[Review] Little Fockers - 27th December 2010

★★★★ - Leaves A lot To Be Desired [For rating system, see information tab at the top of blog]

Release Date: 22nd December 2010
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Director: Paul Weitz
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Writers: John Hamburg - Larry Stuckey - Based on the characters by:  Greg Glienna - Mary Ruth Clarke
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Cast: Robert De Niro - Ben Stiller - Jessica Alba - Teri Polo - Owen Wilson - Barbra Streisand - Dustin Hoffman

Review

‘Little Fockers’ is the third in this series of films but, unfortunately, is a further example of how a brilliant pair of films is then let down by a further sequel.

Originally, 'Meet The Parents' and 'Meet The Fockers' were written by Greg Glienna & Mary Ruth Clarke. They created the characters of Jack Byrnes and Gaylord 'Greg' Focker and brought them to life in a brilliant, unique and extremely comic fashion. However, with 'Little Fockers', the mantel was passed onto John Hamburg and Larry Stuckey… A transition that has ruined the trilogy.

Obviously one expects to see a continuation of the characterization in the film, but there is more than a sense of ‘déjà vu’; the realization that nothing new has been brought to add to the two previous films. These proved to be so popular because of the refreshing manner in which the 'In Law' theme was introduced. 'Little Fockers' extended the films by introducing children, or in Jack Byrnes's case, grand children in an attempt to follow the stereotypical life of a couple in love: Meet, get engaged, meet the brides parents, meet the grooms parents, marriage and have children; but unfortunately, 'Little Fockers' did not utilise these situations for comedy in that same way that its prequels did. 

Having said this, no criticism can be made about the performances by the lead cast. Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Teri Polo play there original roles to the same comic high standard, along with the cameo's from Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand and new role introduced by Jessica Alba. The screen chemistry still remains and cannot be ignored. 

It also has to be said that Paul Weitz directed an accurately constructed, professionally made film, but unfortunately it misses some key elements of humour and leaves the viewer feeling disappointed and somewhat cheated. It is hard to believe that this film was made for any other reason than to generate money off the back of two great comedies.

[Review] Skyline - 17th of December

★★★ - Poor [For rating system, see information tab at the top of blog]
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Release Date: 12th November 2010
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Directors: Colin Strause & Greg Strause
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Writers: Joshua Cordes & Liam O'Donnell
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Cast: Eric Balfour - Scottie Thompson - Brittany Daniel - Crystal Reed - Neil Hopkins

Review

After watching the trailer for 'Skyline' I, along with many people, was really looking forward its release. However the viewing of it proved to be a real disappointment. It does not differ from many of the other apocalypse films already produced and is possibly the worst I have seen. 

The narrative construction of the film is weak, rushed and predictable. The party scene at the beginning aimed at familiarising the audience with the characters, but ended up being very clichéd at an almost ‘teen drama’ level. It then moves straight to the imminent attack from the Aliens. This structure is standard, but here seems to happen too quickly without the build up of any suspense - almost like two films have been tied together, with no real thought having been put into how to develop the storyline in a manner that works. 

In addition to this, there seems to be very little chemistry between the cast, each giving weak performances individually, and uncomfortable performances as a group. This, combined with the aforementioned problems over the structure of the narrative, contribute to its failure. The acting is generally second rate, and instead of constructing believable scenes of panic and emotion, we are left feeling irritated by the dialogue and actions. 

The film was naturally very focused on the Special Effects, Sound and CGI and some would argue this dominated the film resulting in weak casting, performances and narrative. However the film does use these techniques to produce a reasonable standard of special effects but not in any spectacular way. Though some would not agree, the benchmark for CGI and Effects in major motion pictures was set by James Cameron's 'Avatar', and unfortunately, ‘Skyline’ does not come close to creating this level of inventiveness. ‘Skyline’ aimed to be an exciting Sci-fi/action film, and unfortunately failed to impress on any level. 

[New Trailers] 14th December 2010

127 Hours

Transformers 3 - Dark Of The Moon

Black Swan

True Grit

Pirates Of The Caribbean - On Stranger Tides

[Review] Dew Date - 13th Of December 2010

★★★★★★ - Worth Watching [For rating system, see information tab at the top of blog]
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Release Date: 5th Novemeber 2010
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Director: Todd Phillips
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Writers: Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freeland (Story & Screenplay) Adam Sztykiel & Todd Phillips (Screenplay)
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Cast: Robert Downey Jr - Zach Galifianakis - Jamie Foxx

Review

After seeing Todd Phillip’s great comedy venture ‘The Hangover’ I felt dubious about whether he could produce another - and he didn't with ‘Due Date’, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!

