Once again, JJ Abrams hailed as a 'visionary director' proves hes nothing of the sort. Instead he conjures up a truly dismal plot featuring the return of Palpatine 'calling' from somewhere in the galaxy who is planning yet another attempt to rule the galaxy.
It turns out that it was Darth Sidious himself who was behind 'The First Order' and is the creator of 'Snoke' the villain from the first two films. Like, wow! Im completely blown away with this revelation! Anyway Palpatine has been building a new secret enormous space armada of star destroyers to rid the rebellion OOPS, i mean 'The Resistance' on a mysterious planet.
Our 'heroes' the boring Rey, the idiotic Finn and the dullard Han Solo wannabe Poe Dameron are on Palpatine's trail to finish him off forever. Oh, and Rey is Palpatine's granddaughter. Hows that for a shift from the narrative of The Last Jedi, a film just as bad as this one? Can you sense the boredom from me as i type this review? i have absolutely no excitement for Star Wars anymore. I cant even be bothered to properly conclude this review.
Let me finish by saying that the corporation known as Disney need to badly find someone who understands the Star Wars mythos, the fantasy, the adventure etc. someone who has a true vision of what could be brought to the screen and not only sell billions in merchandise but also create GREAT NEW FILMS.
Star Wars is Dead.
Only The Original Trilogy is special.
Reviews
90 Reviews
Star Wars is well and truly finished as far as cinematic blockbusters go.
22 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Another knife through the heart.
23 July 2018
An insane let down of a storyline with really bad performances from all the new characters, and the new film makers at Disney continue their mission to destroy everything that Star Wars means to the fans.
The Force Awakens was a lazy rip off of the first film from 1977, only this time the political correctness and the Mary Sue rubbish are everywhere in that pile of garbage. The Last Jedi is more of the same and far worse too.
Star Wars is dead in the water. The films will never regain their undisputed title of King Of The Hollywood Blockbusters, now they will forever brcome your run of the mill 'Meh' actioner bogged down by uninteresting characters and even more boring storylines. Folks, the magic has been destroyed forever.
Saw Solo: A Star Wars Story and it was much better than The Last Jedi, but it had A V E R A G E stamped all over it, even the reliable Ron Howard as director couldn't make it a cut above the rest, Rogue One was marginally better but only just and some of it was very boring which should not be happening in these new films. The Disney gang have completely destroyed Star Wars.
The Force is not with me. It left me on December 2015 and will probably never return. I was late, very late in typing this, due to the fact I have been totally aghast at how bad these films really are.
R.I.P. Star Wars
Hello Disney Political Correct Feminist Mediocre Garbage.
The Force Awakens was a lazy rip off of the first film from 1977, only this time the political correctness and the Mary Sue rubbish are everywhere in that pile of garbage. The Last Jedi is more of the same and far worse too.
Star Wars is dead in the water. The films will never regain their undisputed title of King Of The Hollywood Blockbusters, now they will forever brcome your run of the mill 'Meh' actioner bogged down by uninteresting characters and even more boring storylines. Folks, the magic has been destroyed forever.
Saw Solo: A Star Wars Story and it was much better than The Last Jedi, but it had A V E R A G E stamped all over it, even the reliable Ron Howard as director couldn't make it a cut above the rest, Rogue One was marginally better but only just and some of it was very boring which should not be happening in these new films. The Disney gang have completely destroyed Star Wars.
The Force is not with me. It left me on December 2015 and will probably never return. I was late, very late in typing this, due to the fact I have been totally aghast at how bad these films really are.
R.I.P. Star Wars
Hello Disney Political Correct Feminist Mediocre Garbage.
A Knife In The Heart.
4 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Forgive my pretentious summary but thats how I felt after seeing The Force Awakens on Friday the 18th of December 2015 at the IMAX theatre next to the science centre in Glasgow.
Why do I mention the location? Simply because this was where I slowly felt the beginning of the end of my enthusiasm for future Star Wars films. I love the original trilogy and I like the prequels to an extent, the problem with The Phantom Menace, Attack Of The Clones and Revenge Of The Sith is that the dialogue was quite bad, the acting was wooden and there was a superabundance of Computer Generated Imagery. Also, as with Episode I, George Lucas clearly thought that Jar Jar Binks was the most interesting and important character in that movie instead of someone with a fantastic presence like Darth Maul. Likable and audience appealing characters are strangely underwritten and hardly feature in the Star Wars Universe. Weird. But I STILL like the prequels, remember folks, to keep grounded, George Lucas was making this up as he went along. Its the only way to accept all the plot holes poorly linking Prequel to Original. Entertaining nevertheless.
Anyway, The Force Awakens is directed by JJ Abrams, a man who is a competent enough action and TV director, but mostly makes films that are copies of better works from more extremely talented film makers. Nicholas Myer who directed the classics Wrath Of Khan and The Undiscovered Country is a far better director than Abrams. Why didn't they ask him to direct The Force Awakens? I bet he would have made a more interesting and engaging film.
The plot is the same as A New Hope except for different names. Poe Dameron is Han Solo. 'Rey' is Luke Skywalker. Finn is Threepio/Luke/Han/Lando. Kylo Ren is Darth Vader. BB8 is R2 D2.
The Story: A young woman teams up with an on the run rogue who protect a droid carrying vital information to help in their defence against the evil galactic FIRST ORDER.
Han Solo and Chewbacca make a solid entrance later on in the film. Then Han Solo is murdered by his son who it is revealed is none other than Kylo Ren who was once 'Ben Solo' Its actually a good scene ruined when Solo is thrown off the bridge and discarded as if he were a ten minute extra or star trek red shirt. That was a knife in the heart, one of the greatest and most beloved science fiction characters of all time and he is killed off as if he were nothing.
Update. As over two years have passed, I watched this on Netflix and it is an absolute failure in terms of new characters and storyline. A bad rip off of everything that has went before.
Carrie Fisher as General Leia was a little disappointing, shes just portrayed as an ageing rebel fighter in command of a section of the 'Resistance' that looks exactly like the Rebel Base Headquarters on the planet Yavin, with the same computer looking billboards etc etc.
God, I'm getting bored typing this up, what should have been a Triumph for all of us Star Wars Fans is at worst badly written character development at best an 'ok' remake of A New Hope, which for many on here is unacceptable.
The ending is a brutal, spirit crushing disappointment. Rey, having acquired Jedi Knight usage in the space of an hour and a half confronts an Obi Wanish Luke Skywalker on what looks like Middle Earth (A Lord Of The Rings Crossover??? Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!) He in turn, stands looking at her, she takes out his lightsaber from her satchel and holds it out to him, he looks at it, does absolutely nothing and they stare at each other before a Helicopter POV shot spins wildly round the two figures before breaking into Star Wars end credits and the show is over.
I cant even be bothered to type about the mega Death Star which is a planet with a laser in it and is SO original. After it was destroyed I found myself yawning just wanting it to end. The film is a major disappointment, I don't care if it earns 5 Billion, that is the result of blinkered fan-boys refusing to admit that they've been had by a Coporation that wants a return on their 4 Billion investment and doesn't really give a HOOT what the public want in a story and Adventure.
Ill be waiting for the next two films to come out in cinemas and my plan is this: If they are worse instead of better than The Force Awakens then the only films ill be buying in the future regarding Star Wars will be the Original Trilogy Theatrical Versions on Blu Ray. I can't see the spin off movies being brilliant, the film here isn't really that great, its merely passable because people are blinkered to the Truth which is this: THE FORCE AWAKENS IS A REMAKE OF A NEW HOPE. THE CHARACTERS ARE MORE OR LESS STEREOTYPES ON WHAT WAS BEFORE. AND THERE WAS NOTHING DISTINCTIVE FROM JOHN WILLIAMS THIS TIME.
This gets five out of ten simply because I refuse to hate on a franchise that is the benchmark for all modern adventure fantasy cinema.
A very disappointing start to the new trilogy.....heres hoping it gets better.
Why do I mention the location? Simply because this was where I slowly felt the beginning of the end of my enthusiasm for future Star Wars films. I love the original trilogy and I like the prequels to an extent, the problem with The Phantom Menace, Attack Of The Clones and Revenge Of The Sith is that the dialogue was quite bad, the acting was wooden and there was a superabundance of Computer Generated Imagery. Also, as with Episode I, George Lucas clearly thought that Jar Jar Binks was the most interesting and important character in that movie instead of someone with a fantastic presence like Darth Maul. Likable and audience appealing characters are strangely underwritten and hardly feature in the Star Wars Universe. Weird. But I STILL like the prequels, remember folks, to keep grounded, George Lucas was making this up as he went along. Its the only way to accept all the plot holes poorly linking Prequel to Original. Entertaining nevertheless.
Anyway, The Force Awakens is directed by JJ Abrams, a man who is a competent enough action and TV director, but mostly makes films that are copies of better works from more extremely talented film makers. Nicholas Myer who directed the classics Wrath Of Khan and The Undiscovered Country is a far better director than Abrams. Why didn't they ask him to direct The Force Awakens? I bet he would have made a more interesting and engaging film.
The plot is the same as A New Hope except for different names. Poe Dameron is Han Solo. 'Rey' is Luke Skywalker. Finn is Threepio/Luke/Han/Lando. Kylo Ren is Darth Vader. BB8 is R2 D2.
The Story: A young woman teams up with an on the run rogue who protect a droid carrying vital information to help in their defence against the evil galactic FIRST ORDER.
Han Solo and Chewbacca make a solid entrance later on in the film. Then Han Solo is murdered by his son who it is revealed is none other than Kylo Ren who was once 'Ben Solo' Its actually a good scene ruined when Solo is thrown off the bridge and discarded as if he were a ten minute extra or star trek red shirt. That was a knife in the heart, one of the greatest and most beloved science fiction characters of all time and he is killed off as if he were nothing.
Update. As over two years have passed, I watched this on Netflix and it is an absolute failure in terms of new characters and storyline. A bad rip off of everything that has went before.
Carrie Fisher as General Leia was a little disappointing, shes just portrayed as an ageing rebel fighter in command of a section of the 'Resistance' that looks exactly like the Rebel Base Headquarters on the planet Yavin, with the same computer looking billboards etc etc.
God, I'm getting bored typing this up, what should have been a Triumph for all of us Star Wars Fans is at worst badly written character development at best an 'ok' remake of A New Hope, which for many on here is unacceptable.
The ending is a brutal, spirit crushing disappointment. Rey, having acquired Jedi Knight usage in the space of an hour and a half confronts an Obi Wanish Luke Skywalker on what looks like Middle Earth (A Lord Of The Rings Crossover??? Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!) He in turn, stands looking at her, she takes out his lightsaber from her satchel and holds it out to him, he looks at it, does absolutely nothing and they stare at each other before a Helicopter POV shot spins wildly round the two figures before breaking into Star Wars end credits and the show is over.
I cant even be bothered to type about the mega Death Star which is a planet with a laser in it and is SO original. After it was destroyed I found myself yawning just wanting it to end. The film is a major disappointment, I don't care if it earns 5 Billion, that is the result of blinkered fan-boys refusing to admit that they've been had by a Coporation that wants a return on their 4 Billion investment and doesn't really give a HOOT what the public want in a story and Adventure.
Ill be waiting for the next two films to come out in cinemas and my plan is this: If they are worse instead of better than The Force Awakens then the only films ill be buying in the future regarding Star Wars will be the Original Trilogy Theatrical Versions on Blu Ray. I can't see the spin off movies being brilliant, the film here isn't really that great, its merely passable because people are blinkered to the Truth which is this: THE FORCE AWAKENS IS A REMAKE OF A NEW HOPE. THE CHARACTERS ARE MORE OR LESS STEREOTYPES ON WHAT WAS BEFORE. AND THERE WAS NOTHING DISTINCTIVE FROM JOHN WILLIAMS THIS TIME.
This gets five out of ten simply because I refuse to hate on a franchise that is the benchmark for all modern adventure fantasy cinema.
A very disappointing start to the new trilogy.....heres hoping it gets better.
The Grey
(2011)
Possibly the best thriller I've seen at the cinema in years.
5 February 2012
This is going to be one of the top films of 2012. The Grey is a gripping and scary thriller that from the opening sequence you know your not watching a rehash of Predator or Southern Comfort.
No sir, this film is special, it is an achievement in its genre. I went into seeing The Grey only through word of mouth from a friend who said it was my type of film. My idea of a classic film is something like Deliverance or Jaws.
So i was blown away by how the director of Narc has managed to create a blend of action, horror, drama and thrills amongst survivors of a plane crash in the Alaskan mountains who are faced with the threat of being hunted and mauled by a pack of blood thirsty wolves.
All the actors in this are excellent. Liam Neeson is compelling as Ottway, a man suffering from depression and haunted by the past. I wont give too much away but he brings more to his part in the film rather than a cardboard cut out superman or straight forward action hero we have seen him as in the movies Taken and unknown. The photography is excellent, the music is both compelling and at times very moving by Marc Streitenfield.
The good things about this film that seem new to me is that you find yourself caring for these guys and hope that they make it, none of their characters annoyed me at all, in fact i felt like i was with them around the fires they make while the wolves howl from afar, thats how good this movie is on the big screen. Please, trust me, The Grey is one of the finest crafted thrillers I've seen in simply years. It affected me very much.
Don't miss it!
Cal
No sir, this film is special, it is an achievement in its genre. I went into seeing The Grey only through word of mouth from a friend who said it was my type of film. My idea of a classic film is something like Deliverance or Jaws.
So i was blown away by how the director of Narc has managed to create a blend of action, horror, drama and thrills amongst survivors of a plane crash in the Alaskan mountains who are faced with the threat of being hunted and mauled by a pack of blood thirsty wolves.
All the actors in this are excellent. Liam Neeson is compelling as Ottway, a man suffering from depression and haunted by the past. I wont give too much away but he brings more to his part in the film rather than a cardboard cut out superman or straight forward action hero we have seen him as in the movies Taken and unknown. The photography is excellent, the music is both compelling and at times very moving by Marc Streitenfield.
The good things about this film that seem new to me is that you find yourself caring for these guys and hope that they make it, none of their characters annoyed me at all, in fact i felt like i was with them around the fires they make while the wolves howl from afar, thats how good this movie is on the big screen. Please, trust me, The Grey is one of the finest crafted thrillers I've seen in simply years. It affected me very much.
Don't miss it!
Cal
Scream 4
(2011)
Not great like Scream and Scream 2 but far better than Scream 3
18 April 2011
Scream and Scream 2 were out within a year of each other and made a box office killing at the cinema, so by the time Scream 3 was released, everyone , even the fans, found the film dull and predictable with even the revelation of who the killer was falling like a stone. The Trilogy ended on a whimper and not a bang.
However I'm just back from Scream 4 and I'm happy to say the film is fun and entertaining, hooray for Ghostface! Back slicing and dicing. Wes Craven and Kevin Willamson make Scream 4 more interesting than Scream 3 because the potential victims are actually more impassive and desensitised to what happens around them in Woodsboro, here the script resolves around social commenting on how the Digital generation find out about the latest murder through their i phones, there's even a send up scene of the killer lurking within the cyberspace Network of Facebook which would have been an interesting concept if it had been the main plot of this fourth instalment.
A lot of the film is just more rehash attacks of Ghostface pouncing on his victims, there are many comedy moments (as well as gruesome) as far as fourth instalments go, Scream 4 is mildly entertaining and laughably enjoyable.
Cal
However I'm just back from Scream 4 and I'm happy to say the film is fun and entertaining, hooray for Ghostface! Back slicing and dicing. Wes Craven and Kevin Willamson make Scream 4 more interesting than Scream 3 because the potential victims are actually more impassive and desensitised to what happens around them in Woodsboro, here the script resolves around social commenting on how the Digital generation find out about the latest murder through their i phones, there's even a send up scene of the killer lurking within the cyberspace Network of Facebook which would have been an interesting concept if it had been the main plot of this fourth instalment.
A lot of the film is just more rehash attacks of Ghostface pouncing on his victims, there are many comedy moments (as well as gruesome) as far as fourth instalments go, Scream 4 is mildly entertaining and laughably enjoyable.
Cal
The Mechanic
(2011)
Action remake of a far better Charles Bronson Classic.
28 January 2011
This new version of the brilliant Charles Bronson original has some of that movie's scenes more or less copied into its plot, but without knowing its a remake, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were watching Transporter 4.
Jason Statham is Arthur Bishop, a cold blooded hit-man who makes assassination attempts look like accidents and circumstance. But to look at Statham strutting around fit and tough as nails, he could be playing Frank Martin or Chev Chelios. As far as Action Movie Star is concerned, Hollywood belongs to Statham. But the plot doesn't offer anything new, and Ben Foster struggles to make something of his psycho role despite being great in movies like Hostage and the recent remake of The 3:10 To Yuma.
what is good about The Mechanic remake is the action and fight sequences, they are entertaining and thrilling, but afterwards you come away from the cinema with a kind of Seen It All Before attitude. Would Hollywood please stop making rehashes of classic originals?
Cal.
Jason Statham is Arthur Bishop, a cold blooded hit-man who makes assassination attempts look like accidents and circumstance. But to look at Statham strutting around fit and tough as nails, he could be playing Frank Martin or Chev Chelios. As far as Action Movie Star is concerned, Hollywood belongs to Statham. But the plot doesn't offer anything new, and Ben Foster struggles to make something of his psycho role despite being great in movies like Hostage and the recent remake of The 3:10 To Yuma.
what is good about The Mechanic remake is the action and fight sequences, they are entertaining and thrilling, but afterwards you come away from the cinema with a kind of Seen It All Before attitude. Would Hollywood please stop making rehashes of classic originals?
Cal.
I'm Still Here
(I) (2010)
Absolutely terrible. A waste of time with Joaquin and his disgusting 'friends'
23 January 2011
The DVD has shout lines from Total Film and Loaded magazine exclaiming this programme (it is neither a film or a documentary) as a must see and that it is hilarious. It is not a must see, if anyone is telling you that they are lying. It is also not hilarious, it is not even mildly amusing. It is in fact, in some scenes, pretty disgusting. Casey Affleck (who was excellent in Gone Baby Gone) should have known better and simply walked away. If Joaquin Phoenix was indeed having some sort of emotional crisis with his life, he should have been with family and 'real' friends (if he has any) his infamous interview with David Letterman is more sad than funny, and even more depressing is seeing Phoenix have a weeping rant about how his life is one big joke just after leaving The Late Show Studio.
Joaquin Phoenix said in a recent interview that the movie was meant to signify how public adulation of an actor or someone famous had escalated into a monstrous obsession with famous peoples' every move and private life. Fair enough, it sounded interesting making a satire of yourself wanting to become a Rap Star and clearly failing miserably. So thats why i wanted to see it on DVD. Sounded good.
The scene that made me nearly switch off was Phoenix's weird friendship with some guy who was basically seen as a hanger on and after an argument, this charmer waits until the actor is asleep and then stands over him on bed pulls his trousers down and craps over Phoenix's face. I don't know if it was meant to relate anything meaningful but it certainly was disgusting.
Towards the end of this bad nightmare Joaquin and his assistant go to Panama (i think it was that location, i wasn't really caring by that point) and he walks into a river and swims, then walks down half naked with his back to the camera for what seems like eternity then he sinks under and Fin! Thats it. I got absolutely nothing from this rubbish. Avoid like the plague. Stick to making great films with the likes of directors James Gray and Ridley Scott Joaquin, its what your best at.
Cal.
Joaquin Phoenix said in a recent interview that the movie was meant to signify how public adulation of an actor or someone famous had escalated into a monstrous obsession with famous peoples' every move and private life. Fair enough, it sounded interesting making a satire of yourself wanting to become a Rap Star and clearly failing miserably. So thats why i wanted to see it on DVD. Sounded good.
The scene that made me nearly switch off was Phoenix's weird friendship with some guy who was basically seen as a hanger on and after an argument, this charmer waits until the actor is asleep and then stands over him on bed pulls his trousers down and craps over Phoenix's face. I don't know if it was meant to relate anything meaningful but it certainly was disgusting.
Towards the end of this bad nightmare Joaquin and his assistant go to Panama (i think it was that location, i wasn't really caring by that point) and he walks into a river and swims, then walks down half naked with his back to the camera for what seems like eternity then he sinks under and Fin! Thats it. I got absolutely nothing from this rubbish. Avoid like the plague. Stick to making great films with the likes of directors James Gray and Ridley Scott Joaquin, its what your best at.
Cal.
Harry Brown
(2009)
After this, you won't be scared of Hoodies
23 December 2009
If you liked the Death Wish movies you will love Harry Brown. Michael Caine is excellent as the title character, a retired former Royal Marine whose wife has recently passed on and who is trying to adjust to life on his own with only an old friend to keep him company playing chess down at his local boozer. When Harry's friend is murdered by evil hoodlums within the Estate, Harry isn't about to turn the other cheek and goes looking for revenge. Vigilante justice goes bananas.
The film has a very dark tone. The villains are the scum of the earth and look just like the thugs you see hanging around the street near your local pub or Job Centre Plus.
There is also a demonic cameo from Sean Harris as a psychopathic loony drug dealer. This man should be a Hollywood star by now.
See Harry Brown. Best British Film Of 2009
Cal.
The film has a very dark tone. The villains are the scum of the earth and look just like the thugs you see hanging around the street near your local pub or Job Centre Plus.
There is also a demonic cameo from Sean Harris as a psychopathic loony drug dealer. This man should be a Hollywood star by now.
See Harry Brown. Best British Film Of 2009
Cal.
2012
(I) (2009)
Its the end of the world...again.
23 December 2009
This wasn't too bad. I hated Independence Day and feared this would be worse, happily enough i left the cinema feeling moderately entertained. The special effects are the selling power of this film. Although Danny Glover was pretty good as the President. John Cusack was actually good as well. The tidal wave sequences are quite frightening (just like in the teaser trailer) and the earthquake sequences are fantastic. In terms of action its about survivors escaping disaster after disaster until suspension of disbelief is at breaking point. You'll like this film if you liked The Day After Tomorrow, but personally if given a choice id rather go and see Earthquake on the big screen.
Cal
Cal
The Beach
(I) (2000)
Worst movie mistake, make characters we couldn't give a stuff about
11 September 2009
I saw this almost a decade ago on the big screen. A decade ago Leonardo Decaprio still had a lot to prove despite finding teen pin up status as the doomed peasant in Titanic and as one of the star crossed lovers in Romeo and Juliet. He proved he was capable of making a film that wasn't really any good at all.
Watching Tilda Swindon rave to Yeke Yeke was downright embarrassing. The scene where Leo's character Richard runs through the jungle in computer game style animation almost destroys the effort to keep taking the film seriously.
Robert Carlyle gets to do an impression of a Glaswegian Junkie/alcoholic screaming his head off in a Thailand hotel corridor, smokes a joint with Leo boy and is seen later in a really stupid dream sequence (in the trailer, that said sequence is sold to the audience as an action segment with Carlyle waving a gun around and shouting at a scared Richard, so its a bit of a cheat)then he is never seen again.
The french actress was pretty and her in the ocean 'sex' scene had all the glamour of a Bounty advert. This film bored me to tears. Avoid.
Watching Tilda Swindon rave to Yeke Yeke was downright embarrassing. The scene where Leo's character Richard runs through the jungle in computer game style animation almost destroys the effort to keep taking the film seriously.
Robert Carlyle gets to do an impression of a Glaswegian Junkie/alcoholic screaming his head off in a Thailand hotel corridor, smokes a joint with Leo boy and is seen later in a really stupid dream sequence (in the trailer, that said sequence is sold to the audience as an action segment with Carlyle waving a gun around and shouting at a scared Richard, so its a bit of a cheat)then he is never seen again.
The french actress was pretty and her in the ocean 'sex' scene had all the glamour of a Bounty advert. This film bored me to tears. Avoid.
Any potential for a classic sequel is destroyed forever
13 July 2009
I saw Transformers 2 Revenge Of The Fallen last night. I had been looking forward to seeing it for months. Well, this is a car crash of a movie sequel, i mean even though i enjoyed the first one very much, i was still disappointed how different Optimus Prime, Megatron, Jazz, Bumblebee and Starscream all looked in the final movie compared to their appearances in the Genration 1 comic books. But my disappointment got bigger and bigger until i left the cinema consumed with a hatred for the makers of this vile garbage that i could barely contain.
To begin with, it starts with another gigantic, confusing battle in China (i think) there was so much happening in these scenes that it confounded my mind into a bloody headache. Optimus Prime and the autobots have teamed up with the platoon of soldiers from the first movie to go hunting down Decepticons around the Earth, so far so ho hum. The problem with this scene is that i couldn't tell who was autobot and who was decepticon because of the way the Transformers motion around on the big screen during the action scenes, this was a problem i had with the original as well.
The narrative and the storyline were all over the place. I couldn't help thinking that the cast were hurrying through their scenes as if they were desperate to be somewhere else. Shia la Beouf is one of the worst actors ever to become a film star. Hes like a human version of Jar Jar Binks from Phantom Menace, honestly i wanted him to die horribly.
Megan Fox kept me going though, but lets face it, she knows why shes in this film and its not because we all think she has the same range as Jodie Foster and Meryl Streep combined, its because shes fantastic looking straddled out over a Harley Davidson thats why. Thank God for that scene alone.
The 'comedy' scenes stamped any potential this sequel had into the ground. What did the screenwriters think was so funny about Shia's mother running around his Campus high on Drugs? The dogs having sex on the couch didn't help either. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
I honestly thought this would be a great follow up to the first movie the way Superman 2 or even Terminator 2 was to their originals, but boy i was wrong...absolutely terrible.
Cal.
To begin with, it starts with another gigantic, confusing battle in China (i think) there was so much happening in these scenes that it confounded my mind into a bloody headache. Optimus Prime and the autobots have teamed up with the platoon of soldiers from the first movie to go hunting down Decepticons around the Earth, so far so ho hum. The problem with this scene is that i couldn't tell who was autobot and who was decepticon because of the way the Transformers motion around on the big screen during the action scenes, this was a problem i had with the original as well.
The narrative and the storyline were all over the place. I couldn't help thinking that the cast were hurrying through their scenes as if they were desperate to be somewhere else. Shia la Beouf is one of the worst actors ever to become a film star. Hes like a human version of Jar Jar Binks from Phantom Menace, honestly i wanted him to die horribly.
Megan Fox kept me going though, but lets face it, she knows why shes in this film and its not because we all think she has the same range as Jodie Foster and Meryl Streep combined, its because shes fantastic looking straddled out over a Harley Davidson thats why. Thank God for that scene alone.
The 'comedy' scenes stamped any potential this sequel had into the ground. What did the screenwriters think was so funny about Shia's mother running around his Campus high on Drugs? The dogs having sex on the couch didn't help either. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
I honestly thought this would be a great follow up to the first movie the way Superman 2 or even Terminator 2 was to their originals, but boy i was wrong...absolutely terrible.
Cal.
Star Trek
(2009)
I hate this movie. I hate everything about it.
21 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This film does to Star Trek what Superman Returns does to the 1978 Richard Donner Classic. It tries to capture the magic of the original movies which it could never do. Chris Pine is like Paul Walker...like a live action man figure, they might as well have cast David Beckham in the most important role. All the special effects are complete CGI and phoney...no brilliant model work or optical effects here, this movie is strictly for the X box generation.
You know, i think i hate the makers of this film more than the finished product...and if you HAVE to make Star Trek frigging 2 (!!) Then at least come up with a half decent bad guy and DO NOT bring back Khan OK? He died just before Reliant exploded. Don't be Lazy.
You can stick this up your Tan Track Paramount, along with Indy IV.
You know, i think i hate the makers of this film more than the finished product...and if you HAVE to make Star Trek frigging 2 (!!) Then at least come up with a half decent bad guy and DO NOT bring back Khan OK? He died just before Reliant exploded. Don't be Lazy.
You can stick this up your Tan Track Paramount, along with Indy IV.
The Exorcist
(1973)
A unique horror chiller
10 February 2009
Most of this film's strength is its chilling atmosphere from start to finish. From northern Iraq to Georgetown this barely lets up.
The Exorcist is tagged as a film about The Devil possessing a little girl, but its unnerving when The Priest (an excellent Jason Miller) doesn't really know just what kind of entity that dominates Reagan and doubts his own Faith even more.
The special effects are still gruesome, the shocks still shock and the face of Pazuzu flashing vividly in Karra's dream sequence with his mother coming out the subway is still really scary and frightening.
A classic horror film for all time.
The Exorcist is tagged as a film about The Devil possessing a little girl, but its unnerving when The Priest (an excellent Jason Miller) doesn't really know just what kind of entity that dominates Reagan and doubts his own Faith even more.
The special effects are still gruesome, the shocks still shock and the face of Pazuzu flashing vividly in Karra's dream sequence with his mother coming out the subway is still really scary and frightening.
A classic horror film for all time.
Quantum of Solace
(2008)
Terrific action packed thriller. Daniel Craig IS......better than George Lazenby!
8 November 2008
This sequel to Casino Royale is action packed brilliance from start to finish. Okay, i'm not a fan of Daniel Craig as James bond but he makes a great action hero in the sense of Jason Bourne or even Keanu Reeve's character in the blockbuster Speed.
For a new generation i guess, Daniel Craig IS James Bond. Pretty soon, you'll be naming your favourite actors to play the role the same way you name your favourite Tennis players. Guess that makes me a Connery and Moore fan. I believe its to do in the years you grew up in and the first actor you saw in the role which shapes your taste. Anyway, the film keeps you glued to the screen, Craig is playing straight action man all the way, little room is left for any character portrayal but who cares? Hes great in all his fight scenes and they are awesome.
The babe who plays Camille is gorgeous. One of the most beautiful women to grace the screen (well, aren't most of the Bond girls?) There are only two things wrong with this 007 adventure, and that is another crap title song that doesn't go with the theme of the movie. I wish John Barry would come back, Simon Arnold as a composer for the Bond films seems to make all his soundtracks (even the Brosnan episodes) all the same.
The other problem is no menacing threat of a henchman. No Red Grant type cold killer. No Oddjob oddity. Instead we get an awful campy, skinny bowl-cut assistant to the villain who is about as threatening as Stewie from Family Guy. I mean what was the deal with that bowl-cut? I kept thinking it was a special wig where he kept a secret weapon, but hey! Thats Moonraker territory right?
Oh Yes! Daniel Craig doesn't go heavy on his pout (like he did in Casino Royale!) Surely other people must have noticed this? glad to see you listening Daniel, and yes you ARE getting better in the role!
8 out of 10
For a new generation i guess, Daniel Craig IS James Bond. Pretty soon, you'll be naming your favourite actors to play the role the same way you name your favourite Tennis players. Guess that makes me a Connery and Moore fan. I believe its to do in the years you grew up in and the first actor you saw in the role which shapes your taste. Anyway, the film keeps you glued to the screen, Craig is playing straight action man all the way, little room is left for any character portrayal but who cares? Hes great in all his fight scenes and they are awesome.
The babe who plays Camille is gorgeous. One of the most beautiful women to grace the screen (well, aren't most of the Bond girls?) There are only two things wrong with this 007 adventure, and that is another crap title song that doesn't go with the theme of the movie. I wish John Barry would come back, Simon Arnold as a composer for the Bond films seems to make all his soundtracks (even the Brosnan episodes) all the same.
The other problem is no menacing threat of a henchman. No Red Grant type cold killer. No Oddjob oddity. Instead we get an awful campy, skinny bowl-cut assistant to the villain who is about as threatening as Stewie from Family Guy. I mean what was the deal with that bowl-cut? I kept thinking it was a special wig where he kept a secret weapon, but hey! Thats Moonraker territory right?
Oh Yes! Daniel Craig doesn't go heavy on his pout (like he did in Casino Royale!) Surely other people must have noticed this? glad to see you listening Daniel, and yes you ARE getting better in the role!
8 out of 10
Another comedy, another waste of a budget
13 October 2008
If this, the sixth in the Halloween series has got anything going for it, its a classic scene where Paul Rudd as the Tommy Doyle character is trying to bang open a door with a fire extinguisher, then he notices Michael Myers sleepwalking towards him and the expression on his face and reaction with the extinguisher is worth the price of admission alone. The Halloween films continuing on from 1988's Return Of Michael Myers are watchable horror comedies, with the fan base knowing exactly what they will get for their money: slashed teens, slaughtered bystanders and a parody of the original movie and its fantastic sequel.
Special mention must go to Donald Pleasence for giving us the wonderful performance of Doctor Samuel Loomis. I always enjoyed how he was a calming and assuring influence to the frightening force of evil he was tracking in Halloween I and II. By Halloween 4 he was clearly doing it for the bread.
Special mention must go to Donald Pleasence for giving us the wonderful performance of Doctor Samuel Loomis. I always enjoyed how he was a calming and assuring influence to the frightening force of evil he was tracking in Halloween I and II. By Halloween 4 he was clearly doing it for the bread.
Halloween 5 : The Comedy
12 October 2008
Not much to say on this fifth entry because it retains none of the power of the original masterpiece or its excellent sequel. Michael Myers is still walking about like a very old man on his way to a shuffleboard game. The climatic events of the rubbish fourth film pave the way for some sort of daft psychic link between disturbed niece and loony uncle. Donald Pleasence is so tired and over the hill in this movie you forget just how great he was in Halloween and Halloween II.
And when the now obligatory sex scene occurs in this flick, i was happy with their fate and found it quite hilarious.
It was supposed to be a horror film, not a comedy. Awful.
And when the now obligatory sex scene occurs in this flick, i was happy with their fate and found it quite hilarious.
It was supposed to be a horror film, not a comedy. Awful.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
(1984)
The classic original is the best in the series.
26 July 2008
I love A Nightmare On Elm Street. Every time i watch this i think it has a terrific energy and strength running through it. I like the way the film starts with Freddy Kruegar making his Finger Knife Glove in his basement cellar, then the music kicks in (what a creepy score) as the first teenager is frantically running around his maze-like Boiler Room in her dream state. Freddy is only hinted at in the shadows or ripping through cloth with his glove and i love the way you can hear animals and creepy noises emitting from all around Tina, as she becomes cornered before Freddy comes out of the shadows. A great opening.
Tina Grey is played by Amanda Wyss, who is really good in her role for the short time she is in this film. I always remember her character in this film the way i remember the Chrissie Watkins character at the start of Jaws, i think you know what i'm coming too. Tina's encounter with Freddy in her backyard is my favourite moment in this film, and it is one of the most horrifying deaths I've ever seen. Its frightening to see and if you are faint hearted at splashing blood then look away because it is a screamer.
Heather Langenkamp is excellent in this film. Shes very attractive,and gives 100% as Tina's friend Nancy Thompson who starts to have the same nightmares. My favourite moments with Nancy are mostly her scary encounters with Freddy scored to an energetic music beat by Charles Bernstein. I would say part of the movie's success is down to his creepy score. I also love the bathroom scene when Nancy falls asleep, absolutely gross and hilarious at the same time. The thing is, these 'funny' moments are actual imagines of how Freddy wants to prey on his victims before killing them, this is done in this first film with a measured discipline, then you watch The Dream Master and Freddy is basically killing kids while being 100% comic about it as well.
One of my favourite other scenes in this film is when Nancy is following Tina's corpse down her School halls (having falling asleep)and runs into a prefect women who states 'Wheres your pass?' Nancy doesn't respond in kind, and as she goes running down the hall, the girl reveals herself to be Freddy 'No running in the hallway' an eerie moment that is funny too.
Finally, special mention must go to Robert Englund as Freddy Kruegar. This actor's contribution to the character is 100% superb. I think that Freddy Kruegar IS Robert Englund and vice versa, even though a lot of his moments in this film are about injecting a scary visual presence, he also creates a mystic before the film's revelation: Who is he? Where does he come from? Why is he doing these things? After the third film of the series, Englund would become a Hollywood star and a horror icon. Rightfully so.
A Nightmare On Elm Street is a classic horror thriller and, along with Halloween, is one of the best horror movies ever made.
Tina Grey is played by Amanda Wyss, who is really good in her role for the short time she is in this film. I always remember her character in this film the way i remember the Chrissie Watkins character at the start of Jaws, i think you know what i'm coming too. Tina's encounter with Freddy in her backyard is my favourite moment in this film, and it is one of the most horrifying deaths I've ever seen. Its frightening to see and if you are faint hearted at splashing blood then look away because it is a screamer.
Heather Langenkamp is excellent in this film. Shes very attractive,and gives 100% as Tina's friend Nancy Thompson who starts to have the same nightmares. My favourite moments with Nancy are mostly her scary encounters with Freddy scored to an energetic music beat by Charles Bernstein. I would say part of the movie's success is down to his creepy score. I also love the bathroom scene when Nancy falls asleep, absolutely gross and hilarious at the same time. The thing is, these 'funny' moments are actual imagines of how Freddy wants to prey on his victims before killing them, this is done in this first film with a measured discipline, then you watch The Dream Master and Freddy is basically killing kids while being 100% comic about it as well.
One of my favourite other scenes in this film is when Nancy is following Tina's corpse down her School halls (having falling asleep)and runs into a prefect women who states 'Wheres your pass?' Nancy doesn't respond in kind, and as she goes running down the hall, the girl reveals herself to be Freddy 'No running in the hallway' an eerie moment that is funny too.
Finally, special mention must go to Robert Englund as Freddy Kruegar. This actor's contribution to the character is 100% superb. I think that Freddy Kruegar IS Robert Englund and vice versa, even though a lot of his moments in this film are about injecting a scary visual presence, he also creates a mystic before the film's revelation: Who is he? Where does he come from? Why is he doing these things? After the third film of the series, Englund would become a Hollywood star and a horror icon. Rightfully so.
A Nightmare On Elm Street is a classic horror thriller and, along with Halloween, is one of the best horror movies ever made.
Pulp Fiction
(1994)
Talk Fiction. Overrated and overpraised disappointment
17 July 2008
I will never understand why Pulp Fiction is hailed by so many as one of the greatest films ever made. Quentin Tarintino's first film Reservoir Dogs was amazing. It had excellent performances, some good action scenes, an impressive structure and fantastic sound track. When Pulp Fiction came out in my country in October 1994, i could not wait to see it. Empire Magazine gave it 5 stars. I remember when i went up to Glasgow to see it with an anticipation i had not felt since i had went to see some thing like Star Wars or Indiana Jones.
Oh boy, twenty minutes in and i was already sick to death of Samuel Jackson's character. He just talked and talked and talked and....talked. John Travolta's Vince Vega was a guy i wanted to decimate, oh Travolta you looked ridiculous with those hair extensions and then you talked and talked and talked with Uma Thurman in a silly black wig. There was so much talking in this film that it made me want to walk out. I have only ever done this once in my life and it was with that utter garbage Jack Nicholson flick Wolf. Tosh.
