Film Review: KUNG FU PANDA 2 (2011)

Director: Jennifer Yuh
Writers: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Running time: 91 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

Genre: Animation/Action/Adventure
UK Release date: 10^th June 2011

Watched on Sky+ Monday 7^th May 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Since I quite enjoyed the first one I thought I’d give the second KFP movie a look (I’m a bit of a fan of animated films anyway). If anything I must say I enjoyed this one a bit more, it seems DreamWorks have learned a thing or two in the intervening three years. All the characters from the first film are back plus a new nemesis for Po; here’s a brief summary before I tell you what I thought of it.

The film opens with the story of Shen, a peacock who has been told by a soothsayer that he will be defeated by an enemy in black and white. He immediately sets out to deal with this enemy before the prophecy can come true. He parents are left with no choice but to banish him. Years later Shen has returned with a weapon, a weapon so powerful it could mean the end of Kung Fu! It’s up to Po and the Furious Five to stop Shen and save Kung Fu! Also, Shen knows the secret of Po’s origins and he may use this to get in the way of their victory. I will not say any more or the Spoiler Police (Kung Fu Division) will be using me as a practice dummy (again).

DreamWorks animations have a very particular style and I must say I like it; reminds me of old (non Disney) cartoons on TV. On the performance front, decent work all around from the voice talents of; Jack Black as Po, Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Dustin Hoffman as Shifu, Gary Oldman as Shen, Jackie Chan as Monkey, Seth Rogen as Mantis, Lucy Liu as Viper, David Cross as Crane, James Hong as Mr. Ping, Michelle Yeoh as Soothsayer and Jean-Claude Van Damme as Master Croc.

This film has a well written plot with likable characters and some excellent gags along the way (it easily passed the ‘six laugh test’). I also liked the musical score by John Powell and Hans Zimmer, some nice themes that go well with the visuals. One or two of the gags didn’t quite come off (for me) but I can forgive that for a very well put together entertaining film… Recommended.

My score: 7.5/10

IMDb Score: 7.4/10 (based on 62,521 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1302011/

MetaScore: 67: (Based on 31 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 81/100 (based on 161 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 79/100 (based on 90,056 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda_the_kaboom_of_doom/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Shifu: This could be the end of Kung Fu.
Po: But I just got Kung Fu !
Shifu: And now, you must *save* it !

Po: How can kung fu stop something that stops kung fu?

Po: My fist hungers for justice!
[his stomach belches]
Po: That was... my fist.

Soothsayer: Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn't make you who you are. it is the rest of your story, who you choose to be... So, who are you, Panda?

Tigress: I hope this turns out better than your plan to cook rice in your stomach by eating it raw and then drinking boiling water...
Po: This is nothing like that plan.
Tigress: How so?
Po: Because this one is gonna work.

Monkey: [On seeing a poor person being mistreated by a wolf over cooking rice] Po, do something.
Po: How am I suppose to help her cook rice without getting caught?... Wait, I have a better idea!

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.kungfupanda.com/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kungfupanda
Trailer:

Film Review: THE TOURIST (2010)

Co-Writer/Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Running time: 99 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Crime/Thriller/Romance
UK Release date: 10^th December 2010

Watched on Sky+ Monday 14^th November 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Although this was never going to be a film that would win any great praise from the great and the good (professional film critics to you and me), I found it still had some good points. I remember it getting a pretty luke-warm reception when it came out and so I was never tempted to part with my cash at the box-office. So it was a TV viewing for me, which was adequate enough for a film that suffers slightly from ‘style over substance’. More of my thoughts after this brief summary.

Interpol are watching the beautiful Elise Clifton-Ward in Paris. She is being watched because of her association with one Alexander Pearce who is wanted in several countries. Elise receives a note from Alexander telling her to board a train to Venice and find a man of his height and build so the police would follow him when they got off. She chooses an American tourist, a mathematics teacher called Frank Tupelo. They get talking and have dinner together and when it comes time to leave the police already have his picture… Also hot on Alexander’s tail is a gangster he stole money from, Reginald Shaw, and he’s not one to be trifled with… I’ll leave it there or the Spoiler Police will be distributing my picture across Europe.

It’s all beautifully shot, but with locations in both Paris and Venice you can hardly fail to get some great shots though. The performances were all pretty good without anyone particularly standing out; Johnny Depp was pretty good as Frank Tupelo, as was Angelina Jolie as Elsie Clifton-Ward. Paul Bettany as Inspector John Acheson and Timothy Dalton as Chief Inspector Jones also did a decent job. Finally, Steven Berkoff was suitably intimidating as Reginald Shaw.

There was a bit more humour than I was expecting with the best one-liner being given to Timothy Dalton at the end (sorry I can’t put it in the review it might give too much away). Of course there also has to be a little slapstick from Johnny Depp; a chase sequence that wouldn’t have been out of place had he been wearing a pirate uniform springs to mind. I guess where the film falls down though is a rather weak plot that doesn’t really tax the little grey cells too much. I must admit I expected more from a stylish thriller of this type. As far as the music goes, well there’s not really much to talk about until the closing credits where they use a song by, the rather excellent, Muse. Over all though, a little too much style over substance… Ok for a TV viewing but I wouldn’t spend any cash on the DVD or Blu-Ray.

My score: 6.6/10

IMDb Score: 5.9/10 (based on 57,046 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1243957/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Frank Tupelo: My name's Frank.
Elise: That's a terrible name.
Frank Tupelo: [shrugs] It's the only one I've got.
Elise: Perhaps we can find you a new one.

Frank Tupelo: Why is everyone trying to kill me?

Hotel Waiter Guido: Bongiorno!
Frank Tupelo: Bon Jovi!

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thetourist/
Trailer:

Film Review: SALT (2010)

Director: Phillip Noyce
Running time: 96 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Action/Thriller/Espionage
UK Release date: 18th August 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 26th June 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember when this one came out it got a lot of very mixed reviews. It has finally made it to the small screen and so I thought I’d have a look. It’s certainly not as bad as some have said, but equally, it’s not all that great either. I think it suffers from what I call the ‘Bourne Effect’, in that the ‘Bourne’ films are a pretty hard act to follow and just about every film of that ilk since has failed to hit the mark. Don’t get me wrong, it’s perfectly watchable but it just falls a bit short of the mark at those all important moments. Here’s a brief summary.

Evelyn Salt is a CIA agent who is accused by a defector, known as Orlov, of being a Russian spy. She immediately goes on the run trying to get to he husband, Mike, who she believes is in danger. The defector also said that she would assassinate the Russian President at a funeral in New York. Her boss, Ted Winter, and the head of another department, Peabody, are in charge of tracking her down but she gives them the slip… more than once. She has a plan and in order to carry it out she may have to compromise herself. I’m not going to say any more because I don’t want a sniper picking me off while I’m eating a sandwich.

First of all I must say all of the stunt work on this film was first rate, I really enjoyed this aspect of the film very much. Performance wise, I thought Angelina Jolie did a great job as Evelyn Salt, considering the part was originally written for a male (Tom Cruise), I thought she was excellent. Liev Schreiber did a good job as Ted Winter, as did Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peabody and Daniel Olbrychski as Orlov.

There are many twists and turns in the plot and, of course, a big twist at the end that I’m afraid I saw coming from a mile off (sorry, no spoilers today). There were a couple of moments where the film did fall a little flat, but the pace was pretty much kept at a fairly high level throughout. I guess where it fails, in comparison with the ‘Bourne’ films, is that the plot just isn’t quite clever enough to give it the edge it needed. But as I said earlier, it’s perfectly watchable and suitably entertaining. I also like the fact that it has a female lead that is believable, so many of these films fail in that respect too. So, over all, great action sequences, a believable heroine and quite entertaining, if slightly flawed… Still though, recommended.

My Score: 6.5/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0944835/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1213717-salt/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/salt/
Trailer:

Film Review: CHANGELING (2008)

Director: Clint Eastwood
Running time: 141 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on Sky+ Thursday 19th November 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Based on true events and set in Los Angeles in the late 1920’s through to the mid 1930’s, this film tells the tale of Christine Collins and her search for her missing son Walter. At a time when police corruption is rife she battles the LAPD and the mayor’s office in her efforts to find the truth. This is, at times, a harrowing tale and one of great courage on Mrs Collins part despite the odds being stacked against her.

Coming home late from work one evening, single parent, Christine Collins finds her son, Walter, is missing. She goes around the neighbourhood, but there is no sign of him. She calls the police but they are indifferent to her pleas for help. Eventually they do turn up but seemingly do little in the way of investigation. A boy matching Walter’s description is eventually found several months later and the police, needing some good press, arrange for the press to be present at the reunion. The boy is clearly not Walter but the police captain J.J. Jones, insists he is despite Mrs Collins saying so. Adamant that the police have got it wrong, and with the help of the Reverend Gustav Briegleb, Christine gets testimony from Walter’s dentist and teacher stating that the boy is not Walter. This is still not good enough for the Captain Jones and eventually Mrs Collins is thrown into the psychiatric ward at the Los Angeles hospital. Meanwhile the case of a serial killer is revealed and it is though the Walter may have been involved. I think that’s enough of the plot, I don’t want to give too much away.

A beautifully made film, the locations and feel of it were just right for the period. Also a really fitting score written by Clint Eastwood (Damn, he so talented!), set the mood perfectly. A tremendous performance by Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins, she has really gone up in my estimation with this one! Honourable mentions go to John Malkovich as Rev. Gustav Briegleb, Jeffrey Donovan as Captain J.J. Jones, Colm Feore as Chief James E. Davis, Jason Butler Harner as Gordon Northcott, Amy Ryan as Carol Dexter and Michael Kelly as Detective Lester Ybarra.

This is a pretty long film, over two hours, and it has quite a slow pace, but it’s worth persevering with. I found it truly inspiring the way Christine would not give up on her son despite the authorities telling her otherwise. I really enjoyed it and this is, I hope, reflected in my score.

My score: 8.2/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0824747/
Official Site: http://www.changelingmovie.net/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3944284185/
Further reading: http://www.latimesinteractive.com/advertising/changeling/Changeling-V5.html