Reviews

The title and trailer for this film make it sound like a bog-standard independent horror: a group of friends in the mountains find something unusual and get involved in a deadly chase. I thought I had seen it all before.

How wrong I was.

The films set-up is very simple: a group of climbers, led by the Scottish expert Rob (Alec Newman) and including young American woman Alison (Melissa George), find a young Serbian girl buried in the ground as they are climbing in the Highlands. It soon becomes clear that the girl has been put there by two ruthless criminals (the ever-sinister Sean Harris and Stephen McCole). What follows in a taut, thrilling chase to the nearest village, as the criminals try to get the girl back.

The plot is, as I have said already, pretty standard. So what makes the film special?

Primarily, it is the climbing scenes, which are impeccable. I am no climber but to me they seemed realistic and importantly, they were very scary. Also, the falls that characters had were breathtakingly real-looking and were true heart-in-your-mouth moments.

Another strength of the film is its setting. The Highlands of Scotland look amazing in this film, and as a Scot, I was happy that they looked so stunning. The isolation of the place also adds to suspense and genuine worry for the main characters.

The acting is spot-on most of the time. Sean Harris should be singled out for a fantastic performance as the evil Mr Kidd, whose accuracy in the kill still strikes a chill down my spine. What was so perfect about the kills were their realism: every time they killed someone we saw the necessary blood, the necessary gore to threaten you and make you think, 'these guys mean business'. A key to good thrillers is that when a gun is fired, there must be consequences. I look to a completely different type of film - Captain America - and see bad guys shooting hundreds of times at the protagonist and missing every time. In A Lonely Place to Die, the villains shoot to kill - and they're very good at that. Lets face it, if a group of climbers were being shot at from nearby by good snipers, there would be a lot of casualties - and there are, so we keep believing in the film.

The heroes are great as well, with their dialogue realistic and witty enough to make use care about them, and make us believe in them as real people. An overall strength of the film is this realism, which is 100% necessary for a good thriller. At one point I thought the film was going to morph into a Jack Bauer '24' esque finale, but instead it keeps that realistic edge, and keeps an interesting theme of chance running until the final scene.

The film drags on a tiny bit, with an small, unnecessary twist at the end, but overall a really well-made thriller that should send the director/writer team of Julian and Will Gilbey to Hollywood.

CGI. It's the single best thing about this movie. All the apes in this movie look and seem real, and there are some fantastic scenes, such as a huge gorilla charging a policeman on a horse on the Golden Gate Bridge! The leader ape, Caesar, is portrayed through motion capture by Andy Serkis. Now, as movie fans know, Andy Serkis always steals the show. As Gollum he overshadowed Sir Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen and company, and as King Kong he made a painfully long, overindulgent film seem passable. Unfortunately for us, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is more like the latter.

Rupert Wyatt's directorial debut, The Escapist, was a competent effort, but one thing it was very good at was establishing character. It had a number of great character actors (Brian Cox in the lead, who also features in Rise of the Planet of the Apes), playing multi-dimensional roles. Unfortunately, this is actually the greatest weakness of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. James Franco plays Will Rodman, a scientist working on the cure of Alzheimer's, and the biggest problem about his character is that he does not act, feel or look like a scientist. Tobey Maguire was the original choice for this role before he had to drop out, and I certainly feel he would have been a better choice than his Spider Man co-star. Weaker still is Freida Pinto as Will's girlfriend who serves no purpose at all other than to occasionally warn Franco that he is tampering with things that should not be tampered with or something like that. Brian Cox and Tom Felton feature in one-dimensional roles who are laughable rather than creepy (especially Tom 'Draco Malfoy' Felton, who uses his Draco sneer in this film constantly). Finally there's David Oyelowo as Franco's money-centered boss, whose English accent is used to full effect to show how bad he is. Oyelowo's character is not developed at all, and he is the same over the number of years that the films plot goes over.

I would mention that John Lithgow's performance as Wills' Alzeimer's affected father is fairly convincing, but it does not reprieve the others.

The other major drawback is the slow plot, which lags in several places and does not serve up enough consistent action over the piece to keep entertainment-hungry teenagers happy. The end scenes, where apes begin to take a stand against the consistently nasty humans, are impressive, but by then - after being through so much back story spanning over a large number of years - I did not really care.

Lastly, and oddly, a huge drawback of the film was the marketing. As a huge movie fan, I viewed every trailer for this film, and unfortunately felt that I knew exactly what was coming since the trailer had every interesting scene in it, including in a lesser used trailer, the death of a significant character. It does not help that the film is a prequel, as the audience knows that apes succeed in taking over the world, so we know that they will not be destroyed by humans in the final battle. Because of this knowledge, it lacks tension.

In conclusion, it is certainly a watchable film, but another under-par summer blockbuster which is slow-moving and frankly boring in places. It is partially saved by the amazing CGI and conclusive battle, but this cannot quite this from getting away from a disappointing 6/10.

Cloverfield crossed with E.T. That's the best way to describe this film. But because it crosses two very different atmospheres (the scary, realistic tone of Cloverfield contrasting to the family-orientated, fun but moralistic E.T.), we are left with a very confused piece. The reason that Cloverfield worked was because the alien was just evil - we could not relate or understand the reasons for him killing people and destroying our favourite city. The reason that ET worked was that the alien was likable, kind and knowledgeable. The problem with Super 8 is that JJ Abrams tries to make this alien a mix of the two. Which just doesn't work. It could NEVER work.

For such a damning first paragraph, I have to say that I was impressed by the initial set-up of Super 8. The opening scene is genuinely interesting and slightly moving. The main character is in mourning for the loss of his mother in a tragic accident, which is a decent back story, and actually many aspects of this film would have made a nice family drama and love story, with the theme of redemption. Unfortunately, as soon as the aliens turn up, the film loses all its appeal.

The child actors are actually very convincing, which is something I could not say for this summer's British alien/kids movie, 'Attack the Block'. Elle Fanning, in particular, stood out as a great young actress. Unfortunately, the acting is undermined by JJ Abram's extra-terrestrial plot which is not scary, interesting or fresh.

Without giving too much away, the main character tries to reason with the huge monstrous alien by telling him 'he knows how he feels'. Spare me.

You have to admire JJ Abrams vision of creating a 80s style alien movie in the vein of The Goonies or ET, but it does not get anywhere near those films. It is slightly refreshing to see a return for the regular American kid trying to save the world rather than the typical tough man like Jason Statham, as we're seeing all too much of at the moment. However, this is no way near interesting or engaging enough to make me give much sympathy to Abrams.

A drab 3/10 is deserved.

Greg Mottola's latest film, Paul, is a funny, smart comedy written and starring two extremely likable British leads. So the question I have to ask is why I felt somewhat disappointed when leaving the cinema. The answer is relativity. Sure, Paul has a decent number of funny moments but in comparison to Superbad - Greg Mottola's most famous film - it does not compare favourably. Mottola's previous film, Adventureland, also outshines Paul due to its significantly superior heart and character-development. If you were to compare Paul to Simon Pegg and Nick Frosts' previous films, Shaun of the Dead and Hott Fuzz, I am again placing Paul at the bottom of the pack. This comparison is hugely unfair to Paul, though, as next to these films, most comedies would look inferior and the truth is that with the exception of last year's 'The Hangover', there are very few comedies in recent years as funny as Paul.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star as two British comic-book nerds taking a road-trip through America's alien hotspots. On their journey they come into contact with a huge variety of American comedians/Judd Apatow regulars such as David Koechner and Jane Lynch (both in criminally underused and unfunny roles). The laughs mainly come from the titular character, a CGI alien voiced by Seth Rogen. The main strengths of the film emanate from Rogen's character, with jokes ranging from the immature (farting etc) to the slightly more intelligent (challening Christian beliefs). Indeed Paul's conversations with Pegg and Frost are the most interesting parts of the film. The supporting roles are on the whole, weak: Jason Bateman, Blythe Danner and Bill Hader have largely unfunny, hardly likable characters, while Kristen Wiig (playing the role of Pegg's love interest), resorts to a flurry of grossly low-brow comments. On top of this there are extra supporting roles for Gregg Turkington, Joe Lo Truglio and John Carroll Lynch.

