Director: J. J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg
Genre: Science-fiction
Certificate: 12
Rating: *****
I've never seen anything to do with Star Trek before, even though I am a lover of sci-fi. After watching this film, I am going to watch every single film and series of Star Trek, simply because I absolutely ADORE it! Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg...all are fantastic actors, and all out-do themselves in their performances in this film. The plot is great - it is extremely clever to think about someone coming back from the future and changing the past, causing that future to maybe never happen. There is a perfect balance of comedy and action in this film to make it a modern classic. One minute you are laughing, the next your pulse is racing as a fight has just broken out (and trust me, there are loads of fights). All I can do is congratulate Mr. Abrams for directing a masterpiece.
Sunday 10 May 2009
Saturday 9 May 2009
The Children (2008)
Director: Tom Shankland
Starring: Eva Birthistle, Hannah Tointon, Stephen Campbell Moore, Jeremy Sheffield, Rachel Shelley
Genre: Horror
Certificate: 18
Rating: *****
Before watching this, I was in the perfect mood for some nice gore. However, whilst watching this, I realised that it is the first horror film I have seen that made me want to turn it off, shriek, and possibly puke. The Children is not that gory, in comparison to the Saw films, or Eden Lake. But what makes you want to scream is that fact that it is children, who are meant to be innocent, are wielding knives and other sharp objects, and are purposefully attempting to murder their older family members. These children are surprisingly well-acted, as are their parents. Although their parents aren't...sadistic like them. As the parents are completely irrational (they believe that the older teenage daughter, who is going through a rebellious stage, is attempting to murder the children), it is not hard for the children to get their own way. As well as the horror, the camera shots are actually beautiful - there is one scene in which the blood is seeping into the snow, which is an inappropriate 'wow'. This film is disturbing, and it will keep you up at night. But it is also a stroke of genius.
Starring: Eva Birthistle, Hannah Tointon, Stephen Campbell Moore, Jeremy Sheffield, Rachel Shelley
Genre: Horror
Certificate: 18
Rating: *****
Before watching this, I was in the perfect mood for some nice gore. However, whilst watching this, I realised that it is the first horror film I have seen that made me want to turn it off, shriek, and possibly puke. The Children is not that gory, in comparison to the Saw films, or Eden Lake. But what makes you want to scream is that fact that it is children, who are meant to be innocent, are wielding knives and other sharp objects, and are purposefully attempting to murder their older family members. These children are surprisingly well-acted, as are their parents. Although their parents aren't...sadistic like them. As the parents are completely irrational (they believe that the older teenage daughter, who is going through a rebellious stage, is attempting to murder the children), it is not hard for the children to get their own way. As well as the horror, the camera shots are actually beautiful - there is one scene in which the blood is seeping into the snow, which is an inappropriate 'wow'. This film is disturbing, and it will keep you up at night. But it is also a stroke of genius.
Monday 4 May 2009
Shallow Hal (2001)
Director: Farrelly Brothers
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, Jason Alexander
Genre: romantic comedy
Certificate: 12
Rating: *****
From the DVD case, this film looks like it is not going to be too good. Yet if you give it the chance it deserves, and 'don't judge a book by its cover', you will realise how good it actually is. The plot is basically about a man who only judges women from what they look like, before his perceptions are altered, and the beauty within women reflects on their beauty outside. And so, he falls in love with a beautiful woman, who he does not realise is actually fat. Yes, the plot IS cheesy, but it manages to become a beautiful film, when Jack Black's character realises that he loves his obese girlfriend, because of what she is inside. There is a scene in this which almost brought me to tears - after Hal's perceptions are re-altered, he realises that a little girl whom he played The Kissing Game with is actually a burn victim. This scene was beautifully done. Obviously, the message of this film is about seeing the inner beauty of individuals, and Shallow Hal brings it across almost too easily. A must-see.
The Ruins (2008)
Director: Carter Smith
Starring: Jonathan Tucker, Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone, Laura Ramsey, Joe Anderson
Genre: Horror
Certificate: 18
Rating: ****
The Ruins is an interesting horror film - although it has its fair share of gore, it also genuinely is terrifying. Who would have thought that something as harmless as vines could cause so much suffering? Although at times it is hard to understand what is happening/why somebody would do that, it is actually a very good film, with disgusting (mostly medical) gore, and haunting performances from Laura Ramsey, who, along with Jena Malone, show off the best of their acting abilities here. That's not to say the others aren't good - they definitely are, but Ramsey and Malone are just...better. I accept that the plot probably isn't the best in the world, but The Ruins works with what is has, and does so extremely well. Some parts are predictable, but not so much that the film is boring. Most of the gore stems from self-amputations, and slicing into your own skin to remove some vines. All in all, although this film is not the best by any account, you still have to accept that it is pretty good.
Starring: Jonathan Tucker, Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone, Laura Ramsey, Joe Anderson
Genre: Horror
Certificate: 18
Rating: ****
The Ruins is an interesting horror film - although it has its fair share of gore, it also genuinely is terrifying. Who would have thought that something as harmless as vines could cause so much suffering? Although at times it is hard to understand what is happening/why somebody would do that, it is actually a very good film, with disgusting (mostly medical) gore, and haunting performances from Laura Ramsey, who, along with Jena Malone, show off the best of their acting abilities here. That's not to say the others aren't good - they definitely are, but Ramsey and Malone are just...better. I accept that the plot probably isn't the best in the world, but The Ruins works with what is has, and does so extremely well. Some parts are predictable, but not so much that the film is boring. Most of the gore stems from self-amputations, and slicing into your own skin to remove some vines. All in all, although this film is not the best by any account, you still have to accept that it is pretty good.
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