Take time travel and add a few dinos and a hint of comedy and hey presto Land of the lost! Land of the lost takes a has been scientist and troughs him into this land of the lost. The story line is a bit here and there -but hey it is a time travel film- and the characters are a bit unstable but you can tell a lot of thought has one into the making of them, so let's give some credit, however the special effects are . let's say, a little rough around the edges.
Comedy genius Will Ferrell (step brothers, Elf) stars in this mish mash adventure alongside Danny McBride (despicable me ) and Anna Friel (Goal ).
Dr Rick Marshall (Ferrell) gets a bit more than he bargained for when his expedition takes a turn for worst. Now he, his research assistant and a redneck survivalist have to survive in a world of grumpy dinosaurs and singing monkeys - not the best combination. I suppose the Ferrell element does cancel out the lame special effects but the thing that takes the biscuit is a little monkey whose name is hard to pronounce.
Some comedy injected into the action/Sci Fi movie but this time traveling conundrum won't go down in history.
This film is one of my all time favourites, directed by Bill Forsyth (Gregorys girl) and produced by David Puttnam (Chariots of Fire) its a tail of a Texas oil company owner, his hot shot wheeler dealer employee who is sent to a little scottish fishing village to buy land for the Knox company to build a North sea oil base. Its a charming tail of quirkieness, laughter and love built upon the interactions between characters and developing relationships throughout the film leading to a suprise twist at the end. The soundtrack is superb with Mark Knopfler producing atmospheric music well suited in everyway to this brillant film. Made in the 80's this classic film brings back memories of much simplier times and really makes one think that is it best to 'live to work' or 'work to live'!
A charming film with humour, heart and soul
Just like Machete, Hobo with a Shotgun is a feature length version of the 'fake' film trailer seen on the Rodriguez / Tarantino collaboration Grindhouse which was a double feature of Planet Terror and Death Proof. And just like Machete it's really exciting to get to see this trailer being expanded into a full film as there was a lot of interest in the 'fake' trailers when they was aired on the Grindhouse films.
Know only as Hobo, Rutger Hauer, plays the eponymous homeless vigilante who after seeing the Drake brothers try to kill a young prostitute girl decides to set about bringing his own kind of justice to Hope Town (otherwise known as Scum Town or Fuck Town depending on who is talking about it). Hobo buys a pump action shotgun (although he really wants to buy a lawnmower to start his own business) and uses it to blow away crooked cops, paedophiles and other scumbags, leaving a bloody trail on his way to confronting Ivan and Slick the Drake brothers and son of The Drake.
The level of violence in the film is high from the very beginning with bloody, gory killings throughout. Let me make this clear from the start. The violence in Machete was somewhat stylised and almost cartoon-like. In Hobo it's far gorier and more sadistic in nature.
The direction is passable and the pacing is also good. It's a slight plot that's been stretched more than a little to fill 86 minutes but it just about works. It's clearly been put together on a small budget of just $3m but it goes to show that a film can be made for such a small amount.
Gregory Smith is Slick and Nick Bateman is Ivan. Molly Dunsworth puts in a standout performance as Abby and Brian Downey is The Drake. The supporting cast in this film apart from Dunsworth are, sadly, all fairly poor, they're just too over the top and corny. But it's Hauer that plays the whole thing straight (as if he were looking for an Oscar!) that holds the film together and makes everything tick. And it does tick, if not as strongly as Machete, but that's simply because the story isn't as strong and the writing and direction are noticeably weaker. If Robert Rodriguez had written and directed this film I think that we would have had something different and all together more palatable and enjoyable film. What we get from writer John Davies and director Jason Eisener is something that is simply overly gory and sadistic, that borders on, if not actually completely tips over into some sort of torture porn.
I feel that Hobo with a Shotgun could have been lighter and more fun. It lacked the humour of Machete and just seemed pretty grim throughout. Ultimately I think it will find an audience, albeit a different audience to that which enjoyed Machete.
This is one of the BBC's best drama's! There is not a bad episode in this brilliant series.
The sets are up to the usual standard for this period (Dr. Who fans will know what I mean) but that aside, as far as the two most important factors are concerned, the acting and the writing, both are excellent/first rate, I cannot praise them enough. This drama does just what a good one should do, it gets you totally immersed in it, being totally hooked/driven to follow the main characters. It works on many levels, willing the prisoners to make a successful escape bid and the sheer ingenuity it took to do so and this is balanced with the German perspective.
If you are looking for a classic DVD box set to purchase.............look no further!!
This series certainly benefited from the advisory input of one of it's famous escapees, Major Pat Reid (who also devised the great board game Escape from Colditz).
