dead on the big screen, and had yet to see The World's End. So we started the day with Shaun and a Strawberry Cornetto (it's red for the blood see)...
Brief synopsis of SOTD: The first ever RomZomCom (as my brother pointed out) and an inspiration that lead the way for films like Zombieland and Warm Bodies to name but a few. Shaun of the Dead tells the story of a man in his late 20s who needs to get his act together. Stuck in a dead end job (geddit?), still living with housemates, and a best friend who thinks farts are funny (we all know someone like Ed don't we?). Everything starts to really fall apart for Shaun though when his girlfriend dumps him. Oh yeah, and then a zombie apocalypse happens. Shaun must think fast and finally get his arse in gear if he's going to save his girl.
As I was a fan of Spaced when it first aired I honestly couldn't tell you how I missed Shaun at the cinema when it was first released, but what I can tell you is that it was an absolute joy to watch on the big screen. I love that SOTD is just so daft in places, and so endlessly quotable. I think my favourite is "Ooh he's got an arm off."
It's ground breaking, funny, touching and, in my opinion, one of the best british films ever made. How's that for a slice of fried gold?! 9 out of 10.
Next up was Hot Fuzz, a film I had seen on the big screen before, but if you're going to commit to a trilogy you can't leave out the filling in the sandwich! And this was of course accompanied by a Vanilla Cornetto - the packaging is blue see, like the boys in blue...
Brief synopsis of HF: London PC Nicholas Angel is good at his job. A little too good. He's making the rest of his colleagues look bad. So they ship him off to sleepy Sandford, a village in Gloucestershire with the lowest murder rate in the country. The most action he'll see there is chasing down a missing swan. That is until a series of 'accidents' starts to plague the village, and Nicholas uncovers a plot to keep the Village of the Year award in Sandford at all costs!
Hot Fuzz upped the ante from Shaun of the Dead considerably. There was a much bigger cast, more locations, and action sequences that will blow your socks off (not literally). But in some respects I do feel like the film suffers for this. It's over long and feels like there are one too many endings. Just when you think it's finished, someone else makes a last ditch attempt to be the bad guy. Having said that, it's still immensely enjoyable and whenever it's on the TV I will always watch it. HF is also filled with the quotable lines and homages to other movies, much like Shaun and Spaced were. The added bonus for me with Hot Fuzz is that Nick Frost finally got to play a lovable character. Danny is such a sweetie and his scenes with Pegg's Nicholas Angel are a delight.
Not as good as Shaun for me, but only because they tried to outdo themselves and reached a little too far. 8.5 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 28th July 2013 UK Release Date - 14th February 2007 Cast Overview: Simon Pegg ~ Sergeant Nicholas Angel Nick Frost ~ PC Danny Butterman Timothy Dalton ~ Simon Skinner Jim Broadbent ~ Inspector Frank Butterman Paddy Considine ~ DS Andy Wainwright Rafe Spall ~ DC Andy Cartwright Kevin Eldon ~ Sergeant Tony Fisher Karl Johnson ~ PC Bob Walker Olivia Colman ~ PC Doris Thatcher Martin Freeman ~ Met sergeant Bill Nighy ~ Met Chief Inspector Billie Whitelaw ~ Joyce Cooper Peter Wight ~ Roy Porter Julia Deakin ~ Mary Porter Bill Bailey ~ Sergeant Turner Paul Freeman ~ Rev Philip Shooter Edward Woodward ~ Tom Weaver Anne Reid ~ Leslie Tiller Adam Buxton ~ Tim Messenger David Threlfall ~ Martin Blower Lucy Punch ~ Eve Draper David Bradley ~ Arthur Webley Director ~ Edgar Wright Writer(s) ~ Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright
The last film of the day, and one I hadn't yet seen, was The World's End. The final film in the Pegg, Frost, Wright trilogy, known as The Cornetto Trilogy because in each film there is mention of a Cornetto, and each film has a theme that matches the colour of one of our best known Ice Cream treats. This time we had a mint one. I wonder what that could pertain to?
Brief synopsis of TWE: Gary, Andy, Oliver, Steven and Peter are childhood friends who have all gone their separate ways. Andy, Oliver, Steven and Peter all now have steady jobs and have made something of themselves, either professionally or personally. But alcoholic Gary is still living in the past. He decides that before he faces up to reality he wants to recapture his youth by having one last pub crawl with his school mates, using a route they once planned to conquer but never quite got to the end of. It takes in 12 pubs, one pint in each, and the final watering hole is called The World's End. The question is, will they make it that far?
