Family Business: Review of Logan Lucky

Logan Lucky

Director: Steven Soderbergh

By Alex Watson

When he's not in between movie retirements, Steven Soderbergh does remind us what a great director he is. Logan Lucky might not be his strongest outing, but it still showcases what great character's he is capable of creating. The plot might be a little confusing in places, but there is a method in what Soderbergh and writer Rebecca Blunt are doing. On fun alone, this picture makes for great viewing.

After losing his mining job, West Virginia native Jimmy (Channing Tatum) resorts to pulling off the ultimate heist. Bringing along his one armed brother Clyde and sister Mellie (Riley Keough), the trio plan to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600 Nascar race. However, for their job to be successful they must recruit the imprisoned explosives expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig).

Soderbergh is selective in the information he gives to his audience. We know enough to keep us viewing and this allows the story to go along, but don't expect an inch more. Jimmy is a former college football star who is down on his luck- adored by his daughter and hated by his ex-wife (Katie Holmes) he is barely scraping by. The two brothers are a continual source of amusement, Clyde, in particular, has a sharp sense of humour that totally offsets his dimwit presentation. Only having one-arm after serving in Iraq, Clyde believes fully in the 'Logan Family Curse'. Joe Bang is the character that will stick in the memory longest. A hulking, bleach blonde lunatic, Bang is essential to the plan due to his experience blowing up bank vaults. Grumbling about having to eat 'fake salt' with his beloved boiled eggs, there is an impressive set of brains underneath that will prove vital.

The heist itself rumbles along a furious pace and we are continually having to stop and check our knowledge. Being rookie bank robbers, the family is constantly having to readjust the plan. Jimmy, fortunately, has insider knowledge but even he has not accounted for the little details. One humorous moment sees Bang and the brothers arguing over whether one of the money slots is 20 or 30 yards away? "We're dealin' with science here!" moans our blonde criminal. Soderbergh refuses to hit the breaks and even the smallest details could be so crucial to our knowledge. This is a mostly well-oiled machine and when it fires Logan Lucky becomes his best outing in some time. Unfortunately, it is his fast and furious approach to the story that lets this picture down somewhere.

One of the most frustrating aspects of this movie is that there is a number of minor characters who spring up to do absolutely nothing. What precisely was the point of Seth MacFarlane's unlikeable British millionaire? Except being brash and obnoxious, this character adds little. Likewise the excellent Sebastien Stan and Katherine Waterston who pop up in brief unexplained cameos and promptly disappear. There is a closing investigation with a heavily underused Hilary Swank which only runs out the clock rather than adding another dimension. Soderbergh, for the most part, has made a solid thriller but all these unnecessary extra's only confuse everyone.

Channing Tatum again proves that underneath that well-toned body lies an actor with a lot of talent. As Jimmy, he is the beefcake out to snag the big prize. Once again Tatum is able to appeal to the likable side of a character and his dopey smarts are a joy to behold. Adam Driver again is on dazzling form as loyal bro Clyde. Coming off as the idiot brother bartender, underneath there is bravery and wit in spades. One of the more watchable modern actors, Driver almost steals the film. Daniel Craig however, takes the acting honors and his Joe Bang is a mile away from 007. Few actors alive can mix charisma with sheer menace, but Craig carries it off effortlessly. It's a big reminder of what a great actor he is no matter what suit he puts on.

Logan Lucky is a movie that despite its shortcomings demonstrates why cinema is all the richer for having Steven Soderbergh.

Thunderbuddies: Review of Ted 2

Ted 2

Director: Seth MacFarlane

By Alex Watson

Although Seth MacFarlane tries his hardest to recreate the same volume of belly laughs as the original, Ted 2 just doesn't hit the same heights as before. This off-the-wall buddy vehicle still has its charms, but feels a little overly long for what it needs to be. At the centre, the concept is a simple and effective one. A toy bear wants love and to be recognized as human but is denied on both counts. This idea sadly just isn't enough to sustain interest for an entire movie. Despite its best efforts, Macfarlane seems to rely too heavily on the potty mouth humour.

One year on from events from the previous movie, Ted (Seth MacFarlane) has married his sweetheart Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) while John's (Mark Wahlberg) marriage has ended in divorce. Immediately the newlyweds are on the rocks and propose having a child to safe their marriage. But any attempts at adopting a child are denied because Ted is not legally recognized as a person by the government. To help gain his rights, the pair enlist the help of newbie lawyer Samantha L Jackson (Amanda Seyfried) to aid their cause.

Ted 2 does have its merits and to MacFarlane's credit he does address some important character issues. John is still recovering from his marriage being dissolved and has little else to do other than smoke pot with his friend. The pair are like a couple of highschoolers still stuck in a time warp. Ted maybe fighting for his rights, but the question remains has he done enough the truly earn them? Watching them head for trial is one area where the movie falls down because although there are laughs such as the pair watching the whipping scene in TV's Roots and Ted saying "That's just like me!" but otherwise it just feels misguided. Ted is like the relative at dinner whom you always wince whenever he talks. Watching him on the stand has that effect as he angrily bursts at the judge "This is just like what you did to the fags!"

The introduction of fellow pot smoking lawyer Samantha is a nice touch but doesn't really add anything new to proceedings. She is basically the polar opposite of everything John's ex wasn't and smokes from a bong shaped like a penis. On a humour level, MacFarlane does provide his usual brand of borderline shocking humour. One scene the gang decides the only way to cheer themselves up is to make sad suggestions at an improv show. Here we get Charlie Hebdo, Robin Williams and 9/11 thrown into the mix, judge for yourself whether to laugh. Also we see re-emergence the of creepy teddy stalker Donny (Giovanni Ribisi- doing what he does best).

Funny cameos also succeed in injecting the film with the zany humor it needs. Watch for a great appearance by Liam Neeson, who could have thought Trix cereal could be hilarious? Tom Brady also stands out in a brief but sidesplitting cameo. Worth its weight purely for code the Boston Police have for the crime. Morgan Freeman plays.... well Morgan Freeman renamed. As a franchise, this movie is most likely going in the right direction and a successful run at the box will definitely see a third round. But Seth MacFarlane has to really think hard about the direction he wants to take this. Because laughs aside, this comedy series is already showing signs of fatigue. Ted and John despite being bad boy 'thunder buddy's' have little else aside of their debauchery. With a few workings, the next installment could be more fitting.

Mark Wahlberg does succeed as John and with his native Boston wit, he handles the foul and crude humor with ease. There may be many people on the fence about the former Marky Mark, but you cannot deny he has presence. Wahlberg is one of the principle reasons this movie has its charm and this guy loves to poke fun at his roots. Seth MacFarlane as a voice only still bounces off his counterpart well. Sounding almost like Family Guy's Peter Griffin, Ted may be an awkward cuddly toy, but is still one who can deliver the laughs.

Chances are that Ted will be definitely be back for a third installment. It's just a shame that Ted 2 doesn't quite build on the promise of what could have been.