Coffee Town (2012)

'Coffee Town' is the debut movie from the US comedy website College Humour and if this is a taste of the future, bring it on!
Will (Glen Howerton) is a thirty something website manager, and local coffee shop Coffee Town is his office, free wi-fi, friends popping in, he feels alive in this environment, he just has to keep the coffee topped up to keep barista, and wannabe rock, star Sam (Josh Groban) off his back. Things though look bleak when the coffee company look to turn the shop into an upmarket bistro...drastic measures are needed.....

The movie is packed full of witty, snappy off the wall dialogue, quirky characters, best mates Gino (Ben Swartz) the "worst Cop in the world" and Chad (Steven E Little) a guy who takes up smoking so he can make use of the office smoking breaks. Smart bright and breezy, and great fun.

*****

Best Man Down (2012)

When drunk and obnoxious, but well meaning, best man 'Lumpy' expectantly dies at the wedding destination of bride and groom Kristin (Jess Weixler) and Scott (Justin Long) they are forced to cancel their honeymoon to fly home to Minneapolis to arrange the funeral, during which they discover some home truths about Lumpy, and especially when their paths are led to a 15 year old troubled girl Madison (Addison Timlin).

"Best Man Down" is a superb heart felt bitter sweet comedy drama with great performances all round from the cast especially Addison Timlin as lumpy's friend, the scene when she reads out her eulogy is genuinely moving and incredibly poignant. A movie that is a real tear jerker at times but also a film with a massive beating heart, outstanding.

*****

Celeste And Jesse Forever (2012)

Jesse (Andy Samberg) and Celeste( Rashida Jones) are childhood sweat hearts, they married young and now they're growing apart and decide that a divorce is the best for both of them, even though both their hearts say they are still in love.

A low-fi Indie rom com, utterly charming featuring characters that you care about, real people with feelings and personalities, unlike the cartoon character buffoons that Richard Curtis en stills on the movie public and doesn't pander to the usual clichés .

Rashida Jone ('US Office') is an utter delight, pouring her heart out, feeling that her life is crumbling away, 'Celeste And Jesse' is  a marvellous bitter sweet comedy drama, though with no answers to love and happiness, but highly recommended.

*****

Blackbird (2012)

An alienated teen, Sean (Connor Jessop), life enters a living hell when he is falsely accused of plotting a 'Columbine' style shooting at his High School.

Well acted by a relatively unknown cast, this is an excellent sombre, grim and hard hitting drama of the consequences of when fantasy, he 'plots' a massacre of the school hockey team who constantly bully him, is mistaken by the authorities as a genuine serious plot of mass murder.

An excellent, low key drama dealing with a subject raw to the US public.

*****

The Giant Mechanical Man (2012)

 

Janice (Jenna Fisher from the US Office) is down on her luck, evicted from her flat and living with her bossy younger Sister, she takes a minimum wage job at the local Zoo selling Juices, here she meets up with Tim (Chris Messina) who's also in the dumps, recently dumped, and trying to make ends meet as a street performer, soon they form a friendship, but this seem doomed to be scuppered by Janice's meddling, but well meaning, Sister.

 

I only caught this by chance whilst browsing Netflix, reviews were good, both from critics and public alike, and Jenna Fisher comes across so charming as a person I thought I'd give it a go, and boy was I rewarded. Utterly charming main characters, the film isn't smaltzy, but shows the flaws and frailties of normal folks dealing with the everyday ups and downs and  complications that life throws at us. The film has some great moments, when Jenna first encounters The Giant Mechanical Man to the tune of  Great Northerns  wistful "Our Bleeding Hearts", when Tim opens his heart to Jenna ("I just think you're great) and the films finale, the ending you hope you will get, and it delivers brilliantly.

 

*****



The Hunt (aka Jagten 2012)

Lucas (Mads Mikkelson) is rebuilding his life, recently divorced, an ex school teacher, he now works at a local nursery in his Danish small town, life is showing signs of improvement. His life though will change forever when a young girls untruthful remark throws his life into chaos as the townsfolk turn against him.

Mikkelson puts in a stellar performance, tortured by painful untruths, this is a powerful performance in an intense and devastating Danish drama that is well worth seeking out. (available on Netflix)

*****

Run For Your Wife (2012)

2.6 out of 10 on the IMDB and 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, oh yeah, it took less than £800 at the box office, can it be really that bad?

