Review of Wanted

Wanted is based on Mark Millar’s graphic novels. Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a lowly, brow-beaten corporate drone. His girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend, his boss berates him constantly and he has a standing prescription for anxiety medicine. Then, one day, Fox (Angelina Jolie) appears and informs him that his estranged father has just been murdered. Morgan Freeman makes an appearance as the Fraternity’s leader. He joins the Fraternity, an elite group of assassins with a 1000 year old history. He is tutored and trained to be a world class assassin so he can avenge his father’s death.

Wanted was directed by the same director who did Night Watch and Day Watch (Timur Bekmambetov), so the action is very interesting, full of cheesy slo-mos and impossible stunts. A solid suspension of disbelief is necessary for this movie. Still, the action is non-stop and very watchable. McAvoy does an excellent job of portraying Gibson as a loser and then following through on his amazing transformation. Jolie does a pretty good job as a badass assassin who can intimidate pretty much everyone. Freeman is a little less believable, simply because most people haven’t seen him in a role like this and he doesn’t sell it very well. I also could have done without the plotline copied from Star Wars to be totally honest. My advice is to wait for the DVD or see it at a second run theatre.


http://www.wantedmovie.com/


6 out of 10

Review of Love Guru

Mike Myers stars as Pitka, an American who was abandoned at the gates of an ashram in India. After being raised by a guru, he moves to the USA to seek fame and fortune as a self help guru. Constantly playing second fiddle to Deepak Chopra, he seeks to gain a guest spot on Oprah, believing that will secure him bragging rights in the self-help market. He must use his unorthodox methods to help Toronto Maple Leaf Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) deal with his estranged wife, who is currently dating LA King goalie Jacques Grande (Justin Timberlake).

Despite all the critics who have savaged this movie, it isn’t all bad. Essentially, he has re-packaged Austin Powers as Pitka. Austin Powers was filled with penis jokes, gags about bodily functions and oddly named characters. Really, what’s the difference between Alotta Fagina and Tuggingmypuddha? Even Min-me (Verne Troyer) is along for the ride. The only real difference is that the subject matter allows Myers to ridicule other institutions like Bollywood, self-help counselling and a host of other silly topics. One of the funniest parts of the movie is when Myers and his sidekick sing 9-5 and More than Words with a sitar.

I saw the premiere and I thought it was very funny and equal to the Austin Powers movies. If you were a fan of those movies, then you’ll likely enjoy this one too. If, like many critics, you do not enjoy low brow comedy, then you won’t enjoy this either.


http://www.lovegurumovie.com/

7 out of 10