Priest (2011)

Film of 2012 #19

Some Spoilers

Another film based upon a comic book that I have not read, this time it is a post apocalyptic world in which humans and vampires have lived together forever and the humans developed the Priests, highly skilled and powerful fighters that were created and trained to fight the vampire menace. I have to say that this film is a mess, it seems to grasp the fact that not many people will know the set up but not enough belief in itself to set the world up properly and develop the world that is new to so many people, had they done this a bit better then i think a franchise could have been born here that would have been quite interesting.

You join the world after the Priests have been removed from power and de-commissioned as the vampire menace has been controlled or so it would appear. Now if the film had been about the world in which Priests were created and you followed the young priest through his training I think you would have a better grasp on how the world got where it is and how the reliance on the church and perhaps the ending could have been the set up for this world, there are a few twists that are obvious and because this film feels so rushed they are telegraphed and not that much of a surprise. The vampires are CGI creations that appear to be more animals than a thoughtful dangerous enemy and perhaps if the vampires had been treated like the Bugs in Starship Troopers you would have taken to them a bit more.

Overall I like Paul Bettany and Karl Urban in this film but they do not really get enough to go with and Maggie Q is another character that could really have done with a bit more development, overall this film is very flawed and would love to hear from you if you have read the comic is the film a good adaptation? This is a 2 star film, the actors do not deserve to be in a 1 star film but really it is a film that I would avoid, let me know if you disagree with that. 

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)

Film of 2012 #18
Some Spoilers

Finally got a chance to see the Owl film as it was called because who can pronounce the name of where the owls stay. So going into this film I thought that it was literally a journey movie about the main characters heading off to find the legendary owls of Ga'hoole, but this is not all it is about. There is a good vs evil story line, a betrayal that is really obvious and in fighting between family members which was really dark from where the film started. Overall for a kids film this was very dark you do not see anything through the animation but it is quite clear that there are several deaths and while it is life you do see the Owls eating what they normally eat, Mice. So not necessarily one for the very little kids, if you have small children I would watch it first before letting them see it. 

Now the animation was magnificent and I am sure that some of the scenes would have been exceptional in 3D but overall I did not think that I missed very much considering it was a 2D version that I saw. I think that this was a film from New Zeland or Australia as I did not recognise any of the actors voices and there was certainly a few with the Antipodean twang. It was good not to have any famous people involved as their voices did not pull you from the piece. Overall though I did not really buy into the set up, which sounds strange as it is a film about owls but in comparison I believed the world that Cars created with inanimate items coming to life. 

Overall I am glad I saw this film but would not recommend it unless you have a want to see it, 3 stars from me and I will not be rushing out to see it again. If you have seen it and disagree with what I have said then please let me know as I am really unsure what the population at large thought of this with or without seeing it. 

The Horrors of Spider Island (1960)

Film of 2012 #17
Some Spoilers

Another of the Public Domain films that I recently got and decided to watch and to be honest i was drawn in by the title but half way thorough I did have to investigate the history of this film and what was happening. It is originally a German film and the version I watched was dubbed in to English and I have to say it was not done with any great care or attention. Your plot surrounds a dance troupe being taken to the Far East, you start with the selection of the girls to go and en-route to their destination the plane crashes and they are washed up on a desert island. 

Now watching the film I actually had the thought that it was essentially and opportunity to titillate the audience in the 1960 as there were quite a few scenes of the girls getting down to their underwear and overall the only survivors of the plane crash were Gary the band manager, his assistant and all of the girls he had chosen for the troupe. So you were given the set up of 1 man and 7 women and you had dancing and shower scenes and thinking that back in the day when this film was released there must have actually been an audience of young men hoping to be titillated and see a little flesh. However the production and the follow up dubbing crew did not take enough care and the film was literally just thrown out there with no care if it was any good or not. 

I would not recommend seeing this film unless you were to watch it as a look at how badly some films could be made back in 1960, this is a one star review. I have since watching found out that Mystery Science Theatre 3000 did a review of this and that I think would be worth seeing as it is a bad film that commentary can only make it better. 

