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Observe & Report, a review by karmesinrot

Observe and Report

Cast: Seth Rogen Ronnie Barnhardt, Ray Liotta Detective Harrison, Michael Pena Dennis, Anna Faris Brandi, Collette Wolf Nell, Jesse Plemons Charles, John & Matt Yuan John & Matt Yuen.

Written and Directed by: Jody Hill

Plot Synopsis: THE FOOT FIST WAY director Jody Hill takes the helm for this Seth Rogen comedy concerning an ambitious mall cop who competes with a seasoned detective to bust an elusive flasher. Make a wrong move at Forest Ridge Mall, and you'll have to answer to no-nonsense security head Ronnie Barnhardt (Rogen). Ronnie sees skateboarders as the blight of society, and any shoplifter unfortunate enough to summon his wrath will be promptly busted and booked. Sure, Ronnie may suffer delusions of grandeur when it comes to his job, but perhaps with a little effort he'll eventually get to trade in his flashlight and patch for a gun and a badge. When a flasher begins tormenting the shoppers at Forest Ridge Mall, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his detective skills and impress gorgeous makeup counter girl Brandi (Anna Faris), who can't be bothered to give him a second glance. Perhaps by catching the culprit, Ronnie will finally earn himself a prized position over at the police academy. But the one thing Ronnie hadn't counted on was competition, and when Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta) of the Conway Police makes it his personal mission to nab the flasher, the two rivals begin working around the clock to crack the case before their counterpart. (taken from Amazon.co.uk)
My Thoughts: I went into this film expecting the adult version of Paul Blart Mall Cop. As a dark comedy, Observe and Report is obviously not going to be everyone's cup of tea and as a result has plenty of mixed reviews on Amazon. Seth Rogan plays the part of bipolar Ronnie reasonably well - I felt both empathy and dislike towards him during the course of the film, whilst Anna Faris plays a version of her usual ditzy blonde character.
I feel the movie relies way too heavily on cheap laughs from overuse of bad language, nudity and violence. The "dark humour" elements included Ronnie's alcoholic mother and fellow security officer Dennis' drug use. I'm not one for being easily offended, but personally I thought that the jokes were tired, have been done before and just weren't that funny.   The one laugh-out-loud moment that I can remember is Ronnie and Brandi's drunken sex scene  
 This was the first time I had seen Jesse Plemons in something other than Friday Night Lights - would have liked if he could have had a larger part.
Maybe I just don't understand dark humour properly, but I don't think this is one I will be watching again in a hurry.  

Rating: 2/5

Hope you guys enjoy my first review!

(From Observe & Report on April 9th, 2010)

Ta Ra Rum Pum, a review by Tom

Title: Ta Ra Rum Pum
Year: 2007
Director: Siddharth Anand
Rating: FSK-6
Length: 149 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital Stereo, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Saif Ali Khan
Rani Mukerji
Jaaved Jaaferi
Angelina Idnani
Ali Murtuza Haji

Plot:
This is the story of one man, his family and how they overcome the obstacles that life puts in their way, together. It is the story of human spirit and how it ultimately prevails.

Rajveer Singh (Saif Ali Khan) is a pit-crew worker in a racing team with a passion for driving who gets discovered by a team manager, Harry (Jaaved Jaaferi). The same day he accidentally meets a music student, Radhika (Rani Mukerji), who he falls for instantly.

He gets drafted into 'Speeding Saddles' - a failing race team and transforms from Rajveer Singh to 'RV' - the race car driver. While his racing career takes off instantly, his love life also blossoms after a whirlwind romance. A few months later, he is both a happily married man and one of the country's best racers. Fatherhood and greater success both follow and soon he is the Number 1 race car driver in the USA, as well as the proud father of two precocious kids - Priya (Angelina Idnani) and Ranveer (Ali Haji).

But as a result of a bad racing accident, RV is hospitalized for a few months. When he tries to make a comeback, he realizes that he has been mentally scarred by the accident and has lost his edge. His life now takes a turn for the worse and after a string of failures, he is forced to auction his house and move with his family to a run-down Bronx-style neighborhood. However, RV and Radhika decide not to tell their children the truth and construct a skillful masquerade of a reality show where they have to live a poor life in order to win a mythical grand prize.

The family struggles to survive a life that they are not used to, using a mixture of fantasy and cheerfulness to pull through in the face of adversity. But an incident forces RV to reclaim the life that was taken away from him.

Can he, once again and perhaps for a last time, face down his inner demons on the race track? Can the family remain together in the wake of what could perhaps be their biggest challenge yet?

Extras:
Deleted Scenes
Poster
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailers



(From Tom's Random Reviews on August 19th, 2009)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

04. Beauty and the Beasts (1998-10-20)
Writer: Marti Noxon (Writer)
Director: James Whitmore Jr.
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Fab Filippo (Scott Hope), John Patrick White (Pete), Danielle Weeks (Debbie), Phill Lewis (Mr. Platt), Eliza Dushku (Faith)

An episode I never really cared for. I was never a fan of third season's Angel storyline. Good thing they have spun him off to another series. I think he is more interesting away from Buffy.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on February 25th, 2009)