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Saw VI - R
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Another Halloween, another Saw film. But that?s not a bad thing this year. Saw V focussed almost entirely on back-story, which was interesting enough, but the ?game? storyline was nowhere near as good as earlier films in the series ? it lacked likeable characters, gore and any sort of urgency. Saw VI fixes this (in fact, if you watch them back to back, Saw VI actually goes some way to making Saw V feel like a better film). This time ?The Game? is good. It?s gory (4 people actually left the cinema), clever and it?s a back-to-basics revenge story, tied in to Jigsaw?s (John Kramer?s) own past. The flashbacks continue, and build on what we learned in Saw V and fits the last film into the ongoing mythology unravel, bringing back Amanda, Jigsaw and other characters from the franchise to tell more of Hoffman?s story. Hoffman is a worthy successor to Kramer (much more so than Amanda), but he starts to unravel as his identity is threatened to be revealed, and it?s good to learn more about Jill Tuck, Kramer?s estranged wife. We finally learn what was in the box she received in Saw V, and it leads to a satisfying conclusion, whilst making way for at least one more outing. And, unlike Saw V, we see the return of a decent twist...
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October 28, 2009
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N/A
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Law Abiding Citizen - R
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October 18, 2009
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N/A
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I Love You, Man - R
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I Love You Man is a bit predictable: Man has no friends, man makes a friend, man falls out with a friend, man and friend miss each other, overcome their problems, and reunite. It?s a classic love story, but of a different kind, and it?s funny. It?s a really good film, and it plays on its predictability well, sending up the stereotypes of male/female relationships but putting it firmly in the ?male friendship? camp. Paul Rudd is hilarious, as always, as the likeable guy, as is Jason Segal as the care-free guy. Worth watching.
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October 18, 2009
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N/A
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2012 - PG-13
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October 18, 2009
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N/A
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Up - PG
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Up is a brilliant film. It?s not the funniest film to come from Pixar (for me, that?s ?Finding Nemo?) but it?s quite possibly one of the best. The story is based around the character of 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen and his adventure to South America in his house. The opening five minutes is one of the most moving scenes I?ve ever seen, in any film ? this is the first time I?ve ever seen people in tears, in the cinema, crying over a cartoon. The character of Carl is incredibly well developed and the film continues to be both funny and moving throughout its entirety. Of course, the supporting characters are as funny as they are in any Pixar film (look out for the alpha male dog). A really good film.
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October 14, 2009
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N/A
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Couples Retreat - PG-13
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October 10, 2009
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N/A
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H2: Halloween II - R
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Halloween II picks off moments after the first film finishes, with Michael Myers (presumed dead) being taken away by the coroners, only to awake and continue on his rampage and to get close to his sister, who is still traumatised but blissfully unaware of her connection to Michael. The second film, directed by Rob Zombie, veers away from the original 1981 remake, is a pretty scary film. The jumps are there in good measure, although there?s very little to be surprised about (you know what?s coming, you?re just waiting for Michael?s body to come crashing through the door/window/wall). Still, the second film does a good job of getting into the mind of Michael Myers (and also Laurie). His visions veer from hokey to scary, as Myers (and seemingly Laurie) are haunted by their mother (and the youthful version of Myers), and the ending sets up a traumatised Laurie to perhaps be the villain in any future instalments. It?s a good film, but doesn?t match up to the first Rob Zombie Halloween. And, as a side note, the kid that plays the younger Michael Myers is nowhere near as creepy as the actor from the last film.
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October 10, 2009
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N/A
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Taken - PG-13
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In principal, this film could have been as bad as the sort-of-similar Firewall (father rescues family from kidnappers). But where-as Harrison Ford showed his age in that film, Liam Neeson kicks ass in Taken, and even at 56, he gives James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer a run for their money. The story is gripping, and the characters are particularly well written, from Liam Neeson?s ex-spy character, Bryan Mills, right through to the minor characters such as his ex-wife, beaten down from the years of being married to a spy. You get to watch Bryan?s transition from concerned father back into the ?killing machine? that his previous life as a spy obviously once made him become, but it?s all really well done. Liam Neeson is fantastic in the role, remaining likeable and never overstepping the mark as a father out to save his daughter. The film is tense and believable, and the sound is particularly good (punches and neck snapping have never sounded so realistic). The final 15-20 minutes, where the realisation of the conspiracy really sets in with a scene underneath a party reminiscent of the opening section of Hostel 2 leads to a great finale. Taken is a really good film.
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September 25, 2009
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N/A
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District 9 - R
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This film was brilliant on many levels. Firstly, it?s got to be one of the first alien films that isn?t set in a major US city and doesn?t involve Will Smith saving the day with a Windows 95 computer virus. Secondly, stylistically, this film is amazing, with the majority of it told through ?documentary?, CCTV and other ?everyday? means that puts this film about as far away from Hollywood Blockbuster as a film with this sort of budget can get. Thirdly, the story is very straight forward ? it?s just a decent story that deals with very human issues. It?s definitely worth seeing. It?s dramatic, sometimes funny, sometimes cute (the ending is nice), action packed and, even if you?re not into aliens and alien movies, this film is still smart enough to be enjoyed and appreciated. It makes me wish that Jackson and Blomkamp had a shot with the Halo movie, it would have been awesome.
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September 21, 2009
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N/A
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Cloverfield - PG-13
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Somehow I managed to avoid all the trailers for Cloverfield, so I went to the cinema knowing nothing about this film, and I?m glad I did. It?s a really well made film with a decent plot, a nice mix of characters and very good special effects. The ?camcorder? didn?t feel like a plot device for the most part (although I?m fairly sure that most people would have switched theirs off and ran) and it really does provide an audience with the feeling that they are with the characters, as the audience only knows as much as the characters know. It?s scary. It?s the film equivalent of a first person shooter and, unlike the Doom movie, it works here. This could just have easily been a film about a terrorist attack as much as it was a film about monsters and aliens. The fear is in the not knowing, and Cloverfield deals with that idea better than any film I?ve seen in quite a while.
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September 9, 2009
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N/A
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Halloween - R
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Halloween is one of the very few horror films that actually creeps me out. It?s Michael?s fault really. With most horror films, you have either a human or a monster. With Halloween, the bad guy is both, and it?s really quite freaky - you?re not sure if you?re dealing with a child with monster-like traits or the other way around. The part is expertly played by both actors - Daeg Faerch is really unnerving as the young Michael, and portrays his decline into becoming a killer, and an insane one at that, so well ? it?s not cheesy in any sense, it?s just scary, and believable. Tyler Mane takes over the part well, and he?s just as scary as he rampages through his home town killing in cold blood. Malcolm McDowell, as Doctor Samuel Loomis, is brilliant as the one man who is trying to get inside Michael?s head and make sense of him and his motives, but at the end of the day, Michael is driven by an almost animalistic instinct that can?t be controlled. There?s barely a thread of his human side left by the end of the film, and the one instinct he had to go back and protect his younger sister eventually becomes overpowered by his instinct to kill and protect himself. It?s a great horror film. There?s no ?stupid? or ?dumb? characters here that deserve to die, everything?s quite believable and avoids the clichés of most horror movies. It?s well shot, the audio and soundtrack enhance the visuals, and I can?t wait for the sequel.
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September 9, 2009
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N/A
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The Reaping - R
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The Reaping falls short of its premise. Sure, it?s a little jumpy in places, and some of the effects are pretty good. The ending, whilst a little predictable (and, as my friend Gemma pointed out, a little ?Hot Fuzz?), was a nice twist. But otherwise, it?s a bit long-winded, a bit predictable, and whilst it might have made a decent 45 minute-long X-Files episode, as a movie it doesn?t really hold your attention for long enough, and the flashbacks begin to get annoying after a little while. It was ok, but not great.
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September 3, 2009
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N/A
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Shutter Island - Unrated
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September 3, 2009
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N/A
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - PG
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Whilst this film moves at a far slower pace than the previous films, and remains mostly unexciting, action wise, until the second half, you can sort of accept that this is a build up to the final film (which will be split into two films). As per usual, the special effects are top notch and, for the first time in a Harry Potter film, ALL of the child actors are up to scratch, at the same time. Particularly good this time around was Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy. The final scenes were particularly good between Harry Potter and Dumbledore. The spectacular opening sequence in London (which was even more spectacular in IMAX 3D) seemed to get lost in the mix somewhat, but I suppose the final film(s) will deal with the effect on the real world more so than this one. This film can sort of be considered to be part one of three, and you feel that this film is mostly a set-up, the repercussions of which will carry forward to the last chapter in the franchise.
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September 1, 2009
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N/A
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The Final Destination - R
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The Final Destination is a bit of a mixed bag. It?s become a little formulaic by now, and there?s really not a great deal new. It?s produced by the team that made the second film (my least favourite) but improves greatly on that outing. It?s a lot more fun and it does a good job on playing on people?s irrational fears of everyday things, such as escalators, car washes and the grates in a swimming pool. The film opening is impressive enough, though this is a film that improves as it goes on. The shopping mall/cinema climax is very impressive and ties the film in well to the opening, and there?s a bunch of in-jokes and references that tie all the movies together nicely. The 3D is also very impressive and doesn?t feel as gimmicky as My Bloody Valentine. As always, with the Final Destination trilogy, you know the inevitable outcome (it?s a bit ?Final Destination By Number?), so it?s just a case of sitting back and watching people die, elaborately, and ? this time ? in three dimensions. Predictable but good fun.
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August 28, 2009
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N/A
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Hit and Run - R
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A really weird film. The action doesn't really start for almost an hour, and then it kicks into a high gear demented revenge story. It?s actually not a bad little film. It?s creepy and tense. The only bad side is that the main character suffers from ?dumb girl in horror movie? syndrome, and the boyfriend is instantly dislikeable that you wish him dead from the start. Oh, and the weird 1980?s ?Star Wars? wipes are a little off putting. Not great, but pretty good...
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August 26, 2009
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N/A
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Final Destination 3 - R
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Final Destination 3 is from the team that created the original Final Destination movie. Whereas the second movie took itself a bit too seriously, the third movie gets back to having fun. With intricate set-ups, good effects (the rollercoaster opening is nothing short of spectacular) and characters you actually have some sympathy for, Final Destination 3 is a decent film. There?s a nice twist, with the photographs (better than the birth/death rubbish from the second film) that actually gives you some hope that the characters might be able to avoid their inevitable fate.
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August 24, 2009
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N/A
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Step Brothers - R
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A prettygood film... Almost switched it off after the first few minutes, but glad I stuck with it. The minute the younger brother arrives is the turning point, and the movie actually starts to get pretty funny. It's no Elf, but it's easy watching and good fun.
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August 20, 2009
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N/A
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Final Destination 2 - R
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Continuing off from six months after the first film, the movie starts well with one of the most impressive opening stunt sequences I?ve ever seen. It?s a big budget, scary and pretty sick premonition. Then, following the pattern from the first film, death starts catching up with the lucky survivors. The first two deaths are well done, but after that the film goes downhill somewhat, rehashing a deleted story from the first film about new life stopping the pattern... It all seems a bit farfetched, and the way that the story is resolved just seems a bit daft. Good. Not great.
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August 16, 2009
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N/A
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Final Destination - R
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I?ve been revisiting the Final Destination movies this week, before the new (and final) movie comes out. The first one was a brilliant idea, conceptually, and was well executed. It?s a horror/thriller with a difference ? there?s no serial killer or monsters, just death itself. Therefore, the film never reaches the point of terrifying (as there?s not anything to be scared of, as such), so it plays to its other strengths ? it is tense, gripping and keeps the viewer guessing which character is next and in what elaborate way they are each going to die. The story and twists are smart too.
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August 16, 2009
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N/A
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G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra - PG-13
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August 11, 2009
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N/A
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Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead - Unrated
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I actually rate the first Joy Ride (or Roadkill as it was called in the UK) pretty highly... It was smart, creepy and a little scary, with a decent cast and decent twists. The second film has none of those things... Instead it throws Rusty Nails in as some sort of sadistic "Jigsaw from Saw" wannabe torturing a bunch of kids for no apparent reason. At least in the first film you got the feeling that Rusty Nails had some sort of traumatic childhood or some reason to get as upset as he did. If that had been explored in the second film, it may have been a worthwhile sequel but it isn?t. Instead it?s a ?teen horror? by numbers that is worth avoiding, especially if you like the first film. Oh, and the jumpiest moment is when one of the teenagers smashes a windows in the first ten minutes. That should be a clue as to how scary this film is overall (hint: it is not). The only worthwhile scene is the ?dice game? but it really does belong in a franchise that might have handled it better (Saw).
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August 9, 2009
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N/A
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The Haunting in Connecticut - PG-13
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Typically, I'm not normally a fan of horror movies with a 15 rating. They normally feel like something's being held back and they're just normally not as scary or as realistic. But The Haunting is an exception. The only reason why this film is a 15 is because there's no bad language, no sex and not a lot of visual violence. But it is freaking scary. It's a really good story, freaky, jumpy and, if you believe in this sort of thing, it actually happened. And it?s jumpier and scarier than a lot of higher-rated movies. The acting, given the track record of having young actors in a horror film, is actually very good, and Kyle Gallner is pretty exceptional and moving in his performance as a young boy, dying of cancer, and obsessed with what?s happening around him. Basically, it's a pretty scary film that's kept my housemate awake ever since.
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August 6, 2009
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N/A
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Drag Me to Hell - PG-13
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May 29, 2009
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N/A
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Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian - PG
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May 29, 2009
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N/A
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90 ratings
27 reviews
