Double Bill - Salt

10 minutes after Piranha I was into the next flick, for the thriller Salt.

What's this one about? A CIA agent goes on the run after she is accused of being a Russian Spy.

Cast: Angelina Jolie - "Evelyn Salt", Liev Schreiber - "Ted Winter", Chiwetel Ejiofor - "Peabody" and Daniel Olbrychski - "Vassily Orlov"

Written by Kurt Wimmer

Soundtrack by James Newton Howard

Directed by Phillip Noyce

What I liked? Jolie, Schreiber, Ejifor. The action, the story.

What I didn't like? Could have been a little longer, the twist.

Summary: I liked this film alot, the story was engaging, Jolie was super as the CIA agent, backed up well by Schreiber and Ejifor. The script was good, along with the acting from everyone else in the film. The action was very good, if a little over the line at times, Jolie pulled it off. For me she is the best action actress around at the moment. She really looks like she puts her heart and soul into it. Plus she doesn't look out of place doing it!
I really liked her character and the way she played it, this was her film and she owned it. Cruise should have done this instead of Knight and Day!

The twist was a little obvious in the end and seemed a little of a kop out considering the rest of the film had been so good. I liked the fact that this is ready for a sequel!

Overall: Solid thriller with great performances and action and Jolie was in great form (8/10)

Double Bill - Piranha 3D

Well it's double bill night, starting with Piranha 3D and followed by Salt. Two films I'm very much looking forward too. So let's start with Piranha.

What's it about? Well if it's not obvious! Anyway prehistoric Piranha are set free from an underwater cave after a tremor. With the spring-party in full swing it's feeding time for the razor-toothed fish!

Cast: Elisabeth Shue - "Julie Forester", Steven R. McQueen - "Jake Forester", Ving Rhames - "Deputy Fallon", Kelly Brook - "Danni" and Christopher Lloyd - "Mr Goodman".

Written by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg.

Soundtrack by Michael Wandmacher

Directed by Alexandre Aja

What I liked? The Piranha, The slaughter scene, the comedy, the T&A!

What I didn't like? How short it was, and lack of tension.

Summary: For me this film rocked, it had everything you wanted from a B-movie "monster" flick, cool monsters, gore, T&A and comedy. Did I mention the gore, the main slaughter scene is just something else, these are ferocious fish, the camera work is great, the screen soaked in blood. Flesh being ripped from bones, it was stomach churning madness, relentless and like nothing I'd seen before. It was great! Aja went for it and delivered in this scene alone.

The rest of the film had it's moments, the casting was great, the script was average, the story had nothing to offer but it was never going to be much of a classic anyway. But it did enough to move the film along, the fish the CGI and the gore were brilliant. Did I mention the T&A? Full of it, nearly as much as the gore!

Overall : An entertaining b-movie gore fest, (8/10)

Step up 3D

If the other night was ACTION ACTION ACTION, Step Up 3D was DANCE, MUSIC, DANCE and DANCE.

A group of dancers compete against the best hip hop dancers from New York to save their house and change their lives forever!

Cast: Rick Malambri - "Luke", Adam G Sevani - "Moose", Sharni Vinson - "Natalie" and Alyson Stoner - "Camile".

Written by Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer

Soundtrack : Various Artists

Directed by Jon Chu

What I liked: The dancing, the music, the final dance off.

What I didn't like: Well the script and the story, but then again what did you expect. They didn't ruin the film, because it really didn't need them. (A bit like the Expendables)

Summary: I had liked the previous films, not for story or acting, but for the dancing and soundtracks. And here the 3rd installment didn't disappoint. The dance battles were amazing, while the practice sessions showed just what accomplished dancers are in this film. Alyson Stoner has been seen in Missy Elliott music videos, Daniel "Cloud" Campos (Kid Darkness) has danced with Madonna on tour and in her videos. I have to mention Chadd Smith as well, his Robotic Dancing was stunning. They could all dance! For that the cast was perfect.
The lead actors (Dancers) did ok with the acting, Sharni Vinson has filmed over 100 episodes of Home and Away so she has a little experience in front of a camera.

It was a typical win or nothing storyline, with an average script, but it kept it simple and they let the dancing do the rest. An when they got dancing they were awesome.
The soundtrack was really good, and one last note about the 3D, I liked it, it wasn't over the top but gave a great depth in the dance battles, so you just didn't have focus on the front few lines you could see the whole dance crew! Also liked the hand movements which looked like they were ok coming out of the screen.

Overall: Story and Script aside this was entertaining stuff (7/10).

The Expendables

ACTION! ACTION! ACTION! and not much else, but then what did I expect, nothing really but ACTION!

What's it all about? A group of mercenaries (the expendables), head to a South America to overthrow a dictator and his army!

Cast: Sylvester Stallone - "Barney Ross", Jason Statham -"Lee Christmas", Jet Li - "Ying Yang', Dolph Lundgren - "Gunner Jensen", Randy Couture - "Toll Road" and Terry Crews -"Hale Ceaser" make up the Expendables.
Mickey Rouke, Eric Roberts, Bruce Willis, Steve Austin, Charisma Carpenter, Giselle Itie and Arnold Schwarzengger

Written by Dave Callaham (Doom) and Sylvester Stallone.

Soundtrack by Brian Tyler

Directed by Sylvester Stallone

What I Liked: The Action, Statham, Li, Stallone getting his ass kicked. The Action, Roberts and The Action!!!!!

What I didn't like: The script, close up camera work in the action!

Summary: I was looking forward to this, the action, the scene with Willis, Stallone and Schwarzengger. Statham and Li kicking ass, things blowing up gun play, knife play and so on.
Well it didn't disappoint in most of these, the action was fast and furious, lots of things blew up, people got cut in two, heads rolled, lots of things blew up. Statham was great, without doubt the star for me. Stallone and Rourke struggled to speak, how they got their lines out I have no idea.
Li was a little under used, but his showdown with Lundgren was good.
Stallone got beaten down by Steve Austin at least he's not the unbeatable hero he was in the 80's, and I liked that scene.

The scene with the "big" 3 in, was great, even if a little brief, it was fun with a great line towards the end.

The story was surplus really, just an excuse for them to take on an army, Roberts was good as the rogue agent and didn't over play his part.

Some epic action sequences and could easily get a 2nd outing!

Overall: Really enjoyed it, had some funny moments, Statham and Roberts the best, but all played 2nd fiddle to the superb over the top action. (7/10)

Knight and Day

I was hoping that the reviews had been wrong, but for once they were right!

A action-comedy-romance about a women who gets tangled up with a secret agent trying to stay one step ahead of the FBI and keep himself and the women alive and also protect a new battery from various people including the FBI!>

Cast: Tom Cruise -"Roy Miller", Cameron Diaz -"June Havens", Peter Sarsgaard -"Fitzgerald" and Jordi Molla -"Antonio"

Written by Patrick O'Neill

Soundtrack by John Powell

Directed by James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma)

What I liked: Not much really, the music from what I can remember. The opening fight in the plane.

What I didn't like: Nearly all of it! Might as well save it for the summary!

Summary: Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in an action-comedy-romance, should have worked really well. But I just didn't like it! Not one little bit! First of all where was the romantic spark, not between these two thats for sure. It was just too staged all the time, no romance here no romance at all

The action (bar the plane fight) was pretty average, the rescue from the FBI not the best, the final chase in Spain was awful as well due too the bad CGI throughout it.

By the end of the film Diaz had turned into a gun toting heroine and that was another thing that felt wrong. And what was going on with Diaz being drugged carted half way around the world it just seemed really silly and they kept doing it and then she did it, and they thought they could get some laughs from it! Just another thing that didn't work for me!
So that's the action and the romance, just the comedy! With a rubbish script and Cruise trying his best to be funny it never raised more than the odd smile. Just not funny at all!

It was suggested it was a spoof, well if you are spoofing something you can usually tell which film they are ripping apart, and the gags come thick and fast, I didn't see the films and the gags were not thick and fast! So if that was their aim, they missed by a mile!

And the final thing to just finish it off, what they hell does the title have to do with the film! Bar the knight they used to smuggle the battery, the only possible link i could find. What is day?
No idea and frankly I don't really care now.

Overall: Not much to say below average (4/10)

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Emily and me went to see this last weekend.

Using the legend of Merlin to base the magic, we find a Sorcerer searching for the Prime Merlinian, and when he finds him teaching him magic and how to defend the Earth from the evil Morgana and Horvath.

Cast: Nicolas Cage - "Balthazar Blake", Jay Baruchel -"Dave", Alfred Molina - "Maxim Horvath", Teresa Palmer -"Becky Barnes" and Monica Bellucci -" Veronica"

Written by Matt Lopez (Race to Witch Mountain), Doug Miro (Prince of Persia) and Carlo Bernard (Prince of Persia)

Soundtrack by Trevor Rabin

Directed by Jon Turtletaub (National Treasure 1 and 2)

What I liked: The music, Molina, Bellucci (even though she didn't really do that much). Most of the special effects and the mop scene, but they really had to include that!

What I didn't like: The story was pretty weak, Baruchel squeaky voice! The ending.

Summary: Overall this wasn't too bad, better than I expected, Cage wasn't as good as he has been but nowhere near as bad either. Turtletaub gets a good performance from him as seen in the National Treasure films. The star of this film was Molina, the best lines, the best delivery just really good throughout and not many could have played Horvath any better. The rest of the cast were fine, and the script was ok, it had some quite funny moments.
Some of the CGI and Special Effects were very good. I liked the dragon and the tin eagle.
What let it down was the story just a little weak and we've been here before. Also the final scenes seemed rushed and maybe they could have done a lot more with it, the ending just seemed to go out with a whimper instead of a bang!

I do like the soundtrack as well, some good pieces of music on it.

Overall: I liked this on the whole, Molina was the star along with some good CGI (7/10)

Here's one I forgot - Splice

Splice , saw this before Karate Kid, well better late than never!

What's it all about? Two scientists running a genetic laboratory for a large corporation are searching for a protein using animal splicing. When the experiment goes wrong, the scientists splice Human DNA with the Animal DNA and create DREN.

Cast: Adrian Brody - "Clive Nicoli" , Sarah Polley - "Elsa Kast", Delphine Chaneac - "Dren" and Brendon McGibbon -"Gavin Nicoli".

Written by Vincenzo Natali (Cube), Antoinette Terry Bryant and Doug Taylor (They Wait).

Soundtrack by Cyrille Aufort

Directed by Vincenzo Natali (Cube)

What I Liked: The concept, the moral aspect, Dren.

What I didn't Like: The acting, the script, Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley, the soundtrack.

Summary: Splicing DNA has been done before, and done better, look at the mini series Chimera from the 1991. So the concept is interesting, but they seemed to rush the process and never really explained what or how they were doing it. A little science helps in these films, even if you never really understand it.
The creatures they made at the start were strange, but helped explain later events. The script was pretty bad, in turn the acting was really poor. Brody looked out of place, while Polley didn't seem to have the emotional range to carry off her part. The third and final act was the best part of the film, as Dren grew and bonded with both her "parents", before a fairly good final sequence and an obvious end.
Maybe a little more horror in the first part of the film and it may have been better, and of course a couple of better actors and better scriptwriter.

The Soundtrack had it''s moments, but on listening to it without the film, I didn't find too much to like about it.

Overall: A good idea ruined by acting,script, music and not enough horror!(5/10)

The A-Team

Being a way and was hoping to update a few posts while I was away but struggled with Internet connections and so gave up.

So before I went I saw The A-Team. And I'm trying a new format for my reviews.

Based on the 80's TV show of the same name, the actually events of the film are prior to the Team getting together, more of a how they became the A-Team!

Cast: Liam Neeson - "Colonel Hannibal Smith", Bradley Cooper - "Lt. 'Faceman' Peck", Quinton Rampage Jackson - "B.A. Baracus", Sharlto Copley - "Captain H.M. Murdock". Jessica Beil - "Charissa Sosa", Patrick Wilson - "Lynch" and Brian Bloom - "Pike".

Written by Joe Carnahan (Smokin Aces), Brian Bloom (Yes the actor playing Pike) and Skip Woods (Wolverine).

Directed by Joe Carnahan (Smokin Aces)

What I liked: Face (Cooper), Murdoch (Copley), some of the action the capture of the Arab in the city was good. Most of the comedy involving Copley and Cooper.


What I didn't like: Neeson (Hannibal), Jackson (BA), most of the action, the raid in Baghdad, the end sequence and the tank (even though some of Copley's lines in the tank were very funny).

Summary: Have watched the A-Team as a kid, I was hoping this would have been really good, with a strong cast it had the making of a decent action-comedy. In the end I got a film which was just above average, saved by the performances of Cooper and Copley. Neeson and Jackson were terrible in their roles, so with only 50% of the A-Team bringing their A-Game we were left with a c+ film!
Even the action couldn't save it; we had that "get in close" effect which doesn't work that well, plus at times it was so over the top it spoilt the film (the tank) and then so poorly executed with terrible CGI it spoilt the film.
The comedy worked quite well and was well delivered by Cooper and Copley, the rest fell flat! Bloom had a good comedy scene when he was taken by the FBI!

Overall: Some funny moments, some poor action and some bad acting, above average (6/10)

The Karate Kid (2010)

Oh no another remake! Another 80's film remake as well, has Hollywood run out of original ideas? I doubt it, I just think the studios like the easy option, and remakes are that option.

I don't mind them to be honest and sometimes they could do with a remake. I perfer the Texas Chainsaw remake, the Dawn of the Dead was much superior to the original. But they got it wrong with the Amityville horror, and oh so wrong with The Omen.

So the Karate Kid gets a makeover, now to me the original is a 'good' movie, nothing special it's just good. A prime candidate for a remake, re-model, re-boot! Whatever this was, I was looking forward to it, plus it has Jackie Chan in it!

For me this film is so much better than the original. It has more heart and emotion, the story works so much better by moving it to China. Now you really feel for Jaden Smith's character, it feels like he really is out of place, up against it and fighting to survive in this new Country. The fact you are now in the home of Kung Fu gives it even more power. And then we have Jackie Chan, a legend of the Martial Arts cinema, giving a superb performance as the handy man come kung fu master. Chan drives home the theory of Kung Fu, "it's in everything we do", and Smith learns!

Both Smith and Chan are outstanding, I really believed in both characters, they made the film work. The rest of the cast perform well, but the next star of this movie is China, Zwart gives us some beautiful images from the Great Wall of China to a stunning cliff top Monastory, and much more through out the film.
Again it all adds to the film. The final part for me was the fight sequences, nearly all well shot, only the odd time did the camera come in too close to spoil the action, but come the Tournament and we have some superb fights!

Another fine aspect was the music, stunning at times usually when Zwart was giving us some wonderful shots of China.

How close is it to the original? Pretty close, with some nice homages throughout the film.

Overall, i really enjoyed it, much more emotion, you felt for the lead character and Chan was just superb! (9/10)