The Equaliser stars Denzel Washington on a movie based on the 70's TV series starting Edward Woodward, in which he finds himself going up against the Russian Mafia.
This is perhaps a little to violent for my taste, with some of the killing going seemingly to far in its brutality, the film I think would lose little if it was a little less bloody.
At a little over 2 hours, it also feels a little long, especially early on, some of the set-up and character development could be shortened to bring this under 2 hours, as quite a chunk of the film is before the real action starts.
That said, It is a very good story and a fine performance from Denzel Washington, I much preferred this to Liam Neeson's latest offering last week 7/10
Saturday 27 September 2014
Tuesday 23 September 2014
What We Did On Our Holiday
Out on Friday, What we did on our holiday is a comedy about bring up kids when Parents are divorcing.
The Parents played by David Tennant and Rosamund Pike, travel to Scotland for his Fathers birthday party whilst trying to keep up the pretence that their marriage is still intact.
Anyone with young kids I'm sure will find this brilliantly funny, particularly the kids are fantastic, and with Billy Connelly playing the Grandfather with lots of wisdom this works on just about every level.
As well as being hilarious throughout, it is also a fantastic advert for the highlands, with beautiful scenery 9/10
The Parents played by David Tennant and Rosamund Pike, travel to Scotland for his Fathers birthday party whilst trying to keep up the pretence that their marriage is still intact.
Anyone with young kids I'm sure will find this brilliantly funny, particularly the kids are fantastic, and with Billy Connelly playing the Grandfather with lots of wisdom this works on just about every level.
As well as being hilarious throughout, it is also a fantastic advert for the highlands, with beautiful scenery 9/10
Monday 22 September 2014
A Walk Among The Tombstones
Liam Neeson plays an Ex-Cop turned private Detective in a Thriller reminiscent of Taken. With Taken being such a success, and Taken 3 currently in production, Neeson is in danger of being typecast as the Ex Cop/FBI/Air Marshall.
This film suffers for all the comparison to Taken and Non Stop, mainly because it is not as good as either. The pace is very slow initially, only picking up towards the end, concentrating far to much on Character development to the detriment of plot development. How many AA meetings does he need to go to for us to understand he is an alcoholic?
If you really want to see Liam Neeson chasing and killing gangsters, watch Taken 5/10
This film suffers for all the comparison to Taken and Non Stop, mainly because it is not as good as either. The pace is very slow initially, only picking up towards the end, concentrating far to much on Character development to the detriment of plot development. How many AA meetings does he need to go to for us to understand he is an alcoholic?
If you really want to see Liam Neeson chasing and killing gangsters, watch Taken 5/10
Friday 19 September 2014
Magic in the Moonlight
Set in 1928, Woody Allen's latest movie sees Colin Firth as a Magician who is asked to help prove that a spiritual medium is a fake, however the more he watches her the more he begins to question whether she could be real.
For fans of the 20's period, this might be a good watch, with lots of period detail, clothing etc, however I am not a huge fan of period films, and this was not enough to keep my interest. Despite only being a little over the 90 minute mark this seemed to plod along at quite a pedestrian pace, until it's final act. The conclusion of the movie is very good, unfortunately the final 10/15 minutes does not make up for the previous 75.
Both Woody Allen and Colin Firth have done much better movies than this fairly recently, so this is a little underwhelming 6/10
For fans of the 20's period, this might be a good watch, with lots of period detail, clothing etc, however I am not a huge fan of period films, and this was not enough to keep my interest. Despite only being a little over the 90 minute mark this seemed to plod along at quite a pedestrian pace, until it's final act. The conclusion of the movie is very good, unfortunately the final 10/15 minutes does not make up for the previous 75.
Both Woody Allen and Colin Firth have done much better movies than this fairly recently, so this is a little underwhelming 6/10
The Giver
Quite often 2 very similar films are released close together, for example Deep Impact and Armageddon, or last years Olympus has Fallen and White House Down.
The latest teen fiction novel to be turned into a movie, The Giver is a story of a fenced in society where emotions are removed, and everyone is told how to live and what their jobs will be. Sound Familiar? There are so many similarities to Divergent, one of favorite films of this year, even down to the choosing ceremony. The problem this film has is that it is nowhere near as good as it's predecessor and with the much anticipated Hunger Games third film out soon, this is just not in the same league.
The story and concept are interesting, and the acting is passable, had this not had such movies to judge it against I might have enjoyed it more, but the standard is high, and this fails to live up to it 6/10
The latest teen fiction novel to be turned into a movie, The Giver is a story of a fenced in society where emotions are removed, and everyone is told how to live and what their jobs will be. Sound Familiar? There are so many similarities to Divergent, one of favorite films of this year, even down to the choosing ceremony. The problem this film has is that it is nowhere near as good as it's predecessor and with the much anticipated Hunger Games third film out soon, this is just not in the same league.
The story and concept are interesting, and the acting is passable, had this not had such movies to judge it against I might have enjoyed it more, but the standard is high, and this fails to live up to it 6/10
Chef
Chef was originally released back in June, however due to my local Cineworld not showing it, I missed it first time around. I have now to catch up with it on a Take Two Thursday screening.
It stars Jon Favreau as Carl Casper a former high flying Chef who is stuck in a rut cooking someone else's food. When he loses his job, he is forced to take on a food truck on a road trip across America.
In my review of the hundred foot journey I said not to go in on an empty stomach, and this is very similar, showcasing some really great American street food that left me hungry.
While the storyline is, perhaps, a little cliché, with the family man getting to spend time with his kid. This is a very pleasant feel good film, with a fantastic soundtrack of Jazz Music that had me foot tapping most of the way through, and a thoroughly enjoyable 2 hours. 9/10
It stars Jon Favreau as Carl Casper a former high flying Chef who is stuck in a rut cooking someone else's food. When he loses his job, he is forced to take on a food truck on a road trip across America.
In my review of the hundred foot journey I said not to go in on an empty stomach, and this is very similar, showcasing some really great American street food that left me hungry.
While the storyline is, perhaps, a little cliché, with the family man getting to spend time with his kid. This is a very pleasant feel good film, with a fantastic soundtrack of Jazz Music that had me foot tapping most of the way through, and a thoroughly enjoyable 2 hours. 9/10
Friday 12 September 2014
A Most Wanted Man
Based on a John Le Carre novel, A Most Wanted Man is one of the final films made by Phillip Seymour Hoffman before his death. Unfortunately it is not one of his most memorable.
It is in essence a spy film (I would have used the word thriller except it lacks any real thrills) It opens up with a couple of sentences about how Hamburg was where 9/11 was plotted, but then lacks any real sense that what they are doing is preventing terrorism. It has a very distinct lack of terrorist threat. I'm not saying it needs to be a cliché last minute save the world, but there is absolutely no sense that anyone they are spying on is actually plotting anything.
The storyline line is weak and lacks any sense of momentum, Seymour Hoffman's half attempt at a German Accent is pretty poor, and on the whole this is 2 hours that I would like back 3/10
It is in essence a spy film (I would have used the word thriller except it lacks any real thrills) It opens up with a couple of sentences about how Hamburg was where 9/11 was plotted, but then lacks any real sense that what they are doing is preventing terrorism. It has a very distinct lack of terrorist threat. I'm not saying it needs to be a cliché last minute save the world, but there is absolutely no sense that anyone they are spying on is actually plotting anything.
The storyline line is weak and lacks any sense of momentum, Seymour Hoffman's half attempt at a German Accent is pretty poor, and on the whole this is 2 hours that I would like back 3/10
Sunday 7 September 2014
Pride
It is not very often that a movie can take you from the edge of tears one moment, to smiling and laughing the next. Pride is a shining example of how to take an audience and get them emotionally involved in the highs and lows of the Characters.
Based on real events during the miners strike of 1984, it tells the story of a group of Lesbians and Gay Men who decided to fundraise in order to help the miners. It is a tale of Cultures Coliding, prejudices broken, friendships formed and society enriched. It stands as a testament to how far LGBT rights have come in 30 years, and how much more there is to do.
This is a rare gem of a movie, superbly written, well acted and emotionally engaging. This should not be seen as a Homosexual movie, everyone should see this film regardless if your sexual orientation, a masterpiece 10/10
Based on real events during the miners strike of 1984, it tells the story of a group of Lesbians and Gay Men who decided to fundraise in order to help the miners. It is a tale of Cultures Coliding, prejudices broken, friendships formed and society enriched. It stands as a testament to how far LGBT rights have come in 30 years, and how much more there is to do.
This is a rare gem of a movie, superbly written, well acted and emotionally engaging. This should not be seen as a Homosexual movie, everyone should see this film regardless if your sexual orientation, a masterpiece 10/10
Saturday 6 September 2014
The 100 Foot Journey
The 100 Journey is not a film to watch on an empty stomach, there are scenes that may be best described as food porn.
As for the film itself, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Helen Mirren puts in a wonderful performance as Madame Mallory in a tale of cultures colliding. The storyline moves along at a pace that keeps the viewer interested and I found myself caring for these characters.
The opening sequence introducing the Indian Characters at the immigration counter sets up the film really well, I particularly enjoyed the joke about qualifications. Whilst this is not primarily a comedy, it has some fun light hearted moments.
