Film Review: AUSTRALIA (2008)

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Running time: 159 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 12

Watched on Sky+ Wednesday 30th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is one of those big rolling epic films that sometimes you wish people wouldn’t make. I saw the version cut for TV that, at a massive 159 minutes, was quite long enough for me. In fact it would have been batter to expand the second half and make it as two films, IMHO. Anyhow, I digress; the film is set just at the beginning of World War Two in Darwin and at the cattle station of Faraway Downs.

Lady Sarah Ashley has travelled from England to find out what her husband is doing about selling the Faraway Downs property. Unfortunately she arrives just after he has been killed. She decides to move the cattle from the property to Darwin and use the profits to keep the property going. To do this she enlists the help of Drover, a local cattle man, his man Magarri, a few others and, most importantly, Nullah. Now Nullah has an aboriginal mother and a white father, Fletcher who is the son-in-law of the major landowner in the area, Carney. Fletcher wants nobody to know about the boy because of his wife and her connections and so he is trying to get him taken away to a mission for such children. As they are driving the cattle to Darwin, Carney gets wind of what they are doing and sends Fletcher to stop them. He nearly succeeds but they manage to get there and sell the cattle under the nose of Carney. Lady Sarah asks Drover to become her station manager which he, at first, refuses but later relents when it’s clear that the two are more than just friends. At this point we’re about half way through, & I’ve missed an awful lot out, so I’m going to leave my summary here as I don’t want to spoil the second half of the movie for you (honest).

As I said at the beginning this is a rolling epic film. It’s almost like one of those massive westerns they used to make, but set in Australia. Technically it’s pretty well made; some of the action scenes when Darwin is being bombed by the Japanese are really well done. Decent performances from the leading cast members, Nicole Kidman as Lady Sarah Ashley, Hugh Jackman as Drover, Brandon Walters as Nullah, David Ngoombujarra as Magarri, David Wenham as Neil Fletcher and Bryan Brown as King Carney.

As I said at the beginning, this should have been two films, one establishing Lady Sarah’s role and the drove to Darwin, and one showing what ensued including the bombing of Darwin. It’s almost like the filmmakers were trying to tell a story that is too big and I don’t feel they succeeded. I got that Lady Sarah and Drover fell in love, but I didn’t get her strong connection to Nullah, very important in the second half of the film. It kind of fell flat for me there and never really got going again. Maybe I found the plot a bit too predictable, I don’t know. But there you have it, it’s long, it’s a love story and there’s some bombing. Not sure I’d recommend it, but fans of romance movies may find something in it.

My score: 6.1/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0455824/
Official Site: http://www.australiamovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1784152089/

Film Review: AVATAR (2009)

Director: James Cameron
Running time: 162 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Watched at the cinema Tuesday 29th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have been waiting for the chance to see this film for quite a while now and I finally got it today. The gods were against me, it seemed, what with bad weather or other social engagements, I thought I’d missed it. Fortunately I saw a window of opportunity and took it. And believe me I was NOT disappointed!

Jake Sully is a marine whose twin brother had trained to control an Avatar on the wild moon called Pandora. Unfortunately he was killed and Jake, himself a paraplegic, was persuaded to take his place, given he has the same genetic make-up as his brother. The program is run by Dr. Grace Augustine and Jake takes to controlling the Avatar very easily. A group of them venture into the forest where an accident leaves Jake stranded there at night where he meets Neytiri, a native Na’vi. Gaining her trust, he is taken back to the tribal village where Neytiri is tasked with teaching him the ways of her people. Now, being an ex-marine, Jake is persuaded by Colonel Miles Quaritch to find out as much about the Na’vi as he can in order to give the military an advantage over them. At first he does this willingly, but as he learns more about them he comes to appreciate their way of life and he also falls for Neytiri. Having found the biggest deposits of Unobtanium (stupid name, I know), a very valuable ore, are to be found under their village, Parker Selfridge, the representative for the Resources Development Administration orders the troops into Na’vi territory. I’ll leave my short summary here, there is a lot I’ve missed out and a lot more to come, but I urge you to go and see it on the big screen, you’ll thank me.

