Film Review: 30 Minutes Or Less

Aimless pizza boy Nick (Eisenberg) is duped into a false delivery to a scrapyard where two self-professed criminal master minds, Dwayne (McBride) and Travis (Swardson), knock him unconscious. Nick awakes to find a booby trapped vest laden with C4 strapped to his chest. He is duly informed that he has ten hours to acquire $100,000 or the bomb goes boom. Calling on the help of ex-BFF, Chet (Ansari), the hapless duo must figure a way out of Nick's predicament.

The plot couldn't be any more idiotic. Working on the age-old buddy-up dynamic, the logic of 30 Minutes or Less is that if one team of bumbling idiots is funny, then two of them should be absolutely hysterical. What ensues is a 'battle of the buddies', team A comprising of Nick and his childhood friend turned accomplice Chet, team B slacker Dwayne and his halfwitted partner in crime, Travis. While it is a familiar tale of taking crackbrained companions and merely doubling the amount of them onscreen, this is a bromance without the sweetness usually seen in other, more enjoyable films like I Love You, Man. Indeed, this is Bro-humour at its finest, and as a consequence can be pretty overbearing as the film inanely switches between one feckless pair of idiots to another.

One might be inclined to hold hope for 30 Minutes or Less, given that comes from the same combo who brought us Zombieland. However, like Eisenberg's character there is a distinct lack of purpose in here, director Ruben Fleischer likewise failing to invigorate proceedings. It's actually alarmingly palpable how appealing this would be to pot smokers, it's vibe embodied in the lazy, coarse archetypes of its characters. And yet, this is just about forgivable given how obviously low-aiming it is.

Admittedly this can be reasonably amusing at times, displaying more than a couple of decent zing moments. Jokes aimed at other movies are particularly droll, for example Eisenberg, who played Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, takes a potshot at Facebook by saying "you know I don't check that shit out". Likewise when Chet discomposedly attempts to remove the bomb Nick asks "what did they do in the Hurt Locker?". Chet replies "I don't know, I didn't see it!" (the joke being no one else did either). However, there are also bungled comedic moments in equal measure, including a car-jacking scene and a bank robbery which are just so overwrought that you'll scarcely muster a grin.

Jesse Eisenberg plays the same role as always - a nerdy, awkward, smart-ass 20 something - much the same way Michael Cera is the same character in every film he's in. Danny McBride, like in Your Highness, is a boorish wannabe alpha-male douche. I'm actually beginning to wonder whether either actor has much more in their repertoire, less they are fast becoming typecast stock actors for certain roles in certain movies. Their sidekicks, who ostensibly should provide comedy counterpunches, don't fare much better either as both Ansari and Swardson are just too one-dimensional to provide any really interesting banter.

If one were to be kind, 30 Minutes or Less is blitheful enough, but it coasts far too much without earning the gravitas to do so. Its main staying power is its cast, but their characters are so dubious that it would be a stretch to say they make up for everything else. Thankfully this ultimately disposable comedy never goes on longer than it need to.

Film Review: Rio

You'd be hard pressed to dislike Rio. It's bright, bouncy and features music you can't help but waggle your booty to. In a way then it brings a little bit of that infectious, feel-good atmosphere which draws millions to Carnival in Rio De Janeiro every year. However, where Carnival would probably be an experience ingrained on you for the rest of your life, unfortunately for all Rio's charm, it doesn't quite have the same impact.

Blu is a neurotic macaw (character traits ideal for Jesse Eisenberg, or perhaps Michael Cera) leading a pampered lifestyle with owner and best friend Linda (Mann) in Minnesota. Blu's world is suddenly thrown into disarray when a Brazilian ornithologist, Tulio (Santoro), convinces Linda to bring him to Rio De Janeiro for the expressed purpose of mating with the last female macaw of his species, Jewel (Hathaway). Things go from bad to worse when he and his feisty new companion become targets for poachers looking to sell them on the black market.

