The Hangover Part II

Directed and written by Todd Phillips, with writing credits also going to Craig Mazin and Scot Armstrong, Part II of The Hangover franchise is another comedy film using the same ingredients as its predecessor to create another crazy and hilarious adventure that will have you laughing from start to finish.

Two years after the catastrophe that was Dougs (Justin Bartha) bachelor party in Las Vegas, the members of the 'Wolfpack' have just about managed to put their lives back together most notably Stu (Ed Helms) who in his own words says he is still putting the broken pieces of his psyche back together. Stu is now getting married, to the beautiful Lauren (Jamie Chung), and the wedding is to take place in Thailand. Before the trip Stu takes Doug and Phil (Bradley Cooper) to a breakfast where he announces its actually his bachelor party or 'Bachelor Brunch' and Phil flips out and leaves as all he wants is a real bachelor party. After Phil leaves Doug tells Stu that Alan (Zack Galifianakis) knows about the wedding and he has to invite him reluctantly Stu agrees, under protest of course and after last time who can blame him. So the 'Wolfpack' reunites and off to Thailand they go, along with Lauren's brother Teddy (Mason Lee) who they meet at the airport. Once in Thailand after a funny dinner and a few run ins with is father-in-law to be Stu heads off to bed, but Doug and Phil persuade him to go down to the beach for one drink. In the next scene Phil, Alan and Stu wake up in Bangkok with no memory of the previous night, and so they realise the same thing has happened again. The trio then find Mr Chow, who Alan invited along, who proceeds to explain what happened but after sniffing some cocaine passes out and the group think he is dead as he has no pulse. They then learn Teddy is missing, so they head off into Bangkok on a hunt to find Teddy leading to many funny incidents that make for a roller coaster ride of insanity and hilarity that will keep you watching till the end.

I don't believe that Part II is quite as good as the first Hangover film but the only reason for this is the element of surprise is no longer with us due to the film following the same recipe as the first. This is not a bad thing though as the saying goes if it's not broke don't fix it. To compensate for the lack of surprise the film is a little darker for example the finding of a finger in the apartment they wake up in and the apparent death of Mr Chow which leads to them trying to hide the body. But on the lighter and funnier side the film doesn't disappoint with the crazy antics and stupidity of Alan, the cracking one liners from Mr Chow, the sarcasm of Phil and the almost mental breakdown once again of Stu. The only let down is I feel the writers focused too much on Alan to try and carry the film,not that he isn't funny because don't get me wrong he is pure genius, but when you have 2 great comedy actors in the form of Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms there is no need to play it safe by focusing primarily on one character. Apart from that the film is a real treat and of course it ends with the finding of a camera and we again get to see the mischief that the 'Wolfpack' got upto.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

On Stranger Tides is the fourth instalment of the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise which follows the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Rob Marshall takes the Directors chair for this one with the screenplay once again being written by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot.

This time around Jack is on a quest to find the fountain of youth, the film begins in London where Jack tries to rescue his first mate Gibbs (Kevin McNally) from an untimely appointment with the gallows during the escape attempt Jack discovers that there is somebody impersonating him who is recruiting a crew to go in search of the Fountain of Youth. The two are then captured Gibbs sent to prison and Jack brought in front of King George II (Richard Griffiths) who wants Jack to lead an expedition to the Fountain in a bid to reach it before the Spanish. Enter Jacks old 'friend' Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) who has jumped ship and is now a privateer in service to the British Navy after loosing Jacks beloved ship the Black Pearl and his leg in the process. Jack then escapes from the palace to find the imposter which after a drawn out sword battle turns out to be Angelica (Penelope Cruz) an old flame of Jacks and long lost daughter to the pirate all pirates fear, Blackbeard (Ian McShane) who possesses magical powers and also practices voodoo. Jack is then forced to join Blackbeards crew, where as Gibbs joins Barbossa and the race is on to overtake the Spanish and find the Fountain.

