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 - A Million Ways To Die In The West

A Million Ways To Die In The West (2014)

Blue Grass Films / Fuzzy Door Productions / Media Rights Capital / RGB Media / Reel Chefs Catering : Universal Pictures / KVH Media Group

4.5 / 10

This is one of the many movies where the trailer is better than the film because it eradicates all the superfluous parts, which in this instance is a lot.

The concept of the story should have allowed for a variety of humour but once again the writer decided to stick to puerile adult toilet humour.  Don't get me wrong, I like this kind of humour and some of it does make me guffaw, though I find many "Comedy" films are relying on it too much and this commonplaceness turns it stale.

Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild, also seem to run out of these type of jokes and try to extend them until they become cringeworthy and dullened.  The point in case being Giovanni Ribisi's character Edward and his relationship with his fiance Ruth, played by Sarah Silverman.  Edward and Ruth are truly in love and are waiting to get married, in the eyes of God, before they celebrate their love conjugally.  The problem being that Ruth is a whore in the saloon, who does the best business in town.  This conflict is funny when first used, though by the third time it's starting to wear thin, then it just isn't funny anymore.  These writers know how to kill jokes (another way to Die In The West).

However, credit where credit is due, the planting of the flower is pretty funny.

Though some of Seth MacFarlane's jokes fall short his directing skills are pretty solid as he does more than a decent job throughout.

There's some serious acting talent in the film, though I do feel as though the characters could have been a little stronger.  The main bad guy, the gunslinger Clinch, played by Liam Neeson, doesn't come off mean enough.  He should be somebody to be scared of but he isn't.  Charlize Theron, who plays Anna, should've been a lot tougher than portrayed.  The west was a savage and dangerous place and she was Clinch's woman.  The only characters which come out of this film correctly are Seth MacFarlane, who does a decent act as the cowardly farmer, who doesn't farm, Giovanni Ribisi and Sarah Silverman who do well adding a depth to their characters.  Even though Neil Patrick Harris does a decent job with the character of Foy, it does seem to be very similar to other characters he's portrayed - and the moustache song... really(?) 

Though, the decent acting ability and direction cannot make up of the dullness of the script, missed opportunities to be funny, and overused and tiresome jokes.

Unless there's nothing else worth watching I would stay away from this dud of a movie.