Walking with Dinosaurs the movie is loosely based upon the BBC TV series of the same name. It is largely an educational kids movie, as such it's style wouldn't be out on place on a BBC schools programming schedule. Throughout the film, when a new dinosaur is introduced the action stops while we are told its name, what it means and what it eats. While this maybe useful information for education, it quickly gets annoying for the adult audience.
Although it has a U certificate I'm not sure that it's really suitable for very young children as it deals with Dinosaurs fighting and dying at various points.
The storyline, such as it is, is fairly predictable and largely unremarkable. The film is narrated by a bird called Alex, and follows a Pachyrhinosaurus called Patchi. However at several points in the film the narration changes to Patchi himself, this also gets annoyong as the chemistry between these two characters is supposed to be amusing, but is littered with unfunny banter.
On the plus side the animation and CGI is superb.
If this were a tv film produced for education then I'm sure it would be well received, but for me it just doesn't belong in a cinema. 5/10
Friday 27 December 2013
All Is Lost
It is very difficult to carry an entire movie single handedly, but Robert Redford in All is Lost manages it very well, The film follows Redford (His character is never named) after his yacht strikes a stray shipping container somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean. What follows is a one man fight for survival against the odds.
Redford is superb, putting in a performance that has already earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and must be in the running come Oscar time. Despite having nothing to say, which in many ways make the acting performance all the more remarkable.
Aside from the opening narrative, this film contains absolutely no dialogue, yet it doesn't feel like its lacking, everything you need to know is explained visually with some clever camera work and well placed props.
This film should stand as an example to many a film maker who may be tempted to explain a situation through the overuse of expositional dialogue. This is a master class in how to let the camera tell the story. 9.5/10
Redford is superb, putting in a performance that has already earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and must be in the running come Oscar time. Despite having nothing to say, which in many ways make the acting performance all the more remarkable.
Aside from the opening narrative, this film contains absolutely no dialogue, yet it doesn't feel like its lacking, everything you need to know is explained visually with some clever camera work and well placed props.
This film should stand as an example to many a film maker who may be tempted to explain a situation through the overuse of expositional dialogue. This is a master class in how to let the camera tell the story. 9.5/10
Thursday 19 December 2013
Anchorman 2 The Legend Continues
Anchorman 2 continues the story of Ron Burgundy, this time as a newscaster on a new 24 hour news channel.
The jokes come thick and fast and range from racist, to just completely random, yet this is probably the hardest I have laughed all year.
The lead performances from Will Ferrell and particularly Steve Carrell as Brick are superb, and it was great to see a whole host of star cameos in the battle scene.
All that said however, I can't get away from how absolutely bonkers this movie is, despite being extremely funny, the jokes range from inappropriate, to downright cringe worthy.
Regular readers of my blog will know that I prefer comedies to be realistic rather than over the top, Anchorman 2 falls firmly into the over the top category, however it is hilarious 8/10
The jokes come thick and fast and range from racist, to just completely random, yet this is probably the hardest I have laughed all year.
The lead performances from Will Ferrell and particularly Steve Carrell as Brick are superb, and it was great to see a whole host of star cameos in the battle scene.
All that said however, I can't get away from how absolutely bonkers this movie is, despite being extremely funny, the jokes range from inappropriate, to downright cringe worthy.
Regular readers of my blog will know that I prefer comedies to be realistic rather than over the top, Anchorman 2 falls firmly into the over the top category, however it is hilarious 8/10
Saturday 14 December 2013
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Desolation of Smaug picks up from an unexpected journey, as Bilbo Baggins and his dwarf companions head towards the mountain of Eribor.
The first thing to say about this film, is that like the LOTR films and the first Hobbit movie, it is at nearly 3 hours, stupidly long. Although this film has a bit more of a feel if urgency and a sense of the quest about it than An unexpected Journey, so perhaps doesn't feel quite so slow.
That said, just how many times can one group of dwarfs get caught? They don't seem to be able to do anything without getting into some trouble.
Regular readers of my blog will know that I enjoy surprising plot twist, and I don't like huge pointers of later plot early in a movie. My major issue with this film, is it's setup for the third, in order for a trilogy to work the films need to work independently of each other, there is so much in The Desolation of Smaug that points to the final conclusion of There and Back again, that without having read the book, I can pretty much tell you how the story is going to end.
