| Movie | Rating | Review | Date | Your Rating | Match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja Assassin - R | November 25, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Fantastic Mr. Fox - PG | November 25, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Old Dogs - PG | November 25, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Road - R | November 25, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Shutter Island - Unrated | November 25, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt - R | November 4, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| American Ninja 2: The Confrontation - R | November 4, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| American Ninja 5 - PG | November 4, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| American Ninja 4 - The Annihilation - R | November 4, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| American Ninja - R | November 4, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - PG-13 | October 31, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Changeling - R |
Ever since I had first seen the trailer I really wanted to see this film, I love Clint Eastwood films and the story seemed something which was right up my alley. So what took me so long to get around to seeing this? I honestly have no idea, I have had it all year to watch and I finally just decided to sit down and watch it. I really wish I had done that as soon as I got this film, to sum it up I really loved it. I know people didn't care for this film and others did, that is the thing with films. Not everyone is going to share the same opinion, but I was really engrossed by this and I found it overall just fantastic. The film is based on true events (as like a film it isn't entirely accurate but the changes they made worked as a film overall) of Christine Collins whose son Walter goes missing one day. After months of searching he is apparently found but Christine is convinced the child brought back is not her son. The police call her insane and commit her to an asylum as horrific events start to unfold about murders. The murders in real life are known as the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders. It all sounds a little crazy right? But the fact is that did actually happen, you can read up about the real case, and you will be pretty stunned. I hadn't really heard much about it, I am a true crime nut but this case hadn't come up in any books I've been reading lately. As I mentioned things were changed for the film but the fact remains that Walter did go missing, a boy was returned to Christine and she was committed to the hospital, and the police were exposed for what they did and how they treated her. So what did I love about this? The way the film was told, I thought it flowed so well, it moved at a good pace, there was nice character development. I like films that don't rush and they take time to tell the story, now not every film can do this right but Clint Eastwood knows a thing or two about pacing and he does it so damn well. He really hit the nail on the head when he cast Angelina Jolie, she looked the part, and she played the part to perfection. I could easily say this is one of her best performances if not her best one. She really is perfect here, for me she was flawless. She really does outshine everyone else and holds her own, she is worth seeing the film. Jeffrey Donovan is good as Captain J.J. Jones, he hit most of the right notes and I did like him in the role. He really made you want to just slap him something stupid, which is the reaction you're supposed to have for the character. I was really engrossed by Michael Kelly as Detective Lester Ybarra, he is such a great actor and he really delivered the goods. He played all the right notes and he was just a real joy to watch. Of course we have John Malkovich as Rev. Gustav Briegleb and this was a role he could do in his sleep. He's always great to see and he makes it worth it, he brings his A game. This film wouldn't have worked so well without the fantastic performances, everyone as I said delivered. Clint did an excellent job with his cast, and his directing his top notch. He brings out the best with his performers and the locations and shots are all just so fantastic and you really get a feel for the time it was set. It is all shot so beautifully and with a tone of sadness which fits the story of the film. The only negative I had was with the script, some of the dialogue of Christine's was really repetitive and it got annoying towards the end. I am sure they could have scripted it a bit differently but alas in the end this is what we got and I really tried not to have it bring the film down. Recommended for Angelina fans, you can't go passed this one that is for sure. Naturally if you love Clint behind the camera you need to check this out, and of course if you love true crime and films based on true events this would be for you as well. |
October 31, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - R | October 31, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Children of the Corn 4: The Gathering - Unrated | October 10, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Last House on the Left - R |
