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