This is marginally better than the first Hobbit film, but still a film with a few issues, like previous Tolkien movies it labours through a lot of dialogue and unnecessary rubbish, and the ending "cliff hanger" is slightly ruined by a key piece of information that we really didn't need until the third film 8/10
The first thing to say about this film, is that like the LOTR films and the first Hobbit movie, it is at nearly 3 hours, stupidly long. Although this film has a bit more of a feel if urgency and a sense of the quest about it than An unexpected Journey, so perhaps doesn't feel quite so slow.
That said, just how many times can one group of dwarfs get caught? They don't seem to be able to do anything without getting into some trouble.
Regular readers of my blog will know that I enjoy surprising plot twist, and I don't like huge pointers of later plot early in a movie. My major issue with this film, is it's setup for the third, in order for a trilogy to work the films need to work independently of each other, there is so much in The Desolation of Smaug that points to the final conclusion of There and Back again, that without having read the book, I can pretty much tell you how the story is going to end.
This is marginally better than the first Hobbit film, but still a film with a few issues, like previous Tolkien movies it labours through a lot of dialogue and unnecessary rubbish, and the ending "cliff hanger" is slightly ruined by a key piece of information that we really didn't need until the third film 8/10
Wednesday 11 December 2013
Nebraska
Nebraska stars Bruce Dern as Woody Grant, a pensioner who gets a piece of junk mail stating he has won a Million Dollars, so he sets off to Lincoln Nebraska in order to collect his winnings.
It is shot in black and white, which actually adds something to the feel of the film. That extra sense of nostalgia as the film foes into Woody's past.
Bruce Dern puts in a decent performance, but for me the real highlight is the performance of June Squib as Woody's wife Kate, she has many of the best jokes and comedic moments in the film, and her timing and delivery are superb, especially in the graveyard scene.
This film has a lot to say about how we treat the elderly when they start to lose some of their faculties, and also about jealousy and how relationships change when someone wins a lot of money.
I particularly enjoyed the closing scene in this movie, which left me with a big smile, whilst not without its faults, this is a thoroughly entertaining movie 9/10
It is shot in black and white, which actually adds something to the feel of the film. That extra sense of nostalgia as the film foes into Woody's past.
Bruce Dern puts in a decent performance, but for me the real highlight is the performance of June Squib as Woody's wife Kate, she has many of the best jokes and comedic moments in the film, and her timing and delivery are superb, especially in the graveyard scene.
This film has a lot to say about how we treat the elderly when they start to lose some of their faculties, and also about jealousy and how relationships change when someone wins a lot of money.
I particularly enjoyed the closing scene in this movie, which left me with a big smile, whilst not without its faults, this is a thoroughly entertaining movie 9/10
Monday 9 December 2013
The Butler
The Butler follows Forrest Whittaker as Cecil Gaines a White House Butler during the Civil Rights movement in America.
Much of the pre-release publicity was based around Oprah Winfrey, who plays Cecil's wife Gloria, however for me the Stand out performance is by David Oyelowo as Cecil's son Loius.
This is only just over a 2 hour long film, however with large sections where very little seems to be happening, it felt overly long. Also it seems a bit confused about style, some bits are narrated whereas others are not.
If you are interested in the Civil Rights movement, then this has a lot to say, however I didn't find it as engaging as I thought it might be.
This is a good movie, but it is just lacking that extra something that turns a good movie into a great movie. I couldn't help feeling a little underwhelmed 6/10
Much of the pre-release publicity was based around Oprah Winfrey, who plays Cecil's wife Gloria, however for me the Stand out performance is by David Oyelowo as Cecil's son Loius.
This is only just over a 2 hour long film, however with large sections where very little seems to be happening, it felt overly long. Also it seems a bit confused about style, some bits are narrated whereas others are not.
If you are interested in the Civil Rights movement, then this has a lot to say, however I didn't find it as engaging as I thought it might be.
This is a good movie, but it is just lacking that extra something that turns a good movie into a great movie. I couldn't help feeling a little underwhelmed 6/10
Saturday 7 December 2013
Frozen
I went into this film not really knowing much about it, the cinema trailer gave nothing away as to plot or style. The film begins with a very clever Mickey Mouse short, which makes brilliant use of the 3D, then having warmed us up nicely the main event is even better. The first surprise was that this is a musical, I wasn't expecting it, but it was a very pleasant surprise. The songs are brilliant, and Kristen Bell as Anna has a superb singing voice, by the end of the first set piece song I found myself holding back a tear or two.
