Catch Me If You Can: August

After such a poor show in July, I decided I had to do better in August and managed to fit in twelve films throughout the month. Definitely making use of my Unlimited Card now. It was all a bit action packed and my respect for Marky Mark grows more and more with every film I see him in!

Monsters University, RED 2, The Heat, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, Kick Ass 2, 2 Guns, The Lone Ranger, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Pain & Gain, Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters, We're the Millers and The Way, Way Back.

There were a few films this month that I had gone in with a preconceived idea of how I was going to feel about it and in the end felt very differently. Thankfully it was mostly good and the films were better than I was expecting, but there was still a couple of disappointments.

Favourite Film - Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
I would imagine this is a bit of a marmite film for many and would probably depend on how you felt about the character from TV. I had a pretty clear slate though, only having seen clips and was not a religious viewer before. The humour of Alan Partridge will not be for everyone, but for those who do, there's plenty to go around. One minor niggle was the ending which would have perhaps helped with something a bit bigger.

Pleasantly Surprised - The Lone Ranger
At a running time of 150 mins, this was long for a kids film. Surprisingly the few kids that were in the same screen seemed to be engaged from start to finish, as was I. Armie Hammer was a screen anti-hero and with a voice that could melt chocolate I was hooked on his character of the 'good boy gone (slightly and justly so) bad'. I did not mind that Johnny Depp was playing a Native American character, however I did mind that his character's traits seemed to just be recycled traits of Jack Sparrow - that was a bit of a let down and made me think it may have been a good idea to get in a different actor for this part. Overall this was a great tale of adventure and child-friendly vengeance with some great evil characters, even if the plot was a bit predictable, although for a kid's film that is understandable.

Yawn - Pain & Gain
This was one film I was looking forward to, however I left the showing feeling bored and hungry because in the end I didn't really care about any of the characters. Based on a true story, which only made me realise that these creeps were for real! Most of the characters were overplayed and just became jokes - which, for me, became overbearing.

And as for the rest...

Monsters University - maybe not as good as Monsters, Inc. just for the fact that the originality was lost, however well worth it just to see Mikey as a toddler! A fun and silly plot to keep the kids entertained. Plus Nathan Fillion.

RED 2 - kept a good pace, just as the original, and added another couple of great, over-the-top characters to the cast. Unfortunately missing Karl Urban though.

The Heat - better that I thought it was going to be. More down-to-earth than expected, although still manages to get the laughs in with Sandra Bullock pulling another 'straight-edged law enforcement officer who loosens up' out of the bag. 

Kick Ass 2 - figured it would be hard to beat the first one and I was right. There were some great points in the movie but overall lacked the surprise factor of the first.

2 Guns - I thought this would have been on par with Pain & Gain, but honestly I enjoyed this one much, much better. Mark Wahlberg's lovable moron was perfectly played, bouncing off Denzel Washington's straight-ish agent very well.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - aimed at the Twilight crowd, this was a fun, if a bit daft, prance around in the underground, supernatural trip. I would think it would do quite well with Harry Potter fans, but I imagine the horror that it's 'the next Twilight' would put them off before they even entered the screen.

Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters - another sequel, to the underrated Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Perhaps it's my love of the Greek mythologies that keeps me hooked on this one, but I've thoroughly enjoyed both. With Logan Lerman as the titular Percy, he holds together a mish-mash of otherworldly creatures and gods well.

We're the Millers - a soppy and over-the-top drug muling comedy, where you just know that it's not going to be easy for anyone involved. Worth the outtakes at the end, especially if you're a Friends fan! A bit of fun and something you don't need to think about too hard.

The Way, Way Back - Steve Carrell acting, top marks. And Sam Rockwell grabs your attention and doesn't let go, stealing every scene he is in. A quirky coming-of-age story which feels uncomfortably close to real life sometimes.



Title Film – Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen and Amy Adams
A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars' worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor.