The Ides of March

Mr Clooney is a wonder. He was made for the role as the ambitious democratic Governor Mike Morris, with his almost communistic style posters and his charisma oozing over the offices. His right hand men are Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and superstar Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling). There is an intern too, Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood, shaping up to be a real acting contender). Molly is bold and vivacious and her and Meyers embark on a little affair, lucky Molly. Meyers is wooed by Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) who works for the other democratic candidate and it's then that things start to get ugly. Meyers is party to a tragedy, and his loyalty to Morris and the team are tested. I don't pretend to understand American politics that much, but I sure do enjoy trying to work it all out. It's an age old tale of love, honour and loyalty. Back stabbing and clawing your way to the top.
The actors are truly terrific. Gosling's character has been accused of being naive for one so smart, but I disagree. Wisdom comes with age, or it's supposed to and Ryan portrays Stephen with a ruthless charisma that could charm the knickers off just about anyone. What to say about the incomparable Seymour Hoffman? Does he ever put a foot wrong? Loyal, vulnerable, shambolic, and yes, I'm going to say it, sexy as hell. Keep Mr Clooney, I'll have Philip please. I've always loved him. Don't ask me why for I do not know. Paul Giamatti (no, I don't fancy him) is as always excellent and George Clooney is immaculate. If I have a critisicm it is that whilst enjoyable, once you leave the cinema, the movie is forgotten. There seems to be little substance to the story. Some of the boxes are a little too neatly ticked and the characters of Meyers and Stearns do very seem to have sharp changes in personality. It's a little too dramatic and a little too unbelievable. George Clooney directs as well, wonderfully. I read that Leonardo DiCaprio was initially going to play Gosling's character, but pulled out. It would have been a disappointing film for him to have been in, but he stayed on as producer, got to love that loyalty. The Ides of March: Et tu Gosling? 6.5/10

The Inbetweeners Movie

Ahh, the boys. Will (the smart one), Neil (the daft one), Jay (the filthy one) and Simon (the good looking one) are Inbetweeners. That is, they are in between being nerds and being cool. Floundering in the hades of life, if you will. The Inbetweeners is a tv series, and one of the crassest, wittiest and filthiest series I have ever had the good fortune to watch. Side splittingly funny. It was with much excitment that I went to see this movie, and it didn't disappoint. Simon is trying to forget his doomed relationship with his long time love Carli and after Jay's grandad's death leaves him loaded, the four boys decide to go on a relatively normal holiday to Malia in the Greek islands. My idea of hell from start to finish, not hades, hell. Things go badly from the start, the hotel is unbelievably bad, the nightclub they're lured into is dead. They meet up with four girls, more by luck than judgement, and strike up a friendship with them. The scene where they try and impress them through the medium of dance is nothing short of genius. There are plenty of crass scenes, old lady sex, Jay full frontal, fully clothed dry humping to name but a few. . Along the way, the boys do learn some valuable lessons, but will darling precocious Will lose his virginity finally? Some of this movie falls a little flat, you can't expect constant target hitting gags over an hour and a half, but generally this is a gem of a film. Will it offend some people? I surely hope so! It's not for the faint hearted, that's for sure. It manages a feat that most of the crass films don't, (apart from a tight and funny script), and that is that you truly care about the characters, not just our beloved boys, but also the ones you have just met. Just one snipe, would have loved to have seen a bit more of Mr Gilbert. Adam Sandler and The Hangover crew could learn a thing or two from their British cousins. Rule Brittania! The Inbetweeners Movie: Come and feed kitty, Will. 8/10.