The Last Stand (2013) - Jee-woon Kim

Johnny Knoxville was not in it for long enough to deserve to be on the poster.
Arnie was cool in it. As per usual. But was that enough to make the film amazing? Hmm... The short answer is no. The longer answer is that scenes did not need to be the length they were, dragging on to give the film a length of a blockbuster rather than a cheese-fest, which is more what this film was.
The bad guy (Eduardo Noriega) was good, clearly taking inspiration from mass murderer Charles Manson, but with slightly more class and weaponry, supplied by his oodles of dollars, the reasons for which were only hinted at in the film. Perhaps if more time had been devoted to the villain's back stories, rather than Arnold Schwarzenegger looking pretty fly for a white guy, this film would have been more interesting to watch.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ 

An Inconvenient Truth (2006) - Davis Guggenheim

It's like The Lorax (2012) - Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda, but for adults.
I watched it whilst I was doing a jigsaw, as it wasn't particularly interesting. The message is clear, right from the off, but as a person who acknowledges the environment and that it needs to be saved, I feel it was preaching a little to the converted.

★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

42nd Street (1933) - Lloyd Bacon

We watched this in an American Cinema History class. It was good. I like musicals. I liked this one. It was entertaining. I think I like musicals more so now.

 ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 

Kick-Ass (2010) - Matthew Vaughn

I am a big fan of the comic books, but the movie failed to "kick ass" so to speak.
It was good as an adaptation, but I didn't like what they did with Katie's character. It was too unrealistic. But yeah, I liked the film overall.
I think Christopher Mintz-Plasse was good. I feel bad that he'll never be anything but McLovin (from Superbad [2007] - Greg Mottola) to me. But I digress, he's at least carving his way through life, getting by in bit roles, like in Pitch Perfect (2012) - Jason Moore and Fright Night (2011) - Craig Gillespie, so that's something. I think he's a good actor, whom was just overshadowed by an even better character. Let's hope Mintz-Plasse is as good in the second Kick Ass movie, due to be released later this year. Most of the cast are returning, apart from Evan Peters, who has clearly got too big for his britches playing a psycho in American Horror Story.
I have read the comic for both Kick-Ass movies, and am hoping that this next film stays as true as the first one.

 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Lincoln (2012) - Steven Spielberg

Long and drawn out, but worth a watch. I think it would have made more of a mark on me, if I was American or black, but alas, I am neither. However, when I check these years on imdb, it seems they give the year of the American release date, so I'll stick with them, particularly when it's an American made film.

 ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

SPOILERS Blood: The Last Vampire (2009) - Chris Nahon SPOILERS

Oh dear Lord, was it average. I got a little bored and tidied up during it. All my attention was lost after Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) died. Or Mick from Gavin & Stacey. Whichever. But yeah, not as good as I was expecting. Maybe I'll watch the cartoon one from 2000, directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo, to see if that's any better, but then again, probably not.

★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Milos Forman

This is one of those films that everyone says you should watch, it won loads of Oscars (the five main ones) and you'll think it can never live up to the hype. Well, it does.
Last time I saw this film I was about ten years old, and I loved it then. Rewatching has given me a greater understanding of the evil humanity behind Nurse Ratched (which picked up an Oscar for Louise Fletcher), and also helped me to spot certain actors that would go on to bigger and better things, Christopher Lloyd being a prime example.
Also, Danny DeVito is hardly recognisable as Martini, which just goes to show what a powerful actor he truly is. From directing and starring in Matilda (1996) to being the voice of The Lorax (2012) - Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda, DeVito is a man of many talents, and Martini is probably the one character that manages to outshine the rest of the major inhabitants of the institution.
Obviously, I have to mention the legendary Jack Nicholson, but must say I personally believe he is typecast as this zany, mad character a lot of the time. He still pulls it off, but it does get a bit same-y. This film is probably the finest of his career, and I know a lot of people say it's Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980) that put him on the Hollywood's biggest list, but this film, for me, is the epitome of a truly great movie.

