What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) - ★★★★

Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Writers: Peter Hedges
Stars: Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis, Darlene Cates, Mary Steenburgen, Laura Harrington, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Kevin Tighe, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover

I loved What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Watching the lives of these people unfold was both humbling and entertaining. It contains what is arguably Leonardo DiCaprio's greatest performance to date. More importantly, it's just a magnificently crafted film. The cinematography and music tells a story in itself and adds an extra layer of understanding to the characters. At times I felt they could have toned down the cheesiness of certain scenes, and other times I felt overcome with emotion. My special shout out goes to Darlene Cates who played Mama Grape. Her performance, her character, and Leonardo DiCaprio truly raise the film to greatness.

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012) - ★★★

Directors: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim
Writers: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim
Stars: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Twink Caplan, John C. Reilly, Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell, Will Forte, Ray Wise

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie was a huge disappointment. My favourite comedy TV show happens to be Tim and Eric's Awesome Show: Great Job! In their show, they make intelligent, hilarious, and ultimately disturbing commentaries on the stupid shit mankind does (whether it is inventing stupid products, or stupid TV shows). The actual story of the film is its biggest letdown. It doesn't give them many opportunities to flex their crazy, off-coloured humour. They have to follow a coherent storyline that makes a little bit of sense, which throws their usual methods out of whack. While I still enjoyed this movie immensely, I'd call it the longest, unfunniest episode of Tim and Eric I've ever seen. It's funny, but I miss the non-stop laughs they used to give me.

Chicago (2002) - ★★★★★

Director: Rob Marshall
Writers: Bill Condon, Bob Fosse, Fred Ebb, Maurine Dallas Watkins
Stars: Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah, Christine Baranski, Dominic West, Colm Feore, Lucy Liu, Mya

I know a whole bunch of people who call this the most overrated movie of all time. It's because of this, that I call it one of the most underrated movies of all time. Sure, it won six Oscars including Best Picture, but now all you hear these days is people bitch and moan about how The Pianist or The Two Towers should have won. In my opinion, Chicago is one of the greatest musicals of all time. It's filled to the brim with some of the greatest songs in cinematic history, stunning performances, hilarious dialogue, and zany vaudevillian dance numbers! From start to finish I was enthralled with this film. As a lover of musicals, dancing, acting and movies, I can tell you that this is an all round perfect film.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) - ★★★★

Director: Lynne Ramsay
Writers: Lynne Ramsay, Rory Kinnear (Screenplay), Lionel Shriver (Novel)
Stars: Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly, Jasper Newell, Ashley Gerasimovich

We Need To Talk About Kevin is the depressing, frustrating, and realistic portrayal of a mother whose son is a sociopath. I found the story to be very interesting, mainly because I have known people like Kevin growing up. This is a movie everyone should see before they race into having kids. I love the way it shows that you can't always blame the parents for the way their kids turn out. In the end, I was not only sad, but in awe of this movie. The whole way through I was either furious or depressed, which is an accomplishment in itself because most films these days can't even make me sad.

Wreck-It Ralph (2012) – ★★★★½

Director: Rich Moore
Writers: Rich Moore, Phil Johnston, Jim Reardon (Story), Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee (Screenplay)
Stars: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Jack McBrayer, Ed O’Neill, Alan Tudyk

Wreck-It Ralph is a hilarious comedy from Disney which is a childrens movie for grown-ups, and a grown-up movie for children. Anyone who is a fan of retro and modern gaming is bound to love the clever references to the genres, and of course the nostalgic characters that are brought back into the spotlight. It’s both bright and bubbly, with a hint of darkness looming around the corner. It’s a clever little story that peaks our imagination about arcade games the same way that Toy Story did with out stuffed animals and figurines. This is one of the best animated movies I’ve seen in years.

Gangs of New York (2002) - ★★★★

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Jay Cocks
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Brendan Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, Liam Neeson

Gangs of New York is a film about the 'hands that built America.' It's visually stunning and riveting from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, except for one key component. That is DiCaprio's performance as the main character Amsterdam Vallon. 

