Shaun of the Dead (4 Stars)

Zombies are overrunning the country? Let's go to the pub!

Click here to view the trailer.

Hazard (4 Stars)

This is a departure in style from the other films I've seen directed by Sion Sono. Most of the film takes place in New York, and the usual religious symbolism is missing. In addition the cinematography is different, most of the action being filmed with a hand held camera.

Shin is a shy young boy who goes to America on holiday. Within an hour of arriving he's robbed of everything he's carrying. He spends a week sleeping on the streets, and then he meets two Japanese Americans who take him under their wing. Lee and Takeda are confusing characters. They make a living by driving round the city in an ice cream van selling ice cream laced with drugs. They also rob shops armed with shotguns. Amusingly, they take Shin with them to learn English. While Lee and Takeda hold the guns Shin stands reading from a Japanese-English phrasebook. "Wait, let me find the page. Give. Me. Your. Money. Is that right?"

Lee is also fascinated by the poetry of Walt Whitman and tries to explain it to Shin. Takeda accompanies Lee on his escapades, but his main interest is in a waitress called Nancy who he loves from afar.

This is a chaotic film, like most of Sion Sono's films. Things happen for no apparent purpose. Lee and Takeda don't really seem like gangsters, they just rob shops for the fun of it.

This film hasn't yet been released in England or America, but luckily it's available in Germany. As with most German films the DVD isn't subtitled, it's dubbed. Both English and German dubbing is available on the disc, but I could hardly understand the English dialog, the German is much clearer.

Callan: Wet Job (2 Stars)

I'm a big fan of the Callan tv series, as I already stated in this post. Although being well acquainted with the series I had never heard of this film until last week. Needless to say I ordered it straight away. I received it yesterday in the mail... I could hardly wait to watch it... and then?

This film was made in 1981, and in the story's chronology it takes place 10 years after David Callan has retired from Section. Or so he thinks. There's a loose end from one of his previous jobs. Callan will be named as the killer in a book that is being written by a politician. He isn't actually ordered to take the job to cover it up; he's just told that if the book is published he will be sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, but if he uses in his defence that he was working for the government he will be killed.

A good story. And yet the film makes me sad. As an epilogue to Callan's career it's an unworthy end to one of the best English drama series ever. It's amazing how much Edward Woodward has aged in the nine years since the series finished. Some men age less gracefully than others. But that's not the problem. The first thing I noticed was the unpolished acting and cinematography. The whole film seems like a live play, in particular the live television plays that were common in the 1960's. Everything seems unrehearsed. The camera work is so bad that it's embarrassing. In many of the scenes the heads of the people speaking are cut off, we only see them from the shoulders down. The action scenes are laughable. Bang goes the gun, then the camera shows a person with a red spot on his head who unconvincingly falls over. Then there's the dialog, which seems like an amateurish rush job that reduces the concept of the tv series into cliches. The whole film is disgraceful. If you're a Callan fan, give it a miss. If you aren't I beg you not to watch it first, or you'll never want to watch the series.

The Prestige (4½ Stars)

I remember seeing a trailer for this film in the cinema a few years ago. Based on what I saw, probably the same trailer I'm linking to here, it didn't seem interesting. A tail of rivalry between two stage magicians? Yawn. Set in London in the 1890's? I don't know how I stayed awake for the main feature. I have a thing about period dramas set in Victorian England. Somehow the whole society disturbs me. The gentlemen dressed in black suits with top hats. The ladies dressed in countless layers of clothing that must have taken hours to get into. The common people in dirty clothes and rags. Nobody in between, everyone is at one extreme or the other. In today's talk the word "gentleman" is used to refer to a man who treats women well, but in Victorian days it referred to a man who dressed in a certain way, because it was assumed that any man who dressed well would act in a civilised manner. Even today, in England at least, there are leftovers of this meaning. Though not impossible, it's not common to refer to a man who dresses in scruffy clothes as a gentleman.

Maybe that's my problem with the whole Victorian era. Unless the weather dictates otherwise, I wear jeans and a t-shirt every day. I only wear a suit to weddings and funerals. Having to live in the Victorian age would have been a horror for me. All those black suits and top hats? Awful! And yet I like to keep myself clean and tidy. I wouldn't have liked to wear dirty rags like a commoner either. I would have liked to be a middle case, the case between the two extremes that didn't exist.

Recently the film was strongly recommended to me, so I gave it a chance. And I wasn't disappointed, despite the Victorian setting. The big name actors, Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine and David Bowie, carry a well written story to perfection. But first let me explain the film's title, using the words of Michael Caine as Cutter, because it's a word I'd never heard used in this context:

Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course, it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige".

Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale play Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, two junior magicians starting their career as assistants to a master magician. Michael Caine plays Cutter, an "engineer" who prepares tricks for a magician behind the stage. Cutter also acts as a father figure and adviser to both the young men throughout the film. One day a magic trick goes wrong and Angier's wife dies during a performance, drowning to death.

Both young men become magicians in their own right. Borden is technically better at performing tricks, but Angier is a better stage man, more entertaining to the audience. Angier blames Borden for his wife's death, so he disguises himself and sneaks into Borden's performances to sabotage his tricks, even to the extent of  trying to kill his rival before the eyes of the public, making it look like an accident.

This all changes when Alfred Borden begins to perform a spectacular new trick, "The Transported Man", in which a man disappears from one side of the stage and reappears at the other side of the stage less than a second later. Angier becomes obsessed with this trick, and his desire to learn its secret becomes more important than his revenge. But the biggest trick of all lies ahead. Angier dies in his quest and Borden is wrongly sentenced to death for his murder. Borden remains calm in prison and promises to return from the dead. Can Angier do the same?

None of what I've written is really a spoiler, because the film starts with Angier's death and tells the rest of the story in flashbacks, jumping backwards and forwards through time. This is my only real criticism of what is otherwise a close to perfect film. Some films profit from being told out of sequence. It heightens the suspense for the viewer wanting to know how things resulted in the scene we see at the beginning. I don't think that's the case here. The actual story behind the film is very simple. It wouldn't have lost anything of the drama or suspense by telling it in the order it happened. The lack of chronology just makes the story unnecessarily complicated. Nevertheless, it's a great film worth watching.

Tai-Chi Master (4½ Stars)

This 1993 film has also been released with the name "Twin Warriors". Jun Bao, played by Jet Li, and Tien Bo are two young boys who grow up in a Shaolin temple and become close friends. As adults Tien Bo takes part in a friendly competition against another trainee monk. His opponent cheats, which leads to a more serious fight that gets both Jun Bao and Tien Bo expelled from the temple. They take up residence in a town that is being taxed heavily by local soldiers. Jun Bao sides with the rebels, but Tien Bao is more ambitious and joins the army, rapidly advancing to the rank of general. The two friends are now enemies.

Dazzling fight scenes including action from Michelle Yeoh, who plays one of the rebels.

