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Inspired by the writing style of the Farrelly Brothers’ (Dumb & Dumber), Malibu Crush is a labour of love by award-winning actor and director, James Pratt.
It’s a quirky Indie film about two best friends from Pasadena who pretend to be highly acclaimed film school students in order to declare their love for an ex-girlfriend living in Sydney, Australia… Continue reading
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As I mentioned in the first remake – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle – you can in no way compare these modern day films to the 90’s Robin Williams Jumanji masterpiece. Nor are these parody movie intended to be.
With that said, let’s begin:
Jumanji: The Next Level was everything that I expected it to be. It was clearly capitalising on the success of the first one, with the story being an after thought. However, if you didn’t see the first movie then you’d still enjoy this second instalment… Continue reading
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Stan & Ollie is a film based on comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.
It doesn’t follow the typical story line of a biopic of following the protagonist’s life from childhood through to death. Rather, it focuses more on Laurel and Hardy’s (Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly) friendship.
The relationship they had was not only heartwarming, but combined with the backdrop of the thirties and fifties, you’re left longing for simpler times where human interactions were not interrupted by technology.
The movie follows the ups and downs of the ageing duo, who are struggling for money as their careers on the stage and in front of the camera are winding down… Continue reading
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Yesterday is a movie exploring the world where The Beatles never existed. After a global black-out, the protagonist Jack (Himesh Patel) wakes to discover that he’s the only one who remembers The Beatles or their songs.
Thankfully, as he’s a struggling musician he’s able to bring The Beatles’s music back to life. But with the fame and fortune, guilt and doubt isn’t far behind.
Yesterday is an easy watch. It’s a great Sunday afternoon family film with a fantastic soundtrack… Continue reading
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I was on the back foot about this film because I loved the ‘first’ Jumanji film so much.
I say ‘first’ film, but these movies are totally unrelated. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is very loosely based on the board game featured in the 1995 film, but updated to a play station game to target the newer generation.
The main characters are high schoolers who find themselves in detention together – not unlike The Breakfast Club. They are cleaning out the basement of the school when they come across this Jumanji game… Continue reading
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Some of these films were a larger influence on me choosing to study journalism at university than I care to admit. Morning Glory was the main reason for me deciding to take a television journalism paper, and The Pelican Brief was responsible for introducing me to the world of investigative journalism.
Here are some of the best journalistic films… Continue reading
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I was dubious about this film at first, I was thinking ‘any second now it’s going to take a turn for the worse’. But it didn’t! It was actually a very uplifting film from beginning to end.
I love movies about a likeable and naive underdog – like About a Boy or Driving Lessons – but coming-of-age films with a great soundtrack like this one is even better. The songs are so catchy!… Continue reading
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Previously titled Us & Them, this is a whole-heartedly, all-American family film. Therefore, you will either laugh from beginning to end, or you won’t be able to avoid cringing at the cheese.
I personally enjoyed Parental Guidance – I could appreciate the family-fun.
It’s about grandparents Artie and Dianne (Billy Crystal and Bette Midler)… Continue reading
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A classic 1990s rom-com! Featuring the mum and dad of 90s rom-coms – Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
It’s from the writer/director Nora Ephron – the brain behind When Harry Met Sally, the similar 90s story of Sleepless in Seattle, and Julie & Julia. (She must have really loved Meg Ryan – I wonder if Nora considered her for Julie & Julia because she has a striking resemblance to Amy Adams.)
You’ve Got Mail is the ultimate feel-good film… Continue reading
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From the director of Superbad, and the creators of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, comes Paul.
A story about a laid-back alien called Paul (Seth Rogan) who is on the run from the government across the States before getting picked up by a couple of geeky tourists, Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost). Graeme and Clive attended Comic-Con before travelling to various locations where UFOs have been sighted in an RV, until they get a closer encounter than they expected!… Continue reading
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This film is so underrated. It is funny, sensitive, sassy and stars Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt.
It’s about Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) who is an aspiring journalist, but can only land a job as an assistant at a fashion magazine. While ‘millions of girls would die’ for this position, it’s a far cry from the journalism job she was after.
At the fashion magazine, Miranda (Meryl Streep) is a terrifying boss and manipulates people well. Andrea soon finds herself desperately trying to keep up with Miranda’s impossible standards, with no help from fellow assistant Emily (Emily Blunt), and her family life is soon neglected… Continue reading
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Initially reminding me of other star-studded, multi-storyline films like Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Day and Love Actually, I didn’t have high-hopes for this ‘dramedy’. However, I was pleasantly surprised – it’s very funny indeed.
It follows several storylines that all end up being intertwined. But it begins with Emily (Julianne Moore) who cheats on her husband Cal (Steve Carrel). Jacob (Ryan Gosling) takes pity on a moping Cal and gives him a fashion and ego make-over.
Steve Carrel – who is also a producer of this movie – wanted the film to be called ‘The Wingman’ as it accurately described the main storyline. But it was eventually decided that it was a boring title and Crazy, Stupid, Love was chosen instead. (Even though it’s a girlie title, and inaccurate as there’s not a lot of ‘crazy’ in the film.)… Continue reading
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I love Melissa McCarthy, but I lowered my expectations after reading a fair few below-average reviews about her new film Life of the Party.
This didn’t deter me though, so my brother-in-law and I went to the cinema. Within ten minutes we were choking on our popcorn during fits of laughter, and getting stitches as we tried to stifle our chortles! Almost every scene was hilarious. By the end of the film, I had mascara streaked down my cheeks and a mild headache from trying not to laugh too loud… Continue reading
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As part of an upcoming post about the top 10 wedding movies, I realised I had a lot of research to conduct.
