Review No.187: You've Been Trumped

Plot: Anthony Baxter's film shows the battle between American tycoon Donald Trump and a small number of Aberdeenshire residents who want to protect their home from being turned into a golf course. Baxter follows this fight as Trump bad mouths one farmer's abode by calling it an eyesore and he also tries to get the Scottish people on his side by promising jobs at his hotel and golf resort. After the Scottish government give him the go ahead the residents refuse to move from their area of natural beauty even though it seems the police are now working for Trump also. As time goes on the people from Trump's end try dirty tactics by cutting of the power and water of several residents while at one point even Baxter is arrested.

Positives: This is a great David versus Goliath story that draws obvious comparisons to Bill Forsyth's Local Hero as we really get to know these unfortunate local residents who are at the mercy of a tyrannical businessman. Baxter makes the most of these characters by giving them all their own cameras so he can use their personal footage into the film and capture the demolishing of their homes first hand. There is also an element of guerrilla film-making here as Baxter attempts to get to Trump by ambushing at a press conference and also gets arrested for his poking his nose in where some don't feel it belongs. The cinematography throughout the film captures perfectly why this area should be preserved and why Trump and his cronies shouldn't be allowed to build on it.

Negatives: The film feels a little one-sided as Baxter fails to get any interviews with Trump's supporters or the police who arrested him. There is also an ambiguous ending which tells us that Trump's plans may now not go ahead anyway due to the installation of wind turbines on the land.

Verdict: A story that needed to be told and one that is told in a spectacular way, Baxter's film perfectly defines the phrase stranger than fiction as some of Trump's methods are truly unbelievable though the film isn't completely perfect it still deserves a strong score so I will award it 8/10

Review No.186: The Campaign

Plot: Will Ferrel stars as Cam Brady a Democratic congressman who is standing in his district unopposed for the fifth time however his whiter than white image is damaged after a dirty message to a mistress is accidentally left on a different family's telephone. Eager to have an upstanding congressman, political fixers the Motch Brothers approach Zach Galifianakis's Marty Huggins to run however his innocent nature isn't a match for Cam's underhanded approach. The Motches than hire Tim Wattley as Marty's campaign manager who helps him look great in the eyes of the voters while smearing Cam's name at the same time. Marty's time on the campaign trail has an adverse effect on his relationship with his family so Cam decides to capitalise on the loneliness of Marty's wife. Marty eventually finds out the true reason why the Motches wanted him to run in the first place so he has an ethical decision to make as regards his political future.

Positives: At 85 minutes the film flows along quite nicely and the plot is easy enough to follow. Dylan McDermott's campaign has every hallmark of a sleazy Washington type that knows how to get stupid Americans to vote for whoever he wants them to. Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow are a great double act as the Motch brothers to the extent where I wish they were in the film a little bit more.

Negatives: Though the narrative of the film is easy enough to follow for a comedy there aren't nearly enough laughs and as a political satire its nowhere near as biting as it should be. One of the problems for me is that both Ferrell and Galifianakis are playing broad comic characters which means that they cancel the other out. I think a film like this needs a straight man to balance out the broader character however that isn't the case here and therefore I think it is harder to care about either of these men who both come across like caricatures.

Verdict: An inoffensive if unfunny Ferrell/Galifianakis double-header this doesn't have nearly enough biting satirical moments though there are a couple of great supporting performances so for those reasons I will award The Campaign 5/10

Review No.185: That's My Boy

Plot: In 1984, 13 year old Donny Burger has an affair with his teacher which results in her getting arrested and also later having a child. The affair makes Donny a minor celebrity however his relationship with his son, who he names Han Solo, deteriorates over the years and the pair loose contact. In the present day Donny owes loads of money in back taxes and he is advised that the only way to get a large amount of money is to reunite his son with the mother he hasn't seen for years. Donny's son is now calling himself Todd Peterson and is doing well as an accountant while he is about to be married to the beautiful Jamie even though she treats him badly. Donny turns up on the weekend of Todd's wedding, posing as his oldest friend, and soon becomes his Best Man even though Todd realises that with his father around things will get out of control. Inevitably the pair bond over the weekend however with the reunion special looming will Donny tell Todd why he's really there or will he forgo getting the money in order to repair the relationship with his son.

Positives: There are two great cameos in the film with James Caan playing an incredibly violent Irish priest and Susan Sarandon as the older version of Todd's mother. I have to say I also found Vanilla Ice, who is now Donny's best friend, particularly amusing despite the fact he really can't act.

Negatives: This film is just distasteful from beginning to end starting as it does with statutory rape and ending with a couple of incest 'gags' David Caspe's script is truly terrible. Talking of truly terrible Adam Sandler once again portrays an over-the-top comic character by 'doing a voice' and hoping that will be enough to make him funny which it really isn't. I feel that Sandler, certainly when he plays these comedy roles, has now lost the humour he once had in Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer so should probably stick to more straight roles such as the one he played in Funny People. Sandler seemingly drags everyone down to his level namely Andy Samberg who as Todd has to play the straight man who is a complete wimp and another character that I failed to care for. Considering this is a comedy film there are very few actual laughs and this was probably the main problem with the film.

Verdict: Unfunny, distasteful with some really bad central performance I would recommend everyone steer clear of That's My Boy however I will at least award Caan and Sarandon for trying to raise the bar and give this 2/10

Review No.184: Paranorman

Plot: A young lad named Norman Babcock has an uncanny ability to converse with dead people but those around him don't believe he can with his parents thinking he's going through a phase while his classmates see it as an opportunity to bury him. When Norman starts having visions about a famous witch trial his uncle, who also has a similar ability, tells him that he will soon need his powers to save the town. So follows the most important night of Norman's life which sees an unlikely group of his friends, enemies and family members join together to help Norman in his quest.

Positives: An animated children's film that doesn't treat its main audience as idiots this cartoon horror does include some genuinely scary moments however it's abiding message is that we are afraid of a lot of things that we simply just don't understand. The script, written by co-director Chris Butler, has plenty of humour but also some genuinely real characters a quality that is very rare in an animated film. The animation lends itself well to the story as it is fairly gloomy at times but this very much the mood of the film while all of the members of the undead are drawn beautifully. Of the voice cast The Road's Kodi Smit-McPhee perfectly captures this awkward adolescent while Elaine Stritch is great as his long dead grandmother and Casey Affleck is the biggest surprise as Mitch the jock.

Negatives: The directors gave themselves quite a lot of content to cram into 90 minutes and I felt either the film should've been longer or one of the subplots removed. I also believe that the content isn't suitable for some younger children but I suppose at the same time if it were removed it would lose the edge that makes it so great.

Verdict: A great animation for kids and adults alike that genuinely has something for everyone though I do wish it could've been a little longer overall I really enjoyed it so for that reason it receives an 8/10

Review No.183: Ruby Sparks

Plot: Paul Dano stars as Calvin a depressed novelist who is trying to live up to the success he achieved with his first book that he wrote when he was still at school. Calvin's therapist suggests he write something terrible about a girl who likes his do and he creates Ruby Sparks eventually falling in love with her. Calvin freaks out when Ruby appears in his kitchen one day however he discovers that he has made her real and can actually write her to do whatever he wants. Instead of making use of this power he believes that Ruby is the perfect woman so vows not to change him however soon his depressive nature starts to stifle her and she begins to spend less time with him. After a painful visit to his mother's house Ruby starts to change her opinion of Calvin which in turn makes him consider whether or not he should change her personality as he has that power.

Positives: Writer and star Zoe Kazan's script is an inventive piece that has lots of fun jokes and gets very dark towards the end. The use of light and shade in the cinematography is fairly well used while the film's score is also quite pleasant. Paul Dano is excellent in this leading role as he really encapsulates the misanthropic Calvin and by the end we learn why he can't maintain a relationship as well as why he has writer's block. The film also boasts a great supporting cast including Steve Coogan as a sleazy author and Annette Bening and Antonio Banderas as Calvin's mother and her partner with the pair both playing kooky to the max. Kazan herself is also great as the upbeat Zoe who is eventually dragged down by Calvin's moods and she also plays it excellently during the aforementioned darker scenes.

Negatives: Ultimately the film doesn't have the courage of its convictions as Calvin comes good and I thought the ending absolutely sucked as I personally thought it could've been left more open-ended. The film also takes a while to get going and I found it incredibly difficult to connect with Calvin before Ruby came along.

Verdict: An inventive film that has a fairly mainstream ending and while I enjoyed it I expected more from the team behind Little Miss Sunshine so for that reason Ruby Sparks receives a 7.5/10

Review No.182: Premium Rush

Plot: Premium Rush stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Wilee a bicycle messenger who is tasked with delivering a package from a university to an address in Chinatown however soon finds himself pursued by a number of interested parties. The plot rewinds to various points to explain why Michael Shannon's corrupt copper Bobby Monday is after the package while in addition also reveals the link between Wilee and the package's owner who is desperate for it to get to its destination on time.

Positives: This definitely seemed like a film that was based around the speed-cycling scenes rather than any sort of plot but Mitchell Amundsen's cinematography captures them perfectly. Michael Shannon is absolutely terrifying as Bobby Monday and raises the quality of the film quite a bit channelling the spirit of Christopher Walken in his portrayal of the gambling-addicted cop. There is one fantastic scene where an injured Wilee is being interrogated by Monday and let's just say his methods are far from savoury Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also good as the unsuspecting everyman who is just trying to get a bit of extra money by taking this job on not knowing that he's been selected for a reason.

Negatives: I get the impression that Premium Rush think it's more clever than it actually though I found its non-linear structure to be a distraction rather than an improvement. I feel all the stuff with Chinese gangsters and sinister loan-sharks was all a bit far-fetched as was the fact that Monday was allowed to get away with all of his wrong-doings. I also didn't much care for Wilee's relationship with fellow messenger Vanessa though I suppose it was necessary in terms of a couple of the plot points.

Verdict: Incredible shots of the bike messengers whizzing around the city coupled with another excellent Michael Shannon performance means that Premium Rush has a lot to offer however due to the fact that it seems to have ideas above its station I will award it a fitting 6.5/10

Review No.181: Lola Versus

Plot: Daryl Wein's film stars indie darling Greta Gerwig as the titular Lola a 29 year old who is about to get married only to be dumped by her fiancée three weeks before the wedding. After that Lola embarks on a voyage of self-discovery attempting to complete her doctoral thesis while at the same time sort out her relationship woes by sleeping around. Lola eventually embarks on an ill-fated relationship with her best friend Henry before discovering why her fiancée split up with her in the first place. She is also given various bits of advice from her hippy parents and her actress friend who herself is having trouble finding a man.

Positives: Gerwig tries her best with the lead role of Lola which fits perfectly in her resume of quirky vulnerable young women who are trying to navigate their way through life. The best performances of the film come from Bill Pullman and Debra Winger who are incredibly entertaining as Lola's chilled-out parents. There are a couple of decent gags at the beginning of the film and at just under ninety minutes it doesn't really outstay its welcome.

Negatives: There were long periods of the film which I found completely self-indulgent and really started to loathe the character of Lola at some points. The whole film is centred around the fact that women all want to be settled down by the time they're all thirty and I find that in itself fairly insulting. After her break-up Lola's romance with best friend Henry is fairly excruciating as is her encounter with a handsome man who likes talking about fish a lot. The male characters generally are woefully underwritten and are either presented as needy intellectuals or self-obsessed morons while even Lola herself doesn't feel real. Co-writer Zoe Lister Jones has seemingly given herself all the best lines as Lola's mate Alice but even her character feels somewhat over-the-top as all her lines relating to her sex life don't ring true.

Verdict: Despite some game performances and a few decent gags Lola Versus is just too quirky for its own good to the extent where it just doesn't feel real and for those reasons I can only award it 5.5/10