May 2012
3 posts
1 tag
Film Review: "The Raid" (2012)
The Raid has proved a difficult film to pass judgement on. It is in no way a bad film and it is, moreover, one of the better action films of recent cinematic efforts and far outstrips anything such as the recent Jason Statham release, Safe, for example; that film was just a rehash of multiple other action pictures but delivered with one tenth of the quality.
In The Raid writer/director Gareth...
3 tags
Film Review: "How I Spent My Summer Vacation"...
How I Spent My Summer Vacation is a return to form for many things. It’s a return to form for the action genre, unapologetic onscreen violence, dark black humour, simple and straightforward storytelling, and most encouragingly of all, for Mel Gibson. The film is one of the most refreshing I’ve seen this year, and it’s all about something which is increasingly missing in films as the years go on;...
2 tags
Film Review: "Safe" (2012)
The all-out action movie is dead, we all know this. The Mission: Impossible, Bond and Bourne series are spy films, the Transformers series is based on a cartoon and toy series, and the Fast and Furious series is… an anomaly. Gone are the days when cops chased drug dealers and everything went BOOM along the way, and I for one miss that. I would, however, prefer action films never to be made...
April 2012
4 posts
2 tags
Film Review: "The Avengers" (2012)
The Avengers is not a great film. It is at best an average summer blockbuster.
I want to make my opinions clear from the very beginning of this review because I know there are many, many people who will not agree with most or all of the criticism I have for the film. This is my personal opinion and I will back up my criticisms where possible.
Firstly, I love films based on comic book characters...
3 tags
Film Review: "The Cabin In The Woods" (2011)
THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW.
There are some film trailers which give too much away, and there are some which do not entice you to find out more. The trailer for The Cabin In The Woods trailer should not be seen by anyone wanting to see the film, and moreover the less you know the better your enjoyment of the film will be. The film itself, however, should be seen by everyone interested in...
1 tag
Film Review: "Battleship" (2012)
Battleship is not a good film. There is no way in which I can ever say this is anything other than utter tripe, inspired by films just as bad and just as senseless. Aside from the terrible script, plot, acting, and complete lack of comprehension the real problem with Battleship is that there could have been a half decent popcorn picture in there somewhere, had the filmmakers attempted some degree...
2 tags
Film Review: "Wrath Of The Titans" (2012)
There’s not much to say when reviewing a film such as Wrath Of The Titans; it’s a sequel no one wanted but was financed off the back of a surprisingly successful first entry, the same of which can be said for countless other sequels. Simply put, if you didn’t mind, or even liked, 2010’s Clash Of The Titans, then you might not hate Wrath. If, however, you hated Clash, then stay well away of this...
March 2012
4 posts
1 tag
Film Review: "The Hunger Games" (2012)
This is a film review, not a book review. I’ve not read any of The Hunger Games novels and, moreover, I have absolutely no interest in reading them now that I’ve seen the film. If they are as average as this film, I’ll stay far away.
It’s been three days since I saw The Hunger Games and it has fallen drastically in my opinion of it. Upon reflection there is nothing new here; the main story is a...
Film Review: "21 Jump Street" (2012)
The churning out of yet another unwanted and needless remake of an 80s TV show continues this week with 21 Jump Street. The show is pretty much only remembered for being the launch for Johnny Depp’s career but you need know nothing about the show if you intend on seeing this as the film-makers have taken a familiar title and that is where similarities end. If you are intent on seeing the film,...
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Film Review: "Carnage" (2011)
Two married middle class couples having a constant argument for 80 minutes may not sound like a barrel of laughs, but that is the concept of Roman Polanski’s latest film comedy, Carnage. It is, however, a very funny film largely due to a razor-sharp script and four fantastic performances.
When Nancy and Alan Cowan (Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) arrive at the luxury New York apartment of...
4 tags
Film Review: "Safe House" (2012)
Let’s face it; action movies are not what they used to be. I’m referring to out-and-out action movies, not the spy genre where the James Bonds and Mission: Impossible are filed, but the likes of Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, The Last Boyscout, Schwarzenegger and Stallone. Sadly, it’s a dying breed with only lightweight imitations such as the Fast and Furious seriesor Jason Statham conveyor belt of...
February 2012
5 posts
2 tags
Film Review: "Chronicle" (2012)
Every year comes a few films from which the trailer does no justice at all, yet turn out to be far better than anyone expected. Chronicle looked to me like a superhero film for the Twilight generation but after some positive reviews from my trusted sources I decided to take a trip and see it at the cinema. This will go down as the surprise hit of 2012 and may end up being one of the year’s best...
