Thunderpants (2002)

[Movie 198 / Day 211]


Smash has a problem. He was born with two stomachs, which apparently makes it impossible to stop farting. I'm not sure why having two stomachs would give rise to that problem, but there you go. Consequently, his dad leaves their family and he is constantly bullied at school. He befriends Alan, a boy genius with no sense of smell and together, they try to achieve Smash's dream of becoming an astronaut by harnessing the power of flatulence.

It's a ridiculous premise, but one that most kids would find amusing - except it's filmed in such a style that it's difficult for kids to get into it. It has a very muted palette and lots of repetition (ie, the characters only have one outfit each, every car is a green Mini, etc). For adults, the jokes are all pretty lame.

It's not terrible, but it also has very few redeeming features.

My rating: 2.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 2.9 / 10
Running time: 87 mins
IMDB link

Duplicity (2009)

[Movie 179 / Day 196]


Julia Roberts and Clive Owen are ex-CIA/MI6 agents who now work for rival multinational companies, helping to safeguard their industrial secrets. What their employers don't know is they are also working together to steal $40million worth of information.

It's a fairly typical kind of plot and Owen and Roberts are both good, although their on-screen chemistry isn't as hot as it could have been.

The film excelled in building the tension in the closing scenes, and then threw in a couple of twists for good measure (one of which, the payoff to the entire film, was really nicely done).

I liked it a lot.

My rating: 7.7 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.6 / 10
Running time: 125 mins
IMDB link