We're The Millers!!!!

We're The Millers.

Yet another funny laugh out loud comedy comes to our screens and I have to say for once I fully enjoyed myself. Given the stupidly at times ridiculous earlier years release of This Is The End I found this film alot more grounded and an all round funny film.

As we see a drug dealer David (Jason Sudeikis) selling his usual marijuana to his clients he soon enough is robbed of his stash and has to go speak to his boss Brad (Ed Helms). The only way to wipe out his debts is to go into Mexico and pick up some drugs for Brad and bring them back into the US, simple right, no. 

Thinking about how to get the drugs back into the country he comes up with a genius idea, pretend to be part of a travelling family as they always get past the police and are un-noticed. Recruiting the geeky kid Kenny (Will Poulter) from his building as his son, a runaway homeless girl Casey (Emma Roberts) as his daughter and a stripper Rose (Jennifer Anniston) from his local strip club he is soon on his way to Mexico.

As the pretend family pick up the drugs they soon enough encounter a whole array of situations, from breaking down and meeting a swinging couple to Kenny being bitten by a tarantula the fake family goes through everything a normal family would. As a mixup of identity's the family is soon on the run and it's a race against time to get the RV and drugs back to Brad in time for David to get his cut of the money. 

The laughs are funny and the gags are something you wouldn't have seen before. How the four of them get along is just like what a normal holidaying family would go through as they protect Casey from pressuring boys David and Rose step in to the role as her real parents. As Kenny learns how to kiss for the first time Casey and Rose are on hand to give him advice and some practice as well which obviously ends in an awkward situation. 

I can't give too much away but if your after a bit of a laugh and a film to just not think about and go with the flow then check it out. The storyline is basic and it does have a nice ending to it about how they change as people and are brought together for an extra period of time. Anniston is on form as Rose and really excels as the stripper, with some impressive dance moves which have been sexed up to pull viewers in she is impressive. Sudeikis plays the obnoxious, lazy, self centered father figure well who only looks out for himself. Poulter and Roberts are great kids and really bring some laughs on screen especially Kenny singing along to the radio. 

This film is what it is, it's a funny comedy film with a basic storyline but that's what it was made for to be a funny comedy film. You don't have to think about it just watch it and enjoy the laughs along the way.

7/10.

What Maisie Knew!!!!

What Maisie Knew.

A film that really impressed me and also hit me emotionally is 'What Maisie Knew', set in New York we first see Maisie's (Onata Aprile) parents arguing over who has custody over their daughter. As Susanna (Jullieanne Moore) and Beale (Steve Coogan) argue over their daughter Maisie just gets on with things, answering the door to the pizza man and paying him you can tell she's become an independent girl. 

As Susanna hangs out with her rock band friends and records new music in the studio Maisie is left again to her own devices and soon enough a nanny arrives, Margo (Joanna Vanderham) is blonde and beautiful and the perfect companion for Maisie. Being picked up and carted backwards and forwards to her mum and dad's houses Maisie just takes it all in and acts like a child. As the two parents still fight over their daughter they soon enough get married to help stabilise their appeal for full custody of Maisie. 

With Susanna now married to Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgard) and Beale married to nanny Margo the two couples have everything they could want. With Susanna going away on tour and Beale flying back and forth between New York and London both parents never truly connect with their daughter who they fought so much for. Soon enough Maisie and Lincoln strike up a relationship and the pair start to enjoy themselves despite the drama happening between his new wife and Maisie's father. 

As she soon enough is let down by both her parents and both their marriages have broken down Maisie is left stranded and it is the parents ex partners who have to pick her back up. As Margo takes her off to a remote destination she finally has the stability that she has always needed, Lincoln soon arrives and starts up a relationship with Margo. As the three come together to form a little family it shows at how happy Maisie can be when she has that loving, caring, stable life. 

The film has a great narrative that runs through it, from the chopping and changing of her parents love lives it's surprising that true happiness comes from two non paternal adults. Little scenes that show how much both parents don't know their daughter are also shown, Beale getting Margo to decorate Maisie's room shows he doesn't know his own daughter. Susanna walking in on Margo helping Maisie pick out what clothes to wear and just saying "put that on come on we have to go" shows she spends no time with her daughter or even care. 

Harsh scene's where Susanna says to her own daughter "I married Lincoln for you" shows she will do anything to gain custody of her daughter which includes marrying someone Maisie has never met or knows. At times it is heart breaking to see Maisie go through so much in her life because of her parents, it makes you think that some children will go through this in their life which is quite sad.

For a film I thought I would not like I really was sucked into the film and felt every little thing that Maisie went through, Onata Aprile has to be the cutest little girl I've seen on screen in recent years, I really hope she carries on with acting and becomes the next Drew Barrymore as she plays Maisie flawlessly and really brings joy, sadness and laughter to the screen with ease. A great emotional film for a topic that has become so common nowadays.

9/10.

You're Next!!!!

You're Next.

When it comes to horror films I tend to stay away mainly because the "horror" films put out in cinemas tend to be more of the jumpy kind and tend to be less blood filled. I haven't seen any blood filled horror films this year at the cinema until now, You're Next has plenty of blood and gore.

As the story starts we see a young couple enjoying their down time together, as the guy showers and walks back into the main room he see's a massive "You're Next" scrawled on the wall and see's his partner dead on the floor in a pool of blood.

Soon enough we see the Davison family one by one arrive at their holiday home out in the remote Missouri woods. As the family sit down to their first meal things go from bad to worse as metal crossbow arrows come flying through the windows and one hits a member of the family. As the family realise they are under attack they all become hysterical and try and work out what to do next as an unlikely person steps up. Erin (Sharni Vinson) steps up to take charge and soon enough directs the family as to what to do to survive.

As the three masked gang, Tiger, Fox and Lamb masks take on Erin they all are surprised by what they're up against as Erin fights back. As traps are set and Erin picks up whatever she can and uses it as a weapon as the death toll soon rises and Erin is fighting for only her own survival. As the true nature of the invaders is revealed it will side swipe you and is not anything you would think would happen which is always good.

I can't give too much away as the film has a basic storyline to it but it's the action and really black humour that sets it apart from other horror films. With a twist of the girly girl being the person who can fight back it fits and works well, giving her a good back story as to why she's a trained survivor it's not absurd. 

The way in which the deaths take place are enough especially for myself to sit there and laugh and enjoy them as they are full of blood and at times ridiculous. As you get brought into the film you soon enough take sides and get involved shouting and wanting to see people get killed. At times it can be predictable as well with working out and guessing exactly what will happen next but it's all part of the black comedy.

THE horror film of the year in my opinion, taking horror films back to how they should and used to be, full of blood, plenty of deaths, at times funny and has a nice little storyline to it. 

8/10.

Pain & Gain!!!!

Pain & Gain.

Straight from the mind of the Transformers and Bad Boys film franchise Michael Bay comes his low budget film Pain & Gain. Set in the US it sees a young Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) working as a gym trainer in a local gym, "my name is Daniel Lugo and I believe in fitness....." is his motto  as he thinks fat people are "unpatriotic". 

As Daniel wants to have alot more in his life he goes to a self help seminar presented by Johnny Wu (Ken Jeong) and soon enough adopts the new motto of "Don't be a dont'er, do be a do'er". Soon enough after training with one of his rich clients Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub) he decides to put his new life plan into action. As Victor says to him "you know who invented salad, poor people" he finally gets that kick to become a doer. Roping in his fellow gym buddy Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and new gym employee Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson) they hatch a plan to kidnap Victor and steal everything from his life then dispose of Victor and live the rest of their lives rich and wealthy men. 

As the men steal everything from Victor they soon start to live the high life they'd been dreaming of, Lugo gains the house and lives a life of luxury. Doyle turns back to his old drug taking ways and soon party's and snorts his life away with his stripper girlfriend in tow. Doorbal meets Robin Peck (Rebel Wilson) his nurse treating him for impotency and they soon marry and move into a house together. Of course the money doesn't last too long for the boys and they soon enough hatch another plan to rob and steal from a sex phone business owner Frank Griga (Micheal Rispoli). 

What happens next for the trio is not what they expected, failing to kill Victor Kershaw, a slip up in handling Frank Griga, an old investigator Ed DuBois (Ed Harris) hot on their tail as well, something bad will happen soon enough.

The film in itself is something you feel as you watch is something that could not have really happened but it did. At the start of the film and certainly near the end when Doyle BBQ's cut off human hands your reminded that the film is in fact real which is shocking. The characters are well portrayed and Wahlberg plays Lugo with a sense of idiocy yet dertermination, Johnson plays Doyle perfectly the spiritual yet psychopathic man lost in a world of drugs. Mackie as Doorbal is a great addition as he brings in another idiot character who is strung along by Lugo and told of his potential fortune. 

Bay's camera angles are great from views down a gun, the front of a car and a distorted image of Lugo's muscle bound body in a swimming pool it's great. The sheer ludicrous scenes you see on screen just add to what is in my eyes a black comedy, real life portrayed film which shouldn't really work but it does. I can see it has a mixture of this years other releases, the sun kissed beautiful people heist from Spring Breakers and the true story of doing your own thing in life from The Bling Ring. And yet Bay has managed to bring these two elements together and make it feel like a comedy which is impressive. When Bay works on a small budget he can still bring the story and action and at times has shown he can certainly bring the black humour.

8/10.