Paul (Greg Mottola, 2011) Review

No! No this is NOT part of the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy. Is that clear? Different director, different cast (except for Simon Pegg and Nick Frost), set in America and different writers. The only similarity (other than Pegg and Frost) is the producers which I believe was one of the main advertising points. Good for them! Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz were clearly made with a British audience in mind but, while there is a bit of British humour, Paul is made for a universal audience. No one is left out this time!

Clive Gollings (Nick Frost), a Sci-fi writer and Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg), Clive's artist, are touring America after visiting Comic-con in San Diego. They plan to visit all the alien related sites in America until they encounter a real alien, Paul (Seth Rogan). Paul is on run from FBI agents due to Paul's escape and breakout from Area 51, where he was being held for decades, giving ideas to the human race regarding alien life (movies, television, lunch boxes etc.). Top FBI Agent Zoil (Jason Bateman) enlists the duo of Agents Haggard (Bill Hader) and O'Reilly (Joe Lo Truglio) in order to help track down Paul and take him back to Area 51 for experiments.

This is a Sci-fi comedy. A strange combination for a film genre, I know but that can only mean two things. It's either a parody or, like Paul, it's filled to the brim with references to different media (most noticeable other films). These references range from t-shirts to quotes to even casting Sigourney Weaver because of her role in Alien (seriously she is a genre icon for Sci-fi, don't argue). This is truly a film for nerds and geeks and really, that's not a bad thing (seeing as i'm both, I don't see a problem).

I think it's safe to say that the FBI agents deserve their own paragraph. That's because they do. Zoil, Haggard and O'Reilly are easily the funniest, most memorable and just the best characters in the film. Mainly the duo of Haggard and O'Reilly. While Zoil is the only sane man in the film (which is saying a lot), Haggard and O'Reilly are the comic relief and MAN do they ever act in that role. With one of them being played by the hilarious Bill Hader, what else were you expecting. I won't go deep as there is way to much to cover in terms of hilarity but I'll just say that every time their on screen, some funny is about to happen.

Paul, despite being a comedy, has a lot of deep...I want to say morals but I'm not sure if that covers it...such as religion (well handled by the love interest Ruth Buggs (Kristen Wiig) so there is something to take from this film. I would imagine the majority of what to take is the quotes and references. It's a film you can come back to and notice new things, like Back To The Future.

Verdict:
8/10
A hilarious take on alien films that is only for those nerdy enough to get the references.

Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007) Review

Want more laughs? Violence? Swans? It's all here in Hot Fuzz. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost return with Edgar Wright in the directing role in order to provide yet another hilarious film not unlike their previous film, Shaun Of The Dead. There is a lot more here than in the previous film. More actors, a bigger location, more jokes, more violence and much bigger stars used. Hot Fuzz is a huge expansion on Shaun Of The Dead.

Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is the top police officer in London but the rest of the police force (including Steve Coogan, Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy) are less than happy for his success. In an act of jealousy, the force send Nicholas to the country village of Sandford, a village which hasn't had a murder in many, many years which Nicholas isn't used to. He meets Sanford's police force, run by Inspector Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent) and he gains a new police partner Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). After Nicholas' arrival, a series of suspisious 'accidents' occur leaving Nicholas and Danny to work out what is behind them.

If Shaun Of The Dead is a parody of zombie films, then that means Hot Fuzz is a parody of buddy cop/slasher films. it shows the partnership between Nicholas and Danny, pandering to the buddy cop half, but is also incredibly violent, much like a slasher film. It manages to balance the two genres incredibly well and it is great to see a comedic take on these genres that actual works and is incredibly funny. I can only assume the third film in the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy, At Worlds End is going to be a parody of end of the world films such as 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow.

The cast is a huge expansion on the cast of Shaun Of The Dead which featured the likes of Dylan Moran and Jessica Hynes with cameos including Martin Freeman and Matt Lucas. Now, the cast includes the likes of comedian Bill Bailey, James Bond star Timothy Dalton, and the aforementioned Jim Broadbent. That's not to say there aren't cameos featured throughout. Lord Of The Rings Director Peter Jackson, an unrecognisable Kate Blanchett and even the director Edgar Wright appear in 'blink and you miss it' moments. Hot Fuzz is a coming together of some of Britain's greatest comedic stars (and even more more serious stars).

