What a load of old Titans!!

Lovers: Taken from an IMDB critic hater (as all the critics hated it)
“Seriously overall if you want to go as an critic and start to play ''the big critic guy'' you won't enjoy this movie at all! Please Ignore the critics and go watch this movie YOU WILL BE BLOWN away!! Perfect Note... Loved It!! Louis Letterier did an amazing job directing this one!!”

I mean he does have a point to a certain degree but how far does that stretch! Seeing this with a friend of mine we were both surprised at the running time. I think we were right to be surprised this movie by definition should be epic that would usually include an epic running time; to be able to fit in epic battle sequences with characters you care for, special effects but above all a story that spans time and large distances. This is a badly constructed remake that only really does one of those.

Haters: Cosmo Landesman (Times Online)
“You know what they say: whom the gods wish to destroy, they have make films like this. Directed by Louis Leterrier and featuring a fine cast —including Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson — this 3D action adventure is meant to be an exciting epic set in ancient Greece, but comes across as silly cobblers. It just goes to show that not even 3D can save a bad film. Stuffed with special effects and numerous battle sequences, it’s a film that has no magic and no personality of its own. Sam Worthington is a dull Perseus, out to challenge the tyranny of the gods. Heaven help anyone who sees it.”

I have to say I’m more in this person’s side and I’ll explain in the next bit why.

What I think:
“Titans will Clash” probably the worst tagline I have ever heard, should have known then that the actual thing itself was just a load of old Titans clashing! By no means is this a terrible movie, it’s worth seeing for some pretty good action and set-pieces but don’t bother paying the extra money for 3D. Reading about this movie before it came out, it was decided to add 3D later in post production and by the god’s does it show! It just doesn’t add to the picture in any way! Avatar was filmed in 3D and looked amazing. This 3D is rather shamefully a money spinning idea!

As a remake it’s a horrible disappointment! The original was charming and exciting and despite the fact it looks dated I would have rather have been watching that one. Let’s take one scene in particular, the killing of Medusa; Louis Leterriers vision starts well and descends into the depths with Hades. A special effects extravaganza that has no time for scares and a creepy atmosphere just a lot of death and people falling about! The original was scary as hell; the shots were perfect with the sound of Medusas tail throwing a sense of foreboding over the whole sequence.

I could go on about this forever so a few last points; no one should hire Sam Worthington again until he is willing to do some actual bloody acting not to mention a different accent!!!! The Kracken for all its CGI goodness doesn’t really feel at any point threatening and our Hero just seems to walk up to it and show medusas head! So to sum up, Liam Neeson IS a god, 3D in this instance is a shameful money spinner and no Mr Leterrier; Ray Harryhausen would not be proud of this!

A New Direction.

I have decided to take Beeonfilm in a new direction by dividing my reviews into three sections. These sections are Lovers, Haters and what I thought. The idea being that you get a better all round idea of what everyone thought of that particular film. Instead of describing it to you here is that format fitted to the first Blade film…

Lovers: Taken From an avid fan on IMDB
“This film is superb! Wesley Snipes Plays Blade the vampire hunter with pure class, he kicks butt in such a fluid and violent way that would make Bruce Lee proud. The movie is a fast paced, thrill ride of action and superb stunts. The first action scene and last are outstanding and Wesley looks like a Terminator as he runs around wiping out all suck heads. The script is pretty good and there is sharp dialogue too. Wesley should have done more action films than he has, i know he is a very good actor and in this he is not streched as much as in his more comic or drama roles but as far as action stars go he is the best actor of them all, only Bruce Willis, Stallone and perhaps Tom Cruise (if he counts as an action star) come close. Also aswell as Wesley being quality, Steven Dorff is also very good as the bad guy. It was an unexpected surprise that someone of small stature compared to Snipes should come across as menacing, but he does. Overall the film is sharp, stylish and i hope the sequal is done with the same sort of pace”

Now I can see where this guy is coming from, all the blade films are action packed and fun to watch. I probably wouldn’t go as far as to say superb but its fun.

Haters: Taken from a plot revealing hater on IMDB
"Blade seemed too unbeatable. He also beat the Blood God too easily. I can accept that sunblock protected Frost's skin from the sun, but what about his eyes? And when did he suddenly gain the ability to dodge bullets? Although Blade is heavily outnumbered by vampires every time he fights them, he's never attacked by more than one vampire at a time while others patiently wait their turn. It's an old cliche, but it's so obvious here it ain't even funny. Maybe I missed something but weren't the council members an essential element in the process of raising the Blood God? Yet even though one of them was killed by Frost's girlfriend the ritual goes through without any problems. Blade killing his mother with a bone? etc. Some scenes in "Blade" look like they've been heavily "inspired" by The Matrix, but since it came out only 6 six months later I can't really say it was a rip-off.”

Extremely interesting points of view in this one, I have always been troubled by the fact Deacon Frost can magically survive in sunlight if he wear’s sun block! He also points out the other obvious plot holes. Personally I just think he’s nit picking in what ultimately is an entertaining film.

What I Think:
Blade is a great film; it has kiss ass action with over the top bad guys. It also has an element of hyper reality which is used brilliantly to show the difference between the vampire world and our world, it was strangely dropped from Blade 2 and put back in rather unceremoniously into the third Blade but that’s for another time! It was the first comic book film to have above average production value and the first really well received, so in a sense it started what has become a money making machine! As far as the vampire genre goes Blade trumps must of them on entertainment.

“Real Combat”

I recently read a review of Black Hawk Down; it said how they thought that it was the most realistic view of Modern combat. Frankly I have no idea how a movie critic would know what “real combat” would feel like, I imagine however that he is right. Black Hawk down is the gritty story of the “Battle of Mogadishu”, its kinetic camera work and attention to detail do make scarily real.

It is a very good film but I do find it rather pro American, I don’t doubt that what the Americans went through was terrifying but where you consider that Civilian and other casualties are figured to be over a thousand, it does appear a little one sided. It is a great film though, very real, very entertaining and very effective in portraying what happened.

A fool at heart

Adam Sandler likes to dumb down a lot of his films with characters of, shall we say questionable intelligence. Waterboy is pretty dumb but I think Billy Madison takes the prize, this immature boy has never known hard work because of his hotel franchise owning dad. Basically having his eduction brought for him creates a man who lazes about at the pool, gets drunk, likes porn and see’s imaginary penguins. There’s no doubt that these characters are funny but are they re-watchable? I hadn’t seen Billy Madison for ages until the other day and I have to admit I didn’t laugh as much as i used to.

The comedy is just that little bit too silly at times but since when has Adam Sandler been known for his thought provoking intelligent comedies (apart from last year’s funny people that is). There are some really stand out moments and still just a quotable “STOP LOOKING AT ME SWAN!” it may be one of the less enduring Sandler movies but it has its moments.

A BIG hearted movie

Following the classics I watched Big the other day, a great film that shows the importance of being a child and not growing up so quick. Watching it made me feel sad for the kids today, what is it that makes them want to grow up so quickly! We won’t go down that line of debate; I’ll just try and stick to the film. It’s a full on fun fell good movie, Tom Hanks is superb in it and it’s not just for acting like a kid. It’s the subtle things you may not have noticed first time round checking his flies when he’s being laughed at, the nervous eyes darting around the sockets and the hotel room at the beginning where our hero curls up on the bed and cries.

There is also some real belly laughs, playing round in the limo is one of my favourites. On re-watching though I did find the scene where he gropes the love interest a little uncomfortable, call me old fashioned but technically she’s sleeping with a 13 year old... though saying that it could just be because of the world we live in now I would have thought back then it wouldn’t have been a big deal. I just thought it was weird but then what does the character know ah? One other thing is another iconic scene; the piano on the floor, I’d love to know how long that took them to get that right its brilliant!

So that’s it for now except for some big news I’m moving to my own website at some point this year and you’ll be able to visit beeonfilm.co.uk!

Say his name three times

I don’t know if it’s just me but I prefer Tim Burton when he’s doing his own original work, take beetlejuice for instance, Michael Keaton give a carer great performance and some of the scenes are iconic. For me the best scene is the yuppies around the dinner table being made to dance, it’s a brilliant scene and well worth re watching.

It’s a little dated but is still a lot of fun.

One for the kids

I watched a film last night that despite being an Adam Sandler movie and staring Russell Brand, it is purely for kids. Saying that it’s not half bad, it’s imaginative and fun and perfect for them. Easy to follow plot and characters just bizarre enough to get the belly laughs.

Felling rather uninspired and having obligations will pull me away for now but I would recommend Bedtime Stories to parents any day.

Spiderman 3

After ditching Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire for a reboot of the Spiderman franchise I felt it was time to re-watch the one that ended it all, the third film that essentially destroyed any credibility that had been established by the first two films. After watching i think you can pick it apart and realise that it was two films squashed together in a big blockbuster mess. One film had the avenging Harry Osborne finding redemption by helping Spiderman defeat sandman, the other was simply venom. The pressure by the studio I’m betting was to include venom, which probably led to the poor casting of him.

All in all the two stories spliced together caused no time for the character development that had made the first two so strong. It had cop out moments like the Osborne’s butler completely out of the blue announcing he cleaned Norman Osborne’s wounds. I think it was such a shame because there is a good film in there somewhere, Haden Church’s Sandman was played to perfection the pain of a suffering daughter seething through the eyes, but even that performance is undermined by the flimsy way the character is tied to the first film and Parkers past.

A bit like Terminator three or Matrix Revolutions before it, it has ended what should have been a brilliant trilogy with a fizzle.

It’s a bit preachy.

End of the world scenarios always bring up extreme emotions and situations, the fight for survival pushing people to the edge. This is why religion is always one of the biggest themes you have in these films, anyone with faith would question it at the end of days. The Book Of Eli is an interesting look at this, if you haven’t guessed what the “book” in question is I wont spoil it for you but I will feel sorry for you.

It’s obvious where this film is going as soon as they mention the book. For anyone who isn’t in the slightest religious, this film will feel quite preachy. Although saying that Denzel Washington is once again very cool, slicing and dicing his way through numerous enemies with one gigantic knife even Rambo would be jealous of, all of that in a film that is defiantly pro-Religion. If you can ignore the last sort of 10 mins of the film it’s an enjoyable enough blockbuster. However with the likes The Road coming out, the Hughes brothers have a lot to answer for.

Is it just me or...

Is Antz the only time Dreamworks have ever trumped Pixar? Look at all of Pixars films and you realise why they are so universally liked. With Adult themes and in jokes they are truly family entertainment, there are only two exceptions to Pixars impeccable record. Cars and Bugs Life, both of which whilst having adult themes are a bit well kiddy. The latter had to compare with another insect based tale from Dreamworks.

In that traditional Hollywood way of two extremely alike moves coming out in tandem, these two were set to go toe to toe. Unlucky for Pixar that Antz has to be the most adult themed Dreamworks animation they have released, from Woody Allens self deprecating drone to the main character confessing his most “erotic” fantasies and ants melting away from the effect of Termite acid. It is the pure definition of an adult themed kid’s film; in fact it’s so adult themed kids might not even get it.
It’s the only time I have like Woody Allen as I find the way he does his comedy arrogant.

Almost Sentimental

Almost Famous is a heart warming journey of a teenager wanting fame, as a budding journalist myself I emphasised with the lead character. His journey is brilliantly watchable and funny, I have rarely been happier for a main character. It’s an extremely sentimental movie for a more care free time but more than that for Rock n Roll. It’s a bit like “The Boat That Rocked” in that it shows Rock n Roll as a form of expression and release, something more than music.

It’s a good film watch it.

The Dark Knight

The movie that simply speaks for itself, please check out my review of it listed on the right, thanks.

Hollywood came a knocking

After he released Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, in was only a matter of time before Hollywood came knocking at Danny Boyle’s door. The Beach was going to be the big money spinner but before that was a little romance in A Life Less Ordinary. This film was bound to get him noticed, mainly by the casting of Cameron Diaz who is on top form in this film. Boyle’s earlier muse Ewan McGregor continued in this film to be Danny Boyles eyes into what is a crazy world. It was nice to see the director at this stage in his career explore the nicer side of life.

His previous films though brilliant were an exploration of a darker side of human nature. This is the lighter side and uses fantasy elements to bring that light in. It’s funny but not overly so; above all it’s the performances that are funny. The looks and surprising charm of every character that shows you every actor loved making this film. With a CV like Danny Boyles is easy to forget he directed this but it’s worth a revisit every once in a while.

Marvel have enraged me!

Why on God’s green earth can a director of Sam Raimi’s calibre not be given the time he needs to make a decent Spiderman film!!!!!

Fair enough Spiderman 3 was not a good film, too many bad guys spoil the broth! There was to much emphasise on big budget effects and action than on character which is what made the Spiderman films so good. The idea by Sony and Marvel now is to “reboot” the franchise, it makes me rather angry! Thought the possibility to tie it all in to the new marvel movies that are coming out does sound good! The annoying thing is that Tobey Maguire has made that role his own; he is perfect as Peter Parker and to see anyone else doing it now would seem wrong. Just try imagining if they recast Wolverine, it would not work!

By the way the poster above is not real but looks good though huh!?

Anyway, must get on there’s a TV series that I have rather shamefully missed out on and I’m playing catch up…

It was just the beginning

After watching The Dark Knight, you should go back and re watch Batman Begins as it makes the film a whole new viewing experience! Take it as a journey and when you know where the character is going it only makes Bruce Wayne’s Transformation that much more exciting! The development in all of the characters that remain in the story is carried forward and developed. Let’s take Alfred’s point on the plane back to Gotham; he mentions how if you’re going to be using new techniques to fight crime doesn’t that mean that those criminals will also adapt? Did he not foresee the joker then, was it just well placed dialogue?

The ending and when the insane escape from Arkham only tantalise those taste buds, never has a comic book adaptation sequel been so well thought out and developed than this. It also brings to attention what the Dark Knight improved on, the cinematography only got larger. It made it more of a spectacle and opened up Gotham in all its glory. The Dialogue also smartened up, gone are the cheese ball lines that made you wince “I gotta get me one of those”, and in its place sharp and witty lines that complete the realism.

Now I feel like watching the Dark Knight...