I AM A VIDEO JUNKIE

mr. nobody (2009)written & directed by Jaco Van Dormael

2010-06-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

I must apologize for not being as as i was when i first started this blog. i was really hoping to use this as a way of accounting my obscene film digestion. but i went on a bit of a binge and i just cant be arsed, and thats so lame!! - so account for some of the films ive seen. but this will change!
i am inspired!!

so back to the blogging.

i was quite dubious about watching this. i totally judged it by its cover. and i'll be honest, looking at it, it really doesnt sell itself. i walked by it thinking i passed on a film about a young boy torn between the decision of living with mom or dad in a bitter divorce, which , is not far of.

a challenging film about choice and the infinite possibilities of choice would have been a better guess, but how was i to know?

the film is geniusly made.
really!
i dont think ive had such fun watching a film where the director has literally pulled out every trick in the bag, and overdoing it, without overdoing it.

to top it off the film features an inspiring 'borrowed' score from the likes of hans zimmer, satie, multiple renditions of the chordettes - sandman and pavane to name a few...

explaining this film in anyway would only cheapen its experience

& needless to say this film has made it way into my top 10 of all time.

Ondine (2009)written & directed by Neil Jordan

2010-06-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

This is a simple beautiful movie about a fisherman who fishes a beautiful woman out of the sea.
There is an instant attraction and the two fall in love.

It was wonderfully shot on the Irish coastal line by Christopher Doyle who provided the visual beauty of 2046 & Hero, scored by Sigur Ros keyboard player - Kjartan Sveinsson.. you can kind of guess what kind of wonderful film this was to experience.

from paris with love (2010) written by luc besson

2010-05-27T03:24:00.000-07:00

Did they really make this movie so they could shave Travolta's head
and get him to say 'Royal with cheese' ?
rubbish movie.
garbage.
Cant believe i sat through it.
I really need to stop doing that.
next please!

Wall E (2008) directed by Andrew Stanton written by Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter

2010-05-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

A funny re-watch this one.

While at a friend house over the weekend gettin a little.... *ahem ahem*..

decided to watch this film muted while listening to a techno mix.

You know what, still just as emotional.
The film requires so no sound to help it.

Its so simply & ingenuously thought out that you could enjoy the whole movie

without its score, soundtrack or sound.

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

2010-04-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

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 byYimou Zhang

2010-04-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2010-04-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

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!!

Alice (2009) produced by the SCI-FI channel

2010-04-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

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 KalogridisNovel by Dennis Lehane

2010-04-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

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.

Little Big Soldier (2010) directed by Shen Dingscreenplay by Jackie Chan

2010-04-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

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.

Alvin & The Chipmunks : The Squeakqual

2010-03-31T00:53:00.000-07:00

Alright, alright.
I watched this.
And yes it was horrible.
But damn man, those frikkin chipmunks
are so damn cute.
And here they are again.
With cute little girl chipmunks.
Damn, even cuter.

But i have to say i find this hip-hop
grind culture to be brainless, tasteless and lame.
Really.
Really really lame!

So.
Waste of time.
Lame movie.
But super cute chipmunks.
i couldn't resist.
And just to hear Jason Lee
who makes an AMAZING dave
scream ALLLLVVVVVIIIIIIINNNN
was pretty nostalgic.

Robin Williams: Weapons Of Self Destruction (2010) written by Robin Williams

2010-03-31T00:40:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know Robin Williams even did stand up.
Then you have seriously missed out.
He has been a favourite of mine for well over 10 years.

Before his days on Mork & Mindy, this rampant and often
over excited grown man's sense of humour was so random
and spontaneous you would take bets just to see who could be
so wrong about what he would do with the random items
to be found in a box on stage.

Then in 2002 just after the bombings of 9/11
Williams came out with a harsh comedic routine
about Muslims , terrorists and the attack on New York
helping American put it all behind them by laughing at the
entire situation.

Now that took some serious gonads. And seriously,
its only because everybody loves Williams that he could
even think about getting away with it.

So here he is again.
Bombing Bush, Obama, big banks, America, Blair, whites, blacks,
Latinos, homophobes and gays alike. No one is spared really.
Not even Schwarzenegger.

I would dare say this is probably even his best stand up routine ever.

Spun (2002) directed by Jonas Akerlund screenplay by Wil Del Los Santos & Creighton Vero

2010-03-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

This will be a totally unfair review as my favourite stories

are those of excess.

And this is what this film is.

A cast of tweakers and wired meth heads.
There was so much meth usage,

i kept feeling the urge to get high.

This crazy film has a peculiar film,

stars a few teenage goody goods who i

think are just trying to break out of their claim to fame

roles, such a Suvari, Fugit & Murphy.

TRIVIA: the actress who played Rourke's dial-a-hooker,

her real name is China Chow. Something tells me it should have

been her hooker name.

I don't know how to review this film.

The plot was so whack it kept moving and moving

and its final twist into dementia - perfect.

Once again, brilliant story of excess.
Loved it and highly recommend.
Oh yea, how come it took me so long

to clock onto it.

Alice in Wonderland (2010) directed by Tim Burtonwritten by Lewis Carrol screenplay by Linda Woolverton

2010-03-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

With all the excitement that i kinda let myself buy into

with this newest rendition of my favourite book ever,

by the time i had finally managed to catch up with

watching it, i have to admit, i wasn't anymore.

The writing was pretty lame i have to say.
The prelude up to Alice's fall into wonderland

was slow, and brutally annoying.
But after a slow painful torturous introduction

she falls through the rabbit hole.

