Film Review Section *** NEWish ***

[HwoodMike2umate]

off 2 c "Lakeview Terrace" 2nite --- anyone seen it yet? Its hopefully still £2.50 super Tuesdays @ the Oddessey.
My super review will follow 2morrow.

[Shan]

Saw it last week.It's not too bad but is just lacking that something---The story line isn't terribly strong and it's a bit disjointed I felt.I don't think it will be on any best movie lists but is watchable enough.

[HwoodMike2umate]

LAKEVIEW TERRACE - Well we thought it rattled along at a good ole pace. Good mixture of humour, violence and good guy/bad guy stuff with a suitable amount of "totty" thrown in too. Sort of mix of War of the Roses (the film not the war) Fatal Attraction & Panic Room with plenty of TV's Neighbours from Hell type activities thrown in for good measure. Mite make u think twice b4 arguing with yer neighbours this summer bout height of hedges, party noise and parking etc. Samuel L Jackson is really excellent and in the space of a second can change from humour to threatening. Two relatively minor faults - with the constant backdrop of a Californian fire getting out of control i'd have finished the film with all the houses in the cul-de-sac burning down and why on earth someone on the set didnt think of putting the charming Regine Nehy (my neighbours daughters have never look like her - more black folk needed in Holywood?) briefly in a Cheerleaders outfit beats me - but as consolation there is a good pool side bikini dancing scene for the ole perves amongst u - reassuring in some small way to find out this morning that she is in fact almost 21 years old! Hope i havent spoiled the film 4 u all.

[HwoodMike2umate]

Bad Santa (2003)

Hadnt seen it b4. Was on the telly last night. Billy Bob Thornton great. Very amusing film and recommend u watch it if it is shown again over Xmas.

[browner]

Bad Santa (2003)

Hadnt seen it b4. Was on the telly last night. Billy Bob Thornton great. Very amusing film and recommend u watch it if it is shown again over Xmas.

Then i think you'll like this http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3784179993/ also starring Billy Bob...............surprisingly good.

[ColinS]

Need to get Bad Santa as it's an immense film, watched it on a flight to LA a couple of years back!

Browner, that film does look good, will check it out!

[Glynncommando]

Went to see "Australia" the other night & wasn't entirely disappointed - in fact, pleasantly surprised having read some critics' comments recently. It's a big sweeping epic of a film - an Antipodean "Gone With The Wind" in many ways, & as such a bit of a throwback to another era in Hollywood terms. All Aussie cast, sumptuously shot - bound to be a contender for cinematography awards come Oscar time. Nicole is stick-thin (but very attractive) Jackman (NOT Bernard) is rugged & pleasing on the eye for the ladies i suppose. Think he's a bit under-rated as an actor, to be honest. Could be a worthy Bond contender when Daniel departs. The action is entertaining, the love-story predictable, the sub-plot (maltreatment of indigenous kids) is worthy...but the real winner is the country-side & the scenery. Bit long-winded for some tastes, maybe, but i didn't notice the time passing, to be honest. Baz Lurman does a good job (admittedly i'm a fan) & it's a fine advert for the tourist board!
In short, very enjoyable. A modern attempt at an old-fashioned movie...& not bad for it at all.
GC

[HwoodMike2umate]

hoping to get to see "Australia" tonite (£3 wed nite special @ the Strand). I'm guessing from the above review that it will do more for the Australian tourist industry than "Wolf Creek" did in 2005 - although the early shots it it were quite scenic.

[ColinM]

"Yes Man"
Well i spent 105 minutes of my life on this at the weekend. Jim Carey plays a divorcee who is bogged down in his 9 to 5 existence and neglecting his friends and family in favour of the TV and playstation until a friend introduces him to a Yes Man conference where he makes a covenant to say yes to everything. All in all not a bad show and it rattled along at a fair old pace. Normal detractors of Jim Carey could watch it OK, he's not so ott as usual. Theres a few laughs to be had and its generally easy watching. No prizes will be awarded to this film but it'll pass a couple of hours for ye's in a light hearted manner.