Let me start by saying that The World's End was not what I was expecting. I had seen the trailer, and I had just watched the previous two films in the Cornetto trilogy. So you'd think I would be pretty well prepared for what was to come. But while the film had many of the same attributes as Shaun and Fuzz, most of the cast having appeared in Fuzz, and a lot having appeared in both films. The foreshadowing that appears in the previous films is also present (in Shaun they talked about having a Bloody Mary in the morning and ending up with shots at the bar - everything mentioned happens, just not in the way they thought. And then in Fuzz Danny asks Nicholas if he's ever fired a gun whilst jumping through the air etc and then they end up doing those things later on in the movie. Here the foreshadowing is in the name of each pub. Look out for it.) but it's a very different beast to the previous two films. Whilst Shaun was all about the lack of responsibility you feel in your twenties, and Fuzz was all about finding that responsibility thrust upon you in your thirties, End is all about the mid-life crisis of your forties. As such, it's quite the sombre wake up call for those of us who haven't yet made it that far in our lives. And as the previous two films were so lighthearted, it was not what I was expecting from this movie.
The performances are top notch, especially from Pegg and Frost, who really put everything into showing how a friendship between two people can be the best thing that happens to one, and the worst thing that happens to the other. But how, despite their differences, they still mean the world to each other. The supporting cast is not only a shining example of British talent but also of the loyalty and love between the team who have brought these three movies to the screen. So many of the same people worked on all three films and it's nice to see that kind of dedication in an industry that is normally so fickle.
Not the best of the three but certainly worth a watch if you're a fan of the other two. Just don't expect as many laughs. 7 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 28th July 2013 UK Release Dates - 19th July 2013 Cast Overview: Simon Pegg ~ Gary King Nick Frost ~ Andy Knightley Martin Freeman ~ Oliver Chamberlain Paddy Considine ~ Steven Prince Eddie Marsan ~ Peter Page Rosamund Pike ~ Sam Chamberlain Pierce Brosnan ~ Guy Shephard David Bradley ~ Basil Michael Smiley ~ Reverend Green Julia Deakin ~ B&B Landlady Rafe Spall ~ Young Man Bill Nighy ~ The Network Director ~ Edgar Wright Writer(s) ~ Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright
I might've mentioned my love of Disney movies, and that in recent years, this love has only grown with the addition of Pixar to the Disney family.
As I confessed in my recent Monsters Inc. review, that movie is my favourite Pixar movie. Without doubt. Only challenged by Wall•e, which I love, but which only manages second place to the tale of Sully, Mike and Boo. So of course, when Monsters University was announced 10 years after Monsters Inc. I was thrilled. But could it live up to it's predecessor?
Monsters University starts by showing us a snippet of the young life of Michael Wazowski, a small monster with big dreams. He's never found his place in the world until he visits Monsters Incorporated on a school trip. He is immediately drawn into the world of the amazing scarers and decides there and then that he must become one. He works hard at school and makes it all the way to Monsters University, which is where he meets James P Sullivan, or Sully as he's known to his friends. Despite the knowledge we have of what great friends they become later in life, they do not see eye to eye at first. But in entering the Scare Games with a group of misfit monsters, they must work together to make their team good enough to make the grade. I picked Monsters University as my birthday movie this year. I'm not sure if that put more pressure on it or whether I still would have had high expectations due to my love of the first movie. Either way, sadly, Monsters University did not surpass the high bar set by Monsters Inc. It was still a brilliant sequel/prequel to the first film, and it was fascinating to see how our well loved monsters started out in life, but without Boo the film did feel like it was lacking something. As far as kids are concerned I have no doubt that Monsters University will go down a storm. There just aren't many jokes for the adults to enjoy. As ever with Pixar, the animation is superb. They've really shown off their talents with some of the new monsters, there's a lot of detail so let your eyes just feast on it all. And at the end of the movie, if you don't come away with just a little bit more respect for these cute, err I mean terrifying little guys, I'd say you've missed the point. 7 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 26th July 2013
UK Release Date - 12th July 2013
Cast Overview:
(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)
Billy Crystal ~ Mike
John Goodman ~ Sully
Steve Buscemi ~ Randy
Helen Mirren ~ Dean Hardscrabble
Peter Sohn ~ Squishy
Joel Murray ~ Don
Sean Hayes ~ Terri
Dave Foley ~ Terry
Charlie Day ~ Art
Alfred Molina ~ Professor Knight
Nathan Fillion ~ Johnny Worthington
Director ~ Dan Scanlon
Writer(s) ~ Dan Scanlon (Screenplay and Story), Daniel Gerson (Screenplay and Story) and Robert L Baird (Screenplay and Story)
I don't remember the first time I saw Say Anything. But I do remember that it was entirely down to my brother, as most of my well informed movie choices were around that time.
I wonder if he showed it to me because it's leading man, John Cusack, had a small supporting role in one of my favourite movies, Stand By Me? Or maybe it was because it was a little off the beaten track when it comes to Rom-Coms, and he thought I'd like that? Who knows. But the point is that he did show it to me and I did love it. But more of that later.
