WE'RE THE MILLERS - FILM REVIEW

 

We're The Millers is a comedy starring Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter and Ed Helms.

 

When I first saw this film's trailer which played before I saw Grown Ups 2 {which still the thought of the title alone brings back so HAUNTING memories}, I thought the film looked very funny and looked entertaining.

 

Here is a simple breakdown of the film's plot {with very minor spoilers}. David Clark {Sudeikis} is a small time street drug dealer who deals marijuana and is fairly well known in his home town. One night, David is attacked and loses his entire stash of drugs and all the money he had accumulated through his line of 'work'. This obviously angers his boss, Brad {Helms}, and decides to proposition David. He tells him in order to redeem himself he has to cross the border to Mexico, pick up "a small amount" of drugs, and bring it back to the U.S. David reluctantly accepts, but soon realises doing this job alone would be near impossible, so he attempts to assemble 3 people to pass as his family so they can easily get through the border undetected. He enlists two people from his apartment block, a stripper called Rose {Anniston} and his neighbour 18 year old shy guy Kenny {Poulter}. He encounters his chosen 'daughter' Casey {Roberts} in one of the opening scenes as he sees the homeless young girl intimidated into giving her IPhone to some local thugs. So now we have our family, Father David, Mother Rose, Daughter Casey and Son Kenny, The Millers. What follows is a very enjoyable, funny comedy with plenty of one liners and crude humour, and I thoroughly enjoyed this film!

 

Jason Sudeikis was very funny as the father of this misfit and fake family, his comic timing is impeccable and his sarcasm is something I personally enjoyed. Emma Roberts, although not the most vocal of the cast, does have some good exchanges, especially with her 'brother' Kenny. Jennifer Anniston was great too, as she is mainly associated as being too nice as a person, in this film she wasn't afraid to be crude and swear now and again, which I enjoyed a lot and she has comedic chemistry with Sudeikis {also lets be honest, she isn't exactly bad to look at either!, just had to mention that..}.

 

But the cast member who in my opinion, and no doubt in many people's minds, STEALS the entire film was Will Poulter as Kenny. He was hilarious. He has a natural face for comedy { I obviously mean that in the nicest way possible}he has this innocent but docile look about him that before he even does or says anything you start to laugh. If you haven't seen the trailer for the film, you wont have seen his best parts so if you can help it please don't watch the trailer {and I'm aware I've put the trailer above but just incase you still want to see the trailer before you decide whether you want to go and see it}.

 

In many comedies I've seen this year, many of them have been truly awful. Many of them also have a segment where the film slows down, this film doesn't in my opinion. Yes, it allows story development in between the more comedic scenes, but even most of those are funny too so it doesn't take you out of the film.

 

We're The Millers has surprised me, very much so. Is it original? No, it is essentially another road trip family film, but it is a very funny road trip film. I did not expect, judging by the trailer, for it to be this good. I highly recommend We're The Millers, especially if you like the more crude and uncomfortable humour, which I personally do.

 

 

My Rating - 9/10

 

Positives - Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Anniston, Will Poulter, Emma Roberts, Ed Helms, {minor spoiler, the millers run into a very strange family in the middle of the film, they were hilarious and made for a few funny scenes}.

 

*Also a positive and many many men {and women} will agree, Jennifer Anniston as a stripper in a film, GENIUS!

 

Negatives - If you don't like crude humour you wont enjoy this film, it's very silly and rude at times but not to the extent Grown Ups 2 was where it got very childish, this is very much a comedy that is not taking itself too seriously. Also, it was a little bit long as just under 2 hours run time, but I mean the film itself felt long, however I still thought it was justified in it's length.

 

*MILD SPOILER/SUGGESTION*

 

Stay after the film ends for a couple of minutes as there is a Gag Reel. Out-takes montage at the end which is very funny especially the very last part!

 

 

Thanks again everyone for reading my review of We're The Millers and for reading my other reviews I appreciate it very much!

