GingerMovieWord

Look Into The Eyes, Not Around The Eyes...

2013-03-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

'Trance'

2012 was certainly Danny Boyle's year, but not for directing a film, he was put in charge of artistic direction of the London Olympic opening ceremony, and to great fanfare it was heralded as a monstrous success. He captured the essence of Britain in a traditional form, and a modern day Mobile phone, Tweet obsessed Britain. In between doing this Boyle had been deeply involved in his next movie, all filmed on location in London. One would think, could he have too much on his plate?

Art Auctioneer Simon (James McAvoy) is an inside man part of a heist of a priceless piece of Art, but when everything seems to go to plan, the painting seems to be lost, and Simon from a large blow to the head, can't remember. He seeks a hypnotherapist's help to help him and his criminal partners find it.

I quite frankly enjoyed this film, it's quite a mind twister sometimes, which leaves you thinking, are you in Simon's dreams or is this reality? But nevertheless it's a very well thought out story, also when you add Boyle's direction it can only be a winner. It's all about exploration of the mind, of it's weaknesses, which is quite an interesting subject. It certainly pack's a punch, that includes some quite violent scenes, with added bit of gore. Don't let it put you off, because it seems quite minimal.

The three main players James McAvoy, Vincent Cassell and Rosario Dawson all deliver good performances. All gel very well together. But easily Dawson is the standout as Elizabeth, she is such an underrated actress.

The soundtrack which is mostly composed by a Boyle favorite, one half of the Dance duo Underworld, and it gives it that typical feel to a Boyle movie. Sets the mood of the film is quite a brilliant way.

It feels like after all the Olympic official stuff, Danny is finally letting his hair down, so to speak. In his way making a nitty gritty heist mystery film, because that is essentially what it is. If you see a case for more money to be invested into British cinema, I would argue with this.

4/5

Blazing Bloody Saddles

2013-01-25T12:58:00.000-08:00

'Django Unchained'

Every few years Quentin Tarantino releases a movie, and it always becomes a big event, because nobody quite does it like he does. His unique way of writing and directing has made him some ways the middle finger to the conventional way of making a film. A man who is always keen try his hand at different genres of movie, takes on the Western, but only in the extreme kind of way, only he knows how to.

Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) is a dentist turned bounty hunter, buys the freedom of slave Django (Jamie Foxx) in exchange for the help of hunting down three brothers who the good Doctor is trying to track, that only Django knows what they look like. Realizing Django has a knack for the killing business, Schultz trains him as an apprentice, and agrees to track down his wife, that leads them to the evil plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo Dicaprio).

Sometimes when you see a film you can tell straight away who's work it is, and this is truly a trademark Tatantino creation. Wonderful dialogue, bringing the best out of his actors. Character building is so key, in creating a great movie, and he does it so well in this.

It can be said that the man who steals the show, is again Christoph Waltz, who's just full of charm, and just does it with ease quite frankly. Surly a another best supporting actor Oscar on it's way. Young Leo is fantastic, and full of sheer evil, as the ruthless plantation owner. I tip my cowboy hat to a simply so funny as an older man.

It is quite long, which is justified, for a well written complexed story. There is enough to keep you up straight in the sometime uncomfortable cinema seats.

Well I'm going to be bold and say this in my view is on par of brilliance of Pulp Fiction. It comes up and slaps you in the face, and makes you take notice. So go and enjoy this as I did.

5/5

'He Only Stole A Loaf Of Bread'

2013-01-13T16:07:00.002-08:00

'Les Miserables'

Right, Let me get this straight, I am not a big fan of musicals at all. I have had no desire to go and see a show in London. Going to see this movie, I decided to keep an open mind, as I did quite like Tim Burton's film version of "Sweeney Todd". Tom Hooper, still really quite fresh of the massive success of "The King's Speech", was the man to bring Les Mis to the big screen. It very much seems to be the right move for the man.

Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is released from prison, but finds life on the outside quite tough, so he breaks his parole to keep get his life moving again. For almost a decade he hunted down by policeman Javert (Russell Crowe). In the mean time he promises to care for a former worker in his factory Fantine's (Anne Hathaway) daughter. All in the backdrop of post revolutionary France. The motions run extremely high..

Where do I start? Well there are some amazing performances here. In a movie that is almost all singing, and live singing, that must have been a massive task in it self. I truly tip my beret to them (see what I did there, I do crack myself up sometimes, with my second rate gags)! The most standout does really go to Anne Hathaway who creates one, or even the best scene of this monster of a film, when he bellows out the famous "I dreamed a dream", with such passion, and added tears. I had a quick look around in the cinema and saw a few glassy eyes. I would not be shocked if she cleaned up on the award circuit. Jackman is no stranger to a musical, so he holds up quite well, and is generally a good actor in my view, there is more to him then wolverine. Now, maybe the one elephant in the room, what lots may address, Mr. Russell Crowe, he has not got the best voice in the world, but he does try his hardest to give a performance, and you can't knock that really.

I really like Tom Hooper's style of directing, full of close ups, and emotion packed in. It's hard to believe this is a man who started off on kids drama "Byker Grove", which I even remember watching. Boy, does he knows how to grip an audience.

Les Mis, as it is known for short, truly is a force to be reckoned with. I enjoyed highly. Hooper surly has scored his hat trick of box office smashes now. Cue the awards.

5/5

Rawr-ing Good Times.

2012-10-21T15:54:00.001-07:00

'Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted'

I was quite excited to hear of a Madagascar 3, as I very much loved the first two, was quite a surprise hit as animation films can find the box office quite a rough place if not received very well. But Dreamworks from time to time brings out some gem's of family films. But with sequels, let me bring the case of the Shrek film's forward. 'Shrek' and 'Shrek 2' was both brilliant, but the further two Shrek's the jokes seemed to fizzle out. Which was a shame, with Madagascar 3, this isn't the case.

We Join the gang where they left off in the second film, In Africa, wanting to return back home to New York City Zoo on a third attempt. So Alex (Ben Stiller), Marty (Chris Rock), Melman (David Schwimmer) and Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) set off on another big adventure to find there way back home, with the help of a traveling circus. On the way they meet new friends, and new enemies, who will stop at nothing to hunt them down.

With the Madagascar films, you just can't help but smile all the way through them, and this the third installment, is no different. The story is well crafted, with new characters added to the mixture, keeps it quite fresh, and an easy watch. Some beautiful visual jokes laced throughout, is a very nice touch.

The added additions to the voice talent includes actors of the moment such as 'Breaking Bad's' Bryan Cranston and Jessica Chantain who are both brilliant. But Martin Short as Stefano, the Italian circus sea lion is fantastic and very very funny. Old favorites return such as King Julian and the Penguins, who sometimes I felt are the gel what makes these films really work.

There is really nothing I can criticize about this. It should be a happy end to the franchise, it would ruin it maybe if they carried on with them. But something in the back of my mind wants to know what happens to them next.

A very colorful event, that carries brilliantly all the way through. Take the whole family to see this, doesn't matter if you have not seen the first two films. It's a whole lot of fun, that will make smile from cheek to cheek.

4.5 out of 5

Risen To The Occasion. Spoiler Free

2012-07-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

'The Dark Knight Rises'

After the long, massive build up, we are here to possibly one of the biggest movies of all time. The 3rd and final installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. The sheer monumental scale of this occasion is incredible. When the first of the series hit 'Batman Begins', it was like 'wow, this is different', and faded away memories of Arnie spewing poor one liners as Mr. Freeze. Then it was time for the 'The Dark Knight', which with all the circumstances around it with the untimely death of Heath Ledger, turned out to be an absolute classic, and I don't use those words lightly. What Ledger did leave us with was, his finest performance, as the Joker, and possibly the best 'baddie' ever. Nolan proved himself a master film maker, and the film world was humbled to him.

As for this review I have decided not to talk plot or what happens, except, we find a broken man in Bruce Wanye (Christian Bale), 8 years later down the line of 'The Dark Knight'. But with a new threat in Gothem City in the sinister Bane (Tom Hardy). Will the Batman come out of retirement? Even though we have all seen the adverts, with him in, So we kind of guess he will....That's all I am saying.

Big question, does this live up to the hype? Yes. Nolan, once again has created something chocked full of anarchy and emotion to the fullest. Chris and David S. Goyer has created a very complexed story, that hits you with twists and turns at all corners. With a bit of a slow build up, this is totally justified for what you will experience. Visually, it looks as good as the other two films.

Hurrah, finally Christian Bale seems to be one of the standouts, with someone who, I can be a bit of a harsh critic on, he does a fine job, where the main focus point is his struggles of being Batman and Bruce Wayne. Tom Hardy as Bane, is one massive beast of a man, and was casted right for the role, this time Bane says just more then two words. Anne Hathaway is fantastic as Cat burglar Selina Kyle. Ladies you can keep your 'Fifty Shades Of Grey', we can have our Catwomen. She Brings the sex appeal. Of course the backing cast of acting royalty, Caine, Freeman and Oldman, never disappoint. With added new addition of Joseph Gordon Levitt, just strengthens it.

I will admit 'The Dark Knight' just pips this, for one single reason, Heath Ledger as the Joker. But other then that, it's stands right up next to it. Some people will probably get put off the length of the film, but as I said, it's worth it.

Nolan has worked his magic again, and pulled an ace out of the bag. With great performances and a story with bite. It would make a lot of directors scared to even attempt to do a superhero movie.

5 out of 5

Half Spider, Half Man, All Amazing.

2012-07-16T14:22:00.001-07:00

'The Amazing Spider-Man'

'Too soon, too soon', we all cried. Sam Raimi's Spider-man trilogy was a massive success, and apart from a dodgy 3rd installment, it was a brilliant franchise. Now, a mere 6 years down the line, have a reboot of our favourite comic book spider. Whole new cast, new team behind it and a totally different view of how young Peter Parker became Spider-Man. Taking its name from the original comic, 'The Amazing Spider-Man', may mean, 'Our film will be Amazing, unlike you're one'. I don't think so, I just think that maybe it's a statement of trying to stay true to the comic. Does it? I think so.

Young Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is a clever high school loser, who lives with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, after his parents disapear. Unknown why they leave him, he finds clues which lead him down the path to the front door of Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), who was his fathers Scientist partner. Mention must also go to the lovely Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) who appears the main love interest in this installment.

What I really liked about this 're-imagining' of Spider - Man, is that is actually a completly different story, but with some continuity. Peter's transformation does not occur rapidly, infact the build up is lengthy. Peter Parker also succeeds as one of the coolest losers in a movie......ever, especially when compared to the very uncool Toby McGuire. These strong performances from Garfield and Stone give the film plenty of sexiness and coolness.

The story is well linked throughout, with emotive screenplay and witty one liners, that made me chuckle. Another element that earned my respect, was it could have gone very much down the cliche path at one point, but thankfully it averts this pitfall.

On a more technical note, I saw this in 3D and although I have not been a big advocate of Holywoods latest trend, I didn't get a headache, so it was fine and easy to watch. The Lizard reeks of being too CGI though, which was the only little disappointing part of the film.

An additional two films have already been announced, and this is none too surprising. I am hooked, I already want to see where it goes and the direction they take the franchise. Garfield and Stone are quite simply the two shining stars, they are what makes it 'Amazing'.

Go see it.

4 out of 5

Space Quest(ions)

2012-06-07T15:04:00.002-07:00

'Prometheus'

Finally, It is here, Ridley Scott's return to the Sci-fi genre, where he made his name, with classics such as 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner'. 30 years later, a well overdue return with a film that explores, which has been described as the DNA of 'Alien'. So we can basically call it a prequel. Excited yet? Well, if not keep reading.

