Author: Alton Williams

Death at a Funeral *½

It’s remake time yet again but this time the film getting the remake treatment is not one of the obvious candidates. Usually the film getting remade is some well known and well loved movie from classic Hollywood or some recent Asian horror flick that is being swiftly redone for American audiences to cash in on the name it has created but on this occasion the film being remade is a little known and little seen British comedy, one that didn’t exactly make that big an impression at the box office, even though it did find something of a niche following for its offbeat and somewhat dark sense of humour, the emphasis being purely on it being a ‘black’ comedy. That film was 2007’s Death at a Funeral, directed by Frank Oz. Hardly a film in need of a remake, this hasn’t stopped Hollywood from going ahead and doing one anyway and, while the story is virtually identical to that of the original film, the approach taken with Death at a Funeral 2010 is more one of excess, the original film’s low key cast of actors being replaced by a who’s who of big Hollywood stars, although anyone who has seen the original will notice that Peter Dinklage is back, playing the exact same role he played in the original. The real make or break with this remake, though, is director Neil LaBute who has a very mixed track record, having previously directed both the truly dire 2006 remake of The Wicker Man and the quite decent thriller Lakeview Terrace (incidentally, notice that neither are comedies). Is Death at a Funeral a repeat of his last attempt at remaking an existing film or is it more like the latter in being a decent, if hardly spectacular, moviegoing experience.

Arranging his father’s funeral, Aaron (Chris Rock) has to deal with his entire eccentric family as they gather to pay tribute. Complicating matters is Aaron’s wife Michelle (Regina Hall), who wants a baby and expects Aaron to do his husbandly duties – despite the unfortunate timing. Meanwhile Aaron’s successful but chauvinistic brother Ryan (Martin Lawrence) arrives, to the family’s delight but not Aaron’s. With his strong-willed mother Cynthia (Loretta Devine) looking on, Aaron attempts to deliver a fitting memorial, but the family undermines his efforts at every turn as petty resentments and lifelong feuds spill over. Confusion becomes chaos as future in-law Oscar (James Marsden) accidentally ingests hallucinogenic drugs supplied by Elaine (Zoe Saldana), who takes them from her brother Jeff (Columbus Short) believing them to be valiums, and turns Aaron’s carefully planned tribute into the worst funeral in history. To make matters worse, Elaine’s father Duncan (Ron Glass), who disapproves of her future husband has invited her old flame Derek (Luke Wilson) who hopes to win her back, family friend Norman (Tracy Morgan) is struggling to handle the grumpy Uncle Russell (Danny Glover) and a mix up with the body of the deceased by funeral organiser Brian (Kevin Hart) almost results in the wrong body being buried. But even all that pales when Frank (Peter Dinklage), a “special friend” of the deceased, arrives in search of a big payday.

Anyone who has seen the original Death at a Funeral will no doubt find this rather needless remake to be a pale imitation and even those unfamiliar with that film may not be wholly impressed by this film either. The humour is decidely unsophisticated, seemingly targeting the lowest common denominator with its crude gags and dialogue and lack of anything particularly witty or imaginative. This is most evident in one of the film’s big comic setpieces, involving Uncle Russell going to the toilet, Norman getting his hand stuck and a whole lot of human excrement, which will be either be hilarious or disgusting (in some cases, possibly both) depending on your personal taste in humour. Never much a fan of gross out humour, this critic is definitely in the second category but even I have to admit that the film is not without moments that are dead funny (credit to the general manager at my local cinema for that piece of word play), if not exactly comic gold. Sure, the film’s attempts at comedy are sometimes cringeworthy but every now and then the film does score a hit, mostly thanks to the cast who do a pretty good job with what it is pretty weak material. The highlight of the cast is Danny Glover, who is hilarious grumping it up for his role, and his back and forths with co-star Tracy Morgan provide some of the film’s funniest moments. Morgan, whose loud and childish act can grate after a while, also proves amusing on his own terms, if only in small doses. Kudos must also go to Chris Rock, whose pitch perfect comic timing and snappy delivery of lines transforms bland dialogue into humourous one liners. Elsewhere among the cast, Peter Dinklage amuses in a role that probably only he could play, James Marsden is perfectly loopy and very game for the numerous physical gags involving his character, Zoe Saldana provides the film with a more serious voice of reason and injects some genuine emotion into her role, and Martin Lawrence convinces as the amoral and sexist type even if he doesn’t score big in the laughs department. While the cast do indeed do a decent job of overcoming the poor script and often lame gags, however, the predictable plot and tendency towards crude and uninspired humour does make for a film that is hardly memorable viewing, although the cast do at least prevent it from being completely unwatchable. So, Death at a Funeral is a comedy that many may find something to enjoy in but, partially due to the ensemble nature of the film, some characters being funnier than others, it is a film that no one will love. Not quite bad enough to make you mourn the loss of the time watching it then, but not worth writing a great eulogy about either.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

The Losers ****

As titles for action movies go, The Losers is hardly a winner. After all, it’s hardly a title that’s likely to draw in the action film crowd – anyone deciding whether or not to see the film based on its title alone would likely get the perception that the film’s protagonists are more likely to get their asses kicked than kick ass themselves – as evidenced by the film’s weak performance at the box office in America. Of course, it also hasn’t been helped by the fact the the trailers have made it look a lot like a low budget copy of this summer’s A-Team movie. You shouldn’t be put off by the title, however, or the fact that the film does bare more than a few similarities with The A-Team in its marketing, as The Losers – based on the comic series of the same name by Vertigo Comics – is in fact a very distinctive film that ensures that it overcomes any lack of confidence in it created by its title and establishes itself as a film that stands on its own – certainly not a masterpiece of filmmaking but a guilty pleasure that is definitely worth checking out.

