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Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel
(viewed 28th December 2009, 20th January 2010)
Synopsis: When Dave (Jason Lee) is hospitalized, Alvin (voiced by Justin Long), Simon (voiced by Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (voiced by Jesse McCartney) are forced to live with Dave's relative Toby (Zachary Levi) and, even worse, attend high school.
What can I say; if you want a short, colorful, cutesy yet watchable film aimed directly at kids, then this is definitely one for you. Clearly Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel is as generic and predictable as the first film, but not for the bad reasons. It's everything a kid's film is meant to be, whilst still being bearable for the adults.
The cast is quite good here; Jason Lee (although only a minor role this time around) and David Cross are good, and Zachary Levi is quite funny throughout. The voice acting for the Chipmunks is also well done (especially Matthew Gray Gubler, but that might be my inner fangirl-bias), including the welcome additions of Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler and Anna Faris as the voices of the Chipettes.
There are a few negative aspects that make the first installment slightly better than Squeakuel. Alvin has become very self-centered charcater-wise which focuses more on former-supporting characters Simon and Theodore, since they are therefore more likeable. The female chipmunks, the Chipettes, also seem less-well animated; they look very fake, as compared to the Chipmunks, with whom the animation is mostly top-notch.
Cookies for anyone who spots the Dodgeball reference. :)
In short: cute, amusing and watchable for adults. 3/5
Old Dogs
(viewed 30th December 2009)
Synopsis: Two friends and business partners, Charlie (John Travolta) and Dan (Robin Williams), find their lives turned upside down when they suddenly have to care for Dan's two estranged kids.
I'll be frank; I don't remember much of this film, which just shows what an impression it left on me. There were a couple of moments where I laughed out loud, but on the whole this is yet another example of sub-par school holiday 'family entertainment' that includes lead actors who are clearly going "My career is ending!" through gritted teeth. (Sorry Robin Williams and John Travolta, but somebody had to say it.)
The only saving graces of this film I can recall (and they are very, very small saving graces) were the few times I laughed, and a handful of quite sweet moments Dan had with his kids. Besides this, the film is riddled with plot elements that just shouldn't be in a kids film (illegitimate children that the main character didn't know existed, drug references and the kids' mother going to jail, for example) and several examples of some truly awful CGI.
Basically, only see this film if someone else pays to take you.
In short: cheesy, lame and relatively uninteresting. 1.5/5
The Princess and the Frog
(viewed 6th January 2010)
Synopsis: Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose), a hard-working New Orleans girl who dreams of becoming a princess, is accidentally turned into a frog when she kisses Naveen (voiced by Bruno Campos), a prince under the same curse.
What a beautiful film! It's very refreshing to see Disney going back to their roots, and boy, have they done it brilliantly. The animation is amazing, the voicework is top-notch and the songs are lovely. If you don't dance around in your seat (or at least tap your toes) to The Princess and the Frog's soundtrack, you're dead inside.
Disney have also done very well to stay true to the look and feel of New Orleans. The locations, themes and characters etc. are all spot-on with the time period and are simply a beautiful sight to behold. It's also refreshing to see Disney's first African-American princess - racial equality for the win!
Sadly, though, I feel there is something that The Princess and the Frog lacks that will hinder it from becoming a 'classic' Disney film of the likes of Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella. Perhaps it's that the original story is less well-known than the others, or simply that hand-drawn animated features have all but passed their use-by date. Regardless of this, it's a gorgeous film (there, I said 'gorgeous' mum. Deal with it :) ) and will have you leave the cinema with a big fat smile on your face.
In short: beautiful and enchanting. 4/5
It's Complicated
(viewed 12th January 2010)
Synopsis: Jane (Meryl Streep) hooks up with her ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin) during her son's college graduation. Whilst excited at finally being the mistress, Jane also can't help but be drawn to charismatic architect Adam (Steve Martin).
This film was surprisingly funnier than I expected. Meryl Streep is quickly becoming one of my favourite actresses; she is positively hilarious, and if I look half as good as her when I'm her age I'll be happy. She effortlessly carries this film and does so with perfected charm and wit. Steve Martin is also a surprise, in that he has toned down his comedic aspects in favour of a more romantic vibe, and still manages to be the side-splitting clown we know him as.
