Bad Grandpa
Bad Grandpa, sees 86 year old Irving Zisman (Johnny Knoxville) have to deal with the death of his wife, Gloria (Spike Jonze), as well as look after his grandson, Billy (Jackson Nicoll) while his daughter goes to jail. Billy wants to stay with Irving, but there is no way Irving is keeping him. Now that his wife is dead, it is time for him to start living! So, it’s time for a roadtrip across America to get Billy to his dead beat dad, as well as find a fitting way to farewell his dead wife.
The last thing you expect when you see the title Jackass presents: Bad Grandpa is a sweet, tender story. But that in part is what you are getting from this film.
Take note that I said in part, because this is a Jackass film afterall, so there still are stunts, pranks and laughs galore! This is riotously funny.
Grandpa Irving has made a few appearances in past Jackass films and he garnered many laughs, but could he hold a whole film on his own? The answer is yes, when that said film has a narrative.
Bad Grandpa is Jackass meets Borat. There is a narrative thrown in amongst the many pranks that are played on unsuspecting members of the public. Including a hilarious funeral scene and even a pageant that will have you comparing this film to Little Miss Sunshine!
Johnny Knoxville has been aptly supported by his Jackass cast mates in previous films and TV series and really needed a little co-star who could hold their own against him, and when pranking unsuspecting suspects. This is a lot of pressure to put on such young shoulders but Nicoll manages this well.
Nicoll is aptly matched to Knoxville. He doesn’t come across as a smug, annoying kid. Instead he is one that you want to hug and even hang out and laugh with.
It is so good to go to a comedy and finally laugh out loud. Be warned, just becuse there is a kid in this film, it doesn’t mean that it is suitable for the little ones. There are lots of inappropriate, crude moments that will have you shrieking and laughing out loud but you don’t want to be sharing these laughs with the little people in your life.
Bad Grandpa is the surprise film of the year for me. It was laugh out loud, slap your thighs funny, while also being heartwarming and endearing. Who knew bad could be so good!
Ender’s Game
“In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them…. I destroy them.” – Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game
It is the future, and humans are living in fear of being taken over by an alien race (Formics). Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley) defeated the Formics and saved the world 25 years ago, and even though there has been peace since then, the International Military won’t rest until the Formics have been destroyed.
Colonel Hyram Graff (Harrison Ford) must find the person to lead the army that will once and for all destroy the Formics. It is believed that because children have grown up in a world of technology, they are best suited to lead the battle. They operate on instinct. The genius child that Colonel Graff thinks will save the world is the highly talented and inquisitive, Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield).
I have to say, I am not a big fan of sci-fi movies. I just can’t buy the whole, the world is going to be taken over by the ugliest looking aliens we have ever seen on screen, and it is up to one person to save the entire universe! So, I was quite cynical going into this film and I was ready not to like it.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that this film (based on the book of the same name) captivated me from word go. I cared about the characters and where this story was going. Even though in this case, it was up to one of the smartest kids ever to save us all!
All the pressure is on Ender’s shoulders to save the world and on Butterfield’s shoulders to make this film work. If lead child wasn’t strong enough, the film wouldn’t work.
Butterfield played Ender perfectly. He was not precocious or annoying. Instead he was icy and steely whilst also vulnerable. This is such a mature performance from someone so young. Butterfield looked like he really knew what he was doing and I was happy to leave the fete of the world in his hands.
Butterfield was aptly supported by his younger cast members, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Aramis Knight, Suraj Partha, and Conor Carroll.
But it’s not all about the kids in this film. They are lead by fantastic adult actors – the likes of Viola Davis, Harrison Ford, and Ben Kingsley.
At times Ender’s Game feels like a video game – but that’s not a bad thing. It’s the best of the gaming world meets the movie world. The visuals, and use of all the latest technology, is outstanding.
Even though Ender’s Game is set in a futuristic world and the enemy is an alien race, lessons can be taken from it. Think before you hit. Understand before you attack. And is winning at all costs really the right thing?
Ender’s Game is a very sophisticated take on the 80’s kids save the world type films (Goonies, The Lost Boys). We haven’t seen many of those types of films successfully done this millennium (the best I have seen was Stephen Spielberg and JJ Abram’s, nostalgic, Super 8).
I thoroughly enjoyed the ride Ender’s Game was taking me. I was very surprised to see that I was sucked in and rooting for Ender to save us all. It was all going well until the last five minutes. The ending went off the rails and is a let down.
If you can forgive the actual ending of Ender’s Game, and in your mind let it end 5 minutes before the credits roll, then this is well worth making the trip to the cinema for.
- Sarina Bellissimo (@SBellissimo)
