Funny People (2009) Review

Judd Apatow’s Funny People is a film of three thirds; it starts off well, drawing you in with a string of funny jokes, will send you to sleep in the middle (quite literally in the case of the friend that I saw the film with), and finishes fairly averagely, once again providing a few laughs albeit not as well as in the opening. Apatow’s previous two films, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, are both very funny films, with Funny People he attempts to take a more serious approach however, and I’m not entirely sure it works.

Given the subject matter of this film, Funny People was always going to be more serious than Apatow’s previous two films, despite being prepared for a greater maturity with Funny People I certainly wasn’t expecting the film to be so bland however, and Funny People as a whole is a film that left me sorely disappointed.

Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen both play their parts well, and it’s not their fault that Funny People isn’t very good, some of the supporting cast aren’t so impressive in their roles however, and there are definitely one or two here that are more than a little irritating to watch.

With Funny People there are some decent comedy elements, and there are times when the film is laugh out loud funny, in trying to combine comedy with drama I feel that Apatow’s inexperience in the drama department is highly evident here however, and as such the film as a whole therefore provides for a somewhat disappointing viewing experience. Funny People is by no means awful, and I can think of plenty of films worse than Apatow’s attempt at comedy drama here, it’s certainly not the great film I was hoping for however, and is not one that I’m ever likely to be watching again in the future.

Does Funny People point at the direction that Judd Apatow will be heading towards in the future? I seriously hope not. I’d love to see Judd Apatow get back to his pure comedy ways in the not too distant future, and if he can indeed get back to his old ways then I’m sure that we’ll once again see impressive comedy films from Judd Apatow in years to come.

Rating:

Midnight Movie (2008) Review

Midnight Movie is a slasher horror film that left me pleasantly surprised. The budget is small and the cast not particularly well known, with limited resources director Jack Messitt has been able to create a really rather enjoyable slasher however, and Messitt I feel is most definitely one to watch out for in the future. Used to playing a cinematography/camera operator role, Midnight Movie was Messitt’s first foray into film directing, and if Midnight Movie is anything to go by then Jack Messitt should surely have a very exciting career ahead of him in film.

The basic plot line here is that a group of friends go out to the cinema to see the midnight showing of a cult 70s slasher flick, The Dark Beneath. It’s the film’s first cinematic showing for over 20 years, and there’s controversy surrounding the film as the director was actually locked up in a psychiatric ward after the film was made. What the friends are not aware of is that the director actually escaped five years back, and a police officer obsessed with the case is actually in attendance at the cinema this evening, hoping that the cult director will show up and be able to provide some answers about his bloody escape from the psychiatric ward five years back.

Midnight Movie is a bloody gory slasher, taking inspiration from the likes of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but without ever being a copycat of its predecessors. Jack Messitt is able to make the film his own, building suspense well in places and providing a good few scares. The film was co-written by Jack Messitt and Mark Garbett, and both of these men obviously know their slashers as they have here put together a very impressive horror.

At 82 minutes the film is not overlong, it’s just a punchy, straight to the point slasher, and there’s no hanging about here as the killer begins picking off his prey. There’s no escape from the theatre as the windows and doors sit very firmly locked and bolted, and as you watch the film you just know that the majority, if not all, of the characters here are ultimately going to get caught by the killer.

Midnight Movie is a great leave your brain at home horror, and although a direct-to-DVD slasher, Midnight Movie is actually a lot better than the majority of slashers that I have seen reach the cinemas in recent years, and is most certainly a film for Jack Messitt to be very proud of.

Rating:

Bowling For Soup – Sorry For Partyin’

The tenth Bowling For Soup studio album to date, ‘Sorry For Partyin’ gets off to an absolutely incredible start with ‘A Really Cool Dance Song’, arguably the very best track on the album. ‘A Really Cool Dance Song’ is such a fun song to start with, and right away the mood of the album is set as you get ready to enjoy another entertaining album from the Texan pop punkers. “ This song sounds like a dance song, cos dance songs are cool now, so get up and shake what your momma gave ya!” sings Bowling For Soup frontman Jaret Riddick, and Bowling For Soup’s “attempt at a dance song” is definitely a massive hit with me.

‘No Hablo Ingles’ is up next, and continues the party atmosphere as another very fun piece of pop music. The same can also be said of third track ‘My Wena’, the first released single from the album, and there are a number of tracks here that really do raise a smile.

Comprising of eighteen tracks in total, there’s plenty to keep you entertained on the ‘Sorry For Partyin’ studio album, with the band proving here that even after all this time it is still able to provide the comedy. There are some tracks here that aren’t so effective as others, the quality of tracks such as ‘I Can’t Stand LA’, ‘BFFF’, and ‘Hooray For Beer’ is sure to please however, and if you’ve been impressed by previous Bowling For Soup albums then you’ll no doubt enjoy listening to this one also.

If you’re up for a bit of light-hearted humour then definitely do give ‘Sorry For Partyin’ a listen, and a very entertaining listening experience is sure to be provided. Bowling For Soup has been around since 1994 now, is still keen to provide the pop punk fun, and so long as the band keeps on churning out the albums I will continue listening.

Label: A&G Records
Release Date: October 12th 2009

Rating:

« Previous Page