Film Review: Rock of Ages

Cinema: Rock of Ages   6/10

Director: Adam Shankman

Starring: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand

Plot: starry-eyed youngsters, Sherrie (Julianne Hough) and Drew (Diego Boneta), meet to fulfil their Hollywood dreams of working up from the bottom to the top.

After the unexpected box office smash that was Hairspray back in 2007, it was only a matter of time before director Adam Shankman, returned behind the camera for another sequin-filled, high-haired music spectacular. After helming numerous television shows and the abysmal ‘Bedtime Stories’, Rock of Ages finally came along to please the fans of musicals. Whilst there were high expectations to meet; it fulfils some perfectly whilst others, poorly.

To begin with, the musical numbers in the film are spectacular. The opening song ‘Paradise City’ performed by Tom Cruise sends you into the rock of the 80s before you meet a single character. You cannot resist smiling when characters burst into song like some infectious disease. Throughout the film, the musical numbers (a phenomenal twenty of them) keep the audience interested as well as a number of great performances in the film; Tom Cruise ( Staccee Jaxx) plays the typical rock star to perfection and, honestly, Cruise can sing! His voice throughout is one of the strongest and rockiest of the bunch and his live performances are staged to perfection. Catherine Zeta Jones also sings and dances well the number, ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’, leaving the question as to why Jones didn’t receive more musical numbers as she really rocked the screen during her scenes. Mary J Blige also has a beautiful, arena-filling voice and has a touching performance with Julianne Hough. In addition to this, it’s difficult not to enjoy your famous stars openly embarrassing themselves; and Russel Brand and Alec Baldwin stick out as the main fools!  The comical duo do stand-out and do much to improve the film and coming from someone who has found Brand to generally not do so well in films; his role here was surprisingly funny, clever and witty, whilst not being totally perfect as his accent (Northern, perhaps) is very distracting.

However, it’s not all good as the plot is quite dull and has a number of pointless characters and side plots; which leaves the film going nowhere. It’s difficult to know whether we should be focusing on; the relationship between the two leads, Staccee Jaxx’s (Cruise) career, the bringing down of the rock club or the burlesque club!

In Conclusion: the musical numbers are executed in tip-top fashion, the hair wacky, the costumes swift and the 80s clubs spectacular. However, sadly, the plot and dull characters (excluding Cruise’s performance as Staccee Jaxx) leaves the two-hour film; one long music video and nowhere near as relatable as Hairspray. However it is one hell of a fun experience; just avoid taking it too seriously!

Film Review: The Kids Are All Right

DVD: The Kids Are All Right   10/10

Director: Lisa Cholodenko

Starring: Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo

Plot: two children gain contact with their biological father; after being a donor for their mothers. A strange relationship soon builds.

Loads of sloppy rom-coms and reinvented comedies have become a regular fix in Hollywood and they should never be praised at all. However, a film has finally arrived which reinvents comedy; and its depiction of family life, deserves every award it gets. Julianne Moore (Jules) and Annette Bening (Nic) play a couple who, after their children find their biological father, have a rollercoaster of a relationship; something with incredibly funny, heart-warming highs and devastatingly low lows. The two are on-screen gold and their acting is incredibly solid throughout, particularly Julianne Moore who endures all sorts of personal problems throughout the film yet still captures moments of pure comical genius perfectly.

The couple’s children played by Josh Hutcherson (Laser) and Mia Wasikowska (Joni) are also a funny duo onscreen. Joni’s boyfriend troubles and Laser’s idiotic best friend are both storylines pushed to the side; however these stories add to the typical family life depicted and makes it feel that little bit more real because of it. Both Hutcherson (Peeta in the Hunger Games) and Wasikowska (Alice in Alice in Wonderland, 2010) again play out solid roles as they are humiliated and humoured by their out-of-the-ordinary family. Mark Ruffalo (now known for smashing up buildings in The Avengers as Hulk) is perhaps the weakest of all the characters. This may be because his character is the least interesting of them all but nevertheless he is still a presence the film needed and a suitable type of actor to play the awkward  biological father who doesn’t know what he is doing.

Lisa Cholodenko, the director, proves throughout the film that a laugh-a-minute and consistent inappropriate humour aren’t needed to make a film funny. Instead, character development and a real depiction of family life makes this film all the more relatable in its nature.

In Conclusion: perhaps the best Dramedy (drama/comedy) to be released in a long time, The Kids Are All Right is an uplifting, powerful film showing how family life can crumble and rebuild itself when it wants to and shows the highs and lows perfectly. It’s funny, sad, awkward and heart-warming but most of all, the director here proves that more female directors are needed today and this film is the best to showcase it.

Film Review: The Rum Diary

DVD: The Rum Diary   4/10

Director: Bruce Robinson

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michael Rispoli, Amber Heard

Plot: Paul Kemp, an American journalist and failed writer, takes up a freelance job in the hope of starting a new career.

