Down To Earth (2001)

Chris Rock stars in this remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, a film already revisited a couple of times before this outing, with sadly underwhelming results. The material has some added jokes about race, and creates potential for some bigger laughs by making the main character a struggling stand-up comic, but it ends up falling flat far more often than it succeeds.

Rock is Lance Barton, a young, funny guy who just can't seem to transfer that humour to his stage act. Yet he keeps trying. His main venue is going to be closing soon, which makes him desperate for one last shot to win over the audience there. Unfortunately, his plans are thrown into disarray when he's hit by a truck. It's all a big mistake, which an angel named Keyes (Eugene Levy) only realises when Lance is already in heaven. While they try to resolve the situation, Lance is offered a "loaner" body by King (Chazz Palminteri), another heavenly being who seems to be in charge. That body ends up being one that belonged to a wealthy, white businessman named Charles Wellington, III (Brian Rhodes). Lance has to use the body to pursue his quest for a spot at the upcoming stand-up event, while avoiding the dangerous scheming of Wellington's wife (Jennifer Coolidge), and his assistant (Greg Germann). And things become more complicated when he falls in love with Sontee Jenkins (Regina King), who hates him.

Down To Earth is a very frustrating film to watch. You can see moments when it might be able to step up a notch or two, when it could let Chris Rock rant and make the most of his power as a comedian. Sadly, those moments do nothing more than get close to something good before sinking back down to mediocrity.

The cast includes some great performers, especially in the supporting roles. Levy and Palminteri are both great fun as the angels trying to correct a terrible mistake, Coolidge does well with her usual mix of ditzy and wannabe-sexy, and Germann works very well alongside her. Mark Addy does okay as a perplexed butler, while Wanda Sykes steals a couple of scenes as a housekeeper who does very little to hide her disdain for her employer. Even John Cho raises a smile or two, despite his role amounting to little more than a cameo. Regina King is easy to like, and Frankie Faison is very likable as the manager who continues to see the best in Lance. The weakest link, unfortunately, is Rock. He seems neutered, at best, and just stilted and awkward, for the most part.

Directors Chris and Paul Weitz don't seem to put in any effort at all, while the script (co-written by about four people, including Rock and Louis C.K.) reeks of similar laziness during the many moments that aren't comedic. The love story angle just never feels real, despite the efforts that everyone goes to in order to make viewers forget that Regina King is supposed to be enjoying time with an elderly, white businessman.

It's actually a shame that this was such a missed opportunity, a star vehicle created around someone who never seemed comfortable as a leading man. I love Chris Rock, but I don't think his style and energy work when being forced into a package like this. Thankfully, we can always revisit him in the greatness that is Osmosis Jones.

5/10

http://www.amazon.com/Down-Earth-Chris-Rock/dp/B00005JH9O/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1406542627&sr=1-2&keywords=down+to+earth

Ani-MAY-tion Month: Heavy Metal (1981)

An interesting, quirky, sci-fi anthology movie, Heavy Metal, with its gratuitous nudity, wish fulfilment moments and title-appropriate soundtrack, is pretty much designed for teenage boys. That's not to say that it's a bad film, but it does seem to fill many sequences by going for easy options and rather juvenile moments.

The stories in this movie are all connected by a deadly, glowing orb. The orb has intelligence, and also the ability to voice its thoughts, and the framing device of the movie is the orb relating some cautionary tales to a scared young girl. The stories all tend to show how the orb affects those it comes into contact with, for better or for worse, and violence occurs frequently.

Mostly based on material from a long-running magazine of the same name, Heavy Metal is easy to enjoy, even if it's not so easy to love. The stories often have a nice, old-fashioned feel to them, they're all pulp pleasures taking place in different environments, and sometimes developing interesting mythologies in the limited time they have. Screenwriters Daniel Goldber and Len Blum have a great selection of stories to work with, including some written by the great Dan O'Bannon, and they manage to keep the tone consistent while hopping from one story to the next, mainly by populating the tales with a mix of robots, space travellers and topless women.

Director Gerald Potterton keeps everything moving along nicely, helped by a voice cast that unexpectedly includes John Candy, Eugene Levy, John Vernon and Harold Ramis, among others, and it never quite outstays its welcome (running at just under 90 minutes), although it comes close during the last section.

And then there's the soundtrack, which caused the film to be unavailable for a number of years due to problems with the music licensing, apparently. The bands/artists getting to invade your ears include the following: Blue Oyster Cult, Stevie Nicks, Journey, Cheap Trick, Nazareth, Black Sabbath, and more. Okay, none of the songs will appear on any greatest hits album, but they're an extra part of the appeal to the target demographic.

It's not a great film, and the love that some people have for it surprises me, but it's enjoyable enough. And has plenty of those robots, space travellers, and topless women to keep me happy. Which may just be yet another sign of my struggle to keep wearing the disguise of a mature adult.

6/10

http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Metal-Collectors-Richard-Romanus/dp/0767836316/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1400860259&sr=1-2&keywords=heavy+metal

Stay Tuned (1992)

John Ritter and Pam Dawber play Roy and Helen Knable, a married couple who end up sucked into a world of TV programmes all designed to kill them off, allowing their souls to be added to a valuable total. If they can somehow survive for 24 hours then they can return to their normal lives. But that doesn't usually happen. Running through a variety of twisted shows (with pun-tastic names such as I Love Lucifer, Golden Ghouls, Northern Overexposure and Fresh Prince Of Darkness), Roy and Helen are sometimes helped and sometimes hindered by Crowley (Eugene Levy) while the evil Spike (Jeffrey Jones) keeps an eye on the proceedings.

Directed by Peter Hyams, there are a lot of pop culture references packed into Stay Tuned that made it feel dated not too long after it was first released, in the early '90s. But for people who watched most of their TV in the late '80s and early '90s there's plenty of fun to be had. The script by Tom S. Parker and Jim Jennewein doesn't try to be too clever, concentrating instead on keeping the gags and the references flying thick and fast (and who can fail to love an advert for a movie entitled Three Men And Rosemary's Baby?) and developing the main characters into people who might just survive their experience and learn to be better people, don'tchaknow.

Ritter and Dawber are both good enough in the lead roles. The former tends to be good in almost everything that he does, while Dawber is interesting to watch in movies, purely because she's done relatively few throughout her career. Jones is enjoyably evil as Spike, and Levy puts in another enjoyable comedy turn. David Tom and Heather McComb are perfectly fine as the teenage kids, and Don Calfa gets to join in with the fun for a little while, as do . . . . . . . . . . . Salt 'n' Pepa.

There's not a lot else that needs to be said about Stay Tuned. It's fun, it tries to use the budget effectively at all times (especially considering how many gags and references are packed into the runtime), and it holds up as an enjoyably anarchic comedy. There's even a sequence that has Ritter and Dawber turned into animated characters, and that's far from the most far-fetched moment.

Many people won't recognise all of the comedic targets, but this is a blast for anyone born in the late '70s or early '80s. Give it a try if you haven't seen it already.

7/10

http://www.amazon.com/Stay-Tuned-John-Ritter/dp/B00004RF88/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380228961&sr=8-1&keywords=stay+tuned

Cheaper By The Dozen 2 (2005)

Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt return as Tom and Kate Baker, parents of twelve children (hence the title), in this sequel to the bland and harmless Cheaper By The Dozen. While the first movie was about the parents trying to fit in a career before realising that perhaps their children still needed them available at home for a few years yet, this sequel shows an attempt to keep the family together and enthusiastic for a holiday that might be their last one together. The older kids are about to set off further afield while the younger kids aren't going to want to join in with the family activites forever. However, when the Bakers get to their vacation spot, Tom finds that Jimmy Murtaugh (Eugene Levy) has bought most of the area and is living nearby. Jimmy is very competitive, and that brings out the worst in Tom.

Adam Shankman takes over from Shawn Levy for this lacklustre affair, reteaming with both Martin and Levy after having worked with them on Bringing Down The House (2003). If you have to choose between this movie and that movie, go with that movie. If you're forced to watch this movie then you won't suffer through anything truly terrible, but there are so many better ways to spend your time.

The script by Sam Harper is pretty horrible. There are one or two okay scenes, but I can't think of any individual lines of dialogue that made me so much as smirk. Think of the lessons that were learned in the first movie and the way in which the family was shown to be imperfect, but able to stick together when things got tough, and then rehash those ideas in an even less amusing way and you have Harper's script.

Martin and Hunt are both just fine as the parents, while Piper Perabo, Tom Welling and Hilary Duff are still bearable as the older members of the Baker brood. Jonathan Bennett is enjoyable enough as Perabo's partner, and Alyson Stoner gets the best moments as Sarah, the young mischief-maker who finally takes notice of a boy and starts to think about using makeup. As for the other main featured family, Eugene Levy is okay in his unsympathetic role, Carmen Electra is always a welcome addition to any movie I watch (hey, if I have to sit through films like this then allow me to enjoy any silver lining I can), Jaime King is  and a very young Taylor Lautner goes about being a very young Taylor Lautner.

If you enjoyed Cheaper By The Dozen then this is just about watchable. It's not good, but I've seen much worse. No, I don't know why they didn't call me for that poster quote either: "Not good, but I've seen much worse - Kevin Matthews"

4/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cheaper-By-The-Dozen-DVD/dp/B000E6UMEY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379438832&sr=8-2&keywords=cheaper+by+the+dozen+2

Bringing Down The House (2003)

Written by Jason Filardi (it was his first script, or at least the first to get made into a feature anyway) and directed by Adam Shankman, Bringing Down The House is the kind of by-the-numbers comedy that nobody ever loves but everyone seems to pay to see at the cinema. Made for just over $30M, this movie ended up taking over $160M worldwide (according to boxofficemojo.com). That's a haul so impressive that I'm surprised we've not seen a sequel.

Steve Martin stars as Peter Sanderson, a tax attorney who spends more time working for his company than he does working out fun stuff to do for when he picks his children up from his ex-wife (Jean Smart). He does, however, make some time to chat online with a woman known as "lawyer-girl" and ends up arranging a date. When lawyer-girl (Queen Latifah) turns up she has to admit that she maybe isn't what Peter had in mind. Her name is Charlene, she's black and recently released from prison. She wants Peter to help clear her name and expunge her record. This all occurs while Peter is wooing a very important potential new client (Joan Plowright), looking after his kids and generally trying to keep his life on track. He does not want, or need, Charlene in his life. His friend, Howie Rottman (Eugene Levy), on the other hand, finds himself instantly enchanted.

Yes, you can check off the standard gags and plot developments that appear in this movie right now. Martin being unable to understand the slang used by Queen Latifah? Check. Martin later trying to use some slang and be "down" with some other African Americans? Check. Strained moments in which Martin tries to impress Plowright while keeping Latifah out of the picture? Check. The tough, streetsmart woman teaching the stiff, uptight tax attorney a thing or two? Check. The feelings still there between Martin and his ex-wife? Check.

It's fair to say that originality and suspense are not to be found here. It's also fair to say that none of the laughs are big laughs, but they are consistently good enough to build into something worth your time. Eugene Levy steals a few scenes, Missi Pyle is a lot of fun as a woman a lot tougher than she looks and the rest of the cast do just fine (including Michael Rosenbaum, who always seems to be ill-served by movies, and the ever-wonderful Betty White). It's Martin and Latifah, however, who really make this such an enjoyable hour and a half. While I've been a life-long fan of Martin, I've quickly warmed to Queen Latifah (real name = Dana Elaine Owens) and find her to be a welcome addition to any movie that she stars in. Even if the movie itself isn't all that good.

There are many people who will think that I shouldn't rate Bringing Down The House as highly as I do (even though I've gone for a score that's just above average), but I'm willing to bet that some of them enjoyed it more than they admit to. After all, that $160M worldwide total speaks for itself.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bringing-Down-House-Steve-Martin/dp/B0000TZ7HW/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1374361089&sr=1-1&keywords=bringing+down+the+house

American Pie Presents Band Camp (2005)

The first of the American Pie franchise instalments to go straight to video, this is an offshoot from the original trio that moves the focus away from the gang that audiences got to know and love and puts the character of . . . . . . . . Matt Stifler (Steve Stifler's younger brother, played here by Tad Hilgenbrink) front and centre. It's a shift of focus that doesn't bode well, and as the film goes on things start to get worse and worse.

