Cafe Society (2016) film review

Year: 2016
Running Time: 96 minutes
Director/ Writer: Woody Allen
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Blake Lively, Parker Posey, Corey Stoll

Café Society opens in Australian cinemas on October 20 and is distributed by Entertainment One.

Woody Allen's 1930's tale of two cities, Café Society lacks the lovely nostalgia that it should have with not only it's lukewarm screenplay and lack of strong plot, but also it's strange choices in cinematography that don't make the time period and locations anywhere near as exciting or wondrous as they should be.

In 1935, young and naïve Bronx native, Bobby travels cross-country to try his luck in the glamour town of Hollywood. He is employed by his uncle who is one of Hollywood's leading agents, Phil Stern (Steve Carell) and has one of his uncle's office girls, Vonnie (Kristen Stewart) show him around town. Bobby is instantly besotted with Vonnie, but she is already in a relationship with a mystery man who is already married. However, Bobby and Vonnie's story doesn't end there and spans over time and the two cities of Los Angeles and New York City in one of their most exciting times.

Looking at Café Society from the viewpoint of a fan of the golden age of Hollywood, the film does not hit the heights expected from the exciting prospect of Woody Allen making a period piece about the earlier days of the film town. Allen did such a great job with Midnight in Paris in 2011 with reconstructing Paris in the 1920's complete with personalities such as F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway that one would expect a film set in the 1930's with such a strong film basis to be successful. However, Allen does not do this period justice. Not only are there several historical inaccuracies (including architecture and costume design), but the screenplay features famous names from the time period such as Judy Garland, Errol Flynn and Joan Crawford being thrown around for the sake of it rather than to move the story along. While Café Society is also supposed to be equally focused on the New York City scene, it feels more focused on Hollywood and the New York world which the film's title is named after is left rather unloved.

While his films can often leave people trying to figure out what their point is, the usual consensus is that it doesn't matter if there was a greater meaning just as long as you were entertained and enjoyed the film. Café Society has no real direction, a tedious story and we can only have a guess at what Allen was trying to tell us as an audience, but not with any great confidence. It may be that the person we don't want to be is the person we are really longing to be inside, or it could be the idea that circumstances change us and our views on the world. However, it does really feel as though Allen wanted so greatly to make a film about this time period that the story wasn't as important as the visuals.

Yet the visuals are not as striking as they possibly could be. The type of lighting used throughout the film mirrors what the lighting would have been like in such a location, but on screen it can look particularly unattractive at times, especially in Phil Stern's office. The production design for the outdoor locations is really quite lazy. Old Hollywood enthusiasts love seeing old venues recreated for the screen, don't expect this to be the case in Café Society. All the locations appear the same as they would if you visited them in Hollywood yourself today and no effort is made to show locations that once existed and now do not. The Hollywood history film is almost a sub-genre in itself and Café Society is a particularly weak member.

Jesse Eisenberg does fine in the lead role of Bobby and is enjoyable and charismatic. However, it is obvious that Allen has once again directed his leading actor to be a clone of himself. Once upon a time when Woody Allen was playing himself in his own films, it was nowhere near as tiresome as it now is watching a series of films with big name actors giving their best Woody Allen impression. On the other hand, Allen's female characters remain as diverse as ever. Kristen Stewart is luminous as the woman everyone is falling for, Vonnie. Stewart continues to impress with each film she is in and show how versatile an actress she truly is. However, she has little chemistry with Steve Carell. who is her primary love interest of the film.

Café Society is an incredible shame of a movie. Woody Allen could have done so much more with the film by way of screenplay depth and got really inventive and gritty with the time period, but the film feels lazy and uninspired.

4.5/10

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)

Year: 2013
Running Time: 119 minutes
Director: Adam McKay
Writers: Adam McKay and Will Ferrell (written by and based on characters by)
Cast: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Meagan Good, Greg Kinnear, Harrison Ford

Anchorman 2:The Legend Continues opens in Australian cinemas on the 19th December and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. Now showing in the USA and UK.

