Cherry Bomb

BOOM! British-made-teen-coming-of-age-drama, IN THE EYES! A positively explosive display of Northern Irish youth! I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you there. Bet that was quite terrifying wasn't it? And maybe even quite annoying. But do not fret! Cherry Bomb (2009) certainly doesn't seek one's attention quite as much as my metaphorical bombs do (God knows we love them). Yes, despite the confusing title (The poster made me believe it could be something to do with virginity and pool activities... it isn't) the film is actually not half bad.

Okay, so when I really think about it, I don't actually rate it that much. The sensible and analytical side of my brain says "Come on, Julia. There wasn't much to it really, was there?". Whilst the hormonal, 18-year-old side of my brain shouts "Look at the hot boys! LOOK at them!"

I know, I know. I'm a silly billy who gets distracted by naked torsos but seriously. Hey. SERIOUSLY. Can you blame me? First we've got the delectable delights of Robert Sheehan, who proved himself slick and quick-witted in the hit show Misfits whilst bringing an edgy 'I don't give two fucks' element to this new character. And then there's Rupert Grint. What the hell happened to him?! You think you've got it all sussed, good ol' reliably nerdy Ron and then BOOM! (sorry, I will stop) He's turned into a great big pile of sexy.

But honestly, looking past the fact that there was plenty of totty to ogle at, the movie itself didn't feel much different to any of your standard BBC dramas. There were a few visually pleasing shots and the acting had promise but the script lacked the intense, show-down sequences which the narrative might have strived upon. Personally, after seeing the spectacular things Shane Meadows is capable of, any other drama not up to scratch becomes something I find very hard to connect to. There was many a sensitive moment that could have been amplified, for example lead female Michelle's (Kimberly Nixon) relationship with her Dad (James Nesbitt) but alas, it all seemed to be lightly brushed over and then quickly forgotten about.

I doubt I will intentionally see it again but it was entertaining all the same. Cherry Bomb gets 3 out of 5 stars for me.

Shrek Forever After

On viewing the 15 foot cinema posters featuring the tag-line 'What the Shrek just happened?', I couldn't help but to sigh and think "Oh Dreamworks, won't you just give it a rest?". Not because of the tag-line itself, that is obviously comic genius, but because at the time the makers of Shrek seemed to be on a suicide mission. The Shrek orange hath been squeezed. Juice a new one. And by that I mean a new idea for a film.

This, of course, being before I'd actually seen the latest movie. Yes, I admit it, I pre-judged. But let's be honest, Shrek's track record hasn't been tremendous. The first, a classic, the second, eagerly awaited but deemed unnecessary and the third, just down-right forgettable. That, along with Christmas specials and 9 years of full-on merchandising, was it any surprise that there was a sour undertone before the fourth spin-off even reached cinemas?

However, you have to hand it to the makers, they didn't want the last thoughts of Shrek to be eternally connected to the bomb-shell that is the third film. And so, they decided to start a-fresh and incorporate the ever-popular 'It's A Wonderful Life' narrative into the land of Far Far Away. Essentially, Shrek makes a deal with Rumplestiltskin (a new character, voiced by Walt Dohrn) to be rid of his hum-drum married life and spend a day being a true ogre. Obviously, things do not run swimmingly and Shrek finds himself and his loved ones in mortal danger. A spanner is thrown into the works though, as Shrek not only has to save the day, but also has to try and re-kindle all of his past friendships (Fiona and Donkey etc.) as, in a kind of 'parallel universe' kind of a way, nobody knows who the beloved ogre is.

The new story is refreshing, not only in the sense that you get to meet the characters all over again, but also because Dreamworks seem to have finally attempted to go back to more of the favoured elements of the original film. One of these being the music, using familiar and sometimes humorous tunes really made the difference when it came to entertainment. Also, the use of jokes that are both for adults and children were incorporated which seem to have been all but forgotten in the past two movies.

Overall, despite the fact that there have been a few misses in the series, you can't deny that most of the time Shrek has been a fun and entertaining watch for all ages and successfully goes out with a bang.

Toy Story 3

There is no doubt about it, the people at Pixar are nothing short of experts in the field of heart-rendering family flicks. Let me just run a few titles past you: We've got Monster's Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Wall.E, Up and of course, Toy Story. The first Disney/Pixar film to be made in 1995, Toy Story was an animated success which became immensely popular and a family favorite.

