Paddington Review

Hello :-)

I don’t know if it’s the same for you, but nothing from my childhood is good anymore. Fireman Sam is all CGI weirdness, Pokémon have got a whole load of new Pokémons I don’t recognise and don’t even get me started on the recent Postman Pat movie… Childhood nostalgia is the most potent kind and when a classic like Paddington is brought up to date it’s always going to be met with trepidation.

Thankfully Paddington is absolutely lovely.  It’s a gorgeous mix of old and new, perfectly charming and really, really funny.

A young bear from Peru with a penchant for marmalade travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself at Paddington station, he begins to realise that life in the big smoke is not all he had imagined. This is until he meets the Brown family, who see the tag around his neck that reads ‘Please look after this bear’ offer him a place to stay.

The set up is so marvellous Paddington will have even the biggest curmudgeon on side within minutes. The brilliant newsreel footage, the sweet relationship between Uncle Pastuzo, Aunt Lucy and Paddington and all the little details that round the world out. It’s such a well realised vision, you can’t help but care about these characters and they’re only on screen for a few minutes.

The comedy is top notch. There are some lovely visual gags, some good old fashioned slapstick and the vast majority of the material works on a level for children and parents alike. The script is great and bounces the narrative along at a perfect pace to keep even the most distractible children engaged.

Paddington is anchored by sterling performances from the central cast. The Browns are wonderful; Sally Hawkins is a delight as ever, Hugh Bonneville looks like he’s having a whale of a time as the uptight patriarch and Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin are great as the Brown juniors. They make for a convincing family unit with whom you want to spend time.

There are loads of lovely supporting turns delivered by the cream of British comedy. Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, Matt Lucas, Alice Lowe, Simon Farnaby and a whole host of other faces you’ll recognise.

Nicole Kidman is brilliant as the film’s villain. With her sights so firmly set on our young bear she is a genuinely scary baddie, like a taxidermy obsessed T1000. She properly throws herself into Millicent’s snake skin, stiletto heeled boots and it’s marvellous.

Ben Whishaw was an eleventh hour replacement for Colin Firth as the voice of the eponymous bear and I can’t begin to tell you how good of a decision that was. Whishaw has a voice as soothing as tea and buttered crumpets but still possesses the youthful exuberance you need in a children’s character like Paddington. The character’s CGI work is really good, you soon forget you’re watching a cartoon bear and fall a little bit in love with him.

Paddington isn’t a Christmas film (well… there’s some snow and a bit of a Christmas tree right at the very end) but it does have the warm glow of something like Miracle on 34^th Street (the nice bits, obviously not the bits where they’re trying to section him). When the biggest Christmas film we have this year is the hideous Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey something as delightful as Paddington is a thing to be cherished.

I hate the misconception that films for children are low hanging fruit, that patently isn’t true. It’s hard to keep kids engaged for an hour and a half, let alone entertain their parents at the same time but Paddington does both. It’s a lovely surprise that stays faithful to Michael Bond’s much-loved books but gives us laughs for a modern audience.

It’s gorgeous, if you’re looking for something to take the kids to while they’re off this Christmas, it’s perfect. Just don’t blame me if you have a hankering for marmalade on toast afterwards…

That’s all lovely, now let’s have some

Reasons to be Cheerful…

1. Colin Trevorrow has sent us all a Christmas present! A badass picture of Chris Pratt and a Raptor anyone?

2. The trailer for the new Pixar flick Inside Out has been released :-) Cars 2 was a bit all over the place but I still have love for Pixar and this looks like it could be a lot of fun.

3. In more trailer news the red band trailer for Kingsman is out. It’s usually a cause for concern when a film’s release gets pushed back (this was originally intended for release in October 2014) but this looks good. It’s going to be a nice bit of counter programming for Valentine’s day.

Well that’s all for today.

Goodbye till next time :-)

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Interstellar Review

Hello :-)

In a world where franchises rule, Christopher Nolan movies are an event. I struggle to think of another Director working today who commands audience attendance as much as he does. With a heavy trust placed on in-camera effects Nolan creates exciting, cerebral blockbusters that consistently make money. In his most recent offering the man behind the Dark Knight Trilogy boldly goes to a galaxy far, far away.

In Interstellar the Earth is on its arse. Crops have been destroyed by blights, the population have abandoned their careers and become farmers as food levels are critically low and the human race has abandoned any kind of technological advancement in favour of basic survival.  Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is a former NASA test pilot and engineer who despairs of the death of curiosity. When he and his daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy) accidentally discover a secret NASA base, Cooper is enlisted by his former mentor Professor Brand (Michael Caine) to lead a space mission that carries the weight of humanity on its shoulders.

The trouble with being so talented is that Mr Nolan has made a rod for his own back.  We expect so much from him that when he produces films that aren’t entirely successful there’s a collective disappointment and more negativity than is maybe deserved. Interstellar is ambitious but flawed and, in the context of his previous successes, is sadly being viewed as a bit of a failure.

I adore the film’s set up. There’s something almost funny about the idea that the end of Earth will be utterly mundane. So much of our apocalyptic fiction is based around the idea of robots, zombies and or other fantastical ways meet our demise that we rarely give credence to the idea that the earth could end with a whimper. That dust and dirt puts paid to humanity’s best laid plans feels realistic and the nods towards retrogressive attitudes and humanity’s collective fatigue seem totally believable.

Nolan creates tension in some beautifully arranged set pieces but he just as easily takes it away. The constant back and forth between our intrepid explorers and their earth-bound counterparts is really sloppily edited. As soon as something dramatic happens up in Space the action almost immediately shifts back to earth, puncturing the momentum completely. Don’t get me wrong, what’s happening of Terra Firma is interesting, it’s just not as interesting as what’s happening to our protagonist in another galaxy.

You may be distracted from the film’s weird pacing though, because Interstellar is absolutely beautiful. You could take any shot, slap it on your wall and call it art. Nolan’s love of in-camera effects lends Interstellar a gritty aesthetic creating a visual connection to the film’s spiritual predecessors like Alien and Silent Running. As you’ve almost definitely been told, if you can, see it in IMAX. The spectacle is like nothing else I’ve ever seen.

It’s no secret that the idea for Interstellar has been batting around since as early as 2006 and back then it was helmed by Steven Spielberg. The recurring motif of parents and children in Spielberg’s work is well documented but it’s also central to Nolan’s movies. Coop and Murph are the central pairing and their relationship is totally convincing, Matthew McConaughey and Mackenzie Foy delivering note perfect performances. That development pays off in one devastating scene where Coop, after being kicked in the arse by relativity, watches years of videos from home. It would take a stony heart indeed not to be moved by that; me? I cried like a child.

