Casanova

Heath Ledger takes the lead character and joins a great cast in this amazingly clever little romantic comedy. I'm not sure if romantic comedy is really the right term to use because it's not really like other romantic comedies.

The plot is very clever and whilst you can probably guess some of the twists and turns, you would be disappointed if they didn't happen, because you want the characters to live happily ever after.

However, most of the twists and turns do surprise you and it is not until the middle that I started to think I know what's going to happen now. But I think that fact that you know what is going to happen makes the film better, in this case, because you sort get this clever little shock when you work out what it is that's going to happen.

All though that said, the film only really lets you guess a few and right up until the end it just kept on churning out surprise after surprise.

A great little film that you can just sit back and enjoy. Plus it's got some excellent music.

8/10

Brüno

If you've seen Borat and disliked it then your going to hate this so stay clear of it. However, if you loved Borat then you're going to find this hilarious too. If you've not seen Borat then... well... good luck watching Brüno, you'll be in for a shock! (Although even if you have seen Borat you're still going to be in for a shock.)

If you thought Borat was wrong, then you've seen nothing yet. This film goes way beyond Borat in terms of it's wrongness (I think that is a word). Homophobics be warned, this is not the movie for you. There is some explicit nudity and some even more explicit invisible nudity (you'll know what I mean by invisible nudity when you see it). There are moments of this film which would actually border on being porn if it weren't for the black square or circle covering those areas! And trust me when I say, thank God for those black squares and circles.

But don't let the nudity put you off, because this film is fucking hilarious. If you've seen the trailer than that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I have to say that I'm probably not going to watch this film again, but I think I'm right in saying that I'm glad I watched it. Just be warned, the film will leave you feeling pretty uncomfortable from the opening credits, right up until the end credits. But the laughter you get in return is so worth it. I haven't met anyone, yet, that didn't think the film was hilariously funny.

Taxi 2

I should first point out that if you haven't seen the first film (which doesn't matter, but is a definite bonus) than this is a French film and is therefore in subtitles. However, don't let that stop you from watching it, as it is still a great film.

Taxi introduced the characters and their relationships, because of this I think Taxi 2 is better than Taxi. It just gets straight into the action/comedy of the story right from the start and keeps on going until the very end. Another great movie from writer/producer Luc Besson.

7/10

Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs

It seems hollywood is just churning out the 3D movies lately, and most of the seem to be animated. Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs is one of them. If you're new to the Ice Age films then it helps if you've at least seen Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. And ideally you want to have seen the first Ice Age as well, otherwise you might not get the character of Scratte.

I didn't think this was the best film of the three, because I kind of tired of the character Ellie. But then perhaps I like this film less also because I'm older now and probably out grown these kind of films, because there wasn't really a lot in it to please adults. It is definitely a kids movie.

Saying that, the film was still very good. In the previous films I found the character of Scratte a bit boring, however, in this film he was the best character and had the best story. I also loved the aeroplane noises that came with the flying dinosaurs.

As for the 3D, I'm neither a big fan, or a disliker of 3D. Some films it works, others it doesn't. I'm not sold on it yet. In this film the 3D definitely made the film look nicer. I've only seen 3 movies in 3D, this being the 3rd, and whilst I'm glad I saw it in 3D, I didn't exactly find it mind blowing. But then it could just be me, as the litte kids sat in the row in front of me were practically standing on their chairs trying to touch film.

Unless your a kid, or taking your kids to see this film the I wouldn't worry too much if you don't catch this one.

Hannibal Rising

This is the fifth film about the character of Hannibal Lecter. The original, Manhunter, was followed five years later by The Silence Of The Lambs, which was then followed by Hannibal. Then in 2002, one year after Hannibal, Manhunter was remade as Red Dragon. And now there is Hannibal Rising, where the story truly begins.

Hannibal Rising is about the origin of Hannibal Lecter and why he went down the path he did. Now the only other Hannibal film I've seen is Ridley Scott's Hannibal, and in my opinion this one is better. It is beautifully shot, has a beautiful score, and isn't afraid to show how dark Hannibal Lecter really is.

At first I wasn't that blown away by Gaspard Ulliel's (who plays Hannibal Lecter) performance. However, once the true colours of Hannibal Lecter started to show, he was truely phenomenal. As for the other actors, they were just as good.

The scenes where Hannibal kills his victims were incredible. They were so good they were almost beautiful. These were the moments when Gaspard Ulliel really shined. He actually was evil.

This film simply is a master piece of film making.

8/10

Battlestar Galactica Live In London

If you wish to see Bear McCreary and his amazing music from Battlestar Galactica performed live in London then visit the website below and let them know. I know I want to.

http://www.battlestarlondon.com/

Groundhog Day

Not what I'd call a laugh out loud comedy, more of a romantic comedy, but nevertheless still a great film. It follows the character of Phil who ends up living the same day over and over again, Groundhog Day. A very clever film that is definitely worth watching.

7/10

Bolt (Soundtrack)

The soundtracks starts with a couple of songs. The first is a song performed by Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, titled "I Thought I'd Lost You", the second is performed by Jenny Lewis and titled "Barking At The Moon". Both songs are pretty catchy and fit into the country music genre. Only the second song though actually appears in the film. The first song is probably played over the end credits.

The rest of the soundtrack features the score by John Powell. I really enjoyed listening to this soundtrack and couldn't pick out a bad track. There were some really good outstanding tracks as well, and Bolt sits comfortably amongst Powell's great animated scores, such as Ice Age: The Meltdown.

There are a number of action cues on the soundtrack, but this just fits with the film which did have a lot of action scenes. Some are better than others, and there are a couple of outstanding ones, but there definitely aren't any bad ones.

As for the other tracks, they're great too. They're mostly light hearted tracks that are real fun to listen too. There aren't too many emotional cues on the soundtrack, but the ones that there are, are very good. "Where Were You On St Rhino's Day?" is one of the emotional ones. Whilst it doesn't start off that great it does build up and makes quite a beautiful listen by the end.

Some of my favourite cues include, "Bolt Transforms", "The RV Park", "A Fast Train", "Saving Mittens", "House On Wheels", "Rescuing Penny", "Unbelievable TV", and "Home At Last / Barking At The Moon (Reprise)".

This is a must buy for any Powell fan and for anyone who has listened to one of his animated scores and loved it. Or if you fit into neither of those categories then simply buy this if you like listening to fun soundtracks.

Can't wait for Powell's score to Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs now.

Wrong Turn 2: Dead End

Normally I don't watch B-Movies or horror movies, but I bought this one because of the music, which is composed by Bear McCreary, of whom I am a massive fan. I came into the story not knowing anything, as I haven't not seen the first Wrong Turn.

However, that didn't matter as the story is pretty simple to follow. It's your average teen horror when it comes down to the basics. But unlike films such as Cabin Fever it actually does a good job of telling it.

It's not what I'd call a scary horror, more of a light horror. It doesn't take itself too seriously and the film maintains a sense of humour about itself. In terms of the horror elements I found the emphasis on the gore and not the frights. I also thought it was shot very well.

This film definitely sets a new standard for B-Movies and even some cinema released films (A-Movies) as this was a lot better than horrors such as Hostel: Part 1, Hostel: Part 2 and Teeth. Definitely worth watching if horror is your thing.

7/10

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

I'm not a major Transformers fan, but I am a major Michael Bay fan. I loved the first movie and even bought the prequel comic. The other movie tie in comics/books are on my "to buy" list, as I'd quite like to know what happens in the two years between this film and the first.

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen has a very different tone to the first movie. For a start all the transformers talk a lot more, and not just the autobots, we see the decepticons talking and planing too. But don't let this make you think this isn't an action film, because it is.

There are also a lot more new characters in terms of the autobots an decepticons. I did find some of the transformers a little annoying, either because of the way they talked or the way they behaved. However, I was able to look past this.

Overall the film has more comedy in it than the first, and a lot of it was very funny. However, I think it possibly needed less comedy, as it seemed even during the serious action scenes when lives were in danger that there was some kind of joke going on. This kind of made the film a little more of a comedy that I thought it should have been, as in my eyes Transformers is an action film with comedy, not a comedy with action.

I didn't think the music in this film was as good as it was in the first film either. There were a few new themes, but none of them really came close to the epicness of the original themes from the first film.

The visual effects were incredible. I think however, that the visual effects in the first film are marginally better.

Overall this is a great film. However, I didn't find it quite as good as the first film. Still a definite watch for any Michael Bay fan. The amount of times he references his own films in this one will make you laugh. What a legend.