Movie viewing is subjective but you already know that. Chatting in the bar with friends, it’s easy and fun to share strong opinions on a film and argue their worth with the pals that disagree. Reviewing films, being a film critic, is different and frequently difficult. Obviously a review is not worth reading if the writer has not put their personal opinions into it, however the same writer must remember that their audience is far larger and more diverse than the guys and girls in the pub. A critic must be able to see beyond their immediate personal response and consider that a film that was not to their tastes, will probably entertain someone, somewhere.
So, Super.
Starring The Office’s Rainn Wilson and Juno’s Ellen Page, Super is a tale of one simple, lonely man’s crusade against the perceived injustices in the world around him. Donning a makeshift superhero costume he grabs a large wrench and goes to work. Soon his actions draw the attention of the police and the local comic shop clerk.
Audience members that pulled this title off the shelf because Rainn Wilson was plastered on the cover looking goofy with a funny catchphrase are in for an interesting night. It’s not a comedy, he’s not Dwight Shrute. It is very violent with plenty of blood and a little bit of rape. It’s not for everyone. With a fairly forgettable supporting cast this really is an opportunity for Wilson to step out of the small screen and carry a movie. It is admirable that he didn’t just go for some silly, cheap romantic comedy or angry school teacher kid’s movie and amongst the violence and comic book references, you will find moments of solid introspection of a complex character in Super. Rainn Wilson can definitely pull off a good performance for longer than 22 minutes, he has proved that.
Ellen Page annoys me, always has. She always plays her characters in the same way and seems to have little range. If you like her though, you’ll like her in this. She balances out Wilson’s character with a typically bubbly, quick talking, wise beyond her years performance and writer/director James Gunn is not shy about investigating the unlikely attraction that builds between the leads. Their relationship is not as charming as that of Kick Ass or The Green Hornet, but it does feel more at home in the, “real world.”
Is this film for you? Do you like comic book movies? Do you like violence? Do you like your action movies with a little bit of indie thrown in? Then yes, if you really like violence. Obviously the gore is frequently undercut by witty remarks post and pre kill and we get the old school Adam West Batman cartoon “Kapows!” but this critic failed to see the humour or even the cool factor amongst the blood. It’s funny, but not funny enough. It’s dark, but not dark enough. It’s indie, but not indie enough. It’s real, but not real enough.
It’s alright, but it ain’t super.
Let me know what you think.
BSP
Jackson Black and Bowlingshoepete chat movies. Join them, won't you? Don't forget to head on over to Facebook and "Like" or page (fn movies).
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Episode 4 Young In '97
Right Click and save as the title to download, click to play (it's a long one this time)
We insult the few listeners we do have and chat about E3, Manly Men casting and Oscar fatigue. This week we review Get Him To The Greek, The Lives Of Others. Bob Dylan No Direction Home, The Backyard, Copland, Lovely Bones and Face/Off.
(Warning - Explicit)
We insult the few listeners we do have and chat about E3, Manly Men casting and Oscar fatigue. This week we review Get Him To The Greek, The Lives Of Others. Bob Dylan No Direction Home, The Backyard, Copland, Lovely Bones and Face/Off.
(Warning - Explicit)
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Episode 3 Clothes are a dealbreaker
Filthy Hypotheticals – coming soon to a cinema near you. More news from Jackson, live from the Hobbit set (flogging this horse folks) regarding The Hangover 2 (3?) and American Pie. We review Touching the Void, Dan in Real Life, Extract and The Wave.
(Warning - Explicit)
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Episode 2 Inhibit This!
click on the title above to play or right click and "save as" to download.
Did Jackson get a role in The Hobbit? Find out today. We also discuss what has grabbed us this week in and out of movies. We chat about the film news and review The Constant Gardener, Summer Of Sam, Che 1 and 2, Pan’s Labyrinth, Swimming With Sharks and The Crucible. Plus the debut of The Official Mildred bumpers and Pete prophesizes not one but two future Oscar winners. Enjoy.
Thursday, 12 May 2011
FN Special - Citizen Kane
click on the title above to play or right click and "save as" to download.
We get Kaned and discuss "The Greatest Film Of All Time".
We get Kaned and discuss "The Greatest Film Of All Time".
Monday, 9 May 2011
Episode 1 Cadre!
click on the episode name to play or right click and "save as" to download
Black auditions for The Hobbit plus we tiptoe around Blazing Saddles and review Ghost World, American: The Bill Hicks Story, The Ugly Truth, Serenity, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part One, An Education and The Never Ending Story. Warning : *some* hosts can't control their language so this podcast is marked explicit.
Black auditions for The Hobbit plus we tiptoe around Blazing Saddles and review Ghost World, American: The Bill Hicks Story, The Ugly Truth, Serenity, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part One, An Education and The Never Ending Story. Warning : *some* hosts can't control their language so this podcast is marked explicit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)