Wednesday 30 June 2010

Film Review: DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM (2009)


Director: Patrick Alessandrin
Running time: 97 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

France release date: 18th February 2009

Watched on Sky+ Wednesday 30th June 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This French film is the sequel to the equally French film, District 13 (2004), which, unfortunately, I have not seen. The setting is Paris in the not too distant future, 2013 according to the subtitles, where District 13 has been walled off from the rest of the French capital. It seems that the government has forgotten the people that live there who have split into factions and live outside the law.

A cop, Capt. Damien Tomaso, has been framed by a government run unit called DISS, headed by the rather nasty Walter Gassman. There is a plot to evacuate District 13 so a new development can be built for the rich. The plot is uncovered by Damien’s friend, Leïto, who helps him escape from police custody. Now on the run, the pair has to unite the factions in District 13 in order to thwart the governments plan. But time is running out.

As I said at the beginning, I have not seen the original film, District 13, so I can’t judge whether this is better or not. It’s certainly well made with some really exciting fight sequences and some really great free running. Good performances from all of the major cast, Cyril Raffaelli as Capt. Damien Tomaso, David Belle as Leïto, Philippe Torreton as Le président de la République and Daniel Duval as Walter Gassman.

Quite an enjoyable film to watch, but it did seem to lack a little depth. A lot of the characters seemed a bit one-dimensional. If nothing else, it’s worth watching for the fight sequences and the free running, some of this stuff is really outstanding. I hear the first film is better but I’ll be able to judge when I’ve seen it. Over all, pretty entertaining although the story line is a little simplistic, but still, recommended.

My score: 6.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1247640/
Official Site (French): http://www.b13ultimatum-lefilm.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2778924057/

Friday 25 June 2010

Film Review: THIS IS IT (2009)


Director: Kenny Ortega
Running time: 111 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

UK release date: 28th October 2009

Watched on Sky+ Friday 25th June 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

First of all, for the record, I am not an avid Michael Jackson fan. I admired him as a performer and he also wrote a few tunes I have enjoyed over the years. Having said that, I thought it was a great loss to music when he died suddenly a year ago today. So I thought it would be apt to have a look at his final work on this anniversary to see just what his fans have been talking about all these years.

Michael had planned to do a series of shows at the O2 arena in London starting July 2009. This documentary shows footage of him rehearsing for these shows in Los Angeles. There is no commentary, just Michael, the dancers and musicians going through various numbers and routines in preparation for the show. This footage is interspersed by interviews with various band members and dancers. The interviews were all recorded before his death so we get a sense of great anticipation from all the performers. There is also footage of special set pieces that were to be projected throughout the show. For instance, we are shown the making of a special piece of footage shot in 3D for the song ‘Thriller’. All the hits are here, too many to mention, but the list even includes the Michael Jackson songs I like! I guess all the ardent Michael Jackson fans will have already seen this one.

First of all I must say that from what I could see on the screen it looks like it would have been a spectacular show. All the set pieces looked really great and Michael, although his singing voice was a little subdued in places, put in a great performance every time. I guess because it was not the finished article, and never will be, it does suffer a little for that. Over all, a must-see for all those ardent Michael Jackson fans out there. For those, like me, who have a passing interest, it’s still recommended because if you love music it’s worth seeing as an insight into the way Michael Jackson went about his work. Is it a fitting tribute? I’m really not the man to judge, but if you pressed me, I’d have to say yes.

My score: 7.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1477715/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/michaeljacksonthisisit/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1074463257/

Thursday 24 June 2010

Film Review: HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (2004)


Director: Yimou Zhang
Running time: 119 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

UK Release Date: 14th January 2005

Watched on DVD Thursday 24th June 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have watched a few foreign language films this year, more than usual, I guess I must be finding them interesting. They are certainly different to anything coming out of Hollywood that’s for sure. This one, not surprisingly, is no different. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the best film ever made, but it’s still very innovative and well worth the time taken to view it.

