I’ve never actually seen the A-Team TV series, so I might not be the best qualified person to comment on the latest movie remake of yet another 80s show, but I have seen the Family Guy spoof episode (many times), so I’m going to give it a whirl. (Real hardcore fans of the A-Team, look away now!)
In my usual formula, before I start bashing, let’s get the good points out of the way. This film is entertaining, very funny and is definitely going to stand out as one of the better films offered up by the summer of 2010 (Piranha 3D? Uh, no thanks!) It is also, or so I am told, pretty loyal to the original show in terms of tone, character and story. Liam Neeson is the only instantly recognisable actor among the ensemble, but the others hold their own and probably do the original characters justice. In fact, I think I probably enjoyed this movie more than my cinema-going companion who had seen the TV shows, as I wasn’t comparing the two.
What I was doing was predicting what would happen about half an hour before it did.
To read the rest of this review, go to Unbored!
Disney-Pixar films are something that I always anticipate highly, with the first trailers a year or more in advance showing great promise and inspiring speculation; and most of them live up to the gradual hype that surrounds them. I’ve seen every one in the cinema – no waiting apathetically for the DVD release here. So, when I went to see Wall-E with my sister and the teaser for Up was played, we both knew we couldn’t wait to see it. Her first visit to Portsmouth last weekend was a perfect opportunity to hit the cinema, pig out on popcorn, and see what all the fuss was about.
And I liked it. It was hilarious. But it didn’t quite meet my expectations. Firstly, it failed to inspire me visually as much as, for example, Cars or Wall-E had done in the past. Granted, it was the first time I’d seen it so I was focussing on the story, but the characters were blocky and awkwardly designed and the backgrounds were bog standard. The animation is clever, detailed and pretty, but it’s very obviously a cartoon, and it’s not stunning – at least not on the surface to the untrained eye. Pixar can do better, and I don’t know why they didn’t.
To read the rest of this review, go to Unbored!
As most of you will probably have observed by now if you live in that area, a new Wagamamas restaurant has opened up in Gunwarf Quays in Portsmouth. I was lucky enough to be invited along to one of their preview days at the end of March and, having been to one of their other locations previously and quite enjoying it, I jumped at the chance to do it again, this time for free!
Wagamamas restaurant chain aims to recreate the atmosphere of a traditional ramen noodle cafeteria in Japan, and, with almost every seat in the house filled with people like me, they certainly achieved their aim the day I went. My partner in this adventure (Adam) and I were seated across from each other at one of the long communal benches, though there are booths provided for the non open-minded Westerner who prefers to eat his meal in a less social way. (Fear not though – although the ideal of these benches is for people to mix and interact, there is plenty of space for you to both eat comfortably and ignore your neighbours if you so choose.)
When I told my Mother I was having Japanese food for lunch, she wrinkled her nose and said “But you don’t like sushi”. Luckily, Tokyo has much more to offer the culinary world than that, and there wasn’t any of the raw fishy stuff on the menu. (more…)
Disney goes back to the drawing board this month, with their first non-CGI animated release in six years.
Being a big fan of the ‘old school’ Disney hits that all kids of our generation were raised on, I have been looking forward to this film for a while. I knew they had been working hard on giving another classic fairy tale that good old Disney revision, and that every department had been pulling out all the stops to make this a classic that would stand up next to the likes of ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Aladdin’. And they succeeded, sort of.
All of the things we’ve come to expect from Disney films are there in spades. The animation and voice talent is first rate. The characters are bold, likable and memorable. The moral message is clearly spelt out and followed through. The ending is happy and the songs are sing-along-able to a fault.
To read the rest of this review, go to Unbored!
Anyone who knows me knows I am an obsessive Family Guy fan. So it will come as no surprise to them that I have had this item on pre-order since May. Or that I am about to sing the praises of Seth Macfarlane once again.
If you have not yet discovered that the bird is the word, I highly recommend this DVD set. Remember that this was a show that was historically cancelled and then resurrected by DVD sales, and spend your money generously.
In return, you’ll get 13 new episodes, including plenty of gags and sequences cut from TV; with “all the poops and farts and nudity intact”, as Peter would put it. There are also, for the hardcore nerds like me, commentaries on each episode, deleted scenes, and even a behind the scenes tour of the production offices which will make wannabe sitcom writers drool in envy!
Season 8 really offers nothing new, just more of the same characters and laughs you know and love.
To read the rest of this review, go to Unbored!
I am about to do something I thought I would never do – bash the genius of Seth MacFarlane! (I justify this in my head by arguing that technically The Cleveland Show is actually very little to do with Seth, and is more the brainchild of Mike Henry; Seth is only implicated by involvement and association, rather than being the creator of the show.) But I am indeed about to do it, so brace yourselves folks!
The much talked about Cleveland Show finally comes to the UK on E4 this week. I have to confess that I cheated and watched the first five episodes of Season 1 on the internet a while ago, so I know what’s coming. And I have to say that I wasn’t much impressed.
Aside from the first five minutes of the Pilot (which was television gold, and included the cast of Family Guy and Cleveland’s farewell to them all), The Cleveland Show just didn’t do anything for me.
To read the rest of this review, go to Unbored!
