Dead average

Dead Calm (1989)

Directed by Philip Noyce this film based on the novel of the same name stars Sam Neil, Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane. Trying to overcome the death of a young son a couple go on a sailing holiday and pick up a stranger.

It seems there are a number of changes between the novel and the plot of the film at least some of which probably help to update the story to the era it was made in. In general the plot is pretty standard thriller fare but it is good to see the female character being proactive rather than a princess waiting to be rescued. There are few special effects and the direction keeps the film pretty grounded which helps but does not really play up the horror elements of the story.

3/5

Signs of what was to follow

Following (1998)

Directed by Christopher Nolan this film stars Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw and Lucy Russell. A young writer starts following strangers and makes friends with a thief.

Made on a micro budget this film does not look to bad although in places it does show that the actors are not professionals. The plot for the film uses a number of stock noir characters and what was has become Nolan's trademark non-linear story telling. When it comes to the revelations at the end of the film I am not sure they all make sense and maybe rely a little too much on coincidence but otherwise this is a decent first film.

3/5

Lukewarm Potato

The Hot Potato (2011)

Directed by Tim Lewiston this film stars Ray Winston, Colm Meaney, Jack Huston and Lois Winston. In 1969 after finding a lump of Uranium some friends have more trouble than they bargained for selling it.

The plot of this film claims to be based on “real events” but given the sparsity of information on the subject and the silly nature of the story it seems that we have to take that claim with a rather large pinch of salt. While the film is funny at times due to the bumbling nature of the characters it is not consistently funny. Twists and double crosses are entertaining enough but the film never really has any serious thoughts as to the nature of implications of the characters actions save for a token scene towards the end.

3/5

Signs of promise

Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011)

Written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass this film stars Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon and Rae Dawn Chong. Two adult sons and their mother experience a day of unusual connections and disasters.

It is pretty clear from the outset that this film about people struggling to finder greater meaning in humdrum lives and it concludes with a pretty feel good message. There are some comedic moments along the way but I would not say this is a consistently funny film. Given the film has such a short run time neither plot has a huge amount of depth and while this is a decent watch I can not help but feel it needed a little more in all areas.

3/5

The emptiest hour

The Darkest Hour (2011)

Directed by Chris Gorak this film stars Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella and Rachael Taylor. Three Americans and an Australian on holiday in Moscow get caught up in an alien invasion of earth.

It is hard to find much to say about this film because both the plot and characters are so empty. Amongst our protagonists there is not really a shred of personality which leaves this film feeling really flat and does little to help the decidedly pedestrian plot. There are a few ideas that show some promise and the special effects are not bad but otherwise this is a pretty average film.

3/5

Battleshits

Battleship (2012)

Directed by Peter Berg this film stars Taylor Kitsch, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker and Liam Nesson. A slacker joins the navy, the world is invaded by aliens and only one man can save us.

While the film is based on the classic board game of the same name any links between the game and this film are beyond tenuous at best. The less you think about the plot of this film the better because so much makes no sense you are liable to give yourself a head ache. What this film is is a big dumb action film and if you can take it as such then there is some fun to be had but it is littered with stupidity.

2/5

If you go down to the woods today

Rashomon (1950)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa this film based on the two short stories stars Toshiro Mifune. Four people relate different stories about a rape and murder that took place three days before in the woods.

This film has a big reputation as does a really good job at looking at the nature of humanity and our willingness to lie for ego/image. The direction does a good job of minimalising the “clutter” round the story and making symbolic use of light. What really happened is less important in this film rather than the way it looks at human nature which it does very well.

5/5

Lacks heart

Inkheart (2008)

Directed by Iain Softley this film based on the novel of the same name stars Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Paul Bettany and Helen Mirren. A teenage girl and her father travel travel round looking for a book the girl's mother is trapped in due to the fathers ability to bring books to life be reading them out loud.

The premise of this film has a lot going for it with fictional characters coming to life and the possibility of exploring the affect they have on us but the film never really goes into any depth on this. While the plot works fairly well as your average teen adventure film there is not a whole lot in the way of suspense or character development. There is a really large cast loaded with mostly British talent but a lot are left under used sadly.

3/5

Storm in a Valley

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Directed by John Ford this film stars John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar and Ben Johnson. With days to go to retirement a cavalry officer leads one last patrols shortly after the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Plot wise this is a fairly average western with an ending that really is a little out of place and goes to show John Ford was not always right. What the film is famous for is great shots of Monument Valley and an iconic sequence of the patrol against the back drop of thunderstorm which is really impressive. The performances from the cast are about par for the course but other than the cinematography there is not much unusual here.

4/5  

I ain't afraid of no ghost

Ghostbusters (1984)

Directed by Ivan Reitman this film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver and Harold Ramis. After being kicked out of their university positions three professors that specialise in the paranormal set up their own ghost busting business.

One of the major elements of this film is the special effects which have aged surprisingly well for a film of this type from before CGI. The plot of the film is pretty much as you would expect and while it pulls no real surprises it does the job. Obviously the key draw here is the comedy talent of Murray and Aykroyd which will not leave you disappointed.

