Reviews in a nutshell
If you ever thought the quartet of zoo penguins in Madagascar deserved their own film, this is it. Skipper (Tom McGrath), Rico (John DiMaggio), Kowalski (Jeff Bennett), and Private (James Patrick Stuart) regroup in a Bond-style adventure that starts off with a comical March of the Penguins spoof. This sets the sharp-witted tone ahead with …
With late bosses long buried in the first 2011 film, it was anyone’s guess where the next comedy would go. Be sure, though, hapless trio Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) return to create more chaos and silliness. Oh, and Jen Aniston takes the joke a bit too far with her …
Never mind mansion tax, what if you had a lodger who could live in your inheritance until their death by law – and you had to pay them rent? This quaint piece of French jurisdiction known as a ‘viager’ is the premise for respected playwright Israel Horowitz’s screen adaptation of his successful play, My Old …
They say bad things come in threes. When it comes to writer-director Debbie Isitt’s third Nativity film, things go from bad to worse. True, Dude, Where’s My Donkey?! is geared towards adult-chaperoned kiddies ready for a cheeky pre-festive giggle – and Mr Poppy (Marc Wootton) and his donkey Archie are back (again) to oblige, like …
There is an uncertain magic that keeps things playfully charming for Woody Allen and his new comedy/mystery, Magic In The Moonlight. It may well be the appeal of 1920s’ French Riviera – the perfect setting for the naughtiness and intrigue – having a significant role here, but the cast of Colin Firth and Emma Stone …
This is a film for all those cutesy New York rom-com haters – especially those whose idea of watching You’ve Got Mail (starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks) is like someone running fingernails down a blackboard. Ironically, in spoofing Hollywood’s treaclely genre, you have to go through all the exact same clichés again that cause …
The only thing that Sex Tape can be commended on is how trim its leads have got for their parts – well, Cameron Diaz just looks even fitter. In fact, like all ‘cuddly’ comedians who lose weight, you spend the first ten minutes trying to get over how different Jason Segel looks, by which stage, …
Daniel Radcliffe is trying all kinds of film projects in an attempt to shake off the boy wizard label once and for all – and understandably so. This time, it’s rom-com territory, but not just any old rom-com, one of those quirky indie ones that seem to embrace oddball characters and allow them to find …
If you think you’ve got/had it rough you haven’t experienced God’s Pocket. Mind you, don’t let any of the locals hear you snigger because only they are qualified the kick their crumby situation and location. This is a story directed by Mad Men’s John Slattery, based on a novel by Peter Dexter about a working-class …
