Directed by Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis love, honour and obey is a film about 2 gangs; North and South London. Ray Winstone plays the well known gangster of North London Ray Kreed and Jude Law plays his nephew. The main character called johnny played by Jonny Lee Miller is hungrey for some real gangster action and he sparks a deadly feud between Ray's gang and the south london gang. Jonnys character then leads us through the story wit his narration.This is done through flashbacks back to jonny telling the story and the action which happened in the past. The actors in it all have a really big impact because they are all playin characters from how they would normally be themselves but they are all using there own names which makes you think in the film they are playing themselves and they are really like this.
I watched the film at home on my own on dvd.
i really enjoyed the film as it is a comedy an it made me laugh so much at things that you wouldn't normally laugh at but because of the way they have made certain parts of the film work.I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys action and comedy but also great british cinema.

Forest Gump (Robert Zemeckis 1994)
Forest Gump is a well known film by many different audiences, whilst being 14 years old it is still rated number 8 best comedy film picked by the users of imdb. The film was a winner of 6 academy awards including best picture, best director (Robert Zemeckis)and best actor (Tom Hanks). The Film made $677 million worldwide through its ts theatrical run, making it the top grossing film in America released in 1994.

The film follows Forest Gumps (Tom Hanks) journey through life, starting at his childhood in Alabama USA, him in fighting in the Vietnam War, His fame with table tennis, his money with his shrimp company and investment, and the final days of the film with the passing of family members leaving him alone with his kid.
The film is a very emotional with a mixture of highs and lows which change through out the whole film. I believe the film is a must see and is definantly one of my favourites.

This film is in my opinion a classic Tim Burton film and it was nice to see him working with Johnny Depp again. I Feel that Johnny Depp played his part brilliantly and seems to have a knack of playing the role of a charachter true to life, for example George Jung (think thats right spelling but it's poop all the way through). Sacha Baron Cohen also starred in the film, as Johnny's rival barber who was once his apprentice. I feel that Sacha wasn't the best actor for this role as when he tried to speak like a cockney in ol' landan tan he didn't really pull it off and i just thought Ali G but that may just be me being short sighted. I also feel this film should definatly be watched in the cinema as the setting and the gothic atmosphere are both things I feel you would only appreciate in the cinema, however if you watched it on DVD it would still be ok becuase the slashings are gory enough to watch in a group. I watched the film with my girlfriend and a few mates, mainly because we like Tim Burton films, Johnny Depp film and love it even more when they team together like there the power rangers or something. If you wanna watch something I would heavilly advise to go and see this. So do it NOW!!!

'Sweeney Todd' is a recently released film that this year has gained worldwide recognition for its quirky and subtley humourous gothic theme.
I watched the film at the cinema with my sister and really enjoyed despite the neverending gore..
The main character of Sweeney Todd is played by Johnny Depp, and his assisstant to his gruesome activities, Mrs Lovett is played by Helena Bonham carter.
The gothic genre is typical of one of Tim Burton's films. For example, his production of 'The Nightmare before Christmas' and Edward Scissorhands', also starring main character Johnny Depp as the lead. Well known British actor Alan Rickman plays Todd's target for revenge, Judge Turpin. Also making an appearance in the film, is Timothy Spall and Sacha Baron Cohen.
The cast of the film have definatly helped to create postitive attention to the film with American and British actor's, attracting audiences from all over the globe.

In my opinion, the musical element of the film worked wonderfully with the gothic genre. It helped to tone down the murderous behaviour so as not to come on too strong to the audience. It also helped with the comical elements. I also noticed, when watching the film, that the copious amounts of blood throughout looks fake - orangey in colour and thick. This was most probably deliberate, maybe to provoke the question of whether the legend of Sweeney Todd was true or not..

Overall, although the film is aimed at an older audience i thought it was an excellent version of the story.

Malick does not direct many films but he has enticed some excellent performances out of all star ensemble cast. The film lacks the raw energy and anger of his early work. This is however an interesting pre 9/11 critique of war. It is a bit to long and essentially a meditation on nature, primitive society and how we ended up with the industrial military complex. It never really pushes its analysis far enough towards a critic of the immediate causes of the war. None of the character offer anything of a class analysis of there predicament, although it is excellent illustration of solidarity in the face of the inequalities of war.

Delores Van Cartier (Goldberg) – a lounge singer in Rino converts from a loud luxurious life to one of that of a nun when she witnesses her lover ad henchmen commit a gangland murder. Deloris does nothing but create havoc and chaos which leads to a bad relationship between her and her mother superior (Smith) who in the end forces Deloris to join in the convents abysmally tone deaf choir – to keep her out of mischief and from disrupting the rest of the nuns. However its not long until Deloris takes over control of the choir and transforms the screeching nuns into heavenly angels; belching out 60’s tunes and boogie woogie before the congregation. The church and convent are revitalized, confidence building and community transformations leads to news coverage and a leek in the police leads the whereabouts of Deloris getting back to the thugs trying to kill her. Hilariously funny mission of saving Deloris from her lover leads to a cat mouse chase around a casino in Rino. A truly heartwarming and feel good film, jam pact with charm and charisma and outstanding acting from Smith and Goldberg. A transformation movie but not of bad girl goes good, but good nuns becoming great.

In The Line of Fire

Director: Wolfgang Petersen (1993)

Actors/Actresses:
Clint Eastwood as Frank Horrigan- Eastwood plays the role of Horrigan with a rugged way to play a Secret Service Agent. His use of words and his commitment to the job makes him drive of the film and his character himself.

John Malkovich as Mitch Leary- Malkovich’s cold personality as Leary makes the plot to kill the President even darker. They way he uses what Horrigan says to add aggravation and build tension is very effective.

