Change Your Image
mentalmummy
Reviews
Star Trek (2009)
At last a kick ass Trek!
Being a fan of the original series and of The Next Generation TV series I expected to hate this, was it a remake which would ruin a good series or could it actually be worth watching? Well I'm pleased to say I really enjoyed this film, non star trek fans can jump in and enjoy it as a stand alone movie and fans of the series can enjoy a look at how the original crew start out.
So there's a few plot holes, nothing too major or noticeable but as with many big Hollywood blockbusters nowadays you do need to suspend belief a little.
The storyline is pretty straightforward and nothing too original, future bad guy time travels to past and basically sets out to destroy everything and the crew of a lone star ship must defeat his evil plan.
But don't let that put you off, the acting is good (young Kirk, Spock and McCoy are perfectly cast and acted), the special effects are just amazing and there is a shed load of kick ass action.
As a fan of the series I enjoyed seeing the characters growing up and their personalities being examined, and yes Spock does say "fascinating" in the film, that annoyingly Vulcan attitude of his fully evident throughout the movie.
There are a few scenes that stood out, the introduction of Kirks father during a heated battle, Spocks father finally telling him the real reason he married a human, the scene where Spock loses his temper on the Enterprise and Kirk trying to run through the Enterprise with swollen hands risking his life to warn of a Romulan attack All in all a good fun action sci-fi adventure for Trekkies and non Trekkies alike
AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem (2007)
Better than the first
This is better than the first movie, which was awful, but while taking its time to get interesting it's not bad at all and worth seeing for the Alien / Predator hybrid or if you don't like that there's always a brief scene with a hot chick in her underwear! The special effects are good as expected though the baby aliens still seem more like toys, the action is thick and fast and the movie is well worth a look.
You won't be bored, you might not be overwhelmed but chances are if you're reading reviews of the film and you're a fan of aliens or predator you will enjoy this.
The acting is not brilliant but it's not bad and while the script has some clichés it does a god job of keeping the story moving along so that you are never bored.
Sleuth (2007)
Cracking remake, great acting!
Michael Caine is Wyke, an ageing clever and very rich crime writer whose wife is having an affair with Milo Tindell, a young almost effeminate younger man.
When Milo visits him to discuss his wife getting a divorce Wyke offers a very tempting deal allowing him to keep the woman and make a lot of money in the process. But unknown to Milo the placid mister Wyke is planning something to settle his wife's lover once and for all.
Or is he? That's the plot but the film is so much more. There's no big explosions, no million dollar special effects, no play it by the book script. Here you have two actors playing very well off each other and a story with plenty of twists that will keep you guessing right to the end.
Worth a watch, definitely, but not if your idea of a good film is judged by how big the body count is. A clever little script and two star performances round out an interesting little movie!
Doctor Who (1996)
It's not all bad, really....
Okay first off I'm British and a big fan of Doctor Who, especially Tom Baker and David Tennants doctors. And yes Hollywood have ruined it with this movie but there are some good bits in there.
McGann is excellent as the new doctor, with a touch of his predecessors about him he is believable as the awkward yet clever doctor, sometimes a bit nonsensical but always behind it all a genius.
Eric Roberts (another actor I like) is miscast as the master, he is way to "Ming the merciless" which to be fair is the scripts fault but he just doesn't come across as the doctors evil counterpart. The master is supposed to be the evil version of the doctor, essentially, a part captured perfectly by people like John Sims and Anthony Ainley in the TV series.
The storyline starts off well, the idea that the master (Doctor Who's arch enemy, a guy who never ever stays dead) has found a way to come back from the dead to wreak revenge but then it just stops working.
The master is scary in the TV series because you know full well that as soon as you see him the doctors very life is in danger, their encounters are always battles of the mind and the doctor always has to make tough decisions to beat him.
Here however the master dresses camp and hams it up as if he were the human equivalent of miss piggy with glib one liners and more interest in speeches than destroying the doctor.
If you want to see the master at work try the episodes of the TV series "Utopia" "The sound of drums" or "Last of the timelords". Even the weaker master episodes like "The five doctors" work well.
The fx are great, the doctor is good and the plot will hold your attention if you're bored but this is nothing like the TV series.
If you want to see a more modern yet faithful doctor who try watching episodes like "Blink" "The Satan pit" "Rise of the Cybermen" even "Doomsday".
Would you like a jelly baby!?
28 Weeks Later (2007)
Great atmospheric but with a few small inconsistencies - deserves a sequel
At least as good as the first film this tells the story 28 weeks later and has the Americans helping the surviving Brits rebuild society starting with a protected zone inside of London.
There are a few plot points that you need to accept as happening, even though they make little common sense - like how the dad survives firebombing, how he always manages to be on the kids trail, why some victims (some soldiers for example) just seem to die whereas most become killing machines and the ending (which I won't give away) while a neat ending fits into that category a little as well.
But it feels like the original and while bits of it require switching your common sense off for it is a good fun horror film and the "zombies" (or should I say "the infected") are very well done - fast, vicious and intelligent. Indeed the infected are what take this film up a notch because this isn't just another zombie type film, the infected are "zombies" the way they should be to scare you - they move extremely fast, they're not thick and they never hesitate to kill.
