Mum Reviews: Modern Apatow

In our efforts to appeal to a wider demographic, we salute you, the middle aged!
Please enjoy my mother's own take on this production powerhouse.

Anchorman
"It was very silly, but I liked the message, and the newsteam. I thought it was funny"
Translation?: about 3 stars

Knocked Up
"I thought the main character was lovable and charming. the script was long but it was very funny, funnier than the news one."
Translation?: Let's say 4, yes, mum?

Pineapple Express
"Oh that looks awful, don't make me watch that"
I'm inclined to agree, have 2 stars.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
"It's not great. I just don't like the main character as much as I do the ones in Superbad and Knocked up. Russel Brand did well, didn't he?"
Translation?: It doesn't look good, 2 stars.

AND, against all odds, let's hear what she had to say about the least endearing SUPERBAD, the lewd teen film that's subject matter covers nothing but sex and alcohol from a male perspective...

Superbad
"Oh I LOVED Superbad (breaks into giggles) Do you still have that? I'd love to watch it again!"
You're weird, mum. 5 stars.

Not reviewed: Talledega Nights, Step Brothers.


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Review: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

On a cold, satisfying Christmas morning in 2004, I first experienced the delight of the classic film Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
In 2008, I watched it again, on probably about my 15th viewing. Having scratched my previous DVD, this was a new one. I rarely cry at films, in face only one or two have ever made me actually well up. Planes, Trains, on it's umpteenth viewing, made me weep.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles tells the story of Neal Page (Steve Martin) trying to get home for Thanksgiving. After a botched (well, 2) attempts to get a cab, he finds himself bumped form from First Class on his flight, later to be grounded in Wichita due to weather. It's here he meets Del Griffiths (John Candy), an infuriatingly cheerful motormouth with a sincere desire to make friends with Neal. It's got all the real conventions of a 90-minute dispensable cheap-laughs comedy. However, what separates this charming slice of American cinema from today's Scary Movie and Just Friends is exactly what's missing from too much modern comedy flicks. Heart. Right at the center of this outrageously hilarious film lies another, softer, meaningful layer. Fuck Neal's wife, the one bad thing about this film. I'm talking the relationship between these two men as they attempt to travel 791 miles (Thanks, Google Maps) for Neal to get home.

Both Martin and Candy play their roles with class and distinction, but as the film progresses, it's Candy's character who develops more, despite Neal being the more central character. Behind Del's annoying persona, there's great tragedy and sadness in his eyes as he delivers every line. He's the true miracle of the film, and the hero, once all's said and done.

Right, but HOW FUNNY IS IT? It's a comedy after all.
It's hilarious. never before has the "Things can't get much worse" genre been as enthralling. I want to ruin nothing of the actual plot, nothing. But the way the film careers from planes, to trains, and then to automobiles is an absolute delight to witness, even if it's torture for the characters.

I'm halfway through what I expected my review to be but, you know what? It's unreviewable.

This film is a classic, criminally underrated even today. it's the finest example of simple comedy. Watch it, rent it, buy it now.

*****
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DVD Review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

An unusual Apatow DVD, just one disc (shame) for one of the flagship films of the new Hollywood megastudio, doesn't skimp on the single disc, mind - an extended cut of the film is an option featuring a hilarious yoga scene and an extended plane scene. Deleted scenes are disappointing but the commentary shines, some of it funnier than the copious one-liners we've come to expect from these films. Other extras include a table-read of one of the scenes (I'm a sucker for those), the red band trailer (I'd already watched the film, so this didn't really have much of an effect), a gag reel and a Music Video from Russel Brand's airhead rock-God Adonis.

The film itself is, without a doubt one of the best out-and-out comedies this year, slightly underrated by critics on the back of Superbad and Knocked Up. I personally prefer this to the former, I've always found teenage characters slightly harder to relate to than more adult ones, ironic in that I'm still a teenager. Jason Segel and Russel Brand shine brighest in the flick, but it's not the acting you're going to watch it for, is it? Fear not, it's also very, very funny. Might just tug a heartstring or two as well with anyone familiar with the burn of heartbreak.

****

-An interesting side-note to this film, both Russel Brand and Jonah Hill will be reprising their roles from the film and starring in a spin-off film in which Hill's character joins Snow's troupe on tour.
I hate to say it, but I expect disappointment.
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Pineapple Express Review

Last week i ended up going to the cinema a lot and subsequently i am probably going to be writing a lot of reviews because of it and here is my first of that week (though it wasn't the first film i saw that week it is the one i am most eager to review).



Pineapple Express starts telling the story of Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) and what his day-to-day life is like, which introduces the character of Saul Silver (James Franco) who is Dale's drug dealer and friend. Saul supplies Dale with a new form of weed described as "the dopest dope", this form of weed is Pineapple Express. Later whilst Dale is doing his job as a process server he witnesses a murder, the murderers unfortunately see him and he leaves the remenants of his joint at the scene pinpointing him to Saul.
The film from herein onwards turns into an on the run film which builds the friendship of Dale and Saul.