Set in 1863 and during the time of the American Civil War, Gangs of New York shows that America was born in the streets. It begins with a brutal battle between rival gangs, one side led by 'Priest' Vallon (Liam Neeson), the other Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis). After Bill wins the battle and kills Vallon, his son Amsterdam returns to the Five Points seeking vengeance against the psychotic gangland kingpin. Along the way he falls for pickpocket Jenny (Cameron Diaz), who stays by his side as he creates a whole new army. With the Civil War affecting New York and thousands of Irish immigrants pouring into the streets, the fight for vengeance is much more complicated for Vallon. 

Daniel Day-Lewis absolutely shines in one of his greatest performances as Bill the Butcher. He lit up every scene with his superior skills in acting, turning this good movie into a great one. It is easy to like him, but even easier to hate him, with his racist beliefs and the blood that is on his hands. With that said, he made DiCaprio's so-so performance fade into the background.

For a film that follows his character's story, there was nothing DiCaprio could do to save him from becoming almost obsolete in the grand scheme of things. I was rooting for his character, yet put off by one major issue. I think DiCaprio is pretty good at accents, but he was very inconsistent with maintaining his Irish accent. In the voice-over scenes he sounded Irish enough, but when the time came for him to speak on screen, it faded into his usual American accent. He had the same trouble with the film Blood Diamond, which unfortunately takes away from the film.

The supporting cast however did a phenomenal job. Diaz turned out a good performance as Jenny, who was both likable and believable as an Irish woman. Brendan Gleeson commanded much screen presence as Walter McGinn, a man who hates Bill with a fiery passion. Jim Broadbent also gave a great performance as William Tweed, a politician that exchanges favors with the gang bosses of New York.

The cinematography throughout the film was truly magnificent. It was incredible to see the detail and effort that went into the making of old New York. This was one of the most important parts of the film, and Michael Ballhaus did a masterful job at reconstructing the great city. I also liked the music that accompanied many scenes in the film, albeit unorthodox for such a film as this. I say this because it is quite modern, considering the period that Gangs of New York is set it.

What truly made this film great for me was the build up towards the ending, and of course the ending itself. It was thrilling to see the backlash that conscription during the Civil War caused in New York at the time. The war that was about to happen between Vallon and Bill was almost as thrilling, but seemed secondary in comparison to the historic significance of the riots.

In the end we find that the quarrels between two men don't amount "to a hill of beans." The violent and destructive riots of the Civil War swallow up the main story of vengeance, leaving the audience with the premise that in the grand scheme of things, the grievances between Vallon and Bill are insignificant. What I truly loved about this film is that it admits that the story isn't as big as the events surrounding it at the time. This is one of Scorsese's best films.

We're No Angels (1989) - ★★

Director: Neil Jordan
Writer: David Mamet
Stars: Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Demi Moore, Hoyt Axton, Ray McAnally, James Russo, John C. Reilly

This isn't a bad movie, but it's nothing special or memorable. It seems like a film that was made because De Niro was tired of doing serious roles and wanted something fun. If there is one thing you can take out of this film, it's seeing Sean Penn as a young man, finding his feet in the film industry.

The story follows two escaped convicts, Ned (Robert De Niro), and Jim (Sean Penn). On the run from the unflinchingly cruel, no-nonsense Warden of the prison (Ray McAnally), they find refuge with a church in a small town on the border of Canada. They are mistaken for two priests that did not show up to analyse the town phenomenon of the Weeping Virgin Mary statue. The two are keen to flee across the border to Canada, but one thing after another foils their plans to freedom. Along the way we meet Molly (Demi Moore), an agressive mother of a child who is 'deaf and dumb.' She plays a big role in their plans to avoid being captured.

The story itself is actually pretty funny. My problem is that it didn't come across as funny on the screen. This is supposed to be a comedy, yet I've seen De Niro have funnier performances in many of his serious roles. It has a recipe for a great film: a good story, legendary leading actors, nice cinematography, and a brilliant supporting cast. It just didn't mesh into a consistently entertaining film. For this reason, the movie as a 'comedy' fails.

