Taken (action thriller)
Moving on now to Liam Neeson’s I-wanna-be-Jason-Bourne-but-a-bit-crustier action thriller Taken. On the movie poster there’s a quote from someone (surely not a critic) who said Taken is the “best action flick since Bourne.” Who said this and where do they live? Because I need to come round to their place and drown their household pets. This movie is bad, bad, bad and that’s coming from someone who likes Liam Neeson. Firstly the script is unbelievable. Taken follows a former spy’s (Neeson) journey to save his daughter (Grace) after she’s abducted and sold in to the Algerian sex trade.
Secondly the characters are all ridiculous archetypes, which you would think are meant to be a joke until you realise the makers want you to believe dickheads like this actually exist in the world. Third problem is the acting is over the top. Liam Neeson is barely okay, Famke Janssen is awful and Maggie Grace is SO bad as the kidnapped daughter that even Holly Valance out-acts her. Fourth dilemma is the action sequences are unbelievable.
Neeson is too old and senile to pull half the stuff off realistically and even if they got a younger male lead, it’s unlikely even the invincible John McClane would have been able to make the scenes believable. Don’t waste your money on this one, not even on $1.50 DVD day at your local hire store.
Baby Mama is the Best Option Available For You
Baby Mama, the latest brainchild from the Saturday Night Live team, provided plenty of laughs despite character relationships progressing a little too quickly for my liking. To be honest I’m just nit picking so if you’re looking for something light to see with the girls than Baby Mama is the best option available for you.
If you can leave any sense of reality relating to human interactions at the door, chances are you’ll enjoy this. Amy Poehler is absolutely brilliant as the trailer trash gal being paid to be Tina Fey’s surrogate mother. In my eyes it was Steve Martin as the hippy, organic business owner who stole the show and there wasn’t a line he didn’t deliver without hilarity.
Tropic Thunder (the best comedy of the year)
The latest flick I’ve seen was the highly anticipated war comedy Tropic Thunder. Yes, that’s right, I said war and comedy in the same sentence. Twice. This is the most recent film to be written, directed, produced and featuring Ben Stiller since Zoolander, one of my personal favourites. At the start of this year critics said 2008 was shaping up to be the war of the comics with the contenders being Don’t Mess With the Zohan, Love Guru, Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder.
Since the first two bombed the match seems to be between Pineapple and Thunder. Audience reception hails Ben Stiller and co as the winners by an inch but it’s a win nether the less. Tropic Thunder is hilarious from start to finish and there are so many puns being thrown at you throughout the 107 minute duration it’s hard to keep up. The script is tight and the scope is epic but somehow Stiller has managed to keep his mind on the prize and pull this move off. If there’s one comedy you have to see this year it’s Tropic Thunder.
It’s not as subtle as Pineapple Express but it wasn’t trying to be either. Just when you think it’s about to hit the right note, it goes one octave higher and blows your mind. Also, this has got to be one of the best ensemble casts of the year with Tom Cruise making the GREATEST cameo ever beyatches! Stiller obviously has a lot of friends in Hollywood given the number of famous faces that show up in the films he directs but that only adds to the awesomeness. Matthew McConaughey gives one of his best performances to date (as does Cruise) backed up strongly by Downey Jnr who is really really ridiculously good. I would go as far to say Downey Jnr is unforgettable.
Stiller is also tops and even Black’s mild annoyingness doesn’t detract from the film. Film critics and Hollywood insiders will probably enjoy this film more than your average ticket buyer given the amount of "in-jokes". To be perfectly frank I didn’t enjoy it as much as I knew I should but regardless, it’s still the best comedy of the year so far. Actually it can be an equal first place with Pineapple Express.