Film Review: PANDORUM (2009)

Director: Christian Alvart
Running time: 108 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK Release date: 2nd October 2009

Watched on DVD Sunday 28th November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I wanted to see this when it came out last year but was put off by the lacklustre reception it got. I fortunately recently got hold of a copy of the DVD and so, after a short summary, I’ll give you my take on Pandorum. (Summary haters please remain in cryo-stasis until after the summary… thank you).

In a future Earth population gets out of control. Resources cannot meet demand and it’s all going to hell. An Earth-like planet called Tanis has been discovered and a massive ship, Elysium, is sent out to colonise this planet. At some point, long after launch, Bower is woken in his hyper-sleep pod. Disorientated, he finds his locker and very slowly things come back to him. He is part of the ship’s crew that cycle through; he is part of team five. One of his colleagues, Cooper, has already woken and is missing and the ship’s power is fluctuating dangerously. Later, his Lieutenant, Payton, is brought out of hyper-sleep. Unable to open the door to the bridge, Bower crawls up into the air-conditioning ducting in order to find a way out, he must get to the reactor core in order to re-set it. Once out, he discovers that he is not alone on the ship, and not all those he meets are friendly… or even human… I think that’s enough of a summary for now.

This is a pretty well made film with some interesting ideas as far as technology goes. I love the fact that each instrument, or weapon, has the means to be powered manually, at least for a short while. Decent performances all round, so honourable mentions go to; Dennis Quaid as Payton, Ben Foster as Bower, Cam Gigandet as Gallow, Antje Traue as Nadia and Cung Le as Manh.

Over all, although it’s not going to win any prizes for originality, I quite liked this film. There’s lots of running around in the dark, some really bad-ass bad guys and a pretty good plot to tie it all together. There are a couple of points where it does get a little bogged down, but it’s still worth a viewing (IMO). Oh, what’s Pandorum? Well, it’s a form of madness caused by being in space alone too long... Over all, recommended.

My score: 6.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1188729/
Official Site: http://www.pandorummovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi354026009/

Film Review: THE BOYS ARE BACK (2009)

Director: Scott Hicks
Running time: 100 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

UK release date: 22nd January 2010

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 27th November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember when this came out it attracted some good reviews so I decided I’d see what all the fuss was about when it turned up on TV recently. It is set, for the most part, in Australia and is based on a true story. Now, how much was invented for the film is up for debate, but still, it is quite an engaging tale. More of my thoughts later, but here’s a short summary first (summary haters please have an impromptu ride on the front of a 4x4 down the beach while I write the next paragraph).

Sports writer Joe Warr has never spent much time at home, so when his wife, Katy, dies suddenly he struggles to come to terms with bringing up his seven year old son Artie. Joe is very much a free spirit and allows Artie to do pretty much what he likes, within certain rules, of course. And when Joe’s son from a previous marriage, Harry, comes to stay from England, things don’t seem to get much easier. Harry has problems of his own. Joe had divorced his mother when he was only six and left to be with Artie’s mother, who was pregnant. Although he has support from Katy’s parents, Joe still wants to bring the boys up on his own. He gets some help from a single mother at Artie’s school, Laura, but it gets a bit tense between them. Joe is called away with work and Harry is left to look after Artie. Things don’t quite go according to plan and after an incident at the house Harry heads back to England. Unknown to Joe, the boys had formed a strong bond while he was away. Is this bond strong enough to bring the boys back together? I’ll end my summary here; don’t want to give too much away.

Although it has a very slow pace I found this film quite enjoyable to watch. All the characters are quite engaging, although I get the feeling a lot of Artie’s part was ad-libbed. Pretty good performances all round, so honourable mentions go to; Clive Owen as Joe Warr, Emma Booth as Laura, Laura Fraser as Katy, George MacKay as Harry and Nicholas McAnulty as Artie.

Over all, it’s a pretty well made film with lots of shots of the Australian outback to give a real sense of location. I still have to see a film where Clive Owen doesn’t get beaten up at some point. If I was him I’d be having a word with my agent! But I digress; it’s quite an engaging tale which very slowly evolves, so you’ll need a little patience to watch this one, but still recommended.

