Kindergarten Cop: Kids Vs. Cops

Kindergarten Cop is a crime comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman. The plot sees Officer Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenegger), go undercover as a kindergarten teacher in an effort to capture a ruthless drug lord. The longer Kimble spends with the kids the more he opens ups to them and learns to be a softer person; life lessons aplenty.

Schwarzenegger is a surprisingly strong comedic actor; he has proven this time after time with such gems as Killing Gunther and Jingle All The Way; as well as some great comedic moments in the later Terminator films. Just like in them, here he is great, his comedic timing is pitch perfect, and the tough guy who finds himself out of his depth and falls apart gimmick is always at its best when it is done by Schwarzenegger.

The plot makes no real sense, and this is very much a film that you can passively watch. Vast chunks of it just kind of limp on for no real reason. However, the film does have great emotional steaks, the relationship between Kimble and the bad guys ex wife and son is touching and sweet. You really do believe that Kimble cares about these characters.

The action of the film is by far its weakest part, the shoot out at the end is no where near as strong as the comedy or the emotional stakes. This is a comedy film through and through and not an action or a crime film in anyway. Schwarzenegger does his best during these serious action scenes, but they just aren’t convincing.

Overall, this is a very forgettable family comedy film that without Schwarzenegger would fall apart; luckily, he saves this film by being hilarious and loveable.

Pros.

Schwarzenegger.

The comedy.

The emotional stakes.

Cons.

The action.

You can not focus and not miss much.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Wine Country: You’re Going To Need The Bottle For This

Wine Country is a comedy drama film directed by Amy Poehler. The plot sees a group of old friends/ work buddies meet up for one of their 50^th birthdays. They try and have a nice weekend away but realise that they have become disconnected from one another and must air and work past their grievances to try and save their friendship.

Maybe this film just isn’t for me, I am not it’s targeted demographic; middle age women. The lessons and messages of the film that cover things like ageing gracefully and accepting your place in the world didn’t connect with me. Personally, I think this film thinks it is far deeper than it actually is, this film adds nothing new to the conversation; a lot of what it has to say is trite and played out, sometimes feeling more than a little out of touch.

The saving grace of this film for me is Jason Schwartzman. He is the only character that made me smile in this supposed comedy film; by shear virtue of his weirdness. Schwartzman feels like a breath of fresh air here and all of his scenes pop. The same could be said of Tina Fey, she is rarely featured but when she is it is usually one of the films better scenes.

As for the film’s lead Poehler she is just playing the same character she always plays, the one she has been playing for the last 20 years, the only difference is that it is staring to get stale and painfully unfunny.

That crucially was my issue with this film overall, it wasn’t funny. This is supposed to be a comedy film and yet I didn’t laugh once, if anything it depressed me and reminded me of my own mortality; I ask is that what you want out of a comedy film?

Pros.

Jason Schwartzman.

Tina Fey.

Cons.

Amy Poehler.

It is not funny.

It is depressing.

2/5

Reviewed By Luke

Chips: A 21st Century Frankenstien

Chips is an action comedy film directed by Dax Shepard; it serves as a revival of the classic TV series of the same name. The plot sees two troubled officers of the law become entangled in a web of betrayal, lies and a surprisingly large amount of sex. The two mismatched detectives must find out who the bag guy is and stop them, but first they must learn to trust each other.

This film is somewhat of a head scratcher, not because it is deep or clever, no, the reason it is confusing is because the usually bad Dax Shepard is actually somewhat okay and enjoyable, and the always loveable Michael Pena is strangely hateable. A strange turn of events and one that may or may not have been deliberate.

I don’t think anyone was asking for this film, the brand was forgotten, but clearly the people behind the scenes thought this could be the next 21 Jump Street; sadly they were wrong, very wrong. Unlike the aforementioned cop comedy, there is no charm here, the jokes feel dated and juvenile; I think I might have laughed once in the whole runtime of the film.