Making another Pirates film was always going to be a gamble which for me pays off as I fail to get bored of Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow and he again doesn't disappoint, he brings back all the things we love about our favourite fictional pirate and provides laugh after laugh for the audience. Depp is backed up by a great supporting cast welcoming back Geoffrey Rush and Kevin McNally along with new comers to the franchise Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane. The action is good when it comes and it provides plenty of laughs to keep the viewer entertained throughout, which makes for a good watch and also has prospect for a new trilogy of films.

Fast Five

Fast Five is the fifth instalment in the Fast And Furious franchise. The creative team of Justin Lin (Director) and Chris Morgan (Writer), off of the previous 2 films, are back once again with a new adventure for Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew in this all-action blockbuster.

After breaking Dom out of a federal prison bus Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) and Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) head for Rio de Janeiro with Dom in tow. Mia and Brian arrive first and whilst waiting for Dom join Vince (off of the first film) along with some of his acquaintances on a job to steal 3 cars from a moving train. Dom arrives mid heist and senses something is wrong, so he gets Mia to steal the car that the other participants seem to be after, Mia gets away whilst Dom and Brian fight off the others and in the process some D.E.A agents are killed and Dom and Brian captured. Unbeknown to Dom and Brian they have got mixed up with crime boss Hernan Reyes and are also being blamed for the deaths of the D.E.A agents, so after managing to escape not only are they on the run from Reyes but also ruthless DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) who has been sent to apprehend them. Upon learning the truth Dom, Mia and Brian devise a plan to steal $100 million in cash from Reyes and then run away and start a new life elsewhere. Enter all the old faces from the previous films making for a testosterone fuelled whirlwind action flick that doesn't disappoint.

In my opinion the Fast and Furious films have got better and better well apart from the one in the middle where they went to Tokyo but we wont talk about that. When the franchise came back with a bang in 2009 with Fast and Furious it would have been a fitting end to the franchise but they just keep on coming and this new film definitely packs a massive punch. With great action sequences and some very inventive sequences also this film is a great watch and this time round doesn't just rely on fancy cars and hot women it also has an ok story line to go along with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf4oDjHUmkY

Arthur 2011

Arthur is a remake of a 1981 film of the same name which was written and directed by Steve Gordon, this remake, written by Peter Baynham and directed by Jason Winer, is again set in New York and follows the same story line as the original.

Arthur a drunken playboy portrayed this time by Russell Brand is heir to a billion dollar empire and has all the money he could ever ask for. In a permanent state of intoxication, Arthur is always getting himself into trouble, being bailed out repeatedly by his 'nanny' Hobson (Helen Mirren), much to the disappointment and anger of his strict mother Vivienne (Geraldine James), who after his latest stunt (crashing the batmobile) when he was supposed to be at a dinner where he was to be named the new chairman of her corporation, gives him an ultimatum. Get married to her assistant Susan (Jennifer Gardner) or loose the $950 million inheritance. Arthur reluctantly agrees and asks Susan's father Burt (Nick Nolte) if he can marry his daughter. Soon after proposing to Susan, Arthur meets his sole mate in the form of Naomi (Greta Gerwig) an unlicensed tour guide who he immediately takes a shine to. So whilst the wedding arrangements are being made Arthur proceeds to sneak around with Naomi and falls in love with her in the process. Needing to get out of the marriage due to his love for Naomi, Arthur tries to find a way to sustain himself without the money which makes for many comedic moments and a very light hearted story.

Russell Brand does the role justice and is rather funny, but again he is playing his stereotypical role, the drunken playboy, which is something he has had years of experience to perfect and it doesn't really push him and we have yet to see him stretched as an actor. But with a good supporting cast this film makes for a good watch with the star of the show being Helen Mirren's portrayal of Hobson who with a no-nonsense attitude and a sharp and witty sense of humour as the almost impossible task of keeping Arthur in check.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ9k8D6r_Hg

Scream 4

Scream 4 is the fourth instalment of the popular Scream franchise. Wes Craven is back again to direct and he brings with him the writer of the first two films Kevin Williamson. The film also brings back the 3 main survivors of the original films in the form of Sydney Prescott (Neve Campell), Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers Riely (Courteney Cox), along with a host of new characters most notably, Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) who is Sydney's cousin and Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin).

