If I had to describe this movie in 10 words I would say it is;
Demented, Deranged, Gross, Revolting, Vile, Twisted, Bizarre, Creepy, Insane & Outrageous
Now if I had to describe it with ONE word I would say it is a (MASTERPIECE).
The last time I had so much "twisted" fun at the movies was during Machete and before that at Running Scared.
If you thought Wan & Whannell from the "Saw" franchise were twisted, well you haven't seen Nevaldine & Taylor's baby yet (Crank 1/Crank 2) as they really take twisted to an all-time high level. How can you seriously go wrong when a movie has a tagline that reads "He was dead.but he got better"?
Crank 2 is a "STRICTLY" love it or hate it affair. There is no middle ground at all. personally it took me 7 viewings to reach the verdict "Masterpiece beyond Reasonable Doubt".
Synopsis
10 times the action, more fatalities, unlimited gore and violence, random nudity, public sex, abundance of pop-culture references, John Woo and Takashi Miike homages, extremely colorful characters, epic soundtrack, and sleazy charm. This is Crank 2 - High Voltage. There is no real story here just a well-constructed exploitation movie that feels more like the live action version of "Grand Theft Auto" game than a real movie
The Plot
When I first saw this immature excuse in bad taste, I thought it was probably penned by junior high students as an unofficial sequel for "SPEED" (machine stops, people die) as no adult in his right mind could come up with this. But it seems the writing credit goes to Nevaldine and Taylor. What a shock!!
Well, this is not a spoiler given you read the tagline. At the end of part 1, Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) dies and part 2 opens three months later after he was rescued miraculously by shady evil Chinese doctors who stole his heart and given it to an old seedy Chinese gangster Poon dong (Late David Carradine) and then replaced it with an artificial used battery-powered contraption. Chev escapes the operating room and tries to get his heart back. The problem is his contraption is defective and the moment it stops beating, Chev dies. So he must keep his heart beating with regular volts of electricity to charge it. In the trailer we saw Chev hook his tongue up to a power line and juices up his heart, well the movie got even more ingenious and perverse ways to get him juiced up such as car power outlets, jumper cables, stun guns, public sex, power stations and whatever he can get his hands on and in the process delivers insanity and mayhem throughout.
The Characters
Kooky prostitutes, slimy gangsters, perverted doctors, creepy surgeons, twisted villains, eccentric side-kicks, scary pimps, hot ex-girlfriend, and one cynical action hero. I can't believe I wrote this sentence. This movie has the most colorful ensemble of characters in one movie. There not one single character I can classify as normal in this movie. Jason Statham reprises his role as Chev and he is a real sport. I doubt any major Hollywood actor would even sign such movie as it could easily destroy careers. Amy Smart returns as the girlfriend but it is Bai Ling who steals the spotlight from her as the prostitute who speaks the worst English ever. Art Hsu is one truly memorable villain.
The Direction
Nevaldine and Taylor is one crazy duo, they probably watch too many cartoons especially loony tunes and Tom and Jerry as this movie defies logic and gravity from the get go and you are transformed to the world of a video game setting filled with cartoonish characters. It was no surprise they went on to direct the virtual game movie "Gamer" it is truly one wicked style these two got. In any case, they did a marvelous job here. Crank 2 is a visually striking and stunning movie.
Overall
I haven't yet indicated as to why I consider this movie a masterpiece. Well you see, Crank 2: High Voltage crosses all boundaries of logic and begs you to leave your brain elsewhere and suspend your disbelief during it 85 minutes run. During which it delivers an unapologetic exercise in mayhem and insanity. There are countless plot absurdities, over the top action-packed stunts, hyper-active and energetic flow, throwaway entertainment, acidic dialogue. This movie is so addictive that it induces cinematic ecstasy in the viewer and takes one on the wildest ride ever. You really have to watch it with an open mind to understand it. This is a visceral experience like no other. Hollywood rarely makes movies like these which is so sad as I would prefer these kind of movies to the excruciating mindless flicks like superheroes, sequels, remakes any time any day. Crank 2 stands tall with Machete, Running Scared, Grindhouse and Sin City. However, not many will fall in love with it. It took me more than 3 viewings to come to appreciate it. For that I recommend this first as a rental then a buy. The blu-ray disc is of demo value with perfect picture and audio quality
With the new film, Rise of The Planet of The Apes, currently proving to be such a huge hit in cinemas and Tim Burton's poor remake a distant memory, it's worth revisiting the original Planet of The Apes, especially in a generously priced Blu-Ray edition with all four sequels. The first film is a classic science fiction gem, born of the same dystopian paranoia that drove the best of the genre throughout the preceding two decades. "It's a mad house!", screams Taylor (Charlton Heston) in the middle of his nightmare and for the viewer, that's exactly what it could be. If it ended for Taylor like it did for Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, clicking her red heels to get back home, you wouldn't be surprised that it could all have been a fevered dream. It doesn't end like that though. Even if you haven't seen it, you probably know it already, but if you can go into this film blind to its famous twist, then I envy you a little bit.
