Bovie Movie

This formulaic, gung-ho war drama is based on the bestselling memoir by war correspondent Joseph Galloway and Lt General Harold G Moore, who led a battalion of the Seventh Cavalry into the first major confrontation of the Vietnam War in November 1965. Randall Wallace’s second film as director is an overlong account of how Moore’s men stood their ground in the Ia Drang river valley against overwhelming numbers of North Vietnamese soldiers, but this is no American equivalent to Zulu. Instead, the film earnestly treads familiar ground as Wallace manipulates the audience between violent action, sentimental pep talks and scenes from the homefront as the telegrammed notices of death begin to arrive. This is a straightforward tribute to the fighting man, devoid of political comment or historical background and with no real characterisation — although Sam Elliott does wonders with his few lines as Moore’s second in command. Mel Gibson is mesmerising as the valiant Moore, but this is a portrait of war in the style of The Green Berets rather than Platoon and his role is too flawlessly heroic to ring entirely true. 

Cooper and Ed are brothers: Coop acts, in ads and soaps, spending his real energy chasing women for one-night stands. His younger brother Ed, an earnest young man, works in an ad agency. For the past year, since finding his girlfriend in bed with another man with a video camera running, Ed has been in a funk: he’s carried a torch, his social life has tanked, and his work has suffered. Ed will be fired on Monday unless he can save a major account. It’s his birthday weekend: he wants to work, but Cooper wants Ed to rediscover his sex life. Cooper works hard to help Ed score, but disaster piles on disaster. Can a decent guy save his job and get a life?

If you thought Dumb and Dumber or There’s Something about Mary plumbed the depths of grossness, hold on to your lunch — you ain’t seen nothing yet. This laughter-packed comedy about four teenage boys who pledge to lose their virginity before prom night has enough crass gags to satisfy the most demanding fans of Porky’s-style farces. Yet it also boasts some spot-on performances from a hip young cast that includes Chris Klein, Mena Suvari, Tara Reid and Natasha Lyonne. The title refers to one of the more eye-widening sequences, in which Jim (Jason Biggs) gets a bit too friendly with his mom’s apple pie. This is definitely not one to show granny, but must-see fare for those not easily offended. 

A snappy script breathes life into this stereotypically idiotic tale of one man’s journey of self-discovery. Obese high-school loser Chris (Ryan Reynolds donning a prosthetic fat suit) has been in love with Jamie (Amy Smart) for years. She loves him, too, but only like a brother, and drops the “just friends” speech on him on their graduation night. After making a success of himself in Los Angeles, he finds himself back in his New Jersey home town where he determines to win her heart — not realising that, even though he’s now slim and handsome, he’s not such a nice guy any more. Chris also faces competition from local good guy Dusty (Chris Klein), and is further hampered by having his ex-lover (Anna Faris), a bratty diva, in tow. Worth watching just for Christopher Marquette’s hilarious turn as Chris’s pain-in-the-neck brother, this obnoxious comedy has a generous helping of natural, surprising laughs amid the bumptious stupidity.