Oli_palmer23

The rom-com has become a whirlpool for clichés over the years. Boy and girl meet, they hit it off, they become close until an event causes friction between them, they eventually realise what they had and reconcile as the film fades into an up-tempo pop song to play out over the closing credits. Sound familiar? Just on occasion however, the sub-genre throws a curve ball into the mix ensuring a crucial part of the formula is turned upside-down creating a domino effect for the rest of the story to follow. TEMPS tries to do this, and should be commended for it. However, in the end TEMPS offers very little to ensure itself a status as anything that will linger in the memory

Jefferson (Rosenmeyer) and Steph (Shaw) meet while working as temps. They quickly establish a romance which, once the honeymoon period is over, leads the two of them to revaluate their life choices and priorities.

Billed as a romantic comedy, TEMPS goes easy on the comedy, instead opting to focus on the different stages of a blossoming romance. From the initial honeymoon period right up until the inevitable Facebook relationship request which of course will ensure panic is had by the one who has difficulty "putting a label on things". In this case that honour falls to Jefferson (Rosenmeyer). The character is very difficult to like or at times even take seriously as a potential love interest of the ambitious and forward-thinking Steph (Shaw). A rather desperate side plot involving Jefferson's friction-riddled relationship with his father (played by Chris Bauer) fails as an attempt to get us onside and just comes off as clumsy.

In contrast, Lindsey Shaw fares a lot better as Steph. She is convincing as a young woman at a crossroads in her life and she's also quite likable in the role, commendable considering the shortcomings of the uneven script she has to work with. In the key supporting role of male lead's humorous best friend (another rom-com cliché), Reid Ewing does what he can with a confusingly written character, coming off as part-Napoleon Dynamite and part-Spike; Rhys Ifans' roommate to Hugh Grant in NOTTING HILL. He might not want to put this one at the top of his resume.

TEMPS is simply trying to have too much of everything that is ends up not really having much of anything. As such, the majority of the run time is spent being unsure about whether to try and look for the humour in the situation or revel in the sadness. This rather unfocused driving force is largely prevalent throughout.

TEMPS does at least attempt to offer something a little different. Genre convention dictates that everything will be alright in the end and it may sound somewhat superficial to state that sometimes an unhappy ending can be the more satisfying one. TEMPS at least dares to tread in these waters and a breakaway from the formula is always a welcome one when more often it's easier to play it safe. Unfortunately in this instance, by the time we've got to that point the journey has not been worth the destination.

"Get fucked, you wouldn't last 10 minutes" quips Steven Stelfox (Hoult) right into the camera early on in KILL YOUR FRIENDS, the adaptation of John Niven's 2008 novel. He's aiming this put-down at the viewer as an exclamation of his superiority over us. He wants us to be envious, jealous, maybe even hate him. He's an A&R man in the music business, and he wants us to know that his life is awesome, and ours is not when compared to his. This set-up is then followed by roughly 90 minutes of the sort of drug-taking, jet-flying and partying exploits that could be expected, with the odd merciless killing thrown in for good measure. By the end though, it's difficult to feel envious of him, because when it comes down to it, his life (and by implication; this film) is really not that great.

Set in the year 1997, Stelfox is consistently hunting for the next big thing in music. In doing so, his excessive lifestyle can be permitted to continue. He will stop at nothing to be successful in this business and he's not afraid to step on toes to get there. When even that won't work, there are always... other options.

Nicholas Hoult, at first glance appears too young to play this role. The baby-faced actor is a little difficult to take seriously as a top A&R man when the majority of his colleagues appear at least 10 or 15 years older than him. Hoult however, carries himself nicely in the lead role, doing all that can be reasonably required of him. Unfortunately the issues for KILL YOUR FRIENDS stem from a very unfocused script that never seems to have a chief goal to aim for. The story attempts to make up for this by throwing in some genuinely shocking scenes of violence that will long be the images engrained in people's mind when they think back to this film.

The consistent fourth-wall breaking nature of Stelfox's character, coupled with the ever-present voiceover means we always know exactly what's going on in Stelfox's head. But this doesn't necessarily ensure we always know why he's doing the things he's doing. His eventual foray into murderous tendencies is not handled with any clear focus and subsequently just feels out of character, even for someone with his levels of excess.

John Niven's adapted screenplay is keen to hammer in the point that the music business is full of people, tasked with pulling the strings of artists who all have egos that outweigh their talent by a considerable margin. Niven himself worked in the music business for ten years, so its more than likely his characters are loosely based on real people that he has came across during this time. This adds a certain authenticity to the proceedings here, and it's not exactly too difficult to imagine some of the people were genuinely like this, especially in the 'experimental' 90's music era.

For all the good intentions involved here, KILL YOUR FRIENDS comes across as a distant British second cousin to both THE WOLF OF WALL STREET and AMERICAN PSYCHO, paying homage to both but never really finding its own identity.

The story of a person with superhuman abilities filmed in a handheld style will inevitably cast minds back to Josh Trank's 2012 highly enjoyable breakout hit CHRONICLE. However, while AMERICAN HERO certainly offers at least a nod in that direction, it is clear from the off that this is its own film with a focus more on the man than the power.

AMERICAN HERO tells the story of Melvin (Dorff), a man gifted with the power of telekinesis and little interest in using his powers for anything worthwhile. Instead, he spends the majority of his time partying and using his powers to impress girls. Along with his wheelchair-bound best friend Lucille (Griffin), he is living a fairly wasted existence. That is until he begins to question his moral compass after a realisation that getting his life back on track will be the only way to see his estranged son.

It's a fairly conventional quest for redemption story template with a superpower thrown in to make the story a bit more sellable. It doesn't offer anything fresh to the genre but it does have its charms. In the lead role, Dorff is well cast and believable as an ordinary guy who just happens to possess this gift he has no idea how to use to his full advantage. Curiously, and rather refreshingly, it's never revealed at any point in the story how Melvin came to be this way, or indeed if there might be others like him. In the supporting role, Griffin is a hoot as the best friend/sidekick providing much of this film's wittiest moments.

British writer/director Nick Love, who is more known for his gritty British crime dramas including THE BUSINESS and THE SWEENEY, has really stepped out of his comfort zone here with this all-American comedy that boasts elements of sci-fi and superheroism. What's more, he's chosen to film AMERICAN HERO in the style of a hybrid documentary/fly-on-the-wall. It's a method that does not pay off in the way he had hoped as it makes the narrative a little confusing; at times it's clear the characters are aware they are being filmed and even address the camera, other times they're not. You can't help but wish this narrative clumsiness had been handled with a bit more care.

The moments we spend with Melvin as he contemplates his life and where he's heading provide some of the film's best moments, his interactions with Lucille are a particular joy. What is perhaps not quite as charming is the limited story arc and one particular unconvincing character development that threatens to overrule the enjoyment factor. The end conclusion also feels rushed and uninspiring.

There is definitely content here to be enjoyed, it's just a shame that a clumsy execution and weak story arc hamper some of the film's better components.