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Being John Malkovich (1999)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
1999 | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi

"A midget-sized floor in an office building is something that is possible. John Cusack doing puppetry and Cameron Diaz looking frumpy and taking care of monkeys are possible. A portal to a person’s mind is possible. This kind of limitless potential is what makes films magical."

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Being John Malkovich (1999)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
1999 | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi

"This movie is such a strange little treasure. It is brilliantly bizarre, from the main conceit to the fact that Cameron Diaz (at her very best; I miss her) plays a terribly coiffed chimpanzee enthusiast. Admit it, right now you’re thinking about that scene where John Malkovich enters the portal into his own brain, and all anyone can say is the word “Malkovich.” A masterpiece of unapologetic, creative weirdness."

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Being John Malkovich (1999)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
1999 | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi

"Being John Malkovich mashes different genres and spins everything on its head. Spike Jonze tends to do that — he’s got his own unique take on the world and I love it. He’s probably the number one director that I would love to work with. Charlie Kaufman is one of my favorite writers too. John Cusack is so good in that movie — just so sad but yet so funny — and Cameron Diaz killed it in that role too. That’s my favorite of hers. The fact that Malkovich even agreed to do the movie is such a fun element within itself. It works on many levels."

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Bad Teacher (2011)
Bad Teacher (2011)
2011 | Comedy
6
6.2 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Recently jilted by the sugar daddy of her dreams apathetic schoolteacher Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) must return to her day job. Just as Elizabeth has settled in to her listless career reality, a single and wealthy substitute teacher (Scott Delacorte played by Justin Timberlake) appears. Elizabeth must now prove that she is the best teacher in the school to win Delecorte’s attention and wallet. However her nemesis the overachieving and oddly bubbly educator, Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch) also has eyes for the new faculty member.

Rounding out the eccentric cast of characters is the shy teacher Lynn Davies (Phyllis Smith), the lazy yet funny gym teacher Russell Gettis (Jason Segel), and the dolphin obsessed principal Wally Snur (John Michael Higgins). Further supporting the leads are a number of up and coming child-actors such as Kaitlyn Dever who plays know-it-all student Shasha Abernathy to crush obsessed sad sack Garrett Tiara (Matthew J. Evans).
Despite the strong cast, “Bad Teacher” will likely become associated with Cameron Diaz who uses her intense and direct comedic strength to shine in the nefarious role. Portrayed by Diaz, the character of Elizabeth comes across as wickedly manipulative yet manages to remain likeable.

But, “Bad Teacher” will not have you gasping for air between fits of laughter. The film has slow moments and a number of letdowns. Among the worst is the lackluster comical styling of Justin Timberlake as Scott Delacorte. While the role is critical to the film’s plot, the character is underdeveloped. Moreover Justin Timberlake does nothing for the part which is an unwelcome shock to audiences who associate his name with some of the funniest moments in recent “Saturday Night Live” history as well as his impressive performance in “The Social Network”.

Brimming with vulgar language and shockingly bold comedic scene choices “Bad Teacher” will surely offend bashful audiences. Still, the film is funnier than “There’s Something About Mary” and the recently disappointing “The Hangover: Part II”.

It is not a slam-dunk but “Bad Teacher” will give audiences some unexpected summer laughs, if they are prepared for the onslaught of vulgarity that this film hinges upon.
  
The Grey (2012)
The Grey (2012)
2012 | Action, Drama
8
7.0 (15 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Is there ever a better match up than Liam Neeson and a good solid action flick? This reviewer thinks not and this is exactly what we have here. However, Joe Carnahan’s latest offering, The Grey is a lot more than the formulaic paint by numbers action movie.

The Grey focuses on a group of men working away from home in the Alaskan oil fields. On their way back to safety, the worst happens and the plane the unlucky fellows are travelling in crashes in spectacular fashion. The crash in the first sequence of the movie is absolutely stunning and one of the best I’ve seen on the silver screen; it even makes the plane crash in the original Final Destination look tame.

The survivors of the plane crash include Neeson’s Alpha male character John Ottway and those of you familiar with the Irishman’s style of acting will know what to expect here; there’s a quiet sense of foreboding throughout and this only adds to the tension which is creatively built up throughout the 117 minute running time.

The team soon realise that they’re being stalked by a pack of hungry wolves that are, shall we say, less than happy about the intruders wandering around their territory and in the usual thriller style, they’re picked off one, by one.


The other male leads include Frank Grillo as the disobedient John Diaz and Joe Anderson as outsider, Todd Flannery. Unfortunately, through no fault of their own, the other actors get lost behind Neeson’s commanding performance, one of the best of his career in fact.

Dialogue and plot generally take a back seat to the scares in this genre of film but thankfully Carnahan and his writing team demand audience respect for these characters and for the most part, it all works and ties together nicely. Ottway is a deeply troubled and desperately unhappy man who on occasions has tried to take his own life. However, once coming face to face with the snarling jaws of a grey wolf, he soon realises that running and fighting for his life is perhaps the best course of action.

Naturally, the Alaskan wilderness provides an eerie and mesmerising setting (there’s not a green screen in sight) and Carnahan cracks up the tension fantastically by not being obvious in his editing. The shots of the CGI and puppet wolves are integrated very well and apart from a few shoddy scenes where it becomes a little obvious they’re not real , the outcome is deeply disturbing and the animals look 100% believable.

Overall, The Grey is everything a thrilling creature feature should be. Director, Joe Carnahan, racks up tension on every occasion physically possible and grabs the audience with beautiful Alaskan scenery dispersed amidst the chaos. Liam Neeson really steals the show with a commanding and heart-wrenching performance whilst his co-stars do well, despite being overshadowed.

The special effects and plot all have depth and this ensures The Grey has enough bite to keep even the most difficult audiences entertained. Yes, it’s a little too long for the genre, but you don’t feel this whilst watching because of how well the film has been crafted. It really is a must watch.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2012/03/13/the-grey-2012-review/