"Cheer up. The world's about to end in ten minutes anyway."

Movie: Strange Days 
Year: 1995
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writer: James Cameron and Jay Cocks
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott, Vincent D'Onofrio, William Fichtner.
Running time: 145 min


Despite being alive at the time, I don't really remember the huge event that was the turn of the millennium. Well, yeah, I was four years old at the time and I was probably more worried about reading books (apparently I was good at that). All I actually remember of this 2000 event was this magnet on the fridge explaining everything that we needed just in case 'Y2K' had a devastating effect on our lives. Oh, and this song that we had to sing at school about it in 2004. But it would seem that 2000 was a pretty big deal, so much so that there was a movie made about it in 1995. With Kathryn 'First woman to win Best Director' Bigelow directing and her ex-husband James 'King of the World' Cameron writing, the two managed to make a sci-fi/action movie, pretty much set within the architecture of the mind, against the paranoia surrounding 2000. Oh yeah, it's pretty awesome.

DVD - The Adjustment Bureau

We go through life thinking that everything that happens to us is just as it comes. That step you tripped up on in the morning? You just weren't looking where you were going. When you wrote the wrong word in an essay and everything goes out of context? You just weren't trying hard enough. Yes, pretty much everything you do basically comes down to you, yourself, and no-one else. The Adjustment Bureau, however, takes a look at a different side of the story. That step? Somebody planned that to happen. That silly mistake that makes everything sound like gobbledy-goop? Yup, somebody planned that. Just who could plan such a thing? The men of 'The Adjustment Bureau', who walk around wearing suits and hats, carrying little books which determine everyones fate. Everyones lives seem to be going swimmingly for this team, until aspiring Senator David (Matt Damon) meets ballerina Elise (Emily Blunt). This was not supposed to happen. So now, the adjustment team have their work cut out for them as they try to keep David and Elise apart, and no matter how hard David fights to keep his girl, the team always have a plan to make him think twice about that.

The Adjustment Bureau is a film I have been looking forward to ever since I first heard about it. This was probably because I was interested in seeing how the pairing of Matt Damon and Emily Blunt went. I love them both as actors, but I never thought I'd see the day when they decided to make a film together. And let me tell you, they were a perfect pairing. A great deal of heart and emotion is needed to help this film work; as the audience really needs to root for the lovers otherwise the good premise would fall apart. Right from the get go, Damon and Blunt just have it. Damon has his sensible charm, and Blunt has her wild and lovable charm. Together, they are a really believable couple, which works out for the best. And I guess its good that Blunt has finally got a good movie to her name after a year or so of squandering her talents in such films as Gulliver's Travels, The Wolfman and Wild Target.

As much as I enjoyed watching the chemistry between Damon and Blunt (and believe me, I want to watch 100 more films with them in it), I think this film took a long time to get to it's actual point, and had a very uneven tone to it. For the most part, this film is a romance, and only in the last act does it decide to become a proper sci-fi/action flick. This didn't bother me that much though, because there was plenty of other material in it to get me thinking. Of course, there were all of those questions about fate and the forces that control it. But the one thing that stuck in my mind the most was about the work that this adjustment team does. Thompson (Terrence Stamp), who's the 'chairman' (kinda like God...this has a lot more religious themes than you'd think) of the team, explains to David that when they gave us humans free will, we started something awful. But you know what would be really awful? Living a life controlled by someone else. Therefore, our personalities can't be completely our own, our hard work isn't a result of us alone, and we have little to be proud of when something goes right for us. Having our lives be the result of something else is just a little sad, don't you think?

First time director George Nolfi did a phenomenally good job with his debut. Like Elise's ballet, this film is very contemporary. There is just something about it that seems fresh for a film of its stature. Nolfi, however, isn't a stranger to big Hollywood action flicks. He wrote Timeline, Ocean's Twelve and The Sentinel, but more recently, he wrote The Bourne Ultimatum, arguably the best out the series. Here, Nolfi bases his film on a story by renowned sci-fi writer Phillip K. Dick, and brings lots of questions that are open to be answered, a different sort of vision on the world and a romance to root for. He succeeds in making a smart film - it wouldn't be very exciting to someone who isn't open-minded - which is just a pleasure to watch until the ball really gets rolling at the end. There it becomes the tense thriller it should have been right the way through. But again, I don't really mind that this wasn't all that thrilling, the romance between David and Elise was more than enough. Plus, I really liked what the adjustment team had to say about our world.

THE VERDICT: Matt Damon and Emily Blunt star as star-crossed lovers, and they are a couple who will make you believe that they are lovers. The film itself is more romance than thriller, but it provides a different outlook on the world through a group of suited men wearing hats, which is always interesting.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

DVD - Monsters

or: Roadie in the infected zone.

One word to sum it up: Quality.

There are two types of debut film-makers: One type is usually someone who has had experience with music videos and the like that has been thrown in to direct a crappy romantic comedy or a cheesy blockbuster of sorts. Another type is someone who has written a movie which they have been working on forever, and try to fund it themselves, ignoring the fact that they don't have any huge names headlining it and the certainly don't have a huge budget to work with. Christopher Nolan did it with Following, a really good movie which cost him just $6,000 to make, and look where he is now. Darren Aronofsky did it with his debut Pi, costing $60,000. He ain't so bad nowadays. Gareth Edwards, with his first feature film and only $800,000 to make a believable sci-fi movie, shows enough promise with Monsters, which could say that he might be as good as either Nolan or Aronofsky in the future. And people, who probably missed this film, will go back to this film and see how effective a small budget can be.

Here's my first problem though: the small budget made me like this movie even more than I believe it deserved. There isn't much story within the film...it's pretty much all about the aesthetics. Which is a pretty big stake to claim when you don't spend millions on the movie, which is why Monsters succeeds. The atmosphere in this film is incredible. Edwards has paid so much attention to making a realistic alternate world that has been taken over by monsters. I loved seeing all the shots of broken buildings and roads which looked exactly like a monster had interfered with it. Some people go completely over the top when they do these sorts of flicks and suggest that all kinds of crazy things happened. Not here. This is one of the reasons why Monsters is such an achievement.

Edwards also has a sturdy hand when it comes to directing and editing. The cinematogrpahy is absolutely beautiful. I can't believe that people will literally throw millions at someone to get a job half as good as this one. Every shot is one that is made out of love, and you can tell. That camera has a lot of heart, which may sound strange, but it's obvious that Edwards really cared about this film and wanted to make it as beautiful as possible. His locations were well picked, making for an unforgettable experience when it comes to looking at the film. What he did with the special effects was pretty amazing, as well. While there wasn't as much monster action as I was expecting, the scene towards the end when the two creatures were joining over the top of the gas station was truly spectacular. It was a simple, yet very effective scene, which made me wonder exactly how much it costs to do such great special effects. Because those effects were pretty damn good.

Where Monsters has it's major hiccup, though, is the fact that it is all dressed up and it has barely anywhere to go. It's essentially a road trip movie, and because the world is in danger, then I guess you could say this film differentiates itself from other road trip movies. But to be honest, the characters aren't really the most exciting people ever and their story isn't anything to rave about. They don't have any heroic moments and the ending is cheaply cliched. I guess it helps that newcomers Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy can play their parts so well...like the rest of the film, they were very natural, and had amazing chemistry. It's just a shame that most of the film was improvised, though, because structure could have helped this film greatly. Instead, it drags with excessive dialogue which doesn't add an arc to the characters at all. And that's a huge shame, because Monsters achieved so much, only to have it all undone by a really average story.

THE VERDICT: It's a very believable movie...the atmosphere, the chemistry and the effects. Monsters is good for it's low budget, but the story is ultimately lacking.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

Cinema - Source Code

or: Eight minutes.

One word to sum it up: "Trippy"

Duncan Jones burst onto the film scene in 2009 with his brilliant sci-fi debut, Moon. I was quite impressed with his first directorial effort...it was much better than I expected from someone who has never handled a feature film before. Of course, after that, Duncan Jones had some pretty big expectations to live up to. So what better to do than make a complicated 'blockbuster' type film starring a lovely Jake Gyllenhaal that causes one to look at the fine line between reality and something out of this world? I gotta be the one to say it: Duncan Jones has the potential to be one of the finest modern movie-makers with his effort in Source Code. There is absolutely no doubt about that.

Source Code begins with a train. Just a normal train, making it's way through Chicago as normal. On the train we discover a man who has just woken up, a little bit disoriented and not really sure about what is happening. This man believes he is Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal), who flew planes in Afghanistan. But he thinks something is up when a mysterious woman named Christina (Michelle Monaghan) begins talking to him like she's known him his whole life. He goes to a mirror and discovers that he doesn't look at all like he thought he did, and he is actually known as Sean Fentress. Before he can make sense of what is happening, the train blows up. He wakes up in a 'capsule', with another mysterious woman, Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) talking to him through a webcam. Colter finds out that he is actually part of a 'source code', which allows him to go into another mans body in the last eight minutes of his life. The purpose of this? Colter may be able to find the person who bombed the train he was on and prevent that person from doing another attack. But as Colter returns to the train over and over again, he realises that he doesn't just want to find the bomber, he wants to save the people on the train, which he is told isn't possible.

You'd think that having to relive essentially the same eight minutes over and over again would get boring. No, that's not the case here. Yes, the setting gets familiar, but it never gets boring. That is the first reason why Be Ripley's script rocks. Here he has created something quite elaborate, but hasn't really left many plot holes. In saying that, he also didn't get too caught up in trying to explain things all in one go...we learn as Colter learns. In fact, we go through this movie as if we were Colter. Which is a cool experience, because I felt, to a degree, that I was a part of the source code thing too, and that was fun. The story is puzzling and challenging, always keeping the audience on their toes while still having a good time. There's never really a dull moment. I do admit to laughing quite a few times and even bawling my eyes out crying towards the end. But once the big plot twist was revealed, I felt like I was bolted to the screen, suddenly ready for another whirl. It's a short and snappy film, but my God, I could have taken some more. The way Duncan Jones ties everything up is nice too. He had a really good way of directing this, using some really good editing and small symbols throughout the film for the audience to piece together.

Another reason why this film works so well is the fact that it is a fantastic human drama. Sure, having the little romance between Colter/Sean and Christina helped with that a lot, this film really does question a lot of things. It capitalizes on those minutes before everyone dies. Yet, it still asks the viewer what they would do if they were in Colter's situation. Would you try and defy this 'source code' thing so you could save everyone? Since you know what is going to happen, would you try and change it? And there's the ever-present one: Does everything come down to fate? I'm sure that there are little source code's going on around the world...and I'm now taking extra precautions to ensure that I know that everything just comes the way it is...not because I'm stuck in a source code.

Performance-wise, this movie is very strong. The main cast is very small, but I've gotta hand it to everyone on the train. They stayed on there, with all their different personalities, throughout the whole thing, and managed to hold their characters. Anyway. Jake Gyllenhaal leads the show with his multi-faceted performance. He was compelling, and really provided the movie with the heart it needed in order to succeed. He was a lovable figure, someone I really rooted for in the end, and most of the success of the movie comes down to him, so he did a fantastic job. Michelle Monaghan, though she has starred in a slew of uninspiring films, continues to impress me. She was a cute love interest here, and shows that she is a more capable than most people give her credit for. Jeffrey Wright surprised me with his performance, as he obviously based quite a bit of his performance on the 'mad scientist' myth. He had all of the mannerisms and everything right. But of course, I have to dedicate a small part of this review to the glorious Vera Farmiga. Oh, how I've missed her since Up in the Air. While most of her role is restricted to sitting in front of a computer talking to a webcam, she serves as a great link between Colter and reality. She provides another part of the human touch which went really well in this movie. That human touch which leads me to give this movie a full quota of stars...risky choice, I know, but this movie was damn impressive.

THE VERDICT: A puzzling, complicated premise sprawled out over fantastic script-work from Ben Ripley ensures that Source Code is not only an entertaining blockbuster, but it is a great human drama. Duncan Jones does a marvellous job of directing a really well-performed, exciting thriller.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

Some thoughts on I'm Here

Right, finally, I'm onto blogging about movies I have actually watched this year. I don't know if you could count a short film as an actual film, but since I'm Here is so great, it gets some love on the blog. It came out a little while back, and luckily someone has uploaded it to youtube, so now everyone can see it. I seriously recommend this movie, and that's not just because it has Andrew Garfield in it.

