20s Movie Review - Love Wedding Repeat

Director: Dean Craig
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Sam Claflin, Olivia Munn, Freida Pinto, Joel Fry, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jack Farthing, Tim Key, Allan Mustafa, Aisling Bea

Description: While trying to make his sister’s (Eleanor Tomlinson) wedding day go smoothly, Jack (Sam Claflin) finds himself juggling an angry ex-girlfriend (Freida Pinto), an uninvited guest (Jack Farthing) with a secret, a misplaced sleep sedative, and the girl who got away (Olivia Munn) in alternate versions of the same day.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 10: A BRITISH COMEDY
 
Review: Chance can be an asshole. That’s what the voice-over states. In “Love Wedding Repeat”, everything revolves around chance and the capricious twist of fate. Table arrangements at a wedding turn out to be vital. Only one arrangement has a positive outcome for all the guest, but which one? Fortunately, after a big mistake, the characters just get to try again.

The concept sounds like a lot of fun, but “Love Wedding Repeat” makes almost no use of the concept of cyclical time. Director Dean Craig stupidly chops his romcom about parallel universes into two parts: in the first part of the film, the wedding goes disastrously, in the second part, everything goes completely according to plan.  

Unfortunately, there is a very big drawback to this setup. Jack, the main character, is completely unaware that alternate realities exist. And because he lacks this knowledge, he will therefore not try to influence the course of his own future (or that of others). A missed opportunity, because the self-repeating caus-and-effect gam is precisely what makes a “time loop” movie, like for example “Groundhog Day” or “Edge of Tomorrow”, so entertaining.

A whole battalion of idiotic characters are assembled for the wedding ceremony. Jealous exes, a cocaine head, a sleepy maid of honor, and a chatty man in a kilt who is very itchy. They are meant to make you laugh, but they don’t manage. “Love Wedding Repeat” is rarely truly funny, yet many of the situations are very uncomfortable to watch.

They could have done so many great things with this premise, yet they totally missed the mark. Shame, because with talented performers like Sam Claflin and Freida Pinto, it could have been a lot better.

Rating: 2/ 5

10s Movie Review - Mowgli

Director: Andy Serkis
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, Eddie Marsan, Andy Serkis, Peter Mullen, Tom Hollander, Matthew Rhys, Freida Pinto

Description: A human child raised by wolves must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan, as well as his own origins

Review: After his parents were killed by tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli is taken in by a wolf pack lead by Akela. Not all animals in the jungle accept Mowgli and as he grows up, he has to work harder to proof himself. As Mowgli gets older, he starts to have doubts about who he is. When Shere Khan announces war between him and the other jungle citizens, Mowgli is forced to live with the people in the village.
In 2016 director Jon Favreau gave us his take on “The Jungle Book”, based on the Disney animation. It had charm, with, adventure and was suited for all ages. Andy Serkis has a different take on the story. It’s still the same basic story. But it’s all a lot darker, has no sing-a-longs and is filled with bloody hunts and has a grim atmosphere. However this is more like the original source material, the novel by Rudyard Kipling, it never convinces completely.
What made “The Jungle Book” so great were the visuals. And although “Mowgli” looks good too, the animals and the special effects aren’t always that great. The somewhat wooden computer animations really don’t work well. And what was the least interesting part of the animation from 1967? Were Mowgli meets the other people. And that’s a big part of this film.
The voice cast is amazing though. Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Benedict Cumberbatch were chosen perfectly for their roles. And that the film choses a different path then its predecessor is also a good choice. Too little, too late is definitely the case for “Mowgli”.

Rating: 3 / 5

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Couples of 2011

It's almost the end of the year. Time to look back. First the movie couples I loved in 2011.

5. James Franco and Freida Pinto (“The Rise of the Planet of the Apes”)
Freida Pinto may not have the most spectacular role in this movie and it was certianly not James Franco’s best either, but I like them together and apart.

4. Hayley Atwell and Chris Evans (“Captain America: The First Avenger”)
I never heard of Hayley Atwell before but she had amazing chemistry with Chris Evans. Her sassy Peggy Carter and his tough though kind Steve Rogers where a perfect match.

3. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt (“The Adjustment Bureau”)
Both fantastic actors and I was so happy that the two of them starred in a movie together. Matt and Emily are both charming as hell and together they make a great on-screen duo.

2. Jason Segel and Amy Adams (“The Muppets”)
The most adorable couple on this list. Jason Segel and Amy Adams are both people who can be so funny without being super hilarious. This combination was very well found and I love them together.

1. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone (“Crazy, Stupid, Love”)
Emma Stone has stole my heart, she is awesome. But I think she looks amazing next to Ryan Gosling. What a brilliant couple and they’re practically a match made in heaven.

They almost made the top 5: Kristen Wiig and Chris O'Dowd ("Bridesmaids"), Rupert Grint and Emma Watson ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"), Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds ("The Green Lantern") and Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake ("Friends with Benefits").

Movie Tip # 50: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Starring: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis, Tom Felton, Brian Cox

Description: The young scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) is about to realize his life's work: the discovery of a cure for Alzheimer's. His experiments on primates, however, have uncommon side effects. The chimps increase in brain activity and Caeser is the first ape with that special intelligence.

Review: We first meet chimp 9, a primate that suceeds in solving the most complicated puzzles. Scientist Will is the one who developed a medicine that should cure alzheimers. He has a reason for wanting it to work, because his father Charles is suffering from the disease and getting worse every day. James Franco does a solid job by playing Will, who you learn to sympathize while the story developes. His father Charles, played by John Lithgow, is a very likeable character but so sad. I really felt sorry for him. Especially the scene where he tries to drive a car. Freida Pinto as Caroline does a fine job but her character is pretty one-dimensional, though she is the most sensible one. Boss Jacobs and bully Dodge did not deserve any sympathy and the entire film you wish only one destiny for them. The big star of the film is ape Caeser, played by Andy Serkis who also did a tremendous job as Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" series and as the giant gorilla in "King Kong". Is it possible to be nominated for an Oscar when you played an ape? He does an excellent job. It's clever acting and he easily overshadows his co-stars. The makers of the film managed to created a great personality for the apes and you hope they will reach their goal. It's the emotional core of the film that most impresses and the scenes between Caesar and Will are fantastic. The twist ending was pretty smart, I liked it. The complete movie is a visual treat, beautifully shot and I'm glad they didn't make the apes killer machines when they broke out. They just wanted freedom, well who doesn't?

Pic Spam: Freida Pinto

I'm planning on seeing "The Rise of the Planet of the Apes" this week, which off course stars James Franco, but also the lovely Freida Pinto. I first saw her in "Slumdog Millionaire" which was a great movie. So here are some nice pictures of Freida Pinto.