Crank

Yes, I am well aware that this isn't a recent film. But me and Mark watched it the other night in bed and I absolutely loved it.
Normally I am not a fan of action based films, but this film had the balance just right. The comedy is absolutely brilliant. Tongue in cheek humour that everyone loves. And Jason Statham is a top actor, so no complaints there!

Crank was released in 2006 and didn't really have an all-star cast really. Statham is the only "big" actor in the entire film. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to do that well. The films budget of $12,000,000 was soon made back on opening weekend which brought in nearly $13,000,000. But overall, the gross revenue of the film was only $27,000,000. I thought the film was really good, so it shocked me to see that apparently not many people hold a similar opinion!


The film follows Chev Chelios (Statham) who is a professional assassin who is injected with some weird poison that stops his adrenal receptors working, meaning if he stops moving/doing anything that will give him an adrenaline rush, he dies. Whilst trying to do this, and giving the audience a few laughs, he aims to save his (dumbass) girlfriend and kill the man who poisoned him. All in a days work! 

I honestly really loved this film. And it is quite rare for me to enjoy a film the amount that I enjoyed this. The lighting is solid throughout. Yes, there are a few goofs and scenes were you can see members of the crew...but every film has a few mistakes! The camera angles are genius. At the beginning of the film, there is a first person view...but it has the feel of a video game. It's quite strange. Adequate amounts of close ups and wide shots mean that we as an audience get to follow the story along perfectly and witness all the carnage unfold =D

As I said, I really do like this film. I'm not too sure what genre to class it in as I don't think it even exists singularly yet! You know, if a film is a romance and a comedy then it is a rom-com? Yeah, that sort of thing. What is it called for action and comedy? No idea. But that is what this film is. Not too much action that you feel like you are in a Die Hard film, but not so much comedy that it takes away from the seriousness of the plot and the action aspects of the film. A perfect balance! 

So yes. If you are looking for a geniunely good film to watch with a group of mates then this is a good'n! (Wouldn't recommend watching this with your mum, the public sex scene may make things a little awkward)

Thank you for reading! Please leave your comments/suggestions/recommendations/any other crap you wish to leave me in the comment section below 

The Vow

So just been to the cinema this evening to watch this, and as much as I adore the film simply because it is a girly film and is just lovely...I have to say it is not as good as other adaptations of novels by Nicholas Sparks.


There is no doubt in my mind that all, if not most of you, have either heard of or watched The Notebook. Heartbreaking and beautiful. A DVD that must be in every girls DVD collection (sorry about the typical stereotyping!) The Notebook is my favourite adaptation from Nicholas Sparks. Then follows Dear John. The book is great and everything you want from a book. The film on the other hand...kinda falls short half way through. Good film, don't get me wrong! But could have been done a lot better in my opinion. Then we come to The Vow...

I still find the type casting of this film absolutely hilarious...but so perfect at the same time. You have Racheal McAdams who plays Paige in The Vow...and who also played Ally in The Notebook. And Channing Tatum playing Leo in The Vow...and John in Dear John. Hey, I guess these guys just capture the characters that Nicholas Sparks creates really well.

Now for the review...

First 30 minutes of the film were great. Perfect actually. Not a flaw at all. The characters are set up beautifully and their life and how it changes are all done very well and tastefully. Then the film begins to throw its audience around...and not in the way we like! There's none of that "will they, wont they" as you are constantly shown different things. Maybe that's accurate for a depiction of someone with amnesia, maybe not. But personally, it made me feel a little uncomfortable. So you go through this stage for the majority of the film. Then in the last half an hour, things got flipped tits up once again...just for the film to end (in a rush) in the complete opposite way! It isn't a satisfying ending, but the story itself is satisfying. The acting is superb and you end up sympathising for Leo more than you do Paige (or maybe that's just because he is played by Channing Tatum and he's just too pretty to hate on).