So i kept hoping that something good would happen...Christopher Walken as an army bloke talking and talking about a gold watch up his ass...NOT GOOD...a male rape scene with talk...NOT GOOD...Quentin Tarintino turning up in a cameo that should have got him shot (in real life) talk talk about disposing of bodies...oh, this film was the pits, i must have been the only one in the audience that hated this film, because everyone was whooping and hollering like they were watching a Naked Gun comedy. Oh yes, they loved it.
Quiet frankly my admiration of Tarintino was gone forever, he got his head together with the brilliant Jackie Brown then lost the plot again with the silly Kill Bill volumes. Pulp Fiction is one of the worst movies I've ever had to endure, its a long boring ride to a sore head.
Oh boy, twenty minutes in and i was already sick to death of Samuel Jackson's character. He just talked and talked and talked and....talked. John Travolta's Vince Vega was a guy i wanted to decimate, oh Travolta you looked ridiculous with those hair extensions and then you talked and talked and talked with Uma Thurman in a silly black wig. There was so much talking in this film that it made me want to walk out. I have only ever done this once in my life and it was with that utter garbage Jack Nicholson flick Wolf. Tosh.
So i kept hoping that something good would happen...Christopher Walken as an army bloke talking and talking about a gold watch up his ass...NOT GOOD...a male rape scene with talk...NOT GOOD...Quentin Tarintino turning up in a cameo that should have got him shot (in real life) talk talk about disposing of bodies...oh, this film was the pits, i must have been the only one in the audience that hated this film, because everyone was whooping and hollering like they were watching a Naked Gun comedy. Oh yes, they loved it.
Quiet frankly my admiration of Tarintino was gone forever, he got his head together with the brilliant Jackie Brown then lost the plot again with the silly Kill Bill volumes. Pulp Fiction is one of the worst movies I've ever had to endure, its a long boring ride to a sore head.
I lowered my expectations, and still found it disappointing.
30 June 2008
After reading some comments on the IMDb, i tried to go into this film having lowered my expectation that it would be a Masterpiece, that the action would be amazing, that the latest chase for Fortune and glory would be just as interesting as the story of The Ark and the Holy Grail or that it could be as hilarious and frightening as Temple Of Doom. Sadly, VERY sadly i have to say that Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull is just slightly better than your average National Treasure flick.
Thankfully, Harrison Ford has still got it as Indiana Jones. It was such a good idea to portray him as a much older man struggling with all the stunts and bravado that was once something he did with ease. The first twenty minutes were pretty good. Then the Doom Town/Nuclear Bomb/Lead Fridge scene happened. I found that bit very surreal, with Indy running around a false suburb with dummies slouched in the houses' sitting rooms. In fact, for me that was one of the highlights of this film. The nuclear blast scene was crazy, but it was a visual feast which couldn't save the rest of the film.
It all starts to trip up once Indy and his latest sidekick Mutt Williams team up and go looking for the mysterious Crystal Skull. Now other IMDb members have also stated how bored they were when they are walking about the ruins of an old burial site or something, and Indy starts to explain at length something that i can't even remember now! The one liners aren't much either 'Drop Dead Comrade'??? and if you don't know your political history of the 1950s then forget about 'I like Ike' The film only has two strong points. The motorcycle chase is Indiana Jones Heaven. It is well done and all good stunt work...and okay, the red ants sequence is CGI and all that crap, but its still a gruesome scene (and utterly silly). The rest of the film does not feel like a Steven Spielberg film.
Note i said that. A Steven Spielberg film is Jaws, Close Encounters, The original Indy Trilogy, ET and (not my cup of tea) the awful Jurrasic Park. After that, Spielberg was done with 'event' blockbusters. Schindler's List changed Spielberg forever. Think about this, he made his first sequel to a film that was a success on the strength of its CGI Dinosaurs, he also made films that no one went to see: A.I. for example, and then the mediocre Minority Report and the utter pants remake of War Of The Worlds. Saving Private Ryan is the best Spielberg has made since The Last Crusade. Its easy to see that Spielbergian touch is sadly missing in this film.
The music score is basically a rehash of all thats gone before, its fine, but John Williams always brought some new theme to each instalment, here hes just going through the motions, almost like David Arnold does with his James Bond film scores.
I was actually thinking of going to see it again, but then i remembered all the boring bits and that utterly tripe performance from John Hurt as a mad professor and the pointless character that Ray Winstone played...and its giving me second thoughts. Giving it 6 out of 10, simply because the OT are three of the greatest adventure films ever made. I would recommend that IF there is to be a fifth film, then they start with a good script and more action stunts, more humour and less CGI falsehoods.
As of 3/7/08 I've seen it on the big screen a second time, i liked it better. Special mention must go to Cate Blancett as Spalko, there is something mesmerising about her in this film...maybe its that boiler suit Russian uniform.
Heres another flaw. Who the hell is Oxley? Im one of these Indy fans that believe the Indiana Jones universe revolves around the movies only, i point blank refuse to indulge in that silly TV show about him as a teen, no thanks. Was Oxley ever referred to in this show? Or was it just another clichéd character to explain who helped raise Mutt Williams? John Hurt was both wasted and terrible in this part. I felt sorry for him.
Thankfully, Harrison Ford has still got it as Indiana Jones. It was such a good idea to portray him as a much older man struggling with all the stunts and bravado that was once something he did with ease. The first twenty minutes were pretty good. Then the Doom Town/Nuclear Bomb/Lead Fridge scene happened. I found that bit very surreal, with Indy running around a false suburb with dummies slouched in the houses' sitting rooms. In fact, for me that was one of the highlights of this film. The nuclear blast scene was crazy, but it was a visual feast which couldn't save the rest of the film.
It all starts to trip up once Indy and his latest sidekick Mutt Williams team up and go looking for the mysterious Crystal Skull. Now other IMDb members have also stated how bored they were when they are walking about the ruins of an old burial site or something, and Indy starts to explain at length something that i can't even remember now! The one liners aren't much either 'Drop Dead Comrade'??? and if you don't know your political history of the 1950s then forget about 'I like Ike' The film only has two strong points. The motorcycle chase is Indiana Jones Heaven. It is well done and all good stunt work...and okay, the red ants sequence is CGI and all that crap, but its still a gruesome scene (and utterly silly). The rest of the film does not feel like a Steven Spielberg film.
Note i said that. A Steven Spielberg film is Jaws, Close Encounters, The original Indy Trilogy, ET and (not my cup of tea) the awful Jurrasic Park. After that, Spielberg was done with 'event' blockbusters. Schindler's List changed Spielberg forever. Think about this, he made his first sequel to a film that was a success on the strength of its CGI Dinosaurs, he also made films that no one went to see: A.I. for example, and then the mediocre Minority Report and the utter pants remake of War Of The Worlds. Saving Private Ryan is the best Spielberg has made since The Last Crusade. Its easy to see that Spielbergian touch is sadly missing in this film.
The music score is basically a rehash of all thats gone before, its fine, but John Williams always brought some new theme to each instalment, here hes just going through the motions, almost like David Arnold does with his James Bond film scores.
I was actually thinking of going to see it again, but then i remembered all the boring bits and that utterly tripe performance from John Hurt as a mad professor and the pointless character that Ray Winstone played...and its giving me second thoughts. Giving it 6 out of 10, simply because the OT are three of the greatest adventure films ever made. I would recommend that IF there is to be a fifth film, then they start with a good script and more action stunts, more humour and less CGI falsehoods.
As of 3/7/08 I've seen it on the big screen a second time, i liked it better. Special mention must go to Cate Blancett as Spalko, there is something mesmerising about her in this film...maybe its that boiler suit Russian uniform.
Heres another flaw. Who the hell is Oxley? Im one of these Indy fans that believe the Indiana Jones universe revolves around the movies only, i point blank refuse to indulge in that silly TV show about him as a teen, no thanks. Was Oxley ever referred to in this show? Or was it just another clichéd character to explain who helped raise Mutt Williams? John Hurt was both wasted and terrible in this part. I felt sorry for him.
Last Crusade is another blockbuster masterpiece...JUST.
