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

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

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

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

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.