Author: hscptcrash

Bird on a Wire (1990) Film Review

Rating 15
Length 1h50
Release 19.10.1990
Director John Badham
About Rick is given a new identity by the FBI for helping convict a drug dealing FBI agent. His FBI ‘minder’ is replaced by a corrupt agent who helps the drug dealers and his accomplice locate him.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Netflix (until 14th August)
Trailer:

The Good

  • That final act is worth putting up with any issues with the film. Yes, I’m an animal girl and I love my zoos. However, even if you’re not, you will appreciate the nostalgia, the use and the realness of the animals (although I do believe IMBD is incorrect about its baboon trivia; The Fly (1986) used not one, but two trained baboons) over some of the shoddy CGI used today. Seriously, at one point I gasped because I thought it was a species of tiger that is now extinct.
  • Mel and Goldie have chemistry! I momentarily wished for Kurt Russell, but after about 5 minutes of seeing these two together I was all good.
  • Good ol’ Ned from Groundhog Day. Stephen Tobolowsky is part of the bad guy group and it was actually really cool to see him in something with a supporting role, rather than the bit parts he seems to have here and there.

The Bad

  • The start of the movie feels really sluggish. It is *almost* worth the pay off, but this film certainly didn’t have me drawn in right from the get go. As it’s described as akin to It Happened One Night (1934), it really needs to be shit hot from the very start and it really isn’t.

The Ugly

  • There’s two Goldie Hawn’s in this movie. It’s Prince of Thieves all over again for me. He character is set up as this badass who goes toe to toe with all these blokes. Then she meets her old beau and its all screams and tears.
    Don’t set women up, to make them weak and docile when the protagonist shows up. Big mistake. Massive pet hate.
  • What the fuck is with the kissing in Hollywood in the 90s?! Was that window-washing head tilting side to side really how people kissed?!

Final Thoughts

Falling Down (1993) Film Review

Rating 18
Length 1h53
Release 4.6.1993
Director Joel Schumacher
About Bill Foster is an engineer whose increasing frustration levels lead him to act out violently and commit several crimes.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Trailer:

The Good

  • I don’t even know where to start with this film, so I guess I’ll start with that opening. I’ve never felt so triggered from a scene before, but with the heat at the moment, the sound of the traffic outside and the lack of air. I felt that opening.
  • Michael Douglas should have at least been nominated for this performance. I’m still processing the complexity of the character, but there’s not many people who can make me fear them while also empathising with their frustrations. In a similar way to his role in Disclosure, his character goes through a transformation and, you know what?, Michael Douglas is damn good at it.
  • There’s so much to learn. You could watching it for the composition of the visual artistry (the camera being inside the fridge near the beginning and the numerous aesthetic homages to other films), or you could watch it with a view to looking at the psychology, character parallels and individual actions.
  • I absolutely loved Robert Duvall’s character, Pendergast. While I struggled witch how he was treated by his co-workers, I understood it’s place in the plot. The bit I loved the most was that the character really surprised me.
  • This film is scary. It’s scary because of how real this all seems. It also doesn’t seem to blame mental health, but it certainly comments upon the issues people deal with that contribute to trauma, depression and mental ill health.

The Bad

  • While I personally love how the story is told. However, I can imagine some may struggle with how much film withholds about D-Fens. Considering he is our protagonist, we don’t really get any details about him until we’re past the point of no return. Some will struggle with the lack of instant information and may turn off long before they see results.

The Ugly

  • The racism, xenophobia and social deprivation makes this a hard watch. It will stick in the throat and stick with you long after the film has finished. Not because it seems like the views of the creatives, but that it reflects a genuine views and hatred within a community. The part that scares me most, is that the hatred spewed out by D-Fens and others are things I’ve read across social media recently from both Americans and Pro-Brexit Brits.

Final Thoughts

Quite possibly the scariest film I’ve ever watched. It’s not something I’ll watch with any regularity, however it is a film I will recommend.

The Matrix (1999) Film Review

Rating 15
Length 2h16
Release 11.6.1999
Director Lana and Lilly Wachowski
About Thomas Anderson, a computer programmer, is led to fight an underground war against powerful computers who have constructed his entire reality with a system called the Matrix.
Where to Watch: Netflix/ Amazon Prime
Trailer:

First Thoughts

I bought into this franchise. I had the leather coat that hit the floor. I vaguely remember someone lending me the video and by the time the sequels came out, there was a group of us who made seeing it an event.
This was probably the first film since Jurassic Park that had GCI that truly amazed me and I certainly watched it a fair few times. Until the sequels came out that is.

