The Film Buzz » Comedy

TrollHunter (2010) Official Review

Alice — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 22:01:39 +0000

TrollHunter (original title Trolljegeren) is a Norwegian delight. Think Cloverfield meets Blair Witch Project meets REC … and you still haven’t quite got it yet. A pretty unique blend of horror and comedy with a very true-to-life portrayal of finding out that scary fairytales do have some truth to them…

The Plot

A group of students investigate a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter.

The Thoughts

I got to preview this film at the Empire Big Screen event last weekend, and what a joy – I still haven’t finished singing it’s praises yet!

TrollHunter pays an impressive tribute to Norwegian troll folklore mixing traditional fairytale fiction with very convincing scientific facts for instance explaining the reason why trolls explode or turn to stone when they come into contact with sunshine because their bodies can’t process vitamin D resulting in the ‘calcifying effect’ – all this attention to detail made it extremely believable.

Visually the film will leave many desperate to book tickets to Norway as soon as they leave the cinema, featuring stunning landscapes and scenery and what with the enhanced computer graphics combined with a mockumentary effect means the audience is sucked right into the scene. The great thing is that the mockumentary effect didn’t induce motion sickness like Cloverfield did which was a great relief and left you to thoroughly enjoy the thrilling ride.

We had the opportunity to listen to the director and main actor of TrollHunter talk about the film after we saw it – in which he revealed to us how much he wanted to stay true to troll mythology and that it did. We were given a troll guide with different trolls with name, size guides and ages – fascinating! FYI – when TrollHunter was released in Norway at the time (October 2010), it even beat Inception at the Box Office!

Realistic (I cannot emphasis enough how realistic it is), suspenseful and refreshing with a healthy dose of Norwegian humour seasoned very well with horror – I highly recommend you all to see this film when it hits UK cinemas this September.

The Film Buzz Official Rating: *******½~~ (7.5/10)

Director: André Øvredal

Writer: André Øvredal, Håvard S. Johansen

UK Release Date: 9 September 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Alice — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:12:07 +0000

In Kung Fu Panda 2, Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five. But Po’s new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. Po must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed.

With a star-studded voiceover cast of Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman, Seth Rogen, Jack Black and Jackie Chan.

Director: Jennifer Yuh

Writer: Jonathan Aibel

UK Release Date: 10 June 2011

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011)

Alice — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:36:15 +0000

In this sequel to 2010′s surprise hit, Greg Heffley, the kid who made “wimpy” cool is back in an all-new family comedy based on the best-selling follow-up novel by Jeff Kinney. (Kinney’s Wimpy Kid” series has thus far sold 42 million books.)

As he begins seventh grade, Greg and his older brother – and chief tormentor – Rodrick must deal with their parents’ misguided attempts to have them bond.

Starring the original cast Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris and Robert Capron.

Prepare to be tickled pink or perhaps even aching from side-splitting laughter fits, this is a franchise set to take the world by storm by the most adorable ‘wimpy’ kid on the block.

Director: David Bowers

Writer: Gabe Sachs, Jeff Judah

UK Release Date: 27 May 2011

The Hangover Part II (2011)

Alice — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:25:28 +0000

The boys are BACK. For more mayhem and alcohol induced madness, this time set in Bangkok, Thailand. So what could possible go down this time? Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. With the memory of Doug’s nearly disastrous bachelor party in Las Vegas still fresh-or at least well-documented – Stu is taking no chances. He has opted for a safe, subdued, pre-wedding trip brunch, with pancakes, coffee…and no alcohol. However, things don’t always go as planned. Two nights before the big day, at a fabulous resort in Thailand, Stu relents. One beer each. In sealed bottles. What could go wrong? What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can’t even be imagined. “The Hangover Part II” is director Todd Phillips’ follow-up to his 2009 smash hit “The Hangover,” which became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time and also won the Golden Globe for Best Film – Comedy or Musical. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha star in the film, reprising their roles from “The Hangover.” The main cast also includes Ken Jeong and Jeffrey Tambor, who also return from the first film, and Mason Lee, Jamie Chung and Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti, who join the ensemble.