The Coop/Murph dynamic is the most moving one in the film but in other attempts to tug at the heartstrings fall a little flat. Poor Anne Hathaway, she’s lumbered with the worst dialogue in the movie, a schmaltzy speech about how physics is the language of love. Bless her, she gives it her all but no one believes that, least of all the audience.

In terms of concept Interstellar makes Inception look like Noddy. There’s something rather wonderful about the notion that a film maker would dare try and get audiences to grapple with the idea of general relativity.  There are lofty aspirations at the heart of Interstellar and for someone like me who dreamed of working for NASA as a child, films like this are to be cherished. Showing audiences the wonder of space travel isn’t just entertaining, it’s inspirational.

The crux of the problem is that Interstellar, much like a black hole, is too bloody dense. Clocking in at two hours 49 minutes you’d think we’d glide from one scene to another but instead it feels as though Nolan is trying to cram as much as he can into every second. Space jargon, emotional cues, plot exposition, action sequences, musings about 5^th dimensions; it all comes flying at you so thick and fast it leaves no time for more reflective character moments. I appreciate Nolan’s ambition to elevate blockbuster cinema and aspire for it to be more but never underestimate the power of breathing space in a film.

Interstellar is less abstract than the comparisons to 2001: A Space Odyssey would suggest. It’s primarily a story about parental love, the way we’re utterly screwing our planet and the power of human relationships, all seen through the lens of space travel. Matthew McConaughey and Mackenzie Foy are fantastic, the visuals are stunning and in general I liked the movie, but there’s no getting away from the fact that it has issues.

To say that Interstellar is awful is wrong but to say it’s a masterpiece is also off the mark. Would we feel differently about it if it had come from someone other than the man behind Inception and The Dark Knight? We will never know, but I feel as though, much like in the film itself, time will be a key factor. After the dust has settled will Interstellar be praised as a flawed masterpiece or will conventional wisdom label it a ‘Turkey’? We’ll have to wait and see.

This one deserves a bit of discussion so if you have any thoughts on Interstellar feel free to leave them below.

Now for a couple of…

Reasons to be cheerful :-)

1. We have a proper trailer for 2015’s Jurassic World! The Park is open and I can’t wait to see it :-) 

2. The Pitches are back! Behold the trailer for Pitch Perfect 2!

That’s all for today :-)

Goodbye till next time!

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Films, Doctor Who and a bit of an Update :-)

Hello :-)


Just a quick update about reviews and such like.


The lovely people at tvandfilmreview.com  and CultBox have been nice enough to let me write for them so that's exactly what I've been doing for the last month :-)


If you'd like to have a look the the film reviews I've been writing you can find them here:

Hector and the Search for Happiness

The Boxtrolls

Gone Girl


And if you want to have a look at my reviews for series 8 of Doctor who you can find them here:

Deep Breath & Into the Dalek

Robot of Sherwood

Listen

Time Heist

The Caretaker


And if you want to read my wish list for Downton Abbey series 5 (yes I'm a Downton fan... deal with it) or my look back at the excellent Green Wing you can take a look at those too :-)


I'm still going to keep posting here but I'll link to my other bits and pieces as well.


That's all for today :-)


Goodbye till next time!
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"I am going to die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy"

Hello :-)

Marvel are the bookends of the 2014 blockbuster season. They kicked things off in April with ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ and now they’re wrapping it up with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.

‘Guardians…’ follows five outlaws in a fight to save the planet of Xandar from a band of rebel aliens. After scavenger Peter Quill aka Starlord (Chris Pratt) steals a mysterious orb he finds a bounty on his head put there by space pirate Yondu (Michael Rooker). Super Assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is sent after Starlord to retrieve the orb by Kree rebel leader and azure nutjob Ronan (Lee Pace).

That all seems like a paint-by-numbers search for the MacGuffin and it’s hard not to make it sound like that when you’re laying out the basics of the plot. Thankfully Marvel, in their infinite wisdom, have made ‘Guardians…’ much more than that.

There is a quite a lot of setting up elements that will be tied into the Marvel Cinematic Universe at a later date but it’s done in a super fun way. In fact everything about this film is super fun. It’s got the same irreverent humour as the Iron Man movies and Marvel seems to be relishing their reputation as the perky yang to DC’s moody yin.

It’s gorgeous to look at as well. In terms of colour it reminded me of the opening scenes of ‘Finding Nemo’ when Nemo is on the back of Mr Ray with his class mates. The sheer amount of colour and vibrancy in each frame just adds to this fairground of a movie.

Although rumour has it that (and if the recent Ant Man furore is anything to go by) Marvel like to keep their Directors on a tight leash, it must be said that James Gunn’s name is printed through the centre of ‘Guardians…’ like a stick of rock. I’m a fan of his previous output and it’s lovely to see that he’s been able to channel his brand of humour into this project.

Another pleasant surprise is how even handed the film is with its characters. The film’s focus could so easily have been Starlord and whilst he is a major player, Gunn hasn’t short changed the other four Guardians.

The performances are fantastic across the board. Chris Pratt continues on his upward career trajectory as Peter Quill. With a gorgeous mix of charm and arrogance if you aren’t a bit in love with him now, you will be by the end of the film.

Zoe Saldana is great as Gamora. I did start to panic when the film appeared to be taking her character in a particularly clichéd direction but thankfully they didn’t go through with it. Her being pitched against Nebula is nice and their final fight scene is fantastic.

A pleasant surprise is Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer. As a Professional Wrestler, I wasn’t expecting much but Bautista puts in a good show with a nicely deadpan, fantastically physical performance.

Stealing the show is the wonderful tag team of Rocket and Groot. Many (including myself) had doubts about Bradley Cooper’s casting as the voice of Rocket but he’s brilliant. Consistently getting the best gags there’s also another level to the character that’s surprisingly poignant, not bad going for an anthropomorphic Raccoon. Groot managed to steal the heart of everyone in the screening I attended, in spite of his limited vocabulary. If you have children to buy for this Christmas be prepared to be buying a fair amount of Groot based merchandise.

There’s a lovely set up to Thanos as the big bad with Ronan as his underling, in a way not too dissimilar to the Chitauri and Loki in ‘The Avengers’. I’m enjoying this Puppet Master approach to the character and it’ll be good to see how Taneleer Tivan aka The Collector fits into the jigsaw too.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is a riot. Super fun but not at the expense of character development, this film is the love child of Star Wars and Indiana Jones with a liberal helping of R-rated language. This is a much over used phrase but ‘Guardians…’ really is a game-changer, expanding Marvel’s horizons beyond our own pale blue dot and into the stars.

