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Reviews
17 Again (2009)
Forgettable film strictly for teenage girls
17 Again takes off where most High School Musicals finish, Effron dancing around while shooting hoops on the basketball court. A scene simply there to make most teenage girls squeal and so the rest of the film follows this formula.
Mike O'Donnell (Matthew Perry) wishes that he could somehow change his past, go to college as he dreamed, play basketball and live happily ever after. This isn't the case and so he lives his life miserably until the day when an unexplained janitor happens to fall into a river whilst luring Mike in with him. The Director doesn't care about how or why this happened but is focused on making Effron have as much screen time as possible.
From there its the usual time changing film, person gets changed, person is scared and doesn't know what to do, person is told by someone the reason why they may have been changed, person realises this and sets out to make this change, person thinks there doing really well and believes that they are fulfilling their task, person stuffs everything up and so on.
Effron knows that the film is focused on him and tries to put everything into his performance. He can be funny, yet annoying and unless your a huge fan will think that his performance is extremely fake. Matthew Perry does not need to do anything here but simply be there, and isn't given much screen time at all, once again trying to show off Effron. Thomas Lennon as Mike's best friend is funny but he also over acts and at times you can;t help but feel he has had much too much screen time.
Overall, 17 Again is more focused on Zac Effron's talent than plot or jokes. Although it isn't a complete train wreck of a film, it isn't memorable and the only ones that will enjoy it are teenage girls who are fanatics of Effron. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother or if so look for it on DVD.
Bedtime Stories (2008)
Imagine your stories came to life...
Adam Sandler is fantastic here as Skeeter Bronson, an out of luck hotel janitor who tells bedtime stories to his niece and nephew which eventually come true. Although it is not made clear why the stories are coming true, Bedtime Stories is still a lot of fun that the kids will love.The stories told are a lot of fun, from raining gum balls to aliens and giant boogas, Bedtime Stories will leave you laughing long after you have left the cinema. The supporting cast is also fantastic, from Keri Russell who plays Jill, an uptight teacher and an eventual love interest. Russell Brand is absolutely hilarious as Mickey, Skeeters best friend and Courtney Cox and Guy Pearce are also quite good. Take your kids to see Bedtime Stories and you will not leave disappointed.
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)
How to lose Brain Cells and Want to Punch People
Does the title not say it all?? How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is an awful film that is not funny, has a boring story and pretty awful acting. Sidney Young (a disappointing Simon Pegg) is an out of luck journalist until he gets a phone call from a big time manager of SHARPs magazine (an unfunny and scary looking Jeff Bridges). What progresses is a bunch of awkward conversations and lots of attempts of trying to be funny. Also starring is Gillian Anderson and Kirsten Dunst, the only two trying to save this unstoppable mess. And Megan Fox, who did very well in Transformers, shows she is only in because of her looks, because she can't act for peanuts!
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People fails because there just aren't enough funny jokes and the story is just dull and boring. Also Dunst and Pegg have pretty awful chemistry, although Dunst does have some funny lines.
Some people say you can't judge a book by its cover. Well in this case, judge the movie by its title and stay away.
Kath & Kim (2008)
OK, but not as good as the Aussie version.
Me being from Australia and loving the series, I wasn't expecting much from the American version of Kath and Kim but I thought I'd watch the first episode to see if it was really that bad.
Well,whats there to say. Its nothing special.Selma Blair is OK as Kim and actually had a few good lines, Molly Shannon is not a good Kath though. The good thing about Jane Turner's Kath is that when she speaks with all her funny accents (such as when she says Yumor or Noice) it sounds like its just the natural way that she speaks, but when Shannon has a go at the accent, its clear that she is acting and trying to be the same as Turner. And the show really misses Sharon or some one else to give us something to laugh about, because the Kal and Craig characters in this version are really not funny.
So far only the first episode has aired and it is clearly not up to the standards of the Aussie version, although if it was a stand alone television show with a different name, not being compared to the Aussie version it would perhaps be viewed as being a little bit better. But if there is nothing else to do on a Sunday night (or Thursday night in America) then you cant do much harm in watching it, or better put on some of the Aussie version if you've got it.
The House Bunny (2008)
Anna Faris proves she is a comic gem!
