Captain America (2011)

Director: Joe Johnston

Cast: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Sebastian Stan, Stanley Tucci

Date: July 2011

Plot: Small, skinny but very eager Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a WWII U.S. Army soldier who volunteers to be a part of an experimental military program that infuses him with super-human powers turning him into Captain America. It is up to the First Avenger to use his new found strength to battle the villainous leader of Hydra, The Red Skull (Hugo Weaving).

Trailer - Captain America: The First Avenger

Review: I must confess, when I saw the first teaser for this installment of Marvels pre-Avengers origin story I was very excited despite not reading any of the comics, old or new.

As I took my seat in the cinema, my anticipation and set to the max, hairs on the back of my neck standing upright I was ready to entertained and I was! From start to finish I don't think I looked away from the big screen, definitely at no time did I look at my watch and to see how long was left or how much more I had to sit through.

Personally I really enjoyed the movie for what it was, a blended War/Superhero/Sci-Fi/Comic Book movie. Did it have its negatives, sure, but nothing to stop me from going to see it again if I wanted. There is alot of talk about the film being a US Army recruitment campaign in disguise as an action movie and that it is very emm... America, Fuck Yeah!!!-ish. Honestly though, what do you expect, Captain America was always that type of hero and it is a rare War movie that doesn't show its own country in a good "recruitment" light, so please stop the trivial arguing and enjoy it because that is what I did!

First thing to note is the special FX for pre-Captain America Steve Rogers and the Red Skull... awesome, seamless, pixel perfect and did I say Awesome! I thought Chris Evan was a great choice for the all American American, he plays the part very well. He can play the action hero, has the comic timing to be funny and the charisma to hold an audiences attention for 2 hours. It will be very interesting to see if he can make his character stand out in The Avengers with Robert Downey Jr, Samual L Jackson, Jeremey Renner and Chris Hemsworth.

No surprises from the supporting cast either with Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving, both great actors who have a terrible habit of stealing every scene they're in, no matter who else is there! Hugo Weaving especially is fantastic as the villain in this story. Even though he has his head in full "Red Skull" make-up for about 60% of the movie you can still feel the characters hate, anger and evilness, which to me is the sign of a very good actor!

To finish, yes, I would recommend this to comic fanboys and casual movie goers alike if not for an entertaining evening at the cinema then to at least start the excitement for the upcoming Avengers movie next year!

Avengers Assemble!!!

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True Grit (2011)

Director: Joel & Ethan Coen

Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Dakin Matthews

Date: February 2011

Plot: Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. by Jim Beaver

Trailer - True Grit

Review: I had high expectations going into this film as the first movie based on this book (True Grit, 1969 starring John Wayne) was very very good. Thankfully the Coen brothers were able to produce a good film that can stand apart from the original as its own. Since this is not a direct remake it is unfair to compare it like one, both films are adaptations from the same book but both are quite different.

With most of the Best Picture Nominees in the Oscars this year, there is a lot of hype behind the movie and this is no different. Yes True Grit is a good film, I am not a big western fan but I did enjoy the film but reading some reviews I am led to believe that this is supposed to be the best film of the past decade, which its not.

Hailee Steinfeld is very good, she puts on a very believable performance as the no-nonsense, hard talking 14 year old Mattie Ross, at times you are rooting for her and others you want to slap her, but that's the character and it is portrayed well. Hailee is definitely one to look out for in the future, fingers crossed she doesn't go down the Rom-Com road!

Jeff Bridges is fantastic, there is no other word for it! Stellar performance in a role that almost seems like it was written for him. He is gruff, likable and a kind of anti-hero that we all love. It really is a huge toss up between him and Colin Firth for Best Actor at this years Oscars!

Matt Damon is a bit of a let down for me, and it is through no fault of his own. I think it was just bad casting! He is not weathered/aged enough to be in a western. As a comparison, Daniel Craig is only 2 years older but looks like he fits in the western environment in the upcoming Cowboys and Aliens. Also, that moustache is just comical! Performance wise, Damon does his best and holds his own in scenes with Bridges and Brolin but I think he should stick to the more clean-cut action movies.

