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THIS ISSUE
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Avengers: Age of Ultron Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers Don Jon Edge of Tomorrow Grown Ups 2 Guardians of the Galaxy R.I.P.D Rush Star Trek Superman V Batman Thor: The Dark World Turbo The Wizard of Oz The Wolverine X-Men: Days of Future Past
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OZ : 2 GREAT 2 POWERFUL
My
Lord,
whats
this?
Just
seven
months
after
Sam
Raimis
very
good
fantasy
adventure
Oz
The
Great
&
Powerful
flew
into
cinemas,
theyve
already
made
a
sequel
called
The
Wizard
of
Oz,
and
its
being
released
in
September?
This
has
a
strange,
all-newcomer
cast,
including
a
young
actress
called
Judy
Garland
as
Dorothy,
a
young
girl
who
is
transported
to
the
land
of
Oz
years
after
James
Francos
wizard
during
a
storm
similar
to
that
we
saw
in
March.
The
supporting
cast
of
characters
includes
talking
scarecrows,
lions
and
a
tin
man,
and
Mila
Kunis
Wicked
Witch
will
return
as
an
older
woman,
played
by
a
different
actress.
This
could
be
interesting,
and
its
out
in
IMAX
3D!
Oh
wait.
Fresh
from
his
hilarious
Arrested
Development
onscreen
cameo
(he
has
voiceover-ed
the
first
three
seasons),
Ron
Da
Vinci
Code
Howard
is
getting
prepared
to
unveil
his
Formula
1
drama
Rush
to
the
world.
Starring
Chris
Hemsworth
and
Daniel
Bruhl,
it
focuses
on
a
tragic
accident
that
occurred
during
a
Grand
Prix
in
the
70s,
from
which
a
lucky
driver
escaped
alive.
Were
not
going
to
pretend
to
know
anything
about
sports,
but
this
looks
like
another
engaging,
emotional
work
from
Howard,
with
a
stellar
cast.
3
UNTRUE ROMANCE
What
do
you
get
when
you
stick
two
of
the
sexiest
young
actors
in
Hollywood
in
a
sex
comedy
directed
by
one
of
them?
A
massive
f**king
hit,
as
Joseph
Gordon-Levitt
is
soon
to
find
out.
Yes,
the
man
who
came
to
our
attention
in
films
like
Brick,
(500)
Days
of
Summer
and
Inception,
and
who
had
a
field
day
all
through
last
year
with
incredibly
successful
turns
in
The
Dark
Knight
Rises,
Premium
Rush,
Looper
and
Lincoln,
has
directed
a
film-
Don
Jon
(formerly
Don
Jons
Addiction)
about
a
porn
addict.
The
film
has
already
received
great
acclaim
after
screenings
at
Sundace,
Berliin
and
South
By
Southwest,
and
Gordon-Levitt
may
be
looking
at
a
future
career,
Clooney/Affleck-style,
as
both
a
massive
name
actor
and
a
critically
beloved
director.
FOOD TIMES
The
first
Cloudy
With
A
Chance
of
Meatballs
film
was
one
of
the
most
pleasant
surprises
of
the
century-
a
near-perfect
family
comedy
with
enough
sweetness
and
silliness
for
the
kids,
and
enough
pseudo-psychadelic
humor
and
setting
for
the
adults.
However,
as
the
recent
Despicable
Me
2
showed
us,
animated
sequels
rarely
turn
out
as
good
as
their
predecessors,
and
this
has
new
directors,
as
Lord
and
Miller
last
year
broke
into
live-action
comedy
with
the
hugely
successful
21
Jump
Street,
and
are
currently
making
a
sequel.
4
AFTER IRON MAN 3S SPECTACULAR $1bn HAUL, THE PRESSURE IS ON FOR MARVELS MOST POWERFUL AVENGER AS HE RETURNS FOR MORE IN THOR: THE DARK WORLD.
t is the afternoon of July 20, 2013, and several thousand film and comic-book fans are squashed into Hall H of San Diego convention centre. Why? Because Kevin Feige is about to bring most of the Hollywood A- listers currently living into the room to discuss the upcoming Marvel projects they are currently working (or have just finished working) on. Such actors as Scarlett Johannson, Natalie Portman and Benicio Del Toro are expected to turn up. Whats this? Loki, primary antagonist of 2011s Thor and 2012s The Avengers has just entered the hall, chanting Say my name! at the top of his Asgardian lungs. Tom Hiddleston is one man who knows how to treat his fans- with love and respect- and in return, they treat him by paying bucketloads of cash to see the films in which he appears as Thors evil adopted brother, revealed to be frost-giant born at the end of Thor, and captured and depoted back to Asgard after destroying half of New York city at the end of last years record-breakingly successful Avengers- which remains the highest-grossing motion picture of all
time not directed by James Cameron. Thor: The Dark World, the second post-Avengers film for Feiges studio after the massively successful Iron Man 3 in May, has the honour of seeing the big screen return of the fans favourite villain. However, Loki is not the main bad guy in the film- that honour goes to former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston, who plays Malekeith The Accursed, one of the Dark Elves, who invade Earth and must be defeated by Chris Hemsworths Asgardian Prince. Loki is evil at heart, but the threat of the Elves looms so large in this film that even he feels the urge to defend the humans against them says Hiddleston. Yes, Dark World will largely be a two-hander between Thor and Loki as they fight the Elves. However, Natalie Portman is also returning as human scientist Jane Foster, for whom Thor fell in the first Thor, and yearned for in Avengers. Portmans presence in the film seemed unlikely for a period, as she protested Patty Jenkins being dropped as director and being replaced by the more reliable, Game of Thrones veteran Alan Taylor. Taylors work on the film is looking superb, as he shares time between the Earth and Asgard parts of Thors life whilst keeping the sense of scale and the epic action and romance that carried Kenneth Brannaghs original. Thor: The Dark World is the Winters only superhero film, and the biggest comic-book movie ever released outside the April-August Summer period. Will this risk pay off, or be a risk too far?
Thor: The Dark World is released in the UK on October 30, and the US on November 8. It will be reviewed in the November issue of Movie Taco.
THE BIG
QUINTERVIEW
7
At a special public interview at the 2013 Galway Film Fleadh on Friday, July 12, Zachary Quinto discussed his illustrious career and his roles in Star Trek, Heroes and American Horror Story. BuzzHub had a front-row seat, and witnessed first hand what Quinto had to say about his current and future projects, including some revealing and intriguing information! When asked about his role as Spock in J.J. Abrams Star Trek films, Quinto told the audience:
Star
Trek
3
should
be
filming,
I
suppose,
next
year.
Its
going
to
be
made
a
lot
quicker
than
the
last
one.
Thats
the
plan,
although
nothing
is
confirmed
yet.
He was also asked if he would want to reunite with Abrams and appear in Star
Wars
Episode
VII, and he said he would not, without giving a particular reason. At one point in the interview, Quinto mentioned that J.J. Abrams was planning to direct Star
Trek
3, which is another surprising fact, but once again, he did not elaborate. He spoke about a film he is currently preparing to shoot, directed by Big Bang Theory star Simon Helberg (Howard Wolowitz) and his wife Jocelyn Towne. He called it a semi-autobiographical romance and used it as the excuse for the beard he is currently sporting. He discussed in great length his relationship with the legendary Leonard Nimoy and his wife, and the
ways in which the veteran actor has inspired him in his acting and his life. When asked by an audience member if he would follow in Nimoys footsteps and make a cameo on Helbergs Big Bang Theory, he said he would love to.
My
cardboard
cutout
has
already
been
on
it,
you
know.
I
had
to
give
my
permission
for
them
to
use
it.
I
love
Simon
and
I
also
worked
with
Johnny
(Galecki)
on
a
new
film
called
The
Invitation
(also
starring
Luke
Wilson
and
Topher
Grace).
I
have
been
mentioned
two
times
on
it,
actually.
One of his reasons for being at the Galway festival was to attend a premiere screening of the upcoming J.C. Chandor film All
is
Lost, which he executive-produced. The film, starring Robert Redford and featuring almost no dialogue, had its world premiere at Cannes, and Quinto attended the renowned French festival. When asked if he was able to see any films other than his own, he answered:
No,
I
only
saw
All
is
Lost.