I know this film is from 1999, but if you haven’t watched recently, or never seen it; beware, spoilers ahead.

The Good

  • “Mister Anderson”. Hugo Weaving really gave us a bad guy to loath, didn’t he? It was because of being in this, that I was excited to see him in Lord of the Rings. Even now, he steals every scene he’s in and scares the absolute crap out of me.
  • Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss to me come as a package. I love both of them in this and I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing their parts. Lets face it, it is as much their film as it is Reeves and his saviour Neo.
  • It is high concept. This film walked, so that movies like Inception could run. However, it is a film that can be enjoyed without exploring the deep, philosophical, meaning behind the concept.
  • The effects, while showing their age, are still incredible. The colour saturation as a marker of which world you’re watching still works and gives an added touch.

The Bad

  • Reading around the casting, I discovered the Wachowski Sisters intended for Switch to be played by two different actors; an androgynous female for the real world and a male counterpart for the Matrix. Given the Sister’s journey in their personal lives, I can’t help but think this was an important aspect and I’m saddened they didn’t get to see that play out.
  • Joe Pantoliano. I think this is a case of casting so good, it undermines the plot. There’s never any doubt that Pantoliano’s Cypher is the leak of the unit. However, it’s played like a rug pull and I wish it wasn’t because I hate being treated like I’m stupid.

The Ugly

  • Come on, you knew it was coming. Keanu Reeves should not be Neo. Sorry, but while he ‘looks’ the part, he does not win me over as a) A tech geek or b) A prophetic saviour. (Also, was hacking that new that you could get away with a handle like Neo? WTF? make it today and he’s be NEO_be@st_1985)
    I get that he’s the reluctant hero, one that we’d latter see butchered on screen in the first few Harry Potter movies, and an everyman. But this performance is not only lacklustre, its lifeless. This is an actor who has been around a fair bit and can do way better than the ‘dead behind the eyes’ look we get from him here. Hell, you could have put Kristen Stewart in the role and she would have done a better job.
    Now, I’m not certain who could have replaced him at the time. The often quoted wanted man was Will Smith, but that would not have worked, and I’m not certain Brad Pitt or Leo DiCaprio could have handled it either. The only name I’ve seen mentioned that has piqued my interest is Nic Cage. However, I’m sure two actors known for bat shit crazy roles (Fishburne being the other) working together would be some sort of Hollywood no no.
    I know it’s the unusual opinion, and I hate that I’m criticising someone as lovely as Keanu Reeves, but it feels like he’s not really there.
  • The score really hasn’t aged well and feels very “generic action score number 3”. I love the use of songs, both at the beginning and during the credits. I almost wish they’d pulled a Cursed Child and repurposed a Rage Against the Machine album, removed the lyrics and sampled it to fit the film. Would have been much more in keeping and less derivative.

Final Thoughts

It’s aged well and long enough has passed for it to feel nostalgic. Not sure I can bring myself to watch the other two movies. I remember not liking them at the time, but I have only ever seen each one once.

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe (Book Review)

Publishers Hodder Children’s Books
Pages 302
Book Birthday 26.1.2021
How I Got It NetGalley
About: Meet Nora. Also known as Rebecca, Samantha, Haley, Katie and Ashley – the girls she’s been.
Nora didn’t choose a life of deception – she was born into it. As the daughter of a con artist who targeted criminal men, Nora always had to play a part. But when her mother fell for one of the men instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con herself: escape.
For five years Nora’s been playing at normal – but things are far from it when she finds herself held at gunpoint in the middle of a bank heist, along with Wes (her ex-boyfriend) and Iris (her secret new girlfriend and mutual friend of Wes … awkward). Now it will take all of Nora’s con artistry skills to get them out alive.
Because the gunmen have no idea who she really is – that girl has been in hiding for far too long …

This book is everything I wanted in a contemporary thriller read. It’s written in a way that makes it destined to be a hit when adapted for the screen later this year.

