Life of Pi

Director: Ang Lee (Hulk; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Brokeback Mountain)
Cast: Suraj Sharma
Running Time: 127 Minutes

Finally a movie where you don't need to read the book because, well, bar one or two small exclusions, the film matches it perfectly! Although, the book really is beautifully written and I highly recommend it. If you have read the book, like me, your imagination could not have exceeded director Ang Lee's vision for this wonderfully adapted movie. From the amazing opening scene as the camera moves over and through the zoo to the magical floating island laden with millions of meerkats, Pi's journey will have you fixed to your seat for 2 hours. Pi (Suraj Sharma - his debut film having made the cut out of 3000 hopefuls auditioned in India) is a serious yet rather humorous character who manages to not tame a fully grown Bengal tiger on his little lifeboat but trains him. His experiences will leave you laughing and crying (I promise)! A terrific film that I believe will become one of those that students will be studying in matric! On a last note, I had the pleasure of interviewing both Ang Lee and Suraj Sharma for the MNet Movie Show so be sure to watch it! Follow me on Twitter for details on when it will air: @JasonMGreer

Feb 2013 Update:
Well done on winning Oscars for:
Cinematography
Director
Music
Visual Effects

The Campaign

Director: Jay Roach (Meet the Parents & Austin Powers)
Starring: Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis
Running Time: 85 mins

"My heart is beating so fast it's like a phonebook in a dryer!" Don't ask me what that means but expect more of those 'gems' throughout the film. Off the bat I gotta say that Ferrell & Galifianakis' chemistry is great but I was hoping for a little more. I preferred his 'tangos' with Sascha Baron Cohen and even Mark Wahlberg but I think sticking two high profile comedians deft in the art of ad-libbing together in one film, was too much. If you've watched the trailer, you've pretty much seen all the funny parts. There were a few surprise cameos for me though including the 67 year old, John Lithgow. Kudos should also go to Dermot Mulroney who is brilliant as the underhanded campaign manager. Overall it's a fun movie with a few laugh out loud moments but I think I'd rather see the two of them in separate movies from now on.

Taken 2

Director: Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3 & Colombiana)
Starring: Liam Neeson (Schindler's List & The Grey); Famke Janssen (X-Men & Taken)
Running Time: 91 Minutes

With an opening weekend in the US of $50m, there should be no doubt in your mind that wanting to go and watch Neeson kick some ass is a priority! It's the same 'plot' per say however this time, Neeson get's kidnapped! Before you know it though, he's out of the pickle and starts his rain of beat downs and monotone dialogue on the baddies all with some help from his daughter. It was overall a very enjoyable but fairly predictable movie that came to an end pretty quickly. My only gripe, the fight scenes were shot badly. I wanted to see exactly how he disarmed the thug, snuck his fist into his left nostril and broke his right leg all at the same time...but alas, you're left feeling dizzy from the short, sharp shots! Pity. I'm not gonna give you anything more about the story but I will leave you with this quote that sends shivers down my spine everytime I remember it: "If I kill you, your other sons will come and seek revenge and I will kill them too."

Dredd - The Judge has returned

Director: Pete Travis (Vantage Point & Endgame)
Starring: Karl Urban (Star Trek & Red); Lena Heady (300, Game of Thrones); Olivia Thirlby
Running Time: 95 mins

Judgement has come! Finally after over 15 years, Dredd, the way he was intended, has come to save the world. Ok, it's only one building so far. There's not a moment to breath as the movie opens with a high speed car chase along Johannesburg's M1 through swarms of taxis and Putco busses. Oh sorry, I didn't tell you, Dredd was shot mostly in Joburg and Cape Town. Once the first perp is caught, it's almost non-stop, gut spewing, head exploding, cheek ripping, eye gouging gratuitous violence from there. Dredd (played by the relatively unknown Karl Urban) is a no-nonsense judge who has no qualms dishing out beatings and death sentences on the spot and along with his psychic rookie partner, Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) they follow an extremely simple storyline to catch the baddy. The baddy, Ma-ma, is played by Lena Headey (you'll remember her as the incestuous Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones) and even with her scars and rotten teeth, she's still sexy. Not too keen on the performance though. Nonetheless, if you're up for a proper hour & a half escape with guns, killing and slo-mo, then you're gonna enjoy this. My best parts of the film, when people inhale the drug 'Slo-mo'...the 3D effects really are very pretty. And apparently this might just become a trilogy...that's all for now.

To Rome With Love (as funded by Romans)

For some reason I've never been a fan of Woody Allen movies, maybe it's because I've felt intellectually inferior, however I decided it's finally time to grow up and go watch one of his films. The result, pleasantly surprised. To Rome With Love is wonderfully written and the performances were equally as enchanting. From the opera singer who can only perform in the shower to the wide eyed 'country girl' who faces the dilemma of wanting to sleep with a famous actor. From the man who wakes up famous (yes, literally) to Penelope Cruz's character as a prostitute. Now, if, like me, you have never been to Rome, then best you get yourself to your closest cinema because this has to be hands down one of the best guides to Rome out there. Which is not surprising seeing as though the movie was basically funded by Roman investors. I'm glad to see that those little cobblestone alleyways and hanging plant baskets do actually exist. Picturesque! My only gripe...it's just a wee bit too long with a running time of 112 minutes. By the end of it you're like please just wrap things up. Oh yeah, and Alec Baldwin's role...I'm still confused.

The Dark Knight Rises (Well, almost...)

