Bad Teacher: Movie Review

Bad Teacher: Movie Review

Bad Teacher
Rating: 4/10
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch
Director: Jake Kasdan
You'd think a raunchy comedy involving Cameron Diaz as an apathetic, pot smoking, drinking and uncaring teacher would be a natural sequel to Billy Bob Thornton's Bad Santa.
But I'm sorry to say this film is probably about as far away from that as you can get.
Diaz plays Elizabeth Halsey, a just retired teacher at a school, who's dumped by her fiancee after she's accused of gold digging by her would be mom-in-law. So facing a lack of cash and determined to get $10,000 for a boob job so she can net a sugar daddy, Halsey heads back to middle school and tries to cruise by and simply earn the cash she needs for surgery.
When Justin Timberlake's Scott Delacorte starts up as a supply teacher alongside Elizabeth, she senses he's got a bit of cash to splash and an inheritance to dig her claws into.
But what she's not reckoned with is Lucy Punch's uptight co-worker and all round do gooder teacher Amy Squirrel whose natural perkiness (both physically and on the job) just seems to get up Halsey's nose....
Throw into the mix Jason Segel's gym teacher, Russell who's got a crush on Halsey and it's a case of problems ahoy in the classroom.
Vulgar and crude can work - and in some parts of this film, it is laugh out loud funny as the foulest things come out of sweet looking Cameron Diaz's mouth - but there's little else on show in this "comedy" which exploits Diaz's sleazy looks and body for "laughs". (There's even a scene with Diaz wearing very short shorts and hosing herself down at a charity car wash while a rock song plays loudly in the background.)
Don't get me wrong, this has its moments and Segal, Diaz and Timberlake get by on the screen but the laughs in this flat comedy are few and far between - sure, there are some great one liners which cause mirth but it's not enough to get you through the film without it feeling like it's sagging. Diaz works as hard as she can but she can't save it - and really, who's rooting for a dumped, disdainful and selfish character whose prime motivation is simply a boob job....?

By now, you've probably come to the conclusion that I'm a prude with no sense of humour;I'd like to strongly assure you that is not so but I did end up feeling like Bad Teacher was a really missed opportunity; sure for the teen audience, and mainly young lads, this is probably high on their watching list.

My Afternoons with Margueritte: Movie Review

My Afternoons with Margueritte: Movie Review

My Afternoons with Margueritte
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Gerard Depardieu, Gisele Casadesus
Director: Jean Becker
Gerard Depardieu stars in this gently Gallic rustic piece about friendship.
He plays Germain Chazes a man who starts the film kicking down a door after being ripped off for doing a job.
On a walk back home he meets Margueritte (Casadesus) a kindly old lady and a friendship is slowly born through a shared book and a love of stories, as well as feeding the local pigeons.
My Afternoons with Margueritte is a gentle and pleasant piece which is as breezy as a summer cloud.
It's a sweet piece about the regrets of the past - Depardieu, looking incredibly portly and like Obelix from the French comics, is affable and loveable enough as he negotiates a monstrous mother who along with school has held him back for years as various flashbacks explain. Equally his friendship with Casadesus is easy and understandable as they continue to meet - it contrasts nicely with the harsh ribbing he takes from friends at a local cafe.

There's a sweet vibe to this film which wafts you along with it in a very simple way. It may not be the most memorable of pieces but it's certainly uplifting and heart warming as it plays out before you.

