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Reviews
Oblivion (2013)
Excellent, wonderful, a genuine classic.
Straight off the bat - Brilliant movie.
OK, so it recycles a few ideas, but what art doesn't? This film is worthy of the attention of both die hard scifi freaks and the general movie going public alike. It's the best film to come out of the good ole' U S of A for a long time.
When I saw that Tom Cruise was starring I was a little skeptical, but then I remembered Last Samurai so I thought 'Ok, give it a chance'. And there were indeed odd scenes, where he kisses his wife he is a good three inches taller than her, but when they are striding heroically in the next shot he is two inches shorter. This is a minor incongruity and actually quite amusing.
So where to begin with my praise? A tough question! The acting was very, very good. The CGI was top notch. The stark and lonely feel of the film was perfect. But, the story, oh the story! The way it is so well paced, convoluted but not confusing. It opens like a flower and you exist in moments of revelation. If you want to be gripped you will be. If you want a yank film with a story, this is it. If you want to feel for an instant how fragile we are, there is an app for that too. This film is monumental in it's possibility, it's wonder. The conclusion skips and dances before your prediction, you are never quite sure what or who is the bad guy, good guy, hero or monster.
Oblivion is probably the best scifi flick to come out of Yankland in a very long time. I urge you to watch it, but keep the wife quiet or you will miss its subtle beauty.
Incredible story. Great film.
Gravity (2013)
Promising, but then...
OK. I really wanted to see this film. It appeared to be a serious effort at scifi, you remember, the way Moon was. Sadly Gravity fell short of the mark. It was preachy, predictable, and by halfway through utterly boring. By the fiftieth minute I was literally hoping the end would come soon so I could watch something more ingenious, like my bedroom curtains. Really, anything would have been preferable. So, good points: visually stunning, believable for the most part and nice use of sound/sans sound. Bad points: No real story, just a collection of repeated scenes, feotus floating? Life emerging from the sea? George Clooney being George Clooney. Annoying inspirational music to hollow heroism, an utter lack of imagination dealing with such a wide open idea, and quite frankly the American dream motif is becoming a little tedious. This film could have been great, but in fairness they ruined it. Three out of ten at best.
Flight (2012)
A very engaging movie
Having just watched this film I have to say that I was very surprised. I have long suspected that Hollywood has grown utterly incapable of producing a decent movie. Flight proves me wrong and I have never been happier to be wrong. Denzel Washington is and always has been 'the' reason to watch the movie, but Flight has such a compelling story and a very strong supporting cast (most notably Goodman) that the entire enterprise excels in every way. As movie watchers we want to be gripped, engaged. We want to empathize with the characters and feel that we know them almost on a personal level. Flight delivers that in spades. At first I thought this was just going to be another 'American hero' story, and then I suspected that is was just another addiction story like Clean and Sober, but in actuality this is a rare gem that keeps you guessing until you find yourself absolutely absorbed by the realism of Washington's lead. SPOILER: The moment in the hearing when he decides enough is enough was such a beautiful surprise. Overall this was a very good film and I strongly urge you to watch it. You will not be disappointed.
Dark Shadows (2012)
Left feeling sleepy and hollow
So, Dark Shadows. I was waiting for this film for a long time as I am a big Tim Burton fan, and a huge Johnny Depp fan. But this venture was confused and really missed the mark for me.
With Tim Burton you know what you are getting, usually. Yet Dark Shadows seemed to be suffering from an identity crisis. What am I? A Gothic romance? A spoof? Have you ever looked at a magazine stall and wondered why each genre of magazine, be it womens, mens, gardening or whatever look exactly the same? It's because people en masse need that. And with Dark Shadows it lost it's direction from the very outset. I spent the first hour wondering if I should laugh or not. I was confused. But I think not as much as the guys who actually funded this movie.
I want to reiterate, I love Burton, Depp and Bonham-Carter. It was great to see Michelle Pfeiffer again (and she was great as it happens). But I felt let down by this movie. Something didn't quite work for any of them, like they had been miscast, or the script was lacking, or perhaps the idea was just not right. The chemistry was a little off and the intended jokes missed by a mile. I sincerely hope that this is just the one that Burton 'experimented' with and now we can all go back to the comfort of his genius. It would be awful to think that he has allowed his ego to take over.
