Reviews

The 1998 film "Rushmore" is categorised as a comedy drama and stars Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Olivia Williams. The film was written by Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson. Wes Anderson also directed the film and I can't praise him enough for his impressive and unique talents. This was the second film he directed and I feel that "Rushmore" is his finest production in comparison to all of his films. Credit is also due to Jason Schwartzman in his debut acting role. He was only 18 when Rushmore was released and he is still acting to this present day. I can't imagine how surreal it would have been for him to co-star with Bill Murray in his first debut film, especially as Schwartzman was the lead role.

Schwartzman plays the character Max Fischer, a rather unusual 15-year old schoolboy who attends the prep school "Rushmore". He is failing in most of the classes at the school but manages to balance his rebelliousness by being very active in extracurricular activities. Very early on in the film Max ends up getting expelled from Rushmore resulting in him to joining a local high school. This is pretty much a downward spiral for Max as Rushmore was his life. Before his exclusion he becomes close friends with Herman Blume (Bill Murray) a local wealthy man who has two twins in the same class as Max. Max and Blume form an unlikely friendship and Max also finds himself obsessed with the new elementary teacher at Rushmore Ms. Cross (Olivia Williams). However, he soon discovers that having these "friends" much older than himself leads to him becoming involved in unexpected dramas. I love the soundtrack throughout the film. The music felt very original, which is something I hadn't noticed before. I will definitely have to purchase the soundtrack for this. The songs featured in the film are mainly late 60's/early'70s British pop and rock music, and they all cogitate Max's current mind- set. I was most impressed with the originality of the film in general. It's difficult to compare it to anything else as there isn't anything quite like "Rushmore". I think one of the biggest shocks was discovering Owen Wilson started his career as a writer and then gradually made his way into acting. He has only ever co-written along with Wes Anderson but it's been a while since they collaborated as writers and I would be very keen for them to start a new project together in the future.

The first time I watched Rushmore I wasn't that involved with the film and felt it was rather mediocre. I had heard great things about it and I felt rather disappointed with my perception. However, it wasn't until recently that I rewatched Rushmore and made a really strong connection with the film. I also paid more attention to the plot which certainly helped me follow the film and receive a better understanding. It makes me want to watch more films I didn't enjoy first time viewing. I also strongly recommend to film buffs out there. It's not the type of film any average Joe would enjoy simply because it's so original and also quite dated now.

The Dilemma is an entertaining comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James. Both of these actors do have a habit of appearing in comedies, particularly ones that involve a love story. "The Dilemma" isn't much different to anything either of them have starred in before, but I found the story enjoyable and original. If you appreciate Vince Vaughn and Kevin James as actors you'll enjoy this film and I did feel they had a great chemistry. Critics have been slating the film with bad reviews and I have to say it's exaggeration at its finest. The film definitely isn't perfect and does have its flaws but I would say it's unfair to call it unbearable.

The story shows Nick (James) and Ronny (Vaughn) as best friends. They have both known each other since they were in college and are currently business partners in an auto design firm. They are in the development of launching their company until a dilemma strikes Ronny. He catches Nicks wife kissing a man whilst in the process of planning to propose to his girlfriend. This leaves him shocked and angry so he decides to investigate the situation and attempts to develop evidence. This turns into absolute madness and Ronny soon discovers that the secrets in their relationship aren't as genuine as Nick and his wife portray. The film is directed by Ron Howard, and he has had a great reputation in his career so far. I seem to be one of the few people that isn't angered by Ron Howard for directing this and I don't see him selling out by doing so. The Dilemma is very different to his previous work and I can only imagine he wanted to do something more diverse. The film is entertaining and it's the type of film that people want to watch, it's simple and easy to follow. With a cast that involves Vince Vaughn and Kevin James it motivates people to watch it.

If you're looking for a comedy and expect to be in hysterics throughout the entire film this probably isn't the greatest one to watch. Multiple scenes made me chuckle but I did not find myself laughing out loud at any stage. I thought the story was quite interesting and very realistic. It represents an occurrence that happens in everyday life. I think that's the main reason I was intrigued by it. The characters played by Vince Vaughn and Kevin James also seemed very genuine, but they are almost identical to previous characters they've portrayed before. However, there are very few actors who do play diverse characters. I guess if you've proved you can act convincingly as a certain type of character, you'll be casted for similar roles in the future. I did enjoy "The Dilemma" and I felt it was worth watching. It's amusing in parts and I did feel relaxed and able to follow the rather simplistic plot. There are many films that create that kind of reaction from me though, so it's difficult to say it's outstanding. I would be lying if I said I wasn't entertained nevertheless.

The Green Hornet is a modern day remake to a previous 1940 film, and 1966 TV series starring Bruce Lee. The recently released film is directed by Michael Gondry and the cast includes Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson and Christoph Waltz. I found the Green Hornet to be fairly entertaining but nothing remotely outstanding was exhibited. One of the reasons that motivated me to see the film was to see Seth Rogen on the screen again. He had gone on a short hiatus, as it was getting to a stage where he was appearing in pretty much every adult R-rated comedy. And too much of that could have soon started getting tedious. Seth Rogen co-wrote the screenplay with his former co-writer, Evan Goldberg. I have to say the dialogue was quick witted and amusing throughout the entire film, and I do hope the team pair up again very soon.

The story follows Britt Reid (Rogen) a slacker who is completely dependent on his father's wealth. His father dies at the very beginning of the film and in this short time the relationship he has with his father is portrayed far from affectionate. The death of his father puts Britt in a very difficult dilemma as to whether he should take over his Dads media empire, the Daily Sentinel Newspaper. With no professional experience few people have confidence in him as he is perceived as a young playboy with very little intelligence. His efforts starts by sacking people who he feels aren't relevant anymore thinking it won't affect him. This judgement is false after he discovers his morning coffee doesn't meet his regular standards. He then discovers that he has sacked the person who he takes for granted the most and demands the staff member to be hired again. This person is Kato (Jay Chou) and Britt feels he's found a new best friend and apologises for his original actions of firing him. The pair then go on to steal the head from Brit's Dad's golden statue, and they randomly involve themselves in a robbery which they manage to stop. This unplanned occurrence leaves Brit very happy and he proposes to Kato how they should start a new career fighting crime. As Brit is the publisher of the Daily Sentinel Newspaper, he realises he has the authority to publish the new unmasked superhero he has created and it is soon named "The Green Hornet". The performances of all the actors are reasonable and I couldn't really take it too seriously, as it's only just a comedy.

My one complaint is the lack of 3D in the film and I would have much rather seen this in 2D. I think what made it worse was that I expected a lot of action the majority of the time I did feel like I was watching a comedy as opposed to an action film. To finish off, "The Green Hornet" is worth watching for entertainment value but I wouldn't go as far to say it's a must see film. There are plenty of scenes that did amuse me and I was captivated throughout but it was lacking that ultimate charm to be a must see film.