Film Review: BOLT (2008)

Directors: Byron Howard and Chris Williams
Running time: 96 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

UK release date: 6th February 2009

Watched on Sky+ Monday 30th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I wasn’t sure I would like this one when I saw it on the TV schedule. I seem to remember it not doing all that well at the box-office when it was released. I shouldn’t have worried; it has all the best bits that go into a Disney animation plus a heart-warming story to boot! But more of that later, here’s a bit about the plot first.

Bolt is a dog, not just an ordinary dog, he’s a dog with superpowers! Penny, his human, and her father put him in a device that enabled him to run like the wind, be as stronger than a speeding truck, jump further than anyone, gave him laser vision and a super-bark that will destroy anything in its path. Each day, he saves Penny and they go back to the safety of his trailer, but one day she is taken by the evil Dr. Calico and Bolt is left alone in the trailer. Determined to find Penny he escapes into the real world, a world where his powers no longer work. He finds a cat, Mittens who, he believes, knows the whereabouts of Dr. Calico’s lair. She eventually tells him it is in Hollywood, a long way from their current location, New York. And so, taking Mittens with him as insurance, Bolt begins a journey that will change his life. On the way they bump into his number-one fan, a hamster called Rhino. But that’s all I’m going to say about the plot, don’t want to give too much away now.

A really well animated film, in the Pixar style as I like to call it. Some great gags and some really engaging characters combine to make this an enjoyable experience. Good performances all round, so honourable mentions go to; John Travolta as Bolt, Smiley Virus (ok, Miley Cyrus) as Penny, Susie Essman as Mittens, Mark Walton as Rhino and Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Calico.

Over all a really enjoyable movie with some great characters and some really good sight gags and one-liners. I wasn’t so sure about the music but then I’m not a big country music fan. It was also nice to see dog and a cat getting on together in a Disney film for a change! It does happen in real life you know! (ok, minor rant over). So, enjoyable, engaging, heart-warming, funny, exciting and recommended.

My score: 7.7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0397892/
Official Site: http://disneydvd.disney.go.com/bolt.html
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3253338393/

Film Review: LA LINEA (THE LINE) (2009)

Director: James Cotten
Running time: 91 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: Unknown

Watched on Sky+ Monday 30th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

On the face of it this looks quite good, an interweaving plot involving drug smugglers, a bounty hunter, the CIA and some terrorists. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to its potential. But more of that later, here’s a bit about this complicated plot first, without giving too much away. It is modern times and the location is the Mexican border town of Tijuana.

Mark Shields is a bounty hunter, he has been employed by… well let’s say by parties as yet unknown, to kill the current leader of a drug smuggling ring, Pelon. The previous leader, Javier Salazar, is very ill and has brought Pelon in to oversee his business much to the disgust of his son, known as Diablo. To help him, Mark has employed Wire, another American. The American authorities are also looking into the smugglers activities, especially since they have word that they are about to do a deal with some Afghani poppy ‘farmers’ to get their product into the United States. The route they use is known as ‘The Line’ of the title. Mark is haunted by visions of a woman from his past and, at times, he loses grip on reality. He is befriended by Olivia, who takes him in after he is mugged. But he still has a job to do… I won’t say any more, I think that’s enough for now.

Quite a well made film which gave you a good flavour of life on the seedier side of the streets of Tijuana. Quite a slow deliberate pace that, I felt, didn’t really help the telling of the story. Having said that, decent performances, with Ray Liotta as Mark Shields and Valerie Cruz as Olivia standing out for me. Honourable mentions also go to; Andy Garcia as Javier Salazar, Esai Morales as Pelon, Armand Assante as Padre Antonio, Jordi Vilasuso as Diablo and Kevin Gage as Wire.

At the end of the day I felt this wasn’t a great movie, the slow pace and the over-complicated plot made for a bit of a damp squib. There is a neat twist at the end, but by then I had stopped really caring. The plot centred too much on the bad guys which I found a little off putting because I really couldn’t engage with them. Over all, not great and not recommended.

My score: 4.6/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1111918/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi1432880409/

Film Review: THE CAT RETURNS (2002)

Director: Hiroyuki Morita
Running time: 75 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

UK release date: 27th May 2005

Watched on Sky+ Monday 30th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I may have stated this before, but I’m quite a fan of animated films from all over the world. I won’t say I’m any kind of expert, but I know when I see something I like, and I like this one quite a lot! I have read a couple of reviews about this one and they seem to be slightly disappointed by the quality of the animation. Now, I’m no expert on the work of Studio Ghibli, but to me it still looked a lot better than many I have seen from the West. But I digress, here’s a little about the plot. Oh, and for the record, I must say I saw the English language version of the film.

A young girl, Haru saves a cat from being run over. The cat thanks her and says he will return soon to thank her properly. Dumbfounded, Haru can’t believe a cat just spoke to her. That night she is woken when a parade of cats comes down her street and stops outside her house. The Cat King himself thanks her for saving the life of his son, Prince Lune, and she is presented with a list of gifts that will be presented to her. She goes to sleep forgetting about the list until morning. As usual she is late for school and has to run, but today she is perused by every cat in the area. Getting to school she finds little boxes containing mice in her locker; things seem to be going from bad to worse! That evening, a royal herald invites her to visit the Cat Kingdom and tells her she is to marry the prince. Not sure what to do, a mysterious voice tells her to seek out the Cat Bureau, which she does. There she meets The Baron, an automaton in the shape of a cat with a soul, Muta, a big white cat and Toto, a stone bird, also with a soul. They are about to make a plan when Haru is kidnapped and taken to the Cat Kingdom, closely followed by The Baron and Muta. Can they get her back to the real world before it’s too late? Well, I guess you’ll have to watch it to find out.

Now, I haven’t seen a lot of Studio Ghibli films, so I don’t have a lot to compare it with, but I really liked the simple style of the animation used. The plot was easy to follow and I thought the voices used fitted the characters really well. So, honourable mentions go the voice talents of; Anne Hathaway as Haru, Cary Elwes as The Baron, Andrew Bevis as Prince Lune, Kristen Bell as Hiromi, Rene Auberjonois as Natori, Peter Boyle as Muta, Elliott Gould as Toto and Tim Curry as The Cat King.

I felt there are strong hints of Alice in Wonderland in this story which I didn’t mind one bit. It’s a very engaging tale that has a lot of mystery, wonder and adventure in it. I guess my only gripe would be that they have a lot of the cats standing on their hind legs and, to me, this just doesn’t look natural. If you’re not a cat lover then this one probably isn’t for you, but if you are, or have no preference, then it’s definitely recommended for old and young alike.

My score: 7.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0347618/
Official Site: The Cat Returns Official Site (Disney)
Trailer (Japanese with English Subtitles): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq7NQ0qs7N0

Film Review: THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)

Writer/Directors: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (uncredited as director)
Running time: 117 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 1st May 1998

Watched on DVD Sunday 29th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I’ll admit I am a big fan of this film; I’ve loved it since I first saw it on a grainy rental video back in 2000. To me the Coen brothers have made two outstanding films, this one and Fargo (1996), and yes, I know there will be some disagreement out there about that, but it’s only my opinion. Now, before I tell you why I think this is such a great film, here’s a little bit about the plot.

Jeffrey Lebowski (a.k.a. The Dude), is disturbed one evening when two heavies break into his house and demand money that his wife owes their boss. One of them urinates on his rug before they realise they have the wrong Lebowski… This one isn’t even married. The next day The Dude complains about this to his bowling buddies, Walter Sobchak and Donny Kerabatsos. They figure out it’s a case of mistaken identity and The Dude goes to see the man they really wanted, another Jeffrey Lebowski - The Big Lebowski, who happens to be a millionaire. Leaving with a replacement rug, The Dude meets the young trophy wife, Bunny Lebowski. A few days later he is contacted by Mr Lebowski’s assistant, Brandt, because Bunny has been kidnapped and they want The Dude to act as the bag man. I won’t say any more, but that’s basically the set-up. Throw in The Big Lebowski’s artist daughter Maude (from a previous marriage) and some crazy German nihilists and you can see there’s plenty to keep the audience amused and entertained.

This is an exceptionally well made film with a great cast, a great score and some really different and enthralling dream sequences thrown in. To me it’s almost the perfect movie, I say almost, because I like to leave a little margin for improvement. Great performances all round from; Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey Lebowski - The Dude, John Goodman as Walter Sobchak, Julianne Moore as Maude Lebowski, Steve Buscemi as Donny Kerabatsos, David Huddleston as Jeffrey Lebowski - The Big Lebowski, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Brandt and Tara Reid as Bunny Lebowski. Oh, and I almost forgot a stellar performance by John Turturro as Jesus Quintana.

As I’ve already said, this is, to me, almost the perfect movie. I say that because I can only find one scene that doesn’t add anything substantial to the story. It’s the one where The Dude confronts the guy in the VW Beetle (for those that have seen it). Apart from that, an almost perfect movie. Very highly recommended.

My score: 9.3/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi4018733337/

Film Review: SCOTT PILGRIM vs. THE WORLD (2010)

Co-Writer/Director: Edgar Wright
Running time: 112 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

UK Release date: 25th August 2010

Watched at the cinema Saturday 28th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I heard many good things about this movie before I went to see it. Even so, I didn’t go in with too many expectations… I wasn’t disappointed. This was probably the most enjoyable movie I’ve seen so far this year. I walked out of the cinema with a smile on my face and there was even a spring in my step as I went over the preceding 112 minutes in my mind.

