The Muppets (DVD)

Just a silly as you would expect, The Muppets are still just as fun as they were back in the day.

Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Kermit the Frog & Miss Piggy
Dir: James Bobin
Writers: Jim Henson, Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller

Muppet Madness

What's it all about?

It's 2011 and The Muppet Show is a thing of the past, with most of the Muppets having moved on to menial, second rate jobs and their old home, The Muppet Theatre in Los Angeles is going to be knocked down by bad guy Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to drill for oil. Bad times. Fortunately, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan (and unexplainably a Muppet himself) bombards his brother's romantic holiday and accompanies loved-up Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) to LA so he can fulfil his dream and see the iconic theatre. Whilst there they uncover Richman's evil plan and alert Kermit to the disaster that is about to unfold. They then rally the old gang back together to stage the Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever in a bid to raise the $10 million they need to save their precious theatre. 

Worth A Watch?

The film maintains all the old flavour of the original Muppet Show, but it's still fresh and funny. The musical numbers are entertaining and catchy - I've had 'Man or Muppet' stuck in my head for the last week. This Oscar-winning song sequence sees Segel imagine himself as a Muppet and the Muppet Walter imagine himself as a human, and the human reflection he sees in the mirror is hilarious! He (I won't spoil it for you) and the numerous other celebrity cameos are genius! Although, personally I would have loved to have seen a bit more of Neil Patrick Harris - he was born to do musical comedy. Segel and Adams are brilliant at interacting with the puppets, although I did find Adams got a tad annoying in places. Whilst a little overly-silly in parts, but it's all in keeping with the tone of the story and besides, that's what the Muppets is all about.

Let Down?

With plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, it's a great family film with jokes for the adults as well as the kids. You can however, see the Disney branding in the film - quite literally too as the gang drive past a Disney store and a billboard poster for Cars 2, Disney do love a bit of subliminal advertising!

So Overall...

You'd be hard pressed to finish watching this film and not have a warm fuzzy feeling, and that's not just due to the fuzzy characters on the screen. It's a highly enjoyable comedy that is guaranteed to brighten the miserable, drizzly Summer we're currently having. 

• Lives up to expectation  2/2
• Scenery/Effects 3/3
• Eye Candy 1/2
• Quality of Acting 2/3
• Plot 4/5
• Quality of film within it's genre: Comedy 5/5 , Family 5/5

88%

What to Expect When You're Expecting

There's some laughs here and there, but don't expect too much from this comedy

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Matthew Morrison, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Dennis Quaid & Chris Rock 

Dir: Kirk Jones

Writers: Shauna Cross, Heather Hach, Heidi Murkoff

Is the baby laughing too? Probably not.

What's it all about?
Based on the best selling self-help book, What to Expect explores the trials and tribulations of several couples who are expecting babies, who's lives are all tenuously connected à la Love Actually. The parenting scenarios range from adoption (Jennifer Lopez), unexpected results of a one-night stand (Chace Crawford & Anna Kendrick), celebrity dance show contestants who have to choose between fame and parenthood (Matthew Morrisson and Cameron Diaz) and the owner of a baby boutique who realises pregnancy isn't all it's cracked up to be (Elizabeth Banks). Much of the comedy is provided by a group of pram-pushing, dummy-weilding Dads, self-dubbed as 'The Dude Group', who try to be the perfect father's whilst still maintaining their street-cred and battling it out with each other to be the alpha male. 


Worth a watch?
The Dude Group are genuinely funny, providing most of the laughs. All of the other comedy seems to have come from the rom/com recycling bin. There is a cheeky bit of casting that will make some laugh - Cheryl Cole as the judge of an American talent show (I'm sure that was to get back at Mr Cowell) and a few amusing cameos from reality star Whitney Port and Megan Mullaly (the squeaky woman from Will and Grace). A handful of the characters are genuinely quite heart-warming, like Lopez travelling to Africa to meet her child, and I felt some sympathy for angst-ridden Crawford and Kendrick, and then on the other end of the scale is OTT Banks trying to hold herself together in a 'comedic' fashion.