I recall mentioning in my review for Shaun Of The Dead that there is a lot of British humour and OH MAN is it present here. It's set in a Somerset village so naturally there are going to be a lot of references to British themes. Things such as chavs (a little bit), a shoot out in a Somerfield supermarket and it can even be linked to the riots that occurred in Britain in 2011 with the idea of corrupt police (although it came out before). This shows the range of references.

Hot Fuzz takes what was made standard in Shaun Of The Dead and expands on it, making for a much funnier, bigger and better film. The expanded jokes, references, cast and violence make for a great film that really shows a more accurate representation of Britain in comparison to films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral or Notting Hill.

Verdict:
9/10
A hilarious yet violent film that expands the best of Shaun Of The Dead.

Prometheus (Ridley Scott, 2012) Review

Confusing films seem to be a common trend in the film industry. Inception and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy are good examples of recent films that are considered confusing and require you to think while and after watching the film. Prometheus is different for one reason: I still can't get my head round it! Don't get me wrong, the narrative is easy to understand, it's just certain things that aren't explained. Don't give me the whole "You haven't watched Alien argument". From what I can tell there are only a few connections (which are spoilers so I'll leave those out).

After discovering cave paintings that lead to a constellation in deep space, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) sets off with a team of specialists to find where these paintings lead to. The team includes Shaw's partner Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), Captain Janek (Idris Elba), Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) and the android David (Michael Fassbender). They discover a planet way away from Earth which they theorise will hold secret to human life and existence.

I previously mentioned this is a confusing film. That is because of the lack of explanations of events that take place in the film. I enjoy films that make you think, in fact I think they are generally better films because of it but here, they are asking a lot from us to work out everything. Most films drop clues. Unless they were well hidden, I didn't spot any which led to a lot of confusion.

It's very VERY clear that this is a Ridley Scott film and part of the Alien franchise. Gross-out violence is featured throughout this film. I generally can take high amounts of gore and, while there isn't a lot of gore in comparison to a film such as Saw, even I felt a bit freaked out at times. Prometheus really gives some chilling and gross moments. Even chillingly gross moments! This is a very violent film with violent scenes that almost comes out of nowhere but in this case, it's not a bad thing...at all.

There is some surprisingly good acting in this film. Noomi Rapace (who's first language isn't English but is still very convincing and has come along way since Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) does an excellent job as the protagonist and you actually feel what she feels, especially towards the end. Michael Fassbender seemed very flat at first. Sure, he was a robot, but it just seemed off. Later on however, you get adjusted to it and realise that he's actually doing a very good job. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he's nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars (Trust me, Prometheus will be nominated for something...I just don't know what!).

Prometheus may have been confusing and filled with too many enigma codes, it's almost covered by some excellent acting, a decent narrative and some top notch action. Sure, it may not have lived up the the epic hype that it had (I honestly expected it to be this years Avatar) but it kind of fall flat by being insanely dull.

Verdict:
6.5/10
Well crafted characters and action sequences but this can't save the lack of explanations or just anything that's meaningful...DO BETTER NEXT TIME, RIDLEY!

Shaun Of The Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004) Review

It's a Romance film. It's a Comedy film. It's a Rom-Com...with Zombies. A Zom-Rom-Com if you will. Shaun Of The Dead is the first film in the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy of films. This series consists of this film, Hot Fuzz and the soon to be released The Worlds End. No Paul. Paul is not written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright nor is it directed by Edgar Wright. These details matter!

Shaun's (Simon Pegg) girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) has dumped him due to his lack of commitment. He decides to turn his life around so that he can win Liz back, build back his relationship with his mother (Penelope Wilton) and also deal with an invasion of the undead. Yes, that's right. It's a zombie apocalypse and Shaun and his flatmate Ed (Nick Frost) have to help their closest friends survive the invasion. They're hide out of choice? The local pub, The Winchester, much to the annoyance of Liz and her friends (Dylan Moran and Lucy Davis).

If the name of the film wasn't an indication, Shaun Of The Dead is a parody of George A. Romero's classic zombie films including the likes of Night Of The Living Dead and Dawn Of The Dead. I may have said parody, but it's more of an affectionate parody. It takes it's time with making it unique without forcing the humour. Don't get me wrong, it's a funny film but it's also touching and heartwarming, especially the climax.

