The Moaning of Life - Karl Pilkington

Since the discovery of the incredible mind of Karl Pilkington, the so-called round-headed buffoon has been milked for all he is worth. The 3 series of An Idiot Abroad saw Karl sent on a marathon trip across the globe, forced into doing tasks that made him miserable. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant made it clear from the start; the trip was not for Karl’s indulgence but for the viewers to enjoy his misery. It is a pleasure then to see that the reigns have been unleashed and Karl is free to go again, but this time with control over his own fate in “ The Moaning Of Life”.

As we have come to expect from Karl, he has his fair share of moaning to do but despite the show’s title, we do see Karl in a different light. He has a safety net this time, and at some magical moments in the series we even get a clear sight of his pearly whites. Without the hassle of Gervais and Merchant, Karl is able to escape unattractive scenarios and often does so sporting a big fat grin on his face. Whilst pursuing what it means to be happy, he chooses to abandon a homeless man to spend the night in a 4-star hotel. Even then, we were still happy for Karl whose ill treatment in the previous series warranted him bending the rules.

For Karl (who has no plans to marry or have children with his long-term girlfriend, Suzanne) undertaking the concept of an arranged marriage proved almost too easy. Perhaps to Suzanne’s dismay he met with a woman that agreed to marry him within 2 hours of meeting. Afterwards he proclaimed, “It was good to know that if everything did go tits up, there’s someone else in the world who would put up with me.”

 Karl seemed to pride himself on his handy-work in this series, regularly using it as an excuse for his poor grades at school. In the 4^th episode his claims are put to the test as we discover that he is not quite cut out for inventing, fish selling or house cleaning. We do find out though, that Karl’s true calling, the reason he was put on this earth, is to be a catwalk model. The final episode of the series has yet to air, but if Karl doesn’t learn anything on his journey of self-discovery, then it is not a huge loss because this time round he did it his way.

Kung Fu Panda 2!

The return of Po the obese Kung Fu Panda, in the second instalment from DreamWorks has you excited for what challenges await for the new dragon warrior. Shen the evil peacock has plans to erase Kung Fu and all of China from memory with his new weapons of mass destruction. Can Po, step outside the valley, to discover who he really is, find inner peace and defeat Shen all at once? Most Probably. As the same with most sequels, it's not as good as the first, and provides a relatively short running time because we all ready know the background behind Po and the furious five. However, the star cast including Jack black (the suitably overweight Panda) makes up for this and as it is, nothing ever goes perfectly for Po, so gives it an awkward, comedic edge over other animations of its kind. Make sure you've seen first, first.

Arthur Christmas

Christmas, along with Santa is getting old and Steve, Santa's oldest son and soon to be replacement, believes the way forward is to up the technology. However, Steve gets caught up in the job and when  a present that slipped off the conveyor is found, it's up to Arthur (Santa's youngest) with a little help from Grand-Santa and his pre-historic ways to save the day. The minds of Aardman never cease to disappoint, even with a Christmas movie.They have created yet another humorous, smart storyline which is suitable for anyone in the Christmas spirit. It is, however peculiar seeing the voice of 33 year old James McAvoy coming out of a 12-year-old's mouth but hey-ho, maybe Arthur is just mature for his age. Similarly Hugh Laurie is probably the last person you'd want to play someone with Steve's young audacious persona but it seems to work well. Jim Broadbent and Bill Nighy appropriately fit, ageing Santa and ancient Grand-Santa and Ashley Jensen is made for this role as the annoyingly squeaky, Scottish Christmas elf, Bryony who also plays a crucial part in saving the day with her wrapping skills. Everyone loves fresh, new Christmas movies.... but avoid if you don't.

Contagion

Although Contagion was deemed gross and inhumane by some, I believe it is a fresh take on a very realistic occurrence. Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow), comes back from Hong Kong with a shocking illness. Symptoms include seizures and dizziness and she succumbs to the illness in a surprisingly quick death. Unfortunately, 26 million others follow in her step, including Kate Winslet (karma, for not letting Jack get on the Titanic door)
This is a unique film, with an all star cast and clever, dark script. It highlights how naive humanity is and how unprepared we are for anything that matches the power of this virus globally..
Unfortunately there is no fairy-tale ending for anyone (not even Matt Damon or Jude Law) and yet you'll want to see this film again because if you blink, you'll miss something. Infectious.

Twilight

I'm not quite up to date with Twilight because I had no reason to watch it until it was on telly for free so sorry this is late. First of all, If like me; you're not a fan of twilight and you've never seen this film, try to stay that way. The only reason this film made money was because of the mildly attractive men and its fan club. I struggle to believe that this story line is a best selling book because nothing happens. There are no moments where you are excited, none when you are sad. I can't say I shed any emotion for this film. The casting is terrible, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are the most unconvincing couple I've ever seen which I think is sad because I know Robert Pattinson is quite good judging by his other work. Can't say the same for Stewart though...  The acting is weak and I hate to say it but "unintentionally awkward" so much so that a watcher would know they were acting. Now I'm not judging this film by the next but I'm not paying to see the, god knows how many sequels there are, with the part 1's and the part 2's and so on. I'd rather watch Emmerdale.

The Sitter

Jonah Hill fits the role of Noah Griffith the responsible babysitter surprisingly well even after the likes of Superbad where his references to sex are uncountable. If anything his motifs in this film are far worse if you're looking for a role model but it makes it that little bit funnier. Some aspects of this comedy scream, predictable and "seen it", having a sad case forced into looking after some kids which makes his life so much more difficult but then so great. However it evolves into a more imaginative and interesting plot after the introduction of a third party Mexican miscreant with a disappearing act and Noah's "hot" girlfriend, Marisa, and her dodgy dealing friends. Worth a watch.

Crazy Stupid Love

Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling are the perfect duo in this romantic comedy that for once, is actually funny. This film doesn't follow the stereotypical, two people meet, fall in love and live happily ever after, (rubbish) storyline. Instead, lots of original twists and turns sees Carell, a middle-aged divorcee coached by Gosling (needless to say, a success with the ladies) into finding a new relationship after Julianne Moore leaves him for Kevin Bacon. People argue this film is too long at just over 2 hours but I think this is how we get to know the characters and become more involved with the story which separates it from others of its kind. It puts you through an enjoyable whirlwind of complications and having kids doesn't help matters especially when your daughter is as attractive as Emma Stone and your child's babysitter has a crush on you. DVD material.