Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

The Plot

Set in the mystical lands of Persia, a rogue prince and a mysterious princess race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time -- a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world

The Review

I have not really played much of the games that the movie was based on so I will never try to compare the two. I think it is important to always important to separate a movie from the game it was based on, as the movie will often capture an audience that the game never reached. As well as this often it is the movie that inspires people to go and buy/play the game.

The actors cast in the this movie were chosen bringing the bickering of both the Prince and the Princess to the screen without allowing the audience to grow tired of them. Ben Kingsley as the villain Nizam is always a good choice, but you can always sense that he is going to double cross the hero.

The movie is perhaps a little too simple as part of me feels that is was tailored specifically for family demographic. The Prince is far too one dimensional, but it has to be remembered that this is a Disney film. The special effects in this movie are well done, and it is easy to be engrossed into the movie.

The funny point from the movie is that in essence a town is invading for having weapons of mass destruction, but it is later confirmed that this was a lie to gain access to resources (the dagger and the sands of time). Kinda sounds some what familiar.

The movie is fun and I came out smiling. Sure I thought the movie ended a little too happy for me, but then again I am a grouchy old b*****d, and again this is a Disney film remember.

I would encourage you to watch a film that you can watch with the children and all of you have a great time. The visuals are great, effects sublime and the main characters working hard to entertain us.

3.8/5...good watch

1408

1408

Based on the short Stephen King horror story of the same name, 1408 is about supernatural writer Mike Enslin, an author of two successful books on supernatural phenomena. As research for his latest book, Enslin is determined to check out the notorious room 1408 in a New York City hotel by personally staying as a guest in the fabled room. He believes that 1408 is just a myth perpetuated by stories and rumors that Enslin has collected for his past works. However, hotel manager Mr. Olin has strong objections to Enslin's stay and only warns him of possible danger to come. Enslin is determined to go anyway. But what Mike Enslin is about to experience is no myth, as 1408 truly is a room where the guests don't check out by noon

The Review

This movie is a thoroughly enjoyable with great build up and suspense. Stephen King adaptations can sometimes fall flat and fail to deliver. In some respects I feel this is a great compliment to King as others cannot create the unique world that he creates. There is always attachment to the notion of the tormented soul and in this movie John Cusack is expertly cast. Samuel L Jackson is great as the defiant hotel manager who does not want Mr Enslin to check in.

If you are a fan of horror/suspense movies, but are bored with the conventional style I would definitely give this movie a shout. It is paced brilliantly. The acting is great and you can really feel the range of emotions that Cusack displays. On top of that the Stephen King feel has not been lost.

There are two versions of the ending, and the one where Cusack and his wife are listening to the tapes of his dictations are the best ending. With the look of horror on her face, this version is not easily found but is on the DVD disc set. It was removed as when the test audience initially watched the movie they felt it finished too much on a downer. Those pesky Americans.

If you miss the chance to watch this movie then you will kick yourself.

Movie Rating: 4.5/5

Robin Hood

Robin Hood

Birth of a legend. Following King Richard's death in France, archer Robin Longstride, along with Will Scarlett, Alan-a-Dale and Little John, returns to England. They encounter the dying Robert of Locksley, whose party was ambushed by treacherous Godfrey, who hopes to facilitate a French invasion of England. Robin promises the dying knight he will return his sword to his father Walter in Nottingham. Here Walter encourages him to impersonate the dead man to prevent his land being confiscated by the crown, and he finds himself with Marian, a ready-made wife. Hoping to stir baronial opposition to weak King John and allow an easy French take-over, Godfrey worms his way into the king's service as Earl Marshal of England and brutally invades towns under the pretext of collecting Royal taxes.

The Review

For me usually I do not have to watch a film too many times. A lot of the times I watch a movie maybe twice at the most, but the movie is imprinted in my mind, and therefore makes it less enjoyable if I watch it again. This movie had me scratching my head for ages, as I could not remember too much about it the movie after a few days of watching it. Though I thought the movie paced along quote well. Had some good action scenes and a score similar to Gladiator, I knew to expect that as it was a Ridley Scott film. After the story of the French trying to invade and conquer England, there was not too much substance.

