Reviews by PvtCaboose91

Like the majority of feature films, 2001's Shrek was designed as a one-off flick. The storyline was hence wrapped up at the film's conclusion since, naturally, a solid box office performance was not guaranteed. When Shrek earned over 8 times its budget at the box office, though, DreamWorks decided a Shrek 2 was warranted, and the creators were left to figure out the best way to continue the franchise. Unlike Pixar Studios, however, the folks at DreamWorks do not possess the patience or the creativity to ensure a sequel is implemented correctly. Therefore, one cannot expect Shrek 2 to conquer the dizzying heights of Toy Story 2 - rather, it's a moderately enjoyable but distinctly lacking follow-up.

At the beginning of this sequel, the titular ogre Shrek (Myers) is happily married to Princess Fiona (Diaz), and the two green giants are enjoying their honeymoon. They arrive home to their beloved swamp to find an invitation from Fiona's parents: the King and Queen of the kingdom of Far Far Away (voiced by Cleese and Andrews). See, the King and Queen caught wind of the wedding and desire to meet the man that their daughter has married. Despite Shrek's understandable reluctance, he and Fiona travel to the kingdom of Far Far Away, accompanied by Donkey (Murphy). Unsurprisingly, the entire kingdom is shocked to see Fiona show up in ogre form with an ogre husband. The King in particular does not approve, mainly due to a binding agreement with the Fairy Godmother (Saunders) which involved him promising Fiona's hand in marriage to Prince Charming (Everett).

One thing which can be said for certain is that the focus of Shrek 2 was on the laughs. Very few of the emotional moments from the first film are present here, as the filmmakers preferred to rely on quick humour and visual gags (including a brilliant Alien riff). As with most DreamWorks pictures, there are several knocks at Disney. There's an unflattering glimpse of Ariel (from The Little Mermaid) as well as the duo of Lumiere and Cogsworth (from Beauty and the Beast). The character of Puss in Boots (Banderas) - a feline assassin - is introduced as well, who provides a number of the best laughs through amusing dialogue. So in this sense, Shrek 2 is good family entertainment. The problem, however, is an over-reliance on pop culture gags which will lose their potency within the next decade. Laughs of the belly variety are few and far between, too. As a matter of fact, most of the gags provoke mere chuckles, and most are no longer funny after a single viewing. So far I've seen this movie twice: in cinemas in 2004, and on DVD in 2010. I almost never laughed as I watched it a second time, whereas the original Shrek still makes me laugh hard no matter how many times I've seen it.

Shrek 2 was directed by the trio of Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon, who were able to keep the film moving along at an agreeable pace and marshal several delightful set-pieces. The animation is phenomenal as well. Similar to its predecessor, the animation possesses a realistic feel in the midst of a cartoon environment. Scenes of rain & snow look almost photorealistic, while the backgrounds are exquisitely detailed. The characters are all incredibly expressive in their facial and body movements, though the humans still retain the slightly awkward look of something designed on a computer. As with the original film, too, the hair looks terrific - Puss in Boots in particular is a marvel. The original Shrek delivered a message regarding the importance of being yourself and looking beyond surface beauty, and Shrek 2 is more of the same - Shrek and Fiona struggle to spread this message to the kingdom of Far Far Away. However, while Shrek 2 is a fun flick, it offers little in the way of the original film's originality or, more importantly, its heart.

A wealth of vocal talent lent their voices to this sequel, including the majority of the original cast who returned to reprise their roles. Mike Myers is once again marvellous as Shrek, while Eddie Murphy fires off line after line of hilarious dialogue in his role of Donkey. Antonio Banderas voiced Puss in Boots here. Since the character is a swashbuckling cat, his performance is all the more amusing since Banderas has portrayed Zorro (a classic swashbuckler) in two live-action movies. Meanwhile, the always-reliable John Cleese is adequate as the King, though he is not allowed much room to be his usual hilarious self. Additionally, one of the original film's strengths was its unpredictable soundtrack, which featured mainstream artists like Smash Mouth and hip icons like Leonard Cohen. This is retained in Shrek 2, with artists like Ricky Martin sharing score space with Nick Cave.

True, Shrek 2 is at times funny, but it's entirely forgettable. Worse, the central characters have been relegated to spectators in their own movie who watch amusing things happening around them instead of to them. So, no, Shrek 2 is not as good as the first - not by a long shot. It is, however, at least enjoyable. It's not as breezy as Shrek (in fact the story drags in places) or as clever, yet it's a respectable enough effort. After the film made big bucks at the box office, Shrek the Third followed in 2007.

6.2/10

Once Pixar Studios released 1995's Toy Story (the first entirely computer-animated feature film in history) the reality of producing CG animated films was realised, and it wasn't long before studios outside of Pixar began making forays into the new genre. DreamWorks has always been a strong contender for Pixar's crown, and among their first endeavours was 2001's Shrek (Antz was their debut). Essentially a fairytale given a contemporary spin with modern humour and hit pop music, Shrek is an excellent animation effort packed with a number of winning elements: an involving narrative, a visually stunning world, a handful of moral lessons, and an enormous handful of laughs. There are sight gags and fart jokes to entertain the younger demographic, while there are several masterfully implemented witticisms for an older audience to enjoy. Shrek is not just a film for the kids - it appeals to anyone of any age group.

Shrek predominantly plays out like the fairy tales it spoofs. Set in the faraway land known as Duloc, Shrek (Mike Myers) lives a comfortable, simplistic life in his beloved swamp, and adores his privacy. Meanwhile, Duloc's heartless ruler Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) rounds up all the fantastical creatures in his kingdom, evicts them, and forces them to relocate to Shrek's swamp. Peeved by the intrusion on his personal space, Shrek sets off to pay Farquaad a visit. In tow is a motor-mouth donkey known as Donkey (Eddie Murphy). Shrek and Farquaad strike a deal: in return for getting back his swamp, Shrek will undertake a quest to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from the tower where she is held prisoner. See, Farquaad needs to marry a princess in order for him to become king, but is too afraid to rescue Fiona from the fire-breathing dragon himself.

Co-directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, Shrek works so deviously well due to the way it completely desecrates and subverts the traditional Disney approach. It's a full-scale parody of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, while everything in between gets caught up in a fusillade of affectionate piss-takes. Nothing is sacred in the world of fairytales, with bluebirds exploding before our eyes, and frogs and snakes being blown up to make balloons. Fart jokes are present for tots, while there are WWE-style bouts and Matrix-inspired fights to appease the teens, and Eddie Murphy's hysterical Donkey provides a stream of witty dialogue intended for the grown-ups. Simply put, Murphy hasn't scraped these comedic heights for years. Sure, the film is at times too juvenile and it lacks the maturity of Pixar's efforts, but in the end the film is a total blast, and it's easy to recognise that the juvenile elements are all in good fun.

In terms of computer-generated animation techniques, Shrek raised the bar once again - and the bar was already at an impressively high level after Toy Story 2. The movie boasts impressive detail in the almost photorealistic backgrounds, as well as amazingly rendered creatures. The texturing on Donkey alone is incredible - his fur is so meticulously detailed that it looks as if you could reach out and feel the animal's softness. Although the human beings are not entirely lifelike, the technique has markedly improved since Toy Story. In fact, this is the first major computer-animated feature in which humans serve a significant role in the proceedings, and you should have no trouble accepting them as humans. (Antz and Dinosaur had no human characters, while humans played secondary parts in the two Toy Story movies.)

With computer animation becoming a prevalent medium, it's vital to select the right voices for the characters. Voices do define each role, after all, and a bad choice could trigger irreparable damage. Fortunately, Shrek features four capable stars in the lead roles. First and foremost is Mike Myers, who is a vocal chameleon. In the titular role, Myers is terrific; espousing a Scottish brogue that's gruffly lovable. Myers is often upstaged by Eddie Murphy, whose distinctive voice has always been one of his strongest features as a comedian. As proved by Mulan and now Shrek, Murphy is born for these animated roles. The energetic, eager-to-please, loud-mouthed Donkey is one of the funniest characters Murphy has brought to the screen, and his consistently funny remarks are what viewers will likely remember the most about the movie. Meanwhile, Cameron Diaz is a terrific Princess Fiona, and John Lithgow is a memorable villain.

If Shrek is marred by any problems, they lie in the story's resolution. For the first 75 minutes of its runtime the film lampoons fairytales, yet on the home stretch it succumbs to a cookie-cutter fairytale ending. It's a satisfying resolution, sure, but it's nonetheless highly ironic. Thankfully, the movie then closes with a musical number which has Donkey performing his rendition of I'm a Believer, and you'll be almost willing to forgive the conventions. When all's said and done, Shrek is sharp, funny, and engaging on both an emotional and technical level. It's not a guilty pleasure for sophisticated movie-goers; it's purely and simply a pleasure which can be enjoyed by anyone of any age. Unsurprisingly, the film's $485 million box office performance (from a $60 million budget) led to three sequels, beginning with Shrek 2 in 2004.

8.3/10

Collaborating again with French super-producer Luc Besson, Unleashed (also known as Danny the Dog) denotes a change of action movie pace for Jet Li. While infused with punches, kicks, and an array of beatings, Unleashed primarily functions as an effective character piece which combines violent fight scenes with a story of redemption, hope and rebirth. In lesser hands the film would have fallen flat on its face, yet it works extraordinarily well in the hands of Besson, director Louis Leterrier and the talented cast, allowing Li to accomplish the best English-language performance of his career. Interestingly, the movie came to pass because Jet Li was keen to attempt something different, so he approached Besson (whom he knew from their previous collaboration, Kiss of the Dragon) and asked him to write a different type of action film for him. Unleashed was the result.

In the malevolent care of his uncle Bart (Hoskins), orphan Danny (Li) has been raised to become a lean mean killing machine who's only silenced by the metal collar around his neck. Specifically, Danny is used as an attack dog to enforce Bart's will on other criminals or to collect debts. When a twist of fate sets Danny free of Bart's control, he befriends a blind piano tuner named Sam (Freeman) and his stepdaughter Victoria (Condon). They take the childlike Danny into their home to educate him in how to be a human being, and he slowly regains his humanity that was lost over the years spent at the end of Bart's leash. However, danger arrives when Bart wants his attack dog back, and threatens to destroy Danny's peaceful new life in order to reclaim him.

The story behind Unleashed is something one would expect from Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Leon: The Professional), who tends to use the reoccurring theme of identity for his screenplays. In this case, the film concerns Danny's identity - is he a brutal pet or a childlike, innocent soul? With its mix of action and tender drama which recalls Leon: The Professional, Besson and director Leterrier (The Transporter) have concocted a satisfying motion picture that's more heartfelt than expected. When the movie is kinetic, the action is furious, but when it's dramatic it radiates an old-fashioned sweetness and the pacing never gets bogged down. While Unleashed is not necessarily deep and is unmistakably a mainstream product, the filmmakers get credit for generally succeeding at being different.

Surprisingly, Unleashed works so well due to the central performance by Jet Li. You had better mark this down on your Apocalypse Countdown Calendar as the day a review actually praised Li's acting skills. His role of Danny is a tragic figure who has been physically and emotionally brutalised. Subtleties abound in Li's portrayal; it's possible to sense the fear and pain in his eyes and gestures. Li also delivers what's expected from him in a series of bone-crunching, gravity-defying stunts which were predominantly pulled off without the aid of wires or special effects. Yuen Woo Ping acted as the choreographer on the film, and his fight choreography is a tad different from the usual martial arts acrobatics - instead of graceful and stylish, the fights are rawer and grittier, as if Danny is fighting like a dog. Added to this, the choreography was captured smartly by Leterrier who used long camera shots to show off Li's skill as a fighter.

Another interesting character is Victoria. It would've been easy for a stereotypically pretty actress to fill the part and add a forced romance to the story, but the filmmakers went Kerry Condon, who is ideal for the role. Her performance as Victoria is that of a down-to-earth, almost geeky teenaged girl. Condon is exceedingly beautiful to be sure, but not in a Megan Fox sense. Meanwhile, Bob Hoskins as Bart is a standout. Clearly, Hoskins realised how outlandish his role was, and revelled in it. His scenery chewing is of the highest order here. If Hoskins had a moustache, he would have spent the entire film twirling it. While the other cast members endeavoured to bring realism to the story, Hoskins is the opposite, and his performance is great fun. Meanwhile, Morgan Freeman's performance as Sam benefits from a spot-on combination of sweetness, sympathy and sincerity.

Of course, Unleashed is not a realistic motion picture, yet this is like complaining that the ocean is damp. It does require a certain suspension of disbelief - we are supposed to accept that British loan sharks are capable of raising a child as a dog, and that three decades of psychological conditioning can be undone in a few weeks thanks to love. If you can excuse the silliness, you'll realise Unleashed is an action film with heart that alternates between the beautiful and the kick-ass, but at no point topples into eye-rolling saccharine territory.

7.5/10

In 1995, Toy Story forever changed the realm of cinematic animation, paving the way for studios to move away from hand-drawn animation, an art form that is now nearly extinct. The first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story was a worldwide smash, and, especially after the success of A Bug's Life (Pixar's follow-up feature), a sequel was inevitable. Although initially envisioned as a 60-minute straight-to-video effort (reminiscent of the sequels to Aladdin and The Lion King), Toy Story 2 began shaping up far better than anticipated, demanding a longer runtime and theatrical distribution. This decision led to one of their most successful sequels to date - 1999's Toy Story 2 is a superb follow-up that's larger in scope while retaining the charms of the original film. This is also a rare instance of a sequel being more successful than its predecessor both critically and commercially - it cost $90 million to produce (three times more than Toy Story) and earned approximately $485 million at the box office.

Reminiscent of its predecessor, Toy Story 2 is about the toys owned by Andy (John Morris) pulling together to rescue a lost toy. During a yard sale, the spirited cowboy doll Woody (Tom Hanks) tries to save one of his friends from being sold, but is stolen by a diabolical toy collector, Al (Wayne Knight). See, Woody is a rare relic from the 1950s, and Al steals Woody to complete the set to which he belongs, as he intends to refurbish each figure and sell the collection to a Japanese museum. Thus, Woody reunites with the rest of his "Round Up Gang," including cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), horse Bullseye, and Stinky Pete the Prospector (Kelsey Grammer). Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) leads the rescue effort to find Woody, accompanied by a loyal crew of toys: Mr. Potato Head (Ron Rickles), Rex the Dinosaur (Wallace Shawn), Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), and Hamm (John Ratzenberger).

Pixar once again crafts an animated magnum opus in Toy Story 2, with a charming cast of delightful characters and a masterclass screenplay (by Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin and Chris Webb) providing spirited humour and high-flying adventure. At its core, the original Toy Story is about friendship and the importance of love in everyone's lives, and this quality is retained in Toy Story 2. The toys are important to Andy because they are his pals, Andy is important to the toys because he makes them feel needed, and the toys are important to each other because life is meaningless without interpersonal relationships. There's a powerful underlying story strand about the toys pondering their fate after becoming broken or replaced, or their owner outgrows them. An unexpected poignancy stems from the knowledge that the characters - despite being made of plastic - have a limited lifespan.

Toy Story slyly pokes fun at American popular culture, and Toy Story 2 has an all-out party both referencing and skewering pop culture. Barbie dolls appear here, and toy collectors receive a sharp grilling. Additionally, the black-and-white segments of the old Woody's Round-Up television show simultaneously pay tribute to and satirise old children's TV shows featuring marionettes. With all these elements in place, returning director John Lasseter and the four credited writers further expand the possibilities of what can be done in a movie about toys while recapturing the spirit and magic of the original film. There's even self-referential humour (cameos from the cast of A Bug's Life), and there are exhilarating set pieces galore, culminating in a breathtaking finale in an airport that's epic in scope and scale. One of Lasseter's co-directors on the film, Lee Unkrich, went on to direct 2010's Toy Story 3 and 2017's Coco.

Thankfully, the voice cast remains brilliant in this sequel. The principal actors all make their return here - Hanks as Woody, Allen as Buzz, Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Shawn as Rex, and many others, all of whom are impeccable in their respective roles. Toy Story 2 also boasts several new additions to the cast, including Joan Cusack and Kelsey Grammer as members of Woody's gang, while Wayne Knight voices the unscrupulous Al, and Jodi Benson (Ariel from The Little Mermaid) appears as Tour Guide Barbie. One has to marvel at how far animation managed to advance in the four years following Toy Story - in this follow-up, animated movement is more fluid, humans are more lifelike, and hair is more realistic. The camerawork is also more interesting, with an effort to duplicate the type of shots typically obtained through live-action cinematography. Cinematographer Sharon Calahan (A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo) uses lighting and filters to establish various moods (see the flashbacks during Jessie's song), and there's an effective depth-of-field to the imagery, with parts of each shot appearing out of focus.

You would have to be a joyless curmudgeon not to be entertained by Toy Story 2, which almost perfectly balances content for kids and content for adults. With its witty humour, thoughtful narrative, lush animation and marvellous set pieces, Toy Story 2 hits all the right notes and proves that not all sequels are inferior to their predecessor. One would never guess that the production of this sequel was so troubled; there were creative reshuffles and unrealistic deadlines, and the movie was almost entirely deleted from Pixar's internal servers after a deletion code was accidentally entered. Yet, everything came together in the end, making Toy Story 2 a strong example of art through adversity. Many have called this the Godfather: Part II of the animation realm, and who am I to argue with that? The film's box office performance and strong critical reception prompted another sequel, though it did not arrive until eleven years later, in 2010.

9.1/10

In 1995, Pixar Studios permanently changed the medium of animation with the release of Toy Story, the first feature-length motion picture created digitally using computers. Before this, computer animation was an intriguing gimmick requiring further refinement and experimentation. However, director John Lasseter and his skilled team of Pixar animators launched a new industry with Toy Story by successfully demonstrating the merit of feature-length CGI-animated movies, showing that the new medium was ready for the big time. Toy Story took international audiences by storm, inspired an artistic revolution, and was a tremendous box office success, earning $360 million worldwide. Pixar never looked back, going on to produce a revered stream of computer-animated titles, including Toy Story 2, Monster's Inc., Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Up and more. Fortunately, Pixar's movies do not solely rely on their slick technical presentation - they contain genuine heart, style and substance, reminding us that computer animation can exhibit the same qualities of Disney's most memorable hand-drawn efforts.

Like most Pixar stories, Toy Story's plot is not overly complicated. The idea is simple: when kids are not around, their toys come alive and enjoy an existence of their own. Woody (Tom Hanks) is an old cowboy doll, and he's the favourite toy of young Andy (John Morris). Andy has many additional toys in his room, including a Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), a plastic dinosaur named Rex (Wallace Shawn), a Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), a piggy bank named Hamm (John Ratzenberger), and a tub of plastic army men led by Sergeant (R. Lee Ermey). Andy's birthday is always a time of tension and anxiety for the toys, as it brings the threat of replacement. Alas, upon Andy's birthday, the young boy receives a Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger action figure (Tim Allen) that immediately takes Andy's attention away from Woody. This sparks a rivalry between Woody and Buzz, leading to them being accidentally jettisoned from the house.

Toy Story mixes buddy comedy (think '80s odd couple cop movies) with adventure, and it ruminates on weighty themes concerning loss, rejection, acceptance, loyalty, and the value of friendship. The only noticeable drawback is how confined the action is and its lack of scope compared to later Pixar efforts. This is forgivable because it is the first feature-length computer-animated movie in history, but it is hard to ignore after all these years. Although the animation is no longer as impressive due to the technological advances in the interim, the movie still looks marvellous. Rich in detail (the texture of wooden floors, the reflections in polished surfaces), the colourful, brilliantly rendered animation represents an industry breakthrough. Toy Story was created on a reported budget of $30 million and required approximately 110 animators to produce. The studio used three hundred computers to render the picture, with individual frames taking up to 15 hours to process. This is why multiple viewings are essential - one cannot fully appreciate the stunning craftsmanship displayed in a single viewing.

In addition to directing, Lasseter developed the story and penned the script with a team of writers. Among his co-writers were Pete Docter (who went on to direct Monsters, Inc. and Up), Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E), Joe Ranft (who contributed to the story for both The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast), Buffy creator Joss Whedon, as well as Joel Cohen and Alex Sokolow. The idea of toys coming to life is probably as ancient as toys themselves and is perhaps something most children ponder, making it ideal fodder to explore in Toy Story. However, expanding this idea to a feature-length motion picture necessitated creative ideas regarding the lives of toys. After all, if toys were, in fact, alive, they would possess a sense of their own existence and role in the universe, and these notions serve to anchor the film's most whimsical scenes and allow the toys to feel like more than plastic creations. They have souls.

Toy Story also demonstrates that, from the very beginning, Pixar had the patience to do everything correctly, paying attention to screenwriting and storytelling fundamentals. The movie features sympathetic characters that audiences can care about, with relatable aspirations and fears, and who undergo complex character arcs. To capitalise on nostalgia, the characters are based on existing toys, except for Woody and Buzz (though they became toys after the film, anyway). Disney veteran Randy Newman also wrote the soundtrack's original songs, which are memorable and enjoyable - the production's best and most iconic song, You've Got a Friend, received an Oscar nomination. Added to this, the movie has action and adventure, while humourous gags balance out the moments of pathos. With accomplished craftsmanship bringing the movie to life, Toy Story is a delightful fable. If one were to sample the animated misfires of following years - Planet 51, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, even Pixar's Cars - one sees what Toy Story could've been in less skilful hands. The film does not live and die by its technological advances.