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - Wes Anderson

I think I said, when reviewing Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom (2012), that this was one of my favourite films of all time.
I rewatched it with my girlfriend as she hadn't seen it, and forgot to mention how much Hotel Chevalier (2007), which is the short prologue film, also helps the narrative in Darjeeling, just explaining more about Jason Schwartzman's character in the film, and the way in which he "makes up" stories, which all the other characters take to mean him. It also explains Natalie Portman's cameo a lot more.
I like the way Anderson is clearly a nice guy as well, as he manages to make certain actors come back to help him with other films, in this film particularly Bill Murray as the man who misses the train at the beginning. perhaps if Adrien Brody swapped places with him, we'd have witnessed a whole different film. I wish I was part of Wes Anderson's inner sanctum of cast and crew. Oh, one can dream.
I really enjoy this film, time and time again, watching it, and think Rita to be one of the saddest film creations ever imagined in film. She strives to escape her life on board the train, and Jack offers her the chance, but she knows she never will. Amara Karan, who plays Rita, was grossly underused when she was in St Trinian's (2007) - Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson, and I think she is an actress to watch out for in future films.

 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

American Pie 2 (2001) - J.B. Rogers

This is a worthy sequel to American Pie (1999) - Paul and Chris Weitz. Even as a film in its own right (as I did actually watch this first when I was a wee lad), it is understandable and hilarious.

 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

SPOILERS Wreck-It Ralph (2012) - Rich Moore SPOILERS

It's nice to finally see Jane Lynch as a heterosexual character. See how many references you can spot. SEEEGGGGAAAA!!

 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (2004) - Adam McKay

I thought about whether this one deserved a review or not, so here's a tale of how this came about:
We have a film club in our university. Recently, we were told to vote for the best film of the last twenty years (barring Tarantino, as they showed all his films in the preceding semester). Now, I am a fan of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) - Adam McKay, don't get me wrong, it's a brilliant comedy, but top ten of the last twenty years. Those that voted for it ought to be ashamed of themselves. Blergh. Anyway, our lecturer had never seen or heard about it, so he bought all the different versions of the DVDs/BluRays, just so he got the right one. He then lost the proper film, and we had to make do with watching this one.
The fact that they made an entire second film, no matter how dodgy some plot holes are, wrapped up in a tight narration from the narrator of the other film, is a testament to Will Ferrell as an improvisational actor, and to how funny the real film was. Wake Up was made from the bloopers, outtakes, and deleted scenes from Anchorman, and I enjoyed a lot of it.
Some parts did go on, and jokes lost their appeal, but that is to be expected if you want to make a full length movie. Also, some of the camera angles made it look like the camera had only just been turned on and not set up yet, before the actors began to try and make them laugh.
There was also a good bit with Amy Poehler, which would have been a nice addition to the real Anchorman movie.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

American Pie (1999) - Paul and Chris Weitz

What's to say about this movie? It's a brilliant film, and will always hold a special place in my heart. Jim's Dad was possibly the greatest father in fictional films, and is a role model for all parents. I love this, and it's first sequel, and I can watch it time and time again, because it is just that good. A true 90s classic. Possibly, my favourite coming of age comedy.

 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Monsters, Inc. (2001) - Pete Doctor, David Silverman, Lee Unkrich

You all know I love a good kid's film, and 3D films come with my Cineworld Unlimited card, so I indulged my passion by attending today. It was good. I know the plot off by heart (and the song, "Put That Thing Back Where it Came From, or so Help me!"), but this film is a timeless pixar classic. And Steve Buscemi is scary as any Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) - Tobe Hooper bad guy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Django Unchained (2012) - Quentin Tarantino

Well, without beating around the bush, this film was a disappointment at best.
For me, I really think the classic Tarantino films, the brilliant ones, all rely on a big cast. There isn't one main character. There's always a few. Django Unchained, relies solely on Django. Christoph Waltz is good in the film, but as he's not a title character. He's at best, a supporting artist. Leonardo Di Caprio is briliant as always, but the script is a little lack lustre, meaning not even Leo can save this movie. Even the soundtrack, usually a key feature in a Tarantino films, was just a bit, "meh". There were a couple of good scenes, interesting and funny, but they didn't disguise the rest of the film. The editing was a far cry from when Sally Menke used to do it in his older films, and it really shows in the final product.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Oldboy (2003) - Chan-wook Park

This was a present from a friend for my birthday. (You'll never guess what film studies students buy each other.) I wouldn't say I'm not a fan of foreign films, I just don't think they're shown enough at local cinemas, and therefore I haven't seen as many of them as I have seen, like, the big Hollywood ones.
Anyway, this was a really good film. I thought the main antagonist (Ji-tae Yu) gave the best performance, and made the bad guy seem more human, particularly towards the end, which was obviously helped by the use of the director's flashbacks.
Aside from being a little slow and repetitive in places, it was a really good film, that dealt really well with a taboo subject. Without using spoilers, I feel it gave a new sort of vibe or feeling to the subject, giving everyone's norm and morals a good shake. Obviously, without seeing the film, you won't know what I'm talking about. So, go rent a copy, or buy it from that store that's closing down; I'm sure it won't be too expensive.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - Wes Anderson

I'm a big fan of Wes Anderson. I have seen most of his films, and own them on DVD. I was genuinely gutted when this one wasn't released to mainstream cinema. I had no way of getting to the ones that were showing it, so I was really happy when I got it for my birthday yesterday from my girlfriend. (NB It was my birthday yesterday, by the way.)
It was amazing. It is perhaps my second favourite Wes Anderson film, after Darjeeling Limited (2007). The only problem I had, was the lack of Owen Wilson. It doesn't feel like a Wes Anderson film without him in it. Even the Jason Schwartzman part seemed more like a cameo, than a full part. Oh well, it was still a brilliant film, and the kids will hopefully go on to become big stars, or at least Anderson collaborators. I read rumours on the internet that Anderson was already considering a sequel with the Sam character going to war in Vietnam, as he was the appropriate age, but whether that comes off or not is a different story. I think that'd be the first Wes Anderson sequel and war film.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

American Beauty (1999) - Sam Mendes

Doing Film Studies as a degree, at a well respected university in North West England, there are certain assumptions: 1) you watch film in spare time, as well as in class, 2) you know your stuff on films, 3) you won't get a job at the end of it. Other than the third one (hopefully), these rules are true for me, which makes me wonder why I have not seen this stupendous piece of American cinema before.
The film, starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening and Thora Birch as an average American family; as all families have, they have some troubles, but these troubles become more prominent, when the father of the family, played by Spacey, winning an Oscar for his troubles, develops an infatuation with his daughter's best friend, played by Mena Suvari, in a role the opposite of her most remembered performance as Heather in American Pie (1999) - Paul Weitz (you know, the semi-attractive choir girl that Oz gets with.) So yeah, a good cast, expertly headed by Spacey, and I think this film is proof that a good casting director, in this case, Debra Zane, can make or break a film.
The appearance of the petals are a great piece of prop work, that give them so much significance, that I know viewers will remember the film whenever they see any kind of romantic flower-y stuff.
Bad points would be the character of the creepy filmer dude's romance. I don't get what makes him attractive. He is just creepy. That part was a bit too unrealistic to me, but in the end it didn't matter, as it was negated by all the positive points I could find in the film.
Watching it, finally, made me understand certain jokes from pop culture: ones that I remembered from Family Guy and Not Another Teen Movie (2001) - Joel Gallen as well, which is nice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

PS This is my first five starrer. Yay!

SPOILERS Halloween (2007) - Rob Zombie SPOILERS

Before I write this review, I'd like to get one thing clear: I know it's not THE original! Right, to business...
This film was good, it did what it was meant to. I liked the early life of Michael Myers, it made him more human, and therefore more brutal, when he grew up and started killing every fucker, even the nice guy, played by Danny Trejo; that part shocked me! I liked the gore too, and how different that was from the original, directed by John Carpenter.
As good as John Carpenter's seems to be, I've never really been enthralled by it. Sure, it's worth watching, but only for the countless other films it spawned, as well as the copycat outfits kids wear on Halloween. (I don't even think most of the kids are old enough to watch the film.) What I really can't seem to get a hold of, is a DVD copy of Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) - Tommy Lee Wallace, but it never comes into work (I work in a DVD store, by the way) and I haven't ever seen it in HMV (probably won't ever, if the news is to be believed). Even though reviews I've seen haven't been great, scoring 4.1 on IMDb, I think it'd be more interesting than another Michael Myers killing frenzy.
Anyway, watching this purely as a viewer, I'd give it an OK rating, not a blockbuster or piece of art, but certainly a film to make us think twice about the original from 1978.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ 

Les Misérables (2012) - Tom Hooper

Wow. Just wow. Beautiful. Masterpiece. Finally understand the hype.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Gangster Squad (2013) - Ruben Fleischer

This film was good. Go and watch it.
Ryan Gosling is awesome in it, and Josh Brolin follows up his good performance in Men In Black 3 (2012) - Barry Sonnenfield, by playing almost the same character in this, but he was pretty good at it. So, why not?
If you like gangster films, plus CGI car chases, then this is the film for you! A film worthy to be in the ranks of other classic mob films.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

SPOILERS Texas Chainsaw 3D (2012) - John Luessenhop SPOILERS

Dear Lord, the main actress in this is attractive. Alexandra Daddario, most memorable (to me anyway) for her role in Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief (2010) - Chris Columbus - the books were awesome too - brought to the role exactly what the original lacked, namely, a rockin' hot bod, that is shown as much as possible without making it graphic, or giving the star some kind of complex.
That out of the way, this film was exactly what it promised: a horror that reboots an already finished franchise. However, I did enjoy the recaps of the original Tobe Hooper version (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre [1974]) in the opening, and the way the story flowed, making this a canon sequel. I won't mention the hundred and odd other sequels. Also nice was the nod, to Hooper's work, in the form of a character named after him, even if the character was one (how the fuck  he made Sheriff, I will never know) of the two weakest characters, the other being obviously, the random dude who knew there was a serial murderer in a basement of some dead lady's house for four months, waiting for a cousin to come for some reason.
Again, all of that shit aside, it was a good movie. I say good, but I mean believable. Partly. Until the end, because that's what anyone would do, yeah: let's let the killer kill someone else, and then let him walk away without so much as giving him a slap on the wrists. The film lost its scariness, its only redeeming factor as soon as all the subplots (obvious though they were) came back into it.
I should probably give it a good point. Ah, here's one: I like the way in which Heather Miller's real character background was foreshadowed without a full reveal, in the way she worked as a cutter of meat in a supermarket, in much the same way her blood relatives had worked at the slaughterhouse. It showed a penchant for meat and blood, particularly when we see her "bringing her work home", creating art using the bones from the cut pieces of meat, in much the same way that Leatherface is shown doing (slightly more extreme, but oh well) in his basement. It's the subtle things that get me, not like the outright killing of your mates, and then befriending the murderer, because family is just that important.
Another point: stop feeling sorry for the murderers, you bastard audience. Damn straight those rednecks did the right thing, killing that fucked up family. Let's not forget they were feasting on people! People! Crazy old man with a fucking hammer! That's a different film. Oh well. Rant over.
But yes, it's watchable. If you're in for a night of horror, it's perfect. If you like this sort of thing.
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
PS The old one is based on Ed Gein's murders and victims. I think it's worth note, that he's dead now. So don't be too scared. Unless he has a cousin.

Inglourious Basterds (2009) - Quentin Tarantino

At first glance, this is just a remake of The Inglorious Bastards (1978) - Enzo Castellari, but after watching it, the only way they are similar is the title, and even that is different enough, so that Tarantino knows his big budget film won't be confused with the Italian director's work. Apparently, Tarantino did buy the rights to the name of the film anyway, just to stop any copyright infringement, unlike what he did with Reservoir Dogs (1993), eh, soundtrack fans?

I spectacularly enjoyed this film, which is what cinema is all about. The problems I had with it, are purely production wise: Brad Pitt's star credit was unnecessary. His screen time was much less than Christoph Waltz (who gave a remarkable performance of eerie authenticity as Colonel Hans Landa), and I'm not sure if his name was there for any other reason than publicity. That being said, Pitt still gave a pretty good go at stealing every scene he was in, and was eclipsed only by the fact that he was not alone amongst the sterling performances.

Both the ending and the (sort of) epilogue with Pitt and Waltz, without giving too much away, were the best pieces of the film, and worth the 2 and a half hours we spent getting there.

A fine film from Tarantino, and a worthy predecessor to what I'm hoping will be a blockbusting phenomenon: Django Unchained (2013).

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Frenzy (1972) - Alfred Hitchcock

This film is not Alfred Hitchcock's best. I haven't seen all of them, but I expect it isn't his worst. It's dialogue is good, not realistically British (as I am), but I enjoyed the witty repertoire between Chief Inspector Oxford and his wife in particular. However, those scenes did seem a trifle unnecessary. The subplot of the wife's awful cooking did little to furthur the plot, and whilst I respect Alfred Hitchcock's humour at poking fun at a couple, who are on the verge of a murder enquiry, I do not see the need to (if you'll pardon the pun) murder the point.

Barry Foster as Robert Rusk reminded me so much of another certain British actor around in the 1970s,  so I did some research - checked the Imdb Trivia page for the film - and apparently Michael Caine was offered this part, and turned it down. Sure, he'll do Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) - Jay Roach but a certified Hitchcock classic, that's a no-no. (I think this is the only review in the world to compare those two films.)

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Ireland

Hello.

I haven't seen many films this week, as I have been away. I was actually filming a short (very short) film with my younger brother, Thomas, in Ireland. We took the cameras into the countryside and mountains of Cliffoney, County Sligo, Ireland at great peril - a dog chased us - and got a few good shots of the locations and beauty of the area.

Those I have seen, I shall hopefully post reviews for tonight, whilst I can be bothered, and before university starts in a few days. Most of the time, my reviews will be shorter, but I digress.

Love Matt x

SPOILERS The Impossible (2012) - Juan Bayona SPOILERS

This film was an advert for taking out insurance when going on holiday. Apparently, if you have Zurich health insurance, you will be wheeled past the thousands of Thai people dying on a hospital bed, and live.

All emotion aside, I thought this film was excellent. It reminded me of United 93 (2006) - Paul Greengrass, because it was a film about the triumph of the human spirit, and the way we, as a collective, come together in a crisis.

Putting emotions back on the side (?), I cried. I cried a lot. The robots I went to the cinema with didn't even shed a tear, just tucked into their Cokes and their cinema hot dogs, next to me, like there wasn't an iota of cause for sadness. I am a hetrosexual red blooded male. And boy, did I cry.

I understand why many critics and other viewers have complained about the film, due to it focussing upon the typical white middle class family, who do escape, and not, as they say it should be, on the native inhabitants of the country, who can't just leave once their insurance clears or whatever. They have to stay until the mess is over, and long after that clearing it up, and still are, I believe mending the damage done by the tsunami. Without defending the director, Juan Bayona, and the rest of the film makers, I feel the white family, played well by Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, were focussed upon, as it was a true story and the fact that it probably gave a more widespread message to the Hollywood audience.

Also, that kid Lucas, was like Bear "fucking" Grylls in the way he handled that first 20 minutes or so of , for want of a better word, adventure.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