Room 237 - A Review

1.5 Stars - Annoying

So, Room 237 is a series of analyses of Stanley Kubrick's wonderful horror film The Shining. It is one of the most absurdly annoying documentaries I've ever seen.

These people suggest such rot about the Shining as Room 237 is used to symbolise that Stanley Kubrick faked the moon landing footage, that the film is about the mass genocide of Native Americans and that Jack having a German typewriter means the film is about the holocaust...

Now I'm not saying that Stanley Kubrick didn't have any kind of underlying themes or messages, he clearly did, but what they suggest is an example of why I hate over analysis of media. It just suggests ridiculous things that no-one would ever want to read into a film when they just want to enjoy it.

Nazi!

In short, watch the Shining, and ignore this tripe

" That's the funny thing about saviours: they can make one a little... dependent."... Being Human Series 4 - A Review

Oh boy... this is where it all goes wrong...this is where Being Human begins to fail.

Between series Nina has been killed, as has the old one who showed up at the end of the previous series who looked like he was going to be an interesting villain. The series starts with Tom begging to move in with George and Annie. George now has a baby and has gone mad with paranoia over vampire attacks, and has protected his and Nina's baby with a bunch of crosses... despite being Jewish... so him using crosses makes no sense... Anyway he's captured by the vampires and forces a change into a werewolf to save his baby and dies as a result, there is now only one of the original cast left. A new vampire moves in; Hal, an old one, whose previous werewolf and ghost housemates died and moved on to the other side. Hal is a total pussy and I hate him... a bunch of stuff happens, none of it interesting, they meet a sucubus and the young vampire from the previous series shows up. Then at the end the plot finally remembers to happen and Mark Gatiss shows up as an old one, who wants to take George and Nina's baby as his own, because if she dies then it fulfils a prophecy or some shit. Annie blows up Mark Gatiss and the baby and passes over; oh also Hal is responsible for the death of a girl named Alex, and she is the new ghost... but no-one cares.

Now while the loss of Nina and George was a choice of the actors and not the writers it still feels shit to lose them without any decent build up or emotional pay off, like when Mitchell died and the replacements, in the shape of Hal and Tom are both awful. Hal's emotional turmoil just comes off as whiny with occasional lip quivering... Tom is much to naive and goody-two shoesish to be of any interest. So the cast dynamic just doesn't fit.

Before this in Being Human death was always a big deal, characters rarely killed, and when they did it was enough to drive them mad with guilt. Now they treat it like an action film, where killing vampires left right and centre is cool, so all the emotional impact is gone.

The plot is also completely not Being Human style, with all this end of the world prophecies bullshit and whatnot, before it was always small emotional stories, that was about characters personal responses to little tragedies and not about trying to save the world from the boring apocalypse. Then Mark Gatiss shows up and chews the scenery and you think maybe there's something salvageable from this whole mess, but then they kill him and all hope dies.

In short, just awful, they ruined it and it will never be fixed.

Cloud Atlas - A Review

2 Stars - Interesting, but not very good

So Cloud Atlas is a film about a group of stories in various time periods that are supposedly interconnected. It is this supposed connection between the stories that feels like the biggest flaw to me. The stories don't connect, there are no shared goals, there are no shared themes I could notice and nothing of much consequence ever seems to get achieved.

For that I will say that I enjoyed some of the stories, such as Jim Broadbent trying to escape an old folks home and the clutches of the evil Hugo Weaving in drag and James D'Arcy in a ponytail wig... also Ben Whishaw as a ghost writer for another Jim Broadbent who was a composer. Also Keith David provides his special brand of vocal splendour; can't argue with that.

However I don't feel as though I can disregard this film entirely and tell people to not see it, it is such an unusual film in nature that I feel as though people might completely adore it, or really despise it, or like me admire elements of it but feel ultimately dissatisfied.

Hot damn I love that voice

In short, go see it, make your own opinion, because I guarantee you'll have a unique one.

