My Direct Debit for the next month of movie fun has been taken, so here are my views on the last month of films.
Film of the Month definitely goes to the Perks of being a Wallflower, and baring anything extraordinary in the next couple of months, I think it will be a shoe in for my film of the year. other decent movies this month, of Course Skyfall and in in the plethora of Animation this month, the best animated movie I felt was Madagascar 3
Worst Film of October I felt was Hotel Transylvania, quickly followed by Taken 2, or Taken 2 the cleaners as it as been labelled by some, I have to admit tat I didn't find it as bad as many seem to have done, tere was nothing hideously poor this month.
I am not a fan of Horror films so did not go to see Sinister, Paranormal Activity 4 or the House at the end of the street.
Best Actor for October has to go to Ezra Miller in the Perks closely followed by Emma Watson
Films I am looking forward to in November include Argo and End of Watch, I am not a huge fan of Twilight but I'm interested in how the Saga ends, Rust and Bone looks interesting, and Gambit might be a bit of fun.
Monday 29 October 2012
Skyfall
The much anticipated new Bond Movie, having seen the trailer and heard/read several reviews saying it was one of, if not the best, Bond films ever I was really looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint.
Sam Mendes somehow takes the Bond franchise and makes it feel like a Sam Mendes movie, performances from Craig, Dench and especially Bardem are superb, this is a very modern spy thriller.
There are a couple of issues, maybe is slightly too long, and one scene in particular, with Bardem Monologuing I just felt could have been cut down slightly, but that is no major, and I wasn't sure about all the references to the past bond films.
Also on a couple of occasions the product placement is so in you face it gets annoying, and I have never seen so many adverts before a film at the cinema in my life
These are minor annoyances in what is an otherwise superb film, after the Disappointment of Quantum of Solace, the Bond Franchise is back on form 9/10
Sam Mendes somehow takes the Bond franchise and makes it feel like a Sam Mendes movie, performances from Craig, Dench and especially Bardem are superb, this is a very modern spy thriller.
There are a couple of issues, maybe is slightly too long, and one scene in particular, with Bardem Monologuing I just felt could have been cut down slightly, but that is no major, and I wasn't sure about all the references to the past bond films.
Also on a couple of occasions the product placement is so in you face it gets annoying, and I have never seen so many adverts before a film at the cinema in my life
These are minor annoyances in what is an otherwise superb film, after the Disappointment of Quantum of Solace, the Bond Franchise is back on form 9/10
Monday 22 October 2012
Why I am refusing to watch 3D
There have been severaly films lately where I have chosen to watch the 2D version instead of the 3D, the reasons for this are many and varied.
Firstly a financial one, is the 3D worth the extra on the admission price, in my opinion the 3D is not worth the extra £1.50
Secondly I wear glasses to see, which means I end up wearing 2 pairs, glasses on top of glasses, which makes it extremely uncomfortable, The 3D glasses also have the effect of reducing the light coming from the screen and they give you a headache.
So from now on, I am going to see 2D and refuse to watch any film where there is not a 2D version available, they are going to have to produce a 2D version for DVD, so why can't they do it for the Cinema?
Firstly a financial one, is the 3D worth the extra on the admission price, in my opinion the 3D is not worth the extra £1.50
Secondly I wear glasses to see, which means I end up wearing 2 pairs, glasses on top of glasses, which makes it extremely uncomfortable, The 3D glasses also have the effect of reducing the light coming from the screen and they give you a headache.
So from now on, I am going to see 2D and refuse to watch any film where there is not a 2D version available, they are going to have to produce a 2D version for DVD, so why can't they do it for the Cinema?
Frankenweenie
I was really looking forward to this one, a Tim Burton Annimation, that seemed to have a lot to say, however I was expecting something of the quality of Paranorman, and I was a little disappointed, This is a good movie, the annimation is very good, and its certainly better than Hotel Transylvania which is also out currently, but for me it was a little slow, and he plot seemed to plod a bit, which in a less than 90 minute movie is a problem, maybe because it was adapted from a short, maybe it should have been left as such 7/10
Monday 15 October 2012
Madagascar 3
The characters we know and love from the first 3 films, now run away with the circus in a effort to get home, this film is very funny and has some very heartwarming scenes. This is probably the beast of the 3 Madagascar films 8/10
Hotel Transylvania
There are two words that generally put me off a movie, those two words are Adam and Sandler
This however is one of his better performances, mainly due to the fact that we only have to put up with his voice, and not his acting ability (or lack of it!!)
