Thursday, 22 April 2010

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)
written & directed by
Hayao Miyazaki



I've seen this a few times, but this is the first time
that ive seen it dubbed in english.

Its still a great story,
conjuring up a story about a castle in the sky
from Gulliver's Travels...genius!

But avoid this dubbing.
Chita's semi Australian accent is totally annoying.

Hero (2002)
written & directed by
Yimou Zhang



I think this was the fourth time ive watched this amazing film
and while on the fourth time round i did find the editing a bit patchy
and trying to make this kung fu flick a bit too 'arty',
its still a timeless piece none the less.

Donnie Yen and Jet Li's battle in the mind is still the most amazing scene for me
and while the film is still freshly being introduced to us
this scene loses no pace and is perfectly executed.

I have to just adore the blend of poetry and violence this film
has to offer.

The score from Tan Dun & Yo YoMa is brilliant
and on my iPod for a reason.

Wednesday, 21 April 2010

Bubba Ho-tep (2002)
screenplay & directed by
Doncoscarelli
short story by Joe R Lansdale




This is great!
Elvis lives. He really does!
He just goes by the name Sebastian Haff.
And he lives  in an old folks home.
His best friends are a demented Kimosabe
and a black John F Kennedy.
Oh yea , and they are being hunted by an
ass sucking mummy.

Hoe could this ever be bad ?
Starring Bruce Campell!!

Thursday, 8 April 2010

Alice (2009) produced by the SCI-FI channel


I've got a thing for all things Alice in Wonderland.
Even as a little boy the raging jealousy of Alice
having all that fun, and yet that fun wasted on silly
little Alice, it was too much to contain.

So Syfy have a rethink about this lovely novel
from Carrol... and i think its alright.
I mean, its pretty weak actually
but i am a self confessed, loud & proud
sci-fi geek so i loved it. 
And you might too should you fit my shoes.

A Bigsey Malone styled March Hare
the Queen of Hearts played by the psycho lady from
Misery, and Alice is a brunette who wears red leggings
and knee high boots.

Not for everyone i will say.

Bunny & The Bull (2009)
written & directed by Paul King



Scorsese, take some notes here.
This is how you make a movie that is both
original and visually stunning.

Stephen dives into his mind to recall
or relive a road trip i am not sure which.
And thats what kinda makes it a great film.

Visually this film is nothing short of stunning.
Big open sceneries conjured up with countless
Poloroid shots, fences made from files
and bulls made from...gold foil ?

One of the latest Warp Film
production house, this forward thinking art-house
record label has been churning out the right stuff for
some time now and this is a testament of the quality
of their productions.

This is a super creative comedy
and i'd highly recommend it to just about everybody.

Clash of the Titans (2010)
directed by Terry Leterrier
original screenplay by Beverly Cross




This was semi-entertaining.
I knew what i was in for really.
Holly wood can't remake anything without butchering it.
well, thats not entirely true.
But it is this time.

I guess i can't be too harsh.
Its not like the original 1981 epic was that great either.
So lets say i enjoyed the pace a lot more this time.
And yea the CG was great.
But i think Hollywood humour needs to be left out
-really... please.

The one exception was the dig at the little robotic owl.
That was funny.

Casting Sam Worthington as the hero in this film
was definetly a better choice than the original gay iconic
Harry Hamlin ( i mean even the name for f**s sake)

Worth £16 at the cinema
- which included a bottle of water and a pack of maltesers ?
Hell no.

I think i'm done with going out to the cinema for a while.
This lever of mediocrity and complaisancey
is just really getting on my nerves far too much these days.

Oh yea totally my fault for not checking that the douche bag
that directed this film was responsible for Transporter 2
and the Incredible Hulk.
Could have been a lot worse actually.

To Terry:
dude, get out of film making your giving me a headache.

Shutter Island (2010)
direct by Martin Scorsese
Screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis
Novel by Dennis Lehane




Regardless of what the critics are saying
this is a crap film.
2 hours i won't ever get back.
And i don't care about my friends saying how
wonderfully shot it is, it wasn't
and the dreamy metaphorical parts
-pretentious crap.
J'adore well thought out sequences in film.
But this is just pretentious crap,
and the very kind i just can't stand.
I actually watched it following Clash of the Titans
hoping that this would lift me up after having
watched Hollywood yet again butcher another
classic.
And boy was i wrong,
I figured out the plot within the first 20 minutes of the film
but i kept telling myself
'no...no.. it can't be THAT obvious'

Scorsese, i love you, but its time to throw in the towel.

Thursday, 1 April 2010

Little Big Soldier (2010)
directed by Shen Ding
screenplay by Jackie Chan



Its a great joy to see Jackie Chan return to Chinese cinema.
This film in particular is remarkably beautiful.
This is a mature Chan who's character is a humble
soldier who chooses living over fighting for honour.
He is even underplayed in the fight scenes and battles losing
out to superior fighters and i found this very acceptable.

The cinematography is what champions this film.
Set in rural China, the journey of Chan and his captive
to return to the Land of Liang brings us to through
some of the most stunning backdrops that China has to offer.

If Chans matured role in this film is an indication of whats to come
then his best films are yet to be made and im truly excited.