So, it's been good while it's lasted, but for the last week or so I've been building a new site to house this blog.
It's now pretty much finished and can be found at www.m365d.com, so update your bookmarks!
As well as the continuing saga of 365 movies / 365 days, there are also going to be competitions and guest reviews. I also have some new ideas for next year's challenge.
So, go have a look at www.m365d.com and let me know what you think! You'll notice that there are a lot of images and tags missing from the historic posts - that's because of the import process between Wordpress and Blogger. I'll be updating them as and when I can, so please be patient.
Monday 21 September 2009
Sunday 13 September 2009
State of Play (2009)
[Movie 242 / Day 256]
A political thriller, State of Play follows Washington Globe journalist Cal McAffrey (Crowe) as he attempts to fit together an apparent suicide, an apparent drug-related killing and a multinational, multi-billion-dollar company who is currently being investigated by Senator Stephen Collins (Affleck). Against a tight deadline, McAffrey has to work out a puzzle that has serious ramifications; helped by a Globe blogger, Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) they track down various leads and uncover secrets left, right and centre.
The leads are all very good, as you'd expect; although Crowe and Affleck, whose characters are supposed to be good friends, make a strange couple and really don't seem to go together on screen at all well. Having said that, when they are apart (the majority of their screen time), they're both very good.
The real stars for me though, was the supporting cast - Helen Mirren is fantastic as the Globe editor Cameron Lynne; Jeff Daniels excellent as Senator George Fergus; Robin Wright Penn and Jason Bateman are also worthy of mention.
Highly enjoyable, well-paced thriller.
My rating: 7.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 127 mins
IMDB link
A political thriller, State of Play follows Washington Globe journalist Cal McAffrey (Crowe) as he attempts to fit together an apparent suicide, an apparent drug-related killing and a multinational, multi-billion-dollar company who is currently being investigated by Senator Stephen Collins (Affleck). Against a tight deadline, McAffrey has to work out a puzzle that has serious ramifications; helped by a Globe blogger, Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) they track down various leads and uncover secrets left, right and centre.
The leads are all very good, as you'd expect; although Crowe and Affleck, whose characters are supposed to be good friends, make a strange couple and really don't seem to go together on screen at all well. Having said that, when they are apart (the majority of their screen time), they're both very good.
The real stars for me though, was the supporting cast - Helen Mirren is fantastic as the Globe editor Cameron Lynne; Jeff Daniels excellent as Senator George Fergus; Robin Wright Penn and Jason Bateman are also worthy of mention.
Highly enjoyable, well-paced thriller.
My rating: 7.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 127 mins
IMDB link
Transformers (2007)
[Movie 241 / Day 256]
Deep in space, an intergalactic civil war has been fought for thousands of years between the Autobots and evil Decepticons over the source of their power, the Cube. This all-powerful Cube has been hidden on Earth for hundreds of years and the alien robots are coming to get it back.
Unknown to him, Sam Witwicky owns the only known map of the Cube's location - a pair of glasses that belonged to his great-great-grandfather, an explorer that stumbled across the frozen leader of the Decepticons (Megatron) while exploring the arctic circle. When he accidently initiated some of Megatron's systems, a code was imprinted on his glasses. Now, both the Autobots and the Decepticons are trying to track Sam down in order to find the Cube.
It's a good fun action movie; clearly a Michael Bay movie although that's not necessarily a bad thing. The plot, although fairly straightforward, nonetheless has many threads that all need tying up; hence the long run-time. The visual effects, while very well done, are presented in such a way that it's actually quite difficult to tell what's happening at times; especially in the later fights between some of the robots - there are lots of tight shots of the action, which makes it tricky to ascertain which metal bits belong to which giant robot. Lots of the sound effects reference the original cartoon series too, which is a nice touch.
The acting is pretty good overall; Megan Fox puts in one of the worst performances in the movie, but I guess her acting chops aren't the reason she was there. As in the sequel, John Turturro's Agent Simmons steals the show, consistantly getting the funniest lines.
As big budget actioners go, it's very well done. Just don't expect a cerebral experience.
My rating: 7.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 144 mins
IMDB link
Deep in space, an intergalactic civil war has been fought for thousands of years between the Autobots and evil Decepticons over the source of their power, the Cube. This all-powerful Cube has been hidden on Earth for hundreds of years and the alien robots are coming to get it back.
Unknown to him, Sam Witwicky owns the only known map of the Cube's location - a pair of glasses that belonged to his great-great-grandfather, an explorer that stumbled across the frozen leader of the Decepticons (Megatron) while exploring the arctic circle. When he accidently initiated some of Megatron's systems, a code was imprinted on his glasses. Now, both the Autobots and the Decepticons are trying to track Sam down in order to find the Cube.
It's a good fun action movie; clearly a Michael Bay movie although that's not necessarily a bad thing. The plot, although fairly straightforward, nonetheless has many threads that all need tying up; hence the long run-time. The visual effects, while very well done, are presented in such a way that it's actually quite difficult to tell what's happening at times; especially in the later fights between some of the robots - there are lots of tight shots of the action, which makes it tricky to ascertain which metal bits belong to which giant robot. Lots of the sound effects reference the original cartoon series too, which is a nice touch.
The acting is pretty good overall; Megan Fox puts in one of the worst performances in the movie, but I guess her acting chops aren't the reason she was there. As in the sequel, John Turturro's Agent Simmons steals the show, consistantly getting the funniest lines.
As big budget actioners go, it's very well done. Just don't expect a cerebral experience.
My rating: 7.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 144 mins
IMDB link
Saturday 12 September 2009
Observe and Report (2009)
[Movie 240 / Day 255]
Bi-polar mall security head Ronnie Bernhardt runs a tight ship. When a flasher starts terrorising women in the mall's car parks, he decides to catch the perp and show the boys in blue (who have rejected his application to become a real cop) how it's done. Or something like that. I was looking forward to this as I like Seth Rogen and find him hilarious. Unfortunately, it's unfunny tripe. It's full of clichés and cheap racist jokes. There was literally only one thing at which I actually laughed.
I found the very similar Paul Blart, which, although badly flawed, more enjoyable than this.
My rating: 4.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.5 / 10
Running time: 86 mins
IMDB link
Bi-polar mall security head Ronnie Bernhardt runs a tight ship. When a flasher starts terrorising women in the mall's car parks, he decides to catch the perp and show the boys in blue (who have rejected his application to become a real cop) how it's done. Or something like that. I was looking forward to this as I like Seth Rogen and find him hilarious. Unfortunately, it's unfunny tripe. It's full of clichés and cheap racist jokes. There was literally only one thing at which I actually laughed.
I found the very similar Paul Blart, which, although badly flawed, more enjoyable than this.
My rating: 4.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.5 / 10
Running time: 86 mins
IMDB link
Fighting (2009)
[Movie 239 / Day 255]
Shawn MacArthur (Tatum) is trying to make a living flogging fake Harry Potter books (!) on the pavements of New York when he's ripped off by street hustler Harvey Boarden (Howard). He defends his money with his fists and that leads Harvey to befriend him and lead him into the murky world of big money bare-knuckle boxing. All going swimmingly until Shawn meets a girl and falls in love.
This is supposedly a film about hustling and bare-knuckle boxing. In reality, it's Step Up with some gentle fisticuffs. Boring, boring, boring.
My rating: 4.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.2 / 10
Running time: 105 mins
IMDB link
Shawn MacArthur (Tatum) is trying to make a living flogging fake Harry Potter books (!) on the pavements of New York when he's ripped off by street hustler Harvey Boarden (Howard). He defends his money with his fists and that leads Harvey to befriend him and lead him into the murky world of big money bare-knuckle boxing. All going swimmingly until Shawn meets a girl and falls in love.
This is supposedly a film about hustling and bare-knuckle boxing. In reality, it's Step Up with some gentle fisticuffs. Boring, boring, boring.
My rating: 4.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.2 / 10
Running time: 105 mins
IMDB link
Friday 11 September 2009
District 9 (2009)
[Movie -- / Day 254]
I enjoyed it even more on the second viewing, which surprised me.
My rating: 8.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.6 / 10
Running time: 112 mins
IMDB link
I enjoyed it even more on the second viewing, which surprised me.
My rating: 8.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.6 / 10
Running time: 112 mins
IMDB link
Thursday 10 September 2009
Reckoning Day (2002)
[Movie 238 / Day 253]
An ultra-low budget movie by the director of Rise of the Footsoldier.
The basic plot involves an international assassin-turned-drug runner, Charles Toll; who is hunted in North America and left for dead by a maverick cop, Ed. When Toll resurfaces in the UK and kills something like 38 armed response police escaping a hotel with his girlfriend, the British send for Ed. Ed then chases Toll down and kills lots of people on the way.