The camera work is eerie as expected, it still amazes me how they get London looking so empty and lifeless and I liked how they didn't fully follow Hollywood convention and made it so you couldn't be sure which characters would or would not survive.
It didn't really make me jump, my wife was having kittens watching this though as for her it was very scary. It's a worthy sequel and good enough that I'd like to see another instalment, maybe they could make this a trilogy? Overall they have managed to do what so many sequels fail to do, they have kept the look and feel of the original while improving on it and that is a rare feat.
Red Mercury (2005)
Very tense well written thriller
Three Muslim men making a bomb are tipped off that the police are after them and run out of their flat as the police arrive, thinking on their feet they go into the nearest open building, a Greek restaurant, and hold the staff and patrons hostage while they try to figure out a way to complete their plan.
The script is well written and the acting is very good throughout, the tension is kept up well and you do end up understanding why some of the men think the way they do.
The police are shown as very clever and quick thinking, which makes a nice change as often they are portrayed as foolish,and the film seems very realistic with the obligatory dramatic finale of course.
Overall a decent, interesting film which I doubt many would be bored by and one worth a look if you're bored or just fancy a good thriller.
SPOILER: While the film is tense and dramatic most of the time there is one scene that made me laugh out loud and provided a touch of light relief to the tension.
Stockard Channings character intervenes in the process of making demands with a request concerning the Elgin Marbles. As the police and MI5 read the list of demands they pause, look confused and then we find out what was added....
George Lucas in Love (1999)
Brilliant
This film is short but absolutely flawless as it tells the story of how George Lucas may have got his inspiration for Star Wars.
This gentle comedy is just pure fun, from Georges arch nemesis through to the Yoda like encounter and of course the beauty he encounters along the way.
The ending is funny and I liked the scene with Georges friend right at the end when he gets a new pet, all in all a fun film which had me laughing out loud.
The actor playing Lucas is very good in the role, the script is well written and the music well suited.
Overall highly recommended!
Life of Brian (1979)
He's not the messiah - he's a very naughty boy!
Okay let's get this out of the way first, yes I'm a Christian and yes I love this film! The language is a bit coarse at times but the film is a comedy gem, the gags just keep coming and Chapman is perfectly cast as the hapless Brian, a man mistaken for the new Messiah.
I get stick from some people for liking this, especially as I think the scene where the real Jesus is preaching and the crowd can't hear Him is so funny ("Blessed are the cheese makers!?") but most Christians miss the point that Brian is mistaken for the Messiah, he's not meant to be Jesus although obviously the film works so well because it is a parody of sorts.
The final scene on the cross when the convicted men sing to Brian to cheer him up is one of the highlights of the film, rarely does a comedy manage to have a poignant yet funny scene work so well.
A great comedy classic.
Rocky IV (1985)
No Oscar, just fun to watch again and again!
It's been panned by many and no it's not Shakespeare but this film is one of those rarities for me, a film I can watch many times and still really enjoy.
The story revolves around a showdown between Rocky Balboa and a new Russian boxer called Ivan Drago. After a fight in which a friend is killed by Drago Rocky agrees to an unsanctioned fight in Russia.
Riddled with guilt Rocky sees his own death at the hands of Drago and yet knowing the odds are against him he takes on the challenge. The best bit of the whole film has to be the climatic showdown and how Rocky rises to the occasion.
I rate this film an eight not because the acting is so great, it isn't, nor because the movie is groundbreaking but because it does what a good film should do - it keeps you entertained and coming back for more.
The tunes are catchy and just right for the film, the boxing is tough and looks real, the ending is uplifting and the story moves along quickly without being rushed.
So stick on the surround sound amp, turn down the lights and enjoy the fun of Rocky IV - "if he dies....he dies!" And I must complement the man responsible for the instrumental used in Dragos big showdown with Balboa - it's literally perfect and really suits the scene well, possibly the best piece of music in any Rocky film!
The Asphyx (1972)
Creepy suspenseful fun with a twist
One of my all time favourite horror films this features hardly any gore at all, rather it weaves a chilling and thought provoking tale of a psychical researcher in the Victorian era who believes he can prevent death and sets about trying to prove it with harrowing results.
From the very opening scene where a policeman pulls someone from the remains of a fatal car crash you know this film will keep you interested, and it does.
The story is gripping and tense, the acting not always the best but good never the less and the few small plot holes can be forgiven if noticed.
Like many good horror films this relies primarily on a gripping plot and our interest in the fate of the characters to keep it interesting rather than on gore. When we do see gore, such as the severed head or the explosion it is toned down and shown briefly, and the only weak spot is when we do see who it is pulled from the wreckage at the end the makeup effects are a little bit underwhelming but then for the period they were pretty good.
Fans of Hammer films such as the Dracula outings of Christopher Lee should enjoy this as should anyone interested in a good story.
Like "The Survivor" (a later horror chiller with co star Robert Powell) this is effective because the original idea is just that, original, and because Stephens and Powell work so well together.
A good fun old fashioned horror movie with that Gothic Frankenstein feel to it.