August 2013 Movie Reviews and Round Up

I'm going to come right out and say this. My August has been pretty lousy for movie watching. I was in Thailand for the first couple of weeks but as there were monsoon rains battering my cabin in the woods (rainforest) one evening, I sat in and watched Green Lantern as it was playing and I was sick of watching Al Jazeera. Then I watched five films on the plane ride home (but I'd already seen most of the decent films on offer) and then I've been rushing to catch up with new releases ever since. My biggest regret is that I think at this rate I might have missed Pacific Rim on the big screen. Must try and catch Elysium instead to make up for it.

Anyway here's what I watched this month:

Green Lantern: Not sure why everyone hated this so much. I had incredibly low expectations which must have helped but Ryan Reynolds is likeable, the constant CGI didn't completely alienate me and Peter Sarsgaard is perfect for playing baddies. Then again I've never read the comics so have no idea if this adaptation is a disgrace to the fans.

Admission: First film I watched on the plane home. Paul Rudd and Tina Fey in a strange but mildly entertaining dramedy. Strange tone and mixed messages but quite memorable characters and occasionally amusing script.

Identity Thief: Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman star in a suprisingly sweet road trip comedy that was not the complete car crash I expected. McCarthy struggles with such an unlikeable character and Bateman plays the same old schtick but it had some amusing moments.

The Croods: Family animation that angered me at first but vaguely charmed me by the end. Ryan Reynolds again too.

Broadcast News: Classic satire and irritating love triangle from James L. Brooks. Great performances from Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks and enthralling look behind the scenes of the news room. Also the last film I watched on the plane home from Thailand.

2 Guns: "For an action comedy, 2 Guns delivers plenty of shoot outs and a healthy dose of exploding stuff but the script is weaker when it comes to the comedy. Without the charisma of Washington and Wahlberg, it is easy to assume this might have gone straight to DVD. It's quite fun while it lasts but you certainly don't want to spend any time afterwards pondering the plot. 2 Guns is neither Washington nor Wahlberg's best but it's still worth a shot, just probably not 2"

Lovelace: "fails to fully penetrate the dark heart of the story despite some hard core performances from an excellent cast. It is however an eye opening look at an industry that I suspect is only getting more vicious and more worrying as time goes on."

Headhunters: Finally got round to seeing this bonkers Jo Nesbo adaptation. Not sure if I was feeling overly sensitive for some reason but I found this incredibly violent. Obviously that means I quite enjoyed it. Fast paced thriller with some crazy moments of pitch black humour.

We're The Millers: "may not break boundaries in its border crossing but it is a road trip fueled by excellent comedic performances and a few side splitting scenes; a comedy about a family that is definitely not suitable for the whole family"

You're Next: "The comparisons to Scream and the touting of You're Next as the future of horror are forced and not fair to Scream or this film. While it shows some great potential and has some beautifully scored moments, it will be even more interesting to see what director Adam Wingard has in store for us next"

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa: Mildly amusing throughout but like most British TV characters when they make it to the big screen, a little lost and stretched thin. Steve Coogan is game and the hostage crisis set up provides good laughs but loses its way towards the end.

Dark Tourist: Watched this at FrightFest 2013 but was too tired to stay awake and kept nodding off and then waking with a jump moments later. Not sure I missed much but I did get to interview the star and director before the film.

Rush: review coming soon at Static Mass Emporium.

The Lone Ranger: "According to Box Office Mojo, The Lone Ranger may have only just managed to scrape back it's over $200 million budget with a particularly poor domestic take. It looks likely that instead of becoming a Pirates size franchise, this might be the Standalone Ranger after all"

Apart from film watching, I've also been writing at Yahoo Movies and Filmoria, continuing to read the second Game of Thrones novel, A Clash of Kings and keeping up to date with Breaking Bad series 5. I've also just started watching Dexter series 7 so I'm only about a series behind on that one!

