Film Review: FLAWLESS (2007)

Director: Michael Radford
Running time: 105 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

UK release date: 28th November 2008

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 18th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I like a good heist movie, but this is a heist movie with a difference. For one, it’s set in 1960’s, and for another, only two people are involved in stealing one hundred million pounds worth of uncut diamonds.

It all begins quite formulaically with a reporter interviewing an older woman for a piece about women who had power in business in the 1960’s. We then go into flashback as the woman, Laura Quinn, tells her story. She had fought her way up to the position of manager at the worlds leading diamond supplier, the London Diamond Corporation. This was no mean achievement in the male dominated world of business at the time. However, she now finds it harder and harder to progress her career and, having been passed over for promotion several times is getting disheartened with it all. She is then approached by the cleaner, Mr Hobbs, who tells her he knows a way of stealing some of the diamonds. He needs her help to get the combination to the safe before he can go ahead with the plan. She eventually agrees to help him, but things don’t exactly go according to plan. I’ll leave my short summary there, don’t want to give away too much now.

This is a very well made film although in a subtle and rather reserved style. There is no booming soundtrack to distract you from the dialogue, which is nice for a change. Very good performances from all of the leading cast, in particular, Demi Moore as Laura Quinn, Michael Caine as Mr. Hobbs, Lambert Wilson as Finch and Nathaniel Parker as Oliver ‘Ollie’ Ashtoncroft. Also nice to see Joss Ackland as Sir Milton Kendrick Ashtoncroft.

I quite enjoyed this film, it took a while to get going, but once it did I found it quite enthralling. It’s quite a straight-forward plot, but there are subtleties to it that can easily be missed. Nicely shot in that 60’s style that seems popular these days, and some very good performances, particularly from Demi Moore and Michael Caine. Over all, recommended.

My score: 6.7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0780516/
Official Site: http://www.flawlessfilm.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2293367065/

Film Review: IN THE ELECTRIC MIST (2009)

Director: Bertrand Tavernier
Running time: 99 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

USA release date: 3rd March 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 18th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have recently watched a documentary about how the southern states of the USA are depicted by Hollywood. It mostly dealt with films up to the 1970’s, picking out the likes of ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘Deliverance’, to name but two. Then this one came up on TV so I thought it might be interesting to see a more modern film set in the south.

Dave Robicheaux is a detective working in rural Louisiana. He lives with his wife, Bootsie, and daughter, Alafair by a bayou where they also runs a fishing bait business. A film is being shot in the locality starring actor Elrod Sykes and his long-time companion, Kelly Drummond. When the body of a prostitute is found the finger of suspicion falls on Dave’s one-time baseball team-mate Julie ‘Baby Feet’ Balboni. Just to add a further complication, a sub-plot involving the remains of a black man, shot in the 1960’s, is also wound into the story. We know that Dave knows something about this crime, but we’re not sure what it until much later. It’s a very complicated plot so I will not go any further right now.

This film, like many set in the south, has quite a pedestrian pace. The story very slowly unfolds giving the viewer time to absorb the atmosphere surrounding it. Quite well made with quite a few twists and turns and a very complicated, and sometimes quite bizarre plot. Decent performances from all of the main cast, Tommy Lee Jones as Dave Robicheaux, John Goodman as Julie ‘Baby Feet’ Balboni, Peter Sarsgaard as Elrod Sykes, Kelly Macdonald as Kelly Drummond and the woefully underused (IMHO), Mary Steenburgen as Bootsie Robicheaux.

Now, I could cope with the slow pace, and even the slightly bizarre hallucination sequences (you’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen it), but I did find there was little depth to the quality of both the picture and the sound. It almost looked like one of those 1960’s or 70’s films that were mentioned in the documentary I saw. Having said that, despite the strange plot twists and slow pace, after a while it became quite a compelling watch. So, if you have the patience, recommended, otherwise, maybe give it a miss.

My score: 5.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0910905/
Official Site (French): http://www.tfmdistribution.com/dans-la-brume-electrique/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2820932377/

Film Review: INCEPTION (2010)

Writer/Director: Christopher Nolan
Running time: 148 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

UK Release date: 16th July 2010

Watched at the cinema Saturday 17th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

If you can suspend you belief in reality for 148 minutes then this is the film for you, if you can’t then it may only confuse you. Fortunately I am of the former persuasion and was very intrigued to see Christopher Nolan’s latest effort, particularly given the reception it has initially received. And so, having avoided seeing anything much beyond the trailer I took my seat in the theatre and waited with much anticipation for it to start.