A brief summary of this film suggests a standard narrative structure; two strangers meet, of opposing personalities, and are thrown into a situation where they have to spend an extended amount of time together resulting in several comic clashes. The difference between ‘Due Date’ and ‘The Hangover’ is that ‘Due Date’ has more serious undertones, as well as the original comedy Phillip’s creates.

As you watch this film, you realise that, while it is funny, it focuses more on the friendship that develops between the two characters, and as one is grieving about the death of a relative, how he starts to overcome the loss. It tackles how, as individuals, we deal with these difficult issues in very different ways.

Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifianakis give very effective performances, though it is hard to shake the character 'Alan' that Galifianakis played in ‘The Hangover’. However he does play an equally absurd character in ‘Due Date’, and executes the comedy perfectly, contrasting well as with the 'up tight' role that Robert Downey Jr plays. 

As four writers collaborated on this film, (Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freeland, Adam Sztykiel, Todd Phillips) one might imagine it was difficult to agree on how they wanted the characters to be perceived. The result was two well-crafted characters that clash in the perfect comic fashion, followed by excellent casting and subsequent screen chemistry. 


Overall, ‘Due Date’ is very funny, moving and an excellent addition to Todd Phillip's filmography.  

[Review] Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part One - 12th December 2010

★★★★★ - Average [For rating system, see information tab at the top of blog]
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Released: 19th November 2010
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Director: David Yates
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Writer: J. K. Rowling (Novel) Steve Kloves (Screenplay)
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Cast: Daniel Radcliffe - Emma Watson - Rupert Grint - Ralph Fiennes - Alan Rickman - Helena Bonham Carter - Julie Walters - Bill Nighy

Review

Throughout my childhood I was a huge fan of the Harry Potter novels, and as the saga of films have been produced I have felt they have generally not lived up to expectations. However before seeing the latest I kept an open mind and was surprised to find I quite enjoyed it, despite there being, in my view, a number of flaws! 

The Deathly Hallows Part One is very focused around the three central roles, Harry, Ron and Hermione, giving the film a character driven dimension, and allowing the opportunity for the three to shine. In Fact, the film is so driven by the three main characters, that most others featured in the previous films are ether not included, or only given cameo roles. 

However though this film was centralized around the three children, I still felt their performances were lacking. Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were in tune with the characters from the books, but the roles could have been more fully developed in a manner that would be expected from a character driven narrative film. Daniel Radcliffe’s performance seemed two-dimensional and his ability to portray emotion was limited. These negative points however were not prolific enough to ruin the film as other more impressive elements overshadowed them.

The films narrative and special effects are clever, and the cameos we see from British actors like Bill Nighy, Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes are well played and keep us intrigued. A substantial portion of the film features the trio travelling, and can at times feel laboured, but a series of short captivating scenes where the excitement builds constantly manages to re-engage the audience. Conventionally, the Harry Potter films had basic narrative structure - the film telling the story and ending with a climatic scene: The Resurrection Of Voldemort at the end of ‘The Goblet Of Fire’ and the battle in the Department of Mysteries at the end of ‘The Order Of The Pheonix’ are examples of this. However, the Deathly Hallows Part One differs in the incorporation of these mini- climatic scenes rather than one longer one at the end, and this adds intrigue and helps to leave the audience craving the release of Part Two. 

Another effect worth mentioning is the use of animation for one of the shorter scenes. This was perfectly constructed for the voice over that Emma Watson read as she explained a child's bedtime story with connotations of the 'Deathly Hallows' myth. The animation itself was almost like a short piece of artwork that was mesmerizing to the viewer, and explained the scene in the most unusual, but perfect manner. 

Overall, this Harry Potter film stays close to the original text. It does its job effectively and is entertaining even though the main performances are slightly weak.  It leaves the audience longing to find out the truth about all unsolved questions - especially as the story is in two parts. However, there is a sense that it was given the least amount of attention, and serves only as a bridge to the final film.