Leezy's Movie Reviews

#327/#44 Your Highness

When the maiden Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) is taken by the evil warlock Leezar (Justin Theroux), it is up to the noble prince Thadeous (James Franco) and his slacker prince brother Fabious (Danny McBride) to track Leezar down before he ravages her during the next full moon.

As long as you’re aware going into this that it is going to be stoners larping for a couple of hours with some bad English accents then this film is some goofy fun. It’s got a couple of laughs, it doesn’t overstay its welcome and you can’t really ask for more than that. If you go in looking for an epic fantasy quest or for a hilarious comedy you’re going to be disappointed. It’s proficient for what it is but it does not smack of effort on anyone’s part, that’s for sure.

McBride, who I usually do not like, is fine and has a fairly good back and forth with Franco who plays the noble prince rather well. Deschanel and Portman don’t do a whole Hell of a lot but they seem to be having fun regardless so more power to them.

I think as long as you go in with the right mindset this film is totally fine but if you never see it, it will have been no big lose to you. 2/5

#316/#33 No Strings Attached

Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Aston Kutcher) are friends who keeping meeting at different points throughout their lives until one day the decided that because they don’t have the time or inclination to be in relationships they can simply be friends with benefits. While this seems like every guys dream, Adam begins to have deeper feelings for Emma and pushes for a more traditional relationship.

Not a big fan of Kutcher but I like Portman and Ivan Reitman was directing so I thought I’d give this one a shot. It’s actually quite entertaining. Kutcher plays his role well enough, while Portman is likable, sexy and everything you would want from a real-life friend with benefits. It’s actually the supporting cast that makes this movie as enjoyable as it is though. Both Adam and Emma have 2 or 3 good friends who have some really great lines, Adam’s Dad (Kevin Kline) is in top form and Adam’s love struck boss (Lake Bell) is also really fun to watch.

It’s not a perfect movie though and it’s really weirdly edited. There are characters which appear and are dropped at random and others who seem like they’re building to a reveal or story arc who never amount to anything. It’s one of the first films I’ve seen where I can see the studio or someone further up the food chain just messing about with the final product. It doesn’t detract from the film as a whole but it does give you pause while watching.

I don’t know what I was expecting before I went in but I was pleasantly surprised regardless and found this an entertaining and funny watch. 3/5

#168 Leon: The Professional

A young girl, Mathilda (Natalie Portman) is taken in by her enigmatic and solitary neighbour when her entire family is killed by corrupt narcotic cops. This stranger, Leon (Jean Reno), is in fact a cleaner (hitman) for a local mafioso, and begins to train Mathilda all the tricks of the trade while meaningful bonds begin to develop between the two.

The director, Luc Besson, has a really weird track record. He’s made some truly great films but he’s also directed some truly horrible ones. It’s very rare he just makes a meh film. It’s either got to be fantastic or God awful. Luckily Leon seems to fall into the former category.

Both Leon and Mathilda are really interesting characters and watching their dynamic evolve over the course of the film is what makes this film. Depending on what point in the movie you’re at it can be heart warming, comedic, creepy or just disturbing but it’s never boring and you’re always interesting in seeing where it’s going to go next.

Reno gives the best performance I’ve ever seen from him and he does it with such little movement or dialogue. This is definitely one of those cases were what’s not being said is actually more important than what is. Portman also commits to this role and it’s even more impressive given that she was only 12 at the time. There are full grown actresses which couldn’t have handled the role she delivers. Gary Oldman is also present as the villain of the film and, while a little over the top, is still a treat to watch cause you’re never quite sure what this psychopath is going to do next.

The only real problem I had with the film was that its musical score was quite similar to the Fifth Element (FE) (another Luc Besson film) in places. That makes sense though (same director, same musical supervisor) and it’s only really a problem because I’ve seen FE so many times. Additionally the FE came out after Leon so really FE is copying Leon.

I haven’t mentioned the action in this film, which is also top notch, and could just be watched for that (there’s a scene in here where Leon puts Batman to shame). All in all, a film worth watching. 4.5/5

#164 Mars Attacks!

ehh…what the title says.

This was supposed to be a love letter from Tim Burton to all the old B horror movies of the 50’s and 60’s as well as an old card game series he played when he was younger but all it really does it play out as a disjointed mess.

