The Hangover Part II

http://hangoverpart2.warnerbros.com/

Anyone who reads my tumblr blog will know that when I went up north recently, I queued some items on that blog to keep my readers entertained while I was away.

The theme of this queue was 'Films I was looking forward to seeing in May'. For anyone who doesn't read my tumblr blog, those films were; Water For Elephants, Something Borrowed, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Hangover Part II. Of all of those films I think The Hangover Part II was the one I was most looking forward to. 

The first Hangover film introduced me to the hotness of Bradley Cooper and was one of the rarest things in movies, it was a comedy that actually made me laugh. Several times as I recall. It's not that I don't have a sense of humor, it's just rare for comedies to make me laugh out loud. So that was all I wanted from the sequel, Bradley to still be hot and some laughs. Skip to the end if you want to find out if that's what I got.

For everyone else I will give a brief run down of the story. Stu (Ed Helms) is getting married (again) and takes the three best friends that anyone could have - Doug (Justin Bartha), Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) - as well as his wife-to-be's brother Teddy (Mason Lee) to Bangkok for his bachelor party. They all get wasted and three of the five - Stu, Phil and Alan - wake up in a room they don't recognise and apparently missing two of their group. Doug soon checks in safe and sound (unlike last time) which means Teddy is missing. A frantic re-tracing of steps ensues to try and locate the missing brother in law to be.

Sound familiar? It ought to because the producers of The Hangover Part II seem to think that the key to a successful sequel is to rip off the first film completely. It's an almost identical film to the first, the only difference is the setting and the missing person. Oh and they swapped a Tiger for a Monkey. Whup-de-do.

Yes Bradley is still hot, but I was so disappointed with how bland the film was, I barely noticed. The jokes are all the same as the first time around, Stu even sings a jaunty song and yes, even Mike Tyson makes another pointless appearance. All of the scenes which made the first Hangover so unique and funny are now played out in such a glaringly obvious way that you can see the punchline coming long before the joke's been told. The only upside for me was that Mr Chow, who everyone seemed to love last time out (but who really annoyed me), was actually a lot funnier and a lot less annoying this time. 

Easily the most disappointing of all the films I wanted to see this month. 6.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 26th May 2011

UK Release Date - 26th May 2011

Cast Overview:

Bradley Cooper ~ Phil

Ed Helms ~ Stu

Zach Galifianakis ~ Alan

Justin Bartha ~ Doug

Ken Jeong ~ Mr Chow

Paul Giamatti ~ Kingsley

Mason Lee ~ Teddy

Jamie Chung ~ Lauren

Director ~ Todd Phillips

Writer(s) ~ Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong and Todd Phillips

Heathers

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097493/

'Why are you reviewing another old movie?' I hear you cry. 'I thought this blog was only reviewing new movies'. Au contraire, mon ami! This is a blog that reviews every film I see at the cinema this year. And yes, I was lucky enough to finally, after all these years of it being one of my favourite films, got to see Heathers at the cinema. 

Anyone who's read my reviews of Blue Valentine or The Princess Bride will know that one of my favourite places in London is the Prince Charles Cinema (http://www.princecharlescinema.com/). I previously stated that "one of the reasons I love that cinema so much is that they show quirky independent films on general release as well as special screenings of older classics, such as this". Sometimes I'm just so eloquent!

For anyone who hasn't seen it/heard of it (shame on you!), Heathers is the story of Veronica (Winona Ryder), who is a member of the most popular clique in Westerberg High. The other three girls in the clique all happen to share the name Heather and are all vile in their own special way. When Veronica meets the rebellious J.D (Christian Slater) she immediately recognises how alike they are and together they wreak havoc on the school. First by plotting the demise of the lead Heather (Kim Walker) and then the two school jocks Kurt and Ram (Lance Fenton and Patrick Labyorteaux). They disguise the murders they carry out as suicides and soon the whole school is trying to get in on the act and follow the cool kids way out. Unbeknown to the students of Westerberg High, J.D is already planning the way out for everybody.