This is one of the best films currently in the cinema, if you are deciding what to watch this week, consider this first 9.5/10
As for the film itself, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Helen Mirren puts in a wonderful performance as Madame Mallory in a tale of cultures colliding. The storyline moves along at a pace that keeps the viewer interested and I found myself caring for these characters.
The opening sequence introducing the Indian Characters at the immigration counter sets up the film really well, I particularly enjoyed the joke about qualifications. Whilst this is not primarily a comedy, it has some fun light hearted moments.
This is one of the best films currently in the cinema, if you are deciding what to watch this week, consider this first 9.5/10
The Boxtrolls
With the postponement of Pixar's The Good Dinosaur it has been a poor summer for Kids Movies, with little of quality on offer. It is, perhaps, a shame therefore that The Boxtrolls was not released a month earlier, as I think it could have done well in the Summer Holidays.
It tells the story of Boxtrolls, inventive and misunderstood creatures that live in cardboard boxes and survive by using things Humans throw away. As family movies go, this is a decent example of good storytelling, with lots of moral lessons embedded within it.
Whilst maybe not being the best animated feature film, it is certainly better than anything else released this summer, and should keep the kids entertained 7/10
It tells the story of Boxtrolls, inventive and misunderstood creatures that live in cardboard boxes and survive by using things Humans throw away. As family movies go, this is a decent example of good storytelling, with lots of moral lessons embedded within it.
Whilst maybe not being the best animated feature film, it is certainly better than anything else released this summer, and should keep the kids entertained 7/10
Friday 5 September 2014
Before I go to Sleep
The Amnesiac movie is not new, and variations of this type of film have been done many times before, this particular version sees Nicole Kidman recording her daily thoughts in a video diary in order to try and remember who attacked her and caused the injuries relating to her memory loss.
This is a fast paced thriller and full of plot twists, however it suffers from a distinct lack of suspense as the plot twists are so obviously set-up that when the facts were finally revealed it only confirmed what I had already worked out for myself. For me a good twist needs to come from left field and not be so obvious as to be unsurprising.
This is worth a watch, Kidman puts in a decent performance, but it is largely forgettable and goes firmly in the average bracket 6/10
This is a fast paced thriller and full of plot twists, however it suffers from a distinct lack of suspense as the plot twists are so obviously set-up that when the facts were finally revealed it only confirmed what I had already worked out for myself. For me a good twist needs to come from left field and not be so obvious as to be unsurprising.
This is worth a watch, Kidman puts in a decent performance, but it is largely forgettable and goes firmly in the average bracket 6/10
Wednesday 3 September 2014
Sex Tape
I know I have probably said this before but I really should stop judging films based on their trailer. In my review of Lets Be Cops the other day I stated that I didn't think Sex Tape would improve the quality of what has been a poor Summer. I was wrong.
This is one of the surprises of the year, and the hardest I have laughed for quite some time. Regular readers of my blog will know that I am a big fan of realistic observational comedy, and this film has it in spades. Given Jennifer Lawrence's issues with the Cloud in the last few days, the timing of this film could not have been much better, and that adds to the fun of it.
Obviously given the subject matter this is quite crude in places and maybe not to everyones tastes, it contains a lot of swearing and sex, that said, you know what you are expecting just from the title.
This is easily the best comedy the year so far 9/10
This is one of the surprises of the year, and the hardest I have laughed for quite some time. Regular readers of my blog will know that I am a big fan of realistic observational comedy, and this film has it in spades. Given Jennifer Lawrence's issues with the Cloud in the last few days, the timing of this film could not have been much better, and that adds to the fun of it.
Obviously given the subject matter this is quite crude in places and maybe not to everyones tastes, it contains a lot of swearing and sex, that said, you know what you are expecting just from the title.
This is easily the best comedy the year so far 9/10
Monday 1 September 2014
Lets Be Cops
It's been a poor Summer for the Movie fan, there has been very little of quality and Lets be Cops is a prime example.
There are several occasions during this movie where you know that things just would not happen like that, especially early on.
The only redeeming feature of this film is the final resolution, which means I left the Cinema with a smile, but the previous 90 minutes are so poor that an uplifting ending is not enough, I had given up with it long before.
Next up is Sex Tape, out on Wednesday, I don't hold out much hope that the quality is going to get much better 3/10
There are several occasions during this movie where you know that things just would not happen like that, especially early on.
The only redeeming feature of this film is the final resolution, which means I left the Cinema with a smile, but the previous 90 minutes are so poor that an uplifting ending is not enough, I had given up with it long before.
Next up is Sex Tape, out on Wednesday, I don't hold out much hope that the quality is going to get much better 3/10
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