Joy: Quick-Fire Review

Check out my Quick-Fire Review of Joy, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro and Bradley Cooper.

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Cinema Review - Silver Linings Playbook

As we edge closer to the end of yet another year in cinema, 2012 is proving to be one hell of a ride for films. As is accustomed for this period of a year, the Oscar contenders are unveiling themselves thick and fast, and one that I would certainly put money on is David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook.

Pat (Bradley Cooper) is a man whose life you could say is starting over. Having been recently released from a mental institute following a eight month stint, the bi-polar sufferer heads back home to reside with his parents (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver) in order to remain stable. The problem for Pat is that he is still insistent that he will reunite with his wife, whom has put a restraining order against him following the revelation that she was having an affair.

After meeting with the sister of a family friend, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), an equally unhinged and judged individual, Pat strikes up a rather dysfunctional yet blossoming relationship with her and soon the pair collaborate to aid one another's needs. As Pat seeks to regain the love of his wife, Tiffany's feelings for him grow stronger, but will Pat's 'silver lining' theory be proved true?


Silver Linings Playbook is a film of sheer brilliance that captivates from start to finish. David O. Russell continues his fine form from his previous Oscar banking chip The Fighter to bring to us yet another endearing and compelling drama. Bringing together a dysfunctional family and two hugely engaging central characters, the director creates a film that, despite being far from genre-specific, is a joy to behold and oozes realism and ultimately captivates.

In Cooper and Lawrence, the film possesses two whirlwind talents, and their performances are surely to be commended with Oscar nods. On one side Cooper copes brilliantly with tackling a bi-polar sufferer, awkward in conversing with others, unaware of his errors and intent on particular things in life. 

Lawrence, on the flip side, provides the standout turn as she breezes through with a performance that is a stamp of authority on her versatility as an actress, flipping a switch from seemingly controlled to outright unpredictably broken. The actress is going from strength to strength and I think it's fair to say this is her best showing to date. Both acts create characters that you will want to invest time in and many will find themselves drawn in by individuals who are hard not to care for.

Add into the fray a superb OCD father portrayal from the return to form Robert De Niro, as well as superb support from Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker and John Ortiz, and Silver Linings is a delight of a film. Russell has created a visionary piece of work that combines real-life issues, love, drama and comedy and comes out with the formula for success. Lawrence is groundbreaking, Cooper is exceptional, Russell's direction is nothing short of sublime and Silver Linings Playbook enters the Oscar race at the top of the tree.

Rating: 4.5 F's out of 5

Cinema Review - The Hangover Part Two

We're on sequel watch again and this time around it's the turn of The Hangover Part Two. The original, despite having a reasonably unknown cast at the time became one the breakout hits of 2009 and low and behold the demand arose and Todd Phillips created a sequel.


This time around the ante has been upped and we are invited to celebrate the crazy antics before Stu's (Ed Helms) wedding in Thailand. Opting for a celebratory brunch as opposed to a full blown Vegas-eque celebration, Stu hopes to avoid a repeat episode of their last pre-wedding nuptials.


How wrong he is. With a new recruit entered into the Wolfpack, Stu's future brother-in-law Teddy, the guys decide that one drink and some marshmallows by the fire can do no harm and all will be well.


The next morning... We find Phil (Bradley Cooper) waking up in a dirty, dingy hotel room in an unknown location. Wandering around the room trying to recollect events of the previous night he soons comes across a newly bald Alan (Zach Galifianakis) who also has no memory of the events. continuing into the bathroom Stu is soon discovered lying in the bath, with a Mike Tyson face tattoo on his face! This night clearly was as wild as Vegas.


The one problem the guys have, Teddy is missing and all they can find of him of his finger, prompting thoughts that he may well be dead, and so the chaos ensues....


Still looking for clues around the room, Phil calls previous newlywed Doug to find out where he is and it turns out he left the group early and retired to his room while the Wolfpack continued their late night adventure without him. And low and behold, the perpetrator of the continuation of the night is the one and only Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) continuing his reign of extremism and organised crime.


With an abundance of Chow and Bangkok thrown into the mix The Hangover Two succeeds in bringing to us yet another laugh-out-loud flick from Todd Phillips. Everything from penis jokes to the sheer hilarity of Galifianakis' Alan are showcased here in a hugely rib tickling 100 minutes of film time.


Despite the cameo from Liam Neeson being cut, a standout appearance from one Paul Giamatti helps to bring an extra special smile on the audience's face and, as you can expect, the bumper extra time spent with Mr Chow is filled with madcap moments and some over-exaggeration gangster style. 


All in all this sequel is successful in repeating the greatness of the first film, possibly falling just short in quality terms, but it is safe to say that you would be a fool not to expect a third and possibly final outing for the Wolfpack (maybe Alan's wedding?!)


Film rating: 3 out of 4 stars


The lowdown: One crazy night in Bangkok proves to be a mix of hilarity and some cringing in what could turn out to be the funniest film of 2011.

New Release Preview - The Hangover Part 2

That's right people, the comedy sequel you have all been waiting for final arrives this week, the Wolfpack are back! 2009's massively successful original drew in the audiences and became one of the surprise hits of the year with what was at the time a relatively unknown cast. Now the stars have all made a name for themselves and expectations are very high for the second outing.


This time around we find Stu (Ed Helms) getting married to Lauren (Jamie Chung - Sucker Punch) and as tradition goes the guys decide that an early celebration is on hand, albeit low key this time around..... or so they think!


The morning after, and the guys Stu, Alan (Zack Galifinakis) and Phil (Bradley Cooper) wake up to find themselves in a dingy hotel in Bangkok with one person missing, Lauren' young brother Teddy. Once again the curse of the night before is upon them and the guy have to race to find Teddy and make the wedding before all is lost. 


As most of you will know, part of the success of the original was the mystery behind what happened the night before and once again there are elements which will have us wanting to know more and more as the film goes on. Stu finds a new tattoo on his face, a replicated version of Mike Tyson's, Alan has had his hair shaven off and there is a new member of the Wolfpack, a wild monkey!


No doubt this will be the cue for moments of madness and panic, with a re-appearance from Mr Chow thrown in and a cameo appearance from Paul Giamatti that sounds like it could be the highlight of the film. One thing is for sure, The Hangover Part 2 will draw in the crowds once again and Fanatical Film has a feeling that this could surpass the original classic. Here's hoping!


The Hangover Part 2 is out in the UK this Thursday