Does J.D blow up the school? Will Veronica and J.D end up living happily ever after? Well if you haven't already seen Heathers I'm certainly not going to spoil it for you. You will simply have to buy (Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/3bwlstq) or rent (LoveFilm - http://tinyurl.com/3z3dwxh) it and find out for yourself! 


What I will say is that Heathers is a film that turned the 80's teen movies on their head. Before Heathers, Hollywood was making films like The Breakfast Club and Pretty In Pink, and after it, Hollywood got a sense of irony! There are fantastic performances from all involved and more quotable lines than you can shake a stick at. 


An almost perfect movie. Certainly one of the best films of the 80's. 9.5 out of 10.

*Below is the best trailer I could find for Heathers but it's under the foreign title Lethal Attraction (which I'm sure we all agree is a terrible title!). I wish I could find the Channel 4 advert for Heathers (tried You Tube but I couldn't see it) from when they showed it as part of an 80's movie season with Stand By Me and Cry Baby - it was a brilliant advert and had an amazing rhyme which I can't quite remember...*

Four little girls, not as they should,

three of them were bad, one of them was good,

along came a guy looking for some fun,

he took the good girl and gave her a gun...

(If anyone has this advert or remembers the rhyme, let me know coz it's honestly driving me mad that I can't remember!)

Viewing Date - 23rd May 2011

Original UK Release Date - 17th November 1989 (I was 8)

Cast Overview:

Winona Ryder ~ Veronica

Christian Slater ~ J.D.

Shannen Doherty ~ Heather Duke

Lisanne Falk ~ Heather McNamara

Kim Walker ~ Heather Chandler

Penelope Milford ~ Pauline Fleming

Glenn Shadix ~ Father Ripper

Lance Fenton ~ Kurt Kelly

Patrick Labyorteaux ~ Ram Sweeney 

Carrie Lynn ~ Martha Dunnstock aka Dumptruck

Director ~ Michael Lehmann

Writer ~ Daniel Waters

Julia's Eyes

No Official Website but you can find out more at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512685/

Julia's Eyes is not the most typical of film choices for me. Firstly because I'd never heard of it, and secondly because I'd never heard of any of the actors involved. But after experiencing the happy surprise of Attack The Block, a film I really didn't want to see, I thought 'why not'? I watched the trailer and found the idea quite intriguing and so decided to give it a shot.

The film opens with the shocking murder of a blind woman, Sara (Belen Rueda). Unfortunately for her, the murder is carried out in such a way as to imply she committed suicide. Her twin sister Julia (also played by Belen Rueda), thinks something is amiss and starts to investigate the mysterious end to her sisters life. She starts by attempting to discover the identity of a man who was spending a lot of time with her sister, though strangely, nobody seems to have seen him. All of this is made increasingly difficult by the degeneration of Julia's sight, as she has the same disorder as her sister and starts to go blind from the stress of the situation.  

Julia's Eyes was made in Spain and has English subtitles but don't let that put you off. This was a sharply directed film, especially considering the amount of scenes that are kept to the shadows. I particularly loved the final scene, which is  filmed in almost complete darkness, but which is lit by a camera flash which goes off every couple of seconds. Very clever and very eerie as you don't know what you'll see the next time the flash goes off. 

My only problem with the film was the number of plot twists in the final 30 minutes. The film makers were clearly trying to throw the audience off the scent of the killer, but I found it confused matters more than was necessary. 

This is a complex thriller which will keep you hooked until the credits roll. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 20th May 2011

UK Release Date - 20th May 2011

Cast Overview:

Belen Rueda ~ Julia/Sara

Lluis Homar ~ Isaac

Pablo Derqui ~ Ivan

Francesc Orella ~ Inspector Dimas

Director ~ Guillem Morales 

Writer(s) ~ Guillem Morales and Orioi Paulo

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

http://www.disney.co.uk/pirates-of-the-caribbean/index.jsp

Like most fans of Pirates Of The Caribbean, I was looking forward to and dreading this fourth installment in equal measure. Unlike most fans, I was dreading it because of the omission of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly and the addition of Penelope Cruz. Also unlike most fans, my favourite of the former trilogy was actually the last film, At World's End.

