Green Book: Driving Don Shirley

Green Book is a comedy drama buddy film directed by Peter Farrelly based on the real-life friendship of jazz pianist Don Shirley (here played by Mahershala Ali), and bouncer Tony Lip (here played by Viggo Mortenson). The film covers their initial meeting, and how through a tour of the American South the two bonded and effected each other’s lives.

Best picture winner? No. Good film? Yes. So, I went into this film expecting it to be very, very good considering the awards it has won and it is good there is no doubt about it, but it is not Best Picture good.

My main issue with this film is that it is often a bit too overly sentimental. Emotion within film is a fine thing, there are times when this film gets its emotional tone just right and the scenes feel weighty and important without feeling overdone, but there are also times when the emotional beats are just a little too much, a little forced and in those instances they feel cringey.

The friendship between these two characters is the crux of the film, and in that regard I can say that this film is a smashing success. Both Done Shirly and Tony Lip feel like well rounded and fleshed out characters, and the friendship between the two feels explored and nuanced; it is nice and heart warming to see this friendship feel like it is organically growing over the course of the film rather than feel forced.

Mortenson and Ali are both terrific and both have many dramatic scenes were they shine, and also a few comedic ones too, though Ali steals the show in those.

Overall, a nice heart-warming film that reminds you of the power of humanity and friendship, though it should not have won Best Picture.

Pros.

The friendship

The characters

The emotional journey

Good heart and a few laughs

Cons.

Sometimes feels a bit too overly sentimental

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Are We There Yet: You Have To Be Super Human To Look After Kids, Literally

Are We There Yet is a comedy film directed by Brian Levant. The plot follows Nick Persons (Ice Cube), a man who has to drive the kids of the woman he wants to date across country: the twist is that these kids hate all the men their mum dates and actively try and sabotage him.

Ice Cube as an actor in my opinion is a mixed bag, sometimes he can be great other times he can be awful, see the Ride Along movies for proof of the latter. However, this may be my favourite performance from him yet. He plays Nick with all of this usual attitude and toughness but shows enough warmth and heart to make the kids and us the audience fall in love with him as well. I dare you to not tear up during the scene when he is saying goodbye to the kids.

The humour of the film was more hit than miss for me. Not every single one of the jokes made me laugh, but more than a few did. Ice Cube had some great moments such as the horse scene that are hilarious, and Tracy Morgan as the talking bobble head also had a number of funny moments.

Overall, I found this film to be far more charming than I thought it was going to be, it made me laugh, it made me cry and it impressed me by not having insufferable child performances.

Pros.

The heart

The humour

Ice Cube

Tracy Morgan

Cons.

A bit too reliant on slapstick comedy

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Journey 2: The Kind Of Stepdad That Takes You Half Way Around The World To Bond With You

Journey 2, The Mysterious Island is a science fiction adventure film directed by Brad Peyton. The plot continues the adventure of Sean Anderson (Peter Hutcherson), as he now goes to another mystical land. First it was the centre of the Earth with his Uncle (played by a sourly missed Brenden Fraser), and now it is a mysterious island in the middle of the pacific with his stepfather (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson).

This film is a lot of fun there is not much more to it than that. Is it the best film you will ever see? No. However, it is an extremely enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half, and surely that is what matters?

This film as a whole like many others is made by the Rock’s easy-going charm. The Rock is one of the easiest actors to watch on screen and moreover he also has great chemistry with near anyone you put him on screen with, as proved here: Michael Cain and The Rock were the buddy duo you never knew you needed.

I enjoyed the adventure as a whole as well, I thought it was interesting to see this world realised and I thought the special effects were good enough to a point where I did not feel like I was being taken out of the movie.

Overall, it’s a fun film with a lot of charm and heart and some neat visuals, you can do a lot worse than this one.

Pros.

The Rock

The charm

The visuals

The adventure

Cons.

Parts do feel a little bit familiar and more originality could have been used.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Are We Done Yet: This Film Deserved Best Picture

Are We Done Yet is a family comedy film directed by Steve Carr. The plot follows on from the events of Are We There Yet and sees the Persons family move out on the city and into the countryside. Everything seems to be going well for Nick (Ice Cube), and his family, except for the fact that their new house is falling apart, and Nick seems to be losing control of his life.

I don’t know how these films do it. On the surface they appear to just be Ice Cube comedy vehicles, but underneath this veneer they are so much more. These films have so much heart they make Pixar films look cold, both of these films have brought a tear to my eye and have touched me on an emotional level; it is very impressive.

The relationship between Nick and Chuck (John C. McGinley), starts off like the comedic antagonistic relationship you have seen in so many other comedy films (family and otherwise), it appears as though Chuck is going to steal Nick’s life, but then it becomes so much more than that. The bonding scene between Nick and Chuck, wear Chuck talks about this life is devastating and played havoc with my emotions far more than the last 20 dramas I’ve seen.

The film is not always hilarious, not every joke is a laugh riot, but it is consistently charming, and it keeps a smile on your face throughout.

Pros.

It is heart warming

It genuine has a masterful understanding of human emotion

Ice Cube and McGinley are both terrific

It has many funny moments

It is far more charming than you would expect.

Cons.

A few jokes miss, but I am not going to mark it down for that

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Wallace And Gromit Curse Of The Were Rabbit: Howling At The Moon

Wallace And Gromit Curse Of The Were Rabbit is a British stop motion animation film directed by Nick Park and Steve Box. The plot sees the duo set up a business catching and rehousing rabbits in their local area, protecting everyone’s green. However, one day during a failed science experiment Wallace (Peter Sallis), turns himself into a horrible man rabbit hybrid.

I remember watching this when I was a kid in the cinema, I must have gone at least 3 or 4 times to see it during its run; there is something about this film that places higher in my mind than the over Wallace and Gromit fare and even over other Aardman animations. What I think this something is, is the sense of British horror that is on display here ever so subtly. Throughout the film there are several references and homages to classic British horror films and moments, which a genre die hard like me can see and appreciate; I enjoy the tip of the hat.

I also enjoy the romance between Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter), and Wallace. I thought it was nice and quite wholesome to see this love story play out on screen even if it does lead nowhere. It made me smile.

Overall, my favourite Wallace and Gromit film simply for the references to British horror, a great concept well executed.

Pros.

The horror and the references to horror

Wallace and Lady Tottington

The premise

It is well paced

Cons.

The villain feels familiar and uninspired

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bridget Jones, The Edge of Reason: The Horrors Of A Thai Prison

Bridget Jones, The Edge Of Reason is a British romantic comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron, serving as a sequel to The Bridget Jones Diaries. The plot this time around see Bridget (Renee Zellweger), in a happy relationship. Though for one reason or another she suspects her boyfriend Mark (Colin Firth), is cheating on her and they break up and then through a series of comedic misunderstanding and lapses in judgment they end up back together again.

This is by far a lesser film than the first. It is still funny and charming, but not nearly as much as the first film. Also the humour here seems far more intent on laughing at Bridget rather than with her, I noticed quite a mean streak to the humour that I found to be quite off putting.

Moreover, the plot of this film is basically just a rehash of the first. It spends almost 99% of its runtime covering old ground and repeating plot points from the first film; it is almost as though there didn’t need to be a sequel. Right from the off you know where the plot is going and can guess the resolution because you have seen it before, in the previous film.

Also the film was made infinitely worse by bringing back Hugh Grant’s character rather than introducing a new character.

Overall, though there is still some fun moments and enjoyment to be had this is a lesser sequel in almost everyway and pales in the light of the first film.

Pros.

A few funny moments

Zellweger is still very charming in the role

It is cheering

Cons.

It brings nothing new to the table

Hugh Grant should not have come back

The humour seems more mean spirited

It is entirely predictable

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bridget Jones’s Baby: 2 Different Baby Daddies

Bridget Jones’s Baby is a romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire. The plot follows on from the events of the previous films and shows an older version of Bridget (Renee Zellweger), who is still unlucky in love and is seemingly repeating the same mistakes as she was in the events of the first film only now older.

I would say of the three Bridget Jones films this is probably second best, behind the original but ahead of the sequel. This film regains more of the originals charm and loses the more mean-spirited humour of the second film, both of which help it immensely.

The one negatively I will say of this film is that it feels needless. The character arcs and progressions are nothing new in the series, it very much does repeat arcs from the previous films to form a narrative here, you can predict what will happen and when because it has already. The will they won’t they stuff between Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), and Bridget makes less and less sense as at the end of each subsequent film they end up together and say how much they love each other, only to have that undone by the start of the next film. It makes the whole thing feel futile.