Pineapple Express has a well meaning and effective plot in the way that it does show a compassionate charm of having two drug fuelled stoners becoming friends because of a threat on their lives and though this is one of the elements of the film that is pulled off effectively it never seems to create any sort of climax to the friendship, though it tries it doesn't work and just becomes part of the plot instead of being a heartfelt piece of cinema that ties into the plot. Luckily the moments wherein their friendship is building is warmingly funny.

Pineapple Express lacks in the way that it seems too much like it's a film which just describes it's plot to a piece of script that just tries to flow along but fails because of it's lack of jokes that could easily be fitted in to a plot which should have loads of potential for making a laugh out loud movie.
The times at which Pineapple Express does present it's audience with humour it seems to be that it is in no context with the overall script and therefore lacks a lot of amusement about the jokes and dampens the fact that the overall plot idea might just be because it is deemed cool instead of actually being Seth Rogen's idea of a plot bursting with opportunity for comedic excellence.

James Franco does help save the movie from seeming like a dull illustration with a wonderful performance that captures the elements of what the movie should be about and luckily he helps it to allow to hang on to those elements that do make it interesting. One particularly noticeable thing about James Franco's performance is that as opposed to Seth Rogen he can pull off the part of a drug addict successfully in the ways that it's believeable which allows it to be funny and it encompasses those visuals of a drug dealer having a comic aspect to him that actually makes it funny. The problem with Seth Rogen's performance as a drug addict (which he seems to have in all his films) are that he sees them as being funny on script and that if he supplies the audience with a character who just obsesses about how much he loves weed then it will be funny without thinking at all about whether his portrayal is realistic.

Rogen does however pull out of the bag one of the funniest and best chase scenes i have ever seen and it is a shame that the rest of the movie doesn't offer more scenes like this because it perfectly shows how it is possible to bridge that gap between comedy and action and still do something original.

Pineapple Express does portray some enjoyable action scenes and it is in these that the best humour comes and luckily it doesn't go over the top with comedic fights, which could potentially ruin a lot of the movie if they were exasberated so easily. Unfortunately there are a lot of throaway scenes that seem to be centered around just the humour of the movie.

In short Pineapple Express is an enjoyable, slightly heartfelt romp that delivers but nowhere near enough as a movie with this much potential should.


Rating: ***
Best bit: The Chase Scene
Sequel?: No
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The best films of 2008

As we near the end of the Blockbuster season. I'm putting something quite special together for you all. Until then. My top five films of 2008.

1. The Dark Knight
2. RocknRolla
3. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
4. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
5. Cloverfield

Stay tuned.
Tom
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Review: RockNRolla

This film leaves a buzz like no other. Two hours of pure bliss. Thrills, superb plot navigation and some truly hilarious moments.

See it, you'll get a kick.

Real review tomorrow. My brain's just saying:
RockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRollaRockNRolla

Rating: *****/*****
Best Bit: Nice wheels.
Sequel: Hellz Yeah, "The Real RockNRolla", coming 2010.
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The Shawshank Redemption review

Hey, this will currently be a very short review because i'm in registration and quite bored. (i will probably add more to this when i get home or perhaps in one of my frees)


The Shawshank Redemption tells the story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) who has been charged with the murder of his wife and the man she was having an affair with. Andy is sent to Shawshank prison where he meets Red (Morgan Freeman), a man who has spent 20 years inside Shawshank, who is also able to get people things from the world outside the prison. Life inside the prison for Andy is atrocious, he has to face frequent attacks from other members of the prison, deal with the harsh ways of the captain of the guard and live in fear.

Though The Shawshank Redemption tells a depressing story it is altogether extremely uplifting and heartfelt, the relationship that grows between Andy and Red is beautiful and extremely well written, all of which includes narration from Morgan Freeman who undeniably has the most warm and loving voice in film. There is a great deal of sympathy felt for all the characters in this film and it will completely throw a lot of peoples opinions of people in jail turning a despised hatred into a sort of sorrow.

Both Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman deliver exceptional performances and emphasise their roles and portray them better than perfectly, so much that they push them beyond limits of anyones normal acting career allowing anyone to say the words 'if these performances aren't oscar worthy i sure as hell don't know what is'. An excellent choice in casting i must say, Morgan Freeman is the ideal man to portray a worn old man who still clings to hope and Tim Robbins is ideal for a suspicious but friendly and righteous man who relies on planning and a good will.

The Shawshank Redemption is packed with loads of unforgettable lines and scenes that it isn't hard to say why this film is considered one of the all time greats. As a film it really reaches it's limit and tries to break that limit without seeming ridiculous or off the point.

Rating: *****


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