It All Ends

The final film in the 7 book 8 film decade long saga that is Harry Potter was released in the summer of 2011. Part two of the two part finale to the Harry Potter series picks up exactly where the first part ended, just after the death of Dobby, and features the Battle for Hogwarts, the search for Horcruxes and the escape from Gringott's Bank. The film features virtually all of the same cast as the other films in the series, and was directed back-to-back with part 1, by David Yates.

The vast majority of the film features, The Battle for Hogwarts, the epic conclusion to the war of the wizarding world, with the epilogue showing life after the war. The first part of the film shows Harry, Ron and Hermione planning a break in at Gringotts, to steal a horcrux from Bellatrix Lestrange's vault, and enlisting the help of Griphook, a former Gringott's goblin. Upon breaking in to the vaulting and finding the horcrux, the trio escape on a dragon, who allows them to leave london safely. They then make plans to go to hogwarts, to destroy the horcrux and find the next one, which harry believes to be the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. The remainder of the film then follows the battle for Hogwarts, and the final duel between Tom Riddle and Harry Potter. The film follows the plot of the book fairly closely, and many standout moments from the book are replicated in this film, such as the duel between Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange.

The film really is action packed given that over two thirds of it are dedicated to the battle, what is also fantastic about this film, is that we get to see characters duel who previously had their magical skills relegated to cooking and turning hedgehogs into pincushions, the duel between Mcgonagall and Snape is a particular highlight, and Maggie Smith truly is badass, as is the duel between Lestrange and Molly Weasley, which was a personal favorite of mine from the books. The actual battle is fantastically staged, despite it being staged at night, and both of the sides wearing black, the death eaters wearing black robes and the students wearing their Hogwarts robes. The director manages to focus on the main characters throughout the battle, and the characters who are really pivotal to the plot such as Neville, Ginny, Draco and Luna, in addition to the main protagonists and antagonists.

The use of music in the film is fantastic, the first half of the film contains an almost continuous musical score, which is used to add mystery, suspense and tension, the Harry Potter theme is used as a victory theme, to signify when the protagonists finally achieve a small victory. During most of the second half of th film there is virtually no music, and the only background is the sound of spells being cast, and screams of pain. This in a sense symbolizes the desolation felt by the protagonists, and the sheer loneliness of their situation. The end of the film features more melodic music, symbolizing that peace has returned to the wizarding world.

This is by far the most 'full' of all the films, despite it being one of the shortest films it really is jammed with story, there is barely a moment to pause before we are whisked off on another adventure, the film really could be longer, there could be a little more space and it is one of the rare moments in which a film is a little too short. There are various parts of the film which could do to be explored. The film does use the ingenious point of using the pensive to explain Severus' story, and his history with Lily, rather than having Dumbledore laboriously explain it.

This really is a fantastic film, and is by far the best of the series, it is an action packed, fun filled exciting adventure, and features one of the greatest on screen battles since The Lord of the Rings. The film cleverly utilizes its talented cast, and Alan Rickman stands out as Severus Snape. This adventure is a fitting conclusion to a fantastic series, and will make even the most hard hearted shed a few. Rating: A

The stories we love best do live in us forever. So, whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.

Blue Jasmine Review

Blue Jasmine is a 2013 American film directed by legendary director Woody Allen, the film is Allen's much publicized return to North America after spending a few years dallying in Europe. The film stars Cate Blanchett as Jasmine, a woman who has a nervous breakdown after her husband is arrested for financial fraud, and goes to live with her sister. The films plot follows the story of A Streetcar Named Desire, updating the plot and relocating New Orleans to modern San Francisco. The film is essentially a deep and involved character study, with Blanchett's characters mental disorder and breakdown being explored. The film is set mainly in San Francisco, with multiple flashbacks showing Jasmine's life in New York with her ex-husband Hal.

The film begins on an airplane, similar in fashion the the beginning of To Rome With Love, with Jasmine recounting her story to a stranger she has met, the film then continues with Jasmine going to her sisters apartment, and details her attempts to get back on her feet and study to be an interior designer. Throughout the film Jasmine has various flashbacks detailing her life in New York, her relationship with Hal, and the cause of her downfall. Jasmine lived in a world dominated by her husband, she went to public events with her husband, and was molded to hang off her husbands arm and look appropriate. Upon being thrust into downtown San Francisco, Jasmine finds herself unable to cope with having to find her own identity, she is so used to being permanently tied to her husband that she finds herself babbling on about her husband to total strangers, as she really has little else to talk about, her husband may have been the cause of her downfall, but he also gave her an identity.

