The novel is appraised as one of the last great Gothic Horror novels, but in the translation to film, it's lost most of its scare value. This is largely down to the fact that they've made the film for the audience of Twilight, which should inherently suggest that something is wrong.
Chief amongst the mistakes that this focus would entail is the casting of Ben Barnes. I previously found him to be the worst part of the second Narnia film, Prince Caspian, which isn't good considering he was in the title role. There's an identical problem here, as it seems he's been cast purely for his looks once again, because the only time he really convinces as Gray is in the early scenes, where he's wide-eyed and naive about the position in the world he's inherited.
Once he begins having wild orgies, taking up substance abuse and murdering people, he slips into that same acting trend as Robert Pattinson does as Edward Cullen. He attempts to purvey age beyond his years simply by speaking slower and occasionally using his big boy voice to admonish people. It's also fairly reminiscent of Hayden Christensen in... well, anything Hayden Christensen has done. Far from being convinced of Gray's weariness and hidden malice, I half expected him to shout that from his point of view, the Jedi were evil.
Where Dorian Gray fell down for me was in the fact that everything hinges on a strong central lead. Barnes is certainly not that, and so it's easy to forget that the rest of the production is fairly competent. It remains largely faithful to Wilde's novel, and looking at St Trinian's director Oliver Parker's CV, this is certainly the most interesting film he's done to date.
The visuals are slightly reminiscent of Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd, but Parker doesn't allow the film to look hackneyed or unoriginal. Especially deserving of praise is Colin Firth, who does his utmost to steal the show as the cynical Lord Harry, dispensing wit and one-liners aplenty. Unfortunately, it's misjudged as a vehicle for Barnes.
Not to mention the fact that it skews towards a young teenage target audience, meaning that Gray's violent and lewd misdemeanours cannot be entirely represented on screen. At the same time, a fair portion of that target audience wasn't be able to see the film in cinemas on account of its 15 certificate- so it's stuck somewhere in the middle of two audiences.
It's not a bad film by any means, but it's forgettable and in many ways that's worse.
Dorian Gray is a new film adaptation of the novel by Oscar Wilde, starring Ben Barnes as the naive young Dorian, bound for great renown as a high-class socialite in London until he meets Colin Firth's Lord Henry Wotton, who introduces him to a life of hedonism and temptation. This is much abetted by the fact that a painter friend has just inadvertently captured Gray's soul in a painting, leaving his looks frozen in reality while his image degrades in the attic each time he succumbs to temptation.
Over the last year I've been buying myself all the components for a nice home-theatre setup and as of last month all the pieces are in place. All that was left now was to buy some material to show of this system.
I read up on different Blu-ray review sites and found that the Pirates of The Caribbean movies came highly rated. I started looking for them, but as with all Disney releases, the price of the individual movies was a bit too steep for me. It was then that I saw this trilogy pack at Amazon for less than £25. At this price point, this pack is simply the best Blu-ray purchase I've done to date (Although the "The Matrix" trilogy also comes close).
This pack consists of the three separate retail Double-disc Blu-ray cases in a nice sleeve.
Each part of the trilogy comes with 2 discs. One with the main feature including some extras and the other is filled to the brim with even more extras.
I can be short about the movies themselves: they get a little worse with each sequel, but even the last one is very enjoyable. They're always bombastic, mostly funny, but at times they're just plain silly. (But hey, it's a Disney movie after all.)
The greatest thing about this trilogy however is the quality of image and sound. The video encodes are simply perfect. No grain, vibrant colours, as sharp as video can be, and a consistent high bitrates makes these the best transfers (apart from the Imax scenes in the Dark Knight) I have ever seen.
While the video is superb, the audio is even better. It comes in an uncompressed format at about 6Mb/s (That's almost the same bitrate that a DVD uses for the video-stream!) and it will simply blow your mind if you have a decent surround system. Dialogue is always clear and crisp, but it's in the action sequences you'll be at the tip of your chair. The positioning on the surround plane is great, sound is as dynamic as ever... well, there just aren't words to describe how great the sound is. When you're at the end of one of these movies, and the credits start rolling with the Pirates theme playing, you'll know what I mean.
Great movies, and superb image and sound for an unbelievable price.
Definitely not the Bollywood some may expect, 'Slumdog Millionaire' captures both sides of the Indian rupee. Although overall it is a heartwarming tale of (literally) rags to riches and of love conquering all, underneath, it explores some of the darker depths of India. From the organised begging to the failed family ties, the focus on these depths mean even an ardent fan of somewhat darker cinema could be won over. They also emphasise the positivity of the film, an idea that is encapsulated within the antithesis of the title.
Thankfully, it steers clear of the usual look at racist attitudes toward people from the Middle East and, instead, shows a modern-day fairytale and one that bares more than a few teeth.
Written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson, The Invention of Lying is high concept film full of laughs.
In a world where everyone can only tell the truth... one guy finds that he can lie. And it changes his, and everyone else's, life.
Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) and Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner) are set up on a date by a friend but it's painfully obvious that in terms of looks and career progression that Anna can do better than Mark.
The Invention of Lying is an intelligent, cerebral film. It's shrewdly constructed as well as fiendishly original. And whilst there are some narrative problems it nevertheless often borders on brilliance.
However just as Mark stumbles when faced with people asking him why he knows so much about death, the film also stumbles quite heavily at the point where the subplot of the man-in-the-sky is introduced.
Perhaps Gervais was struggling to find his characters anything else particularly interesting to do but the second act of the film is confused. Happily the ending rounds out the film nicely and by the end credits all the silliness of the middle third is forgiven and forgotten.
Some viewers may find the film frustrating as they may feel that if someone was unable to lie it does not necessarily follow that they would be forced to tell the truth, at least not in the way that some of the characters do in the film. How there is something wonderful here, in the fact that it's refreshing and also very funny to see people speaking so truthfully. I feel that the film constantly flirts with brilliance but perhaps never really achieves it absolutely.
Gervais manages to reign himself in more than usual and gives a straight performance, stripping away some of the guff that he often subjects us to. Even his laugh is toned down. What we might be witnessing is his transformation into a really quite decent actor.
So there are some faults, a stuttering middle act, and some odd plot twists but the set-up, and the first act, is glorious and there are plenty of genuine laughs throughout the rest of the film.
Doghouse is the next instalment in a line of British comedy horrors, with the visual slapstic of 'Shaun of the dead' and the humour of 'Dog Soldiers'. If you're a fan of this genre, you're sure to be pleased.
Fans of the director, Jake West (Evil Aliens, Razorblade Smile) will know what to expect; plenty of action, fountains of blood and piles of gore, which will amuse you for the duration. The storyline is hardly inspiring, but this can be forgiven as there are plenty of laugh out loud moments to keep you watching.
A great, no-brainer, film. Well worth a watch.
A group of London lads, head out to a rural village, for a weekend escape. They arrive to find the village deserted and the residents seemingly absent.
Soon, however, the village is overrun with man hating zombies, intent on emasculating the group.
"It could be lupas"
The show focuses on Dr Gregory House a dysfunctional, maverick, diagnostician in a New Jersey teaching hospital. Along with his small team each episode sees him using every method at his disposal, some somewhat unconventional, to solve medical mysteries.
The real beauty of the show is the development of Houses relationships with the people around him. Like all true geniuses he is a flawed character, and his relationships highlight these flaws. Hugh Laurie in the tital role is superb and adds a real British dryness to the humour, all be it with a very convincing American accent! Apparently when Bryan Singer the producer of the show, of X-Men fame, first saw Hugh's casting tape he declared "That's exactly what we're after, a good old fashioned American actor!" he was obviously not a fan of Blackadder! In his defence, Hugh's accent is so natural that hearing him revert back to his own British accent in the extras is somewhat strange.
Each season has a different central storyline which develops in each episode and keeps you hooked and each season manages to better the previous one. The show is dramatic, sad, uplifting and funny in equal amounts and certain to keep you watching.
Why waste time searching through 1000 channels on Sky when you can get over 30 hours of fantastic television to enjoy at your pleasure, a must buy.
Cutely pitched as "a story about love - not a love story", (500) Days of Summer is a breath of fresh air for anyone who likes their romantic comedies infused with hints of realism and touches caustic humour.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt a rough-hewn, unconventionally handsome lead actor really inhabits his character of Tom Hansen, while Zooey Deschanel, as Summer Finn, is magnetic, sexy and sincere. Deschanel's beauty intoxicates as she models a veritable plethora of beautiful dresses.
The film is shot cleanly and crisply and certain outdoor scenes in particular are the perfect advert for Los Angeles with its varied architecture and its nightlife. As the film shifts gears, at points focusing on Summer and Tom in happier times to instantly juxtapose this with darker days of their relationship we see that there is a level of depth here rarely seen in a romantic comedy. Marc Webb's careful and controlled direction is perfect, light and fluffy when required whilst also having the range to handle the darker side of proceedings.
The storyline is cerebral enough, and the comedy broad enough, to make sure that the film is never boring, or the narrative too thin, while it also makes sure that it never neglects to entertain. What's more, there's also enough depth here to ensure that the impact of the film doesn't evaporate on second viewing, indeed, this film can be enjoyed over and over.
Notably it steers clear of being judgemental or preaching to its audience and while it examines relationships at a deeper level than most romantic comedies it manages to remain funny and enjoyable.
Also, very pleasingly, the auxiliary characters are given enough layers of complexity to avoid the usual failing of romantic comedies of being inhabited by one-dimensional and unbelievable characters.
Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt manage to produce a chemistry between them that is palpable and they work hard to make their characters, and consequently the film as a whole, extremely charming and certainly worth your time.
Internet Provider Man? Try Ip Man (Donnie Yen); legendary Chinese martial arts master who taught Bruce Lee. Set just prior to and during the Japanese occupation of China (1937-45) 'Ip Man' is similar in tone to 'Fist Of Fury' in that Japanese forces are depicted as absolute cads and bounders whilst the noble Chinaman (with the exception of the odd rouge or collaborator) defends his motherland with honour, dignity and courage. Sino-Nipponese history aside, 'Ip Man' delivers the goods on action with one balletic and brutal fight sequence after another. Story beginning to drag? Sit tight, for someone's bound to get his head kicked in any second now. The real Ip Man was, by all accounts, one of the most genteel, unassuming and humble teachers in all Foshan; Man even thanks an opponent for "letting me win"! Wing Chun Kung Fu (Ip Man's style) Wushu and Karate are all equally good and look even better when matched against one another under the watchful eye of director Wilson Yip, fight choreographers Sammo Hung Kam-Bo and Tony Leung Siu Hung along with Sing-Pui O's impressive cinematography. Which poignantly captures both the prosperity and financial decline of Mann's household pre and post invasion.
Donnie Yen is the best he's been since 'The Empress And The Warriors' whilst 'Ip Man' is up there with 'Seven Swords', 'New Dragon Gate Inn' and 'Hero'. An engaging, well paced story that promotes the virtues of self-respect, family values and good manners without compromising on action, 'Ip Mann' is a triumph all round.
There appears to be somewhat of a snobbiness in the world of film towards romance. It's an idea which appears in 95% of movies, but when it takes centre stage it somehow becomes less worthy. Romance? It should be in the background while the characters are dealing with the important stuff. We don't want our characters to express their feelings; as long as they know it we're fine. Look, his wife's in the background as he fights to stop the world being overrun by a plague of giant, brain-eating alien worms. Now that's love.
There has been a lot of talk regarding whether (500) Days of Summer is a rom-com or not. It's a comedy where romance features a great deal and could easily be dismissed as a generic, feel-good summer vehicle held together with musical montages. But it's not. It's probably the freshest, funniest and most honest romantic film you'll see in years. So, it's an uncommon rom-com? No, that's a stupid name to give it. Let's move on.
