Hi,
Last night's film was Guy Ritchie's film on one of the most famous Detectives we know. Robert Downey Jr. is Holmes, Jude Law is Watson, Mark Strong plays the villain Lord Blackwood, with Rachel MacAdams(State of play) and Kelly Reilly(Eden Lake) adding the female touch.
First off, I need to say that London looked remarkable, the visual effects and the cinematography were outstanding, the locations used may not have been London but they felt like London. Tower Bridge under construction looked amazing and the scenes on the Thames looked so real. A superb job from the production team for bringing Holme's London to life.
The cast were superb, especially Law who I really liked as Watson, he really nailed it. Downey as Holmes is superb, but Law just edged it for me. I like Strong when he plays the villainous roles, he does it so well. MacAdams and Reilly were also very good as well. They were helped by a decent script and a pretty good story in all, with some clues to a possible 2nd film, but you need to see the film for these.
The only thing I wasn't overly sure about was the action hero Holmes was portrayed as, it added something different to the character, but it's the only detail I'm struggling with at the moment. Law is perfect as Watson. The action throughout the film is very good, but Holmes only will gets to use is powers of deduction a couple of times which was a wasted opportunity. But these are minor quibbles and the film was near perfect for me.
Overall (9/10), cast, script, London are all brilliant, story's good and action man Holmes is a little hard to get used too.
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Thursday, 24 December 2009
Carriers
Hi,
Monday was my last film and was the film Carriers, starring Chris Pine. This film has been held back to run on the hopeful success of Star Trek. Well not sure how much that paid off, but the film wasn't too bad. More a survival film than a zombie-esq film, the four characters hoping to get to a certain beach resort. Maybe in the hope to see the one place which had so many good memories before the disease finally took it's toil.
Really I quite liked the fact it did try another view point of a overly used plot, and in some parts it came across fine. Pine was ok, along with Piper Perabo (a better role than Beverley Hills Chihuahua) and Emily VanCamp were good. The script wasn't great, and not much tension through out, and it played out how you would expect.
Overall not bad, but not great (6/10)
Monday was my last film and was the film Carriers, starring Chris Pine. This film has been held back to run on the hopeful success of Star Trek. Well not sure how much that paid off, but the film wasn't too bad. More a survival film than a zombie-esq film, the four characters hoping to get to a certain beach resort. Maybe in the hope to see the one place which had so many good memories before the disease finally took it's toil.
Really I quite liked the fact it did try another view point of a overly used plot, and in some parts it came across fine. Pine was ok, along with Piper Perabo (a better role than Beverley Hills Chihuahua) and Emily VanCamp were good. The script wasn't great, and not much tension through out, and it played out how you would expect.
Overall not bad, but not great (6/10)
Monday, 21 December 2009
Where the wild things are
Hi,
This may contain some mild spoilers!
I took my eldest daughter to see Where the wild things are, yesterday. I have never read the book, well I don't think I have. But this film will stay with me for a long time to come. I thought it was a wonderful film, full of emotion and wonder. The wild things are brilliantly realised and Spike Jonze has done sterling work, from a book with very few words.
Has he read the subtext of the story perfectly? That I don't know, but I will be finding out, I am interested to see what Jonze saw on those pages.
Max Records plays Max and is wonderful, I thought he looked so natural, so at ease with acting he made the film, the fact he is in it, nearly all of the time is a testament to both Max and Jonze for getting such a wonderful performance from an unknown actor. The rest of the cast have brief moments, but Catherine Keener is great playing the Mum with the weight of the world on her shoulders.
The film is very touching in a number of ways, it took me back to my childhood, when you wanted to show your castle to your Mum and be proud of what you've built. The frustration when she's to busy to come and look, and the anger when you tore it down!
The sadness when people come and go, when people don't listen, when they have something better to do than to comfort you. I do know some of these feelings from my childhood, and my Kids may feel the same sometimes, but we try to be there for them all the time. It's hard and Max's Mum finds it hard, but Max doesn't understand he wants to be accepted by his piers and he wants to be loved. I'm not saying Max's Mum doesn't love him, she does, but when she wants attention herself from a male friend Max is the one who feels left out. Which leads to confrontation and anger and finally violence (not extreme) which leads to Max running away.
And it's while he's in hiding we meet the wild things, now I could easily see Max huddled in a tree stump trying to work everything out and creating this fantasy to try and rationalise it all. And while he is with the wild things he does learn the value of his mother, his sister and why things change and how to accept these changes.
Overall I thought this film was amazing, wonderful to look at, touching - Outstanding (10/10)
I would also like to add some other notes, mostly concerning people's reaction to this film.
Max isn't a horrid little child, he's not a problem child, the opening scene with him chasing the dog is a bored kid finding something to do. Hell I chased the dog all over the house and fought with him, in the name of fun. I even did it when I was 12.
He's lonely, so playing in the snow on his own isn't much fun, or talking to a fence, so when he see's an opportunity for a snow ball fight with his sisters friends he takes it he's not being naughty he just wants to have fun. At the end of the scene who's the naughty kid? The one who jumps on his Igloo and buries Max. And while his sister doesn't console him just drives away with her friends, he becomes angry at her and trashes her room. But he is remorseful in the end because he shows his Mum his actions and helps to tidy the room.
Both are signs he's not out of control he's lonely and just wants some attention.
Later while he's on the Wild things Island, he finds being King isn't easy, making decisions and keeping everybody happy isn't easy.
Again how people see Max's war as a naughty thing is beyond me. Every group of boys has played war, thrown dirt clods at each other, and of course someone always gets hurt, it was all part and parcel of being a kid! Max had someone to play with at last, his imagination heightened the experience so it looks more extreme!
But also the end when he returns home, Mother stands for comfort, of course she welcomes him home and feeds him, but Max also realizes where he is safe and his mother will be there for him!
WONDERFUL FILM!!!!!
This may contain some mild spoilers!
I took my eldest daughter to see Where the wild things are, yesterday. I have never read the book, well I don't think I have. But this film will stay with me for a long time to come. I thought it was a wonderful film, full of emotion and wonder. The wild things are brilliantly realised and Spike Jonze has done sterling work, from a book with very few words.
Has he read the subtext of the story perfectly? That I don't know, but I will be finding out, I am interested to see what Jonze saw on those pages.
Max Records plays Max and is wonderful, I thought he looked so natural, so at ease with acting he made the film, the fact he is in it, nearly all of the time is a testament to both Max and Jonze for getting such a wonderful performance from an unknown actor. The rest of the cast have brief moments, but Catherine Keener is great playing the Mum with the weight of the world on her shoulders.
The film is very touching in a number of ways, it took me back to my childhood, when you wanted to show your castle to your Mum and be proud of what you've built. The frustration when she's to busy to come and look, and the anger when you tore it down!
The sadness when people come and go, when people don't listen, when they have something better to do than to comfort you. I do know some of these feelings from my childhood, and my Kids may feel the same sometimes, but we try to be there for them all the time. It's hard and Max's Mum finds it hard, but Max doesn't understand he wants to be accepted by his piers and he wants to be loved. I'm not saying Max's Mum doesn't love him, she does, but when she wants attention herself from a male friend Max is the one who feels left out. Which leads to confrontation and anger and finally violence (not extreme) which leads to Max running away.
And it's while he's in hiding we meet the wild things, now I could easily see Max huddled in a tree stump trying to work everything out and creating this fantasy to try and rationalise it all. And while he is with the wild things he does learn the value of his mother, his sister and why things change and how to accept these changes.
Overall I thought this film was amazing, wonderful to look at, touching - Outstanding (10/10)
I would also like to add some other notes, mostly concerning people's reaction to this film.
Max isn't a horrid little child, he's not a problem child, the opening scene with him chasing the dog is a bored kid finding something to do. Hell I chased the dog all over the house and fought with him, in the name of fun. I even did it when I was 12.
He's lonely, so playing in the snow on his own isn't much fun, or talking to a fence, so when he see's an opportunity for a snow ball fight with his sisters friends he takes it he's not being naughty he just wants to have fun. At the end of the scene who's the naughty kid? The one who jumps on his Igloo and buries Max. And while his sister doesn't console him just drives away with her friends, he becomes angry at her and trashes her room. But he is remorseful in the end because he shows his Mum his actions and helps to tidy the room.
Both are signs he's not out of control he's lonely and just wants some attention.
Later while he's on the Wild things Island, he finds being King isn't easy, making decisions and keeping everybody happy isn't easy.
Again how people see Max's war as a naughty thing is beyond me. Every group of boys has played war, thrown dirt clods at each other, and of course someone always gets hurt, it was all part and parcel of being a kid! Max had someone to play with at last, his imagination heightened the experience so it looks more extreme!
But also the end when he returns home, Mother stands for comfort, of course she welcomes him home and feeds him, but Max also realizes where he is safe and his mother will be there for him!
WONDERFUL FILM!!!!!
Avatar
Hi,
Well, Avatar, it was Thursday last week when I saw the 3D version and I didn’t want to jump into my review straight away. So I thought about it, let the images sink in, see if they stayed with me over the weekend and they did well until I saw Where the Wild Things Are, but that will come next.
So did it live up to the hype? Yes it did.
Did it blow me away? Yes it did.
Is it a giant leap forward for Cinema? Not too sure, it’s beyond anything I’ve seen so far, how far I’m not really sure; I mean Star Trek’s SFX looked remarkable as well. However the human element of the film was totally seamless due to the motion capture technique that Cameron used. Now this was stunning and beyond anything I have seen or even expected in this film.
James Cameron (Titanic) directs his first major film in 12 years and it is something remarkable, if unoriginal in it’s story, he unleashes such a visually stunning film that I was actually glad I didn’t have to pay too much attention to the plot. It was laid out like a road map, start here, finish there and along the way you will see this happen. Yep, A, B, C storytelling, but for some reason it didn’t hurt this film at all. I didn’t walk out saying the plot is garbage, the script was rubbish, it just didn’t matter for that viewing. But will it start to matter after I’ve seen it a few more times, when I’m passed the visually awe will the story be enough – that I’m afraid may not be the case. It may just remain a visual treat, but that alone will never get it to my number 1 film!
The cast were good, I do like Sam Worthington, he’s not been asked to really perform as yet, but in the roles I’ve seen him in, I’ve seen enough evidence to prove he can carry a film. Zoe Saldana was amazing as Neytiri this was the performance of the film. Stephen Lang was menacing enough as the war hungry Colonel and Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi were also very good.
I’m not harping on about the story; it’s Pocahontas in space, simple with a pretty average script, nothing to really get excited about. But the action is great, the pacing is great, 2 hours 40 minutes flew by as fast as a banshee!
But what was really exciting was Pandora, the planet Cameron has imagined for this film, now this new world made the film for me. The plant life, the animals, and of course the Na’vi are all amazingly brought to life, and it all worked for me. It was a mind-blowing, visually stunning trip to another world. And it’s this which is dragging me back for more, because I believe I didn’t see half off what Cameron wanted me to see in those deep dark jungles of Pandora.
I will visit Pandora again, this time at the IMAX and maybe even one more time at a normal screen, because I really do want to go back!
Overall simple story and average script overshadowed by mind-blowing visuals - Outstanding (10/10)
Well, Avatar, it was Thursday last week when I saw the 3D version and I didn’t want to jump into my review straight away. So I thought about it, let the images sink in, see if they stayed with me over the weekend and they did well until I saw Where the Wild Things Are, but that will come next.
So did it live up to the hype? Yes it did.
Did it blow me away? Yes it did.
Is it a giant leap forward for Cinema? Not too sure, it’s beyond anything I’ve seen so far, how far I’m not really sure; I mean Star Trek’s SFX looked remarkable as well. However the human element of the film was totally seamless due to the motion capture technique that Cameron used. Now this was stunning and beyond anything I have seen or even expected in this film.
James Cameron (Titanic) directs his first major film in 12 years and it is something remarkable, if unoriginal in it’s story, he unleashes such a visually stunning film that I was actually glad I didn’t have to pay too much attention to the plot. It was laid out like a road map, start here, finish there and along the way you will see this happen. Yep, A, B, C storytelling, but for some reason it didn’t hurt this film at all. I didn’t walk out saying the plot is garbage, the script was rubbish, it just didn’t matter for that viewing. But will it start to matter after I’ve seen it a few more times, when I’m passed the visually awe will the story be enough – that I’m afraid may not be the case. It may just remain a visual treat, but that alone will never get it to my number 1 film!
The cast were good, I do like Sam Worthington, he’s not been asked to really perform as yet, but in the roles I’ve seen him in, I’ve seen enough evidence to prove he can carry a film. Zoe Saldana was amazing as Neytiri this was the performance of the film. Stephen Lang was menacing enough as the war hungry Colonel and Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi were also very good.
I’m not harping on about the story; it’s Pocahontas in space, simple with a pretty average script, nothing to really get excited about. But the action is great, the pacing is great, 2 hours 40 minutes flew by as fast as a banshee!
But what was really exciting was Pandora, the planet Cameron has imagined for this film, now this new world made the film for me. The plant life, the animals, and of course the Na’vi are all amazingly brought to life, and it all worked for me. It was a mind-blowing, visually stunning trip to another world. And it’s this which is dragging me back for more, because I believe I didn’t see half off what Cameron wanted me to see in those deep dark jungles of Pandora.
I will visit Pandora again, this time at the IMAX and maybe even one more time at a normal screen, because I really do want to go back!
Overall simple story and average script overshadowed by mind-blowing visuals - Outstanding (10/10)
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Blu Rays
Over the last few night's I've watched a couple of Blu Rays.
Thursday stuck Star Trek on again!!!!!
Saturday was the turn of X:Men Origins - Wolverine. I did see this at the pictures while not the best it wasn't too bad. Some poor CGI didn't help! However on BD some of the bad CGI didn't look as bad, but the really poor stuff still looked really poor! Emily enjoyed it, and I must admit I enjoyed it as well. Not in the league of X 1 and 2 but it's ok.
One thing I did like was the IMDB look up function, that was pretty cool, can't remember what film he or she was in great pop up the menu and select the character and up comes the filmography - Nice!
And last night was my Christmas shopping bargain, Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2 for £5 each, I think they are used but I can live with that!
The transfer is amazing, really stunning. Can't tell with the sound, as my system can't handle PCM so I ended up with the standard 5.1. Even so - it was still pretty good.
I forgotten how good this film is, I really enjoyed it, not just because of the transfer but the whole thing was outstanding. The script is funny, the fight scenes are great. The music is brilliant! Looking forward to seeing the 2nd one soon.
Thursday stuck Star Trek on again!!!!!
Saturday was the turn of X:Men Origins - Wolverine. I did see this at the pictures while not the best it wasn't too bad. Some poor CGI didn't help! However on BD some of the bad CGI didn't look as bad, but the really poor stuff still looked really poor! Emily enjoyed it, and I must admit I enjoyed it as well. Not in the league of X 1 and 2 but it's ok.
One thing I did like was the IMDB look up function, that was pretty cool, can't remember what film he or she was in great pop up the menu and select the character and up comes the filmography - Nice!
And last night was my Christmas shopping bargain, Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2 for £5 each, I think they are used but I can live with that!
The transfer is amazing, really stunning. Can't tell with the sound, as my system can't handle PCM so I ended up with the standard 5.1. Even so - it was still pretty good.
I forgotten how good this film is, I really enjoyed it, not just because of the transfer but the whole thing was outstanding. The script is funny, the fight scenes are great. The music is brilliant! Looking forward to seeing the 2nd one soon.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Thoughts on Avatar
Hi,
The 17th of December approaches fast bringing with it James Cameron's first movie project for 10 years, the much anticipated film of this year - AVATAR!
Hit or Miss?
I hope it will be a hit, from the the trailer I really like the look of it. People say it looks like Halo, it's a computer game on film. I don't know, I think it looks so much better than any computer game I've seen. But then again I don't own a PS3 or XBOX so my gaming knowledge is weak, but I still think it looks so much better.
I can see visually this will be something very special, it's the rest of the film I'm worried about. Story, script and acting! Cameron isn't the strongest with his words, and from the rumours the script and story are very weak, and if this is true, it could bring down the acting and the film.
I remember another film with similiar traits this summer, should have been a blockbuster smash, well it was but it should have been so much better than it was, terrible script and silly plot dragged the acting down and left the film a mess. Transformers 2!
Now I hope it doesn't end up like this, but it could and that's my concern!
The 17th of December approaches fast bringing with it James Cameron's first movie project for 10 years, the much anticipated film of this year - AVATAR!
Hit or Miss?
I hope it will be a hit, from the the trailer I really like the look of it. People say it looks like Halo, it's a computer game on film. I don't know, I think it looks so much better than any computer game I've seen. But then again I don't own a PS3 or XBOX so my gaming knowledge is weak, but I still think it looks so much better.
I can see visually this will be something very special, it's the rest of the film I'm worried about. Story, script and acting! Cameron isn't the strongest with his words, and from the rumours the script and story are very weak, and if this is true, it could bring down the acting and the film.
I remember another film with similiar traits this summer, should have been a blockbuster smash, well it was but it should have been so much better than it was, terrible script and silly plot dragged the acting down and left the film a mess. Transformers 2!
Now I hope it doesn't end up like this, but it could and that's my concern!
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
The Box
Hi,
Last night's films was Richard Kelly's The Box, starring Cameron Diaz, James Marsden and Frank Langella. Now this is an interesting film, giving me the vide of a Hitchcock film along with an episode of the Twilight Zone. Which I've found out today does exist for the short story "button, button" which they are both based on.
I did like the premise of the story. It is a little confusing at times, and it's never made clear who is in control of the box or why. Maybe it's a film which will need a couple of viewings to fully understand and appreciate Kelly's vision of the story, but I did take a lot from it in the end and it was a good piece of film making on the whole. It won't be every bodies type of film that's for sure.
A tad slow in places but it did have an eerie feel to it and quite a bit of suspense throughout. The library scene was superb.
The script was good, the acting was fine from all parties, I do like Marsden and Langella, Diaz's accent wavered at times but that was only a little niggle.
Overall, I did like this, not sure I fully got it, but I will watch it again on DVD, and that must be a good sign. (7/10)
Last night's films was Richard Kelly's The Box, starring Cameron Diaz, James Marsden and Frank Langella. Now this is an interesting film, giving me the vide of a Hitchcock film along with an episode of the Twilight Zone. Which I've found out today does exist for the short story "button, button" which they are both based on.
I did like the premise of the story. It is a little confusing at times, and it's never made clear who is in control of the box or why. Maybe it's a film which will need a couple of viewings to fully understand and appreciate Kelly's vision of the story, but I did take a lot from it in the end and it was a good piece of film making on the whole. It won't be every bodies type of film that's for sure.
A tad slow in places but it did have an eerie feel to it and quite a bit of suspense throughout. The library scene was superb.
The script was good, the acting was fine from all parties, I do like Marsden and Langella, Diaz's accent wavered at times but that was only a little niggle.
Overall, I did like this, not sure I fully got it, but I will watch it again on DVD, and that must be a good sign. (7/10)
Sunday, 6 December 2009
Law Abiding Citizen
Hi,
My last visit to the cinema was to see the thriller Law Abiding Citizen, directed by F. Gary Gary, who did a good job in my opinion. The action was never OTT and he got some decent tension throughout the film, between the leading stars.
Gerard Butler (300) and Jamie Foxx (Miami Vice) were the main stars and both did a good job.
The script wasn't bad, and the pace of the film was ok. The ending a little weak, but then again I'm not sure who's side I was on by that point, the slimy lawyer or the grief stricken father out for revenge.
Either way Butler and Foxx had some good standoff moments, some of the death's were brutal and surprising, but they helped keep my interest in the film.
Overall, a good thriller, with good performances,script and action, but nothing to get too excited about (7/10).
My last visit to the cinema was to see the thriller Law Abiding Citizen, directed by F. Gary Gary, who did a good job in my opinion. The action was never OTT and he got some decent tension throughout the film, between the leading stars.
Gerard Butler (300) and Jamie Foxx (Miami Vice) were the main stars and both did a good job.
The script wasn't bad, and the pace of the film was ok. The ending a little weak, but then again I'm not sure who's side I was on by that point, the slimy lawyer or the grief stricken father out for revenge.
Either way Butler and Foxx had some good standoff moments, some of the death's were brutal and surprising, but they helped keep my interest in the film.
Overall, a good thriller, with good performances,script and action, but nothing to get too excited about (7/10).
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Paranormal Activity
Hi,
Caught Paranormal Activity on Monday night, saw an early showing to maximise the crowd, these films always play better with a fuller cinema, rather than the 6 to 10 people usually in the late showings. And the crowd effect did help!
Now I didn't really like the Blair witch, didn't find it scary in any way, Rec and Cloverfield I did like but with these hand-held films I do tend to feel motion sickness, but I wanted to see what the hype was about, so I fought the nausea and got through it!
And I'm glad I did, it was a well crafted film, for such a low budget it really did pull it off. The acting wasn't bad, and the script was realistic. The tension was built up slowly through out the film, with some very nice nervous moments for the cast and for the audience. I admit my hairs on the back of my neck did stand up once, so it did get to me a little.
Now if I hadn't seen the trailer, I may have jumped a couple of times as well, which I never really do, but I'd seen all the best moments and that was a shame, otherwise this may have been one of the best horror movies I'd seen for a while.
Overall, well produced little frightener with some nice moments. (7/10)
Caught Paranormal Activity on Monday night, saw an early showing to maximise the crowd, these films always play better with a fuller cinema, rather than the 6 to 10 people usually in the late showings. And the crowd effect did help!
Now I didn't really like the Blair witch, didn't find it scary in any way, Rec and Cloverfield I did like but with these hand-held films I do tend to feel motion sickness, but I wanted to see what the hype was about, so I fought the nausea and got through it!
And I'm glad I did, it was a well crafted film, for such a low budget it really did pull it off. The acting wasn't bad, and the script was realistic. The tension was built up slowly through out the film, with some very nice nervous moments for the cast and for the audience. I admit my hairs on the back of my neck did stand up once, so it did get to me a little.
Now if I hadn't seen the trailer, I may have jumped a couple of times as well, which I never really do, but I'd seen all the best moments and that was a shame, otherwise this may have been one of the best horror movies I'd seen for a while.
Overall, well produced little frightener with some nice moments. (7/10)
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