Cop Out

Director: Kevin Smith
Starring: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan & Seann William Scott

An occasionally funny buddy cop movie by Kevin Smith that despite some good jokes and likeable chemistry between its leads, struggles when it comes to action and the script doesn’t hold up to those that Smith has written himself.

Having only directed films that he has written himself up to now, most featuring the same cast of actors for the most part, Kevin Smith has taken on directorial duties on his first film that he hasn’t written himself. Cop Out, a police comedy in the style of 1980s buddy cop films, is Smith’s chance to direct a film starring Bruce Willis and while a love for the genre and the era of its classics can be felt here, Smith’s weaknesses as a director of action can be felt and the humour throughout, while occasionally decent, also suffers since it wasn’t written by Smith whose gift for humorous dialogue accounts for much of his success.

Jimmy (Willis) and Paul (Morgan) are NYPD detectives celebrating nine years of partnership. When a drug sting goes bad with the death of a witness, Jimmy and Paul are suspended without pay. Jimmy, in desperate need of money to pay for his daughter’s wedding with the threat of his ex-wife’s new husband taking over if he can’t pay, Jimmy decides to trade in a rare baseball card. A robbery at buyer’s store however, leaves Jimmy without his card or his money and he and Paul go in search of the card, now in the possession of a local drug lord named Poh Boy (Guillermo Diaz) who is also behind the death of the witness that got Jimmy and Paul suspended in the first place though Poh Boy is unwilling to surrender the card unless Jimmy and Paul can locate a stolen car whose contents are valuable to the drug lord.

Cop Out’s inspiration from buddy cop films of the 1980s/90s is keenly felt throughout from the partners of opposing ages, personalities and race to the score by Harold Faltermeyer, Cop Out pays several tributes with one character, Paul, so enamoured with movies he often feels the need to quote them throughout the film. The fondness for the genre is a clear attraction for Kevin Smith and there is fun to be had in the film. Cop Out is most entertaining when it’s characters are given time to hang out and banter back and forth in a manner that often feels improvised and is likely improved from the script in the editing room where Smith’s talents at timing dialogue to generate the best laughs can shine through. However, the script is rarely as funny as one that Smith himself would write and the film’s original title, A Couple of Dicks, suggests a far cruder and perhaps funnier film than what is here. Smith is also a director known for having more gifts as a writer than as a director with his visual style lacking action and so, the action sequences in the film are decent but generally uninspiring as are the film’s villains which, intentionally or not, is in keeping with the style of villains seen in many an 80s cop film.

Cop Out benefits from having a generally enjoyable cast. Bruce Willis, whilst not adding anything new to his repertoire in his performance as Jimmy, clearly seems amused by his partner’s antics and he shares good chemistry throughout with Tracy Morgan who plays his partner Paul. Morgan is entertaining too, though sometimes his performance is too OTT with Morgan’s style of comedy more suited to him being part of an ensemble (TV’s 30 Rock) than in a lead role. Seann William Scott steals most of the scenes he appears in as the their who originally takes Jimmy’s card and also works well on screen with Willis and Morgan and Kevin Pollack and Adam Brody as a fellow pair of detectives, have good chemistry together though suffer somewhat when sharing scenes with Willis and Morgan. Females characters are generally underdeveloped and the actresses do their best and Guillermo Diaz as the film’s lead villain is ok but far too OTT to remembered as anything more than annoying.

With some decent gags and lines and good chemistry between Willis and Morgan, Cop Out is a decent buddy cop comedy but Smith’s weaknesses as a director of action are evident and that the script was not written by Smith is reflected in the quality of the jokes which are below that of comedies Smith has written himself. Somewhat fun as a tribute to similar films of the 1980s but not a standout film for the resumes of any of the talents involved.

Rating: 3/5

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton & Ben Kingsley

A disappointing action/adventure adapting the popular video game that has some fleeting moments of fun but is generally unmemorable overall.

With many videogames being adapted into big screen films, the critical success of most have rarely matched their box office success even in cases where box office success has been poor. Prince of Persia, which has spawned a series of sequels is the latest game adaptation but unlike others that have often been based on shoot em’ ups, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time comes from the studios of Jerry Bruckheimer who has seen massive success in with the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films which were originally based off of a theme park ride. No doubt hoping to take the unique time period of the story and the action/adventures trappings to spawn a new franchise of big budget adventures, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time unfortunately falls flat with only a few brief moments of enjoyment to be had from the action or the cast but nothing as stand out as Johnny Depp’s performance in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Prince Dastan (Gyllenhaal), once a street orphan who was adopted by the Persian king into his family after witnessing an act of bravery, is now the youngest of three princes. When an attack is made on another city under the Intel that they are harbouring weapons, a plot arises that sees the king poisoned and Dastan framed for the murder. Going on the run with the Princess Tamina (Arterton) of the captured city, Dastan believe his elder brother to be the guilty party and believes also that the attack on the city and the death of the king was a plot to get a hold of a mystical dagger that Dastan now possesses that allows its wielder to travel backwards in time to correct mistakes of the presence thus giving him the foresight to change the course of battles. Dastan must somehow protect the dagger from those who would exploit it, prove his own innocence in his father’s death whilst prove the guilt of the actual murderer all while enduring the attitude of the feisty, independent Tamina.