An elite US Special Forces unit are sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team – leader Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), ruthless second-in-command Roque (Idris Elba), tech expert Jensen (Chris Evans), pilot Pooch (Columbus Short) and sniper Cougar (Oscar Jaenada) – find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max (Jason Patric). Presumed dead, the group make plans to even the score, and are joined by Aisha (Zoe Saldana), a mysterious agent with her own agenda. Working together, they must remain deep undercover while tracking the heavily-guarded Max, a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war.

It’s a real shame that The Losers didn’t perform better on its US release as, while it is indeed no masterpiece, there really is a lot to enjoy about it. This is one of those action movies that doesn’t take itself too seriously and it is this willingness on the part of director Sylvain White and screenwriters Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt to indulge so heavily in the OTT style that is prevalent here that makes the film work so well. There is no pretense of deeper substance or greater meaning, just an acceptance that a too serious approach would lessen the fun that is to be had with the concept. The film embraces it comic book roots, not being an entirely faithful adaptation of its source material but straying true to the comic style, with effective use (but not overuse) of comic panels in the opening studio idents and the introduction of the film’s protagonists, a fresh twist on on-screen text revealing the locations as the film’s events traverse the globe and vibrant use of colour in the cinematography which makes for a film that is very visually appealing. The comic style is also present in the action sequences and, while this is perhaps not the most action packed film you will see this year, the shootouts and fights are well choreographed and executed with precision and pinache, ensuring that they deliver exactly the kind of thrills you would hope for from a film such as this. Additionally, the old school approach that seems to have been adopted for shooting many of these sequences – i.e. shooting them practically as opposed to saturating them with CG effects – makes the result all the more satisfying. There is some CGI used in places but it never feels gratuitous or in your face, indeed being quite well done. On the writing front, the film also delivers for the most part. While the concept is hardly an original one and the story is pretty by the numbers, there are a few plot surprises in store and the characters are each imbued with their own distinctive personalities and quirks, as well as being given slick and sharp dialogue to speak which makes the banter between the characters seem organic and at times very funny. The humour is also a strong point, never feeling unnecessary or out of place and always a natural result of the interactions between the film’s disparic protagonists. The characters are all well realised by the film’s cast who, while hardly warranting any awards for their performances, all thoroughly entertain and convince as they are required to. Everyone delivers to some extent but a few stand out over the rest. Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s natural charisma makes him perfect for the leading role, Chris Evans delivers wisecraks with his usual pitch perfect precision, Idris Elba perfectly capture the ruthless essence of his character and Zoe Saldana is the perfect balance of tough and sexy. As the villain of the piece, Jason Patric is evil incarnate, a bad guy with no human side, a James Bond style cartoon villain but a thoroughly entertaining one at that. So, overall, The Losers is a case of style over substance that works exactly because of its distinctive look and feel. It is enjoyably OTT and packed with enough thrills and laughs to ensure that you won’t feel like a loser if you see it.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back 3D *
Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back 2D ½

Back in 2008 a little computer animated family feature was released in cinemas to little fanfare and by the end of its lukewarm run at the box office had generated even less. That film was Space Chimps, a feature produced by Vanguard Animation, one of the many animation studios that so want to be the next Pixar but simply don’t have what it takes to achieve the goal. The film failed to impress financially or critically, being at best a mildly amusing diversion and at worst a dismal waste of celluloid. Now, you’re probably wondering, why would a film that failed to win the love of moviegoers or critics, let alone achieve even a half decent box office gross, be granted a sequel. Well, the answer would appear to be – 3D. What was supposedly intended to be little more than a straight to DVD sequel (something that would have made a lot of sense) at first has instead been turned into a 3D feature, with struggling distributor Entertainment Film Distributors hoping to join the bandwagon for cashing in on the lucrative extra dimension. But even adding an extra dimension is not enough to transform a piece of cinema no one could care less about into a must see moviegoing event and Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back is clear evidence of this.

Comet (voiced by Zack Shada) is the cool techno chimp who longs to be taken seriously as a fully-fledged space chimp. But after he discovers that he has been cut from the upcoming space mission he finds himself mistakenly blasting off and journeying to the fantastical Planet Malgor where he bonds with the adorable alien Kilowatt (voiced by Laura Bailey), and lives out his ultimate fantasy. However, it’s time for Comet to prove himself when the feared alien ruler Zartog (voiced by Jeff Daniels) takes over Mission Control! Comet must show he has the right stuff, and join fellow chimps Ham (voiced by Tom Kinney), Luna (voiced by Cheryl Hines) and Titan (voiced by Patrick Warburton), to save the day.

Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back easily establishes itself as one of the worst movie sequels in a very long time, being so poor that it actually makes its predecessor seem pretty good by comparison. The animation, despite having a cute, cartoony feel, is untextured and lacking in detail and looks very cheap as a result, failing to impress at a time when many smaller animation studios are managing to deliver a high standard of animation. Some of the space based scenes are quite beautiful admittedly but mainly because the shots the filmmakers appear to have lazily used actual photos of other galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope rather than actually animate them themselves. The 3D effects are greatly lacking also, the 3D here being a pointless exercise in gimmickry, and only scarcely used as a gimmick then. Seriously, the 3D adds very little to the film, yet quite literally manages to be about the only thing of any value in it. Plot is virtually non existant, every attempt at humour completely misses the mark and the voice cast essentially phone it in. So, Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back is the kind of film that only the most undemanding of children will get much enjoyment out of and I suspect even some of them won’t be much impressed by this film that really isn’t worth the price of a cinema ticket, let alone the extra amount for 3D.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)