The supporting cast were funnier than the leads. Particularly John C. Reilly as the young monk who idolizes Father Brown (aka Jim). It's always interesting to see a famous actor's humble beginnings in the film industry. I also thought that Ray McAnally was brilliant as the warden, who was filled with rage because three of his most hated convicts escaped on his watch. Demi Moore was really good as Molly, and also quite irritating. She was strong, stubborn and rude to the priests, but I suppose it was with good reason. These performances were part of the reason this film received two stars.

The other reason this film received two stars is because of one scene which blew me away. It was when Jim gave a speech from the heart about believing in God. "Is God good? I don't know. All I know is... something may give you comfort. And maybe you deserve it. If it comforts you to believe in God, then you do it. That's your business." Sean Penn knocked this monologue out of the park, providing a scene that was much too high a calibre for the movie itself. It really was the highlight of the film for me.

We're No Angels isn't satisfying as a comedy, however, it is satisfying as a film itself. I was never bored for a moment in this film, and never particularly interested (excluding Penn's monologue). If you're a big fan of De Niro and Penn, then you may like this film. I am a big fan of theirs, and I guess that is a part of the reason why I don't hate it. Like I've been saying, it's not a bad film, nor is it good.

The Dictator (2012) - ★★★

Director: Larry Charles
Writers: Sacha Baron Cohen, Alan Berg, David Mandel, Jeff Schaffer
Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, John C. Reilly, Jason Mantzoukas (and guest starring Megan Fox and Edward Norton).

I liked The Dictator. It was funny, its style was different to Borat and Bruno, and I liked the comparison between a dictatorship and democracy in the US that was made at the end of the film. However, I was also disappointed in the half-assed jokes that were used throughout. Some albeit were funny, while others felt like they belonged on Family Guy.

Sacha Baron Cohen returns to the screen as Aladeen, Dictator of a fictional country called Wadiya. He enjoys sentencing people to be executed, winning rigged games and oppressing his people. Many assassination attempts have been made on him, which is why he has a double (who is trained to get shot in the head). Aladeen is also building a nuclear weapon, which the United Nations aren't happy about. They threatened to NATO him unless he agrees to cease the production at a conference held in the US. The rightful air to Wadiya, Tamir (Ben Kingsley), desires money, power and above all to move next to George Clooney's house, thus he hires a man (John C. Reilly) to assassinate Aladeen so that his lookalike double can agree to cease making nuclear weapons, turn Wadiya into a democracy and give other countries the rights to mine the land for oil. In return, Tamir gets 30 million dollars. When the assassination attempt gets botched, Aladeen is left in the US without his beard (or identity), which leaves him no choice but to take up the hospitality of Zoey (Anna Faris). Aladeen must hatch a scheme that will get him to the conference and stop Tamir's plan.

What I liked about this film is that it's different to the reality TV style of Borat and Bruno. It's an actual movie with a decent story, which was refreshing because had The Dictator been like the previous two films, it would feel old and done to death. The start of the film was boring, providing little laughs. The comedy really began when John C. Reilly popped onto the screen as the assassinator, who believes anything that isn't a white American is A-rab. Anna Faris provided many laughs too as Zoey, who was very similar to the character she's most famous for playing, Cindy from the Scary Movie franchise. Ben Kingsley was funny simply because he is such a class actor, making his appearance in a movie like this is funny in itself.

The film went for 83 minutes, which is extremely short. I liked this because anything extra would make the film feel bloated (because Aladeen is actually extremely irritating). Cohen recycled his Ali G voice for this character, which was disappointing because I couldn't get over how The Dictator looked like Ali G in a costume. I don't really know why he didn't go to more efforts and detail with the appearance of his character. The fake beard just seemed lazy to me (in comparison to the transformation he made for Bruno).

All in all The Dictator was funny. It's just not Cohen at his best. He had to rely on a cast of supporting actors to make this film any good, which luckily it did. I hope he's not losing his touch, because this film looks like his skills at creating an entertaining film from start to finish are beginning to fade away.