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U2 3D - G
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ok so ive not done a written review of a film for about a year or so now but i felt compelled to after what i had just seen. I was fortunate enough to see U23D in IMAX which is breathtaking enough by itself but the fact that it was in 3D aswell just made the experience that extra worth while. I can hands down say that this is the most visually stunning film i have ever seen on the big screen. I had read that the 3D technology was better than it usually is but i was not expecting any where near the quality of what was seen on display here. Its no secret that im a die hard U2 fan so you may see this review as being slightly biased but i'll leave that for you to decide. The setlist was well thought out in my opinion. enough hits for somone who knows the band to appreciate and also enough of the less well known songs for us die hard fans to appreciate. A very strong 9/10 for U23D. Even for non-fans of the band this film still comes highly reccomended. If your not seeing it to appreciate the band in action see it for the simply jaw dropping 3D visuals. see it in IMAx if you can, there going to be talking about this one for a long time to come.
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February 22, 2008
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N/A
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The Hitcher - R
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I remember seeing the original version of the hitcher at a young age and instantly being enthralled by it. At the time it was unlike anything id ever seen from the thriller genre. Its a sad thing that i cant say the same about this remake. This time around we have sean bean as john ryder the murderous road side killer that stalks the highways of America. In comparriosn to rutger haughers portrayel of this charecter, bean is left without a leg to stand on. He murders this charecter as the charecter would one of his victim in the film. His shakey american accent and total lack of any feeling of terror in his charecter is probably the one thing that totally killed this experience for me concidering it was haughers portrayel of the charecter that made the original stick with me all these years. The 2 main protaganists in the film are also a huge let down charecter wise. they make all the cliche mistakes that a charecter usually does in this type of film, wasting countless oppertunities to kill the hitcher being the most frustrating of all. Aslo i found the soundtrack to be very tedious. Where as the original was spurred on by a terrific score that accompanied the film brilliantly, here in this remake were bombarded with bands like the all american rejects to take its place and it just doesent work at all. A very dissapointing 4/10 for The Hitcher. This is another of the films the can be added to the terrible remakes list. If you really feel it necessary to see this then wait for the dvd or better yet see the original instead.
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June 5, 2007
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N/A
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Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End - PG-13
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Being a massive fan of the previous two pirates films i had very high expectations for this film before i saw it and i think i can say safely that my expectations were rivaled but not exceeded, but in a good way. I wont bother talkin about the plot as i dont want to spoil the film for anyone but i will say fans of the previous 2 films shouldnt be dissapointed. Theres a lot to praise here. From the top performances from Depp and his supporting cast to some brilliantly shot action sequences (the finally in particular) this film really stands strong on its own two feet. If anyone has any complaints abou the film at all i would think it would be the running time. At nearly 3 hours long the film is a lot more complex than its predecessors offering more of an insight into how a story should be told rather than wowing its audience with special effects and action sequences (thought they are brilliant). Half way through the film there are so many double crosses accouring that its hard to tell whats going on plot wise. A very important factor in the closing act of a trillogy is that the audience ois offered clossure and this film delievers it. Make no mistake the ending is left open for more potential pirates films if disney do so choose to make more but it doesnt call out and litteraly beg for more films to be made which i concidered a good thing. A 7/10 for At Worlds End. Slightly more thought provoking than the first two films this one does challenge the audience slightly more but dont worry the necesitys of this series are still present and firing on all cylinders. well done gore verbinski.
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June 5, 2007
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N/A
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Spider-Man 3 - PG-13
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well its finally here and it was the opening film for the summer season of cinema in most countries in the world but was it worth the wait? in one word yes but this film is not without its imperfections. I wont bother talking about the films plot as if youve been to the cinema in the past few months your bound to have seen the trailer that reveals more or less all at some point. ok the good? as youve come to expect form the spiderman series the action scenes are absolutly breathtaking. In particular peters first fight with harry and a second scene where spiderman rescues someone from a crane thats out of control. The bad? theres was way WAY too much going on here for a comic book movie. Other than the action these films benifit from making the audience thrive off of charecter development and with 3 villains on offer here (one of which was a really bad idea in my opinion) and al the other stories of the main charecters going on all at the same time theres no chance for the audience to feel for any of the charecters other than the main protaganist. having said this the film is still a solid entry into the series and one that i would definetly reccomend seeing. 6/10 for spiderman 3. A more than adequaete start to the summer season of blockbusters on offer. anyone who enjoyed the previos 2 films shold enjoy this entry allthough dont expect it to better them.
