Tania's Talk

Fright Night

I've been meaning to watch this for ages and glad I finally got round to it. I always remember the poster for it looking pretty good. Considered a cult classic this is a fun 80's tongue in cheek horror. The make up effects towards the end were pretty good considering it was made in 1985! A fun enjoyable horror worth checking out.

Slow Burn

A pretty decent crime thriller with a strong cast. Not a lot of action but I thought it was a good story with some decent plot twists. In some elements it is like the usual suspects in the way the story unfolds with quite a few red herrings along the way. An enjoyable film that seemed to slip under the radar.

Pacific Heights

A pretty decent thriller that is quite tense. The tenant from hell arrives causing chaos for a young couple struggling with there first house. Decent film with a good cast but a bit dated now.

John Tucker Must Die

A very good teen rom-com with a cool young cast. It has some good getting back at your ex jokes and scenes. Funnier than I thought it would be. A bit like Mean girls but on a lighter note.

Saw V

I thought this was better than Saw 4 and one of the better ones overall. The fourth was a bit confusing with the timeline overlapping much of the third film, even two of the actors looked similar! This reveals even more going right back, although very briefly, from the first and through all the previous films to shed a bit more light on what happened and why. You really need to have seen the other films in order and maybe refresh your memory a bit before hand by watching the last one again before this. Not quite as grusome and gory overall as the previous films but still plenty for gore fans. Hope it isn't dragged out too much longer though!

Welcome to the Jungle

One for the trailer made it look much better category. It's a mix of Blair witch project and Turistas (Paradise lost). Told in hand held cam format as two couples head into the jungle looking for a long lost heir to the Rockefeller fortune. Very slow to start and quite bleak, by the end you don't care what happens to them. Only gets gory for the last 15 mins or more. One for camcorder horror fans only really.

My Bloody Valentine 3-D

A pretty average slasher film and definitely based around the 3-D, it uses as many scenes as it can for this effect. I only saw it on DVD but you can just tell what scenes, effects were done for the 3-D parts. Very bloody and gory in places, with a slight twist if you can call it that. Overall pretty good but no doubt more fun in 3-D mode.

Tropa de Elite (The Elite Squad)

A very good film, although I had hoped for something a little bit more after the trailer. It's more of an action/drama dealing with the drug trade in the slums of Rio in Brazil. It has a good story and is well made and shot with a fair share of brutal, violent action scenes. Almost feels like a documentary at times it has that raw feel about it. From the same director as the City of God.

Friday the 13th

A very good "re-imaging" NOT a re-make! I can't believe how many people have said it's a remake, Jason wasn't in the first one hello! Rant over.
Comparing it to the original series of films this has a flash back of the ending of the first, for those who haven't seen it shame on you, and has more in common with the 2nd and 3rd installments. I actually enjoyed it, it gives the fans of the original films an updated version of what they loved about the films. There are plenty of inventive death scenes, sex, drugs and boozing with plenty of gorgeous girls in it. I thought it had a bit too much stoner behaviour, which seem to dumb down the film a bit. It has a slick visual style similar to the recent Texas chainsaw remakes, same director, as well as the same style of old gritty locations and sets. Overall a cool update for anyone who was a fan of the original films and better than nearly all of the previous films apart from the first which is a cult classic at least. Definitely one for slasher fans.

Revolver

A great crime drama with a a good cast. For a change for a Guy Ritchie gangster film this isn't about East end gangsters in London and there is no humour in this. It makes a nice change and the story is very good. The plot gets a bit twisted and can be hard to follow at times. However it's one of the better gangster films I've seen in a long while. Slick and stylish with some great twists.

You, Me and Dupree

A sort of mix of a few ideas from a few more successful rom-coms I felt. Has a few funny moments and a strong cast who are from some good comedies. Worth a watch but not a patch on the likes of Meet the parents.

The Proposal

The general feeling is that Sandra Bullock is a lovely sweet person that keeps making shit movies this kinda of bucks the trand - although no While You Were Sleeping its a whole lot better then Hope Floats and Two Weeks Notice... one to see again at some point..
A decent story with some funny moments

The Proposal

The general feeling is that Sandra Bullock is a lovely sweet person that keeps making shit movies this kinda of bucks the trand - although no While You Were Sleeping its a whole lot better then Hope Floats and Two Weeks Notice... one to see again at some point..
A decent story with some funny moments

Lakeview Terrace

A good thriller about a black racist cop who happens to be the neighbour from hell for a young inter-racial couple. It's an enjoyable film and the tension between the two lead characters is good as the incidents between them escalate throughout the film. It reaches a predictable conclusion in a bit of a rush towards the end, but it's still a worthy watch.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

A potentially great story about alien contact was really let down by the plot more than anything. I have seen the original and while that would be regarded as well ahead of it's time made in 1951 this will shortly be forgotten. This has the big budget modern effects otherwise the main difference of this and the original is the reason for the alien contact. The original made after WW2 was all about living in peace or risk destruction for our violent actions. This is all about the environment if we can't change our ways we risk killing the earth and ourselves. Oh and John Cleese is always worthy of more than a few minutes cameo?!
Great start but a missed opportunity. If you want a good action, drama or disaster film on a similar them watch Independence day, War of the Worlds, or The day after tomorrow instead.

This Is England

A great British film, gritty and hard hitting and made on a shoe string budget. It doesn't matter the story and acting make this a very powerful film and it deserves all the awards and accolades it has received.
A young boy bullied at school joins the local skinheads in early 80's Britain, but the fun and games soon start to turn nasty and violent.

Little Miss Sunshine

A great little comedy about a dysfunctional family making a road trip to a beauty pageant. Along the way all sorts of bizarre things happen. A great feel good comedy film.

The Fifth Commandment

A pretty good straight to DVD action film. Some good fight scenes and stunt work. An assassin passes up a hit on a female singer and gets drawn in to protect her from the next taker. Feels like quite a few other films put together most notably Bangkok Dangerous and the Replacement killers.

Play Misty for Me

A great little thriller and the first film directed by Clint Eastwood. I imagine quite powerful in its day, one of the first obsessive, stalker thrillers. No doubt encouraged the likes of Fatal attraction and countless others.