Year: 2009

"I like this ship! You know, It's exciting!"

Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana
Running time: 127 minutes
Country: USA



I didn't really want to see this film at all because it rivals with Star Wars and I am a huge Star Wars but after hearing all of the positive reviews and glory this film has been getting I changed my mind. After seeing it at the cinema, I am not surprised and the film totally deserves it! I have to say that Star Trek is one of the biggest surprises that I have ever seen in my whole life. This film is referred as The Dark Knight of 2009 and I really do think it is. Watching Star Trek at the cinema was one of the best experiences of my entire life. It was like watching another Star Wars film because of the space atmosphere within the film and also the things that are on the planets too which remind me a lot of the Star Wars series. What I really loved about this film was that it was tense, funny, explosively intense and quite dramatic too. Star Trek is a film that is filled with excitement of what is going to happen and how intense the film is going to be. Star Trek wasn't one of my most anticipating films of the year but after seeing it now, I think it's going to be one of the best. What I find to be so good about Star Trek is that despite almost the whole cast has changed around with different actors, effects and director and producers there is a real taste of originality to the series which is absolutely great which is something that the Star Wars prequel trilogy slightly lacked. This is a complex film and so is probably the whole series as well as most science fiction films but despite how weird it was, it didn't become a massive mess or disappointing in any way whatsoever. I enjoyed this film so much; I didn't want it to end.




Chris Pine was absolutely fantastic as Jim Kirk! Pine is an actor who proved Kirk to be reborn so to speak after the other films in the series. We see Pine as a baby and a young child at the beginning of the film. He becomes part of Starfleet and begins to grow deeper into the trust of Captain Pike. Zachary Quinto was absolutely fantastic as Spock in this film. Spock is half-human (human mother) and half-vulcan (Vulcan father). He was an absolutely fantastic choice for Spock because he looks just like the actor who played Spock in the original films who was also in this film playing the same character but a lot older. Leonard Limey was awesome as older Spock with a very powerful performance that goes into great depth of personal moments especially with all of the stories Spock tells about the galaxy and the fate of the galaxy too. I'm going to see him in the previous Star Trek films which I am looking forward to. Eric Bana was really terrifying as Captain Nero who seems like a pure evil guy. One thing that left me a question was whether Nero was human or Vulcan or was both like Spock. Winona Ryder made a mild appearance as Spock's human mother. Simon Pegg made me laugh a lot in this film. He looked and sounded very different than usual because he has a Scottish accent instead of a very English accent and also he has black hair in this one where he is naturally blonde. Karl Urban was pretty funny as Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy who was a good friend to Kirk.




Star Trek was filmed absolutely amazingly by a director who has not done any space films let alone any science fiction films at all. In fact they picked the perfect director for this film. This was a space opera like the Star Wars films but Abrams shows that he can direct them better than George Lucas despite I like Revenge Of The Sith more than this. He sort of shows George how to do it so to speak because George didn't do greatly in Episodes I and II even though they're good films. One thing that Abrams did that was amazing was that not only did he make it like an action-packed thrill ride but also an epic story that was very realistic and mind-blowing.




Despite how much I like Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and loved it as a kid, I feel now that Star Trek has literally replaced it as an amazing science fiction film within a space franchise. I've never seen a Star Trek film other than this one and now I have become very interested in it. In fact, I'll watch one as soon as I can. Star Trek is a masterpiece that I believe to be the dark horse of 2009 just like The Dark Knight was in 2008. It is the best film of 2009 so far. I think there are only 3 films now that can overtake Star Trek and they are Avatar, Public Enemies and The Lovely Bones. Star Trek is a masterpiece of science fiction films and is now one of my favourite science fiction films of all time and it is number one on most surprising films of all time list.

"Bye-bye, blackbird."


Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Channing Tatum
Running time: 139 minutes
Country: USA


I was so excited about seeing this film because it stars two amazing actors who have really made a name for themselves as of late and is the new film of an absolutely fantastic director. I had a very strong feeling that Public Enemies was going to be the best summer blockbuster of 2009 and after seeing it, it is!! I have heard many negative opinions about this film but to be honest I do not see anything negative at all about Public Enemies. This film has it all! It is very intense with extremely explosive action, very powerful dialogue and interesting characters. The setting was absolutely brilliant and was set perfectly for 1933 and 1934. I find Public Enemies very similar to The Dark Knight and Heat.


Two actors who were the leading actors in my favourite film of 2007 (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street) and my favourite film of 2008 (The Dark Knight) join together in this epic gangster masterpiece! Johnny Depp's performance as John Dillinger was absolutely amazing!! Johnny is one of those actors who people fall for in almost every character he plays. He was a very terrifying, powerful character in this one. I have obviously seen Johnny play a villain but I've never seen him play a gangster. I don't really want him to be in another gangster film because Public Enemies was awesome enough. Christian Bale is a fantastic actor but he was almost as good as Johnny was. Bale portrayed Melvin Purvis. What I really like about Melvin's character is that despite how hard it is to catch Dillinger he never seems to let it go but not in an obsessive way; more of a determined way. Marion Cotillard was good as well as Dillinger's girlfriend Billie Frechette. I can see Johnny and Christian earning Oscar nominations for their performances as Dillinger and Purvis.


Michael Mann has always been a director of creating crime epics. He proved that with Heat and he proves it once again with Public Enemies. I did think at first that the large amount of action would affect my liking for the film but it didn't at all. In fact, nothing affected my liking for this film at all because it was so awesome! Michael Mann directed this film absolutely perfectly! I thought it was really clever how Dillinger went downfall. It was like that with a lot of criminals within a country, city, village or whatever. Despite how intense and action packed this film is, I found it to be a really emotional film even for Dillinger and what his fate was going to be even though he did deserve it. The script was absolutely amazing! I am always fascinated by scripts about a true event or a true person because they make it so realistic like they were there at that time or being that person or a person who was with them. It must have been hard to write because it was in 1933 and 1934 which was over 75 years ago.


Public Enemies is one of my favourite crime films of all time and it totally deserves to be. It was my most anticipating summer film of 2009 and it is the best (unless Inglorious Basterds replaces it). It is the best film of 2009 so far and it is going to take a real masterpiece to overtake Public Enemies now. It is one of Depp's best and one of Bale's best films as well. It is my favourite Michael Mann film too. Public Enemies is a brilliantly filmed, well achieved, mindblowing, tense, explosive and kickass film that I absolutely love and is now one of my favourites.

"Adventure is out there!"



Director: Pete Docter
Starring: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Delroy Lindo
Running time: 96 minutes
Country: USA



Up is a film that I had high hopes for especially because I am a massive Pixar fan. When I first saw the trailer and read the plot of Up, I didn't think that it would be very good but when I did see it, it turned out to be another Pixar masterpiece! The story sounded quite thoughtless and dumb to start with but I surprised myself and was really surprised at how emotional this film really was. Up is a very fun film to watch regarding the adventure, the comedy and the action within it. I love the message the film sends out in this film. One thing that Up did do like WALL-E did and that was it took around 20 minutes for the house to start going into the sky when it is 96 minutes long. Yes, I realise that WALL-E didn't go into outer space until like 39-40 minutes but the WALL-E character was such a focus that resembled E.T. all over again. The thing that this film did have was the hilarious humour. Up is a lot funnier than Cars, Ratatouille and WALL-E which makes it Pixar's funniest film since The Incredibles. Up is more child-friendly than WALL-E and Ratatouille. It is another magical film from Pixar which never seems to cease.


Carl Fredricksen is a typical old man who is stubborn and very grumpy. The film starts with the story of Carl as a young child and young man which tells the story of his life and how he ended up with the house and the passion of travelling to South America. One day, he has thousands of balloons attached to the fire of his house which lifts the whole house up into the air. The way Carl was with the house especially when they were in South America was like Carl was treating the house of him and his late wife was like a prized possession and something he can't live without. Wilderness Explorer Russell is a very kind yet overly optimistic and quite irritating young boy who accidentally ends up being stowed away on the trip when paying Carl a second visit. Russell is a character who reminds me a lot of Chowder in Monster House; a typical fat boy who makes me laugh a lot in a both hilarious and annoying sort of way. The dog in this film was really hilarious who has a collar that makes him talk normal English. At first when all the dogs came into it, I thought "why are dogs in South America and where did they come from?" but as the story carries on I thought "Ahh, I realise now." The tropical bird was really cool as well who made me laugh a lot especially with when he was throwing Russell around and playing games with him and teasing Carl. Russell called it Kevin even though he found out just afterwards Kevin is in fact a female. Carl is the most unusually looking human Pixar character yet. Carl is based on Spencer Tracy.


