Film Title: The Golden Compass (PG)
Director: Chris Weitz
Release Date: 5th December 2007
Genre: Fantasy
Cast: Nicole Kidman - Marisa Coulter
Daniel Craig - Lord Asriel
Dakota Blue Richards - Lyra Belacqua
Ian Mckellen - Lorek Bymison
Ian Mcshane - Ragnar Sturllusson
Eva Green - Serafina Pekkala
Sam Elliott - Lee Scoresby
Christopher Lee - First High Councilor
Director: David Slade
Release Date: 1st November 2007
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Cast: Josh Hartnett - Sheriff Eben Oleson
Melissa George - Stella Oleson
Danny Huston - Marlow
Ben Foster - The Stranger
Film Title: Good Luck Chuck
Director: Mark Helfrich
Release Date: 9th November 2007
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Cast: Jessica Alba - Cam Wexler
Dane Cook - Charlie
Dan Fogler - Stu
Connor Price - Young Charlie
Troy Gentile - Young Stu
Plot
Ladies man Chuck becomes very popular after an unsuccessful relationship leads to his former partner finding the love of her life. This leads the local population in to believing that Chuck is a charm whom they must sleep with to find their true love something Chuck enjoys until he meets a very unlucky Cam.
Review
Billed by some as a “gross-out, rom-com” Good Luck Chuck certainly has its share of gross out moments but the comedy is sadly lacking. The idea that the central character, Charlie (Dane Cook), has a curse put on him is quite imaginative for a romantic comedy but the film fails to deliver on this and it ends up as a meandering tale livened up only by the occasional belly-laugh. Having neither seen or heard of Dane Cook before, this leading man was a new face and gave a good performance as the unlucky in love Charlie, however his performance was not enough to lift the film above the realm of the adequate. Jessica Alba, as the accident prone Cam, also gave a good performance, one that was refreshing in the fact that she is a flawed character rather than an unobtainable super babe - thus the romance was more realistic.
However, the film was stolen by Charlie’s best friend Stu (Dan Fogler) as the sex mad plastic surgeon with an unhealthy obsession with women’s breasts. For me the downright disgusting and perverted Stu was the source of most of the genuine comedic moments in the film, but these were few and far between to make Good Luck Chuck wholly successful. That said there were some funny set pieces, particularly Charlie attempting to break the curse by going on a date, and subsequently sleeping with, a particularly obese woman who makes the act of eating a lobster sexually suggestive while Charlie downs shot after shot in an attempt to dull himself to the ordeal he is about to put himself through. Yet when the genuine laughs have been spent the film goes for the cheap route of trying to be funny by being crude, and it seemed that easy sexual gags were being presented as comedy, a motif that only serves to reduce interest in the story - women’s breast can be funny in context but not a dozen times in one film.
Despite these objections you do feel warmth towards the central characters of Cam and Charlie and you do want them to be happy together, it is just a shame that the film as a whole lacked depth and any real development with nothing much seeming to happen. Although an original premise, Good Luck Chuck unfortunately fails as a movie via a lack of real laughs and a meandering story.
Bad Luck Chuck : 2/5
Film Title: Resident Evil: Extinction
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Release Date: 12th October 2007
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi/Action
Cast: Milla Jovovich - Alice
Oded Fehr - Carlos Olivera
Ali Larter - Claire Redfield
Iain Glen - Dr Isaacs
Ashanti - Betty
Christopher Egan - Mikey
Spencer Locke - K-Mart
Matthew Marsden - Slater
The third instalment in the Resident Evil series is surprisingly good and is a no-nonsense action film that will appeal to fans of the Resident Evil franchise as well as those that like a film to be action packed.
What was refreshing in this film was that for a zombie / action movie the violence was not gratuitous. In similar films there is a tendency to pile on the blood and gore and it can become a bit overdone, but here there was a good balance.
The special effects were also good, particularly the scene - one of my favourites - where the sky is black with crows that the virus has infected and who proceed to swoop down and attack the survivors convoy. The way that Alice (Jovovich) defeats them is via a huge fire that burns up the entire sky giving the film an apocalyptic resonance that befits the subject matter. The zombie effects were also good and it is refreshing to see good old fashioned make-up used for the creature effects rather than C.G.I. That said, the mutated Dr Isaacs (Iain Glen) who Alice fights at the end, was too much like a creature from a computer game and as a result a sense of the realism (if you can have realism in a zombie film) of the scene was compromised.
Another problem with the film was the first ten minutes when
Film Title: Stardust
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Release Date: 19th October 2007
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Cast: Ian Mckellen - Narrator
Charlie Cox - Tristan
Sienna Miller - Victoria
Peter O’Toole - King
Rupert Everett - Secundus
David Walliams - Sextus
Michelle Pfeiffer - Lamia
Claire Danes - Yvaine
Sarah Alexander - Empusa
Robert De Niro - Captain Shakespeare
Ricky Gervais - Frerdy The Fence
After the slew of recent fantasy films it is nice to find one that tempers the sword and sorcery with a bit of humour - the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Harry Potter series are all good films but can sometimes come across as a bit po-faced, thankfully Stardust is packed with humour and comes as a breath of fresh air. A key facet of this film is the imagination behind it, the fantasy world of Stormhold is a real mixture of styles and genres - traditional fantasy, fairy tales, flying ships that catch lightning, gypsy seers, good and bad magic and gallows humour. Such imagination is aided by the impressive special effects which don’t dominate the film (which can sometimes happen in big budget movies) but carry the action at a steady pace. Some favourite scenes include when the evil witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) conjures an inn from her cart and when Tristan’s (Charlie Cox) mother Una (Kate Magowan) transforms from a bird into her natural human form.
The make-up in the film is noteworthy, especially the three evil witches who really do look like faded old crones. Another good aspect of the film is the wealth of British comedic talent - an unrecognisable David Walliams, Adam Buxton (The Adam and Joe Show) and Mark Heap (Big Train, Jam, and The Green Wing). Other notable actors include the legendary Peter O’Toole who even manages to look louche on his character’s death bed, and a very squashed Rupert Everett. Ricky Gervais also features in the film and serves as on of the negative aspects in that he is playing the same character that he has played in all that he has appeared in. There is no variety or surprise in his role and when he utters his Extras catchphrase “are you having a laugh”, instead of being funny it is rather irritating.
A second negative aspect of the film (which is connected with the fact that there is so many known faces in the movie) is the episodic nature of Stardust. The film didn’t flow as a coherent whole but seemed chopped up into different scenes / adventures, each featuring a well known Hollywood star. After a while you couldn’t help wondering which famous actor was going to pop up next and this resulted in some of the scenes serving as just showcases for actors / actresses rather than as plot developments. That said, one cameo is worth seeing the film alone - Robert De Niro. De Niro is brilliant in this film playing a supposedly bloodthirsty, violent and very gay pirate. This character is definitely one of the highlights and from who a lot of the humour stems. One particular scene will have you watching in disbelief at Captain Shakespeare’s (De Niro) antics and wondering if this is the same actor that caved a man’s head in with his shoe in Goodfellas. The film also features two strong female leads in Michelle Pfeiffer and Claire Danes, both are different characters but both are believable - especially Danes’ convincing English accent.
Stardust has it all - action, adventure, romance and a good dose of humour - and as a result is probably one of the best of the recent releases. 4½ / 5
Film Title: The Nanny Diaries
Director: Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini
Release Date: 12th October 2007
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Scarlett Johansson - Annie Braddock
Donna Murphy - Judy Braddock
John Henry Cox - Dean
Alicia Keys - Lynette
The Nanny Diaries sees Scarlett Johansson in a departure from her usual roles, placing her in a contemporary comedy based on the book by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.
The film itself is a steady, enjoyable romp; some comedies have a tendency to be funny at the beginning and the end, but drag in the middle – this is not the case with The Nanny Diaries as a steady pace was held together by the light humour of the film. That said there are some annoying and negative parts to the film. The voice-over/narration was particularly irritating, though in parts it was integral to the plot, the voice-overs just seemed to grate and distract from the film as a whole. Secondly, the relationship between Annie (Johansson) and Harvard Hottie (Chris Evans) was superfluous, lacking in conviction and didn’t seem relevant to the film’s development.
On a more positive note the cast are superb – the welcome appearance of Paul Giamatti as the sleazy husband Mr X was a bonus especially as the character was a departure from the flawed good guys that Giamatti usually plays. Johansson’s acting is of the same standard as her other films (which is either a good or a bad thing depending on what you feel about her work). But, the film was stolen by Laura Linney (as Mrs X) and her son Grayer (Nicholas Art). Linney is superb as the central hate figure of the film, you do eventually warm to her because of the way she is treated by her husband, but for the beginning of the film she is a real dragon and Linney excels in this role. Due to Linney’s horrible nature we immediately warm to her son Grayer. Art Nicholas looks set to be the new child star judging by his performance in The Nanny Diaries and could become the male Dakota Fanning in terms of a
Apart from the acting, the direction of the film was very good, particularly the references to another
Film Title: The Heartbreak Kid
Director: Bobby & Peter Farrelly
Release Date: 5th october 2007
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Cast: Ben Stiller - Eddie Cantrow
Michelle Monaghan - Miranda
Jerry Stiller - Doc
Malin Akerman - Lila
Carlos Mencia - Uncle Tito
Rob Croddry - Mac
Plot
Eddie (Ben Stiller) is a happy single guy, with no plans to marry until he begins dating the sexy and seemingly perfect Lila. Following the advice from his best friend and his father Eddie proposes to Lila after just one week believeing he may of found the perfect women. However on their honeymoon the real far from perfect Lila comes out whilst Eddie meets his potential soul mate Miranda.
Review
Ben Stiller’s latest comedy is…just another Ben Stiller comedy, which is no bad thing but unfortunately The Heartbreak Kid presents us with no new surprises. That said, this being a Farrelly Brothers film, there are some hilariously crude moments which tend to up the film’s game – most of these come from Eddie’s (Stiller) dad Doc (played by Stiller’s real-life father Jerry Stiller) who is probably the most archetypal “dirty old man” ever to feature on screen. The Farrelly Brothers must be praised for how they have handled the character of Lila (Malin Ackerman) and we are very much in Eddie’s shoes when we meet this attractive and seemingly sweet woman at the start of the film, only to have our illusions shattered when we, along with Eddie, are gradually introduced to how crazy Lila actually is.
The couple’s journey by car to their honeymoon destination is very funny, especially Stiller’s range of facial expressions as the full annoying character of Lila emerges. One of my favourite scenes is when, after a particularly energetic and strange sex act with Lila, the camera pans across the room to find Eddie wrapped in a towel, rocking back and forth in an obviously distressed state.
The film pre-honeymoon is quite well paced, but in the middle, when we see the development of Eddie’s relationship with Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) and the collapse of his marriage to Lila, the film begins to flag and the humour dries up a bit. That said, the character of Uncle Tito (Carlos Menica) does tend to brighten a lot of these scenes, although unfortunately the Farrelly’s – like Rob Schneider’s Hawaiian character Ula in the Peter Segal directed film 50 First Dates – have fallen on the old trick of having a funny and crazy “native” (in this case Mexican) to liven the proceedings up a bit, which may not sit well with some. The film does get a bit predictable (main character meets and falls in love with someone else, the other partner finds out, the marriage breaks up and then there are attempts at reconciliation, all of which are standard plot devices) although, to be honest, there are some funny moments punctuating the film at this point – the achingly annoying Mariachi band, the jellyfish encounter and Eddie’s attempts to get across the border to America all add laughs but fail to raise the film above the entertainingly average.
The acting is good throughout, Ben Stiller is always enjoyable and his father is one of the highlights. Another minor character who brings some of the humour is Eddie’s friend Doc (Rob Corddry), particularly his bizarre view on what makes a successful marriage – you smile at your wife, do what she tells you and then “wait for the sweet embrace of death”, which for me was one of the best lines in the film.
Praise must also be given to Ackerman’s turn as Lila. Ackerman hits the right divide between sweet (when she and Eddie first meet) to a gradual, more and more disquieting and worryingly unhinged character.
The Heartbreak Kid is a loose re-make of a 1972 film of the same name, not having seen the original I cannot compare the two films and can only pass judgement on the 2007 version. It is not a bad film, but for me it was just like every other Farrelly or Stiller comedy. It is an entertaining film, thanks to the strength of the main cast, but not funny enough to make you go and see it again, unlike a true Farrelly classic such as Dumb and Dumber.
