Review - The Hangover Part III

The Hangover - Part III: The conclusion to The Hangover story, and the conclusion to the wolf pack adventures. Leslie Chow has escaped from a maximum security prison, and when an angry mobster takes Doug hostage, the Wolf Pack must track down Mr. Chow, but not everything goes according to plan.

Hello Everyone

Welcome to my newest film review, by Dr Film. In today's review I am finishing off looking into 'The Hangover' legacy; And rapping up all the events, that take place in the third film, and how it compares to the other two.

This film came out in America on the 23rd of May 2013, and was released in the UK the day after on the 24th of May 2013.

SPOILER ALERT : I am fully aware some people do not want 'Hangover 3' to be spoiled for them, and I do suggest to those people, to go and watch the film before they read this blog.

In all honesty, It is a shame that 'The Hangover' Legacy has ended. I do really like the characters, the adventures that they get up to, their friendships, the settings but then again I can bring it upon myself to realise and respect, this is a thing that's run its course and had it's time, and when enough is enough, the end must come.

  

The Storyline for 'Hangover 3' basically entails in the aftermath, of the events of the first two hangover films. and in this we have events that take place.

After the death of Alan's father, Alan is feeling very distraught and set back. Doug,Phil and Stu  decide to take Alan to get treated for his mental issues. however on the way to the hospital  Phil's mini bus gets hijacked by this mobster Marshall (John Goodman) and he takes Doug hostage.

Now it's up to Phil, Alan and Stu to find Mr.Chow again in order to surrender him to the Marshall, in order to save Doug.

Chow manages to deceive them by having them believe they are helping Marshall, but actually they are tricked into helping him, and that leads them into a lot of trouble. Marshall gives the three one more chance to find Chow. And with a bit quick thinking from Alan, they manage to find Chow partying out in Vegas, where it all started.

Phil, Alan and Stu manage to pursue and catch Chow, and they hand him over to Marshall, They get Doug back and Marshall does what he thinks is kill Chow but it is Alan who saves Chows life. 

Alan then breaks off the friendhsip he has with Chow, in order to start growing up and taking some reposinibilty for himself.

The film ends rather abruptly with a scene of the after effects of the after party to Alan's wedding. Phil is hungover, Alan is passed out and Stu has boobs.




In all seriousness, I enjoyed 'The Hangover Part 3' but I didn't love it. In my opinion it failed to break the boundary and it failed to step up to the limits that the other two set.

I did enjoy seeing stuff like Stu,Phil and Alana back in Vegas again, I liked the references and the links that were made in relation to the first two films, but for me it was too much like an action movie. and It was very tense, very on edge and very dramatic. and to me that's not what 'The Hangover' is about.

I didn't think Number 3 was as funny as 1 and 2. It lacked 'The Hangover' humour for me, but of course having said that I don't wish to discredit the really excellent performances of the actors. particularly John Goodman who I thought was fantastic in that sort of serious role.





With it being the fanilie, this film obviously sees the return of a few familiar characters from the previous two films, characters like : Mr.Chow, Black Doug, Jade the stripper, Carlos the baby, Stu's wife Lauren, Alan's parents and his sister Tracy.

It was good to see that those characters, were not forgotten and that Todd Phillips used the actors and actresses in this trilogy well.


In my opinion, this film just didn't cut the mustard for me which is a terrible shame, to me it focused too much on being an epic send off rather than what 'The Hangover' is.

I am giving 'Hangover 3' a 6/10.

The Hangover trilogy itself is great. The trouble I find with trilogy's is the either the first one is good and the other two are awful. or all 3 are awful and the trilogy sucks. this trilogy doesn't suck, but the ending was a bit naff.

I am giving 'The Hangover Trilogy' a 20/30.

1 Gold Star to Bradley Cooper
1 Gold Star to Ed Helms
1 Gold Star to Zach Galifianakis 
1 Gold Star to Ken Jeong 
1 Gold Star to John Goodman

Thank you for reading this review.

My next Review is going to be 'Friends with Benifits' starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. and I will post that review on Monday the 3rd of June 2013.
 

Review - The Hangover Part II

The Hangover - Part II : The continuation of The Hangover story, It is two years following the bachelor party in Las Vegas, and Phil, Stu, Doug, and Alan go off to Thailand for Stu's wedding. It is there that trouble seems to follow them where ever they go. Stu,Phil and Alan wake up in Bangkok and appear to have misplaced Stu's bride's little brother Teddy. And time is running out for the three originals, as they search from all over the city to find him.

Hello Everyone

Welcome to my newest film review, by Dr Film. In today's review I continue my quest on looking into 'The Hangover' story following the events that happen to Phil, Alan and Stu. three characters that have become exceedingly popular all over the world.

This film was released in the UK and in the US on the 26th of May 2011. It is available to buy on DVD,Blu-Ray and on Itunes.

As a sequel, Hangover 2 wasn't too bad. I'm very sceptical with sequels and tend to worry about wither or not the finished product will be any good, particularly as the first Hangover film did so well. I approached this with not very high expectations, because if Hangover 2 was better than Hangover 1 it would take away some of my feelings towards the first film. but if it was bad then I would be very disappointed.

SPOILER ALERT : As I do with all my reviews, there is going to be spoilers so if you haven't seen 'Hangover 2' and don't want spoilers to be revealed, then I suggest you give this review a miss for the moment.

Going into the storyline of 'Hangover 2' it's mainly based around Stu and the fact that he is getting married to his true soal mate. To accompanyny him to the wedding he brings Doug, Phil, and is recommended by his friends to regretfully invite Alan to Thailand for the wedding. 

After what was going to be a quiet night on the beach with a beer and toasting marshmallows by the camp fire, Stu, Alan and Phil wake up in a gun down, unhygienic apartment in Bangkok. Doug however is still at the resort and left out of things, but Teddy (Stu's future Brother - in Law) is missing, the four of them have a small monkey with a severed finger, Alan's head is shaved, Stu has a tattoo on his face, and they can't remember anything that happened last night. The wolf-pack are yet again left in a chain of events which allow them to retrace their steps through strip clubs, tattoo parlours and cocaine-dealing monkeys on the streets of Bangkok as they try and find Teddy before time is up and the wedding day comes.


  

This story to me felt more like an adventure, then the first film. more happened, it was just as funny as the first film. The character involvement was great, there was more mystery to the story, It had me guessing from start to finish, I thought the explanations were clever and worked really well. I was very pleased with this film, and what was really good about it was it didn't take away any of my feelings that I have towards the first film, it was equally as good and on par, and I have to say 'Thank god for that'.

As I said in my 'Hangover 1' review I wasn't so familiar with Todd Philips directing so I think had I been more familiar with Todd Philip's directing, I would have got the messages in the film more clearly. I had difficulty understanding the first Hangover film. But I didn't have that many problems with the second one, and I think that's down to fact that I was familiar with the humour and the profession that this was as I comedy, crude but quite clever humour based upon what could be very bad situations about loosing people forever, and both Hangover 1 and 2 had that level of seriousness to them, that feel of 'what if' and that is very disconcerting, especially for me.


I thought that this film brought loads of great new levels, to Stu's character and what he is about, and what his role in the three is. there wasn't so much concentration on Phil, and Alan had his moments, but I got the whole focus on Stu and after seeing this second film, Stu is the one to watch in the three for me, because unlike the other two, you never know what he'll do next, and that's very intriguing.

Todd Philips, came to direct this film as he did for the first one. again not familiar with Todd Philips as a director, so I didn't really have a lot of background with him as a directer which was a shame. I understand his humour a bit more but nothing really special was added.

The setting's in Bangkok, was a nice change to Vegas. very atmospheric. worked really well.






This film sees the return of 'Lesley Chow' played by  Ken Jeong. a very good performance, very much improved from the way his character was presented in the first film, over all very good. I like the character very much.

In a nutshell, If you unsure about seeing 'The Hangover 2' I would say give it a go. It has it's moments and then it doesn't. but over all I liked this film very much.

I'm going to this sequel a 7/10

Thank you for reading this review. 

My next review will be the epic conclusion to 'The Hangover' story, and to the Wolf - Pack adventures. Part III review will be posted on Friday the 31st of May 2013.

Review - The Hangover

The Hangover - When four normal guys, take a trip to Las Vegas for a batchular party; three members of the party become lose from their about-to-be-wed friend during their drunken misadventures. then for the rest of the film they must retrace their steps in order to find him. 



Hey Everyone

Welcome to my newest film review, which is 'The Hangover'. starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis and directed by Todd Philips. over the next 3 days, I will be reviewing all three Hangover movies to celebrate the trilogy coming to an end. and rapping things all up for the characters.

SPOILER ALERT :  If you don't wish for key aspects of the plot to be spoiled, then you may want to turn away now.

This film was released in the USA on the 2nd of June 2009, and was released in the UK on the 12th of June 2009. It is now available to buy on DVD worldwide.

The Story is about a wedding that is to be taken place between Doug Billings (Justin Bartha) and Tracy Garner (Sasha Barrese). Two days before the wedding, Doug, Tracey's Brother Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug's friends Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms) hop into Tracy's father's beloved Mercedes convertible for a 24-hour stag party in Las Vegas for the weekend. 

Phil, is a married high school teacher, has the same maturity level as his students when he's with his friends. Stu, is a dentist, and tends to worry about most matters, especially the opinions of  his controlling girlfriend Melissa (Rachael Harris). She very much disapproves of Stu's friends traditional male bonding rituals, so in order to avoid social awkwardness Stu has to lie to her about where he is going for the stag party.

Regardless of her vile attitude and her strict rules, Stu has intentions to eventually marry her, against the advice of his friends. And Alan seems to be the idiot of the three, however has a great knowledge of playing in casino's.



I enjoyed 'The Hangover' a lot, I did find it to be really funny. I didn't have a lot of expectations with 'The Hangover' first time that I watched it but It was something different, It was a great turn of events in which the three main characters have to retrace their steps in order for the audience to unlock what they have already done.

I liked the relationships presented between all the characters, and the three main characters, I thought that Bradley Cooper as 'Phil' was really good, Ed Helms was great, in the occasions where he showed frustration and argivasion it was really funny. Zach Galifianakis as 'Alan' was really good, he is good at playing less intelligent characters.

I thought all the atmospheric settings in Vegas were very vibrant and current to American comedy, so there's was convincing settings and I liked all the choice of settings, I thought they were very current and modern and so for that reason the sets were well chosen and worked well.

I wasn't so familiar with Todd Philips directing so I think had I been more familiar with Todd Philip's directing, I would have got the messages in the film more clearly. I had difficulty understanding the messages the first time I watched it, so for me the faults in The Hangover are down to the matter of understanding it and being familiar with the humour presented in it.







 In all fairness, The Hangover is good. I thought that the story presents great ideas, the choice of locations and the shots were well chosen and planned out precisely. 

I am going to give The Hangover 1 a 7/10

NEXT : I will continue my Hangover reviews with Part II, on Thursday the 30th of May 2013.

Review - Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels - When travel writer extrodnier Lemuel Gulliver, takes an assignment to Bermuda, he unexpectedly ends up in the Kingdom of Lilliput, where he towers over its tiny citizens, like a big hairy beast.


















Hello Film Fans, and welcome to my newest film review, which is the 2010 version of Gulliver's Travels. based off the travels of the real Lumuel Gulliver in a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift, it is Swift's best known full-length work, and a classic of English literature.

SPOILER ALERT:  As I talk about the film, there will be a few spoilers. so if your one of those people who doesn't like films to spoiled before you see them, I suggest you watch the film as soon as possible and then read this review afterwards.

This film was released in the USA on the 25th of December 2010 and released in the UK on the 26th of December 2010.

This film is about a normal slow working guy called Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black) who lives in New York, and has been working in the mail room of the New York daily newspaper for the past ten years.

He doesn't have a lot of confidence in himself to go and put himself out there, he considers himself to be at the bottom of the heap and just thinks it is ok to stay there. Though One day, after becoming fed up with his normal lifestyle, he decides to confront himself to the girl he's had a crush on all his time he's been working in the mail room Darcy Silverman. (Amanda Peet)

Darcey is the newspaper's travel editor, and rather than chicken out at the last minute, Gulliver instead tells her that he'd like to try his hand out in writing a column. Darcy accepts and sends him on an assignment to the Bermuda Triangle. There, Gulliver gets caught up in a whirlpool and becomes shipwrecked and ends up on the island of Lilliput, where he is twelve taller than the tallest man. And for the first time in his life, it is there that Gulliver has people looking up to him, literally.

He becomes immensely popular with the King (Billy Connolly) his wife the Queen (Catherine Tate) and their daughter the Princess Mary (Emily Blunt) and all of the townsfolk, he also makes 1 friend there, Horatio (Jason Segel) however there is one person in Lilliput who can see through Gulliver like clean glass and that is General Edward (Chris O'Dowd) and Edward will stop at nothing to prove that Gulliver is nothing but a fraud.



