Just when you thought your vein of ore was exhausted you come upon the TV solution: Young Sherlock Holmes, Young Indiana Jones, Tom & Jerry Babies, The Prequel, The Postquel, whatever. You get another audience, and you don't extend many brain cells or cash using writers, sets or effects. This piece of garbage is Dracula for yoof who have never heard of Dracula, a sort of Spartacus Babies for those who started going to the local Cineplex when Gladiator was showing. It's set in moody blue-cast rainy Washington State, dismal just like many of the X-Files which were made there or just across the border in Canada, just when the only big thing in town that happened was a generation ago, and that was Rambo, First Blood. Or maybe it was Rambo: First Blood. Just like that film it was always raining. That is enough to make you wish it was set anywhere else. All those big Hollywood bucks to spend, the entire North American continent to choose from, and they had to choose this one locale. OK, it's vampires in the New World. Or maybe it should have been called Vampires: The Beginning.
It's unintentionally funny: The boy keeps coming up to the girl/love interest in several scenes and hitting on her by saying to her that she really must stay away from him. That of course just makes her want to be his girlfriend. It's aimed at the 12-17 audience who think that's it's cool.
No doubt it will be followed by Twilight 2: The Dawn, or maybe even Twilight 3: The Yawn.
Direction: It's poor. Acting: it saves hiring real stars.
The script: Garbage 101, or maybe Garbage: The Script.
If I had my life to lead all over again, I would do everything all over again, and in the same way and in the same order, but I wouldn't watch Twilight again.
Dracula babies
Role Models is one of the best comedies I've seen in a long while. Paul Rudd is excellent and reminds me of a young Bill Murray. His deliveries are spot-on. Sean William Scott is great as his buddy/sidekick; the chemistry between them is fantastic. Their chemistry with the two children is also exceptionally good.
The film is well-written and well-acted and kept me giddy throughout. Instead of having a few memorable moments that make you laugh (which seems to be the way most comedies work), Role Models has this all-round atmosphere of hilarity which means the laugh is always just around the corner.
There are so many excellent episodes in this boxset that it's difficult to choose favourites but here are just a few...
'Tearjerker' is a fantastic James Bond parody that has Stan playing a 007-type secret agent with a mission to stop the evil Tearjerker (played by Roger) from creating a movie so sad that anyone who sees it will cry themselves to death.
'Widowmaker' is a classic American Dad episode in the truest sense that sees Stan opening up emotionally to Francine after receiving psychiatrist treatment from Roger in one of his many disguises.
In 'Stanny Slickers II: The Legend of Ollie's Gold' Stan is determined to leave a legacy and searches for legendary buried treasure beneath his house. He loses control of the kids and Francine is understandably annoyed. In a common twist for American Dad, Stan finally realises at the episode's denouement that his legacy is his children and that he must be a better father.
In the episode '1600 Candles' it comes as a surprise that the Smith family are planning to celebrate Roger's 1,600th birthday but viewers need not worry as unsurprisingly something derails the party plans. The episode is in part a parody of Jon Hughes' cult teen flick 16 Candles. Steve finally hits puberty and Stan and Francine are terrified of having a hormonal teenager in the house. Francine says that she is leaving as she can't cope with it, until a more devious method of controlling Steve presents itself.
Worthy of special note is Roger who has to be the best character in American Dad and certainly my favourite. Roger is the lovable, but alcoholic, affection-craving alien, and queen of the soap-opera-style bitches. In this boxset his character develops even further than before as he brings out a variety of new wigs and disguises - yes he loves disguises.
There are the usual crazy, and frankly ridiculous storylines that we have by now come accustomed to, which are, let's be honest, part of the appeal. Every episode Stan seems to alienate his family, his boss, or his neighbours due to one or another, usually bigoted, deep-seated belief such as racism, homophobia, love of guns, misunderstanding of any and all forms of love, or just plain puerile behaviour. Naturally he always learns the errors of his ways - at least until the next episode.
The only negative element is the occasional joke that goes too far and ends up coming off as distasteful, but as there is always a fine line to walk with comedy this is more or less forgivable. However I would like to point out that the preoccupation that American Dad has with 'jokes' relating to people being raped is completely unforgivable. Why is that ever funny? It's not. Positively however the crudeness of humour rarely sinks to some of the low points that Family Guy was prone to.
Overall American Dad is consistently funny and amusing, it's certainly in my opinion, currently the best animated comedy and has been for some time. It is literally laugh-a-minute stuff, which can't be said for all TV shows, even the ones that do bill themselves as comedy. The moments of perfect pitch-black humour, that pop up every so often, are worth the cost of the boxset alone.
Errol Morris offers an unflinching, detailed insight into the 'Abu Ghraib' torture scandal: such is the extent of the blood boiling banality on display, that even the most mild mannered of viewers may want to collar some of those evil U.S. wardens and Zionist torturers right out of the screen, and do unto them what they did to others. But the crux of the picture reiterates that the paradigm of injustice executes (or lightly slaps) underling scum (e.g. Lyndie England, Charles Graner et all) and allows the powers that be to slither away and start again. Not the full story about what went on, and is still occurring, in U.S. occupied Iraq but a brief glimpse at how an entire nation can be vilified through the inaction of her people & military, many of whom are anti-imperialists and as sickened by this kind of behaviour as the rest of us. Morris also contemplates the long-term ramifications of the American public's inability to stand up to an amoral, unquestionably depraved and homicidal U.S. regime; and how our actions, in spite of our best intentions or wishes, will be measured only in terms of how quickly we bring Rumsfeld, Cheney and all those who sanctioned torture to the point where it became 'Standard Operating Procedure', to justice. A worthy companion piece to films like 'Taxi To The Dark Side', 'The Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib', 'My Country My Country' and 'Iraq In Fragments'. A shameful chapter in the annuals of human history, a must see documentary.
Excellent, intentionally disturbing, adaptation of Jose Saramago's critically acclaimed novel. When a mysterious blindness epidemic threatens to paralyse the world, fascistic sentiments are manifested in the shape of interment centres, where it"s literally a case of the blind leading the blind. An ophthalmologist (Mark Rufflao on fine form) and his wife (an ever reliable Julianne Moore) brave the concentration camp as conditions change from chaos to control and control to tyranny. Gael Garcia Bernal puts in an expectedly powerful, scene stealing performance as The King Of Ward 3, self proclaimed dictator whose authoritarian façade is held together by nothing more than hubris and intimidation; thus proving that's it"s not the rulers who are strong, but the ruled who're weak. Director Fernando Meirelles ('City Of God', 'The Constant Gardener') ensures Saramago's intriguing premise retains its power as an allegory for arrogance, selfishness and ignorance. 'Blindness' is like Stephen King's 'The Stand' meets Luis Buñuel's 'The Exterminating Angel' in the way that societal norms and conventions erode to reveal a violent depravity, seemingly beyond the control of those upon whom it descends. I can appreciate how a slight miscalculation in the origins of Bernal's character may have offended the blind, but it doesn't appear to be intentional or detract from the message in any way whatsoever. 'Blindness' is the kind of film Stanley Kubrick would've made in his 'Clockwork Orange' heyday, and you'll not see another picture like it all year: Brutal but brilliant.
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
Having already read the book in my English class, I knew I was going to watch the film and was happy because the film was good enough to still keep me on edge.
Having said that I still prefer the book to the film as I believe the film is a "disneyfication" of the book as it tones down the real story and meaning of the Holocaust.
But still, there is enough drama and tension in the film to make it a film worth watching but unfortunately it doesn't have the features of a great film.
Mark out of 10 for film: 8/10
Jensen Ackles exudes pure sex in this movie. That is all you need to know - buy it!
This film stars God's gift to straight women and gay men...Jensen Ackles!
I thought this film, was very grabbing, equally humorous as well as being emotional. It told the story of the pregnant teenager in a very different way and shows how she makes a very difficult decision about giving her child away at birth. She becomes attached to the adoption parents whilst battling the troubles of the child"s father, a young teenage boy. This film is defiantly one you should buy, even if you have already watched it at the cinema, I sure did!
A Young Women finds herself in a sticky situation - she's pregnant! Will she go through with the pregnancy? and what will her true love think of being a father?
What a fantastic start to another series of the smash hit, Doctor Who. Donna Noble returns as the feisty super-temp from Chiswick, in an attempt to hunt down the Doctor and join him on his travels. The first three stories of the series are fun and bubbly, but with some serious storylines running throughout. David Tennant plays the Doctor very well: a goofy, funny charisma with a dark side to him. Catherine Tate's portrayal of Donna Noble is a one off. Her enthusiasm and change of heart (from becoming ditzy to meaningful) is shown tremendously well. The reunion between the Doctor and Donna is written very cleverly, by Russell T Davies, and the directing is top-notch. The return of a familiar species, a change in history and a plan which affects the country... brilliant!
Overall this is a definite 10-out-of-10 - a vivid and strong start to a new series!
This film is cheeky, silly and crammed full of smutty jokes that you can't but help to laugh at - just don't watch it with your gran!
Mike Myers plays a cracking role, as Guru Pitka, a love expert, who's assigned a difficult case where He must heal the rift between a heartbroken ice hockey star, whose game is falling apart as a result, and his wife who"s ran off with the goal keeper of the apposing team! The team"s chances of lifting the cup is in tatters, the guru must work his magic to save the day!
This is the Guru's biggest challenge yet, as he not only has to re-new old love, but face his own feelings when his journey leads him to a new love of his very own.
Well worth a watch!
Hilarious, laugh-out-loud Comedy!
What makes a great remake is a film that does something totally different than the original but keeping within the same lines story wise. A Bad example of unoriginality in remakes are The Omen who copied the original shot by shot, all that was different was the special effects and the quality of video. The Day the Earth Stood Still had a good idea behind the remake. It did bring the storyline into the twenty first century with the aspect of punishing us for destroying our lands with ruining the ozone layer, unfortunately it just failed to captivate in other areas.
I have a strong feeling towards TV episodes or films that are given a duration length that is above the amount required to get across the amount of story actually in the script. The Day the Earth Stood Still had enough stories to fit an hour and a half bill. The rest of the time they used was to just show off on the special affects, which if they are going to do this at least do it fantastically. The special affects really disappointed the expectations I had of the film by the trailer.
My favourite part in the film was the beginning, which set of a nice tone and pacing that built up suspense and atmosphere but it wasn't going to let the film finish with a standing ovation later on in the film. Eventually the pacing made you feel you were going on a really slow road trip.
My worst part was the son. Though he was a good actor, the writing behind his character just felt forced conflict. It was as if the writer though we've got Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly just talking for ages in a car about what's right and wrong, I need to put conflict in. The boy characterization was good to start off but ended up just like a lot of the elements in the film annoying to watch.
The Day the Earth Stood Still encompassed two strong actors (Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly) who worked very well together. The special affect wasn't enough to sell the film on its own and the story felt just another film preaching to us about looking after our world and definitely shouldn't be the film to be shown at the world summit to get more funding. Overall, the film was, which hopefully this review wasn't, a letdown.
Britain and her off-shoots (New Zealand among them) have a long tradition of producing people who seem like odd-ball eccentrics, but are often driven by their dreams to achieve amazing things. Born 1899 Invercargill NZ, Burt Munro was a curmudgeonly Kiwi with a dream. After spending 20 years in his garden shed modifying an old motorbike - the 1920 "Indian Scout" of the title - and at the tender age of 68(!) Burt set off halfway round the world to enter speed trials at the Bonneville saltflats, Utah. 'The World's Fastest Indian' tells the story of his eccentric but heartening journey, escapades and achievements.
New Zealander Roger Donaldson (of 'Dante's Peak' and 'Species') directs Welsh national treasure Anthony Hopkins as Munro, yet never do Hopkin's hearing-impaired leans to camera cause the "Oh My God It's Hannibal Lecter!" response. Instead he plays a quintessential 'good bloke' with a well-judged blend of blunt Kiwi crustiness and southern-hemisphere charm. If his mannerisms start to grate after a while that's all to the good: after all, this is a kind of biopic about a real person. With just a little poetic license it is essentially a true - and amazing - story and it doesn't give too much away to report that one of Burt's three world records still stands today!
As well as testament to the power of dreams (and to the incredible kindness of strangers - Burt sets out with astonishingly little in the way of resources and support) - this is pure 'road movie', complete with the memorable encounters essential to the genre. A recent book asked why road movies have such enduring appeal? The author analysed hundreds of examples, from 'Easy Rider' to 'Apocalypse Now' and 'Thelma & Louise' in a tome that runs to 288 pages. But if you want a neater answer, see 'The World's Fastest Indian' and give yourself a gently charming treat in the process.
After reading the book Inkheart, I couldn"t wait to see how it was interpreted for the big screen. In parts it did not follow the book, but if you have not read the book, it doesn"t matter because the film is fantastic! I have watched it several times since I bought it and I can"t wait for the next film in the series!
Waterloo Road series 1 is amazing, it was a really good way to start off the series and you never know what is going to happen next!
If you buy this, it"s definitely worthwhile getting the next 2 series, as the storyline just keeps getting better, each episode is just under 60 mins long and it provides hours of entertainment :).
In order to emphasis just how great a film is and increase the interest of potential viewers, you must first highlight its flaws. If the reader is still interested in the film, it's worth watching. In my opinion, the following are the shortcomings and controversies of this film. It's over 3 hours long and takes an hour before we actually arrive in Vietnam (leading to understandable criticism of the films editing), it's a war film with minimal footage of combat or true depiction of what was documented to have taken place in Vietnam, it has been criticised for its unsympathetic portrayal of the Vietnamese and/or of the American soldiers, some see it as anti-war, some see it as pro-war... however, none of these detractors have gone on record to state that they understand it to be a complete work of fiction, whilst using a real event as a platform for the story.
If you're still reading, you're still interested in just how "The Deer Hunter" will take you on an emotionally draining journey of 3 men who leave their small town lives behind and enlist in the army, at the time of the Vietnam War.
