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.

The Adventures of Tintin:The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)

An animated film from Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson with the voice talents of Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Jaimie Bell, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Cary Elwes and Toby Jones and the writing skills of Edgar Wright, Steven Moffatt and Joe Cornish. This has to be the greatest film ever submitted with these people involved and it is based upon a much loved book series from Herge. Why does it not work? Well part of the problem is that there are 3 screen writers involved all brilliant in their own way their previous works are their as proof and it is based on a book. What were they all there for? Really I am unsure it sticks to the book quite closely but there is something lacking from it. The voice talents are lost in the visuals it is in 3D for no reason other than the added value at the box office.

I do not know why this film fails but I think most of it is to do with too many people involved. All this really is and should be is a big screen visual representation of the characters we all know and love. It should perhaps have changed things slightly to make it work better on the big screen. I have to say there were some little nods to fans of the series, the crabs, the cigars and a good gag at the start about how the characters look but that is it.

Overall perhaps my expectations were to high from a film that should have promised so much but to be honest I did not know as many people were involved until afterwards and really I came out feeling it just missed the mark. I am going to be harsh and say 2 stars wait for it on DVD if at all. I will say that perhaps on a re-watch I may enjoy it some more but looking at IMDb I am surprised the next 2 are already in pre-production as they have just presumed this will work.

Zookeeper (2011) Poster

Having seen the trailer for this film and looked at it here. I saw this poster and thought well I really do not need to see this film now. The trailer shows Kevin James trying to win Leslie Bibb and yet you get the attached poster showing the animals pushing him towards the Roasrio Dawson character which was where you think it will end up anyway as it is standard fare but hey why not just show you the whole story in the trailer and posters.

It just goes to show where Hollywood is today that they have no surprise in film any more they just want to tell you everything before you see the film and yet they wonder why no one goes to the movies anyway.

Why not do what Simon Pegg and Nick frost wanted to do with Paul when they wrote the film and released it they wanted it released with no reference to the fact that Paul was an alien and imagine the impact when you were in the cinema and out of the dark here comes Paul it would have been an awesome reveal in the cinema and would have gone down in film history but the execs decided that it was to much and wanted to show what the money had been spent on so we get nothing but alien in the promotional material.

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.

Burke and Hare (2010)

So I had no real want to see this film but it was there so I watched it and it was actually really funny, Andy Serkis and Simon Pegg with Jessica Hynes and Isla Fisher made an interesting couple of couples and the rest of the cast are a who's who of British comedy and acting with parts for Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Merchant, Tim Curry, Paul Whitehouse, Bill Bailey, Christopher Lee and Ronnie Corbett all come together under John Landis direction to actually make a positive fun film of a really dark subject matter.

The story itself is based on the true tale of Burke and Hare the Grave robbers turned murderers in Edinburgh and how they provide cadavers for the medical profession in Edinburgh back in the 19th century. I have to say that when I heard it was going to be a comedy I was put off immediately because why would you want to feel sorry for a couple of people who murder people for profit but John Landis makes you like them. I think a lot of that is to do with the fact that Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis are just so nice you enjoy there performances and therefore like the characters.

I will say 4 stars for this, it is worth seeing and as long as you watch it as a comedy and not as a historically accurate piece it is a lot of fun.

Paul (2010)

I was looking forward to seeing this film as I am a big fan of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's previous ventures in to film in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. I was not disappointed by this film at all, the sci-fi references alone made the whole thing worth watching and I cannot wait to see it again and see the references I most likely missed.

This is a must see for all Science fiction film fans, I have to say that the Seth Rogan factor did not interfere with my enjoyment as he is only in it as a voice. The geek in me rejoices at the twists and turns and the references within some of the scenes actually made me laugh out loud and curl up with enjoyment.

This is a 5 star masterpiece to science fiction and comedy and a must see for all fans of the genre the references alone if not the story will blow you away.