4/5

The monster of cinema past

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Directed by Robert Wiene this German silent film stars Werner Krauss and Conrad Veidt. A man tells a stranger a story of murder and dark forces visiting his town.

This film has a big reputation and it really lives up to it in a way that a lot of older films tend not to. What stands out first is the striking expressionist images that fill the film and work really well with in the context of the plot. The plot itself also works well and would not be out of place in any modern film but it is well worth watching the film without knowing too much about the plot before hand.

5/5

Thrown under a bus

Margaret (2011)

Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan this film stars Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo and J. Smith-Cameron. A high school student struggles with her guilt after she distracts a bus driver who runs a red light and kills a woman.

It took 5 years from the completion of filming to this film being released due to a trouble with editing and the final film does feel a little on the long side. The plot deals with the vagaries of life and guilt, which works pretty well and I enjoyed the air of ambiguity around the protagonist. Anna Paquin is especially impressive in the lead role and does a really good job of capturing a teenager struggling to come to terms with an adult world.

4/5

Behind the Bond

Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 (2012)

Directed by Stevan Riley this documentary features interviews with many people who worked on the Bond films or knew Ian Flemming. The story of how Bond went from book to the big screen is charted over 50 years.

This documentary does a good job of giving an over view of the history of production on the Bond film series and features contributions from nearly everyone you want to hear from except Sean Connery. At times it does seem like this was made purely by the Broccoli family with more than a hint of bias creeping in. Overall what you get here is a pretty good over view of the history of the franchise but not much depth.

3/5

The Camellia Masion

Sanjuro (1962)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa this adaptation of the story “Peaceful Days” stars Toshiro Mifune. A travelling samurai gets caught up in helping a group of bumbling young samurai stop a corrupt superintendent.

This film functions as a sort of sequel to the highly popular Yojimbo (1961) and has a somewhat similar tone with comedic moments sprinkled through out the film. There are some impressively shot sequences, those with the flowers and the final sword fight whose gory conclusion sits in stark contrast to the bloodless violence seen previously. The anti violence/killing themes that are put forward through out the film help add a little depth to the plot of the film making this well worth watching.

4/5

Vegas Bond, Vegas

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Directed by Guy Hamilton this seventh film in the popular spy series is based on the novel of the same name and features the return of Sean Connery. After dispatching his arch enemy in the pre-title sequence Bond is shipped off to Holland to deal with some diamond smugglers.

After an excellent 6^th film in the series this entry is a serious let down with a plot that goes from mundane to silly without much in between. It is hard to find much to like about this film and it even lacks the iconic locations that help gloss over the flaws in many a weak Bond film. Bringing back Connery was probably not the brightest idea either as the star is starting to age as well as carry a few extra pounds.

2/5

Disavowing all knowledge

The Vow (2012)

Directed by Michael Sucsy this film inspired by real events stars Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum and Sam Neill. A young couple are involved in a car accident which leaves the wife with brain damage and unable to remember ever meeting her husband.

The premise for this film is actually not that bad and opens up the possibility for some interesting drama but this film is more interested in focusing on the romantic elements of the story. While the film is fairly well made it never succeeds in being more than the sum of it's parts. I also think that some of the story elements are probably introduced in the wrong order so the story is never really able to work to it's full potential.

3/5

A specter calls

High Planes Drifter (1973)

Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this film alongside Verna Bloom, Mariana Hill and Billy Curtis. A stranger rides out of the desert and becomes involved with townsfolk that have something to hide.

The plot of this film works well as an allegory for the townsfolk having to face the repercussions of their actions. Mono Lake provides a great back drop for the film for a film with a mostly urban setting. As a second directorial effort this is a good attempt and you can see how it provides a genesis for later Eastwood films like Pale Rider (1985) and Unforgiven (1992).

4/5

If you build it

Field of Dreams (1989)

Based on the novel “Shoeless Joe” this film from director Phil Alden Robinson stars Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta and Burt Lancaster. A mysterious voice urges a farmer to cut down his crop and build a baseball field.

Baseball and baseball history feature heavily in this film but like all the best sports films familiarity with the sport is not required to enjoy this film. The film does a good job at looking at the positive effect sport can have on people, mainly through dreams and reconciliation. There are some good performances and the special effects mostly hold up really well, the best parts being how the players disappear into the fields of corn.

5/5

One more one last job

Contraband (2012)

Directed by Baltasar Kormakur this film stars Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster and Giovanni Ribisi. A retired smuggler has to do “one last job” after a family member gets in debt to a nasty drug dealer.

This film is a remake of the Icelandic film Reykjavik-Rotterdam (2008) but frankly could have nearly any heist film as it's source material. The plot is pretty much as you would expect, treading the usual ground but with plenty of pace so as you do not get bored. About all you can say about this film is that it is well executed for the standard plot but it is hard to give much more praise than that.