The plot is as follows: Matt Stifler is a complete douchebag (not my opinion, he IS a complete douchebag . . . . . . imagine Steve Stifler with absolutely no minor moments of likeability whatsoever) and when he decides to play a mean-spirited prank on the school band he is punished by being made to spend his Summer holiday at band camp. This gives him a chance to secretly record some of the girls getting nekkid, or so he hopes, and it also keeps him in close proximity to the lovely Elyse (Arielle Kebbel).

Almost everything that you loved about the first three American Pie movies is absent here. First of all, this cast just doesn't have the appeal and/or charisma that the lads from the previous movies had. Tad Hilgenbrink is terrible in the lead role, but he's not helped by a script (written by Brad Riddell) that fails to do enough to offset his moments of major douchebaggery. Kebbel is actually quite likeable, and Eugene Levy and Chris Owen carry some goodwill along with them, but only because we know their characters from the previous movies. Ginger Lynn has an amusing role and Omar Benson Miller is easy to warm to, but those two have minor supporting roles. The folk with more screentime, such as Jason Earles, Crystle Lightning, Matt Barr and Lauren C. Mayhew, are all either unmemorable or unpleasant.

If director Steve Rash tried to overcome that problem by throwing in more laughs or even, let's be honest here, more gratuitous nudity to please the target demographic then maybe the film would rise up to a level of average. Sadly, he doesn't even think to do that. The movie is one big tease, which is fine for a film that wants to be subtle or sophisticated while chalking up the gags. It's not fine for a film that has the words American Pie in the title.

So, we have no laughs (well, only a few, at a push), no characters worth rooting for, a low-budget version of the soundtracks used in the first three American Pie movies and even a lack of any nudity that teenage males should enjoy - although the unrated version runs about 3 minutes longer and at least panders to that base requirement.

3/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/American-Pie-Presents-Band-Camp/dp/B000B7VZNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368608188&sr=8-1&keywords=american+pie+band+camp

American Pie: The Wedding (2003)

The gang (almost) all return for more bawdy comedy in this third American Pie movie that starts off with a hilariously embarrassing marriage proposal and might end with Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) walking up the aisle together. The focus here is very much on Stifler (Seann William Scott), a character who ends up invited along to the wedding, despite nobody actually wanting him there. He agrees to give Jim some dance lessons as long as he can attend the event, but quickly ends up causing trouble as he competes with Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) for the affections of Cadence (Michelle's younger sister, played by January Jones). Stifler starts to act innocent, Finch tries to appeal to Cadence by starting to act like a bad boy, a bachelor party is upset by some major mistiming and there are, as ever, one or two pieces of sage advice from Jim's dad (Eugene Levy).

The law of diminishing returns. That's what the American Pie franchise illustrates best. I'm not sure if it's something that could be applied literally, but it's certainly something that applies to the goodwill and laughs generated from the first movie. Of course, at least these official entries remain more enjoyable and humorous than the many spin-off films that used the brand name and a tenuous link (and Eugene Levy). There will be more talk of those at another time. When I endure/review them here.

There are some big laughs here. The aforementioned bachelor party has a teen-pleasing mix of comedy and nudity while a dance off featuring the unlikeliest of competitors remains the absolute highlight of the whole film. There are also lots of little laughs, whether they come from Stifler and Finch fighting to get time with Cadence or Jim nervously grooming himself in preparation for his big day. The problem is that these laughs aren't as fresh or actually funny as they were when the characters were first introduced.

Director Jesse Dylan and writer Adam Herz made a smart decision in shedding some of the popular characters who had already outstayed their welcome by the end of the second movie, but there's nothing they can do to recapture that magic that was there in the first movie.

Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Eugene Levy, Eddie Kaye Thomas, January Jones, Fred Willard, Eric Allan Kramer and everyone else does a great job, but they also have to stand back on a number of occasions and leave space for Seann William Scott to go through his repertoire of curse-words and funny faces. It just manages to remain an ensemble piece, but there are many times throughout the movie when it becomes little more than The Stifler Show (a good or bad thing, depending on how you react to the character).