Cars 2: Movie Review

Cars 2: Movie Review

Cars 2
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, John Turturro
Director: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis
So, Lightning McQueen (Wilson) and his pal Mater (Larry The Cable Guy) return in this sequel to the 2006 smash about animated cars.
This time round, there's more racing mixed in with a heavy side of industrial espionage.
When McQueen's goaded into taking part in the World Grand Prix by the flashy racing car Francesco (Turturro), he pulls together a team to help him win the day. On that team is hillbilly tow truck and long term friend Mater. But through a series of mix ups, Mater finds himself involved in Finn McMissile (Caine) and his quest to break an industrial spy ring.
And that causes rifts between the two friends - can the rocky road to winning bring them back together in this global adventure?
Let me preface this review by saying there's an absolutely brilliant short before this main event - and it's the return of Woody, Buzz and the gang in Hawaiian Vacation, wherein Ken and Barbie are left behind and the toys do their best to give them a Hawaiian holiday so the pair can share their first kiss. The short packs more laughs per frame than anything I've seen this year and it's just joyous - long may those shorts continue.
Ok, so that out of the way, let's zoom back to Cars 2.
I'll begin by saying there's nothing wrong with this sequel - it's bright, it's flashy and its animation is once again top notch (particularly the absolutely incredible global backgrounds which are brought to life)- and it's great entertainment for the young (and admittedly the young at heart.)
But I felt a little let down at the end of it - the adventures of Mater take top billing and sideline McQueen to the pitstop and I think in some ways, that's where it lacks a little heart and warmth as you'd come to expect from a Pixar flick. The film's very much a derring do tale of spies and espionage - even Finn McMissile is an Aston Martin (James Bond anyone?) and the opening sequence with McMissile on an oil rig is clearly an homage to the opening stunts and pre-title madness of all the Bond films in the franchise.
While those are great and showcase the most brilliant of animation, it suffers a little from a lack of comedy as it treads the usual "embarassed by my buddy abroad" and "Culture clash" ground. There are laughs and some smart visual gags here and there, but I think this one's more aimed at the younger end (and the kids at the screening loved it) than the whole gamut as other Pixar films are wont to do.
Caine is a great addition to the group and I'd welcome him back for more as he brings a suave appeal to his Finn character; McQueen's not as self absorbed as the first film and Mater really plays to the hillbilly tendencies.

Don't get me wrong - Cars is still very good Pixar entertainment but it's a little ADD as it zips between stories but racing sequences are stunning and come vividly to life because of the 3D - it's just a shame this family viewing suffers from a lack of 3D in its characters which would have seen this winter blockbuster race ahead of the competition. (That's enough car related puns now, methinks).

Black Swan: Blu Ray Review

Black Swan: Blu Ray Review

Black Swan
Rating:R16
Released by 20th Century Fox and Roadshow

It's the film which won an Oscar and Golden Globes for Natalie Portman's portrayal of a ballet dancer.

And it's still as confounding as on its initial release earlier this year.

Set in New York, this latest from The Wrestler director Darren Aronofsky follows a ballet company which is about to put on a new version of Swan Lake.

Portman plays Nina Sayers, a control freak of a dancer who's pushed herself as far as she can go for her role; with an obsessive desire to be part of the new production, she's gone right to the physical edge for the role of the Black Swan.

As Sayers starts to work on loosening up and getting in touch with her darker side, she forms a friendship with fellow dancer Lily (Mila Kunis). But as the show draws ever closer and she tries to channel the deeper more disturbed Black Swan, Nina's world starts to fall apart amid jealousy and paranoia.

Black Swan is astounding, confounding, audacious, confusing and compelling viewing in equal parts.

It's a dizzying head trip of a film at times lead by Portman's Sayers; she captures the fragility and the delicateness of the physicality of the dancing role as well as the mental tone too.

Still a spellbinding watch Black Swan demands your attention and that's no bad thing.

Rating: 8/10 

Sherlock: Series one: Blu ray review

Sherlock: Series one: Blu ray review

Sherlock Series One
Rating: M
Released by BBC and Roadshow

A new Sherlock Holmes for the 21st Century?

Didn't Robert Downey Jr already do that on film last year?

Well, he did - but to be honest, he never reached the heights of this brilliant 3 parter from the team who helped with the reinvention of Dr Who, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and a BAFTA award winning Martin Freeman as Watson, this is compelling viewing from the get go as it takes Holmes from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books and updates him to the 21st century crime world of London.

This Holmes though is somewhat of a sociopath; he consults with Scotland Yard as a hobby because he has little else in life to keep him intellectually involved; so when Watson, a former army doctor ends up meeting Holmes, the pair become allies - albeit unlikely ones as they investigate a clutch of cases in London.

Over the course of three 90 minute stories, this modern day new version shines through - even though the second story isn't as compelling as those either side of it. And it's the writing, the clever visual touches and the brilliance of the main duo which make it so spinechillingly good.

Perhaps the highlight though is the third tale which introduces Holmes' nemesis and ends on a cliffhanger that you're screaming at the screen when the credits come up.

Clever, smart and confoundingly enjoyable, this is a Sherlock to love - and thank goodness more is on the way.

Extras: Commentary from creators, unaired pilot and a making of - a decent bunch

Rating: 8/10 

The Conspirator: Movie Review

The Conspirator: Movie Review

The Conspirator

Rating: 6/10

Cast: James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Tom Wilkinson, Justin Long, Kevin Kline

Director: Robert Redford

Back to the time of Lincoln's assassination for this very familiar tale of a lawyer torn between duty and a client who may be innocent but facing charges which will see her hanged.

McAvoy stars as Frederick Aiken, a returned Union war hero who's now working as legal counsel as they all cope with the aftermath of events following the assassination of US President Lincoln at Ford Theatre.

Seven men and one woman, Mary Surratt (Wright) are arrested for the murder and conspiracy and Aiken is given the job of defending Surratt of the charges.

But despite initial reticence to defend her, believing it's abhorrent to all he holds dear, Aiken soon begins to realise that she is innocent and fights tooth and nail to ensure she lives.

However, it appears the odds are against them.

An historical drama this may be but in many ways, it's a very traditional run of the mill legal drama; the tenets of every John Grisham style drama are there; the client who's being framed, the young lawyer who doesn't want the case but realises it's his chance to shine - they're all on hand.

And yet thanks to a masterful cast; particularly McAvoy and Wright's Surratt whose  demure outlook makes you empathise with her from the get go; this film is watchable - even if it does fall into the worthy but dull category at times.

In many ways, it feels like you're watching a play with a cast who're acting their socks off but following a legal drama adaptation. Redford's direction doesn't bring a lot of life to the story (he even uses a series of montages of paper headlines at one stage) but it's a well told conspiracy story which doesn't quite reach the heights it aspires to.

The Green Lantern: Movie Review

The Green Lantern: Movie Review

The Green Lantern
Rating: 4/10
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Mark Strong, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Taika Waititi, Temuera Morrison
Director: Martin Campbell
So another superhero franchise looks to take flight.
This time, it's the turn of the Green Lantern to try and sprinkle box office magic and ensure a future for the series.
Ryan Reynolds is cock sure pilot Hal Jordan, who despite his plucky exterior and all American clean cut image, is scarred by daddy issues, having seen his pops blown to pieces when a flight went wrong.
Jordan finds himself chosen by a green light one day (I know - bear with me) after an alien from the Green Lantern corp - a sort of green wearing space police - finds himself dying on the earth.
You see, the corp is trying to fight Parallax, an entity so evil it intends to wipe out the universe and take vengeance on the Green Lanterns, threatening the balance of power and tipping it in evil's favour.
So, Jordan is whisked off to another world to begin his training under the likes of Sinestro (Mark Strong) the leader of the corp; but he soon finds out the threat from Parallax is bigger than any of them could ever have believed.
The Green Lantern is an FX heavy slightly off kilter attempt at launching the franchise. It lacks a real emotional centre and has some completely absurd dialogue thrown in for good measure. Apparently, green is the universal colour for will and yellow is the universal colour for fear. So now you know.
And yet, it's not the massive failure you may expect having seen the very underwhelming trailer; Reynolds is very watchable as Hal and brings a level of performance which is engaging and believable; similarly for his role as Sinestro, Strong (one of the best character actors around) brings the gravitas to the mentor. Blake Lively continues her ascent from Gossip Girl, playing a ball busting pilot and business woman and Taika Waititi cracks a few lines here and there as Jordan's engineer friend.
But the problem with the Green Lantern lies with the evil side of the story; Peter Sarsgaard's Hector Hammond, who's Jordan's nemesis and infected by Parallax early on, seems to simply become the equivalent of Frankenstein's monster as he lumbers around the screen, howling and becoming the Jekyll character. Sure there are jealousy and daddy issues for him to deal with, but it's a one note performance from Sarsgaard which doesn't deliver by any stretch of the imagination.
As for the Parallax creature, a sort of grey Teletubby sun with tentacles, there are some reasonable FX shots and some quite clearly rushed effects as well; and when it comes to dispatching the baddie, it's fairly easily done by Jordan - and quite why these super efficient space cops couldn't do it, is a little beyond me. That said, the end hints at another outing for Jordan et al.
All in all, I don't think The Green Lantern has enough to really stand out in the superhero crowd; it lacks the grittiness of a Batman, the everyman appeal of a Superman and the fun offered up by this year's Thor.

It's by no means a major disappointment; it's just it could have done with a little smarter scripting, a bit more time in post production and then this generically produced light could have shined a little brighter.