City Island (2009) written & directed by Raymond De Felitta

If theres one accent i just simply wish i could pull off flawlessly
its got to the a thick New Yorkan Bronx accent.
I've always loved it.
I find it to be the most unique form English that exists.
The way the letters curl on the tongue, the way R really sounds like R,
it's amazing!!
I would go around loudly anouncing people's names on the street
just so people could hear how cool my accent was.
I'd go into Cafe's all around London and just say "Hey, how you doin"
to every girl in there..
Does this accent really make me want to do that?
Well, either way it's still cool.

So, from what I've gathered,
City Island in the Bronx has a New England-type culture
that makes it seem much different from other parts of New York City.
A native City Islander has been called a "clam digger"
since the early 1900s. And the non-natives are called "muscle suckers".
Come on!!

And this is how the film starts,
with Andy Garcia -possibly playing the best role of his life,
talking about the history of City Island and about the house he lives in,
built by his grandfather.

Its a very heartfelt story of a family to embarrassed to bring truth on certain matters
that just escalates and escalates. I mean its a pretty easy story to figure out,
but all the players involved are just so superbly written,
I'm sitting there watching it play out as if i hadn't had a clue.

The humour is constantly satisfying.
And with a certain indie undertone that makes every
instance a humble one, and i am please to watch it unfold even more.

Such a joy to watch this film.
I'm so happy to see Andy Garcia land a role like this.
He's got the hard stern Gino look and plays it well
like in the Ocean series,
but really, he hasn't played a character this touching since
Accidental Hero.

Avatar 3D(2009) written & directed by James Cameron

The great thing about really knowing what your in for,
is that you never set your expectations too high or too low.

Now i think James Cameron has left his mark in film, created his legacy
and without a doubt broken the boundaries on what CGI can accomplish.
Avatar is surely his best work to date.
Don't get me wrong, when asked what my favourite Cameron film is,
I will probably answer with a toss up between Terminator 2 or The abyss.
But Avatar does take film making to a whole new level.
The attention to detail is obscene. And i have to say, if you have watched
Aliens as many times as i have, then you will know how nice it is to see
these evolved versions of drop ship from the Sulaco.
Just about everything seemed borrow from the design of the Sulaco.
But evolved, and better designed. I loved it!!

The storyline is nothing new. Just with different protagonists and antagonists.
I do laugh at my friend who claims
that the Titanic was better written - f*** off dude...
Another friend related it to Pocahontas,
and i must say pretty darn close.
In fact, that was the downfall of this film for me,
i felt the natives felt a bit too Native American.
I couldn't but think that if a little bit more effort was
put into writing  and developing the aliens just a little more in this film
we would have come away with something a lot more original
than a sci-fi version of Dances With Wolves.

But once again, i knew what i was in for.
No way am i going to watch a James Cameron movie and not get
a Hollywood thumbs up film.
And this means - rehash an old story everyone loves.
So lets plajorize Dances with Wolves and keep everybody happy.
And this whole substory about saving the rainforest,
I don't know what people are complaining about.
I'll point it out, the same bunch of people that complain about the rain forest.

Visually, Avatar is the most amazing production i have ever seen. And i'm glad.
I just adore fantasy set films. If Hollywood has to redo every film ever made
and set it on different planets - then by all means, please do it.
If i have to sit through a boring film, it may as well look pretty.

This film was far from boring.
When it slowed down it was compensated by sheer eye candy.
Now the idea of an ultra violet forest isnt a new one.
Insects see the world through ultra-violet, and it was lovely
to be able to understand that point of view.

I leave the cinema, wanting cats ears and a tail so badly!!!
Oh yea, the female Na'Vi - so hot!!!!!
I will surely go again soon.

Planet Hulk (2010) by Greg Pak

The Marvel animations are what the films are supposed be.
I'll let them have Spider-Man 1 & 2 as well as Iron Man.
No compromise with cheesy American lingo'd dialogue.
The cartoons sure aren't meant for kids.
This one in particular is extremely violent.
So if this is aimed at the adult market,
then why aren't the films doing similar ?

I just don't get it.
Films for kids.
Cartoons for adults.
Seriously ?
Seriously!!

The first Hulk film bombed.
What did people want?
The second Hulk film...
you can't be serious..
That was such a big pile of shit.
I got invited to the premier, and let me tell you
such a waste of time.
My flatmate and I went, and tried to wash away the crap
taste of crap film from our mouths right after with
cheap Chinese food - succeeded we did.

Anyway, this cartoon was fun. Great plot.

Creation (2009) directed by Jon Amiel screenplay by John Collee biography by Randall Keynes

Its really important to remember
that a little less than 200 hundred years ago,
the world was only 10,000 years old,
animals ate each other for God's great plan
and the theory of evolution wasn't even a thought.

What Charles Darwin gave the world was that thought.
A thought that allowed some of us to break away
from the overpowering grip
of religion and place faith not in churches but in ourselves
and the abilities and potential of humanity.

The film follows Darwin as he loses his stable mind
upon the death of his one of his sons & daughters
and battles between his faith and the realisation
of what he has knows he has discovered.
Edged on by his fellow scientists and confronted by his wife,
poor Charles goes crazy.

I had never thought to look at Charles Darwin in this way.
Honestly, I feel for the Darwins.
And I understand his frustration.
To think that if I lost someone dear to me,
and to be told of it as God's divine plan
would just make my blood boil.
And to add to it,
that i might be the only person alive to think this way.
I think most of us don't really understand
what poor Darwin had to go through
just to put that pen to paper
to write the Origin of Species.

The score written by Christopher Young
reminds me very much of a wild Arvo Part.
I will be acquiring this for sure!!

The film was very enjoyable.
The cast led by Paul Bettany & Jennifer Connelly
- who is still drop dead gorgeous at 40,
is enjoyable to watch and very believable.

Finally a good British film that doesn't draw
on the so overdone period or gangster fashion.

