I'll have miniature in my films please

Yes where are we going in films...Is the direction of our current films good or bad.

I don't know really as it's been downhill since the 70's really but now and again a film will come out that makes me a little more optimistic and think to myself Thats a serious step forward for film

Even Transformers I think that to myself (yes really) that the visual effects in that film are breathtaking and is a huge jump forward...and not much else mind. Which makes me think to myself Is the progression of visual effects a real step forward for films

I think before more effort was put in the story and characters because blowing up a building in a film in the 70's would be time consuming to build (and time is something that filmmakers/studios have little) requiring a small studio or doing detailed miniature sets. Now it's almost a flick of a button for films now and tends to be a rule in Blockbuster film Every ten minutes something has to blow up.

Luckily some people like to put effort in their films as quite recently seen in Moon and Batman Begins. I also feel that miniature offers more of a realistic texture than the current digital effects that as times can look like a FMV scene from a video game.

                                                                     Just stunning


I mean when Sam Rockwell goes in his Moon buggy on the Moon's surface and The Narrows in Batman Begins...Just blows me away and can fool me for a few brief seconds unlike Transformers.

C'mon let's be honest Krypton in Superman is just fantastic and we all know the current technology would look no where as good as this.


So I still think that CGI should support practical effects...For now anyway.

But character and story...Always should be the center of the attention

Early warning for 2011

If you see this sign next year in a cinema

Run away fast!!!!!!

This weeks reviews!!!!!

Hush

Plot
A young couple on a motorway journey are drawn into a game of cat and mouse with a truck driver following a near accident.

Review
Well I have no idea if this was a horror or a thriller as it was never edge of the seat stuff or scary.
The two main characters were well played but unfortunately very ordinary and predictable through out the film. It tried to add a decent twist between the two but it just felt too little too late for me.

              Being stuck in the mens toilet can be scary in real life mind, some of the smells can be inhuman

The locations were well used and was very uniquely shot by first director Mark Tonderai (great name) but the script was just too weak and never offered anything new or unique to the film. But I'm sure the director will have a good career as he did well with what essentially was a mediocre script, so hopefully a good producer will see this and at least give him a bit more guidance in his next film with the script.

The villain in this film never worked and a big thing which Mark Tonderai should never do in a horror film is show the villain. That could be the main reason why the film failed as most horrors tend to copy the same formula, as other horrors have some kind of threat in the film that the audience feeds into with their own imagination and personal fears.


Final word
Just didn't work but a decent attempt by the first time director

The Devil's Playground

Plot
As the world succumbs to a zombie apocalypse, Cole a hardened mercenary, is chasing the one person who can provide a cure. Not only to the plague but to Cole's own incumbent destiny. DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND is a cutting edge British horror film that features zombies portrayed by free runners for a terrifyingly authentic representation of the undead

Review
Ties to be the next big B-movie alongside the greats like George A Romero's zombie films but is just plain rubbish.
Before I start the review I man going to begin with a little rant.

Why the hell is Danny Dyer in every British film made at the moment? He can't act and just plays himself in every film I have watched him in. He has little to no screen presence in his films and it also doesn't help when he can't pronounce half the words he says in his films. I am right in assuming English is his first language...Because when I hear him speak I'm convinced it's his third. Even in a supporting role Danny Dyer still annoyed me in this film, he stands out like a saw thumb. His films have never set the box office on fire either so I'm still bemused to why he still gets all these films. He must have a cracking agent in getting all these films and I hope he gets most of the money from these films, as he's clearly doing his job to a world class level unlike Mr Dyer.

                                           Well at least someone on Earth rates him.

           Anyway end of rant and back to the review

The film clearly had a small budget (which is very visible in the film) but used the location of London very well and some great work by the set designers with closed off roads and fake newspapers articles throughout the film.

Some of the stunts and ideas for action in the film were really good but unfortunately badly executed due to a poor director not having a clue what he or she is doing. Liked some of the free running in the film which reminded me of the wonderful French films District 13 and the 2006 version of Casino Royale. The plot was typical for a zombie films but I felt the use of CG was another negative for the film when practical effects work far better in these sort of films, The Thing and George A Romero's films are good examples of practical effects that works in film.