Xiao Mei is a blind dancer working at a high end brothel. Jin and Leo are two soldiers who believe she is the daughter of the, now dead, leader of the rebel group known as the House of Flying Daggers. In order to find the new leader, the pair decides to seduce Mei in the hope she will lead them to their quarry. So Mei is taken prisoner and Jin, dressed as an assassin, rescues her and they set off. Mei is wary of Jin until the second time they are attacked by a group of soldiers bent on killing them both and he saves her life. I don’t want to say too much more, but there are more surprises to come in this tale of love and revenge.

A visually stunning film, I can’t praise the cinematography too much. The fight sequences are all extremely well done also along with the special effects that were used. Very good performances from all of the leading cast, Takeshi Kaneshiro as Jin, Andy Lau as Leo, Ziyi Zhang as Xiao Mei and Dandan Song as Yee.

I liked the way the film started and I liked the middle section, but, for me, the ending seemed to lack the energy the preceding parts of the film showed. It’s almost like the focus was too much on the main event and the things that led up to it were forgotten. I’m trying very hard not to give too much away here, but I felt that a vital part of the story was left untold at the end. Having said that, it’s still very much worth seeing… Recommended!

My score: 7.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0385004/
Official Site: http://www.sonyclassics.com/houseofflyingdaggers/trailer-open.html
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi536085273/

Monday 21 June 2010

Film Review: THE DAMNED UNITED (2009)


Director: Tom Hooper
Running time: 98 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

UK Release Date: 27th March 2009

Watched on DVD Monday 21st June 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a film about football, or soccer if you prefer, but I’ll stick to football because that’s what it’s called in most parts of the world. It’s about football in the late 1960’s, early 1970’s and one man involved in the game in particular. The man is Brian Clough, sadly no longer with us, and the film tells of how he came to manage one of the biggest teams in England at the time, Leeds United.

The story begins with Brian managing Derby County who are struggling at the bottom of the second division. He is ably assisted by his friend Peter Taylor. The biggest and most successful team at the time are Leeds United, managed by Don Revie, who Brian admires greatly. Leeds have a very robust style of play that Brian does not like, he believes players with talent don’t need to use these tactics (and I agree with him). When Derby draws Leeds in the cup, Brian is excited to meet the man he admires, but when Revie snubs him he vows revenge. Brian and Peter then go all out to make Derby a successful team. They win promotion and eventually win the championship. Brian now finds he has problems with his chairman, Sam Longson, who believes Clough thinks he’s bigger than the club. It all culminates in Brian and Peter both getting the sack. As luck would have it, at the same time Don Revie leaves the Leeds job to take over as manager of England. Brian is asked by the Leeds board to come in as the new manager. The film goes on to tell of his 44 days in charge and how it affected him and those around him.

As a football fan I loved this film, it tells of events that happened during my lifetime and events that, although I was quite young, I still remember quite well. As a movie fan, I also liked this film very much; it’s very well made, inter-cutting archive footage with an excellent drama. A tremendous performance from Michael Sheen as Brian Clough, he really looked and sounded just like the man. Great performances also from Timothy Spall as Peter Taylor and Jim Broadbent as Sam Longson. Honourable mentions also go to Colm Meaney as Don Revie and Mark Bazeley as Austin Mitchell.

I guess if you’re not a football fan then it might be one to avoid, but it is a really good drama. Personally, I loved it, although I don’t support any of the teams the film is about, I can remember many of the events portrayed. Over all, an enthralling drama, a true story, set against the world of football in the late 60’s, early 70’s. If you’re a football (or soccer) fan, most definitely recommended, if not, then it’s still a very decent drama (still recommended).

My score: 8.3/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1226271/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.co.uk/movies/thedamnedunited/#/home/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3912499737/

Sunday 20 June 2010

Film Review: ANGELS & DEMONS (2009)


Director: Ron Howard
Running time: 138 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

UK release date: 14th May 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 20th June 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Having previously seen this at the cinema, I thought it might be interesting to give it a second viewing on the small screen.

