This 2006 movie is based on the amazing novel by Christopher Paolini, it is about a boy of 15 called Eragon who finds a blue stone whilst hunting in an eerie area of forest called "the Spine", startled, he takes the stone back and it turns out to be a dragon egg, this automatically places him amongst the old legends of the Dragon Riders who, each had the strength of 10 men and could use magic, amongst a number of other things, he then gets talked into leaving with the villiage storyteller Brom, together they seek the things who killed Eragons Uncle, his only living relative. This movie is a good film on it's own but as it was based on one of my favourite books I didn't like it because they changed the plot slightly, but the CGI is amazing and the cast list is good (including Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich and Sienna Guillory.)
The film is rated PG and is suitable for every one, I would reccomend it to people who like fantasy films.

This is based around 4 Children (Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny)who get in to an R rated movie from Canada, this movie has very strong language and (in the words of Cartman) "warps their fragile little minds" inevitably they see the movie again and Cartman makes a $100 bet that Kenny can't light a fart inevitably killing him, their parents form a group called MAC (Mothers Against Canada) who believe Canada is to blame for the kids uses of foul language, resulting in a war between USA and Canada, and the execution of Terrence and Phillip (the people who made the movie)
During this Kenny is in hell and discoves the gay relationship between Satan and Saddam Hussain, and learns that if Terrence and Phillip are killed then Satan will rule the world.
This is also the first time you see Kenny without his hood, it won an MTV award for the song Uncle F***a in the year 2000 and in 199 won "best animated film", my favourite scene is 30 minutes in when Cartman sings the song "Kyle's Moms a B***h" and turns round to find her behind him
This film is very funny and has a rating of 15 due to language and sexual references, it is very funny and is really worth a watch.

This is a 2008 movie starring Simon Pegg and Kirsten Dunst, it is based on the Novel of the same name, it is about a British Writer (Pegg) who strugles to fit in to an American magazine publishing company, even though it is quite predictable, it is still very funny, one of these scees is with the dog, Peggs character is one of the people who things always go wrong, he tries to befriend a celebrities dog, but it goes wrong and he accidentaly throws the dog's ball out of the window, so he races the dog to the window and manages to close it but killing it accidentaly in the process.
This film is rated 15 and may not be suitable for some people, due to language and sexual references but is still a great laugh

I watched this movie after being hassled by a friend because apparently it would make me cry. And i like a movie that can bring on the water works!

It stars 'Uma Therman' but throughout the movie there are 2 time periods being shown. Uma plays the older version on Diana, and the younger by 'Evan Rachel Wood' and her performance was phenomenal!

PLOT:

Imaginative, impetuous and wild Diana (Evan Rachel Wood) can’t wait for her adult life to begin. Whiling away the final days of high school in the lush springtime, Diana tests her limits with sex and drugs as her more conservative friend Maureen (Eva Amurri) watches with concern. Then the two teens are involved in a Columbine-like shooting incident at their school and are forced to make an impossible choice. Only one of them can live...

15 years later Diana (Uma Thurman) is married and has a daughter. A memorial service at her high school brings back old memories and as past and present start to intertwine her husband and daughter become increasingly absent and Diana finds her life slipping away.

The central theme of both the novel and the film is the loss of lives in these shooting incidents. Laura Mischance and Vladimir Perelman took an interesting approach to drive that point home that slowly leads up to a shocking realisation about Diana.

I haven't read the book so i can make no comment on that aspect. but i thought the movie was really well made, from hearing the plot-line you can see that it's quite demanding, but i think it was done very well.

'The Life Before Her Eyes' received generally negative reviews from critics. As of April 23, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 29% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 35 reviews — with the consensus being the film is "a confusing, painfully overwrought melodrama." But i really liked the fact that it made you think, i was ready for that going into it so i wasn't disappointed by it!

Film Review: Fargo


Info:
Length: 98 mins
Rating: 18
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

This being my first Coen brothers films, I wasn’t sure what to expect, it didn’t disappoint:
“A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere”
Every shot in Fargo is executed like a piece of art, there is absolutely nothing wasted in this film, as what would seem dull, unimaginative, establishing scenes are turned into mini masterpieces of cineotopic gold. Fargo is as black as black comedy can get, it washes over you in a wave, your head just bobbing above the water level, your lapping up the fluid and the truth is you love it.
What makes a film like this, done a hundred different times, in a hundred different ways, so good? Joel and Ethan Coen’s script is the crux, a wickedly funny and quirky screenplay, even more enforced by the continual innocence of the snow that imbues the film. The Coen brothers have also impregnated the film with a rich and regional flair; authentic from the weather to the clothes to (especially good) the accents. It was so real I was actually hungry for back bacon, after watching it.

I felt the beginning of the film started of well straight into the action and getting an insight into liams family life.And instantly put into the frame of mind that Liam has everyday of his life.To begin with it was difficult to pick up on the characters, like Liams mums boyfriend was shown as his dad and it wasnt mentioned for while why Liams mum was in prison.Violence played a big part in the film as well as along side drugs this was part of the continously flow of the film and influenced the audience to keep watching as everytime drugs were involved it was usually shortly followed by crime. The film became clear at the end that all that Liam had done with buying the caravan, drug dealing and dealing with violence it was revealed this was all to make sure he mother was happy.

A subtle and bold mixture of views are expressed in this semi-autobiographical story written and directed by Bruce Robinson, told through the first person point of view of Marwood, Withnail's friend and fellow out-of-work actor.

Having found no paying roles to keep them going in their Camden house, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and Marwood (Paul McGann) attempt to drink and smoke away their problems. After reaching breaking point, Marwood convinces Withnail to get his uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) to lend them his country farm cottage for a week, in an attempt to escape from their chaotic London lifestyles. But when they find sparse supplies of food and firewood, they head off back to London much closer and with a lot more respect for one another.

This story tells of the lower class of society, and how desperate certain aspects of living in London in the sixties was.

The humour displayed by the two main characters is more times than not a subtle hint as to how poor their lifestyles were, and how dependent on alcohol they were. Alcohol does indeed feature a lot in this film.

An excellent film from Robinson, it will have the audience stuck in their seats, captivated by a marvelous performance from both Grant and McGann.

Not a film to watch just to fill time. This offers so much more.

Cloverfield is the latest film from acclaimed director Matt Reeves and much-admired producers J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk. Initially, film was so shrouded in mystery that only the release date was known. With flashes of footage and the title kept a secret, Cloverfield managed to exceeded expectations at the box office with just the vague promise of a movie.
Perhaps the lack of actual film content in the trailer was yet another wise advertising technique. Certainly if I had understood more of what the 90 minutes spent watching this film would be like, I would have opted for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, David Yates and all.
Cloverfield opens with the planning and execution of a surprise party for protagonist Rob and we are introduced to the film’s main players whom we are evidently supposed to relate to as they indulge in their normality. Instead, the characters are not even likable and resemble a collection of GAP models as they saunter around the room and look objectionable. Despite this the film is visually impressive and has effects uncommon for a film where the budget is not high.

All in all Cloverfield is an example of how a film with all the right ingredients can end up lacking in substance and plot. It’s the sort of movie that, if you were to leave the cinema at any point of the duration (a potentially alluring prospect), there would be few lagging ‘ What happened? How’s Beth?’ type questions. However, Cloverfield is a brave stab at a revolutionary monster movie, but preceded itself with an aura of mystery, enigma and hype that just wasn’t achieved during the actual screen time.

Gangs of New York is artistic. It has one of my favourite actors, Daniel Day-Lewis against a least favourite, Leonardo DiCaprio. The writers, director and Day-Lewis himself forged a villain so stunningly compelling that the nuisance of the sulky DiCaprio was all the more tedious because it spoiled what could have been a great movie.

Set in the 1800's, Gangs of New York is a revenge movie: during a gang battle a little kid witnesses his Irish immigrant father getting slaughtered by Bill The Butcher (Day-Lewis), the gangster who runs the crime-infested Lower Manhattan district of Five Points. The boy returns as an adult and anonymously (and unconvincingly) infiltrates Bill's gang.. Not the most original of plot lines.

