Thursday, 30 December 2010

Little Fockers


This film is amazing - purely because Jessica Alba in her underwear is amazing.

ok so the film may not actually be amazing (jessica alba obviously is), but it is better than the 2nd one. which was awful.

despite being named little fockers the fim isnt really about them at all. instead it is more general sparring between De Niro and Stiller. the same old stuff we have seen in the other movies, it still holds well here, but you get the impression that this same old joke is on its last legs. there are some stand out comedy moments and sequences Ben Stiller injecting De Niro being the most memorable. Owen Wilson as Kevin does a great show as the other man in the marriage clearly having fun with the character. an amzing cameo from Harvey Keitel is the icing on the cake, not much to do, but has a brief argument with De Niro on screen, which reminds you of all those years ago when they were at their peak. awesome.

So a funny little film with some good gags, but hoping this is the last of them as anymore will surely be painful. oh and jessica alba in her underwear.

3 stars

Monday, 27 December 2010

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader


So this is a kids fantasy adventure, similar in vein to the Disney movies of the eighties and nineties, escape to witch mountain etc being prime examples.

there is minimum set up to the story and plot. the two older kids have gone somewhere else and the younger two are living in the country with some distant relatives, they see a picture of the sea with a ship then they are sucked into the picture and into the sea and the ship (the dawn treader of the title). this is all within ten minutes. i felt at the time it was rushed, but looking back at the film as a whole it worked - it didnt need any more backstory, what it needed was to get to the sumptuous colourful world of Narnia with its amazing creatures as quickly as possible, from there on in its the kids adventure i mentioned earlier.

there is a very annoying character introduced in the first ten minutes and he is along for the ride. the character Eustace is supossed to be a horrid little brat, and is wonderfully played by Will Poulter - almost too well, as at points i wanted to smash him in the face and walk out the cinema.

and by the end the biblical and christian connotations were so amazingly obvious it was nauseating, laying it on with a spade, as i believe it was done in the books didnt really sit well with me or with a 21st century audience but the whole ending visually looked stunning. just stop going on about God and Aslan etc etc.

so not as good as the first Narnia film but better than the woeful 2nd part. i have a feeling Disney will be continuing this franchise for a few more yet, even they do go straight to DVD.

2 stars

Wednesday, 22 December 2010

Megamind

This is a friendly little caper with a twist, for most of the duration of the film we as the audience are sided with the evil mastermind of the film.

other than that it is an amusing fim and it looks fantastic, with the 3D especially glorious. Unfortunately there is very little else to say about this film, it is aimed at a young audience and there are no "adult" gags or references like you get in shrek or toy story. easily forgettable but enjoyable whilst watching.

the word average was invented to describe this film.

3 stars

Thursday, 9 December 2010

London Boulevard


From the scribe of The Departed & Body of Lies (also Edge of Darkness... but less said about that the better) comes his directorial debut - London Boulevard. Story of a gangster Mitchell just released from jail after 3 years, attempting to go straight, with all his old friend trying to bring him back in. Head gangster Grant (Ray Winstone) takes a liking to him and wants him back in, and won't take no as an answer. Mitchell cope with this along side his new job of looking after a retired actress Charlotte (Keira Knightley) and dealing off the rails sister (Anna Friel). Slightly unsure about Colin Farrel's accent, think it was fine tho. David Thewlis really stands out in this film as friend/employee of Charlotte, as a twisted resting actor, really gets method when he becomes a gangster for a day. Ophelia Lovibond also stands out even tho she is hardly in it as Charlotte's friend Penny, who when first appearing I assumed she would also be the love interest and wonder where her character gets to (as she is much hotter than Keria Knightley). Ray Winstone also does a bang up job of playing a twisted gangster, not much different than he normally plays but he does it so well. Overall great gangster flick.


4 stars.

Monsters


A friend of mine described this film as being like Cloverfield and District 9 mixed together. It's similar to Cloverfield as in the "Monsters" in this film are as big as buildings, but less monsters more like destructive jelly fish which make sounds like whales talking to each other. And the resemblance to District 9 goes as far as it's shot in poor areas... not South Africa but Central America. Shot renegade style, the extras are people from the are who just happened to be there, shot for an estimated $200,000... not alot when compared to the average Hollywood film, or even Sci-fi. They get away with this by not really showing alot of the aliens, mostly quick glimpses or news reports. The lead actor Scoot McNairy plays a very dislikable character... and when I started watching it, I was thinking "How am I going to like this film, the lead is a dick who I want to die", but he did actually grow on me as the film goes on.


3 1/2 stars.

Monday, 6 December 2010

Tron Legacy

Welcome to the future of 3D, using 4 projectors the visual affects for this film are amazing. Used only really within the computer world of Tron (the Grid). The first 40ish minutes of the movie are very cool, with showing Sam Flynn's relationship to his fathers computer company (showing it to be something like Apple), Sam's fathers friend Alan Bradley comes to him revealing that he'd received a message from the arcade from a line that had be disconnected for over 10 years. Sam promptly goes there and then get sucked into the grid, there are some very cool arena fights and light-cycle races... and then Sam meets his dad and the film becomes a snooze-fest from there. The film promptly looses pace, story and interest from there. There's a very weird crappy cameo from Michael Sheen who's character there isn't really any need for.
The films shows the people living within tron are half the time unthinking robots, the other time have personalities and never explains or shows why. Are they robots or people with feelings? It just doesn't make sense. And why are they so hot? Is it wrong for them to make us want to bang a computer program? Or is that really why Jeff Bridges hasn't left for the human world... he's cybering the whole fucking time... dirty old man.

I honestly wasn't expecting much from this film so I wasn't too let down, but I was really enjoying it up to a point. This film could have really done with another script write to add in some ... character... plot... you know the important stuff. Bloody amazing 3d tho!

3 Stars.

Saturday, 4 December 2010

The American

A good enough little movie that is slow burning but entertaining.

this film takes the whole of its running time to burn through a story that a stock Hollywood blockbuster would get through before the title sequence is over.

Anton Corbijn takes his time though and George Clooney impresses, mainly physically a there are extended shots of his naked torso working out via press ups and pull ups.

very little dialogue in the film, leaving most of the film to clooney to old just with his face, the fact that he hods your attention is all credit it to him.

i am becoming a big fan of him. long live Clooney!

other than that though, not much els happens, great photography though and beautifully shot.

3 stars

Wednesday, 1 December 2010

Machete


If guys made movies for fun, this is what it would be like.

Robert Rodriguez clearly had an absolute ball writing, filming and developing this idea. originally perceived as a fake trailer in Planet Terror, which surely would have been made purely for fun has now been made into a full 2 hour movie and it is still pure fun. From the opening sequence which is beautifully gory and violent, almost cartoon like, through to various points in the film it is a blast.

Danny Trejo takes the role of machete who is set up in an attempted assanation of a US senator, then he goes about exacting revenge. on the way making out with two of the most gorgeous women on the planet, Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba, both of whom sizzle sensationally on screen with Alba, my favourite, wearing inapropriatley high heels yet stunningly sexy throughout. the music motif that is used as Trejo is about to get it on with a woman is brilliant.

beyond the brief description of the plot i outlined above, there is not much more to it, and yes there are points that you make you think it is just a simple trailer idea that has been stretched into a movie and the filmakers are trying to elongate the plot into a longer narrative. Once the movie is over you leave with a smile then it kind of dissapears. Trejo is uncharasmatic, and pretty darn ugly and doesnt do much to carry the film. the reward for that i consider goes to Michelle Rodriguez playing the tough but beautiful heroine brillianty once again.

A great supporting cast including De Niro make it a very good ensemble piece too.

can't wait for the sequel...