Dr. Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and crew uncover clues on Earth, in form of ancient tablets, that hopefully would lead them to find out the biggest question of all, how mankind was created? Unfortunately they find more then they bargain for.

When the opening scenes of beautiful landscape, I knew this was going to be one of the most stylish movies I have ever seen. I wasn't disappointed. Ridley has never let anyone down on creating brilliant visuals. With a wonderful score to accompany. A feast for eyes and ears.

Micheal Fassbender as the android David is superb, and really does make this film his. Surly one of the best actors around at the moment. Decent performances from Idris Elba and Charlize Theron are also noted.
The story, I found is actually quite interesting and kept my attention, but proposes more questions then answers, but I think Sir Ridley wanted to do that.

It seemed maybe a little bit too tame, where as it could have unleashed more suspense moments, and that is coming from someone who is not a fan of horror/suspense movies. Generally it felt like it held back a bit to appeal to a wider audience. The script could have also had a little bit more attention on.

The lead Noomi Rapace's performance was not the best I've seen, gave the character the most annoying presence in the film. Also seeing Guy Pearce as an old man, just doesn't really work and not convincing.

This is a great achievement by a director who quite plainly is one of the most visionary men is cinema of all time. This could very well split the audience, but it is worth well seeing for the visuals and performance of Fassbender. But just comes short of being one of the great. A great film up for debate with your friends. Go see it.

3.5 out of 5

If You Love Big Beards, But Not Big Laughs...

2012-05-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

'The Dictator'

No one promotes a movie like Sasha Baron Cohen. To go as far as doing it in character, he is that talented, and I have always really admired, to have the sheer bravery to that sort of thing. Baron Cohen's brand of comedy first showed up on the 90's 'The 11 O'clock show' as Ali G, where he was so successful it brought about a spin off Ali G show and movie. Both did well, but he struck gold with his next character 'Borat', set in the real world, he plays a Kazakhstan news reporter, who travels to America to learn about their culture, put in real situations, it made a few Americans look uncomfortable, bring out insecurities in them and make them look like absolute idiots. It was magnificent! His next film was about a Gay German fashion reporter named Bruno, which was kind of the same thing as Borat, didn't work so well. But all have raked in at the box office, so keep the winning formula going eh Sasha?

Haffaz Alladeen (Baron Cohen) is the ruthless and quite mad Dictator of the African nation Waadeya, who has massive plans of a nuclear weapons program to make the world stand up and take notice. Well the United Nations do, and summon upon Alladeen to explain his actions. But his bizarre ways land him in some very unusual situations.

Well the first half hour rolls by, and I didn't really do a lot of laughing, There are a few very, very funny bits throughout, but overall, it just didn't really work. It just wasn't really gelling together really, with some very flat jokes and not a massively great performance from Baron Cohen, who looks like a mish mash of famous ruthless dictators. Just not really on form for me. Ben Kingsley looked a bit lost as well in a smallish, but important roll.

I liked some of the absurdness and the cleverness of the jokes, which could be quite filthy or disgusting. I don't really want to give any of them away, but look out for a birth scene. The jokes could really offend people of a sensitive nature, but it's more poking fun out of the character more.

Just a not very good end product really, but does show few sparks of comic genius. Could have had a bit more attention to the script and the story, to beef it up a lot more. It will score big time at the box office, through the strength of the power of the advertising.

2.5 out of 5

Heroes To Marvel At.

2012-04-27T06:46:00.002-07:00

'Avengers Assemble'

It has been a long time leading up to The Avengers movie, which has been known about for absolute ages. Everyone stayed behind of the credits of Ironman, Thor, etc. To be see little clips of new elements which would lead up to one big star studded movie, including some of the biggest superheros in one single movie, that's a lot of Egos on one screen! I wondered if their would be too much to handle to be the movie what everyone would be expecting. We have been waiting a very long time, and it needs to be nothing short of brilliant.

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) of S.H.I.E.L.D. a universal peace keeping agency, is threatened by Loki, half brother of Thor, and an army, the exiled Norse. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is after the Tesserect, which is an energy source of unknown quantity, to the advantage of him and the Norse. Fury calls upon his band of big ego-ed but likable superheroes consisting of Ironman (Robert Downey Jr.), Hulk (Mark Ruffarlo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans) to help from immanent disaster.

Well take a bow Joss Whedon, he has done a fantastic job of making such a brilliant comic book movie. With so many elements to juggle, the balance is just right. With a good story to tell, that includes each of the superheroes, sharing the limelight. Making good use of each respective 'power' to good use, makes for exciting and unpredictable action scenes. Which are brilliant.

Playing the likes of the very cocky Ironman off of the humble Captain America is very good, and I was expecting. Kind of gives it the ying/yang factor, but fighting for the same cause. Tom Hiddleston is still one of the best new talents about, he makes Loki such an evil, but at the same time of weasel of a bad guy. Also newcomers Mark Ruffarlo as the Hulk and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye both are a very good bit of casting. Of course you get the same thing from Downey Jr., that does work and is not stale.

I will say though, probably a good idea to catch up with all the previous Marvel movies, as you may get a little bit lost, not too much though.

If you love comic book movies, this satisfy your hunger until The Dark Knight Rises or The Amazing Spider-man appears on the scene. A very well made Comic book movie, appealing to the masses with an all star lineup and action to fill your boots up with.

4 out of 5

High School Blues.

2012-04-06T03:11:00.001-07:00

'21 Jump Street'

The Television series of '21 Jump Street', created by the man who was behind 'The A- Team', ran from 1987 to 1991. It was the launching point for a young Johnny Depp. Skip 25 years later, time for a comedy reboot for the big screen led by a now very skinny Jonah Hill and the newly crowned king of the chick flicks, Channing Tatum. Can't say it was a mixture I was looking forward to, Proved wrong again.

Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are two new young Police Officers, formed through friendship as trainees, who are underachieving in there new vocation. They both are sent to a rogue unit on 21 Jump Street, where they are sent out to a high school in an undercover assignment, to take down a synthetic drug ring.

As you can expect, there are some very funny results. Chocked full of very funny lines, which appeals to a young 'hip' audience. Jonah Hill is an extremely talented performer, so it comes as no surprise that he is on form once again. I have never been a fan of Channing Tatum, but he really should try more comedy rolls, instead of Romantic/Drama movies, that he is mostly known for. One small step to a redemption for him in my book.

The standout scenes include the scene where, they both have a drug trip, see's some funny results. Also the last 20 minutes can stand up to any action film I have seen, very well done.

A lot of cliche things are to be seen, you do know whats going to happen as the movie goes on. We have all seen it a million times before. It does poke fun at the 'Buddy cop' kind of movie.

Success. '21 Jump Street' does certainly tickle the funny bone, if you like a bit of crudeness in your comedy movies. It has given a shot of life into this kind of genre of Police movie. Is there going to be a sequel? Well, I would want to see it.

4 out of 5

Hungry For More.

2012-04-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

'The Hunger Game'

The drama books aimed at Teenagers is big business these days, with the Twilight franchise being the true testament to that, it is a very valuable market to make a movie in. Suzanne Collins a former writer for young children's shows in America, made the move to writing her own books and sprung the 'Hunger games' trilogy, which has made Collins one of the top selling authors in the world. So I guess it was inevitable the books would become more. But this is much more then Twilight.

Set somewhere in the future in a nation called 'Panem', a boy and a girl, known as "Tributes" are selected from each of the twelve districts to compete in a live television show called 'The Hunger Games', where they all fight to the death, and last boy or girl standing wins. Katniss Everdeen offers herself up to replace her younger sister, for the toughest battle of her life.

The story is a good piece of work, Suzanne Collins has written a suburb, gripping story, which seems like it's a bit of a social commentary on today's modern television culture, where reality rules our screens, and how much reality is enough.

Some lovely visual scenes are included, and with a film with a violent nature, you would expect more of the gore type of thing, but being a film for teenagers, it has been done very well on cut away moments, and fast camera work.

Jennifer Laurence (Katniss Everdeen) is a good talent, who's demand rate and stardom will rise dramatically for her performance. You wouldn't want to mess with her. Stanley Tucci, is seen in a different role here, as the games television host, that he plays very well and with confidence.

Go see it. I hate to mention it twice, but leave Edward, Bella and gang alone, and see a real, on the edge young persons drama, but strangely works very well for an adult audience as well.

4 out of 5

Holiday Inn-dia.

2012-03-15T15:26:00.005-07:00

'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'

Sometimes when you see a cast list for a movie, you just go wow, this was exactly what I thought when I saw the top crop of seasoned actors and actresses who were going to be involved this movie. No worries about the performances then. But does the actual story do the cast justice?

Set mostly in India, a group of British retirees, decide to pack up and move to a retirement hotel inappropriately called The Best Exotic Marigold hotel, for thier own personal reasons. They all find out the hotel isn't what they thought it would be, in fact it is a run down crumbling hotel, with a lot of character, which initially charms most of the guests. They start to form friendships and begin to find out that there is more going on than meets the eye.

The story based on the novel 'These Foolish Things' by Deborah Moggach, is quite charming and can be very funny. It's the older, experienced actor who can deliver a funny line just brilliantly, or even tug on the emotional strings of the audience. The scenes that get me the most are the ones with the simply magnificent Tom Wilkinson, as Graham, a retired judge. Just every line is delivered quite monumentally. You also have the two Dame's - Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, who always show what an actress should aspire to. Dev Patel deserves a mention here, as the hotel hyper-active bumbling hotel manager Sonny, who you sympathise with a lot throughout the movie.

A lot to digest in this movie! Focusing on a lot of different small story lines with quite a few main characters, that could be a problem for the audience. John Madden will help India to get a few more tourists in the next few months, as it is used quite well for the movie setting.

Great cast, decent story, of course it's a grown up movie and will mostly attract the older generation, but if your a younger person stuck what to see at the cinema, give this a punt. The Marigold hotel will welcome you in and make you want to stay.

4 out of 5

Hawaiian King.

2012-01-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

'The Descendants'

George Clooney has been a busy man in the last year. With filming this and writing, directing and acting in the political Thriller 'The Ides Of March'. He certainly is a tour da force in Hollywood. Teaming up with director Alexander Payne of 'About Schmidt' and 'Sideways' fame. I have always enjoyed his films, which delved into real life problems.

Matt King (George Clooney) is a Hawaii based Lawyer, who's dependency goes back into Hawaiian history. His wife is involved in a serious boating accident, and left her in a deep coma . His world is turned up side down. He seeks to reconnecting with his two daughters Alexandre (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller). Balancing family and problems which fall his way, takes it's toll on Matt.

George Clooney is outstanding! I have a lot of admiration for the man. He knows how to pick a role. He portrays a very likable man, who at most turnings has an obstacle in his way. The roll of his career? A lot of people would say so. He has a lot more to come in his career though I feel. Shailene Woodley deserves a lot of credit here, as she is a brilliant young talent, who plays off Clooney very well.

Payne is great director, with great story telling and sense of playing out a good story. I thought it was a way off from being a great movie, it's good, but not great. It did take me a while to think why I didn't see it as a great. It did seem like it was wasting a bit too long on some scenes. But the sheer frustration of Matt, who has everything chucked at him, and he stays relatively calm. That was a bit annoying.

A roller coaster ride of a movie. Full of powerful, very real like situations. Not perfect, but an extremely good watch. Payne and Clooney make a very good team. Would like to see them tag up again. Worth a look, if your in the mood for something not very cheery.

3.5 out of 5

What Can I Say?

2012-01-19T02:52:00.000-08:00

'The Artist'

So in the year 2012, the age of digital 3D cinema, where you can be dazzled by CGI and other special effects. All part of the cinema magic. But there was a time when special effects or CGI wasn't around, believe it or not folks. How can a small French movie, written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius, that is Black and White, and also Silent, can cause a lot of hype and be the fore runner for a lot of the major award's going. Doesn't seen like it should add up.

Set in Hollywood in 1927, George Valentine (Jean Dujardin) is the most successful Silent actor of his age. But his career is in danger when the era of talking movies comes in to fruition. As George's career seems to be finished, a young dancer actress Peppy Miller's (Berenice Bejo) career is on the rise. The two met and hit is off, whilst George was filming one of his hit movies. Throughout the film, the two encounter each other.

My expectation of this was a lot, before seeing this. I wasn't disappointed. The first fifth teen minutes, did not grab me straight away, so I was a bit worried I was going to lose interest, fortunately it very quickly picked up. What grabbed me was, when George's career was on the down slide. Some very good scenes, For a silent film, the expression acting is so good. Jean Dujardin just is full of so much charm and has brilliant comedic chops about him. Berenice Bejo was lovely, a pleasure to watch as see majestically take on the role with sparkle and commitment. Nice to also see some American talent

Michel Hazanavicius has done a wonderful job, with in this day and age, to make a film such as this, very funny and totally inviting. I'm excited to see what he does next. A very special mention has to go to Ludovic Bource, for the music score he has delivered here, as it's the only sounds you here.

I can say a lot about this small French, Silent, Black and White movie. It's unmissable cinema. Full of charm, funny and will suck you in. Don't let the silence put you off. Go see and float out of the cinema afterwards.

5 out of 5

I'd Put Some Money On That Horse.

2012-01-13T13:12:00.000-08:00

'War Horse'

Written by Michael Morpurgo the book was released in 1982, then in 2007 it was adapted into a play, which has life size puppets of horses, it has done very well. Now the man that is Steven Spielberg, decided to take on the task of creating a movie adaption. Is this a return to form for the great man? A lot of attention has been put on this film, because it center's around a very familiar subject, and affects a lot of people, War.

Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) is set the task of raising a young Horse called Joey, to work on the farm where his Father, Ted (Peter Mullan) and Mother Rose (Emily Watson) grow produce. After some financial problems Joey is sold to Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) just as World War One breaks out. Joey, the Horse travels around war torn Europe, and encounters people from The German military and British military.

Well this is Spielberg's best movie since 'Saving Private Ryan'. He seems to be back on familiar ground of good old fashioned epic film making. He has the power of getting some emotion out of his viewer, with over powerfully sentimentality. But it works very well, not making it too much mushy stuff. Some absolutely beautiful shots of cinematography here, with the brilliant war scenes, especially when Joey is running through no mans land.

It boasts a very Stella cast of good talent young and old. Notably Emily Watson and Tom Hiddleston are both outstanding, but who I found made this movie something really quite good was Niels Arestrup and young Jeremy Irvine, who takes on his first big role in a massive film. One to watch in the future.

This is a great film to take the family to. Do it, and don't be afraid to shed a bit of a tear, and get engrossed in this War/Drama epic.

4.5 out of 5

No Shame In Seeing This Film.

2012-01-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

'Shame'

Michael Fassbender has been on a quick rise to success, since his memorable as the English gent Lt. Archie Hicox in Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds'. Gathering a lot of fans on the way, with his brilliant versatile acting. Here he has teamed up again with Steve Mcqueen, Artist turned Director on his second film. I haven't seen there first film 'Hunger', but will hunt down a copy now after seeing this. But be warned this is not the best film to take the parents too.

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) lives in New York, where he has a successful job and nice apartment, but he has a serious addiction to sex, which leads his life. His sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) shows up unannounced to stay with him, this disrupts his sexual addiction, and leads to him and her having a lot of tension. His addiction starts to effect all aspects of his life and gets him to start asking questions of himself.

Fassbender is magnificent, he is a born lead actor, with his sense of taking a character in and making them painfully real. He is quite infectious, and the hype is justified for his part. Steve Mcqueen has an eye for some lovely shot scenes, when Brandon is on the tube and he is passes glance to a young lady, then she gets off and he follows in desperation to get to her, but then loses her, also the scene where Sissy sings 'New York, New York' in a lounge club is quite beautiful. The music score is brilliant and placed very well.

This isn't for the faint of heart at all, with a lot of explicit scenes and very explicit language at one point. The one thing is, we don't get to find out a bit more of Brandon and Sissy's past, and it seems to be a little frustrating, as there is no mention of parents or any family problems.

A film full of punch and enough to get you thinking a bout it for a while after you have seen it. Meaty performance from Fassbender and great things from Mcqueen. Worth a look, as it lives up to the hype that came before it.

4 out of 5

The Lady Is Not For Watching.

2012-01-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

'The Iron Lady'

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher seemed a very unlikely thing. A big role indeed, to be one of the most controversial figures of all time, also the first Female British Prime Minster ever. From the get go, the media attention of this has been high profile, with the teaser picture of Streep as Thatcher, seeming to have everyone gasp and go wow, that's not Streep! It's directed by Phyllida Lloyd, who worked with Meryl Streep before on that dreadful, million pound churning machine 'Mamma Mia!'. Unfortunately the result of this one is, it isn't very good.

Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep) is an elderly lady, who's short term memory is fading, but can remember everything from her years at the helm at 10 Downing Street . She reminisces on her time, with flashbacks, of her hardships of being Prime Minster, from her childhood days and right up until she lost support of her own Cabernet of Minsters. It also includes a fair bit about her private family life, with her husband Dennis (Jim Broadbent), who is basically her rock, valiantly trying to steady her in his calming way.