All in all, I did like the film. Well, I liked the story and I now want to go and read the book. Although it is obviously a romance film, there are little snippets of comedy in there. But I mean little. The odd joke from Tatum to be honest. It's definitely not as upsetting as I was told it is...although there were a few points in the film where I did well up a tad! It's nothing compared to The Notebook though. So I recommend that if you are going to see it, then don't go in thinking "well the story was written by the same guy who wrote The Notebook, so it's going to be good" because you will just leave disappointed. And if you didn't know about Nicholas Sparks and that he wrote all of these different stories...well now you do! 

Heads up for any future Sparks adaptations...always take a tissue for tears in the cinema. None of his stories have a happy ending! 

I rate this film a 7/10 :] thanks for reading! Share around and leave your comments below.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

I'd heard a lot about this series of books, and after a few weeks of contemplating whether to read them or not, I figured I would give them a go.

PART 1

The Hunger Games is the first book in the trilogy. You follow the story of Katniss Everdeen as she battles her way through the rules that her society sets, being The Hunger Games. Whenever I described this book to someone, I always used the analogy "think of a Big Brother style show...except you are made to go on it and have to become a murderer".
I had this book bought for me on last Monday Evening. I had it finished by Tuesday night. I believe the book is 500+ plus pages in length...so not too much that you feel swamped down by the vast amount of story, but not too little that you feel as if you are reading a toddlers book.
Speaking of ages, there are moments in the book where you feel as if the writing style is more aimed at a young teen audience. The targeted age range is young adults...but this is only reflected in the writing style in my opinion. The story and the ideologies that it presents is a very mature theme. 
There are moments in the book that are very moving and touching. Trust me, this book does give the audience a sense of emotions and you will begin to feel for the characters and begin to place yourself in their shoes.
Being strictly honest, there are a few moments in the book where Suzanna Collins' (author) editor must have had a bit too much to drink or drifted off to sleep, as there are a few spelling and grammatical errors (and the odd random word/letter thrown in for laughs apparently).
Saying all of that though, I really did enjoy this book. Once you start reading, there isn't a "boring" moment where you think it is a good place to stop reading for the night. You just have to bite the bullet and read it all in one go, or you have to persevere against the withdrawal symptoms.
The Hunger Games is currently in the process of becoming a motion picture. It is due for release (in the UK) on the 23rd of March 2012. Here are the 3 trailers that have currently been released.

So there it is. Definitely recommend this book and cannot wait for the film to be released. Judging by the trailers, the story line has wandered from the books a bit (at the beginning of the  3rd trailer, you see Katniss give a mockingjay pin to her sister, Prim, when in the book the pin was given to Katniss by the mayors daughter before Katniss entered the games.)


Go read it!

Law Abiding Citizen

Law Abiding Citizen (2009) has a fabulous cast which is lead by the fantastic Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx. The film follows a mans personal vendetta and the love he has for his family vs the judicial system in America, its flaws and a lawyers life changing journey.
After the murder of Clyde Sheltons (Butler) family and the way his lawyer, Nick Rice (Foxx) chose to deal with the murder case in course, Clyde chooses to take matters into his own hands and show the court the ripple effect of their actions can affect a man and how hypocrisy is rife in Americas judicial system. 

The film has its comedic moments, but it does pull on your heart strings for the majority of the film. Even though, technically, Clyde is the antagonist and Nick is the protoganist, the roles are shown in a such a way that they actually are reversed. Weird, I know.
Clyde begins making strange requests in prison and making deals with lawyers in order to show them the error of their ways. Things soon take a turn for the worse and the judicial system soon realises that they have no control over a man seeking justice for his loss and vengeance for the courts letting him down and not fulfilling their constitutional role.