Dread (2009) based on a short by Clive Barker written & directed by Anthony DiBlasi

If your like me and grew up adoring the works of Clive Barker
then this should be a treat.
His films that rocked my disheartened teenage years included
Hellraiser (of course!), Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions.
The dark torture element was pivotal.
I once suckered my folks
into coming to watch lord of illusions with me,
telling them it was a wonderful story about magic.
Boy were they sooooo not happy.
But i got a good chuckle.

The shock element was usually what really got my socks off,
but Barker is all about the psychological torment.
Most noticeable in Hellraiser: Inferno.

I identified with Barker's characters when i was younger.
His willingness to accept the indifference
and wield it as a norm was something i cherished dearly.

Dread centres around a group of film students
who try to capture fear in a film project.
When the initial batch of test subjects divulge their boring stories for the project,
they turn the cameras on each other for their own tortured & darker pasts.
Eventually they start to find more people to confess their greatest fears and secrets
and the mind starts to wonder into darker terrain.

I find it interesting how its often so hard to talk about the things that scare us.
But given an opportunity to confront them in safe surroundings
and talk about some things that most people can't accept or want to hear,
especially around strangers we don't know very well,
we tend to tell all.

The film is very well shot and this unknown cast made it a very enjoyable watch.
The soundtrack and score is well placed and created a different atmosphere at times
by contrasting the dark and stark imagery with very subdued and often beautiful chordal
pieces. Be sure to get your hands on the score for this one written by Theo Green.

If you like Barker without the gore he's known for
and find beauty in the meddling of fragile human dysfunctionality,
then this is a great one to watch.
Honest fear and hurt.
Without cheap scare tactics other lame horrors would try.

Nausicaa (1984) written & directed by Hayao Miyazaki

I didn't really think this would ever make it into my blog.
But i am however, proud to say it has!
I woke up today and had a chat with a friend about Manga & Anime
and this one came up.
I have to say that this is one of, if not my favourite Anime of all time.
And to make it even better,
I managed to find a new dub version i'd not watched before,
with Patrick Stewart voicing Lord Yupa.

Not a lot of people who are into the Ghibli Studio animations know that this is one of
Miyazaki's first greatest achievements.
The original concept of Nausicaa was first laid out on paper through a series of Manga comic books.
7 in fact. A story that spanned 12 years from 1982 to 1994,
with Nausicaa the animation,
only covering the first book.

Its a monumental story that take place 1000 years after the destruction of the industrial age.
Set in a village where the locals have made peace with giant insects that continually wage war against
humans who try to conquer the land.
It is a time when the world is healing itself
and the giant insects have become its protector.

Probably the story that should have been used in Avatar.

This re-dub i found to be quite weak.
So i highly recommend the original dubbed version or the original with subs.
If your into the Ghibli Studio animes and have never watched this one - shame!!

One Week (2008) Written & Directed by Michael McGowen

I think the thought of somehow invalidating our existence is possibly the scariest
moment to any human being. I know that there have been moments when
the work, time and/or effort I put into something feels like a complete waste and
totally deflates my ego.
But imagine being told you have one week left to live.

The last film I watched similar to this was the Bucket List.
Nicholson & Freeman play two old men who meet in a hospital
and get fed their death sentence.

Somehow when faced with the notion that our presence on the planet is drawing close to an end
and we can get passed the fear of what comes next,
it evokes a sense of invincibility.
Somehow death is on the way, should it arrive sooner, later or on its due date,
it is inevitable and there is little point in arguing.

One Week is a true testament to this.
With a beautiful Canadian countryside as the backdrop to this story,
Ben (played by Joshua Jackson out of Fringe) sets off on a motorcycle
to find his 'adventure'.

I can't help but notice that this film has a bit of a Wes Anderson feel to it.
Perhaps its the style in which its narrated.
I do applaud the wonderful choice narrator.

Loved it.

The Cove (2009) directed by Louie Psihoyos written by Mark Monroe

23000 dolphins are killed each year in Taiji Japan.
Japan has a market for whale meat, which is illegaly being supplied with Dolphin meat now.
Some officials know... and some don't.
But Japan itself does not want Dolphin on the menu.

Because we are not allowing the hunting of whales anymore,
the fisherman in Taiji are now fishing dolphin meat and passing it off as whale meat.

The cove is a story of a man who brought flipper to the world,
and now lives his life in regret of doing that.
Now on a crusade to end the slaughter of dolphins.

This is a totally heart wrenching documentary,
but a must watch.
Please.



http://www.thecovemovie.com/

The Informant! (2009) directed by Steven Soderbergh written by Kurt Eichenwald screenplay by Scott Z. Burns

You  wouldn't really ever think Matt Damon could pull a rabbit out of a hat.
I mean, yea sure Mr. Ripley was a severely complex character (done better by Malkovich)
and that film about the jersey boy - you know, the genius posing as a custodian ?!
That was a really emotional film.
But credit where credit is due.

Damon dived into character here by putting on the pounds and going bald.
Tagged teamed with a director like Soderbergh,
makes this is the kind of film that is really rare to come by.

To make is even quirkier,
The swinging sixties provides totally humorous score and soundtrack,
and yes scenes are labelled with flower power fonts!!

It took me a little while to get into the film.
Shot with a DV cam, which made the lighting
enhance the cheap look and feel.
But the plot here is undeniable.And its all true.
Upon reflection i now kinda feel a little sad about the character in question,
whilst yesterday i felt sorry for him.

Oh yea, its got 'that guy' from highlander.
I think I'm going to make a point from here in to point out
'that guy' - its kinda fun.
Its also got 'that guy' from 2012.
When i say im going to point out 'that guy',
i don't mean supporting cast like Scot Bakula - 'that guy' from Quantam Leap,
because - you should really know that one.

Over all, brilliant movie! And totally FUN !
I do love Steven Soderbergh films and this is a great one.

