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The Football Factory (2004)
A MUST for football fans!
I've watch the "Green Street Hooligan's" several months ago and thought it was a good movie but this film is like a rush of blood to the head. "The Football Factory" is the ultimate head blowing, jaw clenching, white knuckle ride of a film. This film has all the elements to make up a night of exciting viewing, from though provoking characters, witty dialogue to energized music to watch boys batter each other.
To begin theirs Tommy, fast approaching 30 and not a clue what to do with his sad little life, only thing he¹s clinging onto is the next big meet and Billy Bright the foul mouthed, bad tempered geezer who lost the ability to engage his brain a long time ago, he¹s only comfortable using his fists. Rod who does a stellar performance in a restaurant, acts as a perfect side kick to Tommy, Bill Farrell the perfect gentleman from a bygone era and Harris the mean-faced leader who could have Vinnie Jones for breakfast, plays the distant yet commanding leader.
But I like the young kid who plays Zebberdee, a scaly living like vermin in the depths of South London, this is all credit to the acting as it must be difficult to play someone who is so detrimental to society and has very little redeeming features. Credit must be given to all the actors as they all deliver stellar performances in what must be the most unglamorous locations. There isn't one performance I would say was weak as they all hold the audiences attention and gage us into what they are doing and saying. I found the violence and fashion to be very realistic. "The Football Factory" is more than just football, its about loyalty, and a sense of belonging in this dysfunctional world.
The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)
Funniest Film of 2011!
Will, a self confessed geek, is trying to prove that he's not as weird as everyone thinks. Simon, a truly hopeless romantic is trying to get over his recent break-up with Carli, his childhood sweetheart. Jay is out to finally get some real clunge, and Neil wants to become a better swimmer. Together they are The Inbetweeners - four tragically uncool teenagers who have finally finished their exams and are off to celebrate their new freedom by way of a lads holiday to Greece.
Wedgies, delayed flights, substandard accommodation and weird fellow holiday makers set the scene before the boys meet four girls in the emptiest bar in Malia. As Will punches far above his weight, Jay has weight issues of an entirely different kind. Simon bumps into his ex, Carli, and Neil is lured by Malia's answer to mutton dressed as lamb.
What ensues is a hilarious romp as the awkward quartet try to score a balance between getting outrageously drunk, and getting finally laid.
Fans of the award-winning hit sitcom series which preceded the film will not be disappointed, as the gags are familiar and the characters remain true to form. Newcomers to the title will still be able to enjoy the film to the fullest.
The script is well written. The score, packed full of party anthems and original material by Mike Skinner (of The Streets fame) is as catchy as it is appropriate for the mood of the film. The editing is seamless and the screenplay flows well.
The Inbetweeners will have you laughing the whole way through, from the "Ham and snorkel" scene to Simon's rescue by the coastguard. The path to true love is never a smooth and easy one.
Friday the 13th (1980)
Bit of a let down, But I did like it.
This is it, the first teen slasher film of the 80's, that, following in 'Halloween's' footsteps, taught us to enjoy nothing more than watching wave after wave of pretty teenagers be brutally massacred. And nothing has changed, judging by the fact that the series has just celebrated its ELEVENTH entry, 'Freddy VS Jason'. Far from intelligent, intellectual, or even genuinely scary, 'Friday the 13th' differs greatly from that which it is supposedly influenced. Admitting that its sole aim was to make money, and describing the experience of watching the film as a roller-coaster ride, director Sean S Cunningham uses minimal characterisation and plot to construct a story based purely on graphic violence and scares induced by a sudden high pitched violin note.
However, 'Friday...' still deals with the usual horror conventions, and is closer to a 'horror' movie than any of today's efforts, which rely on action, martial arts and even science fiction influences. There is the creepy setting of a disused summer camp, to which a group of young counsellors have arrived, intending to get it running again, the themes of the family - so prevalent in the slasher films of the late 70s and early 80s, and the anniversary of an accident, or prank gone wrong that occurred years ago, now coming back to punish those who were responsible.
Despite being rather generic and often criticised for being overly nasty in its graphic portrayal of the murders of innocent youths, 'Friday the 13th' an d its sequels have such a undescribable, fun quality to them, it is impossible not to join in with the guessing who is going to die next, cheering on the surviving girl as she does battle with the killer, and jumping out of your seat every time the killer pops up from/sticks their arm through the nearest door or window. They are fun movies, and if the were an integral part of your childhood, it is definitely worth going back to see what all the fuss was about all that time ago.
