Not quite best of British

Next I have posted a review for the DVD Notes on a Scandal, a British film with a top cast...

Barbara Covett is a school teacher and she is overly strict with her pupils, outside school she is quite different, she lives a lonely life with her cat. Barbara sees a opportunity at school when a new art teacher starts. Sheba Hart is quite naive and this being her first teaching post she needs help. Barbara sees a good opportunity to strike up a friendship and get Sheba onside and soon sets her plan in to motion.

Barbara becomes a good and close friend and soon gets to know Sheba’s family and starts to take her plan to the next level. She keep a diary of her intentions and we soon realise she has more than just feelings of friendship for her. Soon the friendship takes a drastic turn when Barbara spots Sheba having an affair with one of her pupils. Barbara learns to use this for her own gain and start to make more of a move on Sheba.

Will Barbara’s plan come together and what will become of her and Sheba’s relationship?

I have to admit I had never heard of this film before spotting the DVD on the shelf in Tesco but as it starred two very fine actors both me and hubby decided to give it a go. The story was quite hard to get into at first but after the first 15 minutes is all started to get easier as we got to know more of Barbara and her intentions. I did enjoy the story and thought that it could be very true to life and I loved how it was played out. The story helped a lot by the strong cast which it had and I don’t think it would have had the same impact and emotions has the lead been played by a weaker actress.

Barbara was played by Dame Judi Dench and she was excellent. She came across as quite a confused and lonely woman who just needed a companion but she went about it in completely the wrong way. She was determined and did manage to show some emotions along the way, these mainly came when she was with her cat. She always seemed to be hiding something from Sheba and I found this to be intriguing and did keep me guessing till the end of the story. She delivered all of her lines with great ease and made me feel like I got to know a lot about her and the way she thought. There was a good on screen chemistry between her and Sheba. Sheba was played by Cate Blanchett and she too gave a wonderful performance, she was naive at the start of the film and I enjoyed getting to know her and she her grow through the story. The family life she had was a very good inclusion in the film as this showed a different side to her which I enjoyed.

We had some very good support actors in the film and the main one was Bill Nighy, he played the husband of Sheba. He was strong and did bring another element to the story.

The film was set in the present, well 2006 so no real effort was needed for the sets, props or costumes and they were all very good and in keeping with the story. I found the London setting to be good as it showed the poorer and more common side instead of the rich h8gh class people. The costumes which Judy Dench were given and the make up and hairstyles really did age her but she played it so well and I loved how she adapted to this older role.

The music was nothing special and it is not a soundtrack I would go out and buy but it did fit well into the story and helped with the drama and tension of the story.

The DVD which we have does have some special features which include:-

Commentary by Director Richard Eyre
The story of two obsessions Featurettes
Behind the scenes Featurettes
A conversation with Cate Blanchett and Bill Nighy
In character with Cate Blanchett Featurettes
And more..

I am not a fan of bonus features so have not watched these, they do come as standard on the DVD so you will not have to pay extra to watch them. The running time of the film is 87 minutes and the rate is a 15, there is strong language and sex references so I do agree with the rate. The DVD can be bought for just £3 in Tesco and I think this is a good price.

I enjoyed the film but did find it hard to get into at the start. The acting is good and therefore I am giving this film 4 stars. It is a good British film with a good cast but not the best of British I have see. I think it is definitely worth a watch if you too can get it for the low price like I did.

Powerful, moving and true

My latest post is for The Blind side DVD, a moving, powerful and true story..

Big Mike, Michael Oher, has had a hard childhood, h8is mother is on drugs and he is now homeless. Fortunately Mike has started a new school and shows some potential. When he is out walking in the rain he is spotted by Leigh Anne, the mother of another pupil at the school and when she realises he has no home she invites him back to their home for the night.

Leigh Anne and her family are very well off and she thinks nothing of helping Mike and trying to find out about his past. Mike reveals to her that he hates being called big mike so the family make it known that he is now called Michael. Before long Michael has become part of their family and he is showing improved work at school. Leigh Anne thinks that Michael would make a good football player due to his size so pushes to get him onto the team. Michael has to improve his school work before this can happen though.

Can Michael make the team and just how much change and impact will Michael and Leigh Anne have on each others lives?

I have wanted to see this film quite some time now and I am so glad that I finally got to watch it as both me and hubby loved it. The story was excellent and only made better by the fact it was a true story, I did not know this until the end of the film when we got told this and we actually got to see photos of the real Michael, Leigh Anne and her family. The fact that this is a true story made it more special to me and made me feel stronger and more emotional about what I had just watched. I am glad that I did not know that it was true when watching as I think there were times when I would have been reduced to tears.

The acting was just as strong as the story and the lead role of Michael was played by Quinton Aaron. He was amazing ad came across so well, I found him to be shy and very downtrodden at the start of the film and I loved seeing him come out of his shell and move on with his life as the story moved forward but there was always a side to him where he would keep things locked away. The way he showed emotions was good as he tried hard not to and I felt this was very true to life. He looked good, although a lot larger than other children of his age and I loved the fashion he chose for himself. There was a lovely tender chemistry between him and the other actors and this was strongest with the role of Leigh Anne. Leigh Anne was played by Sandra Bullock and this has to be the best film I have see her in for some time. She did come across as slightly stuck up at the start of the film but it was lovely to see how she changed during the story. She was strong and determined and I found great strength and warmth from watching her. The one thing I did not like about her was the accent. The other stand out role in the film for me was young SJ, he was played by Jae Head. He was strong and confident and he struck up a great friendship and bond with Michael. I found he also managed to bring a small amount of fun and humour to the story.


The setting for the film was good and it was only set a few years ago so everything looked up to date and modern, no real effort was needed for the costumes or sets and props and they all did look very good and fitted well with the theme of the story. We did get a lot of shots on the football field and I did enjoy seeing these despite not being a fan as they were quite fast paced and rough compared to the soft and dramatic storyline. We had a good soundtrack although it was not very memorable it did help with the emotions of what we were being shown.

During the film we did get to see a few flashback from Michael and his time with his family, I did find them quite hard and sad to watch at times but they added drama and background to Michael so they were needed. There were some very sad parts of the film, don’t get me wrong it is not a weepy film with sad endings but as I am a mother I just found parts hard to watch, so I do advise caution for soft people or mothers when watching.

Without giving away any spoilers the credits to the film are excellent and well worth watching as they are packed with photographs of the real Michael and Leigh Anne and for both me and hubby they were a wonderful inclusion and made for the perfect ending to such a good and powerful film.

The DVD which we have does have a bonus feature of additional scenes but I have not watched these so cannot comment on them, they are standard on the DVD so you will not have to pay extra to get them. The DVD is available at most shops for around £7 and I do think this is a great price. The running time is 123 minutes and the rate is a 12.

I am pleased to be giving this film an excellent recommendation and the full 5 stars. The story is powerful and true and the acting is spot on. This is definitely a film worth 2 hours of anyone’s time. Moving, powerful and heart warming all rolled into one.

Doting Dad want house back!

My latest post is for the comedy Housebroken.....

FILM ONLY REVIEW

Cathkart is newly retired and is sick of his two sons still living at home and sponging off their mother. He decides the time has come to push them to move out. He decides to take his wife away for a few days and show sons, Quinn and Elliot just how hard it is to pay bills and run a house. Before he leaves he cuts the power and takes every last trace of food from the house.

The following morning the boys awake to find a video from their Dad telling them of his plan but they are not overly bothered as they don’t think their mom will allow it to happen, unbeknown to them their mom is being help hostage by their Dad to stop her from returning home to her precious boys. The boys soon find themselves hungry and with no money but as their film company is not making any money how are these boys going to fend for themselves.

Will Cathkart get his wish and his house back or will mom break and return to save her boys?

I had never heard of this film before it come on the movie channels and as t starred Danny DeVito both me and hubby thought it would be worth a watch. The story was good and I think the fact that this was a comedy made it so much better and fun to watch. The story did go a little far fetched at times but we managed to see past this and just enjoy it for the light film that it was apart from the small element to the story of the parents being on holiday watching the boys and for me this was the only let down as it was very daft and completely far fetched, had this been played down slightly it would have fitted better into the film.

The acting was good and the main role of Cathkart was played by Danny DeVito and he was very good, he played a strong role who also had a softer side when it came to his family. We did get to see how hard it was for him to try ad push his sons out of the hose but I totally understood where he was coming from as they were complete spongers and took their mom for granted. He delivered all of his lines with ease and perfect comedy timing. There was a good connection between him and on screen wife, played by Katey Segal and they did fit together very well. The sons Elliot and Quinn were also very good, they were played by Skyler Stone and Ryan Hansen. They were typical lazy boys who never worked for anything and took all they could. They were funny ad bounced off each other with their lines and despite a few daft parts I enjoyed watching them. There were a few good support actors in the film but they were nothing very special or stand out compared to the lead roles.

The film was set in the present so no real effort was needed for the costumes or props as they were just standard modern ones, the few shots we got of the countryside where the parent were on holiday were good and it broke up the film slightly. There were a few small stunts in the film and they were very good and fitted effortlessly into the film and really did help with the humour of the film. We did not have any real special effects and none were needed in this film. The music was also very fitting although nothing special or memorable.

There is a lot of laughs in the film and the majority of them are good, we have a lot of spoken gags and a few visual ones but we do get a few which verge on being silly and daft, I think the humour will appeal to the late teenage or early 20’s age bracket and they will find this hilarious.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The running time is 84 minutes and I found this to be a great length and the rate is 15 which I agree with. The DVD can be bought for under £5 and I think this is a good price for an entertaining film.

I am happy to recommend this film and give it a good 4 stars. I have dropped one star as there were one or two small parts which were just a little daft or far fetched for me. This is one to be watched when you want some mindless fun and don’t mind the odd crude part!

Is everbody fine?

This is a film review for the film Everybody's fine, an excellent and well acted film which is well worth watching...

FILM ONLY REVIEW

Recently widowed Frank Goode is looking forward to getting his 4 children all together for a weekend at his home, he buys all the food and drinks and even a new BBQ, unfortunately then the phone calls start. One by one his children all cancel on him.

Frank goes to see his doctors about his illness and talks about going to visit his children all over the country by himself. The doctor advises against it but Frank is not put off and sets off on his travels. His first stop is to his son but he is not at home and after waiting for some time Frank decides to move on and see his first daughter. When he arrives at his daughters she seems slightly nervous and is trying to get rid of him but Franks has no idea why. Franks then takes the hint and moves on to his next child.

Will Frank have any luck on his visits and will he ever discover what they are all trying to hide. Will Frank ever get the family all around the same table again?

This is another film which I knew nothing of before sitting down to watch it but as it had a good cast list and sounded like a good story I decided to give it a watch. I did find the story to be excellent and it was greatly helped by the strong cast and the lead role of Robert Di Nero. The way the story came across was quite basic on the surface but we always had an underlying secret which was not revealed to the very end, this did help to keep me interested in what was happening throughout. I have only give a very brief plot outline above so don’t let this put you off as there is so much more to it.

Robert Di Nero played the lead role of Frank and right from the start I warmed to him, he was open and honest and was so in love with his children he was prepared to put his own health to one side to see them. He delivered all of his lines well and made them all sound real and honest, he did seem slightly hard when with his children to start with but over time he did mellow with them and open up slightly. He had a good bond with all the co actors and I loved how well they worked together on screen. We had parts of the film which showed the children when they were younger and the difference this made to Frank was lovely, he seemed more tender and caring towards them and this aspect of the film was great. The children were all played by strong actors, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell and Austin Lysy. They were all very different but good strong characters and I got to know a good amount about each one of them to help me understand their feelings towards their father.

The setting for the film was spread over America and we could clearly see the differences from the small parts we were show, we had a variety of different homes with different fashions and tastes and this worked well as we knew exactly which house we were in. the only real outside shots of scenery were in Vegas and I did enjoy seeing how vibrate and extravagant it is. The film is a modern one so no real effort was needed for the props, sets or costumes and they were all very good and in keeping with the film. The was a good soundtrack to the film and I found it helped with the emotions of the story and the feeling the actors were trying to get across.

This is a very moving film at times and there was one part when I was on the verge of tears. I don’t think this would have come across so well or emotional if we would not have had Di Nero in the lead role as he looks quite hard faced but he managed to loosen and soften enough to get me welled up.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The DVD can be bought for around £5 now and I think this is a bargain price. The running time of the film is 99 minutes which is a good length with the story moving at a good steady pace from start to finish. The rate is a 12A and I do agree with this.

I have no problem in giving this film the full 5 stars and a high recommendation. The storyline and acting was amazing and it was quite moving and powerful to watch at times. This one is defiatekly worth watching.

United by a Game?

Latest post is for the film Invictus....

FILM ONLY REVIEW

South Africa is a country torn apart by colour and race and for newly released and elected President Nelson Mandela, he has his work cut out trying to unite the country. The Rugby World Cup is fast approaching and despite the fact his countries team is rubbish he sees a way to bring the country together.

Mandela has a meeting with the rugby captain, Francois Pienaar about how they can bring the team together and help to unite the race and colours in his country. The other team members are not happy about the plans at first but agree to start working with the underprivileged children and making them all know about and getting the rich to see just how big the divide is.

Can Mandela and the rugby team unite the country and how far ca they go in the World Cup?

I have been wanting to watch this film for some time now as the star was Morgan Freeman and I do like all the other roles he has played and always find his films a joy to watch. This one was no exception and the fact that this was a true story made it even better to watch and it did make the story seem more poignant. The storyline was superb and totally believable and I loved how it came across. There were a few small parts where I felt things seemed to be a little too easy but I have no recollection of how this panned out in reality so cannot comment on how accurate the film really was.

Morgan Freeman played the lead role of Mandela and he did a super job. He was strong but not overly so and he came across in a very good light being friendly and well mannered ad not bothered by colour or race. He delivered all of his lines with ease and made them believable but the one problem I did have was his accent. He tried very hard to put on a south African accent but as his voice is so distinctive normally he did have a problem making it sound authentic. The accent was only a small aspect of the character and I soon saw past this and managed to warm to him and get a good idea of how he thought and felt about things. He worked well with all the actors around him and I felt there was a good bond with his and his secretary. He managed to play his emotions very well when dealing with the family issues he had and I loved seeing the other side of him. Matt Damon played a very good role, playing the rugby captain and I enjoyed seeing how he took to the sport and the accent. He had the accent down to a tea and it came across as effortless. He also worked well with the sport scenes ad he did not look out of place on the rugby field.

We had some very good support actors in the film and to name a few we had, Tony Kgoroge, Matt Stern, Shakes Myeko and Bonnie Henna, they were all very different in their roles and did bring a little depth to the story.

The setting for the film was South Africa and I found it was all shown very well, we could clearly see the rich and poor divide and I found it to be well represented. I found all of the settings to be very in keeping with the story and so too were the props. The costumes were all very fitting for the year this film was set in and I found them all to be detailed and very accurate. We did not have many special effects in the film and none were really needed as it was not an action film. The music was also good and in keeping with the story and setting.

I am only reviewing the film so there are no bonus features for me to speak about. The DVD can be bought for around £5 now and I do think this is a great price. The running time of the film is 134 minutes and before watching I felt this seemed a little too long but once I had got into the story I completely lost track of the time. The rate is a 12A and I do agree with this.

I am more than happy to give this film a high recommendation and the full 5 stars as both me and hubby thoroughly enjoyed it. The story was excellent and made more so by the fact it is a true story and the acting was also of a high standard. The accent from freeman was not overly good but he was still strong with his delivery and emotions and I felt he did a superb job. You really don’t need to be a rugby fan to watch this film as this is only a small part of the story. Definitely one to watch.

Watch out the chipmuncks are about!

My new post if for Alvin and the chipmunks the Squeakquel film, a perfect easy childrens film....

FILM ONLY REVIEW

The chipmunks are in Paris doing a charity concert when their carer Dave has a nasty accident and ends up in hospital. The chipmunks end up returning to America and being left in the care of Dave’s nephew Toby. Toby is not very mature and has no idea of how to look after children so they are really left to live a happy and fun life for a short time before the announcement that they are starting school.

Alvin, Simon and Theodor start school but things don’t go too well and they make an enemy of one of the jocks. The chipmunks also learn that the school music department is going to be closed due to lack of funding so they along with the Principle come up with the idea of hosting and winning the Battle of the Bands competition.

Things seem to be going well for the chipmunks until the arrival of the chipettes, a singing ad dancing group of girl chipmunks. Can the chipmunks get along with the chipettes or will their life be turned upside down and just when will Dave return home?

To be quite truthful I recorded this film for my boys to watch but as both me and hubby fancied a nice light hearted watch then we decided to give it a go ourselves. We did find it was good but not one we would be happy to watch again. The story was good but very predictable and not really very taxing but this is ideal for the young market this was made for. We also found that the laughs were few ad far between and the few we got were a little cheesy and daft.

The acting from the human character was good and we did not really have a main human character. Dave was good but her was not featured much at all. Toby was really the main carer for the chipmunks. He was played by Zachery Levi and he was good but nothing special. He was more into playing his computer games and not really interested in the care of the minors. We did have a more stronger role in that of the principle, she was stronger and more of a figure of authority. All of the actors did a good job working with the animated chipmunk characters and seemed to be able to make it seem as if they were really there.

The chipmunks looked good and very life like, they were cute and all had different images and appearances. They came to life and had good facial expressions and I did think the voice choices were very good. All of the voices managed to help bring life, emotion ad feelings to the characters. They were rather annoying at times but this may be because I am of the more mature nature and not the target audience that I found them slightly annoying and overly squeaky. They moved well and the interaction was very good.

We had a lot of special effects in the film and they were well created and fitted effortlessly into the film, there were one or two times when I felt the human actors were slightly off when supposedly holding or talking to a chipmunk but I was looking hard at this so I noticed by children certainly wont.

The film had a great soundtrack from start to finish and I was singing along to nearly all of the tracks used. I would advise that the tracks are sung by both the chipmunks and the chipettes so they have squeaky and high pitched vocals so don’t expect the proper tracks or singers. The costumes, props and sets were all good as this film is set in the present so not much effort was needed for this aspect of the film.

I am only reviewing the film so there are no DVD extras for me to mention. The running time of the film is 88 minutes and I did think this was a good length and should manage to keep children engaged from start to finish. The DVD can be bought for under £5 now which is a good price.

I am happy to give this film 3 stars as although I was not overly struck by it is would make great viewing for children. The story was good and not overly complicated so easy to follow and the soundtrack is good. There are a few laughs but some are daft and silly. I would say this is a good school holiday film which should give Mom and Dad 88 minutes of peace. 3 stars from both me and hubby.

Music makes the world go round

A new post for the film, The Thing called love...

FILM ONLY REVIEW

Miranda Presley has a love for music so she decides to move from New York to Nashville where she hopes to get her songs heard and make a name for herself. She arrives at the Bluebird Bar for an audition but unfortunately she does not make it to the live show for the Saturday night and is told to come back the following week and try again. Miranda moves into a motel where she strikes up a friendship with fellow song writer Linda Lou.

Miranda continues to write and make friends, one she meets is James Write who has already sold some songs and has a recording contract, he is a loose cannon and soon there seems to be some feelings between the pair. Miranda is then introduced to Kyle who is also trying to make a name for himself and the four start to spend a lot of time together but Miranda is falling for James.

Can Miranda really find a name for herself in the Nashville music scene and what will happen between her and James?

There was no particular reason for me watching this film but as it starred River Phoenix I decided to give it a go. I did think it was a good film which has a good story but it did seem to move at a very slow pace and at times I lost a little interest as nothing seemed to be happening and I was willing it to move along quicker. I did like the fact t was set in Nashville as we got a lot of good country music to listen to which made a refreshing change to all the modern stuff we get nowadays and personally I don’t think the film would have worked as well if it would have had a different setting.

The acting was ok but nothing special. The lead role of Miranda was played by Samantha Mathis and for me she was quite weak. There was no strength about her which was a shame as she was supposed to be fighting for her dream. She also seemed very naive when it came to love and me and was quite thick when it came to the two men in her life. She did have a pleasant singing voice on some of the tracks she sang but o others she seemed very out of her depth. There was not an overly good or believable chemistry between her and the role of James which was a big let down as this was needed to give the story some real depth. The role of James was played by river Phoenix, I am lead to believe from the introduction give at the start of this film that it was in fact the last one he made. He was a strange character to work out, he seemed moody for the majority of the film but we did get one or two small insights into his emotions and feelings and I did enjoy this side to him. He seemed for the majority of the film to be not interested ad delivered his lines in a way which showed little interest in what he was saying. I think he could have given so much more to the film.

There were some very good support roles in the film and the one which really stood out for me was that of Kyle, he was played by Dermot Mulroney. He was a good deep character who wore his heart on his sleeve and really put a lot into his character. He was down to Earth and I was easily able to warm to him. We did have a character played by Sandra Bullock, Lindsey Lou, I felt she was made to look a fool, she was a little dumb and was scatty and made to look awful, she cold have bee stronger and more sensible considering she was living in Nashville alone and doing a good job of looking after herself. I am glad Bullock has moved away from these characters as she is much better than they are.

The film was filmed in Nashville and I enjoyed seeing their way of life, it was slower paced and I loved how everything had a cowboy theme and feel. The costumes were all in keeping with the setting and despite this film being made back in 1993 it did not look overly dated. There was an excellent soundtrack to the film right from the very start, it all had a country feel and I loved how all of the songs had real meanings and the words all told a story. I would not personally go out and buy the soundtrack but I felt it worked so well with the story and setting of the film.

There were no real special effects in the film and none were needed. There are no bonus features to speak about with this film as I am reviewing the film only and not the DVD. The running time is 116 minutes and I did find this to be a little too long. The rate is a 12 and I think this is suitable.

I am going to give this film a recommendation on the basis that you don’t expect too much from it. The story is good but needed to move slightly faster and some of the acting is very good. I would say that if you like your country music then this is a good film to watch. I would not pay to see this so try to catch it when next on the TV. 3 stars from me.

Dream a little dream for me

My new post is for Inception DVD,an excellent film with amazing effects....

Dom Cobb works in a very highly skilled business, he uses dreams to extract information and use it for his gain. He is the best at what he does and has made a good living from it. He gets approached about a job and if he accepts he will be able to return home to America and his children.

Cobb has to think long and hard about the job as it is not a normal extraction, this one requires inception, putting an idea into someone’s mind. The offer of being freed of the charges of his wife’s murder are too much for Cobb to resist and he accepts. He sets about getting a team together and soon the plans are underway for the job. Unfortunately Cobb is having problems as his wife keeps appearing in the dreams and distracting him from his task but can he overcome this problem to win his freedom and return home to his children?

I have been looking forward to watching this film for a few months now but when we first attempted to watch it I just found it quite hard to follow and understand so ended up turning it off after 20 minutes, I am so pleased that I gave this film another watch as once I had got past the start I managed to follow with ease and fully understand the story and the different levels of the dreams which were used. I found the story to be excellent and very original, the concept of people being able to use dreams to get information about you was interesting and the way it was done was a very big eye opener to me as there was the element of ‘this could actually happen’ as the story was kept quite realistic throughout.

The acting was good and the lead role of Cobb was played by Leonardo DiCaprio. He was a good strong character and I felt I got to know a good amount about him and his history to be able to understand the way he thought and why he was so determined to do the job. The inclusion of his wife ad their side story was great as it gave some depth to the overall film and character. DiCaprio bought a lot to the role and I felt he was convincing in the way he acted and delivered his lines. He worked well with all other actors and there was a good friendship between him and the other team members and he never seemed to try and act the superior character. We had a lot of other good characters in the film and the few which really stood out were that of Arthur, played by Joseph Gordon- Levitt. I found him to be a good slightly less serious role and found he was the one to keep Cobb on the straight and narrow. Ariadne was a nice and strong female member of the team and I felt she seemed to fit in very well. She was confident and sure of herself and she managed to stand for herself very well with the male characters, she was played by Ellen Page. Other central roles came from, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe and Dileep Rao.

There was two small parts in the film which included appearance from Pete Postlethwaite and Michael Caine and I enjoyed both there contributions to the film.

As you would expect from a film which involved getting into peoples dreams and stealing information there is a whole lot of action, I found this to be very good and needed to make the story more convincing, if we would not have had this then the story would not have seemed so believable and real. I found all of the gun fights and fist combat was detailed and believable and fitted effortlessly into the film. There is also an awful lot of effects in the film and again these were also of a very high standard and some of them really were mind blowing. The way the dreams could be slowed and altered was shown in an amazing way and I think a lot of credit should go to the team who created these effects.

The scenery was good and we did get to see a few different places, the small shots of the outside areas were good but the majority of the film was set indoors. The props and costumes were good, not much effort was needed for the clothes as this film is set in the modern day. The music was also good but nothing amazing.

The DVD which we have does have some bonus features which include, Dreams, Cinema of the Subconscious - Can the dream world be a fully functional parallel reality? Joseph Gordon-Levitt and leading scientists take you on the cutting edge of dream research. Inception: The Cobol job - comic prologue in full animation and motion: see the events that led to the beginning of the movie. 5.1 Soundtrack selections from Hans Zimmer’s versatile score. Concept art, Promotional art and the Trailer / TV spot trailers. I am not a fan of bonus material so I have not taken the time to watch any of these so unfortunately I am not able to make comment on them. They are standard on the DVD anyway so you will not have to pay more to get them included.

The running time of the film is 142 minutes and I did originally think this was going to be way too long but once I really got into the film I did loose track of the time and found it moved at a good pace from start to finish. The rate is a 12 and I do agree with this, there is some violence but more so as younger viewers will not be able to follow the story. The DVD can be bought for around the £10 mark and I do think this is a fair price.

I am more than happy to give this film a good solid 4 stars. I would have gone for 5 but I had the problem of not being able to get into the story for the first 20 minutes and I was not overly keen on the ending ether, I cannot elaborate on this as it would spoil it for those who may not have seen the film yet. The story is excellent once you get into it and so too is the acting. I am glad to be recommending this film.

War is not just about the Americans

My new post is a review on the Fallen DVD, a war film with a difference and well worth watching.

In 1944 the war was moving to Italy with the Germans trying to take control of the country. The Italian people are not happy about it and set up their own group of men, the Partisans who try to stop the German invasion. There are however, some Italians who have joined forces with the Germans to win the war and they are happy to be under German control. The Germans are having a tough time trying to push through Italy and take the country and they are now going to be faced with the Americans who are getting closer.

The American forces are trying to save Italy so are not the enemy of the Partisans but the small supply unit are finding it hard to deliver the supplies needed in this dangerous place.

How is the war seen through the eyes of these three different groups and how will they deal with that faces them?

The plot summery which I have written for this film really is only very basic and there is a lot more to discover from watching but I was at a loss on how to get more across without giving to much away for those who may not have seen this film yet. The story was very good and it was nice to see parts of the war through the eyes of all the different sides involved and not just how the Americans ‘won it’ for us. We did get to see the normal soldiers and how they dealt with what faced than and for me this was a very interesting twist on the usual war films and it was made very believable for me.

The acting was very good and we had a whole variety of characters. The man ones for me were the American supply team, they were not the most featured in the film but I remember them more as they were the only group who spoke English. A few of the actors included, Daniel Asher, C J Barkus and Matthew Black. They were all strong characters and made their roles believable. I found I could relate well to them and understand their emotions. There were a few places when thought they were over playing the parts slightly but this did not happen very often. They all delivered their lines with conviction and came across as having a good military understanding. There were times when I felt they cold have given a little more emotion when they were in fighting scenes and people were being killed but overall a good team of actors.

The Italians and Germans were also very good in their roles, there were not all too different from the Americans but they seemed to have a doubt about the war right from the start of the film and it was as if they were prepared to loose from then. I would have liked more determination from them and stronger lines to make them appear as the hard soldiers we were told about. I enjoyed the fact that they both spoken in their own languages as this made it easier for me to differentiate the two nationalities as their uniforms were very similar. They all managed to delver their lines well and worked very well with the weapons and action scenes.

The film was based in Italy and therefore we had some wonderful scenery. The country was shown in a very pleasant way an did loved seeing the countryside and the old fashioned basic way of life for the locals. The film did not have many inside shots but I am glad about this as the outside ones were much nicer. The scenery and props really helped me get a feel for the 1940’s and it was very easy to see what time frame we were in right from the start of the film. The old fashioned uniforms were all very detailed and good, hubby commented on how realistic they all looked. The weapons were also authentic for the time of this film.

This is a war film so there is a lot of action involved but I am pleased to say that it does not happen for the entire film and there is a lot of the story which does not involved fighting but when it does come it is excellently made. The special effects were superb and they looked so real. There were a few times when I had to look away as we got a few gruesome scenes with people having limbs blown off but I think this just goes to show how well and realistic all the effects were.

The music was quite strange, it was good and pleasant but it really did not seem to fit in. we had some lovely light orchestral tracks played but they appeared when men were fighting with each other and for me it just did not work and fit together well, I think the music could have been a lot stronger for the film as it would have helped with the story telling and emotions of the characters.

The DVD we have does have a small amount of bonus features which include, Hit and Run: the making of ‘The Fallen’ and Film trailer. I have not watched these so I am not able to make comment on them, they are also standard features on the DVD so you will not have to pay extra to watch them.

The running time of the film is 106 minutes and the rate is a 15, I agree with the rate as there is a lot of strong language and moderate war violence. The DVD can be bought for under £5 now, we paid just £3 for ours from Tesco.

I am happy to give this film 4 stars, the stories were good and the way we got the three different sides of the one story was interesting. I have dropped one star as I did not like the music and felt it did not work with the film and also for the fact that there are a lot of subtitles which may put people off watching this. Recommended by both me and hubby.

Puppy Love

new post for the moving film Hachi A Dog's Tail, this is an excellent film which I highly recommend. Enjoy .....

FILM ONLY REVIEW

At a small train station in Bedridge Professor Parker Wilson is making his usual commute home when he stumbles on a small puppy which appears to be lost. He takes to dog to the office but he is told that if no one claims him he will be sent to the pound. Parker takes the puppy home with the intention of finding its owner. His wife is not happy about the puppy as they have recently lost their own dog.

The following morning Parker sets about tracking the owner but has no luck so the dog ends up at home with him again. The next morning the puppy goes to work with Parker where he discovers from a colleague that the dog is not a normal one, it has been bread by monks to be a hunting dog and the markings on the tag say that the dog is called Hachi.

Hachi soon becomes part of the family and settles in well forming a very strong bond with Parker, he goes so far as to walking to the station every morning and the returning at night to meet Parker when he gets off the train. Hachi becomes a strong member of the community and when disaster strikes the family he is not going to be moved.

How far and how long will Hachi wait?

I have looked forward to seeing this film for quite some time now but hubby has never really fancied it as he thought it would involve the dog dying and he would not be able to watch that, I ca say that Hachi does not die so don’t let this put you off. Do not feel that I have spoilt the film by giving this away as there is so much more to the story and it is not spoilt in the slightest by this fact. I did find the story to be very good and quite moving at times and at the very end I found out that this was a true story ad for some reason it made the story more powerful and moving for me. The way the story was told was very good and I liked the fact it spread over many years as this kept it quite fresh and not at all dull or boring.

The acting was great, Richard Gere took the lead role of Parker and I found his to do an excellent job. He seemed very natural and at ease working with the dog and the way he let his emotions and feeling come out made he seem more genuine and likable. He delivered all of his lines with ease and seemed to have an honest and true bond with the dog. There was some good parts with Parker and his wife and they too worked well on screen together and came across as a very happy couple. The real star of the film was Hachi, he was a wonderful dog and looked so cute, he managed to act excellently and come across in a very friendly and kind way. He did put some good facial expressions over when Parker would be talking to him and I think this helped me a lot to understand how the dog was feeling and just how much love he had to his owner. We had some very good support actors in the film and they all came across well and did help to bring some depth to the story.

The story was told through the eyes of Parkers grandson and he opened the film before we went back to flashbacks, it was easy to follow as we did not keep going back to the present time and did only return there at the end of the film. We also got to see small parts through the eyes of Hachi, we could easily work out these parts though as they were lacking in colour and we were always looking at things from a lower level. I thought this was a nice inclusion in the film.

There were no real special effects in the film and none were needed. The one aspect which I found to be excellent was the dog training, Hachi was amazing and looked so at ease on screen and he always had a good playful look to his eyes. The trainers really worked hard to make the role so good. The costumes and sets were also very good and realistic, no real effort was needed as the film was only set a few year previous so normal clothes were worn. The music was good and did help with the tone and emotions of the story but personally it is not a soundtrack I would go out a buy.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The DVD is available for around the £7 price tag which I think is very reasonable although this is being shown on Sky movies now.

I am more than happy to give this film a high recommendation and the full 5 stars as I loved it. The story and acting are excellent but I would warn it may bring a tear to the eye more than once!

Bright eyes

New post for Avon true colour eye shadow quad, an excellent product, enjoy the post....

As I am in the process of revamping my makeup bag I have been looking for a good selection of eye shadows and a good colour choice. I came across is eye shadow quad in the Avon brochure and thought it look good so decided to give it a try.

The eye shadows come in a black case which is made from hard plastic. On the lid we have a nice silver design and the Avon logo. When opening the lip, this is very simple to do, there is a small press button which releases the lid, you will find the 4 coloured shadows inside. There is a mirror on the inside of the lid which is a decent size and a space at the side of the shadows where the small double ended brush sits.

The powders look nice and rich in colour and they look quite moist, they are not all bitty and overly dry. On the back of the case there is a small section which shows the 4 colours with numbers and then an eye outline showing where the colours should go. I think this is very handy to have as it shows how to apply the shadows for the most dramatic look. The colours do not have to be wore in the way and they are all very good stand alone colours if you are looking for a more subtle look from them.

The application is very easy, there is a brush included in the case, the one end has quite a wide tip but the other has a more slimmer one, this is the ideal brush for the application of all four colours in the shown way. When you put the shadow onto the brush it only takes one stroke over the small round colour section as a lot does come away on the applicator. I have noticed that it does not crumble or leave a lot of powdery mess when this is done and for me this is a bonus as it means I am not getting it over my clothes. The power glides easily onto the eye lid and you to do have to be overly hard when doing so. The colour you get from just the one stroke on the lid is very good and rich but if you want more of a dramatic colour then you can build this up by applying more.

I have found this to be a great eye shadow which lasts for hours. I apply mine of a morning and it still looks just as good when it comes to removing it for bed. The shadow does not crease or smudge when blinking and it does not run when eyes water. I have had great success when wearing these and they are also very easy to get different looks from. The individual colour can be wore separately for the daytime and then they can be all worn and blended together for a perfect evening look. The colour choice is great, the set which I have is the aquadelic one, this contains a green, salmon, white and dark silvery grey colours, they do not look as if they will all go tighter when you first look at the set but if applied the way shown then they give a wonderful look. There are other colour choices available but for me they were slightly too dark.

The shadow is very easy to remove when needed, I se a small blob of baby lotion on a cotton wool ball and just gentle wipe over the eye, it comes off with ease and no hard rubbing is needed. There have been no irritations to my eyes after using this shadow. There is a shelf life of 24 months on the product but personally I don’t think it will last for anywhere near this time as I love the colours so much.

This is an Avon product so it is only available in their catalogue or their online store. The price is around £8 but I paid just £5.50 on offer and I think it is well worth this amount as you are getting 4 different colours which can be worn many ways for lots of different looks. There are not claims on the shadow as to whether this has been product using animal testing or not.

I am more than happy to give this eye shadow quad the full 5 stars as I love it. The colours are great and it is not drying and does not crease. There are so many ways this can be worn and it is well worth the price tag especially if you too can get it on offer. Highly recommended by me.

Love Hurts

New post for the film the End of an Affair, a good film with strong acting and a good story but let down by the overly shown sex and nudity scenes.

FILM ONLY REVIEW

Maurice Bendrix is a novelist working in London, he is out walking on a rainy night when he bumps into his friend Henry. Henry asks him home for a drink and the men get talking. Henry is concerned that his wife Sarah is having an affair and he is considering having her followed but little does he know that Sarah was once having an affair with Maurice.

Maurice was happy with Sarah until she abruptly ended the affair and he is still racked with jealousy that she may be with another man so he decides he will have her followed. Maurice is also writing a novel about hate and as it happens it involves his affair with Sarah. As Maurice writes we discover their affair and what happened during it but when the pair meet will the affair be rekindled and what will the private detective find out?

I have found it quite hard to give a brief plot summery for this film as there was a lot happening which went from different time frames so I have tried to give a little but not too much of the story as I do not wish to spoil it for those who may not have seen the film yet. The story was not an original one and it was mainly about a pair of lovers I did find it to be interesting as it was told in a very different way. Both me and hubby did have problems at the start of the film with the time frames, one moment we would be in the present and the next we would have moved back 2 years when the affair was happening but this was hard to spot at first and we kept getting lost. I am please to say it did get easier as the film went on due to the war being a key part of the affair.

I think this film was helped greatly by the choice of actors, the lead role of Maurice was played by Ralph Fiennes. He was a strong character and very believable, we did not get to know much about him and I liked the air of mystery which surrounded him from this, he was very jealous and this gave him a slightly nasty and hard image as well as the passionate on he had when with Sarah. Ralph managed to put so many emotions into the role really felt I got to know him well and I knew what he was thinking and why he acted as he did. He delivered all of his lines with ease and passion and was a very strong character. There was a good chemistry between him and the role of Sarah and I enjoyed seeing how their relationship developed. Sarah was played by Julianne Moore as she too played a very strong role. She was likable and despite cheating on her husband I could feel her pain and why she needed to be with someone who loved her. There was a constant connection between these two characters and even when they had been reunited and not lovers anymore there was still a powerful and tense love between them both. We also had the role of Henry which was good but he was not as central as the other two actors, he was played by Stephen Rea and there were times when I wanted to shake him and tell him to grow a backbone and fight for the woman he supposedly loved but he did not and I was disappointed he was not stronger, the acting was good but I would have liked more from him.

The film was set just after the end of world War 2 and this was very apparent from the location, sets, props and costumes. The clothes were all of the time and looked very good. I did enjoy seeing how London was after the war and felt it was a very good portrayal of the era. The scenes which involved the war were also very good and believable. We did have some special effects during the film and I found them to be of a high standard. They fitted effortlessly into the film and were good to watch. The music was not very memorable but it did help with the scene setting and tensions of the scenes in which the tracks were used.

The one criticism I do have of this film is the love scenes, for me they were overly long and not necessary. We did not have to watch 5 minutes of love making when it could have been a few seconds and the rest left up to our imaginations. We did not need the nudity either and for me it was off putting. We did get to see Ralph Fiennes bottom though which was a plus side! If it would have been left as subtle sex scenes I would have not been inclined to have left the room for the toilet or a cigarette when they were on.

The film was made in 1999 and I was worried that I might have looked dated as I was unsure of what it was about before I watched it but luckily as it was set in the 1940’s this was not the case and I think it holds up very well in the present time.

I am only reviewing the film so there are no bonus DVD features to speak about. The running time of the film is 102 minutes and the rate is an 18. The rate is spot one due to the language and the sex and nudity. The DVD can be bought for just a few pounds now online and I personally think it is not worth paying for.

I would love to be able to give this film more than 3 stars but there were a few factors which I did not enjoy. The story was good and told very well and the acting was strong. The things which have made me rate this down are the sex, nudity and the way at the start of the film both me and hubby had issues working out what year we were meant to be in. I would recommend watching this if you can catch it on the TV for free.

Golden Kisses

My new post is more for the lades as it is a product review for Avon ultra colour 24K gold lipstick. A great product and one for all make up bags.

On the hunt for some new makeup I decided to choose this 24k gold lipstick from Avon, to be quite honest the deciding factor was the price as it was on offer! I did also like the claim in the book of the moisture and glittering fleck which would help to give the lipstick colour shine.

The lipstick arrived and it was covered in the usual black plastic covering which has a small amount of detail about the lipstick, this is easy to remove as it has a perforated tear strip on it. Under this we come to the case of the lipstick and I am happy to say this is gold in colour with a matte finish but there is a shiny gold band around the middle which has the Avon logo on. The top of the lipstick is very easy to remove and just a small pull will see it coming off with ease. Under the lid in the lipstick barrel which is again shiny gold. To get the lipstick out for application the base just needs a few twists anti clockwise and then clockwise to return it to the safety of the barrel. The overall size of the lipstick including the case is 7.5 cm long and at the widest point which is the middle it is 2.5 cm wide, an ideal size for the handbag.

The actual lipstick is a good shape, the tip is angled and rounded which gives easier application. The shape will change when this had been used for a good few times but this will depend on the shape of your lips and the way you apply to how it ends up. The lipstick is simple to apply, I find it best to work from the middle out with one stroke on each side of the top lip and the one long stroke across the bottom lip. When I first applied the lipstick I noticed that there was a good shine to it, there was almost a glittery appearance to the colour which I really liked. Once I had blotted my lipstick I noticed that this did fade slightly but the colour was still more shiny than a standard matte finish one. The colour was very rich and I did not have to use a lot to achieve the desired finish.

I had been wearing my lipstick for about 2 hours and I noticed that the colour had started to fade slightly but this was no big issue as I had eaten dinner and been drinking, I was actually pleased that there was still some of the colour remaining. A big plus for me and this lipstick is the fact that it does not bleed off my lips, with the majority of lipsticks I have used in the past I find that after about 30 minutes of wear then tend to start bleeding off my lips and make me loose the defined line around the edge, this was not the ease with this and even after a light re application I still found I had defined lips. I also tend to get dry lips after wearing any type or brand of lipstick for more than a few hours but again this one did not do this to me, my lips felt very moisturised the whole time I wore this and even after I removed it they still had a good amount of moisture on them. The lipstick was very easy to remove and a small amount of baby lotion on a cotton wool ball saw it coming off with ease and no small patches were left.

The lipstick is only available to buy from Avon and it has a price tag of £8.50,l this may seem high compared to other brands but it really is worth the money for the benefits it gives. The colour choice consists of, golden peach, ruby in gold, golden rose, nude gold, pink and amethyst gold, the one which I chose was nude gold and this gives the lips a shiny golden glow and there is a noticeable colour change but it is slightly more subtle than the other colours and perfect for everyday wear.

The shelf life of the lipstick is 24 months, there are no indications as to whether this lipstick has been made sing animal testing or not. The packaging is not recyclable and there is a warning on the original black plastic cover it comes n that this lipstick contains oxybenzone.

I ma more than happy to give this lipstick a good solid 5 stars. The colours are great and it moisturised lips and gives a lasting colour which does not bleed. The price tag may seem high to some but it is well worth it, if you are unsure then wait for it to come on offer in one of the Avon books, I will certainly be stocking up when it does!

Not quite perfect wear

My new post is really one for the ladies, it is a review of Avon's perfect wear extra lasting eye shadow stick.


As I have had a good clear out of my makeup bag I decided to take advantage of the Avon book which I had just had delivered. The first thing which I decided on was a new eye shadow as I am a little bored of wearing nude and brown colours, for the summer months I wanted something a little lighter so opted for a blue one. The product which struck me was the Perfect Wear Eye shadow stick as it looked simple and easy to apply.

The eye shadow comes in a black plastic case, it has a gold trim around the middle with a picture of the eye outline on it. There is no Avon logo on the outside of the stick but under the lid it is embossed on the side of the tube. When pulling the end of the case off you find the eye shadow inside. It is in a cut away end of the stick and this is angled for easier use. The overall size of the eye shadow is 11cm by 1.5cm.

It is simple to use the eye shadow and to do this us just really have to draw it on the eyelid. I did find that it took quite a few strokes to get a noticeable amount of colour and that I did have to press quite hard to get this. The eye shadow covers the eye quite evenly and smooth and does look rather nice. The only thing which I had a problem with at first was the fact that it seemed to take a few moments to dry, it felt rather tacky on the lids for a good 2 minutes but this did go away once the colour was dry. After wearing this for about 30 minutes and checking it in the mirror I was rather disappointed as there was a massive crease on both lids. The colour had all clumped together on the crease of the lid and looked rather messy and I found I had to then reapply the shadow to smooth the crease and get an even coverage again.

There are some plus sides to the shadow, the fact that it is not a powder means none of it comes off the brush and goes on the dressing table top of my clothes and the colour is lovely. I have found that this is not overly bad to wear for everyday if you are not working for too long as the re application is quite simple but I would not suggest this for a night out as you will be forever going to find a mirror to smooth it out then it get you quite paranoid about whether it has creased again or not.

There was a good feeling of moisture from this eye shadow which I did like and I also fond it very easy to remove, a simple dab of baby lotion on a cotton wool ball will mean only one or two gentle wipes over the eye to ensure that it has all been removed. I have not had any drying of the eyelids from wearing this on the odd time I have taken the plunge and spent time working on the creases.

The eye shadow comes in a variety of colours, diamond, blue wave, lovin lilac, moonstone, classic grey and zest. The one which I choice was the blue wave and it is a lovely light baby blue colour. The colour is easy to achieve when a few hard application are applied and I would be tempted to try the other colour if not for the few problems I have had. There is definitely a nice light summery feel to these colours and I think the choice is very good. The eye shadow is only available from Avon and it is priced at £6.50. I did manage to get mine on offer for £5 which I think is a little more reasonable.

The shelf life of the eye shadow is 24 months and the packaging is unfortunately not recyclable.

I would love to be able to give this eye shadow a higher rate as I love the colour and design, I have compromised at 3 stars due to the love of the colour but the amount needed to get the desired colour and the fact that it creases has put me off from buying more of them. I think if you are prepared to keep toping this up and smoothing the creases or only wanting to wear it for an hour or so then it may be better suited to you. A slightly disappointing buy from Avon.

Mind Games

This new post is a film review for film, Sleuth. A British film staring Michael Caine and Jude Law.

FILM ONLY REVIEW

I am finding it hard to give a plot summery for this film as it was quite complicated to follow for the majority of the film and a little strange so what I am going to do I only give a very brief one and let you find out the rest from watching as if I give too much away it will spoil the whole film.

Andrew is an aging man who lives in a country manor and is a crime writer. He is having issues as his wife has left him for another younger man and he wont give her a divorce. The lover, Milo arrives to speak to Andrew and asks for a divorce so he can marry lover Maggie. Andrew will not agree to the divorce but comes up with a plan to help them both out.

Andrew says Maggie loves money and she will not stay with Milo as he is poor, he suggests that Milo breaks into the house and steals the jewels that they have in the safe, that way Milo can sell them for just under a million pounds and Andrew can claim the insurance money. Milo is reluctant at first as he does not trust Andrew one bit but after some persuasion he agree. The men set about breaking into the house but things don’t go to plan and Andrew changes his mind at the last minute with drastic consequences for Milo.

Will Milo get the divorce he went for or will Andrew be able to win wife Maggie back?

As I said before the plot for this is a little complicated and slightly hard to follow for the majority of the film, fortunately it does all come together towards the end of the film and I thought I had worked it out right until the very end scene when it just left me thinking, What? And he had no real ending. I was disappointed with this as the film starred two fine actors and I was really looking forward to watching it. For the first 20 minutes of the film I just could not get into the story and thought that it was strange the way the men were with each other but I did settle into it and the connection with the men improved greatly.

The role of Andrew was played by Michael Canine and I had problems trying to work him out. He came across as a little odd for the majority of the film and he seemed very wooden with his lines at the start of the film, once we got past the first part of the film thought we got to know more about him and I felt more at ease watching him. The role of Milo was played by Jude Law and he was slightly better in his role, he seemed very naive at the start of the film and slightly scared of Andrew and I think this helped in letting me get an understanding of him. Both men seemed at a loss with each other to begin with and there was not connection of chemistry between them at all, this did slightly improve as the film went on but not enough for me to really enjoy the film.

We did only have these two actors in the whole of the film so don’t expect a great cast.

The setting for the film was in Andrew’s country manor but don’t expect it to be a lovely old house as the inside was very modern and it was all controlled by a remote, I really did not like the overly modern setting and felt it was very out of place. We do only have this one setting and I think this just made the film a little boring as it was the same scenes over and over again. The clothes and props were average and I think more effort could have been used on them. There was the problem of the lack of setting and actors which did not help this at all. The music was not at all memorable and I am unable to even remember on track or one part of the film where music was used.

For me and hubby, we both think this film would have worked better as a comedy, there were some funny moments and a few one liners but when they came out they seemed more sinister than funny and it made the characters seem unstable. I think re casting this and giving it a different setting and a comedy element would make this a good fun film to watch.

I am only reviewing the film so there are no DVD extras to speak of. The running time of the film is 86 minutes and although this is short it did seem a little long and dragged out as there were only 2 actors. The rate is a 15 and I do agree with this. The film can be bought on DVD for just a few pounds now from Amazon.

I would like to be giving this film a high rate and recommendation but unfortunately I just cannot. I am only able to give 2 stars and that was due to the fact it was confusing and hard to follow and there was always a wooden and uneasy connection with the actors. I would not advise buying the DVD and only to watch this on the TV if nothing better on. This would have been so much better with a different setting and with a comedy element included. Not Caine’s best by a mile.

Rat Pack take on Vegas

New post is for the original Oceans 11 film starring members of the Rat Pack.

11 Men who all served together in the Second World War are about to be reunited. Danny Ocean and Jimmy Foster plan to get the group back together so they can pull of one of the biggest robberies ever. They plan to steal millions from 5 Las Vegas casinos on New Years eve.
They have to try and track down the men and talk them into the plan. This seems easy but the plan has to be carried out to the exact letter and timing or they all face getting caught. Can Ocean and his gang pull of the robberies and can they all make it out of Vegas very rich men?

I have heard of this film but only because of the recent re makes. I never knew it was an old film starring some very famous men. Hubby thought it would be good for me to watch the film and see some of the old style and world famous actors on screen. I did enjoy the film and have heard of the actors but for me I just did not recognise them at all in the film and had to keep asking hubby who was who. I enjoyed the story and found it to be interesting especially as they only really had the use of basic equipment and high tech tools. I did find the slight comedy which was added to the film did make it much easier to watch.
The acting was good for the age of the film and I have to confess that there was only one of the actors who I recognised and that was Sammy Davies Junior. He was great in his role of Josh and bought some good comic moments to the film. We had some of the old big names in the film, Frank Sinatra played the role of Danny Ocean, Dean Martin played Sam Harmon and Cesar Romero played the role of Duke. They were all very good in their roles and made them easy to watch and get to know but I did have a hard time working out who was who and how they fitted into the film. They all seemed to look very similar and dress the same, this was the fashion of the time but it did mean I kept loosing track of who was who. The men worked well with their lines and delivered them with ease, there were a few small moments when I felt it seemed slightly wooden but I think the age of the film played a part in this.

We had a lot of other actors in the film and they included appearances from, Peter Lawford, Angie Dickinson, Richard Conte, Joey Bishop and Buddy Lester. They were all very good and had good characters. I found they did bring a small amount of depth to the story as there were some small side stories involving their personal lives.
The film was made back in 1960 and this was very apparent from the costumes down to the sets. The clothes were all very good and it was nice to see the men all dressed in suits and looking smart with their slicked back hair. The old fashioned cars were good to watch and so too was the way they acted and tried to look cool. The sets were all very made and I loved the shots of Vegas as it looked so basic and small compared to how it has been developed and what it looks like now.

There are a lot of songs in the film, as you would expect with the appearance of some amazing singers in it. I found the tracks Sammy Davies junior sang seemed more natural than the ones Frank and Dean Martin sang. They seemed a little to forced and not fitting into the film naturally for my liking. The vocals were all very good though. There is some comedy in the film and the timing was great. We has some good one liners which the characters managed to work well with and bounce of each other and I loved how they would pay tricks on one of the men as this made the film light to watch.
The special effects which we had were good and fitting for the year this was made. I loved how basic they were and thought they were very in keeping with the film. They would look awful compared to the modern films but as I have not watched the re make of this film I cannot comment on how they have been developed to bring them up to date. There were a few moments during the film when the back drops looked poor and this was mainly when we were seeing shots of Sammy Davies Junior in his rubbish truck but I can forgive these as it was only once or twice it happened.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The running time of the film is 127 minutes and personally I did find this to be slightly too long. The rate is a PG and I do agree with this. The DVD can be bought now on many internet sites for just a few pounds but personally I would wait for it to be shown on the TV.
I am happy to give this film 3 stars. I found the acting good and the comedy much needed, it is well worth a watch as long as you remember this will not be amazing as it was made back in 1960. Recommended but not worth spending money on.

shooting pigeons, yeah right!

new post is up for the film, Harry Brown, superb film and one not to be missed.

FILM ONLY REVIEW

Harry is an elderly man who lives on a very rough estate in London, his wife is sick in hospital and he has to make his journeys there on foot. The gangs of the estate make his journey longer as they spend their time in the underpasses taking drugs, mugging people and fighting. After his wife dies Harry turns to best friend Len for support but he too is having problems of his own. The gangs are bothering him and making his life hard, he has had letter bombs through the door and they verbally attack him whenever he goes out. Len tells Harry that he is going to get his revenge but unfortunately this does not go to plan and he ends up being murdered.

Harry was once in the Marines and knows how to shoot and defend himself so he decides he is going to avenge the death of his best friend. When the gangs start getting attacked the police are at a loss as to who is behind it but can Harry take them all out before he gets caught or will the gangs win overall?

This is a film which has interested me for some time but I have never managed to talk hubby into watching it, fortunately it was my film choice time so he had no choice but to sit and watch. He did actually end up saying that he thought it was excellent and would definitely have no problems in recommending it to anyone. The storyline was fantastic and even though Harry was of an elderly age it was still very believable. I think the fact we got to know of his military background helped a lot. The way the film was shot also made it seem more of a documentary at times than an actual film.

Michael Caine took the lead role of Harry Brown and he did a superb job with the character. He really bought Harry to life and gave us a good understanding of the way he thought and acted on things. I loved seeing the emotion he bought to the role as this made him more human. The way he dealt with the gang members was fantastic and how basic the fights and guns were was what really made me get into the film and believe what I was seeing. The appearance of Harry was good but I did have to comment on how much older Caine looks now but he has gained a little weight and he does look better for it. He portrayed his illness well and I loved how he was not a doddering old man but one of strength and emotion. He seemed at ease working with the guns and younger actors and I thought the gun did actually suit him.

We had some very good support actors in the film and as this is a British film I enjoyed the fact that they were all our home grown talent. Some of the looked familiar from other small parts in television series but some were new and I think they will have a bright future. Some of the actors included, Emily Mortimer, David Bradley, Iain Glen and Lee Oakes.

This is a very violent film and the way this was handled and show to us was very graphic at times, there were a few scenes when I had to look away as I found it a little too disturbing to watch but this just shows the lengths the producers went to making this film so real. There were some very good special effects and they were not overly done so they looked natural and fitted well into the story. We also had some other issues touched upon including abuse and drugs and they were also handled and shown well but I did not enjoy seeing all of them. I don’t think the film would have been as powerful if these issues had not been included as they did help to show what Harry was fighting for and against and just how bad places can get at times.

The sets and scenery for the film were all pretty dull but this was not a problem as it helped with the setting of the council estate, I am glad it was based here and not on a posh estate with a load of chavs as the gang members as it would not have worked as well. The costumes did not need very much attention as they were normal everyday clothes as this film is set in the present day. The soundtrack was not one which really stood out for me and I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing. The fact that it blended well must have helped as this film is one which I will be forgetting about for a very long time.

I am only reviewing the film so there are no DVD extras to speak about. The film has a running time of 103 minutes and a rate of 18. I definitely agree with the rate as there are some very delicate and hard to watch issues included. The DVD can be bought for just £5 now in most shops and online.

I am more than happy to give this film the full 5 stars, it was perfect in everyway and seemed so real. Michael Caine bought the character of Harry to life so well and he had me feeling so many different emotions. This film is most definitely worth 103 minutes and £5 of anyone’s money.

Would you change History?

My new post is a film review of the Final Countdown. Please read to save yourself time and money!

The USS Nimitz is 200 miles of the shore of Pearl Harbour when a terrible storm forces all of the planes to be called back. The storm takes a drastic turn and soon the men are facing a terrible green light and high pitched noise. The storm then disappears just a quickly as it came.

The crew think nothing of the storm but soon things don’t make sense to them. They are left with the uncertainty of what year they are in and exactly where they are. The Captain sends out planes to map the area only to discover something shocking, they are back in 1941 and are just about to witness the attack from Japan on Pearly Harbour.

Will the Captain and crew use their powers and weapons to stop the attack and if so what impact will it have on the way the world turned out and can they ever make it back to the present year?

I had never heard of this film until hubby spotted the DVD and told me that it was one of his favourite childhood films and it was a must watch, never again will I fall for that as the film for me was utter rubbish. I have to admit the story idea was good but the way it was played out was a let down. The film seemed to have a very serious nature but this did not come across very well from the actors and I did at times find myself thinking that it would have been better had it been made with a comedy element.

The acting was nothing special. Captain Yelland was played by Kirk Douglas and he was just so wooden. Ever time he tried to give an authoritive order or talk to people it seemed as if he was reading it from a script and it was very robotic. He lacked emotion and feeling and I just felt he could have let us in more with the way he was thinking and the fact that he must have been scared for his ship and crew with the fact he did not understand what had happened. There was no chemistry with him and his men and I don’t think it was at all natural. We did have a good role with Warren Laskey, he was a civilian who was on the ship to see how things could be improved and as he was not a military man he seemed more at ease with the way things were turning out and he did bring a few little one liners. He was played by a very young Martin Sheen and for me he was the best of the whole cast.

Other actors in this film included, Katherine Ross, James Farentino, Ron O’Neal and Charles Durning. They all played just average parts and none of them really stood out or bought something special to the film.

I do have to mention the fact that this is an old film and was made in 1980 and this really did show right from the very start. The clothes, props, sets and costumes were all dated and looked bad. Some of them were actually funny to see as the hairstyles made me giggle. The props looked cheap and poorly made and so to did the special effects which we had. When the storm came it went very cheesy and the green mist look awful and I think I could have produced better work myself. On a good note we did get some good shots of the planes when they were flying, unfortunately for me I had to listen to hubby telling me the name of each of them. We got some nice aerial shots of the ocean and then the coast and docks around Pearl Harbour, for me they were the highlight of the film. The sound track was not much better than the film and there is not a single track which I can remember from it.

The DVD does have limited bonus features which include scene selection and trailer. The trailer really did show the few best parts of the film but fortunately you will not have to pay extra for the bonus feature as it comes as standard on the DVD. I am pleased that we only paid £1.49 for the DVD and I would not recommend paying at all to watch this film. The running time is 98 minutes and I did think this was quite long enough, the rate is a PG and I agree with this too.

I am only able to give this film 1 star, I am also not recommending it. The overall idea for the story was good but we had poor effects and very wooden acting, it is also very dated and boring. I would not even recommend watching this if it comes on the TV so you get to see it for free. Sorry hubby but this is not a favourite of mine!