Outlander (2008)

Film of 2012 #62


Picked up this film as it starred Jim Caviezel and I have always liked him, also it was indicated as a Sci-Fi film so thought it would be worth a look. Jim Caviezel is Kainan, an alien that is chasing a "Dragon" and ends up on crashed on Earth in the time of the Vikings, he is captured by a tribe and taken prisoner. John Hurt plays Hrothgar the Cheiften and his Daughter Freya played by Sophia Myles who is promised to the next leader Wulfric played by Jack Huston and you have your obvious set up. Kainin comes in and Freya is keen as he is different, Wulfric does not like him because he is different and Hrothgar thinks a differnet type of leader. They have an ongoing battle with Gunnar played by Ron Pearlman's tribe and when the "Dragon" rears it's head you have the coming together of the tribes to fight a common enemy.

This film is nothing special, there is the usual fish out of water trying to learn and understand a culture he does not know, but as an alien he is not that different from the tribesmen other than his technology which he soon loses. You have the love triangle between Kainan, Freya and Wulfric, you have Wulfric not liking Kainan but coming to a trust him after they play shields and he sees what a Warrior he is. It follows the basic trope where the Dragon which is actually an Alien creature attacks the village and they have to battle it to win and he comes to respect him more.


To be honest I was not surprised by anything that happens in this film and there is nothing that special about it. Saying that within the scope it was aiming for it was pretty servicable, the acting and effects are not mind blowing but adequate overall this is a 2 star film, not worth seeking out but not a total waste of time if you are doing something while it is on in the background.

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954)

Film of 2012 #37

The TV adaption from 1954 starring Peter Cushing as Winston Smith, while I know the concept and idea behind 1984, I have never read the book or actually seen a version of the story so this was my first view of the story right through. Or was it, I have actually seen a Christian Bale film called Equilibrium which I really enjoyed and after seeing this film realised that it is a modern retelling of the same basic story. So while watching this I did keep thinking back to Equilibrium but it did not detract from the enjoyment of the performances from Peter Cushing and Yvonne Mitchell, there is also a supporting role for Donald Pleasence. So for those unaware of the story from George Orwell it is set in a future where Big Brother is an all powerful figure at the head of The Party and the society they have created is montired and the greatest crime is thought crime which results in brainwashing. 

I have never read the story but presume as this is one of the first film adaptations that they have stuck pretty close to the source material and it still resonates as much as it would have back then. I think that in the 1950's and 60's when the Cold War was happening there will have been a greater impact and importance on the freedoms and i think that back then the fear that we could end up in a society like that portrayed in 1984 would have been more believable, In today's world while we worry that our freedoms are being infringed nothing like 1984 is likely to happen in the short term.

I want to see the John Hurt portrayal of the character before saying if you need to see this version as a recommendation, I think the story should be seen so if you can only see this version then you should see it and the story is worth seeing in some format, even if it by watching Equilibrium. This version gets 3 stars from me and is worth seeing how the story was told in 1954. It is available as a Public Domain download, not the best quality but good enough yo enjoy.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

John Le Carre's epic novel is brought to the big screen, directed by Thomas Alfredson and starring a whose who of British cinema with Gary Oldman putting in a performance that is already being talked up for an Oscar with support from Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong and Toby Jones. This is based on the 1974 novel of the same name and tells the story of George Smiley played by Gary Oldman as he tries to identify the Soviet mole in the upper echelons of the British Secret Service.

The acting in this is awesome but the story is long, it was last told in a 6 hour mini-series and there is not much exposition in the two hours you are given. I have not read the book and would presume that if you have read it it will be even better as I have heard it is quite true to the original story. All of the actors in this do give excellent performances and if you can follow the story then you will really enjoy this film.

Overall I am going to give this 4 satrs, however it does come with the caveat that you have to give it a chance I heard from a couple of people that they found it long and boring. If this sounds like your sort of film then I think you will really enjoy it.

Alien (1979)

March 2011

When I was on holiday we were given the chance to view a film, this film was not my choice but I was still happy enough to see it again. I have a mixed history with Alien as I have to be honest and say that the action packed Sequel from James Cameron is more to my liking than the Ridley Scott thriller.

However since a weekend in 2009 when I watched all of the Alien films and their directors cuts and the Predator and AVP films I have a new love for this film. I do not think that the Directors cut brings that much to the film as it is tense and genuinely scary as it stands and the major scene that was added back at the end doesn't add that much to the overall film.

I love this series of films, it peeks with Aliens and 3 is a strange divisive film but Alien is definitely a 4 star film in my eyes, it will terrify you and intrigue you if you have never seen it. The Directors cut is not a must see in this case,