The Hangover (2009)

One of the most creative comedies I have seen in a long time, this film tells the story of a close brotherhood, and inspired not only one but two sequels (I will also be reviewing these two sequels in good time, so stay tuned).

Doug (Justin Bartha) is getting married to Tracy (Sasha Barrese), but before the wedding, he is having one final night to celebrate his singleness with his closest friends. Together with schoolteacher Phil (Bradley Cooper), dentist Stu (Ed Helms) and Tracy’s brother Alan (Zach Galifianakis), he is on a road trip to Las Vegas for a night of partying, drinking and gambling.

Everyone is on board with this relatively simple plan, except for Stu’s girlfriend Melissa (Rachael Harris) who is so controlling, Stu isn’t able to tell her the truth, and has told her they are going to a wine tasting weekend in Napa Valley.

Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Phil (Bradley Cooper).

But when they get to Vegas, as they celebrate with the first drink of the night, they get so drunk that, waking up the next morning, they have absolutely no memory of anything that happened the night before.

Usually, this wouldn’t be a problem, except for the fact that when they wake up, Doug is missing, and since none of them can remember what happened, they don’t even know where to begin looking for him.

And with a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, and a stolen police car as their transport instead of the convertible they drove to Vegas in, their night was obviously a lot crazier than any of them first thought.

The four guys enjoying their first drink of the night.

And so it begins: a race against time to retrace their drunken steps to find Doug again and get back to Los Angeles in time for the wedding, a race which sees them fleeing for their lives on more occasions than they might choose, as little by little, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.

Jon Lucas & Scott Moore have written a very clever screenplay which, while the humour does resort to crudeness on a couple of occasions, is overall very cleverly constructed comedy. The characters are all very clearly defined, with more than their fair share of conflicts, both internal and external, and the ways these three characters relate to one another provides ample opportunities for humour as well. The film, as a result, feels like a very different type of comedy than the standard, stereotypical buddy movie we have all seen too many times before.

Lawrence Sher’s cinematography is absolutely beautiful, and not only because of the gorgeous landscape the film takes place in. Sher’s use of light and shadow, and numerous moments of visual contrast, is a wonder to behold, again separating this film from the stereotypes we have seen far too often.

Stu (Ed Helms) and Melissa (Rachael Harris).

Even the score is unlike anything one might expect from other films. Christophe Beck has cleverly scored this film - just the right amount too, it is by no means over-saturated with music - in order to highlight not only the comedic moments, but the various dramatic moments as well. It is so cleverly done, that the score more resembles a more serious dramatic movie rather than a comedy.

The performances of the cast - particularly those of the three leads - are exceptional. The three leads all possess excellent comic timing, and play off each other so well that it is easy to accept that they have an extensive history together as characters. There are other great performances too, but to mention the performers by name would potentially spoil a lot of the surprises that are in store, so I will not do so here.

Director Todd Phillips has made a very clever film here, a film that was much cleverer than I was expecting. If you haven’t seen it, it may well be worth a look.

8 out of 10.

Masterminds (2016)

The first film directed by Jared Hess (think Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre, or Gentlemen Broncos, to name just a few) that he did not write (or even co-write) the screenplay to, this still has his distinctive mark all over it, in a good way.

David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) is an employee of Loomis Fargo, a job he loves dearly. Though his job is incredibly repetitive, he has become so trusted as an armored-car driver, he is the only non-management employee to be entrusted with keys to the vault.

When new employee, attractive and flirtatious Kelly (Kristen Wiig) starts working with him, he finds it difficult to remain completely faithful to his fiancee Jandice (Kate McKinnon). The two of them become very close, and she (one way or another) convinces him to help her steal over $17 million dollars from the company.

David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) and Kelly (Kristen Wiig).

The two become involved with small-time criminal Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and his wife Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Ellis). Steve uses (and abuses) David's incredibly trusting nature, and convinces him to take the entire fall for the heist, and then flee to Mexico.

David believes the whole time that Kelly will be joining him in Mexico, when in reality, Chambers turns Ghantt into the FBI, beginning a cat-and-mouse game between David and international police, including FBI Agents Scanlon (Leslie Jones) and Plewe (Jon Daly).

Throw in an incredibly eccentric hitman named Mike McKinney (Jason Sudeikis), and you have the recipe for a hilarious comedy, in a very similar vein to Hess's previous films.

David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) and Mike McKinney (Jason Sudeikis).

His trademark long camera shots (long as in duration, not distance from the action) and slightly odd characters and situations are all here, giving the film a very similar feel to his previous offerings. However, he did not write the screenplay this time around. The screenplay was written by Chris Bowman & Hubbel Palmer and Emily Spivey, and the style does feel different enough from Hess's style, though the film is definitely identifiable as a Jared Hess film.