Stingray Sam (2009) written & directed by Cory McAbee

Summed up this is a western-musical-sci-fi-comedy.
Let's say that again. slowly.
western
musical
sci------fi
comedy.

The film was shot in 6 parts and screened before features at the Sundance Festival 2009
the humour in this 'can't place my finger on it' film cracked me up so badly
at one point i was begging for it to end from my face and tummy hurting so much.

Narrated by David 'Dr. Niles Crane' Hyde Pierce, the story of two cowboys on a journey
to save a little girl from the evil clutches of a male-male clone named Fredward is such an outrageously
genius plot, it has to be commended!!!

Kudos to McAbee who wrote, directed and starred as Stingray Sam in this genius production.

The musical parts of the show, performed by the Billy Nayer Show are brilliant. I'm really not a fan
of rock musicals apart from the Rocky Horror Show obviously, but this one is really great.
My favourite highlight which almost killed me when men splice up their DNA with other men to create their clones. - PLEASE WATCH !!!

100 out of 10 if at all possible.

Shameless (2007) starring Luois C.K.

This was my second time watching Shamless.
FANTACULAR !!!

The jokes are totally shamelss, from justifying rape
to smacking his daughter, to admittedly wanting to blow Ewan McGroggor,
and even sucking on a bag of dicks -  this stand up had me in stitches again!!

Quite unknown still to most people, even after co-starring in
The Invention of Lying, which means he's still raw.

Flight of the Living Dead (2007) directed by Scott Thomas

I think there is nothing worse than having a good friend recommend a horrible film.
And i think this will go down in my own personal history as the worst recommendation of all time!!

If you hate something and wanna change something,
this unfortunately is something that
CAN'T be changed
... and will be around forever.
(HMV - £6) yes he bought it.

FLIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is something that if you happen to come across and dont mind the feeling
of having your limbs torn from your body,
then this will somehow almost make that feeling even worse.

I will give it some credit however,
that they have managed to gather 'those guys' who you know from 'that movie'.
Give you an example, 'that guy' from The Mummy and 'that other guy' from The Mummy.
As well as 'that bad guy' from Kindergarten Cop.

The one positive highlight here is the scene where a nun, YUP - a nun (highly adored by my friend),
gets her legs torn off by two zombies.
Ah yes, there is 'Tiger Woods' donning a putter,
who looks like - yes...
 'that guy' from T2.

So if you dont mind wasting some time,
we in fact just forwarded through the entire film,
then this might be something that even the devil wouldn't torment you with for all eternity.

From  a zombie movie fan - this sucks.
I almost enjoyed Snakes on a Plane more.

2012 (2009) directed by Roland Emmrich

I might get lynched for saying i had fun watching this film. I honestly did.
The great thing about watching a gigantic waste of money that is 2012 at home,
is that when it gets cheesy and boring,
lets chat about how damn good that CG was!!!

I swear the roller coaster ride that was John Cusack speeding a limo underneath a falling highway
and then plowing it right through a collapsing sky scrapper was f&*$%£g BRILLIANT !!!

I will admit the first half of the movie was by far the best part.
It got worse and worse towards the end with the finale being something short of non-impressive.

And to add to it all the cliche Hollywood 'family moments' really gave me something to barf about.
But hey home movie!
So, now that is a cheesy moment,
 lets talk about this movie Danny Glover was in back in the 90's
called Grand Canyon.
Now - THAT is an awesome film.
And soon to be reviewed here let me tell you!

I'm glad i didn't actually go to the cinema to watch this.
I would have felt cheated by having to pay for a cinema ticket.
But if its ever on tv or falls into your laptop illegally,
then i do highly recommend this if you  want some great ol' crappy Hollywood entertainment.

Personally, im a big big...big big fan of Armageddon type movies.
Nothing better than seeing the world get all angry and squash humanity - hoorah!!

Precious (2010) directed by Lee Daniels

A harsh reality of living in 'civilized' societies
is that we often take for granted,
how good life is to most of us.
I for one am not shy to say I've been spoilt.
But I do have a woe of tragedy that follows.

Precious is a story of a 16 year old black girl living in Harlem,
 struggling to learn to read and write. She is pregnant with her second child
and soon discovers she has AIDS.
She's been repeatedly raped by her father - who has fathered both her children
and mentally abused by her mother.

Yet despite this, Precious has a most beautiful soul.

I don't think I have ever watched such a heart felt film.
I watched in shock as the story poured out in front of me.
I watched as Precious played by an amazing Gabourney Sidibe,
danced her way through mockery and insult, translated her ugly world around her
into beautiful fantasies via her imagination.

I think its rare to find such humble heroines in film today.
A true test to the kindness of the human soul.

A modern day harsh and truthful Cinderella story.
A film that provokes constantly.

Highly recommended!!
And yes.
Box of tissues required.

Dante01 (2009) directed by Marc Caro

Juenet's partner in crime Marc Caro's most recent solo adventure is so so.
Visually this sci-fi has a great style and superb green/purple undertone i just loved.

But to be honest -and you should know by now i am very, the idea; was far from great.
Pretty poor actually.

Please, rule no.1 when writing a sci-fi script - captivate my imagination.

There was little i found stunning. In fact, a space station orbiting a gigantic colourful planet
kinda reminds me of Solaris.

The hero in this film, St. George, played by the 'french man' in the matrix movies,
is a pretty cool character. But hes the hero and they do little to mystify this or make him
magical which is what he needed to be.
I mean he does some pretty cool stuff. But i never once felt whilst watching
what they really intended with it.
Shame.
Shame again.

What i did love about this film was its score.
Jean Poisson.
Never heard of him until now.
This is a perfect sci-fi score.
Plenty of ambient tones and howling reverberated sounds
with the slight occasional chord thrown in just to let you know your not totally alone in space .

Recommended viewing for the Jeunet & Caro fans, such as myself.
However this one lacks the superb stylish writing or dialogue from anything previously done.

