Just a couple of Friday questions

Just a couple of questions floating around my head today. Both vaguely "time" themed in two different ways:

I was at the cinema last week watching "Predators" (which was awesome fun, despite any sign of Arnie or Jesse Ventura) and noticed (as I have done on several occasions) two guys walking in together and sitting down in their seats with a space between them. One empty seat splitting them. Why is this? It's 20-freaking-10. You are grown mid-20-something year olds. This is not 5th grade P.E. where simply admitting friendship with another boy will result in outcries of "Gaylord! Gaylord!" for the next 18 years of your life (and counting!).

Two queens forget the "one seat" rule

How does one seat even make a difference? You still invited another dude to come sit with you in a dark room for 2 hours. On a Saturday night. And brought "snacks".

PLLUSSSSSS!!!! - It was really freakin distracting when you had to reach over to kiss.
Also on my mind is this:

I was on the phone today with one of those mail places. The ones that photocopy, fax, take your UPS deliveries, sell you packaging stuff and have an endless supply of peanuts.

Dry Roasted or lightly salted?

I needed to run down there and drop off a fed-ex parcel but wanted to make sure the driver hadn't already been and gone. So I said:

"Hi, umm what time do you guys close today?"

"It's Friday so 5pm"

"Great, has your Fed-Ex already been?"

"Yeah, he came in about an hour ago and we usually have to give him 3 hours warning (WTF?)"

"Oh, O.K. Any ideas?"

"Well, how big is your package?"

"....."(laughs until cries)"...."(hangs up).

Question: Is that SO wrong?

"It's THIS big"

Those Forr'un films

For all you out there that don't like those strange, foreign films where they talk a bit funny and usually drive on the wrong side of the road, DON'T check out "Shiver" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" because you won't like them.

If however, you have realised that Hollywood ran out of original plot ideas about 20 years ago, then forgot to re-hire any decent writers after the strike, and decided to plump for big pew pew pew blockbuster movies (in 3D with a surcharge of course) you may have noticed that the "decent movie" market is quickly being populated by countries all over the world.

You can get those two movies on Netflix Instant Streaming right now (woot!) and I also thoroughly recommend "Let the right one in". Yay, for other countries!

Transformers 2: Movie in disguise

If you have 2 and half hours and really enjoy large robots beating the crap out of each other then Transformers 2 is for you. It's basically 180 minutes of CGI and Shia Labeouf looking annoyed and shouting a lot.

If, however, you were actually expecting a film (i.e. plot, story, character development, themes, direction, acting) then I would save your money. You won't find any of that here.

District 9: The Good Review

Due to some rather less than positive blog posts from my good friend "The Film Geek" I thought I better step up and defend District Nine. Not that it needs much defending. If you have read any of the hype, it's mostly all true. I'm even going as far as saying this is one of the most important Sci-fi movies of the decade.

The plot is fairly simple. Aliens have landed on Earth and we have treated them like crap. They live in a slum area called district nine but are being "upgraded" to another area outside of the city because, frankly, them Earth folk don't like them kind around these parts. The obnoxious man leading the operation is the main focus of the film.

I've seen the movie referred to as a "mockumentary" but this is misleading and inaccurate. Sure, there are parts filmed like a documentary but it's a device used to fill us in on some of the back story without having to painstakingly reveal it all. It also sets up expectations and some intrigue for how the story will play out. Basically, you are hooked in the first few minutes without really knowing why.

There are several things I really enjoyed about this movie. The story was engaging and I like the style in which it was told. Not just the regular camera style of Independence Day, nor the shaky, hand-held camera style of Cloverfield but a kind of "best of both worlds". Also, just when you thought it was all story and talkie, the actions begins and the adrenaline starts flowing. All this, and the movie didn't have to rely on half-naked sexy women to sell it for even one moment.

Another bonus was that the protagonist was interesting because he developed and grew during the movie. He made uncharacteristic decisions for the "hero" and it was hard to predict what he would do, even if you may have predicted the outcomes.

I said that this movie was "important" at the beginning of my review and I call it that for three different reasons. This film demonstrates that great sci-fi movies can be made 1) on a budget, 2) outside of New York,LA or London and c) without the need for a big name super star or director.

District 9 gets a big double thumbs up for me, and a raised weird tentacle hand.

Drag me to hell

As I have said many times before, I was never really much of a horror fan. I'm kinda squeamish, I like nice endings, and I jump easily so it's usually a pretty bad mix for me. These days, I get to watch quite a lot thanks to Ms. Allclick and the Sci-Fi channel and every now and then I get to watch a movie that is just a cut above the rest.

Drag me to hell has it all. Cheap scares (and not so cheap scares), a decent story, excellent acting and although a very low body count it has enough splatter of, well fluids, that you'll be scared and grossed out at the same time. What could any true horror fan ask for? Except maybe boobs and 15 death scenes. Still, I think even without those it will be well received by horror fans.

For me it was like watching one of those 15 movie production from a Universal Studios or some other such theme park but this time it is 6 times a long. It was BIG. That's really the best way for me to describe it. Loud noises, bellowing rumblings that vibrated the seat, extreme close-ups all added to the atmosphere of the movie.

Sam Raimi fans should also be happy with it. It's not as campy or "B-movie"-esque as the Evil Dead series but it has a plot that is better than just a story and the word "tale" seems to cover it much better. Not as much CGI and swooping wide-camera action scenes as Spiderman but just as fun to watch.

I fear that a lot of the atmosphere will not pass on to the DVD or Blu-ray version so go see it at the cinema and bring a clean pair of trousers.

Christian Bale: In his defence

If you have turned on your pseudo news recently you may have heard the story of Christian Bale and his angry outburst at a "colleague" on the set of the new Terminator movie. The whole thing happened some months back when the film was actually being shot and involved someone walking around during an important scene and obviously putting off the Dark Knight. It don't really see this as much of a story so perhaps it is an intentionally leak to promote the film early or just to get the bloggers talking and give "Showbiz tonight" something to talk about. Maybe it was simply "leaked" to show just how awful the media is these days (Exhibit A: the headline "Chrisitian Bale's Blowup Proves Actor's Anger Problem" from ABC news.) Proves he has an anger problem?? It sounds a bit like arguments I would use about twenty years ago on the playground.

From what I know about Bale, I know that he is a very serious, method actor. He totally immerses himself in his roles whether it's mastering regional dialects or losing excessive weight and so it doesn't really surprise me that he might become a little niffed when someone is distracting him during "work time". It's not as if he is hating on people, picking up hookers, or smoking illegal drugs.

Quarantine

Ever since the Blair Witch Project shaky camera movies have really taken off. You may remember Cloverfield that used it pretty deftly and I surprisingly only felt motion-sickness towards the end. Quarantine has a similar approach, it is filmed documentary style focusing on a reporter riding alongside the local fire department. After a call out to a apartment building, they are sealed inside to deal with the sick who go on to become pretty darn crazy in a zombie kinda way. The movie actually uses the documentary style as a real advantage. It displays some graphic, violent scenes in long continuous shots as well as emotional scenes which is difficult both from an actors and directors stand point. The special effects in the long scenes are also impressive. The story seems to make sense and it's basically a smooth ride without plot distractions and hundreds of side issues. By sticking to the human emotions and creating a suspenseful, tense atmosphere through an observers perspective I feel that it adds to the horror genre and has frankly been the most frightening movie I have seen all year. It receives a fairly average score on IMDB but horror movies always do. There is never enough gore or dead bodies for some people or other simply want cheap shocks. Anything that requires a little empathy and thoughtfulness are swept aside.

Gone Baby Gone

The great thing about cancelling your subscription to Blockbuster Total Access is that when you do resubscribe a few months later you have a dozen of decent movies to rent. Such as...Gone Baby Gone.

The title kinda put me off this movie before I even knew what it was about. Sounded like a chick flick in which someone weeps about their loved one leaving them and then Patrick Dempsey appears. Fortunately there was no sign of McSteamy at all. Or is he McDreamy? Thankfully I can not answer that.

This movie is all about a kidnapping of...well a kid. It really is about a baby that is gone. Ben Affleck's debut as director actually is surprisingly decent. Set in a neighbourhood in Boston, two private detectives are asked to investigate a missing child despite major police and media involvement. Casey Affleck is the lead and carries the story well. The story is well paced, has enough twists and turns to keep you interested and reveals more about the Boston underworld and human nature than a simple kidnapping movie. It is clever and disturbing at times. Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris also put in some solid performances and Michelle Monaghan probably would have fared better if her character actually had more to do. A convincing thriller.

The Dark Knight

Well I just had to write a little about this movie. It was an absolute epic and not just due to the 2 hour and 40 minutes of roll time. A roller coaster of emotion. A perfect mix of story, dialogue, characters and action all melded into one. Don't be fooled by the PG-13 rating. The story alone is way too involved to be comprehended by kids and there won't be enough action sequences and "hero" moments to keep them entertained. For the mature adult, however, there is a goldmine of enjoyment waiting to be uncovered.