Jasmine is unstable, erratic and crazy. She often talks to herself, stares into space and drinks heavily, throughout the film Jasmine self medicates with a mixture of Xanax and Stoli Martini's, her drinking becomes heavier and heavier as the film goes on, and flashbacks reveal to us that Jasmine's drinking started long before her breakdown. Jasmine tends throughout the movie to have two personalities, the broken, crazy and erratic personality who drinks heavily and talks to herself, and a well kept, warm breezy and casual persona, that she tends to adopt when she is in public, these two personas are present also in the flashbacks, however they are perhaps more heightened after her breakdown.

The costuming of this film is fantastic, Jasmine continually wears the same clothes, a Chanel jacket, and a tan burkin bag, the costuming is consistent of someone with no money for new clothes, constantly wearing the same wardrobe, but changing around small things. Set decorating is also very noticeable on this picture, the contrast between Ginger's San Francisco apartment, and Hal and Jasmine's new york penthouse, Gingers apartment is warm, friendly and homely, a word Jasmine uses derogatorily. Whereas Jasmine's apartment is cold, empty and over designed to the point of having no personality.

Cate Blanchett offers a tour de force performance in Blue Jasmine, a performance that may go to be known as the beast of her career, with every twitch, every shudder and every martini Blanchett's Jasmine is as real as is humanly possible, and shows us a picture of a woman who is literally unraveling, Cate Blanchett provides us with a window into the soul of a woman who is falling apart, and who manages to be likeable without being particularly nice or pleasant. Give Blanchett the Oscar now.

Overall, Blue Jasmine is a fantastic character study, showcasing fine performances, and attention to detail, and is a strong film in the canon of Woody Allen pictures, Cate Blanchett's star, as always, shines particularly bright. Rating: A

Film Stock Vs Digital

This is a tetchy subject, last night i participated in a screening of Once Upon a Time… the Revolution, on 35mm film stock. The film looks fantastic and has been beautifully restored by Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation. Scorsese, previously a huge proponent of shooting on film, announced his plans to abandon film stock for shooting digitally, and has not filmed on stock since 2011's Hugo. Film stock has a romantic, faded look, a beautiful cinematic look, whereas digital cinematography tends to look overly sharp, too crisp and poorely focused. WALL-E, an animated film even attempted to capture the look of film stock, with beautifully faded backgrounds. Watching film on 35mm stock has become a privilege, and most cinema's have now converted to digital projection. The cinema group of which i am a member, the cinéfac, is on the cusp of purchasing a digital projector, and i was intrigued to consider the differences between digital and film projection.

Many fillmmakers have argued that each has their place, and that while film stock cinematography might be more appropriate for Oscar winning drama's, digital film is probably more appropriate for high octane action films. This is crap. One really should note that all three Dark Knight movies were filmed on film stock and in IMAX, and that Inception and the first two transformers films were shot on film also. Additionally, the producers of the upcoming Amazing Spider-man 2 announced that the film was to be shot on film stock instead of digitally. Christopher Nolan attempted to partially shoot his 2010 film Inception digitally, but ended up abandoning the use of the digital format for film, as digital cameras were too unreliable. Michael Bay also stated that film stock was used for much of Transformer's 2's action sequences, as digital cameras strobed much of the time.

Digital film is also of inferior quality to 35mm film stock, the original Lord Of The Rings Trilogy was shot on film, and thus has a fantastic cinematographic look, and a fantastic tonal quality. Skyfall, was additionally shot on film, by legendary  cinematographer Roger Deakins, and has a fantastic sepia quality. The Hobbit trilogy by comparison, despite looking fantastic, was shot digitally, and thus it lacks the soft tones and beautiful focus of the original trilogy, and the way the film is shot means that with some different editing, the film could look very similar to a music video.

There are of course some advantages to shooting digitally, the primary reason for shooting digitally would be for 3D films, The Great Gatsby, Hugo and Life of Pi were all shot digitally, and the past three years mark the first time that the best cinematography Oscar has gone for digital cinematography. 3D movies can only be filmed digitally, and it is far preferential to shoot films in 3D than to convert them (clash of the titans anyone?), so in this case i will concede, digital cinematography is far preferential to film stock in this case, because generally converted 3D movies look awful.

The other big advantage is cost, Christopher Nolan's directorial debut was filmed for a tiny budget, and is commonly referred to as a 'no-budget movie'. The actors rehearsed films extensively, so that only one or two takes would be needed, as buying the film stock was by far the most expensive part of the budget. Shooting digitally allows filmmakers to shoot for a much lower cost, and allows directors to film over redundant takes, impossible on film. Projection is also much cheaper, projecting a 35mm is expensive, it costs a lot, it is much more work and the film stock has to be shipped, which can be expensive for long films, which may be on up to six reels or more, digital films are much easier to transport, as longer films do not take up more space, and the film doesn't need to be mounted. Digital camera's are also much lighter and more manouverable, and RED EPIC cameras are particularly deft. This effect however is effectively annulled when filming in 3D, as 3D camera rigs are heavy and unweildy, and can cause many a shoulder ache. 

Overall despite all the advantages of shooting and projecting digitally, there is simply nothing like 35mm film reel, watching the reels turn, marking the breaks and mounting the film, smelling the old reels and watching the beautiful flickering, faded image. That's reel cinema! (sorry)

Trash and Our Planet

WALL-E is a PIXAR film released in 2008 during the studio's much publicized golden era. The film was PIXAR's first (and only) real foray into the world of science fiction. WALL-E is the story of a robot, whose sole job is to clear up the garbage that now litters much of the world's surface. Mass consumerism has left piles of waste, and as the last remnants of humanity leave for a new life in space, the government decides to use robots to clean up the mess, it is quickly realized that this plan will not work, and the government shuts down the WALL-E program, however one robot remains, and he alone clears up all the rubbish, in the years since the humans leaving, WALL-E has developed a personality, and is immensely lonely. EVE is a robot charged to find vegetation on earth, and as soon as WALL-E sees her, he falls in love.

What makes WALL-E so unique is that the characters do not speak, and only communicate using grunts and sounds, which at times sound almost human. The first half of the movie takes place on earth, where WALL-E and EVE are alone, save for the cockroach. Thus during the whole first portion of the film, there is no dialogue, it is impressive that PIXAR manage to allow real communication between these robots. The robots have so much personality, EVE has a LED screen instead of a face, and the shape of the eyes changes depending on the emotion she is feeling. The head will also tilt depending on feeling, such as leaning to the side when she is confused. WALL-E is also hugely expressive, the eyes here will also move depending on emotion, such as blinking to indicate sadness. It is phenomenal that characters who do not speak, and who do not have real faces can be so expressive and have such character.

The film also looks amazing, the first part of the film takes place on earth, which has turned into a dusty rubbish dump. The whole first part of the film has a sepia tint, and legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins was hired as a consultant on the film. The second half of the film is in direct contrast to this, as it takes place on a space ship, it has a cold industrial feel, using mainly whites greys and blues. What is interesting about this film is how it has been treated like a live action movie, the film features almost photo-realistic animation and manages to successfully blur the line between animation and live action.

The film itself is a critique of industrialism and mass commercialism, the film depicts a world which our planet is vastly in danger of becoming. Purchases are not made to last, and everything is disposable, T-Shirts at Primark that are designed to be worn once and thrown away, and cars that are only intended to be used for a few years before they are exchanged for a newer, better, shinier model. Most the stuff that we buy comes in packaging, which is basically trash, and even the things that we buy themselves are mostly trash, designed to be used a handful of times and then thrown away, WALL-E opens our eyes to the fact that when we throw something in the trash, it doesn't simply disappear, and it has to go somewhere.

WALL-E also critiques the way in which we use technology, and since watching the film, i have tried to modify the amount of technology that i use, on the spaceship Axiom, humans have become so attached to technology that the barely see the world around them, to the point that one of the characters didn't even know that the ship had a pool, and that characters have become unable to walk due to mobile chairs carrying them around. (Segway anyone?) Due to technology taking over their lives, humans have become less and less human to the point where it is difficult to tell them apart, and the robots have become more human than the humans, knowing how to love and gaining personality.

