The Roommate

The Synopsis
Sarah Matthews (Minka Kelly) is starting her first year of College when she moves in with her roommate, Rebecca (Leighton Meester). At first things seem fine, but after a while, when Sarah starts dating Stephen (Cam Gigandet) she starts to realise that there might be something more sinister to Rebecca than she had first thought.

Warning. Could possibly contain spoilers.
I think.
I don't know.
I'm not too sure if I've actually given anything away but I may have alluded to things that you could probably guess at if you tried hard enough so I thought I should probably say something before you started.

The Review

Film-Buddy-Kezia: If you say anything bad about Leighton Meester in your review I will kill you.
Me: You terrify me.

If you have joined this review via this link then, I well and truly hyped myself up over nothing. I got the genre of this movie COMPLETELY wrong. If you haven't, then I'll actually get to the review bit now.

When I initially turned up at this film, I assumed it was a horror because the trailer had scared me to my very core. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was less of a horror however and more of a Psychological Thriller which is far more up my street.

I'm going to take a guess and assume whoever was behind making this film also has a lot of influence in American teenage dramas as well. The cast consisted almost solely of characters from either Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill or The OC and those are only the ones I recognised, who knows what others there were.

That being said it wasn't as trashy as you would think with a cast like that. Previous movies who had done similar things with their cast usually ended up being B movies where it was just any excuse to get a girl naked and lathered up then murdered in some awkward and embarrassing position. This film, dare I say it, had a touch of class behind it.

This was all mainly down to an amazing performance by Leighton Meester who played Rebecca (No I'm not just saying that because Film-Buddy-Kezia told me to). She played the classic murderer but she actually gave her some character and portrayed her in a convincing enough way that I was feeling sorry for her for the majority of the film.

Unfortunately, however, this accurate representation did then clash with the rest of the performances as all the way through they gradually started to treat her more and more like a lost cause that needed to be stopped.

I don't know, maybe it's because I work in Mental Health and almost definitely it was because, thanks to Meester's performance, I was expecting FAR too much of the film, but I was not impressed with the way this ended. It felt a little harsh and I was totally on Rebecca's side by the end which I'm pretty sure was not where the film makers wanted me to be. This is not to say that I have any inclinations to get all murderous on my friends, but whatever she did wrong the ending was certainly not what she deserved. I'll say no more, don't want to ruin it for you if I haven't already.

All in all, the film was okay but the rest of the performances really didn't come anywhere near what Meester brought to the film (A particular, what could have been potentially chilling juxta positioned sex scene proved this, Meester was good the others involved... not so much). But I almost feel stupid giving this a serious review as I'm pretty sure you were meant to take it with a pinch of salt. Ah well. In total, I'll give it three faces because I did actually enjoy myself watching this.

Killing Bono

The Synopsis
This film follows the story of two brothers, Neil McCormack (Ben Barnes) and Ivan McCormack (Robert Sheehan), who went to school with U2's Bono and had the same dreams of forming a famous band as he did. However the journey wasn't as smooth for them as it was for Bono and they soon struggle under the strain of constant bad decisions and the overwhelming shadow of their former friend.

The Review
Well this was a first. Never before in my life have I ever gone into a movie that I hadn't even seen a poster for. Sunday afternoon I found myself waiting in the queue and scanning the screen to see which films were starting. The only one that seemed to be available was the mysterious film "Killing Bono" so I thought... hmmm why not?

I must admit I was a little concerned, especially as the title sounded a bit dubious and I had NO CLUE what it was about, but all in all I was pleasantly surprised and here's why.

The opening credits come up and immediately I spot Robert Sheehan's name. Being a complete and utter HUMUNGOUS fan of the amazing Channel 4 drama 'Misifts' I perk up straight away and figure, well even if the film is rubbish at least I'll have his stupidly sparkly eyes to look into (I'm not kidding, they LITERALLY sparkle).

Then Ben Barnes appears in a car talking in an Irish accent and I thought to myself, "Well you might as well give the film a chance."

Once the perving stopped and the plot began to progress I actually started to watch the film and it was smart, funny and very well put together. It's based on a book that as far as I can tell is the true story of Neil McCormack, the lead singer of a small time Irish band called Shook Up. He was friends with Bono at school but due to Neil's constant inclincation to make stupid decisions and pass down amazing opportunities, they never reached anywhere near their potential.

Robert Sheehan and Ben Barnes both give very funny and genuine performances of two brothers who struggle to keep their bond together through all of Neil's shortcomings.

I love Irish humour and I loved this. The writing was just right and the film made me chuckle. It took me a while to get into the swing of what the film was trying to say but I blame my complete lack of knowledge about the film prior to seeing it for that one.

It was refreshing to see a genuinely unique and good film again after the dry spell of late and it is with great happiness and pride I dust off my four faces and present them for all to see.