The Dracula Character is quite good, however Mavis voiced by Selina Gomez is far to human and not enough vampire to be realistic.
There are plenty of laughs, and some very touching moments, particularly when the monsters realise that the Humans actually love them.
This is a reasonable movie, however time with Madagascar 3 and Frankenweenie in the next 7 days, it has strong competition 6/10
This however is one of his better performances, mainly due to the fact that we only have to put up with his voice, and not his acting ability (or lack of it!!)
The Dracula Character is quite good, however Mavis voiced by Selina Gomez is far to human and not enough vampire to be realistic.
There are plenty of laughs, and some very touching moments, particularly when the monsters realise that the Humans actually love them.
This is a reasonable movie, however time with Madagascar 3 and Frankenweenie in the next 7 days, it has strong competition 6/10
Wednesday 10 October 2012
Ruby Sparks
Once again big thanks to Cineworld for the advanced preview screening
Based on the trailer I was really looking forward to this one, the concept intrigued me, and I wondered where it would go. Its a very interesting story, and I really enjoyed it.
This is not a laugh out loud comedy, there are no massive laughs, in that respect it is not what I would call a Rom Com, its much more subtle than that, The character development is good and the casting of Paul Dano as Calvin is great.
This film does have its issues, some of the script is incredibly cheesy, although some of that may be deliberate, expecially in the scenes when they are playing out what he has written/dreamt.
The end for me was also very contrived, for some reason I wanted him to write her out of his life, maybe kill her off, mabe if the film had ended 3 seconds earlier with the book reading I might ave forgiven it, but the last scene just annoyed me.
on the whole though this is a warm, and entertaining film, with good lead performances, and much to say on the subject of accepting that your partner will not be the perfect person you imagine. 8.5/10
Based on the trailer I was really looking forward to this one, the concept intrigued me, and I wondered where it would go. Its a very interesting story, and I really enjoyed it.
This is not a laugh out loud comedy, there are no massive laughs, in that respect it is not what I would call a Rom Com, its much more subtle than that, The character development is good and the casting of Paul Dano as Calvin is great.
This film does have its issues, some of the script is incredibly cheesy, although some of that may be deliberate, expecially in the scenes when they are playing out what he has written/dreamt.
The end for me was also very contrived, for some reason I wanted him to write her out of his life, maybe kill her off, mabe if the film had ended 3 seconds earlier with the book reading I might ave forgiven it, but the last scene just annoyed me.
on the whole though this is a warm, and entertaining film, with good lead performances, and much to say on the subject of accepting that your partner will not be the perfect person you imagine. 8.5/10
Friday 5 October 2012
Taken 2
Like many successful films before, the producers of Taken saw how well it was received and decided to make a sequal, and like all sequals it is not as good as the original. The plot is not strong enough for me, he gets kidnaped, he escapes, end of movie. The surrounding bit about her driving test, and her getting a boyfriend are nice little add ons, but do little to make the story tick.
However, after my rant(s) in September about bloody violence, it was nice to see a film that involved lots of violence and killing, that managed not to be gory and bloodthirsty. This for me is how I like this sort of movie to be, when a person gets shot, the camera does not linger on the wound, and show the bullet going through them in graphic detail. of course there is blood, but it is not gratuitous.
A couple of the sequences were a bit to contrived for me. Why would you crash through security at the US embassy and risk being shot when the people following you have gone and you can simply walk up to the gate? but on a whole an enjoyable movie, just not as good as the original. 7/10
However, after my rant(s) in September about bloody violence, it was nice to see a film that involved lots of violence and killing, that managed not to be gory and bloodthirsty. This for me is how I like this sort of movie to be, when a person gets shot, the camera does not linger on the wound, and show the bullet going through them in graphic detail. of course there is blood, but it is not gratuitous.
