A very fitting title for this one. Violent, gross, racist, sexist... FILTHY. Think Bad Lieutenant (Nick Cage) crossed with Trainspotting. *edit* - just looked up this one and see it was based on Irvine Welsh's novel. That explains the Trainspotting!
In Filth we are thrust straight into the insane life of police officer Bruce Robertson played by James McAvoy. What this guy does in a day most of wouldn't do in a life time. We follow him through a montage of drinking, drugs, sex, terrible police work and overall just being an absolute wanker. But amongst this chaos is a deeper story and we can see there is more to Bruce than meets the eye.
It's quite an engaging film to watch. Snappy editing provides a fairly fast pace and when the story backs off a bit there's enough on screen appealing to our 'depraved' curiosity to keep watching intently.
I felt a bit like the movie didn't know quite which direction to take. At times it was completely hilarious, others quite clever, also a little serious at times and others just down right crazy. Although this was probably deliberate, by the end I was still waiting for the POINT! I get there's a lot of filth in the world but what are you saying about it? This may have been driven home better in the book methinks.
McAvoy is good playing Robertson. Couldn't fault his acting. However, to me he felt poorly casted. I don't know if it is just his face, or something about his take on the character but something didn't fit here. No other performances really worth mentioning except maybe Jim Broadbent as the doctor. Under the influence of certain 'enhancers' his character would have provided plenty of "WTF" moments. In fact even without there were enough.
There were a couple of scene's though that had me literally laughing out loud which is an achievement in a movie when watching alone I reckon. One involved a very interesting game I might try out at the next work party involving a xerox machine. The finale of this though was priceless - "Fuck me with that horses cock!...... What????". The second involved some drink spiking of Bruce's 'best friend' Bladesey. Anyway I apologise for describing scene's if you haven't seen it yet.
Overall quite an interesting and unique watch. Definitely won't suit those with milder taste. If you're a fan of Welsh's work this will be a must see. I loved Trainspotting but don't think Filth is up there in the same category.
P.S - what the fuck is up with that PIG?
6/10
IMDB Info
Showing posts with label 6/10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 6/10. Show all posts
Hours
Hours is an low budget indy (4 million) starring Paul Walker and directed by Eric Heisserer (The Thing 2011, Final Destination 5). It is set within a hospital during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Nolan (Walker) has just lost his wife in child birth and his very premature baby girl is placed in a ventilator to aid breathing. The hospital is evacuated as the city is flooded and Nolan is left behind to care for his daughter as conditions go from bad to worse.
There was a lot I appreciated about this movie. Being low budget you need to be clever about things and as the entire story was set within the hospital it was not only a great way to reduce set & location costs but created a nice claustrophobic feel. Walker showed a lot of depth in this role - I think I would say it's the best performance I have ever seen from him. (R.I.P) With the power out he must keep the ventilator going with a crank generator and dying backup battery which becomes one of the main elements of the story as he can only leave the room for minutes at a time before having to return to re-charge.
Despite the above positives I found myself getting a little bored at times. The generator was a realistic and interesting element but it almost became the entire movie. A few other things were thrown in the mix - a stray dog, some violent looters but that's about everything. I'm not sure if this was based on a true story, nothing was noted at the start or end of the film. If it was I can understand sticking to the truth, but if not some extra story elements would have kept up the pace and cured the boredom.
I wouldn't rush out to see this one unless you're a big Walker fan. If there's nothing else on the cards give it a go, it's not terrible.
6/10
IMDB Info
Nolan (Walker) has just lost his wife in child birth and his very premature baby girl is placed in a ventilator to aid breathing. The hospital is evacuated as the city is flooded and Nolan is left behind to care for his daughter as conditions go from bad to worse.
There was a lot I appreciated about this movie. Being low budget you need to be clever about things and as the entire story was set within the hospital it was not only a great way to reduce set & location costs but created a nice claustrophobic feel. Walker showed a lot of depth in this role - I think I would say it's the best performance I have ever seen from him. (R.I.P) With the power out he must keep the ventilator going with a crank generator and dying backup battery which becomes one of the main elements of the story as he can only leave the room for minutes at a time before having to return to re-charge.
Despite the above positives I found myself getting a little bored at times. The generator was a realistic and interesting element but it almost became the entire movie. A few other things were thrown in the mix - a stray dog, some violent looters but that's about everything. I'm not sure if this was based on a true story, nothing was noted at the start or end of the film. If it was I can understand sticking to the truth, but if not some extra story elements would have kept up the pace and cured the boredom.