My score: 6.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0926380/
Official Site: http://www.boysarebackmovie.co.uk/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3531014681/

Gig Review: MOTÖRHEAD at the Leeds O2 Academy 25th November 2010

MOTÖRHEAD:

Motörhead are: Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister (lead vocals and bass guitar), Phil Campbell (guitar and backing vocals) & Mikkey Dee (drums and percussion)

We arrived about twnety minutes before Motörhead hit the stage and the place was pretty full. Lemmy announced “We are Motörhead… and we play Rock and Roll!” and they opened up with a couple of classics of which ‘Metropolis’ and ‘Over the Top’ were best received. Other classics like ‘Killed by Death’, one of my all-time favourite Motörhead tunes, ‘Stay Clean’, ‘I Got Mine’ and ‘Just cos You Got the Power’ were all well received. A smattering of new tracks also put in an appearance. Of course, at the end of the set we got the classic, ‘Ace of Spades’. The encore consisted of ‘Born to Raise Hell’, (I love that track!) and, of course, ‘Overkill’. Over all a really good show, I really enjoyed it. No t-shirt this year, at £25.00 they’re getting a bit too expensive these days.

My only complaint is that the venue, when full, is not very condusive to being able to see the stage, particularly if, like me, you’re only 5 feet 7 inches tall! We spent most of the night towards the back, either by the mixing desk or right at the back by the bar (not a bad place to be). It wasn’t a bad view from there, but I must admit the sound quality was terrible! I don’t know what was wrong, but Lemmy even apologised for it.

My score: 7/10

Official site: http://www.imotorhead.com/

Film Review: CARRIERS (2009)

Writers/Directors: Àlex Pastor & David Pastor
Running time: 82 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 11th December 2009

Watched on Sky+ Friday 26th November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I seem to be finding a lot of movies about the darker side of life at the moment, and this is no exception. Four young people are travelling across America to get to a costal resort. Unfortunately the rest of the world is either dead or infected with a deadly virus. Sound interesting? Well, I’ll tell you what I think after a short summary (summary haters please try to avoid infection while I write the next paragraph).

There are four simple rules: 1. Avoid populated areas at all costs. 2. If you come in contact with other people, assume they have it. 3. The virus can survive on surfaces up to 24 hours so never touch anything that is not disinfected. 4. The sick are already dead and they cannot be saved. Easy enough? Well maybe, but brothers Danny and Brian Green and their companions, Bobby, Brian’s girlfriend, and Kate seem to have problems sticking to the rules. They come across a man, Frank Holloway, and his daughter, Jodie, on the road and initially leave them, but then wreck their car and go back to steal theirs. Although the girl is infected they allow them to come along as far as a clinic Frank had heard about that might have a cure. Of the group, the one most against breaking the rules is Brian, but the others, particularly Bobby seem to persuade him otherwise. Of course things go wrong and over the course of their journey two of the group end up infected and are either forced to leave or end up dead. Which two survive? Well, I’d class that as a major spoiler, so I won’t say.

This is more of a tense drama than anything else, and as such works quite well. There are a couple of problems with it, which I’ll go into later, but as far as production goes, no problems in that department, but nothing new either. As far as performances go, Chris Pine as Brian and Lou Taylor Pucci as Danny were fine, as were Piper Perabo as Bobby and Emily VanCamp as Kate.

The main problem I have with this film is the character Brian is such an asshole that I found it very hard to sympathise with him. Also, although there were things that I liked, the typical horror movie stupidity still reigns. Investigating noises in the dark, stopping to help bad guys when you know they will try to kill you…etc. But it’s not all bad; there are points where the logical action was carried out, which I applaud. Over all, it’s not great, but it is watchable, if you can get past the Brian character being a total asshole. (Only just) recommended.

My score: 5.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0806203/
Official Site: http://www.carriersmovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2346123801/

Film Review: TRON (1982)

Writer/Director: Steven Lisberger
Running time: 92 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

UK Release date: 21st October 1982

Watched on DVD Thursday 25th November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

In anticipation of the forthcoming Tron Legacy, I thought I’d go a bit retro and take a look at the 1982 original. I remember being blown away by the whole concept when it first came out, but now I’m a tad older and several tads wiser, it’s maybe lost a bit of its awe. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a pretty enjoyable film… But more of that later, here’s a short summary before I tell you what I really think (summary haters please wait on the game-grid until the end of the next paragraph).

