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steve2901
Reviews
Outnumbered (2007)
Glad I caught this - shame the BBC doesn't advertise it enough.
Outnumbered is a sitcom orientated around family life - it is very accurate and very, very funny. The kid's lines - especially Ben and Karen's, are absolutely hilarious, and are something that a child would actually talk about. It does remind me of life as part of a family - though I'm only 17, I remember asking the kind of questions and explaining how I felt about the situation these children were in when I was their age. It's both realistic and hilarious. I'm glad I found this show, and was lucky to do so - I don't remember seeing any adverts on the BBC for this series. Which is a shame - the BBC have produced a sitcom that is of the same quality of Channel 4's Spaced. I believe it's one of Britain's sitcoms, and destined t be a cult classic, like Spaced. If the BBC showed more adverts for it, they'd have a bigger audience - this is the best show they've produced in years, comedy or otherwise.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Way too long and very tedious.
By the time the Egypt sequence began I really did not care anymore and just wanted the film to be over. It was just far far too long, in my opinion. I'm not a fan of Michael Bay, and the first Transformers film wasn't exactly the best but I voted it a 6/10. But the action sequences were so, so repetitive. I was glad that Bay chose not to film them way too close up this time, like he did in the first film, but it just seemed to be the typical Baysplosion sequence over and over again. Not to mention the now-overused Bullet Time sequence that seems to be in every summer action movie nowadays. It's so overused even The Simpsons Movie did it. If there were no slow-motion sequences in Revenge of the Fallen the runtime would be at least half an hour shorter. Another complaint I have is the same as one I had with the first film - too much humans, not enough Transformers. Shia's whole mental breakdown thing made me cringe, and all those pointless scenes with his mom at the start - if I wanted to see a stoner movie, I would have gone to see one.
WALL·E (2008)
If it doesn't get a Best Picture nom at the Oscars, it won't be getting the recognition it deserves.
Disney/Pixar's "WALL-E" is probably the most touching film I've seen in years, and probably one of the most original concepts in years. Forget the environmental message; it's a love story, through and through. And yes, the protagonists are robots who have a limited vocabulary, but their chemistry is more pronounced than that of other recent romances such as "The Notebook", and especially that garbage known as "Twilight". Coming from a straight bloke, WALL-E is actually the only film to ever make me go "awww" out loud; it's one of the sweetest, cutest love stories ever told, and the way the film Hello Dolly! is used to show how WALL-E has learned to love is genuinely moving; his early attempts to hold EVE's hands are really something. And when his devotion to his new companion is repaid, you're really jumping for joy for this little guy; it really is the most romantic film since Beauty and the Beast. The scene where WALL-E and EVE dance around the Axiom is as romantic and spectacular as the now-famous, iconic ballroom dance scene on Beauty and the Beast, the only animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. I emphasise this point; WALL-E, a picture that has touched and moved just as many people, surely should get more than just a nomination for Best Animated Feature. It really isn't enough for this film to win just that award. Forget The Dark Knight - WALL-E is the film that we'll be remembering from 2008.
Run Fatboy Run (2007)
Pegg gives his best performance to date.
I think that Run, Fat Boy, Run is an underrated gem. Friend's David Scwimmer's directorial debut is a heartwarming rom-com that isn't just your average fare. Updated for the generation of single parents and reconstituted families, RFBR has a unique premise that is deeper than it first seems.
The film portrays security guard Dennis Doyle's struggle for the respect of his ex-fiancé Libby and from his friends, who all claim he's never finished anything in his life, and coupled with a rivalry between him and Whit, Dennis sets out to prove himself by running a marathon and completing it. He's under further pressure from his best friend Gordon, who's bet all his money (which he doesn't have) on him completing the marathon.
Pegg's performance is different from anything he's ever done before - while in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz he's portraying a straightforward character, Run, Fatboy, Run sees him portray a father and a man who secretly pines for his ex-fiancé and he does it with some very good acting. For example, after Whit proposes to Libby, Dennis, obviously broken-hearted, stumbles back home in a drunken state and looks through some photo albums. A simple scene, yet you can sympathise greatly with the character and therefore his reasoning for deciding temporarily not to run the marathon. Also, his scenes with his on screen son provide a fun insight into the character and what motivates him in his life.
The comedy is generally strong, though not as strong as Pegg's previous screenplays for his works with Edgar Wright. Strong scenes include scenes at the gym, Libby's bakery, Dennis' cup of tea with Mr Goshdashtidar and Gordon inviting several characters to "come right up then!" Overall it's a decent film that's underrated and the one in which Pegg gives his best performance, possibly until the new Star Trek film comes out.
The Golden Compass (2007)
I was surprised.
I was dreading going to see this film. I am a fan of the books, and I was, at first, eagerly anticipating this movie. However, after I'd read several mixed reviews and seeing the IMDb rating of 6.5, I put it off because I'd heard that fans of the book had been greatly disappointed.
In the end, I did see it and, probably because I went in with low expectations, was pleasantly surprised. I actually really enjoyed it. It was nowhere near as dreadful as the Harry Potter movies, most of which were fairly mediocre, bar the Order of the Phoenix.
I do admit, some of the characters seem pretty flat, such as Serafina Pekkala and Lord Asriel. I really enjoyed Sam Eliot as Lee Scorseby, my favourite character from the books, and Nicole Kidman is great as the sinister Mrs Coulter. Dakota Blue Richards, who I thought was terrible from the previews, proved me wrong. Unlike Harry Potter, where in the first two films the child leads are wooden and such bad actors you cringe watching them, she nails her performance straight away - she is Lyra Belaqua.
I wasn't disappointed by the script (except for the ending, which is the only thing in the film that made me angry) because, I know from experience that they can't fit everything in the book into a film and things will be rearranged for narrative purposes, but it is still pretty much true to the book, except for said ending. However, there were a few scene I thought were hilarious without meaning to. At one point, Mrs Coulter is looking at a picture of Lyra and her daemon tries to wrestle it out of her hands, so she slaps it, then cries and tells him she would never hurt him. The next is in the intercision room, where she walks in on Lyra about to be separated from Pantalaimon, and slo-mo-oh-noes over to the switch to turn the machine off. The next is the scene immediately after as she tells Lyra she's her mother. I could just hear the whole Darth Vader/Luke conversation going on in my head and I laughed so much.
Another thing I didn't like was the score. It just made so many scenes funny because it was so bad, such as one of the many Lyra's-been-captured scenes which feature fast, high-pitched screeches of violins coupled with Lyra's screaming which just make you burst out laughing.
I really hope they do make adaptions of The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, but I hope they make them longer, like The Lord of the Rings, because His Dark Materials really isn't a story that can be told in three 2 hour parts. It's much deeper than that, and New Line need to make a film that the critics and the public will enjoy. I'm also hoping that Chris Weitz produces the proposed extended cut - although I enjoyed the Golden Compass, it would be nice to have a more complete film than there is here.
The controversy over supposed "turning kids atheist" is nonsense - the books are not an atheistic work. And the film doesn't even mention the word God. HDM is about thinking for yourself - not "don't believe in God because the idea of God is ridiculous" - but challenge why it is you believe what you believe (not necessarily religion). And it's fictional - don't think that kids are stupid, it's their choice what to believe, not The Catholic League's.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Finally, a good horror film.
OK, so it may not be the scariest, but this is probably the best horror film I've seen in a long time. Technically it's a comedy but we'll keep that quiet for now! Having seen Hot Fuzz and loving it, naturally I had to get the DVD of this, and I have to say, it was very hard to find, even in the UK where it's very popular. But I finally did and here we are. Anyway, the film. It's hilarious, it really is. "A romantic comedy. With zombies." It works really well as an homage the Living Dead series because the zombies follow Romero's laws for pretty much most of the film, and are never directly funny themselves, which is very important. It's what is done to them and the way the characters react to them that makes the film funny. If the zombies had been made in any way comedic then this film would have failed. That's what I really like about this film.
It also makes a jab at things that happen in real life that you never think of, such as "would you like another tissue?" which people ask bitten people who are holding a wad of tissues over their zombie wounds, which is one of those little things that I like about it.
The visual style of the film is pretty impressive, referencing video games etc. using a kinetic directorial style during a lot of the action sequences and switching to first-person occasionally.
