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'Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb'

27/12/2014

In cinemas December 19th!

The third Night at the Museum instalment is on par with the first film, which is fantastic after Night at the Museum 2 (which was saved mostly by Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart). With Ben Stiller returning to the role of Larry Daley, the museum night guard, we follow a storyline that is simple yet effectively done. With the magic fading the stakes are high for Larry to find the secret that will keep our favourite museum exhibits coming to life every night, and a trip to London is on the cards. One of the best scenes is the simple one where they all ride on the back seats of a London bus, and keep your eyes on Sir Lancelot’s (Dan Stevens) nose because that will certainly get you laughing! In fact Stevens was brilliant, giving a very strong performance. It is funny and carries the same humour that made the first film popular and that is guaranteed wherever Jedediah and Octavius (played by Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan) appear on screen together. They are the perfect double act, albeit a tiny one! It was also good to see the return of Ricky Gervais.

Alongside the main story runs an emotional sub plot between Larry and his son Nick (Skyler Gisondo). Unfortunately it is unconvincing and adds almost nothing to the film as there is very little on screen chemistry between the two and ultimately we don’t much care if Nick wants to go off and DJ instead of going to college. Thank goodness it is just a sub plot. Likewise the addition of Rebel Wilson is comical but she is just playing the same character that we have seen before in multiple other films, it is only the connection between her as the security guard and Laaa (Stiller) that makes her appearance in the film worth it.

Rami Malek however really stood out as Ahkmenrah and it was nice to see a development of his character from the first film. Malek has mastered the art of extremely subtle comedy, often with just one or two words or a simple facial expression. The return of Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt was bittersweet, as an inspirational character that has guided us through all of the Night at the Museum films some of his more poignant lines tugged at the heartstrings in light of his recent passing, but it was great to see him back on screen entertaining as he always has done. The tribute to him included in the end credits was a thoughtful touch.

As a whole it was a very enjoyable watch and certainly a worthy sequel to the franchise, although hopefully this will be the last one as it would be nice to end it well. Personally I really enjoyed it although I do not think that the style of humour will be to everyone’s tastes…

Review by Lydia Kay
See this review on www.thefancarpet.com

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'Into The Woods'

17/12/2014

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In cinemas December 25th in the US and January 9th in the UK!

As someone who isn't usually a fan of musical to film adaptations, I was surprised at how well this film managed the feat. Director Rob Marshall has captured the essence of the stage play so that although translated onto the big screen and shortened in length, we don’t lose anything from the story and the style still screams Sondheim. It is beautifully shot and the singing flows as naturally as if it were just speech. It was also pleasing to see how closely they had kept to the original Grimm Tales storylines for each character, holding on to the darkness that is weaved into each plot. The original storyline of the childless Baker and his wife (played by James Corden and Emily Blunt) does well to tie all of the stories together as well as bringing humour into the film. Anna Kendrick’s contribution as Cinderella stands out as much as her incredible singing, especially during the number 'On the Steps of the Palace', while Meryl Streep as the witch almost steals the show with a stunning performance.

That being said, the characters were all a bit too one dimensional and I would have liked to have seen a bit more depth behind them. Johnny Depp as The Wolf was well characterised but far too playful, I wanted him to be almost frightening and much more of a trickster. The original Grimm Tales stories are almost brutal and I felt that this could have been shown more with his character instead of merely hinted at, as it is throughout most of the film.

However Chris Pine as Prince Charming was a very pleasant surprise. Firstly because I didn’t even know that he could sing, and apparently neither did a lot of people including Rob Marshall! Not only can he sing, but he does so very well and personally the duet between the two princely brothers was my favourite part of the film. It was beautifully shot, well performed, and actually very funny. Although both his character and his brother’s (played by Billy Magnussen) were again very one dimensional it actually worked in their case as they are meant to be shallow. To quote Prince Charming “I was raised to be charming, not sincere.”

Daniel Huttlestone captured Jack perfectly, however I found Mackenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel rather flat. Also while Lilla Crawford sang fabulously at Red Riding Hood, I felt that she didn’t quite capture the essence of her. She opened very strongly when interacting with the Baker and his wife but from then on the character seemed a little too emotionless and deadpan for my liking. All in all it is a good film, but not outstanding. However it still remains one of the best and strongest musical to film adaptations I have ever watched.

Review by Lydia Kay
See this review on www.thefancarpet.com

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'Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb'

'Into The Woods'

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