The biggest problem I find with this is, that it focuses on Thatcher in the current day far too much, which for a retrospect, you would prefer to see much more of the important events like the Miners strike, The Falklands war or even when the Grand Hotel in Brighton was bombed during the Conservative Party Conference, and other things which shaped her time in office, that made her the controversial women she was.

The only exception is Streep's brilliant performance, in which she pulls off Thatchers acid tongue and presence so well, Just a shame about everything else really, Broadbent serves as an okay supporting actor, but it the Streep show, which will most probably see her get nominations galore, but I'm afraid it will be the only praise the film will get.

For a biopic film, this is a miss, I'm afraid. I would search out the brilliant BBC drama, which was on in 2009, 'Margaret'. Which is a far better watch then this. It's a case of the actress outshining the actual film.

2 out of 5

This Is My Review, If You Choose To Accept It.

2011-12-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol'

Brad Bird is well know for doing animation movies, he trained as an animator for Disney, where he eventually went on to direct and write two of Pixar and Disney's best movies, 'The Incredibles' and 'Ratatouille'. This is his first live action film, and what a big task it was to take on. The 4th installment of the Mission: Impossible series. With Cruise back on board leading and producing duty's, also JJ Abrams is hopped on for some producing duty's also. Certainly sound's like a tasty thing going on, I didn't seem to be excited.

The Kremlin in Russia is blown up by a dangerous Terrorist named Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) who has launch codes for Russian nuclear weaponry , Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team are unsuccessful in stopping him, and then being put in the frame for actually causing the explosion. In a desperate attempt, the president invokes Ghost Protocol- which means that Ethan and his team, has no back up and no help from the government. It leaves them on on the chase for Hendricks around the world to catch him before he try's and strikes on the U.S.

This is a well crafted action movie, with Birds direction, you can see that he has been quite creative, with some brilliant action scenes, especially the car factory scene. There are some standout performances, newcomer to the series Jeremy Renner is superb, working well on scenes with Cruise. The story is pretty decent as well, giving enough space to keep up with story, which is a pretty good thing.

It did have a few slow areas where it could of lost the viewer quite easy, but seemed to kick back into the good stuff. I thought that Michael Nyqvist was very under used, would of liked to see more of his very good acting skill's.

Not perfect, but probably the best film of the series. With Brad Bird on the helm, and Renner involved, it has seemed to breath new life into it. Action fan's, get strapped in and go and enjoy.

3.5 out of 5

Inkredible!

2011-12-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'

I watched the original Swedish made film, which seems a long time ago (but was only in 2009), and I don't really remember a lot about it, so I went in to this American made version of the late Stieg Larsson's, first book of a trilogy, which he finished the first just before he died of a heart attack back in 2004, quite open minded towards it. I know that a lot of people will compare, will takes sides, which is fine, that's what's one of the best things about a good film discussion. He had planned a ten book series of 'The Girl', which is really sad we will never see. But the legacy he has left is amazing on the book and cinema world. So on to Mr. David Fincher's cinematic take on it.

Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is a disgraced Journalist, who gets hired by rich businessman Henrik Varger (Christopher Plummer), to solve the mystery of his Niece, who has been missing for more then 40 years. Varger smell's foul play, within his family. Blomkvist enlists the help of a quite unsocial young computer hacker with a tough upbringing, called Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). They both uncover corruption and some massive skeletons within the family.

David Fincher has made another superb film with brilliant vision of what he wanted to make, with his version of the book. He has stuck with his guns and become one of the best directors around at the moment. Well he has moved along a very long way from the dreadful debut of 'Alien 3'. Rooney Mara is excellent at Lisbeth, with the performance of an extremely cleaver social misfit, which kind of makes her very attractive as well. For a Craig role, well lets say, this is one of his better ones, he doesn't do any damage, thankfully. There are some gems with the great Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgard.

The scene of Blomkvist and Lisbeth first meeting is very good, with the distrust of each other at first, and then the slow gain of friendship and trust. There are some scenes which might be a bit difficult to watch for some people, but it is extremely well done, which sets the tone of the movie and keeps the very dark thriller entertaining and a must see.

Fincher has hit the mark again, with a very good way to wrap up 2011 movies. It's a intriguing , sexy and chillingly entertaining movie with some rough edges, that gives it's heart, which will make you wonder will there be the sequels? I really, really hope so.

4.5 out of 5

A Wicked Game.

2011-12-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'

At the end of 2009 we all fell for the Guy Ritchie's imagining of probably the most famous fictional private Detective, created by of course the late Arthur Conan Doyle. So famous that in fact, that on the underground in London's Baker Street station, you can see the outline of the Holmes everywhere and he is donning what he is famous for, the deerstalker hat and a pipe, in Ritchie's film you just get the pipe, no hat, thankfully. You got a fun, cool and sharply written and directed film, which showed the great on screen chemistry of Robert Downey, Jr and Jude Law. It was a hit, so it was logical to have another visit.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr) is on the hunt to find out about about some seemingly unrelated murders, in which he suspects the great Professor Robert Moriarty (Jared Harris) is connected to. When the professor realizes that Holmes is on the scent of Moriarty's wrong doings he summons Holmes to say dare you take me on? Holmes fearless takes up the challenge. He teams up with his old friend Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) again, after Watson and his new wife are nearly killed by some of Moriarty's henchmen on the train on there honeymoon. We follow them both to unravel on what the evil Moriarty's plans are, and how Sherlock has met his match physically and mentally.

This is basically more of the same thing as the first film, but still very brilliant, and very funny as well. Downey' Jr is a funny man, and can deliver a comedy performance with some of the best comedy actors out there. He is a very game actor, with some of the disguises he is put in. Jude Law serves as the friend, who whatever Holmes throws in his path, he sticks by him through thick and thin. Jared Harris, who is Holmes Arch enemy Moriarty, a very serious man, who is a perfect match for Holmes wit and skills. I want to see a lot more of his acting in the future

Guy Ritchie has done it again here, with his wonderful vision of a smoked filled dark and dirty London, which looks very cool. The only thing, which I would say though is the over usage of the slow-motion fight scenes, which used more then a couple of times. Still doesn't deter the fact that he has made a sound sequel, which stands up and gives you a one, two jab of pure entertainment.