On paper, many of the ingredients seem to be present for audiences as well as producer Jerry Bruckheimer to believe that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time could launch another series of adventure films that could achieve the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Present are a handsome lead that came from rough beginnings, a feisty female character from a higher upbringing with romantic chemistry between them, betrayals, attacks, magical objects and terrible curses along with a period setting which allows for more exotic locales and action sequences. However, in spite of this the film also features many of the flaws of the Pirates of the Caribbean including an overly-convoluted plot but what Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time lacks is a stand out lead character or performance. Dastan and Tamina fulfil the roles of hero and heroine but neither are as engaging on their own as they are on screen together with their banter providing the most enjoyment to be found in the film but other roles are too underwritten to generally care about and the villains of the film somewhat faceless and/or unthreatening. The action sequences do occasionally show some life but the scenes of chases over rooftops seem lacking when more modern day thrillers like the Jason Bourne films achieve more impressive sequences and the special effects also feel somewhat lacking in comparison to more recent blockbusters which are adding 3D to increase appeal.

Performances in the film are a mixed bunch. Jake Gyllenhaal is generally enjoyably as the heroic lead having bulked up physically to look the part though a misguided attempt to deliver an English accent is sometimes painful and often harm the drama. Gemma Arterton is more enjoyable as Princess Tamina despite her role to generally be a constant thorn in Dastan’s side whilst maintain enough sex appeal to keep him interested. It does work when Arterton and Gyllenhaal are bantering on screen but Arterton is less able to impress when having to deliver more serious moments. Several actors such Ben Kingsley and up-and-comer Toby Kebbell feel wasted on underwritten roles as Dastan’s uncle and brother and the only other performance of note is Alfred Molina as the leader of bandits who crosses paths with Dastan and provides the film with its comic relief character. None of the performances stand out like Depp’s in Pirates of the Caribbean to maintain the enjoyment even during the more convoluted moments of the script and the villains here are generally less memorable or likeable.

Overall, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a failed attempt by Jerry Bruckheimer to launch another action/adventure series in the mould of the Pirates of the Caribbean film. There are some moments that are enjoyable during some action sequences or between the banter of the male and female leads but most of the film is average and unmemorable and not as enjoyable as the games on which the film is based. Disappointing.

Rating: 2/5

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Director: Werner Herzog
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Val Kilmer & Eva Mendes

An often surreal, dark humoured remake of Abel Ferrara’s original that jettisons many themes of the original film but is still entertaining for the usual madness that Herzog brings to his features to fill the gaps and includes a memorable performance from Nicholas Cage.

A remake of a cult film by Abel Ferrara which starred Harvey Keitel by Werner Herzog which relocates the plot to New Orleans post-Katrina and starring Nicholas Cage, an actors whose recent years had seen a series of films in receipt of poor review, would be a questionable choice of project for Herzog yet Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a remake in the loosest sense keeping the main title and the main plot of a crooked cop descending even further into corruption with all other elements being largely new. The resulting film is one that is at times crime noir, at others is unmistakable a Herzog film but all throughout is a darkly funny, surreal and sometimes scary drama with Nicholas Cage’s often hysterical acting style being exploited effectively to support the story rather than distract from it.

Following Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans cop Terrence McDonagh (Cage) injures himself whilst saving a prisoner in a flooded jail cell from drowning. Now suffering a back injury that will put him in pain for the rest of his life, Terrence soon finds the prescribed medication is not enough and soon develops a drug habit which, in addition to mounting gambling debts, fuels his willingness to cut corners and break laws in his duties with an escort girlfriend named Frankie (Mendes) to support and a murder to solve that brings him into contact with several drug figures who could speed up his corruption even further.

A crime film might seem an odd choice for Herzog, let alone one that is a remake, but Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans still bears many familiar themes seen in Herzog’s earlier works such as the human psyche under pressure and with Nicholas Cage engaging in performances of excess that have caused some to call him the heir to Herzog’s previous muse Klaus Kinski. Herzog’s POV style cinematography isn’t as prominent here as it has been in other films, his documentaries especially, but when it appears it often in aid of the surreal tone Herzog strikes throughout as the lead character descends further into a drug fuelled darkness with shots of Iguana and a POV shot of an alligator watching an accident scene where police are clearing up the damage of an accident caused by another alligator stepping into traffic all adding the overall feeling of madness that gradually increases as the film progresses. Moving the story to New Orleans is also a smart move on Herzog’s part as this city in crisis, a city damaged by Hurricane Katrina, adds another layer to Terrence’s story who is also damaged and struggling to keep himself together just as New Orleans has been in the wake of disaster. As nightmare-ish as Terrence’s descent is portrayed, the film is also recognisably a police drama too with Herzog grasping crime noir conventions admirably and then surprises all with an almost redemptive final act which may, or may not, be real when the state of Terrence’s psyche is brought into consideration.