I saw the film advertised on a trailer when I was looking through some old videos and thought it looked very good. I brought the film on DVD and watched it at home. I watch the film with my dad and a friend when I first got it. We all though it was put together superbly and the use of riddles and dark imagery helped to make the film appeal to audiences.

Overall I really enjoyed the film and I think that its one of my favourite films ever made. I enjoy the way that Malkovich and Eastwood are so involved with there character and also having two high profile stars helps to make the characters seem real. The editing used helped to make the film seem to just keep going. This was also helped by great scripting and the use of the dialogue.










Salvatore Merola

In The Line of Fire

Director: Wolfgang Petersen (1993)

Actors/Actresses:
Clint Eastwood as Frank Horrigan- Eastwood plays the role of Horrigan with a rugged way to play a Secret Service Agent. His use of words and his commitment to the job makes him drive of the film and his character himself.

John Malkovich as Mitch Leary- Malkovich’s cold personality as Leary makes the plot to kill the President even darker. They way he uses what Horrigan says to add aggravation and build tension is very effective.

I saw the film advertised on a trailer when I was looking through some old videos and thought it looked very good. I brought the film on DVD and watched it at home. I watch the film with my dad and a friend when I first got it. We all though it was put together superbly and the use of riddles and dark imagery helped to make the film appeal to audiences.

Overall I really enjoyed the film and I think that its one of my favourite films ever made. I enjoy the way that Malkovich and Eastwood are so involved with there character and also having two high profile stars helps to make the characters seem real. The editing used helped to make the film seem to just keep going. This was also helped by great scripting and the use of the dialogue.










Salvatore Merola

I have chosen to review Big Lebowski as I feel it is the polar opposite of the Coen Bros spectrum in filmmaking. Whilst No Country presents a much darker, sinister side of their work, Lebowski has a lighter, more psychedelic feel. The plot concerns slacker Jeffrey Lebowski, played to perfection by Jeff Bridges amidst a host of Coen Bros. usuals, such as John Goodman, John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, etc. The film chronicals the kidnapping of another Jeffrey Lebowski's wife and the slacker Lebowski attempting to retrieve ransom money and the wife. Whilst the plot spews into many different tangents, the focus here is obviously on character and mood. It is essential a crime comedy of the highest accolade and is sprinkled with the Coens signature style. All the stars create character unique to the film and this is what serves the film's edge and flair. Unconcerned with following a mesh created by other proteges to the genre, they constantly leapfrog between genres and styles, with Crime, nostalgia, noir, dream sequences and comedy all seemlessly branching off one another. I think the ten year gap between this and No Country measures a huge difference in their style and growth as a directing team

(clerks is a independant comedy movie, and so is linked to Little Miss Sunshine, which is also an independant comedy movie. I relise that this is a very poor connection, but it was really difficult to find anything else linked to LMS, except for Bruce Almighty, and I'm NOT watching that again)/

clerks (Miramax, 1994) is the first movie in Kevin Smith's classic cult comedy saga, the viewaskewniverse. The series is made up of 6 movies as well as numerous comic book and television spinoffs, all linked by the miscreient duo Jay and Silent Bob (as well as an endless list of character relationships, locations and other background items).

In clerks, we view a day in the life of Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran), a college dropout and loser working in a 'Quickstop' newsagents. Dante typically spends his day with his best friend Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson), lounging around swearing at customers and debating the morallity of Return of the Jedi. This particular day happens to be one of the most eventful and chaotic of Dante's life, as he is set upon by a mob of angry smokers, customers dying in his bathroom, a hockey game on the roof and his old flame Caitlyn (Lisa Spoonhauer) moving back into town, all the while being annoyed by Randal and the drug dealers Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith).

clerks is a maginficant piece of comedy genius. Smith's script is bursting with memorable characters, with some only being featured for a single scene, but leaving as lasting an impression as any of the main players do. The script is full of fantasticly foul one liners and conversations, that will stick in the minds of the viewer for years after the credits role. The unique pacing of the movie, of it being split up into around 20 seperate segments works very well, allowing the viewer to drift in and out without losing any of the narrative strand. The unsual usuage of black & white film (a side effect of the miniscure budget at Smith's disposal)also works in the films favor, as it simulates the image of a CTV camera, and somehow makes the movie seem much more realistic despite the near impossible events going on.

The highlight of the movie is its final reel. With all the fantastic comedy moments behind it, the crazy and maddening events intertwine into an intense emotional climax, which leaves the film with an equal level of drama and comedy.

clerks is a masterpiece of amatur independant movie making, and deserves to be held in the minds of moviegoers for all time.

Link: Colin Firth also stars in both St. trinians and The importance of being Earnest.

Oscar Wilde's classic comedy 'The importance of being Earnest' made it to the big screen in 2002. In my opinion it doesn't do Oscar Wilde's highly amusing work justice, but for someone who has no expectations from it (has neither read nor watched the play) i think it would make an amusing 90 minutes. In it's defence it is more entertaining than many other's of this type. Its a romantic comedy starring Judi Dench, Reese Witherspoon, Rupert Everett and Colin Firth. There is no dening this film is greatly enhanced by the actors selected. Rupert Everett has a comic presence which makes me smile and Reese witherspoon holds her own. i am usually drawn to films that stars in her as she brings presents and unique qualities to all the films i have seen her in. As i discovered its creator, British film director Oliver Parker has made Oscar Wilde's work into a film before. In 1999 he directed 'an ideal husband'.
i watched this film on TV with friends, i found watching the film in this capacity made it more enjoyable. it added to the light weighted humour of the film and helped to keep the film at a nice pace. this film will not leave a lasting impression but it should be enjoyable for film fans who wanted a non taxing diversion.

Children of Men really raise the bar for big British cinema. This specacular science fiction adaption of "The Children of Men" by PD James shows an impeccible film by Alfonso Cuaron.

Set in a distopian England, Clive Owen plays Theo Faron in a militarised police state, where everybody has been impotent for twenty years and European refugees attempt to escape the anarchy of the mainland by entering England. When his estranged wife (Julianne Moore, Jurassic park) reenters his life as head of the Fishes, an underground resistance fighting for the rights of every immigrant in Britain. When a pregnant woman is found by the Fishes, Theo tries to help her escape the clutches of the rebels and the government to a boat past the countries largest refugee camp.

Cuarons style in this film is ingenious. Long takes, smmoth camera movement and realtime action makes the film fel like an onsight to our future. The film touches on current issues in a half-comical sense when a definitive aura of seriousness.

The action and fighting sequences are long and well structured, and with so many extras, every starts again when the camera moves on them. This gives the impression that we are running alongside Clive as all this fighting, miracles and bloodshed are situated within ourselves being there.

And its always nice for a gun battle to stop, with Owen and Claie-Hope Ashitey walking through dozens of soldiers with a screaming baby.

Film: Aliens
Director: James Cameron
Actors: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henrikson
Format: DVD
LINK TO AVP: BOTH FEATURE LANCE HENRIKSON

After watching AVP, I felt slightly dissapointed and decided to remind myself of a "true" alien film, in this case "Aliens". I had already watched this movie before it had a been a few years before so I decided to hunt down the Quadrilogy boxset and give "Aliens" a watching. It came with two verisons of the film, so I naturally watched the extended edition as to see how it was originally intended to be seen.

Unlike the other alien films, this one seemed to be bit more of an action film due to the amount of "Xenomorphs" (that's the proper name for the alien creature for the uninformed!) in the film. I'm not complaining because I do like a good action movie and this was sort of what I was expecting. However, there are some horror elements from the previous film and I hate to admit it, but it did make me jump a few times. I much prefer this film to most modern horrors due to the fact older horror's are more atmospheric to newer films.

James Cameron does a fantastic job of directing with the many different camera angles and the large complex set pieces. However, my only grievance for this film would be that the xenomorph design isn't as good as that from the original film but it doesn't really detract from the viewing experience

Rating: 9/10

This movie is probably one of the best from the alien series but if only they got the look of the aliens right in this film...

High Fidelity, directed by Stephen Frears, adapted from the award winning author Nick Hornby is arguably a romantic comedy, although it deals with both these aspects in a bitingly honest story of one male’s life. Released in the summer of 2000 it stars John Cusack who plays main character Rob Gordon, who had then had previous success with hits such as Con Air and Being John Malcovich and since with America’s Sweethearts and Serendipity. Rob Gordon is the owner of a failing record store in Chicago, when his girlfriend Laura walks out on him. He then decides to evaluate all his attempts at romance and happiness in his life so far, whilst going through this toe curling laugh out loud process Rob ultimately finds himself maturing (whilst listening to an excellent soundtrack of pop songs and classics.)
The impressive supporting cast includes Catherine Zeta Jones (The Mask of Zorro) Tim Robbins (Shawshank redemption) and Jack Black who had before only had stardom through his rock duo ‘Tenacious D’ and insignificant cameo’s in films such as ’Dead man walking’, although Catherine Zeta Jones and Tim Robbins are definitely seen as stars in the acting world they are only a bonus to an already great movie; Tim Robbins’ plays a sensational small humorous part in the film, which only adds to its amusing appeal. Although I hasten to add that the big names did help the movie with its recognition, although I still feel it is underrated in the ‘classics’ section of cinema. Whilst it was merely nominated for a Golden Globe, formerly unknown actor Jack Black did however win a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Supporting Comedic actor. I watched the film at home on DVD, having never made it to the cinema to watch it when it first came out (perhaps saying something about its promotional success…) I have owned it since it made it to DVD release, seeing as this is where it really started to become heavily publicised. With its superb dialogue and wholly talented cast ‘High Fidelity’ is perfect for a family/group audience or for anyone who has ever had their heart broken; looking for an impressive yet undervalued cult classic.

The mask, directed by Chuck Russell is a fantasy comedy about over nice doormat, Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carry), who finds a mysterious mask on the shore. When he puts it on, it turns him into a green faced maniac super hero with all the powers of a Saturday morning cartoon character. No matter how hard he tries, he cant stop wearing the mask on occasion as it gives him the confidence he needs around people, however, after robbing a bank, the police and local gangsters all what a piece of him. And it’s up to him, his dog Milo and Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz) to save the day.

This is a laugh a minute film which never disappoints and has a stunning plot and superb special effects for it’s time to match it. Many critics believe this film kicked of Jim Carry’s type cast as a wacky, rubber mouthed comedian, which was made more obvious when the slogan under his next film ‘ace venture pet detective’ read ‘ the man behind the mask’. Russell’s direction in some scene is smashing and all the actors are well chosen if not a little stereotypical and predictable, for example, a no nonsense cop and his fat, bubbling sidekick...but in conclusion its pretty good.


by sam

To put it simply I didn’t like this film. There are many things that are wrong with this adaptation of Northern Lights which I have read several times. This film is a good example of how a good book with interesting character development and plot being turned into attractive eye candy for the simple minded. The story in the book is a complex interesting story that grips me each time I read it. One of the biggest changes that any person that has read the book will notice is the clear absence of the church as the enemy. Understandably the film has to have been changed a little in the aspect that America is a Christian country and the book has several challenging questions about God and religion.

To really sum it up the golden compass is just another example of classic Hollywood film making. The producers of this film clearly weren’t interested in creating a film that was interesting and a film that did justice to the book. They clearly where just interested in making money. And with the CGI scattered everywhere in the film you can see where all that money went.

