Nov 30 2019

Ben Stiller Weekend – There’s Something About Mary (1998)

Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly

Writer: Ed Decter, John J Strauss, Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly (Screenplay)

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans, Chris Elliott, Lin Shaye, Jeffrey Tambor, Markie Post, Keith David

Plot: A man gets a chance to meet up with his dream girl from high school, even though his date with her back then was a complete disaster.

Tagline – Warning: The guys who did ‘Dumb & Dumber’ and ‘Kingpin’ bring you a love story.

Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Laugh Out Loud Comedy

Story: There’s Something About Mary starts back in high school Ted (Stiller) is an outsider at school with a giant crush on the school beauty Mary (Diaz), he is lucky enough to get asked to the prom which only ends in disaster after an accident.

13 years later Ted still wants to know about Mary, he hires a private investigator Healy (Dillon) to find out about her, only for him to fall for her and he tries to get her using all the secrets he has learnt from spying on her, which drives Ted down to Florida to try and win her heart first.

Thoughts on There’s Something About Mary

Characters – Mary is the beauty woman that the guys are all attracted too, she is good-hearted helping the community including her brother, she however can’t settle on the right guy, attracting the wrongs one too often. Ted is the high school student that suffers an unfortunate accident on prom night, he never got over not knowing about Mary and sets out to learn about her 13-years later, he continues to have accidents in life, but is an honest guy. The nice twist on these two characters is that, Mary is the big sports fan while Ted doesn’t seem that interested in sports. Healy is the private investigator that is hired to learn about Mary, he falls for her and uses the information he has learnt to try and win her heart. Tucker is a friend of Mary’s that also loves her and will do anything to stop the guys dating her.

Performances – Cameron Diaz was the perfect choice for this role she has the looks which was important, but she shows us all that she has the comedic timing too. Matt Dillon as a creepy investigator works great too, this plays into his strengths in the comedy genre too, while Ben Stiller shows us just how good he is at playing to loveable loser figure, apart from his terrible fake crying. The supporting cast get their laughs too, which works well throughout the film.

Story – The story follows multiply men that fall for Mary, they are going to try different plans to win her heart and certain ideas do work. This doesn’t paint the intelligent doctor figure of Mary very well, but we tend to focus on the guys plans over her decisions. Ted is the nice guy that mostly wants to make sure she is doing well in life only to become part of her life again, while others turn to lies to play into her favourite traits. For a comedy this story works very well, it will give you the laughs along the way even if the characters for the most part are turned into desperate people that will lie to get a woman.

Comedy/Romance – The comedy in this film gets laughs throughout the film, certain people will be offended by certain material though. The romance shows how people will fall in love and how far people will go for love.

Settings – Most of the film is set around Florida, which gives us the sun filled background to make this easy on the eyes.

Scene of the Movie – Learning the truth.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The depiction of mentally handicapped people.

Final Thoughts – This is a funny comedy that does make us laugh more often than not, we have great performances from the whole cast and you will be happy to watch this again.

Overall: Enjoyable comedy.

Rating

Nov 30 2019

Red Handed (2019) Movie Review

Director: Frank Peluso

Writer: Frank Peluso (Screenplay)

Starring: Michael Biehn, Ryan Carnes, Kenzie Dalton, Owen Burke, Rick Salomon, Christian Madsen, Michael Madsen

Plot: When their father is murdered, three brothers descend upon an Oregon mountain river to spread his ashes. After they arrive, one of their children goes missing. One of the brothers was himself abducted 30 years ago when they visited this same river, but he has blocked the incident out of his mind. Only by unlocking the mysteries inside his subconscious, will they be able find the child.

Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Thriller That Lacks Intensity

Story: Red Handed starts with a Pagan ritual that was once famous in the local area in the 12^th century, one with real horrors. We see Lou (Michael Madsen) a car mechanic in the town now, he has three children Gus (Carnes), Pete (Burke) and Duffy (Christen Madsen) with his own relationship with his brothers Reynolds (Biehn) and Dale (Salomon) being distant.

When Lou gets murdered by his brother, the brothers return to the town for the first time in years to spread his ashes. This trip brings back the memories of the three’s childhood, where one of them once went missing, following the traditions of the area, which might have a reason for their father’s death.

Thoughts on Red Handed

Characters – Reynolds is the brother of Lou, he is older and has always remained closer to the family traditions. Duffy is the son that is closest to his father, he has his own family even if there are a few problems in his marriage, he is reluctant to sees his brothers, but must work with them over the weekend. Pete is the eldest of the brothers, he likes the quiet of the world unlike the other too, as well as having a trauma from his past which he doesn’t like to open up about. Lou is their father who has always tried to keep them close, but just like him with his brothers, has seen them becoming distant. We do have three brothers that have become distant, which sees them reuniting having issues between them.

Performances – We do have two big names in this film with Michael Biehn and Michael Madsen who are here to show the experience the film needs, while the younger cast, where Christian Madsen, Owen Burke and Ryan Carnes all work well in the dysfunctional siblings.

