David Brent: Life on the Road (Review)

David Brent: Life on the Road (Film Review) 2016

Directed by: Ricky Gervais
Starring: Ricky Gervais and Doc Brown
Genre: Mockumentary

Brent is back, the star of the British mockumentary TV show The Office.

The film is definitely funny. While some laughs are a little low quality, David Brent: Life on the Road definitely achieves the goal of being a good comedy. Ricky Gervais' wit shines through in this character.

A major issue with the film is its pacing. Once Brent begins his Reading gigs, the movie slows down and becomes repetitive. It feels as though the cast are really getting nowhere, the plot likewise. I really enjoyed the office scenes and lead-up to the band's playing.

Some of the on-camera interviews seemed quite forced, mainly the interviews with the other band-members. Unlike with Gervais and the office crew, the band's comments felt forced and unnecessary.

I really enjoyed the style of the film, with some interesting visual choices. The documentary spoof seems very natural, save a few mistimed interviews, almost convincing the audience that David Brent is an actual person.

Although the plot was relatively predictable, it's still a fun and witty film that I would recommend if a laugh is what you're after.

7/10.

Rated 16, runtime 85 minutes.

The Nice Guys (Review)

The Nice Guys (Film Review) 2016

Directed by Shane Black

Starring Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe

The Nice Guys is a 2016 buddy-cop, action-comedy. Action-comedy, a genre I always must be cautious of. The Nice Guys falls short of my approval.

Neither of the genre's points work or flow. The action/thriller aspect of the film failed, due to the fact that the film is simply not thrilling. The characters cannot be described as engaging, and I therefore felt no empathy towards them, or their fate. The ''comedy'' was generally slapstick humour, mostly consisting of feminine shrieks from Ryan Gosling.

Russell Crowe's performance was wooden and constricted by his masculine character. The child actress (Angourie Rice) was unimpressive, and at times, irritating. Though, overall, I found the performances to be quite weak, there were some above-average performances from some side-characters.

The plot wasn't entirely flawed, although the movie did not benefit from withholding the amount of information that it did until the finale. It's introductory scene did utilise withholding of information well, infusing the film with mystery. I felt that the film took a dip following the first act or so.

Overall, The Nice Guys is a buddy-cop film littered with flaws and unimpressive performances. 

5.5/10.

Rated 15a, runtime 116 minutes.

The Lobster (Film Review) 2015

The Lobster (Film Review)

The Lobster is a 2015 comedy-drama directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth), and starring Colin Farell and Rachel Weisz.

The film's concept: all adults who have recently lost a partner through death or divorce are sent to a hotel, where if they do not fall in love within 45 days, they are surgically transformed into an animal of their choosing. ''A lobster's an excellent choice''.

I try not to explain the film's plot when somebody asks. Maybe this ridiculous concept is in reference to how ridiculous forcing someone to fall in love due to common interests is, or even just forcing someone to eventually get married. A comment on the societal pressures put on single adults. There are constant references and reminders to how even numbers are perfect, a couple. There is a further commentary on applying limiting labels and boxes to people, no half-sized shoes, etc.

Collin Farrell and Rachel Weisz, along with the many minor characters, all add to the film greatly. There are no weak actors which I could point out. The screen writing can be fast and witty at times, but I felt the ''quirkiness'' was definitely overdone. The robotic and monotonous speech pattern was generally funny but also overdone.

I have spoken to many people who do not enjoy this film, and I can definitely respect and understand their opinion. The Lobster is not for everyone, with it's strange plot, writing and imagery. It's script is similar to that of a Wes Anderson film, but still remains very dark, and at times disturbing. It is definitely a slow film which is heavily reliant on dialogue (which many people won't even find funny). A very strange film.

I give The Lobster 7.5/10

Rated 15, runtime 120 minutes

A Serious Man (Film Review) 2009

A Serious Man (Film Review)

A Serious Man is a 2009 dark comedy directed by the Coen Brothers. Starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Sari Lennick, Richard Kind and Fred Melamed.

The story follows Lawrence Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a Jewish Minnesotan Physics teacher facing a divorce. This came as a complete surprise to him, and destroys him emotionally. He is even being doubted by his workplace as a complaint comes in after he didn't accept a bribe from one of his failing students.  He begins to doubt his faith heavily. 

The story is set in the 60s, and the set designers definitely succeeded in doing this. The colours of the clothing, set, and props is very vivid. The acting from all characters is also very sincere, with lots of witty dialogue. The film definitely relies on dialogue, so the dialogue is very strong. 

Like most Coen Brother films, the film is not overly exciting, but is of very high quality, notably very high quality dialogue.

I give this film 9/10.

A Serious Man was nominated for two Academy Awards - Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. It was also nominated for a BAFTA and Golden Globe.

Rated 15, runtime 106 minutes.