Clearing out the Freezer!

As 2010 comes to a close, I think its time to, as everyone else is, look back on the year and discuss if it has been a triumph for cinemas and movie-goers or if this years variety can be put in the recycle bin!

I would like to take the time to look at the good and the bad movies of the year, unfortunately there was an absurd amount of the latter! So this post may seem slightly negative towards this years releases but believe me it is not on purpose!! Good or bad though this year in movies will probably be known for one thing... 3D! Almost every release had a 3D alternative which got old very quickly, but that dit not stop them making them and converting them!

I'll start on a positive note, we did see two fantastic animated films this year in Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me. These two "kids" movies were above and beyond what I had expected and are guarenteed to be in my DVD collection soon. Unfortunately not all the animated films this year were that good, Shrek 4, Alpha and Omega and Legend of the Guardians all disappointed and I am sure this will be reflected when these are put straight in the DVD bargin bin!!

Another big genre reboot this year saw the return of the minimal thinking, big explosion, one-liner action films from the 80's and early 90's. I have always loved this type of film, pure entertainment, who cares about Oscars when you can have a good time watching shit blow up!
The Expendables, The A-Team, The Losers, Red, Unstoppable, The Crazies and even From Paris with Love, all provided that bit of excitement that casual cinema folk and movie-buffs alike want to see. Give them enough time and these will be as classic as Die Hard, Rambo and Commando!

If you are not into all guns-a-blazin' action films there were more "Rom-Coms" and "Chick-Flicks" out than you could shake a pink stick at! Even at that though, they were not great by any means and will/should be soon forgotten. If you were duped into seeing these I feel sorry for you but I at least you didn't see all of them! Remember Me, Leap Year, Dear John, Valentine's Day, The Bounty Hunter, Date Night, The Back-up Plan, Letters to Juliet, Sex and the City 2...... the list goes on and on! Expect the DVD's to be given away for free with newspapers, magazines and packets of Tayto shortly after release!

We still got the big budget blockbusters this year with Iron Man 2 and Inception spending a long time on the big screen, others like Skyline and Salt came and went without much notice.
Comedies were also hit and miss, with Due Date and The Other Guys being brilliant and Hot Tub Time Machine and Grown Ups being terrible.

I have left out loads of films from the above, good and bad, but this is starting to become a bit of an essay and I don't want it to go on for ever!
I'll leave you with my Top 10 and Worst 10 of the year in no particular order below.
All in all it has been a good year for movies but it does almost seem like two bad films for every 1 good one! Here's hoping 2011 will be better :)

Top 10.

Kick-ass
Buried
The Expendables
Despicable Me
Due Date
Inception
Toy Story 3
The Losers
Iron Man 2
Cop Out

Worst 10

Legion
Leap Year
Extraordinary Measures
Shrek 4
Alice in Wonderland
Death at a Funeral
Furry Vengeance
Marmaduke
Eat Pray Love
The Switch

I would like to hear what you think though, what were your best and worst films of the year and are they similar to mine? Comments and emails always welcome and just in case I don't post again this year... Happy New Year!!

I know you cannot remember all of the films from 2010, so here is a list of the 100 most popular movies of the year, for both good and bad reasons!

2010 Movies:
Daybreakers
Leap Year
The Book of Eli
Extraordinary Measures
Legion
Tooth Fairy
Edge of Darkness
From Paris With Love
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Valentine's Day
The Wolfman
Shutter Island
Cop Out
The Crazies
Alice in Wonderland
Brooklyn's Finest
Green Zone
Remember Me
The Bounty Hunter
Repo Men
Hot Tub Time Machine
How to Train Your Dragon
Clash of the Titans
Date Night
Death at a Funeral
Kick-Ass
The Back-up Plan
The Losers
Furry Vengeance
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Harry Brown
Iron Man 2
Letters to Juliet
Robin Hood
Looking for Eric
MacGruber
Shrek Forever After
Sex and the City 2
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Survival of the Dead
Get Him to the Greek
Killers
Marmaduke
Splice
Ondine
The A-Team
The Karate Kid
Jonah Hex
Toy Story 3
Cyrus
Knight and Day
Grown Ups
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Last Airbender
Despicable Me
Predators
The Girl Who Played With Fire
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Inception
Salt
Charlie St. Cloud
Dinner for Schmucks
The Other Guys
Eat Pray Love
The Expendables
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Vampires Suck
Piranha 3D
The Switch
The Last Exorcism
Takers
The American
Going the Distance
Resident Evil: Afterlife
Alpha and Omega
Devil
Easy A
The Town
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
You Again
Buried
Case 39
Let Me In
The Social Network
Life as We Know It
Secretariat
Jackass 3D
Red
Paranormal Activity 2
Saw 3D
Due Date
Megamind
Skyline
Unstoppable
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
The Next Three Days
Burlesque
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Tourist
Tron: Legacy