 And, you know, a foul mouthed Raccoon shooting guns… what’s not to love?!?!

After that fun lets have some

Reasons to be cheerful :-)

1. Frozen are getting an animated short due out in 2015! For those who can’t wait for a second dose of Arendelle it looks like you’ll be getting it in Spring next year :-)

2. Teaser Trailer for Agents of Shield Series 2! I’m beside myself waiting to find out what’s happened to Fitz…

3. New characterposters are out for Mockingjay Part 1. They’re all very dark and moody but if you’re anything like me your first thought is “OH MY GOD IT’S FULTON REED!” (Fulton Reed of the Mighty Ducks was my first childhood crush!)

That’s all for today :-)

Goodbye till Next time!

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"There's only one guy in this world who can save us! There's only one frog who can restore order, bring justice, and set things right!"

Hello :-)

We all know I’m a huge Muppets fan and, following 2011’s comeback film ‘The Muppets’ I was eagerly awaiting this year’s follow up ‘Muppets: Most Wanted’. I recently re-watched the film on a flight to Greece and it's currently out on DVD and Blu-Ray so here are my thoughts :-)

We rejoin our felty friends exactly where we left them at the end of ‘The Muppets’. The gang hear they’ve been given a sequel and decide to capitalise on this with a world tour at the suggestion of their new manager Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais). The Muppets unwittingly get involved in a crime spree which leads to Kermit having his identity stolen by the world’s biggest criminal and getting locked up in a Russian gulag.

I’ve been back and watched ‘The Muppets’ many times since I first saw it and, as I said in my original post, the ending is a a problem. Also the ‘Maniacal Laugh’ gag that runs throughout just doesn’t work; there’s no set up to it and, like I said, the ending is so rushed they gloss over the resolution that the bowling ball to the head actually cured Tex Richman of his inability to laugh. But still, flawed as it is, I love it. With this in mind, it’s quite a statement to say that I think ‘Muppets: Most Wanted’ is on a par with, if not slightly better than it’s predecessor.

The main sea change is a shift in terms of human involvement from the first film to this one. Where ‘The Muppets’ was quite Gary and Mary-centric, in this film we deal almost entirely with the Muppets. This puts me in mind of the original Henson films, all of which were Muppet led and I love that.

There is a raft of brilliant cameos. At times it does feel a bit like you’re playing a live action version of Where’s Wally but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

The three main human presences are Ricky Gervais’s Dominic Badguy (it’s pronounced Badge-ey…), Tina Fey’s Gulag officer Nadya and Ty Burrell as Jean Pierre Napoleon, a French Interpol inspector who works with CIA agent Sam Eagle on finding Constantine.

Fey is dealt a bit of a bum deal, she gets a pretty decent song but other than that she isn’t really left with much to do. Gervais is an admitted Muppet fanboy and you can see the joy in his face from start to finish. My favourite is Ty Burrell. Jean Pierre (a role originally meant for Christoph Waltz) is brilliant and his scenes with Sam Eagle are highlights in a film full of chuckles.

The songs are all strong and, importantly, all original. Admittedly there's nothing here as life affirming as 'Life's a Happy Song', as heart wrenching as 'Pictures in My Head' or as potentially award winning as 'Man or Muppet' but how can you not love a song called "I'll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu)"?

The film is a machine gun of gags, firing one after another; as with the previous film it doesn’t matter if one of them doesn’t land because there’ll be another one along almost straight away for you. There’s also something for everyone. If you thought the ‘Fart Shoes’ gag in the last film was the peak of comedy there’ll be something in here for you, if it’s jokes about French stereotypes and the European working times directive, we’ve got you covered too.

The song says “everybody knows the sequel's never quite as good” but if that is the case I don’t think anyone’s told James Bobin. There’s slightly less heart-string tugging here but that hole is filled by some classic comedy and an increase in Muppet screentime.

With disappointing box office figures it’ll be interesting to see where the future of the Muppets is heading. Nicholas Stoller and James Bobin have both expressed an interest in returning to write (and in Bobin’s case direct) a third instalment to this reboot but there has also been talk of the Muppets returning to their televisual roots. Either way I’m interested to see the Muppets “do it all again…”

Now I fancy some…

Reasons to be Cheerful :-)

San Diego Comic Con happened the other week so there’s been a rush of news heading out from California and stuff being released to coincide with the biggest dates in popular culture. Here are some of my favourite titbits.

1. Teaser Trailer for Mockingjay! For those who haven’t read the books ‘Mockingjay’ is a massive departure from the previous two Hunger Games instalments. It’s the most political book and structurally it’s completely different. Some love it, some hate it; I’m in the former group. I must admit I had my reservations when I found out they were going to split the book in two and I am still a little bit anxious that the film is going to be a bit bottom heavy in terms of action. I guess we’ll have to wait and see :-)

2. First picture of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman has emerged. I quite like it as far as female Superhero costumes go. Yes, it’s a bit Xena but then Xena itself was influenced by Wonder Woman so I suppose, to borrow an adage, pop culture will eat itself. I have issues with female superhero costumes in general, the lack of material, the impracticalities of a strapless/plunging neckline and don't even get me started on high heels, that can wait for another time…

3. New posters, images and a Trailer for 'Horns'. This looks super interesting! I like the idea (it sounds like a gothic take on the Green Clarinet sketch from 'That Mitchell and Webb Look') , I like the posters and obviously I like the central casting of Daniel Radcliffe very much looking forward to this :-)

4. Finally we’ve had the first posters from ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and they’re pretty sexy! They all join together to make one big banner (how very apt) which you can pour over in great detail here.

The plot sounds exciting, something we haven’t really hit upon before in a Superhero movie. The notion that the world is pretty big and six people in snazzy suits are going to have a tough time policing it. I’m looking forward to it, we’re all looking forward to it. Bring on Earth’s mightiest heroes :-)

That’s everything for today!

Goodbye till next time :-)

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"This is Berk. Life here is amazing. Dragons used to be a bit of a problem. But now they've all moved in."

Hello :-)

It is a truth, not universally acknowledged, that Children’s films aren’t easy things to get right. The perception is that you can churn out any old crap, slap a anthropomorphic critter on it and the kids’ll lap it up, but this isn't (and never has been) the case. 

