Goddamn I love picking the movie with the weird name only to be blown away.
Believe it or not, this is a vampire film. Yes, I know... I can hear you groaning from here. I don't blame you with the utter crap we have been drowned in from this genre over the past several years. I shudder to think of the day I'm trying to explain to my son why 'Interview With The Vampire' is considerably superior in every way to 'Twilight 10: The WolfBatVampZombieGhost revenge'.
I watch them all though regardless of how awful just in the slight hope of something that can come close to some of the greats. 'Interview With The Vampire' obviously :) 'Lost Boys' of course. Maybe 'Let the Right One In' comes close. It's like panning for gold decades too late.
Tonight was awesome... I found Byzantium. What is it with British cinema which just seems to get more appealing the older you get?
This film was (almost) perfect.
It brought back the beauty, charm and entrancement of a decent Vampire flick. It's like experiencing a dream. The beautifully simple piano soundtrack worked so well... as it often does in so many movies.
Hah - the joke on is me though as I just looked up IMDB to see who directed this and it turns out it's the same guy who directed 'Interview With The Vampire'.... Well Mr 'Neil Jordan', I am a big fan. (He also did the Crying Game but I haven't seen it :0)
I was completely entranced for the entire movie. When I think back to how it started to where it ended and the journey I'd been through it's just incredible. There is so much going on and I just love the way it's told. I just want anyone like me who still holds on to the hope of good vampire movies to watch this and let me know what you think. Am I losing my grasp? Or do you agree this is an original masterpiece?
9/10
IMDB Info
BTW - the only reason for the (almost) perfect was a few scotchers so hopefully need to edit that out after a sober watch ;) (10/10??? :)
Pain & Gain
I was really looking forward to this movie for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost (and I know Im going to get in trouble for saying this) I like Michael Bay films. I completely understand they are not amazing pieces of cinema and I totally understand they are made to appeal to the masses and make him lots of money, but he just does them so well! His 'splosions are always better than other peoples. His use of arrogance for humour goes down so much better than any other director. His ability to call in mega stars and hot babes and awesome cars and blow them all up is just simply fun, even if mindless. So when I heard he was making a 90's film with Marky Mark and The Rock being body builders who get in trouble trying to heist some rich dude I was expecting happy pant wearing, muscle popping, non stop action with a good slathering of humour.
The first half of the film did not disappoint. Mark Wahlbergs character is an interesting take on an American dreamer who wants everything and feels he can achieve it. You can see the determination coupled with the stupidity needed for this character to go on to do the things he does and it sets a lot up in this first half. The introduction of The Rock was awesome too as it was nothing like what I was expecting. Seeing him playing a born again Christian drug addict, violent man who doesnt want to be violent or do drugs anymore yet is caught up in all of this illegal activity was great and the acting was solid (pun intended). Finally, rounding out the primary trio of criminals is Anthony Mackie playing the best friend and accomplice to everything that goes on. His character felt a bit under developed, or possibly he was just out muscled by the other two, but I was left a bit flat from his character and would have welcomed him more as a Wesley Snipes type of wise ass or something.
The second half of the film unfortunately doesnt live up to the first half. A lot was built up around the quest for Daniel Lugo (Marky Mark) to achieve everything at any cost and to be a bit of a Robin Hood type, taking down the bad rich man to give he and his friends what they deserve. But, in the end it just kind of felt like an idiot making a bad decision and getting in way over his head, which is a much less interesting story. I think Michael Bay might have been trying to show just how futilie Daniels efforts were, or trying to say something about the quest to achieve everything taking a lot more than just kidnapping and torturing someone. Unfortunately it didnt quite get there with any emotional weight and I was even a bit bored by the final act which should have been impactful after all the horror that takes place.
Overall its not a bad movie, and kudos for taking a risk on making a very different sort of film than you would expect. It starts off feeling quite emotional and almost 'self helpy' in its attitude towards you can do anything, be anyone and no one can stop you. But by the end (SPOILERS) the characters are all in jail and have ruined their lives, (END SPOILERS) so Im not sure what the message was supposed to be. Still, I really enjoyed watching Mark Wahlberg and The Rock get a pump on and the set design, costumes and music were all loads of fun. I would have liked a bit more cheekiness from the lead characters as when that was happening the movie was at its best. A little more Ken Jeong, and a little more 90's cheese would have been great too as it felt under utilised. But most of all a better second half would have done the film wonders.
SCORE: 6/10
This Is The End
I have honestly not laughed so consistently in a film for what feels like ages. Every 5 minutes I was pissing myself laughing with the dry smart arse humour of Jonah Hill, or cracking up at Danny McBride being Danny McBridge, or almost faling off my chair at a coke'd up Michael Cera acting like an absolute knob! The way Seth and Evan thought about each character with respect to the real life representation of each actor, and designed such amusing and fitting character traits for them, really hits home and every single one of them is done to perfection.
The film isn't a masterpiece in story telling, but its so chock full of little amusing things that you don't care. Instead of going for that dumbed down, in-your-face stupidity type comedy of the Scary Move franchise, this film uses detail and genuine warmth to make things funny. Things like a huge diamond earring in Jonah Hill's ear. A towel on Craig Robinsons shoulder for the whole film that simply says "Mr Robinson". The fact that James Franco had paintings commissioned that just say "James Franco" and "Seth Rogan" to introduce how 'Hollywoodised" Seth has become to his friend Jay. These things are clever and funny and well thought out and are but three in a film of millions.
I honestly love this film, and cannot wait to watch it again. I know I missed many hidden treats in the background and can so imagine the main cast all standing around in a room saying things like "I reckon in this take you should reference my earring", "I reckon in this take we should work in Scarface somehow", "I reckon in this part we should get Emma Watson to de-head a giant penis statue with an axe!" and I can just imagine every single one of them pissing themselves with laughter as they thought about it, then setting up the cameras and shooting it. It really comes across that these guys had a blast putting this movie together and it really makes you as an audience member happy that you got to be a part of it. It kind of feels like, for a little while, you get to be a 20 or 30 something successfull actor in Hollywood, hanging out with your friends at the end of the world.
SCORE: 8/10
Spring Breakers
Spring Breakers is essentially a love letter to being a slutty, immature, spoilt, uncaring and violent teenage girl. It follows 3 such girls, who try hard to corrupt a fourth, on a spiralling journey into chaos and madness. All the while dressed in bikini's and showing off how the Spring Breaker generation party when they get out of school. There is plenty of drugs, sex and violence and an overbearingly obvious attempt to convey something of the shallowness or crudeness or evilness or something of this act that many a teenager does but unfortunately the movie fails to really make a point about anything.
I find the teenage years a really interesting time of life to focus on in a movie, as do countless coming of age stories, but this film really isn’t a coming of age story. I also find it really interesting to watch beautiful women in bikini's but this film somehow makes that seem dull too. I find it really interesting to see the consequences of making bad decisions and hanging out with the wrong people but in this film there are no consequences for the girls, they get away with anything. And, I find it really interesting to see what happens when you bring in a dangerous fifth person to a small and tight group of friends, but this film fails to portray the consequences and takes the easy path out with just sending half of them home, never to be seen of again for the rest of the movie. How the movie can try and fail on so many levels is kind of interesting.
Ultimately the movie just isn’t that great. It has a kind of excellent premise in that it’s about four hot girls going to spring break, wearing bikinis for the whole movie, getting caught up with a drug dealer, stealing money and partying their arses off, but it tries to convey all of these other ideas along the way and turns into a mess. It should have either just accepted itself as a bit of TnA flick or lessened the TnA and stuck to a specific point. Instead it turned out to be half/half.
The one saving grace of the film and the reason I am recommending everyone should still check it out has nothing to do with what I just said, it’s James Franco. 'Alien' as his character is called in this film is mesmerising. I honestly would not have even known it was James Franco without seeing his name in the credits. He COMPLETELY transforms himself into someone else, and by doing so embodies the American Dream. In one scene he is standing on a bed repeatedly saying 'Look at all my shit!' whilst pointing to his guns, his money, his clothes and his drugs. Its done amazingly well and really sticks out. Actually, almost every scene he is in is memorable so check it out for his acting alone.
SCORE: 6/10
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