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1 year ago
Social Network
“You Don’t Get to 500 Million Friends Without Making a Few Enemies”
With Facebook now demanding a majority of the entire world “500 Million to be precise” it was inevitable that one day the story of how such a website could demand such a loyal following would be adapted for the big screen.
The story follows the protagonist Zuckerberg the creator of Facebook through his university life and at the start of his internet successes whether good or bad.
This story is a tale of betrayal, misleading and everything that i have come to believe that is big business thanks to such films as Wall Street. However saying this i know that this is not the case as Zuckerberg comes across as a nice guy but who has been mislead down the wrong path. Jesse Eisenberg is amazing in the lead role he exuberates charm, wit and a social awkwardness that is well known and perceived within the nerdy/geeky realms. I say this as i am also a geek in many respects.
The film is shot beautifully with David Fincher taking the helm and executing it brilliantly with flashbacks that encapsulate the time of social change that was happening with the phenomenon that is now Facebook.
This film is a must see with an amazing script that flows with ease, thanks to Aaron Sorkin the writer from the West Wing, which again was amazingly scripted.
My only grudge which is the smallest discrepancy ever i shouldn’t really be typing this but what is with Justin Timberlake’s voice it doesn’t sound right to me! His acting however is of a good standard and he plays Sean Parker the creator of Napster well.
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1 year ago
Network 1976
Firstly I have to applaud this idea of a film club. It’s an amazing idea it has opened my eyes to movies I would have never had thought of watching or even bothered to watch.
Network is the first of many review’s to follow. The film is a harsh tale of the lengths a network will go to in their attempts to gain more viewers and ratings. The movie follows Howard Beale a news presenter who has spent most of his life in front of the news desk, but his life has taken a dark turn, his wife has passed, started to drink heavily and is now being threatened to resign.
All performances in the film stand out especially Peter Finch who plays a great man who has suffered a massive breakdown and has now gone into a dramatic downfall turn but with the network exploiting him his erratic behaviour and lunacy continue! Amazing acting! Faye Dunaway encompasses the network bitch to a tee she acts like she has the biggest balls in this mainly man dominated world!
This film is amazing showing the ways people will exploit others for there own personal gain, great script and great direction by Sidney Lumet.
This film also has the best quote I have ever heard in a movie and has been sampled many times in breakbeat music – “Im as mad as hell and Im not going to take this anymore”!
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1 year ago
The Expendables
Heroes today, Legends tomorrow
More brawn then substance.
The premise of the film is simple. It’s an hour and a half of gunshots, explosions, limited dialogue and more explosions. That’s really it! The Expendables introduces us all to our well loved action heroes from the last decade we have the main man infront and behind the camera Slysvester Stallone, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, Steve Austin, Randy Couture and 2 cheeky cameos by Bruce Willis and the governor himself Arnold Schwarzenegger. The list goes on.
In a way this film tries to pay homage to the action hero / action movies of the 1980’s however it falls drastically short. The films in the 80’s were funny in there own sort of ways and had more one liners then a Stewart francis stand up show. The problem with The Expendables Is that the films in the 1980s were just done with a more tongue in cheek approach and overall just alot better.
10 minutes in I was struggling to understand or recognise any words that Sylvester Stallone was saying. He sounded like a patient who had been heavily drugged up. The only thing that was missing was the white jacket and foam coming out of his mouth. Im sure the foam would had been removed post edit.
All said and done this was an easy watch and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to switch of there brain for any length of time or who’s had to much creatine and needs some visual stimulation of how the pros look.
The Expendablesm - its like ronseal paint it does exactly what it says on the tin!
Watch this space it looks like we have The Expendables 2 to look forward too!