Pretty simple plot, but it would still be entertaining if handled well.
Unfortunately, it's not handled well. The actors are wooden. The dialogue is stilted and unnatural (there are a few gems, although I'm not sure they were meant to be). The continuity is absolutely terrible. Every so often, some wierd subliminal-style shots are overlaid or cut-in, but there are hardly any of them and they seem to come at no set points and end up just being plain odd and a little confusing. New characters are introduced and killed before you even work out who they are or what they're doing (the 'party' scene is particularly bad for this). There's far too much fake blood flying around (it seems the director's mantra was 'when in doubt, throw more fake blood on screen').
So, overall, it's pretty rubbish. Then you find out it was made for around £50,000 and featured the director's friends and family and their homes as sets. It then seems more of a case of them having fun and shooting a movie for no reason, with no care given to how it turned out. It feels like an amateur movie, apart from it's length. So, suddenly, most of it's problems seem forgivable. But, then you discover that Primer only cost $7,000 to make, and suddenly those problems are back and adding up to a poor movie.
+ 2 for low budget effort.
- 1 for Primer having a far lower budget and being brilliant.
My rating: 2.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.2 / 10
Running time: 105 mins
IMDB link
An ultra-low budget movie by the director of Rise of the Footsoldier.
The basic plot involves an international assassin-turned-drug runner, Charles Toll; who is hunted in North America and left for dead by a maverick cop, Ed. When Toll resurfaces in the UK and kills something like 38 armed response police escaping a hotel with his girlfriend, the British send for Ed. Ed then chases Toll down and kills lots of people on the way.
Pretty simple plot, but it would still be entertaining if handled well.
Unfortunately, it's not handled well. The actors are wooden. The dialogue is stilted and unnatural (there are a few gems, although I'm not sure they were meant to be). The continuity is absolutely terrible. Every so often, some wierd subliminal-style shots are overlaid or cut-in, but there are hardly any of them and they seem to come at no set points and end up just being plain odd and a little confusing. New characters are introduced and killed before you even work out who they are or what they're doing (the 'party' scene is particularly bad for this). There's far too much fake blood flying around (it seems the director's mantra was 'when in doubt, throw more fake blood on screen').
So, overall, it's pretty rubbish. Then you find out it was made for around £50,000 and featured the director's friends and family and their homes as sets. It then seems more of a case of them having fun and shooting a movie for no reason, with no care given to how it turned out. It feels like an amateur movie, apart from it's length. So, suddenly, most of it's problems seem forgivable. But, then you discover that Primer only cost $7,000 to make, and suddenly those problems are back and adding up to a poor movie.
+ 2 for low budget effort.
- 1 for Primer having a far lower budget and being brilliant.
My rating: 2.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.2 / 10
Running time: 105 mins
IMDB link
Tuesday 8 September 2009
Alien Nation (1988)
[Movie 237 / Day 251]
Very similar to District 9 (or vice versa, more accurately). A spaceship has arrived over LA. In it are lots and lots of aliens, genetically modified to be good workers and enslaved. At the start of the movie, we are treated to a shot of a spaceship floating in the sky and it could have been an outtake from D9. We're told that the aliens (newcomers) are out of quarantine and integrating with the humans of LA. Then we get into the story.
James Caan plays a badass cop, Sykes, that stumbles upon the robbery of a newcomer convenience store by a pair of heavily armed aliens. As they exchange fire and wait for backup, Sykes' partner is shot and killed. This gives Sykes the excuse he needs to hate the newcomers (or slags, as he calls them) even more.
A few minutes later and a newcomer policeman, Samuel Francisco, is being promoted to Detective, the first to attain that rank. Sykes volunteers to be Francisco's partner, hoping it'll get him closer to the newcomers that murdered his partner.
During his investigation, his prejudices shrink as he gets to know and becomes friends with Francisco. Following leads takes them to the top of the newcomer tree and uncovers a drugs ring.
It's OK, but past the novel pairing of human/alien, it's a pretty standard buddy-cop movie with a pretty standard 'corruption in high places / drug ring' plot.
My rating: 5.7 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.1 / 10
Running time: 91 mins
IMDB link
Very similar to District 9 (or vice versa, more accurately). A spaceship has arrived over LA. In it are lots and lots of aliens, genetically modified to be good workers and enslaved. At the start of the movie, we are treated to a shot of a spaceship floating in the sky and it could have been an outtake from D9. We're told that the aliens (newcomers) are out of quarantine and integrating with the humans of LA. Then we get into the story.
James Caan plays a badass cop, Sykes, that stumbles upon the robbery of a newcomer convenience store by a pair of heavily armed aliens. As they exchange fire and wait for backup, Sykes' partner is shot and killed. This gives Sykes the excuse he needs to hate the newcomers (or slags, as he calls them) even more.
A few minutes later and a newcomer policeman, Samuel Francisco, is being promoted to Detective, the first to attain that rank. Sykes volunteers to be Francisco's partner, hoping it'll get him closer to the newcomers that murdered his partner.
During his investigation, his prejudices shrink as he gets to know and becomes friends with Francisco. Following leads takes them to the top of the newcomer tree and uncovers a drugs ring.
It's OK, but past the novel pairing of human/alien, it's a pretty standard buddy-cop movie with a pretty standard 'corruption in high places / drug ring' plot.
My rating: 5.7 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.1 / 10
Running time: 91 mins
IMDB link
Monday 7 September 2009
District 9 (2009)
[Movie 236 / Day 250]
20 years ago in South Africa, a massive alien spaceship appeared and stopped above Johannesburg. After floating there for a while, the decision was made to cut into it. Inside were found hundreds of thousands of aliens, malnourished and dying. They were brought to the surface and before long were established in a slum called District 9, policed by a private corporation called Multinational United (MNU).
As the aliens reproduce and cause more and more problems (both real and imagined) for Joburg's indigenous population, the government decides to move them out of District 9 to a purpose built camp 200km away from the city.
Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is an MNU agent put in charge of the unit tasked with serving eviction notices on the inhabitants of District 9. As we watch him go about his business, we see that he, like the majority of the city, revels in bullying the aliens (referred to throughout by the derogatory term 'prawn'). During the evictions, Wikus is inadvertantly exposed to an alien substance that starts to alter his DNA. As he turns from being the hunter to the hunted, we start to see life from the aliens point of view and Wikus's attitude begins to change.
Extremely well acted, especially considering this is Sharlto Copley first time on screen and he allegedly ad-libbed all of his lines; well written and directed by Neill Blomkamp, again, his first feature; and featuring some brilliant CGI, not all of it is perfect, but it's never less than very good and never pulls you out of the film.
I look forward to seeing what the South African director does next - although I wouldn't be surprised to see a District 10 at some point in the future, considering how wide open for a sequel D9 is left.
My rating: 8.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.6 / 10
Running time: 112 mins
IMDB link
20 years ago in South Africa, a massive alien spaceship appeared and stopped above Johannesburg. After floating there for a while, the decision was made to cut into it. Inside were found hundreds of thousands of aliens, malnourished and dying. They were brought to the surface and before long were established in a slum called District 9, policed by a private corporation called Multinational United (MNU).
As the aliens reproduce and cause more and more problems (both real and imagined) for Joburg's indigenous population, the government decides to move them out of District 9 to a purpose built camp 200km away from the city.
Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is an MNU agent put in charge of the unit tasked with serving eviction notices on the inhabitants of District 9. As we watch him go about his business, we see that he, like the majority of the city, revels in bullying the aliens (referred to throughout by the derogatory term 'prawn'). During the evictions, Wikus is inadvertantly exposed to an alien substance that starts to alter his DNA. As he turns from being the hunter to the hunted, we start to see life from the aliens point of view and Wikus's attitude begins to change.
Extremely well acted, especially considering this is Sharlto Copley first time on screen and he allegedly ad-libbed all of his lines; well written and directed by Neill Blomkamp, again, his first feature; and featuring some brilliant CGI, not all of it is perfect, but it's never less than very good and never pulls you out of the film.
I look forward to seeing what the South African director does next - although I wouldn't be surprised to see a District 10 at some point in the future, considering how wide open for a sequel D9 is left.
My rating: 8.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.6 / 10
Running time: 112 mins
IMDB link
Saturday 5 September 2009
All the President's Men (1976)
[Movie 235 / Day 248]
Follows Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward (Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Hoffman) as they uncover details of the Watergate scandal that cost Nixon the Presidency.
Well written and well acted, but I did find it a bit on the long side.
My rating: 7.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.0 / 10
Running time: 138 mins
IMDB link
Follows Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward (Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Hoffman) as they uncover details of the Watergate scandal that cost Nixon the Presidency.
Well written and well acted, but I did find it a bit on the long side.
My rating: 7.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.0 / 10
Running time: 138 mins
IMDB link
Friday 4 September 2009
Saw III (2006)
[Movie 234 / Day 247]
The original Saw was an extremely low budget horror movie with plenty of nasty traps and a massive twist at the end. When it made a truckload of money, a sequel was quickly planned and brought out; and, whilst not as good as the original, was still pretty good and kept the original's gore-filled premise, lots more nasty traps and another twist. Again, it did well and has, to date, spawned a further four sequels. I've seen the first two, but no more, so thought I'd catch up on the series before VI is released later this year.
III sees Jigsaw, the main protagonist, still on his deathbed but still controlling his little games in which people either discover the true value of life or die. With more traps (although many, many fewer than II), Saw III really didn't seem to be particularly scary or jumpy, unlike the first two. It felt more like a link into the next part of story being built by the series to me and is nowhere near as gory as it's predecessors. Having said that, it did have the series' traditional twist ending - a small twist that was easily seen coming followed by a much bigger one that was mostly successfully masked by the smaller twist and paves the way neatly into Saw IV.
My rating: 5.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.3 / 10
Running time: 121 mins
IMDB link
The original Saw was an extremely low budget horror movie with plenty of nasty traps and a massive twist at the end. When it made a truckload of money, a sequel was quickly planned and brought out; and, whilst not as good as the original, was still pretty good and kept the original's gore-filled premise, lots more nasty traps and another twist. Again, it did well and has, to date, spawned a further four sequels. I've seen the first two, but no more, so thought I'd catch up on the series before VI is released later this year.
III sees Jigsaw, the main protagonist, still on his deathbed but still controlling his little games in which people either discover the true value of life or die. With more traps (although many, many fewer than II), Saw III really didn't seem to be particularly scary or jumpy, unlike the first two. It felt more like a link into the next part of story being built by the series to me and is nowhere near as gory as it's predecessors. Having said that, it did have the series' traditional twist ending - a small twist that was easily seen coming followed by a much bigger one that was mostly successfully masked by the smaller twist and paves the way neatly into Saw IV.
My rating: 5.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.3 / 10
Running time: 121 mins
IMDB link
Thursday 3 September 2009
The Good Shepherd (2006)
[Movie 233 / Day 246]
An espionage thriller, The Good Shepherd is a long film and feels it. It's well acted, but I just didn't get into it at all. And whilst everybody else seemed obviously older between the current (1960s) timeline and the flashbacks (going back to the 1930s), Matt Damon didn't, at all. Which makes some scenes difficult to believe, especially those between him and his 20 year old son; where Damon looks just old enough to be his big brother, not his father.
Joe Pesci has a cameo in this and he REALLY looks old. I'm not sure if he was made up, but I didn't even recognise him at first.
My rating: 5.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.9 / 10
Running time: 167 mins
IMDB link
An espionage thriller, The Good Shepherd is a long film and feels it. It's well acted, but I just didn't get into it at all. And whilst everybody else seemed obviously older between the current (1960s) timeline and the flashbacks (going back to the 1930s), Matt Damon didn't, at all. Which makes some scenes difficult to believe, especially those between him and his 20 year old son; where Damon looks just old enough to be his big brother, not his father.
Joe Pesci has a cameo in this and he REALLY looks old. I'm not sure if he was made up, but I didn't even recognise him at first.
My rating: 5.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.9 / 10
Running time: 167 mins
IMDB link
Wednesday 2 September 2009
Goodfellas (1990)
[Movie 232 / Day 245]
Based on the story of Henry Hill, the plot revolving around Henry's gradual climb up through the hierarchy of the Mafia; starting out with running messages and culminating in drug dealing and murder. Nothing lasts for ever though and eventually it becomes apparent that Henry's days are numbered.
The greatest gangster movie ever? Possibly. Certainly in the top three. Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci have never been better.
My rating: 8.6 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.8 / 10
Running time: 146 mins
IMDB link
Based on the story of Henry Hill, the plot revolving around Henry's gradual climb up through the hierarchy of the Mafia; starting out with running messages and culminating in drug dealing and murder. Nothing lasts for ever though and eventually it becomes apparent that Henry's days are numbered.
The greatest gangster movie ever? Possibly. Certainly in the top three. Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci have never been better.
My rating: 8.6 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.8 / 10
Running time: 146 mins
IMDB link
Tuesday 1 September 2009
In the Loop (2009)
[Movie 231 / Day 244]
A spin off from cult TV series The Thick Of It (which I've never seen), In the Loop sees the British Minister of International Development, Simon Foster, have a slip of the tongue during an interview, inadvertantly pushing us closer to war. The PM's Director of Communications is quite upset about it (and brilliantly played by a magnificently sweary Peter Capaldi) and ships Foster and his assistant off to Washington DC where they attempt to sit on the fence as best they can and ride out the impending storm.
Very funny.
My rating: 7.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.8 / 10
Running time: 106 mins
IMDB link
A spin off from cult TV series The Thick Of It (which I've never seen), In the Loop sees the British Minister of International Development, Simon Foster, have a slip of the tongue during an interview, inadvertantly pushing us closer to war. The PM's Director of Communications is quite upset about it (and brilliantly played by a magnificently sweary Peter Capaldi) and ships Foster and his assistant off to Washington DC where they attempt to sit on the fence as best they can and ride out the impending storm.
Very funny.
My rating: 7.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.8 / 10
Running time: 106 mins
IMDB link
The Hurt Locker (2008)
[Movie 230 / Day 244]
Set in Iraq, the Hurt Locker follows an Army bomb squad as they drive their Humvee around and disarm various booby traps while trying to stay alive long enough to rotate out of harms way. There isn't much more to it than that, and yet it is one of the most tense, edge-of-your-seat movies I've ever seen. The sniper scene in particular was magnificently tense.
Extremely well acted and directed (I love the use of slow-mo and long, continuous shots).
My rating: 8.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.0 / 10
Running time: 131 mins
IMDB link
Set in Iraq, the Hurt Locker follows an Army bomb squad as they drive their Humvee around and disarm various booby traps while trying to stay alive long enough to rotate out of harms way. There isn't much more to it than that, and yet it is one of the most tense, edge-of-your-seat movies I've ever seen. The sniper scene in particular was magnificently tense.
Extremely well acted and directed (I love the use of slow-mo and long, continuous shots).
My rating: 8.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.0 / 10
Running time: 131 mins
IMDB link
Monday 31 August 2009
Total Recall (1990)
[Movie 229 / Day 243]
In this classic Arnie movie, the big man plays Douglas Quaid, a construction worker who has a recurring dream of living on Mars (it's set in 2048 when Mars has been colonised). He goes to see a company that sells virtual holidays by implanting memories in your brain. After specifying his perfect memory as a secret agent on Mars, Quaid wakes up to find... That he is a secret agent and he must get to Mars to help the resistance fighters there. Or is he? Maybe he's just having a bad time in the implant centre.
Features lots of violence and bad one-liners as Arnie despatches various baddies, Total Recall is one of his best.
My rating: 7.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 113 mins
IMDB link
In this classic Arnie movie, the big man plays Douglas Quaid, a construction worker who has a recurring dream of living on Mars (it's set in 2048 when Mars has been colonised). He goes to see a company that sells virtual holidays by implanting memories in your brain. After specifying his perfect memory as a secret agent on Mars, Quaid wakes up to find... That he is a secret agent and he must get to Mars to help the resistance fighters there. Or is he? Maybe he's just having a bad time in the implant centre.
Features lots of violence and bad one-liners as Arnie despatches various baddies, Total Recall is one of his best.
My rating: 7.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 113 mins
IMDB link
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
[Movie 228 / Day 243]
Tarantino's take on WWII is a return to form and easily his best movie since Pulp Fiction. The Basterds are a rag-tag group of (mainly) American soldiers whose sole purpose is to strike fear into the hearts of the Germans. They do this by wandering around behind enemy lines, killing as many Nazi's as they possibly can and claiming their scalps.
More than that and the plot becomes a bit complicated, featuring a multi-layered story. It's funny, tense, violent, exciting; everything a Tarantino movie should be. Special props to Christoph Waltz who puts in an excellent turn as nasty SS man, Colonel Hans Landa.
Also nice to see (or rather, hear) Tarantino regulars Harvey Keitel and Samuel L. Jackson both get cameos!
My rating: 8.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.7 / 10
Running time: 153 mins
IMDB link
Tarantino's take on WWII is a return to form and easily his best movie since Pulp Fiction. The Basterds are a rag-tag group of (mainly) American soldiers whose sole purpose is to strike fear into the hearts of the Germans. They do this by wandering around behind enemy lines, killing as many Nazi's as they possibly can and claiming their scalps.
More than that and the plot becomes a bit complicated, featuring a multi-layered story. It's funny, tense, violent, exciting; everything a Tarantino movie should be. Special props to Christoph Waltz who puts in an excellent turn as nasty SS man, Colonel Hans Landa.
Also nice to see (or rather, hear) Tarantino regulars Harvey Keitel and Samuel L. Jackson both get cameos!
My rating: 8.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.7 / 10
Running time: 153 mins
IMDB link
Friday 28 August 2009
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
[Movie 227 / Day 240]
Boasting more cameos than you can shake a dirty stick at, not to mention more than the average number of Star Wars references, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is one of Kevin Smith's sillier films. The plot, such as it is, involves Jay and Silent Bob attempting to get to Hollywood in order to stop a movie based on their fictional counterparts, Bluntman and Chronic, from being made.
It's silly, it references all of Smith's previous movies heavily, but it's pretty funny. I like.
My rating: 6.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.8 / 10
Running time: 104 mins
IMDB link
Boasting more cameos than you can shake a dirty stick at, not to mention more than the average number of Star Wars references, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is one of Kevin Smith's sillier films. The plot, such as it is, involves Jay and Silent Bob attempting to get to Hollywood in order to stop a movie based on their fictional counterparts, Bluntman and Chronic, from being made.
It's silly, it references all of Smith's previous movies heavily, but it's pretty funny. I like.
My rating: 6.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.8 / 10
Running time: 104 mins
IMDB link
Thursday 27 August 2009
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
[Movie 226 / Day 239]
200 year old vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) tells a young reporter (Christian Slater) his life story so far through a series of flashbacks. An interesting take on the vampire story, well acted and pretty good.
My rating: 6.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 123 mins
IMDB link
200 year old vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) tells a young reporter (Christian Slater) his life story so far through a series of flashbacks. An interesting take on the vampire story, well acted and pretty good.
My rating: 6.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 123 mins
IMDB link
Wednesday 26 August 2009
Just Cause (1995)
[Movie 225 / Day 238]
Sean Connery is a lawyer that hasn't tried a case in years, now spending his time as a college professor. Until he is coaxed out of retirement by the case of a young black man that is thrown onto death row after confessing (under duress) to brutally murdering a young girl.
It's clear what the twist is going to be two thirds of the way through the movie, but it's very watchable nonetheless.
Ed Harris is brilliant as another death row inmate, Blair Sullivan.
My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.1 / 10
Running time: 102 mins
IMDB link
Sean Connery is a lawyer that hasn't tried a case in years, now spending his time as a college professor. Until he is coaxed out of retirement by the case of a young black man that is thrown onto death row after confessing (under duress) to brutally murdering a young girl.
It's clear what the twist is going to be two thirds of the way through the movie, but it's very watchable nonetheless.
Ed Harris is brilliant as another death row inmate, Blair Sullivan.
My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.1 / 10
Running time: 102 mins
IMDB link
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
[Movie 224 / Day 238]
Eddie Valiant is a washed up private eye who has been at the bottom of a bottle of whiskey since his brother (and partner) was killed during an investigation.
He has had a severe dislike of Toons since then and won't take on any of their business, until he is hired by a studio boss to take some incriminating photos of Jessica Rabbit cheating on her husband Roger.
Brilliant fun and still holds up well.
My rating: 7.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.6 / 10
Running time: 104 mins
IMDB link
Eddie Valiant is a washed up private eye who has been at the bottom of a bottle of whiskey since his brother (and partner) was killed during an investigation.
He has had a severe dislike of Toons since then and won't take on any of their business, until he is hired by a studio boss to take some incriminating photos of Jessica Rabbit cheating on her husband Roger.
Brilliant fun and still holds up well.
My rating: 7.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.6 / 10
Running time: 104 mins
IMDB link
Tuesday 25 August 2009
Hard Boiled (1992)
[Movie 223 / Day 237]
John Woo actioner featuring Chow Yun Fat as Tequila, the titular 'hard boiled' cop, trying to track down a weapons smuggling ring that killed his partner. The body count is high, the violence is pretty hard core and the story is pretty good. Plenty of dual pistol, jumping through the air action, as you'd expect from Woo.
The terrible, terrible, terrible dubbing marred it for me though - the DVD I watched had no original language/subtitle option, so I was stuck with Chow Yun Fat sounding like an Oxbridge graduate crossed with a New Yorker.
My rating: 7.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.9 / 10
Running time: 126 mins
IMDB link
John Woo actioner featuring Chow Yun Fat as Tequila, the titular 'hard boiled' cop, trying to track down a weapons smuggling ring that killed his partner. The body count is high, the violence is pretty hard core and the story is pretty good. Plenty of dual pistol, jumping through the air action, as you'd expect from Woo.
The terrible, terrible, terrible dubbing marred it for me though - the DVD I watched had no original language/subtitle option, so I was stuck with Chow Yun Fat sounding like an Oxbridge graduate crossed with a New Yorker.
My rating: 7.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.9 / 10
Running time: 126 mins
IMDB link
Flubber (1997)
[Movie 222 / Day 237]
Robin Williams plays Philip Brainard, an absent minded professor who forgets to attend his wedding. Three times. His fiancee, understandably, is a tad upset and leaves him. An academic rival swoops in to steal her away and it's down to Brainard to use his latest invention, Flubber, to save both his fiancee and the college they both work at.
It's silly but amusing in places - and the kids loved it.
My rating: 5.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.6 / 10
Running time: 93 mins
IMDB link
Robin Williams plays Philip Brainard, an absent minded professor who forgets to attend his wedding. Three times. His fiancee, understandably, is a tad upset and leaves him. An academic rival swoops in to steal her away and it's down to Brainard to use his latest invention, Flubber, to save both his fiancee and the college they both work at.
It's silly but amusing in places - and the kids loved it.
My rating: 5.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.6 / 10
Running time: 93 mins
IMDB link
Monday 24 August 2009
Eastern Promises (2007)
[Movie 221 / Day 236]
Directed by David Kronenburg, Eastern Promises follows Anna, a midwife in a London hospital who helps deliver the baby of a Russian prostitute who dies during childbirth. Unwilling to let her be buried as a Jane Doe, Anna takes the girls diary and tries to get it translated in the hope of discovering who she was.
Unfortunately, that diary leads her into the middle of a Russian mafia dispute.
I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but it turned out to be an excellent movie - Viggo Mortensen was very good in particular.
My rating: 7.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.8 / 10
Running time: 100 mins
IMDB link
Directed by David Kronenburg, Eastern Promises follows Anna, a midwife in a London hospital who helps deliver the baby of a Russian prostitute who dies during childbirth. Unwilling to let her be buried as a Jane Doe, Anna takes the girls diary and tries to get it translated in the hope of discovering who she was.
Unfortunately, that diary leads her into the middle of a Russian mafia dispute.
I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but it turned out to be an excellent movie - Viggo Mortensen was very good in particular.
My rating: 7.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.8 / 10
Running time: 100 mins
IMDB link
Space Chimps (2008)
[Movie 221 / Day 236]
I was expecting this CGI cartoon to be terrible. It exceeded my expectations, but not by a huge margin. Essentially a space probe gets pulled into a wormhole and lands on an alien planet, complete with alien life. So, a trio of chimps are sent into the wormhole to see if humans would be able to survive the trip. Obviously, the chimps are all intelligent and end up helping the aliens fight against a nasty tyrant who wants to kill them all.
My rating: 5.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.4 / 10
Running time: 81 mins
IMDB link
I was expecting this CGI cartoon to be terrible. It exceeded my expectations, but not by a huge margin. Essentially a space probe gets pulled into a wormhole and lands on an alien planet, complete with alien life. So, a trio of chimps are sent into the wormhole to see if humans would be able to survive the trip. Obviously, the chimps are all intelligent and end up helping the aliens fight against a nasty tyrant who wants to kill them all.
My rating: 5.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.4 / 10
Running time: 81 mins
IMDB link
Sunday 23 August 2009
Ong-bak (2003)
[Movie 220 / Day 235]
When the head of the village deity is stolen, a young martial artist (Tony Jaa) is sent to the city to retreive it. There, he inadvertantly ends up taking on the underworld and kicks ass.
Brilliant action, simple plot. Very enjoyable.
My rating: 7.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.2 / 10
Running time: 105 mins
IMDB link
When the head of the village deity is stolen, a young martial artist (Tony Jaa) is sent to the city to retreive it. There, he inadvertantly ends up taking on the underworld and kicks ass.
Brilliant action, simple plot. Very enjoyable.
My rating: 7.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.2 / 10
Running time: 105 mins
IMDB link
Saturday 22 August 2009
The Full Monty (1997)
[Movie 219 / Day 234]
Sheffield, the late 90s. Many steelworks have been closed and consequently, many steelworkers are unemployed and struggling to find work. Carlyle and Addy are two such workers resorting to petty crime in order to scrape together enough money to survive. When the Chippendales arrive at the local men's club and the entire town's female population turn out to watch them perform, the two come up with a scheme to make some money by stripping - except, in order to add something extra to make up for the fact that they aren't Chippendales, they decide to show 'the full monty'.
Predicatably amusing scenes follow.
Stand out for me are Mark Addy and Tom Wilkinson, both of whom are pretty good. I found Robert Carlyle really annoyed me after a while, not least because his accent left a lot to be desired.
My rating: 6.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.3 / 10
Running time: 91 mins
IMDB link
Sheffield, the late 90s. Many steelworks have been closed and consequently, many steelworkers are unemployed and struggling to find work. Carlyle and Addy are two such workers resorting to petty crime in order to scrape together enough money to survive. When the Chippendales arrive at the local men's club and the entire town's female population turn out to watch them perform, the two come up with a scheme to make some money by stripping - except, in order to add something extra to make up for the fact that they aren't Chippendales, they decide to show 'the full monty'.
Predicatably amusing scenes follow.
Stand out for me are Mark Addy and Tom Wilkinson, both of whom are pretty good. I found Robert Carlyle really annoyed me after a while, not least because his accent left a lot to be desired.
My rating: 6.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.3 / 10
Running time: 91 mins
IMDB link
The Core (2003)
[Movie 218 / Day 234]
Ridiculous action movie. The earth's core has 'stalled' and stopped spinning - with disastrous results for us. The only solution is to use an untested, newly invented type of metal to build a ship and use an untested, newly invented laser to drill a hole big enough for that ship to carry a bunch of scientists and a couple of astronauts down to the centre of the earth in order to set off a couple of nukes in order to jump-start it.
Average, but fun enough. I'm not sure if Film4 cut it for an advert or if I managed to miss a whole segment, but one of the scientists on the ship literally disappeared half way through the film.
My rating: 5.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.3 / 10
Running time: 135 mins
IMDB link
Ridiculous action movie. The earth's core has 'stalled' and stopped spinning - with disastrous results for us. The only solution is to use an untested, newly invented type of metal to build a ship and use an untested, newly invented laser to drill a hole big enough for that ship to carry a bunch of scientists and a couple of astronauts down to the centre of the earth in order to set off a couple of nukes in order to jump-start it.
Average, but fun enough. I'm not sure if Film4 cut it for an advert or if I managed to miss a whole segment, but one of the scientists on the ship literally disappeared half way through the film.
My rating: 5.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.3 / 10
Running time: 135 mins
IMDB link
Friday 21 August 2009
No Retreat, No Surrender (1986)
[Movie 217 / Day 233]
No Retreat, No Surrender is mostly about the mob trying to take over several karate dojo's in order to use them as a legitimate front. They go about the taking over by intimidation, in usual mob style - although the heavies they bring along are both karate experts. One of those heavies is Van Damme. I'm not sure why he's working for the mob though, as, presumably to cover his accent up a bit, he's billed as 'Ivan the Russian'.
Anyway, once a teenager's dojo owning father leaves town to avoid a confrontation, the teenager goes to Bruce Lee's grave and asks him for help. Oddly enough, the spirit of Bruce Lee (who doesn't really look anything like him) appears in an abandoned house and trains the kid.
Then he has a fight with Van Damme, who should have been able to destroy him with his eyes glued shut. After the fight, the credits roll, but I imagine all the kids he gets into scrapes with during the movie looking at him with newfound admiration and subtly hinted homosexual overtones. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see that scene in one of the longer cuts available.
It's bad it's good. Straight from the Joey Tribiani school of 'smell the fart' acting, No Retreat features a terrible plot, terrible camera work and terrible acting. However, it's gone past being simply bad and has become funny.
If you enjoy crappy 80s action movies in a comedy kind of way, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did. If you want an action movie, this ain't it.
It also has the distinction of having the worst picture quality I've ever seen on DVD. It looks like someone has transferred it from VHS; but not a new, pristine VHS, rather one that has been rewound and recorded over a few thousand times before being used to tape the movie off Channel 4.
Amazingly, it's spawned a whole bunch of sequels! I may just have to check them out next time I want a laugh.
My rating: 4.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.6 / 10
Running time: 79 mins
IMDB link
No Retreat, No Surrender is mostly about the mob trying to take over several karate dojo's in order to use them as a legitimate front. They go about the taking over by intimidation, in usual mob style - although the heavies they bring along are both karate experts. One of those heavies is Van Damme. I'm not sure why he's working for the mob though, as, presumably to cover his accent up a bit, he's billed as 'Ivan the Russian'.
Anyway, once a teenager's dojo owning father leaves town to avoid a confrontation, the teenager goes to Bruce Lee's grave and asks him for help. Oddly enough, the spirit of Bruce Lee (who doesn't really look anything like him) appears in an abandoned house and trains the kid.
Then he has a fight with Van Damme, who should have been able to destroy him with his eyes glued shut. After the fight, the credits roll, but I imagine all the kids he gets into scrapes with during the movie looking at him with newfound admiration and subtly hinted homosexual overtones. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see that scene in one of the longer cuts available.
It's bad it's good. Straight from the Joey Tribiani school of 'smell the fart' acting, No Retreat features a terrible plot, terrible camera work and terrible acting. However, it's gone past being simply bad and has become funny.
If you enjoy crappy 80s action movies in a comedy kind of way, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did. If you want an action movie, this ain't it.
It also has the distinction of having the worst picture quality I've ever seen on DVD. It looks like someone has transferred it from VHS; but not a new, pristine VHS, rather one that has been rewound and recorded over a few thousand times before being used to tape the movie off Channel 4.
Amazingly, it's spawned a whole bunch of sequels! I may just have to check them out next time I want a laugh.
My rating: 4.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.6 / 10
Running time: 79 mins
IMDB link
Thursday 20 August 2009
Watchmen (2009)
[Movie -- / Day 232]
Still an awesome film. I really want to see the Director's Cut. Not sure why it's not being released in the UK.
My rating: 8.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.9 / 10
Running time: 162 mins
IMDB link
Still an awesome film. I really want to see the Director's Cut. Not sure why it's not being released in the UK.
My rating: 8.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.9 / 10
Running time: 162 mins
IMDB link
Tuesday 18 August 2009
Ghost Town (2008)
[Movie 216 / Day 230]
Bertram Pincus is an obnoxious dentist who goes into hospital for an operation and spends 7 minutes dead on the operating table. When he wakes up, he discovers that he can now see dead people wandering around the city - and they all have a problem they need fixing in the land of the living before they can continue their journey into the afterlife. Once they discover he can see and hear them, it's not long before they're continually pestering him for his help.
It's a romantic comedy and it's far better than I was expecting it to be. Ricky Gervais plays his usual character, but it works well enough. Téa Leoni looks absolutely fantastic - so much so that it jars a bit whenever she's on screen with Gervais. Still, she's hot and he's funny, so it's all good.
My rating: 6.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.1 / 10
Running time: 102 mins
IMDB link
Bertram Pincus is an obnoxious dentist who goes into hospital for an operation and spends 7 minutes dead on the operating table. When he wakes up, he discovers that he can now see dead people wandering around the city - and they all have a problem they need fixing in the land of the living before they can continue their journey into the afterlife. Once they discover he can see and hear them, it's not long before they're continually pestering him for his help.
It's a romantic comedy and it's far better than I was expecting it to be. Ricky Gervais plays his usual character, but it works well enough. Téa Leoni looks absolutely fantastic - so much so that it jars a bit whenever she's on screen with Gervais. Still, she's hot and he's funny, so it's all good.
My rating: 6.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.1 / 10
Running time: 102 mins
IMDB link
Monday 17 August 2009
The Brave One (2007)
[Movie 215 / Day 229]
So-so thriller about a radio DJ, played by Jodie Foster, who suffers an horrific attack in which her boyfriend is brutally killed. Obviously, in order to cope with the grief, she buys a handgun and turns vigilante. That makes it sound more exciting than it is.
My rating: 5.7 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.9 / 10
Running time: 122 mins
IMDB link
So-so thriller about a radio DJ, played by Jodie Foster, who suffers an horrific attack in which her boyfriend is brutally killed. Obviously, in order to cope with the grief, she buys a handgun and turns vigilante. That makes it sound more exciting than it is.
My rating: 5.7 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.9 / 10
Running time: 122 mins
IMDB link
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)
[Movie 214 / Day 229]
Pretty rubbish musical about several hideously pretty teenagers and how hard their perfect little lives are.
My rating: 3.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 3.7 / 10
Running time: 112 mins
IMDB link
Pretty rubbish musical about several hideously pretty teenagers and how hard their perfect little lives are.
My rating: 3.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 3.7 / 10
Running time: 112 mins
IMDB link
Saturday 15 August 2009
Traitor (2008)
[Movie 213 / Day 227]
Above average thriller about an American citizen, born in the Middle East, who is selling explosives to terrorists while the CIA are trying to track him down and stop him.
My rating: 7.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.1 / 10
Running time: 114 mins
IMDB link
Above average thriller about an American citizen, born in the Middle East, who is selling explosives to terrorists while the CIA are trying to track him down and stop him.
My rating: 7.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.1 / 10
Running time: 114 mins
IMDB link
Friday 14 August 2009
Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989)
[Movie 212 / Day 226]
A prime example of a franchise that's about 5 installments past it's best. Absolutely terrible.
My rating: 3.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 3.2 / 10
Running time: 84 mins
IMDB link
A prime example of a franchise that's about 5 installments past it's best. Absolutely terrible.
My rating: 3.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 3.2 / 10
Running time: 84 mins
IMDB link
Tuesday 11 August 2009
Moon (2009)
[Movie 211 / Day 223]
Set at some point in the future and mankind has learnt to harvest helium3 from moon rocks in order to provide Earth with almost limitless energy. Sam Bell (Rockwell) is at the end of a three year contract working on the far side of the moon as a technician keeping the harvesting machines running. His only company is a computer called GERTY (voiced by Spacey).
He has a mere two weeks of his contract left before he can go home and see his wife and daughter again. Then he starts hallucinating and has an accident. When he wakes up, he is in the infirmary being tended to by GERTY. After his recuperation, he finds GERTY is under instructions not to let him leave the base until a rescue shuttle has landed to clean up the aftermath of his accident. He manages to take an unauthorised trip out to the broken harvester and what he finds there makes him doubt his sanity and, ultimately, his belief that the company he works for has his best interests at heart.
To say more would spoil the plot, but suffice it to say, Sam Rockwell is absolutely brilliant. It is, at times, like watching two different actors on screen. That he manages to hold your attention for 90 minutes with very few other actors is testament to both his talent and the script.
One of the best films I've seen this year.
My rating: 8.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.3 / 10
Running time: 97 mins
IMDB link
Set at some point in the future and mankind has learnt to harvest helium3 from moon rocks in order to provide Earth with almost limitless energy. Sam Bell (Rockwell) is at the end of a three year contract working on the far side of the moon as a technician keeping the harvesting machines running. His only company is a computer called GERTY (voiced by Spacey).
He has a mere two weeks of his contract left before he can go home and see his wife and daughter again. Then he starts hallucinating and has an accident. When he wakes up, he is in the infirmary being tended to by GERTY. After his recuperation, he finds GERTY is under instructions not to let him leave the base until a rescue shuttle has landed to clean up the aftermath of his accident. He manages to take an unauthorised trip out to the broken harvester and what he finds there makes him doubt his sanity and, ultimately, his belief that the company he works for has his best interests at heart.
To say more would spoil the plot, but suffice it to say, Sam Rockwell is absolutely brilliant. It is, at times, like watching two different actors on screen. That he manages to hold your attention for 90 minutes with very few other actors is testament to both his talent and the script.
One of the best films I've seen this year.
My rating: 8.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.3 / 10
Running time: 97 mins
IMDB link
Monday 10 August 2009
Crank: High Voltage (2009)
[Movie 210 / Day 222]
The original Crank was a brilliantly fun action movie. It was ridiculous, it was over the top, it was low budget, but it was novel. All of those things added up and it worked.
High Voltage tries to repeat the trick and, for the most part, succeeds. Obviously it's not such a novel concept this time around, so the film-makers have opted to add all sorts of bizarre interludes (from a flashback to Chev's youth to an odd Godzilla-style fight scene). I found it detracted from the movie. If they'd just stuck to more of the same, it would have been better.
As it is, it's pretty good, but nowhere near as much fun as the original. They did leave it open for a third though - if they make one, let's hope they go back to the original style.
My rating: 6.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.8 / 10
Running time: 96 mins
IMDB link
The original Crank was a brilliantly fun action movie. It was ridiculous, it was over the top, it was low budget, but it was novel. All of those things added up and it worked.
High Voltage tries to repeat the trick and, for the most part, succeeds. Obviously it's not such a novel concept this time around, so the film-makers have opted to add all sorts of bizarre interludes (from a flashback to Chev's youth to an odd Godzilla-style fight scene). I found it detracted from the movie. If they'd just stuck to more of the same, it would have been better.
As it is, it's pretty good, but nowhere near as much fun as the original. They did leave it open for a third though - if they make one, let's hope they go back to the original style.
My rating: 6.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.8 / 10
Running time: 96 mins
IMDB link
17 Again (2009)
[Movie 209 / Day 222]
In the spirit of Big or Vice Versa, 17 Again is the story of Mike O'Donnell (Zac Efron and Matthew Perry) who, suffering a mid-life crisis and in the middle of a divorce, is magically transformed into his 17-year old self again and realises that he doesn't want another shot at a basketball scholarship, he wants his family back.
Aaah.
It's OK. Relatively amusing in places and harmless enough. The funniest thing about it is Thomas Lennon who plays a character called Ned Gold, Mike's best friend, a geek who made millions in software, who spends the majority of the movie trying to woo the headteacher at Mike's school. I think I enjoyed it more than I expected because I was thought it was going to be as big a campfest as High School Musical, and it wasn't.
My rating: 5.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.5 / 10
Running time: 102 mins
IMDB link
In the spirit of Big or Vice Versa, 17 Again is the story of Mike O'Donnell (Zac Efron and Matthew Perry) who, suffering a mid-life crisis and in the middle of a divorce, is magically transformed into his 17-year old self again and realises that he doesn't want another shot at a basketball scholarship, he wants his family back.
Aaah.
It's OK. Relatively amusing in places and harmless enough. The funniest thing about it is Thomas Lennon who plays a character called Ned Gold, Mike's best friend, a geek who made millions in software, who spends the majority of the movie trying to woo the headteacher at Mike's school. I think I enjoyed it more than I expected because I was thought it was going to be as big a campfest as High School Musical, and it wasn't.
My rating: 5.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.5 / 10
Running time: 102 mins
IMDB link
Saturday 8 August 2009
Race to Witch Mountain (2009)
[Movie 208 / Day 220]
Dwayne Johnson plays a Las Vegas cabbie who gets caught up in a race against time, the government and an alien race when two kids get in the back of his cab, claim to be from another planet and ask for his help to recover their spaceship so they can return to their own planet in order to save both it and Earth.
It's an average kids actioner.
My rating: 5.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.0 / 10
Running time: 98 mins
IMDB link
Dwayne Johnson plays a Las Vegas cabbie who gets caught up in a race against time, the government and an alien race when two kids get in the back of his cab, claim to be from another planet and ask for his help to recover their spaceship so they can return to their own planet in order to save both it and Earth.
It's an average kids actioner.
My rating: 5.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.0 / 10
Running time: 98 mins
IMDB link
Friday 7 August 2009
Being John Malkovich (1999)
[Movie 207 / Day 219]
One of those bizarre films that should be a bit rubbish but somehow seems to work. Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a failed puppeteer who is forced to get a job as a filing clerk in order to make some money. The company he goes to work for is based on the 7.5th floor of a local building. One day, he finds a mysterious doorway behind a filing cabinet. When he crawls through it, into a wierd tunnel, he finds himself transported into John Malkovich's head for 15 minutes before being spat out onto the side of the New Jersey turnpike.
He teams up with a woman that works on the same floor (Maxine - a woman he's trying desperately to have an affair with) in order to turn the discovery into a business proposition by selling tickets to be John Malkovich for 15 minutes. Enter his wife, Lotte (played by an extremely dowdy looking Cameron Diaz), who enters Malkovich's mind and decides that a) she should have been born a man, and b) she is also in love with Maxine. Maxine decides that she quite fancies Lotte, but only when she's inside Malkovich. Cue a bizarre love triangle. Unfortunately, Craig can't cope with that so he locks his wife in a cage and tricks Maxine into meeting Malkovich - but he's inside his head instead of Lotte. He then discovers he can control Malkovich by harnessing his puppeteering skills.
There is an explanation for the portal, and yes, it is odd.
Somehow it works though and is quite enjoyable.
My rating: 7.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.9 / 10
Running time: 112 mins
IMDB link
One of those bizarre films that should be a bit rubbish but somehow seems to work. Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a failed puppeteer who is forced to get a job as a filing clerk in order to make some money. The company he goes to work for is based on the 7.5th floor of a local building. One day, he finds a mysterious doorway behind a filing cabinet. When he crawls through it, into a wierd tunnel, he finds himself transported into John Malkovich's head for 15 minutes before being spat out onto the side of the New Jersey turnpike.
