Despicable Me (2010) Movie Review

Despicable Me has reignited my love for animated films. I've recently lost interest in animated films for unknown reasons but Despicable Me and How To train Your Dragon have started to win me over again. Despicable Me isn't trying to be anything oscar worthy, but it most certainly should get a lot of praise for being a fun ride from start to finish.

Gru (Steve Carell) is a skilled mega villain who is distressed to find out that an other villain is stealing his spotlight. Vector is the irritating new guy who seems to be able to outsmart and out maneuver Gru at every occasion. When the idea to shrink the moon arises, both guys fight over a shrink gun that will allow them to become the best super villain on earth. Gru must use three little orphan girls in order to steal the shrink gun from Vector but he gets more than he bargain for from them.

Despicable Me looks funny in its animation design and has a great script aswell. We get some great voice work from Steve Carell and Jason Segel. Carell does a fine job at as the evil villain with a heart thats gonna be melted. I must say though that Russell Brand's voice work is almost unrecognizable fro the Dr. Nefario character. Brand is usually anything but unnoticeable. I mentioned the look of the film previously and although it's over the top in its style, it has a lot of attention to detail. The character design is really nice, especially the youngest of three orphans called Agnes.

The way the three girls change Gru from emotionless Scrooge, to a loving softy, is typically tackled but enjoyable nonetheless. However the films biggest laughs come from the little yellow minions who are weird and wacky, but classic creations that had the audience around me in tears. The humour is undoubtably amiable and simple but I belive the oldest to the youngest movie goer will love it. If you haven't seen Despicable Me yet, do yourself a favour and see it even if its only for the priceless minions.

RATING:

Skyline (2010) Movie Review

I look out the window and I see something coming from the skyline. Is it a bird, a plane or is it actually superman for a change, no its a really dull movie. But it's not as bad as most professional or paid critics say it is, but it's still one of the lamest films of the year. Aliens invade the world and we follow a group of wealthy Los Angeles residents, that are trying to survive the invasion.

To put it straight, Skyline is just plain bland and unexciting. It hasn't a single interesting or even briefly memorable character. The actors that star in this film are mostly unknowns and im sure after this display they will remain unknown. The acting is not entirely woeful, but at times its laughable. The only two recognizable actors are David Zayas (from Dexter) and Donald Faison (Scrubs) and they do adequate work here, considering the bad material.

The pace of the film is a big fat mess. The alien invasion occurs within the first 30 seconds of the film, which arguably is a thought out directorial decision. But when you see the 90 minutes that is to follow, you realise that no, it's really just bad pacing. You are subjected to stupid dialogue and remarkably boring characters, these are so bad that the alien attacks are welcomed because they means these boring people will die.

The CGI here is actually pretty impressive and these effects elevate this film above the gutter. We see sweeping shots of a burning L.A, hundreds of people being sucked into a spaceship and massive alien insects. The action sequences are quite cool here, with a pretty epic jet attack on an alien mothership. The special effects were obviously what the film was advertised with and they seem to be the only thing that time was invested in.

Skyline was met poorly by critics and I see the reasons for much of that cold reception. The film hasn't a single genuine piece of dialogue throughout it, but it does have some state of the art CGI. Who needs good story telling or character development anyway.

RATING:

Monsters (2010) Movie Review

One thing I don't like is hype, when it's paraded around a film. Gareth Edward's Monsters got some major hype before its release and even though I think the film stands on its own quite well, I think the hype was over the top.

Its been six years since an alien species has invaded earth and the film follows a journalist named Andrew, (Scoot McNairy) who is assigned the responsibility to take an american tourist Samantha (Whitney Able) back home. To do this they must cut through an infected area of Mexico. As the journey goess on the two grow closer to each other.

Monsters gives off quite an unusal feeling when I watched it. On the one hand, I felt myself getting restless because it never really does anything that interesting with its quite exciting set up. But on the other hand I was drawn to the core relationship between Samantha and Andrew. The film may be called Monsters but the massive creatures that are in the film, are rarely seen and in the end, are quite pointless. I went into the film expecting a Monster movie, but what I got was a very bizarre romantic road trip, with some big squids walking around in the background.

The performances from the two leads are pitch perfect. Whitney Able is really impressive here, as she gives this pondering film a heart. Her relationship with McNairy is very real and interesting but it ultimately ends in a very unsatisfactory way. The idea of having this relationship mixed with massive monsters is not actually a bad idea, but it is a bad move here because the monsters never really effect the lead characters lives other than they meet because of the alien infection area.

Even though I was left a little short-changed at the end of Monsters, I also enjoyed much of the film. The scenery and locations are shot beautifully and the two leads impress greatly, it's just a pity that they weren't apart of a more meaningful movie.

RATING:

Buried Movie Review (2010)

Buried will no doubt polarize audiences with its strict setting and its very dark look, but I most certainly am in the group of people who adore it.

Buried is the story of a U.S. contractor called Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) who wakes up inside a coffin under the ground with only a mobile phone, a lighter and a torch. He attempts to contact anyone who can possibly help him before his phone battery dies. Conroy must deal with the fact that his oxygen is running out and his anxiety attacks. Conroy also has to deal with the person who put him in this situation aswell and his prospects of getting out get lower and lower.

Buried is definitely one of the best films of the year for sure and it thankfully ups the quality level for films to come. Believe it or not "Buried" is set in the one location for the entire hundred minute duration and it never gets tiresome in any way. We get to know this guy extensively throughout the film and as an audience member you can't help but ponder on what you would do in such a situation. The film has a political theme going through it aswell because of Conroy's profession in Iraq. The film has some strong things to say about how the US government deals with terrorists and kidnappings, but the heart of the film is the one man acting role of Ryan Reynolds.

Reynolds is in retrospect the perfect actor for the film as he has the instant appeal and recognizability to make him a routable character. But it's his capability as an actor to showcase elements of dark humour and heavy emotional scenes that impress most. Reynolds is the only actor on-screen for the entire film and he maintains the attention and intrigue of the film expertly. Although Reynolds is the only actor we see, we do have a dozen or so other actors that communicate with him on his mobile phone and the script is flawless.

Buried is a highly original and gutsy film idea that works perfectly and never loses its way from start to finish. Ryan Reynolds gives his best performance to date in a challenging lead role. The film will push your emotions around till the very last scene, that serves as a very effective conclusion to a great film.

RATING:

The Social Network Movie Review

Facebook is one of the most popular websites on the internet today along with the likes of Twitter, YouTube and Steveinthereallife's blog (I wish :)). The characters and altercations that were behind its creation make for a very intriguing and film worthy story.

The story is set around three groups of people who all try to get a piece of the social network phenomena site that was to become Facebook. Theres Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), Harvard graduates that have the initiative to take an idea and develop it into something quite groundbreaking. Theres also Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss (both played by Armie Hammer) who take legal action against Zuckerberg because they believe he stole their idea. Then theres Napster creator Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) who wants to be part of the cash cow and his presence does lots of good and lots of bad.

The Social Network is by far the most hyped film of the year and there's many aspects that warrant that anticipation. The film has a very frantic and slick script that never loses its way. The film has a cast of young and talented actors who all bring enthusiasm and energy to this crazy true story. Jesse Eisenberg is in the lead role of the film essentially and he does an adequate if somewhat one note role as the guy who pushed this idea from paper to computer screen. Eisenberg plays Zuckerberg as an obsessive and tunnel vision effected person and although this is effective, it doesn't make the character a very relatable one. But the rest of the cast are much more impressive.

Soon to be the new Spiderman, Andrew Garfield has the more interesting and fleshed out role as Eisenberg's best friend. Garfield shows a more everyman and likeable side to him amongst all the greed and power play. Armie Hammer is also terrific as the Winklevoss brothers, giving two very different performances for both roles. These twins aren't as stupid as they first appear and Hammer's unique performance is a tough but well executed one. Justin Timberlake also does some adequate work here showing that he can be impressive if he's given a suitable role.

As a Facebook user myself, I found the parts where Zuckerberg had his eureka moments for website ideas to be exciting and well delivered. The legal battle scenes are also done expertly and have a flawless dark humour running through them. Eisenberg and Garfield's relationship is at the centre of the film and you as the audience member know it will end in pain but you route for it anyway. The Social Network works well because of impeccable pacing and performances. It may be overloaded with slick exchanges and overly rapid dialogue, but it's direction is always gripping.

RATING:

Easy A Movie Review

Comedies like Easy A are a tough cookie to grasp, as they go in various different directions comically and dramatically. Easy A goes from a broad comedy style to at some stages a black comedy style. My gripe isnt with the film's execution of these styles but rather the film's mixed mood and atmosphere.

Olive (Emma Stone) a high school student, begins to get a raunchy reputation when she pretends to sleep with a gay friend of hers, to stop him from being bullied because of his sexuality. This soon leads to other boys seeking her help to pretend that she slept with them. Olive soon starts to lose friends, get unwanted attention from her teachers and her parents. Olive as a result of her own actions or supposed actions, begins to unravel some interesting secrets about several people around her.

I found Easy A's first twenty minutes to be quite unfunny and uneven but the film does find its way. The first section of the film is all over the place and has lots of rapid dialogue that is kind of nauseating. But the film excels and improves vastly when it settles down and we get to know Olive, played superbly by Emma Stone. Stone is very sarcastic and intelligent here and she is both funny and more importantly likeable. Her parents are also played amazingly by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson. Both of these veteran actors play the roles as zany and kind of loopy, but in the best possible manner. The film also has many things to say about a teenager's freedom of sexuality and the bullying that occurs under many different circumstances. These elements are lightly touched on but there is some power and bite behind them.

Easy A is very funny in places but it's never consistently funny at any stage. The funniest parts of the film are when Tucci and Clarkson are on-screen. Stone is a charismatic lead and her role in the upcoming Spiderman reboot should elevate her even higher and it's much deserved. I loved the film overall buts its slow patches stop it from being a real winner.

RATING:

Great Movie of the Week - Last Action Hero (1993)

A classic Arnie film that never got its due respect.

A little kid called Danny, is a massive fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and is obsessed with is hit action films. One day when he is given a special ticket to go see Schwarzenegger's newest film, he is somehow taken inside the film and into the world of Jack Slater, Arnies character in the film. Slater has no idea he is in a film, but Danny attempts to convince him that he is by showing him all the crazy, unreal elements of Slater's film world. Like why Sharon Stone's character from Basic Instinct is standing outside the police station or why Robert Patrick from Terminator 2 is walking around this movie world. Danny and Slater band together to stop the movie villain, who becomes much more aware of his existence and when he retrieves the magic ticket.

Last Action Hero wasn't well received by the critics when it was released back in 1993. They thought it was uneven because that it wasn't sure if it was an action film or a film that was parodying such films. I can to some extent understand that criticism, but to this day I have a deep fondness for this film. The film starts of great and ends even better. It starts by showing us the craziness that is this movie world, with lots jabs at action movie clichés and some fun remarks at Arnie's movie career too. The Terminator 2: Judgement Day poster with Sylvester Stallone is a brilliant scene. The last half hour of the film then switches to the real world where at a movie premiere real Arnie meets his fictional movie version. Also this when the villain of the film (played superbly by Charles Dance) transports a couple of movie villains into the real world.

The action in the film is undoubtably over the top, but this is on purpose of course, but it's fun to watch nevertheless. The film for me was a treat because of the imaginative freedom it gave itself, as it was free to do what ever it wanted while in the movie world. Also its proof that anything with Arnie in it is sure to be entertaining and fun and Last Action Hero ticks both of those boxes.

Bad Movie Of the Week - Batman & Robin (1997)

Young people who have grown up with Batman Begins and Dark Knight are truly privileged, because the kids and adults that had to go through Batman & Robin when it was first released were seriously scarred. Batman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O'Donnell) must take on new villains Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman). Freeze wants to freeze Gotham City and he teams up with Poison Ivy, so Batman and Robin must get past their differences in order to take down these evil villains.