Like Hot Fuzz, the music in the film is excellent, and always fits in with its scene.
Overall, the film works excellently as an homage and a stand-alone zombie film and deserves its cult status.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Fantastic.
Many so called "comedy" films these days aren't funny, and are about people getting hit around the head with things etc and generally being of bad taste. I blame "Family Guy" for making people think this stuff is funny.
I never saw Spaced or Shaun of the Dead before I saw Hot Fuzz so I didn't know what to expect. But I wasn't expecting what I got. In the store I was choosing between this and Sin City and chose Hot Fuzz simply because I hadn't seen it and if I didn't like it I could get a refund. I'm glad I did, since it takes pride and place right at the top of the list of my favourite films, and has made me a huge fan of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's work together, including Spaced and SotD. It may not be the best film ever made, but it doesn't stop it from being my favourite. It's what a I call a "clever comedy". I've heard some people criticising it for not being funny, but they're the kind of people who find things like Norbet or Little Man funny and wouldn't know comedy if it was shoved up their arse. Hot Fuzz is witty, hilarious and is actually a pretty impressive action film as well. I've seen some reviews complaining about the editing in the action sequences but I really don't see anything wrong with it, but I can see why it may get annoying for some people after a while.
The soundtrack is filled with very entertaining music, giving me flashbacks to the 90s when bands like Supergrass were my favourites despite me being only 7 or 8, and newer bands like The Fratellis. The music always fits in with it's scene and is excellently done.
I won't give the plot away because then you'll know what happens before you see it, but I will say that if you've seen a lot of action films then you'll be able to guess the baddie straight away, but if you haven't then you'll be humming and ah-hing and changing your mind about people and is quite an entertaining mystery if you're a first-time viewer.
The film also has the cream of British actors in it, including Timothy Dalton who practically steals the show as supermarket manager Simon Skinner, having the lines in the film that make me laugh the most. Watch out for cameos from two Oscar winners as well.
Glad to see that there are far more people who find this funny - Hot Fuzz really does deserve it's 8.1/10 and let's hope it stays in the Top 250 where it belongs.
Transformers (2007)
Good for Michael Bay.
I hate Michael Bay films. Seriously. I don't know why he is still allowed to make them.
When I saw the trailer for Transformers, I wasn't a fan of the franchise but I have to say I was excited until I saw Michael Bay's name on the screen. I had a gut feeling that he would just ruin the movie with his cheesy directing style. Also, I wasn't sure how he and Steven Spielburg could make a movie as challenging as this together and make it good. And I have to say in the overall product there is a slight clash of their two styles, but it doesn't really subtract from the overall experience.
The story, if a bit cliché, is well structured and there is a great development of the plot. However, for the first hour or so when the Transformers aren't a large part of the plot yet, the pace is slow and sometimes it can be very dull, but Autobot Bumblebee is very entertaining as he helps Sam in his day to day life. The actions sequences, while entertaining, can be very confusing as the fights are either too close or too far away to realise what is going on, for example when Jazz is killed by Megatron myself and half the audience hadn't realised until it was actually stated. It's also confusing because many of the robots are coloured the same, and the only really distinguishable figures are Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Megatron. Also at times, it can be rather predictable, but I won't go into details there.
However, like Bad Boys, this is one of the only good films Michael Bay has made. Here's hoping he isn't directing the sequel.
Shrek the Third (2007)
Just awful.
Having seen the trailer for Shrek the Third when I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and laughing at some of the jokes presented, I thought that it might be worth seeing, as I liked the first two installments from the series. But... I have to say it's the worst film released this year. Well, possibly apart from Bratz, but I'm not exactly planning on going to see that any time soon. It's just awful. If I could I wouldn't even award it one star.
If you've seen the trailer and not the film - basically, that's all the funny parts of the film. So when you actually see the film, it's not even funny.
Shrek and Fiona's relationship is so unconvincing that even Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsale's in Pearl Harbor is more believable.
There is a slightly enjoyable dream sequence of Shrek's, but I didn't laugh. I was so bored I couldn't move a muscle, but I had nothing better to do than watch the movie.
If you're new to Shrek, it's probably better to rent this one first.