Okay first things first, I love the original film by Wes Craven, even with all its flaws, I love it. It is a disturbing film, especially for a film of the early 70's. It has this brutal, ruthless violence, definitely reflecting the time it was made. Sure it had bumbling cops and some weird music which didn't fit the scenes and bad acting here and there, but for me I can over look those things. I wasn't really welcoming a remake, I figured it would probably suck. At the same time I thought that it wouldn't hurt to give it a make over if done correctly. I think I can safely say, that they did a lot of things right with this one. I did have some problems with it, but we will get into that later on. For those reading this that do not know, this a revenge story. Wes Craven based his original film off of the 1960 film The Virgin Spring by Ingmar Bergman. The basic premise for all three films, a young woman is raped and attacked (killed too?) by a group, who then seek shelter in the home of the young woman's parents, the parents figure out what they did and well they seek revenge. So this remake starts off with two cops in the car with a criminal called Krug (Garret Dillahunt), mid transport he escapes. We then meet Mari (Sara Paxton) who meets up with her friend Paige (Martha MacIsaac). They hang out after Mari and her parents come to town for some time off. While Paige is at work they meet Justin (Spencer Treat Clark) who tells them at his motel he has some top weed. They go with him, and whilst hanging out in the motel room, Krug and the gang show up. Needless to say certain things happen to the girls and Krug and co wind up at Mari's parents (Monica Potter and Tony Goldwyn) house. One thing leads to another and they find out what happens and you don't want to be in Krug and co's shoes. So to the good stuff, the acting is all round pretty good. Unlike the original the parents can actually act, and they both put on a strong show. No bumbling cops either, which gave the film a more serious tone. At times the violence in this was very brutal and it was actually hard to watch, much like the original. The rape scene is down right brutal and awful, and its supposed to make you feel nothing for Krug, other then you wanting someone to smash his head in. You really feel for Mari, and Sara Paxton put on such a great and strong performance. Garret Dillahunt who I am a big fan of, was probably the perfect casting for Krug. He was cold, he was brutal and he was ruthless. Aaron Paul as Francis did a good job as well, he played all the right notes. Sadie played by Riki Lindhome was not a very fleshed out character and I just didn't think she did too well. Spencer Treat Clark who people might remember as the kid from Gladiator is really quite amazing as Justin. He brings so much to the character and despite everything you really feel sympathy for him. In the original (I hate to keep comparing but I can't do it any other way), Krug and co feel anything but human. After they attack the girls, there is a sense that they are dehumanised, there is nothing left for them. Krug and co here don't feel like that, they feel more like typical film bad guys. I think they really needed to have that demanised feel, and I didn't get that. I think this is heading into spoiler territory (Although if you watch the trailer, it is already spoiled) Mari in the original died, in this she did not. It felt like the film didn't have the balls to kill her. In a way it worked, but I think the revenge would have felt a lot more justified if she had been killed. The parents do get really brutal, and the violence at times was a bit over the top, especially a scene with a microwave and it is just so over the top and silly it really does not fit the film. While this film tried to change things for the better, for the most part it worked, but I think it really needed more balls like the original. But both these films are really a product of the times they came from. |
September 3, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Martyrs - R |
This is an extremely difficult film to write a review on, even more difficult is to try and write it without giving up spoilers. I will try my best to keep this spoiler free. This film is about a girl Lucie (Myléne Jampanoi) who was tortured, escaped her captures and then is haunted by a demon. Grown up she finds the people who tortured her, and her childhood friend Anna (Morjana Alaoui) joins her ... and well that is when we venture into spoiler territory. This film is made up of two parts, the first half (or the first 49mins) and the second half. The first half is completely different then the second half. The first half starts off as this no holds barred horror/thriller, the tortured girl escaping, making a new friend, being haunted by some kind of demon, grows up and finds the people who did it to her. The events that unfold are indeed shocking, gruesome and certainly they do not hold anything back. Not much is really explained, and you know what, I didn't mind that so much. As these events kind of finish up, the film takes a turn and we enter our second half. The second half changes in tone, enter some new things, and a possible explanation. Now whilst the tone changes, the brutality and gruesome nature however do not. And after 20 minutes or so you really start to wonder where this is going. This does end rather strange, they wanted to give an explanation, and I kind of saw where this was headed. But I am not sure I liked it, but it did give you some things to think about. I actually would have liked this to have gone a different