When greeting card writer Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is dumped by the girl he considers to be his soul mate, Summer (Zooey Deschanel), he looks back over the time they spent together trying to determine where they went wrong and if she was really right for him.
Gordon-Levitt is unbelievably likeable. His character is such a hopeless romantic we can't help but root for him, even when we know from the outset that things don't work out. Every high and low he experiences, the audience experiences, leaving us desperate for Summer to just give us one more chance. Deschanel plays the hot and cold Summer brilliantly. She is exactly the kind of girl all the guys want while she doesn't even acknowledge them. The chemistry between the two is clear to see even when Summer herself doesn't.
The music in the film is almost a character in itself, and don't be surprised if you find yourself searching for the soundtrack on iTunes as soon as the film ends. One all-singing, all-dancing scene springs to mind as a highlight of many.
Not your typical romantic comedy, (500) Days of Summer gives a truthful depiction of love and all that comes with it. Marc Webb's directorial debut oozes more charm and style throughout than most films can dream of, while never getting in the way of brilliant storytelling.
One of the most un-funny comedies of recent times, and I use the word "comedies" out of context as this movie cannot honestly be described as one.
Jack Black has appeared in far better outings than this, I can't believe he really needed the cash.
Avoid.
Verdict
Although there are glimpses of comedic genius (most of them found in the trailer), 'Year One' is a disappointing and rather dull walk through biblical history - let's just hope there's no Year Two!
Despite the steamy content, Shortbus is actually a light, indie rom-com, frequently featuring darker dramatic elements.
Set in a post 9/11 New York City it splits between Sophia (Sook-Yin Lee), a sex therapist (or relationship counsellor as she prefers to be called) who lives happily with her husband, the only problem being with her situation is that she can't seem to achieve that ever-evasive 'big-O'. Throughout the film she meets many people, gets lots of advice and tries a multitude of techniques - to hilarious consequences at times. The film begins with Sophia counselling Jamie (PJ DeBoy) and James (Paul Dawson) about making their relationship an open one, its during this session that Sophia herself cracks, spilling out her own sexually frustrated angst and marking the begging her crusade to come.
One of the major thematic elements of the film is the need from all of the characters to feel accepted and to a have real connection with people, shown by Severin's (Lindsay Beamish) self-induced isolation brought on by her ways as a dominatrix. The fears and weaknesses of the characters appear to be honest, making Shortbus completely emotionally engaging.
The music itself is certainly worth mentioning with a selection of artists from the New York indie scene, many of which I have gotten into because of the film. The finale song by Justin Bond is the perfect catharsis to the film, which really tops of the feel-good vibe. It must be pointed out that this is a feel-good film, the frequent steamy sex scenes between one up to a room full of people (sextras as they're called in the credits) should not mislead you; much like the emotional scenes the sex scenes are just as honest and pure - as soon as you become comfortable with them as a viewer you yourself can feel the openness of the film.
Shortbus absolutely has my recommendation, it's an excellent film showing the other side to the cold, hard New Yorker lifestyle. Definitely not one to watch with your parents though!
Also the DVD itself has some excellent special features with "How to Shoot Sex: A Docu-Primer" amongst other short 'making-of' features, trailers and lots of commentary from cast members. Buy this film!
Although the initial feel of 'Brooklyn Rules' is a seemingly derivative teenager-caught-up-in-the-mob tale, the intended message is a much more wholesome one (without being too "rom-com" about it) with very little emphasis on graphic violence (only one truly violent scene, and nothing much is shown) and greater weight put on character definition and the bond of friendship.
Indeed 'Brooklyn Rules' is a story of childhood friends much more than it is a gangster movie, but with enough grit that it's not going to end up being Sunday afternoon TV fodder. What makes the movie so enjoyable is the flawless and often very funny constant banter between the trio of fast-talking friends at the heart of the story played by Freddie Prinze Jr. (who needn't have gone so heavy on the cliché Brooklyn accent), Scott Caan and the ever-so-Sean-Astin Jerry Ferrara. Mena Suvari doesn't have much to do but Alec Baldwin is near-perfect in his role as wise guy Caesar, doing an excellent job of making the viewer see the good side of his character.