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Deaths this year

With very few Movies of any interest being released this month, it has been a quiet time for me. I have been re-watching some classics and hope to bring forward the forgotten films of the past few years into the lime-light once again.

But in the abrupt halt to my Cinema trips I have had a chance to look back over the year and I noticed that, this year more than most, we have lost a great number of stars of the big screen.


With the recent untimely death of the legend Leslie Nielsen I thought I might take this opportunity to remember some of the Heroes and Heroines that we have lost in 2010.

From the start of the year we have lost;

• Zelda Rubinstein (1933-2010) known for; the Poltergeist Movies
• Corey Haim (1971-2010) known for; The Lost Boys
  
• Peter Graves (1926-2010) known for; Airplane, Mission Impossible (TV)
• John Forsythe (1918-2010) known for; Charlie's Angels, Dynasty (TV)
• Gary Coleman (1968-2010) known for; Diff'rent Strokes (TV)
• Dennis Hopper (1936-2010) known for; Easy Rider, Speed, Waterworld
  
• Harold Gould (1923-2010) known for; The Sting
  
• Gloria Stuart (1910-2010) known for; Titanic
• Tony Curtis (1925-2010) known for; Some Like it Hot, Sparticus
• Tom Bosley (1927-2010) known for; Happy Days (TV)
• Leslie Nielsen (1926-2010) known for; Airplane, The Naked Gun Movies
  

Not all of these actors may have been the most well known over the last 20 years but they have all put in decades of hard work to build the movie industry into what it is today, and for that they will be missed.

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Due Date (2010)

Director: Todd Philips

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Zach Galifianakis, Jamie Foxx, Danny McBride, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis

Date: November 2010

Plot: After an incident with Ethan (Galifianakis) and being put on a no-fly list, Peter (Downey Jr) must find a way to get cross country in time to see the birth of his first child. Peter has no choice but to team up with Ethan and this begins their hilarious, eventful, odd-couple style journey from New York to LA.

Due Date - Trailer

Review: This review is simply for the 4 people in the world who have yet to see this film because if you haven't seen it yet, there is something wrong!!

This is a classic odd-couple style film with the uptight expecting father Peter, played by Robert Downey Jr teaming up with the free spirited, aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay, played fantastically by Zach Galifianakis.

After an incident on the plane home, Peter is removed and put on a no-fly list, he is forced to hitch a ride across the country with Ethan to try and make it for the birth of his first born.
Ethan, an aspiring actor, accompanied by his Dog Sonny and his fathers ashes in a coffee can is looking to go to Hollywood to start his career as a TV actor.

The journey to LA is full of excitement, humour, tragedy, car crashes, weed and some of the best comic scenes of the year, especially the Downey Jr Babysitting scene and the Zach, a jeep and a drainage ditch scene... I'm still laughing!

I really enjoyed this movie, to the extent that I would easily go see it again! It will undoubtedly be compared to the classic comedies of this generation, The Hangover and Superbad, but the comparisons are valid, this will be a classic!

I felt the film peaked early and kept the high throughout most of the film, it is only at one or two points where the story gets serious and the comedy slows down but these scenes only last a moment and are broken up by some big laughs.

Overall I would highly recommend this to everyone for a good laugh whether its in the afternoon on a Tuesday or on a Friday night, it is always funny!

