Bad Johnson - 2014 ***

Bad Johnson is every man's nightmare, especially if that man happens to be an egotistical player who constantly uses women for sex. It's quite refreshing to see a film that gives men like that a hard time, as too often they are portrayed like superheros that we should be high-fiving as they bonk one ditzy blonde after the other. Rich is just one of those irritating men. He's a pretty boy, obsessed with his looks and equally as obsessed with sleeping his way around America with all the gusto he can muster. He has a unique excuse for his behaviour however. He blames his penis. In fact, when his current girlfriend whom he is actually serious about finds out he has 'against his will' slept with a woman in her car he can't help but place the blame on his genitalia. To no avail. Going home, he makes a wish; that his penis will disappear so that he can conduct a meaningful relationship without all the hassle of sex. Waking up, he finds that the inevitable has happened; his penis has done a runner, and is seeking refuge behind a bin outside a fast food store. Rich might want his penis back, but his penis has other ideas. Well I could go on,but it gets even more ridiculous after this, so it's best I leave it unspoken. It's very silly. Might be worth a watch anyway.

Beyond the Pole - 2010 ****

'Beyond the Pole' is yet another hidden gem that I stumbled upon by mistake at the weekend.
I was rather pleased that Stephen Mangan was playing a prominent part here as I love his personality and unique character.
2 scatty and quirky friends decide to save the planet from Global Warming by trekking to the North Pole on the first Carbon neutral, vegetarian and organic journey to encourage people to become aware of their campaign ' Don't be Impotent, be important.'
However, neither of them have a clue how to survive in freezing conditions and have to work out how to work together as a team on the expedition and stay alive after shooting the camera man by mistake and then being in a race with a team of gay Olympic Norwegians who also want to get to the North Pole.
Very funny and rather poignant.

The Other Woman - 2014 **

Well this was a bit of an oddball. A successful and attractive woman falls for a charming and handsome man, only to discover that he is married. What starts off as an awkward acquaintance seems to quickly progress into a full blown friendship (can you imagine guys doing the same?!) and is blown up even more when it comes to light that said man is going on holiday and meets yet another woman. The three women decide to team up and seriously pay back this god awful player for all he has done to them. It should be a brilliant, woman power type movie, but it comes across as a bit tired and sad to me. Cameron Diaz is a bit (dare I say it) washed up, Leslie Mann was awful and Kate Upton's chest did most of the acting for her. The three of them make a bit of a motley crew in all honesty, and whilst I never condone what the make character has done, I didn't care enough about any of the characters to 'have their backs'.

Bad Neighbours - 2014 ***

Seth Rogen is a rather amusing actor. And surprisingly, so is Zac Efron.
Rogen and Byrne play a young, exhausted couple having to deal with a young baby. They move into a new house that seems perfect, until they realise that it's slap bang next to a College Frat house. Efron plays Teddy, the bad boy leader of the fraternity, who can't stop having parties. Every night.
At the beginning, he is quite amenable when the couple ask him to keep the noise down, even inviting them in to the party, where they temporarily bond over a huge amount of drugs. But soon the noise is intolerable, they are getting no sleep, snapping at each other and finding it hard to function. And Teddy couldn't care less. Until he finds out that they called the cops on him.
Soon it's not just a friendly neighbourhood spat, but war, in the most extreme degree.
Some scenes are very amusing, including when the boys have a Robert De Niro themed party and all appear at the couple's door in various different outfits.
I liked it, although certain parts are utterly ludicrous and over the top, but that's really all you can expect from one of these sorts of movies.