When In Rome

When In Rome
Year: 2010
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Cast: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Anjelica Huston, Alexis Dziena

In My Own Words
Ah, the chick flick. I have not met any girl who can resist a chick flick, and any girl who tells you that she doesn’t like chick flicks is lying. I’m not saying that chick flicks are the favourite genres of every female, but they are take up so little brain activity that they are just easy and fun to watch. A chick flick is to a female what an action movie is to a male. Guy’s love watching big explosions and action heroes, while girls like watching romance and female heroines. It all makes sense. In my experience, guys have bagged me out when I have wanted to go and see a chick flick, but what these guys need to realise, is that a chick flick is our answer to the action film. And part of me did really want to see “When In Rome”, but mainly for the fact that Rome and New York City are in one movie. I have yet to visit Rome (even though I am dying to), but New York City is, like many other people, one of the great loves of my life.

I noticed something interesting while at the cinema today. I went to the 12:05 session of “When In Rome” today by myself. Some people find going to a movie by themselves an act of desperation. I once heard one girl I used to know complaining about how much of a “nigel” she was going to a film by herself. I have done this on many occasions and I don’t feel like a “nigel” at all. Today when I went, there was about 6 other people in the cinema by themselves. There were maybe only about 20 people in the cinema, but I thought it was interesting that there were so many people there on their own. I think I might put it down to the time of day. Most of the people who came in to the cinema by themselves had shopping bags with them, so maybe it was the fact that the cinema was in a shopping centre. Once people finish their shopping, they have time and look for something to do so they go to a movie. I just find it interesting how people think it is taboo to go to a movie by yourself, because you may be missing out on a great movie just because you can’t find someone to go to it with you!

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“When In Rome” is the typical chick flick, which means that most guys would rather poke their eyes out than see it. It is not the worlds best movie, but there is something fun, funny and very cute about it. Beth (Kristen Bell) has always had bad luck in love and life and it only gets worse when she has to make a flash trip to Rome for her sister, Joan’s (Alexis Dziena) wedding. Down and drunk, Beth takes a venture into the Fountain of Love and instead of throwing a coin into the fountain to wish for love as most people do, she decides to take 5 coins. It is only when she gets home and starts getting strange mans following her around professing their love for her, she finds out that if you take someone else’s coins, they will fall in love with you. A real problem arises when she actually falls for Nick (Josh Duhamel), who she believes is one of the men who’s coin she has retrieved.

Nothing about “When In Rome” makes it a great film. It won’t be remembered in years to come as there is nothing which really makes it stand out. However, it is very light, fluffy and cute. It is definitely an easy watch and extremely predictable. The script isn’t all bad, there are some very funny moments, although it can be very corny. There is not much more to be expected from this film though, it is very stereotypical in the way that a girl has bad luck in love and then finds love. Even though it is very predictable, there are no boring moments in the film. The scenery of Rome and New York are well captured and can at times, detract from the story and characters at hand, which some people may see as being bad and others see as being a good thing.

Kristen Bell is adorable as Beth. Her character of Beth does seem pathetic at the beginning, but she does become more likable towards the end. Her and Josh Duhamel definitely have on screen chemistry and make a very cute couple. However, the four men that fall in love with her are loose ends. They are all pretty painful, more so than they are supposed to be. Their characters are all more annoying than funny. They are probably the biggest turn off in the film and so over the top that it is ridiculous.

Again, keep boys as far away from this film as you can. It is a stereotypical chick flick, but not the best chick flick you will see this year. The best words to describe “When In Rome” are predictable and the two words used the most in this review, cute and adorable. It is a great film to see if you plan on not thinking for an hour and a half or taking a trip to Rome or New York.
5/10

Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine
Year: 2010
Director: Steve Pink
Cast: John Cusack, Clark Duke, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Chevy Chase

In My Own Words
I remember the first time I heard about “Hot Tub Time Machine”. My fiancé and I went to the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood in February to see “The Wolfman”. When the preview for “Hot Tub Time Machine” came on, we look at one another at one another with our “You have got to be joking” looks. Let’s look at the concept for a moment. A group of guys go away together, jump into a hot tub and get transported back to the 1980’s. Come on. What a ludicrous concept. Judging a movie by its title, you would have to think that people are running out of ideas for films. However...after I have seen the film, it reminds me how good scriptwriters can make even the most ridiculous ideas work on screen. I was pleasantly surprised. So I give a huge thumbs up to the writers, Josh Heald, Sean Anders and John Morris, for making “Hot Tub Time Machine” work.

One thing that I really enjoy about being a reviewer, is seeing how audiences vary across different films. A couple of weeks ago I was watching “The Last Station” thinking how at 27, I was definitely the youngest in the audience. Today, I thought I was going to be the oldest in the audience. Funny that considering the film is rated MA15+ here in Australia. I’m positive that there were some young boys in the cinema that were not 15 yet. Friday night at the cinemas is an interesting night. All the rowdy school kids come out to play and the boys love yelling things out to make the others laugh. There is always a pattern to this too. They start off in the previews and everyone laughs, 15 minutes into the film when they do it again they get told to where to go. There comes a point in time when their rowdiness, which starts off being funny to their peers, just becomes annoying to everyone else. I can’t help but just sit there and giggle. Was I ever like them? Surely not.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“Hot Tub Time Machine” wins most ridiculous movie title of the year, but could also win the biggest surprise packet of the year. Like the title, it is very silly, but it is also fun, funny and entertaining. Not everyone’s type of humour, but much funnier than the majority of films in the same genre of humour that this film belongs in. The film begins with the coming together of old friends, Adam (John Cusack) who has just broken up with his wife, Nick ( Craig Robinson) who is not the pant wearer in his relationship and the out of control troublemaker of the friends, Lou (Rob Corddry). They decide to relive old times and go up to Kodiak Valley and take Adam’s nephew, nerdy Jacob (Clark Duke). After arriving and finding that things are definitely not as they left them, they retreat to the hot tub, which has amazingly started working after it was plagued by dead animals when they arrived, for a night of binge drinking. They awake the next morning to find everyone wearing fluro and listening to walkmans, all pointing to the fact that they have gone back in time to the 1980’s. Now they are all able to go back and do the things they have always wanted to do differently, or will they?

