Appaloosa

Director: Ed Harris
Starring: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen & Renee Zellweger

A decent, if unambitious, Western that offers some decent scenes and performances but it is a little too laid back for its own good.

There is nothing really bad to say about Appaloosa, the western adapted by Ed Harris from the Robert B. Parker novel, but there is also nothing particularly great or memorable about Appaloosa either. When viewing Ed Harris’ adaptation (in which he also stars), there is almost the feeling that this is a period Harris himself would like to have lived in as he and his co-star, Viggo Mortensen, take a laid back approach to their characters and their tale. This laid back atmosphere results in some of Appaloosa’s strong moments such as the casual witticisms exchanged between its two leads but also contributes to the film’s weaknesses, in that, when something important does occur in the film’s story, it is over quickly and our characters are soon back to sitting on the porch of their office. At first this feels somewhat refreshing, a natural, realistic approach to confrontations by two men who’ve seen a lot and are too weary of it to give it much energy but as the lengthy runtime continues on, it contributes to the feeling that not enough occurs in the film to keep your attention.

The characterization in Appaloosa is fairly strong. Little real details is given on the backgrounds or motivations of any of its characters with most willing to describe themselves as experienced guns for hire and allowing audiences to come to its own conclusions. The interplay between characters though is quite strong, especially between Harris and Mortensen and, even though these are men of few words, the sense of a shared history is strong and believable with the already mentioned humor between the two being one of the film’s strengths. Jeremy Irons and Lance Henriksen appear as villain and competing gunman respectively and likewise feel suited to their roles while Timothy Spall leads a group of three bumbling town elders as a sort of comic relief with mixed results.

However, Renee Zellweger’s performance as Allie, the woman who comes to Appaloosa and turns many heads, has the toughest role in the film playing the somewhat flirtatious Allie who will cast a seductive glance the way of whichever man is best suited to look after her needs. Zellweger’s performance is a decent one, portraying Allie’s flaws quite well but is less convincing in demonstrating what makes her character worth the attentions of Harris and Mortensen’s gunmen.

Overall, Appaloosa is an average western. The performances are good though not particularly memorable and the storyline plods along at too sedate a pace, but there is some enjoyment to be had in its dry humor and in the relationship between its two lead characters.

Rating: 3/5

Tropic Thunder

Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jack Black & Robert Downey Jr

An entertaining, OTT comedy satirizing Hollywood and the war movie genre with jokes that, thankfully, hit more than they miss.

Ben Stiller returns to the director’s chair for Tropic Thunder with all the OTT sensibility that made Zoolander so entertaining but with a far bigger budget. The budget is put to good use, this being a send up of war films, with huge explosions, gunfire and helicopters. Tropic Thunder is certainly one of the most impressive looking comedies of recent years. The comedy however is a mixed bunch. Tropic Thunder works best when it is satirizing the conventions of the Hollywood industry (especially Hollywood agents), helped significantly by several inspired casting decisions.

Stiller himself stars as action star Tugg Speedman, looking for a big hit after a recent attempt at ‘serious’ acting backfires (a hilarious, if controversial stab at Hollywood’s admiration for acting roles involving characters with disabilities). Stiller is entertaining as Speedman, though his role is very familiar to many he has played before playing a dim-witted, machismo fuelled movie-star who refuses to believe, when he and his co-stars find themselves in an actual war-zone, that his reality is anything other than a movie set prepared for his benefit. His commitment to this character helps make his character’s commitment to his reality more entertaining as a result. However, while Stiller is the star, he is outperformed by several other performances.

Robert Downey Jr gives a stand out performance as Kirk Lazarus, a multi-award winning actor, whose commitment to character involves him having his skin surgically dyed to play the role of a black Sergeant. The role itself is hilarious, avoiding offending African-Americans by satirizing how far some actors go to get into character and helped by having African-American actor Brandon T Jackson play another actor to point out the ridiculous lengths Lazarus has gone too. Downey Jr plays the role with confidence and conviction, perhaps satirizing his own commitment to playing a method actor. Another stand out performance is an, initially uncredited, appearance by Tom Cruise as top Hollywood producer Les Grossman. Cruise, almost unrecognizable with a bald-cap and fat suit, seems to relish in the opportunity to play the foul-mouthed, power-crazed producer with scenes involving threatening heroin dealers and dancing to rap music amongst the film’s highlights. Tropic Thunder also has strong support in smaller roles from Matthew McConaughey as Speedman’s over-earnest agent, Steve Coogan as Tropic Thunder’s suffering (in one scene literally) director, Nick Nolte as a gruff former P.O.W. and Jay Baruchel as a young, rookie actor who is perhaps the film’s most sane character and it’s heart.