So if you don’t walk out before that absolute travesty of an ending I’ll think you’ll find whether you’ve read the book or not. This film is really isn’t any good at all.

Layercake, made in 2004, directed by Mathew Vaughn (producer of Mean Machine, Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) tells the story of a successful drug dealer (Daniel Craig) planning his early retirement from the business only for his boss Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham) to give him the tasks of finding the missing drug addict daughter of a so called friend (Michael Gambon) and negotiating the sale of millions of pounds worth of grade A ecstasy, que a lot of double crossing and Sienna Miller (no doubt a bit of eye candy for the lads) and we have an enjoyable film.
Having been tempted by the ads and a couple of trailers I bought the dvd watching it along with my two sisters. Having made his mark in recent film Enduring Love, Daniel Craig brought a sophistication to his role, and having watched Casino Royale I can see various elements that lead to him being chosen as the famous 007.
Mathew Vaughn does a good job for his directorial debut and the other big names of the film Kenneth Cranham and Michael Gambon do well in entertaining me as the somewhat senior part of the mafia elite, I have to say that the only downside to the film is Sienna Millers incredibly irritating accent.

Denise Barry

Saw

Saw was directed by James Wan, it was his debut film and has proved to be a successful film for him as since 2003 he has made 3 more to make it a quadrilogy. Director James Wan does an excellent job in his debut picture as he never gives anything away too soon, leaving the viewer just confused enough to be intrigued what else could happen. The suspense is built up extremely well and just when it looks like Saw is going down the road of cliché it pulls something out the bag to surprise you further. For a low budget film it certainly has something to be proud of.

I like the way it throws the audience straight into the film, using flashbacks effectively to bring us to present day (the two victims in the toilet cell.) The flashbacks are used effectively without dragging the storyline out or becoming an annoyance. They reveal just enough to keep our minds tuned to the film and gripped to the screen. The music also plays a crucial part on sustianing suspense and setting the right mood.

Saw is not for everyone and certainly its gruesome and brutal content can prove a bit too much for people to handle, however if that’s your thing then it definetely wouldnt disapoint you. For people that like more of a complex film the blood and gore only makes up a very small part of what it otherwise an interesting psychological thriller.

although i have watched the film many times i decided to watch the superb film that is walk the line. the film is directed by James Mangold. the film is about the life of the American country musician of Johnny Cash.The film focuses on Cash's younger life, and his romance with June Carter and his ascent to the country music scene, with material taken from his autobiographies.
Joaquin Phoenix plays a superb Johnny Cash and was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, won a Golden Globe in the same category, and won a Grammy Award at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards for his work on the Walk the Line soundtrack. Joaquin was one of the main attractions to this film, and made the viewing very realistic and enjoyable. Reese Witherspoon also was a star attraction to this film and brought the film great credibility. Within the film Reese Witherspoon portrays June Carter Cash and won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance.
I have this film on DVD and is one of my all time favourites which i enjoy watching over and over again. but the best viewing of this film was in the cinema as it added atmosphere.
I really enjoy Johnny Cash's music so thoroughly enjoyed the film. i would also recommend it to everyone.

this is a clip of some of the songs that appear within the film:

American Beauty is the story of a suburban family who despite appearances aren't normal, the father Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a depressed, desperate middle aged man who is basically in the middle of a mid life crisis, and falls in love with his daughters best friend. His family hates him and he decides he's had enough and quits his job, blackmails his boss, starts taking drugs and ends up being killed by the father of the drug dealing next door neighbour.

Directed by Sam Mendes, Story written by Alan Ball.
Annette Bening co-stars as Carolyn Burnham, Lesters wife, and Thora Birch is Jane Burnham (Lesters daughter).

Kevin Spacey is a well known hollywood actor who would have attracted some percent of the audience to the film. He is a good actor which gives the film the extra quality that makes it a good enjoyable classic.

Watched it at home-by myself, film was a DVD.

I watched this film on my own at home on the computer. The director of the film was Tim Burton and has some well known actors such as Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall. I think that having Johnny Depp as the main character helps to sell the film well because he already has a fan base and has appeared in other good movies such as Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow and Chocolat.

This film is based on the broadway musical which tells the story of Benjamin Barker, who goes by the alias Sweeney Todd. It follows the story of him setting up a barber shop in Fleet Street, London, with the character Mrs. Lovett and how he longs for revenge against the Judge Turpin, who has his daughter, Johanna, as his ward.

Overall I really liked this film and would recommend others to watch it. However I think that it would be better to watch at the cinema because there would be a better picture and sound to it.

I watched Rope by Alfred Hitchcock on my own on a DVD. Overall i enjoyed the film, i liked the fact that it was different (by shooting it in one (several rolls needed) continuous take). I thought that the scripting was very good, the way the audience laughs at a comment made related to murder whilst the character doesn't notice how this is funny due to there lack of knowledge in the situation. Thinking of murder as an art is an interesting angle on it, one hard for a normal, non psychopathic audience could understand. I felt however that if the murder was not shown at the beginning of the film then there would have been a lot more tension when the chest was nearly opened as the audience would not know whether there was a body in there or not.

I watched No country for old men by the Coen brothers, at the Picture House, with my friend. The reason I was drawn to watching this film was that I had heard a lot about it. My boss had seen it in Australia before it's UK opening, he said that he was put of by the trailer but was pleasantly surprised when he went to see it. A friend had also told me that it had been very well received in America. I liked the fact that it had tried to be different by using no non-diegetic sound, this did not occur to me during the film but it was later when I was told it, that I realised. I felt that having no music made very little difference, this aspect of the film must have been hard to sell as often music can add greatly to a film. The script was extremely well written with Tommy Lee Jones character talking in a very cool and smooth way, one problem with the dialogue I found was that because they were talking in strong Texan accents it was sometimes quite difficult to understand what they were saying. I feel that it is a film well worth watching twice as to truly understand everything. The character of the serial killer was very haunting and demonic, his voice was perfect for the character and his ominous gas canister was a nice take on a murderers tool. Overall I enjoyed the film very much and will definitely consider watching it again.

