Silent Hill (2006)

Based on the computer game of the same name, while I have heard that the game is super creepy and one of the best scary games out there, however I have never played it. So I went into this adaptation with nothing to compare it to, so no idea if it is a good adaptation or not. You follow Rhada Mitchell who is married to Sean Bean, they adopt a daughter who sleepwalks and ends up going missing and through connecting some clues she ends up tracking her to Silent Hill.


On the way she is stopped by a policewoman played by Laurie Holden, they end up together trying to find her daughter and trying to sort out what is happening in the world of Silent Hill. There is a side story that lets you understand a bit more what is happening as you see Sean Bean in and around the same places and you can understand what is going on. Within the world there are lots of viscious twisted creatures and there are also people hunting witches and you have the two female leads making their way through the world and the creatures trying to survive and find Rhada's daughter.


Understanding this is from a game helps but would have preferred to have some level of context and perhaps there could have been a little exposition at the start that helps and explains what the situation is as it is very confusing. I can see no reason for it other than it has to happen as this is what the game is all about. Overall it was fine in the fantasy horror genre of films and the effects were not to bad. I give it 5 out of 10, not terrible but not great and not really worth tracking down unless you have a connection to the game.

Apocalypto (2006)

Mel Gibson writes and directs a film about the Mayans and it is all subtitled, I was not that interested in this film. When it first came out I was not interested and would not have watched it but for the fact that it was on in the Coach when I was in Mexico. I had just been to visit the Chichen Itza and our guide, Victor, who was of Mayan descent, after speaking to us for hours all day told us that Mel Gibson had done the film correctly. He thinks that it is one of the truest representations of the people we had been hearing about all day. So I thought two hours on the bus, might as well settle down and enjoy the film as it was the only film on offer so that had to be worth something.

You follow Jaguar Paw as his tribe hunt a creature and you very quickly are pulled into the tribe set up and the very basic nature of their relationships and how they live. On the way back to the village they encounter a tribe of fisher people and with a warning they ignore, their troubles begin. You follow Jaguar Paw as he is captured and he vows and endeavours to return to his pregnant wife and young son. Along the way you meet the Mayans and you find out that they are a blood thirsty race out for sacrifice and how they treat the other tribes. The title Apocalypto comes from certain prophecies within the film and what the ending foreshadows.

This film was filmed using some natives that had never acted before but the set pieces and overall look and feel of the film was excellent. The story lacks a bit for me and there was a difference between the end of the film and what Victor had told us but then a little poetic licence is always needed in these films to get the message across. Overall though whether it was more to do with my day or the film itself I really enjoyed it within the context of seeing it. This is 7 out of 10 for me but if you do watch it on this recommendation just remember my view may have had a slight tint to it.

The Departed (2006)

From 2006 starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Walberg and Martin Sheen from director Martin Scorsese this is remake of Infernal Affairs bring the action of spies, cops and robbers to Boston. This is the film that finally won Scorsese his Oscar and while it is awesome and I really enjoy it I am unsure if it deserved the Oscar for that year. There are questions whether the award was more of a life time achievement award for Scorsese. You follow Leo and Matt as they grow up and come through the ranks of the Police and Criminal organisations and you follow Leo as an undercover cop he infiltrates Jack Nicholson's gang. And you follow Matt Damon as a member of Jack Nicholson's gang as he infiltrates the police and rises to power.


his film is full of twists and turns and you follow the main leads as they struggle with maintaining their identity and also trying to find out who the other is. There are plenty of shocks and the ending is awesome, confusing and just about right for this film and even though I have seen it a couple of times still love the ending. There is some love interest that focuses on Vera Farmiga; this gives more insight in to both the characters as they both interact with her.


The first time I saw this film I was on holiday in the US and always wondered if my love for it stemmed from the experience but taking the time to re-watch it I still love this film and give it a solid 9 out of 10 and a high recommend to everybody. Also if I get the opportunity I will be looking out the original as I have heard that this is very good as well.

Mission Impossible III (2006)

The third film in the Mission Impossible franchise sees Ethan Hunt played by Tom Cruise and directed by J J Abrams trying to protect his girlfriend from a sadistic arms dealer played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. You have the usual stellar supporting cast with Michelle Monaghan as Julia, Ethan’s Fiancee, Ving Rhames, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Maggie Q as his support team with Simon Pegg as Benji in the laboratory supporting the team.

This is the usual Mission Impossible fayre with guns, explosions, improbable circumstances and cool gadgets. Overall the story is big enough to keep you interested and small enough that you care, from the start that brings Ethan back to the IMF you do care about the fact that he is just trying to live a normal life. The effects are believable but with Abrams at the helm you know that there are going to be twists and turns and a couple you can see coming if you have seen enough of this sort of film.

I found this film as enjoyable as the others without being anything special the simple fact is if you found anything enjoyable within the first two films then you will surely enjoy this venture, I give this a hearty 3 stars, worth seeing if you like the action spy films. 

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

A remake of the Wes Craven film directed by Alexandre Aja, about a family of campers, they decided to take a shortcut across Department of Defense land. That land had previously used for Nuclear testing and they run into the family that still live there. One of many films in the last few years to get a remake, very little reason other than money for the film to be made.


You follow the family Aaron Stanford, Kathleen Quinlan, Vinessa Shaw, Dan Byrd and of Lost fame Emilie de Ravin. It all starts when their caravan breaks down and not fearing anything they settle down and then things start to happen including one of their dogs going missing and then it is a battle for survival as the family are picked off one by one. This film falls in to the category of another mindless horror film to me, I have struggled to remember that much that happens in the film and to this means little to no redeeming features.

Overall I remember enjoying some of the kills and some tension but overall there is not that much in the film that is appealing and it certainly is not a film I will rush to revisit. So in scoring this film it will have to be a generous 3 out of 10 and that is only for a couple of the kills.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Film of 2012 #65


I think I had heard of this film and this is why when I saw it on the TV I decided it would be worth a watch, but I think all I had heard was the name and a very basic premise, this made it so much better. Leslie Vernon invites a university film crew to document him, as he tries to become the next supernatural serial killer. The film starts with a brief history of Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger and it sets the tone for the whole film. 

It starts as a documentary with your female lead interviewing Leslie and trying to find out what he is trying to achieve and he takes them on a tour and shows them his plans. This film is an excellent idea and take on the slasher film, it is from the point of view of the killer and what he is hoping that his antics will achieve and how he thinks out everything, so that what you see in the slasher film from him knowing where people will go, to weapons not working. It really is well executed. There are some flaws especially with the acting but there is a couple of really nice touches that appealed to me as a fan of the slasher genre. 

Overall this is a fantastic new take on the slasher film genre, I highly recommend it to you if you have any love for the slashers and the horror genre, not perfect but still a solid 4 star recommend.