The aforementioned names may seem like a long list of characters for a one-off movie and this actually becomes a major drawback for the film. When Pegg and Frost pick up the fugitive alien Paul, they are subsequently chased by most of the actors mentioned above, primarily Jason Bateman's horrible antagonist Lorenzo Zoil, but also two extra agents, an angry father, two hillbillies and latterly another famous actor in a supporting role. The truth is that since the film follows the paths of so many supporting characters, we rarely see any development for the primary trio of Pegg, Frost and Rogen. While in Shaun of the Dead and Hott Fuzz Pegg and Frost were distinctly characterised (albeit stereotypically) as well- meaning loser and idiotic slacker, in Paul we see very little of their respective characters. The two comic book nerds are barely developed at all, other than Pegg's character falling in love and Frost's annoyance that Pegg is falling in love.

Despite this, a number of good gags make the film worthwhile although the humour is hit or miss (a scene featuring Steven Spielberg is distinctly out of place). It is unfortunate that the finale is underwhelming and the appearance of a famous sci-fi actress is unfunny. Pegg and Frost, though, are likable blokes even without characterisation, with Wiig as a realistic love- interest and the American stereotype of Paul voiced with childish glee by Seth Rogen, the film manages to hold the attention of its viewers and become an enjoyable, if forgettable, roller-coaster ride.

The Other Guys is a straightforward comedy with little freshness or flair, and only looks good in comparison with this years other buddy-cop movie, Cop Out.

Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson play New York's top cops but the movie focuses on 'The Other Guys' - two desk-cops with differing ambitions - played by Will Ferrell (Anchorman) and Mark Wahlberg (Max Payne). The movie follows this mis-matched pair as they try to claim the glorious title of top-spot within the New York police department.

The main problem with 'The Other Guys' is that the laughs do not come consistently enough. There are some very funny moments - for instance when Will Ferrell apologises for his lovely, stunning wife (Eva Mendes). It is only Ferrell who generates laughs, though, and Mark Wahlberg comes across as an annoying and angry man. Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder) and Michael Keaton make appearances, but especially Coogan has some terribly unfunny lines which is a shame because he has a lot of comedic talent.

The story is also too complicated for a cop-comedy film. It follows Steve Coogan's character who is somehow involved in a series of financial crimes, as well as a jewel heist. It is also worth mentioning that some of the scenes make you wonder, how did he know he would be there? Wahlberg just seems to turn up in similar places in New York to Ferrell for little or no reason, other than the fact that they both hang out in these places (unbeknownst to each other).

Overall, there are a few scenes which are genuinely funny, but ultimately there are not enough to sustain the audience's interest. If you are looking for a very stupid comedy then you will get a few laughs, but more serious film-goers will not particularly enjoy this one.

When this film was announced, some movie-fans were baffled as to why Di Caprio and Scorsese would team up for seemed like a silly thriller that usually belonged to people like Dennis Quaid (sorry Dennis). The reason is that this is not an average thriller - it is an intelligent and dark piece made fantastic mainly due to the excellent direction and acting.

The film opens with US Marshalls Teddy Daniels (Di Caprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Rufallo) travelling to the mysterious Shutter Island - the location for a seedy mental institute. The policemen are brought to investigate the disappearance of a patient, Rachel Solondo (Emily Mortimer). The US Marshalls soon meet the head of the institute, Dr John Cawley (played brilliantly by Sir Ben Kingsley), who comes across very suspiciously indeed. As the plot unfolds, Daniel's motives for being at the island become clearer, as does the peril both cops find themselves in.

The success of this film is the whole aura that Scorsese creates in his music and filming. The constant rain and grey skies gives the film a 'grey' feel that is translated in the themes throughout. Some of the scenes, particularly Daniels' nightmares, might have come across goofy from a poorer filmmaker, but Scorsese makes them chilling and horrifying, making for a very effective film. Di Caprio, too, must be given credit for this aspect, since his acting is thoroughly convincing - he looks, talks and acts like a man with a dark past, a man with a mission, and a man who is slowly losing his sanity. Mark Rufallo is convincing too, as a worried partner, while Kingsley as the sinister Cawley.

