Sell out of the Month April Edition ( by guest blogger Simon Wilkinson)

Jeremy Renner

Simon Says:

Please don’t get me wrong people. I love Jeremy Renner; he’s a brilliant, gifted and charismatic actor. Hawkeye? No Jeremy, not again! Fair enough you play it with style but twice? Along side an Aussie Thor? Where are you going to draw the line with Marvel?
Oh, and lest we forget you are “taking over” from Tom Cruise in the Mission Implausible franchise and you’re playing a similar role in the upcoming Bourne Legacy. You’ve got to make your money when you can in the Hollywood game but you can only put your fingers in so many pies before one gets burned.

How long is it going to be before they cross over the Mission Improbable and Bourne universes and you end up fighting yourself in a Star Trek style finale?
Jump ship Jezza, get outta there and don’t do any more sequels. Although we know it’s where the money is.

I say:

Jeremy, Jeremy my very own Jeremy, I have felt like you were my own charming indie discovery since watching you in little seen gem Twelve and Holding (check it out, it really is a treat). But Hawkeye did always seem like a strange choice for you and the thought of you continuing the Bourne movies when they seemed tied up and done is a bit disappointing but let’s review the evidence for the defence.
Renner has been somewhat overlooked in recent years, when he should have been given more recognition, his intense turn in the criminally underrated The Town has all been but ignored and whilst his blistering performance in The Hurt Locker garnered plaudits, it was Bigelow that took all the glory (though this was indeed deserved as well). And what actor, deep down, wouldn’t want the chance to live out a childhood guilty pleasure fantasy of starring as a superhero in a big action film?
We cannot also assume that Renner is taking over the Mission Impossible franchise, yes it’s been hinted at but this has not been confirmed yet. But even if he does, should he not enjoy a slice of the action pie and make a bit of money since he is still not a household name and is pushing 40, coming late to the game by Hollywood’s standards.

Verdict: Not quite a sell out at this point in time I’m but keeping my (hawk) eye on him.

What I watched last night

Film 4

Gentlemen Broncos (directed by Jared Hess)

When you watch a film by Jared Hess, you either embrace the oddball universe he creates or you don’t, if you are the type of person who avoids a signpost marked ‘Quirky Town’, then its best to keep on driving. Like fellow director Wes Anderson he surrounds his films with kooky characters and whimsical plot devices, though his world is less bourgeoisie and a little more lovably yokel. Hess’ debut film Napoleon Dynamite was a cult phenomenon, its central character became a left field icon, it was an eccentric yet charming creation with its own unique humour.

Hess’ third feature film Gentlemen Broncos, which premiered on Film 4 last night, did not follow in Napoleons footsteps, it was intended for release in October 2009 but due to poor reviews, it limped straight onto DVD and quietly disappeared into the rental wilderness.

The film follows the malaise adventures of introverted teenager Benjamin Purvis (Michael Angarano) who writes science fiction novels and lives with his mother (Jennifer Coolidge on sweetly dippy duties) who designs odd clothes and makes hard popcorn balls. Benjamin attends a writing camp for aspiring fantasy novelists, where his idol Ronald Chevalier is lecturing and who announces a competition for the writers where their story will be published nationally. Chevalier (Jermaine Clement sounding like a egotistical Michael York) is a narcissistic writer who has run out of ideas and is on the verge of being dropped by his publishing company. When Benjamin submits his fantasy novel Yeast Lords, centred on a hero called Bronco, Chevalier steals his idea, changing the novel slightly by turning the central character into a transsexual, and the book becomes a hit. When Benjamin discovers that his idea has been plagiarised, he must prove that Yeast Lords was his original story whilst also battling the perils of adaptation as he had previously sold the rights to his book to a couple of amateur filmmakers.

That’s the gist of the plot but does not encompass the whole host of fanciful ticks that Gentlemen Broncos throws at the screen. Each character is peculiar in different ways, the style phases are set to 80s twist and the soundtrack ranges from Black Sabbath to Cher. When any of the characters are reading the story Yeast Lords, the book comes to life in suitably retro fantasy sequences, starring Sam Rockwell as the hero Broncos. This is a film where Rockwell rides a fake deer, has his testicle stolen and dresses in a yellow wig and lipstick, so like I said not for everyone, though Rockwell proves he can do anything and looks like one of the most fun actors to be around. Michael Angarano meanwhile, looking like Colin Farrell’s younger nerdier brother, gives a puzzled film some heart and someone to root for.