The movie received some heavy criticism upon its cinematic release in the US for trying too hard to be like other famous mob movies. To be honest, a point was missed here. This movie isn't trying to be a mob movie. It's set in the classic New York mob era, and certainly the story has a lot of mob elements which drive it on, but these are just the background to the main story about the three friends. The causes of most of their problems, and the events in the film, could have been set against any backdrop where one of the trio starts to get involved in crime. This could have been set around a modern-day criminal gang in any major US city and it wouldn't have altered the movie in the slightest, aside from some of the period-specific dialogue and clothing etc.
'Brooklyn Rules' doesn't revolutionise anything. Very little about the movie is markedly different to what already exists, but the story is good, the acting is strong and the motif clear. If approached with an open mind viewers should find themselves caring enough about the characters to be suitably affected by some of the key events while watching, and although the ending feels ever-so-slightly rushed, it's a satisfying if untaxing viewing experience.
An interesting series - not without its problems - but worth dipping in to if you are curious about what it has to offer.
Oh dear, what happened? Smallville has been so good in its first three seasons, but by comparison, season four is, honestly, a bit of an embarrassment.
There are so many fundamental problems with this season that all stem directly from the poor writing of the show, something that has always had the potential to be a problem, but up until now, has never jeopardised the integrity of what was quite an enjoyable and entertaining programme.
This season sees the fourth year of high school, something that, thankfully avoided the Buffyverse, and the format feels stale and old. The 'monster of the week' format is just a joke, and it should be left back in the mid 1990's where it rightfully belongs. The strongest aspect of Smallville has always been the relationships of the characters and their interaction, the monster of the week has been, and never will be interesting.
The show is constantly recovering old ground, something which is hideously apparent in this season, superbly demonstrated when Clark gets amnesia twice in this season alone. Sounds silly? Yes, it is.
We see very little character development in this season, which is mainly down to the fact that the fairly capable actors aren't even playing their own characters a lot of the time. Lana keeps getting possessed. Clark, when he's not suffering amnesia, is being body-swapped with just about every other character or being high on red kryptonite. Mrs. Kent, Chloe, Lionel and Lois all play host to other characters as well, with I believe, only Mr. Kent getting away unscathed by possession this year, while Lex gets split in two, poor chap. Maybe some sort of well trained priest would be a worthy addition to the cast of characters next year for regular Exorcisms, to simply cut down the volume of bad episodes. It was fun in season two, now the writers have just flogged the idea to death.
The writers have also tried to integrate Lana far more into the mythology of Superman this year, with fairly dodgy consequences. So far as being Clark's love interest, to my knowledge, the character has never had any significance in the mythology up until this point. The show has always taken big leaps with continuity to the Superman mythology, but usually the moves are justified by entertainment value, such as introducing Lois Lane to the cast this year. However, making Smallville feel like a bad Charmed/Buffy episode, by having Lana periodically possessed by a medieval Witch, is just crap. Smallville is Science-Fiction-Comic-Book, not Fantasy, and the two rarely work when mixed: arguably that is why Supergirl The Movie never worked, but that's a point for another day.
Clark is as nice as ever; boring. Lana cries in every scene; same old, same old, get over it, love. Chloe is still there, being a minger. Lex is going soft on us. Lionel is as inconsistent as anything. Martha and Jonathan Kent just about scrape through with some consistency. Lois Lane is the only half decent thing about this season, bringing some nice comic moments, but even she only features in about a third of the twenty two episodes. Strangely she adorns the new DVDs packaging, but not the opening credits.
In a world of television dominated by fabulously written shows such as Alias and Lost, Smallville is flagging behind. Even the show's writers themselves said they were fearful of sinking behind Lost.
