Reviews

This is a great film. It walks that fine line between comedy and thriller that only this director seems to pull off. The comedy is almost absurd and genuinely funny, and yet it never compromises the tension, indeed it kind of adds to it as we are never quite sure what is going on.

Small details, small points in the plot that seem like one shot elements actually turn out to be crucial. There were a few seemingly random things in the story which i took little notice of as they were said, that actually turned into important things. And the way they were delivered was so underplayed and yet so memorable that when the follow up point or reveal came i was mightily impressed.

The script is tight. The film is beautiful. The atmosphere is intangible, always somewhere between humour, mystery, madness. I'll be waiting for his next film.

Going into this film I had no idea what it would be about. The title suggested a horror film but as it progressed it became apparent that this wasn't a shock and awe, cheap thrills type film. It doesn't build upon a hackneyed plot, rather it takes its own route, always leaving the viewer unsure about its purpose.

The film is a rewarding watch. It takes the viewer on a journey away from city life, to a small island where a family of farmers live, isolated from the mainland. The city girl then, leaves behind the modern life and enters a place where women are naturally seen as inferior to men. Her vacation gradually deteriorates, and in the end, well, she just can't wait to get off the island.

This is a very smartly paced film in which I was at times confused as to who to root for. It throws up definite villains and then others...

There is one truly great and memorable character created here.

I was a big fan of the original Agneepath so i decided to watch this even though i can't stand most Bollywood movies. The movie is very colourful, and as it started i thought i might enjoy it, but then came Sunjay Dutt. I saw the back of his bald head and thought "please, no, not this guy, please don't let it be him" but it was him. I hate Sanjay Dutt, whom from now on i will be referring to as Sunday Jutt because it's easier to swype and i don't respect him as an actor. I gave him a chance, and to be fair his character is written as one dimensional as can be, a sort of super villain. The director I think forgot he was supposed to be making gangster flick and instead thought he was directing some kind of Greek myth, the music blaring out right from the get go as if we all know of the legend of Vijay Chohan and recognise him as a gangster super star, when in fact he never does anything to deserve the moniker and music. The lead actor is very handsome but didn't have even a quarter of the charisma of Amitabh, I don't really think i ever empathised with him, his delivery was flat un-stylish and un-amusing, I certainly didn't want to be him, he was too damn boring. The only actor who was worth watching was Rishi Kapoor who i was admiring a quarter of the through the film before i when recognised him. The female characters are there... That's about it, they have 'standard' parts which you sort of have to bite your lip and get through because they kinda drag. I'm surprised they actually called this film Agneepath. Why recreate a film and then change the story line so much. It's essentially a different film that has some similarities but hardly worthy of being called a remake. it suffers from glorifying every word spoken by any of the main characters such that everything is supposed to be epic, there is no down time, no Krishnan Ayer Yum Ye to ground things, not even a great sound track like the original had. By the end it becomes a tedious crawl, i was having flashbacks of the eighties and nineties, of the "Dishahn Dishahn" punching sounds and the dying hero in his mothers arms. At one point near the end i thought the film might have a message, a couple of times there's a line spoken about a weaker man not being able to forgive a stronger man till he can beat him. I thought maybe Vijay might let Sunday Jutt go, but no, apparently Vijay did well not to listen to his wise father, he took nothing on board and got a lot of Cross dressers killed, still, as long as he looked a bit cool along the way eh? That's all that really matters.

I just watched this at the cinema and was impressed and disappointed in equal measure. A jarring problem this film has (which it shares with 300) is the look of the film. It has obviously been made in a studio and the backgrounds have been added digitally. The problem is that the lighting is all wrong and it makes everything seem artificial. There was never a moment when I forgot I was watching a film, in-fact much of the film reminded me of old classics of the 50's where all of the production took place on a fabricated set. It has the feel of a play rather than a film and I couldn't help but feel shortchanged. The other problem with this film is the pacing. It kept slowing down when it seemed things were about to get interesting, there were points in the film where I felt so bored I wanted to fall asleep only to be very engaged and then immediately bored again. The best acting by far comes from mickey rourke as the villain although the acting is good all round. there are some violent and disturbing scenes in the film and the fight sequences are actually interesting to watch but for all its "style" the story never really gets its hooks in.

What a disappointment, I was looking forward to this, the original being one of my favorite animations. This sequel however suffers from having no soul and no comedy. Everything uttered from po's mouth seems contrived and predictable.the action scenes, although filled with complicated fight scenes and gorgeous colors, lack the poetry and comedy of the original. There is no way of connecting with po in this film, it doesn't seem like he is on a journey you can relate too and the villain, though voiced well, is incomparable to the villain of the first movie.

