31 December 2008
30 December 2008
29 December 2008
28 December 2008
27 December 2008
21 December 2008
King Kong 3/5 (R)
I really liked this at the cinema but on a second home viewing I could see the first half for the bloated mess it really is. It's far too long and mostly unnecessary and the CGI just doesn't work with the live action. Once the real love story (and this is a love story, so much more than tosh like The Notebook) kicks in all is well again.
20 December 2008
17 December 2008
14 December 2008
12 December 2008
10 December 2008
07 December 2008
04 December 2008
02 December 2008
30 November 2008
28 November 2008
24 November 2008
21 November 2008
19 November 2008
16 November 2008
15 November 2008
14 November 2008
09 November 2008
08 November 2008
07 November 2008
02 November 2008
29 October 2008
24 October 2008
The Day After Peace 3/5 (R)
Like the first Peace One Day film there isn't really anything special about the actual documentary but Jeremy Gilley's attempts at establishing a day of world peace are absolutely fascinating and inspirational and more people should know about the Peace One Day movement.
Visit The Peace One Day Website
Visit The Peace One Day Website
15 October 2008
11 October 2008
10 October 2008
02 October 2008
24 September 2008
21 September 2008
20 September 2008
The Producers 1/5 (R)
A waste of time. Neither the jokes or the songs work. Go and watch the original instead or even better season 4 of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army 3.5/5 (C)
Better than the first and much more interesting than the majority of the summer films but I expect more from del Toro.
19 September 2008
15 September 2008
12 September 2008
11 September 2008
09 September 2008
16 August 2008
Spider 3/5 (R)
I had trouble keeping interest in this but I think that was a problem with me rather than the film. It's probably much better than I think.
Mean Girls 4/5 (R)
Smartly written and much better than you'd expect. It's only really let down by a 'group hug', an occasionally annoying voice over and one too many trips into Cady's imagination.
14 August 2008
13 August 2008
10 August 2008
09 August 2008
04 August 2008
01 August 2008
Flightplan 2.5/5 (R)
The coincidences and plot holes can just about be forgiven but the weak ending can't.
31 July 2008
30 July 2008
29 July 2008
23 July 2008
15 July 2008
14 July 2008
Batman Begins 3.5/5 (D)
I want to like this more than I actually do. Everything seems right about it but it just seems to be lacking that something special to hold it all together. Even if this was a slight disappointment I'm still ridicoulsly excited about The Dark Knight.
13 July 2008
07 July 2008
04 July 2008
22 June 2008
21 June 2008
18 June 2008
17 June 2008
16 June 2008
08 June 2008
07 June 2008
Northanger Abbey (1986/TV) 3.5/5 (R)
It's completely over the top, very obviously made in the 80s and somehow manages to lose the story towards the end but I really enjoyed this (more than I enjoyed Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility that I watched yesterday).
04 June 2008
03 June 2008
23 May 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 4/5 (C)
Despite a worrying start and too much dodgy CGI, it's really great fun. Better than Doom but nowhere near as good as Raiders.
20 May 2008
Grindhouse 4/5 (C)
Absolutely loved Planet Terror and all of the trailers but, for me, Death Proof didn't fit with my expectations of what this highly anticipated cinema experience was supposed to be.
16 May 2008
30 Days of Night 2.5/5 (D)
Starts off well, feeling like it could be Tremors with vampires, but the central premise of the title is completely wasted and it marred by a ridiculously dumb ending.
08 May 2008
06 May 2008
04 May 2008
28 April 2008
26 April 2008
25 April 2008
24 April 2008
23 April 2008
Jumper 3/5 (D)
Lacking in plot but somehow still enjoyable and if a story can be found then a sequel would be welcomed.
19 April 2008
18 April 2008
17 April 2008
Son Of Rambow 3/5 (C)
High expectations resulted in this being slightly disappointing (when will I ever learn?)
14 April 2008
13 April 2008
12 April 2008
11 April 2008
10 April 2008
1408 2.5/5 (D)
Good film, terrible ending.
Just found out that this was the directors cut and the theatrical version (not on the DVD!) has a different (can't be worse) ending.
Just found out that this was the directors cut and the theatrical version (not on the DVD!) has a different (can't be worse) ending.
08 April 2008
06 April 2008
The Boss Of It All 2/5 (C)
Everybody else in the cinema seemed to find it more amusing than I did. Not bad, just not that good either.
04 April 2008
01 April 2008
29 March 2008
24 March 2008
23 March 2008
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 3/5 (T)
A massive disappointment after the practically flawless Raiders.
