theOneliner.com: Handling the Truth

It's that time again, when Messrs. Morris, Eastman and Tavendale lay down some filmic truth for your delectation. So sit back, relax, and let our own particular brand of awesomeness bathe your mind box as we give you the lowdown on Ted, Searching for Sugar Man and Brave.

Family Guy and American Dad creator Seth MacFarlane makes his feature debut not with an animation but with a live-action romantic comedy. Ted, though, adds a twist, in the form of the titular Ted, a walking, talking living teddy bear with a predilection for cannabis and hookers. Being wished to life by young Johnny one Christmas, Ted and Johnny spend the next 27 years as best friends, until John's increasingly serious relationship with his girlfriend forces a restructuring of their friendship. Excellent effects work make Ted a fully-realised physical presence, and though hampered by a standard romcom structure and a rather cartoonish sub-plot, Ted is very funny indeed and well-worth a viewing.

Unknown to him, the music of American folk musician Rodriguez struck a chord with the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, meaning he became one of the most popular artists in South Africa in the '70s and '80s. In the days of the fledgling internet, some of his fans set out to discover what happened to Rodriguez and whether or not reports of his demise were true. Searching For Sugar Man chronicles these investigations and their outcome. It's touching, interesting and worth a look.

For their 13th feature Pixar have decided (belatedly in many people's eyes) to make their protagonist female. Set in a medieval Scotland full of kilts, castles and clans, Brave tells the tale of Highland princess Merida, a headstrong young woman who would far rather be out horse-riding or hunting with her bow than sewing tapestries and learning to be a lady, much to her mother's dismay. After an attempt to see her betrothed to one of a group of aspiring suitors goes awry, a rift is torn in the relationship between Merida and her mother, and the attempts to repair this and explore the bonds between mother and daughter make up the bulk of the film. While Merida is decidedly not your typical Disney princess, the latest from Disney Pixar definitely feels like it owes more to the mouse side of the family. Pixar on a bad day this may be, but Pixar on a bad day is still better than most other contenders, and Brave is not a bad film by any means, but it's just not special enough.

That's all from us for this episode, but we'll be back again soon enough. In the meantime, you can follow us on Twitter @theoneliner or contact us at podcast@theoneliner.com