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Reviews
Dahmer (2002)
A sinister and interesting portrayal of a real life event
I'll admit, I hadn't even heard of this movie before Jeremy Renner shot to fame, and I think he's an extraordinary actor, managing to embody each and every one of his characters he's played perfectly. And this movie is no exception.
Although there was a alternate reasoning behind me watching this, I did however, do a little research on the real Dahmer before watching the movie, and like most people, I had expected it to be a bit of a gore fest.
Upon watching it I was actually pleasantly surprised to find out that the director had taken a different viewpoint on what could have turned out to be the same as every generic horror they throw out nowadays. This movie was far more sinister this way, that and the fact it is inspired by true events.
The constant flashbacks I thought were really interesting and helped to develop the character of Jeffery Dahmer. Again, I was surprised to find that a lot of the movie focused on the dialog.
Credit goes to the actors in this movie, the two best being Jeremy Renner and Artel Kayàru who I thought were fantastic and portrayed their characters in such a convincing way.
So why did I give this movie a 7 rating you wonder? the kudos go to the actors and the directing throughout but what it certainly doesn't go to is the abrupt and awful ending.
After sitting watching this whole movie through, completely enraptured, it was a shock when the credits suddenly started rolling. The whole thing seemed to be building up to something and then suddenly we are faced with a flashback of Dahmer as a teen walking into a forest. Where was this even supposed to fit in with anything else that had happened and what was it's relevance? If anything the movie should have gone on a little longer to wrap it up properly, and by that I don't mean involving any killing or whatever else you originally expected from this movie, I simply mean making it come to an ending that actually seemed like it belonged there. If anything, having the credits after the scene just before this would have been fine, I just didn't see the need to put this extra piece in.
Saying that, this movie was still well worth the watch and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the psychological side of a 'horror' movie, rather than just being there for the gore. It's one of those movies that you just sit there afterwords, thinking about it for a long time and still wondering what to say.
Dexter: The Getaway (2009)
Forget season 2, this finale was phenomenal!
The title says it all really, there I was watching the last five minutes of the episode, beginning to wind down after a great 45 minutes. Then all of a sudden, THAT is sprang on us out of nowhere. Rita lying there in the tub, bled out. All I can say is I was absolutely shocked, thinking the end of the finale would be the usual (but always very good) happy ending, tying up all the loose end, Dexter going home after his season of hard work trying to catch the main serial killer. Not this episode though, it broke so many TV conventions which I think made it so shocking. Needless to say, my mouth was hanging open for those last few minutes and it took a while to compose myself afterward. And I thought season two was good. In fact, this episode was so good, it's actually worth going through the previous 3 seasons and the rest of the fourth just to see this one. The only bad thing now is watching it the second time around won't be as good because I already know what will happen, but nevertheless will still be just as I said in the title, phenomenal.
Dexter: Get Gellar (2011)
I don't know what all the fuss is about...
Referring back to the title, I really don't know why everyone was that disappointed in the twist at the end. For me, it made the entire episode, which without would have made surprisingly mundane viewing for a Dexter episode. I know there are some problems with it such as timings blah blah blah but I think it was a good idea on the writers part. I mean, Dexter see's his dad all the time doesn't he, and the writers even incorporated this idea into the Nebraska episode a few back, where we saw Dex's brother stab someone with a pitchfork. Okay, so maybe Dexter knows that these people aren't real but it still comes with the same basic idea. Also, there were a few more ends untied in this episode which I liked such as the fact the intern bought the hand and La Guerta's boss (forgot his name) was at the scene of the homicide case Deb just reopened. Hopefully it will be neatly wrapped back up again in the finale or even another twist, because previously to this episode, it's been a while since we've had a good one of those. Kudos to the writers for the great ending. The rest of the episode could have been better as I've felt it's been trailing a bit for a while now this season.
