mildconcern.com

An all-American hero tries to topple the British boy wizard this week while Kevin James stars in another bad comedy and kids must choose between British live-action and Japanese animation.

Captain America: The First Avenger
The last of the Avengers prequels. See Chris Evans (not that one) go from weedy kid to one giant torso. From what the internet has told me it starts great but the final forty minutes is pretty weak. Luckily you can watch the final scene online and save yourself two hours.

Zookeeper
Zoo animals decide to tell their keeper they can talk in order to help him find love. I wonder which is the sassy animal?

Horrid Henry: The Movie
With a cast of people famous within the UK gurning their way through the trailer this looks like a painful kid’s film. It co-stars Dick and Dom, need I say more?

Arrietty (limited release)
The Borrowers retold by Studio Ghibli with a British cast dubbed version. How can this be anything but charming?

Poetry (limited release)
A woman finds solace in poetry after witnessing a family crime. This is longer than Captain America and features 85% more poetry.

The Light Thief (limited release)
All about an electrician who “not only brings electric light (which is often out) to the lives of the inhabitants of this small city, but he also spreads the light of love, loyalty, life and mainly laughter.”

A Better Life (limited release)
A man tries to give his son a better life (it’s in the freaking title) by keeping him out of gangs and away from immigration officers.

Whisky Galore (limited release)
Another classic re-release in which “Scottish islanders try to plunder 50,000 cases of whisky from a stranded ship.”

Our Day Will Come (limited release)
Only at the ICA (oooh arty), this French film follows two men on a road trip to Ireland. Lots of social commentary along the way.

As Bridesmaids has been in cinemas for over a month now enough has been said about whether it is a chick flick, a female Hangover or just obscene and offensive. Bridesmaids is no chick flick, is better than The Hangover and only has one scene which descends into toilet humour. Other than that it is an above average comedy with some real laughs, plenty of heart and a few scenes that could be easily lost. The film earns bonus points for having Jon Hamm in a comedic role.

While the romance between Kristen Wiig and the adorable Chris O’Dowd is awfully sweet, it is pretty inconsequential to the main plot. What really grounds the film is the natural and easy friendship portrayed by Wiig and Maya Rudolph. Nothing seems forced between them as their years together in Saturday Night Live have given them plenty of time to form a genuine bond, one Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway can only dream of. The idea of meeting your childhood playmate’s new friends, and the hatred and jealousy that follows, is all too familiar. A friend of yours is not necessarily a friend of mine.

If nothing else, Bridesmaids is a showcase for the comedy wonder that is Kristen Wiig. Here’s hoping she’s the next Tina Fey or Amy Poehler and not the next Ana Gasteyer, whoever that is.

Related posts:

Tonight marks the start of one of the biggest entries in the London-based-outdoor-cinema calendar as Film4 Summer Screen at Somerset house begins with the premiere of The Skin I Live In. You can read our review of the opening film here and I have no idea how well this disturbing piece of cinema will play to a large crowd on a summer’s evening. Maybe it’s less creepy when not watched in a basement screening room.

You can read the full line-up of films at the Summer Screen in our earlier post, but unfortunately it’s all sold out. Your only remaining chance is the enter the competition on Film4.com and try to win tickets to the triple bill of Troll Hunters, Tremors and Gremlins on 6th August. Competition closes tomorrow at 5pm so don’t hesitate.

Related posts:

On Sunday I ventured out of the safety of London to the wilderness of St Albans to attend the second annual Laughs in the Park. The event is touted as the Woodstock of comedy, and is headed in the right direction now that a second stage, BBC Comedy Presents, has been added to showcase new talent before the main show began. Sitting on the grass in the sun, sipping a cider and watching a range of comedic styles it was easy to imagine the event growing over the years, with stages dedicated to different comedy styles, maybe one with a dedicated open mic, and a huge camp site filled with comedy fans. With Izzard involved anything is possible.

Liam Williams
Williams was an odd choice to open up the BBC Comedy Presents Stage, with a deliberately awkward style that clashed with the vibrant atmosphere demanded by outdoor comedy. Everyone was a little too relaxed to get behind an equally relaxed performance. Not without his moments Williams may have been better received with a more thoroughly warmed up crowd.

