Another week, another roundup...
This Week’s WatchesFriends With Benefits (2011)
Starring: Justin Timberlake & Mila Kunis
Directed by: Will Gluck
Rating: ★★½
Friends With Benefits is a very odd movie. It spends the first twenty minutes criticising conventional romantic comedies and trying its hardest to be ‘’quirky’, ‘original’ and unformulaic and then after it gets past this self-deprecating beginning embraces what it truly is and transforms into an incredibly predictable and standard rom com. Luckily for Friends With Benefits, the conventionality of most of the movie’s running time works in its favour.
There are a lot of explicit sex scenes, and there’s tons of swearing, but this is only there because it’s ‘for grown-ups’, although, seriously, only teenage girls, people who enjoy chick flicks and Justin Timberlake fans are going to watch it, so I don’t quite know why they bother trying their hardest to pretend that this isn’t the case, especially when we spend a lot of time watching Justin ejaculate and walk around naked. Luckily enough for male viewers, Mila Kunis spends just as much time clothes-less as he does, so there is something for everyone!
Once you get past the annoying and weak opening with its ‘indie’ straight shooting rapid ‘witty’ dialogue and the self-mocking jokes, you get to the formulaic will they won’t they of course they will part which is considerably better, and on the whole, watchable.
As anyone who reads my blog knows, I am not a fan of JT’s ‘acting’ ability, and once again he really struggles with portraying a believable human being, and gives another fairly soulless performance. Not that anyone in the film’s target audience cares, because they get to see his arse. Because of this, the weight of the entire movie is left on the very capable and convincing Kunis’ shoulders, and she is so likeable that you are on her side from the get go.
The characters and situations they find themselves in are, on the whole, quite realistic, and the fact both characters are flawed and damaged makes it more believable and endearing.
Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford & Olivia Wilde
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Rating: ★★★
This movie is called Cowboys & Aliens and stars James Bond and Indiana Jones. There doesn’t really need to be any kind of explanation as to the content, theme, or tone of this movie, as it is pretty much summed up in its title and casting decisions.
Overall, it is an enjoyable sci-fi action western with too many cowboys and not enough aliens. Harrison Ford gets the best character, best lines and best scenes, so easily steals the show from Craig who is on robotic autopilot as himself a grizzled bandit.
The aliens look awesome and the end fight is pretty spectacular. It’s quite straightforward really: if you want to see a film filled with cowboys and aliens fighting each other, then give it a watch.
There’s not much else to say as the title is incredibly accurate in regards to the movie’s content.
Despicable Me (2010)
Starring: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove & Julie Andrews
Directed by: Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud
Rating: ★★★
With the sequel currently out in cinemas, now, I thought that the original was worth a goosey-gander.
And even though it has a terrible lead voice cast, it is actually quite a good movie, mainly because it has a strong storyline and a whole lot of heart.
And even though it has a terrible lead voice cast, it is actually quite a good movie, mainly because it has a strong storyline and a whole lot of heart.
The fact that Pharrell Williams did the soundtrack sold it to me from the minute I heard his voice singing the title track, if not for him I might have turned it off. Just like MegaMind it tries to be ‘different’ by having a more villainous character as the protagonist, but of course, as soon as he adopts three children from the local orphanage, they melt his heart and teach him how to love.
The best part is when they go on a rollercoaster ride. I wish I had seen this bit in the cinema and in 3D, because it must have looked amazing. I’m not sure if Despicable Me was meant to be a comedy, because I wasn’t laughing, but I still enjoyed it, mainly because of the supporting cast: the orphans and the weird minions who dominate the advertising campaign.
The film may be slushy, but it isn’t over the top, and I even felt a slight stirring in my chest at some points. I think that most people would really love this film, especially families, as it has action, adventure, (some) humour and of course a happy ever after.
My Pick Of The Week
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (2009)
Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton & Mariah Carey
Directed by: Lee Daniels
Rating: ★★★★
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| Gabourey Sidibe as Precious |
I saw Preciousat the cinema when it came out and thought it was an excellent movie. Not only is the acting brilliant but the story and the way it is told and shown is very effective and powerful.
About a teenager called Precious (Sidibe) who has been sexually and physically abused her entire life by both her mother (Mo’Nique) and father, Precious focuses on a young woman’s struggle to get through her harsh life. Her school principal recognises that she needs help, and so sends her to a school more tailed to her needs. There she meets Ms Blu Rain (Patton), a teacher who encourages her to love herself and realise that life is what you make of it. At the same time, Precious is fighting for her child, and so tries to convince her social worker (Carey) that she would be a fit mother.
This film is, in a word, raw. It isn’t for everyone. Precious is unflinching in its depiction of the abuse suffered by its heroine, and successfully captures the devastating life that some children are forced to lead. Sidibe is great as Precious, but it is Mo’Nique who steals the show as the evil mother who makes sure she does everything she can to ruin her daughter’s life. Mo’Nique went on to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and she deserves it for her devastatingly realistic performance as a loveless menace. The ending scene, between Precious, her mother and her social worker, is shocking, stunning and horrific all at the same time, as Precious’ mother finally admits why she hates her daughter.
Patton is excellent too, and Carey tries her hardest to go against type and prove that she is an ‘actress’, and not just a signer, by wearing a moustache and ‘ugly-fying’ herself.
I really like how the director incorporates Precious’ wishes and dreams into the narrative by showing her dissociating from reality. These moments- when she escapes what is happening to her by imagining something better- are brilliant at capturing how victims deal with avoiding and denying the abuse that is happening to them. They have to escape what is happening to them somehow, and if they can’t do it physically, then they allow their mind to drift away.
You really have to be ‘in the mood’ to watch such a harrowing and disturbing film, but it is so cleverly written and so importantly impacting that people should watch it just to understand how some people are forced to live.
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