If you couldn't manage to avoid the spoilers for 40 years, the film is still worth seeing. It isn't all about the ending, the themes of which are there from the opening scene. It was the moment science-fiction cinema grew up from 1960s silliness into something more tangible and angry. The premise of being stranded on an upside-down planet may be old fashioned Twilight Zone horror (Rod Serling came up with the finale), but the story unfolds with self-loathing intelligence. Although it has dated, the fact that its 40 year old ideas still ring true today might even make it scary.
The atmosphere is still wonderfully effective. Leon Shamroy's photography of the desolate alien world is supported by a suitably inventive and foreboding score from Jerry Goldsmith. The sounds design has always stuck out to me as well, especially during that ending. Although the movie is mainly studio and producer driven, director Franklin J. Schaffner crafted a great film when the odds were it couldn't be made, crippled by a crazy premise. Key to realising it was the characterisation of the apes themselves, which is never sensational. The middle section could even be considered mundane, borderline farcical, but it works because the fascination comes from just how human and domesticated the apes are! The make-up by John Chambers is stunning, even today. He won an Academy Award for his work and it's well deserved because it didn't detract from the actors' performance at all; it is they who are crucial for convincing you enough to take the leap of faith the story needs. Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter (Cornelius and Zira) are charming as the couple who try to help Taylor, while Maurice Evans succeeds in what might be the hardest role as sort-of villain Dr. Zaius. Although adapted from a French novel by Pierre Boule, Planet of The Apes is worth comparison with Richard Matheson's I Am Legend (Dr. Zaius isn't evil, he fears what Taylor represents). There have been three failed attempts (including Heston's The Omega Man) to bring Matheson's story to the screen convincingly, while Planet of The Apes covers the same ground brilliantly.
This is ultimately Charlton Heston's film. He starts off as an unlikeable, arrogant sod and the story is as much about bringing him down a peg or two as anything else, yet we sympathise with him. He brings great movie star gravitas to the role, growling the dialogue into something iconic ("Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!"). He had a lot of memorable roles in his long career, but this will surely stand the test of time more than any other. While the apes convince you of the nightmare scenario, Heston is the conscience.
Now at this point, if you don't know the ending, stop reading! I'll just tell you that the Blu-Ray transfer of all the films is excellent, but particularly good for the essential first film. It is available on its own, so should you buy the box-set? At its current price, absolutely, despite the sequels varying wildly in quality. Parts three and four are worth seeing, but still flawed. At the very least, they make for curious comparisons with the new film, which is in parts a remake of Conquest of the Planet of The Apes.
Spoilers may lie ahead and as I said before, I envy those who come to the first film blind, so I hope you've gone away! I mean that in the nicest way possible.
The first sequel, Beneath The Planet of the Apes, is basically awful for several reasons. The budget was slashed and so the majority of the ape actors are clearly wearing masks. Kim Hunter and Maurice Evans return, but Cornelius is played by David Watson, who is no replacement for Roddy McDowall. James Franciscus is the lead this time and is also no replacement for Charlton Heston (he is in it, but wisely takes a back seat). Franciscus is a second astronaut, stranded on the planet after following Taylor's ship. Initially Cornelius and Zira help him and he finds his way to the underground Forbidden City. The set is fantastic, but it's populated by telepathic humans who worship an unexploded bomb as their God. Yes, it is as ridiculous as it sounds and sitting through it can be painful. The first film was such a milestone in cinema and science fiction, but this is a horrible step backwards into 1960s heavy handed nonsense, with dreadful actors spouting awful dialogue. It sort of still works as a metaphor about the futility of mankind, but it also dilutes that same message of the first story, which is unforgivable. The ending rewards the most dedicated of viewers and packs a punch, but at a cost.