If you enjoyed the first two movies then you'll enjoy this one. You just might not enjoy it as much as the preceding instalments in the franchise.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/American-Pie-The-Wedding-DVD/dp/B00008KDHE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357209864&sr=8-1

American Pie 2 (2001)

The gang all return for another outing involving a quest for some sexual adventures and if you liked American Pie there's no reason for you not to enjoy this sequel. It doesn't veer too far from the template of the first movie - this time an epic party is the ultimate goal as opposed to virginity loss - and all of your favourite characters are back to do what they do best (which is, mainly, get into embarrassing situations).

Set out as "the same, but different," this movie also shows Jim (Jason Biggs), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), Oz (Chris Klein), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Vicky (Tara Reid) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) trying to draw a line in the sand between their youth and adulthood. Jim's dad (Eugene Levy) is once again on hand to help out and Stifler (Seann William Scott) is once again on hand to abuse and irritate everyone. Oh, and Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) is also due to return to cause Jim some . . . . . . . . . anxiety.

Adam Herz is back as the main writer while J. B. Rogers takes over the directing duties for this particular slice of pie. Both men take the easy option of following the template of the first movie and the end result is very entertaining, if also completely unsurprising. The soundtrack cues are fashioned in exactly the same manner, the laughs are fairly steady in between the few fantastic set-pieces, there's some nudity here and there and Jim is always at the centre of the biggest disasters. Familiarity can indeed breed contempt, but here it makes for a shorthand that keeps viewers happy while the characters progress through the next stage of their lives.

Jason Biggs and Eugene Levy get the lion's share of the laughs and they make the most of every comedic moment. Levy may need to do little more than raise an eyebrow or two, but Biggs throws his whole body around for maximum effects. Sean William Scott spits out more and more crude insults and Eddie Kaye Thomas tries to be even smoother and more laid-back than he was in the first film. Alyson Hannigan is still sweet and funny, Shannon Elizabeth is still stunningly gorgeous and the others (Klein, Reid, Nicholas, etc. etc.) do okay when involved in group scenes, but waste screen-time when the focus is on their separate story-lines.

It does exactly what fans will want it to do, for better or worse, and makes for a worthy sequel that keeps the laughs coming from start to finish.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/American-Shannon-Elizabeth-Alyson-Hannigan/dp/B00005RDOW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357202435&sr=8-1

American Pie (1999)

It's obviously not going to be for everyone (which is, I realise, quite a redundant saying as it could be applied to every movie ever) but American Pie is a classic in the teen comedy genre. It may not have the nostalgia factor of an American Graffiti or the sharp, dark, wit of Heathers, but it has memorable set-pieces, some great characters and a sweetness running through all of the bawdy antics.

Four young men (played by Jason Biggs, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Chris Klein and Thomas Ian Nicholas) make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. Jim (Biggs) is awkward and prone to mishaps that see him extremely humiliated, Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) tries to maintain an air of intelligence and sophistication about him even while desperate to get a date, 'Oz' (Chris Klein) joins a singing group in a stealthy move to get close to some good-looking girl (Mena Suvari) and Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is already happy with his girlfriend (Vicky, played by Tara Reid) even though he can't bring himself to say: "I love you". Also involved with this quartet are Jim's dad (Eugene Levy almost stealing the entire movie), the coarse and carefree Stifler (Seann William Scott), a lovely foreign exchange student named Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) and a young woman (Alyson Hannigan) whose every story seems to take place at band camp.

Written by Adam Herz, and directed by Paul Weitz (with some uncredited help from his brother, and producer, Chris Weitz), this fairly zips along from one-liner to one-liner in between the truly hilarious set-pieces. I always felt that when it was first released it was done a disservice with the talk about it being so focused on one particular pie-related incident. Thankfully, most of the other set-pieces throughout the movie are actually a lot better than the main pie moment and every scene between Jim and his dad is full of comedy gold.

The film made stars out of some of its leading players although many of them could never quite escape the shadow cast by this one huge success (well, okay, this one and the official sequels before the brand name was ruined by the many "American Pie Presents..." movies - more on those at a later date). Jason Biggs highlighted his problem with his memorable cameo role in Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back when he said: "No, it always comes back to that fucking pie! I'm HAUNTED by it!"
Still, he did better than some of his co-stars, with the main breakouts from the film being Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan (who'd already been doing such great work on Buffy The Vampire Slayer anyway) and Seann William Scott.

