Well this was a real treat for me! I am a massive Arnie fan so watching this was a no brainer! I love the cheesy lines and the slightly unbelievable action sequences considering his age! However this film hits all the right spots. Arnie has not been defeated by his age but has come to terms with it by still holding his ground as one of the top action hero's while still maintaining a realistic edge.
This film has romance, action, more action and guns! What more could you ask for? I like the storyline of a highly dangerous drug cartel crossing the small town in his massive escape route to the Mexican Boarder to be faced with an unlikely team of misfits who come together to defend their Town. I also like the slight dig at the FBI who couldn't manage to stop the gangster while the small town of Sommerton had no problem!
What I love about Schwarzenegger films is the fact that you always come away from them remembering a tag line or a quote and this film does deliver:
''We are not going to let that guy come through our town without a fight''
My only niggling issue is the fact that Eduardo Noregia who played this ruthless drug cartel (Gabriel) is not really scary enough. He is very small and kind of cringey in his mannerisms (when trying to act tough) so I wish we had a better villain to fear! I fully enjoyed the fight scene at the end, as he showed some expert fighting moves but he was no match - seriously I felt like jumping in!
Good film, Great action sequences but not a tough enough cartel to take on Arnie!
Stuck for something to see at the flicks this week? Not too sure if a three hour film about some Hobbit you thought you had left behind in Lord of the Rings is the one for you (no offence but I am kind of anti-fantasty in some respects)? Well Jack Reacher is an easy choice as it combines all the great things that make a good film with one of the great action stars who is now doing a role suited to his age yet still a badass (a short bad ass but a badass none the less).
What a film! Tom Cruise is believable and it has a great action/comedy mix! I really enjoyed trying to figure out who was behind the crimes and it had some great acting to boot! Good casting and a sound storyline.
Another demon possession film...this time based on a young girl who becomes possessed...sound familiar? Yes this storyline has been exhausted so why use your hard earned money to take a trip to the cinema to watch this latest edition of possession films?
Well firstly, the plot regarding the yard sale and the Jewish demon box that hoards evil spirits is quite interesting, the way it tries to find innocent minds to lure them into a friendship, manipulate them and eventually become them is a slight twist on the other humdrum films. I like that element and the acting of young Natasha Calis is worth a watch regardless as she is menacing and creepy while maintaining a likeable and innocent aura.
Secondly there are some genuinely creepy moments that will keep you on the edge of your seat, mainly watching Em’s violent outbursts and discovering what is actually inside her but in general the film does have a very similar outline to that of The Exorcist and The Exorcism of Emily Rose and I would say the second of those films is slightly more scary than this film. The only other downfall to this film is the slightly silly ending. I always find if you see too much, the mystery is over. That can be said for any paranormal/horror films. They always take it too far and spoil the initial suspense and fear.
I would say watch this film if this is your kind of genre as having the cinema atmosphere does make it a little scarier but it does have a familiar format with a few new twists.
Well what can I say - Shia Lebeouf and Tom Hardy in one film....thumbs up just from the casting! I did really enjoy this film purely for the thrill factor of manly violence! The film focuses on the three Bondurant brothers who have a reputation for being invincible and it is all about their perils in the illegal alcohol business during the Depression-era.
A crooked police officer (Charlie Rakes) is after their shares and will go to any extreme to either put them out of business or take it for himself. Pearce plays this slimy character with great conviction and he leaves you with a bitter taste of disgust from his very mannerisms to the low-life violent acts he commits.
What I love about this film is the brothers’ loyalty and tough nature. The two eldest brothers show Jack tough love to help make him a man as at first he really cannot handle himself and is not really worthy of the invincible tagline the brothers seem to have developed as a reputation.
Hardy is the real star here showing a side to a lawless villain that most don’t see. At first you would assume his lifestyle is unsavoury (which it is) but you would associate a negative persona with this but he is in fact a caring and protective sort who has just chosen a different path to go down during hard times.
To be fair many seem to have chosen the same path in this lucrative business but with less profit and fear factor. He is violent but only when necessary and knows how to look after himself. He is a fair character who doesn’t want his brother (Jack) to be in the business at first, other than as the ignorant driver but eventually has to ease him in after he discovers his business and his brother’s well being is at stake. He is a survivor and seems to find himself escaping death on more than one occasion.
Charlie underestimates the brothers as well as their influence on the locals. He feels he is above the law as he has them wrapped round his little finger but it is in fact the Bondurant Brothers who eventually stand up to him and take back the towns dignity. There really is a sense of mutual relief and victory when they all take a stand against Charlie which is what everyone wants in a film - someone to hate and see purged ensuring justice is served!
