Pierce Brosnan starring in a jaunty, bilingual Danish rom-com rings alarm bells – a piece of casting aimed squarely at luring the mass crowd of fans of the scandi-inspired Mamma Mia to the cinema. But with a film directed by the Oscar winning Susanne Bier there was some hope Love Is All You Need would escape beyond the lame title and questionable choice in actors. It doesn't.
The premise is really cute and so are the actors in this beautifully conceived and executed romcom.
Geeky Calvin (Paul Dano) is a young novelist who, like JD Salinger with The Catcher in the Rye, had huge success with his first novel ten years ago when he was 19, but hasn’t been able to write since. His therapist (Elliott Gould) gives him a writing assignment he at first finds annoying – to write a page about someone who likes his dog Scotty. He dreams about a young woman who draws a picture of Scotty, wakes up inspired and decides to write his next novel about her, naming her Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan, also the screeenwriter). As his dreams about her continue, he realises he is falling in love.
The Knot is not Bridesmaids, it’s not The Hangover, it’s not even The Wedding Video, Confetti or The Decoy Bride.
Was it a good idea to think there was still room in the multiplex for yet another film about accident-prone wedding preparations being home videoed, with much hilarity ensuing? Again not, with hindsight.
Ken (Kevin Corrigan), the protagonist of this movie, is an archetypal loser. Well into his thirties, he lives with his sarcastic mother, Ruth (Karen Black), and during working hours can be found behind the counter at an ice-cream parlour or, worse, standing outside it, a dejected figure dressed as a giant cone, handing out fliers. By night, he fills a notebook with violent scribblings. But it wasn't always like this. As his loyal pal Irv (Leo Fitzpatrick) points out, back in high school he was special, he had drive. All that changed, though, when he was subjected to a vicious and protracted ragging by the school basketball team.
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is to cement his position as the busiest young cast member of the huge fantasy franchise with a role in Michael Dowse’s romantic comedy The F Word.
A word of warning: don't go and see Friends With Kids with the expectation of seeing this year’s Bridesmaids. I know, I know: it stars Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolf, John Hamm and Chris O’Dowd, the trailer made you chuckle and it’s written by the actress in the lead role (Jennifer Westfeldt). It all sounds so familiar. But, believe me, Bridesmaids it is not.
The current state of the romcom is epitomised by mediocrity and bewildering commercial success. Cashing in on ‘all-star’ casts or burning out with lazy fart jokes, the romcom has almost stopped trying altogether. Hope, though, is never too far off. Overseen by Judd Apatow, The Five-Year Engagement reunites the team behind the recent Muppets movie and the delightful Forgetting Sarah Marshall as Jason Segel takes up writing (and acting) duties with Nicholas Stoller in the director’s chair.
Based on Paul Torday's best selling novel, this film tells a literal "fish out of water" story as fisheries expert Dr Alfred Jones and financial consultant Harriet Chetwolde-Talbot are tasked by a Shiekh to introduce salmon fishing to the Yemen, which is not known for its natural abundance of water.
After getting over the fact that Audrey Tautou looks identical to when she played Amelie some 11 years ago (I don't what they put in Chanel No. 5 but it must be very good), she convinces as the fragile, grief stricken widow but slowly that trademark ingenue smile starts to creep back onto her face, thanks to her burgeoning relationship with Swedish employee Markus.
It's hard to take someone seriously when their name makes them sound like an extra from Hollyoaks. It's even harder to actually like them when they direct Terminator Salvation, a sequel to one of the most beloved action franchises ever and still manage to make it as dull as watching your fingernails grow. Yes, I'm talking about McG, Hollywood's equivalent of a weak indie band like The Vaccines or Pete Doherty's latest musical turd. The people who push their work in front of you insist that they are fresh, fun and exciting, but anyone with eyes and ears can tell it's more over-stylised, stale trash that we've already seen and don't want again.
