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King Jack (2015)
Electric Look at a Young Boy's life in a rough perspective!
I attended Tribeca Film Festival 2015 to screen 'King Jack', this was followed by a QNA with director Felix Thompson along with the cast and crew.
I had only read a brief summary for this film before viewing as I wanted to be spontaneous. From start till finish it really kept my mouth open. King Jack is played by Charlie Plummer, the story follows a boy growing up in a suburban area. Normally day consists of neglect and bullying. Due to his aunt becoming sick, his cousin Ben played by Cory Nichols has to stay with Jack and his family and this is the last thing that Jack needs right now. With problems already occurring in Jack's life, his cousin gets involved with Jack as he deals with his reality.
This movie beautifully analyses the use of friendship and finding that point were you have a real emotion towards someone. Turning that mood where you have no feelings to one that allow you to open up. This perfectly describes a young boy's childhood in these kind of circumstances.
As a directorial debut Felix Thompson completely won me over with a rather funny first shot involved with a garage until the beautiful ending that concluded a magnificent film that I will most certainly catch again.
Boyhood (2014)
A True Gem
There is not a fault that you can declare with a film that was shot for 12 years. Kept the exact same cast. And delivered a powerful movie of a boy named Mason. Its great to go and criticise movies but there was a moment that I could flaw this film. With the unnoticeable changes of years it provides you with so many segments that create such power moods that you can relate to as a person growing up. I call this a feel good film. It has its funny moments and quite frankly was enjoyable all the way through. There are dark scene that were delivered quite perfect that really left me pinned back in my seat. After watching the trailer it was fair to say I had already classed this movie as 'Beautiful' and it sure was indeed.
Finding a movie these days to please you is quite a difficult task whereas this movie has a simple plot. Growing up. How you deal with yourself and what you will come across. The movie really makes you feel as though you are growing up with it. Adapting to the really likable characters is consistent.
There is a lot of movies that have blew me away this year and by the forgotten director in my eyes. Linklater has really shown up to me and provides a movie that will feed your every instinct in what you love about a movie. 'Boyhood' is beautiful.
The Conspiracy (2012)
I've been waiting for something like this.
I've always had a love for conspiracy theories because they are surreal and they're just fun to research personally. I enjoy being scared and horror doesn't do that for me these days but the dialogue aspects of this did it for me.
I like a horror film that actually frightens you but this frightened me in more of a factual way. The information given out was important to listen to. It felt like something different this horror film and its great when one stands out to you. Which it did.
The build up was good as there was barely any causes to horror affection until the ending when the actual events occur in. A very interesting and positive horror film that deserves more than it should get. The slow side to this really worked well as it allowed the ending to build of some very nice factual points. Conspiracy Theories for you.
Cavemen (2013)
let me down man.
Cavemen. A man sets his sights on just being in love. Tired of the one night stands so he wants to be someones forever. So I have been waiting a real long time to see this and there has only been one review until very recently. Now they are coming in more is broadening the rating. Now its pretty low. Which sucks.
So I watched the movie last night and I have to say I was disappointed. There is no real need in this movie to be made really. It could of been done so much better which brings me down as I had hopes for this. The way it is shot is strange as the director for some reason over uses the focus on characters all the time and at very stupid bits.
The soundtrack I thought was very good. Just these days Hollywood seem to think that the use of indie music will provide the audience with a more style to their music when in all fairness its just Hollywood trying to up their views.
All of the scenes didn't really make sense and it only started making complete sense more than half way through. The actors where all very good there's no shame there. Camille Belle is such a weird casting for this movie as I had no real connections toward here. Even though I did want the obvious to happen. Her and Dean (Skylar Austin) to get together. He was the only one that had me wanting them together.
When watching this movie and going here. This is not the review that I wanted to do. This movie could of easily been done better and its such a shame that this let me down.
Scorned (2013)
In all fairness. If the acting was bad. This would be utter rubbish.
I recently watched this with my girlfriend and the scenario intrigued us both as I myself like the idea of having the character you are fond of have the higher power. The hit back techniques against the people who have done unforgivable things to us where great and some bits made me giggle. Unsure why.
The script was absolutely terrible I thought. Anyone can write this. There's no significant meanings behind anything here. Surely there could of been a rewrite because I wanted to turn the film off in the first 10 minutes.
AnnaLynne McCord is what the film had spot on for itself. She is outstanding and she really has a sublime career in her reach. She just needs the people to work to have more experience to adapt to her incapable emotional rollercoasters that she can portray so easily. She deserves a lot from this but the other actors have very few opportunities ahead of them. Ill give this a 5 because of AnnaLynne McCord. 5/10.
Trance (2013)
Feeling as mental as McAvoy
I thought Id seen it all when I watched Filth. My love for James McAvoy has really shown and expanded after watching this movie as he truly is an inspiring actor. Trance is absolute roller-coaster of emotion and head bashing elements that you can really see the perspective for it.
James McAvoy plays an art auctioneer who after mayhem, needs to hide a painting that's worth a lot. The more the story develops the more the true story is revealed which I love about movies. Films inside films. In the middle of the movie there was a such a crazy feeling I felt and it felt as if I was in this transaction as well. The hypnotizing was brilliant and I thought each actor played an astonishing role. They all had a crucial in making this film significant.
Any film that has James in I'm always watching. He is outstanding. This film is a true beauty in what cinema is to me. The psychological side of cinema is just perfection .
Her (2013)
Took me by surprise!
There were a lot of things that where going to put me off seeing this film until my girlfriend decided to watch it and I just happened to be there. The leading actor Joaquin Phoenix has never had a love off me and the same with Spike Jonze. I enjoyed Where The Wild Things Are and I do appreciate the work he did when producing Jackass cause I'm a huge fan of them movies and TV series.
Initially though I was so wrong about this movie. The observational views and the way movie let you inside this man's mind and listen and feel every emotion he had. Scarlett Johansson provides a brilliant voice for Samantha and I couldn't picture it being anyone else's voice. Jonze really provided me with love, care, sadness, aggression. Which I never thought Id ever say in my life but I really cared for Theodore and this character really related to me. I think the hidden message is that you can just fall in love with a voice.As long as they say the right thing and they have feelings for you back. There is no need in any physically amendments. Beautiful film and an outstanding script that you could read all day long.
This Is the End (2013)
Satisfying as it could be
There are not many elements for this film to be significant to others because its basic instinct is to show the audience what they can do with an end of the world idea. I think action wise, it was pretty awful as I thought, spending this much money it could of been done a fair bit better because it seemed stupid in ways.
The comedic side towards this film absolutely sold it to me. It was just full of actors that I adore. Seth Rogan and Jay Baruchel play both main characters and I did enjoy their whole storyline and backdrop. The party scene was by far my favourite. The comedy was just brilliant. Michael Cera usually annoys me but in this he did provide me with a lot of laughs.
The film didn't absolutely annihilate the audiences expectations with the action however with the actors that are chosen they really suit the film and this type of comedy. I think if the majority of these were not chosen I would not of enjoyed the movie as I did. If you are keen on these actors and love the past projects most of them have been in then you will certainly like this.
Filth (2013)
All over the place
This is one of them films that will always leave a mark on me regardless what I watch now. I have never followed a character as much as I have with Bruce.
So many elements highlighted the anxiety and pain that Bruce has. The soundtracks shown all of the madness in a very sensual and rhythmic way. His hallucinations really did mimic with the way he was feeling and in fact spun my head around a few times. The acting by James McAvoy is by far one of the best I've seen. The moods swings where just ridiculously good to watch and the clash of them where really highlighted by James McAvoy. All the feelings that he engaged really felt similar to me in a surreal way.
This film really goes above a beyond when telling the audience to just do one. We are doing what we want here. No Limitations. This film certainly provides an absolute perfect character recognition and you can instantly follow Bruce as the title sequence hits. There are a lot of brutality moments as well as hard sexual references that can be extremely offending to viewers but I usually look beyond this and find this hidden messages.
If anyone hasn't watched this there would not be a film that I would recommend other than this. It will leave your head all over the place yet keep you intact with the absolutely outstanding James McAvoy.
Last Vegas (2013)
I didn't think I would enjoy this
Hey I was really surprised by this movie because the majority of the actors annoy me really as I feel that they are too consistent. This was one of them films that kept me involved although the storyline wasn't very adventurous, it managed to make me feel heartfelt and yet I laughed also. There was a reason I watched this and that was because I'm a fan of the first Hangover film and Vegas just reminds of it. It felt like a link with this film which I'm unsure why. What I loved about this film was the development of the characters and how the relationships where expanding I the process of then film. You always notice in films that most of the time the characters will make up and everything will be fine. With this film and because the main characters are older, I found it hard to relate to them so I was unsure whether or not the issues behind the relationship between Michael Douglas and Robert Di Nero would actually work out. There relationship was great which this I thought linked towards the older audience watching as they can familiarize themselves with this. For the younger audience such as myself I enjoyed a loot of the parties scenes which gave the film that hype it needs to overpower them issues and problems. I would recommend this to any type of film lover. It was enjoyable. 7/10
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
Different but at the same time, Same Old Stuff
So I went to see this tonight and I don't really know what to say about I because wasn't really expecting much going into the cinema. All their movies are too hipped and quite a lot of them fail to deliver. Everyone says I'm wrong about this but I think the newer the films are the more they progress and are better than the previous.
This movie took a completely different approach from the others, hand held yes but different locations fully. Which was good but I felt that there was too much pointless dialogue which led to e getting bored at some points. The jump scares where simple but they were the only thing that I think the film had going for it. The more it got into the problem. The more it seemed to e the same as the others really. I love demons and stuff to do with them don't get me wrong but hen they were taking about it it just felt really childish in all honestly.
The ending was my favourite bit. As always with these films. I really liked the link towards the third movie with the corridor because I remember this as one of them scenes that did creep me out. I thought the original time travel aspect was really good which led to seeing the house hat was involved in the first movie. This was something I will give them credit for. I thought the action scenes with the shotguns was actually hilarious.
Id say I would recommend this to people who have really liked the previous five films because although it was completely different and no that 'Night One' crap it still had a similar concept. Not too bad at all though. Wouldn't rule it out to any horror fan. Luckily I know someone who works in the cinema and I didn't have to pay.I think 5/10 is perfect for this because a usually rate a lot of horrors 6/7 if they impress me but it didn't entirely do that so ill stick with the five.
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
If the first was a hit, this one double's it
Horror films are really difficult I think to provide a sequel towards them because audiences are not like expecting a sequel to many of films of the horror genre because to me they seem like one off sagas and a sequel usually expands the original story too much. Well Insidious was great to me and I really enjoyed how different it was. When I first heard about the sequel I certainly didn't want it to happen. After watching the trailer I felt a bit more optimistic about it but not something I would go out of my way to watch to be honest.
Later on it got and the reviews and ratings came in and 90% of them where positive which shocked me so I thought I will watch it. So when I did I was so shocked on how it was made. It was fantastic and not a lot of horror movies scared me but this has a terrifying sense to it which James Wan does very well with his films. The style is very similar to the first film such as dramatic music in the background to make the jump scenes even worse. The camera work is the same with the bizarre shots used and the lighting specifics.
The second film left my mouth open and I was unsure what actually happened at the very end and this film explains it all. So much detail went into it and it truly explained the origin of the demon that was inside Josh and it blew my mind away from just having the certain ideas in the first film, and then to explain all of them in the second installment. Absolute brilliant. If you are a big horror fan I would recommend this because its truly what horror is about these days and stuff like this will keep the horror genre what it used to be.
Like Crazy (2011)
Truly Breathtaking
'Like Crazy' is just another love story but it really speaks for itself. Such an underrated movie and it does not get the credit it deserves. The idea of different country long distance relationships are brilliant to inhabit in real life but does everyone get the full perspective of it? In this movie you generally experience the whole fun, love and hurt from it all and I felt the emotion of both characters in full.
I think the way the actors have been chosen is great as well. Not well known and look just like normal people. I also enjoyed how the film was shot, it seemed lazy and very care free which gave the movie a more of a clean and simple feeling.
What I always look for in films like this are the significant aspects that link the characters together. In this case it is the chair or chairs that have that link in the both Jacob and Anna. I like how there is a written note on the chair that Jacob saying 'Like Crazy' which could generally mean anything? I love, miss, like crazy.
This movie is more of a wake up call to the people who believe in all of the positive points in a relationship. This movie really gives you a brief inside look on what exactly a relationship is like when events occur and the only way you can deal with them is a long distance relationship.
Anyone who enjoys movies like this I would most definitely go see it as its worth every penny you spend. Excellent film.
Waiting for Forever (2010)
It didn't really do it for me
I think the concept of the film is quite different and personally I think its hard to portray this very well. I don't think this film did that. Both Emma and Willy where very strange characters and I could not get a feel for them at all which is not what I expect from films like this.
I was generally hoping for some romantic you know teen sample but it really thrown that whole idea away and focused more on the emotion towards both characters singly. If you read the synopsis of the film beforehand which I did it seems as if it will mostly be both the characters throughout the film but it was completely different and I don't like to dislike this movie but it was difficult for me to connect towards the characters.
From the airport scene at the end, this was the moment where I all of a sudden paid more attention to the characters because you could then start seeing links towards Willy and Emma. The letters where a great aspect that I started feeling something for the characters because before any of this I pretty much wasn't even rooting for Willy which I don't know why.
The ending had a great scene with the juggling which was probably my favourite bit to be honest. I could see something between them which then there was a sudden glimpse of rooting for Willy which pretty much saved the film for me at the end.
Overall I think the film and actors have potential certainly it just wasn't for me and I think 6/10 is pretty much it.
Carrie (2013)
Surprised me very much
I tell you. I absolutely adore the original and I'm very hazy about remakes because they never seem to do the job for me or even worse ruin the franchise. When the trailer was released I was extremely doubtful on wanting to see this because although she is a great actor - Chloe Moretz didn't seem like the type of girl to play the original Sissy Spacek because she was absolutely brilliant.
Boy was I sure wrong about this. It had such a great feel to the horrible film and although it did just bounce of the storyline a lot and there were only several changes that where not involved in the original, I really enjoyed it. The bits that I thought where very far fetched was the CGI because it was trying too hard and sometimes it just didn't work.
My favourite scene will have to be the Prom night because it generally was a massacre. They went completely over the top with the gore and it worked very well. The deaths scenes where different and brilliant as they shown the upgrade of what productions can do these days. The emotions where really shown through Carrie in this version and you could completely understand where she was coming from when being embarrassed. I don't know if anyone else though this but I could understand the Carrie character a lot more through Chloe rather than Sissy.
If you are a fan of the original and enjoy almost all of it. Then certainly go see this remake because it really identifies the pain and emotion of the Carrie character this time and maybe from watching this version you can go back and watch the original to create a bit more of an understanding of the Carrie character.
The Hangover Part III (2013)
What was the actual point in this film?
I never post bad reviews but you know some films just generally need to leave it at the first/second film. This film is actually pointless. It has lost the whole agenda that the first film was popular for. All this is, is a fighting film. Its just action and that's not what the whole concept of the films are about. I think they have tried to be different with this approach but they have failed badly.
What I like about the first two films is that they are funny, Alan can actually make the audience giggle. In this film he tries too hard and my facial express didn't change one bit. I think this was such a waste of money to go see and I feel ashamed for the production company as they make the whole franchise seem awful. I would not recommend this to any viewers unless they are under 12. Oh wait you need to be over 15. Terrible movie.