I had read the Dan Brown novel before seeing the film. There are a lot of differences between the two, but the main plot line of the book remains. The main difference being that the part of the Camerlengo, played by Ewan McGregor, is portrayed as an Irish man as opposed to an Italian in the book. I will try to not dwell too much on the differences between the novel and the film, so as to review the film as a stand-alone work. I must say though that Ron Howard is one of my favourite directors, having directed some of my all-time favourite films, including Cocoon (1985), A Beautiful Mind (2001) and the absolutely brilliant Apollo 13 (1995).

The Pope has died and his successor is to be chosen from the conclave of assembled Cardinals. Four of their number, the preferitti, have been kidnapped and the other Cardinals are unaware that a bomb, comprised of antimatter, has been hidden in the Vatican. Symbologist Robert Langdon is called in and he must decipher clues left the ancient group known as the Illuminati before the bomb goes off and the four kidnapped Cardinals are murdered. He has the help of beautiful physicist Vittoria Vetra, whose father was killed when the antimatter for the bomb was stolen and the head of the Swiss Guard, who protect the Vatican City, Commander Richter. There are many plot twists in this tale of treachery and revenge, as more clues are revealed and the Illuminati take retribution for centuries of persecution.

This is an exciting thriller with some great action and a fast-moving plot. I thought the cinematography and the costumes were very well done. The setting is Rome and the Vatican City, although I have read that the Catholic Church banned filming in any church. Given that, the locations were excellent. The performances by all of the main characters were also excellent, Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, Ewan McGregor as Camerlengo Patrick McKenna, Ayelet Zurer as Vittoria Vetra and Stellan Skarsgård as Commander Richter. Honourable mentions go to Pierfrancesco Favino as Inspector Olivetti and Nikolaj Lie Kaas as the Assassin. Over all, an enjoyable, fast-moving thriller which had a quite complicated plot, so you have to concentrate. I did find it a little long though at 138 minutes but still recommended.

My score: 7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0808151/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/angelsanddemons/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1394934553/

Monday 14 June 2010

Film Review: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD (2008)


Director: Ji-woon Kim
Running time: 125 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

South Korea Release Date: 17th July 2008

Watched on Sky+ Monday 14th June 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I can’t say I’m the greatest fan of the Western, maybe I watched too many in my youth, they were the only films on TV in those days. I do, however like a good Spaghetti Western. So, to come across a South Korean Spaghetti-style Western, I was more than intrigued. Here’s a very short summary and then my thoughts.

It’s all about a treasure map, Park Chang-yi (the Bad) is sent to steal it, but is beaten to the punch by Yoon Tae-goo (the Weird). At the same time, bounty hunter Park Do-won (the Good) is out to get both of them. Throw into the mix a gang of bandits and the Japanese army all against the backdrop of the 1940’s war in Manchuria and you’ve got a pretty good powder keg ready to go off. I won’t go too much into the plot, it’s pretty long and involved, but needless to say there’s plenty of excitement along the way to the place marked ‘X’ on the treasure map.

This is a very well made film with really excellent fight scenes, shoot-outs and chases all expertly done. I also liked the soundtrack; the music fitted the pictures perfectly in most instances. Great performances from all three of the major cast; Kang-ho Song as Yoon Tae-goo / The Weird, Byung-hun Lee as Park Chang-yi / The Bad and Woo-sung Jung as Park Do-won / The Good.

The plot was quite involved and a bit dialogue heavy, I felt, which for a foreign language film isn’t exactly an advantage. But if you can stick with the subtitles you are rewarded with a pretty good story. There are several plot holes in it, so it’s not perfect by any means, but it is still very entertaining with a few comic moments thrown in for fun. Over all, it’s certainly a different take on the Spaghetti Western, it has the look and the feel, but with a bit of South Korean spice. Recommended.

