World War Z (Short Review)

With Zombie films becoming the new thing to make in hollywood over recent years it was kind of hard to not have mixed feelings about this film before seeing it. But thankfully WWZ turns out not just being a enjoyable film but a film with substance to it.

The films plot is simple to say the least but simple it may be it's still a intriguing one. The film itself really jumps into the Zombie apocalypse fast with all hell breaking lose within 10min of start time. The film centers around Brad pit's character Gerry Lane who is a ex U.N Officer who gets pulled back into work to help stop this from really taking over the world. Gerry only agree's to do this as he is promised is family's safety in return.

World war z for a start looks amazing. I really felt i had been transported to the Apocalypse and having it based not just in America but seeing the rest of the world was a great change for once. Practical make up for zombies look amazing and visual effects look fine. Acting is great but this is really Brad Pits film. This is the best i have seen Brad in a long time. He really grasps the role of Gerry and gives great charisma and fun to the character. Remember everyone this is not meant to be a serious movie, it's a fun Holiday blockbuster that i feel is even fine for young teenagers to see. Director Marc Forster really does a great job at creating the beloved novel into a movie. Tho it does not stay true to the original book it still has the feel and substance of the book that made it so amazing there for making the movie good. Mac also does a great job of building the tension from start to finish with some scenes having you on the edge of your seat.

If you like movies like contagion and shows like The walking dead you will most likely have a great time with this film . It puts a new great twist on the zombie genre that has not really been done before like this.

I give World War Z

Life of Pi (Quick Review)

Review By:Tim Donaldson
When Oscar winning Director Ang Lee announced that he was going to make the book Life of Pi into a film people said that it was impossible. How could he film a book that has very little dialog and is mainly a descriptive story. So as fan of the book I was looking forward to seeing how he could pull this off but also scared knowing the background of the book. But I am glade to tell you all that Life of Pi is not only a great film but is a masterpiece of filmmaking.

This film had me leave the theatre mind blown , not only by the story that was being told but also the visuals, this film looks Beautiful in 3D. Ang Lee has really set the standards with 3D and Visuals here and for me it’s the best I have seen since Avatar. For one the animated Bengal Tiger(whose name is Richard Parker)looks so real in this you would swear it was right there. Everything from the way it walks to the emotions in its face look so real. I felt like I had a connection with this animal and I am glad I did because for me he’s the star of the film! There’s also many other animals that we come across and they all look just as amazing as our Tiger friend Richard Parker. Also the story is simple and easy to follow, tho as family friendly this film is young children may be board by this as the underlining meaning of the story is very deep and young children will miss it completely, I would take any child over say 10 or 11. Also note that there is some intense survival themes and some scenes of animal violence that may be too much for young children

This film is sure to be a headline at the Oscars this year and be nominated for many awards. Ang Lee has made a beautiful, fun and surprising masterpiece and is sure to be a classic for many years to come. Now I am reviewing this as a 2012 movie because it was released in America in 2012 and there for this has to be my second favourite film of 2012 (My Favourite being Argo). Life of Pi, an amazing Life to see!

Skyfall Review

Review By: Tim Donaldson
It's now been 4 years since the disappointing mission Quantum of Solace and with 2012 being the 50th anniversary of James Bond I was really wanting to see something special and with Sam Mendes directing I was really looking forward to this instalment. So was it good? Well I put it this way, I am a massive Bond fan and this is now got to be my favourite Bond film yet; so in short it's amazing!

Sam Mendes has really created something different here and has put a new fresh spin on the classic character. Just like Christopher Nolan did in 2008 with The Dark Knight, Mendes has done here by changing the standard rules of Bond films. Everything about this film revolves not around Bond but around M (Judi Dench) and it was great to finally have a Classic feel back in the film. You know what I am talking about when I say classic; all of these stupid gimmicky gadgets that we have seen since about 1990's have all been taken away from the film, the stunts are being done for real and having a film that is more substance over style was nice to see. Also Skyfall's plot is also nice and simple. This really allows us to see a more emotional side of Bond that we have never seen.

Daniel Craig has also Delivered his best performance yet as Bond, Naomie Harris is great and Judi Dench gives a great performance as always. But it was Javier Bardem as the villian Silva who was the stand out. Barden really gives some amazing moments that wow us and at times make you laugh. He really was embracing this villain and giving everything out of his performance.
Also I should mention Adele's Music Number in the opening credit sequence that we have come to know was great, really suited the tone of the movie and had a classic Bond feel. Now you are probably getting sick of me saying the word Classic, but really that what you are getting with Skyfall. It's getting down to the basic's and not letting the action be the be all of the film. Sam Menses has not just created a great Bond film, he has made the best one yet.

Taken 2 Review

Review by: Brendan Cherry

Liam Neeson stars again in Taken 2 aka Taken. Sporting the same ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and daughter (Maggie Grace), this sequel is really just the same film as the first but with slightly different locations and a few more fake explosions. Grace's character, Kim, now has a boyfriend and it's for this reason that there is slight tension between herself and Neeson's character, Bryan. Boyfriend troubles for Lenore give Bryan the opportunity to invite his daughter and ex-wife along with him on a trip to Instanbul, but Kim's previous kidnappers are up for revenge and they plan to use Bryan's family to get at him. This time Neeson actually gets kidnapped but some fancy gadgets up his sleeve make his rescuing, through Kim much easier.
There were no stand out cinematography moments in this film, though some felt not too different to a few seen in the housetop chase scenes of The Bourne films, however the acting was generally on cue, but with some dumb and wasteful henchman to do the revenge-driven father's dirty work.
While as a stand alone I would agree this film is good, I'm going to cut this review short, because the new director, Olivier Megaton, has basically made a copy of Taken 1. My verdict, if you've seen neither of the films, choose one and never watch the other, if you've seen the first, maybe give this a miss, at least until it comes out in stores.

Star rating: 2 1/2

Dredd Review

Review BY: Tim Donaldson

When I heard that they where remaking the 1995 film Judge Dredd my fist thoughts were not another remake. Then it hit me, the original was not that great and was a complete failure of a film. There was not much going for the film and is really only a classic to a small amount of people. So I was looking forward to see a new take on the film and to see if they could do a better job. So what's the new one like; well it’s OK.

Dredd is an Entertaining film to say the least but it’s not ground-breaking like I wanted it to be. What I could not help was see flaws that the original film had and the lack of story .The film is artistically pleasing and looks amazing. Everything from the costumes to the sets are just great, but there's just not much going on in the story. I will give you a small rundown of Dredd. In the future there are Officers called Judgment Officers and their job is to take down big and dangerous missions in what seems to look like a rundown world that has been overtaken by crime. When Dredd is called to a homer-side crime in a large apartment centre that is many stories high, Dredd and his apprentice get trapped when a large mob group locks down the building. That there is the basics of the story.

The thing that gets to me is that the writers had so much chance to make a great story here, but in the end that just make it a typical survival and escape mission. Some things that happen seem to be easy ways out to end a scene or the film and it looked like the writers were kind of writing the film as it was being made. Now not everything about this film is bad, as I said before it looks amazing and the attention to little things is so good. Karl Urban as Dredd does a great job and Lena Headey as Ma-Ma is amazing. Now I’m not saying don’t see this film but I would probably wait to rent it later on next year. With many better films out at the moment like Argo this just does not come close to being great. I was never really bored with Dredd and I did not fall asleep considering I went to a late 9.30pm screening. It's fun and funny at times, but don't go in expecting a Oscar worthy story because It's just your typical action movie.

127 Hours (Favourites Review)

Review By: Tim Donaldson

Here and there I will be doing reviews on some of my favourite films in my home collection and for todays I have chosen to do 127 Hours.

When Filmmaker Danny Boyle read about the incredible true story of a mountain climber becoming trapped under a boulder, he did not only see a great true life story, but also a movie. Based on the Autobiography 'Between a rock and a hard place' written by the climber Aron Ralston ,127 Hours is based on a event in his life where he was stuck in a canyon for 5 days when a boulder came loose as he was descending down, trapping his arm in the process. What comes next for Aron is a struggling battle that will test his way of life and will leave him to do anything to break free.

This Film really had me intrigued for the whole time. Danny Boyle has done a wonderful job in keeping your attention for the entire time with only one cast member for the most of the film. Flash backs and intense moments is what keeps you wondering how he is going to get out. But it's the visual achievement which is one of the most amazing parts of the film. With
Cinematography by Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle, these two have captured the amazing landscape of the Utah, USA. Great flying shots and amazing human point views is what really makes you feel like you want to visit this place. But it's the moment where Aron gets trapped where these two really shine. With little room in this canyon, the cinematogarphy is so tight and narrow. This leaves you sometimes with a claustrophobia feel which would leave manny suffers of claustrophobia wanting to turn there screens off. How these two managed to film in such a tight location is beyond me, but yet through out the film they give us new camera angles and shots, and rarely if never do we get shots repeated in other scenes, it's amazing what these two have really done.

Cast:James Franco plays Aron Ralston and does a amazing job in the role. James was nominatied for a oscar in 2011 for his performance in the movie and you can see why. James really gives some emotional moments in the movie bringing sad and funny times to the screen that keep your emmotions sky rocketing and sinking through out the entire film. You really feel what he feels in the film, there's times when you feel lost, sad, depressed and then theres times when you feel happy. Personally James should have won the Oscar that year and not Colin Firth (was nominated for 'The Kings Speech').

Danny Boyle has truly made another amazing film. With Movies such as Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later under his belt, Danny is really a director of amazing talent. He really knows how to direct stories that most people would fear directing.

Jack Reacher (Final Trailer)

Tom Cruise is back in the all new action movie 'Jack Reacher'. The film also stars Rosamund Pike and Richard Jenkins. Jack Reacher is set for release January 3rd 2013