Fantastic performance from the late Heath Ledger who takes a familiar character and makes him his own. It's a dark, disturbing but complicated villain who is both a genius and insane at the time. Aaron Eckhart is also perfectly cast as Harvey Dent. Gotham's white knight. He brings an air of politician, cop and gentleman all rolled into one as well as a darker side. The fact that both these two characters alone have so much detail in the character should show you the complexity of the movie. Gary Oldman also does a great job as Chief Gordon. Compare him to his roles in Leon umm I mean The Professional and The Fifth Element (two of my fav movies) and it illustrates his versatility of playing the smart and humble guy. Much more praise and focus should be given out to The Batman himself, Christian Bale.

Unfortunately there is not enough Bruce in this movie. Just a few rare glimpses of him. His back story was firmly established as the focus of Batman Begins and so now we see a more subtle development of his character. Bale seems to be suffering from his own success in that having always put in great performances and not been recognized means it is now hard to label a current performance as Oscar worthy as he always has had high standards. I suspect he may earn one of those "this movie wasn't great but you have been a great actor in a lot of other movies so here is an Oscar" Oscars that actors get after a while in the movie biz.

Another odd thing about the movie is that it is all so...light. Especially compared to Batman Begins. I wonder if this is to subtly show the change in Gotham from crime ridden to practically crime-free. It is hard to tell. It doesn't really affect the movie either way so I give my full recommendation in going to see this. You will not be disappointed.

About time too...

Cor Blimey! Remember the Ocean's Eleven movies? Remember Don Cheadle and that terrible British accent.

Yer me too.

Still, it could be worse.

The Ruins

Well for the first time since January Ms. AllClick and I finally made it out to the cinema. There just didn't really seem like anything worth going to see since umm Cloverfield? Maybe. It's hard to remember what the last film was that I saw on the big screen. I suppose it's due to the time of year, the fact that the oscars are so far away now or perhaps it's just my imagination. Either way I was missing the cinema experience and we thought "The Ruins" might actually be an interesting movie.

I'm not a fan of the horror genre..but I am a fan of movies based on books. I can't wait for the big screen adaptation of the Dictionary *silence*. Anyway, movies based on books seem to always have a reason. That is everything the characters do is for a reason, it has to have an explanation and it has a purpose in the plot. I guess it's because the writer (Scott Smith) probably had to revise the story several times before he arrived at the finished novel.

So, this film follows a group of 20 somethings out to Mexico and they discover some uncharted ruins and get in a whole heap of trouble. Nice premise if not terribly original. However, the story unfolds at a decent pace, the gore is expected but not over the top. There are a few scares, a lot of creepiness and a focus on the psychological. Not bad for a genre that is well worn. I found myself liking the movie while watching it and so this was a good sign. Overall I'd say 6 out of 10. Not a film for everyone but an interesting tale.

Great movie death scenes: Alien

Remember when you watched this movie for the first time? I'm not sure if I do. But everytime I think of the movie I love this death scene. The whole film is fantastic. From the slow and suitably quiet camera pans throughout the ship to the real spacecrafty looking spacecraft and vague but tremendously scary aliens themselves. The whole cast are fantastic. You'll spend the first 30 minutes screaming at the movie "Don't do that!! It's an alien! no!!" but then as this scene rolls around at last you have the smug satisfaction of "I told you so". Brilliant and look at those very real reactions ;-)

New movie Countdowns

If you scroll down my page a bit you will find some new countdowns to a couple of the most anticipated films of the year...in my opinion. The new Indy film and the new Batman film. Awesome. If you haven't checked out the new Indiana Jones trailer then go find it. If you can't find a better version then here it is for you in tiny widescreen.

The Invasion - Movie Review

Thanks to all those who offered their views on which movie to see last weekend. I was impressed that some even managed to work the phrase "turd-shaped monkey balls" into their response. In fact I didn't end up going to the cinema in the end. But I appreciated the input all the same! Instead, Ms. AllClick and I rented "The Invasion" starring Nicole Kidman as a Psychiatrist who discovers that an alien virus is sweeping across the globe more or less taking over people's minds and bodies. It's a remake of Invasion of the Body snatchers but from what I can I gather has a different approach. The original movies tended to be more of a horror flick. Creepy and suspenseful. This movie is more of a sci-fi/thriller flick so don't be surprised if it lacks the scares and cheap jumps. It is much more about the fundamentals of human nature. I thought it was pretty decent. Better than I was expecting but not amazing. Worth a rental on a saturday night if you have nothing better to do.

The Mist - Movie Review

Well, it's been a while since I did a movie review..but everyone I speak to seems to either expect this film to be disappointing or has not heard anything about it. Let me start off by saying all those people should a) find out about it because b) they won't be disappointed. At least I wasn't. I went into the film expecting the commercials to have spoiled everything. It sure looked like they had. But the film is a constant stream of goings on that the commercial didn't even touch upon. The movie cuts right to the action, the mist sets in quickly and we soon learn of what might be out there.

I'm not really a fan of horror movies. I'll watch them, but would pick a decent action/thriller over them if push came to shove. What I really liked about this movie, and all of Stephen King's books/films is that the focus is not on the supernatural event, it's all about the human reaction to it. Whilst the creepyness is completely made-up the emotion from the characters is believable, realistic and illustrates to us how human nature can be. This film has a whole range of emotion from intense fear, to desperation, sadness, excitement, hopelessness, joy...and like in all good horror movies it shows that in the face of adversity, we can overcome our problems.

No matter how slimy they are.

3:10 to Yuma

I'm not much of a Western fan. Mainly due to the fact that I have seen very little and haven't really felt any need to see them. This may all change from now on after watching the excellent "3:10 to Yuma". I had a feeling it was going to be good when it had received 8.8 on imdb (always a good sign) but also because Christian Bale and Russell Crowe were in the movie. I don't mind Crowe's movies. He's had a couple of flops recently but "Yuma" showed some of his better acting abilities and was a much better fit. Bale is quickly becoming one of the best actors of this generation of movie stars. He is certainly versatile, (just look at The Machinist, American Psycho, Batman Begins, and The Prestige) and has an incredible talent to not only put on an American accent, but change that accent to suit the region/state he is supposed to be from. Both of these stars put in an excellent performance (dare I say, Oscar worthy?) which is helped due to a really effective and original storyline (although this IS a remake) played out in the Old West. This is a must for Western fans, Bale and Crowe fans and just anyone who wants to see one of the best films of the year so far. It made me jump, it made me laugh, I was on the edge of my seat literally for the last 30 minutes so be prepared for it all.

Next vs The Golden Man

During the summer Ms AllClick and I took the time to see two Nic Cage films. Seems he obviously has time on his hands as his choice of movie has been a little...second rate. I enjoyed Ghost Rider, but it was pretty silly, and since Spiderman and Batman Begins have been setting a new standard for superhero movies, it fell well below these. It's one of those movies I will probably flick onto when it comes on TV and let it play in the background while i'm doing something more interesting. I did enjoy Sam Elliot though.

The other film was called Next. I was compelled to see this after I discovered it was based on a story written by one of my favourite authors Philip K. Dick. The story is called The Golden Man and I finally got around to reading it this week. Not to spoil anything but the only similarities between the two is that the main character can see into his own future. Apart from that the movie is completely different and probably would make Philip cringe. The acting was pretty poor from Nic who just seemed bewildered the whole time, despite knowing what was about to happen. I actually didn't mind the storyline so much, and I enjoyed the movie overall simply because I enjoyed thinking about having the ability to look into the future, even it was just a few minutes.
Both the film and book are completely different so I recommend reading the story if you have seen the film. I'm all for movie adaptations of Philip K. Dick stories. In my opinion the best one so far is probably Blade Runner. Minority report was also a decent movie, but both of the stories these are based on are some of my personal favs so maybe I'm biased. I wonder what story will be next.

Harry Potter and where the REAL magic was...

So, I went to see the latest Harry Potter flick at the Marquee Cinema in downtown Huntington recently. My "Harry Potter" fan status is such that I have never read any of the books, but have seen all the movies with a mild interest in the young wizard's exploits. This movie failed to stand out from the series. It was a fairly long "filler" tale in that you knew the enemy would not be overcome and instead this was more of a bridge to set things up for the next movie. A little like the second pirates of the Caribbean movie. A very long trailer or advertisement so that the next Harry Potter book/movie would sell way faster than it should. I felt like the other characters in the movie have been completely ignored. We know little more about Ron or Hermoine and even the relationship between them has only slightly hinted at. In fact I even found myself caring less and less about Harry as he complained and shouted his way through the movie. Maybe everything that was missing is in the book.

