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Reviews
Surgery (2015)
Why is there no feature length movie?
Intense, disturbing and wonderfully gory. Subtle and beautifully shot and edited. Acting is sublime but I have one complaint. Where is the feature length movie? As a short it is perfect.
Riddick (2013)
Great beginning, dull middle, and good end
Loved Pitch Black, enjoyed Chronicles of Riddick (once expectation met the correct low level) and Riddick sits somewhere in between the two.
My advice, watch the first 40 minutes intently (up until he reaches the outstation), then potter around or hang washing for an hour, then, once the storm approaches, watch intently again until the end.
Wrestling or MMA fans will enjoy The Animal's performance and Starbuck (new school) fans will enjoy questioning her attractiveness as she swings from masculine to feminine frequently.
Diesel reprises well and is broody and sexy, as per. Karl Urbanites will be disappointed by his minute part (not his penis, I'm sure it is huge).
Verdict: rent/borrow/£3 purchase/watch on TV - 7 out of 10
District 9 (2009)
District Fine!
Expectation: I had heard mixed reviews about D9 but was looking forward to experiencing it. I knew there were aliens, and segregation, but that was about it.
Delivery: I was frustrated by the first 40 minutes of the film, but intrigued as to where it was heading. I felt like I was watching a South African version of US version of The Office – it didn't work for me. My wife began to tire of the style after 10 minutes and eventually we stopped watching after about 30 minutes, it was a movie I'd have to finish on my own and I'm really glad I gave it another chance. It starts (and finishes) documentary style, it annoyed me at the time but on reflection it works as an entire piece.
The film finds its feet once the documentary style ceases (for a time) and the real action begins so if you find yourself struggling, hold out, it'll be worth it. I thoroughly enjoyed the latter half of the film, enough to make me forget that the first half hour was a struggle. The moments of frustration were worth it with the pay-off in the final 20 minutes and a suitable ending.
There are online whispers of a sequel, and I'd love to see it.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain Average
Average might be a little harsh, slightly above average perhaps? Half an hour too long in my opinion, but it is just that.
Let's jump into it shall we? Loved the cast, all very convincing with what they were doing, the CG for skinny Cpt was awesome, I found myself tilting my head like a dog not quite being able to work out if it was a really good replica or Chris Evans himself (the actor that is). Agent Smith
Hugo Weaving sorry, was brill, always is, totally convincing as a sadistic genius although his superhuman strength was a little underused.
Throw in Tommy Lee Jones (always a pleasure for the eyes and ears) and a few other familiar faces and you have yourself a sterling cast of top class actors.
I think they did a good job of introducing the character to the audience, all, of course, in anticipation of Avengers Assemble (which I'm yet to see). It went on a little too long perhaps but it wasn't poor by any shadow of the imagination, I just wanted a little more. More shield spinning, more hard hits, more Red Skull and America skirmishes! Still, did it leave me really excited for Avengers Assemble? Yes. Yes it did.
Watch it, if only to build your portfolio of marvellous Marvel movies!
See No Evil (2006)
Lower your expectations...
With any movie review must come disclaimers, no review is impartial. I'm a WWE fan and I enjoy 'naff' films, especially slashers.
See No Evil is predictably unpredictable, at times. A gruesome murderer is introduced, a group of troubled youths enter an abandoned hotel... death is inevitable. The cast are okay, no stand out performances, some annoyance but generally very watchable. Good deaths and a few, "I didn't think they'd do that" moments alongside an attempt at a plot. 80 minutes is about right, Kane, limited in speech, is pretty believable and all in it was certainly worth a watch... Wait til the end of the initial credits for a simply bizarre scene.
The Experiment (2010)
Oh what a lovely tea party!
This film had been sat on our shelf gathering dust for a few weeks, I had picked it up for a whopping £1.50 but we had not made the time to enjoy it. Time, at the moment, is a luxury we don't have so when we manage to clear our schedule and watch a movie, and it is a bad one, it feels like a waste of time
My time was not wasted.
