Men In Black 3 (Barry Sonnenfeld, 2012)
The third instalment of the terrifically fun sci-fi action series, although this time round Tommy Lee Jones does not feature that match, and his younger re-incarnation in the form of Josh Brolin does.
Will Smith does the Will Smith thing better than anyone else and he and Brolin have terrific chemistry (better, arguably, than Smith and Lee Jones do), and the plot itself is very well-thought out and entertaining.
There was a twist at the end which unexpectedly drew a tear from me, and the villain Boris is played with gusto by Jemaine Clement.
Oh and there’s even time for a fabulous cameo by Nicole Scherzinger at the start! Great fun, recommended.
7.5/10
The main draw to this pregnancy themed romcom is, obviously, the glittering cast. Cameron Diaz, Chris Rock, Jennifer Lopez, Mr Schue off Glee, Dennis Quaid, Anna Kendrick, as well as Chace Crawford for some serious swoon points and Cheryl Cole in a cameo so poor that you almost wish she'd stick to singing - until you remember what her voice sounds like.
The inter-weaving plotlines regarding various families trying to have a baby in Atlanta (as well as Diaz and Morrison’s plot strand in California) go quite well, and there are some well-done tonal modulations (Anna Kendrick is radiant, as ever.)
However, the subplot with the “dad club” run by Chris Rock is just extremely irritating; we’re supposed to believe those fathers have ~swagger? It doesn’t work. Furthermore, I found myself engaged in the plots with differing degrees (Kendrick/Crawford: a lot, Diaz/Morrison: not at all). It’s a romantic comedy that tries to be serious but doesn’t even get the jokes right.
5/10
The Dictator (Larry Charles, 2012)
Now this WAS funny!! Bruno was a serious mishap in Sacha Baron Cohen’s attempt to re-create Borat levels of hilarity, but in The Dictator, he’s found his mojo again.
He plays General Aladeen, an eccentric, delusional dictator of a fictional country. He goes to New York to tear up a peace treaty, aided by his right hand man Ben Kingsley (who is secretly plotting his death). In his botched torture (the failed torture is carried out by a specialist in playing lovable losers, John C Reilly), he escapes and finds salvation in Anna Faris’ organic food shop.
As with Borat and Bruno, there is no limits to the people who The Dictator offends. But I guess that’s what makes it so audacious.
Furthermore, unlike Borat, The Dictator has a fully formed narrative arc and an actual adventure, which makes it marginally more compelling than its predecessor. Plus it's worth the admission price to see Cohen and Ben Kingsley lock lips.
7/10
The Avengers (Joss Whedon, 2012)
A delightfully entertaining mishmash of superhero characters featuring Robert Downey Jr’s self absorbed Tony Stark (Iron Man), Chris Evans’ earnest Steve Rogers (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo’s calm Bruce Banner (the Incredible Hulk) and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. There’s witty repartee aplenty; one standout line that had my cinema guffawing aplenty was “We need a plan of attack!” “I’ve got a plan – attack”)
The visuals are exciting, and the finale showdown in New York, which features some eye-watering CGI and chase sequences.
Emotionally, I was left wanting, but from a Hollywood Blockbuster, The Avengers is as entertaining as they come, with a truly delicious villain in the form of rising British star Tom Hiddlestone.
7.5/10
Snow White and the Huntsman (Rupert Sanders, 2012)
So dull was this film that it took me a good 120 minutes to realise that Chris Hemsworth, the very same actor who played Thor in Avengers, was starring as the Huntsman right in front of me.
I was just massively disappointed, especially as the trailer had made this film look epic.
My brother pointed out, quite fairly, that one of the biggest contrivances of the film was that Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is supposed to supposed to possess beauty that eclipses that of Ravenna (Charlize Theron). As pretty as Stewart may be, Theron is on an entirely different level of breathtaking here, particularly given the fabulous, avant-garde costuming, hair, and make-up she sports throughout.
Aside from that I was just utterly bored, there were a few action sequences worth a damn but it all seemed rather out of place for a story rooted in a classic fairytale. I wasn’t even piqued by the novelty of Ray Winstone and Eddie Marsan as dwarves, that’s how dull this film was.
3/10
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