The voiceover performances are top-notch across the board, particularly Hanks as Woody, Allen as Buzz and Ratzenberger as Hamm. There's even a memorable turn by R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket), who voices all the plastic soldiers. Lasseter cast actors who can create characters, rather than hiring fancy names for the sake of box office returns. Just as Disney fans will always have a soft spot for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (the first hand-drawn animation feature), Pixar junkies will forever revere Toy Story, and rightfully so. It stands as a wonderful encapsulation of what Pixar is all about - excellent animation, witty dialogue, emotion, great stories and an impeccable voice cast. The film was followed by three sequels, beginning with Toy Story 2 in 1999.

8.8/10

In typical Hollywood style, the '80s television show The A-Team has been revived and reinvented in the form of an over-the-top, big-budget summer blockbuster. With the cheesy source material in mind, this new movie is more or less what you'd expect: chaotic, loud, overwrought, illogical and violent - everything that's wrong with Hollywood movies today. While this somewhat enjoyable film can be admired for living up to its source material in this sense, The A-Team is by no stretch a good movie. Instead, it's a flashy succession of meaningless gags and elaborate set-pieces, some of which work while others don't, but none of which add up to anything substantial. Additionally, it's difficult to watch The A-Team without your nostrils being filled by the stench of commerce - after all, it is a blockbuster adaptation of a popular TV show, funded by the soulless, cash-grabbing folks at 20th Century Fox.

In comic book parlance, The A-Team is infused with an origins narrative designed to show how a group of characters arrive at a familiar point. In the original series, the titular team were an elite group of ex-military mercenaries who were incarcerated for a crime they didn't commit. The basic gist of the set-up is retained in this version, and given a contemporary spin. The team is comprised of the gruff Hannibal Smith (Neeson), the muscular behemoth B.A. Baracus (Jackson), the womanising Templeton 'Faceman' Peck (Cooper), and the unbalanced but brilliant pilot 'Mad' Murdock. After a series of impromptu meetings in Mexico during several unrelated adventures, the four men team up and quickly make a name for themselves as the most successful and effective alpha unit that the U.S. Military has to offer. Towards the end of the Iraq War, the team are framed and sent to prison for a crime they did not commit. Subsequently, they all escape from prison and set out to clear their names.

The A-Team appears to take place in an alternate, cartoonish universe where the laws of physics do not apply and the bad guys are unable to fire guns with any semblance of accuracy. In fact, the only time a member of the A-Team is injured by a bullet is due to friendly fire. The screenplay (cooked up by nearly a dozen writers, who worked on it for many years) has no interest at all in logic or even character motivation, leaving it almost impossible to figure out what the bad guys want, where they are, or who they are trying to kill. A bunch of counterfeit plates constitute the MacGuffin of the plot, yet this MacGuffin is stale and boring. The flat nature of the story is accentuated by a lack of surprises. There's something approximating a plot twist, yet it's not of the truly shocking variety. To the credit of the writers, however, there are a few nice moments of comedy, and the script managed to retain Hannibal's lust for exhaustive preparation, leading to a few hearty weapons-manufacturing montages. The plans that the team conceive, too, are clever and smart. Thus, The A-Team is a bit of a contradictory film in the sense that it's both powerfully dumb and smartly-constructed.

Those wanting to watch The A-Team are most likely wanting to see some action, yet the quality of the action is drastically mixed. It would seem director Joe Carnahan and his team were incapable of filming and editing action sequences in a coherent manner. Action junkies will no doubt be unsatisfied by the embrace of chaotic, "modern" action techniques reminiscent of Michael Bay movies, with ultra fast cuts, a constantly moving camera and irritating close-ups which will likely leave viewers wondering what on earth is going on during the middle of a battle. Even the hand-to-hand combat sequences are muddled and incoherent, not to mention a few crucial explication sequences suffer similarly, which means viewers will have to wait for the smoke to clear until they can determine what just happened. The intended sense of fun manages to come through from time to time, but it's nothing compared to what a more skilled action director could have delivered.

The PG-13 rating no doubt has something to do with the filming style, as the director had to stage action which would not necessitate shots of blood being spilled. While the original television show was PG and nobody was ever killed, this A-Team incarnation indeed features people getting shot. When people are shot and no blood is spilled, it detracts from the reality of the situation. It's also worth noting that, although the film boasts frequent action, there's little in the way of suspense or tension. This is because there's no willingness to kill off any main characters, meaning we know all of the characters will survive every perilous situation. Added to this, the memorable, zingy theme of The A-Team is used only rarely. It would have afforded an added zip to the action, yet the filmmakers continually opted to rely on Alan Silvestri's generic, forgettable score.

