Along Came Polly has all the charm that you would expect of a rom-com with an A-list cast, and plenty more that you don't see coming. It has moments of genius, moments of hilarity, and moments of grace. It is one of the best romantic comedies to surface in the twenty-first century.
We are introduced to Ben Stiller's character who is incredibly hygiene-conscious. He meets an old high-school friend, played by Jennifer Aniston, and the two begin a relationship that blossoms throughout the course of the film. Ben Stiller is no stranger to the comedy genre, and he brings so much humour to the film in ways you don't see coming. One specific scene at a basketball court particularly springs to mind - but I will let you watch it and enjoy the moment for yourselves. It is simultaneously hilarious and disgusting, and you will love it.
The movie is some of Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller's finest work. They both play their roles absolutely perfectly. Jennifer Aniston is playing a slightly different character to what her career had seen leading up to this role, and she is brilliant in it, proving her worth as an actress. Ben Stiller, too, is an utter natural. He makes the comedy seem effortless, and not once are we given a flat joke or something that isn't entertaining.
I think the actor that most tops this film off is Philip Seymour Hoffman, who plays Ben Stiller's best friend. Hoffman's humour is all but indescribable. His character goes above and beyond the typical best friend role in comedies - to be less than the protagonist. Instead, he rises to be Stiller's equal, and some of the movie's best and funniest moments are entirely thanks to Hoffman.
The trio of Aniston, Stiller, and Hoffman makes Along Came Polly simply an irresistible film. It is a feel-good film, a funny film, a romantic film. It has something for almost everyone, and its re-release on the Blu-Ray format makes the experience of watching all the more excellent. Buying and watching this will certainly not be something you'll regret.
Let Me In is a fantastic vampire film and could be one of the best American horrors for years. It bends the well-worn genre into something fresh and powerful, bearing more relation to David Fincher's Seven. In fact, judging by director Matt Reeves following his Cloverfield with this, he shows great potential for being a very fine director. He keeps the pace consistent across a narrative with a clear sense of purpose and superb set-pieces that feel organic to the plot. It's thrilling and scary and brilliantly staged.
The tone is that of a dark and twisted fairy tale and like some of the best horror classics (beyond film), it centres on children. Their frank insight into a big and scary world can make children of us all and Let Me In successfully taps into the nostalgia and tangible trepidation in a simple tale of two awkward friends, the lonely bullied Owen (Kodi Smit-Phee) and the strange girl, Abby (Chloe Moretz). As Abby's true nature is revealed, all the clichés of the vampire myth are given a small twist to feel fresh again while the relationship between the kids is moving, despite the gore and violence!
If you enjoy horror films, don't be put off by the fact it's about a vampire. I know, they've become so over-used they pretty much have their own sub-genre! But really, this is so fresh and brilliant, it deserves your attention.
Sadly though, as any film fan knows, it isn't that simple and there's an elephant in the room: Let Me In is a remake of the superb Swedish Let The Right One In that's only a couple of years old itself. Regardless of how brilliant Matt Reeves has handled an extraordinary cast, his film is ultimately pointless and only of interest to those who don't like subtitles. I'm pleased that those viewers will get to understand why this story is so incredible and at least for them, this is exciting, fresh and original. I'm almost envious! But it makes me sad that world cinema is being side-lined again.
For what it's worth, Reeves does deserve the praise above. It's pretty much shot-for-shot the same, but for the smallest moments (largely to remove ambiguity), however his grasp of the material is so good, he has made it a very American film and most important of all, it has a conscience of its own that justifies it being set in the 1980s. It would have fitted in very nicely had it have been made then. In that sense it's clever. And in the hands of a committed cast that includes Richard Jenkins and Elias Koteas, it feels honest, even though it isn't!
In another world, where Let Me In wasn't a remake, it would confidently pick a place in horror history between The Exorcist and The Omen. Instead, it is destined to always be a second place forgotten rerun, which perhaps is all it deserves. Still, you can't deny the skill involved; this is no straightforward cash-in and an interesting choice for the resurgent Hammer studios. If you really can't handle subtitles and I know a lot don't, then enjoy Let Me In for what it is: a bloody good horror film.
