Reviewed: How Do You Know [2011]

How Do You Know [2011]

12A - 121mins - Comedy/Drama/Romance - 28th January 2011

So I'd thought I'd spice things up again and opt for a good old fashioned romcom. It's your usual affair- guy meets girl, guy falls for girl, there are some ups and downs inbetween but eventually guy and girl get together. Now you are wondering why I've spoilt the ending for you? Well I haven't because there are two guys in this movie in a lovely romance triangle.

Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) plays our indecisive femme fatale with George (Paul Rudd) and Matty (Owen Wilson) the men doting after her. The movie compromises of 2 separate storylines that eventually merge. In one Lisa is a USA softball player who has just been dropped from the national team and Matty, her current boyfriend, is a major-league baseball star. He is a player both on and off the pitch and doesn't totally understand the workings of a relationship but is trying to for her.

In the other George, like Lisa is going through his own problems as he is being indited by the government and faces some serious charges if convicted and has also been dumped by his girlfriend. However due to a series of phone calls and chance encounters George keeps meeting Lisa which leads to the 2 men competing for her affection in their own unique ways.

George's father (acted by Jack Nicholson) and Annie, George's secretary (impressively portrayed by Kathryn Hahn) are the outlets from the romantic side of the story and bring with them some of the better moments in the movie from a comic point of view. It seems that this kind of role is starting to become Wilson's mainstay in the movies with the majority of his performances being based around the slightly error prone man (Hall Pass, You Me And Dupree). He never really impresses me and the chemistry is not there from the start unlike with Rudd who puts in a convincing performance with Witherspoon.

I felt that the plot surrounding this is slightly more in-depth than some of the other romcoms out there but by no means that complex that it becomes hard to follow. It just tended to be a bit more detailed than I was expecting before I sat down to watch it. This could be due to it's 2 hour length though which is quite a long time to invest in a romcom that does drag at points.

This isn't in the same league as the last movie where James L Brooks and Nicholson teamed up (As Good As It Gets) but if you feel slightly brain dead and want to waste a few hours then this might just do the trick. If there had been a bit more comedy then it might have faired slightly better.

Rating: C

Next up I look at the soon to be released Red Riding Hood [my review] to find out how Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke has interpreted the old fable.

Farm
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Reviewed: Hop [2011]

Hop [2011]

 U - 95mins - Animation/Comedy/Family - 1st April 2011

What with Easter fast approaching, there was bound to be a movie that tried to exploit this market just as there is every Christmas with the swathe of below average Santa Claus movies. Hop gave me some hope that it might rise above the average though as it was made by the same people that brought us Despicable Me (but then again they also gave us Alvin and the Chipmunks, twice and soon to be thrice!)

This movie has obviously set it's target market at the kids and so there is no shortage of lovable furry characters and simple smirks to be had at their bumbling about. This means the movie isn't going to make you think all that hard. It follows two main characters- a rabbit E.B. (damn that's original although I'm embarrassed to say it took me longer than it should to make that connection) voiced by Russell Brand and Fred O'Hare, James Marsden, (spot the next connection), a human, in both the animated and real worlds. Both have overbearing fathers who want something for them that they themselves do not.

Deciding that being the Easter bunny is not the life for him E.B. makes for the big lights of Hollywood to try and show off his skills as a drummer and prove his father wrong. There he runs into Fred and their relationship gets off to a slow start. E.B. is very much the protagonist causing problems all over the shop that Fred has to keep resolving which is where I think most of the laughs are expected to come from. Add to the mix the pink berets (a crack squad of ninja bunnies) and a couple of token celebrity experiences from the Hoff and Hefner and there is enough to keep the plot moving forward.

The animation holds up quite well and there are only a few times in the movie where you can sense that the animators just didn't quite make it work. I'm still not totally convinced by movies that put animated characters in the real world when the movie is not an action adventure or sci-fi but they are getting better at it with Paul being a good example of the tide starting to turn.

It was slightly disappointed that Hop leaned so heavily on the template that made Despicable Me a relative success. Despicable Me has the excitable yellow minions and Hop has just added feathers and in some cases another eye to give us the chick minions lead by Carlos (Hank Azaria). Although they provide some of the better comic moments they don't really have that same impact as the critters from Despicable Me.

Now don't get me wrong this isn't a bad movie, it's just that anything aimed so one dimensionally at children with no real overlay for adult jokes or anything other than 'aww look at the cute fluffy bunny' is not really going to get me going. If you've got young kids then this will be an ideal way to spend an hour and a half otherwise wait for it to hit the TV screens.