I'll have to go in blind to films more often.

Chalet Girl

The Synopsis
Kim (Felicity Jones) is a child prodigy when it comes to skateboarding. However, when her mother dies in a car accident she gives it all up to support her scatty father (Bill Bailey). When money gets hard she takes a job in a Ski Chalet in Austria where she rediscovers her skateboarding love via Snowboarding and falls for the owner of the Chalet Jonny (Ed Westwick).

The Review
Okay this is a film where the advertising for it is completely different to what it actually is. The way the poster, trailer and all round build up for this film talks, I walked into this movie fully expecting some kind of Hannah Montana/Hilary Duff type rom com, designed specifically for young girls who still giggle slightly when a boy looks at them. What I actually got though was bizarre, because although during some points it had that Hannah Montana feel to it, it would then suddenly throw in a pocket of nudity or swearing before going back to jolly happy cheesy land.

It surprised me how much I liked it but due to the unsure feel of the movie I did spend the majority of it confused. The largest point of this particular confusion in the movie was when our main couple had gone from giggling in the snow and flirting subtly with each other to a full blown sex scene. I had not been prepared for that! I was happy in the little innocent U rated relationship they had been building and fully expecting this to be another 'High School Musical' romance where they only kiss and then gaze sweetly into each other's eyes. But then bam! They changed the tone and age of the movie again .

My biggest "wow, that impressed me" nod has to go to Bill Bailey though. Now I love this man, I think he's a very funny comedian and awesome musician but when it came to his acting career I always came away from watching it thinking "well, at least he tried." But in this role he was actually pretty good! And it was a tough roll to play for him as well, given that it was more serious than most things he's ever done but he actually managed to pull it off! I mean, it wasn't Oscar worthy or anything but it really was miles better than anything else I've ever seen him act in.

Ed Westwick played a rich man, which anyone who watches Gossip Girl would know he does exceptionally well and Bill Nighy (who played his father) was his usual amusing self throughout.

It was overall fun. Not one to be taken seriously and there is a large possibility that if you do choose to see it (especially on weekends) you may have to share the viewing experience with a room full of teenage girls. But I didn't hate the experience. NB not one to watch if you fancy anything that may be intellectually stimulating.

Three faces for this one.

Limitless

The Synopsis
Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a struggling writer who can't seem to get his life together until one day he is offered a small clear pill that takes him from using 10% of his brain to 100%.

The review
Okay, let me get it out of the way first. How freaking blue are Bradley Cooper's eyes? Seriously, he and Daniel Craig should do a film together. They don't need to do anything, just sit there and stare into the distance. I'd definitely go and see that.

But back to this film. It was interesting and a concept that I can imagine being a reality in another 50-100 years or so. This idea that there is a pill that unlocks all of that untapped percentage of your brain. It's intriguing.

The story was told well, although I did start to get annoyed with the persistent commentary Eddie made over the top of the film and I'm not totally sure I get the ending. I may have to watch it again to fully understand it. Huh. They probably did that on purpose, clever film people.

Cinematography was actually pretty effective in this film. They made it so that the film looked visually different depending on whether or not our Eddie was on the drugs (brighter and more defined when he was and washed out and dull when he wasn't). They also did this really impressive bit of camera work that was used a few times throughout the film whereby they merged different street shots of New York together to create this long road... I know, he explained it on Graham Norton a couple of weeks ago and I didn't get it then either. It's one of those things that you just have to see and then say 'Huh, that's pretty impressive. Now I understand.'

The film was overall entertaining but I wasn't overly impressed with it. Then again I wasn't unimpressed. It was an okay way to spend three hours on a Saturday afternoon.

It's worth seeing, and out of everything else that I have seen right now, it is one of the better ones in the cinema at this present time. A nice and even three faces from me.

Hall Pass

The Synopsis
Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) are two married men who can't help but look at other women. This becomes such an issue that their wives Maggie (Jenna Fischer) and Grace (Christina Applegate) give them Hall Passes from their marriage for one week, allowing them to do whatever they want as if they weren't married to get it out of their system.

The Review
When I first restarted this film review blog I was concerned that all I ever seemed to be doing was giving good reviews to films. I began to question how my integrity would look if I just continued dishing out the four and five faces. However, over the past couple of weeks I've been reassured as I've realised that it wasn't necessarily bad reviewing on my part but rather they had just been a little slow in bringing out the bad films for 2011. They are arriving now.

Now you don't need to be a brain surgeon to work out how this film is going to pan out. It's pretty much obvious from the beginning. So why oh why did they insist on dragging the whole process out for so long? Little tip to 'Hall Pass' people, if the film has me and Film-Buddy-Kezia sinking to the bottom of our seats about three quarters in exclaiming we're bored, then you've done something wrong at some point. I mean the fact that the film had lasted for about an hour before the hall pass had even began just showed that these are people who like to rinse something within an inch of it's life.

