Highlander 1986
"From the dawn of time we came, moving silently down through the centuries. Living many secret lives, struggling to reach the time of the gathering, when the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known we were among you....until now." So starts this week's movie and if this opening setup doesn't raise the nostalgic hackles on your neck, the musical blast from Queen that quickly follows will. Yep, this week I watched 1986's Highlander on terrestrial TV.
Highlander is a glorious tale that spawned several substandard, disappointing sequels and a sanitised TV show which really wasn't very good at all. Categorising this movie that started it all is tricky. This film has romance, action and mythology wrapped up in a lovely little sci-fi bundle of everything that was right about the 80's. Like all good sci-fi stories it doesn't explain away what it is and allows the audience to work it out for themselves. Director Russell Mulcahey lets the story breathe and take on life naturally, guiding the avid viewer to an inner circle of smugness.
The cast is a multi-national affair and each of the main players are miscast beautifully. Christopher Lambert, American born however educated in France from a young age, plays the titular Highlander. Sean Connery, Scottish, plays an Egyptian who resembles a Spaniard and Clancy Brown, American, plays a nomadic Russian. Strange choices but every single casting decision works well. The fact that Lambert has very poor English due to this being only his second American feature gets explained within the story and leads to Lambert's performance as main good guy, Maclead, landing on the right side of cool. With Connery you get fabulous screen presence but don't expect him to pop out an accent or any other acting expression other than Sean Connery, he just does S(h)ean. Brown as the Kurgan is superb. He amps it up and he does everything with purpose from his forty a day throaty voice and intimidating mannerisms. Each thing adds to the Kurgan's threat.
Ok, it's an eighties movie so there is some bad stuff. Most of the sixteen million dollar budget looks like it got used on dry ice and smoke machines, the post production is poor as I would've preferred to see less of the wires used in action sequences and the female leads, Roxanne Hart and Beatie Edney, are fairly weak. Not Edney or Hart's fault, folks, it's just how female characters were written back then. There is an attempt to make Hart's character strong and independent but in true eighties fashion she starts this way then becomes a damsel in distress very quickly indeed.
Locations are so important in Highlander as it is fundamentally a period price. New York, Scotland and England and an unknown war location are all used, some of these more effectively than others. Scenes at Eilean Donan Castle in the Kyles of Lochalsh and at Loch Shiel are stunning and worth the watch alone (would be amazing on the big screen). The danger is that it all goes a bit Whiskey Galore twee in the Scottish section of the story and play to stereotypes but it didn't. Mulcahy lets each location tell you about our main protagonist's back story.
Along with the scenery, another star performance in Highlander is the soundtrack, provided by Queen, which blasts at every opportunity and anchors the story and characters to the emotions of the piece. So the Kurgan has rock and heavy guitar pieces in "Hammer to Fall" and "Gimme the Prize" and Macleod has pop favourites in different edits of the Queen classic "A kind of Magic". Queen also provides the more romantic pieces in "One Year of Love" and the lamenting "Who wants to Live Forever" which is used in one of the saddest and most poignant montages that I have ever seen on screen. Another wee extra is Freddy and the boys blasting out a version of New York, New York which was never commercially released.
This was a step back in time for me and an enjoyable one to boot. All the great things about eighties cinema is on display in Highlander. This is fun, quotable movie which is best described as a romp. It has a great original story that was sadly marred by dodgy sequels and TV shows. The Highlander tagline "There can be only one" laterally should have been "There should have been only one". If you love this, watch it again, don't go for the sequels.
Rating 8.0/10 - 1.0 off for the wires, 1.0 off for the fainting female leads.
Highlander is a glorious tale that spawned several substandard, disappointing sequels and a sanitised TV show which really wasn't very good at all. Categorising this movie that started it all is tricky. This film has romance, action and mythology wrapped up in a lovely little sci-fi bundle of everything that was right about the 80's. Like all good sci-fi stories it doesn't explain away what it is and allows the audience to work it out for themselves. Director Russell Mulcahey lets the story breathe and take on life naturally, guiding the avid viewer to an inner circle of smugness.
