Friday 17 September 2010

Triple Bill Mini-Cine-Musings: Scott, Cyrus and a Schmuck...

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World...

It's hardly surprising that Scott Pilgrim didn't fare so well at the Box Office. The film is so insanely niche that it most likely confused and alienated vast swathes of the audience, and let's be honest, some people are getting a bit tired of Michael Cera's style - he really needs to mix up his movie roles a bit too.

Ideally you'll be under 30 and will have read the graphic novels, but you should enjoy yourself with just one of those ... but at least knowing a bit about the franchise might be a good idea as even though the movie takes its time to establish the world around us, there's an awful lot to cram into the 112 minute running time (essentially six volumes worth of content).

It's enjoyably brash and colourful and the whole 'hipster' thing is - as a style of living - mostly not annoying, and Edgar Wright's typically whip-pow look is well at home with this content.

Scott Pilgrim is a hard thing to sell though, and it's tricky to write about. Naturally I'll be getting the home video release and the six volumes of the graphic novel are on the list for Santa this year, so yeah ... niche. Very niche ... but enjoyably daft and hip and nerdy.


Dinner For Schmucks...

I'm not entirely sure why this has received such a drubbing in many reviews, because aside from the opening fifteen minutes where it's nothing but joke-free plot establishing, the rest of the movie (pretty much from where Steve Carrel's idiot turns up) is a bloody good laugh.

It's not deep and it's not going to be a comedy that really lasts to become a classic, but it's just a barrel of fun.


Cyrus...

I never saw the trailer, and went into it thinking along the lines of 'Jonah Hill a la Superbad and Funny People' and 'John C. Reilly a la Talladega Nights and Step Brothers' ... however, it's neither. Belonging to a subgenre of indie fare apparently dubbed "mumblecore", it carries few chuckles. You won't be laughing out loud any time soon, but it's actually something very different than what I had in my head. It's all awkward silences and twitchy zooms, nothing is broad or obvious and then ending comes to you unfinished and suddenly.

It's a strange flick ... I kind of liked it, but I also kind of didn't. I would have rather seen it on Sky Movies than stumping up more than six quid at the cinema for it though.

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