My score: 7.1/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0901487/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1616380953/

Sunday 13 June 2010

Film Review: GROSSE POINT BLANK (1997)


Director: George Armitage
Running time: 107 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

UK Release Date: 8th August 1997

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 13th June 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Remember back a few years when John Cusack used to make good films. You know, before he sold his soul and started to make not so good films like ‘2012’. Well, as part of a season of ‘Movies you never got round to watching but always wanted to see’ on one of the movie channels, this film came up. Well, I’d seen all the others they were showing and so I thought I’d better give it a viewing. Here’s a short summary followed by my thoughts.

Martin Blank is a hit man, he works freelance with his assistant Marcella doing the office work for him. One day Marcella tells him he’s been invited to his ten year school reunion. Martin is at first reluctant to go, but agrees when a job comes up in the area and his therapist, Dr. Oatman, tells him it would be a good idea. Unfortunately Martin has upset one of his rivals, Grocer, who is now stalking him using two government agents as a screen. Whilst in town for the reunion, Martin looks up his high school sweetheart, Debi Newberry, who works at the local radio station. After a bit of an awkward start the Debi agrees to go with him despite the fact the he didn’t turn up on their prom night ten years earlier. Throw in another assassin with a contract on Martin and we’ve got us a movie!

First of all, a really great soundtrack, The Clash, Motorhead, Queen, lots of great songs littered throughout. Pretty well made, but showing its age now just form the fact the mobile phones (or cell phones) have got so much smaller nowadays. Decent performances from all of the leading cast; John Cusack as Martin Q. Blank, Minnie Driver as Debi Newberry, Alan Arkin as Dr. Oatman, Dan Aykroyd as Grocer and Joan Cusack as Marcella.

This is a bit of an awkward one to assess; it starts out as a comedy, and then becomes a love story and then back to an action comedy for the grand finale. For me it works best as a comedy, I found the somewhat schmaltzy love story a bit of a distraction. I also kind of wasn’t all that convinced that Debi would have trusted Martin after what he did on prom night. But that may just be me. Over all, as I just said, I think it works better as a comedy than a love story, and it’s worth seeing for the satire alone. Recommended.

My score: 6.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0119229/

Monday 7 June 2010

Film Review: 16 BLOCKS (2006)


Director: Richard Donner
Running time: 98 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 12

UK Release Date: 28th April 2006

Watched on DVD Monday 7th June 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I had not heard much about this film before I watched it. It had been lurking in my DVD collection for some time before I decided it was time it got an airing. I got it on a whim, you know, ‘it’s got Bruce Willis in it so it can’t be that bad’, kind of thing. And now I’ve watched it it’s turned out to be a pretty good purchase. But I digress, here’s a little about the plot before I tell you what I thought of it.

Detective Jack Mosley is a broken down cop, he drinks and does as little as possible to get through each day. He’s just finished a night shift when his Lieutenant persuades him to do one last job, get a felon from the precinct to the Courthouse. 16 blocks in two hours. Little does Jack know that this little job will uncover things certain people would rather kept quiet. The criminal is a young guy called Eddie Bunker who’s wanted to testify before a Grand Jury. It’s only when someone tries to kill him en route to the Courthouse that Jack discovers exactly what he knows. It seems Eddie has evidence of a senior officer taking bribes and a lot of other cops involved in the scheme are out to silence the witness. As you can imagine this makes things really tough for Jack. I think that’s enough about the plot, don’t want to give too much away.

I found this a very thought provoking whist at the same time a very entertaining film. Well made with the streets of New York looking great as they always do. Great performances from the entire cast, in particular I liked the performance of Bruce Willis as Det. Jack Mosley. I thought Mos Def was really engaging as Eddie Bunker, although I did find his accent a little hard to follow at times. Also, David Morse stood out as the Mosley’s ex-partner who is leading the pursuit and plays a really unpleasant bad guy.