Overall the film was a good watch and is definitely one you should see in the cinema because I feel it will be a long time before you see another good out and out western on the big screen!
A deserving 8 out 10 from me.

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Toy Story 3 (2010)

Director: Lee Unkrich

Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, John Ratzenberger, Michael Keaton, Don Rickles, John Morris

Date: July 2010

Plot: Andy is finally going to college and decides to put Woody and the gang into storage in the Attic but they are mistakenly sent to a Day-Care Center. Now it is up to Woody and Buzz to bring the toys back home.

Trailer - Toy Story 3


Review: It has taken 15 years for the Toy Story story to come full circle and it has been a great ride! We were first introduced to Woody and Buzz back in 1995 and now they are back in their final adventure. In Toy Story 3 we find Andy all grown up and ready to go to college, having packed away all his old toys he can't bring himself to throwing away his childhood friends and decides to put the gang in a box in the attic for storage but a mix up in boxes and bags means that Woody and the gang are donated to a Day-care center.
The Day-care toys are led by Lotso, a pink, fluffy, huggable bear who has a hidden sinister side that we find out about when Woody says they need to leave and go back home.

This movie was one of my favourites from last year, the story seems to have had everything, there was adventure, comedy, romance and genuine connection with the characters. Even though it is an animation movie, it pushes the boundaries of a 'kids' movie to a movie that can be enjoyed and beloved by everyone.

There is the same fun and adventure in this film as there was in the first two Toy Story films but this one does have the feel throughout that it is the ending of the story, this is backed up by the fantastic and emotional scene at the end between Andy and Bonnie in the garden. Still almost brings a tear to my eye!

I don't want to say too much about this because I don't want to spoil it for you, but at this stage if you have not seen this film there is something wrong with you!

It is great, and frankly about time, to finally see an animated film be nominated and considered for an Oscar. I doubt it will win but it has set the bar pretty high for animation films to come.

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The Social Network (2010)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Bryan Barter, Rooney Mara, Armie Hammer, Joseph Mazzello, Justin Timberlake,

Date: October 2010

Plot: The indepth look at the founding of the social networking site Facebook and how it led to one of the most publicized lawsuits in recent history.



Trailer - The Social Network

Review: It was only a matter of time before someone decided it would be a good idea/ran out of real ideas and make a film out of an over popular website! Granted, Facebook had a slightly more interesting birth than most websites and it almost definitely has more members but is that a real reason to actually make a movie?

Yes, I am slightly biased because, well, I don't like facebook and am not on it. It is my own preference, facebook did nothing to me! And it is not like I'm anti social-networking... ehhh this is a Blog (And don't forget to follow the twitter)!

My problem is that I thought there were more/better ideas out there for a movie! I like going to watch a movie to laugh, to be scared and entertained all in the comfort of a large box of popcorn, this though, for me was none of those things.

I have spoken to many people who did enjoy this film, but they can never tell me why! Was it Jesse's portrayal of the socially inept, genius Mark Zuckerberg or was it the tale of a college student who managed to create a social networking site from his dorm room? or was it simply because Justin Timberlake is in it!

The Facebook story is worthy of a lenghty magazine spread or even as Zuckerbergs Biography but as a movie, and especially one that is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars...

Yes there were a few entertaining moments and Jessie Eisenbergs performance was good but I don't understand the hype! If you look at the box office figures for 2010, The Social Network doesn't even break the top 30! Reference.

Anyway, I apologize that this review is more of a rant but I had to get that out!!

Personally I didn't really enjoy the film, I felt it dragged a bit from time to time, the characters were hard to relate to and the ending was very anti-climatic.

If you are cool and follow trends you will probably have seen this movie because someone on Facebook told you too and you may even have enjoyed it. But can you you tell me why you enjoyed it?

