Had a look around and scraped together this scattered selection box of mini write-ups, the majority of which I had completely forgotten about
Year of release
2013
Directed by
Baltasar Kormakur
Starring
Denzel Washington
Mark Wahlberg
Paula Patton
Bill Paxton
James Marsden
Edward James Olmos
2 Guns
+
This action-comedy is a bit of a throwback to old school buddy actioners of the 80s such as
48 Hrs. and
Tango and Cash. And as such there really isn't all that much here that is original or creative; it doesn't really bring anything new to the genre. However I still found it to be quite an entertaining enterprise, one that surpasses its material thanks to its casting which actually comes close to being quite inspired. Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are quite disparate individuals in terms of their acting style and just general vibe; Wahlberg coming off as rather fiery and a ball of energy with Washington a much more cool, calm and composed guy. And together they make for a pretty great double act. Although kind of stealing the film out from under them whenever he appears on screen is Bill Paxton as a devious, twisted CIA agent. The film's plot; that a pair of criminals are both undercover law enforcers with neither aware of the other's true profession, might be a pretty daft and convoluted premise but it's actually quite a fun and creative one, even if it perhaps doesn't quite mine it for its full potential.
|
|
Year of release
2006
Directed by
Barry Levinson
Starring
Robin Williams
Laura Linney
Christopher Walken
Lewis Black
Jeff Goldblum
Man of the Year
-
A fairly entertaining if exceptionally uneven film which starts off well enough but becomes ever more muddled as it moves along, predominantly thanks to its decision to jump wildly between genres. For its first half
Man of the Year is a fairly straightforward satire. It may not make any particularly revolutionary or biting points, satisfying itself with racking up points on easy targets, but it's enjoyable to see Robin Williams just unleashed in a similar fashion to
Good Morning Vietnam; he's able to basically just do his stand-up routine a lot of the time. For a brief spell the film then becomes a romance, before becoming a preposterous full blown 1970s conspiracy thriller for its third act. It really is quite an odd collision of genres, taking the film in directions I certainly wouldn't have predicted. And by that point it has become so ridiculous and far fetched that any genuine attempts at satire have been left long behind. So it certainly does become a bit of a mess, but quite an intriguing and entertaining mess at that, largely thanks to the impressive cast. Given the talent involved however I just wish it was better. With Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Laura Linney and Jeff Goldblum that's a intriguing and talented cast that has been assembled, and I just don't feel they are utilised anywhere near to their full potential.
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997, d. David Mirkin) - Really,
really stupid film. But one that I found to have a rather endearing quality to it. This was largely down to the performances of Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino and the dim-witted characters they created. Sort of felt like
Wayne's World but with two girls instead of guys.
About Time (2013, d. Richard Curtis) - Utterly charming. This was a funny, sweet and touching little film that on occasion is achingly British. It also wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, taking things into a bit of a more serious direction on occasion and finishing on quite a moving note. The film is a love story but not quite the one I was expecting, it becomes a story about the love between a father and son. Domhnall Gleeson was very likeable in the lead role and I found Rachel McAdams to be just absolutely adorable. Though stealing the show for me was Bill Nighy who was predictably great.
Bernie (2011, d. Richard Linklater) - Quite a fun, quirky little film but I felt that it suffered from being unable to choose a tone and direction to stick with; did it want to be a dark comedy, a farce, a p*ss-take of small town America, a satire of the judicial system? I'm not really sure, and it didn't seem like the film was all that sure either. What the film does have however is a trio of strong and entertaining performances from Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey. Black in particular is quite excellent, giving a much subtler and more melancholic turn than I've ever seen from him.
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013, d. Thor Freudenthal) - First of all, an admission; I have a real soft spot for silly, fluffy and frequently pretty poor fantasy films. Films like
Percy Jackson, Sorceror's Apprentice, Stardust, Inkheart, Night at the Museum etc. So while this was never going to be bothering any awards shows, I enjoyed it. It's a very breezy, fast paced film which does actually have a couple of very impressive set-pieces, with an attack by a huge mechanical, steampunk bull being the highlight. The young actors are all quite appealing while there are a few treats in the adult department with the likes of Stanley Tucci and Anthony Stewart Head. There's also a hugely fun cameo from Nathan Fillion as the god Hermes, a cameo that even includes a neat Firefly reference.
Larry Crowne (2011, d. Tom Hanks) - While he is generally associated with more dramatic fare these days, Tom Hanks has made his fare share of great comedies; romantic comedies included. This isn't one of them. As far as it being a comedy there were very few if any laughs to be found. However I did still find it to be just a really sweet, feel-good film. A little film that just leaves you with a smile on your face and a nice warm feeling. As my favourite actor I could watch and enjoy Tom Hanks in just about anything, and together he and Julia Roberts share a really nice, easy-going chemistry.
+
Bachelor Party (1984, d. Neal Israel) - If you need your comedies to have a degree of subtlety and wit then this likely is not the film for you. On occasion however I found this early Tom Hanks effort to be pretty damn hilarious with a few stand-out sequences including a really fun sequence at a cinema showing a 3D film. The humour is certainly of the puerile, low-brow and at times vulgar nature. However I felt that Tom Hank's charming presence somerwhat took the edge off meaning that I never really found it offensive. Just very funny.
-