Although I did find the story a little predictable, I absolutely loved the experience of watching this film. It is absolutely stunning to look at. There is a sequence where the Na’vi are catching and bonding with Mountain Banshee's, flying creatures, that is breathtaking. All of the cast did a great job, Sam Worthington as Jake Scully, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon, Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, Joel Moore as Norm Spellman, CCH Pounder as Moat and Wes Studi as Eytukan.

Technically, I cannot fault it, the effects are stunning, it’s almost like you are taken to Pandora for 162 minutes. As I said before the story is a little predictable, but it looks stunning and I urge you to see it on the big screen. I only saw it in 2D and it looked impressive enough to me, so if you get the chance I can highly recommend it.

My score: 8.6/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/
Official Site: http://www.avatarmovie.com/index.html
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi531039513/

Film Review: FROST/NIXON (2008)

Director: Ron Howard
Running time: 117 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on Sky+ Monday 28th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Based on a play by Peter Morgan, this film tells the story of how the British TV presenter David Frost got the interview of a lifetime with disgraced ex-president Richard Nixon. It also tells how Frost got Nixon to admit to his wrongdoings in the Watergate affair that caused his resignation in 1974. The interviews took place in a house in California in 1977.

The film begins with David Frost having the idea to interview Richard Nixon soon after his resignation. A deal is struck with the ex-president’s people and Frost just has to secure the backing and a deal with an American TV network. None of them are interested and so Frost decides to do the interviews anyway and syndicate them afterwards. This leaves him with the problem of financing the whole thing himself. He assembles a team, James Reston, Jr., an American political writer who has written books on Nixon, John Birt, a producer from England and Bob Zelnick, a TV editor from America. Nixon’s staunchest ally in this is his former chief of staff, Jack Brennan. At first the interviews go well for the former president, Frost allows him to ramble on, avoiding any sensitive issues. As time passes though, he becomes much more aggressive but the former President is a worthy adversary. We get to the final day’s filming and they are going to talk about Watergate when Frost has a revelation. I’m not going to give it away though, but it’s really worth seeing.

Technically, a very well made film, it’s right up there with films like Apollo 13 (1995), by the same director, for getting the audience involved with the subject matter. Great performances from the two main protagonists, Frank Langella as Richard Nixon and Michael Sheen as David Frost. Honourable mentions also go to, Sam Rockwell as James Reston, Jr., Kevin Bacon as Jack Brennan, Matthew Macfadyen as John Birt, Oliver Platt as Bob Zelnick and Rebecca Hall as Caroline Cushing, Frost’s love interest.

I found it a very compelling film to watch, beautifully paced and brilliantly acted. These are events that happened in my lifetime, although I must admit, as a teenager at the time they did pass me by somewhat. I didn’t expect to enjoy this film as much as I did and I highly recommend it.

My score: 8.2/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0870111/
Official Site: http://www.frostnixon.net/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3600351257/

Film Review: THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX (2008)

Directors: Sam Fell & Robert Stevenhagen
Running time: 90 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): U

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 26th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Set in the mythical city of Dor to where a small mouse, Despereaux, is born. He is different to all the other mice in that he doesn’t cower when threatened and is all in all a brave little mouse. Events prior to his birth, however, have shaped the world he lives in. A rat, Roscuro arrived by ship on ‘Royal Soup Day’ and is mesmerised by the aroma of the soup. He finds his way to the Royal dining room and, distracted by the sights, sounds and smells, accidentally falls in the queen’s soup. The queen has a heart attack and dies. Roscuro is chased into a vent that lands him in the deep dark dungeons where the really bad rats live. The king in his grief orders soup to be forbidden and rats banished, and the city falls into eternal darkness and famine. Roscuro meanwhile, meets Botticelli, the brutal leader of the rat world.

In an effort to make Despereaux more like other mice, his brother takes him into the library, where is supposed to nibble the pages of books. Unfortunately, he learns to read and is inspired by tales of knights and their brave deeds. He finds and befriends Princess Pea, who is sad because of the way the city has become. Upon finding out that Despereaux has broken the law by speaking with a human; the Mouse Council banishes him to the dungeons, where he is saved from the other rats by Roscuro. Despereaux tells Roscuro of the princess’s gloom, which touches the rat. Roscuro approaches the princess to apologize, but she is terrified of him and he is chased out. Hurt, he decides to kidnap the princess. He enlists the help of a servant girl, Miggery Sow, whom he later double crosses, and locks in a cell. The princess it taken by the rats and it’s up to Despereaux to rescue her. I think that’s enough of the plot, I don’t want to give away too many spoilers.

This is really a film of two halves, the first half was good, charming and worked, whereas the second half was a bit of a train wreck. Up until the point where Roscuro kidnaps the princess it’s fine, but from that point onwards it becomes a real mess. There are pointless sub-plots and some really crazy characters, not least the vegetable spirit in the kitchen. Decent enough performances from the voice talents of, Matthew Broderick as Despereaux, Dustin Hoffman as Roscuro, Emma Watson as Princess Pea, Tracey Ullman as Miggery Sow, Kevin Kline as Andre, William H. Macy as Lester, Stanley Tucci as Boldo, Ciarán Hinds as Botticelli, Robbie Coltrane as Gregory and Sigourney Weaver as the Narrator.

To be honest I felt a little disappointed by this film. It showed a lot of promise for the first half, but veered so far off target in the second. The animation was pretty good but the story let it down big style. This is why I find I cannot give it a very high score; I think the report card should read ‘Could do better!’

My score: 5.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0420238/
Official Site: http://www.thetaleofdespereauxmovie.com/splash/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3839623449/

Film Review: QUARANTINE (2008)

Director: John Erick Dowdle
Running time: 86 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 18

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 26th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a remake of the Spanish film [Rec] (2007) which, for the record, I have not seen. The setting is Los Angeles where a young reporter, Angela Vidal is following the LA Fire Department for the night shift. She has her cameraman with her, Scott Percival and is assigned to follow two firemen, Jake and Fletcher.

The film begins pretty light hearted with Angela being shown around the fire station where she does the usual sliding down the pole, etc. Things are looking pretty dull until they are called out to a building where the screams of a woman in her apartment have alerted the authorities. The police have already arrived by the time they get there and the firemen are forced to break the woman’s door down when they can get no reply from her. They find a very frightened elderly woman who eventually attacks one of the policemen, biting him on the neck. The take the policeman downstairs leaving Fletcher alone with the old lady. A few minutes’ later Fletcher lands in the foyer of the building having been thrown two floors down the stairwell. On top of this, they find they cannot get out of the building, it has been quarantined and outside they can hear helicopters and sirens. I won’t say too much more as I don’t want to give too many spoilers away.

We see all the action through the eyes of the cameraman, Scott, a style that seems to have been in vogue since The Blair Witch Project (1999). I guess, because of this, I found the film to be a little disjointed at times and the action a little bit too chaotic. Decent performances from the main cast members, Jennifer Carpenter as Angela Vidal (who you may know better as ‘Debra Morgan’ in the TV show "Dexter"), Steve Harris as Scott Percival, Jay Hernandez as Jake, Columbus Short as Danny Wilensky and Rade Serbedzija as Yuri Ivanov.

A pretty exciting horror film that, through the middle section at least, kept me on the edge of my seat. Towards the end it did get kind of predictable, but I’ll forgive that for the exciting middle section. Certainly not one for the squeamish, it’s pretty gory in places. Over all, an exciting horror/thriller that keeps you guessing, for the most part, pretty well made but for a little over-acting and a slightly predictable ending.

My score: 5.9/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1082868/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/quarantine/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3133276441/

Film Review: INKHEART (2008)

Director: Iain Softley
Running time: 106 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): PG

Watched on Sky+ Monday 21st December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I quite like fantasy films, even ones made for younger audiences, in fact Stardust (2007) is one of my all-time favourite films. I remember there being quite a lot of hype about this film when it came out and so I was interested to see it. Particularly given that there were quite a few big names in the cast.

Mo Folchart is a ‘silvertongue’, this means when he reads aloud the characters he is reading about literally come to life in the real world. One day he is reading from a book called Inkheart to his young daughter when some of the characters, in particular the evil Capricorn, appear. Mo and his daughter, Meggie, are saved by Dustfinger but his wife has disappeared. Years later Mo is trying to track down copies of the, now rare, Inkheart, but he hasn’t told Meggie about exactly what happened to her mother. They go to Italy to see Meggie’s aunt, Elinor Loredan and it is here that Dustfinger catches up with them. He wants Mo to read him back to the world of his book but Mo is reluctant to do it fearing he might loose his daughter too. So Dustfinger has sold them out to Capricorn and they are taken to his castle where all kinds of other literary characters have been conjured by another, less able, ‘silvertongue’. After finding out that Mo’s wife has been brought back, but with no voice, Dustfinger is now in a quandary and Capricorn wants to bring ‘The Shadow’ into the real world and that would not be good! Things look pretty grim…

This is a very well made film that, in my opinion just fails to hit the mark. I think the mix of the fantasy world with the real world doesn’t really work in this case. There are some really good special effects; ‘The Shadow’ in particular is very menacing and really well done. Decent performances from all of the main cast, Brendan Fraser as Mo Folchart, Eliza Bennett as Meggie Folchart, Paul Bettany as Dustfinger, Helen Mirren as Elinor Loredan, Andy Serkis as Capricorn and Jim Broadbent as Fenoglio. Special mention for Brendan Fraser, it’s good to see him in a more straight acting role for a change, I hope he sticks with it; I’m not a fan of his ‘hamming it up’ roles. Also I thought Andy Serkis was an excellent bad guy.

Over all, a pretty well made fantasy adventure that didn’t quite hit the mark. I thought the plot was too complicated, particularly for a younger audience, but there were some good performances. The special effects were pretty good but this didn’t make up for an over complicated storyline.

My score: 5.7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0494238/
Official Site: http://www.inkheartmovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1905656601/

Film Review: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993)

Director: Henry Selick
Producer & Writer: Tim Burton
Running time: 6 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): PG

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 20th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I was flicking channels this morning when I noticed that ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ was coming on next on one particular channel. Quickly I set my trusty Sky+ box to record. And so late this afternoon I settled down to watch this wonderful film that I have seen just once before. It was great to watch it again and even better than the first time I watched it!

Here’s a quick summary: Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town is a bit disenchanted with the whole Halloween thing. He goes for a walk in the woods with his dog and they come across a grove of trees with strange symbols on their trunks, like doors. Intrigued with the door that looks like a decorated fir tree he opens it and is transported to Christmas Town. There he is enchanted with the whole idea of Christmas and a plan starts to form. Halloween Town would make Christmas their own next year with Jack playing the role of Santa. He gets the Mayor to organise all the ghosts, ghouls, vampires and various creatures of the night to make presents and he gets Sally to make his costume, although she has misgivings about the whole affair. For the plan to work they must kidnap Santa Claus and he selects Lock, Stock and Barrel for this task, although they are in league with the evil Oogie Boogie. With preparations all made and Santa safely tucked away, Jack sets off to distribute joy and presents to the world… or so he thinks…

As I said at the beginning, I found this film both enchanting and wonderful. From the imagination of Tim Burton I guess we could expect no less. Everything from the way the animation is done to the many songs, it was quite a wild ride, but one well worth taking! Great performances from the voice talents of Danny Elfman as Jack Skellington (singing) / Barrel / Clown with the Tear away Face, Chris Sarandon as Jack Skellington (speaking), Catherine O'Hara as Sally / Shock, William Hickey as Dr. Finkelstein, Glenn Shadix as Mayor, Paul Reubens as Lock, Ken Page as Oogie Boogie and Edward Ivory as Santa.