I wouldn't rush out to see this one unless you're a big Walker fan. If there's nothing else on the cards give it a go, it's not terrible.
6/10
IMDB Info
The World's End
A lot of anticipation coming into this one. Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, the legends who brought us Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz now give us "The World's End" to complete their trilogy.
On the acting side though, Pegg and Frost are just absolutely brilliant. There's only two of them but they kind of feel like the U.K 'Frat Pack'...
I loved Shaun of the Dead, thought Hot Fuzz wasn't quite up to scratch and am very disappointed to report that The World's End was also a bit of a let down. It's frustrating though as all of the ingredients were there for a top movie. The story is great and within the first 20 minutes I felt like ringing up the old crew and seeing who was keen for an old fashioned pub crawl. Also loved the 'turns' in the story and was keen to see it through until the end.
The problem is it just wasn't funny enough. Generally I find U.K humor a hell of a more entertaining that any other but I wanted more out of these guy's third attempt. There were definitely laughs to be had and some quite clever humor, but it felt too long between drinks (not for the characters though, hah).
The last few scene's were awesome when the guys confront 'The Network'. If they could have kept that level throughout I would be giving it a huge score. Definitely give this one a watch, it's clever and it has it's moments... I just wanted more. Maybe I'm too greedy.
6/10
IMDB Info
On the acting side though, Pegg and Frost are just absolutely brilliant. There's only two of them but they kind of feel like the U.K 'Frat Pack'...
I loved Shaun of the Dead, thought Hot Fuzz wasn't quite up to scratch and am very disappointed to report that The World's End was also a bit of a let down. It's frustrating though as all of the ingredients were there for a top movie. The story is great and within the first 20 minutes I felt like ringing up the old crew and seeing who was keen for an old fashioned pub crawl. Also loved the 'turns' in the story and was keen to see it through until the end.
The problem is it just wasn't funny enough. Generally I find U.K humor a hell of a more entertaining that any other but I wanted more out of these guy's third attempt. There were definitely laughs to be had and some quite clever humor, but it felt too long between drinks (not for the characters though, hah).
The last few scene's were awesome when the guys confront 'The Network'. If they could have kept that level throughout I would be giving it a huge score. Definitely give this one a watch, it's clever and it has it's moments... I just wanted more. Maybe I'm too greedy.
6/10
IMDB Info
The River
This 8 episode T.V series aired last year however I only heard about it a couple of weeks ago stumbling across a trailer. The show was created by Oren Peli and Michael Perry of Paranormal Activity fame and co-produced by Steven Spielberg (amongst others). Looking back a few years, about the closest thing I can remember to a horror series was the X-Files but we seem to be getting quite spoiled with shows like 'The Walking Dead', 'American Horror Story' and now out of the blue this single season of 'The River'!
The show follows a search & rescue team led by Tess Cole up the Amazon river attempting to find her husband, Dr Emmet Cole who went missing while shooting the families adventure T.V show - The Undiscovered Country. The producer of the show is happy to pay for the trip provided he can film everything. The boat is hooked up with a large number of mounted camera's plus two dedicated camera men following the action and it is through this footage that the entire story is told.
'The River' has so much potential. The amazon river and jungle is such an interesting, unknown and creepy setting for a horror story that it does half the work for you. Unfortunately after the final episode I couldn't help but think about all of the things these guys could have done to turn a good show into a great one.
Let's concentrate on the positives first. Firstly as you probably know by now I am a big fan of the found footage style when it is done right (well edited and not too much shaky cam). The style worked really well for this show contrasting the claustrophobic feeling on the boat with the huge unknown jungle. The combination of the mounted and held camera's was great to provide more shot variety and also allow the story to move out into the jungle. I felt it was slightly over edited but generally production was pretty damn well done.
I really enjoyed the core story and character development as well. There was a lot of history given to the characters within each episode and by the end a full picture had been painted. The tone is set about 20 minutes into the first episode going straight into a supernatural encounter and showing that basically anything goes. To help track down Emmet they must search through a lot of recorded footage from the missing crew and I felt this added a nice element being able to build tension from watching the prior events unfolding whilst experiencing the current as well.
