Films Viewed: 2009

It really wasn't worth the wait to be quite honest. The acting was nothing but mediocre and the "scares" left something to be desired. Everything seemed to move so quickly without enough explanation or character development. The storyline was also predictable, which didn't add much to the viewing pleasure.

The best part was at the end, when the credits came up.

The concept of The Signal being in three parts ,or chapters if you will, is an interesting one. With the right execution it could have been very successful. However, it isn't the direction that let this film down, it was the acting. None of the characters had substance and it was hard to develop interest for any of them.

Although it has its bad points I can't help loving the sheer gore factor and it proves something remotely good can be created on a low budget. The first chapter is dark and powerful. It gives an excellent sense of apocalyptic emotion. Then we move on to the second chapter where there is more of a light sense of humour. It is the thrid and final chapter that lets it down. If the movie had been a continuation of the first part all way through, it could have been held as a cult horror, but it isn't, so it doesn't.

Wow.

This film is, *searches for superlative worthy*, amazing? fantastic? completely mind-blowing? The acting, direction and story all work together to make you breathless. I don't think Jim Carrey had ever given such an in depth and emotional performance. I also think this is the only film I actually like Kate Winslet in. Her character is different and not Hollywood born.

The clever camera angles make it feel like you are in on the ride and the complex story ensures that you'll never stop thinking. In moments of awe and confusion it becomes clear how genius this is. Everyone, well it should be everyone, who watches this will watch with pleasure. Personally it is something that will never become tiresome. Joel and Clementine is one relationship that you'll never forget.

To be honest I thought it was better than the original. However, it didn't really offer anything other than a few laughs. The direction was good, but the feeble acting was what let it down.

I think I really didn't enjoy this. It makes you wonder how thick people think young people are. I wouldn't actually call this a re-make, it is just another addition to the Friday the 13th franchise. Here is hoping to high heavens that they leave it well alone after this.

I really, really did enjoy this. It was the awkward moments that made it for me, and Michael Cera of course. Kat Dennings is quickly becoming more experienced and this is evident through her performance. In a strange way I think this film is actually...beautiful.

Oh, and terrific soundtrack.

To simply describe the brilliance of Night Watch is not a talent that I possess. The sheer tension and emotion in each and every second is unrivalled by anything I have ever seen before. First of all I have to praise each and every actor. I have read the book which is even more brilliant and all the characters are almost exactly how i'd imagined. Konstantin Khabensky is the perfect Anton and can create tension with one glance. All the relationships we see in the film are portrayed with uttermost effort and pulled off equally as well.

This is the only Timur Bekmambetov film i've seen so far, but he is ranked up there as one of my favourites. Night Watch also out grossed The Lord of the Rings; that obviously shows it is something special (although that was just in Russia). Each scene is crafted beautifully; every detail is kept in check. However, the only bad point to this is that more effort has been given to the visual aspect, rather than the plot. Overall the film is dark and thought provoking, without thinking you are drawn into a fantasy world. A fantasy that drags you through reality, throwing you out on the other side totally disorientated.

Dog Soldiers is an epic film. Everyone should see this, everyone.

The tone is a mixture of dark humour and suspense. Although the acting isn't amazing, it is sufficient at making a good film excellent. Neil Marshall really has triumphed with this popular masterpiece. The werewolves are smart and ruthless; just as they should be. Overall it is a brilliant watch.

I had little to no expectations for this. So how is it that it didn't even manage to live up to those?

Number one: The story is very predicatable.
Number two: All the so called 'romance' was forced and could be seen a mile off. The majority of the scenes were almost identical and I got the feeling that i'd seen it all before.
And number three: There were only slight moments of comedy i.e. "Have you found Jesus?" "I didn't know he was missing." In fact, that was about it on the comedy front.

If I was you, I wouldn't even bother.

Classic Romero. To me this is the very film that put zombie horror in a genre of its own. Without even a whisper of the word zombie.

I will admit, the acting is not all that brilliant and Judith O'Dea's reaction in the begining almost brought me to laughter induced tears. However, this can be overlooked. Romero has created a timeless classic that carries you on an exciting journey until the very end. One of those films that stick in your mind forever.

"They're coming to get you Barbara."

Need I say anything apart from awesome? Pure awesome.

I acutally thought this was pretty good. It didn't rely on special effects and amazing scenes. It was purely good due to the fact that it appeared low budget. The best, and sickest scene, was when the girl's eyes started bleeding and she puked up her organs and such. I didn't want to look, but I couldn't help it. A great watch for lovers of zombies (even though the zombies do not stick to classic zombie ideals) and a great watch if you are looking for something a little gory.

This really opened my eyes. Morgan Spurlock, very clearly, is a genius. Not for knowing that junk food is bad for you - everyone knows that - but for the way he gets it across to the viewer. Literally by almost killing himself. I don't think i'll ever eat McDonalds, or any other fast foods for that matter for the next...I don't know. Few months? Weeks? Okay, maybe days?

I don't know what to say.

This pretty much left me with nothing but unanswered questions. I only gave it three stars, but then realised, this is brilliant. Masatoshi Nagase was fanatastic and I felt oddly at ease throughout. Everything seemed too unbelievable, especially when Genesis walked out in that David Bowie-esque outfit. When I really think about it, it could be possible. In fact it already does happen - just not in the way Suicide Club portrays. I think that is a scary prospect.

A-m-a-z-i-n-g.

I adore Battle Royale. Each scene is very well structured and evokes a wide spectrum of emotion. It is scripted well with moments that make you wonder if something so horrific could actually be considered. Each and every actor plays their characters with the uttermost believeability factor. Especially, Masanobu Ando. Now there is an excellent example of why Japan does film so much better than most, possibly everyone. I got so wrapped up in the on screen action that I felt myself expressing emotions out loud. At some points the actual cinematography was enough to bring a tear to my eye. Kinji Fukasaku is a legend.

I really can't say enough about this.

Even though everyone said it is awful, I gave it a go. I'm glad to say that I didn't regret it.

I will agree that it wasn't with a par of the first movie, a far cry from it actually, but it did have a few things to offer. There were handfuls of action thrown about in all directions. Death, gore, emotion...but not enough character development. Nanahara and Noriko were excused from this, but the new characters died far too quickly. There wasn't enough time to get to know them which meant when they died I didn't really give a damn. A lot of the time I was glad as the ones who went first appeared to lack anything in the terms of depth. However, this can really be overlooked due to the delicate, often awkward scenes.

A lot of the time I wasn't sure why some things were happening as they didn't seem to share an underlying relevance. Take this aside though and you are left with a suitable piece of action cinema. The main interest I held in watching all 2 hours of the films was finding out the fate of Nanahara, again, I was a tiny bit disappointed. Overall, somewhat of a let down, but I can't help loving it.

Memento is just one of those films that you watch, don't understand and then the following day it dawns on you.

Christopher Nolan has really made something special here. Any film that makes you think for hours, even days afterwards is obviously something pretty brilliant. The film moves backwards and the scene following, explains the previous. The concept of the film makes up for its low budget and Guy Pearce is the perfect addition to the cast. It is also nice to see Carrie-Anne Moss in a different role. An excellent watch that kicks a lot of other big time crime thriller directors bottoms.

So, this was on television and I couldn't remember if I had seen it in its entirety. About 10 minutes from the end, I relaised I had just wasted 105 minutes of my time; I had seen it.

Anyway, that aside I thought the only good thing about this, wait, there wasn't anything good about this. It was repetitive throughout and trying to watch it with any ounce of interest made my head hurt. Danny Glover really was awful in this, it begs the question of why they even bothered.

This is one film that really takes the biscuit...and then proceeds to cram it up your arse (pardon my french).

The fight sequences were brilliant, although almost too ostentatious to be taken seriously. In terms of a plot, this was incredibly bad. The fact of the matter is that this is way too silly to be considered a horror, but it misses the mark on comedy. I'm not actually sure how to describe it. A cult classic wannabe.

"Licky licky! Hyperbeam!"
Enough said.

Well, where do I start.

Everything about Death Note appeals to me. Ken'ichi Matsuyama and Tatsuya Fujiwara are amazing. I couldn't decide whethe I was on the side of Light or L. Each scene is well crafted and although the film is quite lengthy it doesn't feel long enough. Ryuk is brilliant and i'm glad they chose to use CGI instead of dressing up some ponce. I fell in love with L and his oddity. Something about him reeled me in as soon as he was introduced. I actually think Death Note is now my favourite film. To sum up how amazing this is I would have to sit here and right a review that would rival the length of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. However, i'm not going to as it would spoil the mystery. I'll simply end by saying; watch this.

On a par with the first Death Note film.

This helps you really get to grips with the characters of Light, L and later Ryuk. I thought Rem was also excellent. Can't wait until I get all the volumes of the manga. Every scene is incredibly well crafted and I can't praise the acting enough. Erika Toda was brilliant and this is the first film i've seen her in. Again, I was still in love with L and when he died at the end I cried. Ken'ichi Matsuyama plays him fantastically. I think i'm running out of superlatives. Death Note: The Last Name is a film that I can see myself watching again and again and again. The people who have given a negative review are obviously completely crazy :)

I thought i'd hate RocknRolla, but I actually enjoyed it immensely. It had plenty of laughs to offer and Gerard Butler was hilarious in the execution of his lines. Usually films like this bore me to tears, but this was paced just right. None of the scenes were drawn out for endless amounts of time and I actually remembered the names of the characters. Overall, a very well known story with a few additions to make it that little bit different.

I really enjoyed this. It did have its racial undertones, more like overtones, but had plenty to offer. Jefferson is bloody brilliant and demands laughter everytime he opens his mouth. However, the only good actor was him i.e. Mantan Moreland. My liking of this certainly isn't on any sort of horror factor, purely its comedy aspect.

If you are very easily offended by racism don't bother, but if you like a good laugh i'd recommend this.

Angels and Demons was more or less what I expected. The book was badly written and wasn't translated well on screen. I've held the belief since The Da Vinci Code that Tom Hanks was wrong to play Robert Langdon and Angels and Demons reinstated this. Without reading the novel beforehand I would have had no idea what was going on. It didn't give enough information about things happening on screen, wheras the book gave too much. Ewan McGregor was relatively bearable as the Camerlengo, although he took himself too seriously. Some of his lines were ridiculous. Most of the interesting parts from the book were missed out, i.e. the aircraft, Robert Langdon's emotions when he is locked in he archive and the important parts with Vittoria's father. This had the potential to take a good story and make it amazing, but it fails.

Many people advised me to watch this, as I had said that I enjoyed the remake. I will admit, the remake was more to my tastes. In comparison the original is much slower paced than the remake and for this reason alone it became a little hard to sit through. However, for a film released in '77 it is pretty shocking. Forgetting about the remake, this is a classic example of Wes Craven's creations. Many directors fail to create fearsome atmospheres in creepy houses and the like, but here, Craven has managed to make a desert scape as creepy as ever. A great accomplishment.

What a load of shit.
I expected something better from Sam Raimi, not sure what he was thinking with this. I have never seen such bad CGI being overused. I don't know what anyone who has given this more than 2 stars is thinking. There are just so many negative things to point out. The story is interesting, but its portrayal is terrible. None of the actors were able to convince me that they actually cared. The only credible acting in this was Justin Long's and had very little screen time. Seriously, how many different awful things can be projectile vomited into one persons mouth!?

Frankly, i'm glad they got her in the end. I wouldn't even consider it to be a "so bad it is good" film either. Two words; TRAIN WRECK.

I guess i've jumped back onto the band wagon...

This sounds great fun. Can't wait to see it.

This sounds really good. The plot is different and i'm expecting something special.