nicole's Talk

The Hurt Locker

jeremy ranner, who ive noticed in the past, is exellent here as apart of a bomb squad in irac, doing a tour, risking there lives tackling bombs, and gunfire, whilequestioning why this,although he is a wisecracking show off, and cares a lot, the film looks great, and some tense and entertaining moments throughout, just one scene doesent belong concerning a friendship blossoming, then its concequences, but its over before you know it, and back to drama and action, a interesting look at the conflict

Funny People

judd apatow directs his third feature after knocked up, and40 year old virgin, and once again, some cracking dialogue, and male relationships on show, adam sandler puts in a performance almost on par with his barry egan from p.t andersons masterpiece, punch drunk love, playing a charactor not far from him self, a hollywood big shot, whos made his name in dumb comedies, and getting some bad news that hes dying, thtough this, and his stand up, which he decides to take up again, he meets a struggling stand up, played by seth rogen, here he takes the struggling artist on as a joke writer and assistant, a working friendship is born as the two, try to lead there lives, with troubles on both sides, rogen and sandler are a joy to watch throughout, full of humour and crude jokes, very funny to watch, yet great drama and direction from apatow, also great turns from joana hill, and jason shwartsmann, as rogens house buddys, and also eric bana putting in some great, and amusing work, towards end. the film is long in lenth, but never dull or boreing, and comedy moments sprinkled throughout, sandler showing his dramatic,and comedic side well, im moments the film lifts you up, and some great music adding to emotion. judd apatow, is certainly a director/writer to watch

Dead Again

"Whoa"
A very dramatic thriller with the great acting of the two great actors, Branagh and Thompson. Twisted till the very end, and it keeps you guessing, until it all comes together.

Inglourious Basterds

tarentino brings his long delayed passion project to the screen, and with it comes his dialogue, music, look, and violence weve come to expect, im sure his genuin fans will get this film, although people going in after seeing posters and trailors may not,its not the basterds on a mission film they would expect, for a lot of the film they along with pitt are sidelined, but thats by no means a bad thing, firstly theres the jew hunter, col hans landa, exellently played by christoph waltz, tracking down jews and wanting the basterds captured. then theres the story of a runaway jew, who escaped landa, and years later running a cinema in paris, being asked to stage a premier which will be attended by hitler, again this role brilliantly played by melanie larent, showing talent in a tarentino film, remenisant of thurmun. all stories linking up for fantastic finally. brad pitt, shows once again, hes a great actor, giving a weight to film, even eli roth, the cabin fever director, as one of the basturds, putting in great work, especially at end. it could be argued like a lot of other tarentino films talking could be cut down, but it does work and adds to film. like kill bill, a great score has been found by using sources from other films, it really sets a tone, throughout theres great tension, just from people talking, and of course tarentino violence, this film also is probely tarentinos funniest, not a comedy but moments to laugh at from the way people react and do and say, and when it all comes together for climax it doesent disapoint, full of all the above ingredients, tarentio along with death proof, and kill bill this decade, has shown he can move away from the crime films of l.a during the nineties, andi look forward very much to what he does next

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

I think I might be a tad to generous with my rating. It might be naustalgia but in retrospect this movie was not great. It was way to cheesy for my taste and of course it was way out there.

The movie was to focused on the origins of certain characters that it completely negates how G.I. Joe was even formed or moreso why they gave it that name. We had a good launching point for Cobra and Destro, but again there's to much going on that certain themes were missed. For instance when we first meet Scarlet, Snake Eyes, Breaker, Heavy Duty and General Hawk they are well established on the team. We have little back story for any of them (save Snake Eyes) and why they are motivated or recruited to the team is a question that remains unanswered. Yeah the Joes only take "the best" but still, how did they come to be the best?

The problem with G.I. Joe is the same as Transformers, there are to many characters and to decide which ones make the cut is difficult. I am glad with the choices they did make, and how they played out the origins of Cobra.