16 March 2008
15 March 2008
Kingdom of Heaven 2/5 (R)
Overlong, disjointed and boring. If the first 90 minutes could be cut down to a coherent hour (or preferably less) then this might have been an okay film.
Apparently the Director's Cut is much better but I'd be reluctant to sit through an even longer version of the story.
Apparently the Director's Cut is much better but I'd be reluctant to sit through an even longer version of the story.
14 March 2008
Fantastic Four 1/5 (R)
I thought it couldn't be as bad as everybody says but there really is nothing to recommend.
11 March 2008
09 March 2008
07 March 2008
05 March 2008
04 March 2008
03 March 2008
02 March 2008
01 March 2008
28 February 2008
27 February 2008
26 February 2008
25 February 2008
23 February 2008
20 February 2008
Cloverfield 4.5/5 (C)
Probably the best popcorn film we'll see all year.
Everything bad I'd heard about Cloverfield seemed to centre around the fact that the characters were far too irritating and bland and therefore the stakes were never set. Maybe expecting them to be really irritating meant that when they were only mildly smug I didn't mind becuase they weren't as bad as I'd been lead to belive.
The thing is I don't think it really matters that there is no character development. I don't even mind the implausibility of these people sticking together to go on a near impossible mission when they should just be running for their lives. The way this film is set up you pretty much know how it's going to end and with that understanding there is no need to invest in these people, in fact becuase you're waiting for the inevitable to happen not caring about the gang helps you through the experience.
There is a plot but it's purpose isn't to evoke emotion or to make you think, it's there solely to get from set piece A to set piece B and make sure that you have fun along the way. It really is a roller coaster ride and the most fun I've had in the cinema for a very long time.
Sadly it isn't perfect and by the end of the pleasingly short running time these niggles add up which is why it ended up not being a 5 star film. However as I'm writing this I'm tempted to change my mind becuase it's possible that Cloverfield could turn out to be one of the most important films ever made.
Everything bad I'd heard about Cloverfield seemed to centre around the fact that the characters were far too irritating and bland and therefore the stakes were never set. Maybe expecting them to be really irritating meant that when they were only mildly smug I didn't mind becuase they weren't as bad as I'd been lead to belive.
The thing is I don't think it really matters that there is no character development. I don't even mind the implausibility of these people sticking together to go on a near impossible mission when they should just be running for their lives. The way this film is set up you pretty much know how it's going to end and with that understanding there is no need to invest in these people, in fact becuase you're waiting for the inevitable to happen not caring about the gang helps you through the experience.
There is a plot but it's purpose isn't to evoke emotion or to make you think, it's there solely to get from set piece A to set piece B and make sure that you have fun along the way. It really is a roller coaster ride and the most fun I've had in the cinema for a very long time.
Sadly it isn't perfect and by the end of the pleasingly short running time these niggles add up which is why it ended up not being a 5 star film. However as I'm writing this I'm tempted to change my mind becuase it's possible that Cloverfield could turn out to be one of the most important films ever made.
17 February 2008
16 February 2008
15 February 2008
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 4/5 (R)
Some of the animation looks quite dated now (but that might have been just the version the BBC transmitted), surprisingly the combination of animation and live action doesn't look old. The most important thing is that it's still a great story and the attention to detail is amazing.
13 February 2008
10 February 2008
Control 5/5 (C)
Without they hype that surrounded my first viewing I really appreciated this a lot more and see it now for the great film it really is.
08 February 2008
05 February 2008
04 February 2008
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 3/5 (C)
Takes far too long to get going but once it does, it's bloody fantastic.
02 February 2008
29 January 2008
No Country For Old Men 3/5 (C)
Failed to see what all the fuss was about. It was good but not great, perhaps another case of expecting far too much from something.
25 January 2008
The History Boys 3/5 (R)
I think that the original play would probably be better as this feels far too 'stagey'. It also seems strange hearing Alan Bennett's words coming out of young boys' mouths.
19 January 2008
18 January 2008
16 January 2008
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford 3/5 (C)
Loved the last hour but the rest of the film didn't do much for me apart from look fantastic.
15 January 2008
I'm Not There 4/5 (C)
I ended up really liking I'm Not There but I don't know why. I was literally nodding off at the start, often struggled to understand what was going or even follow the chronology. There were several points when I'd happily have had the film end but it just kept getting better and better. My knowledge of Dylan is probably limited to Don't Look Back and so I enjoyed Blanchett's sections the most. Had I known more about Dylan then I suspect that I'd get even more out of the film.
10 January 2008
05 January 2008
04 January 2008
03 January 2008
02 January 2008
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