Final Word
Will never watch this again and straight to DVD and for good reasons to me.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Plot
As the global economy teeters on the brink of disaster, a young Wall Street trader partners with disgraced former Wall Street corporate raider Gordon Gekko on a two-tiered mission: To alert the financial community to the coming doom, and to find out who was responsible for the death of the young trader's mentor.

Review
What a mess of a film and this film was clearly written by people who had no idea how the business world works, as I had to guess or assume what was going on with most of it. It also dragged like hell for such a basic plot that could have been done easily in 79 minutes rather than 120 minutes.

                                         "You watch you're mouth sunshine, I'm the Geko bitch"

Shia Labeouf was terrible and annoying in it as well as the girlfriend who would not stop crying or moaning how shit her dad is Michael Douglas.
Gordon Geko was the only interesting thing of this film and it was Michael Douglas alone that kept it going for me and also from stopping me from falling asleep.

Final word
Avoid just a mess of a film but liked Charlie Sheen's brief cameo that woke me up a little in the film.

 Film of the week
Well all three have been rubbish and none deserve the accolade...umm...Hush as I think it was the only film that actually tried and showed some kind of promise.

Big movie news double special

Yes two big things happed today in the world films.

Batman 3 is now offically confirmed as The Dark Knight Rises and will not feature the Riddler. Also James Cameron has signed on to do Avatar 2 and 3.

First my view on The Dark Knight Rises

Was hoping for something more daring like with the decision to drop the name Batman like they did with The Dark Knight. Something Like Gotham City rather than calling it Batman/Caped Crusader/Dark Knight.
But as a whole it will do and I don't hate it...Don't really know how you can hate a title

                                                ...Actually on second thought.


On the Riddler not being used I think is fine really. I wouldn't want him to be the main villain and he's to good to be a bit part villain.
There is also a strong rumor going around that Nolan is looking for a new female lead and has been meeting actresses, with people suggesting it could be Catwoman. Batman on film has also said that Catwoman will be in the next Batman film according to one of their sources quite a while ago.
Tom Hardy is also going to be in the film by the looks of it as one of the main villain's and my money is on Black Mask and I hope it is, as he's my second favorite Batman villain (Joker is my fav)


My view on Avatar 2 and 3


Well I thought the first film was too long and some of the negative comments like it's very similar to Kevin Costner's film Dances with Wolves are right.
I enjoyed it in the cinema mind but it did drag a little and wasn't as brilliant as some made out. I also didn't feel it deserved to be the highest grossing film of all time but at least it's no longer Titanic which is really shit.
But the idea of more squeal's to something that isn't exactly mind blowing and dragged, just doesn't interest me at all and I can see it flopping actually if the budget is the same level of the first film.
Oh well we will all have to wait and see :)  
          

This weeks reviews!!!!!

The Prestige

Plot
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences. From the time that they first met as young magicians on the rise, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden were competitors. However, their friendly competition evolves into a bitter rivalry making them fierce enemies-for-life and consequently jeopardizing the lives of everyone around them. Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London




Review 
I have seen this before and thought I would watch it again as hardly anything has come out this week. 
Still love it and every time I watch I'm never bored as always with a Christopher Nolan film. 
As with most of Nolan's films the story is told in non-linear which is used to further the viewers experience of the world of the antagonist. In this film it is used in logic of a magic trick which according to the film consists of three parts, the pledge, the turn and the prestige. 
Some have criticised that the Prestige uses non-linear as a gimmick rather than something which adds to the film, but I disagree. 

It's used to withhold information from us in a manner as if a magician was explaining a magic trick, similar to Memento except that film was withholding information to get us in the mind frame with no short term memory. 
The stand out performance for me in this film was Christian Bale who plays essentially four roles in this film and all four have completely different characteristics and body language, I'll leave you decide which four roles as I'm talking about ;) 

The story got better and better and better as it went on, topping itself again and again with twist after twist. 
And another thing about a Nolan film is that with repeated viewings, as well you'll pick up on clues that you probably completely missed the first time around. Needless to say, I was blown away by the ending when I first watched it 
Even after a few years and several viewings, I still enjoy every moment of it. 

Final Word 
Great film that will appeal to everyone with a great ending and a great final speech by Hugh Jackman, which to me is on par to Roy Batty's death speech in Blade Runner.




Chariots of Fire

Plot
The true story of two British track athletes competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics. One is a devout Scottish missionary who runs for God, the other is a Jewish student at Cambridge who runs for fame and to escape prejudice.




