I'm still alive... honest!

Well what with it being over 3 months since my last post I wouldn't be surprised if you had thought me lost to the world but fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view) I'm back! For those who are interested, I've now shifted from the UK to Australia where I am preparing for my very first hot Christmas- never have I before put up a Christmas tree with shorts on but what do you know, it is possible.

Unfortunately my absence cannot be explained by me disappearing to watch movies continuously on loop in a darkened room and so it is more than likely that posts will be a bit fewer and farther between than they used to be (especially considering heading outdoors is more viable now what with there being a sun in the sky that actually warms me when I am standing under it).

Not sure what the next post is going to be on but it will only be a matter of time before we all find out. Welcome back readers, I hope it's not 3 months before my next post.



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Reviewed: Final Destination 5 [2011]

Final Destination 5 [2011]

15 - 92mins - Horror/Thriller - 26th August 2011

The first Final Destination (the one with the plane) was a very original piece of work that had most of us enjoying some horror and gore in a novel and new way. By the time the second came out (the motorway pile up) in 2003 it could still be classed as a popcorn movie but they really raised the ingenuity of the death scenes making it a reasonable way to waste an hour and a half. By number 3 (roller coaster) and 4 (Nascar) I didn't see the point in them anymore as you had to sit through an identical plot for 5/6/7 death scenes that, if truth be told, were not great. So when I heard the announcement of a fifth, I really didn't get it. Perhaps they are jumping on the 3D bandwagon like everyone else?

As expected it duly delivered not a lot in the way of entertainment. In Final Destination 5, a group of co-workers set off for a weekend of team building exercises. However on the way to their destination, a bridge that they are crossing collapses and kills all of them. Unbeknownst to the audience this was just a premonition of the event (ironically I never saw it coming...) and after a commotion Sam (Nicholas D'Agosto) manages to convince some of his fellow employees to get off of the bus. The bridge then collapses and their lives are saved. Over the next few days though the survivors start to die in strange circumstances as Death tries to restore order to the world.

Trailered: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance [2012]

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance [2012]

Release Dates:

- 17th February 2012 (USA) -

- 22nd February 2012 (UK) -

Directors: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba

Johnny Blaze (Cage) returns to our screens as the stunt motorcyclist turned hell blazing vigilante who tackles the evils that no others dare. In the original he took on the son of the Devil, Blackheart and the sequel sees him raise the bar to take on the Devil himself who is trying to take a human form. Watching the original hardly blew me away and was poor for the most part so the thought of a sequel does not fill me with much hope at all.

The only thing going for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is that it will take a lot for it to be worse than the original.  At least from the trailer it looks like the CGI has been raised up a notch and the film is going to have its fair share of action and entertaining car chases to keep me interested. Also can anyone help me to distinguish between the Ghost Rider series and Drive Angry which are so similar in many ways? I can't see myself heading to the cinema for this so instead I'll wait at home for Cage's career to pull out from its nose dive.

Rating: D

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Reviewed: Cowboys & Aliens [2011]

Cowboys & Aliens [2011]

12A - 118mins - Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller - 17th August 2011

Finally my prayers to the Hollywood top dogs for a bit of originality have been answered in the form of Cowboys & Aliens, a sci-fi thriller (which puts me in even more of an optimistic mood due to it being one of my preferred genres of choice). Yes it is based on a graphic novel and yes technology in the wild west has been implemented before but this isn't a sequel/prequel and as a concept is very fresh.

Daniel Craig plays Jake, a cowboy who wakes up in the middle of nowhere with no recollection of who he is, where he has been or how he got there. In fact the only clue given to him is a strange metallic bracelet that he is unable to remove from his arm. After making his way to the nearest town he soon makes himself known to the locals and is identified as a dangerous and wanted man guilty of several crimes including stealing gold from local rancher Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). After being arrested and readied for transport, alien spaceships appear out of nowhere and start snatching people away and blowing up the surrounding countryside. Jake's bracelet transforms itself into a weapon and he is able to drive the aliens away.

Trailered: Machine Gun Preacher [2011]

Machine Gun Preacher [2011]

 Release Dates:

- 23rd September 2011 (USA) -

- 18th November 2011 (UK) -

Director: Marc Forster

Cast: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon

Based on the true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing biker who found God. Seeing the troubles in East Africa, he heads over to help repair homes destroyed by civil war where he encounters the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a renegade militia that forces youngsters to become soldiers. Determined to make a difference, Sam leads armed missions deep into enemy territory to retrieve kidnapped children and help restore peace to their lives.

The true life inspirational stories tend to do quite well in the box office but that's usually because the audience can in some way relate to the characters. This is less likely for Machine Gun Preacher which although has a story worth telling does not quite capture my imagination in the way it might others. Hence...

Rating: C

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Reviewed: Rise of the Planet of the Apes [2011]

Rise of the Planet of the Apes [2011]

12A - 105mins - Action/Drama/Sci-Fi - 11th August 2011

It's been 10 years since the last Planet of the Apes film and looking back, it is fair to say that the years have not treated it too well- the ape costumes are verging on amusing rather than scary. This latest reboot brings us an origins story painting a picture of the beginning of the end for the human race and the start of dominance for the apes on Earth. They have brought back this franchise again with a movie that isn't really part of said franchise. All other Planet of the Apes movies are set on a mystical planet whereas this is set on present day Earth and as such, although I understand why they did it (money money money), would have been better to disassociate with the Planet of the Apes brand.

Will Rodman (James Franco) is a researcher for a pharmaceutical company working on a cure for Alzheimer's- a disease close to his heart due to his father's (John Lithgow) battle with the disease. When his leading test subject breaks free and 'goes ape' she is put down along with the rest of the project. However Will discovers she was only protecting her newborn child who he takes home and raises as part of his family. It soon becomes apparent that the drugs subjected to the baby chimp's mother have been genetically passed on to him gifting the ape with extremely high levels of intelligence.

Trailered: A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas [2011]

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas [2011]

Release Dates:

- TBA (UK) -

- 4th November 2011 (USA) -

Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson

Cast: Kal Penn, John Cho, Neil Patrick Harris

Welcome one and all to the beginning of the Christmas season! For those that don't know me, I despise anything Christmas related before December at the very earliest so with a release date 52 days before Crimbo my blood is already beginning to boil.

Six years after their Guantanamo Bay incident, stoner buddies Harold Lee (Cho) and Kumar Patel (Penn) have grown apart and build themselves new lives. But when a mysterious package arrives at Kumar's door for Harold on Christmas Eve, his attempts to redirect it result in him burning down Harold's father-in-law's prize Christmas tree. Instead of admitting his guilt, the duo set off on another adventure through New York to search for the perfect replacement and cover their tracks.

The first one in the series was a solid popcorn movie, the second tried too hard and failed to be funny so I'm pretty sure the third with continue the plunge into shockingly bad. A different story but it looks like the same content as the last two which makes this hold no interest for me. Also their mocking of 3D is somewhat flawed as the majority of people will not be watching it in 3D (what's the point) and so bang goes the irony.

Rating: F

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Trailered: Haywire [2011]

Haywire [2011]

Release Dates:

- 20th January 2012 (UK, USA) -

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender

Now you let me know if this plot line rings any bells. We have super soldier Mallory Kane (Carano) who was created by the government to do its bidding but during one of her many missions she is betrayed by the people she trusted the most. After surviving her attempted assassination she goes on a revenge mission seeking payback for those who were responsible. How original!

I'm not sure about this one, it just seems a bit 'samey' to so many other films out there- all they have done is change the main character into a female. I'm sure there's a chance it will impress with decent action scenes/car chases but not enough to warrant a visit to the cinema from me.

Rating: D

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Reviewed: The Smurfs [2011]

The Smurfs [2011]

 U - 103mins - Animation/Comedy/Family - 10th August 2011

Well it has been a while since my last post so sorry about that- I'm sure you were just lost without my views on what you should be watching so I'm going to make up for it with a couple of reviews and new movie trailers thrown at you all in one day. First up are those blue critters they call "The Smurfs".

Despite me trying to be as neutral as possible before settling down to watch a film I found myself preparing for the long haul when I decided to watch The Smurfs. As a kid I never really got into them but did occasionally catch a TV show or two so wasn't flying completely into the unknown like some of the more recent comic book characters that I have reviewed.

Reviewed: Good Neighbours [2011]

Good Neighbours [2011]

N/A - 95mins - Comedy/Crime/Thriller - N/A

Good Neighbours follows three people who live in the same apartment building in Montreal over the course of Winter in 1995. Spencer (Scott Speedman) is a wheelchair bound introvert who spends all of his time in his flat on the first floor; Victor (Jay Baruchel) who has recently moved to the area since returning from China; and finally Louise (Emily Hampshire), a waitress at a local restaurant who spends most of her time either socialising with her pet cats (Tia Maria and Mozart) or reading up on the local serial killer who is running riot near to where they live.

Each of them is flawed in their own unique way so much so that I found myself asking the question why are any of them friends at all? Only the nervous Victor seems to be capable of something resembling social skills despite the uncanny ability to put his foot in everything time and time again and yet on several occasions they all sit down to dinner together when it's extremely obvious that they would be somewhere else.

Trailered: In Time [2011]

In Time [2011]

Release Dates:

- 28th October 2011 (USA) -

- 1st November 2011 (UK) -

Director: Andrew Niccol

Stars: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy

In the future people stop ageing at 25 and must work to buy themselves more time, but when a young man finds himself with more time than he can imagine he must run from the corrupt police force to save his life.

Interesting concept this one and another chance for Timberlake to breakaway from his pop star status and transition into the movie world. I am more optimistic he can achieve it with this film as there are no comic moments as in Bad Teacher where his goofiness played to the audience rather than whatever his acting abilities merited.

I can see myself going to watch this but I have this feeling that it is not going to live up to the promise that I'm now attaching to it. Fingers crossed that the potential for this film comes to fruition.

Rating: B

Farm
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Previewed: August's Releases

August's Releases

So another month comes to pass. We waved  goodbye to the Potter series and saw some good films come out. This month has the potential to go one step further with some interesting films on the horizon.

Best Movies in August 2011

                           1. The Interrupters
                           2. The Guard
                           3. The Skin I Live In
                           4. Cowboys & Aliens
                           5. Super 8
                           6. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
                           7. The Help

Action/Fantasy/Thrillers
Super 8 (5th August)
After witnessing a mysterious train crash, a group of friends in the summer of 1979 begin noticing strange happenings going around in their small town and investigate into the creepy phenomenon. Spielberg and J.J.Abrams working together should provide a good entertaining movie. Go watch.

Trailered: Battleship [2012]

Battleship [2012]

Release Dates:

- 18th May 2012 (UK, USA) -

Director: Peter Berg

Stars: Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgård, Taylor Kitsch

And this is the reason I keep an eye out on films that are going to be released in the future. I'm assuming that everyone has heard of the game Battleships? Guess a square and drop in those hit pegs when you strike lucky? Of course you have. Everyone has. I never thought that I would see the day though when they based a film on it!!! I mean really, are the film distributors that desperate that they have to resort to board games for inspiration? Good God I just don't believe it. I'm actually in a state of shock.

The official plot line is : A fleet of ships is forced to do battle with an armada of unknown origins in order to discover and thwart their destructive goals. What's even more insane is they have somehow got Neeson on board with them. It looks terrible and yet I'm so interested to see how they can make this into a movie that I may be so sad as to go and watch it. Check out the trailer and decide for yourself. Less you sunk my battleship and more you sunk my belief in the film industry!

Rating: C

P.S. If this starts a trend then I'm hyped about the Monopoly movie!!!
P.P.S. +10 points to whoever spots Rihanna in the trailer.

Farm
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Reviewed: Captain America: The First Avenger [2011]

Captain America: The First Avenger [2011]

12A - 125mins - Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi - 29th July 2011

With the summer season now in full blast we get our latest and final all action comic book hero for the year in the guise of Captain America- yet another character that I am unfamiliar with. Have I missed out on a childhood filled with comic books? It would seem so.

Set during World War II, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) a poorly yet determined man has only one goal- to join the army so that he can serve and protect his country. Due to his illnesses and diminished stature though he is rejected and turned away by every recruitment station he visits. A chance encounter with Dr. Erksine (Stanley Tucci) changes his fortunes and leads him to be accepted onto a secret project codename Project Rebirth where his honour and integrity gain him the chance to become a super soldier. He undergoes the transformation and becomes capable of near superhuman acts.

Reviewed: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II [2011]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II [2011]

 12A - 130mins - Adventure/Drama/Fantasy - 15th July 2011

So 14 years after the adventure first began it is finally over and we wave goodbye to the world of Harry Potter and Co. I would be lying if I personally thought that was the case- I would not be surprised to see Rowling bring back some of the characters in one shape or another in the coming years. I recently watched the previous 7 films in a marathon effort so to see mini reviews for all of them check out my article here.

Hopefully everyone is aware of the storyline by now but for the nomads amongst us the eighth and final installment sees Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) along with his friends take on the evil wizard Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). In order to give themselves a fighting chance they have to hunt down the remaining Horcruxes before Harry can square up against him for the last time.

Trailered: Paranormal Activity 3 [2011]

Paranormal Activity 3 [2011]

Release Dates:

- 21st October 2011 (UK, USA) -

Directors: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
Cast: Zayd Jaber

I don't think I am best equipped to talk about this movie what with me having seen neither of the first two in the series but they always seen to make a stir when they are released. It is brought to us by the same guys behind the intriguing Catfish [my review]. The third installment is to be a prequel to the first following Katie and Kristi when they were children and haunted by the daemon which was referred to in the first two films.

I think for those of a nervous disposition some sort of adult diaper may be a necessary requirement when going to watch this movie but I cannot see a way in which they will be able to shake it up so that it is not just a repeat of the first two films. If you enjoyed the first two then expect this to give more of the same otherwise don't bother

Rating: C

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Reviewed: Stake Land [2011]

Stake Land [2011]

15 - 98mins - Horror - 17th June 2011

Stake Land is set in a post apocalyptic world where a vampire epidemic has spread over the whole country leaving only small pockets of people left to fend for themselves. One such group consists of Martin (Connor Paolo), just an ordinary kid before the vampires, and Mister (Nick Damici), a vampire hunter, as they travel north through infected America to the promised land of Canada where rumours are of a safe zone called New Eden. As Martin and Mister travel, they run into new people and communities both good and bad who each have their own unique ways of coping with the disaster.

For a film with the title Stake Land you might think you know what you are letting yourself in for but the enemies are rather ambiguous and are what I would call the offspring of a vampire (only come out at night, need to be staked etc) and a zombie (brain dead drones, don't get bit or you will turn etc). Whatever they might be though, they still do their job of looking evil and warrant a wide berth if survival is the aim of the game.

Trailered: The Inbetweeners Movie [2011]

The Inbetweeners Movie [2011]

Release Dates:

- 19th August 2011 (UK) -

- N/A (USA) -

One for the British amongst us or others aware of the comedy series The Inbetweeners. That's right, it's back but this time as its own full length feature. Will (Simon Bird), Neil (Blake Harrison), Simon (Joe Thomas) and Jay (James Buckley) are our four socially troubled eighteen year olds who set off on a lads holiday to Crete to drown their sorrows and chase some tail.

Full Length Trailer:

Lude, crude, rude- the three rhyming words that I would associate this movie with and that's why I, along with many others, love it. I can't see it offering anything that the TV series hasn't already given us but as they called a day on that after three series this will provide a nice fix. Will I want to go to a cinema to watch this still remains to be seen but I will certainly get round to watching it at some point.

Rating: C

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Reviewed: Running With Scissors [2006]

Running With Scissors [2006]

15 - 116mins - Comedy/Drama - 2nd February 2007

Strange one this. Augusten Burroughs (Joseph Cross) was born into a dysfunctional family. With his father (Alec Baldwin) an alcoholic and a mentally unstable mother (Deirdre- Annette Bening) living in a delusional world where her belief that she has what it takes to become the world's greatest poet is only surpassed by attempts to achieve this goal, it's unsurprising to find that Augusten's life has been impacted greatly from a young age.

As he grows into a teenager, Deirdre signs him away into the custody of her shrink, Dr. Finch (Brian Cox) an equally eccentric man who it seems treats his children as more of an experiment than an actual family. From here, instead of normality, Augusten has leapt from the proverbial frying pan into an immensely large fire. He befriends the two daughters, Hope (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Natalie (Evan Rachel Wood) as well as Neil (Joseph Fiennes) the most damaged of all of Finch's children.

If I'm honest, I'm not sure exactly what to make of this film. It seems intentionally set out to confuse the viewer but then deals with some serious topics amongst all of this. Each individual character is damaged and has serious character flaws that need to be addressed, some more than others. Although I have never read the book of the same name, I hear it sticks to the content closely and is all based on the real life events (I'm assuming more in part than in full) of Augusten. Despite this, because of its tendency to be so random and with so many things going on it is hard to ground yourself and actually believe that these are real people and not just extreme characters. This made it hard to relate with the characters.

