Wedding Crashers: Aging Poorly

Wedding Crasher is a comedy film directed by David Dobkin. The plot sees two guys (Vince Vaugh and Owen Wilson), who as the title suggests crash weddings to pick up bridesmaids. However, when they crash one of the most important weddings of the season, they find out that they have bitten off a little more than they can handle.

Vaughn and Wilson have great chemistry and the comedic rapport between them is very strong and provides us with a few comedic moments. As a fan of both, I can safely say that they are in their peak with this film and that is evident for all to see.

The jokes of the film proved to be a mixed bag for me, on the one hand their were numerous funny moments that made me laugh, but there was also a nasty trend of laughing at male sexual abuse which seems blue even by mid-2000’s standards. Vaughn’s character is almost raped, and Wilson’s is subject to numerous unwelcomed advances, in both situations these events are played for laughs which is really quite bad.

Also the film has some very troublesome views about the LGBTQ+ community, with the only real representation of them being an emo sexual predator.

The romance is quite strong and is at its best between Wilson’s character and Rachel McAdams’s character. Their romance feels earnest and heartfelt, with you really wanting them to end up together. This is contrasted nicely by the romance of Vaughn’s character that feels slap dashed and a bit too neatly tied up.

Overall, this films mean spirited views towards male sexual abuse would have been a source for criticism whenever it was released, who ever wrote the script is entirely responsible for the worst parts of the film and should be fired; some laughs and a bit of Christopher Walken aren’t enough to change that.

Pros.

Walken

Vaughn and Wilson have great chemistry

There are a few laughs

Cons.

The jokes about male sexual abuse and playing off the situation and normal or kooky

They make the only LGBTQ+ character a harmful stereotype

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

We Can Be Heroes: David Bowie Is Turning In His Grave

We Can Be Heroes is a superhero family film directed by Robert Rodriguez as a spin off to his The Adventures Of Sharkboy and Lavagirl In 3D. The plot picks up sometime after the events of Sharkboy and Lavagirl and focus on the next generation of superheroes, as they have to fight off an alien invasion when there super heroic parents get captured.

This is a mixed bag. To start on a positive note, I enjoyed the films playful sense of humour it often made me laugh and I was smiling throughout. I also thought the world was well developed and flushed out (which is one of Rodriguez’s best qualities as a filmmaker). I think this film did a great job exploring the lore set up by the previous film and it capitalises on it to great effect.

On the other hand, however, all of Rodriguez’s issues from the Spy Kids films are in full effect here. The film is far too busy and there is often something being forgotten or overlooked because you can’t focus on it all; appealing to children’s 5 second attention spans is all well and good, but it does serve to alienate the adults in the audience.

Secondly, the ending feels like a cop out. It is not as bad as it was all a dream, but it is not far off. The intention was clearly to have the ending be this big emotional pay off but that didn’t come across and the ending left me cold and a little bit irritated.

Finally, the film has a real issue with cringeworthy dialogue and moments, whether it is some of the lines the child actors come out with (most of who are not giving good performances), or rather the on the nose slowed down butchering of a classic David Bowie song, there are more than enough moments to make your whole body cringe.

Overall, there is still some greatness here, however the charm of the previous film and Rodriguez’s Spy Kids films is not here, unlike the issues which most definitely carry over.

Pros.

Pedro Pascal

The humour

The world

Cons.

It is frequently cringey

There is too much going on

The ending is very, very bad

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Little Evil: That Kid Is Looking At You Funny

Little Evil is a horror comedy film directed by Eli Craig. The plot sees a new step dad (Adam Scott), have to deal with his new step son who as luck would have it, turns out to be the Anti-Christ; can the power of the father son bond overcome even the greatest of evils?

I found the parody of things like The Omen funny at first, but as the film went on and on and kept repeating the same parody jokes over and over again they quickly became played out. The same can be said for a lot of the humour of this film.

I will give the film praise for getting the balance of horror and comedy closer to even then it normally is in these sorts of films. The film obviously favour the comedy elements over the horror ones, but there are a few good scares that I actually found quite effective, the worm scene and the early scenes with the hand puppet would be what I point to here.

Adam Scott is just likeable enough to allow you to root for him, and he has enough dad vibes to make his and Lucas’s (Owen Atlas) relationship believable and have emotional resonance.

A final point would be that it is uncomfortable to see Chris D’ Elia in this film, and he features quite prominently as well. He took me out of the film and soured the film as a whole somewhat.

Overall, this film is goofy fun. Is it the best horror comedy film you will ever see? No. Is it without any problems? No, again. However, if you just want something mindless to sit and turn your brain off to then you can do worse than this film.

Pros.

Scott

The initial parody

A few funny jokes and a handful of good scares

Cons.

It gets tiresome

Chris D’ Elia

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Spy Kids: The Parents Aren’t Alright

Spy Kids is a family, action, adventure, comedy film directed by Robert Rodriguez. The plot sees a pair of superspies become captured and it is then down to their children to rescue them and save the world.

I am a big fan of Robert Rodriguez; I think he is very talented both as a filmmaker and as a creative. More than just that though, he has also proven himself to be adept at making great movies for both the adult market and the family friendly market- clearly he is a man of many talents.

Rodriguez brings a warmth to this film that draws you in, once arrived you are introduced to a dense world that is begging to be explored, and characters that you immediately form a bond with and have fun rooting for over the course of the film. This is particularly impressive as both of the leads in this film are children, often child actors can be cringey and scene stealing in all the wrong ways, but Rodriguez manages to get a good performance out of both of his stars.

My only issue with this film was that it was a bit too zany and over the top, as such some of the time it was hard to tell what was going on. I understand it is aimed at Children with 5 second attention spans but even still, the plot loses a lot of cohesion and the film progress and it all becomes just a bit too manic.
Overall, an above average kids film that proves Rodriguez is a man of many talents, just maybe tone it down for the sequel.

Pros.

Likeable child stars

A world primed for exploring

An interesting concept

Cons.

A little bit too busy

It was confusing as too much was happening at once

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

A Haunted House: Back In The Early 2000’s This Would Have Been Hilarious

A Haunted House is a found footage parody film directed by Michael Tiddes. The plot serves to mock the recent trend in found footage horror films, but out of that sub-genre Paranormal Activity in particular. We see happy couple Malcom (Marlon Wayans) and Kisha (Essence Atkins), move in together only to find their new home subject to demonic activity.

In some ways this film reminded me of the best parts of the early Scary Movies, it was funny and silly, and it served as an excellent lampooning of the sub-genre. However, times have changed and as have my comedic sensibilities. When I was watching the Movie films I would have been in my early teens in the late 00’s, and watching them then they were funny, and whilst this film still made me laugh a number of times I also saw a lot of the jokes as being in poor taste. There were quite a few rape jokes that made me uncomfortable, and I think don’t hold up to today’s standard.

Wayans and Atkins are both funny and each manage to hold their ground with the other. I found that they had quite a lot of good on-screen chemistry together and the comedic back and forth between them was strong and well used.

Overall, if I could ignore the rape jokes I would give this film high marks as it is a comedy film that made me laugh, which seems quite successful by what the genre sets out to do, however, those moments of uncomfortableness with off colour jokes will force it to lose marks.

Pros.

Wayans

Atkins

Good comedic chemistry

It is quite funny

Cons.

Some of the jokes cross a line and aren’t funny, namely the rape jokes

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bulletproof: The Worst Of 90s Sandler?

Bulletproof is a buddy cop action comedy film directed by Ernest Dickerson. The plot sees undercover cop Jack Carter (Damien Wayans), have to transport his ex- friend/ criminal partner Archie Moses (Adam Sandler) across the country to bust a big-time drug lord.

Watching Sandler mid-90s to now you can see a real change and even a maturing. Yes, I know the words Adam Sandler and mature in the same sentence seems like a mistake, but they aren’t. In this film we can see Sandler at his juvenile worst, his character has few to no redeemable qualities and is most just annoying and childish for most of the film. I enjoy Sandler’s recent efforts (yes, even some of his Netflix fare), but even I can see this is far from his best.

Sandler and Wayans have a little bit of chemistry together which is a welcome mercy, but if you compare it to other great buddy cop duos, they might as well be strangers.

There is no point saying that this film is quite icky when compared to a modern standard as it goes without saying, for the stupid people who say ‘oh that’s what things were like back then’ it doesn’t make the critique of it any less valid.

Finally, the heart of the film just doesn’t land, you don’t end up caring about either man or their friendship with the other: the ending is met with a shrug of indifference.

Overall, definitely one of Sandler’s weaker efforts and that is saying something.

Pros.

It has one or two laughs

Cons.

For the most part it is not funny

The emotion does not land

Sandler is deeply unlikable

It goes on for too long

It is generic

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Naked: Yet Another Time Loop

Naked is a comedy film directed by Michael Tiddes. The plot sees a man (Marlon Wayans) become trapped in a timeloop on the day of his wedding. This forces him to revaluate the type of person he is and ultimately forces him to grow up.

So by and large this is a fairly generic film. The whole concept ‘the time loop’ is starting to become quickly played out and boring, as we have seen various different characters become trapped in loops many times over at this point.

Wayans tries his best and the few laughs that there are in the film do come from his character, so I will give him prompts for that. However, this character as a whole is a cliché of the man child/ underachiever trope and is once again nothing new: having all the nuance and development of a burnt Christmas dinner.

