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

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

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

Apollo 13 (1995)

[Movie 162 / Day 173]


Space rocket takes off on moon-landing mission; breaks; "Houston, we have a problem"; aborts mission; gets home.

Based on real life, you know what's going to happen - yet the film manages to hold you in suspense and makes you really root for the characters stuck on board the stricken craft.

The actors are all as good as you'd expect really.

We should go back to the moon, it's been over 35 years.

My rating: 7.7 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.5 / 10
Running time: 140 mins
IMDB link

Hulk (2003)

[Movie 99 / Day 63]


When I first saw Ang Lee's Hulk, I thought it was overly long and lacked any really good action sequences. Rewatching it now though, six years later, I really enjoyed it. It's very nearly as good as the recent reboot, which, although far better endowed in the action department, didn't have nearly as in-depth a back story. On the plus side however, Nick Nolte makes a much better slightly crazy bad guy than Tim Roth, and Sam Eliott as General Ross is excellent casting.

Ang Lee seems to have attempted to present this movie like a moving comic book, with 'panels' showing the action from different angles. Unfortunately, sometimes this doesn't quite work. At times, the screen is split into as many as 5 or 6 different views and it gets quite confusing; especially when the action is moving very quickly. Sometimes it works really well - like the death of Josh Lucas' character Talbot (an explosion throws him forwards where he hangs in the air with a keyline around him while the explosion billows out and engulfs him).

Lee also seems to use a LOT of different cuts - he layers shot over shot, shots disappear behind other shots using the scenery to wipe, crash zooms jump in and out of the screen... Again, some work really well, some don't. At all.

I'm actually surprised at just how much I enjoyed it - even the CGI hasn't aged that badly for the most part - the Hulk isn't as nicely textured as the newer movie and looks a bit too smooth at times; he's also almost disturbingly green in some scenes. Oddly, there are some effects that are just plain nasty however, not dated so much, just horrible to look at - like the gamma radiation effect. It really looks like someone's first attempt at a photoshop filter.

So, whilst I prefer last years Incredible Hulk, mainly for the way it ties in with the rest of the new-style Marvel universe, Ang Lee's Hulk is not a bad movie by any means. I'm glad I revisited it.

My rating: 7.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.8 / 10
Running time: 138 mins
IMDB link

No Reservations (2007)

[Movie 96 / Day 59]

Romcom set in a professional kitchen. Catherine Zeta Jones is fairly bland. Aaron Eckhart is as good as he is in every movie of his I've seen so far.

It's an entirely unoffensive, totally predictable story, yet it's enjoyable enough.

My rating: 6.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.3 / 10
Running time: 104 mins
IMDB link

16 Blocks (2006)

[Movie 68 / Day 40]


Bruce Willis is a policeman coming off the night shift who is asked to go to the holding cells to collect a witness and transport him to the courthouse, a mere 16 blocks away. He has 2 hours to complete this simple task.

Unfortunately, lots of people want the witness dead before he can testify.

A simple premise, but it's well done and keeps you wondering what's going to happen next most of the way through the movie.

Mos Def (who plays Eddie, the criminal) has one of the most annoying accents I've ever heard. Other than that, pretty enjoyable.

My rating: 6.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.7 / 10
Running time: 105 mins
IMDB link

Syriana (2005)

[Movie 56 / Day 34]


So many characters and so many location jumps (some subtitled, some not) meant I actually had difficulty following this. Maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention or wasn't in the right mood for something as heavy as this, but I just found it dull, dull, dull. Well acted, etc, just meh.

My rating: 5.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.1 / 10
Running time: 126 mins
IMDB link

Poseidon (2006)

[Movie 53 / Day 32]


Average action remake of the 'classic' 1972 movie, the plot is really simple. Big boat gets hit by bigger wave, tips upside down, bunch of passengers work their way to the bottom of the boat in order to escape through the propellor tube. Obvious thing to do, really.

Lots of CGI, some of it works, some doesn't, but it's inoffensive enough - as long as you don't think about it too much.

Props to Kurt Russell, who in a couple of scenes seems to attempt to make over-acting a fine art. See the resuscitation attempt and the drowning scene for more details.

My rating: 5.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.6 / 10
Running time: 98 mins
IMDB link

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

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

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

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

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

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

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