The Day the Earth Stood Still - 1951

From out of space, a warning and an ultimatum!

First of all let me tell you now that I am known for disliking Sci-Fi movies. In fact it is ironic when I am so open to other styles and genres of film that I am rather narrow-minded when it comes to them. Quite simply you would need to pay me to watch anything Science Fiction related, so it was with almost blind trepidation that I became interested in this movie. I am aware there is a recent blockbuster version out at the cinemas now but that wasn't the one I wanted to see. This B movie from 1951 was a perfect example I think of a quality movie. And here's the thing - the fact that it was sci-fi didn't bother me whatsoever. In fact I have to say this is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. When I mentioned in my last review that just because a movie is a B movie does not mean it cannot have substance, it couldn't have been more appropriate for this contrast. Both were B movies, only one cut it for me. The idea of a spaceman visiting earth may sound a bit unlikely to you but trust me, the story to this film is consistant and strong the whole way through. The effects were visually brilliant as well for a film done so many years before special effects were known and I think credit really should be given. I am quite interested in UFO type phenomenum and alien-type beings masquerading as human beings was a frightening thought for me, although the message brought was one of peace, not violence. I found great rapport with the 'space man' who had come to earth to try and stop the people from becoming too violent. He was polite, friendly and intelligent, in fact everything you could wish from an alien. A really action-packed film with some great acting and a solid plot.

Rating 4.5/5

Special Inspector - 1938

I am afraid there was nothing in this film to keep me interested and sadly, although just over an hour, this film was in the middle of putting me to sleep. Rita Hayworth didn't even leave a memorable impression in this movie. In fact I wish she hadn't even been in it because she let herself down being in such a poor quality and poorly made production. There is talk that we have to mae allowances for this movie because it's a B film. Err...no, just because a movie is not A list does not mean it cannot be a good story and a good plot with steady acting, and so I feel that is just an excuse. Do yourself a favour and don't even consider it, there are plenty of good quality movies out there.

Rating 1/5

The Family Man - 2000

What If...

Having chanced upon this movie one Saturday afternoon I decided to give it a go, regardless of the fact that Nicholas Cage took the main role. Surprisingly I found it a refreshing experience to see him in a film where he is forced to take stock of his responsibilities. The whole film revolves around a what if... scenario. On Christmas Eve, Cage, a wealthy businessman is given a 'glimpse' into the life he could have had if he had chosen love instead of money. Tea Leoni is annoying in any role and I'm sorry to have to categorise her like that but I have never seen her in anything where I have liked her character. Don Cheadle pops up occasionaly as the guardian of Cage and does a good job in his role. There are elements of 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'A Christmas Carol' in this movie and I enjoyed seeing a film where the character has to examine his own life, few films go that far.

Rating 3.5/5

Lonely Hearts - 2007

Love Can Be Murder.

I don't know about anyone else but I found this movie an awfully poor adaptation of the Fernandez/Beck story. Another film I've seen - 'The Honeymoon Killers' stuck closely to the script and generally portrayed a much more realistic interpretation of who these people were. I was surprised that Salma Hayek was chosen for the role of Martha. Beck was over 200 hundred pounds and hardly a beauty and so it was clear this film was made in the Hollywood vein, a habit of going off the plot and putting stunning actresses in parts of people who are supposed to be hideous just to get the movie to do well in the box office. I don't feel this film worked, I had no empathy with any of the characters, even John Travolta's who was dealing with the suicide of his wife. All the parts seemed wooden and I found the story to have too many gaps in it. For someone not aware of the real life case I would probably say this is a good enough movie, but for me I picked up on too many errors.

Rating 2.5/5

Passenger 57 - 1993

What would you do in my position?Er..kill myself?

I ashamedly admit that I really enjoyed this film! I know it's looked upon by some as any awfuly fake and cheesy Snipes movie but I thought it did just fine. Particularly interesting was the terrorism plot especially as nine years later events like that would take place in America. It seems that the idea of terrorism on planes has never been a new thing. I think Wesley Snipes is a pretty decent actor and his performance in this movie has made me want to see him in some other stuff. For some people the fact that Snipes had some unfavourable press relating to his private life has created a negative opinion of him but I think in cases like this it is best to simply look at him as an actor and not judge his acting on his personal life. A great movie for people who love action and fast paced adventure.

Rating 4/5

The Host - 2006

It wants to feed...

Forgive me, but 'The Host' lacks something. It is neither scary nor dramatic and seems instead to be a poor excuse for a farcical experience. I buy into the whole 'scary creature coming up from the dark water' thing because that's one of the reasons I wanted to see the film, hoping for a loch ness monster style creature, and the blurb on the back of the DVD case made it seem even scarier than that, however the only moments where I had a little jump were near the beginning of the film and the rest of the time was a long haul, with screaming and running and children covered in gunk, towards the end I was starting to feel sorry for the monster! A miss from around the globe.

Rating 2.5/5

Let's Make Love - 1960

The Millionaire or the comedian, or both?