Story – The story here follows three brothers that come together for their father’s funeral only to find themselves in the middle of a pagan community that their father didn’t want to be part off. This is a story that can be split into two, the brothers coming together shows that life can push family’s apart and coming back together can help problems be talked through, this is all great. When we look at the other side of the story we are dealing with pagan followers which is more about them planning in the background without getting into the true depths of the ritual.

Thriller – The film tries to keep us guessing on what will be happening next, but we never get the intensity we could get with the pagan style movie.

Settings – The film keeps us in the small backcountry homes, which are near historic important locations, which does help keep everything contained.

Scene of the Movie – Brothers together again, touching moment between the brothers.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Most of the Pagan side didn’t feel like it was important enough.

Final Thoughts – This is a thriller that doesn’t hit the heights it could, the serious relationship between brothers is the highlight, while the pagan side almost feels tagged on.

Overall: Thriller without Intensity.

Nov 29 2019

The League of Legend Keepers: Shadows (2019) Movie Review

Director: Elizabeth Blake-Thomas

Writer: Isabella Blake-Thomas, Jonathan Brayley, Bob Nevens Jr (Screenplay)

Starring: Richard Tyson, Jake Brennan, Isabella Blake-Thomas, Britt Flatmo, Abigail Titmuss, Ethan Munck, Victoria Lopez, Michael Piccirilli

Plot: A horror film for children. A family of archaeologists find the fifth pendant that has been missing for centuries. Unfortunately a spirit has also been searching for this pendant. Once all pendants are brought together the shadows from the past are released. Will Sophie be able to save her town from the shadows?

Runtime: 1 Hour 12 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Fun Family Adventure

Story: The League of Legend Keepers: Shadows starts as the Carson family, Edward (Piccirilli), Katie (Titmuss), Sophie (Blake-Thomas) and Emma (Jellen) are starting their next adventure in California, where Edward’s work has taken them next. Sophie must get used to a new school, with her making friends with the bullied neighbour Edison (Eggerling).

When Edward makes the discovery, which is one of the biggest legends around in California history, the pendants bring to life the shadow people under the control of Ohanzee (Tubert) that have been searching for them, forcing Sophie to figure out how to save the people.

Thoughts on The League of Legend Keepers: Shadows

Characters – Sophie is the teenager daughter of a famous explorer, she has grown up around the world getting the sense of adventure along the way, she has always been fascinated by different stories from around the world including the one surrounding Ohanzee. She is immune to bully’s behaviour and will prove herself in the field by being the one that must battle Ohanzee. Edward is the archaeologist father that has taken his family around the world, his latest job sees them finding themselves in trouble needing to learn about the secret group that have been protecting the world. Travis is the man that recruit Edward on this latest exploration and he knows even more about the legend they might be disturbing. Edison is the science fanatic who lives next door to the Carson’s he becomes friends with Sophie and learns to start standing up for himself.

Performances – Isabella Blake-Thomas in the leading role does stand head and shoulders above the rest of the cast, bringing the modern fearless teenager to life. Richard Tyson, Michael Piccirilli and Gabe Eggerling complete the main cast without every putting a foot role and letting Isabella take centre stage.

Story – The story here follows a family of explorers that will face need to fight an evil the helped discover in the world before it is too late. This does feel like it is one story that would easily work to make the audience entertained, it gives us a legend that could be real that needs to be explored that would create peril, but not be the darkest one they could face, being almost an introduction to characters we could follow for years to come. This is a story that everyone could follow and does have a couple of real-life school issues that Sophie deals with through her adventure in the film.

Family – This is a film that the whole family could enjoy, it will have a couple of more adult laughs, while turning the adventure into a family affair.

Settings – The film takes us to California which while looking great, it just doesn’t seem like a location you would be discovering legends.

Scene of the Movie – Facing the evil.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The League of Legend Keepers introduction.

Final Thoughts – This is a fun family film that can be enjoyed by all the family, it brings us an adventure a family must go through together to save the day.

Overall: Fun Throughout.

Nov 29 2019

Reality Queen! (2019) Movie Review

Director: Steven Jay Bernheim

Writer: Steven Jay Bernheim, Schuyler Brumley, Chris Cobb, Gabby Gruen, Greg Lindasy, Allan Murray, John-Paul Panelli, Chandler Patton (Screenplay)

Starring: Julia Faye West, Denise Richards, Mike Tyson, Kate Orsini, John Witherspoon, Charles Fleischer, Loren Lester, Candace Kita, John R Colley

Plot: Reality Queen. follows an heiress’ quest to show the world she isn’t just another “it” girl and pretentious celebutante, chronicled by renowned BBC journalist Diana Smeltmarlin.

Tagline – Is London a marketing genius, or is she simply the accidental beneficiary of an overwhelmingly ignorant American public?

Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Perfect Parody of Reality Stars

Story: Reality Queen! Starts is as we learn about celebrity London Logo (West) has risen to fame as an heiress, she has no talent and is shallow as they come. British journalist Diane Smelt-Marlin (Orsini) is running a story about London, which means she gets close to her, learning more about her attempts to remain relevant in the eyes of the world.