15 years after the original Woodsboro massacre Sydney Prescott returns to her home town to promote her new book only to find out that there have been 2 new murders by the killer ghost face. When the police find evidence in Sydney's rental car she becomes a suspect in the case and is told by Dewey Riley, who is now sheriff, not to leave Woodsboro until the case is solved. So unable to leave Sydney stays with her aunt and cousin. As the body count rises and the police are no closer to finding the killer Gail Weathers Riley starts her own investigation as her husband Dewey wont let her coordinate with the police efforts. All of the main characters in the film face close calls with ghost face and Gail even gets seriously injured whilst investigating at a party where she believes the killer will be.

As the series of films was originally meant to be a trilogy Scream 4 breathes new life into the films as the third instalment didn't really live upto the first two films, and bringing back writer Kevin Williamson is a contributing factor to this. With many twists and turns and much more inventive and public ways of killing characters off Scream 4 is a whirlwind ride that provides plenty of jump moments and as in the previous 3 films keeps the killers identity secret until the end. As the third film was a bit of a flop it seems fitting to end the franchise with a vast improvement although there are rumblings that this film is just the first in a whole new trilogy..........

The A-Team

The A-Team is an action comedy based on the hit 80's T.V series of the same name. The film stars Liam Neeson who plays Hannibal, Bradley Cooper who plays Face, Quinton Jackson who plays B.A Baracus and Sharlto Copley who plays Murdock as The A-Team, an elite alpha unit of the US army, who are wrongly convicted of a crime and sent to secure military prisons for 10 years and dishonourably discharged.

As the T.V series off of the 80's was a little before my time and I only really knew the basic ins and outs of what it was all about I went into this film with an open mind, hoping to have an impartial view and not make too many comparisons with the original, and after watching the trailer before hand the film looked to have promise. From what I can figure the film goes back to the beginning before our heroes have met and the opening sequence is where this happens. Then it jumps '8 years and 80 successful missions later' where the team is a regarded as one of the best clandestine units stationed in Iraq. The team are then framed for stealing US treasury plates and sentenced. After 6 months they all break out of prison in an attempt to clear their names and get re-instated.

I must say overall I really enjoyed this film, it doesn't take itself to seriously and has a good blend of humour and action that makes it a very good action comedy. It stays true to the original characters but is brought up to date and this works really well. The stand out performance for me is that of Sharlto Copley who had me laughing throughout, but I feel all the actors put in reasonably good performances and the chemistry between them all is also quite good. If you want to see a straight to the point action flick with good humour and witty one liners then this is definately for you.

The Lincoln Lawyer

The Lincoln Lawyer is a crime drama based on the novel of the same name by Michael Connelly. It stars Matthew McConaughey as defence lawyer Mickey Haller, who's office is the back of his Lincoln town car.

Mickey spends most of his time defending small time ordinary criminals until one day he hits the jackpot in his biggest case to date which comes in the form of Ryan Phillipe, who plays Louis Roulet, a rich playboy from Beverly Hills who is accused of brutally beating a prostitute and attempting to murder her. The case seems pretty cut and dry until Roulet slips up and Haller starts to become suspicious of his new client. With the help of his own private detective played by William H Macy, Haller starts to dig deeper and finds that the injuries sustained to the current victim are very similar to the injuries sustained to the supposed murder victim of a previous client he defended by the name of Jesus Martinez played by Michael Pena who always professed his innocence. Haller begins to dig even deeper and gets drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse all the while confronting his own demons due to an innocent client being sent to prison.

Going by recent history I didn't expect this sort of performance from McConaughey as he usually takes on the role of an adventurer or the lead in a rom-com which don't really test his acting skills to their full potential. But in this role he has to push himself a little more instead of just floating thorough the performance without a care. I must say I was very pleasantly surprised by his performance. Backed up by a stellar supporting cast including Marisa Tomei and William H Macy who both put in good performances along with Ryan Phillipe who plays a very convincing villain all the way to Michael Pena who although only has a small part still does the role justice.

Overall the film is very entertaining and does the novel it was based on justice unlike many other films that have gone down the same route. It has enough twists and turns to keep the viewer gripped and the acting in the film makes it all the more appealing to go and watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU4ReVEemN0

The Proposal

The Proposal is a romantic comedy staring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. It centres on Margaret Tate (Bullock), a ruthless editor in chief of a publishing firm, and Andrew Paxton (Reynolds), her assistant who loathes her. After finding out she is about to be deported to Canada for an expired visa Margaret forces Andrew to marry her by threatening his career, so after they blackmail each other in negotiations he reluctantly accepts.

Although this film does follow the usual romantic comedy formula which means the plot is easy to figure out in a matter of seconds, I did still enjoy this film. The chemistry between the two leads is very good, as at the start you can tell they loathe each other and then the awkwardness when they first kiss all the way to when they begin to fall for one another is all quite believable. Also the film provides quite a few laughs, Reynolds stepping in with sarcastic and witty one liners and one of the gems of the film Betty White who plays Andrews grandma Annie is in impeccable form as she provides laugh after laugh for the audience. Bullock also provides a good performance as she is convincing as the ruthless boss but is also shows the softer side of Margaret very well.

So all in all even though the film is very predictable I would say it is definitely still worth the watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFL8b1p1ELY

127 Hours

127 Hours is the extraordinary true story of Aron Ralston who when canyoneering alone in Utah became trapped under a boulder, and had to resort to unthinkable and extreme measures to free himself and survive. Now if one man trapped in a canyon for over an hour doesn't seem like your ideal watch don't be deterred  just yet as taking the reins is non other than award winning director Danny Boyle, and boy does he do a good job with this one.

This film though would be nothing without a great leading actor and this comes in the form of James Franco. Who provides us with a flawless performance with both emotion and humour and encapsulates Aron's will to live with his impeccable acting skills.

The film opens with Aron collecting his equipment ready to head on out into the wilderness. Then we see him on his bicycle riding through Blue John Canyon in Utah. This is where Boyle and his team first come into there own with split screen views and shots from the front of the bike looking back at Aron, which make this a very good sequence. Aron then falls and just laughs at himself taking a picture and the getting on his way. Before he gets stuck he meets two girls in the form of Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn and he offers to show them around taking them to an underground lake and after fooling around for a little while and going for a swim he then again goes on his way.

Shortly after leaving the two girls whilst descending down a tight canyon a boulder becomes dislodged falling on Aron trapping his right arm. It is here in this claustrophobic situation trapped and alone with no contact to the outside world that Boyle's directorial skills and Franco's immense acting really come into their own. Aron used a camcorder to record his turmoil and release some of his inner demons. An interview with himself being one of my highlights as it is both comedic and dramatic. Boyle uses a camcorder effect on the film which makes the viewer feel like they are there in the canyon with Aron, Boyle also again uses split screen to its full potential for hallucination scenes as Aron becomes dehydrated, the split screen keeping us in the canyon at all times. Franco provides us with a sterling performance in all aspects of emotion that Ralston must have gone through, including the graphic scene where Aron proceeds to cut off his arm with a blunt knife, ultimately freeing himself and avoiding a much worse fate, proving that there truly is 'no force on earth more powerful than the will to live'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlhLOWTnVoQ&feature=feedlik

Beastly

Gonna keep this one short and to the point.

Beastly is a modern day take on the beauty and the beast story. It centres on Kyle (Alex Pettyfer), he is a cocky, handsome 17 year old who is king of his high school. He has been brought up under the impression that looks are everything and therefore proceeds to mock everyone who is less attractive than himself. Unfortunately for him one of the people he mocks is the school witch (Mary-Kate Olsen) and after publicly embarrassing her at a school dance she casts a spell on him to turn him 'Beastly' and the spell can only be reversed if Kyle can get someone to tell him they love him. Up steps Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) who seems to be his last hope of getting an 'I love you'.