 

You can follow me on Twitter @MARRAMD, share this review on other blog sites, Google+1 this review, sign into Google+ to view any comments/feedback you may have!

 

Question of the day - We're The Millers or Grown Ups 2? Which did you enjoy most, and why?

 

Please feel free to share this review with your family and friends any extra views are appreciated.

 

Thanks again, take care and my next review will be for upcoming horror You're Next!

 



 

KICK ASS 2 - FILM REVIEW

 

 

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOLIERS TO NOT JUST KICK ASS 2, BUT TO KICK ASS 1.

 

Kick ass 2 is a sequel to the very popular Kick Ass, a comic book based action movie starring Chloe Moretz as 'Hit Girl' and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kick Ass. Also featuring Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Red Mist {as he was in Kick Ass 1} and also Jim Carrey.

 

Following events that happened at the end of Kick Ass 1, Chris D'Amico {Red Mist}'s father was killed by Kick Ass. Vowing revenge, and following the death of his mother {which he is also directly responsible for}, he is determined to become the world's first Super Villain, and with his hilarious attire dons his new evil nickname, The Motherfucker. Meanwhile, Hit Girl, after the death of her father Big Daddy {Nicholas Cage} in the first film, is now at high school but everyday skips school to fight crime. After Kick Ass asks Hit Girl to train him to be as tough as she is, they embark on fighting crime together. However, following a number of events which make Mindy have to choose between her school life or her vigilante life, she vows never to be Hit Girl again, much to the upset of Kick Ass. No longer having Mindy by his side, Kick Ass sets out to find other ordinary citizens to form a superhero super group. This is where he finds a number of heroes, led by Colonel Stars 'n' Stripes {played by Jim Carrey} and they invite Kick Ass to join them in the group they call Justice Forever.

 

Meanwhile, The Motherfucker is also recruiting his army of evil super criminals to kill Kick Ass. This results in a huge power struggle of Good VS Evil, and I have to say it is quite an enjoyable film. Even if it isn't as good as the first film. There are other twists and turns the film takes but I won't spoil every part of the plot for you so don't worry.

 

So let me start first off by saying I didn't not enjoy the film, but I did feel it was not as good as the first film. This film was directed by a different person {Jeff Wadlow, who also wrote this film}, and it shows in my opinion.

 

So what DID work? Well as was evident in the first film, the action/fight scenes are awesome. Extremely well put together and look very 'real'. It still has some of the crazy, over the top blood effects from the first film and I personally was glad to see that, however there was an overuse of shaky cam style camera work going on which in a few scenes made it hard to concentrate on what actually was happening. Chloe Moretz was excellent as Mindy/Hit Girl, she in many ways is the main star of the Kick Ass films, and in my opinion outshines and over shadows Kick Ass in both films. Whilst this film centres more on Mindy and not Hit Girl, that element was still very interesting and added depth to her character and was more than just a teenager who fights crime. The same can be said of Kick Ass too, we see a more human character of David Lizewski and that also makes his character all the more interesting. As many of you know, I am a big fan of Jim Carrey's work and unsurprisingly he was great as Colonel Stars 'n' Stripes, he added a few good comic moments to the film and although {SPOILER ALERT} he is not in the film all that long, he is a memorable character and I enjoyed him in this role. Christopher Mintz-Plasse was brilliant as The Motherfucker. He was funny and menacing at the same time and had some very funny lines in the film. I think this next point could work as a positive and a negative, but this film felt a lot darker than the last film. In humour and in story telling, I enjoyed certain elements of that dark tone, however I felt it took away some of the fun that the first film had and I felt the first film was a lot funnier and had a lot more humour added into it.

 

So what didn't work? Like I mentioned earlier the shaky cam action scenes got annoying very fast. I understand that sometimes shaky cam makes the fighting look more realistic but it can make the viewer not fully see what is going on in the scene and that for me was a disappointment. As a Jim Carrey fan, although his appearance length is relevant to the progression of the story, I felt he could have been in a bit longer as he was very entertaining.

