We were up in Milton Keynes overnight for work and after exploring the theatre district (by exploring I mean having dinner at TGIF as all the restaurant we found seemed to be chains!, playing a few arcade games in the Xtreme centre, and checking out the indoor ski slope) Jules and I weren’t left which much to do for the night so we decided to catch a flick. The Day The Earth Stood Still, starring Keanu Reeves, was it for the night.

I didn’t actually know what the movie was about but I think it is mostly an environmental message movie – a kind of warning for us that we are destroying the earth. It was a part action part science fiction type movie. This is the kind of movie that suits Keanu to a tee – he is required to deliver a basically emotionless, stoic character which requires no change in facial features and an enviable constant calm. So … he played this role perfectly!

Impact-wise the movie had lots of special effects etc., I especially liked the touch of including a giant robot with Cyclops style laser eyes which Jules and I found absolutely hilarious although I don’t think we were supposed to find that funny, and the special effects did prove effective but in the end I kind of thought “its not the worst movie I’ve even seen” and that “it was just okay.” Thoughts which were strangely echoed by those walking behind us when we walked out the cinema it seemed! This luke-warm reaction is probably not the kind of reaction movie-makers would like to hear about their movie.

I haven’t seen the first Madagascar movie so I have nothing to really base my opinion on but I really liked this sequel! It probably helped that I was in a mood for a nice laugh. Madgascar 2 is sweet, endearing and hilarious. It also had some tear-jearker moments though with me that doesn’t really take all that much to make me shed a tear.

At about 70-75 minutes (not including the credits) the movie is not very long at all. Probably just the right length to tell the story though if you’re looking for bang for your buck in terms of time in the cinema this probably hits lower on the scale!

We take the main quartet to Africa where they are stranded when the plane that was taking them …. crashes. Alex, the lion, is reunited with his family from whom he was separated as a young cub when he was first taken to the Manhattan zoo, a place where he has never learnt to be a lion but has learned to dance to perform to entertain. The reunion is sweet and touching though over too soon when Alex is challenged to a fight. His father is leader of the pride and the return of Alex prompts his evil nemesis to challenge young lion to a battle for leadership. Alex thinking it’s a dance-off rather than a fight-off loses horribly and as a result loses his father leadership of the pride. Of course the timing coincides with loss of water to the pride and Alex sees this as the chance to restore his dad to the top by solving the problem.

It’s a story of acceptance, forgiveness and redemption. Being a kiddie movie of course it ends happily and with some good laughs along the way. Totally enjoyed it.

With such a provocative title you’d think that the movie wouldn’t live up to it – kind of like trailers for some movies which give you all the good bits up front such that you find yourself disappointed with the actual film. To my surprise this ended up being quite an entertaining movie and, be warned, there are some fairly out there scenes in the movie and very lewd conversations. All in good taste of course.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Kevin Smith film so probably in that sense I wasn’t heading into the movie with any sort of expectations. Nate chose the film and as I was just along for the ride with him and Caro I didn’t even know what I was getting into. In essence the film is some sort of rom-com wrapped around two characters who need to find a way to raise money – and quickly.

The movie starts of fairly slow but really hits it stride about a quarter or a third of the way through. I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time and, though by the end of the movie you know its heading for its predictable ending, you are taking along for a fairly interesting ride along the way. There are also some great cameos in here so look out for them.

Later on I read that at the end of the credits there are some extra scenes which give you the actual ending of the movie so I’m a bit annoyed that we didn’t stay long enough to check it out and doing a search on google has, for once, failed to come up with any answers so if anyone does go see this movie drop me a line about how it really ends!

This is a real boys film with three chase scenes in differing modes of transport a car, a boat and a plane. All three scenes are filled with dizzying crazy action where you can’t follow what is going on but you know that Bond somehow has the upper hand despite the obvious disadvantages he has. Still, there is something for everyone in this film and even though it is at least half an hour shorter than its predecessor won’t leave you wanting too much more. (I did note that Casino Royale was actually half an hour too long so maybe this was a smart move by the director.)