I appreciate that this was one take on the story of how Robin Hood came to be, the beginning of the legend, but this movie did not feel like a movie that would be remembered in legends in the future. To be honest, I feel that the movie fairs poorly with Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, that movie really brought the love of Robin Hood back into the mainstream. In this movie, characters such as The Sheriff of Nottingham were so minor that it was a waste having him in the movie. I watched an interview with Russell Crowe and he wants their to be a sequel which would pick up from the end of this movie, which is really roughly this movie should have started. At the end of the day, if you removed the name Robin Hood and named this movie The Archer, perhaps that would have done better.

The original idea, and one that I thought sounded very creative was to name the movie Nottingham, and have the Sheriff as the central figure and more sympathetic figure, while Robin Hood was more the villain. I think that this would have been a fantastic take on a the film and given an edge the others had not had. In the end the movie was rewritten even in production.

I guess the defining moments would be when King Richard is looking for his 'honest Englishman' and encounters Robin and Little John fighting. Despite the fight being caused by Little John, Robin takes the blame, and in doing so earns the right to express his very frank view of the war to the king. The King agrees about finding his honest naive Englishman and has them both put into blocks. This was the attempt to create empathy with the character.

Again, something that was stressed in earlier posts, in this movie there is very little connection made with the characters so it is hard to care for them. It makes the film difficult to be either interesting or in this case memorable. I feel the movie started to early in the timeline of events. Think Star Wars, much of the original history was revealed in the graphic writing at the start of the movie. The rest picks straight up from there. There could have been some similar text, and perhaps start with Robin attempting to reunite England and then becoming an Outlaw, hence why he was on the run.

I just wish I could have seen Nottingham

I think this movie just scrapes in at 3/5 as it is watchable but not something you will remember down the line.

500 Days of Summer

500 Days of Summer

The plot

He's Tom, from New Jersey, working in L.A. writing greeting cards even through he's an architect by training. She's Summer, in from Michigan. Day one is her first day as an AA in Tom's office. We jump back and forth in time: by day 67, they've become an item when she decides to put aside the lovemaking and just be friends. Tom, a romantic who's sure Summer is the one for him, wallows in self pity. We go back to the early days and see the relationship begin. Summer tells him right away that she doesn't believe in love. He mopes well past day 100. Then, as day 500 approaches, they find themselves at a wedding together. Does the old flame rekindle? Is Tom right that destiny controls love?

The Review

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (JGL) is the star of this movie. I have been familiar with this guy ever since he graced the silver screen in the TV Show 3rd Rock from the Sun. His performance in that show demonstrated that he had enough ability to be a break out star. But rather than take the Hollywood route, JGL has chosen the more accomplished route of starring in Indie movies. But every so often a quality movie will reach the top whether it chooses to go all Hollywood or not and this movie is an example. Not to say that JGL has not dabbled in commercial movies, as he was the villain in the enjoyable G.I Joe Movie.

As you can tell Summer is the girl in the movie and the centre of attention for Tom. This movie has fantastic performance from the actors. What I love is the way that you invest in the characters. When Summer meets Tom later in the movie at this park, somewhere she knows Tom goes to reflect, you are screaming at the screen at Summer for invading Tom's space. I also love the scene where Tom is on his way to see Summer and believes that she has invited him to the party to potentially get back together with him. The screen splits into two as we have expected outcome on one side and reality on the other.

This is just another example about how the movie attempts to reflect the inner workings of the mind. Often when we think back on a relationship, the mind does not work in a linear chronological order, but gears back and forwards based on events that have impacted us. In the same way how many times have we played out a scene in our head but in actuality the outcome is different.

I would not say this is a romantic movie, but one one that tries to illustrate how our minds work. This movie will have you laughing, feeling sad and very angry...sharing the emotions with the characters and it is rare for a movie to do this.

I think that this movie is 5/5

Iron Man 2

The Plot

With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts, and James "Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances - and confront powerful enemies.

