'Good Time Gang' Could Welcome Mark Wahlberg And Jonah Hill

Jonah Hill

The Other Guys and The Happening star Mark Wahlberg looks set to join comedic force Jonah Hill in a new indie film entitled Good Time Gang. The pair look set to join forces for the first time in the new film that could see them both step out of their usual film roles. The LA Times has revealed that the duo are signing on for the project which is produced by RCR Pictures.

The pair are reportedly to play two incompetent mercenaries who are sent on a serious case involving terrorism and along the way discover that one of them is related to the target. Empire say the film is being pitched as a Lethal Weapon type film that focuses more on the action than the laughs. The script will come from Max Landis.

The pair have already been busy stepping out of their comfort zones, with Jonah Hill appearing in 21 Jump Street and Moneyball alongside Brad Pitt. At the same time Wahlberg has found his way into

Cyrus (2010)

Surprisingly Good - 3.5/5

So I saw this film the other day called Cyrus and I have to say I was very surprised about the outcome. I rented this along with Let Me In to provide myself with a comedy and a horror film for the next couple of days. But I have to say that Cyrus was more than just a comedy. What's strange about the film is that the DVD cover, which shows Jonah Hill making a hand gesture towards John C. Reilly behind his mother's back, doesn't do justice to what is in the film. From that cover you'd assume a constant stream of comedy and pranks in a film similar to Step Brothers. However, the film actually contained more emotion than I expected and had more of a storyline than just a son who dislikes his mother's boyfriend.

Cyrus is now probably bordering on my favourite Jonah Hill performance. He plays a very emotionally unstable boy who can't bear to see his mother (Marisa Tomei) taken away from him and who goes out of his way to break up the relationship between Tomei and John C. Reilly's character. I saw a side to Hill's abilities that I hadn't really seen before and it was a refreshing change from his usual, if hilarious, roles. John C Reilly also went up in my estimations after seeing Cyrus in a similar way to Jonah Hill.

This film really has more to offer than it gives itself credit for. The storyline was coherent and even heartfelt at times and the acting left little to complain about. At times the story became a little frustrating but only slightly.

Cyrus really is a film that will surprise you and provide you with laughs and emotion throughout. I wouldn't have thought I would be recommending it but here I am doing it. I wouldn't have thought this one would be for everyone but it's a nice film with an equally nice story.

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Megamind (2010)

At Least It's Funny - 3/5

So I saw this film just now called Megamind which you'll remember as being Will Ferrell's latest animated film. The story followed  the journey of Megamind, a blue, round-headed supervillain in his battles against Metro Man. He then goes on to control Metro City, get bored of all his power, create a nemesis for himself who turns evil and consequently causes Megamind to save the city and get the girl. Hmmmmm. It's all a bit predictable and it feels as if it has been done before even though movies of this type normally focus on the 'good guy'. Despite the way this film tried to break the stereotypical comedy/animation superhero movie (Monsters Vs Aliens, The Incredibles) by focusing on the other side, by the end it became exactly like all these other previous films.

That's what this film was. I must say it started off quite good. The comedy was flowing and it managed to feel fresh within the genre. By about half way through with the creation of Titan, played by Jonah Hill, the storyline began to lose my interest and by the end we all knew what was happening. And just for the record, Jonah should should never ever ever at any point in a film play a superhero. His voice is totally inappropriate for this type of role and no matter how many times he has done it before, he should stick to the usual geeky and hilarious characters we are used to seeing him in.

Despite the poor casting of Hill, I think Will Ferrell was a good pick to play Megamind. He manages to bring such comedic value just with the inclusion of his voice and the lack of a decent plot-line didn't seem as important when his character was making you laugh. At least they got that bit right. Tina Fey should have been given a more comedy-based role too. What's the point of casting her in a boring part that could have been played by anyone? If you get someone funny on board, use them. Brad Pitt was well cast as Metro Man. His voice brings an air of arrogance that you usually don't get from him from his on-screen performances. Aside from the casting, the animation was pretty awesome. DreamWorks and the animation team behind it certainly did a good job of that.

This film was by no means amazing and, speaking as a fan of Monsters Vs Aliens, this film just couldn't stand up to movies similar to it. Apparently a sequel is on the way so I think I'll be missing that one.Saying that the film was funny and not every film has that to boast.

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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.

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

Barrel of Laughs - 3.5/5

So I saw this film called 'The 40 Year Old Virgin'. It's a barrel of laughs isn't it? With a stellar cast including funny-men Steve Carrell and Seth Rogen you can't help but find this film hilarious. There's a guy in this called Gerry Bednob too! Add to this a title which tells you straight from the start that this is going to make you laugh and you've got yourself a movie. Now I won't pretend it's the funniest film out there but it is genuinely laugh out loud hilarious in places. Judd Apatow delivers his brand of comedy and it appeals to almost everyone.
I must digress slightly here as I remember what a friend said to me last night in the pub. What is Seth Rogen's main film? In popular films he features but rarely plays a big role. I know he was the main character in 'Observe and Report' and to a degree 'Pineapple Express' but somehow he manages to fade into the background. Everybody loves him but when I was asked the question I was like uhhhhhh... You probably think I'm crazy and disagree with me but it's something to think about.
Back to the film then. I didn't like Romany Malco's character Jay one bit and I don't think he was acted as well as he should have been. You put in the token black guy of the group and make him a stereotypical 'bitch' hunter. It's wearing a bit thin. Why not swap his character with Seth Rogen's? That could have made for some funnier stuff.What I liked about how this film was laid out however was that, in places, you could see the actors bringing in their own material and it's nice to see that, you know that the actors are having a laugh and this draws you in to having a laugh with them. Parts of the storyline sagged slightly and the ending did let it down a bit but overall I'd say it was a success.
Would I recommend it? If you want some laughs, go for it.

The Invention of Lying (2009)

Just for the tearjerker moment - 3.5/5

So I saw this film a while back called 'The Invention of Lying'. After previously entering a Ricky Gervais film with skepticism at how well he could actually act and then being nicely surprised by the performance ('Ghost Town' (2008)), Imade sure not to begin this film in the same frame of mind. However, I probably should have. Where 'Ghost Town' excelled, 'The Invention of Lying' fell down.
Ok, so you're gonna write a film about a world where everybody can only tell the truth. Fine. But why does this mean that people sporadically spurt out anything contained in their head? Just becuase people can only tell the truth, it doesn't mean they say whatever is up top. That's just stupid. And that was what struck me at the start of the film. At first I was like, 'yeah this is funny, but where is it going?'. It turned out that it was going nowehere fast. The orginal sense of hilarity that you get through people blurting out whatever they think, mainly at Ricky Gervais' expense, is soon replaced by a feeling that the writers stuck to the title of the film and had no way of diverting themselves from convincing us that in this world, nobody can lie. We get it! Stop shoving it down our throats. However it was nice to see how Jennifer Garner's character began to break free of the constrictions of a society with very little opinion. Also I automatically dislike Rob Lowe after the way his character, Gervais' more talented colleague, spoke to poor Ricky.
So the film wasn't great, but Gervais' acting skills; at times they stunned me. The scene where his mother is on her death bed, I have literally never been so moved by an actors tears as I was at that point. How does he do it? Of course this movie contains Gervais' off-hand style of comedy which is present in just about everything he does, but what struck me most was how he seemed to have grown an emotional style of acting. He held the film together, it needed him.
Would I recommend it? Hmmmm yeah, but I'd say you should watch 'Ghost Town' first.