If you watch the film with an open mind, you will realise that the film is much deeper then it first seems (which is pretty deep anyway). The ending (SPOILER ALERT) first appears to be absolutely shite ending. That was my first thought, not going to lie. You have this massive build up, then it just falls flat on its face. But when you sit and think about it, you realise how clever it actually is. Clyde is repeatedly said in the film to be a genius and that whatever he shows to Nick is what he chooses for them to see. So when he gets blown up by his own bomb as Nick plants it under his cell bed, you think "oh shit, maybe hes not so clever". But he had already shown Nick the error of his ways and changed him, so his job had been done. Maybe he wanted to be reunited with his family now.

All in all, Law Abiding Citizen is a satisfying (and at time funny) revenge film that unfortunately pretty much looses its way in the last 20 minutes. Having said that, I am happy that I have this film on DVD as I would definitely watch it again.

I rate this film as a 9/10. Action to keep you on your toes, comedy to break up the tears, and who can resist Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx?! ;D 

Thanks for reading! Please leave your comments and suggestions below.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

If you don't go and see this film for the twists and turns within the plot or the witty comments made by Holmes, then you should go see it just to perv on Robert Downey Jr.


Me and my boyfriend went to go and see this last Wednesday in the cinema. We went even though we hadn't seen the first film and were slightly concerned that we weren't going to be able to follow the story. Having now seen the first film, a lot more of the jokes in the second film now make sense and the plot makes more sense, however the sequel can be enjoyed as a stand-alone film.


Holmes and Watson contrast each other perfectly; Holmes has a cheeky and arrogant persona and a wicked sense of humour, where as Watson is more down to earth and quietly confident. But when the 2 are together, good things happen. 

One of Holmes' more adventurous disguises

The film itself confused me. At times I was drawn in and was so interested in what was happening and it's fast pace, then at other times I felt as if it were dragging. The dragging was probably caused by the fact that some of the content made no sense to me due to not seeing the first one to be honest, so that is my own fuck up.

The locations for filming are absolutely beautiful. The film climaxes at a beautiful location in Sweden (I think...) and trust me, the ending is a shocker. Don't cry like I did.

This film has everything. Romance between Watson and his wife, action between the goodies and the badies, humour from Holmes pushing Watsons wife off of a moving train into a river and the wonderful Stephen Fry adding a touch of sophistication and wit to the mix.

Maybe it is just me and this sort of genre does not agree with me (or I am stupid), but I felt at times like the audience was forgotten about. Sometimes the reasons behind certain decisions being made was not made clear to the audience, thus causing me to be lost in the plot and have no bloody idea what was going on. The doubt always got cleared up in the following scenes, but none the less, some things could have been made a lot clearer.

Similar to Robert Downey Jr's personal life, the film is a happy medium between positives and negatives, but is definitely leaning more towards the positives than the negatives. Not so pants that I wont go out and buy the DVD, but not so good that I am going to watch the DVD the second I get home. Everyone has got films like this in their collection; you forgot they exist and that you own them, and then you see it in your collection and go "OMG I LOVE THIS FILM, I TOTALLY FORGOT I HAVE IT" and you watch it and the process repeats itself.

Despite the slight issues within the film, I did really enjoy it. Especially the ending, oh you wait for the ending!  Definitely worth getting your butt down to the cinema to check out :)

I rate this film as an 8/10 :]

Thanks for reading! Be sure to leave your opinions & suggestions for my next review below :]

500 Days of Summer

*WARNING*

" This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story."

That is a quote that you are greeted with at the beginning of the film. And it is very true! Do not sit down and watch this thinking "aww, I feel like watching a cute love story" because this is definitely not one of those films.

The story follows Tom, a hopeless romantic, and Summer, who doesn't believe in love at all. We get to see their journey together and as individuals and how everything plays out.

I watched this film not having a bloody clue how the film ends...and when I get to the ending I was sitting there like "WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKK". It breaks all the rules that comedy films should follow and it is just....different.

Different but but in a good way though! It is quite unsettling and emotional at times, but rest assured that there are moments of humour in there as well.

In 2010 the film was nominated to receive 2 golden globe awards; one for best motion picture and another for best performance for an actor in a motion picture. Sadly, it did not win. But it has won other awards! 