Let the hilarities begin…

Director: Todd Phillips

Writers: Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong

UK Release Date: 26 May 2011

Midnight in Paris (2011) Preview

Alice — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:10:48 +0000

Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, and Carla Bruni star in Woody Allen‘s romantic comedy about a family on a business trip in the City of Light. As a young couple engaged to be married experiences a profound transformation during their visit to Paris, an idealistic man with a romanticized view of the city finds that there’s plenty of truth to that old adage about the grass being greener on the other side. Michael Sheen, Mimi Kennedy, and Kurt Fuller co-star.

Release Date: May 11, 2011 (Cannes Film Festival)

Everything Must Go (2011) Preview

Alice — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:52:57 +0000

Adapted and directed by Dan Rush, and based on a short story by Raymond Carver, Everything Must Go tells the story of Nick Porter (Will Ferrell) a career salesman whose days of being on top are long gone. The same day Nick gets fired, for falling off the wagon one last time, he returns home to discover his wife has left him, changed the locks on their suburban home and dumped all his possessions out on the front yard. Faced with his life imploding, Nick puts it all on the line – or more properly, on the lawn – reluctantly holding a yard sale that becomes a unique strategy for survival.

Everything Must Go also stars Rebecca Hall and Laura Dern.

Release Date: May 13, 2011

Super (2011) Preview

Alice — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:45:31 +0000

In the outlandish dark comedy Super, James Gunn has created what is perhaps the definitive take on self-reflexive superheroes. When sad-sack loser Frank (Rainn Wilson) sees his ex-addict wife (Liv Tyler) willingly snatched by a seductive drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), he finds himself bereft and wholly unable to cope. But soon he decides to fight back under the guise of a DIY superhero called Crimson Bolt. With a hand-made suit, a wrench, and a crazed sidekick named Boltie (Ellen Page), the Crimson Bolt beats his way through the mean streets of crime in hopes of saving his wife. The rules were written a long time ago: You are not supposed to molest children, cut lines or key cars; if you do, prepare to face the wrath of the Crimson Bolt! No stranger to rebel film-making, James Gunn cut his teeth writing for Troma before making his directing debut with 2006′s SLITHER. In a similar vein, his follow-up feature combines absurd humor with balls-out violence to create something that is both unashamed and inimitable. But this time Gunn adds a new ingredient, one that is dark, dramatic and subversive to the core.

Super will be released in the USA on 1 April 2011 – keep your eyes peeled.

Little Fockers Interactive Trailer

Alice — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:26:06 +0000

Little Fockers is the latest instalment of the hugely successful and extremely hilarious Meet the Parents franchise and guess what you lucky people, we have a whole array of treats to kick-start the belly-aching laughs, perfect in this dreary weather for a pre-Christmas mood-booster!

Check out the interactive trailer:

Family-patriarch Jack Byrnes wants to appoint a successor. Does his son-in-law, the “male nurse”, Greg Focker have what it takes?

Starring Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Teri Polo, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand.

For all you Little wannabe Fockers out there, The Bouncy Castle game will kill much time whilst you fight as either Jack Byrnes or Greg Focker against the other, wrecking havoc at a children’s party. Also keep up to date with all the Focker madness by checking out their Facebook profile.

Little Fockers is out this Wednesday 22nd December, be sure to check out the official site for additional video content!

Opening This Week: 3rd December 2010

Alice — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:56:33 +0000

Ohhh, Christmas is nearly upon us and ’tis the season to indulge in great cinematic adventures!

In the lead up to Christmas, we shall be expecting a plethora of treats on the big screen, here is the pick of exciting movies released this week to whet your appetites.