I will keep my summary very brief and try not to give away any spoilers, this is best seen without knowing too much about it. Cobb is a thief, using technology he can go into your dreams and steal your secrets. He can’t do it alone though, he needs a team around him for backup, to design the dreamscape, to chemically induce the dream and someone to wake them all up when the mission is completed. He finds that committing industrial espionage is a good way to make a living while he figures out a way to get back home to see his estrange kids. He cannot go and see them because he is implicated in the untimely death of their mother, Mal, who still haunts his dreams. When a powerful industrialist, Saito, comes to him with a proposal he is interested, particularly when the fee is to be his longed for reunion with his children. There’s just one snag, the job will entail inception, planting an idea in someone’s mind via their dreams, a very risky process. I’ll leave it there or I may say too much, but that’s a very general outline.

This is without doubt one of the best films I’ve seen… ever. Always engaging, entertaining, sad, dramatic, action-packed, enthralling, intriguing and above all, intelligent. It kept me gripped from start to finish, which is a long time to be gripped, believe me! Although it’s pure fiction, I found it easy to identify with the characters which is testament to both the writing and the performances of the entire cast. So, hats off to, Leonardo DiCaprio as Cobb, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur, Ellen Page as Ariadne, Tom Hardy as Eames, Ken Watanabe as Saito, Dileep Rao as Yusef, Marion Cotillard as Mal and Cillian Murphy as Robert Fischer, Jr. Also honourable mentions go to Tom Berenger as Browning, Pete Postlethwaite as Maurice Fischer and Michael Caine as Miles.

The effects were amazing, not an awful lot of CGI used, but some excellent wire work, physical effects and some use of miniatures was really effective. The scene (it’s in the trailer) where gravity is lost in the building is quite breathtaking. A word of warning though, be sure you won’t need a toilet break, if you do, you could find yourself lost in this most excellent and labyrinthine plot. I cannot praise everyone who worked on this one enough, in particular Christopher Nolan, a brilliant film and very very highly RECOMMENDED!!.

My score: 9.7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/
Official Site: http://inceptionmovie.warnerbros.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi4219471385/

Film Review: CHOKE (2008)

Director: Clark Gregg
Running time: 89 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 21st November 2008

Watched on Sky+ Monday 12th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This film is based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, who also wrote the rather excellent Fight Club (1999). Combine that with a cast that includes Anjelica Huston and Sam Rockwell and I hope we’re onto a winner! So it was with fingers crossed and very little knowledge of the plot, I sat down to watch.

Victor Mancini is a sex addict; he goes to group sessions to help with his addiction but only ends up having sex with the woman he’s supposed to be sponsoring. He works together with his best friend, Denny, at a Colonial America re-enactment park, the kind of place school kids go to learn about the early settlers. He also is a com-man, faking choking fits in restaurants in order to get money so he can support his mother, Ida, who has dementia and lives in a home. On one of his visits he meets a doctor, Paige Marshall, who thinks she knows a way to help Ida, but it’s risky. I really don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll leave my short plot summary here.

A pretty well made film with really good performances from both Sam Rockwell as Victor and Anjelica Huston as Ida J. Mancini. I must also give honourable mentions to Brad William Henke as Denny and Kelly Macdonald as Paige Marshall.

A lot of the story is told in flashback, harking back to when Victor was a boy on the run with Ida. A really quirky film with all the odd twists you’d expect from the writer of Fight Club. Although it’s far from prefect I enjoyed this one very much, and that’s not just because of the nudity and sex scenes. Over all, not perfect, enjoyable with a few laughs: Recommended.

My score: 6.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1024715/
Official Site: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/choke/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1843855641/

Film Review: THE OTHER MAN (2008)

Writer/Director: Richard Eyre
Running time: 85 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 17th October 2008 (London Film Festival)

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 11th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I read the write-up about this on the TV guide and it sounded intriguing, so I thought I’d give it a go. It’s a drama, set in London and Milan, about a man looking into the affairs of his wife after she has gone.

Peter’s wife, Lisa, has gone, he feels a great loss, but going through her things he discovers that she had been having an affair. His daughter, Abigail, is against him looking any further into it, she can see how it is hurting him, but he persists. Tracking the other man down to Milan, he goes there and befriends him in order to find out more about him. Eventually the truth has to come out, and this leads to a rather surprising ending.

The story is mostly told in flashback which can be a little confusing at times. Quite a slow pace, though, allows the audience time to absorb the narrative. Adequate performances from the main cast, Laura Linney as Lisa, Antonio Banderas as Ralph, Liam Neeson as Peter and Romola Garai as Abigail.

This is not the sort of film I would usually choose to watch and I found it a little intriguing, but not overly gripping. There is a twist towards the end that is pretty obvious from a long way off, but apart from that I don’t really have much to say about this one. A bit too slow for me, not recommended.

