Directed and co-written by Alexander Payne, Downsizing is a movie/social satire about a man who realises that he’d have a better life if he were to shrink himself.
Kristen Wiig, Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz and Brigette Lundy-Paine star.
The cast is great, and the above synopsis seems perfectly ridiculous, and a great predicament for potential humour.
Niecy Nash, Jason Sudeikis, Laura Dern, Neil Patrick Harris and James Van Der Beek also star.
I’m very pleasantly surprised to learn that a new Despicable Me movie, Despicable Me 3 is coming in less than seven months.
Starring Steve Carell as Gru, Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde and Trey Parker as a new Michael Jackson-loving super villain called Balthazar Bratt, this trailer has really helped to make my week.
I can’t wait because of those beautiful, yellow, happiness-inducing cuties, the minions, of course. I also love that the new villain is a big Michael Jackson fan; anything to remind me of MJ’s musical magic.
Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove and Pierre Coffin also star.
Sausage Party (2016), Seth Rogen – Frank (Voice), Michael Cera – Barry (Voice)
Finding out the truth about one’s existence isn’t just a journey important for humans. Frank the sausage from Shopwell’s supermarket has heard some extremely disturbing news about what happens after he and his fellow food product friends are chosen. Selected and taken out of Shopwell’s and into ‘the great beyond,’ where the mad food horror/comedy/adventure that is Sausage Party, the latest from writing partners Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg truly begns.
Starring Rogen, Michael Cera, Kristen Wiig, Nick Kroll, Jonah Hill, and many more, I found Sausage Party entertaining and definitely filthy. It’s the clever and well-written wordplay that makes the experience for me.
The film’s general look and animation style is another personal highlight. I particularly love the walks of Teresa Del Taco and Frank’s girlfriend, Brenda. Yes, we’re talking about animation here, but the sexiness is truly undeniable. Then there’s the villainous Douche who is very well played by Nick Kroll (probably my favourite of his roles, ever).
There’s no writing about Sausage Party without mentioning the, let’s say… ‘good times’ that happen towards the very end. WOW! That’s a great word for it.
Sausage Party (2016), Salma Hayek – Teresa Del Taco (Voice)
After the thought, ‘How on earth are they going to end this?’ crossed my mind a few times as the movie played, I’m not mad at what actually happens at the very end – because how else could they have wrapped it up, really? Especially since food is ultimately for eating, potatoes need peeling and, we can mostly if not all agree that no one should ever take ill treatment.
In terms of the things I was at odds with, Sausage Party features some commentary on religion that feels a little odd and out of place, even though it kind of makes some sense, as we’re dealing with a world where our food both talks and thinks.
Watch this moviefor the smartly written, filthy, fun dialogue and the general madness of it all.
Ghostbusters (2016), Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones
Starring Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Chris Hemsworth, Ghostbusters is simultaneously everything I expected and also what I did not expect. The former because the trailers were so very disappointing that I really ought to have known. The latter because the director is Paul Feig, the man who brought us big comedy hits such as Bridesmaids (2011)and Spy (2015).
Surely, if anyone could do right by the much-loved Ghostbusters classic, it would be Feig. Apparently not, because the words that went through my mind as I watched Ghostbusters were ‘Oh, this is bad and slow.’ ’Why does the green slime feel ridiculous, unfunny and the special effects dated?’ ‘Why am I not laughing?’ ‘Is this movie made for nine to fourteen-year-olds?’ Was the production just a mad rush?’ ‘Where did it all go wrong? I had such high HOPES! (before I saw the trailers).’
Ghostbusters (2016), Leslie Jones
Even though the trailers did leave plenty to be desired, I didn’t really believe that we’d end up with what feels like a wasted opportunity and a Paul Feig movie I’d much rather forget.
Within all the madness, I did manage to find a few highlights. Firstly, there’s the great line or two delivered by Kevin (Chris Hemsworth), when he’s questioned about his glasses. Second, Leslie Jones’s energy and commitment to her character is something that really helped with my engagement levels. Third, the role played by Zach Woods – because he has great facial expressions and eyeballs.
Last but certainly not least, Bill Murray. His character’s appearance actually helped lift things for a good few seconds, far from long enough, obviously.
At this point, I’d just really love for Feig’s next movie to be great because rightly or wrongly, he’s the one I’m most disappointed in.
I myself would never want to typecast anybody against their will, but I did find myself very glad to learn that inThe Martian, Matt Damon gets to play the role of a hero once more. Having to ‘hate him’ in Interstellar (2014) proved more challenging than expected.
Directed by the rightfully celebrated Ridley Scott, and based on Andy Weir’s best selling book of the same name, The Martianis a predominantly Mars-based adventure with a sprinkle of funny moments.
As you might imagine, similar to Interstellar (2014), there’s a fair amount of ‘science speak’ in the film. Most of itI personally will probably never understand, but you don’t need to in order to have a good time. The movie works, thanks to the story and the likability of its star.
The thing I enjoyed most about The Martian is all the scientific problem solving that Damon’s character, astronaut Mark Watney and the wider NASA team do in the effort to bring him home in one piece. I like the movie for this reason and as a story of teamwork and survival. I’ll also confess to getting quite a kick from seeing the female commander, played by Jessica Chastain take charge.
You may have heard that a few awards bodies placed The Martian in the comedy category. About that, there are a few funny quips here and there – and by ‘a few’ I don’t mean ‘a good few’ in the way that some people use the phrase to mean ‘a lot’. I do actually mean ‘a few,’ meaning no more than 5 laughs/giggles at most – which, in my mind doesn’t equal to a comedy. But, hey, trust the studios to find loopholes so that their film gets a chance at an award.
Science fans will likely enjoy this movie most, but everyone else will be pleased also, for the topic of surviving on Mars is a relevant and interesting one at this time. With that said, watch it because it’s good. Another reason would be to find out for yourself whether categorising The Martian as a comedy is at all justified. I remain unconvinced.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara, Donald Glover, Sebastian Stan, Mackenzie Davis and Benedict Wong also star.
The Movie My Life 