Nicholas Cage leads the cast with a very impressive performance. Whilst well known for playing jittery, hysterical personalities on screen especially in later years, his style works very well within the world of Herzog with Cage appearing almost fearless in his willingness to push his OTT behaviour to its limits yet almost everything fall within the context of the character’s journey with Cage proving to be very watchable and even controlling his body language to support the performance as he progresses to hunch over and become a gradually more hulking physical presence on screen as his character’s physical pain continues to worsen in spite of his self-medication. While Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is mainly a one man show in terms of performances, its does feature an impressive list of actors in supporting roles including Val Kilmer as a fellow crooked cop, Vondie Curtis Hall as Terrence’s boss, Eva Mendes as Terrence’s girlfriend, Brad Dourif as Terrence’s bookie and a quite impressive turn from comedienne Jennifer Coolidge as Terrence’s alcoholic mother in law. Only Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson disappoints in yet another tough guy gangster role but otherwise the film features good performances from all.

Only loosely a remake, retaining the main title and central plot of a cop descending in darkness and corruption, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is an impressive and enjoyable crime drama in its own right with many touches that are undeniably Herzog and a thick vein of dark humour and plenty of enjoyably surreal moments with the most enjoyable performance from Nicholas Cage in a decade. Mad yet very enjoyable.

Rating: 4/5

Robin Hood

Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett & Oscar Isaac

An enjoyable new take on the Robin Hood myth that takes various stories and sources and weaves them together into an entertaining drama with enjoyable performances and Ridley Scott’s reliably impressive visuals and action sequences.

With Robin Hood having undergone many interpretations on the big screen and on television, with comedy straight actions films, some serious drama and others comedy, Ridley Scott’s take underwent several revisions on its way to the big screen. With rumours abound of the film originally being titled Nottingham with the Sheriff being written as the hero, and Robin Hood the villain, the version of the story coming to the big screen now is far more in keeping with traditional ideas of the character. Robin Hood does bear some resemblance to descriptions of it being Gladiator with bows and arrows but it still an enjoyable film and one set to establish the character’s origins and legend rather than be an adventure that runs with them already established.

Following the Crusades and battles in France, King Richard (Danny Huston)’s armies are heading back to England. When a battle sees Richard killed and an ambush sees his crown stolen and its caretaker Robin of Loxley dying, an archer from Richard’s army named Robin Longstride (Crowe) is entrusted with a mission to return the crown to England and Loxley’s sword to his father Walter (Max Von Sydow) in Nottingham, which Robin accepts with some allies. Having witnessed Loxley’s murderer, an Englishman named Godfrey (Mark Strong), Robin’s life is at risk as Godfrey is a friend of, the now, King John (Isaac) and intends to bring down England for the French. Robin, on his arrival in Nottingham, is talked into masquerading as Loxley and therefore as husband to Maid Marion (Blanchett), to maintain the Loxley estate and soon finds himself and his friends drawn into a battle to save England from Godfrey’s men and from the tyranny of King John.

While there are issues that could be made with Robin Hood that would be well founded such as descriptions that the film is Gladiator with bows and arrows or that the actors accents are unconvincing, these generally don’t detract from the enjoyment of the film. Yes, the accents are sometimes questionable but are far ahead of other attempts in past films that have featured non-British actors and while Gladiator comparisons can be reflected in Ridley Scott’s visual style, action scenes and the presence of Crowe, there are more than enough differences to make such comparisons mostly superficial. Ridley Scott’s attempts, with screenwriter Brian Helgeland, to blend different fictional accounts of the Robin Hood legend with various historical evidence to suggest the character existed, are admirable. The film has some of the trappings familiar to the legend such as bows and arrows, Nottingham, the woods, King John, Marion, the Sheriff and Merry Men but none of these are overly dominant with the film feeling more like an origin story for Robin Hood, tying it into to a specific historical period/context, and developing the elements most associated with the character so that this film ends where most tales of Robin Hood begins. The film is a story of how the man became Robin Hood and the newer elements of historical events and political intrigue mix together quite well. This being a Ridley Scott film, the film is shot impressively too but the film also features some unexpected warmth as seen with the interplay between Robin and Marion, Robin and his Merry Men and between the Merry Men themselves that helps ease the overall serious tone of the film.

Russell Crowe is enjoyable enough as Robin Hood. His attempts at a Midlands accent are mixed but impress at the attempt and fortunately his Robin is more a man of actions than of words and when he must make a speech, Crowe is still able to command even with the accent. Cate Blanchett is a good Marion, with her character more in common with Eowyn of The Lord of the Rings than with past Marions, a character willing to fight as hard as any man rather than remain just a love interest. Mark Strong is pretty forgettable as the main antagonist Godfrey but Oscar Isaacs is enjoyably vain and slimy as King John, getting in many good lines and scenes while Matthew MacFadyen is also enjoyable despite little screen-time as the Sheriff of Nottingham with a performance that could easily be the younger version of the Sheriff Alan Rickman performed in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes and Alan Doyle are likeable and fun as Little John, Will Scarlett and Alan A’Dayle respectively and Max Von Sydow and William Hurt round out the cast as the wiser, older characters Walter Loxley and William Marshall.

