This is the end is not a traditional character movie, it is a load of actors playing themselves at the end of the world. Led by Seth Rogan our band of losers try to make sense of what is going on and survive the apocalypse.
I cannot begin to describe how awful this movie is, the jokes are extremely unfunny and cringeworthy, the "acting" such as it , is awful and the script and plot are plain ridiculous. The only saving grace is perhaps the last 20 minutes once they leave the house, when the tedious jokes are finished and we work towards to conclusion.
This contains far to much unnecessary swearing, and at one point could rival Final Destination for the weird and extremely gruesome ways that it kills people.
This is definitely one to avoid even if the end of the world depended on you watching it. Couldn't wait for it to end 1/10
Friday 28 June 2013
Snitch
I've never been a huge fan of Dwayne 'The Rock" Johnson as an actor, but he seems to be one of the busiest and, apparently, well paid actors in Hollywood at the moment.
Snitch is a prime example of a lot of the drivel coming out at the moment, it is very much a political movie. Having a swipe at America's minimum sentence drug laws, so much so that the movie makes a point of telling you that the average sentence for first time non violent drug offenders is greater than that of people convicted of Child Molesting.
It is based on real events, so the story line works quite well, but the script is quite weak and the acting is poor, whilst it is by no means the worst movie I have seen this year, it is distinctly average, and largely forgettable, given the choice of movies currently in the cinema, this is probably not to prioritise 5/10
Snitch is a prime example of a lot of the drivel coming out at the moment, it is very much a political movie. Having a swipe at America's minimum sentence drug laws, so much so that the movie makes a point of telling you that the average sentence for first time non violent drug offenders is greater than that of people convicted of Child Molesting.
It is based on real events, so the story line works quite well, but the script is quite weak and the acting is poor, whilst it is by no means the worst movie I have seen this year, it is distinctly average, and largely forgettable, given the choice of movies currently in the cinema, this is probably not to prioritise 5/10
Wednesday 26 June 2013
The Internship
The Internship brings together Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as two middle aged salesmen who lose their jobs when the company they are working for closes down.
In order to try and create a future for themselves they apply for a summer internship with Google, which if successful could lead to a full time job.
this does smack of just being one big advert for Google, telling you how great they are, but actually that's not a huge problem and I found myself going with it.
The night out scene is extremely funny, and although I won't spoil the movie by telling you what it is, but I really want their app!
The soundtrack is brilliant, any movie that starts with Alanis Morissette and just gets better from there definitely gets my vote.
Although it is set in the world of technology. There are plenty of references to 80's movies and stuff to keep middle aged technophobes, like our main characters, interested.
Whilst this is perhaps not as funny as it might have been, with many of the jokes evoking a chuckle rather than full on laughter, this is a very heartwarming story of overcoming adversity and I left the screen with a massive smile on my face. 8.5/10
In order to try and create a future for themselves they apply for a summer internship with Google, which if successful could lead to a full time job.
this does smack of just being one big advert for Google, telling you how great they are, but actually that's not a huge problem and I found myself going with it.
The night out scene is extremely funny, and although I won't spoil the movie by telling you what it is, but I really want their app!
The soundtrack is brilliant, any movie that starts with Alanis Morissette and just gets better from there definitely gets my vote.
Although it is set in the world of technology. There are plenty of references to 80's movies and stuff to keep middle aged technophobes, like our main characters, interested.
Whilst this is perhaps not as funny as it might have been, with many of the jokes evoking a chuckle rather than full on laughter, this is a very heartwarming story of overcoming adversity and I left the screen with a massive smile on my face. 8.5/10
Monday 24 June 2013
100 films in 12 Months
My direct debit flows out today, So it was exactly a year ago that I took out my cineworld unlimited card, as my 12 month contract comes to an end I thought I would take this opportunity to review an amazing year of movies.