There's no beating around the bush here. I'm upset. No, not because it's not in 3D, that was one of my favourite parts. You see, I built up my expectations only to have them chipped away at until about 15 minutes before the end but by then, it was too late, the foundations had already been too badly damaged. The length of the movie is another sore point. For some reason this film felt long (even though it's only approx. 15 minutes longer than The Dark Knight). The introduction of Selina - Catwoman-ish (Anne Hathaway) was unnecessary and I felt that she added nothing to the story line except for the odd grin I managed to squeeze out of myself. Bane (Tom Hardy) was played ruthlessly and with malice but unfortunately I couldn't hear most of what he said throughout the film. Now whether this was the sound in the theatre or I hadn't cleaned my ears out, I don't know and whether or not it interfered with the story line, I don't know, but I still felt cheated. I did however like the introduction of Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as the never say die police officer fighting for justice like his caped protector and soon to be friend. I really do believe that it's not going to be long before Gordon-Levitt accepts his Oscar. There's no need to mention the acting talents of any of the other stalwarts i.e. Bale, Freeman, Caine or Oldman because they haven't changed an ounce since the start of the 'Trilogy'. Besides the inclusion of a flying machine called 'The Bat', don't expect any other gadgets to amaze us, however, with a budget of around $250m, I was hoping for a device that would help Batman escape the beating he received from Bane within an inch of his life, but what would the movie be without a fallen hero, rising? Anyway, I'm glad I saw this film but disappointed that I couldn't have written a nicer review. However, with the way the film ended, there might just be a nicer review to look forward to...

The Amazing Spiderman! (Just not in 3D)

If you're hoping to be wowed with the 3D effects, you're in for a sloppy time. The 3D graphics aren't even worth talking about because, well quite frankly, they're about as effective as scrubbing off a wine stain with water. Besides that, Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker / Spiderman) completely rescued the character that Tobey Maguire almost ruined. He looks more like what Marvel had originally intended him to look and he's WAY funnier than poor old Tobes. Rhys Ifans (The Lizard / Dr. Connor) was ok but I feel he's more suited for the comedic genre he fell into way back with Notting Hill and The Replacements. Emma Stone (Gwen Stacey) was great and the chemistry between her's and Garfield's character was terrific. So much so that they started dating whilst shooting! Both actors were perfectly cast. Big kudo's to fairly new film director, Marc Webb (yes, that is in fact his real surname), as he ensured his audience's captivation with amazing point of view shots through the eyes of Spidey himself as he leaps tall buildings in a single bound and (oh, wait that's Superman), as he runs along walls and flies through the air shooting another web from his homemade device. All in all, a worthwhile trip out to the movies and in my opinion the best Spiderman movie to date. Expect a sequel...

Rock(ing) for Ages!

The title says it all. I'm still singing 'I wanna rock!' due to the comedy musical, yes MUSICAL, Rock Of Ages starring lead newcomers Julianne Hough (Ryan Seacrest's girlfriend) and Diego Boneta with support from Paul Giamatti, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin and Tom Cruise. Going in, I had NO idea I was about to be exposed to songs that I grew up with being sung by Cruise, Baldwin, Brand and the newcomers and heading out I'm still amped that I just watched 2 hours of foot tapping, head nodding, complete escapism whilst remembering where I was when I first heard 'I wanna know what love is' and 'Wanted Dead of Alive'. I was surprised when I saw the IMDB gave it a 6.3 rating AND upset that it's only made around the $40m mark at the Box Office (it cost $75m to make). Pity, because the performance by Cruise alone was worth the admission fee and my favourite part, a rather intimate scene between Baldwin and Brand...watch it to see what I mean.

What (NOT) to expect when you're expecting!

There's been a lot of hype around this movie due to the fact that the book 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' was such a huge success, HOWEVER, this movie was anything but. Directed by the same director of 'The Girl Next Door' and 'The Animal', it's no wonder that this film didn't sit too well with the critics, so, how do you ensure bums on seats knowing that the story line is about as exciting as mixing 100% pure orange juice with water? Oh yes, ensure you hire a stellar cast, the likes of Elizabeth Banks, Cameron Diaz and J-Lo. The performances weren't that great and I found myself wondering why Chris Rock didn't have a bigger part in this film because he truly was the best part of the movie for me and as for the 'cool dad patrol'... highly disappointing. There might've been one moment where I chuckled, but that was it. Too cheesy, too predictable and oh yeah, too cheesy. So, I give this film a 6 out of 10. It would've been a 5, but the inclusion of Dennis Quaid as the retired race car driver with the HOT wife, pushed the rating by one point.

Now if you read my last post about 'Snow White', you will be forgiven for thinking that I am a cynic because I am anything but, it's just that I have yet to watch a good movie. If you have any suggestions, leave a comment.

Snow White & The Huntsman

Off the bat let me just say how impressed I was with Charlize Theron's performance as the evil & malicious queen. Now being South African, it's easy for me to be biased however even with that in mind, I did try and look at this from an unbiased point of view and still found it difficult to crit her performance negatively. The story of Snow White has been told for years and for the first time the story was told like I think it was meant to be told. Yes, it's a feel good fairy tale where good conquers evil, but Rupert Sanders (directorial debut just by the way) brings the elements of sorrow and pain that the evil queen inflicted on her people to the forefront in a stark, barren and dark landscape. Having said that, there were holes in the plot and the story line didn't flow. Hemsworth did indeed prove his 'worth' as the huntsman whilst Stewart, well, she should stick to non-emotional emo movies that she's been branded with from the Twilight saga. She was incorrectly cast and with an estimated budget of $170m, well, let's just say they could've afforded someone far superior e.g. Rachel McAdams. There is a rumour that there's a sequel on the way, I'll watch it out of sheer curiosity and am not looking to be wowed.