It is then Edward is rejected by his Lilliputian brethren, and forms an alliance with the enemy forces of Perfusia and Edward manages to expose Gulliver for what he is in front of everyone who belived in him. Gulliver is banished to 'the island where we dare not go' and Lilliput is invaded by the Perfuison forces and Lilliput becomes New Perfusia.

Ashamed of being found out, Gulliver hides out in his new habitat, whilst Darcey who has come to complete the assignment herself after Gulliver goes missing is captured by Edward and his forces. Gulliver is forced to return to Lilliput by Horatio, and Gulliver gains the trust of his beloved little friends and gains the respect of Darcey.

Gulliver then challenges Edward to another duel and wins, winning back the title of Lilliput to the Kingdom.
Gulliver then returns to New York with Darcey and they live happily ever after. Its a simple cliche fairy tale ending.



I think that this film, is a fun packed family adventure that anyone can enjoy, children to the age of 5 - Grandma's of the age of 85. Gulliver's Travels is jam packed with awsome guest stars, which is partly what makes it such an enjoyable film to watch. It is is a light, enjoyable comedy but is jam packed with thrill and adventure.

I thought that Jack Black was inspired casting, and don't misjudge the way he acts for the real Lumuel Gulliver in the Swift novel. I liked how Jack's Gulliver and the Gulliver in the novel where two different people. I thought that it worked well, and Jack Black dilivered to the best of his ablities, but then again Jack Black always dilvers a role in an essecentric way. because that's how he is.

I thought the rest of the guest cast were splendid, it was great to see people like Billy Connolly, Catherine Tate, Emily Blunt, James Cordon, Chris O'Dowd and Jason Segal all acting in a film together, it just made it a bit more special for me.

I also approved of Chris O'Dowd being a baddie, though one can judge the performance as being a pantomime performance, it is a family adventure after all. he can't be overly devious and threatening, you have to be able to belive in the role he is playing with not a lot of seriousness, because if you take Chris O'Dowd too seriously that just defeats the purpose of what he is trying to do.



Rob Latterman's direction was very well comminicated, through his marvoulous effects and green screening and to the way things were done, so I liked the effects and the direction a lot, it was very well done.

Overall this film was great. I loved it, it's a fun packed familt adventure which allows the family to let their imaginations run freely. 

I am going to give this film a 6/10.

1 Gold Star to Jack Black
1 Gold Star to Chris O'Dowd

My next reviews over the next couple of days this week will be 'The Hangover Trilogy' starting with Hangover 1, and that review will be posted on Wednesday the 29th of May 2013.

Review - The Social Network

The Social Network - The story of how Mark Zuckerberg, the youngest billionaire in the world created the social networking website Facebook. After his website becomes a giant success, he is later sued by two brothers who claimed he stole their idea. and the co-founder who was later pushed out of a job.

















Hello everyone and welcome to the newest of film reviews by Dr Film. In today's review I will be looking at 'The Social Network' a film all about the social networking site, Facebook. and the story of it's creator Mark Zuckerberg.

SPOILER ALERT: As I do with all my reviews, I am going to reveal a few spoilers so if you haven't seen 'The Social Network' and you don't want it to be spoiled. you should probably turn away now.

This film was released in the UK on the 15th of October 2010 and came to the US's attention on the 1st of October 2010.

The Main preemies of the storyline is on an Autem night in 2003, undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) who sits down at his computer and comes up with ideas. what begins in his flat room soon becomes a global social network and a new meaning of communication.

A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history to date... but for this entrepreneur, success leads him into big trouble.

The main premises that 'The Social Network' presents is you can't make friends, without making a few enemies. and that message is presented throughout the course of the film.

I don't really have an awful lot to say about 'The Social Network' because I didn't really intake an awful lot from it. I thought the whole 'let's make a film about facebook' thing didn't really arouse my interests, and from what I read about it on the Internet, about what it was about my first thoughts were that this wasn't going to be a good film at all.

In actual fact, I enjoyed it. It wasn't brilliant. but then again it didn't need to be, because I don't 'The Social Network' is a film that many people will remember with such fondness, it's just a film about Facebook and the guy that created it. It's nothing special, having said that I do think that the awareness issues raised in this film, are to be taken into consideration, with that fact that over 500 million people own Facebook today.

I think my favourite bit about the film, was at the end when the information next comes up and you learn what happened to whom, and etc. It just add's lighten fact to situations that are fictional but based on fact.

Performance wise Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerburg was fantastic, his mannerisms were good, his expressions were believable, they way he chose to play the character of the real Zuckerburg gives viewers an incite as to what those people were about, It's like with Sir Ben Kingsley playing Gandhi, you get an incite as to who the real character was through the good acting of another actor.

Another person I liked was Justin Timberlake, he has a habit with his acting of making his characters interesting, and it's that interest that drives the audience viewers with him, and it's that interest that allows the audience to enjoy watching him on screen, I think Justin Timberlake is a very good actor.

The Techniques used in this filmed lied upon the judgement of David Fincher, a director I am familiar with and like very much he directed other films such as 'Fight Club' and 'Seven' but with this, he applied softer techniques and let things flow according to current which was different. So I thought David Fincher's directing was fine, nothing wrong with that.

I will say that some of the casting was unusual, and I say unusual in a nice way because what I mean by unusual is I was not familiar with the actors chosen, besides Jessie Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara and Andrew Garfield I was not familiar with the other members of the cast. so I think I would enjoyed the performances more had I been more familiar with the cast members.

In a nutshell 'The Social Network' is all right, not brilliant. but I would recommend it to those who are interested in seeing it, but I'm warning you it's nothing special so don't expect to be blown away by it, because it's not a film one can look upon with high expectations. 

I'm going to give this film a 5/10

1 Gold Star to Jesse Eisenberg

Thank you for reading this review, the next film that is in for the chop by me is 'Gulliver's Travels' starring Jack Black and whole guest cast of amazing characters. I will post that review on the Bank Holiday Monday the 27th of May 2013.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, I will see you all again soon :)

Review - Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 - Tony Stark can't sleep. As the world comes under threat by a formidable terrorist known as 'The Mandarin', Tony starts to rebuild his Iron Man suits, and form a retribution upon the threat of the world.

Hey Everyone, welcome to the newest Dr Film review. In today's review I shall be looking at the action packed conclusion to the Iron Man trilogy, starring Robert Downey Jr in the leading role of 'Tony Stark'.

I'm not a huge Iron Man fan, I have seen the first 'Iron Man' film and 'The Avengers' and judging by the trailer and all the publicity advertisisng for Iron Man 3, It looked to me, like it was going to be a good film.

