The Descent: Part 2

I'll be honest with you I don't really remember the first part that well, but I do remember it being fairly gripping and scary. It's a shame that this can't be said for this one. The problem was the characters motivations - it never made sense. You had a Sheriff that would have been fired for his insane actions, dragging Sarah - hours after being found traumatised back into the caves (because he suspects her of having killed all her friends). Several times the audience was laughing in hysterics because the film was so ridiculous. Part of the problem was the writing for the characters & that you saw too much of the creatures that they were over exposed and when that happens you are less likely to jump at the bits you are ment to. You would only just start to get to know a character and then they would be killed off.... and don't get me started on the stupid twist ending that makes no sense. I only hope they make another sequel to explain it... because it was bloody stupid!

A barely deserved 1.5 stars... at least it's better than Twilight.

Avatar

The hype for this film has been going on for a long time in film magazines, so I had been joking that it would be really funny if was a steaming pile of crap. Or that peoples reactions would be that they thought it was crap because that can happen if people are looking forward to a film too much they are let down because they have built it up in their minds(Phantom Menace, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull although they had Jar Jar & Shia Labeouf to mess things up). Avatar far exceeded my expectations, it was fun, soppy, violent, sad and mind blowing. The 12 ish years wait for a new James Cameron movie was worth it for this. There have been some very good 3D movies this year - UP, Bolt, Coraline but I would say this is the first proper movie that isn't animated for 3D, hopefully this will encourage other film makers to be willing to use similar technology and isn't just used to make more Bloody Valentines.
Avatar is basically Pocahontas (for romance and basic story) mixed with Aliens (for violence, marines and sci-fi) the combination is classic James Cameron. Maybe a little too many trade marks put in there with the Marines and exo-machines but the film would be no where as cool without them. Wasn't expecting Sigourney Weaver to play such a big part, but it was nice to see her play more than a cameo and a character unlike Ripley(only somewhat) probably her best performance since Aliens. Sam Worthington is still unknown enough that seeing him doesn't make you think of other films, which I think makes you get drawn into the film more.
The planet Pandora is such a beautiful planet I want to leave earth now and move there and live with the blue creatures. This is the second time this year I've been cheering for the Aliens to kill the evil humans, the first time being with District 9. The film did feel long but at 2 hours 40 minutes - it didn't feel that long.

Five Stars

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

First things first, this is definitely not a kids film in any way. In fact at the showing that I saw this one family walked out after about 5 minutes, and another very noisy family with annoying speaking kids lasted about 45 mins. Good riddance I say. So its about a kid called Max who after a run in with his parents runs away to a place where the wild things are, part of his imagination with each of the creatures like a big kid themselves and it could be said each one a part of Max. The creatures are unpredictable and don’t always make sense much like childhood.

It’s quite hard to talk about the film much more as it like watching a collection of emotions and feelings that remind you, sitting there as an adult, what it was like to be a child and how simple and yet complicated it was. The young actor Max Records who plays Max is a real find, such an honest actor and you can see in his face the realisation of him coming to terms with all the swirling emotions that are racing around this island and his head. And simple look that he gives his mother at the end of the film speaks volumes about what he’s learnt or realised and what he is still experiencing. Quite simply a beautiful film, which won’t make you wish you were a kid again but will bring back all those memories of the feelings you had.

4.5 stars

THE BOX

I enjoyed this film despite what I originally thought was quite a lame and simple premise. A couple, Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur (James Marsden), is given a box - if they push the button they get 1 million dollars and someone they don’t know dies. Sounds like a good deal, but if you ever get given this offer don’t push the button as you are opening your world to a whole heap of shit.

What happens after they push the button takes up the majority of the film, the consequences from pushing the button are far reaching, which I think personally is a little unfair as all that was never mentioned in the original deal – the deal was sold as push the button, get the money and someone dies and that was it, none of this stuff happening after.

There are lots of very strange points to the film that don’t really seem to have any place, like Nora’s half missing foot, and the strange student she teaches. All theses little quirks seem to add to the weirdness of the film and I think help it along. All in all a good little film, very strange and quirky but in a good way.

3 stars

NATIVITY!