A Good Day To Die Hard - A Review

2 Stars - Meh

So John McClane is back, along with his son, to fight some Russians. In theory it should be marvellous eighties style action, but what it ends up being is a shaky cam heavy, predictably plotted and uninteresting to watch pile of mediocrity.

The shaky cam is especially annoying, not as much in the action scenes which have occasional moments of impressive stunts, but in the dialogues scenes where the Russian characters speak, the subtitles shake with it, which is just irritating to watch.

Having only previously seen the original Die Hard film, I can say that this doesn't feel like a Die Hard film, it's too much huge set pieces and attempts to over complicate the plot. The original was simple, straightforward and contained within a small space.

Although this may be the best tagline ever

In short, not really worth it, unless you are a particularly die hard die hard fan...

"So you want me to be your heir?"... Being Human Series 3 - A Review

Series 3 is the best series of Being Human, the characters were at their emotional best, the writing was tight, the stories intelligent and the overall tone at its darkest.

George, Mitchell and Nina have moved into a defunct Bed and Breakfast in Wales, George and Nina are keen to move on with their lives, but Mitchell is severely depressed over the loss of Annie and racked with guilt over the box tunnel twenty, the name given to his mass murder at the end of the previous series. Mitchell travels to the other side to rescue Annie, and meets a ghost named Lia, who leads him through his memories, until he realises that she was one of the twenty and she predicts that he will be killed by a werewolf, a wolf shaped bullet, as she puts it. George and Nina end up transforming in the same place and they realise that they have had sex whilst in wolf form. Mitchell rescues Annie from purgatory and she starts living with them again. They meet a young vampire named Adam, and try to keep him away from drinking blood, they send him to some older vampires, who are weird sex fiends, so they end up rescuing him and sending him off into the world to figure out life on his own. They discover a zombie, who came about when Michell travelled to the other side and her soul could not pass, they try to help her, but she eventually dies for good. Mitchell meets a vampire named Graham, who is a fan of his exploits and keeps a scrapbook of news cuttings about the box tunnel twenty, Mitchell is forced to kill him before he commits a similar attorcity. At the same time, Nina and George discover that  Nina is pregnant from the werewolf sex and Mitchell and Annie decide to try a relationship. George and Nina, concerned about their baby seek out McNair, a surly, vampire hunting, Werewolf and his son Tom, they stay at the B&B for a short while, and Mitchell is so concerned for his safety that he offers McNair to the vampire couple who adopted Adam for a wolf fight, where they put a human in a cage with a werewolf for sport. However they kidnap George, Nina and Tom as well and Mitchell and Annie get locked in the cage and nearly torn apart by the wolves. Then at the hospital they discover Herrick, who is back to life, but has no memory of his previous life; they take him to live in their house, with Mitchell desperate to kill him, but Nina and George, convinced of his new nature prevent Mitchell from doing so. Herrick discovers Mitchell's scrapbook of news cuttings and calls the police on him. Whilst George and Nina visit George's father's funeral, then try to help his ghost pass to the other side the B&B is visited by a young, female police detective, investigating Nina's report and makes Mitchell nervous, her presence also awakes Herrick's blood lust, confusing him massively. Annie tries to investigate the box tunnel twenty, and is shocked when she and the police officer come to the same conclusion that Mitchell is responsible and he is arrested. At the same time McNair and Tom have returned, and McNair, who was turned during a wolf fight that Herrick resided over tries to kill Herrick whilst in werewolf form, but Herrick stabs him. Then when the police officer enters Herrick's room his blood lust completely takes over and his true nature is revealed he kills her and then he stabs Nina. Herrick rescues Mitchell from prison, then puts him in a cage with George who nearly kills him in his anger over what happened to Nina, until Tom comes and rescues George. Herrick and Mitchell are talking about their future and Mitchell stakes him, killing Herrick for good. Later on, George, Annie and Nina, who has survived her stabbing and is massively pregnant much faster than a normal rate are at home when Mitchell comes back and asks George to kill him, George is about to when an one of the oldest vampires, an old one, enters and tells him that he won't allow Mitchell to die and that he wants George and Nina's child. George stakes Mitchell, turns and tells the old one that he has a fight on his hands.

