I shall first of all consider "Haywire". This is the story of a private firm which hires out black ops super soldiers. Our heroine, Malory Kane (Gina Carano), is one of said super soldiers. Betrayed by her firm and framed for murder, she goes on the run, beating the s**t out of every Hollywood A-lister who tries to stop her. And many do! In an interview in Total Film I read that Carano, for whom "Haywire" is her first acting experience, until now known as "the face of Mixed Martial Arts", was seen by Steven Soderbergh being generally bad-ass and skilled on SBS (Sorry Bro: Sports) and Soderbergh basically went "I want to make a film about that lady!" You can definitely see this in the final product.The film is basically one and a half hours of fights and impressive stunts, wrapped in a very suspect plot. Carano does all her stunts and she is pretty impressive. She thoroughly pulverises Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender and Ewan McGregor, and those are just the famous ones! Add to that she is a very sexy woman and does not perform badly as a first-time actress, this is definitely her film. The plot on the other hand is a bit loose. You're not really sure who, what or why when it comes to the double-crossing behind the entire chain of events for most of the film. Why did they kill that guy and frame her for it? Who are all these men in Dublin that Fassbender is talking to? Why do they pick Kane to place the blame on? It is vaguely explained at the end, but even then the plot cracks are not sufficiently sealed. The film was not as entertaining as I hoped it would be, specifically because when Kane is not kicking ass, there's nothing to hold onto or think about, that said, the fights and the chase sequences, through Barcelona, Dublin, New York, and so on, are well done and keep you entertained until the end.
Now, on to "Hot Rod"! I don't believe I have yet revealed my huge crush on Andy Samberg, but the man is amazing! I have much love for "the Lonely Island", especially their songs "Mother Lover", "Boombox" and "I Just Had Sex". For me, they form the only funny part of SNL (Saturday Night Live), which, despite the participation of amazing comedians such as Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Bill Hader, etc., constantly disappoints (I'll admit, I've only watched two full episodes, but they did not make me laugh once)."Hot Rod" stars Andy Samberg as Rod Kimble, a wannabe stunt man, who is pretty awful at every stunt he tries, probably the least bright bulb in the entire bulb factory, but incredibly endearing and lovable. When his stepfather needs a heart transplant but can't afford the $50,000 it costs, Rod steps up and offers to raise the money by jumping 15 school buses on his motorbike. He is constantly trying to seek his stepfather's (Ian McShane) approval, which involves trying to beat him in a fight and his logic is "I'm going to make you better, so I can punch you in the face!" Rod's brother is played by fellow Lonely Islander Jorma Taccone and the film is directed by the third and final Islander, Akiva Schaffer, and the trio's style is firmly stamped all over the project.
The plot of this film, like that of "Haywire", matters very little really. It is merely a framework within which Akiva Schaffer can place his unique and odd comedic clips, for example, my favourite scene in the ENTIRE film, in which Rod, out of the blue, starts pronouncing all words beginning with "w-", "hw-":
This sort of joke, completely random and dropped straight away after it is used, is one of many such jokes that run through the film. Of course, most comedies don't have a a plethora of running jokes, such concepts are not as common as of-the-moment gags, but the comedy in this film seems more random and quintessentially "Lonely Island". It works fantastically for my funny bone. The entire screenplay is well written and each scene contains its own little comedic treasure, making the film almost a series of witty sketches. That said, the sweet characters and amusing concept of Rod wanting to save his stepfather's life, only so that he can then beat the shit out of him and prove his manhood, hold all of these sketches together and make it worthy of the title "feature film" and not merely a feature-length sketch show. If this hasn't convinced you that this is a must-see piece of tomfoolery, consider the additional cast members of Will Arnett, Danny McBride and Bill Hader. If they are the markers of a film you'd like, get on "Hot Rod".
I think it would be appropriate this week to look at my Top 5 Comedies, don't you? (As usual, I will try to cover films I have not already discussed):
1. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
"Dodgeball" is the story of small-time gym owner Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn), who must drum together a team of weak-bodied, but lovable losers to win a dodgeball competition with a $50,000 prize so that he can save his all-inclusive, caring gym: they are true underdogs! Their rivals are a team led by Globo-Gym owner White Goodman (Ben Stiller), an evil, idiotic, perverted ex-fatty. This and "Zoolander" are definitely two of my favourite, and what I consider to be the best-written, comedies I have ever seen. Though the latter was written by Ben Stiller and "Dodgeball" was not, their style is definitely the same and spawned such films as "Anchorman" and many other films starring Will Ferrell or Steve Carrell or Paul Rudd - none of which are as good I might add. "Dodgeball" has some of the best lines of any comedy ("Nobody makes me bleed my own blood"), some of the best performances (Stiller, Vaughn, Rip Torn, etc.) and it is consistent through to the end.
2. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
I love this film. It's so witty, what a fantastic script! It's an intelligent, dark detective story set in Hollywood, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, who both own their roles. I must thank this film for helping revive RDJ's career and bringing him into my life. The plot is complex and gripping, the acting and the script are air-tight.
3. Heathers
A very dark comedy here, the story of high school girl Veronica (Winona Ryder): bored of the popular crew (the "Heathers") of which she is part, she accidentally turns to assisted murder when an (incredibly) attractive new student arrives (Christian Slater) with psychopathic tendencies and a liking for Veronica. It's dark but incredibly fun, well-performed, it has a unique style and really addresses teenage life, full of slang, image issues, bitchy popular girls and goofy popular guys.4. I Love You Man
This is sooo much better than it should be. Can Paul Rudd do wrong? I think not. Does anyone NOT have a bit of a crush on him? Of course not, even my dad does. In "I Love You Man", Paul stars as Peter, a 30-something about to be wed, who realises that he has no male friends and so no best man. Of course, hilarious hijinks ensue. With a brilliant performance as well from the one and only, Mr Andy Samberg, as Peter's younger, gay brother. This film is "heart-warming" made flesh!
5. Clueless
Suuuch a good chick flick. One of the best, alongside "10 Things I Hate About You", "Easy A" and "Mean Girls", this is Jane Austen's "Emma" turned modern day high school drama. Much as I find Alicia Silverstone pointless, she nails the vapid, spoilt, yet caring Cher who enjoys setting all her friends up yet can't find a decent man for herself. Also starring Paul Rudd in the first role I saw him in, back when he was the film hunk, this is a must for Rudd fans. Another brilliant script and heartwarming tale, no chick-flick lover can miss this, but neither can fans of good comedy.
Film news: Have you heard of the two new Snow White films to be released this year? First in March "Mirror Mirror: The Untold Adventures of Snow White" and then in June "Snow White and the Huntsman". The former stars Lily Collins as White and is a comedic take on the story, the dwarves being rebels enlisted to help White gain back the kingdom from the evil queen (Julia Roberts). Despite the fact that Kristen Stewart is to play White in the latter, it intrigues me more, probably because it appears to be a darker take on the story, and also largely because Chris Hemsworth is to play the eponymous Huntsman. It involves another quest to destroy the evil queen, this time with the Huntsman as White's ally.
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