So I approached these strange tides with trepidation and tried to critique the film on it's own merits. After all, a sequel where two of the main stars have bowed out is surely not a sequel but a separate film altogether?

On Stranger Tides is set almost immediately after the last film. Though confusingly, it's set immediately after the events of the main film, not after the events featured in the scene after the end credits (which was set 10 years in the future). Still with me? If not here's a recap: At the end of At World's End, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) has again lost his beloved ship, The Black Pearl, to his sparring partner Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). However, wily Captain Jack has stolen the map leading to the Fountain of Youth and sets off to find it in a little dinghy. In this film he is still searching for said fountain and we follow his adventures as he comes sword to sword with his own impostor (eventually unmasked as Angelica played by Penelope Cruz), encounters vicious Mermaids, crosses paths some more with Captain Barbossa and meets the fearsome Captain Blackbeard (Ian McShane). 

I'll jump right into the critique part of the review and say what I didn't like. Unsurprisingly I missed Orlando and Keira. That's right people, I even missed Keira. It just didn't feel right without them, and I kept hoping against hope that they'd filmed some kind of secret cameo and would appear at any moment. As the credits finally rolled I even hoped that the scene after the credits (and yes Pirates fans, there is one!) would belong to them. Sadly it did not. Instead, the producers have filled the gaping hole left by their characters with a whole bunch of unnecessary new ones. The missionary, Philip (played by Sam Clafin), is insipid and goofy looking (sorry but he is!) and the Mermaid just didn't cut it. As for Penelope, the boys will love her, but I just found her to be all boobs and big hair and not much else.

What I liked about it was that the lack of Will and Elizabeth allowed Captain Jack more room to shine, and that he did. The introduction of Angelica (annoying as she was) meant that for the first time we got to really see Jack use his charm on a woman. As much as I love Johnny Depp as an actor, I've never really understood the attraction to Jack Sparrow the character. However, I can see it this time around, as you get to see Jack more as a lover in this film than a wild eyed Pirate (although you get plenty of that too). As much as I could have done without Penelope I will at least say that she and Johnny had chemistry and it was nice to see Jack sparring with a feisty woman for once.

*Minor Spoiler Alert*

As usual I don't want to spoil the film for anyone but I must say that I *LOVED* Judi Dench's cameo in the film. I thought it was truly inspired and it looked like she had a blast filming it. Also, for anyone planning to take young kiddies to see this, the Mermaid attack is quite scary!

In summary, I found this installment to be a tad too long, the quest too unimportant, the 3D to be rather ineffective and pointless and on the whole, rather blah. It may be time for Captain Jack to relinquish his Captaincy before there's a mutiny from the fans. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 18th May 2011

UK Release Date - 18th May 2011

Cast Overview:

Johnny Depp ~ Captain Jack Sparrow

Penelope Cruz ~ Angelica

Geoffrey Rush ~ Captain Hector Barbossa

Ian McShane ~ Captain Blackbeard

Kevin McNally ~ Joshamee Gibbs

Sam Clafin ~ Philip

Astrid Berges-Frisbey ~ Syrena

Director ~ Rob Marshall

Writer(s) ~ Ted Elliott (Screenplay, Screen Story and Characters), Terry Rossio (Screenplay, Screen Story and Characters), Stuart Beattie (Characters), Jay Wolpert (Characters) and Tim Powers (Novel 'On Stranger Tides')

Attack The Block

http://www.attacktheblock.com/

Those who regularly accompany me to the cinema will know that I wasn't all that interested in seeing Attack The Block. For whatever reason, the trailer just didn't grab me. The thing that changed my mind was finding out that it was written and directed by Joe Cornish, who I've been a fan of since his Adam and Joe days.

Bearing this in mind I decided to give the film a go, feeling a kind of obligation to Mr Cornish to support him in this new and exciting venture.

The film is set in a saaaf laandaan (South London) block of flats and begins with the mugging of one of the block's residents. The teenage gang who commit the crime then witness an alien landing and decide to investigate. The alien in question is a vicious little blighter and after scarring the lead gang member the teens decide to teach it a lesson. Unsurprisingly the kids give the alien a kicking and the result is it's death. In retaliation their block is then invaded by even bigger, hairier and scarier creatures who are out for redemption. So it's up to the kids to defend the block and stop the aliens from killing the residents, which include the nurse they mugged at the start of the night.

I can't tell you how pleased I am that I gave this film a chance as it didn't disappoint. The trailer plays it for laughs and although the film does have some laughs (and all of the youf speak I was 'spectin innit bro!) it's also surprisingly scary. The alien effects, for what I would imagine was a modestly budgeted British film, were really very good and much scarier than they appear in the trailer. The great thing for me (take note Battle: Los Angeles, here's where you can learn something!) was that by the end of the film, you did know what the aliens looked like. You get several really good shots of the aliens in the closing moments. And they looked impressively real. 

The script was what you would expect for an inner city gang movie, so I can't say it was great, but then I guess the fact that they spoke so realistically means it actually was great? The thing I was most impressed with was the direction. There are some really fantastic shots in the film, the one that stayed with me, and made me almost hide under my coat, was the shot of all the aliens climbing up the front of the block (but I think that's because it's a genuine nightmare of mine to have aliens in a real setting like that). For a first time director I was genuinely impressed (and a little proud). There were also a few nice nods to Joe's heroes in the biz - in particular, the scene where the teens go looking for the alien on their bikes made me think of ET - and it was good to see his friends Nick Frost, Nira Park and Edgar Wright all leant a helping hand to the film.

I don't want to say much more because I would really like this film to do well, not only for the British Film Industry, but because it's a good British film for once and I'd like people to go and see it.

Highly recommended for horror fans, British film fans and anyone who likes to be surprised every once in a while. 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 15th May 2011

UK Release Date - 13th Maty 2011

Cast Overview: 

Jodie Whittaker ~ Sam

John Boyega ~ Moses

Alex Esmail ~ Pest

Franz Drameh ~ Dennis

Leeon Jones ~ Jerome

Simon Howard ~ Biggz

Sammy Williams ~ Probs

Michael Ajao ~ Mayhem

Jumayn Hunter ~ Hi-Hatz

Luke Treadaway ~ Brewis

Paige Meade ~ Dimples

Danielle Vitalis ~ Tia

and Nick Frost ~ Ron

Director and Writer ~ Joe Cornish

Something Borrowed

http://somethingborrowedmovie.warnerbros.com/

One of my favourite films of 2009 was He's Just Not That Into You. In fact, I would go so far as to say it's one of the best romantic comedies ever made. It was so refreshing and different and while it had the obligatory happy ending it didn't end that way for everyone involved. It also showcased the talents of Ginnifer Goodwin and I've been dying to see what she would do next. 


As it turns out, she's not done an awful lot. Some bit parts in movies here and there but I guess she mostly dedicates her time to her part on TV show Big Love, which I must confess I haven't seen. I missed the first series and have been meaning to 'lovefilm' it but haven't yet gotten around to it. I hear it's very good though and that Ms Goodwin is amazing in it. This doesn't surprise me.


So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw the trailer for Something Borrowed. In the film we meet Rachel (Goodwin), who's best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson) is about to marry Dex (Colin Egglesfield). This is great news if you overlook the fact that Dex happens to be the person Rachel has had a crush on since they were at Law School together. Following some late night drinking on the night of Rachel's surprise 30th birthday party, she ends up sleeping with Dex and has to wrestle with the idea of breaking up her two best friends, thus securing her own happiness, or keeping schtum and remaining single and unhappy.


I have to admit that Something Borrowed has suffered somewhat from being the next big film on Ginnifer Goodwin's resume, following He's Just Not That Into You. It's not as original, funny or heartfelt as her previous rom-com. But putting comparisons aside it is still (occasionally) funny and entertaining. It just doesn't really stand out that much from other rom-coms we've already seen. 


Kate Hudson makes the most of playing the annoying best friend role again, as she did so well in Bride Wars, and made me so thankful that my own best friends would never treat me the way her character Darcy treats Rachel. Goodwin, finally getting a starring role, really holds the film together a treat as the girl who always has to play second fiddle to her attention seeking best friend. I also really enjoyed John Krasinski in the role of mutual friend Ethan. His character was the source of most of the films funnier scenes, but it was his portrayal of the friend who never gets the girl that made him memorable for me. The character I was most disappointed with was Dex. I should point out that this is aimed at the character and not so much the actor, newcomer Colin Egglesfield, as I think he was just written to be very weak and I can't see why either of these women would fight over him? 


So to sum up, an enjoyable if not particularly thought provoking way to spend a few hours. Just don't expect too much. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 7th May 2011

UK Release Date - 6th May 2011

Cast Overview:

Ginnifer Goodwin ~ Rachel

Kate Hudson ~ Darcy

Colin Egglesfield ~ Dex

John Krasinski ~ Ethan

Steve Howey ~ Marcus

Ashley Williams ~ Claire

Director ~ Luke Greenfield

Writer(s) ~ Jennie Snyder (Screenplay) and Emily Giffin (Novel)

Water For Elephants

http://www.waterforelephants.com/

If you follow me on Tumblr (or facebook or twitter) you'll know that I was really looking forward to seeing Water For Elephants. It was one of only four films that I listed as 'Looking forward to seeing in May' along with Something Borrowed, Pirates 4 and The Hangover Part 2.

The last trailer released moved me almost to the point of tears, then one of my closest friends told me it was like Titanic at the circus. All of this combined made me think that Water For Elephants was going to require a LOT of tissues and become this years weepie equivalent of The Notebook.

The story is told via reflection of Jacob Jankowski (Hal Holbrook) on his life as a younger man (Robert Pattinson) and how he inadvertently ended up joining the circus when his parents died. We're told that the circus he joined, The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, was renowned for being the most famous circus disaster of all time. The story continues to tell how Jacob became the vet for the travelling circus and in turn shows how he befriended the latest aquisition to the circus of Rosie the elephant, and how he fell in love with the ringmasters wife, Marlena (Reese Witherspoon).

As is usually the way with films we're really looking forward to, they inevitably don't live up to our expectations. I don't want to ruin the film for anyone so if you haven't seen it and you'd like to, please skip to the end of the spoiler alert. 

*spoiler alert*

The thing that I felt severely let down by was the so called 'most famous circus disaster of all time'. Both the trailer and the opening sequence of the film tell us about this disaster. It's really not. I was expecting some kind of animal stampede, heavy casualties. Someone else I know was expecting a fire. Yes, the animals are let loose but there is only one casualty and that's the one person you want to be killed anyway. Where's the disaster? More importantly, where's the tragedy? 

In my opinion you can't have a tragic love story (especially not on the scale of Titanic) without a death. Here, the main couple live happily ever after. There's nothing tragic about that. Sorry if I seem a little morbid. I'm not saying I wanted them to die, more that I'd been expecting it. I was convinced from the first trailer that Marlena would die in the 'circus disaster'. I was wrong. 

*end of spoiler alert*

Having said all of that, I did think the film was beautifully shot and acted and I completely fell in love with Tai who played Rosie the elephant. She is brilliant, beautiful and completely amazing. The feats she performs are jaw dropping - no computer wizardry, check out Reese and Robert on the Graham Norton show (bbc iplayer http://tinyurl.com/3qogazp) to see for yourself - but even more impressive are her quiet moments, the scene with her and Jacob in the train carrage is breathtaking. 

