Review: Daddy's Home (2015)

I’m a real sucker for a comedy, and if it doesn’t contain James Franco, even better, but Daddy’s Home just had a really awkward release date. Between Star Wars and all the Oscar nominated movies, I didn’t even pretend I was going to watch this at the cinema. Instead, I waited for the DVD release and a rainy Sunday evening.   I really wanted to see this but like Allie is just came out at the wrong time!

Brad (Will Ferrell) is a Step Dad to his wife Sara’s (Linda Cardellini) two children. During the opening credits, we see Brad progress through the children’s family drawings. He starts off dead, in many creative ways, has poop for hair, but is eventually accepted. Things are going great until the children’s biological father Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) shows up uninvited. Dusty is threatened by a new father figure figure being in the picture, and his presence threatens to destroy all of Brad’s hard work.

From the trailer I kind of got the feeling that this wasn’t going to be up there with the likes of Anchorman or Ted for me. It’s always a shame when all the funny parts are in the trailer. That’s kind of what happened here. The movie was enjoyable enough, and there were plenty of jokes and gags from start to finish, but a large majority of them just fell flat. There’s some pretty funny lines poking fun at Frozen at least.  I remember laughing quite a lot throughout this, however I can't remember many of them now which implies that maybe this isn't very memorable.  I am ashamed to stay that I laughed out loud at the motorbike scene, it shouldn't have been funny but I couldn't stop laughing.

For the most part, I just found myself disappointed, and then I started doing what you should never do with comedies like this. I started over analysing everything, and then I couldn’t stop myself. I got more and more annoyed with Sara’s character, who was nothing more than scenery for the entire movie. If she really didn’t want Dusty there, could she not have just told him to leave?! Oh, I hate myself for being picky like this.  She was a pain in the a$$ just make a decision already!!

Anyway, whilst the movie wasn’t very funny, it was entertaining enough, and I have a real soft spot for Will Ferrell so I stuck it out for him. I wanted the good guy to win. What took me by surprise was the final part of the movie at the Daddy-Daughter dance. It was about ten minutes long and I was laughing out loud for the entire time. What just happened?! This movie went from dull to hilarious out of absolutely nowhere.  This was a great scene, but it didn't beat the basketball scene, I actually cried real tears watching that scene.

Which left me even more disappointed in a sense. It had finally found that humorous soft spot, and then it was all over. This was going to be a 4/10 for me, but that final part and the amazing cameo right at the end was enough to give it a whole point more. Seriously. That cameo, man.  Amazing!

Review: Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

This is the second film we saw in Los Angeles, mostly because there was nothing else on.  I kind of wish we'd stayed at home or got drunk instead if I'm brutally honest!!  I really enjoyed the very first Transformers films, but it all went downhill from there.  I had high hopes for Dark Side of the Moon because the idea for the story was really clever and then the rest of the film happened and I was disappointed, again!

I've only seen the first two Transformer films, and I was genuinely going to see this at the cinema, but then the reviews started to come in...I think I may have actually stayed home and got drunk instead ha!



Transformers: Age of Extinction is like a whole new trilogy as it's a whole new set of characters.  It follows down and out Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) as he buys a junk truck to the annoyance of his daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz) who is in desperate need for money for college.  The truck however, turns out to be Optimus Prime in hiding from the CIA unit that are trying to destroy all Autobots.

This could have been a great film, but it's not.  The dialogue is painfully cheesy and awkward, the storyline is weak and questionable at best.  I didn't like the characters (as much as I like Mark Wahlberg), I was bored with the story and the actions scenes moved so quickly that you had no idea what was going on (and I didn't even watch it in 3D!)

I'm all up for mindless giant robot action scenes (hello there Pacific Rim!) but I don't think even I could bring myself to see this now...

The only thing I actually enjoyed about this was Stanley Tucci, who throughout the film goes from high powered, 'don't question me' executive to blithering, apologetic world saver in a matter of minutes, the downside is that it is a lot of minutes.  The film went on forever, it felt so long.  Everytime I thought it was over, there was another actions sequence that I had no idea what was going on. 

If I'm honest, I preferred the Witwicky's to the Yeager's (If only in the original movie), I felt like there were more real, the parents always had me in stitches, when they have a 50ft robot in their garden and they are worried about the flower beds! 

Bonus scene, Optimus Prime wielding a giant sword and riding a transformer dinosaur, only but that made me smile! Dude, Optimus Prime would look awesome no matter what he did! 

Honestly, don't bother.

I'll take your word on this one.



Review: Pain & Gain (2013)

I have been meaning to watch this for a while as I thought the trailer looks quite funny and I noticed Rebel Wilson so I thought, this must be good! 

This is actually the true story of Daniel Lugo (Mark Walhberg), a bodybuilder who decides he wants to be a 'doer' and to do this he decides to kidnap a rich client of his to get him to sign over all his assets.  He ropes in Christian teetotaller Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson) and steroid junkie Adrian (Anthony Mackie) to help him on his mission to 'get what he deserves'

This has been on my list for a while so once I saw Jenna had watched and reviewed it, that was my kick up the bum to get on with it!

This film is really funny, in an odd way, you can't think too much about what your watching and if you try to remember its a true story it actually becomes quite hilarious to think that three guys actually got themselves into this situation! The dialogue is cheesy and the story seems far fetched but that adds to the entertainment. Rebel Wilson was completely wasted, her limited screentime left you wanted to see more of her and disappointed that you didn't!! The voice overs throughout the film although comical become a little annoying towards the end and drag on a little but the freeze frame scenes and general tackiness add to the disbelief that this is a true story (but it is!).

Gah, I really struggle to say what I think about Pain & Gain. The first half was pretty good actually, sure it was a little farfetched, but it was still interesting and a little silly. But after a major turning point which I won't mention, it just went a bit too far for me, and all I could think about were plot holes which my mind normally happily forgets about. It also dragged like crazy! I paused to go to the loo at what I thought was about 20 minutes before the end, and realised there was still an hour to go. Ouch!

I would recommend this to someone looking for a cheesy film to watch when they have nothing else to do.

Dwayne Johnson was the highlight for me, and well, take that however way you want to. Pain & Gain isn't a film I'll watch again in a hurry, but if you've got an interest in it anyway, don't let us put you off and give it a go.

 

Looking Forward to Seeing at the Cinema this Month...July 2014

I was just looking through the UK film releases for July and I'm quite shocked. There isn't actually a lot coming out as far as I can see! A few rom coms, sure, and two big blockbuster films. I can guess what Jenna will want to pick and I won't pinch it from her, so my choice this month is Transformers: Age of Extinction.

I saw the first Transformers film when I was at College and loved it, I think a younger family member of mine had some of the toys too and it was equal parts fun and frustrating to try and get the toys to transform from vehicle to robot! I didn't enjoy the second one quite as much, and shockingly, I haven't even seen Dark Side of the Moon. I will though! Just in time to see this actually.

Just like Pacific Rim, Transformers never had the greatest story line, but you just can't beat watching giant robots smash each other up in IMAX. It's just enjoyable. No thinking required, just hand in popcorn, watching the action. I'm sure it'll be the College gang I see this with, actually.

I haven't really seen Mark Wahlberg much as an actor, so I don't have much of an opinion on the casting yet, but I'll be going in with an open mind. I also need to watch Pain & Gain soon so that'll help!

 

Transformers: Age of Extinction is released in UK cinemas on 5th July, 2014.

 

 

Mine has to be Guardians of the Galaxy (if only for a bulked up Chris Pratt!).  If I'm honest, I know nothing about this film, I haven't read the Comic Books or looked it up, I'm happy to be surprised for once.  However, as I am the Marvel girl (and Allie is he DC) I really do hope this is good and lives up to the comedy genius in The Avengers, I mean what can beat this:

 

 

I don't suppose it will be better than The Avengers in my book, but if it can live up to it, I would be very impressed.

 

Here is the trailer (just in case you have been living under a rock!):

 

 

Guardians of the Galaxy is released in UK cinemas on 31st July, 2014.