Regardless, the real magic was in the quality of the picture. They have installed a new digital HD projector (I'm guessing) as the movie was crystal clear. I was very impressed with the lack of grainy snow on the screen, but I also felt a pang of sadness. No more will we see those shaky lines and less-than-perfect images that remind us that we are watching fiction and not reality. No more cigarette burn in the top right, cuing us to know that there is about to be a scene change. Kids today may never get to experience such a thing and they are already missing out on the event that was "playing a VHS cassette". Forwarding through trailers, an incredibly dodgy picture at times where the tape had worn thin, pressing the "tracking" button on the remote like it was a precise military science experiment..oh and rewinding the thing afterwards WHURRRRR. One cannot appreciate a DVD till one has suffered VHS. So go witness the new HD technology at your local cinema and try to remember that moment in the future.

Sixth Sense - Retro Review

I'll start with a story...

When I watched this film for the second time I was with my friend's parents, at their house, with the VHS. They were watching this for the first time and felt kind of excited. The kind of excitement you get as you watch someone opening a present that you gave them, knowing they'll love it. I was certain I would be able to relive (at least a little) my experience of watching the movie for the first time, through them. My excitement was drawing to a peak as the film ended but instantly destroyed as my friend's mother declared: "Oh I knew that was the surprise". I resisted screaming "Liar!" in her face, but kind of regret that I didn't now. Maybe she had a feeling of what was going to happen..but no-one KNEW it, did they? And if they did, I really pity them. Try watching the movie next time and not thinking about it so much.

Rather than write my usual review of the movie, I thought I'd just highlight a few thoughts and reflections I had since watching this movie again last night. It had been over 5 years since I had last seen M. Night Shyamalan's supernatural thriller "The Sixth Sense" and I felt the time had come to revisit a favourite movie of mine. If anything this film gets better with every watch, even though it really shouldn't have much replay value after the second viewing. The story unfolds in such short and bold scenes that before you have a chance to think about what you were watching you are forced to concentrate on the next compelling moment. Bruce Willis (the big star for this movie, and personal fav of mine) puts in a solid performance but is overshadowed by the young Haley Joel Osment who is able to convey so much emotion and heartache. Even whispering his famous (and much parodied) line still has the intended impact on the audience. Toni Collette is also worth commending for her role as the loving, supportive, strong mother of Cole (Osment) and the scene in the car as Cole discusses his secret with her brought goosebumps to my arms.

With setting such a high standard with his first(ish) movie Shyamalan has unfortunately suffered harsh criticism from his later movies. Constantly compared to the success of The Sixth Sense and almost living in its shadow. I think it's somewhat unfair considering Signs, The Village, and Unbreakable all had lots to offer. Perhaps it is that some may watch his films expecting straight forward Horror or Thriller and are disappointed when the film is actually about relationships, overcoming fears or problems, or the interaction of people, rather than the topic of the movie (i.e. aliens invading, or superhuman abilities).

This is certainly one of those films I wish I could experience again for the first time. I'm sure this will stand out as a classic.

M Night Shyamalan's new film "The Happening" is out June 2008.

Live Free or Die Hard Review

Last Friday I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Nitro Cinema, about 7:40pm ish, sitting down to watch Brucey kick some ass in Live Free or Die Hard. Silly action movie name aside this film really had a lot of good things going for it. For starters it had Bruce Willis as the love able-take-no-crap hero John McClane. I was kinda worried that he would lose his feel for the original character but my doubts were soon put aside. Sure he doesn't smoke anymore, and had cut down on his swearing but it was still the same no-nonsense, smart-talking John we had encountered before. The plot consists of some hi-tech terrorists holding America to ransom by cutting off links to technology, communication and utilities, mostly because of a grudge about the state of American Security. Along to help John is his techie side-kick Justin Long (aka "Mac" from those Apple adverts) who actually did a great job. He wasn't too annoying, or desperately trying to steal all the best lines during the film and considering his screen-time was pretty bare able. There are some really great scenes in the film which I put down to some good writing and the excellent choice to have some old-fashioned REAL stunts instead of CGI nonsense. There are also some silly scenes in the film but nothing that is far outside the realm of the "Die Hard" world and considering this is a Fourth part installation film, I let them off. A real hit summer Blockbuster that does the series proud and cinema proud.

Rating: 8/10

Comments: A pretty frightening look at our reliance on technology plus a lot of cool explosions.