Don't get me wrong, I think this is a good horror but it wasn't up to the standards I espected. Espeicially with the budget they had...
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
The Greatest Zombie Film of all Time
Few filmmakers now how to do a zombie movie and get it right; I hate to think what the zombie movie genre would be without George Romero. 1968's Night of the Living Dead is still the archetype of zombie films, in my opinion, featuring a virtually perfect ending. 1979's follow-up, Dawn of the Dead, is another true classic, featuring scenes so shocking that absolutely no one under 17 could be admitted to theaters to see it. By today's standards, the film is hardly shocking at all, but Romero's up close and personal look at a nihilistic world simply crawling with the undead is the kind of movie that makes horror lovers stand up and cheer. The level of violence in this film is delightfully high; sure, it all looks pretty fake now, but in its day Dawn of the Dead helped lay the groundwork for later gorefests full of blood and guts. I don't, as a general rule, care for zombies or zombie movies. Zombies are ugly and stupid - they basically just wander around in a clumsy manner, only reacting to the nearness of human life fresh for the taking (and eating). That's about all they do here, as well, but at least they turn out in huge numbers for this George Romero classic. We don't know what started the trouble; as the movie opens, the world is already in a heap of a mess. There are cops and soldiers killing zombies by the dozens, but it's obviously just a few bloods drops in the proverbial bucket.
TV news coverage features experts saying how bad everything is and how we should have taken action sooner, demanding people leave their self-barricaded homes and come together in a dwindling number of central locations. Roger DeMarco (Scott H. Reiniger) flies his girlfriend Francine (Gaylen Ross) and friend Stephen Andrews (David Emge) out of town in a helicopter - Stephen's sharp-shooting buddy Peter Washington (Ken Foree) also comes along for the ride. Low on gas and unsure of what they should do, the gang lands on the roof of a large shopping mall and eventually decides to hole up there for a while. Isolating themselves upstairs, our would-be survivors then begin making forays inside the mall for necessary supplies. The place is crawling with pasty-faced zombies, so they put together a plan that will, or so they hope, keep additional zombies from gaining access to the site; once that is done, it's just a matter of killing all of the zombies already stumbling around inside. Of course, as we all know, people are stupid, so this prolonged stay inside the mall faces its share of challenges and dangers. Along the way, countless numbers of zombies are shot, bludgeoned, and taken out with whatever deadly instruments one happens to find handy. Never fear, there is some zombie feeding as well, although once again I have to express my disappointment that no brains were ever eaten (zombies are supposed to eat brains - that's my personal zombie philosophy). One question hovers near the front of your mind throughout this film: how will it end? The world has basically come to an end, making for some long odds for our heroes' survival. While the ending is not completely satisfying, I do believe it makes for a right and fitting conclusion to this most extraordinary of horror classics.
Let me speak to the violence portrayed here. However shocking it was upon the movie's release, it really isn't shocking at all in this day and age; the quantity of violence, though still impresses. Plenty of zombies fall over the course of these two hours plus, but few of the "deaths" are what I would call gory. In many cases, a zombie takes a shot between the eyes and falls down; in some cases there is blood, especially when zombies get a chance to do a little feeding, but you certainly won't see anybody lying in a pool of blood. In many cases, a zombie gets taken out with no blood at all - certainly, the amount of gore you would expect from shotgun blasts to the head just doesn't exist here. The blood, I might also mention, doesn't even look like blood - unless red corpuscles changed to orange corpuscles without anyone telling me.
In the end, it comes down to this: Dawn of the Dead is one of the best zombie films ever made - more than that, it's one of the best horror films ever made. It cemented George Romero's name in the hallowed shrines of horror; it crossed the Rubicon (or perhaps I should say the river Styx) and dared to give viewers the quantity of senseless violence so many of us crave. There is also a sociological slant to the movie that many feel compelled to comment on (I personally think it's something of a stretch to classify four desperate, would-be survivors as some type of bourgeoisie enjoying the luxury the shopping mall affords them while the nameless hordes of plebeian zombies mill around aimlessly). However you want to interpret it, Dawn of the Dead is horror at its very best, up close and in your face.
The Matrix (1999)
More than a decade old, but more visually striking than many new films.
There's very little that one can say about the Matrix, you have to have been living under a rock for the last five years not to have heard of it, at very least.
At some time in the first half of the twenty-first century, human beings create artificial intelligence that ends up going to war with it's creators - and wins - almost. During the war the human's somehow "scorched the sky" therefore stopping the machines getting their source of solar energy, so instead the machines stop killing humans and instead capture them and imprison them in "pods" that keep them alive to act as an energy source (like a battery) for the machines. The premise of the film is that the world we see around us is an illusion, created by the artificial intelligence and fed into the "podded" humans' psyches to keep them quiescent. What you must not ask at this point is why the machines bother, why they don't just render all humans unconscious and have done with it - try not even to think it, it will spoil all of the spectacular set piece battles and kung fu choreography.
The special effects are impressive and the story is so much better than most of the ridiculously thin things that action movies use. It is difficult to know whether the film makers were taking the whole thing totally seriously, as sometimes parts seem a little tongue in cheek. I prefer to think they weren't taking things completely seriously, since although I have heard it said how deep the underlying philosophical questions of the film are, and heard people become obsessively intense about this, it is, at the end of the day, a light-hearted action flick with an interesting plot-line done extremely well. If that sounds too dismissive, I will add that it is one of my favourite films of all time, I just can't take it seriously that this is either a philosophical or a religious allegory.
So, should you see this film? Yes, it's thrilling, visually stunning, occasionally profound and also just one of the coolest movies ever made. So watch it now, if only so you can say you have. 10/10.
Jackass 3.5 (2011)
Unrated, deleted scenes, and extra footage? Yes, please!
I was looking forward to this release since I've been watching Jackass 3D in Theater. I knew that there would be a 3.5 with even more fun and stupidity.
3.5 is a perfect continuation of 3. The Phantom camera segment had me in hysterics! Bombs Away was brilliant, especially the part filmed by the Phantom camera. (Yes, I am a huge fan of that camera.) It truly seemed like Johnny Knoxville was going to get away with his little Slip 'N Bowl prank until the very end ;) The boys keep getting better with age. I truly don't want the Jackass era to ever end.
I love this film. ( Espially Electric Limbo and Rat Zapper and Basketball ball ). Its better than Jackass 3 as the cast interviews are great. Some of the stunts are a little dull (they were the ones that were cut) but the behind the scenes pranks are so funny. I do feel sad when I watch it though, RIP Ryan Dunn. If you loved Jackass 3 you will love this. The interviews are great and most of the stunts are just as funny, crude and twisted.
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
A classic. One of Kubrick's best films.
It only occurred to me very recently that I should watch A Clockwork Orange and after watching it I can only say that I am sorry that I waited so long to see it. I have always been very curious about the film as the fact that it was withdrawn from the UK built up so much mystery around it.
It is quite a difficult film to watch as the expectation you have leaves you with a feeling that you are going to be let down. However, thankfully this wasn't the case for me as I was quite mesmerised by what I can only call a true work of art. Unfortunately I have not read the book so I can't compare it to the film. This is a film that operates on many levels and explores a lot of ideas. I think the film is primarily concerned with ideas surrounding volition, control, violence (sexual and non sexual), fantasy and psychopathy.
The plot follows Alex a sociopath who ends up being a kind of antihero by the latter stages of the film. Alex is a character who as the famous tagline for the film states has made rape, Beethoven and violence his hobbies. I can't help wondering if this isn't reference to Adolf Hitler who was well known for his love of classical music (Wagner). The opening scene is nothing short of stunning. There then follows equally impressive scenes of ultra stylish yet very disturbing violence. The plot moves from a point where Alex is in complete control to one where he is vulnerable and he finally becomes a victim not a perpetrator of violence. I think that the thing that is most worrying about the film is that the moral order is not restored by the end. Although Alex suffers a bit this is not because he is genuinely guilty for his offences it is only due to the behavioural psychology treatment he receives which causes him to feel pain. The story offers much to the viewer to consider, my attention certainly didn't wander and you may be surprised to find quite a few humorous scenes.
I can't fault the performances of any of the cast members. The performances are totally convincing and affecting even if the droogs (Alex's gang) look a little old to be teenagers and the presence of Warren Clarke is slightly amusing as I couldn't help picturing him in the BBC TV police drama he stars in, Dalziel and Pascoe.
As mentioned before the film opens brilliantly. There really isn't to my mind a single unmemorable scene in the film. The production is wonderful, the colour lavish and every scene makes you feel as though you are there, a guilty spectator.
The script is very powerful. This is because of the use of what I believe is a sort of secret language that the writer of A Clockwork Orange, Burgess, devised called Nadsat.
The soundtrack is key in the movie as it ties into the plot and ironically it does get you interested in classical music, something which in the film Alex tells two minor characters is extremely important as it is so gorgeous.
This film has much to say about British society and it is sad that it had to be withdrawn for so long. It is a haunting and brave film that preys on the mind of the viewer. This is a necessary addition to any movie lover's film collection.
The Shining (1980)
The most terrifying film I have ever witnessed.
The twin girls that haunt little Danny's visions in the corridors of the Overlook are not ghostly spectres that waft through walls or dissipate into thin air. They are not glimpsed running away, suggested by muffled giggling, or implied though distant sing-song voices. Like many other unsettling images in The Shining, they stand out starkly in garish colours against the equally bright and lurid background of the Overlook's interior. As with the twins, the symmetry of the Overlook's design and decor is where much of the dread in The Shining resides. The layout of the rooms, the uniformity of the corridors, the control of colour and light all contain a pattern of fear that unravels as Kubrick's camera passes through.
The genius of this interior is that it is at odds with the hotel's snowbound and castle-like exterior. The Overlook's insides are pristine, not in a state of Gothic decay and in fact, are protected from the elements by Jack Torrance and the caretakers that have gone before him. The horror within is therefore also preserved. It remains fresh and powerful. Such is its power, that the ghosts of the Overlook will be ultimately seen by all. Not just Torrance (who is mad) or Danny (who is psychic) but also by Wendy who is neither. The viewer is no more spared and is exposed to several types of terror; from the creeping insidiousness of the surroundings, to the raw violence and the awesome displays of fear conveyed on the faces of Danny and Wendy.
Accompanied by a demented score, The Shining spirals downwards with visceral acceleration towards a living nightmare where the corridors literally overflow with blood. It is as if the Overlook has ruptured at the knowledge of its own evil. Truly frightening in its starkness, there is no escape as we are pursued with Danny though the labyrinthine hotel towards inevitable horrific punctuations; Grady's sentinel daughters, the red elevator doors, room 237 and finally (and fittingly) the Overlook Maze.
Psycho (1960)
By far the greatest horror/suspense film of all time.
Psycho is by far the greatest horror film of all time, and one of the earliest made horror films of all time. Everything about this film is perfect especially the famous 'shower scene'.
Visually, Hitchcock subtly represents these theories through symbolism, lighting, shapes (that reflect the characters personality) and dialogue. The most interesting and important concept that ties in with almost every other aspect of the movie are the constant metaphors that represent the psychodynamic theory of the psyche; the id - impulsive, the ego - creates realistic ways to satisfy the id's demands and the superego which is the moral compass that regulates the other two. Throughout the superego is represented in a number of ways; the policeman, the stuffed birds and Marion (just before her murder). And Norman of course represents the ego and id; although his conflict is brought to the surface through schizophrenic means. This concept that I have tried my best to explain barely scratches the surface of what is a movie jam packed with interesting analogies and metaphors. But all this complexity resonates from the focal exploration of the human mind and makes the audience question their own ethics.
There is no sloppiness in this movie in terms of a visual and aural experience, as Hitchcock's objective of 'messing' with the audience requires and almost flawless film viewing experience; an that this is.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Probably my favorite film of all time.
This film stands in a class of its own. Right from the start when we see a single white feather drifting around on the breeze until the end of the film you feel as though you are being carried along on an adventure that breathes life back into living. Tom Hanks is simply outstanding as Forest Gump and quite honestly I cannot imagine any other actor in the role of Forest Gump, Tom Hanks has made the role completely his own. Sometimes when I see Tom Hanks in other film roles I imagine him still playing Forest Gump. Forest Gump isn't extraordinary in any way, but the things he experiences are beyond the normal man. You do have to pinch yourself though at times. Is this really happening to Forest Gump or some figment of his fertile imagination. One man mocks Forest Gump for telling tall stories, while another woman present at the same time realizes that what he has been telling them is in fact true, but maybe with some embellishment thrown in for good measure.