Thankfully, the new cast managed to do an admirable job of imitating their 1980s counterparts. The always-reliable Liam Neeson is suitably authoritative, wise and gruff as the A-Team's elder. Bradley Cooper (recently seen making a name for himself in films like The Hangover, He's Just Not That Into You and Valentine's Day) is ideal as Face - he managed to imbue his portrayal of the character with a smug, roguish charm while simultaneously making him a credible military man. In playing Murdock, Sharlto Copley proved that his acting debut in 2009's District 9 was no fluke. Copley's performance is spot-on, and he managed to hide his African accent commendably (though it's used as a joke at one point). The only weak link of the four is Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson as B.A. Baracus, who's neither a good actor nor Mr. T - he comes across as a mere buffoon, not a genuinely intimidating threat. Mr. T is sorely missed (and he reportedly hated this movie adaptation). Jessica Biel, meanwhile, is the eye candy, and she does a weak job in her role as Sosa. As the villains of the picture, Patrick Wilson (Lynch) chews the scenery in his terrific performance, and Brian Bloom (Pike) is adequate.

The A-Team is overly cartoonish, to be sure. But the main problem is that it's not cartoonish enough. In contrast with flat-out insane action flicks like Crank and Shoot 'Em Up, The A-Team asks us to take it seriously too many times, rather than laughing constantly and enjoying the ride. Let's face it, too, if the film was called anything other than The A-Team, you wouldn't put up with its flaws. You'd demand to know why the laws of physics do not apply, or how fugitives are able to travel the world with unlimited resources, money and weapons. You'd also like to find out how all the capers were achieved. This is not a bad film per se, but it's distinctly mediocre, and feels utterly disposable - just like the majority of action movies released in recent years. Had the action been better framed and presented, this could have been one of 2010's action high points. As it is, it's just a barely passable diversion. Oh well, at least it's better than The Losers.

5.9/10

Police Story II (a.k.a. Ging chaat goo si juk jaap) is the second part of an action film franchise. In keeping with the usual philosophy of action sequels, Police Story II is a far bigger film in terms of scope, ambition and execution, with more pyrotechnics and bigger fights. Additionally, in keeping with the usual law of this approach, the filmmakers behind Police Story II forgot that bigger is not always better. There's a lack of freshness hampering this follow-up, in addition to a demand for a bigger suspension of disbelief and far too much downtime in between the memorable moments. When the film is on, my word it is on, but when it's off? My word it's off.

Wasting no time whatsoever, save for recapping the events of the previous movie, Police Story II kicks off immediately following the events of 1985's Police Story. Chan Ka Kui (Chan) has been relegated to uniformed traffic control duty because of his unorthodox approach to his police work. Despite his efforts putting drug lord Mr. Chu (Chor) behind bars, the criminal is now out of prison due to a three-month life expectancy, and has vowed to make Ka Kui's life a misery. Added to this, a group of criminals have started planting bombs in certain locations around the city, and are blackmailing large corporations for money. While Ka Kui wishes to go on vacation with his girlfriend May (Cheung), Ka Kui's superiors want him back on the force to track down the bombers. Before long, Ka Kui is back doing what he does best: kicking criminal ass.

As with the original film, the main reason to check out Police Story II is the action. In this regard, the film earns a recommendation. There are fight sequences inside a restaurant and in a playground, both of which are excellent examples of Chan's stunt style. Interestingly, Chan choreographed the fights on the set, as he would examine the surroundings to decide which props to use and how. Also in the film is a fight with a scrawny deaf-mute, which facilitated moments of Chan getting beaten. Unlike many egocentric action stars, Chan found it fun to let himself get one-upped from time to time. The proceedings eventually culminate with a massive battle in a fireworks factory; incorporating exhilarating fisticuffs, clever use of props, and a massive show of pyrotechnics that remains utterly spectacular all these years on. Chan is, of course, an exceptional director when it comes to this material - all the stunt work and fight moves were done without the aid of strings, and Chan wanted to ensure his cameras captured every moment of the astounding choreography. Speaking from a filmmaking standpoint, Police Story II is head and shoulders above its predecessor. The inventive camera set-ups, creative use of handheld cameras, and general staging of otherwise banal scenes affords the film a more polished look.

Chan's character, Ka Kui, is the consummate everyman; a likeable, and at times puckish do-gooder who may possess superhuman abilities but clearly has to pull out all the stops in order to survive. Fortunately, the comedic elements of Police Story II are less stupid than those within the original film, although there's an obnoxious running gag involving fart jokes. It's also much less fun than its predecessor due to the trite plot. Essentially, were it not for Jackie Chan, this would have been a second-rate Dirty Harry picture. While the action scenes here are of a high standard, there are long stretches without Chan in action. Adding insult to injury, the mid-section is unnecessarily dragged out and unforgivably sluggish. There is seldom any tension throughout this section; it's just observation and pursuing the bomb planters. The elements involving Ka Kui's love life are clumsily handled, as well.

Despite its multiple flaws, Police Story II manages to deliver in the action department at least. Jackie Chan is always engaging on-screen, as he performed top-notch stunts and intricate fight scenes while at the same time providing a bit of comedy to keep things light. There's nothing in the world quite like a showcase of Jackie Chan and his death-defying stuntmen doing what they do best, and this sequel contains all that good stuff. As with the original movie, an ouchtakes montage is played during the end credits, which is filled with behind-the-scenes footage of the stunts that went dangerously wrong.

6.0/10

Jackie Chan's character here is dedicated Hong Kong police officer Chan Ka Kui. During a raid on a shanty town during the opening sequence that goes awry, Ka Kui manages to arrest drug lord Mr. Chu (Chor) as well as Chu's secretary Selina (Lin). Ka Kui's superiors force Selina to testify against her boss in court, and assign Ka Kui to act as Selina's bodyguard in case of attack. From here on in, Ka Kui works to protect Selina and take down Mr. Chu. And that's literally it - the plot is merely a string of vignettes, not unlike typical run-of-the-mill actioners that were all the rage throughout the '80s and '90s.

