The Internship

The Internship (2013)

Predicted Rating: 1.5 Stars

Directed by: Shawn Levy (Date Night). Starring: Vince Vaughn (Old School), Owen Wilson (Zoolander) and Rose Byrne (Insidious)

Two long time watch salesmen, Billy McMahon (Vaughn) and Nick Campbell (Wilson) find out in the middle of a sale that their company has closed down and they have lost their jobs. After hitting rock bottom, Billy's solution to their financial problems is that he and Nick get an internship at Google. The two find themselves up against a bunch of young geniuses fighting it out for five jobs. Teamed with a bunched of misfits, Billy and Nick must beat the odds as the winning team secures the available jobs. As well as fighting the odds, Nick finds himself attracted to middle management Google employee Dana (Byrne).

Well all I can say is that was downright terrible. I wasn't really expecting much after viewing the trailer but as with many movies these days, all of the good parts are packed into the trailer. It would have been good to have seen some more in the movie to at least keep me entertained. However, I was more entertained by the people in the audience. There was one guy who would laugh at the most inappropriate times at the top of his lungs. In the end I was laughing at him more that the actual movie. All the actual film did was make me angry. Essentially it made everyone from generation Y seem like they have no interest in social interaction and really makes us all look like assholes. There were obviously the characters that had a burst of personal development and by the end of the film seemed like good guys, however the damage was already done. Apart from the two main characters, i.e. the Gen X'ers Vaughn and Wilson, there are no lovable characters from the get-go putting a huge dent in the already tarnished reputation of generation Y.

Apart from showing a blatant disregard for an entire generation, The Internship was intended to be a giant advertisement on how good it is to work for Google. In my opinion this was a substantial risk that did not pay off. Yes they did display how fun it would be to work at Google with a constant reminder that all the food is free and their main modes of transport are funky looking bikes and slides. However, I think the inclusion of Google has been more detrimental than beneficial to both the company and the film. Having the focus as Google made the film seem tacky and commercial. It was also a bad move for Google as the script was terrible, there were very little likable characters and it was essentially a movie that went through the motions. Maybe it is me being cynical but I am at the stage where I have viewed so many films that for a comedy to be considered good it has to be quirky and different, where The Internship is far from these. Also I wonder if the people who enjoyed this film are exactly the people you would like to work for your company. These would be the same people who enjoy the comedy stylings of Dane Cook and find Two and a Half Men bearable. In the end I have come to the conclusion that I would not like to work for Google.

Despite its downfalls there is somethings I found, I was going to say enjoyable but I don't think that is right word, so I am going to say relatable. Even though on paper I am young and part of Gen Y, at heart I am more of an old man and should belong with either Gen X or the Baby Boomers. As a result I could relate with the two fish out of water characters Nick and Billy. I could see myself in the same situation as those two as I have the same method of thinking in the workplace, rather than those young go-getters. Even though they were just used as comedic filler I did have a chuckle at some of the cultural references that were  included. They were definitely overdone and just added in there so people would think hey I have seen that somewhere but I did enjoy some of them. If they were done in moderation the cultural references would have been more effective.

Overall: Essentially an ineffective advertisement for Google that was detrimental to both parties. 1 Star

Thumbs down: Don't go see this movie.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness

Predicted Rating: 4 Stars

Directed by: J.J. Abrams (Super 8). Starring: Chris Pine (Smokin' Aces), Zachary Quinto (Heroes) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock).

After an ill-fated mission, Captain Kirk (Pine) is demoted to first officer of the Starship Enterprise and Spock (Quinto) reassigned to another vessel. A terror attack in London prompts the Starfleet captains to hold a meeting, attended by both Spock and Kirk as well as the new captain of the Enterprise, Chris Pike (a very good Peter Weller). Rogue Starfleet agent John Harrison (Cumberbatch) proceeds to attack the meeting, gunning down Captain Pike. Harrison then flees to the Klingon homeland Kronos and it is up to Kirk and Spock to take back the Enterprise and capture Harrison.

As I cannot write this review without revealing something that essentially made me cream my pants, I will write two reviews; one for those who haven't watched the movie yet and one for those who have.

For those who are yet to watch Star Trek Into Darkness

Go and see this movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5 Stars

For those who have watched Star Trek Into Darkness

All I can say is well done Paramount Pictures. As an avid Trekkie, I did a fair amount of research on this film before it was released, in particular on the villain, John Harrison, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. There were absolutely no hints about the true identity of Harrison, which of course is the one and only Khan Noonien Singh. The regular readers of this blog would know that Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan is one of my favourite movies ever and my close friends will know how much a talk about this film. Heading into Star Trek Into Darkness I was hoping that there would just be a mention of Khan, allowing the set up of him as the villain in a sequel. When it was revealed that Harrison was in fact Khan, essentially all my dreams came true. In my opinion, Khan is one of the greatest movie villains of all time and I have been counting down the days until his return. As a result of my love for Khan, it was important that the new movie did his legacy justice.In my opinion this was achieved. Cumberbatch's performance was simply sublime. Given he didn't have the pectoral muscles possessed by Ricardo Moltalban but what he lacked in muscle mass he most certainly made up in pure evil. My only criticism was that there needed to be more Khan, really exploring his back story and really bringing out his pure evil. On occasions he was almost pushed aside by the special effects. Even though they were amazing, this is reflective of the path modern cinema has taken. However, hopefully Khan will return for a sequel, allowing his true genius to blossom.

