WADRICK'S THIRTY SECOND FILM REVIEWS

StepBrothers (2008)
Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen & Adam Scott.
Written by Will Ferrell & Adam McKay.
Directed by Adam McKay.

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but the only time I want to see a man’s ballsack in a film is in a porno. I don’t want to be subjected to that sight in a mainstream Hollywood film. Unfortunately, the low-brow comedies perpetuated by the likes of Seth Rogan and Judd Apatow have increasingly turned towards this brand of cheap humour, and it seems the masses love it. But it’s certainly beyond me – call me a prude, but I just don’t find this stuff funny. Being somewhat of a Will Ferrell fan (because of films such as Talladega Nights and Stranger Than Fiction), and witnessing the chemistry he and John C. Reilly displayed in Talladega Nights, StepBrothers came as one massive disappointment. The premise – two 40 year-old unemployed infants still living at home with their single parents, thrown together when the parents marry – seemed funny on paper. But sadly, the writing team of Ferrell, Reilly (story credit) and director Adam McKay have sunk to the bottom of the comedic barrel with this offering.

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The X-Files: I Want To Believe (2008)
David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner, Mitch Pileggi & Billy Connolly.
Written by Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz.
Directed by Chris Carter.

Mulder and Scully are back, but one has to wonder – what in the hell for? This lame entry in the X-Files saga sees Fox Mulder (Duchovny) brought out of hiding by the FBI to help with the disappearance of a Bureau agent. Having much experience with the paranormal, Mulder is the obvious choice to investigate the claims of a supposed psychic (Connolly) who experiences visions of the abduction. Meanwhile, Dana Scully (Anderson) is torn between following Mulder on yet another quest and caring for a young boy with a rare illness in her position as doctor at a Catholic hospital. This could only be described as a fan film, yet it strangely gives fans (such as this reviewer) little of what they would expect. There are no aliens, UFO’s, strange phenomena or weird creatures – in fact, nothing particularly X-File-ish at all. The film plays out like a half-baked detective story, and seems oddly out-of-place with the entire saga. Disappointing for fans - others keep clear.

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American Gangster (2007)
Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Carla Gugino, Ruby Dee, Cuba Gooding Jr & Armand Assante.
Written by Steven Zaillian.
Directed by Ridley Scott.

Based on a true story, this slick crime saga follows the rise of Frank Lucas (Washington) from bodyguard to drug kingpin. On his tail is scrupulous cop Richie Roberts (Crowe) who, with a small band of like-minded detectives, sets out to bring Lucas down. Thrown into the mix is a crooked cop (Brolin) after a piece of the Lucas action, Richie’s estranged wife (Gugino) suing for divorce, and a smarmy Italian mafia honcho (a wonderful Assante). Ridley Scott is an accomplished director, having made some wonderful films in his career – hitting his stride recently with great films such as Black Hawk Down and Kingdom Of Heaven. And whilst his trademark slick, dark style is all over American Gangster, one can’t escape the feeling that this is tired ground. We’ve seen this kind of story before. The production design is flawless with its 1970’s garb and gritty street feel, and the writing and acting are superb – but Gangster unfortunately falls into the already overflowing crime film basket and may easily be forgotten with time.

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(Wadrick Jones is a freelance writer for GritFX and will post weekly thirty second film reviews on this blog.)

WADRICK'S THIRTY SECOND FILM REVIEWS

The Dark Knight (2008)
Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal & Morgan Freeman.
Written by Christopher Nolan & Jonathan Nolan.
Directed by Christopher Nolan.

With the release of director Nolan’s Batman Begins, audiences and Batman fans in general were salivating at the re-imagining of a very dark tale. With the sequel, Nolan returns with an equally dark film, yet this time, somewhat more oppressive and less enjoyable. As the Joker (Ledger) revels in a sadistic wave of violence, Batman (Bale) considers a Gotham free of his services. This hope comes from Harvey Dent (Eckhart), a fearless prosecutor who spits in the face of organized crime. Much was said of Ledger’s performance in this film, especially after his death, and his overblown theatrics serve the movie well. But at almost two and half hours, The Dark Knight begins to lose momentum and limps along in the final reel to an expected ending.

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Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Michael Clarke Duncan, Amy Adams, Gary Cole & Sacha Baron Cohen.
Written by Adam McKay & Will Ferrell.
Directed by Adam McKay.

Following on the heels of films such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights presents Ferrell in all his whacked-out glory. The success of these comedies relies heavily on the characterisations of the performers, and watching these actors do their comedic thing is a true guilty pleasure for some, and a total turn-off for others. It’s all a matter of taste, I guess. In Talladega Nights, Ferrell plays a NASCAR champion humiliated on the track by a French Formula One ace (Cohen). When his career seems over, he is given some encouragement by his estranged, boozehound father (an hilarious Cole). Admittedly, the film has some decidedly flat moments, but overall, Ricky Bobby is utterly infectious.

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Prom Night (2008)
Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Jonathan Schaech, Jessica Stroup.
Written by J.S. Cardone.
Directed by Nelson McCormick.

Here’s a good idea – let’s remake a film that was absolute crap the first time around and not do anything to improve it. In the 1980’s, audiences were treated to the original Prom Night and it’s rhyming sequel Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2, and then some years later, two more direct-to-video sequels. All four films typified what was wrong with the influx of cheap horror films in the 80’s particularly, and the remake typifies the kind of morally vacant and audience-contempt trash being released by the bucketload today. If you could distinguish a story from this mess, it would involve a group of murder-ripe teens at their high school prom being stalked by a crazed former teacher (played with wooden aplomb by Schaech). A good horror film will have the audience caring about and involved with the characters within the first five minutes, and this film fails miserably in that department thanks to some Amateur Hour writing. Oh yeah…and it’s important to make your horror movie scary too. Watch the rain instead.

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(Wadrick Jones is a freelance writer for GritFX and will post weekly thirty second film reviews on this blog.)