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/

Film Review: MONSTERS vs ALIENS (2009)

Directors: Rob Letterman & Conrad Vernon
Running time: 90 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

UK release date: 3rd April 2009

Watched on DVD Tuesday 27th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I usually really enjoy animated films and I remember when this one came out last year it had one or two good reviews. So I had some fairly high hopes when I popped the DVD into the player.

Outside the church on her wedding day, bride-to-be Susan Murphy gets struck by a meteorite. She looks dazed, but still makes it to the alter. While the ceremony is taking place she begins to grow… and grow… and grow until she is so big she takes the roof off the church. All of a sudden the military are there in numbers and they drug Susan and take her away to a secret government facility run by General W.R. Monger. Here she meets other monsters, B.O.B., who is a kind of blob, Dr. Cockroach Ph.D., a human/cockroach experiment that went wrong, The Missing Link, who was found in a glacier and the skyscraper-sized mutant larva Insectosaurus. She also gets told her monster name will be Ginormica. The monsters are soon called into action when an alien robot sent by Gallaxhar, a deranged alien overlord, lands on Earth. They defeat the robot only for Gallaxhar himself to come for the resource the robot failed to collect, a resource held by Susan. I think that’s enough spoilers for one day.

Quite a well made film with some neat animation, but we would expect nothing less from DreamWorks. The plot was okay with some nice jokes thrown in for the adult viewers. Decent performances from all the main cast, so honourable mentions go to the voice talents of; Reese Witherspoon as Susan Murphy / Ginormica, Seth Rogen as B.O.B., Hugh Laurie as Dr. Cockroach Ph.D., Will Arnett as The Missing Link, Kiefer Sutherland as General W.R. Monger and Rainn Wilson as Gallaxhar.

I guess I was slightly disappointed with this film, the script was ok but I just didn’t really care for any of the characters that much. There seems to be something lacking. Don’t get me wrong, the kids will love it, but I guess it’s just one of those films that just didn’t connect with me. Over all, for the younger viewer, recommended. For the adults, well maybe watch it once (under junior supervision).

My score: 5.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0892782/
Official Site: http://www.monstersvsaliens.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2117665561/

Film Review: LÉON (a.k.a. THE PROFESSIONAL) (1994)

Writer/Director: Luc Besson
Running time: 105 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 3rd February 1995

Watched on DVD Tuesday 27th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

As this is my 100th film of the year I decided I would watch one of my all-time favourites. I have not seen Leon in quite a few years and so it was nice to become reacquainted with this classic. It’s not perfect, I know, but, to me, it will always be one of Luc Besson’s best.

Leon is a loner and a hit-man; he lives in an apartment in New York next door to the twelve year old Mathilda and her family. He gets his work from Italian mob boss, Tony. Mathilda’s father is into some shady drug dealings that land him in trouble with the rather psychotic Stansfield and his gang. She is out getting groceries when Stansfield calls and shoots her entire family. On returning she takes refuge in Leon’s apartment. Despite initial reservations, Leon takes her in and they move to a hotel. Mathilda swears revenge on the killers, mainly because one of the victims was her four-year-old brother. She asks Leon to teach her to do what he does for a living. Leon teaches her the basics and the pair grows closer as they learn to live with each other. Mathilda teaches him to read and he begins to not feel quite so lonely any more. On a visit to her former home Mathilda learns just who Stansfield is and what he does for a living. This is where things really get interesting, and this is where I will end my short synopsis.

This is a really well made film with a great soundtrack, there are a couple of songs, but the original score is great. As with all the Luc Besson films I’ve seen there is always an element of humour in the main characters and this is no different. Tremendous performances from both Jean Reno as Leon and Natalie Portman as Mathilda. Gary Oldman is his usual ‘over the top’ self as the psychotic Stansfield and Danny Aiello is also very good as Tony.

I really engaged with the characters of Leon and Mathilda. You really believe that what they feel for each other is true. There is always a certain sense of style about a Luc Besson film, something I have not seen in the films of any other director. As I said at the beginning, this film is not perfect, but it will always be one of my favourites. It still stands up fifteen years after its release. For me: always recommended.

