Topic: Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews)

[samuelrichardscott]

1994 is my best year for films, and the only one with more than two 5/5's awarded. The other 5/5's for 1994 are:
- Clerks
- Leon: The Professional
- The Lion King
- Pulp Fiction
- The Shawshank Redemption

[Piffi]

Thanks for the review. Sounds interesting!
Heard alot of good things about it, but never got around
to watch it. I'll put it on my list!

[Achim]

Saw Once Were Warriors in the cinema during initial release. In fact, so long ago that seeing it again now would probably feel like watching it for the first time again I'll see if I can grab it cheap.

[goodguy]

Conversations with Other Women (2005)
...
An exceptional film that is an absolute must-see. 4.5/5

Glad you liked it.  
For a very different approach to that split screen thing try Bruce McDonald's The Tracey Fragments some day.

[samuelrichardscott]

Added to price watch. Thanks for the recommendation.

[samuelrichardscott]

Flood (2007)

Overview:
Where's Gene Kelly when you need him? Robert Carlyle stars in this doomsday tale, where the meeting of a powerful storm and dangerously high seas results in a tidal surge of biblical proportions sweeping down the east coast of England en route for London. With the Thames Barrier breached and panic mounting, marine defence expert Rob (Carlyle) has to think fast if the capital is to avoid ultimate catastrophe.

My Thoughts:
Typical low budget disaster movie, this time starting with floods in the North of Scotland and following a storm that suddenly hits and floods London. They show some real flood footage which they tell us is in Aberdeen but is actually my hometown of Carlisle that suffered a massive flood in 2005 so it did make it more of a personal interest to me. Robert Carlyle and Jessalyn Gilsig are the strongest cast members here but the support is impressive for a movie of this ilk and includes David Suchet, Gottfried John, Tom Hardy and Joanne Whalley. Special effects aren't great, but they are certainly passable and the story of course requires you to suspend belief. Flood's not a great film, yet is far from awful and is worth a watch for disaster genre fans. Rent it. 3/5

Buy "Flood" at Amazon.

[samuelrichardscott]

Turner and Hooch (1989)

Overview:
Academy Award™ winner Tom Hanks (1994, Best Actor, 'Philadelphia', 1995, Best Actor, 'Forrest Gump') stars as Scott Turner, a compulsively neat detective whose tidy world goes to the dogs when he's forced to team up with a drooling slob of a junkyard dog named Hooch. Not exactly man's best friend, Hooch turns Turner's life upside down, wrecking Turner's home, career and budding romance. It's a hilarious non-stop test of wills between this mismatched duo, leading to the most unlikely friendship you've ever seen.

My Thoughts:
Pros:
- The story is fun enough and they did a good job not aiming it at kids considering it's a crime comedy with a dog.
- I liked Turner's characteristics. A complete OCD neat-freak who loses his temper quickly.
- Responsible for some awesome Turner & Hooch jokes in Scrubs.
Cons:
- Rather forgettable. Whilst an enjoyable watch it isn't anything new or refreshing.
- The dog is more talented than some of the supporting cast.
Overall:
Throwaway fun. Rent it. 3/5

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Turner-Hooch-DVD-Tom-Hanks/dp/B00004CZ0G/?tag=dvdcolonl-21

[samuelrichardscott]

Red Dawn (1984)

Overview:
Red Dawn opens with one of the most shocking scenes ever filmed; on a peaceful morning, through the windows of a high school classroom, students see paratroopers land on the varsity football field; the invasion of the United States has begun!
As their town is overrun by foreign nationals, eight teenagers escape to the mountains. Taking the name of their high school football team, the Wolverines, they wage an unremitting guerilla action in defence of their parents, their friends and their country.
Director John Milius (The Wind and the Lion, Dillinger) spares no expense in bringing an absolutely gripping sence of reality to the chilling action scenes. Scripted by Milius and Kevin Reynolds, this outstanding film features some of today's most popular stars, including Patrick Swayze (Ghost), Charlie Sheen (Platoon), C. Thomas Howell (The Hitcher), Lea Thompson ("Caroline In The City"), Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing) and veteran actor Harry Dean Stanton (Alien). When it comes to thrilling entertainment, Red Dawn wins the war with a vengance!

