Best on Film

Starring Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd

Director Paul Weiland

Released 2008

Plot A guy in love with his best friend, who just became engaged, tries to win her over after she asks him to be her maid of honour.
Best on Film Rating ★★★ FIVER

I like Patrick Dempsey. I've only recently properly discovered him thanks to a combination of acquiring a channel which shows Grey's Anatomy and nurturing an admiration of all things Amy Adams, who stars with him in Enchanted.

I must admit to being incredulous when first faced with the prospect of watching this movie. Surely I'd seen this before? From the blurb on the back of the DVD case (which alas, I was reading long after the film's release, from within a DVD rental store) the formula seemed fairly generic: boy has best friend who is a girl. Boy is chauvenist pig. Girl best friend is classic girl next door, who is cool but of course conceals a hidden love for our pig hero. Boy has no idea what he's got until girl announces she's getting married, then of course he realises she's the love of his life. Of course. Yada yada yada, you can guess the ending.

But we've established by now I'm a cynical being when it comes to films like this. I confess that anything within the Rom-Com genre I tend to judge by the cover and the actors within it more than the plot itself. On some level this is a time-saving attitude, but with Made of Honour, it royally malfunctioned. It took me far too long to get around to seeing this quality film.

Yes, the plot is not overly original, but that's not the selling point here. This film's charm lies in it's unexpected originality: the surprisingly listenable soundtrack; the strong unusually quirky supporting characters (especially those of the bridesmaids and the Scots folk); the exploration of what makes two people fall in love, and then realise that they are in love. How refreshing that the script takes time to show, in detail, the little things that our hero loves about his best friend/girl of dreams. Usually we're subjected to the general wash of I-just-love-her-must-have-her idea. Not so this.

As usual, though, the success of this film, as with any, lies in the hands of it's cast. Dempsey shows his character's arc with good fun and a twinkle in his eye. And if I had a best friend like Monaghan's character, I'd want to marry her too. For once, a leading lady that isn't suicidally annoying or nauseatingly saccarine, or, crime of crimes: both. Plus, clearly everybody's enjoying themselves here, and it shows. Count me in.

And as a footnote, I must do a little "shout-out" to the costume and set designers. If for no other reason, watch this film purely for Monaghan's gorgeous dresses, the sumptous sets or the breathtaking locations. The latter especially will make you green with envy to the point of running to your travel agent and booking tickets to Scotland as your next holiday.

Rent immediately for your night with the girls if you're female, or for guys, buy as part of your girlfriend/wife's christmas/birthday present for some serious brownie points. You can thank me later.

LMB

Starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejifor, Oliver Platt

Director Roland Emmerich

Released 2009
Plot A man tries to save his family from a global apocalypse in 2012, which was predicted by Nostradamus and the Mayans.

Best on Film Rating ★★★★ FLUSH

Well here we go again. Roland Emmerich presumably is due a mortgage repayment, so once again we are treated to an epic tale of death, destruction and the end of the world as we know it. Let's face it: this chap has found a formula, and by Jove he's sticking to it.

That's not to say that it isn't somewhat comforting to go to a cinema and know exactly what you're going to get. Here is a film where you can show up, buy popcorn, watch the carnage and go home exhausted but satisfied, if not downright grateful for not having, as yet, succumbed to a tsunami or some such.

There will be no major plot twists. There will be varying natural disasters. The Hero (usually an anti-Hero) will always survive until the end in the face of tremendous adversity. He will always get the girl. There will be several deep and meaningful speeches/reflective moments about the importance of humanity and our survival. And, of course, we the audience will be treated to a series of budget-breaking special effects in which we can witness our own destruction, amidst that of our famous landmarks. I, for one, always look forward to the moment when the Statue of Liberty gets drowned/burnt/buried (delete as appropriate).

Which brings me, in fact, to my next point. This film is refreshing in one respect: it doesn't focus on the end of the world as per the end of America. It shows, at last, that Emmerich has been informed that there are other countries in the world, and that maybe for our money we may want to see some other historically significant structures obliterated by a natural disaster as well.

Alas, I do have to hold the scriptwriters to account on one very serious level though - how many times can a plane take off, under the care of a novice pilot, with the runway crumbling behind it? How many times can you show a boat of some kind being enveloped by a tidal wave? Just because you have spent all your money on albeit very pretty special effects, doesn't mean that we won't notice that you've basically just done the same scene three times in a row.

However, whilst battling calamity, the cast did fairly well in a script filled with highly improbable situations. I have time for a quality actor like John Cusack who can still make you genuinely smile in the midst of apparent Armageddon. They could so easily have fallen into the trap of the stereotypical often two-dimensional characters the script was offering them, yet they didn't.

All in all, this was a real crowd-pleaser. It did what it said on the tin, and I didn't begrudge the cost of a cinema ticket to go see it. In fact, this, as with most Emmerich creations, is best seen on the big screen and that's that. So go, enjoy, and don't forget your lifebelt.

LMB