Lina Braake (3½ Stars)

Lina Braake is an 81-year-old woman who has lived most of her life in the same apartment. When her landlord dies he states in his will that she can remain in the apartment for the rest of her life. Soon after his death the heir sells the house to a bank, and the will is declared invalid. The bank arranges for her to be put into an old people's home, where she has to share a room with two other women.

At first Lina is totally depressed and spends all her days in bed. Then she pulls herself together, motivated by one goal in life: she wants to take revenge on the bank. An ex-employee of a bank who also lives in the home advises her on how to carry out a bank fraud, making herself seem creditworthy enough to take out a loan which she doesn't intend to repay.

This is a beautiful little story of the success of the little person in a battle against the system. It can be criticised for being too straightforward, because Lina doesn't have any problems in achieving her goal, but overall it's an enjoyable evening's viewing.

Three into two won't go (4½ Stars)

This is a powerful family drama made in England in 1969. For some unfathomable reason it has never been released on DVD, but thankfully it's still being shown occasionally on British television.

Steve Howard (played by Rod Steiger) is a sales director who often has to leave home on business trips. While driving home from Manchester he picks up Ella, a hitchhiker played by Judy Geeson. From the beginning, even before she gets into the car, she makes it clear to him that she's in charge and he has to do whatever she wants. They pull into a hotel outside Birmingham where they sleep with one another. The next day he drives home. The end... or is it?

No, this is just the beginning. This is where the nightmare begins. The similarity with "Fatal Attraction" is striking. Ella travels to Steve's home and makes friends with his wife. Then she claims to be pregnant, and does everything she can to break up the marriage. Unlike "Fatal Attraction" -- sorry, this is a spoiler -- Ella doesn't really want the married man for herself. She persuades him to leave his wife, waits for him to tell his wife, then says that she doesn't want him because he's too old for her. Ella's motivation in life is to have fun, as she tells Steve when they first meet. She breaks up the marriage simply because she enjoys doing it.

This is a beautiful film which is stylistically like Eric Rohmer's films. The lack of background music makes the film stark and cold. If you get the chance to see this on television it's worth it.

The Outsider (3 Stars)

This film confused me when I watched it. It wasn't so much that I didn't understand what was happening, it was that I didn't understand the motivation of the central character, Lukas Berlinger. At different times in the film, which takes place over a period of 30 years, he's pursuing different goals, some altruistic, others to make money. After watching the film I read the booklet enclosed with the DVD. Ah ha, it's a true story! That explains everything. Our lives don't have well defined plots, we move in different directions over the years, and there's even the deus ex machina which is a poor plot device in a fictional screenplay, but it's part of real life.

Lukas Berlinger was the son of a rich industrialist who owned a factory in South Germany making chemicals. His father took in a boy, Johannes Roeder, who lost his parents, and the two grew up as brothers and friends. Lukas studied biochemistry, graduating with honours, and took over his father's factory. Johannes became a politician and had a high position in the Nazi party. Because of his important career Lukas was excused from military service, but he was lazy and spent his days getting drunk. Then he finally found the motivation to do something useful: he learnt how to fly a plane and began to smuggle people out of Germany into Switzerland. He did this successfully for years while continuing to feign laziness, but the Nazis began to put pressure on him to work harder. His wife committed suicide, so he fled from Germany and settled in Argentina. He had to leave his son behind, who was adopted by Johannes.

For the next 20 years he worked developing ways to grow food in the world's dry regions and became an internationally acclaimed scientist. In the process he also became very rich. In 1968 he finally returned to Germany. Johannes was still active in politics; he had become a senator in Baden-Württemberg. He had also been buying land to build a large recreational park. The only problem was that Lukas's abandoned factory stood in the middle of the land. Protesters lobbied Lukas to ask him not to sell, and he agreed. He decided to use the old factory to build zeppelins. Yes, zeppelins! When I watched the film this seemed silly, because the production of zeppelins had been halted 30 years earlier. As a piece of fiction this would have been too ridiculous to believe, but it really happened. This was the pet product of an eccentric old man with a lot of money.

Then came the deus ex machina. There was a thunder storm and the factory was hit by lightning. Everything went up in flames. Lukas was thought to be dead, but he flew away in a small aircraft. He cruised over the Swiss alps enjoying the scenery until he finally ran out of fuel and crashed. This aspect of the film is poetic, of course, we can't be sure that it was what really happened, but we know that he crashed, and the suicide makes a good end to the story.

Overall, this is a curious film about a curious man. A really pleasant and entertaining character, someone that I wish I'd known personally.

Jennifer's Body (3 Stars)

I already reviewed this film last year and only gave it two stars. Normally I wouldn't return to a film that I didn't enjoy, but I had a few reasons to do so. First, a friend of mine recently told me it's one of his favorite films. Second, I couldn't remember what the film was about, which was painfully obvious when I tried to discuss the film with him. Third, I've recently developed a sort of crush on Amanda Seyfried, and I'd forgotten she was in the film, so I had to go back and watch it again.

I suppose the very fact that I'd forgotten almost everything about the film is a testament to its poor quality, but I watched it again and made a determined attempt to enjoy it. I've upped the rating to 3 stars, but it's far from being a great film. This time I'll write a plot synopsis so that I don't forget it again.

Jennifer (Megan Fox) and Needi (Amanda Seyfried) are two schoolgirls who have been friends since early childhood. Jennifer is a beautiful cheerleader, Needi is a bespectacled plain girl that nobody pays attention to, except for her nerdy boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons). They live in a small town called Devil's Kettle. Charming name. One day an indy rock band called Low Shoulder come to town to play a concert. The band kidnaps Jennifer and offers her as a virgin sacrifice to ask Satan for fame and success. Unfortunately she isn't a virgin, which means that she comes back to life as a deranged young woman who needs to eat human flesh to survive. Only Needi sees the change in her, so she has to take action against Jennifer even though everyone, including her boyfriend, thinks she's mad.

Despite a certain amount of gore and bloodletting, the film just isn't horrific. Nothing in it made me jump or shudder or want to turn away. For me Megan Fox wasn't credible as the school sexpot. I'm sorry, to me she just looked average. I fail to see why people make a fuss about her. And maybe I'm biased, but I can't accept Amanda Seyfried as the school's Plain Jane. Even in her spectacles she's a lot more attractive than Megan. It's something about her big eyes that change colour in the light, turning anything from blue to grey to green.

Isn't Amanda gorgeous? I wouldn't say that she's an outstanding actress, but she's delicious to look at. Please check the photo below as well. Amanda is supposed to look dull next to Megan, but however they make her up she still looks a lot better.

Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin (3 Stars)

This is the third and final film in Jet Li's Shaolin Temple trilogy, made in 1986. The trilogy doesn't end with a bang, it ends with a whimper. I've seen most of Jet Li's films, I'm a big fan of his, but this is the worst so far. In my opinion, at least. I've read other reviews that praise this movie so highly that I wonder if they were watching the same film as me.

