Iron Man 3

After the recent worldwide billion dollar sensation of Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’, Disney is keen to duplicate its success by rolling out the second phase in the ever growing marvel universe. With four films hoping to reel in some ‘petty cash’ before the presumable box office behemoth ‘The Avengers 2’ hits theatres in 2015, we begin with Iron man three, the third addition to the relatively bland trilogy of Iron man. Being evident that Disney learnt something from their previous outing however, Iron Man three shows to be the strongest of the trilogy being painfully witty and surprisingly spectacular despite its lingering issues.

In keeping with the recent depiction of ‘run down alpha-male heroes’ we are introduced to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) straight after the events of ‘The Avengers’ as he suffers from post-traumatic stress, seeking comfort in the technology of his own mansion whilst he recovers. During this time the very real threat of terrorism is plaguing his world led by the ruthless Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) who vows to crush Iron Man, forcing him out of recovery to partake in ‘good old fashioned revenge’. Alike every Marvel movie, ignoring their inconsistent plots, Iron Man Three is tremendously fun, displaying spectacular action sequences and frequent witty one-liners to maintain the interest of the audience. Differentiating itself from the crowd however is the films plot, being simple initially it soon becomes interesting after a huge plot twist which will have some groaning in frustration whilst others gasping with enjoyment. None the less the twist provides a fork in the otherwise wholly predictable narrative that was hugely welcomed to a film usually stereotyped as ‘box office Hollywood fodder’ .Used often throughout the film to enhance the stunning action set pieces, Iron Man’s seamless CGI aids in the overall polished tone of the film helping to make even the most unrealistic battle look magnificent (which is undeniably hindered by the optional use of eye gouging 3-D).

A regular theme of the Iron Man series is its use of comedy, usually used to varying degrees of success by challenging ‘Tony Starks’ egotistical views which quickly become monotonous. No doubt glimpses of that humour are present in this addition however for the most part this film uses a quick-witted script and the perfect comedic timing of Downey Jr to show its lighter side. Occasionally however the film gets carried away using humour when perhaps it wasn’t needed leading to some moments of puzzling ‘sketch-show awkwardness’ which runs parallel to some incoherent plot strands and lack of narrative explanation. Throwing comparisons to the enemies seen in ‘The Avengers’, the overly supernatural opponents present here are totally glazed over despite their unrealistic properties that are in need of a sufficient explanation. This is a disappointment as they show promise in comparison to the mundane primary weapon of blue energy seen at the hand of the previous two films’ antagonists. Led by the Impressive performance of Guy Pierce as the mandarins right hand man, his superficial cronies feel like targets for the protagonist with very little development and explanations for their actions.    

If it wasn’t for Iron Mans genuinely hilarious humour and heavy dosage of pizzazz, the latest addition to the Marvel universe would be comparable to its predecessors showing just as much narrative inconsistency and scenes of unbearably sugar coated events. Little threat is felt throughout with the overall tone being harmless to kids of all ages, showing to be both the franchises hindrance and also its formula for success, however overall Iron Man Three is magnificently enjoyable, displaying a brave step forward for the franchise as it boldly enters the realm of phase 2.

7.5/10- Hollywood in black and white, flashy, fun and destined for box-office success.

Calum Russell 

Evil Dead

Evil Dead’s not coming at the best time with horror remakes being Hollywood’s favourite area of decapitation, reminding us of old classics before insulting audiences with blatant lack of care and low grade performances. Hollywood’s newest ‘victim’, the reboot of cult classic 'The Evil Dead' however is bulked with encouraging crew members, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, who previously helmed the original as director and beloved protagonist . With aims to transform the recent malnutrition of horror remakes, Evil Dead steers clear of its humorously dark original instead choosing to follow a far more sadistic narrative aimed to shock rather than entertain.

Differentiating itself from the off, Evil Dead provides a meaning for the characters presence at the, now iconic, ‘cabin in the woods’ being that, Mia, a drug addict is attempting to escape her old ways through a weekend of ‘cold turkey’ treatment. With a pact to keep Mia at the cabin in order to fully carry out her promise to quit, her four friends including her brother, David, encounter a strange smell upon arrival and discover that the source of the pungency is a flesh lined book riddled with a sadistic curse that once read unleashes evil onto the helpless Mia and her subsequent victims. Whilst this recent remake may be similar to its 1980’s counterpart in many ways, it also proves to be wildly different pouring not only a consistent flow of cash into the production but also an excess of blood, guts, sick and bile. Done primarily through practical effects, the film heavily benefits from this feature with every slaughter being whimsically graphic and intense, leading to most of the film being viewed with a quivering hand near to the irritable mouth. Despite this however a huge lack of genuine terror is felt with gratuitous violence seeming to take its place to a frustrating degree. As the film progresses and enough red liquid has splattered onto the screen to last a lifetime, boredom begins to seep in as eagerness to escape the intense theatre clouds your viewing ‘pleasure’.