17 June 2008
By the third film, you can see that Temple Of Doom was a departure and that this plot was the same structure as Raiders which is no bad thing at all when you consider that the casting of Sean Connery as Doctor Jone's father was a stroke of genius. It also gave the screen writers more material to elaborate on the characters of both Indy and Henry as they fight the Nazis in a race for the Holy Grail.
There are welcome returns for Sallah and Marcus Brody, as well as new characters like Walter Donovan and Indy's love/hate interest Dr. Elisa Schneider. The action sequences at the start of this film are a bit flat on the circus train and are trying too hard to be light hearted, but the Venice speed boat chase and the fight between Indy and the SS Nazi on the huge battle tank more than compensates. Sean Connery is excellent as Dr. Henry Jones, playing him with the correct wit and sense of humour and interacts marvellously with Harrison Ford. The sun sets on a fabulous third adventure, sadly George Lucas just could not leave things be.
There are welcome returns for Sallah and Marcus Brody, as well as new characters like Walter Donovan and Indy's love/hate interest Dr. Elisa Schneider. The action sequences at the start of this film are a bit flat on the circus train and are trying too hard to be light hearted, but the Venice speed boat chase and the fight between Indy and the SS Nazi on the huge battle tank more than compensates. Sean Connery is excellent as Dr. Henry Jones, playing him with the correct wit and sense of humour and interacts marvellously with Harrison Ford. The sun sets on a fabulous third adventure, sadly George Lucas just could not leave things be.
Temple Of Doom is an action packed Blockbuster!
17 June 2008
I remember seeing this at the cinema when i was eight years old. I had not even seen Raiders Of The Lost Ark, i missed that at the cinema which was a shame. But seeing Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom in the cinema was a childhood pleasure that i will remember until the day i die. This film is amazing, even watching this on DVD doesn't quite capture its true entertainment value where it really belongs-the cinema. As I've stated in my review for Raiders, they should have re-released the Indiana Jones Trilogy worldwide just like George Lucas did with Star Wars in 1997. It would have made seeing the later fourth film even more mouth watering.
Temple Of Doom has been accused of being 'very dark'. I'm sorry but so was Raiders Of The Lost Ark. ALL the Indiana Jones films have a true element of Darkness running through them. Raiders had the scene where Marion Ravenwood falls into a lair tomb of rotting corpses with snakes coming out of their mouths and The Last Crusade has Elisa Schneider looking on in horror as German Nazis burn every book they can that does not pertain to their Idealogy. Temple Of Doom also has a tremendous sense of humour that has you laughing at the disturbing bits-witness the terror in Indy's face as hes about to be stabbed and squashed by that sinking cave ceiling (one of this films funniest moments) You want to complain about the gore? So was the climax of Raiders! Certain bits of Last Crusade weren't for the faint hearted either. Why don't the Doom merchants (ho ho) just chill out and enjoy this masterpiece? Harrison Ford is fantastic in this. Hes also much more pumped up here in muscle than he was in Raiders. I always loved it how he had that long fight with the huge Thugee supervisor on that Rock conveyor belt, and ended up battered and bruised, shirt torn and looking 100% heroic in the process. When he shouts at Mola Ram (an excellent performance from Amirish Puri) to let Willie and Short Round go, he looks every inch the action hero. The set pieces in this film look real and are absolutely convincing to this day, The Temple Of Doom itself is also one of the most impressive cinematic studio locations i have ever seen.
Special mention must go to John Williams for another memorable score. Temple Of Doom also has its own authentic theme just like Raiders and Last Crusade (with Indy's theme tune present in all three films) and its all about fun and adventure. The music playing throughout the Mine cart chase and the suspension bridge helps to thrill the audience even more. This is not only a classic film, it is also one of the greatest films of the 1980s, end of story!
Temple Of Doom has been accused of being 'very dark'. I'm sorry but so was Raiders Of The Lost Ark. ALL the Indiana Jones films have a true element of Darkness running through them. Raiders had the scene where Marion Ravenwood falls into a lair tomb of rotting corpses with snakes coming out of their mouths and The Last Crusade has Elisa Schneider looking on in horror as German Nazis burn every book they can that does not pertain to their Idealogy. Temple Of Doom also has a tremendous sense of humour that has you laughing at the disturbing bits-witness the terror in Indy's face as hes about to be stabbed and squashed by that sinking cave ceiling (one of this films funniest moments) You want to complain about the gore? So was the climax of Raiders! Certain bits of Last Crusade weren't for the faint hearted either. Why don't the Doom merchants (ho ho) just chill out and enjoy this masterpiece? Harrison Ford is fantastic in this. Hes also much more pumped up here in muscle than he was in Raiders. I always loved it how he had that long fight with the huge Thugee supervisor on that Rock conveyor belt, and ended up battered and bruised, shirt torn and looking 100% heroic in the process. When he shouts at Mola Ram (an excellent performance from Amirish Puri) to let Willie and Short Round go, he looks every inch the action hero. The set pieces in this film look real and are absolutely convincing to this day, The Temple Of Doom itself is also one of the most impressive cinematic studio locations i have ever seen.
Special mention must go to John Williams for another memorable score. Temple Of Doom also has its own authentic theme just like Raiders and Last Crusade (with Indy's theme tune present in all three films) and its all about fun and adventure. The music playing throughout the Mine cart chase and the suspension bridge helps to thrill the audience even more. This is not only a classic film, it is also one of the greatest films of the 1980s, end of story!
Raiders of the Lost Ark
(1981)
Should have been re-released in cinemas last year!
23 May 2008
Raiders Of The Lost Ark is an extraordinary action adventure film. It will probably never be bettered. The opening sequence is gripping and the introduction of Doctor Henry 'Indiana' Jones is the best since James Bond's character in Doctor No. Harrison Ford is sensational in this film, this is quite simply the best action hero he has ever played. I love his Fedora hat, leather jacket and cracking bull whip.
Raiders from start to finish produces a ton of classic scenes, no one will forget the classic switch of the bag of sand for the Hovito Idol, or the Bar room brawl/gunfight in Nepal...and what about the locations and the set pieces! No CGI desert backgrounds here, just the glorious enjoyment of huge Nazi excavation sites to unearth the enchanting but mysterious power that is The Ark Of The Covenant. The fight scene between Indy and the huge German soldier underneath a rotating Nazi plane is one of the best fight sequences I've ever seen, plus the Truck chase in the desert with Indy on horseback is a joy to behold.
The script is excellent. Lawerence Kasdan deserves a special mention for producing good memorable dialogue. The supporting cast are superb, Karen Allen is extremely attractive as the feisty Marion Ravenwood, even though she has a tough exterior (demonstrated by that classic punch to Indy's face) She somehow hinted in the following scene that she had been vulnerable when she was first involved with Jones and wasn't as tough. Paul Freeman is terrific as Belloq, i think that he plays him with a sinister charm and has some wonderful dialogue 'Your going to give mercenaries a bad name!' Steven Spielberg's direction is the same magic he weaved with both Jaws and Close Encounters, this was a man who wanted to make a great memorable picture during production in 1980 and he has stated himself that it is the one film that he can look back on and watch with an audience or his own children and truthfully admit to enjoying it as much as anyone else. All power and credit to Mr George Lucas as well, his ideas and scenarios at the time were about how to create special effects that lifted a scene and blew an audience away (like the Ark's power unleashed at the climax) and not about how to make an empty green screen into a CGI cartoon.
Special honorary mention to the great John Williams. Sir, your film score for this movie is absolutely stunning and glorious. Indy's theme is instantly recognised whenever it plays. It is one of the most famous soundtracks for a film character in Movie history...i salute you Mr Williams, you are a genius!
Raiders Of The Lost Ark is one of the greatest Action Adventure films ever made...to be honest it really is the best adventure film. Welcome to the world of Indiana Jones!
