Movie Review - Spy

Spy

2015

The Cast

So here we have another very unfunny comedy film.  Why is it people think swearing out of context is funny.  Swearing can be much more comedic when handled as part of a witty dialogue.  Then, of course, there are the standard poo jokes.  The even more used machismo parodies.  Based on the over-utilised underdog that learns to bite back and roar like a lion storyline.  With a twist that's so obvious, it's actually not a twist.  This is just a mash-up of the usual elements, however, writer and director Paul Feig does give us something new with them, he actually makes them boring.  Throughout the entire film, there were three places that made me smile and only one that made me laugh... and that was towards the end - a long time to wait.

Though I will say this for Feig, he really can direct a film.  The only thing which keeps this movie interesting is the direction.  There are quite a few decent camera shots and angles, well lighted and composed.  He's also pretty good at action.  The fight scenes are spot on and the chase sequences are excitingly filmed.  If it weren't for this and the cast the film would be a real dud.

As for the acting, this was below par for most of the cast.  And it was the lead role of  Susan Cooper (McCarthy) which spoils the film, instead of strengthening it.  This is mainly because McCarthy plays McCarthy:  Most of the characters she's played to date can be easily interchanged between their films, as there are very few differences.  It would be nice to see her stretch her acting wings in her next role.  Maybe if she actually had a good script and an original character to work with...

I watched this for Miranda; I wondered how good she would be in a movie.  She wasn't too bad; it was her scene that made me laugh, but there wasn't much to stretch her skills here.  And, for Jason Statham, as I've been a fan since I saw him in The One.  He has grown as an actor throughout his career, though, this feels like a few steps backwards.

If you're a McCarthy fan you should like this though it'll feel all too familiar, at times.  As for everybody else, it's an okay way to waste some time if you've got nothing better to do.

I give this a Stone-Faced Unsmirking but Action Packed 5 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Hot Pursuit

Hot Pursuit

2015

The Cast

Being a fan of Reese Witherspoon and enjoying Sofia Vergara in Modern Family I had to check out this film. It's a shame that the writers and director decided to take it in the direction they did. Witherspoon does a brilliant job of the OCD Cop Cooper, the scene with the "Baking Powder" is one of the best as she gets all hyper as does her speech, and Witherspoon stays in character and accent very well. However, it's Vergara that I feel sorry for as I've seen her in a couple of different roles and she is a good actress. But for the role of Daniella Riva, she's pretty much Gloria.

As for the writing, well Feeney and Quaintance are not the best comedic writers I've seen; and along with the director's Anne Fletcher approach, the comedy is as subtle as a brick. For most of the time, the scenes are overcooked. For example, the escape through the men's toilet window. It's been done before, and better, though for me some of the dialogue could have been sharper and wittier. There's also great opportunity to have a little slapstick and sight gags, but this falls flat and the entire scene is too long. I think this would have been a much better film and the story had more seasoned writers and directors produced this movie. That said, it's not too bad a film and everybody needs to hone their skills; it's at least worth one watch to pass some time.

The best scene in the movie is the one where Cooper and Daniella are handcuffed and need to drive a bus to escape the bad guys while trying to shoot them. This is a well thought out scene and actually did make me laugh, whereas, the rest of the film only raised a smile.

The worst scene is the lesbian group. There are times when it's evident that men wrote this story and this is one of the points in case. Though, the entire scene and set-up feels strained and unloved. It's as though this was thrown into the film, and the director begrudgingly filmed it. Even Witherspoon and Vergara look and feel uncomfortable. It just doesn't work and should have ended up on the cutting room floor.

All in all, this isn't the best comedic film I've watched, though it is better than a lot out there at the moment. As I said before it raised a few smiles and raised my mood, which is a good thing, so I would recommend at least one viewing - as long as there's nothing else you'd rather watch.

For an above average film, I give this an above average 6 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Pixels

Pixels

(2015)

Columbia Pictures / Happy Madison Productions / 1492 Pictures : Columbia Pictures / Sony Home Entertainment

8.25 / 10

So here's my guilty little secret - I like Adam Sandler films...

Even though he's done some real dross in his career he's brought out a movie or three that has made me laugh out loud, from Airheads back in 1994 and including The Wedding Singer, Little Nicky, Mr Deeds, Eight Crazy Nights, 50 First Dates, The Longest Yard, Bedtime Stories, Funny People, and now Pixels.

I love the fact that it makes a parody of the Voyager space probes, which contained golden records containing information about Earth, should an alien race find them... and be able to play them!

Now, I was a kid in the 70's and 80's so I remember Arcades and the hours and money spent on Invaders, Asteroids, and Pacman.  I could never get the handle of Defender, though.  So this movie spoke to me right from the opening shot.  So our future hero's are the nerds of their time taking part in a great Arcade Shoot-Out, where it comes down to two players, Eddie, portrayed brilliantly by Peter Dinklage, who gives a nice air of sleaziness to the character and his "Hard Guy" voice is great, and Brenner, played by Sandler (who does another great portrayal of Adam Sandler :-) ).

Brenner loses and this loss paves the way for his future fate as he never quite gets to become the person he dreamed of in his youth.  However, his best friend Will Cooper fares better and is elected as the President of the United States.  So when the strange attacks on the Good Ol' US of A cause concern and the heads of security cannot figure out what is happening President Cooper spots something familiar on a video clip and calls in his friend Brenner for help.

This is a totally outlandish plot, which the actors, writers, and director do a fantastic job of playing straight and make the comedy about the situations and narrative.  The scene where the creator of Pacman meets his "Sweet Little Boy" is well thought out and is a perfect example of this.

And the scene where Brian Cox's and Sean Bean's characters become "Extra Close" made me laugh out loud... very loud... loved it.  The director, Chris Columbus, uses all of the actors and each of them gives a good performance to build character and comedic situations.  Not one of them feels like they would rather be elsewhere; this makes for a better film.  He also keeps the pace going as the action ramps up to the finale.

To be honest, I cannot find a single fault with this film.  Yes, Adam Sandler's acting dexterity isn't of the highest calibre, but in this film, he tones down the outrageousness of some of his previous movies and it works well within the story and movie, so it's not a drawback here.

And since I can relate to the film, as well as it making me laugh a lot and giving me a nice warm and happy feeling, this has now elevated it to the upper ranks of my favourite comedy films.

I would recommend this to all, just sit back and let the happy come...