MARKED MOVIES

Director: Judd Apatow.
Screenplay: Judd Apatow.
Starring: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigel, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Martin Starr, Charlyne Yi, Alan Tudyk, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Joanna Kerns, Iris Apatow, Maude Apatow, Harold Ramis, Andy Dick, Loudon Wainwright III, Jessica Alba, Eva Mendes, Steve Carell, James Franco.

Of recent times, director/producer Judd Apatow’s collaboration with actor/writer Seth Rogen and their brand of humour, seems to have mass appeal. It has brought success with “The 40 year old Virgin”, “Pineapple Express” & “Superbad” but none better than this outing.

Entertainment TV reporter Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) goes clubbing with her uptight sister (Leslie Mann) to celebrate a surprise promotion. Buoyed by happiness and booze, she hits it off with a friendly slacker called Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) and takes him home for a spot of one-off sex. A series of pregnancy tests later, and a one-night stand is turning into a lifetime commitment.

I have to admit that I put off watching this for quite some time, as I thought it would be just another juvenile ‘dick joke’ film. I was wrong. Well…almost. Apatow’s crude humour is ever present and welcome, but this film doesn’t shy away from dealing with adult situations and relationships also. It’s a very observational comedy, dealing with the myriad of emotions when becoming a parent for the first time. There were moments when I felt like Apatow had been spying on my life, before the birth of my first child. I could empathise and identify with the characters and their mixed emotions. The dialogue is sharp and hilarious, the characters neurotic and the situations very real. It works well both as a comedy and a dramatisation of the most important time in a persons life. The actors all put in great work, especially Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann with the seemingly perfect happy family. The main problem is the running time though, it is just a bit overlong and Apatow seems to have the recurring problem of not knowing when to wrap things up. Towards the end, I began to feel that Heigl (and the film) was so overdue that a hormone injection was needed to help things along. Still, getting there raised all sorts of giggles and delivered some good gags.

Like the baby itself…an unexpected joy.

Mark Walker

Directors: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen.
Screenplay: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen.
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, J.K. Simmons, David Rasche, Elizabeth Marvel, Jeffrey DeMunn, Dermot Mulroney.

Convoluted labyrinthine plots, sharp dialogue, eccentric characters and an exceptional ensemble of actors are what the Coen brothers are known for, and with this espionage comedy/thriller, they tick all these boxes once again.

In Washington, D.C., the lives of several oddball characters cross paths when CIA analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) quits over a drinking issue and his memoirs unexpectedly falls in to the hands of dumb health club employees Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), who decide to try a bit of blackmail to make a coin for themselves. Meanwhile, Cox’s wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) is sleeping with horny treasury marshal Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) who has a secret or two of his own.

What more can you ask for, when the Coens amass a very impressive line-up of top notch actors and mix them up in a bit of espionage, extortion, illicit affairs, online dating and sex toys. They spoil us once again with their ear for side-splitting dialogue and wonderful actors to deliver it, not to mention the often zany, screwball antics of the well drawn characters. There were moments of pants-wetting hilarity in this, to rival some of the best of the Coens’ work. The performances are so good from the entire cast that peoples opinions differ greatly as to who was their favourite. Malkovich is at his maniacal best; Swinton once again nails the cold-hearted bitch routine; McDormand is perfectly goofy and endearing; Pitt is hilarious as a naive camp dope and Clooney once again shows his range with exaggerated expressive features of vulnerability and paranoia. It’s hard to pick a favourite but if I had to choose, it’d be the unsung and highly underrated Richard Jenkins. His performance is beautifully nuanced. His character is all about hiding his emotions and Jenkins’ subtle expressions are heartbreaking yet hilarious. He’s an actor that can do drama and comedy effortlessly and this is another of his consistently excellent deliveries. The only slight problem I had with the film, was the coherence. I loved every individual scene bit it somehow felt a little disjointed. However, this is a very small gripe from a highly entertaining experience.

The Coens strike comedy gold again, and after the the near mishap of “The Ladykillers” it’s good to know that they’ve still got their funny bone intact. Another strong argument for inventing an Oscar award for best ensemble.

Mark Walker

Directors: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen.
Screenplay: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall, J.K. Simmons, Marlon Wayans, Ryan Hurst, Tzi Ma, Diane Delano, George Wallace, Stephen Root, John McConnell, Greg Grunberg, Bruce Campbell.

The Coen Brothers’ recent remake of “True Grit” was exceptionally better than the original. The same can’t really be said with this one, as it’s a lesser effort from the brothers. However, the Coens off form can still be better and more enjoyable than most on it.

Polite and eloquent Southern gentleman, Professor Goldthwait Higginson Dorr III, (Tom Hanks) rents a room from churchgoing widow Marva Munsen (Irma P. Hall), then plots a daring heist in her basement with an ill-chosen group of accomplices disguised as purveyors of religious music. They soon fall foul of their gospel-clutching landlady and as they desperately attempt to eradicate her, it’s themselves who one-by-one pop their devious clogs.

Once again the Coens working with cinematographer Roger Deakins deliver a film that is crisp and sharphly detailed. Their usual ingredients are all here, except for one thing and that’s surprisingly the one thing the Coens are most accomplished at; a tight screenplay. The film takes too long to set up the heist and by the time the plan is foiled and the whole deal goes south, the film is drawing to a close and leaves you with an unsatisfied feeling of what could have been. The cast do a fine job, but with the characters on show I couldn’t help wanting to see some of the old tried-and-tested ensemble of actors the Coens regularly employ; Steve Buscemi, John Turturro or Jon Polito could have fitted in nicely here. Marlon Wayans is completely out of sorts. He seems as though he stepped off the set of a disasterous Ice Cube comedy. Other than him though, the cast are good. Irma P Hall is a joy as the sassy landlady, and it’s great to see the Coens’ new regulars J.K. Simmons and Stephen Root but the real star of the show is Tom Hanks. He’s funnier than he’s been in a long time and delivers a performance of such wily eccentricity -complete with southern gentlemanly accent – it’s hard to take your eyes off him. It’s one of my favourite Hanks performances and his effort deserved a better script to work with him. I just hope the Coens can find another role for him in the future. It’s a collaboration I’d love to see again. This is probably my least favourite of the Coens’ work but there’s still plenty to enjoy and the gags are good enough to maintain a level of entertainment.

A fine attempt at remaking the classic Ealing comedy of 1955, but it never quite excites the way the Coens are capable of and resorts to some heavy-handed slapstick. Tom Hanks adds a big reminder of how good he can be though, making it worthwhile just for him.

Mark Walker