Rating: D+

Next up is the romcom How Do You Know [my review]. Haven't really reviewed many in this genre yet so thought I'd add to it. As always, cast your eyes below for the trailer.

Finally a big thanks to all those who are reading my articles as this site just broke the 1000 visits barrier today!!! Cheers everyone!

Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @  FAbFilms

Reviewed: Rubber [2010]

Rubber [2010]

15 - 82mins - Comedy/Drama/Horror - 10th November 2010

Now here is a strange and weird one for you to get your teeth into. I saw a trailer for this several months back and although I knew this was going to be no high roller, it intrigued me so much that I just had to watch it. Rubber is all about a tyre named Robert. One day Robert who used to be just like and other inanimate tyre comes into existence and starts rolling around the desert where he discovers that he also has telepathic powers enabling him to blow things up with his mind. During the movie he also gains a love interest in the form of Sheila (Roxane Mesquida) and woe betide anyone that gets in his way.

The opening sequence is quite possibly one of the weirdest that I have ever seen from a movie but it introduces us to the main concept that it's based around..... "no reason". This somewhat gives Quentin Dupieux, the director, a free licence to do whatever he wants. A sheriff (Stephen Spinella) directly addresses the viewer breaking the so called fourth wall and throughout we are continuously reminded that we are watching a movie, altering the norm of trying to draw the viewer into the movie experience. Not only this but there is also an audience watching the movie from within the movie via binoculars. (Your just going to have to watch it for this to make more sense.)

I did like the way that Robert was cleverly moved around and would be intrigued to know the techniques that were implemented to make that happen. What with the main 'character' being unable to speak, the score of the movie took precedent for large parts in an attempt to make us feel for Robert and I think a combination of this and the cinematography (including plenty of close-ups and 'tyre-cam' shots) really worked to bring home his character. He also has flashbacks/dreams, gets tired and does normal menial tasks that we do so he becomes rather human in some respects.

Along with the in-movie audience, the sheriff is also hard to work out and it isn't obvious if he knows that he is an actor who wants to finish or if he is just a character who wants the story to end so he can go home. Along with sneaking in other movie references (try and spot the obvious Hitchcock for example) Dupieux (a DJ who gave us this classic) also mocks his own movie where at one point Robert's love interest states- "Who wrote this garbage?" when reading from a script the sheriff had given her.

Add to this some dark comedy and a fair dose of dry wit which gave me a few moments of laughter and it's looking like an even stranger movie. My overall emotions were probably that of confusion and intrigue which drew me through some parts where there was a bit of repetition- i.e. bang goes another head. This leads me onto the gore which was present but if you are expecting a massive blood-fest then I don't think this movie is quite what you are looking for.

This is definitely one you are either going to love or hate and I think I loved it. It is certainly the most original piece of film work that I have seen in a long time with good music, cinematography and that feeling that it's not quite as one dimensional as it wants people to think it is. Yes the plot can drag slightly but anyone who can make a tyre seem interesting in any way has my vote!

Rating: A-

Since we are heading into the festive Easter period, I thought I'd treat you to something that should get you in the mood. Hop [my review], an Easter animation, is up next to be reviewed.

Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @  FAbFilms

Reviewed: Sucker Punch [2011]

Sucker Punch [2011]

12A - 110mins - Action/Adventure/Fantasy - 1st April 2011

Sucker Punch intrigued me before its release due to the seemingly random storyline and what looked like impressive graphics. So I sat down to watch it wondering whether I was going to enjoy the story it has to tell or be confused by it. Unfortunately it was the latter. Now I try and find both positives and negatives in everything I review but graphics aside (which were very enjoyable to watch and engaging) I struggled to for Sucker Punch.

Sucker Punch revolves around Baby Doll (Emily Browning) who is imprisoned in a mental asylum by her wicked and abusive stepfather so that he can lay claim to an inheritance meant for her and her sister. Whilst in the asylum she retreats to a fantasy world of a brother and then further again (Inception-esque) through the medium of dance while her attractive and scantily clad new found friends assist her in her quest to break out of the asylum/brothel and gain freedom. Still with me? Good.

It is quite obvious that this movie comes from the same director (Zach Snyder) that brought us 300 as the return of the super slo-mo fight scenes have arrived in abundance as they did in 300. I have to say they work well in the action scenes in the fantasy world but are also used when no action is taking place... the film could cut 10 minutes from its 110 by just running those parts at normal speed with no real loss.