The House Bunny follows Shelly, a 27 year old Playboy bunny who gets kicked out of the mansion and moves into a Zeta House. This Zeta house contains 6 or 7 unconfident,losers who need 30 pledges to keep there house on the ground. The only way to do this, become popular. OK, so the story line is a bit silly, but Faris' Shelly makes it work. Not only does she play one of the dumbest characters to ever hit the big screen, but some of the one liners are classics i.e:"The eyes are the nipples of the face." Faris proves here that she is a comic gem and a lot of fun to hang around with. Many people say that she has played to many dumb bimbos (The Scary Movie Series, Just Friends) and this is included, but if you can do it well and make it work then why stop? Just Friends lovers (that film is a classic), Faris plays a similar character to our favorite celebrity Samantha James, so if you loved that film then this film will work for you. Go see it for a not too serious, fun and hilarious night out!
Mad Money (2008)
The three main leads give us Mad Fun!
Three average woman who work at the mint team up together to try and steal the cash they are supposed to be destroying. This is Mad Money, a fun and at times hilarious comedy. Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes work together to make a great team as the three criminals.
Although of its nasty box office performance and harsh reviews, Mad Money delivers as a comedy that is a lot fun from start to finish. The directors and writers were not trying to make anything ground breaking with this film, they just wanted the audience to have a lot of fun and thats what they have achieved. Diane Keaton does well and looks to slowly be returning to form, Queen Latifah is always so much fun and she fails to disappoint and even the usually annoying Katie Holmes is fun to hang around with.
Overall, Mad Money is a lot of fun, mainly because of its three leads who are extremely enjoyable to hang out with.
Mama's Boy (2007)
A mess caused by Heder's annoying performance.
Oh my goodness. This was a real big mess that just couldn't help itself. Jeffrey (Jon Heder) is a 29 year old man still living with his mum (Diane Keaton) and not planning on going anywhere. Until his mother meets a rich businessman named Mert (Jeff Daniels) who she may be getting married to.
It would have been an OK movie if Heder didn't play his Jeffrey so annoying, from the very start there is no chance of liking him and it only gets worse and worse. In the end, we are supposed to like him, but there was no reason to as he hadn't changed from the selfish brute that he was at the beginning of the movie.
Keaton doesn't look to even be trying and is in horrible form after 2007's Because I Said So. Not to mention the shocking chemistry between Heder and Keaton, and where supposed to believe that their mother and son? The only saving grace is Jeff Daniels and Anna Faris although they don't look very interested either. Apart from a few little smiles, this film really doesn't deserve to be called a comedy simply because there is barely anything to laugh at! If your in the mood for a recent Diane Keaton flick watch Mad Money or Smother which are a lot better than this abysmal effort.
Smother (2008)
Not to bad considering Keaton's recent form..but Tyler is ridiculous!
Diane Keaton is going through a really rough couple of years. Lets check her last few movies:Because I Said So-Shocking film and didn't go so well at the box office, Mama's Boy- Shocking film, horrific at the box office and Mad Money-A good movie in my book, but a poor box office return.
So where does that leave Smother? Here we have a mother who moves in with her son causing chaos in her son's life. Its a fun comedy, but with nothing new or exciting that we haven't seen before. Dax Shepherd steers the ship, and is actually not to bad as the lead who's life just keeps getting harder and harder. As for Keaton, well she is a lot of fun as the annoying mother who doesn't want to move out of her son's house. She plays it rather well and her character is actually quite likable. She has great chemistry with Dax and together they make a great team.
So what flaws this movie if not Keaton, who has been out of form for so long? Its Liv Tyler, her performance is so fake and forced that you find yourself cringing at each word that comes out of her mouth. She is not believable at all and in a scene of her being angry she is practically laugh worthy! Its good to see Keaton slowly getting back into form after her shocking last couple of movies, Mad Money not included. But Liv Tyler needs to try harder and she is the real problem with this film. But other than that, Smother is a not bad comedy for a lazy afternoon.
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Fun,feel good flick but s.o.s from some of the singing!
I never saw the Broadway show but today I decided to go see Mamma Mia the movie in hope that it would be as great as last years Hairspray. Unfortunately, I found it quite disappointing. It tells the story of Sophie who, in an attempt to find a father to walk her down the isle on her big day, secretly reads her mothers diary and finds three men (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard) that might possibly be her father . Meanwhile everyone keeps breaking out into Abba songs and dancing around cheerfully. The music is fine but the singing pretty laughable at times, especially from Brosnan who the audience were actually laughing at whilst he was breaking out into song. The main problem with this movie is that it can't figure out who the story is following, Sophie or her mother Donna. One moment we are following Donna around trying to work out which man out of the three men who have arrived she loves the most and then we follow Sophie who is trying to sort out which one is her father. In the end it becomes one huge mess and the songs become quite annoying and just plain corny! Streep does OK with her singing but not good enough for someone that sings around 10 songs throughout the whole film. All in all, Mamma Mia has some great jokes, good scenery and good acting, but the singing and story line let it down. But by all means go see it for the feel good vibe and the songs that will stick in your head for days!
