2014 Catch up Part 6 (I think).

It's been a while since Bill Murray had a major leading role (many of his last roles were effective supporting roles) and it's no surprise that he is on fine form as grumpy curmudgeon, Vincent, who builds a good relationship with the kid next door. At first it seemed this kid would be a nuisance but their relationship becomes a rather moving one as Vincent and Oliver build a strong relationship despite Vincent's gambling and drinking problems. It, however turns out there is more to Vincent than it originally appears and despite the ending being a massively sentimental one it is one that is undoubtedly heartbreaking. Theodore Melfi's feature length debut is a highly agreeable one.

3/5

Sarah (played by Alexandra Essoe who, from the right angles, looks a lot like poker player Liv Boree) is a young, attractive woman working in a dead end job trying to make it big in Hollywood. Alex applies to an acting job but not everything is as it seems and there is certainly something off with those organising the auditions. 

Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer's Starry Eyes can be used in conjunction with David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars as both films look at the dark underbelly of Hollywood. Starry Eyes is a film heavily influenced by the works of Cronenberg and Roman Polanski (particularly his Apartment trilogy). In fact, Starry Eyes could easily be a work of Cronenberg as body horror themes play a strong role in making the film a deeply disturbing one.

Starry Eyes isn't your typical horror, it is by far more of a more unsettling psychological affair about the cruel, perfection obsessed, cut throat nature of Hollywood as the film sells itself as dark and cynical examination of the soul selling and backstabbing world of those trying make it to the big time in the City of Angels. It is a film about how ambition is a dark desire and asks questions about how far would go one go to reach their goals. 

In the central role, Alexandra Essoe (unknown enough to not have her own Wikipedia biography) is absolutely superb as Sarah who takes physically revolting and mental turn for the worse. It is a superb performance that undoubtedly anchors the film, but credit most also go to the writing and direction duo whose brutal dissection of Hollywood makes for horrifying viewing.

4/5

It the third instalment of the franchise about various historical figures or beasts in the New York Museum of Natural History coming to life at night all because of magic tablet in the Egyptian wing of the museum. However, this tablet is losing its power and if the tablet dies the magic found in the halls of New York's Natural History Museum will die along with it meaning all the museum's wax figurines will return to their motionless state.

Shawn Levy (who has directed films I actually liked such as Reel Steel and Date Night) returns once again for the third and possibly final instalment of the series which seems to cater more towards kids than families as a whole. Much of the humour is visual based, mainly involving a pissing monkey, which is likely to amuse the younger viewers more than it would amuse the older audience members. However, the film isn't totally devoid of laughs, there are some welcome returns from previous characters and some very funny cameos from some pretty famous stars. There are some new, and pretty insufferable characters, particularly the Neanderthal that looks exactly like Larry (both played by Ben Stiller) but them aside Night of the Museum 3 is passable entertainment for the brief time it is on.

2.5/5