Sherlock Holmes (2009) directed by Guy Ritchie

Its without a doubt a fun film. I did enjoy quite a few parts. The french dialogue
with the giant is one!

But to be honest,
I felt this film lacked something. I couldn't bring myself to concentrate on the plot.

Downey Jr is one of my favourite actors and here once again he's just beside himself!
It was a cool idea, making Holmes this rugged type person.
And Watson played by Law is a great movie too.

But i still don't know.
Its so lacking something!!
Would i watch it again right away. Definitely no.
Maybe in a few years i will watch it again and enjoy it properly.

As for Ritchie, Revolver was a super standard, not yet reached again.

Sorry for the short review, but im so so with this.
Very very watch able.
Memorable?
I doubt it to be honest.

Honda - Can hate be good?

I spent all of yesterday writing & producing a 30 second
pitch for Dairylea ad.

Then my flatmate walks into the room and shows me this.

Its pure genius.





Lyrics

Here's a song for anyone
who's ever hated...
in the key of Grrr...

Can hate be good? Can hate be great?
Can hate be good? Can hate be great?
Can hate be something we don't hate?

We'd like to know... why it is so.
That certain diesels must be slow
and thwack and thrum... and pong
and hum and clatter-clat

Hate something. Change something.
Hate something, change something,
make something better-r-r-r

Ohh isn't it just bliss... when a diesel goes like this?

Hate something. Change something.
Hate something, change something,
make something better-r-r-r...

Creative Agency: Wieden & Kennedy
Creative	Michael Russoff, Sean Thompson, Richard Russell
TV Producer	Charlie Tinson
Production Co	Nexus
Director	Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes
Producer	Julia Parfitt
Post Production	Nexus

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009) directed by Rob Zombie

Its not often I come across something and think,
'now this is something I could probably watch again and again'.

Written and directed by one of my heroes - Rob Zombie,
who made the ever tasteful House of a Thousand Corpses,
followed by the ever delightful Devil's Rejects.
this is the story of...erm
...
......
........
ok.
There's a wrestling porn star, his tall blonde wonderfully breasted sister who is hunting
and now get this
Nazi Zombies!!!
Oh yea,
Satan wants to marry this stripper voiced by Rosario Dawson,
whos #1 henchman is a gorilla.
A gorilla who is made intelligent by a screw in his cranium.

The wrestling porn star gets the crap knocked out of him by the strippers left and right breasts.

Am I saying any of this right?

To the point, this animation is so f*&^"g random it will take days just to catch every joke.
Which is why this is a FLAMING HOT RECOMMENDATION !!!

Think of this as Ren & Stimpy getting f%&*"d up the ass by Rob Zombie and your on your way.

Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier (1989) directed by William Shatner

I just love how these guys take turns writing and directing. You definitely get the sense and feel of a fun vibe when watching these films.Their blazee approach to subtle and not so subtle humour is so enjoyable.

I can't say for sure how many times i've seen this film. But why count?!
What i really enjoyed in this film was how it centred completely on Kirk, Spock and McCoy working as a trio from start to finish. The bond shared between these 3 character i find to be one of the most magnificent of all partnerships forged on film. The simple joy of camping, how Kirk takes the bold step, Spock is one of calculation and McCoy that of caution creates a superb basis for some pretty awesome dialogue.

So the idea for this film was kinda cool.
God lives at the centre of the universe.
And Enterprise is hi-jacked to sail right into it.

I couldn't say I didn't enjoy any one part of this film. There seemed to be an uncanny use of humour to help all dying moments. The drama was never overdone (in typical Star Trek fashion) and to my surprise I reckon Shatner managed to up the bar on how stylish Star Trek could be filmed.

So next stop ?
My favourite of all the Star Trek films - The Undiscovered Country.

Amelia (2009) directed by Mira Nair

I only found our who Amelia Earheart was from recently watching Night at the Museum 2
Well, I'm pretty sure I've known about her, but she's just not the iconic figure we like to quote
in today's world.
Shame.

Women have come such a long way and Amelia Earheart is definitely one such person
that should be given more praise than she's getting today.

I've had a little bit more exposure to Amelia Earheat in a Star Trek Voyager episode recently
when Janeway lands on a planet where Earheart is frozen in  a chryo tube to be awoken and to her shock informed that a woman is a captain of a starship.

I do wonder why women find it hard to accept another woman in power.

So Amelia Earheat the first woman in the world to fly across the Atlantic Ocean,
I salute you.

The movie was alright i suppose.
Hillary Swank is once again pristine.
She's such a great actress to watch and I found her accent fit the era, perfectly.

All in all, it was more informative than it was entertaining.
These old classic planes I still think are far more elegant than anything we see today.
Ahm...and Richard Gere urgh....

One reassurance with most historical films,
there are no sequels.

Star Trek 4: The Journey Home (1986) directed by Leonard Nimoy

The Journey Home was my first favourite of all the star treks,
which lost favour to the earlier two films in time.
But watching it again I forget how fun this film was.

The characters never seemed so full of life and able to joke with each other.
As well as a lot of inside humour for people who have been following the series.

I'm sure its definitely due to Leonard Nimoy taking an active role in writing and directing,
something that we see happening through out the entire life of the star trek series
with the alumni taking writing and directing roles.

It was such a joy to watch this again. And so much fun to laugh at some timeless jokes.
Best moment has to be when Scotty comes face to face with a 20th century computer begins to use it
by addressing it... "computer?" then gets handed the mouse and talks into it again ..."computer!?"

The Fantastic Mr.Fox (2009) directed by Wes Anderson

I am a huge fan of Wes Anderson.
I've watched everything he's done a few times over.
And this new idea in the form of the Fantastic Mr. Fox is just ideal.
All the quirky relationships are to be found in all its stunning glory.

