Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)

The William Shakespeare play redone as animated garden gnomes what can possibly go wrong, You have the red garden versus the blue garden in this battle of bitter rivalry that no-one can remember how it started and then Gnomeo and Juliet meet and fall in love. This is not that deep a film and is very much for the kids with some references for the adults as well, the voice acting provided by Emily Blunt, James Mcavoy, Jason Statham, Richard Wilson and Patrick Stweart and a whole host of other big name actors there really is quite a lot to like about the cast of this film. And while some of them get really small roles over all none of them do anything wrong, i do like what they do with Tybalt voiced by Jason Statham.


This is a simple story with bright colours that the kids will love and enough references to keep the adults entertained. I have heard bad things about how they address the ending of the original story and I have to say that I disagree, this is a kids film and it introduces a story to them that may encorage them to explore some of the great literature as it comes in a package they can appreciate, the fact that they even take the time to address the ending of the play and the fact that they are going for a different version is good and at least they do not brush it under the carpet.


All in all this is not a film I will revist time and time again but if I am ever fortunate enough to have kids it is definetly a film I would let them watch and would happily watch with them, it is a solid 3 star recommend for the kids.

The Green Hornet (2011)

I actually chose to watch this film even though like seemingly quite a lot of people something about Seth Rogen just puts me off, his voice performance in Paul was great but this is the only good thing I have heard him do. He just has this way of being annoying, which worked in this film as a he was supposed to be annoying. So your story is Seth Rogen is the son of a Paper Mogul, played by Tom Wilkinson they do not get on and he has to take over the paper when his father dies. He hooks up with Kato his fathers mechanic and they decide randomly to become crime fighters and ingratiate themselves with the bad guys so they can bring them down and using the newspaper they start their campaign of crime against the criminals.

Now as a premise it works quite nicely, the biggest flaws in this film is the humour does not work properly as there seems to be something missing. I think that it is the crossover between slapstick and intelligent and it fails to work. Also I did not believe the relationship between Seth Rogen and Jay Chou who plays Kato and when you throw Cameron Diaz in to the mix the chemistry is just not there between the trio. Christoph Waltz plays an excellent bad guy and with James Franco getting a cameo the cast of this film was actually really good, Edward James Olmos also shows off his chops as the editor of the paper.

Overall I had low expectations and they were barely met, this is a 2 star avoid unless you like Seth Rogen a lot. Will give him credit he does look like he has lost a bit of weight but his style just does not work for me at all in this film or any of the others I have seen him in.

The Inbetweeners (2011)

I will be upfront and say that I have never seen any of the TV Series and know nothing about any of the characters but the Fiance wanted to see it as it appeals to her funny bone. The premise is that the main characters do not fit in even within their own families and they decide to go on holiday to the Greek island Malia. Firstly this film is almost the same as Kevin and Perry Go Large the out of place guys who are thick go on holiday and I wonder how it will turn out?

Now some of the jokes are hilarious the dance scene will go down in YouTube history when it comes out on DVD, having looked online this seems to be Neil played by Blake Harrison. A part from that and some other jokes the film is too cringe worthy for me, it is very much laugh at these people not with them and this is not the sort of comedy I appreciate as I simply feel bad fro them as I want them to succeed and every time you think they are winning the pull the Dumb and Dumber ending which is what made me hate that film, but that is a different review.

Overall if you like the series I am sure you will love the film and if you liked Kevin and Perry then this is for you, however it was not for me but a couple of the jokes were funny enough so 2 stars.

Conan The Barbarian (2011) Trailer

I get confused between the Arnold versions of the Barbarian and the Destroyer and cannot remember which film is which but I know that I enjoyed them both and when they decided to remake Conan the barbarian I was unsure how I felt about it as it is not one of my all time favourite films but I do enjoy them and I do think that they are taking remakes to far.

So the trailer shows us that there will be lots of sword and sorcery and this appeals to me however and this is good from the trailer you do not get to much of the story so when you get there it will be a pleasant surprise that is presuming that there is a story, hopefully they will just make their own story and we will not keep getting references to the original but it will be more based upon the comic book which I have never read rather than the films from the 80's.