I went into this film thinking that I would last 10 minutes and would have to walk out. To be fair I spent the first 30 mins of the film still thinking exactly the same thing. After about the first hour though something about it had gotten hold of me and I got through to the end.

The story is basically a primary school teacher Mr Maddens played by Martin Freeman of The Office fame, (dropping his punchlines in a remarkably similar way to a certain Mr Gervais) directing the primary school nativity, and when confronted by his rival at another school makes up the fact that Hollywood are coming o see his show. All manner of escapades follow as the town gets behind the whole show. What happens in the film is ridiculous and Freemans character is all over the place with no through line whatsoever and his classroom assistant Mr Poppy (Marc Wotton) is obviously mentally disabled, but this is never mentioned in the film. But this is not the point of the film, it’s point is for a feelgood Christmas kids film, to be shown every year on terrestrial TV to make everyone warm and cuddly, with their family whilst enjoying Crimbo. And for me it will do exactly that.

The film also includes a very odd cameo from a certain actor from The Wire. Odd.
would have been more stars, but purely as the film wasn't aimed at me, i wouldn't enjoy as much as the target audience though, which is kids and families, living in suburbia. Or Essex.

2 stars

A SERIOUS MAN

This film is mildly enjoyable, but certainly isn’t the amazing film that has been written about. it appears to me a very Jewish film with a fair bit of Jewish humour that I think passed over my head. There are some wonderful moments in the film but they are short lived, and the great characters that are so often prevalent in Coen brothers films just aren’t here. My favourite character is one of a schoolboy constantly calling everyone fucker and fuck this and fuck that. Sadly he is in the film nowhere near enough me.

The film centres around Larry Gopnik played brilliantly by Michael Stuhlbarg in what is his first major film role, and how his life is crumbling around him with his wife leaving him and his children and his brother all causing him hassle not to mention a South Korean student (another brilliant character I wanted to see more of) trying to bribe him.

All in all it is a nice film, but not the classic it has been touted as.

3 stars

Paranormal Activity

I enjoyed Paranormal Activity if you can enjoy a horror film. Filmed in the same style made famous by The Blair Witch Project

except instead of running through the woods, the protagonists are running around their huge house. Told through the eyes of the camera that Micah (the male lead character) bought to document what was going on around them. Wasn't overly jumpy or scary and the shock ending didn't effect me quite in the same way The Blair Witch did, don't know if it's because we're used to the style now so the same tricks won't work twice or it wasn't quite as freaky. I did find myself getting some serious motion sickness, which is a first for me as I previously haven't been affected but similar films but I was recovering from the flu. One thing I couldn't understand why they stayed in the house or didn't call a exorcist after all the evidence they built up and experienced(yes I know it's a movie but did they have to be so stupid)? Micah would still run around the house shouting out for whoever was tormenting the couple to reveal themselves, when he had seen footage of a wigi board burst into flames and hoove prints appear out of nowhere. Why did they always leave the bedroom door open?! Sure that's okay when you're not sure what's going on to leave it open so the camera can film the corridor but when you're almost 100% sure it's a demon?!

A decent 3 stars.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

So apparently this is the new Blair Witch, and the scariest film ever. well, for me it is not as scary as Blair Witch, but it is still quite spooky and tense. it takes its time to get warmed up and I have to admit I got a little bored, but it needed to be this way in order to take us into the world and the style of film. Once it had us hooked the good stuff, the real freaky spooky stuff starts, unfortunately this doesn't last long enough and is very short lived because as soon as that starts, it reaches the end of the film. The end of the film - now there is a big problem. For me as soon as it gets good it descends into a little bit of silliness. after all the effort they put into getting us into the film it just seems a little cheap for me, could have been so much better.

so all in all an ok film with good points but a poor ending really lets it down.

3 stars

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN

First thing you have to realise before anyone goes into this film is that this film is completely unbelievable to an idiotic proportion. Your dispense of disbelief will need to be firmly in place. I know many films, TV programmes and in fact most art form you have to dispense your disbelief at some point, but throughout this I did find myself questioning everything.
The film itself certainly doesn't take long to get going, we have about a minute of Clyde (Gerard Butler) being a family man before we get to the good stuff of the rape and murder of his wife and child. Cut to ten years later and the film is basically the unfolding of Clydes plan of murder and explosions that he has taken 10 years planning. One of the most annoying things i found with this was the character Nick (Jamie Foxx) playing a lawyer, but for the vast majority of the film he is doing the work of a high ranking detective.
So if you can get over the unbelievability of this film it is mildy enjoyable, unfortunately i couldn't - so two stars.

