winsumlosesum Reviews

Ted (2012)

Starts off great but then descends in to standard Hollywood rubbish

[6/10 · 27 August 2012]

The problem with this film is that it sets itself up to be a pastiche on a children's story which is aimed at adults. By the end of the film however, it feels as though the producers are patronising its audience having forced them to sit through 100 minutes of recycled, unoriginal and highly formulaic ideas.

Sure, there are a lot of laughs to be had along the way, but its not long before we start to see the characters develop in to their Hollywood stereotype. Kunis starts off funny and cute before quickly descending in to a wining, selfish stereotype who wants Wahlberg all to herself. The latter generally mopes around like a sad looking monkey in the last half of the film whilst also managing to over-egg it in the first.

There are lots of Family Guy references throughout which do work well in live action, although they lack the sublime ridiculousness the cartoon format can bring.

Overall, the film lost its way half way through which was a shame as the great CGI could have really made this one something to remember for years to come.

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Great entertainment with an interesting premise that doesn't quite fulfill

[7/10 · 17 June 2012]

I had very little expectations of this film as I kept my head buried in the sand for all the trailers and clips. So when I saw the opening scene of a human-looking alien effectively kick starting the human race I thought to myself that potentially this could blow my mind.

Poor scriptwriting however is this films biggest failing. Using a crew that represents a gaggle of Americans from your local diner for instance hurt the "reality" of the piece, as other reviewers have stated, for a "trillion dollar" mission one would expect the worlds leading scientists to be present, not extras from Dog the Bounty Hunter. Naturally the acting suffered, Charlize Theron in particular coming across as wooden and only there for her blond hair and figure hugging suits.

There were a lot of questions that remained unanswered clearly opening it up for a sequel. However, Scott could have easily covered everything in one full impact mind blowing 2 hour film rather than spreading it over what I presume will be another trilogy.

3D was pointless and I thought a lot of it had been done in post production so was very surprised to find it had been filmed in 3D. Still, was pleased that I saw this in the cinema. It did keep me entertained however, which is why I begrudge giving it less than a 7. 6.5 would probably be my overall grade if IMDb offered half stars!

American Horror Story (2011– )

Classic Ryan Murphy gold

[9/10 · 27 October 2011]

Initially I was left wondering how - what essentially is a short horror movie - could be made in to a long running TV series, but after a few episodes I started to realise that it's the Ryan Murphy magic that is sustaining this outstanding show.

Much like Nip/Tuck, you have to suspend your belief and see this as purely entertainment. There's so many open ended narratives that are slowly unfolding and although at times the show verges on the edge of cliché, a single episode could easily match the brilliance of such horror classics like The Amityville Horror and The People Under the Stairs.

At the end of every episode I feel shocked that 40 minutes have gone by, which is a sure sign that this show is pure, unadulterated, entertainment.

Paul (2011)

Great replacement for sleeping tablets if you've run out

[2/10 · 25 June 2011]

Clearly influenced by 'American Dad's Roger, 'Paul' aims at being a comical sister to it's eighties 'E.T.' counterpart. What could go wrong? Match a smart arsed alien with Pegg and Frost and you're sure to be a box office smash.

And that is exactly this films problem. It feels very lazy, with the jokes being predictable and uninspired. Pegg slips in and out of a strange accent in order to try and illustrate that this role is different from all of his others (it's not), whilst Frost stumbles around doing the same old things, only this time a little more fatter.

What 'American Dad' gets right is Roger's sense of irony and lack of consideration of everyone for anyone, but at the same time he always gets the audience on his side. 'Paul' however, comes across as a spoilt American kid in an alien suit.

Avoid at all costs.

Black Swan (2010)

Stunningly shot, but other than this there's little to keep you interested

[4/10 · 6 February 2011]

Although this film has followed the Inception route of receiving amazing reviews for the first forty pages on this site, followed by scores of negative reviews which are actually more on track, there are some elements to this production which do make it stand out over others.

Lovers of ballet would have been left breathless by the exquisitely shot dance sequences and the development of Portman's character as she attempts to discard her porcelain doll beauty and let her Black Swan truly take over. Add to this a psychological struggle with reality, clearly brought on by the stress of such a hugely emotional production, and you've got the recipe for a critically acclaimed commercial success. To some.