The film also contains many charming references to other science fiction films, most notably '2001, A Space Odyssey'. WALL-E mirrors 2001's themes of technology and power, and the idea of technology becoming more charismatic, and having more personality than humans. AUTO, the intelligent computer system in WALL-E resembles HAL 9000 from 2001, both in appearance and in personality.

The film can also be seen as a biblical allegory, EVE resembles the eponymous character from genesis, and the beginning of the film mirrors the Adam and Eve story, with WALL-E representing the lonely Adam, and EVE being the woman who comes to keep him company, and with whom he subsequently falls in love. EVE also resembles the white dove that Moses sent forth from the arc, only to return with the olive branch, in style and in story.

Overall, WALL-E is a fantastic complex story, which proves that animated films do not have to resort to silly cartoonish gags in order to appeal to children. WALL-E contains numerous biblical, science-fiction and environment allegories, and serves as a warning that humanity needs to change it's course if we want to survive. It's not bird flu, or homosexuality that will lead to the end of the human race, but our own actions, and since the release of WALL-E in 2008, the situation has only gotten worse. Rating: A+

Captain: Wait, that doesn't look like Earth. Where's the blue sky? Where's the-the grass?

Ain't Them Bodies Saints

Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a 2013 crime drama film starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck as star crossed outlaws, living in Texas, they are caught and Affleck's character Bob is put in jail just as his wife Ruth falls pregnant with their first child, a daughter. Years later Bob makes a daring escape from prison to be reunited with his wife and daughter, who he has never seen.

The film stars Rooney Mara as Ruth Guthrie and Casey Affleck as Bob Muldoon, star crossed lovers and outlaws. During a shootout Ruth shoots a police officer, and Bob takes the fall for it. Ruth has his child and then waits for him, all the wile pondering on the state of their relationship and what to do with her life. The film features a fantastic cast, Rooney Mara gives a dense, complex and conflicted performance as a woman raising her child as a single mother, and struggling to deal with her guilt, her loneliness and her conflicted feelings about her husband. Ben Forter also stands out as Patrick Wheeler, a sheriff who hunts for Bob, and who has to deal with his feelings for Ruth.

The film, despite featuring fantastic performances, suffers from a thin script a wanting plot. Much of the story of the film involves Bob trying to get back to his wife, and Ruth trying to reconcile her feelings for her husband. Despite this being a rather interesting premise, it wears thin after a while, and the film starts to become melodramatic, and only really regains any momentum during the final half hour, the problem is that the film features various characters talking about going places, and leaving Texas, however ironically the film never really seems to go anywhere, and there is very little emotional progression throughout the movie.

The film is undeniably beautiful, and won the best cinematography award at Sundance. The film features beautiful Terrence Malick imagery of sunsets and clouds, and is yet another American film in the style of Mud or Upstream Color featuring beautiful imagery and cinematography. Overall Ain't Them Bodies Saints, despite featuring beautiful cinematography and fantastic performances from it's leads, has a plot which ultimately wears thin and descends into melodrama after the first hour. Rating: B-

Bob Muldoon: Every day I wake up thinking today’s the day I’m gonna see you. And one of those days it will be so. And then we can ride off to somewhere, somewhere far away.

Adam Sandler and the Death of Comedy

Does anyone like this guy? Adam Sandler is an american comic, actor and producer who rose to fame on saturday night live, and subsequently starred in a series of hit movies, and started his own production company, Happy Madison Productions. Nearly all of the films by Happy Madison have received mixed to negative reviews, only one film to date has recieved positive reviews, and four films have recieved metascores lower than 12, classified by metacritic as being 'Intensely disliked'.

The problem i really have with this character, is that he doesn't even try to make good films. Whatever one thinks of Michael Bay, he does, i feel at least try to make good films. There was a marked improvement between transformers 2 and transformers 3, and Pain & Gain was really good. However Adam Sandler doesn't even try to make good films, there is never any story, the jokes are never very funny, and they are mostly annoying, condescending and abrasive. The paradoxical thing about Adam Sandler movies is that only immature 14 year old boys could possibly enjoy his movies, yet ironically they can't go and see them, because they're not old enough!

Adam Sandler films typically disrespect their audience, they are typical of films that look down on their audience, and that have absolutely no respect for the intelligence of the people who might go and see them. Sandler's movies always feel the need to preach a homily on how 'family is important' (cue obnoxious voice) how anyone wearing vaguely short shorts must be gay, and how any woman who is not completely subservient, must have a penis. Let us not forget how none of Sandler's movies have any women in them excluding prostitutes, strippers and teachers who sleep with twelve year olds, in fact, in Jack and Jill, Sandler himself played a woman.

Sandler films are typical stupid, screwball comedies, however unlike Something About Mary, or Zoolander, they fail to say anything about the events or places they represent (excluding You Don't Mess With The Zohan, which actually makes some interesting points about diplomacy, and Israel and Palestine) The movies use characters who are frankly obnoxious, most of whom are played by Nick Swardson (one of the least funny people to ever be in a movie) Who are offensive at best and irritating at least.

Adam Sandler is a joke, one wonders how this guy manages to have any self respect, his films are unfunny and obnoxious, plotless and boring, and have no respect for their audience. His films are terrifyingly predictable, and one wonders how a former SNL castmember, manages to be so unfunny, plus he's a republican, though we won't hold that against him. Seriously, does anyone like this man, comments in the box below!

A Word on Batman Vs Superman

Okay, now I've been thinking about his a lot. Batman Vs Superman is the (working) title of the sequel to 2013's Man of Steel. I think all us fanboys really have to lose our boners now, this will not be a fantastic Christopher Nolan batman film, if Man of Steel taught us anything it is that having Nolan merely produce your film does not a good film make, and Man of Steel really wasn't very good. The idea of having multiple characters of the DC universe is something the studio has toyed with for a while, with a justice league movie having been in the pipeline for an indefinite amount of time.

Now we come to the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, now i am not going to slam on Affleck for this casting, he is an alright actor, Argo was good and it will be interesting to see a slightly older version of batman than in the Nolan films, without veering into George Clooney grey haired territory. One has to remember that despite Nolan returning as producer, these are NOT Christopher Nolan films, and thus it is actually great that Bale is not returning for these films, as it would almost tarnish his work on The Dark Knight Trilogy.

Now we come to Justin Bieber, I really hope that the picture below is a hoax, because otherwise i simply don't understand it. Why would anyone in their right mind chose to even offer an audition to Justin Bieber for the part of Robin, did we learn nothing from Batman and Robin, yeah, that terrible movie. Casting someone really really gay as Robin just doesn't work, and the whole sexual tension between Robin and Batman thing is a little lame if it isn't really explored. I can say that if Bieber is cast, i most certainly won't go and see this movie, because even if he can act which i sincerely doubt, every time i see him i just wan't to punch him in the face, and stunt casting like this simply doesn't work. (Jessica Simpson in Dukes of Hazzard anyone?)

Overall i think this movie is a really really bad idea, and given that Man of Steel was rather weak, it seems ridiculous to reeboot the batman franchise so soon, and plug Affleck into his first role as the caped crusader with superman, without allowing the time to reintroduce his character. However i refuse to pass judgement on the casting of Affleck as Batman as so many fanboys seem to have done already, because he is a good actor, and it will be interesting to see someone else in the boots of the dark knight. What do you think, is anoyone excited for this movie? Leave comments in the box below!

Lee Daniels The Butler

The Butler is a 2013 drama film by Lee Daniels. The film is loosely based upon the life of Cecil Gaines, butler at the white house for over thirty years, serving seven presidents. The film looks at the American civil rights movement through the eyes of Cecil Gaines, and his relationship with his son. The film was directed by Lee Daniels, director of Precious, and stars Forest Whitaker as Gaines and Oprah Winfrey as Gloria, his wife.
The film features the duration of Gaines life, from growing up on a cotton plantation in Virginia, where he saw his mother, played by Mariah Carey, beaten and raped by the plantation owney, up to 2008, when Barack Obama is elected president. The film portrays the duration of Gaines' tenure at the White House, and thus features a series of all star presidential cameos. Robin Williams features as Eisenhower, James Marsden as JFK and Alan Rickman and Jane Fonda as Ronald and Nancy Regan.

