Films to watch out for...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut is next...

Don Jon. UK Release - Nov 15th. Director - Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Don Jon is the story of Jon Martello (Gordon-Levitt), a man whose addiction to porn has left him objectifying woman. Due to his countless one-night stands, Jon is dissatisfied with his life and starts to search for higher meaning and an enjoyable sex life.

I am extremely excited for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut, other actors must be also as he has attracted a strong cast for this comedy. Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore are the leading ladies in this picture that is filled with top-notch cameos such as Anne Hathaway, Channing Tatum and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Gordon-Levitt is also helping to produce this movie via his production company, hitRECord, and also wrote the screenplay for this picture that he is directing and being the lead actor in. There is a lot on his plate for this film but as of yet it has been getting good reviews from a number of critics already.

Check out the trailer below...

Films to watch out for...

Possibly the comedy event of the year....

Anchorman: The Legend Continues. Release - Dec 20th. Director - Adam McKay.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) is probably one of most recognisable and most quoted films of all time. It's success was due to the hilarity created by Will Ferrell and director and co-writer Adam McKay. The pair created a group of characters so ridiculously funny that they shaped comedy for a generation, with similar comedic films such as The 40-Year Old Virgin (2005), Blades of Glory (2007) and Step Brothers (2008) benefiting from the following that Anchorman gained.

All the main cast have returned for the sequel which is again directed by Adam McKay and produced by comedic genius Judd Apatow. Although I am not sure whether the film will be able to live up to the hype created by the first film, I am looking forward to the huge number of cameos expected in the film including, Liam Neeson, Will Smith, Harrison Ford and Sacha Baron Cohen to name a few.

I expect the same peculiar and ridiculous comedy that hit us hard almost a decade ago.

Check out the trailer below...

Pain and Gain - 2013 - Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie.

I just wasn't truly interested at any moment.

Director Michael Bay (Armageddon (1998) and Transformers (2007)) brings us Pain and Gain, a remarkably true story from 1990s Miami where a group of body-builders, consisting of Daniel Lugo (Wahlberg), Paul Doyle (Johnson) and Adrian Doorbal (Mackie), chase the American dream but end up getting caught up in the criminal life they created for themselves and their lives begin to unravel.

Main man Daniel Lugo is a gym instructor who simply wants to create a better life that would compliment his astounding physic. With the words of self-help guru Johnny Wu (Ken Jeong) ringing in his ears, Lugo and his gym buddies attempt a snatch and grab of one of Lugo's outrageously wealthy clients.

My main issue with this film is that I just wasn't truly interested at any moment. Pain and Gain wasn't funny enough to be a comedy film and did not stick true to any dramatic/thriller elements. I felt like I was going through the motions whilst watching this film, never being particularly bored but never wowed. At times I was slightly confused by this movie, with sudden irregular actions such as the barbecuing of human hands and spontaneous bench pressing at unnecessary moments.

Overall the film was extremely disappointing and I feel it would have benefited by either fully committing to being a comedy or, the opposite, being a proper crime thriller.

My only real positive for this picture was Michael Bay's use of the camera, the best of which coming during a scene where Lugo is attempting to push through a fake deal with a wealthy businessman and things end up turning sour. Bay successfully and fluidly moves the camera through three rooms continuously, allowing a huge contrast of emotions being available to see in one motion.

The mixing of genres really hinders this film, and is one I definitely won't be buying on DVD or recommending to friends.

4/10

J.Henderson.