Tropic Thunder

Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) is an action actor, Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) is the classic funny guy actor and Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr) is the oscar winning method actor who (to quote another of Stillers movies) is 'so hot right now.' All three of them plus some extras are shooting a film about the vietnam war. The director Damian Cockburn (Steve Coogan) is unable to control his pre madonna actors and so has to go to extremes to get a realistic outlook on this film. He takes them out of movie jungle and into the real jungle. From this point on it's every man for themselves as they assume they're still making the movie when in actual fact the troubles they face are real.

This review I think has been my hardest to write as I wanted so much to love it. I love Stiller and I adore Downey Jr so to pan them is a hard thing for me to do. Having said that.... yawn. I was bitterly disappointed with this film, especially when it had been praised by every review I had seen.

For one, the plot. Good idea, and poking fun at actors is always amusing to me but it was brought across in a very long drawn out way showing all the funniest bits in the trailers and leaving the rest of the film as a snooze fest. Now don't get me wrong, I did chuckle, even guffaw at certain jokes in this movie, but if you compared it to the amount of times I checked my watch?? Hmmmm.

For two, the actors. This was the part that upset me the most, if you know me at all I have always praised Ben Stiller for his comic genius (Zoolander, Starsky and Hutch etc) and yes maybe in the recent years I've drifted away from his type of humour.... but I've still seen every film he's been in. This film however, knowing that he starred, produced and directed it came off as dry and very poorly drawn out.

Downey Jr is one that it grieves me to pan ever since I watched him in Ally McBeal and my teenage heart beat wildly for him. Buuuut again I was disappointed. He played someone who had undergone a pigmentation skin operation so that he could play an American black man and being a method actor he played his character 24/7.... bad move. I could not understand a single word he was saying, and it was fine when I thought that was meant to be the general idea but when he's having a conversation with someone and I'm only able to listen to one side of it, it is incredibly annoying. If he was going to play this role then surely he may have learnt how to enunciate!!

And finally Jack Black whose sole purpose (other than to get more bums on seats due to another big name) was to fart and come off drugs, nothing else. Boring and done way too many times before.

Perhaps it was because I expected something better, perhaps it was because this just wasn't my type of humour, but I was unimpressed. (As you may well have gathered) and that's why it gets a mere two faces from me.

Step Brothers

Nancy Huff and Dr Robert Doback are two single parents with a unique problem, they both have 40 something sons still living at home with them. When they meet at a medical conference it was love at first sight and their mutual problem cemented their relationship. They swiftly got married and Nancy's 39 year old son, Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Robert's 40 year old son Dale Doback (John C Reilly)have to learn how to live together and share their parents with others when they're used to being their parents pride and joy.

From the moment I saw Reilly in 'Walk Hard: A Dewey Cox story' I have been dying to see him in a movie with Ferrell. (Talladega Nights does not count as it was such an appauling film) My reasons for this is because his humour is sooo similar to Ferrells and he looks so much like him no matter how much my friends may disagree!! So when I heard that they were both starring in a film where they are playing each others step brothers I actually did a little jig (there were witnesses if you don't believe me) and I gotta say I weren't that disappointed....

This film was every bit I thought it would be, if you're looking for surprise and twists in plot then it goes without saying that this is not the film for you. (Having said that there is a particular scene including Ferrells particulars that I could have gone without seeing) It's storyline is every bit as predictable as you think it's gonna be but the way it takes you there is a delight.

Reilly and Ferrell's comic performances showed them both on top of their game. What with both of them taking on the characteristics of 10 year olds you can see the comedy scenarios that are laid out for us.

When initially I saw this film I did see it as a classic example of my kind of one hit wonder. (for what I mean by that see definition mentioned here) However on the journey home from this film with one of my trusty film pals I found myself quoting the film and laughing. The more I quoted the more I wanted to see it again and I gotta say, I am leaning towards buying the DVD.

I think overall, its not groundbreaking, its not something you leave thinking about for weeks after but then again its not meant to be. It's fun and if you are a fan of Ferrell and Reilly then it is definately a film your gonna love. I would recommend it, you won't be disappointed, as long as you know that the sole purpose of watching is for fun. I've waited for them both to do a decent film and I'm happy with the result!!