One thing this movie did that would upset many fans, is that they ignored the taboo of the series. Yes, we do see Destro and Cobra Commander without their masks, and they even go so far as to reveal their identities. Also I know Cobra Commander talked with a lisp but since when did he have Darth Vader respatory issues? I did enjoy how he came into being at the end of the movie.

Now I want to talk about the infamous quotes of G.I. Joe. yeah they would be corny but yet they managed to make the worst one of all and turn it into something that fits. I am talking about "knowing is half the battle". Those words fit in perfectly with the flow of the scene; and yet when the infamous battle cry of "Yo Joe!" is uttered, there was no heart our soul. Frankly I was shaking my head in shame.

A sequel is definite. There's so much more to explore as the movie was left open. Let's not forget that Zartan is still out there, and we never know what became of Dr. Mindbender -- remember he is responsible for the creation of Serpentor. Let us hope the next installment can redeem this film.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

I think I might be a tad to generous with my rating. It might be naustalgia but in retrospect this movie was not great. It was way to cheesy for my taste and of course it was way out there.

The movie was to focused on the origins of certain characters that it completely negates how G.I. Joe was even formed or moreso why they gave it that name. We had a good launching point for Cobra and Destro, but again there's to much going on that certain themes were missed. For instance when we first meet Scarlet, Snake Eyes, Breaker, Heavy Duty and General Hawk they are well established on the team. We have little back story for any of them (save Snake Eyes) and why they are motivated or recruited to the team is a question that remains unanswered. Yeah the Joes only take "the best" but still, how did they come to be the best?

The problem with G.I. Joe is the same as Transformers, there are to many characters and to decide which ones make the cut is difficult. I am glad with the choices they did make, and how they played out the origins of Cobra.

One thing this movie did that would upset many fans, is that they ignored the taboo of the series. Yes, we do see Destro and Cobra Commander without their masks, and they even go so far as to reveal their identities. Also I know Cobra Commander talked with a lisp but since when did he have Darth Vader respatory issues? I did enjoy how he came into being at the end of the movie.

Now I want to talk about the infamous quotes of G.I. Joe. yeah they would be corny but yet they managed to make the worst one of all and turn it into something that fits. I am talking about "knowing is half the battle". Those words fit in perfectly with the flow of the scene; and yet when the infamous battle cry of "Yo Joe!" is uttered, there was no heart our soul. Frankly I was shaking my head in shame.

A sequel is definite. There's so much more to explore as the movie was left open. Let's not forget that Zartan is still out there, and we never know what became of Dr. Mindbender -- remember he is responsible for the creation of Serpentor. Let us hope the next installment can redeem this film.

Entre les Murs (The Class)

a fasinating lookat a french class and teachers thoughts at a french hi school, very realistic in its aproach, feels like a documentary throughout, with both pupils and teachers in situationsb very real, most of the running time is taken up by watching pupilb and teacher interact over topics. also the story does go somewhere, with a pupil/teacher situation arising,again, this is a fasinating development in story, great performances all round, anda genuin french gem

Brüno (Bruno)

bruno is no borat, and it does take a while to get into his latest creation, unlike borat, but there are very funny moments here throughout, laugh out loud moments, but nothing here to top the naked wrestling in borat, but certainly some funny x rated humour, andlike borat, it dips a little at end, when oviously a 1 hour 25 minutes is clearly to long, beware in uk, from 24th july, a 15 rated version is apearing, see the 18