As a follow-up to Casino Royale where Bond has just lost his one true love, Vesper Lynd, this is supposed to be a vendetta movie. However the revenge aspect is hidden behind all the mini-tasks that Daniel Craig has to deal with on the way to tracking down those responsible for Verper’s death. Bond seems cold and detached as he goes about his day in a mechanical and brutal fashion. You don’t sense the lingering anger that simmers below the surface and perhaps for those who haven’t seen Casino Royale will leave them confused as to his motivation.

The movie starts not too far from where Casino Royale finished – with Bond on the run having kidnapped one of the people in the senior management, so to speak, of the organisation responsible for her death and also it turns out potentially responsible for potentially world destruction.

There is just something about Daniel’s Craig’s Bond which is so .. primal and raw. These are the only words that really do his Bond justice. All the physical scenes in this movie are absolutely brutal and often you will see Bond on the run (either chasing or being chased) and hurting and yet he remains stoic, brooding, strong and keeps up the good fight oozing extreme testosterone the whole way. If there is one thing negative I can say about Daniel Craig’s Bond is that he could certainly give Keira Knightly a run for her money in the pursed-lips stakes!

My problem with the movie is that apart from the actual action sequences there is no real sense of suspense or drama. Things just seem to happen and just seem to work out. Still, great camera work and some beautiful scenery including the beautiful Bond girls specifically Olga Kurylenko! 🙂

Its the kind of weekend which is perfect for secluding yourself at the cinema so I watched my second film for the weekend – a righteous kill.

When is a kill righteous? A vigilante serial killer is on the lose on New York City and hot on the trail are senior detectives Robert De Niro and Al Pacino closely followed by another younger pair Donnie Wahlberg and John Leguizamo. The cast also includes the likes of Brian Dennehy and 50 Cent. The targets of the serial killer? Those criminals who have wrongly been aquitted of crimes.

The script is predictable, the characters unappealing, and the story lagging. I can tell you what a Righteous Kill would have been – killing this movie before it got to the big screen.

Its the 1920s and the concept of action movies and stuntmen is just taking off. The film is set in a hospital in LA where stuntman Roy Walker, played by Lee Pace, is charmed and in turn charms another patient, a little girl called Alexandria played by new-comer Catinca Untara.

Roy is in hospital after performing a dangerous stunt for his girlfriend who he loses anyway and after surgery he becomes suicidal because of this. Alexandria beseeches Roy to tell her a story and he creates a fantastic tale involving five bandits and an evil enemy. Throughout the telling he gains her trust and tricks her into stealing morphine so he can kill himself. The story slowly starts to incorporate all the people in wards around them until the line between reality and fantasy is blurred.

The film is luscious and beautifully shot. Apparently no special effects are used in the film so everything you see is as it was shot. Over 20 countries around the world were visited during the filming of the movie and its apparent that Director Tarsem Singh has really done his best to bring the beauty of the world to us in this feast for the eyes. It is a breathtaking movie. Great costumes as well.

However, the film is not without its weaknesses. At times the movie is quite confusing and a little self-inuldgent. It also gets very dark very quickly though I do like the anti-suicide story it brings to the table.

This movie is unlike anything you’ll see this year. I loved it.

One of the best movies I’ve seen in absolute ages The Dark Knight fully deserves all the rave reviews and hype its gotten and also, for once, I think justifies all that money being raked in at the box office. The movie is dark, its thrilling, and its full of action, drama and tragedy plenty. Not to mention the unexpected humour, not only from the utterly brilliant Heath Ledger, but actually from many cast members.

What I liked best about this Christopher Nolan production is that this is a super-hero franchise which is really now starting to have a reputation for decent story-telling. The movie has so many layers of depth that you really have to keep switched on during the movie. Character development is fantastic so you can sympathise and empathise will all characters.