Not one of Marilyn Monroe's strongest films but this film still proves to be a laugh with some comic moments and special cameos from both Gene Kelly and Bing Crosby. By now it is fairly obvious that Marilyn is heavily reliant on pills and alcohol, for in many scenes she appears vague and half asleep. As a fan of hers I cannot say that she is 'past her best' because that was never the case, but certainly some of the charm and tenderness about her is by now a thing of the past. Interesting to note as well was that she was having an affair with Yves Montand during the making of the film and there are moments where the chemistry is very real.Tony Randall if I am not mistaken played a role in one of Doris Day's movies and is a good source of amusement here. Songs aren't spellbinding and neither are the half-hearted dance sequences but there is still a nice feel to this movie and it does deserve to be seen if only to see Monroe in her second last film.

Rating 3/5

HellBoy - 2004

From the dark side to our side

I cannot believe that this joke of a movie was directed by the same genius who directed Pan's Labyrinth. There was nothing credible about it. I am sure that I should have read the comic book or something but I don't believe that reading a book before I see the movie is necessarily going to make the film better. The movie should be able to survive alone. This movie doesn't. This film to me signifies one specific age group: young teenage boys, in that aspect it's very narrow-minded. In fact it's complete drivel.

Rating 1.5/5

Dark Water - 2005

The Mystery Of The Darkness Will Consume Your Life

Dark Water as someone reviewing it mentioned is not so much a horror film, it is more a film about dealing with relationship issues such as divorce, single parenting and coming to terms with a new life. The film itself is moderatly haunting, although Jennifer Connelly as usual seems to play equally turgid characters who don't have much going for them. Her daughter however is as cute as a button and I personally think she steals the movie. I have yet to see the Japanese version of this film but given my experience with other American versions of Japanese movies the foreign ones always come out far superior.

Rating 4/5

BadLands - 1973

Love and murder, two things they did not know a lot about.

Badlands will for me always be the film with that annoying song. The one that in fact True Romance uses as well through most of it's movie even though the two films are based on the same thing, killing sprees of the young. Can they not find another song maybe? Or is the duplicity intentional? It's pretty eerie to see a very young Martin Sheen hit on Sissy Spacek as 15 year old girl especially when now they both look ancient. The horrible thing about this movie is not the acting, for that from both sides is pretty excellent, but instead for the crimes that were committed by the two individuals as though they were playing a game, with such frightening carelessness that it was certainly a wake-up for people all over America. In that aspect alone this movie speaks a very strong message. As I mentioned above True Romance is a more modernised version of this movie and although directed by Tarantino, I found this one to be far superior so if you were going to choose then this would be the movie to go for.

Rating 4/5

Stardust - 2007

A star falls, the chase begins.

Well 'Stardust' was one of those films that I felt needed to be saved for a time when I was totally in the mood to view it or I may end up missing out on some of the fantasy elements. This chance came along last saturday evening after having had the dvd for nearly six months still in its packaging. This film truly is magical. There is not a dud character in the entire movie and that is saying something pretty fantastic. Even newcomer Charlie Cox acted his little socks off to the best of his ability. The highlight for me and everyone else in the room was of course Robert De Niro who acts as camp as Christmas without a shred of embarassment, a true gem. Claire Danes also lights up the screen (snigger snigger) as the fallen star who becomes involved with Cox as he sets out to find her and take her back to his love, played cattily by Sienna Miller.
Other well known actors pop up from time to time including a facially disfigured Rupert Everett and those two funny blokes from Green Wing (can anyone rememeber their names?!)A star studded cast makes for a lovely evening in front of the box and a motion picture that no one will forget.

Rating 4.5/5

Private Benjamin - 1980

The Army was no laughing matter,

Having seen this ages ago and aquired a DVD of the movie that is somewhere under my bed I was happy to say that viewing this again after about 6 years is still an enjoyable experience like it was at the frst viewing. Goldie Hawn has the natural talent of perfectly timed comedy and it shows in a big way here. Her character, although infuriating at first (she thinks the army is like a private hotel)turns out to be loveable and you as a viewer only want whats best for her. This I find very rarely in movies nowadays, instead I tend to empathise more with characters in much older movies.

Rating 4/5

The Witches of Eastwick - 1987

Something wicked this way comes ...

Ok lets get this straight, I had assumed when purchasing this movie that the talent of at least one of these four starts would have been enough to at least keep the film from drying up in the first half an hour. What I got instead was hardly any worthwhile acting and a film that, well, dried up in the first half hour. I desperately continued to watch in case it got substantialy better but it never did and I was left feeling really cheated that this movie had been one raved about by many people I know as being 'great fun!' Er, 'no fun' would be more like it. I like Nicholson as an actor but felt he really missed the boat here and came across as nothing other than a pervy old, and slightly balding man.

Rating 2/5

Hammer Horror's: Plague of the Zombies - 1966

I find all kinds of witchcraft slightly nauseating and this I find absolutely disgusting.

You may wonder why I am watching back to back Hammer Horror at the moment, well the answer is I have received as a Christmas present a very agreeable and sumptuously packed boxset of 21 Hammer movies and I therefore plan to view each and every one of them as quickly as possible!

This particular offering from the Hammer House was somewhat stronger than the last and albeit from the awfully weak acting from all females in the movie (why do they always scream and never try and defend themselves!)was a more coherent experience. The zombies are portrayed differently here to normal flesh eaters, prefering to mine for tin outside the village where strange things are happening to the inhabitants. The sets are apparently identical to those in 'The Reptile' which was filmed at the same time and for some reason I find this particularly endearing.

Rating 3/5

Hammer Horror's: The Witches - 1966

What do the 'Devils Own' do after dark?

The Witches represented all the things I was looking for in a Hammer production - horror, tension and slightly hammy acting although not all were performed to the highest quality. Joan Fontaine whom I'd admired many years before in Hitchcock's tantalising movie 'Rebecca' seemed a tad overcast here, opting for manic and over the top performing to the camera which didn't do her justice to the subtle beauty she once was. The fact this was her last screen movie probably answers that. The story itself had far too many holes in it to make sense to me, concerning a woman who moves to a new village and takes a role of a teacher, hoping to make new friends. What she finds however is completely horrific in te form of a group of women who profess to voodoo dolls and black magic... Hmm, you can hardly see that happening down your local post office and although of course Hammer is not meant to be believable, there are films concerning witches that do appear more realistic than this. Overhyped acting makes for a surprisingly slow and gritty movie, with not enough heart to allow the audience to empathise fully with any of the characters.

Rating 2.5/5

There's no business like show business - 1954

Let the show go on!!

All in all this is a lavish, fun movie. Donald O'Connor is a favourite of mine because of his performance in 'Singin in the Rain.' Ethel Merman gets a bit over the top after a while but of course as always the show was stolen by Marilyn Monroe. Sadly it was known at the time that she wasn't keen to do the movie but no one can argue that she stole the whole film even though she wasn't a lead part. I think she was added to boost the movie and she certainly did that, but not by making the other actors look better, but by simply being Marilyn. I love musicals but this was just a bit much to take in for me.

Rating 2.5/5

Let's Make it Legal - 1951

Do you believe in the sanctity of divorce? It's alright for people who've never been married.

Well I did want to watch this for Marilyn Monroe but she was barely in it so I concentrated more on Claudette Colbert who is still gorgeous after all this time. The story is quite light and fluffy, concerning a husband and wife who have until midnight before their divorce is finalised but of course there are always complications...

A nice little movie to squeeze into your spare time, although more Marilyn time would have been much nicer.

Rating 3/5

The Whole Town's Talking - 1935

You'll have a hoot

Well any film with Jean Arthur is going to be an enjoyable experience, her unmistakable twang and electric personality make her the perfect female comedienne of the 30s. Edward G. Robinson to my mind has not appeared in many comedies and so I was excited to see how he would perform. I was happily surprised to see that he also has a comic flair. His split scenes with the killer who sports an identical face to him are very well put together and efffortlessly acted. Robinson will always be known as the Public Enemy No 1 of the silver screen and no comedy he is in will change that but I really do think this movie is worth a look to see a slightly different side to him.

Rating 4/5

Carnival of Souls - 1962

The afterlife can be hell.

Oh dear, yet again I am full of apologies to myself that I wasted time viewing this complete tosh. Having heard it recommended highly by reviewers on Amazon I dug out an old, dusty copy of the movie that I have had for years and decided I'd better watch it to see what the fuss was all about. As usual I found my opinion to be the complete opposite to theirs, finding the film boring, unimaginative and definatly unscary. I was quite disappointed actually because I thought for a change I had discovered a horror film that would actually terrify me. Granted it's surreal but aren't many films? This film doesn't make any impression on me except for the fact that I couldn't stand it.

Rating 1/5

The Ghost and Mrs Muir - 1947

Is Lucy Muir's love a ghost or a man of flesh and blood?

Having never seen this movie but knowing it was supposed to be good I took the time recently to watch it and boy was I glad I did. What a beautifully acted and emotional rollarcoaster of a love story. Gene Tierney is luscious as Mrs Muir who moves to a haunted cottage by the sea with her daughter and maid and falls under the spell of the ghost Captain Gregg. Rex Harrison is spell-binding as the spirit who forms a unique relationship with Mrs Muir as they agree to both co-exist (or not, in his case) peacefully in the house together. George Sanders is wickedly delightful who falls in love with Mrs Muir, much to the disgust of the Captain. I defy anyone not to cry at this movie from the middle right to the final tear-jerking scene which is still in my mind days after the film has come to an end. Harrison and Tierney are perfect together, a timeless combination.

Rating 5/5

Isolation - 2005

It didn't want to be born, now it doesn't want to die.

Well after my initial excitement putting this DVD in my player hoping to see some classic horror what I got was rather different. In fact I was bored out of my mind for the entire film. There was nothing in this movie that could grab my attention, in fact every aspect of it did the opposite, from the wooden acting, the ridiculous plot and the odd, unexciting location. The film was certainly disgusting I'll give you that, but if you are squeamish over someone getting their hand stuck in a cow's bum or seeing a live calf been ripped out of it's mother then go ahead and enjoy this 'treat' of a movie. Trick would be more like it. Useless waste of horror, with nothing going for it except the ability to lull me to sleep.

Rating 0.5/5

Bangkok Haunted - 2001

3 x the terror

A hauntingly beautiful film, Bangkok Haunted deals with three seperate ghost stories told by three different people trying to scare each other in a bar one stormy night. A great idea I imagined before I watched it. Although each story is tantalising in its own way my favourite was 'Black Magic Woman' a story about a woman who uses a special drug to snare potential lovers, however it all goes horribly wrong. Each story provides an etherial quality which feels somewhat dream-like and certainly keeps you glued to your seat, although at 45 minutes per story they appear on the long side.

Rating 3.5/5

Carry on Screaming - 1966

Are you sure those are your own feet? Of course they are why! Well you're supposed to have six toes, come on, what have you done with the sixth one?!

This really is one of the funnier Carry On films. For me as usual the highlight is Kenneth Williams. He really lights up the screen and as a result, makes all the other characters funny in his presence. Harry Corbett is good as well as the bumbling, misled Inspector and Joan Sims had me in hysterics as the long-suffering wife. A very funny movie with a great cast that has a funny story to match, how could you not love it!

Rating 4.5/5

Love Happy - 1949

I know you want to make a good impression but please don't play better than me.

I love the Marx Bros. I think the whole team are a talented bunch but this film distinctly lacked something. Maybe the group were lacking by this time because it was the last film they made. Whatever the reason was something was missing and I didn't enjoy it. I also found it to be misleading because Marilyn Monroe appears for less than a minute in the entire film but is mentioned near the top of the posters for the movie as though present in the majority of the film. Not very funny I'm afraid, give it a miss.

Rating 1.5/5

Catacombs - 2006

Sit tight and try not to scream.

Oh dear oh dear. The range of films I have chosen to watch recently have been for my own personal satisfaction and I am afraid to say none of them have been anything like as good as I hoped, including this one. Starting badly, progressing slowly (so slowly that snails may pass you on the way) and finishing, well even worse than that! Pink's film debut is riddled with boredom and bad acting which is a pity because one of the reasons I bought the film was to see how she would fare in the world of film. I really wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone and it is more likely to be the one that I try to pretend hasn't been watched yet.

Rating 1/5

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance - 2005

Sympathy, or anger?

Well, this film that had been recommended to me more times than I can count was a film that I was very excited about seeing. So much so that I stayed up until about 3.30 am to watch the end of it. Summary - well, some bits were great, very expressive and poignant, others just confused me and the constant flashbacks were just too much for me. It was beautifully filmed however and powerfully acted, I won't deny that, but I found it hard to keep up with because of how many plots were going on at the same time. This film deals majorly with revenge and violence but there are also tender moments slotted in which fit just perfectly.

Rating 3/5

Hammer Horror's: The Nanny - 1965

She couldn't hurt a fly...

Bette Davis in the 60s was a sort of stereotypical psychopath, playing in films like this, Hush Hush, and Whatever Happened..so after seeing the other 2 I sort of knew what to expect from her. However this film really infuriated me, no because of her, but because of the 10 year old boy played by William Dix. His performance has been credited as fantastic but I saw nothing in it but a typical, spoilt boy, so in that sense he wasn't even acting! Davis wasn't as strong as in her other roles and I wouldn't have said that she stood out too much which was a shame.

Rating 2.5/5

Hammer Horror's: Dracula, Prince of Darkness - 1965

Different story, same legend.

I really enjoyed this unique take on the legend of Dracula. Hammer Horror normally do well at producing a decent thrill or two and they didn't disappoint here. I admire Christopher Lee immensely as an actor and he is really chilling here as the blood-thirsty Count who can only be awakened with the blood of visitors to his castle. Part of the fun of watching Hammer Horror productions is that you know there will be an element of comedy because of the sets or the actors. It is strangely comforting to know this and you tend to look out for it in each movie. However this is a haunting movie that will be great for a cosy Saturday afternoon.

Rating 4/5

Funny Games - 2007

Shall we begin?

What can I say about this movie? It nearly leaves me speechless. I am aware that Haneke's goal was to frustrate and upset his audience and he certainly did a good job with me making me feel like I was paralysed to my seat. The thing about this film is that it's more uncomfortable than scary. Although I'm sure me siding with the 'bad guys' probably isn't normal behaviour but by the middle of the film I was thoroughly bored by Watts' and Roth's pathetic snivelling performance and hoping something awful would happen to them. My amazement at the lack of ending didn't really help either but then again I had grown used to feeling like my questions hadn't been properly answered. As acting goes from the two psychotic teens they did pretty well and succeeded in annoying me to death, but the story overall started flawed and finished the same way.

Rating 2/5

House of Voices - 2004

Would you stay there alone?