It is now 15 years on and the third installment (also the last) to the story is now out in cinemas. Perhaps my biggest mistake on viewing the film was to watch every trailer, read every review and listen to every person's opinion on it. Audiences treated the trequel (is that even a word?) as if it were a classic. But not just that, a new kind of classic. Beyond all classics. "Better than the first two by miles", they said. So, as you can imagine, I was looking forward to seeing it. Which raises the question,'Is too much good hype a bad thing?'. Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike the movie. I want to clear that up right away before I get severed dolls heads in the post. What I'm saying is that it doesn't half spoil your enjoyment when you sit through an entire movie, expecting something marvelous and breath-taking to happen. It clouds your view somewhat.

Before you start over-heating with anger, judging me to be a heartless critic who has no real understanding of the series, let me explain what I liked about it. A fair few parts of the film were very funny (although granted not as many as I expected thanks to the hype again) but still, characters such as Mr Potato Head and a new addition, Ken, both had scenes which made me laugh. It was also nice to see Pixar referencing back to the previous films, allowing the audience to feel like part of an exclusive club. I enjoyed the heart-felt moments (who'd have thunk?) as well as the way that it rounded up the entire trilogy nicely at the end.

And now onto why I wasn't so impressed. The story was enjoyable and entertaining. But the claims that it was better than Toy Story 1 and 2 are just nonsense. At a push, better than the second one maybe but has everyone forgotten just how brilliant and ground-breaking the first movie was? Something else that people in other reviews raved about was the supposedly 'delightful' new characters. Many of which barely had a few lines between them. Old favourite Buzz Lightyear also seemed to lack screen time which could have been the result of having too many new additions to the story. Toy Story 2 successfully introduced unfamiliar faces slowly, giving them time to be accepted by the viewer. However, Toy Story 3 seemed to want to pack too much into too little a time-frame.

Once again, I wish I hadn't subjected myself to all the positive attention it got before-hand. I probably would have enjoyed the film a lot more if I hadn't. I feel I can't rate Toy Story 3 just yet, until I have seen the movie again, after public attention has died down and I can gauge what it means to me and no one else.

Inception

Director Christopher Nolan has enticed audiences with clever conundrum Memento, wooed them with the slick showmanship of The Prestige and seduced them with the heavy-weight character development in The Dark Night. But this year's Summer movie must-see is said to be his best triumph yet.

After seeing the movie, I can safely say that my mind is truly boggled by the amount of substance and body that comes with the dream-based masterpiece that is Inception. A plot essentially inconceivable not ten years ago and even now, due to it's complexity and yet solidarity within itself. Like his previous success, Memento, the writers were able to come up with a concept that is completely original and extremely ingenious.

Nolan himself manages to pull-off one of the greatest movie making techniques there is; treating his audience as adults who don't need every ounce of the story explaining to them. This is shown brilliantly through actor Ellen Page who plays the young and clueless character, having to learn the ways of the dream-world that is already so familiar to the other characters, but manages to pick everything up not only easily but with gusto, reflecting well on how Nolan perceives his audience.

The large budget is used immensely well, with breath-taking effects that are completely necessary for the visual portrayal of dreams but at the same time, never begin to feel used for commercial reasons or detract the audience from the story. The story itself is fantastic. Both intricate in it's complexities but so simple as an idea it sends you wild with disbelief. The ending especially, left me physically shaking with anticipation and excitement. And surely, any film that leaves it's viewer in that way, deserves 5 Stars?

Get Him To The Greek

'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' spin-off, 'Get Him To The Greek' (2010) follows budding record company intern Aaron Green, played by Jonah Hill, as he tries to maintain and deliver the world famous rock star Aldous Snow, played by Russell Brand to L.A's Greek Theatre. However, the task is easier said than done, as Aldous is recovering from an album flop through the use of copious amounts of drugs and women. Essentially, Aaron has every aspect of the wild world of rock and roll thrown upon him in a matter of days.

In true 'stardom' fashion, just about every celeb under the sun pops up for a little cameo, either effectively displaying just how mad and random the world of famous people can be with the premise that you never know who you'll bump into, or simply the makers of the film showing off who they have in their phone book. Although saying that, the latter is merely the realistic reflection of the former. In other words, it's full to the brim with familiar faces.

