Mean Girls (2004)

Fifteen years after its release, this film is still as relevant as ever. Based on the book "Queen Bees and Wannabes" by Rosalind Wiseman, the film showcases what being in high school is really like, especially for teenage girls, who live with the desire to be noticed, and the pressure to be popular and liked.

Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) has her first day of "real" school at the age of sixteen, having been home-schooled her entire life thus far. Her parents were zoologists living in Africa, and have only just returned to the United States when her mother was offered tenure at Northwestern University.

On her first day, she doesn't really fit in anywhere; the cliques in the school are already well-established, and there isn't any place for her.

Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese).

But on her second day, she is taken under the wing of outsiders Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese), and introduced to the highly-observed and strict political system of cliques in the school. She is warned primarily about a group called The Plastics, the three most popular girls in school, whose mission in life seems to be making life miserable for everyone else.

However, the next day, Cady is taken in by The Plastics: Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert), Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried), and self-appointed leader Regina George (Rachel McAdams).

At Janis's insistence, Cady infiltrates The Plastics, observing them from within, and passing information on their goings-on to Janis and Damian.

Unfortunately, it isn't long before Cady starts to take her new lifestyle and emerging personality a little too far, becoming a Plastic herself, to the detriment of her other relationships.

L-R: Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert), Regina George (Rachel McAdams),Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried).

I don't want to spoil things, in case there are still people out there who haven't seen this film yet, but the story carries with it many lessons and messages that are still as important and relevant to young people as they were when the film was made. (In fact, the lessons of the film are still so important, the film was recently adapted into a Broadway musical, and is enjoying great success on the stage after more than 600 performances at the time of writing).

The screenplay, written by Tina Fey (who also plays math teacher Ms. Norbury), is very clever. There are so many quotable lines that have quickly become part of popular culture. The characters are all very clearly defined, with plenty of conflicts, but there are also plenty of teachable moments. Having said that, the film doesn't come across as didactic in viewing as it actually is, which I believe is testament to its genius. Fey shows her incredible talent for writing (particularly comedy) here, and also plays the role of Ms. Norbury in a brilliantly understated way.

The costume design (by Mary Jane Fort) and production design (by Cary White) are also perfectly on point, establishing character and location respectively in such a strong way.

Ms. Norbury (Tina Fey).

It is in the performances of the cast, however, where this film truly shines. In particular, Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams play their respective roles with perfection, breathing real life into their characters, characters that could have fallen into cliche in the hands of other performers. Amanda Seyfried also deserves a mention here; playing a character as unintelligent as Karen actually requires a great deal of intelligence and skill, both of which she displays beautifully.

Director Mark Waters has made a wonderful film here, a teen classic that still stands the test of time, and is sure to continue to delight and educate audiences for years to come. It doesn't matter how many times I see this film, it still gets to me every time.

If you haven't seen it yet, you totally should check it out as soon as you can. This film is totally "fetch", and with Mean Girls Day (yes, it is a thing) tomorrow, now is the perfect time to do so.

9 out of 10.

Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Starting right where the previous movie left off, this film follows the continued exploits of the Muppets, as they embark on a world tour (though it's mostly in Europe).

A mysterious man named Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais) volunteers his services to manage the Muppets, promising them he can sell out shows for them all across Europe. Against their better judgment, the Muppets accept his offer.

Meanwhile, at a gulag in Siberia, the world's most dangerous frog named Constantine is escaping from his prison, and returning to his partner-in-crime: Dominic Badguy. Constantine looks exactly like Kermit the Frog, except for a mole on his cheek, and the fact that he speaks with a strong Russian accent.

Constantine is almost identical to Kermit the Frog in appearance.

And in a shocking case of mistaken identity, Kermit is arrested - believed to be Constantine - and Constantine masquerades as Kermit, as he and Dominic execute a series of robberies across Europe (in the locations where the Muppets are performing).

Hot on their tail is Interpol officer Jean Pierre Napoleon (Ty Burrell) and CIA Agent Sam the Eagle.

Kermit constantly protests his innocence to prison warden Nadya (Tina Fey), but she won't listen, believing him to be Constantine.

Meanwhile, Constantine is fooling almost all of the Muppets, despite the fact he is nothing like the real Kermit.

Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais) buddying up to Kermit the Frog.

Only a small group - Fozzie, Animal and newcomer Walter - feel something isn't right, and they embark on a mission to find Kermit, apprehend Constantine, and return everything to normal again.

