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Speed (1994)
I loved this movie. loved every audience involving minute of it
Speed is an excellent action movie, populated with sympathetic characters and stunning visuals. A movie so intense, yet fun at the same time, doesn't come around often.
Plot: You already know but what the hey. After an unsuccessful attack on a building, a terrorist plants a bomb on a bus that will detonate if the bus drops below 50mph.
It is simplistic but effective. The minor details of the movie are what make it succeed. stunt work on and off the bus is photographed with daring explicity. Jan De Bont is determined to show us everything. He doesn't cower.
The movie is also acted well. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock have instant chemistry which inspires sympathy from the audience, which in turn heightens suspense, thrills, etc.
These details come together to make a terrific action adventure. It's a shame that De Bont went on to make commercialist bilge like tomb raider 2 and the haunting.
I must admit that i am one of the few people who will defend speed 2 cruise control. I found it to be highly enjoyable. Just though I'd say that
Staying Alive (1983)
well, it wasn't completely terrible....but it is bad
Staying alive is the 1983 sequel to the smash 1977 hit Saturday night fever. The original was an effective and gritty film about learning life's lessons, and the effect of popular culture on society. It was a great film, a touching film that featured John Travolta's strongest performance to date (i'm including pulp fiction).
Staying alive, however is poor. It is a fairy tale movie about a man trying to make it with his talent (in,wherelse Broadway), and what a surprise Tony manero (main character) makes his show a huge success. It's so predictable it's a joke.
Tony is now dating a girl named Jackie, who truly loves him. He shows her little respect and cheats on her for a pompous snob named Laura. Laura dumps him, he realises he's is wrong and Jackie forgives him.
There is some good. The dance montages (except the horrible finale) are well choreographed, and the style is somewhat appealing. John Travolta does his best with weak material.
What I missed with this movie was a sense of realism. In the original Tony was a man with a passion and a man who learnt right from wrong. The original was about Tony, not dancing. This movie is predictable, we get very little character interaction and it is all about dancing.
As i've said before, it isn't completely worthless, but it is boring, and it doesn't have the bravery of the original. It's just schlock, tedious, harmless schlock.
Rambo (2008)
Rambo is back!
One worry i had about this movie would be that Stallone would turn it too somber and tame. How wrong i was. He gets straight to the action and never lets go. Rambo is an intense and visceral experience.
Set many years after the previous instalment, Rambo is now living in a quiet village down the river from Burma. He collects snakes for a local serpent shop.
His quiet life is turned upside down when a group of Christian aid workers come to him to ask to use his boat. He is initially reluctant but eventually agrees. They need to get into Burma. Burma is portrayed as a wretched, war torn place. People are viciously murdered and tortured by the military. The aid workers wish to bring food and shelter to the people, and to help them escape the savagery.
The Aid workers are kidnapped and tortured by the military. And of course it is up to Rambo to save the day.
It isn't perfect. Rambo has very little plot to engage in and what plot it does have is ruined by it's predictability.
The action, however is extraordinary. Stallone serves up an adrenaline rush of gore guns and death. Rambo runs through the woods, plants bombs, fires guns and mercilessly kills.
It is basically the same movie as 2 and 3 except it has one moral message. It is about a war soldier coming to terms with what his life's purpose is; to kick ass. Perhaps that's why i enjoyed it so much
Hairspray (2007)
Excellent
Hairspray is one of the year's best films. It's catchy, well acted, well choreographed and stylish.
Plot: Tracy Turnblad has dreams of becoming a superstar on the "corny Collins" show. After she gets on the show,a young man named link (that she is attracted to) starts to notice her and they fall in love. She also stands up for racial equality on the show. She wants it to be integrated for good. Of course this gets her into trouble, and she has to highlight the issue on the live hairspray pageant on the show.
Hairspray has very good songs that make you feel wonderful. They catch you, the lyrics become familiar and you can't help but sing along. It also deals with racial issues carefully. It never pushes it too far.
Also John travolta is great in drag.
great movie- 10/10
Halloween (1978)
Absolutely superb in every single way
In 1978 a phenomenon began. The release of John Carpenter's "Halloween" got people queueing around the block to witness the evil that is Michael Meyers. The critics loved it, the world loved it, it was imitated, and has gone down as one of the greatest movies in cinematic history.
plot: 15 years after a murder took place, four friends (all females) are babysitting(and having it on with their boyfriends) on Halloween night. After escaping from a hospital the night before, Michael myers Returns to his home town to stalk these people. He murders 3 of them silently and subtlety. He does not speak. He walks slowly. He hides....
Only one of the friends escapes, after being saved by Doctor Loomis (Michael's pursuer and doctor)
There is one reason why Halloween works so well. Simplicity. We don't know where Michael is, we don't know why he kills, and he frightens us. They're the only reasons why we are afraid.
John carpenter wrote the movie, and directed. He builds unbearable tension throughout the story, and scares to such a degree, that sometimes we cannot watch. And the climax is truly startling.
As horror, this is essential. It is terrifying and well acted. It is also mysterious. Michael is a force, not a human. A force that cannot be denied.
The sequels focused too much around Michael and his "history". This movie focuses on the fear of the unknown. Perhaps that's why this thing is a masterpiece.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
A good movie. This surprised me greatly
H20 is the seventh instalment in this never ending franchise (yes the ending of this film apparently didn't matter). It is also the best of the sequels.
The plot is simple. Laurie is 20 years older. She has nightmares of her brother. She has changed her name. She tries to put him behind her. She is a head-teacher and has a son, who she loves dearly. She has fallen for someone. Then Michael shows up and starts killing her son's friends. She knows that she must end his evil once and for all.
Laurie is very well developed here. Jamie lee gives her a rougher edge than she had in the original, and pulls off a very impressive performance. There are also genuine shocks. H20 has jumpy moments and creepy shots of Michael Meyers like the original. It isn't terrifying, but it's better than expected.
Unfourtunately the film is too short and the secondary characters are a tad flat. But it does have a satisfying ending (if you don't acknowledge the next film in the series). I am of course talking about Halloween: resurrection (which was, quite frankly appalling)
Overall H20 is stylish, scary, well acted, well written and swift.
Friday the 13th (1980)
well....... i don't know what to say
Friday the 13th has one goal: To scare the audience. Thankfully however, it succeeds. This movie is very stupid, but it does things that weren't seen in movies before it.
Most people say its a carbon copy of Halloween (which is a much better movie, but hey). It's not. The creepy camera angles and the use of the woods in the dark help to create an ominous atmosphere. We can relate to the characters. They are just normal pleasant, well meaning kids that get killed. As the killings start we wait to see which one gets it next etc.
But there are 2 things that are great about this film. the music( which is truly creepy) and the killer's identity. this movie is a "whodunnit" (even if by now we all know who it was).The sequels tried to copy this but failed because there was no care with the film making. This movie is well made.
The acting sucks (betsy palmer is an exception, Adrienne king was OK) all round. and the dialogue is dumb. Other than that i recommend this for horror buffs, everyone else should ignore it.
Titanic (1997)
A masterpiece
Titanic is one of the best films of all time for many reasons. There is not one single problem with the picture. Not one. The effects are extraordinary, it's well acted, well written, convincing and spellbinding.
Two lovers from opposite worlds fall in love aboard the doomed ship titanic. And then the ship meets her doom. Their relationship is strengthened by their struggle to survive. This makes the film an experience instead of just entertainment.
Titanic has been bashed by many people for years. All I can say is that i think it is the second best film ever (behind shawshank), and that i don't care what they think.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate winslet are stunning and they give the film a basic story structure. Now these people can act.
James Cameron cleverly shows the peril that the passengers are in. We can relate to them, and we fear for them. It is horrifying to see them die. It is an intense and visceral experience.
This is a beautiful masterpiece about the tragic sinking of a great ship. super.