And im starting to have fun.
The first few details to catch my eye were the dragonfly

and the rocking horsefly. -Brilliant!!
But then the horrible writing starts to eat over the beautifully

sketched wonderland.

For the next hour or so im hugely entertained - yay!

Depp's Hatter is great, although im wondering why he has these Scottish

moments. - seriously.

The star of the show is Helena Bonham Carter's Queen of Hearts.
She i enjoyed every moment of.
Every little twitch, snitch and itch.

But the weak writing pulls through again.

From the moment Alice has her 'recollection'

right up to the very end of the film - its really weak writing.

Sure enough its beautiful,

its just really weak writing.
And sorry the little dance at the end - pathetic.
Please Disney, let someone who's not on your writing staff

do the job right. You haven't really done it since the original AIW.

Overall I enjoyed this. Visually it was very fun.

Burton's little team did well.
Disney - fuck off.

Nothing (2003) written & directed by Vincenzo Natali

2010-03-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Too unique.
Way too original.
Everything disappears.
Less dramatic than 'The Nothing' from the Neverending Story
But way cooler.

Starring my now new favourite actor David Hewlitt,
its a great plot about two guys who have everything go
wrong for them and somehow, just somehow make
everything disappear in an instant.
Completely.
Like, everything turns white.
There is no scenery. No location.
The entire film almost takes place in white nothingness.

Super cool & original and oh yea - genius!!

men of a certain age (2009)created by Ray Romano & Mike Royce

2010-03-26T05:10:00.000-07:00

To start this was a perfect cast for me.
Each actor perfectly and elegantly portraying his role.

I'll admit. What caught my attention really was the title

of this mini-series. I didn't even know it was written

by Ray Romano - who i think it always brilliant!

One of those funny things to wonder you know,

about getting older.
Specially for men. It's like theres no hand book

or guidance here. Men don't particularly talk,

much less about anything much really.
Which kinda sucks. But on the other hand its great.

This show presents some truth i think.
I say i think as im about 20 years away from

where these three guys are. But still i stare down at my gut

and i can relate. *chuckles*

10 hour long episodes. Just great.
And a second season signed in Feb.
I will gladly be following that one too!

Stargate Atlantis (2004-2009)

2010-03-26T02:37:00.000-07:00

I've come to realise that when you decide to watch a sci-fi television series
your pretty much committed.
See the downside is that not every episode is amazing.
In fact when its bad, its dire. Like, really dire. Oh Dear.
However, when its good....nothing really comes close.
So you go through 5 seasons to come across some real gems.

The real problem is that you have to really get to know
all the characters really well before the true genius
of the writing can take effect.
Its hard otherwise, and i've tried to show friends clips
or sit down with one to watch an episode.
And now they think i'm this sad geezer who likes watching
budget sci-fi tv shows.
So if you haven't gotten involved its not really going
to really do it for you.

So the best thing about SGA??
I discovered Rodney McKay!!
The people who wrote this character must have used him
as an outlet to rip at everyone on the show,
because that is just what Dr. McKay did.
I found myself watching SGA just to watch this guy!
He's full of endless quotes. He is simply amazing to watch.
So much so that i recently joined a Facebook group called
'every quote from Rodney Mckay is my favourite quote'

Oh did i mention Skinner from X-Files made it onto this one.

Zombies of Mass Destruction (2009) directed by Kevin Hamedani written by Kevin Hamedani & Ramon Isao

2010-03-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

To put this on par with Sean of the Dead was quite a mistake.
However, this was funny.

Its not a great zombie film.
I mean the zombies didn't show up till about an hour in.
But when they did it was out of the blue.
All of a sudden everyone is covered in blood.
Brilliant!!
I mean if your going to stall, then you better make sure
that the annoying boyfriend in question
gets his face ripped of his head before you move onto the next kill.

My favourite moment in this film was the bashing of Islamic
countries in an argument between an Iranian girl and her boyfriend.
Some very smart and funny dialogue.

Yea, if you offended by...just about anything cool.
forget this one.
Super low budget. But way better than Zombies on a Plane.

Defendor (2009) written & directed byPeter Stebbings

2010-03-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

I loved how this movie started.
Woody is just perfect!
Sneaking around in the dark.
Dressed in black.
A massive D taped to his chest.

I thought this was going to be a comedy
and for sure, in some parts it was hilarious.
But this is a serious movie about a mentally
challenged man who thinks he's a super hero.

There are some seriously touching moments
in this movie. I really wasn't ready for it.
To top it off musically this movie has some serious style.
There are few moments where there isn't music used
to back a scene.
And for the most part,
some old detective vibe can be felt from the combination
of Defendor's snooping coupled with the score.

Like i said, i was expecting a comedy
and got a great film instead.
Thank you Woody.
A highly recommended flick.

The Decent Part 2 (2009) directed by Jon Harris written byJ BlakesonJames McCarthyJames Watkins

2010-03-07T01:01:00.000-08:00

Watching The Decent Part 2 i remember some of the things
that made me love the first film.
the music is quite relaxing i must say for a film
about descending into small tight caves
and then being butchered to death at the hands
of some strange eyeless people.

The Decent was for me a very original style of horror.
The idea of climbing down into the dark,
crawling into the tightest of craveces
plays on such a deep fear of being clostrphobic.
At the time, i didnt know it was going to be a
monster movie.

I'd recently watched Into The Void,
and having a slight fascination with these climbers,
thought i was going to be in for a journey
where everyone turned on each other after encountering some
problem, such as being trapped or having to deal
with an injured friend, ultimately leading trust issues.
Which i was right about.
But then just at the most tense moment in the film,
out come the monsters to make the situation
slightly more horrid for the doomed climbers.

So now expecting the monsters and being a sequal
a rescue mission to find the missing girls from the first film
helps to move the pace in this sequel.
The music once again feeling slightly reminiscent of
a 90s thriller flick.

Despite having a totally new writing and directing team
the film still captures great elements from the first
film like our fear of the dark and small spaces.
The shock elements here are also just as great.
Very subtle.
And as we know trying to see in the dark
through video camera night vision
- is always a bad idea.

I enjoyed this one as much as the first.

Merry Gentleman (2008) directed by Michael Keatonwritten by Ron Lazeretti

2010-03-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

This one was pretty cool.
Keaton was super cool in the 80s and then
he just disappeared.
Just like so many big stars in the 80s.

So hes back in a directorial role as well
and pulls it off !!

The story is really cute.
Keaton plays a stone cold assassin
who for some reason wants to commit suicide
until a lonely Scottish woman catches him trying
to jump of a roof top after hes just off-ed someone.

Its a very unlikely love story
and one that doesn't end with disappointment.

The Boat That Rocked (2009) written & directed byRichard Curtis

2010-03-02T05:06:00.000-08:00

I don't know why it took me so long to watch this one.
Well i do.
I put it on a hard disk of mine which got lost.
So i find it.
And slap this one on.

And wow!!!
These are the kind of films i wish England made more of.
No gangsters, no banks, no minis, no 19th century dames
in old Victorian castles in distress.
Its just cool.
Really cool.

Perhaps im a little biased here, but i really do enjoy
films about music.
So this one about a pirate radio station on a ship out at sea,
brilliant plot.
The film had no weak moments.
Not one.

Every moment we need something to happen,
its filled with great music or naked women.
C'mon.
I can say brilliant again.

The showdown betwen Philip Seymour Hoffmann
and Rhys Ifans is utterly butterly!!

So, i really liked this.
And the music.
The music!!!

This one can be watched again easily.

Everybodys Fine (2009) written & directed by Kirk Jonesoriginal screenplay by Giuseppe Tornatore

2010-02-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

The marvel of DeNiro in his golden years now
is that he really is.
I've really gone of the Gino Gangster flicks
that have made DeNiro the acting hero
that most boys revere and have enjoyed just about
everything else i have ever seen from him.

What Just Happened was something special
with DeNiro taking a good shot at the
world of movie making and his roles in recent years has really
seemed to me like an actor trying to put aside for his more
notorious type casts into something purely wonderful.

As such is Everybodys Fine, which i have just found out
is a remake of 90's Italian film - Sanno Tutti Benne.
To my further delight, its orirignally written & directed by
Giuseppe Tornatore; the writer & director of Cinema Paradiso.
So first thing this week is acquire this version!!

This film made me tear. It really touched me.
Its not often a film about families provides an accurate
portrayal of how our parents might see us.
And somehow, least we hope not.
But as well how we tend to react to them.
I know i try very hard to be honest with mine and after watching
this film, feel a bit better about my relationship with my mother.

So do watch with a light heart.

Great effort from the entire cast and director - Kirk Jones.
Some scenic shots here are wonderful. Nothing flashy.
Everything kept simple & perfect. The pace was beautiful
and the music sweet.

As for DeNiro, if this is what we can expect of his years to come,
then hes only going to get better.

Whiteout (2009)directed by Dominic Sena

2010-02-24T23:07:00.000-08:00

Urm, why?
Why did i watch this.
I knew it was going to be crap.
But the idea of the Antarctic really appeals to me.

I love the idea of this place that's totally void of life.
Well apart from the crazy penguins that reside there.
But there are no penguins in this story today.

You know those predictable thriller films with the 'bad guy'
who isn't the real 'bad guy'.
There is a badder guy behind it all.
So i'm there trying to figure out the story.
Nailing it at every turn (maybe this is why i watch these tragedies)
when the film totally surprises me, there is no badder guy.
The one bad guy it had was the only bad guy.
LAME !!!

There is beauty in this film. The white landscapes are beautiful
with some wonderfully shot sequences.
But this alone can't save a very mediocre style-less film.
There is a beautiful moment where Bekinsale stripes down
before a shower which was a delight to watch.
Perhaps this whole film was a rougue from some producer

to watch her get her kit off ?

A complete and total mockery to the Frank Miller comic books.

A Killer Whale Called Luna (2010) by Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit

2010-02-24T22:53:00.000-08:00

In the world of television Its quite embarrassing i think
how the BBC has allowed its news broadcasting
to falter i think almost constantly.
There isn't an instance whenever i watch BBC News
that i don't hear an apology for some muck up with
some technical error on a poorly reported story.
I always feel that this historical broadcasting corporation
needs to re-evaluate what its doing with its news team.
To top it off shows like Strictly Come Dancing add a further
degradation to to its tarnished reputation.
Its boast to having the worlds most popular show - Top Gear
doesn't help its credibility either. Rich men talking about cars
isn't exactly the kind of show that makes me think -
what an amazing television station.

For me the 'beebs' one redeeming factor and its true testament
and historical contribution to the world of television, broadcasting
film-making and is its nature documentary legacy.

For years my heart has been touched and my mind -enlightened
and educated by the countless nature programs the BBC produces.
I can't say how sad i will be when David Attenborough passes.
I've grown up with this man's shows and countless others from the BBC.