If you go into “Hot Tub Time Machine” expecting it to be ridiculous and gruesome, you will be pleasantly surprised. Truth being told it is not going to win any awards and is not the best acting performances by any of these performers. You will definitely get the most out of this film with the lowest expectations. However, it is a great story of friendship and a reminder of how you should make every moment count as, unlike in this film, people are not able to go back and recreate those moments that make your future. Pretty in depth for a film by the name of “Hot Tub Time Machine”. It is very well written and the director, Steve Pink, and the writers have made not a bad film out of a very silly concept, which signifies a job very well done. There are still some very silly moments and there are many things that just don’t make sense. Some people may see this as one of the funniest movies of the year and it may well be the funniest film of the year for people who like this sense of humour, while other s will still see it as completely ludicrous and in some parts, completely revolting. In other words, it does depend who you are and what your sense of humour is as to whether you will like this film.

Whether you are into this type of humour or not, there are undeniably some very funny moments. John Cusack’s, Adam is probably the least funny out of the characters, yet Cusack still has that likable persona. Lou, played by Rob Corddry, can be extremely vile at times, yet does give some of the great one liners of the film. Perhaps one of the funniest parts of the film is the one-armed Phil and the way he is incorporated into the film is very clever.

“Hot Tub Time Machine” is a lot of fun silliness. However silly it may be, it is not nearly as silly as what a movie with this concept could be. Definitely a funny film and very entertaining from start to finish. Just take this film as what it is, don’t expect to see amazing visuals or fantastic acting, just watch it to have fun, have a laugh and to relive some great 80’s music.
6.5/10

The Book Of Eli

The Book Of Eli
Year: 2010
Director: Albert and Allen Hughes
Cast: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis

In My Own Words
I wish this movie was adapted from a novel. Well, there is a novel called “The Book Of Eli” by Sam Moffie, but it bears no similarity to the film. The reason I wish there was a book of this film is because all my questions could be answered. Very rarely do I get completely confused by a film, especially a film like this. If I was confused by a David Lynch movie, another story, but a film like this shouldn’t be so hard to figure out. At first I thought it may just be me, but after I asked my movie companion the same questions I was asking myself and he couldn’t answer them either, I was satisfied that it wasn’t just me. I do really wish that this movie was based on a book so that I could read the book and completely understand what I had just seen. If this movie was a book, I could imagine the book being really quite good, as it had the potential to be a good film based on the story and a book can express things in more words (funnily enough). Instead, I will have to guess the answers to my questions or I may be able to one day interview the Hughes brothers and writer Gary Whitta, and question them myself. For example, why do people ask Eli to show them his hands and who does this distinguish him from? I would love to put more of my questions here, but I don’t want to spoil any of the movie for people who are planning to see it!

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“The Book of Eli” is a film that had the potential to be very good, but is not very well scripted. The huge problem with this film is that there are not nearly enough explanations offered as to why things are the way they are and therefore seems incomplete and not nearly as tense or suspenseful as directors, the Hughes brothers would want it to be. In the future, the human race has taken a huge step backwards as a result of the war making things such as food, water, education, shelter and power scarce. Eli (Denzel Washington) is on a lone traveller making his way across the land with a sacred book which is considered to be a weapon. When he arrives in a civilised town, he comes in contact with Carnegie (Gary Oldman), who is delighted to meet someone from before the “Flash” who remembers what life used to be like. He becomes obsessed with Eli when he realises that Eli is carrying the book which Carnegie has been so vigorously searching for. Eli tries to escape Carnegie’s town so to keep on his path of taking the book westward.

The good thing about this film is that in theory, it is a very good idea for a film. Unfortunately, it does not execute this idea to its full potential. It is very slow to get going as it is not until the 40th minute that the film actually offers any explanation as to what is going on. Even then, it doesn’t at one moment feel as though it hits the level of suspense that one would expect it too. The film has plenty of action and drama in it, but it feels slow and dull. Although the story itself is very interesting, it definitely feels as though the film’s writer takes his time to tell it and even then has problems trying to tell it. In hindsight, it is not an easy story to tell on screen, but it should have at least had more background so that the audience felt more comfortable in their understanding of what was going on. Possibly the idea of explaining what has happened to society as we know it gradually through the film may have been what the film makers were planning to do, but it does not work.

There are some good points about the film. For one, the cinematography is very good. The action sequences are very well filmed and edited. There are different filming styles used throughout the film which do actually make it visually pleasurable to watch. The musical score is also very fitting. It is not Denzel Washington’s best performance, but it is not a bad performance. The character of Eli is not a very complicated one to play, suggesting that this is one of the easier roles that Washington has played. Gary Oldman, on the other hand, is very good as the bad guy, Carnegie. He shows a ton of emotion in bringing this character to life and is the one that the audience will connect with the most.

The story is the foundation of any film, and if the story is weak for any reason, there is no chance that a successful film will come of it. “The Book OF Eli” succeeds visually, but this is about that only area that it does succeed in. Not a strong film by any means and will most likely be forgotten in the near future.
4.5/10