The cast is a multi-national affair and each of the main players are miscast beautifully. Christopher Lambert, American born however educated in France from a young age, plays the titular Highlander. Sean Connery, Scottish, plays an Egyptian who resembles a Spaniard and Clancy Brown, American, plays a nomadic Russian. Strange choices but every single casting decision works well. The fact that Lambert has very poor English due to this being only his second American feature gets explained within the story and leads to Lambert's performance as main good guy, Maclead, landing on the right side of cool. With Connery you get fabulous screen presence but don't expect him to pop out an accent or any other acting expression other than Sean Connery, he just does S(h)ean. Brown as the Kurgan is superb. He amps it up and he does everything with purpose from his forty a day throaty voice and intimidating mannerisms. Each thing adds to the Kurgan's threat.
Ok, it's an eighties movie so there is some bad stuff. Most of the sixteen million dollar budget looks like it got used on dry ice and smoke machines, the post production is poor as I would've preferred to see less of the wires used in action sequences and the female leads, Roxanne Hart and Beatie Edney, are fairly weak. Not Edney or Hart's fault, folks, it's just how female characters were written back then. There is an attempt to make Hart's character strong and independent but in true eighties fashion she starts this way then becomes a damsel in distress very quickly indeed.
Locations are so important in Highlander as it is fundamentally a period price. New York, Scotland and England and an unknown war location are all used, some of these more effectively than others. Scenes at Eilean Donan Castle in the Kyles of Lochalsh and at Loch Shiel are stunning and worth the watch alone (would be amazing on the big screen). The danger is that it all goes a bit Whiskey Galore twee in the Scottish section of the story and play to stereotypes but it didn't. Mulcahy lets each location tell you about our main protagonist's back story.
Along with the scenery, another star performance in Highlander is the soundtrack, provided by Queen, which blasts at every opportunity and anchors the story and characters to the emotions of the piece. So the Kurgan has rock and heavy guitar pieces in "Hammer to Fall" and "Gimme the Prize" and Macleod has pop favourites in different edits of the Queen classic "A kind of Magic". Queen also provides the more romantic pieces in "One Year of Love" and the lamenting "Who wants to Live Forever" which is used in one of the saddest and most poignant montages that I have ever seen on screen. Another wee extra is Freddy and the boys blasting out a version of New York, New York which was never commercially released.
This was a step back in time for me and an enjoyable one to boot. All the great things about eighties cinema is on display in Highlander. This is fun, quotable movie which is best described as a romp. It has a great original story that was sadly marred by dodgy sequels and TV shows. The Highlander tagline "There can be only one" laterally should have been "There should have been only one". If you love this, watch it again, don't go for the sequels.
Rating 8.0/10 - 1.0 off for the wires, 1.0 off for the fainting female leads.
Trumbo 2015
This week I merrily trotted off to the fabulous Glasgow Film Theatre to soak up director Jay Roach's Trumbo which kicks off the GFT's Dalton Trumbo season. And without being a total suck up thank you to the kind people from the GFT for this.
Who is Dalton Trumbo? There are people who will stick their hands up in the air and say that they have never heard of him, there are people who will say they have heard of him but really haven't (you know who they are) and there are people who are genuinely aware. Which category did I fall into? Well, I had both hands in the air and was bravely proclaiming I had never heard of him. However one of the many fine qualities of the movies is that you can always find a frame of reference. Whether this is a movie or actor that you will know from another feature or even a subject matter you are familiar with. So for those in my camp, if I said Trumbo is about the Spartacus and Roman Holiday screenwriter, stars Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, national treasure Helen Mirren, the ever watchable John Goodman and Louis C.K. and is about Hollywood "blacklisting" this should provide a frame of reference and may even tempt you to dip your toe.
Trumbo tells the tale of screenwriter and communist Dalton Trumbo and his fight against the House Un-American Activities Committee headed by Mirren's Hedda Hopper (a sort of Perez Hilton of her time) and surprisingly the Duke himself, John Wayne. This flick casts its critical eye on yesteryear's Hollywood system and ideals through the eyes of Cranston's Trumbo who despite being borderline narcissistic fights for the working people. Cranston is superb and displays Trumbo as one knock away from tipping over. He layers the character with anger, despair and witticisms. He is surrounded by a magnificent supporting cast. Mirren's Hopper is a bitter and twisted former star who had the power to make or break a movie on a whim via her gossip column. Mirren does scornful bile very well and although slightly campy it never strays into the unbelievable. Goodman and Louis C.K play allies of Trumbo and add a touch of levity to what could have been 124 minutes of po-faced politics. The casting bonus for me was Diane Lane who plays Mrs Trumbo and is the rock to which Dalton Trumbo clings to. Lane along with Elle Fanning, who plays Trumbo's eldest daughter Nikki, keeps the film grounded and provides the connection between the audience and the movie. After all most people have families, not everyone is a Hollywood screenwriter.
Trumbo's (the film) pace is well managed and kept me engaged for the entire running time. The script was sharp and witty. Director Jay Roach who previously directed the Austin Powers movies and Meet the Parents directs a serious movie about a serious subject but somehow has prevented it from being sterile although he does make the opposing forces in the movie conveniently clear for the viewer.
The movie is spliced with actual footage from the 1940's, 50's and 60's which is a nice touch for contextual purposes but spoon feeds the plot a bit much. Be warned, dear reader, the references may alter your opinions of certain movie stars who were favourites while causing you to take more notice of actors who did not appeal to you before.
When biopics are made to lesser standards they feel like an abuse of the subject. I am happy to report that Trumbo is an engaging, thought provoking movie that kept me entertained, interested and made me aware of Dalton Trumbo. From going in with no reference to being made aware of one of Hollywood's unsung heroes was a rare treat and would recommend Trumbo to anyone who likes a political drama with a heart.
Rating 9.0/10 - 1.0 off for spoon feeding the plot.
Trumbo is part of the Dalton Trumbo season taking place at the Glasgow Film Theatre which includes screenings of Spartacus, Roman Holiday, Papillion and The Front kicking off on the 1st February 2016.
Who is Dalton Trumbo? There are people who will stick their hands up in the air and say that they have never heard of him, there are people who will say they have heard of him but really haven't (you know who they are) and there are people who are genuinely aware. Which category did I fall into? Well, I had both hands in the air and was bravely proclaiming I had never heard of him. However one of the many fine qualities of the movies is that you can always find a frame of reference. Whether this is a movie or actor that you will know from another feature or even a subject matter you are familiar with. So for those in my camp, if I said Trumbo is about the Spartacus and Roman Holiday screenwriter, stars Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, national treasure Helen Mirren, the ever watchable John Goodman and Louis C.K. and is about Hollywood "blacklisting" this should provide a frame of reference and may even tempt you to dip your toe.
Trumbo tells the tale of screenwriter and communist Dalton Trumbo and his fight against the House Un-American Activities Committee headed by Mirren's Hedda Hopper (a sort of Perez Hilton of her time) and surprisingly the Duke himself, John Wayne. This flick casts its critical eye on yesteryear's Hollywood system and ideals through the eyes of Cranston's Trumbo who despite being borderline narcissistic fights for the working people. Cranston is superb and displays Trumbo as one knock away from tipping over. He layers the character with anger, despair and witticisms. He is surrounded by a magnificent supporting cast. Mirren's Hopper is a bitter and twisted former star who had the power to make or break a movie on a whim via her gossip column. Mirren does scornful bile very well and although slightly campy it never strays into the unbelievable. Goodman and Louis C.K play allies of Trumbo and add a touch of levity to what could have been 124 minutes of po-faced politics. The casting bonus for me was Diane Lane who plays Mrs Trumbo and is the rock to which Dalton Trumbo clings to. Lane along with Elle Fanning, who plays Trumbo's eldest daughter Nikki, keeps the film grounded and provides the connection between the audience and the movie. After all most people have families, not everyone is a Hollywood screenwriter.