BBC World War II prisoner of war drama.
Irish actor Liam Neeson tends to very good in the kind of older actionman roles that used to go to Harrison Ford and he puts in another sound tough guy performance in this mystery-thriller set in Berlin.
It's a little like Roman Polanski's Frantic in which the wife of the hero (that man again Harrison Ford) disappeared in Paris but this time it's the hero's own identity that disappears.
Neeson plays a respected biologist Dr Martin Harris who arrives by plane with his beautiful wife (the ice cold January Jones) in the wintery German capital to attend an important conference being attended by a mega-rich Arab prince benefactor. His wife enters their swanky hotel but the good doctor realises he's left his briefcase at the airport and hails a cab.
On the way the taxi is involved in an accident, crashes off a bridge into the river, where the doctor gets a bump on his head and is only saved by the quick-thinking of the young female driver.
He wakes up in hospital, perplexed that his wife is not at his side and signs himself out to return to the hotel. Here, in some very Hitchcock-like scenes, he meets his wife who completely blanks him and then introduces him to her husband, Dr Martin Harris.
Our hero fears he is going crazy and goes back to hospital but when the attempts on his life start, he realises that something very bad and very strange is happening.
He tracks down the taxi driver, a Bosnian illegal immigrant (Diane Kruger in excellent form) and she is persuaded to throw her lot in with the desperate doctor when a pair or determined hitmen target them and anyone unfortunate enough to get in the way, though the doc shows some savvy survival skills. With the help of an elderly former East German spy turned private eye (veteran German actor Bruno Ganz), they try to figure out the deadly mystery.
Unknown is no classic but it is a good thriller that will keep you guessing right up to the big twist and explosive finale.
An amnesia thriller with a hint of Hitchcock
First things first, I happen to be a major fan of the grindhouse movement which started in the late 50s and almost reached an end during the 90s. So imagine my surprise and joy when both Tarantino and Rodriguez (two of my all-time favorite directors) announced they would revive the genre by making a double feature movie titled "Grindhouse"; but when the actual movie(s) was released it left so much to be desired. However, the best thing about grindhouse was the awesome collection of fake trailers. One of which was a fake trailer for Machete.
Machete works so well as a 2 minute trailer as it features everything exploitive we love about grindhouse and the reaction from the audience was so good that the makers decided to make a full-fledged 100 minute long feature. Initially I thought it was a big mistake, I felt the makers should leave the trailer alone but fortunately I am glad they didn't.
Machete works even better as a full feature film, as it is one hell of a ride. It is actually even better than both "planet terror" and "death proof" combined. Rodriguez rectifies everything that went wrong with grindhouse and simply delivers an amazing exploitation flick. It has Blades, Blood, Babes, Guns, Gore, G-strings, Racism, Humor and Nudity.etc. And that's all you should care about. Yet the makers went even further and introduced an interesting plot. Wow now that's one demented package.
It so good seeing all the actors in Machete having so much fun and blast in their roles and that includes Robert De Niro, who received some hysterical laughs towards the climax. Though, I guess the best thing about the flick was seeing Danny Trejo in a Lead Role slicing, dicing, gunning, shooting, decapitating, swinging, and bedding his way throughout this gore fest.
I really had so much fun watching this movie and I am not the only one. One of the special features on the blu-ray disc is the "audience reaction track" and after hearing you'd realize how muhc fun the audiences had during the movie. I can't recommend this movie enough. While I know it isn't family friendly, it truly deserves to be in the collection of anyone who considers themselves Grindhouse fans.
In a career spanning nearly five decades he directed 13 feature films - seven of which are included in this collection. This collection neatly demonstrates Kubrick's versatility, ingenuity and above all, his ability to create outstanding cinema.
Chronologically the first film in this collection is Kubrick's 1962 adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita - the story of Humbert Humbert and his obsession and sexual relationship with the teenage Dolores Haze (aka Lolita). Due to its objectionable content the book was temporarily banned in many countries including Britain but is now hailed as one of the 20th century's literary masterpieces.
The problem with Kubrick's Lolita is not so much to do with what it is but what it could have been. James Mason and Peter Sellers give amazing performances as Humbert Humbert and Clare Quilty (respectively) and the film is worth seeing for that alone but the film, unlike many of Kubrick's later adaptations, fails to equal or better the source material.
Promotional material for the film used the tagline "How did they ever make a movie of Lolita?" Well Kubrick did but it lacks much of what made the novel great. This is not necessarily Kubrick's fault, due to restrictions by the MPAA he was pressured to tone down the film and ten years later he remarked that if he knew how much concessions he would have to make he "probably would not have made the film". For a comedy the film lacks laughs, for a satire it doesn't pack much of a punch.
The second film in this collection is 2001: A Space Odyssey, a 1968 surreal science fiction epic co-written by the author Arthur C. Clarke and Kubrick himself. The most basic premise I could give you is that the film charts human evolution but it provides so much more with themes such as technology, extraterrestrial life and existentialism.
To try to provide a review of this "film" is difficult as it is almost not a film at all. The best I can do is to describe 2001 is to say it is a visual experience. There is not really much in the way of plot or a conventional narrative, instead the film is enigmatic and touches your subconscious in a poetic and philosophical way that no other film can. There are characters but very little dialogue; they take a backseat to the visuals that are the primary way the film communicates with the viewer. Kubrick deliberately chose to use existing classical music for the film that doesn't provide emotional cues, as is the norm with soundtracks, instead it provides a perfect accompaniment to the visuals.
I hope that my review has not portrayed the film as dull in any way as it's certainly not however words cannot do justice to what is a visual-led film.
The third film in the collection is perhaps Kubrick's most controversial - a 1971 adaptation of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange. The film is set in a dystopian future where gang leader Alex is caught by the police and offered a shortened sentence for his numerous crimes if he agrees to an experimental treatment on his brain to suppress all violent urges.
The first shot in this film is perhaps the best opening to any Kubrick film - the camera retreats hypnotically from Alex, introducing us to our bowler hat wearing, milk drinking protagonist. It's perhaps the most chilling opening shot ever committed to celluloid as he stares directly at the camera lens, as if acknowledging the presence of you, the viewer.
Alex is only one piece of A Clockwork Orange however, he is as important to the film as Winston is to 1984 as the film is also a narrative on violence, oppression and free will. The film is a strong contrast to Kubrick's Lolita that was also an adaptation of a controversial novel but was made before the relaxation of restrictions on film. Kubrick had complete control over A Clockwork Orange and the scenes of extreme violence would never have been permitted ten years prior.
A Clockwork Orange is a fascinating tour de force by Kubrick, combining Orwellian themes with an arresting performance by Malcolm McDowell and fantastic design and use of music.
Next up is Barry Lyndon or what I like to call Kubrick's 18th century Citizen Kane. Like Citizen Kane it charts the rise and fall from power of one who was not born into it but that is where the comparison ends. It's in this film that Kubrick's ingenuity with technology is demonstrated most prominently and it results in some of the most stunning imagery in history.
Kubrick wanted to shoot with natural light and candlelight and to this end he (with some help) invented cameras that could use the lenses developed for the Apollo moon landings. The film still features the largest lens aperture in cinema history. It paid off; the cinematography is simply stunning and almost any frame from the film could pass as art.
Barry Lyndon is perhaps the most emotional film in the collection and I have to admit that I did shed a tear at a scene. Ryan O'Neal gives an amazing performance of the titular character and perfectly portrays his weakness, vanity and cowardice.
The Shining follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. During Jack and his family's stay at the hotel strange things start to occur and when Jack has a mental breakdown the situation takes a sinister turn for the worse. Kubrick adapted the film from the Stephen King novel of the same name and King, now famously, hated the film.
Nicholson, as you might expect from a 12-time Academy Award nominee, delivers a stupendous performance along with Shelley Duvall.
The result is a subtle but chilling and utterly fantastic psychological horror. Kubrick uses the horror genre as a vehicle to ask questions on the nature of evil while still providing the jumps and thrills expected. The Shining is perhaps Kubrick's most accessible film and one of the best horror films of all time.
Kubrick's first outstanding feature, Paths of Glory [not included in this collection], was an anti-war film and 30 years later he returned to the war film with Full Metal Jacket. Full Metal Jacket follows 18-year-old marine Private Joker from boot camp to the frontline in Vietnam.
The film finely charts the dehumanising effects of war in a much more subtle way than other war films of the time. The opening shot is that of the recruits getting their hair shaved off to be replaced by the characteristic army skinhead. That is bookended by the ending that depicts the marines walking away from a battle site singing the Mickey Mouse Club song.
Full Metal Jacket may be the definitive Vietnam movie for a long time to come. While Apocalypse Now is the overall better film it deals very little with the war itself, instead it is an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and prefers to muse on insanity and the hypocrisy of Western imperialism. Platoon lacks the realism that Full Metal Jacket has in spades and perhaps too unnecessarily melodramatic. Full Metal Jacket has been named as the most realistic Vietnam movie from the veterans who were actually there and that must be an honour encompassing any Academy Award or Palme d'Or for a film.
On March 7th 1999, Stanley Kubrick died of a heart attack. Later in the year his final film, Eyes Wide Shut, was released posthumously. In the film we follow Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) on his erotic escapades in and around New York after he discovers his wife (Nicole Kidman) contemplated an affair.
The film looks fantastic. The Venetian masks and costumes look grand while being both creepy and chilling. New York City doesn't feel like New York City, it feels artificial but I suspect this is deliberate to bolster the dream-like qualities of the film. The dream-like qualities are visual, structural and thematic - Eyes Wide Shut feels like Kubrick doing a Lynch.
Tom Cruise gives an excellent performance as Bill Harford but the women of the film steal the show. The film is not Kubrick's best but it's perhaps his most haunting. The film doesn't provide jumps like The Shining but it feels like a horror. Unusual for a Kubrick movie, the film ends on an optimistic note. It makes me happy to think that at the end of his life Kubrick viewed the human condition with a more optimistic note.
Eyes Wide Shut is a very underrated film, like some of Kubrick's other films it came before its time, reactions and reviews at the time of release were mixed but I hope that like Barry Lyndon and 2001 it can find the praise that it deserves in the future.
Overall this is a great set, certainly the best currently available. It is conceivable that some of the films in this collection will be re-released with better picture and audio quality - a new restoration of A Clockwork Orange already exists but has not yet been released for example. However every film in the collection looks and sounds great except Eyes Wide Shut that is plagued by noise and a flat audio track. Disappointing for Kubrick's most recent production but rest assured that the set is still well worth the money with the discs here being the best currently available.
As for the extras they vary from film to film with Lolita and Barry Lyndon being practically void of any. There are plenty of highlights worth watching such as the documentaries on the 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange discs that are informative and interesting, A Life in Pictures [on a separate disc alongside O Lucky Malcolm!] and The Last Movie [on the Eyes Wide Shut disc] provide a fantastic overview of Kubrick's career and finally Lost Kubrick [also on the Eyes Wide Shut disc] gives us a glimpse of the masterpieces that could have been.
The biggest problem with The True Story Of Wrestlemania is that, as a life long wrestling fan, I know that it's not. Not by a long shot in fact. For those expecting a warts 'n all exposé on Vince McMahon and his 'Mania legacy will be sorely disappointed. As a near-30 year old man who remembers dragging his dad down to the local Woolworths to buy Wrestlemania IV on video, I couldn't help but want slightly more from this release. I've purchased WWE's marquee event every year since that first video tape, and I know how special it was when it was first launched. I've seen how fondly legends refer to their participation, and how passionately the current stars want to be involved. In the world of professional wrestling and Sports Entertainment, there's no higher prize than the main event of Wrestlemania.
Imagine 90,000 fans watching you live in a stadium performing, and a million around the world on PPV. All those eyes on you, doing what you love and enjoy. That's what WWE wrestlers live for. The crowd reaction and the spectacle of Wrestlemania; there's arguably nothing like it. The mixture of documentary and featured matches serves to inform, educate and highlight the history of this flagship pay per view. Yet with over 25 events to cover, you can't help but feel a little disappointed at how much is skimmed over. Perhaps as a die hard wrestling fan I expected too much, but I felt this Blu-ray had so much potential with such a deep pool of source material to take from. Don't get me wrong, some parts of the documentary absolutely hit the spot - Hulkamania, Mr Wrestlemania himself Shawn Michaels, a lot of the mainstream crossover with celebrities and sportsmen like Mike Tyson, and a lot of the most memorable moments in the history of the event. Yet for the regular fan, we've seen so much of it before, whether on superstar DVDs or compilations. Even The Mania of WrestleMania, a documentary about Wrestlemania XIX back in 2004, managed to cover far more in terms of backstage information and showing a different side to the event.
For casual fans, or first timers, this release is perfect. On 2 discs, you get the documentary and 11 matches, along with three Blu-ray exclusive matches and some extras including skits and interviews. It's a nice varied package which covers Wrestlemania from start to present, and features a lot of the key players talking about their contributions and experiences. If your Wrestlemania experience and knowledge is limited, then this is THE release for you to be able to catch up on it and see many of the most famous matches.
As with many WWE releases, there's a slight slant and bias based on who's in favour and who left under bad circumstances, but you come to expect that. No independent release would be able to use footage anyway, so you take what they want to give you. The historic footage looks as good as can be expected, with more recent Wrestlemanias showing how WWE are at the top of their game with HD these days. Their product has never looked better, and Blu-ray is the go-to medium for the best viewing. From the video screens and fireworks to the wrestlers themselves, it's almost like being in the middle of the action itself. The familiar themes and video packages sound of the highest quality, and are truly where WWE excel and prove why they are second to none in the wrestling business.