Raiders from start to finish produces a ton of classic scenes, no one will forget the classic switch of the bag of sand for the Hovito Idol, or the Bar room brawl/gunfight in Nepal...and what about the locations and the set pieces! No CGI desert backgrounds here, just the glorious enjoyment of huge Nazi excavation sites to unearth the enchanting but mysterious power that is The Ark Of The Covenant. The fight scene between Indy and the huge German soldier underneath a rotating Nazi plane is one of the best fight sequences I've ever seen, plus the Truck chase in the desert with Indy on horseback is a joy to behold.
The script is excellent. Lawerence Kasdan deserves a special mention for producing good memorable dialogue. The supporting cast are superb, Karen Allen is extremely attractive as the feisty Marion Ravenwood, even though she has a tough exterior (demonstrated by that classic punch to Indy's face) She somehow hinted in the following scene that she had been vulnerable when she was first involved with Jones and wasn't as tough. Paul Freeman is terrific as Belloq, i think that he plays him with a sinister charm and has some wonderful dialogue 'Your going to give mercenaries a bad name!' Steven Spielberg's direction is the same magic he weaved with both Jaws and Close Encounters, this was a man who wanted to make a great memorable picture during production in 1980 and he has stated himself that it is the one film that he can look back on and watch with an audience or his own children and truthfully admit to enjoying it as much as anyone else. All power and credit to Mr George Lucas as well, his ideas and scenarios at the time were about how to create special effects that lifted a scene and blew an audience away (like the Ark's power unleashed at the climax) and not about how to make an empty green screen into a CGI cartoon.
Special honorary mention to the great John Williams. Sir, your film score for this movie is absolutely stunning and glorious. Indy's theme is instantly recognised whenever it plays. It is one of the most famous soundtracks for a film character in Movie history...i salute you Mr Williams, you are a genius!
Raiders Of The Lost Ark is one of the greatest Action Adventure films ever made...to be honest it really is the best adventure film. Welcome to the world of Indiana Jones!
Aliens
(1986)
Not only a brilliant sequel, but a classic horror thriller on its own.
13 March 2008
Aliens is a brilliant sequel to a masterpiece. AND it is a masterpiece on its own right. This is a film where the director James Cameron cared for the story, characters, special effects, thrills and scares like his life depended on it. It starts perfectly, just like the original, countering on the small escape shuttle from the Nostromo after 57 years have passed...one of the things that Cameron excelled on was his faithfulness to link reminders of the first film i.e. the view-screen with the dead Nostromo crew's profiles highlighted at the Board meeting between Ripley and the company executives, and the lecture she gives the marines about the crew member Kane and what happened...superb. Aliens is also action packed once the marines encounter the dreaded creatures at their lair in the sub station, the audience are gripped until the very end.
The performances are top class as well. Another excellent turn from Sigourney Weaver. Michael Biehn is great as Dwayne Hicks. Bill Paxton was superb and funny as Hudson. Jeanette Goldstein rocked as Vasquez, her bandanna wardrobe reminded me of Robert Shaw's Quint in Jaws. And like that shark classic, this film is a winner because you end up caring about the characters and hope that they escape from the terrible menace they face.
Alien is a Masterpiece. Well, that goes twice for Aliens, one of the greatest sequels and greatest horror science fiction movies ever made.
The performances are top class as well. Another excellent turn from Sigourney Weaver. Michael Biehn is great as Dwayne Hicks. Bill Paxton was superb and funny as Hudson. Jeanette Goldstein rocked as Vasquez, her bandanna wardrobe reminded me of Robert Shaw's Quint in Jaws. And like that shark classic, this film is a winner because you end up caring about the characters and hope that they escape from the terrible menace they face.
Alien is a Masterpiece. Well, that goes twice for Aliens, one of the greatest sequels and greatest horror science fiction movies ever made.
Alien
(1979)
A science fiction horror masterpiece classic.
10 March 2008
Alien is perfect from start to finish. The opening title sequence is one of the creepiest and effective in modern cinema. Jerry Goldsmith's music score is chillingly vibrant throughout the film's duration.
The cast are perfectly suited to their roles. Sigourney Weaver excels as Flight officer Ripley, showing the character to be tough and by the book. (Like telling her captain 24 hours for quarantine). Its easy to see why this film made her a star. The atmosphere, set design and special effects were so new when this film was released in 1979, that audiences worldwide were seeing something that they had never saw before (just like George Luca's earlier Star Wars)in fact when i saw the film on its 'Director's cut' cinema release in November 2003, i was in awe of the fact that the film has not dated at all...it is utterly timeless, and will probably stand the test of time for years to come.
Special mention must go to Ian Holm as the science officer Ash. His portrayal of this character is perfect. I won't spoil it for you dear readers who have not seen this classic, but Holm is a revelation here (as is his character) and you will remember his part in this film (as well as the infamous dinner table sequence). Alien is the best science fiction horror film ever. It has not been bettered and its been ripped off countless times: Deepstar Six, Leviathan, Event Horizon and Sunshine come to mind. You cannot beat perfection.
The cast are perfectly suited to their roles. Sigourney Weaver excels as Flight officer Ripley, showing the character to be tough and by the book. (Like telling her captain 24 hours for quarantine). Its easy to see why this film made her a star. The atmosphere, set design and special effects were so new when this film was released in 1979, that audiences worldwide were seeing something that they had never saw before (just like George Luca's earlier Star Wars)in fact when i saw the film on its 'Director's cut' cinema release in November 2003, i was in awe of the fact that the film has not dated at all...it is utterly timeless, and will probably stand the test of time for years to come.
Special mention must go to Ian Holm as the science officer Ash. His portrayal of this character is perfect. I won't spoil it for you dear readers who have not seen this classic, but Holm is a revelation here (as is his character) and you will remember his part in this film (as well as the infamous dinner table sequence). Alien is the best science fiction horror film ever. It has not been bettered and its been ripped off countless times: Deepstar Six, Leviathan, Event Horizon and Sunshine come to mind. You cannot beat perfection.
Diamonds Are Forever
(1971)
More of a campy comedy thriller than a spy adventure....
30 June 2007
Diamonds Are Forever is a really funny James Bond film. Maybe this is due to the screenplay by the excellent Tom Mankiewicz who would later script the next two Roger Moore outings.
Sean Connery returning to the role after the departing of the disastrous George Lazenby is very welcome indeed, but sadly, Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever is not the same as Sean Connery in From Russia With Love or Goldfinger.
In fact, Connery looks about two stone overweight in this one, with a greying toupee and a tired, vacant look on his face. Its actually frightening to see how much he has aged in almost ten years and not in a good way. Not that the great man would give a stuff considering the fortune he made on this flick. Still, hes better on an off day as Bond than Lazenby firing on all cylinders.
This was the 007 that also had a great pair of Homosexual killers Mr Wint and Mr Kidd. Having them murder and spout one liners all through the film is one of DAF's highlights. However, the casting of Charles Gray as Blofeld (WITH HAIR) is crap. And just what was it with those Carmel coloured Tunics that he wore? They look silly. Jill st John as Tiffany Case just plain irritated me throughout. Terrible temper indeed. I preferred Lana Wood as Plenty and they offed her...such an inventive, wonderful idea.
A thankful return to form though.
Sean Connery returning to the role after the departing of the disastrous George Lazenby is very welcome indeed, but sadly, Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever is not the same as Sean Connery in From Russia With Love or Goldfinger.
In fact, Connery looks about two stone overweight in this one, with a greying toupee and a tired, vacant look on his face. Its actually frightening to see how much he has aged in almost ten years and not in a good way. Not that the great man would give a stuff considering the fortune he made on this flick. Still, hes better on an off day as Bond than Lazenby firing on all cylinders.
This was the 007 that also had a great pair of Homosexual killers Mr Wint and Mr Kidd. Having them murder and spout one liners all through the film is one of DAF's highlights. However, the casting of Charles Gray as Blofeld (WITH HAIR) is crap. And just what was it with those Carmel coloured Tunics that he wore? They look silly. Jill st John as Tiffany Case just plain irritated me throughout. Terrible temper indeed. I preferred Lana Wood as Plenty and they offed her...such an inventive, wonderful idea.
A thankful return to form though.
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