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The World According to Odessa

The Odessa Files

FILMS I HAVE SEEN AT THE MOVIES THIS YEAR (2008) Film Reviews - Post Mamma Mia September Update

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MAMMA MIA



Where do I start with my review of this film. First of all I should add that I like what Abba did and they are one of the best pop groups in the history of music. I heard this film was awful but it's not as bad as that if you take the attitude that it is meant not to be taken too seriously. If the producers had wanted GREAT singers they would have got them, maybe the awfulness of some of the singing is part of the film's charm. Pierce Brosman who I am a big fan of (He is a former James Bond after all) is great in this film and is the star in my view, but his singing is just awful and when he sings SOS it's like the QE2 docking!!!! The songs are great and I there were a few lesser known Abba songs that make an appearance. The interesting thing about the music and that Benny and Bjorn actually got the band who did the music originally back together and they sound amazing, even if the singing is pretty damn awful!

How do I rate this film, well for what it is I'd give it a rating of 7.5 out of 10!

HELLBOY 2 - THE GOLDEN ARMY

See my full review for more details but this was an excellent film!

Rating 9.2 out of 10!



THE DARK KNIGHT

See my review but as I said, 12 out of 10! I've seen it 3 times, same as Iron Man the only two films I have seen that many times this year! Next on my list Hellboy 2 and The Mummy - the Dragon Emporer. Roll on Bond 22 and Harry Potter and the half blood prince!

WALL-E

Wow this is the best PIXAR/any CGI movie I have ever seen. Wall e is so cute and this is utter genius, some of the visuals beyond awsome and I love how they have introduced forground/background camera focussing tricks used in normal live action films into a CGI film - fantastic! What a build up to the Dark Knight great stuff oh and the soundtrack is fantastic love the Peter Gabriel song and the Michael Crawford Hello Dolly stuff! Watch the end credits they are very good!

The Greatest Animated film ever!

9 out of 10 for the film and 10 out of 10 for the Animation!

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HANCOCK

Another good performance from Will Smith. I enjoyed this film, it was an interesting twist on the superhero idea. The first half of the film is the best and after the "twist plot change" it kinda lost the plot with the introduction of...(now that would spoil it!) Basically it went all transformers with things hitting eachother.....

7 out of 10

THE HAPPENING

Wow 3 films in as many days but this was not such a good experience, this is not a great film and I recommend you wait until it comes on TV. The question is : WHO IS MAKING THE BLOODY WIND?!!!!

Basically it is a series events of people killing themselves because of some strange force in the trees and the one where the guy sets off the lawnmoer and lays down infront of it is just very very bad.

Mark Waulberg is a very good actor and is the best thing about this film.

3.5 out of 10

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

Marvel's masterplan moves quickly on from Iron Man to the much anticipated and much under promoted Hulk movie. I have seen this film twice now having seen it on Saturday afternoon and Thursday night preview. I will write a more detailed review soon but I did enjoy the film, maybe it isn't as good as Iron Man but I won't hold that against it. I think the set-up looks half decent and they have left things nicely open for another Hulk or the Avenger film. The CGI has been muchly talked about!

8 out of 10

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE KRISTAL SKULL

8 out of 10

On my second visit to seeing the much hyped Indy4 film I have to admit I enjoyed it much more, maybe because my expectations had gone and I enjoyed it for what it was, a cracking adventure ride. I think Harrison Ford is great and the man who dominated 1980's blockbusters is truly back in the big time. I rate Spielberg as one of the - if not, greatest directors ever!




IRON MAN

Wow I saw this 3 times at the cinema and can't stop raving - see my proper review for more information.

9.7 out of 10!!

FLASHBACKS OF A FOOL

Enjoyed this film very much and thought Daniel Craig played the lead very well. The film has many moral and life messages and is brilliantly shot. Check out the beach scenes they look awsome.

Rating 8.5 out of 10


VANTAGE POINT

I REALLY enjoyed this film, It feels different somehow, watching the events of the Presidential shooting from different view points and you are left teased waiting to find out the bigger picture as the final revelations are fantatsic. Well acted and a good cast. I look foward to the DVD.

Rating 8 out of 10

RAMBO

Bloody violent film that owes much visually to Saving Private Ryan. Maybe this film is Morally Bankrupt but I did laugh at the scenes where Sly gunned down 200 plus bad guys.

Rating 5 out of 10

JUMPER

I quite enjoyed this film and despite the critics (including the DOC KERMODE) I think this could be a good fanchise, the visuals were amazing.

Rating 6 out of 10


THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Film of 2008 so far, Daniel Day Lewis deserved his Best Actor gong at the Oscars and visually this film is sensational and I must watch it again.

Rating 9.5 out of 10


NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Stunning film and deserved Best Film gong at the Oscars. Probably my second favourite film of the year.

Rating 8.5 out of 10

SWEENY TODD

I enjoyed this film much more than I was expecting to. The music was excellent as well as the cast and Alana Rickman was in great form in this production.

Rating 7.5 out of 10

AVP 2 - REQUIEM

Nowhere near the original 4 Alien films or the first Predator film, but it was a bit of fun. HOWEVER THE ALIEN IN THE MATERNITY HOSPITAL SCENE WAS TAKING IT TOOOOO FAR!

Rating 4.5 out of 10


I AM LEGEND

Not bad but the zombie visuals are a bit weak but the empty new york sequences were impressive. WHAT WAS WITH THE BATMAN VS SUPERMAN poster?????? Will Smith was great and looking foward to the alternative ending dvd when it comes out.

Rating 5 out of 10

FIRST BLU-RAY DISC

I bought my first blu-ray disc on HMV online tonight which is:

Read more...

Superman Begins - the debate

SUPERMAN BEGINS



In light of the latest news from Warner Brothers that the Superman franchise is to be rebooted in light of the financial failure of Superman Returns and the huge success of The Dark Knight! What do you think fokes this this a great idea or is a reboot just going over old ground. Also who would play Superman?

Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov has told The Wall Street Journal that the studio is going to be reintroducing Superman. We assume this will be similar to how Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk was a reboot of Ang Lee's Hulk. Here is what the article says:

Warner Bros. also put on hold plans for another movie starring multiple superheroes -- known as "Batman vs. Superman" -- after the $215 million "Superman Returns," which had disappointing box-office returns, didn't please executives. "'Superman' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to," says Mr. Robinov. "It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned." "Had 'Superman' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009," he adds. "But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all."

The article also talks about Warner Bros. adapting other DC properties over the new few years. "By 2011, Mr. Robinov plans for DC Comics to supply the material for up to two of the six to eight tent-pole films he hopes Warner Bros. will have in the pipeline by then," it says. Those projects will likely be about single characters at first, and will be darker much like The Dark Knight:

With "Batman vs. Superman" and "Justice League" stalled, Warner Bros. has quietly adopted Marvel's model of releasing a single film for each character, and then using those movies and their sequels to build up to a multicharacter film. "Along those lines, we have been developing every DC character that we own," Mr. Robinov says.

Like the recent Batman sequel -- which has become the highest-grossing film of the year thus far -- Mr. Robinov wants his next pack of superhero movies to be bathed in the same brooding tone as "The Dark Knight." Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.' DC properties. "We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it," he says. That goes for the company's Superman franchise as well.

The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC movies in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters. Movies featuring Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman are all in active development.

I think the Superman franchise has had problems, these stem back to Superman 3 and 4 which do not stand up very well against Superman the movie and Superman 2 which were both great film, although we all know the problems associated with the second film, but I won't bore everyone with that. Since Superman 4 - The Quest for Peace we had the Lois and Clark New Adventures of Superman, which had Dean Caine playing both Kent and Superman as the same and then the successful Smallville which has attempted to reboot the franchise from scratch! The truth is Christopher Reeve's was and still is the ULTIMATE SUPERMAN! He wasn't the first to play the role so my basis for that fact isn't like the Sean Connery syndrome where "he did it first and was the best!" Christopher Reeve's was a very good actor and played Clark Kent and Superman totally diferent and also brilliantly, in some ways his Kent will never be beaten and even Brandon Routh's brilliant performance in the underrated Superman Returns played homage to Reev's interpretation. (On a further note the Superman in Hospital scene at the end of Superman Returns was in my view a strange homage to Reeve's unfortunate and tragic end)



Brandon Routh is good enough to be in the rebooted Superman film, the problem with Tom Spelling is that it would be difficult I think to reboot the franchise with people who star in Smallville as a movie spin off from Smallville wouldn't be very good to the neutrals who don't watch the show.

The success and creativity of the Batman reboot by Chritopher Nolan has upped the antie with regard to the Superman franchise and while Returns was good, maybe it didn't have enough set pieces!

I wonder if the reboot will be title "THE MAN OF STEEL" and would they ditch John William's superman theme? Maybe Hanz Zimmer could be the man to re-invent the Superman theme for a new generation?

CONCLUSIONS?

It will be interesting to see what Warner Brothers announce over the next few months with regard to the future of the Superman franchise. In reality it could be great - the visual effects are now here and in some ways Christopher Reeve's was Superman in the wrong era! Superman needs a really good and powerful foe in the new film.


You mean like this Grant.....

OLYMPIC MELODIES - THE BEE GEES WING AND A PRAYER

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In tribute to the closing of the 2008 China Olympics here is a great song written and performed by the Bee Gees inspired by the the sporting masterpiecce!



Wing and a Prayer was taken from the 1988 Olympic album which also featured the brilliant John Williams's Olympic Fanfare! The song also later featured as an extra track on the CD version of the 1989 album ONE.

In 2000 the Bee Gees were suppose to perform at the Australian Olympics but the Olympic inspired song The Extra Mile apeared on the 2001 album "This is where I came in"

This was not a significant Bullet

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This was the moment film Director Werner Herzog was shot while being interviewed by film critic Mark Kermode!

"it's all about loving the monsters" Hellboy 2 The Review




The new Guillermo del Toro film is Hellboy 2 and after seeing it I have to say Briliant visually, story wise and also there is a lot of very funny moments in this film. Much of which is from the character Johann Krauss! Del Toro's costumes and sets looks amazing and the Tooth Fairys are totally terrorfying. I definitely recommend this film even to those who maybe think it's another superhero film, which of course it is but this is an intelligent character driven special effects treat!

Verdict 9.2 out of 10!!!!

Here is Mark Kermode's verdict on the latest Superhero film! I do think del Toro's PAN'S LABYRINTH is brilliant!



HERE IS MARK KERMODE'S NEW 24 FILM REVIEW OF HELLBOY 2 AND STAR WARS CLONE WARS!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7564323.stm


The Culture Show HELLBOY 2 review



Harry Potter 6 Pushed Back to Summer '09!

It appears that the mega uexpected success of the Dark Knight has meant Warner Brothers have decided to push back the expected November 08 release date of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince to July 2009.

Harry Potter 6 Pushed Back to Summer '09!
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures, ComingSoon.net August 14, 2008


Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that it has moved back the release date of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from November 21, 2008 to Summer 2009. The sixth installment of the blockbuster "Harry Potter" franchise will now open day-and-date domestically and in the major international markets on July 17, 2009. The announcement was made by Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.

In making the announcement, Mr. Horn stated, "Our reasons for shifting 'Half-Blood Prince' to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last 'Harry Potter' film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers' strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films—changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move 'Half-Blood Prince' to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer."

Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, confirmed, "The release date change does not alter the production schedule for this or future 'Harry Potter' films. Post-production on 'Half-Blood Prince' was completed on time, and the studio's release plans for the two-part 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' will not be affected by this change. We know Harry Potter fans are eagerly anticipating seeing the final chapters unfold onscreen. In fact, the good news for them is that the gap will now be shortened between 'Half-Blood Prince' and the first part of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.'"

UNFORGIVEN - 1992 DVD - CLINT EASTWOOOD, GENE HACKMAN, MORGAN FREMAN

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UNFORGIVEN 1992

I was in the mood for a Mogan Freeman film today and after a quick visit to HMV I returned home with Unforgiven from 1992!



THE PLOT

The town of Big Whisky is full of normal people trying to lead quiet lives. Cowboys try to make a living. Sheriff 'Little Bill' tries to build a house and keep a heavy-handed order. The town whores just try to get by.Then a couple of cowboys cut up a whore. Unsatisfied with Bill's justice, the prostitutes put a bounty on the cowboys. The bounty attracts a young gun billing himself as 'The Schofield Kid', and aging killer William Munny. Munny reformed for his young wife, and has been raising crops and two children in peace. But his wife is gone. Farm life is hard. And Munny is no good at it. So he calls his old partner Ned, saddles his ornery nag, and rides off to kill one more time, blurring the lines between heroism and villainy, man and myth.



THE VERDICT

This is a stunning movie beatifully directed by the master Clint Eastwood. The scenery is well shot with Cinematography by Jack N. Green and this is a VERY hard hitting take on the traditional Western (Which Eastwood made his name in during the 1950's and 1960's) and the reality of killing! Eastwood's performance is brilliant and Gene Hackman who won best supporting Oscar Award for this film is "One mean son of a bitch" A brilliant supporting cast also from Morgan Freeman and Richard Harris! Jaimz Woolvett as The Schofield Kid is pretty good and a fascinating young character, watch this character development and shows the brilliant Direction from Eastwood..

The end of the movie is tense and in some ways to give it away would be wrong as you have to see it unfold for yourself.

RATING 10 out of 10!



Great scene and proof if any that hiring an agent of chaos is a bad idea, tends to lead to more chaos!

Time I bought some more Clint Eastwood films as having recently discovered the Assasination of Jessie James my Childhood love for Westerns has returned. I do have the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in my DVD collection.




Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince trailer

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The new Harry Potter trailer looks so good! Interesting that the trailer should focus on the young Tom Riddle - as does the book so hopefully the movie is very true to the book, which is my favourite of the 7 stories. Interesting too that the end music in the trailer, the Hedwig theme harps back to the original John Williams concept from the first film, humm?? - The visuals look very crisp and beautiful and it does look quite edgy and dark, the same director as the Order of the Phoenix (David Yates) so that is quite exciting. Original Music by again by Nicholas Hooper who did a great job on the last film. Word is John Williams is to do the music for film 7.

Roll on 21st November!



As Harry Potter begins his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovers an old book marked mysteriously "This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.

The Dark Knight REVIEW!

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"You can either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become one of the villans!"

I have now officially seen TDK three times and it just gets better each time....

The Dark Knight 12 out of 10!!!!

First of all it could be easy to get lost in all the hype surrounding the Dark Knight and the talk of a possible Oscar for the late Heath Ledger. Don't let this detract from what is a truly awsome movie and probably the best film since Jurassic Park in 1993!

The look of the picture (Cinematography) by Wally Pfister is stunning and Gotham City looks beautiful, the sets and costumes are just breath-taking especially the Joker's make up and costome, he has never been potrayed so perfectly.

Christopher Nolan is a great visionary director and this is a great film!

The opening sequence is just stunning, one of the best ever in a film, but I really can't say much as it would spoil it for you guys who haven't seen it, and those who have will understand what I mean! The actual opening few seconds is incredible and the Zimmer/Newton Howard "Why so serious!" intro music is ground breaking and sets the tone for the rest of the film. Both Hanz Zimmer and James Newton howard have topped their brilliant Batman Begins score with an incredible musical partner to the films visuals.

Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is truly scary and I have never been so "fucked up" by a character's presence on screen, he is truly evil, psychotic, random and funny at different stages and you just never know what to expect next. Oscar worthy for a supporting make actor role, yes it is!

Christian Bale is not overshadowed and his performance as Batman and Bruce Wayne are great and Batman's voice, much criticised by Mark Kermode for being oevr the top, in my view works so well - loved it!

Gary Oldman is one of the stand out stars of the film and he possibly too could be a worthy Oscar nomination as for the first time Lt Gordon is given space as a character to grow in this Batman film.

The supporting cast Aaron Eckhart ... Harvey Dent / Two-Face, Michael Caine ... Alfred Pennyworth
Maggie Gyllenhaal ... Rachel Dawes and Morgan Freeman as Mr Fox are all great!

It is difficult to say much more without spoiling it!!



THE JOKER!

You look nervous. Is it the scars? You want to know how I got them? Come here. Hey, look at me. So I had a wife, beautiful; like you. Who tells me, I worry too much. Who tells me, I ought to smile more. Who gambles, and gets in deep with sharks. One day they carve her face. We have no money for surgeries. She can't take it! I just want to see her smile again. I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars. So I stick a razor in my mouth and do this...
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