4 star

Friday, 26 November 2010

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen


Donnie Yen is the new chinese action kung fu star. fact.

he is great in this new adaptation of the Chen Zhen story. The character of Chen Zhen is a famous one in china and has been played by Bruce Lee and Jet Li in the past. taking over the mantle is a new action star Donnie Yen, and i'm sure Hollywood will come calling sooner or later.

as for the film, its a good story set in 1925 shnghai where there is all sorts of political unrest between Japan and China. i have to admit my knowledge of history around that time is not the best and so i did struggle with the story at times, but there are helpful subtitles and headings, especially at the beginning which help you along.

To add to the confusion most of the cast spend their time double crossing each other and pretending to be someone else which doesnt help the confusion - especially when Chen Zhen has the worst disguise since Clark Kents glasses. he literally has a stick thin pencil moustache as his disguise, and that's it. the film i dont think needed as many double crossings and characters and would have benefited from a simpler story.

a quick word about the actress Qi Shu who plays Kiki a singer in a caberat club called casablance. the first time we see her she is beautiful and elegant and i was fully expecting her to become the femme fatale of the film, powerful controlling and manipulative towards men especially our protagonist. what follows though is a detailed charcter exploration of a sad lonely alcoholic woman. {SPOILER ALERT} when we see who she is at the end there is an argument that it was all a show, but i disagree and prefer to believe that is who she truly is {SPOILER END}.

the action sequences are brilliant, and they manage to remain real and authentic, than many other kung fu films. wire work, if it was used, is kept to a minimum and not overused creating a sense of truthfulness and appreciation in the fight sequences. Why though, they make the lead character dress up in a mask to fight certain bad guys at night is beyond me. he is an exact replica to Kato from the Green Hornet and the comparison must be intentional, for which i can see no relevance. baffling.

overall a good fun, if convoluted story, and a great chance to see Donnie Yen before he hits the ultra big time.

3 stars

Unstoppable

This is a fast fun thrill seeking ride, but nothing much more than that.

the story is simple, there is an unmanned train carrying toxic waste heading for a populated area and a big bend which will cause it to crash. and its down to our two leads to stop it. this is basically it, there are some very weak sub plots, not even that, more back stories in an attempt to flesh out the characters. but that is it.

but who am i kidding this film isn't here for plot or characters. its is here to look good, the photography and flashy visuals, the editing and camera work make it a visual feast experience. Tony Scott proves once again he is the king of this. somehow he manages to create genuine feeling and emotion for his charcters dilemmas despite us not really caring for them. a special talent indeed.

Unfortunately flashy visuals is all this is and is immediately forgettable after an enjoyable 90 mins in the cinema.

2.5 stars

Tuesday, 23 November 2010

Due Date


So i'm a little late with this review, and i'd heard quite a few negative hings about this film. but i enjoyed it with some genuinely laugh out loud moments.

its no classic like Planes, Trains and Automobiles. it doesnt feel as slapstick as that. it is a more conservative film and moment you have heard about or seen in the trailer, like hitting children and running into car doors, i dont think sum up the movie.

it is a buddy buddy road movie, but they are real characters with all their vicious floors laid bare on the journey. Ok, Zach Galifianakis character is a slight comic creation, but i don't agree its a slapstick one, a sad lonely character who we laugh at yes.

Downey Jr puts in another great performance as a tight business man with a cruel streak but with glimpses of humanity and by the end you feel there is a genuine bond between the two of them.

two great cameos from Juliette Lewis & Jamie Foxx.

3 stars

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1


Well this one well and truly blows every other film of the series out of the water.

finally the films have grown up and caught up with the characters from the book, it is a stylish foreboding film that is mature and with feelings and tones that perfectly fit with the books story.

the performances from the actors are more matured and subtle - thankfully, as if they had continued in the way they had done in previous films this film would have been a hard watch.

Me being the cynical guy i am, i figured they had just split the final book into two as a huge money making exercise as Warner Brothers will effectively make double the money on this final book. However having only half a book to convert into a 146 minute film give director David Yates time to slowly build his characters and the setting, not rushing through plot points as has happened in every film in the series so far, and rather than slowing things down it helps move the story along slickly and stylishly.

the whole film looks wonderful, and deeply dark and mysterious look to a deeply dark and mysterious film.

Lets not get carried away though. this is by far the best film in the series, but it is not by any mean a great film. it does suffer from the fact that it is a set up to part 2, where all the big stuff is going to happen. and strangely the main problem is with the story, in that for vast parts of the film the 3 leads are wandering around a forest with nothing to do. It is not even fully clear why they are there at all, the Horcrux maguffin doesnt appear to be used as effectively as it should. there are also some plot points and developements that seem to come out of nowhere, why does the sword just suddenly appear in a lake they happen to be camping by, and why did the deer lead Harry to it, didn't really make sense in this movie, but i guess will all become clear in part 2.

These are minor points though, and it does not take away from a very good film. and boy can i not wait till part 2...


Emma Watson is gorgeous to watch also.

4 stars

Monday, 22 November 2010

Skyline

well i was astonishingly disappointed with this film.

the basic premise is aliens invade LA. that's it.

what follows is a convoluted plot, involving the characters going round in circles repeating decisions and actions over and over again. talking of characters - they are stuck thin pathetic wastes of time. The leads have nothing to do except be angry and sad over and over again, with the random and absurd introduction of a porter who appears out of nowhere and sets up shop as a lead character immediately.

i can only think that the script had been subject to so many re-writes and cuts as the only possible explanation to the mess.

the special effects of the aliens is relatively good, but that nowadays is the minimum requirement for a sci fi film.

not good enough.

1 star

Paranormal Activity 2

Surprisingly, this is a great film and a superior sequel to the original.

it follows a family in a large house who after a number of break ins have installed security cameras around the house - cue a nice easy way for us to experience all the weird spooky goings on.

the film developes and has more of a narrative than the original. tension builds and the spookiness is cranked up and result in some genuinely scary moments. What really struck me as great in this sequel was the use of sound, the use of silence, slow grumblings of noise and sudden bursts of sound make it an exceptional use of music in a horror film.

unusually also, is the way that is linked into the original film. rather than the standard horror sequel of picking up from the original, the filmmakers seem to have put in some genuine effort and thought into how to make a worthwhile sequel.

a superior sequel.

4 stars

Thursday, 11 November 2010

jackass 3D


Essentially this is more of the same from the same old team. and boy did i love it.

Obviously only go and see this if you like jackass, and if you do then this is brilliant. They take some stunts to the absolute extreme, whilst harking back to some similar stunts that are easy on the eye and what you are used to. At the very least one of the stunts is guaranteed to make you gag, a few will make you squirm and one, for me at least, will actually make you feel sorry for one of them. I wont mention any of the gags or stunts so as not to ruin it for anyone, but there are some absolute gems in this one.

It is a joy to watch Knoxville and his crew in action, and they prove they are the original and the best. There have been a number of imitations since, mot notably Dirty Sanchez. Although Sanchez did a good job, when watching it you cant help see that they are al doing ti for their own enjoyment and too involved in themselves and doing these stunts for their own benefit. when watching the jackass team it is easy to watch as they are doing their stupid stunts for OUR enjoyment. Which is why it is an easier/better watch.

A tough one to rate with stars. if you like jackass you'll love this. if you don't like it, you'll hate. from the number of stars i give it i think you'll see what category i fall into to.

4 stars

Monday, 8 November 2010

Let Me In

To draw comparisons with the Swedish original is unavoidable. Put simply it's not as good as the original.

