Tuesday has come around yet again, tonight we are settling down with a recent film, well recent DVD / Blu-ray release anyway. From 2013 and starring Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline, we present;
Last Vegas
Well we have been waiting to see this one since it came out at the cinema and we missed it. And it was worth waiting for. Last Vegas is like The Hangover for pensioners! However, it is a lot more than that, what's it all about? Well let us fill in some detail.
Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline star as Billy, Paddy, Archie and Sam, four best friends from childhood who grew up together, forming their own gang who would stick together through thick and thin. Roll forward 58 years and their lives have changed. Billy is due to get married to a girl half his age. Archie has had a stroke. Sam is living the old aged Florida life, waiting for death and Paddy is mourning the loss of his wife and is still annoyed that Billy never came to the funeral. Based on those facts the story begins. Billy calls up the boys (except Paddy) to announce his forthcoming wedding. Archie and Sam are determined to get away from their staid and stale existence and throw a bachelor party in Vegas for Billy, all they need to do is to convince Paddy to come along.
And that's about it for the basic opening gambit of this touching story of friends, friendship, loyalty and love. A lot of people, us included, have suggested that Last Vegas is The Hangover on Viagra, but it isn't really. The Hangover is anarchic, erratic, wacky humour, Last Vegas is more mellow, mature and moralistic. All of which is a good thing, it takes the irreverence of a bachelor party and belies it with an undercurrent of moral fibre, adding weight to a fun story, but without stealing the laughs at the same time. And there are laughs a plenty. It's more dialogue based humour than slapstick, relying on the first rate acting skills of the quadrumvirate of male stars. Allied to this four cornered male plot line, we have an older woman to provide a love interest as well as a sideline plot, yes indeed when the guys eventually get to Vegas, they bump into cabaret singer Diana played by the gorgeous, delightful and thoroughly delectable Mary Steenburgen. (A keen favourite here at TNiFN Towers).
The film naturally falls into three parts; the setup and travel to Vegas; the party section where then fun begins, but where also some twists are wrung out of the plot. Finally the movie is rounded off with the ending where those twists are straightened out and the loose ends that get frayed in the middle section are tidied up.
Yes it does follow the feelgood film formula. And yes, it does so in a standardised way, but it follows the formula with a brilliantly written script, which is wonderfully delivered with energy and verve by our oldie actors, but also with beautifully timed irreverence, alongside solemnity and pathos where the story dictates.
That might be over egging the pudding somewhat, but Last Vegas just seems to tick a lot of boxes, albeit the boxes we here at TNiFN tend to define in our choice of films.
If we are to look at individual performances, we would have to pick out Morgan Freeman as being just so cool and perfect for Archie. Michael Douglas does a great job of almost sending himself up with his very orange tan, (he makes David Dickinson look pale!) his very white teeth and dyed hair, which were all a necessity to make sure that the successful and rich Billy was portrayed by Douglas with the correct persona. Keven Kline was great as Sam, providing a lot of the laughs with his Viagra fulled antics. And of course Robert De Niro played the gruff, dour Paddy as only De Niro can. Mary Steenburgen just lights up the screen almost without effort and is always a delight to watch.
So there you go. A cracking little movie, oh yes, a cracking little movie. Watch it!
TNiFN Rating 83%
IMDB Link
Tuesday 17 June 2014
Tuesday 10 June 2014
Charlie St. Cloud - 10th June 2014
Tuesday Night is Film Night is having another Zac Efron night, as he stars in this week's film;
Charlie St. Cloud
Oh lordy lordy! How does one start a review of this film? It was really great on many levels, but it could also be classed as being pretty bad on many other levels as well. It is a unique story in a way, but it is also a mish-mash of many other stories rolled into one. It's almost beyond genre classification, dealing with romance, fantasy, supernatural overtones and drama. Let us leave it like that for now and put some facts into it, then we'll return to the critique.
Based on the book by Ben Sherwood; The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, Zac Efron takes the lead as Charlie St. Cloud; an accomplished young sailor whose life is ahead of him as he secures a college scholarship that should take him away from his sleepy Pacific Northwest hometown. Kim Basinger stars as Charlie's mother and Charlie Tahan plays his younger brother; Sam. The drama kicks off early in the story, as Charlie survives a tragic accident, involving himself and Sam. The upshot of this tragedy is that Charlie starts to see life in a new and unique way. The plot takes on another turn when his high-school classmate Tess (Amanda Crew) returns home unexpectedly. Charlie is then torn between maintaining a promise he made to Sam five years earlier and possibly moving forward with a new found love interest in the form of Tess.
Needless to say putting too much detail into the synopsis will spoil the story, so we'll leave it there, however Charlie and Sam move forward together, trying to make sense of the past, present and future.
We said that it was great on many levels, that is true. The story is unique to a degree, it is also full of drama, suspense and twists, which always lends itself to films such as this, to make them more interesting. However does that make the film seem much better than it really is? Which leads nicely to the disappointing levels. The ladies of the house may not agree, but Zac Efron doesn't quite cut it as the lead actor here. He was a little hammy to start off with, getting better as the film went on, but perhaps another actor may have been better. That's harsh, but Efron may have been cast more for his looks than the gravitas he could have bought to this role. Although we liked the story, sometimes the plot wore thin and thus you could lose interest. Stick with it and it is heart-warming, it is moving and ultimately rewarding, but it could have been a lot more.
Not an easy or long review, which often indicates the level of quality of the film. We at TNiFN Towers did enjoy it, but perhaps we could have enjoyed it more.
TNiFN Rating 71%
IMDB Link
Charlie St. Cloud
Oh lordy lordy! How does one start a review of this film? It was really great on many levels, but it could also be classed as being pretty bad on many other levels as well. It is a unique story in a way, but it is also a mish-mash of many other stories rolled into one. It's almost beyond genre classification, dealing with romance, fantasy, supernatural overtones and drama. Let us leave it like that for now and put some facts into it, then we'll return to the critique.
Based on the book by Ben Sherwood; The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, Zac Efron takes the lead as Charlie St. Cloud; an accomplished young sailor whose life is ahead of him as he secures a college scholarship that should take him away from his sleepy Pacific Northwest hometown. Kim Basinger stars as Charlie's mother and Charlie Tahan plays his younger brother; Sam. The drama kicks off early in the story, as Charlie survives a tragic accident, involving himself and Sam. The upshot of this tragedy is that Charlie starts to see life in a new and unique way. The plot takes on another turn when his high-school classmate Tess (Amanda Crew) returns home unexpectedly. Charlie is then torn between maintaining a promise he made to Sam five years earlier and possibly moving forward with a new found love interest in the form of Tess.
Needless to say putting too much detail into the synopsis will spoil the story, so we'll leave it there, however Charlie and Sam move forward together, trying to make sense of the past, present and future.
We said that it was great on many levels, that is true. The story is unique to a degree, it is also full of drama, suspense and twists, which always lends itself to films such as this, to make them more interesting. However does that make the film seem much better than it really is? Which leads nicely to the disappointing levels. The ladies of the house may not agree, but Zac Efron doesn't quite cut it as the lead actor here. He was a little hammy to start off with, getting better as the film went on, but perhaps another actor may have been better. That's harsh, but Efron may have been cast more for his looks than the gravitas he could have bought to this role. Although we liked the story, sometimes the plot wore thin and thus you could lose interest. Stick with it and it is heart-warming, it is moving and ultimately rewarding, but it could have been a lot more.
Not an easy or long review, which often indicates the level of quality of the film. We at TNiFN Towers did enjoy it, but perhaps we could have enjoyed it more.
TNiFN Rating 71%
IMDB Link
Tuesday 3 June 2014
The Graduate 3rd June 2014
Tuesday Night is Film Night is going way back in time tonight. Last week was a brand new film, this week we uncover a classic, but will it be an education as we watch;
The Graduate
Well to say this has been on our "Watch List" for quite a while is an understatement. Yes, we have to go all the way back to 1967 for The Graduate, although it's only been on the list for the last few years.
