Not seen Surveillance - I shall look it up. Bill's always worth a look.
The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo
Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist, after being prosecuted for libel, agrees to attempt to find out what happened to a reclusive industrialist's favourite niece when she disappeared 40 years ago. During his investigations he meets the strange, secretive but brilliant 'girl' of the title, Lisbeth Salander, and together they uncover past skulduggery. (Swedish with subtitles.)
This is a fantastic adaptation of the popular Millenium trilogy; it cuts to the heart of the plot without losing some of the important detail particular to the novels or slavishly following the major plot points without any added directorial sparkle (no Chris Columbus involvement here). The acting is excellent; I'm sure they gain points for acting in Swedish, but the lengths to which Noomi Rapace (who plays Lisbeth) went to win the part (piercings, weight loss, combat training, all that) suggest there's more to it than simply an overseas allure. As to the rest, it's beautifully shot and has the same wonderful Scandinavian feel as Let the right one in - the two films, although very different in subject and period, somehow have a similar understated, almost hangdog appeal whilst managing to throw some substantial violence into the mix without jarring the tone. It's worth pointing out that there is some pretty tough sexual violence in the film but this is not prurient or fetishised, but justly uncomfortable.
I'm pretty sure you won't see it in the cinema any more (I had to travel to London to find it) but I urge you to catch it on DVD before the inevitable (currently casting) US remake.
4.5/5
Full Version: Films
Girl with the dragon tattoo was very good indeed, if not a bit hard to watch. In the same sort of way Requiem for a dream was hard to watch. needless to say I thought it was excellent but don't really ever want to see it again. The title's literal translation of "men who hate women" is much more descriptive of the film than the title they used.
Kick Ass was kick ass. Most fun I've had in a cinema for as long as I can remember. Looking forward to watching it many times in the future. In fact it's everything for me that Watchmen wasn't. And there's a bazooka.
Kick Ass was kick ass. Most fun I've had in a cinema for as long as I can remember. Looking forward to watching it many times in the future. In fact it's everything for me that Watchmen wasn't. And there's a bazooka.
Have you read the book Chris? I didn't find it at all hard to watch apart from the scene with her guardian but perhaps this is because I knew what was going on. I'd be happy to watch it again in a way I don't think I'd watch Requiem...
But yes, the Swedish title is much more apt.
Whip It
17 year-old Bliss (Ellen Page) lives in a dead-end town in Texas, having nothing better to do she joins a roller derby team in nearby Austin and finds some direction. Her parents probably won't approve...
This is better than it had any right to be; Drew Barrymore's first film as a director has a cracking soundtrack, a great cast and does not lay on the schmaltz that could be expected from the poster. Yes it's a bit of a chick flick, but when the chicks are all wearing fishnets, short skirts and skates it don't feel so bad. It's a bit route one in places; there are few surprises along the way; but it is all presented in an ever-so-slightly skewed manner that make a real difference.
Worth checking out if you want to take a girl who isn't into guns and robots along to the flicks. Or if you like skates, short skirts and/or fishnets on a woman. 3.5/5
But yes, the Swedish title is much more apt.
Whip It
17 year-old Bliss (Ellen Page) lives in a dead-end town in Texas, having nothing better to do she joins a roller derby team in nearby Austin and finds some direction. Her parents probably won't approve...
This is better than it had any right to be; Drew Barrymore's first film as a director has a cracking soundtrack, a great cast and does not lay on the schmaltz that could be expected from the poster. Yes it's a bit of a chick flick, but when the chicks are all wearing fishnets, short skirts and skates it don't feel so bad. It's a bit route one in places; there are few surprises along the way; but it is all presented in an ever-so-slightly skewed manner that make a real difference.
Worth checking out if you want to take a girl who isn't into guns and robots along to the flicks. Or if you like skates, short skirts and/or fishnets on a woman. 3.5/5
I haven't read the book, nor did I know anything at all about the film before the lights dimmed. Except that there was probably going to be a tattoo'd girl in it somewhere...
I do want to see Whip It, looks fun.
I do want to see Whip It, looks fun.
Fair enough; I guess in that case it'd be a much tougher proposition. Whip it was fun - you may hav to 'acquire' it though (esp. if you have to make a home in SF due to ash-issues).
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
They say that the odd-numbered ST films are terrible and the even ones great; from the evidence of film number 1 I can see why: a slower, more ponderous piece of self-important nonsense I never did see. The plot is as follows: A giant cloud of energy is heading for Earth dissolving anything in its path, the USS Enterprise (currently being re-fitted) is the only ship that can intercept it (naturally), Admiral Kirk decides to take a pay cut to get his ship back, reassemble his crew and sort it out. The cloud turns out to be Voyager VI, sent back to Earth after a retro-fitting of its own to discover and 'join with' its Creator. Joins with some guy dressed in red. (That last bit isn't actually true; he wears sky blue.) I'm pretty sure they could have taken care of this within one 45 minute episode, perhaps eked it out over a double but they take TWO FRAKKIN' HOURS. I swear it takes a good 10 minutes to get from the space dock to the Enterprise by shuttle as Scottie chooses to pootle the long way round the ship at 30 miles-an-hour, the camera cutting to The Shat's immobile face every minute in (I assume) a vain attempt to convey the wonder and awe at returning to the magnificent 10-inch scale model of The Enterprise.
The film-makers obviously realised that they needed some action at this point (up ‘til now all you will have seen action-wise is 3 Klingon vessels firing torpedoes at a cloud and then being dissolved with all the tension and pace of a game of pong) and so decide to kill-off a barely introduced character in a spurious teleporter accident. They don't even have the grace to let us see what the poor unfortunates turn into before exploding in a shower of blood, guts and brain tissue - that happens off screen (I may have made up the exploding bit to stave off death from boredom).
At last they set off with the ex-captain moaning at every pass that Kirk doesn't know his nacelle from his elbow, proving himself right in yet another ponderous 'action' set-piece involving a wormhole that makes every second seem to last minutes (I knew how they were feeling). When they finally get there, they spend 30 minutes getting to the bottom of this cloud and the last ten minutes in one of those 'Kirk talks to an almighty being as if Kirk’s the more important' scenes before Captain Bland steps in, helping the Voyager entity evolve beyond this world, leaving us to wonder why the FX look worse than Star Wars even though this was done 2 years later and how anyone convinced the studios that a sequel would be a good idea.
1.5/5
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
They say that the odd-numbered ST films are terrible and the even ones great; from the evidence of film number 1 I can see why: a slower, more ponderous piece of self-important nonsense I never did see. The plot is as follows: A giant cloud of energy is heading for Earth dissolving anything in its path, the USS Enterprise (currently being re-fitted) is the only ship that can intercept it (naturally), Admiral Kirk decides to take a pay cut to get his ship back, reassemble his crew and sort it out. The cloud turns out to be Voyager VI, sent back to Earth after a retro-fitting of its own to discover and 'join with' its Creator. Joins with some guy dressed in red. (That last bit isn't actually true; he wears sky blue.) I'm pretty sure they could have taken care of this within one 45 minute episode, perhaps eked it out over a double but they take TWO FRAKKIN' HOURS. I swear it takes a good 10 minutes to get from the space dock to the Enterprise by shuttle as Scottie chooses to pootle the long way round the ship at 30 miles-an-hour, the camera cutting to The Shat's immobile face every minute in (I assume) a vain attempt to convey the wonder and awe at returning to the magnificent 10-inch scale model of The Enterprise.
The film-makers obviously realised that they needed some action at this point (up ‘til now all you will have seen action-wise is 3 Klingon vessels firing torpedoes at a cloud and then being dissolved with all the tension and pace of a game of pong) and so decide to kill-off a barely introduced character in a spurious teleporter accident. They don't even have the grace to let us see what the poor unfortunates turn into before exploding in a shower of blood, guts and brain tissue - that happens off screen (I may have made up the exploding bit to stave off death from boredom).
At last they set off with the ex-captain moaning at every pass that Kirk doesn't know his nacelle from his elbow, proving himself right in yet another ponderous 'action' set-piece involving a wormhole that makes every second seem to last minutes (I knew how they were feeling). When they finally get there, they spend 30 minutes getting to the bottom of this cloud and the last ten minutes in one of those 'Kirk talks to an almighty being as if Kirk’s the more important' scenes before Captain Bland steps in, helping the Voyager entity evolve beyond this world, leaving us to wonder why the FX look worse than Star Wars even though this was done 2 years later and how anyone convinced the studios that a sequel would be a good idea.
1.5/5
QUOTE
leaving us to wonder why the FX look worse than Star Wars even though this was done 2 years later and how anyone convinced the studios that a sequel would be a good idea.
Fortunately, a sequel was an amazingly good idea:
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Well yes, so I hear. We shall see in due course. (Or rather I shall see.)
Iron Man 2
I enjoyed it a lot. Can't decide if it is better than the first or not quite as good. The first got better on subsequent viewings (I thought) so I will probably wait until I have seen it again to give a full verdict.
I enjoyed it a lot. Can't decide if it is better than the first or not quite as good. The first got better on subsequent viewings (I thought) so I will probably wait until I have seen it again to give a full verdict.
Robin Hood
An origin story of sorts, this version of Robin Hood has Russell Crowe as the titular hero; an indeterminately northern archer, on the road for 10 years with Richard the Lionheart who, through various finagling, ends up impersonating Sir Robert Loxsley, taking the crown home to the new King, drawing the attention of all together nasty man Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong) and attempting to thwart his dastardly French invasion plans.
As a matter of fact this all manages to tie the various conflicting strands of the myth together quite nicely, what it can't do is tie Crowe's accent down: Robin is a well-travelled man but his accent wavers between Geordie, Scouse, Antipodean, Irish and eee by gum without much regard for continuity and in a manner that proves distracting. Cate Blanchett by contrast picks an accent (the authenticity of which is up for debate but I was happy enough with it) and sticks with it throughout. It's a shame because I found the rest of it quite fun: the battles are mostly small and dirty (and disappointingly bloodless for the 12A rating), the banter between Robin's men is sparky, the plotty bits aren't as boring as the ones in Gladiator and Crowe's Robin is engaging enough. It's the villains that steal the show however; Oscar Isaac's King John in particular puts in a good performance as a vain, petulant man forever in the shade of this brother now thrust into power and finding it go to his head.
So ignoring the fact that Scott draws (very) heavily from Saving Private Ryan for his final battle, LOTR for his distance-establishing tracking shots and Gladiator for everything else it's all good fun and shows us convincingly how Robin could have ended up as the outlaw we know and love. Worth a look on the big screen as long as you can avoid the giggle-loop during Robin's speeches. 3.5/5
An origin story of sorts, this version of Robin Hood has Russell Crowe as the titular hero; an indeterminately northern archer, on the road for 10 years with Richard the Lionheart who, through various finagling, ends up impersonating Sir Robert Loxsley, taking the crown home to the new King, drawing the attention of all together nasty man Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong) and attempting to thwart his dastardly French invasion plans.
As a matter of fact this all manages to tie the various conflicting strands of the myth together quite nicely, what it can't do is tie Crowe's accent down: Robin is a well-travelled man but his accent wavers between Geordie, Scouse, Antipodean, Irish and eee by gum without much regard for continuity and in a manner that proves distracting. Cate Blanchett by contrast picks an accent (the authenticity of which is up for debate but I was happy enough with it) and sticks with it throughout. It's a shame because I found the rest of it quite fun: the battles are mostly small and dirty (and disappointingly bloodless for the 12A rating), the banter between Robin's men is sparky, the plotty bits aren't as boring as the ones in Gladiator and Crowe's Robin is engaging enough. It's the villains that steal the show however; Oscar Isaac's King John in particular puts in a good performance as a vain, petulant man forever in the shade of this brother now thrust into power and finding it go to his head.
So ignoring the fact that Scott draws (very) heavily from Saving Private Ryan for his final battle, LOTR for his distance-establishing tracking shots and Gladiator for everything else it's all good fun and shows us convincingly how Robin could have ended up as the outlaw we know and love. Worth a look on the big screen as long as you can avoid the giggle-loop during Robin's speeches. 3.5/5
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn
Much better: This one sparked along in a manner only dreamed of by the first - you only have to compare the 'let's take a shuttle to the ship in order to admire her from the outside when we could just beam up as usual' scenes: This one is a ) much shorter and b ) has some banter in place of The Shat's 'awe expression' (that's setting number 4 by the way).
Oh and it has the little nugget of joy that Jon posted above (something that tickled Jess no end - when she saw Amir Kahn had won his recent fight...).
It's not perfect however; it feels a bit too much like the first half of the next film for my liking but that may be mainly due to my half-remembered previous viewings of both. (Turns out I remembered the reactor scene but not much else - though as I know I've seen Search for Spock it might just be repeated in that film; I guess we'll see.)
3/5
Much better: This one sparked along in a manner only dreamed of by the first - you only have to compare the 'let's take a shuttle to the ship in order to admire her from the outside when we could just beam up as usual' scenes: This one is a ) much shorter and b ) has some banter in place of The Shat's 'awe expression' (that's setting number 4 by the way).
Oh and it has the little nugget of joy that Jon posted above (something that tickled Jess no end - when she saw Amir Kahn had won his recent fight...).
It's not perfect however; it feels a bit too much like the first half of the next film for my liking but that may be mainly due to my half-remembered previous viewings of both. (Turns out I remembered the reactor scene but not much else - though as I know I've seen Search for Spock it might just be repeated in that film; I guess we'll see.)
3/5
Take 'The Inbetweeners', add superheroes, a teaspoonful of fight scenes from 'Old Boy' and 'Kill Bill', and a pinch of 'Superbad'. Mix it all together and bake for 2 hours. Mmm, yummy.
[/quote]
Just spent the weekend chasing the film demon...
Robin Hood - liked the fact that they tried to be original, but if it's not going to be as good as Gladiator or LOTR in intensity, script, plot or battle scenes, why do something half-baked? With so much style over substance, I felt decidedly 'meh' after this one. Entertaining yes - memorable, no. Still maintain Prince of Thieves was better - memorable, great characters, anannoying song that everyone still remembers and quite frankly that's shameful considering that was made in the arse end of the 90s when cheese, rock mullets and Alan Rickman were the shizzle's knees.3/5
Iron Man 2 - Another classic example of the factory produced film. Felt like I got handed this with my happy meal. IM2 not only wasn't as good as the first, it simply goes through the motions of giving us the ride, the fight scenes and oh hold on, one of the lamest big boss showdowns in living memory. It would seem Mickey Rourke's contract ran out or someone didn't put enough money in his facelift metre cos he clocks off quicker than you can say 'pussy'...Noone builds up the characters any more - its all about the wham-bam-goodnight-and oh can we interest you in a third chapter which you won't enjoy but hey, you'll come anyway...*grrr...sigh...mmmbungwah* 3/5
Kick-Ass - pretty much whipped both the previous films with some sweet and righteous teenage aggression mixed with some insane swearing and violence - where the previous two films are 'big boy' movies, the 11-year old kid in this is more frightening than Crowe and Stark on steroids in a cage fight. Great character development, heaps of laughs, nice touch with the comic art and one of the most perfect segues into a sniff of a sequel this century. My favourite movie so far. Yes baby yes bring it baby yes do it to me one more time yes please yes 4.25/5
Love Sex aur Dhokha (L.S.D.) (Love, sex and betrayal)
A Hindi film that's blowing the Bollywood movie trend away, this film is a three part story that looks at love, sex, violence, betrayal and the seedier side of how people are using each to further themselves in contemporary Indian pop culture. With several references to Bollywood, the casting couch, wannabe actors/directors/dancers/singers, LSD really taps into a dirty side of Indian consciousness and makes you laugh, shudder and cringe in equal measure. Entertaining, dark and suitably real, LSD is a firm smash of the Bollywood mould and an intro to a new breed of filmmaker out of the subcontinent. A film fest monster for shizzle. 4/5
[/quote]
Just spent the weekend chasing the film demon...