For me its just big disappointment, and its score on IMDb is ridiculous.

Watching the kings speech is like watching someone in physical pain for two hours. Credit to Collin Firth for making every sentence seem like an ordeal. He really done a good job, I woz feelin mighty sorry for im. I never noo e woz a stammerer. On a serious note, the kings speech is a very good film which manges to create a massive amount of tension out of something that might seem trivial to someone who doesn't have a disability. both lead performances were excellent and helen b carter was great as always. I just felt the winston churchill was a bit hammy and the middle did wobble a bit but the film really doesn't let go of you till the end. its like pulling teeth but in a good way.

Black Swan is an interesting watch. You never know exactly where the film is going or what the point is. All you know is that this one girl wants to be the lead in this one production called Swan Lake.

That's basically all you need to know, then just sit back and watch the film work it's magic, which is what it does. It veers off in to many unexpected directions pulling you along for the ride, your brain trying to piece together what has just happened while it's trying to stick with the story trying to work out whats going to happen next. It's not predictable , even when you second guess it you are only ahead for a moment as something else blindsides you leaving you aghast and making you rethink the film entirely again.

It's not complicated either, it's not full of dialogue or a complicated story line, it's more akin to walking through a really good house of horrors where when you get to the end you have a sad feeling as you realise your trip is over and you have to leave.

Fighter isn't your run of the mill boxing film. It's more of a drama/comedy. I say comedy because there is a lot of humour in the film even though it doesn't intentionally seem like it's trying to be an all out comedy.

I put off watching the film because I thought it was going to be hard work, a serious film about serious people, crack cocaine, family feuds and face pummeling. It's about all those things and yet it manages to stay light despite them. Mark Walberg plays younger brother, and really all he has to do is play it as straight as possible while everyone around him especially Christian Bale bounces off the walls. I think this is the only film I have seen Christian bale play a comedic character. It's a hard thing to do to play a comedic character in a serious film, it threatens the whole vibe and might make a mockery of the drama , but Bale is sincere in his charachterisation and the character comes of as a recognisable real person who is entertaining and yet still believable.

The rest of the cast do well to and it is refreshing that the film didn't really go into the whole stupid Rocky thing of boxing like film stars. The boxing, the ring entry, the camera work has a feeling of authenticity and is reminiscent of real fights you might see on a Saturday night.

If there can be any criticism it is that there never really seems to be any emotional depth to it. It seems too light for what it is and all the way through i was thinking that this isn't really heavy drama, this wasn't what i was expecting, but still, overall, it's a great film.

I don't get the high score and praise for this film. I can only assume it was good for its time. if so, it hasn't aged well at all. in fact I think I might have liked it more if it was made in the 50's and was black and white. the acting is bad, the script is basic, the direction is mediocre. it might be considered as a parody but its not funny or clever enough to pull it off. a waste of time. a relic, thats how i'd describe it, I switched off after an hour because it was that bad.

I think it might have gotten its high score by just being gore laden. if so, it was a gimmick because there's nothing else about the film thats recommendable.

The first hour of lost in space is brilliant fun. The story is set relatively fast and it's all excitement and buzz as they set off into the wilds of space, unfortunately things go wrong and they run into a few problems.

The first hour holds great promises, it actually feels like they are about to set off on a truly great adventure. It's beautifully shot and space looks almost like it would in a comic book, bright, colourfull and shiny. but soon enough the ship crashes and with it the adventure is sorta crumbled by the plot.

There's a central element of the plot which is a total pile of %^&*. I wont spoil it but it really destroys the film and not only by being illogical but chiefly because it drags it out of the science fiction realm and is used to turn it into a totally cliché and hackneyed melodrama, the kind which science fiction and adventure fans generally do not like. That's the main problem here, it gets soppy, it gets sentimental it gets predictable. How many movies have to do this? why do they make viewers suffer?

Anyhow, its still a nice looking film which you can say stumbles halfway in and then never really recovers. Gets an extra point for the eye candy.

There's something not quite right with this film and its hard to put a finger on what it is. The dialogue is sometimes clunky and seems 'copy and pasted' like in the kitchen when the two girls are talking. Then there is the music towards the end of the film when she has the boot open, it's clunky, it seems amateurish and it's deliberate but it detracts greatly from the scene and the dialogue Uma speaks is no better. it's supposed to be tongue in cheek but after repeated viewings its annoying that it's not taken seriously.

Aside from that the story is just non existent. It plays out like a series of set pieces, which is fine, which is in-fact great because many of them are spectacular, funny and very well done. What it loses is real depth, tension and a sense of progression such that when you watch this film again you'll be waiting for your favourite scenes to come up and be annoyed with some of the less stellar ones, like the totally ridiculous and boring hack and slash extravaganza with the 86 gang. having said all that it's well worth watching because a lot of works gone into it. It's original, it's different, it's entertaining and it has a quality to it that is rarely found in most films. But still, it's a little patchy, uncoordinated and flawed.

Samurai Rebellion is a taught and tense samurai film throughout, possessing not even an ounce of humour. That's no bad thing. You get the impression it's all building to something huge, in-fact I was waiting to see this 'Rebellion' where suddenly all the samurai overthrow the lord, but, it never happens. the rebellion is a small and personal one of just three people of one household as everyone, including there own family members seem intent on splitting them apart. That is where the films strength lies, the first hours and a quarter, and disappointingly, when the action comes it's full of frankly rubbish dialogue and clichéd scenes.

It's a slow film, nothing is rushed, and the setting is very pleasant. The ways of the Japanese culture of those times is interesting to watch , how they are all polite and stuff, however there are points where it just goes beyond belief. That's as much a criticism of the story as it is of the formal tone of the film. In the end that is the very reason it loses it's realism, as the father gives some corny dialogue towards the end it's hard to not compare it with something like Rambo or even He-man where we the audience are being preached at rather than being told a story. It's a shame they even departed from the 'courtroom drama' type vibe of the first half if they couldn't bring it to a satisfying violent conclusion. In the end I felt a little depressed and a little disappointed, but still, it's 'ye olde japan' and its got samurai and the first half is pretty damn good so it's worth a watch if you're interested in that time and place.

Tron is a big budget Hollywood film that shouldn't work. The reason it shouldn't work is that the story is, beneath the surface, very simplistic. there is that familiar story of someone suddenly out of his normal habitat discovering a strange new land, discovering the good and the evil and then defeating evil to put the world right, much like planet of the apes or buck rodgers or anything else. and it all happens by the book. the characters too are two dimensional but it's tough to criticise it for that considering that they are supposed to be that way, and in fact none of the characters are annoyingly so . the fact is they all lack depth but for some reason its all forgiven and the reason for that is that the world feels so organic and natural even though there is something alien about it.

It's super cool to be in a world of blue neon with ambient light and music pulsing throughout the film making you feel that you aren't watching a film but have been enveloped in a uber cool trailer for a soon to be released movie which looks great. the movies sorta washes over you, not hooking you with story or plot or anything but just inviting you into a world so damn beautiful that all you can do is stare at the screen while blue men and red men float about on blue and orange bikes ..wooooooo.

as a big film release of 2011 its impossible to go into this film not knowing the main plot points. thus there's an anticipation of what is about to happen. I'm not sure if this is to blame our if it is just that the film is just above mediocre but part way through I was urging the protagonist to just get on with it. " we all know what you're gonna do, just hurry up about it." was all i was thinking throughout the the last half of the movie.

as with all Danny Boyle films it is beautifully shot with great music, but there is an absence of story. instead we are supposed to stay with the character through his pains and illusions. this proved to be the worst aspect of the film. the illusions seem to take over and seem to constitute the bulk of focus. that all being said the setting is wonderful and it is a different fare from most films. I'm just disappointed it never really sets its hooks in.

whiteout has a run of the mill plot, run of the mill acting, pacing and story. in fact in many ways it is so formulaic and predictable that I should have gotten bored and given it a 4/10. it has, however, a saving grace in its setting. what ever can be said about everything else in the film, the sheer amount of snow and the isolation (which it must be said, was disappointingly underused) that must exist in Antarctica makes the film watchable in a 'documentary' sense. the actual 'procedures' they go through, locking doors and using guide ropes, "they have marshalls?", kept me interested throughout and resembled space films a little, and it was interesting to have this setting again which I've never really seen since 'the thing'. aside from that it is a ho hum affair. its mildly interesting for the mystery until you guess who the killer is (not through clues but just from movie sense) . I still recommend it though.

movie starts out OK. the scene is set well, the acting is good and its all very spooky. what the film lacks is any sort of sense of progression. in fact, as the movie went on it reminded me a lot of 'lost' the TV series where there were some great outlandish ideas that were very cool and you kept watching because you were interested in how they would be resolved. they are not. the films plot seems to be just a skeleton to hold all these ideas together. there's no payoff for watching and the more you watch the more sick you feel because it has that ' I'm gonna throw up' feel to it. credit for the great setup and the initial scares but can't recommend it too strongly.