So overall I liked Water For Elephants and would recommend seeing it, I would just try to put thoughts of the 'most famous circus disaster of all time' out of your head and expect something a little less grand. 7.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 5th May 2011

UK Release Date - 4th May 2011

Cast Overview:

Reese Witherspoon ~ Marlena

Robert Pattinson ~ Jacob

Christoph Waltz ~ August

Paul Schneider ~ Charlie

Jim Norton ~ Camel

Mark Povinelli ~ Kinko/Walter

Hal Holbrook ~ Old Jacob Jankowski

Director ~ Francis Lawrence

Writer(s) ~ Richard LaGravenese (Screenplay) and Sara Gruen (Novel)

Thor

http://thor.marvel.com/

I am rather ashamed to admit that I had little to no knowledge of Thor when Iron Man 2 came out last summer and featured the end clip of a hammer in the middle of the desert. I remember turning to my cinema buddy at the time and saying "huh?" 

I was further shamed when my brother told me that my 5 year old nephews reaction to the same clip was "THOR!" shouted very excitedly. It turns out that my nephew has quite an extensive knowledge of the marvel heroes, and as such, maybe I should sit down with him for a lesson some time?! It turns out that even without the history lesson, I was actually quite looking forward to seeing Thor. The trailers looked good, it had Natalie Portman who I'm a big fan of and Chris Hemsworth - who made a big impression on me in his 5 minute role in 2009's Star Trek - had been cast as Thor. I was starting to think this could be good.

So it was with great honor that I accepted an invitation to go and see Thor with my two nephews, my brother and my sister in law during my recent trip home. I'd planned to watch it when I came back to Brighton but I couldn't turn down the chance to see it with my young nephew as he's such a huge Thor fan! This also meant I would be present for my youngest nephews first ever 3D cinema experience. So I'm sure you can imagine that I was doubly honored to have been invited to join my family for this treasured moment. 

So with 3D glasses on and my nephews fingers in his ears (coz it's just a little too loud for the sensitive hearing of a 5 year old), we sat down as a family to watch the mighty Thor.

The film opens with Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) arrival on Earth. His father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) has cast him out of the kingdom and his home planet of Asgard, for re-starting a war between Asgard and the ice planet Jotunheim which is the home of the Frost Giants. Upon his arrival he is hit by a car being driven by scientist, Jane (Natalie Portman). He's quickly up and about and searching for his hammer which is the source of his power. Anyone who's seen the end of Iron Man 2 will know that the hammer has been found by the members of S.H.I.E.L.D (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) and is planted quite soldly in the ground. At the same time we follow Thor's brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who may or may not be trustworthy in his quest to become the new king of Asgard.   

I don't know if it's because I was with my family, and in particular my young nephew, who was so excited to see Thor, but I loved it. I found this to be one of the most enjoyable comic book/superhero movies I've seen in a long time. It had the humor that made Iron Man stand out from previous comic book adaptations (as well as a funny reference to Tony Stark), but for me, the human element is what gave Thor its heart. Natalie Portman was so perfectly cast as Jane, continuing the theme of more lighthearted performances which I love seeing her in. She was brilliantly accompanied by Stellan Skarsgaard and Kat Dennings, who I loved in Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist (and who I've been dying to see in another good film since I saw her in Nick and Nora). As much as I praise the humans, the Norse Gods were also perfectly cast. Chris Hemsworth has a star making performance as Thor and if I may also add, is very easy on the eye. Loki is cunningly played by Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins is imposing yet warm hearted as Odin. 

The other thing that really impressed me were the sets and effects used to create the worlds of Asgard and Jotunheim. Both planets looked so real and so different from each other (and different from the New Mexico setting on Earth) that you forgot you were watching a set or a green screen. I particularly loved the Bifröst bridge and the way it was lit. Really stunning. This was a big job for any director to take on, the fact that it was Kenneth Brannagh who took the challenge - someone you would never normally associate with this type of film - makes the end result even more incredible.