What I loved most of all was the almost dejavu feeling of familiarity I got from falling into the narrative. Not in a rip-off way, but that comfortable, I’m in safe hands, sort of way. It took me a day or to afterwards to pin point what it was. I’d recently watched the episode Monday of X-Files. The only connection really being that they’re were both set in a bank during a robbery. However, I would argue that it’s testament to Sharpe’s writing that I connect the book to one of the best episodes of a much loved show.

The characters are amazing and I must emphasise that I adore the introduction of a character with endometritis and the commentary of periods. It’s subtle and yet incredibly powerful. It also doesn’t feel forced or plot driven, it’s simply something the reader is left to consider, empathise or, in some cases, relate. It’s strange to say ‘representation’, however while so many women are being ignored when it comes to diagnosing this condition, having it presented as a condition that should be taken seriously is validity that a lot of women will appreciate. I do also occasionally wonder how many women will seek a diagnosis because of this book.

What I truly loved was that it works as a stand alone novel. I feel satisfied. However, if a sequel were to emerge I’d be happy.
One things for certain; between this and Evolution of Clare, Sharpe is a writer I will automatically read from now on.

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021) Review

Rating 15
Length 1h54
Release 17.9.2021
Director 
About To protect an 8-year-old girl, a dangerous assassin reunites with her mother and her lethal associates to take down a ruthless crime syndicate and its army of henchmen.
Where to Watch: Cinema and Sky Cinema/NOW
Trailer:

The Good

  • The cast is incredible. Karen Gillan can hold her own as the female equivalent of John Wick. Yep, you’re going to see that a lot in reviews of this film because it has all the feels of John Wick. Only here we get it with retro tunes, neon brights and a lead who is much more talkative.
  • Carla Gugina, Michelle Yeoh and Angela Bassett steal every scene they grace with their queer, fantastical and bad ass librarians. Its a library everyone would love to visit, even if you have be careful with which books you open. How they fit into the world of the Firm is unclear, but they offer such a sceptical, that you’ll forgive the film for that oversight.
  • Chloe Coleman, last seen in My Spy alongside Dave Bautista, makes Macauley Culkin’s old soul seem like hard work. Coleman really looks at home in this world were any children have to grow up fast. I cannot wait to see her in whatever she has lined up.
  • The action is amazing. They are complimented with the set pieces; from a bowling alley to the aforementioned library.

The Bad

  • The plot is a little flawed. Not while your watching, and not on a superficial level. However, I suspect if you spend any time thinking about the lulls between the bangs or if you chose to watch it again; the cracks will begin to show.
  • The violence won’t be for everyone and some bits of the action did leave me with a bit of a queasy stomach.

The Ugly

  • The hate that this film is getting. I don’t understand what movie people saw instead. Please ignore the reviews. Even mine if you need to.

Final Thoughts

John Wick meets Kill Bill, with the stylings of a Guardians of the Galaxy film. Switch of your brain and enjoy.

The Big Year (2011) Film Review

Rating PG
Length 1h40
Release 2.12.2011
Director David Frankel
About Three avid bird-watchers pursue the winner’s title to achieve the world record of spotting the highest number of birds during the Big Year event as the title holds a special meaning for each one.
Moon: full moon spotting just before the closing of the film
Where to Watch: Disney+ (Star)
Trailer:

The Good

  • It is a charming film, from start to finish. For me, it’s on par with The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014) and the wonderful Simon Birch (1998).
  • It’s so hard to describe, but there’s a sincerity in this film that I wasn’t expecting. This film surprised me, and that does not happen very often. I think part of that is having three men well known for their comedy and stripping that away while also putting the viewer in a position of uncertainty.
  • The biggest win this film has for me, is how you have the plot revolve around a competition, yet the plot does not go down the route of having them sabotage each other. I must admit, I put it on expecting Bride Wars (2009) of the birding world. Instead, what we get is a healthy competition, exploration of dreams, deconstruction and reconstruction of relationships and an uplifting feeling.
  • The music, while cheesy, is perfect. So many songs about birds; who knew? It wasn’t overwhelming; it fit the storytelling.
  • The cast in this film is incredible. You have the main three; Wilson, Martin and Black. I cannot tell you how much I loved these three together. Each had their moment to shine and they are the perfect example of an ensemble. However, it doesn’t stop there, the supporting cast is full to bursting with people that will have you reaching for IMDB.