Get Smart

Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is Controls best analyst who deperately wants to be a field agent, when his opportunity arrives, himself and his partner Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) go on a mission to disarm and nuclear bomb and save the world.

If I needed a pick me up to restore my faith in movies again then this is it!! Never mind the fact that it has one of the funniest men I've seen as its main character and an actress I've been in love with since Princess Diaries has its leading lady, this film is well written, has amazing energy and has that extra kick to it through it's supporting roles. Roles such as Dwayne Johnson AKA 'The Rock,' Hero's Masi Oka, Anchormans David Koechner and even tiny Cameo roles by the likes of Bill Murray!!

I was dubious to say the least when buying my ticket to this film given the similarities it held to Johnny English starring Rowan Atkinson. I did worry if the Americans were just trying to take our ideas and turn them over the top again. But all worries were gone within the first ten minutes and I was hooked for the remainder of the film. In fact due to the stupid amount of people who don't want to see it because of the fear that it's just copying our British humour I don't know why they don't put as a tagline on every billboard isn't 'We're not trying to beat Johnny English'

Aside from one part in the middle where I felt they had removed a scene from the plot and then very awkwardly patched it up I could see very few faults!!

If you want to see a funny film this month then this is the one for you, I don't think I've seen it hyped enough, so I'm doing it now.

Disaster Movie

As I tentatively typed the title disaster movie into google images to get an image for this review I almost shied away from the screen when the results came up. You see there are certain memories that you have you simply don't want to remember.

You know that bank in your brain where you keep everything you've suppressed? This movie is an addition to that bank if you dare venture out to see it.

It's based on every action/disaster movie in the last ten years as well as a few others as well such as Sex and the City and High School Musical but not only were the jokes flat lining, they also played on each and every one of them for like ten minutes each making you wonder where the nearest exit is.

It actually made me appreciate the Trojan's 300 spoof even more, I'm even intrigued to watch it again....

Now we all can stretch our mind backs to that time in our lives where we hear something slightly amusing and laugh at first but then it gets repeated over and over till it's more annoying than funny.... This film had aspects of that throughout. My choice of picture was deliberate because the only two barely decent roles were the princess and Juno. Juno's especially however was short lived and her slightly amusing hand guestures at the beginning made me want to rip them off by the end.

Note how I said there were aspects of funny jokes stretched thin?? That's because the rest of it was worse than that, I've asked you to imagine the funny joke scenario now I want you to remember that time when someone said something they thought was funny then coz no one laughed continued to say it hoping it would magically become funny....

That was the rest of this film.

Meh.

I'm done ranting.

Duchess

Georgiana (Kiera Knightly) the daughter of Lady Spencer is sent off to marry the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes)and produce him a male air. Unfortunately when years has passed and she has only been able to produce daughters the Duke's patience is run thin and Georgiana is forced to deal with a great many struggles for her love for her people.

This story is one of those stories that I venture out to see almost certain I know what to expect before I get there. I wasn't surprised though maybe a little impressed with the way they have told this story.

Yes, the story is compelling, the acting is amazing, (Ralph I tip my hat to you) and as a story on it's own I have found no fault in it. In fact I recommend this one to any of you women out there who like a good weeper/love story, I would even dare to say to you men that this isn't even a bad one to watch with the ladies.

My main problem that for me ruined the whole experience was that Kiera Knightly has well and truly stuck herself in the period drama section for the rest of her career!! If I have to see her in one more huge dress I swear I'm gonna scream!!

Now don't get me wrong, I am as much a Knightly fan as the next person. I belong to the group where I do think she's pretty, (albeit sporting a constant pout) and I think she can act. I will always be the first in line to see a film she's in (I think the fact that I sat through the whole of 'Silk' proves my dedication) but was I can't stand is that if I do wanna see her it has to be period films!!

Come on Knightly, prove your eclectic enough to live in this century!!

The thing is she does them well, so I guess there's the danger of thinking 'well what's the point?' If only she gave a bad performance in one of these then she may move on. Either that or she's keeping going till she has gained an oscar from it, either way bring it on we want to see something new!!

I appreciate not much was said about the film, this is due to the fact that if you want a review go to any other Knightly review, it was a good film and she knows it was.

I laughed
I swooned
I cried
That should sell it enough