I found a link about the directors - the Coen brothers.

Sherrybaby, directed by Laurie Collyer.

The film follows Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a young single mum who has just been realsed from prison following a three year sentence for possession of drugs. Once returing to her home of New Jersey, Sherry soon realises the tough reality of keeping clean, keeping her job and re-building the relationship she lost with her daughter Alexis (Ryan Simpkins).

Maggie Gyllenhaal gives a memorable performance of her career so far as Sherry Swanson. Although Gyllenhaal is some what over shadowed by her brothers (Jake Gyllenhaal) stunning career and popularity. Her performance in Sherrybaby should most definatley able her to break her away from her brothers shadow as it highlights her terrific talent as a actress. Her portrayal of Swanson touches the audience and creates them into feeling not only sympathy but anger towards the character. However it is not only Gyllenhaal's performance that touches the audience. At 9 years old Ryn Simpkins gives a astonishing performance as Sherry's daughter Alexis. Both actresses together provide enough passion and drama to make the film highly watchable.

I watched the film on dvd at home, by myself. I feel that the film can be enjoyed more by watching it home either by yourself or with a close friend or member of family, as you can appreciate it more. You need to watch it with someone who either has a simular taste in films as you or has simular views as you. I don't however feel that Sherrybaby can be enjoyed by watching it with a group of your mates as the film is quiet in depth and is very emotional - not something you can easily have a laugh at with your mates. I brought Sherrybaby on dvd as originally i wanted to go see it at the cinema but unfortnatly didn't. The film did live up to my expectation of it.

Overall i feel that Sherrybaby is a wonderful dramatic film about the tough obsticals people have to face when starting their life from scratch again. The actors and general plot do make the film unmissable to watch and i would definatley reccomend it to anyone.

I watched The Bourne Ultimatum, directed by Paul Greengrass in 2007. The film stars such well known actors as Matt Damon, who plays the hero of the film, Jason Bourne and Julia Stiles. Having such actors involved in the film made it the success it was as viewers are much more likely to want to watch a film starring actors who are well known for successful performances.
I watched the film at home with my mum on DVD. I think i would have enjoyed the film alot more if i'd watched it on the big screen at the cinema as the fast paced action and loud sound would have had more impact on my viewing.
The film is completly action packed and there is hardly a second to recover from the fast paced, tension filled scenes. The film is the last in the trilogy of Bourne films and, i, having only seen the last film, found it signnificantly difficult to understand what was going on. This suggests it is a film that definatly requires an audience who is dedicated to watching all the films to get its full impact.
The film, generally aimed at a younger male audience who are more likely to appreciate the fights and car chases, ends with a revealing and much awaited conclusion; as just as you think Bourne has been defeated, he swims out from the river to complete the rest of his journey.

Superbad Review

Superbad was directed by Greg Mottola, this film is a teenage comedy but appeals to other audiences as well, with adult humour. It was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen also stars in the film as one of the humorous police officers, he has been in other films such as “Knocked Up” and “You Me and Dupree”. It was released in the UK on the 14^th September 2007 and on August 17^th 2007 in the US. The estimated budget of the film is 20 million dollars and the film profited on its first weekend by receiving $33,052,411 in the USA on 2,948 Screens.

The film is about two teenage boys called Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) who have been friends for years but are being separated dew to getting into different schools. They are both virgins and want to get a girlfriend for the summer so they have experience when going to college, they have there eyes on two girls they have liked for a long time Jules (Emma Stone) and Becca (Martha Maclsaac) they are not the most popular and has been just them to threw most of there days. Seth luckily gets to work with Jules in a lesson and mentions they are getting fake ids, she then invites him to her graduation party and asks him to get her the boose for it, this is a big responsibility and could put him in her good books. The boys then go on an adventure for the boose with there geeky friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) with many funny events along the way, involving the two police officers Officer Slater and Officer Michaels played by Seth Rogen and Bill Hader who take a shinning to Fogell.

This film has great style and individuality, the cast was picked well, Jonah and Michael do a great job and it is a must see film, it is widely popular and has enjoyment throughout.

Directed: Quentin Tarantino
Year: 1992
Cast: Steve Buscemi, Harvey Keiter, Chris Penn, Quentin Tarantino(Who tends to appear in most of his films), Michael Madsen, Tim Roth(Who appeared in "Pulp Fiction" which is also directed by Quentin Tarantino)
Tim Roth is the key character to unfolding the missing piece of the story line with a twist at the end.

I watched this at Home with my Dad on DVD.

The film I watched is called ‘Memento’ which is a crime / mystery / Thriller film that was directed by Christopher Nolan in 2000.
The film is basically about a man that doesn’t remember his short term memory but can remember everything up till his wife’s death. He makes many notes and keeps info on how to remember or understand where he is and what he is doing and who to trust. It is a film that you must follow carefully but it is a very good film in my opinion.
The main actors are Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano. Both Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano started in the matrix a big hit / blockbuster just before this film and Guy Pearce had also been in many films before. To sell a large and successful film to an audience you must have a well known and big started cast so the audience many believe “if they are starring it must be a good film”.
I watched the film on DVD at home with my dad after buying the film a day before as I heard it was good from some friends.
The film has a very good opening as the first shot shown on screen is the very last thing that happens in the film as you find later on in the movie. The film basically works backwards from the very first shot as it shows a short segment of the movie and then it re-joins back into the short segment you just watched. After each segment you understand more what is going on and find out the real story. The film also has a good ending as there is a twist at the end and you understand what has been going on all along.

