Sex and the City 2

• Released Internationally on 28/05/10
• Released in Malta by KRS on 28/05/10

Preview (Published 01/05/10 in VIDA magazine)

The four femme fatales from New York are back. After they decided to wring some more money out of the brilliant TV series with the big screen version two summers ago, the generally good response set the stage for more tales of fashion and romance in the posh sections of Manhattan. The first film stuck to the winning formula that made the series so successful, and it appears that so will this one, albeit with a trip to the desert thrown in. This seems like a good idea, to prevent the film from feeling like a double-length TV episode, as it very easily could. A few celebrities will pop up as cameos to add further big-screen power, including Liza Minnelli and Miley Cyrus, huge female stars at either end of the age spectrum. Cameos aside, however, the series’ fans can rest assured that the four golden girls will all be there, along with nearly all of the regular supporting cast, and with the show’s writer and director still in his plush driving seat.

Review (26/05/10)

Abstinence and the desert

There are some interesting plot developments in this latest outing from the female fab four, but they're definitely not enough to fill an entire film. In fact it's quite telling that this would have made a quite interesting 45-minute episode, to add to the many excellent ones that came before it. But to make it to the big screen a second time these love and life lessons are padded with endless filler material and the result is a bloated, self-congratulatory exercise in excess.

All the single ladies

The films starts off disastrously, with a gay wedding that defies everything the two characters in question said throughout the series. It's so obviously an excuse to cram another wedding into the plot that even the guests are surprised. Liza Minnelli makes a cameo appearance as herself, officiating at the ceremony - which is sort of like asking Guy Fawkes to put out your chip-fan fire. The audience then has to sit through an unabridged musical number where Minnelli belts out Beyoncé's finest, though to her credit (or that of the post-production team) she looks and sounds quite with-it.

Less sex, less city

Thankfully, things eventually start rolling, and after the stuttering initial scenes we return to some proper drama from the lives of these four women with attitude. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is having trouble getting used to married life, and her partying plans contrast with the lazy, cosy, evenings that Mr. Big (Chris Noth) wants to spend with his bride at home. Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is trying to cheat her body out of menopause, and despite her increasing wrinkles she wrangles a cocktail of hormones to keep her libido blazing. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) has two adorable little girls, but they are starting to drive her crazy, and her reliance on the resourceful nanny is tinged with a hint of worry about the effect the nanny's bountiful chest area might be having on her husband. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), as usual the more career-oriented of the four, is struggling at her law firm, where female dominance is still not the norm, and she finds her personal life struggling as a result.

Princesses of Persia

The solutions to all these problems might lie outside New York, however, and the girls end up on an all-expenses-paid luxury trip to Abu Dhabi, courtesy of Samantha's business connections. Most of the film's action unfolds there, and the break from their newly adopted routines helps the girls realise where their priorities truly lie. The choice of setting is a clever one for the filmmakers, with the sparkling city matching New York in the opulence department, while the strict religious boundaries jar with the foursome's (or rather, Samantha's) ideas about how to enjoy yourself on vacation.

In the end

Ultimately, things do reach neat and satisfactory conclusions, albeit via a tortuous (for us) route. The product placements were always a part of the series, but here they've reached occasionally ridiculous heights, including one during the flight to the Middle East which would have seemed blatant even if it was an actual advert. There's also the usual focus on fashion, including an interesting local twist, and yet another musical number, this time in the form of a painful karaoke session. With three of the four wonder-women happily settled, it's inevitable that the focus of the plotline has veered away from sex considerably, but maybe that should have been a hint to end the franchise earlier. After milking this cash-cow for all its worth, creator Michael Patrick King has now chopped it up and served it as kebabs. For the sake of all the excellent episodes that came before, I hope that this is the end of the line.

Trailers:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/sexandthecity2/

Sex and the City

• Released Internationally on 28/05/08
• Released in Malta by KRS on 04/06/08

Preview (15/05/08)

In a nutshell

If you haven’t heard of the TV series, maybe it’s time you bought a TV. And for those of you left yearning for more once the outstanding six seasons came to a close, this promises to be more of the same.

Why we’re hyped

Ok, I admit – I’ve watched all 94 episodes. In chronological order. Of my own free will. Granted, it’s not exactly The Sopranos when it comes to appealing to male viewers, but you have to admit that it’s great television – particularly the classily-scripted sixth season. If you had any burning questions once the curtain came down, we’re now going to find out what’s going on in the lives of these four sexy New Yorkers four years down the line. As you can imagine, things have become complicated.

Who’s in it?

Everyone from the TV series is back for the big screen version, so we will obviously be seeing Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall and Kristen Davis in the starring roles. Chris Noth reprises his recurring and tumultuous role as love interest Mr. Big, and one of the new roles created for this film goes to Oscar-winning Dreamgirl Jennifer Hudson. The film is written and directed by Michael Patrick King, who helmed the entire TV series.

Review (03/06/08)

City slicker?

For those of you (ok, us) who have watched the series, I'm sure you'll remember how great it is to watch the action-packed, often moving, season-ending finales. Well here's a chance to head back to the city for more, because this plays like an over-two-hour-long season grand finale. And although the end of season six seemed to tie up all the loose plot threads, they're all unravelled here for one last spin.

New to the city?

I'd imagine that it works better for those who followed the TV show, since these are characters that we know well and care about. But for those of you who are new to the series, the opening sequence offers a brief rundown of salient plot points, and even if you're still buying popcorn and miss that, the film's plot is quite self-explanatory and works as a way-above-average romantic comedy.

The good, the bad

Despite being about 20 minutes too long, it manages to keep a brisk pace throughout. Frivolous as it may seem at times, once you get past all the product placements and obligatory girl-power moments, this is a film which proudly wears its heart on its designer-label sleeve. Males may protest as their counterparts are reduced to sideline characters, but as expected from a film written and directed by a man, we do get to see at least some of the male viewpoint.

Trailer:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/newline/sexandthecity/ (High-res QuickTime)