The film used the American civil rights movement as a backdrop for the events of the film, Gaines' son becomes a campaigner for civil rights, organizing sit ins and protests, and eventually becoming a member of the black panthers. Gaines is at odds with his son, and his son doesn't respect his position as a butler. As an African American, Cecil is not allowed the same promotions as his white counterparts, and when he asks for the same benefits as his white counterparts, he is told to work elsewhere.
Given that the film poortrays the vast majority of Cecil Gaine's life, the films script is a little long and rambling. The film tends to have a rather convoluted story. The film uses narration as a crutch, and without narration the film would be reduced to a series of vignettes. The film features various chapters, each of which is based around the tenure of various presidents, and Gaine's narration holds the film together sloppily but rather effectively.

The film features fantastic performances from its cast, the Whitaker is fantastic as Cecil Gaines, and manages to believably grow into old age. Gaines' relationship with his son is a believable father son relationship. Oprah Winfrey is astounding as Gaines' wife Gloria, a woman dealing with her estranged son, the death of her other son in Vietnam, and the fact that her husband is never home. If is very refreshing to see Winfrey in a feature film again, and yes, i do predict Oscars.

Overall The Butler is, at times, almost painfully obvious Oscar bait, if ever a film was destined for Oscar greatness it is this, historical drama, biopic, features seven presidents, and Oprah! Overall, despite a convoluted script, the butler prevails thanks to a talented cast and a range of entertaining presidential cameos. Rating: B+

Maynard: Good. We have no tolerance for politics here at the White House.

Sex and the City

Welcome to the age of un-innocence. In 1998 HBO commissioned a series based on the book 'Sex and the City', by columnist Candace Bushnell. The book was based on a series of columns published by the New York Observer, the book was essentially a novelization of her and her friends lifestyles, and featured many real life new yorkers under pseudonyms, for instance the character of Mr Big was based upon publishing executive Ron Galotti, whom Bushnell dated for several years. The first few series of SATC were based around dating in new york city, characters often broke the third wall, looking into the camera and being frank about relationships. The series followed Carrie Bradshaw as she wrote her column, often using her friends for inspiration.

Subsequently, as the characters of the show became more loved the show became more character driven, and went on to discuss a range of relationship and health issues such as STD's, pregnancy, cancer, anal sex and threesomes. The show was the perfect blend of fashion, gossip and glamor, and became appointment Sunday night viewing. The series featured Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall and Cynthia Nixon in leading roles. Each character represented an archetype of the New York woman. A feminine fashion loving writer, a Pollyanna gallery owner, a promiscuous PR expert and a tough love lawyer.

The show does for women on their thirties what 'Girls' does for women in their twenties, the characters on the show were perpetually single, and often had frank discussions about the state of their sex lives. The shows protagonist was incredibly realistic about life, and referred to the nineties as 'the age on un-innocence'. New York really was the fifth main character on the show, and the shows entirety was filmed in Manhattan.

Overall SATC was a phenomenon, the series is funny, heartwarming and realistic, and is a great show for single people to binge watch on lonesome tuesday nights in! Welcome to the age of un-innocence!

"Welcome to the age of un-innocence. No one has breakfast at Tiffany's, and no one has affairs to remember. Instead, we have breakfast at 7AM, and affairs we try to forget as quickly as possible" - Carrie Bradshaw

This Means War

This Means War is a 2012 romantic comedy spy film directed by McG, director of Charlies Angels and Terminator Salvation. The film is about a love triangle in which two CIA agents find out that they're dating the same woman. The film stars Reese Witherspoon as Lauren Scott, a singleton who attempts to be promiscuous and date two men at the same time, spurred on by her painfully honest friend Trish, played by the hilarious Chelsea Handler. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy play Lauren's love interests, CIA agents deployed to Hong Kong to capture a Russian gangster. 

The films cast is likeable, funny and charismatic, and Chelsea Handler shines as Trish. Handler ad-libbed most of her lines in this role, and thus creates a character who is real, and unclichéd. It is particularly refreshing to see Tom Hardy, who is known for playing dark brooding characters in such films as The Dark Knight Rises, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Lawless. It is highly refreshing to see a film which is light, fluffy and enjoyable. Pine and Hardy have great chemistry, and somehow are convincing as best friends. Only Witherspoon fails to stray very far from the ditzy blonde romantic comedy figure she created as Elle Woods in 2001's Legally Blonde.