I'm Here is a love story set in a world where humans and robots coexist. We follow Sheldon (Andrew Garfield) and Francesca (Sienna Guillory), two robots who meet and fall in love. Sheldon works at a library, and is waiting for the bus where he sees Francesca driving her car. A human makes a comment of how robots shouldn't be allowed to drive cars to Sheldon. On another day, Francesca drives past his bus stop with a carload of passengers, and insists that Sheldon allow her to give him a ride home. It's here that they realize the full potential of their relationship. As their love grows, so do the problems that face the two robots.

The first scene shows Sheldon on his bus ride home, which gives us a slightly scary look at the future and what would happen if robots and humans did coexist. We see robots doing all the things that humans can do, but there's a sublte loneliness to poor Sheldon. This is emphasized a little by when Sheldon goes to his apartment block and tries to talk to his neighbours. He's happy in his own little world, but, of course, the fact that he has no real connections with anyone makes him wanting a bit more out of his life. This is the kind of insight that a robot movie should have, especially when love is thrown into the equation. While having sci-fi elements, this film doesn't use high budget technology to convey it's simple message.

Take a look at the design here. The robots are simple, as if they were put together using multiple parts of technology that are easily found. Ever wondered how robots recharge? Just as if you would charge a cellphone. But it's with this simplicity that the themes really shine. Throughout the course of the film, there is a storyline that could be easily applied to real life, just not in such drastic circumstances. At a rock concert, Francesca loses an arm, whereupon Sheldon donates his working arm to her, leaving him without one. Another time, Francesca loses her leg, which prompts Sheldon, against Francesca's wishes, to give his leg to her, leaving him without one. Later on in the film, Sheldon recieves a phone call that Francesca is in hospital, torn in two. Sheldon decides to give his body up to her, leaving him with just a functional head, which Francesca is seen cradling at the end of the film. It really begs the question, how far would one go for love, and, overall, how much would someone give just to be with someone?

Spike Jonze directed this short which was fully funded by Absolut Vodka, as a promotion for the company. It was released at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010, but it's main purpose was to be shown to audiences and then to get their opinion on love after seeing the film. In just under 30 minutes, I'm Here seems to sum up love in such a enigmatic way, but seems to capture it in such an atmospheric way that it is special. Everything about it is special. I'm Here is such a heart-breaking, beautiful tale that deserves to be watched by everyone.

10/10

DVD--Splice

or: The most stuffed up movie I have ever seen.

One word to sum it up: Weird.

Even though we were somewhat promised a cinema release on Splice, this sci-fi horror somehow wound up in our preview drawer ahead of it's DVD release next month. Now I see why the movie Gods didn't quite trust this film to get on our big screens. No, it's not bad...I kinda liked it. But it's just so strange and stuffed up that our audiences would probably get a little freaked by it. I saw this about five days ago, and I'm still not happy with the rating I have given it. In some ways, it's a load of garbage, but in other ways, it's a great piece of modern cinema at it's best.

Two young rebellious scientists, Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley), are told by their employers to halt groundbreaking work that has seen them produce new creatures with medical benefits by splicing together multiple organisms' DNA. They decide to secretly continue their work, but this time splicing in human DNA. Their work results in a new creature, Dren (Delphine Chaneac), who appears to be just like a human (with some differences) at first. As she grows, she starts becoming trouble, and Clive and Elsa discover that Dren is the harmless creature they thought she would be.

As I said, I'm torn between good and bad when it comes to Splice. Let's start with the good things this movie has to offer. Splice is a fantastic sci-fi, but also a great horror, which provides more thrills then we have been seeing in the latest 'B-grade horror trend'. The premise is not only intriguing, but particularly relevant these days due to scientists trying to do this kind of thing. Fortunately, Splice doesn't suffer from the Hollywood syndrome, where they take a perfectly possible storyline, dumb it down to the lowest common denominator, and make it totally unbelivable. Splice, instead, takes a very realistic look at genetic engineering, which is quite believable and isn't bogged down by silly special effects. Another thing that Splice has over similar sci-fi's is the impeccable performances from Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as the 'rock star' scientists.