Kevin Flynn is a programmer who has been swindled by his old boss, Ed Dillinger. In order to find evidence of Dillinger’s con Kevin must break into the system holding the data. He is assisted by his friends, Alan Bradley and Lora. Little do they know a rogue Master Control Program (MCP), written by Dillinger, has taken over the system. Flynn is digitised and sucked into the system, where programs take on the form of their programmers. He is forced to take part in gladiatorial games, at the behest of the MCP, but he escapes with two other programs, Tron and Ram. Now Tron was written by Alan Bradley and is designed to take down the MCP. The trio must make their way to the MCP before it becomes too powerful. They are pursued by the MCP’s most powerful warrior, Sark. Will they make it in time? Well, I guess I’d better leave it there, don’t want to give too much away.

Although it does look fairly dated by today’s standards, I think the effects stand up pretty well. You can tell they spent a lot of time and money getting it to look as good as it does. Unfortunately some of the dialogue is a bit wooden, particularly in the first half hour, and the musical score doesn’t exactly set your toes tapping, but I can forgive that. Performance wise, Jeff Bridges did a decent job as Kevin Flynn / Clu, as did Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley / Tron. Honourable mentions also go to; David Warner as Ed Dillinger / Sark / Master Control Program and Cindy Morgan as Lora / Yori.

I found it a little dull for the first thirty minutes or so, but after Flynn is sucked into the computer it soon grabbed my attention. It brought back so many memories, I used to love playing the light cycles game at the arcade. But enough nostalgia, although is seems a little dated, it’s still perfectly watchable today. I really enjoyed it and I hope the younger generation will also get the chance to see this one… Recommended.

My score: 6.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0084827/
Official Site: http://disneydvd.disney.go.com/tron.html#4063
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi3405709593/

Film Review: THE LOVELY BONES (2009) - Revisited

Director: Peter Jackson
Running time: 135 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

UK Release date: 19th February 2010

Watched on DVD Wednesday 24th November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have now read the book by Alice Sebold, with the same title, on which this film is based, and so I thought I’d give it a second viewing. In my first review I looked at the film as a stand-alone piece of work, now, having read the book, will I see it differently? Here’s a brief summary first before I give you my thoughts (summary haters please wait in the ‘in-between’ while I write the next paragraph… you can re-join the group afterwards).

NOTE: This is as depicted in the film:
Susie Salmon was fourteen when she was murdered on December 6th 1973; she has never been kissed and will never grow up. Her body is never found, but her consciousness goes to a place known as ‘the in-between’, where she watches as her family try to come to terms with her loss and also try to discover what happened to her. Her father, Jack, becomes so obsessed with finding out what happened to his daughter that he ends up in hospital having stalked a man into a field only to be beaten up for his trouble. Her mother, Abigail, cannot face it all and has to take some time away from the family. Abigail’s alcoholic mother, Grandma Lynn, comes to stay while she’s away. Her sister, Lindsey, frustrated with the whole situation, focuses her attention on a neighbour, George Harvey, who she is convinced has something to do with Susie’s disappearance. Through it all, Susie watches and tries to steer them in the right direction so that they can move on, and so can she. It’s very difficult to summarise the plot without giving too much away, so I’ll leave it there, I think I told you enough to know what the film is about.

It’s a beautiful film to look at, very clear images and some wonderful production. The time period the film was set was, for me, brought across perfectly, I’m only a few years younger than Susie would have been, and I remember the early 1970’s quite well. I thought the performance from Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon was quite brilliant, she won several nominations and a few awards for the part. I also thought that Stanley Tucci as the creepy neighbour, George Harvey, was also excellent. Decent performances from Mark Wahlberg as Jack Salmon, Rachel Weisz as Abigail Salmon, Susan Sarandon was woefully underused (IMO) as Grandma Lynn and Rose McIver as Lindsey Salmon.

There has been a lot of discussion about the depiction of ‘the in-between’. Personally, I didn’t have a problem with it; I guess whenever you adapt a book the picture in the reader’s head will seldom match the vision of the director. Now, having read the book I find there are a lot of differences between the book and the film. Some of the changes make the film more coherent, but the book was already out there as a body of work a long time before the film. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very good effort by Peter Jackson et al, but I think I’m always going to prefer the book.