In the last 365 days I have watched and reviewed exactly 100 movies, From the brilliantly memorable The Perks of Being A Wallflower, to the instantly forgettable Welcome to The Punch. From wonderful comedies Like Ted, to the awful Keith Lemon Movie.
Here are my highlights of the last 12 months.
Best Film: The Perks of being a Wallflower
Best Comedy: Ted
Best Animation: Wreck it Ralph
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughay - Magic Mike & Killer Joe
Worst Film: Keith Lemon The Film
Most Surprisingly Good: Silver Linings Playbook
Biggest Disappointment: Star Trek into Darkness
5 Films worth seeing:
Flight
The Impossible
Argo
Ruby Sparks
Beautiful Creatures
5 Films to avoid:
I give it a year
Taken 2
The 5 year Engagement
The Watch
The Master
In the last 365 days I have watched and reviewed exactly 100 movies, From the brilliantly memorable The Perks of Being A Wallflower, to the instantly forgettable Welcome to The Punch. From wonderful comedies Like Ted, to the awful Keith Lemon Movie.
Here are my highlights of the last 12 months.
Best Film: The Perks of being a Wallflower
Best Comedy: Ted
Best Animation: Wreck it Ralph
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughay - Magic Mike & Killer Joe
Worst Film: Keith Lemon The Film
Most Surprisingly Good: Silver Linings Playbook
Biggest Disappointment: Star Trek into Darkness
5 Films worth seeing:
Flight
The Impossible
Argo
Ruby Sparks
Beautiful Creatures
5 Films to avoid:
I give it a year
Taken 2
The 5 year Engagement
The Watch
The Master
Despicable Me 2
I am a massive fan of Despicable Me, I love the Minions and what the BBFC call "slapstick violence"
Much of the slapstick violence does little to extend the plot and is there purely for the laugh, so the film becomes just a sequence of Minion slapstick and loses focus regularly, however since this is probably why most people watch the film, the plot is almost unimportant.
The plot, such as it is, continued from the first movie, with Gru now a Father and ex-villain, the direction the story is going is obvious very early on, and once you realise where it's going you can almost forget about it and just enjoy the jokes
I saw the 2D version, but the end credit sequence is a 3D dream, and I will probably go back next weekend just to enjoy the end credits in 3D.
Hilariously funny throughout, especially if you enjoyed the first movie, and enjoyed the increasingly stupid slapstick antics of the minions. 8/10
Much of the slapstick violence does little to extend the plot and is there purely for the laugh, so the film becomes just a sequence of Minion slapstick and loses focus regularly, however since this is probably why most people watch the film, the plot is almost unimportant.
The plot, such as it is, continued from the first movie, with Gru now a Father and ex-villain, the direction the story is going is obvious very early on, and once you realise where it's going you can almost forget about it and just enjoy the jokes
I saw the 2D version, but the end credit sequence is a 3D dream, and I will probably go back next weekend just to enjoy the end credits in 3D.
Hilariously funny throughout, especially if you enjoyed the first movie, and enjoyed the increasingly stupid slapstick antics of the minions. 8/10
World War Z
World War Z is a Zombie movie starring Brad Pitt, as a former UN investigator who is brought out of retirement.
Whilst the storyline is good, there are a few holes in the setup. Most notably the Zombie threat did not start in America, so how come no one knew about it beforehand, especially given that part of the plot centres around the fact that Israel already knew and planned ahead.
Sections of the opening sequence are very dark, even in 2D I struggled to see some things, so with the additional light loss it must be very hard to follow in the 3D version, I have not seen the 3D but I don't think it will add much to the experience.
The plot moves quite quickly, from one country to another and sometimes seems a bit confused, but if you are looking for a bit of a nobrainer that you don't want to over analyse, then the action is good and worth a watch.
Leave your brain at the door and you may enjoy this 7/10
Whilst the storyline is good, there are a few holes in the setup. Most notably the Zombie threat did not start in America, so how come no one knew about it beforehand, especially given that part of the plot centres around the fact that Israel already knew and planned ahead.