Overall this film has everything you could want - action, a touch of comedy and a hint of romance. Excellent acting and some very poignant scenes that really reflect the calibre of acting for this new generation of Class A actors! A must see in my view and it definitely deserves the 18 rating!
Plot: Two not so likely friends from high school pair up to join to Police. They befriend each other for the benefit of their work and become closer than they ever imagined considering their unsavoury friendship at school. However the two are forced to go undercover at a high school due to their unprofessional behaviour on the job and their youthful appearances. This forces them to re-live high school and track down a drug ring within the school supplying a synthetic drug with severe side effects.
This film, 21 Jump Street 2012 is based on the original Television Series starring Johnny Depp which ran from 1987 to 1991 with a total of 103 episodes. The film follows a similar plot with up to date elements. The two starring actors are perfectly cast to play the popular guy (Jenko) and the nerd (Schmidt). Some may say this film follows a stereotypical framework but it works within the film and it is a common theme within high school situations.
What I love about this adaptation is the genuine chemistry between Hill and Tatum. The snippet at the beginning of the film highlights their disputes but also shows us a brief similarity the boys have, one being popular but not having a chance at college while the other is academic but not having any luck with friends or girls. You see them both have a brief tearful moment which inevitably brings them closer together when they are both reunited as they enrol with the Police.
They are assigned park duty and do their best to arrest drug dealers which leads them facing undercover duty with Captain Dickson due to their behaviour during the 'chase' and their youthful looks. They are considered a joke on the force as Schmidt lacks the balls to shoot and carry out an arrest while Jenko has the tough demeanour but doesn't even know the Miranda rights.
This task takes them back in time, Schmidt is terrified he will have to re-live the torment he suffered at school while Jenko thinks he will breeze through just as he did in the past. There is a mix up and the boys have to take each other's classes. The boys have to try and track down the ring leaders within the school but school since their day has drastically changed and their roles are reversed, causing uneasy tension leading their bond to be questioned.
Some of the funniest scenes come from Hill and Tatum's interactions with each other. The scene in the bathroom where they try not to ingest the drug given to them by Eric, the eco-friendly popular drug dealer, is by far the funniest I have seen in a very long time.
I love the fact that Schmidt gets a taste of the popular life and Jenko gets to make genuine friends and realise he has so much more potential. The film shows how difficult high school can be and how much you can miss out on depending on what route you choose to take. The moral to the story, that Schmidt and Jenko genuinely care and love each other, just like the brother's they are playing for this undercover operation, is heart warming.
My View: This film rivals that of Superbad 2007 and Pineapple Express 2008. It has slapstick humour, laugh out loud moments and a good message behind it all. I was engaged throughout and that is my kind of film! I am a big Jonah Hill fan but I now have a new love for Channing Tatum (not just for his looks, which I have always favoured) as his comedic skills really shone in this film. There are a few twists and a shocker at the end so this should be on your list to watch and it will be on my DVD list to purchase for sure!
Plot: Set in 1891, Holmes is in the pursuit of Moriarty who seems to be at the heart of many unrelated terrorist events and murders. Holmes seems to be the only person tracking Moriarty and enlists the help of his trusted friend, Dr. Watson, even if he is attempting to enjoy his honeymoon after arriving drunk at his own wedding thanks to Holmes. Holmes saves Madam Simza from an assassin sent to kill her after a letter from her brother informs her of potential events linked to Moriarty. Her and her brother were involved in anarchist groups before she escaped when they became too serious. Her brother may now be the key to all the conspiracy and may help Holmes stop Moriarty from his plan to create a World War using said anarchists since he owns a number of war-profiting manufacturer's. Holmes and Watson are on one last job to save the world from this potential supervillian!
I saw this film advertised not long ago and it didn't really catch my eye purely because I never made the time to watch the first film, Sherlock Holmes (2009). I would of preferred to have written this review after watching the first film, however after watching the second, I can't bring myself to do that. It really wasn't the film for me for a number of reasons. I can highlight some strengths and will do so in this review but I feel it could have been a lot better than it was.
The films plot, I feel, is far too complex and advanced for the times and I believe today's audiences would still prefer a far simpler, less Jackie Chan-esque Sherlock Holmes as the hero! Downey Jr. is a great comedic actor and definitely holds in own in this film but in my mind, Sherlock uses his intelligence to solve crimes in London, not his fists.
Nowadays we seem to be far more sensitised to violence and feel the need to see it in every film. I believe the fight scenes and over the top action sequences take away from the films potential. It begins in London and then ends up in Switzerland before anyone has even grasped what the hell is going on! The fact is, a good plot is the very essence of a good film. If your audience are left wondering what has happened for the last 129 minutes, you have done something wrong.