With an enjoyable story mixing myth and "facts" into an origin story, some enjoyable performances and impressive cinematography, Robin Hood is more than just “Gladiator with bows and arrows”, though such descriptions do partially fit. This might not be the most fun of Robin Hood films, more drama than adventure, but it nevertheless well made and performed.

Rating: 4/5

Hot Tub Time Machine

Director: Steve Pink
Starring: John Cusack, Craig Robinson & Rob Corddry

An entertaining comedy that doesn’t quite live up to the ridiculousness that its title promises but is a fun enough film even for those not fond on 1980s nostalgia.

Having already collaborated together on the cult-favourite film Grosse Pointe Blank which also involved some heavy nods to the 1980s, actor John Cusack and director Steve Pink (previously the writer of Grosse Pointe Blank) reunite for another film that mixes 1980s nostalgia and comedy though is this time far more driven by jokes to the era that supported to them. While Hot Tub Time Machine is a fun film, it does not quite live up to the silliness of its title with its characters stuck on a fairy predictable arc of self-redemption but overall it has more successful laughs than unsuccessful ones.

Adam (Cusack), Lou (Corddry) and Nick (Robinson) are three old friends that are living lives that they hadn’t dreamed of when they were teens. Adam has been dumped by another girlfriend, Nick feels emasculated by his wife and Lou binges on alcohol and drugs. After Lou ends up in hospital following a drunken accident, the three friends reunite along with Adam’s teenage nephew Jacob (Clark Duke), to take Lou on a wild weekend skiing where they once went to as teens. After a drunken night in a strange hot tub that malfunctions through the night, the four friends awaken to find themselves back in the 1980s with Adam, Lou and Nick inhabiting their teenage selves. Thanks to the advice of a mysterious repairman (Chevy Chase), the friends realise they must make every effort not to alter the events that occurred at the risk of changing their future, or Jacob’s whole existence, but find the temptations of fixing past mistakes to avoid the futures they know to be unhappy could prove to be their undoing.

For Hot Tub Time Machine, there is much reliance on memories and nostalgia for the 1980s fuelling the film’s jokes and in generating enjoyment from the audience. Some of the 80s nostalgia comes from surprising directions such as the film being produced by United Artists whose logo at the start of the film recalls the 1980s where the studio had been riding high on successes before almost disappearing altogether through the 1990s and early 2000s following troubles with its parent studio MGM. There is humour derived from the fashions, music, TV shows and ideals of the era which are less surprising and generally less amusing and some casting choices like Chevy Chase and Crispin Glover generate some fun from their 1980s notoriety. However, the better jokes in Hot Tub Time Machine rely less on the 80s nostalgia and more on the interactions of its lead characters and of the actors. The dialogue veers from sharp and witty, to crude to cheesy and sometimes a combination of these but generally the script has enough enjoyable lines to make the film fun. The story however is less successful and almost wholly predictable and while at times this is fine, there are other moments where it undermines the humour such as revelations surrounding Jacob’s parentage. For a film though, whose central idea is that these friends were sent back in time by a hot tub, there is a lack of that same lunacy in the rest of the film.

Hot Tub Time Machine does find much of its humour from the performances and chemistry of most of its cast. John Cusack is enjoyable as Adam, with the same kind of weary cynicism that he brought to his roles in Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity though, while Cusack gets top billing and his is the lead role, Cusack is actually out performed by his co-star Craig Robinson who is thoroughly likeable as Nick and whose, often, deadpan delivery including the utterance of the film’s title explaining their situation, providing the most laughs. Clark Duke, as the group’s youngest member, might be present just to provide appeal to younger audiences but is nevertheless likeable in his anxiety over keeping his friends on track so as to guarantee he still gets born. Rob Corddry however, as fourth friend Lou, is less enjoyable and while his character is written as the loudest and most obnoxious, Corddry’s deliver is too OTT to enjoy at times and harms some attempts to find sympathy with the wonder over whether another actor such as Jeremy Piven (TV’s Entourage, Grosse Pointe Blank and friend of Cusack) might have achieved in the role. Female characters and actresses are underwritten and underserved and 80s names like Chevy Chase and Crispin Glover are enjoyable though more for the recognition their faces bring than for their performances.

Overall, Hot Tub Time Machine is an enjoyable, but average, comedy. There is some fun to be found in its 1980s humour and more to be found from its cast and their chemistry but the film’s story is sometimes too predictable at the expense of the fun and some performances like Corddry’s are less enjoyable than other cast members like Clarke or Robinson. Fun but not fantastic.