I can't talk about a Simon Pegg/Nick Frost film without talking about the humour. It's British humour so an American audience may not get most of the humour. I don't know, I'm not American. There's always Zombieland instead. There are some very memorable lines and scenes that are often quoted or referenced alot by the general public. It's a very memorable film in general.

Shaun Of The Dead is an excellent twist on the horror genre (although I would guess it's part of the romantic comedy genre) that is memorable but sadly, may not to be everyone's taste. It's a Working Title film which means it gets universal distribution. Whether or not that means it's a cult film in America is beyond me but all I know is that it's very popular over here.

Verdict:
8.5/10
A great zombie film that, while having select 'British-only' humour not everyone will get, still makes for a memorable and hilarious film

Rango (Gore Verbinski, 2011) Review

We got an Oscar winner here, folks! Rango won itself the Academy Award for Best Animated Film. That's a good sign. It's been a while since Nickelodeon has made a good film so, with the director of Pirates of the Carribean taking the role of director, let's take a look at the animated western, Rango.

Rango (Johnny Depp) is a pet chameleon who has no experience of the outside world. After his tank is thrown from the back of his owner's car, Rango is left out in the middle of nowhere to fend for himself. He meets an Armadillo, Roadkill (Alfred Molina) who tells Rango about a town. He finds the town of Dirt, run by the Mayor Tortoise John (Ned Beaty). Dirt is in fear of a hawk that attacks the town regularly. After an attack with Rango around, Rango accidentally kills the hawk and wins the respect of Dirt. There are other characters along the way such as Beans (Isla Fisher) and Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy)

It's safe to say the biggest appeal of Rango is the art style. Normally films about anthropomorphic animals have some kind of cartooney style. Rango ignores this and goes straight for a realistic style. All the animals shown are real animals (specific animals too) that rendered realistically. Sure it's weird at first and you may find yourself asking "What the hell is that thing?" but all in all, it looks good and it's a nice change of pace that differentiates itself from other animated films.

One of the winning aspects (yes, winning) is how it is clearly trying to bring back the western genre. The only film i've seen recently that is also trying to bring back westerns is the remake of True Grit. There are lots of Western tropes and conventions shown throughout including a shootout and a duel. By the end of the film it feels like a proper Western and that is what it is trying to be.

Rango just misses out on a perfect score because there are problems. What film doesn't? Rango's problems lie in some...unnessesary scenes. There are a lot of moments and scenes that just feel off and weren't particularly needed in the film.

Rango is a great animated film that actually deserved the Acadamy Award (although Puss In Boots and Kung Fu Panda 2 were excellent). It is by no means a kids film. Really. It isn't. That is one of the high points, how non-politically correct it is.

Verdict:
9/10
A well crafted animated film that really isn't for kids. That's a plus!

Brick (Rian Johnson, 2005) Review

Oh hey! An independent film! Didn't expect that did you? You probably haven't even heard of this film. If I'm not mistaken, Rian Johnson is set to do a new film which also stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the star of Brick, which is actually soundng good. Anyway, without further ado (or adieu...I hate grammar sometimes) let's take a look at Brick.

Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a high school student whose presumed girlfriend Emily (Emilie de Ravin) is killed due to her involvement with a drug ring. In order to find out specifically what happened, Brendan, with the help of his only friend The Brain (Matt O'Leary) seeks out the drug ring leader The Pin (Lukas Haas) and his right hand man Tugger (Noah Fleiss). While working for The Pin, Brendan meets Laura (Nora Zehetner), not just the main love interest of the film but also the femme fatale.

I mentioned that Brendan is a high school student. This is only relevant as it could be used to identify the genre that this film is in. I would consider it a teen high-school neo-noire detective film. That's a mouthful, I know. Yes, a majority of it takes place in a high school but Brendan and The Brain are the only students that have a primary role. In addition to this, there is only one adult that actually does something and that's Assistant Vice Principal Truman who uses students to reveal information about each other (suddenly the name Truman doesn't seem so appropriate). The neo-noire side of the film is because Brendan is acting as a detective character in order to gather information about Emily.