Now I'm not sure whether I just completely missed the point of this movie or not but I don't want to have to watch it for a second time to find out. Usually I would warn of spoilers but there can't really be any when there is no plot in the first place and the scenes are so random and disjointed that nothing really makes sense. I got the logic behind the desperation of Baby Doll needing to escape her reality as a way of coping but come on she can only do this through dance? And when she is dancing this puts every man in the real world into some sort of a trance?

So on the positive side then the graphics do drag this movie upwards in the ratings with the overall CGI action being very impressive covering a plethora of locations and situations. Even so the graphics did not really add much to the story. Don't get me wrong they were great and I enjoyed the scenes but I got the feeling that Snyder just put them in because he could when he should have perhaps been concentrating slightly more on developing the characters and making us care about them.

Finally my last gripe with this movie is that you never think that the girls are in any danger during the fight scenes and so even if you did end up caring whether they die of not, they don't look like they are ever going to making the slo-mo bullets and swords kind of pointless.

Bonus marks for people who can work out it this is going to get a good rating or not. Despite impressing with graphics, the plot and acting are poor, you never invest in the characters well-being and the graphics seem to be surplus to the movie anyway. If the graphics were the punch then the rest of the movie was definitely the suck.

Rating: D

Next time to make up for Sucker Punch I shall bring something completely different to the table in the form of Rubber [my review]. The story of a tyre with telekinetic powers that goes on a rampage through the desert. Check out the trailer below before you write it off!

Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @  FAbFilms

Reviewed: Source Code [2011]

Source Code [2011]

12A - 93mins - Action/Mystery/Romance - 1st April 2011

So I sit before you having just watched one of my top tips for an April hit and I find myself somewhat stuck on the fence before I even start writing the review so I shall have to watch this one again. I think this is more down to a mild bout of sleep deprivation rather than the movie though but lets see.

Upon second viewing, I have concluded that it was indeed lack of sleep working its magic to confuse me rather than the movie (although it does try its best to). Source Code follows a soldier, Colter Stevens, (Jake Gyllenhaal) who awakens to find himself on a train heading for Chicago. After talking to the stranger opposite him, Christina (Michelle Monaghan) who seems to know him well, he goes to the bathroom and standing in front of a mirror sees another person staring back at him. As we think about what on earth is going on, the train suddenly blows up and he wakes up, again disorientated, to another scenario. Leaving all those questions unanswered, it kind of drags you in!

Now within a dark room we find he is linked to a program, the source code, that uses shadows of peoples memories to relive the last 8 minutes of their lives. Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), a sympathetic operator of the source code sets him the task of finding the train bomber so that other attacks that have been planned later in the day can be stopped before they occur.

When I watched this movie, I thought that it was going to be solely the whodunit mystery revolving around the train and the identity of the bomber. However this is not quite the case as Colter finds himself unsure of his surroundings while not in the source code. This leads to the viewer having two riddles to solve- on the one hand who is the bomber and on the other the mystery behind who has put him into the source code and why is he there. I feel this puzzle within a puzzle adds to the excitement giving the movie several levels to work on.

The one thing that this movie had to contend with is the potential for there to be large scenes of repetition whilst Colter is on the train reliving the same moments again and again. This is well handled with enough variety that you become more intrigued by what he is going to do next and start demanding that he pick on a particular character that you have had your eye on for a while rather than the one he is currently investigating.

The movie is well acted with Gyllenhaal in particular putting in another strong performance to follow up his one in Love and Other Drugs with the relationship factor once again playing a strong part in his role in the movie. In general though the acting is impressive and I look forward to Duncan Jones (son of David Bowie wouldn't ya know!) next foray into the movie world because after this and Moon he has a lot of pressure to deliver something exceptional.

The only slight issue I have with this movie is something I can't really talk about until you have watched it. So all I will say is this- I was not a great fan of the way things ended.

Source Code looked like it was heading for a good haul before it was released and it does not fail to disappoint. I was never falling off my chair in anticipation but it is a cleverly thought out plot that is executed well with good CGI, acting, music and enough mystery to pull you through to the end. Not a classic but a very good watch none the less.

Rating: B

So from one hot off the press release to the next with Sucker Punch [my review] next on my to do list. The graphics look stunning so lets see if the movie can hold up under some scrutiny. Check it out...

Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @  FAbFilms