The story is told in the format of a play in 3 acts; the first act is the introduction to the characters, their friends & family, the small industrial Pennsylvanian town they live in and, if you listen carefully enough, provides an insight into their traits and general state of mind that may be useful in determining the causes of each characters fate. The second act is a brief but haunting depiction the events that unfold while these characters are out in Vietnam; capture, torture, escape and a parting of ways that leads each down a chilling path in the aftermath of the war. The third act is the return home of the lead character, Michael (Robert De Niro), his attempt to adjust to life in his hometown and the fulfilment of the promise he made to his friend, Nick (Christopher Walken), to bring him back from Vietnam, should anything happen to him.
To truly grasp and understand the beauty of this film, you have to devote the time to watching the whole thing, with an open mind. You will almost certainly get caught up in the emotional and psychological effects of war, whilst witnessing some truly breathtaking performances, notably Christopher Walken's (for which he won an Academy Award for 'Best Supporting Actor'), leaving you to draw your own conclusions as to what happened and why. There is also a great supporting cast including Meryl Streep and John Cazale, in his final performance. "The Deer Hunter" won the Academy Award for 'Best Picture' of that year. In my opinion, it is on of the best pictures of all time.
What happens in Vietnam, stays in Vietnam!
I remember this story distinctly from when I was a child, when it originally aired. The "brain in the jar" still has the ability to shock even 30 years later - I think the voice also helps! The Doctor is magnificent as always, and the story has a dark gothic Frankenstein feel to it.
My only criticism is that the ending is a bit of an anti-climax in my opinion...other than that it's well worth buying!!
A classic Hinchcliffe story from the 4th (Best) Doctor
The classic adaptation of the Phillip K Dick short story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?".
Deckard the quintessential reluctant hunter of "replicants" better than Human genetically built machines in human image. Set to work on the outer colonies where they do the dirty dangerous jobs "humans" decline. Limited to a five year life span. Illegal on earth since the off world rebellion of "replicant" troops. The only solution to eliminate them with extreme prejudice (i.e. kill them).
This film is often stated as the root of both Tech Noir (later versions of the genre being The Matrix, Island of Lost children) and Neo Noir (again other examples being Angle Heart, L. A. Confidential).
Taking many of the major environmental worries of the late twentieth century (overcrowding, pollution, genetic engineering) and extrapolating them into a dark brooding urban 21st century landscape Ridley Scott creates what for many of us is an absolute classic.
Here presented in the ultimate Otaku version. The original version of the directors cut DVD based on a very poor quality print. The complete set of versions of the film including the original US version (with Deckard's commentary) unavailable in the UK, and the director's cut in a decent print, and the new improved final cut, what more could a fan boy ask for. Well actually the hours of documentary that comes with the set as well.
The classic tech noir! Deckard hunts illegal "replicants" across a distopic 21st century Los Angeles.
Here presented in more versions than you could wave a fan boy at.
This film is great it"s just as good as the 1st one I recommend it to everyone. It"s funny and has a fantastic storyline that continues from the 1st one.
There's something vaguely addictive about a show that promises you a look into behavioural analysis; almost as if you could watch a couple of episodes and then start intensely scanning everyone you meet to work out whether they might be a serial killer (note: this does not work).
This is the only thing that sets it apart from other notable procedural dramas such as CSI, in that it centres around trying to understand some of the most incomprehensible (to the vast majority of us) people on the planet. Another place it succeeds where other similar shows may have failed before it is that every one of its main characters are interesting people. Agent Gideon is particularly fine - Mandy Patinkin plays him, he of 'The Princess Bride' fame. I kept resisting the urge to say sternly at the screen, 'You kill my father. Prepare to die.' This soon wore off, however, as i realised how much more craggy and serious he is in this one. Hotchner is the one who never cracks a smile, with the real life and family he's desperately trying to keep from slipping out of his fingers. There's the beautiful and irritating Elle Greenaway, whose temper often gets the better of her. The seeming 'jock' of the group, handsome Derek Morgan, with a bruised and awful past. The geeksome Spencer Reid whose IQ is off the scale and whose social interaction skills mirror some of the serial killers he helps to hunt. And computer techno whizz Penelope Garcia, sometime light relief and to whom the terms 'bubbly' and 'vulnerable' can merrily be applied without the viewer wanting to vomit. The one thing you start to realise if you watch the show with any regularity, is that the reason these people are so good at hunting society's predators may be that they're two steps away from the same behavioural problems themselves.
Handling not only serial killers but sex crimes, hostage situations, wacky cult leaders and terrorism, the mix is varied and always compelling.
In the vein of procedural dramas of yore, Criminal Minds showcases the talents and trials of a group of FBI agents whose task it is to get into the 'criminal mind' and solve the case - the minds in question more often than not those of serial killers.
Superb movie, I would recommend it to all horror/gore fans - great ending to a great trilogy...!!
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