The Hangover Part 2 - review

As a rule, I don't care for blokey comedies, particularly ones of the gross-out variety.
But I was persuaded to see the original Hangover and was pleasantly surprised. There were three plus points:
1. Filming on location, giving the proceedings a veracity
2. Solid comic acting by Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper
3. Alan.

In fact, Alan's character, and Zach Galifanakis's portrayal, took the film into both darker places and, due to his naivete, also more innocent places. Sometimes simultaneously.

This sequel has all 3 points but it's not as good.
Partly the issue is the long-winded intro (if you thought this review had a laborious start, it's nothing trust me).
The other main problem is that Alan's plain unlikeable for the opening third. Yes, it makes sense that he would be possessive of the members of the Wolfpack.
The direction is, as with the first one, very good at capturing a sense of place. Bangkok looks both gorgeous and, at times, menacing. It's also not quite as cliched a view of Thailand as you might think (one of the big cliches is shown comparatively briefly but the other is mercifully ducked).

Methinks, another issue is structure. Cooper and Helms have said they didn't feel they had earned the right to make any drastic changes to the narrative framework.
Which doesn't help to be honest as you can see the mechanics quite clearly in some places (particularly as I watched the original the night before).
And, if there's a third offering (which seems likely), can we move away from wedding plots? I suspect a christening of Doug's kid would be the most plausible (with a missing baby).

It's fun, don't get me wrong. Helms and Cooper are charming as ever. It's just I won't want to buy this installment on DVD for posterity.

Thor : review

Man I had high hopes going into this.
Thor on paper should be one of my favourite characters.
Me, I love mythology.
Unfortunately, Walt Simonson's run aside, I have been kind of unlucky when I had sampled individual issues. (I hopped on in the run up to Heroes Reborn when Thor's own title didn't have him in it)
I also tried J Michael Straczynski's first issue and, well, 'twas not for me.
JMS was co-writer on Thor's movie debut, which didn't bode well.
And you know what, the script worked.

Personally I think the movie is strongest in the fantasy sequences. (It is after all what makes Thor distinctive - and Asgard and Jotunheim are gorgeous).
Maybe there might be a bit too much fish-out-of-water in the second quarter.
But overall it works as an introduction for newbies.

Chris Hemsworth is surprisingly good as Thor. Cocky. Angry. Funny.
His romantic lead, Natalie Portman, channels her Garden State performance somewhat which is kinda all that's needed.
But the revelation is Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Yes, he is very reminiscent of Michael Sheen in places but that is no bad thing.

Some sections of the UK press have attacked director Kenneth Branagh for wasting his talents. Sure, it's watered down Shakespeare at times. But there is a real gravitas to the Asgardian sequences.
There are some decidedly cheesy contrivances but, just like the first Iron Man movie, this is much better than it needs to be.

From the Vaults: Sounds Like Teen Spirit

Eurovision is a strange beast.
Its unique blend of politics, music and campy weirdness, well, doesn't make much sense when trying to explain to people who haven't grown up with it.
It's brought us ABBA, Celine Dion and Riverdance. (erm, yeah, sorry about that)

And Junior Eurovision  is another class entirely.
To British viewers it has echoes of Minipops, a questionable Channel 4 show showing pre-teens belting out tunes.
But JE (as nobody calls it) isn't quite as creepy.
Though, as documentary Sounds Like Teen Spirit shows, it's still most odd.

Just as Spellbound uses the Spelling Bee competition to explore the social strata of America, Sounds Like Teen Spirit covers Europe. From the wealthy middle classes in Belgium to the humbling poverty of Georgia.
And, like Spellbound, there are some awesome characters. Cypriot Yiorgos and Bulgarian Marina are both heartbreaking and hilarious in equal measure.
And the Belgian contingent is incredibly funny.

Director Jamie Jay Johnson tells a great story, though, to be honest, the very occasional history lessons are distracting and not as funny as intended.
The excitement of Miriam from Georgia is infectious and acts as an excellent counterpoint to the antics of the wealthier contestants.
And the crazy intensity of some of the others (hello, Russia).
There are some cheap laughs and real oddities, like the Dalton Sisters. But there are also touching moments, some big and some small (like Eva's body language when discussing her band's future).
It's a great little movie and a good warm-up to this year's Eurovision.

The Woman In Black

Daniel Radcliffe in, but not as, The Woman In Black

One of the gems of London's West End is the supernatural thriller The Woman In Black.
Based on the novel by Susan Hill, the play has been running since the late 80s.
In fact it has the longest run of any current play bar The Mousetrap (which debuted before Elvis)

The play is wonderfully effective. The first few scenes are a bit self-deprecating which relaxes you and makes you warm to it. And then gradually the scares are stirred into the mix.
The effects are simple but they work terrifically. Especially creepy is a rocking chair that rocks itself at great speed. You know how they do it but seeing it in front of your own eyes.... Yup, that's scary.

All of this is by means of saying that the forthcoming movie has a lot to live up to.
It's based on the book rather than the play though I think more will be familiar with the theatrical version.
A teaser trailer has been released. It's too short to make any sort of judgement but Radcliffe looks the part. (given Harry Potter's general passivity in the earlier films, it won't be the biggest stretch for him)
The script is adapted by Jane Goldman who wrote the KickAss script.
She has got a tough
Job recreating the atmosphere. Plot-wise there isn't a lot to the play at least. It is all in the atmosphere.
I am intrigued but it's hit an uber-tough act to follow.

The Adjustment Bureau review

Where would Hollywood be without Philip K Dick?
Three of the trailers we saw before tonight's screening were seemingly influenced by his works: Unknown, Suckerpunch, Source Code (the latter looks like further proof that Jake Gyllenhal will appear in absolutely ANYTHING).

So The Adjustment Bureau, based very loosely on a short story of Dick's, slightly surprised me by being an exploration of free-will with romantic comedy elements.
Damon's rather good doing his Damon thing as a rising politician who just happens to stumble into Emily Blunt's sweet and sassy dancer.
However men in hats are trying to pull them apart.

As an admirer of millinery, I'm slightly tickled that the hats end up playing a very significant plot point. Yes, this may be a weird sentence even for the interwebz but it's true.

One of the good things about the hat men is that, unlike, say, A Life Less Ordinary, the hat men have explicit limits to their powers. Which makes it slightly easier to suspend disbelief.
What also helps is that the movie captures the essence of NYC, including Daily Show cameos.
I think it can be easier to sell a fantasy story, especially one with some serious points to make, if it's grounded. And this it is.
The opening 10 minutes could have led into a movie of any genre, which I think is a positive.

A word of warning: it's nowhere near as Bourne-y as that poster suggests.

So, not destined to be a big hit, but a sweet sci-fi date movie.