brittany's Talk

Wanted

#21: Wanted
Timur Bekmambetov?s brilliantly silly action thriller displays a single-minded dedication to explosive thrills that borders on the genuinely insane. James McAvoy catapults himself onto the Hollywood A-list as a bullet-bending assassin, while Angelina Jolie resembles an extremely expensive special effect. She can?t be real, can she?

Best bit: So many to choose from. We liked the exploding rats, though.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

#33: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Not quite the glorious revival we were hoping for: dodgy CGI, a messy plot and Ray Winstone?s wildly implausible character almost derailed the whole enterprise. But we can?t help loving old Indy, still giving archaeology a bad name after all these years. Plus, Cate Blanchett was great fun as his icy Russian nemesis. Note to Messrs Spielberg and Lucas: Please, abandon any plans to make Shia Laboeuf And The Revival Of Franchise.

I want to write my review right now, while the cheerful childish smile is still on my face and the theme is still echoing in my ears.

To write my review, but how? I am just... speechless!

George, Steven,Harrison, thank you mates! Once again - you did it!

I am totally not giving out any plot details or whatever information connected with the story - I think it's a sin to spoil this experience for you. Because it's not just a movie, it's an experience. As a hardcore Indy fan I was waiting for this movie ever since there were rumors for a new sequel. The waiting, the revealing of the first teaser poster, the trailer, getting my ticket weeks before the date... But let's get to the point :)

The movie's opening shot is an instant classic - the Paramount logo, usually fading to a mountain on the horizon a second before The Man With The Hat gets on the screen, this time is being minimized to a molehill and this sets right away the sense of self-parody.

The first scene... Just beautiful! A nod to George Lucas' "American Graffiti", retro, vintage, like a post-card from the 50s. There hasn't been more entertaining and fun movie set in the 50s since Robert Zemeckis' "Back to the Future" and Brad Bird's "Iron Giant". The only disadvantage of this time period - I admit, I really miss the Nazis. I know, Indy is punching commies now, but still...

The directing - the name Steven Spielberg for me is more than enough to guarantee a great time in the cinema (at least). And for those of you who have been disappointed by "War of the Worlds" for example (I was not, but I know some of you were), for those of you who think that he has lost his touch or something - just wait and see!

The camera-work - Janusz Kaminski's work is recognizable and somehow typical (which by no means is bad!), though I read on the net that he studied and tried to imitate the style of Douglas Slocombe from the previous three installments. By the way, I watched the movie for the first time in Poland, Janusz Kaminski's native country :)

The special effects - is there any reason to talk about them? I'm sure you're perfectly aware of what the guys at ILM are capable of - they are simply the best. You won't see something absolutely new and groundbreaking here, though everything is masterfully animated.

And the soundtrack, oh the soundtrack... And I don't mean John Williams (who is, of course, brilliant as usual), but the classic Rock'n'Roll tracks, featured in the film... OK, I told you no spoilers, but I just can't help it! The movie opens with Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog"!

And of course, the actors... I don't want to get boring with another paragraph full of superlatives. The cast is amazing. All of the actors are just perfect. Unfortunately Denholm Elliott is not among the living anymore, he died more than 15 years ago, but they didn't forget him and the movie pays tribute to his character, Dr. Marcus Brody. And if you have been disappointed by Sean Connery's rejection to return at least for a cameo appearance - they didn't forget him as well. You'll get a lot of fan service from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, I assure you! And for sure you won't miss the father and son relationship, the new generation is here in the face of Shia LaBeouf, who steps into the boots of Mutt Williams. Karen Allen IS Marion Ravenwood, and Cate Blanchett is indeed a chilling villain.

But I guess you want to know about Harrison Ford's performance. "Isn't he too old?", "Shouldn't he use a walking stick instead of a whip?"... Are you kidding me?! Geez, Mr.Ford is alive and kicking, and he kicks hard! Harder than ever actually.

Yes, Indy is older and we know it. But what's more important - he knows it as well and he's not afraid to admit it. You've already seen the "Damn, I Thought That Was Closer!" moment in the trailer, and believe me this is only a vague glimpse of the humor you're in for! Honestly, this movie is packed to the top with in-jokes and one-liners. Harrison Ford even has his trademark Han Solo style "I have a bad feeling about this" (repeated in every episode of Star Wars).

And by the way there are references to the old movies (which I'm not going to give out) and to the TV-series as well - at one of the scenes Indy tells Mutt about his encounter with Pancho Villa years ago (remember when Young Indy was in Mexico? :))

The movie has everything that you loved in the previous episodes - it's action-packed, emotionally-charged, mystery-filled, thrilling and entertaining to the max! It's a wild ride I wouldn't miss for the world. And the best in it are the characters' relationships - they are so much fun and at the same time sincere and human, it makes you both laugh at and identify with the characters. They still have that spark that we all love in the old three parts.

What can I say? The Adventure is back AGAIN, it has a Name and you know it!

Welcome back, Dr. Jones! We all missed you!

Best bit: Indy surviving a nuclear bomb by hiding in a fridge.

Pieces (Mil gritos tiene la noche)

Juan Piquer Simon's "Pieces" is one of the most hilarious slasher movies ever made.In the early 1940's a little boy is caught by his mother while he is assembling a puzzle with a naked lady on it.The boy gets mad when his mother takes his puzzle,so he kills her with an axe.40 years later somebody butchers random college chicks with a chainsaw."Pieces" is a highly entertaining gore trash filled with enough blood to satisfy horror fans.There is for example a lopped off arm,a severed flying head and a knife through the mouth murder scene.The ending is incredibly surprising and hysterical.There is also a violent kung fu teacher and death by mirror.So if you're a slasher/giallo fan give this one a look-you won't be disappointed.

How could I not love this movie? It is a rare cinematic occurrence indeed to find such delightfully sleazy ingredients as chainsaw massacres, disco aerobics, on screen vomiting, pornographic jigsaw puzzles, a girl wetting her pants, and a guy salivating over a woman's feet all in one place. Only from the combined minds of Joe D'Amato, Dick Randall, and J. Piquer Simon could such a thing spring forth ? and judging from the number of reviews here, I'm not alone in my fondness for this movie.

Many of the cast members will be familiar to fans of these kinds of movies. Christopher George (having already been through Graduation Day and a trip to the Mortuary) is a strong lead as the no-nonsense detective on the case, while Jess Franco veteran Jack Taylor creeps around the increasingly decimated campus as an anatomy professor. Of course the victims are just anonymous dead meat, but then that's all they need to be.

Say what you will about the overall quality of the film, but one thing's for sure - Pieces doesn't suffer from a lack of blood and guts. The crimson stuff flows freely once the chainsaw starts up, and the movie actually lives up to the surprisingly honest tagline - `it's exactly what you think it is' - take it or leave it. And the ending - what an ending!