What can we say about The Graduate that hasn't been said already? Well, we're not sure but we will give it a go and provide a synopsis and a critique.
Starring Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock and Anne Bancroft as the seductive Mrs Robinson, The Graduate is a quirky, sometimes dark, comedic tale of lust and love. Benjamin is the 21 year old graduate who returns home to his parents house to find a jubilant crowd to celebrate his educational achievements. Unfortunately Ben is none too pleased by the attention, preferring to spend time alone in his room, enjoying the sound of silence. Coerced to make an appearance, he reluctantly shows himself to the crowd, only to be forced back into seclusion, this time pursued by one Mrs Robinson. Mrs Robinson asks Ben to give her a lift home and this is where the seduction and affair starts. Interestingly, although Ben is 21 and Mrs Robinson is; ".....nearly twice your age....", Hoffman and Bancroft were 30 and 36 respectively at the time of filming.
The Robinson's daughter; Elaine is around the same age as Ben and as both families have been close for years, it seems sensible for Ben to be more interested in Elaine, Ben's parents are certainly pushing for that liaison, but Ben understandably is reticent and his ongoing affair with Mrs Robinson is a bit of a showstopper. In fact, Mrs Robinson point blank refuses any kind of tryst between Ben and Elaine. However, this doesn't stop Ben and this momentary love triangle implodes in a bout of impropriety.
That should suffice for the synopsis, obviously the story continues, but if you haven't already enjoyed The Graduate we won't spoil the ending.
The Graduate is a classic film, albeit somewhat dated viewing some 47 years after release, but it has stood the test of time and is pleasant story. A couple of points to make that entices The Graduate from the shadows of mediocrity and into the spotlight of glory. Firstly; there is the fantastic cast, Bancroft and Hoffman are sublime. Ann Bancroft especially as the the seductive siren that is Mrs Robinson, providing a Sixties style of sexual allure. Benjamin's father is played by William Daniels, who later to rose to further fame as the voice of KITT the futuristc car and star of Knight Rider. Secondly, and very importantly the soundtrack provided by Simon and Garfunkel is fantastic. All songs were penned by Paul Simon and we defy you not to be singing along to the musical backdrop to this film.
It was definitely worth waiting for and we are pleased that we have seen this film, although it was quirky and the comedy was thin. The moody Benjamin Braddock was a tad precocious and troubled to start off with, but the story and characters played out quite well eventually.
What can you say? It's a classic, although the TNiFN Rating may not reflect that.
TNiFN Rating 70%
IMDB Link
The Graduate
Well to say this has been on our "Watch List" for quite a while is an understatement. Yes, we have to go all the way back to 1967 for The Graduate, although it's only been on the list for the last few years.
What can we say about The Graduate that hasn't been said already? Well, we're not sure but we will give it a go and provide a synopsis and a critique.
Starring Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock and Anne Bancroft as the seductive Mrs Robinson, The Graduate is a quirky, sometimes dark, comedic tale of lust and love. Benjamin is the 21 year old graduate who returns home to his parents house to find a jubilant crowd to celebrate his educational achievements. Unfortunately Ben is none too pleased by the attention, preferring to spend time alone in his room, enjoying the sound of silence. Coerced to make an appearance, he reluctantly shows himself to the crowd, only to be forced back into seclusion, this time pursued by one Mrs Robinson. Mrs Robinson asks Ben to give her a lift home and this is where the seduction and affair starts. Interestingly, although Ben is 21 and Mrs Robinson is; ".....nearly twice your age....", Hoffman and Bancroft were 30 and 36 respectively at the time of filming.
The Robinson's daughter; Elaine is around the same age as Ben and as both families have been close for years, it seems sensible for Ben to be more interested in Elaine, Ben's parents are certainly pushing for that liaison, but Ben understandably is reticent and his ongoing affair with Mrs Robinson is a bit of a showstopper. In fact, Mrs Robinson point blank refuses any kind of tryst between Ben and Elaine. However, this doesn't stop Ben and this momentary love triangle implodes in a bout of impropriety.
That should suffice for the synopsis, obviously the story continues, but if you haven't already enjoyed The Graduate we won't spoil the ending.