Unfortunately, between the superb performances from Downey Jr and Cruise and the headlining antics of Stiller, Jack Black is sidelined for most of the film and provides moat of Tropic Thunder’s least entertaining gags. Playing a low-brow comedy star on drugs, Black is reduced to a mainly one-note performance playing it twitchy and providing the film with fart and toilet jokes whenever required. With little else to do and many other, more impressive, performances in the film, Black is often an unwelcome presence when he is able to make an impression at all. This is perhaps a casualty of Stiller cramming too many ideas and gags into Tropic Thunder than it can handle. While there are many great gags and inspired scenes and set pieces, Stiller also over-extends himself on some occasions. Tropic Thunder is perhaps 30 minutes too long with gags involving Speedman’s past performance as a mentally-disabled farm-boy becoming excessive and several scenes between Speedman’s capture by Heroin dealers and his rescue that are unnecessary and less funny.

Overall, Tropic Thunder is certainly very funny. Worth seeing for Robert Downey Jr and Tom Cruise’s performances alone, the film also boasts some very funny action scenes and plenty of successful jokes at the expense of Hollywood. Jack Black might be wasted and the film overlong, but Tropic Thunder is still very entertaining.

Rating: 3/5

Pineapple Express

Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco & Danny McBride

Reuniting Seth Rogen with his Freaks & Geeks co-star James Franco, and Superbad co-writer Even Goldberg, results in Pineapple Express, a truly funny and unique twist on the buddy/action movie.

There have been many films that have starred drug-smoking lead characters, Cheech & Chong and Harold & Kumar all being examples. All of these films though have been screwball comedies with little ambition beyond making as many drug-fuelled gags as possibly, usually with actual story content and characterization being of secondary concern. Trust Seth Rogen, star, writer and producer of hit comedies such as Superbad and Knocked Up. Taking his laid back, likeable loser persona and placing him a storyline that finds more comedy in the effects of weed on its users and filtering it through an action/thriller plotline that also exposes the humor to be found in the conventions of the action genre (much like the film Hot Fuzz) and still manages to include a genuine and touching tale about friendship between Rogen’s likeable loser and his well meaning drug-dealer played by James Franco.

While directed by David Gordon Green, an independent director not known for comedies but for introspective character pieces, Pineapple Express is nevertheless a very funny comedy/action film that likely owes most of its success to its star’s, Seth Rogen, talents as a writer and comedic actor. David Gordon Green is known for getting good performances from his actors though so his presence is likely more felt in the development of the supporting cast and in also providing a more grounded perspective that allows this ‘stoner’ action film to feel more true to life an not straying so far into OTT situations that the story can’t find its way back to its characters.

While not going into the histories of its characters or giving many of them chances to develop on screen, Green nevertheless, with help from Rogen & Goldberg’s script, breathes life into most of the film’s characters including minor ones, through half mentioned comments of past shared experiences and mannerisms that demonstrate the kind of comfortability people develop with others over time. Henchmen, Matheson & Budlofsky (Robinson & Corrigan) demonstrate as much shared history and chemistry as lead characters Dale (Rogen) and Saul (Franco) and even the film’s villain, drug Kingpin Ted (Gary Cole) takes time to joke around with his partner in crime (Rosie Perez) after talking business. The care taken to subtly flesh out its cast elevate Pineapple Express above the average ‘stoner’ and action comedy making most characters a pleasure to watch rather than merely performing to type and filling screen-time between scenes starring its film’s stars. Pineapple Express also benefits from a strong cast with roles and cameos featuring veteran actors such as Gary Cole, Nora Dunn and Ed Begley Jr and its lead actors, Seth Rogen and James Franco, demonstrate great chemistry developed from their previous collaboration on TV series Freaks & Geeks. While Rogen entertains with his usual likeable onscreen persona, James Franco really impresses as perpetually stoned, yet good at heart, drug dealer Saul. Franco, who has usually played straight and serious lead roles in films such as Annapolis and the Spider-man films and often suffering in comparison to his co-stars who have more interesting and charismatic roles, Pineapple Express feels like it has provided Franco with the opportunity to free himself from stereotype and actually have some fun on screen and demonstrate the skills for comedy he possessed as a TV actor that he has been unable to show in his big-screen roles to date.