Overall, this is a perfect psychological thriller, with significant similarities to 'The Sixth Sense' and 'The Others'.

Scorsese has created another classic in a genre that was in need of fresh air.

In 2006, Joe Carnahan managed to make a film about the worlds best assassins all finding themselves in the same place, uninteresting. Now he has managed the same with The A Team.

Now I not a hater of action movies. In fact, I am very much the opposite. I love The Rock, Armageddon, and I certainly LOVE Con Air, but the A-Team somehow fails where these classics have succeeded.

The first problem is that the plot is far too convoluted for an action movie. It is quite confusing, especially since the villain, Lynch (Patrick Wilson) seems to change sides in an instant. The plot is something to do with stealing meal plates, but I am still not sure what relevance or expense they have.

The second main problem is the villains - the main ones are Lynch (Patrick Wilson), a CIA agent, and Pike (Brian Bloom), a cocky mercenary. Lynch is no way near evil enough to succeed as the major villain in a film like 'The A Team'. The most evil Lynch gets is some nasty sarcasm. They needed a sadistic killer or a billionaire extremist. but what we get is a sarcastic CIA agent- hmm... It hardly keeps in line with the director's last major feature, 'Smoking Aces', which had tonnes of cool villains (although then again, he managed to make them boring in that film.)

The third main problem is the final set piece in the film, set on a shipyard. Frankly, the explosion CGI looks like it should have be in a video game, and while the film seems to think this set piece is extremely clever, it is in fact completely stupid, over-busy and not even exciting.

Another problem is Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's acting, which is actually okay, but because one is always comparing him to the kick-ass Mr T, we feel short-changed by the performance. It starts brilliantly where he beats up 20 men to get the famous A Team van....but then the van never appears again in the movie....and from there BA Baracus' arc just becomes clichéd and, again, boring.

The strong points of this film is the opening 10 minutes, and the trio of Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley, who play 'Hannibal', 'Faceman' and 'Murdoch' respectively. Cooper, especially, oozes cool as Face. Unfortunately, his character is ruined somewhat by his relationship with Sosa (Jessica Biel), who is played by Biel in such an auto-pilot fashion that you can't help but yawn every time she comes on screen.

And another thing- even though the first ten minutes is good at introducing all the characters and showing how they all met, a flaw of the film is that it skips 8 years, then GOES BACK to the characters being separate, so that we can get re-introduced to them. WHY? It just seems like you have watched the opening to two movies!

In summary, this film passes the time with some decent set pieces (NOT the end one, but the one at the start and then a subsequent one in Baghdad) and some decent performances by 3 of the A-Team members. However, this film has too many flaws to get it a decent score so I give it 5/10.

I am sick and tired of hearing rumours about Marvel or Universal wanting to do yet another remake or reboot. Surely after the disgust that was 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' remake, Hollywood would have realised how poor these kind of films are, but alas, no. There are still faint rumours that the Hulk franchise might be rebooted AGAIN...

So Christopher Nolan has created something so fresh, new and exciting that I must praise him to the heavens. The idea is simple: what if you could enter someone elses dream and find their subconscious thoughts. The film, however, becomes much more complicated.

The best in the world at this process of 'extraction' is Cobb (Leonardo di Caprio), who goes into the minds of certain targets in order to obtain valuable secrets. He must alter his process to Inception, which involves planting an idea in someones head, rather than stealing one. He and his team (Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Lewitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanbe and Dileep Rao) must carry out this final job in order for Cobb to be allowed back into the United States to see his children.

The film is quite complicated, admirably, but it is not nearly as difficult to follow as many reviews have stated. If you are watching with a good amount of attention, it should be easy enough to follow, even if it takes a few minutes to understand some of the more confusing parts.

Di Caprio is not completely engaging in the emotive action (mainly revolving his deceased wife played by Marion Cotillard), but he does a very good job all the same, and makes a believable action star. Ellen Page is slightly miscast as the teams 'architect', as she does not carry off the thoroughly intelligent look. Joseph Gordon-Lewitt and Tom Hardy are most impressive as slick team-players, and it is a shame they are not developed more than Lewitt's slight romance with Page and Hardy's slight rivalry with Lewitt. Michael Caine pops in for a neat cameo, too.