Mind you, what do audiences care about the career paths of those onscreen? The fact that they were all in one place for this movie, and the few main sequels, is all that matters. That allowed people to hear the choice insults from Stifler, it allowed eagle-eyed viewers to spot Blink 182 in a sequence that I rate as the comedy highlight of the whole movie, it allowed everyone to learn the word MILF (if they didn't know it already) and it simply allowed for everything to come together to make a near-perfect, raunchy teen comedy. I've not even mentioned Jennifer Coolidge, Natasha Lyonne, Chris Owen (as "The Sherman-ator") or the fleeting appearances from John Cho and Casey Affleck, but I guess that highlights the best thing about American Pie - there's so much more to it than just the pie.

9/10

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Multiplicity (1996)

Harold Ramis is a director who I can happily say has provided me with a lot of laughs. In fact, Groundhog Day is one of my favourite comedies of all time. The high concept and great lead performance from Bill Murray even managed to distract me from the fact that the female lead was played by one of my least favourite actresses ever, Andie MacDowell. In a similiar way, Multiplicity is a high concept movie with a great lead performance from Michael Keaton that manages to distract me from the fact that the female lead is played by one of my least favourite actresses ever, Andie MacDowell.

That's not the end of the common ground that both movies share. Both films show what can happen when someone is given much more time on their hands and both films, ultimately, try to convey the message that it doesn't matter how much time you have, what matters is how you use it.

Michael Keaton plays Doug Kinney, a busy man who is struggling to do well at work and keep his boss (Richard Masur) happy while also getting to spend time with his family and keep his wife (Andie MacDowell) happy. Fortunately, after a stressful incident at a site he's working on, Doug is given the chance of a miracle by Dr. Leeds (Harry Yulin). That miracle comes in the shape of . . . . . . . . . . . Doug. Well, Doug number two, to be exact. A clone. An extra Doug means that the original Doug should be able to spend more time with the family, relax occasionally and generally get more done. That's the theory anyway. In reality, things start getting more and more complicated. Maybe a third Doug could take the pressure off slightly. And a fourth?

There are a number of factors here that you can all too easily complain about. Andie MacDowell for one. The script, written by Chris Miller, Lowell Ganz, Mary Hale and Babaloo Mandel, is sharper than a lot of people give it credit for but there are also a few untidy loose ends and a number of developments that make holding your suspension of disbelief harder with every minute that goes by.

So it's a good thing that Ramis, who directs with his usual bright and breezy touch, has a good cast in place for many of the supporting roles - Yulin, Masur, John de Lancie, Eugene Levy, Brian Doyle-Murray - and then tops everything off with yet another great performance from the consistently brilliant Michael Keaton. In fact, Keaton gives four great performances, playing each Doug in the different way required to show exactly who they are. Clone number one is a more macho Doug, clone number two is a more sensitive and caring Doug in touch with his feminine side and clone number three is . . . . . . . . . . . well . . . . . . . . . he's not quite right. Keaton gets to have a blast playing all of the characters and it's a tour de force of acting that lifts the whole movie from something good to something very good and, to me, almost great.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Multiplicity-DVD-Michael-Keaton/dp/B0001E5T6K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348517780&sr=8-1

Goon (2011)

I like Jay Baruchel a lot. I think he's a funny, sweet young guy and have enjoyed him in everything that I've seen him in (from the likes of Knocked Up and Fanboys to She's Out Of My League to The Sorcerer's Apprentice and the animated delight of How To Train Your Dragon). So hearing the praise that was heaped upon Goon when it started doing the rounds really made me hope I would enjoy it and be able to recommend it to others. Baruchel has a role in the movie but, more importantly for his career path, he also co-wrote the screenplay with Evan Goldberg (based on the book "Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey" by Adam Frattasio and Doug Smith).

The story is a standard, simple tale and one that we've seen many times before. With a slight twist. Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) is a young man who doesn't really have a "thing" in life except being able to take a punch and really give back as good as he gets, and then some. When he's spotted by a manager at a hockey game his life takes a major upturn and he's signed up to play hockey. It doesn't matter that he isn't actually all that good at hockey. It simply matters that he gets on the ice when required and causes some bruising to the players that need kept out of action for a while. Jay Bruchel plays the friend who loves seeing his buddy make good, Eugene Levy is the stereotypical Jewish father unimpressed by this turn of events, Alison Pill is a potential love interest and Liev Schreiber is the former biggest badass on the ice who fans want to see in one titanic battle with Doug "The Thug".

Director Michael Dowse hits all of the right notes as this movie runs through all of the sports movie cliches but when things step up a notch in the second half he really serves the material well. As unexpected as it was, I was literally close to tears during the grand finale.

As the different posters stated, Doug is "dumb as a puck" and also "the nicest guy you'll ever fight" and it's a role that really needs a sweetness at the centre, hidden beneath the mass of punches and bloodhsed and bruises, and Seann William Scott gives his best performance yet. Cynics may say that it's not hard for Scott to top his past performances but it would be unfair to the man to try and damn this performance with faint praise. It's a captivating lead performance and something that may remain an all-time career high. The rest of the cast all acquit themselves equally well. Jay Baruchel is as enjoyable as ever, while the same can easily be said of Alison Pill and Eugene Levy. Marc-Andre Grondin, Richard Clarkin, Jonathan Cherry, Kim Coates and everyone else involved with the hockey team do well with their various highs and lows while everything takes on more of an edge whenever Liev Schreiber comes onscreen to warn the sweethearted Doug of the shape of things to come.

The script IS good but it's good in the way that it balances the really revealing character moments with the expected lashings of violence. There's just as much here that you won't expect mixed in with everything that you've sat through 100 times before but even the cornier moments and the cliches feel fresher and more enjoyable because of that wonderful central performance.

Goon is certainly not a standard sports movie to recommend to everyone but I hope that it finds an audience that will give it a home and keep introducing it to others whenever possible. Just like the lead character, it's a rough and ready piece that deserves some praise and love.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Goon-Blu-ray-Seann-William-Scott/dp/B006E00FIC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336858298&sr=8-2

Speed Zone (1989)

AKA Cannonball Run III. Or not.

Originally devised as a third Cannonball Run movie, Speed Zone has to settle for being a very poor distant relative to the first two movies. Thankfully, it has a role for the very likeable John Candy and that saves it from being completely unwatchable. That's not to say that, for some reason, those involved don't keep trying to make as many bad choices as possible.

The plot is as slim as it was in the previous Cannonball Run movies (that this isn't actually a sequel to but we all know that it is, really). A race across the USA allows drivers to drive various cars at illegally high speeds and everyone involved really wants to win. End of central premise. Of course, people have different motivating factors and skillsets. Matt Frewer, for example, plays a man who keeps trying to win by using his wiles as well as his driving skills. John Candy is just a nice, steady guy who reflects that in his driving style, with the lovely Donna Dixon overacting badly as his passenger. Eugene Levy may not actually drive in the race but his double-decker hairdo deserves at least some kind of consolation prize.

Directed by Jim Drake, and written by Michael Short, there just isn't enough of anything here to please fans of, well, anything. The cast includes those already mentioned plus Peter Boyle, The Smothers Brothers (two men I took an immediate dislike to, I'm afraid), Melody Anderson, Shari Belafonte, Tim Matheson, Art Hindle, Brian George, Joe Flaherty and then cameo roles for Jamie Farr, Brooke Shields, Michael Spinks, Alyssa Milano, Carl Lewis, Lee Van Cleef and some others. The automobile action isn't all that exciting, although one or two stunts do stand out as high points. Then we have the comedy content, which isn't all that great in terms of quantity and quality.

I suppose the biggest failing with Speed Zone in comparison to the Cannonball Run movies is summed up thus: The first two movies featured stars of yesteryear having a lot of fun together with one or two new faces joining in with the fun. This movie features a number of relatively "new" faces having fun with one or two stars of yesteryear joining in. That shouldn't be enough to make this such a bad movie but it is. It highlights just how much great chemistry, charisma and goodwill was thrown onscreen during the first two movies.

If you're an obsessive completist then you'll still want to get a hold of this but I don't recommend it (and I'm the guy who bought Jaws: The Revenge on DVD because I had the preceding three movies).

4/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cannonball-Candy-Brooke-Shields-Region/dp/B003JNTCP4/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1336394781&sr=1-1