Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts

18 September 2011

Drive (2011)

Drive feels like the kind of film Quentin Tarantino could have made 15 years ago. Gritty, stylish and further cementing Gosling as one of Hollywood's most intersting actors.

30 July 2011

Rango (2011)

Chameleon protagonist shouldn't find it too hard to blend in to this love letter to Westerns.

3 stars

Unknown (2011)


Thriller by numbers is reassuringly Hollywood and entertains on its own merit. How many Takens/Unknows Liam Neeson will now typecast himself from here on is the only real known unknown.

3.5 stars

23 July 2011

The Town (2010)

Decent, just can't help but we've seen it all before and better film was hidden in there somewhere.. still worth checking out though.

Janck 3.5 stars (Feb 2011)




Enjoyable enough crime thriller which although is solidly made, does not stick too long in the memory to make it a classic. Directed by Ben Affleck, the end result is very 'safe'.

Mitch 3.5 stars

17 July 2011

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

"Bourne meets Inception" says the film poster, however, there is unashamedly a large dose of romance, and, dare I say it, 'chick flick' cunningly disguised here. Emily Blunt is irresitible and annoying in equal measure though (no doubt due to some Hollywood exec telling her 'Oooh Emily, we just LOVE your Britishness'). Big themes of love/life/fate/choices make for a very mixed bag indeed.

3 stars

16 July 2011

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Being a huge fan of the Alien Invasion genre, Battle: LA pulls no punches in basically just being Black Hawk Down with aliens. Battle, struggle, set-pieces, explosion, CGI, half-time and full-time results - it's all there. As is a, now obligatory, Michelle Rodriguez role as 'kick-ass female with a firearm'. Visual feast; paper thin and meaty at the same time.


2.5 stars

10 July 2011

Black Swan (2010)

Lesbianism, madness, Black Swan. The dark side are they.

Janck 4 stars (Jan 2011)






Aronofsky's use of symbolism and metaphor
are sublime in this dark, psychological mystery. Lives up to the hype; recommended, raw, and cinematic.

Mitch 4.5 stars

Paranormal Activity (2007)

Shot on a shoestring budget, Paranormal Activity is proof that you don't need to be a megabucks blockbuster to be tedious and boring.

Film Jam 2 stars
Rotten Tomatoes 82%
Metacritic 68 out of 100

26 June 2011

25 June 2011

Red (2010)


Aging stars turn up and take the paycheck here; they run around a fair bit and wise-crack even more, but the end result falls flat.


2.5 stars

15 June 2011

The House of the Devil (2009)

Tidy old school horror, genuinely suspenseful until the ending just boils over.

Film Jam 3.5 stars
Rotten Tomatoes 86%
Metacritic 73 out of 100

12 June 2011

127 Hours (2010)

Aron Ralston gives an arm, not a leg, to escape the Utah canyons.

11 June 2011

Crank (2006)

It's dumb.. really dumb.. but did make me smile.

Janck 3 stars (March 2011)


Review to follow...

Mitch 1 star

5 June 2011

True Grit (2010)

Nominated for ten Oscars but didn't win any, which seems about right.

Janck 3.5 stars (Feb 2011)


Review to follow....

Mitch 3.5 stars

4 June 2011

The Fighter (2010)

Like a powerful jab to the emotions, The Fighter is a true winner.

Janck 4 stars (Feb 2011)





Review to follow....

Mitch 4.5 stars

30 May 2011

The Green Hornet (2011)

Disappointing superhero movie which doesn't really click for Seth Rogen or the creative vision of Michel Gondry. A bit silly, and not much originality.


2.5 stars