My score: 8.5/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0110413/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi2744254745/

Film Review: MEMENTO (2000)

Director: Christopher Nolan
Running time: 104 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 20th October 2000

Watched on DVD Monday 26th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Having recently seen and really loved Inception, I decided to see what other Christopher Nolan films lurked in my DVD collection. I couldn’t believe it when I found I had never seen Memento. Well, a day work off due to an injury gave me the time to rectify this situation.

Leonard suffers from short-term memory loss. He can remember meeting you, but only for a few minutes, and then it fades away. He got this condition when he was hit in the head whilst trying to save his wife from the man who raped and murdered her. So, he can remember everything up to that point, but no further. In order to help him he takes photographs of people he meets and places he goes. He annotates these so he can refer back to them. There are also tattoos on his body of things he has decided are too important to lose. He is determined to find the man that murdered his wife and kill him. To this end he is helped by a character called Teddy, who seems to be a bit of a low-life. Along the way he also runs into Natalie, who has also lost someone and is more than she might first seem. Before the murder Leonard was an insurance investigator and he uses his skills to try and track down the mysterious John G, a name he has tattooed on his chest.

The story is told backwards; we start with Leonard killing the man he thinks is responsible for everything, and work back from there. It’s a very interesting and effective way to tell this story, but you can’t really take a bathroom break because you’ll lose where the story is. I found the DVD pause facility very useful! Great performances from Guy Pearce as Leonard, also, Carrie-Anne Moss as Natalie and Joe Pantoliano as Teddy Gammell. Honourable mentions go to Jorja Fox as Leonard’s wife, Stephen Tobolowsky as Sammy Jankis and Harriet Sansom Harris as Mrs. Jankis.

Although there are some nice action sequences in the film I found it to be quite slowly paced. It gradually draws the audience into Leonard’s world as we find out more about how events transpired. The score is quite subdued and fits the mood of the piece perfectly. Over all, a very interesting and absorbing film, I liked it a lot! Recommended.

My score: 9.1/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/
Official Site: http://www.otnemem.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi1368785177/

Film Review: BRONSON (2008)

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Running time: 89 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 13th March 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 25th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Most people have heard of the actor Charles Bronson, but few have heard of the notorious violent prisoner of the same name. The film is based on the true story of the man who has made his name in the English prison system as the most violent prisoner in Britain. Now, I have heard of Charles Bronson, the prisoner, and so was intrigued to see this film about him.

His real name is Michael Peterson; he was born in Luton, just north of London. He didn’t have a deprived childhood, he was well loved by his parents but there was obviously something different about this boy. From fighting with other boys he progressed to assaulting his teachers. He eventually grew old enough to be put in prison for holding up a Post Office; his sentence, seven years. Once inside he soon established himself as an extremely dangerous man. As such he was moved around from prison to prison until he eventually ends up in a mental asylum. Here they can keep him drugged but he still finds a way to fight back. Eventually he is declared sane and released. He goes about making a career as a bare knuckle prize fighter, which is where he got his fighting name, Charles Bronson. This, however, is short lived and it’s not long before he’s back inside again. But this time there are signs he is starting to reform… or is there? Up to the release of the film he had spent 34 years in prison, 30 years of which had been in solitary confinement. I’ll leave you hanging there; don’t want to give too much away.

A film that was obviously made on a small budget, but one that is quite entertaining in a strange and bizarre way. The story is told from Bronson’s point of view and as such has a bit of an art house feel about it in places. There’s a pretty good soundtrack with a few songs the audience might recognise. A real power-house performance from Tom Hardy as Charles Bronson/Michael Peterson. I must also give an honourable mention to Matt King who played Paul.

As I’ve already said, the film has an art house feel to it, lots of very short pieces put together in places, but then longer scenes that give more narrative. It’s a very interesting film to watch, always interesting, partly because the character of Bronson is so unpredictable. Thanks to the great performance of Tom Hardy and thanks to a great script. At times it is very violent and the language is very strong in places. Over all, it’s kind of bizarre, but I must say, recommended.

My score: 7.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1172570/
Official Site: http://www.bronsonthemovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1194066457/

Film Review: TOY STORY 3 (2010)

Director: Lee Unkrich
Running time: 103 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

UK Release date: 19th July 2010

Watched at the cinema Saturday 24th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

The toys are back for their third outing. And as the 3D debate rages on I took the high ground and stuck to the supposedly outmoded two dimensions for this one. After all that’s exactly the number of dimensions the screen has. But enough of this I hear you say, tell me more about the film.

Andy is growing up fast and is on his way to college soon. He has not played with the toys in quite a while and, quite frankly, they’re worried. With talk of the attic, and even worse, the trash, even Woody is getting apprehensive. Andy’s mum tells him to sort out his room, things for the attic, things to go to college with him and things to go out for the trash. His sister Molly also gets a box to put toys in to donate to the Sunnyside day-care centre (yes I know I used the English spelling, I’m English, what can I say?). By some mix-up all of Andy’s toys end up in the donation box, I won’t say how because I don’t want to spoil it. All seems very pleasant when they arrive. They are greeted by a bear called Lotso who is very nice to them, but all is not what it seems at Sunnyside. I think that’s enough of the plot to whet your appetite. You wouldn’t forgive me if I gave too much away would you.

As we have come to expect from Pixar, this is an exceptionally well made film with a great plot, endearing characters, lots of adventure, comedy and one or two tear-jerking moments along the way. Great work, as ever, from the voice talents of, Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Ned Beatty as Lotso, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Michael Keaton as Ken, Wallace Shawn as Rex, John Ratzenberger as Hamm, Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head, John Morris as Andy and Jodi Benson as Barbie.

There are some great moments, like when Ken met Barbie for the first time, Mr. Potato Head as a tortilla and Buzz Lightyear in Spanish mode has to be seen to be believed! I really enjoyed this film, I really engaged with the characters I know so well for the previous two films and found myself quite choked at the end. All three films have been tremendous and I really hope they don’t make a fourth, finish on a high guys! Over all, highly recommended.

My score: 8.7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/
Official Site: http://disney.go.com/toystory/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3676898329/

Film Review: EASTERN PROMISES (2007)

Director: David Cronenberg
Running time: 100 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 26th October 2007

Watched on Sky+ Monday 19th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

David Cronenberg has directed some really good films over the years, unfortunately there have been one or two duds along the way too. Fortunately this one falls in the ‘good’ category, which, considering the reviews I have been reading comes as a great relief. The setting is London in modern times.

Anna is a midwife who lives with her mother, Helen, and her uncle Stepan is visiting for Christmas. Her father, who was Russian, passed away some years earlier. When a fourteen year old girl is brought into the hospital where Anna works and dies giving birth to a daughter Anna decides to try and track her family down. Her only clue is a business card from a restaurant stuffed into the pages of her dairy which is written in Russian. Anna goes to the restaurant where she meets the owner, Semyon, and his son, Kirill. Seymon offers to translate the girl’s diary and Anna agrees. She is met outside by the mysterious chauffeur, Nikolai, who proves to be more than he seems. Little does Anna know she has just entered the Russian criminal underworld, a very dangerous place to be. I will leave my little summary here, don’t want to give too much away.

A very well made film in a style we have come to expect from David Cronenberg. The story slowly evolves with many twists and turns in the plot to keep the audience interested. Very good performances from all of the main cast, Viggo Mortensen as Nikolai, Naomi Watts as Anna, Armin Mueller-Stahl as Seymon and Vincent Cassel as Kirill.

There are some very brutal and graphic scenes in this movie that may not be to everyone’s taste, but they all serve a purpose. I found it a very engrossing film with a very understated and atmospheric score that fitted just nicely into the piece. Over all, an interesting and very enthralling drama, recommended.

My score: 7.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0765443/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2947612953/