The story itself us very clever, it is based upon Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen. With two very strong female leads voiced and sung brilliantly.
The Animation is visually very stunning, I'm not sure that the 3D adds much to the feature film, although as I said earlier the Mickey Mouse short does, so you may wish to pay the extra for it.
I knew when I posted my review of the year last week, that I might have reason to change it, but didn't expect it to be so soon, and by this movie. Having spent all year singing the praises of Wreck It Ralph and The Croods as the animation of the year, they have been firmly trumped by Disney 10/10
The story itself us very clever, it is based upon Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen. With two very strong female leads voiced and sung brilliantly.
The Animation is visually very stunning, I'm not sure that the 3D adds much to the feature film, although as I said earlier the Mickey Mouse short does, so you may wish to pay the extra for it.
I knew when I posted my review of the year last week, that I might have reason to change it, but didn't expect it to be so soon, and by this movie. Having spent all year singing the praises of Wreck It Ralph and The Croods as the animation of the year, they have been firmly trumped by Disney 10/10
Thursday 5 December 2013
2013 My Year of Film
I know its not the end of the year yet, but as I have just hit the 100 film mark this year, I figured now is as good a time to look at the highs and lows of the year.
Of the 100 Biggest grossing films of 2013
When looking at best and worst, I really struggled to pick one film over others, so here are my top 10 and worst 10 films of the year, in alphabetical order, to avoid any sense of preference. I have tried to pick films from all months of the year, and not just those most recent.
Top 10
Behind the Candelabra
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Hitchcock
Man of Steel
Rush
Saving Mr Banks
The Croods
The Heat
Wreck it Ralph
Even in narrowing it down to 10 I had great difficulty and there are some extremely good films that have not made this list.
Worst 10
A Good day to Die Hard
A Haunted House
Epic
Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters
I Give it a Year
Identity Thief
Playing For Keeps
Riddick
The Counsellor
This is the End
Acting Performances of Note in 2013 include Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine, who has still got to be favorite for an Oscar, and Emma Thompson in Saving Mr Banks. For the Men, Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips, and Michael Douglas as Liberace in Behind the Candelabra
For Animation, I have been singing the praises of Wreck it Ralph and The Croods all year, and find it difficult to split the two as both are superb.
Most Surprising Film of 2013: The Place Beyond the Pines
Biggest Disappointment: The Counsellor
And so on to 2014 and a some good films in the Horizon
12 Years a Slave
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Robocop
Noah
Plus lots of franchise movies already on the release schedule for later in the year
Fast & Furious 7
Amazing Spiderman 2
X-Men Days of Future Past
Captain America The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1
The Hobbit: There and Back Again
Of the 100 Biggest grossing films of 2013
When looking at best and worst, I really struggled to pick one film over others, so here are my top 10 and worst 10 films of the year, in alphabetical order, to avoid any sense of preference. I have tried to pick films from all months of the year, and not just those most recent.
Top 10
Behind the Candelabra
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Hitchcock
Man of Steel
Rush
Saving Mr Banks
The Croods
The Heat
Wreck it Ralph
Even in narrowing it down to 10 I had great difficulty and there are some extremely good films that have not made this list.
Worst 10
A Good day to Die Hard
A Haunted House
Epic
Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters
I Give it a Year
Identity Thief
Playing For Keeps
Riddick
The Counsellor
This is the End
Acting Performances of Note in 2013 include Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine, who has still got to be favorite for an Oscar, and Emma Thompson in Saving Mr Banks. For the Men, Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips, and Michael Douglas as Liberace in Behind the Candelabra
For Animation, I have been singing the praises of Wreck it Ralph and The Croods all year, and find it difficult to split the two as both are superb.
Most Surprising Film of 2013: The Place Beyond the Pines
Biggest Disappointment: The Counsellor
And so on to 2014 and a some good films in the Horizon
12 Years a Slave
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Robocop
Noah
Plus lots of franchise movies already on the release schedule for later in the year
Fast & Furious 7
Amazing Spiderman 2
X-Men Days of Future Past
Captain America The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1
The Hobbit: There and Back Again
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