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May 18, 2007
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N/A
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Zodiac - R
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Not being old enough to witness the 2 great david fincher masterpeices that were se7en and fight club in a cinema i jumped at the chance when i heard he was directing another film about a serial killer. People who are expecting another film like se7en will be greatly dissapointed. allthough the 2 films are about serial killers the 2 films are nothing alike. The film is set over a 25 year period (all of which looks absolutly breath taking) tracking the killers doings as and when he decides to alert the local press of his work. Thats where this film differs from se7en in the way that in this film it isnt just the police thats trying to solve the mystery behind the kilers identity but this time the most determined of charecters is a cartoonist working for the local paper! over the 25 years this charecter played brilliantly by jake gylenhall tiresomly peices the puzzle together only to find he keeps hitting dead ends in his enquiries. Gylenhall is also helped out by cop Mark Ruffalo who also exhausts every avenue is his persuit to find out who the killer is. Since this film is based on actual police case files i decided to read up on what actually happend in real life and i can safley say that the film sticks very close to the truth all the way through the film which i thought was very admirable. A well deserved 8/10 for Zodiac. The film clocks in at a staggering 2 hours and 40 minuets but watching it in the cinema it felt like an hour at most. The film was a delight to see and i would strongly reccomend this to anyone who has an ounce of patience in them. WARNING: this film is VERY light on action so if your looking for action then maybe you should see something else this week
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May 18, 2007
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N/A
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28 Weeks Later... - R
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wow! what can i say? well this was way better than i was expecting it to be for starters. I was firmly against the idea of this sequel when i first heard about it, firstly because danny boyle wasnt directing it and alex garland wasnt writing the film (however they have both stayed on as producers) and secondly because i didnt like the idea of americans coming over to the UK and cleaning up after the virus. Does that concept feel strange to you? well it did to me but honestly when the film starts it doesent bother you in the slightest. The directing duties have been handed over to Juan Carlos Fresnadillo who does a more than adequete job in his position by showcasing the dessolate london setting for the film brilliantly. The acting here aswell is as good as can be expected. Robert Carlyle shines here in his role as a weasely husband and father that leaves his wife to die after a run in with the infected. Overall a very strong 8/10 for 28 weeks later. i still cant quite make my mind up which i prefer out of the two but this film is arguably better than its pre-deccessor (which is a rare thing that can be said these days) theres arguments for and against this debate. but either way go and see it and make up your own mind! definetly not one to be missed while its still in cinemas
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May 18, 2007
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N/A
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Alpha Dog - R
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I really didnt expect too much from this film as hollywood has a tendency these days to blow these stories based on events that have actually happend way out of proportion. But after having watched alpha dog and reading up on what actually happend, in this case i can say its not the case. The story revolves around Emile Hirsch's charecter "Johnny Truelove" kid-gangster and drug dealer of his neighbourhood. When one of Trueloves clients owes him money he decides to kidnap his clients younger brother and hold him as collateral until he pays up. What began as a bad idea slowly starts to land Truelove in more and more trouble as he soon finds that serious criminal charges ensue for what he and his friends have done. The film has a more than adequate "real" feel to it which always helps when your depicting true events. The acting on showcase here isnt anything stellar but then again it isnt terrible either. I was very suprised to see justin timberlake shine in his first film role. I found his charecter to be the most believable of all when i was expecting him to be terrible as singers tunred actors usually are in films. The Director does a very clever job in not making the audience realize the trouble the group are in untill well into the film. You as a viewer dont see the seriousness of waht is going on untill the director makes it clear and this is long after the initial kidnapping which i found a nice toutch. 6/10 for Alpha Dog. This was a good film. nothing too special but definetly worth a look i'd say. o yeah and erm....i wonder how much it cost them to get Sharon Stone in a fat suit!