My Thoughts:
Red Dawn is a movie that I think would be fair to say has risen to cult status these days. The cast is full of rising talent of the time including Patrick Swayze, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen, Jennifer Grey and C. Thomas Howell and they all do okay jobs but nothing of particular note. Story is average although does have some good action and also a little bit of drama showing the kids falling into the 'spoils of war'. It reminds me a lot of 1991's Toy Soldiers which is a lot less serious in nature but IMO, a bit more fun yet Red Dawn is entertaining enough to keep you occupied. Rent it. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Whip It (2009)

Overview:
Drew Barrymore's debut directorial feature is a coming-of-age comedy drama starring Ellen Page. Bliss Cavendar (Page) is a high school girl growing up in a small nowhere town in Texas. Forced into the indignities of the beauty pageant circuit by her stage mum Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden), she rebels by enrolling in the Roller Derby. Re-inventing herself as Babe Ruthless, Bliss makes it onto the team after lying about her age. There she bonds with her newfound family of roller derby girls, experiences her first love with the lead singer of an indie rock band, and finally manages to escape the beauty pageant and pursue her dream of becoming a Roller Derby star.

My Thoughts:
I'm a big fan of Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore and Juliette Lewis so to have all three of them in the same movie is great. To have all three of them in a great movie, is even better. The story is fun, if a little formulaic, but the characters are all likeable and the roller derby scenes are better than you would think. Props also to whoever cast Daniel Stern as Ellen Page's dad in this because he is a forgotten talent in my opinion and I've always liked him. The soundtrack is well suited, the script strong enough and the mix between the roller derby and the drama of real life well done. Drew Barrymore did a great job directing and I hope she gets behind the camera again sooner rather than later. Recommended. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Air Buddies (2006)

Overview:
Canine comedy starring Michael Clark Duncan, Richard Karn and Don Knotts. When young pups B-Dawg (voice of Skyler Gisondo), Bud-Dha (Dominic Scott Kay), RoseBud (Abigail Breslin), MudBud (Spencer Fox), and Budderball (Josh Flitter) learn that their parents are in danger, they leap into action with tails wagging to rescue mum and dad and reunite the family.

My Thoughts:
There really isn't that much to say about Air Buddies other than it is the first spin-off in the Air Buddies series, based on the Air Bud movies - where Disney now use puppies instead of adult dogs. The voice cast has a couple of names of note like Abigail Breslin but the non-voice cast are quite poor. The story is tired and boring and there really isn't anything to shout home about in regards to the special effects or the dialogue. I'm sure kids will love it, but adults who enjoy Disney films will want to skip it. I've seen worse, but this is quite bad. 2/5

My reviews of other movies in the Buddies series:
Snow Buddies (2008)
Spooky Buddies (2011)

[samuelrichardscott]

Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees (2003)

Overview:
This ain't 'Bend it Like Beckham'... this ain't 'East is East'...this is Southall. WHO RULES LONDON TOWN? BLACK, WHITE OR BROWN?
Welcome to London, home of many creeds and cultures. The modern criminal underworld reflects the diverse races that call London home.
West London is ruled by the 'Holy Smokes' crime syndicate. At their head is the ruthless Chacha (Jas Bassi). His mob includes various psychopathic killers, pimps, and drug dealers.
North London is the territory of the Triads. These ruthless Chinese gangsters will do anything to protect their honour. Leading them is the young Billy Chan.
South London is governed by the Yardies, the Jamaican mafia. At the head of this notorious crew is Lloyd. This gang lives purely for the day and their motto is Live 'Fast and Die Young!'
East London is home to The Firm. The last stronghold of the original Anglo-Saxon cockney gangsters, The Firm is ruled by Mad Dave (Dave Courtney). They cannot understand how London has come to be ruled by the ethnic mobsters.
Someone is muscling on the Holy Smokes cocaine deals and they are not amused. Added to this deadly event is the theft of six million dollars from Heathrow Airport making an explosive cocktail! Hot on the trail of the missing money is the Metropolitan Police's most corrupt officer Detective Inspector Greaves (Jonathan Reason) and Singh (Manish Patel), London's most ruthless feared hitman. It's a roller-coaster ride as the Holy Smokes wage war against the Triads, the Yardies and The Firm.

