Reviews

Well, i did see the trailer for this film quite a while ago and i thought, wow this looks good. Only recently did i watch the film and I wish i didn't.

The story of the film is basically that a detective (dafoe) re-opens a series of murder cases by a well known killer he was investigating. The story is mainly focused on Dafoe with minor characters such as his prostitute friend (Duvall) and his detective partner (speedman).

I thought this film had loads of potential but it fell short because it lacked a few things. 1) the character development- although they established a few elements to Dafoes character, I thought they should have gone further to develop his character. Speedman and Duvalls characters have the typical stereotypes associated with any rookie detective and prostitute friend. I didn't feel that these characters had anything interesting to add to the film and were there really to just infill any film clichés the director wanted to add.

I must say that the idea is very original and the victim scenes were interesting to watch but I was not at all satisfied with the ending as it was more of an anticlimax more than anything and the killer said 3 lines in the whole film.

So I went to see the Man of Steel last night, hoping my mind to be blown by epic proportions by Zack Snyder and although it was not what I expected, it was still a decent movie.

Snyder laid down the backstory very well, with his opening scene of Krypton lasting much longer than the original superman showcasing the world. The setting and the details of Krypton were done very well but as soon as superman lands on earth, the style of the film changes rapidly and a lot of flashback and quick editing made it abit more flustered. I will admit that Snyder pulled it off but he added too many things to the film and the editing seemed to cut details.

The film was shot very much like prometheus and it felt very real but at times I thought the shaky-cam was a little annoying but one thing that the film didn't lack was the action and acting. There is plenty of action towards the end of the film but it was very quick and flashy and left me a little unsatisfied but the acting and casting was very good. Cavill plays superman so well, adding in a very "human" feel, Adams as Lois is very likable and Shannon is amazing as Zod. However I felt that they didn't show enough of Clark's "Earth parents" as Costners character as Jonathan Kent was only seen in a series of flashbacks but I felt should have been used more. Crowe is fairly prominent in the film and like in the original, appears as a guide for superman. The costumes and designs were very cool, even down to supermans boots and of course the music score was immense and epic.

However I think people may dislike the fast pace of the film and may have preferred if it was taken more slowly with fewer plot devices as it starts to become a transformers film with the various fight scenes and endless explosions! But it does have a decent plot and gives enough action to make it into an enjoyable film.

I would say that Man of Steel has all the action that Superman returns lacked and a better plot but its flow at times is difficult to follow.

Well let me start by saying that Shane Black did a fantastic job with iron man 3 and you can really see his directing style shine throughout the whole film. The plot driven film with its twists and turn unravel and definitely does not disappoint.

The film doesn't need to lay any background as the first 2 films did but dives straight into the plot, where Tony (Downey) is faced with a new adversary- the Mandarin (Kingsley), who is amazing in the film. The Mandarin threatens everything that Tony loves and cares about and goes as far as attacking Tony in his own house.

The many twists in the film are great and definitely separate it from Iron man and Iron 2, the is a lot of Tony out of the suit showing his vulnerable side rather than being an invulnerable machine all the time, which was definitely a change and was very intense. However, the plot driven film (although brilliant) did lack action at some points and it unloads it all at the end in a huge bravado of explosions and action (very good indeed) which some may prefer but many would have probably prefer more 'Iron man' action peppered throughout the whole film.

This film is one of the best i've seen, it has action, comedy and a great plot. Also the Stan Lee cameo was brilliant. This is definitely worth a watch and of course there is an after credits scene.

Enjoy

Watching a lot films takes it toll, as you work your way through all the 'predictable' ones or random action films. However the lookout gave a very fresh idea and it was delivered well, it has action, good characters and a likable protagonist. So why did i give it a 7?

Well, the premise is this. Chris Pratt (Levitt) plays a janitor who had a serious accident some years back and has been left with emotional scars and a lifetime scar of being unable to remember certain details- such as forgetting to lock his car etc. He lives a droll life and is haunted by his fatal incidence and wants to be treated as something more than a 'handicapped' person and is one day approached by a stranger to become involved in a bank heist.

The movie is somewhat slow into getting to the main plot but it is necessary to build up an idea of what Chris is like and also of the characters around him, like his good friend Lewis (Daniels). The film is tense at times but I felt like these were 'false alarms' and I expected them to not materialise and i thought this could have been executed better.

However the film does have decent character development and also has a smart twist in its tale and is definitely worth a watch if you're bored of trudging through the same old films over an over again.

So my brother decided to rent this DVD and we watched it with his family. It isn't going to win any Oscars anytime soon but it had a crapload of explosions worthy of making Michael Bay proud!!

The film had loads of potential and loads of visual effects in it. It is just a shame that the story didn't offer something more. The basic story is that Hopper(Kitsch) is a screw up who finally joins the navy on the recommendation of his brother Stone (Skarsgaard). This eventually leads to both characters battling "aliens" which have landed into the sea...pretty basic.

Other characters to note are Liam Neeson's character and Rihannas character (names which i have forgotten!) but they weren't very engaging and i was pretty surprised that Rihanna got more screen time than Neeson. However she wasn't that bad in the movie but the writers should have at least tried to make the characters not so...2D.

This film has such a simple premise and there isn't much to it, but it had a lot more potential to it!

This movie had so much potential to it but if don't go watching this movie expecting big things, but i can say that the visual effects aren't half bad.

Ang Lee's version of the hulk in 2003 brought disappoint among comic fans and so a lot of moviegoers weren't expecting much from the 2008 "kinda" sequel. Im sure a lot of them were pleasantly surprised.

Edward Norton is simply electric in this film and the story and action of the film blends together really well. I really enjoyed the films early setting and the beginning credits were put together really well.

The film has plenty of action sequences which are very cool indeed, however the final fight scene had abit too much cgi for my liking. The key moments in the film however, are those which further the storyline and i think this is what ang lee's 2003 hulk film lacked. Also the film has that classic cat and mouse feeling from which the original TV series gave to us .

However i felt that the hulk cgi was a little too "fake" and at times did not look realistic and that a more sinister villain was needed, although Tim Roth does a good job as the abomination, i would've like to see a character which really pushed Norton's character to the edge!

On an end note, i hope they conjure something up to follow up this film because it was spectacular but even if they don't, you should still go watch this film!

I didn't have high hopes for safehouse, the trailer looked so generic and in the end, the film did not deliver.

It was not all that bad to be fair, denzel and reynolds did pretty good jobs in their roles and the action sequences were visceral but predictable. There was a lot of patented "shaky cam" action which can be disorientating at times.

So the storyline of this film is predictable, Frost (Denzel) is a badass killer and Weston (Reynolds) is the rookie CIA agent who hasn't killed. However due to a series of events, Reynolds' character ends up having to try to subdue Frost until he can be handed into the CIA's hands. A pretty typical storyline and a few twists and turns which many will probably figure out halfway through the movie.

To be fair, the film does keep a good pace throughout the film and some of the action sequences are decent but it doesn't really offer anything different from what Hollywood is already spewing out.

If you're bored then you should watch this movie, it'll keep you entertained for an hour but if you're looking for something "bourne" esque then this isn't it.

I wasn't that keen on watching this film but my brother made me watch it. I wasn't disappointed, it is a great film. It has a solid plot and a lot of funny moments in it.

It combines nostalgia with comedy and has a great storyline, the characters (even though animated) are not 2D like their arcade game counterparts but have real feelings and emotions and there are even a few tearful moments in the film.

the basic story is that "wreck it" ralph is a baddie and felix "fix it" jr is a good guy in a game centered around felix. One day, ralph gets tired of being a bad guy and being lonely, living in the dumpster and ventures out to look for something more. However as ralph looks to become something more than just a villain, he disrupts the gaming world and it leads to a lot of mischief!

I must say it is a well put together film and visually looks great. it is definitely a film worth watching!

I didn't really have any idea what would happen in the movie but i saw the trailer months ago and i thought it would be good, and it did not disappoint!

Pena and Gyllenhaal work so well on screen that it really carries the movie till the very end. The basic plot of the film is that Cops Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Zavala (Pena) are these two city cops who are the "top guns" on the street. Taylor starts to film the arrests and chases which gives the film a POV style/ found footage style.

The film has some real great acting and the emotions run wild throughout the film and has some teary moments. there are so many great scenes which are tense but others which are funny and so the film has a great balance to it.

its hard to describe the film without spoiling it, but it has all the right elements to it: great characters (and development), action throughout the film, edge of the seat tension and a few funny scenes.

Really recommend you go watch it!!

Not a big fan of horror movies but usually when they're combined with comedy (like in Raimi's style of horror-comedy films like Evil Dead series)then I can usually sit through the film without having to worry when the next loud noise is gonna rocket me out of my chair into the ceiling.

The film is centered around 5 teens who are going to a "cabin in the woods" until evil undead come after them one by one, but a nice twist in the film is that they are all being monitored (revealed right at the start of the film) but only till the end we find out why.

It has an almost unusual plot which nicely unfolds towards the end of the film. I really enjoyed the humour put into the film which definitely separates it from being just a horror film and in a funny way, explains why weird monsters start attacking random people in other films.

A moment where I almost wet my pants was the appearance of the Mer-man which was good in breaking up the film from all the lovely goriness- just goes to show Whedon knows what he's doing! There's plenty of killing and blood but also some nice humorous bits and a good plot line drives this film through till the end and i highly recommend watching it even if you're not a horror fan.

