Paul (15) ***** Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen. Dir: Greg Mottola
Despite what everyone was thinking about Paul when it was announced, it is not the long awaited 3rd film in the Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, blood-and-cornetto trilogy, but an altogether different movie.
The film starts off following two British nerds Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost) as they go to comic-con and then a tour of the UFO highway in America. Whilst slow to start, the pace is picked up when, in the middle of the night, they witness a car crash. The only survivor being, an alien (Rogen) who calls himself Paul - after the girls dog he squashed when he crashed his spaceship.
Now harbouring a fugitive from a secret government faction, the trio set off on a road trip to get Paul home, not knowing they are being followed by Special Agent Zoil (Jason Bateman) under the command of a character known only as 'The Big Guy' (Sigourney Weaver).
After the slow start, the introduction of Paul - the hilarious smoking, swearing alien - breathes new life into the film, telling Clive and Graeme about life after he crashed on Earth, and why he's trying to escape.
Pegg and Frost, who wrote the film together, have made a great comedy which is drawn from their love of sci-fi, comics, and all around geeky-ness. The pair hailed to many classic films, including Indiana Jones and Close Encounters.
The special effects are brilliant, with the CG Paul interacting with the characters and the set in a believable way, in one scene, he lifts Clive's leg, and helps Graeme carry him to their rented RV.
A brilliantly funny film, showcasing the talents of Pegg and Frost, and being tied together by the hilarious Rogen, this film is a definite must see.
Monday, 28 February 2011
Friday, 11 February 2011
True Grit (15) ****
True Grit (15) **** Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, Josh Brolin. Dir: Ethan and Joel Coen.
After the murder of her father, Mattie Ross (Steinfeld) goes in search of his killer Tom Chaney (Brolin). She hires the local federal marshall Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) to help her track Chaney and a Texas ranger, LaBeouf (Damon) who has been tracking Cogburn for months tags along.
Jeff Bridges portrayal of the one eyed whisky swigger, made famous in the original True Grit in 1969 by John Wayne, is brilliant. With his slurred southern drawl, half of the time it was difficult to understand what he was saying, but when his dialogue became fully audible, he delivered quite funny, and sometimes touching lines, and our first introduction to the character is laugh out loud funny.
Steinfeld's Ross displays a brilliant determination in the face of the unwilling townsfolk of Forth Smith, which includes the reluctant Bridges.
Damon's LaBeouf is a typically arrogant Texan, whose quips with Cogburn are highly amusing.
It is good to see a film that doesnt rely heavily on special effects in it's really very good action sequences, including a hilarious scene with Cogburn trying to prove he's a top-shot with his six shooter to LaBeouf.
All in all, a very good film, made all the better thanks to its simplicity, and Bridges's brilliant acting.
After the murder of her father, Mattie Ross (Steinfeld) goes in search of his killer Tom Chaney (Brolin). She hires the local federal marshall Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) to help her track Chaney and a Texas ranger, LaBeouf (Damon) who has been tracking Cogburn for months tags along.
Jeff Bridges portrayal of the one eyed whisky swigger, made famous in the original True Grit in 1969 by John Wayne, is brilliant. With his slurred southern drawl, half of the time it was difficult to understand what he was saying, but when his dialogue became fully audible, he delivered quite funny, and sometimes touching lines, and our first introduction to the character is laugh out loud funny.
Steinfeld's Ross displays a brilliant determination in the face of the unwilling townsfolk of Forth Smith, which includes the reluctant Bridges.
Damon's LaBeouf is a typically arrogant Texan, whose quips with Cogburn are highly amusing.
It is good to see a film that doesnt rely heavily on special effects in it's really very good action sequences, including a hilarious scene with Cogburn trying to prove he's a top-shot with his six shooter to LaBeouf.
All in all, a very good film, made all the better thanks to its simplicity, and Bridges's brilliant acting.
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