Weekly Round-Up, August 30th

Life as a House graced my TV screen this week as Kevin Kline stars alongside Kristin Scott Thomas and Hayden Christensen as a terminally ill man whose swift change of lifestyle choices enables him to build his dream house as well as repair the broken bond between his son. A poignant, funny drama, with fantastic performances from Kline and Scott Thomas.

Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz star in the definitive chick flick, In Her Shoes. After a potentially life-altering row between sisters sets the inseparable two apart, Diaz's Maggie, a care-free girl, heads to see her Grandmother as Collette's Rose, the uptight lawyer, quits her job and goes with the flow. Curtis Hanson's wonderfully written romantic drama could have fallen within the rest of the clichéd bunch, but the performances sets the bar a tremendous amount higher.

Unarguably hated by critics, Primeval Kill (previously titled Primeval) received an ill-conceived trailer, therefore setting viewers up for a murder mystery set in the war-ravaged jungles of Burundi. Little did they know that the film was in fact a story based upon Burundi's most notorious serial killer; Gustave, the crocodile. Infamous for his long list of victims, the 25-foot crocodile intrigues a news crew from the city, therefore sending them on a gory, but wild, goose chase. The story fuses fictional horror and horror based on fact, therefore i regard it as an enjoyably thrilling 80 minutes, despite the dodgy CGI.

Steve Carell and Paul Rudd team up once again in Dinner for Schmucks, Jay Roach's (Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers) latest comedy. Rising executive Tim must befriend a 'schmuck' to take to his boss' dinner, an annual shindig where everybody invites an idiot to make fun of. Coincidentally, Tim meets mice lover Barry (Carell), a down-on-his-luck but hilariously troublesome IRS employee. While i'd hardly call it laugh-out-loud material, it's an easy comedy to pass 90 minutes, with Carell and Rudd working fantastically together to form a sweet brotherly love.

Weekly Round-Up, August 23rd

I continued my string of Disney flicks with the 1992 feature Aladdin, another one of my all-time favourites with "A Whole New World" proving very popular in my long list of uplifting Disney songs. We follow 'street rat' Aladdin as he survives on the streets of Agrabah with his pet monkey Abu. Once a chance encounter with Princess Jasmine captures his attention, he must defeat the evil Jafar with the helpful, zany Genie (Robin Williams) by his side.

Another classic with the Disney telling of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. Wendy and her two siblings John and Michael are swept off to a wonderful land known as Neverland, surviving mermaids, Indians and Captain Hook, the devilish pirate whose personal vendetta against Peter often gets the best of him.

One of this year's most anticipated films Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World was welcomed with open arms by myself, proving to be one of the most original, fantastically funny and gloriously well-made (Edgar Wright, the genius, is to blame!) action romp. Read my full review here!

(500) Days of Summer, my favourite film of 2009. With the likes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel gracing the screen, what isn't to like? Marc Webb's original, and blatantly realistic, view of relationships was a breathe of fresh air, written and directed with such care and enthusiasm for both the story and the characters. A must see!

Heading back to Neverland, it was only fitting to throw Peter Pan: Return to Neverland on to maintain the Disney-ness of the week. Amidst a war-torn London, Wendy's disbelieving daughter Jane is kidnapped by Hook himself and used as bait to lure in Pan. One of the better Disney sequels.

Taking a swift turn from child-safe fairytales to espionage thrillers, Angelina Jolie's Salt graced the screens this week. Accused of being a Russian spy, Evelyn Salt is thrown on a whirlwind of uncertainty as she attempts to uncover who/what is heading to murder the President. Read my full review here!

Yes, we've finally come to it. Truly, my all-time favourite Disney animation, Beauty and the Beast. The wonderfully heartfelt story of falling in love no matter what obstacles are in the way. Belle, a small town girl with an imagination as wild as the fictional fairytales she loves so much, is trapped inside a cursed mansion with a former Prince. Cursed upon by a witch, the selfish Prince was transformed into a hideous beast, along with every other body living in the castle. To break the curse, Belle must fall in love with the Beast. One of the most memorable soundtracks, fused with a genuinely heartwarming tale.

All summer we've been thrown dragons, airbending monks and talking animals in 3D. This time, embrace the sheer awesomeness of PIRANHA 3D. Clearly a nod to the trashy, B-movies featured back in the 70's, Alexandre Aja's remake is full of gratuitous nudity and over-the-top gore. Read my full review here!

Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst team in Disney's Original Movie, Tower of Terror, giving a slight backstory to the fantastic ride featured in Walt Disney World, Orlando. A thrilling romp for the kids, but adults may wish to turn off their brains to enable any sort of enjoyment.

Weekly Round-Up, 15th August

Knight and Day -
Mr Hollywood himself Tom Cruise teams with the gorgeous Cameron Diaz in crime caper Knight and Day. Cruise stars as a rogue agent whose run ins with June (Diaz) causes a rippling effect of non-stop action and high-flying romance as they run from country to country taking down everybody that attempts to take them down. Fantastic chemistry and enjoyable action culminates in a fun-filled, albeit shortly lived and unoriginal, Friday night at the movies.


Step Up 3D -
An exhilartaing dance flick that nails every dance-related bar. Everything else is just dire. Read the full review here.