My score: 5.1/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0974613/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1295450649/

Film Review: OPEN SEASON 2 (2009)

Directors: Matthew O'Callaghan and Todd Wilderman
Running time: 84 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

USA release date: 27th January 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 11th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Having watched and enjoyed the first film, Open Season (2006), I was intrigued to see how the, straight to DVD, sequel would turn out. The woodland animals, having defeated hunters and befriended the domestic sausage dog, Mr Weenie, in the first film are up to their old tricks again. This time it’s a rescue mission.

On the day of his wedding to Giselle, Elliot, a deer, starts to have second thoughts when he sees Mr Weenie being kidnapped by the family that lost him in the first place. Deferring wedding plans, he persuades a group of the animals to go and rescue the stricken pet. The small group includes Boog, the bear, Giselle, Elliot's intended (also a deer) and McSquizzy, a squirrel with attitude. Meanwhile, Mr Weenie is being taken to a fun park designed for humans and their pets. We meet many new characters, including Fifi, a pampered pooch with a great hatred of all things wild. Fifi tries to re-domesticate Mr Weenie, but fails and we are all set up for a great rescue attempt at the fun park! There is quite a lot more to the plot, but I don’t want to give away too many spoilers.

Well animated, although I felt that Fifi looked a bit too much like a sheep. It will never win any prizes, but I thought it was quite a well made film with a decent pace and plenty of jokes. Decent performances from the voice talents of, Joel McHale as Elliot, Mike Epps as Boog, Jane Krakowski as Giselle, Billy Connolly as McSquizzy and Crispin Glover as Fifi.

Although I found the character of Elliot pretty annoying there is plenty of other things going on to distract from this rather irksome character. If anything I thought the plot might be a little too complicated for younger viewers but still pretty good. Having said that, there are some real ‘laugh out loud’ moments. My favourite character is Roger, the cat. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen it. Over all, recommended, if only for those ‘laugh out loud’ moments… of which there are several.

My score: 6.2/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1107365/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/familyzone/openseason2/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi412418841/

Film Review: PREDATORS (2010)

Director: Nimród Antal
Running time: 106 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK Release date: 8th July 2010

Watched at the cinema Saturday 10th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Since my local cinema only has two screens and, as a provincial picture house, has to make a profit, at times they have a limited choice of films. This week was a case in point. Just the two very popular films showing this week meaning I have to travel in order to see my personal choice. A bus, some legs, a train and some more legs later I find myself standing in the queue at the multiplex. Having purchased my ticket and waited for the screening room to be cleaned up form the previous showing we are let into Screen 2.

The film opens with a man dressed in battle fatigues falling, he is unconscious, but comes round. Shortly before impact with the jungle covered ground below a parachute opens, but he still lands with a bone-crunching thud. Others land around him and are, at first aggressive towards each other until the first one persuades them it would be better to band together. They are all from the less desirable side of the tracks, there’s a mercenary, a convict, a sniper from Guatemala, a yakuza, a freedom fighter from Chechnya, a kidnapper, a religious fighter and a doctor. It soon becomes apparent that they are not on Earth and that they are being hunted by an unseen enemy. One by one they are eliminated by this foe. Eventually a plan is formed to defeat them and get off this planet.

Very reminiscent of the original film, Predator (1987) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, but maybe without the same impact. All very well done with some excellent special effects and CGI. Decent performances from all involved. Honourable mentions go to, Adrien Brody as Royce, Topher Grace as Edwin, Alice Braga as Isabelle, Walton Goggins as Stans, Oleg Taktarov as Nikolai, a nice cameo from Laurence Fishburne as Noland, Danny Trejo as Cuchillo, Louis Ozawa Changchien as Hanzo and Mahershalalhashbaz Ali as Mombasa.

Although not as good as the 1987 original, I quite enjoyed this sequel. Having seen several films featuring the Predators since then, they don’t have the fright factor they used to. But it was an entertaining film with some great action sequences and a nice twist at the end. It’s not the best film in the world, but over all recommended for those who like this sort of thing (I did). Oh, and it ends wide open for another sequel.

My score: 7.3/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1424381/
Official Site: http://www.predators-movie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2220360729/

Film Review: SMOKIN’ ACES 2: ASSASSINS’ BALL (2010)

Director: P.J. Pesce
Running time: 84 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

USA release date: 19th January 2010

Watched on DVD Monday 5th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Having had this recommended to me by a friend, and having seen the first one, I was quite hopeful when I put the disc into the DVD player. Unfortunately, 84 minutes later I was looking for my friends’ number to tell him never to recommend a film to me again! I think you can guess I was not impressed with what I saw.