That said they have a damn good crack at it. it is erry, cold and chilling. It just feels like its trying too hard to be those things. In the Tomas Alfredson original everything appears organic and developes effortlessly. at certain times in this Hollywood remake, it all seems a little laboured, and thigs are spelt out that little bit too much.

As a stand alone film though it is very good, and kdi Smit McPhees performance is incredible. most of the film rests on his shoulders and he carries it well. Chloe Moretz is also very good.

it will never escape the shadow of the original though. Making it so soon after and including many shot for shot scenes and parts of the script it is asking to be compared to it, and it comes up short.

An OK re-make.

3 stars

Friday, 29 October 2010

TRON: LEGACY (22 minute preview)

Wow. just wow.

this was an exclusive preview of the new Tron film due for release in december. and boy does it look amazing.

most of the scenes are extended pieces we have seen clips from the trailer, and the first scene we see is a non special effect piece where we see Flynns son go back to the arcade. All ok, nothing to wet your pants about.

then they unleash the good stuff. special effect wizadry and sublime 3D. the virtual set looks stunning, but still seems relevant to the computer sets of the original. it is all just so slick and smooth and immersive.

the one thing that hit me the most as i sat in the cinema, was the soundtrack. a stunning thumping, visceral musical score by Daft Punk thumps through your veins as you watch the stunning images on screen.

this will be sensory indulgence the like we have not seen since Avatar, and i for one cant wait.

5 stars

Thursday, 28 October 2010

Walking Dead Pilot Episode

Why am I reviewing a tv show you may ask... because Shawshank Frank Darabont not only directed the first episode but also penned the adaption to screen for the whole season. Not seen Shawshank Redemption? How about the Mist? The Green Mile? And this guy is doing a tv show now? An awesome ongoing zombie tv show?!
Starting out as one of the best on going comics out there by Robert Kirkman "The Walking Dead" is already what in TV terms maybe around 7 seasons in, all of it gripping... I've been reading since early on. The first episode is very faithful (and proves what I've always been saying about comic adaptions, keep faithful and you'll make something good). Starring Andrew Lincoln from our own English shores (from Teachers fame) doing a bang up American accent. Everything is spot on... catch this show you'll be missing out if you don't. First season has 6 episodes... hopefully it will be renewed.

SAW 3D

AW GOD THIS WAS BAD! It was barely a movie, made very little sense and was very badly acted, it was as disgusting as it could be. There was very little point in even having the traps to get out of in this film as there was no hoping in surviving one. Also fairly confused by having missed out out Saw 4-6, not saying I didn't understand what was going on... it was just really badly delivered... it is a crappy 3d film making a cheap buck for Halloween, which also managed to shit all over the original Saw (which would have been remembered as a classic if they just had left it as one film)... won't say anymore and ruin the twist in case you actually end up watching this piece of shit... 0 Stars

Burke & Hare, RED


I'm a fan of Simon Pegg.. liked Jessica Hynes sharing screen time with Simon Pegg again (bring back SPACED!)... maybe not overly won over by Andy Serkis yet,I'm in love with Isla Fisher. I didn't like this film. It seemed to have LOADS of cameos for the sake of it. Burke & Hare are down on their luck, until they find out they can make loads of money by selling dead bodies... and when they can't find any more easily... they start making dead bodies to sell. Could have been quite good, it wasn't. 2 1/2 stars.

RED was definitely a great ensemble piece. Similar to the Expendables, all old actors (altho not action stars except maybe Bruce) come out of retirement because someone is trying to kill them. But they are Retired Extremely Dangerous. The good difference between this and the Expendables is that the acting is very high class with the likes of Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Bruce Willis, Brian Cox and Helen Mirren. Has great pace, doesn't introduce everyone at once and can be pretty funny at times. 4 Stars.

Wednesday, 27 October 2010

Easy A


Basically this is a teen comedy with intelligence.

if you're expecting an American Pie rom-com with gross out toilet humour, then i think you'll be disappointed. instead this is a character driven story that happens to be set in the world of an all american high school.

as with most american high school films you do get the sense that the actors playing the parts are supremely older than of high school age, but you kind of have to forget that and if you do you will find Emma Stone putting in a very solid performance as the lead girl Olive who basically spreads rumours about her sleeping with other guys in order to help said guys be more popular. A tale of nice girl does what she thinks is right but it all goes to far with emotional if not quite disastrous consequences.

A film about gossip and how stories can circulate and the complexities of the teen social structure this is. and tere a small parts for some heavyweight adult actors to, most noticeably Stanly Tucci and Patricia Clarkson who put in a comedic and unique performance as the parents of Olive.

it struck me as a similar film to clueless back in the 1990's that still stands out as one of the high school films that had a brain, and i hope this stands the test of time and stays in the memory as that did - it deserves to.

4 stars

RED

This is an amusing take on the action comedy genre.

the main premise of the film is to gain enjoyment and glee from a cast of old actors firing massive machine guns and killing people. these are actors we are more used to seeing in oscar winning films giving heavy weight performances (with the exception of Bruc Willis) and it is clearly good fun to see them let loose on an action comedy. It does however feel a slightly weak structure to base a whole film on. the smaller moments where we see Morgan Freeman slapping someone round the face are great, but the larger action set pieces where it involves them actively running seem a little unbelievable even with your suspension of disbelief still firmly in place.

John Malkovich steals the show as the slightly insane CIA old timer who was used for LSD testing back in the eighties, and who is clearly not all there. a great show with some film stealing dialogue and expressions.

a fairly simplistic plot involves the cast trying to clear their name from an old assignment, throw in a few strange love interests - one for Bruce Willis, with a young woman from a call centre and Helen Mirren and Brian Cox getting it on and you have an enjoyable if unsubtantial film.

a fun half term treat.

3 stars

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

The Social Network, Wall Street 2 and World's Greatest Dad

I am going to quiet few reviews of the first two, Film Nut Peter G did them already.

The Social Network, great film, loved seeing the story of how facebook came to be. Justin Timberlake finally showed some acting teeth & I approve of the new Spider-man. Jesse Eisenburg proves he's more than the guy they get when they can't afford Michael Cera... Gripping story. I personally felt sorry for Mark Zuckerburg by the end of it, while the friend I saw it with said he didn't feel bad for him at all and that he was an asshole start to finish. 4 1/2 stars!

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps - It was interesting enough, quiet relevant considering the recession we're in or just out of or whatever is actually going on with all the money. Sam Witwicky is trying to save the world by being a stock brocker and funding something to create clean energy. Megatron comes out of jail, manages to trick Sam into thinking he's a good guy... guess what he isn't. It gets a bit boring and then everything turns out alright... 3 stars.

World's Greatest Dad - Robin Williams would say don't call it a come back... because unfortunately it isn't. This film is out of most cinemas now. Doubt maybe people have seen it, but it is very good. Robin Williams plays a failed writer, who teaches at a high school, his son dies via what looks like suicide, Robin becomes a hit with his dead sons fake diary. This is a very funny but also deep film. This film really needed more notice. 3 1/2 stars.

Sunday, 17 October 2010

Despicable Me


What a wonderful, cutesy little film this is. Not quite as good as the Toy Story 3 or the Shreks from earlier this year, but still thoroughly entertaining.

The main reason it wasn't quite as good in my opinion is mainly quite simply that it wasnt as meant for me as Toy story was. there are adult themes in this film but it is a story and film geared towards a younger audience than me.

the main story revolves around a guy who has no friends or any love in his life, he is lonely and cares only about his work. He is slowly being eased out at work by a younger more ambitious colleague, into his life is introduced 3 children who over the course of the film change his views on life and make hi reassess what is most important... sound familiar? much like many Disney family movies this is a film plot that is stock beyond belief. However everything in this film is exaggerated beyond belief, to very funny conclusions. the man in question is a super villain living alongside "normal" humans. and the three kids are a trio of incredibly cute children, one of which - Agnes, is so cute she would melt solid steel.

a lovely family friendly jaunt, but none of the adult humour and themes that made Toy Story so appealing (to me anyhow).

