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

It's Kind Of A Funny Story

http://www.focusfeatures.com/its_kind_of_a_funny_story

This was a film I knew nothing about but which happened to be showing at a time when me and my friends were planning to go to the cinema. It turned out to be a surprising little movie which I otherwise wouldn't have seen. 


The film is about a boy, Craig (Keir Gilchrist), who wants to kill himself. I know, right now you're thinking "Whoa, bit of an extreme intro" but it's essential to the story so please allow me to elaborate. The reasons Craig has for wanting to end his life are all relatable, he's in love with his best friend's girlfriend, he doesn't fit in, his parents are pressuring him to do well at school, oh and he stress vomits. Despite the pressure piled on him by his clueless parents he loves them and doesn't want to hurt them, or his little sister, by going through with suicide. So he decides instead to check himself into a mental health facility. The only drawback is that the adult psychiatric ward is the only one open, and if he checks in there he has to stay for a minimum of 5 days. Once on the ward he meets many weird and wonderful characters including his roommate, an agoraphobic egyptian named Muqtada and the wackiest of all the psych patients Bobby, who befriends Craig and shows him that life aint so bad. Whilst coming to grips with life on the ward Craig falls for a fellow patient, self harmer Noelle (beautifully played by Emma Roberts). 


The film is darkly funny, refreshingly honest, touching and for anyone who's dealt with these kinds of issues it's deeply moving in places. Zach Galifianakis, best known for purely comedic roles in films such as The Hangover and Due Date showcases his talent for dramatic acting here alongside a faultless cast. The previously unheard of Gilchrist and previously unremarkable Roberts are outstanding. A rare treat. 9 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 8th January 2011

UK Release Date - 7th January 2011

Cast Overview:

Keir Gilchrist ~ Craig

Zach Galifianakis ~ Bobby

Emma Roberts ~ Noelle

Viola Davis ~ Dr Minerva

Zoe Kravitz ~ Nia

Thomas Mann ~ Aaron

Aasif Mandvi ~ Dr Mahmoud

Bernard White ~ Muqtada

Lauren Graham ~ Lynn (Craig's Mother)

Jim Gaffigan ~ George (Craig's Father)

Jeremy Davies ~ Smitty

Director(s) ~ Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

Writer(s) ~ Anna Boden (Screenplay), Ryan Fleck (Screenplay) 

and Ned Vizzini (Novel)