Anthony McG

I saw this film on Tuesday with Mark in Ster Century. It’s the latest film from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park and its accompanying movie. Team America: World Police tracks the team tasked with protecting the world from evil terrorists. The puppets are similiar to those used in the old Thunderbirds episodes and there are a number of spot gags highlighting how difficult to manoeuvre they are. The plot is quite thin but there are some very funny sequences and some of the puppets are spot on. I loved the way all of the terrorist dialogue contained the words “Derka, derka, derka” before everything. Overall I thought it was entertaining but was lacking in the fact that it tried to lambast too many characters (ie. Helen Hunt) when they didn’t spend time developing a satirical character. It’s not as good as South Park: The Movie or Baseketball but it was good.

Tony’s Rating: 7/10

Plot Synopsis: Team America follows an international police force dedicated to maintaining global stability. Learning that power hungry dictator Kim Jong Il (Parker) is out to destroy the world, the team recuits Broadway star Gary Johnston (Parker) to go undercover. With the help of Team America (Stone, Miller, Masasa, Parker, and Norris), Gary manages to slip into an arms dealer’s hideout to uncover the plan to destroy the world. Will Team America be able to save the world?

Finding Neverland: Went to see this with Anne-Marie last week as it was a choice between this and Hero. It details the story of J. M. Barrie who wrote the story of Peter Pan. Essentially it elaborates on his interaction with a well-to-do family lead by Kate Winslet who has been recently widowed. Her sons provide the inspiration for Barrie’s story and they feed his imagination when other aspects of his life serve to bring him back down to earth. A superb performance from Johnny Depp could lead to an Oscar nomination in March.

Tony’s Verdict: 8/10

Plot Synopsis: The movie details the experiences of ‘Peter Pan’ author J.M. Barrie, which lead him to write the children’s classic. He got to know four children who have no fathers. Drawing from his time with the kids, he writes a story about children who don’t want to grow up.

Saw this last week and have to say it was one of the best films I’ve seen in ages. A solid story detailing the story of a warrior who kills three assasins who have vowed to kill the king and how he is rewarded for his deeds. It takes a few twists and turns along the way but the imagery and use of colour are fantastic. Definitely one to see.

Tony’s Verdict: 9/10

Plot Synopsis: In ancient China, before the reign of the first emperor, warring factions throughout the Six Kingdoms plot to assassinate the most powerful ruler, Qin. When a minor official defeats Qin’s three principal enemies, he is summoned to the palace to tell Qin the story of his surprising victory.

Went to see this last night in Ster Century after dinner in daVinci’s in Leixlip. Have to say that I was slightly underwhelmed by it. By all accounts its a good, solid political thriller with all the required elements and some genuine moments of tension. Denzel Washington played the part well and was complemented by a superb performance from Meryl Streep as the politically headstrong mother. However, I felt there was something missing that I just couldn’t put my finger on. Definitely a good movie but not a masterpiece.

Tony’s Verdict: 7/10

Plot Synopsis: When his army unit was ambushed during the first Gulf War, Sergeant Raymond Shaw saved his fellow soldiers just as his commanding officer, Major Ben Marco, was knocked unconscious. Brokering the incident for political capital, Shaw eventually becomes a vice-presidential nominee, while Marco is haunted by dreams of what happened — or didn’t happen — in Iraq. As Marco investigates, the story begins to unravel, to the point where he questions if it happened at all. Is it possible the entire unit was kidnapped and brainwashed to believe Shaw is a war hero as part of a plot to seize the White House? Some very powerful people at Manchurian Global corporation appear desperate to stop him from finding out.