This is a fantastic series because there is no real villain, but the emotional stakes had never been higher. The way they brought Herrick back was brilliant and allowed Jason Watkins to show his range as an actor. The loss of Mitchell was tragic, but they built it up well over the series, so it made sense.

In short, the best series of a great show, also the last good series of the show... it is all down hill from here.

This Is 40 - A Review

3 Stars - Decent

This Is 40 is a 'sort of sequel' to knocked up, which I haven't seen, but you don't need to see it, to appreciate the characters and enjoy the film.

This film has some good characters and quite a few decent laughs, though I will say that there are flaws with it, mainly that some of the problems they're facing aren't that bad, for example they keep telling Paul Rudd to not eat cupcakes, but Paul Rudd isn't fat... maybe if he was fat this would work, but he's in pretty good shape, let him eat the damn cupcake...

Their problems don't seem so bad

In short, it's okay, but maybe wait for TV

The Birds - A Review

5 Stars - Magnificent

Took me long enough to get around to watching this one, right?

This is a brilliant film, it has likeable characters, cool cinematography, tight direction, good acting and a truly unsettling threat.

The most scary thing in this film is the noise of the birds, it is so loud and violent and it just gets under your skin.

creepy... just creepy

In short, a truly unsettling film, definitely one to watch.

Beautiful Creatures - A Review

0.5 Stars - Dull

Yet another film trying to appeal to the Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games crowd... However where Harry Potter and the Hunger Games are interesting and have some depth to them this is just a boring tween romance between the girl who appears to have dark issues and the boy who is handsome, athletic, intelligent, polite, considerate, caring and expresses his emotions easily... This isn't a real character, he is some woman's fantasy of what a perfect man is.

The couple of the film are boring, maybe it's because you know that their love is going to conquer the evil from the outset, and that neither of them will suffer all that much through the film, or maybe it's because the guy, whose name I didn't care enough about to look up isn't a very good actor, and every time he opens his mouth I want someone to punch him.

At least Emma Thompson seemed to be enjoying herself... Jeremy Irons just looked bored, like the whole time he was thinking, I'm better than this aren't I?

He is truly a beautiful creature...

In short, give it a miss, unless you're one of those weird people who likes Twilight... maybe you'll like it...

"Look at us both. Covered in other people's blood and talking about morality"... Being Human Series 2 - A Review

When Being Human series 2 first came along I was surprised at just how dark it went, the more humorous edge of the first series was almost completely gone and in its place was some real personal drama. This was a change for the better, most definitely.

Following the death of Herrick, there are now vampires running rampant with no leader and no direction, which Mitchell and George discover from Daisy and Ivan, an unusual vampire couple. Nina has discovered she is a werewolf and this puts a serious strain on her relationship with George. Annie meanwhile is visible again and has got a job at the local pub, where she meets Nathan, a customer with some serious issues. Mitchell meets Lucy, a doctor working at the hospital and starts to have a bit of a flirtation with her. At the same time a mysterious organisation led by a priest named Kemp and the mysterious professor Jaggett are taking werewolves and killing them under the pretence of trying to cure them. Nina leaves upon seeing the depths Mitchell and George will sink to to keep their secrets safe, but is met by Kemp, who offers to 'cure' her. When Nathan comes on strongly to Annie she gets scared and becomes invisible again, Nathan is goaded into a car accident by spirits from the other side, when he dies from his injuries he nearly takes Annie to the other side with him, but resists at the last moment. Mitchell takes on the role of the vampire leader, and works with the police chief to keep any vampire attacks quiet. When Nina goes in for the 'cure' she is saved at the last minute by professor Jaggett, who turns out to be Lucy. George gets a job as a language teacher and tries to put the werewolf out of commission with sleeping pills, but then is unable to control his rage as a result. He also meets Sam, a single mother, with whom he starts a relationship. Annie learns how to reject the pull of the spirit world with the help of the ghost of a WWII fighter pilot. Mitchell sets up the vampires as a sort of AA group to give up drinking blood, but secretly supplies Ivan with blood so the others will think he is strong, and that they can follow his example. We see an incident from Mitchell's past where he first learned to experience compassion for humans and this is reflected in his growing relationship with Lucy. George moves in with Sam and her daughter, Molly. We see that Kemp's hatred for supernatural beings springs from his past when vampires killed his family before his eyes. He convinces Lucy that all vampires are evil, even Mitchell, and they blow up the vampire's meeting place. George, unaware of daylight savings time, turns into a werewolf at a school parents evening for Molly, but manages to get to the cage he has built in time, but not before Molly sees him. Nina convinces him to go to Kemp's institute. Mitchell and Daisy, who both survived the blast, go onto a train and brutally murder twenty people. Annie and George head towards the institute, leaving Mitchell in a blood fuelled rage at the house. Annie tries to get sent to the other side by Kemp, but is unsuccessful. Mitchell discovers who Lucy is and attacks the institute. George and Nina learn the truth and try to escape, rescuing Mitchell in the process, however Kemp forces Annie to the other side, despite her having changed her mind. Lucy follows them to a small house in the country where she pleads forgiveness, but is killed by Kemp. However Annie exits the other side long enough to pull Kemp through, then sends George and Mitchell a message, pleading for rescue. Mitchell firmly vows they will rescue her. In an epilogue we see Herrick resurrected through a blood ritual performed by Daisy and Kara, his most loyal servant.