I was relieved that the film not only got 2 thumbs up from my nephew but that he loved it so much he also awarded it a score of 20 out of 10. A recommendation I am happy to endorse if you're taking a child to see this epic tale. For the adults, my verdict is an enjoyable, awe inspiring addition to the marvel movies. Thor receives a respectable 8.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 1st May 2011

UK Release Date - 27th April 2011

Cast Overview:

Chris Hemsworth ~ Thor

Natalie Portman ~ Jane Foster

Tom Hiddleston ~ Loki

Anthony Hopkins ~ Odin

Stellan Skarsgard ~ Erik Selvig

Kat Dennings ~ Darcy Lewis

Clark Gregg ~ Agent Coulson (S.H.I.E.L.D)

Idris Elba ~ Heimdall

Colm Feore ~ King Laufey

Rene Russo ~ Frigga

Director ~ Kenneth Branagh

Writer(s) ~ Ashley Miller (Screenplay), Zack Stentz (Screenplay), Don Payne (Screenplay), J. Michael Straczynski (Story), Mark Protosevich (Story), Stan Lee (Comic Book), Larry Lieber (Comic Book) & Jack Kirby (Comic Book)

Scre4m

http://www.scream-4.com/

When I first heard that there was going to be a Scream 4, I hoped it was just a rumour. When it became evident that the film was going to be a reality I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. 

See I liked the first film, and didn't really mind the two sequels that followed, but the thing I loved about it was the way it turned the horror genre on it's head. Something the Scream movies can't continue to do if they become a franchise. My concern is that the Scream movies are going down the multi sequel route of so many other horror franchises which were good and iconic when they started - Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and Saw, I am looking at you! - but which churned out so many sequels they became laughable and predictable in the end.  

I was also slightly concerned that I would have no-one to watch the film with as I can only count 1 horror fan amongst my closest friends in Brighton. Quite a contrast from when I lived up north where practically everyone I knew was a horror fan. Luckily for me, one of my friends has a lovely new girlfriend who happens to love cheesy horror movies as much as I do. And she similarly knew no-one who would see the movie with her. So we teamed up to check out Scre4m, eager to find out if the originality which made the previous movies so smart and funny had been lost.

This slice (see what I did there? ;0) of the action is set 10 years after Scream 3 - which it is in real life too - and although the people closest to the horrific happenings of the last movie, Sidney, Gale and Dewey have moved on, the town of Woodsborough is still stuck in the past. To prove how 'over it' she is, Sidney, now the author of a tell all book, returns home for a book signing. And soon the killings start all over again. 

For my money, as nice as it was to see the characters again (kinda like seeing old friends - no pun intended), they could have stopped at Scream 3. Scre4m didn't really bring anything new to the table and I don't really see the point in making movies for the sake of it. However, I will admit that despite my trepidation, Scre4m did make me jump 5 times (yes I did keep count) but it didn't make me scream. And for the record, nor did my companion. I was happy to discover that the killer/killers was/were not obvious. At least not to me. So for now, the Scream franchise is still semi fresh, the idea's not new but they're managing to keep predictability at bay for the moment. 

My only major problem with Scre4m (and this issue was also aired by my companion) was that Dewey seemed to be much more of a characature in this movie. Maybe it's because I've seen Scary Movie since I last watched Scream but David Arquette definitely seemed more Doofy that Dewey in this one. 

I think Hollywood needs to come up with some new ideas and leave the scream mask where it is. Or mark my words, Scream in space will be next! 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 26th April 2011

UK Release Date - 15th April 2011

Cast Overview:

Neve Campbell ~ Sidney Prescott

Courtney Cox ~ Gale Weathers-Riley

David Arquette ~ Dewey Riley

Emma Roberts ~ Jill Roberts

Mary McDonnell ~ Kate Roberts

Hayden Panettiere ~ Kirby Reed

Marielle Jaffe ~ Olivia Morris

Rory Culkin ~ Charlie Walker

Erik Knudsen ~ Robbie Mercer

Marley Shelton ~ Deputy Judy Hicks

Anthony Anderson ~ Deputy Perkins

Adam Brody ~ Deputy Hoss

Anna Paquin ~ Rachel

Kristen Bell ~ Chloe

Director ~ Wes Craven

Writer ~ Kevin Williamson