The War With Grandpa: It Is Not A War It Is A Slaughter

The War With Grandpa is a family comedy film directed by Tim Hill. The plot sees a boy (Oakes Fegley) and his grandfather (Robert De Niro), go to war over a bedroom, when the grandfather moves in with the family.

The premise of this film is lame, and the tame nature of it stops it from ever doing anything truly memorable as far as the war is concerned. I get that this is a family film, but it feels scared to say word like hell, really? It is the tamest film I have seen in a long while.

The war feels fairly one sided in terms of hearts and minds, as the kid is a brat from the get-go and has no redeeming qualities. The performance by Fegley is woeful and is easily crushed by De Niro, even though this is clearly a paycheck role for him.

De Niro manages to capture quite a lot of good sentimentality and actually hit me in the feels by the end of the film, this is much better than something like Dirty Grandpa as it is far more dignified for him and he gives a fairly good performance. I enjoyed all the nods to De Niro’s gangster films that are peppered in throughout I thought they really added something.

I can’t talk about this film without talking about Uma Thurman. She is the star of this film, even if she only has about twenty minutes of screen time. She is both unintentionally hilarious, and just a joy to watch. When she is on screen hamming up her performance it is always good for a laugh. She was easily my favourite character.

Overall, too tame to be enjoyed by some, schlock for the most part and clearly a paycheck for De Niro, but it does have its moments and Walken and Thurman steal the show.

Pros.

Uma Thurman

Some genuine emotion

Christopher Walken

Cons.

Too tame, the war doesn’t feel exciting

The kid is an unlikable brat, you don’t feel torn between the two for a second

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bill And Ted Face The Music: One Last Excellent Adventure

Bill & Ted Face The Music is a science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Parisot. The plot reintroduces us to other favourite rockers Bill (Alex Winter), and Ted (Keanu Reeves), who are now all grown up and have teens of their own. Life hasn’t been so kind to the pair and they still haven’t managed to make the song that will unite the universe, then one day they are told it is now or never and the duo set out on one last excellent adventure to save time and space.

This is a very wholesome watch at a time where we need wholesome watches, it is nice to see the duo back on the screen and it feels like they have never really been away. Winters and Reeves still have strong chemistry and it is fascinating to see them now as middle-aged family men.

I enjoyed the fact this film introduced us to Bill and Ted’s daughters, who are just like them, I thought that was a neat twist. The casting of Bridgette Lundy-Paine and the ever-excellent Samara Weaving is pitch perfect and part of me hopes they get their own spinoff; though that is unlikely. My one issue with them would be that the film never uses them enough and often side-lines them, they need more screen time.

The cameos worked well for me and a lot of the best humour came from them. I enjoyed the Dave Grohl bit, and it was nice to see Death (William Sadler), return. However despite this I found the biggest issue with this film was the comedy. A lot of the time the jokes didn’t land for me and were a bit weak and lame, the film often made me smile but never made me laugh. Comedy is subjective.

Overall, a welcome return/conclusion Winters and Reeves are still great together and the daughters are well cast and interesting in their own right. The comedy is a weak point for me, but I still had a lot of enjoyment from this film.

Pros.

Reeves and Winters are still great

Samara Weaving is a scene stealer

The cameos and returns

The ending and the feeling of closure

Cons.

A lot of the humour didn’t land for me

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Win It All: Having A Heart Attack Is A Great Way Out Of A Losing Hand

Win It All is a comedy film directed by Joe Swanberg. The plot follows Eddie (Jake Johnson), a gambling addict who is tasked with looking after a bag full of money while an acquaintance is in the big house. Rather unsurprisingly Eddie gambles it all away. After reaching rock bottom Eddie realises he needs to get a real job and start trying to rebuild his life, this is all turned on its head when the guy he was watching the money for gets out early and wants his pay day; one last big score is needed.

Jake Johnson is an often-overlooked actor, he is a very versatile performer and this film proves it. His character is a very obvious slob/under achiever, but he is also far more nuanced than that, he is a broken man who wants to be well again, but the thrill of winning or losing big keeps dragging him back down the hole. He is both sympathetic, yet unlikeable. He is a complex character.

I enjoyed the film quite a bit, admittedly I am a Jake Johnson true believer, so I may be a bit bias. My one issue with it is that, despite telling a story grounded in reality, it feels very Hollywood. By that I mean the way things conveniently work out, things that wouldn’t happen in real life, it gets to a point where it is so unbelievable the drama loses no longer feels real.

Overall, an enjoyable watch, but one that almost becomes fascial towards the end.

Pros.

Jake Johnson

His character and performance

It is fun to watch

Cons.

The ending is absurd

Falls apart if you think about it too much.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Puss In Boots: The Shrek Spinoff We Needed?