Whilst the film is confused, often going too far into the realms of nonsense, there is some grin-inducing appealing moments, sci fi geeks will enjoy the pastiches on the genre and the literature satire provided by the disillusioned Chevalier. It should also be applauded that in a time of bland studio movies, something so gleefully original ever got the green light and saw the light of day, though confidence in the film was not in abundance and its poor reception was inevitable. On first viewing, Gentlemen Broncos does not have the enduring quality of Napoleon Dynamite but is the type of film that could, and should find its natural home on DVD, a future cult hit waiting to happen, one for Conchord fans, Sam Rockwell lovers and those who like to take a walk on the weird side. Happily I am all three of those things.

Review- 21 Jump Street (directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller)

Lets be honest, the prospects for 21 Jump Street as a film do not look good on paper. Based on a late 80s American TV Show, which didn't really take off this side of the pond, it stars Jonah Hill, who seemed to have lost his comedic edge along with the many pounds of weight he dropped (The Sitter anyone?) and Channing Tatum, who is more at home in soppy lovefests like Dear John and The Vow.

Though it would be a little cruel to say the film is far funnier than it deserves to be, it is a welcome surprise to find that 21 Jump Street is a very entertaining, wild but nostalgic comedy ride.

The plot, which is loose and slightly superfluous, sees former high school classmates ‘nerd’ Morton Schimdt (Jonah Hill) and ‘dumb jock’ Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) become friends when they both enrol in police academy and help each other with their shortfalls to graduate, Schimdt helping Jenko with his studies and Jenko motivating Schimdt with the physical side of the force. However they are assigned to the demeaning role of park patrol and bundle their first crucial arrest, due to not reading the criminal his Miranda rights, a running joke that continues in the film. They are assigned to a ‘revived’ programme from the 80s where police officers are sent undercover in high schools to crack crime; this is a nod to the original TV Series and also sets up a nifty in-joke that may be lost on some of the younger audience not familiar with the origins of the film.

Schimdt and Jenko are sent back to school posing as teenagers to infiltrate the supply and production of a new unstable synthetic drug being used by the students, however their identities are accidentally switched with Schimdt having to pretend to be the popular track star and Jenko becoming the science nerd. This effective plot device sets up many of the comedic moments of the film but the turn of the table personas also fractures the friend’s relationship. Schimdt relishes the chance to be part of the in crowd when he is befriended by the ringleader/school drug dealer Eric (Dave Franco, sounding exactly like his brother, but looking a bit more rat faced) whilst Jenko struggles with no longer being the ‘Prom King’, being shunned by Schimdt and the hipsters and with having to wear a chemistry themed hoodie.

One of the many surprises of 21 Jump Street is the chaotic nature of the comedy, in many high school based movies the jokes follow a familiar pattern but in this script they literally throw everything and anything at the screen and see what sticks, of course some of the jokes fall short of the mark but with such a frenetic pace the gag rate is very high and somewhat random too. In one particular scene when Schimdt and Jenko have to take a sample of the teen drug, as a sign of trust to dealer Eric, they experience the effects of the stimulant, resulting in physical comedy but also psychedelic, leftfield imagery taking the sequence to another level. The other surprise, nay revelation, is Channing Tatum, the actor who is the teenage girl’s pinup of choice, usually street-dances off his good looks and frequent resilience to wear a shirt, but this time gets a long overdue chance to flex his comedic muscles. Tatum impresses as he manages to be dim but likeable, handsome but sensitive and nerdy but cool all in one. Hill meanwhile uses his well worn routine of awkward man child but in this film is used to good effect. There are quirks to the script that also give the film an offbeat charm, Dave Franco’s cool kid Eric is not a token bad boy but an earth loving preacher and the film manages to instil a feeling of school nostalgia, making you want to part of self righteous Eric’s gang, the peer pressure of popularity rears its every present head.

The films climax at the school prom is inevitable but satisfying, with a third act cameo that will get giggles on one level but deeper laughs on another level and whilst the movie ends naturally, you can’t help but feel for once, a sequel may be welcome. Spending time in the company of a couple of Bromantic losers has never been such fun.