Whilst it may appear that a children’s film is popular at the box office, the proof of the pudding is re-watch value. This is something the original ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ has in spades. With the success of the original, DreamWorks have ordered a sequel in the form of ‘How To Train Your Dragon 2’ (HTTYD2).

Five years have passed since the events of the first film, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is now 20 years old and wrestling with the pressure put on him by his Father Stoick (Gerard Butler) to take over as Chief of Berk. On top of that Hiccup and his dragon Toothless find themselves faced with Dragon trapper Eret Son of Eret (Kit Harrington), the terrifying Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou) hell bent on creating his own Dragon Army and the enigmatic, mysterious Valka (Cate Blanchett).

It’s been four years since Hiccup and Toothless first graced our screens and in a world where film sequels get churned out in less time than it takes for a new series of Sherlock to make an appearance, a four year gap is a nice thing. 

It’s also proof that if your characters are good enough, on their return, it’s going to feel like they haven’t been away. It’s true that Hiccup has ‘Longbottomed’ but the central relationship and fully realised personalities of the characters make HTTYD2 comfortingly familiar.

The brilliant thing about HTTYD2 is that it has grown with it’s audience but still has enough to satisfy new viewers. There are still things to laugh at (the sheep basketball in particular) but overall the themes are more mature, the film tackles bigger issues like identity and duty to your family, the stakes are higher and the action scenes are bigger. However none of this has been done for the sake of it. The wonderful thing about the HTTYD series is it feels like the creative tem have a genuine affection for the story, characters and aren't doing things just because it’s a sequel and they have a bigger budget.

The voice cast is strong. I'm not overly keen on him in other things but I really like Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast. Cate Blanchett as Valka is just the right level of affectionate whilst maintaining an air of mystique. Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse .J. Miller and Kristen Wiig as Snotlout, Fishlegs Tuffnut and Ruffnut bring the funnies as Hiccup’s Dragon rider friends. Sadly America Ferrera as Astrid doesn't have a great deal to do but the interplay with her and Hiccup is lovely to behold and a depiction of a healthy relationship between equal partners is never something to be sniffed at.

Anchoring the story is Jay Baruchel’s Hiccup. He is such a brilliant lead, especially for children. He favours diplomacy over violence, he has a disability but doesn't let it hold him back (also, points to the inhabitants of Berk because no one treats him differently because of it) and he has an unwavering faith in his best friend.

Toothless is another fully rounded character, despite the fact he can’t talk. I just love his character design, he’s gorgeous.

You will be unsurprised to hear that the utterly beautiful visuals are, in part, down to the inimitable Roger Deakins, who serves here as Visual Consultant. In short, it’s god damn stunning. Slightly off topic for a moment but WTF Academy?!?! 11 nominations and the man hasn’t won one Oscar. SORT. IT.OUT.

Combining familiarity with the new, action with more emotional moments and maintaining the likeability of it’s characters, HTTYD2 succeeds where countless children’s films (let alone sequels to children’s films) have failed. Knockout visuals, effective emotional punches and inherent charm puts HTTYD2 up there with ‘The Lego Movie’ as one of the best children’s films of the year. I can’t wait for the third instalment.

Right, let’s have a look at some...

Reasons to be Cheerful :-)

1. Sherlock is returning with a one off special and a new series! Four whole episodes… good lord BBC you are spoiling us. Don’t get too excited though, Martin Freeman let slip that the special was due to air at Christmas 2015 (presumably the series proper will air in 2016) so we’ve got a whole 18 months to wait. Oh well, my box sets will sustain me till then!

2. Speaking of Benedict Cumberbatch, the new teaser trailer for the Alan Turing biopic ‘The Imitation Game’ is out and it looks bloody good. Turing is a fascinating man who was hideously mistreated at the hands of the law. It seems as if the film is going to delve into his homosexuality conviction and some other key periods of his life so I'm really interested to see if they do justice to the memory of this brilliant man. If you're interested on reading up on Turing before the film comes out you should definitely read 'Alan Turing: The Enigma' by Andrew Hodges, it's really good.

3. And finally my crush on Chris Pratt has reached new heights when I discovered he can do French plaits…

That’s all for today!

Goodbye till next time :-)

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“The Koreans bought the church back, so we had to move across the street... to 22 Jump Street.”

Hello :-)

‘Self-aware sequels’ is a micro-millimetre away from being its own sub-genre. With ‘Muppets Most Wanted’ having paved the way in March (my post about which is going up prior to the DVD release in August), now comes ’22 Jump Street’ from the creative duo, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

We pick up where 21 Jump Street left off. Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are assigned by Deputy Chief Hardy (Nick Offerman) back on the Jump Street program to work for Captain Dickson (Ice Cube), now located across the street at 22 Jump Street. Their assignment is to go undercover as college students and locate the supplier of a drug known as "WHYPHY" that killed a student on campus.

’22 Jump Street’ works for exactly the same reasons its predecessor does; the chemistry between it’s leads is great, the script is brilliant and it’s just so bloody funny.

Kudos to Michael Bacall for another script that provides its fair share of laughs (I’d expect nothing less than from a man who had a hand in the screenplay for ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs the World’). It’s fun, it’s snappy, it keeps you entertained, everything you could want in a screenplay.

As with ‘Muppets Most Wanted’, ’22 Jump Street’ sets its stall out pretty early on. With perfect deadpan delivery Nick Offerman tells Schmidt and Jenko how “this department has invested a lot of money to make sure Jump Street keeps going.” From then on the film is stuffed full of thinly veiled references to the nature of sequels, franchises and studio interference.

On paper this looks like it would get dull pretty quickly but it doesn’t as we’re all in on the joke. It might be meta but nothing is ever throw-away or arch; Lord and Miller spend as much care and attention on bringing the in-joke funnies as they do on the charming central relationship.

Although the central draw is the rapport of Hill and Tatum we are treated to some nice supporting performances. Jillian Bell is a new addition to the cast as Schmidt’s love interest’s bitchy roommate, Wyatt Russell (son of Kurt) appears as Zook, Jenko’s new jock friend but it’s the expanded, super-angry role of Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) that really had me giggling.