I
planned
on
also
seeing
Behind
the
Candelabra-
the
Liberace
movie-
but
when
I
turned
up,
like
a
hipster,
wearing
a
blue
suit
with
no
bow-tie,
they
wouldnt
let
me
in.
They
said
I
only
had
to
go
across
the
street
to
buy
a
tie,
but
I
was
like
No
way!
It
wont
go
with
my
suit!
When asked by a young member of the audience if he had ever read any of the Kirk/Spock fanfiction online, he states quite bluntly:
Im
afraid
I
have
better
things
to
do
with
my
time
than
read
that.
If
those
people
dont
have
anything
better
to
do,
thats
their
business,
but
I
do
Its clear from this quote that Quinto is not a fan of the FF, and writers of it may be dismayed by this.
Star Trek Into Darkness is released on DVD, Digital Copy, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu- Ray on September 10th.
DESTINY
COMIC-BOOK FANS HAVE WAITED OVER 6 DECADES TO SEE THE MAN OF STEEL AND THE MAN IN BLACK TEAM UP ON THE BIG SCREEN, BUT IS THE JUST-ANNOUNCED CROSSOVER MOVIE COMING TOO SOON AFTER CHRISTOPHER NOLANS PERFECT TRILOGY FOR THE CAPED CRUSADER? IS ZACK SNYDER GOING TO RUIN THE PROPERTY THAT HAS TAKEN WARNER BROTHERS SO LONG TO PERFECT?
10
George Reeves. Christopher Reeve. Adam West. Brandon Routh. Val Kilmer. George Clooney. Michael Keaton. Christian Bale. Those actors have all played either Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne onscreen. They will never play those characters again. Henry Cavill will play Superman again- in 2015s Superman VS Batman (Title TBC), Zack Snyders CC-announced team-up movie which sent a billion fanboys into spasms of excitement, rapidly followed (for many) by a crushing wave of disappointment when they realised the truth of what was happening. ZACK SNYDER IS DIRECTING A MOVIE WITH BATMAN WHO ISNT GOING TO BE CHRISTIAN BALE JUST THREE YEARS AFTER A CHRIS NOLAN BATMAN MOVIE. That sentence isnt good, except to the Warner Brothers tycoons who are happy to fool millions of cinemagoers into handing over big bucks for a team-up movie which wont be as livingly and patiently created as Joss Whedons magnificent Avengers. The rumours for who will take over the cape and cowl are abound, but who can really replace Bale so ridiculously soon after last Summers Dark Knight Rises? No-one, thats who.
11
12
What a relief! After months of speculation over how awful James Gunns seemingly unfilmable Guardians of the Galaxy would be, audiences were shown an impressively long footage reel at the Con, and guess what? They loved it! Despite only having been shooting in London for just over a week, the films entire cast turned up with the director James Gunn for a spectacular panel during which former Doctor Who star Karen Gillan, after arriving in some fanboy-pleasing denim shorts, pulled off her red wig to reveal that she has shaved her head for the role!
13
Joss Whedon made a sort-of surprise appearance at the Marvel Studios panel to announce the subtitle (and primary villain) for his upcoming Avengers sequel- Age of Ultron and Ultron, respectively.
14
KILLING TIME
Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt are set to share the screen in Doug Limans blockbuster sci-fi Edge of Tomorrow (formerly All You Need Is Kill) next Summer, and some spectacular footage was debuted at the Con.
S.H.I.E.LD
GIRL
Cobie Smulders will in fact reprise her role as Maria Hill in the upcoming Marvel series! Smulders is set to appear in the pilot of the series and will likely guest star in a few episodes of the shows first season. I
wanted
very
much
to
have
Cobie
in
the
pilot
because
as
much
as
anyone
else,
she
IS
SHIELD,
said writer-director Joss Whedon.
Shes
cool
and
commanding,
and
has
the
dry
humor
that
plays
so
well
with
Clarks.