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April 24, 2007
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N/A
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Fracture - R
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Fracture was rather a strange experience for me. It had all the hallmarks of a very in-depth psycological thriler and yet afterwards i was stunned to find it was rather simplistic. What made me think this was the fact that the story had relativly very few plot turns to it. The audience would be stupid not to assume Hopkins turns himself in because hes got an air tight allaby? right?. I was amazed how many people found this aspect of the film to be a revelation. Im amazed Anthoy Hopkins actually appeared in this. It doesent seem like his sort of film at all (im talking in terms of depth here not in terms of his role) We all know he can walk the serial killer/multiple murderer role without even breaking a sweat by now but still. Maybe this film looked better on paper than he intended it to be. Another aspect of the film i found to be a problem was its run time. At nearly two hours this film does drag immensly. Its probably the fact that i found the film simple that made the 2 hours a chor for me. A 5/10 for Fracture. There wasnt really anything essentially wrong with this that i could bury this film for it just wasnt as involving and as deep a film as i had emagined.
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April 24, 2007
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N/A
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Perfect Stranger - R
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what can i say? from James Foley i expected more for one thing. Perfect Stranger is the latest thriller to come out of hollywood starring halle berry as a reporter trying to uncover the truth about the death of one of her friends who she suspects was murdered by media mougal bruce willis. The story is a cliche tale of how far the protaganist is willing to go to uncover the truth about a life changing event and frankly....its just plane boring now. I really dont understand how the major hollywood studios still seee these type of films as a major earner at the box office. Films of these types peaked in the late 80's and early 90's with films such as basic instinct and fatal attraction but now these types of storys are so predictable i dont even know why i bothered with this. I saw the ending coming a mile off and no matter how artistic the director trys to make it look with a montage rehashing the last 90 minuets it wasnt shocking at all. I can safely say aswell ive never really rated hale berry as an actress so her perfomance did nothing for me what so ever. Giovanni Ribisi plays the smae bumbling idiot/ wiered tech guy he does in most of his films and allthough im a HUGE fan of willis he wasnt exactly treading any knew ground in his role here. A very generous 3/10 for perfect stranger. see it only if you feel you must. look at it like this. The less people pay to see films like this now the less like this get made in the future and by the time youve finished wasting your time with this one im sure youl agree with me.
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April 17, 2007
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N/A
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Sunshine - R
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Ive always seen danny boyle as one of the more adventurous british directors. He never retraces his steps in temrs of the types of films he makes weather its a hard hitting drama like trainspotting, a post-apockalyptic horror like 28 days later or a fun familly film like millions. Now hes taken to the stars with his latest outing sunshine. The plot is a fairly simple one. Some 50 years down the line the sun starts to die and earth is trapeed in a winter like state so a team of scientists and astronaughts pilot a ship with a "steller bomb" on board which they will plunge into the sun and try to regain the suns strength, thus saving all mankind. As you can emagine it doesent quite turn out to be all that simple when thigs start to go wrong for the crew and the mission takes some unexpect turns for the worse. The film is overall in my eyes a success with boyle more than adequetly giving the audience a unique vision once again. The feel to his direction in my eyes revolved around the clostrophobia that can be felt in space with a lot of close up shots and tight angled camera shots used which all look stunning. The music was another high point in the film for me and i will definetly be buying the soundtrack sometime soon. The acting was all on par with cillian murphy giving as good a performance as he always does and chris evans, who i dont usually warm to also giving a very strong supporting performance. 7/10 for sunshine. Boyle has done it again and showed that hes not affraid of trying something new. Allthough it can be argued that there are aspects of films such as 2001 and event horizon that have been thrown into the mix here, this truly is a unique insight into this genre