In 2009, the film won the Hollywood Breakthrough Award at the Hollywood Film Festival. It has also won awards at the Independent Spirit Awards, the Florida Film Critics Circle Awards and won 2 awards at the Satellite awards...as well as at various other award ceremonies!

The film has a definite indie film about it. Although distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, the film had a relatively small budget of $7,500,000. In its opening weekend where it was shown on 27 screens across the USA, it brought in $834,501...which isn't a large amount of money considering the films budget!
Now, all of this is not coincidental. As well as having an indie feel about it (as in genre), the film also seems to appeal mostly to the indie sort of stereotype that exists today...well, that is what I have gathered from tumblr! You know, the sort of kids that wear "vintage" crap and have hair that looks like a birds nest? Yeah, them. I guess this is due to the hopeless romance in the film, the fact that the lead actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is hot and the fact that The Smiths and other "indie" bands are featured on the soundtrack.

Don't start hating on my for bashing indie kids. I only have problems with the try hards. 

Right, now I have got that rant out of my system...

This is a really good film. It captures the audience and you really begin to sympathise with the characters and everyone can see a bit of themselves/past relationships within at least one of the characters. You can pick this DVD up cheaply off play.com or if you are cheeky, can probably find it online somewhere! 

Love a good romantic comedy, and this film does not disappoint. It is set in a beautiful location, has aspects that will make you cry with laughter and parts where you will want to cry out of sadness. The cast has been carefully selected...and no, Katy Perry does not play the lead actress! 

Left = Zooey Deschanel. Right = Katy Perry

I rate this film as an 8/10. Good for a girly night in, or a night in with your bloke if he is comfortable with romance films! 

.....(He'll probably end up teary as well, don't worry)

Thanks for reading! Please leave comments and suggestions for my next review below :]

Top Film Releases of 2012

Okay, so here is a list of what I think are going to be the top film releases (and in some cases, re-releases) of this year. 

JAN 2012: UNDERWORLD - AWAKENING

Kate Beckensale in black lycra? Who can resist! 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D

So excited! Everyone loves Disney films. If you say you don't, then you're pants are most definitely on fire.

FEB 2012: STAR WARS EPISODE 1 - THE PHANTOM MENACE

No one is going to miss checking this out on 3D. Everybody loves a bit of Star Wars action! 

APRIL 2012: TITANIC 3D

I can safely predict that about 90% of the population will be going to see the re-release of this fantastic film by the one and only magical producer, James Cameron. This is not something to be missed.

SCARY MOVIE 5
Got high hopes for this....but had high hopes for number 4 and think I have fallen asleep every time I have tried to watch it! But hey, will definitely check it out if I am using my orange Wednesdays.

MAY 2012: THE AVENGERS

The build up for the release of this film that I think that that alone is enough to make me want to go and see it...just to see what all the hype is about. From what I have heard, this is definitely worth watching. 

MEN IN BLACK III
If you don't go and watch this, you are mental. Absolutely mental. Nothing beats Will Smith and (hopefully) dancing aliens! 

JUNE 2012: SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMEN

As much as Kristen Stewart annoyed me as an actor in the whole Twilight shindig, the trailer for this actually looks pretty epic so will have to go and see if this is any good.

MADAGASCAR 3 - EUROPES MOST WANTED
Cannot resist seeing this! The second film was a bit of a let down...but the first one was epic enough to make up for it. Has to be seen.

JULY 2012: THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN
Not going to lie, this isn't really my type of thing. But its bound to be a big hit and it's in 3d, so if I hear good comments on it, i might go and see it. That is a big might! 

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
Now, I am not sure if the trailer for this is misleading, but it has given the impression that this is the last Batman film. We all know they are going to be re-released and re-done in a few years, but this sounds like the end of an era so this is a must to go and see.