The flaws that this movie carries also have something to do with one of it's best assets. Blended into the storyline is a theme of growing up and teen angst, which comes in the form of Dren. As she grows up, we start witnessing her confusion over certain things, which contributes to the strangeness of this film. While that theme is so cleverly great, the way it is executed just led me to think 'WTF?!'...several times. In it's final act, Splice loses itself because I couldn't tell whether I should take the movie seriously or not. Either way you look at it, it's hard to take something out of what it is trying to say, and ends up becoming laughable for all the wrong reasons. I have come to the conclusion that Splice was a very good film, up until it became confused with what it wanted to be: a clever sci-fi horror or just another generic horror.


THE VERDICT: Could have been better, and could have taken itself a bit more seriously. However, the premise behind Splice is great, which makes up for most of the film's flaws.

7/10

DVD--Predators

or: Another year, another gory sci-fi actioner.

One word to sum it up: So-so.

Unfortunately, this weeks releases were practically all R-rated straight-to-DVD horror/action sequels (with the exception of Santa Paws, but was I going to watch that?!), and the only film which I had actually heard of was Predators. So I decided to give it a go, even though I have never watched any of the other films this one is based on/following. The most intriguing thing about it was that Adrien Brody was cast in the lead role. The lead role of an action film. Hey, count me in!

Chosen for their ability to kill without conscience, a group of killers, some trained and some who are not, must endeavour the alien race of predators that have set out to target them as prey. Dropped into the vast jungle of a distant world, these human predators must learn just who, or what, they are up against, and that their ability, knowledge and wits are tested to the limits in the battle of survival of kill or be killed.

First off, I just have to comment on the casting of Adrien Brody. On paper, it seems like a fantastic idea, because he is undoubtedly a great actor and should be able to play against type. He's good, but he is NOT an action star godammit! I actually couldn't believe in him as being a bad guy and he also waltzed around trying to recreate Christian Bale's voice when he is Batman. He was definitely miscast, and despite his best intentions, he could not pull of this role. Probably due to the miscasting of Brody, Predators suffers from several misfires and too often resorts to being like every other action film. None of the characters had been given any background, therefore they become quite stocky and extremely stereotypical action film characters. However, you do know when Danny Trejo comes on, shits about to go down.

Predators isn't by means great, but it is an average watch. It's definitely one of those movies that you watch if you are just looking for an overly violent nonsensical action flick to tide you over for 100 or so minutes. It's not unlike some other older sci-fi action films of it's kind, and makes for a pretty solid sci-fi for this year. Mainly, if you are a fan of other Robert Rodriguez produced films, then this is a good one for you. It's practically the same as all the rest, and doesn't branch out too far or ask too much of the viewer. In other words, Predators is an easy watch, and all you gore-loving fans will love this miscast average action flick.


THE VERDICT: Predators isn't great, but it's a solid sequel that's pretty easy to watch. Apart from Adrien Brody.

6/10

Sunshine

Another day...another Cillian Murphy movie. Even though this looked totally wrong for me, considering it's a sci-fi film about the near end of the world, I still managed to enjoy it. And I'm not just saying that because Cillian Murphy and his beautiful eyes were in it...
In the future, the sun is dying and Earth lives another glacial period. After the failure of the Icarus Mission, a team of eight astronauts are sent to the sun in the Icarus II Mission to explode a weapon generating a supernova within the sun in the last hope of planet Earth. However, when a crew-member commits a mistake in the operation of the aircraft shield, he jeopardizes the survival of the group.

Sunshine is more than the average sci-fi fare, and has a lot more to it than the others which seem to over react to the event of the end of the world. First thing: the sun is dying. Scientists are actually thinking that this may happen. Sure, some think 2012 is going to happen, but after that movie, I don't think I can even believe in that theory. With this one, it doesn't really show the effects of the sun not shining on Earth, but instead follows the story of the crew who are trying to save humanity by reigniting the sun. Which brings me to the second thing: it has a relitavely unknown cast (well, not in film world, but I doubt many of the normal people would know who half of the cast is), and we can believe in them. Have you noticed how all these other apocalyptic tales are headlined by people who are famous for being famous (cough, Will Smith)? They always look like they are either in it so the makers can get some money or the actors want the money themselves. However, with Sunshine, the hero of the story is really Capa, who is played by Cillian Murphy. I'm not being bias, but he is the hero I have been searching for. Sure, at the start he's one of those people who are too smart for their own good and is a bit arrogant because of it, but in the end I was feeling like our future was in his hands and I had full confidence in him. And for once, he was a believable hero.