This Batman film continues from the Val Kilmer Batman film, which was also flawed but overall a solid Batman flick that had a lot of good in it. I will admit straight off the bat, that I can find a lot of enjoyment watching Batman & Robin because of its campy awfulness. It seems to do everything in its arsenal to remove any dramatic or believable tension from the plot it has. We've all seen that Batman can be made into a realistic and oscar worthy masterpiece by Christopher Nolan, so looking back at this Joel Schumacher directed mess is just painful. The look of the film goes past any sort of comic book styling into some kind of disco themed nightmare. The acting is as hammed up and laughable, all to be blamed on its truly bonehead script. We have one scene where I kid you not, Clooney references a Bat credit card.

Clooney is a very good actor for sure, as seen in Michael Clayton and Up in the Air but here he looks bored and confused. Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer were given decent scripts and pulled of the dual role of Wayne/Batman nicely, but here you have to feel for Clooney being stuck with this turd of film. Schwarzenegger always has a charisma and an energy to every role he embodies but here he's painful to watch, which is a shame to say the least. The entire cast is buried under bad dialogue and over used CGI (impressive I'll admit). We have a plot that is C grade bond materia and seems like it was written in about 5 minutes. All this suggests that the people involved thought if they brought in a swarm of A list actors and slapped the Batman logo on the poster that the film would make itself. It appears that didn't quite go to plan.

It took eight years for another Batman film to be made after this one (Batman Begins, 2005) and im pretty sure it wasn't for a lack of ideas or interest, but mostly because people only thought of this film when you mentioned the dark knight's name. This was a misfire on every level and a film that is so bad and so poorly thought out that it's actually quite fun to watch.

Jackass 3D Movie Review (2010)

Reviewing a Jackass film is not an easy task because most of the negatives that people throw at it, are many of the reasons why others like it. But I'll confess from the get go, that I have been a fan of the series and the films since it debuted back in 2000. The third film is essentially the exact same film as the previous two film, with a mix of pranks, insane stunts and over the top big budget cinematic set pieces. The only real difference is that this Jackass film is in 3D.

The entire gang is back in this installment and they are all in good spirits if slightly aged since the last time we seen them. Jackass may not be the household name it once was but that didn't stop this from getting to the number one spot in the US. The best parts of this Jackass is the stunt type scenes or the consuming of some non consumable things. The material here is all quite familiar but at the same time, its really entertaining. The audience in my screening where laughing out loud and for good reason. The most disturbing of all the scenes is the sweat cocktail where Steve-O must drink a glass of sweat. That scene is horrible but somehow that's what we Jackass fans are seeking. These crazy stunts are on that fine line between completely stupid to strangely inventive.

The 3D here was to my surprise highly impresssive with a couple of insane parts where objects (I'll not spoil what exactly these objects are) fly out from the screen and they actually look like they're about to hit you. It's a sad day when Jackass's 3D is superior than countless other mega CGI films that promise so much. Jackass 3D is a fun and solid addition to the Jackass trilogy that ticks all the boxes that a Jackass film should tick.
RATING: 

Due Date Movie Review (2010)

I have always said that a film is perfectly fine having a slow start as long as it kicks into gear at some stage, but after seeing Due Date I've come to the conclusion that comedies need to start strong or they lose credibility very fast.

It's the story of Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.), an architect who's rushing home to see his wife before she gives birth. But when he's stopped from flying home because of a dispute caused by stranger Ethan, (Zach Galifianakis) he must drive back home. Peter is forced to catch a ride home with Ethan and anything that can go wrong does go wrong.

"Due Date" has two leads that I admire greatly, Downey a slick sarcastic mega star because of his recent work in the Iron Man films and Galifianakis an increasingly popular joke machine. But these two are stuck in quite an average movie, one that has sparks of real potential but unfortunately not enough. The first thirty minutes are messy and uneven. Theres very few laughs in these opening minutes and that drought of humour is damning to the film. Galifianakis works best when he's allowed to be that wierd and wacky nutter that we were introduced to in The Hangover. In Due Date Galifianakis has some truly great moments, like his nasty cup of coffee or his response to Downey's dad story.