Beneath the Planet of The Apes was a massive success despite being so awful and the producers must have realised they had made a dreadful mistake by ending it the way they did. And so to get the series back on track, the second sequel, Escape from the Planet of The Apes, has to start with a laughable premise: that Cornelius, Zira and another ape, Milo, escaped the planet in Taylor's repaired ship and crash landed on 1970s Earth! Even in the context of science-fiction, there is no logic in this at all. This is truly the Star Trek IV of the series though, because if you can look past the premise, it is the best of the sequels and a charming, entertaining film to boot. Roddy McDowall is back and his relationship with Kim Hunter's Zira just as genuine as it ever was. While the 70s vibe has dated very badly and much of the action can't escape the TV movie look, the dialogue is great fun with an infectious story, reflecting the original. And the ending is emotive too. In the last section, it feels like director Don Taylor finds a fifth gear and it takes off with a very powerful scene, again thanks to McDowall's absolute commitment. It is at this point the series stopped being a metaphor and concentrated on the characters instead. It became a saga, with a mythology, and while I don't like that it takes us even further away from the simple horror of the original message, at least Planet of The Apes contained the seeds so this path can be considered faithful.
In the fourth film, Conquest of the Planet of The Apes, the gap between the budget and the aspirations of the story had become almost too wide. Fans of the characters will lap up the epic notions of the plot, despite the limitations and it makes for a dark hearted companion for the previous film. It stands for something when an actor of Roddy McDowall's calibre comes back for a third time, playing Caesar, the son of his previous role Cornelius. Caesar has grown up in a circus, keeping his powers of speech hidden. Meanwhile, apes have become the new household pet after a virus wiped out all the dogs and cats (I know, it's another crazy premise, but stick with it!). But the trusting apes are being treated like slaves and the intelligent Caesar orchestrates a revolution. Just as with the previous film, the premise is silly, but where Escape had charm, this has gravitas. I was shocked by the subtlety of McDowall's performance, from struggling with responsibility, quietly pulling together his plan and finally struggling to contain his revenge, this is epic stuff and all from behind a mask! Andy Serkis is simply marvellous in the new film, but Roddy McDowall also recognised the power in that role and didn't wait for cutting edge CGI so he could commit fully to the character. It's just a shame the production as a whole can't quite live up to his performance. It's a film that feels a bit too small, but still, director J. Lee Thompson does well to hide it, letting his lead actor inhabit the role fully and getting the series back to its nightmarish origins with extra violence (scenes previously cut have been added for this release); in some ways it might even be seen as a low-budget forerunner of the wave of adult, deadly serious violent sci-fi that came in the 1980s (Mad Max, Robocop, Terminator, et al). Well worth seeing.
Battle for the Planet of The Apes is the fifth film and while the wheels don't completely come off, they definitely wobble. It fails to convince on several levels, not least that despite the title, the series has never escaped North America. And the size of the cast amounts more to Scuffle for the Planet of The Apes rather than a Battle! With the budget as low as it clearly was, there was no way to realise the ambition of the story that purports to be on a worldwide scale. Once again, the premise is cursed by a lack of logic. It is now about 30-ish years after Conquest and Caesar (still played brilliantly by Roddy McDowall) leads a civilised village of apes. However, his family and friends are at the same levels of intelligence and speech as in the first film, which seems ridiculous to me. Meanwhile, the nuclear war has happened, leaving pockets of human survivors or mutants in the Forbidden City (as well a realised set as in the first sequel), to which Caesar goes in the hope of learning about his past and his destiny. While he is gone, the gorillas make a bid for power. Once again the meat of the plot is actually really good! With a couple of tweaks, it would have made an excellent sequel to the first film, but setting it so soon after Conquest undermines it. McDowall turns in another excellent performance, but the weak production is impossible to overcome.
The superb first film started a series that is very uneven, cursed by poor decisions in concepts, but largely rescued by the characters' charm and dedication of the actors playing them. Meanwhile the doom laden mythology continues to attract new fans, despite the low budget sequels that cause frustration. The latest film seems to have been a concerted and passionate effort to address that and let this series live up to its potential. I really hope so. Meanwhile, enjoy the series for what it is and marvel at the skills of a cast who kept it alive for so long. You'll likely leave it with bitter-sweet nostalgia about what could have been, which feeds into the well realised Rise of the Planet of The Apes.
This series of 24 is probably the most enjoyable and action packed yet! It is full of thrills and tense gritty moments, not failing to entertain at any time. The plot evolves around a World Peace Treaty involving the US, Iran and Russia. Things go devastatingly wrong though! Keither Sutherland returns on top form with the addition of a few new faces that really help to enhance the incredible quality of this show. This Blu-Ray collection is superb though. The quality of the discs is outstanding and the extras help you immerse yourself further into the world of 24. This set is a must have and don't be put off by the price as you will really be missing out. This is more than a TV show, it is an experience!
Perfect end to a perfect series!
I was a bit unshore about this film to begin with. There weren't really any big names that stood out to me on the back of the cover. But after viewing the film I realized what a talented bunch of actors star in this film. They deliver pure emotion and all really gel together. But they aren't the only reason this is a great film! The story is powerful and hard hitting with sad moments, tense moments, joyful moments and darn scary moments. The aliens are completely mind blowing! They are complex and interesting to look at and are animated extremely well, giving the film a very real feel. The camera work is hand held giving the film a real gritty feel. Even if you aren't a Sci Fi fan you will enjoy the film. The title is pretty self explanatory, US Marines battle against enemy aliens come to Earth as they need its water. This film is a Modern Classic and raises the bar of High Budget Films! A MUST WATCH!
A Contemporary Classic!
When it comes to movies, I often wondered, do female characters make better leads than male characters?
Since the beginning, motion pictures were and still are mainly dominated by male characters while female characters were always there to provide moral/physical support to our main hero or be the damsels in distress for our hero to rescue. Yet once in a while, Hollywood churns out films that celebrate girls and their power. I remember back in the 90's it was Spice Girls who coined the term "Girl Power" and "Clueless" (film) was a game changer in the 90's of such movement.
Unlike chick flicks, a good Girl-Power movie focuses on a female character that starts off as someone who has no acceptance (social, physical, political, romantic, intellectual...etc.) and spends the entire duration of the movie trying gaining it and eventually finds herself in the process. There are many examples of these movies that truly were memorable for their strong female protagonists such as Alien/Aliens, Amelie, Erin Brockovich, Kill Bill, Thelma & Louise and Run Lola Run.etc. These movies feature abundance of character development and the struggle is more realistic and hence more believable. As a viewer, I really root for these characters to come victorious in the end. Today I would like to add another movie to this ever-growing list and that would be "Hanna".
When I first heard off Hanna, I immediately dismissed it as a rip-off of last year's sleeper hit Kick-ass as both of them share few similarities. Both feature a young female character trained by her father to become the perfect assassin to avenge her mother's death. Fortunately, that's exactly where the similarities end. "Hanna" is an altogether different beast.
Hanna is a topnotch thriller and the most "kick-ass" action event of the year. In a year flooded with prequels, sequels, remakes, re-imaginings and spin-offs, Hanna comes off extremely special and highly recommended even though it is not original.
When I first watched it, I truly fell in love with "Hanna" both the movie and the character. Hanna has something to say while offering a great deal of wit and fast paced storyline with visually impressive action set-pieces. I like how this movie balances contradictions. It is disturbing yet poetic, it is energetic yet calm, it is ruthless yet endearing, artistic yet highly entertaining and it is drawn like a fairy tale with shades of realism. Plus, it has one very satisfying ending but never answers any questions. I often hate open ending but here I felt it was very appropriate.
I will not indulge in the plot or the proceedings as I don't want to spoil the fun of watching this amazing movie. But I'll tell you this though; Hanna is about the journey of a young girl into something bewildering, a world she has no experience in despite having the knowledge of it. It is about a girl's discovery of her own self & identity. As a viewer this is one journey you certainly don't want to miss.
Directed with such precision by Joe Wright (Atonement) whose visual mastery is so evident throughout the movie, take for instance the opening sequences in the snow which are extremely breathtaking or the parking fist fight or the dockyard fight, not once you feel the action is staged, it is so gritty and well-choreographed with no shaky camera movements which results in more realistic and violent fantasy.
Hanna is blessed with some first-class performances. Saoirse Ronan is such a talented actress and brilliant as the titular character. Her portrayal of a cold-blooded assassin is mostly fitting as she is very cold, icy and devoid of emotions but there are occasions where she comes like a real human with varying feelings. Overall it is a very serious, raw and ferocious performance by Ronan.
The supporting cast couldn't be any less impressive. I truly believe Hanna will resurrect the career of Eric Bana (Hanna's father) who gives his most polished act yet. Casting Kate Blanchett as the ruthless antagonist was a risky move but pays off very well as she pulls it off with panache. Jason Flemyng and Olivia Williams do very well with their limited roles.
It is also worth noting that the soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers compliments the movie very well and adds extra layers to the action sequences.
Overall Hanna is a very cool action thriller that is flourished with visually stunning locales & landscapes and a grade A cast that excel in both the emotional and physical fronts. Highly Recommended
Hanna is the story of a 16-year-old who was raised by her father to become the perfect killer is sent off on a mission across Europe to eliminate a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.
I'd heard a lot about this film before it was released and there seemed to be a lot of buzz around it...however i dont really think Super has lived up to its hype, or it's name. Described by Reeling News as as 'Far better than Kick-Ass', i think this is a massive overstatement!
It does seem unfair that it comes out after such a successful film as Kick-Ass with a very similiar premesis and i wondered if it had faired better had it come out before Kick-Ass.
