Ted directed by Seth Macfarlane; released in 2012

Seth Macfarlane is sick. Sick in the sense that he uses twisted, disturbing and no thrills dialogue and on more than one occasion mocks 9/11 and sick in the street slang sense; that he is ultimately one of the comedy genius’ of his generation. ‘Ted’ uses the same monikers that you expect from Macfarlane, the continual ‘close to the edge’ comedy – which  makes you question whether or not you are fully aware that you are laughing at something that mocks probably the whole world and his clever knack of presuming you have the stomach for it. Unsurprisingly this film is highly enjoyable. It tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a lonely young boy who one night wishes for his new Christmas present – a large teddy bear, to come to life. Amazingly, it comes true and from then on, Ted’s (voiced disgustingly by Macfarlane) life is transformed into one of a globally known celebrity. As the years pass however, you are thrown back into the 35-year-old life of John, who is in a 4 year relationship with Lori (Mila Kunis) and still hangs out with his best bud Ted. They love weed, still think Flash Gordon is badass and unbeknownst to them have a stalker. Packed with horrid humour that rips 9/11 (not too soon), it keeps you laughing and then thinking about what you actually just heard, which makes it a very easy watch. I loved the connection between John and Ted. However old you get, you always have your best friend and what Seth Macfarlane does well, is to not make it corny and ridiculous. Ted is a real character and not just a comedic element, which he could well have turned out to be, even though the film is called ‘Ted’. Mark Wahlberg out does his performance in ‘The Other Guys’ and really shows how he has grown as a person, since his days as a wannabe rapper and then his transition into acting and finally his acting success with ‘The Fighter’ and now this. He begrudgingly has to give up his best friend, which at times is a tough watch and unlike Macfarlane’s cartoon background, hold’s back on the humour and allows for some very emotional moments. This is what made the film great, the way in which it balanced the stupidity and outrageousness with the sadness and the anger. I also loved the supporting cast, which includes, Matt Walsh (Veep), Joel McHale (Community), Giovanni Ribisi (Contraband) and Patrick Warburton (Family Guy). They all add their dramatic and comedic skill, which enhances the film’s, already laugh-out-loud comedy. The relationship between John and Lori is a great success and enables Seth Macfarlane to really throw some curveballs, some excitement and some heartbreak and it still is able to hold its truthfulness. I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to fans of the Seth Macfarlane world, Joel McHale and the main stars.

9/10

Somewhere directed by Sofia Coppola; released in 2010

I always wondered what it would be like to be a really successful actor. Not like, starred in a few films and therefore have just started climbing the ladder to legendary status but actually being someone like George Clooney or Matt Damon. This is how I believe Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) wishes his life had turned out or what it could be in years to come. You are unsure of at what point in his career he has reached when he realises that it’s okay to squander any sort of meaning and fully become the sell-out that he is. Prescription drugs are the norm, unprotected sex with neighbours is okay and treating people like shit is what drives you to make more money than you can think of. I completely understand the pressures that celebrities are under, always in the public eye, bombarded with mail – whether it be positive or negative and finally, maybe forgetting you have an 11 year old daughter who is more talented and beautiful than you will ever be. Much like ‘Lost in Translation’, this film shows you someone’s life, with nothing else added. It is, uncensored, clean-cut daily routine and you have the task of trying to put together what you believe is the truth. Is Johnny an arsehole? Is he just somebody who got caught up in being an A-List celebrity? Or (and most importantly) is he unhappy, unfulfilled and in need of some excitement in his life. Hopefully, you agree with the third option. This is my opinion. This film is a tough watch, tougher than ‘Lost in Translation’, the first 10-15 minutes is really an introduction and even though, understandably, this is important when introducing characters and plot lines, it could have been a tad shorter. That is my only quibble with the entire movie. Containing periods of silence over pictures of Johnny contemplating what to do with his life, breaking down on the phone to someone who probably isn’t really his friend and ultimately discovering that his daughter and his own happiness is the most important thing in the world, ‘Somewhere’ was really enjoyable to watch. As the film progresses you are introduced to many people, who Johnny really doesn’t have much time for. Not because he is rude but because they really just want his autograph or to take his picture or to offer him some free food or to clean his room. This is what being a celebrity is. Having no freedom to do what you want, continually being told what to do and having everything laid out on a plate for you. Sofia Coppola really has put together something that demonstrates ‘Money isn’t everything’. Stephen Dorff may have taken inspiration from his own life for this role but I hope not completely. Elle Fanning is great and pulls off the role of the girl who Johnny really loves and cares about; his daughter. There is a surprisingly good performance from TV’s Jackass star Chris Pontius, who throughout is there as Johnny’s oldest friend and who also deeply cares about Cleo (Elle Fanning). I really enjoyed this film and believe it is a great metaphor for the highs and lows of stardom and what it really means to be a celebrity.

9/10

Jeff, Who Lives at Home directed by Jay and Mark Duplass; released in 2012

It’s always hard to judge what you are going to get when you sit down and watch something fronted by Jason Segel. He’s far better than ‘How I Met your Mother’ in ‘Knocked Up’, funnier than ‘Knocked Up’ in ‘I Love You, Man’ and now delivers his most touching performance in the Duplass Brothers latest ‘dramedy’, ‘Jeff, Who Lives at Home’. The character, ‘Jeff’, is a great fan of M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Signs’, and decides to live his life following the same sort of journey in his home town. On the day the film takes place, he receives a phone call from an unknown man (who has dialled the wrong number!) asking for somebody named Kevin and from then on proceeds to take any path that is led by that name. This results in a mugging, being there to help his brother on more than one occasion and finally, in the totally heart wrenching and uplifting end, discovering what he believes the reason why he has been put on this earth. What struck me most about this film is the sadness. You feel for Jeff’s mum, a woman searching for a new man, who, on the day Jeff goes on a sort of treasure hunt, believes she may have found the person of her dreams. Susan Sarandon does well to encapsulate the life of a tired mother, intent on improving both her sons normal but broken lives. You fully understand the heartache and troubles she has suffered over the years, with the loss of her husband, the lack of self belief from Jeff and the stubbornness of Pat (Ed Helms). All these factors come together to solve the family’s drawn out and unwanted lack of communication. They are able to bridge the gap and connect, with Jeff being the person who has spearheaded the reunion with his overly positive outlook on the world. He had been seen as the one who lacked ambition, who didn’t care but as the years past, he was, really, the one who at no point stopped believing. This is what makes this film a complete tear-jerker. I went into it believing it was going to be a laugh-out-loud comedy but after Jeff’s first knock back, witnessing Pat’s marriage fall apart and Sharon’s continual disappointment, you really want them to succeed and need to them have a better life.  Ed Helms is great as Jeff’s older brother Pat; buying a Porsche has finally put a cherry on the top of his mid-life crisis cake and after the discovery that his wife of a few years, Linda (Judy Greer) may be cheating on him, sends him into a complete meltdown. The only person there to help is the one person he has resented for many years, Jeff. Their brotherly relationship is touching to watch, from the moment Jeff utters anything to do with relationships, Pat points out that he has no leg to stand on in terms of what Pat has been through but when he is the only person who is actually offering any sort of advice, he agrees and when he tracks down Linda, is able to reconnect. I loved this film and was completely moved and surprised by the level of despair and complete heartbreak throughout. Much like the Duplass Brother’s previous work, ‘Cyrus’, you are taken aback by the writing and the total realism of all the performances. I would recommend this film to fans of the directors and the main stars.

9/10

The American directed by Anton Corbijn; released in 2010

This is a very unique story. A man whose forte is guns, passion is women and on top of this, is wanted dead by more than one person. Put this together with the director of the dark Ian Curtis biopic, ‘Control’ and you have something that is a very interesting watch. Set in the idyllic Castelvecchio, a rural Italian town; which in hindsight isn’t the normal place to set a sort-of spy thriller in the mould of old spaghetti westerns,  Jack (George Clooney) is in hiding after recently disposing of a lover and two contract killers in Sweden. From the outset, you are presented a character who is confident but at the same time, confused with life. He is unsure that he has chosen the correct career, even though he is many years into it, which isn’t the best one that allows him to build relationships, which seems to be his favourite pastime. The film’s main theme though, which is not necessarily a theme, is the prolonged silences where the only thing you hear is the construction of a gun, footsteps of someone being followed or the firing of a gun. This, paired with the plot, makes for 95 minutes of total suspense. George Clooney’s career really has gone from strength to strength since playing Doug Ross in ‘E.R.’ over 15 years ago and his performance in this, is one that really makes him one of my favourite actors. He draws from his performance as the titular character in ‘Michael Clayton’, allowing for some very blunt, explosive dialogue which makes his character, an efficient arms expert, all that more believable. Throughout the film you are unable to decide on what you want the outcome to be, which when coupled with shots of the beautiful Italian landscape make the shocking ending that more despairing. The area shouldn’t be subjected to the arrival of violence, which makes the film that more exciting and brutal. His friendship with a local priest makes the subject matter even more controversial, resulting in each scene between Jack and Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) very cryptic. Constant questioning from the priest about Jack or Edward’s (alias’s play a big role in the life of a hit-man) life, make for some weird responses and seriously hamper the killer’s entire outlook on life. The blossoming romance between him and a local prostitute is again, due to the story, very tough but exciting to watch. You know from the beginning that any form of love interest for Jack will be, in the end, questioned, when whoever he falls for discovers or notices something to do with his line of work. The chemistry between him and Clara (Violante Placido) is thrilling and when Jack finally makes his choice about his chosen career, you know that something is going to go wrong. The film’s supporting cast is also good, most notably Thekla Reuten and Johan Leysen as Mathilde and Pavel, who both pull of the ‘so called friend’ role very well. I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to fans of Clooney, the director and westerns/thrillers. P.S. Don’t go into this film thinking you are going to be seeing a ‘Bourne’ paced thriller. You aren’t.

9/10

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel directed by John Madden; released in 2012

I always think about growing up and becoming that person who get’s a free bus pass and a state pension. I think about how my life is going to change, what I’m going to be able to do and what will be hard. Therefore, I am so very glad that I decided to watch this film. Filled with sadness, over-the-moon excitement and a donning of the cap to the elder generation of British actors, ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ is one of the most heart warming tales I’ve seen in recent years. It’s hard to watch this film and not take your eyes off the screen, from the opening monologues, as an audience, you are completely engrossed in each character’s woes and prospects. Contrasting agenda’s such as, boosting your self belief, wanting some affection, rebuilding relationships and finding long-lost one’s, results in each scene being either tinged with close to tears sadness or hand clapping jubilation. You are taken on journey’s that are lifetimes in the making, which when witnessed, taking this into account, make some scenes nearly unbearable to watch, most notably Tom Wilkinson’s character tracking down the man he has loved since he first met him over 30 years earlier. What was great about this film was the on-screen time balance between all the central characters, you are given just enough time to enjoy their individual stories and in the penultimate scene, see them all come together. I also thoroughly enjoyed Dev Patel’s performance as Sonny, the over enthusiastic, young, impressionable owner of the hotel, which in reality is a shell of its former self. He really has come along way since ‘Skins’ and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and now looks like he will go on to be a great leading man; he is currently appearing in ‘The Newsroom’ which I would highly recommend. As relationship’s blossom, the hotel gains admirers, which was pretty predictable but still highly enjoyable viewing. He pulls off a typical on-screen Indian accent, which sounded pretty generic but still believable. Some films border on racist when having a British Indian actor portray an Indian but in this I’m glad to say this wasn’t the case. Another great part of the film is the setting, the vibrant, loud and colourful Jaipur. It really would be a great escape for anyone wanting to get away from a past life and as the characters realise what they want to do with their lives, they really seem to warm to it, even though from the look of it, this really shouldn’t be difficult. You convince yourself you can feel, smell and taste the environment when you watch it, which enables a great backdrop to any scene, especially those involving happiness. Young actors should watch this film with great appreciation to the people they grew up watching and the people they will become when they have been on our screens for 20-30 years. This film shines a great light for British Cinema and with the recent news that funding may be reduced, I really hope it could be the catalyst for future investments and funding into films based and shot in the United Kingdom, even though this film is shot in India! I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to fans of the actors, director John Madden and Comedy Drama’s.