Much like Burke and Hare, it seems to think by throwing as many famous actors into a movie it will just sort of work itself out. You’ve got Jack Nicholson, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Micheal J Fox, Glenn Close, Pam Grier, Martin Short, Joe Don Backer, Tom Jones, Jack Black, Natalie Portman and many more. The problem is they don’t do anything useful and a lot of them are just there to be killed off.

The rest is just sight gags and weirdness, even by Burton’s standards.

Not a fan of this one 0/5

Oh and a Sarah Jessica Parker head on a chihuahua body is going to haunt my nightmares, thanks movie.

#119 Thor

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is about to obtain the throne of Asgard when some Frost Giants break in and try to retake their source of power which Odin (Anthony Hopkins) took from them in the last war. Mad, Thor attacks their home world against Odin’s orders and begins war once more. For his stupidity, Thor is banished to Earth where he must prove himself worthy before being allowed back to his realm and control of his magic hammer, Mjollnir.

Usually superhero films either fall into the very good category (i.e. The Dark Knight, Iron Man, X men) or they fall into the very bad category (i.e. Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Elektra). It’s almost odd to have one which falls so squarely in the middle between the two. This is where Thor lands however.

All of the actors are really well cast and good in their respective roles. Hemsworth is a strong main character, Hopkins a good elderly adviser (as he should having played the same role for the last 10 years) and Tom Hiddleston is good as the lamentable villain Loki (as we are shown the rationale behind his motives). The humans (Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings) weren’t really given that much to do but Stellan Skarsgard as the older scientist and Idris Elba as the gate keeper are probably the most interesting characters overall just because they’re a little cooler and gets a couple of good comedic lines. All of Thor’s friends are really pointless.

The story is very basic and almost paint by numbers. I wouldn’t call it boring but its just been done a hundred times before so you know which character is going to do what and when.

The fight sequences are ok but there are a lot of really close up CGI fights which (and I’m not sure if this was just because I saw it in 3d) were very like the transformers fight scenes. A lot of moving parts and the overall feeling of something happening but looking really crap. The static visuals of Asgard were in complete contrast to this however. They were fantastic and really helped to build the idea of a different world.

It also peaks a little early in terms of action having the big Frost Giant battle early on so that when we finally get to the giant robot battle (during which all I could think of was The Day The Earth Stood Still) you’re left feeling unimpressed.

If it weren’t for the actors all working so well I don’t think it would have been a strong enough film for the amount of hype being put around it. Seeing as they are however, it brings it up to just ok but I definitely felt it was the weakest of all the avenger films so far (even behind the Incredible Hulk).

Meh is pretty much how I would describe this film if I could only give a one word review. Not bad but nothing that great about it either. 3/5

#56 Black Swan

Nina (Natalie Portman) is a perfectionist ballet dancer who has been cast in the role of the Swan Queen for the upcoming performance of Swan Lake. The pressure of the role begins to get to her however, as she begins to see hallucinations of the black swan (the duel role she must perform) not helped by the introduction of a much free-er dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) who might be trying to take her place.

If I hadn’t decided to see as many of the Oscar picks as possible this year I wouldn’t have gone to see this film in theatres. I don’t have any interest in ballet or dance in general so this was always going to be a tough sell for me.

The film is loaded with symbolism, interesting effects, subtle touches of the supernatural, some beautiful set and interesting characters but even after all this I don’t think I like this film all that much. I can appreciate all that was put into the film and still not enjoy it.

Portman could win the oscar for this performance and it would be well deserved. There is no doubt that this is the best I’ve ever seen her in a role. At the beginning she is the timid white swan and by the end she was every bit the seductive and scheming black swan.

Kunis was great too, but I really like her as an actress in general so it’s a little hard not to praise her. This role was nothing all that different from her usual performances but this doesn’t stop it being any less good.

I don’t know if I was expecting lightening to strike twice with Darren Aronofsky but this wasn’t Requiem for a Dream territory. I wouldn’t even say it was as good as the Fountain and I watched that when I was a lot younger and didn’t understand half of it.

I would put this film lowest out of the films I’ve seen for best picture (and this includes Toy Story 3 and Inception) but I can see why others could really enjoy this. Personally though, I felt you’d seen everything you needed to see in the trailer, which is never a good sign. 2/5