One brilliant aspect of this film has to be the sets and the cinematography: often this film looks like a painting. One advantage of setting a movie during the 1800's setting is you can deliver endless scenes in atmospheric candlelight, scenes half murky in mysterious shadows and emblazoned with magnificent highlights. Quality poured from each frame, and there are many frames indeed, nearly three hours worth.

There are many excellent scenes in Gangs Of New York. Jim Broadbent's innocent pleasure of sending his fire brigade into battle against a rival gang, neglecting the burning building, was perfect comedy. The scene of the woman dropping an ear into a jar full of them was surreal

The ending of Gangs Of New York was lacking climax. The mob scenes were horrific but not as compelling as the previous two hours. The draft riots had the effect of diluting the movie's great asset, Bill The Butcher, and were wrecked by a screeching commentary.It would have been so refreshing if Bill had defeated DiCaprio. The bad guy deserved to win. If only movie makers dared to break the rules.

Munich tells the story of the black september and the munich games in 1972. A group of palestians takes a group of israeli athletes hostage and murders them. The israeli leader gives a group of 5 men to track down all the members of black september and kill them.

The film opens with quite an interesting sequence with the group of palestines breaking into the olympic compound and kidnapping the athletes. this is quite action packed and is very interesting to watch. but after this it all goes downhill. the film begins to jump from location to location and character to character and it is very unclear as to what is actually going on. the only character you get actually feel involved with is the main character, and this is only because his character has a sub-plot, in which his wife is having a child.

The camera work is very interesting, as it is directed by Steven Spielberg and the shots are very interesting. i wish i could tell you more but i lost all interest in it and ended up falling asleep before the film actually managed to get anywhere really interesting.

i think this film would be considered very good by someone who had previous interest in this incident but i myself found it very dull and cant understand how it produced so much buzz

Staring Heath ledger and Orlando Bloom doing Irish accents. Enough said girls.

On a serious note, the film was disappointing with a weak script and bad direction. The story was repetative, confusing and the characters were difficult to keep up with. The ending was boring with no good final conclusion.

The basic storyline is Ned Kelly is wrongly accused of attempted murder and becomes a notorious outlaw with the worlds largest reward on his head.

Overall, a disappointing film, the only good thing would be the well pulled off Irish accents and good acting from Ledger and Bloom.

Fargo's brilliance lies not only with its way of thrilling its audience but also adding a slight comical effect to quite a serious number of events. 'Jerry' (main character) has more to him than what first meets the eye, when we first meet him he seems an innocent but in the first dialogue sequence this is reversed and consequently plays out the main objective of the film. Jerry money problems are affecting him and he comes up with cunning plan to get the money. He pays two corrupt gangsters to kidnap his wife in which he hopes to get part of the ransom for her with his father rich in law paying for her daughter to be released. This subsequently doesn't go to plan and blood is shed.

I believed Fargo's dark aspects and comical effects to be very enjoyable and a worth while watch. Its integrity to entertain and thrill is somewhat mystifying and shows really what the Coens are capable of.

Mean Streets is one Scorsese's earlier films and is traditional to the/ typical gangster style. Throughout the film parts are hard to follow h99owever it is a very good film and is very entertaining. There are a wide variety of different shots and the fight scenes are both entertaining and well done. All in all i would recommend the film to anybody who enjoys the typical gangster film.

The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan's absolute stunner of a follow-up to Batman Begins, is set out as a comic book movie. Containing everything you could ever want a film like this to include, and more. But Nolan doesn’t stop there as there's something new and amazing at work in this artfully imagined universe. Striking out from his Batman origin story, Nolan cuts through to a deeper dimension. The Dark Knight creates a place where good and evil are expected to fight to the death but instead decide to shock viewers with this little twist. "I don't want to kill you," psycho Joker tells Batman. "You complete me."
The trouble is that Batman, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne, has realised he can’t be Gothams white knight and have the public see him as a vigilante. He'll leave the hero stuff to district attorney Harvey Dent and stop the DA from moving in on Rachel Dawes, the lady love who is Batman's only hope for a normal life.
The Dark Knight has put Gotham in a new light with this idea of civilians trying to take on the role of batman and bad guys that enjoy crime starting more than ever. Take the Joker, who treats an amazingly well thought out bank robbery like a strategy game with henchmen in Joker masks and some deaths that you’ll never see coming.
The one thing that I found annoying while watching dark knight was that some parts are quite predictable. But that doesn’t stop The Dark Knight being one of the best movies I’ve seen this year, mostly because of Heath Ledgers amazing performance as the joker. He was absolutely insane and even got the facial expressions down which made his overall level of insanity rise.
Over all I would absolutely recommend going to see The Dark Knight. Its an experience that most people can enjoy time and time again.

The film opens with an idyll on a Pacific island where two soldiers have gone AWOL and live with tribal people who exist in a pre-lapsarian state, eating the fruit and the fish, and smiling contentedly at the bounty of Eden. The movie implies that this is a society that reflects man's best nature. But reality interrupts when the two soldiers are captured and returned to their Army Company for the assault. I personally think that this start was really long winded; I believe that it could have been shortened so that the action would come sooner

Even through the movie takes ages to actually get going that battles themselves are really well done and i enjoyed them. During the battle scenes, there are flashbacks to the island idyll and other flashbacks as a soldier remembers his love for his wife, which is ironic because it’s her love that keeps him alive when really she wants a divorce. The plot of the second act of the film involves the taking of a well-defended hill, and the colonel prefers that it be attacked in a frontal assault; a captain resists this plan as suicidal, and is right from strategic point of view, but wrong when viewed through the colonel's bloodlust: "You are not gonna take your men around in the jungle to avoid a goddamn fight." The soldiers are not well developed as individual characters. Covered in grime and blood, they look much alike which causes some confusion. Sometimes during an action we are not sure who we are watching, and have to piece it together afterward.

In creating a sense of the geography of a particular hill, the way it is defended by Japanese bunkers, the ways in which the American soldiers attempt to take it. The camera crouches low in the grass, and as Malick focuses on locusts or blades of grass, we are reminded that a battle like this must have taken place with the soldiers' eyes inches from the ground which gives the movie and battle a more realistic feel to it.

Personally I think this film was good but you have to be willing to go through loads of time before it actually gets going so I wouldn’t really recommend it if you’re an action fan because you’d probably stop watching before the action starts

Sweet sixteen is a Scottish film showing life for young people in Glasgow. Its main character, a 15 year old boy is growing up on a council estate and trying to get out of the estate buy selling drugs to buy a caravan for him and his mum when she gets out of prison, the film is about him getting in with gangsters to make money so that he can look after himself and his mum but at the end he ends up stabbing his dad, beating up his sister, killing his best friend and finding out that his mum had been laughing at him for trying to help her the whole time and so ends on the morning of his sixteenth birthday, with the police after him and walking towards the sea, covered in blood and realising he had nothing now and i presume that he is going to commit suicide. its a heavy film and I recommend it big timmmmmmmee.

A failing TV network in America notices how it gains more ratings after a mentally unstable news reporter has a nervous breakdown on live television.
This results in the News reader being re situated with his own talk show were he can express his own insane opinions on live television, captivating a mass audience and making the network wealthy.

Although the content of the movie was very eccentric,it was portrayed with a very intense tone of seriousness within the movie, creating a very subtle, dry form of humor which can only be fully appreciated through the watching of the movie.

Expect a fairly heavy going viewing of this movie as it contains a lot of dialog as well as a wide selection of characters each one constructed with there own opinion and role within the movie.

The movie also contains a lot of interesting political opinions that were in main issue at the time. It also questioning the authenticity of our viewing and the decency of those working behind it.

The Blade 2 film obviously being a sequel to the first Blade film is not the type of film were you have to see the first to understand the second. Its a bit confusing at first what happened to Blade to make him so powerful towards vampires but you find that out in this film when he talks about it.
Basically he is part vampire but doesn't have the weird effect that the vampires do.Blades task is to kill all or as many vampires in the city as he can. He is teamed up with a group of hunters who also are setting out to help with the extermination. Most of the vampires are killed due to different ways,which include being slashed with a sword,shot,beaten and death by grenade.many of the team are killed along the way.It turns out that the team were actually against Blade and he is captured by the remainder of the team they try to kill him but being Blade there is no way he is going to die.
An action packed film, lots of blood and explosions. A great action/horror film, and I recommend it to all of you who love a violent film.