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Saw 3D (2010)

Director: Kevin Greutert

Cast: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Sean Patrick Flannery, Chad Donella, Gina Holden, Cary Elwes

Date: October 2010

Plot: In this next Saw chapter we see a group of Jigsaw survivors gather together to seek the support of self-help guru and fellow survivor Bobby Dagen, a man whose own dark secrets unleash a new wave of terror.



Saw 3D - Trailer

Review: I feel enough time has passed and I have calmed down just about enough to write the review for this, the latest installment of the Saw franchise. As you can probably tell, I was not impressed with Saw 3D but where do I begin...

It all started about this time last year, we were promised retribution for the terrible terrible Saw IV and Saw V films and we got it with Saw VI, a film that brought back the true styling of the Saw franchise that had been lost in the previous films. Going into Saw 3D on the high from Saw VI I was expecting good things, creepy, terrifying, suspenseful, gore-tastic things but unfortunately it was not to be!

Saw 3D picks up where the last movie left off, with Hoffman continuing the Jigsaw Legacy while hunting down Jigsaws ex-wife, Jill. The main story line is intertwined this time around with Bobby, the guru behind the self-help group for Jigsaw survivors.
In classic Saw fashion, Bobby leads us through the gorey trap-filled story line, in an attempt to break up the ever deteriorating Jigsaw storyline.

To say that Saw 3D is completely useless is an exaggeration but surprisingly not that far from the actual truth!! Saw 3D seems to have been only made to satisfy our annual need for over-the-top and over-complicated bloodlust. Yes, the traps are more ridiculous, Yes, there is more blood than any other Saw film but that's about as good as it gets.

Lets break it down...
The 3D is average at best and feels forced in most places but probably the best part of the movie.
The story is very very predictable, which is a big problem for me because the Saw films always had a reputation for being complete mind-benders.
The Traps are too over-the-top, particulary the last one.
The level of blood and gore bordered on cheap B-Movie effects.
Note: Blood and Gore for the sake of it = Very Lame.

A positive for the film was the nostalgia of seeing Dr. Gordon again, even if he is not in the film for that long, and for this reason alone I would recommend going to see it.

It has become abundantly clear now that the studio obviously does not care about the story and as long as people are willing to spend the ca$h to see them, they will continue to make them. Which is a shame.

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RED (2010)

Director: Robert Schwentke

Cast: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban,
John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirran, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss

Date: October 2010

Plot: Former CIA agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is forced out of retirement and must get his old team back together to find out who is trying to kill him and why.


RED - Trailer

Review: Based on the popular D.C. graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, RED has a relitively simple plot, Frank Moses is forced out of retirement after he is attacked in his house, he picks up his Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) en route to finding who attacked him and why. This proves more difficult than he first thought and must reunite with his former team one by one in an attempt to help him uncover the truth.

Packing a film like this with as many superstars as you can find can either go very right or very very wrong, thankfully RED manages to pull it off nicely. Everyone seems to put in a steller performance and with a good story backing it up RED is going be, in my opinion, a sleeper success!

Without exagerating too much I think Bruce Willis is getting better as he gets older! Willis manages to keep the same comedic timing from Cop Out to make his James Bond/Jason Bourne type character very likable in RED.
As for John Malkovich, all I can say is he is unbelievable! Funny, crazy, sinister, action hero... he does it all! I was even impressed with Helen Mirran, I'm not sure if it was the type of movie or the rest of the cast but I saw her in a new light and really enjoyed her performance.

I didn't have too many expectations going in to see this but I was hopeful that it would be an entertaining 2 hours and it was. A good aul fashioned comedy/action flick.

A must see!

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Despicable Me (2010)

Director: Pierre Coffin

Cast: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher, Julie Andrews

Date: October 2010

Plot: Super villain Gru has hatched his most diabolical plan ever, to steal the moon! But first he needs the help of 3 orphan girls to to get a shrink-ray from his new nemeses Vector.