Anyway... I think the films pace was what i wasnt a huge fan of and again the curse of the trailer has struck again and the films seems to be a lot less funny than its set up to be. That said it hosts great performances from Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page who you really root for and believe in. It has a nice soundtrack and it's great that it doesnt shy away from the violence and in some ways does feel a lot more realistic and violent compared to Kick-Ass.
Overall i think Super is an entertaining film that does strike a few unsuspecting surprises, but it's so hard not to compare it to Kick-Ass that is comes in as an average film, although far better than most Hollywood product. I loved James Gunn's Slither and think that Super doesn't quite live up to the comedic tone, although it does almost reach it but sometimes seems a little forced.
Deffintley worth a watch but don't be too surprised if you're not taken with it.
This review contains spoilers. These however shouldn't hinder your enjoyment of the film in anyway as the film isn't particularly story-led, it fits the saying "It's not the destination, but the journey that counts" to a tee.
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Today, Terrence Malick has an almost legendary status. As an auteur he is unprolific - releasing only five films in almost four decades - while as a man he is an enigma, perhaps even cinema's J.D. Salinger. As well as having a famously low output he is a sort of recluse: Malick has not given an interview since 1973, he did not work for twenty years ('78-'98) and at the premiere of his new film The Tree of Life at Cannes the spotlight was focused away from his movements to stop anyone photographing him. The Tree of Life went on to win the coveted Palme d'Or but Malick did not pick up the prize in person.
Malick's first feature, Badlands, featured Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as a young couple on a cross country killing spree. On its release in 1973 it received critical acclaim and "overshadowing even Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets" at the New York Film Festival. To me it is one of the greatest directorial debuts of all time, on par with Truffaut's The 400 Blows and even comparable with the incomparable - Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. One thing that is consistent in Malick's films is the great performances he gets out of his cast. Martin Sheen, who would go on to have a starring role in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, has named Badlands as his best work and I am inclined to agree.
Badlands is very much a fairy tale with the violence left intact. Kit and Holly are child-like characters who commit heinous acts while on a cross-country adventure. Holly's narration of the film adds to the dream-like quality and allows insights into her thoughts. At one point she muses, "It hit me that I was just this little girl, born in Texas, whose father was a sign painter, who only had just so many years to live. It sent a chill down my spine and I thought where would I be this very moment, if Kit had never met me?" Later in the film, she contrasts this statement, like a child bored of its toy.
The soundtrack is very interesting and perfectly compliments the tone of the film. Orff's Gassenhauer is not something you would expect to hear as the theme of a film where the main characters go on a killing spree but it works. It works because Kit and more importantly Holly don't show remorse for their crimes and even the film itself doesn't condemn them. Holly realised early in the film that she had no meaningful existence prior to Kit and yet later discards him out of boredom. The film is interspersed with nature, including a period when Kit and Holly live in a forest evoking children's classics such as Tarzan and The Jungle Book (again this emphasises their primitive, child-like psyche). The main character in this film is not Kit or Holly but rather the natural world itself. Malick's message is that individual life is meaningless but life should also be loved and respected. This may seem contradictory at first but as The Lion King so eloquently put it the film is concerned with the bigger picture - the circle of life.
I strongly recommend this film to anyone who considers themselves to be a lover of film, even those who didn't like Malick's most recent outings such as The Tree of Life. This film is Malick at his best and not entirely coincidentally, his most accessible. This film is Malick before the withdrawal from public life and audience-alienating unconventional narratives but, even at this early stage of his career, his beautiful visual sense was apparent and he had the ability to extract landmark performances from his cast.
Now ...., Not everyone loves Avatar !!!
Everyone loves Toy Story 3.
Everyone loves Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.
Everyone loves Inception.
But Avatar is basically Marmite ...., you either love it or hate it.
My views of this Film are extremely mixed.
The visuals are probably the best in the history of cinematography and are truly amazing.
The story however is not. A confused young man is transported to a new world and gets to know the inhabitants ...., then, (as has happened a million times before) ...., Hollywood's instatiable lust for violence kicks in, as we are forced to watch scenes of meaningless destruction with huge explosions ...., yawn.
The design of the Navi in my opinion is kind of weird ..., almost like a Giant Smurf, mixed with a Blue Cat, crossed with a tall thin man.
The acting and sound is pretty good, whilst the dialogue is fun to listen to. However it should be, considering the fact that it took 12 years to make !
I would conclude my review by saying that Avatar, at 155 minutes long, is a flawed yet spectacular Visual Masterpiece ...., in years to come it will be viewed as a Classic ..., a milestone in the art of the Cinema, along with 'The Jazz Singer' in 1927 ..., (the first talkie) ..., and Gone with the Wind or The Wizard of Oz in 1939 ..., (the first Colour Features).