2½ / 5
Film Title: The Brave One
Director - Neil Jordan
Release Date - 28th September 2007
Genre - Thriller
Cast: Jodie Foster - Erica Bain
Terrance Howard - Detective Mercer
Nicky Katt - Detective Vitale
Naveen Andrews - David Kirmani
Mary Steenburgen - Carol
Plot
Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) and her fiance David (Naveen Andrews) are brutally attacked by a gang of men leaving David dead and Erica an inch awayu from also being dead. After her recovery Erica goes on a journey to find her fiance’s killers, en-route she becomes a popularised vigilante exacting revenge on a range of offenders until she find’s her attackers. With cops on her tail and the New York public waiting to find out who is next on her hit list the question remains - How many wrongs make a right?
Review
The Brave One marks the welcome return of Jodie Foster to the big screen after the disappointing Flightplan. On first appearance The Brave One seems like a typical revenge drama, yet the film is all the more powerful because it delivers so much more than the traditional Hollywood vigilante bloodbath. One of the key aspects of the film is how well paced it is - praise should be given to Terence Howard whose masterful turn as Detective Mercer is key to the films pacing via his gradual piecing together of the recent violent events depicted. The first ten minutes of the film illustrates Erica’s (Foster) close relationship with her partner David (Lost’s Naveen Andrews) and it is this closeness that makes the couples subsequent ordeal at the hands of a criminal gang all the more shocking. The pace of the film is even more successful in dealing with Erica’s life post-coma, after the death of David. Most films would have the main character go out straight away with all guns blazing to get revenge, yet in The Brave One Erica’s move to action is a gradual process and one shrouded in the act of mourning for her partner and the struggle to adjust. It is also this process of mourning that Foster shines as an actress in the film. Indeed, Foster is more convincing when she is playing the distraught Erica than when we see her normal and happy. The main problem with films such as The Brave One is that the plot is largely predictable, but what singles this film out from other revenge subjects is the film’s direction courtesy of Neil Jordan, and the stylistic motifs it utilises. The emotional flashbacks fail to divert too much attention from the pace and atmosphere of the film and add delicate layers of emotion that have the audience rooting for Erica. A particularly well done and powerful flashback is when medical staff are taking the clothes of Erica’s battered body revealing her naked form. This is then juxtaposed with Erica’s naked body in a flashback of her and David in a passionate love scene. Here we are presented with two types of nudity - a body before and after violence, an emotional example of both love and violence, happiness and disaster. Such stylistic devices raise The Brave One from being just another genre film. The ending of the film has both positive and negative connotations. It is a “happy ending” and to some this is a welcome relief both for the audience and for Erica herself. Yet for some this can seem unrealistic and also morally ambiguous - Erica is just as capable of the same unruly violence that she was a victim of and which nearly destroyed her life. Yet for those of a sentimental nature the fact that the bad guys get what they deserve is reassuring. On the whole The Brave One delivers more than expected and was a pleasant surprise as well as reinstating Jodie Foster as one of the key talents in the last 20 years of cinema. That said, the film is an emotional journey and for this reason is not a film that would hold up to repeat viewing, yet it is a film that needs to be seen at least once. 3/5
Film Title: Knocked Up
Director: Judd Apatow
Release Date: 24th August 2007
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
Cast: Seth Rogen - Ben Stone
Katherine Heigl - Alison Scott
Paul Rudd - Pete
Leslie Mann - Debbie
Jason Segel - Jason
Jonah Hill - Jonah
Jay Baruchel - Jay
Martin Starr - Martin
Plot
Drop out Ben (Seth Rogen - 40 Year Old Virgin) and rising Entertainment Tonight presenter Alison (Katherine Heigl - Greys Anatomy, The Ringer) meet in a nightclub and have a drunken one night stand. Weeks later Alison finds that she is unexpectedly pregnant and Ben is the father. Although they appear to be an unlikely couple Ben and Alison decide to try out being a couple and the audience go for the ride from conception to birth.
Review
Knocked up is an unexpected and unique romantic comedy with an unusual storyline, funny lines, adult humour and a fair quantity of believable drama. Although there are some familar faces from such films as 40 Year Old Virgin and alike, this romantic comedy veers away from the formula of semi naked women, slapstick comedy and scenes with the main character getting in embarrasing situations taking you from A to B. Instead Knocked Up flows from scene to scene with the main plot of Alsion’s pregnancy being at the centre of everything that happens in each scene rather than a series of set-up incidents designed just to deliver a quick laugh. Knocked up also contains some quite serious drama as Ben and Alison deal with beginning a new relationship along with the impending birth of their child and the performances of Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen are solid throughout demonstrating some excellent acting both comedic and dramatic. Their performances are well supported by Paul Rudd (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, 40 Year Old Virgin, Clueless) and Leslie Mann (40 Year Old Virgin, Orange County, Perfume) who play a married couple with Debbie (Leslie Mann) playing Alison’s sister.
