Did You Hear About The Morgans? (out 24 May 10, Cert. 24) Sarah Jessica Parker, Hugh Grant, Elizabeth Moss, Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen,dir. Marc Lawrence, 2009, cert. PG Monkey Score: 69% New York City high-flyers Meryl Morgan (Sarah Jessica Parker) and estranged husband Paul (Hugh Grant) witness a murder and have to go into witness protection at short notice, in the same location. In Ray, Wyoming they get a chance to find out what they truly mean to each other, and try out new things like bears, bingo and Bargain Barn shopping. While lacking the zest of Two Weeks Notice and even Music & Lyrics, which both saw writer-director Marc Lawrence and leading man Hugh Grant working together, Did You Hear... is a charming rom-com though low on original twists. It follows the tried and tested fish-out-of-water formula, coupled with will-they / won't-they banter between the leads. It does what it does well enough but there isn't quite enough for multiple viewings: it is funny at times, but you can comfortably blink without fear of missing out on too much. This is, ironically, what makes it in our view a near perfect date film: dim the lights, have a bottle of your favourite tipple on stand-by, and if you happen to miss a few bits here and there, you'll still be able to follow the plot! A bit like a mid-priced bottle of merlot: fruity and pleasant, enjoyable but forgettable. Well-acted if predictable rom-com, with enough chemistry between SJP and Hugh Grant to make it palatable. |
Up In The Air (out 24 May 10, Cert. 15) George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Melanie Lynskey, directed by Jason Reitman, 2008, cert. 15
Monkey Score: 90% Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is happiest when jetting around the country from assignment to assignment as an employment termination consultant. He does his job with a high level of professionalism, taking pride in firing employees with dignity, but his main drive is to build up his frequent flyer mileage. His dream is in fact to reach 10 million miles. Fresh out of college graduate Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) comes up with a cost-saving plan to use video conference in place of face-to-face meetings that would effectively see him grounded at head-office in Omaha, Nebraska. Bingham fears that Natalie does not understand the implications of long-distance firing, and he's panicked at having to be 'home' all the time especially since he recently met a frequent flyer woman after his own heart, Alex (Vera Farmiga.) Bingham gets tasked by his boss (Jason Bateman) to take Natalie on the road and show her the ropes before a final decision is made. Up In The Air is a subtle, often funny look at what drives people, and how what they think they want does not always live up to expectations. The typical Clooney charmer who met Alex at the beginning of the film slowly gives way to a man whose refusal to make meaningful human connections comes from the most basic need to love and be loved. Clooney's performance is all in nuances. As he takes an impressive Anna Kendrick along to teach her the ropes, she ends up teaching him that there's more to life than platinum cards. Jason Reitman's direction is spot on, giving plenty of room to his cast for them to feel the material and bring it to life with talent. The story moves at a pace as Bingham goes on his self-discovery journey and never falls into a lull. It's definitely one not to be missed. George Clooney's performance truly deserved its Oscar nomination, as did Vera Farmiga's and Anna Kendrick's. Up In The Air is a roaring success from start to finish, bittersweet yet funny, and eminently touching.
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Precious (out 24 May 10, Cert. 15) Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'nique, Paula Patton,Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, dir. Lee Daniels, 2009, cert. 15 MonkeyScore: TBC% Adapted from Sapphire's best-selling novel, Precious is the story of Clareece - an overweight, illiterate African-American teen from Harlem about to give birth to her second child. As she gets accepted into a new school Clareece 'Precious' Jones gets a chance to start over with the help from a teacher (Paula Patton) and kindly nurse (Lenny Kravitz.) REVIEW COMING SOON Road To Perdition (out 24 May 10, Cert. 15) Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Craig, Tyler Hoechlin, Dir. Sam Mendes, 2009, cert. 15 MonkeyScore: TBC% Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is a family man, but also a hit man in the employ of mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman), who raised him. Rooney also has a wayward real son, Connor (Daniel Craig), whose duplicity leads to a deadly alienation between the Rooney family and Sullivan. Forced to go on the run with his own 12-year-old son, Michael junior (Tyler Hoechlin), Sullivan seeks both revenge and a way to prevent his boy from one day taking the same dark road as himself. |
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