Avatar has taken the Art Of Digital Cinematography to a Whole New Level, breaking all Box Office Records. The first film to gross more than $2 Billion ....,
James Cameron. Thankyou
AVATAR ...., A Review of a James Cameron Film ...., with a Difference.
Duncan Jones made his triumphant writing and directorial debut back in 2009 with Moon. Simply put, the film was an astounding feat from but a $5m. budget, which was considered pocket change in comparison to some of the year's biggest films. Duncan Jones was able to do so much with comparatively little, and all eyes were on him to see how he would perform with his follow-up feature film, Source Code.
By all accounts, the director made good on his first film's promise, creating an utterly fantastic film that, as all good films do, only gets better upon multiple viewings. This time around, Jones was granted a significantly bigger budget of $32m., and the film performed terrifically at the box office, with returns of more than $120m. And its popularity at the box office is truly a reflection of its worth as a brilliant film, rather than just a reflection of a marketing campaign of saturation.
After making a name for himself with Moon, which starred the talented Sam Rockwell and legendary Kevin Spacey, Jones was able to again sign an outstanding cast, led by the terrific Jake Gyllenhaal, and supported by the rising Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga. All performances in this film, from the leading cast to the smaller extras, are immensely impressive, and there isn't a moment from start to finish that doesn't entirely hook its audience, and have them wondering what will happen next.
The film opens with Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Captain Colter Stevens, awakening aboard a passenger train heading for central Chicago. Opposite him is a woman he does not recognise (Monaghan), but who recognises him. After a series of minute details - coffee accidentally spilled on his shoe, a drinks can opened behind him - he finds him way into the train's bathroom, and to his surprise, the face looking back at him is not his own. Panicking, he stumbles out of the bathroom into the arms of the first lady opposite him, and just as she tries to tell him that everything is going to be okay, the entire train explodes into a ball of flames that makes its way down the carriage in slow-motion, looking utterly beautiful and destructive in its perfect clarity. Clearly, much attention has been paid to the minute details of the film to ensure we appreciate its astounding visuals throughout.
Captain Stevens is rocketed back into a darkened pod, and opposite him there is a woman on a screen by the name of Captain Goodwin (Farmiga). Confused, with no idea of what has just happened, Goodwin slowly introduces Stevens and us to the basic tenet of the film: Stevens is the first to be testing a new technological creation, known as Source Code. The technology allows someone to be embedded within the last eight minutes of a person's memory and re-live those minutes. Goodwin tells Stevens that the train he woke up on exploded earlier that morning, and someone on that train has threatened further attacks on Chicago, and this time on a much larger scale. It is Stevens' job to find this man or woman, and put a stop to any further attacks.
Stevens travels back and forth between the exploding train and the pod, each time returning to Goodwin with a scrap of information in his efforts to uncover the identity of the bomber. Though the basic premise might be difficult to describe as 'ground-breaking', it the genre is nonetheless one that has not been filmed so well until now. Jones' direction of Source Code is eye-opening, jaw-dropping, and mind-blowingly fantastic. Re-living the same eight minutes over and over in a film has the obvious potential pit-fall of becoming repetitive in a short space of time, yet he manages to always keep every iteration of those eight minutes original, alive, and imaginatively shot, proving his worth as a director. Not once do we feel like these characters are stuck in a rut, even though we know that in fact they literally are, and that is something that is incredibly difficult to pull off.
Source Code is definitely one of those films that I would recommend should be watched in High Definition, on Blu-Ray, wherever possible. The film's cinematography is simply beautiful, and the visuals Jones and his team have created for it can only be appreciated to their full potential on the Blu-Ray format. Every flame in every explosion, every ripple in the river passing by the train, every tiny detail that the filmmakers have paid attention to capturing, all are utterly stunning in High Definition, and are well worth the slight increase in price in comparison the dramatic increase in viewing enjoyment. Source Code is a film that deserves to be seen in the best possible format, and Blu-Ray is just that. It is an absolutely fantastic film that will keep you guessing from the moment it begins to its roller-coaster ride of a climax, and you can be sure that it is a ride you will fall in love with and want to take again and again.
Now every movie lover heard of this film not all of them have seen it though.
Citizen Kane is a really entertaining and it get you into the mind of a fantastic fictional character created and played by Orson Wells.
the 114 minute story is straight to the point and as fascinating as hell.
Citizen Kane brilliant in any genuine film & art lovers DVD collection.
Amazingly though this film is not on bluray in the UK.
Shortly after the death of successful Businessman & Journalist Charles Foster Kane
Some other Journalists visit pepole who knew Kane and explain the complex personail life & early life of the man and why is last words were rosebud.
One of the biggest critical sucesses in cinema history
Absolutely Fantastic.
This is such a good film its unreal.
The character development is the best Ive ever seen.
The actings not brilliant but not awful its ok.
The visuals are extremely good this is one action film where the story is mighter than the visuals.
the jokes are pretty funny for my age because Im only 15 but are absolutely hilarious for anyone who grew up the sony walkman or the first atari or gameboy in the 70s and 80s.
Its pretty well cast Micheal Cera (Juno) Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Sky High) Jason Schwatzman Chris Evans (Fantastic 4) Brandon Routh (Superman Retruns) & Kieran Culkin brother of Macaulay Culkin.
Overall this is a great film for teenage boys like myself.
Not one for most girls but they of them might like it.
you can get the DVD for less than £7 & the Bluray for less than £10.
Scott Pilgrim vs the world Not a Film For Everyone but certainly 1 for me.
you can get it now for less than £7 on Dvd and for
Scott pilgrim is a member of a band called sex bobomb hes 22 and hes dating a 17 yr old girl named Knives (bit creepy) he lives in a very small hut with his gay roomate Wallace .
but at a party his band is invited to he meets Ramona Flowers a girl with 6 evil ex boyfriends and 1 evil lesbian ex girlfirend and to stay with her Scott has to defeat has to defeat all 7 evil exs them and break up with Knives.
A great watch with some passionate performances from indie and mainstream actors/actresses.
Kat Dennings is beautiful but also a fantastic actress who can portray a vast array of emotions. She is the next Ellen Page in my eyes.
I liken this to Juno on acid washed down with a bottle of absinthe. Heart-warming and romantic with tragic characters making their way through mixed up lives.
I cannot recommend highly enough if you enjoy films with layers and depth of story.
Like Juno on Acid!!
Sucker Punch is, for all intents and purposes, the lovechild of a video game and music video. Don't be fooled into thinking there is any artistic worth in the movie, nor that anyone ever intended there to be in the first place. This is Zack Snyder's love letter to a visual medium without meaning or depth. What you see on the surface is what you'll get for the entire movie. Arguably he's created a whole new genre - think what Hostel and Saw are to 'torture porn,' and perhaps Sucker Punch could be the first 'action porn' movie. Scantily clad women, loud music, explosions and weapons a plenty fill the screen minute by minute, and you'll either love it or hate it.
Snyder has a history of the bombastic and the visceral. His debut with the Dawn Of The Dead remake was a risky move that generally paid off better than most Horror remakes, bringing it slap bang into the present with running zombies and a noisy soundtrack. This was certainly in stark contrast to the original. After Dead's success, Snyder moved on to what can probably be seen as the forerunner to Sucker Punch, an adaptation of Frank Miller's comic book series 300. The movie became notorious for its unique visual style, and put Zack on the map as someone to watch. Yet many of the same criticisms of Sucker Punch were thrown around years before with 300.
It's not that Sucker Punch is a bad idea; it's more that its development is meaningless, and it never quite rises above the flesh of the lead women. Warner Bros. went forward with the production due to the success of Snyder's Watchmen, another comic book-based movie. Without such rich source material, Sucker Punch suffers immensely. There may be suggestions of the movie being a lesson on the objectification of women, but I think that's giving those involved far too much credit. It never once feels like a moral story, never quite giving the redemption or understanding that you think MIGHT be coming. Yes, Snyder manages to do all the groundwork of a terrible and disgusting tale, and yet he seemingly forgets to truly drive home the point at the end. Without giving any spoilers away, I felt completely empty by the end of the movie, asking myself if that was really it.
I find it hard to critique the cast of the movie, as none of the roles are particularly challenging. Actresses like Jena Malone, star of such mentally challenging movies as Donnie Darko, are suddenly reduced to pointless eye candy. Even the lead Emily Browning as Babydoll deserves far better than what she is given. I'm all for the occasional action movie where you turn your brain off and enjoy the car crashs, explosions, and you don't need to think about what anyone is doing, but Sucker Punch manages to do this while offending each person in the audience. There's absolutely no need for the fetish, the suggestive underage sexuality, or prostitution etc. It adds nothing to the very limited story that Snyder delivers, and it's not a message that can be delivered seriously with crazy editing and music you're more likely to hear on a night out. Is that really the message we want to be sending people?
I don't offend easily. I've seen A Serbian Film, Martyrs, and far too many other disgusting movies to even want to admit, but I never once felt ANY of them were insulting my intelligence. No matter how wrong I felt they were, I at least believed that the filmmakers made a slight effort at least to drive home a warning message. Zack Snyder doesn't even bother trying. To him, this is a fantasy movie with a complete mess of a plot, and he doesn't care. He feels sticking beautiful women in skimpy outfits for a couple of hours shooting guns to music is enough to keep anyone amused. He's sadly wrong. Yes, this may LOOK good on Blu-Ray, but that's the biggest compliment I can give it. There's no value in any repeat viewing, and you're just left hoping Snyder sticks to directing.