The Film i watched was I Am Legend, The directer for this film is Fancis Lawrence, the genre for this film was a Thriller/Horror beacuse it had mutant humans in it.
The main actor who stared in this film was Will Smith, I found that this was a selling point for the film, it made me want to go and see it because it had Will Smith in it because the other films with Will Smith in like Irobot were really good.
The main story line in this film is about this man who is the only survivor in new york city or maybe in the whole world. The film starts out with this docter saying that they have found a cure that can cure cancer. Then it say 3 years later after this cure has been found and all it shows is that every where is abandoned and then it shows that there is is guy driving in this car trying to hunt for food. It shows that he can not go out at night or he will get killed but these mutated humans. It shows bit later through the film that he is trying to find a cure to cure these mutants.
Some parts in this movie do make you jump for example when this lion jumps out to eat this dear, you dont expect it to happen and it makes you jump.
The CGI inthis film is used very well so is the camera shots and also the lighting.

I went to see this at the cinima with a few of my friends, i went with my friends beacuse i wouldnt really want to see it by my self, and i found it more interesting with friends then i would if i saw it by my self.
Because i saw it at the cinima it was on a big screen this made it alot better because it was wide screen and the surround sound of it was really good.

By Harry Crow

Film: Alien Vs. Predator
Director: Paul W.S Anderson
Actors: Lance Henrikson, raoul boya, Sanaa Lathan
Format: DVD

I decided to check out the original alien vs predator film seeing as the new one was released a few days ago. Being a fan of both series, I was looking forward to some intense battles, which i'm pleased to report is what I got. However, I was slightly disappointed with the end result. After waiting for a long time to see the movie from production to the end result I was slightly annoyed. Surely predator wouldn't team up with humans? Well, they do in this film and I felt it detracted from the film. Paul W.S Anderson gave up Resident evil 2 for this and I honestly think he should have kept well away. I did feel slightly cheated at the film but it did have some good action scenes. The acting was ok but I wasn't expecting much from that area.

Rating: 6/10

Don't get me wrong it's an ok film, I felt that it could have been much better.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an unconventional drama about two people’s fading relationship. Starring Jim Carry and Kate Winslet as Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynski, a couple who each under go a fictional treatment of brain surgery to have each other wiped from their own memories.

This is an abstract and often comedic film from screenwriter Charlie Kaufman of ‘Being John Malkovich’ fame, and his style of surreal plot writing is very apparent in this drama. The plot is more easily explained through the language of film but in its most basic description, Joel (Jim Carry) finds out his loose cannon ex girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has had a procedure to erase any memory of Joel from her brain, acting rashly Joel decides to do the same only to realise while undergoing the treatment that the good memories of their relationship out weigh the painful ones and the treatment is a mistake. So Joel and his memory of Clementine journey through Joel’s mind in order to find a place where he can still remember her, before it’s too late.

If you’re expecting another Jim carry film where he dances around pulling silly faces like all basically every other film he’s been in, then forget it. This film sees Carry step out of his type cast roles to play a mild mannered social misfit which is very refreshing and also effective in the film as the change of pace for Carry comes as a shock and gives his unexpected performance more of an impact. The same thing could be said for lead lady Kate Winslet who plays a loud mouth American extrovert rather than her usual polite British upper class character we see in the likes of ‘titanic’.

Gondry’s direction is superb, leading us down many roads of what we think this film is about before revealing its actual plot, he does this by completely throwing us off course right from the beginning by having a segment of the last few scenes right at the beginning where the couple meet on the train to Montage after having the procedure, apparently meeting for the first time. The look he has gone for on this film is very abstract and surreal once in Joel’s mind and he has tapped into the way we remember things and have dreams so accurately and precisely it’s almost unsettling.
You’d expect nothing but the finest modern cinema from the writer of Being John Malkovich, and in all honestly this film doesn’t disappoint, the cast and supporting cast or all well chosen and give outstanding performances. But Gondry’s style of keeping the plot structure as far from the straight and narrow as possible could confused and alienate some audience members.

by sam

The film I have decided to review is Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' 'Little Miss Sunshine' (Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2006). The film follows the road trip of a dysfunctional Arizona family on a journey to California's Little Miss Sunshine beauty pagent. Along the way, the family face a number of disasterous scenarios, including the death of their grandfather, and numerous problems with their Volkswagon V2.

The biggest name is the films casts is 'The Office' and 'Bruce/Evan Almighty' star, Steve Carell (Although this film was shot before he had gained much fame). As Frank, a discredited Proust schollar recovering from an attempted suicide, he provides our gateway into the Hoover family's lives. Toni Collete and Greg Kinnear play the roles of Sheryl and Richard Hoover, with the latter constantly testing his wife's patience with him all consuming '9 steps' motivational speaking program. Mooching along with Frank is Edwin (Alan Arkin), Richard's fowled mouthed father, engrossed in teaching aspiring beauty queen Olive (Abigail Breslin) a mysterious dane routine. Last but not least is Dwayne (Paul Dano) a Nietzsche-reading teenager who has taken a vow odf silence until he can accomplish his dreams of becoming a test pilot.

The film has a practically perfect balance of comedy and tradegy, expertly crafted into a heartwarming finale. All of the actors go through immense emotional experiences with total belivability (of particular note is Dano, in a scene when he turns from a sulking teenager to a raging child, makes one of the movies best moments). Steve Carell also does well, playing his character as quiet and deppressed, but always letting the audience feel the conflict inside him.
Cinematographically (a word I made up) though the movie dosen't do anything we haven't seen in countless big studio movies, there are some lovely shots of the Californian countryside incorparated that break up some of the more emotinally intense scenes well, allowing to the viewer to take a brief pause to enjoy the scenery.