Child's Play (1988)
A terrible premise is turned into a really good movie
The set up to this flick is pretty stupid. A criminal who's dying happens to know voodoo. He uses it to transfer his soul into the body of the doll. A boy wants the type of doll, and his mother buys it for him. Oh what do you know? the same doll. You know the rest people.
This film is very predictable, and the ideas sound laughable. But, a big but. This film is brilliantly crafted. Child's play is tense (the creature comes alive later on in the picture), frightening (the doll is one mean S.o.b) and very well acted (Sarandon, hicks and Vincent are on top form).
The picture also uses some of the stupid stuff for some dark humour (and it didn't fail to make me laugh) e.g A man talks to the doll (chucky is his name, but you knew that anyway) like a normal human being. Priceless.
In summary, this is a violent and frightening film which is effective, funny and well made. Bravo.
Spider-Man (2002)
It's not great, but it's fun
Spider-man is a good comic book movie. I have a few complaints though.
It is about a science project that goes horribly wrong. Peter's best friend Harry's father has been affected, and is now the green goblin. Peter has been bitten by a spider, and his Dna has given him the characteristics of a spider. And of course, they battle.
The girl he lusts after is MJ, the girl next door. This development of their friendship is interesting throughout and it gives the movie some focus.
The bad: The green goblin is unconvincing. The Speed at which SM swings through the air is just ridiculous, and some of the FX are shoddy.
That aside, I enjoyed the film thoroughly.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Not as good as it's supposed to be
I had many problems with this picture. Being a brit myself i expected a funny, gory, bubbly romp like Shaun of the dead. Instead i got an overlong, half-baked, marginally funny movie that wasn't much fun. A boring spoof on the buddy cop genre.
The film stars simon pegg as a cop who has been moved to sanford to work. He makes friends with a fellow cop, but is suspicious about the towns lack of crime and high levels of "accidents". He then finds out what the cause is.
In the area of faint praise, Hot fuzz has a decent finale. The gun fight between the villagers and the cops is well staged and pretty funny. It's a shame we have to sit through a lot of sappy, wooden rubbish before we get to this point.
Hot fuzz is no where near as good as the reviews suggest. But it's not awful either.
Jaws 2 (1978)
It was acceptable i guess
Jaws 2 is set 4 years after those unforgettable events in Amity. This time the chief's sons are older and have more storyline than the original.
In this film Brody's eldest son is an adolescent obsessed with sailing and teenage girls. He is nagged repeatedly by his father about the dangers of the water. Chief Brody however gets a new problem. A new shark has decided to pick off amity's residents. After numerous clues, such as a dead killer whale, chief Brody becomes more and more cautious. One day Brody's son and his friends decide to go sailing for a long time. The rest of it is pretty predictable.
My problem with jaws 2 is that it has unsympathetic victims. The teenagers are incredibly annoying and stupid. The pacing could have also been faster too.
The good: Roy schieder is great as the chief and portrays his character with more emotion than expected. There was some good action also.
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Pretty good for what it is: A kick ass sci-fi flick
Alien resurrection is an incredibly interesting thriller. It is set 200 years after the events of the third movie.
Scientists have finally cloned a successful Ripley after several failures. This Ripley is different. She has an attitude, and that is the story's best asset.Her blood has become a mixture of human and alien blood. The scientists have now retrieved the queen alien from Ripley. But as predicted it reproduces and the aliens kill everyone in sight.
A cargo collecting ship brings a crew to the sight and they soon get caught up in the problem. Ripley joins them in their attempt to escape and a new creature is formed...
This film has wonderful visual effects, nail-biting tension and great acting.
I believe people have been far too negative.
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Its Great !!!
The Simpson's movie does have one fatal flaw. Too many subplots. In the movie Homer gets a pig, Lisa falls in love, Bart finds a father figure in Ned Flanders, Homer spikes the water supply with pig crap and the US government put Springfield in a dome.
I personally think that this is a bit much for young children, and for its relatively short running time.
