Movie reviews

For fans of superhero movies in general, or fans of DC’s superhero characters, the recent news that a film that will include both Superman and Batman will have been met either with great excitement or cautious trepidation. To be honest it is kind of difficult to see how the writers behind the script will manage to create a storyline to bring the massively contrasting pair together in a feasible plot. So, what do we now about the film at this stage?

The news was first given away by the director Zack Snyder, behind the recently releases Superman film, Man of Steel, whilst speaking at a major comic convention in the southern Californian city of San Diego. Snyder dropped the bombshell to a reeling room of comic super-fans before explaining that the script was still in production. However, Warner Brothers are expected to begin production in 2014 with the film due for release the following year.

Superman will again be played by Henry Cavill, the most recent incumbent of the role in Man of Steel, but the actor who will play Batman has yet to be cast though it is thought that it will definitely not be Christian Bale, who most recently held the role.

Fans immediately started speculating as to just how the writers will manage to combine two such big characters together in one film. One would presume that the script will be something along the lines of an uneasy alliance forged by necessity with plenty on infighting and clashing of egos along the way. No doubt fans will jamming forums with speculation and predications as to the plot over the coming months but with at least two years to go until the film’s release they will have to be patient before there is even so much as a teaser released.

Rival comic house Marvel has long adopted the approach of mixing and matching its superheroes in various combinations both in comic books and in films. However, this will be the first time that DC has gone down a similar route. Time will tell if it proves to be a stroke of genius or ends up looking like a desperate grab for cash when other storylines have run out.

For me the most successful ever integration of an existing slogan for a brand or product into an advertising campaign is that of Carlsberg’s ‘probably the best beer in the world’. I particularly love the series of ads offering a tongue-in-cheek comparison to the kind of comparative quality Carlsberg would bring to providing other goods and services should the decide to diversify.

My favourite is the first of the series which was prominently featured during the commercial breaks of Champions League games. A young guy looking for an apartment shown up at the door of an apartment he finds advertised in a newspaper and is shown around by a real estate agent. Inside are a bevvy of beautiful female roommates. One is training to become a chef and of course wont let anyone else cook. The other babe hates chick flicks and is a football nut. The apartment is kitted-out with self-cleaning technology, the ‘box room’ is huge and plush with a balcony overlooking a football stadium and the girls read him to sleep with the Biographies of footballers. “Carlsberg don’t do flatmates, but if we did, they’d probably be the best flatmates in the world”, concludes the commercial.

Now, it might be the male chauvinist in me, but I love that ad the most. The others in the series are fun too. “Carlsberg don’t do Christmas crackers…but if they did….”. A Lamborghini naturally falls out at the Christmas dinner table. Those ads definitely have a laddish appeal and are targeted at the male beer drinker. But, let’s face it, men do drink far more beer than women so Carlsberg are probably fairly confident about not suffering terribly by potentially offending a few beer-swilling feminists and losing their custom.

I know marketing theory says that irritating and stupid commercials are effective because they stick in your head and you certainly remember the product. And, to be fair, an annoying ad is probably better than a non-descript inoffensive commercial you forget as soon as you’ve seen it. But an ad that people enjoy watching has to be the best alternative when you want to get your name out there. Well done Carlsberg!

Despite being in my early thirties, I am not afraid to admit that the first Despicable Me was one of the films I’ve most enjoyed in the last couple of years. So I was childishly excited upon hearing that a sequel was afoot. So, with my six year old nephew cunningly conscripted for cover off we went to the cinema.

The original Despicable Me, though not by any means complex in structure, it is after all an animated film aimed at children, found a way to bring an original charm to a tried and tested formula. Selfish and seemingly mean guy inexplicably finds himself looking after cute children and despite initially keeping them at arms-length, then trying to push them away, has his heart melted and finishes the film as a caring father having eventually admitted he has grown to love them. All fairly run-of-the-mill. Done in such a way however that originality and humour accessible simultaneously to both children and grown-ups was infused in a remarkably successful manner.

So, does the second instalment of the franchise live up to the initial movie? In many ways yes, it is still a very enjoyable, both myself and my nephew liked it, without quite reaching the heady heights set with the original. In many respects that had to be expected. A great film doesn’t come around too often as the right blend of dialogue, visuals and atmosphere seems to be an elusive formula. Still, Despicable Me II is definitely worth watching.

The ‘minions’, who perhaps were even more of a success with the audience first time around the makers had expected or hopeful, are given more of a starring role, their slap-stick comedy routines fully exploited. Gru, as is almost obligatory in such a follow-up, is given a love interest and Margo is again ridiculously cute.

Though the film misses the classically memorable one-liners of the first film, such as ‘you call this literature’ – whilst being forced to read ‘Three Little Kittens’ to the girls, it is still heart-warming and funny throughout. Without giving the intricacies of the plot away, which again is not exactly Tolstoy, it’s definitely one to go and see for anyone with kids or young relatives that you can use as an excuse.

Fans of Disney’s incredibly successful franchise ‘Cars’, starring a cast of, what else, talking cars, are undoubtedly keenly anticipating the release of the quasi spin-off ‘Planes’, to be released this August. On the face of it ‘Planes’ pretty much seems to be like ‘Cars’. Same animation style, presumably the same overall concept, except, well, rather self-explanatorily, the heroes of the day are planes rather than cars.

What we know of the plot so far as that the central character is a plane named Dusty, voiced by Dane Cook of Good Luck Chuck, fame. Dusty wants to compete as a high-flying racer on the famous planes race circuit. But, and only Disney could come up with this one, he is a plane that is, oh how ironically, afraid of heights.

So, what to do? Dusty, despite his unfortunate phobia for heights, is of course an extremely determined and brave little plane. Adamant that he will overcome his fear and realise his dream by not only competing on the race circuit but becoming a champion, Dusty turns to an old-timer plane who is a veteran of the race circuit for help.

Now, that is about as much as has so far been made public. However, if I were to speculate wildly I would have a stab in the dark that there is probably a mean plane, or group of such with an even meaner leader, who will initially make fun of Dusty and then try to sabotage him when he starts to race well. The old-timer plane will most probably turn out to have suffered some form of disappointment and never fully realised his potential as a young racer and will eventually seek to rectify that through helping Dusty to ultimate success having overcome his phobia and the mean planes’ attempts at sabotage. He’ll probably start out being a reluctant and grumpy mentor giving Dusty a seemingly overly harsh hard time, but then we’ll see it was just a façade and he is an old softy really.

I may be underestimating the folks over at Disney. Let’s see next month how much I deserve to be taken on as one of their script writers!