Trumbo's (the film) pace is well managed and kept me engaged for the entire running time. The script was sharp and witty. Director Jay Roach who previously directed the Austin Powers movies and Meet the Parents directs a serious movie about a serious subject but somehow has prevented it from being sterile although he does make the opposing forces in the movie conveniently clear for the viewer.
The movie is spliced with actual footage from the 1940's, 50's and 60's which is a nice touch for contextual purposes but spoon feeds the plot a bit much. Be warned, dear reader, the references may alter your opinions of certain movie stars who were favourites while causing you to take more notice of actors who did not appeal to you before.
When biopics are made to lesser standards they feel like an abuse of the subject. I am happy to report that Trumbo is an engaging, thought provoking movie that kept me entertained, interested and made me aware of Dalton Trumbo. From going in with no reference to being made aware of one of Hollywood's unsung heroes was a rare treat and would recommend Trumbo to anyone who likes a political drama with a heart.
Rating 9.0/10 - 1.0 off for spoon feeding the plot.
Trumbo is part of the Dalton Trumbo season taking place at the Glasgow Film Theatre which includes screenings of Spartacus, Roman Holiday, Papillion and The Front kicking off on the 1st February 2016.
Big Trouble in Little China 1986
It has been a sad week in the world of entertainment, folks. With the passing of David Bowie and Alan Rickman it feels part of the world's pop culture has died. Both had a part in my childhood/adulthood and hearing of their passing I felt part of the movie world had gone. David Bowie starred in one of Mrs C's favourites - The Hunger and one of mine (as a child) - Labyrinth and although more prolific in music than the silver screen he added a presence to films that has never been replicated. Alan Rickman was a stalwart of later years for me, Die Hard, Prince of Thieves and Dogma all show in my top 20 films for various reasons and although good flicks this was due to in some part Alan Rickman. So the easiest thing to do was to turn my hand to one of their flicks for this week's review but somehow this didn't feel right. It made me think I was jumping on the band wagon and banging the drum a bit too loud at the wrong time. So for this reason, it is business as usual, suffice to say David Bowie and Alan Rickman's families will be in my thoughts and both of these true entertainers will be greatly missed.
Big Trouble in Little China (BTILC) was made when director John Carpenter was in his heyday. Fresh from a string of films (and laterally cult classics) such as Escape from New York, The Thing and Christine, Carpenter turned his hand to BTILC. I was going to describe this as an action flick but the truth be told I am not sure how to describe this strange film but of course will do my best. I suppose the best way to give this a tag is to look at its title. It is indeed about strange goings on, action and magic (Big Trouble) in Chinatown (Little China). It's a homage to the 1940's Republic series such as Flash Gordon or King of the Rocketmen. Lots of running about for various reasons, a barrel of cliff hangers and clearly defined lines of goodies and baddies. I will pop out a warning straight from the go, if you don't like your action movies silly and tongue in cheek stay well away as BTILC is reminiscent of a Buster Keaton feature with Kung Fu.
Carpenter favourite Kurt Russell stars as Jack Burton who is a type of Indiana Jones truck driver who has let himself go over the years. Through the course of events he teams up with Kim Cattrell, Dennis Dun and 80's movies fave Victor Wong. All bring the necessary "wink at the camera" straight acting with a particular shout out to Russell who must have read the script and thought..why not? He provides quality to the show and like any good comedy performer, he takes it seriously. Cattrell provides adequate back up for Russell but not a lot is expected from her. So she does very little but does it very well. Dun and Wong are excellent is their respective roles with Wong, playing the same sagely part he does in most movies of the 80's.
The story jumps from set piece to set piece following Russell's Burton but Carpenter has done quite a clever thing with BTILC. He has made the supporting actor the main hero (Dun) and told the story from the sidekick's (Russell) point of view. With this in mind, it takes on a whole different slant and makes a bit more sense with Dun having more of a character arc than Russell. The rapport between Russell and Dun is excellent and could've merited a sequel however with the movie only making back half its 25 million dollar budget this was never on the table.
The special effects are below par (considering Carpenter was fresh from the groundbreaking film The Thing), the sets look plastic and the script is exceedingly cringe worthy. But none of this seems to matter. You don't pay your money to see a John Carpenter film and expect to get crisp dialogue and epic sets and scenery. You pay to be entertained and for a good soundtrack. Carpenter, when in form, is one of the best at storytelling, suspense and (incidentally) composing his own movie scores, which he does here.
BTILC is a retro piece to crack open when you want to be warm and fuzzy about 80's cinema but not one to introduce to someone who wasn't there the first time round. I viewed this with the family and I loved it, had the thumbs up from the teens who are partial to a bit of retro but my 3rd pancake just though it was stupid. Such is the different opinions that BTILC will generate.
Rating 8.0/10 - 1.0 off for the "old at the time" effects, 1.0 off for not spanning the generational divide.
Big Trouble in Little China (BTILC) was made when director John Carpenter was in his heyday. Fresh from a string of films (and laterally cult classics) such as Escape from New York, The Thing and Christine, Carpenter turned his hand to BTILC. I was going to describe this as an action flick but the truth be told I am not sure how to describe this strange film but of course will do my best. I suppose the best way to give this a tag is to look at its title. It is indeed about strange goings on, action and magic (Big Trouble) in Chinatown (Little China). It's a homage to the 1940's Republic series such as Flash Gordon or King of the Rocketmen. Lots of running about for various reasons, a barrel of cliff hangers and clearly defined lines of goodies and baddies. I will pop out a warning straight from the go, if you don't like your action movies silly and tongue in cheek stay well away as BTILC is reminiscent of a Buster Keaton feature with Kung Fu.
Carpenter favourite Kurt Russell stars as Jack Burton who is a type of Indiana Jones truck driver who has let himself go over the years. Through the course of events he teams up with Kim Cattrell, Dennis Dun and 80's movies fave Victor Wong. All bring the necessary "wink at the camera" straight acting with a particular shout out to Russell who must have read the script and thought..why not? He provides quality to the show and like any good comedy performer, he takes it seriously. Cattrell provides adequate back up for Russell but not a lot is expected from her. So she does very little but does it very well. Dun and Wong are excellent is their respective roles with Wong, playing the same sagely part he does in most movies of the 80's.
The story jumps from set piece to set piece following Russell's Burton but Carpenter has done quite a clever thing with BTILC. He has made the supporting actor the main hero (Dun) and told the story from the sidekick's (Russell) point of view. With this in mind, it takes on a whole different slant and makes a bit more sense with Dun having more of a character arc than Russell. The rapport between Russell and Dun is excellent and could've merited a sequel however with the movie only making back half its 25 million dollar budget this was never on the table.
The special effects are below par (considering Carpenter was fresh from the groundbreaking film The Thing), the sets look plastic and the script is exceedingly cringe worthy. But none of this seems to matter. You don't pay your money to see a John Carpenter film and expect to get crisp dialogue and epic sets and scenery. You pay to be entertained and for a good soundtrack. Carpenter, when in form, is one of the best at storytelling, suspense and (incidentally) composing his own movie scores, which he does here.
BTILC is a retro piece to crack open when you want to be warm and fuzzy about 80's cinema but not one to introduce to someone who wasn't there the first time round. I viewed this with the family and I loved it, had the thumbs up from the teens who are partial to a bit of retro but my 3rd pancake just though it was stupid. Such is the different opinions that BTILC will generate.
Rating 8.0/10 - 1.0 off for the "old at the time" effects, 1.0 off for not spanning the generational divide.
Jules - It's an oldie but a goodie, such a good wee movie. Jules agrees with the review
Paul - One of my favourite films from back in the day. Paul agrees with the review
Al - Good choice and you know what I might watch that again, Kim Catrell looks so hot in that movie.
