Topic: Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews)

[samuelrichardscott]

Love N' Dancing (2009)

Overview:
When a bored-with-life English teacher meets a West Coast Swing champion dancer, they have an instant connection. Both feel that the other can fulfil what was missing in their lives. But Jessica's got a workaholic fiancée who's not a bad guy when he's not on his Blackberry, and Jake's got his former partner Corinne, who just won't let Jake away from the dangling carrot of a rekindled relationship. Jake and Jessica must try to elude all obstacles, romantic or otherwise, to stay focused on the goal - winning the World Title and winning each other. Will they give in to the pressure or come out like champs?

My Thoughts:
I picked this up as a fan of Amy Smart and it wasn't bad. She plays a middle-school teacher who gets dance lessons for her husband (Billy Zane) and herself from deaf dancing ex-champion Jake (Tom Malloy). The story isn't anything particularly fresh and is your very standard story of a woman falling in love with a nice man and out of love with a not-so-nice man whilst at the same time taking part in an activity that brings them closer together. The dancing from Amy Smart sometimes looks a little amateur and skittish which I guess suits her character but it didn't feel like that was what they were aiming for, but everything else is good enough to be watchable. This is worth a low-end rental, but nothing more. 2.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)

Overview:
Chris Massoglia stars as Darren, a 14-year-old boy who unintentionally disrupts a 200-year ceasefire between two rival vampire gangs. Darren is then drawn into a world of sideshow freaks and creatures of the night, disappearing from his ordinary life into a place of nightmares where he must face his fate - a fate which leads him to a vampire named Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) who turns him into a half-human, half-vampire. He joins the bearded lady (Salma Hayek) and larger-than-life barker (Ken Watanabe) in the touring sideshow 'Cirque du Freak' while he moulds his newfound powers. However, it is not long before the vampires and their deadlier adversaries begin to use him as a pawn as their impending war lurks ever closer. Darren must fight to keep what is left of his humanity before it is taken away forever.

My Thoughts:
Cirque du Freak is a good film. Not great, but good. The story is an enjoyable one and follows two young boys who go out to watch a freak show and end up on separate sides of a vampire war. The special effects are quite good, particularly during the freak show in the opening act, although the effects when the vampires run didn't suit the feel of the movie very much. The cast are generally good, and I enjoyed seeing people we don't see nearly enough of these days in supporting roles. People like Jane Krakowski, Patrick Fugit, Orlando Jones and Salma Hayek. The two teens were also reasonably cast. The disappointment for me here though, was John C. Reilly. I'm generally a fan of his but he didn't fit in here very well in my opinion. Hopefully we'll get a second movie eventually as it would be interesting to see the direction the story takes. This is worth a high end rental, and had it been for someone better than Reilly, I'd have likely recommended it. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

The Apartment (1960)

Overview:
Winner of five 1960 Academy Awards®* including Best Picture, The Apartment is legendary writer/director Billy Wilder at his scathing, satirical best, and one of the finest comedies Hollywood has turned out.
C.C. "Bud" Baxter (Jack Lemmon) knows the way to success in business...it's through the door of his apartment! By providing a perfect hideaway for philandering bosses, the ambitious young employee reaps a series of undeserved promotions. But when Bud lends the key to big boss J.D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), he not only advances his career, but his own love life as well. For Sheldrake's mistress is the lovely Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), elevator girl and angel of Bud's dreams. Convinced that he is the only man for Fran, Bud must make the most important executive decision of his career: lose the girl...or his job.

My Thoughts:
Pros:
- A little darker than other Wilder comedies, but still very very sharp.
- Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are both excellent, as is Fred MacMurray and the rest of the supporting cast.
- Adultery, suicide and peer pressure is all touched on here but the film never becomes depressing and never goes for a cheap laugh.
Cons:
- A little long in one or two scenes.
Overall:
Another classic from Wilder. Highly recommended. 4.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Centurion (2010)

Overview:
AD 117. The Roman Empire stretches from Egypt to Spain, and East as far as the Black Sea. But in northern Britain, the relentless onslaught of conquest has ground to a halt in face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy: the savage and terrifying Picts. Quintus Dias (Fassbender), sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus' (West) legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the earth and destroy their leader Gorlacon. But when the legion is ambushed on unfamiliar ground, and Virilus taken captive, Quintus faces a desperate struggle to keep his small platoon alive behind enemy lines. Enduring the harsh terrain and evading their remorseless Pict pursuers led by revenge-hungry Pict Warrior Etain (Kurylenko), the band of soldiers race to rescue their General and to reach the safety of the Roman frontier.

My Thoughts:
Pros:
- Loads of reviews out there mention their only hate as bad CGI blood splatter. Well guess what... it isn't CGI, it's good old-fashioned effects work using pump systems and prosthetics so I think they did well!
- I really like the story for this one and how director Neil Marshall mixed in a little local history of the North of England and Hadrian's Wall.
- Great casting. Full of underated talent like Imogen Poots, Ulrich Thomsen and Michael Fassbender.
- Epic feel on a low budget.
Cons:
- The characters and parts of the story can be very cliched.
- I really didn't like the wolves sequence. Just didn't fit well.
Overall:
Recommended. Marshall is a talented director who gets a lot of bang for his buck and I think we have a lot more to see from him yet. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Vantage Point (2008)

Overview:
Tense, political thriller that follows an assassination attempt on the president of the United States. While visiting Spain to attend a global summit on terrorism, the American president is shot, causing instant panic and confusion in the watching crowd. Amongst them, tourist Howard Lewis (Forest Whitaker) has videotaped what he believes to be the gunman, and brings it to the attention of the secret service agents present. The story then unfolds from the perspective of five witnesses, each following events immediately prior to and after the assassination, each one supplying a piece of the puzzle, until the final shocking truth can be revealed.

My Thoughts:
Critics didn't like it and it was shelved for over a year, yet Vantage Point has a very respectable score on IMDB of 6.6 with almost 100,000 votes. I'm not sure why the critics didn't like it though as it's a well made thriller that reminded me a lot of the excellent but short-lived tv show Boomtown which also told the same moments through the eyes of several people. Vantage Point has a great cast assembled putting in above average performances with nobody letting the side down and the set-pieces are very entertaining, especially the car chase. If you want an action thriller that's a little different, I'd recommend this one. 4/5

[Achim]

Centurion (2010)

My Thoughts:
Cons:
- I really didn't like the wolves sequence. Just didn't fit well.
Overall:

I am not sure what exactly you are referring to, but the conclusion regarding the wolves was needed, I think.

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...as one guy is being real nasty and sacrifices his "friend" to make his own escape.

That scene always makes me angry, although for the right reasons (unfortunately only explained in the spoiler).

[samuelrichardscott]

I agree it was needed

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to show that Thax was a completely selfish git, and cutting the legs of the guy who ran fromn Greece played by Noel Clarke was a nice move but it felt misplaced in that it disrupted the flow, pacing and general feel - at least for me.

[samuelrichardscott]

Calamity Jane (1953)

Overview:
Doris Day and Howard Keel fuss, feud and fall in love as Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok in this entertainment mother lode.
At first curvaceous Calamity is too durned busy fighting indians and cracking a bullwhip to pay mind to such girlie what-alls as dresses and perfume. And Wild Bill is too danged busy wooing a dainty chanteuse to give a hoot about a hot-headed tomboy. But things change in a rootin' tootin' big way when each becomes love's target. There are wide-open Technicolor Western spaces, lots of high-stepping dances and a hummable humdinger of a score by Academy Award winning songwriters Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster, who took their first Oscar for the lassic ballad (and 50's megahit) Secret Love.

My Thoughts:
I'm not really sure what to say about this one really so I'll keep it very short. Doris Day, Howard Keel, Allyn McLerie and Philip Carey are all good in their roles and accompany each other well and the songs range from okay to very good but I found the story lacking. As far as musicals go, there are much better out there and although this is highly acclaimed I think that has more to do with starring Doris Day than anything. Rent it. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Back to the Future (1985)

Overview:
 Experience the time travel adventure of a lifetime with BACK TO THE FUTURE - THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION! Join Marty McFly (MICHAEL J. FOX), Doc Brown (CHRISTOPHER LLOYD) and a time-travelling DeLorean as they travel to the past, present and future - setting off a time-shattering chain reaction that disrupts the space-time continuum.
From filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, experience the ultimate time travel adventure now fully re-mastered in Blu-ray high definition. Packed with hours of brand new bonus features - it's time to go BACK TO THE FUTURE!

My Thoughts:
At times I thought Chuck Berry's biopic about how he found the sound that made him famous was a little far-fetched but I guess you have to make some creative decisions to make it more suitable for a wider audience. Anyway, I can't think of anything that could've been better or a character that could've been better cast so this classic is of course given the highest possible recommendation. 5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Back to the Future: Part II (1989)

Overview:
Experience the time travel adventure of a lifetime with BACK TO THE FUTURE - THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION! Join Marty McFly (MICHAEL J. FOX), Doc Brown (CHRISTOPHER LLOYD) and a time-travelling DeLorean as they travel to the past, present and future - setting off a time-shattering chain reaction that disrupts the space-time continuum.
From filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, experience the ultimate time travel adventure now fully re-mastered in Blu-ray high definition. Packed with hours of brand new bonus features - it's time to go BACK TO THE FUTURE!

My Thoughts:
Four years after the original, we were treated to BTTFII in which Marty travels into the future to save his son from being sent to jail, whilst at the same time, stopping Biff from going back to 1955 to give himself a sports almanac to make himself rich after stealing the DeLorean. As confusing as it all sounds, it is actually quite straightforward, and the majority of the cast come back with only a couple of changes. Crispin Glover doesn't return as George McFly and Jennifer is now played by Elisabeth Shue. BTTFII is an absolute ton of fun, so like the first, I have to highly recommend it. 4.5/5

[Tom]

Good idea. I will watch it now also
I have rewatched the first one a few months ago and I will now watch the second one.
By the way: So far we gave them exactly the same ratings: I have them also marked with 5 and 4.5 stars in DVD Profiler.

[samuelrichardscott]

The picture quality is miles better than the old DVD set (I had a look) and the audio is pretty good also, though not reference IMO. Overall, very very pleased with this set, especially at under £10.

What did you score the third? I know most people dislike compared to the first two but I still love it. I have it marked as a:

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4.5

from previous viewings, but will watch the BR of the final outing tonight.

[Tom]

I also double-dipped and have the trilogy on DVD and Blu-ray. Mainly because these belong to my favorite movies. And also I had the first release DVD set where the framing was wrong.

I rated the third one with 4. I do not dislike it, but it is my least favorite of the three.

[samuelrichardscott]

I also have an incorrectly and a correctly framed set!

[Achim]

I recently listened to a podcast (Now Playing) reviewing all three movies. They highly enjoyed the first one but gave the other two low marks for being illogical and all over the place. Many plot holes were pointed out, it was quite funny to see that I used to brush over those holes and just went with the flow.

Personally I rate the first one a five as well for being such great fun and so well put together. But while I enjoy them more than those podcasters I would rate the other two only around 3.5.