The Lion King -
Disney's classic has maintained the sheer wonderment after all these years, displaying the very best in luscious animation and awe-inspiring, highly uplifting musical numbers. An undoubtable classic, not only for animation, but film itself.


The Little Mermaid -
Another Disney epic standing firm today as one of the best of its kind, with the tale of the merfolk looking unarguably captivating undersea. A re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen's story about a young girl willing to give up her life under the sea to live on land with a handsome Prince.


Treasure Planet -
The final of this week's Disney features, forcing the well-known story of Treasure Island on its side and throwing a futuristic twist on the tale. Rebellious teen Jim Hawkins goes on the adventure of a lifetime by hitching a ride on an exploration ship and attempts to find a mystical planet known to most as 'Treasure Planet', but must defeat the legendary pirate Silver and his collection of no good bandits. Highly underrated animation, but the wonderful story fused with enjoyable voice talents (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Thompson) makes for a delightful 90 minutes.


Fired Up! -
A raunchy teen comedy starring Eric Christian Olsen and Nicholas D'Agosto as two high school football players who decide to spend their summer at cheerleading camp, with the prime mission of getting as many girls as possible. An often laugh-out-loud, surprisingly well-written comedy that stands as the counterpart to Kirstin Dunst's Bring It On. Olsen and D'Agosto are also a memorable duo, with the hilarious John Michael Higgins co-starring as the camp's flamboyant, but oddly straight, coach.


Elizabethtown -
My personal favourite, with Orlando Bloom and the always joyous Kirstin Dunst teaming up in Cameron Crowe's partial biopic, Elizabethtown. After being fired from his job, potentially suicidal Bloom heads home to Elizabethtown for his Dad's funeral, unaware of the large, loud but loving family willing to help him. Cue love interest Claire, the larger-than-life stewardess brightening up Bloom's life. A wonderfully written, incredibly quirky and poignant story, fused with one of the best, and largest, movie soundtracks i've ever had the pleasure of hearing.


The Sorcerer's Apprentice -
Disney's partial homage to their classic Fantasia sees old-age sorcerer Balthazar (Nicolas Cage) attempting to find the true descendant to Merlin. Years in the search and he comes across Dave (Jay Baruchel), a seemingly ordinary New York student whose life turns upside down once recruited as Balthazar's apprentice. Throwing his everyday life aside, Dave learns the incredibly trickery needed to banish evil Morgana (Alice Krige) and her loyal sorcerer Alfred Molina. An enthralling, well acted and fast paced special effects laden adventure, proving to be one of the year's most exciting fantasy flicks.


The Last Airbender 3D -
A truly pitiful excuse of a film. M. Night Shyamalan's live action adaptation of the classic Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon proves to be one of the worst films of the year. Read the full review here.


Deadline -
One of Brittany Murphy's last films sees her as a troubled writer forced to re-locate to an abandoned, Victorian house, only to fall victim to a chilling case including murdered wife Thora Birch and jealous husband Marc Blucas whose curious need to carry a camera first handedly unfolds the mystery behind their disappearance. A lackluster, scare-free 'horror' with Murphy falling victim to not only a boring haunting, but a badly written role. Disappointing fodder.

Weekly Round-Up, 6th August.

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore -

Lackluster sequel serving no real, nor memorable, purpose. Click the link for the full review.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid -

Live-action adaptation of Jeff Kinney's novels, proving downright successful as we follow a wise-cracking, larger-than-life sixth grader as he, and his hilariously inadequate friends, attempt to survive the jungle that is school. A well-written, genuinely laugh-out-loud comedy with an enjoyable lead performance by Zachary Gordon, but a vastly underused Chloe Grace Moretz (Hit-Girl in this year's Kick-Ass) is slightly disappointing.

The A-Team (2010) -

The full-length remake of the classic 80's TV show, with Liam Neeson and Hollywood hunk Bradley Cooper helming the hilariously OTT foursome of brotherly soldiers whose plans always come together. An explosive, unbelievably farfetched but outrageously entertaining action romp. A sequel would be welcomed with open arms!

Repo Men -

A distinctly underwhelming action starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker as two repo men, working to reclaim artificial organs (Artiforgs) in the most violent of ways after the client's inability to pay the extravagant cost. Things change, however, when Law is unwillingly fitted with an artificial heart, he must stray from the company that has kept him in lockdown for so long, fighting his way and earning his freedom. An enjoyable premise is weighed down by the annoyingly desperate urge to appear intellectual, therefore borders on the boring.

Fright Night -

Charlie is living next door to a vampire with an insatiable appetite for blood. What does he do? Bands together with the town's 'vampire hunter' and rid the neighbourhood of the bloodsucker. A classic horror that contains to frighten and amuse. A re-watch was on the agenda for a long time due to the uproar in news surrounding the remake. Keep a weary eye!

Donnie Darko -

Richard Kelly's masterpiece depicting a young boy's newly-found friendship with a large, imaginary bunny that predicts the end of the world. Outstanding performance from a young Jake Gyllenhaal, with a premise that is shrouded with intellect and originality. A true cult classic.

The Hunting Party -

Richard Gere and Terrence Howard star as a news reporting duo that embark on an unauthorized mission of finding the top war criminal in Bosnia. Decent performances, but the overall film lacks an emotional punch.