The film manages to convey the grand-nature of how our dreams feel through a number of set-pieces. I find it baffling that some critics say that Nolan misses the fact that our dreams are not so clear, and instead are very hazy. This argument does not make sense to me since when we are in the dream, it feels completely real, and so Nolan's vision makes sense. I'd say this film is more engaging than the Dark Knight, as it does not feel so overlong and overbloated, and manages a very, very good ending which makes you feel good and then suddenly makes everything dubious...

Go see it, you'll love it!

When I rented Pathology I expected something truly awful, but something that could fill one and a half hours of my life. What I proceeded to watch the film, it did fill one and a half hours of my life, but it was above expectations in the quality department. Yes, there are gratuitous sex scenes and unnecessary gore, but the film explores some interesting themes, primarily the danger of genius.

Dr. Ted Grey (Milo Ventimiglia) is a young, hot-shot medic, arriving in Washington DC from being top of his class at Harvard. His new boss, Dr. Jake Gallo (Michael Weston, embracing life as a villain), turns out to be a murderous psychopath, who plays a sick game with his fellow pathologists. As Grey is dragged into their sadistic lives, he descends into drug- taking, alcohol, and sex. Of course Grey eventually grows disillusioned by Gallo and his cronies, which in turn causes his girlfriend (Alyssa Milano) to become the damsel in distress.

While Pathology relies a little too heavily on the disgusting murders and sexual scenes, Weston's performance as the crazy genius does raise some relevant questions: How do very intelligent people respond to monotony in their lives? What is the difference between guilt and enjoyment? Can an individual be redeemed? The last question, here, is most important, as Dr. Grey resorts to more violence to stop Gallo's wave of...well, violence. While being completely immoral, not to mention utterly stupid. in places, Pathology earns a 6/10 rating for its brief moments of intelligence.

John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey (Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn) are two divorce mediators from Washington who carry out the immature activity of crashing weddings. Their mission - to eat food, hook up with women and generally have a good time. Problems arise when John falls for Claire Cleary (Rachel McAdams), daughter of senator John Cleary (Christopher Walken), while Jeremy is left with the crazy daughter, Gloria (Isla Fischer).

This comedy feels fresh due to its likable cast and varied nature of the jokes. While the plot is quite formulaic, the gags generally work, and even Christopher Walken cannot ruin this. In a time while the legendary actor seems to be taking roles crazily, this film actually fits him well, straying away from his routine evil mode.

There are some elements to this film which make it a highly enjoyable watch. The likability of the funny Wilson and Vaughn despite their sleazy lives creates a genuine interest in how events will pan out. There are some really cheesy, yet enjoyable romantic asides, especially between Wilson and McAdams, although Isla Fischers over the top Gloria is less enjoyable.

There are extremely funny small roles, which keeps the film moving along and keeps the level of laughs high. Christopher Walken's wife and son have some very funny scenes which are unexpected and refreshing. The cherry on the top, however, is a hilarious role from Will Ferrell as Chazz Reinhold, the creator of crashing weddings. This film is worthwhile just to see his very funny portrayal which lifts the movie to its obvious, up-beat ending.

The charisma of Wilson and Vaughn, aided by Walken and, latterly, Ferrel, make this film a superior comedy, encouraging me to give it 8/10.

Ridiculous! What an absolutely ridiculous movie! I still cannot decide whether I detest or love this movie and the swirl of robot carnage which Michael Bay delivers slickly. I have plumped for a diplomatic seven as it neither deserves full praise, no film by Michael Bay does, yet I came out with my adolescent male blood pumping to Linkin Park's great new song.

Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is trying to forget about the events of the first film, and even leaves his loyal friend Bumblebee, parents and girlfriend (Megan Fox) to go to college. (Once again Fox displays a lack of acting ability, but I think we will forgive her for that). Sam discovers a remaining piece of the Allspark, which imprints a map onto his mind (seriously!) to a device which can destroy our Sun. With the resurrection of Megatron, and the return of his scheming master The Fallen, Sam is suddenly in high demand, with everyone wanting his mind. Sam goes globetrotting with a century old Deception, his sleazy college room-mate (they never seem to ask him what he is doing with them!), and other friends from the last movie. To make things worse, Sam's ever embarrassing parents are captured by the Decepticons (a very strange, and seemingly unnecessary sub-plot). This messy storyline turns into a mission to save the Earth, so Sam must save the day.