Rating: 3/5

Four Lions

Director: Chris Morris
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Nigel Lindsay & Kayvan Novak

Chris Morris’ feature film debut certainly doesn’t avoid sensitive subjects but those fearing an outright offensive attempt at making a “Jihadist comedy” need not worry as while some laughs come from shock value, there is surprising insight into the confused culture clashes that can lead to fanaticism in addition to humour.

When Chris Morris announced his intentions to make a comedy surrounding a suicide attack in Britain, there was much concern over the sensitivity of the issue with some groups sending Morris threats should he release a film that may mock Muslims and their faith. Such worries arose in light of Morris’ own history with the TV series The Day Today and Brass Eye which, through mock interviews and news broadcasts, mocked many sensitive subjects including a TV special on paedophiles. Four Lions however, while no doubt able to offend some, is actually surprisingly sensitive to some of the issues surrounding the people who become involved in such attacks and how they come to be involved. There is a lot of humour too as Morris finds the bumbling nature of the inexperienced and uneducated that are often talked into committing such attacks as a source for farce with many effective laughs that can be funny, sad and shocking all at once.

Four Muslim men: Omar (Ahmed), a young father and husband who routinely mocks his own brother’s adherence to their shared faith yet is angered enough by the mistreatment from non-Muslims that he plans to strike at them, leads the group along with his dim-witted friend Waj (Novak), even more naïve Faisal (Adeel Akhtar) who prefers to train crows to be bombers, and Barry (Lindsey) who has converted to Islam and wishes to bomb a Mosque to enrage to Muslim community into action, plan to launch a suicide attack in their home country of Britain. After Omar and Waj go to a training camp in Pakistan and return failures, the group, now joined by enthusiastic idealist Hassan (Arsher Ali), decide to plan an attack anyway with the aim of joining the London Marathon in costumes with which they can conceal their bombs but their own incompetence may not even see them get that far.

Avoiding the temptation to paint its characters as unsympathetic idealists out to kill and martyr themselves or to attack Islam as a cause for such actions, Chris Morris actually makes his characters surprisingly sympathetic and demonstrates that those drawn into committing terrorist acts can often be the naïve and uneducated whose confusion and naivety is exploited into making them believe they are committing righteous acts. The sources from where the character’s come from are also surprising as they all, Omar and Waj especially, come from moderate backgrounds and for whose culture is a mixture of Muslim and Western values as brought about by having lived their lives in Britain. The most extreme member of the group, Barry, is white and recent convert to Islam who is seemingly embracing the religion as a way to justify his own anti-Semitism and wish to lash out with violence. When taking Omar and Waj to a training camp in Pakistan they face insult and ridicule from soldiers their who see them as English and further highlights a conflict of culture amongst Western-living/Western-born Muslim's who face persecution for being Muslim but never truly receive respect from hardliners in Muslim nations despite their attempts to ingratiate themselves. It is this conflict that has led some of these characters to embark upon their mission and who see themselves as being heroes once they become martyrs. While characters like Faisal and Waj are drawn in due to their lack of intelligence and Hassan's idealism is expolited by the agressive Barry, it is Omar's commitment that strikes the strongest chord. Omar's stable family life and moderate views on Islam as seen by his attitudes towards his brother raises questions over how this became his mission that are never adequately answered or why his wife would be so supportive but while this can be frustrating it also serves to shake preconceptions on radicals in that Omar is a very sympathetic character. While possessing unique insights, unexpected with the emphasis on the film being a comedy, and maturity, Four Lions is also very very funny with Morris also unafraid to exploit the farcical aspects surrounding the attempts that such plots, when not properly planned (as recalled by an attempt to drive a car into an airport) through pratfalls and the ridiculous promises of a martyr's death for many involved in such acts with some very funny one liners thrown in with "Fuck Mini-Babybels" a battle cry for one character yet through all the laughs and the moments of calm and sympathy, Morris is keen to remind us that such people are still very dangerous.

The cast of Four Lions is particularly impressive. Riz Ahmed stands out in the lead role of Omar who, whilst seemingly the smartest and most grounded of the group, is sympathetic yet still clearly misguided having fallen into the same lie of there being honour in what he is about to do, who also later feels guilt at bringing in more innocents like Waj and Faisal. Ahmed delivers a performance that quite rightly marks him as a British talent to watch in the future. Amongst the rest of the cast we have hilarious performances from Kayvan Novak (TV's Fonejacker) who gets most of the best lines as the dim-witted Waj whose reconciliation of his Western-upbringing and fundamentalist values is the most confused of the group and then there's Nigel Lindsay as Barry who portray's the character's hate and bluster in a manner that is at one time hilarious and then can quickly turn intimidating.