Scott Pilgrim is a 22 year-old living in Toronto, Canada with his gay flatmate, Wallace Wells. Scott plays bass in a band called Sex Bob-Omb which consists of Scott (of course), Kim Pine on drums, Stephen Stills on lead vocals and guitar and Young Neil as hanger-on. The band has ambitions to be famous and so have a gig coming up at a Battle of the Bands show. At the start of the film he is dating a seventeen year old schoolgirl called Knives Chau. Things seem to be going along quite well until Scott has a vision of a girl called Ramona Flowers. He becomes besotted by her and they end up hanging out together and eventually dating. Unfortunately Scott soon learns that if he wants to date Ramona he must first defeat her seven evil exe’s! Can Scott defeat these evil exe’s and win Ramona? What will Knives think of his infidelity? All these questions and many more remain to be answered… until you’ve seen the film of course.

As I said at the beginning, this was probably the most enjoyable film I’ve watched so far this year. I found the quirky mix of live action with comic book elements quite refreshing and it gave the film an interesting look and feel that I liked a lot! Great performances all round, especially from Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers, Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells, Mark Webber as Stephen Stills, Alison Pill as Kim Pine and Ellen Wong as Knives Chau.

This will most certainly feature in my best of the year awards in December. It did start to lose me a bit towards the end, but I won’t hold that against it. A really well made film which deserves the praise it has got (IMO). Well worth the entrance fee and very highly recommended.

My score: 8.3/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0446029/
Official Site: http://www.scottpilgrimthemovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1217070617/

Film Review: NEW TOWN KILLERS (2008)

Writer/Director: Richard Jobson
Running time: 97 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 12th June 2009

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 28th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I hadn’t heard anything about this British Independent film before I saw it come up on TV last week. There are some very good Indie films out there and on the face of it this one looked pretty good, but more of that later. The setting is the urban environment of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland.

A young man, Sean Macdonald, is down on his luck. He has lived in a flat (or apartment if you prefer) with his sister Alice since their mother passed away. Sean finds it hard to hold down a job and Alice has managed to get herself into a large amount of debt. Even Sean’s best friend, Sam, cannot help him out. So when two men, Alistair Raskolnikov and Jamie Stewart offer him the chance to win enough money to pay off all of Alice’s debts he finds himself with no option but to take them up on the offer. All he has to do is hide from the two of them from 9PM until 9AM the following day. What follows is a dangerous game of cat and mouse in the backstreets of Edinburgh. I cannot tell you who wins, but there are many twists and turns along the way.

What we end up with is a gritty and at times violent chase thriller with plenty of excitement and some interesting twists and turns. That’s the first half of the movie. Unfortunately the second half does not live up to the promise of the first. There are decent performances from all of the leading cast, so honourable mentions go to Dougray Scott as Alistair Raskolnikov, Alastair Mackenzie as Jamie Stewart, James Anthony Pearson as Sean Macdonald, Liz White as Alice Kelley and Charles Mnene as Sam. Oh and there’s also a brief scene with Karen Gillan, now starring along side Matt Smith on TV in Dr Who.

As I said the second half of the film is a bit of a let-down. A lot of the energy and tension built up in the first half is lost and I felt the film just petered out rather than building up to a big finish. So in the end it was a bit disappointing although Dougray Scott is very menacing as the bad guy. I certainly wouldn’t want to come across him on a dark night! Over all, a good first half let down buy a very average second… Not recommended.

My score: 5.3/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1183908/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdblink/vi3086943257/

Film Review: THE DUELLISTS (1977)

Director: Ridley Scott
Running time: 100 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

UK release date: December 1977

Watched on Sky+ Friday 27th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I noticed this was on TV this week and, as a fan of Ridley Scott, I couldn’t pass up the chance to see the film that made his directorial debut. Released two years before the seminal Alien, this was his first feature film, having directed several TV shows and one short beforehand. It is set at the beginning of the 1800’s at the start of Napoleon’s rise to power in France.

Two soldiers, Lieutenants in Napoleon’s army, D'Hubert and Feraud come to blows over an off-hand remark made by one of them. We then follow the life of D'Hubert as he progresses through the ranks, a life that is interspersed with duels against Feraud whenever they cross paths. Somehow both survive each duel and so the cycle begins again. Even after Napoleon is deposed the pair still continues their quest for honour. That is until the final duel, but I’m not going to spoil the ending for you.

This is a beautifully shot film; some of the scenes could be oil paintings if they didn’t move. Decent performances from both Keith Carradine as D’Hubert and Harvey Keitel as Feraud. Honourable mentions must also go to Albert Finney as Fouche, Edward Fox as the Colonel, Cristina Raines as Adele, Tom Conti as Dr. Jacquin and Diana Quick as Laura.

There is quite a slow pace to the story which I found a little frustrating at times, but didn’t distract me too much. The thing that really did let this film down was the quality of the soundtrack. At times the speech was hardly discernable and this didn’t aid my enjoyment one bit. It’s a shame, but I guess there’s little that can be done about it now. So, to summarise, I found this an interesting film, if slightly flawed, beautifully shot and a very good first effort from Ridley Scott, oh yes, and some great moustaches! Recommended.

My score: 6.9/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0075968/

Film Review: ADVENTURELAND (2009)

Writer/Director: Greg Mottola
Running time: 103 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 11th September 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 22nd August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I hadn’t really heard a lot about this film before it came up on TV this week. I have a vague recollection of it being mentioned when Zombieland came out, also last year and also starring Jesse Eisenberg. So I didn’t really have very high hopes when I hit play on my Sky+ box. Boy was I in for a very pleasant surprise! But more of that later, I’ll give you a quick low-down on the plot first.

It’s Pittsburgh in the summer of 1987 and grad student, James Brennan, finds himself having to get a job if he’s to further his education. He tries several places, but finds he is turned down a lot. His last resort is to go and work with his childhood friend, Frigo, at a fun park called Adventureland. The park is run by a couple, Bobby and Paulette, who give him the job straight away. James soon makes a bunch of new friends, Joel, Sue O'Malley, Mark, Lisa P., and the park's repairs technician Mike Connell, who is a part-time musician and claims to have once jammed with Lou Reed. But the person who has the biggest impact on James is Em Lewin. In fact the relationship between these two people takes up most of the film and when it ends in… Oh no, I’ll let you find out for yourself, assuming you haven’t seen it already.

I found this a really engaging film to watch, I could identify with all of the characters and, although the plot is quite complicated at times, it was easy enough to follow. A really great soundtrack provided a great backdrop for the story with songs of the day bringing back memories of what my life was like back then. Great performances all round, but especially from Kristen Stewart as Em and Jesse Eisenberg as James. I thought they both played their parts perfectly. I must also mention Martin Starr as Joel, Margarita Levieva as Lisa P., Bill Hader as Bobby, Kristen Wiig as Paulette and not forgetting Ryan Reynolds as Mark Connell.

Over all a really engaging story about growing up and facing up to the problems you make for yourself. Some great performances and a really good soundtrack lift this movie above others that have tried to tackle the subject. Probably because of the honesty shown in the dialogue and the delivery of the actors. I feel it’s one that will stay with me for quite a while. Highly recommended.

My score: 7.9/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1091722/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3983147801/

Film Review: TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (2009)

Director: Michael Bay
Running time: 146 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

UK release date: 19th June 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 22nd August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have to admit I saw this at the cinema when it came out. It was the first film I had seen on the big screen for a long time and I’ll admit to having been slightly (very much) blown away by it at the time. Now, just over a year later I have given it a second viewing and, having seen a lot more films in between, I have somewhat changed my opinion. Man can do that right? Change their minds? Just thought I’d check.

Optimus Prime and the Autobots, with some new members, are seeking out Decepticon agents around the Earth. They are helped by an international military force called NEST. Sam Witwicky has found a shard of the ‘AllSpark’, a device which was destroyed in the first Transformers movie, which he accidentally touches. He is preparing to go to college, leaving his girlfriend Mikaela Barnes and Bumblebee, his Autobot guardian, behind. Having arrived at college, he finds himself blacking out and seeing mysterious symbols. A worried Mikaela flies out to join him and Bumblebee also makes his way there to protect his ward. The Decepticons know what these symbols mean and they want Sam… I think that’s enough about the plot.

First of all, the CGI work on this film is excellent, some really cool effects and some excellent stunt work combine to make it visually quite stunning. Unfortunately I found I didn’t warm to any of the characters, they had no depth and so it ended up being quite a hollow experience. So with no stand-out performances, honourable mentions go to Shia LaBeouf as Sam and Megan Fox as Mikaela; Josh Duhamel returned as Captain Lennox and John Turturro also returned as Agent Simmons / Jetfire. Kevin Dunn and Julie White also return as Sam’s parents Ron and Judy Witwicky. The Transformers were voiced by Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), Hugo Weaving (Megatron) and Tony Todd (The Fallen).

Over all a visually exciting and even, at times, an entertaining film that unfortunately has little depth. The running time is far too long, which also doesn’t help. I guess if you’re a fourteen year old boy then you’ll enjoy this, but ultimately you’ll only remember the funny bit on the pyramid and some of the robot fight scenes. So, not really recommended if you’re a serious movie lover, but if you’re young at heart and want to switch your brain off for a while, go for it!