Review 
Vangelis did an iconic opening score to this film which will always be cemented in cinema history, but I have no idea why the film is considered a classic by so many. 

                                                     This with the Vangelis score is just magic

I just found it another Channel five/Straight to TV film for me that felt flat and with a tired overused formula. 
Maybe lots of films have copied elements of Chariots of Fire over the years like so many great films, that I needed to watch it when it came out to truly appreciate it. On a positive note I think it's beautifully made with some stunning cinematography especially a lot of the scenes on the beach where they would train. 
I also thought Nigel Havers and Ben Cross were fantastic in this film and I can see how this film launched their careers and quite rightly so. 

                                                      These two held the film for me.
                           Final word 
Not terrible but clearly not for me this one, but a stunning film with a great and an iconic score by Vangelis




The Other Guys

Plot
Terry Hoitz's past mistakes in the line of duty and Allen Gamble's reluctance to take risks have landed them the roles of the "Other Guys", disgraced New York City police detectives relegated to filling out paperwork for cocky hero cops Danson and Highsmith. The mismatched duo must look past their differences when they take on a high-profile investigation of shady capitalist David Ershon and attempt to fill the shoes of the notoriously reckless officers they idolize






Review 
Well it's a Will Ferrell film and you either love him or hate him, I love him. Loved him Anchorman, Zoolander and Talladega Nights. As you may have gathered The Other Guy's is in the same vein of those films but nowhere near as good as those films. 

                                           These two make a great cameo in the first ten minutes of this film

Will Ferrell plays a geeky police offer who gets picked on by the other offices but still manages to be a ladies magnet. Marky Mark plays his partner who is desperate to move up in the force and hates Will Ferrell except for his stunning wife played by Eva Mendes. Well like the film RED last week this is an action comedy but where it defers from RED is that this film does work, but only now and again mind. 

The biggest problem with the film is that Will Ferrell's character is incredibly annoying at times. He's supposed to annoy Marky Mark's character in the sketches but also end's up annoying me as well most of the times. This was the main reason why the film failed to me as a comedy and the main plot of the film involving Steve Coogan, took too much of a backseat making it drag even more for me. Just a shame really as the opening ten or twenty minutes promised so much but never got going again. 

Final word 
Very flawed film and will be forgotten about very quickly.




Film of the week
Well it The Prestige for me never bored and just worked for me, I just think Chariots of Fire is a film I would have enjoyed more at the time. The Other Guys has it's moments but in all fairness isn't a film I would recommend to someone.

The Most Ridiculous Edited-For-TV Film Lines

We have all experienced them...watered down film which just take away the enjoyment of the film but sometimes can be quite amusing 

In the late 90's I watched on ITV a version of Robocop that was ridiculously edited. At a pre-watershed time of 8pm they took the classic film, removed (or should that be crudely dubbed) all of the swearing and heavily censored the violence.

Here are the quotes I managed to find from it and I can still remember them.

Dick Jones: "Once I even called him (Change Voice) Airhead!"

Bob Morton: "You're gonna be a bad mother (Change Voice) Crusher!"

Bloke shooting at Robocop in the liquor store, line changed from "F*** Me!" to "FuWHY me! FuWHY me!"

Unfortuantely I only ever watched it (with jaw dropped having seen the original version) and never recorded it 

But anyway...

It looks like I'm not the only one who finds this funny as I found this on the Hollywood reporter and thought it was brilliant, follow the link and you won't be disappointed.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/most-ridiculous-edited-tv-film-31522

This weeks reviews!!!!!

In advance I apologize for the lack of photos etc this week, got back home late for this weeks reviews. But on a positive not I have added a "Film of the week" to this weeks reviews and might keep it.




Disclosure

Plot
With his company about to merge, a happily married and successful computer expert is expecting a promotion. Instead the job goes to a woman from another plant with whom he had an affair in his bachelor days. His new boss, not only dangerously sexy but equally dangerously ambitious, has climbed the corporate ladder by exerting undue influence on the CEO. She apparently tries to pick up where they left off but he just about manages to resist. This liaison is soon revealed to be part of her master plan to consolidate power and use Tom as a scapegoat to cover her technical misdeeds. As his position at work comes under increasing pressure he decides to file charges of sexual harassment. This is the last thing the company needs.