Dexter: The British Invasion (2007)
The best episode so far
Having just recently discovered this TV programme (completing the first two seasons in three days flat) you could probably say I'm a little obsessed with it at the moment. And for good reason, Dexter is possibly one of the war shows around right now as far as I could tell. Having just finished this episode I felt the strong need to write a review on how excellent it actually was. Personally I thought season 2 a lot better than season 1, the latter of which was more of a murder mystery whereas the more recent season focusing on the titular character and his life and relationships. And I must say they pulled it off perfectly. This last episode In particular is like a rule book on what TV should be like. The amount of different emotions in this episode were monumental, coming to the point where the audience did have to question themselves on whether Dexter really is the good guy as we had previously believed for the past 23 episodes. Doakes was an excellent character who brought a lot to the story and I was quite sad to see him leave. Relating to this, I must give kudos to the writers and the actress who plays Lilac for creating such a despicable character where it got to the point I ended up yelling 'die b**** die* at the TV screen (no joke) I was glad she got her come uppence although I must admit that scene in Paris did seem a little rushed. The acting was top notch as usual and I did like the changes in locations in this season where there was more variety. Dexter was intended initially to be a sort of thriller, tense type show but this season has evolved from that and also managed to include so much more emotions; Doakes' empty funeral ceremony in particular I thought was quite a strong one for this programme. The point of all this review I guess is just to urge anyone who hasn't seen Dexter before to watch it. Believe me it will hook you from the first episode. Tomorrow I start and intend to finish season 3. Can't go wrong with 12 hours of Dexter. If you already watch it, you'll understand.
House M.D.: Moving On (2011)
Quite frankly, disappointing
Well, for a regular episode this would be about right, a normal case and House doing something a little crazy. However, as this was meant to be a season finale, it was a total let down.
It started out good with the flashbacks to what seemed to be a serious incident three days earlier, but as soon as the opening credits had rolled, the episode switched back to what anyone could mistake for a regular House episode, centered around a patient instead of the main characters (not that I'm saying that's bad, I just expect more from a finale.) The patient really wasn't that interesting either. Well, she could have been if we hadn't seen the flashbacks so early on as I just found myself waiting for those moments the entire episode, willing something interesting to happen between the main characters. Unfortunately it didn't.
House and Cuddy's antics could be mistaken for any other episode and the ending wasn't all that good either. For the amount of popularity Cuddy's character has, they could have let her go with some justice, instead absolutely nothing happens and she just ends up angry with House, but with fairly good reason I must admit. She looked as though someone had died in the flashback.
The flashbacks looked so serious, but the way it was played out through the episode, the incident didn't seem much more serious than any of Houses usual pranks. I thought it would have been more dramatic, I was somewhat expecting House to get drunk, feel depressed, drive through the wall and cause serious injury to someone at least, but instead what, House drives through a wall to give her back a hairbrush?! I mean, seriously?! they couldn't have come up with something better? It had so much potential, it's shame the writers didn't act on it. The only reason I gave this the four was for the flashbacks, the teensy bit of dramatic effect they had at the end of the episode and the usual high standard of acting.
All in all though last seasons finale was way better and I've seen some great episodes this season that could've topped the finale quite easily. But hopefully season 8 will still be able to pull its weight with Lisa Edelstein leaving the set. Really wish she had chosen to stay though, House and Cuddy were so cute when they were together. Damn the writers for breaking them up earlier on in the season. :(
House M.D.: Selfish (2010)
One of the best episodes to date
The title of this review says it all really. This episode was really one of the best and greatly done.
The acting was great, especially by the brother and sister who made me cry at the end. Also the antics between Cuddy and House really are hilarious, with Wilson stuck in the middle of it all. The clinic duty patients in this episode were also great which to be honest, I don't often find in other episodes of House.
Watch this! It's not an episode worth missing and guaranteed to make you a House fan if you're not already.
And finally House/Cuddy!
it's so cute in a strange way...
Dreamcatcher (2003)
SSDD : Same S*** Different Director
I don't know what it is about Stephen King that the movie industry feel they have to adapt so terribly. I'm a fan of Stephen King's work but lets just say, he's cursed when it comes to adaptations, one of the decent ones I've re-watched recently being The Mist which I think they did a pretty good job on. Foolishly enough I hoped this one would be good too as it had the same actor in, but sadly neither Thomas Jane nor Morgan Freeman could save it (and if Morgan Freeman can't, then no one can.) I probably should have skipped this in the first place knowing how bad Stephen King's work is on the big screen (with some exceptions obviously, The Shining NOT being one of these exceptions, but that's to rant about on a different page) There's just not enough depth to the characters in the film that can be evoked from reading the actual text. replace the last D with director and this film really is SSDD in terms of Stephen King adaptations. Don't waste your time on it. Watch something else instead.
The Mist (2007)
Could the ending be any crueler?
I watched this the year it came out and sad to say I was really disappointed in it. However, a few years later I decided to give it a second chance and I loved it! I don't know what I missed the first time around but this was great.
Surprisingly, I haven't read the actual book even though I am a fan of Stephen Kings work but now this will definitely be on the list to check out. I'm not sure if its a good adaptation of the book but it seems like it and to a high quality (film makers have it out to turn Stephen Kings work into a pile of rubbish, The Shining was possibly the worst film I have ever seen.) Frank Darabont is an absolute genius and the acting was to a really high standard(especially Laurie Holden and Tom Jane), although it did seem like it contained the entire The Walking Dead cast which I guess we didn't know at the time it was released.
A few qualms I have with this storyline however is the explanation of the alternate reality, I guess it works fine but it just wasn't my cup of tea. The other thing was the absolutely ludicrous soundtrack for the last 15 minutes of the movie. It took all of my power not to mute it. The ending was good but as I say, could it have been any more crueler? I guess though that's what you expect from a horror movie. Kudos!
The Machinist (2004)
A darkly disturbing masterpiece
I had always thought of Christian Bale as being a bit of a mediocre actor until I saw this movie. Not only is his acting and portrayal of a paranoid insomniac superb but the amount of dedication he put into this movie never fails to amaze me. I didn't even recognise him in the flashback scenes near the end.
The atmosphere in this movie is quite dark and is reminiscence somewhat of the film noir genre. The plot delves deep into the characters life and makes you feel sympathetic for this crazed character which is quite an achievement in script writing and also in the acting too.
This has to be one of the best scripts I have seen made into a film. First of all, the plot is simple to follow (some people would compare The Machinist to Memento, which I found very confusing and therefore, I lost interest)and yet it is complex enough and deep enough to keep an audience captured for almost two hours. There were some parts to this movie such as the hangman games which gives the audience the chance to think they have the right answer, but then the protagonist takes you down a completely different road and makes you doubt yourself, only to come back to the same answer at the end. Killer.
As it goes along it seems a very obvious plot, you think you know what will happen, and then it doesn't, only for it to happen at the end. This I found was a great take on turning a predictable film into an unpredictable one.
One more thing which made this movie great was the cinematography. The filters and washed out colours used in the camera work, really helped to fit in with the feel of the movie, reminding me of the film Se7en which is another great movie IMO, and the score used in this was also great, bringing back music from older classic horror and thriller type movies.
If you're a fan of Fight Club, Memento, Se7en or any type of film like these, I would suggest watching this. The atmosphere in the movie is darkly disturbing and it has a great plot. Although, if you're expecting some sort of horror movie this isn't what you're looking for. This film isn't made to outright scare the viewer, it has creepy scenes believe me but the horror is more subtle and toned down which somehow makes it more dark.
If I had one thing to say about this movie I would say it is very unknown and underrated for what it is, because quite frankly, it's a masterpiece.
The Happening (2008)
One of the strangest films i've seen
I haven't watched many of Shyamalan's films but what I have realised from the ones I have is that they all have a certain style. This film was no different.
Although I enjoyed the settings of the films, the basic concept, and the cinematography, there were a lot of flaws with this film.
1. The acting was of a very low standard. I think someone in the casting department needs to think of a job change. Mark Wahlbeg delivered a very poor performance in this film to the point where you wondered if the acting was supposed to be intentionally bad. I think he should just stick to his cop roles which he actually manages to pull off. He doesn't make a good teacher. Zooey Deschanel wasn't much better either and she's normally quite good at acting as from the other films i've seen her in.
2. The storyline. Although I enjoyed the basic concept of a neurotoxin poisoning people and making them commit suicide, they got to the answer of why it was happening a bit too quickly. The plants did it? seriously, someone in the writers department should probably think about a job change too. And what was with Wahlbergs character reciting how to carry out a scientific investigation like he knew exactly what was happening? He's a high school teacher, not exactly a CDC doctor or something.
3. The ending was a little rubbish if truth be told. I expected something a bit more dramatic then, 'the plants must've stopped killing people just as we were about to give up, lets go home, everything is alright now.' Although on the other hand I did like the small part after that, set in Paris or wherever it was.
It seems i've talked about a lot of bad things with this film yet i'm still giving it a six, because although its not up there with some of the great films, its still worth a watch, for the storyline and settings mainly. Its nicely directed and sticks to the theme of a Shyamalan themed movie. If just a few tweaks had been made to this film though, such as improved acting and a bit of a better explanation for the neurotoxin, then perhaps it could have been up there with some of the great movies.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Not as good as the first two but still worthy of the franchise
Its not very often that film sequels can maintain a franchise and from personal experience, films seem to get worse as more sequels are made. This film didn't disappoint. It may not be as good as the original two but it still maintains great acting, the original back plot and a whole new original storyline of its own.
