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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Hop (Film)

by Annette Basile | April 04, 2011 16:43 | Edited April 04, 2011 16:48

While bland in places and the human characters poorly developed, this Easter tale is briskly paced, and features a handful of amusing cameos.

While this computer animated/live action hybrid is hardly an ordeal for adults, Hop really is a kids-only affair. The story kicks off on Easter Island, where we meet the Easter Bunny (House star Hugh Laurie wearing his native English accent) and his young son, E.B. (Russell Brand). Fast forward a few years and E.B., now a teenager, is a rock ‘n' rollin' rabbit - a drummer and a rebel - not keen to carry on the Easter Bunny mantle.

 

Over in LA, Fred O'Hare (James Marsden), an alleged adult, is also battling his father (the fine character actor Gary Cole). Fred is a layabout who failed to launch out of his parental home. He winds up house-sitting a mansion but on the drive over, he almost runs over E.B., who has bounced away from Easter Island and landed in Hollywood in a bid to chase his rock dreams.

 

It's the usual scenario - Fred's scared he's gone loopy because the bunny talks, he can't shake E.B. - who causes all sorts of havoc in Fred's life - and, of course, they eventually bond.

 

Brand and Laurie do excellent voice work (making the Easter Bunny father-and-son English is a nice touch), but Hank Azaria's Spanish-accented Carlos, a shady chick who works in the underground candy and chocolate factory on Easter Island, is scarily stereotyped.

 

There are interesting cameos, including gospel legends The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Hugh Hefner (in voice-form over an intercom) and the one-and-only David Hasselhoff.

 

Despite the enjoyable passing presences of the gospel greats, Hef and the Hoff, the human characters here are undeveloped. The focus is on Fred and E.B. and, unfortunately, the fairly bland Fred is initially presented without any redeeming features.

 

Nevertheless, E.B. is brought to life by Brand, the CGI is seamlessly worked into the live action, and Hop is briskly paced. It's entertaining enough but ultimately disposable.