Ultimately what makes a good show is characters and drama. You don't want to have to watch forty minutes of tripe just so Clark and Lana can share a longing glance across the room. That's just dull. The only aspects which interested me slightly were Margot Kidder guest starring, that's Lois Lane from the Superman Movies, she played her role hilariously, although I'm unsure whether that was intentional or the side-effect of too much botox (for further investigation see Family Guy Season 3 'Mr. Saturday Night'!!!). The other aspect being how the end of season four seems to directly crossover with the first forty minutes of Superman The Movie. However, we know this can't be so, because there are subsequent seasons where Clark still won't be Superman, otherwise it would turn into another Superman series, which just isn't Smallville, so who knows how the writers will flummox their way out of that.
The DVD features are short and sweet, two ten minuet features, one on writing the show, one on Lois Lane. We see the writers using an empty water cooler bottle as a baseball bat in an office game of rounders, partly explaining as to why this season is as rubbish as it is. The Lois feature is short, but interesting. The Gag Reel, which has always been fun on previous releases has gone. But there are a few more commentaries, but I can honestly say I won't be listening to them.
It's just below average really and you can blame the writers.
While being a bit slow to take off, once it gets going Moon is well in there with classic sci-fi movies.
For a direction début, Duncan Jones shows excellent talent and storytelling. Music is originally composed by Clint Mansell, who brought an eerie tone to the film in a similar way he did to Requiem for a Dream. Sam Rockwell fully succeeds in showing his versatility as an actor, I completely forgot he had ever done comedy.
An original storyline is what makes Moon stand out from other low-budget sci-fi. This is just the success Jones needs to be recognised as up and coming directional talent. Definitely worth a watch.
Nope! Right from the beginning 24 has become an addiction for many people like myself, you can't watch just the one episode, you have to watch at least 5 or 6 each day. That's how good this show is. Each season has got better and better and now we're onto season 8, which already looks amazing. The whole idea behind 24 is simple yet really effective, each episode of each season brings something new and exciting. If you haven't yet watched it you need to buy season 1 and you will find that you then need the rest of the seasons, because you will be kicking yourself if you don't.
Can anything beat 24?
Critically acclaimed director Wes Anderson reunites with his usual cast, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzmann, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and a few new faces for Fantastic Mr Fox, based on the ever popular novel by genius Roald Dahl. How can such a good book be adapted into a 20th Century Fox stop motion animated movie? Well, Wes Anderson certainly had an idea how to do this, but it fell short of the novel, in my opinion - a lot. There were new characters in the film as well, like Coach Skip, (Owen Wilson) who really wasn't needed at all, but Owen Wilson had to be incorporated into it somehow because he always works with Wes!!!!!! Also, the plot fell really short of the book; for example, with Kristofferson (Mr Fox's nephew) coming to stay and getting captured. It's like a children's game of cat and mouse between the characters. Mr Fox must save Kristofferson from the bad guys, Boggis, Bunce and Bean. The plot really isn't as good as Roald Dahl's brilliant book. It is a film with parts of the book in it; not the whole book, which is what it is mostly meant to be. The animation also, in my opinion, is lacking. The characters look like squashed puppets and the setting is like a damaged and dented Sylvanian Families play set. However, the voices are mostly super. George Clooney provides a good, solid performance for the voice of Mr Fox as does Meryl Streep as Mrs Fox. Bill Murray plays Mr Fox's friend, Badger; again a very good performance. I must however stress again that the actual film isn't good.
The film is worth watching once to see just how bad it is!!!!! Do not expect anything brilliant. Thank you for reading.
Danger, lies, deceit and betrayal face James Bond at every turn in this exciting, fast paced sequel to CASINO ROYALE (Daniel Craig's previous superb introductory film playing the titular character). Slickly directed by established modern film-maker Marc Forster (who brought wonderful depth and charm to FINDING NEVERLAND, as well as raw character and dramatic power in MONSTER'S BALL), this sees Bond in pursuit of the sinister agents of the shadowy worldwide based organisation QUANTUM, who, having already killed his love, Vesper, have set out in their continuing ambitious attempt to wreck the world's economic and fiscal properties and bend them to their own powerful whims. QUANTUM is clearly an organisation not unlike SPECTRE was in the sixties BOND films of Sean Connery and George Lazenby but adapted to modern times, when our modern society faces villains of all different kinds and not necessarily with the look of the stereotyped twirly moustached villains of old. The potential of QUANTUM as a serious threat to Bond in this film is not totally developed but has intriguing future possibilities that I hope that the BOND producers will bravely pick up on and expand.
