Hall Pass
Director: Peter and Bobby Farrelly
Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate
The masters of the so-called Frat Boy comedy, the Farrelly brothers (There's Something About Mary), return to reclaim their mantle from recent pretenders Todd Phillips (The Hangover) and Judd Apatow (Knocked Up), with this sweetly scabrous misadventure set in the world of fortysomething marrieds. Here, Wilson and Sudeikis are classic Farrelly protagonists, playing dweebish beta males who are given a seven-day "hall pass" by their understanding wives (Applegate and Fischer) in order to escape from the drudgery of marriage. Naturally, the boys are romantically deluded, and the comedy that thus ensues is based on the enormous gap between their expectations of the week ahead and the painful practical reality of life on the single scene - they go to the wrong bars, chat up the wrong girls, get embarrassed, beaten up and arrested and are generally clueless throughout. Add to this a softly nuanced performance from Wilson (he delivers a winning third-act monologue about the nature of emotional commitment), plus some scene-stealing support from Stephen Merchant (Extras), and you have the hallmarks of a comedy smash. And yet Hall Pass, at times, tries too hard. The gross-out gags that were once an outrageous Farrelly staple are here somewhat laboured (only a sudden surprising diarrhoea set-piece is truly original). The disappointingly rote finale, including car chase, guns and mayhem, emulates perfectly the spirit of The Hangover, but belongs in a different and weaker movie altogether.
For screening information, visit www.grandcinemas.com, www.cineroyal.ae, www.cinestarcinemas.com, www.reelcinemas.ae
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The specs
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Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
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Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family