Okay, after giving this film two chances (which I think is very kind from me considering all the films I watch) I've come to the conclusion that this is what's known as a background movie. One that you can have on while you aren't in the room and you still wouldn't miss anything! Poor on many levels this films offers little except the chance to see 'that girl who everyone liked in "The Beach" in a different film etc'. The plot had far too many holes in it to be construed as a good horror movie and at the end it left you going 'what?'. I understand you're probably thinking that if I'm not in the same room then I'm missing out, but I was present for the majority of the movie and on the times I did leave the room (to go and stare at some fascinating paint drying)I found I hadn't missed anything because nothing actually happens!!

Rating 1.5/5

Rosemary's Baby - 1968

Pray for it.

What was I thinking about half a year ago when I watched this and found it a dire and tedious movie? Maybe my mind wasn't focused on it or I was watching a completely different film of the same name, but either way, watching 'Rosemary's Baby' for a second time was like a primary experience for me. Breathtaking and mesmerising, Polanski does what he does best, creating a brutally realistic looking film including a powerful story which is so finely balanced and entertwined that you could believe it was real...A baby being born evil, how unrealistic is that! Well, not at all in this film. Mia Farrow, who I must say seems to play quivering, terrified mice of characters in other films really came out of her shell here and gave a very emotional performance which I shall not forget. Some people may look deeper into this film and see it as some kind of birth control pills warning - whether or not this was Polanski's or even Ira Levin's aim I do not know, but at the time when it was filmed and the time when birth pills were becoming more and more well known it could well be a possibility.
The notorious rape scene in this film is no way near as vile or disrespectful as I imagined it would be, and yet again Polanski focuses on his talent, making things appear worse when not being seen (Hitchcock being another master of that particular craft). It takes a talented and creative Director to complete a film that needs to portray a horrid scene and do it tastefully and Polanski is on the ball here. Watch it.

Rating 4.5/5

The Fog - 1980

What you can't see CAN hurt you.

Having (maybe stupidly) watched the newer version of this movie before the original I knew what to expect. I expected to be moderately amused, but not really scared. This movie is proof yet again that original versions of films (well, 9/10 I'd say)are much better than the re-makes!

John Carpenter has been in my mixed books for a while, although delivering an uncomfortable film containing plastic-looking vampires did not raise him up. I know he is supposedly a God in moveland and so I was very happy to watch this and find that, yes, he's certainly got talent. I can hear you people who have never seen this film saying 'how can a film about some fog be anything other than a bit boring?', well with a gradual and agonising build-up of suspense that will actually have you on the corner of your seat, and some very solid acting, plus a haunting storyline that will stay with you for a while after the end credits role. No blood, virtually zero gore, and a very scary and unsettling film, isn't that what people want more of these days?

Rating 4/5

Memoirs of a Geisha - 2005

She painted her face to hide her face.

What a beautifully sumptuous film. Films like this are a must for people who want to experience a different country through the eyes of a filmmaker who really emphasises the best points. Based on the bestselling book of the same name this story follows a young girl who is taken away from her father with her sister and wishes to become a Geisha at Willow World. After a series of setbacks including her sister running away without her and her rivalry with the most popular Geisha, the little girl, now named Sayuri becomes the most celebrated Geisha in Japan. A emotional rollarcoaster of a film that keeps you on the edge of your seat.Some reviewers complained that the story dropped you in the middle and didn't allow you air to breathe because it was so emotional but I think that is one of the positive things about the film, that we have to suffer along with the little girl and her sister. A delicious movie that delights and upsets in equal amounts.

Rating 4.5/5

Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay - 2008

This time they're running from the joint.

Firstly lets get this straight, Harold and Kumar is not for mature people. It has some of the most teenage jokes in it which really are not to everyone's taste. This second film of Harold and Kumar follows them after Kumar idiotically takes weed onto a flight and gets mistaken for a terrorist. Both Harold and Kumar are carted off to Guantanamo Bay where all chaos resumes. Not exactly mature comedy, but comedy still. However parts of this film are just absurd including the half naked party consisting of women with no pants on which will only appeal to the men in the audience and Kumar's fantasy sequences involving his girlfriend and a bag of weed are just downright odd. Still it's not a bad film overall but probably best to pretend you haven't seen it if anyone asks.

Rating 3/5

Get Smart - 2008

He's saving the world, and loving it!

Get Smart does have its funny points, but then a lot of films do. I get the impression it's supposed to make us throw back our heads every couple of seconds and fight to catch our breath which I didn't do. In that aspect I think the director tried way too hard to get laughs. The story wasn't really anything new, people under another identity trying to uncover a plot yadda yadda. Carrell was ok, bu nothing special, in fact has he ever been in anything that was hilarious? I don't think so. Anne Hathaway was alright as well, but being alright does not make a fantastic film. Bit of a shame really because I had been saving this movie to watch assuming it would be smothered in wit, and I was wrong (as I usually am). I won't say there weren't some funny moments because there were, just not frequently enough, although to be fair I think nowadays its hard to find a film that will keep you solidly entertained for the full duration without your mind wandering off in the opposite direction. Mild effort, worth a look, but not a place on your DVD shelf.

Rating 3/5

Elizabeth:The Golden Age - 2004

Woman.Warrior.Queen.