The glue that binds is the joint strength of Hill and Tatum. Hill builds on a filmography that boasts both critical plaudits and commercial success, his neurotic nice guy shtick is fun throughout. As for Tatum, he is never better than when he is in these movies. Physically he can carry off the action involved in a film like this but crucially, he’s so likable. It’s this than makes me think that ‘Chambit’ isn’t the casting balls up that people initially thought…

It’s not a perfect film, but then neither was it’s predecessor. It’s a touch too long (although I wouldn’t cut the credits sequence for the world) and unfortunately Rob Riggle’s character is still there, albeit in only one scene. I’ve not yet been sold on Rob Riggle’s style, he tends to play the same kind of character in everything and it’s not a character I like very much…

All the way through the film treads the line between low and highbrow, never staying too far into either sphere. The action scenes are fabulously OTT and although ’22 Jump Street’ is treading a lot of the same ground as ’21 Jump Street’ the good-natured knowing humour laced throughout stops the film feeling like it’s predecessor’s left overs and more like a meal in it’s own right.

’22 Jump Street’ has something for all kinds of comedy lovers. If it’s snappy dialogue, childish comedy, in-jokes about the film industry or good old fashioned slapstick that you love, there is something here for you. Lord and Miller are at the top of their game and based on this evidence, no one is going to de-throne them as the Kings of Modern Comedy any time soon.

Right, I fancy some…

Reasons to be Cheerful :-)

1. Just the one RTBC today :-)
You may or may not know that one of my favourite shows, Community, was cancelled by NBC earlier this year much to my distress. However, at the 11th hour, when all seemed lost, Yahoo Screen (Yahoo’s streaming service) and Sony TV have done a deal for 13 more episodes to be helmed by the show’s creator Dan Harmon. This is enough of a reason to keep me cheerful for the rest of this year but the fact this was announced ON MY BIRTHDAY makes it all the sweeter :-) #SixSeasonsAndAMovie

So that’s all for today!

Goodbye till next time :-)

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"Royalty. Nobility. Gentry. How quaint. Even the rabble."

Hello :-)

With the success of 2010’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and a touch of bandwagon jumping following ‘Mirror Mirror’, ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ and the Theatre success of ‘Wicked’, the House of Mouse has decided to come at one of their classics from a different, live action, angle and tell the story of ‘Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the antagonist in ‘Maleficent’.

I’m not going to insult your intelligence because we all know the story; Evil fairy curses baby to prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die on her 16th birthday… or does she? What ‘Maleficent’ tries to do is give you a bit of backstory around our titular fairy and show the ‘true’ version of events.

From what I can see this film has polarised people; I have friends who love it with a passion but I know others that wouldn’t give it the time of day. Maybe it was because it was Saturday morning or maybe it was because there was a group of teenagers in my screening who literally talked from start to finish (and I mean LITERALLY), but I just didn’t get it.

It would be remiss of me (a dyed in the wool feminist) to totally dismiss a fantasy-adventure film with a female lead. I realise this is a step forward in terms of female-led cinema and Angelina  Jolie is on top form; if you are looking for a reason to go see ‘Maleficent’ she is it. The fact that this exists is a big deal for gender equality but creatively... not so much.

The trouble is this film is a massive pin in the balloon of Maleficent’s wrath. One of the reasons she works so well in ‘Sleeping Beauty’ is because she arrives ex nihilo. No real motive for what she does and then BOOM… cursed baby. If you wanted to compare her to anyone she’d be Disney’s ‘Joker’; doing stuff for the hell of it “to watch the world burn”.

What ‘Maleficent’ does is take the spiky horn hat adorning the posters and cover it in bubble wrap. Every hard edge the character has had been buffed into nothing. They’ve reinvented the character, that much is true, but to what end? To make her an example of how to get revenge on your ex-boyfriend? That’s like taking a Direwolf and teaching it to dance so you can enter Britain’s Got Talent’. We all know that If there was ever a character in this fairy-tale that needed a revamp it’s the Princess herself but sadly that hasn’t happened.

Speaking of the Princess, aside from Jolie, the cast is a bit flat. I suspect a lot of the other character’s development was lost to the cutting room floor but you really struggle to care when ‘Maleficent’ has no foil for the titular character. Instead there’s the tragically two dimensional, friend-to-the-animals Princess, histrionic Sharlto Copley (WEIRDEST. ACCENT. EVER) as King Stefan and the utterly useless Prince Phillip (Brenton Thwaites). Add to that the über irritating three pixies and there really isn’t anyone else to care about.

Technically it passes muster, I quite like how it looked. The animals and such all had a super cartoonish, candy-floss sweet look to them, which, in a world of tree giants and fairies, works fine for me. The Pixies, however, are a different matter. Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville are poorly served both in writing and visuals. The character design for the pixies is vomit inducing and all the while I wanted a giant something-or-other to come in and squish them.

‘Maleficent’ is not for me. I recognise it’s a big deal in the context of female representation in cinema but, as a film fan, that isn’t enough to recommend it. It’s like the producers have a tent but unfortunately only one, Angelina Jolie shaped, pole with which to prop it up.

‘Maleficent’ is still in cinemas if you want to catch it.

Now let’s have some…

Reasons to be Cheerful :-)

1. I know I’m a bit obsessed but OMG GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY! Here’s another TV spot and I love it. I just love it :-)

2. Just released yesterday it’s the first teaser trailer from ‘Mockingjay Part 1’. Deeply sinister and then OMFG!!!!!!!! Just watch it and you’ll see what I mean…

3. Louise Brealey joins Ripper Street series 3! YAY!!! God I love Molly Hooper. This is excellent news. As much as I love MyAnna Buring as Susan and Leanne Best as Jane Cobden the show needs some more awesome girls! I’m very excited about Ripper Street series 3!

That’s all for now!

Good bye till next time :-)

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“Some infinities are bigger than other infinities”

Hello :-)

‘The Fault In Our Stars’ is the only book I’ve ever recommended to people on the basis that “it will kick your heart in the arse… in a good way”.

I read it 18 months ago, after catching on characteristically late to how awesome the Vlogbrothers are. This led me to John Green’s books, all of which I love, but ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ (TFIOS) has a particular place in my heart. As I’m an unashamed fan I went to a preview ‘Fan Screening’ on 12th June a week before the film’s general UK release on 19th June.

‘The Fault In Our Stars’ is the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen-year-old coping with long-term thyroid cancer. At her mother’s request she begins to attend a cancer support group and meets Augustus Waters, an boy who had osteosarcoma which is in remission but has led to the amputation of his leg. The two bond over the book ‘An Imperial Affliction’ and, as they get closer, try to seek out the Author to find out what happens after the story ends.

Just a disclaimer, I am a massive fan of this book. I’m going to try my best to be objective but, if a little bit of fangirl sneaks in, you’ve been warned.

On the surface (and definitely on the posters) ‘TFIOS’ looks like it’s going to be a Nick Sparks film. Factor in the cancer element and to all the world it might look as though you have ‘Dear John’ meets ‘My Sisters Keeper’. This could not be further from the truth.