A couple of the sequences were a bit to contrived for me. Why would you crash through security at the US embassy and risk being shot when the people following you have gone and you can simply walk up to the gate? but on a whole an enjoyable movie, just not as good as the original. 7/10
The Perks of being a Wallflower
I went into this film not really knowing what to expect, The trailer gave away little in terms of the content (as it should) its a coming of age drama with a lot of heart, and I think it is excellent, in fact I would go as far as to say it is the best film I have seen this year.
Maybe it is because I empathise with Charlie, the wierd kid who has no friends, as that is pretty much what I used to be like, I really felt this story, of being quiet and socially arkward and wanting people to like you. there is also an undertone dealing with domestic violence, and why people stay in relationships that are clearly no good for them, and it also touches on child abuse, and the effects that it has on the child.
I think it helps that the film was written and directed by Stephen Chbosky who wrote the original novel, sometimes I think that screenplays adapted from someone elses novel lose what the original author was trying to say.
Fantastic Performances by Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and especially Ezra Miller as Patrick
I don't give it out often, but this film deserves it 10/10
Maybe it is because I empathise with Charlie, the wierd kid who has no friends, as that is pretty much what I used to be like, I really felt this story, of being quiet and socially arkward and wanting people to like you. there is also an undertone dealing with domestic violence, and why people stay in relationships that are clearly no good for them, and it also touches on child abuse, and the effects that it has on the child.
I think it helps that the film was written and directed by Stephen Chbosky who wrote the original novel, sometimes I think that screenplays adapted from someone elses novel lose what the original author was trying to say.
Fantastic Performances by Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and especially Ezra Miller as Patrick
I don't give it out often, but this film deserves it 10/10
Monday 1 October 2012
End of September review
Another month passes, September seemed to be the month for blood and guts, with lots of violence in films like Dredd, Lawless and Killing Them Softly, I'm not a huge fan of this type of movie, which is maybe why my Film of the Month goes to Hope Springs.
Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep also win my Actor/Actress of the Month Award for their performances.
I can't leave september without a mention for Paranorman which is also a sensational animation, and with 3/4s of 2012 gone, should be up for animation of the year, ahead of Brave
Worst Film of September goes to Killing them softly, which may surprise many, I have read lots of reviews saying how superb it is, but I guess I just didn't understand it, maybe I'm just not clever enough to see all the undertones and neuances of what the filmmaker is trying to say, but for me most of it is nonsense.
So onwards to October obviously the Big Film release this month is Skyfall, but I am also looking forward to Ruby Sparks, which from the trailer looks quite interesting, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower is out Tomorrow, so looking forward to that one, with a post Harry Potter Emma Watson.
Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep also win my Actor/Actress of the Month Award for their performances.
I can't leave september without a mention for Paranorman which is also a sensational animation, and with 3/4s of 2012 gone, should be up for animation of the year, ahead of Brave
Worst Film of September goes to Killing them softly, which may surprise many, I have read lots of reviews saying how superb it is, but I guess I just didn't understand it, maybe I'm just not clever enough to see all the undertones and neuances of what the filmmaker is trying to say, but for me most of it is nonsense.
So onwards to October obviously the Big Film release this month is Skyfall, but I am also looking forward to Ruby Sparks, which from the trailer looks quite interesting, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower is out Tomorrow, so looking forward to that one, with a post Harry Potter Emma Watson.
The Campaign
I am not a huge fan of Will Ferrell, I find his comedies can be a bit hit and miss, but this is probably one of his better ones.
The satirisation of American Election Campaigns and the "do anything to win" mentality especially with the Presidential Elections coming up is very well done, The Jokes are a little hit and miss, some big laughs, and some that just fall flat, but probably more hit than miss, plenty of chuckles and a couple of big laugh out loud moments.
Decent performances by the 2 leads, Ferrell is on form and Galifianakis puts in a good performance as Marty
Om the whole worth seeing, maybe not quite as funny as it could have been , but a well timed release, and very enjoyable 7/10
The satirisation of American Election Campaigns and the "do anything to win" mentality especially with the Presidential Elections coming up is very well done, The Jokes are a little hit and miss, some big laughs, and some that just fall flat, but probably more hit than miss, plenty of chuckles and a couple of big laugh out loud moments.
Decent performances by the 2 leads, Ferrell is on form and Galifianakis puts in a good performance as Marty
Om the whole worth seeing, maybe not quite as funny as it could have been , but a well timed release, and very enjoyable 7/10
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