New Film Blog

Review for Hanna

2011-05-11T03:02:00.000-07:00

Interest grew for Hannah after the news that director Joe Wright (director of Atonement) was set to film the script by Seth Lockhad and David Farr and that The Chemical Brothers were set to record a soundtrack for the first time in their career. After some slow burners the British film-maker has done in the past, he has finally steps up to direct something fast paced and fun.

In the snow covered wilderness of Finland lives ex-spy Erik (Eric Banna) and his young daughter Hanna (Saoirse Ronan). At the beginning of the movie we see the super kid Hanna, take down a wild dear bringing back memories of the recently popular young girls kicking ass crossed with a Luc Besson movie. This sets the tone as the story develops into a chase movie. The reason for their hidden location is made clear to Hanna upon Erik asking if she is “ready”? For reasons unknown to us at first, Hanna is being haunted by some government headed by Marissa (Cate Blanchett) who is looking to capture and dispose of her. As the race begins we see Hanna traverse different continents in a classic secret agent style which has been simplified for younger audiences.

Despite Hanna appearing to be another James Bond for kids it is more a cross between the Bourn trilogy and Besson’s Nakita. The film does over all feel like a simple, non-Parisian Besson film on the whole which is one of its likable qualities. Whilst the quick cuts do thrill on the most part, Cate Blanchett does another great performance as the OCD government boss who has more character then a lot of super spy badies we see now a days and even though Eric Banna disappears for some part of the movie his role is interesting enough to keep audiences entertained.

Also surprisingly for an action adventure, director Joe Wright does include a lot of poetic shots which work well. The director whose previous movies, Atonement, Pride & Prejudice as well as The Soloist have all been at the very least visually impressive, and Hanna is no exception.

The movies biggest floor is one which could have been dramatically shortened and would have had a better effect over the film. The part I am referring too happens to be that of the travelling British family who hang onto the action in the movie like a bad smell which won’t leave. Now at first it is easy to see that their obnoxious daughter Sophie (Jessica Barden) is suppose to be the contrast to Hannah as we see a normal girl compared to this outrageous killing machine that Hanna is. However in the end they just entertain the hordes of young audiences.

Over all Hanna is an enjoyable movie. Despite some setbacks with the family, the movie is both visually entertaining as well as adding a touch of Bourne to keep the action fresh. But don’t get me wrong, there is very little in it that is original but with the Chemical Brother’s fast beats the movie transcends more than most spy action thrillers.

Trailer

* * *

Review for Thor

2011-05-09T03:00:00.000-07:00

For comic book geeks, the horizon looks very bright as comic book adaptations are beginning to be taken a bit more seriously after the recent success. With the unknowing success of Jon Favreau’s two Iron Man movies, Marvel Studio’s are heading to bigger names with both the Thor and Captain America movies lined up for this summer. The first of this summer is Kenneth Branagh’s high anti superhero flick before we get to experience Captain America: The First Avenger this June.

As the movie begins we meet Jane Foster (Natilie Portman) an enthusiastic (to say the least ) astrophysicist with her mentor Erik (Stellan Skarsgård) and the ironically unfunny comic relief Darcey (Kat Dennings) as they are searching for a cosmic occurrence which is unlike anything they’ve seen. What soon follows in the wake of it all is the discovery of a mysterious man they hit with their truck. The movie then truly begins at Oden (Anthony Hopkins) gets the audience up to day on a brewing war between Asgard and the Ice Giants. At first we see Thor as a war hungry warrior with little regard for life but between the squabbling with brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and the arrogant behaviour, Oden is finally left with banishing Thor to Earth in order to prove himself.

First thing to say about Thor is that you get everything you wanted (which I don’t mean in a good way). It is another dumb comic book movie with little real characters and very little staying power. Unlike The Dark Knight or Road to Perdition, which had a lot of character even though it was adapted material, Thor feels very safe and family friendly. It is understandable seeing how the budget was through the roof, however Branagh original vision was for Thor to be an art movie and it is hard to imagine what a movie like Thor would have been like in an art house cinema.

Whilst being completely stupid one moment, the movie is actually enjoyable in parts. Despite the heavy expository dialogue which is needed to keep the audience up to speed, when the movie is set on Earth everything feels very dumbed down. One moment we see an interesting story set in a fairly interesting world of Asgard only to be ironically disappointed like Thor himself when sent to Earth. It almost becomes a tease after we see impressive sets such as God-like halls and beautiful (but artificial) vistas only to going to middles of Arizona with annoying mortals. This is a problem when all the Earth sections equal up to roughly forty percent of the movie, and during that time the audience is left wondering what is happening in Asgard rather than the action on screen.

The story on Earth does potter along and grow more appealing towards the end after some unsurprising twists and turns as the two world merge. With the odd unfunny joke and a un-amusing racist remark (you’ll know it when you hear it) the film does take itself a little too seriously as S.H.E.I.L.D, who look like a bunch of idiots, attempt to look ‘cool’ in front of the superheroes. And with the comic book references and nods to The Avengers movie, fans of the source material will enjoy looking out for all the little secrets which does make the movie more appealing.

It is strange seeing a now prestigious actress such as Natalie Portman (after the recent award season) take a role so easy as Jane the one dimensional character but it is her co-star Kat Dennings who takes the award for being one of the most truly annoying on screen appearance in cinema this year (and after Nick & Noah’s Infinite Playlist she is turning out to be an very obnoxious actress). Chris Hemsworth (who was last seen in Star Trek) does a believable job as the God of Thunder and appears to have fun with it. Along with him Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Idris Elba as Heimdall the movie is redeemed and pulled together.

Apart from some stupid set scenes and boring action sequences, the scenes in Asgard do revive the movie and make it worth a watch. Marvel fans will go on multiply viewings but they will be alone with a lot of the children audiences as the movie only asks for the one viewing before Marvel Studio’s next summer blow up Captain America: The First Avenger.

Trailer

* * *

Review for Sucker Punch

2011-04-05T03:28:00.000-07:00

After adapting material from great writers and director’s such as Frank Miller, Anal Moore and George A. Romero, the 300 director Zack Snyder is back for his first film from a none established source in the seemingly beautiful Sucker Punch. This being Snyder’s fifth film and third screenplay you would have thought he’d be competent enough to whip up at least a half decent movie. However this is not the case as instead he throws up this childish dribble.

Set at an undisclosed time, the story begins with a nameless character (Emily Browning) going through difficulties at home as her abusive father torments her and her sister after the death of her mother. Shortly after this nameless character is sent to an insane asylum come night club after she is blamed for the death of her little sister.

When at the asylum, she receives the nickname Babydoll as she finds that dancing is taught to the patients to help them overcome their troubles. However Babydoll is special (why wouldn’t she be), when she begins to dance she begins to enter a world of her imagination where she has to defeat some generic obstacles such as dragons, Nazi zombies, robots and so on. Babydoll is quick to realises that she can paralyse men when they watch her dance and she begins to form a simplistic and naïve plan to escape from the power crazy owner Blue (Oscar Isaacs) before the doctor arrives to lobotomise her in a few days time. With the help of a few other inmates such as Rocket (Jena Malone), her uptight sister Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), the ironically named Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and the unfortunately boringly named Amber (Jamie Chung) they set out to collect four various item which in some way will aid their escape.

In quite a surprising turn Snyder, who has made some good pieces of work, has out done himself as Sucker Punch is one of the most stupid and insipid movies you’ll see this year. The terrible plot is covered by flashy fight scenes which resample an anime sooner than a comic book. The visuals are quite impressive but I falls flat as the context is so preposterous it’s ridicules. The thought that when a character dances she fights generic looking robot is so contradictory it just makes it feel as if Snyder has no respect for dancing and replaces it with a twelve year olds wet dream.

When watching the movie it’s hard not to notice the portrayal of both sexes which Snyder puts forward. If it wasn’t offensive enough to cast only beautiful women from different cultures (one for everyone) who blame men for all the evil in the world, the men in the movie are at times so blinded by their penis’ that they boil down to nothing more than dumb fifties archetypes of a manly men. The machismo is through the roof like the skimpy outfits the women wear when running around the imaginative world. It seems Snyder was aiming more for Sin City in tone then his last audience splitter Watchmen.

Then when you begin to see the characters more clearly you begin to realise that none of the girls are even slightly insane. It isn’t made clear if this is an intentional One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest similarity but it seems it’s more down to a bad script. But that obviously isn’t where the criticism on the script ends. A lot of things are so contrived in the script such as the insane asylum come club (which is more a whore house) who’s workers only gain a sense of morality towards the end after some futile sacrifices and murders of the patients.

The only redeeming fact is that some of the antigravity like fight scenes are impressive which doesn’t compliment Snyder as it does the fight choreographer. The stylish sword swinging as well as the artificial visuals which looks to be mostly green screen do make the film worth seeing but audiences will become restless and soon bored of the subtle distraction to a very flawed movie.

With all it’s flash visuals and smooth choreography, Sucker Punch is nothing more the a horrendous pop corn movie. The film will sell tickets though and audiences will feel cheated as the advertisement promised a better movie all round. All that is left is an immature portrait of mental health which merges into a twelve year olds wet dream. It’s uninspiring and boring. It appears that the genre for a character who deals with troubles in an insane asylum (ala Girl Interpreted, I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Ok) is over as it has become as cut and paste as the last film.

Trailer

* *

Review for SUBMARINE

2011-03-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Was it just me or did most people grow up believing in the back of their minds that they where the stars of their own movie? For the sixteen year old Oliver Tate this happens to be the case, as the lead character in Richard Ayoade’s new feature debut Submarine, based on the book by Joe Dunthone. The movie which played at a number of film festivals has been picking up speed since its debut at Sundance, and has proven a success in both the UK as well as the US as the Weinstein Brother’s have picked it up for one million dollars.

Set in Swansea, in an undisclosed time period the movie follows Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) an over-thinking adolescent whose biggest worries are keeping his parents Jill (Sally Hawkins) and Lloyd (Noah Taylor) dying marriage together, whilst trying to woo an anti-romantic girl in his class Jordana (Yasmin Paige). For Oliver it appears he is having a sort of mid-life crisis (even at the young age of sixteen) as he pulls all the strings of his life together, but on the arrival of new next door neighbour Graham (Paddy Constantine), an old flame of his mother’s, Oliver’s depressed dad begins to lose interest in saving the marriage which proves harder then he first expected.

Submarine is the story of a boy trying to grow up before his time. Whilst attempting to keep his family life together, he bullies the easy target at school to impress Jordana. His almost selfish tendencies do become comical as he imagines the repercussions of his death whilst bored in school. The dark subjects of the movie are made comical whilst keeping the respect they deserve, which is shown in one scene as a timid Oliver sits uncomfortably eating dinner around Jordana’s house as the family cry over the possible death of Jordana’s mother after being diagnosed with cancer.

The film has also been compared to the works of Wes Anderson and Francis Truffaut and it is easy to see why as the film holds its heart on its sleeve. Its kooky edge will be appealing to some but annoying to others who aren’t so much a fan of American Indie cinema or the French New Wave, however the film is extremely funny in a way that will please all.

Richard Ayoade (whose popularity arose whilst he played Moss in The IT Crowd as well as Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace) really has done an impressive job as the film looks timeless whilst mixing in 16mm footage of Oliver and Jordana’s blossoming love. Accompanying the two naïve teenagers is a soundtrack by Arctic Monkey’s lead Alex Turner, which is a slow and gentle collection of melancholy tunes which is worth listening to outside of the movie. This all adds to a film about young love which many of us expected and wanted all the while, consistent with the theme of girls growing up faster then boys.

All in all Submarine is an unbelievably cool and funny British flick which has a lot of staying power. The funny moments are highlighted by the artistic visuals and witty voiceover of an adolescent teenager fighting to grow up, much like Jim in Rebel without a Cause. The film is likely to entertain all, even though nods to Rohmer, Truffaut and Anderson will fly over most audiences’ heads.

* * * *

Trailer

Review for Norwegian Wood

2011-03-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

Adaptations are never an easy task, at one point you’ll always upset a die hard fan in one way or another. Luckily for Norwegian Wood’s director Anh Hung Tran, this isn’t the case. The only problem is that fans of the original source will enjoy its pace and mood, whilst others might be left slightly bored.

Based on the famous Japanese book by Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood tells the story of Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama), a student in 60s Tokyo who falls in love with his dead best friend’s girlfriend Naoko (Rinko Kikuchi) as they attempt to over come their shared tragedy. However as depression and teen angst sets in, so does Naoko’s mental illness, forcing her to leave Tokyo. In this time Wantanabe meets free-spirited girl Midori (Kiko Mizuhara) in his class who is a light in the dark tunnel of his life.

The first problem the movie has is its slow nature. However this is a conscious factor that the director clearly wanted for the movie. Long shots of the beautiful Japanese meadows are littered throughout, juxtaposed with close intermit shots inside Japanese flats. The melancholic pace the film has might bore some audiences and entertain others who are used to it. The film clocks in at over two hours keeping in all the importing quirks the book has which fans will latch onto, such as the character of Storm Trooper (Tokio Emoto).

The slow pace is also thrown in with a lot of silent sections which almost makes the content we are watching awkward, as if we are intruders on their lives. This isn’t a fault; this makes the audience feel more involved in the movie as we see Watanabe’s struggles with growing up. When the soundtrack is present its orchestral numbers and electric tunes (done by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood) are mixed in with songs from the time period such as The Doors. These give it an authentic feel and set it in its time period.

Even though the Vietnam-born director couldn’t speak Japanese, Rinko Kikuchi (who received an Oscar nomination for her flawless performance in Babel) steals the show as the mentally fragile Naoko. The movie is really at its high point when we are with Naoko and drops when Kiko Mizuhara plays an awkward Midori whose playful edge (which is present in the book) is slightly downplayed. Kenichi Matsuyama performance as Watanabe may look dull on the outside but actually hits the nail on the head as he is witness to a world changing around him which he can’t seem to do anything about.

Norwegian Wood is a near perfect adaption of an amazing book. The film has a personal feel from the director which people get when reading a Murakami book. All the little traits and jokes from the book happened to make it in which will entertain some audiences but confuses and bore many others however Anh Hung Tran’s beautiful visuals and believable characters already has it’s audiences as the movie is playing on limited screens.

Trailer

* * * *

Review for Rango

2011-03-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

When you look at a directors back catalogue, such as Gore Verbinski’s, and see the trash they’ve spewed, it’s finally nice to see something off worth and merit shine through. The Pirates of the Caribbean director is back with Johnny Depp in a story of destiny that will have Pixar shaking in it’s boots.

Rango tells the story of a lonesome but charming chameleon (Johnny Depp) who after a literal bump in the road is forced to survive in the harsh climates of the Mojave Desert. Before long he meets Roadkill (Alfred Molina) a mysterious travelling Armadillo who points him on his journey. After some psychogenic trips in the desert our charismatic hero finds himself in the town of Dirt and after some confrontation in the local bar becomes a character he creates named Rango. After taking care of one of many of the towns problems, Rango is promoted to town Sherriff where in he begins to discover the mystery of where all the towns’ water has disappeared to.

As to be expected along the way there is betrayal and redemption which all add up into a somewhat generic story similar to this years terrible action movie The Warrior’s Way, however adds elements from other movies such as Chinatown and A Fistful of Dollars to make it shine.

And that’s really all the negative thinks you can say about the movie. The animated visuals done by Industrial Light & Magic (which is a division of Lucas Arts) are the easily one of the best that’s been seen in the cinema, hands down. Where Pixar balances it’s content with beautiful visuals, Rango’s visuals are heavily impressive with a easy going plot. The detail on the many verities of animals and environments is impressing and leaves the audience in awe.

The voice work by celebrated actors such as Bill Nighy, Ray Winstone and Ned Beatty is on top form with Johnny Depp stealing the show (which was needed after the travesty that was The Tourist). The film will play to both children as well as adults as there are references to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as well as Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy.

Rango ends up being a very enjoyable film which entertains nearly everybody. Even though the story is lacking in originality the visuals, jokes and characters give the movie what it needs to not be forgotten anytime soon. As well as the LSD implied trips and plastic yellow fish it’s nice to go back to the Wild West.

Trailer

* * * *

Review for ‘The Fighter’

2011-02-13T05:41:00.000-08:00

Before you even sit down and watch The Fighter it is already apparent that this movie reflects Christian Bales career. He has had some ups (such as the American Psycho) and some downs (need I remind people of the on set freak out). However as he has shown he is once again back on top form along with Mark Walberg and Melissa Leo in David O. Russell’s story of someone following their dreams.

Based on a true story, Micky (Mark Walberg) a small time boxer who’s trainer is his older brother Dicky (Christian Bale) has only been a steppingstone for other boxers. But that’s not Micky’s only problem, whilst battling his latest opponents he is also battling with a controlling mother (Melissa Leo), a crack addicted brother Dicky, an ex-wife who won’t let him see his daughter all the while trying to keep everything in his life together. After loosing an important match, Micky feels as if his career is over as he is being pulled at by several separate things in his life. After meeting Charlene (Amy Adams) a college drop out from a bar, she is soon to boost the fighters moral and help him accomplish his dreams.

Despite the movie being compared to Rocky, The Fighter doesn’t feel too much as if it is living in the shadows of it’s older brother. There is enough in the movie about family conflict to keep the audience focused on the important issues rather then simply the fighting. It goes without saying that it won’t be remembered like Rocky or Raging Bull however that doesn’t mean it’s bad, just very forgettable.

One of the most impressive parts of David O. Russell’s directing involves the sections in the boxing ring as the camera jumps to an ESPN style of live sporting to add authenticity. And the authenticity doesn’t end there; Micky’s training gym is the actual location where the real boxer spent his time training for fights and to add to that Mickey O’Keefe (one Micky’s trainer) plays himself with some dignity and surprising talent.

At one point The Fighter had Darren Aronofsky’s name attached (before he decided to make Black Swan), and it’s easy to see why as some of the issues which we saw in Aronofsky’s The Wrestler are seen here but without the sheer brutality as we saw with Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson. The Fighter feels much more like a Hollywood by the numbers film with little originality. O. Russell never goes to much extremes as the film doesn’t take much thought about the effect boxing has on the body, even though Micky is constantly being beaten for rounds on end he seems to shrug of the bruises.

All in all The Fighter is no where as edgy as films such as Raging Bull or The Wrestler and doesn’t have the apple of lasting effect however is still an enjoyable movie as Bale shows he’s back on top form as some major slips.

* * *

Kevin Smith invents INDIE 2.0

2011-02-12T05:33:00.000-08:00

Kevin Smith has upset Hollywood. The Clerks director premiered his latest movie; Red State last month at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah and after a rumoured auction turned out to be true, his producer Jon Gordon sold Smith the rights to his own movie. In the speech that followed Smith talked about how "Indie film isn't dead. It just grew up," before announcing that the writer director himself would be taking the movie on a road trip, much like what happened with Gone With the Wind. Red State with be toured around various cities and after the screening Smith do a Q&A along with lead actor Michael Parks.

