Film Review: ZOMBIELAND (2009)

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Running time: 84 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

UK Release Date: 7th October 2009

Watched on DVD Sunday 6th June 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I sadly missed this one at the cinema last year, not showing at the local and transport issues getting to the nearest Cineplex. So it was with much anticipation I put the DVD into the player. The good news is I like it; I like it a lot! Here’s a brief summary then I’ll tell you why.

As is normal in most zombie films, some mystery virus has turned most of the Worlds population into flesh eating zombies. A young college student, known as Columbus, is making his way back home following a bunch of rules he’s made for himself since the world became Zombieland. He meets Tallahassee, a rough tough loner who has a thing for Twinkies. The duo decides to travel together, but is soon met by sisters Wichita and Little Rock, who con them out of their vehicle and weapons. The guys find another vehicle and catch the girls up. To cut a long story short they end up travelling together to Hollywood, and then the fun really starts. I will say no more, I don’t want to give too much away.

This is a really well made comedy zombie flick. Plenty of blood splatter and very inventive ways found to dispatch the zombie hoards. Great performances from all of the main cast, Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus, Woody Harrelson was particularly good as Tallahassee, Emma Stone as Wichita and Abigail Breslin as Little Rock. There is another major star that has a cameo, but I won’t give it away here, just in case you haven’t seen it yet.

As I said at the beginning, I really like this film; it has a great soundtrack too, if you open with Metallica you’re always going to get a vote from me! There are plenty of laughs and also some touching moments too. Over all, recommended, but maybe not for the more squeamish out there.

My score: 7.9/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1156398/
Official Site: http://www.zombieland.com/
Trailer/Featurette: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi179635481/

Film Review: SEVEN POUNDS (2008)

Director: Gabriele Muccino
Running time: 118 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 12

UK Release Date: 16th January 2009

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 6th March 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I can’t say I’m the greatest fan of the work of Will Smith, but if he continues to produce performances like this I may have to change my view. I found him really engaging in the part of Ben Thomas, a tax collector with a heart… and a secret. There was the occasional glimpse of the clown he’s better known for, but these were fleeting enough to ignore. I have noticed he has matured in the last few performances I’ve seen, The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), which I wasn’t too enthralled with, and I Am Legend (2007), which I quite liked (see my review here: I Am Legend - Review). But enough of Mr Smith, I’ll tell you a bit more about the film.

Ben Thomas is a troubled man, we see him ranting at a telephone salesman, Ezra Turner, for no apparent reason. He has flashbacks of an incident in his past that has obviously affected him deeply. He talks on the phone to a man, possibly a lawyer, about a plan that they have as he goes about his business as an IRS tax collector. He helps an old woman in a nursing home to achieve some dignity after her doctor is less than caring. It’s almost like he’s looking for good people who are worth saving from the circumstances they find themselves in. As part of his search he finds Emily Posa, a young woman who has tax problems and a heart condition. The pair become friends and, when Emily collapses due to her condition, Ben stays by her bedside, which brings them even closer. There is also a sub-plot where Ben’s brother is trying to find him, exactly why I will not say, but it’s fairly crucial to the plot. I really can’t say any more without giving away crucial plot points, so I’ll leave my little synopsis here.

I have heard good reports about this film, and so was quite keen to see what all the fuss was about. A very well made film with quite a slow, deliberate pace. The music was pretty good too, but if you put the band Muse in the soundtrack, I’m bound to like it! A great performance from Will Smith as Ben Thomas and honourable mentions also go to Rosario Dawson as Emily Posa, Woody Harrelson as Ezra Turner, Michael Ealy as Ben’s brother and Barry Pepper as Dan Morris.

I wasn’t aware that the director, Gabriele Muccino, had also brought us The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), which I’ve already said I didn’t much enjoy. I was pleasantly surprised though, not just by the performance of Will Smith, but with the film as a whole. There is quite a sense of mystery at the beginning which sets the wheels in motion, unfortunately this cannot be maintained all the way through and it does get a bit bogged down towards the latter third. But very enjoyable none the less with a really great ending that may have you in tears! Over all, a really good, heart warming tale and a film I can recommend.


My score: 7.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0814314/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/sevenpounds/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2170028057/

Film Review: TRANSSIBERIAN (2008)

Director: Brad Anderson
Running time: 107 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 23rd January 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I always find films that involve a journey quite interesting. Maybe because of the ever changing scenery, or maybe because of the interesting people that are met on the way, I’m not sure. And so I came to this film with some anticipation. The setting is, not surprisingly, the Transsiberian railway that runs from Vladivostok on the East cost of Russia through to Moscow. There is also a line that joins the Transsiberian that runs north from Beijing in China.

A young American couple, Roy and Jessie have been doing some work for their church in Beijing and have decided to travel back to the States overland, and so they take the Transsiberian from Beijing. They share a cabin with another couple, Carlos, from Spain and Abby from Seattle. Carlos and Abby are worldly wise and advise the somewhat naive Roy and Jessie on how best to avoid attracting attention from the authorities. Jessie seems to get particular attention from Carlos, who shows her a collection of Russian nesting dolls that he says he plans to sell in Amsterdam. During a stop, Roy and Jessie get separated when Roy is accidentally left behind. Jessie has to wait at the next stop for Roy to come through the following day. Carlos and Abby decide to wait with her. Whilst there, Carlos takes Jessie out to photograph an old abandoned church out in the frozen countryside, leaving Abby back at the hotel. He starts to make a move on Jessie and, at first she responds, but then backs off. Carlos doesn’t like this and pursues her through the woods. Jessie, now desperate, picks up a piece of wood and hits him with it. She hits him with it several times and before she knows it, he’s dead. She heads back to the hotel and goes to the train station where Roy has just arrived. They continue their journey with a new cabin-mate, a narcotics detective, Grinko. He tells them how smugglers were now using mules to get heroin into the country and forming it into everyday objects. Looking in her case later, Jessie finds the Russian dolls Carlos had shown her earlier… I think that’s enough spoilers for now.

Quite a well made film with some good performances; some of the cinematography was really excellent. The setting was a little constricting, but the story seemed to flow quite well despite this. As I said, good performances from all of the leading cast, Woody Harrelson as Roy, Emily Mortimer as Jessie, Ben Kingsley as Grinko, Kate Mara as Abby, Eduardo Noriega as Carlos and Thomas Kretschmann as Klozak.

This is a film of two halves, the first half up to the murder of Carlos, and the second half involving the mysterious Detective Grinko. Although I found the first half slightly predictable, I thought the second half didn’t quite live up to expectations. It seems to be a recurring theme with modern thrillers; it’s almost as if writers have forgotten how to write an ending. Over all, it’s not a bad film, a good one to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon perhaps.

My score: 6.3/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0800241/
Official Site: http://www.firstlookstudios.com/films/transsiberian/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2246508825/