Special mention must be made of Craig's performance throughout QUANTUM-in his second time as the heroic but vulnerable secret agent that only Britain could create, he makes the film with every scene he's in-capturing the part and uniquely making it his-he is the strong glue that holds it all together so well, despite a script that could have been much better developed as a rival to CASINO ROYALE. Doing so much of the film's physical stunt work and hard boiled action he remains the physical presence he was from CASINO, laced with a sombre darker edge as he remembers his betrayal at the hands of the woman he loved-Vesper Lynd. But is there more to the late Vesper's actions than Bond previously thought?
Many of our favourite characters from CASINO also return for this, the first JAMES BOND sequel, including Judi Dench as M and another great, albeit far too short-lived appearance from Giancarlo Gianni as Bond's associate in danger, Renee Mathis, and from Jeffrey Wright-a brilliant character actor in whatever he does- as Bond's continuing CIA ally Felix Leiter (more from him next time, please!!). As ever, the stunts are terrific and well handled-this time form BOURNE TRILOGY second unit action director Dan Bradley (including a memorably spectacular and nerve shredding car chase through the Italian mountains launching the beginning of the film),whilst the Bond girls are as glamorous and as sexy as ever, including the Russian actress Olga Kuylenko, who does a satisfying job as Camille, the girl on a mission of revenge for past deeds to her and her family by a cruel and sadistic political dictator, and a brief but memorable turn from Gemma Arterton as Agent Fields, who assists Bond, in and out of Bed (lucky guy, that Bond!!), during a perilous trip to Bolivia.
On the villains front, popular French actor Mathieu Amalric is fine with what script material he has, as the eco businessman/ maniac Dominic Green, of which he has a very memorable fighting confrontation with our Daniel against the backdrop of an inferno of fire and destruction near the film's action packed finale.
To round the film off there's the usual great modernist 007 score from David Arnold (the action music, and the slower Opera scene music build up being particularly noteworthy from the composer), strong production design and the aforementioned great stunt work.
It may not have CASINO ROYALE's depth of story and strong characterisation (and, unlike CASINO, it's not taken from an original story from Ian Fleming-QUANTUM is instead an original work), and it also suffers a bit from being of a far shorter running time length than its predecessor, but it is still assured confident film-making in the best sense, and a worthy Bond film for our modern times. The opportunity to build on this adventure and create a brilliant hybrid third film, from the best strengths of both Daniel Craig films, is possible. In the meantime, as we await 2012 for the next BOND adventure, QUANTUM OF SOLACE will keep me perfectly entertained until Mister Craig's surely triumphant return. If you haven't already seen it, QUANTUM OF SOLACE is well worth a look!!
This version of Turn of the Screw, the famous chiller by Henry James, has been fatally ruined by its over emphasis on the lurid. The performances are fine, the setting - updated to the early nineteen-twenties, and the decor are all up to the BBC's usual standard. However the adaptation of the novella turns a subtle and unsettling tale in to a lumpy mess. There is no subtlety whatsoever in the appearance of the ghosts, who are roughly as terrifying as a stubbed toe, and most fatal of all we actually see what Peter Quint and Miss Jessel got up to - all in front of the children! Why on Earth remake this story when there are so many versions of it and nothing could improve on the brilliance of Jack Clayton's telling of the tale in The Innocents. Come on BBC there are thousands of marvellous Ghost stories out there waiting for adaptation - next Christmas let's have something more like the old M R James adaptations - which were spine chilling.
A governess tells her psychiatrist how she ended up murdering a child in her charge. Was she delusional or were supernatural forces ultimately at work?
I Love you, man is a good-natured buddy-movie and gross-out comedy rolled into one - good fun but not really memorable!
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