Red State is the story of three teenage boys who go into the woods looking for sex but instead find God as horror unfolds involving fundamentalist Christians. The cast includeds Michael Parks, John Goodman, Malissa Leo and Kyle Gallner who recently stared in the remake of a Nightmare on Elm Street.

Smith has a fan base and knows it after creating the successful Smodcast Podcast Network, and is only aiming for his personally audience. However not everyone is as happy as the director, Marketing people and Studios are apparently up in arms after Smith confessed that even though the movie cost five million to make, a studio would waste twenty million just on advertisements. Smith has taken time to research and design a plan to get his movie distributed without big companies throwing money at it but the bit question is; will it work?

Is this the true future for independent cinema? It is apparent these days that independent film-makers are finding it hard to get their films distributed however showcasing it in theatres around the country might be a good way to get buzz for the movie and to find a distributor.

Has all this controversy destroyed the movies reputation before it’s general release sometime in October? Red State will be debuting on tour March 5 at New York's Radio City Music Hall and hitting major U.S. cities throughout March before ending on April 4 in Seattle. This month the movie will be playing at the Berlin Film Festival and Smith hopes to get the movie distributed in Europe in October to make the seventeenth anniversary of his original movie Clerks, which put his name on the map. After seventeen years of independent and studio films, is Smith doing the right thing with indie 2.0 and is this the future?

Kevin Smith speech at Sundance Film Festival

Review for Black Swan

2011-01-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Natalie Portman has always had an up and down career, sometime she chooses her roles carefully (for example Garden State) but other times not she’s chooses the odd questionable job (Star War trilogy). After exploding on the scene in 1994 in Luc Besson’s phenomenal Leon it has taken her almost fifteen years until she has given a perfect performance in the form of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan. After playing at the Venice Film festivals and several other film festivals the film has gradually built up momentum until it has finally been realised to the general public, however it definitely is a movie not suited for a lot of audiences despite the BBFC giving it a mere 15 certificate.

The story follows perfectionist ballerina Nine (Natalie Portman) who becomes obsessed with gaining the role of the Swan Princess in the latest performance of Swan Lake for a highly acclaimed ballet company. With an over baring and controlling mother (Barbara Hershey) and an eccentric director Thomas (Vincent Cassel) the pressure on Nina becomes a heavy burden. After being told time after time that she’s a perfect Swan Queen however lacks the power to play the swans evil twin the Black Swan, Nina begins to descend into madness and the line between what is reality and what’s in her head are drastically blurred. On top of that new competition in the form of free spirited girl Lily (Mila Kunis) comes in to wreak Nina’s new found fame. Or is she?

For a film in which it’s themes of oppression, obsession and perfection have become common ground, Aronofsky handles them excellently as they feel new and fresh. The dark material is handled excellently as the movie becomes unpredictable as we see Nina’s fractured state. It is also hard to pin point a specific genre for the movie, is it a horror? A dancing movie? A psychological thriller? Who knows? Aronofsky rehashes the same themes he showed with The Wrestler (2008) but moves beyond it in almost every way. The stark black and white feel to the movie is both beautiful but at some points menacing. Aronofsky’s themes of self destructions which are see in all his films such as Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler are once again back as well as his very dark nature which is present towards the end as the horrific third act plays out. The handheld direction is far from Paul Greengrass territory as it reflects Nina’s state of mind and clever camera techniques make the camera invisible around the ballet studios. This is an artistic movie where the director has used modern technology to tell a story rather then avoid one.

It is easy to see how the movie have been compared to The Red Shoes (1948) mixed with the work of David Cronenberg and Dario Argento as Aronofsky shows the beauty but hardships of pursuing your love. The rituals which Randy the Ram religiously went though in The Wrestler are echoed as we see Nina crack bones and modify her ballet shoes like a professional. Portman in fact even took a year out to train in Ballet and is it clearly apparent here as she moves as if she’s being dancing for years,

It has to be said that Portman’s near flawless performance as the fragile performer is incomparable to any female performances in the past year. However she’s doesn’t just steal the show as Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis and even Wynona Ryder all play significant roles. All the performances are moving and horrifyingly believable.

Black Swan is definitely a movie for certain audiences who can stomach certain scenes which I couldn’t begin to describe without spoiling plot points. It will have anyone turning away at the graphic images which have an artistic beauty to them. And the movies crescendo will leave you emotionally drained and make you doubt your shadow. This definitely won’t be Aronofsky’s swan song however he has set a bar for himself which will be hard to follow.

* * * * *

Review for The King's Speech

2011-01-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

Finally there is a great British contender to stand up to the plate of the American oppressive market which is modern cinema. Every so often you have the odd British movie which pops up but is soon over taken by the next big explosion movie. Last year it was films like Made In Dagenham and Another Year but what makes Tom Hooper’s movie stand out more is how it doesn’t get bogged down about it patriotism which the film is centered around.

The true story is passed on George VI (Colin Firth) as he battles with himself as he has a self-esteem crippling speech impediment. After trying everything with wife Elizabeth (Helen Bonham Carter) everything seems at a loss. However after being recommended by an outside force Elizabeth soon finds Lionel (Geoffrey Rush) a failed Australian actor who promises to help the prince. After some fairly big bumps in the road George VI begins to open up as we see the antagonist is mainly in himself rather then a specific being. After his farther King George V dies Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) reluctantly becomes king. With World War 2 on the horizon the royal house is throw into a frenzy as the country needs to sort its self out before any war breaks out.

There’s very little you can say against a movie like The King’s Speech. The script by David Seidler is informative and handles humour in all the right places. Without being a show off Seidler uses the right information to inform the viewers on a subject which was hid from the general public. Tom Hooper’s direction is superb as he shows the pre-war London in all it’s beauty before the bombs begin to fall. The mist covered streets add a artistic edge to the visuals and the locations you travel through are beautiful.

The acting from everyone is brilliant and touching especially with the cameo from Guy Pearce. Obviously the film main focus is on Firth and Rush’s characters and it is handled very delicately as the have little arguments about hierarchies before finding a middle ground. Firth has once again proved himself a terrific actor as we see his internal struggle and frustration he feels towards himself. And with support from Bonham Carter in a surprisingly ‘normal’ role she becomes a very warm presents through out the movie.

It is surprising with all the acting talent that this is a brilliant film which aims to entertain and inform audiences of any age about a time in British history which has not been seen before. If you are stuck for what to watch there isn’t much better out there amidst the dull and copy/paste films which pollute the cinema.

* * * *

Review for The Green Hornet

2011-01-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

It’s really a sad day for creative art as we say good bye to Michel Gondry as he sails off in to the untalented horizon which is Hollywood. After his last flick, Be Kind Rewind, was such a disappointment he returns to direct the Seth Rogan and Even Goldberg superhero tale which is The Green Hornet. The Green Hornet is based of an old pulp hero which happened to be a television show in the 60s. After director Stephen Chow dropped the project it looked bleak for the production however after Michel Gondry jumped on board there was a certain comfort in knowing the movie would turn out well, the end result however is far less interesting then it should have been.

The story follows Brett Ried (Seth Rogan) a spoiled son of a millionaire who, after the death of his father decides to become a superhero with his sidekick Kato (Jay Chou). However instead of going down the normal route they decide to pose as villains in order to get close to the villain before taking them out. The villain in this case is Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) a less then scary villain who has a complex issue as he blows up various competition around L.A. With Kato’s quick wit and engineering talent and Brett’s charisma (often mistaken for arrogance) and apparent wealth the two set out to have some fun sooner then actually save the neighbourhood.

It comes as little surprise that the movie is full of gags especially after the writing due to them making their names from penning Superbad. However sometimes the jokes feel out of place and even inappropriate, but when they are in the right place they work to the films advantage.

The film also handles it’s homage’s well as subtle hints a littered through out of the television show and more importantly it Bruce Lee who played the role of Kato in the 60s television show. Aside from that the film is poorly paced as the only interesting parts include Brett and Kato’s relationship whilst the rest seems to drag its heels especially with the scenes with Chudnofsky and Lenore (Cameron Diaz). Whilst the Bromance elements seen in Superband are also present here the stylised action scenes soon become boring and repetitive.

With Seth Rogen in the lead he plays his usual funny guy however it is Jay Chou who steals the attention as this is his first Hollywood movie and in fact when he’s on screen the film becomes much more interesting. Apart from them Christoph Waltz and Cameron Diaz did the best they could with the fairly poor material they where given. Christoph Waltz appears as a tacky 80’s villain whilst Cameron Diaz is really showing her age.

The most disappointing part of the movie is the direction which is so bland and contrived with only a few sparks of originality but it is even more disappointing seeing how the director has made his man on his visual style. Certain impressive visual elements to peek through but on the most part it’s a generic Hollywood big budget movie.

If your looking for an action superhero flick with some good laughs then you should take a look but don’t look for too long or you might get a head ache. The movie is very flawed and vastly disappointing. Once again another movie has been throw out in 3D and whilst it appears present at first you are quick to forget it’s even there. With Superhero movies on the rise of in quality such as Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim- this is definitely a step back but with the pedigree behind it it should have been much more impressive however it falls flat on it’s face like its wacky lead.

* *

Review for 127 Hours

2011-01-17T08:24:00.000-08:00

Aron Ralston can be called several names: explorer, adrenalin junkie, and/or idiot. After stories surfaced that he was trapped in the American desert after a climbing accident where in he had to amputate his own arm with little more then a off the shelf tool, Aron has become a star in America, giving motivational speeches which he charges $37, 000 for. How could such a seemingly simplistic plot be fitted into a feature length movie is an impressive feet as writer director Danny Boyle steps up to tackle the amazing story of survival.

127 Hours is a film much like The Titanic, as in the audience knows what’s going to happen before it actually does. The film begins with Aron (James Franco) preparing to go on a trip and after collecting a few essentials such as water, food and Gatorade however missing his Swis Army by only a few centimetres (one of many shameful gags). After arriving in the desert he camps out until morning before taking a bike ride out across the harsh terrain. Along the way he happens to meet Kristi (Kate Mara) and Megan (Amber Tamblyn), two young post college ‘explorers’ and spend a fun afternoon which aims to set up his character before going their separate ways. It is not long before the cocky armature explorer manages to slip whilst climbing and gets his hand crushed between a rock and the crevice wall.

Up until this point there is a certain tension which hangs over all the little moments when Aron is alone. The tension is then shifts after the accident to when he will eventually cut off his arm. Whilst Franco does fantastic performance the main flaw is in the character himself. He appears to be a fairly unlikable character who is so self obsessed that he videos trivial things such as himself riding a bike. Whether the real Aron Ralston is like this or not is irrelevant because it is hard to sympathise with a reckless, selfish adrenaline junkie who finally gets his comeuppance.

During the time which we are waiting for him to finally cut off his arm, Aron makes videos of himself as a diary of a man going crazy by isolation which is mirrored in his eyes. After making a little camp around him Aron has to ration all his belongings. All of the dialogue is also between himself and the camera as he narrates the situation to us. It’s around the mid point that Aron begins to loose it and the flashback begin with girlfriend Rana (Clémence Poésy) which leads to a truly appalling line after a break up in which she screams at him “You’ll always be alone.”

The lead up to the eventual dismemberment is filled with flash backs and hallucinations before Aron’s camera runs out of battery which forces him to finally cut it off. It is only until he can’t document himself that he feels the need to do something about the situation.

Danny Boyle reprises his usual frantic editing and unusual camera work as he rejoins Slumdog Millionaire DP Anthony Dod Mantle however it all become a bit much and a little too frantic. That mixed in with footage of people in crowds to further add the notion that he will be alone for the movie begins to border on the annoying. The film has also been compared to last years brilliant thriller flick Buried. Unfortunately it lacks the clever and pure execution that Buried prized itself on as the movie escapes the small confines which Aron finds himself in. It is understandable that he escapes his fate through his hallucinations however Buried just handled the idea of isolation much better as all the action happens which in the coffin.

127 Hours fits in well with Boyles body of work as the themes of survival and isolation are seen through out with films such as 28 days Later, Trainspotting and Sunshine. The gruesome special effects are handled excellently and it’s easy to believe the reports of fainting and stomach contents being emptied. Whilst 127 Hours is a fairly solid movie, there are bits which annoy (especially the cringey sequence before the credits) and it is the sort of film which only needs one viewing but it is a fairly amazing story of survival.

* * *

Top Five Movies of 2010

2010-12-28T04:43:00.000-08:00

Finally it is the end of the year and at this point we look back in an optimistic fashion by looking at the highlights. However when compiling this list I realised how many great films I missed; either through then only showing at a film festival or unless they are due to be released next year in the UK. The films I missed and would like to have seen are: Winters Bone, Black Swan, Animal Kingdom, The Kings Speech, The Arbor, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Mother and so on.

However from the films I did see this is the final list.

5. Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos, Greece)
This Greek beautiful yet disturbing movie tells the story of a family whose mother and father characters lie to their twenty year old children about the horrors which lay outside their enclosed garden. The twisted black humour and graphic incestuous scenes may turn some views off but the over all central theme reminds some people of a Michael Haneke movie.

My Rating- * * * *

4. The Disappearance of Alice Creed (J. Blakeson, UK)
With it’s Hickcockian style and pace, J. Blakeson’s first feature length flick was truly and eye opener. With it’s seemingly simplistic plot it soon becomes a tale of twists and turns and the three member cast each add another interesting dimension to the story. Shown on only a limited amount of screens the movie unfortunately didn’t see the recognition it deserved.

My Rating- * * * *

3. The Social Network (David Fincher, USA)

This was another easy contender as The Facebook Movie (now one of two; the second Facebook movie being Catfish) dominated both American and European audiences as it depicts the somewhat sad live of multi-billionaire Mark Zuckerberg played fantastically by Jessie Eisenberg. Aaron Sorkin’s quick paced, fast dialogue story of success and betrayal captivated audiences as transcended the expectations of the general audience.

My Rating- * * * *

2. Biutiful (Alejandro González Iñárritu, Spain/Mexico)

One of the most original and powerful movies of the year (which is due for general release sometime next year), Biutiful definitely had to be put somewhere in the list. The movie won Javier Bardem the Prix d'Interprétation Masculine or Best Actor award at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.
My Rating- * * * * *

1. Inception (Christopher Nolan, UK/USA)

Riding off the success of The Dark Knight, Nolan is an unstoppable force and Inception was no exception. Surprisingly only one person voted for it to be in the top ten movies in Sight & Sound magazine. Even so Nolan showed studios that with a big budget doesn’t mean the target audiences are as mindless as they believe.
My Rating- * * * * *

Unfortunately not every film can make it into the list. Here was the best of the rest; Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Of Gods and Men, The Kids Are All Right, Monsters, Four Lions, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.

What where your favourite films of the year and why? If you disagree with my list please comment. Below I have left the top film lists from Sight & Sound magazine, Little White Lies magazine and IMDB.

Sight & Sound’s Top Ten Movies

Little White Lies #32 Digital Issue

Internet Movie Dater Base, Year in Review 2010

What to watch this Christmas (TODAY)

2010-12-25T05:24:00.000-08:00

You know it’s Christmas when you see the Coca Cola advert on TV and you read the TV listings and see the movies they’re showing. As Christmas draws near here is a list of some of the movies which will help you dissolve back into the kid you use to be whilst also including some movies you wouldn’t think to be Christmas flicks but are technically either about of set during the Christmas holidays.

The First Movie I am going to mention has been a great movie to watch annually, and includes Macaulay Culkin when he wasn’t a drug addicted brat. Obviously I’m talking about Home Alone (1990), which is the story of a big family who all go on Christmas holiday together but unfortunately forget to bring their eight year old boy Kevin (Macaulay Culkin). Whilst the parents are away Kevin runs amuck watching violent movies harassing old snow shovelers and invading his older brothers privacy. Everything appears to be perfect until two thieves Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) attempt to steal Kevin’s fun which sends him on a mission to defend his home by any means possible. Filled with laughs which never get old this is a film everyone should see this year.

Now Christmas films can’t always be filled with fun and laughs sometimes you have to watch something with a lot of heart and joy and in this case; Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life (1941). For those who haven’t seen it the movie is about George Bailey (James Stewart) a frustrated businessman who is helped by an angel by showing what life would look like if he had never been born. Even though it isn’t filled with laughs this is a definite classic which has stood the test of time. Even if you think you haven’t seen it you have seen the story in one carnation or another because of the great story elements.

For those who are Tim Burton fans the next choice will come at no surprise, produced by the gothic master himself and directed by Henry Selick The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) is a brilliant movie especially in a time where CGI is seen as perfection and stop motion is dead. The story is about Jack Skeleton (Chris Sarandom & Danny Elfman), the King of Halloween who becomes bored with his monotonous life and goes in search of something new and stumbles across Christmas Town. With a mix of songs written by Elfman himself an great visuals this movie will always be played to both young and old and will be in an Tim Burton completesists collection.

Now for something completely different, even though at first you wouldn’t think it is considered a Christmas movie but he holiday isn’t complete without at least one viewing of Bruce Willis as John McClane as he saves LA from terrorists in the brilliant Die Hard (1988). Now this is a film filled with gags and gore as the hard boiled cop, John McClane infiltrates the Nakatomi Plaza building to save his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) as terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) threaten the safety of all the hostages including Holly. Even though some of the sequels where terrible the original still stands for being a kick-ass all out battle between one cop and building full of terrorists.

The second to last movie I have picked to get people in the Christmas spirit is a movie so frightening no one wanted to feed their beloved pets after midnight. Before I sound as if I have lost the plot, I am talking about Joe Dante’s Gremlins (1984). A lot of people might mistake a film such as Gremlins for a horror with humour however this is all cast over the Christmas backdrop. Whilst looking for a present to give to his son Billy (Zach Galligan), inventor Randall Peltzer (Hoyt Axton) stumbles across an old antique show in China Town and attempts to buy a small fury creature called a ‘Mogwai’ from a strange old Chinese man named the Grandfather (Keye Luke). After being refused it is only his grandson (John Louie) who manages to sneakily sell Randall the Mogwai. Once bought, Randy is given a set of rules about how to treat the cute animal, 1) never expose it to bright light, 2) never get the Mogwai wet and 3) never feed it after midnight. Obviously these rules fall on deaf ears and its up to Billy to finish what he started. Even though it has dark tones the movie is still classic and enjoyable for everyone this Christmas.

I saved the best for last with possibly one of if not the greatest Christmas movies which everyone will agree with. This movie would be Muppet’s Christmas Carol (1992) which once again mixes funny songs with great characters as the Muppets do their take on the classic story by Charles Dickens whilst bringing in great action talent such as Michael Cain to play the selfish Ebenezer Scrooge as he is haunted by three ghosts in order to change his soul in the after life. I imagine it will be broadcasted on television at one point or another this Christmas but if not people should dig out their copies on VHS and remember one of the most enjoyable movies which everyone loves.

Review for 'Monsters'

2010-12-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

First time director Gareth Edward’s has described his high-concept but low budget movie Monsters as “if movies such as Cloverfield or Godzilla is 9/11 then Monsters is Afghanistan and Iraq”, it is this line alone which caught the attention of the general public and made people turn on this indie monster movie in a good way. Shot for only a shoe string budget of £15,000 and film across Mexico, Guatemala and Belize really sets it’s self apart form the big Hollywood mainstream.

Samantha (Whitney Able) is stuck in Mexico, and so is Andrew (Scoot McNairy). Two different people in the same city for two different reasons only brought together by the fact that Samantha’s father is Andrew’s boss. After a brief meeting Andrew is tasked to bring Samantha back safely to America, the only problem is that after buying a ferry ticket which turns out to be a dead end the two must travel through the ‘Infected Zone’ It is established at the beginning of the movie that a NASA space probe collecting samples crashed landed in Mexico releasing spores over the vast woodland, and it is from these spores that the extra terrestrials seeped out from. Whilst they are apparent and somewhat scary these giant hundred foot creatures are roaming around they are not the central theme of the movie and only lay in the background. What Gareth Edward’s focused on was the relationship between Samantha and Andrew as they discuss trivial things such as dolphin’s belly buttons.

The brilliance of the movie is this key theme of the film not focusing on the aliens but rather on the relationship of the two characters who try to get home. This movie could have easily been set in Iraq and Afghanistan and had little cut form the script, and it would still have been a fantastic movie. But the movie also has a political subtext as it intertwines social class as well as immigration to further blur the lines.

What Gareth Edward’s has created on only his bedroom laptop is spellbinding. There is no big reveal of the monster at the end ala Cloverfield and whilst Cloverfield is still a fantastic achievement, Monster’s goes leaps and bounds with the enjoyment of the narrative.

Scoot McNairy and real life girlfriend Whitney Able do a terrific performance as two people who have different lives which are pulling each other away form the other. Both characters had to improvise the whole script whilst acting opposite unaccredited actors. Whilst this use of improvisation might seem lazy on Edward’s behalf the end result feels natural and believable.

In Matt Bochenski’s review for Little White Lies magazine (#32) he commented on the apparent connection the movie has to Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 (2009) however Bochenski said that it has more connections to Duncan Jones’ Moon (2009) in terms of it being a British sci-fi movie with an American cast. Bochenski is definitely on to something. If you enjoyed those two movies you will enjoy Monsters, however don’t go in expecting the new Cloverfield, go in expecting a movie which crosses into many genres whilst staying true to it’s central theme.

Trailer

* * * *

SPECIAL FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW FOR ‘BIUTIFUL’

2010-11-29T11:40:00.000-08:00

I managed to see a special screening of the film which won actor Javier Bardem the Best Actor award at this years (63rd) Cannes Film Festival at this years Cine-City Film Festival in Brighton and what an experience it was. The movies I am referring to is Alejandro González Iñárritu’s ‘Biutiful’. The Mexican born director is already famous with English speaking countries with films such as ’21 Grams’ and ‘Babel’, however he is back on top form with one of this years best foreign film.

Uxbal (Javier Bardem) a single parent of Matoe (Guillermo Estrella) and Maramba (Hanaa Bouchaib) is a good man who is trying to do the best he can for everyone, unfortunately it doesn’t always work out how he anticipated. Whilst Uxbal runs a sweat shop for Chinese immigrants and gets African immigrants to sell the stuff on the streets, his main job is to talk to the recently diseased and help them move on to the next life. After suffering from stomach pains, Uxbal is quick to find out he only have a few months left to live which sets him off in a desperate attempt to get closer to his kids so that the do not forget about him whilst at the same time trying to patch things up with his ex-wife Marambra (Maricel Álvarez).

Whilst Uxbal’s uncanny job only appears a few times during the course of the plot the films main focus is on a man who is trying to make the most of his life before he dies. It is only until the end, that we understand the supernatural edge the movie carries, and carries well. Iñárritu has managed to cross different genres and the end result is a cross between a melodrama and a growing of age story with haunting scenes which will freak out experienced horror fans which films such as ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ can’t copy. But be warned this isn’t a supernatural movie, it is clear that the main focus is on the family.

The visuals are beautiful as the film opens on a snow covered hill top but soon moves onto the darker side of Barcelona. The excellent visuals stay through out the movie as Iñárritu shows different sides of the city which cinema hasn’t been before. And even though the film comes in at over the two hour mark it is a somewhat enjoyable viewing which isn’t down to the movie but the content it shows as we see Uxbal slowing dying.

The special effects, whilst only being brief are terrific as they blend into the surroundings rather then distract you from them. The nightmarish scenes as Uxbal makes peace with the spirits of the dead leave a distinct taste in the mouth of the audience well after you have left the cinema. It is easy to see why Guillermo Del Toro attached his name to the project.

The acting is fantastic as we see Uxbal at his best and worst but this detail to character arch is also seen with the characters such as Marambra. But even the children have to deal with some tough material as the parents a constantly bickering at each other. Javier Bardem has made the character of Uxbal a very like able one as we sympathise with what he does despite him hurting everyone he tries to help.

‘Biutiful’ is definitely one of the best films of the year and possibly the best foreign film. Iñárritu has blended a fantastic story about a man attempting to tie up all the strings of his somewhat messy and uncontrolled life before his inevitable fate with and equally good supernatural subplot which ties everything up in the end. If Bardem won an Academy Award for his psychotic killer in ‘No Country for Old Men’ then he definitely deservers to be nominated for Best Actor at next years award season.

Trailer

* * * * *

Review for 'Due Date'

2010-11-15T05:15:00.000-08:00

Riding on the success of ‘The Hangover’ (2009) which made just under $500 million world-wide, writer-director Todd Philips was given the permission by Warner Bros to make any movie he wanted. The end result is something not too far from his last movie whilst at the same time audiences have flashes of déjà vu from movies such as ‘Planes Trains and Automobiles’ (1987).

Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) is an uptight businessman who is on the road most of his life, whilst his pregnant wife Sarah is ready to go into labour. On the day he is meant to catch a plane to get home, Peter meets wanna-be actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) who is about to change his life. After briefly meeting outside the airport, they meet on the flight and due to a misunderstanding with an air marshal both of them are put on the “no fly” list. Ethan soon finds Peter, and they set out on a road trip from Atlanta to Los Angeles just days before Peter’s baby will be born.

As expected the long trip is full of genuine laughs. And this is to be expected from the director of possibly one of the funniest films of last year. Whilst the story isn’t completely original, and the few pointless cameos are thrown in to fill the time, the film on a whole is worth a night out to the cinema. Unfortunately Galifianakis is the weakest link as he is no different from his character in ‘The Hangover’. As the flamboyant strange character of Ethan, Galifianakis is no different then the dim witted Alan. On the other hand, Peter is a schizophrenic businessman who jumps between hating Ethan and liking him. Together they make an odd funny couple just like Steve Martin and John Candy in ‘Planes Trains and Automobiles’.

Along their journey they survive through a lot of memorable moments such as attempting to cross the border into Mexico whilst stoned, crashing the car after falling asleep behind the wheel, and insulting a crippled war veteran and paying the price for it. Of course the events in ‘Due Date’ are outrageous and over the top, however the combined laughs of Robert Downey Jr. and Zack Galifanakis make it a trip worth riding in the back seat.

This movie appeals to practically all younger audiences whilst more mature audiences might not enjoy it as much. It’s definitely not as enjoyable as Todd Philips’ last flick but still worth a watch. Whilst ‘The Hangover’ is very re-watchable, ‘Due Date’ lacks the same freshness.

trailer

* * *

Review for ‘Another Year’

2010-11-14T04:40:00.000-08:00

Mike Leigh has built his career on improvising his movies with the various actors he work has worked with over the years. Taking a couple of months and only an initial idea and transforming it into a full movie with the help of the actors he employs. After riding the modest success of his last movie ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ (2008) is ‘Another Year’ up to scratch on the edgy creativity Leigh’s known for?

Like everybody, Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Jim Broadbent) are getting old. However whilst their happiness lies in each other it appears everyone around them is finding it much more difficult to find that special someone. As the spring turns to summer and so on, Tom and Gerri have various dinner dates with characters such as Mary (Lesley Manville) a dysfunctional co-worker of Gerri’s who likes to drink more then someone should, whilst on Tom’s side he battles to keep high spirits with his friend Ken (Peter Wight) who wants to find solace in Mary. The movie chronicles the year from Tom and Gerri’s point of view as characters as the year goes by and characters come and go in through their little world.

One of the main problems with the movie is that it runs on much longer then it should. Whilst characters such as Tom and Gerri are fun and interesting in their old age, most of the other characters just nag on and draw out the film. Characters such as Marry (who is very similar to Blanche from ‘A Street Car Names Desire’) keeps popping up uninvitingly as we begin to see her slipping from normality in such a way that when she is at the front door even audiences don’t want her around. Then there’s Ken, a pathetic booze guzzling chain-smoker who recalls when he was young before breaking down into tears. But their son Joe (Oliver Maltman) hasn’t got it any easier as he tries to find someone he wants to settle down with.

The movie ambles along each season with little point other then to draw the movie out into four separate sections as characters promises are lost through the different times. Leigh has definitely hit the same style Yasujiro Ozu in which the film centres around a character (or characters in Leigh’s case) and we see their friends and family around them as they effect the story however missing the historical importance which Ozu is know for. Whilst it appears that nothing is happening under neither it all you have love, loss, alcoholism, shattered dreams and bitter disappointment.

Whilst ‘Another Year’ won’t be to everyone’s taste, some may find a heart warming story about getting old. Others will see it as nothing more then old people talking about getting old. If you enjoy works by the elderly director then you will be pleasantly satisfied however apart from it having a lot of heart it ends up feeling somewhat boring and repetitive.

Trailer

* * *

Review for 'Saw 3D'

2010-11-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

The Saw franchise has been gripping to life more then it’s once great serial killer Jigsaw, but now as we come to the final chapter of the series; ‘Saw 3D’ leaves a bitter taste in our mouths worse then any trap the producers could have thought up. The Saw franchise has become such an endurance test that it’s amazing they could string out such a ridicules story this far.

This final time round Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is targeting survivor turned author Bobby Dagen (Sean Patrick Flanery) as he cashes in on his so called ‘experience’. Before long we realise that he has fabricated his test and is cashing in on it. So it is no surprise to him or the audience when he wakes up in some elaborate trap and has to rescue his team of liars as he attempts to also save his two dimensional wife. The story also pulls together loose ends especially with Dr Gordon’s character (Cary Elwes) who makes and appearance as well as the on going feud with Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) and Jigsaw’s widowed wife Jill (Betsy Russell) with a conclusion which tries to but fail to redeem the lost franchise.

This movie separate it’s self from the rest of the series, with not only 3D but how it is only gratuitous violence. Not to say that the other instalments where any less gratuitous however the producers used the extra dimension as an excuse to show appalling murders. There is nothing smart or sophisticated about this movie which the first few had along with their charm. It appears that director and creator of ‘Saw’, James Wong jumped off the sinking boat as the editor of the franchise Kevin Greutert returns to direct after working on equally bad Saw VI.

The acting is possibly some of the worst I have seen as it looks like a low budget American TV drama. None of the characters have any depth as their characters bios couldn’t last more then one line sentence. Part of the theory of horror cinema is that you need to establish likable characters which engage with the audience in a way that when they are in threat the audience feels the same dread, which is why the final girl archetype works as a good template to horror movies. This theory is completely lost in ‘Saw 3D’ as all the characters are selfish and boring cardboard cut outs.

This movie might entertain people who are fans of the series but if you are stuck thinking what to watch at the cinema you should definitely skim past this one. The 3D is barely there and used in a pathetic way to grab what little money the producers think they need. The only saving grace is possibly the last five minutes as they string together the last threads of a once entertaining series. Fans of the series will be let down, and those who aren’t will be left sickened by the over the top violence as bit of humans come ‘flying’ out of the screen.

Review for 'The Kids Are All Right'

2010-11-03T04:32:00.000-07:00

On the outside a film like ‘The Kids are All Right’ (2010) might look like a little indie flick which should live in an Arthouse cinema, however once you delve in you realise that there is something more interesting and entertaining then a bunch of teenager sitting around talking ala Mumblecore or a Kevin Smith movie. Not that works by the Duplass Brothers or Andrew Bujalski are teenage trash, it is just they have hardly pushed the indie boundaries like Lisa Cholodenko’s ‘The Kids are All Right’. Once again I am forced to pull out the Oscar nods card however this is the general consensus from a lot of critics, but there isn’t smoke without fire.

Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) are a seemingly happy lesbian couple with children Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) however when Joni turns eighteen she is bugged by her younger brother Laser to call their biological dad Paul (Mark Ruffalo) and set up a meeting. Whilst not telling their loving mothers, Joni and Laser head out to meet Paul, a cool, relaxed man who appears to have it all. As Nic and Jules are quick to find out about Paul the family begins to see that everything isn’t what the believed it was. Head of the house Nic has a drinking issue which is reminiscing of Miles from Alexander Payne’s ‘Sideways’ (2004), Jules becomes confused with her life choices, Jodi is about to go off to college but has feelings for her long term friend Jai (Kunal Sharma) and Laser is friends with bad influence Clay (Eddie Hassell). On the outside each character appears confident and assure of their lives however after Paul joins the mix everyone’s self esteem breaks down and we see their less then perfect world.

Penned by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg this smart, intellectual movie about parenthood, responsibility and growing up deals with some heavy issues. It’s obvious to note that it is an off beat comedy which some people are not going to get but that is the crowd who enjoy the works of Michael Bay. This is edgy stuff, especially with the lesbian couple which doesn’t bog down any of the story plot but it is really the family who works as a unit but breaks down if separated.

As I mentioned before the film can be associated with the likes of films such as ‘Sideways’, in that it prizes it’s self on dry humour especially with Mark Ruffalo’s character Paul. All the main actors especially Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo’s characters are very well acted and believable whilst being let down by minor characters especially with Kunal Sharma and Eddie Hassell however that doesn’t shy from the movie on a whole.

Whilst ‘The Kids are All Right’ has very few minor weak leaks on a whole the movie is very enjoyable. The characters are interesting and likable and the jokes aren’t the adolescent humour you come to expect in an Apatow movie. If you enjoy movies with some edgy intellectual characters this is right for you.

* * * *

What’s Got You Spooked This Halloween?

2010-10-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

Halloween has once again come around just days before the Mexican Day of the Dead (2nd Nov) however once again us horror hounds are disappointed by the lack of films in the cinema. Where are our saviours: John Carpenter or Sam Raimi (to name a few) to haunt us with chilling tales? Instead we are left with ‘Paranormal Activity 2’, ‘Let Me In’ and the film which just won’t ironically die ‘Saw 3D’. And whilst a few of them aren’t necessarily bad they lack that spark that will keep people talking about then for years to come. This year has been a fairly terrible year for horror movies whilst last year we where satisfied with interesting and fun horrors such as Christopher Smith’s ‘Triangle’, Charles Guard’s ‘The Uninvited’ and Sam Raimi’s return to horror ‘Drag Me To Hell’. So whilst this year we have been “treated” with re-makes (or re-imaginings as the studios say), re-boots and sequel, I say save money from the cinema and go out and buy a stack of horror flick. What should I buy? I hear you ask, well here’s my list of some classic movies to keep you up.

First movie I’m going to mention is a film I personally hold dear and that’s John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ (1982). Set in Alaska in a remote research centre in the middle of no where the team is happy and safe until a helicopter chasing a cute dog comes along will all guns blazing. After handling the situation, our hero R.J. McReady (Kurt Russle) heads to the facility to which the helicopter came from only to find some bazaar corpses and locations of a crashed alien space ship. Before long the team discovers that the alien has infiltrated the research centre with the ability to replicate any organ mass leaving the rest of the men paranoid and frightened. Not for the faint heart this classic is sure to send disgusted shivers down anyone’s backs. Especially go see it because a prequel is coming next year to spoil all the fun.

Next film I’m going to recommend is a Canadian horror click which came out late last year named ‘Pontypool’ (Bruce McDonald, 2009). Now bear with me whilst I explain as little as possible; the film opens with radio presenter Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) on his way to work when a babbling woman stops him before disappearing into the snow, nothing to strange some may thing however when Mazzy gets to work in the basement of a church on a hill strange reports of cannibalism begins to flood the news team. Whilst hosting a radio station, Mazzy begins to decipher whether the reports are factual or a hoax. What makes this movie stand out is it’s take on zombie movies where by the infection is spread by a viral infection, ‘Pontypool’ plays with an infection which is spread verbally. This twist on the zombie genre is based on Tony Burgess’ chilling book ‘Pontypool Changes Everything’ this adaption will become a cult classic which is also going to spawn a trilogy.

With a terrible re-make coming from Satan himself Michael Bay, ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’s credibility has gone down slightly, however seeing the iconic scene with Johnny Depp being pulled into his bed, we really remember what this film was all about. No one can take Robert England’s place as the burnt slasher killer as he moves from dream to dream, killing off the inhabitants of Elm Street. Possibly Wes Craven’s greatest achievement this film belongs in an true horror fans collection.

The last film to spook you this Halloween comes from director Stanley Kubrick whilst spawning from the disturbing mind of writer Stephen King. Of course I’m talking about ‘The Shining’ in possibly one of Jack Nicholson’s greatest performances as the troubled writer, who is forced together with his lovely wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and disturbing son Danny (Danny Loyd) in a claustrophobic haunted hotel miles from civilisation. The empty halls, creep corridors and haunting bathrooms all contribute to a great viewing experience which would keep you up all night.

The Thing * * * *

Pontypool * * *

Nightmare on Elm Street * * *

The Shining * * * *

Review for 'Paranormal Activity 2'

2010-10-24T03:42:00.000-07:00

The story of ‘Paranormal Activity’ is one of an independent horror film’s shoot to fame and popularity, ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ on the other hand is very different. It’s like the first was a geek who had to work to get a girl, whilst the sequel is like the pretty boy who never had to try.

To explain the story of ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ is to say too much, once again it relies on the audience to believe that this is ‘found footage’ ala ‘Cannibal Apocalypse’, ‘Blair Witch Project’ and ‘[REC]’. On the arrival of new born baby Hunter, recently wed parents Dan and Kristi (whose acting credit is hidden whilst the film tries to keep the ‘found footage’ mentality) appear to be living a perfect life only until strange things begin to happen in and around the huge house. After returning home one night, the family find their picturesque house completely in ruin; they decide to set up security cameras around the house whilst mixing in footage from a hand held camera which individual characters hold at certain time. The end effect works really well as the audience sees the action from afar, but then are sucked into a sort of point of view angle as the characters scream and run.

What was so impressive about the first film is lost on the sequel. When the first (finally) came out audiences where left shaking and dreading the following night, however with this instalment it has all been watered down to the point when you are mainly surprised rather then shocked. For some audience members ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ will scare the life out of them but for any horror fanatics it’s not much.

The main problem with this movie is that it feels very ‘been there done that’. A lot of the spooky ‘activities’ pop up a second time from the first movie, however with a high budget gloss. Rather then playing on your nerves, it is just filled with cheap scares. Having said that the comedy makes a nice counter balance to the poor scares; horror and comedy are closely linked in cinema and it is a nice change from the quick scares which are too far apart.

The story takes too long to actually pick up and when it finally does it lingers for too short a time before its finale, resembling found footage Spanish zombie flick ‘[REC]’ and leaves the audience disappointed. It seems director Tod Williams didn’t know pacing very well, and the movie looses a lot of its subtleness which was what writer director Oren Peli got right with the first.

Although ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ lacks originality and subtleness, it ends up still being a fun trip to the movie which will haunt some audience members later that night.

* *

Review for 'The Social Network'

2010-10-24T03:38:00.000-07:00

Bloggers Note: I know in the post 'Social Network: My Thoughts' I noted that I would not review the movie however after writting up those notes for my universities newspaper; I thought I would post it here as well.

One of the biggest problems with David Fincher’s new flick ‘The Social Network’ is everyone going to see it is calling it ‘The Facebook Movie’. What people don’t actually realise is that it isn’t about someone carelessly clicking ‘Like’ on their friends latest Facebook comment, but rather about the legal battles Mark Zuckerberg went through in the past decade to get Facebook to where it is.

The movie begins with soon to be billionaire Mark Zuckerberg (Jessie Eisenberg) on a date with his girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara), with enough snappy dialog that the audience begins to establish what kind of a character Mark really is. He’s ingenious, fast and also a bit of an ass as his girlfriend soon dumps him, sending Mark off on a drunken rage to hack all the Harvard Universities ‘Facebook’ pages and make a sexist site called Facemash.com for people to rate their peers. After being suspended by his university, Mark is approached by the Winklevoss brothers, who ask Mark to create a site for them called Harvard Connections. However, Mark has an idea for his own site, a site which everyone with a Harvard email account can access and make a profile, and with best friend Eduardo Saverin backing him, Mark becomes unstoppable. It is this site which later becomes the Facebook we all know and use today. From just the opening scenes we understand the irony which is throughout the film, and that irony is how possibly one of the most anti-social people created the most social network in the world.

With the West Wing’s script writer Aaron Sorkin and director David Fincher behind it, ‘The Social Network’ ends up being a contest of wit between writer and director. It is so refreshing have a director who can use CGI (in the case of the Winklevoss brothers both being actor Armie Hammer) as a tool and not a gimmick, and a writer whose pacing is so fast it doesn’t wait for the dim-witted to keep up.

The acting in it is excellent, Jessie Eisenberg has established himself before and with this movie catalogue behind him, he appears to completely embody Mark Zuckerberg as a character. As well as Jessie, up-and-comer British born Andrew Garfield has really grown from ‘The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus’ (2009) and only good things can come from the new Spiderman. Then there is Justin Timberlake (whose track record of movies haven’t been great until now) as the Napster inventor Sean Parker who becomes Mark’s mentor, whilst attempting to divide long time friendship with co-creator Eduardo Saverin. But even the minor characters grab the audience whilst making them laugh or emotional. Although it is too early for Oscar nods, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these three is nominated and it would be rightly so.

With the critical acclaim and its second week in the US Box Office chart this movie is really a testament to the fact that people would prefer to see a movie which is clever, funny and insightful. The quick dialog and snappy characters make the lengthy film time go flashing by. We are the Facebook generation, and this movie captures it’s creation in a captivatingly way.

* * * *

Review for 'Let Me In'

2010-10-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

So I went to a special screening of Matt Reeve’s latest film Let Me In at the BFI Film Festival yesterday and have come back a different person.

To start with I reviewed Tomas Alfredson’s Let the Right One In last year when it came out and it was definitely one of the best films of the year, if not the best. So when I and every other fan heard that good ol’ Hollywood were going to get their greasy paws on it for the audiences who can’t read subtitles, we were not happy. I also have read the John Ajvide Lindqvist book, so I am in somewhat a good position to judge this movie.

For those who don’t know the story, it centres on newly named Owen and Abby. Set in the snow covered hills of Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1983; Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) a troubled youth who by night becomes a knife wielding peeping tom but by day is bullied and humiliated by school bully Kenny (Dylan Minnette) on a daily basis. Owen’s only friend is his single fundamentalist Christian mother until a mysterious girl named Abby (Chloe Moretz) moves in next door. After a few rocky moments it only takes a Rubix Cube to begin their deep friendship. However, Abby isn’t all that she seems to be, whilst she acts like a sweet girl there’s something that lies beneath the surface. This brilliant coming of age story is heightened by the horror at which at times can make the true horror fan jump.

Whilst the film is a remake, it is surprisingly interesting. Remakes have a bad name which is only their own faults, and whilst this can’t hold a light to its original counterpart Reeve’s has done a respectable job. The several differences in motivations and character archetypes than Let the Right One In had given the fans of the original enough to come back for seconds. Whilst the film can stand on its own, it is not without its flaws and the biggest one is its script written by Reeves. In true American fashion the pacing never slows down and keeps going on and on, and whilst this doesn’t sound like a bad thing it is a complete change of pace from the first film. The original was slow to show how mundane Oskar’s life is and the progression in time; with Let Me In it feels like this is happening within a week. Reeve has also fiddled about with all of the character’s names, which is strange to say the least. But the most disturbing change is the fact that two characters now wear masks which is a surprising turn which attempts to make the film something of a slasher movie. One of them looks like Leather Face which the other looks like a bin man with a rubbish bag over his face.

Whilst some characters roles have been dramatically diluted, for example the character of Virginia (Sasha Barrese), other characters have stolen scenes in a fairly convoluted what, i.e. the detective (Elias Koteas). Whilst some may see this as a bad thing, it is more apparent that Reeve’s wanted to focus on the relationship of seemingly innocent Owen and Abby.

Then you come to the awkward acting. Surprisingly Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Moretz do a somewhat disappointing portrayal of the two lead characters as they try to mimic the relationship of Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson’s Oskar and Eli. This leaves their relationship stale and forced and is a problem in some scenes. Then there is Richard Jenkins who is a normally a capable actor, however is questionable when playing Hakan, now simply named the ‘Father’, who ambles around the film swearing and being a moody old man who we do not sympathies with.

Produced by the revitalised studios Hammer Films who are known for such vampire classics as Brides of Dracula, Dracula AD 1972 and Vampire Circus this is by no means a flop. The Cloverfield director has made an artistic and interesting view on the book which will not disappointing any true vampire fans. Abby can proudly stand among the likes of Christopher Lee’s Dracula. This incarnation of adaption is also far more explicit and will please those who have a strong blood lust. I recommend buying Tomas Alfredson’s original Let the Right One In, however Let Me In is not such a disgrace, and is probably one of the better films emerging around Halloween.

Anticipation - 2

Enjoyment - 3
Retrospect - 3

The Social Network: My Thoughts

2010-10-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

So I just got out of the screening of The Social Network, David Fincher’s latest endeavours and rather then doing a review I will just put down my thoughts about the movie and let people decide whether they want to see it or not.

To begin with the movie is going to have a hard time selling it self and will forever be known as ‘The Facebook Movie’. What people don’t actually realise is that it isn’t about someone carelessly clicking Like on their friends latest Facebook comment but rather about the legal battles Mark Zuckerberg went through in the past decade. With the West Wing’s script writer Aaron Sorkin with director David Fincher behind it The Social Network is exactly what Roger Ebert said:

“It [The Social Network] hurtles through two hours of spellbinding dialogue. It makes an untellable story clear and fascinating. It is said to be impossible to make a movie about a writer, because how can you show him only writing? It must also be impossible to make a movie about a computer programmer, because what is programming but writing in a language few people in the audience know? Yet Fincher and his writer, Aaron Sorkin, are able to explain the Facebook phenomenon in terms we can immediately understand, which is the reason 500 million of us have signed up.”

The acting in it is excellent, Jesse Eisenberg has established himself and with this movie catalogue however he seems to completely embody Mark Zuckerberg as a character. Andrew Garfield has really grown from the Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus and only good things can come form the new Spiderman and then there is Justin Timberlake whose track record of movies haven’t been great until now. But even the minor characters grab the audience whilst making them laugh or emotional. Although it is too early for Oscar nods, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these three is nominated and it would be rightly so.

I really enjoyed The Social Network. Only an hour ago did I emerge form the cinema but already I’m planning on a second visit. The quick dialog and snappy characters make the lengthy film time go flashing by. We are the Facebook generation, and this movie captures it’s creation in an captivatingly way.

The Latest Films and NFB News

2010-10-10T05:28:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I have recently run off to university so haven’t had time to think about blogging anything. I have settled in so I plan on doing some proper blogs. First of all I have an Unlimited Card at Cineworld so have been taking full advantage of that. So this will be a quick blog/review for the movies I have seen over the few weeks.

Also coming up I am heading to Leicester Square to go the BFI’s festival screening of Cloverfield director Matt Reeves’ remake of the brilliant Swedish vampire tale Let the Right One In (review here) names Let Me In. So after I have seen that I will be posting my thoughts on whether Roger Ebert was right.

So movies I have seen recently are as followed-

The Other Guys – it’s terrible, Will Farrel is quickly burning out after the success of genuinely funny Anchorman. Ferrel needs to go back and do something interesting: Stranger Then Fiction.

Salt – Once again a pointless and ludicrous story will naf acting. Salt’s been compared to movies like The Bourn Conspiracy but I feel it’s completely lacking in believability or entertainment.

Back to the Future: part 1 – classic movie worth seeing on the big screen. GO SEE IT.

The Town – If you’ve seen Michael Mann’s Heat, go watch it again because it’s The Town’s lead inspiration (despite it being based on a book) and feels like a children’s dramatisation of the classic heist movie.

Buried – Great underrated movie which reminded me of Hitchcock’s Rope. Don’t believe the terrible reports this is something worth seeing. Just remember the writer and director had to keep it in one very small location. That is talent.

Made In Dagenham – Great movie with Sally Hawkin’s leading. Very empowering to women and at the centre has a great heart.

So that’s it so far, I’m going to a preview screening of The Social Network tonight so that should be worth a blog. And the movie of the week is-

Buried

Film of the Week

2010-08-17T05:12:00.000-07:00

Only a short announcement today – I know I haven’t been doing many blogs recently because I’ve been working on my writing. I should pick up again soon but thing might slow down from time to time.

Anyway every week I will do a post about what has been my film of the week. Weather it was a DVD, Short Film or in the cinema I will write a small piece on a recent film I watched. And to start I’ll do last weeks.

Film of the week:

CRONOS (1993)

Feature debut from director Guillermo Del Toro and stars Mexican favourite Federico Luppi as an elderly antique seller who comes across an ancient relic called the Cronos Device. The device grants it’s user the ability to grow old however comes at a price. The owner/user must drink the blood of the living to keep the device alive. Cronos is a beautiful vampire story about a man and his grand daughter against an evil organisation whilst also battling with growing old.

“One of the finest chillers of the decade. A masterpiece"
-Mark Kermode

Is this the end of UK Cinema?

2010-07-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

Forget Michael Bay making Transformers 3. Forget Johnny Derp (I mean Depp) making Pirates whatever. The UK Film Council is being abolished by having it’s funding cut by the government. And why I hear you ask –

“The UK Film Council is to be axed as part of a cost-cutting drive by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), it has been announced.” – BBC News

For those that don’t know the UK Film Council (UKFC) was made in 2000 and was given £15m to invest in UK, talent. This is (as you can imagine) really bad news because it is hard enough for young talent to get a film funded and a lot of brilliant British films had been funded by the UKFC. Films such as Jane Campion’s 'Bright Star'; Oscar-winning filmmaker Andrea Arnold's second feature 'Fish Tank'; Armando Iannucci's 'In The Loop'; and Sam Taylor Wood's 'Nowhere Boy', written by Matt Greenhalgh where all funded and possibly wouldn’t of been made without the help of the UKFC.

"People will rightly look back on today's announcement and say it was a big mistake, driven by short-term thinking and political expediency," – Time Bevan (UK Film Council chairman)

What does this mean for the future of British Cinema? Who knows? In the recent Little White Lies (#30, on sale now) there was an article about the future of cinema and with this news surfacing today it will have a great knock on the industry. Will something pop up which is similar? Will other investors like Film4 be swamped with people trying to get their films funded? It is truly bad news for film makers and fans.

Sources

UK Film Council to be abolished

UK Film Council Official Site

UK Film Council Wiki

Review for 'INCEPTION'

2010-07-18T03:35:00.000-07:00

Directed by – Christopher Nolan

Cast – Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy

Release date: Out Now

After the roaring (and I mean roaring) success of The Dark Knight which made billions for Warner Brothers, the studio said to Nolan he could do anything he wanted and what he did was something beyond brilliant.

To review this movie, it’s hard because the best bit about Inception is to know nothing about it. Don’t bother even watching the trailers. If you want to know the bare basics they go like this - the film centres around Cobb played by DiCaprio as he delves into your dreams and steals you secrets. After a job goes sour Cobb has to assemble a crack team to help him achieve Inception whilst battling his own daemons in an attempt for redemption. The tag line for the film is – Your mind is the scene of the crime, and that’s the best way to explain it. That’s all I’m going to say.

Christopher Nolan has become such as brilliant director that he has acceded his previous work it in every way. Inception is a brain child Nolan has been forming for more then ten years and he did the right move by waiting till he had the right sources and tools. His first film Momento is just the icing on his very creative cake and if he continues to be allowed this sort of freedom will do wonders for Hollywood. Hollywood has some thought that audiences only care about brain numbing explosions whilst Nolan has clearly shown that audiences want to have a challenging narrative.

The acting is brilliant as DiCaprio once again shows this year that he is a Tour de Force of an actor (he opened this year with Shutter Island which I personally really liked). With a great co-starring cast of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page and Tom Hardy who we last saw as Bronson. Both the script and the cast have to be nominated at the Academy Awards because Nolan has found a great mixture of actors, script and visual style. Whilst the beginning of the movie seems rushed and confusing it all works out. Ellen Page mentions at one point “so who’s subconscious are we in” and whilst that is directed at the audience it shows that both the audience and the characters are lost in this crazy labyrinth and that it is good that you feel lost and confused. There are enough great acting, gunfights, set pieces in the movie to keep anyone hooked.

I plan on seeing the movie a second time because after learning all the rules you want to submerge yourself back into the world and decipher anything you didn’t manage to get.

This film will be hard to beat and it going in top of my list of films of the year. It could even go into my personal favourite film list. Everyone needs to see this, in IMAX or in a multiplex and the best thing about it is it’s not in 3D. Bat-three will be incredible.

Anticipation - 4

Enjoyment - 5

Retrospect - 5

Review for 'Predators'

2010-07-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

Directors - Nimrod Antal

Starring – Adrian Brody, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne

Release Date – Out Now

I’m going to start this review by going out on a limb: I liked Predators. At least I liked it as much as you could like a film like Predators. Now I know people will stop reading this and mock me as a Predator fan-boy but if you think about the movie well enough you see some interesting comparisons to other highly acclaimed films which you wouldn’t expects.

The movie opens with Adrian Brody (yes him from The Pianist and The Darjeeling Limited) waking up whilst in free fall. As soon as he lands he meets the motley crew different people who have also been dropped in to this mysterious jungle. Before long we are introduced with the most stupid generic people you will meet such as the black tribal person, the feisty Mexican chick, the crazy rapist, the Russian, the mysterious nice guy, the Japanese sword wielding Yakuza and Danny Trejo. It is only Adrian Brody’s character (and admittedly Danny Trejo’s) that I actually cared about which could be down to me loving him as an actor. Whilst they are fairly bland they begin to discover that they aren’t alone in the jungle and that this jungle isn’t on our home planet but rather a twisted game reserve. Around half way through Laurence Fishburne arrives and almost steals the show from Brody as this twisted survivor who knows what’s going on and what then need to do to survive. The thing with the story is even though it has some interesting bits on a whole it’s everything we’ve seen before.

In classic slasher style each character begins to be knocked off one by one with some very throw away kills which was disappointing. Robert Rodriguez who produced the film had a clear check list he wanted to hit which included: traps, referencing the first movie, a spear death, someone having their spine and skull pulled out and so on. Rodriguez has even gone on record as saying he wanted all the best bits from all the Predator movies and the two awful AVP movies.

So the comparisons which give the film some flavour. Let’s begin with the title: Predators. The title is obviously meant to mimic Aliens by James Cameron. A lot of people said Aliens was better then the original (I don’t agree because the first was brilliant) so I believe they wanted the same success with this instalment. Adrian Brody’s character is the renegade badass and I think the producers didn’t want him to be regarded as an Arnie rip off (as the good Dr Kermode mentioned in his review) but ends up being a total Riddick rip off from Pitch Black. Even story elements are the same, they wake up on a strange planet, they try to get off it and are being hunted by monsters. Later on in the movie the quiet Yakuza member has a showdown with a Predator as they battle swords. The scene is complete fan fiction however I was reminded of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and more importantly Seiji Miyaguchi character Kyûzô who in Seven Samurai was this quiet warrior. If you’ve seen Seven Samurai and know how influential of a film it has been over the years you’ll see the comparison. However the best comparison which I must admit I did not notice was with the Laurence Fishburne’s character. Basically his character has gone mad from war and being alone with the pressure and where have we seen this before? The answer is with Apocalypse Now and the Marlon Brando character. But the fact that Laurence Fishburne got his big break from Apocalypse Now was something I found fascinatingly interesting. Was it intentional? I highly doubt it but would love to think it was.

When you go to see Predators you know exactly what you are going to get. It’s not going to set the world on fire but you’ll see a lot worse this weekend. I recommend people seeing it because it will entertain but if you go thinking with will be on par with Aliens you’ll be disappointed. What you get instead is this generic movie which references bigger movies and adds a fan boy touch to the movie meaning the final product is only something to watch before Nolan’s INCEPTION next week (I’m glad I’ve booked my ticket.).

Anticipation 3

Enjoyment 3

Retrospect 2

We’ve got to send you back… to the 80’s!

2010-07-08T03:47:00.000-07:00

What is the fascination with the 80s? I know the 80’s gave us great movies such as Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and The Breakfast Club but recently it is as if we’ve all gone in the Delorean and gone back in time.

Evidence 1

The recent comedy Hot Tub Time Machine which has little laughs but mainly revolves around three forty something men trying to imitate the Super Bad teenagers as they literally go back in time in this time machine. Now this isn’t a review for the film and whilst it has flaws it is actually enjoyable filled with pop culture from our present time and the 80’s with lines such as “What colours Michael Jackson?”.

Evidence 2

The remakes and reboots. Let’s start off with probably the worst four offenders. To start with the A-Team has come out with a new cast such as Liam Nelson and UFC fighter Rampage Jackson (please don’t say UFC is the new WWE) which looks like it’s all about high explosions and racking up a body count.

Then you have Karate Kid which looks dreadful as Jacky Chan teaches Jadan Smith to kick ass kung fu style, replacing “Wax on, wax off” for “Jacket on, Jacket off” among other silly gags to entertain the adults seeing the movie because the kids won’t get it. Now I haven’t seen the new Karate Kid and with its grand score of 5.8/10 on IMDB I doubt I’ll be seeing it anytime soon.

And then we come to Predators which I have to admit looks great. Obviously it’s not going to beat Arnie’s “Get to da’ choppa” but it will beat the crappy Danny Glover sequel. With Robert Rodriguez producing an the cast consisting of Danny Trejo, Laurence Fishburne and one of my personal favourites Adrian Brody (I hopefully with be seeing it with in the next few day so review with soon crop up) as they try to survive on a Predator game reserve. Now weather it will be any good or something to be swept under the carpet it is obviously suppose to be the Aliens of the Predator series.

And finally we come to MacGruber which I have little time to talk about. Made by the people form Saturday Night Live it is based of the ‘Hit 80’s TV Show’ MacGyver. The film looks atrocious and even though it is only a parody it still is guilty of bringing back past memories for some people.

Verdict - Guilty as charged.

I wasn’t born in the 80’s, so I can’t play the “I remember it the first time round” card but they’ve done it for the 90’s so I can start to understand. For some people they might enjoy all this 80’s madness as it reminds them what it was like to be young but I’m sure lots of people hate the thought of it all.

For anyone reading who was born in the 80’s I ask; do you like these remakes and reboots or does it get on your nerves?

Review for 'The Killer Inside Me'

2010-06-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

Director – Michael Winterbottom

Cast – Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson.

Release Date – Out Now

[SPOILER WARNING]

Part of Michael Winterbottom’s interest for the audience is how he is contently changing between genres. Now he has turned his attention from music to Noir by adaption pulp fiction writer Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me.

The story follows Lou Ford played by Casey Affleck (who isn’t to far in this role compared to his Bob Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James ), a quiet, hardworking cop in a small town in Texas as he falls in love with a prostitute Joyce played by Jessica Alba whilst also juggling girlfriend Amy played by Kate Hudson. As exciting as this could and should have been within the first half an hour I was turned off of the whole film. And I was never picked up again.

Lou isn’t just a simple man, inside him he literally has a killing side which is brought on by something we never find out. Lou lives in his fathers shoes, he lives in his house, reads his book and even sexually abuses the same woman his farther did. This unprovoked madness he seems to have just falls short of the audience being interested in this side to him. Within the first thirty minutes he viciously murders Joyce in a very graphic. Sight & Sound magazine (which is a view I and every film fan should take on board) noted that this graphic violence where done how they should be in contracts to the cartoonish violence form Tarantino but I’m afraid it doesn’t work and it is complete misogyny. You can’t gloss it up. The woman in the movie are portrayed as weak, sexually obsessed and who come back for more spankings and kicks to the stomach. Whilst the women are being kicked around the deaths which happen to the men are quick and brief and involve a gun shot to the head and an off screen hanging.

The story drains on and soon becomes boring and that as well as the unnecessary sex scene and violent attacks on the women characters makes the whole experience an endurance test. The only redeeming factors are Casey Affleck’s performances when he’s not spouting “I love you” whilst laying into his poor victim, and the end but those two aside the movie is nothing more then misogynistic pornography.

Winterbottom and Sigh & Sound are trying to defend the violence by saying its staying true to the novel but fifty years after the books release we should know not to convey something as horrific and unnecessary. But even more surprising is how the BBFC let the film slide without any cuts. Cuts where needed and so was a good editor to keep the pace going because you can judge a film by how many times you look at your watch. And during The Killer Inside Me it happened a lot.

Anticipation 4

Enjoyment 1

Retrospect 2

BEWARE THE YOB!

2010-06-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

Indescribable... Indestructible! Nothing Can Stop It! It’s… it’s... the Yob!

Possibly a bit over dramatic but you know where I’m going with this. It seems these days the biggest thing we fear in our country (of England not America) isn’t nuclear war, or the economy but the yob culture. After watching film such as Eden Lake, Harry Brown and more recently Heartless I began to think about if this is such a national fear we all share?

Spoilers ahead

In Eden Lake, a group of teenagers terrors led by none other then Jack O’Connell, haunt a happy couple played by Michael Fassbender and Kelly Reilly as a beautiful day turns to hell by the evening. Whilst the movie as a whole is unbelievably flawed the performances are good (as expected from O’Connell and Fassbender) and you do actually fear O’Connell’s character. He shows so little care for human life and forces his followers into committing horrendous acts. The fact that they tie up Fassbender’s character and stick a utility knife in his mouth, over the death of a beloved pet is horrible to even think about. That scene still haunts me.

Then you look at Harry Brown in which an O.A.P (in this case Michael Cain) is so scared to walk down the street after the death of his friends that he has to fight back.

The yobs in Harry Brown are really threatening to society in one pointless scene two yobs circle a mother with child before gunning her down. It’s scene like these that make me wonder where the writer got the inspiration. Sure, you hear enough about it in the news but now that it’s seeping into our contempory British cinema shows that we as a society no long fear organized gang warfare but it’s the kids we fear most.

Also Harry Brown unlike Eden Lake is actually well told but still pretty unbelievable.

And then you arrive at Heartless which has the most interesting thoughts on yobs in the East End of London. Jim, the birth-marked photography who spends most of his time alone, stumbles across a gang of yobs one night around an open fire (typical Friday night) only to discover they are actually Lizard Demons. The new reports about their brutal murders and sacrificial ritual that it is just normal kids in masks however our hero knows. It’s this which leads him to descend into hell and back. The facts that the demons walk around in hoods and track suit bottoms really was an interesting twist on it.

What I believe is that the Yob culture in Britain is actually having an effect on the mental stability of the people in our society. We (the non-yobs) see them as a threat but also as animals that are reckless and naive and so carless for human life.

Is this a reflection of our current society? Or is it just over exaggerations for propaganda against them? Who know, but all we can do in the mean while is run and hide under a rock.

Oldboy vs The Chaser, Park vs Na, grit on grit.

2010-06-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

It appears these days the only movies that seem to captivate or spark my creative imagination is World Cinema. And anyone who knows me knows that I am pretty big on Asian cinema and more importantly Korean cinema. I just feel that they are aloud to go the extra step in comparison to Hollywood. Oldboy (2005) was directed by my personal favourite Park Chan-wook and The Chaser (2008) was directed by first time director Na Hong-jin. Both movies are being transferred to the Western audience: The Chaser has been picked up by the makers of The Departed whilst Oldboy he been picked up by Spielberg with Will Smith playing the lead. I won’t even go there.

But upon watching both movies I thought about there similarities and differences which I will go through in an attempt to interest you the reader into seeing them before and if indeed they are remade.

I’ll start chronologically, Oldboy tells the story of Oh Dae-su, who is captured on the night of hi daughters birthday and imprisoned for fifteen years in what appears to be a shabby hotel. He is given a bed, a toilet and a television which becomes his whole world. Be begins to attempt suicide before eventually training his body and teaching himself his own sloppy martial arts. After his lengthy time he wakes up in a suitcase on a rooftop left to seek revenge on his kidnappers in the streets of Seoul in South Korea.

The Chaser on the other hand follows tells a tale again on the streets of Seoul. This time follows Eom Jung-ho a detective turned pimp on the hunt for someone who he suspects have been selling his ‘girls’ but instead there is more sinister work at play as Jung-ho is soon to find out. The tag line sets the movie up perfectly “In 60 minutes he found the killer, in 12 hours he must find the next victim.” As Jung-ho learns more and more he finds himself becomes a detective again working with the Seoul police department on and off to find Mi-jin who is at the mercy of her kidnapper.

So with that out of the way, here is what I thought about the movies. I wanna first say I really enjoyed them both. And the fact people have taken interest in the west to remake them it shows how popular they are. I first heard about Oldboy in an advertisement in a movie magazine. I haven’t seen anything from Korea and from the poster I was enticed by something which I to this day do not know. I bought it and was thrown into a culture I had not seen previously. A tragedy so dark it would make Shakespeare spin in his grave. After seeing the rest of Park’s back catolog I have not become an avid fan on Korean cinema and actor Song Kang-ho (The Host, JSA, Thirst). I have blogged about Park Chan-wook before so check it out for further information. Oldboy is about the psyche of man who had everything and was striped of it, “Oldboy is a powerful film not because of what it depicts, but because of the depths of the human heart which it strips bare” Ebert mentioned in his review (which I will mention for both films).

Now even though I complement the movie I must say it is certainly not for the weak stomached. There is visceral horror like for example someone being tortured by pulling teeth with a rusty hammer, but also with plot developments which I won’t go into. To add to that Choi Min-sik, the actor who plays Dae-su, is Buddhist but in one awkwardly disturbing scene towards the beginning decides to eat a squid live. I mention his religious background because they used real squid and had to ask for forgiveness before eating them in such a grotesque spectacle. I don’t enjoy or accept animal cruelty in movies and I even believe that that scene is one of the most brutal in which I have to skip or look away.

In Ebert’s review of the movie he consistently notes how much he enjoyed the movie and with the violence and graphic scenes with statement such as “Oldboy ventures to emotional extremes, but not without reason.” And I totally agree and it’s this which makes it stand out from most modern thrillers which focus on governmental conspiracies and explosions.

I believe the same could be said about The Chaser with some diversions. In Ebert’s review of the movie he did enjoy it as well hailing it as “a poster child for what a well-made thriller looked like in the classic days.” He noted that the chases in The Chaser are realistic as we feel like the characters do as they stop to breath - “There are no supermen and no sensational stunts. When the actors run, we see that they are running.” This adds to the grit the film has. In Oldboy there is a sequence which is my favourite fight scene in any movie and involves Dae-su with a hammer fighting fifty men in a narrow corridor all shot with one long take and not editing needed.

It’s is gritty edge in both films which feels more authentic and realistic. In Oldboy there are dream like sequences and more ‘out there’ sections but over all the possibilities of events happening are quit possibly and scary.

My only problem with The Chaser [*Possible Spoiler Alert*] is something I don’t believe Ebert didn’t pick up on. And that would be the misogyny. Granted the movie is about a prostitute murderer however through out I feel the women are treated weaker then their male counter parts. All the infliction of severe pain happens to women excluding one male death. I hope it was not an intentional move by the director by I thought it wasn’t. Some distressing scenes happen in which a man inflicts pain on a woman several times with various tools, whilst the men in the film chase and punch each other only to later be ready for round two.

I would be hard pushed to say which movie is better and if you take Rotten Tomatoes as the stand point then Oldboy is the winner. However over all as a piece I thought The Chaser is more consistent. Oldboy is fully of brilliant scenes and I can see why it received a lot of attention in the West. As the title state on the DVD for The Chaser “I urge you to see it” and the same applies for Oldboy.

Roger Ebert's reviews

Oldboy

The Chaser

Review for 'Heartless'

2010-06-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

Release Date - Out Now

Directed by – Philip Ridely

Starring – Jim Sturgess, Clémence Poésy, Noel Clark.

“Another horror movie. Just what the world needs.” say Matt Bochenski [for LWL] in his review of Philip Ridley’s latest film Heartless without any hesitation or care for his genre bashing. I myself am obviously a very big horror fan so for someone to say that I simply answer “Yes it is actually.”

But the thing is about Heartless is that it isn’t much of a horror. I’d say it’s about as much of a horror as Donnie Darko was. Sure they both have horror elements with Heartless verging more onto complete horror appose to Donnie Darko, but over all I’d say they where supernatural fantasy with cheap horror scares. But this connection between the two films which share the same themes and the same kooky and shy protagonist (not forgetting their demented psyches).

Heartless tells the Brother’s Grim like story about Jamie played by Jim Sturgess, a photographer from the East end of London who was born with a vivid birthmark on his face and body. He feels like he is a social outcast as the yobs around his building make fun of him on his way home which has thrown him into a pit of disperse and loneliness. One night whilst taking photo’s he comes across a strange scene with hooded daemons disguised as yobs screaming and cackling around a fire then at his brothers studio Jamie begins to fall for Tia played by Clémence Poésy who’s heritage and background is left in the shadows. What follows is these two instances begins his decent into this strange world of daemons and self loathing as Jamie makes a deal with Papa B.

I had been looking forward to Heartless for a few weeks now and after watching it I had to think it over. Now this to me isn’t a bad thing. Whether a film turns out terrible in the end if it made you think about it it’s done something to resonate in you. Thankful to say I really did enjoy the flick. At one point I began to doubt it however it recovered.

The dark portal of London will haunt the local’s nights and indeed those walking alone at night. The film is lead brilliantly by Sturgess and has some great actors making an appearance such as Noel Clark as the next door neighbour and my personal favourite Eddie Marsan as the Weapons Dealer. Some strange choices where made by the director and a lot about characters and plot are left in the dark to die which makes some element suffer but over all it’s an enjoyable look into the mind of a young man battling his daemons. We’ve all been there, but hopefully not to such an extreme. I can see this being dragged away by the cult movie community to a place it probably belongs.

Anticipation - 4

Enjoyment - 3

In Retrospect – 3

John Hillcoat is going to the Wild West [UPDATE]

2010-05-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

John Hillcoat who’s work includes The Proposition (2005) and more recently The Road (2010) has been a busy man this year. He kicked off the year with the book adaptation The Road starring Viggo Mortensen and now he has decided to directed a thirty minute machinima (a short film made with a video game) of the latest Rockstar game Red Dead Redemption. I’ll leave the trailer below-

What I found interesting about this was how a director could decide to go from one popular media to a newer one and with out any previous video gaming knowledge. To give you the full low down John Hillcoat had directed a thirty minute machinima for FOX and was played at midnight Saturday (I’m not sure what that is in GMT). There is no news on if it will play online of on British televisions but if it pops online or not I will do an update link it to it.

But this isn’t the first of Hollywood directors turning their attentions to video games. Recently John Carpenter was signed to direct the cut scenes for the new F3AR. This is closing the gap between video games and movies. Video games strive to have cinematic set pieces with notable games being Bioshock and Uncharted 2 and Hollywood constantly is bringing out terrible video game adaptations such as Tomb Raider and Hitman.

Below is an interview with the director and check back for any up dates whether the whole machinima is online. Who is next to make the jump? Tim Burton? Quentin Tarantino? No I dare say… Michael ‘Satan’ Bay? I’m also interested in what you guys think? Please leave a comment.

Interview with the director/

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/05/john_hillcoat.html

[UPDATE]

After much searcing and waiting I have found the complete video for Hillcoat's Red Dead Redemption. and without andy delay here it is.

R.I.P Dennis Hopper (1936 – 2010)

2010-05-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Today a great actor died. Dennis Hopper has stared in a vast amounts of movies and began his career with Rebel Without a Cause in 1955. Some of his most notable films are Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet, True Romance Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2 and Easy Rider.

Below is a little information about him which I took from Wikipedia. He will truly be missed.

“Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1955, and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956). Over the next ten years, Hopper appeared frequently on television in guest roles, and by the end of the 1960s had played supporting roles in several films. He directed and starred in Easy Rider (1969), winning an award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as co-writer of the film's script.

He was unable to build on his success for several years, until a featured role in Apocalypse Now (1979) brought him attention. He subsequently appeared in Rumble Fish (1983) and The Osterman Weekend (1983), and received critical recognition for his work in Blue Velvet and Hoosiers, with the latter film gaining him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He directed Colors (1988), and played the villain in Speed (1994). Hopper's later work included a leading role in the television series Crash.”

- Wikipedia

Review for 'Bad Lieutenant: Port of call New Orleans'

2010-05-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Release Date Out Now

Director - Werner Herzog

Actors – Nicholas Cage, Eva Medes, Val Kilmer

Where to start with a film such as Bad Lieutenant? For those who know there stuff, it isn’t a remake or a sequel to the Abel Ferrara starring Harvey Keitel. That out of the way we can move on.

So Bad Lieutenant: Port of call New Orleans, is Herzog’s tale of a (get this) bad lieutenant Terence McDonagh (Nick Cage) as he descends into madness through corruption and drug abuse. At the beginning of the movie McDonagh and partner Stevie Puirt (Val Kilmer) are walking through their former police station after hurricane Katrina when McDonagh is injured in the line of duty saving a prisoner from drowning. Six months later we meet McDonagh again however this time he’s snorting coke on the crime scene and threatening old ladies at gun point.

The film as you can expect is a lot light hearted then the original but nether the less quiet extreme at times. When the hunched McDonagh hallucinates the film goes into lizard or crocodile mode where there are close up handheld close up footage of an alligator or iguanas. This ending up being a hilarious gag and I agree with Herzog when he said “I wanted to put in more iguanas”.

What surprised me the most with Bad Lieutenant is Nicholas Cages’ performance. Before I saw Kick-Ass I noted that if Nick Cage was passable in the movie I will take back my hate for him. So I went into this movie with high regards (not that I or any true horror fan, can forgive him for Wicker Man) and I wasn’t disappointed. He’s a comical character and I do actually believe through his character he does glorify and make comical the use of clack smoking and cocaine using which is a negative. Val Kilmer’s character only pops up once or twice which I was disappointed by because him and Cage could have had a comical cop duo (imagine Starsky and Hutch on crack). And finally I have found a movie where Eva Mendes doesn't annoy me by shoving her Latino heritage down me throat.

In the end the movie becomes a comical over the top story about a ridicules corrupt cop who steals drugs from everyone and spouts classic one liners: “Shoot him again, his soul is still dancing” and “Till the break of dawn”. Riding off the success of Kick-Ass Cage has finally found what he was ment to do (and apparently it’s crazy) and Werner Herzog was perfect to lead him through all this. Even though this will fuel Herzog's ego, I think people will remember this as a Nick Cage movie instead of a Werner Herzog movie. If your expecting a hard boiled detective story you won’t find it here. Instead you’ll find an outrageous and hilarious film.

Anticipation 2

Enjoyment - 4
In Retrospect – 3

Review for 'Four Lions'

2010-05-27T02:50:00.000-07:00

Release Date Out Now

Director Chris Morris

Starring Kayvan Novak, Riz Ahmed, Nigel Lindsay

Can someone go too far in the name of comedy? Is there a line or is the line blurred these days. When I heard that Chris Morris (a king of satire) was directing his feature debut film Four Lions, about a group of idiotic terrorists I was ecstatic. Morris’ previously has come from TV work with shows such The Day Today and Brass Eye which was about work news at the time before being cancelled because of it controversy. So with his previous work I thought that Four Lion’s would be a laugh out loud romp.

However I was surly disappointed but before you think that I disliked Four Lions I want to make it clear I didn’t. In fact I enjoyed it for all the wrong reasons. The clever satirical humour that surprised me because these days with comedy being a quick giggle it was hard to appreciate a comedy with substance.

The film centres on a terrorist group living in a small town north of England who dreams about plotting a martyr on civilians in an attempt to get into there Heaven. The cell’s leader Omar explains to his moronic best friend Waj as it being likes “jumping the que on Alton Towers” (now you can see where the humour is coming form). Accompanying them is Faisal who spends time blowing up crows and covering his beard in an attempt to appear as a woman and Barry a touchy but somewhat psychotic converted-Islamic who explains his car breaking down because “It’s the parts! They’re Jewish!” in a feeble attempt to prove he is a devoted Islamic. It is only Omar who appears to be the most capable but as they get closer and closer to their final plot we begin to see how becoming a terrorist isn’t as easy as people might think.

The characters stupidity along with Omar’s occasional blunders does become almost cartoonish as if they have dropped out of a modern Looney Toons.

Even though I enjoyed it I constantly felt as if it was missing something. The film suffered the same thing that Night Mare on Elm Street did with how there wasn’t any protagonist to relate to. Omar is the main protagonist but it’s hard to sympathise and relate to someone who plots to murder British civilians for him religion. Also I felt Morris had a number of plot holes, like for example I believe he should have included a scene with Omar’s wife and son not wanting him to follow through with the plan because they seem to be fin with the idea of him killing himself.

If you go expecting a feel good comedy you might be disappointed but the clever satirical and at times cartoonish humour does entertain but with few laughs and for the wrong reasons.

Anticipation - 3
Enjoyment - 2

In Retrospect – 2

In the Cinemas Friday, on DVD Monday.

2010-05-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

So Phillip Ridley’s new film Heartless (released Friday 21st May) staring my personal new favourite (along with Son Kang-ho) Eddie Marsan, was released in cinemas but it will also be coming out on DVD on Monday.

When I heard this I was fascinated because I have never seen anything like this (not that it hasn’t happened already). Why I think this is so interesting for several reasons but to explain I’ll start from the beginning.

I was catching by with the BBC Radio 5 Live Film Review with the good Dr and Simon Mayo and they had Phillip Ridley in to interview him about his new horror/thriller (now you can see why I was listening) but my ears really pricked up when I heard that the film was being release within a week on one another.

I began to question where this was a good idea or a really bad one. And ten minutes last I decided it was.

Whilst listening to the interview I searched the web to try find where the movie was and hopefully still is playing but with no luck. This is either because I wasn’t looking hard enough or because the distribution hasn’t given it a wide release. However because of this I only need wait a couple of days and I could watch it at home. Free from those cursed adverts!

This to me sounds like a good idea because how many people have seen a movie at your local art house cinema, walked out and said “I’m buying that on DVD”. If I walked out of The Disappearance of Alice Creed and had the choice to buy it, I definitely would. Not that DVD sales are bad because they do better the cinema sales however would it increase because of this?

However I see why they didn’t do it with films such as Avatar. The distributors of the DVD’s wait six months for people pre order and go crazy waiting for the films.

I think I’m going to be getting Heartless on DVD but I would still love to see it in a cinema. I’ve seen Evil Dead 2 a dozen times but I would still see it in the cinema. But is it a good thing that the DVD comes out at the same time of the cinematic release? Will it hurt the cinema ticket sales? What do you think?

Review for 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'

2010-05-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

Release Date May 7

Directed Samuel Bayer

Starring Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara

What’s there to say about the remake of the classic slasher that hasn’t already been said? It’s a high budget remake of a classic low budget horror which has been directed by someone no ones heard off (he aparently is a music video director) and produced by Satan himself Michael Bay in an attempted to not do it for the art for but simply for the money.

The story if you haven’t seen the original Wes Craven film (shame on you) follows the story of a group of teenagers who are haunted by a dream like boogie man. This mysterious figure torments them for several days before finally killing them off (no surprise there). They try to keep awake and alive before experiencing ‘micro naps’ and before long they find they are trapped in Freddy’s world.

Now I’m really in two frames of mind about this. Part of me hates it, and the other kinda liked it. Obviously it’s stupid and nothing like it’s counter part but I don’t feel like I wasted money seeing it.

One of the main problems which renders the whole films ridicules is that fact that they don’t all live on Elm Street. And if they do, it never mentions it. This is stupid because it’s called ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ not ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street and all the other teenage in the community.’ What links them together is that (*SPOILER TIME*) they went to the same pre-school where they where all , get this, raped by pre-school gardener Fred Kruger. He’s a pre-school gardener turned pedophile then murderer in the after life. And when the parents discover that he’s a paedophile they turn into backwards crazy villagers out for his blood just shy of pitch forks and fire. In some bizarre dream flashback one of the characters sees Fred Kruger being chassed into a warehouse and brutally set a light as the family listen to him burn alive. Who need a justice system or a fair trial? At least in the original he was a child murder which gives them more incentive to kill him.

All the teenage actors where pretty poor and boring and there was no characters we where suppose to cling on to. It jumps between the teenagers which just confuses the audience. So are we suppose to route for Freddy? Granted in the original you didn’t but through the series you began to like him and eventually by Craven’s New Nightmare we loved the beloved classic Robert Englund. But in the new film Freddy’s a paedophile so how could we as an audience possibly relate to him? So we end up not caring the teenagers are tearing them selves apart from not wanting to fall asleep but when they’re in Freddy’s world we don’t care if he kills them. That’s bad in a slasher movie. Jackie Earle Haley is clearly the best actor in the movie however he character doesn’t develop till the end. Jackie must have expected not to best Englund and I think it shows but they missed something about Freddy which is fundamental – his black comedy. Sure in the movie towards the end he says some funny words but at the beginning he’s not funny or intimidating.

The film also has no sense of pace. In the original they talked about this burnt man who haunted their dreams which build a lot of tension so when the audience eventually saw him seemed like a threat. In this he appears in the first five minutes and pops in a way to send the fans boys into joyful glee. This is not good horror movie making. This just shows your doing it for the money and fanboys. Then after that you see Freddy enough for him to not be scary by the end. So in the end he’s not scary or funny = not Freddy.

In the grand scheme of horror remakes, Nightmare on Elm Street falls between the two Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and prequel which where necessary because after the first they where terrible and also the Last House on the Left remake which I enjoyed and at the low end the Friday 13th remake. I’ve said it hundred of times before. Horror films do not need a remake unless you can do something for them, case and point The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But this falls flat with a incoherent script with bad characters and a stupid plot. Poor Jackie has to do another two movies as well. Let’s hope they turn out better then this. I think anyone who thinking about seeing it would have seen it already, but save you money and by the DVD classic.

Trailer

Anticipation - 3

Enjoyment - 2
In Retrospect – 2

Review for 'The Disappearance of Alice Creed'

2010-05-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

Release April 30

Directed by J Blackson

Starring Eddie Marsan, Gemma Arterton, Martin Compston

The irony of The Disappearance of Alice Creed is that it will be seen by little to no one. After seeing the trailer I had to go on the official site to find where my local cinema was playing it. But that doesn’t mean it is a bad film, far from it. The Disappearance of Alice Creed I one of the best British films of the past decade.

The set up is this, two men with untold backgrounds buy an apartment and strip it down only to build it back up again with soundproof walling and a pretty basic bed. Then get changed in silence into jumpsuits and prepare for something we are not told. As they sit in their unmarked van only one or two things are uttered before they step out. The next shot is of two doors opening and a screaming woman being thrown into the back of a van to which she is then driven to the apartments, stripped naked and rapped of dignity before being dressed up in a jugging outfit and handcuffed to the bed and then poor Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton) is left in the dark.

That is the twenty minute set up and I couldn’t say another word. If I did I would have to be executed because what develops from there has so many twists and turns it’s becomes a modern Hitchcock. For the first twenty minutes antagonist Vic (Eddie Marsan) and his partner Danny (Martin Compston) do not speak whilst they plan everything to a pin point. The films is carried by only three actors which brings to mind films like the Sleuth remake with Michael Cain and Jude Law.

For a writer/director J Blakeson it is a great movie to get people to notice you with. This is a fresh classic crime movie just like The Italian Job or Get Carter was in their days. The enjoyment with have you on the edge of your seat as the constant changing of plot keeps going through out. The audience are constantly asking themselves who they connect with and who they are rooting for because each character is believable and has their own goals.

A lot of films these days I see end up me staring at my watch for the time but this kept me glued through out. I only hope that the movie get’s found by a bigger distributor.

Anticipation - 3

Enjoyment - 4

In Retrospect – 4

Trailer

Coming soon to a PC near you...

2010-05-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

I’m back from doing nothing and will start up doing blogs again. This is for two reasons. One I have a lot to say and two my Playstation 3 just broken so I’ll have some free time. I’ll be doing reviews and with set them out like the independents film magazine: Little White Lies which I highly recommend. So reviews with be short and snappy and hve a Anticipation score, a Enjoyment score and a In Retrospect score. If I’m creative enough I might even rename them.

This is a quick post before I go out to see Nightmare on my love for horror cinema- I mean Nightmare on Elm Street but when I come back with hopefully write and post my review for the tense The Disappearance of Alice Creed. Then pointlessly Iron Man 2 and so on. I might even do some reviews on old movies such as Park’s JSA, or Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and hopefully Bresson’s Director’s Cut of LEON. Also I will be reviewing some new DVDs the first probably being The Road (BLU-ray).

Let’s hope I can keep it going this time.

#53 Park Chan-Wook: my new favourite director

2010-03-01T01:33:00.000-08:00

The first time I read (or to be precise saw) something on a Park Chan-Wook film was in the back of a film magazine; for his most recognised movie (excluding Thirst) Oldboy which came out in 2003. For some unknown reason when I saw Min-sik Cho as Dae-su Oh with half his face covered which his dark hair and the mysterious stranger behind him locking like someone from a Tarantino flick both staring me down I began to be interested. Apart from Oldboy the only Korean film I had seen at the time was The Host which I believe if better then Godzilla (the ‘98 outing not the brilliant ‘54) but who’s arguing. So I went I bought a copy and watched it. The first few times you watch Asian films and more importantly Korean films you need to watch them a couple times through because the’re style of film is more complex then the Weston approach because they tend to throw so much information you can get lost (this happened with me on Sympathy for Mrs Vengeance) but after you have seen enough of them you won’t even think about it. This could however all be just me but that’s how I felt.

Anyway, Park Chan-Wook is from South Korea and during his time at University his made a film club called the ‘Sogang Film Community’ and during that time wrote a number of articles on contempory cinema. At first Park wanted to be an Art critic but upon watching Hitchcock’s Virtigo he wanted to become a director. His first film was The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream however his earliest work I personally have seen was Judgment. Judgment is a great short film but can only be seen on the Cinema 16: World Short Films DVD but definitely worth checking out. Ok so here is his Filmography before I continue to ramble on-

The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream

Saminjo

Judgment

JSA: Joint Security Area

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance

If You Where Me

OldBoy

Three… Extremes

Sympathy for Mrs Vengeance

I’m A Cyborg but that’s Ok

Thirst

So with the exception of The Moon is… and Saminjo, I have seen everything of his (Three. Extremes is actually really extreme in content but what can you expect from Takashi Miike?). After seeing Thirst I just had to go back and watch all his other films and what a collection it is to come upon. Along with Park being one of my favorite directors, Song Kango-Ho is my new favorite actor (The Host, JSA, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Thirst) and the two have a Johnny Depp/Tim Burton relationship. Song is such a flexible actor and a good screen presence that everything he’s in is so interesting and different.

JSA: Joint Security Area is a story about soldiers from North Korea befriending soldiers from South Korea on the connection bridge between the tow apposing countries before turning sour and follows the story of a lady trying to uncover who shot who and who shot first. The two Sympathy for- films along with OldBoy are part of Park’s Vengeance Trilogy and are just brilliant and twisted tales of revenge. I’m A Cyborg- is probably his weakest of films but like all his movies has something init that I really like (especially the scene with Cha Young-Goon walking around shooting everything). And last film I’m going to mention is Thirst. And I’m going to go out on a limb and say Thirst was definitely my favorite Vampire film of last year (remember Let the Right on In was s big hit in my books) and I believe that Thirst was the best vampire film. I just find the decent Song’s character endures excellent. At the beginning he’s a pure virginal priest who turns into a sex maniac blood drinker. I have only seen Let the Right one in once and that was when it was released so I should go back and watch that but I think my opinion will not change.

I definitely recommend all of Park’s work to any proper movie goer and especially if you like world cinema. OldBoy is apparently being remade wit Will Smith and Steven Spielberg which just disgusts me to no end but before you see that (if it’s ever made) please check out these films. He writes and directs all of his work and the creativity and beautiful locations just make every outing of his something to watch out for. oh and lastly OldBoy has my favorite fight scene in any movie, take that Matrix.

Oliver Hunt

#52 - New Year and new post

2010-01-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! First post on the new year and after a moth break! So pretty much I’ll just talk about movie news and post some links to some cool videos.

First off I hope everyone with a YouTube account subscribes to this guy because even if his movie taste can be horrific at times, he’s good for the latest news and trailers, ect.

Movie Buzz

On Total Film site they did a comparison between world cinema (classics) and the Hollywood remakes (not to classic): Solaris anyone? Still an interesting list which will grow in the next ten years with films like Let Me In (=Let The Right One In, catchy isn’t it). Really I do get pissed at Hollywood remaking films from around the world especially J-Horrors which are really translated well for American audiences. And when I hear things like Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy is being remade by Steven Spielberg and Will Smith I just ask myself is American’s are illiterate and can’t red subtitles?

Hollywood vs World Cinema

Now the point where people (my people or other horror fans) will look down on me. This year we can expect a hole rush of horror remakes and whilst I don’t agree with them I shamefully liked some of last years: The Uninvited (is A Tale of Two Twins), Last House on the Left whilst hating others: Halloween Part 2. Anyways going back on track this year several films are being remade such as Nightmare on Elm Street however one film has caught my attention, and I know it shouldn’t. George A. Romero’s old pre-Martin, pre-Dawn of the Dead film The Crazies is being remade by Brek Eisner and set for release the end of February. I have watched the trailer several times and I think it looks pretty good. Te original was rough as hell around the edges and I think this has a chance of something really quiet good (note I said has a chance).

The Crazies Trailer

The Los Angele’s times held a round the table discussion between James Cameron (Avatar), Jason Reitman (Up In The Air), Kathryn Bigelow (Hurt Locker), Lee Daniels (Precious) and Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Bastards). There are about four or five videos about different aspects they had to face with their latest films. If you’re a fan or enjoyed any of these films it’s worth watching.

Envelope Roundtable Series

And lastly the 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards are tonight and the nominations are in the link below. I guess for us English folk we’ll have to check in Sunday to find the winners but I know who I wan to win. In other Award season news, Acadamy Awards nominations announced 2^nd Feb, The Independent Spirit Awards are on the 3^rd March and lastly Sundance started on the 21^st!

Screen Actors Guild Awards

Sundance Film Festival

And that is it for now. I hope you enjoyed this odd ball post and maybe I’ll get around to doing more posts.

Oliver Hunt

#51 Top Films of the decade! Who will win?

2009-12-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

So here it is. The last post of the decade and what a better way to finish it of but to post my top films of the decade and my personal favourite. Now first I want to say is that this is purely subjective. Obviously people will disagree but these are the films I personally thought where the best films of the decade.

Enjoy and comment.

2009 – Drag Me To Hell – Sam Raimi

Why- Raimi returns to horror since Bruce Campbell vs The Army or Darkness. This film was so good you can sign my up for Evil Dead 4.

2008 – Cloverfield – Matt Reeves

Why- Best monster movie of the past few decade. The great publicity and mockumentary style film making all contribute to it being one of the top films.

2007 – No Country for Old Men – Coan Brothers

Why- The brothers strike back with one of the best book to film adaptations ever. The pacing of the film and tension combined with Brolin’s fine performance and Javier’s bad hair equal a timeless thriller.

2006 – El laberinto del fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth) – Guilimo Del Toro

Why- Like Spirited Away, Del Toro shows that fairy tales aren’t just for kids. Even if El laberinto del fauno was certificate 15.

2005 – Kiss, Kiss Bang, Bang - Shane Black

Why- My favourite Robert Downey Jr film which Wikipedia summed up - "crime/black comedy film, whick engages many conventions of the classic film noir genre in a tongue-in-cheek fashion."

2004 – Side Ways - Alexander Payne

Why- A light and very mature comedy which grabbed and surprised me. Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church work great together as two friend dealing with growing old, responsibilities and playing golf.

2003 – Lost in Translation – Sofia Coppola
Why- A beautiful romance which doesn’t involve sex but two sad souls who need each other. Will we ever know what Murray whispered to Johansson.

2002 – Spirited Away - Hayao Miyazaki
Why- Hayao Miyazaki shows that animated films aren’t just for kids. The magical characters and landscapes are timeless more over then any Disney film.

2001 – Donnie Darko
Why- Richard Kelly’s sci-fi horror did very badly in America but well in Europe captured me with the twisted tale of teen angst and a guy in a bunny suit.

2000 – Memento – Christopher Nolan

Why- Memento has the best editing in any movie I have ever scene. The was so impressive it would inspire any new film-maker.

And Film of the Decade goes to-

Hayao Miyazaki’s SPIRITED AWAY

And there you have it folks. I’d like to thank Kid in the Front Row for all his help with my blog (he’s doing a great job) and I’d like to thank the few people who read this and enjoy it. And if you want to join the team contact me for further details.

Oliver J. Hunt and the New Film Blog out...

#50 Rounding the year up

2009-12-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

Number 50! Let hope next year I can get it to #100 and beyond! And now onto the one year anniversary of the NEW FILM BLOG which is at the end of the month. And what a year 09 has been for films and my blog. Of course the roads been bumpy but I’m thinking about getting others on board to help the blog through 2010 but we’ll just see.

So here’s the years round up. I’ll be posting my scores, my new scores for the film and the scores for films I didn’t review. Then do my top three films of the year! So lets get going.

Bronson – * * * * *

New score- * * *

Comment- Interesting film which probably no one saw. Think Chopper meets

Clockwork Orange.

Curious Case of Benjamin Button - * * * *

New score- * *

Comment- A film about a guy who gets younger every day. Starts of well but looses it’s magic about half way.

Drag Me To Hell - * * * * *

New score- * * * * *

Comment- Sam Raimi returns to horror since Bruce Campbell vs The Army or Darkness. This film was so good you can sign my up for Evil Dead 4.

Låt Den Rätte Komma In - * * * * *
New score- * * * * *

Comment- Swedish vampire film which isn’t about sex unlike most vampire films. The writer of the Twilight Saga needs to watch this and see what a real vampire looks like.

Inglorious Basterds - * * * * *

New score- * * * *

Comment- Tarantino’s back for a good shoot out but still feel a TV show would have been better.

Milk - * * * * *

New score- * * * *

Comment- Gus van Sant’s great indie film about a subject which obviously meant a lot to him. Great performances from Sena Penn and Josh Brolin.

Slumdog Millionaire - * * * * *

New score- * * *

Comment- Danny Boyle’s interesting film about child slavery, poverty and heart break which was hailed as the heart warming film of the year.
*

Star Trek - * * * *

New score- * * *
Comment- Good but I wasn’t a Trekkie so went over my head. Still better then expected.

Synecdoche New York - * *

New score- *

Comment- Rubbish next… ok ok so this film shows Charily Kaufman needs and editor and someone to chain him down.
*

Transformers: Raise of the Fallen - * *
New score- *
Comment- Worse the Synecdoche New York, next.

Watchmen - * * * *
New score- * * *
Comment- Great comic. Good adaptation. Better then expected.

The Wrestler - * * * * *

New score- * * * *

Comment- Mickey Rourke steps back in the ring for a heart warming story about the road to self victory.

Films I didn’t review
*

(500) Days of Summer - * * *

Comment- Got me loving The Smiths and Joseph Gordon Levitt, enough said.

Antichrist - * * * * *
Comment- Lars von Trier’s disturbing flick shows audience that cinema can be engaging, challenging and truly disturbing.

Avatar- * * * * *
Comment- James Cameron’s ten year brain child was worth the wait. It’s smurfs meet Furngully, in a good way.

Funny People - * * *

Comment- disappointment from Judd Apatow but still worth watching.

Halloween 2 - * *

Comment- I feel the first of the Rob Zombie Halloween films was in some ways better then the original however this is one of horrors darkest days and not in a good way. Good thing Zombie isn’t making H3.

The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus - * * *

Comment- Terry Gilliam is back and with a vengeance. Still felt the end could have had five minutes cut off but still Tom Waits redeemed it all.

Last House on the Left - * * *
Comment- The original was on of the grittiest films in history. But did it constitute for a remake? Probably not. However this films a more cleaned up on which I enjoyed to the end.

Paranormal Activities - * * *

Comment- Scary film which kept me up all night.

Moon - * * * * *
Comment- Duncan Jones’s first film shoots straight into my top five sci-fi films. Need I say more?
*

Pontypool - * * * *
Comment- An Canadian zombie horror where the virus isn’t transmitted by bites but by words.

Zombieland - * * *

Comment- Pretty funny zombie flick with twenty minutes without any zombies. And NOT as good as Shaun of the Dead.

And now that that’s out of the way its time for my top five film of 2009!

Top 5 movies of 2009

5. Inglorious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino

4. Avatar – James Cameron

3. Antichrist – Lars von Trier

2. Moon – Duncan Jones

1. Drag me to Hell – Sam Raimi

So what do you think? Do you agree? What was your top films of 2009? Please comment below.

Well I hoped you liked it. There it is. Now onto the bigger picture. Top films of the decade!

* * *

P.S. I saw this video on YouTube recently and thought I had to add it in it is truley incredible. I also had a little of a change around of my list but the #1 stayed the same!

Oliver Hunt

#49 One Night At The Movies Long Ago - A story of paranoia, strange strangers and bad glares.

2009-12-03T01:12:00.000-08:00

I was in.

At the time, which wasn’t long ago, I was planning on seeing a film with a certificate that was older then me, If only by a couple of months. Now, all my friends had boasted about seeing the dreaded 18 certificate films with ease or without worry. But for me that was different. Being a somewhat paranoid freak I felt that everyone was watching me. The CCTV, the people selling tickets, even the other movie goers.

On the drive there I thought of plan upon plan of ‘what if’. What if they look at my boyish charm and rat me out? Do I run? Or keep my dignity as I stroll out without a care (even if I HAD to see this film)? Outside there was the usual Arthouse cinema goes with their beer cups which I just walked past. At my local Arthouse (and where I was sneaking in) there is two places to pay. I only knew one. So I waited behind a crowd for my shot at a prize (the prize being able to see the film). I had booked the tickets online with the plan that once I’m their I can just wipe out a card (my dad’s) and pay for the ticket. But half way to the ticket stall was when the person behind said that tickets could be bought at the confectionary stand. For some reason I followed the two or three people who where in front of me over to the stand.

For some unknown reason I felt comfortable. I felt that the plan was going well and it would be in and enjoying the film with in the hour. Then the door to the only screen opened and about a hundred people flooded out all happy after watching the film I planned on seeing. I ignored them so that I wouldn’t hear something I’d regret eavesdropping on. Now when I looked back the lady behind the counter I saw she was looking at me. No not looking, staring at me. As if she knew. Every so after she would look at me trying to suss me out or break my spirit. So I just stood up straight and didn’t let it bother my out side complexion. But on the inside I was stressing. Now it was my turn and to my amazement, she didn’t ask for ID or anything. She just took my (dad’s) card and did everything fine.

And that was it. You would think that was the end but it wasn’t. After the screen opened I walked in and sat in my usual place which is in the middle of the room, not to close to the screen but not to far enough and sat down and began to happily read the little free book of up coming films. Then I noticed over my should and man sneaking up to me. I looked over the seat at him when he began to talk to me. Apparently the seat I was sitting on was the best in the cinema because it’s where all the speakers are pointed at. What could I say to this? I thanked the man for telling me and kept my head down. But once the film started I was safe. I was happy. The panic was over. I was in.

Oliver J. Hunt

#48 Go watch Movie Buzz!

2009-11-06T02:23:00.000-08:00

A NEW POST? WHAT IS THIS? Yeah I’m back from the dead people and here to give a quick post on someone very special to me. Ok not that special but I wait every week (twice a week) for this guy to leave a new video. And by that I guess you guess it’s a video from YouTube. And you would be right. Movie Buzz is a video form Peter Rallis over in the states and ever week: Tuesday and Friday, he posts a new video about the latest movie news, reviews and trailers and all in five minutes. Can you believe it? SO it’s great on those busy mornings before work or school to watch as he puts a smile on your square eyed faces.

Movie Buzz YouTube page

This video below is his one from Tuesday so watch it an catch up before his new video which should go out today. Once you watch I garantee you'll subscribe to him.

Movie Buzz 179: Prince Of Persia Trailer, Roger Rabbit 2, DVDs & More!

Oliver

#47 First Impression on the Hitchcock Storyboard Composer

2009-09-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

Source

This is technology… I was linked this by a friend and naturally watched it only to find that this sort of equipment can be used on a iPhone or iPod Touch. Professional looking storyboarding and you can do it on the go. If technology has gotten this good what will come in the future?One of the first things I said to my friend was I would want this on my laptop. It looks great, acts great (from speculation) and can be sent as a PDF file. The company it comes from is Cinemek who appear to make 35mm lenses so for them to make this is right out of left field.If you are a director and have a iPod Touch or iPhone then I recommend you get it. This is from first impressions so I could be wrong but for £11 it seems like a bargin. If I had more for a iPod Touch or iPhone I would definitely get it because it looks like a great app. It’s on the app store now go check it out…

Oliver J. Hunt

New New Film Blog Poster!

2009-09-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the new New Film Blog poster. Each letter is the first letters from a movie title. Can you guess any? I’ll tell you the first on is from… Natural Born Killer’s. Do you like it? Comment.

Oliver J. Hunt

#45 Top Fifteen Comedies

2009-08-31T02:04:00.000-07:00

Firstly for the three or four people who read my blog it’s going to become a weekly think. Every Monday around five is when they will go up. If I choose not to do one I will leave a comment saying so.

Recently I have gone cuckoo for comedies because of my latest script and the recent release of Judd Apatow’s new film Funny People. So I thought why not do my top ten comedy list. Then that became to hard so I decided so I made it top fifteen. Why not hay? So here it is.

15. South Park Big Louder & Uncut
Quote – “You're such a pig-fucker, Phillip!”

14. Knocked Up
Quote - “Did you hear that? He’s going to rear your child.”

13. There’s Something About Mary
Quote – “Have you got my ball?”

12. Borat
Quote – “He was a real chocolate face, no make-up”

11. Shaun Of the Dead
Quote - “Who died and made you fucking king of the zombies?”
10 Airplane
Quote – “I am and don’t call me Surely.”

9. Team America
Quote - “AMERICA, FUCK YEAH”

8. Superbad
Quote - “McLovin, I’m sorry I cock blocked you...we should be guiding your cock, not blocking it” 7. Clerks
Quote - “I’m not even suppose to be here today.”

6. Anchorman
Quote – “Everyone just relax, all right? Believe me, if there's one thing Ron Burgundy knows, it's women.”

5 The Blues Brothers
Quote – “It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.”

4. Clerks 2
Quote – “The fucks Pillowpants?”

3. This is Spinal Tap
Quote – “Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?”

2. The Big Lebowski
Quote – “You're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.”

1. Monty Python Holy Grail
Quote – “You must cut down the tallest tree in the woods will a Herring.”
Do you agree? Or disagree? Leave a comment of some of your favourite comedies.

Oliver J. Hunt

#44 Review for ‘INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS’

2009-08-26T03:09:00.000-07:00

"Tarantinolicious"
* * * * *

Director
Quentin Tarantino

Cast

Christoph Waltz

Brad Pitt

Mélanie Laurent
Screenplay

Quentin Tarantino
Certification

18
Running Time
153 min

This blog contains * Spoilers *!

Ok firstly no one can be surprised about how much I’m going to be biased about this film. I’m a Tarantino buff… ok fanboy. However I am going to give good points and bad points of the movie as best I can. This is my most anticipated film of 09 so if this becomes my film of the year will anyone be surprised? So lets just start.

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS is a story about the assassination of Hitler. Now the film is being marketing as a men on a mission film but it really isn’t that. It a revenge flick. The main story is the Shoshanna arch (if you will) because she’s in the majority of the chapters in which the film is structured. When going in I thought the film would be just Brad and Eli going around killing Nazi’s for two hours. But it’s really not. The trailers have given it no justice. The Basterds are in it for about a third of the film. Either they shot loads and never used it or just bad marketing. Did they think people would only see it if there was Nazi death’s? But why they didn’t show more of the Shoshanna scenes is beyond me?

So the story is about the Basterds, an elite team of Jewish born American’s who get dropped in Nazi occupied France (not that you see it they just appear there). Then after some killings and history lessons they find out that a Nazi propaganda film by Joseph Goebbles called ‘Nation’s Pride' is being premiered in a small Paris cinema run by non other then Shoshanna. So once the Basterds catch wind of this they plan on blowing the cinema sky high but it’s not only them who are planning on blowing it up. Dun Dun Daa…

Now let’s get onto the heart of the controversy. Quentin does re-write history. But A) it’s Quentin Tarantino, are you really surprised and B) the way he re-writes history is an entertaining one. I am going to say what it is because I found it pretty funny. You ready. After the Basterds plan goes down the pan, Eli and Omar grab two MP44’s and go to two on Hitler as the cinema burns down. Eli actually stands over Hitler shooting his face into the floor. It’s quite disgusting but funny because it’s Eli doing the work (him being the director of the Hostel films and Cabin Fever). So that’s it’s. That and pretty much everyone dies in the end. All his beloved characters get killed by the other faction until the end where three if not to of the main characters live through the war.

If there was one word to describe the atmosphere of the film, it would be tense. It’s not just the opening scene where Col. Han’s ‘The Jew Hunter’ Landa is testing and toying with a French farmer to find the last remainder of Jews in the area, but through out the film. Han Landa’s character is such a great one and deserves all the applause he’s been getting. Through out the film there’s a feeling as if your about to get caught by the German’s. whether it’s a Shoshanna scene or a scene with the Basterds. But I guess that’s needed in a WWII film involving Jewish people (The Pianist, Schindler’s List).

I knew I was a true fanboy when I could tell which soundtrack has been in his other films (and which films they have been in). During the opening credits the font and style kept changing which confused me at first but then I realised they are all the styles of the opening credits for all his other films. So to others it looked somewhat strange but to the fans was brilliant. Also Julie Dreyfus is in the film and fans will notice her from Kill Bill vol 1, well I did. And lastly some old voices came back to lend a hand, namely when Aldo Rein is on the phone with someone I noticed its none other then Mr White Hervey Keitel and during the history lessons with Samuel L. Jackson.

Now everyone in the film acted well in my books. The American’s where over the top, the British where quaint and the Germans there creepy (no offense I like German people). There was a few people that stood out namely Christoph Walts, Mélanie Laurent and Daniel Brühl. And they grasped the script perfectly. Everyone really got into character and it felt somewhat believable (especially Mélanie Laurent and Daniel Brühl’s relationship).

Ok, now onto the final paragraph. I could have rambled on for hours but this is it. This was the first Quentin Tarantino film I saw in the cinema and I’m glad it was this over lets say Kill Bill vol 2. It’s a pretty epic war movie but some bits did feel disjointed and you could see it was going to be a twelve hour TV series. But over all Fans are going to go nuts for it. I can see why people didn’t and won’t like it but they’re the people who think ‘The Godfather’ is the best film ever (if you get me). Inglorious Basters won’t be hailed as the greatest war film because everyone knows ‘Apocalypse Now’ is but it is a great night out at the cinema.

I added this little section for the top Quentin Tarantino film and where Inglorious Basterds fell into it.

Tarantino Top List

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Reservoir Dogs
3. Kill Bill vol 1
4. Inglorious Basterds
5. Deathproof
6. Jackie Brown
7. Kill Bill vol 2

Oliver Hunt

#43 Bear With Me! Premature Love Quotes

2009-08-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

I haven’t done a post in a long time and the reason is simply I’ve been living the summer up and working on new script. I’ve been posting quote from it and people seem to be enjoying it. So here they are for my small blog community. I’m seeing Ingloriouse Basterds on Sunday at my favourite Art House cinema (and favourite cinema overall) The Duke of Yorks cinema in Brighton, so a review will come for that. And I have something planned to talk about Jack Black and Will Farrel’s acting going to the kids. So keep checking folk….

Here are some quotes from my latest script 'Premature Love' (working title) I have been posting on my Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Thought people might like to read. Comment if you like...

MARCUS – ‘Well we wanna know why you don’t think Donnie is the better Wahlberg?’
JAMES - ‘He made ‘The Sixth Sense’ what it is.’
CAMERON – ‘He was in it for four minutes.’

ALEX - ”Ok, I hate to ruin this little... moment or what ever between you to sexual repressed homosexuals but I have got to go.”
BEN - ”What again? The movies only just started?”
ROB - ”Sexual repressed?”

JAMES - "Jim Morrison is the Jesus of smoking pot. Their music just fits so well with it."
CAMERON - "Wouldn’t that make him the Shakespeare?"
JAMES - "Who cares?"

Becca - "Well look at us. We’re perfect for each other and too fucked up for anyone else. We’re both incomplete."

MARCUS- ”Alex if you wanna bring her, bring her. But if she gives birth on my living room floor, your delivering it.”
ALEX – “Fine. The most unlikely of situations, but whatever.”
MARCUS - ”I’m just saying.”

MARCUS - “Now I know how Swayze felt in that movie.”

ALEX - (still looking for Kathryn) ”Point Break?”

MARCUS-“Point Break no? I don’t feel like a surfing bank robber right now. That film where he fucking stalks Demmi More and Woopie Goldberg.”

ALEX – “Oh shit.”

MARCUS – “What dude? Did you just realise your uglier them Willem Dafoe and Steve Buscemi’s bastard offspring?”

ALEX - ”No.”

MARCUS - ”I’m just asking. You have a Mr Pink and Sgt. Elias thing about you.”

- Premature Love

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=507005172&ref=mf

Twitter
https://twitter.com/OliverHuntNFB

#42 Inglourious Basterds London Premiere

2009-07-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am a massive Quentin Tarantino fan. Everyone knows it. I don’t hide it. So when I heard QT had a new movie Inglourious Basterds coming out not one year ago I knew I had to go to the premiere (I think it went something like that). Well it was Pulp Fiction that got me into loving movies so I felt it was my duty to go. And I am glad I did! I not only saw the big QT but I high-fived him and got my DVD copy of Pulp Fiction signed!

I went up at 2:30 pm and was told I would see anything. And even the rain didn’t stop me from going, I was more determined then Jack Torrance breaking through the bathroom door. Then when we got there we where welcomed be other Tarantino fans. Well we (myself and three other QT fans) got a good spot and began the fun fun waiting game. Two hours we waited. Two slow hours of anticipation and nerves. It was sick. It was like some Auschwitz torched (pun intended). Well for the first hour we got to see how premieres are prepared, which was interesting (I guess). Then the second hour I spent listening to others talk whilst songs from Quentin’s other movies played on a loud speaker. And I could totally say which films each song was in (a little smug comment) which made me feel better about waiting.

Then people stared to come. And everyone in the crowed waited for the main man of the hour. More and more people flocked into the ODEON cinema which was when I realised how much someday I was to be here with people waiting outside my movie just to see me. Anyways, snap back to reality I saw several people who worked at Total Film and where at Cannes Film Festival. That impressed me. I was probably the only person to knew and cared. A man looking like Omar Doom (Death Proof) also walked down the carpet with a very creepy looking lady and after IMDB’ing him I found out he is in the movie so that sort of confirms it was him. So more and more critics and other people where going in when I heard “There he is”. I stood on my toes and looked all the way down the road and saw him. Quentin Tarantino. Sporting a black shirt with normal jeans. I couldn’t believe it was him. A man in front of me (who knew his stuff and obviously did this for a living and by that I mean getting signatures and selling then on) said he would be definitely coming this way. And he did. Just seeing him was enough. But when he got close and I could hear his voice I knew I wasn’t in some dream. When he got to me and my friend I got my DVD signed but that’s to it. I shoved my handed out of the crowed and he shook it. His hands where soft. But then I also high-fived him. And trust me on this. High-fiving your role model is an amazing feeling which can’t be described. Then he moved on.
Also there was Mickey Rourke, Christophe Waltz, Diane Kruger and that woman from Scream. So the majority of celebs who went weren’t even in the film. Brad Pitt wasn’t there but I heard form the guy in front of me that he was busy working which could be Moneyball but only a guess. Eli Roth wasn’t there either which I was most disappointed with. Him being my third favourite director after Kevin Smith (person wise not film). But I went I saw and now I can die happy.

All my picture are on my facebook but I have also made a video with clips and photo’s of the premiere. Check it out below.

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=507005172&ref=profile

Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/user/ollie18hunt

Twitter
https://twitter.com/OliverHuntNFB

Inglorious Basterds London Premiere edited by me

Oliver Hunt

#41 MAFIAS 09, I WON!

2009-06-28T03:44:00.000-07:00

In short, 'Patrol' my short film won the 'AS Best Film' award. Which I am thrilled about becuase it's acturly the first and only trophy I have won and it's for a short film! So it's all shaping up. After we lost the award for 'Best Setting' (which in all honestly I thout if we won an award it would be that one) I was on a downer. Then they showed the contestants for the 'AS Best Film' and I felt like we had lost becuase of all the raw talent. Put 'Patrol' came through and I'm happy. My acceptance speech and a clip of 'Patrol' (the only clip online) is on youtube and on my page. Check it out...This weeked I begin 'Much Ado About The Universe' so im looking foward to that. Which is a documentry about my cooky friend! So I'll be putting that on Youtube with in the next few weeks.

For those who have noticed I now go by the name of Olive J. Hunt for film related stuff (excluding New Film Blog). I just like the ring to it so that going to be on my work from now on.

Oliver J. Hunt accepting the award for 'Best AS film'

Nomination clip for 'Best AS Film' - Mafia Awards 09

This is the only place on the internet to watch 'Patrol'. Even if it is a slice of it I hope you enjoy.

Blog taken from -
Oliver J. Hunt - NEW FILM BLOG Myspace Bulletin

Oliver Hunt

#40 Review For ‘Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen’ (2009)

2009-06-28T03:22:00.000-07:00

* *

Director

Michael Bay

Cast

Shia LeBeouf

Megan Fox

Josh Duhamel
Screenplay

Ehren Kruger

Roberto Orci

Certification

12a

Running Time

150min

*Spoilers*

What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say that I loved Transformers: Revenge OF The Fallen? Not to be mistaken for Transformers 2 because franchises are bad, bad New Film Blog! Well I didn’t. In fact this movie made me sad. If this is the direction cinema is heading. And by that I mean: boring actors, unchallenging script and explosions left, right and centre. Then what’s the point.

After I saw Transformers and as I was walking past other film posters I wondered why I hadn’t seen something like the Hangover or even The Last House on the Left (exactly). Transformers is just a bad film. It’s demographic audience it only 8-16 years olds. The type of audience who is exited but explosions. If your easily impressed like so many are then go see it, what do I care. But if you want something with substance wait till July. Or buy a DVD of a good film.

It’s not hard to see that I hate Michael Bay. Yes his style is CG/American Propaganda but it’s just hard to bare. It’s only Armageddon I can stomach because of Bruce Willis and Steve Buchimi. The rest of his films are boring. He produced the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remakes which I enjoyed. But he looses points for producing The Unborn which is the worst horror I have ever seen. Fact of the matter is this: If Michael Bay is the voice of our generation of film making then I was born in the wrong generation.

To complete my hate of cast and crew Shia LeBoeuf is in this. I dislike the kid because he hasn’t sold me on anything. I haven’t seen Disturbia because I’d rather see Rear Window so I can’t comment of all his acting abilities but he’s just so boring to watch. Then Megan Fox comes on screen and it completes my hate. I don’t find her attractive. So she’s not needed on screen. She’s there for the dads who go to the cinema with their sons. She runs in slow motion twice in the films and no one was looking at the explosions behind her that’s for damn sure. Then the rest of the actors and voices are blurs to me so I can’t comment on them.

The script is terrible. The films two and a half hours long off pure dribble. Nothing about it stood out. The humour was cheap laughs and the rest was just hammy one liners. I think the writers need to be exiled from humanity to go write bad scripts on some other planet. Roberto Orci who wrote the story for Star Trek also wrote this massive step down. It all leads up to the end fight which is granted better then the rest of the film but doesn’t pay off where Megatron and Starscream just run away. To think to end a franchise would be a terrible thing. So there will be a third which I will totally boycott don’t you worry.

Really I haven’t done into depth about this film, but what you going do? I don’t get paid for this so what ever. If your eight years old, like explosion and overrated women on screen go see and enjoy but if you appreciate films wait till Bruno or Public Enemies. Yes the CG where impressive but like the first film the fights are just metal shrapnel rolling about together. Not good. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is indeed better then the first but not good enough it impressed me. The next one should be set in Tokyo. And should have a sort of B-Movie feel to it. Then that would be a good film.

Oliver Hunt

#39 My Top 10 Must See Horror Movies

2009-06-18T11:44:00.001-07:00

New blog! Yay! But first I thought I would tell you readers why I haven’t written anything in several weeks. There is two main reasons, among other small things. Ok, actually there where three reasons. Three reasons why I haven’t written. First one is simply laziness. Well it’s either laziness or been to busy and being shattered afterwards. The second is writer’s block. If blogger’s can get it. Well then I got Blogger’s block. And the last is the main one. I’ve been working on a screenplay (and I’m not talking any ol’ screenplay but a 130 page feature length, so I guess that correctifies the first one) and since Monday I sent it out to test readers so I have some time to write a few quick blogs. So lets just jump right into it.

On my absence I fell in love. Her name is Horror and she comes in many forms. Ok, ok, that lame, but it did happen. After a night of frights at my pals house, I have been watching all the best horror films around. I’ve signed onto horror forums. And I can’t stop reading about them. So I thought I would write about some of my favourites. To be honest it’s a predictable and some what generic list but you do get some really bad ones out there but this so this is the definitive list! Ok not definitive but my personal list of the top must see horror films! Let’s go.

10. Alien (1979)
Why Is it here?
Empty space, killer robots and of course aliens, all contribute to why Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror is here. Even though the space ship was beautiful, the alien wasn’t. But unlike other sci-fi horrors or any horror monster movies, in Alien there is only on alien which takes the hole crew out. Now that is scary. It’s is also one of the only franchises that didn’t get worse. It was consistent through out the quadrilogy. I, of course, don’t include the Alien vs Predator movies. Who do you think I am?

9. Jaws (1975)
Why Is it here?
Ba-Duh, Ba-Duh, Bu-Duh. Even though many people disagree that Jaws is a horror film but I strongly disagree with them. It’s the only film that has effected me personally. Along with thousands of other audiences around the world who can’t swing in deep water because of a plastic shark. It’s been said that on the set of Jaws, because the shark was broken they had to use it considerable less. But my thoughts are if they had used it more the scare factor would go down. It was the no knowing up until the final confrontation.

8. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Why Is it here?
First thing first. Notice how there is only one remake on this list which is The Thing. So when I say Dawn of the Dead I don’t mean Zack Snyder’s one but the George A. Romero one. It’s been banned in 17 countries and possibly George A. Romero’s best film. He is the man, he is king of Zombie films. What’s scary about it is it’s sense of realism. There’s no answer for what’s going on. It’s just happening. For a zombie flick it satisfies the gore porn audiences with it’s exploding heads, decapitations and people to get eaten alive without silly close ups! Now that’s want zombie movies need.

7. The Thing (1982)
Why Is it here?
This is definitely one of the scariest films of all time. If I had made a list that was the top scariest horrors of all time, John Carpenter’s The Thing would be in the top three. What makes it scary is the isolation the characters are stuck in, and how no one, not even the audience, know who is a human or is an alien. If no one jumped when that blood test dish jumped out at Kurt Russell then they need therapy to feel real fear.

6. Ôdishon (The Audition, 1999)
Why Is it here?
The Audition is most likely the only film on this list which people haven’t heard of. However Takashi Miike’s tale of love is one of the most disturbing movie of all time. The story follows a male widow looking for love. So after he sets up a fake audition for a Radio show he meets that perfect one. But is she? For the first 90 minutes or so, Miike sets up the character of Shigeharu as the nicest guy right in the world. It’s only up until the last 20 minutes when some of the most disturbing scenes are shown and he becomes the worlds unluckiest man. Let’s just say there’s a ton of metal pins, cheese wire and severed limbs.

5. Psycho (1960)
Why Is it here?
Psycho had to be on this list. The first slasher movie by the master of thrillers Alfred Hitchcock. And for a crack at horror is was and still is on of they best films ever made. Period. For the time Psycho was released woman in movies where seen in a different way. Then Hitchcock came along and showed audiences that actresses such as Vera Mile’s weren’t just a pretty face. Norman Bates is such a chilling character and the twist at the end puts M. Night Shyamalan to shame. And how can we forget the shower scene which has become one of the most icon film moments. Oh, and the score was frightening. Just thought I would slip that in.

4. Saw (2004)
Why Is it here?
Saw is a really clever film with lots of twists and terns. So the franchise has gone down hill since then. I still enjoy them. The original with be remembered for years to come as the story of a killer who never killed anyone. And the sound of the good doctor sawing threw his foot off to save his wife and daughter is pretty messed up. I believe that if Saw had never come along film’s like Eli Roth’s Hostel wouldn’t be here. And when you here the words “I’d like to play a game with you!” you just know your going to need to hide behind your hands.

3. Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Why Is it here?
I love chain saws. I feel that all horror films need a chain saw at one point. And as the title suggests, this movie has it. It was banned in pretty much every country (apart from America where it was a hit) for years and now is recognised as one of the most and chilling independent horror movie of all time. And I fully agree. When Leather Face chased the poor girl down the street chain saw in hands, you had to question the sanity of Tobe Hooper.

2. The Shining
Why Is it here?
“HERE’S JOHNNY!” Those words still haunt me to this day. Staley Kubrick’s epic Stephen King tale about a broken family who retreat to a haunted hotel in the Colorado mountains to look after it for the winter. With a son who’s schizophrenic and telepathic, a murderous father on the brink of insanity and Shelly Duval, they all add to the creepiness of the movie. It’s also my favourite Stanley Kubrick film because of it’s intense soundtrack, great location and the bit with the blood in the elevator. “REDRUM”

1. Evil Dead 2
Why Is it here?
Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 is in my top three favourite films of all time. And one of the Evil Dead films had to be in the list. The reason it’s at number one is the fact that horror movies try to act like the main character is in a nightmare but Evil Dead 2 was a nightmare. In the best possible way. The mix of comedy and horror blend so well in Raimi’s universe. Fantastic if not frantic camera work, a great horror/comedy script, and Bruce Campbell cutting his hand off with a chain saw. What more could you want? Blood gushing out of the walls? It’s got it. Headless ex-girlfriend wielding a chain saw? It’s got it? Being sent back in time to fight the Deadite’s in the medieval times? Oh Hell yeah, it’s got it!

What do you think? What are some of your favourite horror movies?

Oliver Hunt

#37 Review For ‘Drag Me To Hell’

2009-05-28T02:15:00.000-07:00

“Superb”
* * * * *

Director
Sam Raimi

Cast
Alison Lohman
Justin Long
Lorna Raver

Screenplay

Sam Raimi
Ivan Raimi

Certification

Running Time

98min

Are you ready to be scared? If your answers is no, then I strongly advise you don’t go and see Drag Me To Hell. I personally didn’t think that it would be a scary film but have some bits that might be the light jump. But the Raimi brothers didn’t disappoint. It was a very scary movie. It got to the point where you could expect it but still literally jump out of your seat. And this being the first horror film I’ve seen in a cinema (not including Let The Right One In), I was so happy that it was Drag Me To Hell.

So the story is about Christine Brown (Lohman) as she fights for a job promotion against co-worker Stu (Lee) for their bosses love. However after Christine tries to look good in front of her boss by evicting an old decrypted gypsy woman from her LA house, Christine finds out that you don’t piss off old gypsy women. Then after being cursed in the parking lot of the Bank, Christine begins to discover that hell is a real place and somewhere she’ll be going unless she can save her soul.

This is a bold statement, but I’m going to go as far as to say this is one of the best if not the best film I’ve seen this year. That partially is because I am a Raimi fan-boy however it exceeded all expectations of myself and my co-cinema going.

As every review is saying: if you’re a Evil Dead fan you’ll obviously enjoy it but that doesn’t cut it. I think that every horror fan needs to see this film, at least twice. That’s why I’m planning on seeing it again. I don’t go to see movies twice in the cinema but I’m really looking forward to seeing it a second time.

So as expected the cinematography is up to scratch for a Raimi film. You can tell it’s a Raimi film by the quick zooms, which is a dying camera trick which works perfectly for horror films and the camera turns as they turn 90 degrees to show the atmosphere and strangeness to the frame. If the film was shot in a static way without the quick zooms when Genush (Raver) jumps on Christine, then the scare factor would go way down.

Now the acting. Alison Lohman was a great choice to play Christine, I felt she inhabited the role excellently then Ellen Page would have (Ellen Page was first asked to fill the role). Justin Long who plays Christine’s loving boyfriend also did an amazing job. I personally didn’t like him before because Jeepers Creepers left a bad taste in my mouth but after this he seems like he can actually do a good film (yes Die Hard 0.4 was terrible and you know it). But the script was written so well that Christine and Clay (Long) seem like the two nicest and normal people in the world so then the horror comes in you generally feel bad and connected to them. And the first time we see Genush I thought she seemed like a lovely old woman. Which leads me onto Lorna Raver. She acted a horrible mean ol’ hag so well she was believable. If I saw her walking down the street I would turn and run for my life. The only thing I was disappointed with was that Bruce Campbell didn’t have a cameo which made me sad but that was it’s only floor.

So after the last film I saw was Synecdoche, New York, it’s really nice to see a film that was made right. Kaufman take notes from Raimi. To be honest I think Raimi shouldn’t work on superhero films anymore and work hard on that Evil Dead 4 script. The mix of horror and humour work so well that it’ll keep incising new audience who might not see it. If you don’t see this flick, Raimi will drag you to hell!

Drag Me To Hell 720p HD trailer

Oliver Hunt

#37 Review For ‘Synecdoche, New York’

2009-05-21T02:52:00.000-07:00

* *

Director
Charlie Kaufman
Cast

Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Catherine Keener
Samantha Mortan
Screenplay
Charlie Kaufman

Certification

Running Time
124 min

*Spoiler Alert*

As you can tell, this is my lowest rated film of the year so far. And what you might be able to see with this film is that there will be a division between reviewers. Personally I felt like two stars was the maximum amount of stars I could give it. This film is just one of those films that people love or hate. And I hated it. I even drew a picture of the director Charlie Kaufman and what he means to me. Lets get started.

Synecdoche, New York follows the life of Caden Cotard (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a manic depressant play writer. Left by his wife and finding little comfort in therapy and after some loveless relationships gets grant money to do whatever he wants. Hiring a huge cast he sets out to make a play about the “brutal honesty” of his life.

So the film, from the outside, looks to be an intellectual roller-coaster ride of surrealist film making. And it is. But it was just done horribly. First thing I want to say is that I loved Spike Jonze’s Being John Malkovich which was writing by the Kaufman him self. So I don’t have a vendetta against him, I was actually looking forward to this film and expected it to be a defined five stars. The negatives out way the posterities by a lot so its such a shame to see a film with great potential.

Ok so why is the film bad you ask? Well to start with, all the scenes in the film aren’t longer then five minutes. The film rushes along as if it is trying to get to something important. Which I guess was the indoors city. There was so much to take in, I have forgotten a vast majority of the story. Also because the story rushed by it as hard to keep up with characters. Sometimes there are years between a scene, which aren’t notified so we only find out the time skip though a slightly old Caden. To me that’s poor film making, if you rely on the audience to notice the gaps between the years. After Caden’s first wife Adele leaves him with his daughter of four Olive to run away to Germany to pursue a life of art, then the hole film goes to pure madness (and not the good Evil Dead type madness). You can’t tell whether Caden is in Germany or in New York. And New York isn’t even mentioned or notified it’s just there in the distance.

Then the film becomes twisted as Caden watches his naked tattooed daughter dancing in a strip club for him. The film just dissolves into “what where you thinking”, like when Caden’s PA (or love interest of the time) buys a burning house which isn’t a metaphor for something, the characters even talk about it. What’s that all about? Towards the end of the film it just gets stupid as the actors of the real characters get actors them selves, it just becomes a world in a world in a world in a world. And the end fifteen minutes are rushed and ridicules. Some noise is heard outside and when he goes out the next day people are dead. Not explained why. They’re just dead. It was a terrible ending to a bazaar film

I decided to draw a picture (above) of Charlie Kaufman with the screenplay for Synecdoche, New York. Notice how pages of madness come out of his massive head even though the script is written. The film just felt like several scripts stuck together, but was accepted because it’s a Kaufman script. He’s always been know to write weird screenplays but this just shows that he should stop. What Kaufman is in need of is an editor and a producer who will tell him what not to do. This film is just a product of too much freedom. If toned down and had the fat trimmed off a lot of it, it could have been a more enjoyable film. Synecdoche, New York was the first time I’ve considered walking out because the film out stayed it’s welcome. I has hoping he died because he did nothing. And he wasn’t a character to sympathise with because he was so unlikable and boring.

Ok now something’s I like about the film. For a start Phillip Seymour Hoffman was very good in it. It could even be seen as his crowning achievement because even though I disliked the character he acted surprisingly well. That’s the first star. Now the second star is for the cinematography. For a debut film it was pulled off well. Even though I hated the film I was admiring the camera work (not the editing). And that’s the only two pluses, I am not even going to go into it. That’s it.

Being honest I just think this is a cult film. In twenty years I could look back and be like what was I thinking it’s a brilliant film. But now I just thought it was poorly executed. And as I said yes earlier it will get divided opinions among reviews so it’s something you as the reader are going to have to watch yourself and decided if you like it or not.

Depressant. Green poo. Small canvases. Stalkers. Germany. Lesbians. Suicide. Death Of A Salesman. Incestuous strip tease. Pink box. Breaking and cleaning. That doesn’t make sense and neither does this film.

Oliver Hunt

#36 Cannes Film Festival Is In Full Swing: Day 2

2009-05-15T09:47:00.001-07:00

A few posts back I listed the films that would be at this years top French film festival. This post is all about what I have heard about the films from sites like Total Film and Empire Online among others. Hopefully someday I’ll be there with either a film of my own or reporting on future films. Well lets get started with the film that open the festival.

Well Pixar’s Up was the first film to be shown and is SUPER 3D! Well from what I heard it sounds pretty good. Apparently from an video review on Total Film, the first twenty five minutes is the best thing Pixar has done. But hold the phone. Didn’t people say that about Pixar’s last box office hit Wall-E? The answer being yes. But what seems to happen with Pixar film is that they want to look like grown ups (pun intended) but sell out there films after forty minutes of so with cheap childish jokes. I guess the target audiences are seven year olds but come on. At least make one Arthouse film. Pixar could be the western Studio Ghibli. Think about it.

Secondly, Humpday was shown today. Humpday starts Mark Duplass and someone homeless looking guy, as they do gay porn which is “so gay it’s not gay” or something. Anyways it’s the latest mumblecore film to come out of America so I’m going to try see that somewhere (if it comes to England). I also like the Duplass brothers who are best known for their mumblecore films; The Puffy Chair and Baghead, which I recommend. Apart from four people walking out the film is said to be good. The sex scenes are also not graphic like Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain so I can’t see why people would walk out?

On the 24th May, the jury announces the winners so check back around then to get my thoughts on the winners plus news on the other films.

Oliver Hunt