‘TFIOS’ is smart, witty, romantic and never somber. I won’t lie, there is a level of melancholy to the film but it doesn’t come off as depressing, I think it’s dealt with beautifully. Crucially this is not a film ‘about cancer’ it’s a film about people with cancer, falling in love. I love that illness isn’t what defines this story and it is ultimately hopeful.

‘TFIOS’ has stayed remarkably close to the source material. A few characters are left out and some events aren’t realised at all, but the tone of the book is still there, as are all the essential plot points. Aside from the fact that if they had mucked the story around, thousands of TFIOS book fans would storm the headquarters of 20th Century Fox like Gaston and the villagers in Beauty and the Beast, the story doesn’t need any embellishment. The book always struck me as very cinematic and it’s translated to screen with the greatest of ease thanks to the writing of Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. It borrows some key dialogue directly from the source but for the most part the script is new and appropriately clever and lovely. 

As much as I loved the film, it isn’t without it’s missteps. One scene where Hazel and Augustus visit the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam is a little jarring. Hazel has difficulty breathing and has to wear a nasal cannula to give her oxygen, unfortunately the Anne Frank museum doesn’t have a lift so she has to climb the stairs to get to the famous attic. This is a huge struggle for her and she has to keep pausing for breath, over the top of these moments the director plays in audio of a girl reading extracts from Anne Frank’s diary about struggle and hope and how it sucks that sometimes young people have to go through some really awful situations. This did feel a little like the film was jumping up and down shouting,

“HEY! HAZEL AND ANNE FRANK BOTH HAD TO GO THROUGH SOME SHIT BUT THEY REMAINED POSITIVE PEOPLE!”

Thankfully this is the only point where the film tries to ram any kind of message down your throat. The movie ponders the question of what it means to love someone when you know you have restricted time and the futility of trying to limit your part in the emotional suffering of those around you. As you may well have heard, the story doesn’t so much tug on your heartstrings as punch them repeatedly in the face (word to the wise, don't forget the tissues), but this really is balanced out by the humour laced throughout. It has a dry wit and a darkly comic undertone, meaning that, despite the bountiful tears shed, the characters are by no means self-pitying.

John Green’s creations are perfectly cast. Nat Wolff has a small but very funny role as Augustus’s friend Isaac, a testament to the fact you can lose your sight but you don’t have to lose your sense of humour. Laura Dern and Sam Trammell are the caring, understanding, funny parents we would all like to have (Dern especially is a delight) and Willem Dafoe is perfectly miserable in his supporting role as Hazel’s favourite Author.

 Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort head up the roster as Hazel and Augustus and I really couldn’t think of anyone better to do the job. Elgort brings to life everything that I adore about Augustus; his charm, his wit but also the innate goofiness that’s captured so perfectly in a scene where he goes on his first flight in an aeroplane.

Hazel is a character I really love and she’s the key to this whole story. She’s perfectly realised in a gorgeous performance from Shailene Woodley. There’s a quote about Hazel in the book, “She walks lightly upon the earth” and Woodley nails that. Hazel is funny, smart and never mean and tries so desperately to minimise the impact she leaves on the world. I love her and Woodley is note perfect.

It’s really hard for me to gauge what non-book-reading audiences are going to think. The screening I was in was a preview screening for book fans so we all laughed and cried and whooped and cheered in appreciation of the film and remembrance of the book. A really positive thing I took away from our screening was that it was almost entirely made up of girls. Obviously girls like all kinds of films, but having lots of girls turn out for a film like this with a fully developed, witty, three dimensional female lead such as Hazel is an encouraging thing to see in a medium thats been male-audience orientated for so long.

I thought ‘TFIOS’ was wonderful. Emotional but never depressing, sweet but never cloying and with a gorgeous hint of gallows humour.  This film? It’s more than okay.

'The Fault in our Stars' goes on general UK release on 19^th June. 

Now I need some…

Reasons to be cheerful :-)

1. New, sexy ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ posters! I’m SO excited for this film! The only annoying thing is that I’m on holiday when it opens! I really love the advertising campaign on this, it’s cheeky and fun and looks like it's going to be a colourful departure for Marvel.

2. So Jurassic World is a thing that's happening. Some photos have come out which is always nice (Yay! Chris Pratt's continued employment!) but the thing that interests me the most is the Director Colin Trevorrow has been talking about the plot. It's a really interesting premise and I can't wait to see it materialise next year.

That's everything I've got for today!

Goodbye till next time :-)

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“Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn't mean they can't be saved”

Hello :-)

X-men stands alone in the Superhero movie arena as a bit of an oddity. The franchise has been going continuously since its debut film 14 years ago (oh god… that makes me feel so OLD) where it can be credited with kicking off the genre’s renaissance. They’ve managed to simultaneously prequel, spin-off and continue the series without completely dispensing of the core cast. Where Spider-man, Superman and Batman have all been recast over the last decade and a half, Huge Action is still there, wielding his adamantium claws. The latest from the franchise is the trickily titled ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ (I can’t be arsed with that so lets just say DOFP) and I was there on release day.

This review contains SPOILERS for ‘X-Men: Last Stand’ and ‘The Wolverine’.

‘DOFP’ endeavours to bring together the original X-cast and the more recent X-men Babies cast. We begin in a Matrix-like future where mutants and humans alike are rounded up and killed by nigh on indestructible machines called sentinels. A last bastion of hope comes in the form of some of our favourites Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen), Storm (Halle Berry), Shadowcat (Ellen Page), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and Colossus (Daniel Cudmore) amongst some less familiar faces. The team decide the only way to survive is to go back in time, change events and prevent the sentinels ever coming to fruition. Through some Shadowcat related jiggery pokery Wolverine heads back to the 70’s to try and reconcile young Xavier (James McAvoy) and young Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to bring down the sentinels before they take hold.

Firstly, there is no way you could go into this film without existing knowledge of the X-universe and fully understand it. In a similar way to the latter films in the Harry Potter franchise, I think you could go in as an outsider and enjoy it, but when you have a well-established world such as this it’s just impossible to bring everyone up to speed. Not that I think that’s a problem; I think when you’ve reached the 7^th instalment of your franchise you’ve earned the right to do away with recaps.

‘DOFP’ is an impressive feat and I think that bears a direct correlation to the return of Bryan Singer. If I was in charge of 20^th Century Fox I would be crawling on my belly, giving that man every penny he wanted to make him stay. He just ‘gets’ it. There is a lot more to the plot that what I’ve ham-fistedly described above and it’s to Singer’s credit that he manages to hold it all down and channel it into a cohesive story.