Best film of the month: Rush

Worst film of the month: Dark Tourist

Most popular phrase of the month judging by my mini-reviews above: Mildly amusing

How was your August? What did you see? What did you like? What did you hate?

Box Office Report for August

I've been busy with holidays and being ill but am back with a vengeance now and have just posted a box office report for Tastic Film for the month of August. Using the mighty Box Office Mojo as a source all things film and finance, I wrap up what's been hot, what's been not and what has been storming the charts in the past week.

We're the Millers is the big surprise of the past month but Lee Daniels' The Butler looks all set to do big business over the next few weeks.

We're the Winners!

Here is a teaser of the box office report but please head over to Tastic Film to check out the full report.

"Surprise comedy hit of the summer We’re the Millers is still hanging on to number 2 in the box office charts this week after three weeks on release and taking nearly $120 million across the globe. The raunchy comedy about a pot smuggling fake family stars Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston and has had very mixed reviews but has proved a hit with audiences, particularly in America. Over the past month it has taken even more than sci-fi spectacular Elysium on home turf, though the Matt Damon and Jodie Foster starring action flick has pulled in more punters in international territories..."

I then go on to discuss the box office performance of other big hits 2 Guns, Planes, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and Kick-Ass 2.

What did you think of the box office winners and losers this month? Any surprises?

Check out my reviews of 2 Guns and We're the Millers by clicking the titles.

Recent reviews at I Love That Film: 

You're Next Review

We're the Millers Review

Lovelace Review

2 Guns Review

The Lone Ranger Review

2 Guns Review

Some films think they can get by on star swagger and a bit of witty banter. Throw in plenty of alpha male machismo, gunfights and explosions, a single sexy siren to gawp at and the plot can be as ridiculous as you like; apparently young men will lap it up for sure. 2 Guns has Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in a plot so ludicrous that you wouldn't want to dare take a moment to stop and think about it or you might just be tempted to walk out the cinema.

Washington is Bobby Trench involved in dealing drugs and dodgy passports to cartels with his partner Wahlberg's quick shot, quick witted Stig. Sounds simple. Then it turns out Washington is an undercover cop and Wahlberg is working undercover for the Navy. Neither knows this until the shit hits the fan and then it gets even sillier. After robbing a bank full of what they thought was cartel money, it turns out the corrupt CIA have a stake in what they stole and now Bill Paxton's sadistic CIA bigwig is on their tail and Washington and Wahlberg are being double crossed and chased by everyone else in the film. Will their 2 Guns be enough to take down the cartels and the CIA?

More to the point, will the undoubtedly appealing double act of Washington and Wahlberg on fine swaggering form be enough to paper over the cracks in such a silly set up? The dialogue has occasional dashes of wit and the story moves quickly enough to drag you along without too many questions niggling at your logic sensors. However it doesn't matter how cool the stars think they are if the script never gives them anything memorable to say. Bill Paxton is very welcome (where's he been?) and gets the stand out villain character but he would have made more of an impact in a different film, one that didn't try to veer so wildly between comedic moments and attempts at some real threat and danger.

For an action comedy, 2 Guns delivers plenty of shoot outs and a healthy dose of exploding stuff but the script is weaker when it comes to the comedy. Without the charisma of Washington and Wahlberg, it is easy to assume this might have gone straight to DVD. It's quite fun while it lasts but you certainly don't want to spend any time afterwards pondering the plot. 2 Guns is neither Washington nor Wahlberg's best but it's still worth a shot, just probably not 2.

On a side note, I got to interview Denzel Washington at the Flight premiere and I asked him about 2 Guns. Read the red carpet report here. Watch the trailer for 2 Guns below:

Recent reviews at I Love That Film:

Monsters University Review

Man of Steel Review

This is the End Review 

Fast and Furious 6 Review

21 & Over Review

Iron Man 3 Review

Olympus Has Fallen Review

July Movie Reviews and Round up