"Oh hey, guess what everyone!? Did you hear? Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy has a sequel!" said no one ever.

You must have been living under a rock if you hadn't heard about the upcoming release of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. It's aggressive promotional campaign which involved Ron Burgundy appearing on various news broadcasts across the world and he and his news team popping up in the places you least (or most) expect them, such as on "Saturday Night Live" singing "Afternoon Delight" with One Direction. The amount of promotion for this film was almost enough to worry you if you weren't worried already about Anchorman 2 not living up to the success of the first film. Comedy sequels are always very tricky territory as they are seeking to write a screenplay that matches the successful humour of the first. While many people will be over the moon to see the return of Ron, Brian Fantana, Champ Kind and especially Brick Tamland, there is no doubt that what made Anchorman so unique and funny just isn't there in the second film. Anchorman 2 pushes so many boundaries that just give off an air of trying way too hard and coming off as painful rather than funny.

Co-anchors, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and his wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) have enjoyed many years of success after they relocated from San Diego to New York together. When Veronica is given a promotion and Ron is sacked, he hits rock bottom when he finds himself working at Sea World as an announcer. By a stroke of luck when he needs it most, he is summoned back to New York to anchor on the first 24 hour news channel and re-assembles his old news team consisting of Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), Champ Kind (David Koechner) and Brick Tamland (Steve Carell). When the four arrive in New York, they find that they have a lot to do to regain their success and popularity. They have to measure up to the anchorman of the moment, Jack Lime (James Marsden) as well as somehow impress tough businesswoman, Linda Jackson (Meagan Good).

The thing that made Anchorman work was that it was silly and random but in a completely unique way. It stood out from other comedies which with it's memorable characters and ridiculously quotable and hilarious dialogue. It still remains the Will Ferrell movie you like even if you do not like Will Ferrell. Anchorman was always going to be a hard act to follow. What made the first Anchorman work so well is what writers, Adam McKay and Will Ferrell seemed to have forgot in the writing of the sequel. Anchorman 2 is more about pushing the boundaries on topics which many will find offensive and hope that these risks will be seen as funny. It is the mistake many writers make when writing comedy, they feel they have to try really hard in order to make us laugh. The problem being that most of the time audiences can tell when a film is trying too hard. Anchorman was silly and very random, but didn't go over the top, while Anchorman 2 does. There are certain scenes (particularly that of Ron and Linda at the family dinner) that can be perceived by some as being quite racist or to some, very racist. Some may say that it is just how things may have been, but it still doesn't make a difference to how uncomfortable some of the dialogue makes you. There is also more sexual references, more cringe worthy images and references and silly turns to stupidity. Anchorman 2 is unfortunately what many will call a typical sequel, which means there is more of everything which the first film has and those dreaded words used to describe many sequels are absolutely used here...it is nowhere near as good as the first. It is even hard to say whether die hard Anchorman fans will appreciate this film as for the most part it walks in the opposite direction of the first. Anchorman 2 was never going to be as good as the first, but it would have been nice if it could have been half as good as it at least.

The screenplay really is a big step backwards for McKay and Ferrell. There are laughs to be had , but nowhere near as many as the film makers would want you to have. The first few minutes are funny and after you get over the happiness of seeing the news team again, you settle into the film and then realise that not much is really happening. It jumps all around the place for awhile and never really solidifies in the story. It's all about getting people to laugh again at Ron Burgundy...and it doesn't even achieve this for the most part. At nearly two hours, the film seems a lot longer than what it actually is. The highlight of the film are the hilarious cameos which take place towards the end of the film, and it is almost worth watching the whole film just for this segment.

Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy isn't as likable or endearing as what you want him to be. His character, like the film, just seems all over the place and often painful and annoying. He has no real consistency through the film and while in most circumstances this would be seen as versatile, in Anchorman 2 you just feel like you really have no idea who Ron Burgundy is anymore. Paul Rudd's Brian Fantana probably has a bit more to do in this film than he had in the first, and he is actually a lot more likable as opposed to Ron Burgundy and to the first film. His character actually shows progression in changing emotions and his character development is quite well done. He is a stronger character who in the end, is the one holding the team together and the true friend.

David Koechner was probably the least likable out of the news team in the first film and this is continued here. He's not particularly interesting and if it wasn't for his first scene in the film, you would forget about him being in the film at all.

Anchorman will always be remembered by many as the first time they saw and took notice of Steve Carell on the big screen. His character of  Brick Tamland is one warped and strange human being, but has given use some of the most quotable comedy film dialogue in the past decade. Here he is probably the one character who really saves this comedy. Once again Carell delivers some hilarious dialogue, which will again be quoted by many in years to come. His on screen relationship with Chani, played by Kristen Wiig is not really oozing with chemistry or humour, but does have it's moments. Wiig does well enough, but would have benefited from having a larger role in the film to work with. Christina Applegate is fine and her performance probably would have seemed better if it was in a better film. Meagan Good is working with a character who is just too overdone and seemly unrealistic just by how over the top she is.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues may still have it's lovers, but is not the type of humour which a large portion of the population will enjoy. It is definitely a good idea to be familiar with the first in order to understand the second, but seeing and enjoying the first doesn't mean you will enjoy this one.

3.5/10

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Year: 2013
Director: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Russell Brand, Steve Coogan, Miranda Cosgrove
Now showing in Australian cinemas
To be released in the UK on the 28th of June and the USA on the 3rd of July 2013

 Despicable Me fans can now breathe a sigh of relief. Despicable Me 2 is in no way an insult to the first film.

The second film carries on all the fun, laughs and entertainment that the first film gave us, with a few little changes according to what fans loved from the first film. The main change being that those crazy minions have a greater presence in this film. There shouldn't be too many complaints about that.

After Gru (Steve Carell) is cured of his villainous ways in Despicable Me, we find him at the beginning of this film still completely besotted by his three adopted daughters, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes ( Elsie Fisher). He has adapted to fatherhood well and is living a low key life, which is quite the opposite to his days as a villain. That is until Agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) shows up in his front yard trying to convince him to join the Anti-Villain League (AVL). Gru takes some convincing, but he eventually decides to help out the AVL find a new villain who is creating mayhem. The unthinkable happens for this one time bad man though, he may have found his match in Agent Wilde.

Despicable Me 2 is great for the same reasons that Despicable Me was. Both of the films have a wide appeal in that their attraction isn't restricted to a particular group of people. It isn't your typical clichéd film in that the protagonist is not a particularly charming character nor is he easy on the eye. Gru may not be a villain anymore, but he still looks like one and can also have the attitude of one too.

The screenplay, written by Ken Daurio and Chico Paul, is very good and very different from the first film, while still having the basics right. When Daurio and Paul were writing the screenplay for Despicable Me 2, they must have seen how well the minions were received by all in the first film because they feature a lot more in the second film (and in it's promotions). They feature more in the actual plot than they did before and there is some hilarious scenes with them right at the end of the film.

The wonderful thing about the actors who supply the voices in Despicable Me 2 is that they are truly in actor mode and are not just speaking in their own voice. Both Steve Carell and Russell Brand's voices are almost unrecognisable as Gru and Dr Nefario. They both truly become their character and show there is a lot more to giving an animated character your voice rather than just reading your lines. Kristen Wiig is also good, not for the same reasons as Carell and Brand, but rather because she is able to portray emotions through her voice and it would seem like she had a great amount of fun being  Lucy Wilde.

It is not a necessity to see Despicable Me before you see Despicable Me 2, but it is recommended so that you understand the characters a bit better. There isn't a great deal of character development as it is assumed you know who the main characters are and how they got to be who they are. There really is no spoken connection to the film before, so it is preferred you would see the first film before this one.