The film, is essentially Russell Brand's. And I believe it's important to know that going in. Jonah Hill's character is attempted to be built upon, however the glimpse at his relationship with his girlfriend doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the movie and so might as well be ignored. After all, Aldous Snow is the main character and Brand barely has to act as the events are so close to his past ‘roguish ways’ that it might as well be a documentary.

As a comedy, the film does work well. Nearly every scene will raise at least one chuckle, with the largest laugh coming from a hectic party sequence in which Hill's character descends into panic while fights break out around him, having to resort to the comforting babblings of Aldous. Sean Combs, aka P. Diddy, is particularly good as boss of Pinnacle Records and general nut job, Sergio Roma and completes the movie as an entertaining watch. I give it 3 Stars and ‘Get Him To The Greek’ is out in cinemas now.

She's Out Of My League

A quick introduction/ explanation. I was planning on reviewing a brand spankin' new film that is now being shown in cinemas, most likely being Get Him To The Greek. However, upon reaching the cinema I discovered I was too late for the showing and instead saw the next available film, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. I WILL NOT be reviewing that film. No. It's just not going to happen.

So, I shall instead review a film I saw about a month ago and is no longer in cinemas. She's Out Of My League (2010), is a romantic comedy starring Jay Baruchel as the fairly whinny Kirk (coincidentally a name that is only ever connected to 'looserdom' and 'nerdiness'- you'd have thought fictional parents would learn) and Alice Eve as the 'supposed Greek Goddess who is in fact quite average looking' Molly. Which is sort of a draw back, considering how the entire film is based around the idea that Molly is jaw-droppingly, 'I need a change of trousers' beautiful. She's pretty. But she's no Cameron Diaz in There's Something About Mary. There's a definite spark missing. Which is interesting given that the character of Kirk becomes so smitten with her and so aware of just how feeble he is in facial comparison, that he and his friends feel the need to constantly anchor insecurities on 'The Scale', Kirk being a 5, Molly a 9. Inevitably, and obviously, it is discovered that people are actually more than just attractive manikins and can, in fact, be rated on their personalities as well. Somebody phone the papers.

Saying this, there are moments where the film comes into it's own and feels less like every rom-com script ever written and more like a realistic and subtly humorous watch. The main reason for this is Kirk's group of friends, all of which are believable as people and together having a brilliantly relaxed and funny rapor. Some of the best moments being when camp chum Devon compares every situation to a Disney classic. Because of this, the movie can go into the category of a good 'ill film', essentially something to cheer you up when illness and bed confinement gets you down.

Sadly though, the successful elements are not built upon. The film ironically displays it's own insecurities by being slightly too cliche; the girlfriend's disagreeing father, the huge slobbery dog that gets into a whole mess of mischief. She's Out Of My League seems too afraid to be different although it still remains entertaining. I give it 3 Stars and it is now out for purchase on DVD.

Watchmen

There are many unexplainable things in the universe; the big bang, dark matter, black holes and the production, distribution and consumption of the film Watchmen (2009).

Adapted from the graphic novel of the same name, Watchmen attempts to massage all comic book nerd's brains in a motion picture of a well-loved book. Not being an uber- fan of the series myself, I was unsure of what to expect of the film. I hoped I would be subjected to some light action/adventure super hero fun that would neither demand my entire attention nor bore me to tears. Instead, I got a movie so deprived of any logical plot progression it almost hurt. The first half consists of essentially, talking. Granted the opening title sequence seemed promising, with a decent soundtrack and historical attention to detail, but that quickly deteriorated into people in costumes having a good chat.

The narrative seemed to take a dramatic turn around the time of one particularly repulsive and insulting sex scene, when the Disbelief Train hit Gore Town with a quick stop off at Garish City. Limbs were then severed, blood splattered and the blue guy named Doctor Manhattan seemed to get decidedly more naked. Now, this may have been forgivable (although probably not) if any of the story had actually made sense. But it didn't. The ending was so confusing the characters might as well have started a round of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. At least that would have been entertaining.

All in all, a film that might delight previous graphic novel fans but otherwise remains pointless and juvenile to anyone else. Sorry Zack Snyder, I'm afraid it's 2 Stars from me.