The Spectacular Now - Review

THE SPECTACULAR NOW 

2013

15

Directed by James Ponsoldt

Starring Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley and Kyle Chandler 

Sutter Keely is a popular high school senior. He loves to party, has a job, a car, a drink in his hand and a pretty girlfriend who thinks he's hysterical. Aimee Finecky is a sweet girl who loves sci-fi and doesn't think any guy would like her. Although she has ideas and aspirations for the future, he appears to be content living for each day, in the spectacular now.

As a project The Spectacular Now had come to be without much fanfare and hard sell. Its limited release and lack of marketing in the UK particularly meant no preconceptions or expectations as to the films quality; taking a film at face value, independent of hype, is rare. It was however certifiably fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, doing well on metacritic and at a strong 7.2 on IMDb. And rightly so, because The Spectacular Now is wonderful.

It is a coming-of-age romantic comedy but it is far more subtle and sincere than expected. Films of this ilk are perennial and often if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Yet The Spectacular Now does accurately embody the attitude of young adults and shows how much a strongly held attitude towards life can change as a result of who you meet. It's soulful, authentic and captures that age where you are on the cusp of shaping yourself and it could go any which way. The dialogue and set up is so unembellished and normal that it becomes something very special. Especially by comparison to the overtly sexed up, stilted and formulaic foolishness such as The First Time (and to a certain extent Project X, which however is good, but for entirely different reasons.)

Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are a delight to watch: charming, realistic and natural. There was some lovely long takes with exchanges between the two that are so well scripted and executed. The late and great Roger Ebert said that 'being young is a solemn business when you really care about someone' and I couldn't put it any better. Both Sutter and Aimee are wonderful characters because they are funny and likeable, multifaceted but also flawed. Under all of Sutter's bravado is someone who isn't quite sure what he wants and perhaps isn't that confident after all. The Spectacular Now is gripping and engrossing but in a non flashy way. It's not showy and gaudy, it's restrained and venerable. 

Rating: 7

To Rome With Love - Review

TO ROME WITH LOVE


2012

12

Directed by Woody Allen

Starring Penelope Cruz, Woody Allen and Alec Baldwin


Once more Woody Allen has hand picked an all star cast and selected a European city in order to draw on its essence and make a something of a personal statement. To Rome With Love is a compendium of converging stories about love, fame, infidelity and changing culture all set again the peaches and cream backdrop of Italy's capital city.


Cruz, Eisenberg and Allen are good but you can't help think they could be excellent if they were given more time to develop but suffer due to the sheer amount of content Allen is trying to fit into the film. Alec Baldwin is hilarious as young student Jesse Eisenberg's sage conscience and Baldwin's breaking of the fourth wall is eccentric and really works. If, like myself, you have never visited Rome, To Rome With Love is the dream portrayal of the beautiful city and has probably done wonders for the Italian Tourist Board. From start to finish the movie maintains a nostalgic glow and showcases what looks like the best of a phenomenal city. 

Given my love of Vicky Cristina Barcelona and more recently Midnight in Paris, I was looking forward to this movie. As a long time fan of Woody Allen I was expecting a certain amount a quirkiness, but this one definitely was! Certain story lines maintain a degree of realism and are inspired, but others are completely off the wall and slightly farcical; to put it bluntly it's hit and miss. 

Rating: 5

What's Your Number - Review

WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER


2011

15

Directed by Mark Mylod

Starring Chris Evans, Anna Faris and Ali Graynor

This movie came on to Sky Premier last week and while movies of this genre never really float my boat, it was either this or another foreign language affair and this seemed a bit easier going.

So the premise is as follows: serial dater Ally’s hits a wall in her life when she realises how all her friends are settling down with lovely men while she is still going out on meaningless one night stands. She then vows to make her 20^th conquest the man she spends the rest of her life with, when this goes to pot, Ally is forced to try to rekindle the flame with her extensive list of ex-boyfriends. This all seems fair enough, but within the first 5 minutes of this story you will easily see what will happen in the end. What is the point of that? And that generally is my issue with romantic comedies, they are sickeningly predictable, save the occasional curveball such as (500) Days of Summer.

Aside from the horrendous predictability, the film is quite amusing and entertaining. Chris Evans and Anna Faris are cute, gorgeous and sassy, everything you want really. The supporting cast is actually very decent: Martin Freeman, Ali Graynor, Joe McHale and Zachary Quinto all make appearances to keep you on your toes. Also, the soundtrack is fair. The problem is that films like this are forgettable and people take little from them, but who says films have to be memorable and life changing to be watched?

Rating: 3

Friends With Benefits vs No Strings Attached

In very quick succession last year, movie goers were treated with two very similar movies about casual sex. First we had February’s No Strings Attached starring Natalie Portman as a highly strung doctor who embarks upon a ‘relationship’ with script writer Ashton Kutcher. Then there was September’s Friends With Benefits which chronicled headhunter Mila Kunis’ bond with Justin Timberlake in New York City.

We’re going to highlight the fact that, unless you dig rom coms like this, there is no need to watch both. So which one do you go for? For us, the answer is clear – but to prove why we favour one over the other, here’s a movie show down!

THE LEADING LADY

NATALIE PORTMAN vs MILA KUNIS

Both very attractive ladies, but Mila has the edge. Not even the edge. She wins by a mile. For starters it's hard to believe that Natalie Portman would embark upon such frivolous behaviour in the first place, but generally the role doesn't sit too well with her: Mila is far more at ease and funnier too.

THE LEADING MAN

ASHTON KUTCHER vs JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

This one was a lot harder to call, namely because both men are equally good in the films. However Ashton may just have it because he has more comedy moments than Justin.

Friends With Benefits has best female, and No Strings Attached has the best male. So which film in better? Ultimately it comes down to the fact that Friends With Benefits is significantly more funny, hipper, less cringeworthy, and although no less predictable, it's all together more entertaining. Also the cast is much more impressive in F.W.B - Emma Stone and Woody Harrelson are hilarious. Next time your scrolling through Sky Movies, opt for Friends With Benefits as it has won the battle against No Strings Attached.

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Have your say: do you think this verdict is fair or would you have gone the other way? We'd love to hear your comments below!