The Bad

  • This is a very personal thing, but I could have done with less Rosamund Pike. it’s not that I don’t like her, I just don’t like her playing an American. Her accent is okay, but because I know she’s English, my ears register it as a cringe-worthy fake.
  • On a similar note, I find it a travesty that Anjelica Huston and Jim Parsons were not used more.
  • There was a visual cue to any flash-backs that occurred early in the film, however it was discarded near the hour mark. This was a shame , as it was used so little that it felt less like an artistic choice and more of an error in filming.

The Ugly

  • There will be tears for those who leak at pulled heartstrings. Quite a few points in each of the three men’s lives will most certainly have a lump in the throat, if not a hand reaching for the tissues.

Final Thoughts

This is a lazy Sunday afternoon film that will leave your heart warm, your eyes wet and a smile on your face.

That’s My Boy (2012)

Rating 15
Length 1h 56
Release 7.9.2012
Director Sean Anderson
About While still a teen himself, Donny (Adam Sandler) fathered a son, Todd (Andy Samberg), and raised him as a single parent. On Todd’s 18th birthday, Donny cut the youth loose. After years of estrangement, the older man shows up unexpectedly on the eve of his son’s wedding day, sending the young man’s life into a tailspin. Donny wants desperately to reconnect with Todd, but he must now deal with the repercussions of the bad parenting he exhibited in the past.

The Good?

  • It eventually finishes. Eventually.
  • I laughed. Twice. That was it.

The Very Bad

  • Andy Samberg is completely wrong for the character he’s playing. Its more for the likes of Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Josh Gad or Jonah Hill. Samberg didn’t quite pull off the meek, timid and uncool look so his evolution doesn’t really appear.
  • The Sandler voice makes an appearance. I hate it. There’s no need for it and Sandler is better than that. It’s an indication that his character is going to be stupid, but it’s just shit.
  • Some of the jokes are just really, really bad. They’re at the expense of people who are lovely in the film and that just sucks.

The horrifically Ugly

  • The teacher-pupil relationship. Okay, my bad for not reading up on about the film before hand, but seriously?! Are we not done already with using rape (statutory in this case) for comedy. I’ve said it before, but films like this that capitalised on the comic relief of female sexual predators are so dangerous. As always, you put a woman deemed ‘unattractive’ by social standards and its no longer funny and everyone would be up in arms.
  • The Grandma cleaning up all the wank rags. There’s only one other film that’s made me physically throw up and that was the Saw movie that had people drown in an industrial vat of mulched pig carcases.
  • As if that’s not all bad enough, the final act reveals that Todd’s fiancé has been fucking someone else. The brother. Yes, this film decides sex with a minor is not gross enough, so adds incest to the mix.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, had it not been for Andy Samberg, I’d have never even given this the time of day. This is worse than Freddy Got Fingered and should be avoided at all costs.

Pretty Woman (1990)

Rating 15
Length 1h 59
Release 1.6.1990
Director Garry Marshall
About Edward, a rich entrepreneur, hires Vivian, a prostitute, to accompany him to a few social events. Trouble ensues when he falls in love with her and they try to bridge the gap between their worlds.

The Good

  • Its Pygmalion. Okay, so for those unfamiliar with that one, its My Fair Lady. It is the ‘fairytale’ that Vivian speaks of. She’s down on her luck and Edward gives her a dream week. I mean, prostitution aside, who hasn’t ever wanted to be given someone else’s money and be told to ‘go to town’?
  • The music and the score as wonderful and it is the song choices that are what bring emotion to this film. There’s contemporary beats along with that crooner classic Pretty Woman. Such a genius choice that has become almost as iconic as that necklace scene.
  • The MVP for this, and many Garry Marshall pieces, is Hector Alizondo. I love the developing friendship between himself and Vivian and I almost wish we’d gotten more. He’s one of the more accepting of Vivian and least judgemental. I love how he helps her and you can see his pride.

The Bad

  • I hate the whole business plot. I feel as if it was written to fit around everything else and it shows.
  • I am really frustrated with how well developed Edward is at the beginning, but his walls are too easily pulled down. I know true love, blah blah blah. However Robert’s is as Vivian, I just don’t buy how fast paced this is, which is brought in by the ticking clock of her being a prostitute.