Diana learns how London relies on Winston Spritz (Lester) to handle all her problems, her fashion designer Simon Debris (Colley), her best friend actress Angelina Streisand (Richards), while trying to out do her rival Kristy Kim (Kita).

Thoughts on Reality Queen!

Characters – London Logo is a celebrity heiress who has becomes an international role model without doing anything worthwhile, her clothes inspire fashion trends, her social media is followed by millions, she is meant to be as dumb as they come, including thinking she has the smallest dog, when it is a gerbil. Angelina Streisand is the actress best friend of London, she does seem to stick around out of enjoyment of the high life. Diane Smelt-Marlin is the reporter trying to get a story about London and the more she talks and spends time around London, she learns more about the reality life that the famous try to hold onto. Winston Spritz is the man that cleans up any problems that London finds herself in, almost being a personal butler to London.

Performances – Julia Faye West truly brings this airhead character to life being just how most people would imagine a pointless celebrity to act life. Kate Orsini brings us a more grounded in reality character in the journalist, which the different between the two characters. Denise Richards being one of the biggest names in the film gets to give a strong supporting performance while Loren Lester gets plenty of laughs in what is a completely straight-faced character in the film.

Story – The story here follows an interview being prepared for a rich celebrity who is famous for being famous, as we see how she has somehow stayed on top of the industry for so long. The story is told in a mockumentary style which gets to have plenty of fun at the famous for being famous pointless reality celebrities we see flooding our screens, either television or social media, going behind the scenes means we get to see how London thinks her life is hard when she will do silly things believing it will be her important. For a story to make this much fun at the reality stereotypes, you simply can’t love it because they have taken up too much time, been popular and given the wrong messages across for years.

Comedy – The comedy is perfectly used to parody the reality celebrities that flood the screens, you will laugh at just how outrageous certain statements or actions are from somebody who thinks they are above everybody else.

Settings – The film here shows us everywhere you would imagine seeing a reality star hanging out, the mansion they call home and their transport used for getting around town.

Scene of the Movie – The search for the micro dog.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The beach scene.

Final Thoughts – This a comedy that manages to perfectly make fun of the reality star’s lives, it will show off just why people dislike them and how they think they are important for the world.

Overall: Laugh Out Loud Funny.

Nov 29 2019

This Is Our Home (2019) Movie Review

Director: Omri Dorani

Writer: Rob Harmon (Screenplay)

Starring: Jeff Ayars, Drew Beckas, Riggsby Lane, Simone Policano

Plot: A struggling couple’s weekend getaway goes awry when a child arrives in the middle of the night claiming to be their son.

Runtime: 1 Hour 13 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Lacks the Spark

Story: This Is Our Home starts when Cory (Ayars) and Reina (Policano) go on a weekend getaway at an old family home to put some of the struggles of life behind them. The two are trying to start their own family, without having much success until one night on the getaway when a knocking comes from the door, by a child, a child who claims to be their own.

Zeke (Beckas) claims to be their own child, that Cory has hurt him, the two take the boy in and offer support as they try to figure out if and where Zeke has come from. As the night continues the couple both starts acting stranger through the night.

Thoughts on This Is Our Home

Characters – Cory is the partner of Reina’s that has become distant in life, he does want to support his wife with this trip being a chance to try and make up for his mistakes. He gets accused of hurting the child that says he is their son, something he denies, and it wouldn’t make sense if he had. Reina is the partner of Cory and medical student; she has a weird thing she likes to do with her partner to practise and is returning to her own family home, where the dark secrets are what scare her most. Zeke is the boy that turns up at the doorstep claiming to be their son, he does seem to have an ability to make Reina believe this, as he tries to put himself into the family using the innocent child to help his case.

Performances – This is a hard film to judge the performances, mostly because everything is kept relatively simple with story, Jeff Ayars and Simone Policano both make themselves look like a struggling couple, showing both the best and worst moments from a relationship. Drew Beckas does bring the child character to life well and does make you wonder if there is more to his character or not.

Story – The story here follows a couple that get a strange visit from a child claiming to be their own when they know they haven’t had any children. This story is strange because it does seem to lack that moment that could take it from this is unusual to, that makes sense. The couple are struggling which is clear to see, the child does seem to have some control over them, but it isn’t made clear why or how, add in the mysterious room that is key to everything, we are left with more questions than answers by the end of the film. The story never reaches the interest level of what is could have been which leaves it feeling disappointing more than anything.

Horror/Romance – The horror seems to be slow building moments that just don’t pay off, while the romance is more about the relationship between the two and how much they have been struggling.

Settings – The film is set in an old family home which shows us just how the couple needed the escape, it has a mysterious room which should hold more answers too.

Scene of the Movie – The arrival.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – No real answers.

Final Thoughts – This is a horror that has all the questions lined up and fails to answer enough of them by the end of the film, it will leave you asking more than we got.

Overall: Disappointing Horror.