Chef

****
UK Release Date: June 25th 2014

A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.

Director: Jon Favreau (Elf, Iron Man, Cowboys & Aliens)

Starring: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Bobby Cannavale, Emjay Anthony

Chef is a delightful film directed and starring Jon Favreau that shows you that there's more to life than the day-to-day life. It's a feelgood film with plenty of taste and lots of flare. Plus it'll make you very, very hungry. Favreau's Carl Casper starts from the bottom and works his way to the top. He loses his job and has a troubled relationship with his son. Casper's remedies the situation by starting his own business providing food on-the-go whilst having Percy (Anthony) around him more. The actors impress; Favreau has us sympathetic whenever things go wrong for him (his inability to use Twitter and his son teaching him shows how different generations work). He's full of heart and soul. Passion drives him forward. Seeing him progress as a human being keeps the film ticking. Leguizamo, Vergara and young Emjay Anothony support Favreau in one of the best rainy-day films of the year.

4/5

Grudge Match

***
UK Release Date: January 24th 2014

A pair of aging boxing rivals are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout -- 30 years after their last match.

Director: Peter Segal (Get Smart, The Longest Yard, 50 First Dates)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin, Kim Basinger, Jon Bernthal

Neither Sylvester Stallone or Robert De Niro have anything to prove in Grudge Match. It's basically Rocky vs. Jake La Motta, except the lack of blood, sweat and tears. Instead, we're left with family turmoil, years of bitterness (mainly from De Niro's Billy 'The Kid' as his and 'Razor' Sharp's last fight ended in a draw) and mild drama. There's not many laughs to be found, but when they do come they are rewarding; Stallone and De Niro's first meeting is memorable, and thankfully the serious parts are too. Kevin Hart is annoying as usual, but Jon Bernthal brings quality when Grudge Match needs it most.

3/5

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

****

Date: December 12th 2014

Bilbo and Company are forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keep the terrifying Smaug from acquiring a kingdom of treasure and obliterating all of Middle-Earth.

Director: Peter Jackson (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug)

Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, James Nesbitt, Lee Pace, Billy Connolly

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Peter Jackson's last hurrah will admittedly ruffle a few feathers. Those familiar with the book will always stand bewildered at how he's managed to spread a 368 page book into almost 9 hours of film. Those who haven't read it may see The Battle of the Five Armies as a fitting conclusion to the Middle-Earth saga.

First and foremost calling it The Battle of the Five Armies over There and Back Again gives the third film basis and quality. It takes the best parts of The Two Towers and The Return of the King and supplies us with a grand showdown. As you may have already noticed, naming it as such means there's no room for Smaug the Magnificent. The Desolation of Smaug sees him at his best, but now he's at his worst, as he doesn't last longer than the opening credit.


It all happens a bit too quick for anyone's liking, seeing as though TDOS builds his character/monster up, creating a foreboding, terrifying menace, only for him to come crashing down. It's grand, but it should have lasted longer given the time the dragon has previously spent on screen.

Focus has now shifted towards an upcoming battle between Men, Elves, Dwarves and Orcs, orchestrated by the Orc Captain Azog and Thorin's greed. Armitage is the man with the magic. Today, is his day. Just like his father before him, Thorin is suffering with the dragon sickness. He trusts no one, believes that everyone is deceiving him and will not give up one drop of gold to those who think they have the right. Armitage wants the Arkenstone more than anything. He won't stop until this relic has been found.

Bilbo (Freeman) is the other sparkling jewel here. Again, it's less about individual characters and more about bonds, enemies and what's to come after (LOTR). Bilbo, just like he's done before, plays his part and stands as a strong figure amongst friends and foes.

There has to be chunk of improvisation if Peter Jackson is to pull off an impeccable ending, and he manages it, just about. All those who've read the book will know the majority of the ending is made up. Don't get me wrong, the results are the same but how PJ propels us to these results is what's different. It will solely depend on your taste. I've read the book several times and I still enjoyed the film. It was unexpected and very pleasant.

Many differences will be too much for some to digest. For example Tauriel (Lilly) and Kili's (Turner) romance, Beorn having all but three shots and the Dwarves still having little to say (or in Bombur's case, nothing at all). Tying up loose ends with the Nazgul and Sauron was a joy to watch, as The Battle of the Five Armies leads us up to Frodo's adventures, but you can't help feeling some of those missing pieces will be filled with the extended edition release.

Verdict: There's plenty to like for those who've never read the book, and plenty to dislike if you have. One thing's for certain, one thing we're very glad of, is TBOTFA ends swiftly, unlike TROTK.

4/5

Team America: World Police

****
UK Release Date: January 14th 2005

Popular Broadway actor Gary Johnston is recruited by the elite counter-terrorism organization Team America: World Police. As the world begins to crumble around him, he must battle with terrorists, celebrities and falling in love.

Director: Trey Parker

Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone

If you're familiar with Parker and Stone's work (South Park, Baseketball) then you know what you're in for with Team America: World Police. The animation is different this time round: no more cartoons or live action. Puppets (Thunder Birds style) are the new forte and what better way to mock politics and war than with propped-up, big-eyed, nonsensical figurines? 

