Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates Review

The Plot

Two hard-partying brothers place an online ad to find the perfect dates for their sister’s Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves out-hustled by an uncontrollable duo.

The Good

Zac Efron and Adam Devine star in this hapless comedy as the titular Stangle brothers, Mike (Devine) and Dave (Efron) as they try to make it through one family gathering without riling each other up and causing chaos. The setup is quick and simple, as they go in search of two nice girls to take as dates. Instead they are tricked by basically their female equivalents in Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza) who take up the opportunity for an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii with Tatiana posing as a school teacher (‘it’s all about repetition. You’d be surprised how dumb the kids are’ she says) and Alice trying to pass as a hedge fund manager who ‘hedge’s funds’ as she so succinctly explains it.

What follows is a by the books gross out comedy with a fair few laughs along the way thanks to some fun set pieces including a very relaxing massage session for bride-to-be Jeanie (Sugar Lyn Beard) and a painful ATV tour of Jurassic Park’s set which turns her into ‘a burn victim barbie’ as Mike puts it.

The Bad

Unfortunately the gags soon start to slow towards the third act as it leans towards the all too familiar sequence that often comes with comedies like this and, if thought about too much wouldn’t make a lot of sense here. If you’re not a fan of gross-out comedy you might not find much to laugh at here either. Though it’s not the worst attempt at the type of comedy (think Farrelly Brothers-lite), it does still have some unsavoury jokes scattered throughout which won’t appeal to everyone’s sense of humour.

The Ugly Truth

The four main cast members work well together and there are still enough laughs to warrant a trip to the cinema, however the rom-com tropes are the same as always and the humour may not be to everyone’s taste, but with Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick, it’s still worth a watch.

Review by Johnny Ellis

Julieta Review

The Plot

After a chance encounter a woman is forced to confront the painful truths about her past and her mysteriously troubled family life.

The Good

Iconic director Pedro Almodovar has a unique flare for delivering slow burning dramas infused with compelling quantities of sexual and psychological intrigue. In Julieta he grips audience’s attention firmly thanks to an enchantingly ominous soundtrack and subtly brilliant lead turns from Emma Suarez and Adriana Ugarte.

Julieta features many of the key themes that typically dominate Almodovar’s work; most notably family dysfunction, sexual betrayal, debilitating madness and identity crisis. His subtle and stylish approach manages to introduce all these elements without straying too far into melodramatics. As with much of his work, Julieta is built around a convincingly credible emotional core that is strong enough to support a series of odd coincidences and  a deceptively  languid pace of storytelling.

Taking dual responsibility for the lead role of Julieta, Emma Suarez and Adriana Ugarte do a magnificent job of portraying both the youthful and older versions of the same character. Both actresses manage to imbue the character with the same emotional and physical qualities, providing an unbroken chain of continuity as the narrative winds back and forth between present day and the dramatic events of Julieta’s past.

While the film offers a superficially simple tale of family tragedies,  Almodovars direction and fine acting elevate proceedings considerably. They combine to inject enough flashes of humour and hints of danger to make the film’s central mystery more sustainably compelling. Ultimately Almodovar’s greatest strength as a filmmaker is that it is often difficult for audiences to predict precisely where his slowly evolving stories will ultimately lead.

The Bad

Those familiar with Almodovar’s trademark style will enjoy the film’s slow meditative pace. However a less initiated audience may find themselves waiting for plot twists or frantic action that never quite arrives. Those unappreciative of the film’s graceful cinematography or subtle inherent symbolism might easily find themselves dismissing the film as merely an art house equivalent of generic paperback romance novels. Anyone uninspired by the director’s previous efforts will find little here to substantially change their enthusiasm.

The Ugly Truth

Fans of Almodovar’s steadily growing body of critically lauded work will be delighted to have yet another cinematic effort to enjoy. Meanwhile those unfamiliar with the director’s past work will likewise find much to grip their attention in a thoroughly well-made cathartic drama dominated by strong central performances.

Review by Russell Nelson

Suicide Squad Review

The Plot

A secret government agency recruits imprisoned super villains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency.

The Good

While there are undeniably numerous problems with this third outing for the DC Comics Extended universe, there are at least a few positive elements in the film. First and foremost is Margot Robbie. Smoldering rising star Robbie clearly has as much fun as possibly bringing the  Joker’s romantic partner in crime Harley Quinn to life on the big screen. A cult favorite among Comic book fans it will be satisfying for many to see the iconic character finally make her cinematic debut in manically joyous fashion. It’s hardly a surprise the film so often unashamedly lingers on the splash of colour and fun she provides.

