This is the End

The world is going to end any minute now. By the time you’re done with this review it could already be over. At least that’s what Hollywood believes. Over the past few years it has churned out countless predictions for how humanity will meet its demise. Whether it’s a Mayan prophecy, alien invasion, zombie attack or a deathly virus Hollywood has been very creative in showing audiences worse case scenarios. But after all this tragedy some comedy relief is not far behind and this year some studios want us to go out on a high note. There is Edgar Wright’s latest Cornetto release (the series of films with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost that all have a different flavour of Cornetto in them) The World’s End as well as This Is a Disaster and Rapture-Palooza. But before them comes celebrity crammed This is the End a film so over the top it will either be an instant hit or a total flop.

In This is the End all the actors play caricatures of themselves. Jay Baruchel, from Knocked Up and How to Train your Dragon, comes to LA to visit his old friend Seth Rogen. After getting high together and playing computer games Rogen persuades Baruchel to go to a party at James Franco’s new house. There Baruchel must socialise with Rogen’s new friends who he’s made since he became a huge star. Then judgement day happens. The righteous are taken up in a blue light and the wicked, including most of the celebrities at the house party, are left on Earth to fend for themselves.

Although this doesn’t sound like this should work it does. It’s a stoner comedy that could have only come from the minds of Rogen and frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg, the team that brought us Pineapple Express and Superbad. There is a smorgasbord of talent here that all play up to the public’s perceptions of themselves. Rogen is a weed smoking nice guy; Baruchel is indie kid who hates LA; Franco is a liberal intellectual snob; Danny McBride is a gross partier; Jonah Hill is the new kid who wants to be nice. This leads to a number of extreme and comedic situations-whether it’s Franco painting a picture for Rogen to show his admiration or McBride turning up uninvited to the party. There are also characters that go against perception such as Michael Cera who plays a cocaine snorting sex-pest who receives a duel blowjob his Franco’s bathroom. The audience will laugh right the way through the film at just how ridiculous the characters are. The greatest scene has to be the one which involves Emma Watson using an axe to steal the group’s supplies. The movie should be a hit just for that.

It is possible that This is the End has unseen depths that analyse the concepts of celebrities and how they are not who we perceive them to be and in fact not good people (since most of them were left behind after the rapture). But on the surface it’s a simple buddy movie about sticking with people as they change and remembering to bring your friends with you as life goes on. That is if you were having a friendship crisis during the apocalypse. As all these actors have worked together in the past and enjoy each other’s company the chemistry is all there making the relationships believable. Baruchel is great as the geeky outsider who doesn’t like his best friend’s cooler friends.

About two thirds of the way through the film does drag a little. It probably could have had slightly less Lord of the Flies style examples of animosity growing within the house. It was not necessary to see every way in which the characters possibly fall out. But saying that the end makes up for this issue. With demon attacks, cannibalism and confrontations with the anti-Christ, the final thirty minutes is full of suspense.

This movie may be outrageous and extreme, but that is why it works so well. The cast fully get into their, sometimes self-critical, roles and play them with gusto. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but for those who have enjoy gross-out, dicks-out type comedies this is some of Rogen and Goldberg’s best work.

Degree-2:1

A hilarious film that doesn’t take itself seriously

and is better for it.

 

 

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Gone are the days of vacant teenage movies.  Modern high school dramas can no longer be all about finding a great date for prom or simply being unpopular. Like the comic book genre teen movies need to have a bit of wit and darkness about them. Perks of Being a Wallflower follows this mature trend and does it successfully.

The film is an adaption of the late 90s novel of the same name by Stephen Chbosky, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the feature. The story follows a quiet boy called Charlie as he completes his year at high school. During the year he goes through many phases we associate with being an awkward teenager: not fitting in; being bullied; falling in love; discovering yourself. But, on top of all this, the film tackles heavier content such as homosexuality, drugs and suicide. This heavy subject matter is handled with a compassionate touch that allows the audience to be moved by the situation without beating them over the head with how tragic it is. The film also doesn’t reveal everything all at once. Instead, some mystery is contained and audiences are left guessing right up until the end.