The film has an interesting premise, a woman decides that she needs to date more, and enters into relationships with two men, not knowing that the men know each other. The men then discover that they are dating the same woman and decide that they must let her decide, they eventually use CIA equipment and resources to spy on each other and her, to gain an advantage and to put the other at a disadvantage. Hilarity ensues with each character going to greater and greater lengths to out do the other.

Part of the far reaching appeal of this movie is that it appeals to both men and women, the romantic comedy aspect of the film will appeal to women, and the loud action scenes will appeal to men, however part of the problem with this film is that it fails to appeal to either gender quite enough, the romantic comedy parts are too few and far between, and the film isn't nearly funny enough to appeal to die-hard comedy fans, and the action sequences are clumsily edited, and not hard hitting enough for hard-core action fans, leaving a film that both genders can tolerate, but that neither will perhaps enjoy, yet overall, an innofensive watch, which succedes due to its charismatic cast. Rating: B-

Trish: Don't choose the better guy, choose the guy that's gonna make you the better girl.

Now You See Me Review

Now You See Me is a 2013 caper film directed by french director Louis Leterrier, director of the aggressively awful Clash of the Titans. Now You See Me follows four magicians who are brought together by a mysterious benefactor, and transformed into a Las Vegas act The Four Horsemen, their act involves teleporting a man from Vegas to Paris to his bank in the eighth, convincing him to rob the bank, and showering the audience with money, their activities attract the suspicions of the FBI who attempt to discover the secrets to their trick. This leads to caper with the authorities chasing the horsemen to New Orleans, with a final showdown in New York, at 5 Pointz.

Now You See Me is an incredibly modern movie about magicians, it is about magicians with residencies in Las Vegas and who use modern technology to support their acts. The opening sequence of the film features the four magicians using various tricks in order to survive and make money. Each of the Four Horsemen present a various trait, Jesse Eisenberg plays J Daniel Atlas, an illusionist and leader of the group, Woody Harrelson plays Merrit McKinney, a mentalist, Isla Fisher plays Henley Reeves, an escapist, and the cute Dave Franco plays Jack Wilder, a slight of hand magician and the youngest of the group, during their run-in with the FBI, they encounter Dylan Rhodes, played by Mark Ruffalo and Alma Dray, an Interpol agent played by Mélanie Laurent, the cast is rounded out by Morgan Freeman, playing a former illusionist and Michael Caine as Arthur Tressler, the horsemens benefactor. Now You See Me succedes largely due to its talented, likeable and charismatic cast. 

 The film uses various plot twists in order to continually stay one step ahead of it's audience, however it manages to refrain from being too infuriating, by never taking it too far, the films plot is clever and engaging, and uses a variety of intriguing locations. The film manages to come to a successful conclusion, tying up enough ends to leave an audience feeling satisfied, yet providing enough leeway for a sequel. The films production design is slick and modern and the film makes imaginative use of it's different settings, with the groups opener being set on the Las Vegas strip, the second show taking place in the french quarter of New Orleans and a car chase taking place on the 59th street bridge, the shows finale takes place at 5 pointz and a parcour chase sequence features the back alleys of seedy manhattan.

Overall Now You See Me, despite being fantastic fun is far from perfect, the characters remain woefully underdeveloped and Dave Franco is painfully underused. I actually like the ending of the movie and like the fact that there are some ends left untied, leading seamlessly into a sequel. The story and cast are engaging and exciting and the film, to put it simply is just fantastic fun. Rating: A

J. Daniel Atlas: First rule of magic: always be the smartest person in the room. 

Why Arrested Development Is the Greatest Series of All Time

I know, terrible title. Arrested development is an American television sitcom which aired in 2003 originally on the FOX network, and subsequently on Netflix. The series was created by Mitchell Hurwitz and produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard who also stars as the shows uncredited narrator. The show is a comedy series which incorporates handheld camera footage, faux archive footage and photographs. The series revolves around Michael Bluth, vice president of the Bluth company owned by his father, and his dysfunctional family.

Jason Bateman stars as Michael Bluth, and Will Arnett, Tony Hale and Portia DeRossi as his siblings. The series aired three seasons on Fox from 2003 to 2006 before the season was abruptly cancelled due to low viewership despite large cult following and critical acclaim. In 2012 Netflix announced plans to resurrect the series on its online distribution service. The new episodes were released all on the same day in late spring 2013. The series will apparently be continued with a movie, and then another series on Netflix.