I didn't expect this film to be as good for several reasons 1. being the characters are different. Apart from Arnie, the entire cast has changed and it felt a little empty without the actress who plays Sarah Connor. I was a little disappointed that she had been written out but as the storyline progressed, I realised it seemed necessary. The acting in this film was as good as ever and the actors really pulled off their characters.
You'd have thought the writers would have ran out of storyline by the third film but they've just proved me wrong. The storyline works well alone, is unique, and fits well with the back plot already in place. If you had never seen the previous films, you'd probably be able to watch this one and follow it fairly easily.
However, I have noticed that they seem to be running out of ideas for new Terminator models and rather than sticking to an original action plot, they seemed to have replaced an efficient killing machine for a good looking woman, probably for the benefit of many guys in the cinema, who it seems, this genre is more aimed at. Another problem I had with this film was the rating. The other 2 films had a higher rating which allowed for more to be done in the film. I think this one seemed a bit limited in terms of action scenes.
In conclusion, this is a pretty good film which I think works well in the franchise (not like the awful fourth film). I would recommend seeing this film, just don't expect it to be good as the first two.
The Woman in Black (2012)
Is this really a 12A?
I went into the cinema with quite low expectations of a horror that is only rated a 12A. I didn't however expect it to be so good.
The start is quite slow and it took a while for me to get into but once I started to watch it properly, I was hooked. The tense storyline keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout and keeps you guessing what will happen until the very end. The acting was to a very high standard, although that said, it is still very difficult to remember Daniel Radcliffe can't just cast a spell with his wand in this film and everything will be alright.
There are a lot of moments which make you jump and want to hide away from the screen and it works very well as a stand alone horror film, Although, one thing I was confused about with this film was how it got such a low certificate rating. If I didn't know what rating it was, I would definitely have said it was a 15. On the other hand though, this film does prove you can make a decent horror without having to keep it to a limited audience.
All in all, if you're looking for a night out with your friends and you're a fan of horror then this movie is well worth seeing, however I would advise that it is not a film to take young children to watch.
Terminator Salvation (2009)
2 hours of my life wasted
As you probably have guessed from the title, I didn't like this film. Thinking about it, it may have been okay as a stand alone film but putting it into the Terminator franchise is just shameful.
There are a lot of mixed reviews on here about this film but I, for one am severely disappointed. So here's some of the storyline: teenage Reese gets captured. John Connor has to save him. And here's the rest of the storyline: oh wait..thats it! Sticking in some extra characters made the film a bit more interesting but pretty much they were only there to pad out the plot.
Addmittedly, some of the special effects were good but I think the film focused too much on them and especially chase scenes rather than developing the characters. I'm on the fence with the acting in this film. Whilst some of the actors were really good and actually made you feel some emotion towards them, others were pretty damn bad. I don't know if it was down to the director or the actor but I think Christian Bale should stick to his Batman films, which he actually acts well in. He didn't exactly act as if he cared about anyone. Maybe it sounds like i'm over exaggerating a bit but its true. Horror films usually use characters as a way to travel through the story. The Terminator franchise comprise of characters we're meant to care about.
And how predictable was this film really? It was pretty obvious what the ending had to be otherwise it wouldn't fit in with the first three films. Also, it was pretty predictable with what had happened to Sam Worthington's character at the beginning of the movie, although for a main character in this film, we didn't get to know much about him. I guess though, that may have been because there were too many characters in this film that it focused on.
Yes I realise this is probably a very long winded review but I needed to rant about this poor excuse of a film. I recommend people who are huge fans of the original 3 not to watch this utter rubbish as it's hardly relevant in terms of the story, probably just an excuse for the company involved to make more money on it. If you take this film as a stand alone movie however then maybe you WILL enjoy it.
Man on a Ledge (2012)
Definitely worth a trip to the cinema
There's a lot of mixed reviews about this film. I'm happy to say i'm one of those who thoroughly enjoyed it. It had great acting and a great storyline which is what you go to see a film for really.
A lot of people have slated this movie for its plot holes and 'unrealisticness' but isn't the whole point of a film, to entertain you? It's not meant to be realistic otherwise it'd be boring. Have you ever heard anyone slating The Matrix or Batman for not being realistic? I didn't think so.
Any film that can keep an audience watching a man stood on a ledge for an hour and a half must have a good storyline i'd say. The cinematography also helped this by showing shots looking up and down from the ledge, constantly reminding us of how high up the main character was. I also enjoyed the flashback scenes and twists in the plot.