All of the characters barring Shepard’s are deeply unlikable, you don’t care about them at all and when they’re endanger the outcome doesn’t really affect you one way or the other. The one positive thing this film does is it makes you like Dax Shepard. He was heavily involved in making it, so this is almost certainly intentional, but his is the only character in the entire film that we as the audience warm to.

Overall, this feels very needless, it has the sensibilities of a teenager, but isn’t shocking enough to capture their attention. This film really makes you question what goes through the heads of Hollywood executives.

Pros.

Dax Shepard.

One or two laughs.

Cons.

All the other characters.

The humour feels icky and a little over the top at times.

I just didn’t care in the end.

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Pixels: Gamers Save The World

Pixels is a science fiction comedy film directed by Chris Columbus. The plot sees three men who were pro gamers when they were kids go up against aliens from outer space, that have taken the form of classic 80s videogames. These men must rise to the occasion and save the world one boss battle at a time; this one is for all the gamers out there.

Adam Sandler gets a bad rap, yes, a lot of his films are lazy and has humour only a child could enjoy, but Chris Columbus was directing this so how could it be bad? I am pleased to tell you that it isn’t bad, despite what you might have read about it, it is in fact quite entertaining and enjoyable.

I think this film is very similar to Ready Player One in a lot of ways, both try and play on nostalgia from the past, specifically 80’s nostalgia and both have CGI representations of characters that were popular during that period. However, where I feel Pixels has the leg up on Spielberg’s film is that it actually has a heart. You can tell the people who made this film grew up playing these games, the love is there as well as the know-how.

The comedy I found surprisingly funny, not just one or two laughs, but consistent laughter throughout. I think though some people might think it is cringe I thought it was a laugh riot, Michelle Monaghan especially shined. Monaghan had all the best jokes and some of the best moments too; her on screen chemistry with Sandler was also quite strong, I think they should work together again for sure.

Overall, the reason why I loved this film so much was the joy, the kind od joy that comes from really liking something. As I have said it is clear to see that the people making this film loved these games, the attention to detail is fantastic. Every aspect of this film is perfect right down to the soundtrack which has a lot of great hits. A must watch, even if it does star Adam Sandler.

Pros.

Sandler is hilarious.

The film cares deeply.

Michelle Monaghan is fantastic.

It is fun to watch.

If you’re a gamer you will like it even more.

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Book Club: Shades Of Grey

Book Club is a romantic comedy film directed by Bill Holderman. The plot sees a group of women (played by Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen), read the Fifty Shades Of Grey novel and the book impacts each woman’s life, more accurately their love lives; what follows is an exploration into happiness and satisfaction in later life.

This feels like a knockoff Sex and The City, a less smart, less shocking, less risky version of it. I will admit I didn’t have high hopes when I put the film on, I was expecting it to just be a mindless easy ride, but instead I found it infuriating.

My issue with this film is how it address senior agency. Diane Keaton’s character is told how to live by her daughters, they tell her who she can and can’t date and tell her to move across the country and worst of all Keaton’s character listens. This kind of neurotic toxicity wouldn’t be that bad if the film actually portrayed her daughter as antagonists, but it doesn’t, it treats their behaviour as normal. Also there is a little bit of sexism in this as well as the narrative the daughter use to justify her moving is, that she won’t be able to cope since her husband, the girl’s father, has died; again another toxic message.

The humour made me laugh a few times especially the stuff with Steenburgen’s character and her husband. However, for the most part I found the humour to be quite flat and lame. Now I can’t be too critical of this as humour is subjective and just because it didn’t find it a laugh and minute doesn’t mean you won’t. For me it really felt like they were trying to draw on the same type of comedy as Sex In The City, but was afraid to commit to the bite.
Overall, I found this film to be irritating, it was good for a few sporadic laughs, but as the film went on my enjoyment with it lessened and lessened.

Pros.

A few good laughs.

Cons.

I don’t like the messages of the film.

The characters feel too passive.

The humour lacks any wit or bite.