So its here now in something i watched with Liz just before bedtime,
that once again that tears fell from the eyes with
A Killer Whale Called Luna

A heartbreaking story of a young Orca
who somehow through its own curiosity was separated from
his mother & pod and spent five years living amongst humans
in Nookta Sound of Vancouver Bay.

Luna's loss of family and companionship drove the lonely whale
right into the heart of the local comminuty where he sought
friendship from anyone who would set out on the water.
There are countless stories here of how this young Orca
tried to make friends with many people,
wanting to play with them and to share affection with one another.

The way the story tied into the life of the people of the First Nation
brings it one step further as they viewed his arrival as a rebirth
of a famous tribal leader again symbolising the Orca's love
with the indigenous locals.

This documentary is one of the most unique stories i
have had the fortunate chance of coming across.
A true reminder of our humanity and our link and bond
with our animal brothers and sisters.

watch it here:
BBC iPLAYER - A Killer Whale Called Luna

The Hurt Locker (2008) directed by Katheryn Bigelow written by Mark Boal

2010-02-24T01:04:00.000-08:00

There aren't many war films that enjoy watching,
and this was one of them.
I'm not even sure why.
The characters are believable and there
Isn't so much pro war talk or pro America talk.
In fact the one place i do remember seeing an
American flag is where they keep the dead people.

I ended up watching this due to curiosity really.
I'm not a big fan of war genres and this whole Iraq
thing is just far too overrated for me.
I wanted to get in on the hype about James Cameron's
ex-wife who made a film that contends Avatar
for the Oscar on a serious level.
And it does.
These are the kind of film i like to see get nominated for
best picture. Although - i must say the final choice of
soundtracking - very very poor!
Shame on you music supervisor.

But the style is pretty cool.
Guerilla filming is the way to go for war films.
And a subdued score just gets me every time.
Somehow violence and beautiful music go hand in hand.
I have to admit - i do find the idea of diffusing bombs to be
pretty exciting.
I remember watching loads of films and always wondering how they
know which wire to cut.
So much pressure on so little.

This is a great film to watch, what i found particularly funny
were the two famous appearances getting snubbed out quickly.
Brilliant.

I do find small casts seem to go further in story telling.
So...Best Picture - i'm not sure.
I've seen better films.
But this is great film still non the less.

Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) written & directed byMichael Moore

2010-02-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

I know its not a popular idea,
and im also known for my radical opinions
but i do love capitalism.

by definition:
Capitalism is an economic and social system in which capital and land, the non-labor factors of production (also known as the means of production), are privately owned, labor, goods and resources are traded in markets; and profit, after taxes, is distributed to the owners or invested in technologies and industries.

I dig what this means.
Being an artist the right to sell my art how i see fit
means a lot to me.
But what ruins this pristine idea
is simply greed.

And this is what Michael Moore should really have focused on in this
humorous documentary.
Its no secret that Moore holds his socialist ideals
close to heart.
Watch any of his documentaries and you will see
just how one sided his arguments are.

I mean, if you borrow against your home,
surely you cant be ignorant of the fact that your going
to lose your home if you don't keep up
on payments.

The tragedy here, is that the banks messed up
and it was the poor who lost their homes.

But the beauty here in Capitalism: A Love Story
is how he successfully strung together
shocking horrorific news
of people being thrown out of their homes
to a social uprising.
Which made my heart beat fast till i was bursting into tears
from sheer joy in what humanity is capable of
when pulled together.

I wont dismiss Moore's one sided debate.
He is to me a master of edutainment.
And in a world where TV is the new source
of education - Moore is truly a hero for good.

Legion (2010) written & directed byScott Stewart

2010-02-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

Don't you just hate it when film trailers make films out to be horrible
and then turn out to be fantastic?!
Well this isn't that.
But its not like it was a bad film and the trailer made it out
to be great.
The trailer made this film out to be something, predictable.
But what really angered me here,
is that it made it out to be alot better than the frail tragic peice of
hollywood film making than it was supposed to be.

Bad script.
Bad plot.

Even Paul Bettany and Dennis Quaid seemed
almost not bothered to put on a good performance.

The star of the show - Charles S Dutton didnt even last 10 minutes in the film.
What the hell?!
Cast someone not important if your only gona kill the cool guy off right away.

Trash this please.
Avoid at all cost.

The Burrowers (2008)written & directed by J.T. Petty

2010-02-17T16:25:00.000-08:00

Get me some of this again!!
I'd put this along the lines of The Decent which i enjoyed
- immensely.

With a western setting, a group of men head out
on a journey to find their missing women.
They think that a native american tribe called
the 'Burrowers' have kidnapped them and
try to find them before they are raped and killed.

Problem is, there are no Indians involved.
Their women have been kidnapped by monsters
who have already started to digest them.

Its a slow paced film with some very dark and
twisted moments.
What a wonderful choice for a bedtime film.
It didn't put me in a sleeping mood at all.
But its a cool cool film i have to say.

Crazy Heart (2009) written & directed by Scott Cooper novel by Thomas Cobb

2010-02-15T23:05:00.000-08:00

Jeff Bridges is one of the few great actors of our time,
who holds such a strong presence in any film
that even when the character is a supporting one,
its hard for his magnificence to not
almost completely steal the show.

This film is all about Bridges.
The story line is probably just what every other
country music song is based upon.
And we fall into this very comfortably.
Very easily.
You see - Its been done before.
The direction and style here is very subtle.
Even easier to fall into this.
A soft acoustic guitar guides us musically through
the entire film.
I'm in.