Nothing about Rio really distinguishes it from the plethora of other animated films in the same vein. It unfortunately falls into the trap of being predictable in a 'set 'em up, knock 'em down' kind of way where, merely through listing the archetypes of characters you can guess what will happen. And yet Rio is also a welcome assault on the senses oozing visual stimuli from every corner. It's a ride still so incredibly vibrant with voice acting so charming and music so uplifting that even in spite of Rio's genericness it remains difficult not to like. Flight of the Concords' Jemaine Clement is so delightful in his portrayal of crooked cockatoo, Nigel, that you just wish he was onscreen more. Likewise, Jamie Foxx and Will.I.Am's sassy bird buddy duo add extra lift to proceedings, if you'll excuse the pun. It is exactly what coloured fluff should be.

Rio is as exuberant and full of life as the city after which it was named. It is packed with the usual humour and romance you would expect which will capture the audience for its duration. Unfortunately however it's a bit like a shot of pixie dust. By the time you exit the cinema all the pretty colours will have dissipated from one's memory. At least you certainly won't be begrudging Hollywood oligarchs for cashing in on yet another CGI animated gimmick. If you want to be charmed for ninety-minutes, go to Rio.

Film Review: The Social Network

Whatever you might think about Facebook, there is no denying its genius and enormous impact on the world. It forever revolutionised a generation and how we conduct social interactions with our fellow man. Such is its success that it has made creator Mark Zuckerberg the world's youngest billionaire, commanding an empire purported to be worth in excess of $30billion. But how did this much maligned figure manage to achieve such gargantuan heights in a market already saturated with social networking sites such as Friendster and MySpace? Well, if you've ever wondered the answer to this question, then they've only gone and made a film about it.

In a sort of biographic effort of sorts, The Social Network tracks Mark Zuckerberg's (Eisenberg) beginnings as a student at Harvard University. Dumped by his girlfriend for being a conceited twit, Zuckerberg embarks on a drunken quest for revenge by publishing a malevolent blog and hacking into all the local college computers in order to build a website comparing women to humiliate her. The site proves so popular that it dawns on Zuckerberg to create a social networking site called 'The Facebook', becoming an overnight success. As the site's popularity grows, Zuckerberg becomes alienated from his best friend and business partner, Eduardo Saverin (Garfield), seduced by the promises of Napster founder Sean Parker (Timberlake), whilst infuriating the 6'5, 220lb Winklevoss twins who claim he has stolen their idea.

To start with this is a peculiar story to put to film. It is incredibly talky, nerdy and you won't find any high-octane car chases with explosions either. Even as a tale of yesterday's news and its understated appearance, The Social Network is actually an interesting paradox, charting the creation of an internet tool which brought millions together whilst simultaneously driving a close group of friends apart. While the portrayal of Zuckerberg may or may not be unfair, Eisenberg nonetheless does a superb job of capturing the mind of a conflicted genius with a wholly unpredictable set of motivations. Indeed, he sets up 'The Facebook' partly out of spite, partly out of competition and partly to climb the social ladder rather than anything as forward-thinking as accumulating material wealth.

Whether Zuckerberg is anything like he is represented is neither here nor there. While on the one hand distinguished as a villain, the other characters around him also appear equally limited. As Saverin becomes increasingly ostracised and delves into petty reactions, the Winklevoss twins Zuckerberg leads on a wild goose chase stake claim to 'The Facebook' on the grounds of intellectual property theft. Into all of this steps Machiavellian Napster founder, Sean Parker, who appeals to all of Zuckerberg's most reckless instincts and is played with relish by Justin Timberlake.

The Social Network is an engaging and understated character drama. While there isn't immediately an enormous amount going on in, it maintains a certain charm bubbling underneath the surface. Indeed there are many complex themes occurring and while the subject matter could at first glance appear surprising, this film does well to capture a picture of our times. It raises interesting questions about the man who created a global phenomenon; is he an arch-manipulator and a cheat? Also painting a fascinating portrait of the petty politics surrounding one of the most high-profile court cases in recent years.