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127 Hours (2011)

Director: Danny Boyle

Cast: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Treat Williams, Kate Burton

Date: January 2011

Plot: A lone canyoneer becomes trapped beneath a boulder while climbing in the baron area or Moab , Utah for 127 hours and is forced into desperate measures to try and survive.




Trailer - 127 Hours


Review: This is the incredible and true story of Aron Ralston and how he managed to survive for over 5 days in the wilds of Utah, with one arm trapped under a boulder and no help around for miles.

With a very simplistic idea and minimal cast Danny Boyle manages to reproduce the terrifying tale of one mans struggle both physically and mentally with being trapped alone in literally the middle of nowhere with little or no supplies and no hope for rescue for 127 hours.

The story works because of its simplicity, what happens if you are climbing on your own, you fall and get trapped under a boulder with no-one around for miles? How do you survive? How do you escape? How do you get help? Danny Boyle manages to use these questions to play on the fears of a lot of people to produce an exciting and nerving movie.

The scale of the film is interesting too, Tom Hanks starred in a 'one actor for 90% of a movie' movie on a much bigger budget in Castaway and Ryan Reynolds did one on a much smaller one in Buried, this though seems to sit almost in the middle. This is where I feel the movie falls short, you almost feel it either needs a cash injection to make it a proper big budget film or it needs to lose the music/flashbacks/swimming scene to make it more... I don't know "real" if you know what I mean.

Where it can stand proud is in the casting, James Franco is very brave for stepping into the realm of being just 'you and the camera'. It puts a lot of pressure and emphasis on his acting and ability to capture the audiences attention! Franco, does do well, he is likable and relatable which is what you want for this kind of role but throughout the film it always feels like you are watching a movie instead of a bringing the audience into the experience.

You could wait for the DVD release but it is one of those films which will be a talking point for the next few months. Overall I did enjoy the film, the end sequence with the real Aron Ralston was a nice touch, an above average 7 out of 10 for me.

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Inception (2010)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao

Date: July 2010

Plot: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception. (from IMDB)

Trailer - Inception


Review: Woah!! Firstly, my bad! I know this movie has been out for ages and is on DVD/BluRay already but I just never got around to reviewing it. Now that it is in the mix for Best Picture at the Oscars this year I have the perfect excuse to re-watch it and do the long awaited review.

So here goes, Cobb (DiCaprio) and Arthur (Gordon-Levitt) are both skilled thieves who use new technology to invade the dreams of an individual to learn, and steal, their inner most secrets.
Cobb, who is on the run, is approached and offered a job which will pay him enough money to stop running, the job though is to invade the dream of Robert Fischer (Murphy), the soon to be beneficiary of his fathers company, and implant an idea in his subconscious, this act of inception is all but impossible but for the sake of his freedom Cobb is going to attempt it.

As 99% of you who have seen this know, this movie takes a while to comprehend, sometimes a second watching! The lines between reality and dream world blur very quickly and you really have to be on your toes to keep up. The mind blowing and unbelievable special effects and storyline are very reminiscent of The Matrix when it was first released back in 1999.

The casting is very typical of Christopher Nolan as he is infamous for using the same actors in many of his movies, alot of the cast of Inception including Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, Michael Cane and Ken Watanabe have appeared or are set to appear in other Nolan productions. That is not to say they are bad choices! I do admire that a Director can have such a great relationship with his cast and always get the best out of them.

Leonardo DiCaprio has not worked with Christopher Nolan before but he has been on an great run over the past few years with great performances in Blood Diamond, The Departed, Revolutionary Road and Shutter Island. It's hard to say a bad thing about him post Blood Diamond really and Inception can be added to the list.

As I said, the story is a little hard to comprehend without a bit of serious concentration but once you get the general idea you can relax and enjoy the action sequences, particularly the hallway fight scene and the insane special effects, which alone are proof that this film deserves to be nominated in the Best Picture category.

In case you haven't seen it yet I won't give away the ending but you really should rent/buy this as soon as possible!

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The Fighter (2011)

Director: David O Russell

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale,
Melissa Leo, Amy Adams, Mickey O Keefe,
Jack McGee

Date: February 2011

Plot: Based on the early carrer of 'Irish' Micky Ward, The Fighter is the Rocky style story three-time New England Golden Gloves champion boxer and his rise to glory as the World Light-Welterweight Champion with the help of his drug addicted, former boxer-turned-trainer brother Dicky.

The Fighter - Trailer


Review: Running through the Boxing movies of the past 40 years, Raging Bull, Million Dollar Baby, Rocky I - VI, Ali, When We Were Kings, and so on, there are alot of good ones but not alot of great ones. The Rockys peaked early and went down hill fast (V and VI being so so bad!) and Ali was only ok at best, so with The Fighter I was expecting a typical troublesome amateur overcomes adversity to become champion style story... and that's what I got! But somehow this stands apart as a very entertaining story of Micky Ward and his Brother Dicky and how Micky becomes champ for the first time.

The story begins for us as Micky is on a winning streak, waiting for his big opportunity that never seems to come. After a decimating loss to a much bigger fighter he decides to call it a day.
Throughout the film we get to see Micky overcome his problems and get back on track to challenge for the Light-Welterweight belt against Shea Neary.

Like most great boxing movies, the boxing itself is only a very small part. In The Fighter, Micky is tormented by his brother Dicky, a former boxer and (in his own mind) a local hero in Lowell, MA. Dicky, who is addicted to heroin, believes he is the one to bring Micky to the big time, but a run-in with the law sees him being sent to jail.

There are some great performances in this movie, particularly from Christian Bale. Like The Machinist and American Psycho, he throws himself into the role and really pulls off a near perfect performance.

Mark Wahlberg leads the cast well, he puts in another good performance but to me, he seems to always play the same type of role, the poor tough guy from the bad part of town. He is too small to be an all out action hero but is very relatable in his underdog roles.

As an overall film it was very enjoyable, the direction was good, acting was good, story was good.
It is very hard to fault it on anything specific. I can see this picking up some awards at the Oscars this year so be sure to catch it at your local cinema.

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The Kings Speech (2011)

Director: Tom Hooper

Cast: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Derek Jacobi, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon

Date: January 2011

Plot: This is the story of King George VI, on how he became the King of England before the start of World War II, how he struggled with a debilitating stammer and overcame it with the help of an unlikely friend.



The King's Speech - Trailer


Review: Based around the months before he became the King of England, The King's speech is a fantastic look inside the very private life of the monarch that led England into World War II.
Plagued with a speech impediment the reluctant would-be king is forced to seek help, in private, from an Australian speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Both men become unlikely friends in the class dividing era that was London in the late 1930's.

I will be the first to hold up my hand and admit that I was very reluctant to see this film, Colin Firth with a stammer portraying a king... not exactly my type of film! But to my surprise and its credit, it actually turned out to be a very enjoyable film.

Colin Firth played the role of King George VI very well and very convincingly! And if I didn't know any better I would have assumed he always had a stammer!
The back and forth scenes between Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth also deserves a note, funny, emotional and heart warming, they provided some of the best parts of the whole movie.

I am always very critical of films that seem to be released specifically for the Oscars, a period drama or war time fable that rarely captivates the public and is used by people to make them sound more cultured than they actually are!
The King's Speech though does deliver some great performances and I can see why it has been nominated for so many awards, it has certainly thrown a wrench into my picks for best actor, supporting actor and film!

This general genre (Historic-drama) is rarely on my "can't wait to see this film" list and looking over my movie collection I find it hard to find more than one or two that I would recommend to the public. That being said, this one didn't bore me, I didn't feel like I wasted my money seeing it but at the same time I wouldn't rush to watch it again!

I would be happy to recommend it, a typical Oscar-made movie, maybe, but its a pleasant change from the sequel after sequel we will be bombarded with later this year.

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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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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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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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