Also,
if
shes
in
it
I
get
to
hang
out
with
Cobie. Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will premiere on ABC on Tuesday, September 24 at 8 p.m
15
The Wolverine
As the awe-inspiringly beautiful image of Nagasaki, 1945, fills the screen, one realises that this will not be another trashy, cheap superhero film churned out of the studio machine for the purpose of retaining rights. This is a film with ambition, made by a fan of the story and characters for fans, and made with a great deal of respect. Respect is a major theme of The Wolverine, James Mangolds firmly stand-alone follow up to 2009s commercially successful but critically hated X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a film which bombarded its viewers with so many big stars playing so many iconic heroes, it was overwhelming. Origins wasnt a bad film, it just attempted to give the fans too much, too soon, making up for the previous X-Men film- the atrocious Brett Ratner-directed The Last Stand. The Wolverine couldnt be more different- the focus is entirely on Hugh Jackmans Logan, and although the supporting cast do a superb job in their respective roles, these are not particularly well-known roles, and so the comic-book mythology isnt as disturbed as it was the last time around. We first meet Logan during the Nagasaki bombing. He is a prisoner of the Japanese army, chained up in a deep underground cellar. As the final of four soldiers prepares to carry out kamikaze in the face of the billowing mushroom cloud which has engulfed his hometown, Logan pulls him into the cellar and shields him from the fire. This is The Wolverine as we havent seen him in over a decade- a true, selfless hero 16
using his healing powers to help non-mutants through disaster and turmoil. This is The Wolverine as he should be. Skip forward to present day (through the first in a series of emotional Jean Grey-starring flashbacks), and Logan is living alone in the Canadian mountains. He defends himself from the predators that share his soil, but keeps his vow to Jean never to harm a living creature- until the arrival of the mysterious young woman Yukio causes a bar-room brawl. Rila Fukushima is a standout in this role- witty, beautiful and feisty- but never crossing the fine line between action heroine and plain old token eyecandy. For the first third of the film, it seems that she is the true female lead, the woman Logan is destined to fall for, but in a surprising turn of events, it is in fact her adopted sister Mariko, played by the stunning Tao Okamoto (Japans answer to Scarlett Johansson) that brings out the romantic, more protective side of Wolverine. Yukio and Mariko are both very likable but intriguingly quiet women, who although we learn very little about throughout the story, are just as relatable and engaging as Logan. They are two of the strongest female characters weve probably ever seen in a superhero film, and the fact that neither of them have their screen-time occupied with sex scenes or stripping is a testament to the respect the filmmakers hold for them as characters and as actresses. The Wolverine will appeal equally to men and women, I feel, and thats in keeping with this Summers theme of strong female characters in blockbusters (see Pacific Rim, Fast and Furious 6 and Iron Man 3). While the Japanese women in The Wolverine are strong, tough characters, the role of Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova, the only credited caucasian in the film besides Jackman), the films eventual primary antagonist, is not so.