There are only a few reasons to see Police Story, and none of these reasons include plot or acting. Nay, the main attractions are the extraordinary martial arts action sequences and the stunt work, all of which was performed by Chan and his team of death-defying stuntmen. Chan could not move into Hollywood at this stage in his career because no Hollywood studio would agree to insure him! In the film's opening sequence, Chan latches onto a bus with an umbrella, and is seen trying to clamber inside the bus while criminals are attempting to knock him off. No stunt doubles are used here - Chan is clearly seen risking his life for the sake of his art. The climax in particular is a humdinger of an action sequence; an epic martial arts battle taking place in a shopping mall. In addition to the stunningly choreographed fights here (for which faces smash into display cases and shards of glass fly in almost every frame), there are some breathtaking stunts, one of which landed Chan in hospital. Chan has the eye of a great director, as well. He always lensed his chaotic action scenes from the most dynamic and artful camera angle. He even chose to repeat some of the biggest stunts from different angles just to show that it's real - and to show off.

Written by, directed by and starring Jackie Chan (who also sang the title song), Police Story is very surface-level stuff, since, like similar films, the script was clearly constructed around the action sequences. As a result, the plot is inconsequential and merely a flimsy excuse for Chan and his team to try to kill themselves. With this in mind, the explication scenes are predominantly boring, and the film is undermined by one-dimensional characters, a draggy narrative, and a lack of emotional conviction. Additionally, the entire cast was clearly overacting and there are far too many abysmal moments of goofy comedy. Police Story is never a great film due to this; it's barely a good film. Basically, you could just watch the first 20 minutes, the final 20 minutes, as well as the short fight scenes in the middle, and then happily call it a day.

Police Story is definitely recommended for fans of Jackie Chan as well as martial arts enthusiasts. The stunt work on display here is simply too incredible to miss and the film is undoubtedly enjoyable, even if there are severe problems in the script department. It's the pinnacle of Chan's Hong Kong career and it served as a launching point for his journey over to Hollywood, where his stunts got soft. Make sure you stick around for the film's closing credits, which are played over a reel of behind-the-scenes footage and ouchtakes showing several stunts that went painfully wrong.

6.2/10

Over recent years, the film noir genre has largely served as a reference point for filmmakers, who dress up their movies with snappy dialogue and/or complex, violent stories but neglect the genre's bleakness. In this modern era, the Coen Brothers are often credited as the life support system for classic noir, but the Coens appear to have serious competition in the form of Australian filmmaker and stuntman Nash Edgerton, whose feature debut - The Square - is a brilliantly twisty, gritty contemporary film noir. Nominated for 7 Australian Film Institute Awards (including Best Film, Best Direction and Best Original Screenplay), The Square is a film noir in the classic mould given a distinctly modern flavour. Screenwriters Joel Edgerton (Nash's brother) and Matthew Dabner have constructed the film using several familiar elements: a decent man, the temptation of a young woman, and the dream of living happily ever after away from the monotony of married life.

Like all film noirs, The Square begins with a simple bad decision. Like most of the bad decisions in the genre, it involves a large amount of cash. The principals are lured to said cash, and this leads to horrifying ramifications. In this particular instance, it's young Carla (van der Boom) who finds the bag of money, which was poorly hidden in the attic crawlspace of her house by her shady slob of a husband Smithy (Hayes). Carla has been having an affair with her neighbour Ray (Roberts) for an unspecified amount of time, and she perceives the money as a way out of her marriage. In order for the money to disappear without Smithy noticing, Ray hires an arsonist (Edgerton) to burn down Carla's home. But, of course, it's never that easy, and the theft sets off an unfortunate series of steps that sees Ray, Carla, Smithy, the arsonist, and many others get caught up in a web of murder and deceit.

The title of The Square can be interpreted in several ways. In one reading, it describes Ray; the quiet, straitlaced construction site supervisor. The title also describes the as-yet-unbuilt concrete plaza at the centre of Ray's current worksite, while it could also be interpreted as describing Ray's romantic life as well (which is more complicated than a mere love triangle).

Similar to the films of the Coen Brothers (Fargo, Blood Simple), The Square contains a certain dark humour, with the plan going so terribly awry that it becomes comical. A nightmarish quality remains, though, enhanced by the grim portrayals of the desperate characters who believe they can still salvage this mess. One of the film's myriad pleasures is the way it teases viewers. Edgerton and Dabner's script constructs a house of cards around the increasingly desperate leads who aren't cut out for criminal life. If one card was to be removed, the entire plan would collapse - but there are so many cards that it's difficult to tell which will be pulled out. It's clear the writers knew noir very well, with the plotting reminiscent of classics like Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice, as well as more contemporary films like A Simple Plan. Yet, the plot is given a fresh new spin, and transplanted into the suburbs of Sydney, Australia without feeling overly derivative. Even better, this micro-budget Aussie pic could genuinely compete with the masters of the genre.

Additionally, The Square is a potent, twist-laden tension generator, with the filmmakers gleefully upping the ante for Ray at every turn in ways that seem almost insurmountable. Brad Shield, the talented cinematographer, was able to turn the string of murders into breathtaking, nail-biting set-pieces. With Shield's skilful photography and Nash's competent direction, the film is blessed with a gloriously gritty look, conveying a sense of dread that ensures a viewer will never believe any of the characters will survive unscathed. In fact, in a seemingly random subplot involving two dogs, there's an interesting sense of dark humour that underlines the noir-esque theme of love working out for none of the characters.