Breaking Bad (2008)
I will never witness anything like this in my life
Before starting this show I went in with the impression that a lot of the people I know did. It didn't look very good personally and it just looked boring through the trailer of season 1. After a few episodes in to the series boy was I sure wrong. I was already recommending it to others.
There will never be a show that generally made me shake and pause to breathe. The plot twist are actually incredible and its such a short storyline to expand 'Science teacher gets stage 3 cancer and starts to cook meth to provide money for his family when he goes' sounds pretty stupid but once you get into the relationships between the characters and the overall development of Walter White it really is breathtaking. The amount of ditches he needs to fill just to keep his secret safe from his family and more importantly his brother in law who is a DEA.
Bryan Cranston is absolutely inspiring in this TV show and what a way to create a name for yourself by going from Malcolm in the Middle to Breaking Bad. You would truly not think that this is the same person and its one of them acting points where it was truly perfect.
Aaron Paul plays Walter White's sidekick kinda in the meth business and his performance is also great as he applies the comedic side to everything which every show needs this in some ways.
A show like this certainly needs the praise that all the reviewers give it and its one of the very few titles that I have given 10 because its outstanding. To anyone who has never watched it you most certainly need to get your head into gear and prepare for a ride.
Dèmoni (1985)
Its just great
I was born in the 90's and I hadn't been brought up with the unbelievable horror that was released in the 80s' but having seeing these lately just makes me want to go back years and witness the release of this classic gore feast.
The storyline has barely anything to it, just two girls are invited to a screening of a new film which in time all of the events occurring on screen. Begin to happen in real life to them. If you enjoy gore and people being ripped apart, just get this film.
Dario Argento and his films are absolute classic and this one certainly speaks for itself. The cheesy acting makes it even funnier to watch and I am a person who doesn't like much comedy in horrible films but the 80's ones live up to all of it.
If you have a love for horror and haven't tasted the sight of this classic. Make sure you watch it. Oh and the second film also.
A Walk to Remember (2002)
Brilliantly Done Drama
Nicholas Sparks truly does shine on his work with the whole drama saga. Having written 'The Notebook' and 'Dear John'. This is a truly breathtaking story and it stood out to me so much. The idea of bringing two opposites together and forming something brilliant is outstanding and its great to watch the development of the characters such as the boy Brandon 'Shane West'. His expand of emotions creates such a nice atmosphere that really had me stuck in for the time cost.
Storyline cut short. A boy who is in a friend-zone with the wrong click gets into a heap of trouble and has to do several things in order for him to get out of it. Drama club is one of them and that is where his love for Jamie 'Mandy Moore'. The reputation and company that his friends expect him to stay with are more for them in the process of the movie as he becomes to realise that he generally loves Mandy and the journey that this film takes you on with them is amazing.
Overall from not even read the book this movie is outstanding and I can honestly say its Nicholas's best work still. If you are into all of the romance and true love sort of thing then this is no where near a miss.
Sinister (2012)
The trailer says it all
When this movie was unreleased and the trailer was brought out. It looked extremely promising. A newly imported horror that genuinely looked terrifying. The villain was something different and that's how you will succeed in the horror genre.
Personally from watching the movie it really had nothing special about it that was already in the trailer. The thing that it most had going for it was the jump scares and they where actually rather rare. The storyline was very interesting and its great to see a horror plot that extends my interests. Ethan Hawke played a true crime author looking for another best seller. His idea was to base it around the previous murders that occurred over the years and is researching into them. More and more he gets into the hidden messages behind them he finds out that once you see the murderer, you wont get away.
Overall the idea and plot is brilliant. I just don't think that this was very well thought through. I think that there could of been so much more added to the storyline and made it that much creepier. The villain was brilliant as he had such a frightening face and that is what drawn me into watching it. Its a shame that I've written a poor review really.