In The Dark Knight, Batman is finally seeming to have an impact on the crime in Gotham City. All the drug lords are running for cover and struggling to find a way to continue to run their illicit operations. New D.A Harvey Dent, who is seemingly incorruptible, puts even more of a squeeze on the crims and they nearly have nowhere to run. Then who comes on to the scene – the Joker. The Joker is absolutely terrifying in his madness (and his zest to destroy Batman.) Though you can tell he is way out of his mind its also clear he is highly intellectual and for the most part seems to run rings around Batman. Yes Batman overcomes most of the problems but in almost every situation but one The Joker is just that one step ahead of him. This seems quite a simplified plot but within this are many layers of intricacy. A very involving story.

Performance-wise the cast were generally quite good in the film. However I’m afraid that all of them were outshone by Heath Ledger. Heath Ledger was fan-bloody-tastic. I couldn’t even begin to describe just how perfect a performance he delivers in this movie. What a waste that he is now gone!

The Dark Knight is a must watch. You won’t regret it.

In fact, the movie was so good that even Mr Mouse came out to see it! However, his attendance caused a bit of upset to Julian and Sandra last night (distracting them for at least the last 20 minutes of the movie!) Check out the letter he wrote above!! 🙂

Phew. Where to start with this movie? Well, to put it in perspective the last Indian Jones movie came out in 1989, nearly 20 years ago and that movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, was set in 1938. Time in the Indy world apparently runs in real time because the latest movie is set in 1957, maybe to reflect the realism of Harrison Ford also getting older.

Nevertheless though it has been nearly 20 years gone the formula for the movie remains the same – as always the world is on the edge of coming under the control of some great evil so Indy must seek out and prevent a great mysterious object from falling into evil’s hands. The object apparently the key to all knowledge and power on earth.

For the most part the movie is enjoyable … if you want to park your mind at the door. Things are too easy for Indy and at any time he is confronted by a challenge it is solved mere seconds later leaving you with a lack of any sort of suspense or cliff-hanger or even a desire to find out what happens next. Unfortunately it ends up being a little predictable and corny and what’s up with the bizzare conclusion. Seriously. What were the writers/producers thinking? I was looking for something a little cleverer, a little more creative, a little .. well more!

Ever since SATC aired its final episode on tele over four years ago there had been talk of a movie but it wasn’t until September last year that filming started on the movie. 8 months later, its May 28 and I’m at one of the first official public screenings of the movie in a cinema absolutely filled to the rafters with chattering and extremely excitable women (and surprisingly even a few non-gay men!) Pauline was so excited to see the movie that she could hardly contain herself but first, before the movie started, Odeon decided to hold a mini-quiz to, I guess, get everyone energised for the movie. It wasn’t exactly a professional effort but I guess it did the job of whipping everyone into a frenzy as women fought to win a prize. Interestingly we didn’t get any trailers. I guess Odeon figured the movie spoke for itself.

Just like the four ladies in the movie seeing the opening scene of SATC was like reuniting with a long lost friend – you just couldn’t help but smile and be happy. The girls and the story haven’t changed much at all, except now, four years on and reflecting the passage of real time, there is a better acknowledgement of how old the ladies ar as they continue their search for love in the City. Oh throw in Jennifer Hudson the token coloured/young woman to widen the appeal of the movie.

How do you review a movie without giving away the story? Well, to be fair the story won’t be a surprise to fans of the show – it revolves around Carrie and Mr Big and you have the usual little dramas on the side with the other girls. That’s it really. What more could be asked for.

The fashion and styling is as stunning as ever. I can’t even begin to imagine just how many outfits they feature in the film – 100s I imagine. The movie was also a visual feast for the eyes – so many colours (costume-wise and scene-wise). Kinda makes me miss New York!

I laughed, I cried, I smiled, and I ooh’d and ah’d with the rest of the women in the cinema. It was a nice evening of entertainment. Fans of the show will adore it.