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.
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
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!
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!
Banished for Falling in Love
New post up for Arn A Knights Templar, enjoy...
Arn is the son of a Swedish nobleman and he gets sent to live in a monastery when he is young as his mother believes this is why God made him recover from his terrible illness. At the monastery he is taught many things, and to fight is what he shows he is best at. When he comes of age he returns home only to fall in love with Cecilia.
Cecilia is a young woman but has been promised to another man so when news of their love gets out they are both banished. Cecilia is sent to become a nun and as she is pregnant the baby is born and taken away from her. She has to spend 20 years here to do penance for here love. Arn is banished back to the monastery but he gets a reprieve and is sent to the Holy Land to fight in the crusades as a Knights Templar where he must serve for 20 years.
Arn and Cecilia vow to wait for each other but can Arn survive fighting in the crusades for 20 years and will they ever be reunited?
To be very honest, I was not looking forward to watching this film as it is not the usual film I would opt for and I really was not expecting much. I have to say I was very surprised by the film and really did enjoy it. The storyline was very good and I was not expecting the love story which we had. We do have a lot of battle and fight scenes but the underlying story is the love between Arn and Cecilia and this is what made it so watch able for me. The way the story was put across made it very easy to follow especially f like me you don’t have much knowledge of the Crusades, it does all get explained and is very easy to follow.
The acting was super from all involved. I was surprised to find the lead actors were all unknown to me as they did such amazing jobs with their roles. The lead of Arn was played by Joakim Natterqvist and he had me hooked from the moment he came on screen. He was strong and showed great courage and strength throughout even when facing death. He did show a softer side when on screen and talking about Cecilia and this made him seem more human and easier to understand and get to know. He delivered all of his lines with great ease and was a very believable character. I found he showed great timing and strength when it came to the battle scenes and he looked convincing throughout them. He worked well and had a good chemistry with the role of Cecilia, she was played by Sofia Helin. She was more of a softer character at the start of the film but her strength grew as the story moved on and I did start to think she was getting slightly boring but then she became more involved in the story and she developed more.
We had some great support actors who all made their role individual and believable. Actors included, Stellan Skarsgard, Simon Callow, Vincent Perez and Bibi Anderson. We had a good mix of people and they were all good and some managed to bring a small amount of depth to the story.
The film was set in the 12 Century and I found all of the costumes and props were excellently made and created for the film. From the very start of the film we could clearly see the year this was and the continuity continued throughout the film. We did get some wonderful shots of the countryside and over the mountains at times and they were very enjoyable to watch. The costumes were all very well made and looked authentic. I did however spot one of the men at battle wearing what looked like denim jeans but I cannot be certain if they definitely were but this is the only costume error I noticed. The music throughout was lovely and very orchestral and dramatic and did help with the emotions and settings of the scenes the tracks were used in.
There was a lot of special effects and CGI in the film and it was all to a very high standard. The fighting and battles were very good and a bit gruesome at times but they were interesting to watch and packed full of detail. There were no noticeably added backdrops and this is always a good things as it makes the film easier to watch and believe.
The DVD which we have does not contain any bonus features. The running time of the film is 130 minutes, I did think this seemed long at the start of the film but once I got into the story I did loose track of the time completely. The film has a 15 rate as there are parts of moderate violence and occasional gore and I do agree with this rate. The DVD can be bought for just a few pounds now. I paid just £5 for mine from Tesco about 2 months ago now.
I am happy to give this film a good solid 4 stars as it totally surprised me. There is a great story which has a love theme, the acting is superb and so to are the special effects. Definitely one I recommend.
Arn is the son of a Swedish nobleman and he gets sent to live in a monastery when he is young as his mother believes this is why God made him recover from his terrible illness. At the monastery he is taught many things, and to fight is what he shows he is best at. When he comes of age he returns home only to fall in love with Cecilia.
Cecilia is a young woman but has been promised to another man so when news of their love gets out they are both banished. Cecilia is sent to become a nun and as she is pregnant the baby is born and taken away from her. She has to spend 20 years here to do penance for here love. Arn is banished back to the monastery but he gets a reprieve and is sent to the Holy Land to fight in the crusades as a Knights Templar where he must serve for 20 years.
Arn and Cecilia vow to wait for each other but can Arn survive fighting in the crusades for 20 years and will they ever be reunited?
To be very honest, I was not looking forward to watching this film as it is not the usual film I would opt for and I really was not expecting much. I have to say I was very surprised by the film and really did enjoy it. The storyline was very good and I was not expecting the love story which we had. We do have a lot of battle and fight scenes but the underlying story is the love between Arn and Cecilia and this is what made it so watch able for me. The way the story was put across made it very easy to follow especially f like me you don’t have much knowledge of the Crusades, it does all get explained and is very easy to follow.
The acting was super from all involved. I was surprised to find the lead actors were all unknown to me as they did such amazing jobs with their roles. The lead of Arn was played by Joakim Natterqvist and he had me hooked from the moment he came on screen. He was strong and showed great courage and strength throughout even when facing death. He did show a softer side when on screen and talking about Cecilia and this made him seem more human and easier to understand and get to know. He delivered all of his lines with great ease and was a very believable character. I found he showed great timing and strength when it came to the battle scenes and he looked convincing throughout them. He worked well and had a good chemistry with the role of Cecilia, she was played by Sofia Helin. She was more of a softer character at the start of the film but her strength grew as the story moved on and I did start to think she was getting slightly boring but then she became more involved in the story and she developed more.
We had some great support actors who all made their role individual and believable. Actors included, Stellan Skarsgard, Simon Callow, Vincent Perez and Bibi Anderson. We had a good mix of people and they were all good and some managed to bring a small amount of depth to the story.
The film was set in the 12 Century and I found all of the costumes and props were excellently made and created for the film. From the very start of the film we could clearly see the year this was and the continuity continued throughout the film. We did get some wonderful shots of the countryside and over the mountains at times and they were very enjoyable to watch. The costumes were all very well made and looked authentic. I did however spot one of the men at battle wearing what looked like denim jeans but I cannot be certain if they definitely were but this is the only costume error I noticed. The music throughout was lovely and very orchestral and dramatic and did help with the emotions and settings of the scenes the tracks were used in.
There was a lot of special effects and CGI in the film and it was all to a very high standard. The fighting and battles were very good and a bit gruesome at times but they were interesting to watch and packed full of detail. There were no noticeably added backdrops and this is always a good things as it makes the film easier to watch and believe.
The DVD which we have does not contain any bonus features. The running time of the film is 130 minutes, I did think this seemed long at the start of the film but once I got into the story I did loose track of the time completely. The film has a 15 rate as there are parts of moderate violence and occasional gore and I do agree with this rate. The DVD can be bought for just a few pounds now. I paid just £5 for mine from Tesco about 2 months ago now.
I am happy to give this film a good solid 4 stars as it totally surprised me. There is a great story which has a love theme, the acting is superb and so to are the special effects. Definitely one I recommend.
I Wont remember this one!
new post up for the film, Remember me, enjoy...
Tyler is a college student in New York and he is having a hard time trying to come to terms with his brothers death and the fact their family fell apart after it. He tries to get on with life but always has his brother on his mind. His best friend and room mate is a good distraction for him but it is on a night out with him that they end up getting arrested for trying to help a man being beaten up. Tyler is a little cheeky to the police officer and as a result of this he gets a beating from him. Flat mate Aiden then discovers that the police officer has a daughter at the same college and persuades Tyler to go on a date with her to get revenge on her father.
Ally is the daughter and she too has problems, when she was 19 she witnessed her mother being murdered and as a result has a strained relationship with her father, she also tries to live each day to the full, so does agree to go out with Tyler when he asks.
The pair seem to be getting on very well and they have genuine feelings for each other but with both of them having troubled family lives and the fact that Tyler only asked her out to get back at her Dad can their relationship last and will they be able to help each other?
I have wanted to watch this film for some time now for the fact the trailers made it out to look good and that Robert Pattinson was also playing the lead role. After managing to talk hubby into giving this film a go we were both left slightly disappointed with it. The story never seemed to move and we struggled to actually find much of a story for the first half of the film, the characters just seemed to be plodding along together with no real meaning or purpose. It was only towards the end of the film when it really started to get going and I have to say the end really did come as a shock to me.
The acting was only very average for me and I would have liked a lot more emotion from the characters to really be able to feel what they were going through and to be able to connect with them but it never happened. Robert Pattinson played the lead role of Tyler and he was not too bad in the role. It was nice to actually see him move away from the Vampire he played in other films and to be human. His character was a hard one to understand, he was grieving and I understood this but there were moments when I could not work him out, he would be at home depressed and drinking and then he would be back to normal with his little sister despite only moments ago and a short bike ride from being drunk at home, I would have liked more separation to the different emotions from him. He did do a good job of putting some emotion into his lines when speaking of his brother but there was no connection with the character of Ally to make them genuine or real. The role of Ally was played by Emilie DeRavin and she was a little too weak for me, there were times when she came across well but the majority she was weak and never thought she gave her lines much feeling or conviction. She looked good and I was able to understand her but I wanted her to give so much more, especially when trying to help Tyler or when speaking of her mothers murder.
Fortunately we did have some good support roles and the one which stood out the most for me was that of Tyler’s father, played by Pierce Brosnan, he was a high powered business man and he was so much better at getting me to warm to him and to be able to understand him. The way he hid his feelings came across as very true and he for me was the strongest of the cast. Other actors included, Leno Olin, Ruby Jerins and Tate Ellington.
The film was set in 2001 and I am glad that we had the date come up at the start of the film as I would not have been able to work this out, the clothes were no different from what is worn today as the scenery and props were also no different from the modern ones. The sets were all very good and I did enjoy seeing some of New York but perhaps a little more of the skyline would have been good. The music was not overly important in this film and not at all memorable and I am now unable to remember a single track played.
The DVD which we have does have some bonus footage which includes, Revealing audio commentaries with Robert Pattinson, director Allen Coulter and other cast members, plus a Behind the scenes Featurettes that takes you inside the making of this touching film. I am not a fan of bonus features and the film did not make enough of an impact for me to want to watch these, so I am not able to make comment on them. The running time of the film is 108 minutes and I did find this to be quite long enough as there was a distinct lack of story at the start of the film. The rate is a 12 and I do agree with this. The DVD is available for around the £5 mark in most shops and on line.
I am sorry to only be able to give this film 3 stars as I wished it to be so much better, the story was so slow for the first half and the acting from some was very weak. There was a lack of emotion which would have made this film slightly more powerful and for me even though I enjoyed the latter half and the shock ending I just would not advise buying the DVD. If you are able to watch this on the TV for free then I would say to give it a go them but otherwise it is not a very memorable one at all.
Tyler is a college student in New York and he is having a hard time trying to come to terms with his brothers death and the fact their family fell apart after it. He tries to get on with life but always has his brother on his mind. His best friend and room mate is a good distraction for him but it is on a night out with him that they end up getting arrested for trying to help a man being beaten up. Tyler is a little cheeky to the police officer and as a result of this he gets a beating from him. Flat mate Aiden then discovers that the police officer has a daughter at the same college and persuades Tyler to go on a date with her to get revenge on her father.
Ally is the daughter and she too has problems, when she was 19 she witnessed her mother being murdered and as a result has a strained relationship with her father, she also tries to live each day to the full, so does agree to go out with Tyler when he asks.
The pair seem to be getting on very well and they have genuine feelings for each other but with both of them having troubled family lives and the fact that Tyler only asked her out to get back at her Dad can their relationship last and will they be able to help each other?
I have wanted to watch this film for some time now for the fact the trailers made it out to look good and that Robert Pattinson was also playing the lead role. After managing to talk hubby into giving this film a go we were both left slightly disappointed with it. The story never seemed to move and we struggled to actually find much of a story for the first half of the film, the characters just seemed to be plodding along together with no real meaning or purpose. It was only towards the end of the film when it really started to get going and I have to say the end really did come as a shock to me.
The acting was only very average for me and I would have liked a lot more emotion from the characters to really be able to feel what they were going through and to be able to connect with them but it never happened. Robert Pattinson played the lead role of Tyler and he was not too bad in the role. It was nice to actually see him move away from the Vampire he played in other films and to be human. His character was a hard one to understand, he was grieving and I understood this but there were moments when I could not work him out, he would be at home depressed and drinking and then he would be back to normal with his little sister despite only moments ago and a short bike ride from being drunk at home, I would have liked more separation to the different emotions from him. He did do a good job of putting some emotion into his lines when speaking of his brother but there was no connection with the character of Ally to make them genuine or real. The role of Ally was played by Emilie DeRavin and she was a little too weak for me, there were times when she came across well but the majority she was weak and never thought she gave her lines much feeling or conviction. She looked good and I was able to understand her but I wanted her to give so much more, especially when trying to help Tyler or when speaking of her mothers murder.
Fortunately we did have some good support roles and the one which stood out the most for me was that of Tyler’s father, played by Pierce Brosnan, he was a high powered business man and he was so much better at getting me to warm to him and to be able to understand him. The way he hid his feelings came across as very true and he for me was the strongest of the cast. Other actors included, Leno Olin, Ruby Jerins and Tate Ellington.
The film was set in 2001 and I am glad that we had the date come up at the start of the film as I would not have been able to work this out, the clothes were no different from what is worn today as the scenery and props were also no different from the modern ones. The sets were all very good and I did enjoy seeing some of New York but perhaps a little more of the skyline would have been good. The music was not overly important in this film and not at all memorable and I am now unable to remember a single track played.
The DVD which we have does have some bonus footage which includes, Revealing audio commentaries with Robert Pattinson, director Allen Coulter and other cast members, plus a Behind the scenes Featurettes that takes you inside the making of this touching film. I am not a fan of bonus features and the film did not make enough of an impact for me to want to watch these, so I am not able to make comment on them. The running time of the film is 108 minutes and I did find this to be quite long enough as there was a distinct lack of story at the start of the film. The rate is a 12 and I do agree with this. The DVD is available for around the £5 mark in most shops and on line.
I am sorry to only be able to give this film 3 stars as I wished it to be so much better, the story was so slow for the first half and the acting from some was very weak. There was a lack of emotion which would have made this film slightly more powerful and for me even though I enjoyed the latter half and the shock ending I just would not advise buying the DVD. If you are able to watch this on the TV for free then I would say to give it a go them but otherwise it is not a very memorable one at all.
Monday, 7 February 2011
Travolta is on top form!
New post up for the film From Paris with Love, an excellent film which sees Travolta back on top form.
Living in Paris is James Reece, he works as the personal aide to the US Ambassador. He also takes on small jobs for the CIA and one day hopes to become a full time agent. He lives with his girlfriend Caroline and is quite happy with his life, that is until he gets a call from his CIA boss about a new job. James has to go and meet his new partner who he has to help with a case.
James arrives at the airport to meet Charlie Wax, he is a trigger happy agent who spares no feelings and is more than happy to leave a trail of destruction wherever he goes. The pair do not hit it off straight away and James does not like the way Wax works.
The pair start on their mission but James soon discovers this line of work is not as good and fashionable as he imagined it to be. Can James get to thinking like wax and pull his socks up to help solve the case or will he go back to being the boring aide to the US Ambassador and forget his dreams?
I have wanted to see this film for some time now despite the fact it has had very mixed reviews and I am so please I finally got the DVD as both me and hubby loved it. The storyline was great , not very original but still very enjoyable and the acting just added to the pleasurable viewing experience.
The lead role of Wax was played by John Travolta, he was an excellent choice for this part. He look tough but still had an element of cheekiness about him which helped when he delivered the one liners and I loved how he was so carefree. He worked well with the weapons and looked at ease with them all and he managed to deliver all of his lines with authority and ease. He worked very well with Jonathan Rhys Meyers who played the role of James and I think this because they were so different. The role of James was a much softer one and he was less crazy. He was down to Earth yet he still got shocked by some of the stunts Wax pulled, there was a naivety to his character and I did enjoy seeing how he played to this.
We did get a lot of great support actors in the film and the stand out ones for me were that of Caroline, played by Kasia Smutnaik, and Ambassador Bennigton, played by Richard Durden. they were quite central roles in the story and I think they were both very good and strong roles and the actors did the characters justice.
There was a lot of action in this film and it was all to a very high standard, the scenes with the gun fights were very detailed and all of the actors looked at ease with the weapons and as if they genuinely knew how to use them. They fought well and made the punches look real and not staged. There was also a lot of special effects and explosions in the film and again they were all of a high standard and blended very well into the film. I enjoyed the driving scenes as there was no noticeable added backdrops. I am happy to give a lot of credit to the creators of the special effects as they did a superb job on this film. The props, sets and costumes were also very good and I did enjoy the fact that this was not set in America. We had some very nice shots around Paris and it was nice to be able to see another side to the city and not just the usual tourist places. The clothes were all modern so not much effort was needed in this area.
This is an action film but the role of Wax managed to bring a few moments of fun to it, he came out with a couple of very funny one liners and I think the crazy side of his character gave this film a lighter feel at times. This for me worked very well as it took a little away from the seriousness and made it more enjoyable and easy to watch. There was a good comedy timing from Wax when on screen with James and I think they made a good partnership.
The DVD which we have does not have any bonus feature but this is no great loss for me as I am not a fan of them anyway. The DVD is available for £5 in most stores and also on Amazon. I think this is a very fair price. The running time of the film is 89 minutes and I found this to be a great length with the story moving at a steady pace from start to finish. The rate is a 15 and I agree with this as there is a lot of violence and bad language and we do get to see drug use.
I am more than happy to give this film 5 stars as I loved it. The story and acting were excellent and the twist towards the end was not expected, hubby thought he had worked it all out but he was so wrong! This is definitely a film getting Travolta back on top form and one which is worth the price tag and the time spent watching.
Living in Paris is James Reece, he works as the personal aide to the US Ambassador. He also takes on small jobs for the CIA and one day hopes to become a full time agent. He lives with his girlfriend Caroline and is quite happy with his life, that is until he gets a call from his CIA boss about a new job. James has to go and meet his new partner who he has to help with a case.
James arrives at the airport to meet Charlie Wax, he is a trigger happy agent who spares no feelings and is more than happy to leave a trail of destruction wherever he goes. The pair do not hit it off straight away and James does not like the way Wax works.
The pair start on their mission but James soon discovers this line of work is not as good and fashionable as he imagined it to be. Can James get to thinking like wax and pull his socks up to help solve the case or will he go back to being the boring aide to the US Ambassador and forget his dreams?
I have wanted to see this film for some time now despite the fact it has had very mixed reviews and I am so please I finally got the DVD as both me and hubby loved it. The storyline was great , not very original but still very enjoyable and the acting just added to the pleasurable viewing experience.
The lead role of Wax was played by John Travolta, he was an excellent choice for this part. He look tough but still had an element of cheekiness about him which helped when he delivered the one liners and I loved how he was so carefree. He worked well with the weapons and looked at ease with them all and he managed to deliver all of his lines with authority and ease. He worked very well with Jonathan Rhys Meyers who played the role of James and I think this because they were so different. The role of James was a much softer one and he was less crazy. He was down to Earth yet he still got shocked by some of the stunts Wax pulled, there was a naivety to his character and I did enjoy seeing how he played to this.
We did get a lot of great support actors in the film and the stand out ones for me were that of Caroline, played by Kasia Smutnaik, and Ambassador Bennigton, played by Richard Durden. they were quite central roles in the story and I think they were both very good and strong roles and the actors did the characters justice.
There was a lot of action in this film and it was all to a very high standard, the scenes with the gun fights were very detailed and all of the actors looked at ease with the weapons and as if they genuinely knew how to use them. They fought well and made the punches look real and not staged. There was also a lot of special effects and explosions in the film and again they were all of a high standard and blended very well into the film. I enjoyed the driving scenes as there was no noticeable added backdrops. I am happy to give a lot of credit to the creators of the special effects as they did a superb job on this film. The props, sets and costumes were also very good and I did enjoy the fact that this was not set in America. We had some very nice shots around Paris and it was nice to be able to see another side to the city and not just the usual tourist places. The clothes were all modern so not much effort was needed in this area.
This is an action film but the role of Wax managed to bring a few moments of fun to it, he came out with a couple of very funny one liners and I think the crazy side of his character gave this film a lighter feel at times. This for me worked very well as it took a little away from the seriousness and made it more enjoyable and easy to watch. There was a good comedy timing from Wax when on screen with James and I think they made a good partnership.
The DVD which we have does not have any bonus feature but this is no great loss for me as I am not a fan of them anyway. The DVD is available for £5 in most stores and also on Amazon. I think this is a very fair price. The running time of the film is 89 minutes and I found this to be a great length with the story moving at a steady pace from start to finish. The rate is a 15 and I agree with this as there is a lot of violence and bad language and we do get to see drug use.
I am more than happy to give this film 5 stars as I loved it. The story and acting were excellent and the twist towards the end was not expected, hubby thought he had worked it all out but he was so wrong! This is definitely a film getting Travolta back on top form and one which is worth the price tag and the time spent watching.
Strike up the Band!
New post for teh British film, Brassed Off. A superb film and definately worth watching.
FILM ONLY REVIEW
Grimley Colliery has been a working mine for over 100 years and since it began there has always been a Brass Band of the same name. The miners are facing hardship as there are talks of the mine being closed. The workers are not happy about it and try to get the mine kept open. If the mine was to close it would mean disaster for the small town and the families who work and live there.
The band is run by Danny, he lives for it now he has retired from the mine, his friends and family all form part of it and he is determined to keep the men’s spirits up and get them to continue playing. A few of the men are going to quit the band as their wives have asked them to but when they are about to tell Danny they have their minds changed when a new recruit comes to join. Gloria is the daughter of a former band member and she is welcomed with open arms but she is hiding something from the men.
With the mine facing closure can Danny keep spirits up and get the band to the competitions and have a win and will the mine be closed or not?
I am not sure why I have never watched this film before but I am so glad I finally did. The film is typically British and it was great to see so many great British actors in it. I was even happier when I discovered that it was not a gangster film or about drugs and violence despite the fact that these all seem to be what the British made films usually are. I found the storyline to be excellent and so true, the way we got to see just how hard people lives were when the mines were all being closed and just how hard it hit the families was heart wrenching at times and there were a few moments when I was genuinely moved to tears from the struggles and the way the actors managed to portray the emotions and feelings of the time.
The cast for this film was excellent, the lead role n my eyes was Danny, he was played by the late great Pete Postlethwaite, he was a good strong character and he was a joy to watch. He showed determination and strength and seemed so natural in the role. He worked well with on screen son, Phil and there was a genuine chemistry between the pair. Phil was played by Stephen Tomkinson and he was also very good. I could not get over how young he looked in the role but he still made the role his own and very believable. He faced hardship and struggles in the story and he managed to make the way he dealt with them emotional and powerful. Ewan McGregor also starred in the film and I did like his character despite the fact he did sometime come across as very immature, he bought a slightly lighter element to the storyline and I enjoyed his performance. He had a good relationship with the role of Gloria, played by Anna Fitzgerald and they seemed very natural together.
Other good roles came from actors, Jim Carter, Philip Jackson, Melanie Hill, Sue Johnson and Mary Hillary, there was a good mix of characters and I loved how certain ones managed to give us a few good laughs and bring some much needed light relief from the main story.
At the start of the film I did have a hard time trying to date it, the appearance of the characters and the clothes which they wore gave this an 80’s feel but then other things would appear and it made it seem later, I did look it up and found that the film was made in the 90’s and the real mine closed in the early 90’s so therefore I am presuming that the film was set in the early 90’s, I would have liked to have seen slightly more obvious factors to have made the dating easier. I did think it was nice to see the men both in and out of work and the way the working side of he film was shown was an eye opener to me as I did not know how hard the job actually was. It made the film seem even more real in my eyes and helped me to get a better understanding of the men.
I did enjoy the music to this film and there is most definitely a big brass band feel to it all, the band were helped by a real band when playing and performing and I thought they all sounded great and the music which they chose to play was wonderful to listen to. We did have a few other tracks but the overall main theme was the brass band one. There were no real special effects in the film and I don’t think any were needed, this was a down to earth feel to the film and I loved how basic and true to life it was.
This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The DVD can be bought for just a few pounds now on line. The running time of the film is 107 minutes and the rate is a 15. I do agree with the rate as there is a lot of swearing.
I am more than happy to give this film the full 5 stars, it is dated but it is still enjoyable and believable to watch, the acting is superb and so too is the music. This is definitely a great British film full of out home grown talent.
FILM ONLY REVIEW
Grimley Colliery has been a working mine for over 100 years and since it began there has always been a Brass Band of the same name. The miners are facing hardship as there are talks of the mine being closed. The workers are not happy about it and try to get the mine kept open. If the mine was to close it would mean disaster for the small town and the families who work and live there.
The band is run by Danny, he lives for it now he has retired from the mine, his friends and family all form part of it and he is determined to keep the men’s spirits up and get them to continue playing. A few of the men are going to quit the band as their wives have asked them to but when they are about to tell Danny they have their minds changed when a new recruit comes to join. Gloria is the daughter of a former band member and she is welcomed with open arms but she is hiding something from the men.
With the mine facing closure can Danny keep spirits up and get the band to the competitions and have a win and will the mine be closed or not?
I am not sure why I have never watched this film before but I am so glad I finally did. The film is typically British and it was great to see so many great British actors in it. I was even happier when I discovered that it was not a gangster film or about drugs and violence despite the fact that these all seem to be what the British made films usually are. I found the storyline to be excellent and so true, the way we got to see just how hard people lives were when the mines were all being closed and just how hard it hit the families was heart wrenching at times and there were a few moments when I was genuinely moved to tears from the struggles and the way the actors managed to portray the emotions and feelings of the time.
The cast for this film was excellent, the lead role n my eyes was Danny, he was played by the late great Pete Postlethwaite, he was a good strong character and he was a joy to watch. He showed determination and strength and seemed so natural in the role. He worked well with on screen son, Phil and there was a genuine chemistry between the pair. Phil was played by Stephen Tomkinson and he was also very good. I could not get over how young he looked in the role but he still made the role his own and very believable. He faced hardship and struggles in the story and he managed to make the way he dealt with them emotional and powerful. Ewan McGregor also starred in the film and I did like his character despite the fact he did sometime come across as very immature, he bought a slightly lighter element to the storyline and I enjoyed his performance. He had a good relationship with the role of Gloria, played by Anna Fitzgerald and they seemed very natural together.
Other good roles came from actors, Jim Carter, Philip Jackson, Melanie Hill, Sue Johnson and Mary Hillary, there was a good mix of characters and I loved how certain ones managed to give us a few good laughs and bring some much needed light relief from the main story.
At the start of the film I did have a hard time trying to date it, the appearance of the characters and the clothes which they wore gave this an 80’s feel but then other things would appear and it made it seem later, I did look it up and found that the film was made in the 90’s and the real mine closed in the early 90’s so therefore I am presuming that the film was set in the early 90’s, I would have liked to have seen slightly more obvious factors to have made the dating easier. I did think it was nice to see the men both in and out of work and the way the working side of he film was shown was an eye opener to me as I did not know how hard the job actually was. It made the film seem even more real in my eyes and helped me to get a better understanding of the men.
I did enjoy the music to this film and there is most definitely a big brass band feel to it all, the band were helped by a real band when playing and performing and I thought they all sounded great and the music which they chose to play was wonderful to listen to. We did have a few other tracks but the overall main theme was the brass band one. There were no real special effects in the film and I don’t think any were needed, this was a down to earth feel to the film and I loved how basic and true to life it was.
This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The DVD can be bought for just a few pounds now on line. The running time of the film is 107 minutes and the rate is a 15. I do agree with the rate as there is a lot of swearing.
I am more than happy to give this film the full 5 stars, it is dated but it is still enjoyable and believable to watch, the acting is superb and so too is the music. This is definitely a great British film full of out home grown talent.
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Harry erm.... Percy!
FILM ONLY REVIEW
Greek God Zeus accuses Poseidon’s son Percy of steeling his lightening bolt and he gives him 14 days to return it before he goes to war. Unfortunately Percy does not know about his father and the fact he is a demigod. Percy thinks he is a normal teenager who suffers from ADHD and Dyslexia and goes to a special school to help him.
Percy is in for a shock when on a school trip to the local museum he is attacked by a creature who demands the bolt off him. The museum guide, Mr Brunner explains to Percy of his origin and the fact his father is the god of the sea. Percy is shocked and then discovers that his life is in danger and he must go to a special camp but on route his mother is kidnapped and he discovers that his best friend is in fact half goat. At the camp he meets other demigods and starts his training. Percy then hatches a plan to rescue his mother but he needs the help of his protector and new friend to go and collect pearls to be able to get to the underworld where his mother is being help.
Can Percy and his friends get to the underground and save his mother and will he be able to find the real lightening thief and stop war?
I had been looking forward to watching this film as the trailers for it made it look a enjoyable and exciting children’s film, unfortunately both me and hubby were left disappointed by it. The storyline was good and so was the acting and I think the fact it included a lot of mythical Greek Gods made it more believable. The one big thing which was off putting for me was the similarities between other films. I could not shake of the way so much of the story and the ideas were so like the ones in the Harry Potter films and there was also an element which was similar to the Narnia films. I think I would have liked this to have been more different from the other films so it was a solid stand alone film.
The acting was good and the lead role of Percy was played by Logan Lerman, this was the first film I have ever seen him in and for me he played a good solid character. He was likable and friendly and I was easily able to warm to him and get a good idea of the way he was bought up. He delivered all of his lines with ease and made them believable and I thought he worked well with all of the special effects and action scenes. There was a good connection and chemistry between him and protector / best friend Grover and for the majority of the film they both seemed to have a normal teenage friendship. Grover was played by Brandon T Jackson and he was another good solid role. He did manage to bring some humour to the film and I liked the way he was so comfortable with being half goat.
We did have some other good actors in the film, Pierce Brosnan played a good role and he was strong and authorities, Sean Bean also made an appearance as Zeus and for me I would liked to have seen more of him. The one role which I was not able to warm to was that of Annabeth, she was too smart and she just did not come across as natural and I found the majority of her lines seemed forced and wooden. Despite this one unlikable character I did the majority of them were good and strong.
The film did have a whole load of special effects and CGI right from the very star and for me it was all of a high quality and fitted effortlessly into the film. The actors did a great job of working with the computer generated monsters and made them appear to be in the same room as themselves. The battle scenes were also good and the actors worked hard to make them look realistic and good. The music was good and in keeping with the style of the film, it helped add drama and tension to a lot of the scenes and overall helped with the telling of the story.
This film did have an element of mythical magic involved in it and we did get a lot of the old monsters appearing. I would advise caution when letting children watch this film as some of them were horrible to look at and quite scary. The rate for the film is a PG and both me and hubby both said that it should have been a 12 instead. I will not be letting my 8 year old watch this film as some parts would scare him but I do feel he would be able to follow the storyline easily. The running time of the film is 118 minutes and I felt this to be a good length with the story moving at a good pace from start to finish.
This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The DVD can be bought for around the £5 price now in a variety of stores and online. I am happy to give this film a good 4 stars as it was good and had some very good actors. I have had to drop a star as it was too much like other films and it deserves a slightly higher rate. Definitely one to watch if you can catch it on Sky movies for free.
Greek God Zeus accuses Poseidon’s son Percy of steeling his lightening bolt and he gives him 14 days to return it before he goes to war. Unfortunately Percy does not know about his father and the fact he is a demigod. Percy thinks he is a normal teenager who suffers from ADHD and Dyslexia and goes to a special school to help him.
Percy is in for a shock when on a school trip to the local museum he is attacked by a creature who demands the bolt off him. The museum guide, Mr Brunner explains to Percy of his origin and the fact his father is the god of the sea. Percy is shocked and then discovers that his life is in danger and he must go to a special camp but on route his mother is kidnapped and he discovers that his best friend is in fact half goat. At the camp he meets other demigods and starts his training. Percy then hatches a plan to rescue his mother but he needs the help of his protector and new friend to go and collect pearls to be able to get to the underworld where his mother is being help.
Can Percy and his friends get to the underground and save his mother and will he be able to find the real lightening thief and stop war?
I had been looking forward to watching this film as the trailers for it made it look a enjoyable and exciting children’s film, unfortunately both me and hubby were left disappointed by it. The storyline was good and so was the acting and I think the fact it included a lot of mythical Greek Gods made it more believable. The one big thing which was off putting for me was the similarities between other films. I could not shake of the way so much of the story and the ideas were so like the ones in the Harry Potter films and there was also an element which was similar to the Narnia films. I think I would have liked this to have been more different from the other films so it was a solid stand alone film.
The acting was good and the lead role of Percy was played by Logan Lerman, this was the first film I have ever seen him in and for me he played a good solid character. He was likable and friendly and I was easily able to warm to him and get a good idea of the way he was bought up. He delivered all of his lines with ease and made them believable and I thought he worked well with all of the special effects and action scenes. There was a good connection and chemistry between him and protector / best friend Grover and for the majority of the film they both seemed to have a normal teenage friendship. Grover was played by Brandon T Jackson and he was another good solid role. He did manage to bring some humour to the film and I liked the way he was so comfortable with being half goat.
We did have some other good actors in the film, Pierce Brosnan played a good role and he was strong and authorities, Sean Bean also made an appearance as Zeus and for me I would liked to have seen more of him. The one role which I was not able to warm to was that of Annabeth, she was too smart and she just did not come across as natural and I found the majority of her lines seemed forced and wooden. Despite this one unlikable character I did the majority of them were good and strong.
The film did have a whole load of special effects and CGI right from the very star and for me it was all of a high quality and fitted effortlessly into the film. The actors did a great job of working with the computer generated monsters and made them appear to be in the same room as themselves. The battle scenes were also good and the actors worked hard to make them look realistic and good. The music was good and in keeping with the style of the film, it helped add drama and tension to a lot of the scenes and overall helped with the telling of the story.
This film did have an element of mythical magic involved in it and we did get a lot of the old monsters appearing. I would advise caution when letting children watch this film as some of them were horrible to look at and quite scary. The rate for the film is a PG and both me and hubby both said that it should have been a 12 instead. I will not be letting my 8 year old watch this film as some parts would scare him but I do feel he would be able to follow the storyline easily. The running time of the film is 118 minutes and I felt this to be a good length with the story moving at a good pace from start to finish.
This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The DVD can be bought for around the £5 price now in a variety of stores and online. I am happy to give this film a good 4 stars as it was good and had some very good actors. I have had to drop a star as it was too much like other films and it deserves a slightly higher rate. Definitely one to watch if you can catch it on Sky movies for free.
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