Film Review: Ted

Director: Seth MacFarlane

With Seth MacFarlane renowned for writing the TV series Family Guy that keeps being cancelled and then re-commissioned due to massive DVD sales. It was probably inevitable that he would get the chance to move to the big screen with a bigger budget and some big Hollywood actors.

John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted

John Bennett (slightly awkward Mark Wahlberg) who as a child wishes that his Teddy bear will come to life and then is shocked to find that it has. Fast forward 25 years and his life of getting stoned with his Teddy watching movies and Flash Gordon. The close relationship they have is getting in the way of John's relationship with his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis) who he neglects but also believes that his life with his Teddy is stopping him from progressing at his job. All this comes to a head during the movie.

My initial reaction to the movie is that it wasn't as funny as I was expecting and even more surprisingly is that it doesn't even try half as many jokes as I expected. In many cases the film moves along for 3-4 minutes at a time with no real jokes attempted. Naturally there are some funnier moments especially when MacFarlane strays into Family Guy style jokes and cutaways but there isn't the comedic acting talent in the cast for it to work convincingly.

Angry Ted

Some actors live up to their roles well with Giovanni Ribisi in his usual creepy form as the guy who wants to buy Ted for his kid and Matt Walsh who plays John's boss is as funny as anyone in the movie despite being in about 4 scenes. Ryan Reynolds has a funny cameo as well to look out for but for the most part it's just Wahlberg struggling as a comedic actor whilst Kunis whines at him and Ted does outrageous things that aren't necessarily that funny. Considering the hype and potential of this movie it is certainly a letdown for me.

1/4 predictable and lacking enough quality jokes is only two of the problems this movie faces

Film Review: The Breakfast Club

Director: John Hughes

Written and directed by John Hughes, The Breakfast Club is synonymous with the 1980's and being a portrayal of those awkward teenage years as you work your way through high school. It is often cited as one of the greatest high school movies of all time and in lists for the greatest films of all time including the Empire top 500 which I reviewed recently (I hadn't seen this movie at the time of writing that review).

The film follows a group of school kids who are forced into Saturday detention for various misdemeanours during the week. The five very different kids which are given nicknames based on what people see them as are the athlete/Andrew (Emilio Estevez), the criminal/John (Judd Nelson), the princess/Claire (Molly Ringwald), the brain/Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) and the basket-case/Allison (Ally Sheedy). They initially bicker once the teacher is gone about their differences but slowly begin to realise that they are all very similar.

The Breakfast Club

Unfortunately certain films don't age that well (Twelve Monkeys being my prime example) and this falls into that category. Many of the characters are very cliché but obviously this wouldn't have been the case at the time. The idea of setting the whole film within the school and mainly the detention room is bold but the characters antagonising each other over their differences lasted too long without any real substance behind it. Judd Nelson as John is quite a transparent character which makes his story very predictable from the outset whilst Allison is pretty much a redundant character to the film.

The music is classic 80's and that isn't a bad thing as "Don't you (forget about me)" by Simple Minds is played at the beginning and end of the movie which seemed a very apt song given what is discussed during the film. The finale nicely ties the film together as the kids realise that this wasn't just another detention but it's just a long time coming.

2/4 emotional and warm finale but the characters are irritating and clichéd for too long

Film Preview: Lawless

An impressive cast has been pulled together for this Western crime drama about three bootleggers who find their business under threat during the Prohibition era. The cast includes Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce and unfortunately Shia LeBeouf. It was released at the Cannes Film Festival in the competition for the Palme d'Or but didnt win. A film with potential that will certainly attract interest from fans of Boardwalk Empire which is set around a similar era.

The trailer is embedded below and the movie is released on 7th September 2012 in the UK.

Film Review: Pulp Fiction

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Tarantino's second film after the superb Reservoir Dogs was a more ambitious affair with a bigger cast and a non-linear storyline. Although much of the cast from his first film return in various roles including Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi and Tim Roth. Much like the reference to its title at the beginning the film is slightly shapeless with many questions unanswered.

Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson)

The film revolves around three different plot lines that are told in 7 scenes which are not shown in chronological order. The scenes which bookend the film look at Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Hunny Bunny (Amanda Plummer) starting a robbery of a restaurant. We then see Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L.Jackson) retrieve a suitcase for their boss Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) whilst Vega must entertain Marsellus wife Mia (Uma Thurman) without being seduced by her. The final story is about Butch (Bruce Willis) who agrees to throw a fight for Marsellus for one last big payoff. The stories slowly become connected as the film develops into a tense finale.

This is the film that is generally seen as the reason behind John Travolta's acting comeback and it only came about because Michael Madsen (who played Vic Vega in Reservoir Dogs) was unavailable as he was shooting Wyatt Earp. This is a decision he still regrets many years later. Travolta puts in a good performance but is slightly over-shadowed by Samuel L. Jackson who is superb as his foul-mouthed religious partner in crime.

Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace

Bruce Willis is very convincing as the over the hill boxer in a role he seemed more comfortable in. The overall piece is similar to The Big Lebowski in terms of the plot itself being only half the film with much of the quick witted dialogue between characters providing more of the entertainment. Some parts the film grinds to a halt but overall its completely intriguing all the way.

3.5/4 genre defining film with memorable dialogue throughout

Film Review: The Big Lebowski

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen

The Coen brothers have a certain magic when it comes to make memorable films like Fargo and No Country for Old Men but none are memorable than the cult classic The Big Lebowski. A film that was so popular amongst some fans that a Lebowski fest runs every year in Louisville, Kentucky for fans of the film to gather as well as an online religion called Dudeism which spreads the idea and philosophy of the main character The Dude who is played by Jeff Bridges.

Jeff Bridges as The Dude

The Dude becomes embroiled in a kidnapping of a rich man's wife, Bunny played by Tara Reid, who happens to share the same surname as the Dude (Lebowski). This involves him being beaten up on different occasions and having his favourite rug urinated on and then his replacement stolen (''it really tied the room together''). The Dude has to deliver £1 million dollars to some thugs who have kidnapped Bunny and is helped by his friend Walter (John Goodman) when everything starts to go wrong.

Jeff Bridges and John Goodman are both excellent in their roles, Goodman as the Vietnam vet who just wont let go and Bridges as the laid back Dude who is incredibly likeable. The dialogue between the two creates a lot of the humour within the film as two completely contrasting characters in temperament. In The Dude the Coens have created a persona that thousands of people would love to be.

Superb cameo by John Turturro as Jesus Quintana

The plot itself becomes increasingly complex as the movie shifts towards its conclusion but what actually happens to the characters in the movie is only half of what this film is all about. It's the comic flair that the actors spit out quotable lines that elevates this above so many other movies of this type. Some of the plotlines don't always work but it doesn't really detract from what is a darkly funny film.

3.5/4 cult surreal brilliance by the Coens

Film Review: Friends with Benefits

Director: Will Gluck

Friends with Benefits was a film that I was told to watch because Mila Kunis spends a lot of time not wearing much, not a bad idea for a movie I guess. On actually watching this I was disappointed to find that many people had exaggerated this, although there is still ample opportunity for oggling, but was pleasantly surprised that it was funnier than expected. The main characters of Kunis and Timberlake talk openly about sex and sexual politics in the modern world whilst poking fun at the bog standard romcoms, all to good effect.

The plot revolves around Jamie (Kunis) headhunting Dylan (Timberlake) for a job which requires him to move from Los Angeles to New York where he knows no-one. They become friends and then decide having both been recently dumped that they should have no strings attached sex. Naturally you can guess what happens as the film progresses but that doesn't stop it from being a funny film along the way.

Jamie Relis (Mila Kunis) and Dylan Harper (Justin Timberlake)

The chemistry between Kunis and Timberlake is certainly evident during the sex scenes whilst the dialogue between the pair is quick witted and funny. This is the key in rom-coms such as this but is so often overlooked in the script writing and casting stage of making the movie. Woody Harrelson is an excellent addition as the no nonsense gay Sports editor who works with Dylan at his new job, he adds a different comedy dynamic to the movie at the right moments whilst the story surrounding Dylan's Dad does pull at the heart strings.

2.5/4 surprisingly funny and likeable take on the rom-com.

Film Preview: Man of Steel (Superman)

Christopher Nolan could be forgiven for having some time off to bask in the success of the Batman franchise he successfully re-created after The Dark Knight Rises opened to critical acclaim last week. Instead he has gone straight back to re-booting another superhero franchise that struggled at the end before finally being shelved. The early Superman movies were a great success but as more sequels came along the quality became diluted but if anybody has the previous form to show that he can make this a success than Nolan is certainly the man.

Henry Cavill takes up the lead role as Clark Kent/Superman whilst Amy Adams couldn't look more different to her role in The Muppets playing Lois Lane. Whilst other cast members include Russell Crowe, Laurence Fishburne and even Kevin Costner who plays Jonathan Kent. Whatever happens this will be an interesting movie to watch as we learn the background of the Superman story and his development into the superhero.


Movie Poster

The movie is set to be released 14th June 2013 and a teaser trailer is embedded below. Let the hype commence!