Sections of the opening sequence are very dark, even in 2D I struggled to see some things, so with the additional light loss it must be very hard to follow in the 3D version, I have not seen the 3D but I don't think it will add much to the experience.
The plot moves quite quickly, from one country to another and sometimes seems a bit confused, but if you are looking for a bit of a nobrainer that you don't want to over analyse, then the action is good and worth a watch.
Leave your brain at the door and you may enjoy this 7/10
Friday 21 June 2013
Behind The Candelabra
My weekend of film viewing continued with Behind the Candelabra, This is the story of the relationship between Liberace (Michael Douglas) and his lover Scott Thorson (Matt Damon)
I thought I would find the whole Gay relationship story difficult to watch, but actually it is done very well and brilliantly acted. One thing I did find difficult was the plastic surgery scene, which is perhaps a little more graphic than I was expecting.
This is a very odd story, but I guess Liberace was a very unique man, and it's quirks and oddities add to it's appeal. I'm not sure how much, if any, input Scott Thorson had in this movie, but it is a very Human story, with lots of heart.
The acting performances from Douglas and particularly Damon are great, I really enjoyed this film 9.5/10
I thought I would find the whole Gay relationship story difficult to watch, but actually it is done very well and brilliantly acted. One thing I did find difficult was the plastic surgery scene, which is perhaps a little more graphic than I was expecting.
This is a very odd story, but I guess Liberace was a very unique man, and it's quirks and oddities add to it's appeal. I'm not sure how much, if any, input Scott Thorson had in this movie, but it is a very Human story, with lots of heart.
The acting performances from Douglas and particularly Damon are great, I really enjoyed this film 9.5/10
A Haunted House
A Marathon 5 film weekend began with A haunted House, a comedy horror spoof in the scary movie style, except it's not as funny as Scary Movie and I didn't find scary movie all that funny.
As I have said on this blog before, I am not a fan of comedies where the jokes are so over the top that they go beyond the realms of reality into just being stupid for the sake of it, this film could be so much funnier but is ruined by hammy acting and an ott script.
The funniest moment in this movie is the teddy bear sex scene, and the fact that they added some more of it during the end credits is a bonus, however even at less than 90 minutes long, I couldn't wait for this film to end. 3/10
As I have said on this blog before, I am not a fan of comedies where the jokes are so over the top that they go beyond the realms of reality into just being stupid for the sake of it, this film could be so much funnier but is ruined by hammy acting and an ott script.
The funniest moment in this movie is the teddy bear sex scene, and the fact that they added some more of it during the end credits is a bonus, however even at less than 90 minutes long, I couldn't wait for this film to end. 3/10
Tuesday 18 June 2013
Now You See Me
The concept of going to the cinema without knowing what film you are going to see is a strange one, but one embraced by cineworld unlimited card customers on masse.
The film in question turned out to be Now You See Me which is a film I wanted to see since I first saw the trailer a few weeks ago.
The set-up is very interesting, and involves a magic trick where they rob a bank in Paris from a Las Vegas stage. What follows has more twists and turns than the average rollercoaster, some of which I guessed, and some of which I didn't. The substantive twist on the end I didn't see coming.
The storyline is great, although it takes a while to get going, and there are sections between tricks that are pretty slow, the acting is decent, with the big draw names of Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman playing supporting roles.
On the whole a decent watch, maybe worth watching again once you know the twist. 9/10
The film in question turned out to be Now You See Me which is a film I wanted to see since I first saw the trailer a few weeks ago.
The set-up is very interesting, and involves a magic trick where they rob a bank in Paris from a Las Vegas stage. What follows has more twists and turns than the average rollercoaster, some of which I guessed, and some of which I didn't. The substantive twist on the end I didn't see coming.
The storyline is great, although it takes a while to get going, and there are sections between tricks that are pretty slow, the acting is decent, with the big draw names of Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman playing supporting roles.