Only reason i watched this movie was because Guy Pearce was in it and also Maggie Grace is pretty hot. Plot seems simple enough, Snow (Pearce) is a CIA agent who does something wrong and is asked to rescue the presidents daughter when a space trip to a space prison goes awry.

I wasn't expecting too much from the film because you have to take it for what it is, an action film. It isn't anything more because the script lacks any drama or substance to separate from other action films- the characters were all slightly 2D and there was not that much action (and also an anti-climatic ending) I did enjoy Pearces take on Snow as a witty mercendary with a lot to say and also Grace as the presidents daughter did a pretty good job in the film too. Something else I did enjoy about the film was the special effects and setting.

Summary: Its not a bad film but it just lacks a certain element in the script and has a rushed end but if you need a film to watch then go watch this.

I watched TDKR as I did enjoy the first two. I am not a die-hard batman fan but this film ending Nolan's interpretation of the batman trilogy did not disappoint! All performances were just so so good! Except for the feared batman bale voice, which i wish would have been altered.

I felt this film just edged as the best of the three in the trilogy as there is plenty action, layered plot lines and great acting from all. Bane was a brilliant character to fight against batman and it was a change from seeing the dark knight kick ass all the time, and that there was a physical threat from bane. Also i thought Hardy's bane voice was very good indeed, just like how Ledger made his own joker voice- very memorable. Hathaway also does a nice job playing catwoman-fearless, funny and she looks pretty good in that catsuit.

There is a lot going on in the film, like in TDK and Nolan does a good job in tying all the details together and even referencing batman begins. I do feel that the first 40 minutes did go by very quickly to introduce the bane character and also there are a few unanswered questions which i wont spoil but these niggles may be answered in a future batman film (which is most likely going to be under the helm of a new director) or perhaps the series may be rebooted.

Overall: This is definitely one of the biggest films this year, if not the biggest and it doesn't disappoint- packed with action and a well thought out storyline but does leave a few questions to be answered.

This film blew my mind. I was seeing all these reviews popping up at one point saying that the film was amazing but i kept putting off watching it because i didn't like the pink 70s style title writing and ryan gosling didn't look rugged enough to be a hero. But, man i was proved so wrong. This film is amazing, the soundtrack, acting, camera shots were all fantastic.

From the start of the film it really does give some good master shots, sets the scene really well and especially with the 70s style music from kavinsky, it really sets the mood of the film. The storyline of the film is pretty mysterious where Gosling is simply known as Driver and has a mysterious past.

The acting is brilliant, Cranston is great as Drivers only real friend and father figure, Mulligan is Drivers neighbour and Perlman is the main antagonist. All the actors and actresses pull of their role really well and the scenes really shine through- but Gosling has to be the star of the show and no one they put him in the front seat!! He's cool, calm and calculating and is really an anti-hero. We are never told much about his past except that hes insane behind a wheel which is demonstrated in a few scenes. We see two sides to Goslings character, one being cool and kind and the other being protective and violent.

The story is well set out and the music is put together so well! I really cannot fault the film, even though there is no backstory to Drivers past it adds to the mystery of his character but also gives us a sense of realism because we wouldn't really know anyones past in reality and we only see what is on the surface of a person-which makes the film so good.

Overall: this film is really enjoyable, tense scenes and a few good action scenes. the best part of the film is the character development of the Driver as the film progresses. Gosling is brilliant and his other films do show his great potential.

When i first saw this film, i absolutely wet my pants. This film is hilarious but is crude. Harold and Kumar has a pretty good plot for a stoner film but also has actual characters and are not paper thin.

Harold is a hard working Asian accountant and Kumar is a genius slacker who does more sleeping than working but both have one thing in common, and that is that they like smoking weed. The film does have a steady pace from start to finish but does verge on ridiculous towards the end.

I really enjoyed the jokes and plot lines running through the film and one of the highlights of the film is that NPH or neil patrick harris plays himself as a hard drinking womanising playboy and is hilarious! He really knows how to make an audience light up and is never really disliked at any point in the film.

However some parts of the film i didn't like is the fact that there are some extreme points in the film which verge on ridiculous but could be down to the fact that the characters may actually be high.

Overall: If you like comedies then you have to watch whitecastle and its sequel Guantanamo bay. However the Xmas film does not live up to the first two. The characters are likable and NPH is great. But be weary of some of the more ridiculous parts of the film if it doesn't float your boat.

I really enjoyed this film and time and time again i come back to watch it because it is too entertaining. The voice acting, the animation, the music and the storyline is pretty much perfect.

The film is set where Coraline Jones manages to find a portal or a passage to the "other" world where people have buttons for eyes and her fantasies come true. Selick does a great job with the telling of this story and not once do i ever lose concentration from this film because every morsel of this film is good.

