SuziieBluenose

by Sam

''Why do you wear pyjamas all day?''


Directed by: Mark Herman
Starring: David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, Rupert Friend

Genre: Drama

Running time: 94 minutes




My review:

When his father is made commandant of a concentration camp, eight year-old Bruno finds himself listless and alone. Then, after an exploration, he meets a strange boy who seems to be wearing pyjamas, sat behind a wire fence. A meeting that will have terrible repercussions. This film is one of the most emotional and heartbreaking films that I have ever seen before. This film is really beautiful at the same time because it teaches us that people who are supposed to be enemies can be friends at the same time like normal people can. This film showed us the unusual way of the holocaust because two of the four I have seen are true stories. I mostly thought this was quite unusual compared to the other Holocaust films because it only involves two young kids rather than every single Jew (Schindlers List) and only one person (The Pianist). This film can be such an inspiration to a lot of people around the world. At least, it will be when the film is released around the entire world. I thought Asa Butterfields performance as Bruno was really good because he is a really nice looking young man who makes the character such a beautiful one and a character that some people would fall in love with. I thought Asas performance was very powerful and very emotional too not only because of his friendship with young Jew Shmuel but also when he is around his mother, father and sister too. I felt sorry for Bruno because he needs a friend in which he finds but they are supposed to be enemies. He worries about what his family would say if they find out. Also, he is a curious young boy and wants to know why there are people in pyjamas, why they are in cages and why there are soldiers around the camp. Also, Bruno has no idea that the camp is a concentration camp where Jews get gassed and burned. I liked David Thewlis as the strict commander of a Nazi concentration camp and father of Bruno and Gretel. David makes him a really nasty and aggressive man but I dont think he is really a fearful character comparing to Amon Goth in Schindlers List. I wasn?t really keen on Vera Farmiga as the mother of Bruno and Gretel because I dont think that she has that mother material in a film to be perfectly honest. Dont get me wrong, she is a really nice looking woman but I dont think she is a very good actress. I didnt really like her in The Departed either. I really liked Jack Scanlon as Shmuel because he really looked like an innocent young victim who is sort of confused with what is going on in the camp. The direction was really good and was really well produced by the BBC. It was really well written too for such a powerful film from a really powerful novel. Obviously all of the Holocaust films are different but this one is the most different because it is as I said about kids instead of millions or one Jew. The chemistry between Bruno and Shmuel is a very emotional friendship but then it becomes a personal relationship too. It is like they are forbidden friends that arent meant to be because Bruno is German and Shmuel is Jew. I thought that the relationship between Bruno and his father was like a hidden relationship because Bruno wanted to ask his father about what his job really is and why there are people in cages but he never asked his father or any of his family about it at all. His relationship between Bruno and his sister Gretel is like an obvious connection but have a huge clash of personality because Gretel thinks that Jews are scum and evil just like her father thinks and what Adolf Hitler thought aswell (even though they arent). There was an effective twist that occurs at the end and that can make you cry. It is a twist that is really unexpected and something that is quite silly really. This film wasnt bad languaged, violent nor sexual at all. The reason why this film was 12A/PG-13 was because of the Holocaust material and the general idea of what happens. Also, the story aswell is another reason. This film had excellent costumes mostly. The costumes were really good which were typical Nazi. The costumes on Bruno, Gretel and their mother was really good too. I thought that the pyjama costumes were really good too on Shmuel and on the other Jews in the concentration camp. I really liked the scenery of the film. It is both horrid and beautiful too. I think that the only Academy Award that this film could be nominated for would be Best Costume Design. I think that this film is so underrated and I think that this film should earn a lot of credit for its clever style towards the big screen. The few things that disappointed me about this film was that I thought it was quite slow to start with. I also wished that Brunos father could have been more involved with the deaths of the Jews in the film like other Nazi officers have been like in previous Holocaust/WWII films. Apart from that I think The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas is definitely a film of 2008 that people should consider naming one of the best of the year.

by Sam

''Why do you wear pyjamas all day?''