The screenplay, by director James Bobin & Nicholas Stoller, is quite good, filled of course with all the classic gags audiences have come to love from the Muppets. The characters are all as clearly defined as ever, and the script accurately represents them as we know them. I especially enjoy Constantine's continued efforts to be seen as Kermit, as he watches old videos of Kermit and echoes back the phrases he hears. Of course, he doesn't do them right, but that's where the humour comes from.

The score by Christophe Beck is well suited to the film, using themes and melodic lines from the original songs - written once again by Bret McKenzie - to tie the whole film together beautifully.

The cast performances are fantastic, and it is difficult to pick a standout from among the human performers. All of them embody their characters with great skill, and given they are all from a background primarily in comedy, have great comic timing too.

Prison warden Nadya (Tina Fey) welcoming Kermit to the gulag with, of course,
a song, joined by the prisoners, including the Prison King (Jemaine Clement).

As with the previous film, there are many great cameos, some of them as short as one line of dialogue, or one line of a song. The best of these cameo performances has got to be Jemaine Clement - Bret McKenzie's former partner in New Zealand comedy duo Flight of the Conchords - as the Prison King, one of Kermit's fellow gulag inhabitants.

Director James Bobin has made a wonderfully enjoyable family comedy/musical here, one that I'm sure I will enjoy watching many more times. It's not quite as good as the previous film, then again, sequels rarely are. However, it's still a joy to watch, and the songs are brilliant.

7 out of 10.

Megamind (2010)

Metro City has long been terrorised by super-villain Megamind (Will Ferrell) and his trusty sidekick Minion (David Cross). But where there is evil, there is always good to save the day every time, in the form of hero Metro Man (Brad Pitt) who, as the film begins, is being honoured with a museum dedicated entirely to him.

Of course, Megamind cannot let this celebration go off without getting involved, and he does, kidnapping local news reporter Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey), a plan which he knows will get Metro Man’s attention.

It does, and in trying to save Roxanne, Metro Man is killed, and it would seem that Megamind has won, and evil is victorious.

It isn’t long, however, before the shine wears off for Megamind. With no hero to fight, being bad just doesn’t seem as much fun any more.

And so, he sets about creating a new hero to battle: Roxanne’s cameraman Hal (Jonah Hill), who becomes Titan, the hero Megamind intends to fight over and over again. But Hal isn’t content with being the good guy, instead choosing to turn evil and terrorise Metro City to even greater lengths than Megamind ever did.

It is up to Megamind and Roxanne to join forces to battle Titan, and save Metro City once and for all. But convincing the rest of the city isn’t going to be easy.

This film has an amazing soundtrack (there are a lot of great things about this film, but I wanted to mention the soundtrack first). There are so many classic rock songs to enjoy: Bad to the Bone (George Thorogood), Highway to Hell and Back in Black (AC/DC), Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne), Mr. Blue Sky (ELO), Welcome to the Jungle (Guns n’ Roses) and Bad (Michael Jackson), to name just a few. And they all fit seamlessly into the soundtrack, complementing the score as well as the visuals and plot points along the way.

The script (by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons) is incredibly clever, with plenty of fun wordplay (including a fabulous exchange between Megamind and Minion centring around the words ‘good’ and ‘bad’) and clever references to a slew of other great films that give older viewers plenty to enjoy, all under the guise of a ‘kids’ film.

The casting – as I find is generally the case with animated films – is truly inspired. Every performer brings their all to their character, and is perfectly suited to their role. Will Ferrell is great as the villain-turned-hero, with just the right touches to his voice to sound ever-so-slightly unhinged (think Mugatu from Zoolander).

There are even a few great cameos from other actors, including Ben Stiller (who was a producer on the film) and J. K. Simmons as the city’s bumbling prison warden.

With the combination of a great voice cast, and the ever-increasing technological capabilities of computer animation, characters are just as capable of moving the audience emotionally as any great performance from an actor in a live-action film. The emotions present in Roxanne’s eyes are worthy of particular mention; and with Tina Fey’s wonderfully expressive voice a part of the whole package, this character conveys even stronger emotions than most human performers.

Director Tom McGrath has created a very enjoyable film, with rich characters who have detailed internal and external conflicts, a film that still stands the test of time several years after its initial release.

But don’t just take my word for it. Go check it out for yourself.

8 out of 10.