In the face of controversy, Four Lions stands out as being far more respectful of what leads its protagonists towards the actions they take than might be expected and offers an often mature looks at the conflicts of culture that some face when reconciling more moderate, Western values with fundamentalist ones. Four Lions is also very very funny with great one-liners, outstanding moments of farce and many moments that are funny, sad and shocking in equal measure poking ridicule at the idea of Jihadists being criminal masterminds without ever forgetting that they are still a danger and also human beings that have been misled through anger and conflicts of identity. Funny, smart, still potentially offensive but daring and worth seeing.

Rating: 4/5

Iron Man 2

Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke & Gwyneth Paltrow

An entertaining sequel that whilst not as fun as the first film due to a disappointing middle act and too many set ups for future Marvel Comics films, is still enjoyable thank in large part to Downey Jr.

An unexpected hit both critically and commercially in 2008, Iron Man revived the Marvel Comics film franchise after the poorly reviewed Spider-Man 3 and even stole some of the spotlight of the, then upcoming, The Dark Knight. Thanks in due part to a well received performance from Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role, which also cemented Downey Jr. as a star once again, and to the direction of Jon Favreau. Not wanting to ruin a winning formula, both star and director return for Iron Man 2 which, while retaining much of what made the first film enjoyable, suffers from the ambition of the studios to use scenes to promote future Marvel Comics films and suffers from a disappointing middle act.

After revealing his identity as Iron Man to the world, Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) faces downsides to his increased celebrity status. He faces the government wishing to seize the Iron Man technology on the grounds that it’s a weapon and wish to adapt it for military purposes, a competing military contractor in Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) who wants to put Stark out of business and Ivan Vanko (Rourke) the embittered son of an inventor who was muscled out of his share of the fortune Stark’s father made from technology he helped design. When Vanko manages to re-create the technology Stark invented to power his Iron Man suit to make a weapon of his, attacking and injuring Stark, Vanko is then contacted by Hammer wishing to use Vanko’s skills to create his own army of suits to rival Stark’s. With enemies coming from various directions, Stark has his own health problems to contend with as the materials he needs to power the device keeping Stark alive, is also poisoning him.

When Iron Man was released in 2008, it was expected to do good Box Office, but its success both commercially and critically was much higher than expected, eclipsed only by that year’s The Dark Knight amongst the year’s blockbuster films. With the future of the, then, newly formed Marvel Comics Films studio resting on the success of this film and The Incredible Hulk, the success of Iron Man was very good indeed and with much success being given to the film’s star and director, both were brought back for the sequel with the added intention of using the sequel to build up future Marvel Comics films. Iron Man 2 then is still a very enjoyable movie, but where the first surprised, the sequel has expectations to meet and unfortunately does not meet them all. Downey Jr. certainly impresses yet again as Tony Stark but the direction on behalf of Favreau suffers. This is not all down to Favreau as the intent of the studios to promote future films through Iron Man 2 is obvious whenever Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury appears on screen and whose role and scenes contribute little to the overall arc of the film. The arc of the film too, while starting strong, struggles to capture the fun of the first film with a slow and overly drawn out middle act where Stark’s self-destructive behaviour culminates in a poorly conceived drunken state at a birthday party and fight with his best friend. The arc while intended to give Stark a kind of emotional journey through the film generally distracts from the other leading arcs, that of an enemy born out of his pre-Iron Man past and another in the form of a business competitor taking on Stark, and Iron Man, from different directions which ultimately results in a climax featuring more men in suits fighting men in suits.

Fortunately, the casting helps save the film. Downey Jr., aside from the drunken birthday sequence where even he fails to make his character charming, is otherwise great as Stark with witty one-liners and plenty of charisma in the role he seemed born to play. Sam Rockwell is great as Stark’s business competitor, a man who has Stark’s ambition but none of his charm, ethics or ability who is always slimy but his ambition making him dangerous still. Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko, AKA Whiplash, is enjoyable when trading a war of words with Stark or with Hammer but is somewhat of a pantomime villain when it comes to taking action though is still decent. Gwyneth Paltrow continues to impress as Pepper Potts with great onscreen chemistry with Downey Jr., while Don Cheadle fills the role of Rhodey, originally performed by Terrence Howard, with ease making you wish he played the role all along and Scarlett Johansson is likewise enjoyable in a role that could have been little more than pouts but is actually more fun.

Overall, Iron Man 2 is certainly an enjoyable sequel to the first film but doesn’t equal it. Some obvious set up for future Marvel Comics films and an overwrought emotional arc for Tony Stark that results in a disappointing middle act to detract from the overall enjoyment but the performances of the cast, the generally fun tone maintained at other times and a few enjoyable action sequences mean the film is still an enjoyable superhero film.

Rating: 3/5

Centurion

Director: Neil Marshall
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Dominic West & David Morrissey

A decent enough historical thriller that while light on plot and high in violence is still entertaining enough as a chase film and features a good cast.

Constantly striving to show that UK cinema can compete with the USA in creating action thrillers even on a small budget, the films of Neil Marshall has been consistently entertaining despite placing emphasis on action over plot and frequently finding influence from better known and better received films. Marshall’s latest, Centurion, is his first to play with an actual historical event, that surrounding the Roman Ninth Legion which disappeared on a march into Northern England. Around this mystery, Marshall has developed another action thriller based around an unknown band of survivors. The result is still an entertaining thriller though again emphasises action and violence overall.