Disregarding the fabrication of the real story of Elizabeth and Walter Raleigh, this film is a real masterpiece. In short it delivers a steady and complex plot with some memorable characters and the acting is astounding, not just from Blanchett but from Owen as well. This movie is like a feminist approach to the world which would not have been out of place at the turn of the century when the suffragetes were around, for Elizabeth never married or had a child - as she was too strong and independant a women to rely on any man. This film boasts epic proportions, and it doesn't disappoint. Beautifully photographed and powerfully acted, this movie is not to be missed.

Rating 3.5/5

Made of Honour - 2008

It takes a real man to be a Made of honour

How dull and tiring this movie was. Shamefully this had been one of the films I was guaranteed to buy in 2008, it looked fantastic, and I do as a woman love any film about a wedding...except this one. Acting was stodgy, plot was very dry with immature, supposedly 'funny' toilet humour stuffed in any area that was lacking complexity, and that was most of the movie and the characters couldn't have annoyed me more if they had tried. In all a poor effort to make a funny movie, films nowadays don't seem to be able to survive without having sex gags or swearing in them, maybe they should take a leaf out of films from decades ago that were popular without having to be foul because they relied on acting talent instead of how many f*s you could say in one sentence.

Rating 2/5

V for Vendetta - 2005

Remember Remember the 5th of November...

Ok I have to admit, this is a really great story. And one that has not been touched before. Anyone interested in Guy Fawkes night will want to check this out. It's an intense and well constructed thriller. Sure you may not be able to keep up with the exact plot the whole way through, but you know the outcome is going to be fantastic. It does drag, and there are parts that feel too weighty which may put you off, but overall the story is captivating. It really makes you think about society and terrorism. You can look at it in the modern sense of terrorist bombers or you can look at it in the old-fashioned sense of someone trying to keep the memory of the 5th November alive. Either way long after this film is over you wil be thinking about it. Natalie Portman gives a brilliant performance as well which makes the film even more memorable.

Rating 4/5

Drillbit Taylor- 2008

You get what you pay for

Well if you are looking forward to seeing Owen Wilson giving you some belly laughs in this film then don't waste your time watching it. If however you want to see three young boys make you chuckle and Owen Wilson hovering around in the background then this is the film for you. Wilson could never be constued as being a talented actor, he at most can raise a slight smile from me, but will never have me rolling around on the floor. He is more of an actor who supports funny men like Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler, but cannot hold a script or movie well on his own.
3 young boys are being tormented and teased by an older boy at school and become so desperate for help that they apply online for a personal bodyguard - enter Drillbit Taylor, an ex-army tramp who makes his living from stealing people's belongings and scrounging leftover food. Don't ask me how but he turns up for the interview believing that the amount of money he will make will be enough to get him to Canada where he can start a new life and the boys give him the job, promising him the money (which they don't actually have). The three boys shine on screen but Wilson is lacking in something, I think its known as comedy.

Rating 2.5/5

From Dusk Till Dawn - 1996

A terrifying evil has been unleashed.

What started off as a brilliant film with great dark humour, quickly changed to a slow, dull and vastly overrated pile of garbage which I felt awfully let down by, especially as George Clooney could not have played a more dire part if he had tried and he is not generally known for picking bad parts. Without knowing a lot about this story you would be mistaken to think it revolves around a couple of vampires when they are in fact a recently convicted thief and his emotionally unstable paedophilic brother who decide to take a family with a camper-van hostage which in turn will ensure them freedom over the border to Mexico. Sound good? My point exactly. Tarantino is pretty haunting in his role and makes for unsettling viewing,but not in a good way, while Clooney goes macho and insists on swearing and shooting and making threats. Put the two of them together and you've got yourself a pretty dodgy combination of male testosterone gone mad. As expected, Juliette Lewis is tedious and irritating as the daughter of hostage Harvey Keitel. In fact before I even read the cast list I had a feeling she would be in it. She seems to make a point of being in mentally challenging and psychotic movies where she plays the same character over and over again. The climax is so ridiculous that I am not even going to mention it, just tell you not to bother.

Rating 2/5

The Sniper - 1952

He watched her walk down the street, then he pulled the trigger!

Very little in my opinion is known of this film although apparently it is listed as being nominated for an Oscar of Best Motion Picture Story, which can't be bad. Edward Dymytrck is another new director to me but that doesn't mean I would not have given this film a chance. However the plot had such a lot wrong with it that I feel compelled to rate it low. One reviewer remarked that the film was great because it allowed us to view San Francisco like it was over fifty years ago. So what! I do not see how viewing a part of America means that this is a good film. Edward Miller is a man who alternatively romances and then murders women because he feels they have done him some dreadful wrong. We later find out that his mother was cruel to him which sheds some light on the situation but still doesn't really help matters, for all he seems to do is hang around street corners and wait for women to go past that he can shoot. If I was looking at this movie in a social or political way I would probably agree that the type of man capable of doing this is not make-believe, just mentally ill and so the story is fairly true to tale. However I am not and looking at from a pure enjoyment level I cannot find much in this movie to quench my thirst for a crime - based trip down memory lane.

