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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

Gattaca (1997)

[Movie 193 / Day 208]


Set in a future where genetically modified (valid) babies are the norm and naturally conceived (invalid) babies are seen and treated as second class citizens, Gattaca tells the story of one such invalid who cheats the system to realise his dreams and travel into space.

Extremely well acted, especially by Jude Law (who plays a crippled 'valid' who sells his DNA to Ethan Hawke's 'invalid') and Alan Arkin.

Sci-fi with a brain. It's brilliant.

My rating: 8.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.8 / 10
Running time: 106 mins
IMDB link

The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)

[Movie 192 / Day 208]


The fourth of the 'classic' Pink Panther movies saw Sellers and Lom teaming up with director Blake Edwards for more madcap japes. Inspector Clouseau is now Chief Inspector Clouseau and former-Chief Inspector Dreyfus is as mental as ever and still after Clouseau's blood.

Amusing at times, but has dated horribly in places, and isn't a patch on the earlier installments.

My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.1 / 10
Running time: 103 mins
IMDB link

Charlie's Angels (2000)

[Movie 191 / Day 207]


Another big screen treatment of an old TV series, Charlie's Angels is based around the premise of three secret agent type girls that work for a reclusive millionaire. Has an impressive number of recognisable faces in it, but for all that, it's a bit rubbish. It almost seems more soft porn than action at times, especially with Drew Barrymore who seems to revel in letting her tits swing in the breeze in some scenes. Slightly made up for by Cameron Diaz dancing in her underpants (Spiderman underpants, no less) and wearing a tight, white cat-suit.

My rating: 5.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.5 / 10
Running time: 98 mins
IMDB link

My Favourite Martian (1999)

[Movie 190 / Day 207]


A Martian lands in America and befriends a TV reporter. Supposedly a big-screen remake of some old TV series, it's gentle family humour. And a bit rubbish. It does prove that Elizabeth Hurley can't act, however.

My rating: 4.6 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.5 / 10
Running time: 94 mins
IMDB link

Milk (2008)

[Movie 189 / Day 206]


Harvey Milk was America's first openly gay elected official. This is his story, how he came to lead the gay rights movement in 70s America, and how he came to be assassinated while in office.

It's a good film, well acted and written. However, it only really gets going halfway through when he finally gets elected on his fifth attempt. It also features far more of Sean Penn kissing other men than I ever wanted to see. I mean, the film is all about the gay movement; did the point need that much emphasis?

My rating: 7.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.0 / 10
Running time: 128 mins
IMDB link

Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009)

[Movie 188 / Day 205]


Fletch has just been fired. Jimmy has just been dumped. So they decide to go on holiday together. Unfortunately, neither has any money. So they decide to go hiking. They end up in a village that is living under an ancient curse involving lesbian vampires.

Kind of similar to Sean of the Dead, being a comedy horror starring two of Britain's rising comedians. The humour is very British, which may explain why I liked it and IMDB didn't much. It's very much a brain-off kind of movie, but it is funny, and worth a watch. But then, you can probably tell from the title if it's your kind of movie!

My rating: 7.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.4 / 10
Running time: 88 mins
IMDB link

Knowing (2009)

[Movie 187 / Day 205]


Nicolas Cage seems to be making a return to form with this sci-fi thriller. He plays an MIT professor whose son receives a letter recovered from a time capsule during a ceremony at his high school. This letter contains nothing but a string of numbers. One night, John (Cage) figures out that the strings of numbers contain dates of major catastrophies around the globe, complete with the number of people that are going to die.

At the time he figures that out, there are three dates remaining on the list. He tries to prevent the tragedies, but in doing so, comes to suspect that his son is somehow involved and that greater forces are at play.

Some of the special effects are very good, but the twist ending felt a bit contrived. Overall though, it was enjoyable - let's hope this spells the end of Nic's string of mediocre action flicks!

My rating: 6.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.6 / 10
Running time: 121 mins
IMDB link

Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002)

[Movie 186 / Day 205]


More of the same in this crappy sequel. The Spy Kids are now an official offshoot of the secret government spy operation the grown ups work for. Of course they are.

Even in this smouldering pile of poo, Steve Buscemi is good.

My rating: 4.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.4 / 10
Running time: 100 mins
IMDB link

Dragnet (1987)

[Movie 185 / Day 204]


Average 80s spoof of the detective series. Aykroyd is good as the strait-laced Joe Friday and plays off Hanks' average guy Detective Streeback well. Some of the jokes are hilarious, but the plot is distinctly average.

My rating: 5.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.6 / 10
Running time: 106 mins
IMDB link

The International (2009)

[Movie 184 / Day 203]


Clive Owen plays an Interpol investigator, trying to pin down an elusive global enemy - a corrupt bank. At every turn, he seems defeated by the banks almost infinite resources; but, like a terrier after a gravy coated rat, he never gives up.

It's OK, but nothing more. Standout moment is the shootout in the Guggenheim museum (which took place in a life-size replica built for the purpose).

My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.7 / 10
Running time: 118 mins
IMDB link