Robin Hood - liked the fact that they tried to be original, but if it's not going to be as good as Gladiator or LOTR in intensity, script, plot or battle scenes, why do something half-baked? With so much style over substance, I felt decidedly 'meh' after this one. Entertaining yes - memorable, no. Still maintain Prince of Thieves was better - memorable, great characters, anannoying song that everyone still remembers and quite frankly that's shameful considering that was made in the arse end of the 90s when cheese, rock mullets and Alan Rickman were the shizzle's knees.3/5
Iron Man 2 - Another classic example of the factory produced film. Felt like I got handed this with my happy meal. IM2 not only wasn't as good as the first, it simply goes through the motions of giving us the ride, the fight scenes and oh hold on, one of the lamest big boss showdowns in living memory. It would seem Mickey Rourke's contract ran out or someone didn't put enough money in his facelift metre cos he clocks off quicker than you can say 'pussy'...Noone builds up the characters any more - its all about the wham-bam-goodnight-and oh can we interest you in a third chapter which you won't enjoy but hey, you'll come anyway...*grrr...sigh...mmmbungwah* 3/5
Kick-Ass - pretty much whipped both the previous films with some sweet and righteous teenage aggression mixed with some insane swearing and violence - where the previous two films are 'big boy' movies, the 11-year old kid in this is more frightening than Crowe and Stark on steroids in a cage fight. Great character development, heaps of laughs, nice touch with the comic art and one of the most perfect segues into a sniff of a sequel this century. My favourite movie so far. Yes baby yes bring it baby yes do it to me one more time yes please yes 4.25/5
Love Sex aur Dhokha (L.S.D.) (Love, sex and betrayal)
A Hindi film that's blowing the Bollywood movie trend away, this film is a three part story that looks at love, sex, violence, betrayal and the seedier side of how people are using each to further themselves in contemporary Indian pop culture. With several references to Bollywood, the casting couch, wannabe actors/directors/dancers/singers, LSD really taps into a dirty side of Indian consciousness and makes you laugh, shudder and cringe in equal measure. Entertaining, dark and suitably real, LSD is a firm smash of the Bollywood mould and an intro to a new breed of filmmaker out of the subcontinent. A film fest monster for shizzle. 4/5
It's an entertaining review. Read it a couple of days ago and it made me think of how I felt about the first film. Sounds even worse though.
And yet many of those of the homogametic sex can't seem to get enough of it...all those shoes do wierd things to a woman's brain.
It's true that I am much more likely to remember PoT with fondness but I'm really not sure that's any sign of quality on its behalf: apart from the fun of Rickman it really is pretty awful - nostalgia has much to answer for.
QUOTE
Entertaining yes - memorable, no. Still maintain Prince of Thieves was better - memorable, great characters, anannoying song that everyone still remembers and quite frankly that's shameful considering that was made in the arse end of the 90s when cheese, rock mullets and Alan Rickman were the shizzle's knees.
It's true that I am much more likely to remember PoT with fondness but I'm really not sure that's any sign of quality on its behalf: apart from the fun of Rickman it really is pretty awful - nostalgia has much to answer for.
Have to disagree with you on this one King. PoT is the shizzle. So much so that I wouldn't even go into the current Robin Hood thinking of comparing the two because I know that there is no way on earth that it could possibly exceed the genius that is PoT.
You are all wrong. The best Robin Hood movie is "Men in Tights".
Gahh! I want to agree with both of you but my niggly brain won't let me watch either without pointing out the utter pointless nature of the Godfather character or the mind-numbingly manipulative addition of a loyal, blind and doomed side-kick. Or Christian Slater as 'man with chip on his shoulder who turns out alright in the end'. Or the Scottish King Richard. Or the complete smug punchability of Costner.
Don't get me wrong; I really like Men in Tights, but it owes its existence to the flaws of POT and doesn't really stand on its own. I will also happily profess a desire to rip a person's heart out with a rusty spoon, but all those things that we remember with fond scorn (the mullet, the scant knowledge of geography, the accents, the wonderful soundtrack) actually make it a bad film we like to watch.
Like Hackers.
I really should lie down and stop taking things seriously.
Don't get me wrong; I really like Men in Tights, but it owes its existence to the flaws of POT and doesn't really stand on its own. I will also happily profess a desire to rip a person's heart out with a rusty spoon, but all those things that we remember with fond scorn (the mullet, the scant knowledge of geography, the accents, the wonderful soundtrack) actually make it a bad film we like to watch.
Like Hackers.
I really should lie down and stop taking things seriously.
Hmmm, well, a lot of "Men in Tights" is also throwbacks to the Errol Flynn "Robin Hood" and a lot of movies of that era as well--and I think that it, like "Spaceballs" stands on its own as well as anything that's reinterpreting a standard, but I did grow up on both Errol Flynn and Mel Brook's movies and didn't see POT till much later, so my reactions may be atypical.
I disagree with Jennie too.
Men In Tights fails for the same reason that the Scary Movie franchise fails: it's not as funny as the film it is lampooning. Alan Rickman's lines alone are funnier than the entire of Men In Tights.
Space Balls succeeds because Star Wars isn't funny.
Men In Tights fails for the same reason that the Scary Movie franchise fails: it's not as funny as the film it is lampooning. Alan Rickman's lines alone are funnier than the entire of Men In Tights.
Space Balls succeeds because Star Wars isn't funny.
The Cove
The Winner of Best Documentary at this year's Oscars, this film is another one of those documentaries (like Man on Wire) that plays more like a spy or heist movie than a dry examination of the facts. Unlike MOW however, this isn't a recreation of an operation from the 60s, but a film about the filmakers themselves attempting to uncover the practices of dolphin fishermen in the Japanese town of Taiji.
The ostensible leader of this crack team of activists is ex-dolphin trainer Rick O'Barry. Rick was responsible for the team of dolphins that were Flipper and hence holds much of the responsibility of making dolphin training popular. His views on the subject were changed when one of his dolphins 'committed suicide', since then he has been active in attempting to free them from and protest against their captivity all over the world. As most of the world's dolphins for training come from Taiji, he is well known in the town and there is some fun to be had as we watch him don a series of disguises to try and outfox the authorities who follow his every move in the town. Injecting a bunch of westerners with 30 cases of luggage into such an atmosphere of suspicion merely ups the ante.
The reason for all the secrecy is the nature the 'fishing' that occurs in a secluded cove in Taiji. Dolphins are herded to the cove, netted in, the best picked out for Seaworld etc. and the rest slaughtered. The fishermen themselves think that if the world knew about it the practice would be stopped. Fortunately for them there seems to be a bit of a conspiracy to keep it all under wraps. The film delves into past attempts to uncover The Cove, touches on the inadequacy of the International Whaling Commission (who have no say over the treatment of 'small cetaceans' and provides background into the health risks of dolphin meat (mercury poisoning apparently). The main thrust however is the recruitment of freedivers, ex-military cameramen, a model helicopter pilot and (strangely) ILM in order to pull off a secret operation to smuggle hidden cameras into the cove. (Apparently the fake rocks made by ILM were so good they had trouble finding the cameras to retrieve the footage.) The dénouement is about 5 minutes of astonishingly clear footage of the slaughter in the cove, culminating in an aerial shot of a red sea. It's powerful and sobering and enough to stop me going to a dolphin show at any time in the near future. (Hmm that impies I know where to see some inter-species erotica involving dolphins...damn you Kevin Smith!) 4/5
Oh and one of the extras is a closer examination of the mercury poisoning from large fish/mammals (such as tuna and dolphins) which might have you thinking twice about that sushi...