The cast all perform their roles very well, almost always underplaying the comedy (again in that typical Hess style). Galifianakis in particular is fabulous as the reluctant hero, and it is a role that is different enough from his previous work, too. Jason Sudeikis is also great as McKinney, but certainly, the two best performances have got to be from Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, who both do an incredible job in their roles. It is definitely a change to not see these two brilliant comedians working together, as they don't really have any scenes together (they do work very well together, as those who have seen their work before will know), but they both still do a brilliant job at portraying their characters, and again underplaying the comedy.

Agent Scanlon (Leslie Jones).

Sarah Edwards's costume design is well done, clearly defining and revealing each character. And with that, the production design, courtesy of Clayton Hartley, sets each and every scene in a very real world.

Despite not writing the screenplay, Hess has still managed to leave his mark all over this film, establishing himself as a truly unique director with a unique vision. This is a very clever film, using all the classic tropes and rules of comedy, while never descending into cliche or stereotype. If you haven't seen it, I would certainly recommend it, particularly if you have enjoyed any of Jared Hess's previous offerings.

7 out of 10.

Birdman (2014)

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2014, and subtitled 'The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance', this film is a monumental achievement for all involved, even if it feels a bit too much like art for art's sake in my opinion.

Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) is an actor who enjoyed moderate success years ago with his superhero character named Birdman. Now, many years later, he is trying to revive his career with a stage adaptation of a Raymond Carver short story, that he has written, is directing and starring in. And it previews on Broadway tonight, but it is definitely not ready.

When a co-star, Ralph (Jeremy Shamos) is knocked unconscious during a final rehearsal, he storms out and quits the production, threatening to sue. Mind you, this isn't entirely a bad thing, as Riggan couldn't stand him, nor could Riggan's manager Jake (Zach Galifianakis).

Another co-star, Lesley (Naomi Watts) suggests her friend and fellow actor Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) to play the role, and he steps in (at incredibly short notice) and takes on the role that Ralph vacated.

Add to the mix Riggan's daughter Sam (Emma Stone), with whom he is relatively estranged, but trying to get back in touch with, and you have the ingredients for quite a confrontational story.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, Riggan is going slightly crazy, hearing Birdman's voice in his head, and believing himself to possess god-like powers of telekinesis and so on.

The very first thing anyone would notice about this film is the fact that it takes place entirely in one, two-hour long, camera shot (or at least it appears so, with some clever edits and camera tricks). The effect of this is in one sense unsettling, adding to the overall psychological feel of the film, and at the same time, drawing the audience right into the centre of the action from beginning to end.

It also works well as a parallel of the play that the film largely centres around, as there don't seem to be any 'edits', it all just feels like one long unified piece.

The script, by Alejandro G. Iñárritu & Nicolás Giacobone & Alexander Dinelaris & Armando Bo, which incidentally also won an Academy Award in 2014, is absolutely superb. Again, as with the single-camera-shot idea, the script feels very much like a stage play, as we observe these characters confronting one another throughout, and dealing with their conflicts largely through their dialogue, and so on, which is very much the way things are done in a stage play as opposed to a film.

Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography, already briefly mentioned above, also won him an Academy Award that same year, and rightly so in my opinion. The way this film has been shot is just so clever, and the use of shadow (predominantly to cover the edit points) is done so well. But trust me, the edits happen so quickly you won't notice them; the whole thing feels like one continuous moving shot, and Lubezki's talent in pulling this off to such an extent is clear.

The score by Antonio Sanchez consists entirely of a drum kit, which in some sections of the film, is actually part of the on-screen action (such as when Riggan and Shiner are walking down Broadway and walk past a busking drummer). As such, the score never takes away from anything happening on screen, and it certainly does not overpower the action at any point, as it is only the one instrument, and thanks to a decent sound mix, never stands out in any obtrusive sense.

I am a little reluctant to discuss the performances of the cast here, as I'm still not entirely sure how it is they are supposed to function. In the case of every single performer in the film, overacting seems to be the soup of the day, with no exceptions. When someone wants to make a point, they yell. If they need to show any emotion, they yell. The entire film feels like one big joke to everyone, it would seem.

However, I don't know if this is intentional - with the director making a statement about the nature of stage performers versus film performers - or if the cast are just plain bad at what they do. I tend to believe the former is true, as many of the cast have given amazing performances in other films they have done before and since.

Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu has made a wonderfully cinematic piece of art here, but it feels just a little too self-indulgent for my tastes. I'm not saying it's bad - because it's actually very good - but there's only so much of it I can take.

7 out of 10.