3/5

Silence is golden

The Artist (2011)

Directed by Michael Hazanavicius this film stars Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman and James Cromwell. As silent film begins to go out of fashion in favour of the talkies one star of the screen struggles to cope with the change.

What this film does a great job of is evoking the era silent film and has loads of great little details scattered about. Making a silent film that still manages to tell it's story well in the modern era really highlights how much superfluous dialogue there is in modern film making. I also liked how the film holds back explaining the protagonists fear of change right until the final moments of the film.

4/5

Spoiler: Sean Bean dies

Black Death (2010)

Directed by Christopher Smith this film stars Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne and Clarice van Houten. A young monk joins a group sent to investigate claims of heresy in a village that has been left untouched by the plague that is ravaging the rest of the country.

There is plenty of British acting talent in this this film but it was financed and shot in Germany which provides a decent stand in for medieval Britain. While the plot has lots of potential it never really gets to delve into any one area. For a supposed horror film the execution lacks mystery and eerie suspense leading up to the reveals but is still very watch-able.

3/5

Lock, stock and two resentful sons

Wild Bill (2011)

Directed by Dexter Fletcher this film stars Charlie Creed-Miles, Will Poulter and Liz White. After 8 years in prison a father returns home to find his 15 and 11 year old sons have been abandoned by their mother and resent his absence.

You may have thought the British gangster film genre was over but there is still life in there as this film shows. While there might not be anything revolutionary about the plot of this film it is well executed even if the plot resolution is a little easy. One thing I would have like to have seen more of was the relationship between the older son and the father as the relationship with the younger son dominated the plot.

3/5

Nicholson gonna Nicholson

Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Directed by Bob Rafelson this film stars Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Susan Anspach and Lois Smith. A worker on an oil field returns home to visit his dying father and family of musicians with his pregnant girlfriend.

Like the protagonist the plot of this film drifts along and is more of a character study of a man that is unable to settle at any one place in the world rather than a tightly plotted film. There are some comedic moments but they do not dominate the film. The problem with the film is that in my opinion it neither explains the reason for the protagonists behaviour nor shows him changing.

3/5

Goose droppings

Wild Geese II (1985)

Directed by Reter R. Hunt this film based on the novel “The Square Circle” stars Scott Glenn, Barbara Carrera and Edward Fox. A group of mercenaries are hired by a television network to break Rudolf Hess out of Spandau Prison so they can interview him

Despite recapping the events of the first film during the opening sequence there are no characters in common between the two films as Richard Burton died days before this film went into production. The plot is fairly stupid and at various times the choices characters make have no reasoning at all. Some of the action sequences in this film are not too bad but otherwise it should be left well alone.

2/5

Fantasy follies

The Princess Bride (1987)

Directed by Rob Reiner this film based on the novel of the same name stars Cary Elwes, Robin Wright and Peter Falk. A grandfather reads his sick grandson a book about a princess and her husband to be.

Having something of a reputation as a cult classic I was expecting a fair amount from this film but it ended up falling a little short. What the film has going for it is a silly sense of humour through out that just about carries the film but the plot does not bare too much thinking about and suffers from the princess being one of the most passive characters in modern cinema. Some of the set and special effects look a bit ropey at time as well which does not really help matters either.

2/5

Lacking the gold

Black Gold (2011)

Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud this film based on the novel South of the Heart: A Novel Of Modern Arabia stars Tahar Rahim, Mark Strong, Antonio Bandaras and Freida Pinto. A young Arab prince is caught in the struggle between modernisation and tradition as oil wealth comes to the Arabian peninsula.

The subtext of this film is clearly to look at the choices facing nations in the Arab world that struggle between sudden vast wealth from oil but strong, conservative, religious traditions hold back progress. Where the film has problems is that the story does not really reflect either actual history or the situation on the ground, being more of an over simplification that does not really offer any concrete solutions. As a piece of pure entertainment it is not bad but a lot of the action sequences seem to borrow heavily from the exploits of Lawrence of Arabia and the romance element is largely unbelievable.

2/5

Wadiya looking at?

The Dictator (2012)

Directed by Larry Charles this film stars Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris and Sir Ben Kingsley. The military dictator of a fictional North African country travels to the US where he is replaced by a double and has to mix with normal people for a change.

There is not a lot of originality about the plot which has a lot of elements are similar to other films. Humour in this film is both very funny but also probably not for those easily offended, there are also times when the film skirts stereotyping. The only time the film does really make any satirical point comes in the form of a rather obvious lecture that is far too heavy handed for my taste.

3/5

He is risen

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Directed by Christopher Nolan this film stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. After 8 years living as a recluse Bruce Wayne is drawn back into crime fighting after the arrival of a new threat.

This film is not perfect, it falls short in character development compared to the other entries in this series but these are weaknesses of omission rather than weaknesses that actively damage the film. In general this film is amazing with great action sequences that keep you gripped through out it's long run time. The themes of social responsibility of the rich and consequences of revolution add some depth to the film giving a fitting conclusion to a series which will sadly end.

5/5