The support cast is also great, with the obvious standout being John Krasinski, whom I had vastly underrated prior to this film. He had me laughing out loud in almost every scene he appeared in, and fitted nicely with all other actors whilst simultaneously holding his own. Nancy Meyers' writing is also deserving of praise, in that she avoids a definitive ending (and therefore avoids praising or frowning upon extra-marital affairs) whilst providing an appropriate amount of happiness and closure.
But God - I HATE Alec Baldwin! He is truly awful in this film; his character comes across as purely annoying, and had me audibly sighing in exasperation whenever he came on screen. His character is sleazy and unfunny, which perhaps could've been improved with different casting, but in all honesty, pring your iPod for his scenes.
In short: hilarious and well-written. 4/5
Tooth Fairy
(viewed 14th January 2010)
Synopsis: Minor-league hockey player Derek Thompson (Dwayne "Don't Call Me The Rock Anymore, Okay?" Johnson) commits a bad deed and, as a result, must serve a one-week sentence - as a tooth fairy.
Hooray, another kids' school holiday film! And, sadly, another relatively generic one at that. The idea is amusing enough - who doesn't want to see The Rock dressed in a tutu standing beside Julie Andrews? - but it grows tired quickly. As amusing as Dwayne Johnson is, he doesn't quite hit his stride in this film, and seems doomed to play douchey sports stars turned good for the rest of his career.
The cast of this film is entertaining enough; Johnson and Andrews as mentioned above, as well as Stephen Merchant, whom some of you will recognise from Extras and the UK version of The Office. His sarcastic brand of humor provides most laughs here. The biggest laugh comes from Andrews, however, so please stay for the end credits. Family Guy fans will also enjoy a cameo by Seth MacFarlane, in a rare appearance not behind a writer's desk or microphone.
What annoyed me about Tooth Fairy is the lack of magical-ness regarding the fairies themselves; there was too much sarcastic humor and strict rules and not enough outright kindness. Also, Ryan Sheckler, please go back to your hometown skate park and stay there. You don't belong in Hollywood.
In short: amusing, if generic. 2/5
Law Abiding Citizen
(viewed 31st January 2010)
Synopsis: A man (Gerard Butler) whose family is brutally murdered in front of him takes matters into his own hands when the justice system fails him and one of his family's killers walks free.
Quick tip: don't eat much before seeing this film. Queasiness overload in the first half-hour.
Law Abiding Citizen is a relatively exciting thriller that questions the accuracy of America's criminal justice system. The only problem is, it starts off as a film that wants to have an underlying message about today's society, but takes this message onto the back porch about one-third of the way in and lights it on fire. Instead of presenting these ideas and asking the what, why and how like it should, it goes "THIS IS WRONG MKAY" and quickly gets back to the violence.
The other main problem (besides Jamie Foxx's acting, but I won't go there) is Gerard Butler's villain, Clyde. I'm sure he'd be perfectly capable of playing a terrifying villain, but the way he is written here simply doesn't work. At the beginning of the film he is a broken man, whom we as viewers pelt mercilessly with our sympathy. A few scenes later, however, as he begins to brutally torture a man, he quickly changes into a generic, batshit-crazy-for-no-completely-discernable-reason CSI Villain of the Week; one who is completely undeserving of the aforementioned sympathy. As a result of this, the eventual climax and ending is, in fact, quite anticlimactic.
That and Clyde's whole scheme is absurd. The majority of his diabolical plot resides around him getting sent to prison and subsequently moved into solitary confinement - but, short of being a Time Lord, how could he be sure which prison he would go to and not be transferred out of state, for example? Numerous miraculous happenings such as these make the film much less believable than it should be.
This is all not to say the film isn't exciting, however. The real fun of this film comes from knowing exactly which scenes in which someone is going to die, but not knowing at all exactly when or how. There are several well-executed instances which cause viewers to jump from their seats, or cringe away in horror, that still make the film unsettling yet entertaining.
In short: entertaining albeit poorly executed. 2.5/5
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