End of Watch V Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

First up 

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

MOVIE INFO

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World stars Golden Globe Award winner Steve Carell and Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley and is the feature directorial debut of screenwriter Lorene Scafaria. Set in a too-near future, the movie explores what people will do when humanity's last days are at hand. As the respective journeys of Dodge (Mr. Carell) and Penny (Ms. Knightley) converge, the two spark to each other and their outlooks - if not the world's - brighten. 

I find there is nothing more mercurial than a Steve Carrell film. He can hits the heights of excellence in films such as Little Miss Sunshine and Anchorman, but he can also churn out fantastic turds such as Evan Almighty, or Get Smart. Ikea Knightley attempts to crank up the cooky factor to 11, and although she is not entirely to blame for a sincere lack of chemistry, she has to accept some of the responsibility. I liked the portrayal of everyone living life with complete abandon, but if you want to see that done well then just watch Joaquin Phoenix's performance in The Master. The only thing I took away from this film was a decent soundtrack and a safe knowledge that due to the inevitable outcome, there will be no sequel. 

• ROTTEN TOMATO METER (critics)  55%
• ROTTEN TOMATO METER (audience) 56%
• PETER - METER 39%

This morning I took my buddy Rael to freeport where we sat through End of Watch.

MOVIE INFO

From the writer of Training Day, End of Watch is a riveting action thriller that puts audiences at the center of the chase like never before. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as young LA police officers who discover a secret that makes them the target of the country's most dangerous drug cartel.

This, according to William Friedkin is the best cop film ever made. He himself did French Connection so he should know a thing or to. It certainly comes across as being the most realistic but is it really up there with Training Day, The Departed, Tango and Cash? The film flirts with the notion of found footage which adds to the intensity, but it's not entirely reliant on camcorders or CCTV. The way the two are interspersed works very well. Apparently Gyllenhaal took 5 months to prepare for this role by riding shotgun with the LAPD as they went on patrol. And it's paid off. The chemistry between Pena and Gyllenhaal is charming and works better than most buddy cop movies I've seen all year, maybe ever. That's right, even more magic than Turner and Hooch. (Though i cried at that one, not so much at this). Infact I was quite glad to put my crying streak to an end after Skyfall and Frankenweenie had completely broken my infamously fragile tear ducts. I felt increasingly uncomfortable as each event unfolded as I had invested heavily into the characters by the end. Best cop film ever? 

• ROTTEN TOMATO METER (critics) 85%
• ROTTEN TOMATO METER (audience) 90%
• PETER - METER (82%)

Come on Friedkin, it's not Tango and Cash so watch TANGO AND CASH and not END OF WATCH or SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD.