108 - Lucky

Connection To INTERSTATE 60 - Ann-Margret.

On paper it was intruging premise, a black comedy about a serial killer winning a huge amount on the lottery and getting the girl of his dreams (who all the victims look like) but seriously a black comedy needs to be funny - which this is only in spades (unintentional pun related to the chosen picture).

To be fair the lead pair - Colin Hanks and Ari Graynor - really do try to work with what they've got, the performances show there is potentially a better film in there (and the pair would be up to it to star) but it's really hard to know who we are supposed to root for - the serial killer or the money grabber - and the movie never really decides. I know you could say that you don't after always root for the character but in the case of the movie I believe it's down to the film's writing.

I thought the ending was quite predictable, I'd predicted it pretty accurately including a character's death, though Graynor's performance in the later scenes do deserve mention - she is genuinely a talented actress who has not found her true role yet in my eyes.

Overall, count yourself lucky if you haven't seen this (thanks I'll be here all week), a sad example of talented actors stuck in a film that simply doesn't work, a film that lives up to none of it's potential and there is so many better black comedies out there. 

87 - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Connection To THE HOUSE BUNNY - Kat Dennings

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is the sort of film where there is a clear divide in what I liked about it and what I didn't.

My main criticism of the movie is it feels like it's trying just to hard to be cool and hip, the bands that get named even Nick's band are supposed to show you how cool these people are, and I think it's certainly a negative of the movie that brings it down a notch or two.

To be fair, though there is enough positives in this - Nick (Michael Cera) and Norah (Kat Dennings) at least have a relationship in which you can sort of care if they get together, there's also decent support from Ari Graynor who finds herself in misadventure after misadventure mostly in thanks to her constant intoxicated state.

I don't think it's the most memorable movie, I can say liked it but only remember certain bits of it - Graynor retrieving gum from a toilet is one stand out scene - so I would probably file it under not the worst way to kill a couple of hours but I'm going to struggle in conversation later besides a few words.

Overall, a short write up befitting of a film that's quick to put out of the memory so quickly, enough to recommend about it that you should sit and watch but I'll be very surprised if you'd be calling this your favourite film after watching it. 

9 - What's Your Number?

Connection To THE SITTER - Ari Graynor

I think I'm more tolerant to so-called "chick flicks" then the average male, don't get me wrong I enjoy action - all those manly sort of films - but I can sit and enjoy all sorts of chick flicks, which too me is honestly all that easier when the two ladies have decent chemistry and you care whether they get together or not.

Of course with that I'm talking about the romance aspect of it, which is often a key thing of something described as a chick flick, there's been some so-called great chick flicks or rom-coms where I just didn't give a crap if the two people ended or if they killed each other in a suicide pact or whatever - my natural thing for not liking Meg Ryan (Innerspace excluded) means when she's in that area, the film as already lost me -

Happily for me Anna Faris and Chris Evans, the stars of this movie have easy chemistry before the inevitable falling for each other, then something keeping them apart then a final grand gesture, the movie sees the only-in-the-land-of-film-and-TV issue of Anna Faris getting hung up of having slept with 20 men, way more then most of her friends and her engaged sister (Ari Graynor) and decides it sort of enough and maybe she as found her soulmate between the guys she's already been in, Chris Evans plays her next door neighbour who sleeps around and puts his detective skills to good use to find the 20 men so she can she can see if one of them was the one that got away.

Most of her exes are familiar faces who drop by for fun cameos - Martin Freeman, Andy Samberg etc. and Faris real life beau Chris Pratt plays an ex she keeps accidentally stalking - all of them for whatever reason are proven to not actually being the one, during this time it's clear Faris and Evans are falling for each other.

Like I say that description there nails it, it's something that wouldn't happen in real life unless you was really trying to recreate a rom-com plot, but the film gets by on the chemistry of the leads and some funny scenes.

On a note, I don't know which came first but the opening is identical to Bridesmaids opening, both where released in 2011 so I just think it's a case of both villages inventing the wheel at the same time. and on a more pervert note - Anna Faris has a nice body - she shows her butt off and yeah I thought this bit would be worth mentioning. 

It's negative is really the thing that didn't bother me, the predictableness of it all - sometimes the obvious route is the right route for a film.

Overall it's enjoyable, charming and funny, it's not a classic but it's a worthy entry into the rom-com genre, 

8 - The Sitter

Connection To 21 JUMP STREET - Jonah Hill

Jonah Hill's last fat film, I don't why I started with that but I was reading up about the movie and that little tidbit was presented to me, ignoring health reasons Hill looks better suited to being overweight.

The Sitter reminded me of the 80's movie Adventures In Babysitting (or Night On The Town as it was called here in the UK for a time) - in fact so much you could question if this was a remake or not and Elisabeth Shue as been replaced by Hill (I'd sooner have Shue babysitting me).

I have to say I did like this movie - Hill's relationship with the kids he's looking after where well developed and the adventures in babysitting he got into a long the way where enjoyable particularly when he meets with the closest thing to the film has to a villain - Sam Rockwell - who's a fucking hoot here. I'd like how they progressed the Hill character throughout the movie making him grow as a person throughout.

Going back to Hill and his relationship with the kids, I liked all their personalities - kid actors can often be annoying but I liked each of them and what they brought to the table - SPOILER I liked how they handled the potential sexuality of one of the kids and was in such a sweet way END OF SPOILER, Ari Graynor (who I'm getting more of a crush on) was also very enjoyable this movie as Hill's almost girlfriend (she lets him go down on her).

This is shorter then what I normally write because I think films that go on one adventure to another tend to you just listing the stuff that happened.

I liked this film, I know critically it wasn't amazingly recieved film but I enjoyed spending time with all the characters, while it's not necessarily a laugh a minute it has it's funny moments which make it not the worst way to spend 90 minutes.