The film itself I think is aimed at teenage girls who like romance otherwise I would steer clear from it. The acting is mediocre at best and the chemistry between the two lead actors provides little credibility. The film also falls down on the fact that Kyle could have actually been more Beastly, yes he is bald and has tattoos in irregular places but apart from a few scars on his facial area there is nothing too bad, maybe more hair and claws closer to that of the original beast would have been better. There is some hope though and it comes in the form of Kyles blind tutor Will (Neil Patrick Harris) who provides some much needed comic relief from a some what dragged out love story. Although Wills sarcasm and wit along with his comments full of wisdom are not enough to completely save the film they do bring it up a notch or two.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Neo6W1f7hyY

The Expendables

Well what do we expect from a Sylvester Stallone flick, we expect Sly to Direct, Write, Produce and ohhhhhh yes Star as the lead. The Expendables is no exception, and in this one Sly plays Barney Ross the leader of an elite team of mercenaries on a mission to overthrow a dictator.

Oh and boy has Sly thrown together one of the greatest action casts the film industry has ever seen. Jason Statham plays Lee Christmas, Sly's right hand man, Jet Lee takes to the role of Yin Yang, then we have Sly reunited with Dolph Lundgren from his early Rocky days. That's just the start there are also roles for the likes of Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, Terry Crews and Steve Austin. But best of all we get two cameo roles one from the Terminator himself Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the other coming from Bruce Willis. Now although the latter are only small roles they are at the very least speaking parts and the 90 seconds or so that Sly, Willis and Arney are on screen is pure magic.

Now not much can be said for the story line and the acting is mediocre at best but you dont need much of an excuse of a story to throw together a cast like this. Basically the mercenaries are sent on an impossible mission to overthrow a dictator and his American counterparts on a fictional island, all mixed in with Sly and Rourke's bromance and reminiscing of times gone by which seem to fuel the passion for their current mission. Also there is a side story for Statham who juggles his romance with Charisma Carpenter, off of the T.V Series Angel, with his job as a mercenary. But storyline and acting aside the real reason most will watch this film is for the testosterone fuelled, action packed film that this quite clearly is.

For me the only let down is that of the lack of martial arts on show from the likes of Lee and Statham but putting that aside the action we get from start to finish alongside the wise cracks and sarcastic humour make this quite a good watch.

Oh and if there is to be sequel why not possibly add to the cast with possibly the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Dwayne Johnson or even Jackie Chan ................... just a thought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6RU5y2fU6s

Well lets start with Devil!!!

As this is my first attempt at a film review bear with me........

Devil is the first in a series of supernatural films called 'The Night Chronicles' from producer M. Night Shyamalan. I will start by saying Devil isn't the best or the scariest film out there but it isn't terrible either. 

The story is quite a simple one, 5 people stuck in an elevator and one of them is the Devil killing off the rest of the people. But we don't see who the Devil is as when each of the characters is killed off the lights in the elevator  flicker and then go out. When the lights go out we get to hear what happens and then when they come back on one of the characters is dead. This premise continues until there are only 2 people left. Meanwhile this is all being watched on the elevators security camera by 2 security officers and 2 detectives, although they can see what is going on inside the elevator they cannot hear the victims inside.

To keep the film simple character development is kept to a minimum, and the focus is just on the one building where the elevator is situated. The film is at its best when inside the elevator, on the outside the focus is on the rescue effort and a slight bit of detective work to try and work out who the killer is. The things that happen inside the elevator on the other hand are quite interesting and engaging and keep you gripped till the end.

Although the film is quite predictable in some ways, such as when the lights flicker and go out in the elevator it is quite obvious that something bad is going to happen, and it is also quite obvious that each of the characters is hiding something from the others. But it isn't easy to work out which one of the five strangers is in-fact the Devil until it is revealed at the end. I think that is what kept me watching.

Overall the films screenplay is quite well written by Brian Nelson and is also well directed by John Erick Dowdle. It has enough jump moments to keep you watching and doesn't use blood and gore as entertainment which is what a lot of recent films of this genre have done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjvl-lnsnJ4