8/10

Animal Kingdom directed by David Michôd; released in 2010

I’d been wanting to see this film for a while, not only due to the praise and hype surrounding it but also as I am a huge fan of both up and comer Joel Edgerton (Warrior) and legendary Australian actor Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential). Surprisingly it was neither of these actors who took my breath away but young James Frecheville in his début appearance on the big screen. Playing 17-year-old Joshua ‘J’ Cody, he is unfairly pushed into the life of a child growing up in a world motivated by crime and the constant feeling of someone looking over your shoulder; in this case, the police, fronted by Leckie (Pearce). What struck and at the same time astounded me most about James Frecheville was the confidence and on-screen presence of somebody who was just 18 years old at the time of filming. Playing a character who is repeatedly betrayed by his so-called ‘loving family’ until one day he finally decides to exact some needed revenge and set it straight, you get the feeling that the actors surrounding him looked on in awe as he stole the show. Mentally stable and at points brutally truthful you are completely able to grasp the troubles that have overshadowed the recent death of his young mother. Having to deal with a family constantly involved in drugs, bank robbery’s and keeping Pope; ‘J’s’ evil uncle, who goes to the extreme to ensure that he keeps himself out of prison, takes its toll on ‘J’ and his ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ girlfriend, Nicky. What I loved about this film was the way in which each member of the crime family were introduced and showed to be as evil as the next, most notably the discovery that ‘J’s’ grandmother is more than just his grandmother but a vital cog in the ‘Melbourne Crime Family’. A film that is violent, believable and at times very tough to watch, ‘Animal Kingdom’ really shows that to stay alive, you have to be able to think on your feet, cut all alliances and focus on keeping yourself safe. I was a little disappointed about not being able to see more of Edgerton but sometimes, it is what it is and his role in the film is needed and without his performance could have been far less believable. The real-time look of the picture also added to the dark atmospheric feel that surrounded anything that went on; this was parallel to the echoing music that seemed to shake the entire soul of ‘J’ throughout. Guy Pearce is clinical, demanding and heroic as the only man who seems to want this vile family brought to justice. Having to put up with corrupt police and at times an undecided ‘J’, it seemed as though he was starting to lose his mind, which needs to thank his overall performance, as it was a great highlight. A completely expected but at the same time shocking ending really helped to round off the dismantling of a family that broke it’s promises and threatened to ruin the life of a young boy. I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Animal Kingdom’ and would recommend it to fans of crime dramas and Australian Cinema.

9/10

The Woman in the Fifth directed by Paweł Pawlikowski; released in 2011

What is there to say about this film? Is it a romance, is it a drama, is it a violent thriller? If you were to combine all three of those genres, you would still probably be wrong. The film starts out as an innocent story of a broken man, with an unexplained past wanting to get closer to his six-year-old daughter in a small unpopulated unnamed French town. From then on, the levels of intrigue, suspense and confusion mount and you are pulled quickly and cleanly through a timeless period in the life of an American writer who may or may not be completely sane. He is used differently by three women, his wife hates him and sees him as the reason why they broke up, which may be wrong, as you are again, much like his past, not given any sort of basis to understand their relationship. Margit (Kristin Scott Thomas) is his escape, the one he uses to pour out all his feelings and needs without any censorship; the scenes with Margit, once the film is finished add to the confusion of the entire movie but at the same time help you understand what is going on with the other women in the film. The final woman, Ania, played kindly by Joanna Kulig is the one who truly loves him but the one he shows most negativity towards, which completely explains the frame of mind he is in. Much like the classic David Fincher film ‘Fight Club’, this film doesn’t fully explain itself to the very end, which makes for, at points, some tedious viewing but at the same time the intrigue is so much that you can’t help but watch it till the very end. This may have been the point of the film and if it was, the film maker has more than achieved what they set out to do. If Pawlikowski set out to confuse you on a level that is hard to explain but when viewed, easy to understand, in a world so close to reality that you could be there, then this could be one of the best films I have seen in recent years. Ethan Hawke’s French is great and acting along side a legend of 80’s French Cinema, Kristin Scott Thomas, it’s not hard to see why this film has been highly praised and with the use of American English speech throughout, this film could easily make the move into the more commercial market. I also enjoyed the performance of the French supporting cast, mainly the inhabitants of the hotel, who were as close to reality as you could get, which is in great contrast to the rest of the film, as it seemed like one long dream sequence, reminiscent of Cameron Crowe’s ‘Vanilla Sky’. I enjoyed this film and believe it will see Ethan Hawke go on to achieve even better things in the future and also underline the presence of Kristin Scott Thomas as one of the best actors of the last 30 years. I would recommend this to fans of French Cinema and the two main stars.

8/10

Observe and Report directed by Jody Hill; released in 2009

The guy who directed this was that guy, you know, that guy who went and got his mate in ‘Superbad’ when Seth got period blood on his trousers. That was probably the best intro to a review I have written so far. Okay, this film, is in the same sort of vain as an Apatow produced film but with a slightly darker feel to it. Think ‘Knocked Up’ meets ‘Die Hard’. That may sound ridiculous but with a cast that includes the star of Knocked Up, Seth Rogen and the portrayer of many famous criminals, Ray Liotta, it’s not hard to comprehend. The story is as follows, Rogen plays Ronnie, a mentally unstable mall cop, who sets himself the task of single handedly taking down a serial flasher. This may seem like it is going to be a happy-go-lucky story, where a young deranged cop wannabe, turns his life around and happily brings the penis shower down but to think this would show the film great offence. Like I said, he is deranged, lives at home with his alcoholic mum and is obsessed on becoming a cop. This causes him to go to such extremes as camping out in the mall, going undercover and trying to get the rest of his staff actual guns to police scared customers.  What I enjoyed most about this film was the performance from Seth Rogen, unlike his portrayal of Ben Stone in ‘Knocked Up’ and Zack in ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno’, he is able to fully embody the personality of a lunatic, reminiscent of Jason Lee’s portrayal of Azrael in Kevin Smith’s ‘Dogma’ and Michael Cera’s psychopathic other half Francois Dillinger in ‘Youth in Revolt’. This makes for some extremely graphic scenes, including heavy gun use, substance abuse and the severe taking down of a local gang, which really highlights the destructive mind of Ronnie. It’s tough to become a policeman and with it comes the jealousy of many security workers throughout the world, which I really think this film is trying to point out. The lengths people will go to achieve the honour of becoming that person on the street who others turn to when in need is so strong, that when it is taking away from them, can really cause a complete life meltdown. This is captured well, not only by Rogen but also the surrounding cast, most notably Ray Liotta, who looks on as the man who Ronnie wants to be and who also I hope, subconsciously wants him to become the cop he deserves to be. At points this film is insanely laugh-out-loud hilarious, one scene in particular involving Rogen and Michael Pena – in a career best performance – when they choose to do what they want, abuse their bodies, destroy lives and teach others a lesson who have spat in their face. This film is billed as a comedy but I believe it is an extremely dark tale with comedy cleverly employed through great performances all round. I would happily recommend this film to fans of Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta and Apatow Productions.

8/10

The Ghost Writer directed by Roman Polanski; released in 2010

Written basically in conjunction with the book ‘The Ghost’ by author Robert Harris, who adapted his own book into a screenplay for directorial friend Roman Polanski, ‘The Ghost Writer’, could be seen more as an imagining than an adaptation, which most films are called when they are based on famous novels. What happens with other films that are ‘adapted’ from famous written works is that sometimes they sadly become action blockbusters aimed at a paying audience, who aren’t there to see a book – they are there to see something fun. Examples of this include Danny Boyle’s post Titanic DiCaprio attempt ‘The Beach’ and Steven Spielberg’s second collaboration with Tom Cruise – ‘War of the Worlds’. Unfortunately these were unable to match the thrilling nature and appeal of their source material, which is a shame, as they could have outdone their original’s, most notably ‘The Beach’, as it included DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, Paterson Joseph and Robert Carlyle. Okay, time to talk about the actual film I actually watched. Firstly, I enjoyed it. A story that takes you on the journey of an unnamed writer played by Ewan McGregor, who is thrust into the job of ghost writing shamed politician and former Prime Minister Adam Lang’s (Pierce Brosnan) memoirs. Unable to fully understand Lang’s past due to not being a great fan of the politics; this enables the writer to really ask the questions that a political advisor/journalist would ask and to his surprise they bring out the greatest insights into the life of an alleged war criminal. The hatred towards Lang is weirdly close to what Tony Blair faced during his later years in office. The writer/director team of Harris and Polanski insist that the book and film have no relation to the life and times of Tony but you find it hard not to see similarities, they both have two children and an overpowering lawyer wife, played in this by Olivia Williams. The film flows well and you are fully able to grasp the shocking revelations that spill continuously from the past of Lang, which also make to film an eye-opener to people without an interest in the past 15 years of government. Played out like an on stage production, with only 4 main people, you don’t have to remember characters names or personalities and this makes the complex and detailed dialogue all that easier to comprehend and in the final scene of the film, sit there and gasp at. I would compare this film to films of the past that leave you completely baffled at the end, such as ‘The Machinist’ (2004) and ‘Memento’ (2000); these are memorable, always talked about and completely twist your thoughts for each scene you have witnessed at first viewing. This is so evident in ‘The Ghost Writer’ and mainly why I enjoyed it from beginning to end, with the only let down being Ewan McGregor’s weird English accent, if he had been American (Moulin Rouge) or Scottish (Trainspotting) I would have enjoyed the film that little bit more. With a great cast and great direction I would recommend this film to fans of thrillers and the original book.

8/10

The Amazing Spiderman directed by Mark Webb; released in 2012

Is it too easy to say that director Mark was able to cast his ‘Webb’ over the previously successful Spider-Man franchise? No. It isn’t too easy, as after being given the task of trying to out-do his predecessors, there was always going to be criticism; this film however, even though it does have the same plot as the original ‘Spider-Man’ (2002), is able to put a fresh spin on the historic character. With Andrew Garfield replacing Tobey Maguire and the screenwriters deciding to take Spidey back to high school, you are thrust into the world of a teenage boy, who after visiting his dad’s workplace, is unknowingly bitten and given the chance to live the life of a human-insect hybrid. Breathing fresh life into a film series that maybe didn’t need it, Andrew Garfield has successfully been able to portray the infamous Peter Parker in a tough loveable rogue sort of way, unlike the burden that Maguire believed it was. From the bite, he enjoys the power, loves chasing down bad guys and still has the time to create an arch-nemesis. What I enjoyed more about this film than the previous instalments was the coming-of-age spin on it. You see him grow into the Spider-Man character parallel to growing up and taking school exams unlike the past films which saw Maguire, already in a successful career, thrust into it. As he grows up, his powers become stronger and to the audiences enjoyment; he isn’t modest, he enjoys beating up criminals and borrowing from his portrayal of Eduardo Severin in the Facebook biopic ‘The Social Network’, is cruel and has the attitude that makes the enemy’s skin crawl. What I also loved about this film was the romance he has with Gwen Stacy, played by up and comer Emma Stone. Much like Webb’s previous directorial effort ‘500 Days of Summer’, he enables you to more than warm to the budding affection between the two and when the film reaches its explosive climax, understand the decisions made by both of them. Another great highlight of the film was the battle between Garfield and Rhys Ifans, who plays Dr. Kurt Connors, the man who decided to transform himself into a giant Lizard! The battles didn’t look like CGI, with choreography that could have been seen in other recent Marvel Films, such as ‘Captain America: First Avenger’ and ‘Thor’, as these included man on man, not Spider vs Lizard. The CGI though is used to great effect, leaping from building to building reminded me of Neo’s first leap in ‘The Matrix’; I would compare this films CGI to the ground-breaking effects seen in The Matrix Trilogy. A film that may not have been needed, with the previous trilogy of films still having undeveloped plotlines, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it! Andrew Garfield, a Spider-Man fan as a young boy, really has thrown his entire life into the character, which completely shines through during the entire 136 minute duration. I loved this film and even though it doesn’t go as dark as the recent Batman re-boot, it still has a darker feel to the previous instalments, which will hopefully be developed in the sequel, planned for 2014! I would recommend it to fans of the comic, the director and Andrew Garfield.

8/10

Minority Report directed by Steven Spielberg; released in 2002

 

Philip K. Dick’s work is adapted from book to screen every few years. From ‘Blade Runner’ to ‘Paycheck’, ‘Total Recall’ to ‘A Scanner Darkly’. It’s amazing to think that ‘Minority Report’s’ source material is older than the main star of the film, Tom Cruise. A story that was so far ahead of it’s time, even today, really shows how much of an influence Dick’s work has had on not only works of fiction but real life technology. The Precogs within the story have recently been echoed in technology to predict crimes based on personalities within the population and is nearly on the verge of being trialled in Washington D.C., the setting for the film. A complex film, which tells the story of John Anderton (Cruise), the main man within the Pre-Crime Division in the year 2054, who with a sad past is on a race against time to prove his name after being cruelly set-up by a close friend. I am a great fan of Science Fiction films and thankfully, without going to over the top, Steven Spielberg has delivered a film which questions reality and suggests a deeper meaning to the life and times of the people who police our streets. What sets this apart from other films within the genre is the emotions you feel towards Anderton, from beginning to end you are on the side of him and only him, never the people wanting to track him down, which I sometimes feel when watching action movies – this is due to the lack of character development and no real grasp on what the film is going out to achieve. Happily, for the entire 139 minute duration you find it hard to take your eyes from the screen, as you witness his life fall apart piece by piece and the team sent to track him down, which includes Colin Farrell, who is a cleverly hidden red herring, go from strength to strength; this makes the task of finding his ‘Minority Report’ seemingly impossible. What I also love about this film is the way it looks like a modern day piece, even though it is set in the future. Much like other science fiction films of recent times, ‘Moon’ and ‘Sunshine’, it isn’t so ridiculous in nature that it makes the premise seem unbelievable. Another great aspect of the film which helps it achieve a non-ridiculous nature is the special effects, from the futuristic weaponry to the hyper cars of a not to distant world, they all combine to present what is a great visual experience. The dark nature of the film, reminded me a lot of ‘Blade Runner’, each scene looks like a page torn from a comic book, this allowing you to experience it in a way that feels like you are the first. This film though does have to thank the source material, as without it, it would never have come into existence. It couldn’t have been written by a group of screenwriters, it could only have come from the brain of Philip K. Dick. Tom Cruise delivers a great portrayal of the broken Anderton and nearly delivers the performance of his career, second in my opinion to his portrayal as Vincent in ‘Collateral’. You fully believe his past, the loss of his son, the belief he has in the pre-crime initiative and the sense of betrayal when he discovers the ugly truth in the penultimate scene of the film. A great cast that includes Samantha Morton, Colin Farrell and Max Von Sydow, ‘Minority Report’ is one of my favourite films and therefore I would recommend it to anyone.