Oh yeah, watch out for Stephan Fry as Sherlock's brother Mycroft in one scene which made the famous actor,writer, film maker and Twitterer, blush a bit when he filmed it. Incredibly funny.

Bored on the Christmas the season or got noisy, moaning teenagers? Take them to see this, and let it excite you for a couple of hours. Can We have another please Sir Guy? Wicked Stuff.

4 out of 5

My Top 10 Movies of the year.

2011-12-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

I've decided to compile my top 10 movies of the year. Obviously I haven't seen every movie released this year, but I have seen a few, some I haven't reviewed, but all the same I will include my rating of each movie. And of course a little bit about the movie. Enjoy.

10. 'The Inbetweeners Movie' - The Four lads go on holiday to Crete, for sun, alcohol and er Ladies...leading to some very funny situations. 3.5 out of 5 (rating reviewed)

9. '50/50' - Funny and touching movie about a 27 year man, who contracts a rare form of Spinal Cancer, and we follow him through his treatment. 4 out of 5

8. 'Black Swan' - Darren Aronofsky's brilliant movie of one woman's struggle of keeping control of her mind when she becomes Prima Ballerina in the new production of 'Swan Lake'. Oscar winning performance from Natalie Portman. 4 out of 5

7. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2' - The last hurrah for young Mr. Potter. With the magnificent final show down with Lord Voldermort. Cracking send off. 4 out of 5

6. 'True Grit' -The Coen Brothers remake of the John Wayne film, proves that sometimes remakes can make good movies. Great Performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. 4.5 out of 5

5. 'Super 8 - J.J Abrams action/adventure/sci-fi movie fronted by a cast of very talented child actors. The kids go on the search to find out some unexplained events, after witnessing a Train crash. 4 out of 5

4. 'The Kings Speech' - The true story of King George VI battle with his speech impediment, with the help from Therapist Geoffrey Rush. As corny as it sounds, it captured the film goers hearts and won Colin Firth Best actor award galore. 5 out of 5

3. 'We need to talk about Kevin' - A film about a Mother, not making a connection with her very young son, who in later years at high school, goes on a killing spree, totally ruining her life. A very chilling and often difficult to watch film, with shining performances from Tilda Swinton and the Evil looking Ezra Miller. 5 out of 5

2. 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' - Film adaption of John Le Carre's classic and well loved book. Gary Oldman leads as semi retired British intelligence agent George Smiley, who is given the task of seeking out a mole, who seems to be feeding the Russians secret information, set in the early 1970's, during the Cold war. Truly British and Outstanding. 5 out of 5

1. 'Drive' - Stunt driver by day, Getaway driver by night, A very cool Ryan Gosling is The Driver, who hits trouble when a heist goes wrong. A very stylish 80's throwback of film Noir. Very cool and the best film I've seen this year. Take a bow Nicolas Winding Refn - Good work! 5 out of 5 (rating reviewed)

Third assistant to the director prefers blondes.

2011-12-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

'My week with Marilyn'

I find it incredibly interesting when we are confronted with a film based on a true story account from one person, especially when the subject of the story is a Big screen Icon, in this case none other then Marilyn Monroe. Because of course this is still one persons recollection of events, so it can be argued, is it all true? But on the other hand does it really matter when it is a great story and makes a great film? I'd rather take a bit of myth and legend. This is based on the diary's of Colin Clark, worked on the set of the 1957 film, 'The Prince and the Showgirl', where he spent some time with the 'blonde bombshell'.

Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) is a 23 year old young man, with aspirations of working on the movies, gets his lucky break to work on Sir Laurence Olivier's (Kenneth Branagh) upcoming film 'The Prince and the Showgirl', where the co-star is Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams), who at the time was at the height of her fame, and arguably the biggest actress in the world. But Marilyn, who at the time had problems with her nerves and pressure of fame, struggles with nailing her lines on set and actually being on time to shoot the movie, leads Olivier to be frustrated and desperately trying to bring out the best in her. With her third husband, play write Arthur Miller leaving her for a few days to see his children, and there is also tension between them. So on chance occasions Colin and Marilyn both run into each other, and eventually on Marilyn 's wishes, he spends time with her, much too the dismay of wardrobe hand Lucy (Emma Watson), who Colin was kind of dating. As Colin and Marilyn spend more and more time together, he is warned that she will only break his heart. Poor Chap.

As far a performances go, Kenneth Branagh knocks this one out of the park. He brings Larry to life brilliantly. I felt Michelle Williams lacked the sparkle, which a lead actress should have really, maybe wasn't her best performance, see Blue Valentine for her in a good role. There are some nice smaller role parts from Judi Dench and Emma Watson.

I went in to this movie not really interested in the story, not really my film, but I was surprised it wasn't bad, but not great, it did lack a bit on the performance side of things. But the story was interesting and there was some nice moments, where Sir Laurence, starts to question his own desire and his acting. The Romance scenes did seem a little cringe worthy, and the quicker they was over the better.

Simon Curtis has made a nice film here, which will interest people, because of the subject, but it doesn't hit on all the marks. Worth a rent for a weeknight movie if there is nothing on the Television worth watching.

3 out of 5

Away Hu-go on an adventure!

2011-12-05T03:16:00.000-08:00

'Hugo'

When you think of Martin Scorsese, you think of tough talking classics like 'Taxi Driver, 'Goodfellas' or even more recently the thriller 'Shutter Island'. Marty has made movies for adults, mainly of the 15 and 18 certificate nature, So for the first time he try's his hand at making a family movie, also in 3D for the first time. Big question marks has been on a lot of people's mind in the industry, to see if Scorsese can pull it off. You can put your mind at rest because he does, very much so.

Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is an Orphan who lives in the dark, cold places of a Train Station in 1930's Paris. He works on making sure the clocks are working in an orderly fashion. He is mean't to be living with his uncle, but he disappeared leaving Hugo to fend for himself, by stealing food and parts for an automaton, which is all he has left from his father (Jude Law), who dies in an accident. Hugo gets caught stealing by a toy maker in the station, George Melies (Ben Kingsley), who seems to have some problem with the little guide book which Hugo's father scribbles the automaton's parts on. Hugo goes on a journey of finding out what the mystery involving the automaton, his father, George and his goddaughter Isabelle (Chloe Moretz).

First of all, the use of 3D is the best I've seen since 'Avatar'. It left me virtually headache free, I've found that to be what a lot of people find to be the problem with 3D. I don't mind 3D, I do think it's here to stay though, at least for the foreseeable future. Now to the actual story and performances. Ben Kingsley is the very very good, with his coldness at the start of the movie, which becomes less throughout the movie. In the latter part of the movie, Scorsese tips his hat to the magic of movies, with short clips of old Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin movies, which gives a sense that this is a little love note to the origins of movie. The story is a heartwarming affair, with the brilliance of young Asa Butterfield, who makes you feel for the plucky boy, who seems to hit every obstacle on the way.

Sacha Baron Cohen, is the station inspector, who acts as Hugo's foil, gives a less then convincing performance, with his mockney accent. Remember, it's set in Paris, but it's an English speaking film. There are some very good actors, who has very small parts in the movie, which is a bit sad to see. I would of liked to hear a bit more of Richard Griffith or a Ray Winstone. But I suppose that Scorsese can get the even the best of actors for the smallest part.

Take the family to see this, if you have small children, this is the perfect thing to keep them enthralled for a couple of hours. This will be classed as a Christmas film which will be enjoyed for years to come. Job done Marty.

4 out of 5

100% Worth Seeing.

2011-12-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

'50/50'

Cancer and Comedy, is one of those things which you would never think that would go together. Cancer effects most people, you probably know someone who's had it, a family member, friends, neighbors or work colleagues, etc. This was a hard film to write, also quite risky, that it could offend very easily. '50/50' is based on true life experience of writer Will Reiser, so it's coming from someone who knows all the feelings of a cancer sufferer.

Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a 27 year old young man, who is working for a radio station in Seattle, who contracts a rare form of spinal cancer. He takes a journey through the downs of having cancer, and finds out whats important to him, like his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) who can sometimes be quite annoying but generally cares about Adam, His ever worrying Mum (Anjelica Huston) and his Dad who has Alzheimer's. Through Adams treatment he meets new people, fellow cancer patients Mitch and Alan, who he bonds with whilst having treatment. His Therapist to help him through his emotions, Kathrine (Anna Kendrick). His girlfriend Rachael, who seems she couldn't really care less for Adam.

This is a superbly written movie by Will Reiser, who draws on personal experience, and has an art on dealing with the viewers emotions, which is an amazing thing to do as a writer. Joseph Gordon-Levitt brings the very likable Adam alive, with some raw emotion and frustration, in one scene where he just crumbles apart in Kyle's car in a fit of rage and sadness. Anjelica Huston is also brilliant as a mother who you can just see her heart tearing apart at her son's and husbands illnesses.

Seth Rogen's shtick can be a little irritating. I don't mind Rogen at all, but I can see why people can find him annoying by repeating the same thing in most of his movies. A couple of times the film does draw a fine line of taste maybe a couple of times, where Kyle is constantly trying to get Adam to use his illness to get with Women, but those scenes are saved by the brilliant writing.

This is a brilliant Comedy/Drama of the highest. Don't let the 'A comedy about Cancer' tag put you off seeing it. Very tastefully done and will leave you wanting to see it again and again.

4 out of 5

Captain Jack has a few too many Rum's.

2011-11-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

'The Rum Diary'

Bruce Robinson is back, first movie he has directed since 1992. Of course he is well know for one of the best British comedies ever 'Withnail & I'. With the constant pestering from Depp, who saw a great movie in Hunter S. Thompson's Novel which is loosely based on the writers own experiences of working in Puerto Rico in the 1960's, Robinson was talked to come out of semi- retirement to be at the helm for this. So the expectations are very high, of course.

Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) is a writer, who has failed at get his own books published, so he travels to Puerto Rico to work for the island newspaper 'The San Juan Star', which is failing miserably. He becomes involved in a group of businessmen who want to develop the island into a luxury venue, Paul struggles with his own morality with his involvement here. He also becomes quite obsessed with one of the businessmen, Sanderson (Aaron Eckharts) Girlfriend. He asked's himself a lot of questions in this crazy experience.

The movie lacks punch, with a weak story-line, which is disappointing, with especially with Depp and Robinson on board, you would of set this out to be a winner from the word go, but alas, I was let down a bit. With the air of a bit of anti- climatic way about it. The jokes run very much a far between.

Depp is fantastic, great to see him out of that silly Captain Jack costume, delivering a very comical performance, his face movement is wonderful. His screen sidekick Sala played by Michael Rispoli is very good and very deserved a mention here. Amber Heard who plays Sanderson's girlfriend and Kemp's keen interest, just lights up the screen with her beauty and is sweetly played, would like to see her take up a more meaty role. There are very laugh out loud moments within this movie, which shows some sparkle, which doesn't make the movie seem all bad and quite watchable. The first scene of the movie, where we see Paul on the morning after the night he arrives, very hungover, yes there is a lot of drink consumption in this movie. Well it wouldn't feel right if there wasn't in a Bruce Robinson movie.

For all it's faults, this is an alright movie. It would be nice to see Bruce Robinson take up something else to do, and not let us wait 19 more years again for his next outing. Worth a rent if you fancy a winding down Sunday night movie. Nothing more, nothing less.

3 out of 5