The A-Team by Joe Carnahan

So the TV show that I thought would never get made into a film has finally been released. The A-Team. It was a long running joke with my friends that if we ever got carte blanche to make a film we would do the A-team. Well seems like someone thought that was a good idea.

What I was hoping for from this film was my guilty pleasure film for 2010 and for the first hour or so I got that. But then I just got plain bored.

There is nothing essentially wrong with the film itself, i'm just left wondering, why bother?

All the boys look like they are having a great time in the film. With Bradley Cooper and Patrick Wilson my favourites. They both relish being pricks, but pricks you wish you were. While everyone else gives their ample support. Liam Neeson holds the team together with a great deal of gravitas. Sharlto Copley is allowed to go nuts and does so fantastically. His Braveheart scene had me in stitches. And Quintin Jackson as Mr. T inverts the tough guy role to hilarious effect. Although Jessica Biel is a somewhat pointless love interest, but whatever that's not the point of the film. And if that's not the point, why bother with the love story? Because that's the convention, which is kind of funny considering the film itself seems like it is trying to break convention. So what is the point of the film? There isn't one.

And this is coming from Joe Carnahan who burst onto the scene with the fantastic Narc. That had such a rich story about the corruption I society has fallen into. But here he is along from the brilliance of that film. A long way.

Outlandish is the game here. And outlandish is what you get. Some of the action sequences are so chaotic, so over the top, it really just feels like a movie version of a video game. And there's the problem with the film and with where hollywood is heading. Everything is geared towards an audience that just don't care what they want to watch, they just don't want to think. Since when was thinking such a bad thing to do.

The Hangover by Todd Phillips

So I re-watched 'The Hangover' today. What an utterly brilliant film, that just so happens to be a comedy. It certainly seems to be one of the most overlooked films for the academy awards. It really does seems now that comedies are put bellow any other type of film. As if their is less 'art' and more commerce involved in making, which is just absolute bullshit.

'The Hangover' really is a special film. It's no holds barred, anything can happen, anything can be said, which really is a breath of fresh air. Todd Phillips who has been responsible for other films such as 'Starsky and Hutch' and 'Old School' seems to have broken free of being the director for hire for the new frat pack and it really is glorious to see. I compare this film a lot to 'After Hours' by Martin Scorsese, and I mean that as a great big compliment as I love 'After Hours' because it's a joy to watch these filmakers at their best, using every trick they have at their disposal and it just working.

Todd Phillips is helped by an extraordinary cast. Bradley Cooper is really coming into his own now, as a leading man who is willing to subvert what that means at every chance he gets. He is never trying to wrestle a scene from another actor, he gives, and gives and gives and is willing to look like a prick. Ed Helms, the everyman of the group allows us into the shenanigans with glee. But Zach Galifianakis really does steal the show. He is non-stop hilarious and never shies away from looking the buffoon.

I can't rate this film highly enough and still can't believe it wasn't nominated as one of the ten best films of the year. It seemed to me that the reason for pushing the nominees out to ten was so films like 'The Hangover' would get nominated and what seems to have happened is that lesser dramatic works are being seen as more 'important'. How else can you explain the reasoning behind a film like 'An Education' being nominated for best film. (Which I liked mind you but certainly wouldn't have put it in a list of the ten best films of the year).

If you are one of the few people that haven't seen 'The Hangover', do so immediately.