My score: 5.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1055369/
Official Site: http://www.transformersmovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2982019609/

Film Review: THE EXPENDABLES (2010)

Co-Writer/Director: Sylvester Stallone
Running time: 103 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK Release date: 19th August 2010

Watched at the cinema Saturday 21st August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

As a male of the species I am not averse to the odd action movie, they’re (usually) not too taxing on the brain, there’s lots of explosions, and, if we’re lucky, there’s a pretty girl to be rescued. Well, ‘The Expendables’ ticks all those boxes and more. With cameo’s from both Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger this was one I really wasn’t gonna miss. But here’s a bit about the plot before I tell you my thoughts.

The Expendables are a group of mercenaries led by Barney Ross who are hired by a Mr Church to assassinate the dictator of the small island state of Vilena. Whilst staking out the job, Ross and his associate, Lee Christmas, meet a rebel leader called Sandra, who just happens to be the daughter of the island’s dictator, General Garza. Just to add a bit more to the mix, the General is being helped by a rogue CIA agent, James Munroe, ably assisted by his henchman, Paine. The two men leave the island in a hail of bullets leaving Sandra behind. She is captured and tortured by Munroe but The Expendables are on their way to the rescue. There is a lot more to the plot, but I don’t want to give too much away.

The action sequences were all very well done and very gory. There were plenty of explosions and stunts that, again, were all very nicely pulled off. I guess the thing that let this film down the most was the dialogue. It seemed to get a bit bogged down at times when you just want them to get on with the action. And the final third of the film has plenty of that! Decent performances though from all of the major cast, so honourable mentions go to Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross, Jason Statham as Lee Christmas, Jet Li as Ying Yang, Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen, Eric Roberts as James Munroe, Randy Couture as Toll Road, Steve Austin as Paine, David Zayas as General Garza and Giselle Itié as Sandra.

I really wanted to like this movie, but ended up slightly disappointed. Even a decent soundtrack, ending with ‘The Boys are Back in Town’ by Thin Lizzy couldn’t make up for its lack of depth. Stallone has produced some great films in the past but unfortunately this one just falls short of the mark. I feel I’m being a little generous with my score, but the action sequences were very good and I can’t forget that. So, if you like a lot of explosions, a damsel in distress and a crack mercenary team coming to the rescue, then this one is most definitely recommended. Otherwise… maybe not.

My score: 5.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1320253/
Official Site: (USA) http://expendablesthemovie.com/
Official Site: (UK) http://www.expendablesmovie.co.uk/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3501000217/

Film Review: THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS (2008)

Directors: Mark Herman
Running time: 90 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

UK release date: 12th September 2008

Watched on DVD Monday 16th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Having heard quite a few good things about this film I was quite keen to see what all the fuss was about. I wasn’t disappointed, it’s a very though provoking and, at times (for me at least), a very emotional experience. The setting is Germany during World War Two where a family live in Berlin.

Eight year old Bruno is quite happy living in Berlin, he has many friends to play with, a sister, Gretel, a loving mother and his father is a soldier. When father gets a promotion, however, things are about to change dramatically for the boy. They move to a big house in the countryside where Bruno is initially not happy. He spots what looks like a farm from his bedroom window. All the people working there seem to be wearing striped pyjamas. He asks his mother about it and at first she seems ok with him making new friends, but once she learns the nature of her husband’s new job she changes her mind. Eventually Bruno becomes bored and goes off to explore. He finds his way through the woods until he comes across a high fence behind which is a boy of his own age called Shmuel. Returning often, Bruno soon becomes friends with this strange boy. But all is not what it seems, and things are about to take a very drastic turn for two friends.

Even though it has quite a slow pace I found this film quite absorbing. The music, under the direction of music editor Dick Bernstein, is excellent and fits the mood quite perfectly. Great performances from both Asa Butterfield as Bruno and Jack Scanlon as Shmuel. Also very creditable performances from Vera Farmiga as Elsa (Mother), David Thewlis as Father, Rupert Friend as Lieutenant Kotler and David Hayman as Pavel.

I found it quite a difficult film to watch, but given the subject matter it was never going to be an easy watch. Having said that, the film did portray the innocence of youth very well which is all credit to all involved. The ending is quite dramatic and not for the feint hearted. So, over all, this can be a difficult film to watch, but ultimately it is worth the effort. Recommended.

My score: 8.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0914798/
Official Site (UK): http://www.thefilmfactory.co.uk/boy/
Official Site (USA): http://www.boyinthestripedpajamas.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi751566873/

Film Review: GAMER (2009)

Writer/Directors: Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor
Running time: 91 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 16th September 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 15th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I think at some point everybody has had a go at playing a computer game. You know, you take control of a character on a screen and make them run and jump, or you interact with other characters in some kind of simulation or you are fighting a war where you are one of the soldiers. Well, imagine doing all that but rather than just moving a bunch of pixels around a screen, you actually control a real person. This is the future of gaming that is possible with the use of Nanex, a system that, once injected into the brain, replicates itself and allows the subject to be controlled with software. Imagine a world addicted to games like this and you are in the world of Gamer.

Originally thought up by multi-billionaire Ken Castle, who came out with his first game, ‘Society’ in 2010 (according to the script). Now, ‘Society’ is a simulation where people can interact with each other in a world populated by people who have been injected with Nanex. They are willing participants and are paid to take part. Now, Castle’s next project proved to be more challenging. A war simulation called ‘Slayer’ where convicts on death row can gain freedom if they can make it through thirty levels of the game. Enter John Tillman (a.k.a. Kabel), who has already got through 27 levels and is nearing the ultimate goal and freedom. He has a wife and daughter outside who he is desperate to see since, yes you guessed it, he’s innocent of the crime he was convicted for. A gang of radicals contact Kabel and tell him they want to help him. Can he get out of the game before he is killed? Well, I’m not going to tell you here I’m afraid.

This is an interesting film for the first half and then it kind of loses a lot of its appeal. There are some great stunts and some really cool CGI work and even some very interesting scenes, but ultimately the plot lets it down. Decent performances all round, although nobody really stood out. So, honourable mentions go to; Gerard Butler as Kabel / John Tillman, Amber Valletta as Angie, Michael C. Hall (also Dexter on TV) as Ken Castle, Kyra Sedgwick as Gina Parker Smith, Logan Lerman as Simon Silverton and also nice to see cameos from John de Lancie as the Chief of Staff and John Leguizamo as Freek.

As I have already said, this film was quite interesting and absorbing for the first half but then it loses a lot of momentum and kind of drifts to an unsatisfying conclusion. The action sequences are particularly graphic and very well executed, but ultimately the weak ending lets it down for me. Worth seeing for the first half then, but ultimately disappointing and so, not really recommended.


My score: 5.7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1034032/
Official Site: http://gamerthemovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi605487641/

Film Review: YEAR ONE (2009)

Director: Harold Ramis
Running time: 97 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 26th June 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 8th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

First of all I must admit I only watched this because Michael Cera is in it. I’ve liked his work ever since I first saw him in Juno (2007); he has a great future ahead of him, if he chooses his roles wisely. But I digress, here’s a little flavour of the plot before I tell you what I really think.

Zed and Oh live in a village where Zed is a hunter, not a very good one, and Oh is a gatherer. Both have women they like but never seem to be able to get. One day Zed has had enough of being disrespected and, taking Oh with him, goes into the forest where he eats the fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge. As a result the pair is banished from the village. After much travel they come across two brothers fighting, Cain and Abel… I think that’s enough of the plot, you can probably see it’s going to go downhill from here.

Although it’s had quite a lot of money spent on it, and there a few well known names in the cast, this one misses the mark by quite a long way. I will say though that the scenes with Michael Cera as Oh were the high points for me. He had all the best lines and delivered them in that dead-pan style of his perfectly. On the other hand, Jack Black as Zed was his usual gross-out self. It seems he can only play comedy in one way and we’ve all seen it too many times already. As far as the rest of the cast goes, honourable mentions go to Oliver Platt as the High Priest, David Cross as Cain, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Isaac, Vinnie Jones as Sargon, Hank Azaria as Abraham and Juno Temple as Eema.

Over all, it’s a pretty bad comedy that, if it wasn’t for Michael Cera, I would not have bothered to see. I can only hope he chooses better scripts in future. Most definitely NOT recommended… unless you’re a huge Michael Cera fan.

My score: 3.7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1045778/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/yearone/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi812778265/

Film Review: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT TIME TRAVEL (2009)

Director: Gareth Carrivick
Running time: 83 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 24th April 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 8th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a British made film, actually a co-production between BBC films, Dog Lamp Films and HBO Films, but made here in the UK. I saw it mentioned last year on TV and thought it was one I would never see as it didn’t make it to any of my local cinemas. But thanks to it being a BBC co-production, it aired in TV this week and I’m really glad I got to finally see it.

Three friends, Ray, Toby and Pete work at an amusement park. Ray has just been sacked from his job after making his depiction of life in the Space Corps to a bunch of kids a little bit too realistic. He is a bit of a sci-fi geek and is really into the concept of time travel. Toby, also a bit of a geek, is an aspiring writer and is always jotting down ideas in a black book he always carries with him. Pete is just an ordinary guy out with his mates. After work they decide to go to the cinema and then on to the pub. They were not impressed with the film they saw and decide to write a letter to Hollywood on the back of one of the pages from Toby’s book. With glasses empty, Ray is volunteered to get a round in. He goes through to the next room where he meets Cassie, a girl who claims to be from the future. She has come back to fix a hole in time. Ray initially treats this chance meeting as a joke, but things are about to get very serious for the three friends.

Obviously made on a very small budget with most of the action centred on the pub, but nonetheless a very well made film. Quite a short film at only 83 minutes, but this, to me, was just about the right length. Decent performances all around, so honourable mentions must go out to; Chris O'Dowd as Ray, Marc Wootton as Toby, Dean Lennox Kelly as Pete, Anna Faris as Cassie and Meredith MacNeill as Millie.

