They Live (1988) Film Review

This film was recommended to me for several reasons. One of the reasons being, Hitchin based metal group; Neverworld has written a song loosely based off this movie. The song titled, They Live (We Sleep) has been recorded and is currently having a music video in the making. I am currently serving as the camera operator for the video and I was told to watch this film for ideas. The other reason for this film being recommended towards me is because; the film in question is known to have a 5 minute plus long fight scene which, I been told I would enjoy.

I could honestly say, I enjoyed this film the moment the first frame hit my TV screen. Granted the acting isn't at all great, the special effects look very dated, topped off with the fact that there are plot holes big enough a fully grown elephant could walk through...but that is the charm behind John Carpenter's They Live.

The well known fight scene is easily the highlight of the film. What makes it funnier is that the entire context of the fight itself is absolutely pointless.

If this film had a bigger budget or had featured better acting and writing, The charm of this fun flick wouldn't at all exist.

5/5

Cowboys and Aliens Review

Cowboys and Aliens is kinda like a bag of pick 'n' mix sweets. While there maybe a tasty addictive treat within, there is also the bitter soul tasting sweet which no one likes.

Cowboys and Aliens opens up like the old classic westerns of the '50s and '60s. And for the the first 25minitues or so. The film does feel like a genuine western. However due to the title, the viewer always knows that aliens will come into the narrative at some point.

Cowboys and Aliens does strike some similarities to another film; Starship Troopers. The similarities throughout can be seen in the narrative and alien design. To begin with, Cowboys features quite a large cast for a 2 hour film, because of this, some characters do not gain enough screen time or character development. This was a problem which featured in Starship Troopers. Luckily the acting in Cowboys is strong throughout. Another similarity to Starship could be seen in the alien design and portrayal. The aliens themselves are shown to be powerful, dominant and almost invincible in the first half of the movie, however their design contradicts them, especially in the daylight scenes where their looks are just corny and comic. Again, very similar to Starship.

Overall, Cowboys and Aliens will entertain despite the 'aliens' element being somewhat ripped from other films. The western motifs are strong though.

My Rating

3/5

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes review

As of mid-august 2011, no film has grabbed my attention, causing a stir with my emotions, until Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the 2011 reboot to the franchise, and unlike that Tim Burton movie, the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, manages to succeed in creating a film which can both stand on its own merit, but also have enough material to spawn it sequels.

To note, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a violent film. Much more than what the trailer promotes. Luckily the violence works for the story and is not tacked on. The film is also brilliantly acted with characters being from ambitious yet flawed, threatening yet human. The specials effects are also great; while they are not Avatar, the special effects managed to the job.

When I saw the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I was in an almost crowded cinema, and what was unique was that every reaction following certain scenes, happened in unison. It happened during character Caesar's first spoken words; it happened during the finale battle.

Now I wrote in the review of Captain America, that it was the best film of the summer. After seeing the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The opinion has changed. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes is so far the best summer film of 2011. It is also the best film I have seen this year period.

My Rating

5/5

Captain America Review

The Superhero Genre are the new Westerns. Both genres share the similar themes and concepts. They're also profitable, and currently, studios; major and minor, right now are milking the genre to every penny. Frankly, its getting boring now.

Captain America is the last major superhero release for 2011, and its a good one. While it has its problems, it is easily the best film of the summer so far. It is also the best superhero film to come out this year.

Since the release of Iron Man 2, all the Marvel film releases (with the exception of X-men) have been building up to The Avengers movie. Because of this, these films (Iron Man 2, Thor) suffer from problems. These include pacing issues, lack of character development, and the under use of some great names and actors. However in Captain America; the first avenger, those issues are none existent. Like the first two Marvel cinematic universe titles (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk), Captain America can easily be a stand alone title.

The film itself is very enjoyable, however this film doesn't make great use 3D so if possible. Captain America should be viewed in 2D if possible. The acting in Captain America is good throughout even thou it can be quite over the top and over dramatic. The characters in the film are well written and well portrayed, and unlike Iron Man 2 or Thor, the romantic sub-plot isn't tacked on.

Sadly the film does have its problems. Because the superhero genre is becoming overpopulated, clichés are starting to emerge, and those are quite evident in Captain America throughout. While the clichés ain't as bad as they are in Fast Five; it can be quite distracting when one or two pop up.

This film is easily the best film of the summer so far, and is the best superhero release of this year. It is also the last major superhero film for this year which is a good thing.

My Rating
4.5/5

Horrible Bosses Review

Comedies are a subjective genre, while this could be said about any other genre. Comedies (and Horror) generally takes the most flack. Half the time, the flack is generally due to a fault of the film (i.e bad acting, plot holes, chemistry etc). However most of the time, bad reviews of a comedy generally stems from the idea; what makes the viewer laugh.

Luckily Horrible Bosses (dir.Seth Gordon) did bring me laughs. I generally tend to find dark humour very funny, and Horrible Bosses is full of it. That's not all, the film is brilliantly acted, with the three leads (Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis) providing enough material to chew the screen with. The three leading actors also shared a great deal of chemistry, which furthered the likeability of their characters. The supporting cast were also great, giving their share of memorable moments.

The only tiny complaint I had with the movie was that one or two bits and pieces were unexplained, which did bug me. Mostly the idea that the car operator, "Gregory" recording the conversations with the three leads. I felt that could of featured more of an explanation earlier in the film as it did feel somewhat out of the blue towards the film's climax (i.e chekhov's gun).

Overall Horrible Bosses is a funny and entertaining film, and providing one is into black comedies, it is a must see film.

My Rating
4.5/5  

Cars 2 Review

As of 2011, Cars 2 is Pixar's lowest rated film to date, receiving a “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a average score of 57 on metacritic, however is it as bad as what people say?

To begin with Cars 2 is the sequel to Cars; a film of which didn't really strike the cords and connections with many people as previous films of Pixar have done. Cars 2, being the sequel has lots of convincing to do; especially if it follows Toy Story 3, a film which is often considered among the best films of 2010.

Cars 2, like Cars, does share the same problem, and that problem is the intended audience. Generally the subject of Cars is more male oriented, and by having a movie about talking Cars and racing, animated as well would easily be enough to narrow the audience down. It isn't a fault of the characters or the story as those aspects were strong to begin with. What is funny is that if these very same characters took form of a human or an animal, the overall reception would differ dramatically.

Now like other Pixar movies, of which feature great story, great animation, and great voice acting to list a few. Cars 2 follows that trend and is no different. These characters featured are loveable, funny and easy to root for. The story is entertaining, paying homages to many spy flicks of the past generations. The animation speaks for itself. And the humour found is plenty, enough to please those of all ages.

But for all the good, there are some negatives for this film. The most notable being that I felt the final third act was rush and poorly put together. But other than that, there was little to fault and complain about.

I saw Cars 2 in 3D and I found it very enjoyable and while it isn't the best Pixar has to offer, it is at least worth a watch.

My Rating

3.5/5

Harry Potter 7-2 Review

I am somewhat glad Harry Potter film series is finally over (unless JK Rowling writes another instalment). But is the final out the best of the series (as one reviewer mentions in the film's TV promo)...?

Few things to note; I have not read the books by Rowling and I haven't seen every single HP movie. (I saw the first three and the final three including this film) This means this review is solely based off the film I saw.

To begin with the good, the film was entertaining with a good balance of positive material and darker material. The film had also great special effects. Finally, the film was (almost) acted beautifully. The stand out moment of the movie overall was (SPOILER) Severus Snape's death. The pure emotions given from actor Alan Rickman was easily the highlight of the film, and the only scene which I remember the strongest. 

Now onto the negatives. The biggest problem this film had came from the narrative. A small percentage of the film was given to characters of which I was unfamiliar with, placed into a moment of danger and expected me care. Another problem I had was that, that small percentage of the film given to the other characters scenes distracted me from what was happening to the three main characters, mood and thematic wise. If HP 7-2's narrative was limited only to the strict few (i.e Potter, Weasely, Granger and the villains), the film would be shorter but stronger.  

Another problem I had with HP 7-2 was in the epilogue, the three leading actors did not make convincing 40 year olds. While they may of looked the part with make up and all, the voice made it clearly obvious that these actors were not 40 at all. 

Overall a good film but hardly perfect due to its flaws.

My Rating

3.5/5

My next review will be Pixar's Cars 2