An MTV movie to offend your eyes.
Even though you can pick up Friends from any point, it is definately worth having the whole box set. And it's easy to watch episodes again and again. The box set also has special extra's within the episodes, which are not shown on TV. Provides lots of laughs!
Definitely the best of the scream films since the first one. Plenty of jumpy moments that will have your heart pounding from the very beginning.
Another addition to this brilliant film series. It's the 15th anniversary since the original murders in Woodsboro and Ghostface is back again.
One of the best American Dramas on TV in the past few years. This has everything including; medicine, comedy, romance and brilliant, brilliant drama.
Medical comedy drama set in Seattle which follows the lives of interns; Meredith Grey, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev, George O'Malley and Cristina Yang
It's 1971 and African-American football coach Herman Boone is hired to lead T.C. Williams High's football team as the school becomes one of the first to be desegregated in Virginia. Out of respect, Boone offers the Assistant Coach position to the former coach Bill Yoast who reluctantly accepts as his white players pledge to boycott the team. The atmosphere on the team is tense as the black and white football players clash and refuse to get along, however Coach Boone's hardhanded approach has the team working together as they attend a football camp over the summer. New friendships are formed as they learn more about each other but then are tested as they come back to a town and school where people are much more narrow-minded than the players.
On the surface this is a sports movie: an American high school football team overcoming adversity to become a success. However it also tells the story of social class and racism and how a young football team come together to earn the respect and admiration of the community. The film is wonderfully uplifting but at the same time is tragic, but really does leave you with a real message of hope and happiness and for that reason I come back to it time and time again, especially if I'm ill! The acting is fantastic and the friendships are believable which makes good watching. Denzel Washington is wonderful in the lead role of Coach Boone and is one of the reasons why the movie works so well. Will Patton plays Coach Yoast and his young daughter Sheryl is played by Hayden Panettiere who absolutely steals the show! Some of the football players are now very well known actors including Donald Faison (Scrubs, Clueless), Ryan Gosling (The Notebook) and Ethan Suplee (My Name is Earl, American History X).
Remember the Titans is based on a true story which for me makes it even better. I'm a fan of high school sports movies anyway but this is certainly amongst the best. It gets my full recommendation as it has a bit of everything and would appeal to anyone. Full marks from me!
Curb Your Enthusiasm follows Larry David (a fictionalised version of himself) and his life as a semi-retred writer and producer in America. Larry is an endearing naif, a man who is immune to the shame anyone else would feel - as a result, he regularly speaks his mind and lands himself in trouble at every corner. The show has a simple formula; Larry schemes, he offends and always gets his comeuppance. And yet, it is so much more. The route it takes is always unpredictable, and always hilarious.
His ego or lack of shame means Larry never learns a lesson, and lands himself in hot water at every opportunity. There is a very real level of discomfort when watching this show, as watching one man dig himself into ever deeper holes leads to a significant amount of shouting at the TV begging him to stop. Although never setting out to offend, he somehow always manages to do just that, even if the initial offence wasn't his fault. An example of this would be in one particular episode, where he and his wife Cheryl acquire a dog that only ever barks at black people. The routes the episode takes for Larry's final lesson is absurd and can leave you scratching your head thinking "Well, how did you get here?!"
"Curb" is also largely improvised, leading to many lines which are just so much funnier than one could ever hope to write. The calibre of guest stars in so many of the episodes (also often playing fictionalised versions of themselves) is amazing too. The incredible season 4 finale - which has Larry playing Max Bialystock in "The Producers" - boasts many cameos, including Mel Brooks, David Schwimmer, Jerry Seinfeld, Stephen Colbert and dozens more.
Simply put, the multi-award winning Curb Your Enthusiasm is one of the greatest TV shows of the last decade. Cleverly improvised, often offensive and always hilarious, this show deserves your attention.
Curb Your Enthusiasm follows Larry David (a fictionalised version of himself) and his life as a semi-retred writer and producer in America.
The perfect comedy/action film!
To put it simple. You could ask for much more. Nicholas Cage escaping from Hell in a blond wig, a satanic cult that sacrifices babies, massive car chases through redneck USA, slo mo ultra-violence, Amber Heard and the title! But 3D or 2D hands down best scene in the movie Cage smoking a cigar, drinking a bottle of whiskey and shooting thug while remaining perfectly calm. No more said.
Cage at his best.
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