For those uninitiated with the 80s movie that put declaring your love with a boombox on the map, allow me to tell you a little about Say Anything. Here we have a movie about your average high school student Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack). He's nothing special, except that he is nothing like any other guy in the world. He's had a thing about the high school brain, Diane Court (Ione Skye), for years, and he decides to ask her to the graduation party to end all parties. She's been awarded a scholarship in England so it's now or never. No-one expects Diane to say yes, least of all Lloyd, heck, least of all Diane. But she does, and what follows is the account of the early days of their relationship, the ups, the downs and all of the family dramas in between.
This is what makes Say Anything one of the best 80s movies ever made. Not just the family drama, which happens to be an amazingly acted, moving and realistic account of lives being ripped apart. No, not just that. The whole shebang is what makes this movie great. I love the fact that Lloyd's two best friends are women. That he's responsible for being the key master at the party, rather than being the typical drunk guy, in fact, I love that he's not a "guy" as his friends Corey and DC tell him, "don't be a guy, be a man." I love that he doesn't know what he wants to do with his life, but he knows that he doesn't know! Say Anything isn't an underdog story, someone always believes in the underdog, no-one believes in Lloyd, not even Diane, and he proves them all wrong!
It's funny, it's heartbreakingly sad, it's quotable, it's 80s, it has Joan and John Cusack playing brother and sister, it has a great soundtrack, there are 2 out of 3 Heathers in it! FYI if you don't know what that means see Heathers immediately, then see Say Anything. You absolutely will not regret it. 10 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 23rd July 2013
Original US Release Date (as I couldn't find the UK Release Date anywhere) - 14th April 1989
What to say about this tale of Godzilla vs Transformers? As that's kinda what this movie is, although the Transformers in question are controlled by humans. Well there is a LOT of action. But unlike most films of this nature which tend to be light on plot, this has one at least. Although it's not a very complex one.
In the present day the earth is attacked by the Kaiju, a Godzilla-esq giant dinosaur/sea monster type thing that has come to earth from an alternate dimension, like you do. It was able to do this by way of coming through a portal, the entrance/exit of which is a crack under the pacific ocean sea bed, caused by an earthquake. Following so far? Good. The Kaiju is eventually killed by the military but it takes a lot of time and causes a lot of destruction while they're trying to kill it. When another Kaiju comes through the crack, and a third and more, world leaders come up with a plan to defeat them quicker and easier; they will build giant robots, called 'Jaegers', to fight the Kaiju. Each Jaeger is piloted by two humans, one uses their left brain to operate and the other uses their right. When the two pilots are connected they can see each other's memories and feel the other's emotions. The connection between the pilots is called the drift. The 'drift compatibility' of the two pilots is determined by how similar they fight, their reactions to anger and emotion, etc. If you've followed all that and it sounds interesting then maybe you should head to the cinema and catch Pacific Rim before it leaves theaters. I myself had heard several different views on the film before I went to see it. One friend said she nearly fell asleep 5 times, another said she thought it was amazing and felt there was a good underlying theme of family beneath the action, which she said 'on its own is GORGEOUSLY done and epic and breath taking', meanwhile another friend said it was the worst film she'd ever seen. I therefore decided I would see it, but would do what I did with After Earth, which is to go with incredibly low expectations. And while I wasn't disappointed, I can tell you that I have seen films with much better acting. I will agree that the action is something we haven't necessarily seen before. Although by the last fight I did feel like I'd seen enough Kaiju Vs Jaeger fights to last me a lifetime. The 'drift' between the pilots was definitely the most unique aspect of the film and the thing I enjoyed the most, I just wish they'd had better actors to display the kind of emotions that would surface from experiencing such a connection. And ultimately I wish they'd explored that more. The side story featuring the two science guys was also rather slow, and maddeningly, the British actor Burn Gorman (you may recognise him from Torchwood) not only had the most annoying and unlikable character to portray, he also had the most fake sounding British accent I think I've ever heard. Ironic as his is one of the few real accents in the movie?! These scenes were only saved by Charlie Day who essentially played the same nervous geek he always plays, but he does it with such charm you can't help but like him. Definitely one for fans of action, with plot lines you actually have to think about, but if you're easily bored maybe give it a miss. 6 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 22nd July 2013
UK Release Date - 12th July 2013
Cast Overview:
Charlie Hunnam ~ Raleigh Becket
Diego Klattenhoff ~ Yancy Becket
Idris Elba ~ Stacker Pentecost
Rinko Kikuchi ~ Mako Mori
Charlie Day ~ Dr Newton Geiszler
Burn Gorman ~ Gottlieb
Max Martini ~ Herc Hansen
Robert Kazinsky ~ Chuck Hensen
Clifton Collins Jr ~ Ops Tendo Choi
Ron Perlman ~ Hannibal Chau
Director ~ Guillermo del Toro
Writer(s) ~ Guillermo del Toro (Screenplay) and Travis Beacham (Screenplay and Story)
