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Reviews
The World's End (2013)
Didn't love it, didn't hate it.Entertaining but forgetful...
...which is a real shame for an Edgar Wright\ Simon Pegg title, especially when it's being hailed as the last of the Cornetto Trilogy, therefore presumably their last cinematic collaboration together.
I've been following their work since Spaced, I loved Shaun of the Dead and to a slightly lesser extent Hot Fuzz. Both were great comedies with fantastically written characters, amazing set pieces and laughs at every turn. Shaun of the Dead was a great homage to the Romero Zombie genre. In Hot Fuzz there were references to Westerns and cop buddy movies, so it seems a logical step to make the final part of the trilogy a Sci-fi extravaganza.
Yet from the initial outset there is just a lack of humour. The film seems so intent on setting the scene and introducing the characters that it forgets to make the dialogue funny as well as relevant to the plot. The characters themselves aren't particularly developed and Pegg's part would have worked better as a supporting role rather than the lead, as I'm afraid to say that I found his character very unlikable. While Shaun was a bit of a waster, he had a lovable quality and his motivations were admirable. Hot Fuzz's Nicholas Angel was a by-the-books lawman yet an everyman's hero. But The World's End's Gary King has little to no redeeming features whatsoever. He is manipulative, loud, crass and at times extremely annoying.
The story itself is pretty good, and I like the idea of the five main characters getting progressively more drunk as the film goes on, and I was hoping this would bring many comedic moments with it, but instead it left me feeling a little depressed. There were some serious moments that felt a little jarring and made the narrative falter. These mostly revealed some back story to the characters and explained to an extent why the characters were not as 'fun' as they should be. But it did not evoke any sympathy because the characters weren't particularly appealing to begin with. Also their motivation is slightly questionable too, and did leave me wondering why they kept going on with their 'quest.'
Nick Frost and the rest of the supporting cast felt underused, and Gary King's attitude reflected that of the film itself; Trying desperately to make his friends think they are having a good time while in fact they weren't very enthusiastic about the whole affair. This is exactly what it felt like the movie was attempting with the audience in the cinema. I rarely heard anyone laugh. While I was entertained and wasn't bored as such, I couldn't shake the feeling that the film should be a lot funnier than it was.
Fans will spot quite a few Easter Eggs from Edgar Wright's previous films, with regulars from Spaced again making an appearance. And while there are some funny moments, it is nowhere near up to par with the previous 2 films in the series. I did hope they could have saved the film with a good ending, but it slightly fizzled out and I'm not even sure it could be described as a 'happy' one. While this has been done in films in the past to great comedic effect, it finished on a bit of a downer, which isn't really excusable in a comedy, and stopped this from being ranked a 7.
I would say this film is worth a watch. For maximum enjoyment, think of it as a dark sci-fi with occasional humour rather than what you have come to expect with Pegg and Co. and you might enjoy it more than I did.
TV: The Movie (2006)
More like an hour and a half long TV sketch show
For those who have seen cKy and Jackass, there will be no new surprises with this movie. Around 50% of this film features stunts from ex-Jackass celebrities Steve-O, Wee Man, Chris Pontius and Preston Lacy intermingled with spoofs on popular TV shows such as Fear Factor and Cops. The first thing you realise when watching this film is that it looks cheap. Very cheap. The second thing you realise is that this in not so much a film, but an hour and a half long sketch show with some gags funnier than others. Much of the humour strangely focused on stereotypical Mexican culture and may be offensive to some, but if not, don't worry, the is plenty more to be offended by. The acting is sub-standard. While Steve-O and co. are stuntmen and skaters, they are not actors. This becomes evident in any scene involving Wee man, where he can't seem to deliver a line without a huge grin on his face. Pontius makes a good effort playing Jesus, unfortunately the writing is quite poor so he never has the chance to be really funny. One thing I did feel for this film was Pity. Pity for Steve-O. Its been well documented that Steve-O has had problems with alcohol and drugs, and in and out of rehab, but in this film you are wondering how much is real and how much is scripted. In several scenes it is very apparent he is intoxicated while he destroys his house, his belongings and several body parts. Worse still, the impression is given that this was encouraged by the filmmakers for some easy footage. It soon becomes depressing watching Steve-O slowly destroying himself on screen. The movie is attempting to parody modern day television and the MTV culture, but it turns out that they are just parodying themselves. In fact, one section is named 'The world's most pointless stunts' I can only concur. While I enjoyed Bam Margera's cKy series and Jackass, this offered nothing new. There have been countless spin-offs of the genre, and the material has become very tired. There is only so many clips of a guy throwing himself on a coffee table I can watch before I get bored. Even Steve-O complains he has been short of work. He should take this as a sign and get a job which doesn't involve bodily harm. The shows parodied in the film were very recent, which suggests in about 2 years the subject matter will be pretty dated. Some of the sketches (The Jackass doll sketch most notably) were pretty terrible, but admittedly there were some funny moments. The Mexican 'COPS' spoof was funny, but will probably be seen by some to be racist. 'XXXL,' A spoof on Triple-X starring Preston Lacy did offer some laughs, and is the closest thing to a proper movie that it gets. The only welcome surprise in this film was the appearance of Jason Mewes AKA Jay from the Kevin Smith movie world. But don't expect Smith's sharp comedy writing, again the poor scripting prevents Mewes from really having the chance to shine.
If you like Jackass and are determined to like this too, it is advisable to put your brain on stand-by, and you might come away with a smile on for face.
Severance (2006)
Gore-Tastic slasher flick *With occasional humour*
The film is about a group of business workers who have been sent to Hungary on a team-building exercise by their employers, a weapons manufacturer named 'Palisade.' However, things soon take a turn for the worse when the party are left stranded in the forest, and the 'Luxury Lodge' they were booked into looks more like Leatherface's holiday home. Don't be fooled into thinking that because Severance is another British comedy/horror film that you will be watching another 'Shaun Of The Dead.' While S.O.T.D had constant humour mixed with slapstick violence, Severance instead opts for surprisingly explicit gore with occasional dark humour. Themes such as decapitation, attempted rape and intense torture all feature, and while the comedy is sometimes a welcome relief, it becomes apparent at points that this film is not sure exactly what it is. To call it a comedy would be incredibly inaccurate, although there are some very funny scenes (The one with the rocket-launcher being a personal favourite). But having seen the marketing campaign previous to watching this film, there may be people who find some of the violence a little too much to bear. However, I love violence, and I loved this movie. Although it does have it's faults and does borrow from other movies (Scream, Hostel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre to name but a few), it does have some original ideas and holds some surprises. Kudos too to Christian Henson's score, which reminded me of the score from 'The Descent' and made some scenes more emotional that they might have been. The cast are capable with few familiar faces (Percy from Blackadder and the blonde terrorist from Season 2 of 24 were the only ones I recognised) but they handle themselves well and become more likable than you originally thought possible. A great film, and one for the gore fanatics, but if you are at all squeamish, this film should be watched from between the fingers over your eyes.