This could have been such an incredible show but unfortunately a few things really let it down. Firstly and very importantly was the acting. It wasn't terrible, but I think it's safe to say that no one is winning any awards. When considering each character separately, nobody really stuck out too bad, just as a whole there were parts it detracted from the experience. Bigger budget there and who knows.
The other main issue is I feel they went too over the top with the variety of horror 'encounters'. The core story was excellent and would have easily provided 8 episodes of content. Instead they tried to pack too much in and make each episode into it's own unique segment. (The zombies were the last straw). There were some fantastic scene's in the jungle with the native tribesman and local legends & ghost stories - I would have just loved to see the entire 8 episodes really flesh this out and link it all back to the Dr.
If I was to rate this on quality alone it would probably get a 7 however given the incredible potential of the story and setting I can't help feel they didn't really do it justice in the end. That said though, if you're a horror fan definitely check it out.
6/10
IMDB Info
The show follows a search & rescue team led by Tess Cole up the Amazon river attempting to find her husband, Dr Emmet Cole who went missing while shooting the families adventure T.V show - The Undiscovered Country. The producer of the show is happy to pay for the trip provided he can film everything. The boat is hooked up with a large number of mounted camera's plus two dedicated camera men following the action and it is through this footage that the entire story is told.
'The River' has so much potential. The amazon river and jungle is such an interesting, unknown and creepy setting for a horror story that it does half the work for you. Unfortunately after the final episode I couldn't help but think about all of the things these guys could have done to turn a good show into a great one.
Let's concentrate on the positives first. Firstly as you probably know by now I am a big fan of the found footage style when it is done right (well edited and not too much shaky cam). The style worked really well for this show contrasting the claustrophobic feeling on the boat with the huge unknown jungle. The combination of the mounted and held camera's was great to provide more shot variety and also allow the story to move out into the jungle. I felt it was slightly over edited but generally production was pretty damn well done.
I really enjoyed the core story and character development as well. There was a lot of history given to the characters within each episode and by the end a full picture had been painted. The tone is set about 20 minutes into the first episode going straight into a supernatural encounter and showing that basically anything goes. To help track down Emmet they must search through a lot of recorded footage from the missing crew and I felt this added a nice element being able to build tension from watching the prior events unfolding whilst experiencing the current as well.
This could have been such an incredible show but unfortunately a few things really let it down. Firstly and very importantly was the acting. It wasn't terrible, but I think it's safe to say that no one is winning any awards. When considering each character separately, nobody really stuck out too bad, just as a whole there were parts it detracted from the experience. Bigger budget there and who knows.
The other main issue is I feel they went too over the top with the variety of horror 'encounters'. The core story was excellent and would have easily provided 8 episodes of content. Instead they tried to pack too much in and make each episode into it's own unique segment. (The zombies were the last straw). There were some fantastic scene's in the jungle with the native tribesman and local legends & ghost stories - I would have just loved to see the entire 8 episodes really flesh this out and link it all back to the Dr.
If I was to rate this on quality alone it would probably get a 7 however given the incredible potential of the story and setting I can't help feel they didn't really do it justice in the end. That said though, if you're a horror fan definitely check it out.
6/10
IMDB Info
The Way Way Back
The Way Way Back is, I think, supposed to be an uplifting
coming of age story that makes you feel inspired and happy to be alive. Some of the film
definitely hits that home but for me the extremely dark undertones of guilt,
ignorance, mysogny and discrimination turned this from being an enjoyable uplifting
film into a kind of disconcerting study of a troubled boy.
Part of the problem for me was watching Steve Carrell bring out his dark side. Boy did he nail his role! It almost seems like the comedic side in real life is just there so that this seething, angry side is kept under control in how he plays his part so convincingly. His character is one of the worst on screen portrayals of a father I’ve ever seen yet, he never physically hurts any one, it’s all just emotional mind games. Ergh, he made me shiver.
Then you have the wonderful Toni Collette, whom I love, playing this shrivelled up excuse for a mother. All defeated and down trodden who no longer cares enough for her geeky son nor stands up for him. She doesn't even stand up for herself and is too scared to make any life changing decisions going forward incase they backfire.
In the middle is Liam James' character Duncan: a shy teenager who is awkward and geeky. Liam's acting is superb and definitely holds the films story together. The thing is, his character is so affected by these trashed up humans who are supposed to be his Mum and her Boyfriend that it made me feel uncomfortable to watch. I know he was supposed to have a story arc of growing up and getting on top of things, but his portrayal of being so badly mind-fucked by his so called parents is something I don’t think he can ever truly get away from and ultimately means that the movies story is impossible to believe.
Next to the misery of the dysfunctional family there is a very light hearted and joyful angle given to the film by the sensational Sam Rockwell and a charmingly over the top Allison Janney. Sam's character is the owner of a nearby water park who employs and looks after Duncan and Allison’s character is the zany next door neighbour who is always drunk. I know these two are supposed to balance out the misery of Duncan's life, and they help, but to me it wasn’t enough.
The story is actually great fun (thankfully!) when it’s taking place in the water park and Sam Rockwell is just an absolute legend. With how much sadness I felt for Duncan the character, the hope that Sam's character imparts on him gave me butterflies. I just wish I could believe that was enough for Duncan to break away by from the evil clutches of his useless mother and Evil Steve.
Overall it’s a pretty in-depth emotional study and a well-made flick. I've never seen a film quite hit all the beats like this one does and the acting is brilliant by the whole cast. I guess in parting I don’t think Duncan will survive and the ending was unclear as to his fate, which is disappointing and possibly reflects a bit of a hole in the script or story for me personally.
SCORE: 6/10
IMDB Info for The Way Way Back
Part of the problem for me was watching Steve Carrell bring out his dark side. Boy did he nail his role! It almost seems like the comedic side in real life is just there so that this seething, angry side is kept under control in how he plays his part so convincingly. His character is one of the worst on screen portrayals of a father I’ve ever seen yet, he never physically hurts any one, it’s all just emotional mind games. Ergh, he made me shiver.
Then you have the wonderful Toni Collette, whom I love, playing this shrivelled up excuse for a mother. All defeated and down trodden who no longer cares enough for her geeky son nor stands up for him. She doesn't even stand up for herself and is too scared to make any life changing decisions going forward incase they backfire.
In the middle is Liam James' character Duncan: a shy teenager who is awkward and geeky. Liam's acting is superb and definitely holds the films story together. The thing is, his character is so affected by these trashed up humans who are supposed to be his Mum and her Boyfriend that it made me feel uncomfortable to watch. I know he was supposed to have a story arc of growing up and getting on top of things, but his portrayal of being so badly mind-fucked by his so called parents is something I don’t think he can ever truly get away from and ultimately means that the movies story is impossible to believe.
Next to the misery of the dysfunctional family there is a very light hearted and joyful angle given to the film by the sensational Sam Rockwell and a charmingly over the top Allison Janney. Sam's character is the owner of a nearby water park who employs and looks after Duncan and Allison’s character is the zany next door neighbour who is always drunk. I know these two are supposed to balance out the misery of Duncan's life, and they help, but to me it wasn’t enough.
The story is actually great fun (thankfully!) when it’s taking place in the water park and Sam Rockwell is just an absolute legend. With how much sadness I felt for Duncan the character, the hope that Sam's character imparts on him gave me butterflies. I just wish I could believe that was enough for Duncan to break away by from the evil clutches of his useless mother and Evil Steve.
Overall it’s a pretty in-depth emotional study and a well-made flick. I've never seen a film quite hit all the beats like this one does and the acting is brilliant by the whole cast. I guess in parting I don’t think Duncan will survive and the ending was unclear as to his fate, which is disappointing and possibly reflects a bit of a hole in the script or story for me personally.
SCORE: 6/10
IMDB Info for The Way Way Back
Elysium
Was really, really, really looking forward to seeing this one. The trailer was done so well and all the elements were there for something great. Great story idea, top actors, beautiful special effects and written & directed by Neill Blomkamp - bring it on! I really enjoyed District 9 which he also wrote and directed - loved the amazing realism and his ability to make the future very believable.
The start of Elysium is brilliant and Guy and I were pretty excited thinking it might just turn out as good as the trailer suggested. Unfortunately this is not to be. For me the biggest downfall was the lack of character development. As events were unfolding on screen I never felt emotionally invested in the outcome. The other negative which seems to unfortunately be the trend now in modern movies was the super quick and blurry editing during the action and combat scenes. Might look better on the home flat screen but at the cinema was just off putting really.
What's most disappointing is that the story had so much potential but wasn't done justice. It felt like the first draft of script that with some extra effort and editing could have been a modern Sci-fi classic. A number of story elements seemed completely unnecessary - for example the robotic exoskeleton Matt Damon's character Max has surgically installed.