The key to ‘DOFP’ is marrying together the ‘future’ and ‘past’ of the ridiculous title which I think is done well. The opening scenes set up the future aspects nicely and as we’re plunged back into the world of ‘X-men: First Class’ we begin to see how events are going to come full circle.

The downside of this labyrinthine plot is that some of the characters (mainly the unestablished ‘future’ characters) fall by the wayside. Aside from his Michael Stipe eye stripe I’m not really sure what Warpath (real name Booboo Stewart… WHAT. A. NAME.) was all about. Blink (again, real name Fan Bingbing… AMAZING!) is a mutant who can create portals, which pays off beautifully in the fight scenes but other than that she merely acts as another barrier between the bad guys and our original X-cast, the ones we actually care about.

One new member of the cast that doesn’t let us forget him is Evan Peters as Quicksilver, a mutant with the ability to move and think at super-speed; he’s basically Dash from ‘The Incredibles’ but with kleptomania. I loved him :-) His ‘Time in a Bottle’ sequence was a personal highlight and I think it’s a shame he isn’t in it longer. You may be aware that this isn’t the only incarnation of Quicksilver hitting our screens. As teased in the mid-credits of ‘Captain America 2’ Peters’ ‘Kick Ass’ co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be playing the character in ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and he’s going to have to go some to out-do Peters.

Being typically awesome is Peter Dinklage as Bolivar Trask. It’s super fun to see Dinklage play such an out and out bad guy and getting his teeth into some serious fear mongering.

 Aside from that the core cast of ‘future’ and ‘past’ are back and firing on all cylinders. There’s reduced screen time for Michael Fassbender but what he does with the time he’s given is great (I love his explanation as to why he’s being held captive under the pentagon). Also, James McAvoy is such a charismatic screen presence, every moment with him is a joy. I really like how he humanises the previously beyond reproach X-Patriarch.

However, if ‘X-men: First Class’ was a Magneto origins story, ‘DOFP’ belongs to Mystique. Adding to the ever-mounting pile of fantastic things about her, Jennifer Lawrence nails it as Mystique. Having distanced herself from Xavier and Magneto, Mystique goes off on her own to protect mutants and seek retribution for the wrongs done to her own kind. It’s great to see her getting some amazing fight scenes and I’m intrigued to see where the character goes next.

Much like Singer’s first two X-films, the action scenes in ‘DOFP’ are really balanced and don’t overpower the narrative. Don’t get me wrong there are some stunning set pieces; the opening scene is a fight between the ‘Future’ characters and a gang of sentinels and it had me bouncing up and down in my seat with excitement. The sparing use of these scenes however, is refreshing and acts as a way to keep the story our primary focus.

There are a few plot problems, namely the fact that this movie tries to ignore some elements of the previous films. ‘DOFP’ seems perfectly happy to remind us that in ‘X-Men: Last Stand’ Wolverine killed the woman he loved but it doesn’t want to explain how the hell Professor X un-vaporised himself following the events of the same film. It would be a lie to say that this spoilt my enjoyment of the film and there is a certain element of ‘well the continuity’s shot to shit whatever we do so fuck it!’, still, a touch of explanation wouldn’t have gone amiss.

The boldest move the movie makes is its final twist. I won’t spoil anything but it’s a hugely gutsy move that makes an impact on the entire X-universe. Bryan Singer’s willingness to make massive changes to this world is encouraging and it’s one of the reasons I’m so pleased he’s back in the X-driving seat.

‘DOFP’ is an undeniably impressive, adventurous, slightly flawed Superhero blockbuster. Although it’s blighted by a couple of continuity errors you can’t stay mad at it because it’s great fun. It’s lovely to see Bryan Singer holding the reins again and I hope that’s where he stays.

So, how about some…

Reasons to be Cheerful

1. All the fun stuff happens in London which annoys me no end but I must admit this is pretty cool. The entire town of Hill Valley looks like it’s going to be recreated by the wizards over at Secret Cinema for a screening of ‘Back to the Future’. The wonderful Shiznit have covered a couple of their events before and by all accounts it seems like an excellent idea albeit with a few problems and a slightly pretentious mission statement.

2. Fancy being written into a Game of Thrones book and having your fictional self killed off in a typically grim Westerosi fashion? Then you’re in luck! The wonderful George RR Martin is helping to raise money for The Food Depot and Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary charities in New Mexico by offering the chance to appear in his ‘Song of Ice and Fire’ series. Unfortunately you do have to donate the hefty sum of $20,000 to have the chance to appear in the books but if you donate any money via Martin’s prizeo page you could be in with a chance of winning a trip to New Mexico where you can meet the author and ask him anything you like!

That’s all for today!

Goodbye till next time :-)

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Rachel May and the DVD Hallows Part 3: There and Back Again A Bloggers Tale

Hello :-)


This is the third part of my DVD round up! Imagine, splitting something up into three long waffley episodes when it could have worked just as well as one solidly done post. As if anyone would do a thing like that…

The Wolverine 

*SPOILER ALERT* (contains spoilers for ‘X:Men 3 – The Last Stand’)

Just so we get our chronology right, the events of ‘The Wolverine’ are supposed to take place after the goings on of ‘X:Men 3 – The Last Stand’ where Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) killed Jean Grey. So at the beginning of ‘The Wolverine’ Logan is moping around the Canadian woods, feeling sorry for himself and making friends with grizzly bears. A stranger then arrives requesting the presence of Wolverine in Japan to meet with an old friend on his deathbed.


So after the colossal fuck up that was ‘X:Men Origins: Wolverine’, 20th Century Fox had nothing to lose. This most recent outing (not counting his amusing cameo in ‘X Men: First Class’) goes some of the way to making it up to Wolverine fans.


I loved the Japanese setting, it lends itself really well to the Wolverine mythology. The scenes on the bullet train and the wonderful funeral scene amongst the pagodas were great, it's just such a lovely location and goes some way to expand the X-Universe beyond the shores of the States.


Hugh Jackman is eminently watchable as the titular Wolverine and always has been. In a similar way to 'The Dark Knight Rises' he begins the story having shut himself off from the wider world and over the course of the movie tries to put himself back together again. It is refreshing to see a Superhero film where the plot allows for so much character development, especially in a movie like this that makes big decisions about its lead character that will impact on later films.