Forest Gump does it all: plays American football, can run like the wind, has been to the White House to meet multiple American Presidents, gone to war, represented his country at ping-pong, saved peoples lives, befriends somebody who is crippled, run a shrimp fishing business, run across the United States
and loved a girl. Some people may think that Forest Gump is stupid, but it is a fact that you will find yourself charmed completely by this simple but honest man. You will take him to your heart and see things like he does, in an uncluttered way. And, without doubt you will have a tear or two in your eyes by the end of Forest Gump.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Probably the funniest film of the decade.
Sacha Borat aka Borat, the charmingly offensive, Kazakhstan reporter has written and appeared in a hilarious anti-PC film that tramples over every cringing, PC attitude, where previously, 'decent' folk once feared to tread. His exploits in seeking to introduce America for the benefit of Kazakhstan TV have deeply upset Kazakhstani politicians and tourism officials alike. (Did Kazakhstan have a tourist industry before this film?) But the joke is really on America and Americans and the way that they respond to Borat provides the humor of the film. Their endemic racism, homophobic and their tendency to take things literally and their inability to send themselves up produce some very funny episodes.
Aided by the memorably named Azamat Bogatov, 'Borat' does pander to the lowest common denominator, but somehow he gets away with each outrageous scene and stunt. How he managed to avoid arrest is open to speculation. From watching the film again, it is conceivable that more of the stunts were staged than initially seemed possible. The extras to promote the movie, which are included in the DVD package are worth viewing, as are the deleted scenes. Sacha Baron Cohen's appearances to promote the movie, (chat shows in the US and openings in cities around the world) were conducted in character. Indeed, such is his total immersion in the character that he reminds me of the late, great, Peter Sellers, who was similarly transformed by the characters he inhabited, often to the point that he couldn't step back out of character.
How Cohen plans to follow up this triumph will be eagerly awaited. Nothing else he has tried has worked as well as Borat. The Bruno character is more the stuff of short sketch than full-length feature film. In the meantime, Saviour the outrageousness of this DVD. Highly recommended.
All stand for the Kazakhstan National Anthem!
The Godfather (1972)
A masterpiece of cinema. One of the greatest films of all time.
Francis Ford Coppola directed an absolute masterpiece on film when he made the immortal classic "The Godfather", which was adapted from Mario Puzo's best selling book about the inner working and ordeals of the Corleone Family who was head of the powerful Mafia organization. An excellent screenplay, excellent actors and excellent cinematography makes this one of the best films ever produced and its not hard to see why. The film stars Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone aka "The Godfather", Al Pacino as The Godfather's son Michael, James Caan as Sonny who is The Godfather's eldest son and heir apparent, John Cazale as Fredo, the "innocent" son of Vito Corleone, Talia Shire as Connie the daughter and last but not least Robert Duvall as "Tom Hagen" as the adviser to the Don. The rest of the supporting cast is outstanding as well.
The screenplay is faithful to the storyline of the book, which excludes some chapters from the novel, however this doesn't diminish the movie in anyway. It is a story, ultimately a tragic one, about the powerful Corleone Family and the internal strife, struggle, loyalty and love mixed in with a need for power ultimately makes victims of all members of the family. I am sure all who have seen the movie know the plot well, and for those who haven't seen the movie, I wont spoil any of it, since it is a movie "you cant refuse" to see. The ultimate lesson of the movie in my opinion is "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely".
The characters in the movie are supposedly based on real life Mafioso's such as real Gambino crime boss Sam "Boom Boom" Giancana is the inspiration for Vito Corleone and Johnny Fontaine is based on Frank Sinatra as it will be easy to see when the viewer watches the movie.
This is a true classic in every sense of the word and I can't recommend it highly enough for those who enjoy classic movies and movies that last throughout time. This is only the opening chapter however and there are two more movies (Godfather II and III) in this incredible saga that are just as brilliant as this one and I highly recommend that they be viewed as well to see the ultimate tragedy of the Corleone Family.