AUGUST 2012: THE BOURNE LEGACY

We all know of the Bourne films. Whether you like them or not, there is going to be a little bit of curiosity there. A bit like the Mission Impossible series in my eyes. Not a big fan of this film series, but the boyfriend is so no doubt I am going to get dragged to see it. But I am sure this is going to be a big summer blockbuster.

THE EXPENDABLES 2
First film = epic. Second film = probably even more epic. Every actor who has ever played a massive role in the action genre is in it. Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris...you name it! Has to be seen just out of respect! 

SEPTEMBER 2012: FINDING NEMO 3D
Everyone loved the little fish first time round. You're going to love him in 3D even more. You know that is a fact. 

RESIDENT EVIL - RETRIBUTION

Another one of those series that everyone just loves. Going to be a massive success with the way that technology is nowadays and I reckon the producers would have used every single bit of state of the art technology they could get their hands on to make this an awesome film experience. 

OCTOBER 2012: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4

Once again, not really my thing. Too "try hard" for my liking! But I know a lot of people do like it, so it will be a hit in the cinemas this fall.

HALLOWEEN 3D

Now this will be big! Amazing first time round. And in 3D I can imagine this is going to rock. This is my sort of thing. P.S. sorry about the slightly creepy image! 

NOVEMBER 2012: THE TWILIGHT SAGA - BREAKING DAWN PART 2
Yes, I know, I have already posted a review kinda saying how shite the Twilight film is. But Part 1 of Breaking Dawn was great and there have been a lot of rumours about the content of part 2 and how the producers are moving slightly away from the plot of the book (which makes me happy as I absolutely hated the book ending), so I am not going to lie, this is probably the film I am looking forward to the most in 2012.  No bloody released pictures for it yet ¬_¬ so you will have to make do with some alright looking fan art. Sorry! 

DECEMBER: THE HOBBIT - AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

Excuse my language, but this is going to be fucking huge! Everyone loves Lord of the Rings. This is the prequel. Words cannot explain. You have to see it. That's an order. This is one of those things you simply cannot afford to miss out on. 

Hope you liked it and now have some dates for your calender! Have a good movie year!

Twilight

Now now now, I know this is going to be an unpopular choice amongst many of the people that (hopefully) will read this, but I feel like it is something I need to get out of my system now.


I am proud to say that I was not one of the twilight fan girls that fell in love with the story only when the movies came out. Yes, I know that there are a lot of issues with Stephenie Meyers' writing within all of the books, but as a 15 year old girl at the time, I absolutely loved the books. The plot gave me hope that all boys are not arses and it made me happy...and that is what a story is meant to do, right? Whether it is good or not, is subjective. But personally, I enjoyed the books.


The films on the other hand....

The films, in my opinion, do not do the books justice at all. The relationship between the 2 leads, Edward and Bella, is portrayed in the films to be very rushed and quite shallow to be honest, thus making it appear to be a stupid teen crush filled with obsession and controlling behaviour. In the book however, this is not how the relationship is shown to be. So that was number one fuck up in the film! 


The second mistake I feel was some major issues in the casting. Kristen Stewart appears to only have one facial expression and the character seems to have a very selective vocabulary, in which the same phrases and ideas are repeated SO MUCH.
A few of the characters were absolutely spot on though. I do believe that casting Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen was a very wise move of the films director, Catherine Hardwicke, as although he is not stunningly beautiful, he fits the description in the book perfectly. As do his mannerisms in the film that many people say is bad acting on Roberts' behalf....when really that is genuinely how the character is shown to act! 

As much as people hate on Twilight, it was obviously very very popular is it brought in a staggering $69,637,740 in its opening weekend in America alone! That is a heck of a lot of money.


As lovely as the film was on its own, there were a hell of a lot of mistakes in...but every film has a few cock ups, right? 

Mistakes within Twilight

I genuinely don't want to spend a lot of time reviewing this film...mainly due to the fact that most people who have heard of it already have their own opinions on the film. Either you are a girl and in love with Robert Pattinson, a person who just likes the story so thought they would check out the films, or you are a dude who has been made to watch the film by a female. Those are generally all of the demographics of the film viewers that I have heard of.