The story and characters were very strong here, with a dark, yet relateable villain in the form of Kemp and some really interesting moral dilemmas held through Mitchell taking over the vampires. The episodes built to a masterful climax, with all the characters going through strong emotional arcs.

In short, better than the first series, a great continuation.

Warm Bodies - A Review

1 Star - Urgh

So the zombie apocalypse can be cured by one zombie wanting to get his leg over? How dumb...

This film is awful, no good characters, no funny jokes, no grindhouse gore and no underlying satire... so nothing you want from a zombie film.

No-one in the cast seems to care at all and not even John Malkovich brings any fun into the mix

Okay, that line got a mild smirk from me...

In short, don't watch this, it's bad.

Hitchcock - A Review

4 Stars - Entertaining

The second film in a short period of time to chronicle the making of Alfred Hitchcock's films, following The Girl. Sadly this film, whilst good, is not anywhere near The Girl in terms of quality.

The performances are the strongest point of this film, with Anthony Hopkins clearly having the time of his life playing Alfred Hitchcock and Helen Mirren powers through the role of Alma Reville.

The portrayal of Hitchcock here is much more sympathetic than in the girl, which sadly isn't as interesting to watch as the much more monstrous and unnerving portrayal in The Girl.

A Good Likeness

Not So Much...

In short, worth a watch, but watch The Girl afterwards and make your own opinions.

I Give It A Year - A Review

1 Star - Dull

I think it's fairly inevitable that I wasn't going to like this much, but I was hoping for at least a few cheap laughs and maybe an occasional stand out gag... but I can count the number of times I laughed on one finger... and even then it was more of a mild chuckle than anything else...

The trouble is it wasn't bad enough to make me say I hate it, it was just an hour and a half of boredom... Which is worse than hate inducing films in a way, because there's just nothing you can say about it.

Why is Stephen Merchant so successful? He isn't funny

In short, skip it, just save yourself the wasted time.

Flight - A Review

5 Stars - Brilliant

Flight is an absolutely brilliant film, well worth all the Oscar nominations it has received, even though it probably won't win them...

This is a very strong performance piece, with particularly brilliant performances from Denzel Washington, Kelley Riley and John Goodman. The rest of the supporting cast is also fantastic, making all of the smaller characters important.

The film has very strong religious overtones, and I'm not sure how I felt about them, as I'm not a religious person, but they really added to the drama and got me thinking.

To top off a great film, this has an epic soundtrack, with genius song choices.

The Plane crash effects are great too

In short, a great film, go see it.

Bullet To The Head - A Review

3.5 Stars - Okay

Sylvester Stallone is back again to shoot some people in the head and not draw much attention to his age...

