Knight And Day

After watching the trailer to this film I was quite excited about seeing it. It's been quite a while since I've seen a film with Tom Cruise in and well I think he is an amazing actor, so was quite looking forward to it.

Having seen it now, I'm not that bothered by it. It's not a must rush out and see film, in fact you could go your whole life without seeing it and wouldn't make much difference. But if you're board then I'd say it does kill some time.

It wasn't a bad film, it just wasn't a great film, and didn't live up to my expectations at all. And it's been a while since I've been let down by my expectations of a film, after Avatar and Micmacs exceeded them by lightyears.

I did find the film lost the excitement about halfway through and I did actually find it quite boring for a while, but luckily it picked back up again before the end.

I think the reason I was disappointed with the film overall though was because I found that the trailer made the film out to be quick and witty and exciting. However, I found that all the funny lines from the funny scenes were in the trailer, which meant that a scene which I thought would only be 10 seconds long, was more like 10 minutes long and I simply found myself waiting for the punch line which I'd already heard, so had lost most of it's humour anyway.

Ultimately the film could have been half the length for that exact reason, and I think I would have enjoyed it much more. A half hour version would have been much more exciting.

Although I still don't think the ending would have been any stronger. I wouldn't call it weak, but... it wasn't amazing.

To conclude, if you've got nothing better to do then give it a shot, but otherwise wait for the DVD, if that.

Toy Story 3

15 years since the first Toy Story film. One of the reasons that these types of films need to be more than just kids films, because the kids (me) that go and see the first one at the cinema aren't kids when it comes to to see the third one. And it's a good thing that they're not just kids films.

Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are both great family films, and Toy Story 3 is no exception. It is just as good as the other two. And if you've enjoyed watching the other two then no doubt this is a must see for you.

I don't want to say much else about the film because frankly if you don't see this film then... well, you're missing out on something special.

However, Toy Story 3 is of course in 3D and whilst I didn't find that when I went to see Toy Story again when it was released in 3D that it was really worth watching in 3D, and thought the same of Toy Story 2 (apart from the opening video game sequence), I think that this film should definitely be seen in 3D.

Why? Well because 3D is the future of films. It can be denied no longer that one day, all films will be in 3D and that it has surpassed it's "gimmick" label, as far as I'm concerned. I didn't consciously notice the 3D, but I did feel that it added something to the film, and when I did the quick glasses on glasses off test, I saw that there wasn't really any loss in colour when I put the glasses on, which I've found with pretty much every other film.

You won't really lose anything if you see it in 2D, but I think that since this film was made as a 3D film, that it should be watched the way the creators intended.

But either way, watch it!

Inception

A film I was very much looking forward to seeing, and which I was expecting great things from. Unfortunately usually when my expectations are so high they aren't usually met, I was even a little disappointed with The Dark Knight. Avatar and Micmacs are the only films to have exceeded my expectations. However, I can now add Inception to that list as well. And I think this is by far better than The Dark Knight, which is still an excellent film.

I don't really want to give any of the story away as I feel if you go in like I did not really knowing anything about it then you get a greater experience, because you don't know what to expect.

I can tell you though that the film is excellent in every way. It is shot beautifully and has some incredible slow motion shots in it that make The Matrix look a little dated.

Hans Zimmer's score is perfectly fitting, perfect until the end scene, but maybe that music will grow on me.

It has such a great cast in it. Leonardo DiCaprio is amazing as ever, and is joined by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy to name just a few. All the cast are great in this film and whilst Ellen Page wouldn't have been my first choice for her part, she really was great.

With a very original story written by Christopher Nolan himself, this is a must see film, that is just incredible and completely blew my mind.

Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time

Having played the original game a long time ago I'd pretty much forgotten everything about the story other than the whole dagger thing. Saying that though my friend told me that the movie doesn't really follow the same story as the game. So if you're a big fan of the first game then you might be a little disappointed there.

Another thing you might be a little disappointed with is how much the dagger gets used. It really isn't that much at all. On the other hand though, when the dagger is used the CGI is amazing.