Bridges gives a performance I have not seen since
The Fabulous Baker Boys and the Fisher King.
He carries the entire film
and is in just about every shot throughout.
Bridges has just recently won a Golden Globe
for his performance here.
I hope the awards continue.

This is one i could easily watch again
comparable to Walk The Line.
Great film.

Yes Men Fix the World (2009) from Andy Bichlbaum & Mike Bonanno

2010-02-15T22:53:00.000-08:00

*total spoiler alert*
**i promise it wont stop you from totally enjoying this anyway**

This is just nuts.
F***ing nuts!
These two guys want to fix the world.
Almost over night.

Posing as DOW executives,
and hosting a convention for banks.
They start by selling a modelling scheme
called 'The Golden Skeleton'.
They admit to having human casualties.
But as long as there is profit - its alright.
What's shocking is how they intended to shock
thank banks with this rouse, but instead are
practically cheered on.

What came next was even more shocking.
Via their fake DOW website, the BBC e-mails them
asking if they would like to do an interview
to coincide with the 20 year anniversary of the Bhopal incident.

So, if your like me and obviously know nothing of Bhopal,
then you didn't know that Union Carbide (now assimilated into DOW),
caused a gas leak in a small City in India,
that caused the death of 25,000 people.
How is stuff like this not taught in history class ?
And why did my parents never mention anything ?
DOW did spend millions and millions of dollars fixing the problem.
They paid for a massive advertising campaign to clean up their image.
Not the mess they made.
So 20 years on, people are still dying from this tragedy.
Children are born deformed and
many women are no longer able to bear children.
Horrible right ?

So once again posing as DOW execs, the Yes Men head to a BBC
studio in Paris and film a bogus interview with the BBC which was aired live.
Whilst on air, they claimed that DOW was sorry for the tragedy.
Oh yeah- they never claimed responsibility for the incident!
They also claimed that DOW would spend USD$24 billion to fix up the city
and pay for health care for all those who have suffered.

The BBC naturally started boasting BREAKING NEWS live
and publicizing the startling story everywhere on the internet.
Within 20 minutes DOW's stock plummeted 3% and the company lost
USD$23 billion.
Within the next hour DOW issued an official statement about the hoax
and the BBC made a live apology and hour later.

The tactics involved where somewhat genius.
And the Yes Men actually got away with it.
What made it better is that Channel 4 news interview them shortly after.
Jonathan Snow once again being the ultimate douche-bag ,
attacking them on live television,
saying that their actions had no thought of how the people of Bhopal
might actually feel about the hoax.

Feeling guilty about what they had done,
the Yes Men fly to Bhopal, only to find out that
they had become heroes to the people of the city.

See, what totally sucks here,
is that the media have gotten real good,
at not providing news any more.
Its mediocrity at its finest hour.
My one complaint about news firms like the BBC,
is that i don't really care about Gwendalyn who's god damn
poodle just won some stupid dog competition,
or that Bernard has now got internet in his little village.
There are serious events happening around the world
and here is the western world with its wealth and power
preoccupied with what Pie to eat over winter.

The Yes men are a breathe of fresh air to a world
that needs a little shake up
and their utterly humorous attempt
at trying to generate awareness,
which I am willing to bet my bottom dollar on
cost a lot less then Live8,
Is truly poetic and astounding.

My little spoiler only touches on the first 20 minutes of
this feature length documentary.
And believe me, it gets funnier and bigger with every
hoax. I highly suggest it to everyone.

Nine Miles Down (2009) directed by Anthony Waller written byEverett De Roche & Anthony Waller

2010-02-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while i voluntarily watch a horrid b flick.
This time starring Adrian Paul of The Highlander series.
I used to watch The Highlander series religiously.
The sword fighting and historical memoirs made Adrian Paul
something cool to watch. Every once in a while just hoping
to see Christopher Lambert make an appearance, which he
eventually did.

Well Paul was less than great, in this less than great film.
And i urm..... passed out half way through.
I remember waking up only to see his naked ass
pressed up against a nice looking blonde woman.
And then i passed out again.

I tried to get back into it the next day.
And just couldn't.

Crappers.

500 Days of Summer (2009) directed by Mark Webbwritten by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

2010-02-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

I very much remember watching the trailer for this
when i went to see the Bruno movie.
A failed trailer that marketed it as a summer chick flick.
So when a good friend recommended this,
I had to watch it.

And surprised i was.
This is a very unique film with honest
good heart felt emotion.

It had a very artistic presentation and i must commend
on the brilliant choice of narration coupled with soundtrack
picking.
The camera work is great with come very unique cut scenes.

I really enjoyed this film,
even though i took a break half time to cook up some crepes.
What can i say, i get hungry when i feel all good inside.

The Box (2009) written & directed byRichard Kelly

2010-02-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

Seems like Richard Kelly has redeemed himself.
I mean the guy went from Donnie Darko to Southland Tales.
Similar to giving up a wonderful family life in a beautiful house
to living with a bunch of rednecks in a camper van.
Utterly disgusting.

I actually hated this guy for so long and myself
for having to watch a film starring
Justin Timberflake and The Rock.
If you haven't seen Southland - avoid at all cost.
Oh yea then theres this whole thing about
how Donnie Darko was actually about God.
NOOOOOOO! Don't ruin a brilliant film
by explaining it with a 'God' factor.... cringe...
my anger face followed by more - cringe.