The film Desperado is based on an old style western except it has been mixed around a little and developed into a 21st century western. It features Antonio Banderas as a sadistic guitar playing killer called El Mariachi who is out to get revenge on the people who killed his Girlfriend. He is helped by the young sweet and innocent librarian, Carolina played by Salma Hayek. Without giving the ending away of the film, The film involves a drug gang, a brother and a bookstore.
If you love huge action packed sequences and random over the top explosions, amazing guitar playing and cheesy dialouge then this film is something i would recomend, for it is the perfect shoot em up film.

My summer of love is a British film about a two girls friendship which becomes intense. As their friendship grows, they begin to stay over at each others houses and their friendship goes even further. One of the girls brother has become really religious so she refuses to go home and stays with her new lover. So overall, nothing really happens in this film.

It is just about a summer where two girls fall for each other and forget about everything around them. There is nothing to keep you hooked in the movie and it is easy to focus your attention on something else.

Deathproof, after Quentin Tarantino had mass effect with his modern kung fu flick of Kill Bill he turned back his sights to 70's car chasing thrill ride with a memorable performance from Kurt Russell. With fast paced Death race of lap dancing girls with a mean vengeance.

Deathproof is based around a smaller town based on Stuntman Mikes desire for women and his death proof fast car mustang muscle car, the plot starts as Mike becomes obsessed with the local girls, but after picking the wrong group of girls to play games with Mike soon wishes he hadn't crossed with the psychotic lap dances

with thrill rides of a 15 minute car chase and has its thrilling parts and gory moments with a slow pace but makes you carry on watching, while it has its casual quotes from pulp fiction as well as a strong performance from Tarantino himself

6.5/10

Strike is a young city drug pusher under the tutelage of drug-lord Rodney Little, who, when not playing with model trains or drinking Moo milkshakes for his ulcer, just likes to chill with his brothers near the benches outside the project houses. When a night man at a fast-food restaurant is found with four bullets in his body, Strike's older brother turns himself in as the killer. Det. Rocco Klein doesn't buy the story, however, and sets out to find the truth, and it seems that all the fingers point toward Strike & Rodney.

Clockers is a surreal look at the drug buisness, friendship, descision making, and death in the city. This movie has a flawless cast, the clockers, the detectives, and Rodney and Harold the dealers are perfect. The script is great too, as it has suprises, good dialogue, action, and setting. The direction is almost perfect, especially the last scene with the train, Spike Lee is one of the most underrated directors ever. This movie is made to please, action lovers will find it interesting, and film buffs should find it fascinating! Keep an open mind from beginning to end and analyze ever scene with its content

Strange days

This action-thriller movie keeps you in suspense throughout most of the movie although it has a fairly long run time, even though the ending is predictable you still want to carry on watching all the way to the end. The main plot is evolves around an X-cop who sells other peoples memories and experiences with a device that sits on your head and wirellesly records everything that you see and hear, so that you or anybody else can put the device on and it will play back the memory and everything that you feel. It was originally designed to replace the wire for undercover cop but it got out in to the black market and now recording are being made of all kinds of things so that people can experience what it is like to (for example) rob a bank or sleep with someone else without cheating on your partner. At first this is confusing because it is set in the past but has more modern technology than we have got now, but you can easily ignore that and just enjoy the movie. If you enjoy movies like Equilibrium or The Departed then you will defiantly enjoy this

Winner of the Cannes Festival for Best Director, Babel is a powerful, intense and brilliantly made film. Full of life and culture it really digs deep in the understanding and miss-communication of general human actions and emotions.

When a tragic accidents in Morocco occurs, it sets of a chain of events that links 4 groups of people who are divided by culture differences and vast distances, discover a shared destiny that ultimately connects them.

If you are one for the films such as Crash, then Babel is right up your alley. If you have a queezy stomach violence or blood and have a short attention span than put Babel down and pick up A cinderlla Story.

overall a simple and easy to watch film from Gonzalez, and a definte must see and one for your DVD collection!

*****

Battleship Potemkin was made in 1925 by director Sergei Eisenstein, documenting the events on the titular vessel that happened during the 1905 uprising in the Soviet Union. It is filmed in black and white and is silent, although the soundtrack more than makes up for the lack of dialogue. The music swells and dies down with the action, and all in all makes the film what it ultimately is: enjoyable.

As one probably expected when picking up a film from this era, the acting is anything but great. The actors over-react with such zeal that it is almost funny. But all in all it makes the film even more enjoyable.

The infamous Odessa steps sequence is one to look out for as well. It's close ups of the bloody massacre are surprisingly believable and the camerawork is top-notch.

At 78 minutes long, occasionally when the action dies down things do get a bit boring. But all in all time flew when I watched this film, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the History of cinema, or of Russia itself.

The Truman Show was a really good film and i would recommend it to any one wanting to see a good feel good film and something that is easy watching.
This film is about a man who's life has been filmed since the day he was born on a live reality show. He doesn't no that his whole life has been filmed but as his life goes on he is told the truth but everyone around him makes him believe that it was just a big lie and he just carry's on with his life. Then the truth is starting to become apparent to him as time goes on and his is set on a mission to prove that something is not right with the way he is living and he is determined to be reunited with his high school love. Through out this film has its funny moments but it sucks you in very well to the story and makes you feel involved. A all round good film and i would 100% recommend this film to watch.

Children of men is set in the year 2027 and there hasn't been a baby born in 18 years. The human race is going mad and there is constant fighting between the government and public. Nobody knows why there hasn't been a baby born in so long and nobody understands why women can no longer get pregnant but one this is certain if theirs no new life then the human race will die.
Children of men is definitely a film worth seeing it its quite complicated at the start but if you stick with it you wont be disappointed
Alfonso Cuarón has also Directed many other great films such as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Great Expectations and Y tu mamá también

An assassin inadvertently nearly blinds a young lounge singer during one of his assignments. Overwhelmed by pity, he decides to take care of her and soon they fall in love. Unfortunately, her eyesight is deteriorating quickly and she needs to have an operation before she loses her eyesight completely. The assassin decides to do one final job to get the money she needs, but after the job is completed, his hires refuse to pay him. Not only this, but they are feeling the heat from a determined police officer (Lee, City on Fire) trying to take them down, and fearing the assassin will rat them out, they decide to kill the killer.

The Killer is a great action picture, one of the best of the 1980s. Stylish to the extreme, with Peckinpah-esque slow motion ballet-like action scenes and some religious undertones make for thought-provokingly effective entertainment. Beautifully shot and skillfully directed by John Woo (A Better Tomorrow, Face/Off), it's probably the best Hong Kong action film I've ever seen, and by far the best film in Woo's interesting career. The entire ensemble is perfectly cast, with Chow Yun-Fat giving a subtle but powerful performance as the assassin. It's funny, audacious, outrageous, and tragic all at the same time. An absolute must-see for Hong Kong film fans and anyone is tired of clichéd Hollywood action thrillers.

“Jaws” is a 1975 classic film directed by Steven Spielberg. It has become one of the most off-putting films of all time. The film is based around a massive terrorizing Great White shark that becomes a threat to the waters in a seaside town called Amity.
Three guys, played by Roy Sheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, attempt to stop the menace. The main character is played by Roy Sheider. He plays a local sheriff who battle with the residents of the town to try and prevent them from visiting the beach. However they are against the idea because it will affect the amount of money they will earn in their shops.
The most enhancing scene in the whole film is that of the Great White attacking the wrecked boat in which the three men belong to. The reason this was the most enhancing scene was because it was one of the few scenes that gave screen time to the ferocious shark. I thought the film didn’t include enough images of the shark to terrify, and considering I am easily scared I found this movie very timid. The storyline was very fluent; however I found that it was very repetitive. An example of this is when the three men try to catch the shark and fail and try again and fail and try again and fail.
The soundtrack made this film, without it the tension would not have been built. The contrast of the peaceful scenery and evil terror of the waters continues to surprise the viewer.
I have watched a similar film called “Open Water” and compared to “Jaws” it holds onto the audience’s attention a lot more. I wouldn’t recommend this film necessarily for its action or suspense but because it is a classic and then at least you will be able to say you have seen it.