Moon

sam rockwell, puts in a terrific performance, as a employer of a major coperation, harvesting the moon to provide electricity to earth, doing it alone, with only his faithful computer to aid him, andnearing his end of contract, of 3 years, but bad visions, causes him to crash, and when awokend, finds himself having to deal with another him, a exact model, why is he there, what happend at the crash, and, is he a clone,are all questions he has to answer, this film is very well made, thestory engageing from the fantastic opening credits, right through to the end credits, rockwell plays two charactors, who are the same person, but adds so much depth to each, and the interaction between both isso great to watch, great use of effects to get them together also, lots of interactions, the music is exellent also, and kevin spacey puting in great vocal work as gerty the robot, a film very 70s in its style for me, and, 2 films, soloris, and silent running, being 2 films you should see, if you havent, a great suprise for 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The boy wizard is back once again, and finally a movie that's once again worthy to the books. I think the film franchise went downhill at Prisoner of Azkaban and hit rock bottom with Order of the Phoenix, but Half-Blood Prince prooves there is still some magic in that ol' sorting cap.

We all know Dumbledore dies in this film, and yet even when that moment happens it manages to shock and sadden the fiber of our being. This to me says a job well done. Again we know what will become of Snape (motives discovered in the next installment) and yet we cannot help but pity him.

The regular supporting cast of Ron and Hermione take a back seat in this film, as Malfoy and Ginny are more dominant to Harry's development as a character. This offshoot demonstrates the darker future our protagonist must travel. The journey has become more treacherous as Harry must delve deep into his enemy's past to fulfill an ambiguous prophecy.

I am now eagerly anticpiating the final installment, and are now more content that it will be a two parter. With rumours afloat of what the director has in store for our band of wizards, this is one ride I don't want to get to end. Plus rumours that John Williams may return to compose the final installment have me doing back flips down the hallway. Off topic cold someone please call 911 and book a reservation as I cannot do a backflip and will come out of the attempt injured.

Hansel & Gretel

not the fairytale you know or love, more inspired id say, you certainly can see the storys influence, a young man has a car crash, and ends up at this house in the woods, and once meeting the seeminly perfect family, cant get away, he tries, but the forest traps him in, and theres more to family than meets the eye, a great little chiller from the east, some nice touches and moments, and great performances, especially the three kids vital to story, it looks great, very tim burton at times

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

I apologize for not posting this sooner. Being on vacation is my excuse and I'm sticking with it; but I did see it opening day.

Will you please stop killing Optimus Prime!!! It was traumatic when I was a kid watching the cartoon and now you are forcing me to relive the grief. Please refrain from doing any further. As opposed to the cartoon we do not have the "chosen one", Hot Rod, becoming Rodimus Prime. Oh and they were supposed to have Megatron become Galvatron -- like the cartoon -- but apparently people would get confused. Okay unless you did not see the first one and were asleep through the first half of this film how the hell can you get confused?

My fanboy rant is over, this film was AWESOME!!! There was a little less plot and character development and more action but it was still my kind of movie. The film introduces us to The Fallen, a character only hinted at in the cartoon, and how he is the grand-pappy of the Decepticons (look closely and you can see his face resembles the Decepticon insignia). Clearly his introduction creates more questions that the upcoming films would have to answer, but I can wait. That's part of the whole mystique.

The interaction of robots with their human counterparts have grown trememdously. The Autobots are now teamed with the military to form an organization called NEST in which they hunt down and destroy Decepticons. Sam's parents become aware their son's car is "more then meets the eye" in the first few minutes of the movie. Sam also moves to college and is roommates with a consipracy theorist while his relationship with Mikaela is put to the test.

The film also introduces some much beloves characters into the franchise among them are Arcee; the Constructicons and their merged form, Devastator; an Insecticon; Wheelie; SkyJet; and the fan demanded, Soundwave. Also note that much like Prime the original voice actor returned to do Soundwave for this film (minus the robotic accent which makes hims sound like Dr. Claw).