route and maybe not explain things, it surely would have been a lot more creepier perhaps and a more affective horror film. But they went for something different, and you'll either love it or dislike it I think. Performance wise, this film does not fail. Both our female leads are quite amazing and the things they have to endure through this film are quite brutal and they really give strong and credible performances. Everyone else is quite good in this as well, and I certainly could not find a fault. The actual look of the film is something I liked as well, the use of restrained colours I especially liked. The effects were pretty spot on and they looked and felt real. I felt every drop of blood. This film certainly is not for everyone and I can imagine it would be quite a hard watch for a lot of people. If you want to take a chance with something a bit different, go for it, but be warned you might not leave happy! |
August 25, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Dead Zone - R | August 21, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Ring - PG-13 | August 21, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Mysteries of Pittsburgh - R |
So this has been on my to see list since pre-production, and I am sure there are those of you which would know why, and if you don't well, bad luck. It felt like it took forever for this to even get a trailer and then released. But finally it came out and to some pretty mixed reviews, which after seeing it I can understand. So this story is an adaptation of a novel written by Michael Chabon, which I have not read. It is set during a summer in the 80's, Art (Jon Foster) who has clear daddy issues (his father is a known gangster type played by Nick Nolte) and he wants to distance himself from that and get a job. He works at a book store, he starts having it off with his boss (Mena Suvari). One day he meets Jane (Sienna Miller) and her boyfriend Cleveland (Peter Sarsgaard) and they have adventures together. Well that is the best way I can put it, you have the three central characters, all very different but they suddenly start hanging out together. Art has a bit of a messed up life, and he's a confused guy, and obviously this is supposed to show him finding himself. But for me I didn't really feel it, and his attraction to Jane I found confusing. Maybe it is because I found her character rather boring and bland, and Sienna Miller just seemed to add to that (How come her accent was much better here then in G.I. Joe?), I felt Jane could have been more exciting and someone wroth lusting over but it just didn't happen. The real spitfire was Cleveland played so well by Peter Sarsgaard who was the definite stand out. There was definitely more chemistry between Cleveland and Art then there was between Art and Jane or Art and Cleveland. The love triangle which builds between them certainly complicates matters and it seems like the characters were too clueless to sort their stuff out. The film starts off rather solidly, and it builds towards a good middle but it falls flat with the third act, it almost felt as if they had no idea how they wanted to end it. It was some what muddled at times, and it almost lost me. I have a feeling the source material would have been so much better and I do feel like actually tracking it down. This film isn't terrible or anything, it isn't bad, but it certainly could have been much better, it had a lot of potential. If only it had a much stronger third act, it would have elevated it for me. This is certainly worth checking out if you are a fan of Peter Sarsgaard. |
August 18, 2009 | N/A | |||
| District 9 - R |
I went and caught an afternoon session so I could have peace and quiet in the cinema, and there was maybe 15 other people there in total and I was the only lady there lol! I gotta say without annoying tweens and teens mucking around, the cinema experience was worth my $$$$. Now don't go into this with high expectations, I have a feeling it is going to disappoint. This is not a main stream film, and it certainly wont appeal to the mass public. I calmed myself down and I went in with out any expectations. It did hook me in from the get go, it does have this gritty documentary feel, a lot of hand held camera work (and believe me for this film it was affective). This film looked like it had such a huge budget but they had $30million to work with and it looks amazing, the aliens indeed look very real. I am still in awe over the whole thing, big round of applause to the film makers. The film does have its flaws, but for me there weren't many and I don't even feel like mentioning them because overall it did not ruin my experience of the film. The story can certainly be seen as having a very in your face social commentary, and its amazing how they made it work with aliens. You actually really feel for them, and the humans just seem like rotten bastards. There was no point in the film where I actually sided with the humans, I felt for the aliens and I really felt like I connected with the main alien Christopher. Our main human, Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) goes through a lot in this film and the way his character changes through out the film is simply just amazing. He is the main focus, and without someone as strong of an actor it certainly wouldn't have had the same impact. He did have his off moments, but the fact that I was just so drawn into the film I didn't notice it too much. District 9 is one of the most unique films I have ever seen, and I can certainly understand the hype surrounding it, but some comments I've read I have to wonder if maybe the experience of being the first people to see it (At Comic Con) tainted their opinions. However it sure is a great film, consider me a fan of District 9! |