Review

Thought I would finally check this out as it was in Dr Kermode top "10 best geeky computer films" and I have always enjoyed his recommendations.

Here's the link for that btw
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/gallery/2010/oct/10/best-geeky-computer-films

Well I thought it was a run of the mill thriller, I went into mind not having a clue what it was about. Which is surprising for me as I tend to consider myself to have a good knowledge of films.
Heard of the film before mind and I remember the films poster as it is very iconic but as a film, it just looked like another Basic Instinct to me, hence why I have never really gone out of my way to watch it before.
Anyway that's my excuses out the way and I thought he film was...wait for it...a run of the mill thriller.
I think the problem with me watching it now is that a lot of film producers have coped the thrillers of the eighties and early nineties, using them as a general template for their True Movies/Channel five straight to TV/DVD films.
I found it to be incredibly predictable after a "hot" meeting between Michael Douglas and Demi Moore, before that I was waiting for it to start (felt like thirty minutes until the film actually got going). During that time is was trying to build good supporting characters which it unfortunately failed and that he's a caring father in the opening 5-10 minutes which was so...so cheesy.
But to be fair it did have it moments with a well thought out legal thriller with Demi Moore and Michael Douglas, especially when they are both being interviewed by each others lawyers, which had some great writing and great acting from everyone.
But it was and I will say it again...very predictable but what the held the film together and kept me interested was Michael Douglas.
Shows in this film very clearly why he was leading man for so long (and still should be really) in the nineties.


Final Word
Run of the mill thriller that's at least worth a watch but could have easily been a bore fest without Michael Douglas

Red

        

Plot
When his idyllic life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last ditch effort to survive.

Review

Managed to get to an early screening for this film and was unfortunately not surprised from my pre judgements from the trailer and clips I had seen online. 

It's suppose to be an action/comedy film but I did not laugh at it and the action was incredibly bland, so bland that it makes Transformers he Citizen Kane of action films.
Once again like most terribly ill thought action films of today, slow motion scenes runs riot and I have no idea how directors think this build tension in their films as it's so overused and has lost it's edge in the current generation of filmgoers.
The comedy I think was suppose to be a little tongue in cheek but Bruce Willis the lead of the film cant pull this off, as clearly seen in Kevin Smith's Cop Out. The only ones who pull this off in the film were John Malkovich and the scene stealer of the film Helen Mirren.
The big gag of the film is "Oh look at us were old farts and one now lives in a retirement home and one likes being a florist, but we still like our guns and do kung fu etc".
I think if the film worked a bit more on its script and just didn't throw in big names into the film (Yes I like Morgan Freeman but he's solely in this film because he's Morgan Freeman not the character he's playing) just because they are big names.
It's also based on a good comic book series by DC Comics from what I have been told, so why didn't they hire the writers of that comic book I ask myself as the writer added no humour to the script.
But just like Jonah Hex (another DC Comics film but is a total train wreck of a film) this film will be forgotten about in a years time, but it will end up on telly on ITV2 in two/three years, five times a weeks as the TV rights for this will be cheap as chips

Final word
Not worth watching in the cinema but passes the time. John Malkovich and Helen Mirren stopped me from giving up on this one.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Plot
Two men fortify a nondescript British apartment so it can serve as a prison, and then kidnap a woman and tie her to a bed. Before there's even time to react, we're plunged into a very nasty situation, but not a simple one.

Review
I missed this in the cinema and I really wish I had watched it in the cinema as it's a cracking, smart and twisty British thriller.
This is defiantly one of my contenders for film of the year alongside Bad Lieutenant and Inception, as from start to finish I was gripped and it kept giving you another big twist though out the film. It genuinely leaves the audience guessing through out the film with great performances from all three leads.
Normally not a massive fan of Gemma Atkinson and tend to find her very average in everything else I have seen but she is dynamite in this film with a great performance from her as the title character Alice Creed.
This film had everything I would want in a film
1. Great script
2. Good director who keeps the flow of the film on a knife edge
3. Great performances from everyone and makes me completely emotionally engaged with all characters.
4. Well thought out plan set firmly in reality that goes horribly wrong due to the human element.


Can I think of a negative though in this film that they should have fixed...hmmm...marketing.
I'm sorry but it's unfair that a film like this has to compete against blockbusters that have millions put into promoting their films. This film deserved that and I wish more studios would put more money or effort into selling/making more films like this. Only reason films like Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean make money is because they are well promoted. The only promotion I saw for this film when it came out was on Friday Night with Jonathon Ross and mentioned for five minutes...and that was it. POTC and Transformers I am drowned with when it comes out on TV, radio and internet.

Criminal

Final word
Just watch it, fantastic little British film.

Tetsuo: The Ironman

Plot
A strange man known only as the "metal fetishist", who seems to have an insane compulsion to stick scrap metal into his body, is hit and possibly killed by a Japanese "salaryman", out for a drive with his girlfriend. The salaryman then notices that he is being slowly overtaken by some kind of disease that is turning his body into scrap metal, and that his nemesis is not in fact dead but is somehow masterminding and guiding his rage and frustration-fueled transformation.

Review
What a trippy film reminding me within the first five minutes of David Lynch's Eraserhead and Darren Aronofsky's Pi with it's thumping, vile and trippy visual style. Never would have guessed this was made in 1988 as it's barely aged and is still disturbing now as it was back then.
All the way through the film you feel for the main lead character turning further and further away from his humanity and into a machine.
But I did have a good PMSL moment when his nob has transformed into a massive drill and puts it to use on some poor bird in the film.
It's a very "style over substance" film as, let's face it, a film about a man who turns into metal and is clearly a marmite film.

Final word
It's worth a watch as it reminded a little of Fear and loathing in Vegas as it was that trippy at times. I dug it but I can see people also being bored by it most of the times or as an "art for the sake of art" type of film.

The Social Network

Plot
A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook.

Review
Headed into town to play on the new 360 Kinect, wasn't there very disappointed. But I still watched this film and wasn't disappointed and was well impressed with how well written this film was and its execution was perfect.
All casting in this film worked, he directing was well done considering it was very non-linear and the characters were just fascinating.
I think Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield are in for a good shout to get nominated for Oscars as well as Sorkin for screenplay in fact he has to win for screenplay in my opinion, as it's a complicated case (as well as computer coding involved at some parts) and he made it flow perfectly.

Final Word
Good film and I wouldn't hesitate to watch it again in the near future

 Film of the week
Well I was spoilt this week with two strong contenders for film of the year and a nice little foreign film discovery.
Hmmm....so its a toss between The Social Network and the Alice Creed film.

The Social Network is my film of the week but both Alice Creed and The Social Network are still equally in with a shout for film of the year. 

3D is officially dying

As you may not know I don't like 3D and here is why in very basic bullet points.

1. It gives me a really bad headache and I mean a really bad headache
2. You have to sit in a certain point of the room or the theater for it to work well. If you sit at the side of the theater you are fucked.
3. and this this is the main one and I better use bold in case movie makers or execs are reading this...It's adds fuck all to the film!!!!!!!!



So there you have as simple as possible but back to the original point...It's officially dying

                                                            Even Churchill is celebrating on 3D losing


I say it's dying because Warner Bros have just given 3D it's biggest blow to the technology. They were going to release the next Harry Potter film in 3D but will now only be releasing it in 2D in the cinemas.

Now this may not mean much to some peoples mind but belive me...It's a big blow for 3D. Warner Bros for starters decided the digital war between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray by choosing to give up on HD-DVD and release their High Definition films solely on Blu-Ray...Well Sony did pay them mind.
But if you have a big studio which houses Batman, Superman and Harry Potter etc saying no to 3D. You just know that Hollywood has lost faith in 3D and is indeed just a phase, which is what I have been saying right from the start.
Not only that but the writing is pretty much on the wall with only two percent of Britons want a 3DTV and about sixty seven percent of the Japanese not waning it with about thirty percent thinking about getting one.

But I'm sure the studios made their decision on this information via FT.com
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e709eee-a892-11df-86dd-00144feabdc0.html

"It was hailed as the great saviour of the film industry, but since 3D technology propelled Avatar to a record-breaking $2.73bn box-office haul, fears are growing that Hollywood is endangering its profitable new format.

Several 3D films have topped the box office charts this year, including Alice in Wonderland and Clash of the Titans. Yet, a string of recent 3D films has stumbled at the box office, notably Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, which flopped, and Step Up 3D, which made less than the first two films in the dance series, both of which were released in 2D."