Oh yes.

Honestly where do I begin. The acting is quite painful from a large British cast that should know better, the 'story' could be drafted on a beer mat, Lionel Blair and Christopher Biggins portrayal of two gay men is straight from the 1970's, Danny Dyer just plays himself, no method acting required for our cheeky chirpy cockney, and there's not one single funny gag in the entire movie!

One of the great Turkeys of our cinematic time.

*****

The Cabin In The Woods (2012)

The hype and expectation were massive for this movie last year, so when I finally got around to watching it I was severely under whelmed, had the grape juice blurred my vision, well I thought it might have so, on a Saturday night with my new releases (Star Trek, Now You See Me) being held back for the bank holiday, I thought I'd give Cabin another go, and do you know what..my opinion hasn't changed.

The build up is good, you know all hells going to break loose, and it does, the final 20 minutes are as mad as a chicken in a tutu, but the film is a mess, way to many ideas flying about, it's not really scary (like 'Evil Dead') or darkly funny (like 'Evil Dead 2')

A terrible disappointment...again.

*****

The Ice Man (2012)

Based on actual events in the US during the late 60's and 70's, 'The Ice Man" tells the story of Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon), husband, devoted father....and hired ruthless killer, getting his nickname from his cold efficiency at his job.

Star of the show is Michael Shannon, a name you might not know nut a face you'll recognise from numerous films ('Mud', 'Man Of Steel', 'Take Shelter') He portrays Kuklinski superbly as a ruthless killing machine, all shades, slick hair, goatee beard....expressionless, from the moment he dispatches a tramp as a Mafia initiation. He's backed up by the always watchable Ray Liotta back in "Good Fellas" territory and a welcome return from Winona Ryder who doesn't seem to have aged in the past 20 years!!

A film full of violence, betrayal and family loyalty, it has a great 70's washed out 'look', and well worth a viewing.

*****

The Conspiracy (2012)

Two young film makers select a crazed conspiracy theorist as a subject for their documentary, when he disappears, they are led into the sinister world of a secret society.

Filmed documentary style, the movie switches to the found footage style of 'The Blair Witch Project' for it's frenzied finale, and it does it successfully, a mad mix of 'The Wicker Man' and a definite nod to the mad finale of Ben Wheatley's bonkers 'The Kill List'.

Not to every ones taste, but this is an intelligent, original semi-horror mocumentary.

*****

Vinyl (2013)

 

Reunited during a funeral, a late 70s new wave band 'record' a track for fun, then release it to the music industry and general public but not as themselves but as a hip, new undiscovered band of cool youngsters from North Wales, the bands look, reviews, fans are all fabricated to show up the music media for its image obsessed nature.

 

Actually based on the true event in 2004 when ex Alarm singer Mike Peters recorded a track under the pseudonym The Poppy Fields, Vinyl is easy going light entertainment, Phil Daniels and Keith Allen are always good value for money, the original soundtrack very enjoyable, think 'The Commitments' goes New Wave with the innocent charm of 'The Full Monty'.

 

*****

Before Dawn (2012)

A couple go on a break in the Country, hoping to repair their failing marriage unaware of the events on the outside world....

Comparisons will be made to the "28 Days Later" movies, and yes, they both involve Zombies, high speed video effects and lots of gore, but don't be fooled, this is much more about a couple trying to repair the damage to a marriage caused by the Husbands infidelity, it's a slow burner, subdued horror flick, gory, yes but far more reserved  than an all out Zombie action film that the poster might suggest.

*****

The Place beyond The Pines (2012)

Ryan Gosling plays Luke, a motorbike stunt rider, who takes to a life of crime to help fund his child, one fateful day a robbery goes wrong, his life, the arresting Officer Avery (Bradley Cooper) and their family's lives are changed forever.

This film comes with a high pedigree, not just the excellent cast of Gosling, Cooper plus support from Eva Mendes and Ray Liotta, but this is directors Derek Cianfrance follow up to the excellent "Blue Valentine" and it doesn't disappoint. Bleak, beautifully acted, top class American cinema, again Gosling is the star of the show, the man can do no wrong in my book, and another great performance from Cooper, proving again what a fine actor he is  after "Silver Linings Playbook".

An Intelligent, engrossing adult drama.