In this film, unrelated to the first two parts of the trilogy, Jet Li plays Zhi Ming, a trainee in a Shaolin temple who was taken in by the temple as an orphan when he was a young child. Unknown to the monks he has spent all his life planning revenge against the warlord who was responsible for his father's death. When he first leaves the temple to attempt revenge he's interrupted by two other young people, a man and a woman, also trying to take revenge on the same warlord. These two people are "secular residents" who live within the grounds of another Shaolin temple in the south. After this they join forces to attack the warlord together. A subplot is that the woman wears a bracelet around her ankle that identifies her as the woman that Zhi was pledged to marry at birth.

The films fights are less spectacular than those in the first two films, though they make up for it by taking place in dazzling locations, including a battle on top of the Chinese Wall. An interesting film, and I'm sure that Jet's fans will want to watch it, but overall disappointing.

It's amusing to be as a Westerner how important food is to the Chinese. A recurring theme in Jet Li's films, not just in this trilogy, is the problem of the Shaolin monks being vegetarian. They're never shown as being happy in this, they're always looking for an excuse to eat meat, knowing that "Buddha will understand". In Western countries vegetarianism is accepted as an alternative lifestyle, but to the Chinese with their great love for food it's something inconceivable. In this film Zhi Ming is shown sneaking out of the temple to roast a snake to put in his bread buns, and when a leading monk accidentally eats it his face lights up with joy.

Fast Five [Guest Writer] (3 Stars)

Former cop Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) partners with ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) on the opposite side of the law. Since Brian and Mia Toretto broke Dom out of custody, they've blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he's not the only one on their tail. Hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) never misses his target. When he is assigned to track down Dom and Brian, he and his strike team launch an all-out assault to capture them. But as his men tear through Brazil, Hobbs learns he can't separate the good guys from the bad. Now, he must rely on his instincts to corner his prey... before someone else runs them down first.

Okay, I have been a fan of the Fast and the Furious movies mainly because I love fast cars - call it being a mechanic's daughter it's in my blood. When the first movie came out, I was on pins and needles and fell in love although now if I were to watch it, my enthusiasm has waned a bit, not for the cars - just the movie. This, I'm assuming, was their attempt at bringing everyone from all of the Fast and the Furious movies to make it seem just that much bigger and - wait for it - they added the Rock. Doesn't it seem like he has his fingers in every pie out there? Get the fuck out of my pie dude! >:c I enjoyed the rock when he was a wrestler in all of his cheesy "smelly" glory and I fell in love with his goofy side when he got involved with comedies. I hated him in Doom - god can we say box office nightmare? I wouldn't say I "loved" him in this movie because he just seems so....cliched. I'm sorry but it all just felt rote to me - as if I had seen it a hundred times. I enjoyed the action sequences - I'm not going to lie. I loved seeing the pretty cars and it was a good movie to watch when I had some time on my hands to kill. Would I have paid to go see this movie in theaters knowing what I know now? More than likely not. Would I have rented the DVD as a New Release? Again, probably not. Would I have bought the DVD when it went on sale for, let's say, $10? Sure, why not? I guess that about says it all, doesn't it? But, like I said, it wasn't "bad" and I have definitely seen worse. I also will say that I'm a sucker for Vin Diesel as crazy as that makes me (Mmm those muscles make me salivate). He can hijack my car any day of the week as long as he kidnaps me and takes me along for the ride!  :3

Also given, Vin's last name he does make an obvious choice for a movie about car's don't you think? Haha!

Captain America (3 Stars)

Over the last 10 years there have been some great films based on Marvel characters. The X-Men films, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Thor, Iron Man, the second Hulk film. Then there were the flops. The first Hulk film was the worst, closely followed by Elektra and the Fantastic Four films (though the second film does have some promise). "Captain America" falls into the second group. It's all over the place. It's a mess. I don't know what's worse, the poor screenplay or the dull directing by Joe Johnston.

Normally I accept changes to characters and their origins for the cinema. Films can't be exactly the same as the comics, can they? But this time they took it too far. Look at the poster above. What's wrong? Captain America is carrying a gun. No no no no no! That's just wrong.

Now let's carry on. "The first Avenger"? Hmmm, not in the comics he wasn't. He was the sixth. When the Avengers were first formed the members were Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, the Wasp and the Hulk. Captain America joined the Avengers in issue 4 of their comic.

Captain America's body was discovered by the Marvel hero (sometimes villain) the Submariner in 1964, not by a research team in 2011.

Bucky Barnes was a boy, not an adult.

Hydra is a secret organisation that has existed for over 4000 years, first formed in Egypt. During the Second World War they allied themselves with Germany, but the Red Skull was never their leader.

Steve Rogers became Captain America in 1940, not 1942. This small time difference is important, because it means that Steve Rogers became Captain America before America entered the war against Germany!

This is the first issue of "Captain America Comics", published in December 1940 (despite the March date on the cover), written by Joe Simon. Stan Lee's first ever story was published in Captain America #3. This was a controversial comic at the time. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor the American public was divided on the issue of the "war in Europe", as they called it. The large German immigrant community stood solidly behind Hitler and demanded that America enter the war to protect Germany against the English aggression. At this time the German mistreatment of the Jews was still unknown, which led to many other Americans supporting Germany, whatever their ethnic background. With this comic Joe Simon was taking a political stand. It wasn't until a year later, in December 1941, that American public opinion was unified against Germany.

In the film the Red Skull doesn't fully appreciate the power of the cosmic cube. This is correct; in the comics he underestimated its power as well. Thanos was the first to comprehend it when he used its power to make himself a God in Captain Marvel #31 (March 1974).

Click here to view the trailer. But no, I don't recommend it. It's only a film for Marvel completists who want to prepare themselves for the release of the Avengers film.

Daredevil (5 Stars)

There are some films that I keep coming back to. This is one of them. Although it was one of the most successful box office films of 2003, it seems to have faded into obscurity fast. I'm surprised how many people I talk to who haven't seen it. It doesn't seem to have become a favourite for television repeats, which is the main factor in a film remaining popular over the long term.

It was made a year after "Spider-Man" and in many ways stands in its shadows. This is a case of history repeating itself. When Marvel Comics published the first issue of "Daredevil" in 1964 the cover openly compared the new hero with Spider-Man. Despite Daredevil being an adult, presumably 30-ish, his character and mannerisms in the early comics were very similar to those of Spider-Man, a hero half his age. They were both fighters who constantly used wisecracks and jokes during their fights. Daredevil was a very jovial character in the early days when his stories were written by Stan Lee. Artist Gene Colan played a large part in writing the stories, as was typical in the early days of Marvel. In my opinion Gene Colan's artwork was the best in Marvel comics in the mid 60's.

The man behind Daredevil's mask is the blind lawyer Matt Murdock. He was blinded at the age of 12 when a barrel of radioactive waste broke open and sprayed on his eyes. This removed his eyesight, but it also sharpened his remaining four senses to superhuman levels. His hearing is so acute that he can use sounds as a radar. He has no supernatural body strength or speed, but extensive martial arts training combined with his heightened senses give him remarkable agility.

In the 1960's and 1970's Daredevil was a light-hearted Spider-Man clone. This changed in 1980 when Frank Miller took over as the comic's writer. He turned Daredevil into a darker brooding character, in many ways like Batman. This is the basis for the film. The film also adds a gothic element not present in the comics.

The film shows how Daredevil gained his powers, then fast forwards to 20 years later when he has already become a hero. Although maybe "hero" is the wrong word. He is more of an avenging demon. If anyone is lucky enough to be found innocent in court after committing a crime, Matt Murdock puts on his Daredevil costume to become the criminal's executioner. Matt meets and falls in love with Elektra Nachios, daughter of a billionaire working for New York's crime boss, the Kingpin. She's also a trained fighter in her own right. When her father tries to leave the Kingpin's employment he's murdered by a hired killer called Bullseye. Elektra blames Daredevil for his death, not realising that it's Matt Murdock. This sets the scene for multiple high action battles.

The casting is perfect. After seeing the film I can't think of anyone more suitable than Ben Affleck to play Daredevil. Jennifer Garner, though not one of my favourite actresses, slots well into the role of Elektra. Jon Favreau is just the right person to play Franklin "Foggy" Nelson. Michael Clarke Duncan is surprisingly good as the Kingpin, despite having the wrong skin colour. And Colin Farrell is more Bullseye than Bullseye. I consider this film to be the peak of his acting career.

The director's cut is superior to the theatrical version, even though it slows down the second quarter of the film. In particular, it shows how reporter Ben Urich first gets to meet Matt Murdock. In many cases "director's cuts" are just ripoffs to get fans buy more than one copy of a film; they're bloated by stuffing in deleted scenes that the director had originally had good reasons to cut out. Not in this case. The director's cut is just perfect.

Click here to view the trailer.

Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin (4 Stars)

This was Jet Li's second film, made when he was 20. It's packaged as the second film in the Shaolin Temple trilogy, but it has nothing to do with the first film, neither in continuity nor in style. Jet Li plays a different character in this film, and unlike the first film this is a comedy. It could even be considered a children's film, since most of the actors are aged between 8 and 12.

A man who was previously a Shaolin monk rescues 8 boys from a village plundered by bandits and brings them up as his own sons, teaching them Shaolin kung fu. On the opposite side of the river there is a rich family with 9 daughters. The father is a master of Wutang sword fighting, which he teaches to his oldest daughter, but he longs for a male heir to carry on the family tradition. There are romantic attractions between members of the two families, but the Wutang father demands a price of 10 cows for each of his daughters, while the poor Shaolin family only owns three and a half cows. Yes, I told you it was a comedy.

There are long action scenes with great martial arts action, especially at the end, but most of the film plays for laughs. I couldn't stop laughing while watching the young children fight one another. This film may not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it.

The Edge (4 Stars)

Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) is a reclusive billionaire. His wife Mickey (Elle Macpherson) is a successful model. When Mickey goes on a photoshoot to Akaska with her photographer Robert Green (Alec Baldwin) her husband decides to accompany her. He has no prior experience of visiting wild places outside of cililisation, he knows about it only from books and wants to see things for himself.

While taking a plane journey to find an Indian that Green wants to use in the photos the plane crashes, leaving Morse and Green as the only survivors. The film shows their struggle for survival while being stalked by a bear. Things are complicated when Morse finds out that Green has been having an affair with his wife.

This is a difficult film for me to rate. In many ways it's a cinematic masterpiece, but it has some aspects that make it flawed.

Let's start with what I like. The scenery is breathtaking. Visually, it's one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. This stands in stark contrast to the horror of being followed by a bear which is leering nearby every time they set up camp. If I were judging the film on this alone it would deserve a straight 5 stars.

Now to the negatives: I feel the film misses out by not revealing the affair with Morse's wife much earlier in the film. Morse knows that Green "has been looking at her", but if he'd found proof towards the beginning of their fight for survival it would have given their mutual journey more of an edge. The haphazard style of the photo shoot also seems unrealistic. Green and Mickey just tag along with a group of tourists on holiday with hardly any supporting staff. I can't imagine that a high profile model would work so unprofessionally. And then there's Morse's personality, which may be judged positively by many viewers, but it irritated me. Morse is shy, he mumbles, and he has a way of talking to people without looking them in the eye. It's like he's shunning contact with people.

I'll give this film an overall rating of 4 stars, although I know that many would rate it higher. Click here to view the trailer.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (4 Stars)

The text at the beginning of the film states, in capital letters: The film you are about to see is not a sequel to "Valley of the Dolls". The reason for this bold statement is that when the film was first released viewers expected it to be a sequel. In fact, it should have been a sequel. Jacqueline Susann, author of the novel on which "Valley of the Dolls" was based, had been commissioned to write a sequel, but was now caught up in a legal case with the film studios. For this reason Russ Meyer stepped in as the director of a film with the same name as Susann's planned sequel, but the film that he had co-written with Roger Ebert had a completely different style. The only similarity was that it was also set in the Hollywood world of decadence, although even the "dolls" only play a minor role in this film. Rather than drugs it's all about the decadent world of sex and daily parties.

Kelly, Casey and Pet are the members of the Kelly Affair, an all-girl rock band. They travel to Los Angeles to meet Kelly's Aunt Susan, who has just inherited a large fortune. While there they're invited to a party at the house of a record producer called Z-Man, who Ebert claims is based on Phil Spector. Z-Man takes over the management of the band and changes their name to the Carrie Nations, after which they have a string of hit records. The film ends with a massacre when Z-Man claims to be Superwoman and kills everyone at one of his parties. On the way there are so many subplots that it's difficult to keep up. Love triangles, suicides, heavyweight boxers, Nazis, the film has it all!

But does the plot really matter? No. The colours and the psychedelic feeling of the film are all that matters. The film was made in 1970, but though the film occurrences aren't given a date it's obviously set in the mid to late 60's. Roger Ebert calls the film "a satire of Hollywood conventions, genres, situations, dialogue, characters and success formulas, heavily overlaid with such shocking violence that some critics didn't know whether the movie 'knew' it was a comedy."

The film was a box office flop when first released, but has since attained cult status. Russ Meyer's attitude towards the film changed over the years. Speaking shortly after the film had become a box office flop he said that it was his worst film ever, and it had flopped because there weren't enough naked breasts in the film. Towards the end of his life he said it was his best film. I don't understand why he made the latter remark; he made much better films. "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" is Meyer's most popular film, but I'm certain it's because it's the only one of his films ever shown on American television. If confronted with all of his films I'm sure that film fans would agree with me.

General: Proof Reading

As I've mentioned several times, I'm very pedantic about my spelling. I don't use the spell checker when writing posts because despite selecting "English (UK)" it only accepts American English spellings. I check the spelling myself, by eye. Today I found a spelling mistake in an old post from 2010 and I felt so ashamed that I decided to write this post. If any of my readers notice spelling mistakes please tell me. I won't be offended, I'll be glad. Just remember that I'm using British English spelling, so for me "travelling", "learnt" and "colour" are correct. I'm also open to criticism of my grammar or my writing style in general. Thanks.

Callan (4½ Stars)

This film, made in 1974, is a gem that is probably unknown to American viewers, and it's no longer well known in England. "Callan" was an English television series that ran from 1967 to 1972. The film I'm reviewing here is a remake of the 1967 pilot episode as an extended version.

Callan was the original unglamorous secret agent, an anti-hero who was the complete opposite of James Bond. No other television series like this has been made since, although "La Femme Nikita" was heavily influenced by it. David Callan, played by Edward Woodward, was an armed robber. He agreed to work for an organisation known only as "Section" in exchange for his criminal record being wiped clean. Section is a secret organisation that does jobs for the greater good that can't be carried out legally. For instance, as in this film, if Section knows that someone is working as an arms dealer supplying terrorists they don't gather evidence to bring him to trial, they just send an agent to kill him.

And that's Callan's job. He's a killer. Although he's acknowledged as Section's best operative, he causes problems by having a conscience. He isn't happy just turning up for work and doing his job. He wants to know if the victim really deserves to die. For this reason Callan is constantly under surveillance by Section, and he's frequently reminded that he's expendable; he can be eliminated at any time by his fellow agents if they consider him to be a liability.

Callan, as I said above, is the opposite of James Bond in every conceivable way. Instead of riches he lives in a squalid single room apartment in London. He doesn't own a car. His pay is "less than £10,000 a year", and he only remains with Section because he knows that if he tries to leave he'll be killed. Callan never gets together with women, neither for romance nor casual sex. Callan frequently breaks down and cries when an innocent bystander gets killed during a mission.

The television series ran for 44 episodes, 22 in b/w and 22 in colour. Of the b/w episodes only 12 still exist. Incidentally, in the final season of "La Femme Nikita" the influence of "Callan" is acknowledged. Edward Woodward enters the series playing the part of Nikita's father.

Go West (4½ Stars)

Whoever said that made-for-television films are inferior to real films needs to watch this masterpiece. Three hours long, and not boring for one second. Excitement from beginning to end. While the film certainly isn't intended to be a documentary it's very authentic, showing us a case that could have happened. It's a must-watch film for older Germans who are suffering from "Ostalgie" (nostalgia for the good old times in Communist Germany).

The year is 1984. Frank, Alex and Thomas are three friends in Brandenburg who have just finished school. Frank is planning a career as an actor. Thomas has been conscripted for military service. Alex has recently been judged unfit for military service due to diabetes and isn't yet sure what work he will do.

Military service usually lasts 18 months in East Germany, but when Thomas is told he will have to serve for three years he decides to flee to West Germany together with Alex. Initially Frank only intends to drive them to the border and return home, but after a confrontation with border soldiers on the way he decides to go with them. The initial plans to cross into West Berlin fail after they're discovered, and a long journey begins through Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia. Every step of the way they're pursued by East German agents, and they have to deal with underground fighters who are just as ruthless as the authorities. To make things more complicated, Frank's father is a member of the secret police and is one of the agents pursuing the three boys.

This film is universally praised by critics in Germany for its authenticity and cinematic quality. It's a tragedy that it's never been released outside of Germany, and the German DVD edition doesn't have any subtitles at all, not even German. "Go West" is a film that ought to be made available to a wider audience.

Ip Man 2 [Guest Writer] (5 Stars)

 

Ip Man 2 is a 2010  Chinese/Hong Kong biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun, and a sequel to the 2008 film Ip Man. This film is directed by Wilson Yip and stars Donnie Yen, who also starred in the first film as well. Continuing after the events of Ip Man, the sequel centers on Ip's movements in Hong Kong, which is under British colonial rule in 1950. With his wife expecting their second child, Ip opens a martial arts school to teach Wing Chun. Things start slowly and even when he has students, Ip doesn't always collect tuition. Ip also runs afoul of the local guild of martial arts masters, who demand that he defeat each of them before they will let his school continue; the elder of the group, Master Hong Zhen Nan, also demands a sizable payment but Ip is defiant and refuses. Things begin to go terribly wrong when the British whose boxing champion, Twister, insults Chinese martial arts at a public demonstration and Master Hong steps forward to defend Chinese honor but is defeated and dies as result of his injuries of the fight. During a press conference where Twister denounces "Chinese boxing" and ridicules Master Hong for being too weak as the cause of his death, Ip Man steps forward to avenge Master Hong's name and the honor of Chinese martial arts with a challenge to a duel. Will he be able to conquer?

Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen do it again with this second masterpiece of work about Ip Man. I was quite honestly dubious of whether it would be able to compete with my first reaction to the first film because sequels seem to be a constant disappointment to me but I was pleasantly surprised. In this film I would even dare say that my reaction was even more intense as it had me crying in the first few minutes of the film as it tried to catch us up with the events between the first film and the second - some of it tragic and some triumphant. Again, I was on the edge of my seat and riveted from the first moment. I was expecting Bruce Lee's character to make an appearance at first but as the story continued on I realized the timeline was all wrong and was mildly disappointed but not enough to stop watching. I think one thing I liked, besides the stunts and action sequences was the consistency between the actors/actresses from the first film in the second. Often times, unfortunately, I see the same characters played by different actors from the first film and it's a constant annoyance and frustration for me. I quite honestly hate that about some movies and it can even be the downfall for some at times.

As I was reading up on Ip Man, it seriously made me want to learn the history of this film and background to it which is something that I have never wanted to do before, I came across this quote:

The filmmakers have expressed that while Ip Man was about survival, Ip Man 2 is about living. The sequel is set in Hong Kong in 1949, when the country was under British colonial rule. Screenwriter Edmond Wong stated that the film also "deals with how Hong Kong people were treated under British colonial rule, and Western attitudes concerning Chinese kung fu."

That one quote pretty much sums up things nicely. It's an overall excellent film that is in my Top 10 list of Action movies if not in my overall Top 10 Movie list! This film had me in tears and cheers (ha!) and I highly recommend it.

Ip Man [Guest Writer] (5 Stars)

Ip Man is a 2008 Hong Kong semi biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Yip Man (1893-1972), a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and Master of Bruce Lee. The film is set in the 1930s in Foshan, a hub of southern Chinese martial arts, where various schools actively recruit disciples and compete against each other. While Ip Man - played by Donnie Yen - is seen as the most skilled in his art and highly respected, he is also unassuming and likes to keep a low profile, deciding not to accept disciples and instead spends his days training and spending time with his friends and family although he can't avoid facing the occasional challenge from a stray gang of ruffians. Soon Japan invades China and Ip Man and his family goes from being independently wealthy to living in poverty after Japanese troops seize his residence and assets for their own occupation and use. This leaves Ip Man taking any work for food. General Miura, now in charge, stages martial arts fighs between Chinese and his men with the winners receiving extra rice. When the general's attache murders a colleague of Ip's, Ip's honor demands he step forward to challenge them. At the same time, ruffians begin threatening a local cotton mill and it's up to Ip Man to protect the mill and face Miura.

