Showing posts with label Andrew Fleming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andrew Fleming. Show all posts

Movie Review Hamlet 2

Hamlet 2 (2008) 

Directed by Andrew Fleming

Written by Andrew Fleming 

Starring Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, Amy Poehler, David Arquette, Elisabeth Shue 

Release Date August 22nd, 2008

Published August 22nd, 2008

Since his splashy stateside debut as Alan Partridge in the indie hit 24 Hour Party People I have been left waiting for Steve Coogan to become a big star. His latest, Hamlet 2, was expected to be the launching pad. Unfortunately, a funny idea takes too long to get going and a flimsy, flailing effort only comes together for a few big chuckles at the end, after most of the audience has already checked out.

Dana Marsh (Steve Coogan) wanted to be an actor and for a time he was in a number of commercials. Unfortunately, his career never took off and now he finds himself teaching theater at a high school in Tucson Arizona. There his musical stagings of Hollywood movies like Erin Brockovich are universally panned by audiences, especially the whip smart freshman drama critic Noah (Shea Pepe).

When he is assigned a group of students whose other classes have been canceled by budget cuts, Dana has to come up with a way to reach them. Inspired by the young critic to write something of his own, Dana crafts Hamlet 2 and the students have a full on production to mount. The students take quite readily to the bizarre, offensive production, yes a sequel to the Bard's classic, co-starring Jesus and a time machine.

The description is unfortunately, funnier than the movie itself. Directed by Andrew Fleming, Hamlet 2 flails about for the first two thirds, finding only a few laughs here and there. Especially unfunny are the brief looks at Dana's personal life where Catherine Keener essays the least interesting performance of her career.

In the last third of Hamlet 2 things actually pick up. With the personal story shuffled off the stage, we get down to this ludicrous, ballsy, utterly offensive play and some actual laughs arrive. With Jesus and his time machine bringing Hamlet back to life and rescuing Ophelia before she drowns, as the gay men's choir of Tucson sings "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" the craziness of it all is enough to induce a giggle fit.

Then there is the big musical number. "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" is blasphemy of the highest form but also a jaunty, catchy, high energy pop tune that you cannot get out of your head. Arguably, the best musical moment of any movie in 2008, "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" is everything that Hamlet 2 should be but isn't. The song comes along in the funny final third of Hamlet 2 and those audience members who didn't check out during the sluggish first two thirds will absolutely love it.

If all of Hamlet 2 had the ludicrous, satiric edge of "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" it would be the funniest movie of the year. As it is, it's a slog to get through the first two thirds of Hamlet 2 and that flattens some of the admittedly funny third act. Steve Coogan still has not found the right vehicle to demonstrate his talent. Thankfully, this fall Coogan is mounting a standup comedy tour and a rumored documentary about said tour. Here's hoping this is the form he needs to break out.

Movie Review Nancy Drew

Nancy Drew (2007) 

Directed by Andrew Fleming 

Written by Tiffany Paulsen 

Starring Emma Roberts, Josh Fitter, Max Thieriot, Rachel Leigh Cook, Laura Herring, Bruce Willis

Release Date June 15th, 2007 

Published June 16th, 2007 

In 1930 a prolific author by the name of Carolyn Keene launched a new character, a young female detective named Nancy Drew. What's interesting about that is that Carolyn Keene was just as fictional as her now famous creation. The mysterious Ms. Keene was the moniker created by the Stratemeyer syndicate, a low budget bookseller responsible for dozens of young adult titles of the 1930's all under the same fictional authors name.

Regardless of her creation by committee origins, the character of Nancy Drew resonated with young girls and has maintained a unique place in popular culture for more than 75 years. Now as she gets her big budget Hollywood treatment Nancy suffers from a lack of any particular vision, let alone one by committee.

Emma Roberts takes on the legend of the teenage trouble seeking sleuth Nancy Drew. Dressed in fifties finest, plaid dress, knee socks and penny loafers, Nancy is the picture of nerdy sweetness. Underneath that nerdy exterior is an endless curiosity that has led her on numerous adventures. The latest had her smack dab in the middle of a hostage situation that she manages to diffuse with her charm and good humor.

Though her latest adventure is a success, her dad Carter (Tate Donovan) is none too happy about the dangerous situation. Thus why he has imposed a no sleuthing rule for their upcoming, temporary move to California. This puts Nancy in a tough spot, she has a new mystery waiting for her at their new California mansion, a home once owned by a movie star who may have been murdered.

Can Nancy sleuth behind dad's back and figure out who killed the dead starlet, played in flashback by Laura Elena Herring, or will she find herself in even more trouble. Meanwhile Nancy must also adjust to a new school and new friends including a lecherous 13 year old named Corky (Josh Flitter) whose crush on Nancy leads him to becoming her sidekick. Then there is Nancy's hometown crush Ned (Max Thierot) who makes an appearance in California just in time to help solve the case.

Nancy Drew is a quaint throwback with modern ambitions. The film has the feel of a live action Disney flick from the sixties, a lighthearted, kid safe sort of goofiness that pervades those films is featured all throughout Nancy Drew with just a touch of Scooby Doo thrown in for good measure. The problems come when director Andrew Fleming, who co-wrote the script with Tiffany Paulsen, tries to hip up the story for modern audiences.

Nancy Drew kind of works when they are working the old school charms of the sleuthing teen. When the movie tries to be modern however, we get painful examples of how out of touch director Fleming is. Examples like the performance of Daniella Monet. Saddled with the role of Nancy's bully, Monet is a painful to watch caricature of a modern teenage girl.

Seemingly cobbled together from episodes of MTV's prurient My Super Sweet 16, Monet's Inga puts the brakes on the film's charm with unnecessary nastiness and unfunny attempts at what I assume is a parody of the kind of teen who would adopt Paris Hilton as a role model. Nothing against Ms. Monet who is a lovely young actress, I'm sure no one could pull off a role this ill-conceived.

When the film isn't failing with its modernisms it gets simply sloppy. A scene where Nancy takes her visiting boyfriend to a Chinese restaurant is an insulting embarrassment to Asian Americans and the midwesterner for whom the boyfriend is a stand in.

Other scenes where Nancy attempts to show her resourcefulness are bizarrely illogical. Two scenes where characters are choking to death feature Nancy first attempting mouth to mouth on the victim and then performing an emergency tracheotomy. Has she never learned the heimlich maneuver?

Despite the bizarre and the illogical elements of Nancy Drew, star Emma Roberts flies above the problem, nearly overcoming them, with easy charm and boundless energy. The offspring of Eric Roberts and niece of Julia, Emma has inherited her aunt's gift of a winning smile and the ability to win over an audience on spunk alone.

If only the rest of the film could match her delightfulness. Unfortunately, the film surrounding her is simply a mess. Predictable to an irritating point, Nancy Drew unfolds with a quick pace but unravels even quicker as the central mystery is solved about half way through the film's 90 minute runtime. Poor Emma Roberts then must pretend that Nancy doesn't know what we in the audience have long figured out.

Nancy Drew is not a great movie but for the target audience it's inoffensive and cheery with a good heart. Emma Roberts isn't exactly a revelation but there are many indications that she will have a very bright future. With her bright smile and seemingly boundless energy you can see the leading lady qualities that won her this role and why her presence was so reassuring to producers that they were planning sequels well in advance of this film's release.

Those sequels are unlikely after the film failed to open well, but that should not prevent young Ms Roberts from becoming a very big star in the future.

Documentary Review Fallen

Fallen (2017)  Directed by Thomas Marchese  Written by Documentary  Starring Michael Chiklis  Release Date September 1st, 2017 Published Aug...