The Graduate is a classic film, albeit somewhat dated viewing some 47 years after release, but it has stood the test of time and is pleasant story. A couple of points to make that entices The Graduate from the shadows of mediocrity and into the spotlight of glory. Firstly; there is the fantastic cast, Bancroft and Hoffman are sublime. Ann Bancroft especially as the the seductive siren that is Mrs Robinson, providing a Sixties style of sexual allure. Benjamin's father is played by William Daniels, who later to rose to further fame as the voice of KITT the futuristc car and star of Knight Rider. Secondly, and very importantly the soundtrack provided by Simon and Garfunkel is fantastic. All songs were penned by Paul Simon and we defy you not to be singing along to the musical backdrop to this film.
It was definitely worth waiting for and we are pleased that we have seen this film, although it was quirky and the comedy was thin. The moody Benjamin Braddock was a tad precocious and troubled to start off with, but the story and characters played out quite well eventually.
What can you say? It's a classic, although the TNiFN Rating may not reflect that.
TNiFN Rating 70%
IMDB Link
Bad Neighbours - 27th May 2014
A slight diversion for Tuesday Night is Film Night, we actually went to the cinema to watch a new release! Here's the blog for;
Bad Neighbours
It’s true that Bad Neighbours could have been a really terrible film, but it is of that popular irreverent comedy genre of recent history that seems to get away with being bad.
Luckily Bad Neighbours isn't actually bad, but it is only quite good. With 97 minutes of anarchic comedy. A decent cast that includes Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and an almost funny Zac Efron, who tends to appear half naked most of the time just for the titillation factor. The story flits between unfunny, funny and outrageous.
The plot revolves around Marc and Kelly Radner (Rogen and Byrne), a young couple with a six-month-old daughter, Stella and their new neighbours; a fraternity of university students. The club, "Delta Psi Beta", is led by president Teddy Sanders (Efron) who befriends the couple. However the students’ penchant for endless partying leads the couple next door to eventually call the police, an act that the university students see as a breakdown of their neighbourly friendship.
So a war of neighbours ensues, as each house attempts to force the other to leave the neighbourhood. Things escalate quickly and sometimes hilariously, with each antic more ridiculous than the last.
Bad Neighbours has fun with the idea of people coping with what is expected from them at a certain point in their life. On one side we have a young couple desperately trying to prove to themselves that life has not changed as they struggle to cope as new parents. And the fun loving students who soon realise that there is more to life than wall-to-wall partying.
It's a fun film, the jokes could be better and longer though. Not sure that it was worth the full ticket price at the cinema! Luckily we had vouchers.
TNiFN Rating 77%
IMDB Link
Bad Neighbours
It’s true that Bad Neighbours could have been a really terrible film, but it is of that popular irreverent comedy genre of recent history that seems to get away with being bad.
Luckily Bad Neighbours isn't actually bad, but it is only quite good. With 97 minutes of anarchic comedy. A decent cast that includes Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and an almost funny Zac Efron, who tends to appear half naked most of the time just for the titillation factor. The story flits between unfunny, funny and outrageous.
The plot revolves around Marc and Kelly Radner (Rogen and Byrne), a young couple with a six-month-old daughter, Stella and their new neighbours; a fraternity of university students. The club, "Delta Psi Beta", is led by president Teddy Sanders (Efron) who befriends the couple. However the students’ penchant for endless partying leads the couple next door to eventually call the police, an act that the university students see as a breakdown of their neighbourly friendship.
So a war of neighbours ensues, as each house attempts to force the other to leave the neighbourhood. Things escalate quickly and sometimes hilariously, with each antic more ridiculous than the last.
Bad Neighbours has fun with the idea of people coping with what is expected from them at a certain point in their life. On one side we have a young couple desperately trying to prove to themselves that life has not changed as they struggle to cope as new parents. And the fun loving students who soon realise that there is more to life than wall-to-wall partying.
It's a fun film, the jokes could be better and longer though. Not sure that it was worth the full ticket price at the cinema! Luckily we had vouchers.
TNiFN Rating 77%
IMDB Link
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