New movies; 26th Nov. - 4th Dec.

So I've decided I'm just going to review movies in clumps as I see new films and subsequently (eventually) get the drive to post on here. Clumps of film reviews. Yes. :)

The Invention Of Lying
(viewed 26th November 2009)


Synopsis: In a world where everyone tells the truth, 'loser' Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is the first man to discover how to lie.

Note to self: Rob Lowe looks terrible with stubble.

So here is Ricky Gervais' latest attempt to win over Hollywood. Don't get me wrong, I like a little bit of Ricky G on occasion, and in this film he is relatively funny whilst silumtaneously proving he actually does quite well with drama, too (he almost had me in tears at one point). That said, there are also several occasions in The Invention of Lying where Gervais' comedic style of simply stuttering and rephrasing a normal sentence is simply tiresome.

Add to this the fact that the film becomes unprecedentedly preachy, with Gervais' character suddenly turning into someone akin to Moses and bitch-slapping the audience with tales of 'a man who lives in the clouds' (the famous Ten Commandments tablets are even directly spoofed, using pizza boxes, of all things). All I could do, as a hapless cinemagoer, was huddle further into my semi-cushioned, Coke-stained seat and stammer, "Wait, wait, what? 'Man in the clouds'? Heaven and Hell? Holy shit, I just wanted to see that guy from the real version of The Office."

Perhaps the film would have been funnier if it had made better use of its cast; Jennifer Garner is good, but Rob Lowe's character is pretty boring, and the rest of the potentially hilarious A-listers (names such as Tina Fey, Jonah Hill and even Philip Seymour Hoffman) barely have five minutes each of screen time.

The film eventually comes off as one that isn't as funny as it should be, and that tries to have an overall message or prominent social commentary, but doesn't achieve either.

In short: amusing, but mostly misses the mark. 2/5


Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
(viewed 1st December 2009)


Synopsis: In order to solve his town's food crisis, scientist Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) invents a machine that converts water into food, but accidentally shoots it into the sky, causing food to rain from the sky.

I fully expected this film to be a cutesy, marginally amusing kids school holiday flick. Which it is, but it is also so much more. I saw this with four other friends, and we surprisingly found ourselves falling over each other in laughter.

Firstly, the film is simply gorgeous. The animation is top-notch, hilarious and colorful. The animators are to be commended for their ability to portray the slapstick humor of the characters with the realism of the foods that fall from the sky.

The script is also hilarious, with much dialogue that adults can appreciate as well as children. There are a lot of jokes that will go over kids' heads, but that's where the visuals come in - they'll be so entranced by the ice cream-covered houses that they won't care.

Another massive plus is the voice acting. All of the main cast is brilliant, especially Bill Hader and Anna Faris, who voice their characters with gusto. However, the obvious standouts are Neil Patrick Harris as Steve the monkey (he barely says anything besides "Steve!" and "Gummi bears!" but damn, he's hilarious), and Mr. T, who plays a hilariously over-zealous and very physical cop, and pretty much takes the piss out of himself. People in my cinema cheered out loud when Mr. T's name showed up in the credits, because his work was just that awesome.

In short: surprisingly hilarious and fun for all ages. 4/5


The Time Traveler's Wife
(viewed 2nd December 2009)


Synopsis: A woman falls in love with a man who has a genetic anomaly that causes him to involuntarily time-travel.

There isn't much to say about this film, really. The story is interesting enough and eventually heartbreaking, and will reduce most to tears. However, as the film progresses, it starts to feel less like a plot and more like an excuse to keep putting actors on the screen. Speaking of the actors, both Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams are pretty good; nothing overly special or Oscar-worthy, but they're definitely not bad.

The only other element in this film worth discussing is the somewhat impressive CGI. It's nothing extravagant, but the way Eric Bana's character slowly fades into nothingness is very well executed.