By using puppets Trey Parker and Matt Stone make it fully aware that TA:WP is not to be taken seriously, even if their jokes rub people the wrong way. It starts strong, but fizzles a tad at the end when focus shifts from terrorists to celebrities. Team America are a patriotic bunch of fools who think they're help the world. Taking out terrorists in Paris and Cairo is not all they manage to achieve as they blow up the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Egyptian Temples in the process. They hire a stage actor to infiltrate terrorists, and crush the heart of the source.  

TA is as authentic as you can get... in a world of marionettes. There's only a single drop of CGI, the rest is cosmetics and synthetics. Whoever knew puppet sex and puppets puking their guts up could be so funny? What stops Parker and Stone's creation from being consistently great is their celebrity piss takes. Having the Film Actors Guild (made up) has its moments; Matt Damon's character has been quoted the best part of a decade now, but some of them are incomprehensible without captions showing their names. Sticking to political issues would've been better. As much as the FAG draw out some laughs, it's nothing compared to crude songs, real life cats attacking the team and puppet plastic surgery.  

Verdict: Team America: World Police is just as much a mockery on North Korea as it is the USA. No matter where you're from, try to keep an open mind. It isn't trying to offend.

4/5

St. Vincent

*****
UK Release Date: December 5th 2014

A young boy whose parents have just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic war veteran who lives next door.

Director: Theodore Melfi

Starring: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, Terrence Howard, Jaeden Lieberher

Bill Murray is a gem. Vincent is a grumpy old man who has nothing nice to say about anyone. He drinks, he bets and he has his way with a lady of the night, but what makes him such a mean, selfish person? Our interest for him widens the moment he meets Oliver (young, up and coming talent Lieberher), the son of his new neighbour, Melissa McCarthy.

McCarthy's a single mother who spends most of her time nursing at the local hospital, so it becomes unfitting and cumbersome for Vincent (not to mention bad timing) to take duty as surrogate father. He's not the greatest role model, but Oliver and Vincent bond. They help each other in ways they never imagined.

Murray's performance is dazzling, making Vincent a likeable mess, even if he's repugnant for the majority of the film. There's an obvious light at the end of the tunnel as this comedy switches to drama. Vincent has more to show than his exterior makes out. St. Vincent descends into a mushy, watery eyed divinity that no one can resist.

There's some spectacular acting amongst the crowd. McCarthy is the best she's ever been with a toned down, sweetly empathetic role, Chris O'Dowd rewards us with wit and sarcasm and Watts' Russian philanderer is odd but plays ball well. These three, including Murray and Lieberher, make a soft story a stronger one. 

Verdict: St. Vincent is charming, funny and attractive, and it's all down to execution.

Horrible Bosses 2

***
UK Release Date: November 28th 2014

Dale, Kurt and Nick decide to start their own business but things don't go as planned because of a slick investor, prompting the trio to pull off a harebrained and misguided kidnapping scheme.

Director: Sean Anders (That's My Boy)

Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz, Kevin Spacey, Jonathan Banks

Horrible Bosses treated us to a bumbling trio that cave under pressure and get themselves into further trouble. But what a likeable, bumbling trio they are. Nick (Bateman), Kurt (Sudeikis) and Dale (Day) hate their bosses, a lot. Their idea to bump off their bosses to get themselves out of a rut are outrageous. This time round, the guys have toned down their plots and shenanigans by replacing murderous adventures with kidnapping ones. Don't be too disappointed though, as there are plenty of the same antics on show.

If anything there's a touch more squabbling going on, as we see from the very first scene. Nick, Kurt and Dale are on a morning T.V. show, advertising their new product, the 'Shower Buddy' ('I prefer the Shower Daddy' says Dale). It's as ill named as it sounds. The threesome are their own bosses now, so no more problems, right? Wrong.

Christoph Waltz's investment tycoon Bert Hanson takes a shine to their product, but backs out at the last minute, leaving Nick, Kurt and Dale in financial trouble. Their plan? To kidnap Hanson's arrogant, obnoxious son, Rex (Chris Pine). 

Waltz's horrible boss isn't as impressive as Aniston's sex-driven dentist, Spacey's maniacal businessman or Colin Farrell's drugged up scoundrel. He's underwritten, but so are the good guys. Dale blurts out the truth when he's under pressure, Nick tries to play the good Samaritan (just like he does in all his films) and Kurt's consistently inappropriate. Their characters never pass the development they got in the first film. Spacey and Aniston provide welcome cameos, with the latter of the two pushing her nymphomaniac trouble-maker to a whole new level. Chris Pine reaps rewards, with a twist that differs from the first involving his funny yet destructive character. Jamie Foxx's Motherfucker Jones is a little too familiar, but funny all the same.

Verdict: Not as good as the first, but contains plenty of assets from it that we loved so much. A gradual improvement rather than a consistent one.

3/5