So in summary, I'd say this is a must-see for casual/new viewers, yet sadly not an essential one for regular/long term fans. It's good, but not great. When you know just how much has happened, and the amount that COULD have been covered, you can't help but watch this release and think of all the things missing. Yet for all those faults, it is enjoyable and even the long term fans will enjoying re-watching some of the best matches in the history of WWE and any wrestling company. Wrestlemania will forever be the most important PPV in the industry, and that's the true story.
An overview of the biggest show in wrestling.
Ip Man was Bruce Lee's legendary Kung Fu master, who taught him the tightly controlled Wing Chun discipline that would become the basis of Lee's Jeet Kune Do concept, still practised today. Ip Man is very important in the world of Martial Arts, but is his story intriguing enough to be a film without even mentioning his more famous disciple? Absolutely!
The first part of the film introduces Ip Man (Donnie Yen) as a highly respected and wealthy inhabitant of the Chinese city of Foshan, renowned for its multiple Martial Arts schools and their skilled Masters. Although Ip Man is recognised as the most skilled of all, he leads a quiet life, respectfully refusing to run a school or take a disciple. Still, he gets a lot of attention, much to the annoyance of his wife and young son. Soon he is forced to help rid the city of an arrogant bandit who had been challenging and embarrassing the local Masters. Life returns to normal for Ip Man, but the film picks up his story again years later during the Japanese occupation and finds him stripped of his wealth. Foshan is in poverty and the occupying General puts on cruel tournaments to test his soldiers against Chinese Kung Fu. Ip Man refuses to take part, believing his Martial Arts skills to be impractical for supporting his family, but once more, he is the only one capable of defending the honour of his friends.
To be fair, a lot of the tale is likely to be more legend than truth, but that suits the genre and works as a tribute to the Grandmaster. Martial Arts is a form that thrives on recognising its history and teachers, so a film such as this can get away with telling a few porkie pies because it's about paying respect to the man and what he represents to the students of Wing Chun and JKD today.
The first half is great fun and works as a pure Kung Fu movie, straight out of the same stable that Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and so many others made their name from. It gleefully subscribes to the same faintly ridiculous plotting to join together the fight scenes. That isn't a criticism. Director Wilson Yip simply demonstrates he knows his audience (while the shrewd screenplay has an ambitious second half up its sleeve anyway). The action sequences, choreographed by the legendary Sammo Hung, are superb; exciting and violent, but accurate with plenty of wow moments that don't resort to the slapstick that can occasionally creep into this kind of film. It's properly bone-crunching, breathless stuff that also avoids using too much wire work. This isn't one of those silly films where people fly around after being kicked! That would be disrespectful of the elegant close quarters Wing Chun style anyway, which Donnie Yen has clearly become very proficient at.
The film looks fantastic in its attention to period detail and the sets are incredible. It's essential to see this on Blu-Ray to fully appreciate the depth of that detail and photography. This is an impressive and sumptuous film that keeps you enthralled, even when the characters aren't scrapping. Apparently there was some controversy over the title because Wong Kar-wai was also developing a bio-pic about Ip Man. That film has yet to transpire if it ever will, but while Wong is a truly great director, I can't imagine the look or tone could be improved on. Wilson Yip has crafted a production to be proud of, as it confidently straddles the pure fun of Kung Fu movies and a character driven drama. Occasionally it gets out of shape when trying to sidestep clichés on both sides, but sidestep them it does.
Ironically, by doing that it actually does become a bit predictable in one sense at least. Ip Man is clearly too good. Donnie Yen plays him brilliantly and his skill is astonishing, but the character might as well be a brick wall for all the good his opponents can do! He's an immovable force and seems invincible, so where's the peril? A hero has to overcome adversity and normally that means losing once or twice, or bravely overcoming an injury, Karate Kid style, to prevail in the end. In the second half, the story cleverly gives Ip Man an awful crisis of confidence. So what if you're invincible? Kung Fu is no good in a war. What are you going to do, kick the Japanese army of town one at a time? No, of course not. Ip Man is going to do it ten at a time!
Ok, I'm being silly, but in all seriousness, despite a pissed off Ip Man challenging ten Japanese at the tournament making for the most awesome scene of all, it's still a small part of a much bigger situation he feels powerless to deal with. There is the peril, there is the adversity and it doesn't get much more thrilling.
