Film Review – About Last Night (2014)

Location Watched – Cinema

Director – Steve Pink

Starring –  Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant

Synopsis – Follow two couples as they journey from the bar to the bedroom and are eventually put to the test in the real world. (provided by IMDB.com)

(there could be spoilers)

REVIEW 

Kevin Hart continues to make his mark on the 2014 Box Office, with his third film outing this year, with this remake of the 1986 Bratpack movie of the same name. Will this be another example of his rising star or should we just stick to the original?

I have to say that I haven’t seen the original, so this won’t be a review loaded with comparisons, but I hope that the original had more substance than this version did. The center of the film is based around Debbie (Joy Bryant) and Danny (Michael Ealy) who after a one night stand turn their sexual relationship, into a serious one. The problem is that during the film the pace is quite fast and scenes are short between these two, leaving us with no real emotional meat for the audience to get into. What we get is the usual run through from “are we in a relationship” to “are you ready to get a dog” to “I want to hang with my boys” but with additional RnB songs whenever they think a scene of substance is on.

On the flip side of this relationship, is a couple made up of Bernie (Hart) and Joan (Hall). This is a couple filled with so much passion that it can manifest to sex or arguing. Its these guys that save the film for me as they bring real chemistry to the screen and with these guys, alot of humor. It’s not that we can’t see the signs of how this couple is going to end up, its just that between them they add the spark needed for the film. Kevin Hart always brings funny, but with Hall he has someone to bounce off and willing to go anywhere where the scene takes them. Trust me you won’t look at a chicken the same way after one revealing scene between them.

VERDICT 

Most people will be here for Kevin Hart, and for that reason they won’t be disappointed.

RATING

Please feel free to comment below if you have any opinions regarding this review or film.

5 STARS = EXCELLENT

4 STARS = VERY GOOD

3 STARS = GOOD

2 STARS = POOR

1 STAR = TERRIBLE

Film Review – A Long Way Down

Director – Pascal Chaumeil

Starring –  Imogen Poots, Aaron Paul, Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Rosamund Pike, Sam Neill.

Synopsis – Four people meet on New Year’s Eve and form a surrogate family to help one another weather the difficulties of their lives. (provided by IMDB.com)

(there could be spoilers)

REVIEW 

So for the second time in a month I’ve viewed a film starring Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots. This time though, the film is based on a novel by popular writer Nick Hornby and not a video game. So it has to be better right? It must be….?

I haven’t read the novel that this film was based on but, with an interesting premise and good cast, my expectations were high. This was until I viewed the first act and saw that expectation bubble burst.

The film gets straight into it, with Brosnan’s character. We meet him on route to the roof but before long he is joined by the other three. Its from this meeting that their pact is formed and from where the film lost me. The director has gone for a light hearted tone from this initial meeting and its from here on in that the group go along from one set up to another without any real substance at all. During these scenes the characters barely show anything touching on the grief that brought them there and by the end of the film I didn’t really care for any of them.

Like in “Need For Speed” I think the teaming of Imogen Poots and Aaron Paul really were the best things in this film. Poots stars as Jess, and I must admit irritated me in the first few scenes as the “say it as it is with no boundaries” kind of girl but thankfully settled down during the film, with Poots as interesting as ever. In a difference from “Need for Speed” Aaron Paul does use some of his talent to try to give his character some dimension but without any real dialogue I think he was wasted. Toni Collette and Pierce Bronsnan would probably be the most recognizable to most people watching the film, but neither are given anything other than boring stereotypical characters, that are instantly forgettable.

Overall this film could have been alot better, with the film “50/50” a good example of taking an unpleasant situation but filling it with enough humor and emotion to make it a very good watch. I can only think that as its Director Pascal Chaumeils first English spoken film that he lacked the confidence for real dialogue driven scenes and ensured the film at least looked good.

VERDICT 

My mom would enjoy watching this, on a lazy Sunday afternoon but for me it was a big disappointment

RATING

Please feel free to comment below if you have any opinions regarding this review or film.

5 STARS = EXCELLENT

4 STARS = VERY GOOD

3 STARS = GOOD

2 STARS = POOR

1 STAR = TERRIBLE

Film Review – Need For Speed (2014)

Location Watched – Cinema

Director – Scott Waugh

Starring –  Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots, Dominic Cooper, Michael Keaton.

Synopsis – Fresh from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business associate joins a cross country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins. (provided by IMDB.com)

(there could be spoilers)

REVIEW 

With Fast and Furious earning the big bucks for over 10 years at the box office, it was only a matter of time before a different studio tried to get in on the act, and why not use the fanbase of the worlds most popular video game. Well we all know how poor video games adaptations have been at the box office, and well, how poor the actual adaptations are. Does Need For Speed change that? I’m afraid it doesn’t.

