Saturday 27 April 2013

Review - Forgetting Sarah Marshall


Forgetting Sarah Marshall - A Romantic comedy about a devastated man called Peter Bretter who takes a Holiday to Hawaii in order to deal with recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah. Little does he know Sarah's travelling to the same resort as he is ... and she's brought along her new boyfriend.




Hello Film fans, and welcome to another Dr. Film Film review.

Today I will be reviewing a romantic comedy written by Actor and American comedian Jason Segal - 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'.

This film was released in America on the 10th of March 2008 and was released in the UK on the 25th April 2008. It is now available worldwide to buy on DVD.

SPOILER ALERT! : Same thing as I did with "Olympus has Fallen" this review is going to feature lots of spoilers so, if you haven't watched this film and you don't want things to be spoiled then this blog isn't for you. If you have seen the film or your one of those people who don't care about spoilers and want to read on then please do my review may make you end up wanting to watch this film or put you off from watching it entirely.

Basically I'm going to go through this film from the start all the way down to the finishing moments.

This film is 112 minutes (1 hour and 42 minutes)

The film basically is about a young man called 'Peter Bretter' who is played by Jason Segal some of you may know Jason Segal from films like 'The Muppets' and 'Knocked Up'.

Peter is a composer and a likable sad sack who's devastated when his girlfriend of five years, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), the star of a cheesy CSI-style crime show, dumps him.

For days and months he weeps, he rails and he mopes for hours on end. until finally, his step-brother Brian (Bill Hader) suggests that he takes a holiday to put his mind off things, so Peter suggests that he heads for a resort in Hawaii because he planned to go there with Sarah.

He arrives in a nice looking hotel, which is based on a holiday resort with lovely beeches and sun and has an overall atmospheric lovely summer like feel and setting to it and as he's checking in, he sees that Sarah is here with her new boyfriend, Aldous (Russell Brand), who is a polymorphously perverse English rocker.

It is at this point for Peter the weeping and moping starts again, and he's back to square one again.


After not finding any friends or people to talk to Peter takes interest in one of the hotel staff girls called Rachel (Mila Kunis) a thoughtful hotel clerk who he asks out with confidence from his step brother and partner.

Although he constantly runs into Sarah and Aldous, Peter starts to come alive again in Rachael's company and he enjoys hanging out with her, whilst hanging out with her Peter tells Rachael he has a dream of doing a puppet musical about Dracula, obviously with this part of the story I got the joke that Jason Segal was playing on with the fact that he is a puppeteer, so this puppet musical was a good 'pun' if you like.



In the time he has spent on holiday Peter realizes that he doesn't feel any affectionate feeling towards Sarah anymore, but to realize this he messes things up with Rachael and Rachel rejects him because of this, it is then Peter starts to get his life together and his Dracula musical.

He does what he can to get Rachel's attention again. at the end of the film he and Rachel make up and get back together.

It's a simple yet poetic Romantic comedy story line and plot. having said that I love cheap Romantic comedy story lines I think they're great fun, there great for when your stuck in on a Saturday night not knowing what to do.

They're good for a laugh, a good watch, you have your good moments, cringe moments and silly moments as well which in tern is everything a cheap romantic comedy film should have and should set out to accomplish.


I thought that Jason Segal had a really good relationship with both Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis in this film, and how he made Sarah and Rachel different people.

There's moments in the film where Peter is spending time with Rachel and he has a flashback of his time with Sarah and the viewer thinks 'things were so different' and you recognize the differance between the two relationships.

I thought that Mila Kunis did an amazing job in this film as Rachel Jensen.
'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' was Mila's first film breakout since she'd finished acting in 'That 70's show' and she's great at playing normal, larger than life characters but at the same time being very sensitive and down to earth as well.

Some bits in this film were a very boring, the balance wasn't quite right, which was a shame for me.

I found myself only being interested in certain parts that either humored me a little or had something interesting going on.

Rounding things up as a whole, this film isn't brilliant or great it's average at best.

I'm going to give 2 Gold stars to Jason Segal and Mila Kunis.

Overall I give 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' a 5/10.

Thank you for reading this review, I hope you've found it useful or enjoyable or both.

My next review is going to be Seth McFarlane comedy 'Ted' and that will be posted on Wednesday the 1st May 2013.

Wednesday 24 April 2013

Review - Olympus has Fallen



"Olympus has Fallen" - a story about a disgraced former presidential guard "Mike Banning" (Gerard Butler) putting himself into a very dangerous situation inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge and perpetual skill, Banning works with the national security team to try and rescue the President (Aaron Eckhart) from his kidnappers.


Hello Film Fans,and welcome to the first Dr.Film film review.

This is the first in a series of film reviews, that I will be doing of films that I have seen over the years.

I'm starting off with an epic action thriller "Olympus has Fallen".

Released in American Theaters on Friday the 22nd March 2013 and Released in UK Cinemas on Wednesday the 17th April 2013.

SPOILER ALERT! This review is going to be filled with spoilers, so if you haven't seen "Olympus has Fallen" and you want to see it without things being spoiled for you then I would strongly advise you not to read this blog; however if your one of those people who don't mind spoilers or have seen the film then carry on reading, and hopefully this review will be useful to you should you go on to watch the film; and I highly recommend that those who haven't seen the film do because "Olympus has Fallen" is a fantastic action thriller.

"Olympus has Fallen" is in my opinion a quintessential action film, it is right down your throat with : punch ups, people getting shot at, people getting their necks broken, bloody violence and true grit.