Made of Honor (2008)
Made of the same old thing.
Patrick Dempsey plays Tom, a man who is best friends with Hannah (Michelle Monaghan). When Hannah goes to Scotland for 6 weeks, Tom realizes that he just might be in love with her, so he plans for them to go further in the relationship when she returns. But Hannah has met a nice Scottish man whilst on her trip named Collin who she plans to marry.He then must try and convince Hannah that Collin is not the one for her and that in fact, he is. The few occasional laughs and good chemistry from the two leads just save this from being a total disaster, but we have already had to many of these formulaic romantic comedies (What Happens In Vegas, 27 Dresses) in one year that it doesn't feel like anything new or different.
What Happens in Vegas (2008)
Leave it in Vegas
Nothing new here. Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher play as opposites who, after to many drinks, marry each other and then win a three million dollar jackpot from a slot machine. The courts have ordered them to stay married for six months with therapy, but a further revelation shows that whoever divorces first loses the money. Of course they make each other's life hell, and if you cant already see what is going to happen the there could be something wrong. A few good chuckles here and there but there is barely any chemistry between the two leads who are completely mismatched. To predictable and not enough laughs to be anything memorable. Co stars Queen Latifah.
Nim's Island (2008)
An island with the right amount of fun and adventure!
Abigail Breslin stars as Nim, a girl living with her father (Gerard Butler) on a mysterious island in the south pacific. When her father goes missing whilst on an expedition, she contacts her favourite writer named Alexandra Rover(Jodie Foster) who hasn't left her house in 16 weeks due to being afraid of everything outdoors. Rover has an imaginary friend, a man and character in her popular books named Alex Rover (Also Gerard Butler) and this is who Nim expects. Nim's Island is a lot of fun, filled with plenty of adventure. Performances are excellent, especially from Foster who shows that she can also be casted for less serious comedies. As for the scenery, well that is what pretty much makes the movie. I recently saw the horrid 'Fool's Gold' and was told that the scenery was excellent, well this is just as good. In fact the only reason I didn't give this film a 10 was because the ending, well, it could have been better. But by all means, Nim's Island is excellent! Go see it with your kids or even just to get a laugh, and remember to have fun!
Shrek the Third (2007)
People like seconds..but not so much thirds
Everyone knew that when Shrek the third was first released it would not live up to the great expectations of the first two.And so it proved.After watching it you don't really understand why the story and jokes were so silly and why the directors would go for something so lame.Sure kids may love it, but its not so much the 'fun for the whole family' genre that the first two were.So now i believe that many people will be posting the question 'What about Shrek 4?'I cant see it as being to good after watching this.All I can say is that it has to go back to the 'fun for the WHOLE family' aspect that the first two movies had or else it will be exactly like the third. This needed to be a lot better!
Hoodwinked! (2005)
Fun in the Hood!
Hoodwinked tells the stroy or Red, a lonely girl that delivers muffins every day to her Granny's house. But when someone steals the secret recipes from another store, an investigation begins to try and find therobber. There are four possible leads, Red, her Grandma who isn't your average Granny at all, a Wolf who just happens to be a nosey journalist and a woodsman who isn't as scary as he looks. The storys told are great and there are so many laughs, especially from Patrick Warburton's Wolf and his companion named Twitchy. Hoodwinked is a fun flick for the family to go see and is a lot better than the disappointing Madagascar. Go see it with the kids!
Poseidon (2006)
One of the movies of 2006!
Entering the cinema to watch the latest version of the Poseidon Adventure, I wasn't expecting much . But boy was I wrong! The first ten minutes of the movie are the usual for a disaster movie, we get to know the characters and why they are on the ship. But then a wave hits the Poseidon and the real thrills begin. This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you wonder what is going to happen next. The Effects are some of the best I have ever seen and the acting is no where near as bad as everyone says it is. With a big name cast including Josh Luacs, Emmy Rossum and Kurt Russell, Poseidon is an excellent film and must be seen on the big screen!
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Not as good as the first, but still a lot of fun!
The sequel to the excellent Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl is a fun, enjoyable experience that is worthy of being apart of the trilogy. This time Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp returning brilliantly) is back out at sea along with Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly). But there is a great new villain named Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) ruling the high seas, with a creature they call The Kraken killing anything in its path. Although not as good as the first, the sequel still has that feel of adventure and is only lket down by a disappointing ending that leads straight into the planned end to the great series. Good fun and Highly Recommended!