Trailered: The Thing [2011]

The Thing [2011]

Release Dates:

- 14th October 2011 (UK, USA) -

Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.

Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen

Many of you may already know of the original movie of the same name from 1982 and if you don't then make sure you watch it in the future! That is unless you plan on watching the new version as the 2011 release is a prelude to John Carpenter's classic and so if you know how that one started then it might significantly reduce the tension they will build up in this one.

Set in the Antarctic at a research site, palaeontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) joins up with a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice with an organism that seems to have died in the crash intact. Unsurprisingly, the specimen wakes and is unleashed into the isolated colony. Being a shape-shifting creature it has the ability to turn itself into a perfect replica of any living thing and once the scientists realise this, paranoia spreads amongst them as they try and work out who is infected by the alien before it gets them too.

Trailer:

While I can imagine the graphics will be improved, I doubt they will trump the original as it used some cool puppetry to create its aliens. It will have good suspense as you try and discover who is no longer human but the fact I basically know how it ends makes me think that I won't enjoy it that much.

Rating: D

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Trailered: The Amazing Spider-Man [2012]

The Amazing Spider-Man [2012]

Release Dates:
- 3rd July 2012 (UK, USA) -

Director: Marc Webb

Stars: Andrew Garfield, Irrfan Khan, Denis Leary

What first came to mind when I heard about this all those months ago... for the love of God not another remake! Hollywood please get some creativity I mean it's only been 5 years since the last Spider-Man movie. But then I got to thinking and realised that the gap between Schumacher's  Batman & Robin and Nolan's exceptional Batman trilogy was only 8 years and the new Superman movie, Man of Steel, only has a 6 year gap on it's previous, Superman Returns so not all that surprising. It's also worth noting that this is a reboot so we have a new world (albeit with similar characters) and a chance for the aptly named Marc Webb to reinvent the franchise.

The Amazing Spider-Man sees a return to the beginning of Parker's (Garfield) transformation into Spider-Man as we hit high school again and watch him learn about his new found powers all over. The villain of the piece will be Dr. Curt Conners aka Lizard (Rhys Ifans) but all the rest is rather hush hush on a need to know basis.

Trailer:

After having watched the trailer a few things did pop into my mind primarily the fact that I've seen this movie before 10 years ago. Seems like I can't get over this hump I have about it being too soon. Perhaps because the first movie started up all the mass productions of superhero films in the modern day and that this reboot will most likely have a similar first 40 minutes. It does seem darker/more edgy and less comical than the previous versions which I think will be pluses and we even get to see Parker's parents for the first time! I also noticed (for those gamers amongst you) that the 1st person section of the trailer seems very very similar to the game Mirror's Edge [see proof]. I'd like to be proven wrong but I can't see this working.

Rating: C

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Trailered: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits [2012]

The Pirates! Band Of Misfits [2012]

Release Dates:

- 30th March 2012 (UK, USA) -

Directors: Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt
Stars: Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, David Tennant,

Aardman Studios (those lovely people behind such classics as Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run) are back with their latest full length stop animation feature- The Pirates! Band of Misfits aka The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. Peter Lord also returns to the directors chair for the first time since the aforementioned Chicken Run.

The Pirate Captain (Grant) is an eccentric and overly enthusiastic man which makes up for his less than successful terror of the High Seas. With his rag-tag crew at his beck and call, and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award. The quest takes him and his crew from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure!

Trailer:

From what the trailer gives us it looks to be full of laughs and the clay models look painstakingly well detailed. Whether Grant can pull of any kind of pirate, animation or not, is yet to be seen but it's hard to imagine that this is going to be anything other than entertaining. I will be watching this one for sure!

Rating: A

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Trailered: The Dark Knight Rises [2012]

The Dark Knight Rises [2012]

Release Dates:

- 20th July 2012 (UK, USA) -

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman

Do I really need to say much about this to get you interested? The highly anticipated sequel to The Dark Knight trilogy sees him battle Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. It has a lot to live up to and due to my man crush on all things Christopher Nolan I can see it doing just that. It's hard to imagine it being any better than the second one but I reckon it can push it to be nearly as good if not as good as The Dark Knight. The only problem with it? We will have to wait a year to see it! Enjoy the teaser trailer...