Quintus Dias (Fassbender) is a Roman centurion stationed in England who is taken prisoner after an assault on his garrison by native rebels known as the Picts. When he escapes he crosses paths with the Roman Ninth Legion led by Titus Virilus (West) who have been charged with wiping out the Picts to complete the Roman conquest of England at whatever cost but a trap laid by their Pict scout Etain (Olga Kurylenko) sees the Ninth Legion massacred with just Quintus and a small band of survivors left who then find themselves on the run for safety and hunted by the Pict forces who, unbeknownst to Quintus, are driven by revenge by the Pict leader of the death of his child at the hand of one of Quintus’ men.

Built around some energetic action sequences, though high on violence and gore, Centurion works fairly well as a straight action thriller. The main characters are on the run, literally with the punishment of a violent death facing them if they slow or falter. There is some predictability involved in the assemblage of the survivors on the run with them filling certain personality types and the fates, even order of fates, somewhat easy to predict but, unlike the recent Clash of the Titans remake, more members of this band of men get to have moments to actually demonstrate character which is helped by the cast involved. The ending of the film is to be expected since history already shows no survivors were ever seen but this only detracts a little from the overall enjoyment. What does detract more from the enjoyment is the facelessness of the antagonists. Some comments are made in regards to the Picts, the country’s native inhabitants, being justified in their hatred due to decades of violence at the hands of the Romans but aside from this there is little done to humanise them or portray them as anything more than savages. The main Pict character, the scout Etain that tricks then traps the Ninth Legion, is a mute. Any drama to be had at really deciding who are the victims and who are the guilty considering the Romans are part of an invading force is rarely touched upon.

Centurion does feature some decent performances from several good actors. Michael Fassbender, following on from the acclaimed performances in Hunger, Fish Tank and Inglourious Basterds shows that he is capable of leading more commercial films in bigger roles while his band of survivors feature a mixed bag of performances from Liam Cunningham, likeable and grumpy; David Morrissey; Riz Ahmed, sneaky and untrustworthy and Noel Clarke whose character is generally unlikeable. Dominic West relishes the chance to play a loutish yet charming Roman General in Titus and Imogen Poots is likeable as a possible love interest for Quintus. Olga Kurylenko is perfectly convincing as a savage but there is otherwise little that is memorable about her performance though the underwritten nature of the character holds some blame.

Centurion is a decent action thriller with some novelty over the period of history in which it is set. There are a few likeable performances and Fassbender makes for an able leading man and some of the action sequences do thrill but there otherwise the film is generally average with the high level of violence, number of underwritten characters and predictable plot preventing this from being a great action film instead of just an average one.

Rating: 3/5

Extract

Director: Mike Judge
Starring: Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis & Ben Affleck

An average comedy from Mike Judge that has some funny moments but is too laid back in its pacing to offer anything memorable.

Still best known for the popular TV series Beavis & Butthead and King of the Hill, Mike Judge’s forays into cinema have been mixed. Starting off strong with the little seen Office Space which garnered positive reviews and a cult following then came the overly ambitious Idiocracy which suffered poorly in reviews and reception and now comes Extract. Dialling back the scope to more of the workplace based humour that succeeded so well with Office Space, Extract has some amusing moments and has a good cast but the ambition has been pulled back too far with the film too laid back, slow in its pace and in its comic timing that while nice, doesn’t leave the film feeling particularly memorable.

Joel Reynolds (Bateman) owns and runs his own extract business, producing a popular food flavouring and providing Joel with the autonomy to be his own boss and be more of a friend to his workers than a manager. However, feeling particularly unfilled with his sex life at home, seeing an accident occur at his factory that leaves him open to a lawsuit and interest in a buy out coming from a larger business, Joel finds his life becoming more stressful and unfulfilling than he’d like. With the arrival of Cindy (Kunis), a drifter and con-woman (unbeknownst to Joel), Joel is convinced by his bartender friend Dean (Affleck) that he could be happier in his life and love life if he gets someone to seduce his wife thus allowing himself the freedom to pursue Cindy without the guilt of adultery. Things don’t go to plan and Cindy’s own plans on profiting from Joel’s situation threatens bring down Joel, his business and his marriage.

Despite a good cast and some enjoyable laughs, it is initially difficult to find any characters to like or root for in Extract unlike with Office Space. That the lead character even contemplates tricking his wife into committing adultery to allow him the freedom to commit adultery himself does make it difficult for Joel to be a sympathetic character until much later when he realises his selfishness and struggles to repair the damage he’s done and still his emotionally distant wife is the more sympathetic character. The other characters in the film, mostly workers in the extract plant, are a generally entertaining group of misfits and small-town stereotypes but as much humour can be derived from these characters, the situations they become involved in and in Joel’s situation too are often too infrequent with Mike Judge’s pacing throughout the film feeling far too laid back even when compared to similar, more successful efforts from the director in the past. The jokes themselves even lack the sharp insight into working environments that Judge brought to Office Space and to King of the Hill. There is nothing particularly bad in the film in regards to the jokes themselves or most of the characters but nothing particularly stands out as being memorable either.