I really wish people would read the books before they start hating on the films. The books are a lot more interesting...even if they are a tad immature and annoying at times. The story is shown in a much better light in the books. Bella doesn't look like a whiny ass girl and Edward doesn't look like a controlling stalker (ish...he still watches her sleep though!)

As much as I loved the film when it first came out and I was swept up in the craze of it all (and even went to the premiere), looking back now and watching it now, I really don't think it is all that great. It's the sort of film you have on in the background whilst you do your hair or talk on the phone.

Maybe this was down to a poor choice of director, maybe poor script writing...or maybe they just didn't know how bloody picky their audience was. This was only the first film of the saga guys, give it a break. Saying that, the sequels do gradually get better and as much as my boyfriend will hate me for saying this, he actually enjoyed the third film (Eclipse) and part 1 of Breaking Dawn. Eclipse contained more action and drama due to a clever choice of director; David Slate was chosen to direct the film due to the fact that the book contains scenes of action and violence and it was felt that he would be perfect for the job seeing as he directed the hit vampire-violence film, 30 Days of Night.

This film is no Blade, no Underworld and definitely no Dracula...so don't watch it with those expectations. If watched with an open mind and you just put up with the dodgy rushed intro, then it is definitely watchable :)

I give this film a 6 out of 10.

Thanks for reading! 

Please leave your comments of which film you would like reviewed next :]

HE MAD! 

Bullet Boy

Now, before I get started, I was never a fan of independent movies. Growing up, I was always used to block buster movies and films made by top producers. I never gave independent movies a second glance. But then upon studying this particular film in media studies, I have discovered that I do not only like this movie, but I can also say that it is my favourite movie of all time.

"Bullet Boy" is an independent film, made in 2004. It follows the story of a young boy who has grown up in a rough area of London, made mistakes in life and wishes to turn his life around. As well as being a touching and shocking fiction film, it also portrays elements of truth; there are ever growing reports of gun crime in the United Kingdom, and this film gives the audience an insight into the individuals that are involved lives. 

Full of twists and turns, the plot grips the audience and induces a natural reflection upon themselves and the lives they lead. Personally, I found that after watching this film, I began to stop taking the small things in life for granted and start appreciating the things that I have...not that I am involved in gang culture or anything! 

Yeah mum! 

Too much in life are we shown graphic images of violence, whether it be shown in Hollywood glorified movies, or in music videos, or in video games, and this has made us a densensitised state; we are surrounded by these images so often that when we see them within the world of fiction, they no longer have the desired effect, leading to more and more graphic scenes being needed to really shock an audience. It is not often that we really witness something violent that makes an impact on us as an audience. And I feel that it is this essence that the film captures perfectly. You soon forget that this is a film, an act of fiction, that you are watching. The fact the film is set in Hackney, East London and that it was filmed right on location just adds to the realism of the project, knowing that you can go and walk down that street or sit on that train station platform...eerie stuff! It becomes so life like and realistic that it is actually quite scary. Not in a "i'm not sleeping without a light on tonight" kind of scary, but a "oh shit, this could actually be happening right now!" kind of scary, and that feeling is quite unsettling and something that I believe we as an audience do not get to experience very often anymore. 

Bullet Boy trailer

The film has received multiple awards, including an award for the lead actor, Ashley Walters, as the most promising newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards. The producer, Saul Dibb, also won an award for most promising new comer at the Evening Standard British Film Awards. Yes I know, they are not Golden Globes or BAFTAS, but on a small budget, a bloody good job was done!

I really really do recommend this film. It is 89 minutes long so will not take up all of your day, but trust me, you will look at your life from a different perspective if you watch this film with an open mind and an open heart.

I rate this film as a 10/10...what a bloody good rating for my first review to have! 

Enjoy :]