This couple provide the sub-plot to the film as they struggle with the problems in their own marriage and this relationship adds to both the comedy and sadness in this film. The two couples relationships inflict upon one another and lead to both couples finding what they need to stay together.
Knocked Up’s comedy comes from a range of different sources including Ben’s group of dysfunctional friends, Alisons’ sister and the two main characters themselves and this helps with the transition of comedy to drama beacuse the film doesn’t rely on the main characters to deliver both the funny lines and tear inducing scenes.
This film is a well scripted, well laid out romantic comedy which doesn’t follow the usual trend of having a series of ‘hilarious’ scenes off-set by one moment of drama which is quickly resolved, instead Knocked Up moves in a way to match the up’s and downs of relationships, blending comedy, drama and a little romance; leaving the viewer unsure of whether there will be a happy ending for any of the characters. The acting from everyone is excellent with Katherine Heigl, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd showing that they can equally perform comedic roles whilst delivering lines full of anger, dissapoinment and sadness casually and effectively.
An unexpected, intriguing, uniquely funny film from the writer and director of more commonly pure comedy films such as Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and 40 Year Old Virgin. This film will appeal to fans of similar movies, all lovers of romantic comedies as well as people who like a touch of sadness and resolute drama with an uncertain ending until you reach the end.
A pleasant surprise 4/5
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Film Title: The Simpsons Movie
Director: David Silverman
Release Date: 27th July 2007
Genre: Animation/Comedy
Cast:
Dan Castellaneta - Homer/Itchy/Barney/Grampa/Stage Manager/Krusty the Clown/Mayor Quimby/Sideshow Mel
Nancy Cartwright - Bart/Maggie/Ralph/Nelson/Todd Flanders/TV Daughter/Woman on Phone
Julie Kavner - Marge
Yeardley Smith - Lisa
Harry Shearer - Scratchy/Mr. Burns/Rev. Lovejoy/Ned Flanders/Lenny/President Arnold Schwarzenegger/Kent Brockman/Principal Skinner/Dr. Hibbert/Smithers/Otto/Kang
Hank Azaria - Professor Frink/Comic Book Guy/Moe/Chief Wiggum/Lou/Carl/Cletus/Bumblebee Man/Male EPA Worker/Dome Depot Announcer/Kissing Cop/Carnival Barker/Counter Man/Apu/Drederick Tatum/Sea Captain/EPA Passenger/Robot/Dr. Nick
Plot
Homer adopts a pig and consequently pollutes Springfields water supply, leading to the town behind encased inside a gigantic glass dome by a Government agency known as the EPA. After the townsfolk hunt down the Simpsons they escape the dome but must return to save the town.
Review
The Simpsons has been on our tv screens for over a decade now and the film has been eagerly anticipated, however the creators kept the plot underwraps and were very low key in their talk of what to expect from this potential historic film and you can tell why.
The Simpsons Movie is essentially a long Simpsons episode and not much beyond that. It is funny and in the context of The Simpsons it would be a good episode but there is a lack of any ‘epic’ feel to this film as you would expect from such a long awaited film. Homer and his relationship with the pig offer some of the best bits in the film, where as the two sub-plots; Bart wanting Ned to be his father and Lisa’ budding relationship with a young boy in the film offer little funny incidents. The writers have perhaps missed an opportunity in this film as the majority of the film is focused on the Simpsons including large parts of scene time given to Marge who has never been a character synonmous with comedy and this has led to almost every other character, with the exception of Flanders, being on the fringes of the film with favourites such as Apu, Barney, Moe, Principal Skinner amongst others having barely any screen time.
The animation in the film is very good as you would expect, there are some funny lines and the inclusion of Tom Hanks; playing himself and Arnold Schwarzenegger as President are unexpected and add to the film, however this movie just fails to be anything but a extra long good Simpsons episode.
A film that delivered less than expected 3/5
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