Tag: Movie

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X-Men (2000) Review

Ben

If what I understand about how films are made is correct, then Roger Mussenden deserves a special award for his work on X-Men. Roger was the person that (if my understanding is correct) has some hand in casting Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto and the biggest, and probably most surprising success of all, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The scenes between Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are brilliantly acted and set up the more serious tone for X-Men. This isn’t a goofy, light-hearted superhero film, like Raimi’s Spiderman had been or the attempt at the Fantastic Four film had ended … Continue reading X-Men (2000) Review

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Mallrats (1995) Review

Ben

I used to consider myself a fan of Kevin Smith but when I look back at his films that I have seen, I soon realise that he isn’t quite as good as I first thought. You can’t really fault Clerks. Its original, pure “indie” and something quite unique, a film where nothing really happens but your attention doesn’t drift. Around the same time as I watched Clerks, I also caught Dogma. I loved Dogma, it was a film that effectively highlighted the absurdity of religion while still being very funny. From that moment on, I considered myself a Kevin Smith … Continue reading Mallrats (1995) Review

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Boy A (2007) Review

Ben

Boy A is both an interesting and brave film. Handled differently, it could have very easily gone a different way and become a shocking, mock-biopic, too close to real life to be taken seriously. Instead, we get a film that is well-thought out, underplays the drama and actually, somehow, makes you feel sorry for a character that many would write off from the beginning. It’s also very brave because it mirrors true-events so closely. Most people in Britain, over the age of maybe 20, would know the story of James Bulger and the two young boys who murdered him. They went to … Continue reading Boy A (2007) Review

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We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011) Review

Ben

Some films can have great performances, a gripping and well delivered story, all wrapped up in a perfect piece of direction, but still fail to hit the mark. We Need to Talk About Kevin had this feel about it. The performances were fantastic, the story was really interesting and maintained my interest from beginning to end and the way the film was shot made sense but I didn’t feel that impressed with it afterwards. I haven’t read the book but know that the story is told through letters in the novel. This obviously wouldn’t be effective on-screen but I do … Continue reading We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011) Review

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Real Steel (2011) Review

Ben

Real Steel both surprised me and annoyed me. It surprised me because for the first half of the film, maybe even three-quarters, I was genuinely impressed and really enjoyed it. It disappointed me because it suddenly seemed to become a ultra-kids film for the last half an hour and seemingly undid all the positives that had gone before. I say it surprised me because I watched it thinking it was going to be a light, Hugh Jackman vehicle, with him “phoning it in” and getting to act alongside cool, huge robots, with CGI doing most of the heavy lifting. While there are … Continue reading Real Steel (2011) Review