9/10

Waiting… directed by Rob McKittrick; released in 2005

A film that explains the true nature of small independently owned restaurants that normally fail to deliver on food and customer service. Happily the film delivers in comedy and also deeper, life defining truths. The title not only refers to the job but the situations that all the characters are in and what they need to do escape from a life that do not really want. ‘Waiting…’ shows one working day at Shenaniganz , a poorly run, loser-filled restaurant that continually implies that it doesn’t meet the required health and safety standards of a dining experience. Like I said before, the staff there are all battling their own demons and you assume that this is the reason they are working there, whether it is a lack of self-belief, continually trying to sleep with under age girls or that they insist on showing their penis to a co-worker. Saying that, it’s not completely disgusting, there is emotion, linked with the demons suffered by the majority of workers, most notably though, Dean (Justin Long). Having to hear from your own parents that a childhood classmate has graduated from college into a high paying job, which yourself could have achieved wouldn’t be easy for anyone, especially one who decides to fill their time with working at the hell hole that is Shenaniganz. You are taken through his day, dealing with co-workers who have no ambition, which subconsciously he may wish he mirrored but with the feelings of his parents in the back of his mind, he has the drive to, in the penultimate scene of the film, make the correct choice which will see him have an improved life.  This film is one that is filled with great individual performances, Ryan Reynolds, who following this has become a big action-star, is deep down a funny man. With a past that includes ‘Two Guys and a Girl’ and ‘Van Wilder: Party Liaison’, you can see why he was cast in this. You should really hate his character ‘Monty’, mainly because he is a horrid man but also due to his lack of care for the world and having no ambition unlike his best friend Dean, is able to continuously berate and mock his co-workers and shockingly his own mother. All of his scenes are great to watch, as they contain sickly humour and facial expressions that remind you of that person at school who you knew would be working in a restaurant. David Koechner, famous for playing Champ Kind in the legendary ‘Achorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy’, is the only person who actually enjoys working at the pitiful restaurant. Driven by power and the ability to insult the majority of people he works with, has stupidly convinced himself that he is the best man for the job. This comes into fruition when he learns of Dean’s decision on his offer of Assistant Manager, as truly, he is a little man with no friends and the worst life imaginable. A great highlight of this film is the ‘Penis Showing Game’. It is what it is. You have to unwittingly present your penis to a co-worker and then go on to call them a ‘Faggot’. Amusing to watch and in most scenes of the film, this must have hopefully had some sort of real-life historical significance to the writer! Hilarious from beginning to end, ‘Waiting…’ is a great bit of independent cinema that deserves heaps of praise. I would recommend it to fans of American Pie, Justin Long and Ryan Reynolds.

7/10

Lord of War directed by Andrew Niccol; released in 2005

The career of Nicolas Cage baffles me. Brilliant in Adaptation. Terrible in Ghost Rider. Exciting in Kick-Ass. Shit in Knowing. You never know what you are going to get when deciding to watch a film with one of the most unpredictable actors of recent times. ‘Lord of War’ tells the ‘based on true events’ tale of Yuri Orlov, a Ukrainian-American, who after witnessing a violent gun crime realises that this is what he wants to focus all his will on and make a career out of. Even though Orlov is a composite character, made up from many gun traffickers of the last 30-40 years, Cage is able to make you love him and hate him at the same time. You love him because he loves his job and that is something an audience wants to see but you hate him because, well you know, he sells guns and guns kill thousands of people. A historically accurate film that depicts the growth of worldwide and domestic arms trade, doesn’t allow you to sit back and take it all in, as from start to finish you are given scene after scene of different points of views; reasons to hate Yuri, reasons why he has treated his family like a business and his obvious love yet annoyance towards his drug fuelled brother, Vitaly (Jared Leto). The film contains numerous scenes of just dialogue over pictures, narrated by Yuri, allowing you to witness the rise and fall of a Warlord through the voice of a career criminal, unable to understand that he is breaking the law and ruining lives. What I most enjoyed about this film was the 20 year battle between Yuri and his nemesis, Interpol Agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke). You are able to fully grasp the hatred that Interpol agents have towards criminals who make your everyday rule breaker look like a little girl. Remember, what Yuri is doing is worth millions or even billions of pounds and killing probably as many people as some of the vilest men in history did, during their times. Each interaction has a real grit and culminates in an ending that neither of them really want; throughout the film you are undecided on who you want to come out on top, the ending I believe is the only way in which you are able to understand the real power of war. The performances of the entire cast are all thoroughly enjoyable, the only let down being the pace at which the film moves from unknown one-gun seller to million pound deals with corrupt Liberian Generals intent on securing the gun of Rambo! Cage is able to pull off the persona of a man who would decide to do this, believing that it is a suitable job and that it wont go on to ruin any sort of real life he planned to have with childhood crush Ava (Bridget Moynahan), you forget, this is reason he did it, to impress her. Jared Leto is surprisingly good as Vitaly, scenes involving his drug addiction are believable and really show the lack of care Yuri had for him, again this needs to thank Cage’s performance. I really enjoy ‘Lord of War’ every time I watch it and believe it is a great medium to show the gun trade in a bad light. I would recommend it to fans of Nicolas Cage and director Andrew Niccol.

7/10

Attack the Block directed by Joe Cornish; released in 2011

In a year which saw the release of the final Harry Potter instalment and the new Mission:Impossible, it may be a film packed full of unknown future stars which steals all the attention. ‘Attack the Block’ tells the story of a gang of youths from a council estate in South London, who, after carrying out a mugging are attacked by what seems to be an extraterrestrial. The comedic background of director Joe Cornish shines through, as he is able to make a film that could be the distant love-child of Shaun of the Dead and Alien vs Predator. What sets this film apart from other science fiction films is the opposition to the scary creatures who have decided to invade South London – a gang of immature teenagers with criminal tendencies. The banter is spot on and is pretty much what you would hear on the streets therefore I recommend any elderly women do not watch this film, as it may bring back memories of abuse suffered in supermarkets from local kids! The banter flows throughout the film and you grow to love the characters, even if they are the sort of people you would choose to avoid when out in your daily routine. Action scenes that play on the youthful nature of the film also set it apart from big action blockbusters of the past; Die Hard saw John McClane fight numerous terrorists AND Alan Rickman while in this two children hide in a bin! This allows you to grasp the rural nature of the goings on and fully believe the task that the locals have been given, in not only escaping from the scary alien but also having a go at trying to defeat it. The film’s similarities with Edgar Wright’s ‘Hot Fuzz’ and ‘Shaun of the Dead’ are visible, the interactions between the characters have a truth, which thanks to a great script allow friendships to have believable backgrounds. This is not taking away from Joe Cornish though, who with his own comedic background guides you on a whirlwind 88 minute real-time adventure, which again adds to the realism and emotive nature of the scenes. Individual performances are great aswell, the cast of unknown teenage actors all have their own unique skills; John Boyega is courageous and maybe a tad bit to big for his boots as Moses, Jodie Whittaker is scared yet accepting as Sam the muggee, Luke Treadaway is funny and out of his comfort zone as the stoner Luke and Nick Frost in a cameo as weed dealer Ron is his funny old self, reminiscent of his portrayals as Ed in ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and Danny in ‘Hot Fuzz’. The main draw though for this film is the performances of the young cast, which overall is a great advocate for British cinema. I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to fans of Joe Cornish’ comedy duo ‘Adam and Joe’, the films of Edgar Wright, British Cinema and the science fiction genre.

8/10

Wanderlust directed by David Wain; released in 2012

I’ve never really been a fan of hippie culture and people who have a lack of care for the world, as what is it they bring to society? ‘Wanderlust’ cleverly mocks those types of communes and the ridiculous nature of the people who choose to live there. If you were thrown into a situation where, as a couple, one of you have just been made redundant and the other still hasn’t decided what they want to do with their life and you had to go and live with your self-loving brother then maybe ‘Elysium’ would be the perfect place for you. From the outset, things would seem to good to be true and maybe, just maybe you would be wrong but more often than not, you are happily correct. This is what happens to city couple George (Paul Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston) who decide to go along with what they believe is the answer to their current problem. Once they have made the leap, things go from bad to worse and they find themselves living a life that really isn’t for them. A film that borrows stand-out comedy actors from recent years; Kathryn Hann (Step Brothers), Jo Lu Truglio (Superbad, Role Models) and the leading man Paul Rudd, all come together to present what is another clear Apatow produced film. This is definitely not a bad thing, as this film is funny, emotional and most importantly satirical. The film moves at a steady pace, containing dialogue and scenes which are as funny as ones seen in ‘Knocked Up’, ‘Pineapple Express’ and ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’, most notably Paul Rudd’s, shall we say ‘rude’ one-on-one conversation with himself in the mirror, where he tries to obtain the courage to cheat on his wife. The chemistry between the members of the commune is also a great highlight of the film, they work together to run what is really, a place to avoid the real world and smoke copious amounts of marijuana. This may sound pretty good but from the outside looks as though they are a burden on society. This is pulled off well, you believe and understand the past and present within the commune, I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Jordan Peele as ‘Rodney’, the man who at times seems so unbelievable as a character due to his stupidity and stoner-ish nature but happily you grow to love his appeal and humble feelings towards being a father. Alan Alda’s performance is heartwarming, as the man who originally set up the commune and who seems to believe that anybody he meets is worth telling the story of this, again and again and again, this makes for some hilarious entertainment and from only seeing him as Senator Owen Brewster in ‘The Aviator’, I was very surprised that he could pull off a comedic role so well. Another great part of the film is scenes with Paul Rudd’s brother, played by Ken Marino, who is severely obnoxious, incredibly rude and stupidly egotistical, which makes his ending all that funnier to watch; it really reminded me of the way Jon Favreau played Joyce’s abusive husband in ‘I Love You, Man’. Overall, I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to fans of the two lead-stars, who’s chemistry is great in this, Apatow Productions and satirical comedy.

7/10

Young Adult directed by Jason Reitman; released in 2011

 

In the midst of depression, the best idea is definitely to realise that the person you love is back in your town of birth, happily married and now with child. Along with this, heavy drinking, hardly talking to your parents and discovering your career could be over, really puts the nail in the coffin of a life that is far from complete. Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gray, the writer but NOT creator of popular young adult series ‘Waverley Prep’ who, on checking her email stumbles across a picture that on closer inspection is the daughter of the man she has lusted for since she was a ‘Young Adult’. This film, much like Jason Reitman’s previous, ‘Juno’ and ‘Up in the Air’, contains comedy which is painfully truthful and cuts deep to the bone of not only the main characters but also you as a viewer. Content which is easily relatable to  many people make the picture all that more effective as a tool for funnelling what seems to be the writer’s (Diablo Cody) own personal history. This is what makes the film’s sad moments, which there are plenty of, tough viewing, with Mavis continually digging her own grave and actually contemplating destroying a marriage, the laughs are at her but with disdain. You want her to realise that her life isn’t totally down the pan, that she has more to live for and that it shouldn’t start with attempting to woo her childhood sweetheart who is set in a new life. What I most enjoy about Reitman films, apart from how good they are, is the scenes where characters are alone, performing something in their daily routine, this really allows you to see who they really are, adding depth and true meaning to scenes that contain dialogue. I really enjoyed the interactions between Charlize Theron and her co-star Patton Oswalt, these seemed as though they actually bared a childhood grudge, that through Mavis’ intent on securing a definite future with Buddy (Patrick Wilson) is broken and in the penultimate seen of the film sees them secure a life long friendship. Oswalt’s performance needs recognising though, as he is hilariously funny, blunt when need be and portrays the link between ‘Mini-Apple’ and Mavis’ home town problems very well. Charlize Theron is great as Mavis, she is as evil as she is in ‘Prometheus’ but has the soft side that she displays in ‘Italian Job: L.A. Heist’ (she plays mainly strong evil women, this is the only film I could think of – don’t watch it though) which rounds her into a character that you want to see succeed in life but not tear apart Buddy’s blossoming marriage. Patrick Wilson is childish, immature and stuck in his hometown, which makes his character hard to judge. Throughout the film you wonder whether or not he is going to leave with Mavis and complete her life back in the big city. Happily, the film comes to a climax, which isn’t surprising but welcomed. I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to fans of the main stars and the Director/Writer team of Reitman and Cody.

8/10

Alpha Dog directed by Nick Cassavetes; released in 2006

This film is an adapted story of the real-life murder of Nicholas Markowitz in the year 2000. Filled with young up and comers Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster and Anton Yelchin, this film is so close to being a very good film but with a script that offers little in terms of detail, it sadly just falls short of the mark. If you are unaware of the real-life story of Nicholas Markowitz then I will quickly explain; Nicholas’ older brother Ben owes local mid-level drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood $1,200 and due to this Jesse decided to take Nicholas hostage until the money is paid. From August 6th 2000-August 12th – the date Nicholas is murdered, he is held happily at his own will – according to the film – while a police search is carried out under the watching eye of his parents. It may seem as though the film is going to be a free flowing thriller that contains dialogue that keeps to the plot, however, it is a film full of good performances that do not, at all times work that well together. Justin Timberlake is probably the stand out peformer, playing Frankie, a confused ‘gangbanger’ who throughout seems to be the only one with a conscience, the only one who actually can not believe what his group of friends are intending on doing. He is able to make a weak script seem believable and is the only one who at any point has any form of fondness towards Nicholas (Anton Yelchin). Relationships never really seem to build, apart from this one, Jesse and Michelle as a couple is far from believable, as he is far too nice and if you were to imagine what he really was like, you would also take into account his feelings towards women, which the director must have forgotten. When reading the name ‘Alpha Dog’ you really think that there is going to be an evil, dictator like front man to a group which committed this brutal crime and unfortunately Emile Hirsch’s portrayal of the infamous Hollywood plays second fiddle to Timberlake as his right hand man, which is a shame, as if he had made it his own, much like his performance a year later as Christopher McCandless in the biopic ‘Into the Wild’about the adventurer’s life, then this movie could have been a lot better. The film at some points also tries to be more than it is, most notably the climax – which, even though it probably stays true to the actual goings on, is at points very tedious to watch. It seems to be that most of the actors within the film saw it as a piece of material that will see them achieve greatness once the film has seen some rotation and had critical and commercial response to it. This is the same with a lot of Cassavetes films, ‘The Notebook’ – Ryan Gosling went on to ‘Drive’ and ‘Ides of March’ and ‘John Q’ was a mediocre drama that Denzel Washington used as a stepping stone. This film though is enjoyable and makes a very sad story interesting to watch. The use of the documentary feel, which is shown between different points of flashback make it intriguing  to watch, even when you may know what is already going to happen. Another tearful part of the film is when Sharon Stone, playing Nicholas’ mother, pours out her heart to the camera, truthfully explaining how the death of her son has completely broken her heart. Her and Bruce Willis’ performances as the parents of Nicholas and Jesse are contrasting and work well to show how you will do anything for your child, whatever they are involved in. This film is enjoyable, especially the performance of Timberlake, who since this film was released, much like I said before with Cassavetes’ films, has appeared in critically acclaimed pictures, such as ‘The Social Network’ and ‘Friends with Benefits’. I would recommend it to fans of Timberlake, Anton Yelchin and crime drams.

6/10

Manhunter directed by Michael Mann; released in 1986

Being a fan of the Hannibal franchise of movies over the past 20 years, I thought it was time to see the original, the one without Anthony Hopkins playing the infamous Hannibal Lecter. This film however, is different, in a sense that Lecter or ‘Lecktor’ in this adaptation of the book ‘Red Dragon’ hardly features the psychopathic human eater, this doesn’t though take away from the films creepy eerie feel and the fact that it is a great film. William Petersen stars as Will Graham, a man torn apart by his past involving the legendary cannibal. He is forced out of retirement to take on a case involving a man being dubbed the ‘Tooth Fairy’ and from then on has to deal with him, Hannibal and his own demons. This film has such a weird atmospheric feel to it, much like later Mann films, the way it is shot plays with your emotions and really makes you connect with the characters as they are taken on the grizzly journey involving death and the challenge the police face. It also really reminded me of the battle Pacino and DeNiro have in ‘Heat’ and Foxx and Cruise have in ‘Collateral’ but due to the fact this film pre-dates those by 10 and 20 years respectively, it has such a rough and scary feel to it that Graham’s own demons have an even greater battle with him than anyone. This is not helped by the fact he has to talk with Leckter, played in this film by Brian Cox, who in my opinion portrays the monster in a more sinister way than Hopkins and one that truly scared me, even though he is in the film for less than 15-20 minutes. The way he speaks completely embodies evil and through this and Cox’s performance, you are able to imagine the relationship and horrific past experiences he and Will have had together; this is the cherry on the icing of an already chilling movie. Another great aspect of Mann’s films are the soundtracks, they help it move at a pace that at points make it nearly unbearable to watch – this at it’s greatest when the film comes to it’s terrific climax. The song ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida‘ by Iron Butterfly makes it mesmerising viewing, the way in which Tom Noonan has no fear of the police coming to get him, is embodied in the music and lyrics of the song, ‘Oh, won’t you come with me And take my hand, Oh, won’t you come with me And walk this land, Please take my hand’, relates to his frame of mind at the time; his confused love for the blind character of Reba McClane who is played frightfully by a young Joan Allen. A film that received mediocre reviews on release and then gained a cult following throughout the years is one that is definite viewing for fans of cinema. Fans of the Hannibal franchise may be put off by the lack of screen time for their hero but this will be made up by the film’s overall scary and action packed nature. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to fans of Michael Mann, CSI and the Hannibal franchise.

8/10

No Way Out directed by Roger Donaldson; released in 1987

From looking through the films that Roger Donaldson has directed, he really has had a hit and miss career. ‘The Recruit’, ‘Cocktail’ and ‘The Bank Job’ have hit and ‘Dante’s Peak’, ‘Seeking Justice’ and ‘Species’ haven’t. Happily, ‘No Way Out’ in my opinion is easily his best film. It tells the story of Navy Lieutenant Commander Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) who, after performing bravely on a routine mission is given the job of being the Secretary of Defense’s David Brice(Gene Hackman) liaison to the CIA within the pentagon. The death of the woman (Sean Young) who Farrell and Brice are seeing, causes Brice to start a mole hunt within the pentagon, claiming her killer is a Russian KGB agent named ‘Yuri’ who has been raised as an American and infiltrated the U.S. Government. I really enjoy this film every time I watch it due to the acting, the pace and the distinct plot. The films moves at a fast pace from beginning to end, which keeps you on your feet, most notably the climax of the film, which leads to a twist which you will enjoy and be very surprised by. The plot is understandable but detailed, which will keep you gripped in every scene, much like a Bourne film. The action is sporadic but when it occurs is delivered to a high standard and keeps you guessing who is going to come out on top at the end. I also enjoyed the performance of Kevin Costner who is able to balance the task of being a lover with one of the efficient nature of someone in his job within the government. He is tough yet caring, confused yet focused, which makes the climax of the film a guessing game for the viewer and when you discover the truth are amazed by his loyalty and regard towards his role as a liaison to the CIA. He is able to pull this off and you are made to feel very sorry for him when he learns of the death of Susan, which enables him to bring empathy and drive to the role. This film should also give a lot of thanks to the great book ‘The Big Clock’, which it has been adapted from. This has a much more detailed plot and therefore would contain the right amount of thrills and interesting dialogue which unsurprisingly made the transfer from book to screen look easy and very enjoyable. This makes the film what it is, a puzzling thriller, hidden with sub plot that will cause you to question what you first thought from the outset. You care for the characters within the film, wanting them to achieve what they have set out to, even if it is bad. One let down I had with the film is the performance of Sean Young, she is unbelievable as somebody Kevin Costner would fall for, they could have maybe cast Sigourney Weaver or Meryl Streep in the role, both would have made the relationship seem feasible and make her death that just that bit more tough to take. The film’s plot though is what makes it a great spy thriller for the ages and enjoyable every time you watch it. The twist is so well hidden that I always forget it, which should also thank the performances of Gene Hackman and Will Patton, who are both evil as Brice and Pritchard. I really enjoy this film and would recommend it to fans of Kevin Costner and spy thrillers.

8/10

Prometheus directed by Ridley Scott; released in 2012

As a huge fan of the original ‘Alien’ series of films I was eager to see what Ridley Scott was going to do with the new film ‘Prometheus’. With a cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce and Idris Elba, unsurprisingly I thoroughly enjoyed it. The film’s premise pre-dates ‘Alien’, as the crew of the ship Prometheus are sent to an outer solar system to discover the true origin of life itself. What I enjoyed most about the film was the detailed plot, that is delivered very understandably by all the cast. The film starts off slowly, which when looking back may account for the fact the crew have spent two years in hypersleep to reach their destination and when woken are still coming to grips with their crew-mates, situation and adjusting their brain but happily, after a shocking discovery, the film’s action, suspense and true scariness builds up. The film is truly scary, I found the first deaths of two crew members and the ‘abortion’ that occurs to be sickening to watch and helped it pay homage to it’s predecessor. It also reminded me of many recent space set films, such as ‘Sunshine’ and ‘Moon’ which, set in the not to distant future aren’t made to look too ridiculous, which this, with the aid of some great CGI and costumes completely matches and at some points is even more believable. As much as I loved the film, the only let-down was the predictability of the plot, which even though is acted well, didn’t add anything to the ‘Alien’ premise. There could have been something more, something that could have taken this film to another level. Don’t go into this film thinking it is going to be better than the original, it isn’t, it’s different. There are obvious parts of the film which are there to remind you of the original series and keep you grounded but these are few and far between; the film’s action is brilliant and very enjoyable. It could have turned into a slasher movie but due to great performances, it doesn’t, the deaths of many of the crew are needed, which makes the climax all that more sad to watch. Michael Fassbender’s performance as David, the android sent to accompany the crew (saying he is a robot isn’t a spoiler, it is stated at the beginning), is by the far the stand out within the film. He is able to convince the crew of his handiness but due to being a robot has been sent a real task, which makes his performance tough to watch. So human-like but nothing like a human, he pulls it off well, better than Ian Holm in ‘Alien’ and it also reminded me of the performance of Matt Damon as Bourne; extremely efficient but unable to comprehend why. Another great aspect of the film was the performance from the British trio of Idris Elba, Sean Harris and Rafe Spall, who hold their own against a big international cast and showed grit, sadness and excitement throughout. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Prometheus’ and really believe it will rejuvenate interest in the original series and thankfully has plenty of inklings to think there could be a sequel or maybe even a new quadrilogy of films. I would recommend it to fans of science-fiction films, the original series and Michael Fassbender.

8/10

Witness directed by Peter Weir; released in 1985

Many directors try to film real life but none I believe do it better than Peter Weir. Having the genial knowledge to put together films such as ‘Master and Commander: Far Side of The World’ and ‘The Truman Show’ but to name only a couple, really show how he is able to completely engross you in the characters, the plot and to such a point, that when there is sadness, completely tear you apart. This is such a unique skill and one that I love to see on-screen. ‘Witness’ therefore, does not disappoint. It tells you the story of a young Amish boy Samuel Lapp (Lukas Haas) who witnesses a murder in a train station toilet and from then on isn’t safe from anybody, most importantly the corrupt police who are after him. The man who assigns himself the job of keeping Samuel and his family safe is Philadelphia Police Captain John Book (Harrison Ford). The film is advertised as a thriller but not the sort of thriller that you would expect, it explains that the a thrill in life can not only be, the thrill of being a police officer and chasing down ‘bad guys’ but also wanting something you can’t have. He is taken into the world of the Amish and from then on does his utmost to protect Samuel and his mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis). This film was very enjoyable however don’t expect a gun fight or car chase every scene; this is the sort of thriller that builds the tension from beginning to end and then comes at you with total action during the climax. This is what I enjoyed most about the film, the way it makes you think about what could happen, whether or not Harrison Ford will be able to protect them, will he destroy a small Amish community or will everything fall apart. Like other thrillers of the era, such as ‘No Way Out’ and ‘Manhunter’, it really was before it’s time and I believe would still do well if it was released in 2012. A great aspect of the film is the love story between Brook and Rachel; this builds from the moment they meet and threatens to tear apart his career as a police officer and could cause her to be ‘shunned’ from the Amish community. I would call it a modern-day retelling of the famous Shakespeare story ‘Romeo + Juliet’; two completely different worlds and families – if they were to be together, everything could change. The performances within the film are also to a high standard, most notably that of Lukas Haas as the young Samuel. He shows emotion, holds his own on-screen with a major star at the time, Harrison Ford and is enjoyable to watch. I really am not surprised that he has gone on to appear in such films as ‘Brick’ (2005) and ‘Contraband’ (2012), making the transition from child to adult star much like Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Harrison Ford is also very good and I would go as far as saying this is my favourite performance I’ve seen from him. Unlike his performances in such films as the Indiana Jones series and the Star Wars series, he has a much more emotional, dark and loving side to him, this is used well in scenes with Kelly McGillis, who is also very good in the film. This film’s influence is clear to see in Weir’s other films, most notably ‘The Truman Show’; the emotion and nerves build up towards the film’s great climax. I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to fans of emotional thrillers and Peter Weir.

8/10

The Aviator directed by Martin Scorsese; released in 2004

This film, from acclaimed director Martin Scorsese takes you through the crazy life and times of director, pilot, businessman, womanizer and the historical significance of Howard Hughes. Showcasing his life from the years 1920-47, it throws into the life of a man obsessed with success, flying, film and cleanliness. A life driven from a conversation with his mum from when he was a young boy may have caused his life to go in such a way, that in terms of Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of him, you are saddened, outraged, sympathetic and jealous. Being able to play a character who embodies success, gives off panache and has a weird way with women may have looked like a tough role but unsurprisingly, after the success of his direction in Gangs of New York, DiCaprio makes it look effortless, he may have drawn from his own personal experiences; being thrown into fame at a young age after the success of ‘Romeo + Juliet’ and ‘Titanic’ but in terms of enjoyment, ‘The Aviator’ is, up until 2004, his career defining performance. This film really made me feel sorry for Hughes; the way how he actually took his mother’s advice completely to heart and his suffering with obsessive compulsive disorder not only round his character but conversely affect people who had major influences on him. Girlfriends, work colleagues, family and friends all wanted to help and at the same time were overly jealous of his inflated ego. This is all played superbly by DiCaprio, I really feel as though he put a lot of work into this role. Wanting to out-do his previous attempts at playing well-known figures such as ‘Romeo’, ‘Jack Dawson’ and ‘Frank Abignale Jr.’ he goes to great lengths to achieve the mannerisms and arrogant nature of Hughes. It reminds me of Hopkins playing Nixon, DeNiro playing LaMotta and Depp as Donnie Brasco; they all gave themselves completely to a role, reminiscent of the way Daniel Day-Lewis is a method actor. Another great part of this film is the way it looks. Shot using methods of the period that you were seeing in Hughes life, it really dates the film and makes it look like a throw back piece to films of the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s and makes Hughes status feel more than an icon; more like he was more important than anyone. The CGI in the film is also spectacular to see and remind you of the great aviation that Hughes was able to accomplish. As someone who wasn’t around at that time, it is amazing to see what he built, flew and had belief in. The cast as a whole does well to accompany DiCaprio as he lives the life of Hughes from a young age all the way until the courtroom where Pan Am tried to take it all way from him. Alec Baldwin is evil and nasty as Jack Frye (Pan Am owner) but at the same time deeply jealous of the skills that Hughes had. He is able to play it in a way that makes you think of Hugh Jackman playing Robert Angier in ‘The Prestige’. The two love interests in the film are played in opposing manners by Cate Blanchett and Kate Beckinsale but both at the same time, loving and nasty and both great to watch. They both connect with DiCaprio on-screen differently, which is mirrored by the point in the story and style of the shot.  What I enjoyed most in the film though, was DiCaprio’s performance in the courtroom when defending himself against the charges that he took millions of U.S. citizens dollars and had fun with it. It reminds me of many John Grisham film adaptations, which are exciting, chilling and make you always look forward to the end. This is no different and adds to a film that had already made me jealous of the life and times of Howard Hughes. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would recommend it to fans of Scorsese and DiCaprio.

9/10

Contraband directed by Baltasar Kormákur; released in 2012

‘Contraband’ is a remake of a 2008 Icelandic film ‘Reykjavík-Rotterdam’ and sadly, in my opinion, it has been unable to live up to the original’s critical success. The director of ‘Contraband’ was the star of the original and you would think he would just insist that Mark Wahlberg would copy his performance and maybe even improve on it but with numerous action-thriller clichés, it just about misses the mark. It tells the story of Chris Farraday (Wahlberg), an ex-smuggler, who is drawn back into the world of crime after his wife’s (Kate Beckinsale) younger brother Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) has to dump the drugs he is attempting to smuggle and due to this, ruthless mobster Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi) demands repayment. The film’s premise may seem like the film is going to contain intricately plotted drug-smuggling related dialogue but from the first scene you are thrust into another obvious ‘We will kill your family if you don’t get us the money’ film. It had all the makings to be a dark thriller but the only dark thing about it was the fact that most scenes are in the dark! As the film progresses, there are plot twists but these are easy to spot and could have been hidden in a better fashion as the film moved towards its obvious climax. It may sound as though I completely didn’t enjoy this film but there were glimpses that make it enjoyable for a wide audience; the action scenes were good, most notably the gun fight where Farraday is able to get away with money and a priceless piece of art, the storyline was good but could have been executed to a higher standard; I felt as though Giovanni Ribisi was miscast, his portrayal of the main protagonist ‘Briggs’ was hard to believe and wasn’t anywhere near as volatile and scary as it could have been. With the dark feel to the film and his character he could have made it more like Mark Strong as ‘Pinbacker’ in ‘Sunshine’ or Samuel L. Jackson as ‘Mr. Glass’ in ‘Unbreakable’. This would have made his character stand out and make the task he has set Wahlberg and his crew as much more believable. Another part of the film which could have been made to look a lot better was the relationship between Wahlberg and his ‘so-called’ best friend Sebastian (Ben Foster). It was hard to comprehend their past as smugglers of many expensive cargo’s, they lacked the on-screen chemistry which didn’t help the film’s obvious turn towards the end. Mark Wahlberg’s performance was good, much better than when he played  Charlie in ‘Italian Job: L.A. Heist’ but not as good as when he was Troy in ‘Three Kings’. His portrayal of a reborn legit businessman takes this film from poor to average and this was also helped with the believable relationship he has with his wife Kate (Kate Beckinsale) which had emotion, love which looked like love and being able to grasp the dialogue that showed their tough transition from the world of crime to one which focused on raising their two young children. This film wasn’t rubbish but also wasn’t very good, therefore I would recommend it to fans of Mark Wahlberg and someone looking for something to rent for a few nights!

5/10

Gangs of New York directed by Martin Scorsese; released in 2002

The last ten years has seen a great partnership formed between director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio; the Howard Hughes biopic ‘The Aviator’, the brutal gangster flick ‘The Departed’ and the psychologically chilling, ‘Shutter Island’ and by no means least the historically action packed original gangster tale, ‘Gangs of New York’. Every time I decide to watch this movie, it’s down to one thing, the performance from DiCaprio. The obvious praise received by Daniel Day-Lewis, who is very good, always seems to take away from the dignified and grown up performance from Leonardo. He’s able to pull off a more than believable American-Irish accent/persona and in parallel to this present an amazingly truthful understanding of the upbringing of an orphaned youngster in 19th century America. In a way that is so reminiscent of great leading men of the 70’s and 80’s, such as Jack Nicholson and Robert DeNiro, he is able to connect with an audience in such a way that you are drawn into his character that absolutely may have suffered the hardship of a foreigner in the racist, patriotic, still growing country. I always find it hard to believe that when this film was made, he was only 27, it’s amazing to think he performed so well, so early on his career; he maybe has 30-50 years in the business to improve his abilities. The film, as a whole is brilliant also, with the obvious help of the two leads and a stellar supporting cast, Scorsese is able to present a truly believable vision of early modern America. With a detailed script which makes the fighting and dialogue all that easier to understand, the film is shown in such a way that the sadness, celebration and sickeningly hard times is excruciatingly tough to see. A great example of this is the plight suffered by Cameron Diaz. She plays a shockingly good pickpocket with a troubled past, brought in as a youngster, raised, got pregnant by and then agreed to have it aborted all by the same guy, the evil and commanding Bill Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis). Their relationship also helps to drive the film; you see how much she cares for him and therefore, why it is so hard for her to have any sort of relationship with Amsterdam and due to this heaps more fire into what is  an already hostile (as the film progresses) relationship between Amsterdam and Bill. This moves me on to the action, which is sporadic but brilliant throughout, the brutally gory violence which makes the wounds, suffered in a pre modern healthcare era, all that more tough to watch. The scars suffered, the battles fought and in turn, the relationships built and that in time crumble from beginning to end come together to present a climax that is worthy of the film that preceded it. The climax of the film shows how the original ‘Gangs of New York’ built what is today a less hostile and financially safe country. This film is an educationally brilliant, historically accurate presentation of the growth of America, jam-packed with great performances. Last but my no means least is the recognition that Day-Lewis needs for his portrayal of a big-headed, brutally truthful psychopath intent on destroying any future immigrants want in their new country. He commands the screen and when in a scene with DiCaprio, the two are nearly as good as you can be when wanting to showcase the talents of the cast you are performing with. This film is gripping, truthful and has all the makings of a modern classic. I highly recommend it to fans of Scorsese and the lead actors.

9/10

Heat directed by Michael Mann; released in 1995

With a duration of 164 minutes, you would think a film would contain moments of dullness or would stray off plot for a tiny bit but unsurprisingly, with the two lead roles being portrayed by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, ‘Heat’ is an action epic that is one of the most intense movies I’ve ever seen. From the outset you are thrust into a world of crime, heated relationships and a life based entirely on trust. Throughout, you wish Waingro (Kevin Gage) was never recruited by Neil (De Niro) as it would have resulted in a completely different outcome for a film that is a rare breed of picture, you are completely on the side of the villain, at no point in this film did I want Vincent Hanna (Pacino) to succeed in stopping him. It’s really unfair that Michael Mann had to make this film, as following it he has been unable to match the sheer brilliance of acting, action and edge of seatness that ‘Heat’ contains. I’m a big fan of Mann, ‘Ali’ is a close to perfect biopic, ‘Public Enemies’ is a historically factually action thriller but ‘Heat’ easily topples them in terms of enjoyment. It’s the battle between Pacino and De Niro which puts this film ahead of many released in the 90’s, even films such as ‘The Firm’ and ‘Casino’, (which is a lot to say) look on with jealousy, wondering how Michael Mann has created such a film. De Niro’s performance is great in ‘Casino’ but he is able to go one further as Neil Mcauley, making his character of Sam Rothstein look like a little girl; he is close to pure evil in ‘Heat’. He’s tough, efficient, loving and extremely focused but still modest; this makes his character even more believable, you think the crimes he is committing are being done during filming. He makes it look effortless though, which for De Niro isn’t surprising, he probably did all his scenes in one take. Al Pacino’s performance very much mirrors De Niro’s, they both, within their gangs are very confident towards women and our able to portray the role of a volatile but deeply caring and loving boyfriend/wife, which make the film’s thrilling climax all that more difficult to witness. It is their one on ones that make the film what it is, a duel of two greats within their profession, one a detective at the peak of his ability and the other a tactically aware, ruthlessly sharp career criminal. You get the real sense that everybody involved really enjoyed making this film; conversations and body language are all well acted and are made all that more believable by the happiness of sadness each actor has put into each scene they are in. The action is also close to perfect; each cast member must have been given months of training in police and criminal activity, the gun fights, police assaults and crimes committed all have a very real feel to them, this is echoed by the way in which the film is shot, using a live-action directing style, the film looks more like a police television show, such as the British shows ‘Traffic Cops’ and ‘Crimewatch’, this again, makes the film not only enjoyable to watch but at some points scarily truthful.  He used this effect in two of his more recent films, ‘Public Enemies’ and ‘Collateral’ again, to great critical praise. It is viewed in such a way that you are there, with the characters, making it edge of your seat and hard to take your eyes of even the dullest piece of action/dialogue. It reminds me of watching a live sporting event or news coverage of a live event, such as covering a bank robbery. Other films, which owe a lot to ‘Heat’, include The Bourne Series, ‘The Town’ and recent superhero movies. The only let down I have with this movie is the female leads, they could have been recast to make them seem more believable. This would have made the relationships that even bit more enthralling, I really didn’t believe the chemistry between Hanna and his wife. This is a minor let-down in a film full of major success stories though, Tom Sizemore in a career defining role as Michael is able to show the true nature of a career criminal, unable to balance life with the rush of committing a crime; which ultimately leads to his untimely downfall. I thoroughly enjoy this film every time I see it and would recommend it to fans of Michael Mann and the two lead stars.

9/10

The Rainmaker directed by Francis Ford Coppola; released in 1997

All John Grisham books that are adapted into films always promise to be a good watch and thankfully ‘The Rainmaker’ doesn’t disappoint. With a great book to adapt into a screenplay, this film is gripping, sad and thrilling to watch, most notably in the courtroom. Other adaptations, such as ‘The Firm’ (1993) and ‘A Time to Kill’ (1996) were both very good in different ways but in comparison to this, lacked the out of court laid back feel, which helped balance Matt Damon’s young character’s age which reflected the new kid on the block feel to the film. Being laid back as a practiser of law not only helps focus on what you are doing within court but also on your social life, which in this goes as far as being involved in a murder. Damon’s performance really reminded me of his assured portrayal of Will in ‘Good Will Hunting’; his past unknown, which helped you as a viewer imagine what it could have been and maybe not answer the questions that you wanted answering; this made him more mysterious and therefore more entertaining in the majority of his scenes. The subplot, involving a young Claire Danes, helps to round Damon’s character and give him a backbone which he takes into court and in the film’s happy climax, sees him achieve greatness and move on to a life which could see him have great success. In comparison to Francis Ford Coppola’s other works; I am a great fan of the Godfather films (these are the only FFC films I’ve seen), this also has that villainous feel to it, this obviously referring to the legal team set up to try and protect the healthcare company on trial. With Jon Voight fronting the enemy, he portrays an evil lawyer with a background of trying to get cases thrown out. He is able to make you completely hate him throughout the entire movie; firstly, his body language is spot on to someone who would look down on everybody around them and he plays arrogant well – much like his performance as Jim Phelps in ‘Mission: Impossible’ a year earlier. I thoroughly enjoyed the debate in the court room but it didn’t offer any major surprises and was much like other John Grisham adaptations, where the protagonist always comes good in the end but happily that’s always good to see. The film was very well scripted and contained deep emotional monologues, most notably Matt Damon’s final speech in court which was proceeded by the last words of the claimant’s dead son Donny Ray Black (Johnny Whitworth); this was very tough to watch but without it the film wouldn’t have been what it was. It also contained comedy, which helped to balance the dark script, which highlights the great performance of Danny DeVito. He is able to add his usual witty one-liners, Italian charm and talent to a role that was needed to back up Matt Damon’s nervy but assured portrayal of a just out of college jock. There is also a great cameo from Mickey Rourke as a shady lawyer, which at a point in his career when he was on the comeback really showed him a good light; his performance was funny and intelligent when need be. I really enjoyed this film and would put it up there with the best law related dramas I’ve seen in recent years, such as ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ and ‘Michael Clayton’. I would recommend it to fans of John Grisham, Matt Damon and courtroom dramas.

8/10

The Truman Show directed by Peter Weir; released in 1998

The summer of 2000 saw the explosion of Big Brother in the UK and Survivor in the US. It’s amazing to think that five years prior to this, Andrew Niccol, director of ‘Gattaca’ and ‘Lord of War’ wrote a science fiction script that after numerous drafts would go on to become the film ‘The Truman Show’. As a hater of such shows as The X-Factor, Big Brother and Hell’s Kitchen it’s annoying to think they may have all been born off of the back of this film’s critical and commercial success. I tell myself that they weren’t and that they came from older shows, such as the ‘Up’ series and   the 1950’s sensation, ‘Candid Camera’ and this resonates in me loving a film that brought Jim Carrey into such films as ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’, ‘I Love You, Philip Morris’ and the Andy Kaufman biopic ‘Man on the Moon’; showing that he really can hold an audiences attention in a dramatically demanding role. This film is a great metaphor for how television can ruin someone’s life, as if you were trapped in it for your entire life, you wouldn’t know who you were. It should be looked at as a reason for reality television shows of the present, such as ‘American Idol’, to be shut down and replaced with actual reasons to watch the television. I would compare this film to the Extras finale, where Andy Millman confronts the nation while on Big Brother, which is reminiscent of Truman Burbank crashing his boat into the sky, saying the infamous line, ‘Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Good Night’ and then exiting into the real world. It’s hard to review this film as just a film, as at the time it was a weirdly close prediction of today’s events and looking back it is a great piece of science fiction drama. Jim Carrey’s performance in the lead role is heart wrenchingly sad and uplifting at the same time. He is able to portray the most innocent man on the planet, who unbeknownst to himself is trapped in a world created by his kind-of adoptive father Christof (Ed Harris). Due to the fake world he is trapped in, he hasn’t been subjected to real world problems, such as global disasters, poverty and a worldwide financial crisis, therefore he hasn’t ever really grown up and is trapped not only within a fake world but the mind of a child. Carrey plays this so well; his childish features, signature catchphrases and all around niceness make him the perfect poster boy for Harris’ creation. To say Christof is an enemy though, is harsh, as he deeply loves Truman and wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to him, much like the relationship between father and son. Harris is able to play it in such a way that you love him and hate him at the same time, you want Truman to escape but also want Christof to succeed in presenting what is, a great idea for a television programme (I’m saying this in terms of the film, not real life!) A cast that includes Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich and Natascha McElhone all come together to present what is, a brilliant film, which was worthy of the praise it received at the time. Laura Linney’s performance was a favourite of mine, as she is able to portray an egomaniac obsessed with not only making the show as good as possible but also ruining any sense of being that Truman could have had, I see her as the main antagonist, not Christof. I love this film and every time I watch it I remember how good it really is, packed full of emotion and  with a climax that you can’t help but cheer and smile at. Therefore, I would not just recommend this film but insist that you see it.

9/10

The Prestige directed by Christopher Nolan; released in 2006

A film about magic that when finished is a trick all of it’s own. This film brings together the art of magic, revenge, deception, mystery and suspense and when it’s over will leave you asking question after question. From the duo that brought you the ultra-confusing ‘Memento’ – the Nolan brothers, is another film that is enjoyable and baffling from beginning to end. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman go head to head and it is amazing to watch them try and out-do each other in not just their characters roles of brilliant magicians but also their acting ability. This is why this film works so well, they both continually try and out-act each other, which makes each scene better than it’s last, resulting in a final showdown that is deeply moving but finally brings together careers and lives. I really enjoyed this film, especially the performances from the two lead actors. Hugh Jackman, an actor of stage and screen really shows his abilities when performing on stage as the ‘Great Danton’, which surely can attribute Jackman’s stage work which make his magic shows all that more believable, the presentation and final ‘Prestige’ make the film more of a documentary style, echoed by the use of flashback and the two leads diaries. It’s hard to feel sorry for Angier in this film, even through the loss of his wife, as he goes to great lengths to ruin the life of Borden; at some points I feel great hatred towards his character and I was very pleased by the films ending, as I feel he get’s what he deserves – this is all down to Jackman’s great acting.  Bale’s performance as Alfred Borden is one of trouble, he has to juggle two lovers and still continue his work as a great master of his trade, with this I mean Bale’s performance and Alfred’s on stage presence, which is dark, withheld and chilling. The film’s major twist, not revealed until the very end, to the great distress of Robert Angier, is presented to the audience throughout the film,  played greatly by Bale, who has to balance two very different characters, one who is deeply caring and the other of a true performer. This makes the film very hard to watch at some points, when you learn of the sacrifice he has had to make to continue his mystique as a magician. I really appreciated both relationships he has in the film, most notably that with Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) which seemed very believable and is at some points deeply tragic and her acting skills make it very tough to watch, as you are thrust into the world of a wife who really doesn’t know her husband at all. His other, with Scarlett Johansson, is at different points in the film, tough to watch and when you learn the truth, is also deeply tragic. The film’s outcome make the woman you feel more tragic towards hard to work out, as one had Alfred’s child and the other supported his on stage work. The script is also good, filled with great confrontations and obvious research into the history of magic, the presentation of magic and this equates to great suspense throughout the entire 122 minute duration. This film, in terms of confusion level, has nothing on ‘Memento’ but maybe a little more than ‘Inception’, therefore it is aimed at an older audience, which is greatly appreciated, as a younger audience would find it hard to grasp and wouldn’t find time to see how good the acting is. Another great surprise is the performance of Michael Caine, a frequent collaborator of Christopher Nolan. Throughout, he seems to be the only true person who loves magic and believes that it should be performed safely, this is acted brilliantly and is parallel with the fact that he seems to be the only person happy at the end of it all. The detail and accuracy of 19th century London makes the film’s setting very believable and adds to the mystery that surrounds the great battle of the two magicians; I believe this makes the film stand out from Magic films of the past, such as ‘Magicians’ (Andrew O’Connor, 2007). Great cameos from Andy Serkis, David Bowie and Piper Perabo all come together to present a film that is confusing but enjoyable, sad but happy and exciting but depressing but also one I love to watch again and again. I would recommend this to fans of Magic, Christopher Nolan and Suspense/Thrillers.

8/10

RED directed by Robert Schwentke; released in 2010

With all the actions films released year on year fronted by young good looking rising stars, this film really rolls back the years and shows that the old guard can still kick butt. Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren team up to take on a corrupt Vice-President who is after their heads due to a mission that occured in the 1980’s. This film could have been super corny, with Bruce Willis becoming his John McClane character from the Die Hard series, where he hardly wears any clothes for the entirety of each film – for no apparent reason but happily he keeps his clothes on, his acting is better and with thanks to a great cast, is able to front a really enjoyable film. ‘RED’ is a real step up from the director’s previous films ‘Flightplan’ and ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’, which both lacked not only the stellar cast that this one had but also the script; it’s hard to compare an action comedy with two dramas but I really feel this film blows both of them out of the water. Firstly, the action is non-stop throughout the film and it is of the highest quality and wouldn’t have looked out of place from great actions films of the past such as, ‘Mission: Impossible’ and ‘The Bourne Identity’. The fighting sequences in this film were my favourite part of the action, a great example of this being the fight between Bruce Willis and Karl Urban at CIA Headquarters, the choreography made it look very realistic; the breaking of Urban’s arm, Willis’ kick through the glass and the final gun fight were all highly enjoyable. I am not though saying that the gun fights were not of a high standard, as they were also very good through the entire movie; I really enjoyed every moment of Helen Mirren holding a gun, as it really goes to show how good of an actor she really is, she made it look like she had appeared in many action films of the past. The gun fight in the penultimate sequence in the film was of a very high standard. This film really reminded me of other films with older actors in the leading roles, such as ‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’ (Geena Davis) and ‘Kick-Ass’ (Nicolas Cage). The acting in this film is also very good, a script full of witty one liners and great emotive scenes made it gripping and believable and it therefore will appeal to a wide audience, old and young due to the funny action sequences and gritty dialogue that set it apart from other action comedies in recent years, such as ‘The Bounty Hunter’ and ‘Date Night’ which were not very good at all. Individual performances in this film were also good; Bruce Willis brought calmness to a part that could have seen him go all out action, Helen Mirren was unsurprisingly brilliant – like every film she is in, John Malkovich is hilarious as the only part of the original foursome with any sort of weird fall out and Morgan Freeman is his sympathetic self with a surprising dark side. Mary Louise-Parker is really good as the love interest of Bruce Willis and taking comedy from her role in the TV Series ‘Weeds’ does very well to keep up with the well known main cast, her performance was very enjoyable – cute at times but also shows grit and emotion when put under pressure from Karl Urban, who also puts in a great performance as the agent sent to hunt down the retired and extremely dangerous. Brian Cox is also great as Helen Mirren’s Russian former love interest, scenes between these two were very enjoyable, his Russian accent was also spot on. I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to fans of action comedies and Helen Mirren.

7/10

The Proposition directed by John Hillcoat; released in 2005

A film that I have had for a while but never watched as I am not that much of a western film fanatic but as I was in the mood for some more Guy Pearce after watching ‘Memento’ earlier today I decided to put it on. Happily the film impressed me with it’s rural atmosphere which was brutal in terms of being a character in the film itself and also how it effected the majority of the characters aswell, the acting, with a great performance from Emily Watson and the soundtrack, which was composed by the writer of the screenplay Nick Cave. The film tells the story of Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) who is offered ‘the proposition’ of killing his older brother Arthur (Danny Huston) to save his younger brother Mike (Richard Wilson) by local law enforcer Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone). Director, John Hillcoat, who went on to direct ‘The Road’ after this, really has a knack of using the right surrounding environment, the weather, make-up and clothing to present a story that looks like a documentary, the wear and tear on all the characters in the film runs parallel with how they are getting on and whether or not they are going to have achieved something by the climax. This makes the film all more exhilarating to watch and you are drawn to one side of the battle from the beginning. This film really doesn’t have a western feel about it; the action is sporadic, the use of native tongue makes it feel as though you are being taught something and the Australian Outback is a setting that wouldn’t necessarily be used for this sort of film but thankfully all come together to shock and entertain you. The British contingent in the film are weak in comparison to the Burns Brothers, which makes their shock factor even more scarier in the film’s brilliant climax, which I enjoyed not only because of the great visuals but also due to the ending, which is I believe, the best way it could have ended. Guy Pearce’s performance demands praise, he is able to harness the true nature of the environment and portray a character who is broken, tired but still focused on achieving his goals. Ray Winstone is very good as Captain Stanley, he brings a warmth to a role that could have been dark and more violent but he is able to show the love for his wife and also the community he has inherited and shows that he would do anything to protect the two. Emily Watson though is spot on as Stanley’s wife, she brings sadness to a film that needs it, caring to a husband that is on the edge and stability to a family that is new to a volatile environment. She is able to outshine the majority of actors in this film, which was a great surprise to me. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would recommend it to western fans and fans of the main actors.

