Tag Archives: zac efron

That Awkward Moment

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That Awkward MomentThat Awkward Moment stars Zac Efron. It’s mainly about three guys dating and the resulting stories surrounding this. As the title states, you can be sure the dates won’t go smoothly!

Jason (Efron) is in a relationship but doesn’t take it as seriously as his girlfriend and wants to end it. Then you are whisked back to the beginning as Jason explains how he reached his decision to call time.

Enter his two wingmen Daniel (Miles Teller) and Mikey (Michael B Jordan). They go out, go to a bar and get girls and each of them deals with the relationships formed their own way. This involves a lot of bedroom shenanigans thereafter.

To me, the whole movie was just an excuse for undressing and getting in-between the sheets. Not really movie gold. The plots were plain and predictable. Mikey leaves his wife, Mikey meets wife, wife tells Mikey he isn’t daring enough so Mikey and wife sleep at her workplace. Really?

Now let’s have a type of farce going where the guys have to keep their relationships secret, lest they break the pact forged to remain single. With such epic plot lines and a massively sumptuous script, I’m surprised more actors/actresses didn’t try to muscle in on the act. I thought I’d seen all the plot lines, I really did.

How are three best friends who see each other everyday supposed to keep secret they are in love? Okay, some of the resultant storylines means some separation of the friends. But why would you keep things from your best friend? I didn’t really find the way it was done amusing or intriguing. The whole point of the movie was not to admit you’re in a relationship?!

The one I feel sorry for is poor Zac Efron. He deserves better to be honest. Stuck with two lumps in some cheap version of the male half of Friends. Man, somebody has to give his guy a break and give him a real story – not a whose sleeping with who oddity!

The whole thing was just confusing; I still don’t see the point in starting in the future, then going back. Why not start from the beginning? There are far too many shows and films like this; frankly, it’s getting a little old. Did Cinderella start with her in the castle, saying to the audience; ‘Now let me show how I got to this castle.’ No, you saw her life before and her rescue.

I can’t low score Zac, I just can’t. Not Efron the man! Therefore, I’m giving 6/10 for bravery and hopefully it lead to better things for him!

Image reproduced from wikipedia.com
Trailer reproduced from Cieon Movies

Film Review: Parkland

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Parkland 2013
Parkland stars Zac Efron and the shooting of US President Kennedy is the main story. Viewed from different perspectives, so there’s an ensemble cast. I saw this on DVD recently.

It covers the day of the shooting and then three days afterwards. Dr. Charles James “Jim” Carrico (Efron) is working at the hospital where JFK is taken after he is shot. Head Nurse Doris Nelson (Marcia Gay Harden) is with him as they battle to try to save him.

There’s a cameraman who captures the whole assassination attempt on film. Then Lee Oswald and his family, who are shattered by his decision to execute the President.

The film itself was gritty and did well at the start. It captured the shock and sense of loss that the nation felt. Where it faltered was splitting off into too many different realms. You had the FBI, the emergency room, the cameraman, the shooter, poor Jackie all alone.

There was also a scene where there was a fight over the President’s body. A Texas law states you can’t move a body until an autopsy is done. The FBI just takes the President’s body out by shoving their way out of the room! Then the FBI rips seats off Air Force One to fit the coffin onboard.

I found this a little bit pointless, you have a huge task of capturing one of the saddest moments of human history and all that seemed to be happening was squabbles over seats and by-laws!

Oswald had a batty old mother? The officers strongly suggest to Oswald’s brother he leave town and change his name – if he ever wants the help of the police again. Then there was more backbiting as the secret service found out an agent had dealings with Oswald and had him in the office a year ago!

It was all a bit bland though. I didn’t like hardly any of the actors picked to portray the key people.

Kat Steffens who played Jackie Kennedy was the highlight. This actress really got across the trauma and devastation of a woman who lost her husband in truly awful circumstances.

Zac did well as the emergency room doctor Carrico but he was underused.

Two other actors played FBI agents but I didn’t recognise them when I saw it. Austin Nichols (Wimbledon/Agents of SHEILD) and Tom Welling (Smallville).

I’m going to give this film 5/10. Far too muddled to be movie gold. I think a few less people might have helped. You can’t cover everyone and everything!

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Trailer reproduced from MOVIECLIPS Trailers

Film Review: Bad Neighbours

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Bad Neighbours - Empire Cinemas
Bad Neighbours was a funny film. It’s not for the faint hearted or very young eyes.

Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) is the college kid who is in charge of the frat house; they’re called ‘Delta Psi Beta’. His next-door neighbours Mac and Kelly (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) have a baby, so noise is going to be a problem! The parties are very loud!