So The Box.
I can't help but feel like im watching film
that was made in the 60's.
Everything was just right.
The clothes, the cars, the cutlery and even the curtains.
The shoes, the glasses, the hair and the awesome televisions!!
The camera shots feel like an updated 60's flick
with the sort of panning you wish they had back then.
And to add to it the Barnard Hermann like score
only threw gas on this flame.

So what can i say, i think i really liked it.
I say i think, as i wasn't sure what i was going to
get out of this film.
Certainly, i think i got more than i intended.
Or at least something totally different.
I've never seen anything like it to be honest,
so perhaps im in a little bit of shock.
The plot is just so twisted and cruel.
And i mean really twisted and really really cruel.
It is a very dark film,
which plays on the moralities of human kind.

My favourite moment involves an awesome
sequence involving a a library and what reminded
me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. -SUPERB!!!

The one thing that really ruined it for me was Diaz's over
melodramatic facial expression through out the entire film.
Right, i know your feeling a bit low
- but don't over do it darling.

Stephen Fry Intelligence Debate

2010-02-11T21:45:00.000-08:00

What it it with waking up at strange hours of the morning.
It's 6am and i can't get back to sleep.

So onto facebook and reading up on posts,
and looky looky. A post with Stephen Fry !!!
He is the most exciting person on television for me!
I just LOVE QI.

But this here is something else.

The Intelligence² Debate - Stephen Fry (Unedited)

download full debate here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

RANT: Martin Douglas for MSN FILMS

2010-02-10T23:18:00.000-08:00

PLEASE NOTE: the following rant is directed solely at
Martin 'Douche Bag' Douglas for his moronic
and patronizing article for Msn Movies.

I suggest reading it before
reading my rant.
you can read it here:
http://movies.uk.msn.com/movie-awards/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=152101045&page=11

It's 6:30 am.
I've just woken up and can't get back to sleep.
Hoorah.
Switch on the computer and
log onto msn to check my emails.

Up pops MSN TODAY.
And the very first thing msn news feeds me:
WHY AVATAR MUST WIN BEST FILM.

Alright i'm curious.
Personally i think the Oscars are a total waste of time.
In case you didn't know....
and of course it isn't really written anywhere,
at some point the Oscars got bought out
by big Hollywood fat cats
who realized it was the best way to market their DVD stock.
Joe Public hasn't realised this yet.
And neither has Martin Douglas.

They should legalize torrent download for films.
That might turn the Oscars
back into the award ceremony it was meant to be.

So, back to my rant.
This rant is directed at moronic buffoons
like Martin Douglas for Msn Movies.

He writes:
"The 11 best reasons why
Avatar should win best picture."
So i read. I thought Avatar was
quite brilliant to be honest.
What a joy ride.
I mean seriously it was so much fun to watch.
But best picture.
I mean to call it the film of the year,
I watch a lot films,
that's not something i take lightly.
Calling only one of them - The Best.
So i read Martin Douglas' review
And goodness. Not one worthy answer.

Dude, let me proudly say
your the biggest film critic douche bag ever!
I mean you haven't given it one true credit
except pointing out the biggest obvious one
that Avatar is a frikkin sci-fi film.
You know what Martin Douche - the kids got that one
with out you having to point it out.
Don't patronize me.
It makes me feel like your insulting
my intelligence. tsk tsk.

The story is un-doubtfully a
nice big blue version of Dances with wolves.
A film that won Best Picture in 1990
because it had such an original story to tell.
It also picked up awards for best directing
, best screenplay, original score, sound,
and cinematography. I mean here you go,
look at what it took to create a Best Picture.

And when it comes to stuff like the Best Picture,
you know, 'its so good' it must be claimed
as the best film of the year
we really should be awarding these new told stories.
Films that make a difference.
Silly me, i guess Cameron is probably going to win
as he did with Titanic.
Gee, i wonder how he came up with THAT brilliant idea.
Oh yea, it bloody happened already.

I will have to agree with all of the Oscar nomination categories
that Avatar is in , apart from the best picture.

The BEST PICTURE award should contain
two of the following :

Best Writing for adapted screenplay
Best Writing for original screenplay
Best Directing

I mean what we are looking for that makes a great film,
must have all the elements.
Great acting, story, picture, score.
But the two main elements really, a great story and directing.
And check it out Martin Douglas,
they didn't nominate best writing
because its stolen idea.

So 6 reasons why Martin Douglas is a douche:
1. Pointing out the obvious makes me feel like a moron Martin
-how dare you!!
2. Anyone who favors Cameron over Tarantino
for anything post Abyssis - definitely a douche-bag.
3. Put that 'message' in a bottle and shove it up your a$$.
4. Actually claiming how much money a film has raked in
determines its worth as a film, definitely makes you the biggest
douche-bag film critic ever.
5. As enjoyable as this film was, i've seen better films this year,
the fantastic Mr.Fox, Precious, Clold Souls, The Informant,
The Lovely Bones even.
6. He didn't leave any contact details for me to rant this right to his face.

Martin Douglas probably gets out of the office
from writing these horrible reviews for Msn that he doesn't know that
there are more movies than the ones advertised everywhere,
once again making him top film douche-bag.

I couldn't find a picture of Martin Douglas or a contact email.
So i hope this picture of a douchebag i found on google will do.

Agora written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar

2010-02-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

This is a very interesting movie.
which unfortunately left my heart with little sympathy for those
of Christian belief.

Following the events which led up to
the death of Hypatia of Alexandria,
Amenabar's epic historical film tells
the story of the uprising of Christianity
and its intolerance with other surrounding beliefs.