The Rum Diary is, unfortunately, one of Johnny Depp’s poorest films (not as bad as The Tourist but not far off).  Depp’s role in the film doesn’t stand out at all, perhaps proving why he is best suited to be; a pirate, chocolate-making mad man, mad hatter or mass-killing, throat slitting barber. His talents seem to lie in these bizarre roles whilst struggling to fill the boots of just an ordinary man.

The story starts ok with Depp seeking a new job in Puerto Rico. However, the plot drifts off quite quickly and didn’t feel believable throughout the rest of the film. However, the main characters do remain developed throughout. Standouts include Depp’s sidekick Michael Rispoli (Sala) and these two make a fantastic comedy duo; a film with a stronger story line with these two may well work.  There were a few really funny laugh out loud bits but not enough to make this a great film. On this occasion I find myself hard pushed to say much more.

In conclusion: there is beautiful scenery and fast cars with the odd laugh-out-loud moment. No doubt Depp fans have seen this already or are going to, which is fine, however those looking in for a different reason may see little reason to watch it. It’s a little slow and doesn’t develop into an interesting enough plot despite the two main stars having a number of classic moments.

Film Review: In Time

DVD: In Time   7/10

Director: Andrew Niccol

Starring: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Alex Pettyfer

Plot: in a world where, from the age of twenty-five, currency is time; you must work to live. Will Salas goes on the run with a hostage to test and exploit the system. Timekeepers are there to keep order.

Science Fiction is often a tough egg to crack in the mainstream market, yet when it does break, it really does well. Successes include Avatar, Star Wars and Inception, to name only a few. In Time, isn’t a large-scale blockbuster, it comes across as rather small (hence its budget of $40 million, extremely small for a sci-fi flick), yet it isn’t the action which sticks out at all, the story is extremely well-thought out and intricately weaved amongst themes of rich vs. poor and a dictatorial reign. The first thirty minutes of the film keep you physically glued to the screen; shots of people lying in the street, the topping up of time and rise in coffee prices (four minutes for a cup of coffee!) Justin Timberlake surprisingly delivers in one of his first acting roles however Amanda Seyfried and her on-screen father, Vincent Katheiser (Philippe Weis) stand-out, especially during the poker scenes, in which close-ups of the time left for each player adds to the intensity of Timberlake’s character (Will), will he live or will he die?

Whilst the story and action scenes are good, the third act is a little slow, and little happens in the way of the story. It does however pick up towards the last ten minutes. What also must be noted is the scenery in the film; the grey, poverty-ridden areas in which our main hero lives is bleak contrasted with New Greenwich, a lusciously rich and upheld by marble city, a place that only dreams are made of.

In conclusion: In Time is a well-written film in which its leads carry well. The action scenes are scarce but executed well. The ‘Timekeepers’ add an element of superiority and scare-factor to the whole production however they do become a little tedious towards the end. Overall, a notable sci-flick, it’s unlikely you’ll want to return to it as there’s little you’ll miss however it is worth a watch.

Film Review: Puss In Boots

Blu-Ray: Puss In Boots   6/10
Director: Chris Miller

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis

Plot: takes place during Puss In Boots’ pre-Shrek days, a quest to find the magic beans begins.

The Shrek films have avoided the word ‘franchise’ since its first instalment back in 2001, but many haven’t realised that a total of seven features have sprouted thanks to the green ogre. There’s been; Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After and now Puss in Boots, along with two shorts; Shrek the Halls and Scared Shrekless, which have both been released straight-to-DVD with success (despite their short running time). All the full-length Shrek films did phenomenally well at the box office and now one of its stars, Puss In Boots, played by Antonio Banderas, has taken to the silver screen all alone with moderate success.

The films director, Chris Miller, who also directed Shrek the Third (by far the weakest in the series) transitions Puss from the sidelines of being a sidekick, to centre stage, surprisingly well. The same old jokes are there and yes, the cute, watery eyes return, along with lots of new jokes, many of which feature Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), whose practical jokes are eggcelent (an example for you). Humpty is probably the best part of the film in its entirety; he keeps the film flowing as he gets stuck, jumps off high places and rolls all over the place during scenes of utter chaos – bringing a breath of fresh air. The film does certainly suffer, however, by being set nowhere near Far Far Away. The film doesn’t have the same fairytale feel as Shrek which makes it seem a little too real (which you really do not want when watching a film such as this)

The films storyline is extremely basic and the ‘cat fights’ between Puss and his girl-friend, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), become slightly tedious and forced after the first half, something which reminded me of the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film (with Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruze constantly arguing from beginning to end – it really made the film suffer). The action in the film is best seen in 3D, the film suffers from being watched in 2D from home but the animation is done superbly, especially in the Blu-Ray format in which I saw it.

In conclusion: Puss in Boots is rich in its visuals, fast moving in its story and comical in its nature, it’s not Shrek, but it’s better than many of the latest animations to be released – your elders will love it too!