It's not all bad though. Blomkamp still manages to create an incredibly realistic future world. His blending of real footage and CG is flawless and you don't question the reality being portrayed. Damon gives his usual strong performance - loved seeing him all tattooed up as well. Jodie Foster played the role of Delacourt who was in charge for Elysium's security. It was a fair performance but I was put off a little by what I can only guess was an attempt to create a new futuristic accent. I appreciate what they were going for but this ended up being a negative for me.
Overall though a very watchable movie with some great action and a generally fun ride. I've heard a lot of positive reviews and perhaps I'm being a bit harsh... the main problem was probably my extremely high expectations going in - impossible to live up to. Will give it another go on blu-ray next year and see how it goes the second time round.
6/10
IMDB Info
The start of Elysium is brilliant and Guy and I were pretty excited thinking it might just turn out as good as the trailer suggested. Unfortunately this is not to be. For me the biggest downfall was the lack of character development. As events were unfolding on screen I never felt emotionally invested in the outcome. The other negative which seems to unfortunately be the trend now in modern movies was the super quick and blurry editing during the action and combat scenes. Might look better on the home flat screen but at the cinema was just off putting really.
What's most disappointing is that the story had so much potential but wasn't done justice. It felt like the first draft of script that with some extra effort and editing could have been a modern Sci-fi classic. A number of story elements seemed completely unnecessary - for example the robotic exoskeleton Matt Damon's character Max has surgically installed.
It's not all bad though. Blomkamp still manages to create an incredibly realistic future world. His blending of real footage and CG is flawless and you don't question the reality being portrayed. Damon gives his usual strong performance - loved seeing him all tattooed up as well. Jodie Foster played the role of Delacourt who was in charge for Elysium's security. It was a fair performance but I was put off a little by what I can only guess was an attempt to create a new futuristic accent. I appreciate what they were going for but this ended up being a negative for me.
Overall though a very watchable movie with some great action and a generally fun ride. I've heard a lot of positive reviews and perhaps I'm being a bit harsh... the main problem was probably my extremely high expectations going in - impossible to live up to. Will give it another go on blu-ray next year and see how it goes the second time round.
6/10
IMDB Info
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
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
The Lone Ranger
First off let me say that normally I dont really think about nor worry about how much violence or dark idea's are in a film. I quite like a good horror as you know and feel the dark sway to the comic book movies of late has been really great, but, when I go in to see a Disney movie that is a western starring Johnny Depp I'm expecting some fun, upbeat and humourous action mixed with a good story line. In fact I would go so far as to think that this movie would be destined more for young'uns and just checking found that this was actually M15+ (thankfully) and not PG13 as I originally thought it was.
The film is violent! For example, in the first third of the movie the bad guy of the film played by William Fichtner turns out to be a cannibal that eats the hearts of his victims. Halfway through the movie there is the complete destruction and genocide of an American Indian boys tribe and then in the last act a gattling gun mows down Indian Apache's as they ride on some white people. Its fairly obvious that the studio decided, in its typical way, that just because everything at the moment is 'dark' this needed to be aswell. This totally destroyed the film and for once I kind of wish they had just delivered the PG13 fun version of the film, which is different from what I normally say, but maybe I'm wrong sometimes.
If the movie was 45mins shorter, cut out all of the really dark violence of the bad guys, had a lot more Depp and Hammer humour and cut out the awesome but utterly over the top 45 minute train action adventure set piece that finishes the movie, I think I would be raving about this film as much as I did with the first Pirates movie. You can see the amazing film in amongst the crap and that makes it all the worse when you sit there watching the mess it ended up being unfold on the screen infront of you. Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp do share a real on screen chemistry and I wish that had been the focus of the movie. All of the evilness portrayed overshadows the 'Hero' of the movie and throwing money into expensive and over the top scenes that are unnecessary doesn't fix the other problems.
So do I recommend seeing the film? Well, yes, it certainly isnt the worst movie Ive ever seen. Its just an over ambitious, over budgeted, over edited mess of a blockbuster thats far too long. Go and see it at least once but dont expect to see the fun and adventure of a Pirates movie. Instead expect some very dark themes, quite a bit of violence, some very silly behaviour topped with a great bit of acting from the two main leads.
SCORE: 6/10
No One Lives
Not a terrible B-Grade horror really. Quite well written with some interesting elements that give it a bit extra than the usual slasher. There was even a moment or two that could even be considered horror hall of fame worthy but these were soon forgotten amongst the generic padding.
Unfortunately it's also let down by some pretty average acting although Luke Evans gave a fairly solid lead performance and creates quite an intriguing character.
Something kept me watching though and it had enough legs to keep me until the end. I wouldn't be in great hurry to see this but if it crosses your path late at night when the thirst for blood hits give it a crack. It's like a hunter becomes the hunted crossed with a bit of Stockholm syndrome flipped around until you know what's going on but are never quite sure what will be next.
6/10
IMDB Info
Iron Man 3
Unfortunately the main plot of Iron Man 3 did not move away from the standard formula of a bad guy trying to destroy the world and take away the girl and for me, most of the action scenes fell a bit flat. Having said that though I quite enjoyed the movie. The reason for this, I think, is that it was written and directed by Shane Black. Shane also wrote Lethal Weapon 1 & 2, The Last Boyscout and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang so obviously knows his action movie genre. In all of those movies the action superstars are written in a witty, interesting and engaging way. It’s not Stallone or Arnie saying 12 words for the movie and just blowing up bad guys left, right and centre. It’s Riggs and Murtaugh bantering and looking out for each other or a complex gay Val Kilmer character just owning every scene he is in. I found that this trademark of Shane's writing came through in this Iron Man and was definitely the best thing about the film.
For the first time since maybe V for Vendetta (my favourite Superhero movie) I found myself kind of caring for this Superhero. I felt a little bit bad for billionaire Tony Stark and what he was going through and I enjoyed how it was written and shown on the screen. If you forget about the formulaic story arc and focus on the story of Tony Stark then I think this film is pretty good. Now, I’m not saying the action was boring or bad either! Seeing Iron Man flying around and fighting superhuman somethings was a blast. Especially when he called on his legion of Iron Men to fight for him as an army. The problem I have is as I said above, you know that he is never really in trouble. Nor is Pepper Potts or anyone on the planet other than the odd minion here or there, or unlucky civilians that get caught in the cross fire.
I think if this movie was allowed to jump out of the PG13 range and into the area Shane Black is normally more comfortable with and become an MA15+ or even R18+ movie it would have been spectacular. You could feel the parts that were dumbed down to appease the studio but you could see the original grittier idea's peeking through from time to time. I would love to see studio's take a risk and bring something like that out as the standard Superhero stuff is just getting a bit boring. If the focus of the film had truly been about Tony Stark and his bad decisions, the long standing consequences of those decisions and putting those he loves into danger then I might have cared more about what was going on in the action and fighting scenes. Instead I was entertained for the whole time but never really satisfied ... which actually sums up most Superhero movies for me in a nutshell.
SCORE: 6/10
Maniac
If an incredibly creepy guy scalping women to dress his mannequin's is your sort of bag... then Maniac is the movie for you!
I saw a trailer for this movie a while back and was really excited about a horror movie starring Frodo Baggins. Elijah Wood is a great actor and I knew he would be perfect for a "creepy" role with his unique voice, pale skin, thin physique and evil blue eyes!
Pretty much the entire movie is filmed through his character's (Frank) eyes which I've seen in bits and pieces in other movies but never the entire thing. Although you would imagine it to be quite a restrictive technique, Maniac pulls it off really well to create the "Inside the Killers Head" vibe with little frustration. In fact there are some fantastic scenes when Frank is stalking his victims where the technique really adds a whole extra level of tension - for me these are the highlight of the movie.
Another highlight is the sound and score. It has a very 80's feel to it with great use of dark synth creating a constant feeling of despair and familiarity with the older style horrors. The sound has been cleverly muffled and altered to further pull the viewer into Franks migraine plagued head. Speaking of migraine's - use of some great high pitched wails felt like I was suffering the migraine with him.
I didn't realise until now that this is a re-make of an 80's slasher film of the same name. I have not seen the original so cannot draw any comparisons there. I would like to see the original "Frank" though to compare with Woods' performance. I doubt he came close though as Elijah Wood is really, really good. You can't fault him at all. It almost acts as a negative for the 'through his own eyes' technique as you want to see more of his face and emotions. Luckily there's enough mirror shots and pan arounds which provide a view of his horrifically scary expressions. *Shudder* creepy... Maniac really is the perfect title.
Be warned though the movie is very violent and there are a few stomach churning moments along the way. It's not a constant feature though and a lot of the time we are just enjoying the secret life of Creepy McManiac and the super awkward social interactions both with him and his imaginary friends. Again....*shudder*.
To be honest I still don't know what to feel about it all. I think as a portrayal of a maniac I would give the movie 10/10 but I rate more on enjoyment and was left a bit weirded out by the end. Don't think I'll be watching it again but horror lovers definitely give it a go at least once. Full credit to them, just not my mannequin.
6/10
IMDB Info
I saw a trailer for this movie a while back and was really excited about a horror movie starring Frodo Baggins. Elijah Wood is a great actor and I knew he would be perfect for a "creepy" role with his unique voice, pale skin, thin physique and evil blue eyes!
Pretty much the entire movie is filmed through his character's (Frank) eyes which I've seen in bits and pieces in other movies but never the entire thing. Although you would imagine it to be quite a restrictive technique, Maniac pulls it off really well to create the "Inside the Killers Head" vibe with little frustration. In fact there are some fantastic scenes when Frank is stalking his victims where the technique really adds a whole extra level of tension - for me these are the highlight of the movie.
Another highlight is the sound and score. It has a very 80's feel to it with great use of dark synth creating a constant feeling of despair and familiarity with the older style horrors. The sound has been cleverly muffled and altered to further pull the viewer into Franks migraine plagued head. Speaking of migraine's - use of some great high pitched wails felt like I was suffering the migraine with him.
I didn't realise until now that this is a re-make of an 80's slasher film of the same name. I have not seen the original so cannot draw any comparisons there. I would like to see the original "Frank" though to compare with Woods' performance. I doubt he came close though as Elijah Wood is really, really good. You can't fault him at all. It almost acts as a negative for the 'through his own eyes' technique as you want to see more of his face and emotions. Luckily there's enough mirror shots and pan arounds which provide a view of his horrifically scary expressions. *Shudder* creepy... Maniac really is the perfect title.
Be warned though the movie is very violent and there are a few stomach churning moments along the way. It's not a constant feature though and a lot of the time we are just enjoying the secret life of Creepy McManiac and the super awkward social interactions both with him and his imaginary friends. Again....*shudder*.
To be honest I still don't know what to feel about it all. I think as a portrayal of a maniac I would give the movie 10/10 but I rate more on enjoyment and was left a bit weirded out by the end. Don't think I'll be watching it again but horror lovers definitely give it a go at least once. Full credit to them, just not my mannequin.
6/10
IMDB Info
Wish You Were Here
The next thing you will notice about this film, after the editing, is the gorgeous cinematography. Almost all of the film is shot on the lowest f-stop possible, creating a shallow depth of field and sharply keeping your attention drawn to the small, fast moving details contained in each frame. It makes you feel trapped in the movie, along with the characters, and is obviously an intentional decision to assist with understanding the main characters emotional state. Again this impressed me and some of the shot compositions were spectacular. So much of this film comes across in the subteltey of these compositions and in miniscule details that its almost like a game to watch out for the clues as to what the characters are going through. For this reason its worth seeing, but unfortunately this creates a problem as much of the film moves along slowly and relies on this game to convey important plot points, rather than through actual story telling.
Essentially what that game leads to is bad pacing throughout the film. Most of the movie you live in the 'present' of the characters' lives with flashbacks to South East Asia where they holidayed with some family and friends before one of their friends disappeared on a crazy night out. Slowly piecing together what happened on that night, and the resulting consequences of that night, are what the movie is all about. The slow reveal and use of subtle details make for a great idea, but I feel the director got too caught up in that and sort of forgot that the movie needs to keep moving along too. For about 20 minutes it felt like you neither learnt anything new about the characters nor anything more about that fateful night due to no flashbacks being shown. This seems like an obvious oversight on the creators behalf and I'm curious why they botched up such a large part of the film.
In the end I was left unsatisifed. After such a slow burn and long build-up I thought it was going to be a cracker of a finish, and even though there are some shocking reveals towards the end, they didnt really combine to go "POW" and blow your socks off. Its dissapointing as I felt like it could have been something more than just a beautiful looking film.
SCORE: 6/10
Pitch Perfect
In the end I found myself a bit caught up in the obvious storyline and rooting (no pun intended) for the all girls group to win the a capella competition. I guess this is a modern day movie for the new age geeky/nerdy fad thats currently in vogue at school. In my day it was a couple of misfits destroying the Bio-Dome and making it cool again, or a different group of misfits going travelling through time to win a history class competition ... and for this generation it seems to be all about singing and dancing.
The thing I most enjoyed about the film is that the leading cast was an all female ensemble. Its great to see more films taking the "brave" approach and going against the norm by putting in female leads, or even more shockingly a group of females in the lead. I want more films like this to come along and less films of men dressing up as women because its quite rude to think the audience would prefer Eddie Murphy acting as a chick than a real woman being funny (although I have to confess Eddie Murphy as the Grandma is pretty damn funny). Girls can be funny and produce great comedy, just look at Rebel Wilson in this movie or any of the chicks in Bridesmaids and its obvious! I find it kinda refreshing to see it being done differently more often now and hope it continues.
This movie is made for a specific audience and Im pretty sure that audience will love this flick. My wife really enjoyed it and said she should write this review instead of me, which kind of makes sense. I wasn't the target audience for this film at all and so the best thing I can say about the film is that I laughed in it, enjoyed the leading ladies and feel that for those of you that like a singing & dancing movie about a group of misfits rising up and winning against the odds: you are sure to love it.
SCORE: 6/10
Oblivion
The best thing about this film was that I saw it in a cinema with the Dolby Surround EX system which introduces an extra rear channel to the sound setup. It was perfect for this film as there are drones and flying things shooting all around the place throughout the whole film and it really sounded like they were moving around you in the cinema.
Almost all of the attention of this film went to the set design, CGI and sound, and its very noticeable. The sets were gorgeous and the CGI was near photo real. When that was combined with the sound, it engineered a rather beautiful post apocalyptic Earth. The designs were like a modern take on the traditional retro "future" designs Ive seen from Sci Fi flicks of the 70's and it worked really well. A see through swimming pool suspended above the Earth with a naked lady swimming around it was a highlight of the film. Unfortunately with all of the attention on these matters they forgot about a pretty important part of the film which was the screenplay. I was quite confused for most of the film and found myself still discussing it with my mate the next day, trying to tie all the pieces together. Normally I really like that about a film, but with oblivion I was doing it as I was so confused about what the hell happened and why there were so many hypocrisies in the storyline, rather than trying to piece together all the clues of a clever plot.
Overall if you are a Sci-Fi fan or a Tom Cruise fan then I would recommend checking out the film for the reasons mentioned above. If you are neither of those then you really aren't going to enjoy this one so might be best to give it a miss.
SCORE: 6/10
Hitchcock
This is good as the actual structure of the film is a bit all over the shop. The continual dreaming of a Norman Bates type character in the life of Hitchock as a driving force was an interesting idea that falls flat, and the pacing of the film is unfortunately non-existent so any type of character arc or story arc doesn’t really happen. But, with the excellent performances of the three main characters this is forgiven as you really can’t help but be mesmerised by such people as these and wonder that they truly existed only a few years ago, and were they really like this?
This film is worth a watch when you just want an interesting drama to enjoy. It does have one specific scene of Hitchcock directing the music of the famous shower scene outside a packed theatre while listening to the audience scream that struck a chord with me, but overall it felt like a possible Oscar cleanup of a movie that just fell flat.
SCORE: 6/10
Air America
I enjoyed it way more than I should have, thought the underlying morality 'read between the lines stuff' was a bit stupid, and totally loved the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr and Mel Gibson .. although Roberts eyes were looking damn glassed over for most of the film .. he was definitely into his drugs by this point in time. All in all worth checking out again.
SCORE: 6/10
Fire In The Sky
6/10
IMDB Information for Fire In The Sky
Evidence
The middle of this movie was quite good... group of guys go camping, very Blair witch feel and some good scary scenes while their camp is getting stalked by an unknown. This movie ends up going into the land of the WTF at the end though ... it’s an interesting turn but not presented well enough so doesn’t satisfy.
The overuse of camera faults (skipping audio, visual, static, off completely, etc) was a killer as well. The found footage is a fine line between make you feel sick or realistically awesome and these guys didn’t quite get it. Give it a miss I reckon unless you really need a found footage fix.. but this one doesn't compare to the likes of Rec 1&2, Paranormal activity and Blair Witch.. ooo I better mention Grave Encounters too.. both original and sequel were a top watch.
6/10
IMDB Information for Evidence
The Company Men
Some big actors help carry this on too such as Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner and Chris Cooper.
6/10
IMDB Information for The Company Men
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