17
Viper is, quite literally, a stripper. After stripping Logan of his healing powers with her poison, she later strips off her coat to reveal a skintight catsuit, to reveal a snakish skin which she then strips off. Her similarities to Batman and Robins Poison Ivy- a truly ridiculous cinematic character- are very noticeable. Apart from her method of kissing her victims in order to jam her poisoned tongue down their throat combined with her control over the Bane-ish Silver Samurai (later revealed to be not-so-robotic after all) to Khodchenkovas uncanny resemblance to 1990s Uma Thurman bring back terrible, terrible memories of that terrible, terrible film. This Summers previous blockbusters have mostly been based around prolonged scenes of cities being wiped out, skyscrapers being knocked over and giant holes being blown in walls. Those who felt the urge to walk out of Man of Steel an hour before the end (as I did) will rest well knowing James Mangold has no 18
such tricks up his sleeve. The central set-piece involves Logan and an adversary fighting on the roof of a high-speed train as it moves through Tokyo, and although some shots are taken almost directly from Spider-Man 2, thats a pretty good film to take inspiration from. This train scene is almost certainly the most (literally) gripping fight sequence weve seen so far this Summer, and is a very high watermark for other films to follow in the footsteps of. As in Origins, the films final confrontation takes place on a high structure amidst a scientific research centre, and although it doesnt match the dazzlingly stunning sights of the nuclear-reactor fight between Wolverine and Deadpool, the mountain-top setting is quite lovely to look at. Everything, in fact, in The Wolverine is lovely to look at. Once you get past the actors (Jackman shirtless will keep those of that lifestyle happy while the rest get to watch Viper and Yukio fight), the fact that the majority of the film is set at night, in rain-soaked Tokyo and the snow-covered research centre, and the rest in the beautiful sun of modern-day Nagasaki, where we, the audience, as well as Logan form a closer bond with Mariko. The film is, as expected, available in stereoscopic viewing, but the rain and snow are at no point brought forward by the 3D, as Martin Scorsese did so wonderfully in his Hugo. This is a disappointingly lazy use of the medium, and as Sam Raimi proved with the hypnotically gorgeous Oz The Great and Powerful earlier this year, 3D can still improve the cinema experience for some films. Famke Janssens, basically, cameo as Jean Grey shows off Logan as his most emotionally frail, and I think would be heartbreaking if watched immediately after The Last Stand. The end of the film is surprising, as it neither shuns or elevates the idea that Logan and Mariko may have a future together once he has moved past Jeans death. It is absolutely necessary to say that if you have ever watched one superhero film in your life, or if you have even the smallest bit of appreciation for fanboy culture, you will remain in your seat until midway through the credits when you will experience the single most spectacular post-credits scene ever made- believe me, its even better than Iron Mans! 19
The
Smurfs
2
How many more puns can we make involving the word Smurf? That was the challenge facing the good folks at Sony Pictures as they began production on this quickly-made sequel to the incredibly sweet and enjoyable 2011 reboot of the popular Danish cartoon characters. Many more, it turns out, as this equally well-meaning if slightly overblown film proves- and the Smurf puns arent the only clever lines in the script. For a family film, The Smurfs 2 features some very funny one-liners, such as I just sprained my face and Say hello to my enormous friend. The majority of the wit comes from Hank Azarias villainous wizard Gargamel, a performance which deserves awards recognition, and comes near to reaching the level of brilliance Jim Carrey achieved as Count Olaf in A Series of Unfortunate Events, a role for which he should have won an Oscar. Neil Patrick Harris was the live-action star of the first film, filling in the role Jason Lee occupied in Alvin & The Chipmunks, but takes a secondary seat here. His character has a young son when this film begins, making him seem even more adult than he was in the original film, and alienating his character from the young audience. This is most likely deliberate, to make Smurfette and the Naughties- Gargamels hyperactive Smurf-alternatives the most relatable characters for the children watching. NPHs child is, meanwhile, not given an opportunity to engage the kids watching, by being denied dialogue and being whisked away by Brendan Gleesons newcomer grandfather constantly. Gleeson gives another great performance, looking genuinely enthusiastic about the film. For such a great character actor whose only major Hollywood turn has been in the Potter films, its nice to see Gleeson, who gave a career-defining performance in 2011s The Guard, appear in a major film, despite the fact that his face isnt exactly on screen for the entire duration of the film. The view of Paris is more clichd than in a Monty Python sketch, and regular visitors to the city wont exactly feel immersed in the streets as they would with a better film. However, children for once will learn that there is more to the city than Disneyland, and perhaps request a future holiday there. A scene involving Gargamel flying off the Eiffel Tower is brilliant fun, and a surreally beautiful but slightly disturbing shot of a big wheel gone wild and crushing all in its path- done for laughs- will get the viewers attention. Gargamels Parisian magic show is the source of much humour, and is certainly more exciting than the shows we saw earlier this year in Now You See Me and Burt Wonderstone. The actual Smurfs get slightly more attention than last time, while Smurfette- the most annoying of the bunch- takes centre stage in a surprisingly character-developing storyline. The Smurfs 2 is more fun than the disappointing Despicable Me 2, and the live-action actors want to be there. It wont please everybody, but theres little not to like. 20
R.I.P.D.
Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds star in this new addition to the supernatural-action-comedy sub-genre that also includes the Men
in
Blackand Hellboy franchises, as two dead cops from very different worlds who team up as they are recruited to the Rest In Peace Department (a sort of purgatory for police) and obligated to solve crimes before they are allowed to move on to the afterlife. Directed by Robert Schwentke, the man behind such mediocre films as Flightplan,
The
Time-Travellers
Wife and RED, a film whose sequel topped R.I.P.D. at the opening weekend box office, despite a significantly lower budget and less interesting premise, the trailers pitched this as a buddy-cop comedy with monsters, a backwards
MIB where the younger member of the duo is the straight man and the elder is a crazy-asnuts comedian. Bridges occupies this role well, and its been many years since hes gotten the chance to play a truly funny role. Reynolds standing amongst CGI creatures brings back memories of the traumatically awful Green
Lantern, and to be honest, hes not a great dramatic actor anyway, so the subplot involving his grieving wife (Iron
Man
3s Stephanie Szostak) being won over by his lying colleague Kevin Bacon after his death comes across as overdone and incredibly tedious. The special effects are superior to those in many other recent neo-B-movies, and the colour scheme is inventive enough to give the eyes something to enjoy while the clichd story wanders along in the background. The films main comedic selling-point involves the fact that, when seen by the living, Reynolds and Bridges appear to be an old Chinese man and attractive blonde woman, respectively. However, in conveying the ridiculousness of the situation, the film cant help but be slightly sexist and racist towards these two stereotypes. R.I.P.D. is a B-movie at heart, and doesnt exactly give the viewer much to think about, but Jeff Bridges
gives his best comedic performance in years and almost single-handedly carries the clichd story. 21
Turbo
When lesser animated studios like DreamWorks take a successful formula for a film formerly used by Pixar, it rarely turns out well. For example, A
Bugs
Life, in no way Pixars best work, managed to eclipse even the mighty wrath of Woody Allen in Antz (bet youve never heard mighty wrath and Woody Allen in the same sentence before). Now, Dreamworks have made a film that is 60% Cars and 40% Ratatouille. As someone who thinks Cars is among the worst animated films ever made, I see no issue in this being ripped off in what could plausibly be a far better film. Ratatouille, however- NO! Just as Ratatouille opens with a small animal living with many others of his kind in a small community beside a human house, so does Turbo,
featuring the voice of Ryan Reynolds (also seen this week in R.I.P.D.) as a talking snail who dreams of being a race-car (spelt the same backwards) driver, or maybe even the car itself. When she goes to a bridge above a motorway and stands around for a bit, he eventually develops magic powers which enable him to move extremely fast and play music through his body. Yes, it really is as ridiculous as it sounds. As in Ratatouille, he leaves his group with 1 member of his family (voiced by Paul ive sold out and taken a role in Downton
Abbey Giamatti) and ends up befriending a hapless manchild loser in need of Turbos special skills. Unlike Cars, the characters are nice to look at, and who prefers talking cars to talking snails anyway? The voicework is on a par with superior DreamWorks work from the early 00s, and if the story werent entirely taken from a masterpiece of modern family cinema, this would be a pretty decent animated comedy. However, it is ripped off from Ratatouille, and thats BAD.