While it occasionally over-reaches itself, the ambitious narrative is a refreshing flying kick up the back-side for the Martial Arts genre and should be seen as one of the best of its kind because while it hits the essential ingredients of being great fun and thoroughly entertaining, it can also be moving. It is so respectful of the illustrious Ip Man and the Wing Chun style, it defines the very point of Kung Fu and legitimises why these films are so popular as probably the finest form of the action genre. The naïve amongst you might see Kung Fu b-movies as poorly dubbed grown men in their pyjamas slapping each other and so Ip Man is the perfect film for you to jump on board and see how good they can be.
The Blu-ray includes an effective demonstration by Dan Inosanto (Bruce Lee's senior student) of Wing Chun and its relevance to Jeet Kune Do, as well as interviews of cast and crew including Sammo Hung and Ip Man's son, Ip Chun.
Saw it in the gold feilds in the 90s (WESTERN AUSTRALIA) ABC-BBC TV- Kids are old enough to watch it now -They need to see what our grandparents fought for-Would like to buy DVD set
'M' was the first sound film directed by Fritz Lang, the German expressionist famed for films such as 'Metropolis', the Dr. Mabuse series, 'The Big Heat' and indeed 'M', which he regarded as his finest. The story goes like this - the city is being terrorised by a child-murderer (Peter Lorre), after he claims another victim the police step up their efforts to track him down. However the increased police presence on the streets annoys the criminal underworld who also try to track the murderer down in order to get the police presence to subside.
The use of sound, in what was Lang's first sound film, is very impressive. This film contains the first example of a leitmotif, associating Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" with Hans Beckert, the child-murderer. Lorre's performance as Beckert (supposedly an amalgamation of real-life German serial killers) is exceptional and without a doubt the greatest of his career. The film wouldn't be the visual spectacle it is without Lorre and his vast range of facial expressions.
'M' is Lang's most innovative and influential film. The use of shadows and light, questions about morality and the unsavoury subject matter all help to make this film the precursor to film noir. Lang's directing is impeccable, from the use of sound as I outlined earlier to foreshadowing and suspense of almost Hitchcockian levels.
On my first viewing there was one scene that bothered me - the slightly anticlimactic ending. Whilst not giving anything away I will say that Beckert gives a desperate monologue that attempts what would later become a staple of film noir - to make us understand why the character did what they did. Supposedly the monologue is also an allegory that shows Lang's feelings towards the justice system in Germany at the time but my preferred interpretation is that of Lang questioning the use of capital punishment (that was used on the "Vampire of Dusseldorf", one of the inspirations for Beckert, a few years earlier). Beckert's fate is deliberately ambiguous but it is hinted that capital punishment was used.
The final shot is that of the victims' mothers with one of the mothers saying, "This will not bring our children back" and the mother of the latest victim saying "One has to keep a closer watch over the children. All of you." This is Lang trying to say that the serial killings of children (likely those committed by the "Vampire of Dusseldorf") were preventable and while that may be a noble message to try and get parents to keep a closer watch over the children it seems tacked on at the end and to me comes across as propaganda.
While I may not be raving about the ending I give this film a high recommendation.
In 2009, Liam Neeson played the role of fifty-something action hero in the smash hit "TAKEN". A no-brainer movie that was brutal, effective and extremely fast-paced. Liam did a commendable job as the driven father who stopped at nothing to rescue his daughter from the hands of human traffickers. It was no surprise that Liam would re-visit such roles and in early 2011, his next big action movie hit the theaters and while everyone initially assumed it would be the sequel to "Taken". On the contrary, it turned out to be anything but.
In "Unknown", Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) and his wife Liz (January Jones) arrive in Germany for a summit and upon reaching their hotel; Martin realizes one of his bag is missing so he takes a taxi back to the airport and on the way; his taxi is involved in a serious accident and ends up falling in the river. He is rescued by the taxi driver, Gina (Diane Kruger) but then he goes into a coma for 4 days and when he wakes up, worried about his wife, he leaves to the hotel and approaches his wife who doesn't seem to recognize him at all and then another man enters the picture and claims to be Dr. Martin Harris (Aidan Quinn) and he seems to have all identification to prove that he is the real Martin while Neeson doesn't have any proof and he appears as some weird guy who is trying to harass the Dr. and his wife. He starts to question if he really is the real Martin.
Now our hero is in a foreign city where he needs all the help he can get to discover what is going on and WHY? With bad guys on his trail trying to kill him and anyone he comes in contact with.