I had seen this movie advertised for a few days on Netflix as I browsed for something to watch and initially dismissed it after a cursory glance of the cover but ended up coming back to it when I was in a rare moment of boredom and running out anything interesting to watch. I'm so glad that I had a chance to see this movie because it took my breath away from beginning to end. If I could give it 10 stars I would do so without a second's hesitation. I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story. I found myself literally leaning toward my computer half the time and had to remind myself that no matter how close I got, I could not jump through the screen to get a closer look. Ha!

I think it's important that I emphasize that this story is very loosely based on Yip Man and not historically accurate. The real Yip Man was never forced into poverty by hardships of the Second Sino-Japanese War and never worked as a coolie in a colliery although he did work as a policeman before the Japanese invasion and continued until several years after the war until he was driven into voluntary exile in Hong Kong. He also never had to duel with a Japanese general.

A photo of Yip Man with his Disciple Bruce Lee

Even though this was a dramatization of his life, I have to say it still drew me in nonetheless and I loved it. From what I understand, Donnie Yen went all out on his research of Yip Man and even went on to say he found the role the most emotionally and mentally difficult in his career. He even went so far as to strictly diet and train in Wing Chun and also stayed in character after filming, wearing his costume and changing his voice and movement patterns. After finding all of this out, it only made me appreciate this movie all the more for the dedication that Yen took in taking on this role and the effort he put forth in this movie. A true masterpiece in my opinion.

Chocolate [Guest Writer] (5 Stars)

The Story...

When Zin (Ammara Siripong), former girlfriend of a Thai mob boss, falls for Masashi (Hiroshi Abe), a Japanese gangster in Thailand, the boss banishes them: Masashi to Japan, and Zin, with her small daughter Zen (Jeeja Yanin - Raging Phoenix), to live next to a martial arts school. Zen is autistic, with uncanny swift reflexes. She watches the students next door and Kung Fu movies, absorbing every technique. She's now a teen, and her mother needs chemotherapy. Zin has taken in a chubby kid, Moom (Taphon Phopwandee), who watches over Zen. Moom finds a ledger listing business men who owe Zin money; he goes to them one at a time to collect in order to pay for Zin's treatment. Zen, with her martial skills, becomes his enforcer. A showdown with the boss is inevitable.

Wow. I was blown away by this story and had to watch it twice more after the first time. Jeeja Yanin also played the main role in Raging Phoenix, which I also did a review on here. I became a fan of hers after seeing that movie and when I saw this movie hosted on netflix, I had to see it and don't regret it a bit. From what I understand this movie was actually written with Jeeja in mind along with her skills. I wasn't the hugest fan of her character in the Raging Phoenix because I'm jut not a fan of spoiled characters but in this story it was the complete opposite and she did it equally as well. The plot feels like something that hasn't been done before - or at least I've yet to see something done with the same story - and it kept my attention throughout the movie. I will admit there were some slow moments where they wanted to have their dramatic moments and I'm not a fan of drama but it wasn't so bad as to make me want to skip forward. The stunts left me breathless and laughing in spots. A truly great and interesting film that I highly recommend to action and martial art movie lovers everywhere! It even had me crying at the end of the movie! I guess it's to be expected from the director of Ong Bak, another movie that I fell in love with and will be reviewing sooner or later so keep an eye out for that.

The Last Airbender [Guest Writer] (4 Stars)

The Story...

The world is divided into four kingdoms, each represented by the element they harness, and peace has lasted throughout the realms of Water, Air, Earth, and Fire under the supervision of the Avatar, a link to the spirit world and the only being capable of mastering the use of all four elements. When young Avatar Aang disappears, the Fire Nation launches an attack to eradicate all members of the Air Nomads to prevent interference in their future plans for world domination. 100 years pass and current Fire Lord Ozai continues to conquer and imprison anyone with elemental "bending" abilities in the Earth and Water Kingdoms, while siblings Katara and Sokka from a Southern Water Tribe find a mysterious boy trapped beneath the ice outside their village. Upon rescuing him, he reveals himself to be Aang, Avatar and last of the Air Nomads. Swearing to protect the Avatar, Katara and Sokka...

I hadn't planned on seeing this movie in theaters in the beginning. My brother was a fan of the original cartoon series and would constantly annoy me with stories and unwanted anecdotes so I had an initial dislike for it from the beginning and the previews at the time really annoyed me more than intrigued me with it's vagueness. I ended up seeing this in theaters with my brother and I'm partly glad I did and at the same time regretting it now that I think about it. It was a good movie overall but sometimes I wonder if it was truly worth the price of the ticket now that I can easily see it on cable television. The young actor that plays the legendary airbender was really great in his role and did the stunts well. It seemed he was the perfect match for this film and I can't imagine the producers choosing anyone else. I was annoyed that they left the story almost hanging at the end - or at least that's how it felt to me. I know they wanted to leave room for a sequel and even possibly a trilogy but I think they could've done it a bit better so that I left with some satisfaction instead of feeling at odds with the future of the journey. It didn't feel like a complete story in the end and more like a chapter. I hate stopping in the middle of a story. Ugh. Overall the story was engaging, the acting well done, stunts exciting and it's a great story for people of all ages.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice [Guest Writer] (4 Stars)

Balthazar Blake, played by Nicholas Cage, is a master sorcery stuck in modern-day Manhattan defending the city from his nemesis, Maxim Horvath, played by Alfred Molina. Of course he can't do this alone and finds David Stutler, played by Jay Baruchel, an average guy who has the hidden potential and decides to take him on as his protégé, to David's reluctance. He gives David a crash course in the art of magic and they soon work to stop Horvath and his cronies, who are trying their hardest to awaken a great evil sorceress that was sealed away centuries ago by Balthazar's love interest. Can David come up with the courage to survive his training, save the world and get the girl?

This is a fun movie that is great for all ages. It leaves you laughing quite a lot and I have become a fan of Baruchel and his comedic antics. He has a bit of a quirky wit that appeals to me and Nicholas Cage did very well in this movie as well although I do admit that it's nothing compared to some of his past films that I'm a fan of. He did a similar film - or at least one that felt similar in it's fantastical nature - with Season of the Witch. If I were to be quite honest this movie didn't wow me to the tips of my toes but it did give me the occasional laugh, especially when Baruchel had his Fantasia moment. If you're not familiar with the animated film Fantasia featuring Mickey Mouse, I'm referring to the scene where Mickey - as the Sorcerer's Apprentice (get it?) - puts a spell on a broom, which causes it to come to life and fill up a well using two buckets of water. Soon the well overflows and Mickey is unable to control the broom leading to a near-flood. The movie did a went a similar vain but of course it was modernized and they added a few extra bits here and there that really took it to a new level when Baruchel began fighting and struggling with the brooms and cleaning supplies. [laughs] That's just one of many interesting and funny scenes throughout the movie and while it has it's action scenes and serious moments it does keep things lighthearted in the end. I recommend this to everyone of all ages.