Let down?
The all-star cast looks impressive on the poster and it's interesting to see how the various stories all unfold, but on the whole, it's not overly impressive. Recent 'same day' ensemble comedies haven't fared well recently (New Years Eve bombed) and sadly this hasn't bucked the trend. I didn't have great expectations for this film, but I had hoped for a few more laugh-out-loud moments.


So overall...
A fair comedy with some laughs from the Dads, but the Mums let the side down. On the whole, a predictable comedy with less laughs than expected.

• Lives up to expectation  1/2
• Scenery/Effects 1/3
• Eye Candy 2/2
• Quality of Acting 2/3
• Plot 2/5
• Quality of film within it's genre: Comedy 2/5 , Romance 1/5

44%

Avengers: Assemble

The coming together of Marvel's greatest superheroes makes for a very entertaining film that really packs a punch!

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson & Tom Hiddleston
Dir: Joss Whedon
Writers: Joss Whedon, Zak Penn

The Super Six

What's it all about?
Set not too long after the climax of the Thor and Captain America films, the world once again comes under threat from Thor's evil brother Loki when he gets his hands on some Tesseract - an unknowingly strong energy source. So Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) launches the Avengers Initiative. This assembles the bravest, strongest, and potentially most dangerous, group of heros the planet can offer. This comprises of millionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), dashing and heroic Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), godly and noble Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the split personality of the volatile Dr Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), mean shot Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Remner) and brining the girl power, sexy secret agent Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow... phew, that was a long list! Whilst the team doesn't instantly bond - in Tony Stark's own words, he is 'volatile, self-obsessed and don't play well with others', they soon overcome their egos and their differences and get down to the business of saving the planet, culminating a big climatic fight scene in New York. 

Worth a watch?

Not only does the film comprise of the epic fight scenes you would expect from such a great ensemble of superheores, it is also very will written - the story doesn't drag and the dialogue is just as good as the action, with plenty of banter between the characters. Robert Downey Jr is on usual good form as Tony Stark who comes forward as the leader as the gang. But surprisingly, a lot of the jokes come from The Hulk - who'd have thought an angry green man in just his pants could be so funny? Mark Ruffalo does a good job of playing the mild mannered Dr Banner too - there's a bit of pressure when two great actors who have played the same role before you in the last 10 years have both been slated for it, yes I'm talking to you Eric Bana and Edward Norton! There's also a lot of lyrca around some very toned bums - plenty of male bottoms for the ladies and plenty of Scarlett Johansson's bum for the boys! 

Let down?

I was surprised it took so long for any big fight scenes to occurred - for a long time it's more just action scenes and a few squabbles and punches thrown between the main 'supers'. But it's still effective, as it all eventually culminates into the mother of all comic book film fight climaxes. 

So overall...

I honestly can't think how director Joss Whedon and co. could make a better superhero/comic book film adaptation. The film has the whole package, so it's no surprise that it has been smashing box office records left, right and centre. Just writing this makes me want to go watch it again - the most epic film I have seen this year, make sure you watch it on the big screen to get the full impact! 

• Lives up to expectation  2/2
• Scenery/Effects 3/3
• Eye Candy 2/2
• Quality of Acting 2/3
• Plot 5/5
• Quality of film within it's genre: Action 4/5, Superheroes & Comic Books 5/5

92%

Trailer Watch: The Great Gatsby

As well as watching films, I love watching trailers. Anticipating a new film after you've watched the trailer is like being a child, putting a toy on your Christmas list and waiting for Christmas morning so you can play with it and experience just how awesome it is for yourself, rather than just admiring it from afar. 


So with this in mind, I have decided to highlight some trailers of upcoming films that I like the look of and have marked on my calendar - there are a lot of 'Christmas mornings' on my calendar at the moment!


The first trailer I would like to draw your attention to is The Great Gatsby.

Good on screen chemistry? Let's hope so!

To say that I am looking forward to this film is an understatement. F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel is one of my favourite books of all time, Leonardo Di Caprio is one of my favourite actors, and I'm loving Carey Mulligan at the moment. And to top it all, it's being directed by Baz Luhrmann and I adore his style (aside from Australia - that was a let down).


The trailer opens with scenes of the roaring 20s in New York, filled with glamour and debauchery brought on by prohibition. In typical Luhrmann style, these retro scenes are juxtaposed by thoroughly modern music - Kanye West & Jay Z to be precise. I'm not entirely sure if this is the right way to go with such a classic story, but we'll see. Said classic story was first published in 1925 and tells the tale of a group of young and fabulous people who all come together at an exuberant party, held by Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio), a very enigmatic man, shrouded in secrets. Drama and scandal ensue...


Cast-wise, the film looks brilliant - Di Caprio looks calm, cool and collected as the mysterious Jay Gatsby whilst Cary Mulligan looks very much at ease as the effervescent  Daisy Buchanan (big names such as Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and the currently popular Blake Lively were all batted around as possibilities for the role in early stages of casting). Personally, I have mixed feelings for Toby Maguire as an actor, and portraying Nick Carraway means he bares the responsibility of being the narrator and audience's guide through the film, so it will be interesting to see how he plays the role.


I'm sure the film is going to be greatly anticipated by many, as it already has such a high profile and is certain to be compared to the 70s adaptation that starred Mia Farrow and Robert Redford. But nobody does decadence quite like Lurhmann: you know it's going to be a glamourous affair and I can't wait to see the drama unfold. 

The Lucky One

The film is very easy on the eye, when I say 'the film', I mean Zac Efron and the beautiful scenery, but mainly Zac Efron, and that's about it.

Starring: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner, Riley Thomas Stewart & Jay R. Ferguson
Dir: Scott Hicks
Writers: Will Fetters (Nicholas Sparks - Novel)

'Brooding' - this happens a lot in The Lucky One

What's it all about?
Hunky marine Logan Thibault (Zac Efron - who is all muscly and grown-up) has just returned from his third tour of duty in Iraq and has been lucky enough to survive some extreme circumstances when many of his friends and comrades have not. What he believes made him so fortunate was a photo of a woman, with the message 'Stay Safe x' on the back that he found in some rubble. Coincidently, when he moved to pick it up, a bomb went off in the place he had just been standing. Feeling a little lost back home, he decides to travel to Colarado to find this mystery woman. And as luck would have it, he finds her (all too easily) - a beautiful girl by the name of Beth (Taylor Schilling) running a dog kennel with her grandmother (Blythe Danner) and son. Unable to find the words to explain himself, Logan takes a job there and gradually grows closer to Beth and her family. He hangs around, doing typically masculine chores, training the dogs, flexing his muscles, as well as showing his sensitive side and ultimately, making Beth swoon. And all this is done despite constantly being eye-balled by the town Deputy-Sherrif, Beth's jealous ex-husband, Keith. From then on it's the typical lovey-dovey predictability of any of the other Nicholas Sparks adaptations you may have seen.


Worth a watch?
I will admit, I am slightly biased here, as I have had a huge crush on Zac Efron for the last six years or so. I had been counting down to the release of this film, hailed as the movie that would remove Efron from 'tween pin-up' status, to see what his acting skills were really like. Ok, really I just wanted to see him topless in THAT shower scene you catch a glimpse of in the trailer. But, in all honestly, the film was a let down. It has beautiful scenery of the American swamplands, and in the words of my mother, "Zac Efron is very easy on the eye". The story is so predictable though, you can tell how it's going to end up within the first 20 minutes. But I enjoyed the remaining hour and a half lusting after the gorgeous Zac, and to be fair he played the character quite well, even if he is impossibly perfect: strong, handsome, brave, helpful, good with kids and animals, well read, plays the piano, the list goes on....