I think 3D was used to hide something which they should be doing when making a film, again from the same site

"“The studios are guilty of short-term thinking,” says Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, which tracks film box-office performance. “They all jumped on the 3D bandwagon but they’re avoiding the real issue, which is their bankruptcy regarding storytelling.”"

Thats the real reason they converted some films as 3D to hide the fact the film was rubbish and using 3D as a device to sell films that they knew sucked, cost nothing to make with little effort from them required.
So instead of working on a script, idea etc which can take time and money to do, they use (used now really as 3D doesn't work anymore financially) 3D as a way to make money by doing little to no effort...A guaranteed way of making money so they thought.

Some people say technology improves films bla bla but I beg to differ.I mean just look at the films in the seventies and eighties where they didn't have digital effects to work with, The Godfather, Chinatown, Star Wars, Superman, Blade Runner, The Thing and Indiana Jones. What made those films great was hard work and clearly heart...Thats what studios should look for in films to make money...Not some silly gimmick like 3D and treat film audiences like idiots. But luckily and to finish on a more positive note, we have people working today in films who show the "rules" .("Shia Leboef has to be in it as coincidently he's in financially successful films at the moment" bla bla) to the studios are just daft.

                                                Yeah stuff you silly ill thought out rules!!!!!!!!

This weeks reviews!!!!!

Omen 3:The Final Conflict

Plot

The final Conflict tells the progression of the now adult Damien Thorn to position of earthly power, set against the countdown to the Second Coming and attempts of a group of priests to kill the Antichrist.

Review

Well this film film opened up so nicely but very quickly fell flat with bad dialogue and terrible directing.

The script had it's moments don't get me wrong and it had some good ideas, as well as a couple of good deaths on par of the first Omen film.

                                               This is one of those good deaths

But it clearly needed another draft as some parts either dragged, just to move plot along or the tension was not there at all.

The main thing that kept this film going was Sam Neill as Damien, who was fantastic in this and gave a great performance and was always interesting in the film.

I also felt the director added to the problems with scenes that dragged on when they were suppose to build atmosphere when it cleary didn't.

                                   If only he came back to make the third one...Could have been a cracking movie

                                                                        

Final word

Poor film but has it has it's moments with a great performance from Sam Neill. No where near as good as the first Omen

Don't Say a Word

Plot

When the daughter of a psychiatrist is kidnapped, he's horrified to discover that the abductors' demand is that he break through to a post traumatic stress disorder suffering young woman who knows a secret...

Review

Terrible film after 40 mins there was still no tension and just turned it off as I got fed up of waiting for the film to start.

A big, noisy mess, with a howler at its center.

                                 Here I found an odd and rather pervy screenshots of Brittney Murphy while I was looking for a film poster for this blog...Honest

Final word

For the love of God...Avoid!!!!!!

The Omen

Plot

Gregory Peck is the ambassador to the United States who's wife has a stillborn child. Without her knowledge, he substitutes another baby as theirs. A few years go by, and then grisly deaths begin to happen. The child's nanny hangs herself and a priest is speared to death in a freak accident. It turns out the child is the son of Satan and can only be killed with the seven daggers of Meggado.

Review

Seen it before but as it was on TV I thought I would watch it again.

Well it's still a classic and a film so under-rated - mostly because it was released in the shadow of The Exorcist in 70's. The Omen is not only a much scarier and more enjoyable film, I also think it's a better made one.

Also felt The Exorcist was rubbish but that not the film I'm reviewing here.

                                        Gregory Peck and David Warner in a film that has no robots in it.

Thought Gregory Peck was fantastic in this and you really root/agree with him in the film with good suporting performances from Patrick Troughton and David Warner.

The tension in the film never stops for one second with the mysterious orgins of their son Damien, the devils deciples and deaths in the film. I couldn't recomended the film anymore to anyone of all backgrounds, as I felt the main problem with The Exorcist for example was the "good vs evil" element which to me made the film boring and one sided. This did the "good vs evil" and wasn't one sided and worked perfectly.

Final word

Classic film still and watch it if you can.

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Plot

In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice (Jovovich), continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead - and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap.

Review

Well I managed to get a hold of an advance copy of Resident Evil Afterlife and what a suprise it was rubbish.

Thought the film was a run of the mill predictable Hollywood film. Once again slow motion actions scenes are everywhere to be seen with a production value on par to a b-movie film.

Paul WS Anderson returns as director and clearly wasn't happy with Claire Redfield and Alice in the previous films.