This is a great continuation in style that I adore from Anderson.Titled scenes and scenery, dedicated musicians (Jarvis Cocker) - this time even made fun off in the film.
I quietly scream YES!
The story is aided in narration as usual with its unique style of music I find with all of Anderson's films.
Additional scoring from Alexandre Desplat who wrote the score for Benjamin Button.

A slightly new cast voicing the characters include George Clooney, Meryl Streep,
and Eric Anderson (Wes's brother). Usual suspects Bill Murray, Owen Wilson & Jason Schwartzman
are back again.

I suppose the biggest challenge in this film was obviously animation, but i felt it allowed for complete
control over how Anderson presented each scene almost without any visual limitation or flow.
Cinematography this time round came from Wallace & Gromit man -Tristen Oliver.
I'm not the biggest W&G fan,
so thankfully the style here was closer to Quentin Blake than it was Nick Park.

With all of Anderson's films I came away feeling light in my heart and happy in my mind.
I loved it.
And you know what?
I that I was going to right from the very moment I watched the trailer for the first time.
I lie.
In fact I knew from the moment I read the synopsis about 2 years ago.
But the trailer sure helped to create even more excitement!

The Tale of Despareuax (2008) directed by Sam Fell & Robert Stevenhagen

Hmmm.. I really really dig and enjoy all sort of animations.
I even love fluffy cartoony type things.
Feed me Pixar or the SKG knock off's.
But this one. - BIG Hmmmm.....


I felt this was patchy. Strung together quite loosely.
I mean yea its a kids cartoon, so i guess they didnt have to worry
about how they cut it together too much. But stil.


Sigourney Weaver narrating was a cool choice, I found her voice to be soothing.
But then again I can't rip Ripley.
The voicings were actually pretty lame
and Christoper Lloyd's brief contribution was pretty lamer.


I could go on here like a critic but i won't bother.
This sucked.


Is the cute mouse worth it ?
Nope.


Was it worthy as background noise?
Perhaps a little.

Smokin' Aces (2007) directed by John Carnahan

Yup.
I said i was going to do it and i did.
Got my hands on Smokin Aces after watching Assassin's Ball (Smokin Aces 2 btw).

The first film is way more fun than the second.
I mean, I knew.
I knew it.
Right after finishing Assassin's Ball I said I was going to watch the first one again.

The cast is just awesome!
And thanks to my re-watching all five seasons of lost recently,
watching Mathew Fox (Jack)get his lung punctured by Nestor Carbonell (Richard) added extra humour
to the whole situation.

Ray Liotta and Ryan Renolds are great at being hard g-men FBI tough guys.
Ryan - hey huge improvement on Burt. I'm sure we all agree.

And then there is Alicia Keys. Who i find to be quite divine and in this role, so goddamn sexy.

OK, ok...the film itself?
Has a very complicated story to follow.
But lets put that aside for the moment.
Basically a bunch of assassins have been hired to gun down the same guy.
At the same place, on the same day. Poor Jeremy Piven. Right.
He's just getting what's coming his way.
So the whole show is about this climax, really.
It is.
Its not really about this complicated story that surrounds it.
On the other hand its a well thought out plot and the twist at the finale
is so hugely unpredictable, that you could take bets throughout the entire film
and NO ONE is going to win it.
And yet, due to this films great execution and delivery I didn't think once
that is was bull crap whatsoever.

Music wise, Clint Mansell, the former POP WILL EAT ITSELF superstar
dons the score and it is a beautiful one for such a violent movie.

So its definitely a Friday night type film.
Get the popcorn out and the sodas and make sure you got some friends around.
There are quite a number of totally awesome death scenes
that make this a super fun film to watch.
Its my second time.

Oh yea, being able to watch Ben Afleck get gunned down in the middle of the street,
then made to talk like a puppet at the hands of Captain James T Kirk; CANT BEAT THAT!

The Lovely Bones (2010) directed by Peter Jackson

I can't believe that I almost ignored this movie. The synopsis made it sound very depressing and the reviews left me thinking that Jackson had butchered the novel with this adaptation.
But i hold movies with a different regard from books.
It is a totally different artform, and this is something we tend to forget.

A similar experience recently watching the remake of Dorian Gray.
It was totally different from the great novel by Oscar Wylde,
but did hold its own ground, which I reckon is a superb movie.

So back to The Lovely Bones.

My verdict here: beautiful.

The story of a Susy Salmon's death and her life in purgatory.
Its a beautiful story of how her family deals with her death, going through
just about every heartache a family would when one is torn away.
But what lifts up every moment is when Susy walks through her new life.
A surreal land comprised of colourful images of when she used to be alive.

Jackson has done very well here.
For a man who is very used to directing epic 3 hour length movies,
the speed at which this movie flows along with how its camera moves with it
is nothing short of perfect.
The use of colour here compared to the dark and dreary landscapes of the LOTR or King Kong show a different light to the monster film maker.

The cast is here is awesome. Susan Sarandon whom I dont always compliment
is just super cool as is Rachel Weisz. 'Marky' Mark Wahlberg is often underrated,
he does often playthe sympathetic part too often. Here, portraying the strong
dedicated father is a nice role.
I must praise Stanley Tucci!!
He does to the slimeball thing quite well. I've always loved Tucci, but its when
hes a supremo disgusto that we all love him best, from the asshole supervisor from Terminal or even better the disgusto dentist in A Life Less Ordinary.
But here the foureyed comeover lonely eerie neighbour and child killer,
I've come to see something really dark in Tucci, and its amazing.

To top everything off, the score by Brian Eno, is nothing short of blinding.
Eno accompanies the movie a very moving and touching score which doesn't follow
typical classical scores.
his harmonics and harmonies create a peak at the end of the movie that left my heart with a certain emptiness when it was all over.

I hope there are more positive reviews of this movie.
Don't hold against a good film that detracts from its original novel format.