Teaser Trailer:

Rating: A

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Reviewed: Cars 2 [2011]

Cars 2 [2011]

U - 112mins - Animation/Adventure/Comedy - 22nd July 2011

Sorry it's been a while, I've been busy busy busy! Anyhoo, let me start by saying happy 25th birthday Pixar who have consistently brought us the best animated films around. Long may that continue as it looks set to with their new and original film Brave [trailer here]. Before we dive into Cars 2 though we have to remember this is a Pixar film and so we get our bonus short before the main event. This time around we have a Toy Story short set just after the end of the third film. There are going to be two groups of people when it comes to this short- those who can't get enough of Toy Story and so want even more and those who felt that Toy Story 3 brought the series to a fitting end and so why drag it out and stop producing new and original shorts? I think I fall into the second group so I will let the short do the talking and be prepared for another Toy Story short before the new muppets movie.

Cars 2 picks up several years after the first with Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) ruling the Piston Cup. This leads him to be invited to the first World Grand Prix where he can pit himself against the best of the rest and in particular Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro) the cocky Italian stallion F1 car. McQueen's crew led by Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) gather together and set out on the trip of a lifetime to Japan, Italy and England to fight for the right to be named the best in the world. While McQueen is off racing, Mater finds himself caught up in the secret world of government spies and espionage.

First off the graphics and world in which Pixar create is stunning with no little detail overlooked. Bringing some of the scenes into real world venues also helped to show off the talent of the people at Pixar. It was also interesting to see how cars go about your average human tasks such as flying on a plane and even going to the toilet with the phenomenal background detail dragging you into the film- plane pigeons were one of many nice touches. It sounds strange to say but at some points you almost forget you are watching cars.

Trailered: Jack and Jill [2012]

Jack and Jill [2012]

Release Dates:

- 11th November 2011 (USA) -

- 6th January 2012 (UK) -

Director: Dennis Dugan

Stars: Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino

Jack and Jill follows a successful advertising executive and loving family man, Jack Sadelstein (Sandler) who dreads one event every year- the Thanksgiving visit of his identical twin sister Jill (Sandler). This time the event is made worse when his sister decides to stay for longer and refuses to leave turning Jack's normally tranquil life on its head.

This is Sandler sticking to what he knows best and might be better than some of his more recent attempts to make me laugh (I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry,  You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups) but will still be a long way short of anything enjoyable. Hopefully we will one day see the Sandler of old but not this time. And why Pacino has jumped into this boat is anyone's guess. Perhaps a career in comedy awaits him just around the corner?

Rating: D

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Trailered: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn [2011]

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn [2011]

Release Dates:

- 26th October 2011 (UK) -

- 23rd December 2011 (USA) -

Director: Steven Spielberg

Stars: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig

Tintin (Bell) and his friends discover directions to a sunken ship commanded by Captain Haddock's (Serkis) ancestor and go off on a treasure hunt. However they are not the only ones after the treasure and must fight off foes and dangers alike if they are to discover the true value of the haul.

The film is based on the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin created by the Belgian artist Georges Rémi. More specifically, it's based on three particular stories in the series: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn (after which the film is named) and Red Rackham's Treasure.

I never was one for the comics but I do remember a TV series version playing when I was a kid and for some reason it used to scare the crap out of me- never worked out why. The visuals look the most lifelike that I have ever seen for an animation and the story seems impressive enough to keep me interested. I'm also going to stick my neck out and say that this will be one of the first films worth watching in 3D.

Rating: B

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Challenged: Harry Potter Marathon

So with the saga finally ending after 7 books, 8 films and just over 14 years I felt that this needed to be commemorated in the only way I know how- watching the movies, all of them, back to back- that's from the start to end credits without a break. It seemed the only logical way to me.

Hold up, surely I'll will need a toilet break/food etc? Indeed I will and that's where the credits come in. From when those credits start rolling until I need to change the film over should give me 5-7 minutes to sort myself out and get ready for the next film. I'll just have to make sure I don't drink too much at the start and will have some snacks by my side to keep me company.

Cue the live(ish) updates and this should make for an interesting (and rather long) post (quite probably with some SPOILERS for the first 7 films- you should have seen them all by now anyway):

THE END: And so my challenge has been completed and for some reason I have the urge to go and watch the final film now. Shame I still have to wait for a week. I leave you with one final pointless fact: the official Hogwarts school motto is Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus. A very important rule that you should carry through life with you always... Never tickle a sleeping dragon. Cheers for reading and I'll see you all in the cinemas.