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April 7, 2007
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N/A
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The Hills Have Eyes II (The Hills Have Eyes 2) - R
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When i first heard that The hills have eyes was having a hollywood makeover last year i was intrigued and yet hesitant as to weather it would be any good. After seing it i was suprised to find that it was one of the few remakes that actually embraces what made its original special and re-invents it in its own way succesfully. Unfortunatly i cant say the same for The hills have eyes 2. This time around instead of a familly lost in the middle of the desert up against the mutants theres a bunch of trainee national guard who you would think would stand a better chance than the familly in the first film. The film was just plain bad. The direction was sloppy, the script was very heavy and not subtle in the least spouting out every cliche phrase you could expect from a film like this and the acting was simply terrible. This really didnt come as a suprise given that there is no known talent amoung the actors in the film which as i have come to realize over the years is a very bad sign when it comes to sequels, but especially horror sequels. A very generous 4/10 for The hills have eyes 2. A very dissapointing film which is a shame given the potential of a good sequel delivered by the first film. Predictable at best is all i will say and that you should only see it if you feel it absolutly necissary
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April 1, 2007
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N/A
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300 - R
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Many people are calling 300 a modern epic. I would have to disagree. Now the modern epic of films based on graphic novels? thats more like it! I very much doubt that i have seen a graphinc novel adapted to film and look this good. The visuals are simply breathtaking from start to finish. The feel and the edge of the graphic novel are defenetly present here and could not of been portrayed any better in my opinion. The pacing of the film is however very strange in comparison. The first half hour of the film sets up the main events of the film and the battle and the rest of the film is the spartans doing what they do best which is very different if i remember correctly in the novel. I didnt hav a problem with this, the battle scenes are again a sight to marvel at (as long as you dont mind a lot of gore) and the soundtrack that accompanies the battle scenes and in fact the rest of the film is also spot on which provides the backing for some gr8 cinematogrophy. a bold 8/10 for 300. i cant reccomend this to blokes out there enough. If you dont mind a side order of testosterone with your erm...testosterone, then you should love this and as long as u remember its based on the graphic novel NOT the actual battle that took place. there was a big difference allthough there are a few similarities present
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March 23, 2007
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N/A
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TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - PG
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I remember when i was 4 years old seeing the original live action version of TMNT in cinemas when it was first released. it was a very memorable experience for me as it was my first ever trip to the cinema and one which i enjoyed very much. The new TMNT helped me relive this experience. I couldnt help but drown in my childhood while i watched this, it was fantastic. Some people will no doubt pick the film to peices because of it being slightly different to the old films and the 1980's cartoon but if your willing to accept the small changes some of the charecters have undergone you should love this (if yor a turtle fan anyway). I wont spoil the films plot for you but i will say that the story was a lot better than i thougt it was going to be. Another high point of the film is the animation. Imagi animation have done a spectacular job here and it really shows throughout the entire film. The voice cast is also spot on with sarah michelle gellar voicing april oneil and chris evans voicing the vigillante casey jones and sadly mako in his last role in a film as master splinter and a sneaky cameo from kevin smith. 8/10 for TMNT. Its not every day you get to escape to your childhood but today i did and loved every minute of it. This should'nt dissapoint many turtle fans and i only PRAY they've started penning the sequel which the film hints at.