Paul - One of my favourite films from back in the day. Paul agrees with the review
Al - Good choice and you know what I might watch that again, Kim Catrell looks so hot in that movie.
tHE hEAT 2013
January has kicked off with some pre booked holidays. Not the kind where you escape the dull and dreary climate but the responsible, caring type of holidays. The type where you dust off the nurses outfit (now there's an image) and do your best to make sure your significant other is as comfortable as possible. Streaming movies and TV was always going to part of this so we turned to The Heat, streaming on Amazon Prime.
The Heat stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy and is directed by Bridesmaids (and future Ghostbusters reboot) director Paul Feig. The Heat is about a good cop with social issues who meets a bad cop with anger issues. It has violence, swearing and a touch more needless, graphic swearing with a sliver of story chucked in for good measure. I'm no prude but the choice language adds nothing to the film aside from giving it an 15/R certificate. The backbone of the story is incidental and although it needs it for the film to stand up straight, it's very thin indeed.
I like Sandra Bullock. She always brings her "A" game to any role that she turns her hand to. From her breakthrough performance in the sleeper, action film, Speed to the underappreciated courtroom drama A Time to Kill. She can also turn in a genuinely funny comedy performance demonstrated in Miss Congeniality (yep, if there was such a thing as a guilty pleasure, this would be mine). For this reason I was interested and was not disappointed in Bullock's performance as it's the same character from Miss Congeniality with a different name. Melissa McCarthy co-stars and this is my first exposure to the future Ghostbuster and Feig favourite. She delivers a strong performance akin to early John Belushi. I fear, unfortunately, that she could become typecast very quickly but will reserve this until I see her on other releases.
The supporting cast is made up of, "seen him in things" actor, Michael Rapaport, Scary Movie's Marlon Wayans and Back to the Future's Thomas F Wilson. They have little to do but fill the scenery. Wilson spills a couple of killer one liners, proving that he can perform well when not in the "Biff" role.
The Heat works to some degree but it all feels about 30 years too late. The buddy cop movie format feels tired and must have ran its course by now. Director Walter Hill and stars Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte rolled with this format with an equal amount of shock factor in 1982 and has produced replicas with mild changes since. Replacing a cast with female leads and sprinkling the story with not so much near the knuckle, rather..on the knuckle, jokes to show off Bullock's prudishness and McCarthy's brashness just doesn't freshen the format enough for it to seem different.
You should not be watching this flick for the intricate story so to comment on it seems a bit futile. Suffice to say it is standard stuff and when the twists and turns come they are signposted way in advance. The focus of Feig is on the series of comedy sketches that make up the film. Some work and some don't. When they work, they tend to be the sharp and quirky jabs while the longer ones seem 5 minutes too long. I had spent my laugh on the longer ones and still found myself watching the same sketch for the weak punch line. A trait that most of the Monty Python and Saturday Night Live sketches had (controversial, or what?).
Overall this was not a waste of time. It made me and Mrs C guiltily belly laugh a few times but it won't last in memory the same way Miss Congeniality or 48 hours (since I mentioned it) did. Is it worth a watch? I would say it is but be prepared for the hit and miss nature of the comedy and the thinking worse of yourself for laughing. One to stream, definitely not one to buy.
Rating 7.0/10 - 1.0 off for dragging out the laughs, 1.0 off for the template buddy cop set up and 1.0 off for the crude for crude sake language.
The Heat stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy and is directed by Bridesmaids (and future Ghostbusters reboot) director Paul Feig. The Heat is about a good cop with social issues who meets a bad cop with anger issues. It has violence, swearing and a touch more needless, graphic swearing with a sliver of story chucked in for good measure. I'm no prude but the choice language adds nothing to the film aside from giving it an 15/R certificate. The backbone of the story is incidental and although it needs it for the film to stand up straight, it's very thin indeed.