I had originally disregarded Father of the Bride, but a few people told me it’s actually worth a watch. It’s based on a film of the same name, which was made in 1950. All in all it’s an enjoyable enough film, but unfortunately it’s also my worst wedding nightmare come to life.
It’s about a father, George Banks (Steve Martin), and his comedic journey of organising a wedding for his daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams). A lot of unfortunate yet funny things happen, particularly when the in-laws meet for the first time and when George has a break down in a supermarket… Continue reading
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While it’s crudely about John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) crashing random weddings to get lucky, it’s certainly a very funny film once everyone’s put their boobs away.
What begins as just another wedding to find a fling, ends with John developing a genuine crush on Maid of Honour Claire Cleary (Rachel McAdams). However, Jeremy is trying to convince John to escape the wedding early as Claire’s wildly intense and immature sister Gloria (Isla Fisher) forms a strong attachment to Jeremy… Continue reading
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Groundhog Day is one of my favourite comedies by a long shot.
Bill Murray is perfect for the role of sarcastic weather man Phil Connors who finds himself reliving the same day over and over again.
It’s not his favourite day to relive, in fact it’s one of his least favourite days of the year. Groundhog Day is a popular tradition in USA and Canada whereby a groundhog is pulled out of a hutch in front of crowds of people and ‘predicts’ when the first day of Spring will be… Continue reading
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A brilliant action-comedy from writers Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. It’s one of my favourite films, and I can’t believe I’d never gotten around to review it.
This is my favourite film because it is so cleverly written and very funny. It follows the story of goody-two-shoes London policeman named Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) who gets transferred to a small, rural village against his will… Continue reading
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I really needed this film in my life.
Another Kiwi classic from director Taika Waititi, Hunt for the Wilderpeople is about a national manhunt ordered for a rebellious Kiwi kid, Ricky (Julian Dennison), and his foster uncle, Hec (Sam Neill), who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush. A fantastically hilarious and beautiful tribute to everything that is Kiwi… Continue reading
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Looking forward to having a big belly laugh, my boyfriend was quick to remind me about his older films. Of which only one – Cemetery Junction – I enjoyed.
He was right, and my initial excitement for David Brent: Life on the Road suddenly took a dive.
Thinking about it, Ricky Gervais has a knack for TV series, but in his film career – in my opinion – he has always been a one-trick-pony.
After the first five-minutes of becoming reacquainted with the cocky and cringe-worthy character of David Brent, the repetitive jokes were drilled in over and over. This comedy became boring quite rapidly… Continue reading
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22 Jump Street certainly didn’t match up to its prequel, 21 Jump Street.
This one was long and had as many topless scenes of Channing Tatum as possible… I’m assuming this was written into his contract..?
I didn’t find it as funny as the first one because it was so ridiculous. It was similar to the first but more outrageous. Although, I’m sure the Jump Street fans won’t be disappointed.
The amount of references to the first film kept the cookie-cutter-comedy fresh. The movie made fun of itself, hinting at… Continue reading
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If you enjoyed The Hangover, Ted, 21 Jump Street and Superbad, then you will probably love this movie.
It is about the end of the world and how it affects the Hollywood stars in Los Angeles. Their public image is mocked and they play to their weaknesses. Like, what do you reckon Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are like at a party? Yeah, they play to your assumptions which is quite hilarious.
It is a movie that makes fun of every actor’s reputation, with Jonah Hill being the funniest.
As the world’s end comes to a close, those who did not get saved and go to heaven have to stay on Earth to fight for their survival. Pretty much every Hollywood star did not get accepted into heaven, including Emma Watson, Rihanna and Paul Rudd. So as… Continue reading
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Okay, it was NOTHING like I thought it would be like.
This is not a happy-go-lucky, up beat and freeing movie like the trailer makes it out to be. In fact, it has a lot of very serious themes, making this high school drama rather dark, and not at all light hearted.
Despite the totally unexpected storyline, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a very emotional journey – you laugh just as hard as you cry in some parts. So it evens out into a humbling story.
The main character, Charlie (Logan Lerman) and both of his friends Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), each go through massive emotional roller coasters. Huge changes to their lives that are developed incredibly well. Feelings and emotions are messy, unexplainable and complicated, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower accurately represent them this way… Continue reading
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I was put off of seeing this movie when it first came out because it just looked like The Hangover – but the female version. However, after seeing a few scenes of it over the last couple of years, I decided to buy it in the sales.
And boy am I glad! I haven’t laughed this hard in ages! It is a truly hilarious journey that these wacky characters go through – any one of them could have been the leading lady.
Nothing is going well for Annie (Kristen Wigg). Her bakery closed down due to the recession, she’s in her mid-30s and a hopeless spinster. Thankfully she still has her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), though…
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This is quite a different version to the typical high school chick flick that drowns the market. Easy A is about how rumours can make or break your reputation, as well as who your friends really are. But also how you can take insults and use them to your advantage.
It has a pretty funny script with some catchy insults from the witty and very sarcastic Olive (Emma Stone). Her best come backs are usually toward the “Jesus Freak”, Marianne (Amanda Bynes), who was responsible for spreading the original rumour about Olive losing her virginity… Continue reading
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So it’s pretty much a series of skits, all directed and written by different people. The story line was that a crazed writer blackmails a producer to get his movie made. The finished product is the movie that is in the cinemas now, Movie 43.
I mean, obviously this film was not going to be good, you could tell that from the trailer.
I can’t say I actually laughed at all in this movie… The funniest scene was the first short with Kate Winslet and Hugh Jackman but even so, I only giggled a little… Continue reading
NZ Film Freak 