For All Your Movie Reviewing Needs! This blog will feature film reviews, the occasional personal blog, a tally of the films I see at the cinema and anything else I deem worthy of sharing with YOU, my loyal readers. I have archived my two previous blogs here too so anyone new can catch up with something they might have missed. Thanks for reading!
As with my previous guest reviews, I haven't seen Madagascar 3. But as my friend Faye saw this recently, and as her reviews have been quite well received, I thought I would again hand over to her one line review style. She had this to say:
It's good - if you like the other ones, you'll like this one!
So there you have it. If you (or your kids) are Madagascar fans, head on over to the kids club or catch this one on DVD, you'll like it! ;0)
Cast Overview:
(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)
Ben Stiller ~ Alex
Chris Rock ~ Marty
David Schwimmer ~ Melman
Jada Pinkett Smith ~ Gloria
Sacha Baron Cohen ~ Julien
Cedric the Entertainer ~ Maurice
Frances McDormand ~ Captain Chantel DuBois
Jessica Chastain ~ Gia
Bryan Cranston ~ Vitaly
Martin Short ~ Stefano
Vinnie Jones ~ Freddie the Dog
Director(s) ~ Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath and Conrad Vernon
I went to see Ben Affleck's directorial debut Gone Baby Gone with my good friend and occasional guest reviewer, Faye. As you might have guessed from her reviews, she is not a woman of many words. But what she does say does tend to resonate and have meaning. Needless to say we both loved Gone Baby Gone and when we discovered Ben had made another film, The Town, we went to see that one too. And loved it.
When we discovered that a third film had been directed by Mr Affleck we again had to see it, together, as we had the two previous films. But this time we allowed a third person into the mix, a person who had not seen the two previous Ben Affleck directed movies. So the other night we set about rectifying this with a screening of his first film Gone Baby Gone. As we settled down to watch it I commented that I felt like our friendship had formed over a mutual love of Ben Affleck movies. And in a sense I believe it was.
I hadn't seen Gone Baby Gone since the initial viewing at the cinema and neither had Faye. But it was just as good as we remembered and I urge anyone who's not seen that or The Town to rent them at the first available opportunity.
Argo, on the other hand is a very different beast to those first two movies which are set in present day Boston. Argo is set in late 70s, and the location is split between Iran and Hollywood. Not exactly two places that you would expect to go hand in hand. But then this movie is based on a true story. One of US Embassy Diplomats working in Iran, who escape the Embassy when it's raided by Iranian revolutionaries, and who hide out in the home of the Canadian Ambassador. In order to get them safely out of Iran, the CIA's top extraction expert Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), concocts a cover story of them being a team of Hollywood hotshots, on a location scout for a science fiction film called Argo. Will this hair brained idea actually work?
Well I won't spoil it of course, but what I will say is that the 30 or so minutes set in the airport at the end of the movie, were so intense that I not only held my own hand to get me through it, I don't think I breathed!
The cast is a tight ensemble and film is as well acted, scripted, shot and produced as any of Affleck's previous movies. The difference for me was that you feel like you've learned something when you walk out of the cinema from seeing Argo. And in my book, that is never a bad thing. So see his other movies but most importantly, see Argo. And you'll forever be saying "Argo f*ck yourself" to those you've seen it with. 9 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 8th November 2012
UK Release Date - 7th November 2012
Cast Overview:
Ben Affleck ~ Tony Mendez
Bryan Cranston ~ Jack O'Donnell
Alan Arkin ~ Lester Siegel
John Goodman ~ John Chambers
Victor Garber ~ Ken Taylor
Tate Donovan ~ Bob Anders
Clea DuVall ~ Cora Lijek
Christopher Denham ~ Mark Lijek
Scoot McNairy ~ Joe Stafford
Kerry Bishe ~ Kathy Stafford
Rory Cochrane ~ Lee Schatz
Kyle Chandler ~ Hamilton Jordan
Director ~ Ben Affleck
Writer(s) ~ Chris Terrio (Screenplay) and Joshuah Bearman (Article)
I will admit that when I went to see Rust And Bone this weekend I didn't know it was a subtitled movie. I probably should have guessed by the fact that there was no dialogue in the trailer. Personally I just thought that was a clever way of making the movie look good with the use of imagery and music alone. The reason I'm telling you is so that I can beg you, please, please don't let that put you off this movie.
In the film we meet Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts), a former boxer who has taken his son Sam away from a seemingly unstable home in Belgium in order to live with his sister and her partner in France. Whilst working as bouncer he meets the beautiful but strong willed Stephanie (Marion Cotillard), who by day trains Killer whales in the local Marine Wildlife Centre. After an accident during a whale show leaves Stephanie having to start her life over again, she finds that Ali is one of the few people she can turn to who still treats her like the person she was before. But will he let her down when she needs him the most?
I felt pulled into this film from the opening scene where Ali and Sam make their way from Belgium to France, and it didn't let go of me until way after the credits had rolled. The performances, particularly from Schoenaerts and Cotillard are so perfect that I find it hard to articulate just how good they both were. Both showed great heart and determination in their respective roles and really made you feel for their characters, even when they weren't being particularly likable.
The film is very realistically shot but still retains beauty in almost every frame. The script sparks in both it's honesty and humor and the score compliments the movie perfectly. I honestly have nothing bad to say. Even the ending, which I thought I had predicted to a tee, managed to surprise me.
I don't often beg, but I urge you to see this movie now. It deserves to be seen by as many people as possible and by next weekend it may have been replaced at your local cinema by some other Hollywood blockbuster that isn't as worthy of your time or money. Bond is sold out, so wait until next week to see it. Don't miss out on Rust and Bone. See it now. You won't regret it. 9.5 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 4th November 2012
UK Release Date - 2nd November 2012
Cast Overview:
Marion Cotillard ~ Stephanie
Matthias Schoenaerts ~ Alain van Versch
Armand Verdure ~ Sam
Celine Sallette ~ Louise
Corinne Masiero ~ Anna
Bouli Lanners ~ Martial
Jean-Michel Correia ~ Richard
Director ~ Jacques Audiard
Writer(s) ~ Jacques Audiard (Screenplay), Thomas Bidegain (Screenplay) and Craig Davidson (Story)
Anyone who read my review of Dark Shadows will be aware that I used to be a very big Tim Burton fan, but that in recent years he has let me down again and again to the point where I very nearly didn't bother seeing Frankenweenie as I assumed it would be as bad as all his other recent offerings.
However, I did go and see Frankenweenie and I was so glad I did. Because Tim Burton is back to his cooky but heartwarming best. And all without the 'help' of usual collaborator Johnny Depp. This speaks volumes to me that the two of them need to stop working together (which has been my belief for a while now).
Not many people will know this but Tim Burton actually made Frankenweenie as a live action short film for Disney back in 1984. It tells the same story of a boy who revives his dog after it is run over by a car. It was also filmed in Black and White. Back then Disney execs deemed the film too dark and scary for children and fired Burton, who has now had the last laugh because Disney re-hired him to make this black and white stop motion version of the same film.
The story is also a very personal one for Burton who had a dog who died when he was a boy. Young Burton's love of horror stories such as Frankenstein gave him the idea for the story. I think this is one of the reason's that the film works so well. The story feels personal, and like a lot of love has been put into making it.
Danny Elfman's beautiful score brings back memories of the wonderful work he did on my favourite Tim Burton film, Edward Scissorhands, and adds the perfect finishing touch to the brilliant voice work and animation. The film brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion and it's been quite some time since I've been able to say that about a Tim Burton feature.
The fact that this has been filmed in black and white might put some people off, it might also put kids off, but if you're a fan of old school Burton I urge you to go and see Frankenweenie and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. 7.5 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 23rd October 2012
UK Release Date - 17th October 2012
Cast Overview:
(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)
I wanted to see On The Road from the moment I heard about the people involved, I'd seen a couple of Garrett Hedlund's performances and thought he was impressive, I'm a huge fan of Tom Sturridge, Kristen Stewart and Amy Adams. And even the addition of Kirsten Stewart, who I normally can't stand, was not enough to put me off.
The film was not showing at my local Cineworld so I even elected to pay £9 to see On The Road at my local independent cinema, The Duke Of Yorks. I wish I could say it was worth it.
Considering the film is essentially a 'road trip' movie, it goes nowhere. Admittedly I have not read Jack Kerouac's novel but if it's as mindless, meaningless and meandering as the movie then I don't want to read it and I have no idea why so many have, and moreover why they rave about how good it is.
The film is a series of strung together scenes of sex and drug taking with the occasional reflection on these characters lives and where they're going. The problem is that there is so little known about the characters that by the time it gets to the reflection part, you don't really care what happens to them. The actors in this film are of such a calibre that the characters could have been so much more interesting, so rich. But the actors are not given the opportunity to do anything with these characters and so we never really connect with them.
It's such a pity as a film with this many amazing people in it could and should have been one of the best films of the year but instead it's an instantly forgettable film and one which I feel robbed me of £9. Avoid. 4 out of 10. (the movie overall is a 3 but I raise it 1 point for the quality of the actors involved, it's not their fault they had nothing to do!)
Viewing Date - 21st October 2012
UK Release Date - 12th October 2012
Cast Overview:
Garrett Hedlund ~ Dean Moriarty
Sam Riley ~ Sal Paradise
Kristen Stewart ~ Marylou
Tom Sturridge ~ Carlo Marx
Kirsten Dunst ~ Camille
Amy Adams ~ Jane
Viggo Mortensen ~ Old Bull Lee
Steve Buscemi ~ Tall Thin Salesman
Danny Morgan ~ Ed Dunkel
Elizabeth Moss ~ Galatea Dunkel
Terrence Howard ~ Walter
Director ~ Walter Salles
Writer(s) ~ Jack Kerouac (Book) and Jose Rivera (Screenplay)
