Year One (2009)

Ridiculous - 2.5/5

So I saw this film the other night called 'Year One' and I can say that I was enjoying it for about the first 5 minutes but then I realised how idiotic it was an spent the rest of the film enjoying a few cheap laughs and enduring a ridiculous plotline. The weird thing about this film was the about of big names it attracted. Despite a laughable plotline there seemed to be a lot of famous acting talent on board. This included the main two male character Jack Black and Michael Cera, David Cross, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Vinnie Jones, Hank Azaria and Paul Rudd. Ok, so they may not be some of the biggest names, but when you look just at comedy films they are all well known. Except Vinnie Jones, I have no idea why he was in this.

Jack Black was his normal annoying self and Michael Cera somehow managed to play his stereotypical shy and understated character even whilst being dressed as a caveman. I think this film comes as a black mark on Cera's career which has included some brilliant films including 'Superbad' and 'Youth In Revolt'. These films he can take pride in but I think this one was a slight embarrassment. However, Cera was the best character in the film, and provided far more entertainment than Jack Black managed to.

To sum up how poor this film was I would say this: I think the most entertaining part of the whole thing were the outakes. In terms of outakes, they were pretty good. In terms of a film, it was pretty poor. When I started the film I actually thought I was going to enjoy it but alas it spiralled uncontrollably down into the realms of unmemorable films. This one is one to miss. A message for Michael Cera: stick to what you're good at.

You May Also Like: 
Youth In Revolt Review
Hot Tub Time Machine Review

Kick-Ass 2 Not On The To Do List Yet

Jane Goldman, writer of the brilliantly violent film 'Kick-Ass' has revealed that no script has yet been penned for a sequel. What I noticed at the end of the first film was that they left it very much open for a sequel that seems like it should simply continue from the first and chart the rise of Christopher Mintz-Plasse's character Red Mist. However, MSN Movies revealed that Goldman said "One day. It's not in the works right now, but who knows?". This all sounds very ambiguous and will not come as the best news for fans such as myself who enjoyed the first film.

Despite the news that no script has yet been written however, Goldman said in the interview that she would love to be part of a sequel. Goldman said: "We'd all enjoy the experience of making the second one because we had such fun doing the first one. But if it happens, we would want to be sure that it can be as good as can be,". This sounds like much better news and shows that a sequel is on the cards and writers such as Goldman will do their all to make it as good if not better than the first. Good stuff.

You May Also Like: Kick-Ass Review
                                   Amy Adams Is Lois Lane 

Kick-Ass (2010)

Surprisingly Real - 4/5

So I saw this film just now called 'Kick-Ass'. This film literally blew any expectations I had of it out of the water. The violence was so real and extreme! In a way the fight scenes reminded me of 'Repo Men' in the sense that they were bloody and very visually based. The viewer was allowed to see, in slow motion in many cases, exactly what took place in the fight and there seems to be a market for this type of violence in films recently. In terms of the Superhero element of the film, it was unlike any I'd ever seen. At the start we saw how the feel was not taking it too seriously and was not based on some guy caught in a nuclear reaction or anything but simply a normal nerdy teenager looking to do some good. Superhero movies never acknowledge themselves as such but this one did; I think this is the reason I found the story so fresh. Underneath the main story was one about the nerdy boy trying to get the beautiful girl. Now, this may sounds like the cheesiest storyline ever, but somehow I managed not to be. I think the level of violence and the addition of comedy were behind this.

In terms of acting, main man Aaron Johnson was superb. He pulled off the nerdy teenager well, as many actors can do these days (Jesse Eisenberg) but managed to bring a different dimension with his emotional scenes. I feared some of Johnson's scenes where he is learning to become a superhero would be similar to those nerdy fight scenes from 'The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang' but again Johnson made them his own. Christopher Mintz-Plasse's performance was largely forgettable, as was Johnson's love interest, Lyndsy Fonseca. Nicolas Cage was brilliant as Big Daddy and Chloe Moretz must have studied 'Leon' because she was awesome. I tell you who else was good, Clark Duke. This is my second Duke film in as many days and I wish I had only watched this one. I watched 'Hot Tub Time Machine' yesterday and it was pitiful. After watching it I instantly forgot about Duke and didn't think I'd ever see him in anything again. Then he pops up in this and with every line is totally hilarious. Why couldn't we have seen this Clark Duke in 'Hot Tub Time Machine'? To be fair it wouldn't have made that movie much better.

The DVD for 'Kick-Ass' has only recently been released, and if you are wondering whether to buy it, I think you definitely should. It's a film that will surprise you, make you laugh, shock you and make you smile.

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

Family Funnies - 4/5

So I saw this film about three weeks ago called 'How To Train Your Dragon'. Now, as you can imagine, after being told of a film that it's the best film somebody has ever seen, you inevitably go in with high hopes. I was not disappointed. Perhaps it wasn't the best film I'd ever seen but it couldn't fail to be bordering on such realms. It could have been the magical, heart-felt storyline or the humor elements of the film that swayed me in this direction. It had everything a top notch family film needed and more. The story, I would imagine, would have been a difficult one to grasp during the early stages of the making of the movie. What it needed to bring it all together was a host of stars and awesome animation. We got enough of that alright. Stars like Gerard Butler and Jonah Hill lent their skills, and lead man Jay Baruchel, known for small roles in such films as 'Knocked Up' and 'Tropic Thunder', was extremely effective as the nervous and wimpish main character Hiccup. Did he go on to make a good hero towards the end? I'm bordering on the side of yes.
Although I would love to say this film amazed me, it wasn't quite all I hoped it would be. It just lacked something. I don't know what it is and I will not pretend to. I just came away with a feeling that something was missing. Despite this however, I don't agree on the Best Animated Film Oscar being given to 'Toy Story 3' over this. The 'Toy Story' franchise has received a huge amount of acclaim as it is so why is an Oscar going to the worst of the three? 'How To Train Your Dragon' surely has to rate higher than that.
Despite whatever I felt was missing, DreamWorks certainly know how to make a family favourite with humor that appeals to the more aged film fanatic. For this you cannot help but applaud this film.
Would I recommend it? Of course I would.