127 Hours

wow. this is an immersive experience of a film.

James Franco puts in a solid performance as Aron Rolston, the guy who chopped off his own arm in a desert. the real star of this film though, is Danny Boyle himself. the visual flair and camerwork is brilliant and eye catching. it's like taking all of the colourful visual flashes that you have seen in his earlier films such as trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire - and now he's made a complete film with them. and it works and suits the story, and Boyle takes us on a ride that is nothing short of exhilirating.

As for a complete film though, it doesn't make a classic. the story is simple and everyone knows it. this is not the fault of the filmakers, but just a fact. Although Boyle does his very best to make it a full story led film it just doesn't quite get there and remains a visual experience rather than a film. i understand that not all films need a story etc, and the journey Franco goes on is a dramatic one, there just isnt quite enough to keep us fulfilled.

visually stunning, but needs that tiny bit more.

4 stars

Season of the Witch

what an absolute bucket load of shite.

how this got to screen is beyond me. Someone must have read this and thought - yeah thats a good film lets make it. they must be demented.

it is so frustrating to see nicolas cage after years of crap movies going on to make genuinely good films like Kick-Ass and Bad Lieutenant with brilliant performances to only go ahead and make this tripe.

the cast is actually quite good but all are awful in this. but its the script that is the real stinker. it is just awful.

so bad that i refuse to write or waste any more of my life on it.

0 stars

The Way Back

So apparently this is based on a novel of a true story. thought there are rumours flying everywhere about the fact that the story might not actually be true, and has been embellished for dramatic purposes. either way this is an epic Peter Weir film and it looks great.

it is also a great vehicle for Jim Sturgess who plays Janusz one of a group of Polish soldiers who escape a Siberian prisoner of war camp and then decide to walk to India, with no provisions. those who are more geographically aware will realise this is just shy of approximately 6000 km (3500 miles). basically its a long bloody way.

Peter Weir makes some brave and bold decisions during the film, he skips over plot points that other directors would make set pieces. the most obvious of these is the initial escape, we see the initial idea and then before we know it they are outside, we see nothing. whilst it was a little jolting to begin with it actually makes a refreshing difference, the film is more about the actual journey they make and Weir does not get caught up with the sentimental elements too much. when he does they are poignant striking and not overdone which is a relief.

a problem i have with the film is the end. after what is an epic tale of survival over a gruelling terrain. all delicately told, the end just feels out of place and awkward, SPOLIER ALERT Janusz walks back into his old house about twenty years later as an old man and lo and behold there is his wife just sitting there and they have a hug. it didnt need it, and to know that he survived was enough.

one other issue is the age old problems in Hollywood films. in that they are pretty much all polish. but they all speak to each other in english. in dodgy polish accents. odd.

Weir has told an epic sprawling tale with deft and articulate talent though.

4 stars

Love and Other Drugs

there is a lot more nudity in this film than i was expecting. which is obviously a good thing!

first up it seems to me this has been advertised as some kind of jolly rom-com, the sort you would find Jennifer Aniston in. the trailer, the TV spots and the poster all gear it towards some kind of jolly romp. In fact this is a romance drama, a potentially tragic one at that, the comedy is not the rom-com kind, but instead small jokes delicately placed in an absorbing love story.

set a few years back during the birth of viagra it tells the story of two good looking young pups, Gyllenhall and Hathaway both of whom like sex, and have it a lot with a lo of different people, of course they meet have sex and fall for each other. what follows is their arguments with each other and with themselves about the their feelings, made all the more complicated due to her Parkinsons condition and his job as a drug salesman.

it is a touching portrait of love in undeniably difficult circumstances. and the performances from the leads give real touching meaning and depth to the roles, and by the time you get to the finale you find yourself willing them to make the right decisions.

i cant help but find myself hoping also that this film will help the conservative religious doctrines of America sit up and think about stem cell research in order to find a real cure for Parkinsons, especially during a part in the film where we see sufferers openly talking and making humour of this debilitating condition.

A powerful film, sentimental but not too much.

4 stars

Best Films of 2010

I've got to say I think I preferred last years best films (2009), but here are what I think are the best films of 2010 (in no order).

1. The Social Network - Gripping tale of how facebook was made. Poke.

2. Scott Pilgrim vs the World - Probably my favourite film of the year, think I saw it in the cinema 3 times and have it on it's way to me on bluray. Awesome, shows how being true to a source when adapting the film with turn out more awesome.

3. KickAss - great film, could have been more faithful to the comic tho.

4. Toy Story 3 - Pixar does it again, you can make a good sequel. Also a real tear jeaker.

5. Inception - Dreams with in Dreams... check out South Parks take on this film. Very similar to Shutter Island tho. And both feature Leo.

6. Four Lions - Should have been bigger. Such a funny film from the maker of Brasseye.

7. Shutter Island - Masterpiece from Scorsese.

8. How to Train your Dragon - Fun film.

9. Love & Other Drugs

10. Hot Tub Timemachine - Because any film involving time travel is cool.