SPOILER ALERT: As I talk about the film, there are going to be a few spoilers so If you haven't got round to seeing 'Iron Man 3' yet, and you don't want it to be spoiled, you should probably turn away now. however if you don't mind or have seen the film, then please continue reading, you may agree with my opinion or end up disagreeing completely.

This film was released in the USA on the 3rd of May 2013, and released in the UK on the 26th of April 2013.

I'm not in what cases put a 'Marvel' comic fan, I'm more of a 'DC' person. having said that Iron Man 3 was fantastic, it was visually spectacular especially in 3D. The story was strong, very well shot and a great watch all together, It really felt like a comic strip action adventure on the big screen, which to me made it believable, and with all the heavy action taking place, you end up being dragged along with the plot and just going with it and enjoying it for what it is - a good story.

The Storyline in tails Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) having trouble sleeping and keeping his relationship together with his girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and matters take a turn for the worst, when an anonymous terrorist known as 'The Mandarin' in the form of 'Sir Ben Kingsly' starts attacking the economy. Aggravated and Antagonised by the attacks Tony threatens to kill the Mandarin live on televisison, he gives him his home address and that results in his home being ambushed and destroyed, by hostile forces, luckily Tony, Pepper and Maya manage to escape from the blast, and Tony becomes a cast out, with no Iron suits or ammunition to defend himself with.

And it is mainly about the journey, at every turn, that tests Tony and his limits. with his back up against the wall, Stark then knows he has to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him since the day he became Iron Man : does the man make the suit? or does the suit make the man?. and at the end of the film, which raps everything up the audience is left with the answer of 'Tony Stark is Iron Man'.



I thought Robert Downey Jr, was electrifying to watch. those of you may know Robert Downey Jr from other films such as 'Sherlock Holmes' and 'Due Dare';  he with no doubt in my mind, out shone the rest of the cast by a clear mile. I thought Sir Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin was really good, Sir Ben Kingsley is best known for his portrayal of 'Gandhi' and the twist at the end when you find out he's not a feared terrorist he's actually just a twit - a stage actor. It made things comedic and balanced things out, and I thought it was clever the way they did that.

I also really liked Gwyenth Paltrow and Guy Pearce, they were both fantastic as well. particularly Guy Pearce as the main villain, who the leader of these 'Fire people' who I call 'The Invincibles' because they are invincible, you try to kill them and they re heal themselves, so killing them isn't an easy job. It was clear to me that Iron Man had met his match with 'The Invisibles'. Guy Pearce himself, very charming yet very fierce and quite disconcerting as well, so overall I was pleased with Guy Pearce, he took me by surprise as being a baddie.

 

The Visual effects and Shane Blacks directing I thought was precise and cleverly put together, It gave me as a viewer a great incite as to how technology has progressed and is progressing, so it taught me a few lessons which I didn't expect and I think it just goes to show that the one way one can truly learn is by observing, as they intake information they never thought they were going to.

I wasn't all that familiar with Shane Black as a director, but that didn't put me off from enjoying the film, he was quite a precise director and was very clear in his shot particularly in his action sequences, he knew what he wanted and delivered that. so I was impressed. 

In a nutshell, Iron Man 3 is absolutely fantastic, in terms of acting, in terms of visual effects, in terms of story telling, in terms of rounding things up. I was very impressed with the story. I left the cinema speechless.

I'm going to award 1 Gold Star to Robert Downey Jr , 1 Gold Star to Sir Ben Kingsley, 1 Gold Star to Gwyenth Paltrow, 1 Gold Star to Guy Pearce, 1 Gold Star to Rebecca Hall and 1 Gold Star to Don Cheadle

1 Platinum Star to Shane Black

I'm going to give 'Iron Man 3' an 8/10.

Thank you for reading this review, My next review is going to be 'The Social Network' - The Facebook film starring Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake and Bryan Barter and directed by David Fincher, I will post that review on Saturday the 25th of May 2013.

Review - Step Brothers

Step Brothers : A comedy about two aimless middle-aged men still living at home are forced against their will to become roommates and more motivated when their parents get married.



Hello Film fans, and welcome to the newest Dr Film review, today I am reviewing the comedy 'Step Brothers' starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly and directed by Adam McKay

SPOILER ALERT : As with all my reviews there will be spoilers so if you don't want things to be spoiled, you may want to read this review later.

This film was released in the USA on the 25th of July 2008, and was released in the UK on the 29th of August 2008.

The Story line is that of Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C.Reilly) who are both about 40 years old. and when Brennan's mum and Dale's dad get married. The two sons who still live with the parents are forced  without choice to share a room. The household's peace is disturbed and the parents struggle in their relationship. 

It is then that Dad is forced to lay down the rules; both the slackers have a week to be motivated and find a job. Out of the job search and their passion of music comes a pact that leads and forms into a friendship but more domestic disarray is compounded by the boys' sleepwalking. 

Also in the picture are Brennan's highly successful brother and his lonely wife: his brother is eager to help sell his step-father's house, the wife wants Dale's attention, and the newlyweds want to pursue their dream and retire to sail the seven seas. Unfortunately Brennan and Dale's fun get in the way, and the dream is trashed. 

It is after the parents decide to break up and get divorced, that causes dispair with Brennan and Dale. Brennan and Dale then decide to grow up and get jobs, and it is getting jobs, that allows Brennan and Dale to conform an event to come together again at an event they set up to try and get the parents back together.

When disaster strikes Brennan and Dale step in and perform their music talents to save the event from being a total disaster.



In a nutshell, I found this film a really great laugh, very fun to watch, and was very enjoyable.

I thought that it was very precisely directed, with the challenges of comedy arisen to the best of it's abilities, certain techniques of Adam McKay's directing were different and daring which I liked, so I do think that Adam McKay's directing was very well achieved and worked as well as it could of done.

Will Ferrell and John C.Reilly I thought worked very well together, that brothers relationship was very believable and they way they approached the roles was great, they were silly they acted like 10 year olds, but in reality were 40 year olds. their relationships and the way they acted showed the value and responsibilities that a person must have in order to succeed in life. so I got the messages that this film, was trying to get across and approved of the ideas presented.



The Jokes were great, some jokes actually succeed well, and were very funny. the dialogue was very precise as well and current so the humour mixed in well with the dialogue in order to make the film flow to best way it could.

I liked 'Step Brothers' a very good watch and was very enjoyable and was a pleasure to see Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in a film together.

1 Platinum Star to Adam McKay

I'm going to rate 'Step Brothers' 7/10

Thank you for reading this review, my next film review is going to be 'Iron Man 3' starring Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sir Ben Kingsley and directed by Shane Black. I will post that review on Saturday the 24th of May 2013.

Review - Les Miserables

Les Miserables - The time is 19th-century France. Jean Valjean, a convict is been hunted by the ruthless police chief Javert after he breaks parole. It is after he finds his spiritual belief in god, he agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's daughter, Cosette. The fateful decision changes their lives forever.




 Hello Film fans, In today's review I  shall be reviewing the musical motion picture of 'Les Miserables'.


Adapted for screenplay by director Tom Hooper, who's work I praised for 'The Kings Speech'.



SPOILER ALERT: As ever, there will be spoilers as I talk about this film. so If you don't want 'Les Mis' to be spoiled, you may want to turn away now.

This film was released in the US on the 25th of December 2012, and was released in the UK on the 11th of January 2013. It is now available to purchase on DVD,Blu Ray and on I Tunes.


This film has absolutely no dialogue what so ever, every character in the film communicates through music, and all the characters sing everything. Which is true to the original musical it adapts, however this story is not like any normal musical. Plus as a fault characters often sing about things that could be just as easily done, by just talking normally.

The Story which those of you who have seen the film of the stage show will know, is that of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), known as Prisoner 24601, is released from prison and breaks parole to create a new life for himself while evading the grip of the persistent Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe).

As we the audience follow Valjean's story, we meet other characters like Fantine 'Anne Hathaway' who is a factory worker who is fired after bringing an incriminating letter to work, she is a character of desperation and symbolises the poverty rates at the time of the 18th century. After loosing her job Fantine is forced to prostitute herself, as the only way to supply money for her daughter,In grief of her situation Valjean takes her to a doctor's care, where he promises to care for her daughter for her, Fantine then grows very weak and dies from sickness.

We are then introduced to Cossette, Fantines precocious child who is scared of the dark and lives with these two traders who own an Inn just outside of Paris. They're not very likable characters, not that interesting, considered to be humours characters. Valjean then takes Cosette into his own care and raises her as if she was his child.

It is then we are introduced to the June rebellion, more historical incites and graphic CGI crain shots to add emphasis of dramatic effect. we meet Marius (Eddie Redmyne) and Eponine (Samantha Barks) it is at this point forms of Love is communicated in the story. 'Strong Love' and 'Unrequintid Love' both portrayed brilliantly I thought it did what it needed.

Marius has his eyes on Cosette, but Eponine feels alone as she has feelings for Marius, feelings she knows she is never going to get back from him.

Valjean then hears word, that Javert is looking for him and flees with Cosette. Cosette of course knows nothing of Valjean's past and is eager to find out that information. But as battle rages out in blazing glory, casualties are made along the way, a lot of death and remorse is shown.

Valjean then hears trouble at the barricade, and goes to help, he saves Marius from being killed by the emotionless soldiers, and Marius and Cosette are reunited and married, soon after Valjean meets peace and dies. The Film closes dramatically with a powerful, emotional  Epilogue, which I approved of.



I'll be honest, I had high expectations for this film adaptation, as I hadn't seen the stage show and knew nothing about the story, so this film was my opportunity to gain knowledge and gain interest in the story.

In a nutshell it didn't do anything special for me. I don't wish my opinion to discredit the film in any way because the story is a musical masterpiece. I just felt let down. I struggled to understand basic outlines in the story, they're were a lot of plot holes, and above all that it was boring. I had no interest in the plot, by the time it got to the end of the film, I was just like 'what did I gain from watching that? - nothing'

I thought Hugh Jackman was wooden, and his singing was so irritating, very floored and over rated performance.

Russell Crowe, I liked. I absolutely fail to understand what Russell Crowe did wrong, he showed a man who has a true belief in what is right. he showed true emotion in his expressions and exhailed that in his singing.

Anne Hathaway was incredible, what frustrates me is the fact she didn't do a lot. because Anne Hathaway can sing. and she can show true emotion as well, so its a real shame she was killed off quite early in the story.

Eddie Redmayne was good, I liked him. he didn't get on my nerves which was something of an average performance.

Samantha Barks was good, but again she didn't do a lot, she had very little screen time.

Amanda Seyfried was odd, I didn't quite know what to think of here, considering she has strange qualities in her singing voice, it's was communicated to me as being beautiful to something quite strange.

Helena Bohnam Carter and Sacha Bahran Cohan were over used, they're characters were so overtly comedic that they just weren't funny, and they failed to convince me of a good performance, which I don't like when you have good actors you shouldn't waste them, you should bring out their talents not drown them in humour and have them wear stupid costumes and silly make-up.



The directing was a little below par, 2 and half hours of CGI crain shots and extreme close ups were a bit floored to say the least, I just had no care, wasn't something that great.


Overall 'Les Mis' let me down, it was a terrible shame, especially for me because I went in with high expectations.

I'm going to give this film a 6/10

1 Gold Star to Anne Hathaway
1 Silver star to Russell Crowe
1 Bronze Star to Samantha Barks

Thank you  for reading this review.  my next review will be 'Step Brothers' starring Will Ferrell and John C.Reilly I will post that review on Wednesday the 22nd of May 2013.

Review - The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby - Writer 'Nick Carraway' tells the story, of how he was once drawn to the past, and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbour. who to most people is the mysterious 'Mr Gatsby'.

 

Hello everyone, welcome to the next instalment of my film reviews. which is Baz Lurhmann's newest film on the market; starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey McGuire and Carey Mulligan in the leading roles. 'The Great Gatsby'.

SPOILER ALERT: I will be revealing a few spoilers, as I talk about the film. and I always respect the people who are not a fan of spoilers privacy, and recommend that those of you who don't want 'Gatsby' to be spoiled before you see it, to go off and see the film before reading this blog.

The film came out in America  on the 10th of May 2013, and was brought out in the UK on the 16th of May 2013.

Baz Lurhmann works his magic on 'The Great Gatsby' he directed it and also adapted the book for screenplay. Baz Lurhmann of course is best known for work he's done previously on 'Moulin Rouge' and 'Romeo and Juliet', so he's used to telling hard hitting love stories with a passion. there's always a meaning behind what he does, so he is a great storyteller.

I will start off this review by saying, the costumes and the music are flawless, no doubt about that. Lurhmann convinces the audience, that they are, where they are. 1922. he communicates this through make up, hair, accessories, dresses, suits, colour and perseverance in detail in the settings. the choice of locations were fantastic. which seems fitting because this film was filmed back in 2011 in Australia.

The Music was current to the 1920's but also had an upbeat hit to it so there was some identification of the music we have today and that was true to the setting and assisted in telling the story brilliantly. so I really liked the Music and the soundtrack, I thought they were both amazing.

