Author: Ben

A film fan who likes to write reviews about every film they have seen. Been writing reviews on every film I've seen since 2008!
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Unknown (2011) Review

Ben

Liam Neeson is a believable, brilliant action hero for one reason above all others; he’s an “everyman.” What I mean by “everyman” for anyone that isn’t familiar with the term, is that he is a hero who could be anyone. He doesn’t have a huge advantage over anyone else or characteristics that make him stand-out from your average man. He hasn’t got a huge build like Arnie and Sly or have specific skills which have made him famous, like the martial arts of Segal or Van Damme. Liam Neeson is an appealing action hero because he could be you! That was part … Continue reading Unknown (2011) Review

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The Foot Fist Way (2006) Review

Ben

If you are going to stretch what is essentially a sketch show character into a film that runs for about an hour and a half, you have to do a good job of fleshing out his story. Sketch show characters usually have one joke that keeps being repeated in different situations. To then try to take that popularity and make it last for over ninety minutes is ambitious and something I’ve only seen work a few times. Sacha Baron Cohen just about makes it work. Borat was brilliant because he took the character but put him in “real life” situations. He just about … Continue reading The Foot Fist Way (2006) Review

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Body of Lies (2008) Review

Ben

You can have two great actors, a fantastic director and a weighty story but still make an average film. Body of Lies is the perfect example of this. The two leads, Leonardo Di Caprio and Russell Crowe, are stars that would attract any number of people to a film on their names alone. Di Caprio is fantastic in The Departed and Inception and Crowe is equally as good in Gladiator or 3.10 to Yuma. With two stars this big attached, you’d expect the film to be of a very high quality. The same with the director. Ridley Scott directs Body of … Continue reading Body of Lies (2008) Review

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Total Recall (1990) Review

Ben

I have one main issue with Arnold Schwarzenegger; I will never look like him! I don’t mean “win the lottery, get plastic surgery and change my face” look like him but I’ll never be the size of Arnie. I’m sure I could manage it eventually if I put the work in, trained for a ridiculous amount of hours everyday, eat the right foods and took the right vitamins/steroids but I’m lazy. I’m a guy who loves to spend hours on end watching films of all different types so the thought of me dedicating my life to becoming the size of Arnie … Continue reading Total Recall (1990) Review

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Huge (2010) Review

Ben

I hate watching a film and thinking “this is a missed opportunity.” Especially when it starts so strongly and clearly has some great talent, both in front of and behind the camera. Huge is perfect example of a wasted opportunity. It has all the potential to tell a great story, something I would have found interesting and could have been told in a professional and realistic way, especially judging on the cameos that appear in this film. Huge is about two men who decide, after one heckles another during his stand-up act, to become a comedy double-act. They then attempt to write a … Continue reading Huge (2010) Review

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Kelly’s Heroes (1970) Review

Ben

I think realism, the bloody, gritty, scary elements to war, is what makes a film from that genre successful. That is why I usually avoid any older war films, like The Longest Day, The Eagle has Landed or even Zulu. I always believe the best war films show the grittiness of war and portray the horrors, like Saving Private Ryan, Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket. I definitely didn’t think you could have a classic, comedic film about World War 2. I was wrong though… Kelly’s Heroes is funny. From the very beginning, when we meet our bombarded, desperate and dishevelled platoon of … Continue reading Kelly’s Heroes (1970) Review

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Yes Man (2008) Review

Ben

I was worried about Yes Man being a decent adaptation of the book from the trailer alone. I love the Danny Wallace autobiographical book about his experiences when he said yes to every opportunity that arose for one year. It was funny, sad, unbelievable but at the same time rooted in realism and tragedy that it worked. Even if Wallace had embellished aspects of the story, it all stayed very believable and wasn’t so silly and so extreme that you ever thought he may actually be making it up. I then saw the trailer with Jim Carrey. The fact that … Continue reading Yes Man (2008) Review

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Bridesmaids (2011) Review

Ben

Any film should be very careful about associating itself with a successful film from the past. You always see on posters things like “from the makers of” or “from the producers of” or in the case of Bridesmaids “Better than…” The last one is usually from a critic, a small soundbite from someone who liked the film. That isn’t something the filmmakers can control but then again, they don’t have to put it on the cover of the DVD box. It’s the biggest part of the Bridesmaids DVD box. Right at the top, “Better than the Hangover.” This was actually from Cosmopolitan magazine … Continue reading Bridesmaids (2011) Review

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Lord of the Flies (1963) Review

Ben

The problem some films are going to have is that they are a victim of the time they were made. Some films are classed as timeless because they tell a story that means you can overlook a film’s shortcomings or the film is made in such a way that it still holds up as watchable today. Most films will be a victim of the limitations of the time. The production will be full of dodgy cuts, shocking effects or terrible acting but will be let through because at the time, it was seen as a suitable or acceptable way to … Continue reading Lord of the Flies (1963) Review

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Prometheus (2012) Review

Ben

Prometheus should never have been the prequel to Alien. In fact, Alien didn’t actually need a prequel. Ridley Scott has said in numerous interviews in preparation for this film that he always thought there was a story to tell behind the original spaceship where the crew in the original Alien found the eggs and what has now been called the “Space Jockey.” He was probably the only one… I never really remember watching the original and ever really caring what the story behind the “Space Jockey” was and why the spaceship had crashed. I was more intrigued by the eggs and what … Continue reading Prometheus (2012) Review