Despicable Me 2 is very funny and entertaining and one of the best animations you will see this year.

Does anyone want to petition for a Minion Translation Dictionary?

8/10


You may have also seen Steve Carell in......
Despicable Me as Gru
The Way, Way Back  as Trent

You may have also seen Russell Brand in.....
Despicable Me as Dr Nefario
Rock Of Ages as Lenny

You may have also seen Kristen Wiig in......
Bridesmaids as Annie

Sydney Film Festival: The Way, Way Back (2013)

Year: 2013
Director: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Cast: Liam James, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Alison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb, Amanda Peet, Rob Corddry, Maya Randolph
Screening at the Sydney Film Festival on the 6th and 10th of June. Please see official website for more information on times, venues and tickets
Now showing at cinemas in the USA, opening in the UK on the 28th of August 2013
To be released in Australia on the 1st of August 2013

The Way, Way Back is the first comedy this year to really break the mould and produce something that is genuinely and effortlessly funny.

First time directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (who also star in the film) have written a wonderfully sweet and clever script that is truly hilarious.  The Way, Way Back is very entertaining and never dull with colourful performances and brilliant dialogue. It is intelligently funny, yet simplistic and uplifting in the way all feel good films should be.

We meet fourteen year old Duncan (Liam James) when he is on his way to the beach house which he will spend his summer at with his mother Pam (Toni Collette), Pam's boyfriend Trent (Steve Carrell) and his moody teenage daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). Duncan struggles not to be awkward in the situation which he clearly feels uncomfortable in. He escapes his family by venturing to the town's water park and befriending owner, Owen (Sam Rockwell). In the water park, he finds a place where he can truly be happy and enjoy being himself.

This coming of age story is really one of a kind. It is not all smooth sailing and people get hurt and emotions shattered along the way. However, you still realise when leave the cinema that even though the world can bring you down, if you step outside your house there is a place out there where you can be yourself and find happiness with people who appreciate you for you. The Way, Way Back leaves you with a smile on your face and even though there are sad moments, you remember the film for the happy ones. It reminds you how there is still beauty in the world just outside your front door if you can't find it behind.

It is fantastic to finally see a comedy that relies so much on the dialogue. There are so funny antics, but the majority of the laughs come from what the characters say. Unlike many other comedies in this day and age, this film does not feel the need to use filth or sexual jokes as the basis for it's comedy. It is just good, clean comedy that is very witty and entertaining.

The majority of the laughs come from Sam Rockwell's Owen and Alison Janney who plays next door neighbour, Betty. As soon as Janney appears on the screen she starts prompting fits of laughter and Rockwell's comedic timing is amazing. These two are the two runaway stars of The Way, Way Back.

Liam James does well. He is so painfully awkward that you want to shake it out of him as his awkwardness gets to be a little too frustrating at times. Toni Collette is so very sweet and completely likable. You instantly start feeling sorry for her when things start to go haywire. It is very interesting seeing Steve Carell as the bad guy. No one would expect him to be the one in the film who has supplies next to no laughs. Yet, he still pulls it off well and is provokes dislike from the viewer, which is what he is expected to do.

AnnaSophia Robb is also right on the mark as Betty's daughter and Duncan's new found friend. She is also a very interesting character to watch. May Randolph plays water park employee, Caitlyn and has her fun moments too. Directors Faxon and Nash are also great in their roles, particularly Nash who is dryly hilarious.

The Way, Way Back's water park provides the perfect backdrop for this fun and entertaining film.  Like a waterslide, you come away smiling and thinking about how much fun you have just had.

8.5/10



On a side note.....
Movie Critical were able to attend the Australian premiere at the State Theatre for The Way, Way Back at the Sydney Film Festival last night. We were present on the red carpet to witness the beautiful Toni Collette arriving in style.