16h 53m: Mini review- Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part I [2010]. The first part of the final book did the job of setting up the second one and did it well. Rating: B-

16h 41m: And just like that it's all over. That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be although my back is a wee bit stiff. 12 minutes of credits for those who are interested. Typical my longest break and it's at the end!

16h 37m: O now he is the stuff of legends. Bye bye mini man.

16h 31m: Isn't Dobby a legend! Why don't they just send 10 elves against Voldemort. It would be a guaranteed win.

16h 20m: Like the animation sketch scenes that recount the tale of the deathly hallows. 

16h 16m: Ron is bringing some good comedy now that he is back.

16h 13m: Pointless fact: The Weasley twins aren't actually redheads which means that they had to die their hair ginger for 10 years. Haha.

Reviewed: The Wave [2008]

The Wave [2008]

15 - 107mins - Drama/Thriller - 19th September 2008

A foreign film today all the way from Germany that takes a look into autocracy and dictatorship but with a slight twist- it is set in a school.

Loosely based on the true experiment undertaken by a history teacher in the USA during 1967 which was then written as a book, the film follows unorthodox high school teacher Rainer Wenger (Jürgen Vogel) as he is forced to teach autocracy rather than his preferred choice of anarchy during a school project week in modern day Germany. Deciding that a more hands on approach would help stimulate the uninterested students, he engages with his class in an attempt to show that under certain circumstances the potential for a dictatorship is not as far fetched as some of the students believe it to be. He is elected as a leader by the class and begins to enforce the rules required for an autocracy. The students take to the project emphatically and the experiment soon begins to spiral out of control.

Parts of the film shout out stereotypical teen school and if anything the social groupings are played upon even more than usual as the writers use these differences to enhance the eventual unity that is required for a dictatorship to form. They are not necessarily exaggerated but we are continually reminded 'look, these kids are different from those ones' when this fact is rather obvious from the start and does not need emphasis.

Trailered: Happy Feet 2 [2011]

Happy Feet 2 [2011]

Release Dates:

- 18th November 2011 (USA) -

- 2nd December 2011 (UK) -

Director: George Miller
Stars: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Alecia Moore (aka Pink)

For those less aware of the original it followed a penguin called Mumble (Wood) who, in a world where penguins find their soul mates by song, was unable to sing but could pull off some impressive dance movies. Happy Feet 2 follows both Mumble and his son Erik (Elizabeth Daily) who is reluctant to dance and finds a role model in The Mighty Sven, a flying penguin, much to Mumble's disdain. Things get worse for Mumble when the world is shaken by powerful forces, causing him to brings together the penguin nations and their allies to set things right.

Teaser Trailer:

Despite Happy Feet winning an Oscar for best animated film in 2007 and being entertaining, I just can't see this being very good if you don't have a group of kids to take along with you. Very much a kids flick then and whereas some animations aim to put in jokes for adults as well, I can't see this being one of them.

Rating: D

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Reviewed: Transformers: Dark of the Moon [2011]

Transformers: Dark of the Moon [2011]

15 - 157mins - Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi - 29th June 2011

Our summer of sequels continues with the Transformers returning to the big screen with their third outing. After the rather disappointing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen I have to say that my hopes were not particularly high for this one.

Dark of the Moon is set several years after the second movie where Sam (Shia LaBeouf) is struggling to get a job and return his life to normal and yet this still hasn't stopped him from bagging the most attractive girl in the city- Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley). At the same time, the Autobots discover that a Cybertronian spacecraft crash landed on the Moon during the 1960's and race against the Decepticons to reach it first and protect the secrets that it holds. The two storylines overlap and voilà the plot is born.

As always the visuals impress and are the best in the franchise so far but I ended up asking myself how is this different from the previous two and it led me to this answer- there isn't that much of a difference at all. Bay has upped the ante somewhat in regards to the amount of CGI he has crammed into the movie so expect more fighting, more action and a whole lot more slowmo. While many will think great more action, I see it as part of the problem though. There is only so many times that I can be impressed with a vehicle transforming into something else, in slow motion, before it becomes repetitive and I felt like I reached my limit in this film.

Aside from the first 10 minutes which dealt with the space race of the 1960's, it took a while for the film to get going. For the last hour or so though, I was enjoying what the film had to offer where it took on a Black Hawk Down kind of persona during battle scenes in the city.

