Cabin in the Woods

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Andrew

Non-Spoiler write up here.

Slightly more in-depth write up here.

Pompeii

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael, Andrew

Paul W.S. Anderson tries his hand at a disaster epic. The first half plays out like Gladiator, the second like a melodramatic Dante's Peak with a terribly saccharine romance plastered over everything. Kiefer Sutherland is having a wonderful time playing an out and out villain. This is trying very hard to be a romance disaster like Titanic, and while I enjoyed the gladiator action and the effects, and the fact that it was shot natively in 3D and looks pretty shmick, Kit Harington and Emily Browning are hampered by some pompously schmaltzy dialogue and just can't overcome the terrible. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has fun though.

Bad Neighbours

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Beau

Universal treated us to a very early screening for the film. So early that there was still ungraded footage and no finished credits.

The film is delightfully hilarious from beginning to end. Seth Rogen has always been a favourite and here Rose Byrne matches him admirably. They even let her keep her Australian accent. She also gets her own comedic set piece that's easily the grossest part of the film and somehow manages to never have to resort to being the voice of reason for the stupid guys, instead instigating just as many hijinks as the other characters do.

Zac Efron leads the cast of frat boys and while they have their own college comedy he also gets a little coming of age drama, but nothing that ever stops the comedic flow. They manage to fit a lot into the this one without the jokes ever really stopping. 

There were a few obvious set ups that I expected but they didn't play out quite like I presumed which was nice. And the level of destruction and mayhem went beyond what I was expecting too. Nice to know that not everything is given away in the trailers. 

Definitely check this one out, very good fun indeed.

Cabin in the Woods

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Leith, Froud

Non-Spoiler write up here.

Slightly more in-depth write up here.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael

I was never really enamoured with the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. I am more intrigued by the time travel but this is a kids film and they just make up their own rules to suit the story needs, not anything that actually makes sense. But if you're a fan of bad puns, just like the old cartoons, this film is full of them. There's also an allegory that could be made of the unusual parenting of a dog owning a boy but I don't know if the film makers were thinking that hard.

Jug Face

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

I do love my strange cults in film. And this one's a dozy. Not really an out and out horror film but there's definitely some odd creepy stuff going on. Despite the low budget there's some really fun stuff and most importantly a great female lead that we can invest in.

Fat Kid Rules The World

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Leith, Emily

Matthew Lillard is directing movies now! And he's made a really sweet little coming of age comedy drama about an unlikely friendship between a punk rocker and a shy nerd. Good cast, very enjoyable.

Cheap Thrills

IMDB

First time viewed: No

Current Release: Yes

Watched With: Leith, Emily

Write Up.

Man this film packs a punch. It's so gleefully dark. And the four leads are so perfectly cast. Just magic. See this one immediately.

I Declare War

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael, Kate

Write Up.

Cool stuff!

They Live

IMDB

First time viewed: No

Current Release: No

Watched With: Michael, Kate

Another John Carpenter classic, I haven't seen in a very long time. While it has a great premise and a not so subtle message, let's be honest, it's a pretty trashy film. Roddy Piper is no Kurt Russell. But I love the design of those aliens and the idea of the glasses and subliminal messaging. The alley fight with Keith David is ridiculous. A fun 80's movie indeed.

Patrick

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael, Kate

They remade Patrick! I only vaguely remember the Richard Franklin original so I can't directly compare the two. But the new one has a fun heightened tone that's stylised enough to slightly remove it from reality, helpful with such a goofy premise.

The challenge of making a bed-redden killer threatening is a tough nut to crack and this film makes things pretty big but at the same time if kind of vague on the rules of exactly how threatening this Patrick dude is. If you don't know the extent of someone's powers then you don't know how dangerous they are and how scared to be for your main characters.

Speaking of which, the cast all do pretty well. Charles Dance is always reliable as the creepy dude. Rachel Griffiths looks like she's having fun too.

Perhaps my favourite thing about the film is that they hired Pino Donaggio to do a real old school 70's melodrama horror score. It's truly a thing of beauty.

The film is stylishly made. It's kind of uneven but has some good moments here and there.

Need for Speed

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

In 3D! Never played the game. But that doesn't seem to matter. Here's we've got a simple story of revenge by way of illegal street racing, with an impromptu roadtrip romance thrown in for good measure.

Once again I gotta say how sorry I am for Imogen Poots getting handcuffed to these terribly one dimensional female love interest characters. Pity

If you're here for some nice cars driving fast, you're set. The Post-converted 3D is alright with a few standout shots that put you in the driver's seat.

But the rest of the film is not so great. Actually there's something damaged about the whole concept. Practically every person in the film is breaking the law and endangering lives. And the cops trying to stop them are faceless bad guys. Even if our protagonist wins and saves the day, he's still going to jail. The whole concept of glamorising this behaviour just made me feel kinda disgusting. I can't get on board with that.

The Monuments Men

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

George Clooney made a war movie. Good cast, great tech specs. But this is a movie based around a real task force and while they did have a central mission, the film chooses to focus on the varied adventures making for a very disjointed and episodic film that's hard to engage with. Crippling it further is the odd tone. Clooney seems to be trying to mix a 1940's style boys own adventure film with the modern reverence we have for these serious events, so it's irreverent one minute and melodramatic the next. Didn't work for me.

300: Rise of an Empire

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael, Therese

Well this one takes place before, during and after the original, so it's not quite a prequel or a sequel. Or it's both. And while it doesn't have as strong a core as the original it does have some really cool set pieces and crazy stylised cinematography. Although I think it's less contasty that the original film but that's probably due to being in 3D. Flat colours don't tend to support depth.

And there's not a frame of this film hat doesn't have some sort of dust or spray hanging in the air to pop off the screen. Some nice gore too.

Our lead is a bit stiff but Eva Green is having a rollicking good time playing the villainess. And like in Dark Shadows, she gets another wild sex scene that is most entertaining.

Not as strong as the original but a nice companion piece with some great moments.

300

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Michael

Write Up.

Crazy to think this film is 8 years old. And we're still seeing its influence in films today. It's such a good solid story though. Great to watch it again before seeing the sequel.