This is a film about redemption. The Jack Mosley character has given up because he has no purpose in life. During the film he finds a purpose and in the end does the right thing. It’s one of the best performances I’ve seen from Bruce Willis in years, very understated and very poignant. Over all, as I’ve already said, I found the film both thought provoking and entertaining and as such I can also recommend it.

My score: 7.6/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0450232/
Official Site: http://www2.warnerbros.com/16blocks/index.html
Trailer/Featurette: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi3182625049/

Sunday 6 June 2010

Film Review: ZOMBIELAND (2009)


Director: Ruben Fleischer
Running time: 84 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

UK Release Date: 7th October 2009

Watched on DVD Sunday 6th June 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I sadly missed this one at the cinema last year, not showing at the local and transport issues getting to the nearest Cineplex. So it was with much anticipation I put the DVD into the player. The good news is I like it; I like it a lot! Here’s a brief summary then I’ll tell you why.

As is normal in most zombie films, some mystery virus has turned most of the Worlds population into flesh eating zombies. A young college student, known as Columbus, is making his way back home following a bunch of rules he’s made for himself since the world became Zombieland. He meets Tallahassee, a rough tough loner who has a thing for Twinkies. The duo decides to travel together, but is soon met by sisters Wichita and Little Rock, who con them out of their vehicle and weapons. The guys find another vehicle and catch the girls up. To cut a long story short they end up travelling together to Hollywood, and then the fun really starts. I will say no more, I don’t want to give too much away.

This is a really well made comedy zombie flick. Plenty of blood splatter and very inventive ways found to dispatch the zombie hoards. Great performances from all of the main cast, Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus, Woody Harrelson was particularly good as Tallahassee, Emma Stone as Wichita and Abigail Breslin as Little Rock. There is another major star that has a cameo, but I won’t give it away here, just in case you haven’t seen it yet.

As I said at the beginning, I really like this film; it has a great soundtrack too, if you open with Metallica you’re always going to get a vote from me! There are plenty of laughs and also some touching moments too. Over all, recommended, but maybe not for the more squeamish out there.

My score: 7.9/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1156398/
Official Site: http://www.zombieland.com/
Trailer/Featurette: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi179635481/

Film Review: PUBLIC ENEMIES (2009)


Director: Michael Mann
Running time: 140 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

UK Release Date: 1st July 2009

Watched on DVD Sunday 6th June 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I haven’t seen a gangster movie set in the 1930’s for quite some time and so I was interested to see Michael Mann’s take on the genre. It wasn’t quite what I expected; it’s very long and goes into a lot of detail about the life and times of the main protagonist, John Dillinger. But here’s a little about the plot before I continue.

We begin in 1933 with John Dillinger busting his gang out of prison. An audacious act that gets J.Edgar Hoover, the head of the F.B.I., to assign a task force, lead by Melvin Purvis, to track him down. Several bank raids later, Dillinger meets and falls in love with Billie Frechette, a half French, half Native American girl. They are soon parted as Purvis and his team close in on the gang. There is a lot more, and a few other noted gangsters of the period do turn up in the narrative, but those are the main points of the film.

As we’d expect with a Michael Mann film, this one is technically very well done. Lots of shoot-outs, bank heists and car chases all very professionally performed. As far as performances go, I thought Johnny Depp as Okay as John Dillinger and Christian Bale did a good job as Melvin Purvis. I thought Marion Cotillard as woefully underused as Billie Frechette, although we did see what she can do briefly towards the end of the film.

Over all I found it far too long with scenes that started to drag towards the end. It’s an interesting story that could have been done so much better. I didn’t really engage with any of the characters, I found them all a bit two dimensional apart from maybe Billie Frechette. So I’m afraid it’s not really recommended, but if you’ve got a spare 140 minutes to kill, maybe it’s for you.

My score: 5.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1152836/
Official Site: http://www.publicenemies.net/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi927073049/