The Review

With Hollywood always looking to go over the top, there is no matter better character than Tony Stark/Iron Man. He is the opposite of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Sure Stark and Wayne are alike as both are rich men that love the media attention, but their motives are very different. Wayne does it so that there is no link between him and and Batman, and he is a very dark person. Iron Man however is not separate from Stark and he is happy to admit this. This is why one movie is very dark and gothic inspired whereas this one is more colourful.

The casting is great as we already know, but adding Scarlett Johanssan as Black Widow is always an epic win. Sam Rockwell is awesome as Hammer, unrecognisable from his amazing movie Moon. Its funny that Sam was originally the first choice to be cast as Iron Man, It would have been nice to see Terrence Howard reprise his role as Rhodey but due to contract wrangles...this was not to be. Micky Rourke was great as the villain in the movie, he actually went to Russia and visited prisons to get the vibe. He even got russian tattoos with his favourite being...Give me a blond, a bottle and a boat and I'll sail away. The character of Ivan Vanko is a combination of Iron Man's enemy the Crimson Dynamo (Dr Vanko, who wears armor that can control electricity) and the supervillain Whiplash (who possesses a specially-designed razor/acid whip). In addition, the film's Whiplash gets its nationality and real name from the comics' first incarnation of Crimson Dynamo.

I really enjoyed the movie as it was light hearted fun with glimpse of things to come. The were the sneak shots of Thors Hammer, Hulk on the Telly and Captain America's shield which will lead to an Avengers movie. I dislike Sam Jackson as Nick Fury, and hearing that he will play the role in more Marvel movies does not go down with me

This is a must see film, with some great scenes, gadgets and jokes. Robert Downy Jr is really on fire in this film. He feels like Tony Stark and matches the look established in the comic books.

4/5 stars

Centurion

The Plot

AD 117. The Roman Empire stretches from Egypt to Spain, and East as far as the Black Sea. But in northern Britain, the relentless onslaught of conquest has ground to a halt in face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy: the savage and terrifying Picts. Quintus Dias (Fassbender), sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus' (West) legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the earth and destroy their leader Gorlacon. But when the legion is ambushed on unfamiliar ground, and Virilus taken captive, Quintus faces a desperate struggle to keep his small platoon alive behind enemy lines. Enduring the harsh terrain and evading their remorseless Pict pursuers led by revenge-hungry Pict Warrior Etain (Kurylenko), the band of soldiers race to rescue their General and to reach the safety of the Roman frontier.

The Review

It's funny because I really enjoyed this film, but my friend who I watched this film with did not enjoy it so much. I liked how The Romans spoke the language we could understand, so it would create empathy towards the characters. They were after all attacking Britain and you would feel natural hate for the characters.

Olga (Hitman and Quantum of Solace) shone in her role. She brought a natural charisma to her role without even speaking. Dominic West also gave a great performance, but the others were pretty one dimensional and easily forgettable.

The scene that made me laugh was when the black guy who was the natural sprinter went to help the guy who he was with as they ran from the wolves, but in a great moment of selfishness, the black guy is betrayed. He is stabbed so not only is he weakened and unable to run, the wolves we see his blood and feast upon...allowing the other guy to run clear.

The film has a greek style tragedy which is worth watching.

The cast is talented but a bigger production and more meat on the bones to character would not go amiss. There is plenty of violence which is always a win in these types of movies

I am going to say 2 and 3/4s out of 5 stars

The Plot

In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple's attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous.

The Review

Great thing about having Orange Wednesday Tickets is that you give movies a try that you would not normally. I will be honest, had this film not been on Orange Wednesday offer that I would not have seen it.

What is nice about this movie, is that Foster' have always had that spark for each other, its just that they have not been given the space nor the time to show each other. The opening scenes work well to establish the mundane life that they lead and develop in to show how things are more of a chore than choice through no fault of their own.

Date Night is the time/space that the two have put in place to get that space/time, but they are always going to the same places at the same time. It is then the table names that open them into a world different than theirs.

The Cameos by Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Ray Liotta and William Fichtner really bring the movie together. Everytime Wahlberg was on the screen he interacted really well with Steve Carell and you were just waiting for a comic moment.

Now the movie was a good film, well written, with good dialogue and a few stand out comedic moments (He turned the gun sideways! That's a kill shot!....and Carrell begging Wahlberg to wear a shirt). I had a good time watching a movie, I would call it a disposable movie (one time view). I feel you should watch if you can but no need to buy it.

3/5

Kick ASS !!!

Plot

Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.

The Review

I had no great expectations when I went and saw this film. The fact that I did not pay for it also clinched the deal. I had heard various bits and pieces, hearing how it was a comic book and stuff before, but I still was not totally convinced.

If I am being honest I only saw this movie because there was Nic Cage and also McLovin. I knew I would be entertained to some extent with McLovin. The McLovin ID Card scene in Superbad has become one of my favourite comedy moments.

The film opens at the beginning with a mugging giving reason as to why Kick Ass needs to be invented. This is something that people can relate to and helps create emotional ties with the characters.

During Kick Ass' first moment of interjection when a person is being attacked, the following scene is not unexpected but hilarious at the sane time. Seeing the stabbing and the hit and run made the cinema goers laugh out of their seats. It was a precursor to some of the violence that was to come.

Nicky Cage donning an Adam West voice when he played Big Daddy was fantastic as many of the younger viewers would not understand the link, but will be at least entertained with the performance that he displayed. On top of that you have a great performance by McLovin portraying Red Mist in order to ambush Kick Ass into a trap. Hit Girl was also cast well and I am guessing a great future beckons for Chloe Moretz.

Another great scene that would often make the audience laugh was hot Red Mist had synched his iPhone to his car and would often receive messages with the usual iPhone Tone, there was something surreal about that.

When the violence starts it does not stop but there is neither over kill as well. What makes this movie work is the balance in everything from the choreography to the music sounds; with the directing and the performance of the cast. It will definitely be one of the top movies of the year. The difference between this movie and Clash of the Titans is that this movie did not try to come across as a big summer block buster, but it achieved it.

So if you want a movie with great action, comedy and well written plot line, watch KICK ASS

Rating 5/5

Clash Of The Titans

Clash of the Titans

The mortal son of the god Zeus embarks on a perilous journey to stop the underworld and its minions from spreading their evil to Earth as well as the heavens

The Review

In the interests of calling a spade a spade, I am not going to compare this movie to the original film that came out in 1981. I am just going to compare this movie as a recent film starring the man of the moment Sam Worthington.

Worthington made his mark with Avatar, a movie that will be remembered for generations to come as it has set the bar in terms of effects and what a movie can visually achieve. It was interesting to see whether Worthington follows in the footsteps of Mark Hamill who is mostly only identified with Luke Skywalker.

(I think that it is ironic that Mark Hamill has voiced a lot of villains such as Joker, Gargoyles and Hob Goblins...despite being known as an super good guy)

For me this movie just never clicked. It felt both rushed as a movie, trying to pack in so much Greek mythology Hollywood-style. The deviation from the original movie was no secret and to be honest quite painful. The one scene with Bubo (Robo-Owl) was a great homage to the original movie and was what I felt the best scene in the whole the movie.

Perseus: [picking up a toy owl] What is this?
Draco: Just leave it!

I felt that the movie was working to hard to feel like a big movie, but it did not come off that way. The dialogue, musical scores and direction aimed big but it just fell flat.

My actual favourite performance was delivered by Draco, who conveyed the emotions of a warrior who had no other way and loved the way that had been chosen for him. There was a certain nous about his lines he delivered. Such as when Perseus asked Draco why he did not smile, and Draco replied he would smile the day he could spit in the face of the Gods.

For a movie that starred Liam Neelson and Ralph Fiennes as both Zeus and Hades respectively, there was never really any feeling that these were Gods. It never felt like they were superior beings. Just old men watching from a far as the mess they had created had created chaos and now they wanted to be remembered amongst the anarchy that lay before them.

There were some soldiers that accompanied Perseus on his voyage and one of them (with the pony tail) just kept smiling all the time. Even when the time was inappropriate, like when he was telling the Actor from Skins not to look at Maduesa

In essence it just felt like Perseus is screwed, ends up with Draco, goes on a mission to kill Hades and in turn save the princess, fights some boring crab monsters, gets to the witches who then tell him he needs Meduesa, gets her head and has to race back to defeat the the Kraken monster. Thats it. No big epic fights, no amazing fight scenes, no moment that you can either take away or quote with your friends.

One bad mess which is best forgotten

Alice In Wonderland (3D)

The Plot

19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror

Once again we see the combination of Tim Burton, Johnny D and Helena Bonham-Carter, a combination that has had some mixed results in terms of commercial success. The odd member in this mix of talent, is neither actor nor director but studio and ratings.

Review

Tim Burton is not suited for the Disney world, especially movies that are rated PG. When I first heard that Tim was looking to a dark version of the original film and create a visual fantasy, I got very excited. Perhaps it was all the twisted fairy tales I read as a kid authored by Roald Dahl that got me in that thinking,

The problem is that characters seem strangely cast in regards to Alice and Anne Hathaway playing the White Witch. Anne Hathaway constantly looked uncomfortable to the extent that many people doubted the sincerity in the actions her character exhibited as darker tendencies seemed more fitting.

What is remarkable is JD's ability to submerge himself into a character and really bring them to life. When you see the Mad Hatter, JD is no more and you believe him to be real. Stephen Fry as Cheshire the Cat is magnificent, and his scenes accompanied the visual displays steal the moments at times.

But despite this, the film was not good in my humble opinion, with the story being very weak. Especially when you consider the original films made. Also the book has gone on to become a classic, but I just did not feel intellectually stimulated by the movie.

Everything just felt rushed, for example, the sword that Alice needed was given special attention. She needed to attain it and The White Witch telling Alice how when the moment came the Sword would know what to do. Well none of that was fed into the final scenes, and the sword almost became ordinary. If anything, the final scene was a little reminiscent of Lord of the Rings.

Visually the movie is pleasing and worth a watch for that alone, but as a complete film, it felt rushed and weak from a story line. Characters like The White Witch felt very awkward.

For me I have to rate this movie 2.5/5 stars, but it is still worth seeing especially for the children

Shutter Island

The Plot

Drama in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.

Review (Spoilers)

Shutter Island stars Leo who always delivers and has him teamed with Scorsese you always expect some magic.

As the story begins to unravel you already have a feeling as where the movie is going. It is almost a cross between Crowe's A Beautiful Mind and dare I say Basic Instinct 2.

The story would suggest that Leo in dealing with the agony of killing his wife who had killed his children, seems to live in a world of denial, creating another world where he is a police officer. The Asylum allowed Leo to play out this fantasy as it showed he was the missing patient he was really looking for, and if this last attempt to salvage his reality failed, it would be a case of cleansing his mind.

The angst and emotions that Leo shows demonstrates why he is such a commanding figure in Hollywood today. There is always a mysterious aura about him, which leads beautifully in this movie.

The film ends with a cliff hanger with the quote where Leo asks the question Whether it is better to live as a Monster or Die a good Man? As he shows sanity at the end but the movie ends with the viewer asking themselves had Leo accepted his reality where he had killed his wife, but still chose to be taken away in the end? Had he still deluded himself and went ahead anyway? Or, just maybe, had the Island won...? Was Leo never insane, and this whole saga staged from the beginning as Leo had chosen this case and therefore all characters involved because of the Island wanted him to end up there?

Great Movie, some what predictable outcome, but I would still recommend you watch this movie.

4/5 Stars from Me

Movie Review: The Beginnings

I love watch movies and try to watch as many as I can.

Although this is to remind me what movies I have watched and what I thought about them, I hope any one who reads this has a great time reading this blog too.

I could try and review every single movie I have ever seen, but rather than that, I will just draw a line and start from the most recent movies I saw and start from there.