Judging by the reseption the film had on the film studies class I watched this with, in a film studies classroom at college on DVD (hey look, three bits of criteria in one sentence!) the wonderful story mixed with its heartwarming comedy moments was a big hit (some idiot even started clapping), and reflected my own feelings on this fantastic movie.

Mona Lisa Smile was directed by Mike Newell, a well known director, more rescently known for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
The film is classed as both a comedy, and a drama, and is rated 12. The film is set in the 50's, about an art professor who joins Wellesley and teaches the conservative girls to question their traditional societal roles.
The cast was a big selling point, the lead being played by Julia Roberts, with people like Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal playing supporting roles. This would have attracted a large part of the audience.
I watched this film on television, after having watched it at the Cinema with my sister when it came out in 2004.

For my review Ive chosen 300.
This ancient and epic tale of the battle of Thermopylea is brought back to life by Sin City's director Frank Miller. Originally based on Lynn Varleys novel and Frank Millers 300 comic, the film tells the story of how 300 heroic spartans led by King Leonidas stood and faced against Xerxes overwhelming hordes, putting up an impressive fight.

Personally i often tire of films and only buy dvds if a film is genuinly special, but when i saw this i was blown away. This is a film i could watch over and over again just like frank Millers previous smash hit success of Sin City.
Firstly, and most importantly the visual effects are absoloutly stunning. With no real life sets, 300 is all CGI based with all the actors acting on green screen. Some people critise films with too many special effects but to be honest who needs real sets when you can make your own just how you want it? Throughout the film i found it hard not to get lost in the amazing visuals with it being the gritty noir feel of the night battles, or the golden browny effect of the grain feilds of Sparta.

These are all spectacular pieces of cinema, but what really makes this films visuals great are the battles. The superbly trained killer spartans slaughter the untrained persians in their 1000's . Blood spurts and limbs fly as the muscualar spartans swoop stylishly round the battle field killing as they go. This has been critised due to anti-eastern views and can also be contrasted to todays war in Iraq with highly tained Americans killing untrained eastern soldiers. But to be put into persective this is very trivial and in 480bc they were fighting Persians and it would be silly to change the enemy . Clever speeding up and bullet time of the fighting gives the audience the perfect view to the kill and every minuite detail of the battle which certainly got my adrenaline flowing when i saw this at the cinema.

Ive seen quite a lot of the 300 comic and it was quite saisfying to see all the key scenes coming to life on the big screen. It made me realise just how faithful the directer Jack Snyde had been to the comics, just like Robert roderigues had been in Sin City.



All in all, this film is the gem of 2007 and succeeds in bringing the novel and comic to life. If you look for kick ass battles, muscualr macho men or stunning cgi effects, this is definatly a film for you. But be warned, do not look for historical accuracy or moral message for you shall find nothing.

by jam

directors : Colin Strause and Greg Strause

Too many actors who 'star' in the film to name them all but i guess the most importaint would be the two brothers played by Johnny Lewis and Steven Pasquale.

i recently watched this movie in the cinema to pass the time on a rainy day. although i expected a repeat of the last film, which was pretty shockingly bad but yet some how kept you amused for an hour and a half. But this film was very unlike its predecessor, even though it was still a slightly over the top gunhoe American action film it incorporated glimpses of a well thought out horror movie.

The basic plot starts exsacly where the first one left off, with the birth of a half bread alien coming out of the predator. then the newly born alien kills the predator crew and forces the ship to crash land in a small American town. a crew predator sends out a message/distress(not sure which) beacon to a predator, who quickly sets off to stop the alien infestation on earth. the townsfolk then need to gather supplies and stick together to survive the onslaught of the alien attack. confronted with two choices; to go to the hospital and try and fly out with the emergency helicopter or to go to the town centre and wait for 'military evac' aka, being bombed. que the big end fight scene between the big bad predator and the bigger badder hybrid alien. pretty predictable ending consisting of the the 'baddies' getting blown up and the goodies making a 'just in time' esape.

putting the predictable plot and complete human like fighting between the two aliens aside this movie was very well directed and the beginning half was portrayed much more true to the feel of the original alien films, then some blockbuster shoot'em up.
the horror side of the film was very well thought out and portrayed with plenty of suspense and even more gore.

i'd give it 7/10

max read

This crime thriller says red herring all over. Spike Lee, veteran director of 25 films, including Jungle Fever (1991) and Malcolm X (1992) where he first worked with Denzel Washington. They were reunited again for this film, following the ingenious bank robbery with the ultimate goal going past money and riches, but into moral beliefs.

Everything within the film runs smoothly. Sequences intertwine like building blocks, seperated by random interviews at a police station. These breaks are not meant to solely disrupt the film. They provide Lee an excuse to fast forward time, as well as provide some comedy relief within the seriousness of the seige. These scenes are delineated from the main timeline by adding a sepia tone to the feed.

Spike did not under or over indulge himself on big name stars. Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster star as the biggest names, with secondary perforances for Chiwetel Ejiofor and Christopher Plummer. The actors, although known, are not as mainstream as some of the directors options, but never-the-less, they provide an exempilary performance.

Highly recommended for those looking for a clever criminal thriller, and although the ending is seen at the beginning, Inside Man leaves you wandering how Clive Owen defeated New Yorks finest.

Considering a largely dry run of films by the Coens recently as they dip themselves into genres unknown, such as Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers, I thought that No Country was not only a revitalising return to form, but far more depth and character than any of their work yet.