Walter Weed an ageing government analyst has had a hit put out on him. Several assassins have been invited to try and kill him on a specific date and at a very specific time. The FBI reacts quickly and moves him into a secure location in a bunker under a Jazz club in Chicago. The assassins, however, seem to have been appraised of his location and move in for the kill. It’s every man, and woman, for himself and so there is no team play as they move in for the kill. With time running out, will any of them make it to the prize and collect the three million dollars on offer? I’ll leave my short summary here.

Apart from Tom Berenger as Walter Weed, none of the rest of the cast put in a decent performance. Maybe not entirely their fault because the script didn’t really give them much to play with. The plot, as an idea, was quite clever, but if it had been made as a spy thriller instead of a stupid gun-fest I suspect it would have worked a lot better. I feel sorry that Tom Berenger has had to stoop so low, he deserves better material than this. Over all, really not recommended.

My score: 5.1/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1319743/
Official Site: http://www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/smokin-aces-2-assassins-ball/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi363267353/

Film Review: TRIANGLE (2009)

Writer/Director: Christopher Smith
Running time: 99 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 16th October 2009

Watched on DVD Sunday 4th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I heard a few good things about this one when it was released, but didn’t get the chance to see it at the cinema. Fortunately I have managed to track it down on DVD for a viewing. There have been many films where the same day or the same event is repeated over and over again, most notably Groundhog Day (1993). This is one of those films, but with a large amount of mystery, tension and yes, even a bit of horror thrown into the mix.

A group of friends have arranged to go sailing, Greg, the skipper of the yacht, his friend Jack, a couple Downey and Sally have brought along Heather, who they are trying to fix up with Greg, and finally Jess. Jess has an autistic son, Tommy, who, she says, is at school, even though it’s a Saturday. She seems distracted and sleeps for a good two hours at the start of the cruise. Things seem to be going well, there’s a good breeze and the sails are full when suddenly the wind drops and they are left becalmed. They spot a violent storm coming in and when it hits the yacht is turned over. Clinging to the bottom of the hull, it looks bleak until an old fashioned cruise ship appears. The climb aboard but can find nobody about. Jess has the feeling she has been on this ship before and when someone starts killing them you know it’s going to get scary! And that’s where I’ll leave it, but needless to say, this is where things really start to get interesting.

It’s a pretty well made film with a really great plot and some decent special effects, especially in the storm sequence. Decent performances from all of the main cast, Melissa George as Jess, Michael Dorman as Greg, Jack Taylor as Jack, Henry Nixon as Downey, Rachael Carpani as Sally and Emma Lung as Heather.

I know the description above sounds a bit like every ship-board horror you’ve seen before, but believe me it goes on to be something completely different. Even to the point of explaining just why Jess is so distracted when she boards the yacht. I know some people won’t get it, but believe me, it’s really worth watching. Very much Recommended!

My score: 8.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1187064/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2981299481/

Film Review: BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE (2009)

Director: Chris Nahon
Running time: 85 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 26th June 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 4th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a live action remake of the anime film of the same name produced in 2000. Unfortunately I haven’t seen that version of the story which I believe is much shorter than this. The setting is Japan on 1970, the United States are fighting the Vietnam War and the story involves a US Air Force base, a general’s daughter and a demon slayer.

Saya, a four hundred year-old skilled samurai, is sent to the Kanto High School in an American military base. She is sent by the Council, a secret society that has been hunting vampires for centuries. Saya has the appearance of a teenager but is the tormented half-breed creature with the soul of her human father and the powers and need of blood of her vampire mother. She is obsessed by the powerful demon Onigen that killed her father. In the base, Saya saves Alice McKee, the daughter of the General and commander of the base, from the attack of several vampires. When the General is killed by a member of the Council, Alice runs to the hotel where Saya is lodged. They join forces and escape to the countryside to find Onigen.

The fight sequences in this film are very well done, plenty of blood as the samurai swords go to work. There is some special effects work here that really does not look good; in fact it looks quite dated. Having said that, good work from the main actors, Gianna Jun as Saya, Allison Miller as Alice McKee, Liam Cunningham as Michael Harrison, JJ Feild as Luke, Koyuki as Onigen, Yasuaki Kurata as Kato Takatora and Larry Lamb as General McKee.

The original film is about 48 minutes long, this version is about double that. Unfortunately in lengthening the story the writers seem to have lost a lot of the energy from the original. This is what I’ve read. So, over all, good fight scenes, not so good special effects and a slightly turgid script. Not really recommended, but the fight scenes are worth a look.

My score: 5.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0806027/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/bloodthelastvampire/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3720217113/