Topic: Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews)

[samuelrichardscott]

The Green Hornet (2011) Region FREE - United Kingdom

Overview:
Britt Reid is a slacker by day, party animal by night... until he finds a serious career that's seriously cool: crime-fighting action hero.

My Thoughts:
I know a lot of people really dislike Seth Rogan, but personally, I've enjoyed him in pretty much everything I have seen, including The Green Hornet. He plays the egotistical Brett really well and is very good at playing lacksadaisacal characters in general (especially in Knocked Up). Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson and Christoph Waltz are all good in their respective parts and make for a reasonable supporting cast. The story isn't anything new, but the action scenes are fun, the effects with the car were all well done and I found myself laughing through the comedy aspects of the script. Recommended 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
You'll dodge, duck, dip, dive ... and laugh out loud watching VINCE VAUGHN and BEN STILLER settle their differences in a winner-takes-all dodgeball competition. Under the painful tutelage of legendary ADAA champ Patches O'Houlihan (Rip Torn), Peter LaFleur (Vaughn) and his Averge Joes take on the Purple Cobras, led by egomaniacal fitness guru White Goodman (Stiller). It's an over-the-top underdog tale filled with hilarious gags and BALLS-OUT FUN!

My Thoughts:
Viewing this for what may have been the 5th or 6th time, I was surprised just how well Dodgeball holds up on repeat viewings. Ben Stiller is excellent as White Goodman and Vince Vaughan perfect as Peter LaFleur but the rest of the cast also suit their roles very well and the cameos by David Hasselhoff and Chuck Norris still make me laugh out loud. OK, so the ending is obvious from the very start of the story, but getting there is a lot of fun with Rip Torn's Patches O'Houlihan brilliantly funny with the coaching style and his dialogue. I wasn't keen on the character of Steve the Pirate and found him to be a weak point, but it doesn't stop Dodgeball from being a very enjoyable comedy throughout. Recommended. 4/5

[KinkyCyborg]

I still laugh every time I see Stiller pump up his inflatable crotch. 

[samuelrichardscott]

The Devil's Double (2011) Region B - United Kingdom

Overview:
Based on a gripping, unbelievable true story of money, power and opulent decadence, The Devil's Double takes a white-knuckle ride deep into the lawless playground of excess and violence known as Baghdad, 1987.
Summoned from the frontline to Saddam Hussein's palace, Iraqi army lieutenant Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) is thrust into the highest echelons of the "royal family" when he’s ordered to become the ‘fiday’ – or body double – to Saddam's son, the notorious "Black Prince" Uday Hussein (also Dominic Cooper), a reckless, sadistic party-boy with a rabid hunger for sex and brutality. With his and his family’s lives at stake, Latif must surrender his former self forever as he learns to walk, talk and act like Uday. But nothing could have prepared him for the horror of the Black Prince’s psychotic, drug-addled life of fast cars, easy women and impulsive violence. With one wrong move costing him his life, Latif forges an intimate bond with Sarrab (Ludivine Sagnier), Uday's seductive mistress who’s haunted by her own secrets. But as war looms with Kuwait and Uday’s depraved gangster regime threatens to destroy them all, Latif realises that escape from the devil‘s den will only come at the highest possible cost.
Featuring a riveting double performance by Dominic Cooper (An Education, Mamma Mia) in the roles of Latif Yahia and Uday Hussein, The Devil's Double is a dynamic, chilling adaptation of Latif Yahia’s autobiographical novel, charting one man’s defiant struggle to survive a viper's pit of corruption and brutality. The film is directed by Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day, XXX: State of the Union) and written by Michael Thomas (Backbeat, Scandal).

My Thoughts:
A couple of friends had told me that they really enjoyed this movie thanks to Dominic Cooper's performance but at times, I was wondering if they were watching the same film as me. Whilst he has a difficult task of essentially playing three characters (Uday Hussein, Latif Yahia, Latif Yahia pretending to be Uday Hussein), Cooper felt underwhelming at times and on occasion, even a little hammy. He isn't horrendous, but just a bit disappointing, as is Ludivine Sagnier, an actress I generally admire, who is also mediocre in her role of Sarrab. Thankfully, the supporting cast are very good, in particular Raad Rawi as Munem who helps bring the acting quality up a level. The film does a few things excellently, such as capturing the disturbing violence of Uday Hussein and his ridiculous excesses but it is missing a certain spark in the way Latif Yahia's story is told and characters could've been developed better. It's worth a rental or a cheap buy because of the things the film gets right, but I was left a bit disappointed. 3/5

[KinkyCyborg]

I'm a little disappointed to read your review and hear about the shortcomings of the film because the trailer for the movie looks phenomenal. I've already picked it up and will still give it a go because it really does look like a fascinating look into the world of what was one of the most hated names in recent history, Hussein.

[samuelrichardscott]

It was a film I was actually really excited to watch and really expected a lot more insight, especially as we already know just how nasty and excessive he was. There just seemed to be nothing new to me about Uday Hussein included and that was disappointing.

[samuelrichardscott]

S.W.A.T. (2003) R1 USA

Overview:
Two wisecracking, battle-hardened veterans (Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell) team up with a pair of street-smart rookies (Michelle Rodriguez and LL Cool J) to for the most freewheeling – but effective – S.W.A.T. team ever.. Their first assignment: transport an international drug kingpin into federal custody – after he's offered $100 million to anyone who will free him!