The recent Star Trek reboot is an interesting series. They are supposed to be the Star Trek movies that aren't Star Trek movies. There is a certain social stigma involved with Star Trek. People assume that only the super nerdy enjoy the series and being seen enjoying something Star Trek related is essentially social suicide. This is extremely unfortunate because the Star Trek universe is something that should be enjoyed by young and old. The original series was ground breaking television and despite a few anomalies, it is still extremely scientifically accurate. Many common pieces of technology used today, such as the mobile phone and tablet, were inspired by Star Trek. Also, despite a couple of poor attempts, the movies are amazing. I believe that Wrath of Khan is one of the greatest movies ever made. So in the end I am a huge supporter of what J.J. Abrams is attempting to do and open up Star Trek to a wider audience and now hopefully more people will appreciate Star Trek for what it actually is.

I was going to write a concluding paragraph further enhancing how much I enjoyed this film but I will just end with this: KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall: I would love to give this film a million stars because I loved it so much but I should tone it down. 5 Stars

The Hangover Part III

The Hangover Part III

Predicted Rating: 4 Stars

Directed by: Todd Phillips (Old School). Starring: Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Ed Helms (The Office) and Zach Galifianakis (The Campaign)

The third and final instalment of the Hangover trilogy sees Alan (Galifianakis) go off the rails after the death of his father (Jeffrey Trambor). As a result, the remaining members of the wolf pack, Phil (Cooper), Stu (Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha), decide to give Alan an intervention and send him to rehab. On their way to the centre, they are kidnapped by drug lord Marshall (John Goodman). It is revealed that Marshall was robbed by the gang's old friend Leslie Chow of $21 million in gold. It is now up to the wolf pack (minus Doug who was taken by Marshall as insurance) to track down Chow and return the gold.

The Hangover franchise is an interesting one. The original is the definition of a sleeper hit. Filmed on a relatively low budget ($35 million), there was minimal advertising related to the films release. As a result, it had a fairly modest taking on the opening weekend but through word of mouth, the film took off by week three making it one of the most successful comedies of all times. Faced with what could be a massively popular franchise but left with an original that appeared to be a one trick pony, the studio must become inventive in order to sustain the popularity of the original. For the sequel, essentially the same format was kept, i.e. the search for a missing person after a severe bout of amnesia, but to seem different, it tried to push the line of what was acceptable. On occasions the film was funny but in my opinion, instead of pushing the line, Part II jumped over the line and urinated on the line's cold dead corpse. Here I am really referring to the affair between Stu and the Ladyboy.

The third instalment takes a huge turn in the opposite direction. Like many other parts 3's in a trilogy, The Hangover Part III, takes a much more serious and dark approach in an attempt to seem original and essentially round out the series. This was something I am not really a fan of because it didn't really feel like a Hangover film. They are supposed to be fun and lighthearted whilst still being vulgar, however Part III took itself way too seriously. Don't get me wrong, there were many funny occasions during the film, however they seemed masked behind the seriousness of the action scenes. In the end Part III is no match for the original. It was obvious before watching that Part III would not be as good as Part I, in fact it will be difficult for any other movie to match it, but I thought it would be closer in quality. As a result, Part III is probably closer to Part II, a reasonable movie but there was that slight sense of disappointment after watching them.  

Another interesting point to study in the Hangover series is the character development, or the lack there of. In the first two instalments, the three main character's personal development seemed to stagnate. They often appear to learn from their mistakes but quickly forget what they have learned and make the same mistake over and over. However, this is something I like because the characters, especially Alan, are so unique to start off, it would be a shame to see them change. It is their flaws that make them so lovable and seeing the characters develop would see them lose their charm and essentially rob the movies of so many good moments. Part III is the first in the series that attempts to develop a character, in particular forming a relationship between Alan and a woman. This change was effective because he remained the same old love-to-hate-to-love Alan but we got to see a different side of him. The disappointing part was that the same principle was not applied to the other characters. I would have liked to see some focus applied to the development of Phil and Stu because they seemed to stagnate and almost become boring.

I would like to end with a quick theory, Stu is in fact Wolverine. Not because he has an adamantium skeleton, but because of his ridiculous healing abilities. In Part 1, he recovers extremely quickly from the removal of his own tooth. In Part II, his face tattoo heals almost instantly with no infection even after it was administered in a back alley Thai tattoo studio. I won't specify what it is because it is supposed to be the "shock ending" but in Part III, Stu undergoes a fairly elaborate procedure with absolutely no bruising or scaring the next day. So either he is unconscious for a significantly longer period of time or Stu is in fact Wolverine.

Overall: Takes it self way to seriously and doesn't really feel like a Hangover Film, however I still recommend seeing this film if you have any questions remaining from the first two instalments. 3 Stars.