In addition to finding comedy in the clumsy attempts of its stoned lead characters attempting to escape a drug kingpin after Rogen witnesses a murder and leaving evidence behind to link himself and Saul (Franco) to the incident, also finds comedy in subverting action movie clichés as our two leads, having seen many action films and television shows themselves, find situations rarely going to plan. Pineapple Express also being a film starring and co-written by Rogen, a lot of comedy is found in the witty dialogue, much of it ad-libbed and most (though not quite all) generating strong laughs. The moments of fake attempts at machismo between Dale (Rogen) and Saul’s friend Red (McBride) in particular are highlights of ad-libbing leading to hysterical and unpredictable lines and put-downs.

However, because the cast are so good at portraying just how likeable and inept its lead characters are, it ultimately means the climax of the film suffers slightly at how well Dale and Saul are able to solve their predicament relying too much, perhaps, on dumb luck. While the ending does have some moments of predictability, brought on by the required and inevitable ‘happy ending’, even the climax is filled with successful jokes and sight gags that it still remains satisfying.

Overall, Rogen, with help from his director, co-star Franco and co-writer Goldberg, manage to blend action movie and stoner comedy together with much success resulting in a film that certainly entertains on many levels.

Rating: 4/5

RocknRolla

Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Gerard Butler, Mark Strong & Tony Kebbell

After the critical and commercial failures of Swept Away and Revolver, Guy Ritchie is back, returning to his roots but with added confidence and maturity. The result is RocknRolla, possible his best film to date.

While some critics and audiences might be quick to dismiss RocknRolla as Guy Ritchie taking the easy option of returning to the genre that originally brought him success, after two box-office failures and accusations of losing his way after achieving fame and fortune, those critics are going to miss out on a very good crime caper. RocknRolla isn’t so much about the kind of gangsters seen in Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch, but it does deal with dodgy dealers and small time crooks involved in the kind of complex story of interweaving plotlines that Ritchie is known for and comfortable with. However, while there is humor, this time around Ritchie has dropped the cheeky, somewhat smug, tone of his earlier films and the glamorized violence for something that feels altogether more grown up, possibly like Ritchie himself.

The plot, more relevant to today than that of Ritchie’s previous efforts, deals with back door property dealings, rich foreign investors, a few small time crooks caught in the middle and a, presumed dead, rock star living the rockstar (dubbed ‘RocknRolla’) lifestyle. After scamming two ex-crooks, One-Two & Mumbles (Butler & Elba), out of money who wanted to get onto the property investment ladder, and with an eye to likewise scamming a rich Russian investor also looking for land deals, underworld property dealer Lenny (Wilkinson) and his right hand man Archie (Strong) find themselves in a predicament when the investor’s money is stolen as is the ‘lucky painting’ the investor left in Lenny’s care. From here develops a number of plotlines involving dodgy accountants, Russian hit-men, Lenny’s rockstar step-son Johnny Quid (Kebbell), an informer turning members of the cast in to the police and plenty of memorable characters and performances.

Ritchie seems to be back on form with RocknRolla, juggling the many plotlines and characters but with more focus with humor occurring naturally from events in the plot rather than distracting from it and also leading to some interesting twists, turns and moments of philosophy. While RocknRolla is an improvement on his earlier efforts, there are a few elements that that demonstrate Ritchie’s tendency to let his ambition overcome him as there are certainly a few characters, while pleasant, that are surplus to requirements (Piven & Bridges band managers) and the ending wraps up a little too nicely and consequence light as Ritchie sets things up for a sequel (Ritchie has expressed an interest in making a trilogy involving RocknRolla’s cast and characters) but the film is still a very satisfying affair and one that re-establishes Ritchie potential to be one of Britain’s top directors.

RocknRolla also boats an impressive cast. Gerard Butler (300) is entertaining as lead character One-Two, an accomplished, if somewhat naïve, crook who further builds upon his leading man potential here and has strong support from Idris Elba (TV’s The Wire) and Tom Hardy as his friends Mumbles and Handsome Bob, the latter of which has an interesting and entertaining relationship develop with Butler’s One-Two. Also sharing the spotlight, and narrating RocknRolla, is Mark Strong (Stardust) as Archie, the number two man to Wilkinson’s underworld boss and a man who has been in the game long enough to see most of the angles. Strong delivers a good performance, one that acts as the balance between all the other characters and plotlines. Tom Wilkinson relishes in his chance to chew the scenery as Lenny, the underworld boss, likely the only character that occasionally veers towards caricature, and Thandie Newton provides the necessary sex appeal as the accountant that hires One-Two to rob her Russian investor client and helps kick start the escalating events of the film’s storyline. Finally, and standing out from the rest of the cast, is Tony Kebbell (Dead Man’s Shoes) as rockstar Johnny Quid, stepson of Lenny and presumed dead while in hiding and high on drugs. Kebbell gives an impressive performance taking shots at modern day rockstars such as Pete Doherty, while also demonstrating more intelligence and personality, waxing philosophical with regularity, even when under the influence of drugs than a whole rehab centre full of rockstars could accomplish combined.

Overall, RocknRolla is a very good film. With more confident direction and some excellent performances, it is Ritchie’s best film to date and will, hopefully, help calm the critics and make audiences as eager to see his next film as they were when Ritchie first made his directorial debut.

Rating: 4/5

Step Brothers

Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly & Richard Jenkins

Will Ferrell reunites with fellow Talladega Nights director, McKay and co-star Reilly for an amusing comedy about sibling rivalry between two, immature, 40 years olds with much success.

How much enjoyment you get out of Step Brothers depends greatly on how much you like Will Ferrell’s man-child persona or John C. Reilly’s recent conversion from drama to comedy. If you’re not a fan of either then this film is likely not for you. If you are a fan then this will entertain and is of a much higher quality than some of Ferrell’s more recent efforts (Semi Pro and Blades of Glory) due to the chemistry between Ferrell and Reilly and with the supporting cast of Richard Jenkins (TVs Six Feet Under) and Mary Steenburgen as their parents.

Ferrell plays Brennan and Reilly plays Dale. Both a 40 year olds that never learned how to grow; Both stayed home, living with their parents and living off their charity but, when their parents meet and decide to get married, Brennan and Dale find themselves thrust together under one roof when see their lack of achievements reflected in their counterparts, and with the threat of losing their easy lives when their problems are highlighted to their parents forces these step-brothers to abandon their hate-hate relationship and unite. However, neither brother having learned how to fend for themselves, find their shared resources still amount to very little.

The comedy, while usually following similar methods despite changing intentions, is frequently amusing. Watching two grown men behaving and fighting like children has its moments of hilarity, though there are occasional gags that fall flat such as a repeating gag involving sleepwalking habits, but most succeed due also to their sheer lunacy (one testicle gag in particular generated a lot of laughs). There is are also amusing confrontations with a third brother, Brennan’s younger brother, Derek (Adam Scott) whose success and independence humiliates Brennan and Dales failures all the more even to the extent that Derek is able to conduct a family rendition of Guns N Roses hit “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” The efforts of the brothers, once they end their rivalry, to find jobs while prevent the selling of their home by their parents also entertains with many gags at the expense on the brother’s ineptness. A temporary change in tone for the third act though slows the gag rate down as the brothers are forced to accept reality and grow up which leads to a predictable resolution to their problems, including reuniting their parents who split over their attitudes to having 40 years old sons living at home, but there are still some worthy moments of laughter.

While Ferrell and Reilly perform to type, the supporting cast are of a high quality. Mary Steenburgen is particularly impressive, not known for appearing in comedies, least of all the type that Ferrell produces; she delivers a warm, charming performance as the boys’ mother and is likewise well supported by Richard Jenkins as their father who gives an amusing performance as a man frustrated by his sons’ ineptness. Most impressive is Adam Scott as the ultra-successful younger brother Derek who more than manages to hold his own when sharing scenes with Ferrell and Reilly.

Overall, this is a comedy that succeeds on the likeability of its stars and their ability to play to the kind of physical comedy that they are skilled in. While the plot itself is less impressive and the third act a little too slow and laughter free, the success rate of the gags in the rest of the film and the strong supporting cast make Step Brothers a superior addition to Ferrell’s comedy catalogue.

Rating: 4/5