Let down?
Yes, for me it was a let-down. Obviously I wasn't expecting anything incredible from a Sparks adaptation, but it was no Notebook. I cry at anything remotely sad, and from this sort of film, I was expecting to have to have the tissues at the ready. Disappointingly, I was rather nonplused: it was sad, but I didn't shed any tears. Story-wise, you get as much enjoyment out of the trailer and the poster than you do from the film.


So overall...
It's a sickly sweet film, made even sweeter by the masculine eye-candy of it's male lead - so good job I've got a sweet tooth for Zac Efron. But unfortunately it was a bit too sweet for me. It's a good love-story to turn your brain off to, but don't expect it to blow you away.

• Lives up to expectation  0/2
• Scenery/Effects 2/3
• Eye Candy 3/2 - Zac gets a bonus point!
• Quality of Acting 2/3
• Plot 1/5
• Quality of film within it's genre: Drama 1/5 , Romance 1/5

40%

Cabin in the Woods

One the best horror films I have seen in a long time: clever, twisted and scary - truly terrifying

Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Fran Kanz, Anna Hutchinson & Richard Jenkins
Dir: Drew Goddard
Writers: Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard

Don't go into the basement - well do go, or else there won't be film

What's it all about?
I'm going to have to be extremely vague here as to not give anything away, as the best bit of this film is you genuinely have no idea what's coming round the corner...
Five college friends, including the gorgeous Chris Hemsworth and newcomer Kristen Connolly, each one filling the typical horror character archetypes, set off for a weekend of fun in a conveniently remote cabin in the woods, and in true horror style: chaos ensues. They should have heeded the cliche warning of the creepy man at the gas-station, "You've got enough [gas] to get you there, getting back, that's your concern." Monsters are hiding in the basement and in the woods and Big Brother is watching. But don't be fooled into thinking this is just your run-of-the-mill killing spree film (as the trailer suggests) because it is very slick and very clever. 


Worth a watch?
The film combines all the elements of every slasher film you have ever seen and reassembles it into one f-ing scary Frankenstein's monster of a movie. There is genuinely something that will scare everyone in the audience, and that's what makes it so brilliant - it plays on your fears. I watched it with my boyfriend and we were both scared by it, but for different reasons - it was probably made more scary for him by me squeezing his arm every time there was a loud noise! Horror fans will enjoy playing 'spot the cliche' with Joss Whedon doing a similar favour to the genre as Was Craven did with Scream, yet the film is anything BUT unoriginal, offering laughs as well as frequent jumps and screams. 


Let Down?
I don't entirely agree with the ending, and whilst at some points it did seem a bit far-fetched, it generally exceeded my expectations as a horror film. 


So overall...
Cabin breathes new life into a genre that in recent years seems to have been somewhat over-done, with many writers and directors simply reverting to nudity and gore. But this is genuinely entertaining and witty, it will have you watching from between your fingers.

• Lives up to expectation  2/2
• Scenery/Effects 2/3
• Eye Candy 1/2
• Quality of Acting 2/3
• Plot 5/5
• Quality of film within it's genre: Horror 10/10

88%

The Hunger Games

Welcome to Panem! 

The first film in this greatly anticipated dystopian trilogy doesn't disappoint. 

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks & Stanley Tucci
Dir: Gary Ross
Writers: Gary Ross, Billy Ray (Suzanne Collins - Novel)

Ready, Aim...

What's it all about?
Set in the not too distant future, what was once North America, now named Panem, consists of 12 districts of varying levels of poverty, with an additional dictator district, the Capitol, where all the big-wigs (literally) reside. The story begins in the poorest area of District 12, where we meet Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) who is willing to break the law to go hunting in the forrest with her best friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth) to provide for her mother and sister - thankfully, she is very nifty with a bow and arrow, a talent proves very useful both now and later.