I like Sandra Bullock. She always brings her "A" game to any role that she turns her hand to. From her breakthrough performance in the sleeper, action film, Speed to the underappreciated courtroom drama A Time to Kill. She can also turn in a genuinely funny comedy performance demonstrated in Miss Congeniality (yep, if there was such a thing as a guilty pleasure, this would be mine). For this reason I was interested and was not disappointed in Bullock's performance as it's the same character from Miss Congeniality with a different name. Melissa McCarthy co-stars and this is my first exposure to the future Ghostbuster and Feig favourite. She delivers a strong performance akin to early John Belushi. I fear, unfortunately, that she could become typecast very quickly but will reserve this until I see her on other releases.
The supporting cast is made up of, "seen him in things" actor, Michael Rapaport, Scary Movie's Marlon Wayans and Back to the Future's Thomas F Wilson. They have little to do but fill the scenery. Wilson spills a couple of killer one liners, proving that he can perform well when not in the "Biff" role.
The Heat works to some degree but it all feels about 30 years too late. The buddy cop movie format feels tired and must have ran its course by now. Director Walter Hill and stars Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte rolled with this format with an equal amount of shock factor in 1982 and has produced replicas with mild changes since. Replacing a cast with female leads and sprinkling the story with not so much near the knuckle, rather..on the knuckle, jokes to show off Bullock's prudishness and McCarthy's brashness just doesn't freshen the format enough for it to seem different.
You should not be watching this flick for the intricate story so to comment on it seems a bit futile. Suffice to say it is standard stuff and when the twists and turns come they are signposted way in advance. The focus of Feig is on the series of comedy sketches that make up the film. Some work and some don't. When they work, they tend to be the sharp and quirky jabs while the longer ones seem 5 minutes too long. I had spent my laugh on the longer ones and still found myself watching the same sketch for the weak punch line. A trait that most of the Monty Python and Saturday Night Live sketches had (controversial, or what?).
Overall this was not a waste of time. It made me and Mrs C guiltily belly laugh a few times but it won't last in memory the same way Miss Congeniality or 48 hours (since I mentioned it) did. Is it worth a watch? I would say it is but be prepared for the hit and miss nature of the comedy and the thinking worse of yourself for laughing. One to stream, definitely not one to buy.
Rating 7.0/10 - 1.0 off for dragging out the laughs, 1.0 off for the template buddy cop set up and 1.0 off for the crude for crude sake language.
The Green Lantern 2011
I like superhero movies. You may have noticed this if you have been reading my rantings. I tend to give cape movies a tad more scope than they sometimes deserve but you have to go with your passions. It's a great time if this genre floats your particular boat as Marvel are riding high on their tsunami of high class, well thought out franchises such as Thor, Captain America and their kick starter which was Iron Man. We also have DC Comics beginning their charge with the unjustly averagely received Man of Steel paving the way for Batman vs Superman and Suicide Squad flicks out later this year. I have seen most of the movies in the DC and Marvel universes but one was missed for good reason. This film was The Green Lantern.
The Green Lantern character is part of the DC landscape and one for the future (perhaps) in the 2017 Justice League movie. However, that's for the future. Let's talk present day. I leaped with gritted teeth into Green Lantern, the movie.
The Green Lantern should work. It has a great cast, on paper at least, in Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Blake Lively, Mark Strong and a smattering of nice smaller players in Tim Robbins, Angela Bassett, Jay O. Sanders and Peter Sarsgaard. It seems some of the cast turned up hoping that something special would happen. It didn't. Reynolds looks bored, Lively is dreary and Strong is campy. Sarsgaard is terribly miscast. The others are not in the movie long enough to make any impact at all. So put all these elements into the blender and you have the blandest, beigest smoothie of performances you will ever witness.
It has director Martin Campbell in charge. Campbell previous action outings include the fabulous reboot(s) to the Bond franchise, GoldenEye and Casino Royale. He also helmed the fun Antonio Banderas Zorro flicks. So Lantern was in safe hands - apparently not. The problem with the direction in Lantern is that it has no real direction. There is no purpose, no character arcs and no pacing to the movie at all. Characters are introduced then forgotten about having served their purpose very thin purpose. It flaps about like a green suited fish on a shore.