The intricate characters like Mr. Bobinsky, Ms Spink and Ms Forcible give the film a quirky tone but also makes the story interesting and not stale if we only had one character to focus on. I also have to say that the music in the film is brilliant and the animators of the film did a remarkable job.

One issue i did have with the film is that there wasn't a back story to how the other world came to be but i guess i am just being fussy because the film didn't really need any extra padding.

So go see this film, it deserves a watch, or maybe a few watches

Well which one is it? This movie really surprised me, as the performances from Stewart and Zahn are brilliant. The movie slowly unfolds and tells us the story of Melinda (Stewart) and a traumatic event during her summer causes her to lose all her confidence and become alienated from society.

Her fellow classmates and her "ex best friends" bully her and parents don't understand her problem because she cannot talk or even imagine the event that caused her confidence to falter.

Stewart does a great job as the frightened unconfident Melinda and the narration from her is quirky, funny but also gives an insight of how the character actually feels. Zahn also does a great job as the funky art teacher trying to inspire his students and help Melinda regain her confidence.

The direction of the film is steady and knows where it wants to head and finish and shows the harsh reality of highschool where cliques form and bullying thrives but i felt that Angarano and Zahn deserved more screen time because they were great.

Positives: Great acting, good story and really pulls you into the film Negatives: Should've had more from the secondary characters Overall: Should definitely watch this film!!

Well, i have to admit i didn't enjoy this film as much i thought i would have. The acting is pulled off brilliantly and does match the sense of urgency that the film is portrayed in (24hours).

The basic story tells us how a banking firm has realised that its assets have become toxic and they literally have to dump these assets which will trigger a sequence of events which in reality have already happened to lead to an economical meltdown.

The film doesn't give us much reason to how or why it happened but an insight into how human nature shines through in this film. We are constantly reminded how cold and selfish we can all be, even Sam (Spacey) who knows the consequences of the actions of the firm continues to work towards the impending disaster.

One thing i did notice was how Emerson (Bettany)has some weird American accent going on, which either appears or starts to sound like a British American accent. I am not sure what was trying to be achieved but this really did annoy me throughout the film! Also i found that there was a lot going on and the plot does bounce around from time to time which made it hard for me to concentrate on the film.

Positives: decent acting and big names in the film Negatives: Too much going on and plot bounces around Overall: its not a bad film but don't be expecting an edge of the seat thriller film even though it does have some tense points in the film.

I watched this tonight and I was one of those who was not skeptical of a spiderman reboot. Being a huge fan of spiderman, i was eager to see what Webb had to offer and he delivers a spiderman which has so much more substance than Raimis version.

One of the best things about this film is the fact that the spiderman stunts were done with wires and as little cg as possible and it has paid off because it looks authentic and believable! The fight scenes are very good and really shows how agile spiderman is. In Raimi's spiderman, i think it lacks this quality. Also Webb made sure that this incarnation of spiderman cracks a few jokes just like its comic counterpart.

Webb also does a great job with the character development. The chemistry between Parker and Stacy is great and the acting from Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone is brilliant. I really enjoyed Garfield as Parker/spiderman.

Some issues i did have with the movie is that it has that "mysterious" plot line running through the film with peters parents which may just be something for future films but does niggle at you throughout the film and also some of the highschool scenes, although they were fun felt abit strange in the film as Webb does set a dark tone in the film which again distinguishes it from Raimi's version.

Positives: Great action scenes, great acting and characters Negatives: "cryptic" plot line in some places, pacing is good but some places are abit quick Overall: Definite must see, great movie and i think it is superior to Raimi's version.

It seems that the Scott family are blessed with a knack for film-making. I really did enjoy this film and it resonates with me even though i watched it yesterday. For those who haven't read the synopsis, it is a story about 3 people who have lost direction in life and are dysfunctional people but somehow when they come together, they become better and happier.

First of all i think the music in this film is amazing, it really suits the film and is memorable. Galdolfini does an amazing job as the "step in father" and Leo is equally as good as the "broken" mother. Also i must say i am surprised by how good Stewart is in the film, but maybe its because i've associated her with those twilight films. She breaks out of that "teen" image and is shown as a foul mouthed prostitute. At times i thought, maybe it would have been better to cast an unknown so that we do not associate stewart with that sweetheart innocent image as it is pretty shocking what her character does in the film at times.

Scott has done a good job with the characters and i think in reality that this does happen; that some people are so determined to not let go of lost ones that they do extreme things to remember them.

The timescale of the film does supposedly extend into weeks when the 3 characters are together but i did find it felt only like days that they were together and I would have liked more interaction between the 3 characters as most of the character interaction is between doug and allison.

Positives: great movie with deep characters, acting is superb and stewart does a good job Negatives: would have liked to see more interaction between the 3 main characters Overall: should give the movie a watch, good acting and an interesting plot is what drives this movie.