2 stars

HARRY BROWN

Now this is what films should be like engaging, engrossing and just generally awesome. now i am not a big Michael Caine fan I've often thought he is over rated, but this performance is truly stand out sensational. he plays pensioner Harry Brown living on a rough (i assume South London) estate with youths having taking over the subways and the street corners, after his best friend is murdered its fair to say he goes a little vigilante on those mothers. this is like the Brit version of Gran Torino, only much much better. true some of the scenes and situations i felt were a little unrealistic, but they add to the films style and the directors vision of showing a cracked and destructive society. there are strong performance from a supporting cast, but this is without doubt Caines film, delivering a performance showing the vulnerability and anger and frustration and many emotions at exactly the right pitch - perfect. though the very ending seems a little fairy tale in that it seems everything is lovely now and right with the world after a few killings, this is without a doubt one of the best films of the year and unquestionably the best British film, i know this sounds cliche for any Brit gangster film, or Brit film with Cain in, but it is true.

4.5 stars

The Informant! (contains possible spoilers)

I enjoyed The Informant! although I was confused as to what was going on for the first half hour. Matt Damon's Mark Whitacre was a very interesting character, constantly lying to everyone about everything. Which made me think of friend of mine who claims to be constantly buying the latest car or has just been hired by Sony as an executive or has whatever the latest illness is (such as swineflu, birdflu he's had 'em all), making me wonder if he's been bipolar all along. Mark Whitacre lies to his work, his wife, the fbi, the workmen doing up his land and fooling the majority of them too well although he finally gets caught up in his lies, to hilarious effect.

The style it's filmed in really reminds me of the Coen brothers (we were going to go see A Serious Man the same day but decided to watch something less heavy in content... see previous review to see how that turned out) , very quirky in style nothing like Soderburgh's Oceans films and not as epic as Che. Feels quite long for 1 hour 48 mins.

3 Stars

Twilight Saga: New Moon

Going in to watch this, I can't say I wasn't bias against it. I suspected it would be bad, no... I knew it would be. If it had turned out to be vaguely good I would have give it credit, like 2012 which I thought would be also bad. But there was no possibility of me liking this movie... it was awful. Bad acting, bad script and poorly executed. Bella was some kind of psycho crying and screaming for months on end because her anorexic pale faced 107 year old virgin boyfriend goes away. What did they even have in common? They just stood around being pasty telling each other, "I love you." , "I love you!", "I can't live without you." and so on. And she can't get with the guy who's ripped and she actually having fun with? Bitch needs to be slapped and told to get some waffles... and get them for free!

You will not like this movie if you are over sixteen years old or if you are male. This is for teenage girls and the gay audience. It is painfully slow moving and dull. I found myself having to find fun in the awful dialog, "I'm coming!" "You can't come." "You don't want me to come?!"
It would be easy to go into even more detail why this movie is so bad, but I just can't bare to think about it anymore.

Avoid... like the plague.

0 Stars

Twilight Saga:New Moon

Now i'm not that way particularly inclined, but man that Jacob Black character is ripped. if he really is 17 in real life then he has taken a ridiculous amount of steroids and is now majorly lacking in another department... that's what I'm telling myself anyway. so, the film, basically a big love triangle between a young fit girl(Bella Swan - played by Kristen Stewart) and a werewolf boy(Jacob Black - played by Taylor Lautner) and a vampire boy(Edward Cullen - played by Robert Pattinson). shes with vampire boy he leaves her to protect her, werewolf man moves in, but then she eventually goes running back to vampire boy. pretty easy going stuff, and the film is pretty slow especially at the beginning, with a lot of Bella and vampire boy looking at each breathing deeply and kissing. personally i just don't understand why it's these two in love, whenever they are together they seem so unhappy and melancholy, but when she is with wolf man they have a great laugh and enjoy life. Jacob Black's (wolfmans) body is also extremely ripped compared to the skinny runt body of Edward Cullen (vampire boy), so it is completely beyond me as to why she would choose the skinny depressed guy who obviously has to use shading for 6 pack over uber ripped and funny tanned guy. oh well that's girls for you - all messed up.

enjoyable enough, i suspect even more enjoyable if you are a girl. or gay. as there is a lot of male flesh on show. just hoping Kristen Stewart gets them out in the sequel to give us boys (or lesbians) something to gawk at.

3 stars

The Informant!

a film of two halves for me, for the first half of this film i was confused to hell and bored out of my mind. it was slow and clunky and i did not have a clue what was going on. by the time it got to the second half it had pretty much completely changed, it was had got faster slicker and funnier. the funniest part of the whole film were the voice overs describing Matt Damon's characters inner random thought - some are so random they are hilariously brilliant. overall an enjoyable little comedy, with a great central character of mark whitacre - a brilliant creation maybe based on a real person, if so I'd love to meet him.

3 Stars

Jennifer's Body

Jennifer's Body has quite possibly the worst script (by oscar winning writer Diablo Cody). This isn't a horror, at no point did I jump or feel grossed out. It isn't a great comedy, there are a couple of laughs... "Am I too big?"

It only has two things going for it, Megan Fox & Amanda Seyfried, because they are hot. Funny thing is I found Amanda Seyfried more attractive than Megan Fox (who is ment to be the sexist person ever) in this film.

It was the directing debut of Karyn Kusama, who should have got it rescripted. Although she probably didn't have the power to do that to the oscar winning writers script, coming hot off Juno (probably the most over rated film of 2007).

Very lame story of girls best friend gets possessed by a demon with lesbian undertones.

2 stars (1 star if you don't like breasts)

The Fourth Kind

A funny one this. firstly the actual film - not great. lots of jumpy editing, with a mix between "actual" real footage and then reconstructions (which is basically the film you are watching) i can understand what they were trying to do with this, but a lot of the time the interspersed sequences of "real" footage just don't seem to work - it doesn't add anything to the story or indeed add to any of the suspense. also the music was doing my head in, constantly in the background trying to make you scared or on edge, i personally found it intrusive and annoying. secondly - it seems to be more interesting trying to find out on line about whether the film was actually based on real footage or no, apparently it wasn't but is still fun looking at the forums where the ufo geeks are going crazy for it.

2 stars

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1220198/

An Education

awesome. great script and great performances all round. Peter Sarsgaard plays a brilliant charming older man, but there is something about this guy that i always find a little weird and creepy, in all his films not just this one, and now i know that i was right! new comer Carey Mulligan does brilliantly, but i t was the parents (like in taking woodstock) that again really stood out, alfred molina and cara seymour are understated and outstanding.

4 stars

Pete G

Cold Souls

really wanted to enjoy this, i really did. a quirky little film with a great actor in the lead role playing himself. however, i found it pretty boring and slow, and not enough quirkiness to keep me entertained. reminded me of being john malkovich and synedoche new york, but unfortunately this is no-where near as good. avoid.

1 star

Pete G

Taking Woodstock

very good. surprisingly good in fact. made me wish i had been there to enjoy woodstock at the actual time. brilliant performance all round, but especially to imelda staunton and henry goodman – awesome. also eugene levy is a legend. absorbing story and characters. brilliant

4 stars

Pete G

2012

far too long. mildly enjoyable, thought it did exactly what it says on the tin. bit fed up of all the close calls they had escaping stuff in an aeroplane.

2 stars (out of 5)

2012 / Taking Woodstock

2012 was a fairly fun ride considering I was expecting it to be awful, I’m talking Day after tomorrow awful. The film was basically a kind of car chase… except it was the planet blowing up behind where ever John Cusack was running, driving, flying to. Quite a fun … feel good film… considering most of the world dies in it.

3 stars (might be 2 stars but was expecting alot worse)

In Taking Woodstock we see how the festival was put together. It really made me wish I grew up in the 60s and got naked with all the hippies. This is quiet possibly Ang Lee’s best film (especially if you don’t hold Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in high regard, which I don’t. And let’s face it his Hulk sucked!). I was expecting a funnier movie, but it was an interesting engaging one.

3 1/2 stars.

Peter S