Quadruple Bill Mini Musings: Booze, Bots, Aliens, and Body-swapping...

The Lost Weekend:
What's it about?
Billy Wilder's Oscar-snatching drama about a writer who is hopelessly addicted to alcohol, and finds himself alone with just his inner-turmoil and his bottle.
Who would I recognise in it?
It depends how well you know your 1940s cinema, but Ray Milland and Jane Wyman.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
While not as deliciously dark as Wilder's previous film Double Indemnity, nor as blackly comic as his iconic Sunset Boulevard, Wilder brings his trademark touch of class and incisive directorial skill to one writer's alcoholism. Naturally, the subject is dealt with to 1940s standards (although I'd wager it took away a few breaths upon its initial release), you might draw some parallels with the hopeless alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas (a relatively more modern telling of a similar depressive tale of the battle with the bottle). It might split the audience - one man's seemingly cosy ending, is another man's rather more ambiguous fade out that uncomfortably comes full circle. Great, with a few softened edges.

Click "READ MORE" below for robo-boxing, gunslingers shooting up aliens, and projectile poo jokes...

Real Steel:
What's it about?
Set in the near-future where humans are banned from boxing, large robots have taken over as the fighters inside the ring. One retired boxer, now a bit of a bum who's a "a nice guy, but a bad bet", is re-united with his 11 year-old son who he has barely seen. Over the course of a summer, they discover and train a sparring 'bot to take on the big league robo-sluggers.
Who would I recognise in it?
Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Kevin Durand.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
It would be glib and unfair to spin the flick as "Rock'em Sock'em Robots: The Movie", particularly as it has more in-common with Rocky - the tale of an underdog (in this case a sparring droid, or indeed Hugh Jackman's Charlie) rising up the ranks and finally achieving something with their life. Lilly's Bailey is mostly forgotten about in the script however, generally only offering up backstory and a quick smooch. However, clearly the focus of the flick is on Charlie and his son Max (Dakota Goyo). Charlie starts off as a real deadbeat, but forced together with his son who he abandoned, he sorts himself out. It's a pleasantly solid plot that, while not all that original, holds together nicely and provides some meaning to go-between the impressive bouts of bots smashing each other's metal out-of-shape (a seemless mixture of CGI and animatronics). Good.


Cowboys and Aliens:
What's it about?
The title sums it up pretty well.
Who would I recognise in it?
Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
From Jon Favreau, director of the spiffing Iron Man, and the not-so-spiffing Iron Man 2, comes this slightly awkward premise that can appear to be all-title from the outside. Fortunately, it's no Snakes on a Plane, and while Daniel Craig convincingly kicks the appropriate amount of arse for the duration, and Harrison Ford satisfyingly grumbles his way around the wacky premise, the remainder of the needlessly extensive cast are frustratingly left with not an awful lot to do. Paul Dano vanishes in the first act, Sam Rockwell just has to learn to shoot and find his wife, and Olivia Wilde generally stands around looking mysterious and pretty - then there's the myriad of other cast members, whose names you'll never manage to learn, or barely distinguish from one another. The first act works rather well however, with the primary focus being on Daniel Craig's gruff amnesiac gunslinger Jake, and the initial slow-build in kicking off the alien action helps add a sense of mystery ... even if their reveal isn't as spectacular as you'd been hoping. The second act gets a bit long-winded (with much more on-screen fodder introduced along the way), but the third act manages to tie things up well enough to leave a generally good taste in the mouth once all is said and done. On the edge between Good and Alright.


The Change Up:
What's it about?
Jason Bateman is a successful lawyer climbing his way towards a partnership, while Ryan Reynolds is a manchild occasional-actor who does as much shagging as he can. They go out, get blitzed, piss into a fountain, and wish they could have each other's lives ... no seriously ... and naturally they wake up the morning after inside each other's bodies, with nobody else realising.
Who would I recognise in it?
Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Olivia Wilde, Leslie Mann, and more.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
It got pretty well slammed upon its original release as I recall, so I went in with my expectations pretty low and ill-defined, and as a result I had a pretty good time with it. It's not deep, but it's certainly not totally vapid either, and while the first half does lean towards bared breasts and projectile bowel movements (among other things), enough life lessons are learned along the way to balance it out. However, if it wasn't for the cast - particularly the central duo of Bateman and Reynolds (each getting to play to their own strengths, as well as riff on each other's idiosyncrasies) - it wouldn't be as enjoyable. Without this cast, it would come off as rather crass and possibly even a bit heartless, favouring smut and rude words. Don't misunderstand me - I enjoy foul language and dick & fart jokes as much as the next guy - but they do require a counterbalance of heart, and fortunately the cast are convincing enough with a solid (but, naturally, predictable) script, that it works out in the end. It won't move you (but it was never supposed to), but you should have a good time with it. Good, but not memorable.