I am actually going to see this film this afternoon at the cinema going to see it in 2D as to me 3D is totally dead and there are very few films I want to see in 3D any more.

UK Release Date - 24th August 2011

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Went to see the Western/Sci-Fi cross over film from John Faverou, starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde. There were some good Cameo's from Sam Rockwell and Clancy Brown, two actors who always make any film better. Now I am not a fan of Westerns but I love the Sci-Fi genre so was watching this film with a bit of trepidation as half of the premise was not for my tastes. This is actually a Western film with a Sci-Fi element, normally when a film has any element of Sci-Fi the film automatically gets classed in that genre as it is the strongest genre there is, as the simple premise of Sci-Fi is usually unbelievable and can take you out of a setting.

So you have Daniel Craig wakes up in the desert with a bracelet on his wrist and no idea who he is or where he is. Harrison Ford plays essentially the bad guy of the piece. His son Percy is an arrogant show off that gets away with everything simply because his Father is the richest man in the locality. Daniel Craig is like the lone drifter that wanders into town, and then the Aliens turn up. Now from this point onwards this is teh Sci-Fi film that I wanted, the Western element was good by my standards it was basic and simple and did not get to carried away. The characters trying to bring you back to the Western theme was a bit clunky especially the scene when Daniel Craig is coming out of the water and what he says to Olivia Wilde it feels very, oops lets remind everyone that this is the 1800's.

Overall I enjoyed this film the Western element is small enough and the Sci-Fi is strong enough that it maintained my interest so overall I give this 3 stars, worth watching especially if you like the action Sci-Fi films.

RED (2010)

This comic book adaptation sees Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren as retired operatives that come out or retirement when a Black-ops team invade Bruce Willis; home and try to kill him. It is a hilarious action comedy that brings together a stellar cast to romp through some serious explosions and action sequences.

I have to say that I was looking forward to seeing this film, as a non-comic book reader I had never heard of the series before the film and had not seen that much about it. I just thin that the cast alone was worth watching and seeing what they could do with a basically solid story idea. The action and acting did not disappoint me I have to say that there were some set ups and ideas that made me laugh out loud, the love stories are actually something special.

This is a solid recommend from me and I hope that if you have not seen it then you will give it the time it is well worth it and funny enough to pass the 2 hour running time, 4 shinning stars from me.

Shark Night (2011) Trailer

So watched this trailer wondering what it was going to be about and the trailer sets up your standard group of teenagers going to the lake for the weekend and then the shark attacks, really what can go wrong with this type of film.

It looks a little bit more than some form of Jaws knock off so hopefully it will be good I will definitely be looking forward to this at the cinema when it comes out.

UK Release Date - 30th September 2011

The Amazing Spiderman (2012) Trailer

The Amazing Spider-Man coming to a cinema's in 2012, I had not even heard that this film was getting made but it looks awesome from the trailer it is a reboot starring Andrew Garfield who found fame in The Social Network and possibly should have won the best supporting actor Oscar according to some people I have heard who talk abut these things.

It seems to go further back than the Sam Raimi original origin story and brings in Peter's parents so that could be interesting. I am not a big fan of origin stories but I have to say that it does look interesting, it really is interesting that a film that is not even 10 years old yet is getting rebooted, it either goes to show that they are willing to do anything to maintain rights or they truly have run out of ideas.

I know that I will go and see this film at the cinema because I always see the really big films there. Not saying that i am going with really high expectations but I do expect to enjoy it.

UK Release Date - 5 July 2012

Captain America:The First Avenger (2011) Trailer

The latest film from Marvel is the story of Captain America, from the trailer it looks interesting i know nothing about Captain America other than the fact that he comes from the Second World War and is part of the Avengers and this film is released with the Avenger movie scheduled for next year.

From the trailer it looks interesting it would appear that he is created so it will be interesting to see what he can do. I am a fan of comic book movies so based upon the trailer I will go and see this, however I am not a fan of origin stories so my expectations going in a re quite low and I do hope it is good as I am developing high expectations for the Avengers when it comes out next year.