Firstly most video game adaptations at least have a starting point of characters and plot to get them going, the filmmakers of this need to build this from the ground up. The film seems to be designed to show off the action but give very little else in terms of character or story. An example of this would be when Aaron Pauls character Tobey goes to prison for after the death of his best friend at the hands of Dominic Coopers character Dino. Well we get a little montage to show time passing, then he is out of jail and wants to avenge lil’ Petes death by racing in the De Leon (winner takes all race that Dino will race in) yes this is as deep it gets.

After his Breaking Bad success it was only a matter of time before Aaron Paul was turned into a leading man on the big screen, unfortunately this isn’t the vehicle for him to show off his leading man credentials. The filmmakers have opted for a “Drive” style leading man that is full of steely determination but doesn’t say much and lets the driving do the talking for him. He does improve a bit more when Imogen Poots is in his company, as does the film, because she is the only one that seems to have fun with her role. The bad guy duties go to Dominic Cooper as Dino but i’m afraid I find a bout of hiccups more menacing than Dino was, plus why would you leave damning evidence on your computer desktop?! A special mention should go to Michael Keaton who does his best to make it fun as the organizer of the De Leon race, a race so secret that he has a live webcam feed showing a map and location of it.

With the filmmakers believing that you are only here for the car driving action then I have to tell you, the action is quite good. The car action does zip along with a feel of speed (apt considering the title) and they throw in some good stunts. I always enjoy when I see actual stunts on the big screen, instead of reliance of CGI, and the actors do look the business when it comes to driving. That being said after awhile there’s maybe too much driving on screen as it leads the filmmakers down the path of putting unnecessary stunts into it, like refueling whilst driving, why? I really don’t know..

Overall its not a terrible film and can definitely find an audience, as soon as they finish school for the day but does feel like a missed opportunity for all involved.

VERDICT 

If this was a race with Fast And Furious then Need For Speed would be handing over their pink slips.

RATING

Please feel free to comment below if you have any opinions regarding this review or film.

5 STARS = EXCELLENT

4 STARS = VERY GOOD

3 STARS = GOOD

2 STARS = POOR

1 STAR = TERRIBLE

Film Review – Non-Stop

Director – Jaume Collet-Serra

Starring –  Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery, Lupita Nyong’o, 

Synopsis – An air marshal springs into action during a transatlantic flight after receiving a series of text messages that put his fellow passengers at risk unless the airline transfers $150 million into an off-shore account. (provided by IMDB.com)

(there could be spoilers)

REVIEW 

Sometime in 2008 we all heard Liam Neeson speak those words, you know the words, the ones that end with ” I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you”. Not since Matt Damon turned badass in the Bourne series had I seen a great actor deliver lines and believably kick ass. Although it appears that since that turning point Damon has been better at choosing the new found scripts coming his way than Neeson has.

So lets start with the script, as this B-movie thriller does have a solid premise that kept me interested for the most part of the run time. In truth though its not down to cleverly written characters outwitting each other, its down to a lot of red-herrings being thrown on the screen and a series of events held together in the hope they look like a clever master-plan. Talking of red-herrings even now I don’t know why, for example, we get to see characters like Lupita Nyong’os air stewardess, who just randomly disappears/appears on a flight, even though everyone only seems to be only in two compartments of the plane.

I will admit though that despite all this I thought it was good silly fun, that is until the final act unravels and the mastermind is reveled, At this point it dropped down a notch and made me question all the circumstances running up to it, and believe me you will find yourself questioning the circumstances in the plot.

Non-Stop sees the director Collet-Sera re-team with Neeson after their previous film “Unknown” and in character Bill Marks they manage to tick, not one or two but all the stereotypical traits a character would have in these films. Ok here goes has a dependency on alcohol (tick that box), divorced (tick), personal tragedy (tick) and scared of flying (massive tick) to name a few. Neeson is still the best thing in this movie but in truth you spend the whole time hoping for a memorable line or quote but it never happens.

VERDICT

Its no “Taken” but then again even “Taken 2” wasn’t. Hopefully we can go back to Liam Neeson getting better character driven scripts and not wasting his big screen talent.

RATING

Please feel free to comment below if you have any opinions regarding this review or film.

5 STARS = EXCELLENT

4 STARS = VERY GOOD

3 STARS = GOOD

2 STARS = POOR

1 STAR = TERRIBLE