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Saw this on DVD the other day in preparation for Crank: High Voltage. Gonna be a short review this one... ;-)
Crank is great film. It's just completely ludicrious. It's so over the top it's hilarious. I know I generally stay away from plot details but let's face it, nobody's gonna Crank for the plot. Jason Statham play Chev Chelios, a hitman who has been poisoned by his enemy. There's probably some technical way to describe how the poison is affecting - actually I seem to remember some brief explanation offered by a doctor along the way - but I don't remember really. All you need to know is that if Chev's adrenaline level drops then he'll die. That's right, it's like Speed but with our hero's heart. Cue 84 ridiculous minutes of Jason Statham tearing across town trying to find and kill his nemesis before he kills him - get it?
As an action film it's brilliant, I can't remember the last time I had as much fun watching a film... that might be just because I have a poor memory for some things though. Ok, that's not entirely true. The last time I remember having as much fun was when I saw Snakes on a Plane... a modern classic to be watched by all for years to come. Or at least I hope it will be. Crank deserves that too. I'm glad they've made a sequel and from what I've gleaned by glancing over Rotten Tomatoes it's at least as good as the first.
There isn't really much else to know about the film... if I wanted to nit pick I would point out that the fight sequences are nothing to write home about. This isn't the Jason Statham from the Transporter films. But that's ok because it's not the point of the film... it's not a beat 'em up, it's more of a "run around like a maniac" film.
Anyway I wanted to keep this short so I'll wrap up with this. I highly recommend this film if you like your movies short, snappy, slightly splattery but all fun.
Can't wait for Crank: High Voltage
9/10
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Monday, 6 April 2009
The Damned United (2009)
Ok... So I actually wrote most of this review last week but somehow it's all been deleted, very upsetting. Oh well, better just get on with it.
I like watching football, but I don't know all that much about some of the history of it. All I knew about Brian Clough was that he once punched a couple of fans who were invading the pitch. Later they apologised... So obviously he was a legend.
The Damned United is based on a controversial novel by David Peace. Well it's controversial in football circles anyway. It seems to be generally accepted that the events it described didn't exactly happen the way they do in the book. In fact David Peace was sued by former Leed Utd. and Irish international player Johnny Giles. Johnny won. I have to believe however, that the film-makers left any of the controversial bits out... the screen play was written by Peter Morgan, a writer who has already proved himself with a number of historial figures with both The Queen and Frost/Nixon. I liked both those films but I wasn't blown away by either of them. Still, I was looking forward to The Damned United, Cloughie sounded like an interesting subject.
Anyway I should probably start the review.
I thought there was a great balance in this film. It was an interesting portrait of a man who seemed both charming and arrogant. There's a good bit of football in it but it wasn't excessive, it didn't become boring at any point. I think that even if you're not into football at all there is still plenty to enjoy in the film.
Strong performances by all the cast, in particular Micheal Sheen, but Colm Meaney and Timothy Spall ably supported him. I still can't believe he's the same guy who was in Underworld all those years ago. Actually he was in Underworld this year as well. Some people like variety I guess.
Plotwise, it's a biography so it's pretty straight up. I found it interesting just because it was great to learn more about a person whose name I'd heard a lot about but never really knew anything about. Obviously it was a very small slice of his life and it's an unauthorised look at it at that. Still I thought it really managed to capture his character very well, or at least a character, and I'm just going to assume that it was the right one.
So on the whole I'm giving this film a good rating - 8/10 - but to be honest it's not that I would particularly recommended it in the sense that... It's a good solid film, interesting story, great performances, but maybe it's just not the kind of film that grabs my attention. There's nothing to ponder on, it's not... meaty, if you will. I'm glad I watched it though and if you're a fan of biopics then by all means go and see it, it's a good film.
8/10
I like watching football, but I don't know all that much about some of the history of it. All I knew about Brian Clough was that he once punched a couple of fans who were invading the pitch. Later they apologised... So obviously he was a legend.
The Damned United is based on a controversial novel by David Peace. Well it's controversial in football circles anyway. It seems to be generally accepted that the events it described didn't exactly happen the way they do in the book. In fact David Peace was sued by former Leed Utd. and Irish international player Johnny Giles. Johnny won. I have to believe however, that the film-makers left any of the controversial bits out... the screen play was written by Peter Morgan, a writer who has already proved himself with a number of historial figures with both The Queen and Frost/Nixon. I liked both those films but I wasn't blown away by either of them. Still, I was looking forward to The Damned United, Cloughie sounded like an interesting subject.
Anyway I should probably start the review.
I thought there was a great balance in this film. It was an interesting portrait of a man who seemed both charming and arrogant. There's a good bit of football in it but it wasn't excessive, it didn't become boring at any point. I think that even if you're not into football at all there is still plenty to enjoy in the film.
Strong performances by all the cast, in particular Micheal Sheen, but Colm Meaney and Timothy Spall ably supported him. I still can't believe he's the same guy who was in Underworld all those years ago. Actually he was in Underworld this year as well. Some people like variety I guess.
Plotwise, it's a biography so it's pretty straight up. I found it interesting just because it was great to learn more about a person whose name I'd heard a lot about but never really knew anything about. Obviously it was a very small slice of his life and it's an unauthorised look at it at that. Still I thought it really managed to capture his character very well, or at least a character, and I'm just going to assume that it was the right one.
So on the whole I'm giving this film a good rating - 8/10 - but to be honest it's not that I would particularly recommended it in the sense that... It's a good solid film, interesting story, great performances, but maybe it's just not the kind of film that grabs my attention. There's nothing to ponder on, it's not... meaty, if you will. I'm glad I watched it though and if you're a fan of biopics then by all means go and see it, it's a good film.
8/10
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Monsters vs. Aliens 3D (2009)
I'm all about 3D... now, I can't actually see it properly... or at least I haven't sat in good seats for it in a while... but I really appreciate film-makers creating this new genre. I was off at the side of the theatre for this one so the 3D didn't look that amazing but judging by the "Wow"'s and the "Whoa"'s from the kids in the middle, it looked fantastic there.
But is Monsters vs. Aliens a good film?
Yeah. I enjoyed it.
Then again, I enjoy all films. I can say this though, while I enjoyed it at the time, it didn't stay with me at all. Two days later and I'm having trouble remember what the characters were like at all. That might have to do with the fact that I have a bit of a headache at the moment, but I doubt it. It has more to do with the fact that the characters weren't particularly well defined. It didn't bother me that much though, it's a kid's film so it was only about 94 mins long. Which is probably a bit long for a kid's film to be honest.
If I were to criticise it I would say that it was a bit glossy. Not that you want gritty in a kid's film. I guess I mean it was a bit teflon coated, it slides in through the eyes, slips through the brain and out the.... mouth I guess?... when you tell people about it later. OF kind of like B.O.B. and his ball - you'll get it if you watch.
Anyway what's good about it? Seth Rogen's character B.O.B. is very funny. It's a funny film, in a light way. Also I really appreciated the Dr. Strangelove references. I hope war rooms really do look like that.
All in all there isn't that much to say about the film. It's grand ol' romp with a few odd looking creatures and a giant woman and if you have to go see a kid's film you could see worse. I wouldn't particularly recommend it if you don't have to see a kid's film though. I'm sure there are better films out there - Watchmen, Gran Torino and Marley & Me, to name three. I'm still gonna give a decent rating though for what it is, it was better than Bolt 3D anyway.
6.5/10
I know I gave it 7/10 on twitter but that was when I was walking out of the theatre, I'm downgrading it a little now on reflection.
But is Monsters vs. Aliens a good film?
Yeah. I enjoyed it.
Then again, I enjoy all films. I can say this though, while I enjoyed it at the time, it didn't stay with me at all. Two days later and I'm having trouble remember what the characters were like at all. That might have to do with the fact that I have a bit of a headache at the moment, but I doubt it. It has more to do with the fact that the characters weren't particularly well defined. It didn't bother me that much though, it's a kid's film so it was only about 94 mins long. Which is probably a bit long for a kid's film to be honest.
If I were to criticise it I would say that it was a bit glossy. Not that you want gritty in a kid's film. I guess I mean it was a bit teflon coated, it slides in through the eyes, slips through the brain and out the.... mouth I guess?... when you tell people about it later. OF kind of like B.O.B. and his ball - you'll get it if you watch.
Anyway what's good about it? Seth Rogen's character B.O.B. is very funny. It's a funny film, in a light way. Also I really appreciated the Dr. Strangelove references. I hope war rooms really do look like that.
All in all there isn't that much to say about the film. It's grand ol' romp with a few odd looking creatures and a giant woman and if you have to go see a kid's film you could see worse. I wouldn't particularly recommend it if you don't have to see a kid's film though. I'm sure there are better films out there - Watchmen, Gran Torino and Marley & Me, to name three. I'm still gonna give a decent rating though for what it is, it was better than Bolt 3D anyway.
6.5/10
I know I gave it 7/10 on twitter but that was when I was walking out of the theatre, I'm downgrading it a little now on reflection.
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Friday the 13th (2009)
I don't know if this film, imaginatively titled Friday the 13th, is meant to be a "reboot" of the franchise or what, but I can tell you this. It's the worst Friday the 13th film that I've seen. I'm gonna dispense with my no spoilers rule for once. This movie deserves to be spoiled, anything to stop people from watching it.
I was looking forward to it. I like Jared Padalecki and having seen his Supernatural other half, Jensen Ackles, in the vastly superior My Bloody Valentine recently, I had reasonable hopes for Jared's horror outing. I wouldn't call them high hopes though, I mean it was still a slasher flick after all.
Anyway, as usual I hadn't really read any reviews before heading to the film. I had skimmed one though - it said it was crap but since most reviewers say all slasher films are crap, this did not unduly disturb me. The one thing that did catch my eye was the mention of a wood chipper. Sounded promising. Nary did I suspect that this little detail would be the film's folly.
It started off with some particularly annoying kids looking for weed in the forest. They were quickly dispensed with, but not without the poor unsuspecting audience being subjected to a horrible pair of boobs. Nasty. I did not need to see that.
Soonly we meet the real cast of the film. A group of similarly annoying kids except that they're richer and have access to a beautiful lakeside house. Actually that's not fair, two of them were barely annoying at all, they may as well have not been there. On the other hand, the rich jock, Trent, whose father owns the house was annoying enough for the three of them so we'll call it even. This group meets our hero, Clay (Padalecki), who is searching for his sister, who went missing with the first group. As Clay is an attractive man and Trent is an immature paranoid sterotype of a character, friction erupts. Nothing interesting happens for a while but it culminates in Trent's girlfriend going off with Clay to help him search for his sister.
In the meantime Jason's abound. He's not really moving quick enough though because there's a lot of people still alive. Over the next while he pops up here and there killing people, nothing spectacular. Night falls. I forget exactly what happens but at one point they're all trapped in the house. Eventually Trent is killed, but not before he has a chance to cheat on his girlfriend for no apparent reason apart from the fact that she was out for the day. Actually there's a decent scene in the shed. That was a good killing... since I don't remember any of the others I have to assume they weren't particularly notable.
So in the end it's Jason, Clay, Trent's girlfriend and Clay's sister. What? She's still alive months later? Jason's slipping. Anyway it's showdown time. Where's that wood chipper? Oh, there it is! Clay and Jason fight and they get ever closer to the wood chipper... in a film that has only managed to keep its body count up due to the earlier scene with first group, this wood chipper could be a bright splattery highlight.... closer... closer... oh he's got Jason on the back foot... he's going in! Oh wait. No, he's not. Unbelievable.