Rating 2.5/5

The Silence - 1963

The Rules of Society Cease to Exist

What a scorcher of a movie! One of Bergman's best masterpieces. One of the reasons for this films' success is and must be because of the dialogue - there really is the bare minimun of it, hence the title of the film. Reading this you might imagine a film without a regular amount of dialogue to be tedious. In fact it is the opposite. As there is hardly any dialogue we concentrate soley on the sexual tension and emotional downfall of the two sisters who, along with the child of one, find themselves in a foreign hotel after the other sister falls seriously ill on the train. What follows is the sexual awakening for one, and the sexual jealousy of the other. The intensity of the two characters mixed with the calmness and kindness of the hotel owner makes for compelling viewing. There is never a fear of becoming detached from the film because we are always on the journey with the sisters, in the hotel room and on the street. Gunnel Lindblom is beautiful and contrived as Anna, the sister who has no morals when it comes to meaningless sex with strangers, and Ingrid Thullen is the complete opposite - an emotional wreck of an alcoholic who has deep desires for her sister. A beautifully acted and powerful film.

Rating 4.5/5

The Silver Fleet - 1943

Patriotic and Powerful

Powell and Pressburger are renowned directors of the decade. I have only seen one other of their movies - Black Narcissus. I wasn't bowled over by it, and to be honest I wasn't riveted by this second film either. I really wanted to be, because I know how good they are supposed to be. I am not a big fan of black and white war films, although I don't mind war films where there is a strong, emotional plot and good, wholesome characters. I had believed that 'The Silver Fleet' would be a bit like that. And although Ralph Richardson is a powerful character in the film, the other characters just don't seem to work very well together. I do appreciate the idea of the film, the propaganda and the idea of sacrificing our beliefs for the common good, I just wasn't mesmerised like other reviewers have claimed to be.

Rating 2.5/5

Death Tunnel - 2005

In here I am God, I am life and I am death.

This is a truly hideous film. The acting is so awful that it is actually funny. Half naked women with vile make-up and skimpy underwear running around screaming and falling over. Added to which a pretty non-exsistent plot and dreadful camera angles showing that the cameraman was clearly a male who couldn't raise the camera above the breast area of the women giving us a horrible soft-pornesque mess of a film. I had been so excited about this movie because I had read all about the asylum where the movie is based and also about the death tunnel. It's a shame that the director couldn't have made a proper horror film.

Rating 2/5

Lost - 1956

No baby is safe

Lost is a peculiar film. I liked it but disliked it at the same time. I found the acting awful and the with the exception of David Farrar as the Detective on the case. I liked the idea of the movie, as at the time it was made, the abduction of a child was much rarer than now. Parents could happily leave their children outside a shop while they went inside without having to worry if they would still be there when they returned. The way society has changed is pitiful when comparing a film like this to a modern movie. Filmed years before the Moor's Murders took place this film is a sad nod to how things used to be - when a whole team of policemen would go on a search for a missing child for weeks and weeks, a world that we will never get back. Acting was abismal though!

Rating 3/5

Far From Heaven - 2003

What imprisons desires of the heart?

This beautifully scripted and acted film is a fascinating insight into a small town in America in the 1950s' where Julianne Moore, the loving wife of Dennis Quaid, is rocked by a revelation about her husband which will turn her life upside down. At the same time her growing friendship with a coloured man (played perfectly by Dennis Haysbert) is another taboo which threatens to ruin her proper image in the town. I really enjoyed this film, partly because of the acting and partly because of the social taboos which are faced during a difficult and naive decade where colour divided people. Moore's acting was worthy of an Oscar although I admired Haysbert's performance the most. A beautiful and emotionally challenging movie.

Rating 4/5

Wall - E - 2008

Too much garbage in your face? There's plenty of space out in space!

I find it hard to describe how I find this film. It is not a typical Pixar film. It is very cute and very silly but I feel that it also has an underlying message about how we as humans live and perform. The humans portrayed in this are so obese they can barely move and this is seen as acceptable. Is this how Americans see the world? Becoming so lazy and useless that everything will eventually be performed by machines? Maybe we are not supposed to look underneath this film for answers and instead just enjoy Wall - E as a character, who, although he has his annoying moments is really an adorable character! You really feel for him when he is alone and you also hope when he meets Eva that things will run smoothly! A sweet film, but maybe it is best not to read into it too much.

Rating 3/5

In Bruges - 2008

Shoot first, sightsee later

Apparently this is meant to be a funny film. I must have been watching the wrong movie to other reviewers. I saw nothing funny about this movie at all. Colin Farrell is as can be expected an arrogant, swearing lout (not unlike his real persona) who, along with his fellow hitman Brendan Gleeson is sent to Bruges for 2 weeks to keep a low profile after a murder goes horribly wrong. The idea is to relax and check out the sights, although Farrell only has three things on his mind, swearing, swearing and more swearing. How enjoyable for us an audience to listen to him cussing and blinding for the entirety of the film. His mother must be so proud. The film is basically just that, f words and drinking mixed with a little sex and drugs. Added to which, an appearance by Ralph Fiennes (which confused me at first with Jason Statham ) as the mob king with a fondness for Belgium. The only credible thing about the film is the beautiful location where they happen to be. Bruges is a really picturesque and tranquil town and it is lovely to see some of the sights that it is known for. It's a shame that Farrell's character is too much of a moron to appreciate any of it.