4 stars

Vampires Suck


Well lets be honest, no one is expecting this to be a great film. and it isn't.

as i watched in a surprisingly busy cinema, there was not one audible laugh throughout the entire film.

the gags are incredibly weak and the makers seem to have not bothered with any set ups for any jokes.

Jenn Proske, who plays the lead does well enough, especially considering this is her first acting role since leaving university (according to imdb), unfortunately the script gives her nothing, and is reduced to imitating Kristen Stewarts teen angst tic, well observed and mildy amusing the first time, but after the thousandth time and attempting to hang a whole comedic performance on one small gag is pathetic.

i have no idea why this spoof film as with all other spoof films in the last ten or so years are just so bad. Looking back at the eighties with the likes of Airplane!, Naked Gun and Hot Shot films were brilliant and near classics of cinema - why now then, have spoof films become so amazingly poor. No one even expects them to be funny, audience or the makers it seem. I love the genre of spoof and hope one day they will return to be genuinely funny and observed films.

0 stars

Mr Nice

Rhys Ifans must have been pretty much born to play the role in this bio-pic of Howard Marks, who was apparently chief marajuna trafficker in the eighties.

unfortunately the aspect of casting a perfect leading man in your role does not a good film make. it is acted brilliantly, with Ifans perfect and a fantastic supporting cast in particular David Thewlis puts in a memorable show as a crazed IRA dissedent. and i feel i should mention Omid Djalili, who does a small role put played very well and not for laughs.

however, i do feel that not enough happens in the film and it does move forward as well as it should, just when the plot gets going for a bit it seems to stall again and returns to not much happening. and as for Chloe Sevigny, i have no idea what she is doing in this film whatseoever - and neither does she it seems.

so all in all a well acted film, but ultimately forgettable.

2 stars

Sunday, 10 October 2010

The Social Network


There is something comforting watching a film about something you know about. And i, like 500 million other people across the globe, know about Facebook. maybe this is why i enjoyed the film, or maybe it is because it is a wonderfully crafted character piece - or most probably due to a combination of both.

Jesse is a joy to watch as Mark Zuckerberg, a complex anti-hero, just trying to do his best. A brilliant performance and as an audience you find yourself wanting to root for him and support him, but he is an anti-social and awkward character that he doesn't make it easy. It is a tribute to Eisenberg that he doesn't say much indeed no more than he needs to but he is able to draw you in and feel good or bad, for his character.

credit to to Andrew Garfield, i hadn't seen or really heard of him in anything apart from being announced as the next Spiderman, but he puts in a good strong solid supporting performance.

This film though, belongs to Fincher, He has grabbed hold of this story and made it fit perfectly for the screen. flitting from flashback to flashforward without ever losing the audience. With delicate flashes of inspiration, it keeps you interested and entertained whilst also carving out a brilliantly told story. An unbiased and dramatised look at the beggining of facebook could have turned into a confusing mess, but it has been fashioned into a manageable and enjoyable film, by a director back on the top of his game.

a great film of a great story.

4.5 stars

Saturday, 9 October 2010

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Oliver Stones first ever sequel and a timely film ready to reflect the world economic crises. i was expecting a powerhouse of a film, unfortunately this wasn't it.

now im not sure if it was due to my ignorance about the banking world and the world of investment banking, but i was pretty much lost for most of the the main plot. Considering the secondary plot was a fairly feeble one of Gordon Gekkos daughter and her relationship with her father this didn't make for great viewing for me.

And as for Shia LeBeouf. i have never liked him. He was ok and just about suited for his role in Transformers. as for the indy 4 debacle, don't get me started. I'm sure if he must be given roles by Hollywood directors that there are roles out there for him, but he was totally mis-cast in this instance and not once did i ever believe him.

2 Stars

Oliver Stone turns in a few visual and editing flairs as he does with his films, but on the whole the film was lost on me.

Wednesday, 6 October 2010

Buried


there was a lot of excitement about this film coming out. a one man film, and that one man was Ryan Reynolds. Now i for one, for whatever reason, wasn't too excited about this. not excited at all - i thought it'd be pretty boring.

how wrong i was - this is a terrific, energetic and gripping thriller. a claustrophobic and haunting piece. i do not consider myself claustrophobic, but for the first part of th film i felt trapped and uncomfortable, actively restless in the cinema and the thought crossed my mind about leaving. a tough watch, however the performance given by Reynolds starts to blister across the screen and you are gripped by his experience and and desperation.

a fantastic film and a jaw dropping performance from Reynolds, a very pleasant surprise.

4 stars

Sunday, 3 October 2010

The Girl Who Played With Fire

This is brilliant stuff, most noticeably from the actress Nkomo Rapace, a quite simply brilliant and definitive Lisbeth Salandar. Dark, brooding and vulnerable and played with majestic ease.

The rest of the film is shot beautifully. It does resemble slightly a tv crime drama, but it is wonderfully acted and shot, subtle and slow cranking up drama and tension, and one can only hope that Hollywood tries to keep a bit of that when it comes blazing in with the remake. There a few moments where you question why certain things happen in the plot, having not read the novels I wouldn't know if that is a fault with the novelist or with the script writers trying to cut it down for a reasonable length for a film.

One other gripe with the film is that the last act is basically a set up for the third and final film and not a finale for itself. I understand the reasons for this and it is a dilemma - but the film makers failed to end this film properly in my opinion. However they have set up for the third and final film brilliantly.

4 stars

Friday, 1 October 2010

The Other Guys


A very funny if a little random film. The sort of film you would expect to see Will Ferrel in, not so much the sort of film you would expect to find Mark Wharlberg in. But he does a great job.

They play two hapless cops who want go make the big time, but they make many mistakes and find themselves the laughing stock of the police force.

There are some great moments, almost to the point of being surreal, characters opening up tangents for no particular reason then cutting straight back to the plot as if nothing has happened. In a similar way to how family guy uses it's comedy, but not to the same extent.

Some great set pieces and laugh out load moments but ultimately a fairly forgettable film offering up nothing to really savour to the comedy buddy cop genre, although all credit to the director Jay Roach being daring and trying out a few new things, but maybe not hitting the bullseye quite right.

3 stars

Tuesday, 28 September 2010

The Hole 3D, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Avatar Special Edition, The Town, The Last Exorism

Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D
I'm sorry to say this is quiet possibly the worst film I have seen this year... And I've seen alot of bad films. This film contains the worst wooden acting of the year. None of the characters have any motivation, literally none! The villains from the Umbrella corporation are ripped straight from The Matrix but in a shit way, because they are meant to be human... and for some reason they want to kill the surviving humans left of earth... for no reason whatsoever. Filled with the worst kind of stereotypes.
BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD ZERO STARS! NO STARS! MINUS STARS!
Oh yeah... and the 3d wasn't all that either.


Avatar Special Edition
Alot of people I talked to were very cynical about this re release, "Haven't we given James Cameron enough money", "Oh it's got 6 extra minutes of footage wow!". The six extra minutes are great! Cos when I first watched this film... I didn't want less I still wanted more! This is still a five star film, after seeing so many shoddy 3d attempts (the worst being Alice in Wonderland, Resident Evil and Clash of the Titans) it's nice to go back and watch this epic on the big screen. This film is basically Pocahontas set on an alien whole... doesn't change the fact it still kicks ass. Some of the extra footage is a whole new creature (which there is a scene of hunting it), Tsu'tey has a death scene (and also tells Jake that he must run the clan now), we see the school for the naavi the humans set up and yes there is ponytail sex.
Still 5 Stars

The Hole 3D

I had great hopes for the Hole, being a Fan of Gremlins knew Joe Dante was directing. A pair of brother move into a new house with their single mum, they discover a hole in their garage and when they open it weird things start to happen. I was quiet enjoying this film untill everything they did within the film just didn't make sense, "Wait here on your own I'm going to check it out", that kind of thing was constantly happening, why didn't they learn the first time. The film definitely went down hill when the kids decide to visit the old man who used to own their house at the glove factory... Bruce Dern (the so called actor they hired) was awful and it was obvious they wanted Christopher Lloyd. The 1/3 of the film, wrapping it up was painfully badly done. This is a kids film and should definitely be seen as that. If your older than 15 avoid. 2 Stars Bleh!

The Town


I did not realize Ben Affleck directed this and co-wrote when I went to see it and Affleck has directing chops for sure. Unlike Peter G I really liked this. My only problem with it was that they committed too many bank jobs within a short amount of time and that didn't make sense. The police are interviewing you ... you've got shit loads of money hidden away... why rob another bank?!
But saying this I liked it alot ... 4 Stars.

The Last Exorcism

I enjoyed this, the character were really likable. Filmed Ala Blair Witch or Cloverfield. The characters a filming a documentary that is supposed to reveal how exorcisms are fake and the priest taking part wants to show that it's all psychosomatic (he also has lost his faith in god). The priest opens the a letter at random and visits a family to prove how its all a trick to appease over religious families... all seems to go as planned and then strange things start happening. Overall very good but the climax seems to let the film down (which I won't tell you about for spoilers sake), the film really deserved a better ending. 3 and 1/2 stars.

Other Films I have Seen Recently:

Dairy Of a Wimpy Kid - 3 Stars, a kids film but at least they can act unlike the kids that seem to get cast in the UK.

The Rocker - 2 Stars, It's oldish now but could have been so good staring that guy from the American Office, starts off wicked, adult & funny and then turns into Band Camp or something.

Karate Kids 1-3 - Classics!

Karate Kid Next Generation - Not so classic.

The Town


Expectations were high going into this film, i am the perfect audience for this film. i love a good hard gritty urban crime drama. I'm sorry to say that i was a little disappointed, admittedly this could be due to me and my expectations rather than it being that bad a film because a bad film it is not.

Ben Affleck plays Doug Macray, a Boston bank robber, who suddenly finds a heart and falls in love with a girl who works in a bank that he robbed. it just felt a little too character development by numbers - bad guy, sees a girl, falls in love, wants to go straight. there isn't at any point any real reason that i can see for him to be totally changing his livelihood and going against everything he knows, his friends and his family, but that is exactly what he does. i did however find myself rooting for Ben Afflecks character, whether this is a testament to his acting charisma or the script i am unsure. he does indeed pull off a strong performance, he is obviously taken note of the Team America song and gone and got himself some acting lessons, even more credit to him to have taken the helm as director and writer also.

Other characters again seem stock people in Dougs life, Jeremy Renners character James Coughlin is an example - again a strong performance, but he plays the obvious crazy unhinged friend, and we are never given an insight to how and why. Mention here for Pete Postlethwaites part as a crime boss florist (??) with a very strange irish accent. theses characters makes the film seem like it has been under a number of re-writes and drafts, seemingly part of a much longer script which had much more complex characters, but in getting a running time down they have been shorn of their development.

a good film though with a solid, if a little empty, story. i just wich there had been more guns and shoot outs with the police.

3 stars

Dinner for Schmucks

my first thoughts of this film is that it was an absurdist comedy. Not the sort of film you would consider seeing coming out of mainstream Hollywood.

Steve Carrell plays Barry a strange freak with a heart of gold, he is befriended by Paul Rudds character Tim, who needs to find a "schmuck" to bring to a grotesque dinner party that his powerful work colleagues regularly hold - the winner is the colleague who brings the biggest schmuck. This is based on a french film by the name of The Dinner Game, but apparently is no where near as cruel in its depiction of it's Schmuck, indeed Barry could just suffer from a form of autism.

To me the film is a collection of gags and strange characters that wouldn't seem out of place in a sketch show, and that's about as cohesive as the scenes get. the film lurches from one sketch to another, albeit very funny, but they are with the same characters, and they do start to get tiresome. The characters are so , strange an so surreal that it seems impossible that they could live in such a normal world as the rest f the characters live - which is fine in a sketch show, but with the fleshing out of all the characters and situations it seems to clash and pulls you out of the film.

so in all in all a collection of funny characters and sketches but struggles as a coherent film.

2 stars

Wednesday, 1 September 2010

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

Scott Pilgrim vs the World is awesome, well... it's good enough for me to have seen it twice within a week of it's release.

Scott Pilgrim wants to go out with Ramona Flowers... but she has 7 evil exs that he has to go thru ... blah blah blah blah blah.

Edgar Wright makes a blockbuster true to his Spaced ways, while making it action packed in every way. My only complaint is that there is too much action and that we don't get to see more of Scott Pilgrim's world. I guess that could have been solved by adding another hour to the film... which I defiantly would not have complained about.

The film is surreal and filled with pop culture references just like you'd hope any Edgar Wright film would be. People have energy bars for there pee, earn another points and get a 1up... this bizarre world gets two thumbs up from me.

Four and a half stars.

Monday, 30 August 2010

Salt


This was a good fun enjoyable movie if pretty much forgettable.

Jolie puts in a very solid performance as a CIA agent Evelyn Salt, who throughout the film is questioned about wether she is on the good side (America) or the baddies (Russia). Cue lots of chasing around America in disguises with guns and high intensity stunts.

this film offers nothing new and is a re-hash of many other CIA films. The big unique selling point of this movie was that the lead was a female not a male, as you probably know tom cruise was widely reported to have turned down the role, liking it to be too close to Ethan Hunt, an observation i would be inclined to agree with, even down to the latex facial disguises. Jolie gives a great performance and looks stunning on screen, she certainly has a screen prescence, but unless you are a fanatical feminist then the fact that its a girl doesn't really matter, it doesn't make a difference.

so good clean fun, with a very watchable Jolie.

3 stars

Monday, 23 August 2010

The Expendables


Splendid, brilliant, brilliant stuff. a truly brilliant Hollywood action movie.

this film treads the fine line between not taking itself to seriously and not sending itself up. all the characters and actors believe in what they are doing and commit to it, despite all the characters being wafer thin travelling along a plot that you could write on the back of a postage stamp.

But it doesn't matter, this is how action movies used to be made, back in the 80's. and watching this film it took me back to my early youth watching scharzenegger (yes i was a big arnie fan back in the day) be invincible on VHS at home whilst my parents were out because i was under 18, brilliant films, brilliant times.

to coin a cliche, they just don't make them like this anymore - action film has evolved as a genre - they are more thoughtful and intelligent with more complex characters and story structure, the most obvious example of this i Jason Bourne from the Bourne trilogy. these new action films are great and more complete films for sure, but there is still tremendous fun to be had in simple testosterone fuelled action heros creating havoc - and stallone does this with aplomb.

to sum up, watching the expendables it reminded me of Team America: World Police in which this type film is parodied so brilliantly, because of these parodies it has been a while since someone has had the balls to make such a film and to take it seriously - The Expendables is the film to do this. brilliant fun.

4 stars

Tuesday, 17 August 2010

The Last Airbender


Now i am not a fan of M.night Shyamalan, the sixth since was pretty good, but since then it has been downhill, and more recently that has been accelerated with his most recent films. Also, the first thing i heard about this film was the incredible dis-pleasure from the south east asian community at the casting of non-south east asian actors in the lead roles in a film that originates from that area. i still went into this film with unbiased eyes and a part of me really wanted to enjoy it - but my lord it is bad. appallingly bad. surprisingly bad, surprising because if it had been made by a complete novice with no film experience then it could maybe be expected, but Shyamalan has made films before, so it is a struggle to comprehend.

Script is the main problem. The dialogue is atrocious. Clunky sentence followed by clunky sentence. Each one delivered so weightily by the actors that it sounds like everything they are saying is such a prophecy, that the world will change after their sentence - this happens every time, every single time and you will obviously understand that the portentiousness fails to hit home after the 3rd or 4th time. Let alone the 57th.

The martial arts and the fight sequences offer nothing in way of respite for the horrendous dialogue. Noah Ringer (Aang) is obviously a very gifted martial artist and when he moves he looks brilliant swirling his arms around, but that's all he really does and then a few baddies fall over.

You don't believe the baddies and are unsure of the real motivations, in fact all the characters seem shallow and never fully realised. i could go on, but i think you get my drift regarding this film.

there was one vaguely memorable moment towards the end of film where Aang has managed to master the art of "bending" water, and he delivers a large scale movement of water to a crescendo of classical music, it looks and builds beautifully but ends in a weak, gentle splash.

One last thing that seems insignificant, but worth a mention for me, it is the moment when an ageing grandmother tells her young grand-daughter that "..when she first relalised that you were a bender...", juvenile i know, but the vast majority of English and European viewers will be giggling at this point - which is exactly what happened in my viewing.

1 star

Wednesday, 11 August 2010

Step Up 3D

Well. What can I say about this film. The story, plot, characters and script are shocking. Absolutely diabolical. But this isn’t necessarily a bad film.

In fact once I got past the clunky dialogue I actually quite enjoyed it. This is in main due to the pumping soundtrack and the dance set pieces. Both of these are explosive and brilliant. Once the actors (or dancers) get a few dance routines under their belt you kind of forgive them at how bad they are at delivering dialogue and general acting. They are clearly having a blast on screen doing what they enjoy doing and this comes across very well.

The plot is stock teen Hollywood movie, I won’t even go into detail as it would be patronising.

One section of the film that stood out for me was a scene where the lead character and his friend dance along the street in a happy go lucky kind of way. As it started I found it odd and strange, but as it progressed I realised that as I was watching a dance film this was a hark back to the old school dance ala Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, this is how dance films used to be made, a homage to the old dance films by a new modern dance film. It was a touching tribute and well executed.

3 stars

Tuesday, 10 August 2010

Shrek Forever After

This is a great film and is much better than Shrek the Third, but is not as good, in my opinion as the original two.

The premise of the film is easy, Shrek makes a pact with the devil (Rumplestiltskin), Shrek obviously doesn’t read the small print and he ends up in deep trouble needing to win back Fionas heart for true loves kiss before sunset – echoes of the writers returning to the original loud and clear. What follows is a classic escapade through thick and thin in true Shrek fashion, comparisons to toy story £ are ineveitable - and for me the gag reel in Shrek is better, there are more gags and laugh out loud moments, but the look and the feel of the film is below that of Toy story 3.

Still a good movie though and a fitting end to the franchise, though puss in boots should definitely be getting his own spin-off.

3.5 stars

Saturday, 7 August 2010

The Karate Kid

Wasn't expecting much from this. Jackie Chan as Mr Miyagi and changing the wax on wax off scene to jacket on and jacket off did not inspire me. plus that the lead kid is about ten years old, and it's kung fu and no karate... Despite all this though it is an entertaining enough film.

Jaden Smith has oodles of charisma very similar to his dads and obviously have a bright future. Chan doesn't do any of his silly gags and comedy and instead gives a very subtle and nuanced performance of a quiet humble handyman - who also knows a thing or too about kung fu.

so the story is fairly standard and won't take a genius to work out what happens, but the journey the film takes you on is a nice enough one. enjoy.

3 stars

Wednesday, 21 July 2010

Inception

This is blockbusting movie making on a grand scale, in every sense of the word. and i loved it.

i won't go to much into the plot as that would involve a lot of writing, lets just say that it is indeed complicated and takes a fair bit of concentration, but it is made accessible by the directing so that you never get completely lost. it is a fine line to create a film that challenges, but doesn't lose an audience and this film just about get's it right.

the supporting cast are all fine but don't realy have that much to do. the film hinges on Dicaprio's character and once again he pulls off a brilliant performance - he is getting better and better. the music plays a huge part in this film - it is all large brass band noises, but although powerful and exaggerated it never overpowers what you're seeing on film, instead adding to the grandness of the film - a feat not easily achieved, so special pat on the head and congratulations to uber composer Hans Zimmer. As for Christopher Nolan he is exceptional on every level, and can't wait to see what else he comes up with next.

5 stars

Monday, 19 July 2010

Toy Story 3

wow. this is a masterclass in film-making. and an absolute classic.

it draws you in subtlely and takes you on a rollercoaster adventure ride. it creates moments of pure excitement, sadness, adventure and joy. the characters well rounded, the 3D is sublime, and when i left the cinema i felt privilaged to have gone through such an experience as this film.

but that's enough gushing. i could write reams about this film and why i enjoyed it so much, but to do so would take away from the experience when you watch it. so go and watch, experience and enjoy.

5 stars

Sunday, 18 July 2010

Knight and Day

this film has divided me pretty substantially. the good points - great fun action sequences, completely unbelievable but at the same time very ingenious and very entertaining. Tome Cruise fits into the role of comedy actioner amazingly easy, and his charm in these sequences develops through the film. i found the first fight scene a little strange with Tom Cruise killing loads of bad guys on a plane whilst making quips and comedy music on in the background and i thought this would be the case through out the whole film - luckily it wasn't and it all became a lot more charming and fun as the film went on.

the problems i had with the film are that the bits in between the action scenes seemed long. although the chemistry was great bewteen Cruise and Diaz during the action scenes, there just didn't seem to be a reason why they were sticking together when they didn't really need to be. due to this the film felt long when it really isn't (110 minutes) and that is never a good thing.

overall though so good clean simple fun with Cruise on top form.

3 stars

Predators

first up this is not as good as the original 80's Schawzenegger classic. this is still very enjoyable though. the casting of Adrien Brody in the lead role of this action film is inspired, before this film i would have never thought of him in this kind of role but he carries it off with aplomb - and he is ripped and in the standard action slo-mo shot at the end of his sweaty glistening torso it is obvious he has been putting the hours in at the gym.

the story is pretty standard bunch of hard ass guys in a jungle fighting predators, and it wastes no time in getting to the story. from the start we are plunged into the jungle with the characters - no messing around - and then the fun starts with all the fighting of the predators.

part of me wanted to see more of the cool weapons, the human with their huge guns and especially the energy powered weapons would have been more enjoyable. i was also disappointed that we saw a clear image of the predators so early on - part of the excitement and adventure of the first film was the catching of glimpses of the enemy every now and then - it added to the fear and terror.

all in all a good watch and has made me wanna dig out the original for another watch.

3 stars

Thursday, 15 July 2010

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

right. now i know that i am not the perfect audience for this film, i'm not a pre-pubescent girl and i haven't read the books, but i gave the first two films a bit of leeway because of this. now it comes to this and the third of the series - and what a load of old shit it is.

i mean seriously, first of all, absolutely nothing happens its pretty much exactly the same as the second film. the one plot strand that they use to try and drive some kind of story is that there is some kind of new vampire army being created to try and kill the Cullen family - big deal.

this plot strand plays second fiddle though to the whole love story between the three teenagers, and his is where exactly the same thing happens as in the previous films. they both love bella and she doesnt know wo to choose. except now bella's turned into a bit of a slag and is gagging for it and kissing both of them - what a hussy! my main issue with this whole thing is that why the hell would anyone be attracted to this Edward Cullen (Robert Pattison character) he is skinny, lanky, pastey white and one of the most boring characters i have ever seen on film, he's not even charming in any way - i mean how is anyone attracted to this thing let alone in love with it. unbelievable.

so basically the whole film is them three going round in circles about they love each so on and so forth. boring and the story really needs to move on.

1 star

Monday, 12 July 2010

Get Him to the Greek

Starts off as a hugely brilliant and fun take on the rock and roll lifestyle, Russell Brand is clearly relishing in playing a drugged up rocker as the film has mock news coverage of him being a bad man rocker. in fact all the actors - Jonah Hill, Sean Combs and Rose Byrne have great fun, adn as an audience it is great fun to watch them... to begin with.the first third of the film has great pace and the story is driven forward by the need to get Russell Brands rocker character to LA for a gig. but once Jonah Hills character gets to him, the film then becomes a tedious ride of the same thing happening again and again - Aaron Green (Hill) trying to get Aldous Snow (Brand) to play ball and do as he's told and snow rebelling against it. jokes that were laugh out loud at the beginning seem lame and lacklustre by the end. the character Jackie Q is seriously fit though.

3 stars

Thursday, 8 July 2010

A-Team

The A-Team as a film is almost episodic, or has 3 beginnings... the first where they all meet each other, the second where they do the mission, the third breaking out of prison for crimes they never committed. The film is gloriously great fun, with absurd crazyness like flying a tank parachuting out of a plane, gunning down planes as they fall... with all sorts of explosions and mayhem. It never takes its self too serious or went down the dark and gritty reboot root, embracing the craziness and quirks of the original.
Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper(The Hangover), Sharlto Copley (District 9) put in good jobs as Hannibal, Faceman and Murdock. UFC star, acting wise unknown Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson puts in a decent enough performance, awkward at times and could have been more badass (but personally I think it was genius casting although he could have done with afew more acting classes before hand), I know in the sequel... (so long as it does well in the boxoffice) he'll hopefully be less self aware. Patrick Wilson was also abit too like a cartoon villain, so when it turns out he isn't the nice guy he's pretending to be... it really isn't a complete surprise. Also the sound mix seemed really bad, I don't know if it was the cinema or actually just done badly, alot of the dialogue got lost because of this.
Despite all this, it is a fun filled film which I hope the see the franchise continue... 3 1/2 stars.


Other films I've recently watched...

Date Night Glad I didn't go on any dates to this one. 2 stars.

Cop Out
Kevin Smith cops out. He really needs to go back to the View askew universe... not having made a great film since Clerks 2. Trying to make the ultimate 80s cop film... trouble is... it isn't the 80s anymore. 2 stars.

Ip Man Reminds me of Fearless, great fight sequences, made me fall in love with kunfu films again. Can't wait for the sequel that's been made. 4 stars.

Monday, 15 March 2010

Shutter Island

Now this may be a little controversial, but this is perhaps Scorcese's best film since Casino, maybe even perhaps Goodfella's, controversial i know, but there i've said it.

the whole film has an eerie unsettling feel to it, which is perfect as it is an eerie unsettling story, from the opening shots and sequences your never quite sure what is what leaving you in a state of constant edginess.

it is hard to go into the story without giving too much away, Di Caprio plays a US marshal sent to Shutter Island, which is an island completely cut off from the outside world and is home to an asylum for the criminally insane. i'll leave it there, as half the enjoyment of the film is the not knowing.

the flair of the direction and the style of the cinematography is sublime, not too subtle but subtle enough it has large reference to the Shawshank Redemption and The Shining, which is a compliment to the film as it is not copying the style of those films but there are certainly aspects which it has used to great effect. the score works wonderfully well with what you are seeing also, and for me played a large and solid part in the film. a wonderful cast fill all the roles perfectly, with special mentino to our very own Ben Kingsly.

great stuff

4.5 stars

Sunday, 14 March 2010

Green Zone

put simply this is a brilliant film. On the one hand it is a stylishly shot, brilliant action packed film. on top of that it is a taught dissection of how America and Britain completely fucked Iraq.

Matt Damon plays Millar, a member of the US army with the specific job of going to the sites identified as places where WMD are and finding them. obviously we all know that there are none, and he starts to ask questions. What he uncovers is political in fighting wthin the US government, leading washington officials who have lied about information in order to bring war.

of course we kind of all know that from the news bulletins. this film however brings it right down to the grass roots level. the brave soldiers on the front line who are trying to do the right thing and just trying to survive in this completely out of control situation. it is brilliantly played on all sides, from Damon's Millar to Khalid Abdalla's freddy.

Greengrass delivers the action at breakneck pace and you an feel your adrenaline levels rising with the characters on screen and the breaks in the action are genuinely needed, in these breaks though there is more than enough of the plot and story to keep everything bubbling along at a terrific pace.

A brilliant film, and will leave you even more frustrated with the governments that took us to War for no reason whatsoever. this deserved to be seen by everyone (and its better than the hurt locker).

5 stars

Thursday, 11 March 2010

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland 3D


The idea of making a sequel to Alice in Wonderland is a great idea (calling it the same name not so great) or making a 2nd sequel since Alice Through the Looking Glass already exists. The problem with Tim Burton's film is that it's not very good... in fact it's bad. Nothing that interesting happens in it, set 12 years after the original, Alice is about to be forced into being engaged, unsure of what to do she runs off, following the white rabbit once again down the hole into Wonderland. The film then rehashes introducing the various characters featured in the original with the adding to the story that Alice has to defeat the jabberwocky and in doing so will get rid of the evil red queen, who replaced the good white queen (who is obviously good because she is dress all in white). They made the Mad Hatter pretty much the main character, when he's originally just a side character, I know you've got Johnny Depp playing him but it just didn't work. There was also a weird romantic sexual tension between Alice and the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) which was really not needed (because of the huge age differences). This film brings nothing new to the Alice mythos, the animation and world is poorly done, the cut sequences in the final fantasy games on the PlayStation one are better than any of the poorly done graphics in this film.
The 3D is the worst 3D film I have seen... I don't understand why they even made it 3D, it brought absolutely nothing to the film. (On a side note I watched abit of Colaline on a new 3D TV in a virgin media store the other day and it was pretty impressive as I didn't really believe a 3D TV would work or be as effective.)
Not one of Tim Burtons finest films. 1 Star
On another note Inglourious Basterds [DVD] [2009] is £5.99 on DVD on Amazon.co.uk
&
&
Drag Me to Hell [DVD] [2009] is £5 on DVD on Amazon.co.uk and £9.99 on blueray.

Tuesday, 9 March 2010

The Crazies

This looks like its going to be some B-movie trashy zombie flick, of which we have seen many. what it actually is, is a well constructed thriller.

David Dutton is a sherif in a small american town, and when a military plane carrying a bio-weapon crashes in the local river and leaks its contents into the town drinking supply causing them to go mental and kill people.

the lead characters are nicely moulded and you care about them and their community and this is the main reason why this film succeeds and also why the jumpy moments become so effective. they are built up so subtly around the story and the characters you don't notice them until you are jumping out of your seat, and they are not overused, they are strategically placed in perfect moments throughout the film.

for all my praise, this is still only a very basic thriller/horror story and there is nothing that clever about it, it is all just executed in a very good simple clean way.

job well done

3 stars

Crazy Heart


i. love. jeff bridges.

he is immense in this film. this was the part he was born to play, and he plays it to perfection. a bummed out loser country singer touring the country playing to bars and shagging the aging roadies. until he meets Gyllenhalls Jean and her son, and love ensues.

Bridges performance of an aging alcoholic is so closely observed and nuanced it is beyond sublime, never once does being drunk or alcohol take the centre spotlight, but instead it is the alcoholism that is central to the part. so delicatley dealt with that you almost forget that is being shown in the film, until you see the devastating affects it can have on people and relationships.

a beautiful film, and an acting masterclass from Bridges.

5 stars

From Paris with Love

with the first 15 minutes i was ready to walk out. Rhys-Meyers trying to be a secret agent in completely unbelievable circumstances was absolutely dire. what an arrogant twat.

but then travolta explodes onto the screen, and boy does the film get fun from there. now dont get me wrong, he plays a completely over the top special agent, in Paris to track down a terrorist unit by way of a chinese drug trafficking unit, all the while killing anyone and anyone that gets in his way. it is gloriously over the top, but travolta is clearly having an absolute blast playing this gun happy renegade and we enjoy watching him.

Rhys-Meyers does his best to keep up, but he is not helped by the fact he plays a complete wimpy loser in the face of Travolta's "Charlie Wax" (what a great name).

it is tongue in cheek and over the top, travolta is clealy not in the shape to be performing some of the moves his character is suppossed to be, and i found fun in trying to spot when it was a stuntman and when not. there is also a hilarious if a little odd reference to a classic part played Travolta with they discuss a Royale with Cheese.

Brilliant fun

3 stars

Leap Year

top of the morning to ya, oi'm from oireland. this is just an example of the sort of accent you will hear in this film, a fake ye olde worlde accent that has been bastardised by Hollywood, i found it deeply offensive and i am not Irish.

now on paper this should be horrific, a high flying business american woman full of blackberry and internet tries to travel to dublin to propose to her equally business minded fiance. She gets stranded in southern ireland and has to make a "hilarious" trip across ireland. Matthew Goode plays Declan an irish lad who helps her journey. the film is full of irish cliches and te jokes and comedy are average at the very best and why Declan sticks with her on he journey is beyond me, actually he is probably just trying to get laid.

somehow though, i managed to enjoy this film. why i don't know, it was a simplistic affair, and Amy Adams is very charming as the lead girl and although the script and direction does its best to limit her she still manages to make the character enjoyable watch.

so simple and banal, but somehow a guilty enjoyable watch.

2 stars

Friday, 26 February 2010

The Lovely Bones

So i had been looking forward to this for a long time, and then the reviews started coming out about how bad it was and so on. so to my surprise i actually loved it.

it is a very good story told with brilliant subtlety. it is effectively two films roled into one. you have the one film revolving around the real life events of susie salmon and her family and the aftermath of her murder, a brilliant suspense thriller as they try and track down the killer, all the while as an audience member we get to see the murderer as well as the hunt for him. a note here on just how brilliant Stanley Tucci is as George Harvey - the loner who killed susie salmon for self pleasure. a brave decision from a very talented actor.

the other part of the film is following susie salmon in her after life - "the inbetween" as she has yet to progress to heaven until she sees her family and friends resolve her murder. in this part Peter Jackson is seriously flexing his weta workshop special effect muscle, and admittedly some of it is a bit gratuitous, but it does look rather beuatiful.

the film beautifully builds up the tension up to the point where they finally start closing in on the killer. and for me it was genuinly edge of the seat stuff.

glorious

4 stars

The Wolfman

what an absolute mess of a film. There are good performances from Benecio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt, but they are lost amidst a confusing weak and distorted script and story. one of my main problems with is the lack of tension, even though it is desperately trying to create some. The moments where the scary jumpy bits are suppossed to be, mainly when the wolfman is attacking people, come and go as if nothing has happened - they are literally the least jumpy bits of film jumpy bits i've ever seen in a film.

It also doesn't help that when they are in their "wolf form" del Toro appears to stay in his normal human clothes and walks around on two feet - so that he bears more resemblance to michael j fox's teen wolf than anything remotely scary.

There is no character arc or developement throughout the whole film, there doesnt seem to be any developement with del toro specifically even though he becomes a werewolf during the film, but all the characters pretty much remain the same. Plot holes are skimmed over as if they never happened, and the whole thing is a big jumbly mess.

1.5 stars

Saturday, 20 February 2010

Precious

well this is one of the most hyped films so far of 2010. and although it doesn't dissapoint i don't think it reaches the heady heights that the hype would have made us believe. the film centres around a fat black girl growing up in poverty in harlem, she has a real shit life - sexually abused by her step dad, bullied by her mum and other kids on the estate, two kids and cant read. oh and she is HIV positive. it is a tough story, about a very tough character, in fact the character is so tough and so closed off due to the harsh realities that surround her that i found it hard to connect with her emotionally as a viewer. the perfomance is so closed - which i believe was perfect for the character - but it did become problematic in allowing us into her psyche and her emotions.

a quick mention about m'onique - an absolute powerhouse performance. a truly horrific character played with brutal authenticity. shocking and awesome. if she doesn't get an oscar it will be a travesty.

4 stars

Thursday, 18 February 2010

Single Man

what a beautiful looking film. the style is absolutely luscious, the attention to detail is sublime. and Colin Firth pulls off a brilliant performance as George the grieving boyfriend of Jim. i do not think this is a great film though, it dragged a little through the middle, there is not much story to tell yet they still manage to drag it out. but you get the sense this film is not so much telling a story but telling an emotion which it does through the cinematography and the costumes. i am never one to really notice costumes in a film, but i felt they had as much importance in this film as the characters did.

Firth gives a performance that breaks the mould from his Richard Curtis nice guy image, here portraying a real man, really suffering. Nick Hoult as his young flirt interest is also annoyingly good, annoying because i hate him, and wanted to hate him in this film. but i didn't, unfortunately.

3 stars

Youth in Revolt

Youth in revolt. A good funny film. Michael Cera does the same job as he ever does with the awkward geeky guy character. The film is about the pursuit of a geek in pursuit of attaining his virginity with a fit girl he meets whilst he is on holiday, not the most original story. In order to get the girl he becomes an alter ego called Francois an uber cool french student who smokes ciggarettes and is as rebellious as they come who makes our loveable geek, Nick Twisp, win the girl of his dreams.

this is enjoyable enough stuff, it does get a little surreal at points when the alter ego first appears, but this keeps you on your toes and keeps the film from falling complete;y into the forgetable teen virginity losing rom-com bracket. good fun.

3 stars

Invictus

oh dear, oh dear. old Clint Eastwood, directing Morgan Freeman in a bio-pic about the great Nelson Mandela. should have been awesome - Oscar gold. its a shame then that they didn't choose a part of his life that had any relevance whatsoever. When you think of Nelson Mandela i can guarantee that you don't think of the rugby world cup in 1995, why then did they choose to make a film of this part of his life is beyond me - it's not like the Mandela is lacking in any interesting other parts in his life. the film ambles along trying to make it all grandeur and emotional but in the end there is nothing to it, its a film about an old man following a rugby team winning a few games. the script is clunky and overdone, spelling everything out, subtlety it seems, did not exist in post apartheid South Africa.

such a shame, a biopic directed by eastwood about one of the greatest men alive today should have been great at the very least good. i'll give it two stars just because the Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman do very well with very limited source material.

2 stars