My Thoughts:
Pros:
- They made full use of their macro-budget (£900 or $1444).
Cons:
- The editing is bloody atrocious with cuts every ten seconds.
- The cast is obviously made up of amateurs and the director's friends playing 'gangster'.
- Dialogue is dreadful.
- The special effects from when guns are fired. Did they use an old computer program from the nineties?
Overall:
One of the worst films I've ever seen. Skip it. 0.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees gets the unrivalled position of worst movie of 2003 according to my spreadsheet.

[samuelrichardscott]

Life (1999)

Overview:
Eddie Murphy is the fast talking con-artist Rayford Gibson and Martin Lawrence is the conservative bank taller Claude Banks. The two are accidentally teamed up to become the funniest "odd couple" east of the Mississippi. In effort to pay off Ray´s debt and restore Claude´s reputation, they travel south on a bootlegging run for some quick cash. There is no limit to their comical misfortune as they are placed at the scene of a crime and their mistaken identity lands them right in front of the judge.
This hysterical comedy gives a whole new meaning to friends for life.

My Thoughts:
Pros:
- Strong cast. Martin Lawrence and Eddie Muprhy can both be hit or miss but they were great here. The support is also strong.
- The story doesn't stray for easy laughs and lets the comedic parts come naturally.
- The set design is pretty good and the make-up effects very good. They even kept Lawrence and Murphy out of fat suits.
Cons:
- The pacing was sometimes a little drawn out.
- I would've liked the main characters to sometimes be more subtle in tone.
Overall:
Unless you really can;t stand Lawrence or Murphy, I recommend it. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Hitman (2007)

Overview:
Fast-paced action thriller based on the computer game of the same name. A professional assassin known only as Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant), hired by a group known only as 'The Agency', is ensnared in a political conspiracy which finds him on the run from both Interpol and the Russian FSB (The successors to the KGB). The hunter becomes the hunted as he is chased across Eastern Europe while, at the same time, he tries to find out who set him up and why they're trying to take him out. Unexpectedly, the greatest threat to 47's survival may be the first stirrings of his conscience and the alien emotions awakened in him by Nika (Olga Kurylenko), a beautiful woman who gets herself wrapped up in the conspiracy and, consequently, 47's life.

My Thoughts:
Pros:
- Xavier Gens sure knows how to shoot some fun action scenes.
- Dougray Scott and Olga Kurylenko both impress with strong performances.
- The story is interesting and has a couple of nice twists.
Cons:
- Quite cliched at times (unlimited bullets, falls for girl) and they allow style over substance at others.
- Timothy Olyphant wouldn't have been my first choice for Agent 47. He wasn't bad, but not a great choice for the lead.
Overall:
A good stylistic popcorn movie with fun action scenes.Recommended. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Yes Man (2009)

Overview:
Yes Man star Jim Carrey as Carl Allen, a guy whose life is going nowhere - the operative word being "no". That is until he signs up for a self-help program based on one simple covenant: say yes to everything, and anything. Unleashing the power of "Yes" begins to transform Carl's life in amazing and unexpected ways. But will this end up being too much of a good thing?

My Thoughts:
Pros:
- I love the casting in this. Carrey and the lovely Zooey Deschanel gel together really well. Bradley Cooper and Danny Masterson are great as the mates also.
- The cameo from Luis Guzman. Love him and his small roles in so many movies.
- Plenty of laughs, especially between Carl and Norman when they're in the bank.
- The music. I have all three of Zooey Deschanel's CD's (She & Him) and she's such a talented singer as well as actress.
Cons:
- It does drag a little in places.
- I didn't like the FBI airport scene. Seemed misplaced.
Overall:
A great 'date' movie that both sexes will enjoy. Recommended. 4/5