This must be possibly one of the most eagerly awaited releases on blu-ray. I imagine most people who buy this set will have seen the movies and most probably have a previous release. This set is all encompassing, it contains 2 versions of each movie,(enough for anyone), all new extra features and also rounds up all the 'archive' of extras from previous releases on dvd. So if you have a previous release you can lose it as every feature appears to have been included. The movies look beautiful, to good infact, as i can now spot matt background paintings that even though i knew were there i had never really noticed before.
Alien offers the original cut and Ridley Scotts 'directors cut'. Both have scenes not included in the other and so neither is definitive, but i don't think Scott meant them to be. His original is a fantastic piece of cinema and really didn't need anymore adding,and stands alone as a truely chilling claustaphobic experience. The directors cut loses a few scenes that are not required but adds the infamous Dallas cocoon scene and also allows the tension between Ripley and Lambet to develop. Both versions are great movies.
Aliens is the original theatrical release and the later special edition. The special edition is the superior movie. Plenty of narrative and backstory leads to the eventual arrival of Ripley and the marines. The movie never drags even though an hour in and still no Xenomorphs. When they appear it is relentless,and it feels as if no one is getting out alive. We know they do but not without a hell of a battle, and the showdown with the Xenomorph queen is breathtaking, SFX and FX combining to give perfection. Possible only gripe is that the marines are very eighties in look and attitude, and do appear dated. If made today they would be cold,clinical and profession, as opposed to the 'footloose' appearance they have here.
Alien 3. Such a maligned movie. Personally i have always liked it. It always had a doomed feel to it and i think people have taken that away with them. But with the full directors cut it is very good movie. 30 plus minutes that really improves the movie. Paul McGann gets alot more to do here and is integral to one of the plotlines. It fizzes along at breakneck pace once the xenomorph is revealed and the ending is just much, much better.(i won't spoil it).
Alien Ressurection. The two releases here are Theatrical and 'alternative cut'. Very little difference unlike the previous two movies. Their are some great moments in this film,but not enough to really make it more than the fourth best of four movies. The hybrid Xeno/Ripley monster didn't work well. The mercenaries were one dimensional. Ripley was neither one thing or another, confused as a character which confused the viewer. Saying all that as a fan i still find much to enjoy.
Extras. Take a weekend out of life if you plan to watch all as there are so many extras. I guess most people will dip in and out of them as time permits.
Overall you have to give the set 10 out of 10. Price is great, packaging is good. Contents are fantastic. Buy this set you won't regret it.
Really lookind forward to this movie,thinking it would be like Idependence Day but was disappointed I found the movie to be quite boring with a silly ending
Well what can i say,if you want a DVD day with the lads n lassies and a few beers look no further you will not stop laughing especially at Huey(the chubby one)always ends up worse off.Well recomended for a good laugh.
Easy A exceeded my expectations for it by about ten-fold. It was simply magnificent.
I watched it in the cinema a few months ago, and the minute I got through my door back home, I pre-ordered the Blu-Ray - it was that good. I absolutely loved it.
I grew up watching John Hughes' films of the '80s and '90s, and Easy A is the perfect homage to the late writer/director. It truly was spectacular.
The numerous references and nods that pay tribute to the classic Hughes films permeate throughout the film, whilst managing to go beyond them and weave an intricate story of its own.
Will Gluck, director of the film, is relatively new to the big screen. His previous big film, Fired Up!, was not received exceptionally well, and for good reason. It was lacking in everything that Easy A has - which is everything.
It was incredibly well directed, and very well scripted, which was a significant achievement for the film's first-time writer, Bert V. Royal. Beyond the process that goes on behind the scenes, the cast was amazing.
Emma Stone has been a rising star in Hollywood in recent years, after roles in recent films Superbad and Zombieland. Easy A is her best work to date. She is remarkable as the lead. Still such a young actress, she demonstrates in this film the wide range of her abilities she already holds. She can make you laugh, make you reflect, make you regret - she makes you feel, which is exactly what the cast of John Hughes' films in years gone by did.
Supporting her as one of the love-interest male leads is Penn Badgley, who was also excellent in this film. His smoldering facial expressions are enough to tug on the heartstrings of anyone. And like Stone, he plays his part perfectly.
The film's basic premise harks back to a canonical American novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which explicitly appears as a device in the film itself as an inspiration for the heroine we find in Stone. The book is an important work of fiction, and the respect that Easy A has for it is clear throughout; it reflects upon a novel many would consider to now be out of date and brings it into the 21st Century, to show just how relevant fiction of decades and centuries past still are in modern times.
We also see acting veterans Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci supporting the younger emerging cast, who round off the film nicely. They play Stone's parents, who still have a flare of youth in them, and enjoy the banter-filled relationship that they share with their children. Their family system is not the stereotypical nuclear American family, but they show that it works. The parents are still just as young as their children at heart, and aren't afraid to act their children's age every once in a while.
This film was far and away one of my favourite films of 2010, a year that saw a number of other great films released. And that is why it is absolutely essential to have in your film collection now. It is a film full of heart, that simply cannot fail to charm you over from start to finish. It is simply perfect; I wouldn't change a thing about it.
Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie sparkle in director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's ('The Lives Of Others') entertaining 60's throwback. Jolie plays a beautiful, mysterious woman (what a stretch) trying to escape the clutches of Scotland Yard (represented onscreen by the brilliant Paul Bettany) in a bid to protect her equally elusive lover; whose stolen a tidy sum of cash from unhinged crime kingpin Steven Berkoff. She tries to confuse the cops by cosying up to an American tourist who resembles her partner. Said tourist just so happens to be Johnny Depp, and the pair are forced to go on the run from the powers that be; zipping from one glamorous location to another, faster than you can say 'La Dolce Vita' meets 'North By Northwest'.
Johnny Depp has got the measure of the role, and plays it out with tongue planted firmly in cheek; the scene where he flees from a pair of Russian assassins whilst dressed in a stripy blue sleeping suit pretty much says it all. Jolie is also in on the joke and saunters into every scene like it's the first take on a Dior 'J'Adore' perfume commercial.
Now had this film been made in the era that it so strongly evokes, you could imagine the main characters played by Dirk Bogart and Monica Vitti, for 'The Tourist' is the kind of movie they just don't make anymore: A light, breezy, well acted romp; it's not a masterpiece and nor does it harbor any pretence to be one. Its a film to be taken at face value: an old school crime caper with romantic interludes. Very few people saw 'The Tourist' and it received some surprisingly harsh reviews. Critics and audiences were expecting something along the lines of 'The Thomas Crown Affair' or 'The Bourne Identity' but what they got was more in the vein of 'Fathom' and 'Once Upon a Honeymoon'.
A narratively convoluted, arguably absurd, but consistently entertaining film with a great cast, good cinematography and a reasonably witty script.,'The Tourist' will appeal to those looking for something a little different from their movies. No franchise, computer games or superheroes in sight: A breath of fresh air.
Directed by-Jeff Tremaine
Produced by-Johnny Knoxville
As we all know its been along time since Jonny Knoxville and the gang have been doing there stunts on air and now there back with "Jackass...3-D". So you are all wondering "Why now how long has it been what over 4 years" and I do agree with you why now, well its because 2010 has marked the 10th Anniversary of Jackass and they are back up to there tricks, stunts, pranks and other wild, wacky, unnecessary things.
At the beginning of the film (Jackass 3D) Eavis and Butt-head introduce the film by explaining what the 3D experience is. The opening sequence features the cast lining up in a fashionably order, and then being attacked by various/strange objects in slow-motion. The opening sequence, shows many of the stunts that were filmed with Phantom high speed cameras which shoot at 1,000 frames per second.(a.k.a- A One of the really awesome cameras used to film Jackass 3D)
Jackass 3D is a compilation of various pranks, stunts and skits, and has no plot. Some stunts featured in the movie included tether ball being played with a beehive filled with Africanized bees, a tooth being removed using a Lamborghini and much more. The final stunt includes Steve-O being launched in the air while inside a portable toilet which I thought was the best stunt of the movie you know what they say "Save The Best... Till Last"
In conclusion Jackass 3D is the greatest Jackass film of all time and I'd like to own this on DVD or Blu-Ray.
My Review Of Jackass 3D
Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis and their new companion Pokota are all trying to get a hold of the hellmasters jar which holds the spirit of Rezo. Unfortunately it seems they are not the only ones, a dangerous assassin named Zuuma and the demon Xellos are also after the jar.
After a final fight with Zuuma our hero's manage to get a hold of the jar and are joined by Ozzel a servant of Rezo who protects the jar and also acts as its voice. Lina decides to take over as the jars master to finally get some answers but first it has to be unsealed.
At this point we get treated to some classic slayers humour as we see Lina and company doing various odd tasks that don't bring them any closer to unsealing the jar and they are further interrupted by bandits who try and steal the jar before being beaten up. Shortly after Pokota takes the jar and hurries back to his home town to resurrect Rezo.
After some deliberation Pokota and the others decide to bring Rezo back to life with Ozzel's help, Rezo lives up to his word and frees the townspeople as promised and there is some merriment as the town celebrates being freed. However all is not well as something else was sealed in the jar has now been released which leads to a massive final showdown.
Overall the story of the show seemed rather fast paced like they packed most of the plot into the final episodes leaving little room for humour or for the characters to be themselves making me feel a bit detached from the characters. I felt that a bit more time could have been given to everyone in places rather than just the occasional comment in between all the fighting.
The story could have done with a bit better pacing so it didn't feel so squeezed together. In regards to the plot it didn't feel to interesting as it reused some rather old slayers villains thought to be dead though it still managed to keep it interesting and had me watching intently.
Though not perfect Slayers Evolution R is a good watch for both fans of slayers and people in the mood for some light hearted action adventure with some comedy thrown into the mix but also not anything to ground breaking as it is mostly repeating what has been done previously in slayers but it is hard to improve on a classic.
Audio & Video
Having watched the previous slayers series I felt the sound and animation have improved greatly and am glad to see the art-style has been kept the same as it would not be slayers otherwise. The intro and ending song both fit the series quite well and I found myself listening to them both quite often, all in all a good job in regard to sound and animation.
First time director Gareth Edwards takes his cues from 'Cloverfield' to present an unusual, well paced and consistently watchable road movie. Set six years after aliens landed on Earth via a crashed NASA probe that accidently released the creatures over South America. Today, the crash site is a large, cordoned off no-go area dubbed 'The Infected Zone': A giant wall keeps the aliens out of Uncle Sam's backyard, as troops battle the squid like sentient beings in a dirty war.
Photo journalist Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) begrudgingly agrees to chaperone his bosses' daughter; Sam (Whitney Able), injured in Mexico, back to North America. And so begins a character driven, 'African Queen' style trek through Juárez; as our protagonists bicker, bond, fall in love and are forced to brave 'The Infected Zone' en route to the border.
Credited as writer, director, cameraman, cinematographer and SFX man; Gareth Edwards made his movie for a bargain $800,000 and did the effects on his bedroom laptop! With improvised dialogue and Edwards as an industry factotum to rival Robert Rodriguez, 'Monsters' owes more to the short stories of Stephen King than it does to any standard sci-fi flick.
Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able may never act again, but the real life couple (now husband & wife) have, at least, been a part of something truly memorable; an original and innovative experiment in hi-concept, low budget, quality cinema.
Some may see 'Monsters' an allegorical satire on immigration, better than 'District 9', not as shakily shot as 'Cloverfield' or as downbeat as 'The Road', 'Monsters' subtly examines the anachronistic concept of American exceptionalism whilst making the character's journey as realistic as possible. Short on actual monsters but big on character, scope and ambition. Guerrilla filmmaking at its best.
Alien: A masterpiece.
Aliens: Stunning.
Alien 3: Lame.
Alien Resurrection: Very underrated.
Predator: A landmark in modern filmmaking.
Predator 2: Enjoyable hokum.
Aliens vs. Predator: Theatrical cut? Rubbish, Definitive edition? Surprisingly good.
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem: Badly lit twaddle. Franchise terminated.
If, like me, you're an 'AVP' aficionado / completist and own all the above, then there's not a great deal you can do about offloading excess baggage like 'AVP2' or 'Alien 3'. But if you're a first time buyer; stick to the originals, give 'Alien 3' a wide berth, look into 'Predator 2' if you must and avoid the spin offs at all costs.
A lightweight but enjoyable action movie, that sees a group of old timer assassins ('RED' being a groan worthy acronym for 'Retired Extremely Dangerous') on the run from their former employers in a violent, often comedic, cross country manhunt. Bruce Willis heads up an all star cast as ex-CIA hitman Frank Moses; a smirking loner targeted by the powers that be and forced to reform his old crew in a desperate bid to survive.
Director Robert Schwentke is fast becoming the Richard Donner of the 21st century; a competent but somewhat generic, gun-for-hire: whose CV includes riotous black comedy 'Family Jewels', unremarkable Hollywood thriller 'Flight Plan' and mildly entertaining romance 'The Time Traveler's Wife'. With 'RED', he's managed to turn in a well paced popcorn movie that ought to keep you amused for awhile but leaves little to no lasting impression.
Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban and Brian Cox are all present and accounted for. They're no standout performances per say, but Malkovich garners the most laughs as an unhinged conspiracy nut, whose theories usually turn out to be right. A couple of good action sequences (e.g. Bruce Willis foiling a CIA raid on his home with the help of some cooked bullets) a few good jokes and a breezy storyline makes 'RED' worth watching once. Entertaining fluff.
David Fincher's 'Seven' is a much more influential film than most people realise. Itself influenced by the earlier 'Silence of the Lambs', it takes a bolder step at artistic and production design (by Arthur Max), as well as atmosphere.
Most serial killer films from before and after 'Seven' don't usually have replay value, but Fincher's vigorous editing style, dark atmosphere, artistic and appealing gruesomeness, grungy look, and sense of pace (acquired in his days as video-clip director) give this film extra value.
The story is solid and it keeps you hooked, wondering what is happening and why the killings are taking place. The performances of Freeman (as a world weary cop who's about to retire) and Pitt (as his young and cocky replacement) are excellent and carry the audience through the story. But people keep coming back to 'Seven' over and over again because of how this story is told in visual terms. The fact that they find what they see appealing (due to pace, design, etc), renders their knowledge of the resolution of the film's mistery irrelevant, something that doesn't usually happen with films of this sort.
From 'Seven' onwards, cop films, and TV shows in particular, never looked quite the same. Its influence can be seen from the darker look the X-files had after its release, to the incredibly dark and sometimes erie offices in CSI:Las Vegas or the sets in Criminal Minds.
The General was a flop when it came out and is now regarded as a cinema masterpiece. And rightly so.
Buster Keaton was not just a genius comic performer: he was also one of the first truly inventive director's of American cinema, as evidenced here. The train chase sequences are still mesmerising today and (given that this is a work from the silent age) the fact that Keaton does all his stunts is obvious and thrilling.
There are no special effects here: everything is real. Here's an example: at one point, a burning bridge falls apart as a train engine drives through it and the resulting crash is spectacular thanks to the lack of use of models or optical effects of any sort.
Keaton was always very funny. His humour may not be aimed at making audiences burst out laughing, but if you ever see this film in a cinema screening, look around and notice how many people's jaws are dropping.
Like Chaplin and many others, Keaton started out in Vaudeville, but unlike many of his contemporaries who also ended up in film, he saw cinema as something that gave him the chance of doing comic routines that were impossible to do on the stage, hence his love for playing around with big machinery (such as trains on this film) and filming on location either in cities or in the countryside (as is the case here). He uses very interesting angles and moves or places the camera in an unusual way for the age.
The General is funny, sweet and very exciting. Everyone should see it.
Coppola's Dracula is a mesmerising piece of work. Bram Stoker's novel has never been faithfully adapted to the screen, but this film comes the closest and also goes an extra mile. The story is all there, some elements drawn out (Harker's stay at the castle) and others wonderfully condensed in montage (Dracula's ship voyage). But Coppola's Dracula is less of a monster and more of a tragic character. The director starts the film by linking the historical Dracula with the vampire and gives him a love interest in a wife that kills herself in the film's prologue. She is played by Winona Ryder, who later plays Mina, the fiancée of Jonathan Harker (played by Keanu Reeves). Dracula sees in Mina the reincarnation of his dead wife and the film therefore adds a love story within the framework of the novel's plot, making this the driving force in some of the encounters the two characters also have in the novel. This, and a visualisation of the sexual metaphors from the novel, make the story more appealing for a movie audience. The art direction is spectacular and Coppola's camerawork has never been so flashy and adventurous. Performances are solid and, in some cases, purposefully camp and histrionic. Gary Oldman should indeed go down in history as the best screen Dracula. Only Keanu Reeves fails to deliver as Harker when he has any dialogue. Coppola himself regretted his casting decision in retrospect, explaining he did it for box office appeal. Indeed, Dracula is a flawed masterpiece due to this mistake and the unneveness of some secenes in the first half of the film. The second half is masterful.
First off, Mad Men is a show so visually gorgeous that watching it on BluRay would be like teleporting into the early 60s. However, this show is not just beauty, it's got brains. Matthew Weiner (who wrote and was one of the producers in Sopranos later seasons) brings the sixties back on a Madison avenue advertising office. Weiner's script is so real- he does not flinch from the blatant feminism, sexism rife in that era. We're almost thrust into this office at the same time as the new girl-Miss Peggy Olsen (played brilliantly by Elizabeth Moss).
Although Miss Moss is very much a main player, the main character is Mr.Don Draper, a man with a huge appetite for work and women (acted with perfect calculation by the dashing Jon Hamm). He's an enigmatic wunderkind in the advertising business, where his bosses are old dragons with large offices and larger appetites. This season broadly peels back Don's layers, offering us a view of the different man he is at home and at work. We see Don how he sees himself, and we see how other people including his wife Betty (January Jones) and the men under him in the office including the very ambitious Peter Campbell (a perfectly-cast Vincent Kartheiser)
The set, the wardrobe and the music cannot go without a mention. All speak to Weiner's attention-to detail. You'll see when you return to it again and again why it deserves it's three times winning 'Best Drama' Emmys and Golden Globe awards.
Mad Men is not a blockbuster where you earn gratification without investing yourself in the story and characters. This isn't just a t.v show, it's a gripping slice of the past holding up a mirror to our present and questioning if we've come very far at all.
Antidote to bad T.V
Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento, The Prestige) has outdone himself with this one! He brings- yet again originality, a character that we care about and things explode! Few Hollywood blockbusters are able to do this (cough,cough Tron Legacy). Leonardo Di Caprio is excellent in this, leading an ensemble of very fine actors including Joseph Gordon- Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy,Marion Cotillard and Cillian Murphy, to name some. My only complaint is an exposition-heavy dialogue, but trust me, there's no other way Nolan could have explained his innovative concept to us. A visionary movie. Going on my wishlist.
Mind-blowing!
Apart from the fashion, nothing about this series gets old. It's so well-written (Aaron Sorkin who now has an Oscar for penning 'the Social Network') is a 'West Wing' alum. I barely paused for a break. Don't be scared off by the political setting, the setting is secondary to the characters in the 'West Wing'. The characters are interesting and well-developed over the series, you care about them and that emotional investment keeps you watching. Kudos to Robe Lowe, Alison Janney and the rest of this fantastic cast.
Your new favourite political drama. Clever, zippy and very funny.
This performance is not, as find-DVD implies by Carlos Kleiber and Felicity Lott, but rather by the still more impressive Herbert von Karajan and Elizabeth Schwarzkopf. Although a stage production it is beautifully filmed with plenty of cinematic-style close ups from natural angles, and the singing and orchestra are, of course, excellent. The print does not feel up to true Blu-Ray quality (the picture is soft and the film grain is not really visible), and there is no surround sound, but does this really matter for a performance of this quality?
