Film review: R.I.P.D

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director Robert Schwentke, entertainment, film, Film review: R.I.P.D, film reviews, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, movies, Ryan Reynolds

It’s hard to know where to start on the mess of a film that is R.I.P.D. It should be could fun as it is a buddy-cop movie mixed in with zombies and lots of CGI but it really isn’t.

Nick (Ryan Reynolds) is a cop in Philadelphia, one who likes to keep some of the loot for himself. But since he is a good guy at heart he decides to change his way and hand in the gold the stashed away. However his partner Bobby Hayes (Kevin Bacon) isn’t too happy about this development and kills him.

Finding himself in some sort or heavenly police department, the R. I P.D (Rest in Peace Department) sitting opposite agent Proctor (Mary-Louise Parker), Nick soon discovers a whole new reality.

Partnered up with old time wild-west Marshall Roysephus Pulsipher , big Roy(Jeff Bridges) Nick is sent back to Philly to track down and bring back ‘deados’, dead people who somehow stayed on earth and turned into evil demons packaged in human shells.

This leads to CGI chases around Philadelphia, massive cartoon like undead running riot and a show down with a massive portal threatening to end the world.

R.I.P.D is tries to be a bit like Men in Black or Ghostbusters, but it really isn’t. There is nothing new; the plot is weak and very predictable, the CGI is a little rough and the there is no real excitement.

Reynolds is the same character he always is, no matter if it’s his take on the Green Lantern or Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins : Wolverine he just furrows his brow and spouts a few one-liners.

Bridges on the other hand seems to have cornered the “old coot” market and his version of Big Roy is no different from his characters in Men who stare at Goats, Crazy Heart and True Grit.  The only difference is this time he is dead but his mumbling tobacco chewing intonations are no less annoying.

Bacon has perfected his sleazy bad-guy routine and offers really no surprises as Bobby Hayes. Parker is kind of cute as Proctor but can’t really offer any real support.

Whatever director Robert Schwentke was thinking when he made R.I.P.D, a big budget film, is anyone’s guess. So if you are looking to have some fun there are lots of better ways to spend 96min of your life

flights, films and free donuts

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Denzel Washington, donuts, Dublin, film, food, magical summer, Mark Wahlberg, photography, travel, two guns

After six week of a hot German summer I got on a plane and flew back to Dublin yesterday morning. As always when returning home from a trip there are mixed feelings. On the one hand I was looking forward to my bed, home and friends but on the other hand the six weeks just flew by, faster then I ever thought was possible.

As I sat at the gate in Hamburg waiting to board my flight, my thoughts traveled back to Berlin and all the wonderful things I had done and seen. But with my camera and laptop tucked away in my hand-luggage and my flea-market finds stowed away in my suitcases I have enough physical reminders of a magical summer.

The flight back to Dublin was only a little bumpy but the smooth landing made up for it. And even though my car needed a jump-start after resting for six weeks I made it back home with all my treasures still in one piece.  All down to the good wrapping and packing I did back in Hamburg, but it still felt a little like Christmas morning as I opened up the bundles.

As luck would have it I had an invite waiting for me to go to a preview screening of Two Guns last night, a perfect start back into everyday life. After all what girl has two hunks like Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg welcoming them back home?

The film was good (review to follow) but I have to admit the thing I enjoyed most about my spontaneous trip to the cinema was the surprise donuts we all got. The reason for this delicious treat was hidden in the film but whatever the reason as the icing melted on my tongue and the soft center caressed my pallet I suddenly understood peoples obsessions with the delicious rings of dough. And if you ever visit Dublin keep your eyes open for Empire Donuts, an Irish brand that has perfected these American treats.

a film and free treat. the perfect evening out … courtesy of Entertainment 1 and Empire Donuts

think pink

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beauty, couples, cupid, fashion, film, friends, love, mental-health, miscellaneous, pink, relationships, style, Valentine's Day

The world seems to have fallen into a paint bucket, a pink and red one at that. An explosion of pastel pinks and fuchsia reds has given birth to lovesick window dressings all in honour of cupids  hay-day and his empty quiver.