3 tags
Film Review: "Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance"...
I must start this review by saying I’m a fan of the 2007 Ghost Rider. It was big budget, had great effects, was both dark and humorous, and saw Nicolas Cage take on the role he clearly loved. Sure, the story was hampered by a lack of a good villain and perhaps too much backstory before the Rider is unleashed, but for a second-tier comic book movie, it hit the mark. And by second-tier, I...
1 tag
Film Review: "A Dangerous Method" (2011)
Director David Cronenberg’s career has taken a different path over the last decade; gone are the low budget bodyshock horrors of Rabid, The Brood, and Scanners of the 1980s and with 1996’s Crash, he made one of the most controversial films of all time but with it brought a new audience – myself being one of them. Cronenberg continued to explore the darker side of the human psyche with Spider in...
1 tag
Film Review: "The Muppets" (2011)
For sheer entertainment value, you don’t get anything better than The Muppets. From their TV origins on Sesame Street to their big screen features such as The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Christmas Carol, everyone who can call themselves human loves these furry creatures. If you don’t, then you’re heart is made of stone and your soul belongs in Hell. OK? Good.
So, it is a great pleasure for me to...
1 tag
DVD Review: 'Perfect Sense' (2011)
The first thing to go is our sense of smell. Then we start to cry uncontrollably. Then an insatiable hunger as our sense of taste disappears.
In Perfect Sense, the question of ‘what makes us human’ is asked as a mysterious virus begins to infect the world and take away our senses, and no one is safe. Are we defined by what we hear, see, smell, taste, and touch? Could we love and connect with...
January 2012
4 posts
1 tag
Film Review: "Coriolanus" (2011)
William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus might not be the most famous of his plays, and certainly isn’t, in my opinion, as loved in popular culture as Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, or Much Ado About Nothing; I was surprised, then, when I saw it was to be brought to the big screen in a modern day setting. With Kenneth Branagh (the usual go-to guy for Shakespeare adaptations) making a...
2 tags
Film Review: "War Horse" (2011)
The poster for War Horse tells us that horse and boy are ‘Separated by war. Tested by battle. Bound by friendship’. So why is it that even the Greatest Film Maker of All Time™ can’t make us care for either boy or horse, or any other character appearing over the course of 2 and a half hours?
War Horse has it’s problem rooted in three areas:
1. The story is far too...
1 tag
Film Review: "The Artist" (2011)
Modern audience may struggle to realise the medium they are watching at the multiplex started without the aid of spoken words and only a musical score to accompany the picture. Sadly, some won’t have even seen a film in black and white. The Artist is both silent and black and white, and even filmed in 1.33:1 aspect ratio. To those not familiar with aspect ratios, 1.33:1 means (in crude...
1 tag
Film Review: "Haywire" (2012)
Steven Soderbergh is many things. He is one of the most pioneering directors of digital filmmaking working today and he can squeeze every penny out of a small or large budget. His frames are always interesting, his colour pallet vivid and striking, and he never allows himself to be mundane or obvious strives to challenge himself with new and fresh material, with the ‘Ocean’ trilogy...
December 2011
5 posts
Top 10 Best Films of 2011
2011 didn’t produce an overwhelming number of truely great films, but ironically it did feature the best film I’ve ever seen at the cinema in 24 years. Having said that, compiling a top 10 was still difficult, and here are some notable titles which just missed out on the final cut:
Kill List
X-Men: First Class
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
...
Top 10 Worst Films of 2011
This year saw some new lows for any desernablle film lover. Needless sequels to awful originals, pointless comicbook adaptations, and comedies lacking in the basic department; namely to make us laugh. So, here is the list of the very worst films of 2011 ranked in order of awfulness:
#10: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Straight in at number 10 having only opened with 2 weeks of the year...
Film Review: "Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows"...
This sequel to the 2009 hit is so pathetically sub-standard and boring, I’m not going to waste my time or yours in writing a long review and analysis on why this should be the last time Guy Ritchie gets within 100 feet of a movie camera. All production companies and film fans should take out a restraining order against him.
It is over-long, nonsensical, loud, grey, and has one successful laugh...
Film Review: "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"...
Ah, the Hollywood remake. Often maligned by anyone who’s seen the original film on which Hollywood has taken upon itself to remake for 100 times the original’s budget, they can be hit and miss. But this is David Fincher and he directed Se7en and Zodiac, so The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is bound to be an improvement… Right?
Let’s look at this film from two different angles; as a remake of...
3 tags
Film Review: "Mission: Impossible - Ghost...
Simply put, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is this year’s best action picture and delivers everything you could ask from a non-stop, thrill-ride of a blockbuster. Let me tell you why.
The key to the film success (of which there are many) is the energy and pure spectacle of what we are watching. Director Brad Bird (of Pixar fame) handles his first live-action feature with a clear...
November 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Film Review: "Justice" (2011)
Season Of The Witch. A new low.
Drive Angry. Pitiful.
Trespass. A travesty of talent gone to waste.
And now comes the fourth film from Nicolas Cage this year, Justice. The good news is that it’s the best of his four films this year. The bad news is, it’s still sub-standard and a long way off of anything resembling what Nicolas Cage is worthy of.
The plot is simple; Cage plays...
Film Review: "The Rum Diary" (2011)
In the 13 years that have passed since Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Johnny Depp’s career has hit new heights, but the quality of film has not always matched the box office numbers which have cemented him in the A-List. The Pirates of the Caribbean series, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice In Wonderland were all mammoth hits, but despite the majority of opinions, I have never liked Depp...
October 2011
5 posts
2 tags
Trailer Analysis: Mission: Impossible - Ghost...
If you haven’t already seen the latest trailer, shame on you. See it here and read on: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810179899/video/27082832
An overview of M:I-GP (as I’m calling it) trailer 2 would be that it subscribes to a typical trailer format; it starts with some plot exposition and quickly hits the mark of fast edits covering the cast so we know all the faces involved, and...
3 tags
Film Review: "Trespass" (2011)
Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage. Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman. Two of my favourite stars together in the same film; when I first heard of this production, I was hyped from the very beginning. Admittedly, Cage’s choice of film roles have been hit and miss over the past few years (to put it mildly), but I’ll watch anything with him in, and, add to that, Kidman choose the...
2 tags
Film Review: "Midnight In Paris" (2011)
Woody Allen’s latest film shows all the hallmarks of classic Woody Allen fare (and that in itself is no bad thing); a neurotic leading character who writes for a living, a relationship on the brink of collapse, a know-it-all male rival, a younger female interest, families with money, and, of course, a beautiful jazz score. This time round Owen Wilson plays the character Allen would have...
2 tags
Film Review: "Drive" (2011)
Much had been made of Drive before it was released in cinemas due to its notoriety in film festivals culminating in a standing ovation at Cannes, and the Best Director award going to Nicolas Winding Refn*. The film is many things, all of them very good, but somewhat short of the ‘masterpiece’ some have heralded it as. In 2011 though, it is easily one of the year’s best by far...
3 tags
Film Review: "Red State" (2011)
‘Written and Directed by Kevin Smith’. Six words that should cause fear and panic in the minds of any sane person having seen the last film Kevin Smith directed, Cop Out. Smith’s last film was a cataclysmically bad ‘comedy’, the only use of which should be for the police to show to criminals to get a confession from them. Waterboarding would be a preference over...
September 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Film Review: "Fright Night" (2011)
Straight away I want to say this is one of the year’s worst films. And hereby follows a rant about why it should have a stake driven through its heart.
The original Fright Night was released in 1985, and has always been one of my favourite horror films as it took a new angle on the vampire genre, and added an injection of fun and adventure to the mix. It was fairly low budget with no...
Film Review: "The Panic In Needle Park" (1971)
The Panic In Needle Park is an eminently watchable film on a depressing and dark subject. The film sets its tone from the very start and never falters for a moment; as the credits role over a black screen, we hear the sound of a New York subway carriage and the voices of the passengers and staff announcing the stops. The sense of foreboding danger we feel is from just hearing these sounds, not...
August 2011
6 posts
2 tags
Film Review: "The Skin I Live In" (2011)
The Skin I Live In is a masterfully created piece of film making. Part thriller, part revenge story, part romance, the film is a study on psychosexual development, gender changing, sexual identity, and the inner person; i.e. who we are beneath the skin which surrounds us.
The aim of my reviews is not to regurgitate a film’s plot and all of its twist and turns, but to tell you why or why...
1 tag
Film Review: "The Guard" (2011)
The Guard is an small, off-beat film that works well as a comedy, but not so well in other departments. It plays like a cross between Bad Lieutenant and In Bruges, but set in small town Ireland, which gives the film its charm and originality, but it feels like one joke stretched over 90 minutes, and this is its downfall.
First and foremost, however, it is a comedy and because of this the film...
4 tags
Film Review: "Cowboys and Aliens" (2011)
Cowboys and Aliens. Now there’s a high concept movie title if I ever heard one. There are cowboys. There are aliens. And that’s pretty much it. But here is one summer blockbuster that doesn’t try to be overly complicated with a simple concept, yet doesn’t surrender its integrity by dumbing down to usual CGI mindless fare.
Cowboys and Aliens is a film you either go along...
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Film Review: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"...
The success of Rise of the Planet of the Apes hangs in the balance of its CGI to an extent which most summer movies do not. The believability of the apes to the audience is absolutely key to this film’s credibility, and no actor, be it James Franco or John Lithgow, can do anything to save it if it fails.
Thankfully, the motion capture technology on display through this film’s 105...
Film Review: "Captain America: The First Avenger"...
In a summer schedule which has been jam-packed full of sequels, reboots, animation, and comic book tales, some films just blend into one another and you forget them as soon as the credits roll. After the lacklustre Thor and the diabolical Green Lantern you may be forgiven in thinking that the latest Marvel hero to come to our screens, Captain America, will suffer the same fate.
It...
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Film Review: "Super 8" (2011)
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS….
Before we started, let’s get one thing straight. There is no ‘new’ or ‘next’ Steven Spielberg in Hollywood today. Spielberg is a unique talent and a unique film maker. Along with the Lucas, Coppola, Zemeckis, he created the summer blockbuster as we know it now - films which open in the summer months and are much hyped and...
July 2011
4 posts
3 tags
Film Review: "Horrible Bosses" (2011)
It’s ‘average new comedy’ time this weekend with the release of Horrible Bosses. Although it doesn’t break any new boundaries in terms of script, plot, or gags, it is funny throughout and worth seeing on DVD if not at the cinema.
The plot is simple. Jason Bateman works for slave-driver Kevin Spacey; Charlie Day is sexually harassed by his boss Jennifer Aniston (boohoo, I...
5 tags
Film Review: "The Tree Of Life" (2011)
Terrence Malick directed his first feature film, Badlands, in 1973 and subsequently has made only four films since then. Each is a masterpiece of film making, and I am very happy to say The Tree of Life is no exception. Quite possibly, it is his most important and most heartbreakingly beautiful film to date.
Let me summarise the plot before I begin to explain why this is not only the best film...
3 tags
Film Review: "The Conspirator" (2011)
Director Robert Redford takes the story of the conspiracy to kill, and subsequent murder of President Abraham Lincoln and expertly creates a courtroom drama in his latest film, The Conspirator.
Set shortly after the Civil War, the film tells the story of Mary Surratt, a Southern woman who ran a boarding house where several of the men (including the eventual assassin John Wilkes Booth) met and...
3 tags
Film Review: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"...
Some films are poor. Some films are weak. Some films are terrible. Some films are atrocious. Then there is Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
Before I list the reasons why this film is so utterly appalling, let me list the positives first: The 8 minutes sequence where a skyscraper topples over is outstanding and one of the best sequences director Michael Bay has delivered in his career to date.
...
June 2011
4 posts
2 tags
The Essential Films of... Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is unlike any other leading man in Hollywood. His films choices are anything but ‘safe’ and he doesn’t choose the same predictable, boring characters time after time. His films are undeniably hit and miss, and his last few pictures have not done his talent any justice.
However, true Cage fans know he is much more than Season of the Witch, Bangkok Dangerous, and...
2 tags
The Essential Films of... Tom Cruise
In a career spanning over 25 years, Tom Cruise has been one of the top grossing stars at the global box office throughout the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, with his films topping $2.8 billion in worldwide ticket sales. He became the first actor in history to star in five films to consecutively gross $100 million or more at the US box office. He reached iconic status long ago and has a career and...
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Film Review: "Green Lantern" (2011)
You know a film is in trouble when, after ten opening minutes of exposition narrative presented over average CGI images, you’re still none the wiser as to what is going on. Worse still, if the audience’s interest begins waning because what is being shown is so hurriedly put together in a mad rush to get the main story going, you know the following 90 minutes have really got to be...
2 tags
Film Review: "X-Men: First Class" (2011)
On the scale of comic-book movies, I am happy to say X-Men: First Class is nearer the top (well, top of the middle) than down amongst the dreadful efforts of Thor, Iron Man 2, and The Incredible Hulk.
I say ‘happy’ because the number of big-budget, high profile cinema releases which fail to deliver seems to increase year on year. We’ve already had to endure the lifeless Thor,...
May 2011
4 posts
1 tag
Film Review: "The Hangover Part II" (2011)
Do you remember The Hangover from 2009? The surprise smash-hit where four friends go to Vegas for a stag-do, only to wake up the next day not remembering a thing? It was fresh, fast-paced, original, and most of all funny. Because that’s what a comedy is supposed to be.
It appears that, alongside the 2009 release, director Todd Phillips conducted an experiment - “What if we made the...
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