To maintain the current 'peace-times' and prevent war in Panem, a sacrificial (and to the Capitol, entertaining) annual event takes place: the Hunger Games. One boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 is selected at random from each of the twelve districts to fight to the death in an arena whilst the nation looks on... and there is only one victor: the one who survives. In the year of the 74th Hunger Games, young Primrose Everdeen is selected from District 12, but protective elder sister Katniss volunteers in her place. A kind baker's son, Peeta Melark (Josh Hutcherson) is also selected from their district. The film then follows Katniss and Peeta as they are transported to the glamourous Capitol for training and preening (with excellent turns of Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks as their mentors) before being thrust into the wooded arena to fight for their lives against 22 other youngsters. 


Worth a watch?
I feel that the initial comparison of the film to the Twilight series is a bit of an insult - yes, they are both based on popular teen fiction and star some beautiful up-and-coming talent, but for me, that's where the similarities end. Unlike the bland, slow plot based around a stroppy, sappy teenage girl who cries every time her vampire boyfriend leaves the room, The Hunger Games is fast-paced and engaging from the start, and Lawrence is brilliant as the stoic heroine who you can really get behind. She is resourceful and compassionate, but still believable, as are the other competitors in the arena, one of whom I actually shed a tear for when they died. I also have to give Stanley Tucci (one of my favourite actors) a mention - he is brilliant as Caesar Flickerman: Capitol celebrity, TV personality and the compere for the Games. I love his dry wit, obliviousness and his big blue hair!


Let down?
Some criticised director Gary Ross's use of shaky hand-held cameras in the arena as they distract from the action and subject of the scene. At some points it is effective, but at some times you do just want to shout, "Hold still a minute!". Understandably, one of the main reasons for this technique was to make the violence less graphic and give the film to 12A certificate distributers wanted: Hollywood is all about the big bucks. I think Hunger Games would have been an even better film if the violence had been accentuated, not quite to a Battle Royale level, but a steady hand and leaving in the blood that had to be digitally removed may have helped. I also think that for the benefit of those who haven't read the books, the background of Panem and the Hunger Games could have been explained in a little more detail.


So overall...
When a film is as hyped as The Hunger Games was, I always feel I shouldn't get my hopes too high - that's what ruined the last Harry Potter instalment for me. However, in this case, the hype was right! Hunger Games is a great cinematic adaptation of an equally fantastic book and I cannot wait to watch it again when it comes out on DVD. I am also eagerly anticipating the follow-up, Catching Fire (I can't wait to see who they cast as Finnick - Zac Efron or Armie Hammer please) and I expect we will be seeing a lot more of Jennifer Lawerence and co. on the big screen from now on. Happy Hunger Games! 

• Lives up to expectation 2/2
• Scenery/Effects 2/3
• Eye Candy 2/2
• Quality of Acting 2/3
• Plot  4/5
• Quality of film within it's genre: Drama 4/5 , Science Fiction & Fantasy 4/5

80%

Launching my blog

Hello film fan.


After a slightly half-hearted attempt to start a film blog at the start of my final year at University - bad idea - I have decided to use my precious Summer holiday time before I start my Journalism diploma to tell you all about the best, and worst films I have seen this year. 


With so many big blockbuster releases in the recent months it's been a great year for film, with epics such as The Hunger Games, Avengers: Assemble and Prometheus in particular all filling me with awe.


This blog does not aim to be high-brow and talk down to people: I have studied film in modules at University and enjoy watching film with a critical eye, but this blog will give a descriptive, but not spoiler-filled, overview of the film and then tell you, like a friend, why it's good, why it's bad and whether you should spend your precious time and money on seeing this film.


I have also created a grading system, comprised of what I think makes a good film, in order to give each film an accurate score out of twenty and provide you with a simple reference.
Each film will be awarded marks on the following: (this totals 25 and is converted to a percentage)

• Lives up to expectation  __/2
• Scenery/Effects __/3
• Eye Candy __/2
• Quality of Acting __/3
• Plot __/5
• Quality of film within it's genre __/10

So I hope you enjoy reading about the big cinema hits and those that you may have missed and waiting to see on DVD.


C x