Titan A.E.

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

One of those film that never hit in the way a studio would have liked. everything it has going against it is something I like about it. Animated sci-fi adventure, 2d and 3d animation, modern rock soundtrack, too violent and scary for very young children. Bless you Don Bluth.

I can really see Joss Whedon's hand in the script. A lot of this feels like a precursor to Firefly, it very much feels like the same universe, except being animated allows for some kooky alien characters and some very very cool action sequences. I don't know why but often when I watch animated films I imagine them as live action. This film would be absolutely spectacular as live action. Pity it pretty much single handedly destroyed Fox Animation Studios.

The villains aren't as developed as the rest of the story but they are pretty damn scary. There are some really spectacular visuals, being in widescreen helps the classic adventure feel too. A lot of the CG doesn't hold up too well but It was pretty revolutionary when it came out.

The most important thing that works for me is the story and the main characters. The whole finding your place in the universe coming of age story is really well done for such a short running time. They have a pretty neat cast doing voices too.

Yeah I really love this film. It seems almost tailor made for me. The public just didn't seem prepared for a slightly more teen targeted animated adventure, such a pity. Here's hoping it gets a bluray release sometime. It looks great.

Submarine

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

A sweet, quirky, fun British coming-of-age dramady with very indie sensibilities. It's everything you'd expect it to be, not overly sentimental and just barley manages not to get too clever for its own good.

I can't remember the last film I saw set in Wales. The way it's shot here is constantly overcast and in very low light, usually at dusk. Not exactly a loving portrayal but I still really love that.

I also really love Sally Hawkins and Paddy Considine and they are both really great in this, although Considine doesn't have that much to do. The whole cast is good in fact, I'm sure the young leads will get plenty of work from this.

Surprised to learn this was directed by Richard Ayoade of IT Crown and Dark Place fame. Also excited to see he's going to be directing an upcoming episode of Community. Good for him.

The Hunt for Red October

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Myself

Gotta admit, this is the first Tom Clancy story I've seen. It's also the first one adapted to my knowledge. It's also been a while since I've seen any John McTiernan film.

It's a pretty cool story, and although I don't think submarine warfare is terribly cinematic visually, there are some great moments of suspense and a bit of action. Plus there is a ridiculously talented cast in this film that don't seem to have all that much to do, but look happy enough to be there anyway.

It is a fine looking film technically too. I actually owned the soundtrack for a very long time so I was aware of some of the music but had never seen the film to which it went. Funnily enough Basil Poledouris also did the music in Serial Mom which I watched today. Very different scores but both pretty cool nonetheless.

Anyway, It was cool to finally see this one, and in HD. The 90's effects hold up pretty well for the most part. I do love them. I'm not sure I'll be rushing out to see the other Tom Clancy films, it's not really a genre I seem to be able to sink my teeth into but I definitely wouldn't say no to them if they popped up as an option.

Single White Female

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Myself

Ooo a fun 90's thriller. So many I've never seen before but I can now cross this one off the list. This one has a fairly standard story and a pretty good cast. And it has the infamous stiletto heel in the eye. I'll be honest that's pretty much all I knew about the film and all I really wanted to see.

But what I got as a bonus was some great early 90's production design. I'm mainly talking about the women's New York fasion and the very nostalgic apple computer displays. I do love them so.

This slow burn was just a little too slow for my tastes. I do appreciate the fun girl fight in the basement at the end though, that was fun.

Serial Mom

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Jordan, Tyler

Ooo another John Waters film I've never seen. I find his films delightfully trashy, a little uneven but very amusing nonetheless and this one, while not as trashy as his other output is definitely amusing.

In fact it probably is the most mainstream film of his I've seen. Kathleen Turner is simply delightful in this and is the main reason to watch the film. Her Brady Bunch mentality serial killing is a lot of fun.

That's my general consensus on the film, it's very fun, some good light entertainment, nothing too ambitions. I would have perhaps liked a bigger ending but it works fine and the cast are all great.

[Rec] ²

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Jordan

The original Rec was just wonderful. I was lucky enough to be able to witness it in a cinema, the one and only time it played in Perth and it was one of the best nights in a theatre I've had. That film works a crowed like few can.

I didn't have the same luck with its sequel but it has finally gotten a release on dvd here. The american remake "Quarantine" was ok too I suppose but pretty much because it was almost identical to the original. However the ending that they changed makes that series impossible to follow on with what the original has done with its sequel.

