Nothing for weeks and then we get 3!
Saw Repo Man last night.Directed by Miguel Sapochnik and starring Jude Law, Forest Whitaker and Liev Schreiber.
Well after the negative reviews for this film, I was quite surprised how much I did like it. It's not great, but it's got plenty to offer. Pretty good script, I liked the concept, the brutal reclaims and a twist ending (which I didn't see coming!). The acting is good and Law is a pretty good action hero!
Some of the action sequences are really good, some a little OTT but Law seemed quite at home doing them and he never looked out of place.
Whitaker was a little more shaky at times, but Schreiber was good through out and I do like him. Not really sure about the supporting cast, they were ok.
The music was pretty good and the direction wasn't bad.
Overall, a good concept, good actiing and some good action, but nothing brilliant!
(7/10)
Wednesday 28 April 2010
The Ghost (aka the ghost writer)
I prefer the oringinal title, but I can see why they changed it. The ghost will get peoples attention more! Or maybe the some may think it's a film about a ghost writing a book!!!! Which ever i liked the original one!
The film directed by Roman Polanski, adapted by Robert Harris from his own novel and starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams and Kim Carttrall.
Slow burning thriller, which never really excities or gets very thrilling did enough to just be entertaining. Though not really going anywhere fast, it was really well acted and directed which possible saves it from being just an average thriller.
One thing I did like the script was excellent, to me it didn't have that movie vibe running through it, sounded a lot more real! Not the easiest thing to explain, but I know what I mean!
Brosnan and McGregor and brilliant and the supporting cast add some major weight as well, but these two really carry the film.
The music was good from what I can recall.
Overall I did enjoy it (7/10)
The film directed by Roman Polanski, adapted by Robert Harris from his own novel and starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams and Kim Carttrall.
Slow burning thriller, which never really excities or gets very thrilling did enough to just be entertaining. Though not really going anywhere fast, it was really well acted and directed which possible saves it from being just an average thriller.
One thing I did like the script was excellent, to me it didn't have that movie vibe running through it, sounded a lot more real! Not the easiest thing to explain, but I know what I mean!
Brosnan and McGregor and brilliant and the supporting cast add some major weight as well, but these two really carry the film.
The music was good from what I can recall.
Overall I did enjoy it (7/10)
Shelter
It's been a while since I've posted a review, we've had a week off and to tell you the truth it's been a lame couple of weeks really. But this week see the release of Iron Man 2, which I beleive could be good!
Anyway before our time-out I saw Shelter, starring Julianne Moore (Hannibal) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (From Paris with love) and directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, both with no noteable film references! And I think that showed!
While the stroy was good along with the concept, the direction was a little heavy handed. It wasn't all bad, some good creepy moments, albeit nothing new, but enough to make it entertaining. The cast was ok, nothing special but I did like the way the film ended!
But overall it lacked something, just didn't have enough edge! Mind you it was much better than the Asian remakes I've seen over the last 5 years!
I doubt I will be adding this to either BD or DVD collection!
(6/10)
Anyway before our time-out I saw Shelter, starring Julianne Moore (Hannibal) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (From Paris with love) and directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, both with no noteable film references! And I think that showed!
While the stroy was good along with the concept, the direction was a little heavy handed. It wasn't all bad, some good creepy moments, albeit nothing new, but enough to make it entertaining. The cast was ok, nothing special but I did like the way the film ended!
But overall it lacked something, just didn't have enough edge! Mind you it was much better than the Asian remakes I've seen over the last 5 years!
I doubt I will be adding this to either BD or DVD collection!
(6/10)
Thursday 15 April 2010
The Titans Clashed Again
Yes call me insane, call me stupid, yes I went back to see Clash of the Titans. Once should have been enough. I should have admitted what I saw first time was an average block buster, but I didn’t.
Ok, I know I gave this a 7 first time out, but I was kidding myself, I had wanted this film to be as big and grand as the title suggests, I was hyped for this film, ready to be amazed by the Kraken, Pegasus, Medusa, Giant scorpions and the Gods of Greek mythology. The trailers had raised my expectations as high as
The fall to earth was spectacular! But I refused to accept it so I went back looking for something more, anything which would vindicate my first reaction. That as much as they had changed the story, this film still stood up as a solid block buster and something to enjoy!
I didn’t find it! I hadn’t missed anything, except I just couldn’t handle the truth! And the truth of the matter is, that this isn’t such a good film, it lacks everything the original had and more.
What’s wrong with it, well just about everything, I shall start with what’s ok.
Gemma Arterton, even though this is a new character I get the impression she’s Bobos replacement. And I can live with that.
Mads Mikkleson, with out doubt the best actor in this by a mile.
The Kraken, I thought this was pretty good.
Pegasus, I liked the colour change and the CGI.
The Harpies stealing the head of Medusa.
No what’s wrong!
The Story, now I did comment the first time round that the revenge story didn’t work for me, it didn’t get any better. In fact this is the biggest let down for me, the original one works, the quest for love has importance and meaning, I wanted it to succeed. The new version, the revenge just didn’t draw me in.
Hades – he really didn’t need to be in this film, if you want a film where Hades wants to take over
The Gods – or should I say lack of them.
Liam Neeson as Zeus – not the best.
Ralph Fiennes as Hades – remind me why Hades was in this film! Oh yes because they nicked his story line from Disney!
Calibos – his story arc in the original was so much better.
The Kraken being the child of Hades! That’s just rubbish.
Sam Worthington, will some one give him an acting job!
The Music, no theme, no consistency, it was all over the place!
So I admit it now – Average at best (5/10)
Tuesday 6 April 2010
How to train your dragon (2D)
Took my twins to see this, opted for the 2D version as the glasses are just a bit too big for them!
Anyway what a film, brilliant! Great voice cast, funny, smart, awesome animation and a good solid story. The dragons were fantastic, I was never really sure of the Night Fury one (the main dragon) but the more the film went on the more I liked him.
The human characters were good, and Hiccup was great, as was his father! The music was superb but the animation was top draw.
(9/10)
I am going back to see this in 3D now!
Anyway what a film, brilliant! Great voice cast, funny, smart, awesome animation and a good solid story. The dragons were fantastic, I was never really sure of the Night Fury one (the main dragon) but the more the film went on the more I liked him.
The human characters were good, and Hiccup was great, as was his father! The music was superb but the animation was top draw.
(9/10)
I am going back to see this in 3D now!
Seven Years and Counting
7 years ago myself and a friend signed up for Cineworlds Unlimited Card, allowing us to see as many films as we wanted per month for a set fee.
It seemed like a great deal, and it is, well it is if you want to see more than 2 films a month. Anyway 2 films a month, more like 2 films a week! 7 in one week is the most I've seen, and the odd week we don't see anything.
It also helps that my wife doesn't really mind me going as well, it's not like spending a few hours in the pub on a Friday getting drunk and then wasting my Saturday! Plus most of the time I'm not going out till after 8 at night.
At least for me this is money well spent on something I love doing.
So going into my seventh year and 562 films already seen I'm looking forward to getting to that magic 1000.
Roll on year 7, with what looks like some outstanding films! Iron Man 2, Inception, Robin Hood, Shrek 4 and Toy Story 3!
It seemed like a great deal, and it is, well it is if you want to see more than 2 films a month. Anyway 2 films a month, more like 2 films a week! 7 in one week is the most I've seen, and the odd week we don't see anything.
It also helps that my wife doesn't really mind me going as well, it's not like spending a few hours in the pub on a Friday getting drunk and then wasting my Saturday! Plus most of the time I'm not going out till after 8 at night.
At least for me this is money well spent on something I love doing.
So going into my seventh year and 562 films already seen I'm looking forward to getting to that magic 1000.
Roll on year 7, with what looks like some outstanding films! Iron Man 2, Inception, Robin Hood, Shrek 4 and Toy Story 3!
Clash of the Titans
Some would say the first big film of 2010!
Now after reading quite a few bad reports about the 2d to 3d conversion I decided to steer clear of the 3d film. I think 3d is great, but this sounds like a rushed conversion and not many people have been impressed, well no one actually!
With that in mind, it was old fashioned 2d, and the film turned out to be an old fashioned adventure film, big on CGI, lite on story and even lighter on character development. Whereas the original quest was done for love, this one was revenge. But a revenge story needs some build up, some connection with the characters affected. It's not just them that want revenge it's me as well. I didn't get that connection, it was too rushed, as though sod this we want to show you Gods, we have big monsters, and we have a Kraken! Who needs a story!
Visually in places the film is awesome, well most places really, I liked the scorpion battle, Medusa, the Kraken, Pegasus, the chase between the Pegasus and the harpies. The gods were ok, Perseus was ok, Calibos was ok but underused.
The script is terrible, the acting bar Mads Mikkelsen is pretty poor,he is the best actor in it by a mile, Worthington is ok at the action stuff, but he needs an acting role quick. Neeson and Fiennes ham it up as Zeus and Hades but are nothing special. The direction is fast and furious jumping from action sequence to action sequence without taking a breath, and that in the end spoils it.
Overall, poor script, acting and direction but with great visuals and some great action, it just does enough to entertain but with a little attention to detail it could have been so much better!
Just creeps into a good film(7/10)
Now after reading quite a few bad reports about the 2d to 3d conversion I decided to steer clear of the 3d film. I think 3d is great, but this sounds like a rushed conversion and not many people have been impressed, well no one actually!
With that in mind, it was old fashioned 2d, and the film turned out to be an old fashioned adventure film, big on CGI, lite on story and even lighter on character development. Whereas the original quest was done for love, this one was revenge. But a revenge story needs some build up, some connection with the characters affected. It's not just them that want revenge it's me as well. I didn't get that connection, it was too rushed, as though sod this we want to show you Gods, we have big monsters, and we have a Kraken! Who needs a story!
Visually in places the film is awesome, well most places really, I liked the scorpion battle, Medusa, the Kraken, Pegasus, the chase between the Pegasus and the harpies. The gods were ok, Perseus was ok, Calibos was ok but underused.
The script is terrible, the acting bar Mads Mikkelsen is pretty poor,he is the best actor in it by a mile, Worthington is ok at the action stuff, but he needs an acting role quick. Neeson and Fiennes ham it up as Zeus and Hades but are nothing special. The direction is fast and furious jumping from action sequence to action sequence without taking a breath, and that in the end spoils it.
Overall, poor script, acting and direction but with great visuals and some great action, it just does enough to entertain but with a little attention to detail it could have been so much better!
Just creeps into a good film(7/10)
Kick Ass - Again
Last Thursday, I saw Kick Ass for the 2nd time! Well it had to be seen again. So many comic-book references, excellent action sequences and superb dialogue, how could I not see it again!
Nothing faulted on the 2nd viewing, nothing grew old, in fact I would say I enjoyed it more the 2nd time around.
Maybe it's worth seeing again!
Nothing faulted on the 2nd viewing, nothing grew old, in fact I would say I enjoyed it more the 2nd time around.
Maybe it's worth seeing again!
Thursday 1 April 2010
Clash of the Titans - The Original
I wanted my eldest to watch the original before we see this years version, plus I hadn't seen it in a long time as well.
The first comment as Argos is washed away was "why do the people keep falling over before the water hits them?". I didn't remember it has been as bad as that, but I'm glad she watched it. In the end she liked it, though wasn't overly impressed with the Kraken but she liked the gods!
Better than most, but it's showing it's age now plus some of the acting was terrible! (6/10)
The first comment as Argos is washed away was "why do the people keep falling over before the water hits them?". I didn't remember it has been as bad as that, but I'm glad she watched it. In the end she liked it, though wasn't overly impressed with the Kraken but she liked the gods!
Better than most, but it's showing it's age now plus some of the acting was terrible! (6/10)
Kick Ass
The first big film of the year for me, one I've been waiting to see, since the trailer broke last year and the buzz hit the world wide web! So it had to been seen on the preview weekend!
I have a lot of time for the director Matthew Vaughn, liking both Layer Cake and Stardust his previous two directional films quite a lot. Also Jane Goldman needs some credit here as well, and I'm not one to heap praise on the writers, but her screenplays for Stardust and Kick Ass have been superb.
The cast is brilliant, and this even goes for Cage, who I've not seen make a good film for...... well a long time, but here he is great. Now the talk is of Chloe Moretaz aka Hit Girl, 11 years old and turning the air blue with her language and the floor red with the blood from her kills! She is brilliant, but I never missed her when she wasn't on screen, because I liked the other characters just as much. Cage as Big Daddy (Hit Girls Dad), Mark Strong as the mob boss (no surprise here) are great, and Kick Ass himself Aaron Johnson who is brilliant. The supporting cast are all really really good as well.
The script is brilliant, the soundtrack is outstanding, with Mika taking the film's main song, which I do really like. The direction and cinematography are fantastic, New York looks amazing but the action sequences are just superb. The Cage set piece is brilliant set to In The House, In a Heartbeat which sadly isn't on the OST. The first time we really meet Hit girl is brilliant, they all build to the thrilling end and one that doesn't disappoint.
The last point I have to make, the film is super-hero geek heaven, the homage it pays to it's genre is breath taking and none of it feels like a steal or misused. It's not taking the piss, it's not trying to cash in it's just saying maybe a superhero exits in all of us!
I'm sure I've missed loads which is why I'm going back to see it tonight!
Sets the standard for my summer (10/10) simply Outstanding!
I have a lot of time for the director Matthew Vaughn, liking both Layer Cake and Stardust his previous two directional films quite a lot. Also Jane Goldman needs some credit here as well, and I'm not one to heap praise on the writers, but her screenplays for Stardust and Kick Ass have been superb.
The cast is brilliant, and this even goes for Cage, who I've not seen make a good film for...... well a long time, but here he is great. Now the talk is of Chloe Moretaz aka Hit Girl, 11 years old and turning the air blue with her language and the floor red with the blood from her kills! She is brilliant, but I never missed her when she wasn't on screen, because I liked the other characters just as much. Cage as Big Daddy (Hit Girls Dad), Mark Strong as the mob boss (no surprise here) are great, and Kick Ass himself Aaron Johnson who is brilliant. The supporting cast are all really really good as well.
The script is brilliant, the soundtrack is outstanding, with Mika taking the film's main song, which I do really like. The direction and cinematography are fantastic, New York looks amazing but the action sequences are just superb. The Cage set piece is brilliant set to In The House, In a Heartbeat which sadly isn't on the OST. The first time we really meet Hit girl is brilliant, they all build to the thrilling end and one that doesn't disappoint.
The last point I have to make, the film is super-hero geek heaven, the homage it pays to it's genre is breath taking and none of it feels like a steal or misused. It's not taking the piss, it's not trying to cash in it's just saying maybe a superhero exits in all of us!
I'm sure I've missed loads which is why I'm going back to see it tonight!
Sets the standard for my summer (10/10) simply Outstanding!
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