Smokin' Aces 2: Assassin's Ball (2010) directed by P.J. Pesce

Smokin' Aces is just like its pre-qual.
The film does not devoid from its formula the slightest bit.
One man who is hunted down by a plethora of assassins.

I cant remember the first one too well, which is why i'm dying
to watch it again. Because, as i remember at the time,
i thought it was 'fucking cool'.

I must point out the cool stuff first.
Vinnie Jones.
Yup.
The coolest thing i rekon in this film is
Vinnie Jones.
there is another assassin who adopts the faces of people
so he can infiltrate into his 'hunting' grounds.
But totally didnt explore that one.

However Vinnie's toughman routine doesn't last long in this film.
He is killed off quickly. Now thats what kinda sucked.
They killed off all the cool guys far too quickly.

Now there are clowns with bombs shot out of cannons.
Pretty fucking awesome dude.
and there is....
um...
yup.
Clowns with bombs shot out of cannons...

I am eagre to watch the first Smokin' Aces again.

This wasnt bad for a straight to video release i will admit.

star trek: enterprise (2001-2005)

im on this journey to watch everything star trek and i've just completed star trek:enterprise.
enterprise marks the end of an 18 year back to back series starting with the next generation.
of all the series ive watched so far, this one has been the weakest.

only 4 seasons (as the show got axed), totalling 98 episodes.

im trying to look back for cool episodes and while there are some very awesome moments within episodes... i think i can count on one hand how many episodes i wouldnt mind watching again. season 2 episodes 19-23 my personal favourites.
oh yes as well as the story of khan nooniun singh (the father and creator of data) portrayed by brent spiner.
i do fear however that unless youve actually sat down and watched a season or two,
then they may not even be that impressive.
the writers did try to have some long running stories, but i just didnt find them entertaining.

enterprise joins the team 10 years before the formation of the federation. a young fledgling earth is eager to spread its space wings and fly out and meet the universe.
but i would think you could do alot more cool stuff, like really go into depth with the relationship between the humans and the vulcans, but theyve chosen this road of finding more aliens, some never heard of in later series, which for star trek, a series that rarely faults on its back story - its greatly dissapointing.

my one highlight is just about every episode is T'pol. jolene blalock has got to be without any doubt, the most stunning vulcan ever. is this worth watching it - perhaps. most notable episode - T'pols pon farr. (for those who know)

onto the doctor. the most exciting character in every series (maybe not next gen).here its phlox - a dunobulan, is another very worthy star trek character.
in fact i have to say , he does steal the show far too often. the actor portraying him, john billingsly, like with all the good star trek actors is theatre trained. and i think that is where this star trek lacks. most of all the star trek alumni are theatre trained. billingsly's dedication to his character is unfounding. small subtle gestures get me everytime.

as with all star trek series , the finale episode is always so much fun.
picards journey through time, sisco's battle with the dominion and janeway's battle with the borg.
to save enterprise, riker, troy and data (in the form of a voice) return to create a very noble ending to this quite failed series. i suppose they had been axed, and decided to end the series off in an elegant way, even more so by killing off so many main characters - perhaps to ensure their lack of mention in future series.#

this series is more than anything a dedication to the fans. having watched all the other series (minus the original which im saving for last) there is plenty of reference to future series, such as a dinner in the finale where they have a toast 'to the next generation'.

its been a fun watch nevertheless. but i suppose rick berman thought the way to surprise was to constantly bring in something new. jj abrams succeeded by playing in different with the old. no need for new. just a simple need to elaborate on what wasnt said in the first place.

oh well, onto the original series now.

a serious man (2009) by the coen brothers

i love the coens.
the team that made the directors guild of america bend the single director rule
have constantly created some of the most interesting movies ever.

a serious man is a return to the earlier days of barton fink.
the opening sequence of an old dead rabbi appearing in the middle of winter
is just priceless!

the movie centres around lawrence gopnik, the everyman who is getting the wool pulled
over his eyes as his life is thrown into turmoil.
just about everything that can go wrong does and add to it a bit of outrageous
requests from the soon to be ex-wife, i was in quiet hysterics.

one thing to be said here was the bountiful amount of colourful jewish referencing.
the stories from the rabbis had me cracking up, wishing alsmost that i could pull
this off. there is something i find apprealing about the yiddish.
such a cool way of talking. i recently watched mary and max, and that had a superbly high content of the stuff. plutz!

if your a coen fan, then this is gold!!!

where the wild things are (2009) directed by spike jonze

the wild things hide in my bedroom at night.
this is the story of max's beautiful escape from home.
a film that has managed takes the childrens short story and transformed into
what has got to be a most unique adventure. i have never ever seen a movie
made so beautifully.

a dedicated score from carter burwell and a soundtrack from karen o and the kids
sets the musical tone and direction. very subtle guitar and folk oriented.
which helps preserve this film's innocent approach and touch.

jonze's style of turning a childrens story into a folk indie movie is such a brilliant move. no fully blown out cgi usage. in fact, its so subtle you hardly notice it and are carried off into a sweet fantasy land.

what was most beautiful was the combination of puppetry and cgi to create the monsters in the movie. they seemed so believeable. i kept trying to figure out where the puppetry stopped and where the animation began.

beautifully shot in an autumn woodlands. sleeping piled up on top of each other.
simply sublime.

i do reccomend this movie. just make sure to rest yourself.
it is slow.
and so worth it.

star trek 3: the search for spock (1984) directed by leonard nimoy

at the end of star trek 2 spock dies leaving most of us feeling rather sad.
i know as a little boy watching that i was blown away. the cool man with the pointy ears died. how could they?!?!

herein lies the genius of star trek. a very complex story that spans over 5 movies.
here in part 3 the crew of the enterprise find themselves on a mission to rediscover spock on genesis and mccoy is driven to want to give back a part of himself in which spock left his mind before his death.

such a brilliant journey and such devotion from the crew of the enteprise to their captiain, james t kirk.