 

I understand this film was up against stiff opposition with the first film as Kick Ass 1 was a fan favourite and I thoroughly enjoyed the first film, and again, while I didn't hate the film in any way shape, or form, it just doesn't have the humour or the sheer excitement that the original had in my opinion. If you loved Kick Ass 1, then by all means go and see Kick Ass 2 and I'm sure you will enjoy it.

 

My Rating - 7/10

 

Positives - Hit Girl, Kick Ass, The Motherfucker, Colonel Stars 'n' Stripes, all members of Justice Forever and all the super villains, Fight Scenes very well choreographed, some good one-liners.

 

Negatives - Too much shaky cam for fight scenes, not as fun and funny as the first film, Jim Carrey's screen time not long enough as he was funniest part of the film IMO.

 

Don't get me wrong everyone, I thought it was a decent film, I just left the film underwhelmed and disappointed as it just isn't as good as the original in my opinion.

 

Thanks for reading this review everyone I appreciate every view I get and I hope this review was useful to you. If you like this review I have many others in the sidebar feel free to check them out!

 

Also you can +1 this review on Google+ {you must be a Google+ member to do so, that goes with commenting on reviews too}, you can follow me on Twitter @MARRAMD, share this review on other blog sites!

 

Question of the day - Kick Ass 1 or Scott Pilgrim - Which film did you like the most? Me, it would have to be Kick Ass 1 as I hated Scott Pilgrim!

 

Thanks again everyone take care and my next review will be uploaded soon I will let you know on Facebook as to what film that will be, take care :) 

 

GROWN UPS 2 - FILM REVIEW

 

Grown Ups 2 is a comedy starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, David Spade and Chris Rock. The film is a direct sequel to the first Grown Ups film which I thought was actually quite funny, was it hilarious? No. But it was entertaining for the most part, with a good and simple story and had a good heart to it. So here comes the sequel...is it as good as the first film?....No

 

Now many people who know me know I'm not a big Adam Sandler fan, as a kid I enjoyed Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore. It appealed to me as a kid because it was very silly well...child based humour. The thing is though many of Sandler's fans who have seen his older films have grown up {no pun intended}and now the "humour" of his films just aren't funny anymore, not that they were that funny to begin with!

 

So what about the plot of this "comedy"? What plot? Well the basic feeling here is that there is no main plot, just a lot of side plots involving the 4 main characters and their families and how the fathers come to terms with their kids becoming older and the challenges that they are facing within that. Other than that, absolutely nothing. Seriously. Ok right from the very first scene in this film you know you're in for a god awful time {it's seen in the trailer too, you're welcome}. Adam Sandler is in bed with his wife, played by Selma Hayek, and Sandler awakes to see a Deer in his bedroom. Yes, a CGI Deer in his bedroom...who once Sandler realises is there, screams at the deer and the deer stands on its hind legs and pees in Sandler's mouth. Why?  God only knows, guess that's meant to be funny, right? RIGHT? Nope.

 

From then on we are 'treated to' over 90 minutes of fart jokes, gay jokes {one particular scene with a gay cheerleader car wash...}, some not bad cameos and in all honesty a complete mess of a film and a 'comedy' that is a joke to even call it that.

 

I'm so sorry everyone who maybe thought this film would be half decent but I hope to {even though I don't like to tell anyone not to go see a film because it is your choice} get this across to you as clear as possible, this is NOT a funny film, at all.

 

Is there ANY positives? Like I said there are some decent cameos {most of whom are spoiled by the trailer}and one in particular cameo I enjoyed quite a lot to be honest, but that is literally it. I know I am meant to be objective as a reviewer and believe I am, because I could be ALOT crueller to this film but I won't go too far. I firmly believe now that Adam Sandler is not even trying anymore. After other huge flops such as Jack & Jill and That's My Boy, I feel this is another huge mess and a comedy that fails in nearly every single element.

