Foxcatcher - Movie Review

Who's In It? 

Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, and Steve Carell

What's It About? 

Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is a broke gold medal-winning wrestler forever in his brother's (Mark Ruffalo) shadow. That is, until John du Pont (Steve Carrell) calls on him to live on his massive grounds and train a team to become the best in the world.

Any Good? 

This is a loooong movie. Not like Intersteller 3 hours long, but like a secondary school double maths/business class before school ends on your half day long. Not only that, but it's like 70% Murican! ego stroking - even in character names.

It was at least half an hour longer than it needed to be, most of the scenes felt unneeded for me because they were implied,  but for some reason they needed a two minute scene each that left myself and Ally (check her out, she's alri) looking at each other like whaa thaa faa??..

Makeup or Madame Tussaud's? (Hint: It's his hairline)

The acting was absolutely incredible for every main character however; Steve Carrell was brilliant, he was like a different person a lot of the time and his voice was done really well, even to the point where he wasn't Michael Scott any more!! Mark Ruffalo is really getting up there in my favourite actors after this, he was completely convincing as the revered-yet humble-brother and the doting father/brother.

But the real star was Channing Tatum, where the HELL did he get his acting chops?! I remember avoiding movies with him due to my brothers obsession with the stupid Never Back Down but not only is he hilarious in the Jump Street movies, but he also was the only character in the movie I remotely cared about. All of his scenes with Steve Carrell seemed so genuine it was incredible.

Quickly expanding on the not caring about characters point, they introduce some people and suddenly you're meant to care about them without much reason other than they're Dave's wife or John's mother - I found it hard to care about most major characters. This was Chinese Water Torture for me to watch, and I watched AND enjoyed J. Edgar, as well as LOVING Watchmen. Then on the other hand, the acting is just fantastic; it's almost worth the dullness for just Tatum alone. But maybe it might just not be my thing, try it sure - you might like it.

 Rating:     

Crazy, Stupid Love - Review

Who's in it? 

Steve Carrell, Ryan Rideface, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei

What's it about?  

Crazy, Stupid Love sees Cal (Carell) a 40 something guy who's done everything 'right'. Meeting the love of his life at 15 and settling down. After 25 years of marriage he's shocked to the core at her admission to adultery & request for divorce. Cal is thrust head first back into single life, sipping girly drinks through a girly straw in a swanky bar. Jacob (Rideface), as the coolest wingman ever, decides to take pity on him, to help him regain his mojo.

Any Good? 

This film is witty, engaging and refreshingly down to earth. Coming from the makers of Bad Santa and in a year of gross out, foul mouth comedy it achieves laugh out loud, snorty hilarity without resorting to filth or bad language. Original, eh?

I'm a big fan of Steve Carell, he plays the hapless moper effortlessly but with an endearing charm that makes you root for him every single time. Even as his conquests start to mount up you still feel for him and his broken heart.

Ryan Rideface as Jacob is suave, handsome and cool, his on screen presence much like a young Clooney or what a young Clooney aspired to be. Cal reminds him of someone close and during a hilarious makeover montage we see him work his magic on not only Cal but every female that crosses his radar. Until Hannah, 'She's a game changer'. There is a cheesy nod to Dirty Dancing that had every female in the audience swooning, I swooned enough for the males & I don't even like feckin' Dirty Dancing!

                                              

The entire film is well paced and charming enough to have you genuinely feel for every character and their miss placed, sometimes cringe inducing, always hilarious affections. The creators manage to throw in one or two surprises that lead to the most farcical and possibly funniest 10 minutes of movie time I've seen. The entire cinema LoL'd continuously. (I snorted, uncontrollably, it wasn't attractive).  

This is right up there with Drive for me for surprisingly good movies this year, yes they have a common denominator but it wasn't just the Gosling factor. I swear. 

Soz, couldn't help it. 

Get yourself to see this one folks, well worth the trip. 

Rating?