By keeping the plot simple, the Coens allow themselves a lot of room to develop mood, character, setting and set pieces. Everything entertwines so perfectly, with the cat-and-mouse of Llewelyn Moss and Anton Chirgurh (Played to perfection by Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem) becoming the story's centre, with dozens of sub-plots which dig deeper into the themes of the films. It feels like the Coens do not indulge in anything too much. No big money shots, no expensive actors, everything in its right place and making perfect sense.

Throughout the film, I felt completely engrossed in what was happening yet had plenty to think about after the film has ended. I would recommend this to any self respecting movie-goer who wants a film that takes them by surprise.

Nausicaa is a japanese anime film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was released in 1984 and then was re-released in english in 2005. The original film was voiced entirely by japanese actors, but the re-release has many film stars including Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman and Mark Hamill. These actors were a good choice for the english version of the film as many people can recognise the familiar voices. Patrick Stweart's voice alone is strong and recogniseable and it also is suits his character perfectly. Originally I watched the film on tv alone when I was ill from school, but I have recently bought the film on dvd to add to my Studio Ghibli collection.



This film is very well done and has stunning animation considering when it was made., this film is also entirely un The fact that this is an anime film may put some people off, but personally I think it is much better than many live action films. In fact this film is ranked as one of the 50 greatest sci-fi films on IMDB. It has a strong narrative supported by great action sequences, some drama and a good cast, I would strongly urge anyone to watch it.



Below I have inserted the original japanese trailer for the film.

Shark tale was released in 2004. It is directed by three people. Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson and Rob Letterman. Shark tale is one of my favourite films. I watched it at the cinema with my older sister, when it came out and then it was bought for me on dvd some months later.
It is comical with an underlying serious messgae about family and friends and how they stick together. Shark tale is a family film, rated U in uk, it pulls its audience in by bringing it other films that did well such as Shrek. It also pulls its audience in with its star studded cast list.
The main characters are played by celebrities such as Will Smith, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Renee zellweger, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese. These are the main celebrities but Shark Tale also boasts lesser know musician type celebrities such as Ziggy Marley and Peter Falk. The soundtrack does not miss out on this celebrity attention and many of the songs are done by famous bands and singers such as Justin Timberlake, D12 and Christian aguilara.

The name of the film I watched at the Cambridge Picture House was No Country For Old Men. This is the latest film by the Coen Brothers. The main star in the film was Tommy Lee Jones, although I felt he did not have a major part to play in the film as he was mainly emphasising the danger the charachter Llewelyn was in but this did add to the tension. The other main actors in the film were Josh Brolin who played Llewelyn (the good guy) and Javier Bardem who played Anton (the bad guy). I would say that these actors played a very believable role in the film as Javier's charachter was, lets say, not asthetically pleasing. Whereas Josh's charachter was a stereotypical mid western american with a stable family which made my girlfriend and me sympathise towards him. I feel these things and more made this an outstanding film and I would advise all of you to watch it.

Love Warren and Charl

XXX

I'm Not There is Todd Haynes film about Bob Dylan, I watched this film at the Arts Picturehouse with my father who is a massive Dylan fan. What is interesting about this film is the use of Actors as each performer plays Dylan at a different stage of his life. Perhaps the most interesting performance is that of Cate Blanchett who plays Dylan as he was from 1965-66. The narrative structure of this film is non linear and has what some critics have described as a poetic strucutre, though I am not sure about this I am sure that if you have an interest in Dylan it is a film that would reward repeated viewings. The films cinematography is interesting and mixes colour and balck and white footage well.

The first film I decided to watch was Underworld (Len Wiseman 2003) on DVD. Starring Kate Beckingsale as a vengful vampire and also Scott Speedman as Michael Corvin. Also having hte famous Bill Nightly as the great leader Viktor. These are quiet famous actors this made me more envolved and you could relate some of the previous films they have watched before on the role htey play and must say they are pretty simuliar. Like for example Kate Beckingsale was in Much Ado About Nothing the famousshakespearian play. I watched this film at home on a DVD with one of my friends. I believe watching a film with somebody can affect hte way you may react to certain things and if it is in hte cinema. However I still think eve nthough I did not watch this in a cinema, which would have made the thrilling action scenes more exillirating, I still thought the movie still had that impact from the Macro and Micro elements used.

St Trinians
Certificate 12a
St. Trinian’s- I was expecting this film to only be enjoyed by fans of Girls Aloud and other 12 year olds girls who think soft drug taking, overt sexual implications and drinking would make them empowered young women. However, to my great surprise this was an amusing all round film. It was based on the 1950’s TV of the same title, this film has managed to distance itself with contemporary humour about youtube, chavs and wannabe WAG’s.
Directed by Oliver Barker and Barnaby Thompson, both reasonably unknown, this film sold itself on Rupert Everett playing Miss Fritton, Colin Firth playing Geoffrey Thwaites and smaller roles filled with actors who appeal to the films demographic (such as Mischa Barton). For an older market, Russell Brand’s witty one liners save the film when it’s going down hill.
I watched this film at the cinema, with friends of a similar age to me, and overall we found most of its ‘risky’ humour to be enjoyable but more than anything (for my age group), I found myself reminiscing about my secondary experience, this film was trying to work on the irony that schools today aren’t like that, however it was closer than it should’ve been!

Director: Quentin Tarantino
The actors/actresses who starred in the film were Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson and Bruce Willis. All of these actors played a big part in the film but helping the audience along with the complicated story however i felt that John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson had the biggest impact just because of the story you follow with these characters.
I watched the film at home on my own. The format it was in was VHS. I found this film very enjoyable even though it was very violent at times with a lot of blood! Although because of the characters played by John and Samuel some of the parts where people were being shot were quite funny just because of the way in which there characters handled the different situation. There side of the story i prefered more compared to the story of Butch(Bruce Willis) just because it wasn't as serious and had more funny moments.