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You,
Me and Dupree
Cert: 12A
Starring: Kate
Hudson, Owen Wilson, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas
Director: Joe
Russo & Anthony Russo
Running Time: 108
minutes
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We
begin this story with Carl (Matt Dillon) and Molly (Kate Hudson)
planning their new married life together. Dupree (Owen Wilson) enters
as Carl’s long standing friend, best man and likeable loser,
who, after a series of events finds himself without a home or a job.
Carl feels duty bound to let his friend stay in his new home until
he gets on his feet again (much to the dismay of Molly).
Of course, a few days become weeks etc., and as Dupree’s antics
continue the cracks begin to appear in the newlyweds relationship.
To make matters worse Carl is now also battling at work with his
newfound father-in-law and boss Mr Thompson (Michael Douglas) bringing
him to new stages of exasperation.
As Carl comes under more pressure at work Molly spends more time
with Dupree and begins to understand him a little better, seeing
him in a different light. With that and even the neighbours falling
for Dupree’s charms, Carl’s situation becomes even more
difficult to resolve as three really does become a crowd.
This sort of film isn’t new, but the actors in most cases do
the best with what they have, Matt Dillon comes across well as the
frustrated husband, Kate Hudson has very good on screen presence,
and Michael Douglas plays the intimidating father without too much
menace. It’s Owen Wilson that you may have a little more difficulty
taking to! At times you start to wonder if the lovable dumb guy character
he plays is becoming a bit too over done, as Wilson is becoming a
little type-cast being in very similar roles time and time again.
This is not a bad film, and does have its funny moments, as well
as looking at the relationship not just between husband and wife,
but also of two close friends. It is hardly a movie people are going
to rush out and see, but if you enjoy easy going comedies such as
The Wedding Crashers, or you are an Owen Wilson fan then this is
one to enjoy. |
Monster
House
Cert: PG
Starring: Steve Buscemi,
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jon Heder, Jason Lee, Catherine
O'Hara, Kathleen Turner, Fred Willard
Director: Gil Kenan
Running
Time: 91
minutes
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Monster
House is the debut film from director Gil Kenan. It begins
in a typical suburb with young D J (voiced by Mitchel Musso).
Opposite is the local old house owned by cranky old Mr Nebbercracker
(voiced by Steve Buscemi), who seems to make it his constant
duty to confiscate any toys, balls or any other form of children’s
items that find there way onto his property.
D J’s parents go away for the weekend, leaving him in
the care of baby sitter Zee (voiced by Maggie Gyllenhall).
It’s during that time while playing Basketball with his
friend Chowder (voiced by Sam Lerner) the ball goes astray
onto Nebbercracker’s lawn.
In a brave attempt to recover their ball D J comes face to
face with the man himself, where to his surprise drops with
exertion, and is promptly mysteriously
taken away covered with a sheet by an ambulance with no siren.
If all that wasn’t enough D J later gets a phone call
in the middle of the night that seems to be coming from Nebbercracker’s
house. Knowing the house to be empty D J and Chowder decide
to investigate, and soon come to the conclusion the house is
haunted, of course no one from Zee, and her sleazy boyfriend
Bones (voiced by Jason Lee), to a couple of local cops, believes
them. After a few unusual events they befriend a local girl
Jenny (Voiced by Spencer Locke), and it isn’t too long
before the trio find themselves inside the house and begin
to uncover the true secrets of the house and its owner.
It’s while your watching this movie you get the feeling
that it’s not like most of the other animated films we
are used to seeing of late, in fact it much more has the feeling
of a live action film such as the Goonies, or Gremlins (Perhaps
not such a surprise with Spielberg’s involvement).
This is the second film to be released in Real D’s 3D
format (The first being The Polar Express).
This is a film that the younger kids will enjoy, and at the
same time remind the adults of some of the films they used
to watch when they were younger, certainly worth a watch. |
Snakes
on a Plane
Cert: 15
Starring: Samuel
L. Jackson, David Koechner, Julianna Margulies,
Rachel Blanchard
Director: David
R Ellis
Running
Time: 105
minutes
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Now
this is hardly the most original title for a film, so may say
it’s a bit naff, but it certainly has people wondering
what’s it all about, and if it’s at all good.
A surfer, Sean (Nathan Phillips) witnesses a mob attack by
Hawaiian crime boss Eddie Kim (Byron Lawson), and soon after
this he is taken into protective custody by the FBI so he can
testify for them. The responsibility of transporting him to
the trial in LA falls upon agent Neville Flynn (Samuel Jackson).
But of course the bad guy’s have different ideas about
this, and have loaded the planes cargo hold with dangerous
snakes which have been dosed with pheromones, just to make
sure they are extra vicious. Triggered by a timer, the animals
are let loose to carry out their frenzied attack while the
plane is in mid-flight, leaving our passengers to figure out
how best to defend themselves while they have nowhere to run.
To be honest the film is pretty much what you would expect,
and really reminds you of the typical disaster movies of the
1970s. It has the array of different characters you would expect,
from the disgruntled flight crew, to mixed batch of passengers,
all of which are now possible victims to the emerging animals.
The problem is instead of being shocked at the thought of this
all happening you seem more likely to raise a chuckle. The
CGI effects mean there are plenty of the critters and the action
flows very quickly, but some how loses the terror that should
follow. Flynn (Jackson) plays the obvious part of the man in
charge of the situation amongst the other weaker characters.
If you want an old-fashioned disaster movie that you don’t
take too seriously then go give this film a look, but if you
are expecting it to challenge or shock you then you will be
disappointed. |
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