SALT [Guest Writer] (3 Stars)

Evelyn Salt is a CIA agent and highly respected by all, including her boss, Ted Winter. Out of the blue, a Russian spy walks into their offices and offers a vital piece of information: the President of Russia will be assassinated during his forthcoming visit to New York City to attend the funeral of the recently deceased U.S. Vice President. The name of the assassin: Evelyn Salt. Concerned about the safety of her husband, who she cannot contact, she goes on the run. Winter refuses to accept that she is a mole or a double agent but her actions begin to raise doubts. Just who is Evelyn Salt and what is she planning?

I was waiting in anticipation when I first saw the previews on this film and I admit that I felt a little let down when I finally got a chance to see it. The action was great and there was never a time that I was left wanting more of that but the acting and plot just didn't keep me as engaged as I thought it would in the beginning which left me feeling a little disappointed at the end. In the end, I don't have much to say on this film except that it's not a DVD I would buy but only wait for to come on cable. For those that enjoy suspense thrillers I would say to check it out because it may be up your alley and all in all it was an okay film.

A-Team [Guest Writer] (5 Stars)

Four American soldiers who are in Iraq are sent on a mission to recover plates for printing 100 dollar bills that were used to print a billion dollars. After doing the job and returning to the base their commanding officer is killed in an explosion and the plates are stolen by another operative. They would be court martialed and sent to different prisons. 6 months later, the leader, Hannibal Smith is visited by a CIA spook who tells him he knows where the man who took the plates is and wants him and his men to recover it. So he helps him escape and he breaks out the others and they go after the plates. But after doing it, they discover that the spook might not be ok. And a military intelligence officer who was involved with one of them is pursuing them.

I have to admit that I didn't know anything about the original A-Team show - I'm not a fan of Mister T. When I first saw the previews on this movie, I was immediately attracted to the high intensity action scenes and engaging and occasionally funny dialog. If the original shows were anything like this movie, then I will definitely be taking a peek at those shows one of these days when I get the time to have a good long marathon. The actors were really great in this movie and they each held their own with one another. I was already a fan of Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper so it really helped made the decision to see this movie in theaters that much easier. I was surprised at two relative unknowns - Quinton Jackson and Sharlto Copley held their own as well as they did and was certainly not left in anyone's shadow. They each added something important and essential to the storyline and plot and made it so complete. Overall this is a new favorite for me and at least in my top 15 action films!

The Tourist [Guest Writer] (4½ Stars)

Elise (Angelina Jolie) sits next to an American tourist, Frank (Johnny Depp), on a train going to Venice. She has chosen him as a decoy, making believe that he is her lover who is wanted by police. Not only will they need to evade the police, but also the mobster whose money her lover stole.

It's important to note that this is the American remake of Anthony Zimmer, a French romantic thriller film released in 2005. Before I saw this movie I had decided to do some reading up on it and found this out which led me to learning more about the original and by the time I saw The Tourist, I had already known the entire plot or at least the general gist of it all. I can honestly say that I'm not the type of person where learning the spoilers ruin the experience of the movie for me but for those that feel this way I'll be careful not to share too much. [smiles]

The movie starts out with Elise being followed by the French Police and Inspector John Acheson (Paul Bettany - Priest) who has spent years hunting Elise's lover, Alexander Pearce, who owes £744 million pounds (nearly 2 billion USD) in back taxes and is believed to have had extensive plastic surgery to change his appearance completely. Elise receives a letter from Pearce instructing her to board a train to Venice and pick out a man who resembles Pearce, and make the police believe that this decoy is Pearce himself - this decoy turns out to be an American school teacher, Frank, played by Jonny Depp. As the film progresses, we soon learn that Pearce also in trouble with a mobster whom he stole 2.3 billion from and this puts Frank into further trouble as he has to avoid Inspector Acheson and Reginald Shaw - the gangster. The movie has it's funny moments - not belly laughs but more of quiet or inward chuckles of light amusement at Frank's predicament. There is also a strong underlying plot of romance running evenly with the suspense and thriller portion of it but it feels very well interwoven into one full story. Overall I really enjoyed this film and recommend it. It may not be for everyone as there aren't any huge action sequences to draw your attention except for a few shoot outs. But I enjoyed it so I guess that says something. Ha!

Clash of the Titans [Guest Writer] (5 Stars)

Princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) is the daughter of King Cepheus, who has gained a victory against the gods. The vengeful god of the underworld, Hades (Ralph Fiennes), demands that Andromeda is offered as a sacrifice or he will unleash the Kraken against Argos. A desperate King Cepheus asks demi-god Perseus (Sam Worthington) to find a way to defeat the Kraken. Perseus accepts the challenge because Hades was responsible for his family's death. He discovers that the way to kill the Kraken lies with getting the head of the gorgon Medusa.

I absolutely love movies that have to do anything with Greek Mythology and loved this movie to bits and pieces. This movie made me a huge fan of Sam Worthington and his work and it didn't hurt that it had some other favorites of mine - Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson. The story was engaging although I do admit that Sam's character annoyed me with his stubborn pride that constantly put the other supporting characters' lives in danger but I suppose that he can't help the way his character was written. The action and special effects scenes were very fantastical and really kept me on the edge of my seat and it even had a bit of romance for the ladies although it definitely wasn't a main subplot of the movie. It seems as if they had all their bases covered to appeal to the masses so kudos to them for that. This is definitely a movie I would recommend for action and fantasy lovers.

(I thought I had already done a review on this but perhaps I was wrong since I couldn't find it. If anyone else out there finds it, let me know. Sometimes I feel old and senile which is ridiculous at my age but oh well. Ha!)

Wrath of the Titans [Guest Writer] (4½ Stars)

 I have been procrastinating on putting up my reviews so I thought I would start with the latest movie that I've seen first - Wrath of the Titans.
A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus - the demigod son of Zeus - is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon's demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

I was really excited when I first saw the previews of this movie and was eagerly anticipating getting to see this in theaters. I'm very picky about the movies that I'm willing to pay to see on the big screen and with something that claimed to have such action packed scenes and awesome special effects - I just couldn't resist shelling out the $10. I'm not sure whether I was expecting this movie to surpass Clash of the Titans although I will say that I wasn't disappointed but it didn't truly blow me away either. It delivered on all of it's promises and the battles were much more elaborate than the the first film in my opinion although it almost felt too reminiscent of the first one. He had to go through his trials defeating a few foes to get to the big boss. I don't regret spending the money to see this movie and it was great to see the "Gods" have a bit more prominent role other than the occasional glimpses that CoT had. All in all it was a pretty good film and one that I would recommend to those that enjoyed the first film. Oh and I really hated his hair in this film, constantly distracted me - ugh. But that's just my personal taste. Hehe.

Angel Heart (4½ Stars)

1955. Mickey Rourke stars as Harry Angel, a small time private detective who lives and works in Harlem, New York. He specialises in domestic cases, following husbands, petty stuff in general. One day a mysterious stranger, played admirably by Robert De Niro, hires him to track down a singer; Johnny Favorite, who hasn't been seen for 12 years. Supposedly Johnny has been lying in a hospital severely wounded all this time, but it's recently become apparent that he isn't there.