What a complete waste of my time. Also it annoyed me that Jason just didn't seem as terrifying as he has in other films. That was always the thing about Jason, he was this great hulking unstoppable figure. With this... mercy... for Clay's sister, it just didn't work. Not only was this an awful, boring, tensionless film. It was an insult to Jason and to the whole Friday the 13th series. And it wasn't even 3D, all slasher films should be done in 3D by now.
We'd all be better off if we just imagined this film never happened. Jason X and particularly Freddy vs. Jason were right laughs, Friday the 13th part 13 better not disappoint.
Despite all that, I'm gonna give it a few points. I mean there was a story, there were characters, the lake looked good... It wasn't the worst film I've ever seen. I mean it wasn't Jeepers Creepers.
3/10
I was looking forward to it. I like Jared Padalecki and having seen his Supernatural other half, Jensen Ackles, in the vastly superior My Bloody Valentine recently, I had reasonable hopes for Jared's horror outing. I wouldn't call them high hopes though, I mean it was still a slasher flick after all.
Anyway, as usual I hadn't really read any reviews before heading to the film. I had skimmed one though - it said it was crap but since most reviewers say all slasher films are crap, this did not unduly disturb me. The one thing that did catch my eye was the mention of a wood chipper. Sounded promising. Nary did I suspect that this little detail would be the film's folly.
It started off with some particularly annoying kids looking for weed in the forest. They were quickly dispensed with, but not without the poor unsuspecting audience being subjected to a horrible pair of boobs. Nasty. I did not need to see that.
Soonly we meet the real cast of the film. A group of similarly annoying kids except that they're richer and have access to a beautiful lakeside house. Actually that's not fair, two of them were barely annoying at all, they may as well have not been there. On the other hand, the rich jock, Trent, whose father owns the house was annoying enough for the three of them so we'll call it even. This group meets our hero, Clay (Padalecki), who is searching for his sister, who went missing with the first group. As Clay is an attractive man and Trent is an immature paranoid sterotype of a character, friction erupts. Nothing interesting happens for a while but it culminates in Trent's girlfriend going off with Clay to help him search for his sister.
In the meantime Jason's abound. He's not really moving quick enough though because there's a lot of people still alive. Over the next while he pops up here and there killing people, nothing spectacular. Night falls. I forget exactly what happens but at one point they're all trapped in the house. Eventually Trent is killed, but not before he has a chance to cheat on his girlfriend for no apparent reason apart from the fact that she was out for the day. Actually there's a decent scene in the shed. That was a good killing... since I don't remember any of the others I have to assume they weren't particularly notable.
So in the end it's Jason, Clay, Trent's girlfriend and Clay's sister. What? She's still alive months later? Jason's slipping. Anyway it's showdown time. Where's that wood chipper? Oh, there it is! Clay and Jason fight and they get ever closer to the wood chipper... in a film that has only managed to keep its body count up due to the earlier scene with first group, this wood chipper could be a bright splattery highlight.... closer... closer... oh he's got Jason on the back foot... he's going in! Oh wait. No, he's not. Unbelievable.
What a complete waste of my time. Also it annoyed me that Jason just didn't seem as terrifying as he has in other films. That was always the thing about Jason, he was this great hulking unstoppable figure. With this... mercy... for Clay's sister, it just didn't work. Not only was this an awful, boring, tensionless film. It was an insult to Jason and to the whole Friday the 13th series. And it wasn't even 3D, all slasher films should be done in 3D by now.
We'd all be better off if we just imagined this film never happened. Jason X and particularly Freddy vs. Jason were right laughs, Friday the 13th part 13 better not disappoint.
Despite all that, I'm gonna give it a few points. I mean there was a story, there were characters, the lake looked good... It wasn't the worst film I've ever seen. I mean it wasn't Jeepers Creepers.
3/10
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