A well acted film that unfortunately offers nothing new once the scene has been set. A third of the way into the film you can pretty much turn off and guess the rest. its a real shame too because there was an element of mystery to begin with which was stripped away far too early leaving only a predictable hour till the finish.

Aside from that the acting is great, the tension is OK, although its not built upon enough, it seemed as if scenes of potentially great tension were cut short just to have action, which, in a horror film, isn't a smart move.

There are a couple of great scenes when the 'horror' came not from the hunter but from the hunted, but overall it never really scares.

This is a road movie which is likable and humorous throughout but never really goes beyond that.

Zack Galafanakis really makes the movie, he's a very likable and odd character with a lot of charm. Robert Downey junior however has difficulty in making you believe his character. You would expect him to be REALLY angry and very hateful but he never is. For that reason it lacks the contrast that might have been vital to the plot. Who knows.

I was never really quite sure at what point their relationship changed because it was never properly explained. They must have become friends during the long ride, off camera, or something? I don't know.

it's a watchable movie , but it isn't a riot like it should be.

I went into this film expecting a run of the mill, brainless action film, but as it progressed I realised it was something a little more.

The film follows three main characters, although 'the rock' is the main driving force. He doesn't get too much to say which is smart because he's basically a human 'Terminator'. Of the other two characters Billy Bob Thornton plays his part excellently and really provides a lot of depth which pins the film down in to a reasonably recognisable reality, which is in stark contrast to the third character of the film, whose story and acting comes off as a little bit clunky and manufactured, but fun all the same.

The action is balanced nicely with the rest of the story. Usually in this type of film the story kind of disintegrates into a hail of bullets or face pounding's, but this is where the film really sets itself apart with elements of it that don't go at all the way you expected and some of the bit part players really deliver some great scenes that are at times enthralling and worthy of applause.

In the end I would describe it as 'the good, the bad, and the ugly' updated for the 21st century, though not in the same league, it's a real honor that i could even draw a comparison considering the expectations i had going in. well done.

This film looks OK, its entertaining enough, its never boring. It does however come off as a sort of comedy serial killer film. When girls are getting killed to funky disco music and you have cheesy kids saying corny lines like ' gee whizz, stay with us so we can be like a proper family' ' sorry munchkin' etc you really can't take it seriously. There is none of the gravity you would expect from a true story. Its more like a ted bundy's greatest hits compilation. The film basically jumps from one killing to the next and when the killings stop the film ends. It doesn't really want to get bogged down with real drama but it managed to squeeze in a 5 second 'i am spartacus scene' just to give it a semblance of being anything other than a slasher movie, unfortunately for the majority of the film I was reminded of the benny hill routine..the one where he's running after scantily clad women in fast forward. Like I said its entertaining none the less, just feels like something's been lost.

The best thing you can say about this film is that the acting is great. All the characters are likable and believable...except one.

It's pretty much what you might expect with a high concept film. The problem is that the concept is not a monster, an asteroid or a shark. It's a bus. They actually managed to make a half decent film with such a low concept idea in 'devil' , but in this film it doesn't work.

The plot is riddled with holes, the twists are predictable, and that's what really drags the film down. Instead of being drawn in you constantly think to yourself ..'but why didn't he do that?' or ' I would'a done this' etc etc.

By the end it went into another direction but i didn't care I switched off early.

When i learned there was gonna be a Hollywood remake of Let The Right One In I was up for it. This film , however, disappoints.

Its not a bad film, it's actually a very good film , but it's unnecessary and a little bit worse than the original.

I would have preferred an all out blockbuster with S.W.A.T teams and vampire hunters, cheerleaders and anything else they could'a done to jazz up the plot, but what we have instead is the same pace of film with the same exact locations and with almost the same ...well.. everything.

Am I alone in thinking that Swedish is actually one of the charms of the original films? maybe they could'a done it again in Swedish, maybe that would'a worked.

The disappointing thing is that the few changes they made actually impact the story negatively. A small side story concerning a woman was disappointingly stunted, which is a shame because it brought a lot of depth and a wider angle to the original film. Instead the story focuses in on the two main characters ( who do a brilliant job ) and a third detective character who doesn't really pose as much threat as his equivalent character in the original because he's clueless and doesn't know what he's dealing with at all.

The last negative thing is probably the most important. There is a 'connect the dots' kinda thing the original made you do concerning the motivation of one of the characters , but in this one they sorta hold your hands through the process.

Aside from all that it's a great film , and if I came fresh to it I would give it an 8, but i didn't so 6.