21 JUMP STREET - Review

For those fans of the 1980's series by the same name, be prepared that the name and a cameo appearance from some of the original actors are the only things these two have in common. This is a funny film with more than a few laugh out loud moments for the audience.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller have brought us a fantasitc comedy in which I feel that Channing Tatum has finally found himself as an actor. He has done a few romantic leads and I have often noted that he seems wooden and uncomfortable (and I'm not the only one), but in this pice of comedic genius, he has really come into his own.

Schmidt and Jenko (Jonah Hill and Chaning Tatum) were polar opposites in high school, and yet they bond and become besties during their time in the police academy. After an unfortunate drug bust where they fail to read their perp the Miranda Rights, they are sent down to 21 Jump Street, an undercover project that is trying to infiltrate a high school drug ring and bust it.

21 JUMP STREET is unrealistic and ridiculous and that's why it's so much fun. You can tell that they all had fun making the film and that always transfers to the screen and makes it so much more enjoyable for the audience. Beware that this film got it's MA15+ rating for a reason, so don't let your kids run out and watch it without watching it first to see for yourself what's going on. Kids these days don't need any encouragement to party hard and take drugs!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this remake (and I use that term VERY loosely!), and so did the rest of the audience. It's definitely not a piece of cinema that will gain critical acclaim for any aspect, but it was light and funny and drew out some fantastic belly laughs from the gentleman sitting in front of me which was almost as entertaining as the film itself.

 4 out of 5.

A SEPARATION - Review

So I know I voted for this in my Oscars predictions and I was not surprised I came up trumps. This film was getting amazing reviews and fantastic feedback not only from critics, but also from your regular Joe who just loves films.

Now it's my turn to give it a review, and whilst I did really like the film, I'm not going to gush all over it and be as dramatic as those who have said it's the best piece of foreign language film since CITY OF GOD.

A wife seeks a divorce becuase her husband won't agree to leave Iran and go with her to America and take their daughter so she can have a better life. He won't go because they look after his father who has Alzheimer's, and even though his father doesn't know who he is he can't leave him. So he tells his wife if she wants a divorce she can have it, which breaks her heart because all she really wanted was for him to ask her not to leave him.

He hires another woman to come and look after her father while he's at work and his daughter is at school, and after returning home from work one day to find his father has fallen off the bed (with his arm tied to the bed post) and almost dead, he fires her. An argument ensues and he pushes her out the door and she takes a fall on the stairs. He is then charged with murder because the woman has suffered a miscarriage and lost her baby.

The remainder of the film then centres around what seems like court proceedings, but it's hard to tell as they are nothing like the western court proceedings we are so used to seeing.

This film is beautifully shot, has some of the most fantastic lighting I have seen for a while and a gorgeous sound track. I had some difficulty determining the levels of emotion during parts of the film, purely becuase I'm not used to hearing the Farsi language, however these actors did a wonderful job using their body language and facial expressions to convey their emotions to the audience.

There was a great little twist at the end of the film, but I feel like they left it too late and didn't give it any time to develop, which is a shame becuase everyone really came out of their shells for this part of the story line. The other things that frustrated me was the ending. It's not clear what happened with either of the storylines that I spent two hours and 15 minutes following, and that's a long time to end up with no resolution. It does leave you with something to talk about, although the film is not lacking in talking points.

Over all I think the film was beautiful and a fantastic storyline, although it could have moved faster and developed more and come to a more satisfying end. Perhaps I just went in with expectations that were too high and I was disappointed, I'll never know and that's the problem with films that get so much hype before you get to see them.

3.5 out of 5.

DARK SHADOWS - Trailer

Three words...Burton, Depp, Bonham Carter. 

This is currently my most highly anticipated film of the year. 

THE HUNGER GAMES - Review

"May the odds be ever in your favour" - You could play a drinking game with that line. Seriously, you could.

I'm too much of a nanna to have stayed awake for the midnight sessions, but I heard there were character dress-ups, and a few verbal disagreements about the quality of the film from avid book fans. Plus there was a whole lot of excitement, as the Australian midnight sessions were among the first screenings worldwide - winning! So, I packed it in early and headed in with the after school crowd to see what all the fuss was about.

Many years ago, there was a war, an uprising of the poorer outer districts against the wealthy controlling Capitol. Now, what started as a punishment and a constant reminder of the uprising is one of the most highly anticipated and widely watched events of the year. Each district selects a boy and a girl to fight to the death and it's broadcast live. Reality TV folks, no matter how sick it is, it still gets the ratings! Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take the place of her younger sister Primrose, and it's all very dramatic and exciting.

The story was enough to keep me entertained and it was slightly suspenseful for me because I haven't read the books and I had no idea what was going to happen next, let alone in the end. If it wasn't for the annoying tweens sighing and commenting "that's not what happens in the book" I would have been none the wiser.

As far as an adaptation of a series I haven't read goes, I can only compare it to the TWILIGHT movies, and whilst I haven't actually seen any of those, I can compare it to the god-awful trailers and tell you that they've done a much better job of this, not only in terms of casting, but also script and directing.

The casting is fabulous, Jennifer Lawrence (if you're not across her it's time you got with the program - WINTER'S BONE), Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson and Lenny Kravitz. Plus the two men vying for Katniss' heart, Josh Hutcherson and our very own Liam Hemsworth (not my fave Hemsworth, but still...cute).

According to reports from people who have read the book, the film is not as dark, not as violent, and there's plenty cut out. The cutting of scenes, is no surprise to me and nor should it be to you - it happens in book adaptation. My assumption with the violence and the darkness is that film makers were going for an M rating rather than an MA15+ as the appeal of the books starts from that tweeny age group. For me it didn't have huge affect because I didn't know what it was meant to be like, although a little more guts and gore wouldn't have gone astray!

I think it will be a smash at the box office this weekend, but I'm not sure if it will have the staying power of the HARRY POTTER. I liked it, but I didn't love it, but there are plenty of people in my session that certainly did love it.

3.8/5

Trailer Watch

NOW IS GOOD - so Dakota Fanning was good in THE RUNAWAYS, but she hasn't really tackled a good serious piece of mature material (emphasis on good) since I AM SAM. NOW IS GOOD looks like it might have a bit of something I can sink my teeth into or at the very least get emotional about. Also starring Jeremy Irvine of WAR HORSE NOW IS GOOD is about a young girl who decides to forgo her leukemia treatment so she can "do as much as possible, as fast as possible".

Click here to watch the trailer over at Yahoo! Movies.

Casting Call

Variety reports that Rose Bryne and Anna Faris will be joining Simon Baker and Rafe Spall in the new romantic comedy I GIVE IT A YEAR.


This rom-com is written and directed by Dan Mazer (writer/director of some Ali G eps and writer/producer of Borat and Bruno)and centres around a couple who as the title suggests are trying to make it through their first year of marriage. Based on Mazer's credits I would guess that this pic is going to get a rating higher than your average rom-com, maybe an MA15+, but that's pure speculation.

Spall and Bryne star as the main couple with Faris and Baker are set as "strong supporting characters". I'm glad fellow Aussie Byrne is going to get a go at the lead in this pic as she's certainly been proving her worth of late with X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, BRIDESMAIDS and GET HIM TO THE GREEK plus a whole bunch of television stuff as well.

PREMIUM RUSH - Release Date

I posted this trailer a while ago and I'm please to tell you that it's set for release in Australia on the 13th of September and I can't wait!