Film Review: THE DEBT (2011)

Director: John Madden
Writers: Matthew Vaughn (screenplay), Jane Goldman (screenplay), Peter Straughan (screenplay), Assaf Bernstein (film “Ha-Hov”), Ido Rosenblum (film “Ha-Hov”)
Running Time: 109 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama/Thriller
UK Release Date: 30^th September 2011

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 4^th August 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember seeing a trailer for this at the cinema all the way back in 2010 but it never seemed to appear! It did, of course, finally get a release but was (as far as I know) not all that well received. The trailer had done its work on me though and I remembered it when I saw it land in the TV listings. It’s an interesting film that has both good and bad parts. I will tell you more after this very brief summary.

When a Mossad team is sent to East Berlin in 1965 to find and bring back a Nazi war criminal, they begin a train of events that will follow them for many years to come. The team consists of Rachel Singer, Stephan Gold and David Peretz. Their target is a man who calls himself Doktor Bernhardt, who is in reality Dieter Vogel; the notorious ‘Surgeon of Birkeanu’. The action switches between 1997 and 1965 as we are told of the events in Berlin in flashback. The results of these events have long-reaching and very different effects on the three members of the team. I really don’t want to say any more or I may give too much away (and the Spoiler Police wouldn’t like that!).

A very well made film which I found notable for the performances of those involved. With the action being split between two timelines there are two actors for each of the main parts; Helen Mirren was excellent as Rachel Singer (1997) and I thought Jessica Chastain was equally good in the same part circa 1965. Tom Wilkinson was great (as ever) as Stephan Gold (1997) with Marton Csokas doing a fine job in 1965. Finally there’s Ciarán Hinds who did a good job as David Peretz (1997) and Sam Worthington did an excellent job as the 1965 version. I should also give a mention to Jesper Christensen who did a great job as Doktor Bernhardt / Dieter Vogel.

Based on the Israeli film, “Ha-Hov” (which I haven’t seen), I could see parallels with the Steven Spielberg film “Munich”. Surprisingly, there is a long section of the film that concentrates on the events in Berlin which I thought was maybe a bit too long. There needed to be (IMO) a little more grounding in 1997 as that is where the film ends. Having said that, I did find this tale quite gripping with an unexpected outcome. I liked the way certain details were kept from the audience until the action switched to 1997. Over all, an interesting drama/thriller with some great performances; I just felt it needed a little more… Still, worth a look.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED.

My Score 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 6.9/10 (based on 28,779 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1226753/

MetaScore: 65/100: (Based on 37 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 76/100 (based on 165 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 67/100 ‘Liked It’ (based on 30,552 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1211195-debt/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Young Stephan: Breathe.

Young David: Here you are a Mossad agent, all those years of training, the highest levels of marksmanship and krav maga, and your first big mission is sewing.
Young Rachel: Black belt in dressmaking.
[brandishing a pin]
Young David: I never argue with an armed woman.
Young Rachel: [stabs him with the pin]

Doktor Bernhardt: Do it. You want to do it... Do it.
Young Rachel: [finishes shaving his neck]
Doktor Bernhardt: That's right. I'd forgotten. You Jews never knew how to kill. Only how to die.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://focusfeatures.com/the_debt
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seethedebt
Trailer:

Film Review: AVATAR (2009) - Revisited

Writer/Director: James Cameron
Running time: 162 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 23^rd March 2012

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 1^st April 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I first saw this film when it came out in the cinemas back in 2009, you’ll find my original review here. It made its network TV debut in the last week and so I decided to cast my eye over it again to see how it’s fared. Well, I can say it’s still quite stunning to look at and the CGI is still top-notch (even in two dimensions!). I will tell you more after this brief summary.

Jake Sully is an ex-marine whose twin brother had trained to control an Avatar on the wild distant moon of Pandora. Unfortunately Jake’s brother was killed and Jake, himself a paraplegic, was persuaded to take his place, given he has the same genetic make-up. The program is run by Dr. Grace Augustine and Jake takes to controlling the Avatar very easily. A group of them venture into the forest where an accident leaves Jake stranded there at night where he meets Neytiri, a native Na’vi. Gaining her trust, he is taken back to the tribal village where Neytiri is tasked with teaching him the ways of her people. Now, as an ex-marine, Jake is persuaded by Colonel Miles Quaritch to find out as much about the Na’vi as he can in order to give the military an advantage. At first he does this willingly, but as he learns more about them he comes to appreciate their way of life and he also falls for Neytiri. This makes it harder for him to betray his new friends, but the Colonel has ways of finding out what Jake has learned. Having found the biggest deposits of Unobtanium (stupid name, I know), a very valuable ore, are to be found under their village, Parker Selfridge, the representative for the Resources Development Administration orders the troops into Na’vi territory. I’ll leave my short summary here, there is a lot I’ve missed out and a lot more to come, but the Spoiler Police (James Cameron Division) will be suing me for every penny I haven’t earned yet if I say any more.

Although I did find the story a little predictable, I still loved the experience of watching this film. It’s still quite stunning to look at. The CGI and much of the world created by Cameron is beautifully done, although I’m not too sure about the look if the Na’vi. All of the cast did a decent job, Sam Worthington as Jake Scully, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon, Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, Joel Moore as Norm Spellman, CCH Pounder as Moat and Wes Studi as Eytukan.

‘Pocahontas in Space’, ‘Fern Gully meets Terminator’, these are just two of the comments I’ve heard about this film since its release. I can see why it has attracted such ‘derisory’ comments, but I can also see (from a second viewing) just what Cameron was trying to do. Yes, the story is predictable and, for the most part, we’ve seen it all before in another guise. But there is an underlying message about greed that seems to get missed my many reviewers. It is all a bit too ‘touchy, feely’ for some, but personally I didn’t mind it all that much. At the end of the day I did find it entertaining (if a little schmaltzy in places), but even so, still well worth a look… Still Recommended (if with a slightly lower score).

My score: 7.9/10

IMDb Score: 8.0/10 (based on 423,897 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 83/100 (based on 283 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 92/100 (based on 622,949 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Jake Sully: [Narrating] When I was lying in the V.A. hospital with a big hole blown through the middle of my life, I started having these dreams of flying. I was free. But sooner or later, you always have to wake up.

Col. Quaritch: You are not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora, ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact every second of every day. If there is a Hell, you might wanna go there for some R & R after a tour on Pandora. Out there beyond that fence every living thing that crawls, flies, or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for jujubes. We have an indigenous population of humanoids called the Na'vi. They're fond of arrows dipped in a neurotoxin that will stop your heart in one minute - and they have bones reinforced with naturally occurring carbon fibre. They are very hard to kill. As head of security, it is my job to keep you alive. I will not succeed. Not with all of you. If you wish to survive, you need to cultivate a strong, mental aptitude. You got to obey the rules: Pandora rules. Rule number one...

Jake Sully: Everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world, and in here is the dream.

Dr. Grace Augustine: Is the avatar safe?
Jake Sully: Yeah, Doc, it's safe, and you are not gonna believe where I am!

Neytiri: To become "taronyu" hunter, you must choose your own Ikran and he must choose you.
Jake Sully: When?
Neytiri: When you are ready.
[makes a whooping sound as she flies off on her Ikran]

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.avatarmovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010)

Director: Louis Leterrier
Running time: 102 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy
UK release date 2nd April 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 20th February 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

As this film was released in 3D I had no interest in seeing it when it was released, I’m not a fan of paying extra for something that adds very little to the film and usually gives me a headache. Although, I believe, it made a bit of money, it was not critically well received. Well, I don’t always agree with them, but on this occasion I’m here to tell you I have to agree with the critics. But more of my thoughts later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters and those who don’t wish to know anything about the plot please fend off those giant scorpions while I write the next paragraph).

The gods live on mount Olympus and feed off the worship of the humans below. Unfortunately the humans are getting restless and don’t feel the love any more. The leader of the gods, Zeus, isn’t too happy about this and when his brother, Hades comes to him with a plan, he listens. Hades wants to teach the humans a lesson by releasing the Kraken, a giant sea monster, on them. Meanwhile back with the humans, a young man, a son of Zeus called Perseus is chosen to find a way to defeat the Kraken. A band of men go with him and one woman, Io, who proves to be of great help to Perseus. They must first find three witches who hold the secret to destroying the Kraken… I think you get the drift. There’s also the story of how the gods are trying to stab each other in the back going on, but I think there’s enough there to give you the gist.

This is a very well made film, you can tell they had a pretty large budget to make this one. There is quite a lot of CGI and it is all of high quality. The trouble is, it did tend to detract from the story by making the visuals more important and not progressing the story in places. Decent performances all round; Sam Worthington was good as Perseus, although I felt he was a little too subdued for the role. Liam Neeson donned the sparkly armour and did a good job as Zeus, Ralph Fiennes was the best of the bunch (IMO) as Hades, you got two for the price of one with Jason Flemyng as Calibos/Acrisius and Gemma Arterton did a decent job as Io.

I felt the plot was a little over complicated, there were lots of sub-plots going on and I could feel it getting a little confusing at times. Although the visuals were great, again, they didn’t really add a great deal (for me). Over all, although it’s not going to win any prises, it’s entertaining enough, a good one for a wet Sunday afternoon on the TV but I wouldn’t pay to see it in the cinema.

My score: 5.2/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0800320/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/clash_of_the_titans_2010/
Official Site: http://clash-of-the-titans.warnerbros.com/dvd/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2626946073/

Film Review: AVATAR (2009)

Director: James Cameron
Running time: 162 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Watched at the cinema Tuesday 29th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have been waiting for the chance to see this film for quite a while now and I finally got it today. The gods were against me, it seemed, what with bad weather or other social engagements, I thought I’d missed it. Fortunately I saw a window of opportunity and took it. And believe me I was NOT disappointed!

Jake Sully is a marine whose twin brother had trained to control an Avatar on the wild moon called Pandora. Unfortunately he was killed and Jake, himself a paraplegic, was persuaded to take his place, given he has the same genetic make-up as his brother. The program is run by Dr. Grace Augustine and Jake takes to controlling the Avatar very easily. A group of them venture into the forest where an accident leaves Jake stranded there at night where he meets Neytiri, a native Na’vi. Gaining her trust, he is taken back to the tribal village where Neytiri is tasked with teaching him the ways of her people. Now, being an ex-marine, Jake is persuaded by Colonel Miles Quaritch to find out as much about the Na’vi as he can in order to give the military an advantage over them. At first he does this willingly, but as he learns more about them he comes to appreciate their way of life and he also falls for Neytiri. Having found the biggest deposits of Unobtanium (stupid name, I know), a very valuable ore, are to be found under their village, Parker Selfridge, the representative for the Resources Development Administration orders the troops into Na’vi territory. I’ll leave my short summary here, there is a lot I’ve missed out and a lot more to come, but I urge you to go and see it on the big screen, you’ll thank me.

Although I did find the story a little predictable, I absolutely loved the experience of watching this film. It is absolutely stunning to look at. There is a sequence where the Na’vi are catching and bonding with Mountain Banshee's, flying creatures, that is breathtaking. All of the cast did a great job, Sam Worthington as Jake Scully, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon, Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, Joel Moore as Norm Spellman, CCH Pounder as Moat and Wes Studi as Eytukan.

Technically, I cannot fault it, the effects are stunning, it’s almost like you are taken to Pandora for 162 minutes. As I said before the story is a little predictable, but it looks stunning and I urge you to see it on the big screen. I only saw it in 2D and it looked impressive enough to me, so if you get the chance I can highly recommend it.

My score: 8.6/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/
Official Site: http://www.avatarmovie.com/index.html
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi531039513/