Thursday, 29 October 2009

Izzat

Hard hitting Danish Drama, focusing on Pakistani immigrants. Seemed to be portrayed very close to reality. I think it was based on true events.

Different to all the cliche gangster films, which I have found to be "fake" if you know what I mean. This was much more emotional.

Certainly filmed on a different angle, and a must-see for any Gangster movie fan!

Monday, 26 October 2009

Saw VI

What a treat! In my opinion, the best Saw film since the 1st one! I thought it was going to be merely a time filler.

The twists and unfolding of the story was really believable. The twist at the end was superb too. There are too many twists to describe, and the plot has become more complex; yet still not difficult to follow. Let the jigsaw series continue. Bring on Saw VII next year!

Hors De Prix

French film, AKA Priceless.

A film I wanted to see for a long time, being a fan of the lovely Audrey Tatou. She played a very complex character in this. You would hate her one minute, and feel sorry, for her the next.

Not a huge fan of chick flicks, but this was different, probably because it was in french and was a lot more romantic, original and felt "real".

The male lead, Gal Elmaleh also acted really well. He played the character of being very clever and intelligent, but did not let those around him (including the audience) ever feel. We all thought he was thick!

The ending though was quite abrupt. I think it could have been played out a little. At least it was a happy ending though :)

Saturday, 24 October 2009

La Habitación De Fermat

AKA Fermats room. A Superb, suffocating thriller.

There were plenty of unexpected twists in the movie, and even if you knew nothing about Mathematics, it was still an easy film to follow.

The intertwining stories were tense and captures interest right from the outset. Yes, I do not deny that they may have been a few flaws, but as the film was quite "urgent" one did not even notice.

If you can keep up with the subtitles, this is a "must-watch".

Thursday, 22 October 2009

A Perfect Getaway

Not too impressed with this flick. Had a spare 90 minutes so thought I would check it out. the trailer looked promising, but it was quite slow bar the last 20 minutes.

The only thing that kept me going was the beautiful scenery and cinematography. The filming and camera work was very intricately done.

There were a few shocks and surprises here and there, but I had sussed out the twist within the first 20 minutes or so.

The acting was good for such a poor script; there were flaws and mistakes; I felt the Director was probably trying a bit too hard to fool the audience!

I am off next week from work so watch the space here fill-up even more!

Wednesday, 21 October 2009

Fashion

Well I saw half of this movie last week; and the rest of it tonight.

A little disappointing, as the build up in the 1st half was very good. You were left wondering what was going to happen.

However, it was a bit of an anticlimax. I was expecting there to be a revenge plot, but that did not turn out to be.

Priyanka Chopra has received critical acclaim for a role as the upcoming model, who then has to struggle with problems of living in the limelight.

It had potential to be very good and I thought it was a tad over long. I bet you didn't think I would say this, but I got a bit fed up of the "excessive" eye-candy!

Love Aaj Kal

A very easy Bollywood Romcom to watch, did not really have to concentrate too much.

I felt it lacked a bit of emotion to be honest. I expected more songs; the ones in the film were quite catchy.

There wasn't really anything that jumped out at me out of the ordinary in the story though. I think people who are in love are getting to fall in love might enjoy this.

Saif Ali Khan did well to salvage a poor script; he alone I reckon is worth a watch, unless you also want to see Deepika's smile ;)

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus

A great film for fantasy lovers.

Had moments of brilliance, although I would not label this as "Heath Ledger's" film. I felt Christopher Plummer was the main lead in this one.

I must say a little confusing for the younger audience, and it took a while for the story to pick up. It was 2 hours long and the first hour was spent in introducing the characters and setting the plot.

Colin Farrell was, well, Colin Farrell and Jude Law put in a cameo as did Johnny Depp who is brilliant as always.

Lily Cole showed potential, I expect to see lots more of her in time to come.

Sunday, 18 October 2009

The World's Greatest Dad

I just had to watch this being a Robin Williams fan.

It wasn't really a comedy; in fact it was quite sad in places. A bit of a Black Comedy.

It was a very wierd film but I must add that the characters were played with conviction, and were very realistic. Its a shame it hasn't had more publicity. It hasn't even made it in the cinema here in the UK.

Do watch it.

Friday, 16 October 2009

The Ugly Truth

Well this was quite a funny film. I think it is the first time I have seen Gerard Butler in a comedy role - he was pretty good at it.

My only remark would be that he and Katherine Heigl did not have that much on-screen chemistry together. Also it did not make me burst out laughing; more like giggle in a few places.

Overall not a bad film, but not brilliant either!

Monday, 12 October 2009

Up

Well, what can I say; this is the animated movie of the year for me. Brought to you by Disney Pixar in awesome 3D, this was a very easy film to follow. The story was super, effects were great and colours were vivid. A huge improvement on Wall-E which I wasn't too keen on to be honest.

It's great for the Adults too, made me laugh, and also had a tear rolling down my cheek - it was very heart-breaking at moments.

Do watch this; it is an awesome family movie.

Big thumbs "UP!"

The Taking Of Pelham 123

This movie is a remake of the old '60s classic of the same name, and same story.

The plot is set in real-time so to speak, over a period of 90 minutes; the film length also being the same.

Unfortunately, I did not find it that gripping and realistic. The tension was not high, and Denzel Washington was not used to his full capacity - one of my favorite actors, in not the best role he has done. John Travolta was a waste of time, sporting a wierd hair-do and beard. I think he should quit films and concentrate on flying planes.

On the whole then, a very disappointing movie; I was glad to see the credits roll at the end! I am told though, that the original was "superb."

Tuesday, 6 October 2009

Pandorum

I was looking forward to watch this; some reviews put me off a bit though.

This was a really good film, except for the "darkness". It was mostly filmed in the dark and thats what put me off a bit. The story was quite good, a few flaws, but then again, there always are with sci-fi movies. Made me jump in a few places, so certainly had the fright factor. Another thing that I disliked was the action/fight scenes were just too fast that it looked like a bit of a horrible mess and lots of camera shake.

With direction, and a little bit more cash, this one would have been even better!

The Soloist

Had high expectations of this film. It was a tad slow though. It was based on a true story, and I am told Jamie Foxx's character was played very close to the original character - he must be gunning for an Oscar as it was similar role to Dustin Hoffman's in "Rainman".

It was quite fascinating in parts, but I wouldn't describe it as "brilliant". There were a few moments of spiritualism which were thought-provoking. Robert Downey Jnr played his usual character; no real change there.

Thursday, 1 October 2009

Trick 'r Treat

Strange one this. IMDB ratings are too good to be true!

However, I found it just OK.

There were two main good things about it; the first was the imagery of halloween was well portrayed and secondly, there are within, 4 interwoven stories that make the plot much more interesting.

Acting performances were not bad, but not superb either. The kids in it were fun to watch.

Watch this if you like the whole halloween season, although Americans would probably like it more as they celebrate this event much more than us Brits!

Surrogates

A truly sophisticated Sci-Fi thriller; a new story; although some might say that the portrayal of the future has been seen in films before.

This seems to be a very popular theme at present, saw Gamer last week, and next week I will be reviewing sci-fi horror, Pandorum starring Dennis Quaid. Not quite sure what to expect; liked the look of it in the trailer.

Anyway, back to the film, it was very easy to follow and there are some good action sequences. Bruce Willis stars in the lead role, looking very strange and young, but it soon becomes apparent why he is that way! I won't spoil it!

Definately watch this if you like your futuristic movies!