It has a wealth of characters, stories and writers to draw from. Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim were involved in the screenwriting of this debacle and should have known better, given their TV and comic book heritage. These are the guys who went onto to write and create the TV shows Arrow and The Flash (more superheroes). Unfortunately, while Arrow and the Flash are, on the whole, very good it seems like they used Green Lantern as a testing ground and used all the stuff that didn't work. Could it be that they need a season to tell decent stories rather than 1 hour 54 minutes?
All is not bad, folks. The special effect are well crafted and there are a couple of well written superhero jokes to be had. But that's it.
How did I know to miss this, well the reviews were dreadful and before this website was created I did read other people's reviews. The cast largely disowned the project, to the point where Reynolds in the trailer for Deadpool (another superhero flick) advises that he does not want a green, animated suit, kicking this movie and potentially Campbell square in the Lanterns.
Green Lantern is very poor indeed and I pity the poor people coming into cape movies and choosing this as their first venture into this genre. Rest assured, it is no reflection of how this type of movie should be made. Lantern is the exception. If you have to watch this, treat Lantern like the drunk at the New Year's party, nod politely and hope that time passes quicker.
Rating 5.0/10 - 1.0 off for being directionless, 1.0 off for the dreadful cast performances, 2.0 off for the Berlanti and Guggenheim who should know better, 1.0 off for airing your dirty laundry in public.
The Green Lantern character is part of the DC landscape and one for the future (perhaps) in the 2017 Justice League movie. However, that's for the future. Let's talk present day. I leaped with gritted teeth into Green Lantern, the movie.
The Green Lantern should work. It has a great cast, on paper at least, in Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Blake Lively, Mark Strong and a smattering of nice smaller players in Tim Robbins, Angela Bassett, Jay O. Sanders and Peter Sarsgaard. It seems some of the cast turned up hoping that something special would happen. It didn't. Reynolds looks bored, Lively is dreary and Strong is campy. Sarsgaard is terribly miscast. The others are not in the movie long enough to make any impact at all. So put all these elements into the blender and you have the blandest, beigest smoothie of performances you will ever witness.
It has director Martin Campbell in charge. Campbell previous action outings include the fabulous reboot(s) to the Bond franchise, GoldenEye and Casino Royale. He also helmed the fun Antonio Banderas Zorro flicks. So Lantern was in safe hands - apparently not. The problem with the direction in Lantern is that it has no real direction. There is no purpose, no character arcs and no pacing to the movie at all. Characters are introduced then forgotten about having served their purpose very thin purpose. It flaps about like a green suited fish on a shore.
It has a wealth of characters, stories and writers to draw from. Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim were involved in the screenwriting of this debacle and should have known better, given their TV and comic book heritage. These are the guys who went onto to write and create the TV shows Arrow and The Flash (more superheroes). Unfortunately, while Arrow and the Flash are, on the whole, very good it seems like they used Green Lantern as a testing ground and used all the stuff that didn't work. Could it be that they need a season to tell decent stories rather than 1 hour 54 minutes?
All is not bad, folks. The special effect are well crafted and there are a couple of well written superhero jokes to be had. But that's it.
How did I know to miss this, well the reviews were dreadful and before this website was created I did read other people's reviews. The cast largely disowned the project, to the point where Reynolds in the trailer for Deadpool (another superhero flick) advises that he does not want a green, animated suit, kicking this movie and potentially Campbell square in the Lanterns.
Green Lantern is very poor indeed and I pity the poor people coming into cape movies and choosing this as their first venture into this genre. Rest assured, it is no reflection of how this type of movie should be made. Lantern is the exception. If you have to watch this, treat Lantern like the drunk at the New Year's party, nod politely and hope that time passes quicker.
Rating 5.0/10 - 1.0 off for being directionless, 1.0 off for the dreadful cast performances, 2.0 off for the Berlanti and Guggenheim who should know better, 1.0 off for airing your dirty laundry in public.
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