The Ugly

  • I’ve never been sold on Richard Gere as the romantic lead. I perhaps thought it was my age, then I figured it was the ‘gerbil story’ (Thanks Scream for that nugget), but I just think he’s not my “type”. However, the story isn’t really about the romance for me. It’s more about how money changes how a person is seen and the social classes, the judgement and the hardship. If the film didn’t have so much else going for it, then this would have been a real problem for me.
  • It is a fairy-tale. Its so problematic for the message it say about romance. Hell, it even goes so far as romanticising prostitution. Okay, okay… so it isn’t a propaganda recruitment video, but you know what I mean, right?! Viviene is clean cut, drug-free and without a pimp. Who knows about cars, ties and in the space of 6 days gets Edward to evolve. Yes, movies are about suspending belief, but that isn’t romance, that’s Stockholm syndrome and as about as romantic as Romeo and Juliet.
  • “I’ll do anything except kiss on the mouth” What the actual fuck? So you’ll do anal before kissing someone on the mouth? It’s frustrating to pick this out, because it totally went over my head as a kid (and I mean kid. I was watching this in like 1994), but what impression does that give to women?! Maybe I’m thinking too deeply, but I just find it a stupid rule.

Final Thoughts

I will always have a soft spot for one of my mum’s favourite films. however, I don’t buy the romance and I don’t root for that happy ending.

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Rating 15
Length 1h 54
Release 16.4.2021
Director Emerald Fennell
About Nothing in Cassie’s life is what it appears to be — she’s wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she’s living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs from the past.

The Good

  • This film is visually beautiful. There were so many times during the runtime I thought ‘put that on a canvas and I’d hang it in my house’. Very few films have even one frame like that for me. Yet here is this film, a Film Studies academic’s dream, giving me enough canvas for a museum.
  • The film holds a wonderful familiarity with one of my favourite films, Get Carter, and a beloved tv show of mine, Veronica Mars. Not in a way that screams “remake” or “rip off”, but gives me the indication that the creatives behind this film are aiming for my demographic. That this is a film for me, by someone like me.
  • The entire cast is incredible, but this really is Carey Mulligan’s time to shine. It was Cassandra’s story and Mulligan told it with such a presence that you’re drawn right in. I always knew she was going on to do great things when my favourite episode of Doctor Who became the one in which the Doctor, David Tennant’s Doctor no less, was barely present. It makes the geek in me really happy to see her hold her own in such a powerful and important film.
  • Okay, there’s one other person I need to mention and that is Jennifer Coolidge. Holy crap, she blindsided me. She has been the epitome of comedy and caricatures that I am ashamed to say I cringed when I saw her name in the credits. Gone was that nasal squeak that she seemed to have branded herself with, gone are the blonde locks and instead we get a rather understated performance that really added to the family dynamic in the film. Directors, I hope you use this woman more because she is so much more than her 2 Broke Girls’ “Hi everybody”.

The Bad

  • Eat before you press play. Do everything you need to because you are not moving once it starts. I stupidly didn’t think I was going to like this movie, so I naively put it on about 30 minutes before I was going to have my dinner. I couldn’t pause, I couldn’t just nip out… this film had me not only engrossed, but invested. To have paused, even for a moment, could have altered the outcome.
    Now, that, that is cinema at its finest.

The Ugly

  • Its not the most comfortable of watches when you consider the themes, the story and the characters. This isn’t a film for entertainment’s sake. This is a cautionary tale and a societal mirror for trauma, grief and gender prejudice.

Final Thoughts

Watch this movie. Show your mother, your sister and most importantly, show your son, show your brother and show your dad this movie.

Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)

Rating 15
Length 1h 42
Release 24.5.1996
Director Wes Craven
About Maximillian, the last vampire alive, must find a mate to prevent the end of his lineage. He then meets Rita and tries to court her.

The Good

  • The opening act is all Hammer Horror and I love it.
  • The opening narration is amazing. I love the idea that vampires originated from Eygpt, that Max was residing on an island in the Bermuda Triangle until no more people came. Loved the set up, even if it does then lead to this film being a rip off of Coming to America.
  • The evolution of his ghoul, Julius. I love how archetypal Julius is to all the ghouls I’ve seen in films before, in particular the role of Ed Thompson in Fright Night (1985).

The Bad

  • The comedy falls a little flat for me. Yes, I chuckled a bit at Murphy’s “I’ve just had Italian.” when talking about Mitch Pileggi’s Mob Boss. After that, there seems to be a lack of Eddie’s usual flair.
  • Eddie acting against Eddie. Why does he do it? I hate it in Coming to America, I hate it in Norbit and I loath it in The Nutty Professor.
  • I’m a prude and I could do without all the sex. It wasn’t so visual, but the noises. It was audible, weird, dry humping sex.