The series used many running gags, such as the chicken dance throughout its run. Many characters referenced the fact that Tobias is clearly a homosexual, JOB often rode around on a Segway (those things are seriously pointless) and attempted many magic tricks, most of which were failures. The Bluth family matriarch often winked awkwardly and Buster often seemed to be unhealthily attached to his mother. Buster also looses a hand which makes massaging people awkwardy almost deadly, and of course the chicken dance. This use of inside jokes contributed to the shows following, but may have 'turned off' potential viewers.

The fourth season uses an interesting structure, each episode follows a different character, and the whole season follows the same time period, characters may be seen in each episode for only an instant, in moments which will later be viewed from the other characters point of view, in different episodes. This season also used birds as a running gag; many characters are attacked by ostriches and the Funke's put a live turkey in the oven for thanksgiving. Overall the reason Arrested Development is so good, if because it is hilarious. Plain and simple.

Tobias Fünke: Okay, Lindsay, are you forgetting that I was a professional twice over - an analyst and a therapist. The world's first analrapist. 

Pain & Gain

Pain and Gain is a 2013 comedy action film directed by Michael Bay. The film is based on the true story of The Sun Gym Gang. The film follows the attempts to kidnap, blackmail and extort a Florida businessman, which of course goes horribly wrong. The films leads star as bodybuilders who get bored of the life their living, and who attempt to cut the corners in their pursuit of the American dream, the film was partially based on a 1999 Miami Times article, and may be viewed as a moralistic satire

The film stars Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg as members of The Sun Gym Gang, Johnson stars as Paul Doyle, a bodybuilder and cocaine addict who has had run-ins with the law and who is now a born again christian. Mark Wahlberg plays Daniel Lugo, who has also had incidents with the police and who tries to constantly better himself. Anthony Mackie stars as the third member of the gang, Adrian Doorbal, a man who uses steroids to try to gain weight fast, which have rendered him impotent.


Tonally Pain and Gain is a light moral comedy, the film uses a bright and, slightly pulpy visual style, using bright colors. Much of the film is about the american dream, all of the characters have attempted to cut the corners on the way to achieving their goals, Adrian takes steroids in an attempt to gain weight, and it renders him impotent. Daniel Lugo is a schemer who has recently served time for medicare fraud and Paul Doyle is a cocaine addict, recently turned christian and the 'weak link'. The characters kidnapping is essentially an attempt to cut off the corner, they attempt to succeed without hard work. The character of Victor Kershaw tells Lugo that there are no shortcuts to the American dream, and that most of his failures stem from the fact that he expects life to be easy. What i really like about this film is that the message behind this film is not the obvious one. The message isn't that kidnapping is bad or that violence is evil; it is that one should be happy with what one has. It is this kind of intelligent film-making that makes this film good.

When you strip it down, Michael Bay, although often slayed by the critics, is actually a good film-maker. Pain & Gain reminds one of Bad Boys, Michael Bay's directorial debut. The film features fantastic chemistry between its lead actors, and a great supporting cast. The film however does have some pacing issues, it is about 20 minutes too long and seems to drag a little as it goes into its second act. The film seems to be gearing up to go into it's final climax when it's only in fact halfway through. Despite this issue the rest of the film is overall fast paced and fun, and features smart use of slow motion and traditional quick editing, also known as 'Bayhem'. The film is also noteworthy for its use of narrative voice, the film uses multiple voice overs, and never attempts to explain this. I loathe films which attempt to explain their narration in the style of The Great Gatsby or Life of Pi, as if the characters are litterally telling a story of giving an interview, Pain & Gain is interesting because the film instead gives us an insight into the characters minds and thoughts.

Overall i really like this film, when you strip down the robots and the drama, Michael Bay is actually a decent filmmaker, and one who works best on a tight budget. Pain & Gain despite its flaws is funny and caustic. Despite it's issues such as occasional poor pacing, the film shows great chemistry between Wahlberg and Johnson, who knew that Johnson could really act? I really liked this film and think it shows how Bay is actually a good film-maker, and although it probably won't win an Oscar, it is fantastic fun. Rating:B+

My name is Daniel Lugo, and I believe in fitness. All this began because it was time to push myself harder, otherwise I was looking at another forty years wearing sweatpants to work...