The Winner of Best Documentary at this year's Oscars, this film is another one of those documentaries (like Man on Wire) that plays more like a spy or heist movie than a dry examination of the facts. Unlike MOW however, this isn't a recreation of an operation from the 60s, but a film about the filmakers themselves attempting to uncover the practices of dolphin fishermen in the Japanese town of Taiji.
The ostensible leader of this crack team of activists is ex-dolphin trainer Rick O'Barry. Rick was responsible for the team of dolphins that were Flipper and hence holds much of the responsibility of making dolphin training popular. His views on the subject were changed when one of his dolphins 'committed suicide', since then he has been active in attempting to free them from and protest against their captivity all over the world. As most of the world's dolphins for training come from Taiji, he is well known in the town and there is some fun to be had as we watch him don a series of disguises to try and outfox the authorities who follow his every move in the town. Injecting a bunch of westerners with 30 cases of luggage into such an atmosphere of suspicion merely ups the ante.
The reason for all the secrecy is the nature the 'fishing' that occurs in a secluded cove in Taiji. Dolphins are herded to the cove, netted in, the best picked out for Seaworld etc. and the rest slaughtered. The fishermen themselves think that if the world knew about it the practice would be stopped. Fortunately for them there seems to be a bit of a conspiracy to keep it all under wraps. The film delves into past attempts to uncover The Cove, touches on the inadequacy of the International Whaling Commission (who have no say over the treatment of 'small cetaceans' and provides background into the health risks of dolphin meat (mercury poisoning apparently). The main thrust however is the recruitment of freedivers, ex-military cameramen, a model helicopter pilot and (strangely) ILM in order to pull off a secret operation to smuggle hidden cameras into the cove. (Apparently the fake rocks made by ILM were so good they had trouble finding the cameras to retrieve the footage.) The dénouement is about 5 minutes of astonishingly clear footage of the slaughter in the cove, culminating in an aerial shot of a red sea. It's powerful and sobering and enough to stop me going to a dolphin show at any time in the near future. (Hmm that impies I know where to see some inter-species erotica involving dolphins...damn you Kevin Smith!) 4/5
Oh and one of the extras is a closer examination of the mercury poisoning from large fish/mammals (such as tuna and dolphins) which might have you thinking twice about that sushi...
New Yoork, I love you
Utterly pants try-hard version of the original Paris film with lots of celebrities and not much juice. Lacks freshness from the get-go and throws in a variety of shorts that sometimes confound rather than convey anything original or heartfelt. Feels too packaged and 'artsy' while some of the stories are forced into being clever or seemingly profound. There seems to be no room for the sadness, danger or the ugly character of Gotham that the Paris version brought to its mix. The best two films are in the bonus section as they're suitably artsy and not as chipper as the others (Scarlett Johanssen being a surprisingly good director with These Vagabond Shoes featuring Kevin Bacon). The one upside of this film however (spoiler alert) is that you see Shia LeBoeuf fall to his death after playing a perpetually sad and bizarre Hungarian bellhop with a misplaced hip. Cock. 2.7/5
The A-Team
With a weak intro, but some great moments of action that relive those Frank Lupo style kick-ass moments, The A-Team is essentially a series of super fun action sequences held together by weak albeit classic motifs of 80s plotline. That's all fine by me and in the end, the film is fun and there is celever use of bringing back trademark moments of the series without making too much a fuss of it. It is however annoying to hear the word 'plan' used 20,000 times.
The boys are in Iraq as a crack squad of badasses with over 80 successful missions under their belts. Someone steals some US dollar mint plates. A team goes into action. Plot done.
Murdoch is easily the show stealer (despite accent wobblies), with Face coming in a fair second. BA is sadly lacking and while Neeson does well to bring Hannibal back, you begin to realise by the end of the film that all you want is to see the four original boys do their thing with that cheesy, but oh so awesome guitar theme tune playing in the background. I shall do my damndest to get he ringtone that's for sure. All in all, The A-Team was fun, but it was like imitation Chinese food, a while after which you're still feeling hungry and left craving more of the original.
3.5/5
PS - Although Jessica Biel is kind of hot in a skinny sort of my-face-is-pulled-back-tight-into-my-ponytail sort of way, the real women are Mexican and French in this joint.
Lila, Lila
German film with a good enough plot description to have me watch it half way through (before falling asleep on the plane) and twitching to know how it ends.
Kid from 'Goodbye Lenin' is a waiter in a restaurant that serves annoying German pseudo-intellectual writer types who still think it's still hip to discuss 'the birth and death of the author' whilst wearing tight red jeans and sporting those floppy front-of-the-face manga hairdos that only mainland Europeans can pull off as, um, 'fashionable' and not necessarily gay though mistaking them to be so is utterly desirable and forgivable.
Waiter finds an old manuscript in furniture he buys from a market stall, gets it published to win a girl's heart (and knickers) and becomes an overnight sensation. Fun follows when the original author (thought dead) returns and our waiter is faced with the prospect of fessing up. Being in German only makes it more watchable and believable. Defo worth a watch. Don't tell me how it ends.
On the Robin Hood front, PoT cannot be compared to Robin Hood for several reasons, but even with all its faults, it is far more watchable than this pile of poo-drivel. Ridley Scott should sort it out asap. Maybe a Gladiator 2 just to seal the deal. He's had a good run with sequels.
Utterly pants try-hard version of the original Paris film with lots of celebrities and not much juice. Lacks freshness from the get-go and throws in a variety of shorts that sometimes confound rather than convey anything original or heartfelt. Feels too packaged and 'artsy' while some of the stories are forced into being clever or seemingly profound. There seems to be no room for the sadness, danger or the ugly character of Gotham that the Paris version brought to its mix. The best two films are in the bonus section as they're suitably artsy and not as chipper as the others (Scarlett Johanssen being a surprisingly good director with These Vagabond Shoes featuring Kevin Bacon). The one upside of this film however (spoiler alert) is that you see Shia LeBoeuf fall to his death after playing a perpetually sad and bizarre Hungarian bellhop with a misplaced hip. Cock. 2.7/5
The A-Team
With a weak intro, but some great moments of action that relive those Frank Lupo style kick-ass moments, The A-Team is essentially a series of super fun action sequences held together by weak albeit classic motifs of 80s plotline. That's all fine by me and in the end, the film is fun and there is celever use of bringing back trademark moments of the series without making too much a fuss of it. It is however annoying to hear the word 'plan' used 20,000 times.
The boys are in Iraq as a crack squad of badasses with over 80 successful missions under their belts. Someone steals some US dollar mint plates. A team goes into action. Plot done.
Murdoch is easily the show stealer (despite accent wobblies), with Face coming in a fair second. BA is sadly lacking and while Neeson does well to bring Hannibal back, you begin to realise by the end of the film that all you want is to see the four original boys do their thing with that cheesy, but oh so awesome guitar theme tune playing in the background. I shall do my damndest to get he ringtone that's for sure. All in all, The A-Team was fun, but it was like imitation Chinese food, a while after which you're still feeling hungry and left craving more of the original.
3.5/5
PS - Although Jessica Biel is kind of hot in a skinny sort of my-face-is-pulled-back-tight-into-my-ponytail sort of way, the real women are Mexican and French in this joint.
Lila, Lila
German film with a good enough plot description to have me watch it half way through (before falling asleep on the plane) and twitching to know how it ends.
Kid from 'Goodbye Lenin' is a waiter in a restaurant that serves annoying German pseudo-intellectual writer types who still think it's still hip to discuss 'the birth and death of the author' whilst wearing tight red jeans and sporting those floppy front-of-the-face manga hairdos that only mainland Europeans can pull off as, um, 'fashionable' and not necessarily gay though mistaking them to be so is utterly desirable and forgivable.
Waiter finds an old manuscript in furniture he buys from a market stall, gets it published to win a girl's heart (and knickers) and becomes an overnight sensation. Fun follows when the original author (thought dead) returns and our waiter is faced with the prospect of fessing up. Being in German only makes it more watchable and believable. Defo worth a watch. Don't tell me how it ends.
On the Robin Hood front, PoT cannot be compared to Robin Hood for several reasons, but even with all its faults, it is far more watchable than this pile of poo-drivel. Ridley Scott should sort it out asap. Maybe a Gladiator 2 just to seal the deal. He's had a good run with sequels.
I managed to miss your A-Team review Gov but I probably wouldn't have made an effort to see it anyway - I'll catch it later.
Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock
Why they bothered searching for him when they knew exactly where they left him is beyond me.
I'm afraid this film has barely any redeeming features; it picks up where the last film left off, with Spock's body deposited on the Genesis planet and the Enterprise limping back to Earth. A good 30 mins is spent introducing a spanky new ship that takes virtually no part in the proceedings and getting the Enterprise back to where they began the film minus most of the crew (in order to, you know, Search for Spock). A random Klingon (amusingly played by Christopher 'Great Scott!' Lloyd) is thrown in to make this not quite so simple, he has a bit of a Mount Doom moment, and our heroes take the miraculously alive-again Spock to Vulcan for a 20 minute brain rejigging sequence (every bit as riveting as watching a bald woman touch two old men's faces can be).
The best bit is where a Klingon kills {SPOILER} and {SPOILER} says "You Klingon bastard, you killed {SPOILER}" in a South Park kind of style. Which, though it has resonances for ST6, here seems to be in place simply to get rid of an inconvenient character.
So in short; completely pointless, roll on the next, good one. 2/5
(How ST4: The Voyage Home can be a decent film is beyond me, given that it involves the Enterprise going back in time in order to save some whales, but I guess we'll see.)
Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock
Why they bothered searching for him when they knew exactly where they left him is beyond me.
I'm afraid this film has barely any redeeming features; it picks up where the last film left off, with Spock's body deposited on the Genesis planet and the Enterprise limping back to Earth. A good 30 mins is spent introducing a spanky new ship that takes virtually no part in the proceedings and getting the Enterprise back to where they began the film minus most of the crew (in order to, you know, Search for Spock). A random Klingon (amusingly played by Christopher 'Great Scott!' Lloyd) is thrown in to make this not quite so simple, he has a bit of a Mount Doom moment, and our heroes take the miraculously alive-again Spock to Vulcan for a 20 minute brain rejigging sequence (every bit as riveting as watching a bald woman touch two old men's faces can be).
The best bit is where a Klingon kills {SPOILER} and {SPOILER} says "You Klingon bastard, you killed {SPOILER}" in a South Park kind of style. Which, though it has resonances for ST6, here seems to be in place simply to get rid of an inconvenient character.
So in short; completely pointless, roll on the next, good one. 2/5
(How ST4: The Voyage Home can be a decent film is beyond me, given that it involves the Enterprise going back in time in order to save some whales, but I guess we'll see.)
King - amazing timing. When up in Manchester I watched Wrath of Khan with the local couple. I actually complained to Pedro/Jennie about the silly 'Save the Whale, Save the Planet!' idea but apparently it IS a good film. Fancy that. Looking forward to your review...
I aim to please 
I'm getting Quantum Leap Series 5 next so it might be a while before I get to ST4 but when I do I'll review the heck out of it.
I'm getting Quantum Leap Series 5 next so it might be a while before I get to ST4 but when I do I'll review the heck out of it.
I have to say it one of the few Star Trek movies I can actually remember, if only for the amusing "Scottie trying to use a 20th computer" scene and the complete lack of any care for paradoxes or causing the end of the universe like most time travel movies.
Speaking of which I guess I never reviewed FAQ about time travel - some of it made me laugh, but mostly cause it's that guy from the IT Crowd. Unfortunately I think the best I can say is "Not Bad". > Fleeting.
Speaking of which I guess I never reviewed FAQ about time travel - some of it made me laugh, but mostly cause it's that guy from the IT Crowd. Unfortunately I think the best I can say is "Not Bad". > Fleeting.
Yes I agree with Tart. Star Trek 4 surprises because it is very enjoyable despite being mental. They go for laughs mainly by splitting the crew up into a number of comedy duos. Unbelievably, it works.
Karate Kid
Cute, enjoyable and far more 'family' than one expects with the slew of kid-ult films that seem to be hitting cinemas these days, Karate Kid doesn't disappoint. A bit slow to get to its meaty bits, but well worth a watch. Jackie Chan is pretty good in this one and young Will is pretty good too. Good ending, despite some fromage for good measure and one wonders how much the Tourism Authority of China gave Mr Smith to make this film - so many shots seem to promote it as a tourist destination. Still go check it out. For Jackie Chan and the fight scenes, if nothing else. Satisfying bash-up at the end too. 3.15/5
The September Issue
A purported expose on the life of fashion demon Anna Wintour (editor US Vogue) and some behind-the-scenes looks at what goes into the magazine and its photoshoots etc. Touted as a big sort of response to The Devil Wears Prada and the sort of slander it bandied around about Ms Wintour, this film is interesting in bits but kind of narrow, with the audience actually being shut out of a of lot of what you might expect to see. Worth a watch if its on in the background on a Sunday when you're very hungover and feeling particularly girly. Otherwise, you could miss it. 2.5/5
An Education
Having Nick Hornby in the screenwriting credit makes you want to watch this, but compared to his other stuff, this isn't really on the radar. From the moment the central love affair begins between a 30 something dude (creepy Peter Saarsgard) and a 16-year old Jenny (Carey Mulligan who looks amazingly teeny while being 24), you'll be forgiven for feeling dirty and thinking the word 'paedo' a 100 times. Despite its three oscar nominations (rightfully deserved only by Mulligan whose over-plummy and precocious verbiage does nothing to detract from her incredible acting performance) the film is pretty without really drawing the audience in and showing us any substance. I wasn't convinced of the mismatched love affair nor did I ever like it or want to empathise with the characters (a huge problem if you expect us to watch them for an hour and a half). Idyllic shots everywhere, a brilliant performance by Roasmund Pike as the super dumb blonde and Alfred Molina as the pernickety dad, but there's little else here. Worth watching if you like disjointed pretty pieces with little attachment factor and a bizarrely satisfying ending. Couldn't get into it though my money on some serious oscar winnage is on Carey Mulligan. With My Fair Lady coming out soon, she might be in for some of that Audrey Hepburn status after all.
Easy Virtue
The film adaptation of Noel Coward's play depicting the drama and hijinks at a stuffy and dysfunctional post-Great War English manor would have been spectacular had it been written by Oscar Wilde and starred Elizabeth Taylor and Errol Flynn. With contemporary actors it's just too forced, pantomimey, smug and unctuous and makes you wonder how much better the stage version might be. Colin Firth as the disenchanted dad is brilliant with some wonderfully dry lines and the deadpan manner to go with it. As for the rest of the cast, you feel like smacking round the head with putrefying smoked kippers. Kristin Scott Thomas has the sour and matronly-witch role down so well that its almost unremarkable to watch. Prince Caspian's random breaking into song merits disembowellment and while Jessica Biel seems to tap into some rare acting energies, she just isn't rambunctious enough as the wild-hog Yank with questionable graces and pedigree she's meant to be. Susan Sarandon in her hey day would have been the one for this. All in all - don't bother, unless you're craving something basically theatrical, insipid and annoying. Sort of like if Sainsbury's did something between Taste The Difference and Economy plays. 2.7/3
Cute, enjoyable and far more 'family' than one expects with the slew of kid-ult films that seem to be hitting cinemas these days, Karate Kid doesn't disappoint. A bit slow to get to its meaty bits, but well worth a watch. Jackie Chan is pretty good in this one and young Will is pretty good too. Good ending, despite some fromage for good measure and one wonders how much the Tourism Authority of China gave Mr Smith to make this film - so many shots seem to promote it as a tourist destination. Still go check it out. For Jackie Chan and the fight scenes, if nothing else. Satisfying bash-up at the end too. 3.15/5
The September Issue
A purported expose on the life of fashion demon Anna Wintour (editor US Vogue) and some behind-the-scenes looks at what goes into the magazine and its photoshoots etc. Touted as a big sort of response to The Devil Wears Prada and the sort of slander it bandied around about Ms Wintour, this film is interesting in bits but kind of narrow, with the audience actually being shut out of a of lot of what you might expect to see. Worth a watch if its on in the background on a Sunday when you're very hungover and feeling particularly girly. Otherwise, you could miss it. 2.5/5
An Education
Having Nick Hornby in the screenwriting credit makes you want to watch this, but compared to his other stuff, this isn't really on the radar. From the moment the central love affair begins between a 30 something dude (creepy Peter Saarsgard) and a 16-year old Jenny (Carey Mulligan who looks amazingly teeny while being 24), you'll be forgiven for feeling dirty and thinking the word 'paedo' a 100 times. Despite its three oscar nominations (rightfully deserved only by Mulligan whose over-plummy and precocious verbiage does nothing to detract from her incredible acting performance) the film is pretty without really drawing the audience in and showing us any substance. I wasn't convinced of the mismatched love affair nor did I ever like it or want to empathise with the characters (a huge problem if you expect us to watch them for an hour and a half). Idyllic shots everywhere, a brilliant performance by Roasmund Pike as the super dumb blonde and Alfred Molina as the pernickety dad, but there's little else here. Worth watching if you like disjointed pretty pieces with little attachment factor and a bizarrely satisfying ending. Couldn't get into it though my money on some serious oscar winnage is on Carey Mulligan. With My Fair Lady coming out soon, she might be in for some of that Audrey Hepburn status after all.
Easy Virtue
The film adaptation of Noel Coward's play depicting the drama and hijinks at a stuffy and dysfunctional post-Great War English manor would have been spectacular had it been written by Oscar Wilde and starred Elizabeth Taylor and Errol Flynn. With contemporary actors it's just too forced, pantomimey, smug and unctuous and makes you wonder how much better the stage version might be. Colin Firth as the disenchanted dad is brilliant with some wonderfully dry lines and the deadpan manner to go with it. As for the rest of the cast, you feel like smacking round the head with putrefying smoked kippers. Kristin Scott Thomas has the sour and matronly-witch role down so well that its almost unremarkable to watch. Prince Caspian's random breaking into song merits disembowellment and while Jessica Biel seems to tap into some rare acting energies, she just isn't rambunctious enough as the wild-hog Yank with questionable graces and pedigree she's meant to be. Susan Sarandon in her hey day would have been the one for this. All in all - don't bother, unless you're craving something basically theatrical, insipid and annoying. Sort of like if Sainsbury's did something between Taste The Difference and Economy plays. 2.7/3
QUOTE(govinddhar @ 8-Jul-10, 11:40)
Sort of like if Sainsbury's did something between Taste The Difference and Economy plays.
A 'Be Good to Yourself' play then? Half the fat, half the taste and double the price?
District 9
Very good, relatively low-budget sci-fi filck with an interesting setting and an excellent leading performance from Sharlto Copley. Thoroughly recommended. I didn't once feel that the aliens wern't actually there, very impressive given that they were actually mostly played by the same guy in lycra. 4/5
Very good, relatively low-budget sci-fi filck with an interesting setting and an excellent leading performance from Sharlto Copley. Thoroughly recommended. I didn't once feel that the aliens wern't actually there, very impressive given that they were actually mostly played by the same guy in lycra. 4/5
Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home
Whilst the bridge crew of the Enterprise return to Earth to face a court martial for joyriding (see The Search for Spock) an alien probe approaches the planet broadcasting a deadly, ocean-melting, power-draining signal in the form of whale song. Humpback whale song to be precise. Speculating that the alien probe is not actively hostile but just wants an answer from the now-extinct humpbacks, Kirk and his crew decide to pop back to the 1980s and grab a couple.
As you do.
The initial tone is as pompously portentous as Trek can be, with a Deus Ex Machina threat that, somehow, only Kirk & co. can combat (I don't know what the rest of Star Fleet is doing if it takes seven aging, rebelious old hands in a second hand Klingon warbird to save the day). Fortunately for us all Leonard Nimoy decided to make one of those comedy episodes: once they land (ever so subtly cloaked) in Golden Gate Park circa 1986 the film embarks on a series of fish-out-of-water, odd couple vignettes. Kirk cosies up to a 'whale biologist' while Spock communes with her charges. Scotty poses as a professor in order to swap a job lot of Plexiglas for the formula for 'transparent aluminium' (communing with an Apple Mac himself in the process). Sulu meanwhile seduces a Huey pilot in order to borrow the chopper to ferry the Plexiglas back to the ship (at least I assume that's what he did - the camera tactfully cuts away from his careful man-to-man bonding over the console of the antique whirligig). Checkov, naturally enough, is left to ask Cold War-era Americans for the location of their 'nuclear wessels in Alameda', receiving the unedifying reply that they are 'in Alameda' and, eventually, a grilling from the FBI. Not a very heavy grilling mind you given that they do it in an unlocked, unguarded room allowing him to run off and get himself injured. Cue Dr McCoy grumbling his way around Mercy Hospital like an elderly Oscar the Grouch in miraculously appearing scrubs, growing a new kidney here, complaining about The Dark Ages in a lift and sneaking into a secure room using medical jargon.
Once all this is done it's a simple matter of slingshotting themselves, their whales and their stowaway 20th century scientist round the sun and back to the future where they all live happily ever after and the whale biologist is free to turn down the creaking advances of Kirk, put on a shiny white and purple uniform and show the girls of the 23rd century how to back-comb your hair like Wilma from Buck Rodgers.
So the most ridiculous premise for a film (even a Star Trek film) I have ever come across actually turns out OK; quite how I'm not sure. Bravo Mr Spock. 3.5/5
Whilst the bridge crew of the Enterprise return to Earth to face a court martial for joyriding (see The Search for Spock) an alien probe approaches the planet broadcasting a deadly, ocean-melting, power-draining signal in the form of whale song. Humpback whale song to be precise. Speculating that the alien probe is not actively hostile but just wants an answer from the now-extinct humpbacks, Kirk and his crew decide to pop back to the 1980s and grab a couple.
As you do.
The initial tone is as pompously portentous as Trek can be, with a Deus Ex Machina threat that, somehow, only Kirk & co. can combat (I don't know what the rest of Star Fleet is doing if it takes seven aging, rebelious old hands in a second hand Klingon warbird to save the day). Fortunately for us all Leonard Nimoy decided to make one of those comedy episodes: once they land (ever so subtly cloaked) in Golden Gate Park circa 1986 the film embarks on a series of fish-out-of-water, odd couple vignettes. Kirk cosies up to a 'whale biologist' while Spock communes with her charges. Scotty poses as a professor in order to swap a job lot of Plexiglas for the formula for 'transparent aluminium' (communing with an Apple Mac himself in the process). Sulu meanwhile seduces a Huey pilot in order to borrow the chopper to ferry the Plexiglas back to the ship (at least I assume that's what he did - the camera tactfully cuts away from his careful man-to-man bonding over the console of the antique whirligig). Checkov, naturally enough, is left to ask Cold War-era Americans for the location of their 'nuclear wessels in Alameda', receiving the unedifying reply that they are 'in Alameda' and, eventually, a grilling from the FBI. Not a very heavy grilling mind you given that they do it in an unlocked, unguarded room allowing him to run off and get himself injured. Cue Dr McCoy grumbling his way around Mercy Hospital like an elderly Oscar the Grouch in miraculously appearing scrubs, growing a new kidney here, complaining about The Dark Ages in a lift and sneaking into a secure room using medical jargon.
Once all this is done it's a simple matter of slingshotting themselves, their whales and their stowaway 20th century scientist round the sun and back to the future where they all live happily ever after and the whale biologist is free to turn down the creaking advances of Kirk, put on a shiny white and purple uniform and show the girls of the 23rd century how to back-comb your hair like Wilma from Buck Rodgers.
So the most ridiculous premise for a film (even a Star Trek film) I have ever come across actually turns out OK; quite how I'm not sure. Bravo Mr Spock. 3.5/5
Oh dear; I appear to have written the last review (according to I Write Like) in the style of Dan Brown. I do apologise.
inception
Freaking awesome. Finally an over-hyped film that I enjoyed as much as I was hoping. Given the plot is basically "Leo and pals try to con some guy" they manage to make the film more of a headfuck with the question "how do you real is real?". But you don;t really care because it's all very pretty and you're concentrated so much on which layer of reality you're in you probably miss half of the "clever" thing they stuck in there for people to find on subsequent viewings. Which is good - because I hope to see it again some time.
4.5/5 (because 5 is reserved for something special...)
Freaking awesome. Finally an over-hyped film that I enjoyed as much as I was hoping. Given the plot is basically "Leo and pals try to con some guy" they manage to make the film more of a headfuck with the question "how do you real is real?". But you don;t really care because it's all very pretty and you're concentrated so much on which layer of reality you're in you probably miss half of the "clever" thing they stuck in there for people to find on subsequent viewings. Which is good - because I hope to see it again some time.
4.5/5 (because 5 is reserved for something special...)
I don't have time to do Inception justice right now. Suffice to say I agree with Tart - the whole three/four layer concurrent action sequence thing was brilliant (fighting in a revolving corridor - take that Lionel Richie!). Must see again. 4.5/5
Not sure I will ever have the time or talent to do Inception justice, so I will agree with both King and Tart. Amazing. I will be seeing it again, hopefully at the IMAX.
On a side note, I think that Tom Hardy puts an interesting case forward for being the next Bond in this film.
On a side note, I think that Tom Hardy puts an interesting case forward for being the next Bond in this film.
Again, I agree with all that's said above, and even with jonny's championing of Tom Hardy. But for the next Bond? mmm interesting.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Surprisingly funny tale of an inventing-mad kid stuck in sardine town who eventually invents a machine that converts water into food; something that could save his town, unless of course it all spirals out of control and implodes horribly like all his other inventions (rat-birds, irremovable spray-on shoes, etc.).
The characters are all defiantly cartoonish and there are a couple of HEY LOOK IT'S 3D!!! sequences but other than that this is a delight - it's particularly brilliant to see Mr T as the town cop in tight, tight shorts and a reverse Mohawk (I pity the food!), and the nightmarish aspects of the dénouement (the sentient roast chickens are particularly disturbing) provide a surprising and particularly satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended. 4/5
Surprisingly funny tale of an inventing-mad kid stuck in sardine town who eventually invents a machine that converts water into food; something that could save his town, unless of course it all spirals out of control and implodes horribly like all his other inventions (rat-birds, irremovable spray-on shoes, etc.).
The characters are all defiantly cartoonish and there are a couple of HEY LOOK IT'S 3D!!! sequences but other than that this is a delight - it's particularly brilliant to see Mr T as the town cop in tight, tight shorts and a reverse Mohawk (I pity the food!), and the nightmarish aspects of the dénouement (the sentient roast chickens are particularly disturbing) provide a surprising and particularly satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended. 4/5
QUOTE(jonnyploy @ 28-Jul-10, 10:05)
Not sure I will ever have the time or talent to do Inception justice, so I will agree with both King and Tart. Amazing. I will be seeing it again, hopefully at the IMAX.
On a side note, I think that Tom Hardy puts an interesting case forward for being the next Bond in this film.
On a side note, I think that Tom Hardy puts an interesting case forward for being the next Bond in this film.
Hmm, see, I was more impressed with Joseph Gordon Levitt. Especially during that spinning fight scene. In fact, I'm not sure I would have minded too much if there had been more him and less Leo... Good movie though.
And "Cloudy" is also a great book!
Toy Story 3:
Unbelievably good. Concluding part of the greatest film trilogy of all time. Also, see it in 3D. Not at all gimmicky - they use it to add depth rather than having anything poke out of the screen at you. Really subtly used, particularly in comparison to the 3D trailers that we saw before it.
The short film before it was predictably excellent as well.
4.85 / 5
Unbelievably good. Concluding part of the greatest film trilogy of all time. Also, see it in 3D. Not at all gimmicky - they use it to add depth rather than having anything poke out of the screen at you. Really subtly used, particularly in comparison to the 3D trailers that we saw before it.
The short film before it was predictably excellent as well.
4.85 / 5
[/quote]
Hmm, see, I was more impressed with Joseph Gordon Levitt. Especially during that spinning fight scene. In fact, I'm not sure I would have minded too much if there had been more him and less Leo... Good movie though.
[/quote]
Yes I agree whole heartedly.
JG-L is always worth watching - he was one of the best things about the film, alongside a huge bunch of brilliant stuff, and was particularly good in Brick.
Toy Story 3 was indeed excellent. I haven't seen it in 3D but frankly couldn't see any need to: I bet my full foot-candle experience was more engaging and immersive than any behind some tinted glasses that cut out a third of the colour. The trilogy ranks as possibly the best there has been; this was the least good TS movie (I think...subject to repeat viewings) but when the weakest part is of this quality it beomes an exercise in quibblitch. 4.85/5 seems fair
Toy Story 3 was indeed excellent. I haven't seen it in 3D but frankly couldn't see any need to: I bet my full foot-candle experience was more engaging and immersive than any behind some tinted glasses that cut out a third of the colour. The trilogy ranks as possibly the best there has been; this was the least good TS movie (I think...subject to repeat viewings) but when the weakest part is of this quality it beomes an exercise in quibblitch. 4.85/5 seems fair
Scott Pilgrim Vs the World
I was vaguely worried about this film; I like the source material, the director, the cast and the pre-release buzz but the overall response from the general public seemed to be "Weeeell, yeah; It's OK, but I'd rather see eight ex-famous actors kill people with guns and stuff. Besides Michael Cera is a bastard who kills puppies by acting all geeky." Frankly I should have learned by now that the general public are about as discerning as a footballer in a whorehouse; they know nothing this film is great.
It's not perfect; Michael Cera's Scott Pilgrim is a little hard to warm to and it may have benefitted from the removal to 20 minutes (which probably would have meant removing a fight, thereby defeating the object of the film). However, I didn't care once the fighting started, the music really kicked in (the soundtrack is great) and Scott's friends started to show; in the end I liked him more for his friends than his behaviour. Kieren Culkin is particularly impressive as Scott's gay roommate (how he is introduced by Scott) Wallace. Mary-Elizabeth Winstead doesn't do a whole heap (though she does have a barney or two of her own) but plays the mysterious, slightly aloof Ramona with enough subtlety to suggest her damaged soul. Brandon Routh is the stand-out evil ex as Todd the Vegan-superpowered bass player though Chris Evans puts in a good show as a narcissistic film star with some brilliant-looking films behind him.
I guess it's not to everyone's taste; it may be a bit too cool for its own good, but I really enjoyed myself and I look forward to seeing it again and searching out all those retro games references.
4/5
Also look out for Clash at Daemonhead's (a.k.a Brie Larson) version of Black Sheep by Metric - cracking and superior to the original I feel.
I was vaguely worried about this film; I like the source material, the director, the cast and the pre-release buzz but the overall response from the general public seemed to be "Weeeell, yeah; It's OK, but I'd rather see eight ex-famous actors kill people with guns and stuff. Besides Michael Cera is a bastard who kills puppies by acting all geeky." Frankly I should have learned by now that the general public are about as discerning as a footballer in a whorehouse; they know nothing this film is great.
It's not perfect; Michael Cera's Scott Pilgrim is a little hard to warm to and it may have benefitted from the removal to 20 minutes (which probably would have meant removing a fight, thereby defeating the object of the film). However, I didn't care once the fighting started, the music really kicked in (the soundtrack is great) and Scott's friends started to show; in the end I liked him more for his friends than his behaviour. Kieren Culkin is particularly impressive as Scott's gay roommate (how he is introduced by Scott) Wallace. Mary-Elizabeth Winstead doesn't do a whole heap (though she does have a barney or two of her own) but plays the mysterious, slightly aloof Ramona with enough subtlety to suggest her damaged soul. Brandon Routh is the stand-out evil ex as Todd the Vegan-superpowered bass player though Chris Evans puts in a good show as a narcissistic film star with some brilliant-looking films behind him.
I guess it's not to everyone's taste; it may be a bit too cool for its own good, but I really enjoyed myself and I look forward to seeing it again and searching out all those retro games references.
4/5
Also look out for Clash at Daemonhead's (a.k.a Brie Larson) version of Black Sheep by Metric - cracking and superior to the original I feel.
QUOTE
Scott Pilgrim Vs the World
[Review to follow when I have time]
Very enjoyable - please pay to see it or we'll be stuck with The Expendables for all time. 4/5
[Review to follow when I have time]
Very enjoyable - please pay to see it or we'll be stuck with The Expendables for all time. 4/5
I will definitely be doing just that. It has the added bonus of having Mary Elizabeth Winstead in it, who used her all-round loveliness to steal the film Bobby despite being in it for about 5 minutes, and was by far the best thing about Die Hard 4.
The A-Team
A re-imagining of the classic (and slightly ropey if you watch it now), eighties TV show with updated tech, war and added bodycount.
I really enjoyed watching this; it's definitely not high art (or even particularly good) but it's fun and I giggled throughout. It let's itself down in the final 20 minutes however, with a completely unbelievable sequence involving a container ship - up until then I was with it all the way, even for the 'tank in a plane' sequence (unforgivably given away by the trailer). This was sold mainly by the incredulity of the supporting cast and gleeful reactions of the team themdelves. The cast is pretty good Rampage Jackson isn't at all bad, Sharlto Copley follows his impressive debut in District 9 with a fantastically nuts Murdoch, Bradley Cooper gives a Face who you believe could actually be in the army, leaving Liam Neeson as almost the weak link essaying a servicable Hannibal Smith.
3/5 (4/5 on the Michael Bay scale, 2/5 on the Sophia Coppola scale)
A re-imagining of the classic (and slightly ropey if you watch it now), eighties TV show with updated tech, war and added bodycount.
I really enjoyed watching this; it's definitely not high art (or even particularly good) but it's fun and I giggled throughout. It let's itself down in the final 20 minutes however, with a completely unbelievable sequence involving a container ship - up until then I was with it all the way, even for the 'tank in a plane' sequence (unforgivably given away by the trailer). This was sold mainly by the incredulity of the supporting cast and gleeful reactions of the team themdelves. The cast is pretty good Rampage Jackson isn't at all bad, Sharlto Copley follows his impressive debut in District 9 with a fantastically nuts Murdoch, Bradley Cooper gives a Face who you believe could actually be in the army, leaving Liam Neeson as almost the weak link essaying a servicable Hannibal Smith.
3/5 (4/5 on the Michael Bay scale, 2/5 on the Sophia Coppola scale)
OK Jon; you like Cravendale? Check out this clip of A Town Called Panic...
Memoirs of a Geisha
Beautifully shot, wonderful costumes, well acted this should be a brilliant film, as it is merely good: The reason for this is I'm a snob and this most Japanese of subjects was filmed by Americans, using mainly Chinese and Malaysian actors (there is the occasional Japanese actor in there to be fair), all of whom are speaking English. Given that Zhiyi Zhang couldn't speak any English on the set of Rush Hour 2 (2001) she does a remarkable job of anchoring this movie; filmed only four years later. In fact everyone does a good job, including the girl who plays the young Chiyo who learnt her lines phonetically, but I spent most of the time reading subtitles anyway wishing it was in Japanese.
3.5/5
Beautifully shot, wonderful costumes, well acted this should be a brilliant film, as it is merely good: The reason for this is I'm a snob and this most Japanese of subjects was filmed by Americans, using mainly Chinese and Malaysian actors (there is the occasional Japanese actor in there to be fair), all of whom are speaking English. Given that Zhiyi Zhang couldn't speak any English on the set of Rush Hour 2 (2001) she does a remarkable job of anchoring this movie; filmed only four years later. In fact everyone does a good job, including the girl who plays the young Chiyo who learnt her lines phonetically, but I spent most of the time reading subtitles anyway wishing it was in Japanese.
3.5/5
Kingol, I agree with your comments on Memoirs of a Geisha, but I think 3.5/5 is a bit generous. I thought the acting (despite the lack of Japanese acting talent) outshone the direction. I found the whole thing fairly tedious.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
Hehe, yes, most amusing.
I won't go into the plot, because I suspect those of you who are interested already know it.
Edgar Wright is certainly improving as a director, particularly with respect to making his action scenes look cinematic. Much as I love SOTD and Hot Fuzz, the action always had a small screen feel to it. To a large extent he's addressed this here (although I think he relies a little too much on the directly overhead shot during the fight scenes).
There are some very funny moments here, with Brandon Routh (yes him) getting the best: "you're incorrigible", "I don't know the meaning of the word".
My only two criticisms would be:
1) Pacing. The opening is pretty slow, and leaves too much time for criticism 2) which is that I am starting to overdose on Michael Cera. He actually just annoyed me for the first half hour of the film (although to be fair I was on his side by the end). I hope that Arrested Development gets made before we are all fed up with him.
*edit: I forgot to say that Mary Elizabeth Winstead is lovely. Sigh.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
Hehe, yes, most amusing.
I won't go into the plot, because I suspect those of you who are interested already know it.
Edgar Wright is certainly improving as a director, particularly with respect to making his action scenes look cinematic. Much as I love SOTD and Hot Fuzz, the action always had a small screen feel to it. To a large extent he's addressed this here (although I think he relies a little too much on the directly overhead shot during the fight scenes).
There are some very funny moments here, with Brandon Routh (yes him) getting the best: "you're incorrigible", "I don't know the meaning of the word".
My only two criticisms would be:
1) Pacing. The opening is pretty slow, and leaves too much time for criticism 2) which is that I am starting to overdose on Michael Cera. He actually just annoyed me for the first half hour of the film (although to be fair I was on his side by the end). I hope that Arrested Development gets made before we are all fed up with him.
*edit: I forgot to say that Mary Elizabeth Winstead is lovely. Sigh.
You may be right Jon but there was at least 0.5 in there for the costumes (I have to attend to that sort of thing nowadays), but it seems we agree on SP (I inserted my review into an old post).
God yes, I hadn't seen that. We really do agree on SP don't we?
With respect to the computer game references, my favourite was the use of Zelda music during the dream sequence.
With respect to the computer game references, my favourite was the use of Zelda music during the dream sequence.
Regarding Scott pilgrim, I agree with you Jonnyboy, especially about the pacing. However I got it totally the other way around. I thought the film started brilliantly and then started to fade towards the end (as per Mike's review it was 20 minutes too long but I'm not sure how they could cut it).
It seemed to me the they kinda ran out of the imaginative and interestingly different ways of doing things that they had no trouble with at the beginning and it started to be less clever/cool/funny by it's own high standards.
It seemed to me the they kinda ran out of the imaginative and interestingly different ways of doing things that they had no trouble with at the beginning and it started to be less clever/cool/funny by it's own high standards.
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