Review7 Comments

Skyfall (2012) Review

Ben

Casino Royale wasn’t a Bond film. I’m talking about the more recent Casino Royale, the fantastic film that introduced us to Daniel Craig’s brilliant version of Bond. The film that managed to pull Bond into the 21st century after the franchise had become a joke and a cliché. That’s why Casino Royale wasn’t a “proper” Bond film. To reinvent Bond for the (I hate to say it) Bourne generation, you had to remove the raised eyebrow, the drink, the gadgets, the same tried and tested formula and even, in the most extreme cut of all, the Bond theme itself. It was a … Continue reading Skyfall (2012) Review

Review, TV1 Comment

Moone Boy (Season 1) TV Review

Ben

Because I review a whole tv series rather than individual episodes, there is a chance of spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the whole series yet, stop reading now! No matter what setting you choose for a sitcom or who your characters are, you won’t ever be able to beat the sitcoms set in and around a family. The most successful or memorable are the sitcoms that focus on the family dynamic, Only Fools and Horses being one key example, The Royle Family being another. They probably make double the amount of sitcoms set in and around families than they do … Continue reading Moone Boy (Season 1) TV Review

Review5 Comments

Battle Royale (2000) Review

Ben

I would like to see a Battle Royale Hollywood remake. Not because I think it needs it, I don’t, I think Battle Royale is very good as it is, but because I’d be interested in how they handled it. In a time when money and reaching the largest available audience forces films like Die Hard 4 to tone itself down for a more inclusive certification, how would they handle or what would they change about a very mature film like Battle Royale. I’m intrigued because I think the mature element is what makes Battle Royale so unique and successful as a movie. It’s not the … Continue reading Battle Royale (2000) Review

Review, TV2 Comments

Bad Education (Season 1) TV Review

Ben

Because I review a whole tv series rather than individual episodes, there is a chance of spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the whole series yet, stop reading now! I’m now going to be a complete hypocrite. I’ve reviewed two sitcoms recently (Trollied and Gates) and highlighted, as positives, how closely they try to show a mundane but recognisable environment and find the humour in that. Bad Education does something similar, but then veers off in its own direction. The sitcom is set in a secondary school, following the lives of the teachers and students at the school. This has … Continue reading Bad Education (Season 1) TV Review

Review4 Comments

Quarantine (2008) Review

Ben

Quarantine is pointless. As a film, it’s actually a waste of time. A waste of the actors time, the directors time and possibly worst of all, the audiences time. Quarantine is the very common form of movie, the remake. Except Quarantine fits into a very specific category of remake, the worst kind, the scene for scene, exact remake. Quarantine is a remake of the Spanish film REC which was released in 2007, literally the year before. I can understand why the remake exists. The first film is considered a foreign language movie. It’s understandably in Spanish and is viewed with English subtitles … Continue reading Quarantine (2008) Review

Views8 Comments

My Rule of Two for Television

Ben

Always watch the first two episodes of any new television series before you decide to stop watching. It’s a simple rule but its one that I always use when I’ve found a new television series. There is a basic reason behind this. Every now and again, a tv show will have a brilliant pilot episode. Lost, Heroes, Prison Break and Flashforward are all good examples of television shows with fantastic pilots. The pilots grabbed your attention, they had huge budgets that meant that they could amaze an audience and pull them in before actually establishing the main themes/format of the series. … Continue reading My Rule of Two for Television

Review4 Comments

Hamlet 2 (2008) Review

Ben

I feel sorry for Steven Coogan. He gives me the impression, through his choice of roles and comments made in some of his more “personal” tv and film work, that he wants to be a big star in Hollywood. That he believes it is his time. There were some great scenes in the amazing “The Trip” (in which he played a version of himself) where he got numerous calls from his agent only to be told that he was being offered the role of the villain in a film or the comedy relief. I feel sorry for Steve Coogan because I think … Continue reading Hamlet 2 (2008) Review

Review, TV2 Comments

Gates (Season 1) TV Review

Ben

Because I review a whole tv series rather than individual episodes, there is a chance of spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the whole series yet, stop reading now! Gates takes the original situation of a school yard at “dropping-off” and “picking-up” time. As the series develops, the real location becomes the primary school as a whole, but the real comedy is in the increasingly strange but funny characters that all have some root in truth. Our central characters are the most “normal.” They are the parents of Chloe, played by Tom Ellis and Joanna Page. Of course, they have their … Continue reading Gates (Season 1) TV Review

Review1 Comment

Looper (2012) Review

Ben

Before I saw Looper, I drove past a billboard poster which had a very bold but excitement-inducing statement across the top – “This decade’s The Matrix.” Now I love The Matrix. Its one of my favourite films (I even like the second one but I won’t get into that argument here.) So when I see a statement like that, I’m expecting benchmark-setting special effects, mind-blowing action, a very cool story and a concept that keeps you thinking way after you have left the cinema. I can see why that comparison was made. There are some aspects to Looper that are very Matrix. Its … Continue reading Looper (2012) Review

Views1 Comment

Just a little break….

Ben

You may have noticed its been a while since I’ve posted anything. You may not have… which is fine too. This is just a courtesy heads-up that I’ve been unexpectedly busy so haven’t had chance to update the blog like I usually would. I am going to give it another week and then get back on here properly. So if you are usually hanging on my every word, don’t fret, I’ll be back soon! Continue reading Just a little break….