Mac and Kelly are hilarious; I loved their banter and the crazy plotting they come up with as they discussed what to do. They tried to be cool with the teens, and it was hilarious!

The retaliation that arose between the two sides made it very believable that some neighbours could end up behaving badly.

In a bid to stop the rowdy parties, this couple put on the war paint! I loved it when they called the cops to break up a party, only to try to pretend it wasn’t them. They tried to make it look as they’ve just been woken up by the police knocking on the door and feigning innocence. However, the police have caller ID, so they weren’t worming their way out of that one!

Now the battle lines are set. Teddy feels betrayed as he asked them to call him first before the cops if the noise got too loud. But the couple were unable to get hold of him. Anger rises on both sides. The couple try to evict the rowdy boys by any means possible. The battle plans include setting off rivalries between the boys, breaking their water pipes and even ramp up a party to the extreme!

I think the movie gave a very good insight into neighbourhood attitudes. Also, the fraternity was like a family too. There is a leader and they look out for each other. The boys just want to let off steam and have fun after a day hard’s studying. Therefore, there are two sets of families here but the parents just want sleep! Mac’s been to work then Kelly’s been looking after the little one all day. So the set up is unsuitable from the start.

Another thing, which I really loved, was that by fighting with each other, both neighbours neglect their community and those closest to them. In trying to win the war, they overlook many things including their behaviour. How many times if we stopped and thought about what we’re doing, we might actually be horrified?

Some of the humour is gross, there’s a lot of focus of bodily fluids and juvenile humour but somehow it worked. I think the banter between Teddy and Mac was fun. The friends who become ‘frenimes’.

Great turns from all involved. Zac Efron had great comic timing but could also pull in some serious turns to give his character an edge. Finally a film which is worthy of him. He wasn’t just a party boy with no heart.

In addition, you just have to see the use of the car airbags, which was priceless!

I’m giving this film 8/10 from me. Efron is the man! He came, he conquered and he won!

Image reproduced from Empire Cinemas
Trailer reproduced from Universal Pictures UK.

Film Review: The Paperboy

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the-paperboyAfter its recent slating at the Cannes Film Festival, with audiences mooing (yes, mooing!) after seeing the initial screening, I went in to The Paperboy with a lot of trepidation. Indeed, with a cast that includes Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, and the consistently terrible Matthew McConaughey, there was nothing more than the appeal of seeing a slummed-down John Cusack that drew me in. It seemed a worthy cause to offer this film a chance, but one that, within the first five minutes was instantly regrettable.

We are sent into the world of the American Deep South during the 1970’s, where skinning alligators and casual racism are the locals’ pastimes, and the sweltering heat causes everyone to become scantily clad. When hotshot reporter Ward Jansen (McConaughey) comes back to town, trying to free the potentially innocent Hayley Van Wetter (John Cusack) from death-row, we begin to see the dangerous corruption the encompasses a criminal charge of this nature. Ward enlists the help of his younger brother Jack (Efron), the sexually-charged Charlotte Bless (Kidman), who Jack immediately falls in love with, and his writing partner Yardley (David Oyelowo) a black Londoner, in order to crack the case open. However, no sooner have they started their work than do things start to turn sour, as friends begin double-crossing one another, love interests cloud motivations, and scrupulous locals try to hinder any progression with the case.

The Paperboy had every potential to become a nice mix of A Time To Kill and To Kill A Mockingbird, with the race and class undertones that were there to access, and it could have had as much a punch as In The Heat Of The Night with its subject matter. However, all of the action, conflict and drama of the overriding prison sentence gets lost, as instead we focus on the strange twisted relationship that develops between Jack and Charlotte. And therein lies the problem that writer-director Lee Daniels (Precious) has created for himself – the tone of the film is far too confusing. It isn’t quite about race, the law, or even the newspaper industry, and therefore loses its poignancy, and the ensuing relationship is so farfetched that it completely loses its realism. The story is pointless, the ending is absurd, and halfway through you just want the barrage of absurdity to end.

At the end of the day, this film will only be remembered simply for its shock factor. With scenes including some post-jellyfish-sting-urination, non-contact orgasms, and an extremely surreal case gay bashing, there are several key talking points, all of which would make you feel very dirty for watching them. However, they are included for all of the wrong reasons, and therefore become cheap tricks to bring in curious audiences.

Overall, The Paperboy had a lot of potential. It could have been an emotional, tense journey for all those involved. Instead, it is an over-long piece of drivel where, for once, McConaughey puts out the best acting performance. If you have any sense, you will stay very far away.

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Video reproduced from YouTube / LionsgateFilmsUK