But going back to the film, I found it a little too long, but for the first hour it was totally engrossing. The visuals are stunning and there are a couple of great performances. I guess if you haven’t read the book that I can recommend it to you, it’s worth seeing. Now the tough one, if you have read, and loved, the book then maybe don’t see this adaptation… but if you’re feeling brave... Oh, and in case you’re interested, last time I scored it 7.1/10.

My score: 6.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0380510/
Official Site: http://www.lovelybones.com/#home
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2521171225/

Film Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 (2010)

Director: David Yates
Running time: 146 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

UK Release date: 19th November 2010

Watched at the cinema Tuesday 23rd November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I chose to go and see this on a cold damp Tuesday evening because I remember a bad experience watching the previous Harry Potter last year. I foolishly went on the Saturday of the opening week and the cinema was packed. It wasn’t until the interval that I finally managed to threaten the teenager behind me enough to stop him kicking my seat all through the second half. But that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… I must take some of my pills. Here’s a very brief summary before I tell you what I thought of this one (summary haters please hide the chosen one in a forest while I write the next paragraph).

Lord Voldemort and his followers have taken over the Ministry of Magic and are hot on the trail of Harry Potter. Those loyal to him try to move him to a safer location, but they are betrayed and some of their number are killed or injured. After a further attack Harry, Ron and Hermione escape and decide to go it alone. They have discovered that one of the remaining Horcruxes is at the Ministry. Posing as three of the members of the Ministry they manage to steal the Horcrux, but have no way of destroying it. In his will, Dumbledor has left each of them an item that could help. Harry has been bequeathed the snitch he captured in his first game of quidditch as well as the Sword of Gryffindor which is currently lost. Hermione discovers that it is possible that the Sword could destroy the Horcrux. A mysterious light leads Harry to the sword and they are able to destroy the Horcrux. There a three more to be found and Lord Voldemort is becoming more and more powerful as time goes on. I have missed an awful lot out, but those are the salient points and, I hope, very few (if any) spoilers.

As we have come to expect, this is a beautifully made film, although much darker than the others. It was nice to see the three main characters out in the real world for a change. I love the animation that was used for the explanation of the meaning of the Deathly Hallows, beautifully done! Great performances all round, particularly from Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Rupert Grint as Ron and Emma Watson as Hermione. All are growing into fine actors.

As you may notice from reading my summary (assuming you weren’t hiding in a forest), that a knowledge of all of the previous six episodes does help when watching this instalment. I did find it a bit hard to get into at first, but was soon enthralled again. The scenes in the ministry did remind me a little of Terry Gilliam’s 1985 film Brazil and there are more than hits of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ throughout. Over all, a very good film and one I heartily recommend.

My score: 8.3/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0926084/
Official Site: Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Official Site)
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi3126958361/

Film Review: CRANK 2: HIGH VOLTAGE (2009)

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

Norway release date: 16th April 2009

Watched on DVD Tuesday 23rd November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

OK, so this is a no brainer, just mindless action from start to finish. You know how it is, sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and watch a film that isn’t going to tax it too much. Well here it is… It helps if you’ve seen the first one in the series, Crank (2006), but there are plenty of flashbacks if you haven’t. Here’s a short summary before I tell you what I think (summary haters please plug yourselves into the mains for the duration of the next paragraph).

Our hero, Chev Chelios, has fallen out of a helicopter; he survives only to be picked up by a gang of Orientals. They perform surgery on him and remove his heart, replacing it with a battery powered artificial heart. He escapes and goes in search of his real heart, now in the hands of a low-life called Johnny Vang. Feeling under the weather he calls up his friend, Doc Miles, who tells him that in order to keep the artificial heart going he must keep giving his skin an electrical charge every now and then. So, with time running out, he finds various allies on the way, including old flame, Eve Lydon and the brother of a victim from the first film, Venus. To add a bit of spice to the mix, a gang of Mexicans are also after Chelios. Will he find his real heart in time of will the Mexicans be having a fiesta? Well, I guess I can’t tell you that.

This film has a real comic-book feel to it, some of the dialogue, although spoken in English ends up as subtitles. The picture, at times, looks like it’s been shot on a really low budget and some of the locations, back alleys etc. look like they just turned up and shot. Decent performances all round, although nobody was stretched, so honourable mentions go to; Jason Statham as Chev Chelios, Amy Smart as Eve Lydon, Dwight Yoakam as Doc Miles and Efren Ramirez as Venus.