There was also a very special guest who surprised Collette on stage while she and festival director, Nashen Moodley were introducing the movie. Steve Carell, who was in Sydney for the premiere of Despicable Me 2 arrived just in time to introduce the film. It was an amazing start to the film, with the audience buzzing from seeing these two Hollywood superstars on stage.


You may have also seen Steve Carell in.....
Date Night as Phil Foster
Despicable Me as Gru 

You may have also seen Toni Collette in.....
Hitchcock as Peggy Robertson

You may have also seen Sam Rockwell in....
Iron Man 2 as Justin Hammer
Cowboys & Aliens as Doc
 
The 60th Sydney Film Festival runs from 5th-16th June 2013. Please see the official website for more information.

Despicable Me

Despicable Me
Year: 2010
Director: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Cast: Steve Carell, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Julie Andrews, Jason Segel

In My Own Words
After the hard week I had had, this movie was exactly the medicine I needed. There is something completely uplifting about animation. I know that not all animation is uplifting, but the animation aimed at the younger audience which is also made so that older audiences can enjoy it. Rest assure, if I have had a hard day at work, you will normally find me at home afterwards watching a movie like “Lilo and Stitch” or “The Princess And The Frog”. Movies like this will also bring a smile to my face. When you are suffering from the stress of the grown up world, what’s better to escape than being entertained by the purity in G rated animation films?

The great thing about “Despicable Me” is that before you see the film, you can look at the poster and you have no idea what the movie is about. The promo’s give away nothing about the film which is a great marketing technique. It increases the public’s curiosity of the movie and therefore increases the audience! The most curious part for me before I saw the film was that this film was super successful....and it was an animation purely about a villain! Animation is known for bringing us cute and cuddly characters who overcome the ugly villains, not being purely about an ugly villain! How could something so unattractive be the star of a hit movie? The same thing was thought about “Up” when it was released last year, how could an animated film about an old man and an overweight kid look attractive on the big screen? “Up” was a huge success, and so is “Despicable Me”. There is a lot more cuteness in this film than would be expected. One of the best parts about seeing this film, was when my partner was the only one left laughing in the cinema after everyone had finished laughing at a particular part, because he just couldn’t stop. Priceless.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
There is nothing despicable about “Despicable Me”. It is one of the funniest animated films to be released in years. Not only is it very funny, but it also extremely clever, original and well written. There are not many film makers who have been brave enough to make an animated film where the lead character is a villain, and an ugly villain at that. However, directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud have done a fine job at turning an ugly character that would usually be disliked into a star. Once best villain in the world, Gru (Steve Carell) knows he is losing his touch after a new villain, Vector (Jason Segel) steals the Egyptian pyramids. Challenged, Gru decides that he is going to aim higher and steal the moon. Of course, a villain must overcome several obstacles in order to get what he really wants. And as one may expect, he is in danger of becoming a good guy in the process.

Apart from being just a tad predictable, “Despicable Me” is very well written. The jokes are very clever, but just simple and easy at the same time. The story is also very creative and played out in an interesting way. There is never a dull moment throughout the film and this is one of the few animated films which has been released in 3D and it has been able to enhance the entertainment value. It is definitely worth seeing “Despicable Me” in 3D as the film makers give the audience plenty of surprises and it just adds to the fun of the film. The graphics are fantastic. It is not an overly emotional film, but there are some moments in which will pull at your emotional strings. Even though there are not any cute and cuddly fuzzy creatures such as talking dogs or cats, there are some hilarious characters such a Gru’s yellow minion friends which are definitely worth talking about after the film.

It is often hard to critique an actor for a voice part, but credit must definitely be given to the players in this film. Steve Carell, Russell Brand and Kristen Wiig are excellent in their parts. The best part about these actors taking part in “Despicable Me” is that they are not merely just lending their voice, but they are making the characters real. If one did not know which actor was which character, they would have a very hard time figuring out who was who, or they wouldn’t even be able to guess that that actor even had a part in the film. Even Jack McGrayer of “30 Rock” fame has a small part in the film, but it is incredibly hard to pick who he is.