Puss In Boots is an animated film directed by Chris Miller. The plot sees Puss (Antonio Banderas), try to steal the magical Golden Goose from inside the giant’s castle from the tale of Jack and The Bean Stalk.

So, we can all agree the best thing about Shrek 2 was the introduction of Puss In Boots, who would go on to be one of the best characters in the franchise. With that in mind the idea of a Puss centred spin off seems like a very likely bet and that is what this film is.

The story as a whole doesn’t feel like it adds much to the Shrek world, and feels oddly self-contained. The new characters are fine, but again they’re nothing to write home about. Selma Hayek as Kitty Soft Paws is a nice on-screen partner for Puss, but even she can’t be memorable.

Everything new about this film doesn’t really work, but the returning character of Puss is still fun. The only thing that keeps this from being a bad film is the charm of Banderas, which is the film’s saving grace. It is nice seeing Puss get his own film, but it suffers without having the other well-known characters to bounce off.

Overall, a needless spinoff that is kept alive by the bandit esque charm of Antonio Banderas’ Puss, but one that you can give a miss.

Pros.

Banderas

A few good jokes

Cons.

The new characters aren’t interesting

The world feels small

Banderas can only take the film so far

The ending is so dumb

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Scooby Doo Camp Scare: Oddly Sexual

Scooby Doo Camp Scare is an animated film directed by Ethan Spaulding. The plot sees Scooby (Frank Welker), and the gang head to Camp Little Moose, as Fred (also Welker), wants to relive some of his childhood and has become a councillor there, the gang naturally accompany him. However, once they arrive they realise something stalks the woods, something scary.

So, the first thing I noticed about this film was the animation is different to the other animated Scooby Doo films I have reviewed, not necessarily worse, but certainly newer looking in style. I found this to be jarring at the start of the film, but I found it to be less of an issue as it went on.

The drawn style of the female characters in this one is oddly sexual, they have Daphne (Grey Griffin), in a bikini and pan the camera up and down her body multiple times; you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching the soft core start of a very convincing porn parody. Other female characters suffer the same fate and it just feels a bit icky. Also they walk back some of the character development of Daphne and turn her into the jealous girlfriend cliché

Switching gear, I found this to be much funnier than previous Scooby adventures, this film seemed to be crammed with innuendos and dirty jokes which I appreciated and that did in fact make me laugh.

The Scooby Doo formula is less strikingly apparent here, yes it still ends in the standard way that you would expect but it feels like more freedom was given to the creatives.

Overall, a fun ride, though a little creepy at times in a questionable sort of way.

Pros.

It is very watchable

More creative freedom

Has a few good funny moments

Cons.

Weirdly sexual

A shift in animation

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Scooby Doo And The Loch Ness Monster: The Scottish Accent Is Further Butchered

Scooby Doo and The Loch Ness Monster is an animated family film directed by Scott Jeralds and Joe Sichta. The plot sees the Mystery Machine gang head to Scotland to meet up with Daphne’s (Grey Griffin), family for the Highland games. However, the most infamous Scottish legend of all is terrorising the proceedings, the one and only Loch Ness Monster.

There is a certain safety in a formula, you know what you’re getting. I have talked at length about the Scooby Doo formula in other reviews and I think for the most part it works, but here it was a little too samey and left the whole film feeling very unmemorable and a little bland.

The Scottish accents were butchered to hell as well, so don’t watch if you’re an easily offended Scottish person. However, unlike in Monster of Mexico, I thought the Scottish side characters were treated as more than mere stereotypes and were okay. They felt like characters in their own right and not cheap clichés so that is a positive.

I also enjoyed the ending tease where it implied that Nessie was in fact real; after having been proven to be people in a costume moments before. I like the fact that this era of Scooby Doo shock things up and didn’t have every monster just be a person in a costume using unrealistic practical effects; the added supernatural mystery of these films gives them more substance.

Overall, a very standard affair, not the best Scooby Doo animated film, but not the worst either. I’m glad the local side characters don’t feel like harmful stereotypes and I think the ending adds some much-needed mystery to things.

Pros.

It is very watchable

The ending tease

Not having the side characters be stereotypes

Fun to turn your brain off to

Cons.

It doesn’t grab you

It is forgettable

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Week Of: Adam Sandler Just Has To Be An Old Lady, Ruining A Dramatic Performance

The Week Of is a comedy film directed by Robert Smigel. The plot follows Kenny (Adam Sandler), the father of the bride as he tries to make sure everything goes right on his daughter big day, whilst not being out done by the groom’s father Kirby (Chris Rock).

So when I put this film on I was expecting a standard Adam Sandler comedy film, nothing too surprising, a few cheap laughs. However, this film was far more than that. I would say though there are a few badly timed gags and bits this film almost plays like a drama, and I enjoyed that.