This Film is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Long Island-set novel, where Midwesterner Nick Carraway (Tobey McGuire) is lured into the lavish world of his neighbour, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). A mysterious man who is a billionaire who runs elaborate and eccentric parties on weekends to attract the attention of a young woman he has loved for five years, and it soon enough, that Carraway sees through the cracks of Gatsby's life. where obsession, madness, and tragedy await.

The basic outline of the story is of two people, boy meets girl, who meet and fall deeply in love with each other and are separated apart due to some untimed happenstance, the girl is departed from her lover when she is stuck in the marriage of another man, and has no confidence to break out of it. when she is reunited with her lover she experiences that electrifying love she once had with him again, and gets the confidence to tell her husband she wants to leave him to be with the one she has always loved, but tragedy strikes when this happens and Gatsby suffers the consequences, those consequences of course are loosing the girl he always loved again.

The story is told through Tobey McGuire's character, those of you may know Tobey McGuire from 'The Spider man Trilogy' where he played 'Peter Parker'. I liked Tobey McGuire's performance, I didn't think he did a bad job. but I can't help but think another actor could have done a better job. if you take someone like 'James Franco' for example, he would of been great in the role of Carraway. However with that being said I can't discredit Tobey McGuire for a second, because to say his performance wasn't confident would be untrue. when is character was happy, he was happy. when his character was angry, he showed it. so he did very well in communicating the emotions needed, as his character was very much involved in the film and in the last aspects of Gatsby's life.

I thought that Leonardo DiCaprio could of been better; again he wasn't so bad, but I can pick out several performances he's done in the past which are so much better : 'Django Unchained' and 'Titanic' are two examples. Having said that like Leonardo DiCaprio a lot he was great at communicating emotions : facial expressions, his Body language, his posture, his frame of status (sometimes it would be 10 sometimes it would be 6) so I had clear identification with him, thought he was very bold in his performance and did everything current.

To me the best performance goes to Carey Mulligan. she not only is a pretty face, but her character of  Daisy Buchanan is quite a complicated character to come by because she's a woman of mixed emotions, and very few good actress can portray complex feeling in their performances. and when they do seize the challenge and rise to it, you believe in their that character, and you carry on believing until the end of the film, so to me she wasn't just 'Carey Mulligan' in the film. she was 'Daisy Buchanan'. A girl of mixed emotion who loves the thrill of adventure, but then again is a fragile young woman, who just wants to settle down and be protected. but then again what makes her character complex is when you struggle to understand how she feels, when she is feeling adventurous and when she is feeling stable.

Now the next thing, I have to talk about is the ending, and I can't talk about the ending without revealing the biggest spoiler of the film. It's the ending that raps everything up, and makes the viewer understand what happened earlier in the film. It took me a while to understand the ending, and I wasn't too sure of what to think of it having seen it.

Now I've had the chance to examine the ending with an open mind, and actually it makes the film, make sense. Gatsby is killed by some misunderstanding and he is the one who suffers the consequences at the end of the film. after he dies no one could care less and no one except Tobey McGuire's character attends the funeral. it is then you understand his disgust and you feel his anger at the start of the film, and all the loose ends are tied up.

This film can also be experienced in 3D, now having seen this film in 3D I have had an observant point of view on it. Is this film worth seeing in 3D? I'm going to be honest and say no. the effects don't work very well, the film itself doesn't work well, as much as I love seeing films in 3D, there isn't much of an edge with 'Gatsby' the only 3D effects 'Gatsby' has to offer is the opening and closing title sequence and that's all. so the effects in 3D are very disappointing.

In a nutshell, I liked 'The Great Gatsby' but I didn't love it. 

and it is for that reason, I'm going to give it a 6/10.

1 gold star to Carey Mulligan

1 Platinum star to Baz Lurhamann

Thank You for reading this review. I hope you go on an watch the film, because it is very good.

My next review will be 'Les Miserables - The Musical Picture' starring Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway. directed by Tom Hooper, and I will post that review on Monday the 20th of May 2013.

Review - The King's Speech

The King's Speech - A true story, of King George the sixth of Britain. the story of his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.

 

Hello film fans, welcome to my newest film review blog.

Today's Blog is about 'The King's Speech'. A film based of the true story of King George the 6th; directed by British director Tom Hooper.

SPOILER ALERT: In all my reviews that I do. I will reveal a few spoilers, so if your one of those people who isn't a fan of things being spoiled, this blog isn't for you.

This film came to the USA's attention of the 24th of December 2010, and was viewed in Britain from the 7th of January 2011.

The Film tells the story of a man called Bertie who became King George the 6th (Colin Firth). the father of Queen Elizabeth the 2nd. He was named 'George' after his brother abdicates. but was nicknamed 'Bertie' as a family amusement. and he reluctantly assumes the throne.

Plagued by a dreaded stammer and low self esteem, he is considered unfit to speak in public, It is in his wife's interests (Helena Bohnam Carter) that Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffry Rush). Through a set of eccentric and unusual techniques, and as a result of an unexpected friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice, and boldly lead the country through World War 2.

I found this film to be incredibly moving, and inspiring. I think it is a film, that many young teenage viewers can learn from and give a lot more attention.

I thought the friendship at the end between Colin Firth and Geoffry Rush, was true. It's all very well saying it worked well, and they got on like a house on fire. but saying the relationship 'worked well' doesn't describe my point clear enough, I don't think. because for me, it did more than 'work well'. it was true. you believed in it. and it gave the audience a sense of realism, of what the real relationship with the real people, was about at the time the film was set.

I thought Colin Firth was fantastic, I know Colin Firth is regarded as being an over rated actor. but he had a tough challenge, trying act with a stammer. he really embraces the opportunity with both hands, and truly delvers. In facial expressions, his body language, his posture (a little body trapped in a grown man's body) so in every sense of the word, I can not fault Colin Firth's performance, he was perfect.

Geoffry Rush was incredible. but then again he's another over rated and fantastic actor, so one can expect no less. he has lots of talents which he brings out in his performance. I thought it was very serious in the role. but with a twinkle in his eye.

I liked the way things were set and shot it all worked successfully and accessibly. everything was very current to the late 30's / early 40's. the costumes were accurate and believably detailed. the music was carefully composed to communicate emotion through several characters, and when music wasn't needed, silence full filled scenes just as well.

I have to say as well that my favourite scene of the film, is when Lionel and Bertie first meet. and have their first conversation. I think that scene is one of the best scenes between two people I've ever seen in a film to date.

Now a few criticisms I have with this is film, were the fact that the genre wasn't clear. it seemed to me to be this Biographic Historical Drama, rather than just a Drama. I'd would of very much prefer it to be have been categorised as 'a drama' so the film had more of an identification as to what it was.