Ritchie did direct a fantastic scenic film, with beautiful shots of Paris, Germany and Switzerland and of course, credit is given to the action scenes even if I do think they are too much. Law and Downey Jr. have great chemistry and bounce off each other in their scenes together, there were a few laughs throughout the film so it does encompass comedy and action well.
I did love the character of Madam Simza, the gypsy fortune teller who was part of the anarchist group involved in this war mystery. She is beautifully gracious in all of the fight scenes, she is strong and intelligent, the perfect accomplice for the dynamic duo of Sherlock and Watson. Law for me was the star of this film, he was perfect as Holmes's sidekick and was effortlessly likable.
My favourite scene was when Sherlock Holmes was disguised as a woman in the train, he was attempting to save Watson on his way to his honeymoon disclosing 'I agree, it's not my best disguise'. I liked the fact that Holmes would go to such obvious extremes to reach his target and still get away with it. Although this got some laughs, I feel true fans of any Sherlock mystery would find the new film adaptations a little too slapstick.
The character of Moriarty was well casted with Jared Harris as he has a very suspicious and cold-hearted air to him. He acted well throughout and was a believable villain. However the character of Sherlock Holmes's brother being casted as Stephen Fry I feel is too undermined, he is far too good to be cast as such a minor character! He was fantastic in the film as the eccentric brother.
My view: The film is good for action lovers. It is worth watching if you like well thought out fight sequences but not if you love mysteries being solved with intellect and having a vintage, old school edge to it. I would have liked it to be less up-to-date and more true to the day it would have been set in.
Let me know if you would like this voting system out of 10 to get an idea of this films rating or not! Contact me on @Trishaaa_ or comment below. Also let me know your views of this film.
I made my way to the cinema this weekend to watch the film In Time featuring the singer-turned-actor Justin Timberlake. I was very interested to watch him in a feature film as he has worked hard building up his acting portfolio with well chosen roles and films. He has recently been the lead in the film Friends with Benefits which I have not seen yet but this film took my fancy as it seemed to be a novel concept and an action-thriller which is my kind of film!
The film is based around the idea that people are genetically engineered to live up until the age of 25. After that point they live on a year by year basis and use their time as currency. This being the case, bills and payments mean they lose their valuable time just trying to live. Once your time is up however, if you cannot keep your clock ticking, you time out.
This then highlights the fact that the rich can live on forever as they have the availability of money to keep on buying their time, while the poor are living in the ghetto struggling for survival. They end up living by the day or hour fighting for their time. This results in having time-keepers to keep track of those living in the ghetto and those called 'minute men' who steal people's time. Naturally in hard times, there will be thieves and enforcers and the film focuses on the idea that people will do anything to keep on living forever; keeping the balance between the rich and poor.
The film begins with Will (Timberlake) being given time as a gift from a man who has enough funds to be able to be immortal but he is mentally unable to cope with living beyond his 105 years. This gift brings inevitable trouble for Will as he is hunted for this time by those who want to keep the balance and those who want to steal his Centuries.
I was pleasantly surprised by Timberlake's performance throughout the film. He had a very good screen presence and was believable as a tough-guy. Amanda Seyfield has always been a favourite actress of mine as she has such beauty and poise. She was perfect for the role as the frivolous rich girl who wanted some thrills in her never ending time battle.
Sylvia (Seyfield) is kidnapped by Will to help him stay alive while he is investigated for the death of the man who gave him his precious time. She is from the wealthiest family and romance inevitably blossoms between these two while on the run. She becomes engulfed in this battle to help those less fortunate to have their much needed time. She plays the bad-ass character very well and is quite believable as this reckless fugitive.
People in the ghetto were also able to give each other time to help each other out, or in other cases, fight each other for their time. This applied to the rich but was not as openly used other than for gambling or gifts. This is an interesting and not very well explained concept. The idea that you can transfer your time is a necessary element to the film as this is how they survive but the whole idea of how this idea came about is not explained in the film other than the illusive 'genetically engineered' tag.
I do however, love the question that this films brings to the forefront of the viewers mind throughout. Would you live forever? This question is riddled with possibilities but it does highlight the fact that we are born to die. Our bodies are designed to grow old, along with our minds. This films stresses the idea that we could be designed to stay young and have our minds grow old and how this would take it's toll on us. I love how this film brings so many questions of our existence to light.
My view: A very interesting concept and some very well acted scenes. The scene with Will running towards his mother just as she times out is one of my favourites and highlights Timberlake's acting abilities very well. This film has some missing explanations but is well thought out nonetheless.