This aside, the movie is flawless. None of the jokes fail and they all managed to make me laugh. The voice acting was great, and the animation was spot-on. There were also many interesting aspects about Springfield that we were unaware of during all of those years on TV.
This movie is well worth a watch. I advise fans to see it immediately and to ignore its minor faults.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Stunning. The best movie i have ever seen
The shawshank redemption is the greatest film of all time, in my opinion. Having read great reviews for the film, i was determined to watch it myself. And that was probably the greatest film decision ever made by me. I will never forget the engrossing intensity of this masterpiece, it will stay with me and many others for years to come.
It centres around a wrongly convicted prisoner Andy Dufresne and another nicknamed Red by his friends. After Red sees the wrongful imprisonment he becomes Andy's best friend and they create an unbreakable bond that is the core of the film. Years go by in Shawshank prison and the pair live with the tortures of shawshank. The neglect, the murder and the horror.
But Andy changes this. He does extraordinary things for the inmates. HE befriends the guards, builds a big library and helps people with their problems. He saves them from institutionalisation.
In the end an incredible series of events allows Andy to turn these factors on the prison and to get the responsible people imprisoned themselves. Andy escapes and leaves for a new life abroad. Red is released soon after and follows him. The ending sees them reunited.
This is a definitive tale of how the human spirit can be denied nothing.
Alien³ (1992)
Criminally neglected
Alien 3 is a good film for many reasons.
*It has a wonderful visual style thats helps build tension *It features weaver's best performance to date. *The plot is fantastic and is similar to the 1st
Plot: Alien 3 shows Ripley as having been the only survivor from her ship that crash-landed on a prison planet. An alien was on the ship and she has brought one (Or more?) with her. The convicts grow to accept her presence and seek her help to destroy a monstrous alien. In the film she also discovers a dark secret inside herself that gives her a decision that will change her life.
This film is interesting. The special edition is even better, though the TR is still good. give it a try.
Rocky Balboa (2006)
Yes Yes Yes this is what its all about- bravo Sly
Rocky Balboa is without a doubt the best sequel in the rocky series. It is touching, exciting, well-acted, well filmed and well written.
It goes back to Rocky's roots and shows him living a lonely life, following the death of his wife Adrian. He only has Paulie left(and his less-than-enthusiastic son). He starts a new friendship with a women called Marie. Her and Her son become close to him and he helps them with life. A young title holder called Mason Dixon is pitted against Rocky in a computer fight, which says that Balboa would be victorious. Rocky accepts a challenge from Dixon and fights him with great spirit.
Rocky loses in the end but who the hell cares? He won his self respect back, he found a new friend in Marie and her son, and strengthens his relationship with his son.
A perfect way to end the series. Bring on Rambo 4!!!
Rocky V (1990)
poor
Rocky v has become somewhat of a curiosity to me. I read highly negative reviews for the film and expected a lame rehash of the first. I was very polarized by the moral messages it has. The film was far from perfect, and fell flat with the glum ending, so naturally, i was highly disappointed.
Rocky loses his money and his boy begins to resent him. He moves back to the streets of Philly with Paulie and Adrian and begins to train a new fighter, Tommy Gunn. Tommy is bombarded by the press and agrees to fight professionally. He betrays Rocky and hurts Paulie. Thankfully Rocky kicks his ass.
What i didn't like at all was the fact that rocky ended up where he started, with nothing to show for what he had achieved in the past. The film is astonishingly wrong headed
This movie is different to the others, it has a different message, but its still the worst of the series.
Rocky III (1982)
Great fun!
It lacks emotional depth, but rocky 3 is good entertainment. It shows the period of Rocky's success and his successful title defences. Rocky takes on a new fighter, Cluber Lang. He knocks Rocky silly in the opening stages of the fight and Rocky gets depressed. After being trained by old nemesis Apollo Creed, Rocky beats Clubber silly in the first three rounds.
It's not as emotional as the first two, but there is more action and of course the song. "eye of the tiger"
This film is just plain fun.
I wouldn't advise you to use your brain watching it.