After
Earth
After
Earth is a terrible, terrible film. Its also a very easy film to pick on and call a terrible film. The promotional tour saw star Jaden Smith and his real-life father Will humiliate themselves by coming across as scientologists in one interview and using Wills Fresh
Prince
of
Bel-Air legacy to gain attention in another. Director M. Night Shameaboutthelastfilm has, over the past decade, been responsible for some of the worst pieces of rubbish to be released in cinemas, despite having shown great potential in the 1990s with The
Sixth
Sense. Will Smith is an actor who has become as big s movie star as he is today due to his ability to act and be funny and charming at once. From Independence
Day
to Men
in
Black
to the animated Shark
Tale, his films have pulled in billions due to his presence, because audiences know what to expect from his performance. So why on Earth (or after Earth) would you put Will Smith in a film where he plays an utterly emotionally empty and humorless man who doesnt show any affection for his child, and doesnt even smile- never mind make a joke. Jaden is a wooden enough actor, as we have seen in The
Karate
Kid, so this film therefore has absolutely no relatable, likable or even human people in it! Even in his more serious roles in I-Robot and I
Am
Legend, Will has engaged audiences with his mega-star personality, but here he may as well be a corpse of misery. Some clichd visuals and a comically stupid plot dont exactly help the case of a film which is bad because it chose to be, not
22
Grown Ups 2
After a string of mid-noughties PG-13 hits, concluding with 2010s first Grown Ups, Adam Sandler decided to experiment with his hugely successful brand of comedy by making, within a year, both a PG and Rrated comedy. They both flopped. You see, the adults who loved the PG-13 movies were put off by Jack and Jills family-friendly attitude, and his younger fans couldnt get in to Thats My Boy. The former was actually quite funny (despite what the record-low 3% score on Rotten Tomatoes suggests), whilst Thats My Boy was too desperate to be a properly offensive comedy that it failed on every level. Intelligently, Sandler had Grown Ups 2 in the pipeline, guaranteed to draw all of his fans back in and give the studio back what they lost on the previous two. I really like the first Grown Ups. It features largely sympathetic but not pathetic characters, nice family bonding, hilarious physical humor and a great background cast of Sandlers regular contributors. Its sequel misses out quite badly on most of these aspects. Whilst the first film saw both Chris Rock and Kevin James 23 characters struggling financially while Sandler and his family thrived in Beverly Hills, theyre all very well-off when we meet them now. In fact, they make jokes about how pathetic poor people are. Sandlers kids were barely tolerable in the first film- here they are unwatchable. Spoilt, obnoxious, arrogant, boastful- they are nightmarish- yet their father defends them against school bullies and buys them more crap. One of the first films primary antagonists was an old classmate of Sandlers character, whose only fault was that he pointed out how wealth had made Sandlers kids pretentious. Here, he is given the respectful honour of having ice-cream drip down the seat of his pants, creating the illusion that he has excreted himself. Considering how irrelevant the character development is to these films, and how
identical the cast are to their real-life selves, both in personality and relationships, it would be far simpler to, This is the End-style, have them all play themselves. Who says Kevin James isnt married to Maria Bello (coming off a great run on FOXs Touch) and Sandler to Salma Hayek? Who says Shaquille ONeill isnt a flamboyant cop? The fun of the 2010 film was the fact that it was set over a weekend, creating a substantial and realistic plot where some interesting stuff actually happened. For example, the gang played arrow roulette creating one of the funniest comedy scenes of that year. Grown Ups 2 is set over one day, a day on which very, very little happens. The opening sequence involving a moose running rampant through Sandlers house and a later moment of David Spade rolling through town inside a tire are two quite funny (and expensive) scenes of physical comedy, but are too short and infrequent to save the film from feeling a bit lazily made. The supporting cast are, once again, brilliant, however, with Maya Rudolph disgracefully underused and Steve Buscemi returning for a slightly longer cameo than one would have expected. Taylor Lautner leads a gang of college kids who lead a plot about ageism and marking territory, which takes up far too much of the films time and is less funny than Thats My Boy played 5 times in a row. Lautner gets to do some odd martial arts jumps and slightly mock his Twilight characters leader-personality, but it wears off fast. Grown Ups 2 is very funny at times, but its structure and lack of heart leave it feeling inferior to its predecessor. Still, its suitable for the whole family, and thats rare these days!
REVIEWED
ONLINE
THIS
MONTH:
RED
2,
Epic,
Byzantium,
2
Guns,
Elysium,
Were
The
Millers,
Kick-Ass
2,
Lee
Daniels
The
Butler,
The
Mortal
Instruments,
The
Worlds
End
&
more!
24
This
time
last
year,
Skyfall
occupied
our
cover,
and
of
course
went
on
to
become
the
best
and
most
successful
007
film
ever!
Also
inside
were
features
on
Dredd
and
Looper,
and
a
review
of
The
Bourne
Legacy.
25
ONLINE
SEPTEMBER
20
26