*****

Offender (2012)

Joe Cole play's Tommy, a 20 year old who keeps on the straight an narrow, decent job as a labourer working hard to support his loving girlfriend who is expecting, his whole life is destroyed when his girlfriend is brutally attacked by a gang, he has one thing on his mind when he loses everything...vengeance.

The film has obvious shades of the classic Brit yoof prison flick "Scum", but this is no poor mans copy, Cole is excellent as Tommy, the plot isn't bogged down in cliché, the violence simmers, this is no film with a happy ending, shades of 'Shawshank' redemption with the aforementioned "Scum" hard hitting  reality of a young offenders institution.

A surprisingly mature film.

*****

The Wedding Video (2012)

A newly wed's best man (Rufus Hound) decides to video the Wedding to present to the couple (Robert Webb/Lucy Punch) as a present.

It's got a likable cast, but really it is a case of seen it all before, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. There's nothing here you haven't seen before with the whole thing lacking any originality, or sadly, genuine laughs, the whole thing might have made a funny 30 minute one of TV show, but if you want to see a Brit wedding comedy flick you'd be much better off with the far superior "I Give It A Year"

*****

Bait (2012)

A freak Tsunami wave on the Australian coast traps shoppers, staff (and robbers!) in a Supermarket, oh and to really put the icing on the cake, a 12 foot Great White!!

It's "Jaws" meets "Deep Blue Sea" with "The Poseidon Adventure" thrown in with loads of wooden acting, dumb ass dialogue, some slightly dodgy CGI (though the initial Tsunami wave is quite impressive for a low budget), it's all very cheesy, but like Dairylea, it's tasty and a guilty pleasure.

Good honest cheap and cheerful B Movie monster fun!

*****

Tucker And Dale vrs Evil (2012)

Two good old hill Billys are on vacation enjoying some fishing and plenty of drinking, when they run into a bunch of College kids though things take a turn for the worse.

Forget the miserable "Scary Movie" franchise, this is how you do a horror satire, all the clichés are thrown in, toothless "threatening" hill billys, obnoxious teens, but what this film delivers is great comedy, likeable characters, and buckets of gore. Hugely entertaining, this is my second viewing of the film (picked up a Blu-ray copy for £2!) and was just as good as I remember first time and is highly recommended not just to horror fans but anyone looking for a solid 90 mins fun.

"When you see a college girl prancin' around in front of you half naked, you do not call out my name!"

*****

A Common Man (2012)



A 'terrorist' calls Police in the City of Columbo, Sri Lanka saying he has planted five bombs in different places, they will be detonated if he doesn't get what he wants, the release of four terrorists in custody.

"A Common Man" is a remake of "A Wednesday" an Indian thriller released to huge critical acclaim back in 2008, which I hadn't even heard of, and after watching this, I'm really keen to see. First things first, the acting, bar Kingsley, is pretty awful, Ben Cross' performance is quite excruciating, production values very low, and overall the film is quite awful.....but. What seems like a straight forward plot has a great twist regarding the 'release' of the terrorist's, and something very interesting to say, Kingsley's rants giving reasons for his actions are thoughtful and controversial, something I'm sure the original made the most of plot, dialogue and production wise.

Avoid this, hunt down the original.

*****

My Brother The Devil (2012)

Mo and Rashid (Fady Elsayed and James Floyd) are two brothers growing up on the tough gangland streets of South London, Mo idolises his older brother, but Rashid want to steer his impressionable sibling away from the drugs and gang culture that he is involved in.

There have been plenty of Brit 'yoof gangstaa' flicks in recent years, full of vile characters and clichéd dialogue, thankfully this is none of those. Characters you genuinely care for, intelligent interesting dialogue, it has the grittiness you would expect on the streets of Hackney, but with warmth and a big heart, an outstanding debut from Director Sally El Hosani with great performances from the young cast, especially Elsayed and the outstanding James Floyd.

*****

The Possession (2012)

A young girl becomes oddly obsessed with an antique box, soon though the girls behaviour becomes erratic and causes alarm for her parents as they fear she may be becoming possessed by an evil force.

"Based on a true story" is the tagline the movie boasts, oh really, funny but I don't recall this story hitting the headlines of The Times, BBC and Reuters, you'd think it would when something straight out of The Exorcist actually happens!! Yes this is yet another poor mans "Exorcist" but claiming to be true, zero scares or thrills, stale, bereft of a single original idea, with an ending you can see a mile off.Next!

*****