Sandler’s character is much more toned down, his usual stick is not here, and he is playing his role in far more of a reserved way. I enjoyed his performance and it reminded me that Sandler can be a good dramatic actor when he wants to be. However, there is one out of place, needless, scene of Sandler dressed as an old lady singing for no reason at all; that stops my praise for his performance from being full on.

When the film did use humour it was sparingly and done with intent, a lot of the jokes felt well throughout and actually made me laugh rather than just seemingly like the writers trying to guess how many dick jokes they can fit into an hour and a half.

Overall, very much a surprise. Both Chris Rock and Adam Sandler act, and do it well.

Pros.

Not Sandler’s usual stick

The comedy is used sparingly

The drama is good and the main focus

Sandler and Rock play it straight for the most part

Cons.

Why did he have to dress as an old lady?

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Open Season: Brother Bear without the Charm

Open Season is a family animated film directed by Roger Allers, Jill Culton and Anthony Stacchi. The plot sees show bear Boog (Martin Lawrence), go on step to far and get sent by his human owner to go and live in the woods. His life of comfort and domesticity has left him soft; how will he get tough enough to survive in the wild, especially in hunting season.

I remember, vaguely, watching this when it came out in the cinema. It left very little impression on me then and watching it now, I can say it does leave an impression, but an odd one.

So, there is an off-kilter nature to this film, maybe it was just me, but I didn’t find this film funny or charming like family films often try and be, instead I found it to be sad and even melancholic at times. It felt like there was something off just beneath the surface of it. Maybe that was my viewing of it.

None of the voice cast do a particularly good job, Lawrence tries but his material seems like a parody at best, and the rest fair far worse. Ashton Kutcher as Elliot, Boog’s deer side kick is thoroughly annoying and doesn’t have any real redeeming qualities. The rest of the voice cast is wasted, veterans like Patrick Warburton are just reciting clearly joyless lines and it is painful.

Overall, something seems off about this film, it is not terrible, I have seen far worse animated fare, but it is incredibly average and depressing.

Pros.

Lawrence is trying

It is watchable

Cons.

None of the characters are likable

Kutcher is annoying

The supporting cast are wasted

I left watching this feeling depressed

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bridesmaids: Melissa McCarthy Is Actually Funny, For Once

Bridesmaids is a comedy film directed by Paul Feig. The story follows Annie (Kristen Wiig), a woman whose life is coming apart at the seams, yet she handed the responsibility of being her best friend Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) maid of honour. What follows is a struggle for power between Annie and Helen (Rose Byrne), Lillian’s new fancy friend who seems to upstage Annie at every turn, with the struggle between the two threatening to take over the whole wedding.

I have been meaning to watch this for some time, I enjoy the films of Paul Feig for the most part, with the exception of his Ghostbusters film, so I went in with high expectations. It does serve to be a more nuanced version of a gender swapped Hangover, which many accused it of being, and is probably the better of the two films.

I appreciated the comedy of this film it was far more subtle then I was expecting to be. When I saw the names of those involved with it, I was expecting gross out jokes and a lot of physical comedy, and though that is a part of the comedy profile of the film there are also a lot of smart jokes as well. In that regard Melissa McCarthy was actually bearable, not only that but she made me laugh.

Overall, this film showed off the talent of all involved except Byrne who it wasted badly, a strong comedy film and a mostly enjoyable watch.

Pros.

The comedy

Reigning in McCarthy and the others

Not relying on gross out gags and slapstick and having some actual well thought out smart jokes

Nailing the drama

Cons.

There is no reason that this film is on for two hours and ten minutes

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

This Is Where I Leave You: Depressing Realities, Don’t Watch This For A Laugh

This Is Where I Leave You is a comedy drama film directed by Shawn Levy. The plot follows a family as they grieve the death of their father, and are trapped together for a week, by their mother. Old rivalries are reborn and the past rears its ugly head once again.

So, this is a depressing watch. I put it on because I enjoy the comedy of Tina Fey and I thought it might make me laugh, boy was I wrong. I didn’t laugh once not once, and that wasn’t through a lack of trying on the films part, but when I left it I was bummed out. I had to watch a series of funny shows and programs to try and shake it off.

It is a failure as a comedy film, that we have established, thought comedy is subjective. Sadly, it is not much better as a drama film, I felt like the film was not as deep as it thought it was and a lot of its big revelations about life just came off as obvious clichés. The writing just wasn’t up to snuff to make it an impactful drama film in the way it wanted to be.

Overall, this is a failure as both a comedy and drama film, moreover it manages to waste a great cast and be thoroughly disappointing

Pros.

The actors are trying

Cons.

Sadly they have nothing to work with

The writing is bad and over reliant on clichés

It is not funny

It feels laughably shallow when trying to be deep

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke