Saturday 31 January 2009

The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)

[Movie 51 / Day 31]


The silver screen re-hash of that classic TV series The Dukes of Hazzard is really nothing special. It has a few laughs. It has some car chases. It has some fist fights. Much like the original TV really.

Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville are well cast as the Duke cousins and seem to have a good chemistry - it's easy to imagine them as friends... Jessica Simpson has an amazing body, perfect for the short short wearing Daisy Duke. It's just a pity she can't act. Willie Nelson pops up as Uncle Jesse and, while he has the hair and accent, he's missing the paunch and attitude of the original. Likewise, Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg seems wrong. He's a good actor for sure, but he is missing some of the characture of the TV series.

Still, for all it's flaws, this remake is pretty good fun. Its detractors say that it has far more language and sex in it than the original, but really, these are the times we live in. Swearing and nudity are FAR more commonplace on our screens now than when those good old boys were originally tearing up the small screen.

The car chases are well filmed, with a minimum of CGI and speeding up - a lot of the stunts were done for real, as in the original - and it shows. The only unfortunate side-effect of this is the destruction of so many Dodge Chargers during filming.

Overall, The Dukes of Hazzard is an entertaining (if unremarkable) way to pass a couple of hours, although it will certainly help your enjoyment if you have fond memories of the TV series, an affinity for modern cinematic 'teenage' humour and a few beers inside you.

My rating: 5.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.7 / 10
Running time: 106 mins
IMDB link

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

[Movie 50 / Day 31]


I'm not a big fan of Steve Carell. I didn't find him particularly funny in Anchorman, not even the infamous "I love lamp" scene.

I don't find this movie massively funny. It has few true laugh moments. Yet, for some reason, I really like it. I think it helps that I really like both Paul Rudd (massively under-rated IMO) and Seth Rogen.

Simple plot. 40 year old bloke is a virgin. His friends try and help him lose his virginity. He falls in love with a girl. Loses virginity.

No amazing plot, or clever twists, no massive laughs, and yet it's enjoyable. I especially love the singalong finish.


My rating: 6.7 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.5 / 10
Running time: 133 mins
IMDB link

Friday 30 January 2009

The Kingdom (2007)

[Movie 49 / Day 30]


In a small compound in Saudi Arabia, a compound that's home to Americans working out there, terrorists attack and indiscriminately kill many.

Four FBI agents (Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman) get permission to enter Saudi Arabia for 5 days in order to investigate. They form a friendship with the Saudi police captain that is assigned to babysit them and manage to track down one of the terrorist bases. Obviously, the terrorists don't like that so much and try and kill them all before kidnapping one of the agents with the intention of executing him on video... Much gunplay ensues.

Foxx is pretty good as the ice cold team leader, Garner is hot but a little too not-a-hair-out-of-place, Cooper is excellent as he is in most things and Bateman plays the sarcastic joker character pretty well. Special mention to Jeremy Piven who crops up as the guy from the US Embassy, cos he's ace.

It's a pretty good film, nothing overly special, but enjoyable nonetheless.

My rating: 7.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.2 / 10
Running time: 110 mins
IMDB link

The Riddle (2007)

[Movie 48 / Day 30]


Absolutely terrible movie. Wooden acting, terrible dialogue, poor editing... It's just DIRE. The ending is special though. It's... hideously, unbelievably, upsettingly bad. If you ever get the opportunity to watch this film, microwave your hand instead - it'll provide a much more interesting evening.

My rating: 2.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.5 / 10
Running time: 116 mins
IMDB link

Thursday 29 January 2009

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

[Movie 47 / Day 29]


Just brilliant.

My rating: 9.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 9.2 / 10
Running time: 142 mins
IMDB link

Wednesday 28 January 2009

Capote (2005)

[Movie 46 / Day 28]


Biopic about Truman Capote writing his book, In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Capote and does a damn good job of it - he's a brilliant actor and deserves more leading roles.

The problem is, I didn't really know much about Capote and the more I watched the film, the more I realised I don't really care. It plods along at a very slow pace - it felt much, much longer than 2 hours. They probably could have cut half an hour out without damaging the storyline by judicious use of "one year later" type subtitles.

I'm sure if you're a big fan of Capote and his book, you'd probably love this. I was just happy when the end credits rolled.

My rating: 5.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.6 / 10
Running time: 114 mins
IMDB link

Tuesday 27 January 2009

The Game (1997)

[Movie 45 / Day 27]


Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a millionaire financier who receives an unusual birthday present from his wayward brother Conrad (Sean Penn) - a game that has life-changing consequences.

Apparently the point of the game is to discover what the point of the game is and soon, Van Orton is playing for his life. His millions are stripped away and he's left for dead in Mexico. Eventually he does discover the point of the game and with it, a likelihood that he won't be such an egocentric asshole in future.

Many twists and much smoke and magic go into The Game, meaning you're never quite sure exactly what is going on, much like Van Orton himself. There are some plot points that leave big questions over whether they'd be possible, but overall, it's a cracking story - even when you know what's going to happen, it's fun to rewatch. I love the scene towards the end when all of the 'actors' that make up the Game are revealed.

Interestingly, the movie is apparently loosely based on a real life 'The Game' - one that costs $25,000 to enter and, presumably, isn't nearly as encompassing as the movie version. Not sure I believe that this movie is based on it, but I guess it could be.

My rating: 7.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.7 / 10
Running time: 128 mins
IMDB link

Monday 26 January 2009

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)

[Movie 44 / Day 26]


Chuck and Larry are New York firemen who hit upon the idea of pretending to be gay in order to transfer Larry's benefits to Chuck in case the worst should happen and Larry should die in a fire. Lots of steretyping, but in a fun way. Not much in the way of big laughs, although there are one or two.

Most of the usual Adam Sandler suspects crop up in this Dennis Dougan helmed film (including an amusing cameo by Rob Schneider). It also features Dan Aykroyd (who steals most scenes he's in) and Ving Rhames though... And Kevin James, who, while he isn't as funny as he was in Hitch, is still a likeable chap. Sandler manages to come across as an arse for most of the film though - I'm assuming that's a side-effect of acting 'New York' though.

Highlights of the film are Jessica Biel in a Catwoman hotsuit and Jessica Biel stripping off to dry after getting caught in the rain. A downside to the movie is there isn't enough Jessica Biel.

It's OK, but it's no Happy Gilmore...

My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.2 / 10
Running time: 115 mins
IMDB link

Sunday 25 January 2009

Children of Men (2006)

[Movie 43 / Day 25]


Children of Men is set in a bleak Britain of the future where illegal immigrants are rounded up and shipped out, in a world where humans have lost the ability to reproduce. Clive Owen plays Theo Faron, a guy who used to be a protestor, but now works in an office in London. One day, his ex-girlfriend contacts him and asks him to help her smuggle a refugee out of the country. Reluctantly, he agrees and before long, a few twists of fate ensure that he's in much deeper than he originally intended to be.

Some excellent acting (especially from Owen and Michael Caine), a good script and an apocalyptic Bexhill (the closing scenes of the movie feature some nail biting moments) add up to a great, if a little depressing, movie.

My rating: 7.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.1 / 10
Running time: 109 mins
IMDB link

Enchanted (2007)

[Movie 42 / Day 25]


Disney movie about a fairytale princess that gets banished to the real world by an evil witch. It was OK, lots of references to classic Disney cartoons. The only two bits that I found good were the CGI chipmunk acting out the evil henchman's evil plot and the evil henchman himself, Timothy Spall, who is in top form.

Otherwise, nothing special.

My rating: 6.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.6 / 10
Running time: 107 mins
IMDB link

Saturday 24 January 2009

Day Watch (2006)

[Movie 41 / Day 24]


In the second part of the 'Watch' trilogy, our hero Anton returns and he's still keeping an eye on those Dark Others. The big bad bossman of the Dark Others puts in motion a plan to set Anton up and have him sentenced to death for breaking the truce. Lots of stuff happens, and at the end, we're back where Night Watch started.

I don't know whether they had a better budget for this one, or whether they spent longer polishing the script, but I enjoyed it a lot more than Night Watch - it felt much more complete and less like they were throwing CGI sequences in just because they could. Except the bit where a Mazda RX8 (a rare car in Russia, perhaps?) drives up the side of a building and in through a window. That was ridiculous.

Also, although there's lots of CGI that works well in there, it still suffers from speeding the film up to make it look like the cars are going faster than they are (the first did too, but I forgave that because they only did it with a big truck and it didn't seem so bad). Cars just look unnatural when the film is sped up. Stop it.

Overall, Day Watch is that rare beast, a sequel that's better than the original... And it left me looking forward to the release of the concluding part, Twilight Watch, due this year.

My rating: 6.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.2 / 10
Running time: 146 mins
IMDB link

Night Watch (2004)

[Movie 40 / Day 24]


Night Watch is a Russian movie about the Others, humans with extra powers. The Others are divided into Light Others and Dark Others. Long ago, these two opposing sides went to war, until their leaders realised that they were too evenly matched and both would be destroyed. So, a truce was called. As part of the truce, the Light Others will take the nightwatch in order to keep an eye on the Dark Others, and vice versa.

It's a fairly simple plot, although slightly confused at times by the dialogue (or at least, the subtitles) and sometimes seems to be throwing in special effects for the sake of it. For the majority of the fight near the end, for example, it's difficult to tell what's actually happening.

For all that though, it's quite enjoyable and a nice take on the whole vampire thing.

My rating: 6.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.5 / 10
Running time: 114 mins
IMDB link

Friday 23 January 2009

Bangkok Dangerous (2008)

[Movie 39 / Day 23]


Pretty rubbish hitman thriller starring Nicolas Cage, who seems to have been choosing some really dodgy movies recently.

Basic plot, hitman in Bangkok, does a series of jobs, takes on a student (breaking his own rules), falls in love with a deaf-mute pharmacist (WTF?), gets a pang of conscience, turns good (-ish).

The whole romantic sub-plot should have been chopped out as it does little for the movie and is frankly boring.

Some of it is massively obvious - but just in case you couldn't see it coming, when the reveal happens, there's a flashback voiceover just to really hammer the point home. And then, the ending - actually is a bit of a shock which I didn't see coming, but it's too little too late.

The whole thing just feels a bit confused and messy - a lot like the dreadful hairstyle Nic sports throughout.

My rating: 4.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.4 / 10
Running time: 99 mins
IMDB link

Pineapple Express (2008)

[Movie 38 / Day 23]


Stoner comedy from the dudes that did Superbad, Pineapple Express follows the story of Dale Denton, played by the ever excellent Seth Rogen, as he is on the run following witnessing a murder. He's joined in his flight by his drug dealer, obviously (James Franco).

I found it far funnier than Superbad, which I thought was a little flat in places. I think I'll revisit soon though.

My rating: 7.6 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 117 mins
IMDB link

Thursday 22 January 2009

What Happens In Vegas (2008)

[Movie 37 / Day 22]

Rom-com featuring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher. It's mediocre at best, with a predictable plot and few genuine laughs.

Cameron Diaz is starting to look her age now, although still hot, she should maybe think of hanging up the spangly dresses. Ashton Kutcher is a bit of a nob, but actually quite amusing in places.

My rating: 5.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.9 / 10
Running time: 99 mins
IMDB link

Wednesday 21 January 2009

The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

[Movie 36 / Day 21]


Jet Li is awesome. Jackie Chan is awesome. A movie starring both for the first time? That should be DOUBLE WICKED AWESOME!

It's not.

It's OK, and it's tremendous fun watching Chan and Li going at it, even though it's a veritable CGI and wire fest... The problem is the movie is a bit all-over-the-place. It's a simple enough plot, it's just not very well done. There are continuity errors galore and it detracts from your enjoyment because it's so noticable. One second they're on horses, riding through a bamboo forest, the next they're on foot walking through the desert - with no explanation or sense of any time passing (apart from the American guy, who is a bit gormless looking, suddenly has a ponytail). Still in the desert, they walk under these massive stones. The next shot, they're in a valley with no humungous stones to be seen. Also, the accents are a bit impenetrable at times.

It could have been so much better. Still, it's about 1,000 times better than Hero, which bored the crap out of me ("but it's ART, not a movie").

My rating: 6.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.9 / 10
Running time: 113 mins
IMDB link

Tuesday 20 January 2009

Black Snake Moan (2006)

[Movie 35 / Day 20]


This is a bit of an odd film. Christina Ricci plays a nymphomaniac whose boyfriend leaves to join the army. While he's gone, she can't help but throw herself at various men in the small town they live in. Meanwhile, Samuel L Jackson is a farmer and blues guitarist whose wife has recently left him. For his brother. One night, Ricci's character takes plenty of drugs and ends up being beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. Right outside Jackson's farm. He takes her in and helps her to get well. Then he chains her to a cast-iron radiator and says he's going to cure her of her 'sickness'. Eventually, he realises he can't keep her captive and lets her go, but she stays with him and they become friends. Then Ricci's boyfriend comes back after being kicked out of the army.

The ending is a bit crap, but the soundtrack is excellent - apparently Jackson learnt to play the guitar for the movie, and his voice sounds brilliant belting out the blues, plus he's one cool mofo, which helps. Ricci excels at playing the slut (for most of the first half of the movie, she wears a crop top, panties and a chain).

It's OK, but I won't be rushing to watch it again.

My rating: 6.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.2 / 10
Running time: 116 mins
IMDB link

Monday 19 January 2009

Shooter (2007)

[Movie 34 / Day 19]


Mark Wahlberg plays a retired sniper who is asked to step up for his country one last time. Unfortunately, he's being set-up. Obviously, this double-cross doesn't quite work out as planned and the rest of the movie is spent following Wahlberg as he shoots his way to justice.

It's an enjoyable, switch-yer-head-off movie. Don't think about the plot holes too much, or whether it's realistic or not; just enjoy the ride. It's an action film and that's it.

I'm not sure whether it was the compression Sky use on their channels or not, but Danny Glover's voice in it sounded terrible. His character does lisp, but it sounded like my centre speaker had a hole in it at times. Odd.

My rating: 7.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.2 / 10
Running time: 124 mins
IMDB link

Big Daddy (1999)

[Movie 33 / Day 19]


I remember this movie as being pretty amusing. It's not. It's pretty rubbish. And the little boy in it has the most annoying accent. Harmless enough, but no real laughs to be had.

My rating: 5.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.0 / 10
Running time: 93 mins
IMDB link

Saturday 17 January 2009

Apocalypto (2006)

[Movie 32 / Day 17]


I really didn't think I was going to like Mel Gibson's Apocalypto. It follows a young Mayan who is captured as a human sacrifice but ends up fleeing for his life. It's in Mayan, presumably, and subtitled all the way through. Judging the movie from the trailer, it really didn't look like the sort of movie I'd be interested in. Then someone recommended it to me. I still couldn't bring myself to watch it. The bluray arrived this morning as a rental, so tonight, I've finally sat down and watched it.

I loved it.

It really pulls you into the story and I ended up sympathising with the characters, even though the way of life being depicted is about as far from modern living as you could get. It just seemed very real, from the tattoos and scarification, to the tools in use... Even the violence was on the realistic side of Hollywood and not cartoony.

There was only really one thing that bugged me. Apparently, in Mayan times, people didn't float. I can understand they wouldn't know how to swim, but not being able to float?

Anyway, Mel Gibson clearly had a passion for this story and props to him for bringing it to the big screen - it's not your typical Hollywood offering.

My rating: 8.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.9 / 10
Running time: 139 mins
IMDB link

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007)

[Movie 31 / Day 17]


There are so many recognisable names in this movie: Jason Statham, Leelee Sobieski, John Rhys-Davies, Ron Perlman, Claire Forlani, Ray Liotta and Burt Reynolds... And yet, it's still terrible. Stilted dialogue, shoddy effects, plot holes... It's just bad.

The best thing about it is Claire Forlani's cleavage, although I don't recommend you sit through this to catch a glimpse.

My rating: 3.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 3.8 / 10
Running time: 127 mins
IMDB link

Friday 16 January 2009

The Getaway (1972)

[Movie 30 / Day 16]


The Getaway is an 18-rated heist movie, featuring a husband and wife team of bank robbers trying to make good their escape across America as they're chased by various double-crossing n'er do wells and are hunted by the police. Again, I'm not sure why this is rated 18 as there is almost no bad language and the violence is fairly minimal - the blood effects look MUCH more like red paint than blood. Perhaps it's time the BBFC reviewed some of the ratings on movies over 25 years old.

It's a decent enough movie, starring Steve McQueen, who was surely one of the three coolest men ever to walk this planet. He exudes awesome. His wife is played by Ali MacGraw, who is decent enough and pretty easy on the eye.

The most annoying thing about the whole film is the soundtrack - it's like some sort of Fast Show 'Jazz Club' sketch at times ("Mmm, nice") and has a habit of carrying sound over in cut scenes which is really distracted me in places. I wish I'd realised the HD-DVD carries an alternate score by Jerry Fielding, because I watched one of the extras, the bank robbery sequence with the alternate score, dialogue and effects and I found it much more atmospheric. More run-of-the-mill, sure; but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If I'd known, I would have definitely watched it with it switched on.

My rating: 7.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.5 / 10
Running time: 122 mins
IMDB link

Thursday 15 January 2009

The Terminal (2004)

[Movie 29 / Day 15]


Tom Hanks plays a man from Eastern Europe who is visiting New York. Unfortunately, while he's flying, a coup is staged in his country meaning that when he lands, both his passport and his visa are invalid - the US officials can't let him into the States, but they also can't send him back to his own country.

All they can do is put him in the international departure lounge and wait for him to try and escape so he can be arrested and will become someone else's problem. Problem is, he doesn't try to escape. He was told to wait, so wait he will.

Loosely based on a true story, this Steven Spielberg movie is an out-and-out feel-good flick - and while it's a bit sickly sweet in places, it does what it says on the tin, helped in no short measure by an excellent performance by Hanks, as well as the solid supporting cast.

My rating: 7.7 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.1 / 10
Running time: 128 mins
IMDB link

Wednesday 14 January 2009

Life (1999)

[Movie 28 / Day 14]


Comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence as a pair of 1930s bootleggers who get sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder they didn't commit. The film follows their life in prison (and their attempts to escape), although there are a couple of montages to skip forwards big chunks.

It's quite amusing, especially in the later years when the two of them are in old man makeup. Also features the late Bernie Mac in an excellent role.

My rating: 6.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.1 / 10
Running time: 108 mins
IMDB link

Tuesday 13 January 2009

The Hitcher (1986)

[Movie 27 / Day 13]


A kid picks up a murderous hitch-hiker, but manages to escape his clutches. So the hitcher frames the kid for a string of killings and taunts him, playing cat and mouse.

It's dated pretty badly, it's not as suspenseful as some reviews would make you think, and for some reason the UK DVD is rated 18 - there's a couple of swear words, a severed finger and a gun shot wound. I'm not sure why it warranted an 18.

I'd say it's neither as scary nor as thrilling as Duel (which has similarities in both tone and plot). Although made for TV, Duel manages to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. This was more comedy.

I would say Rutger Hauer is pretty good in this, better than in Blade Runner, not quite as good as in the Guinness commercials he did.

My rating: 5.6 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.2 / 10
Running time: 97 mins
IMDB link

Monday 12 January 2009

Lord of War (2005)

[Movie 26 / Day 12]


An excellent movie based on true events, following Yuri Orlov as he builds his business and becomes one of the biggest freelance arms dealers in the world.

Nicolas Cage puts in a brilliant performance as Orlov and is supported by a solid cast, including Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto and Bridget Moynahan.

I absolutely loved the opening sequence, following a bullet all the way from manufacture to firing, and also the scene where a plane is stripped overnight.

My rating: 8.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.7 / 10
Running time: 122 mins
IMDB link

Zoom (2006)

[Movie 25 / Day 12]


This is a bad film - but at least the plot makes sense, which is more than I can say for some other movies (like The Avengers - how did that get a higher score on IMDB than this!? That's madness).

I can't be bothered describing it, other than to say - Chevy Chase was either in top notch makeup or DAMN, he's looking old.

My rating: 3.6 / 10
IMDB rating: 3.3 / 10
Running time: 83 mins
IMDB link

Sunday 11 January 2009

Herbie Goes Bananas (1980)

[Movie 24 / Day 11]


The fourth installment of the Herbie movies is really scraping the barrel. With no real explanation of how it got there, Herbie is for sale in South America somewhere when a pair of Americans buy it in order to enter it into a race. Long before they can do that, however, the car saves a young street boy and smuggles him onboard the cruise liner the Americans are using to get to the next leg of their journey.

The car then spends the next 20 minutes driving around the hold, being chased by a variety of seamen. Then the slightly mental captain decides to make it walk the plank, in the middle of the ocean.

Cue very sad little boy. Wait a minute... What's that? It can't be! It's Herbie! He's SWUM ASHORE. Yes, it's as stupid as that. And while the exterior of the car is all rusted up by the seawater, the interior is absolutely pristine.

Then bad guys chase the little boy, Herbie saves him several times (including by having a bull fight which features some of the worst blue-screen ever), Incan gold is involved, Herbie manages to drive into the middle of the jungle in about 5 minutes (after it's taken the bad guys hours to fly there), then they cover Herbie in bananas (clearly the best way to hide a Beetle), then Herbie throws the bananas at the bad guys and thwarts their evil plans.

It's terrible. Bears no relation to the original, bar the fact that it has a Beetle called Herbie in it. It feels like it's never going to end too.

My rating: 3.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.5 / 10
Running time: 100 mins
IMDB link

Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo (1977)

[Movie 23 / Day 11]


The third Herbie film brings back Dean Jones as Jim Douglas. The film starts out in Paris, where Douglas and his new mechanic have decided they are going to take Herbie and make a comeback. They enter a race that involves driving from Paris to Monte Carlo. Before the race starts however, a pair of bungling burglars steal a huge diamond from a Parisian museum and hide it in Herbie's petrol tank.

Then, during qualifying, Herbie falls in love with the pretty Lancia in the screenshot.

Madcap hilarity ensues. Or at least, I'm sure that's what the Disney execs were hoping for. What actually ensues is plenty of sped up footage of racing (fairly well done though, it's nowhere near as obvious as in The Car - probably because they were driving fairly fast and haven't sped it up massively). In between racing segments are bits like Herbie wooing the Lancia with flowers, lots of gurning by the new mechanic and probably the gayest fist fight ever committed to film. Oh, and the French police inspector is like the bastard offspring of Hercule Poirot and Inspector Clouseau, which is slightly irritating.

Not as good as the second, and that's really saying something - it's pretty ropey in places.

My rating: 5.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.2 / 10
Running time: 105 mins
IMDB link

Herbie Rides Again (1974)

[Movie 22 / Day 11]


The first sequel to the smash 1969 hit, The Love Bug, none of the original cast made a return, apart from the car. Which was probably a different one anyway.

In this installment, Herbie helps to stop an evil developer from turfing an old lady out of her house to make way for a skyscraper.

Oddly, it seems that Disney decided that if one little car with a mind of its own = big money at the box office, then lots of items with minds of their own would only increase their take. Obviously, they didn't realise that the reason the original did so well was because of its charm, and I imagine being released in 1969 when most of the people that went to watch it had ingested some kind of narcotic probably helped.

Adding a jukebox that plays tunes relevant to the situation unfolding on screen, a trolley bus that beeps in response to the batty old woman's chatter and a whole army of Beetles driving themselves didn't help this movie to live up to the original. It's still fun, but not a patch on The Love Bug.

Still, I can remember watching these movies over and over again as a youngster, so they still make me misty eyed and nostalgic.

My rating: 5.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.4 / 10
Running time: 88 mins
IMDB link

Saturday 10 January 2009

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

[Movie 21 / Day 10]


The Brothers Grimm are con artists, travelling around French occupied Germany in the early 19th century convincing villagers that they can vanquish the evil spirits/witches/whatever they've made up. For a price, of course. Eventually the French catch wind of what they're doing, arrest them and offer them a choice - to be sentenced to death, or to actually go and solve the mystery of a cursed forest in which a number of children have disappeared.

Featuring lots of twisted fairy tales, the story is quite clever; although it also feels a little rushed and it's not exactly clear what's happening at times. Matt Damon and the late Heath Ledger work well together and the film features a solid supporting cast, including sexy Lena Headey and the gloriously manic Peter Stormare. Unfortunately, Jonathan Pryce pops up sporting a terrible French accent, which grated a bit.

It's OK, not brilliant, not terrible; and despite some horrible CGI effects (not exactly seamless, they stick out like a sore thumb on the bluray) it's pretty enjoyable. Probably the worst Terry Gilliam movie I've seen yet, but still, average Gilliam is better than a lot of other directors can muster.

My rating: 6.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.9 / 10
Running time: 118 mins
IMDB link

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

[Movie 20 / Day 10]


Edward Norton plays Bruce Banner, the scientist who, in an experiment gone wrong, has gamma radiation coursing through his body, turning him into The Hulk whenever he gets angry and his pulse rises above 200bpm (or thereabouts).

Liv Tyler is Betty Ross, the female scientist and Banner's love interest.

Although this flick is CGI laden, the storyline is pretty good - we follow Banner as he desperately tries to find a cure whilst the military are trying to track and capture him. During his search for a cure, he inadvertantly helps to create The Abomination, a rogue soldier (Tim Roth) that has gone mad with his lust for power, eventually poisoning himself with The Hulk's blood in order to become like him.

The only thing I really don't like about it is Tim Roth, who just doesn't seem right for the role to me.

It's waaaay better than the 2003 movie Hulk and leaves the way open for several sequels, depending on which way the film-makers want to go... Thanks to this and Iron Man, the future is looking good for Marvel comic book movies.

My rating: 7.6 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.3 / 10
Running time: 112 mins
IMDB link

Happy Gilmore (1996)

[Movie 19 / Day 10]


I love this film. It's easily the best film Adam Sandler's ever made.

It's about Happy Gilmore, a failed hockey fanatic who discovers he can hit a golf ball over 400 yards. A pro-golfer spots him hustling at the driving range and decides to offer his services helping Happy win the pro tour in order to make enough money to save his grandmothers house from repossession. It's a stupid plot really, but it works - mainly because of Shooter McGavin, who is such a brilliant character.

There are a few bits that irritate, but it's still ace.

My rating: 7.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.9 / 10
Running time: 92 mins
IMDB link

Friday 9 January 2009

Slacker (1991)

[Movie 18 / Day 9]


Big bag of boring shite. And that thing in the screenshot with the cap on, that's female. WTF.

My rating: 2.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.9 / 10
Running time: 97 mins
IMDB link

Inside Man (2006)

[Movie 17 / Day 9]


Highly enjoyable heist movie with a nice twist. Some excellent acting from Denzel Washington and Clive Owen. The worst thing about it is Jodie Foster. I'm not sure if she's miscast or if she was having an off-day or what, but I wanted to slap her. Maybe that's what she was going for, in which case she was brilliant.