One of the coolest things about Sunshine was the awesome cinematography and the way Danny Boyle could capture emotions on camera. Because of the way this was made, I was scared out of my boots about what would happen next...it had such an intense feeling of loneliness because they were in space with no real contact from Earth, and I felt a part of it. The way it twists and turns was simply amazing, making it a specific must-see sci-fi.

Terrifying sci-fi that captures emotion and our future in a way that is too rarely used...truly unique. Not to mention the stunning performance from Cillian Murphy.

8/10

The Matrix

Yeah, yeah, I know, I should have really watched The Matrix a long time ago. And I feel like such a bad person for not watching it until now. But if I watched it ages ago like I should have, I probably wouldn't have 'got it'. Even now I haven't got it completely. I see why this is drawing comparisons to Inception: the first time you watch it is simply packed with 'wow', the second time, you will get everything about it.
Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is a man living two lives: a software writer by day and a computer hacker named Neo by night. When Neo is hunted by police, he is contacted by legendary hacker Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and a mysterious woman Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). They awaken him to reality, and he finds that the world isn't as he once knew it; it has become a wasteland and humans have been captured by machines. They are trapped in an artificial reality known as 'the Matrix'. These three are rebels and choose not to live in the Matrix, and are determined to fight the machines and get rid of the Matrix for good, so things can go back to normal.

To put it simply: this movie blew my mind. Never before have I seen such jaw-dropping visual effects in my life. I mean, I have seen some pretty corny attempts at doing slow-mo gunfights, but this one pulls off many scenes like this with absolute precision and professionalism. And hey, I have always tried to avoid sci-fi movies like the Plague. If only every sci-fi movie was as good as this one. Because most of them have some pretty good ideas, but no idea on how to execute them. This movie succeeds in it's execution.

Performance wise, The Matrix is led by Keanu Reeves, who I know is talentless, but somehow knows how to churn out a good enough performance to carry a character. However, the person who most surprised me was Carrie-Anne Moss, who I will most remember as super-bitch Natalie in Memento. In this she looks almost to unbelievably beautiful to be human, which I guess parallels with her character. However, the performances really aren't the stars here, The Matrix will be remembered first and foremost for it's groundbreaking visuals. I mean, who after watching this doesn't want to dodge bullets or float in mid-air? Yeah, I thought so.

While I do look forward to seeing the second and third films, I do have to say that this film stands perfectly well on it's own. I guess it's just another case of trying to recreate success.

A masterpiece of Sci-Fi with the most amazing special effects I have ever seen.

9/10

I, Robot

My Social Studies teacher seems to really like Will Smith. A little while ago we watching I Am Legend for some unit on disease or something like that. Then he told us that we'd be watching a movie about robots. And I immediately think I, Robot. To my non-surprise, he got the DVD out so we had to watch it. Instead of Blade Runner. I actually wanted to see Blade Runner.
It's 2035, and robots are everyday objects, programmed to live alongside humans. Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) is called out to investigate the apparent suicide of the scientist behind these robots, Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell). Spooner suspects that the death might not be a suicide, but the result of one of the robots. All robots are programmed by three laws, but Spooner starts to wonder if a robot can in fact feel emotions, and possibly murder. If Spooner's suspicions are true, he is going to have a hard time convincing everyone.

Okay, there had always been a problem with watching movies in class. I think everybody is too afraid to admit they like it because someone else will hate it so they feel they have to as well. That's why I hate watching movies in class. To be honest, I didn't think much of I, Robot, but then again, I didn't think it was too bad.