The film starts off with the last shot of the first film a then continues from there, albeit with a new group of people entering the diseased building. The continuity between the films is impeccable, with main characters from the first film returning as crazed zombie things in this one, even in the same rooms they were left in. Watching the films back to back is the best way to enjoy them.

What this one lacks is the slow build and set-up the first one has. This one throws you straight into the action again, which is fine if it's carried over from just having seen the first part but not so much if you just walked out of a Rowan Atkinson comedy. I think for that reason, watching it this time through didn't seem nearly as effective as the first time I watched it. But it still has its share of great moments.

This film wisely develops the mythology of the disease that was left extremely vague in the first film, but still leaves enough questions to make me excited for the next two sequels set to be released next year. It also starts a convention of jumping around in chronology a little where we re-wittness events but now from the perspective of a new group of characters until they meet up again. It does make an entire section of the movie seem like filler but now that I read they are using these same characters in the next sequel I'm hoping they will pay off in the way this second film makes me appreciate and understand the first film even more. Few sequels pull that trick off successfully.

That creature is still one of the scariest things ever put in a movie but I have to admit I don't like the rather supernatural lengths they took the night-vision cam tricks too. The American remake opted for a very scientific explanation whereas the original series seems to be becoming more and more supernatural and religious. I still like the first film the best, but this is a great addition to the story, which I hope continues to develop in an intelligent and exciting way.

Johnny English Reborn

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

Well I liked this one much more than the first one, that's for sure. The new James Bonds streamlined the series, got rid of some of the campy stuff and added the more modern touches, i.e. wobbly cam action, some parkour etc. This film wisely takes it's lead from those films and as a result is a much more well rounded film than the first one.

While there's still a lot of very silly jokes and physical comedy in there, which is to be expected, there was also a touch more wit. There were some bigger action sequences and they each had a little quirk to make them stand out. My favourite was the parkour chase in China, where instead of trying to follow the villains crazy physical feats he finds a simple and more logical way around obstacles, like, opening doors. It's very funny and a great comment on the new form of action.

The evil plan is a lot less cartoonish in this film as well, which helps a great deal and the climax worked better for me too. The managed to find a vehicle for Rowan Atkinson's physical comedy which came much more organically from the plot.

The silly humour still isn't my thing, but on the whole it's a much better film than the original. Much like Mr. Bean's Holiday was more successful as a feature than his Ultimate Disaster film.

Johnny English

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Myself

Well I figured I couldn't see the sequel without first watching the original. Probably not the case with this film. I'm not too sure how much I really want to see the sequel anyway but I've at least seen this one now.

It's not great. I grew up loving Mr. Bean but Rowan Atkinson's physical humour hasn't really been translated very well to features. The silly slapsticky humour doesn't really appeal to me much now.

Natalie Imbruglia is in this. Hah.

Fright Night

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

I've been so busy I haven't seen a film in 5 days! Serious withdrawal. So let's get back into it.

And what better way than a surprisingly decent remake of a classic 80's horror I love. Who would have thought the director of Lars and the Real Girl would pull this one off?

The best thing about the remake is Colin Farrell's performance. He's delightfully sinister. David Tennant's take on the Peter Vincent character is very different, hilarious and as a bonus they give him more to do as well. Christopher Mintz-Plasse has the unenviable task of portraying Evil Ed, probably the most iconic character from the first film and he does ok, they give him a great death.

Oh and there's a cameo from Chris Sarandon that's delightful for fans of the original.

One of the things I loved about this film is the look of the vampires when they go full monster mode. It looks just like the awesome poster from the original film. It's one of those things you see on the cover and think, oh man that looks cool, but then never quite pull it off in the film. Well they do now.

There's also a few surprises along the way that I really liked. I really liked their climax. Perhaps it's not as scary as it could have been but they do keep the humour in tact. Also there's a fun "Children of Men" style one take car driving scene that comes out pretty great.

The 3D looks fine. Only a few spots where they draw attention to it but actually filming it in 3D means there's no annoying layering issues.

Overall I really had a great time watching this one. My experience may be tainted by the fact that I could just be so happy to be watching any film again, so I'll have to see it again to be sure, but as far as remakes go, it's definitely one of the better ones. I want to watch the original again now too.

A Serious Man

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Jordan, Tyler

More Coens! More! Another film I find completely hilarious, but certainly not to everyone's taste. In fact I remember getting rather cold treatment after watching it for the first time in the cinema, where I spent the entire time pissing myself with laughter while my friends stared blankly at the screen for 106 minutes and left baffled and more than slightly annoyed. They were seriously pissed off at what a waste of time this movie was for them.

We there's nothing I can do for them. And admittedly, I can understand some of their pain. There are a lot of baffling elements in this film, even more than usual for the Coen Brothers. But I also am of the opinion that that's entirely the point. It's all conjecture, who knows what the real purpose of this film is? But most importantly I find it a lot of fun trying to find out, and that makes all the difference.

The cast are all brilliant. The period created is very convincing. Photography is immaculate as usual. Love the music too. Script is hilarious and thought provoking (in my opinion).

I wanted to have a "MAN" double with this and A Single Man but once again time got the better of me. Next time.

Paul

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Myself

Here's the previous review. I watched the commentary on the bluray. Those guys are usually pretty funny. Not disappointed. Although they didn't have much to say about the filmmaking but that's ok. I think none of them are still over the fact they are in a comedy with a CG character and how much work that entailed.

Everything Must Go

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

I can handle Will Ferrell in certain things but sometimes his characters rub me the wrong way. I always wonder if I will get annoying Will Ferrell or good Will Ferrell. This was not annoying Will Ferrell, he's not doing some whacky outlandish idiot character thank God.

The film, although quite funny, is more plaintive. It's you probably won't laugh out loud but you might smirk a little. The problem on the drama side of this was I just couldn't get invested in the character. It's a simple film, small ambitions, small character arcs, it can feel like nothing much is happening most of the time. Although things did brighten up when Laura Dern came on screen. I wish she was in it more.

The Change-Up

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler, Jordan

I didn't expect this to be good but I wasn't expecting this level of ineptitude either. This seems completely phoned in on all fronts. It's a paycheque and nothing more. It doesn't matter how many swear words and "raunchy" sex comedy they add in to the old body swap story, it's not making it any better.

Leslie Mann has a few funny bits. Don't know how I feel about all the digital boobage in this film. So much fake breasts.

The funniest thing about this film was their hilarious attempt at subtle exposition at the start. "Dave, I've been your best friend since we were three but I feel like we haven't seen each other in ages. Oh no my dad's at the door, I hate that guy..." I couldn't stop laughing. No, wait I could. After that. At anything else in the film.

Not for me.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler, Jordan

Not quite as coherent as the first one, is it? Doesn't have a great story, or really much of any story at all.

What it does have is some great hell fantasy sequences and a heap of awesome make up effects. And I do like that they got pretty much the entire cast of the first film back. Love it when they can do that.

Apparently there are 7 other Hellraiser films after this. I think I've seen 2 others but really, at least from these two films, I don't find this franchise scary in any way. Perhaps it's horrifying to some, or I could understand being grossed out by the gore but not scary. There's a good chance the tone changes over those other 7 films, I don't know if I'll ever have the opportunity to find out.

At least the first one is an interesting addition to the 80's horror genre, it's certainly a great leap away from what everyone else was doing at the time. This one is more fantastic but ultimately less comprehensible.

Ran

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Myself

Watching the new 13 Assassins the other day got me in the mood for some Samurai films. I've owned the bluray of Ran for a while now, having never seen it before and only have have finally gotten around to viewing it. It's one of many of Kurosawa's films I have somewhere in the house that I've never gotten around to actually watching.

Tonally this is completely removed from anything in 13 Assassins. I'm glad I got to see it on bluray the first time I watched it. The images in this film are stunning, the majority shot with long lenses and wide framing. There are segments that really take your breath away. This is also the first Kurosawa film I've seen that's shot in colour (I'm not counting Akira Kurosawa's Dreams as it's not really one of his, but I do have fond memories of that film) and they really use the colour well. Bright primary colours for each brother and their army, makes it very easy to tell which side is which.

The castle siege in the middle of the film is amazing. Back in the days before CG they literally built a castle on the side of Mt Fuji and burnt it to the ground whilst performing the scenes with hundreds of soldiers on horseback. That kind of film making is so impressive to me and it looks spectacular.

I'd heard that this followed some Shakespeare play storyline but I didn't know which when I started it. I've never seen King Lear before but the whole film certainly feels an awful lot like a Shakespeare tragedy, only on a bigger scale. The film is filled with misery and big performances, It's great! (And being done with giant sized samurai battles is cooler than any Shakespeare play I know...)

So glad I finally got the kick in the but I needed to take the time to sit down and watch this epic. It really deserves its classic status. I need to go watch some more!