Does that seem a lot of information for a Michael Bay film? Well, that is because it is a lot. It is too long at two and a half hours, something I noticed clearly with the high proportion of people needing to nip out to the toilet. There is a fabulous scene in forestry where Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) fights off multiple Decepticons, which could probably have served as the end of the movie. Instead, it is dragged out for another hour or so, leaving the audience a bit tired and, I have to say, the excitement of seeing crazily complicated fights between robots has waned. There is also a distinct feeling that Bay simply has a craving for Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson walking in slow motion, as except for these cool shots there was no other reason for them in this film. Ultimately, what can a sharp shooting soldier really do against killer machines that turn into very cool cars? We even get a strange few lines from an English soldier whose accent is as strong as the robots themselves.

There is not a similar feeling of worthlessness to John Turturro's return as Agent Simmons, now living at a deli with his mother. Turturro actually rescues the film when interest begins to fade, and lifts it to the climax at the end.

Despite Turturro's injection of humour and interest, Revenge of the Fallen cannot hide from the fact that it has a very, very similar plot to that of the first movie. Both end up with similar scenes, Sam running to stop the Decepticons from using a machine (the Allspark before, and now the Matrix) to destroy the world. Part of the reason these films are just SO insanely stupid is the fact that the villains are too one dimensional, with seemingly very little reason to destroy the earth other than their hatred of the Autobots (does that make sense?).

Some may say this film was just too ridiculous. I thought that for a while. But then I thought, is it any more ridiculous than a small man with hairy feet trying to destroy a ring, or Bruce Willis saving the world from an asteroid? Transformers 2 has some comic moments, some exciting moments and even some sad moments, but not enough of these pockets of quality to fill the two and a half hour run-time. It is a fun action romp, but be prepared! For full enjoyment be willing to turn off all, and I mean ALL ounce of common sense!

7/10

Former cop Tom Cutler (Samuel L. Jackson) now works as a crime scene cleaner. Unwillingly he cleans up a murder which has not yet been reported, which wouldn't be a disastrous problem if it weren't for a whole host of dirty cops, possibly including Tom, wanting the victim dead. The cleaner tries to figure out who set the whole plan up, meanwhile his daughter Rose (Keke Palmer) stirs up trouble at home. Tom is helped by his former partner Eddie (Ed Harris), and the victim's wife, Ann (Eva Mendes).

The premise is decent, if not good, and most of the dialogue keeps the film holding tight, but the plot just fails at parts. My interest waned at several key moments, and the film is desperate for an injection of action. Until the final stand-off between Tom and the ultimate villain there lacks tension, a tension which could have been achieved by a car chase or a fight or anything dramatic. But director Renny Harlin refuses to give up to the normal methods to spice up the formulaic thriller. There is such a lack of action that one of the most violent actions that occurs in the film is a coffee pot smashing. The problem is that without any bursts of excitement the dialogue needs to be tense constantly, and it must build up to something; parts of the script deliver this well, but too much of it does not.

And there is another problem. The only actor who seems capable of building drama in this film is Keke Palmer as the daughter, with Ed Harris, Eva Mendes and Luiz Guzman lacking any meaningful tone or attitude to their characters that enhance the film. They are all on auto-pilot, particularly disappointing Eva Mendes who has proved her ability in roles such as We Own the Night. Samuel L. Jackson is not much better, although this is one of his finer acting performances in recent times, shown especially in a humorous opening, in which he gives out multiple cards of his cleaning service to rich party guests.

Overall, I think we have seen this movie too many times before in better forms; think Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Michael Douglas, the list is endless. The twist at the end is so unlikely it would be more realistic to have Samuel L. Jackson wake up and say, "Oh it was all a dream!" That would be the major problem but most of us would be bored enough not to care any more. Having said that it burns another hour and a half of life down with decent enough drama; if you are bored it's worth a rental.