A few thoughts on Paul & Hall Pass.

As promised, here is a blog post in the slightly less time consuming & less formal format of 'a few thoughts'. I actually went to see Paul two weeks ago now, but have only got round to writing this -insert coursework related excuse here- . I have to admit at the time review writing was the last thing on my mind at the time ( I was on a double date, get me ;D) , but having had conversations subsequently with people asking what I thought of it, I thought it was worth posting a few comments on it here. 

PAUL.

picture from here.


Whilst Paul was a perfectly enjoyable film, I felt that in many ways it could easily be improved, and all throughout I felt an uncomfortable sense that something wasn't quite right. Simon Pegg & Nick Frost played their typical on screen relationship perfectly well, but I can't help but feel as if 'they have sold out'. I'm not trying to be snobby or anything, but for a start it didn't feel right without Edgar Wright directing, and it seemed like their vision for the film had probably ruined by Hollywood trying to make it fit the mould. What was so good about Hot Fuzz & Shaun Of The Dead was their endearing sense of kooky British comedy filmmaking, and in Paul there was no sign of this at all, not even with Frost & Pegg as both the main roles and writers of the film. The inclusion of actors Bill Hader, Seth Rogen and  Joe Lo Truglio (all 3 were in both Superbad & Pineapple Express) seemed slightly odd too. I appreciate all of those actors & their work, but it didn't work as well as I had expected putting them in a film alongside Pegg & Frost - it seemed like both groups in the film were prevented from quite reaching the full potential of their comedic abilities. However, despite a painfully predictable ending, Paul was still good fun, the opening 5 minutes at Comic con made my inner-geek squeal, and there were enough laughs to make it an entertaining watch, it just wasn't as impressive as I had hope it would be. 
Rating - 3 out of 5.  


HALL PASS. 

picture from here 


Hall pass, however, was nowhere near as funny as I had hoped. I went with my boyfriend & his friend, after being persuaded it would be funny 'because Stephen Merchant is in it'. Thankfully, they were right in at least that Stephen Merchant was in it, and Stephen Merchant was funny. However he was only on screen for about ten minutes in total, despite being easily the funniest character. Unsurprisingly, Hall Pass was one of those films where the majority of the good jokes are in the trailer, which served to ruin it further. The first half an hour/ fourty five minutes was mildly entertaining (it's worth noting that this is the part of the film Stephen Merchant is in, he mysteriously disappears a few days into the week the film is set in?) - especially a genuinely funny scene where they eat too many hash brownies on a golf course, and Stephen Merchant ends up wading in a lake - it was cliched, but it worked. Unfortunately, the film then drags on for an hour or so to reach it's end, in an annoyingly cliched and predictable fashion, concluding with the typical Hollywood ending, where pretty much everything is perfect again. It's almost as if the film heard my thoughts (and probably the thoughts of others too) though, as shortly after the credits began to roll, and I was just about to launch into a cynical rant (much like this one), the audience were treated to a short clip of Stephen Merchant fantasizing about the prospect of getting a 'Hall pass' himself. This was sadly the best part of the film, and left us questioning why the film hadn't revolved around him. 
Rating - 2 out of 5. 


Apologies for the abundance of bitterness/cynicism/moaning in this post. (: I'm hoping I can balance out my blog again soon, as I'm planning to go & see Submarine next week (ridiculously excited!), and time permitting I'll write up a full review of that. I'm assuming it will be a positive one, possibly my first five stars, after reading glowing reviews on Ultra Culture  & Den Of Geek. In other news, my review of Easy A was published in TES magazine - exciting much?! I hadn't actually realised until my Dad told me that it was the sort of magazine they sold in WHSmiths and what not (I thought it was just a subscription thing) - so that served to boost my ego even more ;) Needless to say, I spent my weekend running around waving a my photocopy of it at everyone I know - next stop is superstardom, right?