He teams up with a woman that works on the same floor (Maxine - a woman he's trying desperately to have an affair with) in order to turn the discovery into a business proposition by selling tickets to be John Malkovich for 15 minutes. Enter his wife, Lotte (played by an extremely dowdy looking Cameron Diaz), who enters Malkovich's mind and decides that a) she should have been born a man, and b) she is also in love with Maxine. Maxine decides that she quite fancies Lotte, but only when she's inside Malkovich. Cue a bizarre love triangle. Unfortunately, Craig can't cope with that so he locks his wife in a cage and tricks Maxine into meeting Malkovich - but he's inside his head instead of Lotte. He then discovers he can control Malkovich by harnessing his puppeteering skills.
There is an explanation for the portal, and yes, it is odd.
Somehow it works though and is quite enjoyable.
My rating: 7.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.9 / 10
Running time: 112 mins
IMDB link
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
[Movie 206 / Day 219]
Based on Roald Dahl's classic childrens novel, James and the Giant Peach follows the story of a little boy whose parents are killed by a runaway rhinocerous. Packed off to live with his mean aunties, they force him to do chores around the house while giving him the bare minimum he needs to live. One day, while saving the life of a spider, a mysterious man appears and gives the boy a bag of magical worm things, telling him they will change his life. Unfortunately, he drops them and loses all but one.
The others get into the dead peach tree at the bottom of the garden and an enormous peach grows on it. To cut a long story short, he ends up hitching a ride to New York in said peach, along with some enormous insects.
It's OK; but the book was better.
My rating: 5.6 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.7 / 10
Running time: 79 mins
IMDB link
Based on Roald Dahl's classic childrens novel, James and the Giant Peach follows the story of a little boy whose parents are killed by a runaway rhinocerous. Packed off to live with his mean aunties, they force him to do chores around the house while giving him the bare minimum he needs to live. One day, while saving the life of a spider, a mysterious man appears and gives the boy a bag of magical worm things, telling him they will change his life. Unfortunately, he drops them and loses all but one.
The others get into the dead peach tree at the bottom of the garden and an enormous peach grows on it. To cut a long story short, he ends up hitching a ride to New York in said peach, along with some enormous insects.
It's OK; but the book was better.
My rating: 5.6 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.7 / 10
Running time: 79 mins
IMDB link
Thursday 6 August 2009
Mr Deeds (2002)
[Movie 205 / Day 218]
A comic reworking of the 1950s classic Mr Deeds Goes To Town, Adam Sandler plays Deeds, a ordinary man that runs a pizza parlour in small town America. His great-uncle (that he didn't even know existed) dies and leaves him a $40 billion fortune.
The film is spent with Deeds falling in love with an undercover reporter while the head of the company he has just inherited schemes to remove him from the picture.
It's a fairly average comedy, lifted mainly by the usual Happy Madison cameo of Steve Buscemi as Crazy Eyes and by John Turturro playing the incredibly sneaky sneaky butler. If you like Adam Sandler though, there's a fair chance you'll like this.
My rating: 5.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.5 / 10
Running time: 96 mins
IMDB link
A comic reworking of the 1950s classic Mr Deeds Goes To Town, Adam Sandler plays Deeds, a ordinary man that runs a pizza parlour in small town America. His great-uncle (that he didn't even know existed) dies and leaves him a $40 billion fortune.
The film is spent with Deeds falling in love with an undercover reporter while the head of the company he has just inherited schemes to remove him from the picture.
It's a fairly average comedy, lifted mainly by the usual Happy Madison cameo of Steve Buscemi as Crazy Eyes and by John Turturro playing the incredibly sneaky sneaky butler. If you like Adam Sandler though, there's a fair chance you'll like this.
My rating: 5.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.5 / 10
Running time: 96 mins
IMDB link
Hook (1991)
[Movie 204 / Day 218]
In a twist on JM Barrie's classic play Peter Pan, Hook imagines what if Pan left Neverneverland and did grow up after all? Williams plays Peter, who is a high flying lawyer until he visits his childhood foster home in London and discovers that he is really Peter Pan - when Captain Hook (a marvelous Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps Peter's children and holds them to ransom pending the war he is craving.
Fun and imaginative, Hook is a nice little fantasy movie that my kids loved. It is a little on the long side though!
My rating: 5.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.2 / 10
Running time: 144 mins
IMDB link
In a twist on JM Barrie's classic play Peter Pan, Hook imagines what if Pan left Neverneverland and did grow up after all? Williams plays Peter, who is a high flying lawyer until he visits his childhood foster home in London and discovers that he is really Peter Pan - when Captain Hook (a marvelous Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps Peter's children and holds them to ransom pending the war he is craving.
Fun and imaginative, Hook is a nice little fantasy movie that my kids loved. It is a little on the long side though!
My rating: 5.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.2 / 10
Running time: 144 mins
IMDB link
Wednesday 5 August 2009
The Krays (1990)
[Movie 203 / Day 217]
Based on the story of Britain's infamous criminal brothers, the Kray twins, the film follows their lives from birth through their rise as the kings of London's underworld. Unfortunately, it spends far more time examining their early life and their personal relationships than it does their firm and how they came to rule London's East End.
It's OK, and the Kemps are very good in it, but it could have been so much better. I do love the scene where their mother has a roomful of gangsters checking their shoes for dog muck though.
My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.6 / 10
Running time: 119 mins
IMDB link
Based on the story of Britain's infamous criminal brothers, the Kray twins, the film follows their lives from birth through their rise as the kings of London's underworld. Unfortunately, it spends far more time examining their early life and their personal relationships than it does their firm and how they came to rule London's East End.
It's OK, and the Kemps are very good in it, but it could have been so much better. I do love the scene where their mother has a roomful of gangsters checking their shoes for dog muck though.
My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.6 / 10
Running time: 119 mins
IMDB link
Monday 3 August 2009
The Hangover (2009)
[Movie 202 / Day 215]
Doug is getting married. His best friends (and his slightly odd future brother-in-law) take him for a night in Vegas.
They wake up the next morning in a trashed hotel room containing a tiger in the bathroom, a chicken in the lounge and a baby in a cupboard - but no groom.
After this simple set up, the rest of the movie is spent retracing their forgotten night in an increasingly desperate attempt to find Doug and get to the wedding on time.
The trailer looked funny and the movie delivers. It's hilarious in places.
My rating: 8.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.2 / 10
Running time: 100 mins
IMDB link
Doug is getting married. His best friends (and his slightly odd future brother-in-law) take him for a night in Vegas.
They wake up the next morning in a trashed hotel room containing a tiger in the bathroom, a chicken in the lounge and a baby in a cupboard - but no groom.
After this simple set up, the rest of the movie is spent retracing their forgotten night in an increasingly desperate attempt to find Doug and get to the wedding on time.
The trailer looked funny and the movie delivers. It's hilarious in places.
My rating: 8.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.2 / 10
Running time: 100 mins
IMDB link
Saturday 1 August 2009
AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem (2007)
[Movie 201 / Day 213]
The original AVP was bad. The plot was OKish, but all of the suspense and violence was taken out of the franchise in order to obtain a ridiculously low rating (I think it was rated 12 in the UK). This was the movie in which two of Hollywoods baddest of bad-ass baddies met for the first time. It should have been a bloodbath. Instead, it was a gayfest. The Predator even had compassion for humans; he should have been skinning them alive and hanging them upside down in trees, not scanning them for terminal illnesses then leaving them alone.
Watching the trailer for the sequel, it seemed that they may have righted some wrongs. Instead of trying to fit the movie into the Alien/Predator universe, it looked like they might have made a stand-alone movie, with some of the violence of old reinstated. There are no recognisable actors in it, so you just don't know who was going to make it to the end. That's where the good stuff ends. Unfortunately, although the plot isn't too bad (essentially a Predator ship crashlands on Earth, unleashing a bunch of face-huggers and a "Predalien" on the unsuspecting small US town it inevitably landed next to, prompting another Predator to come and clean up the mess), the film throughout seems to be extremely dark and over-contrasted. So much so that it's difficult to make out what's actually happening (I'm assuming it's the movie and not my projector going wrong). This is made much, much worse by the editing, which features lots of fast cuts and super-close-ups on the Aliens and Predator fighting. Consequently, you can barely tell who is attacking who.
The resulting movie is a mess and we spent the majority of it trying to piece together what was happening. It's about time someone made a GOOD Alien vs Predator movie, because the source material is awesome.
My rating: 4.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.9 / 10
Running time: 94 mins
IMDB link
The original AVP was bad. The plot was OKish, but all of the suspense and violence was taken out of the franchise in order to obtain a ridiculously low rating (I think it was rated 12 in the UK). This was the movie in which two of Hollywoods baddest of bad-ass baddies met for the first time. It should have been a bloodbath. Instead, it was a gayfest. The Predator even had compassion for humans; he should have been skinning them alive and hanging them upside down in trees, not scanning them for terminal illnesses then leaving them alone.
Watching the trailer for the sequel, it seemed that they may have righted some wrongs. Instead of trying to fit the movie into the Alien/Predator universe, it looked like they might have made a stand-alone movie, with some of the violence of old reinstated. There are no recognisable actors in it, so you just don't know who was going to make it to the end. That's where the good stuff ends. Unfortunately, although the plot isn't too bad (essentially a Predator ship crashlands on Earth, unleashing a bunch of face-huggers and a "Predalien" on the unsuspecting small US town it inevitably landed next to, prompting another Predator to come and clean up the mess), the film throughout seems to be extremely dark and over-contrasted. So much so that it's difficult to make out what's actually happening (I'm assuming it's the movie and not my projector going wrong). This is made much, much worse by the editing, which features lots of fast cuts and super-close-ups on the Aliens and Predator fighting. Consequently, you can barely tell who is attacking who.
The resulting movie is a mess and we spent the majority of it trying to piece together what was happening. It's about time someone made a GOOD Alien vs Predator movie, because the source material is awesome.
My rating: 4.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.9 / 10
Running time: 94 mins
IMDB link
Friday 31 July 2009
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
[Movie 200 / Day 212]
The first Woody Allen movie I've seen didn't really impress me. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is the story of two best friends who spend the summer months in Barcelona and fall in love, out of love etc.
Whilst there was nothing badly wrong with the story, I just disliked the dialogue (which seemed to range from stilted to totally unnatural at times) and I plain hated the narrator (who sounded extremely wooden and frankly, bored witless). Amazingly, it seems that many people are of the opinion that Penelope Cruz looks beautiful in this movie. To me, she looked at best manic and at worst witch-like; and I found her voice grating in the extreme.
My rating: 5.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 96 mins
IMDB link
The first Woody Allen movie I've seen didn't really impress me. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is the story of two best friends who spend the summer months in Barcelona and fall in love, out of love etc.
Whilst there was nothing badly wrong with the story, I just disliked the dialogue (which seemed to range from stilted to totally unnatural at times) and I plain hated the narrator (who sounded extremely wooden and frankly, bored witless). Amazingly, it seems that many people are of the opinion that Penelope Cruz looks beautiful in this movie. To me, she looked at best manic and at worst witch-like; and I found her voice grating in the extreme.
My rating: 5.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 96 mins
IMDB link
Thursday 30 July 2009
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
[Movie 199 / Day 211]
Yet another Hollywood remake, in The Day the Earth Stood Still an alien comes to Earth in order to save the planet - by eradicating humans.
I was surprisingly pleased by the movie. The story isn't particularly special, but the acting wasn't at all bad (even Keanu, although I guess it helped that his character essentially had one expression throughout) and some of the special effects were very good.
As is so often the case when I watch a movie I expect is going to really suck, it turned out to be better than I thought.
My rating: 6.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.6 / 10
Running time: 104 mins
IMDB link
Yet another Hollywood remake, in The Day the Earth Stood Still an alien comes to Earth in order to save the planet - by eradicating humans.
I was surprisingly pleased by the movie. The story isn't particularly special, but the acting wasn't at all bad (even Keanu, although I guess it helped that his character essentially had one expression throughout) and some of the special effects were very good.
As is so often the case when I watch a movie I expect is going to really suck, it turned out to be better than I thought.
My rating: 6.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.6 / 10
Running time: 104 mins
IMDB link
Thunderpants (2002)
[Movie 198 / Day 211]
Smash has a problem. He was born with two stomachs, which apparently makes it impossible to stop farting. I'm not sure why having two stomachs would give rise to that problem, but there you go. Consequently, his dad leaves their family and he is constantly bullied at school. He befriends Alan, a boy genius with no sense of smell and together, they try to achieve Smash's dream of becoming an astronaut by harnessing the power of flatulence.
It's a ridiculous premise, but one that most kids would find amusing - except it's filmed in such a style that it's difficult for kids to get into it. It has a very muted palette and lots of repetition (ie, the characters only have one outfit each, every car is a green Mini, etc). For adults, the jokes are all pretty lame.
It's not terrible, but it also has very few redeeming features.
My rating: 2.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 2.9 / 10
Running time: 87 mins
IMDB link
Smash has a problem. He was born with two stomachs, which apparently makes it impossible to stop farting. I'm not sure why having two stomachs would give rise to that problem, but there you go. Consequently, his dad leaves their family and he is constantly bullied at school. He befriends Alan, a boy genius with no sense of smell and together, they try to achieve Smash's dream of becoming an astronaut by harnessing the power of flatulence.
It's a ridiculous premise, but one that most kids would find amusing - except it's filmed in such a style that it's difficult for kids to get into it. It has a very muted palette and lots of repetition (ie, the characters only have one outfit each, every car is a green Mini, etc). For adults, the jokes are all pretty lame.
It's not terrible, but it also has very few redeeming features.
My rating: 2.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 2.9 / 10
Running time: 87 mins
IMDB link
Wednesday 29 July 2009
Porco Rosso (1992)
[Movie 197 / Day 210]
Another magical Studio Ghibli movie, Porco Rosso is about set in the '20s in a world populated with pirates and bounty hunters, all flying and fighting in seaplanes. Porco Rosso is a man living under a curse that has turned him into a pig - the greatest pilot in the Adriatic, striking fear into the pirates. So much so that they group together and hire an American pilot to bring the pig down.
I love the style and world of Porco Rosso and the storyline is good stuff - although it seems to be aimed at an older market than most Studio Ghibli productions.
My rating: 7.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.8 / 10
Running time: 94 mins
IMDB link
Another magical Studio Ghibli movie, Porco Rosso is about set in the '20s in a world populated with pirates and bounty hunters, all flying and fighting in seaplanes. Porco Rosso is a man living under a curse that has turned him into a pig - the greatest pilot in the Adriatic, striking fear into the pirates. So much so that they group together and hire an American pilot to bring the pig down.
I love the style and world of Porco Rosso and the storyline is good stuff - although it seems to be aimed at an older market than most Studio Ghibli productions.
My rating: 7.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.8 / 10
Running time: 94 mins
IMDB link
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
[Movie 196 / Day 210]
Another Hollywood remake, Pelham 123 is the story of a gang (led by Ryder, manically played by Travolta) who hold a subway train to ransom, while the guy in the control room, Garber (Denzel Washington), tries to talk him down from killing hostages.
It's not a bad movie, a fairly average actioner; the problem is the trailer. It literally gives away every plot point in the movie and as such, removes all tension. Whoever was responsible for that should be fired as it ruins the movie. You just don't really care about any given situation in the movie as the trailer has already spoilt how it's going to turn out. Amazing.
My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.9 / 10
Running time: 121 mins
IMDB link
Another Hollywood remake, Pelham 123 is the story of a gang (led by Ryder, manically played by Travolta) who hold a subway train to ransom, while the guy in the control room, Garber (Denzel Washington), tries to talk him down from killing hostages.
It's not a bad movie, a fairly average actioner; the problem is the trailer. It literally gives away every plot point in the movie and as such, removes all tension. Whoever was responsible for that should be fired as it ruins the movie. You just don't really care about any given situation in the movie as the trailer has already spoilt how it's going to turn out. Amazing.
My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.9 / 10
Running time: 121 mins
IMDB link
Tuesday 28 July 2009
Body of Lies (2008)
[Movie 195 / Day 209]
A political thriller set in the Middle East. DiCaprio plays a CIA agent working undercover to try and track down a terrorist cell responsible for a spate of bombings. Crowe is his boss. They don't like each other that much.
Well acted but I found it a bit slow.
My rating: 6.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.2 / 10
Running time: 128 mins
IMDB link
A political thriller set in the Middle East. DiCaprio plays a CIA agent working undercover to try and track down a terrorist cell responsible for a spate of bombings. Crowe is his boss. They don't like each other that much.
Well acted but I found it a bit slow.
My rating: 6.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.2 / 10
Running time: 128 mins
IMDB link
Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003)
[Movie 194 / Day 209]
The third and, mercifully, final installment of the Spy Kids trilogy is less a film, more an excuse to cram as many dodgy CGI 3D shots as possible into 90 minutes. The effects are bad, the plot is worse.
My rating: 3.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.1 / 10
Running time: 84 mins
IMDB link
The third and, mercifully, final installment of the Spy Kids trilogy is less a film, more an excuse to cram as many dodgy CGI 3D shots as possible into 90 minutes. The effects are bad, the plot is worse.
My rating: 3.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.1 / 10
Running time: 84 mins
IMDB link
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