Over all, a truly magical journey through a really strange take on Christmas, but one that will leave you most satisfied. If you haven’t seen it before I can highly recommend it, but maybe not for the very young though.

My score: 8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/
Official Site: The Nightmare Before Christmas (Disney site)
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi2168717337/

Film Review: THE ROCKER (2008)

Director: Peter Cattaneo
Running time: 102 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 12A

Watched on Sky+ Wednesday 16th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I was in a rock band, yes, this forty-something was a drummer in a band. Unfortunately The Antibodies didn’t really get anywhere, but it’s an experience I wouldn’t swap for the world. This is why I found myself drawn to this film, thinking, I really hope it’s better than ‘School of Rock’. And guess what, it is! More of that later…

Robert ‘Fish’ Fishman is the drummer with ‘80’s up-and-coming band ‘Vesuvius’ who are on the verge of signing a major record deal. Unfortunately for Fish, part of the deal is that he is replaced. We now fast-forward twenty years to the present day where Vesuvius are major stars and Robert is in s dead-end job that he has just lost. He goes to live with his sister whose son. Matt, is in a band along with Curtis and Amelia. They are called A.D.D. and are playing at the prom but are short of a drummer. Robert is persuaded to play and he really enjoys it. He develops a friendship with the guitarist and song writer Curtis and tries to get them a gig. He succeeds and they steal his sister’s car to go but are arrested and returned home. Finding themselves grounded, Matt finds a way to connect them via the internet so they can practice. Fish just happens to be drumming naked and Matt’s sister records the footage and puts it in the net. After about a million hits on the site a record company becomes interested and the band is booked into a studio. I won’t say any more about the plot, don’t want to give away too many spoilers!

Quite a well made film, but typical of the modern comedy in that most of the funny bits aren’t so funny (to me). Decent performances from Rainn Wilson as Robert ‘Fish’ Fishman, Christina Applegate as Kim (Curtis’s mum), Teddy Geiger as Curtis, Josh Gad as Matt Gadd, Emma Stone as Amelia and Jeff Garlin as Stan.

I guess there were two things that made this film stand out for me. One was the fact that there was actually a coherent storyline, too often the story gets lost amongst all the one-liners and stunts. The second was a really good soundtrack, most of the songs were original and most excellent, to pinch a line from the infamous ‘Bill & Ted’. Over all a pretty enjoyable film with a decent story and about two funny bits, but most of all a really good soundtrack!

My score: 6.9/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1031969/
Official Site: http://www.bearocker.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2648899865/

Film Review: THE DESCENT: PART 2 (2009)

Director: Jon Harris
Running time: 94 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Watched at the cinema Saturday 12th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Having seen and quite enjoyed The Descent (2005) I was looking forward to the sequel. I was keen to see how they would move the story on, maybe some background on how the creatures came to evolve in the caves or some kind of scientific expedition. No, neither of these scenarios were considered, it was just a dumb rescue mission story. I should have guessed from the advertising, telling us it is the “Sh*t Scared Film of the Decade!” But I digress, I’ll tell you a bit about the plot and then I’ll tell you what I really think.

At the end of The Descent (2005), one of the characters, Sarah escapes the caves by putting a climbing axe through the leg of Juno to attract the creatures. This film picks up where that one left off with Sarah outside the cave, delirious, and finding a passer-by in a truck. By this time a search and rescue mission has begun, but they are looking in the wrong cave system. Desperate to find the missing party, the sheriff, Vaines, and his deputy, Rios, take Sarah in a catatonic state, back to where a dog has followed her trail and the right caves. With them are a small rescue party, Greg, Cath and Dan. It’s not long before they have their first encounter with the creatures and Sarah begins to remember the events that had preceded. Of course, certain members of the party are taken by the creatures as they get separated from each other. Just as Vaines is being attacked he is rescued by Juno who has survived and is still trying to find a way out. I’ll leave it there; I think that’s enough spoilers for one day!