favourite character here though has to be christopher lloyd's (doc emmet brown from back to the future) portrayal as klingon commander kruge.
i kept waiting for him to burst out with some gibberish about 88mph and the flux capacitor. but it never came. i do beleive that this former star of taxi, back to the future and adams family and producer of fraiser needs to make one last come back.

star trek 2: the wrath of khan (1982) directed by nicholas meyer

watched star trek 2 the wratch of khan. a classic! what am i saying its a great classic!!
its all about khan here..ricardo montalban. the classic actor whom i know from the naked gun movie.
it must be noted that the friendship of kirk, spok and mccoy has to be on of the greatest character friendships ever forged for television or film.

the wrath of khan is a huge step forward from the original motion picture. better graphics, better uniforms, better writing.

the saddest moment. the death of spock.

im currently on a pilgrimage to watch everything star trek which i will be completing soon and writing about. so far i have watched every next gen, deep space 9 , voyager series. all i have now is enterprise and the original series and the remaining movies.

despite its horrible stigma i find star trek to be one of the most phenomenal shows to ever be created.
i hope you might one day find yourself to be compelled to watch it.
i know the jj abrams star trek movie has changed alot of minds.
TBC

the andromeda strain (1971) directed by robert wise

im having a little insomniac ball right now not being able to sleep due to my cough keeping me up. i thought an oldie might do the trick to settle me in.
but this one was silent and twisted.
i discovered this title whilst watching an episode of star trek: enterprise.
in the particular episode tucker and hoshi are locked in sick bay undergoing some sort of bacterial purge. its while in this tucker mentions the andromeda strain.
finding out its based on a micheal crichton book i did become even more curious.

a satellite crash lands in a small town of just over a hundred and all its town folk die. horribly i might add. the blood in the body turns into powder and everyone is frozen in their tracks.
they discover this when they grab a dead mans arm and slice his wrist open to find powdered blood pouring out his wrist.

a small alien bacteria has landed on earth.

the score is super cool. Gil Melle made to to use full arpegiatored noise filled riffs highlight tense moments in that very synthy 70's fashion!!

overall, a nice break from the fast paced movies im used to watching. this one is even slower compared to the road which i watched earlier in the day.

i do miss the abundant use of slince in these old films. the reality of any situation is so easily highlighted using music. i suppose it too a really great script to create the right tension in those days. not forgetting those long panoramic shots and plenty of still shots. this film does deliver much of that.

one thing to mind however is the ocean of science in this film. this is sci-fi for the science informed. little is brought down to our level and you really have to focus with what everyone is saying in order to keep up with whats going on.

if you have seen outbreak - this is way better.
saying that, morgan freeman in this movie would have raised it a few more bars.
a wonderful peak into the world of micro biology.
really awesome film!

the road (2009) directed by john hillcoat

the road is one of those movies you kinda have to know what your in for.
if no country for old men was a hint of whats to come then this does deliver.
the cinematography is beautiful, providing a stark view into a dying world.
there are no animals, no birds and little people. the few who remain have resorted
to cannibalism in order to survive.

this is overall a very sad story of a man travelling and protecting his only son from this harsh reality.

a film without names or any aims. just a sad story.

the score written by nick cave & warren ellis is beautifully sad.
there wasnt a moment of this film i didnt feel heartbroken
by what i was watching.and aptly watched on a dark friday
afternoon almost befitting.

its a slow movie with few dramatic moments. a moment of joy of
simply being able to have a bath
put a big smile on my face and warmth in my belly.

i highly recommend watching this film.
ah yes - acquiring the score too!

universal soldier : regeneration (2009) directed by john hyams

i have to say after jean claudes great return in JCVD i am actually curious now to see if hes good in his olden age.
and you know what - he is.
i was laughing when i saw JCVD and lundrun returning for unisol. i laughed HARD.
so i checked out some reviews and it was all positive.
shocked - i acquired REGEN.
and to my surprise. i thought it was good. very good? im not sure.
but i was actually very very entertained.
the camera work is super cool!
dark and understated. lots of very cool industrial scenery.
the score is very terminator meets john carpenter. so totally my thing.
and the action sequences are harsh and unforgiving.
i will say this is a very high standard for B movies. as high as they probably get without it being an A movie made to look B - IE rodriguez style...

my one complaint, the final showdown with lundrun could have been a little more escalated. but was still cool.

recommended??? - yes if you dont mind this kind of thing.
if your after arty movies, walk on by.

planet 51 (2009) directed by jorge blanco

got to know about this one on sitting down on new years and a friend describing the trailer to me. if the cartoon actually moved slow enough for some of the jokes to settle i guess it could have been funnier. maybe worth a watch maybe not. ive been ill and wanted fluffy entertainment and i got it.


the rock as the main character. hmmmm
and justin long...
duno about you, but apart from die hard 4,
ive always found long to be long about everything
not to say hes not a good actor
but hes just so goddamn annoying
AND THEY KEEP CASTING HIM
gary oldman and john cleese (whom i adore) are the bad guys but hardly funny.


the funniest things here are the 'dogs'.
ROVER ...a probe on wheeels... LOVED HIM
and the house pet which is a cute geiger alien. LOVE HIM MORE !!!

duno

was it worth it...
yea...
cute geiger alien....
im such a sucker.

snow white and her apple

just watched a very cool documentary on apple. if you enjoy this i suggest watching a movie called PIRATES OF SYLICON VALLEY. the rivalry between pc and mac must end. this mac supremacy mentality must be extinguished.

enemy mine (1985) directed by wolfgang peterson

decided to watch a classic. dennis quaid and louis gosset jr in a story that brings prejudice and compassion into outer space. i love this story of a human man befrending his draxian enemy and then raising his child as his own. its beautiful and simple and a must watch.

ricky gervais

cant stand him. pitty , because i do love cynicism. and hes great at it. another thing i found surprising - hes adapted to hollywood pretty well i think.