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March 17, 2007
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N/A
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Outlaw - R
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Outlaw is the latest outing from the nick love/danny dyer partnership. The film is about Bryant, a soldier who has just returned home from the war in iraq to find his wife has left him and Britain is fighting its own war...the war on crime. This is not to Bryants satisfaction as he begins to realize the justice system is a joke and so he decides to take matters and the law into his own hands. He quickly recruits a band of outlaws (hence the title) to join him in his crusade who have all in turn faced injustice in there own way and are fed up with the system that doesent work. The film is nick love all over with gratuitous ammounts of graphic violence and swearing throughout most of the film much like his other films...and the bloke in me loved it! As a critic i would definetly say the film isnt perfect. Love's vision of what he set out to create seems to slightly blur half way through and the dialouge does seem a bit clumsy and heavy handed at times but as a whole this is a hell of a pay off of a film for blokes everywhere. 7/10 for Outlaw. Its best to put the critic inside you to sleep fo this one. turn off your thinking cap and just sit back and enjoy it. Defenetly one for the lads (and lasses if they like Sean Bean or Danny Dyer)
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March 9, 2007
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N/A
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Ghost Rider - PG-13
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Ghost Rider is the latest marvel comic book to be be given the hollywood treatment and unfortunatly i think this one should of stayed as it was. I wont bore you with the details of the plot as more or less everyone knows the plot of this (or thats at least the way it seems). The film suffers from typical hollwood exec-itus. By this i mean a bunch of hollywood executives have sat down, looked at the source material in the comic book and just totally eradicated any traces of violence deemed too bad for young teens to see (afterall thats where the money is in film...apparently) what i mean to say is the film has been tonned down for a younger audience and traces of this show through the entire film and it was something that just didnt sit well with me while i was watching it. It could of easily been a lot more gothic and violent. Having said this these changes still probably would not of made any difference to the film as the premise in itself seems ridiculous to most anyway. 4/10 for Ghost Rider. An unfortunate missfire of a film. More for a younger audience i think. I would say see it once just for the sake of having seen it but i put money on the fact that you wont buy the dvd
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March 5, 2007
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N/A
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The Illusionist - PG-13
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I think that many will call the illusionist a poor mans prestiege mainly because both films revolve around showmen and their illusions. That seems enough to condem a film these days and it will defenetly happen with this film. The story focuses around nortons charecter who as a young boy falls in love with a girl who in the near future are seperated simply because of there different social classes and upbringings. 15 years pass and nortons charecter has travelled the world becoming educated in the art of magic and illusions. He performs a show one evening only to be re-united with biel's charecter who he has not seen for 15 years. As she is allready due to marry the emperor a love triangle insues and to say any more would spoil the film completly. The film was a minor success overall but ultimatly in my opinion will be forgotten by most over a short time. The story moves at a pace fast enough to keep the audience entertained but still lacks the edge that the prestige possesed. 5/10 for the illusionist. The performances are fine but the fact that i saw the ending coming from a mile away made the experience a little less dissapointing that i would of liked. give it a try, it will entertain you but you'l forget youve even seen it shortly after
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March 2, 2007
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N/A
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The Number 23 - R
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This is one of those films that hasnt been publicised since christmas time and that audiences are waiting to see. in fact here in Britain some people have still not heard of it. This may be a good thing going on what im just about to say. The film is about carrey's charecter who discovers a book which the more he reads the more the number 23 (which is the central plot to the book) seems to have more relavence to him. It doesent take carreys charecter long to become completely obsessed with the number and his trying to discover the numbers meaning and wether its a gift or a curse to him. The beggining and the middle of the film are the parts of the film that shine with some good acting from carrey and his suporting cast. Theres some nifty directing by Schumacher and some great cinematogrophy is the "book" segments of the film. However unfortunatly the last 20 minutes of the film completely ruined the experience for me. It seemed as if the ending was written in an hour by whoever wrote it in a quick effort to string together the first and second acts with the ending. It really was that bad. bad enough anyway for me to go away thinking how the film could have ended so much better. 4/10 for the number 23. Its not that the ending didnt make sense, it made sense but it just didnt make any sense for it to end like it did and unfortunatly this really retracts any fun you will have whilst watching this film. it really does have that much of an impact on the experience. go and see something else this weeekend.