As a bit of a fan of Sci-Fi I really enjoyed this film. I found it clever and witty and it put me in mind of the great British TV comedy ‘Red Dwarf’, although it’s not set in space. A nicely written script with likeable characters and not too many clichés, to me, (and I’ll probably get slagged off for this) even better than ‘Shaun of the Dead’ (shock!).

I read that the director, Gareth Carrivick sadly died earlier this year from Leukaemia. He had worked in TV on many shows I have enjoyed over the years, particularly comedy and I think this was a good one to finish on, nice work sir! Recommended.

My score: 7.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0910554/
Official Site: http://www.faqmovie.co.uk/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi408552217/

Film Review: OLDBOY (2003)

Director: Chan-wook Park
Running time: 120 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 15th October 2004

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 7th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a South Korean film, yes, one of those with subtitles I’m afraid. I had heard very little about it before viewing, apart from a small synopsis, which didn’t even mention it was in Korean! The setting in modern South Korea where a man has been arrested for being drunk.

We begin in the police station where a very drunk man, Oh Dae-su is behaving quite badly. So bad, in fact that the police end up chaining him to the wall. Eventually his brother arrives to bail him out and we next see them in the rain at a phone box. Oh Dae-su is on the phone to his daughter, whose birthday it is, and he is telling her about the present he has bought for her. He passes the phone to his brother who talks for a moment and then turns to find Dae-su gone. We next see him in a room with a heavy, prison style metal door with a slot to pass food through at the bottom. He hears music and then gas is pumped into the room and he passes out. When he awakes, the room has been tidied and his hair has been cut. This continues for fifteen years, during which time he writes a journal where he lists all those he could have wronged in the past. When he is eventually released he makes his way to a sushi restaurant where he meets Mi-do, a girl with whom he falls in love despite the large difference in their ages. Dae-su now sets about finding out who locked him up for so long and, more importantly, why? And that is where I’ll leave my short synopsis; don’t want to give too much away.

This is a really well made film with a great score by Seung-hyun Choi and Ji-soo Lee. There is some great imagery used throughout and, although used sparingly, the special effects were excellent also. A really great performance by Min-sik Choi as Dae-su Oh and honourable mentions also go to Ji-tae Yu as Woo-jin Lee and Hye-jeong Kang as Mi-do.

Although I found this film a little long, I found it quite enjoyable to watch. As I’ve already said, the imagery used is very clever in places and the plot moves along at a nice pace. The story always keeps the audience guessing although I thought the pay-off at the end didn’t have quite the dramatic impact it could have. Having said that, it’s still well worth watching. Recommended.

My score: 7.7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/
Official Site: Oldboy Official Site
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi3130917145/

Film Review: G-FORCE (2009)

Director: Hoyt Yeatman
Running time: 85 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

UK release date: 31st July 2009

Watched on Sky+ Monday 2nd August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Maybe it’s because I’m male and still connected with the child inside, I don’t know, but I just like movies made for children. There’s something about a simple plot, uncomplicated characters and a happy ending that just appeals to me for some reason. But I digress; we’re here to talk about a bunch of CGI rodents.

A crack team of specially trained guinea pigs, Darwin, Juarez and Blaster, along with their tech guy, a mole called Speckles are on a mission. They have to infiltrate the home of electronics magnate Leonard Saber and steal secret files from his computer. The files reveal that there is a real threat to national security and the clock is ticking. When they go to show the information to the FBI, things go wrong and it all culminates in the withdrawal of funding for the program. This leaves the head of the program, Ben, a human, trying to persuade the FBI about the treat as the animals escape. They make it to a pet shop where they meet another guinea pig called Hurley and a hamster with an attitude called Bucky. Can the animals escape capture and make it back to Ben in time to save the day? Well, you guessed it; I’m not going to tell you right now.

Quite a well made film with some nice CGI creatures. I find that giving human attributes to animals never really works, but it’s something Disney has been persisting with for many years. Honourable mentions to the voice talents of Sam Rockwell as Darwin, Jon Favreau as Hurley, Nicolas Cage as Speckles, Penélope Cruz as Juarez, Steve Buscemi as Bucky and Tracy Morgan as Blaster. And the humans, Bill Nighy as Leonard Slater, Will Arnett as Kip Killian, Zach Galifianakis as Ben and Kelli Garner as Marcie.

There were one or two good jokes, but not a great deal to make the adult audience laugh. I thought the best scenes were in the pet shop. It’s one of those kind of OK films that you could quite happily have on in the background to keep the kids entertained, but not one I’d go out of my way to see again. Over all, not really recommended, but maybe a bargain bin DVD purchase to entertain the youngsters.

