Film Review: TOWER HEIST (2011)

Director: Brett Ratner
Writers (screenplay): Ted Griffin, Jeff Nathanson
Writers (story): Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Ted Griffin
Running time: 101 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Action/Comedy/Crime
UK Release date: 4^th November 2011

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 3^rd November 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This will be a shorter review than usual; I don’t feel it’s worth putting a lot of effort into it as the filmmakers seemed to feel the same. Here’s a quick summary: Bad guy investor, Arthur Shaw gets busted for fraud and a group of employees in the building where he lives find their pension fund gone. With little chance of getting it back, a group of them led by building manager, Josh Kovaks, decide to steal it back from Mr Shaw’s penthouse apartment. They have no experience of robbery and so Kovaks brings in a thief, Slide… and that’s about all you need to know.

This is one of those films that has a great cast but fails to deliver on so many levels. Yes, things do pick up when Eddie Murphy is on screen as Slide, but other than that it’s a pretty much by-the-book heist comedy. Ben Stiller plays, well, Ben Stiller, as Josh Kovaks and Alan Alda does a fairly decent job as Arthur Shaw. Other than that you could have put almost anyone in the other parts and nobody would have noticed. However, I’ll name and shame them; Casey Affleck plays Charlie, could do much better; Matthew Broderick plays Mr. Fitzhugh, needs to speak to his agent; Stephen Henderson plays Lester; Judd Hirsch plays Mr. Simon, he’s much better than this; Téa Leoni plays Special Agent Claire Denham, she was good but deserves better parts than this; Michael Peña plays Enrique Dev’Reaux, again, could do better, and finally; Gabourey Sidibe plays Odessa, and I can only hope she’s not started a trend of playing the fat black woman in comedies… she is SO much better than this!

Over all a film that had one or two moments but one which I didn’t particularly enjoy. I found it far too predictable, although I did like most of the scenes featuring Eddie Murphy; he’s still got some of that old magic. I found it shocking that so many talented actors were persuaded to participate in this formulaic dross. I just hope that someone out there in Hollywoodland is making some decent films in which, at least some of these actors, can get a chance to show what they can do! They certainly didn’t get a chance here! All I learned was that Téa Leoni plays drunk pretty well.

SteelMonster’s verdict: NOT RECOMMENDED

My score: 4.9/10

IMDb Score: 6.2/10 (based on 55,506 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0471042/

MetaScore: 59/100: (Based on 39 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 69/100 (based on 181 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 51/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 48,123 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tower_heist/

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http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Josh Kovacs: The average apartment in the Tower costs 5.6 million dollars. We have the best views, the most advanced security systems, but you know what these people are really buying?
Rick Malloy: White neighbors?

Josh Kovacs: Several years ago, he was asked to manage all your pensions. Right now, they're saying that anyone who invested with Mr Shaw has been frauded.
Odessa Montero: Did he get your money too?
Josh Kovacs: ...Yeah. He did.

Cole Howard: We're not criminals. We don't know how to steal...
Josh Kovacs: Don't worry. I know someone who does.

Slide: How come you bailed me out? Man, I don't even know your name!
Josh Kovacs: You don't remember Mrs Schaltzberg? We used to get dropped at her house every day for daycare! Heavy-set German woman, short goatee.
Slide: You the little seizure boy that's having seizures all the time!
Josh Kovacs: Asthma doesn't cause seizures!

Cole Howard: [to Devro] Devro, will you please remind Mr. Shaw?
Rick Malloy: [to Shaw] I'm very sorry, Mr. Shaw, but we don't accept tips at the tower.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/tower-heist/
Trailer:

Film Review: THE LION KING (1994)

Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Writers: Too many to list (27)
Running time: 89 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

Genre: Animation/Adventure/Comedy
UK Release date: 7^th October 1994

Watched on Sky+ Tuesday 7^th February 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have seen so much praise for this film over the years but never got around to watching it. Well, a rather cold Tuesday night and it’s on the hard drive of my Sky+ box. I took the plunge and was quite impressed with it over all; although I’m not really the target audience I did find it both entertaining and amusing. I will give you more of my thoughts after this very brief summary.

The film tells the story of Simba, a lion cub who is destined to be king. That is if his uncle, Scar, doesn’t get his way first. Simba enjoys life as a cub, playing with his friend Nala and learning life lessons from his father, Mufasa. But then Scar decides to take a hand in his destiny and Simba finds himself out in the wilderness alone. Here he is befriended by a Warthog, Pumbaa, and a Meerkat, Timon. They persuade Simba to put his troubles aside and just enjoy life and so this unlikely trio live quite happily in another part of the jungle. Before we know it Simba has grown up and a chance meeting with Nala brings back memories he had buried deep inside him. But what will he do about it? Well, just in case there’s one or two out there who haven’t seen it yet, I’ll leave it there or the Spoiler Police (Jungle Division) will be taking me for a visit with the hyenas (again).

Excellent animation and some really good songs are what struck me most about this film. To be honest, I had heard most of the main songs before, but it was nice to put them into context. Performance-wise, well everyone did a good job, particularly Jeremy Irons who voiced the evil Scar really well. Also worthy of note were the voice talents of; Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Young Simba, Matthew Broderick as Adult Simba, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Nathan Lane as Timon, Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa, Rowan Atkinson as Zazu and Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi.

Although it was good, and great for younger viewers, I guess I was expecting something a little more epic. Not that I was particularly disappointed, I suppose all those rave reviews I read maybe upped my expectations a tad. At the end of the day it does what it says on the tin and you really cannot ask for more. It does stand out as one of the better Disney animated films its era, that’s a given, but I must say I have seen later films that are equally as good, or even better. Even so, it will still delight, amuse and entertain and I cannot knock it for that… Recommended.

My score: 8.2/10.

IMDb Score: 8.3/10 (based on 220,746 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0110357/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 89/100 (based on 92 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 89/100 (based on 1,177,009 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lion_king/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Mufasa: Look, Simba. Everything the light touches is our kingdom.
Young Simba: Wow.
Mufasa: A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Simba, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king.
Young Simba: And this'll all be mine?
Mufasa: Everything.
Young Simba: Everything the light touches...

Zazu: [about Scar] There's one in every family sire. Two in mine, actually. And they always manage to ruin special occasions.
Mufasa: What am I going to do with him?
Zazu: He'd make a very handsome throw rug.
Mufasa: [Surprised] Zazu!
Zazu: And just think, Whenever he gets dirty you can take him out and beat him.

Timon: Geez! It's a lion! Run, Pumbaa! Move it!
Pumbaa: Hey, Timon, it's just a *little* lion. Look at him. He's so cute and all alone! Can we keep him?
Timon: Pumbaa, are you nuts? We're talking about a lion; Lions eat guys like us!
Pumbaa: But he's so little.
Timon: He's gonna get bigger.
Pumbaa: Maybe he'll be on our side.
Timon: A - huh! That's the stupidest thing I ever heard. Maybe he'll b-... Hey, I got it! What if he's on our side? You know, having a lion around might not be such a bad idea.

Timon: What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer: