My OperaFILM REVIEWS 2010 - JANUARY TO DECEMBER
Monday, January 11, 2010 12:37:32 PM
FILM REVIEWS 2010
TRON: LEGACY (3D)x 2
RATING 9 out of 10!
THE TOURIST
RATING 8 out of 10!
UNSTOPPABLE
Good thrilling action from Director: Tony Scott with cast ast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn. The plot A massive unmanned locomotive, nicknamed "The Beast" and loaded with toxic cargo, roars through the countryside, vaporizing anything put in front of it. A veteran engineer and a young conductor, aboard another train in the runaway's path, devise an incredible plan to try and stop it -- and prevent certain disaster in a heavily populated area. The film has good thrills and action sequences and liked the many JAWS references through-out the film!
RATING 8 out of 10!
HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS
Outstanding 7th film in the Harry Potter series and probably the darkest film yet, this film in the franchise contains scenes which young children and small fluffy animals might find upsetting! The visuals are great check out the chase sequence early in the film, and point at which they chop the film into part 1 is a pretty good ending - can't wait to see the Hallows part 2! The film is directed by David Yates who directed the last two films and seems to have got a grip of the franchise and is doing a fine job. The cast are excellent especially as always Alana Rickman and co! A not should be made about composer Alexandre Desplat who has produced a fine soundtrack.
RATING 10 out of 10!
SKYLINE
Skyline is a 2010 alien invasion science fiction film directed and produced by the Brothers Strause. It stars Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, Donald Faison and David Zayas. For a low budget special effects film the visual effects are stunning and the aliens are pretty nasty! I enjoyed this film quite a lot and there are some creepy moments and this film also has the WTF ending of the year! The film depicts are a group of friends stuck in a skyscaper during an alien invasion.
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Stunning film and one of the most enjoyable of the year! The Social Network is a 2010 drama film about the founding of the Internet social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits. The film was directed by David Fincher and features an ensemble cast—Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Brenda Song, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella and Rooney Mara. The story and dialogue are brilliant - who would ever think a film about setting up a website would be so good but David Fincher is a master of a good film!
RATING 9 out of 10!
DESPICABLE ME - 2D
Despicable Me is a 2010 American computer-animated 3-D comedy. The film stars Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, and Miranda Cosgrove. The story is of a supervillain named Gru who plans to use three orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, only to find that their innocent love is profoundly changing him. I enjoyed the film and the animation looked really good. It's probably not a classic in the same vain as Toy Story but is worth checking out. I ended up watching the film in 2D and I am usure whether the 3D edition would have added anything tot the film. I particularly enjoyed the disco dance sequence which features the use of the BeeGees classic You Should Be Dancing! The real comedy moments are spared for the Minions which are tiny yellow pill-shaped creatures in overalls and goggles!
!
RATING 8 out of 10!
THE OTHER GUYS
The Other Guys is a 2010 comedy film directed and co-written by Adam McKay, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, and featuring Dwayne Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Steve Coogan, and Ray Stevenson. The best thing about this film is Mark Wahlber - his straight role in this comedy is briliant. I also enjoyed Michael Keaton's performance and it was good to see him in a while after he's been pretty quiet in recent years.
RATING 8 out of 10!
WALL STREET 2 - MONEY NEVER SLEEPS
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a 2010 American drama film directed by Oliver Stone. It is a sequel to the 1987 film Wall Street. Michael Douglas reprises his Academy Award-winning role of Gordon Gekko and Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, and Frank Langella also star in the film. Charlie Sheen reprises his role as Bud Fox in a brief cameo appearance. Douglas and Frank Langella both always brilliant! While no where near as great as the original film Douglas steals this film with his performance.
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
BACK TO THE FUTURE - 25TH ANNIVERSARY RE-RELEASE
Classic 80's FILM with Michael J Fox snd Christopher Lloyd. A real classic and fanastic to watch it again on the big screen! I saw it first time round back in the mid 1980's! The digital remaster looks amazing! A true Classic!
RATING 10 out of 10!
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 American action comedy film directed by Edgar Wright based on the comic book series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The film is about Scott Pilgrim (played by Michael Cera) meeting the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In order to win Ramona over, Scott learns that he must defeat Ramona's seven evil exes, who are coming to kill him. I went in with low expectations based on what I had seen on the trailer but immediately was blown away by this interesting film. The opening Universial signature logo and music was done in a retro 80's computer graphics style which was fantastic. The cast was supern and I recommend this film highly! The soundtrack is also very interesting!
RATING 9 out of 10!
AVATAR - SPECIAL EDITION 3D!
My first ever film in 3D and I have to admit I did enjoy seeing Avatar again and enjoyed the extra 8 minutes of extra footage! The depth of the 3D was quite impressive and the pointy spears did make me laugh! Overall I think Avatar is a good film and it was the perfect introduction to 3D. As a re-release I will refer you to my rating from 2009 film review.
SALT
Salt is a 2010 American action-thriller film directed by Phillip Noyce which was very enjoyable and one of the best films I have seen so far in 2010. Angelina Jolie is superb as CIA agent Evelyn Salt and was a great replacement for Tom Cruise who was originally set to play the part before the story was re-written. The plot twists are gripping and Angelina's ability to pull off action sequences are pretty impressive.
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
THE EXPENDABLES
The Expendables is a 2010 American ensemble action-war film written by David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone, and directed by Stallone. The film is about a group of elite mercenaries is tasked with a mission to overthrow a South American dictator. When their informant is arrested in the process due to the team leader's initial denial, the team eventually decides to gain redemption by completing the mission. The film pays tribute to the blockbuster action films of the 1980s and early 1990s, and stars an array of action veterans from those decades, including Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger (the latter two in cameo roles), as well as more recent stars such as Jason Statham, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, and Steve Austin. It is a fantastic cast of action heroes and the stunts and visual effects look pretty good, check out the scene with Statham and Stallone in the aeroplane making a "statement of intent" to the bad guys in the film! Its really good and hope they make a sequel as is rumoured!
RATING 8 out of 10!
KNIGHT AND DAY
Tom Cruise's lastest flim is a good fun thrill ride co-starring Cameron Diaz! Knight and Day follows the adventures of Roy Miller (Tom Cruise), a rogue spy and June Havens (Cameron Diaz), a car restorer who boards a plane with Roy which begins a series of events and chase sequences. There are a few dodgy special effects but the chemistry between Cruise and Diaz works and it is a good watch!
RATING 8 out of 10!
THE A-TEAM
The A-Team is a 2010 action film based on the television series famous in the 1980's and is actually a pretty enjable film. My fears were that it was going to be car crash of a film but Liam Nesson in particluar is brilliant as John "Hannibal" Smith and does a great impression of the character made famous and owned by the brilliant George Peppard. I also enjoyed Bradley Cooper performance as Templeton "Face" Peck. Some of the special effects are a bit ropey check out the helicopter scene next to he skyscraper - I think Christopher Nolan would cringe if he saw that! The films depicts the meeting of the A Team and the story of how they were framed and wrongly convicted by an Army court marshal, and the subsequent attempt to clear their names.
Rating 8 out of 10!
INCEPTION
This is Christopher Nolan's masterpiece! Ive seen Inception twice and it is truly awsome but to give aproper review would give to much away about the story - so my review will be short! Inception is a 2010 American science fiction thriller film written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, and Cillian Murphy. Leonardo DiCaprio is brilliant as is Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy. Nolan's realism visuals are stunning and the use of stunts rather than CGI really pays dividends! Hans Zimmer's score is just so fantastic! Can't wait to watch it again on DVD!
Rating 10 out of 10!
ECLIPSE (The twilight saga)
This was my first Twilight saga film at the cinema having recently watched Twilight and New Moon on DVD. What I got from seeing Eclipse at the cinema was in no doubt the best of the three films. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is a 2010 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's 2007 novel, The leading members of the cast are good - Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan,Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, Bella's vampire boyfriend and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black, a werewolf in whom Bella found solace during Edward's absence in New Moon which of course creates the love triangle which is played out in Eclipse. The visual look of the film is good and the action sequences are pretty entertaining. I am looking foward to seeing the conclusion of the story in the next film which like the final Harry Potter film is being slit into two parts.
RATING 8 out of 10!
PREDATORS
After seeing Predators my faith in the franchise has just been revived after the pitiful AVP2 and the slightly dodgy Predator 2 - If I have to hear Danny Glover's lisp one more time.....arghhh! I have to add that PREDATOR 1987 is just a classic! This 2010 sequel makes many nods to the original film including the soundtrack which pays blatant homage to the oriinal score by Alan Silvestri who was talked about returning to do the score, but the music was provided by John Debney who keeps faith with Silvestri's original jungle themes and Predator title theme. The plot In the year 2010, mercenary named Royce (Adrien Brody) awakes in freefall over a tropical jungle. Upon landing, he is immediately confronted by several other heavily-armed individuals. The visual effects are good and despite a slightly slow first 20 minutes the film is entertaining and paves way for a possible sequel. I have to add for a thursday night opening for this film the screening I went to was full which is a promising start for the film!
RATING 8 out of 10!
BLACK DEATH
There are some actors who I will go and see a film just because they are in it. This was the case of Sean Bean in Black Death which i knew relatively little about until this week. I went in with low expectations despite the fact that I think Sean Bean is a brilliant screen presence, and he didn't disappoint in this medieval supernatural thriller feature film by British director Christopher Smith. This was a low budget film but looks amazing and i enjoyed it a lot and didn't see the ending coming! The plot: The action takes place in 1348 in plague-ridden medieval England. Osmund (Redmayne), a young monk, is tasked with leading the feared knight Ulrich (Bean) and his band of mercenaries to a remote marshland village which has remained untouched by the Black Death. Their quest is to hunt down a heretical sorcerer, who is rumoured to be able to bring the dead back to life. After a journey beset with harrowing pitfalls, Ulric's envoy finds the village, an eerie utopia led by a beautiful witch, Langiva (van Houten) After she offers Osmund his heart's desire, he is forced to choose between his faith and the secrets the village reveals. Eddie Redmayne puts in a fine performance as Osmund and he is a talent of the future I suspect. The rest of the cast are fine!
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
DEATH AT A FUNERAL (2010)
Death at a Funeral is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Neil LaBute and starring an ensemble cast including Danny Glover and Chris Rock. The film is a remake of the 2007 British film of the same name and Peter Dinklage reprises his role from the original. Peter Dinklage is excellent as is Danny Glover who is in top grumpy sweary mode! The film revolves around the funeral ceremony for the father of Aaron (Chris Rock) and Ryan (Martin Lawrence). When Peter Dinklage's character appears and trys to blackmail Aaron and Ryan all farec breaks loose. There is also a side plot of one character taking a hallucinagenic drug, sometimes though this side plot is a distraction to the main story of the film. The film isn't a comedy classic but there is enough laughs to make the 1hour 30 minutes go past quite well! I haven't seen the original and it would be interesting to see how they compare.
RATING 7.5 out of 10!
THE KILLER INSIDE ME
The Killer Inside Me is a film based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Jim Thompson. The film is directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, and Jessica Alba. The film has been quite controversial because of its depiction of violence towards the female members of the story while the violence towards the male characters in either brief or off screen. I enjoyed the film a lot and Casey Affleck (Gone baby Gone, Assasination of Jessie James) puts in another fine performance!
RATING 8.5 out of 10
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call: New Orleans
I went to see the latest Herzof film and my first time watching any of his work. Bad Lieutenant is a 2009 American crime drama film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Nicolas Cage. Cage is on top form and chews up the screen, I really enjoyed this film and even laughed at some of the Lizzard eye viewpoint surreal moments thrown in by Werner Herzog. Plot: Terrence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage), is a New Orleans Police Sergeant. While cleaning out a locker after Hurricane Katrina, he notices that a prisoner may not have been transferred. When he finds the prisoner about to drown, he mocks him before eventually jumping in the water to save him. He is promoted to lieutenant and given a medal for his work, but has suffered a serious back injury because of the rescue. As a result, he is prescribed Vicodin which he will be needing to take for pain for the rest of his life. As a result of his addiction Cage's performance becomes more wired through-out the course of the film. Check out a fine if somewhat brief appearance by Val Kilmer!
RATING 8 out of 10!
PRINCE OF PERSIA - THE SANDS OF TIME
I headed into this film which is based on a computer game with very low expectations and ended up enjoying it quite well. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan, Gemma Arterton as Princess Tamina, Ben Kingsley as Nizam, and the brilliant Alfred Molina as Sheik Amar. Arterton's performance is much more substancial than her appearance in Clash of the Titans. The film is Directed by Mike Newell who directed Four Weddings and a funeral and Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire. The final half hour of the film is pretty good! The plot: The plot follows Dastan (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), a street urchin in the Persian Empire in the sixth century. After showing courage in the market place, he is adopted by the king as his heir, so the king's two sons will not fight over the throne.[2] Later on, he teams up with Princess Tamina (played by Gemma Arterton) to stop a common enemy - the villainous nobleman Nizam (Ben Kingsley)[3] and to take from him an ancient dagger known as "The Dagger of Time" (a valuable dagger which gives to its owner the ability to go back in time for short periods and change the past) and keep him from generating a sandstorm which could destroy the world.
Rating 8 out of 10!
ROBIN HOOD
Robin Hood is a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe. It has a fine cast and is very entertaining and a good re-imagining of the usual story of Robin Hood. Mark Strong is ecellent as the English traitor Sir Godfrey. Cate Blanchett is fine as Lady Marion and Max von Sydow as Sir Walter Loxley is also great. The plot: Following King Richard's death in France archer Robin Longstride,along with Will Scarlett, Alan-a-Dale and Little John,decides to return to England. They encounter the dying Robert of Locksley,whose party was ambushed by treacherous Godfrey,who hopes to facilitate a French invasion of England, and Robin promises the dying knight he will return his sword to his father Walter in Nottingham. Here Walter encourages him to impersonate the dead man to prevent his land being confiscated by the crown,and he finds himself with Marian, a ready-made wife.Hoping to stir baronial opposition to weak King John and allow an easy French take-over, Godfrey worms his way into the king's service as Earl Marshal of England and brutally invades towns under the pretext of collecting Royal taxes. Walter tells Robin he knew his father,a freedom-fighter who hoped to unite the barons for a better society but Walter is killed by Godfrey after a raid on Nottingham. Robin rallies the barons and the king and thwarts the invasion,avenging Walter by slaying Godfrey. Sensing that Robin's popularity makes him a threat,John declares him an outlaw. Thus along with his friends,including his wife and her priest Friar Tuck, Robin joins other orphans and outcasts in the greenwoods where the legend begins
RATING 8.5 out of 10
IRON MAN 2 (X 2)
The first of the major summer blockbusters finally arrived. Iron Man 2 the sequel to the hugely successful original Iron Man film in 2008. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr., reprising his role as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer, also known as the superhero Iron Man. Downey Jnr like in the first film is the star of the show, the role of Tony Stark was mae for him, very charasmatic.
There is much to talk about in this film and after seeing it for a second time I give it the thumbs up!
Mickey Rourke’s über-villain Ivan Vanko — is criminally underused. He’s brilliant and the scenes of him slashes apart the Monaco Grand Prix using his own super-suit, complete with laser whips is just brilliant and something to behold, but Whiplash is underused which is a shame!
One of the criticism Ive read about the film is the tangent plot issues but as Marvel's masterplan is to bring all the superhero characters together this actually makes sense. The huge tasic will be to bring them all together in a film which won't be a shambles of different characters struggling to have their characters developed. Will we see Ed Norton and Downey Jnr together I hope so!
The Marvel masterplan is fully underway and the Thor and Captain America films are due out in the next couple of years and the Avengers film will be following that.
RATING 9.5 out of 10!
DATE NIGHT
Date Night is a 2010 comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey. I went into this thinking it was going to be rubbish but actually ended up enjoying it! Phil and Claire Foster (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) are a married couple from New Jersey with two children whose domestic life has become routine.In an effort to reignite romance, Phil takes Claire to a trendy Manhattan restaurant where they can't get a table. Phil decides to take a reservation from a no-show couple, the Tripplehorns, despite Claire's misgivings. Halfway through their meal, they are approached by two men named Collins (Common) and Armstrong (Jimmi Simpson), who question them about a flash drive they believe Phil and Claire stole from mobster boss Joe Miletto (Ray Liotta). Phil and Claire try to explain that they are not the Tripplehorns, but the two men threaten them at gunpoint. Not seeing any other way out, Phil decides to tell them it's in a boathouse in Central Park. There are some really funny moments and Mark Wahlberg as Holbrooke Grant appearance is really funny!
RATING 8 out of 10!
THE GHOST
Hot on the heals of its release today in the UK I went to see The Ghost, which is a film adaptation of the Robert Harris novel The Ghost. The film is directed by Roman Polanski. It stars Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan who are both really good the the supporting cast are excellent. The plot: When a successful British ghostwriter agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, his agent assures him it's the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start—not least because his predecessor on the project, Lang's long-term aide, died in an accident. The twists and turns are excellent and I recommend this highly!
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
KICK ASS!
Kick-Ass is a 2010 British/American superhero film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film is directed by Matthew Vaughn. I went into the film with low expectations and came out having seen one of the funniest laugh out loud films I have seen for a long time! Mark Strong is excellent as the evil drug drug lord Frank D'Amico. Chloë Grace Moretz as Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl is sensational and she steals the movie. I also enjoyed Nicolas Cage as Damon Macready/Big Daddy poking fun at Adam West's style of acting as Batman! Theres been a lot of controversy surrounding the violence especially in relation to Hit-Girl but the violence is done in a fun way and doesn't linger of the pain - one of the best fun films of this year and look foward to a possible sequel. I should mention the soundtrack which is really good!
RATING 9 out of 10!
CLASH OF THE TITANS (in 2D!)
I spent Good Friday going along to see the first BIG BLOCKBUSTER OF 2010 which is Clash of the Titans which is a fantasy film which is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name, itself loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus Directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Sam Worthington. (Avatar and Terminator Salvation) I thought it was great fun, probably not the greatest film ever made but it was quite entertaining. On the downside there is no chemistry between Sam Worthington (Perseus) and the love interest Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) However Zeus (Liam Neeson) and Zeus (Ralph Fiennes) are quite entertaining. I am glad I didn't go and see this in 3D which would have been a complete watse of time.
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
I Love You Phillip Morris
I Love You Phillip Morris is a comedy-drama film based on the real life events of con artist, impostor, and multiple prison escapee Steven Jay Russell played by Jim Carrey. While incarcerated, Russell falls in love with his cell mate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). After Morris is released from prison, Russell escapes from prison four times in order to be reunited with Morris. I went into the film thinking it was going to be a stupid Carrey comedy only to discover that it was an enjoyable funny and fascinating film with a fine performance from Jim Carrey and Euan McGregor. I was especially delighted when one of the songs used in the soundtrack was the Gibb penned To Love Somebody performed by Nina Simone! Check out a fine appearance by actor Brennan Brown (The guy off the Orange Cinema adverts!)
RATING 7.5 out of 10!
GREEN ZONE
Green Zone is a 2010 action thriller war film directed by Paul Greengrass. The film is "credited as having been 'inspired' by" the non-fiction 2006 book Imperial Life in the Emerald City by journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran, which documented life in the Green Zone, Baghdad. The film stars Matt Damon who turna in a fine performance, Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, and the brilliant Brendan Gleeson. Jason Isaacs portrays Maj. Briggs, an unscrupulous Delta Force operator and is also really good in this film. The eratic camera work which Greengrass is famous for gives the film added realism! The political points made in the film are a pause for thought!!!
RATING 8 out of 10!
SHUTTER ISLAND
Hot off the heels of seeing CRAZY HEART I took full advantage of my new Cineworld Unlimited pass and went to see the new psychological mystery-thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio puts in a fine performance and I enjoyed this film a lot, but not to give too much away about what happens heres a brief idea of the plot: In 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), go to the Ashecliff Hospital for the criminally insane on Shutter Island. They are investigating the disappearance of Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer), a patient who vanished from a locked room. Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley), the head psychiatrist, explains that Rachel was institutionalized after drowning her three children. She believes, however, that she is still home and that her children are still alive.
RATING 8 out of 10!
CRAZY HEART
Jeff Bridges Oscar winning performance is fantastic in Crazy Heart which is an American musical-drama film, written and directed by Scott Cooper and based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb. Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake, a down-and-out country music singer-songwriter who tries to turn his life around after beginning a relationship with a young journalist named Jean, portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Colin Farrell turns in a fine performance, while legend Robert Duvall turns up and does his thing! The sountrack is cracking (Which I bought before seeing the film) and the real edge to the film is how good Jeff and Colin sing the country songs, as a friend said Jeff Bridges has the lived in voice to pull the performance off! The best film I have seen this year and is perfection on screen!
Rating 10 out of 10!
A SINGLE MAN
Colin Firth is superb in the leading role in A SINGLE MAN which is the directing debut of designer Tom Ford.
RATING 8 out of 10!
THE LOVELY BONES
The Lovely Bones is a 2009 fantasy drama/suspense film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a film adaptation of the award-winning and best-selling 2002 novel of the same name by Alice Sebold. The film stars Saoirse Ronan in the lead role as protagonist Susie Salmon, along with Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz, as her parents Jack and Abigail Salmon respectively, in supporting roles. The film is much darker than it's 12A rating suggests! Peter Jackson is a masterful film director and I found the Lovely Bones most intense and enjoyable if not something quite distressing! The ending was not quite what I was expecting and in some ways left me !??! I definitely recommend the film despite some poor reviews. If you have read the book you will have a different perspective on the film. The cast are superb and Mark Wahlberg turns in an understated but fine performance! Suzie's (Heaven) visuals are stunning and eye catching - very artistic!
RATING 9 OUT OF 10!
THE EDGE OF DARKNESS
A film remake or the 1980's TV series which I never saw. A half decent thriller starring Mel Gibson which romps along nicely and Mel as usual is pretty good! Edge of Darkness follows a detective (Gibson) investigating the murder of his activist daughter (Bojana Novakovic), while uncovering political conspiracies and cover-ups in the process. Ray Winstone is great as Darius Jedburgh, a CIA officer sent to cover up the murder and does the usual gruff voices to make things seem quite important and serious!
RATING 7.5 out of 10!
THE ROAD
The Road shares the premise of the novel on which it is based: an unnamed father (Mortensen) and his young son (Smit-McPhee) struggle to survive a number of years after an unspecified, devastating cataclysm has destroyed civilization, killed all plant and animal life, and obscured the sun; only remnants of mankind remain alive, reduced to scavenging or cannibalism. Man and boy are travelling toward the south, in the hope that it will be warmer.
Viggo Mortensen's performance is utterly brillaint as is that of the young actor Kodi Smit-McPhee who plays the son. This is a very very bleak film but brilliantly shot and acted, a real treat and I recommend everyone go see it, although there are some distrubing moments through-out the film! Guy Pearce and Robert Duval both turn in fine perofmances.
RATING 9.5 out of 10
SHERLOCK HOLMES
The latest Guy Ritchie film and his first Blockbuster is actaully really good! Mark Strong and Jude Law are excellent but Robert Downey Jnr steals the show, he is BRILLIANT! The sets and visuals effects are brilliant and it's not a bad plot with an open ending which paves nicely for a sequel - which I hope they will make! Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is also well worth a note as it is excellent! In 1891 London, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) race to prevent the ritual murder of a girl by Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), who has killed five other people similarly. They are able to stop the murder just in time before Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) and the police arrive to make the arrest. Three months later, Blackwood is sentenced to death and requests to see Holmes, who visits him in prison. He warns Holmes of three more impending deaths that will cause great changes to the world. Blackwood is hanged and pronounced dead by Dr. Watson and later it appears he has been brought back to life. Holmes must investigate the suggestion that Blackwood has risen from the grave!
RATING 9 out of 10!
TRON: LEGACY (3D)x 2
RATING 9 out of 10!
THE TOURIST
RATING 8 out of 10!
UNSTOPPABLE
Good thrilling action from Director: Tony Scott with cast ast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn. The plot A massive unmanned locomotive, nicknamed "The Beast" and loaded with toxic cargo, roars through the countryside, vaporizing anything put in front of it. A veteran engineer and a young conductor, aboard another train in the runaway's path, devise an incredible plan to try and stop it -- and prevent certain disaster in a heavily populated area. The film has good thrills and action sequences and liked the many JAWS references through-out the film!
RATING 8 out of 10!
HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS
Outstanding 7th film in the Harry Potter series and probably the darkest film yet, this film in the franchise contains scenes which young children and small fluffy animals might find upsetting! The visuals are great check out the chase sequence early in the film, and point at which they chop the film into part 1 is a pretty good ending - can't wait to see the Hallows part 2! The film is directed by David Yates who directed the last two films and seems to have got a grip of the franchise and is doing a fine job. The cast are excellent especially as always Alana Rickman and co! A not should be made about composer Alexandre Desplat who has produced a fine soundtrack.
RATING 10 out of 10!
SKYLINE
Skyline is a 2010 alien invasion science fiction film directed and produced by the Brothers Strause. It stars Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, Donald Faison and David Zayas. For a low budget special effects film the visual effects are stunning and the aliens are pretty nasty! I enjoyed this film quite a lot and there are some creepy moments and this film also has the WTF ending of the year! The film depicts are a group of friends stuck in a skyscaper during an alien invasion.
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Stunning film and one of the most enjoyable of the year! The Social Network is a 2010 drama film about the founding of the Internet social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits. The film was directed by David Fincher and features an ensemble cast—Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Brenda Song, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella and Rooney Mara. The story and dialogue are brilliant - who would ever think a film about setting up a website would be so good but David Fincher is a master of a good film!
RATING 9 out of 10!
DESPICABLE ME - 2D
Despicable Me is a 2010 American computer-animated 3-D comedy. The film stars Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, and Miranda Cosgrove. The story is of a supervillain named Gru who plans to use three orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, only to find that their innocent love is profoundly changing him. I enjoyed the film and the animation looked really good. It's probably not a classic in the same vain as Toy Story but is worth checking out. I ended up watching the film in 2D and I am usure whether the 3D edition would have added anything tot the film. I particularly enjoyed the disco dance sequence which features the use of the BeeGees classic You Should Be Dancing! The real comedy moments are spared for the Minions which are tiny yellow pill-shaped creatures in overalls and goggles!
!RATING 8 out of 10!
THE OTHER GUYS
The Other Guys is a 2010 comedy film directed and co-written by Adam McKay, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, and featuring Dwayne Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Steve Coogan, and Ray Stevenson. The best thing about this film is Mark Wahlber - his straight role in this comedy is briliant. I also enjoyed Michael Keaton's performance and it was good to see him in a while after he's been pretty quiet in recent years.
RATING 8 out of 10!
WALL STREET 2 - MONEY NEVER SLEEPS
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a 2010 American drama film directed by Oliver Stone. It is a sequel to the 1987 film Wall Street. Michael Douglas reprises his Academy Award-winning role of Gordon Gekko and Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, and Frank Langella also star in the film. Charlie Sheen reprises his role as Bud Fox in a brief cameo appearance. Douglas and Frank Langella both always brilliant! While no where near as great as the original film Douglas steals this film with his performance.
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
BACK TO THE FUTURE - 25TH ANNIVERSARY RE-RELEASE
Classic 80's FILM with Michael J Fox snd Christopher Lloyd. A real classic and fanastic to watch it again on the big screen! I saw it first time round back in the mid 1980's! The digital remaster looks amazing! A true Classic!
RATING 10 out of 10!
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 American action comedy film directed by Edgar Wright based on the comic book series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The film is about Scott Pilgrim (played by Michael Cera) meeting the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In order to win Ramona over, Scott learns that he must defeat Ramona's seven evil exes, who are coming to kill him. I went in with low expectations based on what I had seen on the trailer but immediately was blown away by this interesting film. The opening Universial signature logo and music was done in a retro 80's computer graphics style which was fantastic. The cast was supern and I recommend this film highly! The soundtrack is also very interesting!
RATING 9 out of 10!
AVATAR - SPECIAL EDITION 3D!
My first ever film in 3D and I have to admit I did enjoy seeing Avatar again and enjoyed the extra 8 minutes of extra footage! The depth of the 3D was quite impressive and the pointy spears did make me laugh! Overall I think Avatar is a good film and it was the perfect introduction to 3D. As a re-release I will refer you to my rating from 2009 film review.
SALT
Salt is a 2010 American action-thriller film directed by Phillip Noyce which was very enjoyable and one of the best films I have seen so far in 2010. Angelina Jolie is superb as CIA agent Evelyn Salt and was a great replacement for Tom Cruise who was originally set to play the part before the story was re-written. The plot twists are gripping and Angelina's ability to pull off action sequences are pretty impressive.
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
THE EXPENDABLES
The Expendables is a 2010 American ensemble action-war film written by David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone, and directed by Stallone. The film is about a group of elite mercenaries is tasked with a mission to overthrow a South American dictator. When their informant is arrested in the process due to the team leader's initial denial, the team eventually decides to gain redemption by completing the mission. The film pays tribute to the blockbuster action films of the 1980s and early 1990s, and stars an array of action veterans from those decades, including Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger (the latter two in cameo roles), as well as more recent stars such as Jason Statham, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, and Steve Austin. It is a fantastic cast of action heroes and the stunts and visual effects look pretty good, check out the scene with Statham and Stallone in the aeroplane making a "statement of intent" to the bad guys in the film! Its really good and hope they make a sequel as is rumoured!
RATING 8 out of 10!
KNIGHT AND DAY
Tom Cruise's lastest flim is a good fun thrill ride co-starring Cameron Diaz! Knight and Day follows the adventures of Roy Miller (Tom Cruise), a rogue spy and June Havens (Cameron Diaz), a car restorer who boards a plane with Roy which begins a series of events and chase sequences. There are a few dodgy special effects but the chemistry between Cruise and Diaz works and it is a good watch!
RATING 8 out of 10!
THE A-TEAM
The A-Team is a 2010 action film based on the television series famous in the 1980's and is actually a pretty enjable film. My fears were that it was going to be car crash of a film but Liam Nesson in particluar is brilliant as John "Hannibal" Smith and does a great impression of the character made famous and owned by the brilliant George Peppard. I also enjoyed Bradley Cooper performance as Templeton "Face" Peck. Some of the special effects are a bit ropey check out the helicopter scene next to he skyscraper - I think Christopher Nolan would cringe if he saw that! The films depicts the meeting of the A Team and the story of how they were framed and wrongly convicted by an Army court marshal, and the subsequent attempt to clear their names.
Rating 8 out of 10!
INCEPTION
This is Christopher Nolan's masterpiece! Ive seen Inception twice and it is truly awsome but to give aproper review would give to much away about the story - so my review will be short! Inception is a 2010 American science fiction thriller film written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, and Cillian Murphy. Leonardo DiCaprio is brilliant as is Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy. Nolan's realism visuals are stunning and the use of stunts rather than CGI really pays dividends! Hans Zimmer's score is just so fantastic! Can't wait to watch it again on DVD!
Rating 10 out of 10!
ECLIPSE (The twilight saga)
This was my first Twilight saga film at the cinema having recently watched Twilight and New Moon on DVD. What I got from seeing Eclipse at the cinema was in no doubt the best of the three films. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is a 2010 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's 2007 novel, The leading members of the cast are good - Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan,Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, Bella's vampire boyfriend and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black, a werewolf in whom Bella found solace during Edward's absence in New Moon which of course creates the love triangle which is played out in Eclipse. The visual look of the film is good and the action sequences are pretty entertaining. I am looking foward to seeing the conclusion of the story in the next film which like the final Harry Potter film is being slit into two parts.
RATING 8 out of 10!
PREDATORS
After seeing Predators my faith in the franchise has just been revived after the pitiful AVP2 and the slightly dodgy Predator 2 - If I have to hear Danny Glover's lisp one more time.....arghhh! I have to add that PREDATOR 1987 is just a classic! This 2010 sequel makes many nods to the original film including the soundtrack which pays blatant homage to the oriinal score by Alan Silvestri who was talked about returning to do the score, but the music was provided by John Debney who keeps faith with Silvestri's original jungle themes and Predator title theme. The plot In the year 2010, mercenary named Royce (Adrien Brody) awakes in freefall over a tropical jungle. Upon landing, he is immediately confronted by several other heavily-armed individuals. The visual effects are good and despite a slightly slow first 20 minutes the film is entertaining and paves way for a possible sequel. I have to add for a thursday night opening for this film the screening I went to was full which is a promising start for the film!
RATING 8 out of 10!
BLACK DEATH
There are some actors who I will go and see a film just because they are in it. This was the case of Sean Bean in Black Death which i knew relatively little about until this week. I went in with low expectations despite the fact that I think Sean Bean is a brilliant screen presence, and he didn't disappoint in this medieval supernatural thriller feature film by British director Christopher Smith. This was a low budget film but looks amazing and i enjoyed it a lot and didn't see the ending coming! The plot: The action takes place in 1348 in plague-ridden medieval England. Osmund (Redmayne), a young monk, is tasked with leading the feared knight Ulrich (Bean) and his band of mercenaries to a remote marshland village which has remained untouched by the Black Death. Their quest is to hunt down a heretical sorcerer, who is rumoured to be able to bring the dead back to life. After a journey beset with harrowing pitfalls, Ulric's envoy finds the village, an eerie utopia led by a beautiful witch, Langiva (van Houten) After she offers Osmund his heart's desire, he is forced to choose between his faith and the secrets the village reveals. Eddie Redmayne puts in a fine performance as Osmund and he is a talent of the future I suspect. The rest of the cast are fine!
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
DEATH AT A FUNERAL (2010)
Death at a Funeral is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Neil LaBute and starring an ensemble cast including Danny Glover and Chris Rock. The film is a remake of the 2007 British film of the same name and Peter Dinklage reprises his role from the original. Peter Dinklage is excellent as is Danny Glover who is in top grumpy sweary mode! The film revolves around the funeral ceremony for the father of Aaron (Chris Rock) and Ryan (Martin Lawrence). When Peter Dinklage's character appears and trys to blackmail Aaron and Ryan all farec breaks loose. There is also a side plot of one character taking a hallucinagenic drug, sometimes though this side plot is a distraction to the main story of the film. The film isn't a comedy classic but there is enough laughs to make the 1hour 30 minutes go past quite well! I haven't seen the original and it would be interesting to see how they compare.
RATING 7.5 out of 10!
THE KILLER INSIDE ME
The Killer Inside Me is a film based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Jim Thompson. The film is directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, and Jessica Alba. The film has been quite controversial because of its depiction of violence towards the female members of the story while the violence towards the male characters in either brief or off screen. I enjoyed the film a lot and Casey Affleck (Gone baby Gone, Assasination of Jessie James) puts in another fine performance!
RATING 8.5 out of 10
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call: New Orleans
I went to see the latest Herzof film and my first time watching any of his work. Bad Lieutenant is a 2009 American crime drama film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Nicolas Cage. Cage is on top form and chews up the screen, I really enjoyed this film and even laughed at some of the Lizzard eye viewpoint surreal moments thrown in by Werner Herzog. Plot: Terrence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage), is a New Orleans Police Sergeant. While cleaning out a locker after Hurricane Katrina, he notices that a prisoner may not have been transferred. When he finds the prisoner about to drown, he mocks him before eventually jumping in the water to save him. He is promoted to lieutenant and given a medal for his work, but has suffered a serious back injury because of the rescue. As a result, he is prescribed Vicodin which he will be needing to take for pain for the rest of his life. As a result of his addiction Cage's performance becomes more wired through-out the course of the film. Check out a fine if somewhat brief appearance by Val Kilmer!
RATING 8 out of 10!
PRINCE OF PERSIA - THE SANDS OF TIME
I headed into this film which is based on a computer game with very low expectations and ended up enjoying it quite well. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan, Gemma Arterton as Princess Tamina, Ben Kingsley as Nizam, and the brilliant Alfred Molina as Sheik Amar. Arterton's performance is much more substancial than her appearance in Clash of the Titans. The film is Directed by Mike Newell who directed Four Weddings and a funeral and Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire. The final half hour of the film is pretty good! The plot: The plot follows Dastan (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), a street urchin in the Persian Empire in the sixth century. After showing courage in the market place, he is adopted by the king as his heir, so the king's two sons will not fight over the throne.[2] Later on, he teams up with Princess Tamina (played by Gemma Arterton) to stop a common enemy - the villainous nobleman Nizam (Ben Kingsley)[3] and to take from him an ancient dagger known as "The Dagger of Time" (a valuable dagger which gives to its owner the ability to go back in time for short periods and change the past) and keep him from generating a sandstorm which could destroy the world.
Rating 8 out of 10!
ROBIN HOOD
Robin Hood is a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe. It has a fine cast and is very entertaining and a good re-imagining of the usual story of Robin Hood. Mark Strong is ecellent as the English traitor Sir Godfrey. Cate Blanchett is fine as Lady Marion and Max von Sydow as Sir Walter Loxley is also great. The plot: Following King Richard's death in France archer Robin Longstride,along with Will Scarlett, Alan-a-Dale and Little John,decides to return to England. They encounter the dying Robert of Locksley,whose party was ambushed by treacherous Godfrey,who hopes to facilitate a French invasion of England, and Robin promises the dying knight he will return his sword to his father Walter in Nottingham. Here Walter encourages him to impersonate the dead man to prevent his land being confiscated by the crown,and he finds himself with Marian, a ready-made wife.Hoping to stir baronial opposition to weak King John and allow an easy French take-over, Godfrey worms his way into the king's service as Earl Marshal of England and brutally invades towns under the pretext of collecting Royal taxes. Walter tells Robin he knew his father,a freedom-fighter who hoped to unite the barons for a better society but Walter is killed by Godfrey after a raid on Nottingham. Robin rallies the barons and the king and thwarts the invasion,avenging Walter by slaying Godfrey. Sensing that Robin's popularity makes him a threat,John declares him an outlaw. Thus along with his friends,including his wife and her priest Friar Tuck, Robin joins other orphans and outcasts in the greenwoods where the legend begins
RATING 8.5 out of 10
IRON MAN 2 (X 2)
The first of the major summer blockbusters finally arrived. Iron Man 2 the sequel to the hugely successful original Iron Man film in 2008. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr., reprising his role as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer, also known as the superhero Iron Man. Downey Jnr like in the first film is the star of the show, the role of Tony Stark was mae for him, very charasmatic.
There is much to talk about in this film and after seeing it for a second time I give it the thumbs up!
Mickey Rourke’s über-villain Ivan Vanko — is criminally underused. He’s brilliant and the scenes of him slashes apart the Monaco Grand Prix using his own super-suit, complete with laser whips is just brilliant and something to behold, but Whiplash is underused which is a shame!
One of the criticism Ive read about the film is the tangent plot issues but as Marvel's masterplan is to bring all the superhero characters together this actually makes sense. The huge tasic will be to bring them all together in a film which won't be a shambles of different characters struggling to have their characters developed. Will we see Ed Norton and Downey Jnr together I hope so!
The Marvel masterplan is fully underway and the Thor and Captain America films are due out in the next couple of years and the Avengers film will be following that.
RATING 9.5 out of 10!
DATE NIGHT
Date Night is a 2010 comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey. I went into this thinking it was going to be rubbish but actually ended up enjoying it! Phil and Claire Foster (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) are a married couple from New Jersey with two children whose domestic life has become routine.In an effort to reignite romance, Phil takes Claire to a trendy Manhattan restaurant where they can't get a table. Phil decides to take a reservation from a no-show couple, the Tripplehorns, despite Claire's misgivings. Halfway through their meal, they are approached by two men named Collins (Common) and Armstrong (Jimmi Simpson), who question them about a flash drive they believe Phil and Claire stole from mobster boss Joe Miletto (Ray Liotta). Phil and Claire try to explain that they are not the Tripplehorns, but the two men threaten them at gunpoint. Not seeing any other way out, Phil decides to tell them it's in a boathouse in Central Park. There are some really funny moments and Mark Wahlberg as Holbrooke Grant appearance is really funny!
RATING 8 out of 10!
THE GHOST
Hot on the heals of its release today in the UK I went to see The Ghost, which is a film adaptation of the Robert Harris novel The Ghost. The film is directed by Roman Polanski. It stars Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan who are both really good the the supporting cast are excellent. The plot: When a successful British ghostwriter agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, his agent assures him it's the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start—not least because his predecessor on the project, Lang's long-term aide, died in an accident. The twists and turns are excellent and I recommend this highly!
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
KICK ASS!
Kick-Ass is a 2010 British/American superhero film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film is directed by Matthew Vaughn. I went into the film with low expectations and came out having seen one of the funniest laugh out loud films I have seen for a long time! Mark Strong is excellent as the evil drug drug lord Frank D'Amico. Chloë Grace Moretz as Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl is sensational and she steals the movie. I also enjoyed Nicolas Cage as Damon Macready/Big Daddy poking fun at Adam West's style of acting as Batman! Theres been a lot of controversy surrounding the violence especially in relation to Hit-Girl but the violence is done in a fun way and doesn't linger of the pain - one of the best fun films of this year and look foward to a possible sequel. I should mention the soundtrack which is really good!
RATING 9 out of 10!
CLASH OF THE TITANS (in 2D!)
I spent Good Friday going along to see the first BIG BLOCKBUSTER OF 2010 which is Clash of the Titans which is a fantasy film which is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name, itself loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus Directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Sam Worthington. (Avatar and Terminator Salvation) I thought it was great fun, probably not the greatest film ever made but it was quite entertaining. On the downside there is no chemistry between Sam Worthington (Perseus) and the love interest Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) However Zeus (Liam Neeson) and Zeus (Ralph Fiennes) are quite entertaining. I am glad I didn't go and see this in 3D which would have been a complete watse of time.
RATING 8.5 out of 10!
I Love You Phillip Morris
I Love You Phillip Morris is a comedy-drama film based on the real life events of con artist, impostor, and multiple prison escapee Steven Jay Russell played by Jim Carrey. While incarcerated, Russell falls in love with his cell mate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). After Morris is released from prison, Russell escapes from prison four times in order to be reunited with Morris. I went into the film thinking it was going to be a stupid Carrey comedy only to discover that it was an enjoyable funny and fascinating film with a fine performance from Jim Carrey and Euan McGregor. I was especially delighted when one of the songs used in the soundtrack was the Gibb penned To Love Somebody performed by Nina Simone! Check out a fine appearance by actor Brennan Brown (The guy off the Orange Cinema adverts!)
RATING 7.5 out of 10!
GREEN ZONE
Green Zone is a 2010 action thriller war film directed by Paul Greengrass. The film is "credited as having been 'inspired' by" the non-fiction 2006 book Imperial Life in the Emerald City by journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran, which documented life in the Green Zone, Baghdad. The film stars Matt Damon who turna in a fine performance, Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, and the brilliant Brendan Gleeson. Jason Isaacs portrays Maj. Briggs, an unscrupulous Delta Force operator and is also really good in this film. The eratic camera work which Greengrass is famous for gives the film added realism! The political points made in the film are a pause for thought!!!
RATING 8 out of 10!
SHUTTER ISLAND
Hot off the heels of seeing CRAZY HEART I took full advantage of my new Cineworld Unlimited pass and went to see the new psychological mystery-thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio puts in a fine performance and I enjoyed this film a lot, but not to give too much away about what happens heres a brief idea of the plot: In 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), go to the Ashecliff Hospital for the criminally insane on Shutter Island. They are investigating the disappearance of Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer), a patient who vanished from a locked room. Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley), the head psychiatrist, explains that Rachel was institutionalized after drowning her three children. She believes, however, that she is still home and that her children are still alive.
RATING 8 out of 10!
CRAZY HEART
Jeff Bridges Oscar winning performance is fantastic in Crazy Heart which is an American musical-drama film, written and directed by Scott Cooper and based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb. Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake, a down-and-out country music singer-songwriter who tries to turn his life around after beginning a relationship with a young journalist named Jean, portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Colin Farrell turns in a fine performance, while legend Robert Duvall turns up and does his thing! The sountrack is cracking (Which I bought before seeing the film) and the real edge to the film is how good Jeff and Colin sing the country songs, as a friend said Jeff Bridges has the lived in voice to pull the performance off! The best film I have seen this year and is perfection on screen!
Rating 10 out of 10!
A SINGLE MAN
Colin Firth is superb in the leading role in A SINGLE MAN which is the directing debut of designer Tom Ford.
RATING 8 out of 10!
THE LOVELY BONES
The Lovely Bones is a 2009 fantasy drama/suspense film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a film adaptation of the award-winning and best-selling 2002 novel of the same name by Alice Sebold. The film stars Saoirse Ronan in the lead role as protagonist Susie Salmon, along with Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz, as her parents Jack and Abigail Salmon respectively, in supporting roles. The film is much darker than it's 12A rating suggests! Peter Jackson is a masterful film director and I found the Lovely Bones most intense and enjoyable if not something quite distressing! The ending was not quite what I was expecting and in some ways left me !??! I definitely recommend the film despite some poor reviews. If you have read the book you will have a different perspective on the film. The cast are superb and Mark Wahlberg turns in an understated but fine performance! Suzie's (Heaven) visuals are stunning and eye catching - very artistic!
RATING 9 OUT OF 10!
THE EDGE OF DARKNESS
A film remake or the 1980's TV series which I never saw. A half decent thriller starring Mel Gibson which romps along nicely and Mel as usual is pretty good! Edge of Darkness follows a detective (Gibson) investigating the murder of his activist daughter (Bojana Novakovic), while uncovering political conspiracies and cover-ups in the process. Ray Winstone is great as Darius Jedburgh, a CIA officer sent to cover up the murder and does the usual gruff voices to make things seem quite important and serious!
RATING 7.5 out of 10!
THE ROAD
The Road shares the premise of the novel on which it is based: an unnamed father (Mortensen) and his young son (Smit-McPhee) struggle to survive a number of years after an unspecified, devastating cataclysm has destroyed civilization, killed all plant and animal life, and obscured the sun; only remnants of mankind remain alive, reduced to scavenging or cannibalism. Man and boy are travelling toward the south, in the hope that it will be warmer.
Viggo Mortensen's performance is utterly brillaint as is that of the young actor Kodi Smit-McPhee who plays the son. This is a very very bleak film but brilliantly shot and acted, a real treat and I recommend everyone go see it, although there are some distrubing moments through-out the film! Guy Pearce and Robert Duval both turn in fine perofmances.
RATING 9.5 out of 10
SHERLOCK HOLMES
The latest Guy Ritchie film and his first Blockbuster is actaully really good! Mark Strong and Jude Law are excellent but Robert Downey Jnr steals the show, he is BRILLIANT! The sets and visuals effects are brilliant and it's not a bad plot with an open ending which paves nicely for a sequel - which I hope they will make! Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is also well worth a note as it is excellent! In 1891 London, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) race to prevent the ritual murder of a girl by Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), who has killed five other people similarly. They are able to stop the murder just in time before Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) and the police arrive to make the arrest. Three months later, Blackwood is sentenced to death and requests to see Holmes, who visits him in prison. He warns Holmes of three more impending deaths that will cause great changes to the world. Blackwood is hanged and pronounced dead by Dr. Watson and later it appears he has been brought back to life. Holmes must investigate the suggestion that Blackwood has risen from the grave!
RATING 9 out of 10!
(0%)