Sure, it suffers from the doomed Hollywood formula. Some of the stuff in it is pretty stupid, i.e. the scenes where Will Smith is shooting at stuff, which is done in corny slow-mo. But, as I haven't read the source material, I found this quite interesting and a pretty strange look at the way the world could become within my lifetime. Will Smith proves that he is just out to get the money, again, but may be just talented enough to carry an average blockbuster singlehandedly. I wonder if Clash of the Titans would have been better if he were in it?

Average sci-fi blockbuster, carried by Will Smith.

6/10

Back to the Future: Part III

I know it has been a while since I watched the other two, but I have finally gotten around to watching Back to the Future: Part III. Let's just say, while it is a worthy sequel, it is not a patch on the first, or the second for that matter.
Stranded in 1955 after a freak burst of lightning, Marty (Michael J. Fox) must travel to 1885 to rescue Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) from a premature end. Surviving an Indian attack and unfriendly townsfolk, Marty finds Doc Brown the blacksmith. But with the Doc under the spell of the charming Clara Clayton (Mary Steenburgen), it's up to Marty to get them out of the wild west and back to the future.

At the start of this film, I thought it was going to be pretty stupid because it's portrayal of the west was very much like what you see in every other parody. However, once you get over how stupid this film looks on the surface, it is really enjoyable and entertaining. These films become like old friends to you, as you become well aware of what to expect from them. Forget the 3D antics of other films...the Back to the Future films are the quintessential family films that entertain every generation.

While this film feels tired in some places, it does manage to capture the essence of it's predecessor. Unlike many sequels do, this film references the first films a lot so all of the films tie in together. Instead of feeling like three films, they feel like one big film split into three. Michael J. Fox is the best example of teen stardom in the 80's-early 90's, and these films make sure his legend lives on and isn't forgotten in this day and age. While the effects may be dated, this film will never go out of fashion.

Not as good as the ones before it, but is still entertaining.

6/10

Back to the Future: Part II

Wow I didn't think I would be ripping through the Back to the Future's so fast...I couldn't get enough of the first one so I was straight on to the next one a day later. For once, a sequel can actually be good, just not as good as the first one. In saying that, I do not think that Saw...what are they up to now? Oh right, 52. I do not think that Saw 52 is necessary to our viewing needs.
Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is on another time-travelling journey, this time into the future, right to 2015. When he visits this time period, he realizes that things have been changed and aren't going the way they were in 1985, so he must travel back to 1955 to undo the disasterous events that lie in the future.
Well, Back to the Future, to me, is addictive and it's so easy to be immersed in it's little world. What I found the funniest was their thought of how the world in 2015 would be...I know it was 1989 when this was made, but I don't know if it was a little too futuristic or not technological enough. But how were they to know that everyone would soon have iPad's? It isn't quite as enjoyable as the first one, mainly because I found the story to be a little rushed and complicated compared to the original. Other than that...very entertaining.
7/10

Back to the Future

Two years ago, if someone had said 'Hey you should watch Back to the Future!', I would have said 'No way.' Why? Because I hated the 80s. I still do, because I believe the world could have been a better place without brightly coloured leg warmers and those hideous banana clips. But most of the movies were half decent in those days. There, I said it.
Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is just a normal everyday teenage guy with a pretty girlfriend and his whole life ahead of him. He is friends with a mad scientist, Dr. Emmett Brown (Chistopher Lloyd), who has just invented a time travelling machine. Marty jumps in and before he knows it, he is living in 1955, and every thing is so so different...
One word to describe Back to the Future? 'Cool'. It is cool because most of the stuff in it is so out of this world that it's cool to watch. I can't really see a better example of humour that we just don't seem to have anymore. Michael J. Fox was cool. The effects were cool. The imagination was cool. In other words, everything about Back to the Future is cool. I don't hate the 80s so much now.
8/10

Aliens in the Attic

I honestly didn't think I would watch this movie. I mean, come on, it's a kids movie, and has some of the most annoying stars in it. But anyone, I watched it and I was pleasantly surprised. This was a pretty cool movie for kids...not so much for older people. Just think like a kid and you'll get through this movie.
The Pearson family decide to go away for a weeks vacation out in the country somewhere. They arive at a huge mansion and everything seems finee. Until they're invaded-by aliens. These aliens are out to get them, and they can control what the humans say and do...as long as they're not a kid. The kids try to stop their parents frrom getting targeted by the aliens, but will it be too late?
Okay, so on paper this movie is pretty corny, very kiddish and lame. Yes it is. But if you're a kid and you're watching this you're probably gonna enjoy this. I mean, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it at all. Aliens in the Attic is not the best kids movie, but it is much better than some of the Disney crap coming out these days.
What I'm trying to say is, if you're a kid, you will absolutely marvel at this movie. If you're my age you'll think it's lame but cute at the same time. If you're an adult you'll probably want to be doing something else with your time. All round, a fun movie to watch.
6/10