Downey is as good as ever here, playing the usual cranky and impatient role. His repertoire with Galifianakis is priceless and as I said the film often gets the best from both of the two. But its lack of steady laughs that makes Due Date a little disappointing. The road trip format for the film works relatively well with some decent set pieces in the film's second half.

Due Date seems like it was made with a mixed goal. On one hand it wants to be different in its tone to Hangover but it also wants to capture some of what made Hangover a massive hit. Overall its left as being a decent but imperfect end product.

RATING:

Red Movie Review (2010)

There seems to be a trend lately of films with ensemble casts, full of ageing stars that want to kick ass. In the summer we got The Expendables and that was a lot of fun. Now comes along Red and it reminds us why all these older stars are just that, stars.

The film centres around ex CIA man Frank Moses (Bruce Willis), who begins a mission to find out why he and many of his close friends are being under attack. He meets some old friends who have supposedly put their espionage past behind them, but secretly long to get back in the game. Moses meets with paranoid crazy man Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), old friend Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman) and calm but deadly, Victoria (Helen Mirren).

Red is simply a lot of fun and it stems from a great cast and a winning sense of humour. Many action comedies that attempt slapstick, falter, because they don't commit to it. Red is sometimes over the top with its action but it has some genius laugh and some great performances. Red knows the sort of film it wants to be and that lends itself to make a damn good film. It blends the veteran cast with some very solid action sequences.

Bruce Willis plays a similar type role to his iconic John McClane role, but here he's a little less grumpy and more slick and cool. Morgan Freeman has a relatively small but welcomed role aswell, but its John Malcovich who steals the show as the crazy but loyal friend and ex spy who is constantly uncertain about his surroundings. The whole cast come together here brilliantly and they all seem to be having fun with the material.

Red is based on a comic book and that energetic vibe, is clear to be seen throughout the film with some outlandish action and special effects. Red is never a bore and it will no doubt please the older audience members and please the younger people who just want a fun action flick, that is done with style and originality.

RATING:

Unstoppable Movie Review (2010)

Vehicle based action movies can be hit or miss, because they usually have quite a contrived plot with some outlandish action, such as a film like Speed. But Speed was so much fun and so well made that it's become a classic action flick. Unstoppable is a more grounded and less flashy film, but there's much to enjoy with it. An unmanned and extremely fast train travels towards a city and its up to rail officials and rail workers to find a way to stop it. Frank (Denzel Washington) and Will (Chris Pine) are the train driver and coordinator who must stop the train before it kills civilians.

Unstoppable is from start to finish, a superbly filmed and acted action flick that maintains interest throughout. Unstoppable does however lack any unique direction and left me without any lasting impression. The attempts to stop the train are adequately constructed and believable but they lack tension and excitement. The best scene in the film is the scene where Pine and Washington attempt to pull the train in the opposite direction with their small train, to slow it down.

Washington is terrific as he usually is and although his role is somewhat limited because he mostly sitting in a train control room for the majority of the film, he still manges to make himself interesting and likeable, a testament to his charm and skill as an actor. Pine is also well casted even with his somewhat throwaway back story and he and Washington have a winning chemistry. Smaller roles go to Rosario Dawson, Kevin Dunn and T.J. Miller, all of which nicely add to the film. Kevin Dunn is an underrated character actor who has been in a multitude of different films. Dunn has a small but effective role here and his scene with Denzel Washington is funny and quite touching.

Unstoppable undoubtably has lots of things going right for it, such as the cast and the fast paced and towering camera work. But the film suffers mainly from a simplistic and largely unexciting finale. This criticism may be unfair as the film is based on a true story, but as a finale of a film on its own merits, it remains an unremarkable end to the film. Denzel and Pine are well casted as the two leads and their presence makes the film above average.

RATING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBIGqGd3wLQ