 

Now don't get me wrong I am not above laughing at very simple and dumb jokes, my friends and family will agree there, but this is borderline insulting. I don't think fart jokes are funny, even less so when its repeated over a dozen times in an hour and a half. All this film is essentially is random scenes that last a few minutes, drag forever to get to the pinch line, and the punch line is awful and thus the joke falls flat.

 

I was sat in a screening today which was nearly full capacity, and on estimation half of those people walked out after 30 minutes...30 MINUTES. The film also suffers from not knowing what audience the film is meant for. For example one scene will feature dumb fart jokes for the teenagers and under, yet next scene will show a high school party type situation with half naked women in it, you understand my point?

 

I encourage anyone who is even thinking of seeing this turd of a film to please re consider, your money is more valued anywhere else than spending it on this terrible film and especially Adam Sandler's unfunny material. Kick Ass 2 is out this week why not save your cash for that, or anything else.

 

My Rating - 2/10

 

SPOILER : Please be aware that in my positives/negatives I will say names of people who are in this film, if you have not seen the trailer or just don't want anything ruined for you please do not continue reading. Thank you.

 

Positives - Stone Cold Steve Austin {cameo}, Shaq {he was reasonably good} Taylor Lautner {yes, I know I never thought I'd ever say this but hopefully you know how awful this film is when HE is one of the best parts in it, had a big part}, Selma Hayek is attractive {always a plus}, the kid who plays Chris Rock's youngest child was cute and funnier than most of the cast}

 

Negatives - Jokes were terrible, fart, shit jokes {literally}, homosexual jokes have been done to death at this point, David Spade {one of the un funniest comedians I have ever seen}, Nick Swardson {even worse than David Spade, Nick plays Nick Hillard.

 

Truly this is one of the worst comedies I've seen in a very long time. Is it worse than Scary Movie 5? Nope, but it is worse than Burt Wonderstone and Movie 43, in my opinion.

 

Thanks again for reading this review everyone I really appreciate the support. I just also want to thank you all for reading my review of The Conjuring which is now my highest viewed review so far so thank you very much!

 

If you like this review, please share this on other blog sites, +1 this if you are on Google+, comment below {if you are a Google+ Subscriber} let me know what you thought of the film if you have seen it?

 

Question of the day, What is your all time favourite Adam Sandler film? Also, what is your least favourite?

 

Follow me on Twitter @MARRAMD.

 

My next review will be for the upcoming Kick Ass 2 so please feel free to view that review when I upload it next week {will likely be on Tuesday as I plan to see it on Monday}

 

By the way, here is what I think perfectly describes my thoughts on how annoying this film was, the link below perfectly illustrates how it made me feel. Take care :}

 

 



 

ALAN PARTRIDGE : ALPHA PAPA FILM REVIEW

 

A'ha! {sorry had to say that..}

 

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa stars Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge, a {fictional} DJ who lives in Norwich and is a big screen adaptation of the very popular 90s comedy series.

 

I myself was a big fan of Alan Partridge and have watched all 3 series many times and found it very funny. Alan's awkwardness and arrogance made for some very uncomfortable situations and instead of laughing with him, you end up laughing at him. Alan is, at least in his own mind, a local "celebrity" and his air of self importance and the overall strangeness of Alan is what I love the most. He is what I would call, a loveable idiot.

 

So the plot is very easy to follow {spoiler warning if you don't want to know the plot but its just a comedy so I don't think it matters too much does it?}

Alan works for North Norfolk Digital presenting his radio programme "Mid morning matters" along with his co-presenter Simon. The ratings for the station across its many shows have dropped significantly and when Alan learns that a new media outlet is going to take over their station, he finds out that he could potentially lose his job and therefore jeopardise his 'fame'. The new company are not fans of the older presenters and want to make the station more appealing to a younger audience and two names are discussed in a board meeting as to whom to sack, those being Alan Partridge and Pat Ferrell, a fellow DJ whose does a late night chat and phone-in show. Needless to say, Alan persuades the new company to sack Pat, after promising Pat and many of the fellow DJs at North Norfolk Digital he would fight for all their jobs to be safe. Pat says his goodbyes to everyone including the very sheepish looking Alan, but Pat soon returns with a shotgun and holds the entire building hostage. When the police are informed, they want Alan to be the communication go between  them and Pat, and Alan sees this as a chance to become the hero, and what follows is a hilarious comedy with plenty of Alan's attempts to save the day.

