Ted 2 (4½ Stars)

As a sequel, this lives up to what is expected. It has a good mix of old jokes regurgitated from the original and new jokes to keep things interesting. The old characters return and new characters are added. At first I was disappointed that Mila Kunis didn't return as John's wife Lori, but after watching the film a second time I have to say that she wouldn't have fit in. "Ted" was written as a standalone film with a happy ending. One of the main themes in the first film was showing John as a pathetic lonely man. To present him in the same way his marriage had to have broken up. Maybe we could have seen the divorce at the beginning of "Ted 2", but I think Seth MacFarlane made the right choice in the way he connects the two films; "Ted" ends with a wedding, "Ted 2" begins with a wedding.

The subject matter of the sequel is serious, but it's presented in a comical way. Ted and his new wife Tanny Lynn want to adopt a baby, but it's not allowed because he doesn't qualify as a person. The courtroom drama is at the heart of the film, despite not taking up much of the screen time.

Ted's lawyer Is Samantha L. Jackson, played by the beautiful and highly talented actress Amanda Seyfried. I watch any film she appears in, even though I don't like her attitude towards money. In 2014 she earned $46 million, then complained to a British newspaper that she wasn't earning enough. I go into the subject in more detail in my review of the film "Gone", so I shan't repeat myself here. I'll just quote something written by Cicero in 46 B.C.

"A man is rich if he has enough to live a decent life and is satisfied with what he has. Those who are commonly called rich are really poor, because they are never content with what they have and always want more".

Amanda Seyfried is very poor indeed. Unless her attitude changes, she will live a sad life and die unhappy. I wish her the best, I really do. I hope she will change.

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Ted (4½ Stars)

There's only one thing worse than taking a teddy bear to bed with your girlfriend. That's taking a walking, talking teddy bear to bed with your girlfriend. That would kill any hope of a sexual atmosphere, especially if it's a vulgar, foul-mouthed teddy bear like Ted. John Bennett was given the bear as a Christmas present when he was eight, and he's been his best friend ever since. I feel for him, but he should have made plans years ago. He should have found Ted a little girl-bear as a companion to sleep with in the other room. (Supposedly female bears are called sows, but somehow that doesn't sound right).

When I first saw "Ted" (the film) three years ago I was immediately entranced. There's a magic in the contrast of the appearance and the personality of the cute little bear. If you turned off the sound it would look like a children's film. The computer animation is an integral part of the film's quality. If the film had been made 30 years earlier and the bear's movements had been less smooth it wouldn't have been as enjoyable.

The film slots into our reality by featuring real-life characters like Sam Jones and Norah Jones (no relation). Sam plays a significant part in the film. Flash Gordon was John's hero as a child and an inspiration for his life. It's been eight years since I last watched the film. Maybe I should pull the DVD from my shelf and watch it again. I could become a Sam Jones fan as well.

It must be difficult to coordinate your hands when you're playing two such different instruments as piano and saxophone at the same time. But how would I know? I can't even play one instrument!

After watching the film I spent some time using Google Maps to hunt down the houses and streets shown in the film. The streets in Boston were easy to find, the streets in other towns took a while. Afterwards I realised I could have done it much more easily. The film's IMDB page lists the exact addresses of the filming locations. So much for my ingenuity!

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Ted 2 (4¾ Stars)

He's back! The foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear that you wouldn't invite home to meet your parents. The first film ended with a wedding (John and Lori), and the second film begins with a wedding (Ted and Tami-Lynn). It's a shame that Lori is missing from the sequel. My guess is that Mila Kunis (Lori) didn't have the time to appear. That's the bad news. But the good news is that John's new love interest is the lawyer Samantha, played by the beautiful actress Amanda Seyfried. John certainly gets all the best girls.

I don't want to say too much about the film, because it's still in the cinemas. The basic plot is that Ted wants to adopt a child, but to do this he needs to be legally recognised as a person. To do this he hires the already mentioned lawyer Samantha. "Ted 2" repeats a lot of jokes from the first film. That's also a small warning for people who intend to see it in the cinema. You'll enjoy the film more if you see "Ted" first. Characters from the first film appear without being introduced again. Personally, I find the film even funnier than the original film. The jokes are sexist, homophobic and racist. What more do you want? I would have given the film five stars if not for the horrible song in the middle. You'll know what I mean when you hear it.

This is very much a film-goers' film. What I mean is that there are a lot of jokes about recent film blockbusters. For instance, Amanda Seyfried is repeatedly compared with Gollum from "Lord of the Rings" because of her big eyes. Quite unfairly. She has beautiful eyes. What do you think?

Ted (4 Stars)

Don't all children like to have an imaginary friend? Especially the children who are outcasts. When John is eight he's given a giant teddy bear for Christmas, which he calls Ted. John spends hours talking to Ted, and every time he hugs him he replies "I love you". Eventually John gets bored with this pre-programmed response, and he makes a wish that the bear could be real. There's a clap of thunder, and Ted comes to life. They promise to remain friends forever.

27 years later John is in a serious relationship. He's been dating Lori for four years, but their relationship can't advance because of a severe problem. John is still living with Ted, and they spend all their evenings smoking pot together. Lori puts her foot down. "You have to choose. It's Ted or me".

The film begins as a fairy tale, but it soon becomes apparent that it's a story for adults, at the latest when we see Ted partying with hookers. "Ted" is irreverent, breaking down the rules that separate different film genres. But it's good fun. I look forward to seeing "Ted 2" in the cinema next week.

A Million Ways to Die in the West (3¾ Stars)

When I told my friends that I was going to see "A Million Ways to Die in the West" a few of them asked me if I was a Seth MacFarlane fan. I didn't know what to answer. Sure, I know who he is, but I haven't seen enough of his work to make a judgement. I've never watched "Family Guy", which is what he's most famous for. My reasons for wanting to watch the film were simple:

(1) I found the trailer hilarious, because I have a black sense of humour when it comes to people dying.

(2) The film stars two of the sexiest women in Hollywood, Amanda Seyfried and Charlize Theron.

The underlying story is a romantic comedy, spiced with black humour. It's very much Seth MacFarlane's film, since he wrote, produced and directed it, as well as playing the film's main character. I've never understood how anyone can direct himself. It seems somehow weird. Does the director hand over his chair to someone else when he steps in front of the camera?

The film takes place in an unnamed town in Arizona in 1882. Albert Stark (Seth MacFarlane) is an unsuccessful sheep farmer whose girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) has left him for the town's moustacher, if that's the correct word. What do you call the man who works in a moustachery? It's a weird word for an obsolete career. Anna (Charlize Theron), the wife of a feared bandit, arrives in town and attempts to train Albert to be a gunfighter, so that he can win Louise back.

Lots of people die in the most ridiculous ways. The humour is highly inappropriate throughout, but nevertheless funny. Well, with the exception of a few very disgusting scenes, which made me groan rather than laugh. I've never appreciated faecal humour. I would have rated the film higher, if not for those jokes.

I'm surprised to read that the film has received mostly negative reviews. I enjoyed it, and I can recommend it to my readers, whether they're Seth MacFarlane fans or not.

Charlize Theron, the most beautiful woman in the West

One more way to die in the West