Rocky IV (1985)
Rocky is fighting for his country. All together now "ROCKY,ROCKY"
I thought this was generally cool. Sly Stallone was great. This time he's fighting a Russian that killed his friend in the ring. This character is accompanied by a group of hilarious 1-dimensional characters that suggest he is stronger than the average American tank. It sounds silly, but Stallone gloraphies the international issues surounding the fighters, which gives the viewer a strange political message.
The fight was deliciously ridiculous. Rocky is not fighting a man, but a machine. The punches are too loud, and the editing is sloppy, but hey it still gets the adreneline going.
What bugged me was the music. what happened to the sincere score of the first? It was filled to the rim withexcruiciating songs that i'dexpect to hear in a bad episode of pokemon.
Having said this, I enjoyed it for what it was, a fight movie, little intelligence, but glossy and nutty for a reason.
Campy fun!
Rocky (1976)
Sublime
Rocky is one of the best movies ever made. Not from a technical point of view, but from an emotional one. A movie so extraordinarily powerful that I'm almost lost for words. I wont go much into the plot. It's about a young fighter(who's fallen for Adrian,the girl in the pet shop) determined to get some self-worth. He gets his chance when hes offered a chance to fight for the world title, and of course he gets the girl.
It's predictable, but thats kind of the point. It's so involving and touching to go through rocky's experience.The fight is the allegory, the deeper meaning, the showcase for rocky's determination. It takes all our energy away from us, and ends in the perfect way. It ends just when we've had enough. And that was good enough for me
10/10
Rocky II (1979)
I was surprised. I very much enjoyed it
Rocky 2 continues the same type of storyline the original had. It has touching moments, exciting moments, thrilling moments and all of these are pretty good.
Rocky is now spending money endlessly with his payment for the fight in the 1st movie. He starts to lose control and struggles to get a job. Eventually he accepts his true path and agrees to a rematch with (the now bitter) Apollo creed. Rocky wins again in what is the best fight of the series.
I liked this movie a lot. It wasn't flawless like the 1st, but it had some excellent moments. great entertainment.
Enjoy!
Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
Extremely underrated
Speed 2 stars sandy bullock, who reprises her role from the original. It also stars Jason patric (who is as good as reeves in my opinion). It is the most underrated movie ever made also. The plot? * A man on a holiday with his pretty girlfriend * A madman with a desire to set the cruise ship they are on to destruction.
* Two crashes involving a cruise liner * People who hope to enjoy a holiday * 2 speedy chases at the beginning and the end Speed 2 has a spectacular visual sense. It uses the bahamas as a bubbly backdrop for the ships final crash (which is the best action scene ever filmed). All of the Cgi and models are very convincing also. Bullock and Patric are fine in their roles and bring charisma to their characters. The ship is great to look at and the destruction is first rate. Speed 2: cruise control is not a bad movie at all. It's a lot of fun.
Alien (1979)
In space, no one can hear you scream...............
Alien is a Creepy claustrophobic thriller that has gone down as one of the best films in history. It focuses around a group of people who are told to investigate a mysterious planet. They are savaged by an alien they bring on board, and only one (and a cat) is left alive.
This is a very effective film.
It paralyses your sense of fear, and entertains you at the same time. With great acting and a very intimidating killer, Alien has gone down as a classic.
Although it was surpassed by its first sequel aliens, it is still an incredibly effective thriller.
A giant in cinema.
Aliens (1986)
Definitive proof that sequels don't always suck
In aliens, elen ripley is rescued by a military establishment that have sent colonies to lv246 (the planet on which the first alien came from). She joins them in their quest to reestablish contact after it is lost. However, the team are bombarded with monstrous aliens after finding a young girl called newt on board. Ellen makes a srtong bond with the youngster and vows to rescue her after she's kidnapped. And the ending is a complete rollecoaster of thrills and sheer horror.
Sigourney weaver was fantastic in this (well deserved Oscar nod), and the action was non-stop. I prefer this to the first, which is a huge achievement in my mind.
Watch aliens, you won't be disappointed.