Highlander (1986)

Film of 2012 #16
Some Spoilers

The classic 80's film where a Scotsman plays an Egyptian, a Frenchman plays a Scotsman and Clancy Brown steals every scene that he is in. I have seen this film so many times and back in my early teens me and several of my friends tried to re-write and film a new version if this film. We were not very organised and I think it lasted 2 days across a Summer holiday, but this film holds a special place in my nostalgic heart. Christopher Lambert plays the title character who cannot die and you see his story across the years until present day New York and the gathering. You have Sean Connery as his mentor and an Egyptian who worked for a Spanish King. The final main character is Clancy Brown as the main bad guy and another Immortal playing the Kurgan an evil and vindictive man. 

Now this film's basic concept is that throughout time individuals are born who cannot die unless their head is removed, and over time they will get whittled down to one who will win the great prize of power and knowledge. The major problem comes when you try to look at this film and analyse the ideas behind it and what it tries to do and then you end up with so many questions and plot holes it is ridiculous. But I think that if you just watch it as a film about sword fights and fights across time it is a fun romp which poses some interesting questions on what would you do if you were immortal. 

Finally the sound track for this film is almost more iconic than the film with most of the songs written and performed by Queen and it is tremendous and I could actually listen to the sound track all of the time. Now if you need coherent film making with no dodgy effects this film is not for you, if you just want the fun of sword play and great tunes then give this film a go, by the way I like the sequels as well even though they introduce a new idea that ruins the original idea but anyway give it a watch. This is a 4 star film for me, the soundtrack alone and some of the witty comments are brilliant but overall I think it is the deep sense of nostalgia I get whenever I watch this film. 

The Exorcist (1973)

Film of 2012 #15
Some Spoilers


The William Friedkin Film based upon the William Blatty novel of the same name and is considered by many film fans as one of the best films of all time and at least the best Horror film of all time. I have actually had the opportunity to listen to an audio commentary by fans and a thorough analysis of the film scene by scene and this film holds up under direct scrutiny, yes like any film based on strange and unbelievable events there are holes if you look and prod hard enough but overall you can see past them quite easily. This film has also been described as perfect by some people in the film industry and I would not go that far but I think that the stories surrounding the production from how Friedkin got the end performance from Father Dwyer by slapping the actor just before shouting action to the fact that Ellen Burstyn complains about a bad back from being violently dragged about on a harness at the directors instruction and that the final scenes were filmed in a Freezer to get the effect of the cold atmosphere. Surrounding this film are so many legends that it is hard to remember that it is only a film and that the hype surrounding it can get to carried away. 

So I was lucky enough to see this film in the cinema for the first time when it was re-released, possibly for the 25th anniversary in 1998 and I went with the knowledge that this film was the most shocking film and was banned for years. I was slightly disappointed as my expectations were to high but nearly 15 years later watching this film with more knowledge of film I have to say that I was drawn into it and was looking for the flaws and struggled and was pulled along with the belief that this little girl had gone from being a rosy cheeked child at play to a foul mouthed shocking creature due to the fact that some sort of demonic possession was taking place. I think the performances from Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn are fantastic and Father Karris captured what the film needed to from the Mother lost and alone having to turn to the church the last place she expected any help and getting a Father Karas a man whose faith was being tested to the max by the goings on in his private life. The titular character The Exorcist, Father Merrin played by Max Von Sydow is strange as you see him at the start but he only comes back right at the end but you can see he has faced the demon before and the little you get makes you want to see what happened before, from what I have heard none of the films that were prequels seem to touch what this film hinted at. 

Overall I would not say that this film is perfect, I think as a horror film if you have any love of horror then you will watch this and be creeped out by it, the only people are those that cannot suspend their disbelief and enjoy a film for what it is. I rate this film as 5 stars it is a film that will be revisited in the future and I look forward to discussing it with people and hearing the other stories around the production and lore of the Exorcist.

The French Connection (1971)

Film of 2012 #14
No Spoilers

Finally got a chance to see the William Friedkin police drama starring Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, I knew very little of this film going in other than it was a slow burner and was quite violent. I have to say that those comments are accurate when it comes to summing up this film, you have Hackman and Scheider on drug case where they are sure it is going to be  a bust but I think that it becomes bigger than they originally expected. You also see the French side with the master criminals dealing with the transaction and I think that there was also a level of naivety from their side based upon who they were dealing with, this brings a real sense of realism to this film. 

There are some slow scenes with Hackman staking out the suspected criminals in New York in winter and you see his dedication with the fact that it is obviously freezing and it goes on a bit to long for me but does give a sense of how much he wants the bust. There is a chase scene when Hackman "borrows" a civilians car and chases a suspect who is on an Elevated train, the whole scene reminded me of something from Grand Theft Auto and it would not surprise me if this was an influence on the game makers. There is a level of violence in the game and the 1970's cops do give the impression of shoot first ask questions later and this leads to some interesting situations. 

Overall this is an excellent film you have good performances from the main actors with Hackman stealing the show for me, he is so aggressive and obsessive it drags you along and while you do not like the character this is probably because you are not meant to like this racist and violent cop. I would recommend this film, it is quite long but very entertaining and is from a different era on New York in the 1970's a solid 3 stars from me, I can appreciate that it is not for everyone.

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Film of 2012 #13
Some Spoilers

The film based upon the Richard Matheson Novella "I Am Legend" it is the 1st adaptation and  the truest to the original story. It follows Vincent Price in the titular role of the only surviving Man in a world over run by vampires. If you have ever read the book, this is the visualisation of the world that Matheson envisioned and explores what it would be like to be the only living human in a world of Vampires.

I love the book and the story and the end point that explains the title and the fact that you might not necessarily know what the consequences of your actions are no matter what your intentions or or thoughts The biggest flaw for this film for me is that Vincent Price while an awesome actor and character he is very much Vincent Price and it is hard to see past this when watching the film but still you get the idea of the impression that Matheson was trying to convey in the book.

This film is a must for all fans of genre films and the Richard Matheson story, this is a solid 4 star recommend for me, the flaw of the wrong actor for the art and the clearly small budget within a film that is clearly dated, still well worth seeing.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Film of 2012 #12
Some Spoilers

The Tim Burton directed musical starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter as Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett who sing and slice their way through London killing people making pies out of the bodies. I had not heard many good things about this film but i thought that I enjoyed Tim Burton and what he does with Johnny Depp and his wife but after viewing this film and really not liking it at all I am beginning to wonder if I just do not like Tim Burton's style or if it is the fact that the Gothic look has been done by him so many times it is just boring.

The story itself is not one I was aware of but appears to be a historically fictional character that has been adapted into film and Musical previously. It involves, Johnny Depp being imprisoned wrongly by a judge that fancied his wife and when he comes out of jail believing that she is dead he decides to take his revenge on those that wronged him. Now why he then decides to kill everybody and make them into pies is strange to me and a twist at the end was so obvious even though I was not paying that much attention and the overall ending I just thought What was the point of that?

Overall I can not recommend this film at all and give it a meagre 1 star, the singing is fine and the acting is comparable but nothing stands out, even though there is a great cast with Timothy Spall and Alan Rickman filling some of the other roles, on the whole very disappointing film and not worth seeing.

The Three Musketeers (1993)

Film of 2012 #11
No Spoilers

This family romp through the story from Alexandre Dumas about the betrayal of the French King by Cardinal Richelieu played menacingly by Tim Curry is enjoyable enough fair with what was a very impressive cast. Playing the lead of D'Artagnan was Chris O'Donnell, the musketeers were played by Charlie Sheen, Keifer Sutherland and Oliver Platt with the bad guys rounded out with Rebecca De Morenay as M'lady and Michael Wincott as Rochefort.

As per the recent remake which I reviewed here, I am not sure how close to the original story this sticks but based upon the remake they are very similar with the Cardinal trying to seize power from the young King of France and his young wife who are still discovering each other after an arranged marriage. I think I prefer this version over the remake as it sticks to the time more and also does not include the Duke of Buckingham or the Steam Punk.

Overall this is 3 stars and if you enjoy the story or want to see a decent film representation I would recommend seeing this film rather enjoyable fair.

Teeth (2007)

Film of 2012 #10
Some Spoilers

The Black Comedy from Mitchel Lichtenstein, well i presume from the tone in some parts that this is a very Black comedic film. It stars Jess Weixler who discovers through some events that she may suffer from "Vagina Dentata" Toothed Vagina and the issues that this can cause as a young woman exploring and discovering her sexuality.

Part of the reason that I think it goes for comedy is the fact that Dawn the lead character is in a group that pledges to maintain virginity to marriage and has a purity ring. And some of the external comments regarding this are quite random. There are some fairly graphic scenes with a scene of rape and seduction by drug and was actually uncomfortable but I think that it was handled quite well as the subject matter leads Dawn to end up with the control and the eventual victor.

This film is actually quite good fun and the scene in the Gynaecologist office actually had me laughing out loud. This will obviously not be for everyone but anyone that enjoys the darker side of horror and comedy should really enjoy this, I have given it 3 stars.

Caved In (2006)

Film of 2012 #9
Spoilers a Plenty

Why do I insist on watching the awful SYFY original films in the vain hope that there will be something of interest to see. So this film is annoying from 2 points as it was on the TV and listed as a group of criminals lead rich people below the surface and then look to rob them but they encounter creatures below. I was thinking low rent The Descent with a slight twist on the robbery. The film I actually saw was some drivel about   a spelunker leading a team of criminals looking for Emeralds and they find Giant CGI Beetles.

The acting is dodgy, they are in the best lit 50 year old mine in the world and the Beetles are terrible, it really is one of the worst films I have ever let myself endure, it really was dull and very predictable and if you cannot see how it will end then you really have to watch more films.

Writing this I am actually angry that I wasted the time watching it, do not watch it, 1 star for me and an avoid at all costs. Really why do I endure these nonsense SyFy films? Because you never know you might actually find one that you like, I will keep looking.

In Time (2011)

Film of 2012 #8
No Spoilers

Finally got to catch up with the Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfreid Sci-Fi film based on the idea that we have to earn time to survive, the concept is baffling and you should not try and figure out why they got there, simply go with it and how it works, I thought of it simply as an alternative world and it works really well. It is slightly confusing as at 25 years old people stop ageing and look like that forever more, so you have a situation when a 25 year old man shows you his Mother-in-Law, Wife and Daughter and they are all played by 25 year old actresses makes an interesting looking film.

I have to say that the setting is used really well with Justin Timberlake as a man living literally day to day, it is easy to see that there is social commentary with the differences between the rich and the poor and what that can really mean in real terms to people and I have to say that I was captivated by that idea. The main premise of the idea though is that if you are robbed of all of your time you will be timed out and die.

With a solid performance from the 2 main leads and Cillian Murphy as the time cop you have some really good tense scenes and with the threat of time running out on them down to the last few seconds it is an interesting film. I would say that if you like science fiction or fantasy then it is well worth seeing, one of the best films I have seen this years so far a solid 4 stars from me.

Frightnight (2011)

Film of 2012 #7
No Spoilers

Another 80's film that got remade to the 2000's, in all honesty the original was cheesy horror comedy with more campness than anything else and in all honesty it was not the greatest film in the world it was quite like Monster Squad great through nostalgia. So the remake stars a fairly strong cast with Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, David Tennant, Imogen Poots and Toni Collette. Now it is actually the kind of remake that I can go with, it takes what is a good idea and expands and takes it in  new and interesting direction.

The basic premise is still the same with a vampire living next door to a teenager but they take the characters a lot further than in the original and they also make them quite different in some cases. They do however maintain the basic story and they have a couple of nice references to the original film.

This is the best kind of remake it is not shot for shot it is not just a simple rehash of the original film they take a good idea and expand and explore new and modern ideas. I give this a good 3 stars, while a good remake the film still has some flaws but really worth seeing if you get the chance.

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol (2011)

Film of 2012 #6
No Spoilers

The biggest thing about me seeing the latest sequel to the Mission Impossible franchise was that I got to see it in IMAX, very impressive not really worth the money at nearly £13 a ticket you have to be really sure of the film and trust the makers to use the technology. I look forward to seeing the new Christopher Nolan Batman film as I believe he knows what he is doing with the technology. But to the film, I have no idea what happened in the last 3 although I have seen them, perhaps an excuse to re-watch the action packed 'Impossible Missions' that are shown on screen but its starts with a prison break. Tom Cruise escapes with a passanger and then straight away has a mission that involves infiltrating the Kremlin.

Overall this film was highly enjoyable possible because of the IMAX experience but teh action scenes were over the top exciting and executed brilliantly, there was a nce level of comedy I do think that Simon Pegg went to far with some of it but overall any fans of action films with a bit of espionage thrown in will really enjoy this film.

I am going to give my experience 4 stars and would say that the film is worth seeing it will be interesting to view it on DVD and see if it holds up to repeat showings on a lower level.

Predators (2010)

Film of 2012 #5

Some Spoilers

The next film in the Predator Franchise after the Alien vs Predator films which I quite like were not met with as much enthusiasm as anticipated, they have gone a different ruote. You basically join Adrien Brody as he is in free fall and you learn as he does that he is not alone and that there are others and as they go on they are all human killers of some level or another. I think that this is done as some sort of reboot to the Arnold Schwarzenegger original and Isabelle played by Alice Braga seems to reference the original Predator story as she is from those jungles.

The first time I saw this film at teh cinema I have to say that I really enjoyed it but on this second viewing the gaping plot holes are so obvious that they annoy me slightly. Happy enough to go with the no explanation of how the Predators know these are the best killers at what they do, happy for no explanation as to how they were picked up. But how Laurence Fishbourne knows so much would be nice to know, why there are 2 castes of the Predators now and what they are actually doing on the planet. They do not seem to be in training it is like a hunt but there are always three and there are refrences to some being killed, so to give us some lore they need to expand on it or cut it back a bit. No real explanation would have been better, we know that the Predators like to hunt this is their whole purpose in the previous films they have been involved in.

Overall I still enjoye dthe film, switch your brain off and enjoy the action and the small call-backs to teh origianl film including the mud scene, I will watch this again and give it 3 stars but do not watch it if you expect a master piece.

Red Riding Hood (2011)

Film of 2012 #4
Spoilers

Finally got a chance to see this film, however I was not actually that bothered about seeing the Wolf film from the director of Twilight based upon a simple Fairy tale. Amanda Seyfried plays Red who has a Grandmother in the woods and their village is haunted by a Werewolf that everybody knows about but lives with it until it goes to far and kills a young girl.

Now it plays very strong on fairly tales with some interesting homages including the Oh Grandma what Big Eyes you have, one of the main characters is called Peter, I just kept thinking of Peter and the Wolf while it was on. Overall this is not terrible but again it is not captivating, they try and create suspense around who is the Wolf and so many red herrings I was pretty sure i figured it out and I had.

And the promise you won't tell anyone was followed by that person telling everyone so blatent and obvious it was happy when it was over. You get some good performances from Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman has a bit part and I was surprised at where his character ended up. This is not worth seeing unless you catch it on TV or are interested to see anything to do with Werewolves, a 2 star film for me.

Jonah Hex (2010)

Film of 2012 #3
Spoilers

This film is so silly it is unbelievable, that is fine as it is a comic book, as I have no affiliation to any comic books I have no idea if it is a true and good representation of what the writer was looking to achieve. It is also a strange set up as it is an origin movie but also the main tale so fast and pushy and could have been done better with cleaner points and less forced in to the start.

You have Josh Brolin playing a scarred hero who came so close to death he can speak to dead people, well fun but used poorly in my thoughts, it seemed to be big enough of a point to mention and then they do use it but not as much as I thought as it really was his only super power as such. Megan Fox, I think had they got an unknown actress there would have been less screen time and less points for the character as really she was extra weight that was not needed, I did think she did what she needed to do quite well actually.

Overall though you have so much crammed in at the start that would have worked if Jonah Hex was like Batman, Spiderman or Superman, so well known everybody knows the source material and the origin story, they could have gone with the cut down, I just feel that they should have done something different with what is not a bad Steam Punk world. I would avoid this film and it only gets one star from me.

Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983)

Film of 2012 - #2
No Spoilers

Originally shown in 3D I watched this film on the TV so did not need the red and blue glasses that the 80's 3D technology required. I have to say that for a film that to me appeared to have it's tongue in it's cheek as it romped from set-piece to set-piece with Wolff and Nikki getting in and out of trouble with varying degrees of danger, to a conclusion that you can see coming a mile off it was a lot of fun.

The dodgy effects at the beginning make so much sense when you know the 3D origins but there were not as many obvious cliche 3D moments in the rest of the film but it would have been quite fun to have seen this in the theatre in it's time, I think that in today's effect and CGI driven movie industry it does not hold up but overall it is really worth a watch if you enjoy the 80's Sci-Fi classics.

If you enjoy the 80's fayre of dodgy acting, dodgy stories and dodgy effects then this film will work for you, if you do not go for cheesy story lines then you will probably not like it. A small note if you are a fan of Red Dwarf, there is an episode from an early season of this that I think rips this basic story off, it is episode "Kryton".

Brazil (1985)

Film of 2012 #1
No Spoilers

What a start to the year, this Terry Gilliam fantasy futuristic film based in a future ruled by Information and the Ministry that looks after it. This film has dream sequences and to be honest I struggled to follow what was happening a lot of the time but at the end there is a bit of a there is an answer I can grasp on to.

This is a film that I think will lose a lot of people I am not even that sure that the answer I grasped onto at the end of the film is the correct one but it satisfies my need for answers and clean cut solutions.

I have always been interested in watching the Terry Gilliam films and will continue to watch them if you like his previous works then I think you will get something from this but I would say that be prepared to not enjoy it.

X-Men 3:The Last Stand (2006)

I had seen this film previously and been a bit meh on the whole thing but as part of a re-watch I gave it another go. You have the story continued from the original film and the second and it tries to explore the idea of a cure to the mutations that our heroes and villains have. I think that it is trying to have some sort of social commentary on people's perceptions to differences and has a ham fisted approach to people's perceptions of conformity. I think that they overload this franchise with characters and it gets to the point that it is almost impossible to keep a track of who is who and they get a subtle introduction which i sort of missed an makes you not really care.

You have the main cast reprising the roles, however I feel that at the end of the film it has no where to go based on how they deal with the characters ad to be honest my limited knowledge means that i am not happy with how it all ends and I feel that they went in a really strange direction with many of the main characters that mean that this film could actually be ignored completely if they take the franchise forward and thinking that makes me lower my opinion of the film as it simply means that it possibly holds no value.

I am going to give this film 2 stars, overall the acting is fine it is the story and what they do with the characters and I feel that some of the decisions were made by the actors and some of the characters get short changed due to the size and scale they try and bring to the film. Overall not really worth seeing and possibly a pointless film in the franchise.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

I have been trying to watch films that I have podcast reviews for and this is why that I looked out the X-Men Origins film, at the time it came out I was not that keen to see it. My problem with X-Men stems all the way back to the first film and the 90's cartoon, it is so wrong but I had a thing for Rogue from the cartoons. I have no knowledge of the comics and my experience is purely based upon the cartoons and the previous films and when they made Rogue a teenager with angst and played by Anna Paquin I was not that impressed and the rest of the films did not inspire interest, however I do enjoy Mr Jackman.

I went into the film with fairly low expectations as this is another of the recent prequals that takes where the character is in the first film of a franchise and makes up a story that ends where they have to, it has some good set pieces and is a fairly adequate action adventure film. Hugh Jackman plays Wolverine so well hat you know what to expect and as you know where it ends you have certain expectations. I have to say that they made it entertaining enough that I would re-watch it if I caught it on the TV. There were some throw backs to the comics that I did not get and to the film and the ending of the film has already been thrown out by X-Men First Class and where it went with the film so the continuity is already shot.
I give this 3 stars, it is a perfectly serviceable action flick with some good interesting effects if some of the story lines are a bit all over the place. Worth seeing if you have enjoyed all of the other X-Men films.