I Am Legend

Everybody told me that I should watch this back when it came out on DVD in 2008. My response was "I'll get around to watching it." This was totally true, because it was on TV and I thought I should get around to watching I Am Legend (2007). Boy, that 2 hours was a little wasted.
Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the perceived to be the last man on Earth, since the whole civilization was wiped out by a disease which turned them all into zombies. We follow his day to day life, with his dog Sam, who is his only companion. But Robert soon realizes that he is not alone on this Earth, and the things that share it with him could end his happy life alone.
I thought this would be a good concept, and it sorta was. In the first five minutes. Then this movie turned into a CGI disaster, the concept fizzled down to be almost non existent, and the movie slowly began to fall like the disappearance of civilization. Will Smith was consistent though, roughing some of the worst directorial work I have seen. Still, I have to be proud of myself, because I got around to watching it. And I found it a little entertaining...possibly for all the wrong reasons.
4/10

Moon

For one thing, I love low-budget movies which are given small releases but everyone thought it was really great. And therefore it becomes a landmark in cinema. Moon (2009) is a classic example of this, as it is a sci-fi/thriller which everyone went raving mad for. But am I missing something here?
Sam Bell (portrayed amazingly by Sam Rockwell) is an employee of Lunar Enterprises and is nearly finished his three year term up on the moon for his company. His only friend there is a computer named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey), which talks and makes 'facial expressions' but is nothing close to normal company. Since Sam has been up there for so long, lunacy gets the better of him, and his longing for home pains him so much, that he starts hallucinating different things. Things get worse when he is required to stay up there for a while longer, and he wants out.
Okay, it's a good concept, and I do admit that I was enthralled by it. But it was a little boring. Like the start is slow which implies that the film will be like this for the rest of the movie. Fortunately for me, it wasn't. It was a movie that got better and better as it went along, as it hit different climaxes and toyed with the viewers emotions. All round, it is a landmark in cinema, thanks to the amazing performance by Sam Rockwell. But I wouldn't recommend to people with short attention spans, because you will never fully get the gift of it.
7/10

Avatar

Okay, before I begin, I'd like to get one thing clear: I don't believe in big budget movies. I thought $200 million to make Titanic was enough, but James Cameron came back to top his own record; $400 million more or less was spent to make and market Avatar (2009). Mr. Cameron, there is poverty in this world, and you spent all that money on a movie?! So, was this money well spent? The public seems to think so.
Avatar is set in 2154, and revolves around Jake Sully (Sam Worthington, who is in every single scene), a wheelchair bound ex-marine whose DNA is used to make an 'avatar'. An avatar is basically controlled by Sully in his sleep, and he is suddenly a big blue alien exploring Na'vi in Pandora. He is part of a service who are trying to find out more about this different world, along with trying to drive off the natives so they can mine there. Sully ends up meeting a native, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana, from Star Trek), who shows him the Na'vi way of life. Soon he becomes a native, and forgets what he was originally there for. But as Neytiri and him fall deeper in love, the humans begin a war with the natives which will inevitably kill them off.
The story is actually good, and all I could expect from Cameron who had been working on this film for fifteen years. Titanic was large scale, but this even more so-the live-action animation was flawless and almost realistic. It was a visually stunning spectacle that was jaw-dropping at some points. The strangest thing was that Sully and Neytiri are un-cannily like Jack and Rose from Titanic-probably because of their forbidden love.
161 minutes is very long, but you will stick with this film, as it is captivating from start to finish. Despite some questionable bits and minor flaws in the script, the movies will wow and wont disappoint. James Cameron is a genius, and it is lucky that he has made a profit from this movie.
8/10