Aside from Robbie’s Quinn, Suicide’s Squads most interesting member is undoubtedly Will Smith’s Deadshot, mostly because the deadliest hit man in the DC universe is given the lions share of character development and screen time. Exploring the conflict between being a ruthless professional killer and yet a devoted father, Deadshot’s plot line succeeds in at least giving the character the dimension which so many of the film’s characters sadly lack. It’s portrayed most powerfully in one particular scene which, without giving too much away, involves another iconic DC character.

Third and probably most surprising of the positive points, is Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang. The Australian boomerang toting villain is best known to comic book fans as a regular antagonist for The Flash, who we get a blink and you’ll miss it cameo from in Boomerang’s intro. There are still broader issues with the character, but Courtney occasionally brings some fun to the role including a love for pink fluffy unicorns and a taste for canned beer.

The Bad

All this however barely helps to alleviate some of the huge problems with the film. Director David Ayer seems to struggle bringing this motley crew together neatly, after a botched attempt in its opening ten minutes which sees each member of the Suicide Squad’s back story introduced to an increasingly desperate accompaniment of pop songs. It’s almost as if the studio have tried to take a leaf out of Marvel’s books after the glorious success of Guardians of the Galaxy’s unexpectedly genius soundtrack, only to come off as much more jarring.

It’s impossible not to directly compare the contrasting fortunes of the two comic book  giants. While Marvel have taken over a decade of careful planning and patience to craft a well balanced and perfectly judged tone for an ever expanding and wondrous combined cinematic universe, DC has thrown together their most recognizable figures with unashamed haste for short term box office gains. As a clear example introducing a new Joker is a significant creative challenge that clearly deserved it’s own film. Instead DC have yet again jumped the gun in their desperate impatience to match the mighty box office progress of Marvel.

On the subject of the much anticipated big screen return of The Joker , Jared Leto‘s interpretation of the iconic Batman villain feels criminally underused and when he does rarely grace the screen with his presence he inevitably never manages to quite escape the daunting shadow that Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance left behind. As a superfluous figure on the fringes of the actual plot in Suicide Squad it’s clear that despite all Leto’s method acting intentions his Joker is at best merely a gratuitous marketing tool for this messy ensemble.

The problems continue as the film moves on to it’s main threat, which consists of Cara Delevingne’s Enchantress using her black magic powers to emit a bright beam into the sky and destroy the world. Because we can’t have a comic book movie without a big light shooting into the sky it seems these days. As a whole Suicide Squad feels hastily put together and re-edited with hints of a better film trying to break through, not unlike the recent misfiring Fantastic 4 attempt by Fox.  Unfortunately despise rare flashes of promise, the film quickly abandons a clear structure and good characterizations. Fans should also avoid being fooled by the film’s teasingly colorful promotional art, Suicide Squad is just as dreary and drab as Snyder’s sullen Superman films.

The Ugly Truth

Suicide Squad frustratingly squanders some of the most interesting characters in the  richly villainous side of the vast DC universe. Rushed introductions to a whole line up of otherwise entertaining characters collectively robs them of much of their potential joy. Sadly at best the film feels like a collection of familiar faces and interesting ideas held together by a few music videos and a lot of bland plot exposition.

Review by Johnny Ellis

Pete’s Dragon World Premiere Pictures

Check out a gallery of pictures from the World Premiere of new Disney adventure film Pete’s Dragon featuring Bryce Dallas Howard. You can also check out an exclusive interview with her below form the film’s London Gala Premiere event.

Personal Shopper Gets Official Release Date

Metrodome have confirmed the official release date for Kristen Stewart drama Personal Shopper. The film will arrive in cinemas on general release on 28th October. 

Olivier Assayas, the internationally-acclaimed director of Clouds of Sils Maria and Summer Hours, returns with this ethereal and mysterious ghost story starring Kristen Stewart as a high-fashion personal shopper to the stars who is also a spiritual medium. Grieving the recent death of her twin brother, she haunts his Paris home, determined to make contact with him. Assayas recently won the top prize for best director at the Cannes film festival lending the film even more critical momentum.