“The Beach” Originaly a best-selling novel by Alex Garland, is taken on and adapted by the film making threesome of director Danny Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald and writer John Hedge. After their previous attempt of creating a sucsessful film was slightly wofull, they decided to drop Iwan Mcgregor for the lead role in their second film, giving Leonardo Dicaprio his first role in 2 years, following the hit film “Titanic” while also making him a cool £12.4m.


An American backpacker Richard,(Dicaprio) finds himself in possession of a map, said to lead to a luxurious untouched paradise, of which himself and a french couple, played by Vurginie Ledoyen, and Guillaume Canet set out for.


After a long swim, the trio eventually reach their destination where they begin to unwind and forget about the stresses of the modern world.


However, not for long, their perfect lives in paradise are not left untouched for long. Leaving poor Richard and the rest of the travellers with no option other to go back to civilisation.


This film shows many aspects of a good film, and is certainly watchable, but be prepared for a poor ending.

Raging Bull (1980) is an unrelenting, searing biopic and dramatic tragedy - based on the real-life story of an unlovable, stubborn middle-weight boxing champion as he struggles to be champion. His life passes through successive stages of punishment, compromise, and self-disintegration, due to numerous inner demons. The tale of Jake La Motta's downfall is a reversal of the sentimental, much-loved boxer/hero story in Rocky (1976).

Director Martin Scorsese was convinced by actor Robert De Niro, with whom he had made Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), and New York, New York (1977), that the film had to be made, after he was given La Motta's biography by De Niro in 1974. The actor's own performance was the most overwhelming of his career - he completely immersed himself in the role by altering his physical appearance in an ultimate Method-acting performance. As a lean boxer, he rigorously trained with La Motta for the boxing sequence.

In the film's brutal, no-holds-barred look at the gladiatorial sport of boxing in documentary-style, La Motta unsparingly engages other boxers in the ring in some of the most realistic, bloody, and brutal yet stylized boxing scenes ever filmed - with sweat and blood spraying out of the ring, devastating blows, and flashing - actually exploding - camera bulbs. The sounds of squashing melons and tomatoes were used for landed punches. The size and shape of the ring was also modified and changed from small, to long and narrow, for varying effects.

Michael Chapman's stunning, crisp black-and-white cinematography (throughout the entire film except for the home video segments) and subjective camera used innovative techniques including slow-motion (varying camera speeds), 360 degree pans, and titled camera angles for various fight scenes. The lighting was deliberately made harsh and stark, to provide an expressionistic look and feel of the brutality inside the ring.

Overall I strongly recommend watching this film, As its one of the best work by both Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro

Will Smith & Son Jaden Smith, star in a emotional tail, which is inspired by a true story of a salesman who's struggling to bring money to the table. When his long term gilfriend finally has enough and walks out, Chris ( Will Smith ) is left to raise his 5 year old son alone. With some determination Chris lands himself a unpaid internship in a seriously competitive stockbroker training program. Due to Chris having no money to pay for rent, they are evicted from their apartment and are forced to sleep on the streets, homeless shelters and in one scene Chris even locks him and his son behind the metro station toilets. With his son beside him everystep of the way, Chris rises above his obstacles to become successful again!

American Beauty (1999)

Black comedy of the deepest and richest darkness overlaid by constant intercutting of dreams that are forgotten in the action and become a normality; this dark, stylised films contains some genuine laughs, only to be overshadowed by winsing. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is having a mid-life crisis. He's about to be fired from his job as the company takes employee cuts; his teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch) holds him in a fierce grasp that only teenagers can acheive. Wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) has morphed into the quintistial housewife 90's style, work driven, OCD obsessed housewife with her perfectly moulded figure hides a volitile character. The Burnhams' friends and neighbors include Lesters rival Buddy King (Peter Gallagher), new kid next door Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley), who deals drugs and films everything; Ricky's dad, a marine hardman (Chris Cooper); and the guppie Jims (Scott Bakula, Sam Robards). And, of course, Jane's young cheerleader friend Angela (Mena Suvari), representing Lesters want to get back to the days of careless partying, leading him to radically change his life to have her dote on him.

Sonatine (1993) Film Review

Japanese director Takeshi Kitano does it again in this amazingly scripted and filmed mafia movie. Kitano is well known in Japan for his violent crime dramas and is apparently perceived to be Japans very own John Woo. Mr Kitano did not only direct "Sonatine", he also wrote the script and even and played the lead role as a Yakuza leader (Murakawa) sent to stop a turf war in Okinawa. Very early on after arriving in Okinawa things go wrong and bullets start flying. Kitano a man of his word and honour wishes to leave the mafia lead lifestyle behind but he knows that certain circumstances make that impossible. After the flying bullets come to a halt Kitano leaves the carnage with a few of his men hiding in a seaside villa. While there they enjoy their last days on a beach.



Kitano unlike many other action genre directors focuses on the reaction to violence;
He uses a static camera in nearly every scene while using the landscape backdrop for the violent deaths of his goons. These deaths are seen to be very abstract as the victims barely flinch in reaction to their own deaths. The near ending of the film is an extraordinary; it is presented in the real Takashi style. Kitano is seen entering a hotel where his bosses are having a meeting with an M-16 assault rifle. The camera remains on the street looking up at the top floor of the building, later flashes of gunfire is seen through the windows.

By Aris Sahin

This film is a gangster film based on the true story of Henry Hill, who is part of the mob and his life over 30 years. He starts to be more important to the 'family'. The storyline follows several different events over three decades. Not all of the events that are talked about and alluded to are shown, but the narrating voice of Henry helps you catch up with the story.

The use of violence and swearing in the film may offend some people, but it is in context and it works with the themes and ideas of the film. I would recommend it to people who enjoyed other Mafia based films, and any fans of Martin Scorsese's other big movies.

Sonatine (1993) Film Review

Japanese director Takeshi Kitano does it again in this amazingly scripted and filmed mafia movie. Kitano is well known in Japan for his violent crime dramas and is apparently perceived to be Japans very own John Woo. Mr Kitano did not only direct "Sonatine", he also wrote the script and even and played the lead role as a Yakuza leader (Murakawa) sent to stop a turf war in Okinawa. Very early on after arriving in Okinawa things go wrong and bullets start flying. Kitano a man of his word and honour wishes to leave the mafia lead lifestyle behind but he knows that certain circumstances make that impossible. After the flying bullets come to a halt Kitano leaves the carnage with a few of his men hiding in a seaside villa. While there they enjoy their last days on a beach.
Kitano unlike many other action genre directors focuses on the reaction to violence; He uses a static camera in nearly every scene while using the landscape backdrop for the violent deaths of his goons. These deaths are seen to be very abstract as the victims barely flinch in reaction to their own deaths. The near ending of the film is an extraordinary; it is presented in the real Takashi style. Kitano is seen entering a hotel where his bosses are having a meeting with an M-16 assault rifle. The camera remains on the street looking up at the top floor of the building, later flashes of gunfire is seen through the windows.

Hotel Rwanda, directed by Terry George depicts the catastrophic events that occured during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, caused by the conflict between two tribes; the Tsootsies and the Hutus.
The film is told through the eyes of a hotel manager (Don Cheadle) a courages character who strives to protect his family and everyday people around him, endangering his own life throughout. The superb performances from Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo only better the film and it's realism during the more moving scenes.
I really enjoyed the film and would highly recommend it, especially to anyone who enjoys films that portray actual events that have occured (for example 'Last King of Scotland.' Although the film wasn't action based, it was still fast paced and enjoyable to watch; althought at points barely endurable because of the sheer atrociousness of the content.

This film isn't the best comedy I have seen and there are no outstanding performances from the cast,yet they all have their entertaining moments.
The film is bursting into song Bollywood style, which is the only thing i really enjoyed.
Watch this film if you don't mind being disappointed.

South Park is regarded as a highly entertaining film, the film contains violence, racism and abusive language.
It is a musical type film which gives the film meaning. The whole point of the film is about mothers against some Canadian actors and their abusive film with a few twist offs which make the film more entertaining.
The main character is Kyle with his friends who have to stand up to their mothers, the victims are the Canadian actors Terrence And Phillip, Kenny who once again dies finds out the shocking truth of the Devil and Haddam Usain wanting to take over the world and gives information to Cartmen.
Whilst all this is happening there is other story lines about Stanley trying to get with Wendy.
Also the Devil and Haddam Usian want to go and rule earth but they have a shocking truth they have.
Overall a great film i think overall its worth watching.

This film was personally recommended to me, and with big names such as Josh Hartnett and Kirstin Dunst staring in it, I had high hopes for it being an enjoyable watch. Sadly, I was disappointed as straight from the off the film made no sense and did not appear to have an understandable storyline. Many strange events took place, such as one of the girls killing themselves at their birthday party, which was not explained and therefore confused the already hard to follow plot.
The film was presented as a rememberance of five sisters who all committed suicide, and looked at their lives and the events leading up to their deaths, however the people who were narrating the film had hardly any relationship to the girls at all, so it was unclear why they were recalling the story. Further more, from the start of the film it was made clear the sisters were all going to die, therefore I was expecting an exciting build up to this event, but the majority of the film was very random and skipped between ideas (not to mention it was very boring), and in the end there seemed to be no apparent reason why the girls killed themselves at all.
After being very disappointed with this film I would not recommend it to anyone. However, maybe you should watch it just to see if you can make anymore sense out of it than me!

Gangster No. 1 follows the wildly gruesome and disturbing life of a London gangster, played in two parts by Paul Bettany and Malcolm McDowell. The un-named young gangster is recruited into the ruthless gang of Freddie Mays - a well known London crime lord.

As more and more jobs come in, the young gangster becomes deranged and psychotic, and develops a lust for blood. This isn't enough though; the gangster wants Freddie's place as leader and eventually he gets the chance to turn a blind eye on his employer's planned murder. "The King is dead! Long live the king!"

The new school takes charge and from then on, the money comes rolling in. Hundreds of dirty dealings puts the young gangster on top of the world, but was it really worth it?

Gangster No. 1 is an incredibly violent in depth view of a psychotic young mind that experiences the serious side of a gangster's life. I would give this film ***** for the incredible concept of the film and Paul Bettany's performance which stood out and took the film to another level.

By Rupert Andrews.

I think this film is a very interesting watch, but its definately not for everyone. I would recommend this film to an audience who appriciate the different approach that world cinema has, like the different pace, which provides a nicechange to what most of us are used to. For me, being a fan of Pedro Alomdovar's previous/other films such as 'Volver' and 'talk to her' this film didn't quite live up to my expectations, these are possibly just my specific strange expectations though.
Two male fellow cathelic school students who experiance a 'Bad Education' meet up later on in life and attempt to create a film of their challenged childhood.
The film displays beautiful cinematography and a wonderful distructive storyline.
With Gael Garcia Bernal playing what turns out to be a misleading, part in the story the film takes on many twists.

Pulp Fiction


Pulp fiction is a story set in Los Angles and opens with two small time robbers sticking up a diner and sees “honey bunny” turn from sweet and simple girl into a violent and loud robber in a matter of seconds when she yells” Any of you fucking pricks move, and I’ll execute every last mother fucking one of you!” the next scene involves two hit men retrieving a brief case from a gang and the reading of a line of the bible to them then killing them. The next story is of a war hero hiding a watch up his arse for 7 years then giving it to his son. His son then becomes a boxer and gets paid by a mafia boss to lose a fight. One of the hit men (called Vince) is asked to take the Boss’s wife out to keep her entertained while he’s away. While taking her out she takes some oh his heroine thinking it’s cocaine and proceeds to over dose and starts to have a fit until Vince administers a shot of adrenaline to her heart they then swear never to talk about it. It then skips back to just after the two hit men when they have a near death experience and Jules decides to leaves the business and become a wander or as Vince outs it, a “bum”. The boxer decides not to do as he’s told and go down and end up killing the other boxer then running town and only by a chance encounter does he survive

In my opinion the best part of the film is the dialogue and the way all the characters lives blend together in a apparently unrelated way. The way the story plunges you so mercilessly into the characters life and only explains certain things through other characters stories. One of my favourite bits of the film is when butch is looking for a weapon to go and attack people holding Marsellus Wallace. The way he ranges from a relatively reasonable weapon such as a hammer all the way up to a unreasonable weapon like the samurai sword. It’s a incredibly funny part of the film to see the look in his eye when he spots it.

The way the film both ends and begins with the same scene also helps to demonstrate the way the film flows incredibly well. And how with out certain meaningless elements for one story are extremely important for other parts of the film.

Alex Tomkins.

Braindead is a horror directed by Peter Jackson. Its about a young spanish girl called Paquita who is looking for romance and believes that the young man who comes into the shop she works in everyday is the one, until one day her grandmother gets her tarith cards out and reads her future. She tells her that her destiny will be found by a star. Later that day a young boy called Lionel comes in and picks a pencil out of the pot. The pot tips over and a star is made from the pencils. Therefore she believes he is the one. Going straight at him he is nervous and doesn't no what to say. So they talk about her dog. They end up talking about the zoo and she says yes please to wanting to go. However while at the zoo Lionel's mother follows them however she slips on rubbish and gets bitten by a rat monkey. She then turns into a monster. This monster then goes killing other and creating more monsters. You will have to watch the film to find out the rest.

I found that the typical blonde brown haired girl thing happened. I enjoyed the begining however i felt that the end went on to much and got boring. I felt alot of the effects were good for when it was made. However if you watch it now it would seem quiet old. This film is rated a 18 however i felt that 18 was to high as it wasnt a scary film. It was quiet gory but not scary. I also found that some parts were unintentionaly funny.

This review was written by
Abbie Young

This film explores the lives of two men who grow a gay relationship whilst working together on the Brokeback mountains. You see their struggle to contain how they feel for each other along with their family back home. In the end however you see that living a lie is not as easy as they thought, as their relationships break down and tragedy strikes.

This is a well acted portrayal from Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. I would recommend this film for anyone who wants to watch a heartfelt movie, and doesn't mind possibly crying at the end. Although it begins slowly I stuck with it and enjoyed it.

This film is very good. No other film has made me question the very fibre of being. I recommend this film to everyone. The best bit is when Neo and Trinity has the Uzis and just kill everyone everyone in the room. yeah, see this film.

A film that's purposly made to confuse the audience, although by using this tactic its strangely captivating. With outstanding performances by Naomi Watts, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro, the story follows our protagonists messed up lives, getting even worse, somehow finding their own lives intertwined. A film i'd definetly reccomend, although initially, very confusing. Unable to stop yourself feeling sympathetic for these misunderstood characters.

Directed by Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez and guest director Quentin Tarateno

This film is quite good with the use of black and white footage and bold blocks of colour being shown, which enhances and gives the film a very unique feel to it. The acting with in the film is very exaggerated, with an over voice going through the film telling you what the characters are thinking and what they could do next. There is a lot of Tarateno styled blood and killing action that is quite hard to understand why they are killing people in this way. There is 3 main story lines in the film and all of them are centered around love stories that turn out horribly wrong but get sorted by lots of killing and brutal beatings. The first watch is hard to get into the film and you don't really understand some of the things that are going on through the film, but it you saw it a second time it may seem much more understandable and the story lines ill make more sense.

Nicola Taylor

Whilst watching this, you can really see that The Devil's Backbone is like a rough sketch for Del Toro's later, more successful film, Pan's Labyrinth. From the very beginning, with the narrator questioning us what a ghost is, there is an eerie, uneasy atmosphere, and within five minutes of the film you're already asking questions.
The film revolves around the mystery of Santi, the ghost of a schoolboy who mysteriously died not long before Carlos, the main character, joins the poorly-run orphanage in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The Devil's Backbone also dips into thrilling sub-plots involving money, deceit and sexual relationships.
Although it is mainly based on the ghost of Santi and the horrors that surround him, the film gives you a good insight into what being a child during the time of the Civil War was like.
With a storyline that is gripping from beginning to end, twists that you really do not expect and even some pretty horrific gore, this film is a definite must-see, especially for fans of psychological thrillers such as "The Others", "The Orphanage" and "The City of Lost Children".

'The Wind that Shakes the Barley' directed by Ken Loach, is about Ireland in the 1920s fighting for independence. The main character Damien, played by Cillian Murphy, is a doctor who leaves his profession to fight for his country he deeply loves. Winning 5 out of 18 Oscar nominations 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley' gives a deep insight into the thoughts of the people caught up in the fight for independence, and their reactions to the treaties Britain presents them. A pivotal scene in the film which links its self with another is when Damien talks about giving the letters of a dead man to his relatives, and the relatives saying they don't want to see him again. Tied in with Damien's death and his letters, his brother gives Damien's letters to his relatives. The lack of background music shows how realistically based the story is, only using the music for the most intense scenes of the film. 'The wind that shakes the Barley' is a good historical film very close to the real story of Ireland's fight for independence.

'The Wind that Shakes the Barley' directed by Ken Loach, is about Ireland in the 1920s fighting for independence. The main character Damien, played by Cillian Murphy, is a doctor who leaves his profession to fight for his country he deeply loves. Winning 5 out of 18 Oscar nominations 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley' gives a deep insight into the thoughts of the people caught up in the fight for independence, and their reactions to the treaties Britain presents them. A pivotal scene in the film which links its self with another is when Damien talks about giving the letters of a dead man to his relatives, and the relatives saying they don't want to see him again. Tied in with Damien's death and his letters, his brother gives Damien's letters to his relatives. The lack of background music shows how realistically based the story is, only using the music for the most intense scenes of the film. 'The wind that shakes the Barley' is a good historical film very close to the real story of Ireland's fight for independence.

Election? Doesn’t that mean democracy? Set in a typical American high school. Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is a go-getter, ambitious candidate who will do anything in her power to win the next spot as the student council president. Her teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) ends up having to face the consequences of dealing with this over-achiever as one of his colleagues’ had his life ruined after McAllister found out that his friend and Tracy were both having an affair. In vengeance, McAllister decides to encourage Paul Metzler (Klein) a sidelined sportsman who is left with a broken leg to go up against Tracy and her solely mastermind plans.

While its very unusual to see elections bought in a mature but juvenile community. The political satire plot stands just as strong with the incredible performances played from the protagonists. The multi narration involving the views of each character is so mesmerizing that it literally tips the scale of the film. The script is somewhat mixed with intelligent and ethical issues that revolves around the individuals as the story progresses. You can just tell that there is a sense of justice in what their minds say. I admit it; it was well delivered and written.

The funny thing about Election is that it’s considered to be at the fullest extent, a black comedy. In some respect it’s true, the music that is constantly used in the film will range from a hazy light-hearted up-beat tone to a bizarrely contrived reggae style composition. Most importantly is the development of how the plot turns out. With McAllister committing what is formally called, adultery, (which ultimately contradicts his feelings at the beginning) and Tracy having a tantrum and stupefying to the highest degree of vandalism. It all turns out to be the red herring. Still, we mustn’t forget that this is a black comedy.

A dark horse candidate known as Tammy (a lesbian) has the particular intentions in reigning anarchism across the school. This was a very interesting take and twist for the film. The only unfortunate thing is that her part isn’t fully developed as the rest. Her snooty and gibberish behaviour had some likeability in contrast to her initial confidence at speech. The fact was that she was only a mere foil that could possibly disrupt the flow of the story.

As a whole, Election is like no other film that you will have encountered for a long time. It’s charismatic story and characters show a decency of remorse in the decisions we make and the sort of caricature people that we will meet in our very lifetime. If your looking for a fun heart-warming black comedy. Give Election its first vote!

Annie Hall, directed in 1977 by Woody Allen is about the up and down Romance between Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). The film is set mainly in New York with references to Alvy’s childhood in Brooklyn and Annie’s future in Los Angeles.

Although the film is quite slow moving compared to more recent films, I actually prefer this as it means the contents of the scenes are shown in more detail.
For example for a lot of the scenes long flashbacks are used to show the memories of the main characters. This gives the audience a better insight into the characters’ past.
I would say however that at some points of the film this made the order of the scenes slightly confusing but this could have been deliberate to represent the slightly random order of when Annie and Alvy were and weren’t together.

Woody Allen used quite a lot of unusual techniques in this film such as showing Alvy talking directly to the camera as if he were addressing the audience. For example in one scene he talks to the camera about a man behind him in a queue who is annoying him. The man then joins him in talking to the camera and they have an argument about their views on Marshal Mcluhen. The scene becomes even more surreal when Marshal Mchluhen joins them in their conversation.
This is a reference to earlier on in the film when Alvy mentions having a problem between fantasy and reality.
Similarly in a lot of the flashbacks Alvy and Annie enter the scenes and watch themselves as if they are reminiscing. This is quite a clever use of stylisation which I haven’t ever seen before in other films.

Overall I found Annie Hall enjoyable and funny with a witty edge and clever use of filming techniques, which probably reflect the character of Woody Allen.
The romance between Alvy and Annie is shown as comic but moving and often up and down. It reminded me of the beginning of the film when Alvy describes living under a rollercoaster as a child having an effect on the way he is when he’s older. I think this might have been a comparison to the relationship between Annie and Alvy.
The last scene of the film is my favourite, in which Alvy is reminded of a joke he knows about a man whose brother thinks he’s a chicken. He uses the joke to sum up relationships as ‘totally irrational and crazy and absurd but I guess we keep going through it because we need the eggs’.

When choosing or talking about films by the Coen brothers, The Hudsucker Proxy would not be an obvious choice to make. However, this film is a witty, satire take on corporate American businesses and American films made in the 1950s.

The story takes on a typical image, another college graduate from another town in the middle of America, who moves to New York City to become successful and to gain everything he dreams of. This man goes by the name of Norville Barnes, from Muncie, Indiana. He lands himself a job as a simple mailroom clerk at 'Hudsucker Industries', however, when the owner jumps out of the window and kills himself things start to change dramatically. The company needs a new president, so Norville Barnes is appointed, taking on the duty of the imbecile that owns the company, so the other board representatives can wait till stocks go to an all-time low and they can therefore be richer than ever before.

But then there's the newspaper reporter, who sees through this plan and through luck and her simple womanly attributes she is able to sneak her way into the company and get an inside view on things, at the same time publishing her findings in the newspaper she works for, witnessing a rocky road to success for Norville Barnes and Hudsucker Industries.

There isn't anything too complex in this Coen brothers film, the camerawork is pretty simple and the emphasis is on the characters and the acting themselves. The story is a witty one, and you can tell that the Coen brothers are simply mocking 1950s America, such as the fast talking and rapid hand movements- a necessity to 1950s acting. The whole film represents life at this time, the costumes and the settings are very accurate, especially the characters and the views they portray.

The characters have been established very clearly, you feel sympathetic for Norville Barnes and his idiotic mind and the character of Sidney Mussburger is just simply cold throughout and you realise that there is nothing nice about the man.

Overall I really enjoyed 'The Hudsucker Proxy', for it's witty take on 1950s American business and acting and of course the talented skills of John and Ethan Coen to be able to make a farce that isn't totally ridiculous.

If…
Directed by Lindsay Anderson
1968

British and ultraviolent, a lot like It's A Knockout.

If, or to give its proper name If.... is widely regarded to be a classic (if somewhat revolutionary) piece of British cinema. The film explores life in a 60's British public school as well as the groups that inhabit it and the hierarchy they are part of. Despite the film being a satirisation of public school life the characters feel very real and can be related to on numerous levels.

Even though If…. is now 40 years old it doesn’t feel nearly as dated as it should. This is probably due to the fact that the film’s themes are still relevant today, non-conformity and adolescent rebellion will always exist and as long as there are people willing to fight against social constraints and oppression this film will have it’s place. Ironically the films violent ending is similar to the current events of today rather than the time the film was made, with events such as the Virginia Tech massacre and the Columbine school shooting becoming more frequent occurrences in modern society.

This film is difficult to define in terms of genre, there are elements of drama, black comedy and surreal humour all coming together in a quirky yet very dark film, a cinematic sweet and sour, if you will.

I enjoyed If…. and found it to be an interesting film to say the least, at first I thought that the film would be more humour based and surreal than it was, in retrospect the film worked very well just as it was and given the choice I would not change it. I would recommend this film to fans of British cinema and anyone who likes their films with a little depth, but if all you want is to be entertained with something nice and simple this film probably isn’t for you.

Chris Ramsden.