My score: 5.3/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0436339/
Official Site: http://disneydvd.disney.go.com/g-force.html
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3233022489/

Film Review: DONKEY PUNCH (2008)

Co-writer/Director: Oliver Blackburn
Running time: 99 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 18th July 2008

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 1st August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

A friend of mine said he was going to watch this one when it aired on TV recently and so I decided I’d record it and give it a viewing. Being of a much greater age than my pal it’s not the kind of film I would usually choose to watch, but I thought I’d give it a chance anyway.

A group of three teenage girls, Lisa, Tammi and Kim, are on holiday in Mallorca. They all agree it’s to be a girls’ only weekend, but that’s before they meet the boys, Sean, Bluey and Josh. They find out that the boys are in charge of a yacht in the harbour and the girls agree to go back with them where they meet Marcus, the engineer. With drink flowing, they soon start to turn the music up, but they don’t want to be reported to the harbour master so they decide to go out to sea. All seems to be going well when Bluey, a DJ, brings out the drugs. These relax everyone and the conversation soon turns to sexual practices, one of which being the Donkey Punch of the title. One thing leads to another and as the sun sets two of the girls are making out with three of the boys in the cabin. But things are about to go disastrously wrong when one of their number is killed accidentally at the hand of another. Events now take a drastic turn as they desperately try to cover up this mistake. I won’t say any more as I don’t want to give too much away.

Although there is a rather claustrophobic feel to this film, I found myself slowly drawn in to the drama as it unfolded. Quite well made with a plot that moves along quite rapidly, although I did find the beginning very clichéd. Good performances all round, particularly from Sian Breckin as Lisa and Nichola Burley as Tammi. Honourable mentions also go to Robert Boulter as Sean, Tom Burke as Bluey, Julian Morris as Josh, Jay Taylor as Marcus and Jaime Winstone (daughter of actor Ray Winstone) as Kim.

As I said, I was quite easily drawn into the drama of this piece, so that part worked quite well. Unfortunately other parts did not work for me. I found it hard to believe that the owners of the yacht would leave it in the hands of these young men without anybody keeping an eye on them. Also, once the death had occurred, the events that followed seemed a little bit too far beyond reason for me. I guess what we learn from this is that there are ALWAYS consequences for your actions. There is quite a lot of violence, some gore, scenes of sexual violence and drug taking. If that’s your bag, then go for it! For me, it didn’t really work so I can’t really recommend it.

My score: 5.7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0988849/
Official Site (UK): http://donkeypunchmovie.co.uk/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3543204633/

Film Review: MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981)

Co-writer/Director: George Miller
Running time: 91 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

USA release date: 28th April 1982

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 1st August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember seeing this film on VHS video at a friend’s house almost 30 years ago. At the time I was most impressed with the action sequences and with the futuristic setting of the story. Since then I have seen it a few times, but for the first time I watched it today with a different perspective. Here’s a bit about the plot and then I’ll tell you what I mean.

The story follows on from the 1979 film Mad Max, also directed by George Miller. I won’t go through the events that happened there, but I will tell you that former cop, Max, is now wandering the wastelands, a lawless desert. Here, after a run-in with some scavengers, he comes across The Gyro Captain, the pilot of a gyro-copter. He tells Max of a compound in the middle of the desert where the people there are pumping oil and refining it. With fuel being the most valuable commodity in the wastelands, Max is very interested in this place. They go there to find it under siege by the same scavengers that Max had a run-in with earlier. They are led by a character known as The Humungus. Max makes his way into the compound where he discovers they have a tanker but no truck to drive it. He has seen one out on the road and makes a deal for as much fuel he can carry, if he can retrieve it. I won’t say any more, I think that’s enough to whet your appetite.

Although it does look a little dated, this is still a very well made film. It’s not perfect by any means, but the stunt work, the acting and the humour all stand up today. It is not heavy on dialogue, but I could not fault any of the performances, so honourable mentions go to; Mel Gibson as Mad Max Rockatansky, Bruce Spence as The Gyro Captain, Michael Preston as Pappagallo, Max Phipps as The Toadie, Vernon Wells as Wez, Kjell Nilsson as The Humungus and Emil Minty as The Feral Kid.

I talked about perspective at the beginning and I think I should explain what I mean. Since I have been putting my thoughts online, for just over a year now, I have found that I watch films with a more critical eye. What I mean is I pay more attention to how they make me feel, to how they are made and to whether I find them entertaining.

So, I found Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior to have a lot more humour in it than I remember, although some of the stunts didn’t quite work and you can see where the action has been sped up to cover for this. Having said that, the story is great and it is told in a very clever way with just the right balance of humour and drama in and amongst the action. Entertaining throughout, and, given the limitations the filmmakers had at the time, a very well made and ambitious film. Over all, I loved it when I first saw it, and love it just as much today! Recommended.

My score: 7.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0082694/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi1895039769/