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Bad Teacher (2011)
5/10
Surprisingly good performance by Diaz saves poor script
2 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This was the opposite to what I expected. I was pleasantly surprised by Diaz's character, 'Elizabeth Halsey' being a money scrounging, pot smoking gold digger who has no regard for anyone but herself and will back-stab anyone to get it using whatever resources available........mainly her body. She was really taken out of her comfort zone with this one (similar to Jennifer Aniston in Horrible Bosses). This is probably the strongest performance I have seen from her to date.

Probably just as well as the majority of the script content was pretty shocking. It really did drag for large parts. Throw Justin Timberlake into the mix and you'd think That would spice things up. However although I love how he plays himself up, large chunks of his input were pretty boring and he does not feature as prodominately as you would expect. Don't get me wrong I actually rate him as an actor but they could have made a lot more from his character.

Jason Segel is very good as Russell the, 'Gym Teacher' who has a subtle but solid input throughout the film. He provides some much needed laughs when things start to dull down.

The fringe characters (rival teacher, friendly teacher and the ridiculous school principle) are all worthy cast members but again suffer from lack of content at times.

Look out for the small but brilliant performance from Thomas Lennon who it seems has a natural knack to deliver comedic lines flawlessly.

In summary, it is worth watching for the laugh out loud moments although they are few and far between. Generally strong performances with the script available but I would have expected better content from,Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg.
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Monsters (2010)
4/10
A love story with a few.....monsters?!
13 June 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Sorry guys, i'm probably going to upset a few people here but I am not going to agree with the hype for this Movie. I had heard a lot about this film and was expecting big things from it. I was left disappointed by the end of it.

The trailers etc would have you believe the basis for this film was 'Monsters' and an exciting journey through a quarantined area in which these monsters inhabit..well...they do have to travel through an Alien infested area (Mexico) but you'd be forgiven for thinking the two main characters have just taken a stroll through a local safari park with no apparent concern for there safety or a possible Alien attack. In fact when there is a 'confrontation' with the creatures and people get killed they don't seem to have a care in the world an hour after the event.

This is very much a love story which has been over-hyped due to the fact that Gareth Edwards directed, wrote, produced and provided visual effects on such a low budget. From this point of view the film is very impressive with some visually creative use of Cinematography. There is no doubt he is a very talented man.

Saying this..the script is very basic and shaky in places. The aliens are (maybe deliberately) very stereotypical tentacle wielding creatures that we never learn anything about.

There are moments when the two leading actors, Able and Mcnairy do deliver powerful and convincing emotions and then others where they fall short.

If your a Sci Fi fan you may enjoy this film as clearly many have rated it. It is very well polished for a low budget film. However, on the other hand I think this is a strange love story with a loose connection with Aliens. No explanation and little point.
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The Mechanic (2011)
6/10
Oh Jason......If you were any smoother you'd be liquid!
10 June 2011
If I said I wasn't sure what to expect from this film I would be lying. Jason Statham as an elusive hit-man.....Yep that's pretty much the jist. However, I am a Statham fan and this has taken ingredients from old-school Action movies and converted them into a high octane and stylish film.

The plot is slightly creaky and some aspects seem a little rushed but let's face it we didn't watch this film for breath taking performances and Oscar nominations. We watched it for cool,calm and collective 'Hit' sequences and action.

Ben Foster is actually really good as the bad ass, young loose cannon although we don't find out a lot about his characters background. Statham is his usual type of character with an even more cold blooded edge.

In summary, worth watching if like me you grew up on the action movies of the late 80's and 90's. Stylish cinematography in places with a good soundtrack. The film has not tried to go too main stream and has not steered away from graphic gore.

Downside-predictable....but who cares!
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7/10
Better than your average Rom Com
1 June 2011
So here we go again, another Rom Com with an inevitable ending and a script written by a group of 'last year Drama students'.

I must admit when my wife picked this film up I thought I would have to endure the usual trivial dross as with other films of the same genre.

However within the first 20 minutes I found myself drawn to the two leading characters in a way I normally wouldn't for this type of film. In fact, this is far from a light hearted and cuddly comedy we have all come to expect. The film carries a serious yet subtle undertone throughout about two people and the measure of their loyalty to themselves and their friends.

There are some laugh out loud moments and even a few tear jerkers. Don't get me wrong this film is not flawless but if it is a quiet night in with a bottle of wine they don't come much better than this.

A plausible script with strong performances from Heigl and Duhamel.
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