Adam Riches
Easily the highlight of the smaller stage Riches bounded on with enough energy to engage the hot and apathetic crowd, without even making it on-stage for the majority of his act. Declaring himself to be Daniel Day-Lewis, Riches launched into a lesson on smacting (acting with a smoke machine) which left our little group in stitches. For once an act relying on audience participation didn’t ask anyone what their job was. If Adam Riches does a gig near me, I’m there.

Alex Horne
You may recognise him from We Need Answers on BBC Four… but probably not, it’s on BBC Four. Horne gave a deliberately lacklustre performance lacking more lustre than Williams. After the joy of Riches it was a little deflating, and as before comedy which might work in a club in the evening fell flat, out in the fields of St Albans. Nice to see a variety of comedy styles, though understandably there will be a few misses.

Kerry Godliman
Bringing a more upbeat and sunny vibe back to the stage Godliman was warmly received. Not necessarily ground-breaking in her comedy style but by this point we were grateful to have someone giving us actual jokes to laugh at. Her upbeat attitude and simple, funny style was perfect for a crowd lounging in the sun.

Angelos Epithemiou

Renton Skinner brings his character from Shooting Stars to the stage in a decidedly awkward routine. Most of the audience didn’t really know how to take his bumbling, possibly mentally challenged persona as he worked his way through a handful of jokes, a trick or two and showed us what was in his bag before stripping down to a lycra body suit. I’m a fan of his awkward comedy but it wasn’t hard to notice that not everyone stayed to see him through to the end.

Jarred Christmas
Holding the two hours on the BBC Comedy Presents Stage together was Christmas, a joyous Kiwi comedian with so much enthusiasm he could pick up the audience after the flattest of performances. I’ve only ever seen Christmas MC-ing event but would love to see him do a full set someday soon. I’ve never laughed so much at repeated references to brioche, perfect for a bunch of middle class people in a field drinking Pimms and cider.

Tommy Tiernan
A big name comic in his native Ireland, Tiernan is relatively unknown in England but that could be about to change. Tiernan was a revelation, a foul-mouthed, controversial and surprisingly energetic revelation. With graphic references to sex, Downs syndrome and religion Tiernan practically shouted his routine while pulling a bizarre array of shapes. Tiernan has the confidence of a seasoned performer but the unfamiliar edge of a new talent. He’s welcome back any time.

Eddie Izzard
Izzard was on top form performing a shortened version of his Stripped tour, the DVD of which I had mistakenly watched the night before. Having performed the same material at last years show it would have been nice to hear something new but with Izzard it doesn’t matter how often to hear his jokes they never fail to make my face ache from laughing too much. The sun having set and cold setting in, the crowd could not have been more delighted by Izzard’s set as we all laughed and cheered raucously, for the majority the familiarity of the material only helped the enjoyment though a few grumbles could be heard.

Ross Noble
MC-ing on the main stage it was a surprise that Noble didn’t get a full set of his own so thankfully he prolonged his interstitial sessions on-stage and a pre-show double act with Izzard was a personal highlight. Before seeing him live I was a Ross Noble sceptic but his energy and enthusiasm was irresistible. Hopefully if he returns in later years he’ll be allowed to perform a full set as Noble is a real talent.

Laughs in the Park 2011 was a great day out and I whole-heartedly recommend you all go next year. We got over 5 hours of comedy outdoors on a gorgeous day, all topped off with fireworks. Beautiful.

Footage from the weekend will be shown on the BBC at some point. How’s that for journalism?

Related posts:

Today’s release isn’t really a regular release, more a series of special screenings across the UK, I’ll explain…

Henry IV Part 1
Across the UK, cinemas are holding special screenings of Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1 recorded at the Globe. I can’t vouch for this particular play but I can vouch for The Globe being one of the best places to see Shakespeare. The main downside is the fact that you have to stand up outside for hours, but this is all solved with a cinema screening. Some cinemas are showing the play this evening and others on Saturday 6th August, check the website for dates at a cinema near you.