The comedy mostly missed the mark for me. I laughed maybe once or twice throughout and had a few more smiles, but mostly the humour left me cold. I found any character that wasn’t Wayans deeply unfunny, I don’t know if that was done by design to make Wayans more funny? Though all it managed to do was to make me feel indifferent.

Overall, as a comedy film this is watchable if you have no other options, but it is nothing you haven’t already seen better before.

Pros.

It is watchable

It has a few good jokes

Cons.

Wayans is struggling

The other characters leave no impression

The premise is been there done that

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Lethal Weapon 2: Advertising Condoms

Lethal Weapon 2 is a buddy cop action film directed by Richard Donner. The plot this time around sees Murtaugh (Danny Glover), and Riggs (Mel Gibson) go after a cartel of South African criminals that have a personal connection to Rigg’s past.

I think here we can see the tonal issues starting to become apparent, there is a lot of fallout surrounding Shane Black exiting the projecting and his darker script being rejected in favour of a more light hearted one; said script I would say is the major issue with the film. Quite dark and upsettingly violent sequences are upended with jokes and quips, which serve to ruin any tension built and let the air out of the balloon so to speak.
The tonal issues carry over to the characters as it limits their emotional growth and the extent of their journey’s. There is some interesting ideas and notions being floated around here, like Riggs dying to save his partner’s life at the end of the film, however, the film seem to gutless to follow through with these interesting character moments in favour of maintaining the status quo for sequels.

Gibson and Glover are still a terrific paring and have a lot of great on-screen chemistry together, sadly that is limited by insufficient character work.

Overall, this film shows us what is wrong with Hollywood, whereby the inevitable sequel is prioritised over the film itself to the detriment of all involved.

Pros.

Gibson

Glover

Cons.

The tone is mismatched and doesn’t work

The ending loses its emotional impact

The characters don’t seem to progress emotionally or personally from where they were at the end of the film

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Soul: The Jazz Man

Soul is an animated family film directed by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. The plot follows a part time teacher/ wannbe jazz musician Joe (Jamie Foxx), as he dies before he has a chance to achieve his dream of performing on stage. Whilst in the afterlife Joe meets 22 (Tina Fey), a young soul who is struggling to find their spark, together the two of them run away back to earth and go on a journey of self-discovery together.

This film almost made me cry, almost. The ending is beautiful and heartfelt, and it really brought Pixar back for me in a big way. Personally, I haven’t really enjoyed a Pixar film since Brave and even a few of the ones before that Ratatouille, Wall-E did nothing for me: I enjoyed a final trip to Toy Story but more for nostalgia then a strong story. However, I am pleased to say that this film bucks that trend and in my mind restores Pixar to its former glory.

I enjoyed seeing the bond develop between Joe and 22, I thought it was a incredibly well realised friendship and touched on the very real experience of what it means to be human. The individual character arcs of Joe and 22 are equally well done, and you are left staggered at the complexity of emotional impact they manage to elicit.

My one complaint would be that the soul world stuff is a bit dull at times, and it tends to drag on: you can’t help but think during these sequences that you would much rather they get back to the Earth storyline.

Overall, a film that resorted my faith not only in Pixar but in the animation genre in general.

Pros.

The emotions

The character journeys

The performances from Foxx and Fey

A return to form for Pixar
Cons.

The soul world plot could and should have been more interesting

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Let Them All Talk: Be Nice To Your Friends

Let Them All Talk is a drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The plot follows a writer (Meryl Streep), as she, her nephew (Lucas Hedges) and her two old friends (Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest) go on a cruise together to collect an overseas award.

I think this is a very charming film, it is not huge and over the top, but rather small, compacted, and intimate. It is very much a character study of all involved as well as a reflection on life and those that feature therein.

I think the performances of all involved were strong. Soderbergh does always prove to know how to get the best out of his cast and this is no exception. Gemma Chan, who plays the main character’s literary agent is particularly strong, I will admit I fell for her romance with Hedges character I enjoyed their scenes together and wanted to see them end the film together.

My one critique of this film is that it is poorly paced, t

. Though obviously a slow film there are moments in this which I believe are created with the explicit purpose of slowing the film down further, which it does not need. There is a reveal towards the end of the film, which is very significant however, due to the way the film structures itself there is not enough time to properly unpack the new development before the credit’s role; it strikes me that this film either needed to be longer or more tightly edited.

Overall, this is a slow watch and at times painfully so, it wont be for all, but if you are prepared for the time investment then there is a lot of charm to be found here within the quite character drama.

Pros.

The performances

The intimate feel

Soderbergh’s director (for the most part)

Cons.

The ending feels rushed

The pacing is off

3/5

Reviewed by Luke