Some decent cinematography and the creature effects were very well done, but far from the “Sh*t Scared Film of the Decade” I was lead to believe it was. What we basically had was the original film re-made with some of the cavers having the advantage of having been there before. Decent performances from the main cast members, Shauna Macdonald as Sarah, Natalie Jackson Mendoza as Juno, Krysten Cummings as Rios and Gavan O'Herlihy as Vaines. In the end though, I found it pretty disappointing and not one I can particularly recommend.

My score: 4.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1073105/
Official Site: http://www.thedescent2.co.uk/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3770025241/

Film Review: PATHFINDER (2007)

Director: Marcus Nispel
Running time: 106 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on DVD Monday 7th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

First of all, I have to admit I have (sort of) seen this movie before. Unfortunately I tried to watch it when I was really tired the first time around and ended up falling asleep about half way through. This time, however, I have the ‘Extended Edition’ on DVD and managed to stay awake all the way through! Set in North America in about 800 AD, that’s 600 years before Columbus, it tells the story of a Viking boy shipwrecked and found by a tribe of Natives. He is brought up as one of their own and grows to be a strong warrior called Ghost. He is somewhat shunned by boys his own age because of the colour of his skin, but he keeps the Viking sword that was found with him and secretly practices with it.

Fifteen years after he was first found, Ghost is out on a hunting trip when he is alerted to the return of the Vikings. They have raided his village and killed almost everyone in it. He tries to fight back but they are too powerful and he is injured escaping them. He goes to the next village and is nursed by Starfire, a young woman and her father, Pathfinder. When he’s rested he warns them to leave the village or they will all be killed, he had seen it before as a boy before the shipwreck. The villagers pack up and leave and Ghost sets off to delay the Vikings and possibly lead them astray. Unknown to him, Starfire has followed him and is in danger of being captured. The leader of the Vikings, Gunnar, has found out who Ghost is and knew his father. I’ll leave it there, not too many spoilers this time.

Made in a style similar to films like, 300 (2006) and Sin City (2005), it almost has the feel of a graphic novel. There is plenty of blood splatter and gore to go around. Fortunately there is not much CGI; a lot of physical stunt work was used, which was nice to see. Decent enough performance from all of the leading cast, honourable mentions go to Karl Urban as Ghost, Moon Bloodgood as Starfire, Russell Means as Pathfinder, Clancy Brown as Gunnar and Jay Tavare as Blackwing.

Unfortunately the plot and pace of this film seems to meander around before it decides to go anywhere. I found it hard to place exactly where the characters were from one minute to the next. The plot seemed to get lost in the middle and only began to take shape again towards the end. Over all, some good stunts, plenty of gore but unfortunately not a lot of direction.

My score: 5.2/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0446013/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi4020175129/

Film Review: THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (2008)

Director: Rob Minkoff
Running time: 100 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 12

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 5th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Legend has it that the Monkey King, a fierce and respected warrior, was tricked by the Jade Warlord and turned to stone. Before this happened, he sent his weapon, a fighting staff, out into the world to hide it from the Warlord. It is said that someone would return it to him and when that day came the Jade Emperor would return to the world and free it from the tyranny of the Warlord.

A teenager from Boston, Jason Tripitikas, is obsessed with old Kung Fu movies. He gets bootleg films from Old Hop, who owns a pawn shop in Chinatown. On one of his visits there he finds an old mysterious staff tucked away in a back room. Old Hop shoo’s him out of the shop and he sets off home only to be confronted by a gang of local thugs. They know that he goes to the pawn shop and plan to rob the old man, using Jason as a means to get inside. They get to the store and start searching for the money when the old man tries to stop them. The leader pulls out a gun and shoots the old man. In a panic, Jason grabs the staff and runs for the roof. He seems cornered when the staff seems to push him over the edge. The next thing he knows he’s in ancient China! There he meets Lu Yan, a drunk who knows Kung Fu; he also meets Golden Sparrow, a female musician who is on a mission to kill the Jade Warlord. These two save Jason’s life when the Jade army come for him. They set off towards the Mountain where the Warlord lives and Jason persuades Lu Yan to teach him Kung Fu on the way. A mysterious silent monk takes the staff one day but ends up travelling with them and also teaching Jason the ways of Kung Fu. As they approach the mountain a witch is waiting for them, sent by the Jade Warlord. I’ll leave the summary there; I think you’ve had enough spoilers for now!

A very well made film with some truly excellent fight sequences, but with the likes of Jackie Chan and Jet Li in the cast, I would expect nothing less. I must admit it’s nice to see Jackie Chan in a more classical Chinese fantasy type role as opposed to the more Westernised roles he tends to play these days. Great performances from all of the cast, honourable mentions go to Jet Li as The Monkey King / The Silent Monk, Michael Angarano as Jason Tripitikas, Jackie Chan as Lu Yan / Old Hop, Yifei Liu as Golden Sparrow / Chinatown Girl and Collin Chou as Jade Warlord.

Over all, quite an entertaining film with a lot of very good fight sequences. The only thing that slightly let it down was the fact that one or two of the fight sequences went on a little too long, and the plot was a little weak in couple of places. Apart from that, pretty entertaining stuff!

My score: 6.5/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0865556/
Official Site: http://www.forbiddenkingdommovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1605501209/

Film Review: BODY OF LIES (2008)

Director: Ridley Scott
Running time: 128 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on Sky+ Wednesday 2nd December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Set against the war on terror, this film deals with the work of the CIA and their efforts to capture one of the terrorist leaders. Seen from the perspective of Roger Ferris, an agent on the ground, and Ed Hoffman, his handler back in the USA, it gives an interesting perspective to events in the region. Throw into the mix an enigmatic Jordanian security chief and a Muslim nurse who Ferris is interested in, and you have an enthralling espionage thriller.

As I said at the beginning, Roger Ferris is the agent on the ground, and we begin with him watching a suspect being tortured to death. Not a promising start, I know, but it does illustrate the point that torture does not work. Through several twists and turns, he picks up the trail of the terrorist leader Al-Saleem. We mostly see Ed Hoffman on the phone while taking his kids to school, or in the office, but when things really hot up, he makes the trip to Jordan where they are watching a safe house. They have solicited the help of the Jordanian security chief Hani Salaam, an enigmatic character who insists that Ferris always tells him the truth. Ferris has met a nurse, Aisha, and their relationship is just beginning to flourish when she is kidnapped. Thinking Al-Saleem is behind it, Ferris offers himself in exchange for the girl. And this is where I’m going to stop; I don’t want to give away too many spoilers!

A very well made film, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Ridley Scott. Technically, I couldn’t fault it, the only problems I found were that the plot was very complicated to follow and it was a little long. Great performances from all of the cast, honourable mentions go to Leonardo DiCaprio as Roger Ferris, Russell Crowe as Ed Hoffman, Mark Strong as Hani Salaam, Golshifteh Farahani as Aisha, Oscar Isaac as Bassam, Ali Suliman as Omar Sadiki and Alon Abutbul as Al-Saleem.

I think I would have to re-watch this one to give it a fair go, but I will score it on my first viewing. Should I watch it again, I will re-score it. Over all, apart from the comments I made earlier, I quite enjoyed this film. Although it does help that I am a massive fan of the director.

My score: 6.5/10 (on first viewing)

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0758774/
Official Site: http://wwws.warnerbros.co.uk/bodyoflies/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1783038233/