I don't do spoilers. I think people should watch a film for themselves rather than read reviews, but I also know that people do read reviews and I don't want anyone to think this is rubbish. It's not. It bounces along with the usual Burton quirkiness, but somehow it just didn't gel. I paint, and I know that sometimes despite experience and best efforts not every painting is good. Some just annoy for no tangible reason.
Overall, it's nothing different, nothing of note. Bit boring, and sadly even Depp fails to impress (first time ever). I kinda feel sorry for Tim. He won't be happy with this one, but at least he got paid.
Total Recall (2012)
Not what I hoped
There comes a point when too much action in a film becomes boring. At the moment I can think of no better film than this to justify the argument. That being said there are many people who love full throttle non-stop gut-wrenching action with no story, plot or character development, so this may well be for you. Another simple argument, albeit a male one, is that Kate Beckinsale in a pair of white undies is definitely lovely, but not necessarily worth wading through sewage to see.
It's a real shame. This could have been a great film. Colin Farrell is amazing in 'In Bruges', the guy can handle dialogue, but in this film he had none. I did like the little homages to Blade runner, although I do hope this is not an indication that Hollywood intends to remake that!
Overall, if you like action it's OK. If you like real sci-fi, don't bother. Too much was sacrificed to make one long endless eternal on-going never ending action sequence. It was just background noise by the third quarter of the movie. I couldn't wait for it to end.
Philip K Dick would be shaking his head at this.
Battleship (2012)
Same as always
OK, so where to begin? With the usual one-liners that mean nothing? With the same tired idea that America always wins? With the idiotic script and utterly uninspiring acting? Or maybe with the idea of using Rihanna as an actor? Whichever way you slice this was a boring movie. I'm watching it now and it's sooooo 'gripping' that all I can do is write this review. It started out so well. Then we were introduced to the Marine with metal legs who just refuses to give up - Gung ho I'm still an army man LOL! Oh PLEASE! Aliens that have interstellar travel yet need sunglasses and have weaponry as basic as our own? Loved the frog-ships though, actually quite imaginative, but I do wonder what would happen if they had landed on everyday Terra Firma??? This movie from the start was horribly predictable. There was the same feeling of James Cameron from the outset. We are Yanks, we're going to win. It's getting really tired now. And for God's sake will you stop with the rock music triumphal!!!!! I watched Serpico last night and loved every minute, an amazing movie. The Americans are now making the WORST films ever. Guys please stop. Not that I mean stop making bad movies, I just mean stop making movies, TV, or anything else. It's drivel for the permanently hard of thinking.
PLEASE stop.
The Thing (2011)
Was it worth the effort? NO!
OK, so first things first, was this a prequel or a direct Xerox? Because honestly I couldn't tell. I'm really not going to go into details, such as why flame throwers would be on a research base in the first place, because there were plot holes in the original, so I'll just stick to the wishy-washy, drained out, colourless imitation that was this movie. The acting on the whole was not too bad. Standard American fare, lots of explosions and screaming, they seem to like all that. Mostly however it was utterly predictable and really nothing special at all.
The plot: see John Carpenter 1982, it's exactly the same with the exception of a quick tour around an alien spacecraft. What this was supposed to add to the film I have no idea as it was entirely pointless. As many other reviewers have mentioned, this film lacked all and any tension or suspense. In the original sequences that had me leaping behind the sofa had me giggling and shaking my head in this version. I often felt that I had to concentrate just to maintain my interest rather than be gripped by the story.
The characters: were there any? 'Poorly developed' is the understatement of the century. I finished watching this movie an hour ago and I honestly cannot remember one name or personality trait...hang on....oh yes, one had a filling, I think. I was bored with the 'alien' within twenty minutes and by the end of the film I was just yawning. By trying to make the 'alien' more scary with CGI they just ended up making it laughable. To this day I still have trouble watching the original, but this was almost a comedy in parts.