8/10

Memento directed by Christopher Nolan; released in 2000

Christopher Nolan is way more than the ‘Batman Trilogy’ and ‘Inception’. ‘Memento’, released in 2000 was his second picture but first with a major budget allowing him to attract big stars at that time, Guy Pearce who had appeared in ‘L.A. Confidential’ three years earlier and Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano who had just appeared in ‘The Matrix’. However, you may think it is these actors who made Nolan what he is today and if you did, you would be wrong, it is his great direction and mind boggling plot that keep you on the edge of your seat for the entirety of the film. He adapted the original concept, thought of with his brother into a screenplay which any actor would find hard to put down. I believe this film was also more successful due to the lack of established actors and also Nolan not being a household name. The film is hard to explain and even more confusing to watch; the opening shot in the film turns out to actually be the climax. In more detal, the film is told in backwards chronological order with flashback in black and white cut into it to help explain the story but also to play with your mind as a viewer. Every time I watch this film I skip back over scenes and make sure I’m fully aware as to what point the movie is up to, this is echoed by the condition that Guy Pearce’s character Leonard Shelby suffers from; anterogade amnesia, which impairs his ability to store new explicit memories. The film is told through this narrative to not only show you how difficult it is to live with such a hindrance but also I believe to test an audiences memory and whether or not they spotted a vital bit of information which could mean they know the outcome from maybe the beginning of the film. Nolan’s script really keeps it’s cards to it’s chest throughout and you are still baffled by the climax even after your tenth or twentieth viewing. The performance from Guy Pearce is also a joy to behold, from watching the bonus features on the DVD I learnt that he improvised a lot of the black and white flashback scenes and from this I was astounded, the detail and plot that goes into those scenes would be hard enough to learn from the script, to make it up on the spot is unbelievable. I really enjoyed the strange way in which the story is told, as throughout you believe everything that is happening and when you reach the end, you may have had it totally wrong, much like Nolan’s later film, ‘Inception’, which I believe should give thanks to this film for preparing audiences for the genius of Nolan. I also enjoyed the use of only a few locations within the film, as it runs parallel with what Pearce’s character would want, something easy for his mind to learn, which is tested again and again as he awakens in moments that he cant explain. This film also challenges the viewer with each scene, it asks the question; Who are you rooting for? What do you want the outcome to be? With the end of the film, I believe each audience member could have their own questions answered and their own individual story concluded. This is what sets this film apart from a number of psychological thrillers, it allows you to believe what you want unlike similar film such as, ‘The Sixth Sense’ and ‘Mulholland Drive’, which have clear endings. The supporting cast, Moss and Pantoliano play similar characters both with a sort of the same motive, to not only convince Leonard to choose them but to also confuse him; both knowing about his amnesia. You are unsure of who to believe throughout the film, what is staged, what is the truth and both actors portray characters that are both believable and unbelievable, therefore making the film a thriller that will excite you everytime you watch it. I thoroughly enjoy Memento every time I watch it and would recommend it to anyone, especially fans of Christopher Nolan and Guy Pearce.

9/10

This Means War directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol; released in 2012

I decided to watch this film after being recommended it by a university house mate, as I had posted on Twitter that I needed a decent action blockbuster to watch; now I’ve seen it I’m starting to think that she was joking. ‘This Means War’, is one of the worst action comedy’s I’ve seen due to a horrendous script, rehashed rom-com tradition and poor acting. Tom Hardy, who has recently been elevated into stardom, after starring in ‘Bronson’ and ‘Inception’ and Chris Pine who was brilliant in ‘Star Trek’ for some weird reason decided to appear in a film with one my least favourite actresses, Reese Witherspoon, who has maybe appeared in one or two good films, one being ‘Walk the Line’, which therefore gives her some credibility and these three together, deliver a film that misses on nearly every thing that makes a film good. The film is the obvious rom-com three way i.e. two guys love the same girl and she has to pick – that is basically the entire plot and then each director who does this sort of film has to disguise it with something, in this case, they are two CIA agents who are best friends. From then on there is the typical goings on, they try and out-do each other on dates and up the extremeness and danger as they compete over her heart. There are many issues I had with this film, firstly, the acting, it is so wooden and fake that each scene involving the three main stars is ridiculous and incredibly boring that you are unable to focus and take in the so called script that borrows heavily from every rom-com. There is a point where Tom Hardy has his head in his hands and I really hope he was thinking, ‘Why have I agreed to appear in this film?’ Secondly, it just isn’t funny, as a viewer of many films, I have basically heard every single so-called rom-com joke and punchline; therefore, the action scenes in the film, which are okay, have really no point, as they are obviously put in to balance out the comedy and action but as their is no comedy, it makes the film 90 minutes of poor dialogue with random action scenes cut into it. The other plot in the film, which involves Heinrich (Til Schweiger) on a revenge mission to kill the two leads after they ruined a deal for him in the beginning of the film, is given maybe 10 minutes in the entire film and I believe if it had been given a bit longer could have softened the blow of average romance between three mismatched leads. This could have made the film an average action movie, which I would have enjoyed a lot more. The only real saving grace for the film is the performance of Chelsea Handler as Trish, she brings comedy to the majority of the scenes she is in and make the film at points, bearable. This film was obviously another money making scheme to boost profiles of actors who have other better films out in the same year and for that reason wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

3/10

Drive directed by Nicolas Winding Refn; released in 2011

This film always makes thing of the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City; purely because of the colour of the opening credits, the 70’s style writing and the dark feel and music that helps to set the film up to not only impress but also shock the audience. The similarities with console games continue through the film; each job gets harder, there is brutal violence, an interesting and detailed plot and it is just truly enjoyable. This is where the similarities with 18+ video games end but where the other great aspects of the film begin. I really hope director Refn, who is better known as the director of the ‘Pusher’ series of films and ‘Bronson’, which saw Tom Hardy elevated to stardom, took inspiration from these sort of video games, as if he has, the effect it has you when are watching it, is nothing short of mesmerising. You are gripped for the entire film, the action is sparse but more than intense and the acting is perfect. Ryan Gosling plays the lead character, in an insanely scary manner who remains unnamed throughout the film but better becomes better known as ‘Driver’, with an honesty and level of violence that reminds you of De Niro as Travis Bickle, Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden and Kevin Spacey as John Doe in ‘Seven’. His performance is undeniably what makes this film one of the best I’ve seen for a number of years. Throughout, you find it hard to believe that he is not in fact ‘Driver’ himself, as you are taken through the daily routine, his job, his friends and his passion for driving. Gosling is able to balance the brutal, action packed lifestyle with a caring side, that goes on to become the turning point in the film. His life is unfairly altered by the obvious person of his affection’s (Carey Mulligan) husband’s return from prison. With this, his friendship and feelings for her go out of the window and it is down to him to solve the puzzle and make it all okay again, as he is the only person with the requried skill set and lack of conscience who is capable of such a job. The themes of darkness, loneliness, self belief and revenge are all played out beautifully in this film and you can’t take your eyes off each scene involving either Gosling or Mulligan, as they deal with what is happening, what they want to do and what they know will happen. Each contradicting idea makes it harder and harder for all the characters in the film to come out of it alive and this is echoed in the bloody and violent nature of the film’s terrific climax. Reaching the end of this film is always the worst bit, as you want to see what will happen next for whoever is still alive, as there is questions left unanswered and also a need to see Gosling be a fucking mental driver once more. ‘Fucking Mental Driver’, is the only way to explain his ego and skill in this film. The supporting cast are also of a high level and show this in all their performances; Bryan Cranston, who has found critical fame in the series ‘Breaking Bad’, is conniving yet friendly as Driver’s employer and as a viewer, throughout the film are undecided on what side he is really on, this makes each scene with  himself and Gosling all more exciting to watch. Ron Perlman plays one of the two primary antagonists in the film and brings his roughness from ‘Sons of Anarchy’ and his scare factor from ‘HellBoy’, which both coincide to present an evil grudge baring psychopath intent on derailing any future somebody in his path may have had. Albert Brooks, who has received critical acclaim for his appearance in this film, is exceptionally good, he portrays a sort of Godfather like character, without the power but with the scare factor, I even believe the almighty ‘Driver’, has an eye in the back of his head especially for him. What I believe to be the second best performance in this film though, is delivered by Carey Mulligan. She, since ‘Drive’ was released has appeared in ‘Shame’, which much like this film requires her to play off a commanding lead performance, which in this she does with ease. Playing a single, unloved, obviously needy neighbour she hangs on to Gosling with all her will and makes you believe she would let him do anything for her but when the time is necessary will put her foot down. Reminiscent of strong female leads within 80’s films, she draws in the lead man and plays with his mind, sending him on a quest to find out what he needs to do, to make her love him. This is the best part of the film, Gosling and Mulligan playing off each other. The action is brilliant and even though there is only around 10-15 minutes of it in the film, it is dangerously truthful and enhances the violent nature of ‘Driver’ and what sort of man he is. I highly recommend this film and would tell anybody to watch it. Drive has become a modern classic and will see Refn go on to achieve great things in film.

9/10

RoboCop directed by Paul Verhoeven; released in 1987

After many years of seeing this film in the TV Times magazine to be broadcast at 1 or 2 in the morning, I decided to sit down and finally watch the classic that is ‘RoboCop’. I always thought it was going to be as corny and ridiculous as Paul Verhoeven’s other films, ‘Total Recall’, ‘Starship Troopers’ and ‘Hollow Man’ but happily this film is scary, sad and has action that wouldn’t look out of place in a late 90’s early 2000’s film. The film’s concept came from the producers seeing the film ‘Blade Runner’ and wondering whether or not it would work the other way round! It tells the story of Detroit Cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), who after transferring is brutally murdered on his first day on the job and reborn as the crime fighting RoboCop. The film though, is more than what you may imply from the obvious revenge fuelled action film plot’s of the 1980’s, as it contains themes of capitalism, corruption and human nature.  Set in a near future, which is presented well and doesn’t contain flying cars, futuristic forms of living or anything else that is presented in other future portraying films since the 1980’s – this makes the film stand out and demonstrate that the future isn’t as far away as you think – make this film very enjoyable to watch. The future setting reminded me very much of recent future set films such as ‘Moon’ and ‘I, Robot’. The corporation responsible for his rebirth is OCP, who are in the process of trying to turn Detroit into a new metropolis and believe that a new super reliable police force is needed and therefore try and create this with the wealth they have before, RoboCop, an idea belonging to an exec Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer) is finally put into place. This annoys the senior president Dick Jones (Ronny Cox) and he, much like other villains in this sort of film, decides to eliminate RoboCop with help from the ED-209 robot – his idea for patrolling the streets of Detroit and local crime lord Clarence Boddiker (Kurtwood Smith pre ‘Red’ in ‘That 70’s show’!) The film’s easily understandable plot make is so easy and enjoyable to watch, helped significantly by the peformance of Peter Weller in the title role. He is able to play two completely different characters; Murphy and RoboCop. As Murphy he is caring – he deeply loves his family, is efficient – this is why he received the transfer and both of these are delivered brilliantly by Weller. In the role of RoboCop he is able to forget everything he has learned as Murphy and deliver a frighteningly accurate robotic performance as the super intelligent and brutally efficient RoboCop. As the film starts to unravel and RoboCop starts to remember his life as Murphy, both of these personalities collide and lead to revenge, sadness and great cinema for the viewer. You feel deeply sympathetic towards RoboCop/Murphy when he is remembering his family and past but without any reason why due to his death and rebirth as a product of OCP. Another great aspect of the film is the special effects, which in today’s terms wouldn’t be satisfactory but with a limited budget and the decade that the film was made in are surprisingly brilliant and presented in a future that isn’t so ridiculous and are therefore very believable and would fit with the money and capitalism of that point in time. The supporting cast is fronted by relatively established actress of the time Nancy Allen in the role of Anne Lewis. She does very well to go from colleague of Murphy to the only person who does anything to protect the efficient cyborg RoboCop. I really enjoyed her performance, as it could have come across very ridiculous when acting alongside a robot but it was believable and you are eager for the team to defeat the evil OCP and crime within the city. I thorougly enjoyed this film and would recommend it to fans of science fiction, revenge orientated films and all out action thriller fans.

8/10

Man on a Ledge directed by Asger Leth; released in 2012

With a cast that includes the star of Avatar, Sam Worthington, Billy Elliot – Jamie Bell, legend Ed Harris and up and comer Elizabeth Banks, I really thought as though this film, despite reading other negative reviews, could have all the makings to be a good thriller. Sadly, I was mistaken, with a plot that borrows heavily from Spike Lee’s 2006 film, ‘Inside Man’; it completely missed the mark in terms of acting, scripting and action. The story is as follows; Nick Cassady (Sam Worthington) has been framed for stealing business mogul David Englander’s (Ed Harris) $44 Million Dollar diamond and due to this fakes a suicide attempt – draws crowds and police attention to him ‘Man on a Ledge’, to allow his brother Joey (Jamie Bell) and his girlfriend Angela (Genesis Rodriguez) to steal the diamond he apparently stole beforehand out of Englander’s vault. It sounds like a good premise but they very much missed the point. Unlike ‘Inside Man’, this film does not take into account the emotions and desperateness that this sort of situation would involve, each scene lacks the facial expressions and need for each character to really want what they have come for; Nick’s interactions with broken police negotiator Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) seem forced and every new bit of information that is discovered, which is every 5-10 minutes in the film, is believed by Lydia and in reality, police would not believe any person in this situation and try and get them off the ledge safely. Due to this, I found myself wanting the film to get to it’s ending at about 25 minutes in. Another annoyance I had with the film was the dialogue or lack of it. Within the first twenty minutes of the film, I can hardly remember two or three lines of dialogue being spoken and when this is the time that characters, plots, subplots and environments are introduced, this was a definite sign that the film wasn’t going to go as smoothly as hoped. One saving grace in the film was the performance of the two corrupt cops, Anthony Mackie (Hurt Locker) and Titus Welliver (The Town), who during their scenes, seem to actually care about the film there in, even if the rest of the cast are just doing it for the money and the box office credibility. The action in the film was also very underwhelming, the only two parts that were themselves less than satisfactory were the car chase at the beginning of the film and the rooftop chase during the climax of the film. I really thought as though this film was a serious let down, due to the majority of the cast all appearing in great films of the past and the future stars within the film, Anthony Mackie and Elizabeth Banks underporming significantly and due to this would not recommend this film to anyone. Another reason is that Edward Burns, star of absolutely nothing, is also in it.

