Articles tagged with: movie reviews
TV Review: Samantha Who, Sunday 14th September, 11pm, E4
Everyone has things they’d like to forget; that time you were sick and blamed it on the dog, the ‘homely looking' date who ended up staying for breakfast, or perhaps the hours you wasted watching Echo Beach. Straight in the memory trash can every single one. In new US import Samantha Who, however, the list of things to forget is as long and distinguished as Slider’s Johnson, featuring a lead character who just can’t remember a damned thing. As it turns out, that’s a definite plus for Samantha Newly (Christina Applegate), the victim of a hit and run who awakes from an eight-day coma only to discover she has retrograde amnesia. Family and friends are strangers, but the one thing that our Sam can discern is that until right now, she has spent her life as a full time megabitch who could give lessons in how to lose friends and alienate people.
Everyone has things they’d like to forget; that time you were sick and blamed it on the dog, the ‘homely looking' date who ended up staying for breakfast, or perhaps the hours you wasted watching Echo Beach. Straight in the memory trash can every single one. In new US import Samantha Who, however, the list of things to forget is as long and distinguished as Slider’s Johnson, featuring a lead character who just can’t remember a damned thing. As it turns out, that’s a definite plus for Samantha Newly (Christina Applegate), the victim of a hit and run who awakes from an eight-day coma only to discover she has retrograde amnesia. Family and friends are strangers, but the one thing that our Sam can discern is that until right now, she has spent her life as a full time megabitch who could give lessons in how to lose friends and alienate people.
Movie Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Say what you want about the Star Wars prequels, it's still an unparalleled cinematic experience when the lights go down and the familiar John Williams fanfare kicks in with the logo and text crawl. So it's a feeling of impending cinematic doom when this new prequel/middle/sequel gets this simplest of iconic moments wrong! Straight away you feel that your heading downhill with The Clone Wars as it replaces the text crawl with a voiceover narration that feels as jarring as it does patronising. As we get plumped straight into the action we have to get used to the new aesthetic style that matches a wooden finish with that of the prequel trilogy acting. It also dumps the classic musical themes of the saga, instead opting for, among other things, rock-style electric guitar. It's as bad as it sounds, literally!
Say what you want about the Star Wars prequels, it's still an unparalleled cinematic experience when the lights go down and the familiar John Williams fanfare kicks in with the logo and text crawl. So it's a feeling of impending cinematic doom when this new prequel/middle/sequel gets this simplest of iconic moments wrong! Straight away you feel that your heading downhill with The Clone Wars as it replaces the text crawl with a voiceover narration that feels as jarring as it does patronising. As we get plumped straight into the action we have to get used to the new aesthetic style that matches a wooden finish with that of the prequel trilogy acting. It also dumps the classic musical themes of the saga, instead opting for, among other things, rock-style electric guitar. It's as bad as it sounds, literally!
Movie Review – Somers Town
At the end of his movie you will just want to stand up and cheer. Somers Town does not have the far reaching social analysis of This is England or the balletic masculinity of Dead Man's Shoes. It has some of these qualities as you would expect being a Shane Meadows film, but more than anything Somers Town has heart, a big beating, bleeding, young and in love, scrapping and getting pissed heart. The story details the lives of two lads Tomo (Thomas Turgoose) – a Nottingham lad fled to The Big Smoke homeless and penniless, and Marek (Piotr Jagiello), a Polish immigrant living with his hard drinking but loving father, who befriends Tomo.
At the end of his movie you will just want to stand up and cheer. Somers Town does not have the far reaching social analysis of This is England or the balletic masculinity of Dead Man's Shoes. It has some of these qualities as you would expect being a Shane Meadows film, but more than anything Somers Town has heart, a big beating, bleeding, young and in love, scrapping and getting pissed heart. The story details the lives of two lads Tomo (Thomas Turgoose) – a Nottingham lad fled to The Big Smoke homeless and penniless, and Marek (Piotr Jagiello), a Polish immigrant living with his hard drinking but loving father, who befriends Tomo.
Song Review: Keane – Spiralling
“Song review? Don’t you mean CD review, morons?†For once we decided not to leave ourselves open for getting something wrong and remembered that you can’t physically get hold of this new tune from the UK’s worst drug-taking band, Keane. Unless you’re one of those posh industry types, this song is unavailable to buy on CD, vinyl or even from one of those fancy digital downloading services. Though we assume it’s on file sharing sites alongside the mis-titled new Elvis and Frank Sinatra album. Usually we don’t bother telling you how awesome or shoddy a single is, but seeing as it’s free release that didn’t get that much publicity compared to other free downloads, offered by the likes of Radiohead and Sigur Ros, we thought we’d make you aware. Spiralling is taken from Keane's yet to be released (but probably available illegally on the internet) third album Perfect Symmetry.
“Song review? Don’t you mean CD review, morons?†For once we decided not to leave ourselves open for getting something wrong and remembered that you can’t physically get hold of this new tune from the UK’s worst drug-taking band, Keane. Unless you’re one of those posh industry types, this song is unavailable to buy on CD, vinyl or even from one of those fancy digital downloading services. Though we assume it’s on file sharing sites alongside the mis-titled new Elvis and Frank Sinatra album. Usually we don’t bother telling you how awesome or shoddy a single is, but seeing as it’s free release that didn’t get that much publicity compared to other free downloads, offered by the likes of Radiohead and Sigur Ros, we thought we’d make you aware. Spiralling is taken from Keane's yet to be released (but probably available illegally on the internet) third album Perfect Symmetry.
Movie Review: The Dark Knight
Probably the most hotly anticipated movie since time began, The Dark Knight finally arrives in cinemas this week after what seems a neverending wait. Of course the accolades have been shouted from the rooftops and it gives us great pleasure to step in line behind countless others and give praise to what is sure to become a classic film of our time. The film, as you should be aware by now, is a sequel to Batman Begins which rebooted the Bat franchise in a world rooted in reality. The Dark Knight not only continues the theme but expands it into something completely fresh and riveting.
Probably the most hotly anticipated movie since time began, The Dark Knight finally arrives in cinemas this week after what seems a neverending wait. Of course the accolades have been shouted from the rooftops and it gives us great pleasure to step in line behind countless others and give praise to what is sure to become a classic film of our time. The film, as you should be aware by now, is a sequel to Batman Begins which rebooted the Bat franchise in a world rooted in reality. The Dark Knight not only continues the theme but expands it into something completely fresh and riveting.
Movie Review: WALL-E
Ever wondered what would happen if E.T had a threesome with Short Circuit and Robots? Well, cease your wondering, because WALL- E is here. Set 800 years in the future, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) is the last robot left on earth, doggedly cleaning up the waste the humans left behind when they fled to space. Despite the obvious message, this film manages to stop short of beating audiences round the head with the ethical nunchucks.
Ever wondered what would happen if E.T had a threesome with Short Circuit and Robots? Well, cease your wondering, because WALL- E is here. Set 800 years in the future, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) is the last robot left on earth, doggedly cleaning up the waste the humans left behind when they fled to space. Despite the obvious message, this film manages to stop short of beating audiences round the head with the ethical nunchucks.
Movie Review: The Fox And The Child
The sun rises, spilling its rays over the land, so beautiful you can hardly believe this happens every day and you never noticed. Thus begins The Fox and the Child, Luc Jacquet's follow up to his Oscar-winning documentary, The March of the Penguins. A nameless ten-year-old girl (Bertille Noel-Bruneau) is cycling through dense forest near her home, when she discovers a fox foraging for food. Mesmerised by her first experience of a fox at close range, she quietly tries to approach her. But like all wild animals, the fox is sensitive to the child's presence and flees, leaving the little girl determined to find her fox again. We follow the resourceful child as she turns all manner of tricks to track down her fox, then watch in awe as they tame each other.
The sun rises, spilling its rays over the land, so beautiful you can hardly believe this happens every day and you never noticed. Thus begins The Fox and the Child, Luc Jacquet's follow up to his Oscar-winning documentary, The March of the Penguins. A nameless ten-year-old girl (Bertille Noel-Bruneau) is cycling through dense forest near her home, when she discovers a fox foraging for food. Mesmerised by her first experience of a fox at close range, she quietly tries to approach her. But like all wild animals, the fox is sensitive to the child's presence and flees, leaving the little girl determined to find her fox again. We follow the resourceful child as she turns all manner of tricks to track down her fox, then watch in awe as they tame each other.
Movie Review: The Mist
Drifting into cinemas this week is the much delayed The Mist, the third Stephen King adaptation from Frank Darabont, whose last two attempts - The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile - were both adored by critics and the public. The Mist is a slight change of pace for the director, substituting the prison-enclosed stories of hope for an intense horror film. We're pleased to say, though, this is a very good film that supplies shocking turns, great characters and some intense scenes.
Drifting into cinemas this week is the much delayed The Mist, the third Stephen King adaptation from Frank Darabont, whose last two attempts - The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile - were both adored by critics and the public. The Mist is a slight change of pace for the director, substituting the prison-enclosed stories of hope for an intense horror film. We're pleased to say, though, this is a very good film that supplies shocking turns, great characters and some intense scenes.