Several issues I had: at 157 minutes the film tended to drag in several places and led to a rather rushed final scene that should not have been; the comedy element was greatly reduced despite a cameo from Ken Jeong aka Mr Chow from The Hangover; the new love interest did not impress with her acting skills at all and was more than likely brought in merely as token eye candy for the viewers, which she did succeed in; and most importantly, the plot had more holes in it than a Swiss cheese being used as target practice on a shooting range. And that is an understatement. Also there has been zero continuity between the trilogy of films so far which does not go down well with me.

I was more impressed than I thought I was going to be but as I said expectation had been lowered due to the extremely poor second film. I have to be careful here because I think the impressive graphics have partly blinded me to the rest of the cracks that appear throughout. All I can say is if you enjoyed the first movie or like good visuals then you will enjoy this one and if you didn't or want an involved and interesting plot that develops itself and the characters as the movie progresses then you won't get that here.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon just scrapes into the higher rating purely down to the CGI.

Rating: B-

Next up is a German film called The Wave. [my review] Check out the trailer below.

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Trailered: War Horse [2012]

War Horse [2012]

Release Dates:

- 28th December 2011 (USA) -

- 13th January 2011 (UK) -

Director: Steven Spielberg

Stars: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis

War Horse is set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. It follows a young man named Albert (Irvine) and his horse, Joey whom Albert tamed and trained and how their bond is broken when Joey is sold to the cavalry and sent to the trenches of World War One. Despite being too young to enlist, Albert heads to France to save his friend. The film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets- British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter.

Based on the book of the same name, it was turned into a successful international theatrical performance (check out the amazing horse puppets that are used) and is now coming to screen in this adaptation by Spielberg.

I'm rarely one to speak badly of any film associated with Spielberg as I'm sure the production quality and direction will be fantastic. However this just gives me a feeling of watching Saving Private Ryan/Band of Brothers but with a horse. This will more than likely pick up at least a couple of Oscar nominations but I just find it hard to get excited by this storyline. I look forward to being proven wrong.

Rating: C

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Reviewed: Bridesmaids [2011]

Bridesmaids [2011]

15 - 125mins - Comedy - 24th June 2011

Many people have been describing this as the female version of The Hangover. Those people however forgot to do one tiny thing- watch both films! Yes both films revolve around the preparation for a wedding and contain their fair share of low brow comedy but that is where the similarities end.

Bridesmaids follows Annie (Kristen Wiig), the maid of honour for her best friend Lillian's (Maya Rudolph) wedding. While she is preparing for the big day though, the rest of her life is falling apart around her. Her love life is in tatters and she is struggling to keep on top of the bills. All the while she has to set up the wedding, organise the bride and compete with the other eccentric bridesmaids to keep things on track.

The main thorn in her side comes from Helen (Rose Byrne), one of Lillian's new friends and bridesmaids who Annie feels is taking her friend away from her just when she needs her the most. Add to that the other colourful Bridesmaids of Megan (Melissa McCarthy), Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey) and Becca (Ellie Kemper) with the continual flow of jokes and situations and you get one decent comedy.

What I liked about Bridesmaids was the fact that it did not shy away from all the gruesome details just because the characters were female. Usually women in films are depicted more prim and proper so it was refreshing to have this change. Some might consider some of the scenes to go a little too far or continue for just a bit too long (one scene in particular did start to drag for me) but I felt overall it just about hit the nail on the head.

Wiig, along with her co-stars, impresses throughout the film showing us that she has a place as a comic actress and the addition of Chris O'Dowd as the love interest worked well.

If I were to pick fault with the movie then I would have to say that some of the characters didn't make me want to care that much about what happened to them (but then again this is primarily a comedy not a drama) especially the bride who I never felt had that was enjoying her wedding at any point. Also there were probably a few too many sub-plots and side stories that could have been shaved of to drag the time under 2 hours. Apart from that, I was pretty impressed.

This may be one set out for the females in the audience but it is very much a guys film as well. There is a bit of a romcom element but it takes a backseat to the main female character driven comedy. Some will find the jokes distasteful and not rate the movie because of this but I was chuckling away on more than one occasion. Guys, if your going to be dragged along to one 'chick flick' this year then make sure it's this one.

Rating: B

Next up I review Transformers: Dark Of The Moon. [my review] Trailer below.

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