One of The Coen Brothers latest film came to our screens the Coen's have adapted the crime novel by Cormac McCarthy for the big screen with breathtaking look into the Crime Thriller novel. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin. The ostensible hero is Llewellyn Moss (Brolin), a Vietnam vet who stumbles across the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong while hunting antelope in Texas. He takes a suitcase stuffed with $2 million in cash, Moss goes on the run. He realize that the suitcase is fitted with a tracking device. Following its signal is hitman Anton Chigurh (Bardem) armed with a cattle stun gun (which fires compressed air which he uses to kill his victims), Bardem's character has a menacingly calm demeanour which is portrayed very well in his scenes especially duing the scene with the gas station owner.

The birds was an amazing horror film if not slightly random. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock And starring Tippi Hedren as the lead actress. The film starts with main character Melanie (Tippi Hedren) pursuing a love interest ( Mitch) when all the birds of every kind start to attack people. When I read this on the blurb It sounded almost comical but was anything but. The scene that gripped me the most was when Melanie was outside waiting for a child (Mitch's younger sister) to come out of school . She was sitting on a bench with a cigarette and the children's singing in the background. When we start to see shots of behind her and on the children's play equipment is a crow, and then we see her and one by one, more crows appear behind her on the children's play equipment until the whole background school play area is full. She looks behinds her and slowly walks into the school to warn the children. The children come out of the slowly and are told be careful until she says run. As soon as the school, teacher says run , the birds attack the children violently.
This film was totally original and making something that seems so harmless completely terrifying. This movie builds suspense throughout and leaves the film on a cliffhanger . I thought it brilliant there was no sequel so we are left guessing.
The film is almost more scary when you can't see any birds because it builds that tension and silence.
I thought this a brilliant film and a complete original horror.

Donnie darko is the strange and surreal story of a brilliant and troubled teenager working through the strange goings on around his life.
Starring Jake Gyllenhall (The day after tommorow) and Jena Malone, this 1988 film is stunningly wierd and will get into your mind.
The effects used in this film are amazingly well done, from showing the life paths of the people in the film in a strange and unique way to the effect of ripples in an invisible wall. Not only do these effects help show how surreal the film is but the use of camera shots also helps show this. In one scene the camera rotates around showing how confused Donnie Darko's life is, and as the camera follows people all around the school you see the odd and yet at the same time normal lives of all these other students.

The plot of Donnie Darko will keep you watching till the end just to understand how all the events come together, The constant plot twists can become confusing but only add to the intensity of the film. Because of this you may need to watch it twice in order to understand the film completely.
At the begining Donnie seems like your typical troubled teen, but as the film continues you see him become darker and you are constantly wondering is what he sees is real or not, even by the end the audience still isn't completely sure if everything they saw was real or not.

The final song in the film is 'Mad world' is a beautiful song, and when you see it with the second to last scene it will send shivers up your spine.
The music in general is a good aspect to the film, with piano pieces playing everynow and again which give a creepy air to the film.

Donnie Darko is a beautiful and deeply physcological film, it will give you chills and is worth putting down as a film to see before you die.

"There's 8 million islands out here, why should they find this one?"Lord of the flies was an interesting film that was shot on a deserted tropical island. After a horrific plane crash this group of young innocent schoolboys were left stranded there, having to fend for themselves. In the beginning of this powerful story the boys elected Ralph to be their leader, but some of the other boys had a different idea. When Jack decided to start an alliance of savages that he called "hunters" who where covered in war paint and went out killing wild pigs and anything else they could eat that's when the group was divided. In this film the music played a big part because as the film progressed the music followed. In the end when the "hunters" burned down the jungle and were in pursuit of Ralph, the music sped up and the camera shots changed quickly which showed a lot of tension which was well directed. In this powerful fight for survival acting as children and not fully understanding the consequences of their actions, they started killing eachother with no hesitaion which in my mind brought the story to an emotional end. I think after the "hunters" killed Simon people joined the possessed savages out of fear not choice they thought that if they didn't join they would be killed along with Simon and Piggy who were only trying to help. This was an emotional film that was filled with violence, treachery, loyalty and death. This film was showed lots of imagination and I enjoyed watching it.

I walked into the cinema with high hopes for an intreguing fast paced action movie from a crytically acclaimed director (arguably one of the greatest visual directors of the last decade). I walked out of cinema thinking wow... I actually payed for that crap...

The plot of the sequal follows much the same outline as that of the original Hellboy, with the main character (Hellboy) facing some form of supernatural challenge, stuggling to overcome it and finally beating it. New characters are also introduced, and the plot helps to expand and deepen the 'Hellboy' universe, exploring new and colourful characters.

Hellboy 2 has been subject to mixed opinion, reviews ranging from 1 star to 9, but I can say with certainty that this is one of the worst films I've seen in a while. It has been claimed that this film is deliberatley over the top, that it is almost a parody of its own genre. Its not guys, give it up.

The thing that really made this film dissapointing... no... a complete waste of money was a combined effort by the writers and the actors. The dialogue was the worst I've seen in a film, as listening to conversation between characters (don't be fooled, there was little or no characterisation) became a chore. The dialogue simply didn't flow, and the acting was incredibly poor... comical even.

Guillame del toro's directing abilities, possibly the only reason I decided to see that film, cannot make up for such a poor story line, and with the exception of character design, I could not see much evidence of his influence at all.

The plot made no sense.... the ending of the film left me stunned, as all the characters quit there 'secret goverment orginisation' to, I quote, 'find a house in the country...' or some stupid thing... He's a GIANT RED DEVIL. His credentials include having a big fist and being red. Where the hell is he gonna get the money????

Knocked Up (2007)

Seth Rogen delivers another Hilarious hit comedy! They say that opposites attract ... Well for Super-Slacker Ben (Seth Rogen) and Career-Girl Alison (Katherine Heigl), that's certainly the case - at least for one intoxicated evening.

Two months and several pregnancy tests later, Ben and Alison go through a hysterically funny, anxious and heart-warming journey that leads to huge laughs in one of the most outrageous comedy's of the year!!

I found the film very appealing not because i am a fat stonner with a pregnant girlfriend from a one noght stand. But because Seth has Written the screen play for many other recent comedy hit movies. This cavalade includes: 'Super Bad', 'The 40 Year Old Virgin', 'Anchorman' and 'Pineapple Express'.

I really recommed giving this film a watch, because although the negative conotations that are attatched to it for being a 'teen stonner' style movie, it really does provide some mature humour. I am a big fan of Seth Rogan so i went into it knowing what to expect. Seth is not the only star of the movie though. Katherine Heigl who Co-Stars along side him prefoms the role of a pregnant women fantastically! She has really blossomed in the recent years, and has a wide variety of acting skills.

As the picture suggests, I bought the DVD which includes 3 hours of bonus features.

don't let my high aclaimation of the film be enough. I reccomend you go out of your way to see this film. I love the humour in the film and the ending. Without spoiling too much, there is a nice ending.

Josh,

well, there is not a lot to say about this, apart from it is insane people doing insanely funny things to each other/themselves, it was nomintted for several awards ad actually won one for "Most Flatulent Teen-Targeted Movie" rated 18 this film will either make you laugh or heave.

Jackass is not a typical film, it has no plot whatsoever, unless you include Bam's promise to make his mum swear by the end of the film, there is pain, vomiting and blood all mixed with comedy.

The scenes range from alligators in the house, to toy cars being put up someones rear end..., to firework rocket skates, this film is not for the squeamish, it is very entertaining and is certainly watchable if you want a good laugh

When Kidulthood was released in 2006, it caused a minor stir for its dark depiction of teenagers in contemporary Britain. Beginning with the suicide of a girl bullied at school, it showed a society where violence, drug-taking and casual sex were rife amongst the young. As the title suggests, Adulthod has grown up a little bit. The violence, drug-taking and casual sex are still rife - but now the film comes with a conscience.

Like Kidulthood, the action is set across one eventful day. Sam is now seeking to make amends for his actions. After visiting the grave of the boy he killed, he meets his old girlfriend Claire, only to find out she's now seeing another guy. He hooks up with Lexi, cousin to Becky, who has gone crazy since the events of the first film. Meanwhile Jay is desperate to avenge the death of his friend, Trife, while Moony just wants to get on with his life as a student and forget the events of the past.

