Film Screening 30th April, 2005

Poster for Meet the Fockers

Meet the Fockers 

8:00 PM, 30th April, 2005
No Guests

  • M
  • 115 mins
  • 2004
  • Jay Roach
  • John Hamburg, James Herzfeld
  • Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand

In the hugely popular Meet the Parents, Greg Focker (Stiller) had to face up to the challenge of meeting his girlfriend Pam's family, led by overprotective CIA Agent Jack (De Niro). This time around, Greg is faced with another challenge - this time introducing his parents (a stay-at-home dad and a sex therapist, played with tremendous enthusiasm by Hoffman and Streisand) to Pam's in the lead-up to their wedding.

The three couples have to spend an uncomfortable weekend together, and it's no surprise that Greg's laid-back, sexually frank parents clash with Pam's highlystrung father from the beginning. When Pam reveals a small secret of her own, things get even more complicated!

Movies boasting such a big cast of Hollywood stars can often suffer from having too many big personalities, but that's not the case here. All of the actors are perfectly in character and the end result is hilarious. There's some toilet humour, but it's all in good fun rather than being offensive.

At least as funny as the original, Meet the Fockers is a must-see.

Kerryn Johns

Poster for Anchorman

Anchorman 

10:00 PM, 30th April, 2005

  • M
  • 94 mins
  • 2004
  • Adam McKay
  • Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
  • Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd

Ron Burgundy (Ferrell) has it all. He's the undisputed king of the San Diego news scene. He's irresistible to the ladies (just look at those pythons!). His dedicated team would follow him into the fiercest battles. And he has facial hair to die for. But when he falls for the one woman who seems resistant to his charms, the trouble begins...

Co-written by "Saturday Night Live" alumni Ferrell and McKay, Anchorman is a silly exercise in ridiculously over-the-top film-making - and they do it beautifully. Ferrell is in fine form as the ridiculously 70's Burgundy (especially when interacting with either his dog or the teleprompter), and a huge array of cameos throughout the film (including almost all of the regulars you might expect from Ferrell) provide for some hilarious moments. But for mine, Steve Carell's performance as the rather intellectually-challenged weatherman Brick Tamland steals the show.

Of course it won't be for everyone - don't expect to be a better person after the intellectual journey into the human soul the film takes you on. If you enjoyed Zoolander and Dodgeball, and don't insist on having your brain switched on whenever you're in a movie theatre, then by the beard of Zeus you're going to love it.

Pedr Cain