Later reading would tell me some cool things such as this.
The agora was a place of assembly in ancient Greek states.
People would gather to hear statements
from ruling kings and council
Agora also served as a marketplace
where merchants kept stalls or shops to sell their goods. From this twin function of the agora as a political and
commercial space came the two Greek verbs
αγοράζω, agorázō, "I shop",
and αγορεύω, agoreýō, "I speak in public".
The word agoraphobia, the fear of critical public situations,
derives from agora in its meaning as a gathering place.

Rachel Wiesz portrays Hypatia (aren't these old Greek names just the coolest!),
a philosopher and scientist who i think wise beyond her years.
I just feel for the enlightened few of yesteryear who became victim of primitive
ignorance. I knew if were alive back then i would have been burnt at the cross
for heresy or worse.

I didn't know that she hypothesized that the Earth was not at the centre of the universe.
And had proved it. And this happened 1,400 years before Copernicus.
But we never got to learn this because early Christians burnt all records of it.
One of the saddest moment in this film is when the Christians are let into an ancient library
and burn it to the ground as it was a pagan library.
Surely even your enemies knowledge is knowledge nonetheless ?

This movie left me feeling bitter and angry and even more - utterly disappointed
with how history was written.
Its a great film. Really.
The score is stunning. Quite original even.
Such an emotional undertone to the entire film.
Written by Dario Marianelli who scored the Soloist.

And visually the film is stunning with constant pull outs
to show off the entire landscape and our planetary relation.
Visually i think this is a very original take on this sort
of periodic film.

But be warned. If you are a devout Christian,
do the world a favour and watch this.

Daybreakers (2009) written & directed by Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig

2010-02-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

I guess just because i love vampire movies,
doesn't mean i'm going to like all vampire movies.
And when the Spierig guys try to make this vampy city life style film
i urm... rejected it.

I did sit through the whole thing,
but the end of the film was just cluttered in clichés.
And so many loose ends too, just tied up without much thought.
The "redeeming sacrifices" need to stop in film making as far
as im concerned.
You know, the one wherethe 'bad guy' has a change of heart,
and lets himself die in order to save the good guys.
Its a pointless death,
and i think Hollywood has abused this so much
- i just no longer care.

Tell you what,
here are some positive notes
to this tragic vampire movie,
Sam Neil is once again a cool villain.
Ah yes, the degenerate vampires
- could have done with a lot more of these.
The idea, humans are going extinct
and the world is running out of blood for the vamps
- very very cool.
But damn, PLEASE write a better story for it.

And the bad note,
Ethan Hawke didn't get a steak through the chest.
Damn.
Another bad note, no sexy neck biting.
C'mon - its a vamp movie
and its not about ugly bat like vamps.
Get some skin in.

As far as vampire movies go,
better than some but still a bad film.

The Men Who Star at Goats (2009) directed by Grant Heslov screenplay by Peter Straughan based on a book by Jon Ronson

2010-02-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

Fantastic.
Fabulous.
Frivolous.
Frantastical ?! yea ?

Stupendous film.
Gotta love Clooney in these quirky roles.
But with a cast like Clooney, Mcgregor, Spacey & Bridges,
seriously - are you gona fuck up? Hell no.
The cool of cool.
Superb casting.
And what a killer story line.
Peaceful Jedi Soldiers.
JEDI SOLDIERS!!
And they say that repeatedly through out the film.
We aren't soldiers, we are Jedi.
Hell yes!!
F*** YES !!

The Jokes are killer, the directing and execution
was just flawless for me.
Hippy soldiers praying to each other.
What a brilliant joke.
Oh yea, Avatar tough guy runs into a wall.
Let's laugh again!

I could watch this again very soon.
Its a classic already.

Triangle (2009) written & directed by Christopher Smith

2010-02-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

I guess i could sum up this film as
a very violent Groundhog Day.

Don't get me wrong.
There is no slagging of this film.
Its f***ing brilliant.
Start to finish.
I loved it.

It didn't get boring.
It didn't get slow.
But it did get real strange.
And i like strange.

The plot is super original.
It really is.
I couldn't say anything more without
creating a complete spoiler.
So i suppose this is just a straight up
big recommendation.

Finding Bliss (2009) written & direct byJulie Davis

2010-02-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

Cute film.
And I am almost certain... its partially biopic.
Leelee Sobieski stars as the heroine of the film
A promising film school graduate,
who after months of rejection in Hollywood,
finds work as a film editor for a porn studio.
*ahem*..
That's right.
We don't say porn.
We say Adult Entertainment.

There are a lot of giggles to be had here.
The casting in particular was quite hilarious.

I have to say, I find Sobieski to be a very cool
actress. Though I'm not sure why, I just do.

Denise Richards co-stars here along with
Jamie Kennedy - who gets his cock out.
But not with Richards - Damn.
Damn again.

Damn one more time.

Right, my second complaint.
For a film based around the sex industry,
we could have done with a lot more
boobs and less of Kennedy's dong.

Overall a funny film.
A sweet rom-com with a pornographic surrounding.
Far from the daring brassiness of Stone & Parker's Orgazmo.
And yes - Ron Jeremy is in this one too!
Orgasmo

The tag line for the film was
Girl Meets Porn

and from this i guess they didn't stray too much.

I think I just would have preferred to have seen her

about 5 years down the road, a bit more into it.

FUNNY ADS #001 - new job career builder

2010-02-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

Since I was bold enough to introduce
GENIUS ADS
http://iamavideojunkie.blogspot.com/2010/02/genius-ads-002-low-low-cheese.html
why not FUNNY ADS.
(getting bored now aren't I. - no I'm not dammit!!)

so here we go.

