lee.burstow Reviews

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

A throw-back to the 80's horror flicks

[6/10 · 5 June 2009]

"Drag me to Hell" is director Sam Raimis' latest offering to the horror genre. Having already had hits with such films as the "Evil Dead Trilogy", "The Grudge" and "30 days of night" – it didn't take a brain surgeon to realise the kind of movie I was about to view . The story centres around Christine Brown played by Alison Lohman – Working as a loan officer in the local bank, Brown has the unenviable task of dealing with a rather dirty, disgusting gypsy woman who has failed to keep up her mortgage repayments.

Torn between doing the right thing for the woman and demonstrating to her boss that she has management material, Brown decides against giving the woman a loan extension and in doing so shames' the old woman publicly. In retaliation for this humiliation, the gypsy woman places a supernatural curse on the unfortunate Brown.

In 3-days time a demon from Hell will enter our world and take Browns' soul to purgatory forever. The race is now on for her to find a way of preventing this from happening and to seek redemption. After enlisting the help of a "Seer", Brown is put in contact with a medium that has fought this demonic beast before - On that occasion she was defeated and the unfortunate soul was lost. Will the medium be successful second time around?

If you're looking for a truly frightening horror movie then this film is not for you. Think of Evil Dead and your well on the way to discovering what this movie is like. Comedic moments are aplenty and the music score and shock tactics which is Raimis' trademark provide you with enough material to look away in disgust rather than fear.

This movie is definitely a throw-back to the old 80's style horror flick and if that's your thing you're going to love it. If you prefer your horror movies a bit classier and a little more believable then stay away and rent it on DVD at a later date.

War of the Worlds (2005)

Disappointing! - Could have done a lot better!

[6/10 · 3 July 2005]

If you're going to the cinema to see a remake of the 1953 classic film then forget it. This NEW version isn't a version at all. It's totally NEW. The story revolves around 3-main characters. Ray Farrier, (Tom Cruise) his son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and his daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning).

Having seen the trailers and watched the interviews with the cast members I was really excited about seeing this movie. Sadly though, on this occasion it's all hype and not enough substance. I was really disappointed with Spielberg's latest effort.

The characters are dull and boring, the storyline is weak and the special effects are not that special at all. By the end f the movie I couldn't care less if they lived or died.

After beginning brightly the storyline seemed to lose its way. Meaningless dialogue between the characters and very little action means you're sitting there desperately waiting for something to happen. "War of the Worlds" is a hugely disappointing film and not even the introduction of Tim Robbins can save it from being just an average movie.

More character development, a more serious storyline and better visual effects were needed to make this film a summer blockbuster. Still, the trailers for "The Island" and the Harry Potter" new film looked good.

We also have the Chronicles of Narnia and King Kong to look forward to.

Marks out of 10 – A disappointing 6/10

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

The Journey Ends!

[10/10 · 17 December 2003]

Having waited 12-months for the final instalment of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic adventure The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King, I entered the cinema full of excitement and anticipation.

Having read that the film would last for a whopping 3-hours, 20 minutes I decided to get myself a very large box of popcorn and a large coke to see me through this final journey.

The film begins with a look back at how Smeagol/Gollum came to being, (Incidentally, the final character to have his background revealed.) and how he came to posses the `One Ring' Director Peter Jackson very cleverly diverts any sympathy or affection for Gollum by transferring them to Frodo and Sam by revealing Gollums' darker side.

The film moves along with pace and passion and that can only be down to the superb direction of Jackson. (Who surely must receive an Oscar for this film) The scenes during the battle of Minas Tirith and the Pelennor Fields are spectacular.

For those of you who have read the trilogy, you will find yourself looking out for certain events and scenes contained within the books. Sadly though, a lot of the storyline has had to be cut out due to time constraints. However, for the NEW fans of Tolkien's trilogy, you'll enjoy the books even more after you see these films.

This is a must see cinema experience. You do feel emotion during this film and for me there are two scenes that stand out more than the others. The first is the scene just after the Beacons of Gondor have been lit and Aragorn rushes in to King Theoden to ask for help. (In the film Pippin lights the beacons, but in the book they are already lit by the time Gandalf and Pippin enter Minas Tirith) The second is at the end when Aragorn informs the hobbits that they don't have to bow to the newly crowned King and instead he leads the crowd in bowing to them.

Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King is quite simply breathtaking and if you only see one film over Christmas this is the one you have to see. Leaving the cinema I felt a sudden sense of loss. The journey has ended but what a journey it has been!

************************** SPOILERS COMING UP **********************

Scenes that I was looking forward to seeing that were not portrayed in the film are as follows: -

1. The confrontation between Gandalf, Saruman and Wormtongue at Isengard. 2. The healing of Faramir and Merry at Minas Tirith. 3. The Love affair between Faramir and Eowyn on the battlements. 4. Sam using the ring to evade capture by the Orcs of Mordor. 5. Sam entering the Dark Tower and seeing the `Watchers' 6. Saurons messenger trying to convince Gandalf that Frodo was dead 7. The Funeral of King Theoden of Rohan. 8. The return of the hobbits to Hobbiton, only to discover that it had been taken over. 9. The battle of Hobbiton 10. The death of Saruman

The X-Files Game (1998 Video Game)

Compelling, I couldn't stop playing it !

[8/10 · 16 April 2000]

This has to be one of the most enjoyable games I've ever played. The Interaction with the charactors is simply superb. The music gives you a great sense of suspense and the action is non stop.