While none of the urgency of the original has been lost, what does emerge from the film is a sense of regret, as though some - if not all - the characters have begun to realise their actions have consequences. Note the touching scene where Sam returns home to find the lock changed. "You make me feel so ashamed," his mother tells him, after he busts down the door in frustration. Meanwhile, new characters like Lexi, whose only friend is her cocaine habit, also show the dire results of hanging with the wrong crowd.

Despite the downbeat tone, Adulthood is still humorous in places, such as the scene when Lexi asks Sam if he'd like a drink. "What have you got?" he replies. "Water," she says. "Might have some Um Bongo in the cupboard." Or the sequence where dope dealer Jay robs his own customer: edgy but it still raises a smile. With Jaime Winstone's character absent from the film - a great pity, as she was the most memorable thing about Kidulthood - it's moments like this that keep Adulthood alive.

This was an intense and exciting film, when one man is on a brutal persute to find his daughter, who is kidnapped in france. As a retired CIA opretive agent he is equipped with certain skills which he finds extremely usefull in this brillint action film of the year. This film in my opinion has beaten james bond and the Bourne trillogy because it was very fast pace and it was quite emotional the fact that it showed you how much he cared about his daughter.

"The Eye" is a very enjoyable movie. Sydney does see dead people. As well as fragmented memories, she has also inherited her psychic donor‘s gift/curse of being able to see people‘s deaths just before they happen. This leads to several hair–raising moments and a couple of heartbeat–skipping ones as French directors, David Moreau and Xavier Palud, put all the classic horror tricks to good use, for example the camera sticking closely to a wall before turning a corner to find… Boo! Alba is very easy on the eye (pun intended) and needs to be for the technique of repeatedly having big close–ups of her face to obscure the thing in the background to work. However, her performance here is noteworthy too, creating an interesting dynamic between Sydney and the audience in that Sydney, having just regained her sense of sight, is afraid of what she can see, whereas the audience, while sympathising with Sydney‘s situation, is afraid of what they can‘t."The Eye" is a remake of the low budget 2002 Hong Kong film of the same name and the latest in an increasingly long line of Hollywood remakes of Asian horror movies. Normally the phrase "Hollywood remake" is far more horrifying for a movie fan than anything the film may contain, but "The Eye" is the exception that proves the rule. What the so–called "Extreme" Asian movies do best is put horror into familiar modern settings, in the case of "The Eye" – an apartment building. The 2008 version replicates this success then and uses its bigger budget to build on it through tried and tested Hollywood techniques. Prime L.A. real estate will never look the same again.

Dark, grim, haunting and visionary, "The Dark Knight" is nothing short of brilliant, the best and scariest comic hero adaptation you are likely to see this summer season, and perhaps during the whole year. At least two notches above "Batman Begins," this follow-up represents Christopher Nolan's most accomplished and mature work, and mind you, he is one of the few Hollywood directors who have never made a bad picture. Celebrating his first decade as a filmmaker, from the short, small-budget and modest noir" Following," through the clever and witty post-modernist noir "Memento," through the well-acted and skillfully shot "Insomnia," through the visual extravaganza of "The Prestige," Nolan has continued to sharpen his skills and now works at the top of his form. He is a unique director for whom bigger scale, larger budget, and more polished state-of-the-art special effects translate into all-around better picture; for most directors, it's usually the other way round.
This is not just a good comic book adaptation film, its a good action film.

If it’s not a giant gorilla or lizard, it’s a huge monster, that has smaller monsters falling off it! ‘Cloverfield’ is the third film that has introduced another 100ft sightseeing monster into Manhattan, destroying everything in its path! And that’s basically the plot. However this film had a bit more of a twist, in comparison to other monster- eating -everything movies.
The unique and original concept behind ‘Cloverfield’ had the potential to take the typical Hollywood film in a new direction. Filmed in the eyes of one man, using a hand- held video camera; the film produces an interesting array of shots. Intriguing shots, where you get small glimpses of the monster, from behind a building, as the camera whizzes past it. This combined with the special effects, gave the movie an aspect that hasn’t been seen before on such a huge level. Also the film’s great lighting gave it a real sense of panic and chaos, by often showing things creeping out of shadows and darkness. This brilliant forward thinking aspect of the film, clearly set itself aside from the usual ‘Godzillary’ type film. Sadly the rest of the film didn’t follow in this unique trend.
The step- aside this film took away from the usual Hollywood stereotype movie, wasn’t far enough, and heavily clashed with the typical convention of an American action film. The film was poisoned with a sickening love interest that leaned the film into a disappointing plot. Now rather than simply watching people flee the city in chaos, you find yourself lulled into a story of man rescuing the girl he loves, against all odds. This aspect of ‘Cloverfield’ along with the typical boring comments, made by the characters, that are far too calmly spoken, taking into account there’s a monster chasing them up the street, set the film down the same road most American films take. Very quickly the brilliance of ‘Cloverfield’ wears off, and you soon find yourself rooting for the monster, hoping it will sooner than later eat the script and characters, who’s only response to everything seems to be, “Dude…What is that?”

For an American action movie, visually it has stepped out of the stereotypical box, that most monster action movies stew in. This idea of a film, shot almost like a documentary, giving the feel of a realistic approach, could have made the film brilliant. But the disappointing storyline, revolving around a love interest, along with the unnatural lines, made this film not quite the original triumph as it possibly could have been.

Director: Matt Reeves
(contains spoilers)

After the tauntingly teasing trailers that Lost producer J.J Abbrams drip-fed us for months, was Cloverfield worth the hype? For some, the reaction, “Finally! An original monster movie!” To others, this was just The Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla, with more epileptic fits. To me, it was a surprisingly engaging movie, and though not a totally original concept, one that was well executed. I always welcome a challenge to genre rules and this film had a refreshing twist. Admittedly, the characters may have been less than lovable – you have a serious problem when your movie rotates around saving the life of a girl that the audience finds boring, not to mention a bit of a bitch. In fact, the only interesting characters to me were Marlena and Hud (Lizzy Caplan and T.J. Miller), one of whom was almost always behind the camera. Beth (Odette Yustman), on the other hand – was she worth two people dieing for? Was she in fact worth everyone dieing for? Most importantly – was she worth the hot girl dieing for? My answer….a big fat No. But, that’s just me.

However, technically I thought the movie was brilliant. It’s a tough thing, creating a giant CGI monster that won’t ruin your illusion of realism, but somehow these guys did it. The special effects of this film were almost always excellent, and the monster had so much character and life…more so than some of our heroes. I’d like to know more about the monster, the poor thing. And doesn’t Abbrams just know it? If Lost is anything to go by, the rumours and conspiracy theories surrounding this movie and it’s possible sequel are just the beginning (Damn it, Abbrams, you must be a really annoying, secretive person to be friends with. “Hey, J, where’s the keys?”…yeah, have fun un-riddling that answer). Anyway, I digress.

The camera-work and lighting were also excellent. There’s a fine line between realistic but unwatchable and squeaky-clean cinema, and they trod this line very well. Another highly dangerous line was the 911 line; reminding an audience of that event is a gutsy move, but was in this case effective. Background sounds were also very well used. After having no backing score, the sudden presence of music in the apartment-block lobby creeped me out no end, and it took me a moment to even realise why. But most of all, I think the un-sung hero of this film was the editor. With a picture that consists of so many continuous shots, it’s a skilful thing to know where to cut, and the flashback snippets to Rob and Beth’s old film was a beautiful touch. It kept us focused on the task at hand, made sure that their painful yet uninteresting relationship ran throughout the heart of the film and upset us with the fact that, like their lives, the footage was steadily being destroyed by this crisis. The ending clip was shamefully cheesy, but damn it, it creeped me out anyway, and fitted with the charmingly ironic tone that was our young couple (Michael Stahl-David, Odette Yustman) dieing at the hands of the Americans, after everything. Geez! They should never have gotten in that helicopter – haven’t they watched I Am Legend?

All in all, a very good effort and 85 minutes of my life well spent, but I pray to God there aren’t many sequels. Pirates of the Caribbean 4? More than one High School Musical? Even ONE High School Musical?! It makes me weep, it truly does.