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February 24, 2007
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N/A
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Hannibal Rising - R
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This film had some big shoes to fill even before an inch of celluloid was even shot. The idea of even showing how one of the most notorious film charecters came to be is a very fragile concept. Obviuosly anthony hopkins is not present as lecter this time round as the charecter is very young in this entry to the series. Instead we are given the un-known actor Gaspard Uliel who for the better part of the film does an adequate job in portraying his charecter. I understand what the film makers have tried to do here by showing a Hannibal that isnt perfect in his methodical ways in killing. He is young and he does make mistakes which does make the film a little more believable. Another part of the film that shines is the casting, especially the villains. The group of war crimanals at the beggining of the film are all familliar british actors including kevin Mckid and Rhys Ifans who play the villains brilliantly. Sadly however this is where the film starts to loose its leverage. The film did seem to drag a little in parts and when i left the cinema i could harldy believe that the film was only a meer 2 hours long. And im sorry but i know its very cliche to say this but even though Gaspard plays a young Hannibal rather well he just doesent seem to capture the early up-bringings of the charecter well all know and love played by Anthony Hopkins in the later films. 6/10 for Hannibal Rising. It could of been a LOT worse but then again it could of been a lot better. The film in my opinion is worth seeing but dont hold to high expectations and try your best not to compare it to the other films in the series and you may enjoy it
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February 18, 2007
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N/A
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Hot Fuzz - R
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I would be lying if i said that this wasnt on my list of most anticipated films to come out this year as i'm a huge fan of the cast and the director involved in this project. Hot fuzz is about a top notch police officer named nicholas angel who after repeatedly serving his community well in london gets re-assigned to the quiet village town of sanford because he makes the rest of his unit in london "look bad". Things start off rather slow for angel as he discovers country police work to be very quiet compared to that of the metropliton police in london. Soon though he uncovers the truth behind why the village in so picturesque and the only way to stop it is for him to bring his violent city ways back into commision in the country side. The film is remarkably briliant with the on screeen chemistry betwen pegg and frost as strong as ever and other members of the cast shining also including Timothy Dalton, Jim Broadbed, paddy considine and stuart wilson. The film clocks in at just over 2 hours with the first 90 minutes involving the viewer in a mysterious story almost like the wicker man. Then its time for the last 30 minuets which is action all the way!!! as simon and nick storm the village stopping anyone who dare oppose them. Anyone whos seen shaun of the dead and spaced will not be dissapointed in this film. 9/10 for hot fuzz. I cant remember the last time i had such a fun time in the cinema. This is a modern classic addition to the action comedy genre in my opinion. Go and see it now!!!
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February 18, 2007
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N/A
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Notes on a Scandal - R
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This film tells the story of a women who starts her new job teaching at a new school who falls in love with one of her 15 year old students. She also has to deal with the fact that fellow teacher judi dench is obsessed with her also and actualy catches blanchet and the student in the act. Instead of telling the authoritiys about blanchet she uses what she has seen as blackmail to make blanchet remain close friends with her. Films that cover this sort of material are usualy quite long but this was only 90 minutes and yet was still able to keep me interested and keep a good pace at the same time. The acting from the cast was all very good including blanchet and bill nighy and judi dench who are up for awards for this peice next month. The film was short and punchy something which is a rarity in oscar season and i was suprised how good it was. 7/10 for notes on a scandal. The film should please most allthough some may dislike the length of it but as i said before it was a rarity to find such a good film of short length during awards season.
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February 3, 2007
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N/A
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Them (Ils) - R
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Them is a forieghn thriller in which the story is set over the period of a single night where a man and women are terrorised by a group of people in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. The couple must escape the confines of there house in an effort to save theirselves from the group of people who draw ever nearer. The film itself looks good with the entire film being shot in digital format which gives the film a more realistic look and makes the hugh and saturation in the picture a wonder to look at and the sound razor shapr on the audiences ears. Sadly however thats where the good point about the film end. All that follows is a bunch of thriller/horror cliches, none of them in any form original. The fact that the film depicts events which are "based on a true story" is nothing new either and the complete lack of dialouge in the second half of the film did make me loose interest a lot. One praise i will give to the director though is just as the credits are about to start rolling, a few paragraphs detailing what happend in real life does give the audiece one last chill before the film ends. 5/10 for Them. Personally i doubt this film could of been any better. it was the same old thing that had been done a million times in the thriller genre and its hardly worth sitting through for the final act and revalation. good try but...NEXT!