In short: Not bad, but not great. 3/5


Zombieland
(viewed 3rd December 2009)


Synopsis: In zombie-occupied USA, a young man and his rules for survival in the zombie apocalypse are put to the test when he meets an eclectic bunch of fellow survivors.

All I can say is that this film was FANTASTIC. Hilariously written, each character is funny in their own individual way. Zombieland is a welcome addition to the growing zombie-comedy sub-genre.

One of my favourite elements of this film was the continuing references to Columbus' (Jesse Eisenberg) list of rules which he strictly follows in order to survive. Whenever he obeys or carries out one of the rules, it would hilariously pop up in CGI-style title cards to remind you of his strict rules.

All four main cast members are brilliant, especially Woody Harrelson, whose character's side-splitting one-liners and general badassery will have guys (and some girls) walking through supermarkets playing the Deliverance theme on banjos for ages. There is also a fucking AWESOME cameo at the halfway mark, but I'm going to take a leaf out of Empire magazine's book (no pun intended) and refer to the person only as The Cameo, since it's so awesome you'd skin me alive if I spoiled it for you.

Really the only, very slight, downside to this film is the violence. There is a lot of gruesome, slow-mo violence in the opening credits, so much so that I was cringing in my seat, hoping that it wasn't throughout the rest of the film. Thankfully, it wasn't. Despite a few momentary spurts of extreme violence, the fact that the really bad stuff is contained within the opening credits makes the film tolerable and much more enjoyable.

In short: brilliant and absolutely hilarious. 4.5/5


Where the Wild Things Are
(viewed 4th December 2009)


Synopsis: A disobedient young boy, Max (Max Records), who is sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world inhabited by ferocious wild creatures who crown him as their leader.

Somewhat interesting trivia: Aussie comedian Angus Sampson is the guy in The Bull costume.

Where the Wild Things Are is a gorgeous, failthful adaptation of the famous childrens' book. The locations are simply breathtaking (we have Australia to thank for that, as the film was mostly shot there), and the CGI on the monsters themselves is flawless. They are both terrifying and cute. The voice acting for the monsters is also fantastic, most notably by James Gandolfini and Catherine O'Hara, although all voices are charming and hilarious. Max Records is great as Max.

The soundtrack is also a standout, with easy-listening songs that match the film's general calm, cute tone. There is nothing too intense and some scenes feel akin to being hugged by an adult wearing a warm, furry jacket.

Unfortunately, the film is sadder than expected, and also drags on in places. This is generally counteracted, though, by the sheer beauty of the majority of the film, and the general magical feel of it. Some scenes simply make you grin from ear to ear and feel like you are eight years old again.

In short: cute and magical, but drags on in places. 3/5


SPECIAL EXTRA-CRISPY DVD REVIEW
Fanboys


Synopsis: Four Star Wars fanboys embark on a cross-country road trip in order to steal a rough cut of Star Wars Episode I from Skywalker Ranch before one of them succumbs to cancer.

I am in love with this film. It is hilarious and heartwarming and all the Star Wars references a Star Wars nerd could possibly want. You'll love it if you're a Wars fan, and you'll like it even if you're not. Besides, for you boys that aren't fans, it has Kristen Bell dressed as Slave Leia. Yeah, that got your attentions.

Not only is this film heartwarming, but it's chock full of hilarious references (such as a spoof of the trash compactor sequence from A New Hope, as above). It even takes the piss out of The Phantom Menace by indirectly admitting that Jar Jar Binks was (and still is) a flaming box of shit. Adding to the hilarity is Seth Rogen's homicidal pimp and also his angry Star Trek fan with a subsequent army of pissed off Trekkies.

Another great part of the film is the numerous cameos. Don't get me wrong, the main cast is great, but keep your eye out for Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), My Name is Earl's Ethan Suplee and even William Shatner. The awesome cherry on top of this film of awesomeness is that it's totally authorized by George Lucas.

In short: hilarious, and a must-see for Star Wars fans. 4.5/5