The Ugly

  • Eddie does White Face. At least I think he does. I’m sure its him under the prosthetics. If I’m going to call out incidents of black face, I have to call out these too. The man is a vampire that can take any form. You want it to be a white dude, cast a white dude. Much like all the films that contain examples of black face, this is of its time. However,

Final Thoughts

It is Coming to America, with vampires.

Legion (2010)

Rating 15
Length 1h 44
Release 5.3.2010
Director Scott Stewart
About A group of strangers in a diner suddenly find themselves surrounded by demons. Their only hope lies in Michael, an archangel, who wishes to protect the unborn child of the restaurant’s waitress.

The Good

  • It was a well cast film. Paull Bettany is as awesome as he always is, Adrianne Palicki is charming and Lucas Black has that “Where do I know your face?” quality. Answer: He’s the kid right at the beginning of X Files: Fight the Future (1998).
  • The premise, while derivative, is a good one. Terminator, Children of Men and even Harry Potter has the plot of saving an unborn child to secure a better future. They also have the bad guys there to try and stop that with all the blood and mayhem.
  • Doug Jones. Who doesn’t love a bit of what Doug Jones can offer?! His cameo is short, but by no means sweet. You’ll be thinking about it for days. The beauty of it, for me at least, is that you actually get to see Doug Jones’ face. Before, of course, he does what he does best and creeps the fuck out of me.

The Bad

  • The action sequences were so much like game play that it left me feeling a little sick in the end. At one point all the actors looked like CGI renderings of themselves.
  • The plot, or lack thereof, is pinned around set pieces rather than the characters. Its a shame, because what they show of the people, it could have been a much better movie had it refocused the narrative on them and went the way of The Prophecy (1995). I mean, anyone who has seen the Walken as Angel Gabriel will be comparing the two any way.
  • It takes itself way too seriously for a film that doesn’t endear you to any of the characters and promotes the grotesque. This film would have worked better with a nod and wink to the audience.

The Ugly

  • The gore is too much for me. It wasn’t that it seemed overly real, but the exact opposite. It had this strange ability to knock believability right out the park and also make me turn away.
  • The film was way too dark in places. I’m sure it worked really well in the cinema, but I lost so much of the action because I can’t get the room I was watching it in pitch black.

Final Thoughts

If you want a film about a loner trying to save a pregnant lady, watch Children of Men. If you want a film about angels not being such the ‘Angels’ we expect them to be, watch Dogma. You want a movie about a waring heaven and angels on Earth, watch The Prophecy. Want Paul Bettany at his best, watch Gangster No 1.
Point is, there’s nothing this film can offer you that a better film out there can.

Thunder Force (2021)

Rating 12
Length 1h 47
Release 9.4.2021
Director Ben Falcone
About Two childhood best friends reunite as an unlikely crime-fighting superhero duo when one invents a formula that gives ordinary people superpowers.

The Good

  • Jason Bateman certainly looked to be having fun as the miscreant The Crab. On anyone else it really would have looked and felt cringe. However, he has enough of that dry smarm to get away with it.
  • The premise is pretty good. The idea that whatever it was caused villains and the heroes have to be manufactured is pretty good. There’s a really decent film here, under the McCarthy-branded humour.

The Bad

  • The film took too much time setting it all up. I don’t need to see these two friends as children. I don’t need to see Lydia’s daily routine if it has absolutely no baring on the plot. It doesn’t endear me to the characters, it doesn’t provide a challenge for the two to over come. It just felt like a waste.
  • The bad guy motivation was a bit, meh. If I cared enough, I could scrutinise it and it would all fall apart. As it stands though, I don’t care enough to actually pin point what it is that makes it so shit.
  • That. Dance. Scene?! What the actual fuck?

The Ugly

  • I really don’t like the crude humour, or the “You didn’t get it the first time, so I’m going to repeat it” thing McCarthy does. Its all humour that doesn’t stick the landing for me and it got old about ten movies ago.
  • Raw chicken?! I know they weren’t eating raw chicken, but it was a bloody good imitation and it made me sick to my stomach.

Final Thoughts

I’ll be sticking to my House of Mouse for my superheroes from now on. Thank you.