UK Release Date - 29th July 2011

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) Trailer

I love the Paranormal Activity films, the first is a classic to me and the second fulfilled all it promised to me, the worst part of both these films was that seeing them in a packed cinema was distracting so while I will probably go and see this in the cinema I actually think that I might wait for a quieter showing before going to see it.

Now the trailer looks like a prequel and I am not a fan of prequels but then the second film did both so I am interested to see what it can do. I think that the franchise will probably go to far like many of the previous franchises and I hope that if they are making more they have started to think of an end game and or a way for the story to be interlinked.

This is definetley a film I want to see at the cinema, I think it probably says more about me than I care to admit.

UK Release Date - 21st October 2011

Siren (2010)

A thriller that starts out with three friends heading out on a boat for a tour of some islands, you have Ken and Rachel with Rachel's friend Marco a strange little triangle that plays out quite interestingly. Overall the film is quite slow to get going when they meet Silka on the island after the boat conveniently gets stuck.

This was quite a tense little thriller as psychological scares a plenty as their fears are shown to them, however it was far to slow for me to get going there is not that much to like about the characters and even though the director tries to develop them it lacked something for me.

I would say 2 stars if you like the psychological scares with a bit of the supernatural thrown in then it might be for you, I would say stay away from it. It lacks the real world essence to make it truly scary for me.

Zookeeper (2011) Trailer

I have seen this trailer a couple of times it is the film of the year where the big comedy star gets to act ll silly and stupid with some funny partners. In this case it is Kevin James with a cast of zoo animals who get to to show him how to get the woman of his dreams, Leslie Bibb with Rosario Dawson in the wings, my cynical heart asks wonder how this will play out?

I laughed at the trailer the Gorilla, going to TGI Friday's screams product placement but it is pretty funny, just glad it is not McDonalds.

I will probably skip this film at the cinema to childish even for em that enjoys the children's films and I will wait for it coming out on DVD.

UK Release Date - 29th July 2011

From Paris With Love (2010)

This is the thriller starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyer that came from nowhere and nobody saw except me and I am glad that I have seen it. It is the story of Jonathan Rhys Meyer is a young attache in the the office of the US ambassador in Paris who wants to be a spy and ends up working with John Travolta. Shenanigins ensue and there is a roller coaster tour of Paris as they search down the terrorists, this is a thriller there are some cood comedy moments in it and it was a highlight of my year finding this film.

John Travolta really plays crazy well with a bald head and goatee beer and his no nonsense attitude you actually do not like the character which is where you are supposed to be with him and your sympathies lie totally with the Jonatahn Rhys Meyer character and the journey that he goes on.

A 4 star recommend I can see this becoming a film that I will revisit agin in the future a most enjoyable romp through Paris.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Trailer

Decided that along with reviews I am going to look at some upcoming films that I might go and see and see what I think of them from the trailer and have a comparison when I have seen the film.

First up is the remake of The Rise of The Planet of the Apes, now I am not sure if this is a remake of the original film by this name or if it a sequel/prequel to the Mark Whalberg remake of the original classic.

So from the trailer I am highly anticipating this film, with James Franco and Andy Serkis and the effects that the trailer show it looks really good, it is the set up of how the apes take over? do they take over, well if it is a sequel/prequel to the remake then we know how it is going to end up but ultimately it still looks great and I cannot wait to se this at the cinema.

UK Release Date - 11th August 2011

Your Highness (2011)

This is another film that I had wanted to see at the cinema pretty much because Natalie Portman was in it and I enjoyed watching Natalie Portman, the rest of the film was laughable and not in the good comedy way. I have no idea where this film came from, it was like a gaudy comedy that decided to go for the R rating in the USA and to hang with making sure it was funny. James Franco was fine in the role he played and the supporting cast were okay but Danny McBride was just wrong in so many ways, it was like I want to write a film where I am the star and for some reason they let him make it.

The jokes were poor and the story itself would have been funny had I been stoned, I was straight and really it felt painful. Part of the problem was that they ended up getting more stars than they knew what to do with and they did not get a chance to do what they were good at. Portman was sort of like, well we will ask her, she will probably say no and for some reason she said yes and they were like wow, now what do we do?

I would say avoid this unless you are into lowest common denominator comedy and are perpetually stoned cause then I think you will find it funny, a very disappointing 1 star film for me.

Evil Aliens (2005)

This was actually recommended to me a long time ago by someone in Blockbusters however I did not get around to watching it until recently and the only good thing in this film was Emily Booth, the acting in this is ridiculous and very campy and I think they were aiming for something that they missed completely. The effects were poor but I think this was part of the aim, the idea I think was to be so bad it's good and unfortunately they missed that mark.

This was actually that bad I could not watch it all the way to the end and I fast forwarded some chunks. It was about 2 steps up from an amateur shoot, but in saying that there were some cool gory effects that fit in well with what they wanted to achieve.

So simply a 1 star film for me, Emily Booth who I have always liked shone in this and the effects carry it a bit but I will never watch this film again.

Paul (2010) Second Watch

I got a chance to watch this film on DVD just after it came out and it is still as funny the second time around, you can see my original thoughts on it here. I think that this is so far my film of the year and will take a lot of beating, the comedy and chemistry between Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and "Paul" is brilliant. The timing and the comedy is phenomenal and the sci-fi references within the film are just great I found more the second time I watched it. Apparently according to Mark Kermode the film was toned down for a more mainstream audience. If this is the case I hope that the shot extra footage that they could them make a "Directors Cut" to show the film how they wanted it.

I thought that the film had a lot of references in it and I am sure I missed a few and would like to see a definitive list put out by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost so that we can see what we have missed. I am comfortable getting most of them however there are a few that go so far over my head I do not even know where they come from at all.

This is a total recommend 5 stars of comedy gold and I think that even if you are not a sci-fi film fan then you will still get a lot from this film, I look forward to seeing it again and again in the next few years.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3:At World's End (2007)

I watched this film as part of catching up on the series after seeing number 4 at the cinema and I was not looking forward to it as I had watched it before and been unimpressed with it. I wonder if going in with such low expectations helped when watching this as I actually quite liked it, there is a lot going on and it is about 30 minutes too long. The story throughout still follows the love story of Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom and you have Johnny Depp escaping and surviving throughout as Captain Jack Sparrow.

You have Bill Nighy and Geoffrey Rush back as their characters and you have all of the rest of the cast coming back again. Overall it is not a bad film but it is fairly hard work and the ending is sort of a mixed based on the fact that it is a Disney film.
I think this is 3 stars for me, it is not watchable without having seen parts 1 and 2 and you should only watch this if you have endured the 2nd part. 

Outpost (2008)

So I actually watched this thinking it was going to be based on Mars for some reason, anyway it has nothing to do with Mars in is about a group of mercenaries that are hired in war torn Eastern Europe to go into an area that is still a high risk. And there are Nazi Zombies so you have to know that it is going to be a good film. The tension is excellent I have to say that I was worried and wondered how they were going to escape. One of the biggest flaws in this though was that I had no reason to care for the soldiers that we were following. 

Overall there were some interesting ideas that they needed to explore a bit better, they needed to simplify how the story ran and perhaps a bit more exposition whether it was through speculation or even found papers. The acting in this is okay, the writing and direction though is what lets this down  a and could have been stronger and made this a better overall film. 

I give this 2 stars, if you are into Nazi Zombies and desolate picture scapes then it will be worth a look for you, other than that you can avoid it. 

Deep Rising (1998)

This is another film that has become a regular guilty pleasure for me to watch, the story of the cruise liner that is attacked by the small underwater worms and the boat captain played by Treat Williams and the crew of robbers he takes to where the ship is and what they have to do to try and escape. This is a fairly basic by the numbers monster film with an enclosed location with a difficulty in having to escape and a story line that keeps them there. You have the bad guys and the monster and the thoughts of what is worse. 

The acting in this is fun if a bit campy from Treat Williams and Famke Jansen and the comic relief is given by Kevin J O'Connor who you might recognise from The Mummy as Benni. Overall the effects in this film are not brilliant but they are a lot better than some nonsense I have sat through and they do not detract from what is a fun ride and some excellent scenes. 

As this falls in to the guilty pleasure category I am going to give it 4 stars, it will not appeal to everybody but I cannot wait until the next time I choose to watch it.