Patrick Dempsey has a very moments to shine throughout the film as the new love interest for Bridget and one of the suspected fathers of the baby, however he is very much living in the shadow of Hugh Grant and can’t hope to compete.

The other new characters such as Miranda (Sarah Solemani), Bridget’s younger friend and work college fare far better and add to the film. I would dare say Solemani stole most of the scenes she was in and I would watch a spin off dedicated entirely to her character.

Overall, a nice final note that returns to form even if it struggles to explain why it exists.

Pros.

Sarah Solemani

It is charming

It is funny

Renee Zellweger

Cons.

It has no need to exist and does not justify it.

4/5

Notting Hill: Unexpected Romance

Notting Hill is a British romantic comedy film directed by Roger Michell. The plot follows the unlikely romance of an English book seller (Hugh Grant), and an American actor (Julia Roberts).

This may be one of the defining films of the romantic comedy genre, may be even of British cinema in general. It is a classic and for a good reason, it is one of the warmest most charming films I have ever seen.

The film feels so sleek and stylish, and every scene feels polished to a tee. The writing is impeccable and that really is a testament to Richard Curtis, the characters feel like real people and as such you instantly form a bond with them and want to see their romance flourish. Both Grant and Roberts give great performances that make the film, they are also supported by a number of talented performances from the wider cast that are almost equally as memorable.

Much like a good Pixar film this film knows just how to work your emotions to bring you through all the highs and lows of a new relationship and bring you out the otherside cheering and feeling good: that would be the best way to describe this film, feel good.

Overall, a sweet happy romantic comedy that reminds us that the world does still have a few good things in it.

Pros.

The charm

The style

The supporting cast

Roberts

Grant

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Bridget Jones Diary: How Non-Londoners View London

The Bridget Jones Diary is a romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire. The plot sees 30 something single woman Bridget (Renee Zellweger), have to navigate the worlds of career and romantic success. It is based on the book of the same name written by Helen Fielding.

This is one of the quintessentially British rom coms, up there with Christmas classic Love Actually and Notting Hill (review coming soon). Funnily enough all 3 of these films share Richard Curtis as a writer, clearly he is the modern-day master of the British romantic comedy.

There is something effortlessly charming about this film, so much so that I would even recommend it to people who don’t like romantic comedies. It feels deeply personable and relatable, we have all been were Bridget is before in some form or another and we can all relate.

Zellweger is perfectly cast as Bridget and has great on-screen chemistry with her fellow leads Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. As far as interpretations of Austin’s Pride and Prejudice go this is probably by favourite, and I have seen quite a few at this point.

This film is also incredibly funny and has a number of lines that instantly become iconic, at least in my circles. I often found myself laughing at a joke or a punchy bit of dialogue.

Overall, one of the few romantic comedies that does not suffer from troublesome undertones, fun and very enjoyable even for people who don’t like the genre normally.

Pros.

Zellweger

Grant and Firth

It is funny

It is genuine and relatable

Cons.

Sometimes a bit too faithful of an adaption

4.5/5

Unfinished Business: Nick Frost’s Has Got BDE

Unfinished Business is a comedy film directed by Ken Scott. The plot sees a trio of business men played by (Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, and Dave Franco), break ranks with their company and start out on their own, trying to steal the big deal right out from under their former boss.

Usually, with these sort of comedy films the message is quite hollow and there is nothing more to the film then watching people party and sort out some vague forced drama for an hour and a half. However, this film has a heart and a soul as well, the father son storyline about Vince Vaughn’s character realising that his kids need him and that at the end of the day they are more important than the big deal is touching. Yes, it has been done before and is nothing new, but Vaughn delivers it with enough warmth and feeling that you do genuinely believe it.

The comedy is fairly standard, there are a few laughs to be had but these are fairly few and far between. The thing I appreciated about this film is that the comedy is not mean-spirited, Franco’s character is clearly supposed to have special needs, but the film does not mock him for it or make him the butt of every joke; as an Adam Sandler film might.

Overall, though it might not be the funniest film it does have a good heart and a nice message.

Pros.

The father son plotline

The Nick Frost cameo

It has a few funny moments

Cons.

It has been done better before

Quite a large amount of the jokes don’t land

3/5

Reviewed by Luke