Those are the only two problems I really had with the film (although the first wasn't really a problem for me), otherwise I found it very entertaining.

One thing we do see a lot of in the film is what I guess you would call some form of free running. In the game he was a very accrobatic person which is something I'm glad they've kept in the film.

A thoroughly entertaining family film, definitely see it if you liked The Mummy and The Mummy Returns.

Sex And The City 2

I've not seen any of the series or the first movie, but I did enjoy this one. As a guy I would say its definitely one for the girls and any guy who is a fan of the series or first film. But if you're a guy that's not a fan of either then this isn't exactly a must see. But if you do end up going to see it then don't worry because it is quite amusing.

My friend who is a massive fan of the series and film found this one a little disappointing because of the whole Aidan thing. Where as for me I just thought there were a few to many "movie" moments.

For example, Carrie leaves her passport somewhere unfortunately, and there really is no point, because it doesn't exactly hold them up when they leave, because they just go straight back to where she left it and it's there. So I think it could have been a bit shorter. Not that I got bored, just because there was a lot of unnecessary moments in the film.

Definitely a woman's film though, although I did find myself still laughing a little throughout which was good.

Robin Hood

Everyone knows the story of Robin Hood, but this film is basically a prequel to the normal Robin Hood story. I really enjoyed it and thought it was very good. My only major problem with it was the all of the cast were just too old.

People back then didn't live very long so it seems strange that Robin Hood would be peaking in at 46. The cast of Saving Private Ryan were younger and at a better age than this cast. However, if you look past this factor then the film is very good.

It's filmed amazingly and there is some great camera work in it which I really enjoyed. The music was great and even the end credits were amazing.

One thing I did find interesting though was that the end battle scene was basically the Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe version of the opening battle scene in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan with Tom Hanks. Not that that's a bad thing as it was still pretty cool. So if you like Saving Private Ryan then I'm sure you'll like Robin Hood.

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Now I've not seen the original but really anything has got to be better than this film. I really liked the opening credits, but as soon as they finished I thought well this film is shit. And after about 5 minutes I wanted to leave, it was that bad.

However, I did stay until the end. The film did slowly get better, but it's best wasn't really good enough for me and I still think it was really bad. I just wanted all the actors apart from Thomas Dekker to die because they just annoyed me so much.

Stay well clear of this one if I were you.

Hot Tub Time Machine

After seeing this my friends said that it was very funny. Well I didn't hear them laughing that much, and as a comedy I didn't find it that funny, but then I don't tend to find these sorts of comedies comical.

That said, I still enjoyed the film and there were some definite funny moments. A film that doesn't take much thinking and that you can just sit and watch.

Iron Man 2

I really enjoyed the first film, and when it ended with Tony Stark saying that, yes he was Iron Man, then I couldn't wait for the sequel.

However, whilst I did enjoy Iron Man 2 I didn't like it as much as the first one, simply because I new that Mickey Rourke was the villain of this film, and I felt as though as was waiting for the final show down between his character and Iron Man since the moment the film began, and I would have appreciated it if it happened a little sooner.

Not to say I didn't like the film though, as I did really like it. But it was missing something that Iron Man had, and I'm not sure what. Iron Man felt full of action, and Iron Man 2 was full of action and yet it didn't feel to me as though it was full of action.

Definitely go see the film though if you're into that sort of thing, it is quite entertaining and whilst not quite as comical as the first, still very funny.

There is one scene in the trailer though that I'm pretty sure isn't in the actual film, but perhaps I just wasn't paying attention. Pretty sure I was though.

And on an end note, the bit after the end credits isn't really worth watching unless you're a fan of marvel and know about The Avengers. I'm not and don't really know anything about The Avengers, so didn't really get it.

Clash Of The Titans

Before I start I must say that I saw this film in 2D.

Wow. I wasn't expecting much of this film when I went in. I thought it could go either way. But oh my God it is absolutely amazing.

The scenes with Haydes did it for me. I wouldn't have minded if these were the only scenes in the film, because they were visually stunning. At one point a load of soldiers get sucked into a big black cloud, and then all their armour gets spat back out again. And holy shit if looks good. So real. I kind of want to go and see the film again in 3D just for these scenes.

But Haydes wasn't the only good part of the film. Overall I really enjoyed the film and found it very entertaining. It was by no means perfect, but it did pretty good. I'd recommend this film to everyone. 3D or not though is your choice. I know I wished I'd seen it in 3D.

Kick-Ass

In many ways this film was Kick-Ass, Nicholas Cage I particularly liked in it, as in his last few films his acting has been quite poor. However, in this film he was very good.

The film is mostly aimed at teens, but I suspect adults would enjoy it too, as it kind of appeals to everyone, in a similar way to Spider-Man, only this film definitely isn't aimed at little kids, as it's quite graphic and does contain the c word, which some people may find offensive.

The film is excellently made and can't really be faulted in that regard, however, for me the story lacked a little something. I'm not sure what, but since I watched Avatar and Micmacs, both films which I consider to have the magic ingredient, I seem to compare everything to them. For me Kick-Ass isn't on the same level, although it is still a very good film, and as far as comic book films go, I did enjoy it more than a number of other mainstream adaptations.

I'd recommend it. Although not really for a mature audience. But that is just my opinion.

Shutter Island

At 138 minutes I was sceptical about going to see this film, because from the trailer it looked good, but it looked like it could have a lot of slow moments. But I'm glad I did go and see it. I didn't get bored once and the film held my attention throughout it's entirety.

I did guess the ending from watching the trailer, however, it didn't spoil the film for me because whilst the twist is kind of predictable, it's not predictable in the usual sense and there is an extra twist underneath the main twist, making it very clever.

It has some quite surreal moments throughout which I find are rare in mainstream films, but which I loved, and found really added to the freaky factor of the film, and some of it is very freaky. Watch it!

Green Zone

I feel compelled to compare this film to The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum simply because they have the same director and actor in the main role. Whilst I didn't feel this film was as good as the Bourne films it was only because of the story.

Technically this film is flawless and the acting is amazing. If you like war films then this is a must because it is amazing. But if you're not too keen on them, then give it a miss, because it is war, war, war. Think Black Hawk Down, Paul Greengrass style.

Alice In Wonderland

Until I saw this film, Alice In Wonderland used to scare me. The original Disney cartoon scared the hell out of me and until I saw Tim Burton's version, it still did. Now I'm no longer afraid of Alice In Wonderland, which I guess is a good thing since it's not a horror film. But to me it always was.

Since it's been many years since I've watched the cartoon, I'd lost my familiarity with the story and so felt I came into this film quite unknowing when it came to the story. A story which takes a while to get going, too long in my opinion. I was expecting from the word go to be sucked into the world of Tim Buton. But the beginning was very ordinary and could have been made by anyone. It wasn't until Alice ran away and then followed the rabbit down the rabbit whole that I thought, now we're getting started.

But I think it was Danny Elfman's music that did this for me, more than the film. His music is amazing. However, one thing that slightly pulled me out of the film was when I heard Elfman's 7 note main theme and then realised seconds later that if you add one more note on the end then you get a theme from Avatar. It's the beginning of the track "Becoming One Of "The People" / Becoming One With Neytiri" from the Avatar Soundtrack. But once I'd worked out where I'd heard the theme before, I quickly got over it.

I watched it in 3D. Now after seeing Avatar in 3D I was expecting it to have raised the bar on 3D films, which it most definitely did. However, Alice In Wonderland drops it back down to it's original place. I'd have preferred to have watched it without the 3D as I didn't feel it added anything at all to the film. And in fact sometimes I had to take my glasses off to make sure it was in 3D and it wasn't blurry enough without them.

Alice In Wonderland is simply average. Not up to Tim Burton's usual standards I don't think. But if you're looking for something to do then it will definitely kill a few hours.