 

I will say right now, after i saw the trailer for the film, i was not expecting it to be good at all. However, this film surprised me and I loved it! Fans of Alan Partridge will also see old favourites retuning such as Alan's trusted helping hand, Lynn and she has a number of funny exchanges. Also, Michael the Geordie has a small role in the film and I found him very funny in the few scenes he was in. There is a lot of awkward humour in this film and that is what the series was about too. I enjoyed Pat as well, he was the 'villain' but he and Alan's exchanges were very funny and they have good comedic timing and good chemistry together. Yes Alan does steal the film, as he obviously would being the main character and the person we most want to succeed and save the day, but I felt every other significant character was used well and very rarely did the jokes fall flat. The jokes in the film can be considered crude but that has been a major part of the TV series to be honest so i was expecting it going in.

 

I would say this is the best comedy I've seen so far this year without a doubt. This film, along with This is the end, are the two shining lights among a dark dismal showing for comedy this year. Fans of the TV series will enjoy the film and even if you have never seen any Alan Partridge comedy, check it out anyway as it is a genuinely good and funny British comedy.

 

My Rating - 8/10

 

Positives - Alan, Pat, Lynn, Michael, good camerawork, and most importantly very funny!

 

Negatives - If you're not a fan of the TV series you wont enjoy this I don't think, couple of jokes fell flat, ending was okay but could have been better.

 

Thanks again everyone for checking out my review. I hope you enjoyed it. Comment below let me know if you have seen this film and if so, did you enjoy it? If not, why not? Did you like the TV series? Let me know whatever you want! {subscribing to Google+ is needed to comment}. If you enjoyed the review please +1 on Google+, share this on other blog sites, tell your friends about the review, follow me on Twitter @MARRAMD. My next review will be coming soon so feel free to come back and check out my other reviews if you want!

 

Take care :)



 

THE CONJURING - MOVIE REVIEW

 

The Conjuring is a 2013 horror film directed by James Wan, who horror fans may remember directing Insidious. The film stars Vera Farmega and Patrick Wilson as two paranormal investigators Ed & Lorraine Warren, which is based on a true story surrounding the Warrens.

 

There will be no major spoilers in this review but here is a brief description of the plot. The film starts off with a family named The Perrins {mother & father are Carolyn & Roger} along with their five daughters, move into an old farmhouse. Straight away you know there is something not quite right with the house as the family dog refuses to enter the home. The first night goes well, the next day one of the daughters, whilst playing hide & clap with her sisters, finds the boarded up entrance to the cellar. The next morning Carolyn wakes up to find she has a couple of very strange bruises on her body, and when one of the daughters goes out onto the front porch, screams in horror and the family discover that the dog is dead, or has been killed. Over the next few nights other strange occurrences happen within the house, doors open by themselves, another one of the daughters has her foot pulled, and other strange phenomena. A couple of nights later, Roger goes to work away and Carolyn whilst in the cellar, whilst one of her daughters is attacked by a demonic entity. Scared and unsure where to turn, the Perrins seek help from Ed & Lorraine Warren and initially the investigators are sceptical as they have dealt with thousands of enquiries and most are easily debunked as minor issues within the home for example drainage in the pipework causing the creaking noises. However instantly, Lorraine begins n the house and after the couple further investigate the origins of the home and its previous owners, they soon realise that this is the real deal and set out to capture activity within the home and set up cameras and other equipment in the various rooms. From there, the Warrens also become subject to strange activity going on in their home, and from there I won't go much further but needless to say the shit really hits the fan.