Brick is not a film for everyone. I may have said it for other films but I really men it here. It's for a select audience really. Maybe this is the reason that it's an independent film rather than mainstream (other than the fact it isn't financed by a major corporation). It's full of violence, suspense, sexual references and it really isn't a comedy (I don't really know why you would expect it to be anyway. Look at the picture at the top. Does that look funny to you?!).

Joseph Gordon-Levitt does an excellent job playing Brendan. He definitely is not a hero. Not even close. He is portrayed as neutral or an anti-hero. He only does what he needs to do in order to get the information. He doesn't take sides, he only helps to be helped in return and doesn't plan on saving anyone. He only looks out for himself. Gordon-Levitt really captures this look of all the ideas I just listened. He comes off as a tortured soul.

Brick is an unconventional film that definitely is not for everyone's taste. While it has some excellent acting and a decent story, there are too many problems for a full recommendation such as how many enigma codes there are. I'm fine with some unanswered questions but here, there are just way too many. It hinders the film but it's by no means a terrible film.

Verdict:
7/10

It's interesting, sure, but that doesn't mean it's for everyone.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (Guy Ritchie, 2011) Review

Wow. Just...wow. I honestly thought that the first Sherlock Holmes film was great. I didn't think it was possible to top it, after all, sequels are generally not as good as the firsts (Men In Black II is a good example of this) but here we are, a sequel better than the first! It took the first film and expanded on it, the writing is wittier and it has some great and memorable scenes.

After the events of the first film, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) goes to meet her master, Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris) in order to provide more information about Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.).  Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) goes to visit Holmes after Adler is 'let go' by Moriarty. Holmes as deciphered that Moriarty is the criminal mind behind all the recent crimes in London. The second half of the narrative is that Holmes and Watson are assisting Simza Heron (Noomi Rapace), a gypsy fortune teller, to find her brother Renee who is believed to have some connection to Moriarty's crimes. Holmes and Watson are also assisted by Holmes' brother Mycroft (Stephen Fry) and his connections.

If you recall my review of the first film, you would know that I praised Mark Strong for his role as Lord Blackwood but he is not featured in this film (for obvious reasons). In his place is Jared Harris in his role as Professor James Moriarty. Blackwood had the idea of obvious evil. One look and you can tell he is the villain. With Moriarty though, there is an unassuming look about him. The first scene that Holmes meets with Moriarty, he looks like a nice guy whose just doing his job (he's a lecturer by the way) and Jared Harris does a great job of creating this vision of Moriarty. Sherlock had Andrew Scott's completely insane, off the wall version of Moriarty which certainly was a surprise to see. It shows that Moriarty can have different interpretations and Harris definitely doesn't seem like a villain, and that's what makes him a great villain.

There is clearly chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law which is shown through Holmes and Watson. I neglect to mention in my last review about the partnership between the two characters and how it's expressed. Similar to that of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in Men In Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law work off each other exceedingly well, even more so in this sequel. The relationship between Holmes and Watson was the original bromance! Oh, and on the topic of Watson, seeing him drunk is hilarious. Okay random point over...

Actually, no, the random point is not over. I have to talk about the humour of this film. Sure, the first one was funny but this one is down right hilarious. The writing is much wittier and there are some great visual gags too. Whether it be a drunk Watson, Holmes' horse or "WHOSE BEEN DANCING ON MY CHEST?!". That was only scrapping the surface of the humour in this film. It is a funny film but it's full of juxtapositions. What do I mean? Well there are lots of tense or dark moments that have at least one line of dialogue or something else that actually makes you laugh and you're not so sure if you should be laughing or not. The perfect example is the scene where Moriarty is singing in German. I don't want to go too deep into it but his singing softens what is actually happening.

Sherlock Holmes:\A Game of Shadows is a perfect sequel to the excellent first instalment. The only problem I find is that it's only for those who have watched the first film. While there is little reference to the continuity, the reveal of Moriarty is excellent and considering how he was shown in the last film, it's great to see him properly and also the characters of Irene Adler and Lestrade (Eddie Marsan). I have almost nothing but praise for this. The acting is great, the casting is well done, the action is epic and is full of suspense that leads to hands down my favourite ending to a film ever.

Verdict:
9.5/10
It's bigger, funnier and better than the first. A tremendous film that could qualify for best adaptation of all time.

Also I didn't need to see Stephen Fry naked, thank you very much...