Overall I'm glad I saw this on the TV because if I had stumped for a cinema ticket I would have been really annoyed. As it is I only wasted two hours when I had nothing else to do anyway. But seriously, if you want a good scare then watch the original, don't bother with this so-called prequel.
I think Hollywood is losing the plot to be honest. I haven't seen a decent movie come out of there for a long time. I could cite Prometheus as a case in point but if I even think about that pile of crap I'll start seizing again. The modern American 'blockbusters' all seem so tired and clichéd. Maybe a little fresh blood and a few new ideas: and please Hollywood: NO MORE ZOMBIES!
Parada (2011)
Utterly brilliant
I use the word 'brilliant' in it's truest sense. This film is a masterpiece. My wife is a bosnian serb and I have visited republika srpska many times, and I have great fondness for the place. I have learned a lot about the Balkans so I was able to understand much of this film, although I missed many of the subtleties I am sure. I think it's important to know a little about ex yugoslavia to get the 'point' of this film, but even if you don't this is still an humanitarian movie and as such can be enjoyed purely for what it is. Parada has to be seen. It's as simple as that. All the reviews in the world cannot do this film justice. It is a roller-coaster of humour and tears and it will touch even the hardest heart. I was so moved by this film that it took an entire day just for me to decide on how I felt about it. Parada has power in the way no other film has ever managed to achieve.
To be brief: watch this film, it's a once in a lifetime experience.
Amazing.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Nothing special
OK, so I watched this film because there was nothing else on, and in fairness its overall execution was not bad. It's the standard all American hero/superhero bs we've seen so many times before. A standard 'we are yanks and we love ourselves' kind of thing. There is nothing about this film that makes it stand out, but plenty of truly cringeworthy moments that will make you duck for the vomit bag. Acting: OK. A little boring, and you have to wonder if this Chris Evans guy was ever given a challenging part to play.... CGI: as usual. Plot: None to idiotic I lost interest about half way through in all honesty. Seen it done so many times before going right back to The Shadow. I would rather pick my toenails clean as at the very least I might find something of interest. The thing that worried me most of all about this flick was the idea that many younger kids might actually believe that the second world war actually had particle weapon technology and was won by a fictional superhero, or am I just getting old? :) In conclusion: OK if you had two hours to do absolutely nothing at all.
True Grit (2010)
A very pleasant surprise.
It has to be said that I am not a huge fan of American movies as I often find them to be self-indulgent and biased. I am however a huge fan of both Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, and the performances offered up here were sublime. Jeff Bridges was brilliant, and perhaps his best performance to date. It was a true pleasure to watch his character develop from the morally questionable and jaded lawman to the necessary hero of what is portrayed as a very wild frontier. I loved the way the movie alters your perception of the character without actually changing the character completely. Damon was equally good, and it was good to see him playing a role outside of his usual 'government agent' alter-ego. So, the film in the round? Captivating, gripping, extremely well written and the musical score was perfect for the mood of the film. The sets were excellent and the huge vistas really helped to describe a vast country that is almost impossible to grasp by modern city dwellers. Now I said that I am not a fan of American movies, and I am absolutely not a fan of westerns, but this film was enough to cause me to reconsider. I wont compare it to the original, but it is a fantastic movie and well worth watching (even if you don't like westerns). I definitely will watch this again, and maybe even again after that. Bravo.
Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
awful
Without a doubt one of the worst movies of all time. Americans must win, but that aside, here we have an alien invader that is capable of interstellar travel but uses rockets for ground artillery????? The story is terrible, there is no real plot. Utterly awful film. waste of two hours. So to try to find something half decent in this atrocity. The acting was typical, standard yank hoorah gung ho fodder. There was nothing that actually stood out in any way, shape or form. How many times can I say this was a truly awful waste of time? Some choice lines, and bear in mind that these few marines are trying to save the world but seem entirely focused on six or seven civilians???? I mean, what? 'find yourself an m16', well isn't that the preferred weapon of the 1960's? these new marines have no new weapons? Oh my God this film was just terrible.