kelv-2 Reviews

Blackhat (2015)

the worst film I've seen so far this year (and i watch a lot of films)

[4/10 · 24 February 2015]

I went into this film not even realising that it was michael mann directing. I had seen one trailer so I didn't know a lot about the film. After sitting through the whole film I considered it a compete waste of time. I apologised to my girlfriend for asking her to come with me. The film isn't unwatchable but It falls down on so many levels. I would almost say it was as bad as the remake of red dawn but nothing could be quite that bad. i won't spoil it for die hard fans who really want to watch this but here's why I disliked it. The mixture of action/suspense/thriller was completely wrong. It didn't generate anything like the right mood. The pacing was awful and i found myself almost falling asleep (and my girlfriend admitted it as well). The camera work was awful. Other reviews are correct it felt low budget in a lot of places and badly produced as they mixed two different camera styles very badly and wobbly. The accents. Both the lead and support actors accents changed on and off. Pick one and stick with it. There were a couple of parts in the film that were so predictable i almost laughed. In my own personal opinion i felt the film was too unbelievable. I can't say too much without spoiling the film but a bit more suspense and less action would have been nice. Or at least picking what the film wanted to be a film like true lies or a film like sneakers instead of a long drawn out mish mash. Mann has really got it wrong this time

Spring Breakers (2012)

Truly Awful

[2/10 · 5 April 2013]

I go to the movies a lot and this is the worst film i've seen since Skyline. In fact I'll say it was worse.

There is no character development, no drama and you feel zero pity for any of them.

While watching Alien on screen all I could think was Idiocracy. What a completely awful stereotypical Gangsta.

They also have a lovely habit of repeating the same line about 5 times.

Also the film fills itself with a lot of reflective scenes that add nothing to the film and help to make the film longer than the less than 60 minute television short movie it should be.

I spent most of the film looking at my friends wondering why they hadn't walked out. Unfortunately when I turned my head back to the screen they were checking to see if I was ready to walk out too.

Do nor waste your money trying to recapture some spring break memories it's not worth it.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

A decent action film

[7/10 · 1 March 2013]

I really liked this film. I liked the pace, the blood, the action the music was good, the direction was good. In summary this is one of the best action films so far this year (not the highest accolade ever as most of them have been absolute rubbish). A good no brainer. see through plot twists and plot thinner than my 18 month old under wear.

This film reminded me of the classic from dusk till dawn. a few one liners to lighten the mood and lots of needless violence.

If you have some extra pocket change then see this movie. If you only watch really good movies I wouldn't bother its good but not that good. Also there is no reason why this film is in 3D. No reason at all watch a 2D showing you'll look less stupid and save some money.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

more of an experience than a film

[7/10 · 22 February 2013]

I enjoyed this film. Is it really a film though? Yes the same characters appear all the way through the different time lines. But there are 2 sets of directors which each have done a half of the film.

The constant plastering of make up on the actors to make them age and only look slightly different wore thin very quickly. Also it's hard to hear what people are saying at times because of accents or background noises.

However the scenes were beautifully shot. Halle Berry was amazing. I'm glad she made it out of the Hollywood wilderness and into this film. The acting overall was very good with a great cast.

As an artistic piece this film has it all great special effects, great cast, it's well paced and has a huge expansive storyline.

But is the storyline too much? Is it right to have a film made by two different directors who have completely different styles? Does it work having characters re-emerging in different time lines with completely different persona's?

Words to the wise. The film is 152 mins long. So if you don't like long films don't go. If you want an easy watch, don't go. If you didn't get a lot of sleep the night before and you can't concentrate you wont like this film.

I liked the film because it got me and my friend talking about it in a good way. We discussed the plots and the meanings of the films. We agreed that the film wasn't perfect but it was great to see it at the big screen.

I gave it a 7 out of 10 because this is not your run of the mill film. It makes you think. It is an experience. This film is by no means average. It's a work of art, And like all art it invites discussion and criticism. And like art not everyone will like it. It is definitely marmite you'll love it or hate it.

Deadman Wonderland (2011– )

Promising but not a finished article.

[7/10 · 19 February 2013]

Violence is the name of the game for this anime.

But like a lot of anime the violence is only part of this entertaining show. The action is fast paced and the plot is simple and easy to follow. the characters are quite well developed and you do have some feeling when they eventually die or come to harm. There aren't too many huge plot twists like in a lot of other anime.

The only gripes I have are that i don't really like reading subtitles so i like English dubbed anime and they always use the same crappy voice actors. the main characters voice is especially annoying.

It was also disappointing to get to part 12 only to realise that it wasn't the last episode and there was a whole other series that they haven't finished yet

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

A mediocre day to die hard

[6/10 · 19 February 2013]

I really wanted to like this movie. I really did. And I left thinking it was about the right length, the mix of action was entertaining.

But like when Po doesn't make the noodles in Kung Fu Panda the secret ingredient was missing. What that secret ingredient is I don't know but it just wasn't there.

A Big spoiler now. There is no Yipppee Ki ay muther.... you know the rest. In fact there is no swearing of any kind it's a 12A. This really detracted from my enjoyment of the film as there is one scene where a swear word is blatantly cut. Takes me back to the good old days of watching TV edits of Die hard. Yiippee ki ay kimusabi being the funniest edit I've ever heard.

I wanted to see old action and I got 12a fun for the family watered down mediocrity.

At the end of the film there's a scene where they are on a roof ( John and his son) and you can see fire hoses. And i'm like please let him wrap the fire hose round his waist again and say something like " I learnt this a nokatomi plaza" and jump off.

But there was no real nod to the past and no real connections to the films before. Hollywood ruin their best franchises by getting shitty no talent directors to direct the sequels to great movies.

Genesis Survivor Gaiarth (1992– )

A old story done well with good English language translation

[10/10 · 28 January 2001]

I bought this film as an afterthought, but I wish I had expected more from it because it delivered 2 hours of great entertainment.

Looking at it from a neutral perspective the film hangs in places but I felt the film rewarded me for my patience.

The story line of the film was quite old and had been done in many different ways, countless times before . I think that this particular film is one that would stand out from the crowd.

As it has been said before many anime films are badly dubbed but it didn't bother me in this film. The film maybe wasn't improved by the actors voices but the dialogue was good.

I thought the action scenes in the film were really good and there was easily enough to keep the action junky really happy.

All in all it won't please everyone but I thought it was great. I believe it is certainly worth a look even if you aren't a big fan of anime