This movie is different than "Taken" as it plays more like a Hitchcockian thriller than a straight action flick and that's not such a bad thing as this movie packs enough twists and turns to keep one interested and entertained during its 2 hrs running time. Additionally it has some nifty and intense action and chase scenes scattered all around to satisfy those who came expecting the next "taken". One more thing, the movie truly benefits from the appearance of Frank Langella half-way through the movie, as he along with Bruno Ganz deliver the movie's best scene when they are together in the room.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra really keeps you tense during this scene and his does so for most part during this movie. His direction also is quite stylish.
In terms of acting, Neeson delivers the goods again as the troubled action hero who is in search of answers. I was never really fond of Diane Kruger, but here she is rather likeable. January Jones doesn't have much to do till the climax. Both Bruno Ganz and Frank Langella are electrifying in their brief roles. Aidan Quinn isn't memorable as the bad guy; seen better villains.
Overall, this is another well-made B-movie that is entertaining for most part and has a solid performance by Liam Neeson who shines again as the action hero. If you liked "Taken" then give "Unknown" a chance. Recommended
As Man vs Alien invader genres go, this is the best film out there. The film focuses on an inexperienced platoon led by the new lieutenant and their battle hardened sergeant as they battle through an over-run Los Angeles to get themselves and a group of civilians to safety before the Airforce bomb the city out of existence. It is extremely well made, with aliens that are believable (as much as they can be) and who fight like humans would which makes this feel more like a war movie with aliens than an alien sci-fi. There are definite similarities to Black Hawk Down. There is very little tubthumping and flag waving patriatism that tend to spoil other films of this genre and the battle scenes are gritty and well made. The cast are excellent with a few recognisable faces (if not recognisable names). All in all this is a hugely enjoyable film with just about the right mix of everything required to make a good sci-fi/war movie. The bluray has plenty of extras to keep the fans entertained too.
Aliens attack Los Angeles from the sea and a platoon of raw marines with an ageing sergeant are sent in to rescue civilians caught in the battlezone before the military bomb the area to oblivion.
A rare misfire from George Clooney, 'The American' redefines tedium and makes its relatively lean 95-minute running time seem like an eternity. Director Anton Corbijn's slow burn character study / retro thriller begins with a bang; when world weary hit man Jack (Clooney) is ambushed by rival assassins (Swedes. apparently). He kills them all and is forced to go on the lam; ordered to lie low in rural Italy and await further instructions.
Now I've heard of six characters in search of an author, but now I've seen a film in search of a story; with faultless mise-en-scene (minimalist style at its best) and a competent cast, 'The American' ought to have been more than the sum of its parts. But we're never really drawn into the narrative; aren't particularly interested in Jack's last job to construct a new sniper rifle, intrigued by his relationship with a local prostitute or engaged with the subplot where he's training the female assassin for whom he's making the gun.
Future filmmakers take note; when Clooney decides to reign in the chin-down smirk and gregarious banter, make sure there's enough of a story to warrant the dour cynicism e.g. serious Clooney worked in 'Syrianna' because there were a multitude of characters jostling within a captivating narrative; same thing in 'Solaris', where his pensive, introspective astronaut complemented the film's thoughtful tone. But here, he's just some guy moping around like a wannabe Jef Costello from 'Le Samouraï': all style, no substance.
'The American' is a cool but flat effort to recreate old school Euro thrillers like 'The Quiller Memorandum' or 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold' via the laid back, non-liner style of New Wave classics like 'Breathless' or 'The Red Circle'. Commendable intent, poor execution.
Really great teen film, got it for my birthday, and I have watched it a hundred times!
Low Budget Spanish Horror flick filmed in the hand held camera style ala Blair Witch Project. Jump aboard as we join a local TV crew filming the show 'While You Are Asleep' at the local Fire Station in downtown Barcelona. The Station receives a call from an apartment block claiming that a resident has attacked another and they are unbale to gain access to the offenders flat. The TV Crew and Fire Officers respond to the call, enter the apartment and thats as much as Im going to give away......
Basically what follows is without a question of a doubt the most terrifiying horror film I have witnessed in years and this is speaking as a horror veteran of 34 years! At roughly 75 mins, the film is pretty short and as a result the pacing is perfect. The acting is perfect too and you WILL be routing for the protagonists which isn't a common practice with many horror films these days.
There is also a real sense of confusion and claustophobia which simply adds to the terror and in my opinion this is by far the best use of the hand held camera as you feel as though you are in there with them...
REC is a loud, relentless, blood and thunder horror movie, with an ending that even surpasses the blood freezing creepiness of that moment Sadoko lurches out of the well in Ringu.
Unintentionally hilarious but mildly entertaining propaganda, which sees a bunch of U.S. Marines in urban warfare against alien invaders. Director Jonathan Liebesman beats you over the head with every military cliché in the book within the first 10 minutes, and doesn't let up for the next hour or so.