It’s definitely not going to win any awards, but, for the most part, it’s pretty good fun. It did get a little tedious after about an hour, but by then I was prepared to see it through. There’s nothing particularly new here but I did find it pretty entertaining. I think you’ve got to be prepared to not think too much and you’ll enjoy the ride. So, over all, although quite mindless, it’s good fun if you like crazy action thrillers, there are a few comic moments and it does what it says on the tin… Recommended.

My score: 6.0/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1121931/
Official Site: http://www.crank2.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi211026457/

Film Review: THE CRIMSON WING: MYSTERY OF THE FLAMINGOS (2008)

Directors: Matthew Aeberhard & Leander Ward
Running time: 75 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

UK release date: 25th September 2009

Watched on Sky+ Monday 22nd November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Known simply as ‘The Crimson Wing’ here in the UK, I remember it causing a bit of a stir when it was released just over a year ago. Of course it all died down pretty quickly and the film didn’t pick up any major awards. Needless to say it caught my attention and so when it turned up on TV I decided to give it a viewing.

This documentary tells the story of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania and how every year, after the rains come, a massive flock of Lesser Flamingos comes to the lake to breed. It tells of all the trials and tribulations of the young chicks, of all the dangers they must survive and, yes, there are scenes depicting the fates of those that don’t. We are also told about some of the wildlife surrounding the lake and how it gives the flamingos their unique crimson plumage.

A great score and some superb cinematography give this film the edge over other nature documentaries I’ve seen. There is also a great narration delivered by British TV presenter, Mariella Frostrup which only added to my enjoyment.

It did tend to sag a bit towards the end, but overall quite an enjoyable and informative film. I wouldn’t recommend it for the very young, but I think for anyone interested in wildlife its well worth a viewing. Over all, recommended.

My score: 6.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0902967/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi406454809/

Film Review: DEAD SNOW (2009)

Director: Tommy Wirkola
Running time: 87 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Norway release date: 9th January 2009

Watched on DVD Monday 22nd November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have to admit I’m not a great fan of horror films, but I was prepared to give this one a go. I mean, how bad could it be, a Scandinavian (Norwegian in this case) horror film with subtitles that involves Nazi zombies! How could I turn it down? Well, I have to say it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, in fact I quite liked it, to a certain extent. But more of my thoughts later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters please chainsaw your own arm off while I write the next paragraph… pick it up after).

A group of young friends, Martin, Roy, Hanna, Vegard, Liv, Erlend and Chris are meeting at a cabin in the mountains for the Easter holidays. The cabin is owned by Vegard’s girlfriend Sara, who is skiing there and will arrive later. During their first night a stranger knocks at the door, they let him in and make him coffee. He tells them the creepy tale of the Germans who occupied the area during World War II. They were particularly evil to the locals and when they were about to be defeated many of them escaped to the mountains with a horde of cash and jewels stolen from the locals which was lost in the escape. Some say they still search the mountains for the horde. The stranger leaves and the group are slightly creeped out by his tale. Then Erlend, searching for some beer, finds a box under the floor (bet you can’t guess what’s inside). Needless to say, the group is picked off one by one until the final few are left for the big showdown at the end.

Although this film does not really do anything different to most in this genre, it was quite nice to see it from a different standpoint. What I mean is, it’s nice to see the Norwegian take on this type of film. I loved the soundtrack, some classical and then everything up to some really hard rock, all in Norwegian of course. I won’t say too much about the performances, everyone was ok and nobody really stood out. Although Vegar Hoel as Martin and Stig Frode Henriksen as Roy had a few really good comic moments towards the end.

So, overall, pretty gory with a nice soundtrack. It doesn’t really add much to the genre although the zombie Nazi’s move a lot faster than in most American zombie films. I really liked the sound design; they actually took their time and mixed a proper 5.1 surround sound track (Hollywood please take note). Some really great comic moments, particularly towards the end, but it does have subtitles which may put a few off. Over all, recommended.

My score: 6.2/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1278340/
Official Site (Note: Norwegian): http://www.dodsno.no/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2978087705/