“Despicable Me” is the must see animation of the year. It brings a smile to your face and it is incredibly hard not to find this film funny. Great talent went into making every part of this film and it is an absolute winner.
9/10

Date Night

Date Night
Year: 2010
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P. Henson

In My Own Words
Finally, a comedy this year that is actually funny. It is rare to find a good comedy these days. So many writers write screenplays thinking that something sounds funny on page, when it is actually completely unoriginal and not even worthy to generate a giggle on screen. “Date Night” is completely different. It is funny in a pure way without throwing in crude or over the top jokes. So many comedy films dwell on gutter humour and it just gets old. But not this one. In my opinion, Tina Fey and Steve Carell are two of the best comedy actors around at the moment, both being “Saturday Night Live” graduates. They are both extremely funny and both brilliant in the way they can think quickly on their feet. All you need to do is watch the outtakes during the credits at the end of the film to realise how quick witted and hilarious they both are. I am a big Tina Fey fan and if there is one woman I want to be like, it is her. However, as much as I would love to meet her, I would feel like a total dunce compared to her.

Isn’t it funny with people who were in “Saturday Night Live”, when they are in a movie, there are cameos galore. Keep an eye out on in this film for all the stars who are not listed in the opening credits. When these cameos occur in the film, you will hear all the other audience members exclaim and speak excitedly to their neighbours, as I did. “Saturday Night Live” comedians are known as the most elite comedians in the states and I can understand the star power they have.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“Date Night” is the funniest movie of 2010 thus far. It is clean, classic humour, but do not think that means it’s dull. The film is far from that. There are still some moments which are just silly, but it’s not possible to have a whole movie where every single joke is funny. A good comedy is one which different types of people can enjoy and one which has you laughing at the beginning and at the end. Nobody likes a comedy that gets old after 40 minutes. Phil (Steve Carell) and Claire Foster (Tina Fey) are a self-confessed boring couple from New Jersey. They feel like their life is getting too predictable and that there’s not enough excitement , so rather than go to their normal diner haunt for their date night, they decide to doll up and go to one of New York City’s best restaurant. When they cannot get a table, they pose as the Tripplehorn’s, who have a reservation, but do not show up when summoned. This turns the night into the most unusual and thrilling date night they have ever and will ever experience.

As expected, this is not an emotional journey film, but simply just a lot of fun. The film is not boring or monotonous for a minute. It is predictable in a way as you can easily guess what is going to happen, but you do not know how it is going to happen. There is so many funny one liners that will have people quoting for days after they see the film. It is a very well written and witty script which is well directed by Shawn Levy. The only criticism of the script is that some features of the film are unnecessary, but there isn’t very many of these. The only one that comes to mind is the inclusion of Leighton Meester’s baby-sitter character. The jokes cracked here are very lame and it is clear that the only reason she is there is because she is from “Gossip Girl”. There are also some moments which don’t add up in the grand scheme of things either. Yet, these moments thankfully do not make up the film. The majority of it is just creatively fun and laugh out loud funny.

As for the acting, not Oscar-worthy, but both Steve Carell and Tina Fey are hilarious. “Date Night” is a must see for fans of either of these two. The two have great on screen chemistry and work so well together. They just seem to compliment and work off each other. It is definitely Steve Carell’s funniest big screen role since “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”. Fans of “30 Rock” will love the comedy in the film and will see Liz Lemon in many of Fey’s scenes. Taraji P. Henson is great as the tough Detective Arroyo and Kristen Wigg is hilarious as the Foster’s friend, Haley Sullivan. There is also cameo’s galore throughout the film which only add to the fun.

“Date Night” is a film which people of all ages will enjoy. More an adult comedy than one for the teenagers, but no doubt they will enjoy it too. The film will make married couples realise how just one night out of the ordinary can make the world of difference. A great comedy film that will be one of the comedies 2010 is remembered for.
7/10