Monsters

Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear and grow. In an effort to stem the destruction that resulted, half of Mexico was quarantined as an ‘infected zone’. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain the massive creatures… Our story begins when a jaded US journalist (McNairy) begrudgingly agrees to find his boss’ daughter, a shaken American tourist (Able) and escort her through the infected zone to the safety of the US border.

Starring: Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy

See it if you liked: Cloverfield (2008), District 9 (2009), The Road (2009)

Certificate: 12A

Genre: Sci-Fi/Thriller

Release Date: 3 December 2010

Megamind

Megamind is the most brilliant super-villain the world has ever known… and the least successful. Over the years, he has tried to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way. Each attempt has been a colossal failure, thanks to the caped superhero known as “Metro Man,” until the day Megamind actually defeats him in the throes of one of his botched evil plans. Suddenly, the fate of Metro City is threatened when a new villain arrives and chaos runs rampant, leaving everyone to wonder: Can the world’s biggest “mind” actually be the one to save the day?

Starring voices of: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill

See it if you liked: The Incredibles (2004), Shrek Forever After (2010), Toy Story 3 (2010)

Certificate: PG

Genre: Animation/Comedy

Release Date: 3 December 2010

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

It’s the eve of Christmas in northern Finland, and an ‘archeological’ dig has just unearthed the real Santa Claus. But this particular Santa isn’t the one you want coming to town. When the local children begin mysteriously disappearing, young Pietari and his father Rauno, a reindeer hunter by trade, capture the mythological being and attempt to sell Santa to the misguided leader of the multinational corporation sponsoring the dig. Santa’s elves, however, will stop at nothing to free their fearless leader from captivity. What ensues is a wildly humorous nightmare – a fantastically bizarre polemic on modern day morality. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is a re-imagining of the most classic of all childhood fantasies, and is a darkly comic gem soon to be required perennial holiday viewing.

Starring: Per Christian Ellefsen, Peeter Jakobi, Tommi Korpela

See it if you liked: Bad Santa (2003), The Big White (2005), The Hole 3D (2010)

Certificate: 15

Genre: Action/Comedy

Release Date: 3 December 2010

The Warrior’s Way

The world’s greatest swordsman abandons his warrior clan to start a new life in the American Badlands in The Warrior’s Way, a visually dazzling modern martial arts adventure with stunningly choreographed fight sequences and gravity-defying stunts. In an original, gorgeously realized journey into a mythical past, writer and director Sngmoo Lee seamlessly marries the cinematic traditions of East and West. Korean superstar Jang Dong Gun, Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston and Academy Award-winner Geoffrey Rush star in this epic story of revenge and redemption.

Starring: Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush, Danny Huston

See it if you liked: Solomon Kane (2009), Jet Li’s Fearless (2006), Jonah Hex (2010)

Certificate: 15

Genre: Action/Fantasy

Release Date: 3 December 2010

Due Date (2010) Preview

Maz — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:05:52 +0000

Due Date a comedy from director/producer Todd Phillips (The Hangover) hits theatres this November and stars Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man) as Peter Highman and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) as Ethan.

Downey plays a highly strung father who ends up having to travel across country with aspiring actor and all-round nutter Ethan to be able make it home in time for his child’s birth.

Due Date sure looks like a real hoot, but I’ve been disappointed with movies such as this before (great actors, really funny trailers, good writing team, but when you get to the theatre you feel like you’ve seen it all before). Downey will be excellent as always, and I’m quite looking forward to seeing him in a role that isn’t so ‘hero-centric’ – i.e. Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. Galifianakis I also like, but if the guy isn’t careful he’ll be typically cast in these wacky and strange character roles – although there’s nothing wrong with that because he’s good at it, I’d just like to see him spread his wings a bit and do something a little deeper.

Don’t forget to let us know what you think of Due Date, or if you’ll even be seeing it at all, comment below, on our Facebook group or by tweeting us!

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: ******~~~~ (6/10)

UK Release Date: 5th November 2010

Director: Todd Phillips

Writer’s: Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel, Todd Phillips