To others, we see another example of style over substance as the narrative plods along slowly, intentionally attempting to throw its audience off the scent that the storyline is actually a lot less confusing than the director is trying to make out. Although it provided me with no titillation in the slightest, Nina's exploration of her sexuality could have been utilised as a much more effective tool to keep the audience interested in order to create some empathy with the lead. As it stands however, although beautifully played, for those who are not fans of ballet there was very little connection between Nina and the audience. At times I wanted to shake her and scream "get over yourself woman and just do the bloody dance." Target audience for this film? Educated women in their forties and the upper middle classes. A surefire Oscar winner then.

Inception (2010)

Same old lame Hollywood tripe

[3/10 · 3 August 2010]

It beggars belief how both critics and movie-goers have been won over by this pseudo-intellectual piece of garbage. Really world? I thought better of you.

There were three key problems for me in this movie. The first was the love story. Blah. I mean really, BLAH. This was an action based thriller, whose ultimate fate was rested on DiCaprio's characters obsession with his dead wife. Ultimately the film could have achieved its original thought provoking intentions had it dumped the obligatory Hollywood love story entirely.

My second issue with this movie was the teams motivation for going into the energy tycoons son was weak. If you really want to get your audience thinking, why not try to get a politician to push through a new law, or stop the production of nuclear warheads? Why focus an entire movie, so well shot and expertly produced, in trying to get someone to break down a business? Finally, and maybe this was just me because I was disconnecting with the film at this point, but some of the dialogue was just way too cheesy and over the top. "A dream within a dream within a dream? It's never been done before!" All in all a big let down, mainly because the concept was great and some of the scenes were incredibly filmed, yet the producers bowed to the same old Hollywood model. Not all of us need to see a love story in order to engage our brains y'know.

Sex and the City 2 (2010)

Much better on DVD

[7/10 · 3 August 2010]

I managed to avoid this title during its cinematic release as I was hearing a lot of negative reviews from friends and critics alike. I was a huge fan of the television series, but the first film was a bit of a let down, not only for its predictable storyline but also for the new roles they'd written in, such as Jennifer Hudson's pointless and overly sugared character, or the wasted celluloid hours spent on admiring Carrie's wardrobe and dropping in as many designer names as possible. The sequel however, avoids all these errors and for me watching it was just as enjoyable as my SATC boxset marathons.

A lot of the criticism levied at the film revolved around the fact that (nearly) all of the four main characters are now happily married and who would be interested in hearing their stories? Well, actually a fair few I imagine. What DOES happen when the initial sizzle goes out of a marriage and all you do is sit around at home watching TV and settle in to the routine of middle age? Seeing Carrie and Big interact as husband and wife and work that out, whilst also seeing Carrie struggle with the normality of marriage was a great extension to the series.

I never thought I'd say this but I'm actually hoping for a third. Although as I did with this one, I will definitely wait for the DVD.

Dangerous Game (1993)

An interesting film, with many a hidden secrets

[5/10 · 7 April 2008]

Not a particularly entertaining movie this one, but definitely an interesting watch when you take into consideration not only the movie, but the similarities which surrounded its release. And of course Madonna, who (unwittingly?) gives the best performance of her much ridiculed celluloid career.

The film revolves around director Eddie Israel (Keitel) and his supporting cast members in their journey to film the uber-dark relationship drama 'Mother of Mirrors'. Starring alcoholic drug dependent Francis Burns (James Russo) and recent Christian convert Sarah Jennings (Madonna) the film within a film blurs over into real life, leaving the viewer confused about whether the actors are acting their character in 'Mother', their character in 'Dangerous Game' or even their character in real life. The confusion even seems apparent on set, with one directors clapper-board shots with the movies real director A. Ferrara noted on it.

In reality, Ferrara had to resort to accepting finance for the film by Madonna's Maverick Films and thus also accepting its MD as his leading actress. Madonna once said that when she attended the premiere she left the theatre crying as it was in her eyes a completely different movie, and all her best scenes were cut. Dig a little deeper with this one and you might be able to see the underlying story which is far more interesting than what's bubbling on the surface.

Meet the Spartans (2008)

Meet the Spartans? I'd rather meet my maker, thanks.

[1/10 · 7 April 2008]

This is one of a few select movies I have watched in my lifetime that I have been both physically and mentally unable to reach the end. The first 30 minutes of it was enough to make me realise that had I watched the second half, I would be one day lying on my death bed wishing that I would have spent that time doing something more beneficial such as picking the fluff out of my belly button.

Everything about this film is completely wrong. The only redeeming feature is that it's good to know that Sean Maguire - who made my ears bleed in the early nineties with a short lived career in pop - wasn't actually getting as successful in the states as the rumours I'd heard had stated.