Thursday 1 March 2012

tra la la

Bumper pack of 2008 movies.

To make up for lost time last year and lack of weekends this year I give a bonus 8 films today. Enjoy. Or, you know, not. Whatever.

Pineapple Express
Personable and fun due to a good cast but has few actual jokes to keep it going rather coasting on it's charm until a silly action film ending.

Tropic Thunder
Pretty much a Ben Stiller Show sketch writ large including a carry over character.
It is loud and silly but has some great gags and zips along just fine.

Death Race
Not even interesting enough to be offensive, it completely misses the fun of the oringinal and fails to compensate on it's own terms. Also navigators on a circular track?

How to lose Friends and Influence People.
This lacks the balls to be a great black comedy (it neuters itself at every turn and changes names 'to protect the innocent - or litigious maybe) but canny casting, Anderson and Bridges are great in small roles, makes it amusing enough but little lasts in the memory.

Igor
It suffers from being second hand Burton or Johnenn Vasquez and has irritating sidekick syndrome but has a good sense of style none-the-less and some neat and quite dark humour.

City of Ember
Excellent children's fantasy which a splendid design sense and good performances. It doesn't all quite make sense (why the giant insects and moles?) but moves along briskly and doesn't talk down to it's target audience.

Bangkok dangerous
Trite seen it all before Hitman nonsense. A couple of moments of style do little to liven it up but it never bad enough to be laughable either.

Rocknrolla
More of the same from number one 'mockney' Guy Ritchie. Another good cast are given his dreary dialogue and plot motions which he tries to hide beneath a surfeit of style. It's watchable enough but has a worrying homophobic strain running through it.

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