The 12A rating does make it an oddly bloodless film. The body count is pretty high but you never really see anything, especially in what could have been a particularly gruesome body-horror moment. Another thing that makes this film a bit limp in places is the utterly wet love interest. This is a gripe of mine; why oh why do screenwriters keep creating these ultra wimpy , simpering love interests for Superheroes? Mariko was like watching a 1950's Disney Princess without any of the charm.


This film also suffers when we arrive at the third act. After a fantastic scene where Logan is accosted by a team of Ninjas, the final fight scene is ridiculously OTT and not in a good way. The Viper character (an ineffective additional villain if ever I saw one) turns into Uma Thurman's Poision Ivy from Batman and Robin (NEVER something you want to invoke) and the final reveal is so utterly daft it was all I could do not to laugh.


Despite it's spineless female characters and stupid ending 'The Wolverine' is worth a watch. With some lovely set pieces, bags of character development and the most exciting mid-credits scene since 'Iron Man's intro to the "Avenger Initiative" I'm happy to report our favourite mutant can still deliver the goods.

The Wolverine is out on Blu-Ray and DVD now.

Only God Forgives

‘Only God Forgives’ is a neon tinted, mafia themed, greek tragedy, revenge thriller. Nicholas Winding Refn’s darling Ryan Gosling is Julian an American expatriate who runs a Muay Thai club in Bangkok that’s a front for a drug smuggling operation. Julian’s mother Crystal (Kristen Scott Thomas) flies in from America to identify the body of Julian’s brother Billy (Tom Burke). Crystal guilts Julian into hunting down his brother’s killers and unknowingly pitting himself against the unflinching Lieutenant Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm).


Gosling and Refn last worked together on the brilliant and brutal ‘Drive’, one of my favourite films of recent years. I’m also a huge fan of Refn’s outing with Tom Hardy ‘Bronson’.

This… this is different.

It looks ridiculously stylish, if nothing else this film is a testament to how well Refn can create an image. The neon lights of Bangkok add to the nightmarish, netherworld feel of the film and it had me appropriately on edge. There is, however, a thin line between coolly atmospheric and style over substance. For me ‘Only God Forgives’ stays too often into oblique dialogue and a general sense of ‘WTF is going on?!?!’.


The performances of Kristen Scott Thomas and Vithaya Pansringarm were just enough to keep me in my seat for the 90 minute run time. Both characters are nothing short of fucking terrifying. Crystal speaks in such a way that chills me to the bone and Lieutenant Chang’s seeming indifference to brutal acts of ultra violence is one of the most unnerving things I’ve seen in a film for a long time.


I genuinely don’t know whether or not to recommend ‘Only God Forgives’, it’s been about 9 months since I saw it and I still don’t know how to feel about it. I don’t like it as much as ‘Drive’ but then I’m not entirely sue if Refn is making films with the purpose of having people like them.


‘Only God Forgives’ is available of DVD and Blu-Ray now. 

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

In ‘Alpha Papa’ we rejoin Alan (Steve Coogan) as we left him in his online mini-series, hosting ‘Mid Morning Matters’ on North Norfolk Digital. The station is taken over by new managers and undergoes an overhaul by way of a name change and the unceremonious sacking of Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney).


Pat takes this none too well and decides to crash the station launch with a chip on his shoulder and a shotgun in his hand. Pat takes many of the station employees hostage leaving Alan to step up to the plate and mediate between a potentially homicidal Pat and her majesty’s constabulary.

I’m a massive Alan Partridge fan as it is, even so ‘Alpha Papa’ is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time.


Placing Alan in the middle of a police siege is brilliant. Desperate and fame hungry Alan tries to exploit the situation for his own shameless self-promotion. Coogan knows the bones of this character and the film works best when Alan is left to be the hypocritical pedant we know and love.


There are a couple of mis-fires. There are some toilet humour, (literally) pants down moments that feel out of  step with the rest of the film but these are really minor things in a generally laugh-a-minute film.


‘Alpha Papa’ is such a British film in terms of location, cast and temperament. Parochial, petty, obsessed with the mundane Alan’s dalliance with the big screen is befittingly preoccupied with the petty.

‘Alpha Papa’ is on DVD and Blu-Ray now.

Frozen


‘Frozen’ is the story of two princess sisters Anna (Kristen Bell), a cute, clumsy optimist and Elsa (Idina Menzel) who was imbued with magical powers at birth. When Elsa comes of age she is crowned as Queen of Arendelle but things go awry and Elsa steals away to the mountains to live a life of solitude. Anna, blaming herself for her sister’s self-imposed exile sets off on an journey - teaming up with mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his reindeer Sven- to track Elsa down. Encountering arctic conditions, mystical trolls and an adorable snowman called Olaf (Josh Gad), Anna battles the elements in a race to save the kingdom.

Oh ‘Frozen’, how do I love thee, let me count the ways.

As a huge Disney fan I cannot begin to tell you how happy it makes me that they’re properly back on course. It is such a lovely story with brilliant characters; modern without doing away with Disney’s heritage and really, really funny.


The songs are properly lovely. Opening with ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman’ the songs all tell stories and help the narrative along while being super fun. Husband and Wife writing duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez have penned some wonderful songs headed up by the Oscar winning ‘Let It Go’ to which I cannot listen without it bringing me to tears.


The songs are brought to life by a brilliant voice cast. Kristen Bell is adorable as the klutzy Anna, who is possibly the most ‘real’ Disney princess we have ever had. Elsa could so easily have been the film’s default antagonist but co-directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee haven’t played it as simply as that which pays dividends. The one the kids are going to go nuts for is Josh Gad’s utterly adorable Olaf the Snowman.


‘Frozen’ is pushing Disney in the best direction they could possibly go. Both times I went to see it in the theatre I fell utterly in love with it and it really stands up to repeat home viewings (an essential quality for a children’s film!). ‘Frozen’ is a gorgeous addition to the House of Mouse , I adore it.


'Frozen' is out now, buy it buy it BUY IT!!!!


So, that's that sorted, lets have a look at some...


Reasons to be Cheerful :-)


1. Amy Acker is going to be in ‘Marvels Agents of SHIELD’ :-) The Whedon regular is going to be playing Agent Coulson’s Cellist girlfriend! I’m looking forward to this, I really think ‘Agents of SHIELD’ has been picking up this second half of the season and this can only be a positive addition.

2. Last trailer for ‘X:Men Days of Future Past’! This one also has a lovely introduction from the lovely Hugh Jackman! It looks super awesomely exciting, and you know… PETER FUCKING DINKLAGE!!!


That’ll do for today!

Goodbye till next time :-)
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