August 13, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Paper Heart - PG-13 | August 12, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Bandslam - PG | August 12, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Time Traveler's Wife - PG-13 | August 12, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Friday the 13th - R |
Dude, it's a Friday the 13th remake (or re-imagining) ... what do you expect going into this? Seeing idiot characters getting slaughtered by Jason Voorhees? Yes, and did I get that? Yes I certainly did! The film started off kind of weird, giving a bit of a re-cap of the events of the first film and then it goes forward to find a group of young adults who go camping. Well you know the rest, Jason finds them (with a sack covering his face not the hockey mask like Pt 2), and then we fast forward to a month later where yet another group of young adults are going to stay at a cabin in the woods (Um a cabin in the woods, yes they are that dumb folks!) whilst they run into Clay (Jared Padalecki) who is searching for his missing sister (Who was one from the first group). With me so far? So the story basically goes on from there, of course Jason finds his hockey mask and the group and well you know the rest. This film featured a lot of pot, and a lot of nudity, and some decent kills. The way it was shot was pretty good, some nice cinematography and some really nice sets (Jason has tunnels to move around in, smart move!), and the pacing of the film is actually really tight and it flows well after the first 15mins or so. Visually you can't really go wrong, they had money to make it look good. The script wasn't bad, it certainly had its flaws, but this film wasn't trying to really break new ground, almost felt too safe. The characters for the most part are not likable and it is all the more satisfying when they get killed by Jason. Clay was easily my favourite, as the hero of the story I guess you could say, he has a nice (and cute) screen presence. Jason never came off as remotely scary for me, but he never really has. They kind of give the back story, and they introduce the mask which was a nice little touch as well. There was something in particular story wise which didn't sit right with me and I wont really go into that as it could be considered a spoiler, but it didn't seem very Jason-esque for me. I also could have used some more inventive kills and bit more gore, it felt a little too bit restrained for my liking, but hey what can I say, I'm a sick bitch! But not a bad effort, I liked the director's previous remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre as that was a solid effort. Special mention must go out to Julianna Guill as Bree, now she was annoying as shit in this film, her character that is! But, wow, the pair she unveils in this is pretty amazing! Easily one of the best nude scenes I've seen for a long time! This film is hard to recommend, as people are likely to hate it right away because its a remake or a genre film. But do not expect much and you should have a decent time. |
August 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! - R |
The moment I heard about this doco, I wanted to see it. And now I finally have, plain and simple, I loved it! As the title suggests this is about "Ozploitation" the films of the 70's and early 80's that came from this great country of mine in the form of Exploitation. I mean 20 minutes into this doco, you get boobs, bush and cock! So that should give you at least some idea of what "Ozploitation" is about. The film offers opinions from the people who made and starred in these films, even some critics and one very big "Ozploitation" fan (Quentin Tarantino). The film goes through the different types of exploitation films that came out of the era, and it basically shows all sides of them. The good, the bad and the ugly, it is all laid out for us to see. I really want to track down a bunch of these films, I have seen some too, I just can't remember them that well. I honestly had no idea Australia had produced quite a large amount of these types of films, and this doco really brings out some hidden gems that would have probably gone under my radar. It is really great to see all sorts of people involved speak candidly about these films, about their experiences and even how these films got made and on set accidents that occurred. I came away from this a lot more appreciative of Australian cinema and these forgotten films. I do enjoy exploitation films, I like them for what they are and I would now like to support Australian's own exploitation films. They do have a quality all of their own, and their own uniqueness. It is fantastic that a doco like this has opened my eyes to these films and obviously the eyes of many. So that these films will be seen once again and appreciated. (Since this doco came out, a lot of the films mentioned have been re-released on DVD) Certainly this film is a must see for genre fans, and fans of Australian cinema. |
August 8, 2009 | N/A |
2675 ratings
318 reviews
