REVIEWS: My Thoughts On Yes Man and State of Play...

So, this weekend has been filled with lots of studying, yet I did get a chance to see a couple films, outside of Crank: High Voltage. Here are my breif thoughts on Yes Man and State of Play...

YES MAN:

Here's the synopsis - Carl Allen is at a standstill. Until the day he enrolls into a personal development program based on a very simple idea: say yes to everything! Carl discovers with amazement the magical power of "Yes", and sees his professional and romantic life turned upside down overnight: an unexpected promotion and a new girlfriend. But he'll soon discover that better can be good's enemy, and that all opportunities shouldn't be taken.

Coming to us all from the guy who did The Break-Up, Peyton Reed, this Jim Carrey vehicle features an interesting premise, that doesn't really hit. Yes, there are a few moments where the cast shines, particularly Zooey Deschanel who brings a sense of reality to a rather quirky character (it also helps that she sings during the film). Carrey is fine, and has some scenes where he really hits, and so does the rest of the supporting cast, but the film as a whole misses. It's just cliche after cliche after cliche, and had the people I watched it with perfectly predicting the films ending half way in. That said, I watched it while studying, and it was a pleasent watch. Nothing I will ever watch again, but it wasn't time wasted.

Yes Man - 5/10

STATE OF PLAY:

Here's the synopsis - A petty thief is gunned down in an alley and a Congressman's assistant falls in front of a subway - two seemingly unrelated deaths. But not to wisecracking, brash newspaper reporter Cal McAffrey who spies a conspiracy waiting to be uncovered. With a turbulent past connected to the Congressman and the aid of ambitious young rookie writer Della Frye, Cal begins uprooting clues that lead him to a corporate cover-up full of insiders, informants, and assassins. But as he draws closer to the truth, the relentless journalist must decide if it's worth risking his life and selling his soul to get the ultimate story.

Now this film, is one that I want to see many, many more times. It stars Helen Miren, Russel Crowe, and Rachel McAdams, and is the newest film from Last King of Scotland director, Kevin Macdonald, and is probably the best thriller I have seen all year. It takes a dying thing, newspapers, and gives a burst of life into it. It's got it's cliche moments, as it's kind of a paint by numbers thriller, but with the combination of performances, even a great one from the underrated Ben Affleck, film making, and the brilliant script penned by Tony Gilroy and Billy Ray, is just a masters class in great thrills garnered from an equally great story. Please, give the theatre some money, and check out this film.

State of Play - 8.5/10

Thats all for now, but come back tomorrow for more news and notes, and my thoughts evaluating the themes in the amazing film, Doubt.

Go see something good!