Sam Worthington once again pulled off a great performance and the other actors (who i've never seen in anything else) were also great.
The reasons I docked two stars off this film are for: 1. the title (probably a bit harsh but it's so unoriginal) 2. the predictability of the ending. I guess with a film thats rated a 12A you kinda expect it to be predictable but it does deem the ending a bit moot if you know what's going to happen. I think if the director had chosen to make this film a 15 rating, a lot more could have been done to it. And 3. Sam Worthington's accent; let's just say I went into the cinema not knowing where Worthington was from. By the end of the film, I was pretty positive he was Australian.
Apart from those slight problems, I'd say it was a really well executed film and I'd go and see it in the cinema for a second time. I'll also be buying it when it comes out on DVD.
Overall, without giving anything away i'd say this film was definitely worth a trip to the cinema. Go and see it if you haven't. Except if you're one of those people who like to complain about the plot holes in a storyline, then this film probably isn't for you.
Max Payne (2001)
The best game out there
I actually only first played this game last year when I picked it up for £1 from a preowned game store during a boring holiday. Turns out it was the best pound I ever spent. Admittedly, it took me a long time to complete at first because I wasn't a massive gamer but it didn't stop me. I spent practically every waking hour for a week to complete this game. And it was worth it. Looking back on it now after playing six times, I would have to say it is the best game i've ever played, although it only takes me a few hours to complete now. It also led me to buy the second one, which has now also been completed too.
The settings, characters, monologues, background stories are all amazing. I didn't know it was possible to feel sympathy for a games character before playing this game. It has a funny side, a serious side, and a bad ass side. The snowy setting fits in perfectly with the genre and theme of the game, creating a sinister atmosphere. In addition the characters are all unique and add something to the storyline. One thing that I really enjoyed with this game is the bullet time which, without it, I probably would have never finished the game. It also adds tension to the game too. I can't count the amount of times i've been playing this game, standing behind a wall whilst counting how many enemies there are to shoot. Max's story is really heart felt and it adds more depth, making this a shooting game with a reason, rather than just a shooting game for the fun of it.
I also enjoyed how it was a third person shooter but managed to pull off the feel of a first person game. The graphics are admittedly bad but I guess they were good for the time, but surprisingly, I actually prefer these graphics.Way too many games focus on the graphics nowadays instead of the actual plot so they all end up basically the same.
The game is quite unrealistic but still manages to maintain a sense of realism in the player, although I'm glad the range of weapons in the second game was more realistic as I can't count the amount of times I accidentally blew myself up with the M79 in this one.
One criticism I will give this game however is on the PS2 version, you can only save at certain points in the game, so if you die, then you have to replay the level again.
Anyone who hasn't played this before should definitely buy this game, you will NOT be disappointed. You also have the advantage of picking it up cheap now. I guarantee it will be the greatest game you will ever buy. Hope Max Payne 3 is as good as the other two, but nothing beats the original.
Max Payne (2008)
Payneful adaptation of a great video game
Let me just start off by saying i'm a huge fan of the games and when I saw this,I expected it to be at least a little similar. I'm sad to say I was extremely disappointed.
Obviously the film couldn't have ALL the action scenes in the game because that would've made it more boring than it was already, but a few wouldn't have hurt. As far as I could tell, not many were used and the complete lack of bullet time in this film put it to shame. That was one of the main themes of the video game.
Also the locations they used in the film varied differently to the game too and the adaptation of the storyline was plain awful. Did any of the people on this set even play the game or just read the back of the box and go from there? the reason I gave it three stars are for the casting which I thought was fairly good,the weather (is that even worth a star?)Well at least they got the snowing part right, and the mythology which they kept in the film.
Furthermore, with the lack of plot, how many characters did they miss out? quite a lot I'd say. Where was Gognitti or Woden? They were great characters! It all pretty much centered around Max' battle with Lupino. Which kinda sucked as he died in the first part of the game.
Okay so Mark Wahlberg did quite a good job but he never managed to fully portray the whole Max Payne kinda vibe. Or that may have been down to the director. You never really got chance to know him apart from a few flashbacks to his wife and child(which personally I thought were quite good) And, dude, where did the monologues go? they practically made the game!
All in all, if you're a fan of the game I would advise not watching this film as chances are you will come out severely disappointed at the terrible adaptation.
If you haven't played the game before then I still advise not watching this film as chances are you will come out severely disappointed at the lack of, well, pretty much everything.
Now all I have to do is wait for someone to come along and remake this film into better one...