This is an entirely competent action film, with one stand out sequence where Sly and Khal Drogo fight each other with axes. However for the most part it somewhat overuses the shaky cam and feels as though it's falling short of what it could be.

Performance wise it's good Sly Stallone is up to his usual standards and Jason Momoa makes an intimidating villain.

This is possibly the most manly thing... ever.

In short, an okay film, but unless you're a die hard Stallone fan, you might want to wait for TV

"Just a small good deed in the darkness"... Being Human Series 1 - A Review

So given that tonight marks the return of Being Human, one of the best British shows in years that got sadly broken and ruined in series 4 I have decided to take a look at the show and remind myself how good it was and how it got ruined.

Our three main characters at the start of the show are Mitchell, a vampire; George, a werewolf and Annie, a ghost. They share a house and try to live normal lives despite their unique conditions.

The vampires in the show don't need to drink blood to survive, it is merely a powerful addiction for them. They can also go outside during the day and are not any more strong or fast than any normal human. This makes them a very unique depiction of a character type that has been somewhat overused in recent years; this makes them something more interesting to watch, and it is interesting to watch Mitchell struggle with his addiction.

The Werewolves are brought back to more their traditional roots of only changing at the full moon and completely against their will. This is much more powerful dramatically than the recent spate of werewolves who can change whenever they want. This has brought lycanthropy back into being a curse instead of a superpower.

The Ghosts are invisible to all but other supernaturals (except for Annie early on in series 1, I'll get to it) and can teleport. They are probably the least interesting of the types, with the only really interesting thing being that they always wear the clothes they had on when they died, but they change the way they are worn depending on their mood.

Series 1 begins with Mitchell and George having moved into a house and discovering the ghost of Annie, a former tenant have settled in and are trying to live an ordinary life. Mitchell has recently, in a fit of lust, turned a co-worker, Lauren, at the hospital where he and George work into a vampire. Annie, who is becoming visible to people again, sees her fiance Owen with a new girlfriend and reverts to being invisible. Meanwhile Herrick, the vampire who turned Mitchell, is beginning to up the recruitment of new vampires. George meets a werewolf named Tully who teaches him how to deal with the wolf by dragging a chicken on a string in a mile wide circle so that the wolf follows the smell and doesn't hurt anyone. However when he discovers that Tully was the werewolf who turned him, he tells him to leave and never come back. At this time he also meets Nina, a nurse at the hospital, who he becomes very attracted to. Annie meets a ghost called Gilbert who helps her come to terms with being a ghost and upon falling in love with her, he resolves his unfinished business and crosses through a door to the other side. Mitchell befriends a young boy, but is mistaken for a paedophile, until he eventually has to save the kid and turn him into a vampire when he gets hit by a car. Annie discovers that Owen killed her. Haunted by the earlier events Mitchell falls back on his addiction and begins helping Herrick again. George begins dating Nina, but is terrified about her finding out the truth about him. Annie confronts Owen, but finds him to be not scared of her and completely vindictive against her. George and Annie rescue Mitchell from the vampires, but Lauren is killed in the process. Owen once again confronts Owen and whispers something we don't hear in his ear, which drives him insane and opens a door for her, which she turns down when Herrick arrives at the house and stakes Mitchell, wounding him and sending him to the hospital. After Mitchell is brought back to life by drinking the blood of an old girlfriend who was already dying he sets up a meeting with Herrick for a fight to the death, but George tells Herrick to meet him in a different place and is turning into a werewolf at the same time, and Herrick is torn apart, however in the werewolf rage he accidentaly scratches Nina. They try to settle down for their normal lives again.

The characters are very strong, all of them going through a lot of emotional trauma, but ultimately managing to come out on the other side and continue with their lives. The performances reflect this, with particular note going to Russel Tovey as George and Jason Watkins as the villainous Herrick.

I don't really have a favourite episode or least favourite episode because they are put together in such a way that it is hard to remember what happened in which ones, especially since I haven't watched them in a while. This is probably the weakest of the good series, but still is very good.

In short, a good start to a great show, Definitely worth a watch.