Despicable Me - Trailer

Review: The tragic flaw with animation films over the last 15 years is that they are constantly being compared to Toy Story and Shrek.
While both of these are true classics, I feel it very unfair and quite boring to compare every film in the genre to these two! Could you imagine doing this in other Genre's? No!

So I believe that Despicable Me deserves to be judged on its own merits. In saying that, I thought that this was a fantastic film for both kids and the young at heart.
The movie really does have a bit of everything, there are laughs for everyone, from the fan of the slapstick to the subtle play on words, there is warmth and good intentions for those looking for a moral to the story and you would have to be made of ice not to fall in love with the cutest little girl, since Boo from Monsters Inc.

The storyline does follow the formula which makes it a bit predicable but there is enough in the movie to keep it fresh and new. The voice acting from all is done very well, at times it is sometimes a bit hard to understand Gru's (Steve Carell) accent but I don't believe it is enough to mark him down on it.

As a whole I thoroughly enjoyed the film. The jokes, story and animation worked well, I was even impressed by the 3D.
I believe that everyone left the cinema with a smile on their faces!

Definitely recommended to all.

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Fridge Door News

Welcome to another Marvel-ous edition of the Fridge Door News!!

On this weeks news we get to to don our tights, cape and mask as we look into this past weeks News, Rumours and Story's from the courageous and amazing world of Superheros!



The past 2 weeks have been rife with story's of the big budget action fests that are coming our way next year including Batman 3, Spiderman 4/ revisited Spiderman 1 and Superman: Man of Steel.

Read on my fellow Heroes and Heroines...

We kick things of with some big news on the new Spiderman reboot coming Summer of 2011. We broke the news, via Twitter, that Rhys Ifrans has signed on to play the villain in this much needed reboot. The rumour-mill lit up with suggestions of who he is going to play and it looks like it is going to be Doc Connors AKA The Lizard. Although this has yet to be confirmed it has not been denied either by Ifrans or the studio! Here's hoping!!


We move to Gotham City were the big news on the set of one of the most secretive movie, the untitled Batman 3, is the recent addition of Tom Hardy.
It is yet unknown who Hardy will play, Good guy or Villain but the storeys and theories have spread like wild fire... The best guesses are Killer Croc, Black Mask or The Riddler! Guess we will have to wait and see.


Debunked rumours: The two big rumours that have been laid to rest this week are that General Zod will NOT be in the new Superman movie, Zack Snyder himself put laid this one out to all the fanboys. The second is that Bradley Cooper will not be playing The Flash in the 2012 feature film. Cooper is quoted as saying "I've never heard anything about it ever in my life". This one particularly interests me as Ryan Reynolds was another fore runner to play the super fast hero... could he possibly play 3 super hero roles at once... Deadpool, Green Lantern and The Flash!!!

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Buried (2010)

Director: Rodrigo Cortes

Cast: Ryan Reynolds

Date: October 2010

Plot: An American truck driver in Iraq is captured and buried alive in an old wooden coffin, armed with only his lighter and a cellphone he must find a way out.



Buried - Trailer

Review: Upon seeing the trailer for this movie a few months ago I had great hopes and expectations, it was daring, suspenseful and above all beautifully original! I did have one or two notable concerns though; Can Ryan Reynolds act by himself for 90 minutes? Can he movie the story along and essentially carry the whole movie alone? Would a story of basically Ryan Reynolds in a box work? I believe I got the answers to all these questions last week...

We open in pitch blackness as Paul Conroy (Reynolds) awakens in the old wooden coffin, we are introduced to our main character from the light of a Zippo lighter and never leave his cramped claustrophobic side for the rest of the movie.

The film is daringly shot from inside the coffin at all times, we never cut to another scene or pan away for a moment. This along with the minimal lighting brings the audience into film and allows us to experience the similar fears and isolation that Paul feels.

Although a bit sceptical at first, this did really work! I am not sure if it was the fantastic performance from Ryan Reynolds or the master cinematography but I found myself engulfed in the film and sometimes even checking to make sure I had enough space to move my arms and legs! Bravo!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the film but there were a few unhappy patrons at the cinema, I'm not sure what they were expecting from a film about one man trapped in a buried coffin with the story told from his perspective... maybe some vampires or a transformer or two!!

Anyway, I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good thriller of a movie.
And yes I will be buying this one when it comes out on DVD/Blu Ray next year!

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Competition

Hello Fan,

There is a good reason why I have not posted this weeks review and it is not because I haven't seen anything worth blogging about!! (Stay tuned for a great Buried and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps review coming really soon)!!!

I have been contemplating the state of "Hollywood" and the movie scene at the moment, with a lot of the movies from 2010 and 2011 being sequels, prequels and remakes, are there any fresh and new idea's left? Profound, I know!

So I would like to call upon you, the movie going public to help me gather a list of movies with the most original story ideas of the last 2 years.
Once collected and sorted I'll post the list here for the world to see. I am also going to reward the person with the most (valid) submissions with a mystery DVD :)

Here are the rules:

• I will accept submissions from today until December 1st 2010.
• Anyone can enter, there are no age/location restrictions.
• No Duplicate submissions allowed.
• Submissions can be made by emailing me directly at TheMovieFridge@gmail.com
• Please include your name in the submission.
• I will contact the winner shortly after December 1st.
• Mystery DVD will be chosen at random but will be age appropriate.
• Movie list and winners name will be posted on the Blog.
• In the unlikely event of a tie, the winner will be chosen at random.
• Only the Movie title is needed for submission.
• I will check the movie to make sure it is an original movie idea
• Strictly NO remakes/sequels/prequels allowed
• Judges decision is final
• Remember its all just a bit of fun!
  

If there are any questions let me know :)

Happy submitting!

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Fridge Door News

News this week focuses on the upcoming Sherlock Holmes 2 with two big cast revelations.
We ask what is going on with George Lucas these days and we also tragically say goodbye to a true screen legend.

Read on friends...



This past week received word that Stephen Fry will be appearing in the new Sherlock Holmes movie as non other than Mycroft Holmes, Sherlocks older and more clever brother.

We also learned that Professor Moriarty will be played by Jared Harris, son of the great Richard Harris. This may come as a suprise to many as the rumour mill was heavily pushing Brad Pitt to play the arch nemisis of the English detective.

Just when you thought George Lucas couldn't get any crazier... it has been announced that lucasfilm will be converting the Star Wars saga into 3D!
That's right from 2012 onwards the re-re-re-release of all 6 Star Wars films will be in 3D.

It seems that George Lucas has nothing else to do with his time these days and insists "For Star Wars we will take our time, applying everything we know both aesthetically and technically to bring audiences a fantastic new Star Wars experience."
I for one am looking forward to owning ANOTHER copy of the Star Wars movies....


On a sad note now, we say goodbye to the screen legend that is Tony Curtis.

Tony passed away at age 85 earlier this week of a heart attack.
Curtis dominated the 1950's and 1960's with outstanding performances in Spartacus and Some Like it Hot and earned an Oscar nomination for The Defiant Ones.




The Results are also in for the first Fridge Poll.
You voted in your 10's and decided that Inception was the best movie of the year so far. Thanks for your votes and watch out for the next poll coming soon.

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November Fridge Fillers

It's time to take a look ahead the upcoming releases in October.
Here are some of the better films coming to a Cinema near you soon...

October 1st:

• Buried. The much anticipated Claustrophobic inducing thriller starring Ryan Reynolds. In this thriller we find Reynolds stuck in a buried coffin in the middle of the Iraqi desert armed with only a lighter and a cell phone to try and escape.
• Grease SingAlong. After the huge success of the Mama Mia sing along last year, you now have the oppertunity to sing along with your favourite Grease songs with your friends while watching the classic musicals.
  

October 8th:

• Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. The long awaited sequel to the most corrupt film ever. 20 years later we finally get to see if Gordon Gekko is still the baddest man on Wall Street.
• The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud. Zac Efron struggles between the love of his life and a promise he made to his deceased brother in this heart warming tale.
• Mr. Nice. The extraordinary life of Howard Marks is finally brought to the Big screen. We follow Rhys Ifans as he portrays the life of the most notorious Marijuana smuggler ever.

October 15th:

• Despicable Me. Gru (Steve Carell) uses 3 orphan girls as pawns in his most evil plan ever, stealing the Moon! Things start to change for Gru as he finds himself becoming attached to the 3 girls and a stuffed Unicorn :P
• The Social Network. The most popular social website ever has now gotten a movie! Here we are exposed to the turbulent origins of Facebook phenomenon.
• Vampires Suck. It was only a matter of time before someone decided to take the piss out of the Vampire craze! Enter the funnier side of Twilight.

October 22nd:

• Alpha and Omega. The classic tale of Romeo and Juliet told us using Wolves.
• Legend of the Guardians. A young owl and his new friends escape to the island of Ga'Hoole, to help its noble and wise owls who fight the army being created by the wicked rulers of St. Aggie's.
• Paranormal Activity 2. Just in case the first one didn't scare you enough, this sequel has promised to be even more "watch through your fingers" horrific.

October 29th:

• Saw VII. The game is almost over in the penultimate episode in possibly the most gruesome series ever as Jig-Saw is brought back to the big screen to sicken and terrify us.
• The Kids are Alright. Two teens, conceived by artificial insemination set out to bring their birth father into their family life, much to the dismay of their lesbian mothers.
  

Read more »

Fridge Door News

This week continues to strengthen the argument that Hollywood has run out of fresh ideas and are simply adding another sequel to any and all movies with another Underworld and Ghost Rider film and also a new Bill and Ted sequel!

We also see a new face for Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen.


See below for this weeks headlines;


Kate Beckinsale has officially signed on to return as the Selene in Underworld 4.





MTV has officially confirmed that a third Bill & Ted film is in the early planning stages Alex Winter.
"We have finally hit upon an idea that we think is pretty great," said Alex Winter (Bill), who also revealed that original writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon are currently working on the screenplay.



Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas have started interviewing directors for the upcoming Superman reboot, reports Deadline.com

The rumored list includes Duncan Jones (Moon), Jonathan Liebesman (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning), Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), Tony Scott (True Romance), and Zack Snyder (Watchmen).



Joaquin Phoenix is being considered for is none other than Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar Hoover biopic, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.






Ghost Rider will ride again on February 17th, 2012, in a squel/reboot titled Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. The film will be directed by Crank helmer Mark Neveldine.
Nicolas Cage will reprise his role as Ghost Rider, and the film has started shooting in Bucharest, Romania. Expect to see 2D and 3D versions..


Sacha Baron Cohen has signed on to play Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic written by Frost/Nixon scribe Peter Morgan. According to Deadline, the film will focus on “the band’s formative years, leading up to Queen’s appearance at Live Aid in 1985.”





Trailers...
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (November 2010)




Tangled (November 2010)



Due Date (November 2010)



Priest (January 2011)

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Devil (2010)

Director: John Erick Dowdle

Cast: Chris Messina, Jenny O' Hara,
Bokeem Woodbine, Jacob Vargas,
Logan Marshall-Green, Bojana Novakovic

Date: September 2010

Plot: A group of people trapped in an elevator realize that the
devil is among them.





Devil - Trailer

Review: As the first film in M. Night Shymalan's The Night Chronicles Trilogy, Devil lives up to the standard that we have come to expect from the director that brought us such horror classics as The Happening and The Village and Lady in the Water... Subtle, i know... (in case you haven't figured out the twist in this review, they all sucked!!!)

Of the previous mentioned films, Devil is the better of a bad bunch. In a very disappointing way this is probably Shymalan's best film since the 1999 The Sixth Sense.

The film does have its scary/chilling moments but they are too few and too far apart, most actually come right after the lights go out which makes it a touch predictale.

The cast are very believable and do draw you into thier world, Bokeem Woodbine and Logan Marshall-Green have some standout performances and are the real backbone of the film.

As this is part one of The Night Chronicles trilogy I am praying that the next two are much better because I would hate to see Shymalan's career end on such a bad note!

Not recommended. If you are looking for a good scare/chill then I would wait for Saw 7, Buried or even Paranormal Activity 2, all due out in the next 6 weeks.

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The Other Guys (2010)

Director: Adam McKay

Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson,
Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton

Date: September 2010

Plot: The Other Guys follows Detective Allen Gamble (Ferrell) and Detective Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg). Hoitz, after been stuck with Allen as his partner is determined to get back in the game. Allen and Terry idolize the city’s top cops, Danson and Manzetti (Johnson, Jackson), but when an opportunity arises for the Other Guys to step up, things don’t quite go as planned.

Trailer - The Other Guys


Review: I had little expectations for this film after hearing that Mark Wahlberg was teaming up with Will Ferrell in a "buddy cop" comedy, but to my surprise, this seemed to work! Even more to my surprise, Mark Wahlberg is a very funny man!

The Other Guys does follow the typical formula for this type of movie, the story is very straight forward and there are very few surprises. The odd pairing of Wahlberg and Ferrell is also done very well, Ferrell is not his usual over the top crazy funny guy that we have become accustom to, he is a little bit more relaxed and dependant on the quality of the jokes instead of bouncing around the screen which is good.

Mark Wahlberg and Michael Keaton stand out as you do not expect them to be as funny as they are! I'm sure if it is the script or their natural comic timing but I was impressed.

One or two bad notes though are ******Possible Spoiler Alert****** Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L Jackson are just not in the movie long enough. From the trailers I was hoping to see them throughout and not just for the first 20 minutes.

Despite the film following the predictable "Buddy Cop" formula, there are enough good laughs to make this stand out from the crowd.

Recommended for a laugh on a Friday night or a DVD night in.

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Salt (2010)

Director: Phillip Noyce

Cast: Angelina Jolie, Lieb Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor,
Daniel Olbrychski, August Diehl

Date: August 2010

Length: 100 minutes

Plot: When a defector accuses CIA officer Evelyn Salt of being a Russian spy she is forced to go on the run. In the effort to prove her innocence, Salt casts doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues.


Trailer - Salt

Review: Salt... right, it is kind of hard to write a review for this film because I can't remember much about it! Not that my memory is bad or anything but there simply wasn't anything that stood out to make this a good or bad film! I do remember just sitting there when it finished with a confused look on my face asking myself if it was a good film or not!

For what its worth Salt is a well thought out, generic, run of the mill thriller.
I did enjoy the elaborate, over the top action scenes and thought that Angelina played the part very well.
The plot in general was also clever but didn't challenge the mind at any stage.

Unfortunately there is not much to review, the "Action/Thriller" formula was followed to the tee and produced another middle of the road movie.

Recommended if you have nothing else to do.

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The Expendables (2010)

Director: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li,
Eric Roberts, David Zayas, Terry Crews,
Dolph Lungdren,Mickey Rourke,
Randy Couture and Steve Austin

Date: August 2010

Length: 103 minutes

Plot: A group of elite mercenaries descend on
a remote island off the coast of South
America to over throw the corrupt dictator
that has turned the island into turmoil and
to rescue one of the local rebels Sandra.

Trailer - The Expendables


Review: The Expendables brings the "Action Movie" genre back to its basics, it embodies everything that was great about the "shoot first, ask questions later" films of the 80's and early 90's.
The cast is a who's who of action giants, from the legendary Stallone and Statham to the up and coming Steve Austin and Randy Couture, all of whom seem to have had a fun time making this Movie.

The amount of explosions and gun fights ensure you get enough bang for your buck which is great because the plot is very thin at best and a lot of the acting is very hamfisted and cringe-worthy at times but to be very honest I didn't care!

This film managed to bring me back to the days of Commando, Rambo, Die Hard, Cobra, etc, when all i wanted to see were action hero's shooting the bad guys and saying some cheesy one-liners.
Will this win any Oscars? No, but do we really care? In a time when we just want to be entertained for an hour and a half on a Friday evening this is pure perfection!

Very Recommended!

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Welcome Post!

Welcome to the Blog!

This is new territory for me but I would like to share my reviews and opinions on Films and Movies with you fine people... I know, catch up with the rest of the world!!! but what can you do!

So lets go......

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