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January 27, 2007
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N/A
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Venus - R
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Venus is a story of two boarderline retiring actors who are very good friends. One day one of the actors neice's comes to stay with him and take care of her uncle and causes a whirlwind of trouble for the two of them who slowly learn to love the girl. Peter o'toole is brilliant in his part and i would have no objection to him picking up the best actor award at the oscars next month which he has been nominated for. The film grabs you with its heart felt story from the word go and never bores you for a second. Newcomer Jodie whittaker was also very good as the neice who causes mayhem for o'toole and his friend. With some genuinly laugh out loud moments i cant reccomend this film enough.8/10 for Venus. I would of sat through this film again emmidiatly after i'd seen it if i didnt have something else to see but sadly i did have. go and see this gem of a film. you wont regret it.
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January 27, 2007
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N/A
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The Fountain - PG-13
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Wow...is all i could say really when i left the theater after seeing this. The fountain is a remarkable peice of cinema that truely is unlike any film i have ever seen before. Thats not to say that its the best its just very different to your average film. The story is set over 1000 years for starters with the two main protaganists in 3 seperate stories throughout those years which sounds strage but the director manages to portray this extremely well. The visuals on offer here aswell are simply mind blowing with some of the most fantastic lighting effects and techniques ive seen on the big screen for a while. The films pacing was very slow but in my eyes this was a good thing as it would seem stupid to rush a film that is set over such a very long period of time. Having said that this film is not for everyone. As i said before the pacing is very slow which some may find irritating and this is not your run of the mill film where most of the answers to questions are provided for you. It leaves a lot to the viewers emagination. 7/10 for The Fountain. Those who are feeling in the mood for something challenging or differnet should enjoy this. Even though ive only seen it once myself i can safely say repeat viewings are neccesery to understand this one fully. a love story that spans 1000 years...sounds epic doesent it. you decide
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January 26, 2007
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N/A
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Blood Diamond - R
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In my experience of watching films i concider it a rarity in itslef for a film to have both a deep and forfilling story and to be entertaining at the same time but Blood Diamond is defenetly one of those films. The film centers around a farmer played by Djimon Houso wo is seperated from his family and sent to work in the diamond mines of africa where he discovers a large diamond that he decides to bury and keep for himslef. Through no fault of his own he is seperated form the diamond and meets Leonardo Dicaprios charecter who is an ex-soldier turned diamond smuggler who propositions Houso into retriving the diamond and splitting the diamond with him if he re-unites him with his familly. The film works very well on all levels and liek i said is very entertaining throughout. The only minor thing i thought was wrong with it was Dicaprio's charecters accent...absolutly terrible but about 30 minutes into the film you forget about it as you become so involved with the story. 8/10 for Blood Diamond. The film tells a very worthwhile and poiniant story and raises awareness about the problem of conflict diamonds that i certiantly was not aware of in the world today. This film deserves every award it picks up at the oscars next month. fingers crossed
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January 26, 2007
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N/A
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Rocky Balboa - PG
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Being introdued to these films at a very young age and having seen each one more times than i wish to remember i was looking forward to this film so much that words cannot describe it and im glad to say i wasnt dissapointed one bit. To actually see a rocky film on the big screen was worth the price of admission for me alone as i was to young to have the privilidge of seeing any of the others on there initial release. I admired the film for not trying to hide the fact that rocky was older and that it actually played off of this quite a bit and drove him to have one last great fight instead of coming up with a terrible excuse for a story that ignores the fact that the charecter was way past his prime. Stallone as ever played the part very well and doesent look at all ridiculous to be playing the charecter again (hes in great shape by the way). When the training montage finally comes and bill contis score kicks in with the famous "gonna fly now" i couldnt help but feel pure nostalgia from my childhood flooding back from when i was 3 and first saw the monument that is the first film. I wont spoil the ending for you but i will say that everythigns wrapped up nicely at the end and that a believable route was chosen rather than a hollywood feel good ending which was for the best in my opinion. 7/10 for Rocky Balboa. I urge any rocky fan to see this and as well as people wo just want to be taken back to a time ago when they first saw the old films. This is a good film and a good peice of nostalgia that allthough is not as good as the first film is way better than all of its sequels. well done sly!
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January 20, 2007
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N/A
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915 ratings
55 reviews