My Thoughts:
S.W.A.T. is one of those big budget action films that is exactly what it says on the tin, nothing more, nothing less. Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson are both fun as the lead S.W.A.T. team members and I still think Michelle Rodriguez is a good female action star, though this doesn't showcase that as well as other movies. LL Cool J kind of lets the main cast down a bit overall, but the assembled cast are certainly capable. The story is fun and although it takes a little while to get fully going, the action scenes in the second half are enjoyable and I did like the fact they seemed to spend some time in getting the team together in the first half, rather than rush straight to the action. As a popcorn flick, this is worth a look. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Wild Country (2005) R0 United Kingdom

Synopsis:
16 year-old Kelly Ann gives birth to a baby boy, which is immediately given up for adoption. Six weeks later, trying to get over the emotional upset, she goes on an overnight hike with her church youth group. When they find a baby boy in a `lair', they are stalked by a wild beast which begins to pick them off one by one.

My Thoughts:
Wild Country is a werewolf film set in the Scottish Highlands. The only feature length movie so far directed by Craig Strachan, it stars a heap of very unknown young Scottish actors/actresses, as well as Sweet Sixteen star Martin Compston and Torchwood's Peter Capaldi. The young cast are rather good and I am surprised that main actress Samantha Shields seems to have struggled to find work since. The build-up of the movie was enjoyable and the dialogue of the young Glaswegian kids (they play pure neds) is at times hilarious and very believable for the characters. Unfortunately, the film suffers massively from very very poor special effects, with the werewolves looking as though they have been made by the work experience intern. Still, if you can get past that, this Scottish horror shows some promise and is worth a low-end rental. 2.5/5

[Achim]

Neil Marshal did set the bar rather high with Dog Soldiers, it seems.

[samuelrichardscott]

Dog Soldiers (2002) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
A BAND OF BRITISH soldiers are sent to the Scottish Highlands on special training manoeuvres. Their biggest worry - stuck in the middle of nowhere and missing a vital England vs. Germany World Cup qualifier. Things take a turn for the worse when they stumble upon Captain Ryan - who appears to be the sole survivor of a Special Operations team who were literally torn to pieces. Ryan refuses to disclose the secret behind his mission, even though whoever or whatever ate his men seems hungry for seconds.
Help arrives in the form of a local girl Megan who shelters them in a deserted farmhouse deep in the forest... but when they realise that it's home to a pack of blood lusting werewolves, it's apparent their nightmare has just begun! Can they hold out until first light? How much ammunition do they have left? Who is Captain Ryan? And more importantly, did England beat Germany?
Dog Soldiers fuses wicked black humour with edge-of-the-seat slasher horror in the vein of 'The Evil Dead'. Starring Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd and Liam Cunningham as the twisted Ryan... it'll leave you howling for more!

My Thoughts:
When Neil Marshall's debut feature Dog Soldiers hit the cinemas, it became a runaway success and that's because it is probably not only the best British werewolf film ever made, but one of the best British horrors of all time. Marshall manages to get a superb British cast together including Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd and Emma Cleasby as a group of soldiers on a 'training exercise' unwittingly become bait for a family of werewolves. With some good gore, some very funny and dry dialogue and a well paced plot, Dog Soldiers is highly recommended. 4.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

You and Your Stupid Mate (2005) R1 USA

Overview:
Australian cinema creates two of the stupidest - and funniest - characters ever in this off-the-wall comedy about Jeffrey (ANGUS SAMPSON) and Philip (NATHAN PHILLIPS), two best friends ("mates") who have carved out the perfect life for themselves. They collect unemployment and spend their days ogling the most beautiful girl at their trailer park (RACHEL HUNTER) and watching their favorite soap opera. But one day, the government forces them to work for their unemployment, their favorite show is cancelled and they learn a highway will be built right through the park where they live. It's time for two of the dumbest people on the planet to take matters into their own hands!

My Thoughts:
Unfortunately, this film is crap. The only scenes that actually made me laugh were the brief moments in which immigrant Evo threw out some well placed one-liners. The acting is horrendous with not a single cast member turning in a worthy performance and the script is far too random, trying to string together a bunch of throw-away scenes in an attempt to lengthen the 84 minute runtime. The soundtrack is also pretty poor thanks to horrendously placed music which pretty much goes with the awful editing and general feel of the film. Disappointing and not even worth a rental. Skip it. 1.5/5

[Jimmy]

Please tell me you don't pay for that kind of film and you get them as screener... Just the cover is shouting that will be a crappy TV time.

[samuelrichardscott]

Please tell me you don't pay for that kind of film and you get them as screener... Just the cover is shouting that will be a crappy TV time.

I paid for this one.

Though I picked it up to get as close to customs limit as possible during a secondspin 20% off and free international shipping sale. I paid $0.27 for it.

[Jimmy]

No problem it's like I paid less than 1$ for Date Movie... not that it made it any better

[Dragonfire]

I didn't technically didn't pay anything specifically for Date Movie and I still think it sucked.  One of the worst movies ever made.