It is instantly forgettable.

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Greed: A Rare Misstep

Greed is a comedy drama film directed by Michael Winterbottom. The plot details the rise to power of self-made billionaire Sir Richard McCreadie (Steve Coogan). Part of the film highlights the set-up for his 60^th birthday bash, which is the main event of the film, with flashbacks showing moments from his life to paint a picture about the sort of person he is.

I was very excited to watch this film; I have been looking forward to it for a while. The cast is a who’s who of British comedic talent, aside from Coogan you have David Mitchell (Peep Show), Asa Butterfield (Sex Education), and Sarah Solemani (Him and Her); a stacked cast. With all this the stage was set for a great British comedy, however it was not followed up; it all feel apart.

The cast apart from Coogan is wasted, not a single one of them has anything interesting or meaningful to do other than tell the story. A lot of them are comedic actors/ comedians and they weren’t even funny. What makes this worse is that Coogan himself isn’t that good either, now normally I think the sun shines out of the man, but this is for sure a misstep. His character has no warmth, no personality, nothing. What he is, is a stand in for any number of big business CEO’s that this film goes out of its way to target.

That dear reader is the cardinal sin of this film, it preaches to you rather than entertains you. This whole film is an hour and a half on the evils of capitalism, I am not going to get into the topic too much, believe me I have no love for these cold corporate CEO’s, but I also don’t want to watch a film that reads as a list of base level talking points about how we all need to be better and stop people like this. This film feels whiney, all the way through, that is the best way I can describe it.

Overall, if you want a lecture on the evils of capitalism you might like it, if you want anything else like a fun film maybe look elsewhere.

Pros.

Coogan is doing his best.

The ridiculous ending.

Cons.

The preaching.

The lack of any kind of subtly.

Wasting talented comedians.

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Ideal Home: Raising A Child

Ideal Home is a comedy drama film directed by Andrew Fleming. The plot sees Hollywood power couple Erasmus (Steve Coogan), and Paul (Paul Rudd), take in Erasmus’s estranged grandson Angel/ Bill (Jack Gore), when his father goes to prison. The couple go from clueless and careless, to deeply caring and devoted parents over the course of the film, with their very relationship being tested along the way.

I have had this film in my Netflix queue for some time. Now that I have watched it, I realise I was actually sleeping on quite a sweet, well intentioned, thoughtful comedy film. I originally decided to watch this because I was looking for an easy-going film and my love for Coogan tipped it in favour of this. I have to say though Coogan just plays a slightly different but for all intents and purposes the same version of his Alan Partridge character, he manages to be emotionally impactful.

His character and Rudd’s have a strangely large amount of on-screen romantic tension, both are incredibly convincing and the scene when Erasmus jumps in front of Pauls can to stop him from leaving will make you feel something, it is powerful. I think both men give terrific performances, Rudd again plays the character he always plays, not that there is anything wrong with that here as him playing himself seemed to fit the film.

The humour of the film worked for me and made me laugh several times, however I found that the hidden gem of this film was actually its heart. This is a surprisingly emotional film that seems to know just which chord to pull to make you feel something, it pulls on your heartstrings often and to great effect.

Overall, I thought this film was surprisingly good, both men give deeply heartfelt performances and the humour is spot on; definitely a hidden gem.

Pros.

The humour.

The relationship between the two men.

The character development.

Coogan and Rudd.

Cons.

A little to melodramatic at time, but mostly it perfectly nails the tone.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

What We Do In The Shadows: Raising A Glass To Steve

What We Do In The Shadows is a horror comedy mockumentary film directed by Taika Waititi and Jeamaine Clement. The plot follows a New Zealand based group of vampires as they allows a film crew to follow them around for a few months, we get to see what goes on in the day to day of these vampires and see the wider Wellington supernatural community.

This film might be Waititi best. As far as comedy horror films goes this film is amazing. It manages to play off Vampire legends/mythology so well whilst also introducing its own mythology that only serves to deepen these vampires as characters. The comedy is also pitch perfect managing to be hilariously absurd and wonderfully weird.