                                                       Love the game...Hate the films

As Alice right from the start loses her super human strength while Claire Redfield loses her memory but in the film gets part of her memory back to explain/further the plot in certain parts. Basiclly she was used to explain to the audiance what was going on in plot and couldn't have been more forced into the story.

Also felt like I needed to see the previous film to understand a couple of the flashbacks at the start of the film which I find really poor writing in general, when the viewer needs to see the previous film to enjoy the one he/she is currently watching.

                                           I am not watching this just for an explanation for five minutes of Afterlife

Good examples of films where you could watch a sequel without needing to see the previous film are The Dark Knight, The Empire Strikes Back and the Godfather Part 2. Bad example is Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3.

Also wasn't amussed with the cheap and poor copy of Dawn of the Dead which made up a fair chunck of the film.

                                            Oh yeah and The Matrix at the beginning clearly

It didn't help that the film pretty much ends where we started and there will clearly be another Resident Evil film as this has taken the most money, as well as leaving it clearly for another film.

Final word

If you like crap and brainless films that are all over the place, silly slow motion actions scenes (these tend to make me full asleep) and a plot so simple a five year old could come up with better, then this is the film for you.

Jonah Hex

Plot

Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone…and anything. Having survived death, Jonah’s violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the “other side.” His only human connection is with Leila (Megan Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own. 

But Jonah’s past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can’t refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). But Turnbull, who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah’s oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead. Based on the legendary graphic novel, “Jonah Hex” is an epic adventure thriller about one man’spersonal quest for redemption against the vast canvas of the battle between good and evil. 

Review

Wow what a stinker would like to know why they bothered with re-shoots for this one as it still sucked.

                                                                  How did this photo get here????

Total joke of a film with bland characters, a boring plot and terrible acting to go with it. Even Brolin and Fassbender couldn't save this film. Turned it off after the 40 min rule.

                                                          Bloody Hell not again...My finger must have slipped.

Final word

Total mess of a film and WB shouldn't have bothered with the re-shoots to save themselves money and my time. I'm sure this film will be forgotton about very soon.

Big movie news: Snyder has been chosen to direct Superman

As the title says Zack Snyder has been chosen to direct the next Superman film.

Now for those of you who have no idea who he is, he's the guy who directed the Dawn of the Dead remake, 300 and Watchmen.

So if you have seen those films you will agree they are mediocre or average. Dawn of the Dead was half a good film and removed the political undertone of George A Romero's original film with the tension completely removed as well.

                                   George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead


300 was good mind and based on a shit (Well I didn't like it but other have loved it) graphic novel by Frank Miller and was a typical forgettable Hollywood film with annoying slow motion based action scenes with cheesy dialog.

                                                       Snyder's film 300

Watchmen is also based on a graphic novel (which is brilliant btw) by Alan Moore and was a complete mess of a film. The graphic novel has been said by many that it's completely unfiilmable and I agree but Snyder thought different clearly.

The biggest problem with Snyder on Watchmen was that he tried to film pretty much the whole graphic novel, which is just daft as it's so dense and tells a narrative in parts that is totally impossible to translate to film. Not only that but from watching the film he is clearly a Watchmen fanboy and couldn't accept that parts of the novel couldn't fit into the film.

                          Yes I agree the costumes in this film look "Batman & Robin" bad.

I always felt it could as a film but you do have cut away certain parts or make character in the story smaller. Snyder made it a multi character story like the novel.

        Jackie Earle Haley and on the right is the character Rorschach who he plays in the film

 But I think it would have worked better if he used the character Rorschach as the main character and approached it like the film Blade Runner as a detective noir story.

Once again as well he gets a bit to attached to slow motion and the characters who are suppose to be human have superhuman strength and reflexes.


So...

Thats Snyder and some of my thoughts on him and as you can see, I think he's a poor choice for Superman. Nice fella mind from interview I have seen and read of him but when it comes to watching his films I tend to get a little nervous if anything.
I wish they stuck with Bryan Singer now even though I thought Superman Returns was rubbish. I still think they should have just rebooted the franchise like with Batman Begins.
Oh well I'm still gonna watch it and come out of the cinema moaning about it like Comic Book guy in the Simpsons "Worse film ever!!!!! It's so bad I'm only going to watch seven more times...today"

I'm such an easy sell  :(