Excellent performance. Reasonable print
Director: Todd Phillips
Screenplay: Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel, Todd Phillips
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan
Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis
Released: Monday 28th February, 2011
Peter (highly-strung with unresolved anger-management issues) is an architect who has been on business in Atlanta. He is on his way back to his home in Los Angeles to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. However he is forced to change his plans after he meets Ethan Tremblay (a slightly effeminate aspiring actor with disgusting personal habits) and accidentally becomes his drugs mule. They still manage to board the plane but Ethan apparently has a propensity to use inappropriate words such as 'bomb' and 'terrorist' in volatile places such as the First Class section of an aeroplane. Peter gets a rubber bullet in the chest thanks to a trigger-happy in-flight security agent and they're both unceremoniously de-boarded. Peter is then forced to hitch a cross-country ride with Ethan in a rental car to Hollywood where Ethan hopes to find himself a role in the TV show Two and a Half Men.
Due Date is very much a contemporary version of the 1987 film Planes, Trains & Automobiles starring John Candy and Steve Martin. In fact it's fair to say that Due Date is rather derivative of the John Hughes movie. Candy, Martin and Hughes were the 80s comedy dream-team and whilst many would consider Phillips, Downey Jr. and Galifianakis to be the present-day equivalent Due Date doesn't quite match the greatness of its forerunner. Due Date, with its team of four writers, could perhaps have offered more in terms of characterisation and deeper exploration of the human psyche.
Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland have both worked on scripts and the production of popular American animated shows such as American Dad and King of the Hill. Adam Sztykiel had scripting duties on the admittedly less impressive Made of Honour (2008) and Todd Phillips has worked on a plethora of decent scripts from School for Scoundrels (2006), Borat (2006), Starsky & Hutch (2004), Old School (2003) and Road Trip (2000). All of which I would like to believe adds up to more than what we get with Due Date. Phillips, especially, has a good track record of comedy films and I'd like to see him take the next step up to doing work that is consistently funny for a full 90 minutes. He is a talented director who could, but has not as yet, match the heights of Judd Apatow.
Downey Jr. (thoroughly engaging as Sherlock Holmes and stylish and sophisticated as Iron Man) has been in such good form of late and is always eminently watchable. He has a genuine warmth and charm that very few other actors can lay claim to having. Galifianakis on the other hand is a difficult actor to sum up. He worked as a stand-up comic before being introduced to movies by Phillips and despite often looking less-than-physically-appealing his characters such as Ethan Tremblay are imbued with a certain amount of flair and confidence. Tremblay on the whole is well dressed, indeed sometimes flamboyantly so, and his demeanour can be quite heart-warming as well as funny. I'm really developing a liking for him as an actor and of his comic abilities. Downey Jr. and Galifianakis produce brave and unabashed performances bringing life and warmth to characters that often act in morally reprehensible ways and should by rights be insufferable.
Due Date is effectively a two-handed film which unfortunately leaves the secondary characters out in the cold. They are sketchily drawn at best. Foxx who has co-starred in several big Hollywood movies including Law Abiding Citizen, Collateral and Ray while Monaghan is an up-and-coming actress who has starred in the likes of Eagle Eye with her next film Source Code looking as though it will be one of the big hits of 2011. Yet here they are both left clawing for some real identity. Their roles are underwritten and feel like cameos rather than roles that should have rounded out the film as a whole. Subsequently the film has to rely heavily on the charm and likeability of Downey Jr. and Galifianakis who are, at times, playing against type which makes them more difficult to like and less simple to empathise with.
Phillips however manages to find both humour and humanity in his characters, giving the actors enough room and opportunity to express themselves within their roles. To some they may appear to be two mean-spirited losers, fighting and insulting each other, but I'll freely admit to enjoying darker, more acerbic humour. Phillips does well with two diametrically opposed characters but with just a little more effort this could have been almost a study of social cruelties and the complexities of human nature. Sadly however it falls just short.
Due Date is a darkly humorous, mean-spirited comedy, full of inappropriate behaviour and occasional moments of edgy, inspired humour such as an extremely irritating young boy receiving a gut-punch from Peter and an outrageous scene of a masturbating French poodle. The former flies while the latter bombs but it's the willingness to test the boundaries of humour and taste that impresses. If you like your films with a rich vein of jet-black comedy running through them then Due Date is one to watch.
The Blu-ray offers significantly higher quality visuals than the DVD (also included in the Triple Play package). Skin tones are natural and the colours are rich and bright. The image is sharp throughout without any noticeable grain or defects.
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