As with other films in this genre, Perks of Being a Wallflower will fly or fall on the backs of the main cast. Fortunately, this main cast is exceptional. Audiences will become emotionally invested in all three lead characters. Logan Lerman plays Charlie and is instantly likable. Although he may be socially awkward, Lerman shows that Charlie has a kind heart, an enquiring mind, and emotional maturity well beyond his years. Lerman portrays incredible vulnerability with Charlie’s character, having him always just a little bit away from snapping.

The other male lead is Patrick, played by Ezra Miller. Miller swaps the quiet control he used to play the title character in We Need to Talk About Kevin and goes for full comic timing with Patrick. Patrick is the comedic relief with his bitchy put downs and flamboyant nature that Miller is able to pull off with ease. But this character also has darkness that is explored in the film, mainly revolving around Patrick being gay. Although he himself is fine with it, which is refreshing in an adolescent film, there are still difficult issues revolving around being gay in a small community. Miller is able to switch between the lighter and heavier moments seamlessly.

The final lead actor probably has the most to prove. Emma Watson, of Harry Potter fame, plays Sam, Patrick’s stepsister and love interest of Charlie. Watson has not always been considered to be worth the large sums she has been paid. Like her Harry Potter co-stars she likely chose this role wanting to prove she can do more than just wave a wand.  With this film she made the right choice, and with a good script she shines. The character of Sam requires outward confidence, but a fragile little girl on the inside. Watson manages to balance the two perfectly making the love interest appear to be more than just the prettiest girl in the school. Sam’s brokenness is what attracts Charlie to her and is what attracts the audience’s affection. Watson also shows great chemistry with both Miller and Lerman, more chemistry than she showed with her male leads in Harry Potter.

Music plays a vital part in Charlie’s teenage awakening, so along with a great cast the film can boast an exceptional soundtrack. Set in the early 90s the film makes references to Rocky Horror, David Bowie, the Smiths, and many other indie bands of the time. It may not be the most up beat of soundtracks, but writer and director Chbosky handpicked them to add extra emotion to the story.

This is not just any old ‘teen getting through high school’ film, but one that has real heart and depth to it. In the same way Easy A made teen films more witty, Perks of Being a Wallflower makes them deeper.

Degree- 2:1

A witty film about being a high school outcast.

Maybe a little too saccharine or predictable for some,

but it is certainly a cut above most in the genre.

Harry Potter Mania

Excited for the up coming final Harry Potter??? I bet you are-so here is every single clip I could find all in one place, enjoy.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The whole world might be all going to see the first half of the final Harry Potter film tomorrow, but before that catch a few clips from the film that you won’t have seen before! The clips include a lot of magic and a lot of arguments.

This is turning out to look like quite a good film-maybe the best one of the lot

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Since I know everyone seems to love everything to do with Harry Potter I have been trolling the internet to find some more clips to sedate the hunger for it. Here is a very sweet clip I found that not only has a few new scenes, but also interviews with the cast and crew as well as a montage of all the old films. It is amazing how young they all use to look!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

It is finally here, the end to a movie saga that has spanned most of our adolescence. With the books finishing a few years ago, the last two films are the final parts of the Harry Potter franchise.

It is hard to tell from the advert whether it will be a good film, since often the adverts can be very misleading. In fact most of the time I feel the adverts for Harry Potter make the films look a lot more exciting that they actually are. Saying that I remember reading the book and thinking it would make a very good film so it might be that the final parts are the jewels in the crown. There has clearly been a lot of work done on the special effects and action scenes-which were the best bit of the past few films.

The first part of the final book is out 19th November while the second part is out on the 15th July 2011. It is quite difficult to tell which scenes come from which part of the movie, but I have heard a rumor that the first movie will be do with all the bits before Hogwarts and the second one will be all set in Hogwarts.