Review: The Proposal

How the hell did I end up seeing this film? I think the blame will have to lay squarely with my friends.

The problem with seeing films as a group (there’s usually five or six of us) is that occasionally the guys will win the vote resulting in films with lots of explosions etc, and sometimes the girls will win the vote, resulting in us seeing films like The Proposal.

While I won’t say I hated it, it’s not going to end up on the list of DVD’s I want to buy. If you’ve seen one romantic comedy you’ve seen then all really. The story line is about as predictable as they come and it was obvious when we were leaving the theatre that there was a male/female split in what the group thought about it.

Luckily the films coming out this summer seem to be an improvement on this from the trailers I’ve seen.  Hopefully it’s uphill from here.

Review: G.I. Joe

Here’s an admission; I’m a big fan of films with plots that don’t make a whole lot of sense but involve a lot of car chases, fighting and things blowing up.

Therefore I’m going to go out on a limb and say that G.I. Joe is the best film I have seen this year since Star Trek. The characters are great, Sienna Miller is looking good (much better as a brunette) and there was more than enough action to keep me amused for a couple of hours.

Highly recommended.

Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Time for a confession….

I never got around to seeing the fourth and fifth Harry Potter films.  I can’t even recall what I was doing when my friends put themselves in the queue to see those films… washing my hair maybe? I’m just not hugely excited by the whole Harry Potter franchise that has sprung up and the craze that seems to follow it.  I haven’t even read the seventh book yet, something which I should really get around to, considering there is a copy not 12 inches away sat on a bookshelf next to where I’m typing.

However, I found myself watching this one, somewhat helped by the fact I now possess a Cineworld Unlimited card which should now see me watching no end of rubbish films.

The film itself wasn’t that bad.  I couldn’t remember any of it happening in the book but then again my friends did remind me that it had probably been years since I read the last book.  It didn’t feel too long which is what sometimes happens with the HP films and while there was a decent amount of action the ending feels somewhat anti-climatic…. which is possibly the worst crime you can commit when writing a film ending.

Review: G-Force 3D

In the battle of the summer’s big 3D movies G-Force is definitely the weaker when compared to Ice Age which I saw a few weeks ago.

The story (which involves a network of killer coffee machines…) didn’t keep me all that interested and I can’t say it was all that action packed either.

The film is definitely just one for people who have a thing for cute animals.

Review: Bruno

Disturbing. Just disturbing.

That’s all I can say about it really!

Review: Ice Age 3 – 3D

Went with the group last night to see Ice Age 3, which despite all the blockbusters our this summer was the only film so far this year that I have actually had to queue to get into.

What was good about it was that they didn’t overdo with 3D stuff.  Occasionally when you get movies like this they go all out with the effects and are using the technology more to show off. In this film though it seemed they were using it to enhance the graphics which were definitely the best I have ever seen in an animated film.

Overall the story line was good and the movie was funny. Simon Pegg did an awesome job with the character ‘Buck.’ I don’t feel like I wasted my money on this one like I did with ‘Year One’ last week.

Oh and the specs made everyone look really fashionable too!

Becoming Cooler

Hopefully the hot weather the UK has been experiencing (I’m ignoring the laughter of my Texan friends at the moment) will be coming to an end tomorrow to be replaced by the all too familiar sight of British rain.  I have no idea what the temp was today but it definitely felt crazy hot as soon as I stepped out the front door today, and that was before 9am.

Luckily the heat didn’t seem to go to my head and the work day passed without any kind of incident.  I’m still a bit confused though as to why my mornings pass much quicker than my afternoons. Still, one more day and then it’s the weekend.  I’m looking forward to a lay in, in a room that hopefully isn’t at a temperature of 30C.

No plans at the moment except a trip to see Ice Age 3 tomorrow night. Not sure what to expect from it.

Review: We Own the Night

We Own the Night was one of those odd films that left me confused when it finished as to whether I actually enjoyed it or not.

I thought it started rather slowly however as the film got going I did find myself paying attention. It definitely was not one of these films that has me wondering half way through as to whether I should just give up or not. The acting probably wasn’t the best I had seen but the story was mildly entertaining. If anything the most disappointing aspect of it was at the end I felt the storyline had not been finished off fully.

I would definitely recommend people rent it and see what they think but i’m not sure it’ll be added to my “to buy” list.

3 out of 5.

Review: Mr and Mrs Smith

I’ve seen a lot lot better, and that’s all I have to say on the matter.

2 out of 5.

Review: Transformers

When big blockbusters like this come out you expect them to be good visually however as a story they’re normally lacking.

This one though seemed to keep me amused for the 2hrs 20mins it was on. It actually went by a lot quicker than that which is always an indication I was into the film. It does take a little while to get going in the beginning but it gets there eventually.

4.5 out of 5.

Review: Flightplan

Wasn’t quite sure what to make of this movie when I started watching it. Its always been on my “to watch” list as when I first saw the trailers for it I thought it looked interesting but never got a handle on whether it was any good or not.

The movie itself wasn’t actually that bad. The beginning I thought wasn’t all that great but from the moment they got on the plane it was fairly entertaining. However it’s one of those films that leaves a lot of loose ends. Still you can’t have it all I guess?

3.5 out of 5.

Review: Hot Fuzz

As sequels go they are not usually as good as their predecessors. Hot Fuzz though is extremely funny with a much better story line than Shaun of the Dead had. Would definitely put it up there as one of my favourite films.

5 out of 5.

Review: Shaun of the Dead

I was expecting bigger things of this movie when I watched it. A lot of people have told me how good it was and how funny it was, and I guess that meant it had a lot to live up to. It was funny in parts but just not living up to the hype.

3.5 out of 5.

Review: Stealth

Although the plot in this film was questionable and the acting even more so I felt strangely glued to this film for reasons I can’t quite explain. I think i’ll have to put that down mostly to all the explosions and shiny metal flying objects. I would probably watch it again but not in a hurry.

3 out of 5.

Review: V for Vendetta

A politically thought provoking movie that had me interested from start to finish. A lot of films these days seem to drag at the beginning as the director tries to set out the story. This story gets straight to the point with no hanging around. Definitely one for the DVD collection.

5 out of 5!

Review: Lord of War

A good movie which provides an interesting look at the arms trade. It was very thought provoking as Nicolas Cage’s character tries to justify his work. However it is told in an entertaining way so not as to bore you when watching it.

3.5 out of 5.

Review: Kingdom of Heaven

This movie was good visually however I felt a little let down by the writing. The only time I felt gripped was during the battle scenes.

2 out of 5.

Review: King Kong

I seem to remember when this film came out a big deal was made of it because it was Peter Jackson’s first piece of work since completing LOTR. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to live up to his previous work. I found the first 45 minutes very difficult to sit through and they really didn’t add much to the film. The special effects looked quite good but I felt the film just lacked a little something in the plot. Sadly I won’t be adding this to my DVD wishlist.

2 out of 5.

Review: Wedding Crashers

It wasn’t a bad film. Wasn’t quite as funny as I would expect from something starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn but it managed to keep me entertained for just over an hour and a half and the plot wasn’t half bad.

3.5 out of 5.