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2 years ago
Brick
“He Shined The Gat as He Blew The Burg”
This is a film that has always stood out to me and always urged me to watch it but i always felt like i wasnt in the right frame of mind!! One word will sum this movie up - AMAZING thats right ive emphasised how amazing it was by using capitals!! This movie revolves around a teenage boy ‘Brendan’ going through high school life trying to unravel the mystery that is being played out in front of him!! This film reminds me of the 1950s noir movies twists, turns, scandals, stylish sex appeal and smoking. I am itching to raid the DVD cabinet and pull out such classics as Sunset Boulervard and Laura!! This is a must see movie its in my top 5!!!
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2 years ago
Hot Tub Time Machine
Do not let looks fool you with this movie. Having seen this film advertised i thought to myself “O no not another lame comedy which revolves around 4 friends and there unfunny goings on”
However having sat through the full 100 minutes i am pleased to say that this was a surprising laugh out loud comedy. It had me laughing all the way through. The film begins with each of the characters in there own worlds working and generally being very unsociable with each other.Adam (John Cusack, Lou (Rob Corddry), Nick (Craig Robinson) and Adam’s 20 something nephew Jacob (Clark Duke). They then reunite and return to there favourite holiday destination a ski resort which in present day doesnt live up to the reputation they give it. however they begin to party in hot tub and subsequently get sucked back into the 1980s, 1986 to be precise. On there arrival they begin to try and not alter the future as they have all seen the ‘butterfly effect’.
This movie had me in stiutches and i highly recomend it if you like films with bad taste humour, drug use and slight nudity well a bit more than slight maybe average nudity for a film of this kind!!
Steve Pink directs this film and the film has a fast paced momentum which is tailord towards this type of film! I cannot wait to see the remake of ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ he is directing that should be amazing! The originals knicker wettin-gly funny! if i wore knickers?
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2 years ago
Whiteout
See Your Last Breath
On the loneliest place in the planet the Antarctica lies a cluster of research facilities for the purpose of drilling ice and searching for fallen meteorites. Within the community of researchers, workmen and women is a US Marshall – Carrie Stetko (Kate Bekinsale) to keep law and order in the most desolate place man and women could be. Everyone is preparing to leave the research facilities as there is a big storm coming but a pilot stumbles (fly’s over) onto a body in the middle of nowhere. Antarctic’s first homicide.
Kate Bekinsale is missing her token all in one pvc suits which I have become accustomed to seeing her in except for Everybody’s Fine and many more to be honest. Kate Beckinsale delivers a very wooden uncharismatic performance which enturn leaves you not warming to her character Carrie Stetko.
Domonic Sena lends his creative flare to this movie or somewhat lack of flare. Many of the stand out shots relay heavily onto The Thing in which John Carpenter created great claustrophobic corridors and managed to build suspense with panning over the shot camera angles.
It can’t just be me that is getting bored with the very formulaic structure of movies being churned out by Hollywood studios. I’m definitely not saying I could do better (or could I?) but following these tried and tested formulas for movies leaves the moviegoer uninterested and ultimately bored. Which is a big NO NO!
Be more imaginative with the plot and more importantly if there is going to be a twist please not the same boring predictable one we can see at the start of the film.
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2 years ago
Edge of Darkness
Some secrets take us to the edge.
Edge of Darkness is a thriller based in Boston. Tom Kraven is a homicide detective who has served for many years for the force. When his estranged daughter Emma Kraven who he hasn’t seen in years comes home to visit him she is brutally gunned down on his doorstep. Tom Kraven begins to investigate his daughter’s homicide and falls into a very predictable conspiracy, corruption, anti corporation storyline.
The secret that took me to the edge was the lack of secrets, plot and suspense. The story is a typical production straight out of Hollywood. Mel Gibson return to our big screens is a let down by this floundering, predictable script. If you were hoping for the triumphant return of a great movie star you will be bitterly disappointed. However you do see glimmers of Mel Gibson’s old school talent seeping through the cracks of this movie. But Mel Gibson alone cannot hold this flawed movie.
Martin Campbell has managed to produce a murder she wrote / diagnosis murder movie. This movie would be best viewed having played truant from school or work when there’s nothing left on in the afternoon on terrestrial television. Fingers crossed Martin can pull out all the stops for The Green Lantern which they are filming now.
Having never seen the original TV series I cannot compare this movie with that but it is on my agenda to watch it over the Easter holidays.
This conventional Hollywood thriller will at a push keep you mildly entertained for the 117 min running time.
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2 years ago
Kick Ass
Shut Up. Kick-Ass
Does Kick Ass really Kick Ass?
Im sure thats the question on everybody’s mind.
Well does he? In short yes with him mostly on the receiving end of a good ass kicking. The film itself also kicks ass in more ways then one. Firstly Nicholas cage has managed in my opinion to finally lose the level of acting he has made us endure and suffer for more years then id like to remember. This is such a refreshing change from all his other recent movies he has managed to give his character depth and a very funny sarcastic undertone.
Kick Ass is the centre and main body of the story who is an invisible teenager going through the everyday situations of any normal run of the mill teenager, girls, comics and high school. However he indulges his own fantasies in becoming a super, well not so super, hero. Writing this im also tempted to indulge my inner child and don a pair of underpants over my pants and become a vigilante cleaning up the town one bad guy at a time. Think ill give it a miss its raining.
I never knew it would be as funny to see a little girl swear and ultimately watch lay out most of the bad guys through out this movie. Hit Girl makes this film a must see, it is Hit Girl’s character alone that carriers this movie. She is a fascinating character and amazingly acted by Chloe Moretz a round of applause goes to her.
Matthew Vaughn has created a stylish and fast paced funny action film. This film has touches of gangster movie and stylised in a similar fashion but none the less Matthew has done him self proud.
One stand out moment was meeting Chris D’Amico who was there to present a Q&A session this guy was hilarious, captivating and among other things a nice down to earth bloke.
Defiantly one to watch.
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2 years ago
Defendor
This is a tale of an everyday unsung hero who has no special abilities what so ever or hero credentials at all. By day he is Arthur Poppington someone who doesnt understand the world in all its intricacies but at night he dons his helmet attached with VCR headcam something batman would be envious of! (Very Retro) and fights crime and injustice in the world.
The film begins with him kicking ass and getting arrested setting the tone for the two central characters a prostitute called Kat and Defendor the hapless hero. The story is involving with depths of emotion, slight chuckles and a two great performances by the leading pair Woody Harrelson and Kat Dennings. The pace of the film is slow but still enjoyable and whilist the moral of the film is seen from a million miles away Woody Harrelson executes his performance in the way not to cheapen the film and over exaggerate the moral as is done in many films. This film was enjoyable and its good to see Woody Harrelson back on form.
Stand out moment is Defendors dark moody atmospheric voice a homage to Batman and the ability to switch in and out are excellent.
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2 years ago
Old Dogs
Having nestled into my seat on Contintenal flight C05 i wanted to watch i light hearted comedy to settle me into my flight nicely. Scrolling through the collection i came across Old Dogs which from the out set looked like a light hearted family comedy. Click. From the out set this film was plagued with terrible, predictable, unfunny jokes something which Robin Williams has been doing for a number of years now with films like RV for instance. The film is about 2 high shot business men negotiating there new found family life with there high flying business life. So begins 88 mins of mind numbingly boring adventures carved out by the children’s little mishaps. One stand out moment is where Robin Williams character gets locked in a spray tanning facility and subsequently comes out rather brown this leads to some uproarious ethic comedy which is misplaced, offending and just not funny. Alarm bells should of rang out with Robin and Travolta at the helm, they did but i was feeling a little adventurous. Lets just say i will never get those 88 minutes back in my life. yes it did waste 88 minutes of my 11 hour flight but head this warning -
DO NOT GO AND SEE THIS MOVIE.
It will leave you feeling numb.
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