Now I went into this film not seeing ANY footage of the trailer, i had only looked at the very creepy poster advertising it {the one with the creepy as hell doll and the mysterious figure holding it} so I was excited to see this film as i am a big horror and this looked like it had a great chance of being...great. I have a feeling this film will divide opinion amongst fans of horror, some will say this is a run of the mill, average horror flick with nothing new brought to the table and is full of jump-scares, others will say it is a genuinely strange and creepy ride that has the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I'm more leaning towards the first statement to be honest.

Now James Wan directed this film and like I stated earlier he directed Insidious, a film which I have criticised for having a lot of promise and a decent story, but turned into a silly film with again, nothing new brought to the table. I would have to say the same again here, except the story is more appealing as it is apparently based on a true story.

So where does the good lay in this film? There is some very good camerawork here and just like Insidious it also has this plus some very spooky and atmospheric music that adds the right amount of tension to each scene. I enjoyed the acting from everyone in the film and yes, that includes the child actors. They made you believe they were genuinely frightened in a lot of their scenes and that was their job so I cannot and will not fault them for that. The Warrens came across as a very loving couple and Farmega and Wilson were very good in their roles and I liked that they weren't typical paranormal investigators that instantly believed every home is haunted, so I enjoyed that element to the film. There is a good 75% of the film where the tension builds and builds and builds some more and that helps you feel "scared", even when nothing is actually happening. The story is good too, although I know I haven't divulged into it to much but I don't want to give away the entire plot.


But i will say right now, this film bored me to tears at many points and in many scenes. There was a lot of jump-scares and I am aware you need a certain amount in horror films as they are part and parcel of the genre, but there was no originality to any of them. Did I jump a few times? Yes I did however turning the noise level up in certain scenes just to amplify the noise to scare the viewer will make you jump simple as that. There are so many clichés and very predictable scares that for me takes the suspense and tension out of every major scary scenes as you know what is going to happen 90% of the time in this film. I will be honest now and say i was sat in the cinema watching and I predicted EVERY twist in the film, seriously. By the way the creepy doll from the poster, is a major plot point of the film thus my reason for not going into too much detail about it.

Is it a terrible film? No not by any means but I found it extremely boring and predictable. Again, no spoilers but the last 20 minutes turns so goofy and stupid whilst being unoriginal, that it almost turns funny, and that again is my point about taking tension and suspense from what the film was trying to achieve. If you are easily scared, and there is nothing wrong with that, then I think you will enjoy The Conjuring. It is only just under 2 hours and it passes very quickly so even if you don't enjoy the film it doesn't last forever like some horror films tend to. I went into this film excited, but left disappointed. It tries to be different, however suffers from unoriginality. Whilst the story is enough to carry you through the film, the lack of genuine scares is its biggest flaw and is a shame because it had so much potential to be better than most horror films of the last few years.

My Rating- 5/10

Positives - Camerawork, Acting from everyone was top notch, good CGI although not a lot of it was used which was good to see, interesting story.

Negatives - Unoriginal, last 20 minutes was awful and cringe worthy to watch, very, very slow build up but with no real pay-off, very generic and boring in many parts.


The Conjuring won't give you anything to lose sleep over, but it is a horror film that although doesn't accomplish a lot, does have some interesting story elements and tension build up.

Thanks again as always everyone for reading this review I appreciate every view and feedback.

Comment below let me know what you thought of The Conjuring, did it freak you out? Did you enjoy it/not enjoy it, if so why/why not? Would you be happy to see a second film if they decided to do so? Comment below say whatever you want! {Commenting below is subject to signing up to Google+} If you liked/enjoyed this review please feel free to share this on other blog sites, +1 this if you are on Google+, subscribe to my blog so you will never miss a review, follow me on Twitter @MARRAMD. My next review will be for the upcoming film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.

Take care :]