3/10

Hollow Man directed by Paul Verhoeven; released in 2000

I’ve watched this film many times from when I was little and have now finally realised that it isn’t very good. The ridiculous plot, the acting and the downright silliness of it all make me think, how do these sort of films appeal to actors wanting to better their trade? They are obviously either just doing it for the pay cheque or aren’t a very good actor anyway. This film tells the story of Doctor Sebastian Caine (Kevin Bacon), a scientist who is tackling the task of making someone visible after already having developed the serum to make them invisible. This is where the film first annoys me; they presume that it is okay not to tell you that they have already completed this obvious miniscule part of the procedure at the film’s beginning, so once you start watching it you are already confused about the nature of the work they are carrying out. This however, is the least of your worries as a viewer, you are forced to watch the supporting actors, Kim Dickens, Greg Grunberg (Heroes), Joey Slotnick, Mary Randle and William Devane attempt to present feasible friendships that have had years of getting to know each other working in an underground, what looks like, animal cruelty centre! The only saving grace for this film is the special effects, the way in which the animals are transformed from invisible to visible and also Kevin Bacon’s transformation are wonderful to watch and are even a tad believable. This however does not balance out the fact that this film turns into a teen slasher movie for the last half an hour and even though it is enjoyable to watch the characters due to the fact you haven’t got to hear from them again, I believe this film could have been a lot better if they had written a darker script and explained the premise in more detail. The only other part of the film that is satisfactory is the dialogue between the other leads Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Shue, these scenes within the film wouldn’t have looked out of place in a teen romance film and even though some scenes look like low budget soft-core porn and contain laughably poor scripting, they make the film a tad better and bearable to watch. Saying all this, I still enjoy watching ridiculous films, as they are easy and funny but being critical of the film, I would not recommend it to anyone; the acting is dry, the premise is ridiculous and it’s got Kevin Bacon in.

4/10

Good Will Hunting directed by Gus Van Sant; released in 1997

Watching this film really makes you think; What would you do if you had the same sort of genius as Einstein or Michelangelo? Would you throw it all away or would you use it to substantially benefit your life? This is a film full of questions, that doesn’t reveal its answer until the very end and that is why I love it so much. Matt Damon and Robin Williams head a great cast with a script by Damon himself and his great friend Ben Affleck. This is the real star of the film; the script. Dialogue that will make you cry, make you smile and make you question all you believe in. Robin Williams, who won an Oscar for his performance in this film, plays Sean Maguire, a psychologist given the job of tackling one of the greatest minds of a generation, that belongs to Will (Matt Damon), a young Boston native with a severely troubled upbringing. When he solves a maths problem set by MIT Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard), he is immediately singled out as someone with an extremely bright future and heralded by some of the world’s greatest mathematicians. Will’s battle with choosing the right future, discussing his past with Sean, hanging out with childhood friends (Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck and Cole Hauser) and his love affair with Skylar (Minnie Driver) all come together to form a journey that will astound you. I most enjoy the dialogue between Damon and Williams; it could easily have been just them two in the film, it has the style of a two-man stage play. There detailed conversations about each other’s troubled pasts bring out who they really are and culminate into a great friendship that I believe save each other from meltdown. It really isn’t hard to see why this film was so successful, it is easily relatable to all childhood friends who have that one friend who they know is able to go on and achieve great things in life but doesn’t have the self belief or guidance to it. Matt Damon instantly makes you feel sorry for him and understand why he is such a troubled character constantly involved with the police for fighting and other misdemeanours. It could be how he was brought up, the people he surrounded himself with or himself that have caused such atrocities and little success in his life. Ben Affleck, in a supporting role as his best friend Chuckie does very well to balance Will’s genius with a down to earth life style and has the dream that one day Will will have disappeared and gone on to achieve amazing things. The final scene in this film is one of the greatest moments I’ve ever scene in cinema and I’m not ashamed to say that it always makes me cry! Overall, this film is one of the greatest dramas of the last twenty years and is very worthy of the awards and praise it received, most notably the script and the interactions between Will and Sean. This does though not take away the great performances of the whole cast that all come together to entertain, sadden and surprise you throughout. I more than highly recommend this film to fans of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and also lovers of the underdog tale.

9/10

Goon directed by Michael Dowse; released in 2011

With little or no advertising in the British market, well from what I remember, this film has just been released on DVD in the UK. I thought I would give it a watch due to being a huge of fan of Liev Schreiber and also of corny american films such as American Pie and Road Trip – Seann William Scott being the draw here. Happily I have been impressed again but not by the acting skills of Liev Schreiber but the surprising performance of Seann William Scott, who really hasn’t achieved great critical acclaim in his long career and I would go as far as saying this is a performance that could see him achieve that and more in the future. He plays Doug, a bouncer at a bar in Boston, with little or no support from his parents, played by American Pie regular Eugene Levy and Ellen David; this resonates in him having to play hockey thinking of them with no support or love in return, hard when you are a stupid, fight loving american. He attends a local hockey game with his ridiculously rude hockey mad best friend Pat (Jay Baruchel [Knocked Up]) and during this, one of the players offends Jay and his brother so he knocks him out. This earns the respect of local hockey coach Rollie (Nicholas Campbell) who immediately gives him a spot on his team as the enforcer. This part of the film was very enjoyable to watch, as you are brought into Doug’s world with a bang, you learn of his gay brother, his rude parents; this makes you feel very sympathetic towards him and you feel the need for him to beat up his parents and succeed at the one thing he enjoys – fighting. This film has a real indie feel to it, the local atmosphere and relatively well known actors but also has an ‘Old School’ feel to it, not just the successful American film with Luke Wilson and Will Ferrell but the hard knocks style fighting and the strong relationships developed between the main characters. This would not looked out of place being released 20 years ago, where films with serious violence and little plot were fashionable e.g. ‘Roadhouse’ or any Steven Seagal movie but due to the performance from the cast as a whole it is a million times better than those mentioned. The film has really good dialogue, especially between Doug and Pat, which transcend to make their brotherly friendship very believable. The jokes are non-stop, much like the violent nature of Doug’s hockey and this also highlights the similarities with ‘Old School’, the ridiculous nature of the fighting, the male camaraderie and the leads unsurprising nature of falling in love at fall sight. This film’s love interest is Eva, played kindly by Alison Pill, who is the only thing Doug cares about deeply, apart from protecting his team. Their relationship is satisfying to watch and fulfils the romance part of the film, which it needs, to balance the brutal hockey games. The film moves on from lower leagues, until Doug is selected by Ronnie (Kim Coates) to play for his team in the minor Canadian leagues, where he is given the chance to show his stuff against better players. From then on, the usual plot, where the underdog gets his girl and then has to win it all for his team against a better opposition comes into fruition but with a certain dignity that makes it somehow very believable, I feel this is down to it being an indie film and also how Liev Schreiber doesn’t take over with his superior acting skills; he just plays who he needs to, Ross ‘The Boss’ Rhea, a legendary enforcer who has played all the leagues and has a notorious reputation for causing serious harm on the rink. His respect for Doug, on and off the rink equates in great on screen chemistry between the two and Rhea somehow looking up to Doug due to his feelings towards his team, woman and friends – he will do anything for them. His performance is worthy of praise, as he puts on a believable canadian accent, you hate him for how evil he is and also want him to learn his lesson, which comes true in the films brutal climax. I enjoyed this film, most notably the surprisingly good performance from Seann William Scott and the sporting side, which looked authentic and was entertaining. I recommend this film to fans of indie cinema, American Pie and Liev Schrieber; his performance is surprising to say the least!

8/10

Men in Black 3 directed by Barry Sonnenfeld; released in 2012

Being a huge fan of the Men in Black series I was very much looking forward to seeing Agent’s J and K team up on screen again to take on the gruesome Aliens that scared us in Men in Black and Men in Black 2. A big reason was the on screen chemistry between Will Smith and Tommy Lee-Jones, which again, is on form in this release, however due to the plot; Agent J is sent into the past to stop a bug from a galaxy with a ridiculous name killing a young Agent K, therefore changing the course of history and completely altering the world that J believed was reality – this was shortened. The plot may sound confusing but it really isn’t, gladly aimed at a young audience – it is full of hilarious one liners that stay true to the series e.g. a background conversation states how some aliens from the planet ‘Viagran’ have come up with an amazing pill! One disappointment for fans of the other films is the lack of on screen time for Tommy Lee –Jones but due to the plot, I believe this wont upset many people. A young Agent K is played perfectly by Josh Brolin, who after the film, when looking back; I really can’t get over how well he duplicated the mannerisms, ego and movements of Tommy Lee-Jones. His performance is worthy of the praise it has been receiving and I couldn’t agree more, I was eager to learn of Agent K’s past and why he is who he is, all of this is answered in the film and when the film reaches it’s sad climax, are deeply touched and moved by what you discover. Will Smith’s performance is again, much like the previous two films, is hugely entertaining, he is incredibly funny in scenes that require the audiences attention, holds his own next to the real star of the film, Josh Brolin, when fighting the enemies of the present, past and future and serious when he is searching for answers and clues to who or what has changed his reality. He has gone from action star to critically acclaimed actor in the last ten years and I believe that has benefited this film majorly; his acting is vastly improved from the previous two films – his jokes are quicker and his facial expressions are those of a dignified actor. The films visuals are brilliant; the aliens more over the top than ever, I saw the film in 2D and do not regret this but fans of 3D I’m sure will be in for a treat. There is a great supporting cast, Emma Thompson and Alice Eve play an old and young Agent O, Agent K’s long lost love, Jermaine Clement is brilliant as ‘The Animal Boris’, the main protagonist – he brings his comedic routes (Flight of the Conchords) to the role and a great cameo from Bill Hader (Superbad) as Agent W – this will please fans of him, he really steals the scene he is in, all come together to deliver a cinematic experience that could have brought the series to a happy end. I really hope this isn’t the case as there is still many avenues and sub plots that haven’t been explained and as a now, even bigger fan of the films, really want a fourth to come along in maybe two or three years time. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and believe it really will reboot interest in the series and therefore recommend it to fans of the original films and fans of the new star; Josh Brolin.

8/10

Knocked Up directed by Judd Apatow; released in 2007

‘If we get laid tonight, it’s because of Eric Bana in Munich’. This is why the film ‘Knocked Up’ always has me in fits of laughter, even after watching it for the hundredth time – the script is brilliant! From Judd Apatow, the director of ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ and ‘Funny People’ who is also the producer of ‘Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby’ and ‘Superbad’ comes a film that explains, ‘You’ve heard the expression; Don’t drink and drive, well, Don’t drink and bone’. The one-liners and interaction between the cast is the main reason why this film will have you in a laughing fit for its entire 129 minute duration. It tells the story of Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) who after receiving a long awaited promotion at work decides to go out and celebrate with her sister Debbie (Lesley Mann) and ends up sleeping with Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) and due to his lack of listening; falls pregnant. From then on this film takes you on the 9 month whirlwind adventure of how relationships are so important and also how your friends seriously hold you back and also support you in the journey towards parenthood. With a cast that includes the majority of the 2000’s Comedy Frat Pack, this film at no point does not make you laugh – every scene is hysterical. I believe the dialogue is the main reason why this film has been a major success and therefore the praise has to go to it’s writer and director Judd Apatow, who has gone on to become a major player in film comedy, which will go on for years to come. Seth Rogen, who is now a leading man in his own right, was not before the release of this film and I believe, really has to thank Apatow for helping his transition from  Ali G series screenwriter to leading man, which is a joy to watch. He is ridiculous funny with his on screen new frat pack counterparts, which is the real draw every time I watch it. It’s hard to comprehend the humour and outrageousness of some of the scenes e.g. going to Vegas on shrooms, giving your housemates pinkeye – this is done when poo particles go on to your friends pillow – the small mindnessness of men, who really can be very sexist when discussing their feelings towards women, which I believe this film mocks brilliantly. Rogen is able to balance the role of comedy frontman with his tenderness and seriousness in scenes that require it, when proposing to Alison, the birth of his daughter and the realisation that he has to grow up and become the dad he needs to be. Heigl’s performance is good also, she is able to keep a straight face when needed, as if I was her I would be laughing with every scene involving Rogen. Her scenes with Leslie Mann are enjoyable and allow you some room for a chance to enjoy brilliantly delivered dialogue e.g. discussing her future, being rejected from a club and the fallout and their real fondess of each other as on screen sisters – this must have come from a real life friendship. The supporting cast that includes Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Martin Starr and Kristen Wiig makes this film an all out laugh fest that doesn’t disappoint at any part with the laughs and happiness. I highly recommend this film to fans of any Apatow production and fans of laugh out loud humour!

9/10