[Neil F]

Film: Gonzo: The Life and Works of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Cinema: Cameo, Edinburgh

Your view of this movie probably depends on your view of Hunter S. Thompson. If you love the man and love his work, then this movie provides an insight into his life, complete with interviews with his friends. If you're disinterested in the man, or don't much care for his work, there is little on display to entertain. Parts of the movie make no sense; Johnny Depp reading random excerpts from Thompson's work seems little more than a gesture to get a big name into the movie but really only provide a distraction from the biographical nature of the film. There is little here that one wouldn't know from reading Kingdom of Fear; the odd mention of depression from his second wife and some comments from his son Juan aside. The glut of the film focuses on Thompson's life during the writing of his three most notable books: Hell's Angels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. His later life is covered in a matter of a couple of minutes, with many of his most intriguing actions of his later life ignored entirely, presumably to keep Thompson portrayed in a positive light. All in all, a decent movie for a fan of Hunter S. Thompson but not even equivalent to a read of Kingdom of Fear.

[ColinS]

"Yes Man"
Well i spent 105 minutes of my life on this at the weekend. Jim Carey plays a divorcee who is bogged down in his 9 to 5 existence and neglecting his friends and family in favour of the TV and playstation until a friend introduces him to a Yes Man conference where he makes a covenant to say yes to everything. All in all not a bad show and it rattled along at a fair old pace. Normal detractors of Jim Carey could watch it OK, he's not so ott as usual. Theres a few laughs to be had and its generally easy watching. No prizes will be awarded to this film but it'll pass a couple of hours for ye's in a light hearted manner.

Cheers for that Colin, wanna go see it myself!
I'm wonderin what the ex-missiz is doin this friday, etc.

[mikerob]

Che Part 1

Two part biopic of Che Guevara directed by Steven Soderbergh with Benicio del Toro as Che (in Spanish with English subtitles)

I decided that my Brennan couldn't take sitting through a 4.5 hour double bill of Che Part 1 followed by Che Part 2 so I just watched Part 1 and will catch up with Part 2 when it goes out on general release in February.

Part 1 covers the early days of Che the revolutionary from his initial meeting with Fidel Castro in Mexico to Castro's overthrow of the Cuban government. Lots of cutting backward and forwards through time - from Mexico, the progress of the guerilla campaign in Cuba and Guevara's visits to the United Nations to put forward Cuba's case but this doesn't affect the overall flow of the film.

The film is unashamedly sympathetic to Guevara the person and the cause of the Cuban revolution and I couldn't help but think that the situation must have been a lot more complicated than portrayed.

Recommended if you are interested in (one perspective) of the person and the history of the period... but if you only want to watch one film about Guevara, then watch "The Motorcycle Diaries" instead.

Rugby link: Guevara was a rugby player in his youth in Argentina and The Motorcycle Diaries contains a brief shot of him playing.

[mikerob]

Nicole is stick-thin (but very attractive)

Nicole Kindling as the film critic Mark Kermode calls her. Thin and wooden

[HwoodMike2umate]

Australia - well saw it at the Strand £3 wed nite special last nite and GlynnC (above) has it almost spot on. Good movie, (loosely based on an untrue story), didnt drag at all (surprising considering its 2hr 45min - with 6 min break in the middle as they changed the reel) . Most definitely disagree with him and Mikerob - Nicole aint thin, she's fit (well looks it anyway) and wud make a perfect Cheerleader even at 41.

Faults - 1 -only shower scene was a fella.
2 -With those rivers, heavy rain and hot sun i fail to see why Nicole wasnt ever washing, swimming &/or sunbathing or at least scampering around in a wet T-shirt or why all that running, riding and sweating didnt take a bit more of a toll on her clothing. Not even a decent shot of her tummy. Had 2 settle for one brief shot of a leg in bed that could have been anyones.
3 - i'm unaware that the Japs landed on an island within sight of Darwin and a too few many corny moments which made me smile rather than cry - but i'm sure there was the odd tear in the cinema.
4 - If i'b been the director i'd have finished with the 3 of them on a hill overlooking a burning Darwin with Nicole saying "Tomorrow is another day". A good corny movie needs a good corny finish.
5 - whilst scenery was good i was expecting better and there were too many constant similar shots of the rather drab & dusty area around this wee wooden ranch with one nearby tall ridge on top of which an old guy in need of a comb was always having small bonfires and muttering to himself.

[King Ding]

saw Role Models last nite, one of the funniset ive seen in a while.
Highly recomended