The Experiment is a remake of Das Experiment, which is based on a German book called Black Box which took inspiration from The Stanford Prison Experiment. Since watching the film I've read up on the Stanford Prison Experiment and ordered a copy of Das Experiment, that should hopefully highlight that I thoroughly enjoyed the remake. Unfortunately Black Box is not available translated into English so that'll stop me obsessing too much.
Time to review the film
Loved it. It is slow paced (eventually picking up speed in the later scenes) but wonderfully so. I didn't feel bored and couldn't keep my eyes off of the screen even during the horrid bits. The cast are all very good, each adding their own element to the film but for me the best thing about it was the fact that I felt involved in the movie, physically uncomfortable watching some of the scenes, praying for them to end and yet at other times I was clenching my fists in excitement, lifting my legs up and holding my breath as I experienced the fight scenes.
This movie is a treat and should be loved by more of you! Rent it, borrow it or buy it now
you really won't be disappointed* *disclaimer
you might be disappointed
expectation is a b*tch
Hanna (2011)
Good but not great
This could have so easily been a great movie had they done just two things... doubled the pace and increased the action.
But, with that aside let's focus on the positives for the film...
Soundtrack - fantastic. Really funky beats (Chemical Brothers for the most) and you really feel the playful and intense mood the film is trying to achieve.
Plot - solid and quirky, full of humour and intrigue.
Action - brilliant... fight scenes you can actually follow! Well choreographed and you feel every punch, kick and stab!
Performances - excellent, all the cast are believable and enjoyable, even when they are misbehaving...
Will's verdict - Rent/Borrow it, well worth one watch
*a note - a modern-day Leon it is not... there is one common theme but the similarities end there, the film is its own thing, very unique, very watchable.
Contagion (2011)
Contagion conscmagion
Well, have you ever sat down to watch a film and at the end, when the credits appear, you say, "Wha?". Well, if you haven't, and want to, then you might want to see Contagion.
That's not to say the film is bad, it's just forgettable. The film stays in one pace throughout and if I had to compare it to a track event - I'd say it was a marathon, slow and deliberate without much pace increase. There are many unanswered questions (and not good ponderers either, just frustrations) and there is no 'pay off' - no one single moment of brilliance that makes you reflect and go, "wow, yeah, that was good". Fundamentally for me (and I'll try not to ruin it) - there is a scene whereby a child is killed by the virus - and the grief is little-to- none. Not only is there no real grief in the immediate scene but none in the following scenes either - just seemed unrealistic to me and completely ruled out that character - also, ah screw it, I've said there are spoilers so I might as well spoil it... in the film you discovered certain people are immune to the virus - but this doesn't add anything to the movie (unless I missed something in which case please let me know where I missed it).
However, the film does flow nicely, the acting is believable and the plot also tangible. In fact, with a better ending this may well have been an 8 out of 10, pushing towards a 9. So much is true for a lot of films... The Road being another example.
It is an interesting take on how 'we' would react to a situation of this kind, and it seems plausible enough but give me Outbreak any day of the week over this movie.
Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)
Tremors More?
Firstly, some disclaimers... 1) I LOVE Tremors (the original with Mr. Bacon); 2) I LOVE naff movies; 3) MILD spoilers exist, namely setting the scene - not telling you who might die and how it ends (although I'm sure you can all guess).
Phew, now I feel I can review and it won't mind that I am bias!
Okay, it's not going to win many awards, unless it is for 'Best Sequel/Prequel for Tremors', but it's thoroughly enjoyable.
Set in ye olde days (they don't specify a year and I won't hazard to make a wild guess and get it entirely wrong) in the town of Rejection. Wouldn't you know it, it is soon under attack by beloved 'grabboids'. Insert plot whereby the town folk try to neutralise the threat!
Personally, it starts weak even with flashes of 'grabboids'. I'm glad I stuck through it though because it becomes quite a quaint, charming little film. CG and puppetry is great, giving you a true feeling of the original, and it's much better than Tremors 2 and 3.
Watch it because you love the first one. Watch it because you love 'naff' movies. Watch it because it's on and you haven't much else to do.
Would I watch it again? Yes. Would I buy it? Only as part of a 4-pack!