i saw ghost town, which starred alongside him at pittyful blonde dude who gets screwed over everywhere...check him out - u know what i mean. captain amazing from mystery men.
i think youve broken into hollywood when your from anywhere in the world youve got pittyful blonde guy in your movie.

soooooo ghost town actually had some funny gags. they try to write more american humour into it, but alongside real comedic talent - faux pas.

but i do hate him. i think the office was totally overrated. i honestly do feel that ssame bunch of brats who claim its genius are the same bunch of brats who legitimize the awesomeness of the beetles. i wont have it.

i did watch politics and think that was funny, and so got my hands on animals and invention of lying. both are totally awesome.

animals is gervais doing stand up. which to be honest , he should keep doing. hes well researched and very well prepared. ad lib is so so however. he is no carlin. so stick to the routine id suggest.

and invention of lying. i love this idea. absolutely love it. only thing is, had there been no sensors... im sure he could have gotten away with plenty more!
the supporting cast of louis ck, is a PERFECT sidekick. hes the american version of gervais. and i tell you the amount of small cameos, its a hard giggle...

also watched:


dorian gray - which is pretty cool considering they totally re-wrote the original story. i have to say, i like these both. harry is still harry. dorian is still a lame character.

extract - mike judge comes back with some not so funny stuff. a few funny jokes, but nothing close to office space.

the time travellers wife - i should have started writing this a while ago, i would have alot more to say about this one. absolutely beautiful movie. please please watch.

a few things

sooo the verdict with moon?
highly reccomended.

its got all the ticks within the sci-fi genre
its slow
the music is beautiful
theres alot of white
theres alot of black
and most importantly the script is killer!

and heres the thing i think, as long as the script is killer
its always worth watching.


did the jurassic park trilogy. 1 is fun. 2 and 3 are funny.

i watched invictus.
morgan free as nelson mandela after his freeing in 1990 and winning the south african presidency. absolutly brilliant movie.
gotta admit though, the only morgan freeman movie where he would possibly suck, is the one where he has no lines.
hes not even seen in march of the pengiuns and hes awesome.

the answer man, which is kinda funny, about a guy (jeff bridges) who wrote a book called me and god. which leads everyone to think hes spoken to him. wouldnt waste my time with this unless theres nothing else on. erm, the first scene is actually hilarious. but the best joke first and then nothing near as good after...

up in the air
this was a fantastic movie. when clooney isnt being a romantic darling, he does make very very cool movies. and this is one of them. the opening sequence is just so perfectly executed.
about a man whos business it is to travel around the US to fire people because their bosses dont have the heart.but does do it well. almost inspiringly well.
so here is a movie with a killer script, simple photography and a matching score.
please please watch.

fly me to the moon

with the best sci-fi stories , this one is simple. a story of isolation. the only person you have for company, is yourself. how awesome. an early version of yourself.

did anyone spot kevin spacey voicing the robot sam ??

more trivia, the director duncan jones born zowie bowie sone to david bowie...


last night before passing out i watched armoured. why ???
WHY??

jean reno seemed like a good reason to watch it. the guy is cool.
chews gum to seem more american...haha
but this movie, im sick of these tough guy movies for guy who think they are tough
or wannabe.
the cast was perfectly chosen for this:
matt dillon, lawrence fushburn, skeet ulrich and jean reno.
story we have all seen before- desperate tough guys who want money, steal from an armoured van - without any style what so ever.

compared to the maiden heist - christopher walken, morgan freeman and william h macey, 3 old (f)art(s) security guards who go all out to steal their fave art peices before they are shipped off to norway and never to be seen again.

i mean surely, a bunch of military tough guys could have pulled off the perfect heist right? no. 3 old security guards. even bruce willis was a hudson hawk.
speaking of which, is there truly ever was a tough guy *and lets not count the martial arts dudes, just not fair )- its gotta be bruce willis. fuck you arnold. and styllone....haha dont get me started. oh.. steatham : 10 years too late.

the new year brings new hope and a lot more things to bitch about

its the 5th of january and im ill. more ill than ive been in a long long time. and im a trained monster drug user. IE - this isnt supposed to happen. but with the new year passed, meeting all my good friends and playing a couple of killer dj sets, i have given myself time to indulge in my favourite passion next to music and food - film.

i cant stand being ill and i love to rant.
and i love to rant even more when im ill.

i watch alot of movies. i mean A LOT of movies.
i know alot of people out there who say the same thing. but im the real deal man. i hunt for movies as seriously as i hunt for my music. like one a day - if i can.

i guess thats kinda what this blog is for. im gona try and write about everything i watch. be it good or bad. obviously bad movies, i dont often make it through or i cheat and click right through it.

so sitting here watching moon, i lay into my first blog.
i first watched moon with a few friends late one night. it was a last minute decision and of course we stumbled into the cinema after the opening credits. i missed out on the opening sequence which tells you hes on the mooon to harvest some sort of future energy for earth. which isnt important i suppose. its not a film about fuel. jst an excuse to put a man alone on the moon. thinking about it now, hes on the moon, which isnt so far from earth.... how come they couldnt send people out there?...i guess our capitalists dont wanna make money, so makes sense... but they send these guys out to eliminate them every 3 years...



i tell you what though, its nice to see someone to a 2001-esque style sci fi again. kubrick set such a high standard that for most the only way to pull of a convincing future was to do it dirty.

and sam rockwell, this guy is cool. it took me a while to catch onto this actor who was the buggy evil cockroach from men in black, but hes proven to be a unique individual who has carefully selected his roles, something i respect with some hollywood actors.

i cant help compare the score to solaris, emotional minimalist piano with reverse tones... isnt this just typical sci-fi... we love it nonetheless. clint mansell does write a perfect score for this and with all the aranovsky movies behind him, hes got the experience for and emotional accompany to the surreal.

so i'll keep watching and post it up again...