It's really annoying because all of the actors in this film I like. I have seen them all in other things that have made me wet my pants. Maybe that's the reason why I was so disappointed, I had gone in with too high expectations.

There were some mildly funny points, and even two very funny points (two imagination sequences of what could happen should the particular character make a certain decision). But the rest just seemed like they were trying too hard. Steven Merchant, who had a minor part and was the largest reason why I had wanted to see this film in the first place did have some good moments but he was in it for a total of five minutes which again, I fear, was bad judgement on their part.

Film-Buddy-Kezia summed it up at the end of the movie by saying 'If they had ended that half an hour earlier, it may have been an okay film.' Was quite shocked however when I noticed we had only been in the cinema for an hour and a half rather than the three hours it had felt like. I guess they would also have had to make it good as well.

Apologies for the ruthlessness of this review. It was kinda harsh. Alas no surprises I'm sure though when I say, one face from me.

The Adjustment Bureau

The Synopsis
David Norris (Matt Damon) is running for Senator of New York when he meets Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) and falls instantly in love with her only to find out that they should never have met.

The Review
Okay. I think I get what they were trying to do with this film, I just don't know if they quite got there. The premise (if done well) is an interesting one and could make a good film. However, this was not done well, it teetered on mediocre all the way through.

You see there were these agents who were meant to act as a type of angel and nudge each person into their right path. Again, this is an interesting idea that could have been entertaining, only the film decided to air on the side of cliche and almost from the opening scene with them I had lost interest. I mean, having four men in business suits with hats pulled down to their eyes standing in a line on the roof of a building whilst staring out and talking to each other in husky voices? Yawn.

The writing was also pretty awful as it just felt like they were trying too hard to be poignant and important. The door premise was interesting I suppose and I really liked the dance routine in the middle but I got bored about two thirds of the way through and to be honest they should have ended it at this point, because the actual ending? Eurgh!!

Before I get into that little nugget (do not worry I will not be spoiling any of the plot) I feel it is in my duty to say that although I was most unimpressed throughout this film, my film buddy Kezia liked it. In fact I think we had the opposite opinion on everything. I hated the agents and their cliche and persistent hats, she loved them. I shrunk further into my seat as the film went on, shuddering at the cheesiness of it, she seemed to sit more on edge. I thought the only good thing about this film was the performance from Matt Damon and particularly Emily Blunt, she thought their characters were the worst things about it. There was one thing though that we both completely agreed on. The ending made the film a lot worse.

For a film to have me pulling my "something just died in here and I can smell it" face as the end credits roll up doesn't happen often but when it does I know that it can't be good. I was teetering on the two faces for the majority of the film but the ending chucked the rating right down to the depths of just one measly face. Sorry Emily Blunt, I'm still a fan and can't wait to see you in something better.

Tangled

The Synopsis
Rapunzel (voice: Mandy Moore)is a princess who is stolen from her bed as a baby by the evil Mother Gothel (voice: Donna Murphy) so that the magic in Rapunzel's hair can be used to keep her young and beautiful forever. For her whole childhood she is locked in a tower and hidden away from her true identity. On her 18th Birthday Flynn Rider (voice: Zachary Levi) accidentally finds her and takes her away to see the world outside.

The Review
Aaaah, this was nice. This was pure Disney at it's very best. The loveable 'bad boy' hero, the sassy princess, the evil witch and of course the funny animal side kicks (This time a Chameleon and a horse).

It was funny and very well animated. My particular favourite was Max the horse. He, I feel, had the biggest personal journey to go through in the movie. His outlook on life was shaken, his true emotions began to crack on the surface of his white coat and he was forced to make a particularly important decision that would cause him to truly examine the horse within. All this done and with not a word muttered. Such is the genius of Disney. Hoorah to Disney.

The songs were mixed I felt. There were two I liked but the others didn't seem to be singable which I assumed would be essential for a Disney movie as my fondest memories as a child was twirling around singing Pocahontas's 'Just around the riverbend' and Ariel's 'Part of your world' at the top of my lungs. Having said all that I have only heard them once and they might grow on me after a couple more listens. I hope so as it is Alan Menkin who composed them and he was the genius that brought us The Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack which we all know simply can't be faulted (Takes a moment to sing 'God save the Outcasts' to the neighbours).

Flynn Rider fits in well with all the Disney animated heros that went before him. There is only one question I ask in order to determine whether the man fits the bill of the hero of the Disney animation and that is, 'Do they leave me confused as once again I find myself strangely attracted to an animation?' The answer is yes. Yes he did. And now I will have to book another appointment with my therapist and have that discussion again...

All in all, the film was Disney to a T and I can sleep happy tonight in the knowledge that they haven't lost the ability to create a classic fairy tale film just like they used to in the glory days of Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. Four faces from me.