With a huge influx of violence in comparison to the original, the comedy element has all but vanished being scarcely seen and is ill-managed when it eventually appears. Seen as an intelligent device in the old to balance on screen violence and personal enjoyment, the film suffers from a lack of this rarely poking fun at itself, simply turning to further violence to express its comedic ‘funny-bone’.  That said there are moments of hilarity, despite their clever disguise behind the red veil, with the film more laughing at its genre than its own narrative, working on a contextual level that undoubtedly momentarily entertains.

Being notably more successful than recent horror flops (*cough cough* Texas Chainsaw 3-D) Evil Dead certainly maintains the ‘video nasty’ reputation that the original proudly held, despite its clear faults. The gratuitous, almost slapstick type violence allows for breathing space in-between scenes of conscious decapitation and facial disfigurement, with the intriguing storyline playing out at the hands of satisfactory performances. Evil Dead is at its best, disgusting, dingy and disturbingly realistic, encouraging viewers to undergo a through wash prior to viewing, despite its lack of humour and simple enjoyment.

6.5/10- Furiously demonic Evil Dead is a fun enough ‘slasher flick’ that undoubtedly holds very little re-watch value.

Calum Russell

Robot and frank

 With the increase in popularity of the science fiction genre in recent years, a huge influx of flashing blue lights, flying airships and time travel has been evidently present. Whilst this ‘in your face’ form of sci-fi is exciting and imaginative it’s far from relatable, focusing on an indulgence of convoluted scientific prospects instead of actual prototypes that can (and will) be implemented in the near future. Robot and frank accurately tackles this, equipping its world with… well the same resources as present day, but now with added luxuries of robot butlers and single manned cars using these as a key assets to its humorous, immersive narrative.

Introductions to the world of the future are unflattering and simple, as they should be with its overall lack of technological development as we are immediately introduced to Frank, an elderly man with a criminal past of thievery. Displayed as your everyday man, Frank (Frank Langella) is crucially relatable as well as fittingly witty, frequently criticising the modernisation of the world around him. After concerns from his son due to Frank’s isolation at home, he is brought the gift of a robot butler, programmed to look after him, much to the dismay of the protagonist. As the plot deepens, Frank begins to build a relationship with his new found technological friend as he schemes a plan to pair off and reignite his love for the swiping of high end jewellery. Starting slow in comparison to the engaging finale, the plot picks up momentum quickly once the robot is introduced and relationships between the two protagonists as well as sub-characters Hunter (James Marsden) and Jennifer (Susan Sarandon)  are established. This leads for a fluid and realistic story to play out, using the films helpful sci-fi element to extend possible story arcs as it tells the loving story of the humorous relationship between an old man and his robotic friend.

The comedy present works excellently well, helping the audience to easily sympathise with the character of Frank who’s bantering with the robot one minute and suffering from his old age the next. Proving to be more sentimental than initially clear from its exterior, this narrative is truly deep, tentatively touching on themes relevant to the films protagonist. On occasion these moments are knocked by pieces of ill fitted humour, however for the majority of the time there’re tackled with heart and realism to heart-breaking degrees of accuracy with help from the excellent acting of Frank Langella.

Robot and Frank was a pleasant surprise effortlessly coagulating it’s genres of comedy, drama and sci-fi to seamless degrees using these genres to produce a broad narrative packed with heart. Some story arcs deflate slightly towards the end as others become more poignant, leaving some paths slightly undeveloped, however this can be easily overlooked whilst judging the finished product that gleams with emotion both in its plot and in its performances.

8/10- Proving that Sci-Fi’s don’t need guns and flying cars to be imaginative and emotionally engaging.

Calum Russell

Scary Movie 5

Increasingly becoming the most difficult genre in Hollywood, the opinionated world of comedy will never please everyone, and whilst the Scary Movie franchise has never been famous for highbrow humour it certainly divides audiences in its popularity. With new comer director Malcom D. Lee at the helm, comedy legend David Zucker is in the writing seat making a change to the previous two instalments that he directed. Despite these changes, Scary Movie 5 shows to be just as humorously awful as its predecessors depending solely on pop culture references to carry each waffling gag.

  

With its poignant feature of horror parody being this year’s disappointing ‘Mama’, the fifth instalment of this debatably dying series

had a fair amount of potential with seven years since the previous instalment to make of. Instead however it prefers to bow down to pop culture, inserting countless references to irrelevant films, music and even books with an extremely unfunny reference to ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ as well as dismal cameos from a number of musicians; proceeding to prove that they can’t act, with musician ‘Mac Miller’ providing a diabolical performance with no redeeming qualities. The narrative is as loose as ever, allowing for a handful of nonsensical yet hilarious jokes to be slotted in, as we follow Jody (Ashley Tisdale) and Dan (Simon Rex) who adopt the children of a deceased relative and take them back to their house of paranormal activity whilst Jody continues her aspirations to be the black swan. The amount of references is certainly overwhelming and unnecessary as funnier jokes could’ve been made had there been more focus, however this isn’t to say that they all flop with the reference to the, now dated, inception being one of notable hilarity.  The crutch of pop culture is annoyingly shoehorned into sequences that would have been funnier without its presence, with ultimately the funniest scenes appearing out of nowhere in the form of a bizarre occurrence or a simple inappropriate outburst.

With a knowingly immature fan base the jokes appeal to the slim demographic that find a ‘punch in the face’ to be comedy gold with jokes similar to this being repeated throughout to varying degrees of success. Fans of this humour will bathe in its utter ridiculousness with the knowing of its dampened quality in comparison to its predecessors however lovers of high-brow comedy will recoil in horror, with this film being as scarily bad as some of the best horror films, most notably in the field of acting.

Never has this franchise prized itself on its ‘fantastic performances’, however a certain expectancy of at least a GCSE pass in the subject of Drama is constantly desired and with the lead actress Ashley Tisdale at the helm of course this quality is never delivered, with her performance being as lazy and unimpressive as a bed with no mattress. Her comedic timing is utterly useless, picking up on features of the film that the franchise ‘prides itself on’ (i.e- Random, nonsensical occurrences), constantly putting a downer on the already partially deflated film. The comedy prowess of Anna Farris was desperately missed, with her dippy screen caricature being a source of comedy in itself in the previous 4 instalments.

With an unbalanced ratio of infrequent moments of hilarity to frequent moments of tumbleweed, Scary Movie 5 shows to be by far the weakest film of the dying franchise. Once showing genuine intelligence and humour this franchise is in danger of cinematic death relying too heavily on highly irrelevant pop culture references as well as puerile sight gags to aid its way through the film. Moments of comedy are scarce but are undoubtedly funny when they eventually emerge from the depths of pop culture that consumes this film in smoke.

3/10- Lovers of nonsensical parodies will enjoy occasional laughs, but inconsistent references delivered with awful performances leave for a low-brow slap in the face.

Calum Russell

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

 After a previous year of deflated and unfunny comedies, the genre is becoming as notoriously difficult as the horror genre, proving challenging to capture the universal funny bone. Being already witnessed this year with the gigantic flop of ‘Movie 43’, (putting a burden on the carers of what seems to be the majority of actors in Hollywood) the failsafe of comedy has yet to be cracked, with The Incredible Burt Wonderstone the next participant to ‘step up to the plate’; showing ultimate failure with sporadic humour and a clichéd comedy mould.

Beginning with the predictable ‘troubled childhood’ that is usually immaturely humorous but is instead oddly bland, we are introduced to our young protagonist Burt Wonderstone on his birthday as he escapes the poorly casted bully (Diary of a wimpy kid’s Zachary Gordon). Receiving a magic set that he brings into school the following day paves the way for the plot as he meets his only friend, Anton Marvelton, to share his magic with. Soon enough after a nifty montage of young adult friendship and magic we have our plot, however dull and linear it may be. Much like the generic comedy, Burt Wonderstone occasionally dazzles the audience with quick witted humour one minute only to leave us in silence with puerile ‘ass’ jokes the next. Never leaving the confines of its own comedy comfort, the humour proves to be predictable and boring never differentiating itself from the vast crowd of recent genre failures.

Once however Jim Carrey’s eccentric character Steve Gray, playing the daring modern street magician, is introduced the film picks up and moments of comedy ensue. The most notable moment of witticism is when Carey and Carell hold a magic trick stand -off at a children’s birthday party, allowing each other to bounce their natural comedy timing and prowess off each other, outside of the tightly scheduled script that contains them for the majority.  For the most part this provides for an entertaining hour a

nd a half despite the frustrating lack of screenwriting effort especially considering the promising plot and quality talent involved. As for the seemingly invisible Steve Buscemi (Anton Marvelton) he is clearly outside his comfort zone, with a large majority of his jokes falling flat to the comedy veterans Carell and Carrey, never letting his prestigious acting guard down however giving a realistic and quality performance throughout. Frequently making poor and selfish decisions the characters are deeply unlikeable and when the film attempts to insert a dose of sentimentality the tone is totally lost as it falls into a state of disillusion believing it’s a relatable engrossing comedy when in fact it’s simply another manufactured product of Hollywood.

With a plot which had the consistency of fluid water, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is bland and totally predictable only tossing in some flavour in the dying minutes showing to be a mildly entertaining ‘tv-movie’ instead of the film all but destined for the bargain bin.

5/10- Sporadically entertaining with a cumbersome story and lethargic humour.

Calum Russell