Yes this movie is everything a fan of the franchise desires. Since the line is so popular and some plot threads remain undevelopped -- i.e. will the Autobots be booted off of Earth? What will Megatron and Starscream do next? -- one wonders how the next movie will top this one. Will we have Rodimus Prime or Grimlock appear and challenge Optimus for leadership? Will Megatron finally become Galvatron? Will the ever popular and highly demanded Dinobots ever make an appearance? Ultra Magnus? The Aerialbots? Also since we delved deep in to Transformers history where are the Quintessons, Unicron, Primus and Alpha Trion? Well guess we will have to wait a few more years for those answers.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

anvil were to make it big in the eighties,with the likes of bon jovi, metallica and many others, but never did, making over 13 records to this day, but certainly not raking it in and here we see them doing there day jobs,and a spinal tap like tour around europe, we see the highs and very lows of this troubled band, its very entertaining to watch them live the dream, or what there is of it, and looking to the future wit a new album. there passionate about there music and especially being in anvil

American Teen

what apears to be a documentary on a group of teens in warsaw a middle america town, but clues give it away this is actually actors or non actors, working under a loose script, or thought out actions before hand, but what ever it is, its entertaining, as we follow the kids through there last year of high school,and thinking about college, the highs and lows of high school life, the actors/real life people, whatever they are are genuin, and not like you see in hollywood movie, this is part of the charm as you watch the whinny kids go about there day, some are annoying, some just sad,and some,,bitches, all the events you get in hollywood highschool films make it in here, but with authenticity, if this is fiction of course, if not,ainteresting doc

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (The Baader Meinhof Complex)

a interesting look at a group of radicals during 1960s germany, protesting out against americas involvment in vietnam,and especially there ocupation in germany as bases for there preparation,what starts as protests to the streets turns into bombings and murder, they were germanys most wanted, the film with great detail takes us through a groups beginnings and getting in too deep, showing the 1960s through to the 70s where events became bigger and bigger, and inprisonment for most of the people, the story is well told, lots crammed in its two and a half hours, and lots of action, bombs being set of as part of there attack, all performances are good especially moritz bleibtreu,as the guy in control, another filmabout germanys past that isnt nazis and killing jews

Blood: The Last Vampire

this would get a nice 4 star rating, but two action sequences where a vampire monster atacks our two girls is awfully done the effects are really bad,and notwell executed, oncewas bad enough but when it came back, i was disgusted, the story it self is very stylish concerning a vampire good girl, exellently played by jeon ji-hyeon, killing for goverment spooks her fellow monster,whilewaiting for the showdown with the foe who kiled her father, some exellent fight scenes, throughout, full of samuri swordplay, jeon ji hyeon, loks great in her sailor outfit, giving a look thats maybe iconic,the film is wel directed giving the 1970s seting authenticity,especially army base school scenes, while the fight scenes, production looks great, also settingb up for more adventures, hopefully this will happen, as its based on a anime cartoon, theres lots of places to go, but please next time save some money for monster effects

Sunshine Cleaning

from the creatures of little miss sunshine, a filmsharing many elements,and of course the word sunshine, amy adams puts in another winning role, if a bit whinny, and alanarkin has good stuff in a role quite similer to his little miss sunshine performance, but yet again, its emily blunt, who steels the show, great to watch, both humorous and emotional, as the down on her luck sister. the story is enjoyable as they set off on there new venture, and situations great to watch,

The Outlaw Josey Wales

along wth the good the bad and the ugly, best western ever made, aND really moody but very interesting, not a action western but certainly films like unforgiven got there edge from films like this, eastwood a great presence and directing talent

L.I.E.

a young paul dano performance, remember him the brother in little miss sunshine, and exellent as eli in there will be blood. hes exellent here too as a young lad living around the long island expressway, the lie of the title, when he gets i with another troubled kid again exellently played by billy kay, robbery is on the cards,but also some sexual awakenings, but to hisfriend not women. when some guns are stolen on one of there heists, he is turned in by his buddy to the owner again played exellently by brian cox, but this guy is a bit of a kiddy fiddler and gives him options, with his best friend now runaway, he strikes up afriendship with the dirtry old man. exellent performances all round fkay danoandcox are superb. and the direction from michael cuesta is very indie, and looksgreat, great music also,a great teen film dealing with inportant issues