But for other singletons like myself Valentine’s Day doesn’t always feel quite as cheery and the sudden need to devour whole selection boxes of chocolate may fill the hole in our bellies but not in our hearts. However the benefits of being single means you don’t need to sit in overcrowded  busses protecting roses or stand in line for a love-themed dinner out.

A survey done by Psychology Today two years ago shows that 40% of people, regardless whether they are single or not, have negative feelings towards Valentine’s Day. This could largely have to do with how advertisers and marketing experts have shaped the way we perceive the day. Knowing that everyone is tugging at our pockets to get their share of this 14 billion dollar industry, which is suppose to celebrate the day of Love, may turn sweet to sour.

And then there are our expectancies which are bound to be disappointed. The petrol station flowers instead of the bouquet of red roses, the box of Cadburys not Belgian truffles,  the silver bracelet instead of that longed for diamond ring. Somehow our hopes get shattered turning us from lovers into haters, even if only secret ones.

The best thing to possibly do is to re-frame the situation. Remember that Valentine’s Day is NOT a test on your relationship, nor does it mean that you are doomed to eat chocolate on your own for the rest of your life. And since it is always better to smile instead of frown, put on those pink shades and give Valentine’s Day a positive spin. Think pink, not grey or blue , but a much more happy hue!

PS: look at the shoes Kay Thompson is wearing at around 2.20min, they are on my “want-list”

Film Review: This is 40

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Chris O’Dowd, entertainment, film, Film Review, Jason Segel, Judd Apatow, Knocked Up, Leslie Mann, Megan Fox, movies, Paul Rudd, reviews, This is 40, writer/director Judd Apatow

Five years after the lukewarm comedy Knocked Up writer/director Judd Apatow latest offering, This is 40, looks at marriage from a different angle.

This time around we get to know Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) a little more. While both are on the brink of turning 40 they both approach the big day in their own unique fashion. Debbie is struggling with her age and is living in complete denial, and Pete is trying to recapture his success getting deeper and deeper into depth along the way. This self-delusional couple have two girls who seem to only play a minor role in their every day life as the couple drive each other nuts.

This is 40 is yet another comedy that relies on laughs through cheap jokes, mostly about blow-jobs, and silly adolescent humour that just isn’t very funny. Apatow’s plot isn’t very original and lacks depth, and while he does have good intentions the film is flat. Even loveable Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann can’t save the storyline and more often than not the age of the main characters and the childish humour don’t sit quite right.

For most (male) viewers the high-lights of the film will be when sexy Megan Fox as shop worker Desi steals the limelight with her ample cleavage, curves and minimal clothing. And even the normally quite funny Jason Segel as Debbies personal trainer is just a paler, less funny version of Marshal from How I met you Mother. Man of the moment Chris O’Dowd gives his usual goofy self as Ronnie, so no surprises or intrigue there either.

Overall This is 40 never reaches boiling point and stays at a pleasant but boring tepid temperature.

Film review: Frankenweenie

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3D, animation, Atticus Shaffer, black and white, Charlie Tahan, entertainment, film, Film Review, Frankenweenie, horror movie, stop-motion, Tim Burton

‘Disappointing’ may be the first word popping into your head after seeing Tim Burtons latest animation film “Frankenweenie”,  ‘boring’ may be the second followed closely by the question: “What has happened to the Wizard of Odd and his usually interesting and surprising ideas?

Frankensweenie is a feature length remake of Burtons 1984 short and tells the story of geeky outsider Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan) and his only friend, his dog Sparky. When Sparky is run over by a car Victor uses is scientific nerdiness to bring him back to life, but the joy of having his friend back is soon overshadowed by the surprising events that follow.

When Victors classmate the unpopular and very odd looking Edgar ‘E” Gore (voiced by Atticus Shaffer) finds out about Sparkys revival he wants his very own un-dead playmate. One invisible fish later and a chain reaction of creature creating occurs. And like any good old-fashioned monster movie there is a damsel in distress, an unsuspected hero and a happy ending.

Frankensweenie is a beautifully produced film and the black and white cinematography is stunning, however the 3D effects feel unnecessary.  The characters are unmistakably Burtonesque and play homage to all the great horror classics but the storyline is weak and very safe, often a little dull.

This stop-animation is not really suitable for children as the humour is quite dark and the charming slapstick scenes and horror film references are too adult oriented.  Burton is not at his best with Frankensweenie, and no matter how big a feast for the eyes this animation may be it does not make up for the lacklustre plot.

Film review: Brave

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animation, Billy Thompson, Brave, disney, Emma Thompson, entertainment, film, film reviews, Kelly MacDonald, movies, Pixar, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, Walt Disney

Disney is back and this time around the Princess is Scottish and animated by Pixar. This not so typical fairytale is set in the Scottish Highlands and the heroine is the feisty redheaded and hot-tempered Merida (Kelly MacDonald).

Forced by her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), to learn everything a princess needs to know and how to act in a courtly manner, Merida sneaks out whenever she can to ride her horse and shoot her bow and arrow, with her flaming red hair always free flowing and wild.  King Fergus (Billy Thompson) loves his daughters wild nature but bows to his wife’s will and understands the importance of tradition.

But when Merida discovers that she is to be married off to one of the neighbouring clans to preserve the peace and fulfill a promise made long ago she breaks with tradition and enrages everyone in the process.  Not getting her way Merida runs away in true teenager style and finds a way to change the course of her life, with disastrous consequences.  Of course in true Walt Disney tradition there is always a way for those who believe.

This beautifully coloured and painted animation shows the true talent behind Pixar and although this is their first venture into the world of fairytales and also their first true female lead it is much more a Pixar than a Disney film.

This truly beautifully painted story about nonconformity, real relationships, emancipation and taking life into your own hands is another wonderful Pixar film and everyone in the family will enjoy the trip to the movies.

Friends with Children

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Chris O’Dowd, Edward Burns, entertainment, film, Friends with Childern, Jason Frymann, Jennifer Westfalt, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Megan Fox, reviews

We’ve all seen it happen: friends get married, have kids and change. Not that they want to, not that they intend to but they do! Writer, actor and first time director Jennifer Westfalt and her long-time partner the mad man himself Jon Hamm , have watched  this happen to their friends and decided to turn experience into the film “Friends with Children”.

This funny, heart-warming and at times very sarcastic film tells the story of six friends, two couples and two singles. It all starts off very Sex in the City with the friends having dinner in a chic Manhattan restaurant appalled by the children at the neighbouring table. When the hot and heavy couple Ben (Jon Hamm) and Missy (Kristen Wiig) return from a quickie in the toilets, Leslie (Maya Rudolph) and Alex (Chris O’Dowd) announce to their friends that they are pregnant and swear that nothing will change.

Four years later it is a totally different story. While Leslie and Alex struggle to manage two kids and have moved to Brooklyn, Missy and Ben seem to only communicate through snide comments over their baby’s buggy. Forced to witness these changes  Adam (Jason Frymann) and Julie (Jennifer Westfalt) congratulate themselves on being free and single, the only problem is they both would like kids. So as they watch their friends fall apart the singletons make a pack to have a child together, share all the benefits and responsibilities but NOT be a couple.

At first things seem to work out and both find bliss with gorgeous partners. Adam hooks up with curvaceous dancer Mary Jane (Megan Fox) and Julie finds the perfect male specimen in the delicious Kurt (Edward Burns).  But as nothing can last, not even in a romantic comedy, soon everything changes and trouble follows.

Somehow Westfalt has managed to take a seemingly mundane topic and turn it into a series of traps and twists that define the characters and show how parenthood changes them.  And while it is very funny at times and you can’t help being torn between laughing at and crying for the parents this film is still very honest and even real if you can look past the incredible beauty selected on screen.

Wigg is wonderful with her icy stares and snide comments, Hamm plays a man who regrets and thus drinks very well and Rudolph and O’Dowd make a loveable quirky couple whose warmth always shines through.  And even though Fryman does a great job of portraying a man who thinks he only wants sex to find out what he really wants is love, the show is all about Westfalt.

Not only did she direct this film beautifully and her script is witty and resourceful but her character Julie shows all the raw emotions of a woman looking for love, not wanting to compromise but knowing that time is running out.

And while you may be reminded of “When Harry met Sally” or other rom-com classics “Friends with Children” is a clever film that is not afraid to take a few risks and show life as messy and colourful as we all know it can be. A must see film of the summer, whether you are parents or not.