Clement’s character of Valdislav is easily the best, being effortlessly cool and funny. The joke of having ‘The Beast’ turn out to be an ex-girlfriend of his is funny and it really serves to humanise the character as we see just how hung up on her he is. The other character are also amusing and charming, but none more so than Clement. Though Rhys Derby as the leader of a group of Werewolves is a close second, his and Clement’s chemistry is fantastic even though they’re only on screen for a very small amount of time together.

I love the world the film sets up, a world where zombies, witches, werewolves and other supernatural creatures exist, it is fascinating. To that end I also thought the character were really well fleshed out over the course of the film and by the end we had a good idea of what sort of vampires they were, a perfect example of characterisation done well.

Overall, a terrific horror comedy, definitely one of the best.

Pros.

The characters.

Clement.

Derby.

The world.

The humour.

Cons.

The TV show is just slightly better.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Ps. Check out the fantastic TV show it is one of the best things on right now!

The Witches: Be Careful What You Eat

The Witches is a family comedy film directed by Nicolas Roeg. The plot follows a young recently orphaned boy Luke (Jasen Fisher), and his grandmother (Mai Zetterling), as they become wrapped up in a Witches plot to turn all the children in the UK into rats. The film is based on the Roald Dahl children’s book of the same name.

This film terrified me as a kid, so did the book for that matter. The way this film sets up witches with the mythology it creates is incredibly well done, the witches of this film are both terrifying and also hilarious. You can tell the creators of the Muppets were involved with this as the creature design is both distinctive and memorable. You will not see anything else like when the grand high witch (Anjelica Huston) takes off her face for the first time.

I think as far as family films go this film has some genuinely scary moments, maybe it is the crazy late 80’s early 90’s drug fuelled feel of it all, but the first time a kid gets turned into a rat will scare any child and maybe even some adults, for sure.

I think there is a lot to enjoy about this film, it is good fun, and quite a great whimsical adventure. If you enjoy fantasy, then you will definitely enjoy this. It is also a really great adaptation of Roald Dahl’s seminal book, so if like me that book has a special place in your heart then you will really enjoy this film.

I feel like as far as Roald Dahl based films go this is incredibly underrated and is often overlook in favour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but this is actually a better film. Check it out!

Pros.

Great monster design.

Genuinely scary.

The best Roald Dahl film.

The madness of it all.

A feel-good adventure.

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Rushmore: Anderson’s Best?

Rushmore is a coming of age comedy film directed by Wes Anderson. The plot sees young student Max Fisher (Jason Schwartzman), be expelled from his private school and have to begin again at a local public school. The film details his life and struggles and the friends and enemies he makes along the way.

As I have said in my previous reviews, I have recently become a Wes Anderson convert and I have to say of all of this films that I have seen so far this is by far my favourite. The comedy was pitch perfect for me and made me laugh a lot. I also thought the emotional stakes were really well done, they are nuanced and mature and the characters are rich and deep.

Jason Schwartzman is magnificent in this film. This character is just a kid that wants to have a better life no matter the cost, yes, he does some bad things along the way, such as the way he pursues his teacher, but fundamentally he is still a good character that you root for. The emotions that Schwartzman puts out are more than convincing they’re transcendent; it is easily a career best for him.

Bill Murray plays Max’s elderly friend Herman. Murray plays the same character he always plays, the cynical middle-aged guy that you root for. He is really sympathetic in this and you really want his character to be happy, his friendship with Max is one of the most feel good, wholesome things I have ever seen. I really enjoy the thoughtful nature of Murray’s character in this as he comes across as more of a real person rather than a movie star.

Overall, I think his is a must-see film! This is by far Wes Anderson’s best film and is as funny and it is touching.

Pros.

The friendship.

The characters.

It’s approach to life.

The humour.

The pranks.

Cons.

The icky relationship between Max and his teacher.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke