The Watch

The watch is the latest attempt in reviving the career of Ben Stiller. Unfortunately for him, I am sure most will agree that the last time we laughed at his comedic performance was in Tropic Thunder...four years ago; anything after that was complete and utter horse shit! (apologies).

We follow the happy-go-lucky life of Evan (Ben Stiller), who is your local community savour in a small suburban area. In a Town unified by trust and friendship, it is when Evan's managerial position in Castco comes under scrutiny following the conspicuous murder of the stores late-night security guy.

Evan, who once thrived on the saftey of the residents makes it his mission to track down the killer and end this suburban nightmare. Offering to join the band waggon is Bob (Vince Vaughn), Franklin (Jonah Hill) and quirky Englishman Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade). And so it is from there we witness the formality of the neighbourhood watch consisting of four idiots that are now involved in each others lives to further the investigation of the mysterious murder. The car crash comedy is thrown at you once the watch discover a steel ball which turns out to be the property of an Alien. Once the discovery is made, Evan and co decide to ignore the law of the town Sgt Bressman (Will Forte), a sarcastic idiot who struggles to ignore Evan's intervention.

The Watch consists of a reasonably good cast, who to be frank, were once funny, could not have been more dull in this latest attempt at comedy. It is often phrased that critics do not give the genre of comedy the credit it deserves because too many dramas are stealing the awards. Well, an award will never provide the proof of a good comedy, the majority will decide if certain movies are worth the entertainment, so as I am part of the majority of movie buffs, trust me, with 90 minutes of filming, the watch consists of two..maybe three funny scenes.

Watching this gave me horrific flashbacks of Tower Heist which again provided a decent cast (Stiller...) but failed to make me choke on my popcorn, in fact watching both these movies I had hoped to choke on my popcorn purposely! The jokes showed a lack of ambition which consisted of penis jokes that you would have grown ever so tired of, and CUM, aka semen! (although that was one of three funny scenes).

It could have been so much better, after all, the idea of four individuals hunting a local alien sounds hilarious, so either the cast was wrong or maybe the script should have been used as toilet paper. Vince Vaughn was humorous in parts but down right annoying in most. Ben Stiller's character just bugged me. He was basically the dull baby sitter who was provided with a character that is enrolled to take the matter (Alien on the loose) seriously, while Richard Ayoade apparently has a hilarious reputation in the IT crowd?, this is a horrible example of what he can provide the big screen. Jonah Hill's Franklin provided the movie with the three laughs I mentioned previously.

The best possible ending for this movie was that they all get abducted by the toy-r-us life form and die...unfortunately that doesn't happen!

Overall; There isn't many comedies out at the moment, so I understand the need for a cheap laugh on the weekend. So either just rent "21 Jump street" or go see "A few best men" which to be honest provided me with better gags than the Watch.

4/10

Prometheus Review 2012

Ridley Scott cut the anticipation on June 1st releasing the eagerly awaited Prometheus to cinematic screens everywhere.

Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron lead a promising cast in this Sci-fi whirl-wind exploring once again, the genre that brought Ridley Scott's ego to light.

Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Green) spend their days exploring caves and landscapes seeking clues, leading to conspiracies, leading to self-belief of the numerous possibilities and unanswered questions behind mankind's creation. Their obsessive will for exploration pays off when they discover what they believe is the key direction to the life-form that walked before us. The loved up pair can't help but accept a thousand year old carving to be an open invitation to join whatever it may be they seek.

Prometheus is the holding vessel carrying a crew of numerous qualifications. The Journey through space is constructed by Shaw and Holloway, with both of them being the navigational system to the universe they are destined to arrive in. Idris Elba plays Janek, the captain of Prometheus. He represents a strong character, ever so careful as to why he, as well as others should risk their life believing in Shaw's ambitions.

Meredith (Theron) is on board for one reason only, to see the journey out safe while so obviously wanting nothing to do with the desires of both Holloway and Shaw. From what Meredith can see, this is a far-fetched idea and a pointless journey...how wrong she was about to be. Theron is once again the bitch in the movie. Sure why not? she plays it ever so sexy!.

The journey through one universe to the other leads Prometheus into a battle that could change history. Upon an amazing discovery through the ambitious Shaw and Holloway, their mysterious yet expected find leads the ship and crew into a fight not only for their own lives, but the lives of others.

Prometheus is a brilliant sci-fi movie as Michael Fassbender helps by leading the movie to the enjoyment it Deserves. Introducing his robotic character, David. He is constructed by Peter Weyland to have as much interaction and affiliation with a human, as one human would be to another. His hilarious, soulless body is well created to the point where the viewer believes in Fassbenders' desire to act. David is the back-Bone to the ship, as the crew appear unfastened to rest their lives in his hands. A darker side to Fassbenders' character is surprisingly exciting, giving Prometheus tense interactions both on and off the vessel.

Prometheus is as mysterious as the trailer makes it out to be. Ridley Scott does fantastic in returning to the concept of Aliens, but not "Alien". Just like his previous movies, without naming the obvious, Ridleys' way of creating likable characters is still smartly written with his latest work appearing highly nostalgic. The audience will realise the ship descending into the unknown and where you will once again find yourself rooting for certain characters to make it home. There are always individuals on board who you know are either too arrogant or unqualified to be on such a mission. Prometheus does well in offering the audience a general mix of personalities.

However, it does, like most movies with a great introduction reveals some loose ends with an explanation much needed if Ridley Scott was to return for a Prometheus sequel. The first 100 minutes or so are quite tense and does well in keeping the audience attention and anticipating a possible unforgettable climax. Prometheus will disappoint some fans on the basis of what I and most would believe to be a highly rushed ending to the movie. The production just seemed to run out of ideas in the last 20 minutes or so. Maybe that is the appropriate result and much deserved outcome for a film that got the wrong attention and anticipation and seemed to have manipulated fans awaiting its release ever since its first statement which claimed Prometheus to be a prequel to alien...

There is so much to be said about Ridleys' return, but so much the audience must answer for themselves. Prometheus is an all-round bloody good sci-fi movie. A concept not too original but fans of the Alien saga will enjoy without having to connect any apparent dots.

A prequel originally, but I believe Ridley Scott himself fails to agree. Prometheus is its own concept, with some convenient characters. A must see for all Sci-fi fans, leaving a positive result in a return to chilling torture in outer space that no other director would dare to challenge. Oh except for James Cameron. :)