Extract does boast a good cast. Jason Bateman is decent in the lead role of Joel, ably demonstrating the character’s dissatisfaction and lack of ambition and his struggles later to fix his situation but the performance suffers due to the role itself with Bateman’s Joel a less sympathetic or witty version of characters Bateman has played in films or TV shows like Arrested Development. Ben Affleck puts in a generally enjoyable performance as Joel’s even more laidback bartender buddy Dean continuing the actor’s recent streak of enjoyable supporting roles though the other main performance in the film, Mila Kunis’ as the con-woman Cindy is much less likeable. While the likeability may be part of the point in regards to her character’s intentions, Kunis’ performance is muddled and attempts to be likeable failing. J.K. Simmons, Beth Grant and Clifton Collins Jr. put in decent performances as fellow factory workers, particularly Collins Jr. whose accident at the plant places him in the manipulations of Cindy and Kristen Wiig is generally sympathetic as Joel’s wife and while Dave Koechner plays against his usual type of loud, brash character as Joel’s annoying neighbour, it feels like his annoying nature is Judge’s attempts to create another character in the mould of Office Space’s Bob Lumberg but failing.

Extract has a decent cast and some decent laughs but generally feels too slow and lacks likeable characters making the film pretty disappointing overall. Mike Judge’s laidback style works well on TV and with the film Office Space that had a much sharper script, but here he struggles to create anything memorable for good or bad.

Rating: 2/5

Whip It

Director: Drew Barrymore
Starring: Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig & Drew Barrymore

Enjoyable even though the plot and themes often feel too familiar, Whip It is an enjoyable directorial debut from Drew Barrymore.

Having already been seen on screen promoting girl power in films with mixed success (see the Charlie’s Angels films); actress Drew Barrymore has turned her eye towards directing a film of her own. Adapting the novel Derby Girl, Whip It is fortunately much better than might be expected and while it’s tale of a girl trying to find her own individuality, her own voice through a niche activity might seem familiar and the lead role played by Ellen Page also feeling somewhat familiar to roles Page has played before, Whip It is still quite enjoyable.

Tired of entering beauty pageant after beauty pageant at the behest of her mother and with uncertainty over her future living in a small town, Bliss Cavendar (Page) happens across a group of girls while out on a shopping trip that a part of a local roller derby team who revel in ignoring more common expectations upon what they should be and are out to have fun and do their own thing, that being the small and relatively forgotten sport of roller derby. Feeling inspired by these girls, one of them named Maggie Mayhem (Wiig) tells Bliss to be her own hero, inspire herself and Bliss takes the chance to join the team even though it means keeping it secret from her family. Of course Bliss soon realises that roller derby is not a sport for the uncertain and Bliss must find her own confidence and strength to compete which then also influences her confidence in other aspects of her life.

Whilst generally a female orientated film in its largely female cast and heroines, messages of girl power and striving to break free of old gender expectations and making your life your own, Whip It could easily appeal to audiences of either gender when it comes to finding your own individuality. While the manner in which the film goes about having Bliss find herself through a sport is something that has been seen before (see Bend It Like Beckham) it is nevertheless handled quite well by Drew Barrymore making her directorial debut. Barrymore tackles the theme quite maturely yet also knows to keep humour present to make Bliss’ journey a worthwhile one. The film is also largely about bonding too with Bliss building relationships with similar misfits tired of the expectations they’ve been expected to withhold to and the interaction of the team is often fun with their joy in being the number two team and lack or real care at being a success. The team being in it for the fun makes them more endearing even though the added support this might generate within the audience still builds up towards a climax that doesn’t cheat the characters but is, yet again, something that has been seen before.

The cast in Whip It are generally quite enjoyable. Most of the cast play familiar personalities but are still enjoyable regardless. Ellen Page makes a likeable lead in Bliss, less sharp and witty than the character she played in Juno, Page still plays a character with a similar disregard for conforming to expectation yet Bliss and Page’s performance is generally sweeter and more likeable overall. Daniel Stern and Marcia Gay Harden are enjoyable as Bliss’ parents with Harden at first playing a role that might recall association with more steely, uptight roles in the past but soon finds it being tempered with warmth and concern. The Hurl Scouts, the roller derby team which Bliss joins, are memorably cast with sporty and/or comedic actresses like Zoe Bell (Death Proof), Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore herself and Juliette Lewis as the bitch Iron Maven who switches teams and turns against them.

Whip It doesn’t really add much new to the sports genre or films dealing in empowerment and finding one’s individuality but it is still quite enjoyable with plenty of good humour and a likeable cast and makes for a decent debut from Drew Barrymore as a filmmaker.

Rating: 3/5