Reviews

Having been resurrected with the frankly brilliant 2011 Jason Segal starring movie with a brilliant mix of old and (Oscar winning) new songs, The Muppets was a return to form for a franchise that long seemed destined never to return to the big screen. With a surprise $165 million return at the box office, a sequel was inevitable. Picking up right after its predecessor's closing number, our puppet protagonists ponder what to do next before deciding on a sequel. The gang then launch into the first, and perhaps best song of the movie, 'We're doing a sequel' and the fun, madness and mayhem gets underway.

And for the first 20 minutes or so the film keeps the same high standard of its predecessor. There are few things better than watching The Muppets bouncing off each other with lightening fast one-liners and blink and you will miss it sight gags. The film then takes a sharp turn when Ricky Gervais is introduced as the gang's new agent Dominic Badguy (it's French), who proposes that they take off on a world tour to cash in on their resurgent popularity, against the wishes of their leader Kermit. Dominic, it turns out, is working for notorious criminal and Kermit lookalike, Constantine, who plans on using the Muppets' tour as a cover to enable him to go on an international crime spree. Constantine then assumes Kermit's identity, while our hero is mistaken for his sinister doppelganger and is dispatched to the GULAG under the watchful eye of Tina Fey.

It is as a result of this plot device that the film is derailed into a number of hit and miss sub plots. Modern Family's Ty Burrell is introduced as Jean Pierre Napoleon, a French Interpol inspector who is unwillingly paired up with Sam the Eagle. Their first scene, when the unlikely duo compare badges, is hysterical. Burrell was made for The Muppet universe, his delivery and willingness to launch himself into the most ridiculous scenarios – not to mention tiny little cars – is undoubtedly the highlight of the film. I could happily watch a spin-off with these two taking on other cases, a True Detective cross over perhaps? Watching Sam the Eagle and Burrell trying to make sense of McConaughey's depressing philosophy would be comedy gold. Less successful, is Gervais' pairing with the nefarious Constantine. Gervais is undoubtedly a fine actor but here he seems ill at ease and uncomfortable with losing himself within the role and his scenes carry a sense of self awareness that feels out of place within the context of the film. During his song with his criminal partner, Gervais seems to finally loosen up and get into the spirit of things and it is his highpoint of the film. Gervais, who started off as a surprisingly good singer (Google Seona dancing – don't worry, we did it for you HERE), is never less then game. However, it is his more cynical brand of humor that is in stark contrast to the more heartfelt humor that The Muppets tend to convey.

Kermit's imprisonment under Tina Fey is never less then entertaining with some wonderful throw away lines (Goodnight Danny Trejo!) and the best use of the movie's numerous cameos. The problem is the same one that befell the recent season of Arrested Development, in that the strength of the ensemble cast is their interactions with each other. When they are separated to their own individual story lines, you tend to lose the group dynamic that worked so well previously. With so many plates spinning at the same time there is limited screen time for old favorites like Rizzo (who himself points this out) and my personal favorite Pepe the king Prawn. Walter is a needless carry over from the first film and his sub plot is the weakest in the film. ADVERTISEMENT

I adored the previous Muppet movie and A Muppet Christmas Carol is in my all time top 10… top five… OK top three. Muppets Most Wanted is not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination but it is lacking in what the best Muppet films had; heart. There is a warmth and genuine heartfelt tenderness that came across in the last movie that this film just doesn't have. Jason Segal was clearly a fan and knew exactly what formula worked and what didn't and his absence here is clearly felt. There is an unevenness to the film, with cameos ranging from the pointless (Lady Gaga) to the sublime (Waltzing With Christoph Waltz). There is a lot to like about the film, Ty Burrell is hilarious and the majority of the songs are toe tapping brilliance. Overall though, as the cast themselves comment during the opening number " Everyone knows that the sequel is never quite as good"… - See more at: www.followingthenerd.com

Marketed as an Irish version of The Hangover, cinema goers expecting to see a gross-out outlandish comedy will be left disappointed. In its place they will find a charming, genuinely touching and not to mention hilarious comedy drama. This is a movie that belongs more in the realism of Barrytown then the fantasy world of Las Vegas.

At her wits end with fiancée Fionan's (Hugh O'Conor) obsessing over every detail of their upcoming nuptials (particularly in one fantastic scene with wedding planner Justine Mitchell – who nearly walks off with the film in her brief scene), Ruth (Amy Huberman), enlists the help of his best man Davin (Moriarty himself, Andrew Scott) to take the metro… Politan Fionan away for a stag weekend. He is joined by mild mannered U2 denier Simon (Brian Gleeson), gay couple Kevin and Kevin (Andrew Bennett and Michael Legge) and, against his best efforts, by Ruth's boorish brother, known as The Machine (Moone Boy's Peter McDonald).

The set up is nothing original, with everything from The Hangover to last year's Few Best Men mining the pre-wedding blow-out as an excuse for raunchy, far flung mayhem. What sets this film apart is that none of the cast fall into their expected token role. The Machine could quite easily have turned into the movie's equivalent of Stiffler but McDonald (who also co-wrote the script) is in spectacular form, grounding his character with real depth and a realism to any group of friends who all have that 'one' within the group. He never crosses the line to offensive or tasteless and, as a result, the audience is rewarded with a character that resembles an actual person as opposed to a catchphrase spouting bore.

The cast are excellent across the board, Brian Gleeson (son of Irish film legend Brendan) shows enough guile and put upon humor to suggest it won't be too long before his name isn't suffixed with his famous father's name and becomes a respected talent in his own right. Andrew Bennett and Michael Legge convey a wonderful chemistry as a couple plagued with all too real and topical problems and thankfully their sexuality is never played for tasteless laughs. Their story arc is beautifully handled and threatens to overshadow the main plot, which sees tensions between Davin and Fionan simmering to a boil due to the best man's feelings towards his friend's fiancée. Scott, fresh from his reappearance in Sherlock, gives a wonderfully nuanced performance, his eyes tinged with sadness while maintaining his loyalty to his best friend. The duality is never conveyed better than during his heartbreaking rendition of the Patrick Kavanagh classic Raglan Road, which hopefully will find its way into the soundtrack. Stuck with what could have been the least interesting role in the movie theater, stand out Hugh O'Conor inhibits Fionan with enough restraint so as to never make the character a whiny cliché, but also stands his ground enough that we never want to just see him cast aside for the more romantic Davin to step in. It is a very tricky balancing act and O'Conor, who has been on the cusp of a break out role for the past few years, absolutely nails it.

The film though will ultimately live and die by one measuring stick, is it funny? And on that front the film is a massive success. Foregoing any artificially outrageous set pieces – no tigers or giraffe decapitations here. The film instead relies on the delivery of its talented cast, along with its slick humor and stinging one liners. This is not to say that director John Butler is above moments of crudeness, as he puts his game cast through the ringer during one unforgettable reenactment of the Emperor Penguin huddle. It is a nice commentary on male bonding rituals without ever sacrificing story for laughs. It is the best Irish film for quite some time and seems destined to be spoken about in the same terms as The Snapper or The Commitments. Highly recommended. www.followingthenerd.com

"A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us." John Steinbeck The concept of a road movie featuring a mis-matched duo who don't get along, directed by Brandon from Beverly Hills 90210, sounds like a horrendous straight-to-TV movie. The reality is that this might just be this year's Little Miss Sunshine. It is a surprisingly sweet movie, tinged with darkness and light in equal measure. The plot centres around Dr Cas Pepper (Dr Pepper!!!), who at the start of the film is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and decides, rather than spend his few remaining days in a hospital bed hooked up to machines, he is going to go out on his own terms. At the same time Dylan, played by Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany, literally barges her way into the Doctor's life and the unlikely duo begin their journey "out west" where, along the way, Dylan plans to help Cas with his suicide note.

The storyline is nothing new, however, what sets this apart is the two magnificent leads. Richard Dreyfuss delivers his best performance in decades, sidestepping what could have been a clichéd grumpy old man performance into a fully developed character that demands both sympathy and respect. Tatiana Maslany is practically incandescent, bringing Dylan to life with charisma and sadness that contradicts her front of being a fee spirit. Her obvious lies and exaggerations do not convey an irritating Zooey Deschanel level of kooky, but instead make the viewer pity the girl who is obviously inventing a life better than the one she currently occupies.

Jason Priestley seems a bizarre choice for someone who is known primarily as a teen heart throb and has only previously directed television episodes. However, he displays a wonderful eye for both characters and visuals. The scenery, as the duo take their cross country trip through the various landscapes of Canada, is as beautiful as anything a Planet Earth documentary could show. For a film that is primarily just two people in a car talking, he avoids any gimmicky shots and shows a confidence in his two leads to hold the audience's attention. Priestley has shown hidden depth as an actor before in both Tombstone and the criminally underrated Love and Death on Long Island, which was sadly eclipsed by the similar Gods and Monsters. He is just as surprising as a director and one gets the feeling that his accomplishments behind the camera will soon outstrip his achievements in front of it.

The film is laced with wonderful moments of humour and heartbreaking moments of tenderness that never leaves the viewer feeling emotionally manipulated. It is rare that comedy-dramas deliver on both fronts but this one does wonderfully. The unlikely trio of Dreyfuss, Maslany and Priestley has delivered a beautiful film that will hopefully find a deserved audience and, if nothing else, should see a rise in the sale of orange VW Beatles. You may leave the cinema with a tear in your eye but you will have a smile on your face. - See more at:www.followingthenerd.com

"We knew the world would not be the same. A few people cried; most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture; Vishnu takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." J. Robert Oppenheimer Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Rises, Super 8, Iron Man 2, Watchmen. For the last five years there has always been one film that I was anticipating more than others. Some films on that list I have enjoyed more than others but none have given me the "wow" factor that I had been seeking when leaving the cinema. Walking out of Batman in 1989 as a 6-year-old and showing the first flickers of an obsession with those characters that continues to this day. Leaving, the Cinema, having seen Jurassic Park and genuinely wondering why anyone else would ever bother making a film again… because it would never top that. This year my attention on the year's releases was focused squarely on Godzilla. I have never been a massive fan of the original Man in Suit Godzilla films. I have enjoyed some of them and been surprised by the heart they convey, owing in part that the movies were originally made as a criticism of American nuclear weapons testing. However, my enjoyment of these films was hamstrung by the poor, often laughable, effects. I have always been a fan of giant monster movies but much like the horror genre, it is hard to find a genuinely good one. Pacific Rim was amazing for those few moments, during the scene in Japan, but otherwise left me flat. And the less said about the 1998 version of Godzilla the better.

So with my excitement at fever pitch, but with the trepidation of someone who has been hurt before, I sat down to watch the latest incarnation of Gojira. Within the first five minutes I would have a smile on my face that would not leave me until long after the credits had rolled. Put simply, it is a masterpiece of event cinema. When Gareth Edwards was announced as the director, I felt it was an interesting choice. I had mostly enjoyed his debut feature Monsters but was curious if his talk heavy, light on action independent film was due to budget or if that was his preferred style. The last Indie darling to be handed an iconic monster movie was Ang Lee and the result was the daddy issue snore fest that was Hulk. Edwards does not make the same mistake. Here he creates some of the most jaw dropping scenes that have ever graced a cinema screen. Monster Vs Monster smack-downs (no Godzuki, sadly), and entire cities being leveled. He holds nothing back. Godzilla's full reveal is a lesson in suspense. There are half glimpses of various parts of the creature to tantalize and tease before we are treated to a full shot of the king of the monsters. This is not to say the director has chosen style over substance and this is clearly evident in his choice of cast. Forgoing the A-list name above the title actors and instead assembling a cast who treat the material with the seriousness of a Shakespearean play. Bryan Cranston has emerged from Breaking Bad as one of the best and most in demand actors in the game right now. Here, he adds a heft and heart to his role as a man racked with guilt over his part in a family tragedy. The scene with Cranston helplessly looking on as he is forced to make an impossible decision with regards to his family shows him at his brilliant best. Watching him devour the screen every bit as much as his 350ft co-star is amazing. To think, if it weren't for Walter White, one of the great acting talents of our time would have been forever known as Malcolm in the Middle's dad. He is supported by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick Ass) as his son, with the vehicular sounding name of Ford Brody. Elizabeth Olsen plays Ford's wife Elle and adding to the Jaws homage, their son is called Sam, which is Quint's first name. The two will be seen together again next year as the super siblings Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Age Of Ultron. To say too much about the plot would ruin perhaps the best event movie since Jurassic Park. The movie does not skimp on story and never descends into a clichéd man Vs. military/America-is-awesome that so many of these films tend to do. At its heart there is a real message about man's interference with nature, with a chilling reminder that at any time Mother Nature can remind us that we are the ones under her control and not the other way around. The monster himself is a beautiful design, paying homage to past incarnations but definitely one they have made their own. He feels real and every roar and step is felt. There are moments when his eyes alone convey more depth and emotion than a million Kirsten Stewarts. One moment in particular, showing almost a glimmer of understanding between man and beast, is beautifully understated. Capturing in one moment what the recent Amazing Spider-Man 2 failed to do in the cringe worthy scene with the child. Overall, the film is an undoubted triumph and one that needs to be seen on the biggest screen you can find. IMAX 3D has always seemed somewhat gimmicky to me, Gravity being an example of one that worked in that medium but does not carry its resonance over to the small screen. However, I don't see Godzilla having this problem. This will be a film I will be re-watching for years to come. Step aside Cloverfield, back to the ocean with the Kaiju of Pacific Rim and as for King Kong, as the song says "Whats a King to a God?".

The true king ofthe monsters has reclaimed his throne. Long live the King