Movies: This weekend's verdict
by Krista Campbell in Media Lab
Tue November 22, 5:30 p.m. GMT
So, which of the three films we asked you to review have come top this week, and which have you decided to give a miss?
Will any of them feature in your weekend viewing? Here's what MediaLab panellists had to say this week
Want to review next weekend's trailers?
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50/50
Overall, MediaLab panellists say: GO SEE IT!
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Based on screenwriter Will Reiser’s battle with cancer, 50/50 aims to bring humour to a sensitive subject. Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is your typical guy in his late-twenties. All seems fairly normal, when Adam gets diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. He must now face up to his own mortality, helped at all times by his annoying but unfailingly loyal friend Kyle (Seth Rogen), and discovers that the most important things aren’t what he thought they were. What did you think? Will you follow Adam's journey or give him and his mate a miss? |
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"Looks funny and original, with a great cast!" "Gives a good indication of what the movie is about and makes me want to go see it" "A bit silly in the vein of other movies by the Superbad guys, but I think it just about gets away with it as Joseph Gordon Levitt is a surprisingly sensitive actor, plus the fact that it's about cancer hints at a deeper, more powerful message" "I loved it! It looks really good, funny yet looked like it also had depth" "Looks funny and interesting, a new direction on a serious topic" "It looks very interesting, looks like it tries to make light of a serious situation which may be quite refreshing to people who can relate to it!" |
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"Seems quite fun approach to a serious subject" "I don't like the way cancer has been turned into a theme for a comedy film. I think it’s very insensitive" "Looks an easy going film to watch, but not really my cup of tea" "I don't want to see a movie about someone dealing with a potentially fatal illness" "Not very funny. Would have been interested except for the presence of Seth Rogan deeply unfunny 'comedian'" |
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Welcome to the Rileys
Overall, MediaLab panellists say: GO SEE IT!
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Once a happily married couple, Doug (played by James Gandolfini) and Lois Riley (Melissa Leo) have grown apart since losing their 15 year old daughter in a car accident. When Doug goes on a business trip, he meets a troubled 17-year-old runaway called Allison Mallory (Kristen Stewart) and the two form a platonic bond. Yet Lois has followed Doug to New Orleans, and is dismayed to see that the tempestuous Allison is not only working as a prostitute, but also reminds her of her own late daughter. As the couple tries to help Allison make a better life for herself, Doug and Lois's marriage hangs in the balance. Will helping Allison help them, or will they discover they can never replace the daughter they lost? This film sees relationships, loss and friendship combine - but is it something that you'd want to sit through? |
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"This trailer is so powerful it actually made me cry! I cannot wait to see it so I can find out what happens properly! A true must see film" "This looks like a good drama, would be interesting to see James Gandolfini in such a different role to what he plays in The Sopranos" "It looks heart-warming and nearly made me cry!" "Starts off quite predictable but actually becomes quite engaging and pulls you in. Kristen Stewart is in her typical moody, slightly damaged role, but then I guess she does play that well. This looks as if it could be quite uplifting but the message that happiness is found somewhere other than within the traditional suburban household is hardly original. However, the trailer sets the issues out very well and is compelling" "Looks quite an emotional and touching film- just my cup of tea" |
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"The trailer doesn’t really give much insight of the film" "Terrific cast but it looks a little depressing for my liking" "The trailer looks pretty good, but I'm just not interested in the theme of the film" "It looks as though it would be really good, but not something I would enjoy - too emotionally fraught" "Cheesy, schmaltzy rubbish. A soap opera plot made into a movie. Pity because the acting looks decent" |
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Magic Trip
Overall, MediaLab panellists say: DON'T BOTHER
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The Magic Trip sees Oscar winning directors Alex Gibney and Alison Ellwood pieces together original archive footage to follow a busload of hippies and their psychedelic explorations across America, as writer Ken Kesey's famous road trip with his group of 'Merry Pranksters' (which includes Neal Cassady, featured in iconic book 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac) is adapted for the silver screen. For anyone interested in the psychedelic start of the '60s, The Magic Trip promises to be a nostalgic, if slightly hazy, voyage back in time. But does this film look cool to you, or is it just too far out to bother with? |
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"To see all those amazing people, as they were, then, in all their bright beauty and creativity – it’s a definite must see!" "Great to see the 60s in original footage form instead of the Hollywood reimagining, good way to help modern readers to connect with great authors and influential minds of the past" "Electrifying! One of my favourite books of all time was filmed!" "Very nostalgic for times that have been, but looked like a fun road trip to document" |
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"Looks like a good enough film but does not appeal to me" "It looks quite interesting, but this is the type of film which is for a very specific audience. Rather than the younger generation, it would be for people who were in their teens or early 20's in the 60's, or for those with a passion for the people in the film" "It looks incredibly dated & cheap. Not a subject matter that engages me at all" "It looks boring and doesn't draw me in at all" "I'm in my 20s, this film is designed for a different generation" "I might watch it at some point but it doesn't really appeal that much to me""Doesn't really interest me - not something I feel is relevant to me" |
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Now review next week's trailers!
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