Isla Fisher – NZ Film Freak

Wedding Crashers

Director: David Dobkin
Writers: Steve Faber and Bob Fisher
Released: July 2005
Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Jane Seymour
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While it’s crudely about John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) crashing random weddings to get lucky, it’s certainly a very funny film once everyone’s put their boobs away.

What begins as just another wedding to find a fling, ends with John developing a genuine crush on Maid of Honour Claire Cleary (Rachel McAdams). However, Jeremy is trying to convince John to escape the wedding early as Claire’s wildly intense and immature sister Gloria (Isla Fisher) forms a strong attachment to Jeremy.

While there is a lot of swearing, there is also a ton of very funny one-liners.

At the end of the wedding, Gloria demands that Jeremy come to her family’s summer home for the weekend. While John jumps at the chance with the hopes of getting to know Claire better, Jeremy finds himself trapped by the scary nutcase that is Gloria.

From here, I thoroughly enjoy the Claire/John half of the story, and not so much the Jeremy/Gloria storyline. Purely because I like a plain old love triangle, and am not such a fan of the crude humour that is typically associated with Vince Vaughn.

Owen Wilson plays the classic ‘good guy’ character as usual, which I adore! He goes out of his way to sabotage Claire’s cheating boyfriend to keep him out of the picture for as long as possible.

[Playing football]
John: Oh, *you’re* gonna cover me.
Claire: Like white on rice.
John: All right I like my odds here. Let me give you a little warning, I’m going downtown.
Look for me in the endzone after this play, I’ll be the guy holding the ball.

John’s love interest is Claire who is played by Rachel McAdams, who conveniently happens to be my love interest because she is so upsettingly pretty. How does she do it? I don’t know whether to be pleased or angry when she’s on screen because I’m so jealous of her beauty. I could cry it’s so unfair.

Anyway. Be that is it may.

Vince Vaughn’s character experiences some pretty freaky situations with the Cleary family, which leaves you cringing but ultimately in fits of giggles. Isla Fisher’s character is really scary. She’s everyone’s worst nightmare of an ex.

Gloria: Jeremy, you’re amazing!
Jeremy: I think you’re amazing…
Gloria: Don’t *ever* leave me.
Jeremy: Ever.
Gloria [in sing-song voice]: Good… Because I’d find you!

Nevertheless, it is very funny watching Jeremy and John keep up their aliases in front of Claire, Gloria and their posh but highly inappropriate family.

It’s cheap and dirty, but with an unexpectedly wholesome storyline in parts. Ultimately, it’s an entertaining summer comedy!

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10

Now You See Me

Director: Louis Leterrier
Writers: Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt
Released: July 2013
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Mélanie Laurent, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman
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Um. Yeeeeaaaah. So the reviews I had been reading before I went to see Now You See Me, basically stated that it was over-complicated and so layered that one would need to watch it more than once.

This is quite simply, not the case.

It is so clichéd, so typical, so obvious, that the ending could be guessed half way through the film.

The ‘twist’ is… Barely even a twist. It wasn’t shocking or unforeseen at all. My reaction was more like, “oh yeah. Hmm. I’m not surprised”.

So, it really is nothing like The Prestige. The magicians are superficial and unlovable, as are the other characters who are all underdeveloped. For the most part, they were unbelievable – despite the epic cast!

I usually love Woody Harrelson’s and Michael Caine’s work, but they really weren’t given the chance to shine. Their characters were brief and shallow. But oh my God, Jesse Eisenberg just got on my nerves! I can’t stand the characters he plays, who are usually very similar.

The story was like something seen on a long-running TV series like CSI or what not. It was so… Average.

The only cool parts were when they explained how the tricks were performed. That was quite effective.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of major jump-cuts that became jarring. Leaving out a lot of footage, although kept the pace, did make you feel disconnected from the film.

I am quite disappointed in this movie. Despite hearing negative reviews on this film I still went into the theatre expecting to be thoroughly entertained and mystified… Yeah.. Nah.

Meh! It’s okay. Nothing special.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

The Great Gatsby

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writers: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Released: May 2013
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke
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Visually, this film was MIND BLOWING! This is Moulin Rouge! on steroids.

The party scenes are phenomenal! The lights, the atmosphere, colours, fashion, music… It is ground breaking. Just beautiful sets, like we’re being sent to another world.

1368216172936.cached

The overall feel of the movie is very similar to the likes of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Edward Scissorhands (the garden scenes) and of course, Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet. I think it’s because all of these movies are fantastical and out of this world.

The actors were very convincing, Leonardo DiCaprio gave another ground-breaking performance. Although his accent was a little confusing on occasion, his dialogue was incredible! I feel like speaking formally, like an upper class person from the 1920s now.

Gatsby: Come on, old sport!

I wasn’t expecting much from Toby Maguire, and for a while believed that Ewan McGregor could have done a better job, until it was mentioned to me that his “pluckiness” was what made his character convincing. Which, I thought was a good point.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Carey Mulligan, but I have to say she did a pretty decent job in this film – her eyes are incredible! Like, she plays such a depressed character, and her eyes tell you that from the first scene. Carey Mulligan has since become one of my favourite actors.

carey-mulligan-as-daisy-buchanan-in-the-great

The music was perfectly selected. Florence + the Machine’s Over Your Love is my new favourite song at the moment. But, the coolest track was Lana Del Rey’s 1920s Jazz version of the popular Young and Beautiful.

However, there were some major disappointments.

This is a film that is based strongly on characters. They fuel the story almost conclusively. Therefore, it was so disappointing that I did not become attached to any of the characters. I was not rooting for or against any of them – I didn’t feel like I had gotten to know them properly.

People are complicated, these characters were not, considering it was such a ‘people story’. Too many of their thoughts and emotions were not portrayed clearly. Most of the time there was a lot of emotion without obvious reasoning behind them.

I was forever looking too deep into the plot, expecting complicated and unforeseen twists. When in fact, the plot is too easy to figure out. I think it is supposed to be very mysterious, which was not portrayed in this film.

They should have kept the audience one step behind – like in the Sherlock Holmes films – until the end for a huge “I did not see that coming!” moment.

I wish the character development was more insightful, and the plot line more curious and unexpected.

Nevertheless, as I said at the beginning, the aesthetics were simply candy for the eyeballs. It enforces the idea that Baz Luhrmann was the ideal director for the film; the parties, grand interior shots and wonderland-esk exterior shots, simply gorgeous.

Oh, I bet Baz Luhrmann could have done an amazing version of Alice In Wonderland…

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10