Rating (purely because of the location) 3/5

Tropic Thunder - 2008

Those guys were trained soldiers! Yeah, but we're trained actors!

Tropic Thunder as a film is a good concept. A group of actors starring in a film set in the jungle actually end up having to survive in the jungle after they are stranded. I also admired the fact that the film was actually taking the mickey out of itself and other war films of its time. I do feel however that while there are some very funny moments (like a bald Tom Cruise dancing to Flo Rida)a lot of the time the film seems to concentrate on more serious aspects of a war film. The characters are very amusing though, especially Robert Downey Jnr who undergoes reconstructive pigment surgery to play his part in the movie (in the movie!)I did appreciate the realistic look we get at the actors who come across (no doubt in reality also) as self absorbed and arrogant creatures. All together though I do feel that this film was a bit of a hit and miss, some funny parts, some not.

Rating 3/5

Silent Hill - 2006

We've been expecting you

I don't know what I was thinking when I watched this film for the first time over a year ago. I think in fact that I fell asleep! With not a lot of enthusiasm I decided to give it another shot, I may after all have missed something if I didn't have my eyes open! To be fair though I don't always give films a second chance if I have been unimpressed the first time, but something about this film gripped me and made me want to watch it again. I am glad that I did, for the second time around it terrified me! I love old places and so the idea of a ghost town in America really captured my attention. I have after all been on-line many years before 'Silent Hill' came out, researching ghost towns of the states, of which there are many. Ghost Town does not in reality mean a town full of clanking corpses walking around with sheets on their heads. It refers to an abandoned or empty town which has been left as though it is still being inhabited, giving the illusion of a body of houses and shops with people still there. I am aware that this movie is based on a series of games which I haven't played, but on the basis of my impression of the film, it is a terrifying nightmare of a movie which will stay in your mind long after the end credits.

Rating 4/5

Burn After Reading - 2008

Intelligence is relative

Even though many reviewers named the Coen brothers last film 'No Country for Old Men' as the classic of the decade I am tempted to go in the opposite direction and say that ' Burn After Reading' is the classic. In short it is near perfection as a movie. The comedy is bleak and dark while the star studded cast intertwine with each other as effortlessly as is possible. John Malkovich and George Clooney are firm favourites of mine in the acting world, always choosing unique and obscure parts. Frances McDormand is also a highlight here as the neurotic and emotionally insecure gym instructor who constantly dreams of getting plastic surgery. Brad Pitt also steals the screen as her hyperactive fellow colleague who along with McDormand finds a disc of Malkovich's memoirs and, believing it to be a foreign document of the Russian government tries (unsuccessfully) to blackmail him into paying out a large amount of money. The film works so well because of the storyline, the type that in reality you could actually invision happening. The case of mistaken identity usually works well in movies and this is not much different, being a case of a mistaken object. A brilliantly crafted and well acted movie which incorporates so fantastic actors.

Rating 4.5/5

Horton Hears a Who! - 2008

One Elephant, One World, One Story

Dr Seuss appears to be a big deal in the States. A collection of stories which you 'must' read. If the ratings of the books are anything to go by I assumed the film would be brilliant. I must say in all honesty that Jim Carrey's voice was the only thing that I found amusing. The story was rather dry, and the characters seemed to have something missing which made them rather 2-sided. Maybe I should have read the books first but sometimes I prefer to watch the film with a blind eye. Much more of a film for children. Some movies can cater for both adults and children but I found this far too childlike to take it seriously.

Rating 2.5/5

Meet Dave - 2008

Eddie Murphy in Eddie Murphy

Who would have thought that a film about a lifesize spaceship constructed to look like a human called Dave (named after the captain of the ship)would be a good film? In fact it sounds positively juvenile, however it's very funny. Eddie Murphy always lends a childlike essence to his movies and he doesn't disappoint here. Although the plot is a little thin it still contains plenty of belly laughs over Dave's outrageous attempts to fit in with normal society and the mayhem caused when the captain of the ship falls for a human woman. Not much of a thinker, and the duration is short, but it is a novel idea which cannot be missed.

Rating 4/5

There will be blood - 2007

When ambition meets faith

'There will be blood' is an odd film. For one reason there has been so much hype about it over the past year that I thought it was going to be something amazing. I found it in reality to be nothing special at all. Daniel Day Lewis has gone down in my estimations after my reaction to his character in 'Gangs in New York' (which I found to be a truly awful film). The story of a man and his son who become rich after investing in oil at the turn of the century sounds promising, although it actually appears to be no more than mindless fighting and egotistical speechs from Lewis (just like Gangs of New York!) I was pleased however to see that there was zero swearing which proves that a film over a 12 rating can survive without it. I may be missing something because I would not rate this highly, in fact I was looking at the clock through most of the film, proof that my mind was wandering.

Rating 2.5/5