Harry takes on the case, but soon realises that it isn't as straight forward as he expected. He interviews the doctor at the hospital, who confirms that Johnny had been removed from the hospital shortly after admission, but then he kills himself before giving further information. Harry travels to New Orleans to speak to Johnny's old friends, but everyone he speaks to ends up dead, and worse still, the police suspect that Harry is the murderer.

This is a stylish dark film. It has all the characteristics of film noir, but it's mixed with religious imagery, both Christian and voodoo. The film's atmosphere is as fascinating as the mystery itself.

Click here to view the trailer.

This ain't Avatar XXX (4½ Stars)

This was the most ambitious of Axel Braun's porn parodies to date, and his first film to be made in 3D. The concept is unlike any of his other parodies to date. It can even be argued that it isn't a parody at all, more of a homage to James Cameron's "Avatar". Apart from subtle name changes (for instance the planet Pandora is renamed Panwhora) the details of the film imitate the original without mocking it. There are no attempts at comedy; on the contrary, this film adds tragic elements not present in the original.

Axel Braun's films usually fall into one of two categories. Films such as "This Ain't Star Trek XXX" retell a story already well known to fans in a new pornographic format. The others, such as "This Ain't Spider-Man XXX", tell an alternative story in the original style. "This ain't Avatar XXX" takes a different path. The film isn't standalone, it's a companion to the original. The events are threaded between those of the original film. It tells us about what happened between the scenes. It shows us the sexual encounters that James Cameron missed out. Somehow I can't help feeling that Cameron would enjoy watching this film. It then goes on to tell us what happened after the end of the original film.

The film's lavish production can't be faulted. The film doesn't suffer from the same low budget constraints as some of Axel's other films. Highly recommendable, especially if you watch it back to back with the original film.

Click here to view the trailer.

Here's a link to an AVN article that gives more details.

Paranoid Park (4 Stars)

Alex is a 16-year-old boy from Portland, Oregon. He's popular at school. He's dating the most beautiful cheerleader on the squad, 14-year-old Jennifer. But he's going through an existential crisis. The world seems so empty to him, so pointless, and he's sure there must be more to life. This is a common state of mind if you're a teenage boy or French. Not even Jennifer's wish that they should lose their virginity together offers him any excitement. The only thing that gives him any pleasure is skateboarding. I suppose that could be considered a nihilistic hobby.

After visiting a skate park called Paranoid Park he meets some other skateboarders who talk him into taking a free ride on a freight train. He accidentally kills a security guard by pushing him off  the train. He can't confide in anyone, and the secret oppresses him in his already gloomy life.

The film was a box office flop and it's easy to see why. It's so slow, and so little happens that the film could have been compressed into a 30 minute short film. More than anything the film is a showcase for the dreamy visuals of master cinematographer Christopher Doyle, who is better known for his work in Chinese films. I don't know if he's the world's best cinematographer, but he's the only cinematographer I can name, which says a lot. I can see that this film is too "arty" to appeal to a wider audience, but it was appreciated by film critics and won a won a string of awards. If you want to take a chance on something different, try this.

Click here to view the trailer.

Jenseits der Mauer (4½ Stars)

Three families are connected by one 17-year-old girl, Rebecca Pramann from Leipzig.

In 1974 Ulrich and Heike Molitor attempt to leave East Germany using fake passports. Their children are hidden in a secret compartment in their car. They are arrested and sentenced as enemies of the state, but are allowed to go to West Germany without imprisonment if they agree to leave their two-year-old daughter Miriam in a children's home for adoption.

Frank and Susanne Pramann adopt Miriam and give her the new name Rebecca. Frank is a full time worker for the East German secret police, the Stasi, but keeps his job secret from even his closest friends. They never tell Rebecca that she has been adopted.

Karl-Heinz Schröder is a high-ranking member of the ruling East German Communist party, and his wife Brigitte works at the children's home where Miriam/Rebecca was left for adoption. In 1985 the Molitor family are allowed to have written contact with their daughter in exchange for passing secret plans from Ulrich's aeronautics company to the East. Brigitte answers the letters, pretending to be their daughter.

This is a fictional story, representing cases that were typical between 1961 and 1989. The East German government forced parents to give up their children for adoption before letting them leave the country. This was done under pressure by offering an alternative that would be much worse for both the parents and the children. In most cases it was planned in advance. If a couple who were "good socialist citizens" wanted to adopt a child the government would look for "bad citizens" that they could take a child away from.

Unfortunately, the reunification of Germany in 1990 did not solve the problems. It was part of the reunification contract that cases of forced adoption would not be treated as human rights violations. All adoption cases in former East Germany were classified as state secrets and the documents had to remain sealed for 50 years, starting from the date of the adoption. The facts behind the early adoptions in the 1960's have only recently been revealed, and the truth is horrifying.

Shaolin Temple (4 Stars)

This is Jet Li's first film, made when he was only 19, maybe 18. It already shows off his considerable martial arts talents. It was one of the most succesful films in Chinese history. Over 50 million people bought tickets to see the film in China alone.

Jet Li plays Cheh Yuan, a young boy who takes refuge in a Shaolin temple after escaping captivity. He becomes a monk, but his aims aren't spiritual. He wants to learn kung fu so that he can take revenge on the warlord who killed his father.

The film seems to make fun of the monks in a light-hearted way. They eat meat when they get the chance, saying that if they have Buddha in their hearts everything is holy. That's a good excuse to do anything that Buddhism forbids. They also rejoice when the king tells them that monks should be allowed to drink alcohol. Oh, and the amazing fighting style called "Drunken Stick Kung Fu"? That's so silly, and yet funny at the same time.

Adrenalin (4 Stars)

This is a 1996 German film starring pretty boy Til Schweiger. In many ways it's similar to the Oscar nominated Austrian film "Revanche" made in 2008, except that it has more action and less emotional depth.

Til Schweiger plays the role of troubled police man Stefan Renner. His wife is killed by the gangster pair Werner and Tatjana. When he corners Werner during a bank robbery he cracks under pressure and shoots Werner after he had already surrendered. Stefan loses his job and is sent to prison for three years. When he comes out Tatjana is waiting to take revenge on him.

The film is fast moving and exciting, but it has one glaring mistake. No explanation is given why the couple killed Stefan's wife. It's not usual for criminals to kill a random police man's wife. Revenge for a foiled crime? Or maybe Stefan had previously had an affair with Tatjana? Not being told is frustrating.

Til Schweiger is both loved and hated for his looks. His blond hair and blue eyes made him a pinup for young girls when he first appeared in the German soap opera "Lindenstrasse" in 1990. When he was in his 30's, as in "Adrenalin", he had a baby face. Now that he's in his 40's he has a more rugged face, but that doesn't detract from his appeal to women. On the other hand, because of his looks many people don't take him seriously. This is unfair. He's a good actor, as this film shows. Maybe not a great actor, but better than many American actors in recent films. I won't name any names unless I'm forced to.