Another thing I didn't like with this film, is the matter of some scenes being slower than others. which unbalanced things a bit, to the point where I felt that things weren't escalating as well as they could.



Overall I really got the messages, that film wanted to get across. I benefited and approved of the friendship Lionel had with Bertie. and appreciated the fantastic acting from all of the cast.

I'm going to rate 'The King's Speech' - 9/10

1 Gold Star to Colin Firth, Geoffry Rush, Helena Bonham Carter and Tom Hooper
1 Platinum Star to Tom Hooper

Thank you for reading this review my next review is going to be 'The Great Gatsby' starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey McGuire and Carey Mulligan. and directed by Baz Lurhman. I will post that review on Saturday the 18th of May 2013.

Review - Into Darkness

Star Trek : Into Darkness - After a terrorist attack in London, Captain Kirk and the rest of Star ship enterprise embark on a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.



Hello Everyone

Welcome to my newest film review. which is the new star trek movie starring Chris Pine and Benndict Cumberbatch.

SPOILER ALERT: As ever I am going to reveal a few spoilers as I talk about the film. so if you don't want things to be spoiled then you may want to turn away now. if you don't mind or have seen the film, then please read on.

Obviously this movie was a continuation of the first Star Trek film that came out in 2009, I'm not a fan of Star Trek. I have never been interested in it before, but when this aroused my interests I went into this with high expectations, hoping it would blow me away with the effects and so on.

This film came to the UK's attention on the 9th of May 2013 and came to the US's attention on the 16th of May 2013.

I'll be honest, the film was OK. it wasn't terrible, there were some dire moments and some scenes did drag on - scenes such as fight sequences and heavy action sequences just went on for far too long. It put me off the story a bit which was a shame.

The Plot basically is about the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organisation has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving the world in a state of crisis.

With a personal score of vengeance to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love is challenged, friendships are torn apart, and sacrifices are made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

 

You have Bennidict Cumberbacth who is the villain of the piece a criminal murderer known as Khan. who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, and he gets captured by Kirk and his two associates Mr Spock and Uhura. He voluntarily surrenders and is taken into captivity, and it is then secrets start to unravel in the plot and the story becomes a climatic thriller.

Kirk's star ship becomes under attack by the boss of the enterprise, who plans to take Khan into is own captivity, and plans to destroy Kirk and his crew if they do not submit. It is then they get the help on Simon Pegg's character Scotty who cuts the power on the big star ship, and helps Kirk and Khan smuggle aboard, events then turn when Khan, takes command of the ship and the torpedo's. now these torpedo's play a vital part in the story because inside these special space torpedo's contain people who are part of Khan's crew.

Khan plans to revive his crew and start again, but in a hostile manor plans to kill anyone who gets in his way for some reason or another. Kirk suffers as part of those consequences and gets killed, but with forced help from Khan he miraculously gets brought back to life, and Khan goes back to square one and is frozen again.

And story ends with Kirk and his crew going off into space on a five year mission.

As I mentioned earlier, the story was a bit boring and didn't really do anything special for me. I didn't feel entertained throughout the process of watching this film, I just went with the flow until it ended.

Having said that I had a chance to observe things from a observant point of perspective, the effects for instance they were brilliant. I highly recommend you go and see this film in 3D as the effects in 3D are too good to miss.

I thought the threat was real, I loved Bennidict Cumberbatch's character. quite sinister and calculating and over all a ruthless inhuman maniac who kills for the sake of killing. so I believed in his character all the way it's quite a contrast to his character of Sherlock who is a skinny, non violent, clever man.

 

I liked  performances from Chris Pine (Kirk) , Zoe Saldana (Uhura) ,Simon Pegg (Scotty) and
Peter Weller (Marcus) all good actors who did a good job, and put on a convincing performance.

I thought that JJ Abrams directing was very precise and well shot, he handled this project with both hands which is what you should do, in a situation as big as this.

There is a mixture of science,drama, action and humour in this film. which I didn't feel was right. the humour was unbalanced and all over the place, didn't laugh at any of the jokes presented. but then I didn't want to watch this film to have a laugh because it's not a comedy.

Overall I was happy with this film, I did enjoy it but for me it lacked some interest off me, particularly parts towards the end.

I am going to give this film 7/10

1 gold star to Benedict Cumberbatch

Thank you for reading this review, I hope you all enjoyed it and go on to watch the film in the future.

My next review is going to be 'The King's Speech' starring Colin Firth, Geoffry Rush and Helena Bohnam Carter and directed by Tom Hooper. I will post that review on Friday the 17th of May 2013.

Review - The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli - A post-apocalyptic tale of hope, trust and power, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets of restarting the world and is vital to the future of mankind.



Hello Everyone.
Welcome to my newest film review of the month; which is Albert and Allen Hughes's (The Hughes Brothers)  'The Book of Eli' starring Denzel Washington in the leading role.

SPOILER ALERT!: As ever there is going to be spoilers, so if you haven't seen 'The Book of Eli' and you don't want it to be spoiled, then I would reconsider reading this review for the moment.

This film runs for approximately 118 minutes (1 hour and 58 minutes) so it's just under 2 hours.

This film was released back in 2010. It came to the USA's attention of the 11th of January 2010 and was released in the UK on the 15th of January 2010. I had the misfortune of missing this when it was released in the cinema's, and I would of liked to have gone and seen it, had I known it was on.

I had the satisfaction however to want to buy the DVD and watch it on my own by myself, and I'm very happy that I took the time with this film, you have to give it 100% up most of respects, it's not something you can skip through and expect it to make sense. you have to follow the plot carefully in order to understand truly what it's about.

First of All, it opens up in a wood, the lighting is very lubricant, you have these nice green colours to symbolise night time and you then cut to a deserted waist land for which has nothing, and symbolises nothing. it is then we meet 'Eli' (Denzel Washington) a traveller who when we first meet him is a mystery, we know nothing of him of who he his, where he came from to begin with so it is strange to start off with, all we know is he heading west without a reason as to why he's heading there.

The original storyline of 'Eli' entails a sense of place in a violent post-apocalyptic society, Eli, has been wandering westward across North America for the last thirty years. He has solace in a unique book which he carries on his person and guards closely and procily, whilst surviving by hunting small animals and seeking goods in destroyed houses and vehicles to trade in villages for water and supplies.

When he reaches a nearby town ruled by the powerful mobster, Carnegie (Gary Oldman), the man views Eli's impressive fighting skills and offers Eli a place within his gang. Carnegie presses his blind lover Claudia to send her daughter, Solara (Mila Kunis), to at least convince Eli to spend the night by sleeping with her.