A large amount of the film's success can be attributed to the exceptional performance of David Roberts as Ray. He's a little-known actor in his home country of Australia, and thus there's little star power in The Square, but this is a classic case of choosing the correct actor for the part rather than choosing a big-name star for the sake of box office returns. Alongside Roberts, the gorgeous Claire van der Boom is never short of convincing, and is guaranteed to hold any male viewer's attention. Co-writer Joel Edgerton (already a recognised actor, having starred in Smokin' Aces, Star Wars II and III, Ned Kelly and King Arthur) also delivers a frightening, jittery performance as the unstable Billy. The remainder of the cast, meanwhile, are all superb in their respective roles (The Chaser's Julian Morrow even has a small part).

Marred only by a rushed climax and an underwritten screenplay (in particular, Ray's marriage is severely underdeveloped), The Square is the type of quality movie that's a rarity in the Australian filmmaking climate. It's small in scope, yet rich in atmosphere, tension, story and character. It's also ridiculously intense, gripping and filled with twists. A crackerjack thriller and a trip into Down Under noir hell, this is a sensational feature debut for the Nash Edgerton.

8.4/10

It's beyond me as to what genre The Bounty Hunter falls into. Romantic comedy? Action comedy? Romance actioner? Romantic comedy actioner? Alas, no matter which of these genres applies to the film, it's a tremendous failure. The romance is stale, the action is more likely to induce sleep than elevate the pulse, and the comedy is flatter than a sheet of paper. At no stage is the film even able to reach the heights of mere mediocrity. There is absolutely no on-screen chemistry between Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston, and the movie is both hopelessly forgettable and awfully unappealing.

The story, such as it is, concerns for-rent bounty hunter Milo (Butler). Not long into the proceedings, Milo is assigned a case he expects to relish - track down his bail-jumping ex-wife Nicole (Aniston) and bring her to gaol. As fate would have it, this job is not as fun or as easy as Milo had anticipated, predominantly because Nicole, a dedicated reporter, is working on a big story and there are bad guys who want her dead. Soon enough, Milo and Nicole are on the run together from a bunch of henchmen, leaving room for them to predictably reassess their failed marriage.

It would seem The Bounty Hunter was intended to be similar to Mr. & Mrs. Smith, yet it miserably fails at this questionable goal. Once the whole State of Play-style plot is introduced, though, the movie transitions from woeful rom-com to truly unwatchable pile of shit. The writing is sloppy and laboured, with a by-the-numbers script offering the police scandal subplot merely to provide the principals with something else to squabble about. Naturally, the generic story also forces Milo and Nicole to recognise how much they actually care about one another. From the very beginning, you can guess every beat of the well-worn Hollywood formula. Clearly, it was supposed to be a fun formula exploring the line between love and hate, but the emotion I mostly experienced throughout the movie was hate, and it was aimed at the filmmakers who were responsible for wasting 105 minutes of my life with this bullshit.

As previously discussed, The Bounty Hunter is something approximating a romantic comedy actioner. Allowing director Andy Tennant to handle these elements, though, is the equivalent of handing Burger King the assignment of serving up a high-class steak dinner. Tennant is a bland studio director without a clue about the art of cinematic personality; his prior films include Fool's Gold and Hitch, both of which are watchable but utterly disposable works of film. Even the mediocrity of his previous efforts cannot be retained here. Admittedly, The Bounty Hunter begins well enough, with the initial half-hour providing a couple of amusing moments here and there. Yet, Tennant's incompetent directorial touch when it comes to adventure, action and chemistry soon derails this minimal amount of interest. Eventually, the narrative closes with a blink-and-you'll-miss-it climax intended to be the pay-off to the agonisingly interminable build-up. It's understandable that the director showed such little interest in his picture by the time the proceedings began winding down, though.

The plot is unbelievably contrived, to be sure, with Milo making incredibly stupid decisions (he decides to gamble as opposed to simply, ya know, delivering his irritating ex-wife to the authorities as quickly as possible?) and the inept bad guys doing a terrible job of achieving their goals. This could have been forgivable, since the main aim of the plot is to get the two leads together so a viewer can watch the sparks fly. Unfortunately, once Butler and Aniston are together, the only flying sparks come from a taser. The two actors share sibling chemistry rather than the scintillating type that weakens the knees. Their respective characters spend the majority of their time together bickering like any divorced couple would, but Sarah Thorp's banal script fails to offer adequate reasoning as to why we should care about the pair. Moreover, the banter lacks wit, and the acting appears drowsy. While Butler has his moments, Aniston is woeful from beginning to end; her performance is more of a series of hair flicks than anything resembling characterisation.

If all else fails, there should at least be laughs. 2009's The Ugly Truth with Gerard Butler was painfully formulaic, yet it contained enough moments of laugh-out-loud comedy to make it worth at least a minor recommendation. 2010's Date Night was loaded with laughs and featured an ideal screen couple in the form of Steve Carell and Tina Fey, but the plot was pure formula. The Bounty Hunter, on the other hand, suffers further from a lack of laughs. Thus, with no vital spark between the leads, an absence of laughs and boring action, there's absolutely no reason to sit through this mess. The rules of rom-coms are well-known, so you know Milo and Nicole will end up together. Such foresight could save you from wasting 105 minutes on this lifeless motion picture.

2.8/10