Olympus is 1 hour and 40 minutes; (100 minutes) which isn't too long for a heavy action thriller; In comparison to something like 'The Dark Knight' which was 152 minutes.

So I'm pleased that Olympus didn't drag out. I always find when doing an action thriller, it can stretch out and get boring, in the case of Olympus it didn't so I'm pleased it was just under 2 hours.

I'll be honest; I wasn't expecting much from it.

From what I had seen off the Internet, and all the publicity stuff like : posters and trailers I thought that was going to be an okay film, but it interested me enough to go and see it. but actually it proved to be a lot more than just 'okay' I thought it was fantastic.


I thought that 'Gerard Butler' was amazing, those of you may know 'Gerard Butler' as a familiar face from films such as 'Law abiding citizen' and 'The Ugly Truth' here he plays a presidential protector (a bodyguard) to Aaron Eckhart's President Asher.

He is relieved from duty and when the white house gets invaded he takes it upon himself to investigate.

Put himself in harms way and See's himself as the only person who can sort out the problems.


At the start of the film when we first see him, we get who is straight away, doesn't need much considerate thought as to who he is and what his role is in the film.

The Film started off quite slowly for me which was fine, because there had be a fine line of good acting and identification with several characters before the real action could start later on, so your introduced to a lovely Christmas setting and there is snowfall and it's a windy night, and the president, his wife and son are getting ready to go out for a Christmas gathering.



However with a weather conditions such as a windy, snowy sort of night and this being an action thriller you can't help but not expect something bad to be waiting around the corner, and that something bad was about to happen.

Let this be a coincidence but an accident does happen on a bridge; luckily Gerard Butler manages to save the President but not his injured wife so sadly she dies; and the president is devastated that this has happened and is in a lot of upset.

And you can sense the guilt in Gerard Butler's eyes to communicate to the viewer of the disappointment his character's feeling at this point in the film.

18 months later on since the accident Gerard Butler is re-introduced still feeling guilty over what happened, still feeling disappointed.

It is in this point of the film that we the viewer get to meet his wife, girlfriend or partner (wasn't clear in the film what the relationship was) Leah who is a nurse at a hospital. her role in the film is to be the person who is annoyed that her partner isn't spending any time with her and to do her job and to worry a lot.

Having said that I thought Mike and Leah's relationship was portrayed really well and we got the back story we needed from it.

Next we get to know what President Asher has been up to since the accident; we learn he is doing everything that he can with his son, trying to spend time for him but tackling his job at the same time.


He is working with his committee to form an alliance with the North Karean delegates to avoid a nuclear war, however this is interrupted by a giant plane, flying over the white house and destroying the settlement.


I thought the whole sequence with the plane, worked really well.

There was some great close ups, and angle shots to convey identification as to what was happening; the plane itself was brilliantly effective as it flew over the white house and designated areas.

I was very pleased with the giant plane.

The President, his committee and the north karean delegates are then forced to retreat to a bunker underground where the whole thing is revealed to be a trap, set up by terrorist ring leader 'Kang' played by "Rick Yune" who I'd never seen in a film before; this was the first time I saw him play a role.


And with every action thriller you have to have a big villain. and Rick was that and more; you got the impression from his clothes he is swerve and sophisticated but actually underneath all that is a dangerous man and he is planning something horrible.

Meanwhile Gerard Butler has infiltrated himself into the white house without being detected, he kills anyone who gets in his way;which is predictable action thriller behavior so one could expect no less.

In the absence of President Asher the national security team (NST) call upon Speaker Trumbull played by 'Morgan Freeman' to come in and act as acting president.

I don't think Morgan Freeman did enough as he could of done in this film, which was a bit of a shame because I think that Morgan Freeman is a great actor.

Although having said that Trumbell is a very good character.

He understands the seriousness and the pressure he's under and he knows that he's got to be on the ball in every decision he makes; and I got all of this from when he makes the humours action to order a coffee in a real coffee cup before returning to the situation in hand.

 Inside the white house, Mike manages to communicate with the NST; and talks to them as a sort of inside man.

From this moment on in the film; it's treated like an intense, unpleasant version of 'Where's Wally', Wally of course being the Presidents son Connor.

Kang is trying to gain access codes to nuclear war heads from the presidents committee by using brute force and violence, but he knows he needs the threat of killing Connor in order for the president to give him his code.

Luckily Mike finds Connor and gets him out of the white house safely, by that time Kangs plans upgrade as he proceeds to gain access to the nuclear warheads; because he plans to obliterate America by detonating the warheads.

The white house then becomes under attack, and destroyed, and the danger of Kang's plans really do start to come real, when he gains access to the nuclear warheads.




But the mums and dads always say to their children 'no matter how bad things are now, all will be well in the end' which is true, poetic and predictable as it sounds, it's true. things do sort themselves out with a big climatic fight scene between Mike and Kang, where one kills the other, and the nuclear warheads get deactivated.

It is at this point coming up to end of the film where you get the after effects of what has happened. It's shown off very powerfully and it plays an image in the mind of the viewer, as what would this have been like if it was real which is great.

Rounding things up as a whole, if you love a heavy action movie and loads of violence and explosions then 'yes' I would say this film is for you.

I'm going to give 1 gold star to 'Gerard Butler' obviously
2 Silver stars to 'Aaron Eckhart' and to 'Rick Yune'
and 1 Bronze star to 'Morgan Freeman'

Overall I give "Olympus has Fallen" 7/10 and I look forward to watching it again when the DVD comes out later in the summer.

Thank you for reading this review, I hope you found it useful.

My next review will be 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' and that will be posted on Saturday the 27th of April 2013.