Directed by: Mark Herman
Starring: David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, Rupert Friend

Genre: Drama

Running time: 94 minutes




My review:

When his father is made commandant of a concentration camp, eight year-old Bruno finds himself listless and alone. Then, after an exploration, he meets a strange boy who seems to be wearing pyjamas, sat behind a wire fence. A meeting that will have terrible repercussions. This film is one of the most emotional and heartbreaking films that I have ever seen before. This film is really beautiful at the same time because it teaches us that people who are supposed to be enemies can be friends at the same time like normal people can. This film showed us the unusual way of the holocaust because two of the four I have seen are true stories. I mostly thought this was quite unusual compared to the other Holocaust films because it only involves two young kids rather than every single Jew (Schindlers List) and only one person (The Pianist). This film can be such an inspiration to a lot of people around the world. At least, it will be when the film is released around the entire world. I thought Asa Butterfields performance as Bruno was really good because he is a really nice looking young man who makes the character such a beautiful one and a character that some people would fall in love with. I thought Asas performance was very powerful and very emotional too not only because of his friendship with young Jew Shmuel but also when he is around his mother, father and sister too. I felt sorry for Bruno because he needs a friend in which he finds but they are supposed to be enemies. He worries about what his family would say if they find out. Also, he is a curious young boy and wants to know why there are people in pyjamas, why they are in cages and why there are soldiers around the camp. Also, Bruno has no idea that the camp is a concentration camp where Jews get gassed and burned. I liked David Thewlis as the strict commander of a Nazi concentration camp and father of Bruno and Gretel. David makes him a really nasty and aggressive man but I dont think he is really a fearful character comparing to Amon Goth in Schindlers List. I wasn?t really keen on Vera Farmiga as the mother of Bruno and Gretel because I dont think that she has that mother material in a film to be perfectly honest. Dont get me wrong, she is a really nice looking woman but I dont think she is a very good actress. I didnt really like her in The Departed either. I really liked Jack Scanlon as Shmuel because he really looked like an innocent young victim who is sort of confused with what is going on in the camp. The direction was really good and was really well produced by the BBC. It was really well written too for such a powerful film from a really powerful novel. Obviously all of the Holocaust films are different but this one is the most different because it is as I said about kids instead of millions or one Jew. The chemistry between Bruno and Shmuel is a very emotional friendship but then it becomes a personal relationship too. It is like they are forbidden friends that arent meant to be because Bruno is German and Shmuel is Jew. I thought that the relationship between Bruno and his father was like a hidden relationship because Bruno wanted to ask his father about what his job really is and why there are people in cages but he never asked his father or any of his family about it at all. His relationship between Bruno and his sister Gretel is like an obvious connection but have a huge clash of personality because Gretel thinks that Jews are scum and evil just like her father thinks and what Adolf Hitler thought aswell (even though they arent). There was an effective twist that occurs at the end and that can make you cry. It is a twist that is really unexpected and something that is quite silly really. This film wasnt bad languaged, violent nor sexual at all. The reason why this film was 12A/PG-13 was because of the Holocaust material and the general idea of what happens. Also, the story aswell is another reason. This film had excellent costumes mostly. The costumes were really good which were typical Nazi. The costumes on Bruno, Gretel and their mother was really good too. I thought that the pyjama costumes were really good too on Shmuel and on the other Jews in the concentration camp. I really liked the scenery of the film. It is both horrid and beautiful too. I think that the only Academy Award that this film could be nominated for would be Best Costume Design. I think that this film is so underrated and I think that this film should earn a lot of credit for its clever style towards the big screen. The few things that disappointed me about this film was that I thought it was quite slow to start with. I also wished that Brunos father could have been more involved with the deaths of the Jews in the film like other Nazi officers have been like in previous Holocaust/WWII films. Apart from that I think The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas is definitely a film of 2008 that people should consider naming one of the best of the year.

by Sam

"When two people love each other, they come together - WHAM - like two taxis on Broadway."


Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr, James Stuart

Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller

Running time: 112 minutes




My review:

A wheelchair bound photographer thinks he witnesses a murder from his apartment window. Gradually he fleshes out the crime, drawing others into his intrigue until the film culminates in a perfect hero / villain showdown. Rear Window is in my opinion one of the best thrillers ever made. Every single scene of this film made me feel really tense and made my heart pound so fast, it hurt. It took my breath away and couldnt let me breath very much because it was so tense. One of the things that I loved about Rear Window was that the mystery and suspense wasnt really between the characters but was mostly about what the characters were doing. The tensest moment was when Lisa sneaked over to Lars Thorwolds flat to investigate what the truth is but when he starts to come back, it becomes even tenser which made my heart race really fast. James Stewart delivers an awesome performance as photographer L.B. Jeffries. His performance is one of those underrated performances I find. I personally think that Stewart doesnt earn enough credit for his roles in the Hitchcock films. I think that this is his best film with Hitchcock as director. I really liked Vertigo too. Grace Kelly was absolutely awesome too as Jeffries lover Lisa Carol Fremont. Grace Kelly is almost perfect for Lisa because she is like a real action packed young woman with such a beautiful and sexy style that not many actresses have. She makes Lisa a completely irrestistable woman who anyone can fall for. The direction was absolutely outstanding from Alfred Hitchcock. I think Hitchcock directs every single film that he has done almost to complete perfection which probably has made him the greatest director of all time. This is one of those Hitchcock films that shows Hitchcock can never be rid of his classic masterpieces. The written screenplay was really clever not because obviously it is a complex mystery but because it is a short story and of how they adapted into an ordinary feature film. I think that this film changed everything about what thrillers are really like. I personally think that this started to make Hitchcock the master of thrillers but after seeing Psycho (which is Hitchcocks best) and the release of Psycho completely determined Hitchcock as the Master Of Suspense. The chemistry between Jeffries and Lisa is really good because I could tell that they were in love and I could tell that they both felt that they had to work together to try and investigate what happened opposite the other side of the flats. There wasnt really any chemistry between Jeffries and Lars because they only met properly around the end of the film. The main twist was when Jeffries witnesses Lars returning home without his wife and that is the moment when Jeffries starts to become suspicious and tries to investigate the mystery. This film was not violent at all really but had a few violent references. There wasnt really any bad language involved but there was quite a few moments that were quite crude with the language. There werent any sex references but there were quite a few making out scenes between Jeffries and Lisa. As I already said, this film had simply outstanding writing with the clever screenplay. I also said about the awesome direction of the great and late Alfred Hitchcock. The cinematography was simply superb with amazing photography and the clever sound sequences used too. It had awesome sound and scenery. It made it like it was really happening. This film earned four Academy Award nominations. It earned Best Director for Alfred Hitchcock (lost to Elia Kazan in On The Waterfront), Best Writing Screenplay (lost to The Country Girl), Best Cinematography (lost to Three Coins In The Fountain) and Best Sound Recording (lost to The Glenn Miller Story). I think that this film should have been a close nomination for Best Actor for James Stewart and a close one for Best Supporting Actress for Grace Kelly too. This is my second favourite James Stewart film after It?s a Wonderful Life and it is my second favourite Alfred Hitchcock film after the obvious one Psycho. Grace Kelly hasnt been in many films really so I have to call Rear Window her best film then. The thing that really annoys me that involves me with Rear Window is that they made a remake of such a great masterpiece and it turned out to be a complete disaster just like the Psycho remake did. I really hope that there wont be any more Hitchcock remakes like Vertigo, Shadow Of A Doubt, Rebecca nor North By Northwest. Rear Window is a complete masterpiece that will always be remembered as one of the best of Hitchcock and also one of the greatest suspensful thrillers ever made.

by Sam

The truth is: I'm an ordinary man. You might've told me that, Dryden.


Directed by: David Lean
Starring: Peter O Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Omar Sharif

Genre: Adventure/Biography/Drama/War

Running time: 228 minutes




My review:

An inordinately complex man who has been labeled everything from hero, to charlatan, to sadist, Thomas Edward Lawrence blazed his way to glory in the Arabian desert, then sought anonymity as a common soldier under an assumed name. The story opens with the death of Lawrence in a motorcycle accident in London at the age of 47, then flashbacks to recount his adventures: as a young intelligence officer in Cairo in 1916, he is given leave to investigate the progress of the Arab revolt against the Turks in World War I. In the desert, he organizes a guerrilla army and--for two years--leads the Arabs in harassing the Turks with desert raids, train-wrecking and camel attacks. Eventually, he leads his army northward and helps a British General destroy the power of the Ottoman Empire. This film was such a real inspiration to me because it has one of the most friendly and nicest men that have ever been on screen ever. This film truly shows us about self discovery because he doesnt really show his true colours until he meets the Arabs and becomes one of them even though he is white. This film was absolutely amazing too because Lawrence was a real life person and truly was a hero and an inspiration to everyone around the world. Also, it is an inspiration to me because of the beautiful qualities that this film has (read about my view of those later in my review). This film was really thrilling and dramatic because all epics are dramatic and a lot of them are thrilling too. Peter O Toole delivers one of the greatest performances in cinema history. His performance as T.E. Lawrence was in my opinion was the greatest film debut of all time. Peter O Toole obviously has a really deep voice in real life but in this it was quite soft really. I know it is Peter O Toole but I cant really tell sometimes because he was so young. I think he was only 30 years old at the time of when the film came out. His performance makes T.E. Lawrence a really nice, loyal and very generous man who would do anything for you especially the fact that T.E. Lawrence was a real person too. He made the perfect combination for such a delightful and pleasant character. This film featured a lot of awesome stars too including Omar Sharif, the late Alec Guinness, the late Anthony Quinn and the late Jack Hawkins. Omar Sharif delivers an absolutely outstanding performance as Sherif Ali. He is the other leader of the Arabs along with Lawrence. Alec Guinness was absolutely awesome too as Prince Feisel in an obvious and absolutely awesome supporting actor performance. He made Feisel like a real helpful companion to Lawrence. I loved Anthony Quinn too as Auda Abu Tayi who is the third leader of the Arabs with Ali and Lawrence. He was another powerful character that was like a mentor to Lawrence and made him feel strong when confronting and fighting off people that he isnt even part of. He is neither Arab nor Terk. He is just an ordinary British man. Jack Hawkins was awesome too as the British General Lord Edmund Allenby. He was quite strict and was quite a hard General which was, I guess, fair enough but he sent Lawrence to Arabia even though he was unsure about it at first until Lawrence went there and met all the people and knew what was going on with the Turks. The direction was absolutely outstanding was the great and late David Lean. He has done a lot of absolute classics that are some of the greatest ever. I would say that Lawrence Of Arabia is my favourite Lean film. I loved the way David Lean was calculating the camera angles and how they were all placed perfectly. It is one of those films that most films win Best Picture and win Best Director because most epics have won Best Picture and Best Director. Besides Lawrence Of Arabia films include Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, Titanic, Ben-Hur, The Bridge On The River Kwai, Dances With Wolves, Braveheart, The English Patient, Schindlers List, The Last Emperor, Amadeus and Gone With The Wind. I loved The Bridge On The River Kwai too. I liked Great Expectations but I really need to see Doctor Zhivago and A Passage To India as soon as I can. David Lean was the master of epic films. It is as simple as that. I would say that Hitchcock and Lean were the best British directors from the past. The writing was absolutely awesome! This is a typical epic film because of the style of the costumes, the setting, the characters and also of what happens too. Most epics are classics including the recent films that have been released. This film seems just like an ordinary made up and then written story but it really is a true story. I was quite surprised that it was and I was really looking forward to watching it. This film was a lot like The Bridge On The River Kwai and yet it was very different because Lawrence Of Arabia was more action packed, it wasmore emotional and was more of a thrill ride even though I loved The Bridge On The River Kwai a lot. I really felt sorry for Lawrence because he wanted to help the Arabs and help defeat the Turks but he is obviously white and the Turks are like racist to him because he wants to help and he looks totally different. There are like a little rivalry between Lawrence and Ali at the start but when Ali truly sees Lawrences intentions, they start to become not just allies and partners but also a very close and personal friendship. I liked Lawrences relationship with Prince Feisal who arent in many scenes together. This relationship was a combination between two great actors: Peter O Toole and Sir Alec Guinness. The twist was obviously when Lawrence was sent to Arabia and then met Ali, Tayi and the other Arabs. Everything about this film was a true story but some of the words that the characters stated werent exactly true because the real Lawrence couldnt have said that they are true because he died 30 years before the film were released. I was confused at the beginning because that was the scene that Lawrence died and then it flashbacks into when he was going to Arabia. I was confused that the film started when he died and then it went back to when he was a young adult. That sort of moment in a film was similar to another epic and biographical film Gandhi that at the start featured the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and then flashbacks to his childhood and then up to his death. This film was quite violent. There was one scene that wasnt really violent but was tragically violent when one of Lawrences companions through Arabia was sucked into a sinkhole and suffocated in the sand and was buried alive. This film had no sex scenes but had some references about Lawrences sexuality. I dont think that this film had bad language. The cinematography and art direction was absolutely superb with the beautiful, inspiring and delightful scenes especially with the sunrises and the sunsets with the sun reflecting on the ground and everywhere else. It has that beautiful style that everybody would find absolutely gorgeous. I think this film shows just because the desert appears to have nothing, it has beauty more than anything. The sound was amazing with the action scenes and with the famous train exploding scene. I loved the visual effects too. This film won 7 Academy Awards. It won Best Picture 1962, Best Director (David Lean), Best Art Direction (colour), Best Cinematography (colour), Best Film Editing, Best Music Score and Best Sound. It was nominated for Best Leading Actor (Peter O Toole) who lost to Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mockingbird, Best Supporting Actor (Omar Sharif) who lost to Ed Begley in Sweet Bird Of Youth and Best Adapted Screenplay which lost to To Kill A Mockingbird. It won 4 Golden Globes with 3 other nominations. It won Best Picture (Drama), Best Director (David Lean), Best Cinematography (Color) and Best Supporting Actor (Omar Sharif). It was nominated for two Best Leading Actor Golden Globes where both O Toole and Quinn lost to Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mockingbird and Best Music Score which lost to To Kill A Mockingbird. This is obviously Peter O Tooles best film. It is David Leans best film. I dont think it is Alec Guinness best film. I loved him mostly in The Bridge On The River Kwai but liked him in Star Wars too. This film can affect people who might have been a victim of racism particularly if it is a white person who is around black/asian/caribbean people. Also, for people who have done things for people who are very different compared to where you come from. This film achieved a lot for me as the best action packed film of the 1960s. Peter O Tooles performance has become one of my all time favourite leading male performances of all time. As I said his performance is the greatest film debut performance ever!! Cant deny that! Lawrence Of Arabia is without a single doubt one of the best and most famous British films of all time. This film was so awesome that I personally feel that T.E. Lawrence himself would have been proud to call a film about him as one of the greatest films of all time.

by Sam

Why can't I see you?

You don't see us, now you do, but only if we want you to.


Directed by: Mark Waters
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Sarah Bolger, Andrew McCarthy

Genre: Adventure/Family/Fantasy

Running time: 107 minutes




My review:

Once upon a time, upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures. Unable to explain the strange disappearances and accidents that seem to be happening on a daily basis, the family blames it all on Jared. When he, Simon and Mallory investigate what's really going on, they uncover the fantastic truth of the Spiderwick estate and of the creatures that inhabit it. This film was just so beautiful and was a total pleasure to watch. It was obviously a family film that is just for entertainment nothing more which is why I really like films like this. This film was really tense for a family film. There were some scary characters in it which made it like typical science fiction characters. Freddie Highmore was really good as Jared and Simon Grace. It is like a Mike Myers Austin Powers style when one actor portrays more than one character. Freddie has played emotional and loving characters before like Peter Llewelyn Davies in Finding Neverland and Charlie Bucket in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. Except for Freddy Highmore the acting was absolutely terrible. It was decently directed and was decently written from a childrens book. I love childrens films from a novel or a series from a novel. Films like Harry Potter, Narnia, Dark Materials, Lemony Snicket?s A Series Of Unfortuante Events and many more. This film reminded me a lot of Zathura especially when it involves the book (the game in Zathura). Also, because of the magical creatures too. There is one scene in the film where it tries to rip-off Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban because of the huge bird that appears like a horse and because of the flying through the air. Also, because of why they were doing it too because they had to find someone in The Spiderwick Chronicles but had to save someone in Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban. I found that Jared Graces relationship with his older sister Mallory Grace very similar to Danny and Walters relationship in Zathura because they both hated each other but when things take turns they work together to fix their problems and get along better. The obvious twist was when Jared first discovered the information about the book and with the goblins too and also the history of how the book first came into being. This film was quite violent. Not so much of the people, but of the green blood of the goblins and the cutting of the hands, heads etc. The visual effects were absolutely awesome! I found that the visual effects of the goblins were like an attempt to reach the standard of the Del Toro visual style. But they were still really good even though they werent anywhere near as good as the visual style that Del Toro has. The make-up was absolutely excellent and so was the sound. I also think that the art direction was quite similar to Pans Labyrinth (only when it involves dark scenes). The few things that disappointed me about The Spiderwick Chronicles was that I did find this a bit too scary for little kids. I was expecting it to be turned out like how Bridge To Terebithia did. I would recommend it to anybody who is over like 7 years old or over. It is still a delightful fun family thrill ride which will be remembered as one of the most fun family films of 2008.

by Lisa

I think it's fairly obvious that you're on to a good thing when within ten minutes of the film starting you have already fallen in love with the main character. Although it has been said before, i'm going to repeat what the vast majority think about this film and say it is Pixar's best film to date. Everything about it is just beautiful and breathtaking.
The animation does not come in a higher quality than that produced in ever Pixar film. This however, tops the lot with some truly amazing sequences and were just stunning in every way.
WALL.E as a character is highly lovable and adorable. You fall for him the minute you see him. It's amazing how they managed to give a box of metal so much character and expression. Truly amazing if you ask me.
Another fantastic aspect of the film is the soundtrack, over shadowed slightly by the quality on screen but it really was a brilliant choice of tracks. Peter Gabriel's input I just can't get out of my head. I loved the music used from 2001: A Space Odyssey. An excellent choice for the genre and direction of the film.
It's also the case that the film is not solely about a cute robot who falls in love, but it also has some excellent political messages to send out as well. I don't think that Pixar could have made a broader statement about the treatment we give our planet if they tried and I applaud them for having the guts to actually say something relevant in a kids movie.
Everything about this film is beautiful. It blew me away in everything that it achieved. All I wonder now is will Pixar be able to top it. Of course that is what I said about Ratatouille and then they made this. So although they have not convinced everyone that they will be able to make another masterpiece in animation like this, I have every faith that the will turn out something just as excellent.

by Sam

Want to hear something sad? I use an ergonomic keyboard to keep my repetitive stress injury in check. Just the fact that I repeat something enough that it causes me stress is fucking sad.


Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Kretschmann, Terence Stamp

Genre: Action/Drama/Sci Fi/Thriller

Running time: 110 minutes




My review:

A young man finds out his long lost father is an assassin. And when his father is murdered, the son is recruited into his father's old organization and trained by a man named Sloan to follow in his dad's footsteps. This film really thrilled me because of the absolutely amazing action scenes. I was laughing because of the superb action and the extremely dangerous stunts that are taken in this film from both the characters and actors. The characters made me feel really tense too because I could feel the chemistry and tension between the characters between the characters. James McAvoy delivers a good performance as Wesley Gibson but personally I think there could have been a better actor to portray the character. Angelina Jolie was awesome as Fox because she made a really good assassin and action packed character. Angelina is like this in Mr. And Mrs. Smith. Foxs tattoos looked really good on Angelina. Morgan Freeman delivers in my opinion a poor performance as Sloan because Morgan didnt quite make Sloan a powerful man whereas a different actor might have pulled it off. I liked Thomas Kretschmann aswell as Cross who tries to assassinate Wesley after he did assassinate his father. Timur Bekmambetov has not made any well known films until Wanted was released. So, I dont know what to say about this section. The action is absolutely fantastic. Like I said, I laughed at it because it was so good. The slow-motion action is just like The Matrix visual effects. Apart from that, it is nothing like The Matrix. The relationship between Wesley and Fox is like a forbidden love relationship. Fox pushes Wesley into being a man that he never thought existed. They have like a little rivalry because of Fox pushing him and also of the measures she takes with Wesley. I couldnt feel strong chemistry between Wesley and Sloan because as I said I wasnt really impressed with Morgan Freemans performance. There is a huge twist that occurs between Wesley and Fox. The other is too big, I am not going to say because it will spoil it. This film was very violent indeed. I knew it was going to be but I didnt think it was going to be half as violent as it actually was. There was a lot of blood and gruesome scenes that were very aggressive and was in my opinion a bit over the top. There was one strong sex reference when Wesleys girlfriend is having sex with his friend from his job and there was obviously bad language involved. As I said, the visual effects were a lot like The Matrix. The make-up was simply awesome too. The art direction was good but could have sort of improved, the same with the costumes. The cinematography was awesome too. The sound was awesome too. If I had to decide the Oscar nominations, I would say Wanted is a nominee for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound. If it doesnt become a nominee for neither award then I will be really disappointed. Mind you there is Iron Man, The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Incredible Hulk and The Dark Knight to bear in mind. The only thing that sort of disappointed me was James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman apart from that a successful and awesome blockbuster that will be remembered for a long time. Bring us new awesome films Timur Bekmambetov!

by Jani

Another 2008 indie gem. The story focuses on relationships in a small community somewhere in the US. A couple married but have their love lost and a young couple that's about to find it. But what would a indie film be without a tragic incident...

"Snow angels" has a stellar cast that delivers good performances. I especially liked the talented young actors, Olivia Thirlby and Michael Angarano. Sam Rockwell goes a little bit over the top at times but the strongest aspect in "Snow angels" is truly the cast. Kate Beckinsale, always nice to see her.

The story is full of smart dialogue and halfway through the movie, the script delivers a nice turn. On the negative side, the story sometimes loses focus but still it delivers good, solid entertainment.

by Sam

People ask the question...what's a RocknRolla? And I tell 'em - it's not about drugs, drums, and hospital drips, oh no. There's more there than that, my friend. We all like a bit of the good life - some the money, some the drugs, other the sex game, the glamour, or the fame. But a RocknRolla, oh, he's different. Why? Because a real RocknRolla wants the fucking lot.


Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Gerard Butler, Thanie Newton, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong, Gemma Arterton

Genre: Action/Crime

Running time: 114 minutes




My review:

After a botched land deal, One Two and Mumbles steal the money they need to pay back fixer Lenny Cole, with the help of accountant Stella. But their plans are complicated by a Russian oligarch and his prized painting. RockNRolla is a really awesome spine-chilling film. There are some scenes that are really tense because of the quite violent and yet really quite humourous scenes. Gerard Butler delivers a decent performance as One Two. Gerard plays One Two really well because he makes One Two a really hard and tough character and also makes him look like a really touching character too. I think Gerard would have made this film quite bad if the character was English and he tried to make a British accent especially when he made a bad impression of a Irish accent in P.S. I Love You. His voice in this film is very similar to his voice in 300. I liked Thandie Newtons performance as Stella because she made Stella a powerful and easily seductive young accountant. Tom Wilkinson is good as Lenny Cole because Tom makes him a very evil gang leader and also a very funny one too. Guy Ritchie writes this film ever so well all on his own and he directs it absolutely brilliantly. This film is a typical Ritchie film because it is very similar to Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Not just the director but the plot is quite similar too. RockNRolla showed us that Guy Ritchie hasnt lost his talent as a director and screenwriter. This film is very different to Ritchie other two films because there is a lot more music in it and also this film has a proper soundtrack whereas the other two films dont. One Twos relationship with Stella is like a love attraction but also in a weird way it sort of seemed like they dispised each other. I find their relationship quite similar to James Bonds with Vesper Lynd (only as soon as meeting each other is concerned with the scene on the train). I dont think there were any major twists at all really, it just followed its way through like normal. This film was full of bad language, but wasn?t as foul mouthed as Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. It was quite violent but wasnt as violent as I thought it would be and there were also very quick sex references that were almost like quick slideshows rather than live action on screen scenes. The visual effects were pretty good with the action scenes, the sound was absolutely outstanding. It was so good, I would contend it for the Best Sound Oscar nominations 2008. There was also amazing cinematography aswell. I really liked this film. It is better than Snatch but not as good as Lock, Stokc And Two Smoking Barrels. This film became an absolutely awesome black comedy to me because of its dark humour and there were some clever lines that Ritchie came up with to write in the script. The one thing that disappointed me about it was that it was said to be a great action packed film but personally it wasnt as action packed as I thought it would be but still it was an original crime/gangster film. RockNRolla is without a doubt the best British film of 2008 so far.