My rating: 7.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.7 / 10
Running time: 129 mins
IMDB link

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

[Movie 16 / Day 9]


Everybody knows the story of Sleeping Beauty. It's nice. Looks amazing on the new bluray too.

My rating: 7.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 75 mins
IMDB link

Dazed and Confused (1993)

[Movie 15 / Day 9]


If you believe this film, in the 70s, the last day at high school in America was spent taking drugs, driving around in cool 60s and 70s muscle cars, drinking beer with your buddies and looking for freshmen to spank with a cricket bat. Surrounded by hot girls in tight jeans and short tops.

Looks like fun. It's also a highly enjoyable movie, with several young looking members of Hollywood's brightest popping up (including Matthew McConaughey, Milla Jovovich and Ben Affleck - Renée Zellweger is in there somewhere too)... My biggest problem with it is the actor playing the main young bloke, Wiley Wiggins, has a highly irratating habit of holding his brow and rubbing his nose. Other than that, I want to grow up in 70s small-town America, please.

My rating: 7.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.5 / 10
Running time: 103 mins
IMDB link

Thursday 8 January 2009

12 Monkeys (1995)

[Movie 14 / Day 8]


Brilliant Terry Gilliam helmed movie featuring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt on top form.

It's a twisting tale through mental illness and the end of the human race, which, on the face of it, really shouldn't make for a decent film. Yet it manages to be absolutely fantastic. For the first two thirds of the movie, you're not quite sure whether you're watching an insight into the mind of a mentally deluded man or a time-travelling sci-fi tale.

It's just aceness - if you haven't seen it before, watch it. If you have, watch it again.

My rating: 8.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.1 / 10
Running time: 129 mins
IMDB link

Backdraft (1991)

[Movie 13 / Day 8]


Movie about Chicago firefighters trying to track down an arsonist. Lots of subplots. Possibly too many. It's a bit long.

William Baldwin is adequate, Kurt Russell is good, Robert De Niro is brilliant, as is Donald Sutherland. Some of the flame effects are amazing - I loved the slow-mo flame rolling along walls.

I wish I'd got it in HD really, the DVD is shockingly bad quality.

Still, I'd forgotten how good this film is and enjoyed watching it for the first time in 15 years.

My rating: 7.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.6 / 10
Running time: 132 mins
IMDB link

The Car (1977)

[Movie 12 / Day 8]


Having not having had quite enough of possessed devil cars after Christine, I felt the need to watch this made-for-TV movie. It's fun enough, in a bad plot, rubbish effects kind of way.

Basic storyline is a small town is terrorised by a big black car with no driver that is going around running people down. Turns out there's no driver and it's scared of driving onto hallowed ground (ie, a graveyard). Scary stuff.

Why they felt the need to speed the film up any time a vehicle was on-screen, I'm not sure. It never looks realistic, just sped up. If you want the cars to look like they're going fast, drive them fast. Simple.

My rating: 5.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.2 / 10
Running time: 96 mins
IMDB link

The Lost Boys (1987)

[Movie 11 / Day 8]


The Lost Boys is a teen-vampire movie that starred a who's who of 80s faces - the two Coreys, Feldman (who starred in so many fondly remembered 80s movies, including Gremlins, The Goonies and Stand By Me, before being doomed to obscurity) and Haim (who always seemed to have his gob open and fat tongue lolling), Jason Patric (who is much better in this than the painful Speed 2) and Kiefer Sutherland (who seemed to nail the bad-boy role before becoming doomed to 24).

It's pretty tame fair compared to modern vampire flicks, but it's still worth a watch. The vampire effects themselves, whilst simplistic, are done well enough not to become a laughing point now.

My rating: 6.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.9 / 10
Running time: 97 mins
IMDB link

Wednesday 7 January 2009

Christine (1983)

[Movie 10 / Day 7]


In the 80s, John Carpenter made several ace movies - The Fog, Escape From New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Thing... And Christine.

Based on a Stephen King novel, it's all about a car that's possessed and evil. It seduces its owner and turns them into nasty people obsessed with the car. If anything threatens that relationship, or insults it, it starts killing.

Unfortunately, cars aren't particularly scary - at least not on film. A car can't really jump out of the shadows with a knife and a crazy grin. A car can't wear a hockey mask or have knives for fingers. All it can ultimately do is try and run you down.

Having said that however, Christine is an enjoyable movie. The opening song, Bad To The Bone fits perfectly with the image of a row of white Plymouth Fury's and Christine's bright red paintwork gleaming in the middle of them all. Also, I love the brilliant closing shot - after all, how could you kill a possessed car that can rebuild itself?

My rating: 7.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.3 / 10
Running time: 110 mins
IMDB link

The Golden Compass (2007)

[Movie 9 / Day 7]

The best thing about this film was Sam Elliott - and that's only because he plays a very similar character to The Stranger in The Big Lebowski. And the Caretaker in Ghostrider. And Virgil Earp in Tombstone. He's good at that grizzly-yet-friendly-old-cowboy thing.

Second best thing was when Ian McKellen's polar bear punched the jaw off Ian McShane's polar bear.

Other than that, it was long-winded and pretty boring. Apparently the books it's based on are very good - but I'll never know because this bland-fest has put me off reading them for life.

My rating: 5.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.3 / 10
Running time: 113 mins
IMDB link

Tuesday 6 January 2009

In the Valley of Elah (2007)

[Movie 8 / Day 6]


Tommy Lee Jones seems to only get better with age. He's brilliant in this fairly depressing movie (based on a true story) of a father trying to trace his son who is AWOL from the US Army. He's also backed up by a solid supporting cast, including Charlize Theron, Jason Patric (who makes up for the abysmal Speed 2 here), Josh Brolin (who, for me at least, can do no wrong at the moment)... Even Susan Sarandon seems perfectly cast as the depressed wife - and that's saying a lot, as she usually irritates the shit out of me.

It's a bit too long and the ending is a bit meh, but overall it's enjoyable. Depressing, though.

My rating: 6.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.5 / 10
Running time: 121 mins
IMDB link

Panic in the Streets (1950)

[Movie 7 / Day 6]


In Jack Palance's first feature film, we follow a doctor and a cop trying to track down a murderer who has contracted the plague from one of his victims, before he can spread the disease throughout New Orleans.

Watchable, but quite slow in places (comparing it to its contemporaries rather than modern fare). Also suffers from badly dated dialogue - cliched, even, in places.

I admit, I only put it on because of the title reminded me of The Smiths song.

My rating: 5.6 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 96 mins
IMDB link

Sunday 4 January 2009

Big (1988)

[Movie 6 / Day 4]


Good times.

My rating: 7.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.2 / 10
Running time: 104 mins
IMDB link

Saturday 3 January 2009

Volcano (1997)

[Movie 5 / Day 3]


Picture the scene, lava is flowing down the street in the middle of LA. Smoke and ash is billowing into the sky. Fires are erupting all over the place. Cars are MELTING into the lava.

The TV reporters voice over proclaims...

"We now have a name for this crisis. It is, according to the US Geological Survey, a volcano."

Retarded.

+1 for Tommy Lee Jones's furrowed brow. -7 for the spackamattack, plastic cheese laden script.

My rating: 4 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.1 / 10
Running time: 104 mins
IMDB link

Friday 2 January 2009

The Bucket List (2007)

[Movie 4 / Day 2]


Morgan Freeman. Jack Nicholson. Two of my favourite actors. It's funny to think that this is the first time they've acted opposite each other, because watching them they have such a natural chemistry together on-screen, it's like watching two old friends. Which for all I know, they are.

The Bucket List is a little bit sickly sweet in places, but it's also genuinely amusing and moving in places too. I enjoyed it, but that was probably down to the excellent acting talent on display rather than the script.

My rating: 8.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.6 / 10
Running time: 97 mins
IMDB link

Rambo (2008)

[Movie 3 / Day 2]


The best Rambo movie since First Blood, indeed, probably the best Rambo movie (so far).

It's a return to the ultraviolent action movies not seen since the 80s, but also carries a message about the horrible state of affairs in Burma. Definitely worth a watch as long as you can stomach the blood and flying limbs (although if you could cope with Saving Private Ryan, you can probably cope with Rambo).

Stallone proves (again) that he can not only act, but can also write and direct. Why he insisted on making tripe like Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is beyond me.

My rating: 7.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 91 mins
IMDB link

Thursday 1 January 2009

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

[Movie 2 / Day 1]


20 years ago, Steve Martin was funny. During the 80s, he made many comedies now regarded as classics. Shame he's lost his way a little in recent years, as re-watching Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a reminder of how good he was, even though it's not his best film, having a fairly slow pace and with little opportunity for him to really showcase his off-the-wall style.

Michael Caine puts in a fine performance in this, as he does in most of his movies.

Nice to see Emperor Palpatine as a butler too.


My rating: 6.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.0 / 10
Running time: 110 mins
IMDB link