 

However, Eli proves to be the better man and a man of quick wit and intelligence when he gently declines her advances. It is then Solara stumbles upon Eli's book, and when Carnegie finds out threatens to beat her mother until Solara tells him what she saw and what her and Eli talked about in the room. Carnegie sends his gang into the wasteland to take the book from Eli, but the man proves to be a formidable foe as he makes it more than clear that if they want the book.



Solara then decides to accompany Eli on his quest; and they become partners and companions, and at the end of the film friends.

And for the majority of the film it becomes and unpleasant game of cat and mouse between Carnegie and Eli.

The Game is finished when Eli is believed to be dead when Carnegie shoots him down to the ground after retrieving what he thinks is the book and Solara is captured. but Eli fools him, Solara then escapes from the clutches of Carnegie and his men as she goes back to help a wounded Eli who has the strength of God on his side to complete his quest, and the whole point of the story was he was heading west to reach this refuge camp on an abandoned Island, and in the camp, they're recreating books and forming a Library.

It was Eli's mission to recreate the Bible and when he has done his job, God lets him rest and Eli dies from Carnegie's gun shot wound. and Solara decides to return home at the end of the film and you are left with her walking the desert wastelands on her own.

I have to say I was very impressed with how this was shot, and executed 'The Hughes brothers' did a great job at presenting their ideas, which is quite difficult in some aspects to do because there is two of them so sometimes one can have one idea on how to present something and the other one could disagree with that completely.  so it was very well directed.

I really embraced the performances from Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman, the two of them made great Nemesis for each other. some of you may know Denzel Washington from other films such as 'The Taking of Pelham 123', 'Unstoppable' and 'Inside Man'. and others may know Gary Oldman form 'Tinker tailor soldier spy' and as Serious Black in the 'Harry Potter' films.

In Eli you have the Good guy, the one who we know is in the nicer position and will show care and kindness. and in Carnegie we have the exact opposite and you can tell that instantly in Gary Oldman's performance, in the rare occasions where he showed a dark side your truly believe it, and you embrace the character he plays with absolute seriousness.



I also though 'Mila Kunis' as Solara was really good, I wasn't to sure what she had in mind for this character but turns out I was worrying over nothing, she played it dead straight, which I approved of very much. I thought she had a great relation with the two leading characters to show that positive and negative effect and have that work out as well as it could of done.

In conclusion this is one of a films which had an emotional effect on me in the way I see the world. and it's those type of films I like to treasure and learn from as I progress to understand the world today.

This a film which you need to take your time through whilst watching as you need to understand the importance of it's messages in order to get the story and enjoy it.

I'm going to give 'The Book of Eli' an 8/10.

3 gold stars are awarded to Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis and Gary Oldman
2 Platinum stars go to 'The Hughes Brothers' for their amazing directing and Ideas.

Thank you for reading this review, I hope you have agreed with most of my points, if not tell me why because I'd be interested to hear people thoughts on this in the comments section below.

My next review is going to be 'Star Trek - Into Darkness' starring Chris Pine and Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by JJ Abrams

I will post that review on Wednesday the 15th of May 2013.

Review - School of Rock

School of Rock - A want to be rock star who is in need of quick money pretends to be a substitute teacher at a secondary school. and turns his class into a rock band.

  Hey everyone, I hope you had a nice Bank Holiday weekend. my next review is a rock out comedy, starring Jack Black in the leading role. 'School of Rock' is without doubt a feel good, fun filled comedy, with lots of laughs and great quotations which people I know today still can't get enough of.

SPOILER ALERT: As I do with all my reviews, to keep people who haven't seen the films I review into consideration; if you haven't seen this film, then I suggest you go and watch the film and then go back to my blog to see what I have to say, otherwise keep reading as I have a lot to say on this film.

It was brought to the US's attention on the 23rd of September 2003, and was released for the UK on the 6th of February 2004.

School of Rock runs for 108 minutes overall. (1 hour 48 minutes)

The Storyline entails the life of a down and out rock star Dewey Finn (Jack Black) who gets fired from his band, for immature behavior. he then has to face a mountain of debts and depression. He then imitates his friend and takes a job as a 4th grade substitute teacher at an uptight private school.

There his attitude and hijinx influence have a powerful effect on his students. He also meets Zack (Joey Gaydos Jr.), a 10-year-old guitar prodigy, who could help Dewey win a "battle of the bands" competition, which would solve his financial problems and put him back in the spotlight.

Although he thinks, everything is coming together, his plans crumble in a matter of seconds where he gets found out at a parents consultation night. but because he's made such a great impact on his students they plan to get out and win the show. 'The School of Rock' fail to win 'Battle of Bands' but what they gain from it is a fan base.

This film sees the essenctric talents of Jack Black, he comes in all guns blazing and shoots off a firring ball of energy which seems to flying off in all directions. I thought Jack Black was fantastic, Inspired casting and overall enjoyed watching him do his thing, and how he portrayed his character to the best of his abilities. some of his acting was a bit hammy in places (over the top) he could of toned things down a bit but I'm not complaining as I thought that's the way he works and you can't change it.

 Also coming into to guest star were Mike White as 'Ned Schneebly',Sarah Silverman as 'Patty Di Marco' and Joan Cusack as headmistress of Horris Green school 'Rosalie Mullins'. All did a brilliant job in a very different way, I thoroughly enjoyed the supporting characters as I think they did there own thing, but also assisted Jack Black really well.

My only criticisms that I really should point out is that the balance wasn't quite right with comedy there has to be a good balance of Funny and Storytelling. the Funny factor was off the wall with this which again, I think could of been toned down to allow the story to tell itself in a different way.

Richard Linklater put his stamp on this as Director, Richard Linklater had previously directed films such as 'Bernie' and 'Before Sunrise', his directing skills seemed quite strange and irregular the way he wanted a certain shot filmed. his directing wasn't bad, I'm sure he had his reasons for taking shots, I always look upon some shots that he made as being 'it could of worked better had he done this' sort of thing.


I think if things had been toned down slightly, and I was familiar with Richard Linklater's directing I would of enjoyed this and understood this a bit more in depth.

Overall I like 'School of Rock' but I don't love 'School of Rock'.

I am going to rate this film 7/10

I'm not going to give out any stars to anyone in cast or crew because no one in this film really blew me away, they were just good actors who did a good job and nothing more, so no stars for this film I'm afraid.

My next review is going to be 'The Book of Eli' starring Denzal Washington, Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis. and directed by 'The Hughes Brothers' that review will be posted on Saturday the 11th of May 2013.