Aaron Eckhart ('The Black Dahlia') plays guilt-ridden, battle-hardened Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz; whose about to retire when some extraterrestrials decide to take L.A. with a D-Day style onslaught from Venice beach. Eckhart's character is like a live-action Buzz Lightyear who shouts every other line and seems intent on making us forget that Aaron Eckhart is actually a great actor who has no business being in this movie. In fact, keeping with the 'Toy Story' comparison, 'Battle: Los Angeles' is probably the closest we'll ever get to seeing a film featuring Sarge and his bucket O' soldiers, the only difference being that those little green plastic men have more depth and range than the entire cast of 'Battle: Los Angeles'.
On the plus side; they're a handful of competently shot, 'Cloverfield' style action scenes (e.g. the highway assault), it's well paced and shaky cam isn't used to the point of inducing nausea. That said, you'll be hard pressed not to laugh at the absurd, 'God bless America' theatrics and a perfunctory script, which contains howlers like: "We're not going to die here, corporal", shouted at full volume, of course. 'Battle: Los Angeles' also seems to take place in an alternate reality: in an America where we're led to believe that an alien invasion wouldn't be a welcome sight, an America that hasn't lost the wars it started and isn't riddled with corruption, sleaze or a mountain of self-inflicted debt. In short, 'Battle: Los Angeles' is to realism what Fox News is to journalistic integrity.
But if you can smile at the filmmaker's delusional pomposity, then there are just enough enjoyable set pieces to drag you past the 116-minute mark, kicking and screaming perhaps, but kicking like a mule and screaming like a Marine. Hoo Rah...or something.
I have always been a fan of Tim Burton ever since I saw 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. The colours were beautiful in that film and Danny Elfman's music was like a flowing breeze. 'Alice In Wonderland' had a few good voice actors thrown into it like Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry and Barbara Windsor. There are some good scenes in this film. I do think that the final scene where the Mad Hatter is doing some sort of breakdance was a bit odd and did not fit in with the picture. I felt like I was watching some sort of spoof film written and directed by Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg. He was dancing to music that would have been released by the time that every single character was dead. I think that Johnny Depp did a good performance even though his character is odd at times. I think that this is an enjoyable film.
Alice (Mia Wasikowska) falls down a rabbit hole and is trapped in 'Underland'. a mythical kingdom ruled by the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). Alice must team up with the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) to defeat the Red Queen in order to return home.
A Serbian Film was panned by the majority of UK film critics as being trashy, exploitative and ugly. This contreversial film caused political uproar in its native country, Serbia (as the title suggests) and this did not go unnoticed. The BBFC gave the film an '18' rating and in doing so cut almost 5 mins of the film.
No doubt this has all added to the noteriety of the film which I feel is well on its way to becoming a future cult classic.
The plot centres around ex-pornstar and family man, Milos (a haunting Srdjan Todorovic) who is running low on cash and receives an offer he cannot refuse from an enthusiastic, self-proclaimed 'artist' Vukmir. However Milos senses all is not right with his new employers.
What ensues will either have you vomiting or gripped in morbid fascination. A Serbian Film is highly divisive, and this is not surprise considering it deals with such taboos as paedophillia, necrophillia, rape, physical abuse to name but a few.
The makers of the film have described it as being a satire; an allegory of modern day Serbia; a nation that as seen war, violence, genocide, ethnic tensions and political upheaval over the last 20 years. Not once did I find what I was watching absurd or ridiculous in fact I found the movie to be a very literal representation of how those up-above (politicians, police, religious leaders) can really mess with our heads.
The film is shot beautifully, has some really impressive make-up effects and in terms of the script and direction is at times very reminiscent of the noirish productions of David Lynch aka Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire. Vukmir, played with over-the-top gusto by Sergej Trifunovic, is given some of the films choice lines.
A Serbian Film depicts a revolting, nightmarish modern society that bravely takes a look at how depraved we as humans can be and for this I have to give director Srdjan Spasojevic kudos. Beware, this film is not for the fainthearted but do not be swayed by the negative reviews, A Serbian Film is a rewarding if challenging experience and I can guarantee it's not a film that you are likely to forget in a hurry.
Shock Value: 10/10
Entertainment: 7/10
Future Cult Classic Status: 9/10 (the UNCUT version is already in demand!)
VERY VERY funny film.Watched it twice on the plane to the USA,once on the way there and then on the way back,much like a modern day 'Trains,Planes and Automobiles'.If you laughed at that movie you will definately laugh at this.Highly Recommended.
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