Micmacs

Micmacs A Tire-Larigot, as the films full french title is, is quite hard to translate into english, which I guess would be why it has simply been shortened to Micmacs. However, it seems to mean something along the lines of "carry on as much as you like". Although I got this off a forum, since the actual phrase is in french slang, so google translator can't handle it. That said, the what seem like posters for the film that appear throughout the film, make more sense now.

If you've seen any other film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who is my favourite director), and loved it, then you are going to love this too. There has only been one film that has exceeded my expectations and that was Avatar. Now Micmacs can be added to that list. I think I cried about four times throughout the film, not because it was sad, as it is actually very funny, but because the film was everything that I wanted, and more. They were tears of pure happiness.

I went in knowing nothing about the storyline of the film, and this is what I would recommend to you. Simply go and see it. An absolute must.

The Lovely Bones

The new film from Peter Jackson, and you can definitely tell it's by Peter Jackson, just from the way it is shot.

I found the film pretty good. There were a few things I found annoying with it, but overall it was very good.

Mark Wahlberg, I think he's forgotten how to act properly, if you've seen The Happening, it was like that... again!

I found the first person narration from the little girl slightly annoying and didn't really like it as a story telling method, however, it's based on a book so I'm guessing that comes from the book.

The in between world though was out of this world. I want to live there, it was simply incredible and I would recommend this film just based on getting to see that.

The murderer was also very well cast and all of that kind of stuff was filmed amazingly.

I'd say it is worth watching. Not quite as amazing as I expected, but still worth watching.

Nine

I was expecting to love this film, or if not love the whole film at least love parts of it. Well I guess there were parts that I loved, but whilst with Chicago and Moulin Rouge I would watch the whole film just for The Cell Block Tango and Le Tango De Roxanne, I would definitely not watch Nine again for any part of it.

I just found it very boring. It was an interesting comment on the film industry if that's what your into, but I'm really not. I found even the dances weren't that great, because there weren't really any.

It's a very well made film, but I just found the story very boring. Some of the songs are okay, but only one of them really did it for me, the rest were average.

If you like the original Broadway musical then I'm sure you'll love the story and therefore love the film, but personally I'd recommend the soundtrack more than the film.

Avatar

I'm lost for words with this film, so I'm simply going to tell you about my experience when watching it.

I'd not been to an IMAX theatre before so it was a very exciting experience for me, I got some great seats which I'd booked a couple of months in advance and had to travel to London in order to see it on the biggest screen in the UK. I spent in total about £60 to go and see this film and it was worth every penny.

We watched the trailer for Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland before, which was also in 3D and I thought, "Wow! This is amazing, the screen is so massive. " But it wasn't really any different to any other 3D film I'd seen. And then Avatar started.

As soon as the film started I just started crying, and must have continued to cry for about 30 minutes. They were tears of complete happiness at the beauty of the film and how real it was.

I've seen 3D films before, but they never really looked 3D. The animated ones didn't really need to be in 3D because they practically looked and felt the same, and some of them I would have preferred to have watched in 2D. And the live action films just looked as though there were some actors stood in front of a green screen and on the green screen was the rest of the film. It didn't look like it flowed in terms of depth, more like it had layers.

Avatar flowed beautifully. I felt as though I could just put my arm inside the film, or that I could actually step inside it. In some way Avatar looked more 3D than real life, due I think simply to differences in the way our eyes work and the camera works.

After I stopped crying and noticing the 3D, I just sunk right into it. Pretty much everyone seems to think that when I say Avatar was amazing then I just talk about the 3D and the CGI, but I'm not. They are simply tools of the film maker to make the story more real. I loved the story. I thought it was like Pocahuntas meets The Matrix, and whilst it might not have been that original in terms of the story being told before, it was certainly original in the way it was told.

Now a days it's pretty impossible to come up with a brand new story, because they've all been told in some way or another. The last few months I've been falling more and more out of love with films. I used to love them, but then I realised that in 2009 I'd not really seen a film that I loved in every way. I'd seen good films, don't get me wrong, Harry Brown is an amazing film, but it's not the kind of film that made me think this is the film I've been waiting for, and to be honest it's been like this for me for the last few years. I was really looking forward to The Dark Knight last year, and then it came out and I thought, there were definitely amazing bits in it, but it also had quite boring parts, and what I thought was out of place comedy, and not the kind you laugh out loud to.

Avatar has reignited that love of film for me. When the Na'Vi faced genocide in the film and Jake (Sam Worthington) flew in to rescue them and stand with them, making his big speech, I was just filled with emotion. As soon as he flew in I started crying and as he walked up to make his speech I got this feeling inside that I've only ever felt once, and that was when I saw my grandfathers dead body lying in his coffin when I was about 14 or 15. I just felt completely overwhelmed and hollow. It doesn't sound like a particularly nice feeling and it wasn't. But that fact that a film could make me feel like this just astounded me. The feeling stayed there until Jake began his speech and then the feeling slowly turned to hope and I literally felt like the Na'Vi. As though I was fighting for my survival, and for the survival of my people.

The only film that has come close to this amount of emotion for me was United 93. The last 5 minutes of the film are so emotional and horrific that I was balling my eyes out, less with sadness and more with fear. It was after the film that I felt sad, and cried for what must have been 30 minutes after the film had finished.

But Avatar was so much more intense, I almost film like I couldn't handle it. And if I was the only one in the cinema then I probably wouldn't have been able to, and would have let myself go to my limit.

So you can see how this film is so much more than just a film to me. The reason I was taken to this emotional place was because I felt like part of the story. The music encouraged me to feel this way as well, and I get chills just from listening to the Avatar soundtrack. But whilst music might provide a lot of the emotion in films, I felt that with this film what pushed the emotion even further was the 3D and the CGI.

With all the great films I don't feel like I'm watching a film, I feel part of it. However, I still always know in the back of my mind that I'm watching a film. With Avatar I wasn't watching a film, and after the film finished I had to remind me that it was a film that I just watched and that it wasn't real, because throughout the film my mind was telling me that it was real and that I was witnessing real life. I left my body in the cinema and went to Pandora. For me the events in Avatar were real, and I was there to witness them.

The Box

The concept of this film is quite strange. A couple are given a box with a red button in it. If they push the red button then they will get a million dollars, however, someone in the world that they don't know will die.

I wondered whether or not the film would say the reason behind the box, and thankfully it did. However, the film got very, very strange. It reminded me of the film Knowing and to be honest because I'd seen it I was able to partly guess the reason behind the box about half way through. But it just went even stranger as it progressed.

When I say it went strange, I don't mean that it got majorly confusing (although it did a little), I just mean that it got quite freaky, and a little scary.

The film definitely has its bad moments though, as the beginning starts out a bit rubbish, but it progresses to become quite good, and really kind of enters the horror genre, but without the moments that make you jump, and without the gore. Because of this, as horror movies go I thought it was really good. It got more real as it went on and it wasn't just a quick scare and then move on, it held that fear and as the film went on, the fear just got more intense.

If you like horrors then I would give this a try. If you don't then give it a miss, because its quite freaky.

Step Up

I really enjoy watching dance films and I wish they made more of them. But just like any film they still have to be good. Step Up is.

The story won't exactly blow you away and is pretty average. The dancing on the other hand is pretty good. It mixes street dancing with more disaplined dance styles, including ballet. A lot of the dancing is just small snippets apart from the end routine which is very good. The daning in the fim doesn't measure up to the likes of "The Cell Block Tango" from Chicago, or "Le Tango De Roxanne" from Moulin Rouge, but then it is a different style of dancing to those films. If it did want to measure up then I think that it would need to have been shot slightly differently. It wasn't shot badly, it just didn't have that "umf" that Chicago and Moulin Rouge had. Nevertheless, Step Up is still worth watching if you are into your dance movies. But if you're not then I wouldn't worry about catching this one.

7/10