On the whole a decent watch, maybe worth watching again once you know the twist. 9/10
Saturday 15 June 2013
Man of Steel
When I reviewed The Amazing Spiderman last year I found myself asking why we needed a new Spiderman movie. With Man of Steel I have no such issues, The original Superman movies were sufficiently long ago, that the time is right for this reboot.
The storyline is excellent, with a deviation from the original Superman story, at first I was a little unsure of it's flashback style rather than a straightforward chronological story, but it works quite well.
The acting performances are superb, particularly Henry Cavill in the title role, who's performance is full of emotion.
The action set piece fight sequences are also brilliantly choreographed and enhanced.
For a big box office draw, this is an absolute must see, and my film of the year so far 10/10
The storyline is excellent, with a deviation from the original Superman story, at first I was a little unsure of it's flashback style rather than a straightforward chronological story, but it works quite well.
The acting performances are superb, particularly Henry Cavill in the title role, who's performance is full of emotion.
The action set piece fight sequences are also brilliantly choreographed and enhanced.
For a big box office draw, this is an absolute must see, and my film of the year so far 10/10
Tuesday 11 June 2013
The Purge
Like After Earth, the Purge fails fro mthe point of view of the way it sets up the plot, there must be better ways of explaining the concept, without just explaining it, someone once said to me, and I agree with this, that the best movies show, rather than tell you what is happening.
The concept of this movie is a great one, for one night a year all crime is legal, sounds like a winner, unfortuneately whilst the concept is great, the movie is not.
This is extremely predictable, with every plot twist telegraphed ages before it happens, if you don't see what's coming then you are not paying attention, and the acting is passable at best.
Once again I find myself quesationing the BBFC on their 15 rating, this is quite a bloodthirsty movie, and in my opinion should perhaps have been an 18.
The best thing about this film is the end scene. slightly better than after earth, but not by much 5/10
The concept of this movie is a great one, for one night a year all crime is legal, sounds like a winner, unfortuneately whilst the concept is great, the movie is not.
This is extremely predictable, with every plot twist telegraphed ages before it happens, if you don't see what's coming then you are not paying attention, and the acting is passable at best.
Once again I find myself quesationing the BBFC on their 15 rating, this is quite a bloodthirsty movie, and in my opinion should perhaps have been an 18.
The best thing about this film is the end scene. slightly better than after earth, but not by much 5/10
After Earth
It's been over 2 weeks since my last trip to Cineworld, so I am going to have to make up for it in the coming weeks, with lots of really good movies out before the end of the Month.
I started with a back to back viewing of After Earth and The Purge, review of the purge to follow, although both films do have similar flaws.
After Earth fails really from its opening sequence, The fact that have to do an awful lot of monologued explanation at the start of the movie, just to get you to understand the starting point is an immediate issue, while some exposition is ok, this movie requires far to much.
The plot is extremely contrived, with sequences that are increasingly unbelievable, especially the relationship between the boy and a bird.
Will Smith plays an emotionless father, against his real son playing his on screen son, Jaiden's performance lacks any clarity, it comes across as far to immature and child like, I know that is part of the point, but it is taken a little to far.
The action is boring, and at times I was struggling to stay awake and follow what was going on.
Bland, boring and contrived 4/10
I started with a back to back viewing of After Earth and The Purge, review of the purge to follow, although both films do have similar flaws.
After Earth fails really from its opening sequence, The fact that have to do an awful lot of monologued explanation at the start of the movie, just to get you to understand the starting point is an immediate issue, while some exposition is ok, this movie requires far to much.
The plot is extremely contrived, with sequences that are increasingly unbelievable, especially the relationship between the boy and a bird.
Will Smith plays an emotionless father, against his real son playing his on screen son, Jaiden's performance lacks any clarity, it comes across as far to immature and child like, I know that is part of the point, but it is taken a little to far.
The action is boring, and at times I was struggling to stay awake and follow what was going on.
Bland, boring and contrived 4/10
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