An annoying ad that is also hilarious.

GENIUS ADS #002 - Low Low Cheese

2010-02-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

I thought I would add a segment to my blog - titled GENIUS ADS.
Its what it is really.
What I think are the genius ads we see on television ( thought I don't even watch it).

I have titled this one no.2
no.1 can be viewed here
http://iamavideojunkie.blogspot.com/2010/01/honda-can-hate-be-good.html

This has got to be the BEST cheese ad EVER - no discussion.

The advert titled Mouse Trap was done by FALLON LONDON advertising agency for LowLow Cheese (KERRY FOODS company) in United Kingdom. It was released in the October 2009. Business sector is Dairy products.

Credits:

Client: Phil Chapman
Brief: To launch LowLow from Kerry Foods in the UK - a new lower fat mature cheese with 1/3 less fat than regular cheese, but with all the taste.
Art Director: Gary Anderson
Copy Writer: Tony Miller, Tony McTear
Planner: Josh Gledhill
Production Company: Outsider
Director: dom&nic
Producer: John Madsen
Editor: Struan Clay
Post-production: MPC
Visual Effects Supervisor: Jake Mengers
Audio post-production: WaveMedia
Agency: VizeumExposureUK

Women in Trouble (2009) written & directed by Sebastian Gutierrez

2010-02-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

High Hopes, High Anxiety , High Heels!!
With a tag line like that, how can this not be great.

This film was superbly low budget and amazingly funny.
The premise is just awesome.
Get a group of beautiful actresses and write dialogue mad enough
to be funny.

The stories of 10 different women whose lives all connect by one means
or another.
The film follows, a little girl, a few porn stars, psychologists, strippers,
a masseuse , a bar girl and airline stewardesses
as their chance meetings with one another brings out some of the strangest
dialogue and scenarios I've ever seen.

The best moment here for me is the porn star who breaks into tears
telling a sad story of her dog who used to go down on her, it was
beaten and killed by her mother which has numbed her ability
to do girl on girl shoots with fellow actresses for fear of throwing up.
The whole scene is just brilliant and had me in stitches.

Great flick.

Big River Man (2009) directed by John Maringouin

2010-02-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

As far as documentaries about crazy & inspiring people goes,
this one takes the cake.

Martin Strel is the worlds record holder for marathon swims.
But there's a little something more that makes him very special.
He's 53.
Very overweight.
He's an alcoholic with a gambling problem.
And teaches flamenco guitar for a living.

Before documenting Big River Man ,
he had already swam the Mississippi River and The Yangtze
and was now looking to break his previous records and set a new one.

A totally unique & crazy story.
I'm quite in shock as to what I've just watched.
A journey that lasted over 60 days and covered over
4000km.
This one has to be seen to be believed.

the blind side (2009) written & directed by John Lee Hancock based on a book by Michael Lewis

2010-02-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

The trouble with the 1994 film Speed, is that it made a huge star
out of Sandra Bullock who really hasn't done anything good,
until now. Which is probably why its earned her that Golden Globe award.

The only reason I put this one on
is because I thought it would make me fall asleep.
But the story is so sad and heart warming,
that I defeated sleep and went to bed with this warm feeling
in my belly.

This is the story of 'Big Mike'.
Forced out of his mothers arms from the age of 7,
moving from couch to couch to the street to a gym.
Until one day,
when he is taken in and cared for by a very wealthy family,
and given every opportunity to make something of himself.

Its a true modern tale of Great Expectations.
And knowing there are such beautiful people on this planet,
puts me a in a nice warm place.

Cold Souls (2009) written & directed by Sophie Barthes

2010-02-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

Now this is one of those superbly written films i just LOVE to watch.
Along the lines of Chalie Kaufman & Zach Helm,
the film follows actor Paul Giamatti (playing himself)
as he struggles to seperate himself from the saddened character
of the theatrical play he is preparing for.

While sitting up one night, he is informed of a company that performs
now get this - 'soul extraction and storage'.

I'm in total hysterics as he discovers his soul is a chick pea.
The whole scene played out by Strathairn & Giamatti
has to go down in history as one of films weirdest moments.

The whole premise is just totally nuts and i can't help but giggle and laugh
at every small gesture, twitch, itch, scratch or bitch uttered by Giamatti
- post extraction.
And I can't believe how I never noticed how 'cartoon' his face could be.

**little note**
Right at this moment whilst writing this
an email notification pops up from Itch Records
- and i have another giggle.

Giamatti is one of those underrated actors in Hollywood.
I guess just like Philip Seymour Hoffmann,
lacking the Hollywood chizzled features of most better known stars
they tend to land these fiendishly brilliant roles.

I can't say more without totally ruining the plot,
but this is along the lines of
Being John Malkovich & Stranger than Fiction.
It's one of those perfect films.
One more added to the few.

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

2010-01-31T09:37:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-28T05:15:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-26T21:05:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-26T06:21:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-25T07:32:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-01-24T16:57:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-21T22:29:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-20T21:36:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-20T16:58:00.000-08:00

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?

2010-01-18T01:24:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-17T20:38:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-11T20:43:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

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)

2010-01-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-09T17:41:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-08T23:20:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-06T05:33:00.001-08:00

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

2010-01-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-05T07:11:00.001-08:00

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

2010-01-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-05T06:38:00.001-08:00

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

2010-01-05T05:45:00.000-08:00

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...