Pete Docter is another brilliant Pixar director but doesn't do them as good as Andrew Stanton and especially Brad Bird. Pete Docter brings us another brilliant film that expresses what adventure really is about just like what Monsters, Inc. does but in its own way. It is another Pixar film that teaches about a person achieving their ambitions and their goals. Ratatouille was like this as well. This film is directed very differently compared to other Pixar films but Pete Docter was the right person to direct this film because he has made it so unusual like he did with Monsters, Inc.


Up is another really amazing Pixar film that I really enjoyed watching. It isn't as good as Pixars such as Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Toy Story 2, The Incredibles or Monsters, Inc. but better than WALL-E, Toy Story, A Bug's Life and Cars. It is hard to decided this year between Up and Coraline as my Best Animated Picture 2009 winner because they're both so brilliant and are two of the best films of 2009. Personally, I think that Up is Pixar's most extraordinary film yet but is another film that they should be proud of! Here we go for Toy Story 3!

"I wanna go home..."


Director: Duncan Jones
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott, Kaya Scodelario
Running time: 97 minutes
Country: UK


After seeing the trailer and a few images of Moon, I was blown away by it so I had very high expectations for this film. When I saw it, I was blown away by it completely! It is visually stunning with 2001: A Space Odyssey-like music and effects. I found it to be a very smart story to watch and I think 2001: A Space Odyssey was the inspiration from this film. I personally think it should be a favourite for a new Academy Awards this year but I'm not sure whether it will be because it so damn underrated!! When only seeing pictures of this film, I was thinking it was going to be an action film as well as a sci fi drama but it wasn't to be. I am glad it wasn't to be honest because I think it would've failed and it would've ruined the drama within the film. 2009 has been a great year for the science fiction genre! Other examples, Star Trek, District 9.


Sam Rockwell's performance as Sam Bell was absolutely terrific!! Rockwell has always been an underrated actor despite a great filmography especially appearing in The Green Mile and Matchstick Men. It was almost like Sam was playing himself because he was playing a character with the same first name as his real name. His surname was different. I have mostly seen Sam play criminals but Sam was playing an emotional character who is a family man so was rather weird to see him play a character like this. It is a new kind of genre for him to be part of too. Kevin Spacey provides the voice of HAL 9000-like computer system Gerty who helps Sam on his mission and looks after him in the base on the moon.


Moon is Duncan Jones's debut and what a great debut it was! One thing that almost all debut films have in common: they're all underrated. His work was a bit like Kubrick's in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Critically and publicly, Moon has been compared a lot to 2001: A Space Odyssey but obviously they do have their similarities but they have their differences too. The screenplay of this film was awesome as well with exhilarating moments during the film as well as mesmerising and mindblowing scenes especially when out in that gravity resistant vehicle that Sam has.


Overall, Moon is one of the most visually stunning and breathtaking films that that has been made in a long time! It is without a doubt one of the best of 2009 and one of the best science fiction films of all time. You CANNOT afford to miss this masterpiece!!

"You probably think this world is a dream come true... but you're wrong."


Director: Henry Selick
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Keith David, Robert Bailey Jr.
Running time: 100 minutes
Country: USA


Wow! I was totally blown away by Coraline. It is a very beautiful film that is packed with creativity, magic and also tension. Coraline is a beautifully filmed masterpiece that truly is one-of-a-kind. It is very similar to Monster House, Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride in the way it was filmed but this is the best one of those four films. I loved this film from start to finish especially because I saw it in 3D at the cinema.


The film follows the story of a little girl called Coraline who moves into the Pink Palace Apartments with her loving but work-consuming parents. Inside the apartment, she finds a door that is filled with bricks but one night it opens up and out comes a new world which changes things around. The way the door opened and the way she went through it reminded me a lot of Alice In Wonderland. Coraline is like DJ in Monster House: brave, courageous, friendly and also very curious. In all of those four films I have mentioned that are similar have very similar personalities but are at different ages and different sexes. The voices provided are just simply amazing! Dakota Fanning has starred in a masterpiece as Coraline and is my favourite film with her in it at the moment. Teri Hatcher, Dawn French, Ian McShane, Jennifer Saunders, Keith David, Robert Bailey Jr. and John Hodgman were really good in the film too.


I think this was absolutely typical of Henry Selick to direct Coraline because it is a very dark story for children and was really odd. Selick's previous works James And The Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christmas were very oddly yet beautifully filmed in a live action and animated sort of way. They were both connected with Tim Burton but Coraline wasn't and that is a shame but then again it might not have been as good if it was a Tim Burton film. Selick has created a masterpiece that will hopefully be the Best Animated Picture 2009 winner. It is a film that is perfectly aimed at the right people. It is meant to show the adult humour and a dark story for both children and adults. It is meant to show the pure magic and the beauty inside of a young child's imagination even if it's scary or creepy. Some of the animation involved looked real.


Overall, Coraline is an absolutely unbelievable experience to watch! I still prefer Nightmare Before Christmas over this. This may be too young for children who are under 6 years old but I think it is one that I think everybody will love when they watch it. It is a masterpiece! I would recommend that you watch Coraline in 3D at the cinema otherwise you are missing out on a fantastic experience that will blow you away.

"This is basically a guy, and there's 3 humans here, basically trying to make a warning, you know, saying "I kill 3 humans, watch out for me." "


Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Eugene Khumbanyiwa, William Allen Young
Running time: 112 minutes
Country: South Africa, USA, New Zealand


Despite having not seen it at the time, I was rather surprised about how good people are saying it is. After hearing this, I had to check it out myself to see what the hype was about this film. Also, Peter Jackson was the producer of this film and he is one of my all-time favourite directors and I love his films particularly Lord Of The Rings. When I saw this film at the cinema, I was blown away by it! There were moments in the film that made my jaw drop due to the amazement of the film. District 9 is obviously one of the most unusual films that I have ever seen but it is one of the most realistic films that I have seen in a long time too. I am really glad that they made this in a documentary-like sort of style because that is the main thing that made it realistic. If it didn't have that, it would have failed just like Cloverfield did and War Of The Worlds slightly did. I was a little worried about the CGI effects on the Prawns in the film but I thought the CGI on them were perfect and flawless. It was very violent as well which is what I loved about the film as well.


Sharlto Copley's performance as Wikus Van De Merke was absolutely amazing! I find it to be one as well as the film itself to be underestimated and turned out to be a massive surprise. Wikus is an ordinary man who loves his family and his job but when he accidentally sprays some Prawn fluid in his own face, that all changes and he becomes a science experiment as well as a fugitive. He becomes half-alien and half-human due to this. I find it to be a tragedy because Wikus inadvertently sprayed himself in the face and then that ruins his whole life and could lead to drastic actions.


Neill Blomkamp's debut is absolutely terrific! He is now a director that has caught my attention. His work on this film feels like it can be an inspiration to people because the way he sends the message out that the way the humans treated the Prawns were like how the white people in Africa treated the black people and it shows that they have equal rights no matter on difference. Peter Jackson did an absolutely fantastic job at producing such an extraordinary yet mindblowing film. I find this film very special because it was made in three different countries of three different continents of the world: USA, South Africa and New Zealand.


Overall, District 9 is an intense, explosive, heart-racing yet gut-retching and gruesome thrill ride that proves itself to be one of the best science fiction films in a long time and one of the best films of 2009.

"I beat you, you old bitch!"


Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao
Running time: 99 minutes
Country: USA


I was dead excited to see this film after I heard and read the very high reception it received from critics and fans from all around the world. I am not usually a big fan of horror films and I usually don't get excited about watching one but this one was very special. When I watched the trailer of it on youtube, it seemed like one of those films that is a bit creepy but will make you jump. That is the main reason why I wanted to see this film a lot. When I saw Drag Me To Hell, I absolutely loved it!! It is a very unusual film to watch because of the way it is filmed and the plot itself but then again, that's horror films for you. Even in moments where there's no suspenseful moments, you can't help but feel it. Drag Me To Hell blew me away at the start and at the end with a very powerful introduction and very powerful conclusion. I found it scary to watch but I think it is more of a jumpy film. It is a very violent film. There were moments of horrifying violence but there was also violence you could just slightly chuckle at even when you find it disgusting at the same time.


Alison Lohman was absolutely outstanding as Christine Brown! Ellen Page was originally supposed to be playing her but changed to Alison Lohman instead. I mean, I would've been happy whoever was playing Christine. What I think was really amazing about Lohman's performance was how innocent she made Christine. Lohman is a very cute woman and that was perfect for the character. The innocent Christine under the dominance of the deranged and hideously ugly Mrs. Ganush is absolutely terrifying yet extremely powerful to see. That is the reason why I felt sorry for Christine. She was only doing her job. There were a few shots in the film that are rather well known and famous nowadays. Justin Long's performance was lame but he wasn't a very powerful character anyway so I wasn't that bothered about that. Lorna Raver's performance as Mrs. Ganush was absolutely amazing! She is a very scary, dangerous and deranged psycho who is like the female Satan bound in human form. She delivers one of the scariest performances of all time if not the scariest one ever!


Sam Raimi's work on Drag Me To Hell is memorable. He started working on the film even before he started the Spider-Man trilogy. He is a master of horror films. He proved that with The Evil Dead trilogy as well as Drag Me To Hell. What Raimi has created is absolute genius! It was something that can terrify you and can amuse you as well. Raimi made it as true as it really seemed to be. The CGI within this film was flawless as was the make-up. This film will be in my opinion a contender for Best Make-Up, Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. The script was absolutely amazing! What I love about Raimi, he always uses his own style of horror to create different stories and characters which is why he always succeeds.


Overall, Drag Me To Hell is an absolutely outstanding horror film that kept me gripped to it from the start until the very end. It is more of a jumpy film than scary film. One of the best of 2009 and one of the best horror films ever made!

"Welcome to the Ice Age!"


Director: Carlos Saldanha
Starring: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah
Running time: 94 minutes
Country: USA


I was really nervous about seeing this one because the timeline of the story was a bit wrong but it made sense in the end. In real-life, dinosaurs really liked millions of years before the Ice Age. In this film, the dinosaurs still lived but was underneath the Ice Age living underneath in a different world. Also, because I find Ice Age very similar to Shrek. I hated the third Shrek film so I was hoping that I wouldn't hate Ice Age 3. When I saw it, I absolutely loved it!! It stayed in exactly the same place as far as kind of humour is concerned. I have to say that this is the funniest of the trilogy but doesn't have the best story of the trilogy. Ice Age 3 is such a clever film to watch with the very childish dialogue. This film literally made me laugh so much that it really hurt. That feeling is really great and really horrible at the same time. This one had a lot of clever human sceneries in it like the little Ice Age playground and the "mummy" moments when it comes to Sid. This film literally cracked me up! The experience of watching this film in 3D was an absolute delight as was watching Coraline in 3D too.


Manny and the gang are back! Manny and Ellie are having a baby and they have a lot of things against them first for them to be a happy family. Manny is preparing the best he can to be a father but has to get through Sid first. Sid becomes more annoying than ever in this one which makes me laugh the most about him. Sid is almost exactly the same kind of character as Donkey from Shrek. Sid is my favourite character from the film and is one of my favourite animated characters of all time! Diego is in a awkward situation due to Ellie's pregnancy and that he doesn't feel like being part of a family. Scrat is after the nut once again but new character Scraté is after it as well. Scrat becomes involved with Manny, Sid, Diego, Ellie etc in quite a few scenes that are part of the story. New character Buck is a weasel who is a lot like Puss In Boots from Shrek. Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah and Seann William Scott returned to voice Manny, Sid, Diego, Ellie, Crash and Eddie. Simon Pegg joins the cast in the third film as the voice of Buck.


Carlos Saldanha returns as director and did a great job once again as he did in the second film. The humour is just absolutely hilarious that isn't over the top and isn't too childish either. The humour is the one thing that makes Ice Age almost the same as Shrek. This one does teach about family and how powerful friendship and love really is. Ice Age 3 is a combination between two ages of the world that does look like a messed up timeline because the Ice Age was millions of years after the dinosaurs lived but it did make sense.



Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs is the funniest of the trilogy but it isn't the best. I like this one more than the first one but still prefer the second one. I have now decided that Ice Age is better than Shrek because I love all three Ice Age films but only love Shrek 1 and 2 because I hate Shrek The Third. This will be one of the best films of 2009 which doesn't really seem like a great year for cinema. Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs is an absolutely hilarious film that I would watch over and over again when it comes out on DVD.

"Haunt me no longer!"


Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Cary Elwes, Colin Firth
Running time: 96 minutes
Country: USA


I had exciting feelings and nervous feelings about seeing this one. I was excited because it is a Christmas film and I love Christmas! Also, it stars Jim Carrey and he is returning to a Christmas film. What I was nervous about was that Zemeckis has done a Christmas animated film before and it was quite disappointing. When I saw this film at the cinema, I thought it was an absolutely fantastic film! The 3D experience made it an even better film than it already was. I mean, in some scenes it felt like riding a rollercoaster because of some of the scenes within the film. I have always been a fan of Charles Dickens and I personally think that A Christmas Carol is his most famous novel. A lot of film adaptations of A Christmas Carol are absolutely brilliant but I personally think the 2009 version is the best one so far. However, there was only one slight flaw that this film did have and that was I couldn't quite feel the Christmas spirit within the film. It didn't feel as magical as I have seen in other Christmas films. That didn't affect my liking for the film despite that. A Christmas Carol is a children's book but I find it to be quite a disturbing and terrifying one. Mostly, because of the ghosts that haunt Scrooge on Christmas Eve night. Bit of advice: don't take kids under at least 8 to see this because it did become quite scary on occasions and would be scary for little kids.


Jim Carrey's performance as Ebenezer Scrooge was absolutely fantastic!! Jim returns to another Christmas film playing a character who hates Christmas. Ebenezer Scrooge is an absolutely typical Jim Carrey character because Jim really is that grumpy, cold type but can also be that hilarious and terrified type as well which is pretty much all of what Scrooge is in this film. His performance as The Grinch is unforgettable and so is his performance in this one. When I found out that Jim Carrey was playing Scrooge, I thought to myself "Why aren't I surprised? We've already seen him as The Grinch! He's bound to deliver another hilarious yet quite terrifying performance as Scrooge." Jim also plays Scrooge as a young man and as a little child and all three ghosts that haunt him. Gary Oldman plays multiple characters as well. He plays Bob Crachett, Tiny Tim and Jacob Marley. Cary Elwes, Colin Firth and Robin Wright-Penn have other roles in the film too.


Robert Zemeckis hasn't been a huge director after Cast Away because he is now an animated filmmaker and the previous two he has done haven't really been very successful. I am a big fan of Zemeckis and I have to say that A Christmas Carol is without a doubt his best animated film so far and his best film since Cast Away. I was worried that this was going to be too much like The Polar Express but it is very different! Yes, they're based on the same theme but plot and character-wise they're very different. The effects in A Christmas Carol are literally flawless. In my opinion, it is technically perfect! I am not sure what film Zemeckis is going to do next but I think it'll be pretty hard to beat A Christmas Carol.


Overall, A Christmas Carol is a very successful animated film that I think should be appreciated more critically and publicly. Animation is top-notch, acting is brilliant, directing is great! It isn't one of the best of 2009 but it is a brilliant entertaining film to watch!!

"The baby is a man magnet."


Director: Larry Charles
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Gustaf Hammarsten, Clifford Banagale, Chibundu Orukwowu
Running time: 83 minutes
Country: USA


Oh God! This film was so hilarious!!! This film cracked me up and I couldn't stop laughing. I was anticipating this film a lot because I absolutely love Borat. It is a very embarassing film to watch with colleagues because of how crude it is. Bruno is a film that can offend almost everybody. Not only was I laughing with laughter because of how funny it was but also of embarassment.


Sacha Baron Cohen is an absolutely brilliant actor who is talented and very funny! Bruno is my favourite character that he has done so far. When watching Sacha playing a gay, you won't even believe that Sacha is straight. Bruno is a gay Austrian whos ambition is to become famous in America but there's one problem: his sexuality. He always ends up doing something that is either really embarassing or really crude. He rips off people who dress like that who are gay.


Larry Charles is a good director of both Borat and Bruno who makes the audience feel like we are taking Bruno's journey as well. Larry Charles is a director that wants us to believe all of the things that go on within the film. The script is absolutely brilliant! It is just like in Borat: an original screenplay that was awesome for the comedy within it. Most comedy scripts aren't very good but the Bruno script is awesome!


Bruno is better than Borat in my opinion. Bruno is the crudest film that I have ever seen. Bruno is probably the funniest film of 2009. This is my favourite Sacha Baron Cohen film. Bruno is a film that I don't think should be watched with parents or siblings. Watch with friends or by yourself! Bruno is the funniest film I have seen in ages.

"People don't realize this, but loneliness is underrated."


Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moretz
Running time: 95 minutes
Country: USA


I didn't really know what to expect going into this film because it seemed like a very beautiful romantic comedy and I had not seen anything from the director or the actors within the film. It is a very beautiful film to watch because of young people and love itself and how it affects people's lives but at the same time, it does get psychologically tense when regarding the heartbreak that Tom goes through within the film.


Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance as Tom Hansen was good. What I think was slightly flawed about his performance is he didn't always act like he's absolutely in love with Summer, just acts like a drooling puppy towards her and that did get a bit annoying at times during the film. I don't know whether it is just me but he looks just like the late and great Heath Ledger. Zooey Deschanel's performance as Summer Finn was really brilliant!! Summer is a young woman who works with Tom. She is the assistant of Tom's boss and is Tom's love interest. Tom falls in love with her and starts to have high hopes to begin a relationship with her but things keep changing around between the two and it gradually either gets better or worse. There are a lot of eventful twists and turns in this film which is what I like the most about films in general. I can guarantee her performance is worthy of a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress Musical/Comedy if not a win for her extraordinary and awesome performance!


Overall, (500) Days Of Summer is a romantic-comedy that isn't precisely as awesome as I was expecting but it was still very enjoyable. Marc Webb goes off to a flying start with a great debut! Not one of the best of 2009 but isn't that far off.

" Today we are one family."


Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton
Running time: 158 minutes
Country: USA


I had no interest in seeing this film at all for two reasons: because it was a film about the end of the world in 3 years time and I hate Roland Emmerich for the films he has done in the past. One night very recently, I just decided to watch it because it looked entertaining and I wanted to check out what it would be like if it does end. When I did watch 2012, I was both blown away but also mildly disappointed and sort of relieved as well. The visual effects in the film were absolutely magnificent. The Best Visual Effects category is a tough one this year because there have been a lot of action/science fiction/fantasy films with amazing visual effects and I reckon that 2012 will nominated for it alongside Star Trek and Moon. It will be absolutely amazing on Blu-ray especially with a big screen. Where I was disappointed was that it didn't have enough specific detail regarding the Mayan Calendar or the Mayan's themselves and because of this, the film lacked the believability. It just felt like a random end to the world. At the start of the film it was very realistic regarding what could happen but when the disasters came in, it fell into the science fiction genre and I fell for the enjoyment of the action within it.


I have never been a big fan of John Cusack but his performance in 2012 was absolutely brilliant! I really liked his character. His character is a lot like Ray Ferrier in War Of The Worlds. Only difference was Cusack was great but Cruise was dreadful. Jackson Curtis is a middle aged man who is divorced from his ex-wife and has a son called Noah and a daughter called Lilly. Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance as Adrian Helmsley was good as well. His performance wasn't as good as John Cusack's but wasn't far off. Amanda Peet wasn't good at all as Kate Curtis. She was a good mum but I didn't think her role was as serious or has heroic as Cusack's or Ejiofor's performances were.


After the ultimate disaster that was 10,000B.C., I had absolute pure hate for Roland Emmerich for making such a crap film. After watching 2012, it is definitely Emmerich's most successful film so far but I still don't like him very much. I still can't forgive him for bringing us 10,000B.C.! 2012 is an absolutely typical Roland Emmerich film. He usually does disaster films and I think that this is pretty much the only disaster film that didn't turn out to be a disaster. The action sequences were brilliantly directed but some of the non-action scenes weren't very good. The script was ok at times but it did have its flaws like a lot of films like this have.


Overall, 2012 is a very enjoyable action-thriller than nobody should be afraid to see because it is totally filled with science fiction action. 2012 is Roland Emmerich's best film so far and he is starting to get back on track with making entertaining films.

"Rorschach's Journal: October 12th, 1985. Tonight, a comedian died in New York."


Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson
Running time: 162 minutes
Country: USA


When I first saw Watchmen at the cinema, I absolutely hated it! I think I expected too much of it at the time. Despite that I have seen it before, I was anticipating it and was looking forward to rewatching it. When I did rewatch it, I really enjoyed it. I was lost when I first saw it but I understood the film a lot more than before. The visual effects are amazing and so were the production design, costumes and sound effects. The effects on the blood and gore within this film were awesome which is typical for a graphic novel. I think the complex plot is the main reason why people wouldn't like this film, like I didn't first time I saw Watchmen.


Malin Akerman was extremely hot in this film but as far as acting is concerned, she is almost talent less. The character is obviously very interesting still. Billy Crudup was excellent as Dr. Manhattan/Jon Osterman. He is the most powerful character of this film but not my favourite. The effects on him were unbelievable. Matthew Goode was crap as Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias. I didn't find him villainous at all. Jackie Earle Haley was the best from the film as Rorschach. He is my favourite and is the most serious character. He reminds me a lot of Marv from Sin City because of how he kills criminals and also sounds a bit like him too. Jeffrey Dean Morgan was good as Edward Blake/Comedian. He is a very effective character even though he is murdered at the very beginning. We only see Comedian when he's younger as a part of flashbacks. Patrick Wilson was neither good nor bad as Dan Drieberg/Nite Owl. Driegberg is one of the seven members of the Watchmen. Because Laurie's relationship with Jon is failing, Laurie and Dan start one.


Zack Snyder is a good director but there are some areas where he can do better. His work on 300 was excellent but his work on Watchmen wasn't as good. He focused a lot on effects and stuff but lacked focus on acting. The script was good but had some extremely soppy moments especially the romance between Dan and Laurie.


Overall, Watchmen is a very enjoyable film that is very complex and must focus really hard on. It is better than The Spirit but it isn't as good as 300 and Sin City. I figured out that after a rewatch Watchmen is a very dark story that is just entertainment and nothing to take seriously.

"Good lad!"


Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Colm Meaney
Running time: 97 minutes
Country: UK


The Damned United is a film that I wasn't really expecting very much from. I didn't think I would like this film but it was actually good. I love football in general but I love most films about football as well. Best football film is and probably always will be Bend It Like Beckham for me. The Damned United is a film that is really funny which I wasn't really expecting. It is a very typical British film because there is lots of swearing involved and because of the swearing we are really good at expressing our films in a black comedy sort of way. There aren't very many bio-pics that are funny but this is one of the rare ones that did so.


Michael Sheen was the best choice for Brian Clough because he looked almost exactly like the real Brian Clough. Timothy Spall was really good as well as Peter Taylor. He was funny and an idiot which was good for that kind of character. The only flaw for me was that there was a light bit of confusion involved between the time changing. It was like one minute it was 1973, then it was 1969, then 1974, then 1968 and so forth.


Overall, The Damned United was a good film that was good just for fun nothing more. It is a film that I don't think I would watch again but am still really glad I did watch it.

"You remind me of him. You forget to remember to be afraid."


Director: Shane Acker
Starring: Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, Christopher Plummer
Running time: 79 minutes
Country: USA



I was really looking forward to watch this film mostly because Tim Burton is the producer and it is his first work since Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street so my expectations were rather high. 9 surprised me a lot regarding story and the action sequences. 9 is one of those very rare animated films that is darkly filmed and has a dark plot. Only others I can thing of are Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, A Scanner Darkly, Coraline, Persepolis and Monster House. The animated effects on 9 were flawless completely. The humans even looked real and there are not many animated studios that can make humans perfect within animation.


I really liked the characters because they all have simple names although it was quite hard to remember which was what number. This film has a good cast with some great actors in it! Elijah Wood voices 9. 9 is the last creation of the scientist. He awakens from the lifeless world and seems destined to save the future. Fred Tatasciore voices 8. 8 became the purpose to protect the rag doll from the evil machine uprising. Jennifer Connelly voices 7. 7 is the brave and self-sufficiant warrior and is the only female in the group. Crispin Glover voices 6. 6 is the visionary ray doll who has visions of the past and future. John C. Reilly voices 5. 5 is a caring, nurturing engineer. Martin Landau voices 2. 2 is the scientist's 2nd creation. Christopher Plummer voices 1. 1 is the scientist's first creation.


Shane Acker did a fine job as director. It was made beautifully with awesome effects! Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted) did briliantly together as producers of this film. I think 9 is a contender for an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Picture alongside Up and Coraline. Ponyo On The Cliff, Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs, Monsters Vs. Aliens and Fantastic Mr. Fox are other contenders.


Overall, 9 is a great animated films that I really enjoyed and found to be one of the most creative animated films of all time.

"You have to realize who you are Harry."


Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon
Running time: 153 minutes
Country: UK, USA


I was really excited about seeing this one because I am a massive Harry Potter fan. I knew what the flaws could be of the film and after watching it, I could see that there was quite a few even though it was still a very enjoyable film to watch. I will say what the flaws were of the film: it was too funny. All Harry Potter films have some comedy in it. It had comedy that you didn't want to laugh at but couldn't help to. I found it way too long. I got bored within the first 10 minutes of the film but after then, I got into it. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is a fun film that is filled with more extraordinary magic within it that we hadn't seen before.


Daniel Radcliffe proved once again that he IS Harry Potter. Dan acts almost the same as he did Order Of The Phoenix. Dan is more of a hero in this film than Order Of The Phoenix. Harry gets into another hard situation at Hogwarts because Draco Malfoy has been given orders by Lord Voldemort for a mission. Harry's love interest isn't Cho this time, it's Ginny Weasley. Rupert Grint was good as Ron again but Ron is an absolutely idiot because of how funny Ron can be, they overloaded it in this one. Emma Watson is the best of the three and she totally deserves to be but she sort of annoyed me in this one because of her feelings for Ron and I didn't even see Emma cry once. Ron has a girl who becomes obsessed with him. They become boyfriend and girlfriend but Hermione starts to become jealous. Michael Gambon was awesome as Albus Dumbledore in this film! I still prefered the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore. Dumbledore gets himself into greater danger by getting more involved with Harry and Voldemort. I was quite disappointed that Voldemort himself (Ralph Fiennes as him) wasn't in this film at all. Alan Rickman was awesome once again as Severus Snape. Snape was in this film more than he was in any of the other Harry Potter films. Jim Broadbent was brilliant as Professor Horace Slughorn who has a dark past regarding Voldemort. He is a close friend of Albus Dumbledore and was a close friend of Harry Potter's mother Lily Potter. Horace Slughorn is funny because he is a bit of a wacky character. He takes over Snape as teacher of Potions while Snape becomes teacher of Defense Against The Dark Arts.


David Yates is a really good director but I have to say that I sort of felt that he slightly lost the plot with Half-Blood Prince because it took a long time to get into the story and also because it was overloaded with comedy. I hope that Yates doesn't make that same mistake with Deathly Hallows: Part I and Part II. The script was good but was very daft in some scenes especially with the romantic-comedy humour within it. Despite that, David Yates has created another intense, magical, adventurous film that introduces another cinematic experience.


Overall, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is a very enjoyable film to watch but has its flaws. It is another brilliant Harry Potter film. It is better than Philosopher's Stone but not as good as Order Of The Phoenix, Goblet Of Fire, Chamber Of Secrets or Prisoner Of Azkaban. It is probably the most popular summer 2009 blockbuster but to be honest, I don't think it is the best. There are some things about Half-Blood Prince that were awesome but there were some things within it that could have been improved. So, let's hope we will see an amazing final chapter within Deathly Hallows in November 2010 and May 2011.

"So that's what death tastes like."


Director: McG
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood, Helena Bonham Carter
Running time: 115 minutes
Country: USA, Germany, UK


When I saw the trailer of Terminator Salvation, I did think that I wasn't going to like it very much even though I was looking forward to seeing it. When I saw it at the cinema, I actually really enjoyed it. I have to admit that this film did revive the Terminator series right up again after the bitter disappointment Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines was. It is a new kind of Terminator film because of the original effects and the very hardcore violence involved but I appreciate this one a lot because it is a film with a lot of CGI in a new generation. It was a risky move making this film but I think it turned out a great success. This is like the Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of Crystal Skull of 2009 because that is a film you'll either love or hate just like Terminator Salvation. It's funny because in the first 10 minutes, I was bored and almost wanted the film to be finished by then but after 25 minutes I became very interesting and felt very intense by watching it. The effects are absolutely fantastic! As far as I'm concerned watching the action in Terminator Salvation was like watching both Transformers and Iron Man all over again.



I was unsure about Christian Bale playing John Connor in this film but I was actually really surprised. He turned out to be absolutely fantastic. Bale is now part of two franchises playing main characters. He is obviously better remembered for playing Batman/Bruce Wayne but Connor was a character that I, quite frankly, wasn't expecting Christian to play. He was a good John Connor but I think the one thing that was a bit off was that I could only see Christian Bale as Batman and that's it. He was good as Connor don't get me wrong but there could have been a more different actor to play him. One thing that I was slightly disappointed with that I wasn't really expecting was that the film wasn't really about John Connor but more about Marcus Wright. Sam Worthington's performance as Marcus Wright was a lot different compared to Christian Bale's but despite that, Sam's performance was better than Christian's. Marcus was a more interesting character than John Connor which was really weird and slightly disappointing. I was also disappointed with the amount of time Helena Bonham Carter was in this film. I thought she would have been a really sinister villainous character in it but she was barely in it at all. Arnie does make an appearance in one of the action scenes in this film which was absolutely ace so it was good to see Arnie back as the Terminator again.



McG creates a new kind of Terminator film. He has crafted together a film that will be in my opinion the start of a new Terminator trilogy. McG hasn't really done that many films at all but I do think that Terminator Salvation is his biggest breakthrough film. I just really hope they don't kill Terminator like they almost did with the prequel Star Wars trilogy and the theatrical cartoon version. James Cameron's series has only just survived so lets hope that the future films of the series will too.



Terminator Salvation is a lot better than Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines but not as good as Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Terminator. It is like the Indy 4 of 2009. I am excited about seeing a sequel to this one. I found Terminator Salvation to be a very explosive, intense, action-packed thrill ride that I would definitely buy on DVD and watch again.

"Can you put a price on your dreams?"


Director: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Verne Troyer, Lily Cole
Running time: 122 minutes
Country: France, Canada, UK



I have been dying to see this film ever since 22nd January 2008 (the date of Heath Ledger's death). I think people are going to see this film for the wrong reasons, really, which is a shame. It was a very long wait for the world to see. When I saw it at the cinema on the day it was released in the UK, I enjoyed it but was mildly disappointed by it. The reasons why I found it quite disappointing was that the plot was a really muddle and I started to really get lost with what was going on. However, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus is visually stunning with absolutely incredible visual effects, costumes and art direction.


Heath Ledger's final film performance as Tony was very good but I have seen him in better films. It is a fact that Heath's better posthumous film and performance was as the Joker in The Dark Knight. I obviously realise that Johnny, Jude and Colin had to replace Heath in this film due to his death mid way through filming but unfortunately it didn't feel like Heath, Johnny, Colin and Jude were all playing the same character because of the different voices and stuff like that. I think it would've been better if only one actor replaced Heath instead of 3. Another thing that disappointed me was that Johnny Depp was only in the film for like 10 minutes. I mean, it's Johnny Depp!! Why only 10 minutes?! In fact, his appearance as Tony was shorter than both Jude Law's and Colin Farrell's. Lily Cole was good as Valentia. Her acting was decent but I have to say: she was bloody gorgeous!! Christopher Plummer sorta disappointed me as Dr. Parnassus. Yes, he was a bit of a weirdo being 1000 years old but I mean, I just couldn't get into the character. I just found him annoying unfortunately. Verne Troyer was absolutely amazing as Percy! I'd say that Verne was probably the best out of anybody within this film.


Terry Gilliam was in some sort of trap when Heath Ledger died because he died half way through filming but the way he filmed it was absolutely brilliant. As I've said, the visual effects are brilliant and it was handled brilliantly but I don't know why there needed to be three new actors playing a character that only needs one. The script was actually quite good for this kind of film up until near the end of the film. I mean, the story was a bit of a mess when Heath was no longer playing Tony and the actors changed. It felt like it everything changed around.


Overall, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus is a good film that I did like and enjoy but could've been a lot better. It wasn't all worth the wait but still liked it. To be honest, I don't think it would've been any better if Heath was in the whole film. Not one of the best of 2009 so far and it's not one of the worst of 2009 either.

"I wouldn't change one second of our life together."


Director: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams
Running time: 107 minutes
Country: USA


I had absolutely no idea of what to expect going into this film. At first, it seemed like a lovely romantic entertaining story but my expectations were neither high nor low. It was surprisingly depressing and I was caught by the drama within the film which is the only reason why I liked this film. The reason why I found this film rather flawed was because the story was a mess and it couldn't exactly get at what is really going on within the film. I felt lost in the first hour of the film but when the real drama got involved, I started to like it. I have to say that The Time Traveller's Wife is one of weirdest films that I have ever watched. It is definitely one of those films that will capture your imagination. I was totally surprised at how depressing this film turned out to be and I feel that it does make you think about things in life that we all should appreciate.


I don't really like Eric Bana very much as an actor but I thought he was actually really good in this film as Henry. Henry is a man who suffered a heartbreaking tragedy when he was a child: his mother's death and since then he started to travel in time. One thing that I do find weird about Henry is that he doesn't know where or when he is going when he travels back in time. It is like he does it by accident. One thing that Henry cannot do is travel the future past his own life where he is in the present time. Rachel McAdams made a real name for herself in popular yet overrated romantic film The Notebook and her performance as Claire in The Time Traveller's Wife was pretty good as well. It was weird seeing her with brown hair as she was blonde in The Notebook. Rachel McAdams is a good actress to pick to star in a romantic drama because both The Notebook and The Time Traveller's Wife have proved that.


The directing was actually really good which impressed and surprised me a lot. It has an underrated yet unexpectedly powerful message that I think people will think about as far as marriage, having children and making decisions is concerned. The script was good but I have heard that the story falls apart when compared to the novel.


Overall, The Time Traveller's Wife is a beautifully-flawed film that I enjoyed watching but wouldn't watch again. I find it to be The Notebook of 2009 and it could be a bit of a popular film.

"Vampires don't need cellphones."


Director: Paul Weitz
Starring: Chris Massoglia, John C. Reilly, Josh Hutcherson, Ken Watanabe
Running time: 109 minutes
Country: USA


I didn't know hardly anything at all about this film when going to the cinema to see it. The only thing I knew is that it was a film about vampires. I usually hate vampire films and that explains the reason why my expectations weren't very high. When I saw it, I was pleasantly surprised at it because it is a fun film to watch that is just pure entertainment. It wasn't as dark as other vampire films that I have seen. I have heard that the film is based on two books of a franchise of vampire books. It is a film that teaches no matter what they look like, its about who they are. This probably would scare some children under the age of 8 but I don't think it was scary at all. I think the one thing that I dislike about vampire films is that they are all the same. The plots are too similar. As far as this one is concerned, it obviously had vampires in it but had the arch enemy of vampires.


Chris Massoglia's performance as Darren was alright. I mean, he was young and he deserved a chance but I do personally think his performance could've been a lot better. I don't think he made Darren a very powerful character. He made him look more like a complete idiot who should just be shot dead. John C. Reilly's performance was absolutely fantastic! I think he was the one who made this film really good. He is a very good actor but I have to say he was a brilliant choice for the character he played. He made this film quite amusing especially when he was swearing quite a bit and also the jokes he said regarding Darren and Rebecca. Josh Hutcherson is without a doubt one of the best child stars of this generation. He has proven it once again with another great performance as Steve. Steve is Darren's best friend. Steve's father abandoned him and his mother is an alcoholic. Josh is awesome at playing a villain. His performance was awesome in this one but prefer other films that he did like Zathura and Bridge To Terabithia.


Paul Weitz directed this film rather well because I think he managed to make it suitable for any child at least over the age of 7 because it isn't a violent film and it isn't very scary either. I mean, the comedy, the action and the imagination that kids can use has made it a kids film as well. Its the same with Twilight, really, apart from that Twilight is crap. Weitz is a director of pure entertainment and Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant is another success to his entertaining flexography.


Overall, Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant is a good film with entertainment at its finest. One of the most entertaining films of 2009 and I feel that it became a pleasant surprise.

"I think about you all the time. I think about you even when you're with me. I look at you, I can't stop looking at you. I look at you, and I think, "That woman... That woman knows who I am and loves me anyway." "


Director: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti, Tom Wilkinson
Running time: 122 minutes
Country: USA, Germany


Personally, my expectations of Duplicity were neither high nor low. I think I liked it as much as I thought I would. Duplicity is a film that does have a very complex story that does become a mess on occasions but makes sense towards the conclusion. Duplicity is a film that teaches a very important lesson: make sure you know who you can truly trust. Duplicity is a film that isnt a thriller but has some moments where it does become tense. It has quite a lot of drama within it.


Julia Roberts and Clive Owen did a fine job in masterpiece Closer. They work alongside each other once again. Clive Owen is one of my all-time favourite actors and his performance as Ray in this film is another brilliant one! He has yet to disappoint me in any of his films. Ray is a con man who along with Claire try and double-cross each others bosses for a large sum of money. The only problem they have is that they lack trust in each other despite them sleeping with each other. Julia Roberts was even better as Claire. Seeing her in Duplicity made her look a lot younger than she actually is. She looks about 34-35 in this film when she is really 41-years-old at the time of the film. I personally think that they should be in a Oscar romantic-drama film. Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson were good in this film too.


After Tony Gilroys large success on Michael Clayton, he decides to make a film that is in a similar sort of genre but has different actors and different plot. I didnt like Michael Clayton at all when I saw it but I did enjoy this one more because I understood it more, I love Clive and Julia and also the characters and the way it was filmed was fascinating.


Duplicity isnt one of the best films from neither Julia Roberts nor Clive Owen but its still a good film to watch. It is a pretty underrated film in my opinion. Overall, Duplicity is a good film that I enjoyed but plot became a bit of a mess.

"I am young, but I am willing to learn, and I mean to devote my life to the service of my country and my people. I look for your help in this. I know I shall not be disappointed. Thank you."


Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Starring: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson
Running time: 100 minutes
Country: UK, USA


After seeing the trailer of The Young Victoria I was really looking forward to seeing it because I love films based on history especially about Kings And Queens of Britain. After seeing it on DVD, there were some things about The Young Victoria that slightly disappointed me. They were that as I was watching it, it didn't really feel like history, it was too short as well, and I thought that the film ended unfinished. The costume design within the film was absolutely phenomenal as well as the art direction like most history films are. I don't get what is so underrated about history films based on Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses. I suppose it could be there is no modern day settings, action, stunning visual effects or tense or scary moments within them.


Emily Blunt was actually pretty good as Queen Victoria. I do personally think there should be a bio-pic about Victoria's whole life rather than when she was young because it seems unfinished and the audience would request more which is why I was slightly disappointed even though it was a good film that I enjoyed. Rupert Friend's performance as Prince Albert was absolutely dreadful! He can't believe that Friend was playing him! He made Prince Albert like a charmer who doesn't fit in the style of the film at all which is the most disappointing thing about this film. Albert is the cousin of Victoria. Personally, I think cousins getting married and having children together is almost as disgusting as brothers and sisters, mums and sons and fathers and daughters.


The directing of this film was good but could have improved to make it feel more like history. It wasn't so much the actors but it was the way they were playing them that lacked the believability of it all being history. In cases of production and the way the camera was moving around was handled really well in my opinion. The script was really good. I bet it must have been hard writing a script for a film based on history because Victoria's early life isn't based on a novel or a play.


Overall, The Young Victoria is a good history film that does have its disappointments. It is neither one of the best nor one of the worst of 2009 and I think that there could have been a bigger improvement of this film. There should be an actress who can portray a full-life bio-pic about Victoria's life.

"Is Doc Miles gonna have to choke a bitch?"


Director: Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor
Starring: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Dwight Yoakam, Efren Ramirez
Running time: 96 minutes
Country: USA


I was looking forward to seeing this one because I liked the first film with all of the intense, violent action within it. When I saw it, I was slightly disappointed and some of the action sequences were awesome as well. Where I found it disappointing was that almost every single shot within the film had either violence or sex in it. Basically, went over the top with sex and violence whereas they didn?t do that very much in the first film which is why I prefer the first film over this one. There were a few moments of laughter especially the public sex scene because it was a lot more public than it was in the first films.


Jason Statham?s performance as Chev Chelios is once again stupid but kick-ass as well! Because Chev?s heart needs powering up every second he?s living, he takes very dangerous ways of powering it up. In one of the scenes, he put pliers on his tongue, his penis and his nipples. Jason is an actor of entertainment nothing more. I prefer him in Death Race over both Crank films because he was quite an emotional character in that one. Amy Smart wasn?t very good in this film just as she wasn?t in the first Crank but I have got to say that she was damn hot!!


The directing from Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor was absolutely terrific in the action scenes but the thing that I personally think that both films have lacked the believability of what Chev goes through. Both of the Crank films make it sound partly like a science fiction film.


Overall, Crank 2: High Voltage is a good film for entertainment and that?s it. Rather flawed in some ways but still decent to watch. Not as good as the first Crank but could?ve been a lot better.

"That redhead is starting to piss me off!"


Director: Stephen Sommers
Starring: Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Rachel Nichols, Sienna Miller
Running time: 118 minutes
Country: USA


I had zero interest in watching this at all because it looked an absolutely shit film but when I saw it at the cinema, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It still wasn't a very good film but I was quite surprised that it wasn't awful which is what I was expecting, really. One thing that this film does have that pretty much all fantasy and science fiction films have are breathtaking visual and sound effects. The effects in the action were good but it sort of looks like something that Michael Bay would do because there were loads of mindless explosions. I think that the only Oscar that it could be on the list to be nominated for would be for Best Visual Effects.


Channing Tatum's performance wasn't good because I don't think he made very much effort to get into the character. To me, Channing is like another Zac Efron. Yes, Channing is a charming actor to play a character like Duke but I think he could have made a better effort. Marlon Wayans was actually quite humourous in this one. No, he wasn't hilarious but I did have little chuckles under my breath a few times. Rachel Nichols and Sienna Miller weren't bad as their characters. I was blown away and taken completely by their looks.


Stephen Sommers isn't a very good director at all, really especially with The Mummy, The Mummy Returns and Van Helsing. However, his work on G.I. Joe wasn't that bad. It was just for entertainment but I am ever so glad that Sommers didn't direct this film like Michael Bay has done in the past in his action films. Sommers didn't have that much overloaded and mindless explosions like Michael Bay usually have in his films. It wasn't top-notch filmmaking but it was decent enough for entertainment which I accepted.


Overall, G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra is a neither bad nor good film adaptation of the famous toys that is just a piece of entertainment. I find it a typical action film that has breathtaking technical effects but not that decent acting and directing.

"All the horrible things in your life... Your father, the wars, I can make all this go away. You can live knowing that the woman you loved was hunted down, or you can join me. I promise you will have your revenge."


Director: Gavin Hood
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins
Running time: 107 minutes
Country: USA


I really like the first two X-Men films but not that keen on the third one so I was nervous about seeing this one incase it was going to be bad. There have been a lot of negative and dreadful reviews of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and because of these two reasons, my expectations weren't very high at all, really. I thought the film was neither good nor bad. The flaws in it were that the story was a bit of a muddle, the beginning was awful! I mean, when did Logan say he was a mutant before the adimantium procedure?! Also, the ending was really lame as well because it became a muddle and rather ridiculous! The middle part of the film was quite enjoyable even though some parts went a bit silly. The action was decent and that?s the only thing, really.


Hugh Jackman's performance as Wolverine/Logan has always been amazing! He was awesome in the trilogy and his return as Logan was amazing! Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger and Tobey Maguire are the only two actors who play their characters literally perfect where nobody else can play their characters any better. To be honest, I think I would've hated this film if Hugh wasn't in it. Live Schreiber's performance as Victor Creed who later becomes Sabretooth was actually quite good. Too bad he didn't really look like the Sabretooth in the first X-Men film but he played him quite decently. Danny Huston was an awful William Stryker!! Should've brought Brian Cox back to play him because that would've been more interesting! Huston made Stryker like a clueless idiot whereas Cox made him like a cold-hearted villain. Lynn Collins wasn't awesome in this film but she was damn hot!


If they truly wanted to succeed with this film, they could've at least returned either the director of the first two films because Singer knew what he was doing. I thought Gavin Hood was absolutely clueless as director of this film! Bit like Marc Forster was with Quantum Of Solace but he was 10 times worse. The script was very weak! Didn't feel as powerful or as emotional as the trilogy did.


Overall, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a disappointing film that could've been a lot better! Hope that they don't do the sequel of this film like they are planning to because that will probably kill the series like this one almost did. Only good thing about this film was Hugh Jackman and that was it.

"I may not have a brain, but I have an idea."


Director: Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett
Running time: 94 minutes
Country: USA



I was actually expecting quite a lot going into this film because it is a DreamWorks film and they do a lot of great films yet they do some rather bad ones too. I was both disappointed and un-surprised when I finished this film because it did seem like a very silly film but it was an animated film and I admit it did look fun for the family. Monsters Vs. Aliens is created by creators of Shrek, Madagascar, The Prince Of Egypt, Over The Hedge and many more. It probably is one of the worst DreamWorks animated films so far.


Actors like Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett and Kiefer Sutherland provide the voices within Monsters Vs. Aliens. Susan Murphy (Witherspoon) is hit by a meteorite on the day of her wedding, absorbing a substance called quantonium and growing into a giantess. Alerted to the meteorite crash, the military arrive and capture Susan. She is labeled a monster, renamed "Ginormica" by the government, and sent to a top-secret prison facility headed by General W.R. Monger (Sutherland) and containing other monsters: B.O.B. (Rogen), a brainless, indestructible gelatinous blob; Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Laurie), a mad scientist with the head and abilities of a cockroach; the Missing Link (Arnett), an amphibious fish-ape hybrid; and Insectosaurus, a colossal grub that is 300 feet larger than Susan. The monsters are forbidden to have any contact with the outside world; while the other monsters have been living contentedly with this lifestyle for the past 50 years, Susan feels incredibly isolated and wishes to return to her old life.


Overall, I didn't find Monsters Vs. Aliens really bad, I just didn't find it a very good film to watch and I thought it was more bad than good. I wouldn't recommend it but it wasn't awful. Won't succeed at getting any Oscar nominations. Hope DreamWorks do better next time.

"Autobot presence detected. Commence termination."


Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Dumahel, Tyrese Gibson
Running time: 147 minutes
Country: USA


When I saw the trailer of the sequel of Transformers, I was excited about seeing it. When I saw it at the cinema for the first time, I enjoyed it a lot but after a second viewing of the film I realised that it wasn't that good, really. I think that this film had quite a lot of flaws. The biggest flaw in my opinion was that The Fallen didn't exactly have his revenge as it states in the title of the film. Other flaws were that it lost the tone of the story, there was way too much action within it. There was explosion after explosion after explosion. The desert scene around the end of the film must've been at least 30-40 minutes long and no matter what film it is, an action scene that long ruins a film every time! Also, the film was too funny. I didn't want to laugh but I couldn't help it. That sort of ruined it a bit like it slightly did with Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince. Another thing: Transformers 2 ended almost precisely the same as the first film did.


Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky! His performance in the first one was really good but his acting in this sequel was really bad because I don't think he made the character as realistic, serious or as heroic as he was in the first film. Shia is a good actor to choose in an action film but he failed in this one unfortunately. Megan Fox shows in this film once again that she obviously does have a very sexy body and a beautiful face but she has no acting talent in any way whatsoever. One of the reasons why I am against Megan Fox being in Transformers and Transformers 2 is because particularly men would only watch it for her body not for her character if not for the film at all. She is someone to enjoy looking at and to drool at nothing more.


Michael Bay is a director that always makes action films but tries different ideas for action films which is why I think he isn't a very good director. I haven't seen all of his films yet but of what I have heard and what I've seen in some of his films. The script was awful! I don't even think it felt like a Transformers film even though there were the Transformer alien-robots in the film.


Overall, Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen is a bad film that I was very disappointed with and deeply hope that Michael Bay doesn't do the third Transformers film.

"Fletch? He's fucking useless."


Director: Phil Claydon
Starring: James Corden, Mathew Horne, Paul McGann, Emer Kenny
Running time: 88 minutes
Country: UK


I don't even know a positive reason why I wanted to watch this film. I guess I wanted to watch it for the same reason as I did for Meet The Spartans and The Love Guru: to see how crap it was. It would have been my biggest guilty pleasure ever if I enjoyed it. I obviously appreciate that this is like a horror comedy but they could have at least made the characters seem interesting.


Mathew Horne was awful as Jimmy. He made no attempt to act in it at all, really. His so-called "acting" was neither emotional nor funny. James Corden was embarrassingly funny as Fletch. No, he's not a good actor but he made me laugh a tiny bit in a few scenes. Despite that, it didn't reconsider my decision to actually like this film.


I admit that the directing isn't like top class filmmaking but I think that is what it was aiming to be anyway. It would have made a decent Edgar Wright film but he has already done a horror comedy before. He would make it better because I think he would be able to create a suitable, clever and really interesting story. The script was damn awful just as the directing and acting within the film were.


Overall, Lesbian Vampire Killers is an obviously stupid film that I really didn't like at all. I wouldn't recommend it at all but everybody who watches and loves or likes this film would find this a guilty pleasure.

"A real driver knows exactly what's in his car."


Director: Justin Lin
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez
Running time: 107 minutes
Country: USA


The outcome of what I was thinking the film was going to be like was exactly the same as the income. I was predicting it to be a rather stupid film but is very intense and thrilling at the same time which is was. I admit that it was pretty crap but it did have enjoyable, explosive and impactful races. I haven't seen any of the other films and I'm going to keep it that way. The only reason why I saw Fast And Furious was a friend of mine wanted to see it and it was the only film at the cinema that he wanted to see. One thing that I wasn't expecting with this one was its complex dialogue. It had a story obviously but a rather silly messed up one. It is just a film with only interesting races and that is basically it.

I don't really like Vin Diesel as an actor at all really. I couldn't get into Dominic Toretto's character at all because I found him very uninteresting and a very silly character. Paul Walker nor Michelle Rodriguez made it any better as far as acting is concerned. It was plain, flat and also lame.

I haven't seen any of the others as I said but I have read on RottenTomatoes and Metacritic that it is the third best of the four. I am going to make sure that I don't watch any of the others. It is enjoyable as far as action is concerned but stories are rather stupid. I think this is one that most people should avoid. If you're looking for entertainment then you'll probably like it but if you're looking for an excellent dialogue with interesting characters you won't be so lucky. Watchmen is still the worst film of 2009 so far but I really hope it doesn't stay like that though.

"Sometimes the hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn... I'm the one you burn."


Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Ulrich Thomsen
Running time: 119 minutes
Country: USA, Germany, UK


I had exceedingly high expectations for this film being a fan of Clive Owen and Naomi Watts and it seemed like a great combination between a British actor and a British actress. However, when I did see this film, I was disappointed with it. It wasn't the actors within it, it was the film itself. The film fell flat even after 10 minutes and I was very bored within that time. I was quite annoyed at it as well because when you see the trailer of the film, there is loads of action within it but there is very little of it in the film itself which is very annoying! I think because it seemed like an action film was the only reason why people wanted to watch this film but it was no action film at all, really.


Clive Owen is my favourite actor from my country and he is the reason that kept me going through this disappointment. It wasn't him or his performance that was bad, it was the lousy character and I don't think the character was developed enough. It is the first bad film that Clive Owen has been in but no bad performances from him it remains thankfully!! Naomi Watts was another reason that kept me going with this film! Her character was lousy as well and just plain which is something that I hate in a film! Personally, if Naomi Watts or especially Clive Owen weren't in this film, I would've probably called it a disaster!


Overall, The International is a bad film that I thought was rather bad and disappointing. It is one of the worst of 2009 but I personally think that it could've been a lot worse without Owen or Watts in it.

"Remember, a house divided cannot stand."


Director: Shawn Levy
Starring: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams
Running time: 105 minutes
Country: USA


I absolutely loved the first one because that one was just a piece of pure family entertainment and because of this I was expecting a lot from this film despite the large amount of bad reviews it received. When I did see this one, I was greatly disappointed with it and wasn't that surprised of why some people hate it because the plot was very silly even for a family film, the acting was appalling and it wasn't even funny. The comedy within the film was surprisingly flat and rather stupid that I think only 3-4 year olds would laugh at. I think that the only good thing about Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian was the great visual effects especially on Jedediah (portrayed by Owen Wilson) and ? (portrayed by Steve Coogan).


In the first Night At The Museum, I really liked Larry Daley's character because it was hilarious and a hero with a big heart and soul but I think that the plot made him seem like a complete idiot! Ben Stiller is obviously a great actor for the comedy genre but I think that this is his most disappointing performance of his career so far. I did expect a lot from him because of his great talent within comedies and his great performance in the first film but he was dreadful in this one unfortunately!! Amy Adams has made a real name for herself as of late like appearing in Enchanted (which is like a breakthrough for her) and her Oscar nominated performance in Doubt but why she decided to be in this film, I don't think I'll ever know!! Her performance was very bad and her character was ridiculous! She felt like an Indiana Jones-like female character but like a spoof of it. Owen Wilson drives me crazy anyway so that shows his awfulness once again! Hank Azaria is an absolutely pathetic excuse for playing a villain even in a family film! He looks like he is spoofing Xerxes in 300 and looks like a spoof from The Mummy villains even though they are spoofs themselves. I laughed AT him not with him. Dick Van Dyke was a better villain in the first film. The only decent thing about the cast in this one was the appearance of the great Robin Williams. However, that did disappoint as well because he wasn't in the film for very long.


Shawn Levy directed the first Night At The Museum absolutely terrifically but his directing in the sequel was bad but not as bad as I have seen with films of entertainment. The script was absolutely appalling too. There were some scenes that were absolutely pointless especially the scene when Larry was going to steal the Smithsonian tag from the fat guard and they were just bitching and bitching!! At that moment of that film, I was holding my head in ultimate shame!!


Overall, Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian is an absolutely appalling film that I absolutely hated! If the effects were cheesy, it would have been one of the worst films ever but it isn't that far off from reaching that spot! One of the worst films of 2009 and one of the most disappointing films ever made!

"It's my birthday, can I ask for something? Kiss me."


Director: Chris Weitz
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene
Running time: 121 minutes
Country: USA


I was about 1 inch from not seeing this film because of how shit it looked! The only reason why I decided to see it was because I wanted to find out how bad it was going to be. When I saw it, I wasn?t surprised about what I thought it was going to be like before I saw it. It is definitely one of the worst films that I have ever seen in my life!! Now, it is getting really silly! Not only because it is extremely overrated like the first one but because it is like a love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob and it isn?t really a vampire film at all! What I really HATE about this one is that the mens bodies are more important to pretty much all teenage girls and women than the story itself. I find this to be as overhyped and probably even shitter than High School Musical.


Kristen Stewart is a great actress when not playing Bella because the Twilight series is sort of ruining her great acting talent because she plays Bella so badly. She has the body features for the character but she is too good to play Bella. I find her absolutely gorgeous but I didn?t really find her attractive at all in this one unfortunately. Now, Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen: his performance isnt only once again awful but this time he makes Edward like an absolute idiot!! I think that he deserves an absolute punch in the face for this!! When Rob is on-screen with Kristen, I cant feel any chemistry or any affection whatsoever between Edward and Bella. The only thing Edward is someone that teenage girls can drool over, nothing more! Taylor Lautners performance as Jacob was dreadful as well! Jacob is an absolute idiot as well and he is another character that teenage girls can drool over, just like Edward!


Chris Weitzs direction of New Moon is appalling. The director keeps changing and as the series carries on, the directing and everything seems to be getting even worse. How people can find this as the best film on Earth I don?t think I?ll EVER know because it is not really a film. It?s just a stupid show of topless men and soppy, pathetic romance to scream and drool at. It?s a damn shame that the bodies of the actors are overtaken by the plot and character development!


Overall, New Moon is an absolutely atrocious film that I don?t think this film could?ve got any worse than it did. I hated every? single? thing of this film! Definitely the worst film of 2009 and I don?t think any film will replace that. One of the worst films ever too!